bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Profile Analysis of Deaf Children Using the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test
Authors: Krivitski Erin C. , Mcintosh David E. , Rothlisberg Barbara , Finch Holmes
Published: May 2006

This study was conducted to determine whether children who are deaf perform similarly to hearing children on the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT; Bracken & McCallum, 1998). The children classified as deaf demonstrated a hearing loss of 60 dB or more, were prelingually deaf, and did not exhibit co-morbidity. They were matched on age, gender, race/ethnicity, and highest combined parental education level with hearing children from the UNIT standardization sample. Profile analysis found that both groups displayed similar patterns of performance on the six UNIT subtests. This consistency supports the UNIT as a viable measure of cognitive abilities when deaf children must be assessed for educational decision making.
The Identification of Valid Syndromes in Disturbed Reading and Spelling Behavior
Authors: van Aarle E. J. M. , van den Bercken J. H. L. , Krol N. P. C. M. , Rodenhausen T.
Published: May 2006

As yet, psychoeducational practice lacks a reliable and valid set of established classifications of learning behaviors, which is an indispensable starting point for the diagnosis of a child's problems. This paper reports an epidemiology cal study in which we collected descriptive behavioral data from a fairly representative sample (N= 150) of Dutch third-grade children who show severe learning problems. These children were described by their teachers (N= 150) with respect to their behavioral responses to a set of reading and spelling tasks that are commonly used in Dutch elementary reading and spelling instruction. Cluster analyses resulted in the identification of four syndromes in elementary reading and spelling behavior. Further analyses, based both on the epidemiological data and on further data collected in additional small-scale studies, show these four syndromes to be both reliable and valid.
A Critical Review of the Technical Characteristics of Current Preschool Screening Batteries
Authors: Emmons Michael R. , Alfonso Vincent C.
Published: May 2006

The current review provides a summary and evaluation of the technical characteristics of five preschool screening batteries, including the Brigance Screens, DIAL-3, ESI-R, ESP, and FirstSTEP. These norm-referenced instruments were selected on the basis of their commercial availability, description as a screening instrument, and ability to assess multiple domains of functioning for children under the age of 5. Each battery was critically reviewed with regard to its reliability and validity, including sensitivity and specificity. Standardization information for each test is also presented. Comparisons of data presented in test manuals for the instruments are made in summative statements regarding overall performance in critical psychometric areas. Recommendations are made for preschool screening battery selection and future development of such measures.
Validity of the Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (CTONI)
Authors: Rossen Eric A. , Shearer Deirdre K. , Penfield Randall D. , Kranzler John H.
Published: May 2006

This study examined the construct validity of the Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence (CTONI) in two separate investigations. The first study examined criterionrelated evidence of validity across racial/ethnic groups on the CTONI and the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Tests of Achievement (3rd edition). The second study examined the comparability of the standard and computerized forms of the CTONI. Results of the first study revealed that the CTONI overall score did not correlate significantly with reading achievement and correlated moderately with math achievement. The CTONI also showed significant racial/ethnic group differences, despite the absence of these differences on achievement. Results of the second study revealed that average scores on the standard form of the CTONI were significantly higher statistically than those on the computerized form. Correlations between raw scores on the computerized form of the CTONI and age were statistically significant, although generally low. In sum, results of this research raise concerns and questions about the validity of the CTONI. The CTONI should be used with caution, if at all, until further research is conducted.
Validity of the Child Observation Record: An Investigation of the Relationship between Cor Dimensions and Social-Emotional and Cognitive Outcomes for Head Start Children
Authors: Sekino Yumiko , Fantuzzo John
Published: May 2006

The study examined the validity of the Child Observation Record (COR). Participants were 242 children, a stratified, random sample of a large, urban Head Start program. Teachers trained to collect COR data provided assessments on the Cognitive, Social Engagement, and Coordinated Movement dimensions of the COR. Outcome data included cognitive and social-emotional outcomes in Head Start and indicators of early literacy in kindergarten. Biunivariate and bi-multivariate analyses were conducted. Convergent and divergent validity was established for the COR dimensions. The Cognitive dimension showed the strongest relationships with early reading and mathematics skills, whereas Social Engagement was most highly correlated with persistence, pro-social interactions, and motivation to learn. Coordinated Movement was positively correlated with play interaction and inversely correlated with withdrawn, low-energy behaviors. The Head Start COR Cognitive dimension was the best predictor of letter-naming proficiency in kindergarten.
Teacher-Classified Peer Social Status: Preliminary Validation and Associations with Behavior Ratings
Authors: Andrade Brendan F. , Waschbusch Daniel A. , King Sara , Thurston Catherine , McNutt Lisa , Terrio Branka ,   Northern Partners in Action for Children and Youth, Nova Scotia
Published: May 2006

This study investigated whether teacher ratings may be a valid alternative measure of social status in elementary school children, and whether teacher social status ratings are distinct from their disruptive behavior ratings. Participants were 1,596 elementary school children in seven schools in eastern Canada. Teacher ratings of social status and of disruptive behavior were collected for all children, along with positive peer nominations for a large subset. Results showed that children rated by teachers as rejected and ignored received the fewest positive peer nominations, whereas children rated as popular received the most positive nominations. Analyses of covariance showed that inattention was more highly associated with peer problems than was hyperactive-impulsive, oppositional, or conduct problems, but none of these behaviors accounted for the association between teacher-rated social status and peer positive nominations. Results provide preliminary support for the validity of teacher-rated social status in elementary-aged children.
Formative Assessment Using Cbm-R Cut Scores To Track Progress Toward Success On State-Mandated Achievement Tests: a Comparison of Methods
Authors: Silberglitt Benjamin , Hintze John
Published: May 2006

This study outlines a formative assessment sys tem using a consistent set of cut scores on Curriculum-Based Measurement-Reading (CBM-R) probes and investigates four statisti cal methods for establishing cut scores. Cut scores were established using the Minnesota statewide achievement test in reading at grade 3 as the criterion for a successful outcome. Participants were 2,191 students from five dis tricts in rural and outer-ring suburban east cen tral Minnesota, each of whom completed the statewide achievement test in reading and also CBM-R probes between grade 1 and grade 3. This study examined the relationship between CBM-R and the state test and compared the util ity and accuracy of each of four statistical meth ods for establishing cut scores. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis provided the most flexibility in establishing desired levels of diagnostic accuracy (i.e., sensi tivity, specificity, positive predictive power, and negative predictive power). The benefits of a set of consistent cut scores for use within a response to intervention (RTI) framework are discussed.
An Investigation of the Reliability and Standard Error of Measurement of Words Read Correctly Per Minute Using Curriculum-Based Measurement
Authors: Poncy Brian C. , Skinner Christopher H. , Axtell Philip K.
Published: May 2006

Generalizability (G) theory was used with a sample of 37 third-grade students to assess the variability in words correct per minute (WCPM) scores caused by student skill and pas sage variability. Reliability-like coefficients and the SEM based on a specific number of assess ments using different combinations of passages demonstrated how manipulating probe vari ability could reduce measurement error. Results showed that 81 % of the variance was due to student skill, 10% was due to passage or probe variability, and 9% was due to unac counted sources of error. Reliability-like coeffi cients ranged from .81 to .99, and SEMs ranged from 18 to 4 WCPM depending on the number of probes given. When passage vari ability was controlled, SEMs were decreased and ranged from 12 to 4 WCPM. Results indi cated that WCPM scores yield high reliability- like coefficients but also have a large SEM that can be reduced by administering multiple alternate passages. Discussion focuses on con ducting research designed to identify more equivalent passages in order to reduce erro neous relative and absolute decisions.
Meta-Analytic Review of Responsiveness-To- Intervention Research: Examining Field-Based and Research-Implemented Models
Authors: Burns Matthew K. , Appleton James J. , Stehouwer Jonathan D.
Published: May 2006

A responsiveness-to-intervention (RTI) approach to diagnosing LD is a leading alter native to current practice. This study con ducted a meta-analytic review of research on four existing large-scale RTI models and other models implemented for research. Twenty-four effect sizes and unbiased esti mates of effect (UEE) were computed. Results found a larger UEE for studies of existing RTI models than those implemented by university faculty for research, but both were strong. The UEE for student achievement and sys temic outcomes both exceeded 1.0, but the UEE for systemic outcomes among field-based RTI models was nearly twice as large as for stu dent outcomes. Further, RTI models imple mented for research led to an UEE of 1.14 for student outcomes and 0.47 for systemic out comes. The mean percentage of nonrespon ders in the studies was 19.8% ( SD= 12.5), and an average of 1.68% ( SD = 1.45) of the stu dent population was placed into special edu cation. Implications for practice and future research are included.
Evaluating the Quality and Responsiveness of Reading Interventions Developed Through Problem Solving
Authors: Rahn-Blakeslee Alecia , Ikeda Martin J. , Gustafson Jeri
Published: May 2006

Research suggests that quality interventions, ambitious goals, and formative progress moni toring positively impact student achievement. This study evaluated 32 reading intervention cases, generated from problem-solving service delivery, for the inclusion of quality indices, goal ambitiousness, and student growth over time. Intervention quality was judged using a rubric and published criteria, whereas student achievement was judged using slope. Results suggest strong ratings overall for the presence of quality indices and ambitious goal setting. Most interventions did not include specific cri teria sufficient to change reading perform ance. Most students made progress toward their goal, but their intervention slopes typical ly did not meet or exceed established growth standards or instructional placement stan dards. In addition, intervention data typically did not transfer to the student's initial IEP upon entitlement. Limitations, implications, and future directions are discussed.
Long-Term Stability of Membership in a Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Third Edition (WISC-III) Subtest Core Profile Taxonomy
Authors: Borsuk Ellen R. , Watkins Marley W. , Canivez Gary L.
Published: May 2006

Although often applied in practice, clinically based cognitive subtest profile analysis has failed to achieve empirical support. Nonlinear multivariate subtest profile analysis may have benefits over clinically based techniques, but the psychometric properties of these methods must be studied prior to their implementation and interpretation. The current study posed the following question: Is Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Third Edition (WISC-III) cluster membership based on nonlinear multivariate subtest profile analysis stable over a 3-year period? Membership stability to a subtest taxonomy, including constancy of displaying an unusual profile, was based on data from 585 students. General (.39) and partial (.26 to .51) kappa coefficients either failed to reach statistical significance or indicated poor classification stability, with the exception of two profile types. It was concluded that, with these two possible exceptions, profile-type membership to an empirically derived WISC-III subtest taxonomy should not be used in interpretation or educational decision making.
Auditory and Visual Continuous Performance Tests
Authors: Lehman Elyse Brauch , Olson Vanessa A. , Aquilino Sally A. , Hall Laura C.
Published: May 2006

Elementary school children in three grade groups (Grades K/1, 3, and 5/6) completed either the auditory or the visual 1/9 vigilance task from the Gordon Diagnostic System (GDS) as well as subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Third Edition and auditory or visual processing subtests from the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability–Revised (WJ-R). Teachers rated the children's classroom attentional and self-control behaviors on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Self-Control Observation Scale (SCOS). Although performance on both auditory and visual continuous performance tests (CPTs) improved with age, gender effects were small and limited to the visual CPT. Neither auditory nor visual CPT scores were related to IQ scores. However, auditory CPT scores were related to classroom behaviors as reported by teachers whereas visual CPT scores were related to visual processing.
Investigating the Theoretical Structure of the Stanford-Binet-Fifth Edition
Authors: DiStefano Christine , Dombrowski Stefan C.
Published: May 2006

The fifth edition of the Stanford-Binet test went through significant reformulation of its item content, administration format, standardization procedures, and theoretical structure. Additionally, the test was revised to measure five factors important to intelligence across both verbal and nonverbal domains. To better understand these substantial revisions, the underlying factor structure of the instrument was investigated using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis procedures across five age groups tested by the publishers. Analyses were conducted using 4,800 cases included in the instrument standardization. Results suggested that the verbal/nonverbal domains were identifiable with subjects younger than 10 years of age whereas a single factor was readily identified with older age groups.
PIQ > VIQ Discrepancy as a Correlate of Social Problem Solving and Aggression in Delinquent Adolescent Males
Authors: Wong Wai-Kwong , Cornell Dewey G.
Published: May 2006

Numerous studies have established an association between a PIQ > VIQ discrepancy and juvenile delinquency. However, the reasons for this connection are unclear. In this study, we investigated the PIQ > VIQ discrepancy in a sample of 95 male adolescent delinquents and found that it was related not only to delinquency but also to social problem solving. We found that the PIQ > VIQ discrepancy was related to greater hostile attributional bias on a social problem-solving task. However, we did not find a link between the PIQ > VIQ discrepancy and measures of aggression.
Assessing Cognitive Similarities among Young Children of Different Ethnic/Cultural Backgrounds
Authors: Tu Shihfen , Scott Marcia S. , Mason Craig A. , Urbano Richard C.
Published: May 2006

This study used a multisample structural equations model to examine whether the underlying structure of a cognitive screening test was equivalent for African American, Hispanic, and White/NonHispanic preschool (N = 395) and kindergarten (N = 474) children. The results indicated that young children, regardless of their ethnic/cultural background, showed similar response patterns on the screening test. In addition, analyses found factor structures for male and female participants also to be similar. These results suggest that the screening test measures the same constructs across different ethnic/cultural backgrounds and for both genders.
Short Forms of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition for Screening Potentially Gifted Preschoolers
Authors: Volker Martin A. , Guarnaccia Vincent , Scardapane Joseph R.
Published: May 2006

Seven different short forms from the Stanford-Binet: Fourth Edition (SB:FE) were evaluated for use as screening instruments for high ability with a sample of 199 potentially gifted preschoolers. The seven abbreviated tests were extracted from one administration of the full test. Overall, reliability and validity coefficients for the short forms were uniformly excellent (ranging from .88 to .96 for reliability and .80 to .98 for correlations between short form and full test). Mean differences between all short forms and the full test Composite were small (ranging from 0.1 to 2.3 points). Screening cut scores were generated for all seven short forms using two different methods. Short-form cut scores were then compared to the full test in a classification analysis. Overall, a four-subtest short form consisting of Vocabulary, Pattern Analysis, Quantitative, and Memory for Sentences was recommended as the best for screening purposes, offering consistently excellent psychometric properties and a significantly shorter administration time.
Cross-Validation of the WISC-III Factor Structure in Two Samples of Children with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Grice James W. , Krohn Emily J. , Logerquist Sally
Published: May 2006

Scores on the WIS-III from 280 children with learning disabilities were analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis. Six competing models reported in the literature were tested and then cross-validated in an independent sample of 240 children with learning disabilities. Results revealed that a 4-factor model offered the most accurate and stable explanation of the data when the Symbol Search subtest was included. A 3-factor model also fit the data closely and behaved reliably when the Symbol Search subtest was excluded from the analysis. Both models left much of the variance for each subtest unexplained, however, and correlations between the subscale (factor) scores and their respective factors indicated that the Freedom from Distractibility subscale was saturated with unidentified sources of variation in both models. The practical implications of these results were discussed.
Construct Bias in the Differential Ability Scales? Confirmatory and Hierarchical Factor Structure across Three Ethnic Groups
Authors: Keith Timothy Z. , Quirk Kimberly J. , Schartzer Cindy , Elliott Colin D.
Published: May 2006

The Differential Ability Scales (DAS) is a relatively new and well-received measure of intelligence for children and youth ages 21/2 through 17. Although there is evidence to support the construct validity of the DAS, there is little evidence concerning construct bias in the DAS. The purpose of this research was to test for construct bias in the DAS for children from the three major ethnic groups, and across the entire age range of the DAS. We also sought to determine the nature of the constructs measured across these three groups. Both purposes were accomplished through hierarchical, multisample confirmatory factor analysis of DAS standardization data. The research also illustrates the use of this methodology to perform a comprehensive test of construct bias. Results suggest that the DAS measures the same constructs for all three ethnic groups across the four age levels studied; the DAS, therefore, shows no construct bias across groups. Furthermore, the hierarchical factor structure of the test is quite consistent with the DAS's actual structure, thus supporting the construct validity of the DAS. The DAS's Nonverbal reasoning cluster may be a good measure of fluid intelligence.
Long-Term Developmental Outcomes of Prenatal Cocaine Exposure
Authors: Phelps LeAdelle , Cottone Jerome William
Published: May 2006

The developmental outcomes of prenatal cocaine/polydrug exposure were evaluated using a multivariate research design that controlled for the possible confounding variables of age, sex, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and caregiver status (i.e., biological parent, relative, foster care, and adoptive parent) using an exposed (n = 41) and nonexposed (n = 35) cohort of preschool children (mean age = 4.25). Results indicated that in utero drug exposure had no effect on cognitive, social, language, and behavioral developmental outcomes as measured by the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: 4th ed., the Social Skills Rating System, the Preschool Language Scale: 3rd ed., the Child Behavior Checklist, and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale-Survey Form.
Discourse and manipulation
Authors: van Dijk Teun A.
Published: May 2006

‘Manipulation’ is one of the crucial notions of Critical Discourse Analysis that require further theoretical analysis. This article offers a triangulated approach to manipulation as a form of social power abuse, cognitive mind control and discursive interaction. Socially, manipulation is defined as illegitimate domination confirming social inequality. Cognitively, manipulation as mind control involves the interference with processes of understanding, the formation of biased mental models and social representations such as knowledge and ideologies. Discursively, manipulation generally involves the usual forms and formats of ideological discourse, such as emphasizing Our good things, and emphasizing Their bad things. At all these levels of analysis it is shown how manipulation is different from legitimate mind control, such as in persuasion and providing information, for instance by stipulating that manipulation is in the best interest of the dominated group and against the best interests of dominated groups. Finally, this theory is illustrated by a partial analysis of a speech by Tony Blair in the House of Commons legitimating the participation of the UK in the US-led war against Iraq in 2003.
Performing success: identifying strategies of self-presentation in women's biographical narratives
Authors: Wagner Ina , Wodak Ruth
Published: May 2006

The biographies of eight highly professional women form the material for discussing how women live, understand, and ‘perform’ success. After identifying macro-topics related to success, the authors carry out an analysis of the women's discursive strategies of self-representation. They examine features that are indicative of suppression or backgrounding of social actors and, related to this, sources of ambivalence, activeness, and passiveness. The authors also describe the metaphors the women use for constructing specific event models, which serve to establish coherent self-representations and unique life trajectories. Four event models were identified, systematizing the narratives: symbiosis, self-made woman, creating one's space and work, as well as coincidence and luck. Finally, the article investigates the ways in which the women's stories reflect relevant aspects of the professional and organizational cultures they find, concluding that although all of them are cooperating and non-antagonistic, they build their own success stories in small but important ways.
Communicative intention in George W. Bush's presidential speeches and statements from 11 September 2001 to 11 September 2003
Authors: Łazuka Anna
Published: May 2006

The purpose of this article is a pragmatic interpretation of utterances. In particular, the analysis aims at apprehending illocutionary intention, as understood by Bach and Harnish (1979), in George W. Bush's speeches and statements. I also investigate how the speaker carries his discourse during the time period analysed. Here, I point to Scollon and Scollon's (2000) discussion of the theory of anticipatory discourse (the four variables – rapport with the audience, hostility towards the enemy, positive self-presentation of the government and the speaker and rapport with the people of Iraq – measured in the course of the analysis and illustrated in the figures make the problem in question clear). Additional comments are also made concerning some distinctive features of the speaker's discourse strategies which belong to the area of rhetoric as broadly understood. The time period chosen, covering Bush's principal speeches and statements, enabled me to investigate the communicative action of the speaker during the recent conflict between Iraq and the US. I analysed altogether some 44 speeches and statements delivered during the given time period. That makes up for the 2,229 communicative acts identified for the total of 2,203 sentences analysed. The framework used for the analysis is the one proposed by Bach and Harnish (1979), i.e. the intention and inference approach, according to which communicative acts are classified in terms of the kind of attitude each act expresses. Thus, each utterance was classified as a particular subtype of the four broad types of communicative illocutionary acts. Finally, I conclude by trying to gather and comment on the crucial entities found in Bush's speeches and statements.
Newspaper editorial discourse and the politics of self-censorship in Hong Kong
Authors: Lee Francis L.F. , Lin Angel M.Y.
Published: May 2006

In transitional societies where political pressure on the press is coupled with a commercial media system and a professional journalistic culture, the politics of self-censorship is likely to involve a strategic contest between the media and political actors. Language plays a significant role in this contest. The present study focuses on the case of Hong Kong. It analyzes how two local newspapers, facing an important yet sensitive political issue, constructed two different overall storylines and used two different sets of discursive strategies in their editorials to handle political pressure, market credibility, and journalistic integrity simultaneously. The elite-oriented Ming Pao constructed a storyline of the debate as a factional struggle in order to posit itself as an impartial arbitrator. This approach was further sustained and justified by the discursive strategies of balanced and qualified criticisms and the rhetoric of rational discussion. The mass-oriented Apple Daily, on the other hand, constructed a storyline of a sovereign people whose rights are encroached upon by a powerful entity. The paper was therefore much more critical towards the power center. Nevertheless, it also appropriated the dominant discourse, constructed internal contradictions, and decentralized the Chinese central government to smooth out the radicalism of its criticisms.
Sites and parasites of meaning: Browning’s ‘My Last Duchess’
Authors: Melrose Robin
Published: May 2006

Robert Browning’s so-called dramatic lyric ‘My Last Duchess’ has been interpreted differently by different critics, some seeing the Duke as shrewd and others seeing him as witless. This article attempts to account for these differing interpretations by analysing indeterminacies in the language of the poem. Starting out with the work of Derrida on speech act theory, and findings on the role of the right hemisphere in language processing, it goes on to propose techniques of linguistic analysis based on systemic-functional linguistics and the concept of particle-waves of language first discussed in Melrose (1996). The article then analyses a number of these so-called particle-waves in ‘My Last Duchess’, and concludes that opposing interpretations of the Duke can be traced to the indeterminacies of language in the particle-waves.
The Three Tenets of Monetary Policy
Authors: Azar Samih Antoine
Published: May 2006

Monetary policy has three tenets: a stable money demand function, a well specified velocity of money and a reliable money creation process. The first tenet determines real money on the demand side of the market and the third fixes nominal money on the supply side. The article finds that these two tenets are present and operative. As for the second tenet, this article is one of the rare studies to test the specification of Friedman (1956), which distinguishes between the effects of transitory and permanent scales of transactions on velocity. The empirical results support this specification quite strongly. The article concludes that monetary policy in Lebanon is feasible, effective, can be independent and should be used for economic stabilisation. The state of the financial markets, as of late, indicates that monetary policy was successful in stabilising prices, inflation and foreign exchange rates and in ending the convalescence period that came after the disastrous economic experience of the war years (1975 to 1990).
Contours of Rural Livelihoods in India in the Coming Half-Century
Authors: Phansalkar S. J.
Published: May 2006

The National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development has assessed that the primary need for water will rise for producing adequate food (assessed at some 420–480 million MT annually) for the estimated population of 1.58 billion by 2050.This article examines how the pattern of rural livelihoods will emerge in future. The article notes that there is a strong association of prosperity and occupational diversification with basin closure or water scarcity in the country. It is noted that even after the entire projected irrigation potential of 84 million ha is created, the farming sector will be unable to absorb the number of people in gainful engagement that are projected at current rates. While the farming sector will probably accommodate all rural residents, the problem of urban settlers will be intense. Livelihoods of the order of 375 million people (overall) will need to be found outside agriculture. These will need to be found in sectors such as construction, manufacturing and services. Whether it will actually happen is moot, but if it does, the emerging pattern of rural livelihoods will not be more water intensive than now.
‘Good Governance’ and Poverty Alleviation Programmes
Authors: Shylendra H.S. , Bhirdikar Kishore
Published: May 2006

This article attempts to examine the flagship poverty alleviation scheme Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) against the background of emerging policies aimed at ‘good governance’. How far the SGSY, a major programme of the Government of India for poverty alleviation has been able to incorporate ‘good governance’ principles like participation of the people, involvement of civil society, and sound project formulation, is the main focus of this article. The governance approach indicated in the SGSY is supposed to be significantly different from earlier poverty alleviation programmes in India, especially the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP). However, the article, based on a review of some available studies, indicates that the SGSY is implemented in a very deterministic and top-down manner, ignoring the participatory approach that is envisaged in the design. In the whole process, right from identification of participants to supporting them, to developing a sustainable income generation enterprise, the SGSY is beset with problems like faulty selection, improper identification of viable schemes, sidelining of capacity building and, above all, lack of integration among different agencies involved in implementation of the scheme. The article concludes that ‘good governance’ for poverty alleviation programmes seems to be more of rhetoric than a reality.
Governance Issues in GIS Infrastructure in India
Authors: Singh Pramod K.
Published: May 2006

This article illustrates the role of GIS in development planning and the management of resources. The major Indian initiatives of GIS infrastructure development such as the NRIS, NRDMS and GISNIC have been discussed in detail. It gives recent initiatives like large-scale mapping, VRC, and NSDI. The article borrows the theoretical concepts from the literature on general information infrastructure and applies them to spatial infrastructure. Governance issues in NSDI are analysed on such theoretical concepts. The article also discusses governance issues in implementation of GIS-enabled planning in India. Finally, the article concludes by spelling out the insights gained from the study. The article is based on the review of literature, the author's experience in the development and implementation of spatial infrastructure, and limited unstructured interviews of various stakeholders. This study will be equally useful for planners, practitioners and academicians involved in planning and implementation of both the information infrastructure and spatial information infrastructure.
An Exploratory Study of the Urban Hassles Index: A Contextually Relevant Measure of Chronic Multidimensional Urban Stressors
Authors: Bennett M. Daniel , Miller David B.
Published: May 2006

Objective: This article discusses continued development of the Urban Hassles Index (UHI). The stressors identified in the UHI are chronic and differ substantively from the more acute life events indexes typically employed to measure adolescent stress. Method: Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the underlying factor structure of the UHI. Structural equation modeling was used to define the relationship between the latent factors and the observed variables and to test, a priori, the hypothesis that responses to the UHI could be explained by four first-order factors. Results: For study participants, urban hassles include four dimensions (harassment, anxiety, social disorganization, and coercion). However, the hypothesis that responses to the UHI could be explained by four first-order factors and one second-order factor could not be confirmed. Conclusions: The utility of the UHI for social work researchers and practitioners is discussed.
Therapeutic Interventions for Foster Children: A Systematic Research Synthesis
Authors: Craven Patricia Ann , Lee Robert E.
Published: May 2006

Approximately 30% of children in foster care have severe emotional, behavioral, or developmental problems. A systematic research synthesis of empirical studies was conducted in an attempt to identify and classify therapeutic interventions for foster children. Utilizing a treatment protocol classification system, empirical studies were classified according to their theoretical, clinical, and empirical support. A total of 18 studies were reviewed, including a compare and contrast of methodological strengths and shortcomings. In all, 6 out of the 18 interventions may be considered well-supported and efficacious, 3 interventions were determined to be supported and probably efficacious, and 9 were supported and acceptable. Interventions recognizing the unique experience of foster children and foster family dynamics were found to be lacking in the current literature.
An Examination of the Factor Structure for the Youth Self Report on a Multiethnic Population
Authors: O’Keefe Maura , Mennen Ferol , Lane Christianne Joy
Published: May 2006

The Youth Self Report (YSR) is a popular and widely used instrument assessing adolescent emotional and behavioral functioning. The goals of the present study were to address some of the limitations of the YSR, to examine its factor structure and equivalence across four racial/ethnic groups, and to determine if another combination of items could accurately represent the constructs Achenbach sought to elucidate in a more parsimonious way. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were utilized with random split-half samples to determine primary and secondary factors. Correlational analyses were then performed to determine the suitability of unit-weight factors as measures of the factors. And to examine the invariance of the short form YSR over ethnic groups, the covariance matrices were compared using structural equation modeling. Results revealed a seven factor scale that is shorter (66 vs. 119 items), is invariant acrossracial/ethnic groups, and has a simple structure. Implications and future directions are discussed.
The Management of Border Security in NAFTA
Authors: Cottam Martha L. , Marenin Otwin
Published: May 2006

As a free trade area, NAFTA requires the relatively unrestricted movement of people, goods, and services across the borders between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Although the proponents of NAFTA emphasize positive economic outcomes for the three partners, the dependence of those outcomes on open borders inevitably brings with it the prospect of greater opportunities for transnational criminal activities, generally, and for narcotrafficking, in particular. Managing the free flow of goods and people while limiting the free flow of illegal substances and criminals is the central dilemma of the war on drugs in NAFTA. Cooperation between the member states differs strikingly, with smooth cooperation along the northern border between the United States and Canada and a troubling lack of cooperation along the U.S.-Mexico border. The different patterns in cooperation among policy makers and law enforcement agencies are largely attributable to mutual perceptions and nationalism in all three countries.
An Institutional Analysis of Organizational Change
Authors: Jiao Allan Y. , Lau Raymond W. K. , Lui Percy
Published: May 2006

After 156 years of British colonial rule, Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997. This article examines the change of the Hong Kong Police (HKP) and related issues during this transition. Based on an institutional perspective, it is argued that the HKP’s paramilitary traditions greatly constrain changes. Where change has occurred, it has been induced by an extrainstitutional impetus that is strong enough to overcome institutionalized obstacles. The analysis examines the HKP’s paramilitary traditions, how it has been transformed from a systematically corrupt and oppressive colonial force to a professionalized agency at the time that the above transition process began, and how it has responded to its changed environment. The institutional perspective is used to explain the challenges the HKP faces during the transformational process and to discuss the general implications of the HKP experience for understanding organizational change.
Coming to Terms With the Genocidal 1990s
Authors: Carey Henry F.
Published: May 2006

The books reviewed here provide a basis for evaluating international humanitarian law (IHL) and the related crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity prior to 9/11 and serve as a benchmark for assessing the value of international humanitarian law norms in an age when the Bush administration has rejected many of the most fundamental norms. However, the author argues that these works of analytic jurisprudence ought to take political factors into consideration in assessing why these norms are both under challenge and under possible revision. Furthermore, a methodology of political jurisprudence, represented by this review essay, suggests that the books’ presumption for prosecution IHL norms is impractical. Alternatives to prosecuting these norms, such as establishing truth commissions and using customary justice, are more likely to achieve some of the desired IHLgoals of ending impunity, adjusting historical memory, and providing a sense of justice to victims.
An Exploratory Analysis of Homicide Victims, Offenders, and Events in Russia
Authors: Pridemore William Alex
Published: May 2006

Detailed research on violence in Russia was nearly impossible until recently because the former Soviet government kept crime and mortality data secret and because Soviet ideology discouraged scientific studies of crime. Transparency has increased during the transition, however, allowing scholars not only to access official data but to undertake independent criminological studies. Taking advantage of a unique set of homicide narratives drawn from court and police records and statements by offenders and witnesses of homicides in the Udmurt Republic from 1989 to 1991 and in 1998, this article is one of the first of its kind to examine the homicide event in Russia. These data are employed to explore victim and offender characteristics, victim-offender relationships, weapon use, motive, time and location of events, and the role of alcohol. Although exploratory in nature, the descriptive results should provide observations on which to develop theory about interpersonal violence.
The Management of “Nonrelational Sexuality”
Authors: Korobov Neill
Published: May 2006

This article uses a discursive psychological approach in examining how three different age groups of young adolescent boys (ages 10-15) construct and then manage various forms of “nonrelational sexuality” in focus group conversations. Rather than seeing nonrelational sexuality as something that is successfully or unsuccessfully “resolved” during the course of development, nonrelational sexuality will be seen as a fluid and socially constructed resource that is variously used by young men as a way to account for their masculine identities. The analysis will particularly focus on the safeguarding strategies that each age group of young men actively uses to both anticipate and counter the potential “trouble” of nonrelational sexuality and, in so doing, how they indirectly keep forms of nonrelational sexuality alive without directly appearing serious or misogynistic about it. The analysis will demonstrate how nonrelational forms of sexuality, like most instantiations of hegemonic masculinity, are notoriously elusive in resisting “fixity.”
Hey Brother, How's Your Health?
Authors: Royster Michael O. , Richmond Al , Eng Eugenia , Margolis Lewis
Published: May 2006

Men, especially African American men, have poorer health than women. To identify concerns and experiences that may contribute to this disparity, participatory action research methods were used to conduct six focus groups with fifty-nine participants in a North Carolina city. Aspects of male gender socialization were identified as major barriers to health. This socialization influences many behaviors in which men engage, such as unhealthy diet, limited exercise, unsafe sex, and substance abuse. Focus group participants with fewer educational and financial resources discussed drug-infested communities, economic barriers, crime, lack of affordable health insurance, and perceived discrimination in health care encounters. Participants with more formal education and more financial resources expressed concerns about managed care and chronic diseases. These results demonstrate the importance of male gender socialization in the health of African American men. In addition, economic class must be taken into account when addressing the health of African American men.
Employment Leave and Fathers’ Involvement with Children
Authors: Seward Rudy Ray , Yeatts Dale E. , Amin Iftekhar , Dewitt Amy
Published: May 2006

Employment leave patterns, factors affecting these patterns, and the impact on involvement with children were assessed for fathers in thirty-eight couples. Parents completed self-administered questionnaires on work schedule changes after the arrival of a baby, reactions to these changes, child care activities, and attitudes. An average of the mother's and the father's assessments for the twenty-one items and index were used to measure fathers’ involvement. Almost half of the fathers took some leave, but few utilized parental leave benefits. White non-Hispanic fathers who shared equalitarian beliefs with mothers were the most likely to take leave. Fathers who took leave were more likely to share some child care tasks with mothers than were fathers who did not take leave, but no differences were found for time spent or taking responsibility for child care. Holding equalitarian beliefs, the amount and source of income, education, and hours worked were predictive of greater involvement.
Critical Health Psychology
Authors: Bunton Robin
Published: May 2006

Behaviour oriented health promotion has often relied on over-simplistic and over-deterministic models in which action emanates from individuals, not the social or economic structures they inhabit. Mainstream health psychology models are allied with official health ideology and policy, stressing self-control, self-regulation and responsible (low-cost) health citizenship. Discussion of psycho-political validity and of the use of a wider community of meanings and theories is welcome and moves beyond narrow disciplinary concerns by developing epistemological self-critique. Reflection and critique of psychology and its uses in public health is needed for theoretical and morally reasons and points to inseparability of psychology and politics.
Going Beyond the Rhetoric
Authors: Estacio Emee Vida
Published: May 2006

Health is a fundamental human right. Unfortunately the pursuit of good health remains a struggle for marginalized individuals/groups because of the rise of new centres of power. Hepworth (this issue) argues that critical health psychologists can contribute to the promotion of public health by moving towards ‘greater practice and action orientation’. Until we learn to become more actively involved in translating our research into practice, our efforts will only end up being done in vain. To pursue our humanitarian aims, CHP needs to move beyond the confines of its academic circle and begin to share its vision with a greater audience—society itself.
Paradigm Lost?
Authors: Flick Uwe
Published: May 2006

Critical health psychology (CHP) is seen as entangled in the dilemma of where to locate itself in two ways: first, inside the original discipline—health psychology—or outside and in confrontation to it. Second, in the field of related disciplines like medical sociology and (new) public health. Drawing parallels to earlier discussions in medical sociology, CHP is seen in an ambiguous intention of being critical to health psychology and of becoming a professional field in health psychology. CHP has difficulties making itself distinct from new public health approaches. Two examples of research are briefly mentioned. They address health concepts of health professionals and representations and practices concerning health of homeless adolescents.
Critical Health Psychology
Authors: Lee Christina
Published: May 2006

This commentary deals with two issues raised by Hepworth (this issue). Concerning definitions, it argues that critical health psychology needs to be more explicit in defining itself as politically left-wing, and that its central defining characteristic should be that it is research and practice which aims primarily to benefit the participants, regardless of any specific method or epistemology. Concerning the value of critical health psychology, it argues that work which has improved health on a global scale and which aims to reduce inequities is being done, but not by critical psychologists, and suggests a need for more action and less rhetoric.
Defining and Defending ‘Unhealthy’ Practices
Authors: Benford Rebecca , Gough Brendan
Published: May 2006

Contemporary ideals of health and nutrition conspire to render the consumption of chocolate and similar snacks problematic. Individuals who self-define as ‘chocoholics’ therefore present an ideal opportunity to investigate how ostensibly unhealthy acts are defined, defended and maintained within a health-conscious climate. This article reports on an interview-based study with five self-professed chocoholics. A Foucauldian form of discourse analysis was applied to the interview transcripts and four main discourses identified: chocolate as dirty and dangerous; chocolate as pleasure; self-surveillance; and addiction. The function of such discourses in terms of upholding the moral status of these individuals is discussed.