Immigrant girls as caregivers to younger siblings: a transnational feminist analysis

This article employs a transnational feminist lens to examine the experiences of racialised immigrant girls who provide care for their younger siblings. The article draws on findings from a participatory action research study in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada to examine the role that immigrant girls’ caregiving practices play in transnational families’ social, economic, and cultural survival. It argues that greater attention should be given to the diverse and complex contexts, consequences, costs, and contributions of immigrant girls’ caregiving labour.     

Collaboration in the assessment and diagnosis of preschoolers: Challenges and opportunities

The preschool assessment and diagnostic process offers many opportunities for collaboration across disciplines that can enrich the professional's understanding of the young child. This article addresses the advantages and complexities of such collaboration including opportunities for infusing collaboration across the multiple steps of assessment. Challenges commonly seen in a collaborative process, involving issues of time, decisions regarding diagnosis and recommended interventions, shared responsibilities, conflict across disciplines, and the need for administrative support, are explored. Special issues around creating meaningful partnerships with families are examined with attention to fully including families at whatever level they are comfortable. Finally, trends in consultation and collaboration that require the specialized expertise of preschool psychologists are described, along with promising models of training that incorporate collaboration, consultation, and policy work into the pre‐service experience. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Inspiratory muscle warm-up and inspiratory muscle training: separate and combined effects on intermittent running to exhaustion

In the present study, we examined the independent and combined effects of an inspiratory muscle warm-up and inspiratory muscle training on intermittent running to exhaustion. Twelve males were recruited to undertake four experimental trials. Two trials (Trials 1 and 2) preceded either a 4-week training period of 1 × 30 breaths twice daily at 50% (experimental group) or 15% (control group) maximal inspiratory mouth pressure (PImax). A further two trials (Trials 3 and 4) were performed after the 4 weeks. Trials 2 and 4 were preceded by a warm-up: 2 × 30 breaths at 40% PImax. Pre-training PImax and distance covered increased (P < 0.05) similarly between groups after the warm-up (~11% and ~5-7% PImax and distance covered, respectively). After training, PImax increased by 20 ± 6.1% (P < 0.01; d = 3.6) and 26.7 ± 6.3% (P < 0.01; d = 3.1) when training and warm-up were combined in the experimental group. Distance covered increased after training in the experimental group by 12 ± 4.9% (P < 0.01; d = 3.6) and 14.9 ± 4.5% (P < 0.01; d = 2.3) when training and warm-up interventions were combined. In conclusion, inspiratory muscle training and inspiratory muscle warm-up can both increase running distance independently, but the greatest increase is observed when they are combined.     

How full is your luggage? Background knowledge of zoo visitors regarding sharks

For the general population, sharks have a reputation that does not really fit with their biological and ecological nature. Informal surveys often classify sharks as dangerous, aggressive and/or man-eaters. This apparent common knowledge seems difficult to detach from the conscience of many worldwide zoo visitors, even with the help of shark-focused educational programmes. As so, how can zoos and aquariums contribute to a change in this paradigm? Are the education and conservation strategies effective to the average zoo visitor? In this study, young visitors’ perceptions regarding sharks were assessed with the goal of identifying a valid Learning Progression, thus helping to update and develop different and more effective educational strategies and methodologies. The study took place at Zoomarine, an oceanographic park located in southern Portugal, with visitors aged between 8 and 16. A case study was conducted using a qualitative research approach (drawings and interviews) resulting in a Learning Progression Hypothesis. The proposed Learning Progression is composed of three knowledge levels for the participants’ biological perceptions regarding sharks. The results of this study showed a clear predominance of anthropomorphic and anthropocentric visions, as well as a utilitarian view of sharks and ecosystem, thus conditioning the visitors’ epistemological knowledge.     

Figures of Speech as Persuasive Strategies in Early Commercial Communication: The Use of Dominant Figures in the Raleigh Reports About Virginia in the 1580s

During the mid-1580s Sir Walter Raleigh, operating under letters patent of Queen Elizabeth, supported two major voyages to establish an initial colony in Virginia. These two voyages produced three major commercial reports that evaluated the economic potential of the region for English colonists and merchants. The reports, written by Arthur Barlowe, Ralph Lane, and Thomas Hariot, represent the beginnings of American commercial communication in English. Using Kenneth Burke's idea of the four major tropes, this article develops the notion of the “dominant figure”—a figure of speech that serves to focus a report's rhetorical power—to analyze the persuasive effects of these reports.     

PARTY IDENTIFICATION AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS HOMOSEXUALS IN GREAT BRITAIN

Legislative activity and controversy concerning the issue ofhomosexual rights and practices has intensified in Britain overthe last decade. Despite this increase in intensity, however,the question of mass public opinion in relation to homosexualrights and practices has received little empirical investigation.In an effort to remedy this situation, this paper focuses onthe influence of party identification in determining publicattitudes towards homosexuals. Using data from the British SocialAttitudes Surveys, the results suggest that although party identificationexerts an independent and statistically significant effect onattitudes towards homosexuals, in all cases, however, theseeffects are both secondary and variable. Other equally, if notmore salient, determinants include: gender, education, age,occupation, and type of homosexual relationship. Of these varioussocio–demographic variables, both age and education standout as having the strongest and most consistent effect. In otherwords, at least as far as current British society is concerned,anti-homosexual views are most prevalent among both older individualsas well as the lesser educated.