bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long-Term Effects of Parental Divorce on Love Relationships: Divorce as Attachment Disruption
Authors: Hayashi Gina M. , Strickland Bonnie R.
Published: March 2007

This study is an exploration of the long-term effects of parental divorce on a person's romantic relationships. Attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969a) suggests that parental divorce in itself may not cause poor romantic relationships, but rather, growing up with poor parent-child relationships and protracted interparental conflict may be what is most destructive to subsequent romantic relationships. Seventy-eight college students with divorced parents and a control group of 94 students from non-divorced households responded to a questionnaire assessing early experiences with parents and with any other individual besides a biological parent, called a `parent-substitute' who the subjects reported was `like a mother or father to them' while growing up (e.g. a stepparent, grandparent, older sibling, etc.). The questionnaire also assessed the perceived level of interparental conflict between the biological parents, and the subjects' current style of relating in romantic love relationships. A stepwise multiple regression was performed to clarify the effects of early parental relationships, interparental conflict and parent's marital status (divorce or married) using style of relating in romantic relationships as the criterion variable. Students who reported having accepting parents who encouraged their independence were most likely to report feeling secure in their current love relationships. Students who reported growing up with protracted interparental conflict, or rejecting, overprotective parents were most likely to report jealousy and fears of abandonment in their love relationships. Growing up with an accepting parent may increase an individual's resilience to possible negative effects of parental divorce. Additionally, this parent may not necessarily have to be a biological parent. Students from both non-divorced and divorced households who reported growing up with accepting parent-substitutes (e.g. step-parents, grandparents) were also likely to report feeling secure in their romantic love relationships.
Friendship and Need Fulfillment During Three Phases of Young Adulthood
Authors: Carbery Julie , Buhrmester Duane
Published: March 2007

Theory and knowledge about adult friendship have not been integrated within a broader life-span perspective, thus leaving us with a disjointed understanding of adult friendship, marriage and parent-child relationships. The present study redresses this situation by examining developmental differences in young adult friendship within the broader context of their network of significant family relationships. Robert Weiss' (1974) conceptualization of social provisions was used as the basis for comparing the roles that close friends play in need fulfillment to the roles played by other network members. Predominantly White middle-class male and female adults (ages 20 to 35 years) were recruited from three family-role-defined phases of young adulthood (N = 180): (i) the single phase (i.e. romantically uncommitted), (ii) the married-without-children phase, and (iii) the parenthood phase (i.e. married with young children). Participants rated the extent to which they received each of nine social provisions through their relationships with their mother, father, closest friend, spouse or casual dating partner, and their oldest child (if applicable). In general, the findings revealed that reliance on friends to satisfy social needs is greatest during the single phase and is reduced significantly during the marital and parenthood phases. Women report gaining higher levels of certain social provisions (especially emotional support) from friends than men across all three phases. The importance of friends relative to other network members as suppliers of social provisions differed substantially between the three phases; these differences appeared to be integrally tied to differences in family role involvement. Neither Weiss' relationships-specificity model nor Cantor's (1979) hierarchical-compensatory model adequately described the organization of need-fulfilling networks across all three phases.
Extradyadic Involvement during Dating
Authors: Wiederman Michael W. , Hurd Catherine
Published: March 2007

College student men (n = 299) and women (n = 392) reported their experiences with extradyadic (ED) dating and sexual activity. We also investigated the relationships between ED activity and religiosity, sex–love–marriage association beliefs, narcissism, sexual sensation seeking, a ‘ludic’ or game-playing orientation to romantic relationships, and self-perceived ability to deceive one’s dating partner. Despite normative disapproval for ED activity, a majority of respondents reported having had ED involvement while dating. There was no sex difference in the incidence of ED dating or ED kissing; however, men were more likely than women to experience ED fondling, oral sex, or vaginal intercourse. In general, ED dating and ED sexual activity were related to less adherence to sex–love–marriage association beliefs, increased sexual sensation seeking, a ‘ludic’ love style, and a self-perceived ability to deceive one’s dating partner. Findings are discussed with regard to possible implications and directions for future research.
Romantic Beliefs: Their Influence on Relationships and Patterns of Change Over Time
Authors: Sprecher Susan , Metts Sandra
Published: March 2007

The romantic ideology is a pervasive construct in Western culture, but we know relatively little about how it influences the unfolding of particular relationships. One purpose of this investigation was to examine how romantic beliefs are related to love for partner, other positive feelings in the relationship, and the stability of the relationship. A second purpose was to examine how romantic beliefs change with the passage of time and with relationship transitions. Longitudinal data from a sample of romantic couples were analyzed to examine these issues. At Time 1, romantic beliefs (Romantic Beliefs Scale) were associated positively with love, satisfaction, and commitment. However, very little evidence was found that romantic beliefs contributed to a change in these feelings over time. Furthermore, partners' romanticism scores were not predictive of whether the relationship lasted or broke up over the 4 years of the study. Participants' scores on the romanticism scale tended to decrease over time, although couples who became engaged during the study did not experience a decrease (or an increase) in their romanticism during the transition. Couples who broke up during the study experienced a substantial decrease in their endorsement of romantic beliefs from before to after the breakup.
Small Business and Entrepreneurial Research
Authors: Grant Paul , Perren Lew
Published: March 2007

Small business and entrepreneurship has emerged as an important area of research over the past 40 years. Much of this development has been achieved by drawing on and adapting the theoretical frameworks of disciplines from outside. However, such diversity of disciplinary foundation does not necessarily result in a diversity of underlying meta-theoretical assumptions within an area. Other areas of the social sciences have benefited from the consideration of the meta-theoretical foundations of their research and as a consequence they have been able to extend their research into new agendas. There has been some meta-theoretic discussion of small business and entrepreneurial research, yet the review conducted for this project found no recent articles that provided a systematic analysis of contemporary research. This article will address this gap by employing Burrell and Morgan's (I1979) paradigmatic taxonomy to conduct a systematic meta-theoretical analysis of articles published in the year 2000 by leading authors in key small business and entrepreneurial journals. The analysis shows a dominance of the functionalist paradigm that pervades the elite discourse of research in leading journals and acts as a potential barrier to other perspectives. Whether a Hegelian or Kuhnian perspective on knowledge production is taken, it is clear that the health and future development of research in this area requires a broadening of perspectives to enable debate, friction, creativity and ultimately new theories and understandings.
Finding market research reports: a buyer's guide to published indexes
Authors: Walters Tricia
Published: March 2007

Finding published market research information can be a great deal cheaper than conducting your own field research. This paper evaluates seven of the major published listings of market research reports and concludes by nominating the Business Information Review Best Buy.
Finding UK company information from published directories
Authors: Humphreys Garry
Published: March 2007

Finding company information from published directories can be time-consuming, unless you know your way around the most important sources. This paper highlights the most important British company directories and pinpoints their strengths and weaknesses.
Business information in a computer services company
Authors: Dodd Georgina
Published: March 2007

Information about, and for, the computer or information technology industry is a changing and complex field. This paper presents one solution (at Consultancy Division, Hoskyns Group plc) to the many problems it poses. It is about a service, not a collection. To understand how and why it works, an appreciation of the company environment in which it functions is necessary background. So too is some appreciation of the range of sources on which it relies.
Legitimizing `Humanitarian Intervention'?
Authors: Thussu Daya Kishan
Published: March 2007

This article examines the coverage of NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia in March-June 1999 by the global television news organization, the Cable News Network (CNN). The article argues that NATO's precedent-setting action — the first conflict in which the world's most powerful military alliance intervened in the internal affairs of a sovereign state — was reported uncritically and presented by CNN as a humanitarian intervention. Television pictures tended to follow the news agenda set up by the US military. Few alternative views were aired and, most importantly, a fundamental change in the nature of NATO — from a defence alliance to an offensive peace-enforcing organization — was largely ignored. The article then goes on to analyse the international implications of such coverage, arguing that given the global reach and influence of a channel like CNN, this type of framing also shaped the wider view of the crisis in Kosovo.
News Production in Contemporary Russia
Authors: Koltsova Olessia
Published: March 2007

This article offers a new approach to power relations in the sphere of mass media production in Russia. The analysis focuses on television news - an object of the fiercest struggle among various agents of power (including news producers themselves). Unlike previous works, mostly done as institutional analysis, the proposed approach emphasizes the informal and dynamic character of these power relations, and describes the practices through which they shape the news. This approach avoids the normative categories widely used in previous studies. The empirical research based on this approach reveals a certain set of practices of influence on news production; their most striking difference from those in the `West' is in their explicitness. This suggests, however, not only that Russian journalists are more controlled than their western colleagues, but also that they seem less dominated.
Cable Penetration and Competition among Belgian and Foreign Stations
Authors: De Bens Els
Published: March 2007

The effects of programme abundance as a result of cable should be observable in the most densely cabled country in Europe — Belgium — where most viewers have a choice of 11 to 15 channels. Time series data on audience behaviour in the Flemish-speaking part of the country demonstrate the strength of pre-existing patterns of TV utilization, slowness of change, the dominant influence of linguistic barriers and community divisions in channel choice; there is no sudden fragmentation. The implications for programming policy and the future strategy of public service broadcasting in a densely cabled country are discussed.
Convergence of Antagonistic Traditions? The Case of Audience Research
Authors: Schrøder Kim Christian
Published: March 2007

A widespread agreement seems to be emerging within media research that the time has come for media sociology and cultural studies, the two major, traditionally hostile paradigms, to embark on a process of cross-fertilization. This article considers in an historical perspective a number of recent studies of the television audience carried out in this spirit of innovation, and critically evaluates the aims, theories and methods underlying the specific hybrid projects of Katz/Liebes, Radway, and Ang.
The `Inscribed Reader' of the British Quality Press
Authors: Sparks Colin , Campbell Michelle
Published: March 2007

This article examines the four daily newspapers which made up the British `quality press' in 1985. Beginning from the fact that the readers of these newspapers are made up largely of people who use some sorts of intellectual skills in their daily lives, the article considers whether these newspapers may have some form of `servicing function' with respect to what Bourdieu calls `cultural capital'. The content of the papers is analysed in detail to determine the nature of the `inscribed reader' supposed by the total material offered. The evidence suggests that the sharpest differentiation is in the advertising copy, but that there are also important differences in editorial material.
Intruders Welcome? The Beginnings of Satellite Television in Hungary
Authors: Szekfü András
Published: March 2007

Until recently the reception of foreign satellite programmes was strictly forbidden in Hungary on ideological, economic and legal grounds. At the end of 1987 a sudden change in policy legalized the reception of satellite programmes in Hungary. This article traces the intriguing causes and likely effects of this new policy initiative.
The Dynamics of Videotex Development in Britain, France and Germany: A Crossnational Comparison
Authors: Schneider Volker , Charon Jean-Marie , Miles Ian , Thomas Graham , Vedel Thierry
Published: March 2007

The paper shows why the three major European videotex programs (Prestel in the UK, Télétel in France and Bildschirmtext in the FRG), although similar in their initial objectives, have led to markedly contrasting results. Each country, based on its particular macro context (technological environment, government-industry relations, political structures, etc.), pursued a different `implantation strategy', made up of specific clusters of technical and organizational choices. These decisions structured the subsequent development and produced different dynamics: critical mass problems, specific technical frictions and particular political issues. Three strategic choices have been made of particular importance: (1) the technical design and mode of terminal diffusion; (2) the systems architecture; and (3) the mode of service supply.
From Public Monopoly to a Dual Broadcasting System in Germany
Authors: Holtz-Bacha Christina
Published: March 2007

This article examines the far-reaching changes in the German broadcasting system during the 1980s before the unification of the two Germanies in October 1990. The West German broadcasting system developed from a monopoly of public corporations to a dual system of public and private stations. Because of the country's federal structure, different models of private broadcasting have emerged. The Federal Constitutional Court, which has always had a formative influence on German media policy, has defined the dual system as a balanced model with the public stations guaranteeing a `fundamental supply' and the private stations fulfilling a supplementary function.
Public Service Broadcasting and Deregulation in the UK
Authors: Prosser Tony
Published: March 2007

This article describes the effect of new broadcasting techniques and of deregulatory politics in the UK. It is argued that the national style of regulation was a highly informal one with a limited use of formal law and of the courts, and that the concept of public service broadcasting has been essentially cultural. Informality of regulation has created serious problems of effectiveness and accountability, and has been undermined by the growth in the number of broadcasters. In 1988, the Thatcher government proposed important moves towards deregulation, the most important of which was to be the sale of licences for commercial broadcasting to the highest bidders. This proposal proved highly controversial as it was felt that the cash bids would divert money away from the production of quality programmes, and, as implemented in the Broadcasting Act 1990, considerable discretionary regulation was retained, notably in the `quality threshold' which bidders for licences were required to pass. The allocation of licences satisfied no-one; the amounts bid bore no relation to the value of each licence and extensive use of the quality threshold was made to disqualify bidders without any reasons being given. As a result the author concludes that there has been a failure either to achieve a market-based system or a clear development of a concept of public service broadcasting. The future shape of broadcasting will be determined by the decisions taken on the renewal of the BBC Charter in 1996, by the effect of takeovers which will in future be allowed in relation to commercial broadcasters and the development of new services subject to limited regulation.
Intermediation Environments of West German and East German Voters: Interpersonal Communication and Mass Communication During the First All-German Election Campaign
Authors: Schmitt-Beck Rüdiger
Published: March 2007

The networks of interpersonal communication and the system of mass communication can be seen as intermediation environments that provide individual voters with links to the distant world of politics. This paper argues that, in order to gain an adequate impression of voters' relevant communication relationships during election campaigns, both intermediation environments must be studied simultaneously. Taking the example of the first all-German general election of 2 December 1990, the intermediation environments of East and West German voters are analysed in terms of the degree of exposure and the nature of the political messages to which voters are subjected through the two channels. Through interpersonal communication, voters mainly establish contact with persons sharing their own party preferences, whereas the mass media are perceived as neutral mediators by the majority of the voters. If a political bias of media reporting is detected, however, it tends to contradict voters' own party preferences. From a comparative perspective, it becomes evident that in the year of German unification West German voters had more in common with American voters than with the citizens of the former German Democratic Republic. The East-West differences are in particular due to the very high level of politicization of East Germans' daily life-world and to the lower degree of structuration of their communication relationships in terms of political attachment.
New Media, Old Problems
Authors: Barnett Steven
Published: March 2007

It is widely claimed that new technology offers great potential for expanding the horizons of political communication and overcoming some of the problems associated with traditional media in furthering the democratic process. New forms of communication, it is argued, will foster greater interest and participation in the political process which will in turn enhance and enrich democracy. However, although the inadequacies of traditional media pose serious problems for political discourse and democracy, the empirical and conceptual difficulties surrounding new media make their contribution to the political process equally problematic. While new media may offer some opportunities for elite groups at the margins, traditional mass media will continue to dominate the discourse and conduct of politics.
Milton's Paradox
Authors: Ognianova Ekaterina , Scott Byron
Published: March 2007

This article focuses on legal and ethical aspects of media developments in post-Communist Bulgaria, asking the perennial question of how to ensure responsible journalism without restricting freedom of speech. The answer is demonstrated in an analysis of an ethical violation that occurred in the early post-Communist period and prompted the Bulgarian government to attempt restrictions on journalistic freedom. It is argued that it is too dangerous to let the government interfere with the media in a society still vulnerable to possible resurrection of past restrictions. The media of the post-Communist countries should develop unfettered, with individual journalists taking responsibility for their practice.
Family Lifestyles and Media Use Patterns
Authors: Pasquier Dominique , Buzzi Carlo , d'Haenens Leen , Sjöberg Ulrika
Published: March 2007

Based on results from a comparative survey of Flemish, French, Italian and Swedish children and teenagers, this article analyses the changing patterns of media use in the domestic context. It shows how media use reinforces existing tendencies in family styles: in families where parents give more freedom to their children, privatization of access through media equipment in bedrooms is higher. But this trend towards more individualized access goes along with family collective uses that appear to be still very significant. The survey also shows that new media, more male and youth oriented, such as game consoles or computers, tend to increase gender and generational gaps within the home: older media like television used to operate a segregation by content, new media tend to operate a segregation by access.
European Union Broadcasting and Telecoms
Authors: Michalis Maria
Published: March 2007

After placing the development of EU broadcasting and telecommunications policy into its historical context, the article argues that the EU, having traditionally found it difficult to develop a regulatory regime concerning content and culture, has primarily utilized telecommunications regulation in regard to broadcasting. This framework is a necessary but insufficient base for the regulation of convergent technologies.
Politics on French Television
Authors: Neveu Erik
Published: March 2007

This article develops an analysis of the political programmes broadcast by the French channels during the presidential election of 1995. The study uses a theoretical framework based on Elias's notion of `figuration' and offers a brief description of the French `media landscape', profoundly changed in the late 1980s by the dual process of privatization and the birth of new television channels. The analysis then focuses on the study of the programming of the French channels, with a strong emphasis on the strategies pursued by the public channel France 2 and the private channel TF1, whose respective programming choices were completely different. Finally, a last point suggests some reflections on the necessary and uncertain rise of a new kind of political journalism in the media. Beyond the French case, this article offers some reflections both on the concept of `frame repertoires' for political broadcasting on television and about the international trends concerning the organization of political debates in the media.
INEQUALITY IN THE AUTOMATED OFFICE: THE IMPACT OF COMPUTERS ON THE DIVISION OF LABOUR
Authors: Volst Angelika , Wagner Ina
Published: March 2007

This paper seeks to combine an analysis of changes in the organisation of office work with an assessment of their consequences for the affected workers, focussing simultaneously on type of work and gender. Four major trends are identified, using case-study material and survey data from a sample of Austrian work organisations: (i) reintegration of data input and text production into professional jobs; (ii) incorporation of technical and professional tasks into secretarial work; (iii) routinisation of `back office' work; (iv) enrichment and upgrading of skilled clerical work. In correspondence with these trends, opportunities in the automated office are unequally distributed. Many perceived gender differences are due to the position a woman or man holds in the office rather than to their gender. Still, men have more opportunities to use computerisation for advancement than their female colleagues, irrespective of type of work. Disadvantages cumulate in the lower qualified office jobs that are still women's preserve.
FOR A SOCIOLOGY/ANTHROPOLOGY OF ILLNESS: TOWARDS A DELINEATION OF ITS DISCIPLINARY SPECIFICITIES
Authors: Gupta Dipankar
Published: March 2007

The designation `sociology of health' or `medical anthropology/sociology' indicates, at best, only the field and not the peculiarities of the field. As a consequence much work in this sub-discipline is of the genre, `Sociology/Anthropology: Case Study Illness (or Health)'. This paper attempts to regroup the contributions made in this field in order to demonstrate the utility of establishing the specificities of the sub-discipline `sociology/anthroplogy of illness'. Such an exercise would also provide us with a consistent framework for formulating health policies as well as for appreciating the reasons why WHO's blueprint of `Health for All' and China's `Barefoot Doctor' programme ran into difficulties. Furthermore, a systematic pursuit of the specificities of sociology/anthropology of illness would also force us to mutate our understanding of at least a few received formulations on the sociology/anthropology of deviance, professions, and even of tradition and modernity.
Regulating Globalization? The Reinvention of Politics
Authors: Held David
Published: March 2007

This article explores the political implications of the growing enmeshment of human communities with each other over time and the way in which the fate of peoples is determined increasingly by complex social, economic and environmental processes that stretch across their borders. Examining the growing interconnections between states and societies, the article focuses on the transformations that are under way in the form and nature of political community. It does not argue that globalization has simply eroded the nature of sovereignty and autonomy. Rather, it seeks to show how there has been a reconfiguration of political power, which has created new forms of governance and politics - both within states and beyond their boundaries. The consequences of globalization for democracy and accountability are also examined. While the article shows that the idea of government or of the state can no longer be simply defended as an idea suitable to a particular, closed political community or nation-state, it sets forth how new forms of governance are emerging - regionally, internationally and globally - that can be built upon and further elaborated. The last part explores how a `cosmopolitan conception of democratic governance' might meet the political challenges created by globalization. Both the general principles and institutional implications of this form of governance are set out, disclosing both short- and long-term possibilities.
THE CHALLENGE FOR COMPARATIVE SOCIOLOGY IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF EUROPE
Authors: Haller Max
Published: March 2007

Europe today seems to be undergoing a serious crisis. Its several sub-regions and nations, however, are affected very differently by it. Does Europe constitute a meaningful unit from a social scientific point of view at all? The paper argues that this is the case because of its common historical-cultural heritage and because of the increasing density of direct interrelationships between its nations and peoples.

Nevertheless, internal differentiations continue to make of this `continent' one of the most complex and variegated culture areas in the world. Three dimensions are of particular relevance in this regard: (a) the level of socio-economic development; (b) linguistic-cultural and religious traditions; (c) the type of political system. If we allocate 25 of the larger European nation-states to this 3-dimensional typology, we can demonstrate a limited number of relatively internally homogeneous clusters of nations. These are distinguished from each other not only in terms of political system, but also in terms of socio-economic development, language and religion.

The paper concludes with the thesis that the macro-context `Europe' constitutes an ideal base for carrying out international comparisons and pleads for making full use of this potential by including all European nations in such comparisons.
ENVIRONMENT, MODERNITY AND THE RISK-SOCIETY: THE APOCALYPTIC HORIZON OF ENVIRONMENTAL REFORM
Authors: Mol Arthur P.J. , Spaargaren Gert
Published: March 2007

The apocalyptic dimension of the ecological situation seems to emerge in the present-day environmental debate. But in contrast to the early seventies, eco-alarmism in its present form seems to reflect growing uncertainties and anxieties related to the changing character of late modern society. Such uncertainties and anxieties do not only pertain to high-consequence risks, as exemplified by the Chernobyl accident, but also to local problems of providing safe drinking water from the tap. Ulrich Beck's risk-society theory, elaborated by Anthony Giddens, analyses these eco-anxieties against the background of changing conditions of modernity. Because of its overall pessimistic undertone and its basic questioning of the role of science and technology in overcoming an eco-catastrophe, the risk-society theory seems to fundamentally contradict ecological modernisation theory. In confronting both perspectives, the paper aims to contribute to environmental sociology in three ways. First, we try to come to understand the present-day rise of ecoalarmism. Second, an evaluation is made of the contribution of risk-society theory in analysing environmental problems and in developing projective realistic utopian models dealing with the environmental crisis under conditions of late or reflexive modernity. Finally, by bringing formal sociological theory into environmental sociology, both models contribute to the conceptual development and refinement of the sub-discipline.
ALBERT SALOMON'S SOCIOLOGY OF CULTURE
Authors: Vaitkus Steven
Published: March 2007

The `Sociology of Culture' (or Kultursoziologie) once held a core position next to the `Theory of Society' (or Gesellschaftstheorie), both being indeterminate and yet with a long, and sometimes opposing, internally related history, particularly in German social thought. With its self-destruction, the sociology of culture had also receded in modern sociology, becoming an outmoded notion. However, systematic attention to ethnic cultures appears to have regained its role once more and is today actively pursued as a global discipline. Without directly evaluating these contemporary, often empirical, lines of social research, the paper starts first with the reconstructive task of remembering a tradition by considering the works of Albert Salomon, an emigrant sociologist of culture at the New School (1934-1966). Secondly, in the `ex-centric' way of a centre lost, Salomon becomes a main centripetal figure, offering an integrating but open constellation of thought for a sociology of culture. By unifying the philosophy and ethics of Stoicism with social phenomenology, his historical analyses become keys for an interpretive sociology of social action. Salomon's works are seen in the deepest sense to provide a methodology for a sociology of culture which centres in a type of `written art' or `cultural scriptology'. His whole project is finally viewed in terms of contemporary questions of social trust and trusting in symbolic faith.
Greek Interbellum Modernizers and the `Sociological Idea'
Authors: Kyrtsis Alexandros-Andreas
Published: March 2007

The institutional problems facing sociology in Greece and the difficulties of the Greek sociological community to play a role comparable to the one seen in other European countries is traced back to the intellectual history of the period between the First and Second World Wars. The main point made here is that the interrelationship between the breakdown of ideologies of modernization and the orientation towards certain theoretical approaches during the second half of this period have led to an intellectual stance which was hostile to classical sociology. The result was a displacement of sociological thought by Stalinist Marxism and romantic elitism, which could be partly overcome only after the abolition of the dictatorship of the colonels (1967-74), and which has created enduring deficiencies in the deliberative components of the politics of modernization in Greece.
Indigenous Sociologies
Authors: Akiwowo Akinsola
Published: March 2007

This article reopens a debate launched approximately a decade ago on the links between indigenous sociologies and internationalization of sociology and the sociology of one world. The author extends the `scope of the argument' regarding problems of indigenous sociology by re-examining the issues of the asuwada principle, the notion of asuwada eniyan, the concepts of ajobi and ajogbe as forms of sociation, and the logic of fuzzy thinking in the development of indigenous sociology.
Can We Plan Science?
Authors: Moravcsik Michael J.
Published: March 2007

After clarifying the concepts of "science" and of "planning" six aspects of planning are discussed, dealing with the time scale, with the interdependence of various systems, with the probability Interpretation of plans, with the dichotomy of quantity and quality, with who should plan, and with the balance between planning, decision making, and implementation. This is followed by an overview of input planning for manpower, finances, buildings and equipment, organizations, research, assessment and evaluation, and the linking of science with its environment. Then output planning is discussed and some of the main difficulties in it are listed. The discussion ends with a "checklist" of 16 features of planning that often go wrong in practice and which therefore should be paid attention to in order to make planning a creative component in the development of science, especially in the Third World.
A Necessary Evil: A Phenomenological Study of Student Experiences of Computer Conferencing
Authors: Robinson Paulette
Published: March 2007

This article is a phenomenological study of students' lived experience in a computer conference learning environment. Issues for students in computer conferences revolved around spatial disorientation: existential location, appearances in space, imagined space, word space, secret space, and being alone within a group. Within these spatial issues the students grappled with getting into a computer space, familiarity of use, getting stuck, and the class as a "necessary evil. " The article poses critical questions for educators to consider the use of computer conferencing as a learning environment.
STS in Engineering: The Teaching and Research Activities of the Centre for Technology and Social Development at the University of Toronto
Authors: Vanderburg W.H.
Published: March 2007

The conceptual framework and core courses of the certificate program in Preventive Engineering and Social Development of the Centre for Technology and Social Development at the University of Toronto are briefly described. Preventive approaches for the engi neering, management, and regulation of technology examine how technology fits into, interacts with, and depends on human life, society, and the biosphere in order to apply this understanding in a negative feed back mode to avoid or reduce harmful effects to these contexts. These approaches represent a new paradigm for engineering education and practice enriched through STS.
Goal Orientations of Adolescents, Coaches, and Parents:
Authors: Givvin Karen B.
Published: March 2007

The relations between the goal orientations of adolescents and those of their coaches and parents were examined in this study. Ninety swimmers, 12 through 15 years of age, coaches (N = 10), and parents (N = 71) completed the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ) with regard to the adolescents’ participation in swimming. Adolescents completed the TEOSQ two additional times: once as they thought their coaches would respond and again as they thought their parents would respond. The self-reported goal orientations of adolescents were correlated highly with their perceptions of the goal orientations of their significant adults but not with the self-reports of significant adults. Adolescents believed that the way they thought and felt about their swimming was more affected by their coaches than by their parents. Comparisons of goal orientations across gender and suggestions for further studies are discussed.
Developing Theory-Based Substance Abuse Prevention Programs for Young Adolescent Girls
Authors: Amaro Hortensia , Blake Susan M. , Schwartz Pamela M. , Flinchbaugh Laura J.
Published: March 2007

Considerable progress has been made in prevention science, and since reaching a high in the late 1970s and early 1980s, overall substance use has declined in the United States. However, for some populations and substances, smaller declines or even increased use has been observed. Notably, the traditional gender gap in substance use has decreased substantially, and it has disappeared completely for some substances, especially among younger cohorts. This article was written to integrate existing evidence on the relevance of gender for substance use prevention research and to move the field forward by suggesting theoretical models that might inform future prevention research with girls. This article reviews the following: (a) trends in substance use, (b) gender differences in risk factors, and (c) theoretical models deemed relevant to substance use prevention among girls. Finally, recommendations regarding needed research and prevention strategies that take gender, race, and ethnicity into account are provided.
Preceived Parent and Teacher Socialization Styles on Self-Esteem in Early Adolescence
Authors: Streitmatter Janice , Jones Randy M.
Published: March 2007

The responses of a sample of 1,026 female and 959 male early adolescents were examined to determine the influence of parent and teacher power on self-esteem. Several fmdings are indicated. Little significant correlation between items on the parent and teachers scales was found. A series of discriminant analyses was employed to examine the relationship between early adolescent self-esteem and perceptions of parent and teacher socialization styles. The self-esteem of girls does not appear to be strongly influenced by parents' or teachers' perceived styles. Conversely, boys may be more externally controlled at this age. With the earlier initiation of that notion, girls also begin the emotional separation from parents, or striving for independence and autonomy, at an earlier age as well.
Some Directions for the Investigation of Ego Development in Early Adolescence
Authors: Marcia James E.
Published: March 2007

Early adolescence is discussed as a period in the life cycle marked by two important events in ego development: the formation of an ego ideal and the synthesis of an ego identity, both established by means of exploration and experimentation. It is suggested that our society, as contrasted with those offering structured rites of passage, provides the prolonged period of adolescence necessary for this development to take place. Three important precursors at early adolescence to an achieved identity at late adolescence are proposed: confidence in parental support; a sense of industry; and a self-reflective approach to one's future. These three variables have theoretical links, respectively, to psychoanalytic theory, ego developmental (psychosocial) theory, and cognitive structural developmental theory. It is hypothesized that the three variables relate to each other and to the identity statuses at late adolescence in a hierarchical manner.
Sex Differences in Reading and Mathematics Achievement for Middle School Students
Authors: Sabers Darrell , Cushing Katherine , Sabers Donna
Published: March 2007

This paper reports a comparison between the performances of boys and girls on reading and mathematics objectives on a standardized achievement test, with each objective tested by a set of items. Differences in achievement between boys and girls from grades five through eight are discussed.
Adolescent Aggression and Parent-Adolescent Conflict: Relations between Observed Family Interactions and Measures of the Adolescents' General Functioning
Authors: Inoff-Germain Gale , Nottelmann Editha D. , Arnold Gina Snyder , Susman Elizabeth J.
Published: March 2007

The degree to which aggression is trait-like for adolescent boys and girls was examined in the families of 30 boys and 30 girls, nine to fourteen years of age and representing all five stages of pubertal development. Behavioral assessments included: (a) observational measures of aggressive behaviors shown by adolescents and controlling behaviors shown by parents in the context of family interaction and (b) trait-like measures of the adolescents' general functioning. Findings include evidence that increased expression of assertive forms of aggression is a developmental phenomenon for boys. Also, for boys, adjustment problems based on the trait-like measures were associated with adolescent inflexibility, defiance shown to both parents, and anger shown to mother, as well as controlling behaviors shown by both parents in the family interaction situation. For girls, adjustment problems based on the trait-like measures were associated with inflexibility and poor ability to concentrate in the family interaction situation. The findings suggest that adolescents' aggressive behaviors with parents represent trait-like as well as problem behavior more so for boys than for girls.
Role Strain in Early Adolescence
Authors: Fenzel L. Mickey
Published: March 2007

Although research on school transitions is growing, researchers continue to lack adequate models and tools for conceptualizing and assessing school transition stress. The present study uses the theoretical framework and research on occupational role strain in adulthood as such a model and suggests that early adolescents experience role strain in the exercise of their roles as students. This role-strain framework was used to create the Early Adolescent School Role Strain Inventory (EASRSI) to assess school-related strains emanating from three settings: school, home, and peer group. This study identifies strains that early adolescents may experience as students and discusses the development of the inventory. Psychometric data presented suggest that the EASRSI is a reliable and valid tool for assessing this strain. Finally, it is suggested that the EASRSI has value for researchers who wish to investigate school-related stress and for school personnel who wish to design developmentally appropriate school environments.
Madrid Adolescents Express an Interest in Gender Roles and Work Possibilities
Authors: Gibbons Judith L. , Bradford Rachel , Stiles Deborah A.
Published: March 2007

Three hundred fourteen adolescents (11-16 years of age) attending a lower middle class private school in Madrid, Spain, rated 10 qualities of the ideal man or ideal woman and drew a picture of the ideal person doing something. Being kind and honest was rated as the most important quality of the ideal person. The ideal woman, more often than the ideal man, was portrayed as physically mature, sexy, liking children, and working at a job or at home. The ideal man was shown engaged in a variety of activities, including sports, working in an office, or performing acts of heroism. A common image of the ideal person was an attractive and sexy singer. Comments on the drawings reflected many of the concerns of early adolescents, including an interest in gender roles, a commitment to work and the use of the imagination to conceive of a variety of possible future roles.
Transformations in Family Relations at Puberty
Authors: Anderson Edward R. , Hetherington E. Mavis , Clingempeel W. Glenn
Published: March 2007

Previous research has identified transformations in family relationships that occur during early adolescence in part as a function of the child's pubertal development. A longitudinal, multimethod, multimeasure study of family adjustment to remarriage was conducted to examine how these transformations might be altered as a function of concomitant adjustment to family reorganization in single-mother and stepfamily homes. It was found that transformations described in previous research applied only to nondivorced biological families. Dimensions of family relationships were not associated with pubertal status in divorced, single-mother families, with the exception of monitoring of daughters' behavior. During the early months following remarriage, associations of family relationships with pubertal status were opposite to that found for nondivorced families, indicating that parental remarriage may be most difficult for boys just prior to the onset of puberty. Over the two-year adjustment to remarriage, transformations in family relations resembled those of nondivorced families.
Public Policy and Young Adolescents
Authors: Lipsitz Joan
Published: March 2007

Two unfortunate trends have diminished the relevance for policymakers of developmental research on early adolescence: the absence of context-specific developmental studies, and the remoteness of developmental research from public-private policy analysis. Ironically, problem-oriented areas such as pregnancy and substance abuse prevention serve as exemplars of de-stigmatizing cooperation among developmentalists, demographers, and policy analysts that promotes healthy youth development. Because of the influence of developmentalists, middle schools are structurally poised to respond to the challenge of diverse groups of students. Nonetheless, the powerful interrelationship of poverty, race, and demographics has changed the ecology of early adolescence for substantial and identifiable subsets of the population, especially African-American and Hispanic youth. At stake is the preservation of early adolescence in the life cycle for all children regardless of their economic circumstances.
Perceptions of Drug Selling and Drug Use among Urban Youths
Authors: Feigelman Susan , Stanton Bonita F. , Ricardo Izabel
Published: March 2007

An exploratory study examining the meaning of drug use and drug trafficking among 64 urban youths and parents attending a community health center was conducted using qualitative and quantitative data-gathering techniques. Many youths had experimented with alcohol or tobacco but not illicit drugs. Drug use and drug trafficking ("running," selling, and dealing) were pervasive in the community, but youths viewed them as two separate activities. Whereas the youths believed that drugs were dangerous and considered themselves invulnerable to using drugs, many were conflicted about involvement in drug trafficking. Parents, however, perceived a close relationship between drug dealing and drug use and strongly feared the negative consequences of both activities. Due to the economic and social attractions of the drug trade, drug running and selling may be activities that serve as precursors to drug use. Attention should be directed toward prevention of drug trafficking as well as drug use, both serious risk behaviors.