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Descriptors:
Acceleration (Education); Rating Scales; Urban Schools; Academically Gifted; Rural Schools; Suburban Schools; Rural Urban Differences; Teacher Attitudes; Social Influences; Emotional Experience; Student Needs; Teachers; Longitudinal Studies; Extracurricular Activities; Teacher Surveys; School Policy; Parent Attitudes; Measures (Individuals); Focus Groups

Abstract:
Despite extensive research supporting its use, including the 2004 publication of "A Nation Deceived," acceleration is an underutilized strategy for meeting the academic needs of gifted and talented students. Parents' and educators' attitudes and beliefs about acceleration influence the extent to which it is implemented in schools. This study investigated gifted and talented educators' attitudes toward acceleration using a 7-point rating scale measuring concerns about acceleration, beliefs about acceleration, and support for specific acceleration strategies. Data indicated there were no differences in attitudes among teachers from rural, suburban, or urban school districts. Overall, the least popular acceleration strategies were also the easiest to implement, but caused the greatest change in students' environments (i.e., grade-skipping and early entrance to kindergarten). As expected, the educators were most troubled by social issues and least concerned about academic issues related to acceleration. (Contains 6 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Quality; Foreign Countries; Instructional Leadership; Urban Schools; Data Analysis; Rural Schools; Educational Resources; Parent Participation; Parent School Relationship; Elementary Schools; Questionnaires; Teacher Attitudes; Hierarchical Linear Modeling; Educational Environment; Rural Urban Differences

Abstract:
Shortcomings of educational quality in rural schools remain a key focus in the literature related to developing countries. This paper studies whether rural primary schools in Malaysia, an upper middle-income developing country, are still experiencing lower levels of educational resources, school climate, school leadership, and parental involvement than their urban counterparts. A survey questionnaire, containing items related to these 4 factors, was distributed to teachers in the 2 school locations. In the study, 1183 teachers from 63 rural schools and 1367 teachers from 60 urban schools were involved. Due to the hierarchical nature of the data, multilevel modelling analysis was used for data analysis. Open-ended questions were analyzed using text analysis. Findings showed that generally no differences between urban and rural schools in educational quality as perceived by teachers were found, which contradicts previous studies. Nevertheless, results did show that rural teachers perceived lower levels of school climate. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Academic Achievement; Class Rank; Academic Records; Grade Point Average; Rural Areas; Rural Education; Foreign Countries; Urban Schools; Rural Urban Differences; Disproportionate Representation; Selective Admission; College Admission; Educational Policy; Student Records

Abstract:
Despite a major expansion in the number of students in higher education, students from rural areas continue to be underrepresented at selective universities. To reduce the urban-rural imbalance of entry to selective universities, institutions in many countries of the world have implemented admission policies favoring rural students. Previous evidence has shown that rural students have lower academic performance than their urban peers, which leads to concern that rural students will reduce the academic excellence of selective universities. Using the introduction of a university admission policy favoring rural students in Taiwan and a unique administrative data set of students' academic records, we compare the academic performance of students from rural areas with that of their urban counterparts during their college years. The results show that rural students have consistently outperformed urban students in semester grade point averages and class rank percentile across time; however, the differences in academic performance are mainly attributed to the rural students' initial outperformance in the first semester of the freshman year. (Contains 6 tables, 2 figures and 11 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Anthropology; Rural Areas; Developing Nations; Child Labor; Urban Areas; Cultural Influences; Children; Sociology; Economics; Gender Differences; Family Environment; Social Indicators; Economic Factors; Sociocultural Patterns; Socioeconomic Influences; Sociometric Techniques; Comparative Analysis; Predictor Variables; Statistical Analysis; Cross Cultural Studies; Rural Urban Differences; Family Structure; Social Structure

Abstract:
We develop a new theoretical framework that explains the engagement in child labor of children in developing countries. This framework distinguishes three levels (household, district and nation) and three groups of explanatory variables: Resources, Structure and Culture. Each of the three groups refers to another strand of the literature; economics, sociology and anthropology. The framework is tested by applying multilevel analysis on data for 239,120 children living in 221 districts of 18 developing countries. This approach allows us to simultaneously investigate effects of household and context factors. At the household level, we find that resources and structural characteristics influence child labor, whereas cultural characteristics have no effect. With regard to context factors, we find that children work more in rural areas, especially if there are more unskilled manual jobs, and in more traditional urban areas. In more developed regions, girls tend to work significantly less. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Poverty; Females; Rural Areas; Income; Physical Health; Empowerment; Access to Education; Rural Urban Differences; Developing Nations; Social Indicators; Measurement; Sociometric Techniques; Socioeconomic Influences; Research Methodology; Comparative Analysis; Statistical Analysis; Predictor Variables; Cross Cultural Studies

Abstract:
Since the seminal work of Sen, poverty has been recognized as a multidimensional phenomenon. The recent availability of relevant databases renewed the interest in this approach. This paper estimates multidimensional poverty among women in fourteen Sub-Saharan African countries using the Alkire and Foster multidimensional poverty measures, whose identification method is based on a counting approach. Four dimensions are considered: assets, health, schooling and empowerment. The results show important differences in poverty among the countries of the sample. The multidimensional poverty estimates are compared with some alternative measures such as the Human Development Index, income poverty, asset poverty and the Gender-related Development Index. It is found that including additional dimensions into the analysis leads to country rankings different from those obtained with the mentioned four measures. Decompositions by geographical area and dimension indicate that rural areas are significantly poorer than urban ones and that a lack of schooling is, in general, the highest contributor to poverty. The paper also conducts robustness and sensitivity analyses of the multidimensional estimates with respect to the number of dimensions in which deprivation is required in order to be considered poor, as well as to the poverty lines within each dimension. Several cases of dominance between countries are found in the first robustness test. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Income; Poverty; Economic Progress; Educational Attainment; Living Standards; Rural Areas; Public Health; Nutrition; Access to Education; Economic Development; Rural Urban Differences; Developing Nations; Social Indicators; Measurement; Sociometric Techniques; Economic Climate; Socioeconomic Influences; Public Policy; Surveys

Abstract:
This paper estimates multidimensional poverty in China by applying the Alkire-Foster methodology to the China Health and Nutrition Survey 2000-2009 data. Five dimensions are included: income, living standard, education, health and social security. Results suggest that rapid economic growth has resulted not only in a reduction in income poverty but also in a reduction in multidimensional poverty in the last decade, both in terms of its prevalence and intensity. However, many challenges remain. There are wide disparities across provinces and between urban and rural areas, with poverty being 1.5 times higher in rural areas than in urban ones in 2009. Moreover, rising deprivation in education in rural and less developed provinces should also be a policymaking concern. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Well Being; Rural Areas; Baby Boomers; Rural Development; Rural Population; Census Figures; Regional Characteristics; Older Adults; Rural Sociology; Public Policy; Policy Analysis; Rural Urban Differences; Demography; Aging (Individuals); Trend Analysis; Comparative Analysis

Abstract:
This paper examines rural population ageing in the United States with a particular focus on the contrasting contexts in which older rural residents live. We compare the characteristics of the older population by rural versus urban residence, and explore challenges and opportunities associated with the ageing of rural baby boomers. The United States is a vast territory, and rural areas in the US are diverse regionally, in poverty and income, principal forms of employment, proximity to metropolitan areas, population size, density and composition, the history of change in these parameters, and a number of other factors that affect the ageing process. Hence, the diversity across rural areas is an important consideration in what affects the well being of rural elderly individuals, as well as the community-level impacts of rural ageing. Further, the characteristics of the older rural population help shape community and rural development outcomes for diverse rural communities. We use data from various US Census Bureau sources, and cite other studies to provide a demographic overview of ageing in the rural United States, and to analyze how this situation differs in varying socio-demographic and regional contexts. In the concluding section, we focus on policy implications associated with rural ageing. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Poverty; Economically Disadvantaged; Social Isolation; Rural Areas; Rural Urban Differences; Urban Areas; Sociocultural Patterns; Older Adults; Rural Population; Rural Sociology; Social Environment; Surveys; Interviews

Abstract:
This paper explores the relations between older people, poverty and place in rural Britain. It develops previous work on rural poverty that has pointed both to the significance of older people within the rural poor population and to their denials of poverty. The paper also connects with recent discussions on the complexity of relations between poverty and social exclusion in later life, as well as key themes emerging from studies of older people in disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods. Drawing on findings from a survey of 4000 households in rural Wales and interviews with older people in poverty in three rural places, the paper provides a detailed examination of the materialities and experiences of poverty among older people in rural places. In particular, it highlights how older poor groups construct their lives in complex terms with references made to both social inclusions and exclusions. The research also points to the significance of the socio-cultural contexts of place in shaping older people's understandings of poverty in rural areas. (Contains 3 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Females; Body Composition; Health; Role; Foreign Countries; Age; Educational Attainment; Rural Urban Differences; Nutrition; Surveys; Place of Residence; Obesity; Attribution Theory; Statistical Analysis

Abstract:
Despite the recent and rapid worldwide rise in body mass index (BMI), little empirical research outside the developed world has systematically considered the role of cohorts in inaugurating emergent biomorphic disparities. This study integrates aspects of the life course perspective (attention to age- and cohort-level influences) with fundamental cause theory to investigate how BMI differences have unfurled in the Chinese population. We analyze growth-curve models of adults in the China Health and Nutrition Survey. The results indicate that more recent cohorts have higher levels of BMI and, among women, experience a steeper rate of age-related BMI growth. Moreover, biomorphic change has unfolded in complex ways related to social conditions across successive cohorts. The most pronounced changes are observed among women, who demonstrate an emerging disparity in BMI levels on the basis of education and urban versus rural residence. (Contains 2 tables, 2 figures and 6 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Mental Health; Psychological Patterns; Metropolitan Areas; Place of Residence; Rural Urban Differences; Family (Sociological Unit); Age Differences

Abstract:
This paper examines geographic variations in sense of community belonging in Hamilton, Ontario. It also identifies the most significant health and social factors associated with belonging in the city. The research employs data from the 2007/08 Canadian Community Health Survey for respondents aged 18 or over living in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. The primary unit of geography is the forward sortation area (FSA), which correspond with the boundaries comprising the first three digits of the postal code. The paper found that, overall, residents of Hamilton enjoy a strong sense of belonging to their community, one of the highest rates in Canada. Consistent with research at the national level, the paper revealed a strong and clear association between lower sense of belonging and lower self-perceived mental health. Age (45-64) and household type (couples with children) were associated with higher sense of belonging. The mapping analysis revealed that sense of belonging was generally strongest among residents of rural Hamilton and became weaker moving towards the city centre, with particularly low levels evident in the Lower City. The presence of lower sense of belonging and lower mental health was clearly visible in three FSAs comprising the central portion of the Lower City. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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