Development of theory-based health messages: three-phase programme of formative research

Online health behaviour interventions have great potential but their effectiveness may be hindered by a lack of formative and theoretical work. This paper describes the process of formative research to develop theoretically and empirically based health messages that are culturally relevant and can be used in an online intervention to promote healthy lifestyle behaviours among new university students. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, a three-phase programme of formative research was conducted with prospective and current undergraduate students to identify (i) modal salient beliefs (the most commonly held beliefs) about fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, binge drinking and smoking, (ii) which beliefs predicted intentions/behaviour and (iii) reasons underlying each of the beliefs that could be targeted in health messages. Phase 1, conducted with 96 pre-university college students, elicited 56 beliefs about the behaviours. Phase 2, conducted with 3026 incoming university students, identified 32 of these beliefs that predicted intentions/behaviour. Phase 3, conducted with 627 current university students, elicited 102 reasons underlying the 32 beliefs to be used to construct health messages to bolster or challenge these beliefs. The three-phase programme of formative research provides researchers with an example of how to develop health messages with a strong theoretical- and empirical base for use in health behaviour change interventions

Crowdsourcing: A Geographic Approach to Public Engagement, The Programmable City Working Paper 6

In this paper we examine three geographic crowdsourcing models, namely: volunteered geographic information (VGI), citizen science (CS) and participatory mapping (PM) (Goodchild, 2007; Audubon Society, 1900; and Peluso, 1995). We argue that these geographic knowledge producing practices can be adopted by governments to keep databases up to date (Budhathoki et al., 2008), to gain insight about natural resources (Conrad and Hilchey, 2011), to better understand the socio-economy of the people it governs (Johnston and Sieber, 2013) and as a form of data-based public engagement. The paper will be useful to governments and public agencies considering using geographic crowdsourcing in the future. We begin by defining VGI, CS, PM and crowdsourcing. Two typologies are then offered as methods to conceptualize these practices and the Kitchin (2014) data assemblage framework is proposed as a method by which state actors can critically examine their data infrastructures. A selection of exemplary VGI, CS and PM from Canada and the Republic of Ireland are discussed and the paper concludes with some high level recommendations for administrations considering a geographic approach to crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing: A Geographic Approach to Public Engagement, The Programmable City Working Paper 6

In this paper we examine three geographic crowdsourcing models, namely: volunteered geographic information (VGI), citizen science (CS) and participatory mapping (PM) (Goodchild, 2007; Audubon Society, 1900; and Peluso, 1995). We argue that these geographic knowledge producing practices can be adopted by governments to keep databases up to date (Budhathoki et al., 2008), to gain insight about natural resources (Conrad and Hilchey, 2011), to better understand the socio-economy of the people it governs (Johnston and Sieber, 2013) and as a form of data-based public engagement. The paper will be useful to governments and public agencies considering using geographic crowdsourcing in the future. We begin by defining VGI, CS, PM and crowdsourcing. Two typologies are then offered as methods to conceptualize these practices and the Kitchin (2014) data assemblage framework is proposed as a method by which state actors can critically examine their data infrastructures. A selection of exemplary VGI, CS and PM from Canada and the Republic of Ireland are discussed and the paper concludes with some high level recommendations for administrations considering a geographic approach to crowdsourcing

Back to the Basics: Socio-Economic, Gender, and Regional Disparities in Canada’s Educational System

This study reassessed the extent to which socio-economic background, gender, and region endure as sources of educational inequality in Canada. The analysis utilized the 28,000 student Canadian sample from the data set of the OECD’s 2003 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Results, consistent with previous findings, highlight the uneven distribution of educational achievement in Canada along socio- economic, gender, and regional lines, and point to the continued necessity of policy to mitigate the impact of gender, class, and regional inequalities on the educational out- comes and life chances of young Canadians. Key words: social inequality, educational outcomes, educational aspirations, SES, cultural capital, PISA Dans cet article, les auteurs se demandent dans quelle mesure le statut socioéconomi- que, le sexe et la région demeurent des sources d’inégalité en matière d’éducation au Canada. L’analyse repose sur l’échantillon des 28 000 élèves canadiens tiré de l’ensemble de données du Programme international pour le suivi des acquis des élèves (PISA) de 2003 de l’OCDE. Les résultats, conformes aux conclusions antérieu- res, mettent en évidence la répartition inégale de la réussite scolaire au Canada selon le statut socioéconomique, le sexe et la région et indiquent la nécessité d’atténuer l’impact du sexe, de la classe sociale et des inégalités régionales sur les résultats scolaires et les chances d’épanouissement des jeunes canadiens. Mots clés : inégalité sociale, résultats scolaires, aspirations quant aux études, statut socioéconomique, capital culturel, PISA

Religious Belief and the Queer Classroom: Measuring the Impact of Religious Affiliation on LGBTQ-Inclusive Education Practices

This study examines the influence of religious affiliation on lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, two spirit, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ)-inclusive practices. Using data from a national survey of educators from pre-kindergarten to grade 12, multivariate analyses of variance models were employed in order to test the effects of religious affiliation on several LGBTQ-inclusive outcome measures. Results show that religious affiliation does have a significant impact on the likelihood that educators will (or will not) practice LGBTQ-inclusive education, however, the pathways to such practices vary considerably across religious groupings. Recommendations are suggested in terms of intervention, inclusive teaching practices, visibility, and leadership

A Call for “Trans-action”: The Role of Enacted Stigma in Mediating the Relationship between School Climate and School Attachment among Gender Minority Students

Several studies have highlighted the association between enacted stigma with various mental health and educational disparities among sexual minority students, but fewer have done so with an exclusive gender minority sample and even less have included school attachment as an outcome measure. The purpose of the current analyses is to test the main effects that an LGBTQ-inclusive school context as well as enacted stigma has on school attachment, and whether enacted stigma acts as a mediator. Results show that exposure to enacted stigma is a risk factor for low school attachment, while a supportive LGBTQ-inclusive school climate is a protective one, and that the relationship between an inclusive climate and school attachment is significantly mediated by enacted stigma. Within a theoretically informed lens, these findings represent a notable contribution to educational research in terms of the importance of providing a healthy school environment for gender minority students.Si plusieurs études ont souligné le lien entre la stigmatisation effective et diverses disparités portant sur la santé mentale et l’éducation chez des élèves appartenant à une minorité sexuelle, moins d’entre elles ont porté exclusivement sur un échantillon composé d’une minorité sexuelle et encore moins ont inclus l’intérêt pour l’école parmi les mesures de résultats. L’objectif de nos analyses est d’évaluer les incidences principales qu’ont, d’une part,  un contexte scolaire inclusif face à la population LGBTQ et, d’autre part, la stigmatisation effective, sur l’intérêt pour l’école. Nous cherchons également à savoir si la stigmatisation effective joue un rôle de médiateur. Les résultats indiquent que l’exposition à la stigmatisation effective constitue un facteur de risque pour une mauvaise relation avec l’école, qu’un climat scolaire inclusif face à la population LGBTQ est un facteur de protection et que le rapport entre un climat inclusif et l’intérêt pour l’école est modifié considérablement par la stigmatisation effective. Dans une optique fondée sur les théories actuelles, ces résultats représentent une contribution notable à la recherche en éducation en évoquant l’importance de fournir un milieu scolaire sain pour les élèves appartenant à une minorité sexuelle

Are the Kids All Right? The Impact of School Climate among Students with LGBT Parents

Using a large-scale survey of over 3,000 Canadian students, this study empirically investigates the correlation of having a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) parent with the likelihood of skipping school due to feeling unsafe. A multivariate logistic regression procedure with interaction terms was used. Results show that students who have an LGBT parent, and who report feeling unsafe at school due to their family type or their own real/perceived gender and/or sexual identity, were almost four times more likely to report skipping school than cisgender-heterosexual (CH) students with non-LGBT parents who feel safe at school