bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Free Elections and Political Parties in Transition to Democracy in Central and Southeastern Europe
Authors: Gebethner Stanislaw
Published: March 2007

The spate of free competitive parliamentary elections held during the systemic 1989-91 transformation in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, GDR, Hungary, Poland, and Romania accomplished several different ends. The first such elections introduced a new democratic political order, legitimated a new constitutional order, and founded a democratic structure for multi-party system building, The second (or third) parliamentary elections held in 1992-96 stimulated the party-making process and consolidated a new party system as well as contributed to the formation of a parliamentary majority for government stability. Electoral systems differed from country to country and, as in Romania and Poland, from election to election. The first fully free parliamentary elections in Poland (1989) and Romania (1990) as well as the first, and only free election in the GDR were fair and proportional being in compliance with the requirements of “foundation” elections. Subsequent elections in Romania and Poland were held under more rigorous electoral rules to prevent further excessive fragmentation of party politics. In Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia more rigorous electoral rules, using proportional representation with a threshold of 4 or 5 percent, contributed from the beginning to the formation of a parliamentary majority, leading to government stability. Since 1993 there has been a trend toward reducing fragmentation of party politics in post-communist central and southeastern Europe.
Enduring Effects of Marital Disruption and Subsequent Living Arrangements
Authors: NOCK STEVEN L.
Published: March 2007

This research examines the enduring effects of marital disruption and the subsequent living arrangements upon adolescents. A large national sample of adults (N = 8224) is examined to compare those living in each of eight types of disrupted families when they were 16 years old with a comparable group who were living with both biological parents at this age. Measures of interpersonal trust and confidence, anomie, and general satisfaction with aspects of life are studied using multiple regression techniques to ascertain whether such items reveal consistent and regular effects associated with family disruption. Controls are introduced to remove the effects of a wide range of extraneous influences. Results indicate that living arrangements following family disruptions vary in their effects. Most adults from disrupted families do not differ appreciably from those who were living with both natural parents at 16. Those effects that are noted, however, are positive, suggesting that under certain circumstances a family disruption and its associated stress may be turned to an individual's advantage over time.
Divorce and Family Support in Later Life
Authors: SMYER MICHAEL A. , HOFLAND BRIAN F.
Published: March 2007

Two patterns are among the most important considerations in planning services for the elderly of the future: (1) the current role of family members in supporting older adults and (2) the present high rate of divorce. Thus far, these patterns may not have significantly affected each other. However, if forecasts of increasing service demands by older adults are correct, service planners must consider what resources will be available to the elderly of the future. In this article, literature from a variety of areas is reviewed focusing on one question: How will the currently high rate of divorce affect the family support system of older adults in the future? Current divorce and remarriage patterns could undermine this support system of the elderly. Possible short-and long-term effects of the demands and emotional consequences of divorce are discussed within this context, and implications for public policy are suggested.
On Living Together Unmarried
Authors: JACKSON PATRICK G.
Published: March 2007

This article examines the practice of youthful unmarried cohabitation among heterosexual couples, most of whom later married. It attempts to identify the contingencies leading to cohabitation, the forms of adaptation to actual or perceived reactions by family to the relationship, and the consequences of these adaptations for the cohabiters and their relations with family. The analysis suggests that cohabitation can be understood as a gradual movement characterized by drift in a situation of opportunity isolated from immediate social controls. The form of adaptation to family varies by the awareness context (Glaser and Strauss, 1964) existing between cohabiters and family. The study points out the sources of change in awareness contexts and concludes that the enactment of traditional role obligations or marriage is generated by actual or perceived reactions of others, problems associated with various forms of awareness contexts, and other factors.
Dilemmas of Support
Authors: STONEALL LINDA
Published: March 2007

This study examines the deinstitutionalization of people with mental problems by using participant observation, intensive interviews, and case records. A relationship pattern, the accordion relation, was found between the expatients and selected family members. In the accordion relation, deinstitutionalized mentally ill persons and families alternated between being close and separating from one another because of needs, combinations of stress and support, anger, and a return when needs are not met elsewhere. Economic conditions and the nature of the family ties “play” the accordion and help to explain when the accordion relation is likely to be present. These findings suggest a revision of the concept of support.
Marriage, Divorce, and Living Arrangements
Authors: GLICK PAUL C.
Published: March 2007

The population base for first marriages reached a peak in 1982, and the corresponding peak for divorces will be reached in about 1990. Both first marriage and remarriage rates have been declining among those in critical age groups and may be expected to continue to do so, barring unforeseen developments. About one-half of the first marriages of young adults today are likely to end in divorce. For second marriages, the projected level is closer to 60%. The divorce rate is highest for those with an incomplete college education and is especially low for those with four years of college. About three-fourths of young divorced persons are likely eventually to remarry. The number of unmarried couples tripled during the 1970s and may double again during the 1980s. One-parent households are expected to continue increasing rapidly while two-parent households actually decrease. But even if the recent trends continue at a moderated rate, the vast majority of Americans in 1990 will probably still be living in homes of married couples with or without children or in homes of lone parents and their young children.
No-Fault Divorce Law
Authors: GLASS BECKY L.
Published: March 2007

The impact of no-fault divorce laws was investigated through direct observation of divorce hearings, with emphasis on how divorce is experienced by contesting and uncontesting clients, and by the judge. Client expectations were identified and found to be largely unmet. The judge was found to have a general antipathy toward divorce cases; four factors that contribute to this antipathy are identified. Finally, it is suggested that, despite the no-fault divorce laws, divorce hearings are generally unsatisfactory for all parties due at least in part to the traditional adversarial nature of the legal procedure.
The Marriage Relationship During the Transition to Parenthood
Authors: WORTHINGTON EVERETT L. , BUSTON BEVERLEY G.
Published: March 2007

Most couples experience some disruption in their relationship when they have a first child. A number of theories account for this disruption: sociological theories, normative crisis theory, the Double ABCX theory, role conflict theory, and behavioral marriage therapy theory. Both research and clinically based theories describe the nature of marital problems to be expected during the transition to parenthood and delineate ways to cope with the problems. This article reviews major theoretical approaches and summarizes pertinent research concerning each theory. Finally, three critical variables are identified: disruption of time schedules, conflict over relationship rules, and adjustment of the couple prior to the transition. A model using these three variables, which may direct and organize both research and practice with troubled and untroubled couples, is proposed.
Rethinking Family Power
Authors: KRANICHFELD MARION L.
Published: March 2007

The family power literature, in its macro-level focus on marital decision making, has emphasized the kind of family power that is generally conferred on men and is based on extrafamilial roles and performance. Women, by virtue of their intrafamilial roles as kinkeepers and nurturers, are more deeply, extensively, and enduringly embedded in the family; yet the power that accrues to them as the lynchpins of family cohesion and socialization has received little attention. A micro-level analysis of family power reveals that women's positions in the family power structure rest not on the horizontal marital tie but rather are derived from the more complex, significant, and dynamic power of the intergenerational bond.
Gender, Marriage, and Psychosocial Well-Being
Authors: WILLIAMS DORIE GILES
Published: March 2007

Using national survey data, this article examines gender differences in the relationships of marital status and of marital quality to psychosocial well-being in order to test hypotheses that the former is more important for the well-being of men and the latter is more crucial for the well-being of women. Findings suggest that it is the quality of marital interaction rather than marriage per se that is more important for individual well-being, and that the effects of marital quality are stronger among women than among men. Further examinations of the data find little support for the idea that the effects of marital quality on women's well-being are due to their greater reliance on marriage for self-validation or to a lack of alternate sources of role gratification in comparison with men. The possibility that women's higher expectations for intimacy and emotional support within marriage are implicated in findings of gender differences in the effects of marital quality on well-being are discussed.
The Impact of Human Resource Policies on Employees
Authors: GALINSKY ELLEN , STEIN PETER J.
Published: March 2007

Using a number of empirical studies of human resource policies in Fortune 500 companies, this article focuses on (a) the major work/family problems faced by employees, (b) how work/family programs affect productivity, (c) what trends are emerging among companies, and (d) how a subsample of leading scientific companies and universities are responding to work/family issues. The seven major issues employees face are examined: child care, elder care, work time and timing, relocation, job demands and autonomy, supervisory relationships, and organizational culture. The major characteristics of Stage 1 and Stage 2 companies are compared, the later companies having more comprehensive and multifaceted programs that are responsive to employee needs. The research indicates that although some of the leading corporations and universities are responsive to work/family problems, many are still not aware of nor responsive to work/family strain and conflict.
Gender Equality and Social Policy
Authors: HAAS LINDA
Published: March 2007

This article evaluates the effectiveness of parental leave as a social policy designed to eliminate the traditional, gender-based division of labor. It examines whether fathers' taking parental leave equalizes women's and men's involvement in the labor market and in child care once the leave is over. Results from a 1986 study of 319 sets of new parents in Gothenburg, Sweden were analyzed. Fathers who took parental leave were found to be more likely to be involved in child care and to reduce their involvement in the labor force. On the other hand, mothers retained primary responsibility for children and remained less involved and rewarded in the labor market, whether or not their partners participated in parental leave. Elimination of the gender-based division of labor may require social policies that simultaneously aim to improve women's labor market opportunities, raise girls' interests in occupational achievement, and increase men's participation in child care.
Male Procreative Consciousness and Responsibility:
Authors: MARSIGLIO WILLIAM
Published: March 2007

During the past several decades American males' relationship to the reproductive realm has undergone a significant transformation, and current societal conditions are likely to produce additional changes. The present analysis introduces a conceptual framework to describe and assess critically the nature and potential consequences of men's experiences in this life sphere. The conceptual linchpins of this analysis include two specific social-psychological concepts, procreative consciousness and procreative responsibility. These concepts are introduced and developed in relation to males' partner, father, and sex role identities. The discussion of these dynamic, interrelated concepts is informed by recent changes, current patterns, and future projections of males' relationship to the reproductive realm. Finally, key factors related to men's procreative experiences are identified and a basic agenda for research and social policy debate that focuses on contraception and custodial care/child support issues is proposed.
Social Class and The Locus of Reciprocity in Relationships With Adult Children
Authors: KULIS STEPHEN S.
Published: March 2007

This study examines the relationship between patterns of reciprocal and asymmetrical intergenerational aid and the parent's rating of the quality of their relationships with adult children, posing two questions: Is there an identifiable pattern of specific substantive exchanges that contributes most to high relationship ratings? And is this distinctive locus of reciprocity different in blue-collar and white-collar families? Using a large, representative sample of U.S. parents with adult children, we examine these issues by testing competing models of reciprocal and asymmetrical exchanges between parent and child. Findings indicate that white-collar families are somewhat more involved in all types of exchanges, including instrumental assistance, and that the link between reciprocity and positive relationship ratings is stronger in these families than among blue-collar families. Asymmetrical instrumental assistance from parent to child is associated with lower ratings among blue-collar families, and financial assistance from parent to child appears to lower relationship ratings in white-collar families.
Do You Need to Shop Around?
Authors: SOUTH SCOTT J.
Published: March 2007

Although age at marriage is one of the strongest and most consistent predictors of marital dissolution, few studies have attempted to explain this established association. This analysis merges marital history data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth with 1980 census data describing the quantity of spousal alternatives available to husbands and wives in the local geographic area to test one such explanation. The main hypothesis, derived from the theory of marital search, suggests that persons who marry young will be more likely than those who marry later in life to dissolve their marriage when they encounter abundant alternatives to their current spouse. Discrete-time event history analyses offer no support for this hypothesis. Although the risk of marital dissolution is highest where either husbands or wives chance numerous spousal alternatives, the impact of age at marriage on divorce is significantly weaker in marriage markets containing abundant remarriage opportunities. Some of the effect of age at marriage on marital dissolution is attributable to the detrimental impact of early marriage on educational attainment. Future research directions for explaining the inverse association between age at marriage and the risk of marital dissolution are discussed.
Methodological and Ethical Issues Related to Studying Child Maltreatment
Authors: SOCOLAR REBECCA R. S. , RUNYAN DESMOND K. , AMAYA-JACKSON LISA
Published: March 2007

Research about child abuse and neglect is very complex methodologically and ethically. There are not yet uniform research definitions of the problem and the lack of prospective population-based research limits the ability to make progress. To date researchers have been reluctant to ask children directly about their maltreatment experiences because of perceptions of ethical and legal responsibilities. This article begins with a brief review of existing research about the scope and consequences of child abuse and neglect. We address methodological considerations that are especially pertinent to research about child maltreatment, including the definition of the problem, study design, and issues of causality and bias. We conclude with a discussion of ethical and legal issues that arise in the course of carrying out such research, including issues related to subject recruitment, informed consent, confidentiality, and reporting.
Fathers' Parenting Role Identity and Father Involvement
Authors: MINTON CARMELLE , PASLEY KAY
Published: March 2007

This study explored a father's parenting role identity in nondivorced and divorced, nonresidential fathers and the relationship between role identity and involvement in child-related activities. Data were collected from 270 fathers (178 nondivorced and 92 divorced) by mail questionnaires. Differences were found between groups on three dimensions of identity: nonresidential fathers reported feeling less competent and satisfied in the role, and that the role was more salient. No differences were found on role investment. Higher scores on role identity typically were associated with more frequent involvement with children. The dimensions of father parenting role identity except salience and marital status made significant contributions to predicting involvement. Marital status moderated the relationship between competence and involvement, such that the relationship was stronger for divorced, nonresident fathers.
Poverty, Paternal Involvement, and Adolescent Well-Being
Authors: HARRIS KATHLEEN MULLAN , MARMER JEREMY K.
Published: March 2007

In this article, we explore the role that parents play in family processes in poor and nonpoor two-parent families and the extent to which paternal participation varies across family income. Using longitudinal data from the National Survey of Children, we observe patterns of poverty over time in childhood and adolescence and examine whether father involvement buffers the effects of poverty on long-term outcomes of adolescents. We measure emotional and behavioral dimensions of parenting and contrast levels of father involvement with levels of mother involvement in their relations with adolescents across poverty experiences. Fathers in poor and welfare families are less involved with youth in adolescence and the greater the persistence of poverty, the less involvement by fathers. Although we document some buffering effects of fathers in poor families, mother involvement plays a more important role in protecting low-income youth from adverse outcomes.
Children and Privacy
Authors: WEIGEL-GARREY CINDY J. , COOK CHRISTINE C. , BROTHERSON MARY JANE
Published: March 2007

This article examines privacy in the home environments of families who have young children with disabilities. Literature supports the importance of privacy in developing self-identity and autonomy in children with disabilities. Early experiences with privacy help develop a sense of self-esteem and help define the range, limits, and consequences of individual autonomy. Data from parent interviews, surveys, and home observations of 32 families who have children (age 3-10) with disabilities are analyzed. Results describe opportunities for being alone; choice, control, and access in bedrooms; privacy during toileting or bathing; and privacy-promoting modifications. Parents agree that privacy is important; however, it is being restricted by access and control in the environment. A majority of children have some control and opportunity for choice making in their bedrooms. Privacy in the bathroom is most difficult. The findings suggest that parents are cognizant of the need for privacy, but the physical environment of the home stymies opportunities.
Parenting Stress in Families Adopting Children From Romanian Orphanages
Authors: MAINEMER HENRY , GILMAN LORRAINE C. , AMES ELINOR W.
Published: March 2007

Parenting stress was evaluated in families that adopted children who were institutionalized for at least 8 months in a Romanian orphanage (RO group) and two comparison groups: families with Canadian-born, nonadopted children (CB group) and families that adopted Romanian orphans who had spent less than 4 months in Romanian orphanages (RC group). Parenting stress, assessed using parent reports on the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) (Abidin, 1990), was found to be higher in the RO group than in the comparison groups. Predictors of parenting stress in the RO group included aspects of child behavior such as attachment security and number of behavior problems, as well as family factors such as income, mother's age, and number of Romanian children adopted. Of the various predictors, the relationship between parenting stress and behavior problems was particularly strong. The findings are discussed with respect to their implications for special needs adoptions.
Linkage Between Marital Quality and Parent-Child Relationship
Authors: SHEK DANIEL T. L.
Published: March 2007

The linkage between marital quality (marital adjustment and marital satisfaction) and parent-child relationship (parent-child relational quality and demand) in 378 Chinese married couples over 2 years was examined. For interdomain spillover, results showed that higher levels of marital quality were concurrently and longitudinally associated with higher levels of parent-child relational quality and lower levels of parent-child relational demand, and prospective analyses suggest that marital quality is a precursor of change in parent-child relational quality. Results also showed that the strengths of association between marital quality and parent-child relationship were similar in fathers and mothers. For interparent spillover, although fathers' and mothers' scores in the marital and parenting domains were significantly related, the link between spouses' marital quality was found to be stronger than the link between spouses' reported parent-child relationship.
The Impact of Sporting Forces on South African Apartheid
Authors: Krotee March L. , Schwick Luther C.
Published: March 2007

The South African government's discriminatory policy of apartheid has caused tremendous external, as well as internal, pressures to develop in an effort to reverse its in humane treatment of its repressed populace. None of the pressures have been more forceful than those evoked by the sporting world and the United Nations. In recent years, these forces have virtually eliminated South Africa from most international sports com petitions, including the Olympic Games.

A number of recent events seem to indicate that a new policy and perhaps attitudinal posture in regard to sport and apartheid may be formulating, a process which may permit sport to shape its own destiny. Time, however, is of the essence not only in regard to equal opportunity and availability in regard to sport, but in South Africa's all-encompassing racially repressive apartheid practices. It appears that unless the South African govern ment initiates swift apartheid extirpation as appears to be occurring in sport, the adage that "He who hesitates is lost" may prevail!
Nike’s Communication with Black Audiences
Authors: Armstrong Ketra L.
Published: March 2007

An increase in the size and resources of the Black consumer market has prompted many organizations to increase their understanding of the challenges of devising marketing communications to appeal to Black consumers. The influence of culture on communication strategies aimed at ethnic groups has long been realized by marketers and advertising professionals. However, what remains a challenge is the means of adapting an effective (yet nonoffensive) culturally-based approach of marketing communication. Given the salience of sport to Blacks, this is a challenge that sport organizations should also address as they devise ways of advertising and communicating sport products and services to Black consumers. This article will employ the tenets of symbolic interactionism, to analyze Nike’s advertisements as vehicles to communicate with Black audiences.
Racial Discrimination in Chicago's Storefront Banks
Authors: Bridges William , Oppenheim Jerrold
Published: March 2007

A multiple regression analysis of survey data was carried out to evaluate the extent and form of price differentials in Chicago currency exchanges. These institutions, which are partially regulated by the state, cash checks, write money orders, and remit utility payments in return for small service fees. The results showed that there were price differentials for obtaining financial services of small value (under $200), with higher prices being charged in Latmo and Black neighborhoods. The inclusion of interaction terms for ethnic composition, however, demonstrated that the form of the pricing function was relatively constant across neighborhoods.
Impact Evaluation of Service Programs
Authors: McKillip Jack
Published: March 2007

Flexibility in evaluative research design does not necessitate the abandonment of ran domly constructed comparison groups. Three designs are reviewed which provide at least the option of randomization while maintaininggreatflexibility. The strengths and weak nesses of the designs are discussed.
A Model for Training Community Mental Health Researchers and Evaluators
Authors: Franco Juan N. , DeBlassie Richard R.
Published: March 2007

A description is presented of a mental health evaluation and research training program at New Mexico State University. The program trains and prepares students to serve as evaluators for community mental health centers. The curriculum consists of coursework in statistics, computer science, sociology, and the behavioral sciences, supplemented by an internship or field training experience and newly developed courses in mental health evaluation. The program provides a 24-month study period culminating in a master's degree or a 42-month study period which culminates in a Ph. D.
Measuring Activity of Old People in Residential Care
Authors: Felce David , Powell Liz , Lunt Barry , Jenkins Judith , Mansell Jim
Published: March 2007

A handbook was written to instruct researchers and health and social services staff how to carry out sensitive yet quick, simple, and inexpensive measures of engagement in activity by old people in residential care. The handbook was tested experimentally to demonstrate that researchers and staff could observe engagement reliably, using only the written instructions. High levels of the interobserver agreement were attained by subjects with little or no previous experience in direct observation, showing that the handbook was sufficient for training researchers and staff in the use of the measure. Some limitations of the handbook are discussed.
A Precise Notational System for Planning and Analysis
Authors: Haskins Jack B.
Published: March 2007

Writers on evaluation research have increasingly pointed to a need for greater precision, specificity and explicitness in articulating the details of research operations. A precise notational system as proposed here would be beneficial in this regard at every stage of an evaluation enterprise-in reviewing and analyzing earlier studies, in the predesign stages of evaluability assessment and formative research, in the study design and implemen tation stages, in communicating results to nonresearch personnel, and in teaching research design methods. The proposed system explicates such crucial but elusive research dis tinctions as: self-selective versus forced exposure and nonexposure, treatment stimuli versus spontaneous stimuli, randomized groups versus matched groups versus other non- randomized group comparisons, "natural" versus true experiments, laboratory versus field experiments, blackout versus treatment-control experiments, and other equally important research variations.
Categorizing Skewed, Limited Dependent Variables
Authors: Muthén Bengt , Speckart George
Published: March 2007

Probit analysis is applied in a situation where analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) would customarily be used. The dichotomous dependent variables arise from dichotomizations of skewed continuous variables recorded as the proportion of time certain activities are observed. The probit approach avoids the biases of ordinary A NCO VA that arise due to skewness (limited variation). To illustrate this, data from 225 experiments and 214 control subjects in a drug treatment program was analyzed. It was found that the probit approach was able to reveal more substantial treatment effects than the ordinary A NCO VA.
Offense History and Juvenile Diversion
Authors: Osgood D. Wayne
Published: March 2007

For juvenile diversion programs to reach their goals of reducing labeling, social control, and costs, they must serve a population that is diverted from processing in the justice system. Some evaluations imply that these goals conflict with the goal of reducing recidivism because diversion programs are most effective with youths who have the least serious offense histories. The present study examines the issue using data for a broad range of outcomes from three programs that randomly assigned youths to treatment and control groups. Data analysis indicated no relationship between program effectiveness and the seriousness of clients' offense histories.
Secondary Analysis of a Major Societal Experiment
Authors: Locascio Joseph J.
Published: March 2007

This work presents a methodological critique and secondary analysis of a large scale societal experiment performed by Kellaghan, et al. (1982) that studied the educational and psychological effects of the introduction of standardized achievement/ability testing in elementary schools in Ireland. The author considers the study by Kellaghan et al. to be of high quality; however, given the potential importance of this study, a methodological critique and secondary analysis are appropriate to provide an independent assessment of validity of findings, confirmation or disconfirmation of results, and a checkfor important effects that may have been missed by the original investigators. Some points of methodological criticism discussed involve the questionable validity of cross-lagged correlation analyses, spillover of treatments, insufficient measurement of treatment effects, and Hawthorne effects. Secondary analyses not performed by the original researchers found evidence of effects not indicated in the original report for the study. Some of the more important reanalyses found evidence of positive effects of immediate and delayed test feedback on student ability and achievement, and indications of positive effects of testing and test feedback on group variance of achievement possibly due to labeling processes and differential motivational effects on high versus low initial scorers.
Using Exponential Smoothing To Specify Intervention Models for Interrupted Time Series
Authors: Mandell Marvin B. , Bretschneider Stuart I.
Published: March 2007

In general, procedures for the analysis of interrupted time series are quite sophisticated and powerful. However, procedures for identifying the intervention component of inter rupted time-series models remain relatively primitive. In this article we demonstrate how exponential smoothing can play a function in the identification of the intervention component of an interrupted time-series model that is analogous to the function that the sample autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation functions serve in the identification of the noise portion of such a model.
Evaluating Women On Patrol
Authors: Morash Merry , Greene Jack R.
Published: March 2007

This article provides an empirical analysis and a qualitative assessment of the major evaluations of policewomen's performance: A number of problems common to research on women are identified. In particular, there is a tendency to emphasize situations and characteristics associated with a male stereotype. Also, policewomen are often evaluated on criteria unrelated to police performance and in situations unrepresentative of police work. Other difficulties with evaluations of policewomen include a failure to control for Type 1 error for multiple tests; a disregard for variance in the consideration of female-male differences; disregard for workplace variation as a possible explanation of female-male differences; and the lack of methods to identify frequent tasks, important tasks, and good performance. The types of problems that characterize the research on policewomen should be avoided in evaluations of people in any jobs that are dominated by one gender group.
Cognitive Relativism in Evaluation
Authors: Alexander H.A.
Published: March 2007

This article examines a group of defenses of qualitative evaluation methods that are based upon a hard relativistic interpretation of the work of Thomas Kuhn. Hard relativism holds that (1) truth is a function of framework, and (2) all frameworks are equally legitimate because they are only to be criticized on the basis of internal criteria. Soft relativism accepts the first point but denies the second. It is argued, following Karl Popper, that hard relativism is an indefensible position. A defense of qualitative evaluation based upon this position, therefore, will be equally shaky. Kuhn, however, is a soft—not a hard—relativist. Thus, a more promising defense of qualitive evaluation may be found in a soft-relativist interpretation of Kuhn's analysis of the nature of scientific discovery.
Do We Need Experimental Data To Evaluate the Impact of Manpower Training On Earnings?
Authors: Heckman James J. , Hotz V. Joseph , Dabos Marcelo
Published: March 2007

This article assesses several recent studies in the manpower training evaluation literature claiming that (1) nonexperimental methods of program evaluation produce unreliable estimates of program impacts and (2) randomized experiments are necessary to produce reliable ones. We present a more optimistic statement about the value of nonexperimental methods in analyzing the effects of training programs on earnings. Previous empirical demonstrations of the sensitivity of estimates of program impact to alternative non experimental procedures either do not test the validity of the testable assumptions that justify the nonexperimental procedures or else disregard the inference from such tests. We reanalyze data from the National Supported Work Demonstration experiment (NSW) utilized by LaLonde and Fraker and Maynard and reexamine the performance of nonexperimental estimates of the net impact of the NSW program on the posttraining earnings of young high school dropouts and adult women. Using several simple strategies for testing the appropriateness of alternative formulations of such estimators, we show that a number of the nonexperimental estimators used in these studies can be rejected. Although we eliminate a number of nonexperimental estimators by such tests, we are able to find estimators that are not rejected by these tests. Estimators not rejected by such tests yield net impact estimates that lead to the same inference about the impact of the program as the experimental estimates. The empirical results from our limited study provide tangible evidence that the recent denunciation of nonexperimental methods forevaluating manpower training effects is premature.
Survey Research and Social Policy
Authors: Wright James D.
Published: March 2007

This article reviews the historical linkages between the evolution of the survey research method and applied social research, arguing that most or all of the elements of the modern survey were devoloped in response to immediate, practical (as opposed to academic or disciplinary) concerns. In contrast, the utility of survey data and methods in advancing the more basic social science disciplines was a rather late recognition. Although surveys similar to those of the modern day were being conducted in the nineteenth century, academic scholars referred to the method as 'a new research technigue' as late as 1961.
Nigerian Primary Schools' Compliance With Nigeria National Policy On Education
Authors: Ali Anthony , Akubue Augustine
Published: March 2007

The importance of and preference for evaluating learning outcomes, using a wide variety of instruments and containing data from a wide variety of sources, rather than the use of one-shot and one-type examinations, have long been recognised worldwide; hence the Federal Government of Nigeria mandated, in 1982, the use of evaluations of this nature, referred to as continuous assessment, in Nigerian Schools. Several problems confronted its planning, and now its implementation. The authors of this study went out in the field to evaluate the nature and scope of activities and problems that have to do with implementing continuous assessment in Nigerian primary schools. The findings of this study suggest that, by and large, the continuous assessment procedure is accepted in preference to the previous narrower scope of one-shot evaluation, but many problems continue to threaten the benefits derivable from using this method to evaluate primary school pupils. Suggestions on how these problems can be addressed are offered.
An Assessment of Victim Service Needs
Authors: Blomberg Thomas G. , Waldo Gordon P. , Bullock Carol A.
Published: March 2007

During the past decade various victim-witness programs have literally exploded across the United States. However, despite the unprecedented growth in the number ofprograms, available services to crime victims and witnesses remain largely uneven and fragmented. This study provides the first major effort any jurisdiction has made in providing systematic assessment and planning for the development of comprehensive crime victim-witness services. Detailed descrip tions of the various methods employed in the study's victim projections and the methods used in developing specific program component recommendations are provided. The study concludes with an identification of the program model and a discussion of the implementation and operation of the various program components comprised in the model.
A Participatory Method of Assessing Program Implementation
Authors: Lipps Garth , Grant Peter R.
Published: March 2007

This article integrates previous research on program implementation and extends it to form a participatory approach to evaluating program implementation. A central focus of this method is the continuous, active involvement of program developers, managers, and staff in the evaluation process. The methodology accomplishes this goal while maintaining a high degree of methodological rigor. Initially, program documents are reviewed and several meetings are arranged to discuss the program's activities with program developers, management, and staff. From these documents and meetings, a series of items describing each program activity and three possible levels of implementation are created and formulated into an implementation inventory. Multiple methods for measuring implementation level are then developed in consultation with program developers, management, and staff. Following the collection of data, levels of implementation are determined, and this information is fed back to all concerned parties. Advantages of the participatory approach include increased cooperation of program manage ment and staff; the setting of quantitatively based, realistic levels of implementation; and the combined usage of quantitative and qualitative information. Throughout the article, the basic procedures are illustrated through the application of the method to an actual program.
Job-Training and Relocation Experiences Among Displaced Industrial Workers
Authors: Zippay Allison
Published: March 2007

This article examines the long-term reemployment, retraining, and relocation experiences of a random sample of displaced steelworkers from a manufacturing community in western Pennsyl vania who lost jobs due to plant closings in the early 1980s. Contrary to a frequently voaced conjecture that many displaced workers lack interest in exploring new employment options, this study found respondents to be active in pursuing retraining and employment in other locales. These efforts, however, were often thwarted by a number of social and economic difficulties that reduced the numbers of persons who actually relocated or enrolled in training. The economic benefits to those who did relocate or participate in training were mixed. Short-term, entry-level training did little to advance hourly wages, although more advanced training was associated with higher incomes. Out-of-state job searches were often unsuccessful, although persons who did find work and relocated had higher wages and employment levels than did those who did not relocate.
Statistics Without Substance
Authors: Grofman Bernard
Published: March 2007

This article critiques the views of Freedman et al. and Clark and Morrison on questions having to do with the applications of social science methodology in the law, including statistical techniques to measure racial bloc voting and techniques to estimate the Spanish-origin percent age of registered voters. It is argued that these authors misunderstand the case law in the voting rights area and have unrealistic standards of precrscon that, if adopted, would make it virtually impossible for minority plaintiffs to successfully prosecute a voting rights claim.
Identifying Sources of Error in Informant Reports
Authors: Weiss Alexander
Published: March 2007

Researchers often seek to understand how organizations make decisions. To obtain data about these organization-level issues, they traditionally have interviewed one or two key persons in the organizations. Information obtained in this manner, however, is subject to several sources of bias. In this article, an analytical technique is reviewed that allows the researcher to decompose these informant reports into their respective trait, informant bias, and measure-specificity components, using LISREL An illustration of the technique, based on a survey of police executives, is provided
Matching Anonymous Pre-Posttests Using Subject-Generated Information
Authors: McGloin Joe , Holcomb Sherry , Main Deborah S.
Published: March 2007

Sensitive research issues call for anonymous questionnaires. This makes accurately matching pretests with posttests difficult or impossible. Various subject-generated coding schemes have been developed, but their accuracy has been unknown. This anonymous study, with 745 students, used subject-generated coding to match pretests with posttests. The matching was verified for accuracy with the use of a collateral, anonymous, sticker identification system. The coding system was able to accurately match 75.2% of all the pretest-posttest pairs. An additional 22.1% of the pairs were left unmatched and only 2.7% were matched incorrectly. Subject-generated coding systems can be very effective where confidentiality is important to protect.
The Impact of Drug Education and Prevention Programs
Authors: Gilham Steven A. , Lucas Wayne L. , Sivewright David
Published: March 2007

In the course of evaluating drug prevention programs for youth, we observed that although staff perceived the programs had quite favorably affected youths' attitudes and behavior, responses from these youths showed little significant impact on their use or attitudes related to drugs. This article explores several explanations for the disparity between staff impressions of the impact of these programs and results from attempts to measure impact objectively. The analysis considers (a) clients' risk-level for drug use, (b) expectations as to how programs affect client behavior and attitudes, and (c) the sensitivity of empirical measures to ascertain changes reflecting impact of the program.
A Rural Perspective on Home Care Communication about Elderly Patients after Hospital Discharge
Authors: Anderson Mary Ann , Helms Lelia B. , Black Susan , Myers Debra K.
Published: March 2007

Little is known about home health agencies (HHA) and their integration in the continuum of care in rural areas. The aims of this study are to describe the amount and type of patient-related data transferred by discharging hospitals to rural HHAs and to explore the influence of selected organizational factors on that communication process using a previously tested model of interorganizational communication. In this study, 446 closed-case, elderly patient records at three rural HHAs were reviewed using the Referral Data Inventory. Rural HHAs receive about half of the literature-recommended referral data, characterized primarily by background data, some medical data, and almost no psychosocial or nursing-care data. Referrals transmitted by telephone and written data were superior to referrals transferred by a telephone call only. Hospital-affiliated HHAs received significantly greater amounts and richer types of referral data than did free-standing HHAs. Findings suggest that cost-saving measures in the referral process need investigation.
Critical Incidents Precipitating Institutionalization of a Relative with Alzheimer’s
Authors: Liken Michelle A.
Published: March 2007

Despite the stressors of caring for a relative with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), families institutionalize their loved one only as a last resort. What constitutes this last resort? Predictors of and risks for institutionalization have been widely examined by researchers for two decades. To date, values underpinning the critical incident leading to institutionalization of a relative with AD have not been explored. The purpose of this secondary analysis of 20 interviews with family caregivers who had recently institutionalized their relative with AD was to examine underlying values that precipitated the move. Mitchell’s definition, in 1983, of a critical incident was used as a guiding framework. Three major themes were identified: “I couldn’t forgive myself if something happened,”“It was ruining my life,” and “I had no choice.” The ability to identify underlying values precipitating critical events may help nurses plan interventions to assist increasing numbers of families faced with institutionalizing a relative with AD as our population ages.
Predictors of Nurses' Involvement in Research Activities
Authors: Rizzuto Carmela , Bostrom Janet , Suter W. Newton , Chenitz W. Carole
Published: March 2007

Practicing nurses who have special expertise concerning clinical problems generally have minimal involvement in clinical nursing research. As a step toward increasing their research participation and, therefore, the relevancy of clinical studies, this study surveyed 1,217 nurses employed at nine health care agencies concerning their research attitudes, work environment, and research involvement. Descriptive statistics indicated that nurses value nursing research and want more timefor research-related activities. Discriminantfunction analysis revealed that prior research instruction, awareness of support for research, and positive attitudes toward research were predictive of nurses'participation in research activities.