An Interpretative Phenomenological Study Exploring the Experiences of African American Males in Same Race/Gender Mentoring Relationships While Attending a Predominately White Institution in the South

This exploratory study was undertaken to assess the experiences of undergraduate (and recent graduate) African American male students who were currently involved in a mentoring relationship with another African American male, while attending a Predominantly White Institution in the South. The researcher used purposive sampling to select undergraduate participants who had formed mentoring relationships with other African American males. Face-to-face interviews were conducted and the interview transcripts were analyzed for structural elements or master themes, using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) as a guide. The findings suggest that these relationships played a role in helping undergraduate African American males navigate college life successfully while attending a Predominately White Institution in the South

Examining Predictors of Implementation Quality in an Emerging International Extension Context

In this article, we explore a component of evidence-based programming—implementation quality—within an emerging international Extension context. Specifically, we examine how the traits, characteristics, and perceptions of 46 program facilitators influenced their support of maintaining implementation quality in a Nicaraguan youth violence and substance abuse prevention program, Dale se REAL. The results indicated that of four potential variables, only facilitator buy-in to the Dale se REAL program was a meaningful predictor of implementation support. The implications of the study findings, relative to evidence-based Extension research in both the United States and an emerging international context, are discussed

Examining Predictors of Implementation Quality in an Emerging International Extension Context

In this article, we explore a component of evidence-based programming—implementation quality—within an emerging international Extension context. Specifically, we examine how the traits, characteristics, and perceptions of 46 program facilitators influenced their support of maintaining implementation quality in a Nicaraguan youth violence and substance abuse prevention program, Dale se REAL. The results indicated that of four potential variables, only facilitator buy-in to the Dale se REAL program was a meaningful predictor of implementation support. The implications of the study findings, relative to evidence-based Extension research in both the United States and an emerging international context, are discussed

Mobile Text Messaging and Connectedness within Close Interpersonal Relationships

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Mobile telephones are impacting societies around the world and text messaging, short type-written messages sent via mobile phones, has also garnered international research efforts. Research demonstrates that text messages are being used primarily to commence, advance, maintain or otherwise impact interpersonal relationships. The present study probes relational benefits of text messaging within familial and fraternal contexts. Specifically, the study seeks to answer the research question: How does text messaging impact feelings of “connectedness” (IJsselsteijn, van Baren & van Lanen, 2003, p. 928) within “strong-tie” (Howard, et. al., 2006), dyadic relationships? Findings from nineteen respondent interviews show that texting becomes a channel through which dialectical tensions in relationships are played out. Respondents use texting to both assert autonomy and to maintain connectedness with relational partners. Several participants noted that financial issues were an important consideration but nevertheless subscribed to texting services. Users also perceived texting as more constant and more private than mobile voice interaction. Romantic pairs vis-à-vis non-romantic dyads perceived the benefits of text messages differently

Alcohol and Other Drug Resistance Strategies Employed by Rural Adolescents

This study seeks to identify how rural adolescents make health decisions and utilize communication strategies to resist influence attempts in offers of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 113 adolescents from rural school districts to solicit information on ATOD norms, past ATOD experiences, and substance offer response episodes. Rural youths’ resistance strategies were similar to previous findings with urban adolescents – refuse, explain, avoid, and leave (the REAL typology) – while unique features of these strategies were identified including the importance of personal narratives, the articulation of a non-user identity, and being “accountable” to self and others

Pooling, Products, and Priors

We often learn the opinions of others without hearing the evidence on which they're based. The orthodox Bayesian response is to treat the reported opinion as evidence itself and update on it by conditionalizing. But sometimes this isn't feasible. In these situations, a simpler way of combining one's existing opinion with opinions reported by others would be useful, especially if it yields the same results as conditionalization. We will show that one method---upco, also known as multiplicative pooling---is specially suited to this role when the opinions you wish to pool concern hypotheses about chances. The result has interesting consequences: it addresses the problem of disagreement between experts; and it sheds light on the social argument for the uniqueness thesis

Jeffrey Pooling

How should your opinion change in light of an epistemic peer's? We show that the pooling rule known as "upco" is the unique answer satisfying some natural desiderata. If your revised opinion will impact your other views by Jeffrey conditionalization, then upco is the only standard pooling rule that ensures the order in which peers are consulted makes no difference. Popular alternatives like linear pooling, geometric pooling, and harmonic pooling cannot boast the same. In fact, no alternative can that possesses four minimal properties these proposals all share