Fashioning an Industrial Strategy for Garment Workers

[Excerpt] Since 1984, the [ILGWU] has initiated a series of efforts to better secure the jobs, working conditions, and earnings opportunities of garment workers and to chart new directions for small union manufacturers and contractors. In the process, the union has evolved a multi-pronged industry strategy for the women\u27s apparel industry that holds important lessons for the labor movement and for communities that depend on industrial jobs

The Role of New York City in the Economy of New York State

In August 2017, The Worker Institute convened high level leaders over the course of two days, around a discussion of Buffalo, NY Since the Great Recession. With presentations, panels, and a visit to the UAW Local 774, participants gained a deeper understanding of the economic restructuring that followed the Great Recession and where this large metropolitan area stands today. Here, you will find links to the resources that were presented during this two day convening

Elementary Physical Education Teachers’ Content Knowledge and Pedagogical Content Knowledge Of Overhand Throwing

The complexity of physical education instruction provides unique challenges for the physical education teacher. In this research, I sought to describe and examine the types of knowledge that physical education teachers use to inform their instructional practices. I also explored the relation between teaching experience and components of content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge in overhand throwing. Specifically, what are the task representations, common content knowledge, and specialized content knowledge during an overhand throwing unit of novice, beginning, and accomplished elementary teachers? A naturalistic, qualitative approach involving three elementary physical education teachers examined the elements that they used in the instruction of overhand throwing. Data collection included field notes, semi-structured and long interview, a qualitative measure of teaching performance scale, a common content knowledge assessment, time based summary sheet, task representation coding sheet, and curricular and lesson plan information. Results indicated that longer teaching or sport experience did not confer a higher level of content knowledge or pedagogical knowledge. The scores on a common content knowledge overhand throwing assessment supported, or aligned with many of the components that made up the participants’ pedagogical content knowledge. Having curricular knowledge and access to a quality curriculum, and quality task representation was critical to the appropriateness and maturity of the instructional practices. This research adds to the body of work of pedagogical content knowledge in the field of physical education and in other educational disciplines. The findings alluded to opportunities for future research of pedagogical content knowledge in physical education

Determining the Validity of a New Cycle Ergometer Protocol for Estimating VO(2)Max

The current American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) submaximal cycle ergometer protocol has been evaluated by several researchers for its validity in estimating maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max). It has been found that the ACSM protocol overestimates VO2max by 28% on average (Swain and Wright, 1997). It is felt that the short stage duration, only 3 minutes, of the ACSM protocol is largely responsible for this overestimation. The new submaximal cycle ergometer protocol evaluated here utilizes a 6-minute stage in an attempt to reduce the overestimation of VO2max while increasing the overall test validity. A regression performed on actual VO2max vs. the VO2 Reserve method of VO2max estimation showed an r-value of 0.89, and an SEE of 3.97 ml·min−1.kg−1. The mean value of actual VO2max was 36.9 ± 8.8 ml·min−1. kg−1, while that for the VO2R estimated VO2max was 36.7 ± 8.4 ml·min−1.kg −1. A regression performed on actual VO2max vs. the Astrand estimate of VO2max showed an r-value of 0.82, and an SEE of 5.09 ml·min−1.kg−1. The mean value for the Astrand estimate of VO2max was 39.8 ± 11.1 ml·min−1.kg−1

Societal, Expert, and Lay Influences

Families are influenced by many messages about genetics and health, which then affect communication with health-care practitioners and communication within the family. Using a discourse approach, this chapter identifies the various sources of these messages and explains the influences they might exert.https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/communication_books/1014/thumbnail.jp

Demarcating livelihood vulnerability and flood risk perceptions of villages in the Nadi River basin, Fiji : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science

Floods continue to be a serious global concern because of their destructive nature, causing millions of dollars in damages and disruption to people’s livelihoods. Despite the growing literature on flood management and vulnerability of urban areas, there is paucity on how rural communities are coping with flood impacts, especially on small island developing states. Research has shown that rural communities tend to be the most impacted during flood events and these events directly impact many of their livelihoods. This study combines the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework and Flood Hazard analysis to investigate the vulnerability of households in three villages situated in the flood-prone Nadi River basin in Fiji. Data collection involved the use of questionnaires distributed to each household in the three villages and focus group (male and female) discussions with participants from each village. The household surveys provided data on the livelihood assets and flood risks, whereas the group discussions investigated asset priority for flood resilience, and flood impacts and coping strategies at a village level. Analysis of the 208 survey responses demonstrated that households have variable access to livelihood assets and enabled mapping and spatial analysis of livelihood asset vulnerability and resilience. Key findings from the research indicate that the villages are well endowed with natural and social capital but seemingly weak in financial and human capital and show gendered differences in attitudes toward assets that might strengthen flood resilience and the degree of flood impacts on their households and villages. A novel contribution in the study was the development of a livelihood capital scoring technique that enabled the five livelihood assets of each household to be compared quantitatively. Anticipated spatial variations were not present and lead to reflections on some of the assumptions underlying commonly used vulnerability assessment tools and assumptions regarding hazard risk and vulnerability assessment. The data provides a useful baseline for targetting and assessing the effectiveness of future resilience strengthening actions. While the study highlights the unequal distribution of livelihood capitals and the contrasting views between men and women, more in-depth research into gendered livelihood roles and associated perceptions of ways to strengthen resilience is needed

Developing a Recursive Evaluation Plan of a Complex Interprofessional Healthcare Education Initiative

Background: A university interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional practice (IPP) initiative is a complex undertaking: incorporating multiple system levels (administration, faculty, students, patients), integrating many theoretical perspectives, and coordinating a host of individual IPE research projects. Guidance for evaluating such an IPE initiative is lacking.Methods and Findings: We describe five key challenges to evaluating the effectiveness of such an initiative, and the processes and tools we have developed to meet those challenges. We draw from recent developments in evaluation science to theoretically ground our description. Additionally, we share concrete tools we have developed in the process. By tacking between theoretical and concrete aspects of our efforts, we hope to both provide ideas for other IPE initiatives, as well as provide a basis for future research comparing cases (complex university IPE initiatives).Conclusions: While all complex IPE university initiatives are unique, we suspect that they share many common evaluation challenges. By framing these common practical challenges as common theoretical challenges, we seek to offer a description of our concrete case as well as a basis for future comparison of similar initiatives

Investigation of a New Couples Intervention for Individuals with Brain Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial

d to (1) examine the efficacy of a treatment to enhance a couple’s relationship after brain injury (BI) particularly in relationship satisfaction and communication; and (2) determine couples’ satisfaction with this type of intervention. Design: Randomized Wait-list Controlled (WC) Trial. Setting: Midwestern outpatient BI rehabilitation center. Intervention: The Couples CARE intervention is a 16 week, 2-hour, manualized small group treatment utilizing psychoeducation, affect recognition and empathy training, cognitive and dialectical behavioral treatments (CBT, DBT), communication skills training, and Gottman’s theoretical framework for couples. Participants: Forty-four participants (22 persons with BI and their intimate partner) were randomized by couples to the intervention or WC group, with 11 couples in each group. Main Outcome Measures: Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS); Quality of Marriage Index (QMI); 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse communication questionnaire. Measures were completed by the person with BI and their partner at 3 time points: baseline, immediate post-intervention, 3-month follow-up. Results The experimental group showed significant improvement at post-test and follow-up on the DAS and the Horsemen questionnaire compared to baseline and to the WC group which showed no significant changes on these measures. No significant effects were observed on the QMI for either group. Satisfaction scores were largely favorable. Conclusion suggest this intervention can improve couples’ dyadic adjustment and communication after BI. High satisfaction ratings suggest this small group intervention is feasible with couples following BI. Future directions for this intervention are discussed

A promising Start? The Local Network Fund for Children and Young People: Interim Findings from the National Evaluation

This is a summary of the interim evaluation report of the National Evaluation of the Local Network Fund (LNF) for Children and Young People. It is based on data gathered during the first phase of the evaluation (between October 2002 to December 2003). A final report of the National Evaluation will be available early in 2005. A consortium of research organisations, led by the University of Hull and including BMRB Social Research, The University of York and the University of Sheffield were commissioned in August 2002 by the-then Children and Young People’s Unit (CYPU) to carry out the evaluation