FAMILY REALITIES IN THE 21ST CENTURY: POLICY OPTIONS AND DIRECTIONS

Agricultural and Food Policy,

IT Workforce Development: A Family and Consumer Sciences Community Capacity Model

This article examines Extension professionals building community capacity in 10 counties across five Appalachian states in response to the talent crisis in the United States information technology (IT) workforce. The goal has been to transfer IT knowledge and create a supportive environment to foster interest in IT careers among underserved girls in Appalachian communities. The project, funded by the National Science Foundation, incorporates the example of Family and Consumer Sciences agents modeling the structure of Extension. Extension professionals can use this model to pioneer workforce development and community change initiatives

Using Information Technology to Forge Connections in an Extension Service Project

A hybrid Extension project is introduced that uses a traditional Extension delivery model without the complete infrastructure of Cooperative Extension Services. The absence of this local organizational support and infrastructure necessitates new thinking regarding how Information Technology (IT) can support this project and hybrid Extension projects in general. The reciprocal relationship between offline and online tasks and how an Internet portal can serve as a centralized location for project continuity is offered as one solution. How IT facilitates the implementation of hybrid Extension projects such as this one can further promote the interdisciplinary adoption of the Extension model

New directions for teaching and learning

Publ. comme no 109, spring 2007 de la revue New directions for teaching and learningIndexBibliogr. à la fin des texte

Factors Influencing Successful IT Women's Career Choices: A Qualitative Study

Women and minorities continue to be underrepresented in information technology (IT) career fields. In thisstudy, we examined critical self-descriptions of women who selected and excelled in information technologycareers. Analysis of six narratives revealed that family support, teachers, and hands-on learning experienceswere critical sources of women's development of self-authorship leading to selection of an IT career path.Findings from this research suggest intervention strategies for parents, teachers, and counselors that willencourage more women to pursue careers in information technology

Understanding the Role of Parental Support for IT Career Decision Making Using the Theory of Self-Authorship

Women\u27s representation in the information technology (IT) workforce has declined to an all time low of 18.5% in the last 8 years. In order to support women to become interested in, enter and remain in the IT field, this study uses the theory of self-authorship and path analysis to investigate the role of parental support in influencing IT career choice and interest for a sample of 954 US high school and college women. A 167-item, paper and pencil Career Decision-Making Survey was developed, containing 11 four-point Likert type scales (Cronbach\u27s alpha = 0.58–0.80) designed to measure levels of parental support and a number of factors related to how students consider information in the process of making a career choice. Results document that when all other things are considered, interactions with others, such as counsellors and teachers, about career options did not have a significant effect on career interest that overrode the direction provided by parents. Women were significantly more likely than men to seek input about careers, but encountered developmental dissonance when that advice conflicted with advice provided by trusted others. Implications from this study reveal the need for more parental education in understanding the role of self-authorship in providing career decision-making support to young women. Journal compilatio

Cutting the Wireless Cord: College Student Cell Phone Use and Attachment to Parents

To better understand the dynamics of cell phone use among a sample of college students and their attachment for their parents, our study investigated the attitudes toward cell phone use, distinguishing patterns of cell phone users, and user group and gender differences related to attachment to parents among college students. Findings of this study point to implications for further research in three areas: cell phone use and adoption of special functions, family studies, and measurement improvement

Factors Associated with Women\u27s Interest in Computing Fields

This paper presents a theoretically driven and empirically supported model that identifies key factors that predict high school and college women\u27s interest and choice in a career in information technology (IT). At the center of the model is the developmental construct of selfauthorship and variables related to the process individuals use to make personal and educational decisions. For female high school and college students, the expression of interest in a career in the IT field is often made with little concrete information from sources outside of the immediate circle of trusted friends and family members. Findings have direct implications for recruiting and advising practice

A Cross-Institutional Comparison of Elements of College Culture that Promote Women's Interest in Engineering at the Undergraduate Level

This poster, from the National Institute for Women in Trades, Technology, and Science, provides information on elements of college culture that promote women's interest in engineering. The poster displays the results of a National Science Foundation study identifying "four common factors across institutions that correlate with high retention rates of women in engineering programs." These factors include engineering student groups, female groups or activities, work experience, and enjoyment of subject matter