Class Size Reduction: A Significant Option for Improving Student Learning

Raising academic standards is a driving force behind public school initiatives. True educational reform requires a data-driven approach to choosing valid options for student improvement. We discuss current and continuing research that provides evidence that class size reduction, with related variables, is a significant option for improving student learning.

Hazard mitigation element quality in coastal comprehensive plans in a state with strong requirements for hazard mitigation plan elements

This dissertation examines the quality of hazard mitigation elements in a coastal, hazard prone state. I answer two questions. First, in a state with a strong mandate for hazard mitigation elements in comprehensive plans, does plan quality differ among county governments? Second, if such variation exists, what drives this variation? My research focuses primarily on Florida's 35 coastal counties, which are all at risk for hurricane and flood hazards, and all fall under Florida's mandate to have a comprehensive plan that includes a hazard mitigation element. Research methods included document review to rate the hazard mitigation elements of all 35 coastal county plans and subsequent analysis against demographic and hazard history factors. Following this, I conducted an electronic, nationwide survey of planning professionals and academics, informed by interviews of planning leaders in Florida counties. I found that hazard mitigation element quality varied widely among the 35 Florida coastal counties, but were close to a normal distribution. No plans were of exceptionally high quality. Overall, historical hazard effects did not correlate with hazard mitigation element quality, but some demographic variables that are associated with urban populations did. The variance in hazard mitigation element quality indicates that while state law may mandate, and even prescribe, hazard mitigation in local comprehensive plans, not all plans will result in equal, or even adequate, protection for people. Furthermore, the mixed correlations with demographic variables representing social and disaster vulnerability shows that, at least at the county level, vulnerability to hazards does not have a strong effect on hazard mitigation element quality. From a theory perspective, my research is significant because it compares assumptions about vulnerability based on hazard history and demographics to plan quality. The only vulnerability-related variables that appeared to correlate, and at that mildly so, with hazard mitigation element quality, were those typically representing more urban areas. In terms of the theory of Neo-Institutionalism and theories related to learning organizations, my research shows that planning departments appear to have set norms and rules of operating that preclude both significant public involvement and learning from prior hazard events.

The impact of migration and intergenerational changes on the Cuban family in the United States

This study examines changes in the Cuban family in the United States produced by time, migration, and the rise of new generations. The thesis will use a data set extracted from the 5% Public Use Microdata Series (PUMS) of the U.S. Decennial Census of Population for the years 1970, 1980 and 1990. Contingency table analysis and comparison of means were used to examine various family-related variables. The analysis points to changes in the traditional Cuban family towards less traditional family arrangements. The multigenerational feature of the Cuban household has diminished as the elderly have become independent and are more likely to be living on their own. Although female labor participation remains high, the occupational patterns of the first generation of Cuban women have diversified and a new trend has emerged for the second generation. The second generation of Cuban women demonstrates a strong inclination for white-collar occupations. Fertility rates remain low.

A recessionary debate: who suffered more? A study of sectoral well-being and economic insecurity in Ireland

The aim of this thesis is to identify the relationship between subjective well-being and economic insecurity for public and private sector workers in Ireland using the European Social Survey 2010-2012. Life satisfaction and job satisfaction are the indicators used to measure subjective well-being. Economic insecurity is approximated by regional unemployment rates and self-perceived job insecurity. Potential sample selection bias and endogeneity bias are accounted for. It is traditionally believed that public sector workers are relatively more protected against insecurity due to very institution of public sector employment. The institution of public sector employment is made up of stricter dismissal practices (Luechinger et al., 2010a) and less volatile employment (Freeman, 1987) where workers are subsequently less likely to be affected by business cycle downturns (Clark and Postal-Vinay, 2009). It is found in the literature that economic insecurity depresses the well-being of public sector workers to a lesser degree than private sector workers (Luechinger et al., 2010a; Artz and Kaya, 2014). These studies provide the rationale for this thesis in testing for similar relationships in an Irish context. Sample selection bias arises when a selection into a particular category is not random (Heckman, 1979). An example of this is non-random selection into public sector employment based on personal characteristics (Heckman, 1979; Luechinger et al., 2010b). If selection into public sector employment is not corrected for this can lead to biased and inconsistent estimators (Gujarati, 2009). Selection bias of public sector employment is corrected for by using a standard Two-Step Heckman Probit OLS estimation method. Following Luechinger et al. (2010b), the propensity for individuals to select into public sector employment is estimated by a binomial probit model with the inclusion of the additional regressor Irish citizenship. Job satisfaction is then estimated by Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) with the inclusion of a sample correction term similar as is done in Clark (1997). Endogeneity is where an independent variable included in the model is determined within in the context of the model (Chenhall and Moers, 2007). The econometric definition states that an endogenous independent variable is one that is correlated with the error term (Wooldridge, 2010). Endogeneity is expected to be present due to a simultaneous relationship between job insecurity and job satisfaction whereby both variables are jointly determined (Theodossiou and Vasileiou, 2007). Simultaneity, as an instigator of endogeneity, is corrected for using Instrumental Variables (IV) techniques. Limited Information Methods and Full Information Methods of estimation of simultaneous equations models are assed and compared. The general results show that job insecurity depresses the subjective well-being of all workers in both the public and private sectors in Ireland. The magnitude of this effect differs among sectoral workers. The subjective well-being of private sector workers is more adversely affected by job insecurity than the subjective well-being of public sector workers. This is observed in basic ordered probit estimations of both a life satisfaction equation and a job satisfaction equation. The marginal effects from the ordered probit estimation of a basic job satisfaction equation show that as job insecurity increases the probability of reporting a 9 on a 10-point job satisfaction scale significantly decreases by 3.4% for the whole sample of workers, 2.8% for public sector workers and 4.0% for private sector workers. Artz and Kaya (2014) explain that as a result of many austerity policies implemented to reduce government expenditure during the economic recession, workers in the public sector may for the first time face worsening perceptions of job security which can have significant implications for their well-being (Artz and Kaya, 2014). This can be observed in the marginal effects where job insecurity negatively impacts the well-being of public sector workers in Ireland. However, in accordance with Luechinger et al. (2010a) the results show that private sector workers are more adversely impacted by economic insecurity than public sector workers. This suggests that in a time of high economic volatility, the institution of public sector employment held and was able to protect workers against some of the well-being consequences of rising insecurity. In estimating the relationship between subjective well-being and economic insecurity advanced econometric issues arise. The results show that when selection bias is corrected for, any statistically significant relationship between job insecurity and job satisfaction disappears for public sector workers. Additionally, in order to correct for endogeneity bias the simultaneous equations model for job satisfaction and job insecurity is estimated by Limited Information and Full Information Methods. The results from two different estimators classified as Limited Information Methods support the general findings of this research. Moreover, the magnitude of the endogeneity-corrected estimates are twice as large as those not corrected for endogeneity bias which is similarly found in Geishecker (2010, 2012). As part of the analysis into the effect of economic insecurity on subjective well-being, the effects of other socioeconomic variables and work-related variables are examined for public and private sector workers in Ireland.

Sediment microbial communities at CO2 seeps in Papua New Guinea

To understand how ocean acidification (OA) influences sediment microbial communities, naturally CO2-rich sites are increasingly being used as OA analogues. However, the characterization of these naturally CO2-rich sites is often limited to OA-related variables, neglecting additional environmental variables that may confound OA effects. Here, we used an extensive array of sediment and bottom water parameters to evaluate pH effects on sediment microbial communities at hydrothermal CO2 seeps in Papua New Guinea. The geochemical composition of the sediment pore water showed variations in the hydrothermal signature at seep sites with comparable pH, allowing the identification of sites that may better represent future OA scenarios. At these sites, we detected a 60% shift in the microbial community composition compared with reference sites, mostly related to increases in Chloroflexi sequences. pH was among the factors significantly, yet not mainly, explaining changes in microbial community composition. pH variation may therefore often not be the primary cause of microbial changes when sampling is done along complex environmental gradients. Thus, we recommend an ecosystem approach when assessing OA effects on sediment microbial communities under natural conditions. This will enable a more reliable quantification of OA effects via a reduction of potential confounding effects. This pangaea entry contains the data on the microbial community structure and bottom water parameters.

(Table 2) Lipid fluxes derived from sediment trap samples

Phytoplankton is a sentinel of marine ecosystem change. Composed by many species with different life-history strategies, it rapidly responds to environment changes. An analysis of the abundance of 54 phytoplankton species in Galicia (NW Spain) between 1989 and 2008 to determine the main components of temporal variability in relation to climate and upwelling showed that most of this variability was stochastic, as seasonality and long term trends contributed to relatively small fractions of the series. In general, trends appeared as non linear, and species clustered in 4 groups according to the trend pattern but there was no defined pattern for diatoms, dinoflagellates or other groups. While, in general, total abundance increased, no clear trend was found for 23 species, 14 species decreased, 4 species increased during the early 1990s, and only 13 species showed a general increase through the series. In contrast, series of local environmental conditions (temperature, stratification, nutrients) and climate-related variables (atmospheric pressure indices, upwelling winds) showed a high fraction of their variability in deterministic seasonality and trends. As a result, each species responded independently to environmental and climate variability, measured by generalized additive models. Most species showed a positive relationship with nutrient concentrations but only a few showed a direct relationship with stratification and upwelling. Climate variables had only measurable effects on some species but no common response emerged. Because its adaptation to frequent disturbances, phytoplankton communities in upwelling ecosystems appear less sensitive to changes in regional climate than other communities characterized by short and well defined productive periods.

Bodies in Nature: Associations between Exposure to Nature, Connectedness to Nature, and Body Image

Here, we sought to replicate previous work showing a relationship between connectedness to nature and body appreciation, and extend it by examining associations between exposure to natural environments and other body image-related variables. An online sample of 399 U.S. women and men (Mage = 34.55 years) completed measures of body appreciation, connectedness to nature, nature exposure, appearance investment, sociocultural attitudes toward appearance, and self-esteem. Path analysis showed that nature exposure and connectedness to nature, respectively, were associated with body appreciation in women and men, both directly and indirectly via self-esteem. Connectedness to nature also mediated the link between nature exposure and body appreciation. In men, but not women, the link between connectedness to nature and body appreciation was also mediated by appearance investment and internalisation of a muscular ideal. These results may point to novel methods for promoting more positive body image in adults through engagement with nature.

Vinculação, Estilos Educativos Parentais e Esquemas Precoces Mal Adaptativos em Reclusos

Introdução: Sobretudo estudos internacionais focam a importância da vinculação e dos estilos educativos parentais no desenvolvimento de comportamentos delinquentes e antissociais. Em Portugal, alguns estudos focados na população reclusa, analisam, separadamente, estilos educativos parentais, personalidade e esquemas precoces mal adaptativos mas, segundo sabemos, nenhum explora, simultaneamente, a vinculação, os estilos educativos parentais e os esquemas precoces mal adaptativos nesta população. São nossos objetivos caracterizar uma amostra de reclusos quanto à vinculação em diferentes relacionamentos, estilos educativos parentais e esquemas precoces mal adaptativos (EPM) e, sobretudo, explorar associações entre estas três variáveis (e destas com variáveis sociodemográficas, familiares, clínicas e relativas à pena). Metodologia: 44 reclusos do sexo masculino (M = 37,3 anos; DP = 10,98; variação = 23-67) preencheram voluntariamente um questionário sociodemográfico e os seguintes instrumentos: EMBU – Memórias de Infância, Experiências em Relações Próximas - Questionário de Estruturas Relacionais e Questionário de Esquemas de Young (QEY). Resultados: Verificou-se, quanto às associações entre vinculação e estilos educativos parentais que: menor suporte emocional paterno associou-se a maior evitamento pai, evitamento mãe e evitamento companheira; menor suporte emocional materno associou-se a maior evitamento mãe, evitamento pai, ansiedade mãe e ansiedade pai; maior rejeição paterna associou-se a maior evitamento mãe, evitamento pai, ansiedade mãe e ansiedade pai; maior rejeição materna associou-se a maior evitamento pai e evitamento mãe. No que toca às associações entre as dimensões de vinculação e EPM, é de enfatizar a associação positivas entre os EPM do domínio distanciamento e rejeição com o evitamento mãe, ansiedade mãe e ansiedade pai, particularmente, os EPM de abandono, desconfiança/abuso e isolamento social, por consistentemente se associaram às dimensões de vinculação. No domínio autonomia e desempenho deteriorados, o fracasso e a dependência/incompetência associaram-se positivamente ao evitamento mãe, a dependência/incompetência à ansiedade pai e o fracasso ao evitamento companheira. Quanto ao domínio limites deteriorados, a grandiosidade associou-se positivamente à ansiedade pai. No domínio vigilância e inibição o pessimismo/negativismo correlacionou-se positivamente com a ansiedade mãe e pai e a autopunição com a ansiedade mãe. Quanto às associações entre dimensões de estilos educativos parentais e os EPM, o domínio distanciamento e rejeição apresentou, de novo resultados relevantes: menores níveis de suporte emocional materno associaram-se a maiores níveis de privação emocional; maiores níveis de rejeição e sobreproteção materna e paterna a maiores os níveis de abandono; maiores níveis de rejeição materna e paterna a maiores níveis de desconfiança/abuso; maiores níveis de rejeição materna e sobreproteção materna e paterna a maiores níveis de isolamento social; maiores níveis de rejeição e sobreproteção paterna a maiores níveis de defeito. Enfatiza-se, também, a associação entre níveis maiores de rejeição paterna e os EPM de grandiosidade, padrões excessivos e pessimismo. Maiores níveis de rejeição materna associaram-se a maiores níveis de pessimismo e autopunição. Discussão: Embora numa amostra pequena, este estudo explorou, pela primeira vez, numa amostra de reclusos portugueses, em simultâneo, associações entre a vinculação, os estilos educativos parentais e os esquemas precoces mal adaptativos. O domínio esquemático distanciamento e rejeição parece ser o mais influenciado pela vinculação estabelecida em diferentes relacionamentos e pelos estilos educativos parentais. / Introduction: Mainly international studies focus on the importance of attachment and parental rearing styles in the development of delinquent and antisocial behaviors. In Portugal some studies focused in the inmate population analyze, separately, parental rearing styles, personality and early maladaptive schemas but, to our knowledge, none simultaneously explores attachment, parental rearing styles and early maladaptive schemas in this population. It is our objective to characterize a sample of inmates concerning attachment in different relationships, parental rearing styles and early maladaptive schemas (EMS) and, above all, explore associations between this three variables (and also with sociodemographic, family, clinic and sentence related variables). Methodology: 44 male inmates (M = 37,3 years; SD = 10,98; variation = 23-67) voluntarily filled in a sociodemographic questionnaire and the following instruments: EMBU – Childhood Memories, Experiments in Close Relationships – Structural Relationship Form and the Young Schema Questionnaires (YSQ) Results: we verified, regarding associations between attachment and parental rearing styles that: less paternal emotional support associated with higher father avoidance (in attachment), mother avoidance and partner avoidance; less maternal emotional support associated with higher mother avoidance, father avoidance, mother anxiety and father anxiety; higher paternal rejection associated with higher mother avoidance, father avoidance, mother anxiety and father anxiety; higher mother rejection associated with father avoidance and mother avoidance. Regarding associations between attachment dimensions and EMS, we emphasize positive associations between EMS in the disconnection and rejection domain with mother avoidance, mother anxiety and father anxiety, particularly, the abandonment, distrust/abuse and social isolation EMS, as they were consistently associated with the this attachment dimension. In the impaired autonomy and performance domain, the failure and dependency/incompetence EMS are positively associated with mother avoidance, the dependence/incompetence EMS to father anxiety and failure to partner avoidance. About the impaired limits domain, grandiosity EMS positively associated with father anxiety. In the overvigilance and inhibition domain, pessimist/negativism EMS positively correlated with mother and father anxiety and self-punishment EMS with mother anxiety. About the associations between parental rearing styles and the EMS, the disconnection and rejection domain presented again relevant results: lower levels of maternal emotional support associated with higher levels of emotional deprivation; higher levels of maternal and paternal rejection and overprotection associated with higher levels of abandonment; higher levels of maternal and paternal rejection associated with higher levels of distrust/abuse; higher levels of maternal rejection and maternal and paternal overprotection associated with higher levels of social isolation; higher levels of paternal rejection and overprotection associated with higher levels of defectiveness. We also emphasize the association between higher levels of paternal rejection and the grandiosity, excessive patterns and pessimism EMS. Higher levels of maternal rejection associated with higher levels of pessimism and self-punishment EMS. Discussion: Although in a small sample, this study explored, for the first time, in sample of Portuguese inmates, simultaneously, the associations between attachment, parental rearing styles and early maladaptive schemas. The schematic domain of disconnection and rejection seems to be the most influenced by the established attachment in different relationships and by parental rearing styles.

Postpartum Psychosis in Bipolar Disorder: No Association with Personality, Cognitive Style and Temperament

Background and Aims: Bipolar disorder has been associated with a number of personality traits, cognitive styles and affective temperaments. Women who have bipolar disorder are at increased risk of experiencing postpartum psychosis, however no previous research has investigated these traits in relationship to postpartum episodes. Our aim was to establish whether aspects of personality, cognitive style and affective temperament, that have been associated with bipolar disorder, confer vulnerability to postpartum psychosis over and above their known association with bipolar disorder. Methods: Participants were 552 parous women with DSM-IV bipolar I disorder recruited into the Bipolar Disorder Research Network (www.bdrn.org). Postpartum psychosis group: lifetime episode of postpartum psychosis within 6 weeks of delivery (N = 284). Non-postpartum psychosis group: no history of any perinatal mood episodes (N = 268). Bipolar disorder-associated personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, schizotypy and impulsivity), cognitive styles (low self-esteem and dysfunctional attitudes) and affective temperaments were measured using well validated self-report questionnaire measures. Results: After controlling for key demographic, clinical and pregnancy-related variables, and measures of current mood state, there were no statistically significant differences between the postpartum psychosis group and non-postpartum psychosis group on any of the personality, cognitive style or affective temperament measures. Conclusions: Personality traits, cognitive styles and affective temperaments associated with the bipolar disorder diathesis in general were not associated with the onset of postpartum psychosis specifically. We have found no evidence that these traits should play a key role when evaluating risk of postpartum psychosis in women with bipolar I disorder considering pregnancy.

European student mobility and intercultural learning at a portuguese university

The purpose of this study is to understand, impact and evaluate the development of intercultural communicative competencies among European credit-seeking exchange students and other sojourners through purposeful intercultural pedagogy. This pedagogy encompasses intentional intercultural- educational approaches which aim to support and enhance sojourners’ intercultural learning throughout the study abroad cycle (pre-departure, in-country and reentry phases). To test and validate these pedagogies a 20-hour intervention was designed and implemented among two cohorts of 31 sojourners during the in-country phase of their sojourn in Portugal. The process to develop and validate the intercultural intervention was driven by a mixed-methods methodology which combined quantitative and qualitative data to triangulate, complement and expand research results from a pragmatic stance. The mixed methods research design adopted is multi-phased and encompasses a multi-case study and an evaluative component. The multi-case component is embodied by sojourner cohorts: (1) the primary case study involves 19 incoming students at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) as participants in the European exchange program Campus Europae; (2) the second case study comprises three incoming Erasmus students and nine highly skilled immigrants at the same university. All 31 sojourners attended two intermediate Portuguese as Foreign Language classrooms where the intervention was employed. Data collection was extensive and involved collecting, analyzing and mixing quantitative and qualitative strands across four research phases. These phases refer to the: (1) development, (2) implementation and (3) evaluation of the intervention, as well as to (4) a stakeholder analysis of the external value of the intervention and of the Campus Europae program. Data collection instruments included pre and posttest questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Results confirm the intercultural effectiveness of the intervention and the positive impact upon research participants’ intercultural gains. This impact was, however, greater in case study 2. Among explanatory variables, three stand out: (1) participant meaning-making abilities, (2) host language proficiency and related variables, and (3) type of sojourn or exchange programs. Implications for further research highlight the need to systematize purposeful intercultural pedagogy in sojourner populations in general, and in European credit student mobility in particular. In the latter case, these pedagogies should be part of the design and delivery of credit-bearing exchange programs in pre- departure, in-country and re-entry phases. Implications for practice point to the urge to improve intercultural practices in: macro (higher education institutions), mezzo (exchange programs) and micro (sojourner language classrooms) contexts where this research took place, and wider social scenarios they represent.

A violência escolar e a sua relação com diferentes psicopatologias

Desde há alguns anos a esta parte, muito se tem discutido a temática do Bullying nas atuais sociedades modernas e industrializadas. Com o avanço da técnica e do conhecimento científico, só recentemente se lhe dá a devida atenção, dado os danos que pode causar a médio e longo prazo em todos os intervenientes nesse fenómeno de exteriorização da violência. Embora se tenham desenhado múltiplas estratégias para a sua explicação e combate, continua a ser um tema muito atual, pois embora pesem os modelos de intervenção de certa forma já padronizados, há sempre a necessidade de os adaptar ao contexto de cada caso. Desta forma este tema continua e continuará a ser alvo de estudo e aprofundamento. Neste trabalho, analisaremos toda a temática do Bullying, desde a sua conceptualização, passando pela sua etiologia, fatores de risco, intervenientes, bem como o seu diagnóstico, combate e prevenção. Partindo da premissa de que este tema envolve uma série de variáveis que vão para além dos problemas comportamentais e/ou da indisciplina, tais como variáveis culturais, sociofamiliares, escolares, pessoais/psicológicas e psicopatológicas, é nesta ultima variável que iremos focar mais especificamente o nosso trabalho, nomeadamente no estabelecimento de uma correlação entre o Bullying e a Perturbação de Défice de Atenção e Hiperatividade. Nos alunos mais jovens, o défice de atenção com hiperatividade, a depressão bem como a ansiedade, são problemas paralelos ao Bullying. Dado o facto de as crianças com estas caraterísticas serem mais vulneráveis à violência, pois têm dificuldades de integração no seio escolar e/ou no grupo de pares, podemos afirmar desde já e com bastante veemência que estas pertencem a um grupo com um enorme fator de risco para se envolver em comportamentos relacionados com o Bulliyng em toda a sua abrangência.

The gender wage gap in the public and private sectors in Bangladesh

The gender wage gap is well studied in developed countries; however, recently it has generated much interest in developing countries. This thesis addresses three issues regarding the gender wage gap in Bangladesh. Firstly, it explores the wage determinants for formal public and private sector employees in Bangladesh and examines the gender pay gap. This is the first time different decomposition methods have been used to compare the sources of the gender wage gap as well as any potential discrimination effect in the formal sector of the Bangladeshi labour market. These decomposition methods are: the original Oaxaca (1973) and Blinder (1973) decomposition methods, the Neumark (1988), Cotton (1988), and Reimers (1983) methods, and the extended Oaxaca method including both the employment selection and the double selection correction in the wage equation. In addition to mentioned methods, to quantify the gender wage gap in monetary terms, a recently developed ‘simulated change’ approach by Olsen and Walby (2004) is also applied for the first time to the Bangladeshi data. By using the Labour Force Survey 2005-06, BBS (LFS 2005-06) data results show formal sector female employees earn about 32.1 per cent less than their male counterparts. Without considering the selection correction, a large range of human capital, demographic and labour market related variables are explained less than half of the total gender wage gap (21 to 46 per cent of the total wage gap) and the major part of the wage gap is unexplained (54 to 79 per cent of the total wage gap). This could partly be attributed to discrimination. Using the double selection correction method, the decomposition results changed where a small part of the wage gap was explained by the measured characteristics (only nine per cent of the total wage gap) and a major part is attributed to the discrimination and selection effect. The selection effect also reveals that exclusion of the double selection correction might lead to an overestimation of the gender wage gap in the formal sector of Bangladesh. In addition, results based on the Olsen and Walby (2004) simulation method show that, if the other characteristics of male and female employees were similar, ‘being female’ is sufficient, to generate significantly lower wages than males in the formal sector. If females in the workplace are treated as males, without considering any other endowment increases, females could increase their earnings by 4095.3 Taka1 per year. Results also indicate that not only endowment differences in human capital and work experience related variables were important, but discrimination appears to play a significant role in the total wage gap throughout the formal sector of the Bangladeshi labour market. Secondly, the study investigates whether public sector employees enjoyed a wage premium or not, compared to the private sector and whether the gender wage gap is greater in the public sector. In addition, the research considered whether there was an impact from the inclusion of the different selection correction terms in the wage equation. In Bangladesh, public sector employees have, on average, a 60 per cent wage premium over the private sector. Using both the original Oaxaca and the extended Oaxaca methods, where selection effect is partly captured by both explained and unexplained components, and using the public sector wage structure as the basis of the non-discriminatory wage structure, these methods revealed a considerably larger portion of explained (72 - 93 per cent of the total wage gap) and a smaller portion of unexplained part of the wage gap. However, if the selection correction is considered as another component of the decomposition outcome then the major portion of the total public and private sectors wage gap is justified (explained) by the effect of the selection correction and unexplained factors. Furthermore, a large part of the wage premium exists in favour of public sector female employees compared to males and the gender wage gap is lower in the public sector than the private sector. Finally, this study compares the gender wage gap of five different occupations. The gender wage gap is associated with labour market rigidities where one of the important factors is occupational segregation where females are disproportionately distributed in occupations resulting in lower earnings. The largest gender wage gap was found in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, production and transport labour jobs (56.4 per cent) and the lowest in the professional, technical administrative and managerial jobs (22.1 per cent). Substantial differences are found in the size of the endowment gap across occupations and larger variations occurred in the adjusted wage gap which varied from 21.4 per cent in sales and service occupations, to 100 per cent in professional and technical jobs (the highest). This too can be partly explained by discrimination. A reduction in the gender wage gap is expected not only to increase national income, but also to reduce poverty and lead to better outcomes for future generations. National policy should aim to reduce the gender wage gap and achieve gender wage equality in the formal sector; for example through a targeted program to remove the gender differences in education and to reduce the skill difference, with a better child care policy to encourage labour force retention and increased labour market experience for female employees, with anti-discriminatory policies and the enforcement of existing antidiscrimination policies, and a more equal distribution of males and females across occupations.

Deviant behavior variety scale: Development and validation with a sample of portuguese adolescents

This study presents the development and analysis of the psychometric properties of the Deviant Behavior Variety Scale (DBVS). Participants were 861 Portuguese adolescents (54 % female), aged between 12 and 19 years old. Two alternative models were tested using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Although both models showed good fit indexes, the two-factor model didn’t presented discriminant validity. Further results provided evidence for the factorial and the convergent validity of the single-factor structure of the DVBS, which has also shown good internal consistency. Criterion validity was evaluated through the association with related variables, such as age and school failure, as well as the scale’s ability to capture group differences, namely between genders and school retentions, and finally by comparing a sub-group of convicted adolescents with a group of non-convicted ones regarding their engagement in delinquent activities. Overall, the scale presented good psychometric properties, with results supporting that the DBVS is a valid and reliable self-reported measure to evaluate adolescents’ involvement in deviance.

“To be or not to be retained… Thats' the question!” Retention, self-esteem, self-concept, achievement goals, and grades

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Effectiveness of three interventions to improve participation in colorectal cancer screening

Background and objective: Participation in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening varies widely among different countries and different socio-demographic groups. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of three primary-care interventions to increase CRC screening participation among persons over the age of 50 years and to identify the health and socio-demographic-related factors that determine greater participation. Methods: We conducted a randomized experimental study with only one post-test control group. A total of 1,690 subjects were randomly distributed into four groups: written briefing; telephone briefing; an invitation to attend a group meeting; and no briefing. Subjects were evaluated 2 years post-intervention, with the outcome variable being participation in CRC screening. Results: A total of 1,129 subjects were interviewed. Within the groups, homogeneity was tested in terms of socio-demographic characteristics and health-related variables. The proportion of subjects who participated in screening was: 15.4% in the written information group (95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.2-19.7); 28.8% in the telephone information group (95% CI: 23.6-33.9); 8.1% in the face-to-face information group (95% CI: 4.5-11.7); and 5.9% in the control group (95% CI: 2.9-9.0), with this difference proving statistically significant (p < 0.001). Logistic regression showed that only interventions based on written or telephone briefing were effective. Apart from type of intervention, number of reported health problems and place of residence remained in the regression model. Conclusions: Both written and telephone information can serve to improve participation in CRC screening. This preventive activity could be optimized by means of simple interventions coming within the scope of primary health-care professionals.