THE IMPLICATIONS OF CHANGING FEDERALISM: THE COUNTY VIEW

Public Economics,

Multiple Partnerships for Student Information Literacy: Library, Writing Center, Faculty, and Administrators

In May, 2007, a University of Central Florida regional campus team comprised of teaching faculty, librarians, administrators, and writing center coordinators received a three year Quality Enhancement Plan grant to study the impact of a library/writing center partnership on student information literacy. This presentation will share our project’s results and benefits. Using the ACRL Information Literacy Standards, the team developed modifications and interventions designed to improve students’ ability to gather, evaluate, and use information, and to enhance their technology literacy and critical thinking. The project’s development included ongoing discussions of progress, obstacles, program collaboration, and single location of services. Targeted student interventions included group workshops and one-on-one writing center/librarian sessions. The James Madison University Information Literacy Test, a research paper evaluation, and a student perception survey were used for assessment. Benefits included enhanced academic collaboration and the establishment and expansion of a successful writing center. The results should have broad application for other institutions

The Role of Self-Monitoring and Response Inhibition in Improving Sleep Behaviours

Background: Young adults tend to have poor sleep, which may be a result of poor self-regulation. Purpose: This study investigated whether manipulating two aspects of self-regulation: self-monitoring and response inhibition could improve sleep behaviours. Method: University students (N = 190) were randomly allocated to complete (1) a self-monitoring sleep diary and response inhibition training, (2) a sleep diary only, or (3) a control questionnaire daily for a period of 7 days. Results: Outcome measures were three sleep hygiene behaviours previously found to be particularly important in this population: avoiding going to bed hungry and thirsty, avoiding anxiety and stress-provoking activity before bed, and making the bedroom and sleep environment restful. Those who completed diary-based self-monitoring successfully avoided anxiety and stress-provoking activity before bed more frequently than control participants, corresponding to a medium effect size, and further development may provide a simple intervention to improve aspects of sleep and other health behaviours. Conclusion: There was no incremental effect of response inhibition training. Modified response inhibition training tasks may be worth investigating in future research

Challenging Hegemonic Gender Norms through STEM Education in Nepal

Aid and development have long targeted schooling as a primary site of intervention in Nepal. However, scant research has explored perceptions of development among educators themselves. This study considers how Nepali educators understand themselves as beneficiaries and agents of development within the context of a U.S. Department of State funded education program. Further, the paper considers how educators understand hegemonic gender norms, and how their participation in this program may challenge them. The study suggests that the program - as part of larger development initiatives - is a location and context through which and educators identities are negotiated in Nepal

Values-Based Network Leadership in an Interconnected World

This paper describes values-based network leadership conceptually aligned to systems science, principles of networks, moral and ethical development, and connectivism. Values-based network leadership places importance on a leader\u27s repertoire of skills for stewarding a culture of purpose and calling among distributed teams in a globally interconnected world. Values-based network leadership is applicable for any leader needing to align interdependent effort by networks of teams operating across virtual and physical environments to achieve a collective purpose. An open-learning ecosystem is also described to help leaders address the development of strengths associated with building trust and relationships across networks of teams, aligned under a higher purpose and calling, possessing moral fiber, resilient in the face of complexity, reflectively competent to adapt as interconnected efforts evolve and change within multicultural environments, and able to figure out new ways to do something never done before

Child Care Needs of Welfare Recipients In Maryland\u27s Welfare Reform Program

Legislation mandating participation of welfare recipient parents in education and employment and training programs has created increased demand for provision of child care. Providing the most appropriate care for this unique population depends, ideally, on its needs and preferences. This study examines child care needs and preferences of a sample of participants in Maryland\u27s welfare reform employment and training programs. Although care by a relative is most widely used by these respondents, it is not clear that this is the type of care preferred by the majority of respondents. This has important implications for policy decisions regarding child care funding

Reasoned versus reactive prediction of behaviour: a meta-analysis of the prototype willingness model

The prototype willingness model (PWM) was designed to extend expectancy-value models of health behaviour by also including a heuristic, or social reactive pathway, to better explain health-risk behaviours in adolescents and young adults. The pathway includes prototype, i.e., images of a typical person who engages in a behaviour, and willingness to engage in behaviour. The current study describes a meta-analysis of predictive research using the PWM and explores the role of the heuristic pathway and intentions in predicting behaviour. Eighty-one studies met inclusion criteria. Overall, the PWM was supported and explained 20.5% of the variance in behaviour. Willingness explained 4.9% of the variance in behaviour over and above intention, although intention tended to be more strongly related to behaviour than was willingness. The strength of the PWM relationships tended to vary according to the behaviour being tested, with alcohol consumption being the behaviour best explained. Age was also an important moderator, and, as expected, PWM behaviour was best accounted for within adolescent samples. Results were heterogeneous even after moderators were taken into consideration. This meta-analysis provides support for the PWM and may be used to inform future interventions that can be tailored for at-risk populations

Branching Out: Communication and Collaboration among Librarians at Multi-Campus Institutions

Communication and collaboration are vital aspects of 21st century librarianship, particularly for librarians in branch and regional settings who are often separated from their system colleagues by both physical distance and administrative structures. For this study, the authors conducted an exploratory survey to examine collaboration, communication, and networking behaviors and perceptions among librarians in multi-campus academic library systems. Results of this investigative study will lead to better understanding of these issues within the profession, suggest possible approaches and solutions for better models of communication and collaboration, and lay the groundwork for future research on these topics