The influence of socio-economic status, age, gender, and level of literacy on language attitudes

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-263
Author(s):  
Gerdine M. Ulysse ◽  
Khaled Al Masaeed

Abstract This study investigated the relationship between socio-economic status, age, gender, and literacy level and Haitian Gonâviens‘ attitudes towards Haitian Creole or Kreyòl and French. Most studies that investigated language attitudes of Creolophones have found that they have negative attitudes towards Kreyòl. Nevertheless, previous studies often included participants who are affiliated with education such as students, teachers, and language policy makers, or those from higher social classes. The current study, however, utilized a language attitudes questionnaire to collect data from 78 adult informants from diverse backgrounds. These participants included 21 highly literate, 51 partially literate and 6 illiterate Haitians. Findings revealed that participants of higher socio-economic status have more positive attitudes towards French than those from lower socio-economic status. Results also showed that there is a tendency for age, gender, and literacy level to affect language attitudes. For instance, positive attitudes towards Kreyòl were found to be more prevalent among older participants than younger respondents. Similarly, male participants had more negative attitudes towards French than female informants. Moreover, respondents of lower literacy levels had more negative attitudes towards French than those who were highly literate.

2012 ◽  
Vol 32 (8) ◽  
pp. 1418-1427 ◽  
Author(s):  
DEEPAK C. LAKRA ◽  
REUBEN NG ◽  
BECCA R. LEVY

ABSTRACTStudies of the relationship between retirement and subsequent health, including longevity, have produced mixed findings. One reason may be that these studies have not taken attitudes toward retirement into account. In the current study we examined whether attitudes toward retirement can impact longevity. The cohort consisted of 394 participants who were followed for 23 years. As predicted, participants with positive attitudes toward retirement at the start of the study lived significantly longer than those with negative attitudes toward retirement. The positive attitudes-toward-retirement group had a median survival advantage of 4.9 years. This survival advantage remained after controlling for relevant covariates, including age, functional health, socio-economic status, and whether employed or retired. Our findings suggest that psychological planning for retirement is as important as the more traditional forms of planning.


2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 720
Author(s):  
Zayda S. Asuncion ◽  
Marilu Rañosa-Madrunio, Ph.D.

<p><em>Language attitudes have been the focus of interest in sociolinguistics for the past decades. In the Philippines, there is a dearth of literature on sociolinguistic studies that focus on indigenous languages and their speakers. To contribute to the literature, this study endeavoured to investigate the attitudes of Gaddang speakers in the northern part of the country towards Gaddang, their native language; Ilocano, the lingua franca of the province; Tagalog/Filipino, the national language; and English, one of the official languages. It also explored possible differences in the language attitudes of the Gaddangs in terms of geographical location, age, gender, socio-economic status, and educational attainment. Using survey questionnaire and semi-structured interview, the study involved 568 respondents. Results revealed that Gaddang speakers manifest positive attitudes towards Tagalog, Gaddang, Ilocano, and English respectively. The study also yielded significant differences in their attitudes with respect to geographical location, age, socio-economic status, and educational attainment except gender. The results have significant implications on the maintenance or gradual loss of their native language.</em></p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lou Safra ◽  
Coralie Chevallier ◽  
Amine Sijilmassi

A correlational study to test the relationship between socio-economic status and reactivity to threats.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1795-1795
Author(s):  
D. Bhugra

IntroductionWith the process of globalisation in full flow, the movement of people and products across the globe has brought a series of difficulties. With migration the socio-economic status of the individuals may change with the likelihood that this status will be lower rather than higher, although depending upon the reasons for migration this may change too.ObjectivesLiterature shows that low socio-economic status is associated with a higher level of psychiatric morbidity.AimsWhether migration acts as a mediator needs to be investigated further.MethodsVarious studies have shown that rates of psychosis are elevated in migrants though these rates are differentially increased in different groups indicating that factors other than migration may be at play.ResultsIn this presentation the literature and link the acculturation and cultural identity with post-migration experiences will be reviewed.ConclusionA link exists between the perceptions within cultures and level of economic development of what constitutes mental health. The state of advancement of mental health services of a country will certainly have a large impact on prevalence rates. Further investigation should be carried out to examine in greater depth the relationship between social inequality and disorder prevalence, as distinct from income inequality.


1989 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail F. Munger ◽  
Brenda H. Loyd

In education, computers and calculators historically have been associated with mathematics and the sciences, and are frequently incorporated into these areas of the curriculum. This may have serious implications for females because of the long history of reported sex differences in achievement and attitudes in mathematics and related disciplines. This study of sixty high school students examines the relationship between mathematics performance and students' attitudes toward technology (computers and calculators), and whether the relationship is similar for males and females. A practice form of the General Educational Development (GED) test was used to measure mathematics performance. Students' attitudes toward computers were assessed by the Computer Attitude Scale, and attitudes toward calculators were assessed by a 4-item measure developed by the authors. In general, students with more positive attitudes toward computers and calculators were found to perform better than students with more negative attitudes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s843-s843
Author(s):  
K. Vaiphei ◽  
P. Sreedaran ◽  
V. Sathyanarayanan

AimsStudies investigating attitudes of people with mental illness are scarce. The aim of the present study was to investigate person living with psychosis on their attitudes and perception towards the mental health professionals in contact with mental health services.MethodsAn in-depth interview was used to explore their lived experiences and attitude towards mental health professionals.ResultsBoth negative and positive attitudes were prevalent among the patients. Most negative attitudes concerned on not giving time, the MHPs are most interested in financial gains. They felt attitude changes according to diagnosis, psychosis perceived as diagnosis with violence; they are more interested in protecting themselves, perception that treating symptoms and not cause of illness. On the contrary, they felt positive on the relationship and time given to them.Discussion and conclusions The PLWI's attitude to MHPs could be a product of the type of admission (forced upon), symptoms related or on the type of service settings. The present study is purely qualitative, single settings, could not be generalised. However it points on the need for sensitization of MHPs and relationship building oriented intervention.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 124-129
Author(s):  
Björn Quanjer ◽  
Kristina Thompson

While in modern, high-income populations, obesity is associated with being from a low socio-economic background, this may not have always been the case. We test the relationship between obesity and educational level (as a proxy for socio-economic status) in a historical cohort of Dutch military conscripts, from the conscription years 1950–1979. We find that in the 1950s cohort, being in tertiary education was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of being overweight. In contrast, in the 1970s cohort, being in tertiary education was significantly associated with a decreased likelihood of being overweight. We find evidence that the prevalence of obesity remained broadly similar among more highly educated men, while it increased among men of a lower educational level. This likely contributed to the overall rise in the obesity rate. Our findings echo other studies that find a crossover in education’s relationship to BMI as populations become wealthier and obesity rates rise.


Author(s):  
Pracheth R. ◽  
Varun N. ◽  
Ravindra Y. M. ◽  
Preethi S. ◽  
Tasmiya K. ◽  
...  

Background: Cigarettes and other tobacco products (COTPA) Act is a legislation passed to curb tobacco use in India by imposing restrictions on tobacco products. This study appraised knowledge and attitudes regarding COTPA Act among adults in a rural area and elicited socio-demographic predictors of knowledge and attitudes regarding COTPA Act among study participants.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September to December 2014 on adults (aged ≥18 years) in a rural area of Coastal Karnataka. A pre-designed, pre-tested proforma was used to collect information from study participants regarding their knowledge and attitudes about COTPA Act. Knowledge and attitude scores were computed. A score of ≥4 was good knowledge and ≥3 was regarded as positive attitudes.Results: Nearly 49.14% had good knowledge, while 51.29% displayed positive attitudes. Those belonging to upper and upper middle socio-economic class (Class I+Class II) had higher odds for good knowledge (AOR=2.09, 95% CI=0.82-5.92), when compared to their counterparts belonging to other socio-economic classes. Age ≥60 years (AOR=3.80, 95% CI= 0.30-9.98), education beyond primary school (AOR=2.88, 95% CI=1.24-6.19), upper and upper middle class socio-economic status (AOR=3.68, 95% CI=1.34-7.02) were the key predictor variables for positive attitudes.Conclusions:Nearly half the study participants had good knowledge and positive attitudes towards COTPA Act. High socio-economic status could predict good knowledge, while age ≥60 years, education beyond primary school and a high socio-economic status were the key variables predicting positive attitudes. Educational campaigns can help improve knowledge. Assessment of knowledge and attitude is imperative prior to implementation of policies to ensure effectiveness. 


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Robert Slevc

A growing body of research suggests that musical experience and ability are related to a variety of cognitive abilities, including executive functioning (EF). However, it is not yet clear if these relationships are limited to specific components of EF, limited to auditory tasks, or reflect very general cognitive advantages. This study investigated the existence and generality of the relationship between musical ability and EFs by evaluating the musical experience and ability of a large group of participants and investigating whether this predicts individual differences on three different components of EF – inhibition, updating, and switching – in both auditory and visual modalities. Musical ability predicted better performance on both auditory and visual updating tasks, even when controlling for a variety of potential confounds (age, handedness, bilingualism, and socio-economic status). However, musical ability was not clearly related to inhibitory control and was unrelated to switching performance. These data thus show that cognitive advantages associated with musical ability are not limited to auditory processes, but are limited to specific aspects of EF. This supports a process-specific (but modality-general) relationship between musical ability and non-musical aspects of cognition.


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