Homework Environment Research Articles

Preferred and actual homework style: a cross‐cultural examination

Summary The relationship and difference between preferred and actual homework styles, and cultural and gender differences in students’ preferred and actual homework styles, were investigated in 272 US seventh‐graders (134 males and 138 females) and 219 Korean age peers (115 males and 104 females). While some students responded similarly to both preferred and actual homework style measures, others responded differently. That is, those who had certain preferences for doing their homework might or might not have done their homework according to their preferences. Although there were some similarities in the US and Korean children's homework styles, there were a substantial number of homework style elements that clearly distinguished between children in the two cultures. There also were gender differences and gender‐country interaction on some elements of homework style. The importance of matching homework environment with homework style for students' homework achievement was discussed.

Effect of passive smoking on the development of respiratory symptoms in young adults: An 8-year longitudinal study

The evidence of an association between passive smoking and occurrence of respiratory symptoms is relatively strong in children, whereas studies conducted in adult populations have provided inconsistent results. The objective of the present study was to examine the relations between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and development of respiratory symptoms in young adults during a study period of 8 years, with emphasis on the evaluation of potential dose-response pattern of the relations. The study population consisted of 117 “never smokers,” who were 15 to 40 years of age at the time of initial examination, when they answered a standardized questionnaire on respiratory health, and who were reexamined 8 years later. ETS exposure at home and at work during the study period was recorded at the 8-year examination with a structured questionnaire. The symptoms studied as outcomes included wheezing, dyspnea, cough, and phlegm production. The relations between ETS exposure and development of respiratory symptoms were studied in multivariate logistic regression models controlling for age, gender, atopy, and the presence of other respiratory symptoms. Cumulative incidences of the respiratory symptoms, except of phlegm production, were consistently greater among subjects exposed to ETS compared with the reference group. A significant dose-related increase in the risk of developing dyspnea was observed in relation to ETS exposure, with an OR of 2.37 for an average exposure of 10 cigarettes/day (95% confidence interval, 1.25–4.51). The risk of developing other respiratory symptoms, apart from phlegm, was also related to ETS exposure, but these relations did not achieve statistical significance. The results provide evidence of adverse respiratory effects of ETS exposure in the home and office work environments in young adults. These findings emphasize the need for effective measures in the prevention of involuntary smoking during young adulthood.

Creative Writers’ Psychological and Environmental Needs in their Home Interior Writing Environments

This research examined characteristics of writers’ home work environments as they related to their creative writing needs. Based on the literature of previous research, a summary table of writers’ ...

Work environment in relation to employee job satisfaction in group homes for youths

Group home programs for youths were investigated in order to: (a) measure employment longevity in four occupational groups employed in group home treatment settings, (b) report current working conditions and job satisfaction levels, and (c) compare relationships between the group home work environment and employee job satisfaction. Subjects included 57 current and 51 former administrative/treatment employees from 26 participating group homes in Kansas. Several differences were found among four different occupational groups in employee longevity, work environment and satisfaction levels. Length of employment was longest for teaching-parents, followed respectively by houseparents, directors, and other employees. Eight significant work environment differences and five job satisfaction differences were reported among the four groups. Fourteen significant correlations were reported between work environment variables and job satisfaction ratings. A regression analysis reported significant predictors of two “overall” job satisfaction ratings. The research suggested that (1) group home employees have short tenures, (2) the different occupational groups have differing job satisfaction levels, (3) better working conditions are related to higher job satisfaction ratings, and (4) employee contact with the youths is related inversely to improvements in job satisfaction.