The relationship between size of living space and subjective well-being

Against a background of shrinking new homes and forebodings of “rabbit hutch Britain”, the relationship between size of living space and subjective well-being has never been more topical in the UK. Using the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and fixed effects regressions, this paper is the first to examine this relationship comprehensively. Two pathways are proposed between space and subjective well-being. First, space facilitates values and activities. Second, space signals wealth which in turn influences social status. It is proposed that wealth is a more important determinant of status for men than women, and that pathway two is therefore gendered. Part one of the paper examines the effect of a change in number of rooms per person on housing satisfaction and subjective well-being in the BHPS as a whole. Despite having a similar effect on the housing satisfaction of both genders, an increase in living space has only a (weak) positive linear effect on the life satisfaction and mental health of men. This suggests that space affects subjective well-being through pathway two, status. Part two of the paper tracks the housing satisfaction and subjective well-being over time of those individuals who move for “larger accommodation”. Consistent with various theories of adaptation, housing satisfaction increases in the year of the move; then decreases slightly before levelling out. Moving for “larger accommodation” has no positive impact on subjective well-being. Overall the results imply a weak positive relationship between size of living space and subjective well-being, but only for men

Instruction through Written Grammar Exercises and its Effect on Listening Proficiency

Written workbook type exercises give learners discrete-level practice with various grammar forms, vocabulary items, and structural features of English. The question arises, though, whether such exercises also aid learners in building language skills that do not involve writing. This paper summarizes a quantitative study seeking to shed light on whether devoting class time to written work in a university communication class helps students to improve their listening ability

Armored Geomembrane Cover Engineering

Geomembranes are an important component of modern engineered barriers to prevent the infiltration of stormwater and runoff into contaminated soil and rock as well as waste containment facilities—a function generally described as a geomembrane cover. This paper presents a case history involving a novel implementation of a geomembrane cover system. Due to this novelty, the design engineers needed to assemble from disparate sources the design criteria for the engineering of the cover. This paper discusses the design methodologies assembled by the engineering team. This information will aid engineers designing similar cover systems as well as environmental and public health professionals selecting site improvements that involve infiltration barriers

Ethically-speaking, what is the most reasonable way of evaluating housing outcomes?

This paper addresses one of the most fundamental, but least considered, questions in housing research: how should we ultimately evaluate housing outcomes? Rejecting the fact vs value dichotomy so dominant in the social sciences, this paper draws on the work of Amartya Sen and Hilary Putnam to critically assess the ethical assumptions behind three commonly adopted “informational spaces” for evaluating housing outcomes: economic, subjective and “objective” metrics. It argues that all three fail to account for the plurality of goods that individuals have reason to value and the fallibility of human judgement. As an alternative, it proposes that housing outcomes should be ultimately evaluated in terms of people’s “housing capabilities” - the effective freedoms that people have in their homes and neighbourhoods to do and feel the things they have reason to value – which should generally be determined through a bottom-up process of democratic deliberation involving critical and expert perspectives

Graving another testament : a critical discourse analysis of the Sydney Anglicans under Peter Jensen 2001-2013

Graving Another Testament examines the influential Sydney Diocese of the Anglican Church in Australia, particularly under the leadership of former Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen (2001- 2013). This thesis argues that, despite his appeals to the need for church unity, the ‘Jensen ascension’ oversaw a decrease in the Sydney Diocese’s diversity of opinion, promulgating a conservative evangelicalism less open to other perspectives and more aggressive in its evangelistic focus. Through a consideration of Jensen’s speeches, media events and writings, Graving Another Testament examines Jensen’s dominant conservative evangelical discourse, particularly as it relates to opposition to same sex marriage and the ordination of women. It also considers the role the diocese has played in contemporary Australian politics, and explores how Australia’s secular media outlets covered issues related to Sydney Anglicanism. The thesis reveals Archbishop Jensen to be a powerful, charismatic church leader who led an ambitious but costly public ‘mission’ to gain ten per cent of Sydney’s population, which was funded with a highly risky investment strategy. It concludes by exploring the legacy Jensen has left for Sydney Diocese, and the possible future direction it may take following his July 2013 retirement

Haskins & Sells: Our first seventy-five years

Originally published by: Haskins & Sells

Rural Primary School Educators’ Perspectives of the Responsive Classroom Approach to Teaching

Reactive behavior management strategies used in classrooms to discipline students have been ineffective in limiting discipline problems and decreasing the number of suspensions and expulsions. A rural primary school in California with numerous discipline problems during the 2015-2016 through 2017-2018 school years adopted the Responsive Classroom (RC), a proactive and systemwide approach to improve behavioral and academic outcomes. The purpose of this case study was to identify, explore, and understand the discipline strategies used by primary school educators and their perspectives regarding the RC approach to teaching used at the research site. Bandura’s social learning theory was the conceptual framework that informed this study, which suggests that individuals tend to respond to experiences as they perceive them. Seven purposively selected educators were interviewed, and discipline logs, class schedules, and lesson plans documenting morning meetings were reviewed to understand discipline problems prior to and after the implementation of the RC approach. Using content analysis, 7 themes were developed. Participants had positive perspectives about the RC approach in terms of improvement of student behavior and evidence of implementing morning meetings/classroom expectations; however, some reactive discipline practices like detention and office referrals were still being used to address discipline problems. This study contributes to positive social change by providing educators with evidence to inform school discipline practices regarding the importance of using proactive strategies with the goal of decreasing student discipline issues and classroom disruptions, while providing a safe and caring classroom environment where students can focus on learning