Skin tone variation within American black communities has long been associated with intraracial stratification. Data from the National Survey of Black Americans (NSBA) indicate that lighter-skinned blacks – net of such factors as region of residence, age, and sex – consistently have higher levels of nearly every socioeconomic indicator including educational attainment, personal and family income, and perceived physical attractiveness when compared to their darker counterparts. What does this color caste system mean for the personal identities and emotional experiences of dark-skinned blacks in America? Using data from the NSBA and six interviews with dark-skinned blacks, I set forth social psychological implications of a phenotypically stratified subgroup in the United States.

It has been argued, albeit with some degree of success, that the challenges facing the 21st century Canadian classroom are highly complex. A troubled economy riddled with cutbacks to the education system, ongoing enrolment decline and challenges in embracing a growth in the diversity of students are among the changes that have made classrooms increasingly difficult to navigate. Though the last assertion may be true, disciplinary policies and the tools used to address unwanted student behaviour have remained relatively unchanged within the education system. Using Critical Race Theory, the author examines the implications of school suspension and expulsion programs on students and provides an analysis of current literature on alternative disciplinary methods in public schools. Findings suggest that a mixture of strategies within various disciplinary programs can benefit some students, but more work must be done to address socioeconomic disparities plaguing the majority of students found in these programs.

It has been argued, albeit with some degree of success, that the challenges facing the 21st century Canadian classroom are highly complex. A troubled economy riddled with cutbacks to the education system, ongoing enrolment decline and challenges in embracing a growth in the diversity of students are among the changes that have made classrooms increasingly difficult to navigate. Though the last assertion may be true, disciplinary policies and the tools used to address unwanted student behaviour have remained relatively unchanged within the education system. Using Critical Race Theory, the author examines the implications of school suspension and expulsion programs on students and provides an analysis of current literature on alternative disciplinary methods in public schools. Findings suggest that a mixture of strategies within various disciplinary programs can benefit some students, but more work must be done to address socioeconomic disparities plaguing the majority of students found in these programs.

Thesis advisor: Marina Vasilyeva / Children's early math development is essential for their later academic achievement (Duncan et al., 2007). Yet, research shows that children from lower socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds encounter disadvantages even before starting school. This dissertation includes three empirical studies conducted in China, aiming to enhance our understanding of SES-related disparities in the home math environment and to develop cost-effective interventions for families in need. Study One suggests that parents of preschool children from high SES background demonstrate higher math efficacy, lower math anxiety, and higher math skills than those with higher levels of education. Moreover, high-SES parents engage more often in informal math activities with their preschool children and provide more enriched math talk. Path analysis further reveals an indirect path from SES to children’s math skills via parents’ characteristics and home math environment. Building on Study One, Study Two demonstrates that higher-educated parents have a greater tendency to spontaneously focus on numerical aspects in their environment, a tendency that significantly correlates with both the quantity and quality of their math talk. Study Three suggests that parental math talk can be implicitly increased by manipulating play contexts and toy features. Math-relevant contexts, like pretend grocery shopping, might elicit more math talk. Furthermore, material features within these contexts may shape the nature and amount of math talk: homogeneity increases discussions about absolute magnitude, while boundedness increases talk about relative magnitude.Theoretically, this dissertation enriches our understanding of the mechanisms underlying SES disparities in early math development. Practically, it identifies potential directions for designing cost-effective interventions to enhance home math environment. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2024. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

This study explores how socioeconomic status influences lifestyle choices and chronicdiseases in Sweden. It investigates prevalent chronic diseases across different socio economicgroups and assesses policy interventions to address disparities. Theoretical frameworks suchas chronic disease prevention, health lifestyle and fundamental causes theories inform theanalysis. The method of this study is used to gather and analyse sensory data for the study. Itdescribed the systematic search for relevant articles, inclusion and exclusion criteria, dataextraction and thematic analysis. Ethical considerations are also addressed and maintained.The results highlighted socioeconomic disparities in lifestyle and chronic disease burden inSweden and other countries. The results show varying impacts in health behaviours andoutcomes based on socioeconomic status, emphasising on the need for targeted interventionwhich address preventable health conditions. The discussion of the study provides a detailedinterpretation of the results by linking theories and methods used.

Introduktion: Fysisk inaktivitet beskrivs idag som ett växande globalt folkhälsoproblem där en tredjedel av världens alla vuxna inte når upp till de internationella rekommendationerna för fysisk aktivitet. Fysisk inaktivitet fastställs även som en av de ledande riskfaktor för förtida död och förknippas ofta med sjukdomar som hjärt- och kärlsjukdomar, diabetes och cancer. Kvinnor i åldrarna 18–64 år boende i socioekonomiskt utsatta områden beskrivs vara i särskild risk för fysisk inaktivitet, framförallt då bristande möjligheter till att utöva fysisk aktivitet är ledande för denna befolkningsgrupp. Syfte: Syftet med denna litteraturstudie är att beskriva vilka riskfaktorer som kan bidra till fysisk inaktivitet samt vilka skyddsfaktorer som kan bidra till fysisk aktivitet bland kvinnor i åldrarna 18–64 år i socioekonomiskt utsatta områden i höginkomstländer. Metod: Den metod som tillämpades var en systematisk litteraturöversikt där 20 vetenskapliga artiklar stod till grund för resultatet. De databaser som användes i studien var PubMed och Medline och de vetenskapliga artiklarna var publicerade mellan år 2005–2020. Vidare granskades och bearbetats dessa artiklar utifrån en tematisk innehållsanalys. Resultat: Resultatet redovisades med utgångspunkt från tre huvudteman; socioekonomiska faktorer, psykosociala faktorer samt fysisk miljö. I resultatet framkom det att faktorer som låg utbildningsnivå, låg nivå av self-efficacy, avsaknad av socialt stöd samt bristande ekonomiska förutsättningar och fysisk miljö var påverkande orsaker till fysisk inaktivitet bland kvinnor i socioekonomiskt utsatta områden. Slutsats: Utifrån resultatet går det att dra slutsatsen att fysisk inaktivitet bland kvinnor i socioekonomiskt utsatta områden är ett synnerligen viktigt ämne som berör många perspektiv, både på individnivå och på samhällsnivå. Den fysiska inaktiviteten bland kvinnor i socioekonomiskt missgynnade stadsdelar handlar i stora delar om brist på de skyddsfaktorer som kan bidra till en ökad fysisk aktivitet. / Introduction: Physical inactivity is described as a growing global public health problem where one third of all the world’s adults do not achieve the international recommendations for physical activity. Physical inactivity is also identified as one of the leading risk factors for premature death and is often associated with diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Women aged 18-64 living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods are described as being at particular risk of physical inactivity, especially as lack of opportunitiesis common among this group of population when it comes to physical activity. Aim: The aim of this literature study is to describe the risk factors that can contribute to physical inactivity and the protective factors that can contribute to physical activity among women aged 18-64 living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods in high-income countries. Methods: The method used was a systematic literature review based on 20 scientific articles.The databases that were used in the study were PubMed and Medline and the scientific articles were published between 2005–2020. Furthermore, these articles were reviewed and processed on the basis of a thematic content analysis. Results: The results were presented on the basis of three main themes; socioeconomic factors, psychosocial factors and physical environment. The results showed that factors such as low level of education, low level of self efficacy, lack of social support and lack of financial prerequisites and physical environment were influential causes of physical inactivity among women in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Conclusion: Based on the results, it can be concluded that physical inactivity among women in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods is a particularly important topic that affects many perspectives, both at the individual level and at the societal level. The physical inactivity among women in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods is largely due to a lack of the protective factors that can contribute to increased physical activity.