The major purpose of this study was to examine work quality in the avocation of sports officiating, as determined by selected Texas High School Sports Officials. Specifically, the study investigated work quality indicators and the relationship between those indicators and the officials overall perception of the avocation of Texas High School sports officiating. To accomplish this purpose, two different survey methods were used. A convenience sample of 125 sports officials participated in a qualitative questionnaire. Usable data was obtained from 114 officials. Utilizing both the qualitative research and information gathered from relevant literature, a web-based survey was constructed and used to contact selected members of the Texas Association of Sports Officials. A total of 1075 responses were received. The web-based instrument integrated items related to basic demographic information, as outlined by Quinn and Staines, (1979). These items included, but were not limited to the following: gender, age, economic information, marital status, educational background, ethnic background and primary occupation. The instrument also investigated the following indicators of work quality: Vocational and avocational information, work environment, personal health and wellbeing, organizational and administrative support, and organizational commitment and officiating career outcomes. These indicators were further explored through the development of work quality constructs, which related to each indicator. The constructs were further studied as to their relationship with certain demographic information. The results of this study indicate that although there are significant work quality issues as they relate to sports officiating, the majority of the constructs studied showed little negative impact on the sports officials’ perception of the work quality of the officiating avocation.

Summary Directed by Military Streamline Program, the missions and organization of Navy shipyards were undergone a great change in recent years. They were transformed from a ships maintenance facility into a district-liked Logistics Support Command. It not only repairs ships, but also takes care of security measurement and utility management that were once operated by Naval District. During the process of transform and changes, the employees and servicemen of the shipyard are playing an important role in transferring skills and assignments. But the inevitable impact and effects also greatly affected these people on every aspect. There are rare academic studies that focused on Navy logistics service personnel, especially on relationship among ¡§work quality¡¨ and ¡§organizational commitment¡¨. Due to these two factors are useful criteria to evaluate the performance of the streamline program. A further study can help to ease the impact on both organization and its people. The core missions of Logistic Support Commands are ships maintenance and repair that was inherited from the shipyards. The work force is mainly comprised by technical sergeants and civilian employee. Technical sergeants can be replaced through recruiting system, but civilian employee are no longer hiring. The aging and declining of work force would increase the workload and stress on existing person. The situation also greatly affects the quality and competence of Navy ships¡¦ maintenance capability. This thesis is to examine the impact on civilian employee of Logistic Support Command during the streamline process. It focuses on the relationship and affection between ¡§work quality¡¨ and ¡§organizational commitment¡¨ during this specified period. It also can present as an indication for planning department on next stage of streamline. The purposes of this research are to uphold employee¡¦s work quality while organizational commitments decreasing, to implement streamline program properly, to promote work effectiveness, and to fulfill mission adequately. The object of this research is civilian employee of Navy Logistic Support Command. There were total of 182 survey have been delivered, and 177 effective feedbacks were received. The analytical methods are factors analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation coefficient analysis, and regression analysis. The outcomes of this research are: 1. Every factors of streamline process should positively connect to ¡§work quality¡¨ and ¡§organizational commitment¡¨, but ¡§group relationship¡¨ does not. 2. Employee who has more conscious about work quality; such as content, condition, and lifestyle of work, is more likely to remain in the organization and committed to it. 3. ¡§Organizational streamline¡¨ and ¡§organizational commitment¡¨ are positively correlated. The suggestions of this research are: 1. Design streamline program appropriately, and emphasize communication repeatedly. 2. Simplified operation process, and focused on work quality. 3. Encourage employee to life-long learning, diversify his own skill. 4. Persuade senior employee to stay longer, pass their techniques to fresh hands, and strengthen organizational commitment as well.

Thesis advisor: David L. Blustein / This study explored the relationship between community college students' working lives and student engagement. Student engagement has been used as a proxy for student persistence based on its strong association with student persistence and its powerful negative association with school drop-out. Work has been studied extensively as related to student engagement. The existing literature on student engagement and work is contradictory and focuses almost exclusively on adolescent students (i.e., Greenberger & Steinberg, 1986; Mortimer et al., 2002) or four-year college students (i.e., Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991; 2005), leaving a notable gap in the community college student literature. Most community college students work full time while attending school, yet little is known about how students' work lives relate to their student engagement. Utilizing Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Framework (1979), which emphasizes the potential for positive and reciprocal relationships between contexts such as work and school, the present study sought to redress the gap in the literature through exploring how Work Intensity, Gender and Work Quality relate to Student Engagement. Students filled out the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and a Work Quality survey. Using a sample of (277) students, the results of the data analyses revealed the following findings: (1) students who worked more intense hours did not differ significantly in their student engagement than their peers who worked less intense hours; (2) students who worked in intrinsically rewarding jobs were more engaged in school; (3) contrary to predicted, students who worked in higher stress jobs were more engaged in school and (4) work intensity moderated the relationship between extrinsic rewards at work and student effort. These findings add to the literature on community college student engagement as they are somewhat surprising and differ from what we know about student engagement among adolescent and traditional four-year college populations. Namely, community college students may demonstrate a unique ability to balance their school and work lives despite long hours and at times stressful working conditions. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.

Research suggests that single mothers experience poorer mental and physical health than their partnered counterparts. This health differential has been attributed, in large part, to the chronic economic and social stressors to which many single mothers are exposed. Less research, however, has focused on the well-being of single mothers who are employed, despite their growing presence in the Canadian labour force. Using data from a telephone survey of employed parents in a mid-sized Western Canadian city conducted in 2005, the aim of this study was to: (1) compare the mental health of employed, single mothers relative to partnered mothers; and (2) explore the potential role of work-family conflict and psychosocial job characteristics as explanations for any observed differences in psychological distress. Analyses were restricted to 674 employed mothers (438 partnered and 236 single), who were 25-50 years old, with at least one child in the household under the age of 20 years. Bivariate analysis indicated that compared to partnered mothers, employed single mothers reported significantly higher levels of psychological distress, work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict. Single mothers were also more likely to be employed in a high-strain psychosocial work environment (i.e., high demand and low control). Multiple linear regression revealed that after adjusting for key sociodemographic characteristics, psychosocial work quality and work-family conflict, single parenthood was no longer statistically significantly associated with psychological distress. These findings suggest that being a single mother in and of itself need not result in poorer mental health, but greater attention needs to be paid to the economic and psychosocial work environment of single mothers, including policies to facilitate work-family balance.

Research suggests that single mothers experience poorer mental and physical health than their partnered counterparts. This health differential has been attributed, in large part, to the chronic economic and social stressors to which many single mothers are exposed. Less research, however, has focused on the well-being of single mothers who are employed, despite their growing presence in the Canadian labour force. Using data from a telephone survey of employed parents in a mid-sized Western Canadian city conducted in 2005, the aim of this study was to: (1) compare the mental health of employed, single mothers relative to partnered mothers; and (2) explore the potential role of work-family conflict and psychosocial job characteristics as explanations for any observed differences in psychological distress. Analyses were restricted to 674 employed mothers (438 partnered and 236 single), who were 25-50 years old, with at least one child in the household under the age of 20 years. Bivariate analysis indicated that compared to partnered mothers, employed single mothers reported significantly higher levels of psychological distress, work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict. Single mothers were also more likely to be employed in a high-strain psychosocial work environment (i.e., high demand and low control). Multiple linear regression revealed that after adjusting for key sociodemographic characteristics, psychosocial work quality and work-family conflict, single parenthood was no longer statistically significantly associated with psychological distress. These findings suggest that being a single mother in and of itself need not result in poorer mental health, but greater attention needs to be paid to the economic and psychosocial work environment of single mothers, including policies to facilitate work-family balance.

Considerando o processo de formação vivenciado, particularmente, pelos alunos de graduação em enfermagem da PUC/SP e suas relações com a qualidade de vida, esta pesquisa teve como objetivos: identificar as percepções que o aluno de graduação em enfermagem tem em relação a sua qualidade de vida atual e a futura qualidade de vida no trabalho; compreender e analisar as principais demandas por eles evidenciadas no resgate das situações vividas e as estratégias de enfrentamento utilizadas que impactam na melhoria da sua qualidade de vida. A pesquisa foi qualitativa, e os dados forma obtidos por meio de entrevistas individuais, na primeira fase. A análise dos temas resgatados dos discursos na primeira fase, nortearam os temas disparadores dos cinco encontros de grupo focal na segunda fase. Nesse sentido trata-se de uma modalidade de pesquisa-ação. Os dados gerados nos encontros grupais foram analisados segundo a modalidade da análise temática, estruturada nas categorias: qualidade de vida; qualidade de vida no trabalho; qualidade de vida dos trabalhadores de enfermagem e qualidade de vida de estudantes universitários. Após análise foi realizada uma adaptação do Modelo Ecológico de QVE proposto por Benjamin (1994) considerado capaz de apreender a qualidade de vida dos alunos de enfermagem. Os resultados evidenciaram que a Universidade é um espaço que propicia vivências de promotoras e não promotoras de qualidade de vida dos alunos. Ficou evidente a necessidade de implantação de encontros sistematizados, no curriculum, nos quais alunos e professores tenham a oportunidade de discutir a construção individual e coletiva de estratégias de enfrentamento das situações geradoras de desgaste favorecendo o fortalecimento da qualidade de vida dos mesmos. / Considering the perceptions about the development process experienced specifically by the nursing students from PUC/SP and their relation with quality of life, this research has had the following objectives: identify the perceptions the nursing students have in relation to their present quality of life and their future quality of life at work; understand and analyse the main requirements evidenced by them in rescuing the situations they have lived and the directions and suggested confrontation strategies that may impact on improving their quality of life. The research was the qualitative mode and, in the first stage, the data were obtained through individual interviews. The analysis of the topics taken from this first stage guided the starting themes of the five meetings of the focus group in the second stage. Because of this it is a research – action type. The data obtained in the group meetings were analysed according to the thematic analyses mode based on the following categories: quality of life at work, quality of life of nursing workers and quality of life of university students. After the analysis was done, it was adjusted to the “Students Ecological Model of Quality of Life" proposed by Benjamin (1994), considered able to grasp the quality of life of nursing students. The results showed that the University is a place that provides perceptions that promote or not students quality of life. It was very clear the need to implement systematic meetings in the curriculum so that both students and teachers may have the opportunity to discuss the individual and collective development of strategies to face the stressing situation they experience so that they may strengthen their quality of life.

A hipótese principal testada nesse estudo foi que a qualidade de vida do indivíduo está diretamente correlacionada com a qualidade de vida no trabalho, ou seja, quanto maior a qualidade de vida no trabalho, maior a qualidade de vida. O objetivo geral foi avaliar e correlacionar as variáveis qualidade de vida e qualidade de vida no trabalho de profissionais de enfermagem atuantes em unidades do Bloco Cirúrgico de quatro hospitais da cidade de Londrina – PR. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo e correlacional, do tipo corte transversal do qual participaram 105 trabalhadores. A coleta de dados foi realizada com a utilização de três questionários: caracterização sociodemográfica, Escala Adaptada de Qualidade de Vida de Flanagan e o Índice de Satisfação Profissional de Stamps. Ambos os instrumentos foram usados nas versões adaptadas para o português e mostraram valores do alfa de Cronbach de 0,81 para as duas escalas, o que indica a confiabilidade das mesmas na população estudada. Dos participantes, a maioria era do sexo feminino (82,9%) e casado (62,9%). Quanto à caracterização profissional, 12 eram enfermeiros, um técnico, 73 auxiliares e 18 atendentes que atuavam em Centro Cirúrgico (55,2%), Central de Material e Esterilização (33,3%) ou em ambos locais (11,5%). O tempo médio de atuação nas instituições foi de 9,82 anos (intervalo de seis meses a 29 anos). Os resultados relacionados à qualidade de vida nos quais, em um intervalo possível de 16 a 112, quanto maior o valor, maior a satisfação com a vida, obtivemos uma mediana de 77 e média de 77,2+10,5. A média de todos os 16 itens foi de 4,83+0,65 (resultado avaliado entre nem insatisfeito/nem satisfeito e satisfeito). O item de menor satisfação foi atividades recreacionais e esportivas e o de maior satisfação relacionamento com amigos. No que se refere à qualidade de vida no trabalho, os valores obtidos variaram entre 114 a 227 (intervalo possível de 44 a 308), sendo que quanto maior o valor, maior a satisfação com o trabalho. A média obtida foi de 169,7+25,9 e a mediana de 170. O valor médio obtido para os 44 itens foi de 3,85, mostrando que os trabalhadores estavam entre insatisfeitos e nem satisfeitos/ nem insatisfeitos com os aspectos abordados pelo instrumento de qualidade de vida no trabalho. Entre os seis domínios avaliados pelo instrumento, obtivemos que a Remuneração foi considerada como fonte de menor satisfação entre os trabalhadores, enquanto o domínio Status profissional, o de maior satisfação. Para testar a correlação entre as variáveis QV e QVT usamos o teste não paramétrico de Spearman e obtivemos um valor de 0,17 (p=0,07). Assim, constatamos que não houve correlação entre as variáveis, o que não comprovou a nossa hipótese inicial. / The hypothesis tested in this study was that the quality of life of a person is directly correlated to the quality of life at work. Therefore, the better the quality of life at work, better will be the quality of life. The general aim was to evaluate and correlate the variables quality of life at work among nursing professionals working at the surgical unit of four hospitals located in the city of Londrina, state of Paraná. This is a descriptive and correlational study, of the cross sectional type, with a sample of 105 professionals. Data were collected through a questionnaire containing Flanagan’s Adapted Quality of Life Scale and Stamps’ Index of Work Satisfaction. Both instruments were used in their versions adapted to Portuguese and showed values of Cronback alpha of 0.81 for both scales, indicating their reliability in the population studied. Among the participants, the majority were women (82.9%) and married (62.9%). With respect to professional characterization, 12 were nurses, 1 technician, 73 auxiliaries and 18 aids who worked at the Surgical Unit (55.2%), Sterilization and Material Unit (33.3%) or both (11.5%). The average time of work at the institutions was of 9.82 years (interval between six months and 29 years). Considering the results related to the quality of life in which, in a possible interval of 16 to 112 years, greater the value, greater will be life satisfaction, the author found a median of 77 and average of 77.2+10.5. The average of all the 16 items was of 4.83+0.65 (results evaluated between neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and satisfied). The item with lower satisfaction level was related to recreational and sports activities and the one with higher satisfaction rate was relationship with friends. Regarding quality of life at work, values varied between 114 and 227 (possible range of 44 to 308), considering that greater the value, greater will be the work satisfaction. The average was of 169.7+25.9 and the median of 170. The average value obtained for the 44 items was of 3.85, showing that workers were dissatisfied and neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with the aspects mentioned in the instrument on quality of life at work. Among the six domain evaluated by the instrument, the author found that remuneration was considered the source of lower satisfaction among workers, while the domain professional status was the one with higher satisfaction level. In order to test the correlation between the two variables, the Spearman non parametric test was applied and the author found a value of 0.17 (p=0.07). Thus, there were no correlation among the variables and the initial hypothesis was not confirmed.

A hipótese principal testada nesse estudo foi que a qualidade de vida do indivíduo está diretamente correlacionada com a qualidade de vida no trabalho, ou seja, quanto maior a qualidade de vida no trabalho, maior a qualidade de vida. O objetivo geral foi avaliar e correlacionar as variáveis qualidade de vida e qualidade de vida no trabalho de profissionais de enfermagem atuantes em unidades do Bloco Cirúrgico de quatro hospitais da cidade de Londrina – PR. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo e correlacional, do tipo corte transversal do qual participaram 105 trabalhadores. A coleta de dados foi realizada com a utilização de três questionários: caracterização sociodemográfica, Escala Adaptada de Qualidade de Vida de Flanagan e o Índice de Satisfação Profissional de Stamps. Ambos os instrumentos foram usados nas versões adaptadas para o português e mostraram valores do alfa de Cronbach de 0,81 para as duas escalas, o que indica a confiabilidade das mesmas na população estudada. Dos participantes, a maioria era do sexo feminino (82,9%) e casado (62,9%). Quanto à caracterização profissional, 12 eram enfermeiros, um técnico, 73 auxiliares e 18 atendentes que atuavam em Centro Cirúrgico (55,2%), Central de Material e Esterilização (33,3%) ou em ambos locais (11,5%). O tempo médio de atuação nas instituições foi de 9,82 anos (intervalo de seis meses a 29 anos). Os resultados relacionados à qualidade de vida nos quais, em um intervalo possível de 16 a 112, quanto maior o valor, maior a satisfação com a vida, obtivemos uma mediana de 77 e média de 77,2+10,5. A média de todos os 16 itens foi de 4,83+0,65 (resultado avaliado entre nem insatisfeito/nem satisfeito e satisfeito). O item de menor satisfação foi atividades recreacionais e esportivas e o de maior satisfação relacionamento com amigos. No que se refere à qualidade de vida no trabalho, os valores obtidos variaram entre 114 a 227 (intervalo possível de 44 a 308), sendo que quanto maior o valor, maior a satisfação com o trabalho. A média obtida foi de 169,7+25,9 e a mediana de 170. O valor médio obtido para os 44 itens foi de 3,85, mostrando que os trabalhadores estavam entre insatisfeitos e nem satisfeitos/ nem insatisfeitos com os aspectos abordados pelo instrumento de qualidade de vida no trabalho. Entre os seis domínios avaliados pelo instrumento, obtivemos que a Remuneração foi considerada como fonte de menor satisfação entre os trabalhadores, enquanto o domínio Status profissional, o de maior satisfação. Para testar a correlação entre as variáveis QV e QVT usamos o teste não paramétrico de Spearman e obtivemos um valor de 0,17 (p=0,07). Assim, constatamos que não houve correlação entre as variáveis, o que não comprovou a nossa hipótese inicial. / The hypothesis tested in this study was that the quality of life of a person is directly correlated to the quality of life at work. Therefore, the better the quality of life at work, better will be the quality of life. The general aim was to evaluate and correlate the variables quality of life at work among nursing professionals working at the surgical unit of four hospitals located in the city of Londrina, state of Paraná. This is a descriptive and correlational study, of the cross sectional type, with a sample of 105 professionals. Data were collected through a questionnaire containing Flanagan’s Adapted Quality of Life Scale and Stamps’ Index of Work Satisfaction. Both instruments were used in their versions adapted to Portuguese and showed values of Cronback alpha of 0.81 for both scales, indicating their reliability in the population studied. Among the participants, the majority were women (82.9%) and married (62.9%). With respect to professional characterization, 12 were nurses, 1 technician, 73 auxiliaries and 18 aids who worked at the Surgical Unit (55.2%), Sterilization and Material Unit (33.3%) or both (11.5%). The average time of work at the institutions was of 9.82 years (interval between six months and 29 years). Considering the results related to the quality of life in which, in a possible interval of 16 to 112 years, greater the value, greater will be life satisfaction, the author found a median of 77 and average of 77.2+10.5. The average of all the 16 items was of 4.83+0.65 (results evaluated between neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and satisfied). The item with lower satisfaction level was related to recreational and sports activities and the one with higher satisfaction rate was relationship with friends. Regarding quality of life at work, values varied between 114 and 227 (possible range of 44 to 308), considering that greater the value, greater will be the work satisfaction. The average was of 169.7+25.9 and the median of 170. The average value obtained for the 44 items was of 3.85, showing that workers were dissatisfied and neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with the aspects mentioned in the instrument on quality of life at work. Among the six domain evaluated by the instrument, the author found that remuneration was considered the source of lower satisfaction among workers, while the domain professional status was the one with higher satisfaction level. In order to test the correlation between the two variables, the Spearman non parametric test was applied and the author found a value of 0.17 (p=0.07). Thus, there were no correlation among the variables and the initial hypothesis was not confirmed.

Considerando o processo de formação vivenciado, particularmente, pelos alunos de graduação em enfermagem da PUC/SP e suas relações com a qualidade de vida, esta pesquisa teve como objetivos: identificar as percepções que o aluno de graduação em enfermagem tem em relação a sua qualidade de vida atual e a futura qualidade de vida no trabalho; compreender e analisar as principais demandas por eles evidenciadas no resgate das situações vividas e as estratégias de enfrentamento utilizadas que impactam na melhoria da sua qualidade de vida. A pesquisa foi qualitativa, e os dados forma obtidos por meio de entrevistas individuais, na primeira fase. A análise dos temas resgatados dos discursos na primeira fase, nortearam os temas disparadores dos cinco encontros de grupo focal na segunda fase. Nesse sentido trata-se de uma modalidade de pesquisa-ação. Os dados gerados nos encontros grupais foram analisados segundo a modalidade da análise temática, estruturada nas categorias: qualidade de vida; qualidade de vida no trabalho; qualidade de vida dos trabalhadores de enfermagem e qualidade de vida de estudantes universitários. Após análise foi realizada uma adaptação do Modelo Ecológico de QVE proposto por Benjamin (1994) considerado capaz de apreender a qualidade de vida dos alunos de enfermagem. Os resultados evidenciaram que a Universidade é um espaço que propicia vivências de promotoras e não promotoras de qualidade de vida dos alunos. Ficou evidente a necessidade de implantação de encontros sistematizados, no curriculum, nos quais alunos e professores tenham a oportunidade de discutir a construção individual e coletiva de estratégias de enfrentamento das situações geradoras de desgaste favorecendo o fortalecimento da qualidade de vida dos mesmos. / Considering the perceptions about the development process experienced specifically by the nursing students from PUC/SP and their relation with quality of life, this research has had the following objectives: identify the perceptions the nursing students have in relation to their present quality of life and their future quality of life at work; understand and analyse the main requirements evidenced by them in rescuing the situations they have lived and the directions and suggested confrontation strategies that may impact on improving their quality of life. The research was the qualitative mode and, in the first stage, the data were obtained through individual interviews. The analysis of the topics taken from this first stage guided the starting themes of the five meetings of the focus group in the second stage. Because of this it is a research – action type. The data obtained in the group meetings were analysed according to the thematic analyses mode based on the following categories: quality of life at work, quality of life of nursing workers and quality of life of university students. After the analysis was done, it was adjusted to the “Students Ecological Model of Quality of Life” proposed by Benjamin (1994), considered able to grasp the quality of life of nursing students. The results showed that the University is a place that provides perceptions that promote or not students quality of life. It was very clear the need to implement systematic meetings in the curriculum so that both students and teachers may have the opportunity to discuss the individual and collective development of strategies to face the stressing situation they experience so that they may strengthen their quality of life.

La tesi è una raccolta di tre saggi sul processo di invecchiamento, salute e disabilità in Italia. Il primo capitolo esplora la relazione tra gli indicatori di salute. Il secondo guarda all'associazione tra condizioni di cattiva salute e la qualità del lavoro in un'ottica multidimensionale e di genere. Infine il terzo studia la disabilità in Italia con l'ausilio del capability approach. / The thesis is a collection of three essays on ageing, health and disability for Italy. The first chapter explores the complex structure of un-health among older people in Italy. The second investigates the connection of un-health and quality of work by adopting a multidimensional view and a gender perspective. The third explores disability by adopting the capability approach.