Abstract This research is in the discussion of unequal educational problems. The purpose is to probe parents¡¦ socioeconomic status has influences on children¡¦s educational achievement orientation and job types. In order to know weather the parents¡¦ socioeconomic status has effects on children¡¦s educational achievement orientation and choices of the job type, we add the concept of Bourdieu¡¦s cultural capital, parents¡¦ concern, financial capital, and students¡¦ activities participation as the intermediary variables. The research uses questionnaire survey which main objects rely on skills-education students and ordinary class students. The survey adopts cluster sampling method to choose the sample. The research objects are skills-education students, second-grade and third-grade of junior high school in Tainan. The major findings are as follow: 1. The skills-education students and ordinary class students have differential resources. The skills-education students are less than ordinary class students on parents¡¦ concern, activities participation, and cultural capital. 2. The skills-education students are less than ordinary class students on academic degree expectation, educational achievement, job expectation, and job aspiration. 3. The father¡¦s level of education has shown some influence on the children¡¦s expectation and aspiration in terms of their education level and career choices. The higher the level of education attained by the father, the higher the expectation and aspiration will be of the children. 4. The father¡¦s education level will also influence on the availability of the recourses given to their children. The higher the father¡¦s level of education is the greater the concerns from the parents over the children and their participations in activities and cultural capital. 5. There is no financial capital difference shown from the being in either class or the father¡¦s educational level. Students from both classes have similar financial support regardless on the father¡¦s education levels. 6. The capitals of family will influence the achievement of children¡¦s education and advancements. Keyword: education inequity, activity participation, socioeconomic status, education achievement

ABSTRACT Conduct problems are a common childhood mental health problem representing a significant proportion of young clients referred for occupational therapy. Children with conduct problems, especially the early onset subtype, can experience a difficult developmental trajectory and this can also impact family members, peers and the broader community. The contours of family life in Australia, and many other western countries, have changed dramatically over the last few decades. For example, we have witnessed a large increase in single parent households, a dramatic increase in maternal employment, declines in fertility rates to well below replacement level, delayed parenthood, and an increase in divorce rates. Consequently both parents and children must navigate a much more varied and in some cases more challenging and stressful set of life course choices and pathways than in the past. For some this will result in changes to parenting practices and children’s time use, potentially exposing children to a higher risk for developing conduct problems. While there is evidence to support the important role played by parents in this context, the relative impact of how and with whom children spend their time has not been closely examined. The aims of this study are to understand how young Australian children spend their time and to examine how children’s time use is related to their risk of developing conduct problems. More specifically it aims to investigate the social context of activities in which children are involved, the extent to which these activities involve physical exertion, structure, and rest and recuperative qualities in relation to conduct problems. In addition, children’s exposure to out-of-family care, differences in parenting practices and socioeconomic factors are also considered. The study is unique in having access to recent, high quality, national level Australian survey data that combines both detailed information on children’s time use, validated scales measuring children’s conduct problems, as well as a range of other variables necessary to accurately measure the relationships between them. These data come from the 4 to 5 year old child cohort from Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) survey. The LSAC is the first comprehensive national longitudinal study of Australian children and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). The LSAC follows the lives of two cohorts of approximately 5,000 children each, an infant cohort (0-1 years old in Wave 1) and a child cohort (4-5 years old in Wave 1). This study examines the 4-5 year cohort only. A key strength of the LSAC is its use of time diaries to collect detailed information on children’s time use. It is the analyses of data from these diaries that is unique to the current study of conduct problems and allows the presentation of the first results that combine detailed measures of children’s time use with conduct disorder outcomes. First, descriptive analyses reveal the prevalence of children at risk of developing conduct problems, the variety of parenting practices and children’s time use profiles. Approximately 29% of Australian children aged 4 to 5 years are identified as being “at risk” of conduct problems. Parenting practices for children demonstrate high levels of warmth, reasoning, consistency, and low hostility. Children are reported to experience adequate amounts of sleep or rest, on average 11 hours per day. Over a quarter of children do not engage in moderate to vigorous physical activities, particularly on weekdays, over half do not engage in structured activities on weekdays and well over three-quarters do not engage in structured activities on weekends. Children are highly supervised by adults for approximately 10 hours a day either with or without the presence of peers during their waking hours, whereas almost three quarters of children do not spend time alone and over a half do not spend time with peers only. Second, two-way ANOVAs and random effects models are used to compare children’s time use by their experience of conduct problems. Results derived from the two-way ANOVAs indicate that children at risk of conduct problems spend significantly fewer hours being restful on weekdays, significantly more hours without peers under adult supervision on weekends and significantly fewer hours with peers under adult supervision on weekends than those not at risk. Results from the random effects models show that children at risk of developing conduct problems spend significantly more hours bike riding and significantly fewer hours being restful than those not at risk. Overall these results suggest that children at risk of conduct problems used time differently from those not at risk, particularly those aspects of time which are restful, involve bike riding, and in supervised social contexts. Third, chi-square tests and univariate logistic regression both affirm a higher risk of boys developing conduct problems (1.31 times more likely) than girls. Multivariate logistic regression with random effects is used to model the risk for developing conduct problems for boys and girls. The female model indicates that girls are at lower risk of conduct problems only if they are exposed to consistent and less hostile parenting practice and not have sleep problem reported by parents. The male model suggests that boys are vulnerable to more risk factors and are at lower risk of developing conduct problems if they have fathers who have completed tertiary education, are exposed to consistent and less hostile parenting, do not ride a bike on weekdays, spend less time in exercise on weekends, and do not have sleep problem reported by parents. Overall, the findings of this thesis lead to three main conclusions. First, males are at heightened risk for developing conduct problems and are subjected to more risk factors than girls. Second, parenting practice is affirmed in this thesis as the paramount predictor of risk for 4 to 5 year old children developing conduct problems. Third, the effects of time use depending on the innate quality and structure of activity are considered important for young children’s risk of developing conduct problems, and this is particularly pertinent for young boys. These results support the importance of family-centred services and time arrangements for activity participation when working with children at risk of or diagnosed with conduct problems. It also affirms the necessity to attend to parenting practices which may be described as hostile and inconsistent while at the same time highlighting the importance of fathers to their sons risk profile. These findings contribute to our understanding of children’s time use as a contributor to the behavioural wellbeing of children, especially young boys.

Macroscopic changes in the urban environment and in the built transportation infrastructure, as well as changes in household demographics and socio-economics, can lead to spatio-temporal variations in household travel patterns and therefore regional travel demand. Dynamics in travel behavior may also simply arise from the randomness associated with values, perceptions, attitudes, needs, preferences and decision-making process of the individual travelers. Most urban travel behavior models and analysis seek to explain variations in travel behavior in terms of characteristics of the individuals and their environment. Spatial extents and temporal variation in an individual’s travel pattern may represent a measure of the individual’s spatial appetite for activity and the variability-seeking nature on his/her travel behavior. The objective of this dissertation effort is to develop a methodology to predict activity participation using revealed spatial extents and temporal variability as variables that represent the spatial appetite and variability-seeking nature associated with individual household. Activity participation is defined as a set of activities in which an individual or household takes part, to satisfy the sustenance, maintenance and discretionary needs of the household. To accomplish the goals of the dissertation, longitudinal travel data collected from the Commute Atlanta Study are used. The raw Global Positioning Systems (GPS) data are processed to summarize trip data by household travel day and individual travel day data. A methodology was developed to automatically identify the activity at the end of each trip. Methods were then developed to estimate travel behavior variability that can represent the variability-seeking nature of the individual. Existing methods to estimate activity space were reviewed and a new Modified Kernel Density area method was developed to address issues with current methods. Finally activity participation models using structural equation modeling methods were developed and the effects of the variability-seeking nature and spatial extent of activities were applied to the models. The variability-seeking nature was presented in the activity participation model as a latent variable with coefficient of variation of trips and distance as indicator variables. The dissertation research found that inclusion of activity space variables can improve the activity participation modeling process to better explain travel behavior.

This thesis compares different approaches to estimating budgets for Kuhn-Tucker (KT) demand systems, more specifically for the multiple discrete-continuous extreme value (MDCEV) model. The approaches tested include: (1) The log-linear regression approach (2) The stochastic frontier regression approach, and (3) arbitrarily assumed budgets that are not necessarily modeled as a function of decision maker characteristics and choice-environment characteristics. The log-linear regression approach has been used in the literature to model the observed total expenditure as way of estimating budgets for the MDCEV models. This approach allows the total expenditure to depend on the characteristics of the choice-maker and the choice environment. However, this approach does not offer an easy way to allow the total expenditure to change due to changes in choice alternative-specific attributes, but only allows a reallocation of the observed total expenditure among the different choice alternatives. To address this issue, we propose the stochastic frontier regression approach. The approach is useful when the underlying budgets driving a choice situation are unobserved, but only the expenditures on the choice alternatives of interest are observed. The approach is based on the notion that consumers operate under latent budgets that can be conceived (and modeled using stochastic frontier regression) as the maximum possible expenditure they are willing to incur. To compare the efficacy of the above-mentioned approaches, we performed two empirical assessments: (1) The analysis of out-of-home activity participation and time-use (with a budget on the total time available for out-of-home activities) for a sample of non-working adults in Florida, and (2) The analysis of household vehicle type/vintage holdings and usage (with a budget on the total annual mileage) for a sample of households in Florida. A comparison of the MDCEV model predictions (based on budgets from the above mentioned approaches) demonstrates that the log-linear regression approach and the stochastic frontier approach performed better than arbitrarily assumed budgets approaches. This is because both approaches consider heterogeneity in budgets due to socio-demographics and other explanatory factors rather than arbitrarily imposing uniform budgets on all consumers. Between the log-linear regression and the stochastic frontier regression approaches, the log-linear regression approach resulted in better predictions (vis-à-vis the observed distributions of the discrete-continuous choices) from the MDCEV model. However, policy simulations suggest that the stochastic frontier approach allows the total expenditures to either increase or decrease as a result of changes in alternative-specific attributes. While the log-linear regression approach allows the total expenditures to change as a result of changes in relevant socio-demographic and choice-environment characteristics, it does not allow the total expenditures to change as a result of changes in alternative-specific attributes.

Numerous benefits are associated with physical activity participation with recent evidence indicating this may transfer into the classroom environment. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between attitudes towards active or passive physical activity participation and classroom engagement in elementary school children. Methods: Students (n = 67) in grades 3-5 completed The Children’s Self-Perceptions of Adequacy in and Predilection for Physical Activity (CSAPPA) and The Elementary Student Engagement Instrument (SEI). Results: A statistically significant positive correlation (r = .31, P < .05) was found between the CSAPPA and SEI indicating that students who prefer active participation in physical activity also report higher levels of engagement within the school environment. No statistical difference was noted between males and females or across grade levels. Conclusion: The results of this research support the benefits of physical activity participation within the school environment. The lack of statistical difference with regard to sex is also noteworthy in that research connecting physical activity and classroom engagement frequently indicates differences between males and females. This is possibly attributed to the inclusive culture established by the school which promotes and supports opportunities for all students. These findings are particularly relevant in light of current trends to reduce time spent in physical education, free play, and other physical activity opportunities within the school day

With increasing migration over the last few decades, over 20% of Sweden’s inhabitant are now foreign-born (Krzyżanowski, 2018). A policy shift stemming from the 2015 European migrant crisis (Hagelund, 2020) led to a decentring of integration management from national immigration policy to the local level (Scholten and Penninx, 2016). Subsequently, community level actors have become increasingly active developing their own integration philosophies and implementing these locally. Health and well-being activities curated by the non-governmental organisation Hej Främling seek to improve local inclusion for migrants and newly arrived persons to Sweden. Using these activities as a launching point, this study draws upon perceptions from 17 migrants participating in Hej Främling to examine their feelings of inclusion and sense of belonging across space and place and activities. Results show activity participation both within Hej Främling and across Swedish society more broadly has a positive influence on migrants’ sense of inclusion, in particular through the facilitation of shared spaces of experience, where migrants from diverse backgrounds can come together over a shared interest and build upon their social networks. Concept-mapping was used as a conceptual framework to illuminate the core components of inclusion, how they interlink and contribute to further conceptualisation. This study identifies four key insights for local inclusion: 1) the value of shared experiences in creating inclusion 2) the perceived socio-cultural barriers to inclusion 3) activity space as environments for intercultural encounters and 4) the facilitative role of community organisations in creating inclusion and promoting integration.

No description available.

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between pre-college activity participation and college leadership through motivation to lead and leadership self-efficacy, paying particular attention to gender differences. Undergraduate students from a liberal arts college were recruited two separate times via email before freshman year and during the spring semester of their senior year. The findings of this study reveal that relations between pre-college activity participation and college leadership are not mediated by motivation to lead or leadership self-efficacy. Furthermore, the study found no significant gender differences related to motivation to lead or leadership self-efficacy. However, the findings of this study support previous claims that gender plays a strong role in activity participation (Buser, 1980; Kezar & Moriarty, 2000; Medley, 1982; Morris & Starrfield, 1982). In this study, females participated in high school activities significantly more than males, but males participated in college activities significantly more than females. Participants had more motivation to lead before attending college but no differences were found in their leadership self-efficacy between pre-college activity participation and college activity participation. In summary, this information could be useful for high schools and universities to increase the quality, not quantity, of out-of-class activities and further student engagement and leadership for both males and females.

Numerous researchers have examined school and student variables that can prevent school failure, dropping out, and the development of delinquent behaviors. Such research suggests that students who establish a strong connection to school early in their academic career have higher academic achievement, better attendance, and more school participation (J. D. Finn, 1989, 1993; Finn & Rock, 1997; Sirin & Rogers-Sirin, 2005). However, there is little research that evaluates mechanisms that could be used to intervene when older students are on course for failure or delinquency. The current study, therefore, attempts to expand on the understanding of precipitating factors for school connection by investigating a possible link between school connection, extracurricular activity participation (EAP), and the relationships with teachers, parents, and peers promoted through activity participation. Latent variable structural equation modeling was used to investigate whether relationships with teachers, parents, and peers mediate the effects of EAP on school connection across time. Data from the base year (8th grade), first follow-up (10th grade), and second follow-up (12th grade) waves of the National Educational Longitudinal Study: 1988-2000 (NELS:88) were used. Three latent variable panel models were created and analyzed; one each for Relationships with Teachers, Relationships with Parents, and Relationships with Peers as the mediating variables. Results supported previous literature in that models reflecting a reciprocal relationship between EAP and school connection were found to have the best fit. Additionally, latent variable structural equation models were constructed to simultaneously compare the influence of EAP on the three types of relationships (i.e., with teachers, parents, and peers) and their subsequent influence on school connection. Finally, a latent variable structural equation model was constructed to explore possible differences in the type of activity in which a student participates on their relationships with others and school connection. / text

The unique potential of sport as a site for the delivery of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has received increasing academic attention in recent years (e.g. Smith & Westerbeek, 2007). However, this literature has been said to have held 'relatively static conceptualisations of CSR through sport' (Dowling, Robinson & Washington, 2013, p. 270), and it could similarly be argued that insufficient attention has been given to the broader social contexts in which it has been delivered. This study therefore aimed to understand more about sport - and the Olympic Games - as a site for the delivery of CSR, using the specific context of private sector sponsor-led CSR schemes based upon the sport and physical activity participation legacy of London 2012. Three separate stages of qualitative data collection were conducted. The first comprised a thematic analysis of macro level policy discourse produced by official Olympic 'legacy actors' in relation to the proclaimed sport and activity legacy of the Games. The second stage also used thematic analysis in order to establish how 20 sponsors rationalised their CSR activity around the Games and how six who organised programmes involving either sport or activity participation justified these. The third stage comprised a series of semi-structured interviews with representatives of three Olympic sponsors and three charity delivery partners who co-operated in the delivery of specific CSR schemes. Once data was organised into themes, data analysis was informed by a governmentality perspective in order to help understand the respective roles of public and private sector organisations in not just the delivery of CSR, but also in 'governing' society in the broadest sense of the term.