Elizabeth Monk-Turner

The Occupational Achievements of Community and Four-Year College Entrants.

The occupational effects of community college vs. four-year college attendance are examined for a sample of young men and women drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experiences. The type of college entered shapes adult occupational status after controlling for years of education, mental ability, completion of B.A. degree, and other background variables. Compared to four-year college entrance, community college entrance for women depreciates the occupational return to each year of education. The more education a woman obtains, the more important type offirst college becomes.

Addressing issues in group work in the classroom

For group projects to be pedagogically successful, instructors must understand how students view group work, factors that influence students’ perceptions about group work, and students’ views about the importance of group work. Understanding these factors will provide instructors with guidance in effectively using group projects in their courses. This study examines how students perceive group work after completing a semester-long group project. Our sample consists of 145 students taking an upper division research methods class in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at a large regional university. Our data support the idea that small groups may work more effectively together than larger ones, that high grade point average students have more concerns than others about group work and that those with more time demands are less positive than others about group work. The authors suggest strategies for successful group work in classes.

Economic returns to community and four-year college education

Abstract Differences in earning ability among college entrants 10 years after high school graduation are analyzed by type of first college entered, sex, and race. The average age of the sample is 27. Type of first college entered is a significant variable in understanding differences in earning ability for college entrants with ability, socioeconomic background, and college goal constant. The rate of return for each additional year of education for four-year college entrants is 7.9%; for community college entrants, 5.4%. The author argues that community college education and four-year college education cannot properly be treated as homogeneous and that researchers analyzing economic returns to education need to take into account both kind of first college entered as well as the number of years of education acquired.

Effects of High School Delinquency on Educational Attainment and Adult Occupational Status

High school delinquency negatively affects educational attainment. However, when controlling for years of schooling attained and other background variables, high school delinquency does not significantly shape adult occupational status. If high school delinquents are able to obtain as much schooling as others, their past delinquency does not exert a negative independent effect on occupational achievement.

Broken Windows or Window Breakers: The Influence of Physical and Social Disorder on Quality of Life

The relationship between neighborhood disorder and fear of crime is well established. According to Wilson and Kellings broken windows theory, physical and social disorder lead to fear and cause citizens to retreat into their homes. This breaks down informal social control mechanisms and may lead to more serious crime. Insofar as fear is related to quality of life, an implication of broken windows theory is that disorder may impact quality of life, but that relationship has not yet been examined in the research literature. The present study seeks to fill a void in the literature by investigating the relationship between neighborhood disorder and quality of life. Results indicate that disorder is related to quality of life. In particular, physical disorder is negatively associated with quality of life, but social disorder loses significance when controlling for physical disorder. Policy implications of the findings and direction for future research are discussed.

The Benefits of Meditation Practice in the Correctional Setting

This research examined the impact of a structured meditation program intervention on female detainees, comparing an experimental group and a control group for medical symptoms, emotions, and behaviors before and after the intervention. A 2 1/2-hour meditation session was held once a week for 7 weeks. Study participants completed a medical symptoms checklist before the program began and after it ended. At the posttest period, the experimental group experienced fewer sleeping difficulties, less desire to throw things or hit people, and less nail or cuticle biting; were more hopeful about their future; and felt less guilt. Meditation was beneficial for this population and may be a cost-effective tool for inmates and administrators. Meditation effects, especially among inmates, merit further research attention.

Factors shaping the probability of community vs. four-year college entrance and acquisition of the B.A. degree

Abstract The author explores factors shaping community vs. four-year college entrance and acquisition of the B.A. degree for a sample of young men and women who entered college between the years 1966 and 1978. The sample was drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experiences data. As expected, students coming from lower measured ability and from a less advantaged parental socioeconomic background have higher odds of entering a community than a four year institution. Living outside the South is also positively associated with community college entrance. This effect holds much stronger among blacks than whites. Women who perform well on IQ tests are more likely to enter a community college than comparable men. Community college entrants have lower odds of achieving the B.A. degree compared to comparable four year college entrants. An argument is made that community college entrance introduces a structural barrier to completion of the B.A. degree. This poses equality of opportunity questions as community college entrants are drawn from less advantaged segments of our society.

Circumstances Surrounding Male Sexual Assault and Rape Findings From the National Violence Against Women Survey

Much work in the area of male sexual assault and rape relies on small clinical samples. From these samples, researchers reported that most male victims were physically injured during the attack and that penetration occurred. This work rests on a subsample of 219 men from the 1994-1996 Violence and Threats of Violence Against Women and Men in the United States Survey. Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAW) show that the vast majority of male sexual assault victims reported that they were not physically injured during the assault, that a weapon was not used, that there was no substance use at the time of the assault, and that penetration did not occur. Only 29% of male respondents in the NVAW sought medical or psychological help after the assault. Prior work may have overrepresented men who reported being physically injured and/or penetrated. An analysis is presented of how those who presented for help in the NVAW differ from the whole sample. Results show that men who presented for help were more likely to have reported being physically injured during the assault and that penetration occurred. Thus, findings from prior work make sense; however, they may not be representative of male assault victims as a whole.

Gender Roles in Children's Literature: A Review of Non-Award-Winning "Easy-to-Read" Books.

Abstract This study replicates the work of Crabb and Bielawski (1994), who analyzed gender differences in character representation found in Caldecott award-winning childrens literature, in relation to the utilization of production, household, and leisure artifacts. This study examines non-award-winning “easy-to-read” books. The data showed that both female and male characters are most likely to be pictured in a leisure activity. Otherwise, male characters are apt to be seen with a production artifact, while few are shown with a household artifact. For female characters, if they are not in a leisure activity, they are equally likely to be seen with either a household or production artifact. The real difference in character depiction lies with male characters not being featured in household activities. These findings were different from Crabb and Bielawskis study. They found that female characters were most likely represented utilizing a household artifact, while male characters were primarily depicted with production artifacts.

Who is gazing at whom? A look at how sex is used in magazine advertisements

The portrayal of male and female advertising characters was examined to determine whether or not sex was used to sell a product. We defined sex as having at least one of three qualities. Two hundred and eighty-seven advertisements were content analyzed into four categories (gender of the actor, product type, whether or not sex was used to sell the product, and what kind of sexuality, if used, was shown). Most of the advertisements did not use sex to sell the product; however, if sex was used, it was more likely to appear in an advertisement aimed at a male audience. Objectified advertising characters were likely to be females alone or paired with males. Support was found for Mulveys theory of the male gaze.