bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Performance Appraisal and Merit Pay Systems: the Disasters Multiply
Authors: Thayer Frederick C.
Published: March 2007

Even the General Accounting Office holds that performance appraisals do not measure the quality of the workforce, but many governments are making them the cornerstone of personnel manage ment and the basis for merit pay awards. These systems cannot work because they are out of step with the central premise of modern Western philosophy, i.e., all knowledge is uncertain. Bosses, therefore, cannot know enough to make detailed appraisals of their subordinates' performance. The resulting atmosphere of fear and threat destroys morale, even among the presumed "winners."
The Strategic Implications Of Automation In Public Sector Human Resource Management
Authors: McGregor Eugene B. , Daly John
Published: March 2007

The proliferation of microcomputer based software now permits the partial automation of personnel operations. Future applications of information systems technology to public sector human resource management depend on a knowledge of public management information requirements and of the organizational effects of automating personnel operations. There is some possibility, however, that careful planning regarding the application of a rich store of personnel management software to work force information system development will pay divi dends in terms of effective human resource management.
Capturing Arbitrator Decision Policies Under a Public Sector Interest Arbitration Statute
Authors: Dell'Omo Gregory G.
Published: March 2007

Twenty-two arbitrators experienced in deciding wage disputes under the Wisconsin Police and Firefighter Arbitration Act participated in an experimental study designed to capture the relative weights they apply to various statutory criteria. The nine criteria examined represent ed the broad categories of wage comparability, employer ability to pay, and cost of living. Different equity standards (anchor equity, absolute equity, and parity) were also studied to give a broader perspective to the historically important wage comparability. Objective and subjec tive relative weights were compared as well, allowing for an analysis of arbitrator self-insight into their decision policies.
Telecommuting in the Public Sector
Authors: Kemp Donna R.
Published: March 2007

Every day a growing number of Americans engage in home- based work instead of commuting to a central workplace. This article examines the development of telecommuting and its effect on productivity and reports results from a survey of state government involvement in telecommuting.
Gender Equality in Organizations
Authors: Hale Mary M.
Published: March 2007

This paper discusses dilemmas related to gender parity. Several constraints related to overcoming gendered reality are enumerated, along with the conceptual models that shape the way we tend to think about women's and men's workplace roles. The article proposes the need for a reformulation of administrative theory and personnel practices that will reflect greater equality between men and women in the workplace.
Performance Appraisal Participation, Goal Setting and Feedback
Authors: Roberts Gary E. , Reed Tammy
Published: March 2007

THIS ARTICLE EXAMINES THE RELATIONSHIP OF EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL PARTICIPATION, GOAL SETTING, FEEDBACK (PGF) AND EMPLOYEE ACCEPTANCE ON KEY APPRAISAL RELATED OUTCOMES (RATER INTERVIEW EFFICACY, RATEE SATISFACTION, AND THE SYSTEM'S INFLUENCE ON EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION AND PRODUCTIVITY). THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT EMPLOYEE PGF EXERTS BOTH DIRECT AND INDIRECT EFFECTS ON THE OUTCOME VARIABLES. APPRAISAL ACCEPTANCE IS A KEY INTERVENING VARIABLE IN THE RELATIONSHIP OF PGF AND APPRAISAL OUTCOMES. HIGH PGF RATERS CULTIVATE HIGHER LEVELS OF ACCEPTANCE, PERCEPTIONS OF RATER EFFICACY IN CONDUCTING THE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL INTERVIEW AND FAVORABLE EFFECTS ON RATEE MOTIVATION AND PRODUCTIVITY. APPRAISAL ACCEPTANCE, IN TURN, IS ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER LEVELS OF EMPLOYEE APPRAISAL SATISFACTION AND FAVORABLE OUTCOMES RELATED TO EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION AND PRODUCTIVITY. THE SAMPLE CONSISTS OF 191 MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES DRAWN FROM A SMALL SOUTHEASTERN CITY. THE ARTICLE CONCLUDES WITH A NUMBER OF SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH.
Finding A Place for Women in the World of Diplomacy
Authors: Scott James M. , Rexford Elizabeth A.
Published: March 2007

This article assesses the role of women in foreign policy bureaucracy, focusing on the Bush and Clinton administrations We advance three arguments: (a) the number and roles of women in the foreign policy bureaucracy have expanded since the Cold War; (b) these opportunities have been concentrated in predictable areas of the foreign policy bureaucracy; and (c) factors at the international, institutional, and societal levels combine to explain the increased opportunities.
Employee Attitudes Toward Benefit Packaging
Authors: Fredericksen Patricia J. , Soden Dennis L.
Published: March 2007

Increasingly, public sector organizations are creating flexible and innovative benefit packages to augment low salaries. While it is commonly perceived that the public sector has had an edge in benefit packaging, little research has been done to determine the level of importance that employees assign to various benefits and to the putative differences existing between the public and private job sectors. Using survey data from a sample of employees from public and private sector organizations in El Paso, the authors explore the perceptions public sector and private sector employees hold about the importance of various benefits in a compensation package. In contrast to conventional wisdom, the perceived importance of different benefits does not differ dramatically between public and private sector employees in this study, though some differences are notable for merit or incentive benefits and convenience benefits
The Limits to Communicative Planning
Authors: Huxley Margo
Published: March 2007

While stuLdies undertaken by communicative planninig theorists provide valuable inisights inito everyday platnning practice, there is a growing debate arounid the need for greater acknowledgement of relationis of power atnd iniequality. In particular, communicative planning theory has tended to obscure planning's problematic relation to the state. This paper openis for debate conceptionis of public dis-course in planning that, on the one hand, draw on Habermas's notions of communiicative rationality, but on the other, fail to critically examine his positioning of these in opposition to state and economy. It is argued that the implications of critiques of Habermas's ideas nmay involve questioning the very possibility of comntLinicative planning itself.
Growing SmartSM
Authors: Weitz Jerry
Published: March 2007

The American Planning Association’s (APA) Growing Smart project, now almost complete, has prepared a course syllabus on modernizing state planning and zoning enabling statutes to help educators bring its materials into the planning classrooms of the United States. This commentary describes the value of Growing Smart within the context of accredited graduate planning programs, summarizes the recommended course syllabus, and identifies alternative ways the course syllabus and Growing Smart contents can fit the individual needs of planning faculty and schools.
Evaluating the Impact of Transportation Systems Management on Air Quality
Authors: Kim Tschangho John , Chon Kyung S. , Wells Timothy R.
Published: March 2007

A procedure which estimates emissions on the basis of the congested travel times of a link is essential as a transportation systems management (TSM) policy testing tool. The significance of estimating the proper link speed stems from the fact that emission levels of both carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) are extremely sensitive to small changes in speed in the low speed range This paper provides a procedure for assessing the impact of TSM strategies on air quality and demonstrating its perfor mance and results using the Chicago CBD as a case study region
Determinants of Elderly Residential Mobility: How Well Do the Elderly Adjust to Housing Problems?
Authors: Varady David P.
Published: March 2007

Multiple regression analysis is applied to the longitudinal Annual Housing Survey data set for the 1974 to 1977 period to identify differences between the mobility decisions of elderly and younger families. In contrast to what has been suggested by the literature, the elderly were just as likely to move in response to severe housing and neighborhood problems as were younger families There were, however, differences in the determinants of mobility between the two age groups Whereas age, suburban location, and living in an older home led to mobility among the elderly, the same factors promoted staying among the younger The policy implications of these differences are discussed
Quantitative Reasoning in the Planning Curriculum
Authors: Davidson J. Mark
Published: March 2007

Four goals and five course principles are articulated for a process of turning statistics courses into quantitative reasoning courses.
Planning Threatened: A Preliminary Report of Planners and Political Conflict
Authors: Hoch Charles , Cibulskis Ann
Published: March 2007

The prospect of political conflict frequently threatens planners. Interviews with a sample of 60 Chicago planners indicates the incidence of job threatening political conflicts may be as high as one in two. In contrast, one in three admitted purposefully avoiding the danger of political disputes altogether. In describing efforts to prevent or cope with political conflict, planners reveal ambivalence about the expectations of their professional role and the uncertainties of political practice. For instance, winners usually claim victory based on professional prowess. Losers blame defeat on the power of their opponents. Despite the popularity of political avoidance and individual professionalism among planners, most agree they would like to know politically experienced colleagues to whom they could turn for advice when under attack. Planners may be willing to trade off some of the alleged virtue of professional autonomy for a bit of personal and practical solidarity.
State Land Use Planning and Inclusionary Zoning: Evidence from Oregon
Authors: Knaap Gerrit
Published: March 2007

The resurgence of state land use planning in the 1980s has again stimulated debate over the virtues of centralized land use control. Unfor tunately, the debate rages with little empirical evidence on substantive is sues. This paper examines the rela tionship between state land use planning and inclusionary zoning in Oregon, and explores whether state planning fosters inclusionary zoning. The paper suggests that state plan ning in Oregon indeed fosters a lim ited form of inclusionary zoning. Be cause state planning occurs in a different political environment than local planning, the paper suggests, state land use planning differs sub stantively from local planning. Fur ther, to the extent that similar politi cal forces operate in other states, state land use planning offers the potential of overcoming a major obstacle to providing low-income housing.
A Transatlantic View of Planning Education and Professional Practice
Authors: Alterman Rachelle
Published: March 2007

This paper presents a comparison of American planning education and professional practice with the modes of education and practice prevalent in European countries. American planning education, encompassing the world's largest community of planning schools in a single country, can be described as mature, rich, and energetic in production of knowledge, and exhibiting a large variety of formats and approaches that reflect its "bottom-up" evolutionary process. It is high on the generic aspects of planning and relatively low on substantive spatial focus. It is also flexible and open-ended in terms of the jobs graduates take, but is lukewarm on professional organization and professional support. This profile is in many ways different from the profile of planning education and the planning profession in other countries The latter part of the paper presents an initial research agenda for planning theorists who may wish to use the challenging lever of cross- national research for boosting our understand ing of planning.
Mortgage Credit Certificates as an Aid to Affordable Housing
Authors: McClure Kirk
Published: March 2007

The Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) program has been used as a means to provide assistance to low and moderate income households in their efforts to purchase their first home. This program was designed to be an alternative to the frequently used Mortgage Revenue Bond (MRB) program. Examination of recent use of MCCs finds that the program is administratively easier to operate than the MRB program and is less costly to the federal government. However, it provides few advantages to the needy home buyer. The MCC program does not reduce the household's monthly loan payments; rather, it grants a rebate through reduced federal income taxes often realized only at the end of the year. Further, if the program sponsor charges large fees to participants, then the MCC program can actually make housing affordability more difficult to attain, rendering the program of little value except to those households who could already afford to purchase a home without assistance.
Regional Consensus on Affordable Housing: Yes in My Backyard?
Authors: Wheeler Michael
Published: March 2007

The traditional response to exclusionary zoning has been state preemption through judicial intervention or special zoning appeals laws. An analysis of two recent Connecticut cases suggests a promising alternative: explicit intermunicipal negotiation over "fair share" compacts. These negotiations took place under new enabling legislation and with strong support of state housing officials and were facilitated by outside mediators. In spite of the subsequent economic downturn, participating communities are ahead of schedule in producing promised affordable housing units. Notwithstanding these results, however, difficult questions remain about the political accountability of private mediators, inclusion of stakeholders, and the potentially diminished role of existing regional planning agencies.
The Privatization of Downtown Public Space: The Emerging Grade-Separated City in North America
Authors: Byers Jack
Published: March 2007

In recent years, public space in many North American cities has been physically and socially layered through the construction of gradeseparated pedestrian systems. Case studies of downtown Houston, Minneapolis, and Toronto investigate the emerging geography of the grade-separated city by examining: how the growth of skyway and tunnel systems reconfigures the proximity of downtown activities to one another; how quasi-public space within these systems is designed and controlled by the private sector; and the way that downtown spaces-both on the street and within these systems-are used by the general public. A common set of patterns reveals the challenges to social diversity in the heart of the North American city.
Urban Patterns and Environmental Performance: What Do We Know?
Authors: Alberti Marina
Published: March 2007

This paper reviews the empirical evidence on the relationships between urban patterns and various dimensions of environmental quality and performance. I first examine approaches to measuring urban environmental perfomance, drawing on the concepts of carrying capacity, ecological footprint, environmental space, and appropriated ecosystem area. Since cities affect and are affected by ecological systems far beyond their physical boundaries, I propose including interactions at the local, regional, and global scales in the definition of environmental performance. I then systematcally review the current literature on the reltionship between four structural variables typically used to describe urban patternform, density, grain, and connectivity and four dimensions of environmental perfomance sources, sinks, ecological support systems, and human well-being. I conclude that what we measure and the scale of analysis affect the direction of observable urban ipacts. We must consider these factors as we select measures of urban environmental peformance.
Risky Behaviors in Hispanic Youth
Authors: Frank Michael L. , Lester David
Published: March 2007

Analysis of responses of 16,262 high school students surveyed in the 1997 National School-Based Youth Risk Survey indicated that Hispanic male youths engaged more often in risky behaviors than White or Black male youths, whereas Hispanic and White female youths engaged less often in risky behaviors than Black female youths. The pattern of involvement in risky behavior was different for youths from the three ethnic groups.
Validation of a Measure of Acculturation for Mexican Americans
Authors: Montgomery Gary T. , Orozco Sergio
Published: March 2007

An acculturation scale for Mexican American populations introduced by Cuellar, Harris and Jasso (1980) was cross-validated on a sample of 450 Mexican Americans and Anglo college students in south Texas. The results closely corresponded to the original normative data provided by Cuellar, et al., although the population of the present study was markedly different. Internal consistency of the scale was high, and a factor analysis yielded the same four factors identified by Cuellar, et al. The four factors included (a) language preference, (b) ethnic identity and generation removed from Mexico, (c) ethnicity of friends and associates, and (d) extent of direct contact with Mexico and with abilitv to read and write in Spanish. The findings also neatly supported work by others done in the area of empirically defining the concept of acculturation. For example, the findings were consistent with those that have reported that measures of behavioral acculturation are reliable and those that have suggested that individuals who are not Anglo-oriented may occupy a relatively imiarginal position in United States society.
Familiar Correlates of Gang Membership: An Exploratory Study of Mexican-American Youth
Authors: Adler Peter , Ovando Carlos , Hocevar Dennis
Published: March 2007

The differences between the families of youths who are gang members versus youths not in gangs were investigated. Data were collected from thirty mothers using a semi-structured interview. Results indicated that family related variables distinguish the families of gang members from the control families. Specifically, youths in gangs are more likely to come from families which put less emphasis on intrafamilial socialization, youth supervision, and outward expression of affection. Furthermore, mothers of youths who were gang members appeared more dissatisfied and fatalistic. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Developmental Differences in Infants and Policy on Undocumented Mexican American Parents
Authors: Benjamin G. Andrew H. , Kahn Marvin W. , Sales Bruce D.
Published: March 2007

The development of United States citizen infants with undocumented alien parents (UDOC, N = 24) was compared with the development of infants with documented alien or Hispanic American parents (DOC, N = 47). To assess the developmental differences, a closed-end demographic and environmental variab-le questionnaire and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) were used. Most of the demographic and environmental variables which could have influenced development remained essentially equivalent for both groups of subjects. Yet, UDOC infants scored significantly lower than DOC infants on the BSID mental and psychomotor scales, and behavior record items highly correlated with cognitive development. These results lend support to the conclusions of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refuge Policy that the illegal status of undocumented aliens may have negative consequences on their families.
Development of a Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics
Authors: Marin Gerardo , Sabogal Fabio , Marin Barbara Vanoss , Otero-Sabogal Regina , Perez-Stable Eliseo J.
Published: March 2007

This article reports the development of a short (12-item) acculturation scale for Hispanics. Separate factor analyses of the responses of 363 Hispanics and 228 non-Hispanic whites produced three factors: "Language Use," "Media," and "Ethnic Social Relations." The 12-item scale (explaining 67.6% of the variance for Hispanics) correlated highly with the following validation criteria: respondents' generation, length of residence in the U.S., age at arrival, ethnic self-identification, and with an acculturation index. The first factor consists of only five items and explains 54.5% of the variance while maintaining strong correlations with the various criteria. The validity and reliability coefficients for this new short scale are comparable to those obtained for other published scales. Separate validations for Mexican Americans and Central Americans showed similar results.
Consideration of Psychosocial Stress in the Treatment of the Latina Immigrant
Authors: Vargas-Willis Gloria , Cervantes Richard C.
Published: March 2007

Psychotherapeutic approaches aimed at the growing population of Latina immigrants are slow to develop. This paper reviews extant literature on the provision of mental health services to Latinas while at the same time proposing that mental health services incorporate a psychosocial component. Latina immigrants are faced with multiple pre-migration stressors including the loss of family and familiar surroundings, as well as post-migration stressors associated with culture change. These psychosocial stressors are addressed within the context of providing mental health services and case studies are used to highlight critical points. Mental health professionals are challenged by the multiple needs and various expectations presented by the Latina immigrant client and this paper hopes to provide baseline information on the psychosocial stressors, needs and expectations most often seen in treating these women.
The Home Environment of Higher and Lower Achieving Puerto Rican Children
Authors: Soto Lourdes Diaz
Published: March 2007

This investigation examines differences in the home environments of a group of higher and lower achieving Puerto Rican fifth and sixth graders (N=57) in a southeastern urban Pennsylvania school district. The process home environment variables were obtained by interviewing the mothers, in their homes, with the aid of the Marjoribanks Family Environment Schedule. Aspects of the home environment investigated were parents' aspirations for their child, parents' aspirations for themselves, concern for the use of language, parental reinforcement of aspirations, knowledge of the child's educational progress, family involvement in educational activities, press for independence, and value orientations.
Family Effectiveness Training: An Intervention to Prevent Drug Abuse and Problem Behaviors in Hispanic Adolescents
Authors: Szapocznik Jose , Santisteban David , Rio Arturo , Perez-Vidal Angel , Santisteban Daniel , Kurtines William M.
Published: March 2007

Evidence ispresentedfor the efficacy of Family Effectiveness Training (FET). FET is a prevention/intervention modality designedfor use with Hispanicfamilies of preadolescents who are "at risk" for future drug abuse. Family Effectiveness Training targets a constellation offactors that putfamilies at riskfor developing a drug abusing adolescent. Intervention strategies target existing maladaptive family interactions, and prevention strategies target two common stressors in Hispanic families: intergenerational and intercultural conflicts. Seventy-nine Hispanic families meeting the criteria for "at-risk"families constituted the subject population. Families were randomly assigned to either an FET condition or to Minimum Contact Control Condition. A Solomon Four Group Design was used to test the effects of both the intervention and the assessment procedures. Three sets of analyses were conducted: (I)for all subjects, 2 X 2 ANOVAs investigating the effects of intervention and preassessment on posttest outcome scores; and (2) for subjects with preassessment, ANCO VAs investigating the effects of FETand control conditions on outcome, using preassessment scores as covariates; and (3) repeated measures ANO VAs investigating the long-term impact of FETfrom pre to post tofollow-up. There were no significant effects due to preassessmentfor any of the variables measured. Families in the FET condition showed significantly greater improvement than did control families on independent measures of structuralfamilyfunctioning, problem behaviors as reported by parents, and on a self-administered measure of child self-concept. FET impact was generally maintained at the time of a six-month follow-up.
Differences Between Hispanics and Non-Hispanics in Willingness to Provide AIDS Prevention Advice
Authors: Marin Barbara V. , Marin Gerardo , Juarez Rolando
Published: March 2007

Differences between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites in reactions to talking to a relative at risk for HIV infection were explored. Interviews were conducted with 218 Hispanic and 201 non-Hispanic white adults in San Francisco. Hispanic respondents were more willing than non-Hispanic whites to talk to a hypothetical intravenous drugusing relative about various methods of preventing HIV transmission, more strongly believed the drug-using relative would follow the advice given, believed they would be less embarrassed to talk about these methods, and were more convinced that the methods suggested would protect the hypothetical drug user's wife from HIV-infection. Hispanics also indicated that the most appropriate person to talk to the relative at risk for AIDS would be someone older and afamily member more frequently than non-Hispanic whites. These results should be considered in the development of AIDS prevention campaigns for the Hispanic community.
Initial Validation of a Scale Measuring Self-Efficacy of Breast Self-Examination among Low-Income Mexican American Women
Authors: Gonzalez Judith T. , Gonzalez Virginia M.
Published: March 2007

This paper presents the initial validation of a bilingual (English/Spanish) scale designed to assess intensity of perceived self-efficacy for breast self-examination (BSE) among low-income Mexican American women. The validation and reliability analysis included the use of Cronbach's alpha, factor analysis, and correlations of the measure with knowledge of correct BSE procedure, current level of breast self-examination, and English language proficiency. Cronbach 's alpha coefficient demonstrated the reliability (internal consistency) of the scale. Results of the factor analysis supported the construct validity of the perceived self-efficacy measure, and statistically significant correlations with knowledge of correct breast self-examination, frequency of breast self-examination, and English language proficiency substantiate the concurrent validity of the measure. Further testing of the scale is proposed to strengthen the validity of the concept of self-efficacy and its measure.
Family, Friends, and Self (FFS) Assessment Scales for Mexican American Youth
Authors: Simpson D. Dwayne , McBride Anthony A.
Published: March 2007

Scales for assessing family setting and relations, peer activities and involvement, and personal perceptions of self and environment are describedforMexicanAmericanyouth Reliability and predictive validity of each of the 10 scales describing these doanins are presented, based on 700 youth admitted to drug abuse prevention programs in Texas. They have also been included in longitudinal outcome studies ofa sample of these youth, and they appear to be applicable to other research settings.
Lexical and Semantic Pitfalls in the Use of Survey Interviews: An Example from the Texas-Mexico Border
Authors: McKee Nancy P.
Published: March 2007

Analysis of the responses to some apparently unremarkable nouns in a survey administered to impoverished Mexican-American residents of a Texas bordercity illuminates the complexity of such issues as the notion of "fate" and the extent of reliance on traditional healing. Careful linguistic interpretation of these responses, in light of more traditional ethnographic data, indicates practices and points of view at odds with the initial impression and with some reports of certain other Mexican-American populations.
Sexual Abuse in Latina Girls: Their Functioning and a Comparison with White and African American Girls
Authors: Mennen Ferol E.
Published: March 2007

This study was designed to help address the lack of research on sexual abuse in Latinas. This study evaluated symptoms of depression, anxiety, and self-concept in a racially mixed sample of sexually abused girls. Latinas had elevated levels of depression and anxiety and lower levels of self-concept than children in standardization samples. Their symptom levels did not differfrom the sexually abused White and African American girls in the study. They were also very similar to the othersubjects in relationship to the identity of the perpetrator, the age when the abuse began, and the kind of abuse. The only racial/ethnic differencefound in the study was in duration of the abuse, with White girls experiencing longer abuse than the Latina orAfrican American subjects. Some possible explanations for thefindings are discusssed.
Latino Gender Differences in Public Opinion: Results from the Latino National Political Survey
Authors: Montoya Lisa J.
Published: March 2007

The objective of this article is to determine whether there exists a Latino gender gap in public opinion. The issue areas selected for this study represent areas likely to reveal a gender gap if the phenomenon is present among Latinos in a manner similar to the general public. The areas studied include (a) support for decreased spending on military spending, (b) support for increased social welfare spending, and (c) attitudes toward women 's political and social roles. Some evidence for a Latino gender gap is found, and it runs in a similar direction on some social welfare issues and for women's social and political roles but is not consistent with the literature on violence and force issues. The results presented here are preliminary, however, and much research remains to be done on gender differences in other public opinion issues, as well as political activities and political orientation.
Immigrants and Violence: The Importance of Neighborhood Context
Authors: Alaniz Maria Luisa , Cartmill Randi S. , Parker Robert Nash
Published: March 2007

This study examined the relationship between violence and immigration. The importance of neighborhood context, including alcohol availability, was also investigated. Using data from block groups, these relationships were examined in three California communities with significant immigrant populations. Data on socioeconomic characteristics were combined with police data concerning youth and data on alcohol availability. These data were geocoded in a block group, and population-based rates were calculated. A specialized regression package was used to examine these relationships. Results indicated that immigration and youth violence were not related, but that violence was predicted by alcohol availability. Contextual factors such as family breakdown and professional role models were also found to be significant predictors of youth violence. Furthermore, the context of violence is important in understanding why violence varies within communities. Violence prevention efforts may benefit from regulatory efforts to reduce the high concentrations of alcohol outlets that exist in Latino neighborhoods.
Drug Use among Hispanic Youth: Examining Common and Unique Contributing Factors
Authors: Strait Saki Cabrera
Published: March 2007

Designing effective programs to reduce alcohol and other drug use among Hispanic youth requires delineation of cultural influences on substance use. Although alcohol is used more than any other addictive substance, the influences for onset of alcohol and other substance use vary among ethnic groups. This review, therefore, examined common and unique factors that contribute to drug use among Hispanic youth. To avoid overgeneralization and to maximize construct validity, only studies that sampled Hispanics were included. Mainstream and subcultural theories that help explain drug use among Hispanic youth are provided. Observations about future directions for research and drug prevention among Hispanic youth are provided as well.
Depression among Puerto Rican Women: Culture, Etiology and Diagnosis
Authors: Koss-Chioino Joan D.
Published: March 2007

As in most of the societies that have been studied, more than twice the number of Puerto Rican women compared to men suffer from diagnosed depression. The aim of this article is to examine depression in women in Puerto Rico from epidemiological, etiological, and especially, experiential perspectives. This study includes a comparison of women’s complaints around negative mood states in cases within the public mental health system and equivalent cases encountered within a traditional healing system, Espiritismo . Several general questions are raised concerning the effect on the etiology of depression of cultural constructions regarding female roles and statuses, reproductive events, and negative life events in general, as well as the value of closely examining the experience of depressed women relative to standard diagnostic assessments in mental health care.
A Research Note on the Dimensionality of Daly and Miller's Writing Apprehension Scale
Authors: BLINE DENNIS , LOWE DANA R. , MEIXNER WILDA F. , NOURI HOSSEIN , PEARCE KEVIN
Published: March 2007

Writing apprehension (WA) has been identified as an important construct for understanding the factors that influence student development of writing skills. Although the 1975 Daly and Miller scale has dominated the WA investigation, psychometric research has been limited to the identification of question groupings within the measure. All but the 1983 study by Boozer, Lally, and Stacks have presented the WA questions in the order specified on the original scale even though no theoretical basis for the ordering was provided. It is possible that items presented in the same order may consistently produce similar factors because an ordering effect exists rather than separate dimensions. The current study employs factor analysis and comparability analysis to investigate the impact of item order on the number of factors and the underlying factor structure stability of the WA construct. Results indicate that the randomized item factor structure was comparable with the original item order factor structure.
The Impact of Content and Mechanics on Judgments of Writing Quality
Authors: RAFOTH BENNETT A. , RUBIN DONALD L.
Published: March 2007

This study concerns two related issues pertaining to the evaluation of students' written compositions: the relative effects of content versus mechanics on judgments of quality, and the extent to which raters are able to follow instructions directing them to attend more to one aspect of writing than to another. A college-level expository essay was made weaker in content (by reducing the number of underlying propositions) and in mechanics. The original and altered versions were rated analytically and holistically according to different sets of rating instructions. Analysis of variance indicated that mechanics had a greater influence on raters' judgments than either content or rating instructions. Thus the results suggest that evaluators may not be able to focus on individual criteria of writing quality.
The Business of News
Authors: CALHOUN THOMAS H. , TOKARZ KENNETH J.
Published: March 2007

This article for the Emhart Corporation, a large multinational manufacturer, addresses the growing misunderstanding of the press by big business in terms that a businessperson can understand. We draw parallels between the functional operations of business and a metropolitan newspaper. It is not surprising that the often feared and mistrusted reporter and editor have their counterparts in the typical business organization.
Do 1 and 1 Make 2?
Authors: DAIUTE COLETTE
Published: March 2007

This article presents a rationale for studying collaborative writing and evidence that coauthors can learn about the writing process from each other. Collaborative writing is explored as an instructional activity that can help students expand their repertoire of writing strategies and their mastery of written communication skills. Collaborative writing activities also offer researchers new insights into the writing process. This discussion about collaborative writing is followed by a case study of two coauthors in the fourth grade who represent general findings from a larger study of 43 fourth- and fifth-grade writers. Detailed analyses of the composing sessions, individual texts, collaborative texts, and interviews indicate that coauthors share creative input, evaluative perspectives, composing strategies, and notions about “good writing” when they work together. Collaborative writing, thus, can complement instruction because it is a direct—albeit subtle—form of learning.
Literary Theory and the Reading Process
Authors: HARKER W. JOHN
Published: March 2007

This article examines the relationship between current concepts of the reading process and contemporary theories of literary response. It is argued that text-based concepts of the reading process are highly isomorphic with the New Criticism that dominated literary theory from the 1930s to the 1960s, and that reader-based concepts of the reading process are equally isomorphic with the “reader-response” theories of literary understanding that have succeeded the New Criticism. It is maintained that the interactive formulation of the reading process that evolved from the conflict between text-based and reader-based formulations has been ignored by literary theorists to the detriment of developing literary theories that reflect the psychological reality of processing literary texts.
The Development of Spelling Skills
Authors: TAYLOR KARL K. , KIDDER EDE B.
Published: March 2007

The purposes of this study were to identify the types of misspellings made in student writing during the first eight years of school, to determine at what grade level these problems emerged, and to identify any developmental changes in the kinds of errors committed over the years. Among some of the important findings were the facts that the total number of spelling errors increases from the first grade through the fourth and then begins to decline. The deletion of letters is by far the major problem area, accounting for practically 40% of the errors throughout the eight years. Although the percentage of vowel deletions declines steadily, the percentage of consonant deletions, even though erratic, remains relatively high. The article concludes with an explanation of the results and ideas for future research.
The Effects of Writing on Learning from Expository Text
Authors: NEWELL GEORGE E. , WINOGRAD PETER
Published: March 2007

While writing researchers and theorists have claimed that composing fosters learning, we need a more rigorous conceptualization of the effects of various writing tasks on learning. This study attempted to refine and extend present knowledge of the interrelationship of writing and learning by examining the effects of various writing tasks (notetaking, answering study questions, and essay writing) on learning using recall of specific text elements and recall of the theme or gist of expository writing. The results indicate that the relationship of writing and learning is indeed complex, and that factors such as students' topic-knowledge prior to writing, the content structure of the passage, and the nature of the task all assert some influence on what students learn from expository text.
An Engineer's Writing and the Corporate Construction of Knowledge
Authors: WINSOR DOROTHY A.
Published: March 2007

Previous research on the writing process in the workplace has given inadequate attention to the collaborative nature of work in an organization. Examination of the processes an engineer goes through as he writes a routine and a non-routine document shows that those processes are strongly affected by the degree to which his company has previously accepted the claims he makes as given or as knowledge. Claims are established as knowledge in an organization by being “inscribed,” that is, by having a series of increasingly general symbolic representations assigned to them by a series of writers at work. The inscribing process both resembles the writing process and affects it.
Success as Failure and Failure as Success
Authors: SLEDD ANDREW E. , SLEDD JAMES H.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the logic and rhetoric of E. D. Hirsch, Jr. in Cultural Literacy, attempts to answer the question of how intellectual failure guarantees success in the marketplace, and concludes with an alternative vision of the American society that Hirsch glowingly describes and with the suggestion that Hirsch's cultural literacy is in fact cross-culturalilliteracy. The subsequent publication of the Hirschian Dictionary of Cultural Literacy occasions a postscript that examines the mindset of a comfortable white gerontocracy as it manifests itself in the Dictionary's comic arrogance yet trivial accomplishement.
A Synthesis of Social Cognition and Writing Research
Authors: BONK CURTIS J.
Published: March 2007

The fields of social cognition and writing have both evolved significantly from their infancy in the 1960s. Yet by 1960, each field had already suffered from years of neglect; a social-cognitive framework was initially published in the 1930s (Mead, 1934), while audience awareness in speaking and writing was first addressed by Aristotle (Cooper, 1932). During the 1970s, cognitive-developmentalists interested in audience awareness in writing found Piaget's (1926) description of the egocentrism displayed by children in various communicative tasks particularly appealing. The combined acceptance by these writing researchers of the concepts of egocentrism and decentration led to a growing concern for audience awareness and adaptation in written communication. However, many researchers noted the limitations of cognitively based audience heuristics and the conflicting evidence regarding egocentrism. Support for their views on writing was found in the new field of social cognition and writing. Of the four theoretical positions currently advanced in the field, Rubin's (1984) multidimensional proposal dominates the research. Although the actual studies generated have been few, numerous theoretical and methodological problems already plague this area of research. Nonetheless, the emerging social-cognitive model of writing presents implications for research and teaching not available under traditional perspectives.
Writing in History
Authors: STOCKTON SHARON
Published: March 2007

Student writing in history courses, graded evaluation of that writing, and faculty interviews all reveal a contradiction between the stated and implicit aims of historical discourse. The explicit definition of writing in history is “argumentation”; the implicit expectation, however, is for narrative. This apparent contradiction highlights what the author argues is the central function of academic historical discourse: the establishment of an autonomous subject of meaning who is always speaking from outside history about a distant and objectified past. Students are rarely aware of the importance of this voice, even at an unconscious level, because faculty themselves fail to articulate for students the distinctive nature of their genre or the function of historical discourse generally. This project thus builds on previous studies in rhetoric by using the work of theorists of history to identify more precisely what it is in historical discourse that is hidden from student view—the autonomous, transhistorical voice.
Researching Electronic Networks
Authors: ELDRED JANET CAREY , HAWISHER GAIL E.
Published: March 2007

Composition studies, as a field, has always depended on theoretical constructs and empirical methods from other disciplines. This article looks at interdisciplinary work in the area of composition and computer-mediated communication (CMC). The work on writing and electronic networks has drawn from early experimental studies of CMC in social psychology, the premises of which are at odds with current thinking in both composition studies and social psychology. In recent years, social psychological research on CMC has witnessed changes similar to those in composition: a rethinking of positivistic frameworks and a move to emphasize social constructs. This article reviews the work of four groups conducting social psychological research on CMC. It traces the movement away from theoretical frameworks based in positivism toward those grounded in social constructionism. It concludes by advocating a dialogic relationship between research in computers and composition studies and social psychology.
Identifying Writing Strategies Through Text Analysis
Authors: VAN WIJK CAREL , SANDERS TED
Published: March 2007

A structural analysis of an explanatory text written by a 12-year-old pupil is discussed to demonstrate how the PISA technique (the Procedures for Incremental Structural Analysis; Sanders & Van Wijk, 1996a) may contribute to the understanding of conceptual processes in writing. First, the validity of PISA is supported by showing that the hierarchical text structure corresponds with the (idiosyncratic) punctuation conventions of the writer. Then, it is explained how the writer's strategies and procedures can be reconstructed from the text structure. Evidence for the validity of these inferred cognitive plans is obtained from the distribution within the text of spelling errors, language errors, and self-corrections. Finally, the generalizability of these results is discussed together with the desirability of combining this off-line method with on-line techniques such as pause measurements.
How Cultural Values Shape Learning in Older Adulthood: The Case of Malaysia
Authors: Merriam Sharan B. , Mohamad Mazanah
Published: March 2007

Culture shapes the meaning people make of their life as well as how people experience movement through the life course. Although there is some literature on how one's culture influences the experience of older adulthood, there is little on how culture defines the nature of learning in late life. The purpose of this study was to understand how cultural values shape learning in older adulthood in the Southeast Asian country of Malaysia. A qualitative research design was employed to explore this question. Nineteen men and women between the ages of 60 and 83 were interviewed as to their experience of aging and their learning activities. Using the constant comparative method of data analysis, three themes were inductively derived from the interview data. First, older adult learning in Malaysia is nonformal and experiential Second, learning is communal. Third, much of the learning is religious or spiritual in orientation.
A Remedial Program for Undergraduate Evening Students
Authors: Disalvi R. Daniel
Published: March 2007

A factorial experiment was conducted with 100 students to eval uate five degrees of treatment on two levels of undergraduate even ing students. Results were reported in terms of postmeasure gains on four dependent variables: study orientation, level of compre hension, speed of comprehension, and grade-point average. Differ ences between means of all treatment groups were not statistically significant for any dependent variable with the exception of speed of comprehension. This variable was also statistically affected by the amount and kind of treatment received. There were no sig nificant differences between non-treatment volunteers and non- volunteers on any variable, and levels of experience did not con tribute significant differences to mean performances of the groups. It was demonstrated that evening students will voluntarily partici pate in a reading-study skills program, and that participation is accompanied by changes in the direction of improvement in aca demic performance.