Predicting youth participation in urban agriculture in Malaysia: insights from the theory of planned behavior and the functional approach to volunteer motivation

This study examines factors associated with the decision of Malaysian youth to participate in a voluntary urban agriculture program. Urban agriculture has generated significant interest in developing countries to address concerns over food security, growing urbanization and employment. While an abundance of data shows attracting the participation of young people in traditional agriculture has become a challenge for many countries, few empirical studies have been conducted on youth motivation to participate in urban agriculture programs, particularly in non-Western settings. Drawing on the theories of planned behavior and the functional approach to volunteer motivation, we surveyed 890 students from a public university in Malaysia about their intention to join a new urban agriculture program. Hierarchical regression findings indicated that the strongest predictor of participation was students’ attitude toward urban agriculture, followed by subjective norms, career motives and perceived barriers to participation. The findings from this study may provide useful information to the university program planners in Malaysia in identifying mechanisms for future students’ involvement in the program

"You Try to Be Superman and You Don't Have to Be": Gay Adoptive Fathers' Challenges and Tensions in Balancing Work and Family

A body of literature has emerged that focuses on work-family balance among heterosexual fathers. Little attention has been paid to how gay fathers balance work and family, despite the reality that they too are likely affected by similar masculine norms. The current qualitative study of 70 gay adoptive fathers (35 couples) begins to fill this gap in the literature. Analyzing interview data through the lens of Voydanoff\u27s (2005) work-family fit and balance model, we examine the ways in which gay men\u27s experiences of work-family balance are both constrained and enhanced by particular demands and resources. Highlighting the role of gender and sexual orientation, we analyze the challenges these men face and the strategies they use to cope with work-family tensions. © 2012 by the Men\u27s Studies Press, LLC. All rights reserved