bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fabric Whiteness as Affected by Selected Laundry Treatments and Environmental Factors
Authors: Carver Marie Negri , Wylie Mary Jean
Published: March 2007

Information in predicting how certain fabrics will perform is important for the consumer. This investigation provides information concerning the changes in whiteness and fluorescence of specific fabrics as a result of various laundry treatments, with and without exposure to en vironmental factors. Results indicated that changes in whiteness and fluorescence were ob served when the fabrics were exposed to selected laundry treatments involving differences in wash temperature and drying procedures as well as environmental factors, especially solar radiation.
Business Dress for Women Corporate Professionals
Authors: Dillon Linda S.
Published: March 2007

The purposes of this study were (1) to determine any underlying considerations governing the perceptions of professional people as to the appropriateness of specific types of garment styles for female business dress and (2) to determine if a difference exists in the perceptions of appropriateness of garment styles by sex.

Interviews were conducted with male and female professionals at 15 randomly selected com panies. Subjects responded by sorting a set of 36 garment‐photos. Preference data were sub mitted to analysis by multidimensional scaling. One photo from each of the twelve types of garment style categories was used to create a set of 66 ordered pairs which provided com parison data for multidimensional scaling analysis.

For the preference data three interpretable dimensions are reported: Dimension one is a for mal to casual dimension which accounts for 50. 7 percent of the subjects' response variance. Dimension two is a dress versus coordinated outfit dimension which accounts for 10.9 percent of the subjects' response variance. Dimension three is a factor of the degree of bodice coverage and accounts for 6. 7 percent of the subjects' response variance.

For the paired comparison data five interpretable dimensions are reported. Dimension one accounts for 53. 7 percent of the subjects' response variance and is a tailored versus casual or jacket versus no jacket dimension. Dimension two is a dress versus coordinated outfit dimen sion which accounts for 16.3 percent of the subjects' response variance. Dimension three is a factor of the amount of fit in the waistline area accounting for 7.1 percent of the subjects' response variance. Dimension four is a skirt versus pants dimension which accounts for 6.2 per cent of the subjects' response variance. Dimension five is a factor of surface interest of fabrics, accounting for 5.2 percent of the subjects' response variance.

The only significant t‐test (α≤ .05) of sex group mean weights was for dimension one of the preference data, the formal, well‐tailored to informal, more casual dimension. Formality of dress may play a more significant role in the male's estimation of the appropriateness of a gar ment than it does for the female subjects.
Adult Costume in Iowa Towns, 1870–1880
Authors: Haack Ellen J. , Farrell Jane A.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the research was to describe the outer clothing and hairstyles worn by men and women living in Iowa towns between 1870 and 1880. The clothing studied came from the collections of nineteen museums in Iowa, Iowa State University, and 6 private collectors. Data were also found in newspapers, magazines, photographs, tintypes, census figures, court records, city directories, and personal diaries. Surviving women's and men's clothing was described on charts prepared for this research. Photographs and line drawings of the clothes were also made. Clothing for both men and women was similar in style to fashions advertised in national magazines and newspapers of the 1870's. However, women's dresses had high necklines and full‐length sleeves, unlike some contemporary fashion illustrations. Men's suits were subdued in color and loose in fit, much like the suits advertised nationally. Cotton, wool, and silk fabrics appeared in extant garments. Surviving work clothing was limited to housedresses; patterns for a man's working blouse and overalls were illustrated in an 1876 periodical.
Home Management Textbooks and the “Ideal” Family
Authors: Williams Sue W. , Nickols Sharon Y.
Published: March 2007

Content analysis of systematically selected paragraphs of the three major textbooks used in teaching college‐level home management courses was used to examine the hypothesis that they portray, and implicitly endorse, an ideal family type. The open, closed, and random family typologies were examined, with the open‐family typology occurring significantly more often in home management textbooks than the closed‐family typology. Implications of the findings for home economists and family practitioners are discussed, including the critical reviewing of home economics textbooks for the portrayal of family stereotypes.
Impact of Clothing on Impressions of Personal Characteristics and Writing Ability
Authors: Lapitsky Mary , Smith Cynthia M.
Published: March 2007

The study was designed to determine if attractive clothing had a more positive effect than unattractive clothing on a perceiver's impressions of the personal characteristics of the writer of an essay and the qualities of the essay. Perceivers who assigned high interest/importance to clothing were expected to favorably rate both personal characteristics of an attractively dressed writer and the essay. A negative relationship was anticipated between high clothing interest/importance scores and ratings of an unattractively dressed writer and the essay.

A total of 160 college coeds were divided equally among 8 experimental treatments: interest ing/uninteresting essay, two writers, and attractive/unattractive clothing. Significantly higher ratings were found with attractive clothing for the 5 personal traits and for 4 of the 5 essay qualities. Significant positive correlations occurred between high clothing interest/importance scores and ratings of personal traits and essay qualities. No significant negative correlations occurred between any evaluative ratings and high clothing interest/importance scores.
Clothing Influence in Adolescent Leadership Roles
Authors: Morganosky Michelle , Creekmore Anna M.
Published: March 2007

The interrelationships between four clothing variables (clothing mode awareness, clothing mode conformity, prestige clothing, clothing attractiveness) and three measures of leadership (representational leadership, organizational leadership, composite leadership) were investi gated. The data were collected from a population consisting of the sophomore class of a cen tral Michigan high school containing 119 boys and 109 girls. Correlation coefficients and multiple regression were the major forms of statistical analyses used to determine the interrela tionships between the variables and to identify the clothing variables which were significant in explaining variation in leadership. Clothing attractiveness and clothing mode awareness were both significant in explaining variation in leadership, but clothing mode conformity was not.
Clothing Satisfaction Determinants
Authors: Lowe Elizabeth D. , Dunsing Marilyn M.
Published: March 2007

The objective of this study was to investigate some of the socioeconomic and social‐psycho logical determinants of homemakers' satisfaction with their clothing. Data were collected from wives in 204 nuclear families residing in a north central SMSA (Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area) university town. Multiple regression analysis was employed to analyze the data, while an adaptation of the jackknife statistic was used for purposes of validation. A fairly extensive discussion of methodology has been included in order to introduce statistical tech niques which are somewhat new to this area of study.

The results support the general hypothesis that satisfaction with clothing is a function of selected socioeconomic and social‐psychological variables. In descending order of importance, it was found that a homemaker was more satisfied with her clothing if she (1) was more satisfied with her material well‐being, (2) ranked herself higher in the proportion of the family's annual clothing expenditures spent for her, (3) perceived her clothing income to be adequate, (4) never felt restricted in what she wore, (5) spent fewer hours per week doing volunteer work, (6) bought new fashions sooner compared with those with whom she came in contact, and (7) had someone other than herself alone decide what styles of clothing were to be bought for her. The adjusted coefficient of multiple determination for the final regression model was 386, significant at the 001 level.
College Faculty Perception of the Importance of a Comprehensive View of Home Economics and an Orientation to the Field for Graduate Students
Authors: Kreutz Shirley
Published: March 2007

The importance which home economics faculty places on colleagues having a comprehen sive view of home economics was of concern to members of the American Home Economics Association's Graduate Commission and Agency Member Units. A study was undertaken where two faculty members each from fifty 1978–79 Agency Member Units, provided data.

Using the Scheffé Multiple Range test, there was a significant difference (at the 0.05 level) regarding how important respondents by type of faculty responsibility, type of degree, and type of institution with which employed, believed it was for faculty to have a comprehensive view of the field. When asked whether an interdisciplinary orientation to home economics should be provided to graduate students with different backgrounds, there was a significant difference by type of faculty responsibility and type of degree. The strength of the belief, or degree of importance, was the point at which these groups differed significantly. Data were also collected regarding respondents' views of the usefulness of selected experiences thought to convey an interdisciplinary orientation to home economics.

Findings from the study indicate that home economics college faculty believe it important that its members have a comprehensive view of the field, that graduate students be provided an interdisciplinary orientation to home economics, and that experiences periodically bring ing students together for study and dialogue provide meaningful ways to attain such an orientation.
Attitudes toward the Elderly as a Function of Institutionalization and Environmental Control
Authors: Feinberg Richard A. , Denig Gary , Miller Franklin G.
Published: March 2007

A self‐fulfilling cycle, in which negative stereotypes of aging create environments where the physical and psychological decline of aging develops and perpetuates the stereotypes, is proposed to occur. Seventy‐two individuals were presented with written descriptions of an elderly person who did or did not have control over relocation to a family member's home or an institution. It was predicted and found that subjects did not hold negative attitudes to aging per se but such attitudes were influenced by negative environmental conditions (un controllability and institutionalization) associated with aging and which have been found to actually promote physical and psychological decline. Negative attitudes toward aging may not merely reflect the aging process, but may be determinants of both the experience of aging and general attitudes toward the aged.
Volunteer Service of Professional Home Economists
Authors: Enders Linda E. , Fanslow Alyce M.
Published: March 2007

Sociodemographic factors were identified that affect the rate of participation of home economists in volunteer service. Data for this paper are based upon responses to the 1979 American Home Economics Association Membership Survey. Two random samples of ap proximately 1,300 each were drawn. Chi‐square and loglinear hierarchical models were used in the analysis of both samples. The chi‐square analysis indicated that married women with children and retired respondents were the most likely to be active in volunteer service. The loglinear analysis identified three independent variables (income, marital status, and age) as providing the most concise description of the observed frequency table. The later analysis further identified retired respondents, married people, and middle‐income individuals as ac tive volunteers. The generalizability of the results was supported by the similarity of findings from the analysis of both samples.
Clothing and Physical Impairment: Joint Effects on Person Perception
Authors: Miller Franklin G.
Published: March 2007

A theory of person perception that is based on the perceptual salience of stimulus persons was used to investigate the impact of physical impairment and clothing on impression formation It was predicted that observers of physically impaired stimulus persons would attribute the cause of their behavior more to personal dispositions and less to situational constraints than observers of nonimpaired persons. It was also predicted that patterned clothing on stimulus persons would lead to relatively high personal and relatively low situational attributions. In the spirit of seeking to determine if clothing can ameliorate the stereotypic responses elicitec by physical impairment, it was further predicted that the physical impairment and clothing variables would interact in affecting the impressions formed by observers. A factorial experi ment including manipulations of physical impairment and clothing was conducted. Both of the physical appearance variables were found to influence aspects of impression formation dealing with causal attributions. The scant evidence suggestive of a multiplicative relation ship between physical impairment and the degree of articulation of clothing is discussed in terms of the value of the basic theory for examinations of the impact of physical appearance on impression formation.
Achievement of National FHA‐HERO Purposes in Wisconsin HERO Chapters
Authors: Way Wendy L. , Kniep Christine H.
Published: March 2007

This article reports the results of a study designed to determine student and advisor attitudes toward the extent to which the nationally established purposes of the Future Homemakers of America (FHA) student organization were being achieved in Wisconsin Home Economics Related Occupations (HERO) chapters. FHA and HERO chapters have the same purposes. To carry out the assessment, an instrument containing attitude statements reflecting achievement of the various purposes was developed and administered to 76 percent of all HERO advisors and 26 percent of all HERO students in Wisconsin. Calculations of reliability indicated the instrument was an effective device for measuring attitudes toward achievement of the FHA‐HERO purposes in HERO chapters. Calculations of mean attitude scores re vealed that all purposes were being achieved in Wisconsin HERO chapters but only to a moderate degree. Application of students' t‐tests further indicated that advisors felt half of the purposes were being achieved to a significantly greater extent than did students and that both students and advisors felt some purposes were being achieved to a significantly greater extent than other purposes. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for both HERO and teacher education program planning and further research.
Sex‐Role Attitudes of Missouri and Virginia Home Economics Teachers
Authors: Burge Penny L. , Cunningham Daisy L.
Published: March 2007

Sex‐role attitudes of 301 home economics teachers, all female, from Missouri and Virginia were explored using the Sex‐Role Attitude Scale (SRAS) developed by Osmond and Martin. The SRAS analyzes attitudes toward the roles of both sexes on a traditional/nontraditional sex‐role continuum. The instrument was designed to measure four com ponents of sex‐role assumptions and behaviors: (1) familial roles; (2) extrafamilial roles; (3) male/female stereotypes; and (4) social change in sex roles. The responses to the survey were analyzed using multivariate and univariate analysis of variance. Results indicated that both Missouri and Virginia respondents held nontraditional attitudes. Younger teachers were significantly less traditional than older teachers on two of the sex‐role attitude components. There were not significant differences between urban and rural teachers or among interaction effects.
Measurement of Individual Differences in Sensitivity to Appearance
Authors: Miller Franklin G. , Feinberg Richard A. , Davis Leslie L. , Rowold Kathleen L.
Published: March 2007

In order to measure individual differences in the use of clothing cues in impression formation, subjects wre shown slides of one model in two outfits. Three types of data were collected; 1) responses on semantic differential scales, 2) subjects' stated conditional probabilities of the likelihood of an individual wearing the particular garments given that the individual pos sessed particular traits (also traits given garments), and 3) the computed Bayesian diag nostic ratios of the likelihood of an individual wearing the garments given the traits (also traits given garments). For each of the three types of data, two measures were constructed: 1) a measure of differential judgments of the stimulus person on the basis of differences in attire, and 2) a measure of the extent to which the subject used the extreme ends of the scales in judg ing a stimulus person on the basis of appearance. For both the semantic differential and diag nostic ratio data, there were positive correlations between the two measures. This was inter preted as suggesting a positive relationship between the tendency to make extreme attribu tions of personality traits on the basis of appearance and the tendency to differentially ascribe traits on the basis of differences in attire. A positive correlation between the measures con structed from the semantic differential data and the computed Bayesian diagnostic ratio of garments given traits was interpreted as suggesting that as subjects respond to the physical appearance of a stimulus person on semantic differential scales, they indicate the extent to which they find particular forms of physical appearance to be differentially characteristic of personality traits.
Dimensions of Nutrition Knowledge Among Preadolescent Girls
Authors: Moxley Robert L. , Wimberley Ronald C.
Published: March 2007

This report examines the underlying dimensionality of a nutrition knowledge test for preadolescent girls. Two hundred and six nine‐year‐old girls were given the items. In contrast to the manner in which nutrition knowledge has previously been measured in research, analysis of the results indicates that their nutrition knowledge is multidimen sional. One of the dimensions is conceptualized as “differentiated eating” and the other as “vitamin importance.” Further analytic work should be enhanced using a mul tidimensional perspective on nutrition knowledge rather than the less precise approach of assuming that such knowledge is monolithic.
Communication and Empathy in Marital Adjustment
Authors: Elliott Marianne Weeks
Published: March 2007

To examine relationships between measures of empathy and communication in terms of marital adjustment, 105 couples were given the Short Form Marital Adjustment Test by Locke and Wallace (to assess marital adjustment), the Yale Marital Inventory Bat tery by Buerkle and Badgley (to assess empathic responses), and finally, the Marital Communication Inventory by Bienvenu (to assess communication patterns). Marital communication was significantly correlated with marital adjustment, both for individu als and for couples. However, these relationships could be spurious artifacts due to other factors common to the Short Form Marital Adjustment Test, the Marital Communi cation Inventory, and the Yale Marital Interaction Battery. Another study should eliminate common inventory items and factor the Marital Communication Inventory and the Yale Marital Interaction Battery to determine what each inventory actually measured. Further, neither sex was assessed as more empathic, more communicative, or better maritally adjusted than the other. Although research findings are contradictory about the relationship between empathy and both marital adjustment and marital com munication, this study found no significant correlation between empathy and marital communication or between empathy and marital adjustment, either for couples or for individuals. The Barrett‐Lennard Relationship Inventory subscale on empathy is rec ommended as an improved empathy measure for future studies.
Window Shades in Energy Conservation
Authors: Grasso Maureen , Buchanan David R.
Published: March 2007

Thermal transmission coefficients of window shadeslwindow systems are measured using a Window Thermal Transmission Apparatus. The thermal transmission coefficients and meteorological data are used to calculate the net energy flow from conduction and solar radiation through shaded and unshaded windows for both heating and cooling seasons for 17 cities. Results for Chicago, St. Louis, and Phoenix are reported in this paper; results for all 17 cities are available (Buchanan and Grasso, 1979). These three cities represent long winters and short summers (Chicago), short winters and long summers (Phoenix), and average length seasons (St. Louis)‐three typical seasonal con ditions found in the United States. Energy costs for these three cities are calculated from the net energy flow and 1979 fuel prices, for window systems of 0.32 cm single glass under specified management conditions. These costs represent averages over both win dow orientation and seasonal climatic variations for a particular location. Once the net energy flow is established, then up‐to‐the‐minute computations of the effectiveness of window shade treatments can be made by adjusting to current fuel costs. The findings support that conventional window shades represent a reasonable, economic way for owners of existing homes to reduce heat transfer through windows. The actual savings are dependent upon location, fuel type, and local fuel costs.
Housework Time of Wives: Pressure, Facilitators, Constraints
Authors: Hafstrom Jeanne L. , Schram Vicki R.
Published: March 2007

This study provides an expansion and improvement of previous research on the factors related to wife's time spent in housework. Independent variables were categorized as: pressures toward greater time inputs to housework, constraints on time inputs to housework, and facilitators of housework activity. The sample consisted of 227 homemakers residing in Champaign‐Urbana, Illinois. Data were collected in 1976–77. Multiple regression analysis was used. Results indicate that wives spend more hours on housework the fewer hours they work outside the home, the larger the family size, the fewer times the family eats out per month, and the greater number of stories in the family dwelling. More hours also are spent if the wife has a chronic illness. These last three variables have not been reported as significant determinants previously. Wife's labor force participation was the most important determinant of time spent on housework. Family size was the second most important determinant. About one‐third of the variance was explained.
Compatibility of Solar Home Heating Systems With Values, Felt Needs, and Past Experiences of Households
Authors: Combs E. Raedene , Madden Charles S.
Published: March 2007

A statewide survey was conducted to determine: 1. the perceived compatibility of solar systems to values, felt needs, and past experiences of households; 2. how perceptions of compatibility relate to the adoption of solar heating systems for the home; and 3. how various segments of the population differ in their evaluation of the compatibility of solar systems. Analysis of variance, with the Least Significant Difference Test, was used to analyze the responses from 912 households within the general population and 105 solar home owners. The findings show that people tend to find solar systems more compatible in meeting broad societal needs than their individual housing needs. A relationship between perceptions of compatibility of solar systems to the adoption of these systems was strongly indicated. Certain segments of the population (those who are younger, highly educated, work in managerial or professional positions, and live in a household of three or more memebers) find solar systems more compatible than others.
Peer Tutoring Inservice Program: Effects On Home Economics Teachers' Knowledge And Attitudes
Authors: Asselin Susan B.
Published: March 2007

This study investigated the effects of a peer tutoring inservice program on home economics teachers' knowledge of procedures for using peer tutors, and attitudes toward integrating the handicapped student into the regular classroom. Forty‐two home economics teachers selected one of the two inservice sessions scheduled during the state vocational conference. Using separate samples in a pretest‐posttest design, 28 teachers in one session were tested prior to the peer tutoring service and served as the control. Fourteen teachers in the second session were tested subsequent to the inservice session and served as the experimental group. Control and experimental group knowledge test and attitude survey means were compared using an analysis of variance. The variables of: a) utilization of tutors, b) experience teaching handicapped students, c) college credit in special education, and d) inservice in special education were examined in the analysis of variance with knowledge test and attitude survey means. The inservice program was effective in significantly increasing knowledge; however, attitudes toward integrating the handicapped student in the regular classroom remained unchanged. The variables of experience and education had no effect on teachers' knowledge or attitudes.
Product‐Accounting Approach To Valuing Food Production
Authors: Sanik Margaret Mietus , Stafford Kathryn
Published: March 2007

This paper briefly reviews and compares the income‐accounting and product‐ accounting approaches to valuing household production. Despite the advantages of the product‐accounting estimates, published works demonstrating this ap proach could not be found. Using the example of food prepared and served at home, this research investigated a method of computing the market value of household production output and tested the estimates for responsiveness to demographic characteristics using two‐way analysis of variance. Daily market cost of food prepared at home was found to be related to area of residence and homemaker's education. The value of food prepared at home, adjusted for number of people served, was found to be related to education of the husband and of the homemaker and age of younger child. The study indicates the feasi bility of using the product‐accounting approach for traditional purposes such as valuing household production and deriving the value of a person's nonmarket labor, as well as assessing productivity in the home.
Housing Research In Home Economics: 1959–1982
Authors: Brewer Gwendolyn Jett , Day Savannah S.
Published: March 2007

This paper presents (1) an historical perspective of housing research within home economics; (2) an analysis of housing research citations, 1959–1982; and, (3) the results of a survey of recent research, 1977–1981. An analysis of 729 citations compiled from seven professional journals and a survey of current research pro vided by home economists in 56 institutions revealed several major housing re search themes: design, personal/psychological and social aspects, special needs of user groups, consumer economic decisions, public policy issues, housing alternatives, residential energy, and community/environmental factors. Although a substantial increase in research activity and output over the past 25 years was indicated, housing researchers in home economics still are hindered by inade quate funding and lack of dissemination of research outcomes.
State of the Art: Clothing as a Form of Human Behavior
Authors: Hutton Sandra S.
Published: March 2007

Three hundred clothing‐related research reports published in periodicals and serials between 1970 and 1981 were assessed. Textiles and Clothing professionals had written 40.7 percent of the published reports. Major findings indicated the body of clothing knowledge lacked a clear definition of key concepts and Clothing and Textiles professionals tended to ask exploratory questions of a correlational nature more often than did researchers of clothing behavior from other fields. Fifty‐seven percent of all studies were found lacking in theoretical base and only 35 percent of the authors were judged to have placed findings from their studies into existing theory or provide suggestions for extension or replication of findings. Only 7.5 percent of the clothing behavior researchers from academic disciplines outside Clothing and Textiles cited one or more articles from a Home Economics or Clothing and Textiles sponsored periodical. The ne cessity to address these concerns is discussed.
Consumer Attitudes to Flammability in Household Textiles
Authors: Brown S.A. , Crown E.M.
Published: March 2007

Concern about household fires has focused attention on contributory causes such as the flammability of household textiles. The purpose of this study was to measure consumer beliefs about and attitudes toward various aspects of house hold textile flammability, and the regulation of this product characteristic. A 58‐ item attitude instrument was administered to a sample of 3,000 subjects in Western Canada. Factor analysis was conducted on 380 usable responses to iden tify underlying dimensions of consumer attitudes. A six‐factor solution was in terpreted which identified attitudes toward flammability regulation and labelling; attitudes toward flammability protection; trade‐offs for flame retardance; as sumptions about product safety; attitudes toward flame retardance; and condi tional trade‐offs as the major components of consumer attitudes. The strength and direction of the respondents' attitudes are discussed.
Total And Active Time Required To Prepare Convenience And Home‐Prepared Foods With An Electric Range And A Microwave Oven
Authors: Richardson S. , Phillips J.A. , Axelson J.M. , Lovingood R.P. , Pearson J.M. , Saltmarch M.
Published: March 2007

Total and active time required to prepare 20 convenience foods and their home‐ prepared counterparts with a conventional electric range and a countertop mi crowave oven were measured. The majority of home‐prepared foods (91%) re quired more total preparation time, and all home‐prepared foods required more active preparation time, than did the convenience counterparts. Most foods pre pared with the electric range (78%) required more total preparation time than did foods prepared with the microwave oven. However the majority of microwave‐ prepared foods required more active preparation time or the same amount of active time as foods prepared with the electric range.
Development and Evaluation of Interior Design Studio Teaching Modules
Authors: Gabb Betsy , Lee Yeun Sook
Published: March 2007

The major purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate teaching modules for selected fundamental skills in the interior design profession. This research includes two experiments. A nonequivalent control group design was used to evaluate the modules in relation to students' aesthetic perceptual ability (Exper iment I). A pretest‐posttest control group design was used to compare two teaching modes in relation to students' spatial perceptual ability (Experiment II). Forty‐six design students and 16 nondesign students were used for Experiment I, while the same 46 design students were used for Experiment II. The major hypotheses stated that there would be no significant differences between the experimental and control groups in changed aesthetic perceptual ability (Exper iment I) and in changed spatial perceptual ability (Experiment II). Results indicate that there was a significant difference in changed scores of Art Judgment test between the experimental and the control group in Experiment I and that the developed teaching modules were effective in improving students' aesthetic per ception in relation to perceived importance, interest, and achievement satisfac tion as intervening variables, and that there was not a significant difference in changed scores of spatial perception test between the two experimental groups using the two teaching modes in Experiment II.
Home Builders' Evaluation of Acceptability of Solar and Earth‐Sheltered Housing Designs
Authors: Combs E. Raedene
Published: March 2007

A statewide survey of home builders was conducted to discover their perceptions of the acceptability of current solar and earth‐sheltered housing designs. Analyses of responses from 182 home builders indicate that many perceive it difficult to obtain designs that consumers find attractive, that are acceptable within existing neighborhoods, that consumers find psychologically easy to live in, and that consistently work. The student's t‐test indicated that home builders who found it less difficult to obtain acceptable designs were more favorable toward the construction of solar and earth‐sheltered housing. Analyses of variance with the Least Significant Difference Test suggested that home builders who construct houses primarily in rural areas find it less difficult to obtain designs attractive to consumers and acceptable in existing neighborhoods than those who build homes primarily in urban areas.
Sources of Role Strain Among Dual‐Career Couples
Authors: Bird Gloria W. , Ford Rachel
Published: March 2007

This research examined the extent of role strain among husbands and wives in 69 dual‐career couples. The results indicated that, for wives, number of children and importance of the parental role were significant predictors of role strain. For husbands, role strain was related to age of the youngest child and the extent to which childcare tasks were shared. Results demonstrate that a number of career‐ employed husbands are doing more than simply “helping out” with childcare. They, too, are influenced by the demands of parenthood and feel some degree of role strain from parenting responsibilities.
Job‐Sharing Couples In Academia: Career And Family Lifestyles
Authors: Mikitka Kathleen F. , Koblinsky Sally A.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate careers and family lifestyles of 20 job‐sharing couples in faculty positions at 12 colleges. Interviews conducted with both spouses and questionnaires administered to individual partners provided information about the couples' reasons for becoming involved in job sharing, conditions of their employment, their division of professional and household labor, their satisfaction with the job‐sharing arrangement, and their future career plans. Competitive job market conditions and the desire for improved lifestyles were major factors influencing the decision to share a position. Couples were employed by their institutions as teams with one shared contract or as regular, part‐time workers with independent contracts. Spouses sharing one position con tributed an average of 90 hours per week to professional activities. A majority of the couples were involved in egalitarian family relationships characterized by cooperation in childrearing and domestic labor. Lifestyle flexibility and empa thetic spousal support were perceived as major advantages of job sharing, whereas low family income and the potential for institutional exploitation were considered to be major drawbacks. Three‐quarters of the couples planned to continue job sharing in the following academic year, but only one quarter ex pected to maintain this arrangement for five years. Most couples viewed job sharing as a temporary work option rather than as a permanent lifestyle.
Effects of Early Family Experiences on Preschool Teacher Behavior
Authors: Mitchell Steve H. , Dickerscheid Jean D.
Published: March 2007

The relationship between perceived early family experiences and preschool teaching behavior was investigated. Subjects were 109 female student teachers in two laboratory preschool settings. Subjects completed a questionnaire about their early family experiences and their teaching behavior was recorded by trained observers using McDaniel's Observer Rating Scale (ORS). The nine dimensions of the ORS were reduced to two factors, Teaching Style and Teaching Technique, using a principal‐components factor analysis. Pearson product‐moment correla tions and a canonical variate analysis were used to analyze the data. Teaching Style was found to be related to family size, family crises, family activities, and family income adequacy. The saliency of these relationships was influenced by the age period in which the family experiences occurred. College major was related to Teaching Technique. Knowing about student teachers' family and ed ucational backgrounds gives some insight into the teaching behavior with pre school children.
Appliance Ownership and Household Work Time
Authors: Lovingood Rebecca P. , McCullough Jane L.
Published: March 2007

Data from 2, 100 two‐parent, two‐child households were analyzed to determine the relationships of demographic variables, ownership of 11 appliances, and time spent in four categories of household tasks. Over 60 percent of the households owned at least seven of the eleven appliances studied. A theoretical model of the Household Task Performance System was developed for the analysis. Appliances were grouped according to whether they operate independently or require a con tinuous input of time from an operator. Little evidence was found that appliance ownership is related to less time being spent in household tasks. There was, in fact, a positive relationship between the number of appliances owned that re quire continuous attention and time spent in the related tasks. Controlling for quantity or quality of outputs resulting from inputs to the household task perfor mance system was not possible due to limitations of the data base.
Aiding Consumer Nutrition Decisions with the Simple Graphic Label Format
Authors: Rudd Joel
Published: March 2007

This article reports results of research replicating and extending Mohr, Wyse, and Hansen (1980). Mohr et al. found that the quality of consumer nutrition decisions was significantly higher with the graphic nutrient density label format than with the current label format. The present study replicates this finding and, more im portant, demonstrates that the same effect can be produced merely by present ing consumers with a simple graphic label format. Policymakers may wish to con sider the simple graphic label format as a substitute for the graphic nutrient den sity format recently proposed as a replacement for the current label format.
Use of Iron Cookware
Authors: Brittin Helen C. , Nossaman Cheryl E.
Published: March 2007

A survey on the use of iron cooking utensils was conducted of 366 persons at an area fair and a national convention. Seventy‐nine percent of the subjects owned iron utensils and 72 percent of the subjects used them. A skillet was the most frequently owned iron utensil. Foods most often cooked in iron utensils were meat and eggs. More subjects indicated no change than indicated less or more use of iron cookware during the past five to 10 years. One‐half of the subjects owned a microwave oven; most of the microwave owners had not changed their use of iron cookware since acquiring a microwave oven. Most variables con cerning the use of iron cookware did not differ significantly (p < 0.05) between the fair and convention samples. In conclusion, most people own and use iron cookware, and use of iron cookware has changed little in recent years.
Family Stress and Cultural Adaptation: Home Economics Needs Of Lao Hmong Refugees
Authors: Meredith William H. , Abbott Douglas A. , Cramer Sheron L.
Published: March 2007

This longitudinal study of a random sample of Lao Hmong refugees in Nebraska examined the change in need that occurred between 1980 and 1985 for the fol lowing home economics areas: housing, employment, family relations, family finance, nutrition, clothing, and social environment. A questionnaire translated into the Hmong language was used. Change was interpreted using McCubbin's stress theory and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. In 1985, Hmong reported fewer needs or problems with housing, employment, nutrition, clothing, and family conflict. However, increased problems were found with family finance, home‐ sickness, and concern for family members left behind in Laos. Possible reasons for these changes are discussed.
Parents' Time Allocation: A Comparison Of Households Headed By One And Two Parents
Authors: Rowland Virginia T. , Nickols Sharon Y. , Dodder Richard A.
Published: March 2007

Patterns of recalled time allocation of parents were examined for 29 divorced mothers in one‐parent households and for 30 mothers and 30 fathers married and jointly heading two‐parent households. Correlations of time spent on six catego ries‐employment/unpaid work, household work, family care, leisure, personal maintenance, and a miscellaneous category‐indicated that time spent in em ployment/unpaid work was significantly (p≤ 0.05) associated with different cate gories of time use for different groups of parents but had a greater impact on time allocations of divorced mothers than on either group of married parents. Analysis of variance of the six categories of time allocation indicated that divorced mothers and two‐parent fathers were significantly (p≤ 0.05) different from two‐ parent mothers in time allocated to employment/unpaid work, household work, and leisure. But mothers in both family types spent significantly (p < 0.05) more time on care of family members than did two‐parent fathers.
Food Usage Patterns As Related To Nutritional Quality Of Household Food Supplies
Authors: Morgan Karen J. , Peterkin Betty B. , Johnson S.R. , Goungetas Basile
Published: March 2007

Nationwide Food Consumption Survey 1977–78 data were used to study the food obtainment patterns and the nutritional quality of diets of households with di etary component returns per dollar of food above and below average. Higher nutrient return per food dollar was more likely for households of larger size and/or lower income levels. Households with greater nutrient return per food dollar allocated higher proportions of their food dollars to cereal, rice and pasta; milk and cheese; eggs, beans and nuts; and fats and oils. These households allocated smaller proportions of their food dollars to high‐cost meats and beverages. Fur ther, within most food groups (particularly milk and cheese and vegetables), households with higher nutrient return per food dollar obtained food items at lower cost with greater nutrient content. Although households with high nutrient return per food dollar had, in general, lower average total food costs, the nutri tional quality of their home food supplies was generally as high or higher than for low nutrient return households.
Student Recruitment Strategies In Undergraduate Home Economics Programs: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Johnson Julie M.
Published: March 2007

The survival of some college programs may depend on their ability to recruit students. The number of persons in the 18–24 year age group will steadily de cline for some time. The purpose of this study was to discover the recruitment strategies used in home economics programs and to discover if the strategies used differed by size of program, environment, or group responsible for planning recruitment. Surveys were mailed to 160 administrators of undergraduate pro grams. Results indicate that size of program, group most responsible for planning recruitment, and environment does affect the extent of use of some selected strategies. Knowing recruitment strategies and influences imposed by the organi zation may suggest alternatives to those responsible for planning recruitment.
Clothing Interest As An Indicator Of Catalog Use
Authors: Seitz Victoria
Published: March 2007

Despite the growth of catalog shopping, there is little known about the identity of catalog shoppers. This study attempted to identify light and heavy catalog users according to clothing interest. The sample consisted of 93 female catalog shoppers for apparel from a southwestern state. A two‐way ANOVA was used to investigate differences with the individual clothing interest inventory scores and catalog use. Significant main effects were found for the individual clothing in terest inventory scores and catalog use (p < 0.01); however, the interaction be tween clothing interest and catalog use was not significant. Stepwise regression resulted in style and brand name as significant variables in predicting clothing interest. Results implied that research findings presently in the literature re garding clothing interest and the retail shopper were applicable to the catalog shopper.
Employment Decisions of Farm Couples: Full‐Time or Part‐Time Farming?
Authors: Wozniak Patricia J. , Scholl Kathleen K.
Published: March 2007

Off‐farm employment decisions of farm couples are analyzed with 1985 data from the S‐191 regional research project. The employment of one farm spouse is pos itively related to the off‐farm employment of the other spouse. Wives' off‐farm employment is most closely related to their personal characteristics, whereas husbands' decisions are best predicted by a combination of farm, family, and personal characteristics. These results were consistent regardless of whether hus bands and wives were studied separately or jointly with canonical discriminant function analyses. Part‐time farms are more likely to have the wife employed off the farm, thereby making the husband responsible for the daily operation of the farm. Wives on part‐time farms seem to substitute on the farm for their employed husbands, but husbands do not substitute as well for their employed wives. Wives simply add to their responsibilities rather than shifting them to others in the farm family.
Perceptions of Stress Associated With Wives' Off‐Farm Employment
Authors: Knaub Patricia Kain , Abbott Douglas , Meredith William H. , Parkhurst Anne
Published: March 2007

A random sample of 323 Midwestern farm couples responded to a questionnaire designed to measure various aspects of family functioning, including lifestyle satisfaction and dyadic adjustment as well as perceptions of stress and coping strategies utilized. Although 96 percent of the women identified themselves as farmers, 38 percent were employed off the farm. In general, the farm couples reported high satisfaction with their lifestyle; however, stress was also a fre quently reported experience. Although employed farm women were significantly higher in their reported experience with stress than those not employed off the farm, neither employment status nor number of hours employed were directly related to wives' perceptions of marital and life satisfaction. Rather, it was those husbands and wives in the high‐stress category, regardless of employment status, who reported significantly lower lifestyle satisfaction and marital adjustment. Family life professionals are encouraged to respond with appropriate program ming for rural families at risk of experiencing high stress.
Farm Wives' Preferences, Time Allocation, and Off‐Farm Employment Status
Authors: Godwin Deborah D.
Published: March 2007

Farm wives' preferences for use of time in household and farm tasks, their actual time in these tasks, and their external employment status were investigated with a sample of farm wives from seven states. Most wives preferred to spend about the same amount of time they were actually spending in each of the 17 tasks. Not all who had other preferences desired to decrease their time in such tasks; many farm wives preferred to spend more time in tasks such as house care, household management, and gardening. Wives' off‐farm employment status was signifi cantly related to their feelings about time in selected household and farm tasks. Generally, higher proportions of employed wives wanted to increase their time in meal preparation; house care; yard, car, and pet care; clothing care and construc tion; field work; caring for livestock; and running farm errands. The actual amount of time women spent at these tasks and their hours of employment time were only sporadically related to their feelings about their use of time.