The contribution of nonhomothetic preferences to trade

International trade

Uvulectomy - the making of a ritual

No Abstract

Use of Selected MMPI-A Factors in the Prediction of Clinical Outcomes in a Community-Based Treatment Program for Juvenile Sexual Offenders

This study was designed to evaluate the use of MMPI-A factors to make predictions about clinical outcomes within a community-based treatment program for juvenile sexual offenders. Specifically, selected MMPI-A factors were used to predict client acceptance into the program and client compliance with program expectations over a 12-month period. Results showed that program acceptance was best predicted by the MMPI-A factor, “Immaturity.” No MMPI-A factors were found to be statistically significant in the prediction of program compliance. A high degree of collinearity was found between MMPI-A factors, raising questions about their discriminative utility. Results are discussed with regard to the limited utility of the MMPI-A, and factor scores, in making predictions about specific clinical outcomes

Use of the Nurse Entrance Test and Other Factors as Predictors of Academic Success of Nursing Students

Attrition from schools of nursing continues to affect almost one third of students enrolled. Attrition is costly financially and personally to the student, to the educational institution, the health care consumer and the profession. The purpose of this study was to identify variables measurable at time of admission which might alone or together be predictive of successful persistence until graduation from a nursing program. The variables included cognitive and noncognitive characteristics measured by the Nurse Entrance Test (NET) as well as demographic and other academic achievement measurements. A convenience sample of associate degree nursing students admitted into two successive classes of a large, urban community college was used. Two hundred sixty seven students participated, with successful students defined as those who succeeded in each course of the program and continued in enrollment in an uninterrupted fashion until graduation. Cognitive factors included preadmission grade point average (GPA), California Achievement Test score, and measurements on the Nurse Entrance Test (NET) for Math Skills, Reading Comprehension and Rate, Testtaking Skill and Preferred Learning Style. Noncognitive factors were NET self-perceived scores on five areas of Life Stress and a Social Interaction Profile of passive and aggressive styles. Demographics were age, gender and race. Using univariate analysis of variance and discriminant analysis, the same six characteristics were found to be significantly different between the groups of successful and nonsuccessful students and predictive of success or nonsuccess: Reading Comprehension, preadmission GPA, age and stress in three areas -academic, family and social. When a discriminant analysis using a stepwise inclusion procedure was performed, these six were included among the ten variables found together to be useful in a prediction equation. Added to these six were Testtaking Skill, Money Stress, Social Interaction Profile and gender. By measurements in all types of analyses used, Academic Stress and Reading Comprehension were consistently the strongest of the predictors of group membership. Group membership was successfully predicted in 74.33% of the cases when the reduced set of ten variables was used. Findings from this research could be used as a basis for developing a risk profile for students either for use in making admission decisions or for identifying students at risk for nonsuccess. Nursing educators should become alert to the finding that the students in this study were at risk for failure because of noncognitive as well as because of cognitive characteristics. Future research could focus on the multifactorial influences in a student\u27s life which affect success. Research could focus also on the examination, implementation and evaluation of intervention strategies designed to increase retention and improve academic performance

Understanding HIV-Related Stigma Experienced by Mothers: The Next Generation and Implications of the New Ontario Health Education Curriculum

There are many sources of stigma for mothers living with HIV in Canada, and these negatively impact their decision about whether or not to disclose their status. Societal norms and values regarding motherhood are generally not compatible with the negative and stigmatizing messages that exist about HIV-positive women becoming mothers. One reason that many HIV-positive mothers are often unwilling to access health supports is because of the stigma and unwelcomed surveillance that accompany their diagnosis. We begin with a brief discussion on sources of stigma for women and mothers living with HIV, and then move into a discussion on the newly revised Ontario Health Education Curriculum in terms of its progress in addressing HIV-related stigma. Although we note there is room for improvement, the new health curriculum has positive implications for reducing HIV-related stigma by promoting greater awareness around the effects of stigma. Additionally, we propose that HIV-awareness poster campaigns may be a useful tool for supplementing the work of the curriculum in reducing and, ultimately, eliminating HIV- related stigma. The new Ontario Health Education Curriculum, as well as more recent HIV-awareness poster campaigns, challenge the dominant perceptions about HIV stigma, and they have the potential to lead to positive change, which could reduce HIV-related stigma for mothers now and in the future

What (actually) matters in literacy education: Contributions from community psychology

This paper describes the critical role community psychology theories played in reframing literacy research involving mainly Māori and Pacific peoples’ extended families and communities. Within a critical social constructionist paradigm, ecological systems theory and holistic, integrative theories of wellbeing brought much-needed new thinking to how family-focused adult literacy education might be theorised and practiced. This reframing marks a challenge to and movement away from still-dominant Western individualistic, behavioural orientated, skills-based and formal economy-focused ways of thinking about people’s literacy abilities. It highlights the important role of community psychology in developing theory, informing policy and enhancing practices in culturally diverse education settings to achieve both educational and quality of life aims. Improving quality of life is not possible through literacy education in and of itself, but rather through the inculcation in programme design and delivery of those things which are fundamental and critical to the participants’ overall wellbeing and welfare