Trained to teach : a study of women teachers currently not teaching : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education at Massey University

This study had two main objectives: 1. To describe the population of nonteaching female primary school teachers in terms of demographic and professional variables. 2. To explore the conditions under which these women might return to teaching. To achieve the above objectives, a nation-wide, randomly-selected sample of 110 nonteaching female primary school teachers was sent a self-administered postal questionnaire. There were 79 usable responses, and the data from these forms the basis of this report. The findings of this study indicate that nonteaching female primary school teachers fall into three distinct groups. One group is comprised of female teachers who do not want to teach ever again. As a group, they are older, their children are older, and they have given more years of service than women in the other two groups. As well, those of them who are not in the paid workforce do not intend to return to paid employment. As a group they represent about a quarter of the sample. About ten percent of the sample intend to return to teaching. They have young children and had left the classroom to be at home with their children. These women are generally under 35 years of age, and their children of preschool or early primary school, age. They indicated that they would return to the classroom when their children are older. The third group of teachers comprising about two thirds of the sample, are of the opinion that it is possible that they may return to teaching. They too have husbands and young children, but many of them feel unsure about a return to any paid work. Respondents were asked why they are not currently teaching, and the great majority indicated a strong commitment to the roles of wife. They did not want to take any employment which would interfere with their fulfilment of these roles. Generally, the women in this study liked teaching, particularly the involvement with children and the fostering of their development. An important outcome of the study is the advancement of a theory of commitment, in which people are seen to commit themselves to certain values. These values may be expressed in many different lifetasks. The women in this study liked the nurturant role in teaching, and once they had their own children they felt that the needs of these children of theirs should come before other considerations

Time-varying incentives in the mutual fund industry

In this paper, the authors provide evidence that the convexity of the flow-performance relationship in the mutual fund industry varies with economic activity. This effect is strongly economically significant: a +/-1% change in GDP growth doubles/eliminates the degree of convexity of the flow-performance relationship. The effect of economic activity dominates that of market conditions and can be rationalized by the behavior of investors who smooth consumption while displaying a disposition effect. Our finding has two major implications: first, it rationalizes the risk-shifting behavior of mutual fund managers and provides support for the seminal flow-based tournament hypothesis over the more recent "career concern" explanation. Second, it explains why mutual fund performance varies with the business cycle.Mutual funds; Incentives; Economic activity; Risk-shifting; Performance

COMPETITIVENESS OF COCOA PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Trinidad and Tobago produces a fine flavour cocoa that attracts a premium price on the international market. The country has a long and distinguished record in agronomy and production of cocoa and is home to the Cocoa Research Unit, which attracts international notice and funding. However, cocoa production has been on a steady decline over the past few decades. The objective of this study is to assess the competitiveness and comparative advantage of cocoa production in Trinidad and Tobago and to understand the reasons for decline in output within the context of competitiveness. The analyses were conducted over three cocoa production systems – small farm traditional, large farm traditional, and large farm intensive cultivation. The methodology involved data collection and use of the framework of the Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) to assess competitiveness and comparative advantage. The results indicate that all production systems are profitable, internationally competitive and have comparative advantage. However, the traditional small-farm production system has the least profitability, competitiveness and comparative advantage. The results suggest that the low levels of profitability per hectare for the small farms may underlie the declining area and output.Cocoa Production decline, Trinidad, Tobago, Policy Analysis Matrix, Trinidad and Tobago, CAES, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries, Demand and Price Analysis, Farm Management, Financial Economics,

The Collision: College Students, Family Problems and University Life

Parental divorce can have a forceful effect on children of all ages and stages of life. Currently, 25%-35% of college students come from divorced families (Archer & Copper, 1998; Johnson & Nelson, 1998). According to recent studies, family functioning significantly impacts the lives and development of college students. The focus of this article is the connection between family functioning and the issues college students may face, as well as how student affairs professionals might reach out to these students

BAFF activation of the ERK5 MAP kinase pathway regulates B cell survival

B cell activating factor (BAFF) stimulation of the BAFF receptor (BAFF-R) is essential for the homeostatic survival of mature B cells. Earlier in vitro experiments with inhibitors that block MEK 1 and 2 suggested that activation of ERK 1 and 2 MAP kinases is required for BAFF-R to promote B cell survival. However, these inhibitors are now known to also inhibit MEK5, which activates the related MAP kinase ERK5. In the present study, we demonstrated that BAFF-induced B cell survival was actually independent of ERK1/2 activation but required ERK5 activation. Consistent with this, we showed that conditional deletion of ERK5 in B cells led to a pronounced global reduction in mature B2 B cell numbers, which correlated with impaired survival of ERK5-deficient B cells after BAFF stimulation. ERK5 was required for optimal BAFF up-regulation of Mcl1 and Bcl2a1, which are prosurvival members of the Bcl-2 family. However, ERK5 deficiency did not alter BAFF activation of the PI3-kinase-Akt or NF-κB signaling pathways, which are also important for BAFF to promote mature B cell survival. Our study reveals a critical role for the MEK5-ERK5 MAP kinase signaling pathway in BAFF-induced mature B cell survival and homeostatic maintenance of B2 cell numbers

Observation of cone and rod photoreceptors in normal subjects and patients using a new generation adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope.

We demonstrate the capability of a new generation adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) to resolve cones and rods in normal subjects, and confirm our findings by comparing cone and rod spacing with published histology measurements. Cone and rod spacing measurements are also performed on AOSLO images from two different diseased eyes, one affected by achromatopsia and the other by acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR). The potential of AOSLO technology in the study of these and other retinal diseases is illustrated

EU Preferential Partners in Search of New Policy Strategies for Agriculture: The Case of Citrus Sector in Trinidad and Tobago

The paper assesses the competitive position of T&T's citrus industry and explains the declining productivity. It covers supply chain and agricultural trade policy issues and involves assembling two Policy Analysis Matrices, either with full cost of production or excluding establishment costs. Domestic and trade policy support shows significant for the sector. Production is internationally competitive, or possesses comparative advantage, only if costs of establishment are excluded. These results suggest that free trade agreements under the FTAA and the ACP-EU would work against the planting of new orchards and reinforce the decline of the sector.competitiveness, policy analysis matrix, agricultural trade policy, citrus industry, Agricultural and Food Policy, Q12, Q13, F13,

Factors shaping the evolution of electronic documentation systems

The main goal is to prepare the space station technical and managerial structure for likely changes in the creation, capture, transfer, and utilization of knowledge. By anticipating advances, the design of Space Station Project (SSP) information systems can be tailored to facilitate a progression of increasingly sophisticated strategies as the space station evolves. Future generations of advanced information systems will use increases in power to deliver environmentally meaningful, contextually targeted, interconnected data (knowledge). The concept of a Knowledge Base Management System is emerging when the problem is focused on how information systems can perform such a conversion of raw data. Such a system would include traditional management functions for large space databases. Added artificial intelligence features might encompass co-existing knowledge representation schemes; effective control structures for deductive, plausible, and inductive reasoning; means for knowledge acquisition, refinement, and validation; explanation facilities; and dynamic human intervention. The major areas covered include: alternative knowledge representation approaches; advanced user interface capabilities; computer-supported cooperative work; the evolution of information system hardware; standardization, compatibility, and connectivity; and organizational impacts of information intensive environments

Bridging the Gap: Perspectives from Different Generations on the Field of Student Affairs

Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, once posed three questions for individuals to consider when contemplating their spiritual lives: What can I know? What can I do? And, What can I hope? (n.d.) These three questions, while fundamentally simple, are provocative and powerful and lead to significant soul searching regarding one’s values, beliefs, actions, and perspective. It strikes us that these three questions can also provide student affairs professionals with the opportunity for rich dialogue and critical reflection regarding our roles in and beliefs about a profession fraught with change, challenges, mystery, and ethical dilemmas. In this article, two authors, nearly two decades apart with regard to age and professional experience, will explore these questions in the form of a dialogue