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In this paper, experiences from different research groups illustrate the state-of-the-art of Mobile Assisted Language Learning (henceforth, MALL) in formal and non-formal education. These research samples represent recent and on-going progress made in the field of MALL at an international level and offer encouragement for practitioners who are trying to incorporate these approaches into mainline second language teaching. Furthermore, researchers interested in the field can see that the work presented here exemplifies how fertile it is, which should hopefully serve as motivation to undertake new studies to move the state-of-the-art further on. [For full proceedings, see ED564162.]

In this short paper, we present some initial work on Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) undertaken by the ATLAS research group. ATLAS embraced this multidisciplinary field cutting across Mobile Learning and Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) as a natural step in their quest to find learning formulas for professional English that adapt to the changing profiles and needs of our modern society. A needs-analysis undertaken by group members highlights the way in which professionals need to have language learning activities available on their mobile devices. The SO-CALL-ME project has been established to enable such MALL apps, designed and developed within the ATLAS group, to be studied with real users to explore the way in which they can improve their oral language skills. Here one such app, ANT--Audio News Trainer, is presented as an example of the development being undertaken. [For full proceedings, see ED565044.]

On-line quizzes are used to help first year University Mathematics students identify weaknesses in their basic skills and improve them. Quizzes developed as a formative tool have been utilised at JCU [James Cook University] for eight years. However, before this research no-one has questioned the effectiveness of quizzes for this task. We present a description of the quizzes used in a core first year Mathematics subject at JCU and provide a statistical overview of their usage and efficacy for the intended task.

As part of an innovative tutorial structure introduced to a first year university mathematics subject, an attendance monitoring system was implemented. The system collected data that was used to investigate the relationship between student attendance and assessment performance which is reported here. The implementation of this system also assisted in the increase of student participation and engagement.

The papers gathered in this volume were presented at the 1996 meeting of the American Educational Research Association, mostly at programs of the Arts and Learning Special Interest Group. Papers in the volume focus on research in the arts in the areas of profiles of learning and assessment (section 1), community-based art education (section 2), and semiotics and arts education (section 3). Following a preface/introduction, section 1 papers are: "Primary, Elementary, and Secondary Art Students' Cognitive Functioning: A Norm-Reference Pilot Study" (C. Stavropoulos); "Aesthetic Orientation of Academic Honors Students: Aspects of a Three Year Longitudinal Evaluation Study" (R. M. Diket); "Incorporating Art Criticism into the Studio Curriculum: Assessing Understandings" (G. Short); and "Deepening Art Understandings through Supplemental Use of Interactive Multimedia" (N. Cason). Section 2 papers are: "ArtWORKS: School-to-Work Transitions through the Arts" (J. D. Betts); "Success in Education: Creating a Community of Learners through the Arts" (J. S. Bray; P. Pinciotti); and "The Effects of Special Training and Field Experiences upon Preservice Teachers' Level of Comfort with Multicultural Music Teaching Situations" (N. Barry). Section 3 papers are: "Where Is the Fit for Art Education Research in Semiotics?" (R. M. Diket); "Snapshots of Happy Childhood" (P. Duncum); "Aesthetics and Proxemics: Semiotic Understanding of Personal Space" (K. Grauer); "It's about Time We Noticed Time" (R. Irwin); "Making Collages, Reading Cultures: A Place between Phenomenology and Structuralism" (C. S. Jeffers); "Young Children, Semiotics, and Art Education" (S. Myers); "Reflecting on Sign Systems in Postmodern Visual Culture" (M. Koos; D. Smith-Shank); "The Semiotic Analysis of 'The AIDS Timeline'" (M. Wyrick); and "Conclusion: Semiotic Activism" (D. Smith-Shank). (BT)

This booklet contains the abstracts of nearly 100 conference sessions presented at the National Art Education Association Conference in 1996. The topics ranged across multiple contexts for art education, explored development issues in art, and included computer usages in art teacher education and the art classroom. Research presentations also focused on teaching methods, learning strategies, art education content and curriculum, teacher education in the art classroom and interdisciplinary issues. Interest was also expressed for further research in aesthetics, creativity, and evaluation in the arts. (EH)

These proceedings from a conference sponsored by the New England Consortium for the Right to Read discuss the role of administrators in Right to Read programs. Included are discussions of the New England Consortium effort, the role of the administrator in implementing and organizing the reading program, and reports from section meetings on problems and action alternatives in organizing and operationalizing the Right to Read programs. A list of conference participants is also included. (AA)

Bilingual education programs are usually evaluated by means of educational testing instruments whose validity and reliability is such that conclusive findings are unlikely. in reference to Navajo bilingual education evaluation, it is particularly important that consideration be given to the economic, sociological, political, cultural, and psychological context in which the program is developed, as the Navajo Nation is experiencing social change. For example, if the Navajo Division of Education meets its goal of producing 1,000 Navajo teachers in 5 years, the socioeconomic impact of teachers coming back to the reservation from mainstream society may well alter reservation communities. The bilingual Navajo teacher may serve as a change agent or "cultural broker", for he will undoubtedly bring some mainstream values back to the reservation which could influence the sociological, socioeconomic aspect of reservation life and ultimately the development of bilingual programs. It is important, therefore, that key social factors affecting bilingual programs be identified. A more concrete goal would be to construct matching typologies--types of communities which give rise to types of sociolinguistic situations leading in turn to types of bilingual programs. (JC)

The seven papers in this booklet include "Continuous Progress in Reading," which discusses managing continuing progress programs, clarifies the rationale underlying continuous progress programs, outlines a developmental checklist of objectives, and offers suggestions for arranging for continuous assessment of progress and providing for personalized teaching; "Criterion Referenced Evaluation Applied to Reading," which discusses a definition of criterion referenced testing, characteristics of criterion referenced tests, advantages and limitations of criterion referenced testing, how to choose published tests, and teacher observation; "Classroom Management of Continuous Progress Reading Programs," which presents sections on Project STRIDE, individualized basal reading programs, individualizing instruction through the use of a learning center, a Right to Read Program, and individualizing instruction in the content areas; and a list of conference participants. (WR)

This booklet presents the proceedings of the Administrators' Conference of the New England Consortium for the Right to Read. The reports of most sessions are given in summary form. However, the keynote address is presented in lengthier form as a resource for those who wish to use the ideas presented in developing a master plan. The contents include "What Is Right to Read and What Can It Do for Us?""Launching the Right to Read Effort: What Help Is Needed?""What Conditions Can Be Arranged So That the Right to Read Director Can Deliver Maximum Service?""Do Norm Referenced Tests Tell Us What We Need to Know?""How Can We Make Community Involvement in Right to Read a Productive Experience?""The Special Needs Child: Who Does the Diagnosis and Treatment of His Reading Problems?""How Will Needs Assessment Move Your Reading Program Forward?""Vitalizing and Humanizing Education--Keynote Address," and "What Can We Do for the Right to Read Effort?" Also included are sections on conference feedback, conference participants, and a Right to Read song. (WR)

The papers and other materials in this volume are an outgrowth of a conference held in Philadelphia in April 1975. Directors of Reading from six major Eastern urban centers presented information on exemplary reading practices and programs within their cities. The first paper discusses the Comprehensive Instruction Program and the Atlanta Right-to-Read Program. The second paper discusses a prescription for teacher preparation in reading instruction, including assessment, classroom management and instruction, and teaching reading in the content areas. The third paper discusses the reading program of the Boston public schools. The fourth paper discusses reading experiments and activities in the New York City Public Schools. The fifth paper concerns reading instruction in the Philadelphia public schools with implications for teacher education. The sixth paper discusses inservice education and experience exchange. The final section of this volume contains critiques of various workshops held at the conference. (TS)

Arguing that the term "competency based education" (CBE) has been erroneously applied to minimum competency programs, this booklet contends that the problems addressed by the minimum competency movement can be, but probably will not be, resolved by the implementation of true competency based education (CBE). The first section of the booklet defines competencies and extrapolates some implications for curriculum and assessment. The second section, comprising the bulk of the booklet, delineates the substantial revolution that competency based education entails: a shift from time to outcomes based organization and a shift from teacher referenced to criterion referenced standards. It goes on to suggest that not only the magnitude of these changes, but also the lack of a consensus about appropriate outcomes will probably prevent widespread implementation of CBE. It then adduces the deficiencies both of teacher referenced standards and of the norm referenced standards introduced to correct them and presents two alternative systems that could be criterion referenced. The booklet (1) argues that the accountability movement does not address the causes of illiteracy, which inhere in the system of instruction; (2) outlines the reforms that would have to ensue if the problem were instead conceived as effectiveness; (3) indicates how CBE would resolve the problem; and (4) stipulates measures that would ensure its flexibility. (Author)

The first of eight related documents, this booklet is part of a series of papers presented at the 1978 National Right to Read Conference examining issues and problems in literacy. In its examination of standardized reading competency tests, the booklet first offers a definition of the kind of test it will consider and the criteria the test must satisfy to be deemed valid: content validity, construct validity, concurrent validity, and predictive validity. The paper reviews existing tests and offers approaches to achieving validity according to each criterion. It concludes that the education profession should not continue administering standardized tests in their present form. (HTH)

The second of eight related documents, this booklet is part of a series of papers presented at the 1978 National Right to Read Conference examining issues and problems in literacy. In its examination of the place of reading in the preschool curriculum, the booklet first explores different definitions of reading and develops a concept of the reading process. It then shows how distinct preschool reading programs will devolve from different concepts, not only of reading but also of maturation and instruction. The last section of the booklet espouses a constructivist view of cognitive development and an interactionist concept of reading, and suggests strategies that teachers might use to prepare children for reading, again insisting that comprehension of basic principles is the crucial factor. (HTH)

The fifth of eight related documents, this booklet is part of a series of papers presented at the 1978 National Right to Read Conference examining issues and problems in literacy. In examining the issue of student accountability, this booklet first sets forth the prototypical case of pupil illiteracy and surveys the arguments that can be made for holding each of four primary agents accountable: individual school professionals, the educational system as a whole, the student, and the parents. It then sets forth two primary modes of accountability to which the agents might be subject, the legal theories that might buttress each, and the probabilities that the courts will in fact impose them. It concludes by predicting that accountability for pupil illiteracy is more likely to be established by statutory and regulatory measures than by judicial intervention and that the goal of literacy will be better served if the courts facilitate, rather than impose, educational reform. (HTH)

The sixth of eight related documents, this booklet is part of a series of papers presented at the 1978 National Right to Read Conference examining issues and problems in literacy. In examining the publisher's role in facilitating literacy, this booklet distinguishes between responsiveness to the express desires of schools and responsibility for the welfare and development of learners, arguing that publishers of educational materials fail to fulfil their responsibility in meeting the challenge of literacy, largely because they assess their performance by the reactions of teachers--whose inordinate dependency upon published materials obscures their judgment. After defining responsibility and the new challenge of literacy, the paper cites research to establish, first, the extent to which teachers depend upon published materials, and second, the discrepancy between their evaluation of materials and those elicited from learners. Arguing that the latter are in the best position to indicate the educational value of materials, it proposes that publishers have a responsibility to educate purchasers, to field test their formulas and the materials to implement them, and to collaborate on their experiences. The paper concludes by recommending modifications in a proposal that the publishing industry establish a university research center, including an extension of the center's functions. (HTH)

The last of eight related documents, this booklet is part of a series of papers presented at the 1978 National Right to Read Conference examining issues and problems in literacy. In examining the impact of the back to basics movement on literacy, the booklet cites evidence that the movement suffers from a lack of consensus on the meaning of literacy. It then develops a concept of literacy, using two perspectives to analyze the concept's two interdependent strands: the first referring to learning the language by eye as well as by ear, and the second referring to learning new vocabulary and concepts found in print and new skills for processing printed information. (HTH)

The third of eight related documents, this booklet is part of a series of papers presented at the 1978 National Right to Read Conference examining issues and problems in literacy. In its examination of the relationship between literacy and career development, the booklet first defines the components of basic literacy and of career development and presents charts and cites reports that show the correlation between them. It then presents, in outline form, six programs that attempt to link literacy to career development or job training. Having identified five problems that have arisen in such programs, it suggests strategies for solving them. A strategy for developing a program that relates literacy and career development is outlined in the appendix. (HTH)

The seventh of eight related documents, this booklet is part of a series of papers presented at the 1978 National Right to Read Conference examining issues and problems in literacy. In examining the literacy needs of the handicapped, this booklet notes diagnostic imprecision and political ineffectiveness as disadvantages in adopting the single generic label "learning disabilities." The paper first presents the etiological diversity of reading and learning disorders by citing examples of those emanating from sociopsychological factors and then those emanating from psychophysiological factors. It next presents the approach to labelling, developed by the Disabled Reader Committee of the International Reading Association, that involves using the generic term "learning disorders," but restricting its application to so-called "hard-core" children. After indicating the preparation individuals need to work with these children and the failure of current certification programs to provide it, the paper discusses the practical difficulties of obtaining financial support for learning-disabled children unless they are specifically labelled. It concludes by looking forward to a form of certification that will accommodate both general expertise in learning disabilities and special expertise in reading skills. (HTH)

The fourth of eight related documents, this booklet is part of a series of papers presented at the 1978 National Right to Read Conference examining issues and problems in literacy. In an examination of the role of private business in efforts to increase literacy, each of the three papers in this booklet discusses a specific program sponsored and funded by a large private corporation, and each includes an account of the program's inception and development, target population and mode of recruitment, staffing, curriculum and characteristic activities, and perceived benefits. The three corporations discussed in the papers are Polaroid Corporation, New York Insurance Company, and Montgomery Ward and Company. (HTH)

To determine the impact of causal relationships and shared features in the use of analogy, subjects in two separate studies were informed of the behavior of six members of a little known primitive tribe and asked to make predictions on the behavior of additional tribe members based on their perceived similarities with the original group. Results indicated that people are more likely to use analogies when elements in the base (familiar item) and the target (unfamiliar item) appear to reflect a similar causal relationship. To discover whether or not people use analogy in the absence of any known causal relationship, subjects in a third study were asked to make predictions on behavior that was identified with only a nonsense word. Being unable to use any personal background knowledge in their predictions, subjects were forced to rely on global similarities between target and base items. Results demonstrated that in the absence of a known causal relationship, people will use a single shared characteristic between base and target as the basis for an analogy. (MM)

This volume contains a series of seminars on parenting presented by the North Haven Right to Read Advisory Council. The major theme of the seminars is the role of the parent in stimulating the child's total development: emotional, social, and intellectual. Specific topics examined are: (1) the young child's view of himself: his basis for learning, (2) infant play, (3) parental involvement in the learning process, (4) parents' role in the preschoolers' learning ability--danger signals, and (5) effects of television on young children. (JMB)

Retreats, which have been used by churches and corporations for some time, are currently being looked into by college presidents and boards of trustees as a means of training and problem solving. While many types of retreats may not be appropriate for boards, a well-planned working retreat can be an effective way for trustees to: (1) really get to know one another and the backgrounds, skills, and philosophies that have shaped individual points of view; (2) become better acquainted with the college's chief executive officer (CEO), administrative staff, faculty, support staff, and student government; (3) be informed about the progress of academic programs, vocational activities, and program successes; (4) be made aware of institutional concerns, potential problems, and the need for changes in program direction or policy; and (5) plan and articulate the role and mission of the college. Retreats also furnish the environment for listening--the most important role performed by board members--to the CEO and to other members of the college community. Northeastern Junior College (NJC) holds two board workshops per year. Agendas for these meetings, developed by the CEO and the board, brought to the board's attention issues such as long-range planning, logos, building names, alcohol on campus, the need for a development office, and salary negotiation procedures. The experiences of NJC have shown that the success of retreats is affected by the attendance of all board members; adequate planning; participation by faculty, staff, and students; media awareness of the site and agenda of the meeting; sufficient time for relaxation; and the understanding by all members that the retreats are for listening, discussing, and learning, rather than decision making. (AYC)

Immigration is central to our understanding of U.S. racial/ethnic health disparities, yet relatively little is known about the health of white immigrants--a group whose ethnic origins have become increasingly diverse. This study uses nationally representative data from the American Community Survey (2008-2016) to examine differences in physical disability among non- Hispanic whites ages 40+ (n=10,847,438) by nativity, region of birth and period of arrival in the U.S. The analysis finds that foreign-born whites have a slightly lower prevalence of disability than the native-born, and this varies by arrival cohort. Immigrants who arrived in the 1991-2000 cohort have a smaller advantage over U.S.-born whites than immigrants in the earlier and later cohorts. Compositional changes in region of birth, especially the influx of eastern Europeans and Middle Easterners during the 1990s, explained this variation. These findings highlight intraethnic inequality among whites that is obscured by the aggregate category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses an innovative theoretical approach to understand health inequalities within the context of increasing worldwide migration. Drawing on Bird and Rieker's (2008) constrained choice framework, we focus on gender to examine the health seeking behaviors of female migrant workers in Qatar through the use of 100 in-depth interviews. Qatar provides an exemplary case to study a larger global issue of migrant and refugee health due to the massive growth in migrant workers leading up to the 2022 World Cup. The constrained choice framework provides a multi-level model that demonstrates how structural constraints narrow the opportunities and choices available to migrant workers and others to achieve and maintain good health. It articulates how social policy shapes one's status, access to resources, preferences and in turn one's options for making everyday choices that cumulatively impact health. We demonstrate this empirically by comparing the experiences of migrant women to those of nationals, thereby elucidating how citizenship status further exacerbates women's limited agency regarding their health. We situate our findings within a larger body of international research on gender health inequalities and conclude by highlighting how the constrained choice framework can be used more effectively to understand a variety of global health inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This workshop is about how seven public and private colleges and universities in Northeast Ohio created a regional ecosystem for undergraduate entrepreneurship and support of entrepreneurship in the area. The mission of the Entrepreneurship Education Consortium (EEC), a stand-alone organization now with eleven institutional members, is to provide practical "experiential" and theoretical education to undergraduates, preparing them to form either new enterprises or to work for existing businesses or start-up ventures. This workshop will discuss the development of this unique regional inter-university collaboration, its programs, its impact, and share the challenges and lessons learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of emergency department (ED) services for non-urgent conditions is well-studied in many western countries but much less so in the Middle East and Gulf region. While the consequences are universal--a drain on ED resources and poor patient outcomes--the causes and solutions are likely to be region and country specific. Unique social and economic circumstances also create genderspecific motivations for patient attendance. Alleviating demand on ED services requires understanding these circumstances, as past studies have shown. I undertook this study to understand why female patients with low-acuity conditions choose the emergency department in Qatar over other healthcare options. Setting and design: This is a prospective study at Hamad General Hospital's emergency department female "see-and-treat" unit that cares for low-acuity cases. One hundred female patients were purposively recruited to participate in the study. The author and three trained physicians conducted semi-structured interviews with patients over a 3-month period after they had been treated and given informed consent. Results: The study found that motivations for ED attendance were systematically influenced by employment status as a migrant worker. Forty percent of women in the study had been directed to the ED by their employers, and the vast majority (89%) of this group cited employer preference as the primary reason for choosing the ED. The interviews revealed that a major obstacle to workers using alternative facilities was the lack of a government-issued health card, which is available to all citizens and migrant residents at a nominal rate. Conclusion: Improving female migrant worker health will require interventions and policy changes that require employers to provide workers with a health card and access to quality care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research which compared the J-integral from clamped single-edge notched tension (SE(T) specimen on the API-5L X100 steel pipeline. Topics discussed include the J-integral from crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) and J-integral from surface strains and the relationship between the physical specimen, exaggerated deformation, coordinates and measurement scheme.

The process by which religion promotes or discourages status attainment among women remains a topic of debate. Research has shown that conservative religious identity can be debilitating for gender equality because it tends to limit women's educational attainment in favor of childbearing and maintenance of the family. But a central problem is the treatment of religious identity in isolation from other forms of identity. Many scholars posit that conservative religious ideology, regardless of religious subgroup, has this impact. We argue that this story is too simple. We demonstrate that a more complex process is at work, one where religion combines with other salient identities to influence educational and economic outcomes. In our specific case in point, Arab ethnic identity overlaps with religious identity (Christian and Muslim) to mutually reinforce beliefs and behaviors that result in status attainment outcomes that defy the logic of conventional stratification models. Moreover, these identities intersect with other forms of identity at different stages of the life course. As a result, it is difficult if not impossible to parse out the independent impact of religious identity on Arab-American women's behaviors. We draw upon both quantitative and qualitative data to demonstrate that while religious identity matters, it does so in ways that are neither straightforward nor predictable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In England, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) allocated £5 million over three years from 2005 to 2008 to support the establishment of a wide range of innovative Resource Efficiency Clubs (RECs). During the funding period (2005 - 2008) the programme funded 70 RECs with 45 remaining active at the end of the three years (2008). Some 1,330 businesses were active in the 70 RECs with 1,014 providing data including potential and actual savings. In excess of £50 million of potential savings were identified and by the end of 2008 some £25 million were achieved. The total savings to total grant ratio for all RECs was, by 2008, some 5.8; this was in excess of the original ratio set by Defra. The Programme made clear to key decision makers that well designed RECs are a key policy instrument. The research showed that the future for RECs in England is uncertain and strategists should consider innovative ways to fund their continued contribution to national, regional and local practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of new interactive media increases the availability of targeted interventions for high-risk populations including gay men of color. However, racial rebranding of health messages, although common, may exhibit different effects between, and within, racial groups. This research investigates the effect of ethnic and gay identity on risky sexual behavior and the efficacy of a racially-tailored HIV prevention intervention among Black and Latino MSM, aged 18-30 from the Los Angeles area (N = 302). Ethnic identity was correlated with an increase in unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) for Black MSM only. Furthermore, the intervention was most efficacious (i.e., produced the greatest reduction in UAI at a 3-month follow-up) for participants who reported the intervention to be culturally appropriate, but the nuances of this relationship also varied by ethnicity. Future interventions for this high-risk population must account for different ethnic identity styles and levels of gay identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household waste prevention in England has been recognised in national strategy as a key component for future sustainable practice. To support the policy agenda, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in England has funded an extensive programme of fundamental research in the area. Previous attempts to assess the impacts of waste prevention initiatives have faced a number of problems. These have generally centred on difficulty in separating the effects of initiatives from external factors and inadequate sample sizes or methodology. The specific research aim reported on here, in this Defra funded project, was to trial and assess methods for monitoring and evaluating approaches detailed in the National Resource and Waste Forum (NRWF)'s Household Waste Prevention Toolkit. The primary objective of this research was to quantify the direct waste tonnage impacts of implementing a targeted household waste campaign in Dorset. The key performance indicator chosen for this assessment was the weight of waste collected at the kerbside from households. The results are informative and will help future teams design campaigns on the basis of rigorous methodology. It was found that there are a wide range of factors that need to be taken into account and that had hitherto been given little prominence, such as careful matching of pilot and control areas. Analysis of the results leads to the conclusion that waste arisings for residual waste has decreased in the pilot area (≈ 10.5%) more than the controls (e.g. ≈ 5.5%). This method for monitoring can be used, in the hands of an expert project team, to communicate to the public the direct benefits of waste prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two major demographic trends over the past 40 years have altered the composition of the U.S. population and have a direct impact on the health care system: rapid growth of the elderly population and continued influx of immigrants from diverse regions of the world. Put simply, aging and immigration. The common denominator characterizing the growth of these populations is that they are vulnerable, or at risk, groups in terms of health care access and quality of health care, which in turn has important implications for public health and health policy. This paper draws on multiple national data sources to examine the health policy implications of these demographic realities. Our findings have implications for scholars interested in immigration, health, and gender, as well as for policy-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Those Local Authorities in the UK with kerbside recycling schemes achieving 50% diversion or more have all managed to gain high participation in the scheme by adopting a scheme that is well designed, easy to use and appropriate for the local area and through significant commitment to building residential engagement and support for the service. This paper will discuss best practice in public engagement and empowerment and link this to the design and delivery of successful kerbside recycling programmes. There are three distinct stages in the life cycle of a kerbside recycling scheme: [a] scheme design and strategy consultation; [b] new scheme rollout; and [c] post implementation performance improvement. This paper will use an example of each to explain the value of full public engagement, in particular in ensuring public ownership and responsibility for the recycling scheme. All 3 examples will identify how door to door promotions campaigns (doorstepping) have helped to deliver appropriate recycling schemes and raise recycling rates, including a 68% increase in glass collected in one authority and a 35% increase in recycling participation and overall tonnage in another. The key factor in the successful use of door to door promotions campaigns in the UK has been in getting real word feedback on plans, and services, thus ensuring continuous improvement in public satisfaction, participation and scheme efficiency. The paper will discuss the cost effectiveness of door to door promotions and consider their value in other locations at all stages of recycling service evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an estimated 1000 new waste treatment facilities needing to be built before 2010 so that the UK can meet its obligations under the EU Landfill Directive (99/31/EC) local authorities are feeling increasing pressure to deliver waste infrastructure in a timely and cost effective fashion. Historically, the development of new (or even the extension of existing) waste treatment facilities has been a contentious subject with local residents, and other stakeholder groups. With the added pressure of limited time and mounting costs local authorities cannot afford to go through lengthy planning appeals and must get the public engaged and involved as soon as possible. There is little doubt that early and comprehensive public consultation and engagement will be essential to future successful waste planning processes. In the production of a revolutionary new toolkit, many of the key questions concerning why, when, who and how to consult, are answered to provide a full and factual guidance document on consulting key stakeholders in the planning of new waste management facilities. The guidance was produced as a result of a partnership between the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), Environment Agency Wales (EAW) and Waste Awareness Wales (WAW). These organisations realised the need for this kind of support as the simplest of new facilities (including recycling banks) were being blocked at the planning stage in Wales. Although the toolkit has been produced for Wales its contents can (and should) easily be applied to the rest of the UK and possibly beyond. The toolkit considers the different stages of consultation, from awareness raising and strategic evaluation, through to understanding of the need for change, to choice of technology, decisions on site planning criteria, and ultimately planning and licensing applications for specific facilities. The toolkit provides indicative timings and costs for running campaigns, along with detailed facts and images / video footage of all types of waste treatment technologies to help explain these issues to the widest of stakeholder groups. This paper will draw on the findings of the toolkit, and headline our experiences of best practice from across the UK. We will consider the why, when, who and how's of consultation. We will also identify potential problems that can be addressed in the planning of a consultation campaign, in the hope of offering the waste management industry some guidance not only on how to get facilities accepted and built in time for our impending deadlines but on how to build relationships with a more enlightened public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK is facing a paradigm shift in the way that kerbside recycling programs are delivered. The years of voluntary participation and public goodwill are about to end as we strive to meet ever more demanding statutory recycling targets (as set by UK Government) and our need to divert significant proportions of household waste away from landfill to comply with the EU Landfill Directive. Voluntary approaches have been successful in reaching the masses, with levels of participation reaching on average 60% for a well designed and publicised service. But to go further and to engage with more residents, the UK has embarked on a number of alternative approaches for improving participation. This paper will consider three of the more innovative and encouraging options, using examples to present their impact. For example, Compulsory Recycling requires residents to put out recyclables for collection, and they can be fined for nonparticipation; Forced Voluntary Recycling with alternate weekly collections for waste and organic materials with a no side-waste policy, thus encouraging greater usage of recycling bins which are collected weekly; Incentives reinforce good attitudes and behaviours by rewarding residents who participate. In this paper we critically evaluate the 3 approaches in terms of public reaction, education & communications requirements, political support, impacts and longevity, flexibility and sustainability. The future role of direct charging will also be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theories of gender inequality highlight education as an important resource for women because it clears the path to their employment and economic independence from men. For some groups of U.S. women, however, educational attainment is not highly correlated with employment, suggesting that education may be less of a resource for reducing gender inequality than widely believed. Using national survey data and ethnographic case studies of Arab Americans, this paper examines motivations for female education in ethno-religious communities, where constraints on women's attainments might be particularly strong. The results find that Arab American women's educational attainments rank higher than most other U.S. ethnic groups of women and reveal universal support for female educational attainment among both Muslim and Christian Arab Americans. However, the primary purpose of achieving educational success is to ensure the proper socialization of children, solidarity of family, and ultimately, maintenance of ethnic and religious identity. These results indicate that rather than providing economic independence from men, women's educational attainment may also reproduce patriarchy by socializing future generations to view female education as a collective family resource that should be invested in the private rather than public sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholarship on U.S. women?s employment is increasingly examining the growing heterogeneity within racial/ethnic populations, particularly by national origin and nativity. Leading explanations for variations within these diverse groups have focused on women?s human capital characteristics, family structure, labor market factors, and degree of cultural assimilation. Using 2000 Census data, we test the relative merit of these explanations for twelve different racial/ethnic groups of women. We disaggregate the labor market participation of Hispanic, Asian, and Middle Eastern women by country of origin and nativity, which allows for a more detailed understanding of differences within these populations. Our results show that the relevance of conventional models of female labor force participation varies by racial/ethnic group, nativity, and period of immigration. Human capital is primary for some groups, labor market factors for others, some groups reflect a combination of factors, and for some, existing explanations do not account for much variation in labor market activity. Thus, no one explanation operates uniformly across racial/ethnic groups. We conclude by suggesting more complicated models of female labor force participation that account for the experiences of diverse groups of women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on immigrant health consistently finds that immigrants have better health profiles compared to U.S.-born groups, regardless of how health status is measured. Existing evidence from community-based studies of Arab immigrants suggests that they may present a new case for ethnicity and health, experiencing worse health on average than their U.S.-born counterparts and the majority white population. We test this question using national-level data from the 2000 and 2001 National Health Interview Surveys. The analysis compares the self-rated health and activity limitation of Arab immigrants to those of U.S.-born whites and examines the extent to which social, demographic, and immigrant characteristics account for any observed disparities. Contrary to prior research on Arab health, we find that Arab immigrants are not uniformly disadvantaged in their health outcomes?they are less likely to report activity limitations and do not significantly differ from whites in their self-rated health. We conclude by suggesting avenues of future research on emergent ethnic populations such as Arab Americans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from a national survey of Arab-American women, this paper examines the extent to which family behavior mediates the influence of religion on women?s labor force activity. Prior research on the family has largely overlooked the role of religion in influencing women?s labor force decisions, particularly at different stages of the life cycle. The analysis begins to address this gap by examining whether religious affiliation and religiosity have direct relationships with women?s work behaviors, or if they primarily operate through family behaviors at different phases of the life course. The results find that religiosity exerts a negative influence on women?s labor force participation but only when children are present in the home. Among women with no children, religiosity has an insignificant impact on employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research assesses the effectiveness of an interactive video (IAV) that places men who have sex with men in an interactive, virtual environment designed to simulate the emotional, interper-sonal, contextual, and other psychological features of an actual sexual encounter. Guided by cognitive social learning theory and related approaches, it encourages situated learning of safer sex negotiation techniques at critical points in a sexual sequence, models successful negotiations, and offers training in self-control and behavioral skills. In a longitudinal design, participants were randomly assigned to receive either an IAV intervention or not, after receiving standard post-HIV negative test peer counseling. Compared to the counseling alone, men who received the interactive video reduced risky anal sex behaviors and increased protected anal sex behaviors. The role of communication interventions that can more effectively and efficiently provide tailored health communication intervention in the public interest is discussed. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U.S. black-white health gap is large and showing little signs of declining. Explanations of this gap have been limited by lack of theory and data availability. Using a comparative approach, this study is the first to emphasize the importance of racial context in origin of black immigrants for understanding health disparities between U.S. blacks and whites. This study also is the first to analyze separately the health profiles of black immigrants by region of birth. Together, these advances yield several findings that have implications for understanding racial and ethnic inequalities in U.S. health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field studies were conducted in 1998 and 1999 in Livingston Field at Perthshire Farm, Bolivar County which is located in west-central Mississippi along the Mississippi River. It is a 162 ha field and had a 2-m elevation range. The dominant soil series of the field are Commerce silt loam, Robinsonville sandy loam and Souva loam. The objectives of the study were to 1) compare GOSSYM simulated yield with actual yield, 2) study spatial and temporal pattern of cotton crop across two growing seasons using multispectral imagery, 3) predict field based lint yield from remote sensed data, and determine age of the crop most suitable for aerial image acquisition in predicting yield and / or discriminating differences in cotton growth. Two transects were selected for GOSSYM study, each containing twelve sites. A 1-m length of single row plot was established at each profile. Plant mapping were done five times in 1998 and seven times in 1999 growing seasons. GOSSYM simulation runs were made for each profile and compared with actual crop parameters using root mean square error (RMSE). Results based on averaging common soil mapping units indicate that GOSSYM accuracy in predicting yield varied from 0.45 bales acre-1 to 0.61 bales acre-1. To monitor and estimate the biophysical condition of the cotton crop, airborne multispectral images were acquired on 10 dates in 1998 and 17 dates in 1999 from April to September. In both years site-specific yield and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were significantly (p < 0.0001) correlated in the month of July. NDVI curves of different sites in 1999 showed least distinctiveness due to somewhat wetter weather conditions as compared to drier weather in 1998. Crop growing in or near the drainage areas were low in NDVI and lint yield. Multispectral images acquired between ∼ 300 - 600 growing degree days (GDD60) may be useful decision tools for replanting certain areas of the field, especially in dry weather conditions when variability in crop growth pattern is enhanced due to spatial variability in soil texture, which dictates soil moisture holding capacity and its release to plants. Results suggest that 2-3 multispectral images acquired between 800 and 1500 GDD (60) can be used to monitor crop health and predict yield in a normal weather condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Profitable cotton growers strive to control fiber quality while maximizing crop yield. The objective of this research was to determine if changes in leaf nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) under nutrient stress are related to yield and quality of different fruiting zones in cotton. Plants were grown outdoors in 1999 and 2000 in large pots using half-strength Hoagland' s (control) solution via drip irrigation system until some three-row plots received restricted N or K supply. Lint yield was determined from mature bolls that were ginned individually using a roller gin. Lint from only fruiting branches was grouped according to week of anthesis across a 35-d flowering period, giving five lint groups, from which fiber properties were measured. Yields decreased in plants supplied either 20% of control N at first square onward or 0% of control N from first flower onward. Fiber length and strength tended to be lower in these treatments, and lint group four in 1999 produced short, weak, low micronaire fibers. The year by N treatment interaction was significant for strength. As expected, K stress led to low micronaire. Values less than 3.7 were observed in lint groups three and five in 1999 when K was withheld from first flower onward, and in lint groups two and four in 2000 when K was withheld at first square onward. The year by K treatment interaction was significant for yield, due to larger stress-induced decrease in boll number and dry weight in 2000 than 1999. Results support evidence of strong environmental effects on cotton fiber development, and the negative impacts of K stress on both yield and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]