Documents found
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632.More information
The many studies of discarded needles that have been conducted since the 1980s have usually been conducted either to evaluate discarded needle collection programs or to identify the reasons why such programs are used by injection drug users. Most of these studies have been qualitative and do not address the spatial distribution of discarded needles within urban public space. However, a better understanding of the geography of discarded needles is highly relevant to optimizing some parts of such programs, such as where drop boxes should be located. This article is based on an analysis of the geographic position of 13,560 discarded needles collected between 2009 and 2014 in the Centre-Sud neighbourhood of Montreal. Several Tobit regressions were done using the density of discarded needles within a radius of 100 metres as the dependent variable and indicators of the urban environment, such as proximity of needle-collecting programs, police stations, subway stations and the type of streets or the presence of parks, as the independent variables. The strongest explanatory variables for the study period were the presence of alleys and drop boxes.
Keywords: Seringues à la traîne, régression Tobit, Montréal, environnement urbain, Discarded needles, Tobit regression, Montreal, urban environment, Jeringuillas desechadas, regresión Tobit, Montreal, ambiente urbano
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639.More information
This study examined an online professional development program designed to support meaningful acquaintance and reduce stereotypes and prejudices among teachers from different cultures in Israeli society. The rationale of the online program was based on the premise that indirect online contact might improve intergroup relations in diverse societies. The program was designed to progress gradually, starting from basic and leading to a deeper acquaintance, using a variety of computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools. Findings indicated that upon program completion, participants were more respectful towards one another than pre-program. They held a positive view of online learning and were open to multiculturalism (more tolerant and accepting of others than previously) while still maintaining their respective cultural identities. The program participants noticed the gradual progression in task design, expressly noting that this stepwise structure supported forging a connection and then fostering familiarization. This study fills a gap in the research through demonstrating ways that online contact (indirect contact) can be used to promote acquaintance and reduce stereotypes and prejudices among teachers from different groups in Israeli society.
Keywords: indirect contact, online contact, multicultural education, teachers, computer-mediated communication