bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Families and Television
Authors: DAVIS DENNIS K. , ABELMAN ROBERT
Published: March 2007

Recent research on children's use of television is reviewed and an innovative perspective based on Goffman's frame analysis theory is presented. Three developmental stages closely related to television use are differentiated using frame analysis theory. Current research findings are reinterpreted to develop and support our perspective. The implications of our theory for structuring future research on the use of television are considered.
Foster Care and Public Policy
Authors: COX MARTHA J. , COX ROGER D.
Published: March 2007

In this article, policies are considered that affect children in substitute care and their natural families. Over the last decade there has been an unusual amount of interest among family advocacy groups and family professionals in the problems and abuses in this policy area. Reform legislation has been enacted at the federal level, but it is still unclear whether this legislation will be fully implemented. Moreover, chronic dilemmas in this policy area remain, and these will impede the solution of problems. Observations are made by these authors concerning the role that family professionals can play in improving the situation of these children and their families.
Family Scholarship
Authors: BERARDO FELIX M. , SHEHAN CONSTANCE L.
Published: March 2007

This article outlines and presents support for the thesis that family scholarship is largely shaped by sociodemographic changes in the family. It presents several additional alternative explanations for trends in the substantive foci of family scholarship. These include: serendipity; personal interest; proliferation and the changing composition of the body of researchers; social movements; key scholars; interaction between researchers and practitioners; shifts in public tolerance as subjects; increases in public sophistication as consumers of knowledge; and value changes. The article concludes that family scholarship is shaped by multiple factors for which salience varies across time and researchers.
Factors in Long-Term Marriages
Authors: LAUER ROBERT H. , LAUER JEANETTE C.
Published: March 2007

There are few empirical studies of the factors involved in long-term marriages. The present study involves a nonrandom sample of 351 couples who have been married 15 years or more. Differences were found in the reported reasons for staying together between happy, unhappy, and mixed (one partner happy and one unhappy) marriages. For happy couples, the most frequently mentioned reason for staying together was the perceived nature of the relationship, then the belief in marriage as a long-term commitment. Among the mixed and unhappy marriages, the most frequently named reason was the belief that marriage is a long-term commitment. Nineteen percent of those in mixed marriages and 47% in unhappy marriages said the children kept the marriage together. Various other factors are also reported, along with the meaning of the responses.
The Correlates of Negative Affect in Marriage
Authors: KROKOFF LOWELL J.
Published: March 2007

The present study assessed the interaction and cognitive styles that were associated with different levels of negative affect for husbands and wives. Without an observer present, 28 couples audiotaped problem-solving discussions in the home. Each spouse also filled out questionnaires measuring the extent to which they viewed their relationship as a resource for helping them with problems. The audiotapes were coded using the Couple's Interaction Scoring System (CISS) and then subjected to a series of proportional, sequential, and bivariate time-series analyses dyad by dyad. The results indicated that wives' negative affect was directly related to their attempts to confront the problem and enforce their own views (e.g., metacommunication, counterproposals, appeals), and was inversely related to their attempts to be conciliatory (e.g., agreement, mind reading with neutral voice tone). Husbands' negative affect was inversely related to both spouses' attempts to be conciliatory (agreement, proposals, contracting), and to the wives' viewing the relationship as a resource for helping them with their problems.
Adjustment to Widowhood and Divorce
Authors: KITSON GAY C. , BABRI KAREN BENSON , ROACH MARY JOAN , PLACIDI KATHLEEN S.
Published: March 2007

Authors have commented upon the theoretical similarities in adjustment to widowhood and divorce, but little research has empirically explored this issue. This review examines studies of adjustment to widowhood and/or divorce and points out those places where findings are similar or different. The impact upon adjustment of cause of death or divorce, timing of the event, demographic correlates, economic issues, social support, and attachment is explored. The review concludes with a discussion of methodological issues and topics for future research in widowhood and divorce adjustment research.
The Effects of Religious Homogamy on Marital Satisfaction and Stability
Authors: HEATON TIM B. , PRATT EDITH L.
Published: March 2007

Previous studies have indicated a relationship between religious homogamy and marital satisfaction and stability. However, most have emphasized denominational affiliation only. Using loglinear analysis of national survey data, this study tested the effects of three types of religious homogamy - namely denominational affiliation, church attendance, and belief in the Bible - upon marital satisfaction and stability. Results indicated that denominational affiliation homogamy is the most critical, with church attendance homogamy contributing slightly to marital success. Similar beliefs about the Bible did not have a statistically significant association with either marital satisfaction or marital stability.
New Views of Grandparents in Intergenerational Context
Authors: ALDOUS JOAN
Published: March 2007

This article contains a summary of the most widely supported findings concerning grandparents' transactions with their children and grandchildren. In addition, based on the research summary, areas for which there is little information are spotlighted. These include general demographic information, political behavior, and asset transfer from well-off elders to their descendants. Theoretical suggestions are included for the latter area. Most present studies focus on the interactional dynamics of intergenerational relations. An assessment of the theoretical and methodological shortcomings of the research also appears.
The Declining Effects of Family Stressors on Antisocial Behavior From Childhood to Adolescence and Early Adulthood
Authors: SIM HEE-OG , VUCHINICH SAM
Published: March 2007

This study tests the hypothesis that the influences of family disruption, marital conflict, and disengaged parent-child relations on antisocial behavior decline as the individual moves from childhood to adolescence and early adulthood. The study examines the three waves of the National Survey of Children, which includes assessments in childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. The results show declines in the influence of family disruption, marital conflict, and parent-child relations. However the pattern of decline was not the same for all three family stressors. The analysis specifies the developmental period when the declines occurred and distinguishes decreases due to adaptation (time since exposure to the family stressor) from those due to maturation (age of the child). The results and conceptual framework of the study provide an approach to reconciling some previous inconsistent findings regarding the long-term effects of child exposure to family stressors.
Remarriage of Women and Men After Divorce
Authors: SWEENEY MEGAN M.
Published: March 2007

This analysis of remarriage among the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study's cohort of high school graduates investigates the relationship between socioeconomic prospects and remarriage after divorce. This article expands on previous efforts by including multiple measures of socioeconomic prospects and considering their importance over an extended time frame. In addition, a comparative approach is taken in this analysis, with the importance of socioeconomic prospects considered for the remarriage of both women and men. Several competing hypotheses are tested, with results indicating that, for women, the appropriate model of remarriage varies with age of separation from the first husband. With few exceptions, socioeconomic prospects are not found to be related to the remarriage of men. The implications of these findings for patterns of poverty among divorced women are considered.
Young Adult Families
Authors: SCABINI EUGENIA , CIGOLI VITTORIO
Published: March 2007

This article is divided into two parts. The first one, through both qualitative and quantitative data, shows the results of research concerning Italian families with young adults. The second part is devoted to qualitative research and related findings. In particular, young adults ages 20 to 30 have been interviewed jointly with their parents. Given that the evolutionary slowdown is also due to the labor market (see the high rate of youth unemployment), family relations have a wider scope and a specificity of their own. Results outline that family relations prove to be at once an optimum context for children's self-fulfillment and a hindrance for the generational transition. The problem lies in the representation of adulthood that both parents and children share, which in turn stems from the split that is now quite evident between self-fulfillment and the life course transition.
The Nestlings
Authors: ROSSI GIOVANNA
Published: March 2007

The available data concerning the prolongation of youth suggest that there are big differences between the habits of young people in Italy and those abroad. Generally speaking, young people outside of Italy, before forming their own family, leave their nuclear family of origin and go to live alone or experiment with ways of living with others that only later may lead to marriage. But in Italy, the past decade has been characterized by a very low percentage of types of households other than those of the family of origin. As a result, the quota of young people who live with their families is the highest in the West. The peculiarity of Italian young adults is that of leaving home only to marry; the elongation of youth in Italy essentially means young people tending to prolong their stay with their family of origin.
Commitments and Constraints to Intimacy for African American Couples at Midlife
Authors: CAROLAN MARSHA T. , ALLEN KATHERINE R.
Published: March 2007

This study focuses on the contributors and detractors to intimate relationships for African American couples at midlife. Qualitative analysis revealed that commitment to faith provided a foundation for familial and intimate relationships and mediated the constraints of aging and racism. African American couples were devoted to their families and to their spiritual beliefs. Midlife was a time of change and stability for couples with the competing demands of work and family. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Exploring the Work and Family Relationship
Authors: ROXBURGH SUSAN
Published: March 2007

This article examines gender differences in the influence of parenthood and social support on job satisfaction. This is important because there is ample evidence that work and family roles are managed and coordinated differently by men and women and therefore that home roles influence men's and women's job satisfaction differentially. Using a large random sample of the Toronto metropolitan area, gender differences in the impact of parenthood and social support from partners and coworkers on job satisfaction, controlling for job demands, are examined. Results indicate that mothers have higher job satisfaction than fathers and nonmothers. Coworker support is more important for men's job satisfaction than partner support. Partner support is highly significant for women's job satisfaction, whereas the influence of coworker support varies as a function of partner support. Implications for an understanding of gender differences in job satisfaction and in the experience of dual roles are discussed.
“Open it Up a Bit”
Authors: Light Richard
Published: March 2007

The playing of team games in Australian schools has long been based on the assumption that it promotes positive social learning, and this is particularly so in elite, independent schools. Yet, in a rapidly globalizing world, both sport and education are undergoing significant changes in meaning and function. Within this context, there is increasing tension between the ideal of sport as an educational medium and the reality of sport as a commercial commodity. This article draws on research conducted on rugby union football at an elite, independent school in Brisbane, Australia. It examines how tensions between the function of rugby as an educational medium and the influence of rugby as an emergent commercialized sport were manifested in struggle over game style and tactics.
Issues in the Internationalization of the U.S. Sports Media: the Emerging European Marketplace
Authors: Bellamy Robert V.
Published: March 2007

Western Europe increasingly is regarded as a necessary market for the product of the U.S. television and sports industries. At the same time, the European sports television market is itself in the process of both expansion and economic consolidation. This paper analyzes the recent strategies implemented in both the U.S. and European sports marketplaces in order to explain the changes, successes, and failures ; and to discuss the opportunities and limits of the internationalization of sports television.
Gender Parity in the Olympics
Authors: Eastman Susan Tyler , Billings Andrew C.
Published: March 2007

Despite claims that the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta were “the Olympics of the Women,” analysis of the producing network’s on-air discourse showed no significant gains in parity for women. Comparison of over 20,000 mentions of names, sports, and associated descriptors in successive Olympics (1994, 1996, 1998) revealed that the proportions of mentions of women and men athletes and women’s and men’s sports stayed at approximately the same imbalanced levels from one Olympics to the next. Despite changes from one producing network to another, despite separate analyses of commentary by hosts and venue reporters and of profiles and promotion, despite comparative analysis of adjectival descriptors, results demonstrated a drop in women’s overall salience in 1996 and no improvement over time. The results demonstrate conflicts between official network goals and their implementation as well as some of the ways network discourse creates conspicuous frames for media events to meet commercial needs.
ACCOMMODATING BODIES: CELEBRITY, SEXUALITY, AND “TRAGIC MAGIC”
Authors: Rowe David
Published: March 2007

The media coverage of U.S. basketball star Magic Johnson's revelation of his HIV status and the unfolding of the “Magic Johnson Story” invokes and traverses a range of discourses, including the medical, the sexual, the racial, and the “celebritorial.” A series of discursive contradictions and boundary confusions is thereby produced in the domain of media sport. This combination of significatory and ideological possibilities provides an opportunity to examine the making—and potential unmaking—of (a) celebrity. In the process, some of the more obscure structures and processes of social power, exercised through the construction of the body and its various dispositions, come into focus. The narrativized predicament of Magic Johnson is used here to interrogate how particular constructions of the body may be enlisted in the domain of popular culture, invested and inscribed by the media with ideologies of dominance, and deployed to deter disruptive, antihegemonic readings of discomfiting social phenomena. Viewed in this manner, the sporting body emerges as a key site of politico-cultural contestation, its celebration inevitably accompanied by its dissection.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ATHLETICS: LEGAL AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR ATHLETIC DEPARTMENTS
Authors: Masteralexis Lisa Pike
Published: March 2007

In light of recent research suggesting that sexual harassment is widespread in educational institutions, this article reviews the relationship between sexual harassment and athletic programs. It examines the role that athletic directors should play in preventing sexual harassment within their programs as well as sexually harassing actions committed outside the athletic departments by those associated with their programs. There may be a need to examine whether athletics provides a connection between sexual harassment and the perpetrators due to the power and social status equated to males involved with athletics. This article further examines the need for an understanding of sexual harassment, the adherence to institutional policies, and the implementation of training programs to prevent sexual harassment from occurring in athletic departments.
“ADD SEX AND STIR”:1 HOMOPHOBIC COVERAGE OF WOMEN'S CRICHET IN AUSTRALIA
Authors: Burroughs Angela , Ashburn Liz , Seebohm Leonie
Published: March 2007

In January 1994, there occurred one of the most extraordinary events in the history of women's sport in Australia. It was reported on national television and radio that female cricketer Denise Annetts had been dropped from the Australian team and had lodged a complaint over her dismissal with the Anti-Discrimination Board. Her allegations of discrimination on the basis of her heterosexuality and marital status resulted in the sudden ascendancy of women's cricket from media obscurity to the national limelight. This article provides an Australian focus to the growing literature on heterosexism and homophobia in sport. It examines the media's preoccupation with the issue of lesbianism and the concomitant trivialization of women's sport. Most important, it considers whether media coverage of the cricketer's allegations has reinforced existing prejudices to exacerbate homophobia or has prompted discussion and action to combat homophobia in women's sport. In addition, it looks at how a decision made by a sporting body was used to question the nation's antidiscrimination legislation. It is intended that this paper will contribute to discussion aimed at improving sporting opportunities for all women, regardless of their sexual orientation.
MALE COACH/FEMALE ATHLETE RELATIONS: GENDER AND POWER RELATIONS IN COMPETITIVE SPORT
Authors: Tomlinson Alan , Yorganci Ilkay
Published: March 2007

This article reports participation observation evidence, questionnaire survey, and in-depth interview data in an examination of the male coach / female athlete relationship in competitive sport. Focusing on athletics in the United Kingdom, the authors demonstrate the gendered nature of female athlete / male coach relationships, and the dynamics of power and control that contribute to the nature and perpetuation of those relationships. The vulnerability of the young female athlete in the coaching situation is identified, as that vulnerability is manifest in a variety of forms of sexist practice and sexual harassment. The article points to the complexity and normalcy of the organizational sexuality characteristic of the sports culture and the forms of domination and control that can be exerted by the coach. Sports professionals are urged to recognize the serious implications of the gender and power relations underpinning the male coach / female athlete dynamic in competitive sport.
COMMODIFYING THE MALE BODY, PROBLEMATIZING “HEGEMONIC MASCULINITY?”
Authors: Miller Toby
Published: March 2007

This article offers a critique of the hegemonic masculinity thesis, initially from ethnomethodology and psychology. It then proposes an approach that combines the idea of “categorials” from the work of Harvey Sacks with a new political economy of looking. The article examines the situation of gay athletes in the context of the commodification of male beauty and the spread of ocularity onto men. A case study is made of Ian Roberts, footballer and gay icon.
The Vagaries and Vulgarities of "Scientific" Jury Selection
Authors: Berk Richard A. , Hennessy Michael , Swan James
Published: March 2007

Beginning with such famous cases as the Harrisburg conspiracy trial, the use of "scientific" jury selection has gained wide publicity and numerous advocates. Both profit and nonprofit organizations are increasingly offering such services for "good" causes and/or hard cash. Yet no rigorous evaluation of scientific jury selection has ever been undertaken, and impressionistic data on its effectiveness are at best equivocal. In an effort to present a more balanced assessment, this paper undertakes a consciously skeptical examination of the kinds of survey data routinely used to inform the juror- selection process.
A Time Series Analysis of the Impact of a Water Conservation Campaign
Authors: Maki Judith E. , Hoffman Donnie M. , Berk Richard A.
Published: March 2007

Time series analyses of total water production and domestic and commercial sales in the Goleta County Water District were performed to evaluate the extent to which a local water moratorium and conservation campaign have influenced water consumption. The findings indicated an average 15% reduction in water consumption for the three years following the implementation of the moratorium.
Evaluation of Complex Human Performance
Authors: Newsom Robert S. , Schultz James V. , Friedman Richard B.
Published: March 2007

Western societies, and the United States in particular, heavily depend on the measurement and evaluation of complex human behavior for the training and placement of their profes sional workers. Multiple-choice instruments are the current norm for wide-scale measure ment and evaluation efforts. These instruments contain fundamental problems in the following areas: subject cueing, restricted responseformat, lack of individualization, and the relatively unexplored issue of testing individuals on what they say they will do rather than what they actually do. Computer-based management simulations may provide solutions to these problems, appear scoreable, reliable, offer increased validity, and are better suited to performance measurement. Evaluation of complex human behavior by computer-based simulation promises an improvement in measurement technique ; how ever, acceptance of the methodology depends upon a culturally perceived need to improve the evaluation of professional personnel.
Interpreting Data
Authors: Datta Lois-Ellin
Published: March 2007

Research design and greater attention to social context have figured prominently in efforts to improve evaluation utility. This essay continues a second, related line of inquiry: ways to analyze data to increase the precision with which program effects-or lack of them- can be understood. The heuristics suggested treat the issues of magnitude of effects, attribution of causality, and statistical reliability. These are illustrated through examining interpretations of data from an evaluation of the Career Intern Program, a project serving high risk, low-income youth.
Services for the Elderly
Authors: Moran R. Allen
Published: March 2007

The end result of any service provision program is critically dependent on the preferences of the managers of service provision agencies. The theoretical concept of managerial utility provides a potentially useful device for examining the impact of managerial preferences on service provision, but the value of this approach in practice is limited by a paucity of information on the actual nature of managerial preferences. This article presents results from a recent study that provide an empirical basis for constructing a model of agency managerial behavior. These results apply specifically to services provided to the elderly.
Indigenous Evaluation
Authors: Fuller Bruce , Rapoport Tamar
Published: March 2007

Evaluators could more clearly contrast the bureaucratic structures typifying many inter ventions against the indigenous social rules that pattern local action by staffs or clients. Methodological critiques have thoroughly contested strict experimental designs that ignore political complexities and inevitable local adaptations of centrally designed organi zational change. Formative schools of evaluation have further illuminated how persistent local behaviors often subvert the earnest intentions of program sponsors. This article argues that evaluators must go further in mapping how clients' indigenous social struc tures complement or conflict with the centralized rational structure ofprogram reforms. Evaluation of youth programs in Israel and the United States exemplifies how the respective social rules of program sponsor versus clients may be mutually supportive or sharply clash. The implications for evaluation methodology and the design of social programs are discussed.
Information and Knowledge Development Potential
Authors: Gilsinan James F.
Published: March 2007

It seems clear from initial published reports and documents that the extent of knowledge development under the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act of 1977 (YEDPA) has been disappointing. By presenting the findings from a specific YEDPA demonstration project, this article suggests that the rather limited success in meeting knowledge-development goals is due more to a misunderstanding of the phrase "knowledge development"than to an actual lack of important information. It illustrates the differential degrees of value of what was discovered concerning the ability of the private sector to improve work attitudes, skills, and youths' chances to find and keep unsubsidized jobs. It concludes with a discussion of the kinds of knowledge that can reasonably be expected from projects of this type.
Policy Implications of Using Significance Tests in Evaluation Research
Authors: Schneider Anne L. , Darcy Robert E.
Published: March 2007

Significance tests have certain normative implications that are not commonly recognized and present serious complications for evaluation research. One of the conclusions reached in this article is that evaluators often make normative decisions, albeit unintentionally, when they use the traditional .05 significance level in studies with small numbers of cases. Another conclusion, however, is that evaluators cannot abandon significance tests, but should use and interpret them differently than in conventional social science research.
An Evaluation of Fundamental Schools
Authors: Weber Larry J. , McBee Janice K. , Lyles Joseph H.
Published: March 2007

This study reports findings about fundamental and regular schools, both types being component schools in a large public school system. Comparative data concerning achievement of students, school climate, discipline, student self-concept and parental attitudes were gathered. On achievement variables fundamental school students performed as well or better than students in regular schools. Fundamental schools rated better on learning climate, discipline, and suspensions. The self-concepts of students in both types of schools were about the same. No evidence was uncovered that would warrant a recommendation that the fundamental schools be discontinued in the system.
Are Key Informant Estimates of Health-Risk Behavior Really More Valid Than Self-Report Estimates?
Authors: Overstreet R. Edward , Rootman Irving
Published: March 2007

In their article in the August, 1984 issue of this journal, Deaux and Callaghan (1984) conclude that estimates of health-risk behavior obtained from key informants are "apparently more valid than those produced by a telephone survey" and hence that "the key informant approach is superior to the RDD telephone survey." This conclu sion goes far beyond the data presented. What has in fact been demonstrated by Deaux and Callaghan is that different estimates of health-risk behavior were obtained on the same population using the two different methods. The authors assume that the key informants' estimates are ipso facto more valid measures of health-risk behavior without providing convincing evidence to support this assumption.
Juvenile Sentence Reform and Its Evaluation
Authors: Harris Patricia M.
Published: March 2007

Despite the intent of juvenile sentence reforms to create sanctions that approximate punishments imposed by the criminal court, evaluations of the new laws indicate what appears to be the continued lenient treatment of juveniles. One explanation for this phenomenon is that within similar charges, juvenile offenses are far less serious than adult offenses. In order to explore this idea, prosecutors of one New Jersey county were asked to rate the seriousness of the behaviors of 500 adults and 500 juveniles charged with assault or robbery. With respect to both offenses, the behaviors of juveniles were regarded as substantially less serious than the behaviors of adults. These results highlight a need for the use of more precise measures of offense seriousness in juvenile justice research.
The Use of Importance-Performance Analysis as an Evaluative Technique in Adult Education
Authors: Alberty Susan , Mihalik Brian J.
Published: March 2007

Adult education is an area in which teaching evaluations are often required to assess instructional effectiveness. The purpose of this article is to present and illustrate a model for evaluation that will provide accurate information concerning the effectiveness of particular instructors and settings in adult education. Importance-Performance, the model used, identifies the relative importance of factors influencing student preferences (importance component) and also indicates the degree to which a particular educational setting possesses these factors (performance component).
Self-Reported Change Versus Changed Self-Report
Authors: Spiro Shimon E. , Shalev Arieh , Solomon Zahava , Kotler Moshe
Published: March 2007

Self-Report (SR) measures are widely used in the evaluation of therapeutic interventions. The limitations of such measures have been only partly recognized. This article reports on the evaluation of a treatment program for war veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in which a battery of SR measures was applied. The repeated administration of SR instruments showed no improvement, even some deterioration, in symptoms and social functioning. These outcomes conflict with the evaluation of the program by participants and therapists. Various interpretations of the conflicting findings are offered, among them the possible direct effects of treatment on responses to SR instruments. These effects may distort the true impact of the treatment on the subjects' behaviors and well-being.
Econometric Model Evaluation
Authors: Ridge Richard S. , Stern Gary A. , Watts Ronald K.
Published: March 2007

The problem associated with evaluating an econometric model using values outside those used in the model estimation is illustrated in the evaluations of a residential load management program during each of two successive years. The analysis reveals that unless attention is paid to this problem, reduction estimates can be nearly twice those reasonably expected.
Community-Based AIDS Research
Authors: Merton Vanessa
Published: March 2007

Institutional review boards (IRBs) that review community-based AIDS research, like their counterparts in hospital-based or academic settings, are charged with protecting the rights and welfare of subjects. Fulfilling this charge presents all the challenges that face other IRBs, but with the added urgency of issues particular to the disease and the community setting. Investigators in community-based AIDS research are often primary care providers who have close relationships with their patients; they are not, by and large, trained as clinical investigators. A patient-centered medical ethic may differ in significant ways from knowledge-oriented research ethics. Furthermore, patients with AIDS, living with a disease with no cure or effective long-term treatment, urgently need access to promising drugs and therapies. Community research IRBs thus must grapple with generic research design and ethical issues that assume special salience under these conditions. One can characterize these issues as questions of scientific validity, not ethics, but they are both. The challenge to the IRB is to balance the values of scientific credibility with the moral principles of respect for persons, including autonomy, beneficence, and justice. The experience of the IRB of New York City's Community Research Initiative (CRI) in dealing with this tension may be instructive for others examining the community-based research model. In the process of reviewing protocols, the IRB has developed policies that address issues of research design, subject selection, and confounding variables.
Something That Works in Juvenile Justice
Authors: Land Kenneth C. , McCall Patricia L. , Williams Jay R.
Published: March 2007

Recently, the state of North Carolina has supported a randomized experimental project designed to provide intensive supervision services for undisciplined youths (status offenders or youths referred to the courts for runaway, truant, or ungovernable behaviors) placed under the protective supervision of the juvenile courts. As compared to regular procedures for juvenile court protective supervision of status offenders, the Intensive Protective Supervision Project (IPSP) involves more extensive and proactive contact between the court counselor, the status offender, and the status offender's family. The essential idea of the IPSP is that through the intensive supervision and provision of professional services to status offenders it may be possible to decrease the rate of occurrence of additional status offenses and the likelihood that the youths will commit more serious delinquent offenses. Results from a statistical and field-based evalu ation of the IPSP experiment suggest that the project is quite successful in achieving its goals for those undisciplined youths who have not previously been charged with delinquent offenses.
Evaluating Schools and Teachers Based On Student Performance
Authors: Bingham Richard D. , Heywood John S. , White Sammis B.
Published: March 2007

As urban school systems continue to fail large segments of the school-age population, there has been an increasing concern with accountability. A major question has been: Can teachers be held accountable for the academic achievement of students? This article describes an empirical test of a method of evaluating schools and teachers based on the performance of students on standardized achievement tests. The research indicates that teachers can be evaluated using this method of predicting student performance and comparing it with actual outcomes.
Assessing Evaluation Performance and Use
Authors: Kirkhart Karen E. , Morgan Robert O. , Sincavage Joan
Published: March 2007

Two studies were conducted to determine the stability of self-assessment of evaluation performance and use over a six-week period. Two instruments, the Evaluation Performance Questionnaire (EPQ) and the Evaluation Utilization Questionnaire (EUQ) were developed to assess internal evaluation of community mental health centers (CMHCs). One hundred one evaluators of CMHCs were surveyed in Study 1, and 175 directors and evaluators were surveyed in Study 2; response rates were 54% and 60%, respectively. Test-retest reliability coefftcients were calculated for total and subscale scores, and scale means were compared across time. Results show that the EPQ and EUQ provide reliable information about the level and scope of evaluation activity and the use of evaluation information within community mental health centers. The value of these tools for research, administration, evaluation, and practice is discussed
A Computerized Approach To Trickle-Process, Random Assignment
Authors: Braucht G. Nicholas , Reichardt Charles S.
Published: March 2007

The random assignment of indivcduals to treatment conditions is often corrupted in field studies. The typical result is nonequivalence between the treatment groups and a corresponding reduc tion in the study's credibilety. The corruption of the assignment process seems to be particularly common in studies involving trickle processing, wherein the research participants appear and are assigned to treatments one at a time over an extended period Several procedures for safeguarding the integrity of random assignment with trickle processing have been proposed. The present article describes a computer-based, alternative method
Reducing the Risk of Drug Involvement Among Early Adolescents
Authors: Harmon Michele Alicia
Published: March 2007

This article examines the effectiveness of the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program in Charleston County, South Carolina by comparing 341 fifth-grade DARE students to 367 non-DARE students. Significant differences were found in the predicted direction for alcohol use in the last year, belief in prosocial norms, association with drug-using peers, positive peer association, attitudes against substance use, and assertiveness. No differences were found on cigarette, tobacco, or marijuana use in the last year, frequency of any drug use in the past month, attitudes about police, coping strategies, attachment and commitment to school, rebellious behavior, and self-esteem.
Hazardous Waste Facilities
Authors: Anderton Douglas L. , Anderson Andy B. , Rossi Peter H. , Oakes John Michael , Fraser Michael R. , Weber Eleanor W. , Calabrese Edward J.
Published: March 2007

Recent widely publicized studies claim facilities for treatment, storage, and disposal of hazard ous wastes (TSDFs) are located in areas with higher than average proportions of minorities, thereby exposing minorities to relatively greater levels of potential risk. These claims have influenced national policies and public perceptions. This article revisits those claims in the first national study of TSDFs to use census tract-level data, finding no consistent and statistically significant differences in the racial or ethnic composition of tracts that contain commercial TSDFs and those that do not. Aggregating tracts surrounding TSDF tract locations, the authors find that the claims of the previous studies rest on using larger areal aggregates (zip code areas) on the peripheries of which the densities of minority populations are higher. The authors conclude that whether minorities are exposed to greater risk depends on how distance from TSDF sites is related to that nsk, an issue on which there is currently little knowledge.
Pitfalls in Evaluating the Effectiveness of Case Management Programs for Homeless Persons
Authors: Orwin Robert G. , Sonnefeld L. Joseph , Garrison-Mogren Roberta , Smith Nancy Gray
Published: March 2007

It is generally believed that homeless individuals—particularly those with substance abuse problems or mental illness—are unable to access the full range of available benefits and com munity services on their own. In recent years, community service providers have increasingly looked toward case management as the intervention of choice for solving this problem. Yet the evaluation findings of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Community Demonstration Program, which included three case management projects, showed few clear indications of case management effectiveness. The results of these studies—which focused on homeless clients with alcohol and other drug problems—are consistent with studies of case management services for the homeless mentally ill. This article identifies several phenom ena that potentially explain the apparent lack of positive effects and suggests that the reasons for negative findings may lie as much with the evaluations as with the interventions. These phenomena include bias due to differential attrition from measurement, lack of intervention intensity, lack of distinction between groups, contextual factors, and additional design and measurement issues. Suggestions for improving future evaluations of case management effec tiveness are offered.
Using Microsimulation To Help Design Pilot Demonstrations
Authors: Greenberg David H. , Long David , Meyer Daniel , Michalopoulos Charles , Robins Philip K.
Published: March 2007

This article describes how microsimulation analysis was used to help design a social experiment currently being conducted in two provinces in Canada. To the authors' knowledge, microsimu lation has never been used before for this purpose, although the technique has been used to assist development of a couple of nonexperimental demonstration programs. For the Canadian experiment, the microsimulation analysis was used primarily for choosing among alternative program models and for refining the selected model, but it had other important uses, such as helping to project the potential financial liability to the Canadian government. The authors conclude that microsimulation should be given serious consideration in the design of future experiments, whenever an appropriate simulation model is available.
Following the Bouncing Ball of Quality
Authors: Genovich-Richards Joann
Published: March 2007

Quality of health care is important to all individuals. As an area for research and evaluation, quality is of considerable interest to a wide variety of professionals. Increasingly, independent assessments of the quality of care have become important components of purchasing for employers and consumers. This article offers a personal perspective on the emerging trends in quality and identifies several related implications, with behavioral health examples, as well as opportunities for interested evaluation researchers.
Isolation in Blood and Marrow Transplantation
Authors: Cohen Marlene Zichi , Ley Cathaleen , Tarzian Anita J.
Published: March 2007

This phenomenological study explored the perceptions of 20 patients who had undergone an autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT). Transcripts from interviews were analyzed for themes. Three themes emerged related to the experience of isolation during and after ABMT: physical isolation (protecting self and others), emotional isolation (protecting self and others), and physical and emotional isolation (supporting self and others). During physical isolation, participants were protected from infection and tried to protect family and friends from emotional burden. However, physical isolation often led to emotional isolation, which the physical presence of others ameliorated, particularly when an emotional presence was coexistent. Emotional presence was a main source of social support. Participants felt family and friends needed more guidance on ways to provide effective support. An important implication for health care professionals is that emotional support in the form of positive presencing should accompany providing information to both patients and family members.
Community Service Issues before Nursing Home Placement of Persons with Dementia
Authors: Collins Clare , King Sharon , Kokinakis Candance , Maas Meridean L. , Specht Janet P. , Strang Vicki R.
Published: March 2007

Family caregivers ofpersons with dementia (N = 38) who placed their relative in a nursing home while participating in a longitudinal study were surveyed about their experiences with community services (adult day care, in-home services, and physician home visits). One third (34%) of the sample reported that at least one service issue (affordability, eligibility, access, or service quality) had a strong influence on the nursing home placement, whereas 40% reported that the availability of at least one additional service would have delayed the nursing home placement of their relative. Caregivers who were employed reported higher levels of unmet service needs. The results of this study support the existence of a group of dementia caregivers with a high need for and willingness to use community service interventions in the preinstitu-tional period.
Endotracheal Suctioning of the Newborn Piglet
Authors: Gunderson Laurie Porter , Stoeckle Many L.
Published: March 2007

Suctioning of the endotracheal tube (ET) is a necessary procedure to remove secretions and debris that naturally accumulate over time. Endotracheal suctioning protocols often califor the injection of small (< 0.5 ml) amounts of normal saline down the ETtube just prior to commencing the suctioning procedure. Comparisons of room temperature and body temperature normal saline injectate protocols and their impact on arterial blood gas parameters and heart rate alterations prior to, during, and following the endotracheal suctioning procedure were conducted. Eleven newborn Yorkshire piglets less than 24 hours of age were randomly exposed to both the room temperature (RT) and body temperature (BT) normal saline suctioning protocols. The analysis and interpretation of the results revealed that the RTnormal saline injectate caused a greater decline in heart rate and greater alterations in arterial blood gas parameters than did the BT normal saline injectate.
Teaching Nursing Research Using Two-Way Video Technology
Authors: Parks Peggy L. , O'Shea Kristen
Published: March 2007

Schools of nursing are meeting the needs of students by instituting distance education courses that use two-way video technology. This article describes the structuralfeatures of the classroom that are changed and provides strategies that can be effective for teaching nursing research. These strategies are related to: teaching and demonstrating use of statisticalformulas; selecting and teaching use of software for data analysis; teaching about research design, sampling, and data collection procedures; and critiquing empirical articles.
Internal Body Perceptions of Ethiopian Jews Who Emigrated to Israel
Authors: Ravid Carol , Spitzer Ada , Tamir Batya , Granot Michal , Noam Rivka
Published: March 2007

Previous research regarding knowledge about internal organs among school-age children tied this knowledge to the development of cognitive capabilities. Studies have rarely considered the impact of culture on this knowledge. The purpose of this study was to examine internal body perceptions among Ethiopian Jews who emigrated to Israel. A total of 65 children (stratified according to age) and 19 adults were interviewed. Findings indicated that Ethiopian children reported fewer body organs than did Western children. Further, Ethiopian children and adults, unlike peoplefrom Western societies, did notthinkabout the body in terms of different biophysical functions. Rather, they perceived the body as a holistic system in which a divine providence was responsible for body organs working together harmoniously. Implications of the differing perceptions about internal body organs, health, illness, and treatment are discussed.
Critical Care Nurses' Lived Experience of Unsuccessful Resuscitation
Authors: Isaak Cheryl , Paterson Barbara L.
Published: March 2007

Although approximately 58% of patients in critical care units die despite resuscitation efforts, the experience of nurses who participate in unsuccessful patient resuscitation has been largely unexamined. The article is a description of a phenomenological research study designed to investigate this experience. Nine nurses employed in cardiac or intensive care units of a tertiary care hospital participated in the study by contributing paradigm narratives concerning unsuccessful patient resuscitation. The lived experience of unsuccessful resuscitation was described by the participants as one in which theyfortified themselves for the emotional consequences and sense of loss associated with this experience while establishing a connectedness with the patient and his/her significant others.