bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
King's Theory of Goal Attainment
Authors: King Imogene M.
Published: March 2007

This article presents an overview of the meaning of the terms concept, theory, and conceptual system. It gives a detailed description of King's conceptual system including personal systems, interpersonal systems, and social systems, and a description of the theory of goal attainment. A discussion of the philosophical assumptions underpinning King's theory as well as the concepts of the theory are also included. Research (both completed and ongoing) and changes that have taken place in her theory are examined.
Health for People With a Terminal Diagnosis
Authors: Fryback Patricia B.
Published: March 2007

A naturalistic study was designed to investigate how people with terminal diseases describe health. Three domains emerged. The mental/emotional domain included hope, love, and control. The spiritual domain contained belief in a higher power, recognition of mortality, and self-actualization. The physical domain consisted of health promotion activities, feeling good, and relationship with a physician. This investigation suggested many similarities with Newman's model. One area of agreement was in the informants' belief that their disease was a part of their health. The emergence of the disease pattern allowed health to unfold. Many informants believed they became healthier because of their diagnoses.
Peplau's Theory in Practice
Authors: Reynolds William J.
Published: March 2007

Peplau's theory of interpersonal relations provides a useful framework for investigating clinical phenomena and guiding nurses' actions. The author describes clinical application of selected concepts from Peplau's theory which supports this assumption. While the case data are encouraging, it is suggested that there is a need to test the clinical effectiveness of Peplau's concepts by utilizing experimental research designs.
Newman's Theory of Health as Expanding Consciousness: Research on Family Caregiving in Mental Illness in Japan
Authors: Yamashita Mineko
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to apply Newman's theory in family caregiving situations in mental illness in Japan. The researcher chose the methodology of Newman's theory of health as expanding consciousness because of the good fit between Newman's model and the Japanese mindset. The study has provided support for the propositions the researcher had entertained prior to embarking on the field study. Newman's theory of health as praxis proved to be a viable methodology for this population in Japan. The findings support the premise of Newman's theory of the person-environment interaction patterns. As a result of pattern viewing, the majority of the participants in the study saw possibilities for action and decided to act themselves or on behalf of their sick relatives.
Autonomous Boards and Standards-Based Teacher Development
Authors: Scannell Marilyn M. , Metcalf Philip L.
Published: March 2007

This article provides a history of the Indiana Professional Standards Board in governing teacher preparation and licensure and the redesign of the state's teacher preparation and licensure system. The authors conclude that although there are tremendous challenges ahead, the board has earned the respect of education constituencies within the state and has been an effective force in bringing these constituencies to the table to discuss the issues facing teacher quality in Indiana.
Old and New Beliefs about Measurement-Driven Reform: "Build it and they will Come"
Authors: Noble Audrey J. , Smith Mary Lee
Published: March 2007

Recent incorporation of a performance assessment in Arizona's test mandate provided an opportunity to examine the assumptions and beliefs underlying measurement-driven reform. We argue that recent attempts to meld cognitive-constructivist beliefs about pupil learning and assessment contradict behaviorist beliefs about changing teachers and reforming schools. Data that illustrate this argument are drawn from a study that examined the interplay of policymaking and implementation, and practitioner response.
Helping Educators to Develop and Use Alternative Assessments: Barriers and Facilitators
Authors: Aschbacher Pamela R.
Published: March 2007

This article addresses some of the barriers that facilitators encountered in helping educators design and use alternative assessments at the classroom and district level. Researchers provided technical assistance to teachers and administrators at six sites and collected data on problems encountered and educators' evolving concepts of alternative assessment. Data were collected primarily via written surveys, interviews, and observations of working sessions. The key areas of difficulty educators faced in developing a deep understanding of alternative assessments included a tendency to focus on classroom activities rather than student goals, uncertainty in specifying criteria dimensions and desired performance levels for judging student work and anxiety about the high stakes of assessment. They also faced several generic challenges to implementation, such as lack of time, training, and planning. Facilitators included: a sense of purpose, being part of a group, administrative support, and sustained technical assistance or coaching. Many teachers reported that grappling with alternative assessments led to more positive views of assessment, greater reflection on their own work increased collegiality, and clarification of goals.
Deregulating Colleges: The Autonomy Experiment
Authors: Marcus Laurence R. , Pratt Barbara A. , Stevens Jacki L.
Published: March 2007

Until the mid-1980s, New Jersey's nine state colleges operated under state-level controls that were among the tightest in the nation. In 1986, new statutes were enacted to provide them with a large measure of autonomy from the state government for specific administrative, fiscal, and personnel matters, with boards of trustees assuming much of the responsibility and authority that was formerly lodged in several state agencies. This article discusses the transition process and reviews the outcomes of the new governance pattern. Further; because issues regarding the appropriate levels of centralization and decentralization remain a continuing theme in the polity of public higher education across the nation, conclusions are drawn from the New Jersey experience that may have utility to educational policymakers in other states considering deregulation of their public colleges and universities.
Standards and Charters: Horace Mann Meets Tinker Bell
Authors: Paris David C.
Published: March 2007

The movement for education reform is currently moving on two distinct tracks. One emphasizes national policies, especially subject-area standards. The other focuses on local control and experimentation through restructuring and charters. This article examines some of the strengths and weaknesses of each strategy and their consistency with one another The suggestion here is that it is difficult to combine the contemporary rhetoric of national aims with the culture of belief-often found in charter schools-that is crucial to local reform. A more realistic view of reform would be less concerned with competitiveness or elaborate standards and, within a looser structure that includes charter schools, more concerned with basic skills and habits.
Reframing "Science for all" through the Politics of Poverty
Authors: Barton Angela Calabrese
Published: March 2007

This article examines the educational research and policy surrounding "science for all" as it relates to children living and learning in poverty. The author illustrates that science for all students, although egalitarian in theory, has proven difficult to actualize among all students in all schools, especially those living and learning in poverty, in part because it positions students and science in a relationship where only students can change. It is argued that if "science for all" is to be a reality, then the reflexive nature of the relationship between science and all must be articulated.
A Managed Care Pharmacoeconomic Research Model Based on the Managed Care Outcomes Project
Authors: Horn Susan D. , Sharkey Phoebe D. , Levy Richard
Published: March 2007

Many American health care facilities have come to understand that quality controls cost. Clinical practice improvement (CPI) is a methodology that creates a clinical laboratory, built into the everyday practice setting, to find and test the best practices. A CPI study is an analysis of the content and timing of the individual steps of a medical care process to produce better clinical outcomes for the least necessary cost over the continuum of a patient's care. Statistical analyses are used to determine whether and how much a particular step actually improves medical outcomes. Systematic determination of individual medical process steps that improve medical outcomes is the best way to develop demonstrably better care and practice. Combining CPI methodology and a clinical quality monitor creates a dynamic environment in which all patient encounters potentially contribute to improving the process of care. We describe a recent multisite study: the Managed Care Outcomes Project (MCOP). The MCOP study design permits us to compare the effects of various pharmaceutical treatments on resource utilization in actual practice in managed care organizations. The MCOP database is an important resource for developing information required to design systems-based disease management programs. Copyright © 1995 by W.B. Saunders Company
Pain Management and Conscious Sedation for the Pediatric Patient
Authors: Poon Cathy Y.
Published: March 2007

Pain management in children was previously ignored primarily because of myths and misconceptions about childhood pain. Undertreatment of pain was once a common and accepted practice. However, in recent years, with increased knowledge and understanding coupled with improved pain assessment tools, health care providers are more conscious about providing adequate and safe analgesia to children. Because of the differences in patient response to various pharmacological agents, it is important to understand the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic differences of the various agents. Choices of pain management should be individualized, and adjustments should be made based on the patient's clinical condition. Conscious sedation before diagnostic and therapeutic procedures should be approached with caution. Deaths and complications related to conscious sedation therapy have prompted the development of guidelines for safer and more effective pharmacological interventions. The recently published guidelines include recommendations for skilled personnel, continuous monitoring, appropriate use of drugs, and ability to manage unforeseen complications. Selection of the most appropriate sedatives should take into consideration the type of procedure, the patient's clinical condition, and the desired level and duration of consciousness. Similar to pain management, individualization is crucial. This article will discuss the principles of pain management and conscious sedation in children. Facts and scientific findings will be presented to discredit the myths and misconceptions often associated with pediatric pain. Various pain assessment tools will be summarized. The newly published sedation guidelines set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs will be briefly discussed. Furthermore, commonly used agents will be reviewed. Copyright © 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company
Pharmacists in State Government — The Medicaid Perspective
Authors: Shirley Marc
Published: March 2007

The practice of pharmacy offers a myriad of career opportunities. This article presents one individual's experiences in a somewhat unique practice setting: administration of a state Medicaid pharmacy program. Medicaid programs, jointly funded by the federal and state governments, finance the provision of medically necessary services to a defined recipient population. States can optionally cover "prescribed drugs" as part of their program. In one form or another, all have chosen to do so. It is in the design, maintenance and enhancement of the drug benefit program that the pharmacist can use his or her experience—clinical, business and personal—to assure the most cost-efficient and medically appropriate administration of these tax-funded programs. The magnitude of Medicaid programs, and the attendant administrative challenges they present, offer a wide variety of opportunities for a pharmacist's professional growth. The pharmacist in this position deals extensively with formularies and state and federal drug laws. It is not uncommon for the pharmacist to participate in various administrative policy committees and be an integral part of agency decision making pertaining to the Medicaid pharmacy benefit. Federal budget law in 1990 mandated the creation and use of drug utilization review boards by all state Medicaid agencies. Oversight of the functions and coordination with these boards is generally the pharmacist's responsibility.
Cardiac Therapy for Men with Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Keaton Kristy A. , Pierce Linda L.
Published: March 2007

A phenomenological inquiry was conducted to uncover the lived experience of cardiac therapy for men with coronary artery disease in Northwest Ohio. Five men age 60 to 70 years were purposively selected to participate. Data obtained from individual audiotaped interviews were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method. Eight major themes emerged: (a) feelings of fear and disbelief, (b) being aware of mortality, (c) losing control of self, (d) halting usual activities and future plans, (e) heightening awareness of spirituality and belief in a higher power, (f) resigning to accept external forces and required changes, (g) increasing sense of well-being, and (h) receiving a second chance and moving forward. This study makes valuable contributions to nursing by increasing awareness of actual lived experiences of cardiac therapy for men, offering direction for cardiac therapy programs to assist men with holistic lifestyle modifications that enable them to increase wellness, and serving as an impetus for further research.
Facilitators and Barriers to Elders’ Practice of T’ai Chi
Authors: Chen Kuei-Min , Snyder Mariah , Krichbaum Kathleen
Published: March 2007

Research has documented the positive effects that t’ai chi has on the well-being of elders. However, the reasons that elders practice t’ai chi have not been explored. The purpose of this study was to describe the facilitators and barriers to t’ai chi practice in elderly populations. Taiwanese community-dwelling elders (40 of whom practiced t’ai chi and 40 who did not) aged 65 and older, matched on age and gender, were interviewed. Results showed that encouragement from others was the most important factor for elders to practice t’ai chi, whereas positive health outcomes were the reason they continued to practice it. Most of the non-t’ai chi group participants had never thought about practicing t’ai chi because they felt they were too weak to practice. Because t’ai chi can be helpful in promoting the well-being of elders, it is essential for health care professionals to overcome the barriers to its uses in elderly populations.
Patient Expectations and Anticipated Responses to Postsurgical Pain
Authors: Jairath Nalini , Kowal Nancy
Published: March 2007

This descriptive study investigated the factors that influenced the intended pain management behaviors of a sample of 186 patients awaiting major surgical procedures. Pain management behaviors were defined as those related to reporting of postsurgical pain and seeking postsurgical pain management. Less than 44% of respondents specified the type of sensation, duration, similarity to previous pain, and source of pain as factors affecting the decision to seek help for pain. Only 9% expected complete relief with appropriate treatment, and 19% of respondents would wait for treatment to be given or offered, if pain returned following treatment. Moreover, less than 5% of respondents identified physicians or nurses as ways “by which you have learned about pain control.” These findings underscore the need for comprehensive, individualized pain education protocols throughout the period of care delivery. Special emphasis should be placed on patient empowerment and decision making to seek appropriate pain management.
Exposure to Physical Violence During Childhood, Aging, and Health
Authors: Shaw Benjamin A. , Krause Neal
Published: March 2007

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to estimate the relationship between exposure to physical violence administered by one’s parents and adult health. In the process, the authors also examine factors that mediate and moderate this association. Methods: Hypothesized relationships were tested using ordinary least squares regression analyses with data collected from a nationwide sample of adults aged 25 to 74 in 1995. Results: The data suggest that exposure to childhood physical violence is associated with diminished mental and physical health in adulthood. These associations do not vary by respondent’s age. Furthermore, the long-term effects of childhood physical violence are largely mediated by psychosocial resources. Discussion: These results support the idea that the effects of childhood trauma may persist into later life. Therefore, in studying the antecedents of current health problems among adults, it may be necessary to consider the influence of events that have occurred throughout the entire life course.
Using Age-Neutral Physical Activity Questionnaires in Research with the Elderly
Authors: Washburn Richard A. , Jette Alan M. , Janney Carol A.
Published: March 2007

We compared physical activity levels reported on an age-neutral questionnaire with physical activity estimates derived from a 3-day activity diary in 123 community-dwelling volunteers age 65-91 years. On average, the questionnaire data underestimated the amount of time spent in physical activity by approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes per day. The magnitude of the absolute reporting error was small for the most strenuous activity category (approximately 5 minutes per day), but substantial for the least strenuous category (approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes per day). Reporting error was similar by respondents' age, gender, and health status, but higher among those with less education and income, and higher for those who did more physical activity. Our results suggest that age-neutral physical activity questionnaires should not be used in investigations involving older populations. A physical activity diary, which utilizes a categorical format to prompt and guide the respondent, may provide a more useful current alternative method for physical activity assessment in older people.
Attitudes toward and Use of Subsequent Nursing Home Services among a National Sample of Older Adults
Authors: Rabiner Donna J.
Published: March 2007

This study was designed to examine the relationship between attitudes toward nursing homes and subsequent nursing home utilization, and assess the impact of prior nursing home utilization on subsequent attitudes among a national sample of older Americans. Multivariate estimation procedures for complex survey designs were performed on the National Long-Term Care Survey data set. Although prior nursing home use did not directly affect subsequent attitudes toward nursing homes, having favorable attitudes about nursing homes increased the odds of using subsequent nursing home services by 1.5 and increased the total nursing home length of stay by 17%. Implications of this research for public policy and long-term care treatment planning are discussed.
Organizational Form and Nursing Home Behavior
Authors: Luksetich William , Edwards Mary E. , Carroll Thomas M.
Published: March 2007

The authors identify differences in performance among for-profit, nonprofit, and government-owned nursing homes in Minnesota. They investigate whether homes of diverse ownership types distribute their surpluses differently, if those differences narrow over time, and if the various ownership types react differently to changes in the regulatory environment. Government-owned and nonprofit homes spend more per resident day for nursing care costs than do independent for-profit homes. Chain affiliation is important in explaining persistent spending differences. There is an agency problem: Nursing homes belonging to chains behave differently from their independent counterparts. Secular non-profits belonging to national chains spend less of their surplus on nursing care costs after regulations allowed more of this form of spending to be recouped in rates charged to the residents. The secular firms affiliated with national chains spend less on nursing care than the control group. As the predicted surpluses of for-profit chains increase, the owners’ compensation falls.
Evaluation of Differences in Giving and Volunteering Data Collected by In-Home and Telephone Interviewing
Authors: Kirsch Arthur D. , McCormackw Michael T. , Saxon-Harrold Susan K. E.
Published: March 2007

While preparing for its 1999 study, Giving and Volunteering in the United States , Independent Sector was told by its contractor that starting in 2000, it could no longer conduct the survey using in-home interviews. Independent Sector contracted with another company to do a parallel study in 1999 by telephone to identify issues related to changing the survey mode. The results showed highly statistically significant differences on many of the major questions, raising questions as to whether the differences were mainly due to between-company or between-collection modalities. Another company was then commissioned to do both an in-home study and a telephone study in two cities in New England. With similar training for all interviewers, better sampling methods, prior letters to potential respondents, incentives, and multiple follow-ups, the results showed no significant differences between modes on any of the major questions.
Cultural Diversity and High School Community Service: The Relationships between Ethnicity and Students’ Perceptions
Authors: Raskoff Sally A. , Sundeen Richard A.
Published: March 2007

This article reports the results of an analysis of the relationship between cultural statuses and the socialization of youth into civic roles. The data tell an interesting story regarding perceptions of community service program experiences among students from different racial/ethnic backgrounds and schools with different class and racial/ethnic characteristics. Findings from the quantitative and qualitative analyses reveal important similarities and differences among race/ethnic groups in their community service experiences that have direct theoretical, policy, and practical implications.
The Commercialization of Voluntary Sport Organizations in Norway
Authors: Enjolras Bernard
Published: March 2007

Following a theoretical analysis of factors that may account for the level of commercialization of voluntary sports organizations, commercialization is measured using cross-sectional data at the organizational level. The potential crowding-out effect between (a) commercial resources and (b) public and voluntary resources is investigated. The findings show that the level of commercialization in this sphere is already significant, although dependent on the definition of commercialization. The most commercialized organizations are those that are particularly oriented toward competitions and most dedicated to team sports. The empirical analysis supports the theoretical approach. The greater the facility by which the sport may be transformed into a private good, the more likely it is that the organization will be commercialized. Finally, commercialization does not hinder public sector support nor voluntary work; the most commercialized organizations are also those receiving the largest share of public funds, and increasing commercial resources does not reduce the level of voluntary work.
Tax and Government Policy Implications for Corporate Foundation Giving
Authors: Webb Natalie J.
Published: March 2007

Even though there were over four million firms in 1988, only 1,300firms had foundations. However, these foundations contributed nearly $1.3 billion to charities. This article examines the effects of tax and other government policies on the establishment and use of corporate foundations in the United States from the early 1900s until the late 1980s. In addition, the study looks at the effect of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 on corporate and foundation giving. Two hypotheses are tested. First, corporate foundations may allow firms to smooth corporate gifts and maintain a steady level of corporate "goodwill." The notion of goodwill is similar to firm image or reputation. Second, corporate foundations may allow firms to minimize their tax bills, or maximize profits, over time. The findings of this paper support both hypotheses under the assumption that firms are profit maximizers. Tax and government policy makers can affect the timing and amount of corporate charitable donations by changing the corporate marginal tax rate, the social perceptions of corporate charitable activities (including foundations), the rulings on tax liability for foundations, and laws on deductibility of corporate and foundation gifts.
Defining Who is a Volunteer: Conceptual and Empirical Considerations
Authors: Cnaan Ram A. , Handy Femida , Wadsworth Margaret
Published: March 2007

T1he term volunteer is used too broadly in denoting nonsalaried service. In this article, the authors attempt to delineate the boundaries of the term volunteer. They first reviewed 11 widely used definitions of volunteer. Using a content analysis, they identified four key dimensions commonly found in most definitions of volunteer. They then proposed an internal continuum (Guttman scale) for each dimension that distinguished between "pure" and "broadly defined" volunteers. They analyzed the importance of these dimensions in determining how people perceive what makes a volunteer. They expanded this analysis by introducing and exemplifying the concept of the net cost of volunteering. They developed a 21-item instrument and asked 514 respondents to assess the extent to which each item represented their perceptions of a volunteer. Their findings support the dimensions and their continuum as well as the importance of net cost as a basis for public perceptions of what makes a volunteer.
The Ecumenical Outreach Coalition: A Case Study of Converging Interests and Network Formation for Church and Community Cooperation
Authors: Koch Jerome R. , Johnson D. Paul
Published: March 2007

This study examines the formation of a particular ecumenical coalition of churches that emerged in response to decaying neighborhood conditions. An "Open Systems Role-Set Theory" is applied to a qualitative case study of interchurch cooperation. This model examines the process through which this new organization resulted in changes in leaders' social networks, which led to changes in strategies for community outreach. Although this study focused specifically on an ecumenical alliance of religious congregations, leadership networks and coalitions generate cooperation and/or competition between agencies throughout the independent sector. One basic theme that emerges from this study suggests that the makeup of, and political dynamics within, leaders' role sets drive the process through which organizational decisions are made and resources are allocated.
Emergent Order and Self-Organization: A Case Study of Alcoholics Anonymous
Authors: Zohar Asaf , Borkman Thomasina
Published: March 2007

Based on a case study of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the authors argue that some self-help organizations are able to translate their tradition of group-level experiential learning into unique organization-wide learning cultures. The underlying premise of such learning cultures is that organization-level structures and processes evolve in response to group-level experiences. Instead of adopting a rigidly centralized, top-down approach, some self-help organizations appear to be driven by the collective needs and experiences of their member groups. In some cases, the most critical role of the central organizing body is to create a context within which multiple, diverse local groups are allowed to organize themselves according to their unique circumstances, opportunities, and challenges. The article uses a perspective in which it is possible to understand AA's approach to organization as the enactment of a self-organizing, emergent design process that is driven byanorganizationalcultureofexperientiallearningandexplorestherelevance of this to other self-help organizations.
Access, Hospital Ownership, and Competition between For-Profit and Nonprofit Institutions
Authors: Wolff Nancy , Schlesinger Mark
Published: March 2007

The authors argue that past studies of ownership inadequately control for the ways in which competition alters ownership-related differences. Survey data from 1975, 1980, and 1986 are used to estimate the changing effect of hospital ownership and between-sector competition on access to inpatient psychiatric care over a period when for-profit competition was increasing. Results show that during the noncompetitive period (1975), nonprofit psychiatric hospitals were more willing to admit costly patients. As cross-ownership competition increased, nonprofit hospitals became more willing to admit uninsured and underinsured patients, but they also grew more sensitive to cost of care. For-profit hospitals became more sensitive to the generosity of reimbursement but less sensitive to cost of care.
Social Class and the Daily Lives of Children
Authors: LAREAU ANNETTE
Published: March 2007

Using ethnographic data of US white and African-American children 7-10 years of age, this study examines the role of social class in shaping the contours of childhood, pace and rhythm of life, and the amount of interweaving between parents' and children's lives. Focusing on middle-class and working-class boys, the results show that middle-class children spend time in activities organized by adults stressing public performance and skill development. Working-class children's lives tend to revolve around informal play, visiting kin and `hanging out'. Middle-class children's activities, while formally leisure, were similar to school activities. There are also parallels between middle-class children's activities and the nature of their parents' work.
Local, Global or Globalized?
Authors: BURMAN ERICA
Published: March 2007

This article elaborates a conceptual framework for examining international child rights legislation and the concept of childhood that underlies it. The distinctions between local, global and globalized conceptions of childhood are analysed as central to consideration of the success, and limitations, of international policies and programmes. Drawing on analyses of the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, conceptual limitations of a shift from generalization to naturalization are identified. These culminate in a globalization of childhood that is particularly evident in models of psychological development. The article outlines how assumptions about the separation of individual and society, and development from culture, play a key role in this process. At the level of practice, therefore, the article argues for the need to maintain a critical vigilance on the adequacy of the conceptual resources that inform policy and programmes for children. The article concludes by suggesting that, in seeking to promote children's well-being and welfare across the world, there is no escape from treading the difficult path between the globalizations of cultural imperialism and the cultural relativism of localized conceptions. While important and necessary, rights legislation on its own can work to obscure the inevitability and pervasiveness of such issues.
Methods Used in Research with Street Children in Nepal
Authors: BAKER RACHEL , PANTER-BRICK CATHERINE , TODD ALISON
Published: March 2007

The article presents a description and critique of a large range of anthropological methods used in research with children in Nepal. It highlights the importance of a comparative, multidisciplinary and emic perspective. The value of empirical biological research methods, their potential for triangulation with social methods and validity for policy and programming are discussed. Data collected on physical and psychological well-being of children facilitate a comparison of homeless street children with other rural and urban control groups. The nature of researcher-informant relationships is crucial to the quality of information gleaned from traditional methods of demographic survey and observation.
The Sooty Show Laid Bear
Authors: EMMISON MICHAEL , GOLDMAN LAURENCE
Published: March 2007

This article seeks to examine the complex nature of pretence as portrayed in a popular UK children's television puppet show. Central to the various theoretical concerns with make-believe - philosophical, psychological and lucid - has been the phenomenological axis of the `real-imaginary'. Because of the serial types of transformations undertaken by characters in the programme and the reliance placed on natural models of conversation, the problematic nature of this core boundary is highlighted. Despite its overt status as a fictional representation of animal behaviour, the very animality of the puppets is rendered opaque as their identities as children are linguistically accomplished. As a consequence we argue that the show as a piece of representational art is structured by moral and behavioural dictates typical of conventional adult-child interaction.
Seeing the World Through Mortal Kombat-colored Glasses
Authors: KIRSH STEVEN J.
Published: March 2007

This study investigated the effects of playing violent vs non-violent video games on the interpretation of ambiguous provocation situations. The participants played either a very violent video game or a relatively non-violent video game for several minutes. Children were then read five stories in which a same-sex peer caused a clearly negative event to happen but where the peer's intent was ambiguous. After each story, children were asked a series of questions about the peer's intent, subsequent actions and potential punishment. Responses were coded in terms of amount of negative and violent content. Results indicated that children playing the violent video game responded more negatively on three of the six ambiguous provocation story questions than children playing the non-violent video game. These data suggest that playing violent video games leads to the development of a hostile attribution bias.
Play and Games in the Peer Cultures of Preschool and Preadolescent Children
Authors: EVALDSSON ANN-CARITA , CORSARO WILLIAM A.
Published: March 2007

This article is an ethnographic study of children's production and participation in play and games in an Italian preschool and an afterschool program in a Swedish elementary school. Most traditional theoretical and empirical work on children's play and games has focused on the contributions of these activities for children's development of social, cognitive and communicative skills. Other research has extended this developmental focus by examining play and games as valued activities in children's production, organization and maintenance of their peer cultures. This article extends this work by examining play and games as part of a process of interpretive reproduction in children's lives. We demonstrate how children in the production of play and games simultaneously use (as well as refine and develop) a wide range of communicative skills, collectively participate in and extend their peer cultures, and appropriate features of, and develop an orientation to, the wider adult culture.
Children and Young People's Views of Social Research
Authors: EDWARDS ROSALIND , ALLDRED PAM
Published: March 2007

In recent years there has been a concern to produce guidelines and explore ethical practice in social research with children. Much of this is framed within a general concern to empower children. However, there has been little attention paid to exploring how children can view research and what understandings inform their decisions about participation. This article draws on empirical data to argue that children's views of research are linked to the meaning of the particular research topic in the pre-existing and interlocking personal, local and wider societal contexts of their lives generally. Researchers may seek to provide children with the means to make an informed consent about participation in, and to empower them through, research. However, children can view children in different ways, whatever our intentions.
The Historical Development of the Child Welfare System in Latin America
Authors: PILOTTI FRANCISCO J.
Published: March 2007

Using the Convention on the Rights of the Child as a powerful advocacy tool, the children's rights movement in Latin America has accomplished significant advances in the promotion of children's entitlements and welfare over the last decade. Specifically, there has been a measure of success in advancing legal reforms aimed at adjusting domestic laws to the standards set forth in the Convention. However, the recognition of formal entitlements in the new legislations has not been accompanied by a comparable improvement in service provision to the children of the poorer sectors of society, which constitute the vast majority of youngsters in this region. To a great extent, this lag can be explained by the structural constraints that limit the pace of reforms within the welfare state apparatus in developing economies, the legacies of past institutional arrangements and the contradictory ideological undercurrents present in the social construction of childhood in societies characterized by profound class cleavages. From this perspective, this article attempts to provide historical clues for the understanding of some of the challenges faced by most present-day child welfare systems in Latin America.
`Our Right is the Right to Be Killed'
Authors: GODOY ANGELINA SNODGRASS
Published: March 2007

This study seeks to understand the ways in which street children in Guatemala City are empowered or disempowered to defend their basic rights, on the street and in the courts. Through in-depth interviews with youths living on the street and those who work with them, I look closely at the process by which street children decide to file denuncias - to take the first step in opening a legal case to seek justice for abuses suffered. I argue that the decision to take legal action is not based on concrete expectations of legal redress so much as belief in basic human rights principles. The likelihood that an individual child will find human rights rhetoric as relevant has less to do with his or her lived experience of the legal system, and more to do with his or her perceived connectedness to mainstream society and its institutions. The more marginalized a child perceives herself to be, the more likely she is to eschew conventional attempts to convince her she has rights to be defended. In social spaces of truly extreme marginality, legal rights lose meaning. This has clearly important implications for any attempt to secure rights for the marginalized.
Lester Brown, the Worldwatch Institute, and the Dilemmas of Technocratic Revolution
Authors: Wallis Victor
Published: March 2007

The Worldwatch Institute, founded and led by Lester Brown, is the world's preeminent authority on environmental issues. This article, taking off from an in-depth examination of its publications, weighs the institute's achievements and shortcomings. Positive features are the quality of its research, the range of topics it covers, its imaginative technological proposals, and its ability to popularize. The principal (but critical) negative trait is its failure to address the structural obstacles to the transformation it calls for Worldwatch largely ignores the environmental practices of particular transnational corporations. It tends to favor "market environmentalism " but does not examine the actual workings of this approach. Both in Brown's philosophy and in the institute's funding connections, the influence of corporate capital is evident. An alternative direction for ecological educators is suggested by the environmental justice movement.
Environment and Resource Protection
Authors: Marchak M. Patricia
Published: March 2007

Claims made by the United States and Canadian governments to the effect that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is beneficial for the North American environment are contested with reference to the actual text of the NAFTA and its side agreements and to cases and current history related to it. The argument is that although NAFTA has more to say about environmental issues, in fact, it is not protective of the environment. Provisions in the agreement for environmental and resource protection are weak or nonexistent. Its primary objective is to promote trade and investment, and these take precedence over environmental concerns. As well, the Commission on Environmental Cooperation has limited capacity to deal with environmental issues, and again, trade issues are paramount.
Emulation, Imitation, and Global Consumerism
Authors: Wilk Richard
Published: March 2007

Consumption is a key mediator of the environmental impact of human population on this planet. The prospects for a sustainable future with 10 or more billion people, consuming at present North American levels, are quite dim. There has been a good deal of social science research on the forces that impel and restrain consumption, but this literature has rarely been directly connected to environmental issues. This article discusses different scenarios for the development and growth of consumer culture, challenging the utility of strictly diffusionary emulation models. Instead, heterogeneity and divergence in levels of consumption is likely, far into the future. Theories of consumption are surveyed, and avenues for future research are suggested.
The Advantages of Ideological Cohesion
Authors: McGann A. J.
Published: March 2007

This article develops a model of parties in multi-party systems. Instead of treating parties as vote-maximizing candidates able to take any position, parties are assumed to be controlled or at least constrained by their supporters. The model relies on a process whereby supporters sort themselves between parties, as in Aldrich (1983) and the economics literature starting with Tiebout (1956). The results of the model are sensitive to the shape of the preference distribution, particularly its skewness. This can be used to explain how a cohesive minority may have more influence than a more dispersed majority, and why certain parties are systematically advantaged over others.
The Problem of Party System Change
Authors: Mair Peter
Published: March 2007

The wave of electoral volatility which swept across most of the West European polities in the late 1960s and 1970s has led many scholars to suggest that the European party systems are now experiencing a major transformation. Given such an emphasis in the contemporary literature, this article attempts to identify some of the key problems in defining what is meant by party system change. Four such problems are identified. First, that of distinguishing party change, on the one hand, and party system change, on the other. Second, the problem of treating measures of electoral volatility as indicators of cleavage decline, and the extent to which evidence of electoral change can be seen as a valid challenge to the Lipset-Rokkan `freezing' hypothesis. Third, the problem of determining the level of electoral volatility which actually `matters' in discussions of party system change. Fourth, the problem of the electoral bias itself, which often leads researchers to neglect other, non-electoral, dimensions of change which, in turn, may well prove to have been both more fundamental and more enduring.
The Implications of Self-Interest
Authors: Miller Trudi C.
Published: March 2007

Consistent application of the assumption that individuals are motivated by self-interest leads to a populist policy prescription today. To increase political freedom under conservative (limited) democracy - and rates of economic growth under competitive capitalism - it is necessary to distribute income (money) directly to workers. Adam Smith's dual definition of self-interest (in terms of self-serving passions, as well as self-serving economic rationality) provides the primary basis for this policy prescription. Empirical support for Smith's dual definition of self-interest is provided by 20th-century findings on the structure and evolution of the human brain
Gorbachev's Strategy of Political Centrism
Authors: Batty Susan E. , Danilovic Vesna
Published: March 2007

The theoretical arguments of Breslauer, Brown and Hough identify Gorbachev's leadership approach as a strategy of radical centrism, fulfilling the theoretical expectations of a successful transitional leader. However, we know that in terms of Gorbachev's personal success as a leader, the strategy ultimately failed, casting doubt on the individual rationality of centrism as a valid leadership approach in periods of transition. In this paper, we argue that Gorbachev's strategy was indeed rational. But the argument of rationality depends on an understanding that Gorbachev was acting simultaneously in multiple political arenas, and that he was fully aware of these interwoven power structures. Thus, he is assumed to have been a sophisticated strategist. The paradox remains, why did a rational actor using sophisticated strategies eventually fail? We develop an argument based on rational choice theory using multiple-level game analysis to demonstrate the sequential process that may explain this paradox.
Between Quiescence and Rebellion Among the Peasantry
Authors: Anderson Leslie
Published: March 2007

This essay is a theoretical and empirical test of two major theories of peasant political action, James Scott's Moral Economy of the Peasant and Samuel Popkin's The Rational Peasant. The essay draws primarily upon testimony taken from peasant activists involved in a wide range of different forms of political action. The essay goes on to operationalize core elements from each of these two theories and to compare them statistically to determine which is stronger in explaining different types of peasant political action. The qualitative and quantitative findings show that Scott's theory is stronger when explaining choices of extreme action such as rebellion whereas Popkin's theory is primarily important with respect to tactics of collective nonviolence. Both theories and both kinds of motivation are needed to provide an explanation for the full range of possible peasant political actions. The conclusion points toward a need for a more comprehensive and inclusive theory of political motivation incorporating both self-interested and community-oriented types of motivation.
The Formation of Policy Networks
Authors: König Thomas , Bräuninger Thomas
Published: March 2007

This article attempts to explain why actors form policy networks of information and exchange contacts, and how the institutional settings of public decision-making affect policy network formation. In their empirical analysis of the formation of four different policy networks in the German labour-policy domain, the authors examine actors' choice of mutual contacts resting on similarity of preferences on political events and test the importance of either formal procedural settings or common sector membership for information and exchange network formation. The choice of policy network contacts is shown to be primarily determined by the similarity of actors' preferences. However, this is qualified by institutional settings.