Lost in Transnationalism: Unraveling the Conceptualisation of Families and Personal Life Through a Transnational Gaze

This paper compares and contrasts some of the conceptual language used to engage with the realm of family and personal life within the parallel fields of transnational family studies (TFS) and British family studies (BFS). Key concepts which are now widely referenced within BFS - such as 'family practices', 'family display', 'families of choice' and 'connectedness' - have not been widely drawn upon within TFS. Instead, TFS scholars are developing alternative concepts such as 'ways of being' versus 'ways of belonging' and 'frontiering and relativising', often to capture very similar ideas to those current within BFS. This paper critically explores some of the concepts currently being used within transnational family studies, highlighting points of similarity and difference with the BFS tradition, and considers what these parallel literatures might learn from each other. The paper is illustrated by examples drawn from ESRC-funded research on the experiences of post-accession Polish migrants living in the UK.Transnationalism, Polish Migration, Family Practices, Family Display, Connectedness

The Relationship Between Meaning, Basic Psychological Needs, and Motivation at Work: A Self-Determination Perspective

In the following dissertation, I explored the predictive influence of meaning in life on autonomous motivation at work and psychological well-being in the presence of the three basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness identified by self-determination theory. The first hypothesis for this correlational study was that meaning in life would distinctly predict autonomous motivation at work beyond autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The second hypothesis for this study was that meaning in life would distinctly predict psychological well-being beyond autonomy, competence, and relatedness. I conducted a multiple regression analysis on the data collected from 94 working adults recruited using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Participants completed a self-report survey that included the Purpose in Life Test, the Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale, the World Health Organization Well-Being Index, and the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale. A significant positive relationship was found between meaning in life and both autonomous motivation and psychological well-being after controlling for the effect of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The outcome of this study lends theoretical support to the advancement of self-determination theory by examining meaning in life as a potential basic psychological need. It also has practical implications for organizational leaders and human resource professionals who are invested in developing and implementing strategies that motivate their employees

Estimating the investment behavior of farm firms using the concept of national distributed lag functions

The purpose of this study was to estimate the investment behavior function of individual farm firms using the concept of rational dis-tributed lag functions developed by Jorgenson to estimate the time structure of the investment process. The fundamental flexible acceler-ator model was used to estimate the investment behavior function. The model assumed net investment to be a lagged function of all changes in desired capital. Desired capital was assumed to be proportional to net farm income and gross farm income, respectively, for the expected profits and accelerator theories of investment. Because of the importance of the proper specification of the lag distribution in determining the time structure of the investment process, eight lag functions were imposed on the estimating equation for the expected profits apd accelerator theories of investment. In addition to the mechanism for converting changes in desired capital into changes in actual capital, nonfarm income, size of the farm firm, age of the farmer, and equity of the farmer in the farm business were added to the estimating equation in a linear fashion to establish the effect of these variables on net investment. Observations on 180 Tennessee test demonstration farms for the four-year period, 1965-1968, were used to estimate the parameters of the lag distribution and the structural equation. The data included observations on Grade A dairy farms, farms producing manufacturing milk, swine farms, and beef farms. A dummy variable for each of these farm classifications was added to the estimating equation to account for the effect of farm classification on the investment expenditures of the cross section of farms. The expected profits theory of investment was rejected by this study as an explanation of the investment behavior of this group of farmers. The accelerator theory of investment appeared to be a better explanation of investment. The lag distribution relating changes in gross income to net investment involved only two periods. One distri-bution accounted for 83 percent of the total effect in the first year while a second accounted for 93 percent in the first period. The estimates of the structural parameters of the accelerator model varied considerably with the lag function being estimated; however, some weak relationships were revealed. It appeared that as changes in gross income increased by $1.00, net investment increased by approxi-mately$1.53 to $1.69 given time for the adjustment to occur. Each$1.00 increase in nonfarm income seemed to have a negative effect on net investment ranging from -$13.00 to -$11.00. Each $1.00 increase in the size of the farm business increased net investment by about$0.12. The effect of age and number of dependents of the farmer could not be determined by this study. A positive relationship was estimated between equity of the farmer in the farm business and net investment ranging from 0.08 to 0.12. A weak relationship was interpreted regarding the effect of farm classification on net investment. In general. Grade A dairy farmers were the least likely to invest; all other variables held constant. They were followed in order of unwillingness to invest, all other variables held constant, by swine farmers, farmers producing manu-facturing milk, and beef farmers. The distributed lag theory and estimating procedure used in this study are theoretically sound, but the results of this study were not encouraging because of the instability of the structural parameter estimates between lag function specifications and the problem of obtaining an acceptable lag distribution. The evidence indicated variables other than those accounted for in this study play an important role in the investment behavior of Tennessee farmers

Implementing cardiovascular disease prevention guidelines to translate evidence-based medicine and shared decision making into general practice: theory-based intervention development, qualitative piloting and quantitative feasibility

Background: The use of cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention guidelines based on absolute risk assessment is poor around the world, including Australia. Behavioural barriers amongst GPs and patients include capability (e.g. difficulty communicating/understanding risk) and motivation (e.g. attitudes towards guidelines/medication). This paper outlines the theory-based development of a website for GP guidelines, and piloting of a new risk calculator/decision aid. Methods: Stage 1 involved identifying evidence-based solutions using the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) framework, informed by previous research involving 400 GPs and 600 patients/consumers. Stage 2 co-developed website content with GPs. Stage 3 piloted a prototype website at a national GP conference. Stage 4 iteratively improved the website based on "think aloud" interviews with GPs and patients. Stage 5 was a feasibility study to evaluate potential efficacy (guidelines-based recommendations for each risk category), acceptability (intended use) and demand (actual use over 1 month) amongst GPs (n = 98). Results: Stage 1 identified GPs as the target for behaviour change; the need for a new risk calculator/decision aid linked to existing audit and feedback training; and online guidelines as a delivery format. Stage 2-4 iteratively improved content and format based on qualitative feedback from GP and patient user testing over three rounds of website development. Stage 5 suggested potential efficacy with improved identification of hypothetical high risk patients (from 26 to 76%) and recommended medication (from 57 to 86%) after viewing the website (n = 42), but prescribing to low risk patients remained similar (from 19 to 22%; n = 37). Most GPs (89%) indicated they would use the website in the next month, and 72% reported using it again after one month (n = 98). Open feedback identified implementation barriers including a need for integration with medical software, low health literacy resources and pre-consultation assessment. Conclusions: Following a theory-based development process and user co-design, the resulting intervention was acceptable to GPs with high intentions for use, improved identification of patient risk categories and more guidelines-based prescribing intentions for high risk but not low risk patients. The effectiveness of linking the intervention to clinical practice more closely to address implementation barriers will be evaluated in future research

The Power of Coptic Women Saints: Historical and Analytical Study of Coptic Women Saints as Spiritual Models for Coptic Women in the USA and Egypt

This study addresses the lack of research concerning Coptic female experience and Coptic female saints through the use of in-depth interviews of 21 Egyptian Coptic women living in Southern California and 21 Egyptian Coptic women living in Egypt. The interviews explore women’s relationships with, and knowledge of their female saints, as well as their gendered experiences within the Coptic Church, as it relates to gender and the relative importance or honor of female saints. Results show that Coptic women have a special and unique relationship with the female saints of their tradition, who act as role models, intercessors, and friends. Coptic women expressed a wide variety of opinions about and lessons from female saints that are not consistent with Coptic women’s own gendered experiences within their religion. While all women expressed a commitment to their religion’s ideals, many also expressed frustration with a lack of gender equality and representation in the Coptic Church, especially as it relates to leadership positions and opportunities to serve. A key finding of this study was the influence of culture on a willingness to identify or criticize patriarchal norms within the church. Those in cultures more accepting of feminism more likely to show criticism or call for reform, and those living in highly patriarchal societies more likely to express acceptance of patriarchal norms within their religion

Heuristics and biases in cardiovascular disease prevention:How can we improve communication about risk, benefits and harms?

Objective Cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention guidelines recommend medication based on the probability of a heart attack/stroke in the next 5–10 years. However, heuristics and biases make risk communication challenging for doctors. This study explored how patients interpret personalised CVD risk results presented in varying formats and timeframes. Methods GPs recruited 25 patients with CVD risk factors and varying medication history. Participants were asked to ‘think aloud’ while using two CVD risk calculators that present probabilistic risk in different ways, within a semi-structured interview. Transcribed audio-recordings were coded using Framework Analysis. Results Key themes were: 1) numbers lack meaning without a reference point; 2) risk results need to be both credible and novel; 3) selective attention to intervention effects. Risk categories (low/moderate/high) provided meaningful context, but short-term risk results were not credible if they didn’t match expectations. Colour-coded icon arrays showing the effect of age and interventions were seen as novel and motivating. Those on medication focused on benefits, while others focused on harms. Conclusion CVD risk formats need to be tailored to patient expectations and experiences in order to counteract heuristics and biases. Practice implications Doctors need access to multiple CVD risk formats to communicate effectively about CVD prevention

Opportunities and challenges of unplanned follow-up interviews: Experiences with Polish migrants in London

Although there is growing interest in qualitative longitudinal research as a way of taking time seriously (ADAM, 2000), this approach still holds many challenges for the social researcher. In this article we use a reflexive approach, drawing on a Goffmanian analysis of self-presentation, to consider our separate but related experience of re-interviewing Polish migrants over intervals of several years. In each case, the repeat interviews were not part of the original research design and were undertaken years later for a range of different reasons. After briefly presenting case studies from our individual interviews, we critically reflect upon some opportunities and challenges of researching change through time. We first consider the ways in which repeat interviews may challenge earlier analyses and findings. We then explore some of the ethical considerations involved in unplanned repeat interviews. Next, we reflect upon dilemmas about self-revelation, particularly in contexts of social media and on-line technologies. Finally, we discuss what we have learned from our different experiences and what implications there are for this kind of ad hoc longitudinal research in migration studies

Post study work visa options : an international comparative review

This report presents the main findings of a literature review examining how the UK’s post-study work offer compares with those of its key competitor countries