Validation of a stages of exercise change questionnaire

The purpose of this study was to examine evidence for the validity of a stages of change measure of the Transtheoretical Model for exercise behavior. Participants were 152 university students (53.3% women, 71.6% Caucasian, M age = 19.18 years) who completed processes of change, self-efficacy, decisional balance, stages of change, and exercise behavior questionnaires as well as a maximal treadmill test. Participants in the action and maintenance stages had the highest strenuous (PC/C/P < A/M) and moderate (PC/C < A/M) self-reported exercise behavior. Those in the maintenance stage had the highest estimated aerobic fitness (PC/P < MA). The differences between the early stages (PC, C, and P) and the later stages (A and M) as described by the first function were primarily due to the behavioral process of change. The differences between the extreme stages (PC and M) and the middle stages (C, P, and A) were due to the experiential processes of change and the pros of decisional balance. The hypothesized patterns of stage differences were partially supported. Failure to obtain full support may have been due to methodological issues or inherent difficulties in detecting evidence for the validity of stages of change measures.     

Report from Libraries in the Digital Age (LIDA), June 13–17, 2016, Zadar,Croatia

ABSTRACT

Libraries in the Digital Age (LIDA) 2016 takes place every 2 years, and was held this year at the University of Zadar, in Zadar, Croatia, from June 13–17, 2016. Each LIDA, two themes are chosen in advance. This year, the themes were “Digital Curation and Preservation: Current Trends and Research” and “Use Studies, Education, and Training for Digital Library Collections.” A presentation of each theme by university professors and subsequent keynotes relevant to each theme by two world-renowned experts provided context and ensured a shared perspective among LIDA attendees. Conference-goers were presented a balanced approach to theoretical and practical questions in a number of areas of digital libraries, including the presentation of research on information seeking practices among special communities, data mining projects, the exploration of platforms and experiences, and digitization. Additionally, a number of the contributed papers, panels, demonstrations, and workshops spanned the two themes, making for not only an informative conference, but also a particularly rich and coherent experience for attendees. Opportunities for junior researchers were numerous, with the conference priding itself on the mentorship opportunities available. In 2018, you might find yourself tempted to see what LIDA is all about; if you do, you will no doubt find yourself in a breath-taking venue along the Croatian coast surrounded by engaged, supportive, and collaborative researchers and professionals from around the world – in my opinion, you won't regret it.     

Robot carers,ethics, and older people

This paper offers an ethical framework for the development of robots as home companions that are intended to address the isolation and reduced physical functioning of frail older people with capacity, especially those living alone in a noninstitutional setting. Our ethical framework gives autonomy priority in a list of purposes served by assistive technology in general, and carebots in particular. It first introduces the notion of “presence” and draws a distinction between humanoid multi-function robots and non-humanoid robots to suggest that the former provide a more sophisticated presence than the latter. It then looks at the difference between lower-tech assistive technological support for older people and its benefits, and contrasts these with what robots can offer. This provides some context for the ethical assessment of robotic assistive technology. We then consider what might need to be added to presence to produce care from a companion robot that deals with older people’s reduced functioning and isolation. Finally, we outline and explain our ethical framework. We discuss how it combines sometimes conflicting values that the design of a carebot might incorporate, if informed by an analysis of the different roles that can be served by a companion robot.     

Measuring poly-victimization using the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire

OBJECTIVE: Children who experience multiple victimizations (referred to in this paper as poly-victims) need to be identified because they are at particularly high risk of additional victimization and traumatic psychological effects. This paper compares alternative ways of identifying such children using questions from the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ). METHODS: The JVQ was administered in a national random digit dial telephone survey about the experiences of 2,030 children. The victimizations of children 10-17 years old were assessed through youth self-report on the JVQ and the victimizations of children 2-9 assessed through JVQ caregiver proxy report. RESULTS: Twenty-two percent of the children in this sample had experienced four or more different kinds of victimizations in separate incidents (what we term poly-victimization) within the previous year. Such poly-victimization was highly associated with traumatic symptomatology. Several ways of identifying poly-victims with the JVQ produced roughly equivalent results: a simple count using the 34 victimizations screeners, a count using a reduced set of only 12 screeners, and the original poly-victimization measure using follow-up questions to identify victimizations occurring during different episodes. CONCLUSION: Researchers and clinicians should be taking steps to identify poly-victims within the populations with which they work and have several alternative ways of doing so.     

Small scholar‐led scholarly journals: Can they survive and thrive in an open access future?

This article presents early results of a research project designed to further our understanding of how to ensure that small scholar‐led journals can survive and thrive in a global open access knowledge commons. This phase of the research focuses on generation of ideas through interviews and focus groups with 15 participants involved in producing small scholar‐led journals that either are or would like to become open access. Although a couple of journals reported that they could survive in an open access future based on existing resources, most were concerned about survival and none expressed confidence that they could thrive in an open‐access future. These journals are far more diverse than one might imagine. Comparing the costs of article production from one journal with another might not make sense. A number of avenues for further research are discussed.     

Student–Faculty Collaborative Research: A Qualitative Study of Experiences with the Authorship Determination Process

Mentoring students through collaborative research can be an effective method for cultivating student development as scholars; but negotiating the division of responsibilities and recognition may be difficult due to the inherent complexities of the relationship between collaborators and the research process itself. A national sample of 440 students and faculty in education and social science disciplines described their positive and negative experiences with authorship determination in student–faculty collaborative research. Qualitative analysis of these responses revealed important themes and informed the development of suggestions for articulating authorship to avoid potential difficulties.