Transforming a City Into a “Learning Community”: A Pilot Study in a Brazil

Applying the same principals used to successfully transform schools into Learning Communities, an intervention project is being held in a Brazilian  city to understand if, and how,  it can become a Learning Community. This study if part of this larger intervention and focuses on the diagnosis process conducted in a rural neighborhood. The major goal is to understand how the target community see itself, families’ lives, interactions and overall quality of life. Quantitative and qualitative methods are being applied using Survey and Focus Groups. Results will improve the project implementation and can create patterns for Communities Intervention.

Objectives

: (1) To characterize the neighborhood focusing on family relations and patterns of community interactions; (2) To analyze expectations of quality of life and level of involvement during Sensitization Phase and (3) To understand the reasons for joining or not the project during the Decision Make Phase.

What About the Kids? Services to and Maternal Goals for Those Born into Mumbai's Brothels

Lacking empirical data on the children of brothel-based trafficking survivors, this investigation was intended to, first, identify formal services available to this vulnerable population. A secondary goal was to identify descriptive information about the children of Mumbai’s brothel-based sex workers.  Finally, explored mothers’ relationships with their children—and in particular—long-term developmental goals. Guided by bio-ecological systems theory, thirty in-depth interviews were conducted with trafficking survivors living in two of Mumbai’s red-light slum districts.  Nine NGO staff members were also interviewed. Data were analyzed using MAX-QDA.  Results are discussed and implications for research and service will be provided.

Objectives

1. To examine services provided to children residing in the red-light slum districts of Mumbai, India. 2. To provide descriptive information of the children born to Mumbai's red-light brothel workers. 3. To examine mothers' developmental and long-term goals for their children.

Program cultural adaptation process: a challenging Brazilian pilot study

The study presents the first phase of a cultural adaptation process of an evidence based international program, which included translation and cultural adaption of the manuals and materials as well as testing sessions. Objectives of this report are to discuss: (1) the qualitative findings who lead to successful translation of the manuals; (2) qualitative findings who lead to making effective materials and (3) the key elements for an initial cultural adaptation of a foreign program. Qualitative methods of analyses including interviews and Focus Groups were used the results leading the success implementation of the program in three public Brazilian schools.

Objectives

(1) to describe the qualitative findings who lead to successful translation of the manuals; (2) to present the qualitative findings who lead to making effective materials and (3) to discuss the key elements for an initial cultural adaptation of a foreign program.

Measurement Invariance of the Marital Comparison Level Index For Koreans and Americans

The Marital Comparison Level Index (MCLI) is a popular scale used to measure marital complaints within different domains of a relationship by contrasting between marital experiences and marital expectations. This current study contributes to the cross-cultural research on marital relationships by assessing the measurement invariance of MCLI for Americans and Koreans. This research will help us to gain better understandings of cross-cultural similarities and differences of marital relationships, which in turn, raises awareness of the need to integrate cultural factors into the measurement of marriage and family constructs.

Objectives

1. To demonstrate the importance of the equivalency of measures before applying Westerns scales to different cultural contexts. 2. To show applications of Mean and Covariance Structure (MACS) analysis to detecting differential item functioning (DIF) using SEM-based analyses. 3. To raise awareness of the need to integrate cultural factors into the measurement of marriage and family constructs.