bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Profiling Child Sexual Abusers
Authors: MURPHY WILLIAM D. , PETERS JAMES M.
Published: March 2007

Mental health professionals are increasingly being asked to provide expert testimony in the area of child sexual abuse. One controversial area is the provision of legal testimony regarding profiles of child sexual offenders. The current article addresses the scientific evidence of such testimony with a specific focus on current research with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory and penile plethysmography. A companion article, by Peters and Murphy (in this special issue), addresses the legal issues surrounding such testimony. Conclusions from reviewing the existing literature suggest that there is limited empirical data to support contentions that mental health professionals can provide such testimony.
The Psychobiology of Female Aggression
Authors: FISHBEIN DIANA H.
Published: March 2007

Previous studies on the biology of human aggression have focused largely on the contribution of sex hormones to male aggression. Studies of female aggression are few; they typically extrapolate from studies of male aggression and neglect the dynamic interaction between environment and biology. Behavioral responses are influenced by the gestational biological environment and biochemical fluctuations that occur later. Differences in brain function between males and females result, in part, from these biochemical influences and may contribute to differential aggressive responses. This biological template for behavior interacts with the physical and social environment in both males and females to determine aggressive responses. Thus the present review suggests that pre- or postnatal biological experiences, combined with a socially disadvantageous environment, predispose certain women to antisocial behavior. Once the relative contributions of these conditions are examined and confirmed, strategies for prevention, early detection, and treatment may more specifically target an appropriate female subgroup.
The Anger Expression Scale and State-Trait Anger Scale
Authors: KRONER DARYL G. , REDDON JOHN R.
Published: March 2007

The present study examined psychometric properties of the Anger Expression Scale (AX) and the State-Trait Anger Scale (STAS) in an inmate sample. Principal component analysis of the Anger Expression Scale yielded three factors: anger-in, anger-out, and anger-control. The internal consistency reliabilities of the factor scales were .72, .80, and .87, respectively. Three factors were indicated for the State-Trait Anger Scale: experience of anger/hostility (state items), arousal of anger (seven trait items), situational anger when devalued (three trait items), with internal consistency alphas of .94, .79, .71, respectively. Although there was a factor distinction between state- and trait-anger, test-retest coefficients were stronger for the state than for the trait subscale, thereby questioning a temporal state/trait distinction. Overall, the results support the use of the Anger Expression Scale for inmates, but the State-Trait Anger Scale should be used with caution.
A National Program for the Assessment and Treatment of Sex Offenders in the English Prison System
Authors: GRUBIN DON , THORNTON DAVID
Published: March 2007

A new national prison strategy for the assessment and treatment of sex offenders in England is described. Its main features are the potential inclusion of all convicted sex offenders sentenced to 4 or more years in prison, a coordinated and systematized assessment and treatment package, reliance on nonspecialist personnel to deliver treatment, and the integration of population and program research. Individuals are allocated to treatment depending on an assessment of the seriousness of their offending and their risk of reoffending, using an algorithm based on conviction history. The rationale underlying key decisions is described, and issues raised by the program are discussed.
Screening Tests for Pedophilia
Authors: ABEL GENE G. , LAWRY SUZANN S. , KARLSTROM ELISABETH , OSBORN CANDICE A. , GILLESPIE CHARLES F.
Published: March 2007

Child molesters frequently position themselves in organizations so as to easily access children. Interviews for applicants of such positions, psychological tests, home visits to applicants' residences, criminal record checks for prior convictions, and letters of reference have all been used in an attempt to identify applicants with proclivities toward pedophilia, but none of these methodologies have been validated. The standard methods for reporting the effectiveness of screening tests are reviewed with special emphasis on the sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency of such testing, within the context of the prevalence of various diseases being screened for. Volumetric and circumferential phallometry have relatively high efficiencies, but their intrusiveness, cost, and the length of the assessment process preclude their use as a screening methodology for pedophiles within organizations. The efficiency of a new, less intrusive, screening methodology, the Abel Screen, compares favorably with phallometry in identifying those at risk for involvement with prepubescent and pubescent boys. The risk of applicants accessing boys in institutional settings could be significantly reduced by using the Abel Screen in such settings.
The Impact of Publicized Executions on Homicide
Authors: STACK STEVEN
Published: March 2007

Research on the effect of publicized executions on homicide has been marked by a neglect of the concept of audience receptiveness. The present article applies Blumer's concept of differential audience receptivity to racial differences in reactions to publicized executions. It argues that African Americans are less responsive to punishment and labeling because they are already outsiders in a mostly Caucasian society and that they have a lower stake in conformity than Caucasians. Analysis of daily U.S. data found that, for African Americans, publicized executions had no effect on homicide. In contrast, publicized executions resulted in a significant decline in homicide for Caucasians. Little publicized executions had no effect on homicide. Policy and research implications of these results are considered.
Inmate Views About the Purpose and Use of the MMPI-2 at the Time of Correctional Intake
Authors: GALLAGHER ROBERT W. , BEN-PORATH YOSSEF S. , BRIGGS SYLVESTER
Published: March 2007

A total of 78 correctional inmates were surveyed anonymously on their views about the purpose and use of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) when it is administered as part of a correctional intake evaluation. Most of the inmates had a relatively realistic view about the MMPI-2's purpose and use. A substantial percentage of the inmates admitted intentionally distorting their self-presentation. Implications of these findings for the MMPI-2's use in corrections are discussed.
Risk and Need Assessment of Juvenile Offenders
Authors: JUNG SANDY , RAWANA EDWARD P.
Published: March 2007

The validity of a newly developed probation risk and need assessment instrument, the Ministry Risk/Need Assessment Form (MRNAF), was evaluated in a medium-sized Canadian city over-represented by Native Canadians. In the present study, 263 young offenders were assessed on the MRNAF. At 6 months, 250 youths were followed-up to determine if they had offended subsequent to their initial assessment. Results indicated that the total risk/need score and all of the eight risk/need factors could discriminate between recidivists and nonrecidivists. Moreover, despite some differences between Native and non-Native youths and between male and female youths, the ethnicity and sex of young offenders were inconsequential with regards to the instrument's prediction of recidivism. Therefore, the findings support MRNAF as a robust risk/need assessment instrument to ethnicity and sex.
Without Appointed Counsel in Capital Postconviction Proceedings
Authors: CUNNINGHAM MARK D. , VIGEN MARK P.
Published: March 2007

Debate continues about whether the higher standard of reliability of death penalty proceedings extends to providing appointed counsel to death row prisoners in state postconviction (i.e., habeas corpus or collateral relief) proceedings. To better inform this discussion, 44 of 52 death row inmates in Mississippi, a state that has not in the past typically provided appointed counsel in state postconviction litigation, were evaluated regarding their underlying abilities, relevant aptitudes, specific legal knowledge, and psychological stability to competently represent themselves in collateral relief proceedings. The Mississippi death row inmates exhibited a pattern of broad deficits in requisite verbal intellectual ability, reading comprehension, legal aptitude, knowledge specific to postconviction practice, and psychological well-being. These deficits raise grave concerns regarding the self-representation competency of Mississippi death row prisoners. These findings may also be applicable to other jurisdictions and contexts.
On the Problems of Discovering what's Really New in Public Administration
Authors: Wamsley Gary L.
Published: March 2007

This short essay is a rejoinder to the article by H. George Frederickson titled "The Lineage of the New Public Administration, " which appeared in the August 1976 issue of Administration and Society.
Coordinating for the Collective Good
Authors: Abolafia Mitchel
Published: March 2007

This article investigates resistance to the implementation of a federal program of coastal zone planning. Interviews were conducted with officials in New York State and Washington, D.C., to explore the dynamics of state and local responses to a federal grant-in-aid. Resistance was found at every level of government, as well as in the environments of these levels. Segmentation of the program and the displacement of federal intention were found to be common state and local tactics. A comparison with the progressive program in California is used to indicate the significance of political and economic conditions for program development. The successful resistance to the federal program in New York is discussed in terms of its implications for the future of federal land use planning.
Autonomy, Shame, and Doubt
Authors: Baum Howell S.
Published: March 2007

Many planners simultaneously say that they should act more politically and powerfully and yet have ambivalence about doing so. To explore this puzzle, this article will provide a framework for thinking about the types of power that planners exercise. The article analyzes the peculiar nature of bureaucratic authority which tends to make power invisible and discourage organizational members from learning to act powerfully. Interview material from planners illustrates the ways in which organizational experiences of shame and self-doubt discourage planners from learning to act powerfully.
The Impacts of Innovation
Authors: Prottas Jeffrey
Published: March 2007

For an organization, innovation is the occasion for both risks and opportunities. The risks are obvious—the innovation may fail and the organization's investment in it thereby will be wasted. Much of the study of innovation has been about the nature of these risks and the probability of failure. This article discusses the failure of an innovation and analyzes its causes, but it goes further in considering the opportunities for organizational development that innovations provide. This way it weaves together three threads of organizational research: the studies of innovation, implementation, and organizational learning. This is done via an analysis of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) experience with a new, technologically advanced, rapid transit vehicle—the Boeing-Vertol Standard Light-Rail Vehicle.
Human Services Contracting
Authors: DeHoog Ruth Hoogland
Published: March 2007

Government's practice of contracting out with outside organizations for public services has become a major recommendation for cutting costs and improving service delivery. However, few scholars have examined this alternative in terms of the requisite procedures and conditions that lead to the expected benefits. This article focuses on three conditions-competition, rational decision-making, and government over-sight—that appear to be critical to the contracting process. To evaluate these conditions and their presence in human service contracting, research in two policy areas is presented-social services (Title XX) and employment and training services (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, or CETA), as implemented in Michigan state and local government. The conclusion suggests key organizational, behavioral, and environmental factors that the pro-contracting argument overlooks.
Policy Analysis and Organizational Decisions
Authors: Springer J. Fred
Published: March 2007

Field observation of practicing policy analysts, and review of a growing revisionist literature that examines policy analysis as currently practiced and utilized, produces three themes that diverge from traditional conceptualizations of rational decision-making. These themes suggest that the utilization of policy analysis can best be understood and facilitated by (a) analyzing the organizational structures and procedures facilitating or impeding its use; (b) analyzing the attitudes and motivations of the producers and users of policy analysis; or (c) analyzing the interrelationship of policy analysis with diverse competing inputs to decision-making. By rethinking the meaning of "decisions, " and adopting innovative concepts from March and Olsen's (1979) "garbage can model" of decision processes, a framework for integrating these revisionist themes is proposed.
The Representation Revolution
Authors: Gormley William T.
Published: March 2007

Over the past decade, a "representation revolution " has transformed the politics of state regulation. Public hearings, the creation of ombudsman and proxy advocacy offices, and the appointment of laypersons to expert boards have provided platforms for representatives of broad, diffuse interests. For the most part, these forms of public representation have been effective, though they have involved different resources, strategies, and goals. The principal exception to this pattern is public membership on occupational licensing boards, which has not succeeded. However, utility regulation, environmental regulation, and nursing home regulation have all been improved by new forms of public representation.
Woodrow Wilson and the Study of Public Administration
Authors: Kirwan Kent A.
Published: March 2007

The status of Woodrow Wilson as a founder of the academic field of public administration is explored in light of Paul Van Riper's contention that Wilson's famous essay, "The Study of Administration, "had no influence on the evolution of the study or theory of public administration in the United States. The major focus is the politics/administration dichotomy. Kirwan, contrary to Van Riper, argues that Wilson's reputation as a major founder is richly deserved and he attempts to explain the nature of Wilson's contribution and its significance for the field today.
Gaining Regulatory Compliance
Authors: Frank Nancy , Lombness Michael
Published: March 2007

When regulatory inspectors deal with uncooperative violators who initially refuse to correct violations, inspectors must exert various kinds of power to persuade or force the violators to comply with regulatory requirements. This article draws upon interview data from a case study of food and dairy inspection in Wisconsin to identify the ways in which inspectors' power to gain compliance is undermined by the formal policies and informal organizational culture of the agency. Because of inadequate training, pressure to spend less time on inspections, and norms discouraging assertiveness, inspectors' power to obtain compliance through persuasion is limited. Inspectors' power and their desire to use formal enforcement mechanisms is also circumscribed. As a result, inspectors may allow violations to continue unabated because they lack the capacity to persuade or force the violator to make the needed corrections.
Toward a Theory of the Public for Public Administration
Authors: Frederickson H. George
Published: March 2007

In American public administration there is neither an extensive literature on the public nor an agreed-on conception of the public. Five conceptions on the public in public administration are offered, including the pluralist, public choice, legislative, client, and citizenship perspectives. Building on these five conceptions of the public, a set of requisites for a general theory of the public in public administration is offered.
The Public Administrator as Hero
Authors: Vita Christopher Bella
Published: March 2007

This article uses the framework of "the hero's journey" to analyze the experiences of administrators who have helped to revitalize the public sector. The administrators discussed are not famous people. They are professionals who have gone beyond the boundary of routine public sector experience and achievement. The stages of their journeys —the call to adventure, the ordeal, and the return can be used to interpret and guide behavior of other public administrators.
The Rhetorical Way of Knowing and Public Administration
Authors: Green Richard T. , Zinke Robert C.
Published: March 2007

This article explores the rhetorical nature and context of public administration. Rhetorical theory, although largely neglected by the field offers much in sight for public administration. A basic understanding of rhetoric and its application reveals some distinctive, legitimating aspects of the profession in practice and theory. It enables one to apprehend important differences among types of knowledge, decision making, and responsibility, and can aid the public administration in its efforts to relate theory to practice.
The Old Public Administration is the New Jurisprudence
Authors: Stover Carl P.
Published: March 2007

"The principles of administration," long discredited in public administration, have found a new home: constitutional law. The jurisprudence of the Burger-Rehnquist Court, which appears incoherent to many legal scholars, is actually quite coherent with the "old public administration's" principles. This article reviews major cases in several different areas of the law, including due process, search and seizure, and separation of powers to demonstrate this coherence and explores its normative significance. Particular attention is given to the question of official immunity.
The Social Responsibilities of a Public Entrepreneur
Authors: Kobrak Peter
Published: March 2007

Reinventing Government (ReGo) and the Contract With America (CWA) pose critical problems for the profession, as well as an agenda too limited to capture the social responsibilities facing public administrators today. The public manager's significance is obscured by a ReGo definition of entrepreneurship primarily concerned with efficiency and by a curious separation of politics from administration. CWA poses a legitimate question as to the appropriate size of government, but it overemphasizes downsizing at the expense of rethinking effective governance. Public administrators must now turn to a more proactive definition of public entrepreneurship and address an alternative agenda that focuses on governance issues.
Approaches to the Iron Cage
Authors: Klagge Jay
Published: March 2007

Is there a metaphor for bureaucracy relevant to organizations in the 1990s? The author explores this question by reconstructing Weber's "iron cage. " After defining bureaucracy using the two traditional metaphors, the author sets forth the notion of the iron cage as playground apparatus. This metaphor is developed in an idiosyncratic vignette. The author stresses that the "monkey bars" (bureaucratic structures) are, in themselves, neutral but become whatever we make them by the imposition of our visions, values, and vitalities. The author closes by defending his metaphoras worthy of investigation by public administration scholars and practitioners.
Leopards in the Temple
Authors: Farmer David John , Farmer Rosemary L.
Published: March 2007

This article examines a core problematic of bureaucracy. It suggests that the study of bureaucracy should make a clearer non bureaucratic turn, focusing appropriately on what is described as the in-between. Analysis of structural limits of the in-between-hierarchy and lateralization-should center on the nonbureaucratic. Structure is not the central issue. Rather, structure is a surrogate for competing manifest and latent nonbureaucratic perspectives. Hierarchy is a surrogate not only for a rational order of justice but also for the feasibility of epistemological certainty. Lateralization is a surrogate not only for human autonomy but also for skepticism and hesitation in knowing. The study of bureaucracy cannot be limited satisfactorily to "bureaucratic man. " Rather; humans are irreducibly bio-psychospirituo-social-cultural beings.
Identifying Facets of Democratic Administration
Authors: Hansen Kenneth N.
Published: March 2007

This article takes on the difficult task of trying to ascertain the practicality of discourse as a means toward establishing a more democratic public administration. Of concern are the methods currently used to evaluate the authenticity of such endeavors, particularly Fox and Miller’s warrants for discourse, which have something of a reliability problem. This particular work suggests the use of more systematic ways to examine discursive behavior, either in lieu of or in conjunction with the warrants. These are called empirical referents, and are inclusion, self-regulation, and policy outputs. Use of these empirical referents is intended to help provide us with a clearer focus for our discourse about the process of policy implementation and the attainment of tenable results.
Motivating Illegal Drug Use Recovery: Evidence for a Culturally Congruent Intervention
Authors: Longshore Douglas , Grills Cheryl
Published: March 2007

Public health interventions may be more effective if they are congruent with cultural values of the target community. To test this possibility, the authors conducted a randomized field trial of a motivational intervention to promote recovery from illegal drug use among a sample of 269 African Americans. The intervention, based on transtheoretical stage-of-change concepts, featured a needs assessment and service referrals and was congruent with relevant African American cultural values. Participants were randomly assigned to this intervention or to a standard assessment-referral protocol. Motivational intervention participants were significantly less likely to be using illegal drugs 1 year later. This finding suggests that motivational intervention congruent with cultural values of the target population can be effective in promoting recovery from drug use..
Two Social Psychologies of Prejudice: Gordon W. Allport, W.E.B. Du Bois, and the Legacy of Booker T. Washington
Authors: Gaines Stanley O. , Reed Edward S.
Published: March 2007

This article describes two distinct lines of theory and research on the social psychology of prejudice. The first (i.e., mainstream) line acknowledges an intellectual debt to Gordon W Allport and has tended to focus on the destructive effects of prejudice and discrimination on African Americans and other ethnic minorities. The second (i.e., "underground") line, in contrast, acknowledges an intellectual debt to WE.B. Du Boisand has tended tofocusonAfricanAmericans' (and other ethnic minorities') rich cultural heritage that has sustained them through times of slavery and/or segregation. Throughout this article, Booker T Washington's conciliatory stance regarding ethnic relations is used as a point of departure for exploring the differences and similarities between the two social psychologies of prejudice.
The Relationship between Racial Identity Attitudes, Worldview, and African American Graduate Students' Experience of the Imposter Phenomenon
Authors: Ewing Kimberly M. , Richardson Tina Q. , James-Myers Linda , Russell Richard K.
Published: March 2007

The present study examined the relationships between African American graduate students' experience of the imposter phenomenon and their racial identity attitudes, worldview perspectives, academic self-concept, background characteristics, and graduate school environment. It was hypothesized that racial identity, Afrocentricity, academic self-concept, and certain demographic characteristics would differentially predict imposter feelings. The results of multiple regression analyses revealed support for some but not all of the hypotheses.
The Schedule of Racist Events: A Measure of Racial Discrimination and a Study of Its Negative Physical and Mental Health Consequences
Authors: Landrine Hope , Klonoff Elizabeth A.
Published: March 2007

In this article, the authors develop a brief questionnaire that assesses racist discrimination in the lives ofAfricanAmericans, and conduct preliminary studies with it. The Schedule of Racist Events (SRE) is an 18-item self-report inventory that assesses the frequency of racist discrimination (specific, stressful racist events) in the past year (recent racist events) and in one's entire life (lifetime racist events), and measures the extent to which this discrimination was evaluated (appraised) as stressful (appraised racist events). Results revealed that the SRE has extremely high internal consistency and split-half reliability. Racist discrimination is rampant in the lives of African Americans and is strongly related to psychiatric symptoms and to cigarette smoking. These findings highlight the negative consequences of racismandprovide evidencefor the validity of the SRE as a measure of (culturally specific) stress.
A Comparison of Levels of Involvement for Parents with At-Risk African American Kindergarten Children in Classrooms with High Versus Low Teacher Encouragement
Authors: Gavin Karen M. , Greenfield Daryl B.
Published: March 2007

Based on data obtained from their teacher, 76 African American kindergarten children were classified as at risk for poor educational outcome. The parents of these at-risk children also reported their parent involvement levels. Independent ratings by trained observers were used to divide the teachers into a highand low-involvement group based on measures of general involvement and involvement in two specific domains, that is, home-school conmmunication and school volunteering. No statistically significant differences were presentbetween the two groups of parents on the general involvement scores. However, statistically significant differences between parents occurred in home-school communication and school volunteering for parents grouped by teachers who were high and low in the encouragement of specific activities in these two areas. The implications of these findings, including designing and evaluating parent involvement programs for the large number of families with young African American children at-risk for schoolfailure, are discussed.
In Pursuit of Efficiency
Authors: Kwong Julia
Published: March 2007

Since 1976 China has increased diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties with the West. These contacts have had important ramifications on every sphere of Chinese society. In education, these include an increased emphasis on science, the pursuit of applied research, the popularization of foreign languages, the emergence of business schools, and the restructuring of the management of education. This article concentrates on the last to see how the Western concept of scientific management has shaped academic (not Party) administration in universities. Changes in this area have been progressively introduced since 1976, and have been reaffirmed in an important educational conference in May 1985. These measures not only restructured university organization, cut expenditures, and reduced waste, but they also have had a tremendous influence on the direction and development of higher education, shifting resources to applied research and in-service training at the expense of basic research and the training of the young.
Students' Perceptions of Their Rights in Portugal
Authors: Veiga Feliciano H.
Published: March 2007

The present study analyses young Portuguese students' perceptions of their rights at school and at home. The sample consisted of 294 male and female students, in Year 7 to Year 9, from several regions in the country. The assessment instrument used was the 'Children's Rights Scale' (Hart, 1993; Hart et al., 1996) and results were related to a number of other questions regarding the following independent variables: (1) school variables (school year, school achievement, teacher's support, violence at school); (2) family variables (parental authority, family cohesion, parents' education); (3) personal variables (age, gender, professional interests). Significant relations were found between the students' perceptions of their rights and these independent variables. In general, Portuguese students declare that their rights exist and are very important. Students who have a greater degree of personal limitations, or who live in worse school or family contexts, are the ones who indicate less importance and perceive less existence of rights at school and at home. The study gives directions to efforts to strengthen projects for the promotion of students' rights by including training programs for teachers and parents, in a close net connection among school, family and significant social agents.
Early Screening Procedures
Authors: Leach David J.
Published: March 2007

Over the past ten years, early screening for learning difficulties has been popular both as a research topic and as a preventive strategy used by psychological services. But is this popularity justified? This article examines some of the practical and theoretical problems associated with screening and questions the extent of its contribution to solving learning problems in school. It is argued that the goals set for screening are more likely to be reached by working within radically different paradigms than those inherent in current procedures.
Supportive Work with Parents of Disabled Children
Authors: Fossen Aud
Published: March 2007

To have a chronically ill or disabled child will always be a critical family occurrence and present a serious challenge to the family's coping ability. Parents often report that they were totally unprepared for the shock of producing a disabled child. In the initial stage of the crisis they are in great need of adequate supportive action, both from the professional health personnel and from the network of family and friends. It is important that the parents do not start to feel that they are abandoned in such an overwhelming new situation. They need both practical help and emotional support in order to accept the sad fact and to readjust to the unexpected change in family life. This is a process which necessarily takes time. As a mother of a child with Down's syndrome once put it: 'Before I could accept my little baby, I had to finish mourning the child I didn't get the creation of my mind during pregnancy'.
Recognition and Management of Child Abuse in a Children's Hospital
Authors: Frank Reiner
Published: March 2007

After a brief description of agencies and institutions concerned with child abuse in the Federal Republic of Germany, the approach to hospital-based management of child abuse used at the von Haunersche Children's Hospital of the University of Munich is outlined. This approach involves the recognition and management of child abuse within the paediatric hospital and, in addition, an attempt to extend the policy of a helping approach to the community via a working group with participants from all relevant institutions. At the hospital, the physician and hospital social worker work with the parents and offer them support, with the parents participating on a voluntary basis. A case conference is held with the physician, the social worker and representatives of all community agencies that have been involved with the family in the past. The current situation is assessed and a treatment plan developed. Data are presented on 34 children who were hospitalized during a three-year period from 1979 to 1982 for child abuse and neglect. Finally, the composition and work of the Working Group on Child Abuse in Munich are described. Since 1980 representatives of all agencies and institutions concerned have met regularly, with the long-term goal being development of a common approach for recognition and management of child abuse. The list of references includes the major publications in German.
Self-Esteem in the Classroom
Authors: Gurney Peter W.
Published: March 2007

This review article, the first of two, examines background aspects to self-esteem in children in relation to both theoretical issues and measurement problems. The first section examines definitions of both self-concept and selfesteem, Shavelson, Hubner and Stanton's (1976) analysis of self-concept and several research studies. The second section briefly reviews some instruments for measuring global self-esteem and academic self-esteem, ending with a discussion of practical issues arising from assessment procedures.
Visually Impaired Children I
Authors: Turner Barbara D. , Erchul William P.
Published: March 2007

This article presents an overview of significant issues pertaining to the psychoeducational assessment of visually impaired children. These issues include: incidence and definition of visual impairment, screening for visual problems, variables affecting vision, effects of visual handicaps on psychological development, pre-assessment preparation, testing conditions, use and adaptation of tests, and interpretation of results.
The Contributions of Psychology to Education in China
Authors: Zhang Hou-Can
Published: March 2007

Historical Background Chinese psychological thought may be traced as far back as the time of 500 BC. The great Chinese philosopher and educator, Confucius (551-479 BC), was one of the first scholars to discuss the essence of human nature and how it may be modified through education. About 150 years later, a systematic theory stressing that the mind is the product of the body, and that the endowment of human nature can be modified by external influences, was developed by the philosophers, Xun Zi and Mencius. Confucius first classified people, on the basis of their intelligence, into three categories: People of 'great wisdom', people of 'average intelligence', and people of 'little intelligence'. Confucius also made statements of personality assessments as a guideline for educating them. Confucius said that 'as student Qui is timid, we should give him a lot of encouragement; while student Yiu is aggressive, discouragement is then needed'. All these sayings clearly indicate the advanced and perceptive thinking of differential psychology and of individualized education in ancient China.
An Investigation of Student Study Skills in France
Authors: Laoegie Madeleine S.
Published: March 2007

A factor analytic study of the responses of 272 French students to Sakamoto's (1983) International Study Skills Inventory is described. The results confirmed the general validity of the ISSI as a means of investigating students' attitudes and strategies. Some ways in which French students differ from those in other countries in these respects are revealed. The potential value of this kind of attitude questionnaire to school psychologists is emphasized.
Effectiveness of Kindergarten Intervention Programs
Authors: Lewis Robert J. , Vosburgh William T.
Published: March 2007

Psychologists and educators continue to design and implement kindergarten intervention programs unsubstantiated by previous research. The present study used meta-analysis procedures to examine the effects of kindergarten intervention programs on variables related to school success. The meta-analysis was performed on 444 effect sizes derived from 65 previous studies involving 3194 kindergarten children. The mean effect size of 0.434 indicated that test scores obtained by the treatment groups were raised from the 50th to the 67th percentile in relation to the control groups. Strong to moderate positive effects were demonstrated on all measured variables related to school success. As predicted, the effect sizes from highly structured approaches (M- 0.517) were larger than those from the less structured programs (M = 0.298; t = 4.671, d.f. = 386, p < 0.001). In general, there was no significant difference found between various levels of parent involvement (F = 0.244, d.f. = 2,385, p > 0.05). However, when only the long-term effects were compared, a significant difference was found be,ween the programs with active parent involvement (M = 0.521) and those without (M = 0.362; t 2.067, d.f. = 134, p < 0.05).

Strong effects were found in studies based on behavioral (M 0.523), psychoeducational (M- 0.497), and stage referenced (M = 0.355) theories. The lack of research to support kindergarten programs based on rnaturational theories was discussed.

The positive results of this meta-analysis should encourage program planners and policy-makers to support the widespread implementation of structured early intervention and prevention programs at the kindergarten level.
Restructuring of Soviet Psychology in the Context of Gorbachev's 'Glasnost'
Authors: Holowinsky Ivan Z.
Published: March 2007

Psychology as a science of behavior throughout its history has been influenced by social and political climate. Many viewed emergence of'a science of behavior' as an opportunity to control and influence human behavior. No wonder that in the present century political leaders and idealogues viewed psychology far beyond its scientific domain. This point has been underscored clearly by Bruner (Bauer, 1952): 'Man's image of the nature of man in not only a matter of objective inquiry; it is and has always been a prime instrument of social and political control' (p. xx).
Academic Self-Concepts among English- and Spanish-Speaking Mexican-American Students
Authors: Arellano Ofelia R. , Chapman James W.
Published: March 2007

The academic self-concepts of Mexican-American elementary school students were examined in terms of language preference (English vs Spanish) and school achievement. One hundred and twenty-five students in grades 4 to 6 participated in the study. Academic self-concept was assessed with the Perception of Ability Scale for Students. The results failed to support the belief that Spanish-speaking students have lower overall academic self-concepts than English-speaking students. However, despite similar levels of achievement in math and reading, the Mexican-speaking students reported lower perceptions of ability in arithmetic and reading/ spelling. On the other hand, Spanish-speaking students reported feeling more confident about their abilities in school, and more satisfied with school experiences than their English-speaking peers. The results are discussed in terms of teacher feedback and social desirability.
The Impact of Cooperative Group Work on Ethnic Relations in Middle School
Authors: Smith Peter K. , Boulton Michael J. , Cowie Helen
Published: March 2007

The potential of an enhanced Cooperative Group Work (CGW) curriculum to increase liking of classmates, reduce sociometric rejection and prejudiced or stereotypically negative attitudes to other ethnic groups, was evaluated with 8and 9-year-olds in three urban middle schools. The main ethnic mix was of white and Asian pupils. In each school, one class followed a normal curriculum (NC) through the school year, another matched class experienced the CGW intervention. The teachers with CGW classes were given in-service training, and used CGW for a minimum of one hour per day. Assessments were made at three time points. The CGW techniques used through the year employed a variety of methods, including trust-building exercises, problem-solving groups, role-playing, discussion groups and reportback sessions. Debriefing sessions were important opportunities for the teachers to discuss difficulties or conflicts and help children resolve them. The results were similar in the three schools. After the intervention, the children who had experienced CGW tended to like each other more, irrespective of race and gender, and to give more positive behavioural nominations to other-race classmates. There were some increased cross-race preference choices from test assessments. There were also some reductions in negative stereotypes of other ethnic groups. These were not generally found in the children in the NC classes. The findings vary in size and significance level, but form a consistent pattern suggesting that the CGW intervention had a positive impact on social relationships in the multi-ethnic classroom.
A South African Perspective on Cognitive Control Therapy for Learning-Disabled Children
Authors: Engelbrecht P.
Published: March 2007

Cognitive control therapy integrates psychodynamic principles and cognitive restructuring, addressing cognition and affect simultaneously. In pilot studies to evaluate the usefulness of cognitive control therapy for learning-disabled children and adolescents in the South African context, two experimental groups received therapy for a certain period of time while the two control groups did not receive therapy but continued with remedial programmes. Results of re-evaluation indicated improved selective attention, social interaction, academic performance and metacognitive insight into own abilities for the experimental groups.
Parental Attitudes and Students' Misbehavior in the Intermediate School in Kuwait
Authors: El-Korashy Abdel-Fattah
Published: March 2007

This study investigates the differences between behaving and misbehaving students in their perception of parents' attitudes. The Parental Attitude Scale (PAS: Sobhi, 1975) was administered to 90 behaving and misbehaving Kuwaiti intermediate school students, of whom 40 were boys and 50 were girls. The results indicated that there were no significant differences between misbehaving and behaving boys in their perception of parents' attitudes. Misbehaving girls in comparison with behaving girls perceived their fathers' attitudes to be higher in negligence and inconsistency, while they perceived their mothers to be higher in negligence, psychological punishment, inconsistency and discrimination attitude scales. These differences were significant at the .01 level. Results are discussed in the light of theoretical and environmental considerations.
Vygotskian Views on Language and Planning in Children
Authors: Parrila Rauno K.
Published: March 2007

Vygotsky's ideas about the role of language in the development of planning skills in children are discussed in this article. Recent research that has expanded Vygotsky's theoretical work is also considered in this context. The relationship between language and planning is discussed from three perspectives: (a) the regulatory function of language; (b) language as 'a tool of thought'; and (c) the role of communication and social interaction in the development of planning. The article concludes with some considerations of the possible educational implications of Vygotskian ideas.
Multicultural Issues and Education Relevant to School Psychology Practice
Authors: Olson Suzanne E. , Wilczenski Felicia L.
Published: March 2007

Appreciation and sensitivity toward individual differences and cultural diversity are critical attributes for school psychologists as they consult, co-ordinate and collaborate with a wide range of support personnel, teachers, administrators, parents, and the students themselves. School psychologists are uniquely positioned to encourage activities that not only reduce prejudice and stereotyping, but promote the contributions of culturally diverse groups. In order to effectively serve in these roles, school psychologists must have a multicultural knowledge base and prerequisite skills. This paper presents a framework for understanding ethnic socialization processes and the development of culturally-biased attitudes and actions. Finally, school-based intervention plans to strengthen multicultural relationships are reviewed.
A Longitudinal Study of Three Cases of Gender Identity Disorder of Childhood Successfully Resolved in the School Setting
Authors: Soutter Alison
Published: March 2007

This study follows the development of gender identity in three boys from the age of 10 to 20. Each of the boys fitted the diagnostic criteria for gender identity disorder as each wished to be a girl and preferred to dress as a girl and two gave themselves girls' names. Through acceptance by the teachers at their small independent schools and a policy of protecting them from teasing, all three were able to arrive at a secure sense of their own masculinity by their mid-teens. From an examination of these cases it is suggested that this disorder is better viewed as a developmental lag which can be pathologized by intolerance and the huge pressure on boys to conform to the masculine stereotype.
Graduate Education of the Top Contributors to the School Psychology Literature: 1987-1995
Authors: Little Steven G.
Published: March 2007

This study examined who has been publishing in the major school psychology journals, the universities where they received their graduate training, and the categories of publications of graduates of selected universities as one measure of the quality of graduate education in school psychology. The journals included were the Journal of School Psychology, School Psychology International, School Psychology Revieuw, School Psychology Quarterly, Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, and Psychology in the Schools as these are the major journals representingthe profession. Results indicated E. Scott Huebner as the most prolific author in the school psychology literature during the period under investigation and graduates of the University of Georgia as making the greatest contribution to the literature. Results are discussed in relation to previous research and surveys evaluating graduate program quality.
Clinical Supervision for School Psychologists
Authors: Crespi Tony D. , Fischetti Barbara A.
Published: March 2007

Clinical supervision represents a critical training component to the development and professionalization of a school psychologist. For graduate students, university and field-based clinical supervision represents one praxis for training and development. Similarly, clinical supervision for practitioners can provide a valuable opportunity to further competence. This article considers the concept of school-based clinical supervision for school psychologists and explores opportunities for the future.
An Exploration of Meanings
Authors: Donald David , Wallis Jennifer , Cockburn Annette
Published: March 2007

Research on South African street children has pointed to an apparent paradox in terms of vulnerability and resilience, requiring a closer examination of how street children make meaning of their lives as well as the contexts in which these meanings are constructed. This study makes use of a variety of data, including drawings, stories and spontaneous drama to access commonly manifested themes and patterns of interaction among a small group of ex-street children attending a voluntary, non-formal learning centre in Cape Town. Over four months of participant observation, consistent themes and patterns of interaction were identified and interpreted in terms of shortterm adaptation and/or longer-term protection or risk within the overall context. The most consistent tendencies towards resilience involved themes of autonomy and the power to control events, both closely related to themes and patterns of peer group solidarity. Within the context, tendencies towards risk were closely integrated with the above. Combined with a general suspicion and wariness of adults, the drive for autonomy, in particular, was in conflict with signs of underlying insecurity and tended to undermine the development of relationships with potentially caring adults.