Many children have insufficient early literacy experiences and fail to obtain proficient emergent literacy before they enter kindergarten. Reading to young children has been positively linked to improving their emergent literacy. Numerous factors influence how engaged children are while being read to including the adult’s prosody, receptive vocabulary, and the home literacy environment. Using a quantitative quasiexperimental design, this study sought to understand the association among prosody, child engagement (emotional, cognitive, behavioral-eye, and behavioral-body), receptive vocabulary, and the home literacy environment. The sample included 76 3-5 year-old children from local child care centers and their parents. To understand the relationship between prosody and engagement, children were randomly assigned to watch a story with typical or high prosody. Emotional, cognitive, behavioral-eye, and behavioral-body engagement measures were used to understand how engaged children were in the story. Children’s receptive vocabulary was assessed, and parents completed a home literacy survey. The moderating effects of receptive vocabulary and the home literacy environment (i.e., how much time parents spent reading to children and children’s TV time) between prosody and each type of engagement was examined. Children’s engagement did not differ between typical and high prosody stories. A statistically significant relationship was found between the cognitive and behavioral-eye r(74) = .44, p < .01, cognitive and behavioral-body r(74) = .30, p < .01, and behavioral-eye and behavioral-body engagement measures r(74) = .72, p < .01. Receptive vocabulary and the home literacy environment did not moderate the relationship between story prosody and any type of engagement.

The purpose of this study was to describe the incidence of repeat filers in Utah and estimate the extent that repeat filers may be abusing the bankruptcy system. This study sought to develop a profile of repeat filers . Demographic and financial variables were examined to detem1ine their association with abuser/nonabuser status. In this study, abuse of bankruptcy was characterized only by the timing and number of filings over 20 years. Debtors with three filings in a 2-year period or less and debtors with four or more total filings were classified as abusers. Nonabusers were defined as debtors who filed only once as well as debtors who had two or three scattered filings over the 20-year period. About I I% of the total sample appeared to be abusing the bankruptcy system by filing repeatedly. The majority (76.2%) of the I 997 cases filed by abusers were dismissed while only 23.8% received a discharge of their unsecured debts. Only five (2.9%) of the I 71 abusers who filed chapter I 3 in I 997 completed their payment plan and received a discharge of their debts. The logistic regression model found chapter (7 versus 13), filing status, unsecured debt, and monthly income to be the most significant variables in estimating abuse. Males and females filing alone were nearly 50% less likely than joint filers to be abusers. Chapter 13 debtors are nearly five times as likely to be abusers when compared to chapter 7 debtors. Filers who had unsecured debt levels above the median were less likely to be abusers, and filers who had incomes above the median were almost twice as likely to be abusers. Realistic repayment plans that pay careful attention to construction of budgets and a financial counselor to work with debtors who miss payments is one approach to combating abuse by repeat filing. Judges may need to discipline attorneys who file cases repeatedly. Perhaps a new Code is not what we need to combat abusers; instead, closer monitoring of cases by trustees, more responsible attorneys, and more responsible lending are needed.

The purpose was to determine how husbands and wives who had been separated because of the war in Vietnam perceived ea ch other during separation. Martial roles were used as the vehicle to convey perception. A random sample of Jl couples was selected from among the married officers and enlisted men of Marine All Weather Attack Squadron 225 which was based at DaNang, South Vietnam. A questionnaire des igned to determine perception of spouse was sent to men in Vietnam and to their wives who resided in various parts of the United States. The major findings are summarized as follows: l. Correlation of roles ranked in order of importance before and after separation by respondents was significant at or beyond the .05 level for all roles except that of mother. This indicates that there was really very little change in the importance of roles during separation. Tne mother role was most variable. 2. Husbands were significantly more accurate than wives in duplicating the ranking of roles by spouse. 3. Both husbands and wives were significantly more accurate predicting the role ranking of the other before separation than they were in predicting how the other would rank his roles after separation. 4. Wives were more congruent than husbands in perception of the spouse in roles they ranked as being highly important for the spouse. 5. Men who had children tended to be congruent between thought patterns about their wives and the roles they ranked as important for them. They usually ranked the roles of wife and mother high and often thought of their wives in these roles. This congruency did not exist with the men who had no children. 6 . There was significantly greater marital satisfaction before separation. 7. Perception of very high marital satisfaction after separation indicates that ideolization or glossing of the absent situation and absent person occurred.

The relational processes of sacrifice and self-care both influence every human relationship and as such, every human has to learn how to engage in them. Families are one of the many communities in which one must address sacrifice and self-care. This study provides a qualitative exploration of the relational processes of sacrifice and self-care among a sample of 198 highly religious (Abrahamic faiths) families. In-depth analyses explored motivations, types, and related family processes among family relationships. Five themes from the data about how families perceived and addressed the relational processes of sacrifice and self-care are discussed: (1) tensions between sacrifice and self-care, (2) motivations of sacrifice and/or self-care, (3) types of sacrifice, (4) types of self-care, and (5) processes in faith and family relationships. The ways that participants discussed struggling to address these processes are discussed along with why these ideas are important for marriages and families.

No description available.

At a time when welfare regimes in Anglophone countries are being reshaped to reflect neoliberal ideology, there is little by way of empirical, qualitative research which directly addresses the question of how jobless families live or are affected by their circumstances, particularly in regional Australia. This study combines a consideration of questions of social structure as they pertain to jobless families at the theoretical level with an ethnographic journey into their life worlds. It aims to understand the impact of long-term joblessness upon the families and to explore the interconnections between system and life world.I adopt Layder’s (1997, 1998) theoretical and methodological formulations as the most appropriate means to underpin an investigation of this nature. The study is comprehensively situated within a structural context which examines discourses and events that have exerted an influence on our present social arrangements, including an analysis of relevant social policy. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with two non-purposive samples and analysed using a modified Grounded Theory approach as advocated by Layder (1998).It was found that the current welfare regime helps to stabilise the capitalist global economy and does at least provide a precarious stability for those excluded from the labour market. Whilst families receiving long-term income support are not a homogeneous group, they are subject to hidden injuries in common. The linkages between system and life world are theorised in terms of the displacement principle, which holds that the displacement of a problem does not solve it, but merely relocates it elsewhere. It is used to explain both large-scale displacements as well as micro processes occurring within jobless families. Long-term joblessness is found often to have destructive consequences for intimacy, though family structure may remain intact. This is partly due to a welfare regime which disrespects its beneficiaries. I argue that social policy must be informed by an alternative discourse which includes social or welfare rights as a part of human rights, based upon recognition of mutual interdependency and an ethic of care. This is vital if future policy directions are to accord equal respect to all citizens.

The overall aim of the thesis was to explore social inequalities in: a) mortality during mid-life, b) health in later life, and c) old-age mortality, from a life-course perspective. The studies are based on longitudinal Swedish survey and registry data. The results from Study I showed substantial inequalities in health, based on social class and gender, among older adults (aged 55+). Moreover, the magnitude of these inequalities did not change during the period 1991-2002. The results from Study II revealed social inequalities in cognitive functioning among the oldest old (aged 77+). Social turbulence and social class during childhood, education and social class in adulthood were all independently associated with level of cognitive functioning in later life. In Study III, social inequalities in mortality during mid-life (i.e., between ages 25 and 69) were explored. The results showed that childhood living conditions were associated with marital status and social class in adulthood and that, in turn, these conditions were associated with mid-life mortality. Thus, the results suggested that childhood disadvantage may serve as a stepping stone to a hazardous life-course trajectory. Study IV explored the association between income in mid-life, income during retirement and old-age mortality (i.e., mortality during retirement). The results showed that both income during mid-life and income during retirement were associated with old-age mortality. Mutually adjusted models showed that income in mid-life was more important for women’s mortality and that income during retirement was more important for men’s. Thus, the results of the present thesis suggest that there are substantial social inequalities in the likelihood of reaching old age, as well as in health and mortality among older adults. These inequalities are shaped by differential exposures throughout the life-course that affect health in later life both through direct effects and through processes of accumulation. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished  and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.

Recent research in the sociology of culture has placed significant focus on musical taste and practices. This research agenda has ushered an understanding of the relationship between social class and cultural consumption, and particularly, the implications that patterns of cultural preferences and practices have on social inequality. A frontrunner in this line of work is Bourdieu (1984), who offers a sophisticated and useful theoretical framework—the Cultural Capital Theory—to illuminate the role of culture and its consumption in society. Written as three publishable papers, the chapters use empirical evidence to explore three issues surrounding highbrow musical practices that enrich Bourdieu (1984)’s framework. The first paper (Chapter 2) examines the role of structural and personal barriers in blocking attendance to highbrow concerts. It takes as a starting point Bourdieu (1984)’s argument that upper class individuals are more likely to attend classical music and opera concerts than their lower class counterparts, and questions whether these distinct patterns of participation are attributable to the different barriers that each class faces. The second paper (Chapter 3) offers a sophisticated analysis of the impact of socialization on highbrow concert attendance. By innovatively integrating the concepts of timing and duration, hallmarks the Life Course Perspective, I map out the potentially dynamic nature of the socialization process. In doing so, I illustrate the varying implications that different timing and duration of exposure has on later life highbrow concert participation. The last paper (Chapter 4) investigates the process of socialization to understand what conditions present during this crucial period in time encourage persistence in highbrow musical practices. I find that engaging in interactions that allow one to experience positive emotional resonance, develop a musical identity, and feel a sense of autonomy over musical decisions lead to the propensity to remain engaged in musical activities throughout life.

Recent research in the sociology of culture has placed significant focus on musical taste and practices. This research agenda has ushered an understanding of the relationship between social class and cultural consumption, and particularly, the implications that patterns of cultural preferences and practices have on social inequality. A frontrunner in this line of work is Bourdieu (1984), who offers a sophisticated and useful theoretical framework—the Cultural Capital Theory—to illuminate the role of culture and its consumption in society. Written as three publishable papers, the chapters use empirical evidence to explore three issues surrounding highbrow musical practices that enrich Bourdieu (1984)’s framework. The first paper (Chapter 2) examines the role of structural and personal barriers in blocking attendance to highbrow concerts. It takes as a starting point Bourdieu (1984)’s argument that upper class individuals are more likely to attend classical music and opera concerts than their lower class counterparts, and questions whether these distinct patterns of participation are attributable to the different barriers that each class faces. The second paper (Chapter 3) offers a sophisticated analysis of the impact of socialization on highbrow concert attendance. By innovatively integrating the concepts of timing and duration, hallmarks the Life Course Perspective, I map out the potentially dynamic nature of the socialization process. In doing so, I illustrate the varying implications that different timing and duration of exposure has on later life highbrow concert participation. The last paper (Chapter 4) investigates the process of socialization to understand what conditions present during this crucial period in time encourage persistence in highbrow musical practices. I find that engaging in interactions that allow one to experience positive emotional resonance, develop a musical identity, and feel a sense of autonomy over musical decisions lead to the propensity to remain engaged in musical activities throughout life.

<p>Older women in the U.S. face greater risks of economic insecurity in comparison with other age groups and with men their own age. Although these risks have been documented in prior research, few studies investigate the life course mechanisms underlying women's retirement insecurity. This dissertation seeks to fill this gap by using a life course perspective and the theory of cumulative disadvantage to examine how women's earlier work and family experiences shape subsequent economic resources in retirement. The three major types of retirement resources in the U.S. - Social Security benefits, occupational pensions, and private retirement wealth - are considered. Analyses use a variety of modeling techniques and panel data from the Health and Retirement Study linked to restricted access Social Security Administration files. In addition, this dissertation specifically investigates retirement insecurity across birth cohorts of older women.</p> <p>The first substantive chapter examines how Social Security benefit eligibility type is influenced by four major life course predictors: marital continuity, family timing, employment commitment, and cohort change. Social Security benefit type is an important indicator of retirement security for women because, despite nearly universal program coverage, benefit type is associated with differential economic security in retirement for women. Multinomial logit models demonstrate the importance of women's own paid employment histories for later benefit type. Receiving own worker Social Security benefits or being dually eligible for Social Security are more likely outcomes with increased employment experience. The second empirical chapter uses discrete-time even history models to examine the timing of women's access to occupation pension income. The timing of pension income receipt is relevant for women's retirement security because delayed access indicates a missing source of economic resources. Results reveal significant cohort differences in the timing of first pension receipt as well as the important roles of marital continuity and family timing for older women's access to occupational pension income. The final empirical chapter employs age-based growth models to examine differential trajectories of private retirement savings in early retirement (ages 51-65) across U.S. birth cohorts of women. This analysis examines both initial retirement wealth and wealth accumulation over time to understand how life course processes advantage some older women, but contribute to ongoing disadvantage for others as part of this third, major source of retirement security. Results from growth models reveal variation across birth cohorts as well as the negative effects of divorce for initial wealth holdings and growth in retirement wealth. Overall, this dissertation illustrates the importance of women's work and family experiences across the life course for the cumulative disadvantages they face in retirement. Moreover, each type of major retirement resource interacts with different aspects of women's prior work and family roles to produce economic outcomes in retirement.</p> / Dissertation