bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Programs, Paradigms, Architecture, City Planning, and Urban Design
Authors: Lang Jon T.
Published: March 2007

It has often been asserted that urban design became a recognized area of professional practice as the professions of architecture and city planning diverged in the foci of their concern with cities and the built environment This divergence can be said to have begun during the 1960s and to have completed its course in the mid 1970s While this is generally interpreted as a divergence in the nature and scale of operation (i e , planners with city-wide social and economic policies and architects with individual buildings) and, possibly, a commitment to social change, it can also be seen as a divergence in the normative procedural theories of the two fields.
Some Uses and Potentials of Qualitative Methods in Planning
Authors: Dandekar Hemalata C.
Published: March 2007

Planners use methods borrowed from many disciplines. These are usually modified and adapted to meet planner's needs to acquire and sift through many diverse information sources helpful in dealing with complex problems. The quantitative methods which planners use are well known, well established in practice, and acknowledged by most as tools of the planners' trade. In contrast to this, most planners also use qualitative methods but these are rarely explicitly acknowledged.
Knowledge and Action: Making the Link
Authors: de Neufville Judith Innes
Published: March 2007

The often documented failures to use information in planning and policy can be attributed in part to the influence of the positivist view of knowledge on planning practice. This has encouraged planners to try to be value neutral, to focus on measurable issues and general principles, and see the production of information as distinct from the political process. A phenomenological conception of knowledge, on the other hand, focuses on unique and particular situations, and on the everyday world, it emphasizes the subjective meanings of the problems to the actors, it assumes knowledge is constructed in a community rather than having an independent existence, and it accepts that information is shaped by preconceptions. As a guide to planning practice, it can better link knowledge to action because (1) it deals with issues in forms more recognizable to decision makers, (2) it offers a more realistic model of what many practitioners actually do, and (3) it engages the decision makers in the information production process so they are more prepared to act on results Several cases are described which illustrate how knowledge developed interactively with knowledge users became influential in decisions. It is recommended that planners should develop greater skill in qualitative methods, and learn where best to apply the positivist methods, that they should develop information openly, negotiating definitions and assumptions with clients, and that they should develop a responsible ethic to guide them in their inevitably value- laden effort to inform.
The Changing Role of the Workshop Course in Educating Planning Professionals
Authors: Wetmore Louis B. , Heumann Leonard F.
Published: March 2007

This paper presents the results of a survey sent to all accredited schools of planning in the United States in 1984. The analysis describes the ev olution in the use of workshop courses over time. There has been a transition from a three-workshop se ries at the heart of the core curricu lum in the mid-1950s to several dis tinct patterns of workshop use today. Among other characteristics, the larger the number of degrees offered by a planning school (including the Ph.D.), and the larger the student/ faculty ratio, the fewer the number of workshops required. Nevertheless, the workshop is still central to the curriculum at many schools: 72% re quire at least one workshop for all students and nearly 65% require two or more.
The Politics of Mortgage Finance: Implementing FIRREA's Reforms
Authors: MacDonald Heather
Published: March 2007

Three reforms intended to expand access to credit in underserved communities were included in the savings and loan bailout bill of 1989 (FIRREA): the Community Reinvestment Act was strengthened, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act reporting requirements were expanded, and the Federal Home Loan Banks were required to establish a subsidy program for affordable housing. This paper examines three political battles fought over the implementation of these reforms: the efforts of finance industry interests to pressure for legislative and regulatory rehef, which stimulated opposition from consumer advocates; the response of the regulatory agencies to their new mandate; and the extent to which FIRREA's priority goal—restoring safety and soundness—contributed to the credit crunch in the multifamily housing sector between 1990 and 1993.
Communicative Action, Power, and Misinformation in a Site Selection Process
Authors: Lauria Mickey , Soll Michael J.
Published: March 2007

In large-scale economic development projects, less powerful groups absorb the majority of negative impacts. One reason is that communication between actors is distorted by misinformation. Forester's (1989) adaptation of Habermas' (1979, 1984) critical theory of communication is used to investigate the role of misinformation and power in the Inner Harbor Navigational Canal Lock site selection process in New Orleans The methods we apply incorporate both deconstructive and nondeconstructive approaches The result is an account of the use of misinformation by actors in the site selection process. We conclude with recommendations to counteract misinformation and help equalize power relations in future development scenarios
Planning as Sustainable Development
Authors: McDonald Geoffrey T.
Published: March 2007

This paper makes the case that planning should fully incorporate the notion of sustainable development (SD) and argues that SD is not achievable in any real way without attention to the substance and process of planning as it happens on the ground. Sustainable development should be a fundamental principle of planning but the concept is ambiguous. This paper distills a working definition of SD suitable for planners in terms of process and substantive criteria. The definition is derived mainly from an analysis of recent literature and shows that ecological sustainability is a necessary but not sufficient condition for sustainability and that social and economic conditions must also be met The highest priorities in planning for SD are to ensure that plans address ecological issues and to improve decision-making processes to achieve vertical consistency between actions at local, national, and even international levels and horizontal coordination between development actions at all levels Despite the limited effectiveness of local decisions, there is so much that local communities can do for SD in their own interest and for the long-term benefit of the planet.
Neighborhood Regeneration: The State of the Art
Authors: Carmon Naomi
Published: March 2007

In this article, I present a historical overview of neighborhood regeneration programs, concentrating on the United States and the United Kingdom while also presenting programs in other Western countries and in Israel. The overview is based on a series of evaluation studies as well as an extensive literature survey. Three generations of neighborhood remedies identified in all these countries are critically analyzed. The analysis includes a model case of the second generation and a new typology of the third. Based on theoretical understanding of urban processes and the lessons drawn from past experience, the article concludes with constructive proposals for a new generation of neighborhood renewal policies. While former policies benefited either people or areas, the proposals discussed here were developed to promote both and thus, where appropriately implemented, to halt the cycle of distress in neighborhoods.
Doing Democracy Up-Close: Culture, Power, and Communication in Community Building
Authors: de Souza Briggs Xavier
Published: March 2007

This article considers how democracy gets done, and undone, at the micro-level of the planning meeting. I use concepts of social performance to frame issues of culture and power that have received limited attention in earlier planning research. Drawing on three brief ethnographic accounts of a public interaction or “speech occasion,” I extend Forester's call for planners and policy professionals to understand and respond to the diverse communication styles and subtle power relations that shape public life. Informed responses are critical if planners aim to learn and get results while meaningfully involving various “publics” or stakeholders in decisions. Without such competence, many efforts to deliberate to “do” democracy in a diverse society will struggle along at needlessly high levels of confusion, distrust, and even resentment.
The Influence of Generational Status and Psychosocial Variables on Marijuana Use among Black and Puerto Rican Adolescents
Authors: Chappin Sean R. , Brook Judith S.
Published: March 2007

This study uses a longitudinal design to assess the relationship between Black and Puerto Rican adolescent generational status (first generation vs. second generation) and specific psychosocial factors predicting later marijuana use. In addition, the interactive effects of adolescent generational status and psychosocial risk and protective factors on later marijuana use were assessed. Structured interviews were conducted with 108 Black males and females and 392 Puerto Rican males and females whose mean age at Time 1 and Time 2 was 14 and 19, respectively. Correlation analyses showed that various psychosocial variables (i.e., personality, family, peer, and the ecological setting) were related to later marijuana use. Regression analysis showed that the personality and family domains had a direct relationship with young adult marijuana use. In contrast, the impact of the generational status of the adolescent on later marijuana use was mediated by the psychosocial variables. The findings also indicated that the risk for drug use among second generation American adolescents (American-born children of immigrant parents) was offset by a number of protective factors stemming from the domains of personality, family, and ecology.
Methodological Implications of Grouping Latino Adolescents into One Collective Ethnic Group
Authors: Umaña-Taylor Adriana J. , Fine Mark A.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the methodological appropriateness of categorizing Latinos as a homogenous population when assessing ethnic identity, self-esteem, emotional autonomy, and familial ethnic socialization. Reliability coefficients of Phinney’s Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale (SES), Steinberg and Silverberg’s Emotional Autonomy Measure, and Umaña-Taylor’s Familial Ethnic Socialization Measure (FESM) were compared among Colombian, Guatemalan, Honduran, Mexican, Nicaraguan, Puerto Rican, and Salvadoran adolescents (N = 1,176) living in the United States. The measures demonstrated moderate to strong coefficients for certain Latino populations but considerably lower coefficients for other Latino groups. Furthermore, the concurrent validity of the MEIM and the FESM varied across Latino groups. Nationality, immigration history, and generational status are discussed as possible reasons for the divergent findings among groups. These findings call into question the grouping of Latino nationals into one homogenous population and have implications for researchers who study pan-ethnic populations (i.e., Latinos, Asians).
Life Goals and Attributions for Expected Outcomes among Adolescents from Five Ethnic Groups
Authors: Phinney Jean S. , Baumann Kathleen , Blanton Shanika
Published: March 2007

This research explored the relationships among life goals and attributions for outcomes among 371 adolescents (mean age 14.8 years) from five American ethnic groups: Armenian, Vietnamese, Mexican American, European American, and African American. Adolescents responded to open-ended questions regarding their future goals, expectation of reaching their goals, and attributions for the expected outcome. Results showed that most adolescents set high goals and expected to reach them. Those who expected to reach their goals attributed the outcome more to effort and less to external factors than did those who did not expect success. Compared to European American adolescents, minority group adolescents attributed outcomes more to effort and less to ability. This finding may reflect their belief that they need to work harder to overcome obstacles and stereotypes.
Latin American Medical Graduates: II. The Readaptation Process for Those Who Return Home
Authors: Gaviiua Moises , Wintrob Ronald
Published: March 2007

Among the many publications addressing the theme of foreign medical graduates in the United States, little attention has been given to those foreign medical graduates who have returned to their home country to practice after completion of postgraduate training at American hospitals and universities. This report, part of a study of FMGs from Peru who have completed postgraduate training in the United States in the 1965-1975 period, is concerned with the readaptation process of 70 physicians who have returned to Peru to practice medicine. The determinants of the decision to return, the academic, familial, and adaptational problems during the readjustment process, and the impact of these physicians on medical education and health care services in Peru are discussed.
Does Code Switching Take Time? a Comparison of Results in Experimental and Natural Settings, with Some Implications for Bilingual Language Processing
Authors: Timm Lenora A.
Published: March 2007

This paper addresses the question of whether or not natural code switching talk takes an observable amount of time (in comparison with unilingual speech), as has been suggested by a good deal of experimental research on bilingual language processing. Some of the major studies on this topic are discussed and their results compared with the switching times determined for a Spanish-English bilingual in spontaneous code switching. Implications of the findings are also discussed in relation to a number of issues in research on bilingualism.
A Developmental Analysis of Self-Concept in Mexican American and Anglo School Children
Authors: Franco Juan N.
Published: March 2007

Measures of self-concept and level of acculturation were obtained from 44 male and 48 female Anglo American and 103 male and 116 female Mexican American students from two school districts, one rural and one urban. The scores were then analyzed using the following independent variables: school setting (urban vs. rural), grade level (first, third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth), student ethnicity (Anglo vs. Mexican American), and level of acculturation (high vs. low). The major dependent variable was total self-concept score based on the Piers-Harris Children's Self-concept Scale but the following self-concept subscales were also analyzed: Behavior, Happiness-Satisfaction, Intellectual and School Status, Physical Appearance, Anxiety, and Popularity The only significant main effect was level of acculturation, but this was more a function of highly acculturated Anglos! No overall ethnic differences were found. Third-grade Anglo students obtained higher self-concept scores than all other groups. Ethnic differences were found on one subscale, Behavior, but again these seem to be caused by highly acculturated third-grade Anglo students in the urban setting.
Ethnic Medicine on the Frontier: A Case Study in Wyoming
Authors: Meredith John D.
Published: March 2007

This article presents the results of a study conducted among Hispanics in Casper, Wyoming. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative approaches, an attempt was made to assess the strength of selected components of the Mexican American ethnic medical system within the local community. Findings indicated that few local Hispanics adhered to much of the system, except in the realm of some easily available home remedies. An explanation for this lack of adherence is proposed, based on the economic and social conditions which prevail locally, and the possibility is raised that the ethnic medical system is subject to a good deal of variability in its expression as socioeconomic circumstances change.
Assessing Client Satisfaction in English and Spanish: Replication and Extension
Authors: Barrera Manuel , Macfarlane Steven W. , Paredes Ronald , Brown Carl E.
Published: March 2007

A Spanish version of the Client Satisfaction Scale (CSQ-8) has shown scale and item properties that are highly similar to the original English version. The purpose of this study was to replicate this initial research and to examine additional items that were thought to be sensitive to the satisfaction of Hispanic clients. Questionnaires were completed by 32 Hispanic clients (14 of whom completed a Spanish version) and 43 non-Hispanics. Consistent with previous findings, English and Spanish versions of the CSQ-8 had similar internal consistency reliabilities and had other comparable scale properties. Nine additional items exhibited similar properties in English and Spanish across non-Hispanic and Hispanic clients. Other items had meaningful item-total correlations exclusively for Hispanic or non-Hispanic clients. Implications for additional research and for the use of these scales with Hispanic and non-Hispanic clients are discussed.
On the Question of 'Standard' Versus 'Dialect:' Implications for Teaching Hispanic College Students
Authors: Hidalgo Margarita
Published: March 2007

This paper is concerned with the theoretical and pedagogical issues emanating from the practice of teaching Spanish to Hispanic bilingual college students. First, it addresses the distinction between standard and dialect and the educational implications of this dichotomy. Second, it addresses the major structural dissimilarities between standard Spanish and the two most important varieties of U.S. Spanish (i.e., Chicano and Puerto Rican). Finally, using current sociolinguistic theory, it makes suggestions to teach the standard language to speakers of Chicano and Puerto Rican Spanish. It presents examples of dialect drawn from students enrolled in Spanish for Native Speakers courses.
The McCarthy Scales and Hispanic Children: A Review of Psychometric Research
Authors: Valencia Richard R.
Published: March 2007

Currently, there are over a dozen investigations of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities that have examined the psychometric properties of this cognitive test with Hispanic children. The purposes of this article are to review this knowledge base and to draw conclusions of the usefulness of the McCarthy as an assessment of intelligence for Puerto Rican and Mexican American children. The investigations reviewed include a wide range of McCarthy psychometric studies (e.g., reliability; construct validity; predictive validity) and diverse characteristics of children (e.g., age; language status). Four major conclusions emerge from this review: (a) for Puerto Rican children, the available literature, although encouraging, is too limited in quantity to make any strong conclusions about the McCarthy's utility; (b) for Mexican American children, the psychometric knowledge base is fairly substantial, indicating that the McCarthy has clear promise as a useful psychoeducational assessment tool for English-speaking children. In the case of Mexican American Spanish-speaking children, there is some utility, but interpretation of test performance must be made with extreme caution; (c) further comparative psychometric research on the conventional McCarthy and Spanish versions are recommended; and (d) because all the existing McCarthy research has been limited to normal Hispanic populations, research on special education populations is greatly needed, particularly how McCarthy performance translates to educational intervention.
Ethnic Differences in IQ Scores: What Do They Mean? (a Response to Lloyd Dunn)
Authors: Mercer Jane R.
Published: March 2007

This article responds to Dunn's conclusion that HispanicAnglo differences in IQ scores are due to genetic differences in intelligence. Several studies that look at between group variance in IQ scores for blacks, Angles and Hispanics are reviewed. It is concluded that sociocultural factors are important contributors to such variances. The adequate interpretation in educational practice of IQ scores is also discussed. Finally, instruments that use different sociocultural norms for different ethnic groups to make inferences about an individual's intelligence, such as the System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment (SOMPA) and the WISC-R are presented.
Research Themes, Authors, and Future Directions in the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences
Authors: Baezconde-Garbanati Lourdes , Padilla Amado M.
Published: March 2007

This paper examines the major research themes and contributors which have appeared during the first ten volumes of the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences. A total of 24 thematic categories emerged from the analysis. From these, the following three were found to be the most predominant: (1) reliability and validity studies of intelligence, personality and achievement tests, (2) studies pertaining to acculturation anid adaptation of Hispanics, and (3) research papers on bilingual/ language issues. It was also found that most of the research was conducted with Mexican origin subiject populations. In addition, inost of the articles in the journal are empirically based reports. Invisible Colleges formed around central figures and institutions which have made outstanding contributions to the HJBS are identified. Among these, the work of researchers from the following institutions are highlighted: (1) the Spanish Speaking Mental Health Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, (2) the Spanish Family Guidance Center at the University of Miami, and (3) the Hispanic Research Center at Fordham University. Finally, an index to each issue of the HJBS is provided which should assist users in assessing article content in a quick and effective manner.
The Socialization of Cooperative, Competitive, and Individualistic Preferences Among Mexican American Children: The Mediating Role of Ethnic Identity
Authors: Knight George P. , Cota Marya K. , Bernal Martha E.
Published: March 2007

Researchers have consistently reported differences in social behavior styles between ethnic minority and majority culture children and suggested that these differences may be the result of the ethnic socialization of culturally prescribed values. Further, these values become an important part of the ethnic identity of minority children and thereby influence their social behaviors. This investigation was designed to examine the mediating role of ethnic identity in the socialization of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic resource allocation preferences among MexicanAmerican children. The subjects were 59 Mexican American children (31 boys and 28 girls) and their mothers. The measures allowed the assessment of mothers' ethnic background and teaching about the Mexican culture, children's ethnic identity, and children's cooperative, competitive, and individualistic preferences. A Structural Equation Modeling analysis indicated that the data were compatible with a model suggesting that the mothers'ethnic background was related to their teaching about the Mexican culture, that, in turn, was related to the children's ethnic identity. Furthermore, the ethnic identity of the children was related to their cooperative, competitive, and individualistic preferences.
Family Life Across the Border: Mexican Wives Left Behind
Authors: De Snyder V. Neily Salgado
Published: March 2007

The human migration process between any two countries has two components that are equally important: the migrant and the family left behind. Unfortunately, the latter component has not received the attention it deserves from researchers and service providers. This study was conducted with 202 Mexican women living in their country, married to immigrant workers residing in the United States. The purpose of the study was to investigate some of the psychosocial dynamics involved in the lives of women left behind as a consequence of their spouses' departure to the United States. Findings revealed that most of these women were satisfied with their husbands 'decision to migrate and with their own lives in Mexico. However, they experienced stress associated with the welfare of the absent husband, acquisition of new responsibilities and obligations, and family disintegration. Results are discussed within the sociocultural context of the communities where the women live.
Perceptions of Mental Health Providers Concerning Cultural Factors in the Evaluation of Hispanic Children and Adolescents
Authors: Ramirez Sylvia Z. , Wassef Adel , Paniagua Freddy A. , Linskey Arthur O. , O'Boyle Michael
Published: March 2007

This study analyzed the perceptions of 136 mental health providers toward the consideration ofculturalfactors in the evaluation of Hispanic children and adolescents. Results show that the providers overwhelmingly perceived that cultural issues are important and need to be considered in their evaluations. However, only 54% considered themselves as highly successful in assessing the degree of acculturation, and a higher percentage (69%) reported a high degree of needfor more culturally focused training. The results suggest that a lack of cultural training might be more related to an inability to access training than a lack of understanding of the importance of cultural issues.
Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II: A Revision of the Original ARSMA Scale
Authors: Cuellar Israel , Arnold Bill , Maldonado Roberto
Published: March 2007

The Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans (ARSMA) was revised for the purpose of developing an instrument that assessed acculturation processes through an orthogonal, multidimensional approach by measuring cultural orientation toward the Mexican culture and the Anglo culture independently. Two subscales, Anglo Orientation Subcale (AOS) and Mexican Orientation Subscale (MOS), were developed from items from the original ARSMA scale. The two cultural orientation subscales were found to have good internal reliabilities (Cronbach's Alpha = .86 and .88 for the AOS and the MOS, respectively. The revised scale (ARSMA-JJ) yielded a high Pearson correlation coefficient (r = .89) with the original scale. Strong construct validity of ARSMA -II was demonstrated using a sample of 379 individuals representing generations I to 5. ARSMA-II is multifactorial and capable of generating multidimensional acculturative types, for example, integrated, separated, assimilated and marginalized.
Revisiting the Dimensions of Acculturation: Cultural Theory and Psychometric Practice
Authors: Magafia J. Raul , de la Rocha Olivia , Amsel Jaime , Magafia Holly A. , Fernandez M. Isabel , Rulnick Sarah
Published: March 2007

Although acculturation has frequently been employed as an organizing principle in social science research, there remains a lack of clarity regarding "the dimensions of acculturation. " The confusion arises from failure to distinguish between two technical meanings of the term dimension. This study differentiates the dimensionality of the various domains of behavior, values, and preferences (latent constructs) assessed in most measures of acculturation from the dimensionality associated with the way measures of acculturation are scored. Scoring reflects acculturation theory insofar as it suggests whether acculturation is conceptualized as unidimensional movementfrom native to host culture or allows for retention of the native culture as well, that is, biculturalism. Implications of the second meaning of dimension are explored by examining the importance of the way acculturation instruments are scored. Unidimensional and bidimensional scoring systems are differentiated, and a secondary analysis of data is presented to demonstrate the utility of bidimensional scoring.
Store Patronage Behavior of Hispanic Versus Non-Hispanic Consumers: Comparative Analyses of Demographics, Psychographics, Store Attributes, and Information Sources
Authors: Eckman Molly , Kotsiopulos Antigone , Bickle Marianne C.
Published: March 2007

Little research is available on higher income Hispanic consumers. Thus research was conducted to compare higher income Hispanic and non-Hispanic consumers' demographics, psychographics, perceived importance of store attributes, use of information sources, and store choice. Systematic random sampling identified 5,000 consumers to whom surveys were mailed; 513 non-Hispanic and 244 Hispanic higher income (2 $30,001) consumers returned usable surveys. Chi-square analysis revealed demographic differences between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. ANOVA indicated that Hispanic consumers were less likely to participate in cultural activities and be advice seekers but were more likely to be experimentalists and proeducators. Services, language, resource management, pricing, comfort, and selection were more important to Hispanics. MANO VA indicated overall differences in use of information sources. Hispanics purchased merchandise more often in secondhand stores and non-Hispanicsfromfamily-owned stores and catalogs. There were no differences in patronage of the remaining seven store types.
Fears of Hispanic and Anglo Children: Real-World Fears in the 1990s
Authors: Owen Patricia R.
Published: March 2007

Fears are a common and normal problem of childhood. An abundant literature exists concerning thefears of middle-classAnglo children. Only afew studies have investigated fears in children of low socioeconomic status (SES) and of non-Anglo ethnic background. In this study, elementary-school-age children of Hispanic/Mexican American and Anglo ethnicity and low to middle-to-upper SES were surveyed as to their fears. The children completed the Childrens Fear Survey Schedule, which was revised to include contemporary fear items. Girls reported a higher level offearfulness and more frequentfears than boys did. Low SES children, in contrast to high SES children, reported more intense and morefrequentfears. Hispanics did not differfromAnglos. The mostfrequentlyfeared items related to danger, death, and physical injury. The majority of the children rated real-life contemporary fears of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs, and gunshots as very fearful. These findings are discussed with reference to developmental issues and to potential emotional difficulties.
When is Caregiving a Burden? Listening to Mexican American Women
Authors: Salda Delia H. , Dassori Albana M. , Miller Alexander L.
Published: March 2007

Home care of a chronically mentally ill relative exerts substantial physical and emotional demands on a family member. Yet, little work has examined the perspective about caregiving voiced by individuals from different ethnic groups and the comparison of this perspective with objective measures of caregiver burden. This article reviews findings from a study of 251 Mexican American and European American family caregivers of severely mentally ill relatives living in South Texas. Significant multivariate interaction effects of residence (rural/urban) and level of acculturation were found on caregiver stresses and coping responses, even when controlling for income. Analyses suggest differential vulnerability patterns for caregiver burden: In urban areas, Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans reported higher stress and greater coping efforts; whereas in rural areas, this was true instead for more acculturated Mexican Americans and European Americans. Discussion addresses differences in report of burden between standardized scaled approaches and open-ended responses and explores how the nature of caregiver burden may vary along contextual lines.
The Water in the Fishbowl
Authors: PRENDERGAST CATHERINE
Published: March 2007

Arguing that the immediate historical context of desegregation is vital to an understanding of Shirley Brice Heath's Ways with Words, this article reports on materials from the archives of Heath's research housed at the Dacus Library of Winthrop University. What emerges from reading Heath's letters and other materials at the time she was researching Ways with Words is a portrait of an ethnographer trying to negotiate existing stereotypes and raw tensions in the scholarly and public discourse on race while attempting to adhere to the tenets of the ethnographic approach of the 1970s. Taking a critical race theory approach, the article suggests that these materials indicate that Ways with Words could most fruitfully be read at this point as a story of the persistence of prejudice—a story that suggests the failure of the arguments in favor of desegregation to broker lasting reforms toward equity, and one that reveals the different and racialized meanings literacy acquires in response to historical shifts.
Comparing E-Mail and Synchronous Conferencing in Online Peer Response
Authors: HONEYCUTT LEE
Published: March 2007

This article details study results comparing e-mail and synchronous conferencing as vehicles for online peer response. The study draws on Clark and Brennan's theory of communicative “grounding,” which predicts that participants use different techniques for achieving mutual knowledge depending on the type of media being used. Content analysis of transcripts from both types of response sessions showed that when using e-mail, students made significantly greater reference to documents, their contents, and rhetorical contexts than when using synchronous conferencing. Students made greater reference to both writing and response tasks using synchronous chats than when using e-mail. Students' individual media preferences showed no significant differences in terms of message formulation, reception, and usefulness of comments in aiding revision. However, in a forced comparison scale, students rated e-mail more serious and helpful than chats, which were then rated more playful than e-mail. Implications of the study's results and areas for future research are also discussed.
Fluency in Writing
Authors: CHENOWETH N. ANN , HAYES JOHN R.
Published: March 2007

This study explores the relation between fluency in writing and linguistic experience and provides information about the processes involved in written text composition. The authors conducted a think-aloud protocol study with native speakers of English who were learning French or German. Analysis reveals that as the writer's experience with the language increases, fluency (as measured by words written per minute) increases, the average length of strings of words proposed between pauses or revision episodes increases, the number of revision episodes decreases, and more of the words that are proposed as candidate text get accepted. To account for these results, the authors propose a model of written language production and hypothesize that the effect of linguistic experience on written fluency is mediated primarily by two internal processes called the translator and the reviser.
Flexibility in Writing Style
Authors: POLLARD-GOTT LUCY , FRASE LAWRENCE T.
Published: March 2007

Ability to vary one's style is an important skill of mature writing, and it would be useful to have tests of this skill. We developed a cloze test to measure writing flexibility, then asked college students (all good writers) to replace sentences that had been deleted from two short stories. The style of the cloze sentences, for students with experience in creative writing, more closely resembled the original story than the cloze sentences of less experienced students. Style differences, between experienced and inexperienced students, appeared in average sentence lengths, sentence types, and verb-adjective ratios. In another experiment, less experienced students were given explicit instructions to imitate story style; they showed virtually the same adaptability to style as the creative writing group in the first experiment. Thus we have evidence that the cloze test measures style differences between experienced and less experienced writers, and also that responsiveness to style features, distinct from the skill needed to change those features, is a significant component of experienced writing.
Measuring Conceptual Complexity
Authors: KARLINSKY STEWART S. , ANDREWS J. DOUGLAS
Published: March 2007

We have extended the measurement of content complexity to a practical level by developing a model for evaluating a particularly complex body of information: the federal income tax laws. United States tax law has been seriously criticized as being overly complex, and the capital gain or loss tax preference significantly contributes to this complexity. By developing and applying a content analysis measurement model, we have determined that over 15% of the tax law's complexity is attributable to the capital gain and loss preference and that this preference affects 65% of all income tax sections. The consequences of this complexity are currently an unresearched area. The findings confirm the hypothesis that the capital gain and loss preference substantially complicates the income tax law in both absolute and relative terms.
Ethos Versus Persona
Authors: CHERRY ROGER D.
Published: March 2007

This essay examines self-portrayal in fictional and nonfictional written discourse. The essay focuses on various treatments of self-representation in rhetorical and literary critical theory in an effort to overcome the conceptual and terminological confusion that has arisen across time and disciplinary specialties in the discussion of self-portrayal. The essay argues that two common terms for describing self-representation—ethos and persona— are often conflated but that there are good historical and conceptual grounds for maintaining a distinction between them. Such a distinction refines our critical vocabulary for analyzing the multidimensional nature of self-representation in writing.
Effectiveness in the Environmental Impact Statement
Authors: KILLINGSWORTH M. JIMMIE , STEFFENS DEAN
Published: March 2007

The environmental impact statement (EIS) was created by the National Environmental Policy Act in 1969 as a means of ensuring careful study of possible effects on the environment of projects involving public lands and as an aid to effective decisions regarding such projects. This article presents a case study involving the reading of several EISs produced by one government agency, the Bureau of Land Management. An analysis of these documents reveals that, to answer the leading question of rhetoricians in the field of technical writing—Is the document effective?—we must consider the social and cultural context of the EIS as well as the characteristics of the text, its organization and style. Simple notions of purpose and audience are ruled out. We must account for pragmatics as well as syntactics and semantics. The very category of “effectiveness” is conditioned by the historical and political forces that shape the EIS. An approach through genre theory is recommended.
Cognitive Processes in Journalistic Genres
Authors: SCHUMACHER GARY M. , SCOTT BYRON T. , KLARE GEORGE R. , CRONIN FRANK C. , LAMBERT DONALD A.
Published: March 2007

The research on the cognitive processes in writing has led to models of the writing process such as that of Flower and Hayes. The work underlying these models has been carried out on relatively unconstrained writing genres. The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of processes used by journalistic writers when producing texts of varying constraints. A three tier methodology was used to offset certain methodological difficulties. Journalism students wrote either a news story or an editorial under either a pausal procedure, a pausal interview, or a protocol. It was found that news story writers paused more often and carried out more activities per writing session than did editorial writers suggesting greater monitoring activity by news story writers. In addition, news story writers were extensively concerned with accuracy and appeared to use a preorganized structure to guide writing and a priorities list to determine order of mention. Editorial writers paused less often and somewhat longer indicating a more open ended task. They appeared to adopt one of two strategies—treat the editorial as a news story with an opinion paragraph or search for a personal viewpoint. The results indicated that the Flower and Hayes model is applicable in a limited manner to journalistic writing.
Moving Beyond the Academic Community
Authors: ANSON CHRIS M. , FORSBERG L. LEE
Published: March 2007

This qualitative study examined the transitions that writers make when moving from academic to professional discourse communities. Subjects were six university seniors enrolled in a special “writing internship course” in which they discussed and analyzed the writing they were doing in 12-week professional internships at corporations, small businesses, and public service agencies in a major metropolitan area. Participant-observer and case-study data included drafts and final copies of all writing that the interns produced on the job (including texts and suggested revisions by other employees), an ethnographic log of data and speculations arising from the group discussions, written course journals from each intern, transcriptions of taped, discourse-based and general interviews with the interns, and a final 15-page retrospective analysis of each intern's writing on the job. Results showed a remarkably consistent pattern of expectation, frustration, and accommodation as the interns adjusted to their new writing communities. The results have important implications for the lateral and vertical transfer of writing skills across different communicative contexts.
On Developing Independent Critical Thinking
Authors: STOTSKY SANDRA
Published: March 2007

It has recently been argued that researchers should pay increased attention to the ways in which critical thinking processes are stimulated when students can determine their own types and sequences of reading and writing activities. This argument underscores the need to look more closely at the research process for the research paper, probably the best means that teachers have for fostering independent critical thinking. Remarkably, only a few studies touch on what students do as they select and narrow a topic, locate sources, sift through these sources, and develop a central research question or thesis statement. Nevertheless, much can be learned from these few studies, especially with respect to the intellectual significance of when and how a thesis or controlling idea is formulated. This article examines these studies in detail, notes the limitations of a related body of research focusing on other kinds of academic writing, and raises a number of conceptual and methodological issues for researchers to address in future research on the research process.
Kairos in Aristotle's Rhetoric
Authors: KINNEAVY JAMES L. , ESKIN CATHERINE R.
Published: March 2007

Many authorities have come to recognize the critical importance of the Greek notion of kairos (right timing and due measure) in contemporary rhetoric. But Aristotelian scholars have generally ignored or demeaned Aristotle's use of kairos in his rhetoric, often contrasting it especially to Plato's full treatment in the Phaedrus. This lack of attention has been partially due to faulty indexes or concordances, which have recently been corrected both by Wartelle and programs like PERSEUS and IBICUS. Secondly, no one has hitherto attempted to go beyond the root kair- and examine the concept as expressed in other terms. This article will attempt to meet both of these concerns. It will first examine carefully the 16 references to kairos in the Rhetoric and show that the term is an integral element in Aristotle's own act of writing, in his concept of the pathetic argument, and in his handling of maxims and integration. There are also important passages using kairos in his treatment of style, often in conjunction with his use of the notion of propriety or fitness (to prepon). Possibly the two most important indirect uses of the concept of kairos can be seen in his definition of rhetoric and in his treatment of equity in both the Rhetoric and in the Nicomachean Ethics, probably the two most important treatments of the concept in antiquity.
The Awkward Problem of Awkward Sentences
Authors: BARTON ELLEN , HALTER ELLEN , McGEE NANCY , McNEILLEY LISA
Published: March 2007

The famous Awk is a well-known designation, but this label does not refer to a well-defined concept. The authors report here on an empirical study of the predominant types and patterns of awkward sentences in student writing. They suggest that four general types of syntactic problems—mismanagement of clause structure in errors of embedding, of syntax shift, of parallel structure, and of direct/indirect speech—are associated with four general patterns of semantic problems—mismanagement of idea structure in errors of subordinating ideas, of starting and finishing ideas, of adding ideas, and of incorporating ideas from sources. The authors argue that awkward sentences arise from a complex combination of semantics and syntax, as student writers struggle to manage the relationships among multiple ideas as well as the relationships among multiple clauses. These findings are used to suggest a number of possible pedagogical approaches to the problem of awkward sentences, including the use of read-aloud editing, the targeted teaching of grammar for syntactic editing, and the separation of ideas from sentence form for semantic editing.
Genre and Activity Systems
Authors: WINSOR DOROTHY A.
Published: March 2007

Rhetoric continues to struggle to theorize the simultaneous existence of pattern and contingency. Responses to this issue have been couched in elaborations of genre theory and, more recently, of Vygotskian activity theory. Activity theory offers two advantages in theorizing how change and continuity can coexist: It expands our ability to see how text and context influence one another and it encourages us to see that lack of unity is normal in any activity system. This study exemplifies these advantages by looking at four entry-level engineers who produced a genre they called documentation in their first 4 years at work. They defined documentation as writing that describes events to establish a common understanding of completed or promised actions. Documentation was one of the tools the participants used to create and maintain the activity system of their workplace and to reshape it as well.
A Long Look at Labor Education
Authors: Liveright A.A.
Published: March 2007

In the first section of this article, published last month, Mr. Liveright analyzed some of the problems facing labor education. In the second and concluding section that follows he discusses a number of suggestions for solving the problems he has identified. Your comments on this article will be welcomed by the author and the editor.
Knowledge of Conference Objectives and Effect Upon Learning
Authors: Blaney John P. , McKie Douglas
Published: March 2007

To determine whether knowledge of instructional objectives in an adult education program assists the participants to attain these objectives, randomly arranged groups of conference attendees were given three treatments: immediately prior to the conference, group A was provided with the instructional objectives in be havioral form; group B with a general orientation to the program; and group C with a pretest (in order to determine whether there was a change in the behavior under consideration during the conference). Upon the conclusion of the conference, all groups were given a posttest. The hypothesis that the group that was given behaviorally stated objectives would do significantly better on the criterion test than group B was upheld at the .05 signifi cance level. Additional hypotheses are suggested concerning ways in which adult educators may usefully employ behavioral objec tives in program planning and administration.