The purpose of the study was to examine reproductive life planning practices among Title X family planning health care providers and clinical staff. Reproductive life planning is a program priority for Title X clinics, those that receive federal money for providing family planning services to low-income women and men. The goal of reproductive life planning is to decrease unwanted and unintended pregnancies and improve preconception health care however; this practice has not been described. First, a conceptual analysis was conducted to create a definition of reproductive life planning that was consistent with the literature. Reproductive life planning is a process that is centered on reproductive and other life goals and is personalized, collaborative, fluid, and focused on health-promotion. Second, a mixed methods design was used to examine reproductive life planning practices and qualitative interviews were conducted to explore barriers and facilitators to implementing reproductive life planning practices. Data were obtained from health care providers and clinical staff employed at Title X clinics in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and North Dakota. A total of 148 clinicians completed a web-based survey which was analyzed to describe which types of patients, the topics covered, and the frequency with which reproductive life planning was discussed during an office visit. Surveys were then examined to identify 20 providers to conduct qualitative interviews with to further explore reproductive life planning practices. The qualitative interviews were also performed to explore the barriers and facilitators clinicians face to practicing reproductive life planning. The results of the web-based questionnaire were examined mainly with medians and frequencies to examine reproductive life planning practices. Qualitative interviews were coded using a content analysis approach to two aims; one to examine how reproductive life planning was using during clinic visits and two, to identify the barriers and facilitators clinicians face when discussing reproductive life planning with patients. Findings from the survey and the interviews suggest that most clinicians are discussing pregnancy intentions with their patients. However, from the interviews, three types of scope of reproductive life planning emerged; those clinicians who screened their patients’ pregnancy intentions, those who planted the seed in the patient’s mind, and those who explored the context of a patient’s life and their goals to contextualize how pregnancy and childbearing would fit into their lives in order to clarify pregnancy intention and move toward the corresponding health behaviors. It is argued that the third group of providers is using reproductive life planning as intended by experts. Finally, barriers to RLP discussions were examined as well as approached providers used to overcome the barriers. In conclusion, many clinicians are practicing reproductive life planning as intended, however many are not. Improved training and protocols are needed to ensure clinicians are providing their patients with the best reproductive life planning discussions. Additionally, systemic structures, like access to quality family planning services, need to be improved to aid clinicians in helping their patient plan their families.

Mycket pekar på att det finns en brist hos många svenska unga kvinnor vad gäller kunskap om fertilitet och reproduktion. Det finns ett behov av att formulera ett evidensbaserat redskap för barnmorskor att använda sig av i samtal om en Reproduktiv Livsplan och för att ge hälsoförebyggande information inför en eventuell graviditet. Syfte: Studiens syfte var att genomföra en pilotstudie beträffande implementering av en Reproduktiv Livsplan i svensk vårdkontext. Ett andra syfte var att testa ett instrument och proceduren inför kommande forskningsprojekt samt att utvärdera dess effekt. Metod: Föreliggande studie hade en kvantitativ ansats och hade designats som en randomiserad kontrollerad interventionsstudie. Totalt deltog 75 unga kvinnor i tre grupper; interventionsgruppen (IG), kontrollgrupp 1 (CG1) och kontrollgrupp 2 (CG2). Data samlades in via enkäter vid baslinje och telefonintervju vid uppföljning. Av de 75 kvinnorna var det 70 som fullföljde studien. Resultat: Få kvinnor uppgav att de tidigare hade funderat speciellt mycket på frågor kring fertilitet. Kunskapen om reproduktion och fertilitet var jämn mellan grupperna vid baslinjemätningen. Vid uppföljningen visade resultaten en kunskapsökning bland den tredjedel av kvinnorna som tagit del av interventionen. Det mest utmärkande fyndet var att flertalet av kvinnorna i interventionsgruppen var ganska eller mycket positiva till att barnmorskan frågade dem om deras Reproduktiva Livsplan. Alla kvinnorna svarade att det var ganska eller mycket sannolikt att de skulle vända sig till sin barnmorska om de hade fler frågor angående fertilitet. Flertalet ansåg att vårdpersonal borde ha som rutin att diskutera frågor om en Reproduktiv Livsplan. Slutsats: Det finns ett behov av att formulera ett evidensbaserat redskap för barnmorskor att använda sig av i samtal med unga kvinnor vad gäller deras Reproduktiva Livsplan och för att informera om hälsoförebyggande faktorer inför en graviditet. Genomförbarheten för denna studie var god och materialet väl lämpat för syftet, därmed kan det även rekommenderas för kommande forskning. Ytterligare visade det sig även att kvinnorna som deltog i interventionen ställde sig positiva till samtalet med barnmorskan om en reproduktiv livsplan. / Research indicates that there is a shortage among Swedish young women in terms of knowledge about fertility and reproduction. There is a need to formulate an evidence-based tool for midwives to use in conversation about a Reproductive Life Plan and to provide information about health prevention before a possible pregnancy. Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a pilot study on the implementation of a Reproductive Life Plan in a Swedish caring context. A second aim was to test the instrument and procedure for future research projects and to evaluate its effect. Method: The present study had a quantitative approach and was designed as a randomized controlled intervention study. In total, 75 young women participated in three groups; intervention group (IG), control group 1 (CG1) and control group 2 (CG2). Data were collected via questionnaires at baseline and at follow-up by telephone interview. Out of the 75 women, 70 completed the study. Results: Few women reported that they had previously thought much about issues surrounding fertility. The knowledge of reproduction and fertility was similar between the groups at baseline. At follow-up there was a knowledge increase among the third of the women who took part of the intervention. The most striking finding was that most of the women in the intervention group were somewhat or very positive about the midwife asking them about their Reproductive Life Plan. All the women replied that it was somewhat or very likely that they would turn to their midwife if they had more questions about fertility. The majority felt that healthcare professionals should routinely discuss issues of a Reproductive Life Plan. Conclusion: There is a need to formulate an evidence-based tool for midwives to use in conversations with young women in terms of their Reproductive Life Plan and to provide information on health prevention factors before pregnancy. The feasibility of this study was good, and the material well suited for the purpose, thus it can be recommended for future research. Furthermore the results also showed that the women that participated in the intervention where positive to the talk they had with the midwife concerning the reproductive life plan.

The aim of this study is to get an enhanced understanding of why and how young Syrian refugee males in Jordan prepare for irregular travel to Europe. Through eight semi-structured interviews with Syrians in their 20s and 30s residing in Amman, and a conceptual framework of life plan, existential mobility and social network theory, this research hopefully enhances our understanding of the dynamic and uncertain process of onwards irregular refugee travel. I conclude that discrepancies between the narrative of self and the actual situation may trigger secondary migration, while the social capital inherent in the social network of an individual is essential in the preparation phase of onwards movement. Moreover, the results indicate that latent ties are use actively to assess the reliability of the large pool of information accessed through membership in social media networks.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether or not the single-sex environment has an effect on the gender role perceptions and life paths of young women. Students were selected from two urban high schools, one all-girls and one coeducational. The schools themselves are located a short distance from each other to ensure consistency in regards to socioeconomic status. This study used a mixed methods analysis. Female students in their senior year of high school were surveyed using a gender role perception inventory (Prasad & Baron, 2009). Ten students from the original sample, five from each site, were then selected for in-depth, face-to-face interviews. Results indicate that there is little difference in gender role perception and life path between the two samples. The only exception is in the area of gender role reversal, which favors the single-sex school. As such, students from the single-sex school are more likely to indicate comfort with the inversion of conventional gender roles. In terms of life path, no significant difference between the two groups was found in terms of traditional, non-traditional, and gender-neutral career plans. Interviews with students from both sites reveal two major differences thematically. Students in the single-sex school reported that the decision to attend an all-girls school was mostly made by their parents, while students in the coeducational school reported making the decision themselves. The second difference between the two environments is that students in the single-sex school reported that they and their peers in the school feel quite comfortable acting “themselves” because of the lack of males in the environment. The students in the coeducational school corroborated that sentiment by expressing the tendency of their female peers to act differently in the presence of male peers. The results of this study do not conclusively prove that the single-sex environment is beneficial for the formation of non-traditional gender role perception and life path, with the exception of the reversal finding. The interviews, however, may indicate that the students in the single-sex environment have an advantage in terms of comfort because of the absence of their opposite sex peers. Indisputably, this study confirms that more research is needed in the area of single-sex education for females. / Educational Leadership

There is scant research concerning youth development programmes specifically from Adler's (1968) Individual Psychology perspective. Current programmes seem to be void of critical issues that are important in the local context because of their having a strong bias towards the Western perspective. Thus, the present research project sought firstly to assist the Previously Disadvantaged Youth (PDY) to develop constructive lifestyles characterised by self-mastery, encouragement, creativity and social interest. Secondly, it aimed to obtain specific local African input that would help expand the current Personal Life Planning Programme (PLPP) to one that addresses the unique needs and circumstances confronting South African PDYs today. Finally, it attempted to test the validity, scope and merit of Adler's theoretical assertion, within the context of the previously disadvantaged communities in South Africa, that all humans are engaged in a lifelong striving for superiority to overcome perpetual feelings of inferiority and life tasks. The latter objectives were addressed through the implementation of the PLPP. The study, as well as the related PLPP, is strongly founded on Adler's Individual Psychology (Adler, 1968; Ansbacher & Ansbacher 1956; Corsini & Wedding, 2005; Meyer et al., 2003; Prochaska & Narcross cited in Osborn, 2001). The relevant data were collected from a sample of matriculants from the PDY population living in a black township near Pretoria. The information was collected by means of the PLPP workbook; semi structured interviews, as well as, audiovisual equipment. A combination of a "Pre-structured Case Outline" and the related "Sequential Analysis" (Miles & Huberman, 1994, p. 85) was adopted, with the researcher undertaking the entire data management process. In addition to confirming the applicability of Adler's theory within the PDY context, the findings suggest that the research objectives were significantly met, i.e. the participants reported and displayed marked lifestyle improvements along with specific life skills development needs related to their deprivation. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

自第七屆起立法委員減半為113席次，任期由3年改為4年，立法院已真正成為我國「單一國會」。隨之立法院的功能也就跟著大幅提升，所選出來的立法委員除了更具民意基礎之外，也得以充分反映民意和選民利益，同時隨著立法委員全面改選和席次增加後，除了依法編制的公務單位及行政人員襄助立法委員行使職權外，立法委員個人所聘用的公費助理人數較過去大幅提升，其能發揮的功能性，直接影響每一位委員的問政表現。 由於國會助理的聘期為一年一聘制，與立法委員同進退，因此，在非自願性離職的情況下，立法委員未連任或不再參選而離職的國會助理不在少數，另外也有因政治理念不合，或另覓更好的工作環境條件而自願離職的也佔大多數。然而第七屆立委減半後，直接衝擊最大的是近兩千名國會助理，面臨非自願性離職的失業潮，因此立法委員是否繼續連任，更是主要攸關助理們去留的命運。 本研究的主要動機，乃在於探討離職後的國會助理，在失去政治權力的環境下，應如何未雨綢繆做好生涯規劃？進而從非自願性失業的現象，深入探究國會助理制度的缺失。離職後的國會助理，從事哪方面的行業較容易得心應手？以及曾擔任國會助理工作的資歷，對轉業到底有多少的助益？將加以深入探討。 本研究目的主要是探討國會助理面對非自願性失業後，未來生涯規劃之情況；以及分析在失去國會權力光環的政治環境下，國會助理轉業後對目前的工作滿意；爾後根據研究結果，提供國會助理轉換跑道時之建議和參考。 本研究採質化研究之深度訪談法，總計訪談12位因委員未能順利連任當選第七屆立法委員，以致於非自願性失業的國會助理。經本研究結果發現如下： 一、雖有流動、不出委員範疇：第四屆至第六屆立委席次擴增為225席後，國會助理們會因為立委席次的增加，有多方面選擇委員辦公室的就業機會，因此助理流動率雖高，卻仍然始終在委員與委員辦公室之間流竄。 二、不適應者、回歸助理者眾：甚至有部分助理轉換至其他產業界後，在不能適應外界工作環境下，重返立法院繼續擔任國會助理工作的不在其數。 三、缺乏配套、助理權益難保：如今第七屆立委減半後，委員辦公室的選擇性減少，且由於委員辦公室助理流動率低，再加上立法院遲遲未能針對國會助理制度，訂定一套完整的配套措施，來保障國會助理應有的權益。 四、優勢蛻減、選擇不再戀棧：反觀之，在產官學界的工作條件（如：薪資、升遷、福利、教育訓練）優於國會助理的情況下，即使立委減半後，在僧多粥少的環境下，對於未來國會助理的評價與發展，仍抱持著悲觀的態度，助理們紛紛選擇不再戀棧立法院。 本研究根據研究發現，提出以下五點建議： 一、由於大多數國會助理認為此份工作並非長治久安，對於未來的生涯規劃，仍是需要按部就班的計畫。 二、卸任的立委諸公們，通常在自身難保的情況下，未能有計畫安排助理的出路，助理們只能自求多福，積極尋找適合何自己的下一個伯樂。 三、國會助理的行業雖不具有保障性，但在無形中所創造出自我的附加價值，將使其資歷在轉換其他行業時成為很大的助益。 四、國會助理所負責的工作內容複雜且繁瑣，可藉由工作接觸累積人脈，建立個人的人際關係。 五、未來可朝向「國會助理專業證照制度」發展，爾後再制定國會助理法治化之相關法令，來保障國會助理的權益，以提升立法委員問政。 / Legislative seats for the 7th Legislative Yuan were halved to 113 and the term was extended from original 3 to 4 years. The Legislative Yuan has ever since been the “Unicameralism”. As the congress is empowered in functions, the members of the Legislative Yuan will fully reflect the public’s opinions and voters’ interests. After the re-election and the increase in seats, aside from receiving help from the public service units and staff, the legislators also receive assistance from the increased numbers of publicly funded assistants. The function of those assistants will directly impact on the performance of the legislators. The term of assistants lasts one-year, and they lose their jobs if the legislators lose the re-election. The assistants who leave also include those whose legislators did not get re-elected or they themselves no longer are candidates of legislators, this leads to the fact that many assistants involuntarily leave their jobs. Those leave voluntarily might be because of the different political ideas or they seek for a better working environment. But the tremendous impact came from the unemployment of those nearly 2000 assistants who lost their jobs non-voluntarily after the 7th Legislative Yuan. The main motive of this study was to explore how those assistants plan for their lives after leaving current job. And from the phenomenon of involuntary unemployment, the study focused on the shortcoming of the congressional assistant system. It explored which industry was easier for assistants who left their jobs to enter, and how their career as an assistant can be useful for their next job. The main purpose of this study was to explore how the assistants plan for their lives after leaving the job involuntarily. It also analyzed the job satisfaction of the ex-assistants after leaving the congress. The research provided some suggestions and advices for the assistants who change track in their career. This study adopted the qualitative, in-depth interviews, in total 12 assistants were interviewed, who left their job involuntarily. The findings of this study are as follows: 1. The increase in seats to 225 provided more job opportunities for the assistants, though the turnover rate was high, the assistant still worked in one of the offices in the congress. 2. There are many ex-assistants who could not adapt to the external environment returned to the congress. 3. The reduction of members of congress and the low turnover rate in the office after the 7th Legislative Yuan requires a supporting measure to protect the rights of assistants. 4. The external working conditions were better than the environments in congress. There were many assistants who chose not to stay in the Legislative Yuan. For example, in joining the academic, governmental or industrial community, the salary, benefits, promotion and training are better than what is offered in Legislative Yuan. Based on the research finding, the following five recommendations were proposed: 1. Since most assistants consider their current job is not a long-term career, they should plan their life in a more careful, step by step manner. 2. The non-incumbent legislators usually do not have a plan for the assistants while their own jobs are at risk. And assistants need to search for the next job by themselves. 3. The intangible added value of being assistants while they worked in the congress will help ex-assistants to adapt their next job. 4. The assistants’ job description includes being responsible for complex and tedious works, which will help them to develop personal relationships and connections. 5. In the future, the “Assistant Professional Certification” should be established. Relevant laws concerning the assistants should be passed to protect the rights of the assistants and to enhance quality of policy decisions made by the legislators.

There is scant research concerning youth development programmes specifically from Adler's (1968) Individual Psychology perspective. Current programmes seem to be void of critical issues that are important in the local context because of their having a strong bias towards the Western perspective. Thus, the present research project sought firstly to assist the Previously Disadvantaged Youth (PDY) to develop constructive lifestyles characterised by self-mastery, encouragement, creativity and social interest. Secondly, it aimed to obtain specific local African input that would help expand the current Personal Life Planning Programme (PLPP) to one that addresses the unique needs and circumstances confronting South African PDYs today. Finally, it attempted to test the validity, scope and merit of Adler's theoretical assertion, within the context of the previously disadvantaged communities in South Africa, that all humans are engaged in a lifelong striving for superiority to overcome perpetual feelings of inferiority and life tasks. The latter objectives were addressed through the implementation of the PLPP. The study, as well as the related PLPP, is strongly founded on Adler's Individual Psychology (Adler, 1968; Ansbacher & Ansbacher 1956; Corsini & Wedding, 2005; Meyer et al., 2003; Prochaska & Narcross cited in Osborn, 2001). The relevant data were collected from a sample of matriculants from the PDY population living in a black township near Pretoria. The information was collected by means of the PLPP workbook; semi structured interviews, as well as, audiovisual equipment. A combination of a "Pre-structured Case Outline" and the related "Sequential Analysis" (Miles & Huberman, 1994, p. 85) was adopted, with the researcher undertaking the entire data management process. In addition to confirming the applicability of Adler's theory within the PDY context, the findings suggest that the research objectives were significantly met, i.e. the participants reported and displayed marked lifestyle improvements along with specific life skills development needs related to their deprivation. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)