Process Evaluation Insights on Program Implementation

This white paper has the explicit intention to draw lessons learned from the past 30 years of energy efficiency program evaluation in order to facilitate improved program design and implementation going forward. The discussion in this white paper is developed based on interviews with 43 individuals who are either practitioners or users of process and market evaluation. In addition, we obtained references to published materials from our contacts and reviewed conference proceedings dating from 1992 to 2008, which resulted in a review of nearly 100 articles or reports documenting the results of, or commenting on, process and market evaluations

Excerpts from Freshman Themes

Themes Include: Night Scene by, Maxine Peters; Beware of the Bovines! by, Maxine Peters; On Being Nineteen by, Betty Davenport; Smart Fish by, Nelson Collins; and Artistic Indianapolis by, Jane Colsher

Libraries And Institutional Research

The article explores best practices for establishing collaborations between small liberal arts university libraries and institutional research (IR) professionals. Topics discussed include national surveys commonly used by IR institutions in examining students\u27 attitudes, relevance of the surveys on university libraries and benefits that IR collaborations can bring to libraries. Also described is the collaborative effort between the library and IR departments of the University of Puget Sound

The developing maternal-infant relationship: a qualitative longitudinal study

Aim The study aimed to explore maternal perceptions and the use of knowledge relating to their infant’s mental health over time using qualitative longitudinal research. Background There has been a growing interest in infant mental health over recent years. Much of this interest is directed through the lens of infant determinism, through knowledge regarding neurological development resulting in biological determinism. Research and policy in this field are directed toward individual parenting behaviours, usually focused on the mother. Despite this, there is little attention given to maternal perspectives of infant mental health, indicating that a more innovative approach to methodology is required. Methods This study took a qualitative longitudinal approach, and interviews were undertaken with seven mothers from the third trimester of pregnancy and then throughout the first year of the infant’s life. Interviews were conducted at 34 weeks of pregnancy, and then when the infant was 6 and 12 weeks, 6, 9, and 12 months, alongside the collection of researcher field notes—a total of 41 interviews. Data were analysed by creating case profiles, memos, and summaries, and then cross-comparison of the emerging narratives. A psycho-socially informed approach was taken to the analysis of data. Findings Three interrelated themes emerged from the data: evolving maternal identity, growing a person, and creating a safe space. The theme of evolving maternal identity dominated the other themes of growing a person and creating a safe space in a way that met perceived socio-cultural requirements for mothering and childcare practices. Participants’ personal stories give voice to their perceptions of the developing maternal-infant relationship in the context of their socio-cultural setting, relationships with others, and experiences over time. Conclusions This study adds new knowledge by giving mothers a voice to express how the maternal-infant relationship develops over time. The findings demonstrate how the developing maternal-infant relationship grows in response to their mutual needs as the mother works to create and sustain identities for herself and the infant that will fit within their socio-cultural context and individual situations. Additionally, the findings illustrate the importance of temporal considerations, social networks, and intergenerational relationships to this evolving process. Recommendations for practice, policy, and education are made that reflect the unique relationship between mother and infant and the need to conceptualise this using an ecological approach

The Positive Start Project: a proactive approach to promoting positive mental health in the newer engineering academic community

The Positive Start Project is a new initiative that is in the process of providing a series of workshops and events focused on academic wellbeing, career development and positive mental health within a large faculty of engineering and applied science in the UK. Aimed at building a scholarly and sustainable research and teaching community of early career academics (ECAs), the project has arisen out of a need to provide high quality professional development activities and frameworks for the ECA community whilst also combatting social and academic isolation left over from the two-year long period of ‘lockdown’. Adopting an Action Research Approach this paper addresses a little considered topic in academic circles, the need to nurture positive wellbeing amongst the Engineering Education academic community. Describing proposed plans for how the Positive Start Project will be developed, disseminated, and reviewed, attention is paid to how ‘wellbeing’ will be benchmarked at the beginning of the project. Following this a brief overview of some of the planned support and development activities is given whilst the conclusion reiterates the need for a positive and proactive approach to academic wellbeing whilst also noting why Early Career Academics are an important demographic group within our Engineering Education community

MUN Festival and Chamber Choirs, Douglas Dunsmore, conductor (April 7, 1991)

MUN Festival and Chamber Choirs, Douglas Dunsmore, conductor (April 7, 1991

An Exploratory Investigation of the Dramatic Play of Preschool Children Within a Grocery Store Shopping Context

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the consumer socialization of preschool age children in a peer‐to‐peer context as they participate in dramatic play in a grocery store setting. Design/methodology/approach – This research employs a case study approach as outlined by Yin. A preschool located within a major metropolitan area in the Southeastern USA was selected for investigation. Located within each of the three classrooms was a grocery store learning center. This learning center provided children the opportunity to engage in dramatic play while enacting grocery shopping scripts. A total of 55 children between the ages of three‐ and six‐years old were observed over a six‐week period. Observations were recorded via field notes and transcribed into an electronic data file. Emergent themes were compared with theoretical propositions, fleshing out an overall interpretation and description of the case context. Findings – Findings indicate that even very young children (ages three to six years) are able to successfully adopt and utilize adult shopping scripts within the grocery store shopping context. The children followed a common sequence of behaviors that mimicked adult shopping patterns. Furthermore, the children demonstrated peer‐to‐peer consumer socialization strategies, directing each other on how to perform appropriate shopping scripts. Originality/value – This study differs from previous research in that the data reveal that preschool age children do in fact exhibit peer‐to‐peer influence while enacting shopping scripts. Although research has examined children as consumers, no researchers have used dramatic play to study young children in a grocery store setting. The rich content obtained from observing children in dramatic play in a grocery store learning center is unique to the marketing literature and provides a better understanding of the consumer socialization of young children

Reading Recovery and children's writing : developing the writing of children with literacy learning difficulties

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN027412 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Effect of Ozone and Light on Curtain Marquisettes of Different Fiber Content

Clothing, Textiles, and Merchandisin