Youth Internet Safety Study (YISS): Methodology Report.

The Youth Internet Safety Surveys (YISS‐1, YISS‐2, and YISS‐3) were conducted in order to quantify and detail youth experiences with unwanted or problematic Internet experiences including sexual solicitations, harassment, and unwanted exposure to pornography on the Internet. YISS‐3 collected additional information about youth produced sexual images (YPSI) or “sexting.” The YISS‐1, YISS‐2 and YISS‐3 studies were conducted in 2000, 2005 and 2010, respectively, providing important comparative information on changes in the numbers of youth reporting unwanted or problematic Internet experiences at 5‐year intervals since 2000. This is a critical timeframe for observation given the sharp rise in the use of Internet and new technologies by youth from 2000‐2010 1 . The YISS were conducted via telephone surveys with separate national samples of 1500 youth Internet users, ages 10 to 17, and their parents. A sample size of 1,500 was pre‐determined based upon a maximum expected sampling error of +/‐2.5% at the 5% significance level. Human subject participation in the YISS studies were reviewed and approved by the University of New Hampshire Institutional Review Board (IRB) and conformed to the rules mandated for research projects funded by the U.S. Department of Justice

A Content Analysis of Youth Internet Safety Programs: Are Effective Prevention Strategies Being Used?

ABSTRACT: Almost half of youth in the U.S. report receiving internet safety education (ISE) in their schools. Unfortunately, we know little about what educational messages make a difference in problems such as cyberbullying, sexting, or online predators. To consider directions for improving effectiveness, a content analysis was conducted on materials from four ISE programs. Results indicate that ISE programs are mostly not incorporating proven educational strategies. Common ISE messages have proliferated without a clear rationale for why they would be effective. It is recommended that program developers and other stakeholders reconsider ISE messages, improve educational strategies, and participate in evaluation. The field must also consider whether ISE messages would be better delivered through broader youth safety prevention programs versus stand-alone lessons

Trends in Unwanted Online Experiences and Sexting : Final Report

This bulletin summarizes findings from the Third Youth Internet Safety Survey (YISS‐3). Topics include youth reports of unwanted sexual solicitations, online harassment, unwanted exposure to sexual material, and “sexting.

Making Meaning of Mindfulness in the Lives of Law School Students: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this study phenomenological study was to understand how law school students make meaning of mindfulness as it relates to stress during law school. The Monitoring and Acceptance Theory guided this research study to understand the meaning of mindfulness and stress associated with law school. The Self-determination Theory tenet of autonomy also increased the ability to understand a mindfulness approach to managing stress. The central question of the study is: What are the lived experiences of law students and their mindfulness practice? The phenomenological study was grounded in constructivist methodology and viewed the truth as relative, and values the role of individuals’ construction of their own meaning and interpretation. The study consisted of ten participants, including first-, second- and third-year law students who practiced mindfulness during law school. The data collected was through journaling, individual interviews, and focus group interviews. Confidentiality for participants was maintained by using pseudonyms. The data analysis used patterns, themes and content analysis. The validity was a triangulation of participants with participant reviews. Inductive analysis was used to discover patterns in the study. Transcendental-phenomenological reduction was used to analyze the qualitative data. The research was designed to understand how law students make meaning of mindfulness as it relates to law school stress

Language Acquisition: Effectiveness of Collaboration on Teacher Practices and Beliefs

Language Acquisition Abstract The effectiveness and challenges of teacher collaboration as a tool to drive teaching outcomes has been observed in various educational settings. This research project was designed to answer the question, “Would collaboratively creating a Useful Words Handbook for teachers increase the number of language teaching opportunities that could occur during the day?” This action research project, conducted in a Montessori preschool setting, focused on two classroom teachers who educate children between the ages of two and three. Three intervals were identified for data collection. Four weeks of collaboration on the Useful Words Handbook began after two weeks of baseline data collection, during which the frequency of language teaching opportunities were recorded. A weekly topic was presented to the teachers, who provided feedback the following week, in addition to ideas for improving the topic for the handbook. Collaboration involved creating an introduction and four topics about teaching useful phrases to early language learners. The data showed a positive correlation between collaboration and an increase in the number of teaching language opportunities that occur during the day. The data also show that while it is possible to make short-term changes in the classroom through collaboration, changing teacher beliefs about teaching language and collaboration remain a challenge that is characteristic of the teacher collaboration process. Investigating strategies to increase awareness about teaching language should continue

An Evaluation of the Transferability of Manufacturing-Derived Lean Improvement Tools and Techniques to the Local Government Sector

The unsustainable increases in public spending have resulted in extreme pressure from the UK Government in the Local Government (LG) sector to improve performance, service and efficiency. The Lean philosophy, which is an approach to reduce waste, was developed within the Manufacturing sector and has been used in manufacturing organisations to improve operational performance for over 30 years. This research investigated the transferability of the Lean philosophy from the Manufacturing sector to LG. The research was conducted in conjunction with North East Consultants (NEC) whose manufacturing derived lean model has been the vehicle for evaluating the issue of transferability to the LG sector. Case study research was undertaken within three local authorities and nine detailed case studies have been completed, each covering a lean intervention within a different area of business within LG. Data collection for each case study involved extensive semi-structured interviews to collect rich qualitative data from (i) lean consultants, (ii) LG senior management and (iii) LG lean team members, in addition to quantitative data on intervention performance. Individual and cross case analysis has identified that the Lean philosophy is transferable into this particular setting and can deliver improvements of the range expected, but that the LG setting is very different from the Manufacturing sector in terms of the variation, nature and outputs of the processes contained within it. In addition, a number of significant model deficiencies have been identified. These deficiencies which can be considered to impede the success, adoption and sustainability of the Lean philosophy within LG cover both model content and delivery and can broadly be categorised as: (i) the inappropriate selection of tools and techniques, (ii) a diagnostic tool not sufficiently adapted for use in the LG sector, (iii) a training and delivery model whose timescales and content do not aid participant learning and buy-in, (iv) a lack of consideration regarding the sustainability of the lean approach post-consultation, relating to (a) the development of internal lean leaders and (b) how the Lean philosophy can be embedded as an ongoing element in helping to deliver department objectives. To aid the success and sustainability of the lean approach to waste reduction in the LG sector a new framework has been suggested which will recognise the differences between the Manufacturing sector and LG and seek to overcome the deployment and sustainability deficiencies highlighted in the research