Frances C. Lawrence

Conducting Research Online: Challenges Facing Researchers in Family and Consumer Sciences

A substantial number of consumers now have access to e-mail and the Internet. The growth in e-mail and Internet usage makes electronic surveying an appealing means for conducting research. Researchers and practitioners in the field of family and consumer sciences are increasingly using online surveys to collect data from a variety of target populations. The purpose of this article is to provide a guide to those interested in conducting surveys online and to highlight some of the potentials and pitfalls they can expect.

Children's Television Viewing with Family Members:

The amount of time children view television with other family members was examined. The sample of 151 children was 6 through 17 yr. of age. Data were gathered by personal interviews conducted in the home. Analysis showed that children spent 75 min. per day (65% of their viewing time) watching television with family members, most often a sibling. When children did watch television with a parent, the parent was most likely the father. Rarely did the entire family view together.

Religious beliefs, faith community involvement and depression: a study of rural, low-income mothers.

ABSTRACT The current study investigated the connection between religion and mental health of 131 rural, low-income mothers. Two dimensions of religion, beliefs and faith community involvement, were included and depression was assessed by the CES-D. The sample consisted of mothers who participated in Wave 2 of a multi-state research project. As hypothesized, both religious beliefs and faith community involvement were negatively related to depressive symptoms indicating that mothers with stronger religious beliefs and more involvement in religious activities may experience less depressive symptoms. The results of the current study confirm previous work and support a multifaceted view of religion.

Rural Children's Time in Household Activities

Operating within the framework of Eriksons developmental theory, this research examined the amount of time rural children spent in household activities and several demographic factors related to that use of time. Data were obtained from a 1977–79 multistate survey of family use of time in which home interviews were conducted with 1,050 families from rural areas of 10 states. There were 1,045 children aged 6 through 17 yr. Findings indicated that children averaged 65 min. per day in household tasks. Children spent the most time in shopping and maintenance of home, yard, car, and pets. Age and sex of the child, education and employment of the mother, state of residence, and season of the year significantly affected the time spent on the tasks. Education of the father and income of the family were not significant sources of variation in the time spent.

The Earned Income Tax Credit: An Incentive to Rural Employment

This chapter describes the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) enacted in 1975 to help offset Social Security taxes for low-income families with children. The EITC was also meant to provide those taxpayers with an increased incentive to work. The tax credit provides significant benefits to low-income working families and the communities in which they live. Eligibility for the EITC is discussed in relation to rural families. Past research on EITC is reviewed and framed within the behavioral life-cycle theory. The inclusion of self-control, mental accounting, and life-cycle saving is discussed. Findings from the Rural Families Speak (RFS) project are included.

The Role of Location and Economic Factors in Predicting Satisfaction with Choice of Continuing Care Retirement Communities

AbstractThe study utilized a structural model to predict satisfaction with selection of a continuing care retirement community (CCRC). Based on the Deacon and Firebaugh (1988) model of family resource management, the model explored the role of economic and location factors in determining older consumers’ satisfaction with the CCRC selected. Multiple regression analysis tested for relationships among variables. The input construct comprising human and economic capital was useful as a predictor of satisfaction; importance of location of the CCRC was not a good predictor. Implications for consumers, housing educators, and other housing professionals are offered.

Perceived Risk Associated with Apparel Purchasing in Discount Stores

Consumer discount store patronage preferences for apparel are investigated using the concept of perceived risk. Apparel items are assigned a type and level of risk: low social, low economic; high social, low economic; and high social, high economic. Females (N=222) responding to a mail survey rate their willingness to purchase each item in a discount store on a scale ofprefer to buy, may buy, ornever buy. Results suggest that consumer preference for purchasing in discount stores declines more sharply when economic risk increases than when social risk increases.

The Role Of Cooperative Regional Research In Home Economics

Cooperation among scientists is a vital and necessary part of research. A review of authorship of technical papers in many professional journals reveals that home economists often cooperate with other home economists and with experts in other disciplines in conducting research (Horn and Nickols, 1982). Many of the cooperative efforts are limited to researchers within a small geographical area. On a broader scale, the federal government has supported cooperative research for almost 40 years through formally organized cooperative regional research pro jects dealing with problems related to agriculture and home economics.