Four decades of child welfare services to native Indians in Ontario: A contemporary attempt to understand the \u27sixties scoop\u27 in historical, socioeconomic and political perspective

This research seeks to understand the high rates of Indian children in the care of Ontario’s Childrens Aid Societies from the 1950s to the 1970s. It examines historically the interaction of public policy, child welfare services and First Nations’ social, economic and cultural change. The author uses interview data from Native persons, CAS workers and public servants. In addition, government archives and the records of one child protection agency are used as data sources. The research examines in-care rates of Reserve Status Indian children from 1955 to 1976 in Ontario and admissions rates in one agency. It uses financial reports to complement and explain some trends. Admission rates between 1964 and 1974 show variations between and within communities that are analyzed using oral histories, archival data and the literature. An association between sudden change and child-in-care rates is demonstrated. The reasons for the high rates of Indian children in care are complex. Many of the Ontario Indian children in care in the 1960s and 1970s were children and grandchildren of two generations damaged by the effects of post World War II expansion. Aboriginal people in Northern Ontario experienced serious cultural trauma following relocation, loss of independent means of support, and new educational systems that were incompatible with their traditional beliefs and life styles. These stressors revealed themselves in a high rate of alcohol abuse precipitating incidents involving the child protection agency. Traditional systems were either strained or inaccessible to the Childrens Aid Societies. Child welfare workers, faced with new problems in the late 1950s and 1960s, recognized differences and made creative adaptations probably keeping the in-care rates lower than might have been expected. Gaps in jurisdiction and accountability in the larger system prolonged the situation of escalating rates because the out-of-control costs and their implications could not be easily detected. Three interacting pandemic factors drove program development and hindered the development of more appropriate approaches despite a flexible federal-provincial agreement. They were: equality ideology; an ignorance about Aboriginal people; and lack of systemic disincentives for other approaches in Indian child welfare financial administration. Individual service providers and the public servants were pivotal in hindering or maximizing the agreement’s potential. This hindered on their denial or recognition of inherent differences in the First Nations. Jurisdiction and accountability disputes still prevail. First Nations’ self-governing institutions face the dual task of healing the wounds of the past and building appropriate systems to deal with the future

Life satisfaction and self-concept of elderly living in congregate and non-congregate housing in Knox County, Tennessee

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the life satisfaction and self-concept of the elderly living in congregate housing versus those living in non-congregate housing in Knox County, Tennessee. Two instruments (Life Satisfaction Index-Z and The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale) were used to measure life satisfaction and self-concept of elderly living in the two different settings. A demographic data form was also used to capture information regarding the study participants. A stratified random sample of elderly was obtained from the 65 census tracts in Knox County. The study groups consisted of 235 elderly men and women living in congregate (N=208) and non-congregate (N=27) housing in Knox County, Tennessee. This study is a modified replication of the study conducted by Griffin in 1982 in Knox County, Tennessee. This study used the same sampling formula and census tracts, as well as some of the same congregate housing facilities as the previous study. The present study used six interviewers to collect data whereas the earlier investigation was conducted by direct interviews by the researcher. Also, a workshop was conducted for training purposes for the interviewers. Lastly, a sample of residents of an assisted living facility was included in this study for congregate housing. Statistical analysis was conducted using marginal statistics, Analysis of Variances, multiple comparisons, and Multiple Analysis of Variances. A T-test was performed to measure and compare life satisfaction of elderly in congregate and noncongregate settings. Analysis of Variances were used to determine if life satisfaction differed by gender, race, income and household size. A Multiple Analysis of Variance vm was used to determine if there was a difference in self-concept of elderly in congregate and non-congregate settings. Individual ANOVAs were also calculated to ascertain which of the self-concept subscales differed. Based on the study\u27 s findings, the following conclusions were made as they relate specifically to the four hypotheses: 1. There is no significant difference in life satisfaction of elderly residing in congregate and non-congregate housing in Knox County, Tennessee. 2. There is a significant difference in life satisfaction of elderly based on income, but not on race, gender or household size in Knox County, Tennessee. 3. Elderly living in non-congregate housing had a higher level of self-concept of family than elderly living in congregate housing. 4. Self-Concept Subscales differed among elderly and are as follows: a. Self-Criticism Self-Concept: Household size was significant with elderly having a higher level of self-concept as the household size increases. b. Physical Self-Concept: (1.) Elderly living with more than two other people had a statistically significant higher mean; (2.) Whites had a higher level of self-concept than blacks; and females had a higher self-concept than males. c. Moral Self-Concept: Whites had a significantly higher level of self-concept than blacks; females had a higher level of self-concept than males; and those elderly with lower incomes had a higher level of self-concept than those with higher incomes. d. Personal Self-Concept: No significant differences were observed. IX e. Family Self-Concept: Whites had a higher level of self-concept than blacks; and elderly with lower incomes had a higher level of self-concept than those with higher incomes. f. Social Self-Concept: Whites had a higher level of self-concept than blacks; and females had a higher level of self-concept than males

Remote sensing tertiary education meets high intensity interval training

Enduring a traditional lecture is the tertiary education equivalent of a long, slow, jog. There are certainly some educational benefits if the student is able to maintain concentration, but they are just as likely to get caught napping and fall off the back end of thetreadmill. Alternatively, a pre-choreographed interactive workshop style class requires students to continually engage with thematerials. Appropriately timed breaks or intervals allow students to recover briefly before being increasingly challenged throughoutthe class. Using an introductory remote sensing class at Charles Darwin University, this case study presents a transition from thetraditional stand and deliver style lecture to an active student-led learning experience. The class is taught at undergraduate andpostgraduate levels, with both on-campus as well as online distance learning students. Based on the concept that active engagement in learning materials promotes ‘stickiness’ of subject matter, the remote sensing class was re-designed to encourage an active style of learning. Critically, class content was reviewed to identify the key learning outcomes for the students. This resulted in a necessary sacrifice of topic range for depth of understanding. Graduates of the class reported high levels of enthusiasm for the materials, and the style in which the class was taught. This paper details a number of techniques that were used to engage students in active and problem based learning throughout the semester. It suggests a number of freely available tools that academics in remote sensing and related fields can readily incorporate into their teaching portfolios. Moreover, it shows how simple it can be to provide a far more enjoyable and effective learning experience for students than the one dimensional lecture

Motivations, expectations and preparedness for university: a study of accounting students in Ireland, the UK, Spain and Greece.

While evaluating the appropriateness of accounting education within universities has occupied researchers for many years, the harmonisation of the tertiary education process across Europe, through the Bologna Declaration, generates the need for comparative studies. This paper measures the motives, expectations and preparedness of students commencing the study of accounting at universities in four European countries. The findings reveal that while all students are motivated to progress to higher education for career-oriented reasons and to seek intellectual growth, considerable variation is evident between the students in the four settings with regard to motives, confidence, perceptions of preparedness for university and expectations concerning study effort. All of these factors may impact on students’ achievement of the common learning outcomes espoused by the Bologna process. There is a need for further research to enrich our understanding of educational processes across Europe and to consider the impact of harmonisation activities on students’ learning

MPR Special Issue Letter from Editors

About this special issue on Our Shared Ocean

Pre-Chemotherapy Differences in Visuospatial Working Memory in Breast Cancer Patients Compared to Controls: An fMRI Study

Introduction: Cognitive deficits are a side-effect of chemotherapy, however pre-treatment research is limited. This study examines neurofunctional differences during working memory between breast cancer (BC) patients and controls, prior to chemotherapy. Methods: Early stage BC females (23), scanned after surgery but before chemotherapy, were individually matched to non-cancer controls. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing a Visuospatial N-back task and data was analyzed by multiple group comparisons. fMRI task performance, neuropsychological tests, hospital records, and salivary biomarkers were also collected. Results: There were no significant group differences on neuropsychological tests, estrogen, or cortisol. Patients made significantly fewer commission errors but had less overall correct responses and were slower than controls during the task. Significant group differences were observed for the fMRI data, yet results depended on the type of analysis. BC patients presented with increased activations during working memory compared to controls in areas such as the inferior frontal gyrus, insula, thalamus, and midbrain. Individual group regressions revealed a reverse relationship between brain activity and commission errors. Conclusion: This is the first fMRI investigation to reveal neurophysiological differences during visuospatial working memory between BC patients pre-chemotherapy and controls. These results also increase the knowledge about the effects of BC and related factors on the working memory network. Significance: This highlights the need to better understand the pre-chemotherapy BC patient and the effects of associated confounding variables

Racial Differences in Clinical Treatment and Self-Care Behaviors of Adults with Chronic Heart Failure

BackgroundIn the United States, the highest prevalence of heart failure (HF) is in blacks followed by whites. Compared with whites, blacks have a higher risk of HF‐related morbidity and mortality and HF‐related hospitalization. Little research has focused on explaining the reasons for these disparities. The purpose of this study was to examine racial differences in demographic and clinical characteristics in blacks and whites with HF and to determine if these characteristics influenced treatment, or together with treatment, influenced self‐care behaviors.Methods and ResultsThis was a secondary analysis of existing data collected from adults (n=272) with chronic HF enrolled from outpatient sites in the northeastern United States and followed for 6 months. After adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics within reduced (HFrEF) and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) groups, there were 2 significant racial differences in clinical treatment. Blacks with HFrEF were prescribed ACE inhibitors and hydralazine and isosorbide dinitrate (H‐ISDN) more often than whites. In the HFpEF group, blacks were taking more medications and were prescribed digoxin and a diuretic when symptomatic. Deficits in HF knowledge and decreased medication adherence, objectively measured, were more prominent in blacks. These racial differences were not explained by sociodemographic or clinical characteristics or clinical treatment variables. Premorbid intellect and the quality of support received contributed to clinical treatment and self‐care.ConclusionAlthough few differences in clinical treatment could be attributed solely to race, knowledge about HF and medication adherence is lower in blacks than whites. Further research is needed to explain these observations, which may be targets for future intervention research

Factors Influencing the Intention to Quit Drinking Alcohol Among African American/Black Pregnant Women

Factors influencing the intention to quit drinking alcohol among pregnant African American/Black women in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, California were investigated using the theory of planned behavior. Qualitative data were collected via focus groups from 22 pregnant women to ascertain behavioral outcomes, normative, and control beliefs associated with drinking during pregnancy. These data were used to develop a quantitative questionnaire. One hundred forty eight questionnaires were analyzed. Most of the women (86%) reported current alcohol use and 14% were former users. When adjusted for attenuation the correlation of intention with perceived control was .89, attitude .80, and subjective norm .77 all of which were statistically significant. The prediction of these three from their underlying beliefs provides insight into factors which may need to be changed to reduce alcohol use by pregnant African American/ Black women