ERIC Number: EJ872864
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Jan
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0090-4392
EISSN: N/A
Conceptualization and Measurement of the Neighborhood in Rural Settings: A Systematic Review of the Literature
De Marco, Allison; De Marco, Molly
Journal of Community Psychology, v38 n1 p99-114 Jan 2010
Interest in the effects of neighborhood context on individual wellbeing has increased in recent years. We now know that neighborhood conditions, such as poverty and deprivation, negatively impact residents. However, most of the extant work has taken an urban focus. Less is known about these processes in rural settings. Neighborhood conceptualizations, such as Census tracts and block groups, are standard in the urban neighborhood effects literature. Yet, rural neighborhoods differ from those in urban regions making it unclear how these conceptualizations would fit. This systematic review seeks to summarize how researchers have conceptualized and measured rural neighborhoods. Keyword searches were performed in a variety of databases to compile all relevant peer-reviewed articles. After examination, 19 articles fit the review criteria. Conceptualizations fell into five categories: administrative units, distance from home, town segments, local-actor mapped regions, and nongeographical self-definitions. Discussion of the merits of each for rural community research is provided. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Neighborhoods, Rural Areas, Literature Reviews, Journal Articles, Community Characteristics, Community Surveys, Rural Environment, Rural Sociology, Concept Formation, Well Being, Economic Impact, Search Strategies, Measurement
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A