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Editor:
Tonya Allen
allen@pop.psu.edu
PRInformation
Fall 2008
New External Research Funding
Advanced Spatial Analysis Training for Population Scientists
Dr. Stephen Matthews, associate professor of sociology, anthropology and demography and director of the GIA Core, has received funding for five years from NICHD to organize a series of advanced spatial analysis workshops. The application of spatial data and methods to demographic research has been identified as a critical methodological challenge facing population scientists today. Although the instructional environment for introductory GIS courses has improved, the application and use of advanced spatial analysis methods in population science lags behind. Thus, the next generation of population scientists may not be adequately prepared to take advantage of the recent methodological developments and new software products in spatial statistical analysis. This project has two aims: to move beyond basic GIS training and set the highest standards for spatial analysis instruction in the population sciences by offering a series of advanced spatial analysis workshops on cutting-edge techniques; and to supplement the workshop series with parallel development of resource materials on advanced spatial analysis methods that will be made publicly available via an existing GIS and Population Science (GISPopSci) website.
Children's Psychopathology: Trajectories, Risk Factors, and Effects of Services
Dr. Paul L. Morgan, assistant professor of education, received funding for two years from the Spencer foundation to provide critical knowledge on why some children begin to (a) repeatedly display attentional, externalizing, or internalizing problem behaviors, and (b) report feeling socially isolated, angry, or sad. The study also provides policy-makers with rigorously derived estimates of retention's and special education's effects on at-risk children's behaviors and feelings.
A Cross-National Study of 15-Year-Olds' Environmental Scientific Literacy and Attitudes towards the Environment
Dr. David Baker, professor of education and sociology, received funding from NSF for one year for a study comprising a three-part cross-national analysis and thematic report on 15-year-olds' knowledge and attitudes about the science of Earth and its environment. The project will be carried out in collaboration between an American team, consisting of educational analysts and an early-career environmental scientist, and the PISA Unit of the Directorate for Education of the OECD, and will conduct statistical analysis of a large international survey, PISA, to describe student understanding of environmental topics. The goal is to advise the development of curriculum policy, teacher education and science education. The analysis will include a description of variations in students' knowledge of and attitudes towards the environment. The OECD's PISA 2006, a testing and survey of 15-year-olds in over fifty nations, is a yet-to-be-analyzed rich source of information on the outcomes of secondary school education in environmental sciences.
Fatherhood in Institutional Context: Explaining Variation in Fathers' Time with Children in the United States, Germany, Norway, and the United Kingdom
Dr. Jennifer Lynn Hook, assistant professor of sociology, received funding for two years from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for a project to investigate the ways in which father involvement is socially constructed in modern welfare states. While researchers are beginning to understand the individual- and household-level processes that predict father involvement, less is known about the institutional factors that influence these processes. This project aims to answer three questions: 1) Are there cross-national differences in the time fathers spend with their children? 2) Are there cross-national differences in the individual- and household-level mechanisms associated with father involvement? 3) Do these cross-national differences in levels and/or effects correspond to predicted relationships between institutional context and father involvement? The project will standardize four national time use surveys conducted in the early 2000s in the United States and Europe and craft innovative measures of father involvement. It will use a variety of statistical techniques to understand variation between and within these countries, and will employ a focused case-study approach to understanding these differences. The project has the potential to add to our understanding of mechanisms that influence father involvement, to advance the field through an integration of multiple levels of analysis, and to inform policy that encourages active fathering.
The Role of Social Relationships and Self-Efficacy in Diabetes Management
Dr. Linda Wray, associate professor of biobehavioral health, received funding for two years from NIH for a project to investigate the roles of marital status, social support, and self-efficacy in the effectiveness of diabetes management in a diverse population of middle-aged and older adults in the US. The study uses structural equation modeling to analyze data collected in 2002 and 2004 from core interviews of the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (HRS), plus data from the 2003 supplemental diabetes-specific mail survey to examine these relationships by gender, age group, and major race-ethnicity categories. The significance of the proposed research lies in the skyrocketing rates of type 2 diabetes in the US over the past few decades in all segments of the population, but primarily in middle aged and older adults. More effective management for individuals diagnosed with diabetes is critical for reducing the risks of future complications. Currently, less than one in eight of all adults with diabetes follow the guidelines for good management; and older adults follow them at even lower rates. This study's goal is to examine how social relationships (and particularly marriage) and self-efficacy influence adherence to diabetes-related lifestyle behaviors and health outcomes in order to develop and test interventions that provide more effective supports for adults living with diabetes.
Rural Youth Education Project, Wave III
Dr. Diane McLaughlin, professor of rural sociology and demography, and Dr. Anastasia Snyder, associate professor of human development and family studies at Ohio State University, received funding for 18 months from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania to partially fund the third wave of data collection for a study which is following two cohorts of rural Pennsylvania youth every other year for eight years, resulting in four waves of data collection. The youth were in 7th and 11th grades during the first wave of data collection and will be one year and five years past high school in the fourth wave of data collection. The goal of the project is to examine the individual, family, school and community characteristics that influence educational, career and residential plans and attainment of rural youth. The longitudinal design of this study allows researchers to assess the factors that influence change in aspirations, how aspirations and conditions in adolescence influence early adult outcomes, and whether or not youth are able to achieve their goals.
A Secular Change in Menstrual Characteristics of Adult and Midlife Women
Dr. Phyllis Mansfield, professor of women's studies and health education and director, TREMIN Research Program on Women's Health, received funding for three years from NIH, NIA and University of Michigan for the continuation of TREMIN data collection efforts; data entry and data management; and the construction of an analytical data set.
Stimulating Research and Discovery in the Study of Religion: An Initiative by the Association of Religion Data Archives
Dr. Roger Finke, professor of sociology and religious studies, received funding for three years from the Templeton Foundation for a multi-faceted project leveraging the resources of The Association of Religion Data Archives (www.theARDA.com). This project aims to increase the use and impact of the data, develop tools for refining new measures and sharing existing knowledge and new ideas, and generate new sources of data that stimulate international and interdisciplinary studies of religion. The project will have three major components, with multiple objectives within each component. The Templeton Data Initiative will target data collections that support the Mission, Core Themes, and Funding Areas of the John Templeton Foundation. The Religion Research Hub will stimulate new research and greatly decrease the entry costs for new researchers. The Global and Longitudinal Databases on World Religions proposes the development of cross-national databases on religious adherence and religious freedom over time, as well as one on non-Christian world religions in the United States. The ARDA website has become a resource center and virtual research community for researchers, educators, journalists, and others interested in the scientific study of religion.
Trends in Food Assistance Program Participation on Childhood Weight Trajectories
Dr. Daphne Hernandez, assistant professor of human development and family studies, received funding for one year from USDA and UC-Davis to investigate how participation in various food assistance programs influences patterns of change in weight. There is a current debate as to whether participation in food assistance programs, which are geared to reduce poor nutrition, is consequently contributing to an increase in weight gain among participants. Using four waves of data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K), a nationally-representative, longitudinal study of children's development from kindergarten through grade 5, this project will investigate the relation of participation in various food assistance programs (e.g., Food Stamp Program and National School Lunch Program) to school-aged children's weight status trajectories over time, and variations by gender.
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