bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Shortage of Fully Certified Teachers in Special and General Education
Authors: Boe Erling E. , Cook Lynne H. , Bobbitt Sharon A. , Terhanian George
Published: November 2009

Tbere has long been concern in special education about the shortage of teachers who are fully certified in their main teaching assignment. Based on a national probability sample of 46,599 public school teachers, this research provides data on the certification status of both special and general education teacbers. Findings are presented for four types of teachers who enter the teaching force each year, and for two types of teachers who continue in public schools from the prior year. Results showed a chronic annual shortage of about 29, 000 fully certified teachers in special education (9.8%), a level that was almost twice the number in general education (5.59%). The shortage of fully certified teachers in special education was attributable mostly to entering teachers (32% not fully certified) and to continuing teachers who had not become established in their teaching positions (14% not fully certified). These percentages were higher than observed in general education, a finding partly due to the higher rate of turnover of teachers in special education. Implications for teacher education, professional development, and retention are discussed.
The Utah Mentor Teacher Academy: Evaluation of a Statewide Mentor Program
Authors: Gibb Gordon S. , Welch Marsball
Published: November 2009

The Utah Mentor Teacher Academy has existed since 1986, but no data were available to indicate whether or not mentors actually disseminated their skills and knowledge. This study of dissemination by mentors was conducted in three phases. Phase I used statewide mentor, principal, and special education director questionnaires; Phase II used general faculty questionnaires in selected schools; and Phase III involved focus group interviews with selected mentor clients. The data revealed that the majority of mentors disseminated their skills and knowledge through inservice and consultation. Behavior management was the topic most often addressed, followed by other topics pertaining to the needs of students at risk. Characteristics of effective mentors were derived from focus group teacher comments.
Implementing Change in a Research University: Constructivist Team Teaching in a General Education Teacher Education Program
Authors: Lowenbraun Sheila , Bobbitt Nolen Susan
Published: November 2009

Several years ago the special education faculty of the University of Washington changed their focus to include more emphasis on participation in the preparation of general elementary and secondary educators in a newly designed masters level teacher preparation program, This change process, described in Affleck and Lowenbraun's (1995) article "Managing Change in a Research University, " included team teaching in general education as a major commitment of the faculty. The current article describes in detail the planning and implementation of a team-taught two-course sequence for secondary educators entitled Adolescent Development and Education. This course includes substantial information on disability and special education. Our approach to team teaching, based on a constructivist model of learning, is illustrated through the presentation of specific learning activities, evaluation procedures and student reactions.
Using Experience to Prepare Teachers for Inclusive Classrooms: Teacher Education and the Epistemology of Practice
Authors: Munby Hugh , Hutchinson Nancy
Published: November 2009

This paper describes an innovative experience-based teacher education program and a course in the program aimed at preparing teacher candidates for inclusive education of children with special needs. The paper opens with an account of the theoretical background of the program, with special attention given to the nature of professional knowledge and its acquisition. The impact of this approach to teaching for inclusion is illustrated with two case studies prepared by teacher candidates from their experience in an extended practicum of 14 weeks beginning at the opening of the school year.
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Concerns About Portfolio Assessment: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Harris Mary B. , Curran Christina M.
Published: November 2009

In order to contribute to the limited empirical knowledge about portfolios, we surveyed 209 educators taking graduate classes in general and special education about their knowledge, attitudes, and concerns about portfolios. Respondents had a substantial amount of knowledge about some but not all aspects of portfolios and held favorable attitudes toward portfolios. They viewed inadequate training and support, the time to design and implement portfolio assessment, and evaluating portfolios as the most serious concerns with portfolios.

General education teachers were more knowledgeable about portfolios than special educators. Women were both more knowledgeable and more positive about portfolios than men. Viewed together, the findings suggest that demographic characteristics of educators may be related to their knowledge, attitudes, and concerns about portfolios and might be considered in developing programs and support services for them.
Distance Education and Special Education: Promises, Practices, and Potential Pitfalls
Authors: Spooner Fred , Spooner Melba , Algozzine Bob , Jordan LuAnn
Published: November 2009

Shortages of trained personnel in special education are widely recognized. This need typically translates to special education programs as efforts to increase the numbers of professionals who are appropriately prepared to teach students with disabilities. The difficulty of increasing on-campus sections to respond effectively to the escalating need for more and better trained teachers, has in some cases led to an increased emphasis on alternative ways to deliver required course work. Distance learning is one such alternative. Distance learning can be defined as the separation of the learner from the instructor in location (learner and instructor in different rooms or at different sites), and, in some instances, by time. The promise of distance learning offers an attractive alternative for increasing the numbers of appropriately prepared special education personnel by making college-level instruction easier to receive. Current practices support synchronous communication (e.g., two-way audio, two-way video in real time, or two-way audio, one-way video in real time) and asynchronous communication (E-mail, or the Asynchronous Learning Network which does not necessarily occur in real time but at varying times depending on participants needs). Although it is possible to increase enrollments via distance learning, professionals recognize that there are some potential problems as well. If careful planning and course delivery are not clearly articulated students at remote sites can feel as if they are not part of the whole and that the education they are receiving is substandard. This article reviews promises, practices, and pitfalls associated with distance learning in an effort to inform special education professionals about this increasingly popular personnel preparation alternative.
Diversifyring the Special Education Training Curriculum to Address the Needs of Migrant Students and Families
Authors: Salend Spencer J. , Taylor Lorraine S. , Whittaker Catharine R.
Published: November 2009

One group of culturally and linguistically diverse students whose unique educational needs are not being addressed is migrant students. A significant factor in the failure of schools and agencies to meet the special education needs of migrant students is the severe shortage of qualified, trained personnel to work with these students. This article provides teacher trainers with a variety of instructional materials, resources, and activities that can be employed to diversify the special education training curriculum to address the needs of migrant students and families.
A Multi-Year Literacy Intervention: Transformation and Personal Change in the Conununity of the Early Literacy Project
Authors: Sue Englert Carol , Raphael Taffy E. , Mariage Troy V
Published: November 2009

This study was an examination of the nature of change in teachers' beliefs and practices over the course of their participation in a three-year collaborative project. The results suggest that teacher change is a long-term process, evolving from an early focus on enacting activities, to an increasingly broader emphasis on the principled uses of the activities, and finally, to an emphasis on changing the broader contexts of the school.
Transforming Teacher Preparation in Early Childhood Education: Moving to Inclusion
Authors: Heston Melissa L. , Rascbke Donna , Kliewer Chris , Fitzgerald Linda M. , Edmiaston Rebecca
Published: November 2009

In this paper, we describe our efforts to transform the early childhoad education major and the early childhood special education major into a single unified major. This unified major is intended to prepare early childhood educators to address competently the educational needs of botb children with and without disabilities in a general education classroom. We describe the events occurring at both the state and university levels that led to our efforts, and the progress we bave made during the first year of our work. We also identify several future challenges that we will soon confront.
"Making Sense" in a Collaborative Teacher Education Prografll: Lessons from Project PART Students
Authors: Long Corbett Nancy , Kilgore Karen L. , Sindelar Paul T.
Published: November 2009

We studied the first cohort to graduate from a collaborative elementary/special education teacher education program at the University of Florida. The program was federally funded, and the curriculum was created by requiring elementary majors to take additional special education courses. However, because we exercised no control over course instructors, the content they taught and the perspectives they espoused were not necessarily consistent with ours. We were concerned that the program lacked thematic integrity and that students might flounder in the absence of a consistent message from instructors. To address these concerns, we observed students in field placements, interviewed them and their cooperating teachers, and reviewed documents. Our interpretation of these data suggests that PART students were little troubled by the diversity of instructor perspectives; to the contrary, because exposure to diverse points of view broadened their repertoires, they regarded it as a strength of the program. They also understood their responsibility to all children in their classrooms and had mastered a wide range of academic and behavioral interventions. These findings are discussed in light of recommendations for consistency within programs.
Teaching the Inclusive Teacher: Restructuring the Mainstreaming Course in Teacher Education
Authors: Peterson Micbael , Beloin Kim S.
Published: November 2009

Inclusive education for students with disabilities, as a component of school reform, is increasingly connecting to efforts to integrate diverse students in general education classes. These include students who are gifted and talented, who have limited English speaking abilities, and who are from various racial and ethnic groups. Teacher education programs must respond more effectively to these changes in schools by providing more effective preparation related to teaching truly diverse students in general education classes. Many complex issues are involved in this process. However, faculty members can make an important step towards responding to these needs through a simple mechanism—the restructuring of the typical "mainstreaming course. " This course can be restructured from one that essentially provides an overview of various disabilities to one that provides strategies that build on holistic, authentic instructional approaches and that provides a range of techniques for accommodation, adaptation of the curriculum, and utilization of support models for students and teachers. This article describes the experience of two faculty members, one at a teaching university in central Wisconsin and the other at a research university in Detroit, Michigan, regarding their experiments in restructuring this course and their responses from university students. Their experiences may provide a model upon which individual faculty can lay the foundation for change in their own departments while meaningfully enhancing the preparation of teachers in training.
Responsible Linkages Between Diversity and Disability: A Challenge for Special Education
Authors: Pugach Marleen C. , Seidl Barbara L.
Published: November 2009

This issue's Associate Editor's Exchange is meant to continue the discussion initiated by Deborah Voltz in the Winter 1998 TESE and push some of the deeper challenges related to special education's role in the larger sociocultural context of the education system. In this article, Barbara Seidl and I have attempted to clarify the complex relationship between the concept of diversity and the concept of disability and argue for an overriding sociocultural framework for special education as a responsible way to link these concepts in practice.—Marleen C. Pugach, Associate Editor
Career Decisions of Doctoral Graduates in Special Education
Authors: Chowdhuri Tyler Naomi , Deutsch Smith Deborah
Published: November 2009

The number of special education faculty vacancies in institutions of higher education (IHEs) has risen across the last decade (Dil, Geiger, Hoover, & Sindelar, 1993; Sindelar & Taylor, 1988; Smith & Lovett, 1987; Smith, Pierce & Keyes, 1988). In contrast, the number of doctoral graduates in special education decreased during the same period of time (Sindelar, Buck, Carpenter & Watanabe, 1993; Sindelar & Taylor, 1988). This supply/demand imbalance has plagued the field for years and warrants continued investigation. The present study surveyed 146 recent graduates from special education doctoral programs on issues including motivating factors for obtaining a doctoral degree, considerations when selecting initial careers, and the effects of marriage and family on those decisions. Factors which encouraged and discouraged employment in higher education were investigated, and recommendations for future research and practice are provided.
Advertisements for Faculty with Expertise in Severe or Multiple Disabilities: Do They Reflect Initiatives in Teacher Education and School Reform?
Authors: Ryndak Diane Lea , Sirvis Barbara
Published: November 2009

School reform efforts and an increase in the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education settings have resulted in changes in teacher education programs, including the unifieation of special and general education. Teacher education programs must have faculty who have demonstrated expertise in these and other current and emerging trends. Advertisements for full time special education assistant professors with expertise in severe or multiple disabilities found in the Chronicle of Higher Education for a two year period were analyzed for content related to five current and emerging trends: (a) collaboration among special and general education faculty within the teacher education program; (b) existence of, or plans to develop, a unified teacher education program; (c) expertise in inclusion; (d) expertise in general education; and (e) collaboration with schools for the development of services for students with severe or multiple disabilities that more closely reflect current and emerging trends. Results suggest that while great variability exists in the content of advertisements for full time special education assistant professors with expertise in severe or multiple disabilities, few advertisements provided the information required to attract potential applicants seeking to join a teacher education program that incorporates current and emerging trends. Given the desire to recruit and hire the best candidate, universities may be wise to develop advertisements that are clear about the intent of their teacher education program and the expertise they seek in the successful candidate.
Competencies and Training Needs For Early Childhood Inclusion Specialists
Authors: Gettinger Maribeth , Callan Stoiber Karen , Goetz Donna , Caspe Elizabeth
Published: November 2009

This study investigated perceptions of competence, training, and importance ofprofessional skills related to inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood settings. Four groups were surveyed for a total of 172 respondents, including parents of children with disabilities, professionals in early childhood programs, university-based trainers, and preservice students. Respondents completed a survey indicating their perceptions of professional competence or training, as well as importance of skills in five domains: (a) working with families, (b) performance-based assessment, (c) interdisciplinary team functioning, (d) consultation, and (e) challenging behaviors/attention deficits. In addition to validating competencies that are important for early childhood inclusion specialists, we compared perceptions across respondent groups. In all skill domains, parents rated professionals' competence lower than did the professionals themselves; there was no difference between faculty and students in their ratings of training. Importance ratings differed among the four groups in two domains, teaming and challenging behaviors. Implications for interdisciplinary training efforts are discussed.
Preparing Special Educators for Cultural Diversity: How Far Have We Come?
Authors: Voltz Deborah L. , Dooley Elizabeth , Jefferies Phildra
Published: November 2009

Preparing special educators for cultural diversity is a complex task because it requires attention to all facets of instruction. This article provides an assessment of the progress made and the current status of the field in several critical areas related to special education teacher preparation for diversity. Issues regarding the special education literature base, special education professional standards, and special education organizational structures will be addressed. Finally, challenges that lie ahead are presented, along with suggestions for continued progress in the field.
The Effects of Technology-Enhanced Anchored Instruction on the Knowledge of Preservice Special Educators
Authors: Langone John , Malone D. Michael , Clinton Gregory N.
Published: November 2009

This study was designed to compare the effects of anchored and nonanchored instruction on test scores of preservice special education teachers. Lectures were designed to be equivalent with the exception that the anchored instruction group received specific videodisc-based (full motion video) case study examples. The immediate and long-term acquisition of knowledge of 37 students divided into two groups (nonanchored instruction and anchored instruction) was explored using a pretest, posttest, and follow-up test design. All tests included multiple-choice and essay formats. Results revealed somewhat different within group patterns as well as important between group patterns. Although no differences between the two groups on the posttest immediately following the lectures was noted, the anchored instruction group outperformed the nonanchored group on the eigbt-week follow-up test. Implications for future research are discussed.
Giving Teachers a Voice: Teachers' Perspectives Regarding Elementary Inclusive School Programs (ISP)
Authors: Waldron Nancy L. , McLeskey James , Pacchiano Debra
Published: November 2009

Research addressing the attitudes, beliefs, and understandings regarding inclusion of teachers who currently teach in inclusive settings is notably lacking in the professional literature. This investigation addressed this topic, as 46 teacbers who were teaching in inclusive settings were interviewed regarding the academic achievement, social relationships, and classroom behavior of students with mild disabilities (learning disabilities, mild mental retardation, and emotional/behavior disorders) who were being educated in these settings. Results indicated that these teachers perceived that students were benefiting from placement in inclusive programs both academically and socially, especially when compared to former separate class placements. In addition, teachers stated that fewer students with disabilities manifested classroom behavior problems than they initially anticipated. The implications of these results for future research and practice are discussed.
Teacher Efficacy And Perceived Success In Mainstreaming Students With Learning And Behavior Problems
Authors: Brownell Mary T , Pajares Frank
Published: November 2009

Self-efficacy theorists contend that individuals pursue activities and situations in which they feel competent and avoid those in wbich they do not. Teacher efficacy beliefs, that is, teachers' perceptions of their own teaching competence, have been found to influence a myriad of teachers' behaviors and attitudes and to mediate the influence of other self-perceptions on those outcomes. In this study, we investigated the relationships among general education teachers' (a) efficacy beliefs (N = 128) for instructing students with learning and behavior problems, (b) the socioeconomic status of their students, and teachers' perceptions about (c) the support they receive from their building principal, (d) their collegial interactions, (e) the value of their preservice and inservice preparation, and (f) their success in instructing such students in mainstream classrooms. Path analysis results revealed that teacher efficacy beliefs had a direct effect on their perceived success in instructing mainstreamed special education students. Teacher efficacy also mediated the influence of self-perceptions related to the quality of preservice education and collegial interactions with special education and regular education colleagues on perceptions of success. Implications for teacher educators and school administrators are discussed.
Parents' Perspectives on Personnel Attitudes and Characteristics in Inclusive School Settings: Implications for Teacher Preparation Programs
Authors: Davern Linda
Published: November 2009

The perspectives of 21 parents/caregivers (15 families) were explored through the use of semi-structured in-depth qualitative interviews. Their children with disabilities were in inclusive settings. Children were primarily of early elementary age; attended urban, suburban, and rural schools; and varied in the extent of their disabilities. Participants' perspectives on the attitudes they saw in personnel were presented-attitudes toward themselves (e.g., commitment to partnership, assumptions about parents), as well as toward their children (e.g., ownership for child's education, conveying optimism). Participants also described perceptions of qualities and characteristics that they valued in personnel such as accessibility and interest in challenging the child. Participants were pleased with the impact of inclusive settings on their children's lives. The implications of these findings for teacher preparation programs are presented.
Fostering Inclusive Beliefs and Practices During Preservice Teacher Education Through Communities of Practice
Authors: Hutchinson Nancy L. , Martin Andrea K.
Published: November 2009

Increasingly classroom teachers are expected to create inclusive classrooms and make adaptations for exceptional learners. A field-based course in a teacher education program with an extended early practicum undertook to foster the beliefs and practices of preservice teachers about adapting teaching for exceptional learners. The teacher candidates discussed dilemma cases in communities of practice, on-campus and in schools. We analyzed dilemma cases written by 28 elementary teacher candidates about their experiences with inclusion. Themes included maintaining a critical stance, questioning one's own assumptions, and recognizing unresolved ambiguities. We also analyzed the adaptations as well as the content of written peer responses to the cases. Most of the cases were dilemmas and the peer responses showed challenging and supportive dialogue among the members of the school-based communities. The cases demonstrated beliefs and practices regarding inclusion and suggest that using case approaches within communities of practice may foster inclusive beliefs and practices during preservice teacher education.
Linking University and Teacher Communities: A "Think Tank" Model of Professional Development
Authors: Henry Sarah K. , Scott Judith A. , Wells Jan , Skobel Bonnie , Jones Alan , Cross Susie , Butler Cynthia , Blackstone Teresa
Published: November 2009

This six-year collaboration between exemplary teachers and university researchers reverses the role of many university/teaching collaborative communities. Rather than informing the teaching community about good research, five experienced teachers and three university researchers developed a discourse community around vocabulary learning to reflect on practice, engage in shared critique, and support one another in professional choices and change. In doing so, they were able to inform the research community about good teaching. Revealing their collaborative process helps identify qualities of social contexts that encourage collaborative relationships and create opportunities for reflection and change.
A Holistic Approach To Pain Control With Geriatric Clients
Authors: Hamm Betty H. , King Valerie
Published: November 2009

In this experimental design, fifteen persons over 65 years of age who were experiencing lingering pain were taught to use guided imagery as a method of pain control. The control group (N-15) was not introduced to the technique of guided imagery in an effort to control their pain, but instead spent the same length of time with the group leader in irrelevant activities. All subjects reported a decrease in perceived pain, but the experimental group over a thirteen week period showed an 87 percent decrease in pain perception.
H-E-A-L-T-H: A Rogerian Perspective
Authors: Rawnsley Marilyn M.
Published: November 2009

Nursing has evolved from a vocation governed by traditions into an academic and practice-oriented profession. As an existential discipline, nursing will continue to change as knowledge advances. The Science of Unitary Human Beings as postulated by Martha E. Rogers, Sc.D., offers the potential for nursing to develop theories and techniques that are appropriate for a different model of nuring in a rapidly changing world. Because of the high level of abstraction of the concepts and principles of the Rogerian Conceptual System, phenomena central to nursing need to be re-interpreted according to its world-view. In this paper, several variables involved in healing are described from a three-dimensional framework and re-interpreted four-dimensionally, as an illustration of a process for developing practice strategies for the future consistent with the Science of Unitary Human Beings.
National Federations: The Role of Voluntary Organizations in Linking Macro and Micro Orders in Civil Society
Authors: Hunter Albert
Published: November 2009

The research described in this article represents a preliminary, qualitative, comparative analysis of voluntary national federations of local community organizations and voluntary national federations of local governmental units in the United States and England. The analysis is based on interviews; archival reports, budgets, and newsletters; and participant observation at meetings. These federations force a rethinking of theories of mass society that rely on overly simplistic distinctions between macro and micro, public and private. The research highlights the complex bridging roles that these voluntary national federations play and their essential position at the intersection of macro and micro, state and community.
African American Traditions of Civic Responsibility
Authors: Stanfield John H.
Published: November 2009

This article reviews issues and problems in conventional studies of African American traditions of civic responsibility. This area of philanthropic studies is deeply flawed by inadequate conceptions of the American nation state and by racialized political ideologies and stereotypes. The author critiques conventional interpretations of African American civic responsibilities and African American civic cultures and suggests alternative conceptual frameworks and new research areas. The purpose is to raise more questions than answers in a research area that remains seriously underdeveloped because of ideological intrusions, racial stereotyping, and the continued dominance of structural functionalism in attempts by American social scientists to interpret the nature of ethnicity and culture in American society.
Volunteers and Their Communities: A Comparative Analysis of Volunteer Fire Fighters
Authors: Thompson Alexander M.
Published: November 2009

This article explores the multijaceted relationship between volunteer fire companies and their communities by examining a broad range of socioeconomic characteristics of volunteer fire fighters and general residents in rural New York State. The two data sets are generated by the author's survey instrument and the U.S. Census of Population and Housing. The personal attributes and their statistical significance are examined empirically, and the implications of this research for particular aspects of the fire fighters' relationship to their fellow citizens arc discussed.
Church-Agency Relationships in the Black Community
Authors: Chang Patricia M. Y. , Williams David R. , Griffith Ezra E. H. , Young John
Published: November 2009

This article examines referral exchange relationships between black churches and local community health agencies by examining whether organizational and clergy characteristics influence clergy in black churches to refer parishioners to, and receive referrals from, community mental health agencies. We are interested in identifying the typical characteristics of churches and their clergy that tend to participate in these exchanges. The most significant indicators in predicting the probability of church referrals are the extent of interorganizational links and the size of a church. The data do not, however, suggest a reflective relationship; organizational factors do not significantly predict whether a church receives client referrals from community Agencies. We speculate that the lack of reciprocity in this pattern may be caused by a conflict in the levels of rationality within community agencies.
Housing and the Church
Authors: Mares Alvin S.
Published: November 2009

Church involvement in urban community renewal is both widespread and underrecognized. Community development corporations (CDCs), the basic institutional unit involved in urban community renewal, have grown tenfold in number since their creation in the 1960s. Today, many churches are forming CDCs to improve the lives of congregants and residents in the community. This article examines eight “church birthed” CDCs that are actively engaged in the development of housing for low-and moderate-income individuals and families in Los Angeles County, California.
Determinants of Voluntary Association Participation and Volunteering: A Literature Review
Authors: Smith David Horton
Published: November 2009

This article reviews the American literature in social science for the period 1975–1992 on the determinants of volunteer participation in programs and associations. It finds that most studies are too narrow in the hinds of variables that they include and that explanatory power is reduced as a result. Such participation is significantly greater for certain hinds of variables: contextual (for example, smaller community), social background (for example, higher education), personality (for example, more efficacy/internal locus of control), and attitude (for example, more group attractiveness) as well as situational variables (for example, being asked to join). Very few studies combine measures of each type of variable. When several predictor realms arc included, much higher variance is accounted for. Other social participation (political, mass media, recreational, and so on) is associated with volunteer participation. This association confirms a general activity model that posits a clustering of different types of socioculturally approved discretionary activity.
Emergent Organization as a Practical Strategy: Executing Trustee Functions in Alcoholics Anonymous
Authors: Messer John G.
Published: November 2009

Trusteeship functions in nonprofit organizations are most often analyzed by drawing on ideas from the world of proprietary firms and organizational theories that have their roots in the theory of bureaucracy. Recent theories of nonprofit organizations have explored alternative organizational visions, emphasizing that nonprofits often are embedded in larger communities and that their organizational styles are embedded in distinctive cultures of voluntarism. Such perspectives, however, suffer because they tell us little about how to understand notions such as accountability and trusteeship. This article, a case study of Alcoholics Anonymous, offers a theory of how accountability and trusteeship functions may be effectively performed in an organization that is guided by a distinctive culture and idiosyncratic organizational practices that differ sharply from the bureaucratic, corporate model of organization.
Mapping Volunteer Activity
Authors: Cnaan Ram A. , Amrofell Laura
Published: November 2009

The interest and recognition of the importance of volunteers over the last two decades has only highlighted confusion surrounding use of the term volunteer. Quite often in accounts of volunteer activity, terms are used interchangeably, although their content may vary. This article aims at analytically clarifying many of the complexities embedded in volunteer activity. In this endeavor, we use a mapping sentence method, which groups a variety of volunteer characteristics under key interrelated facets. We use a variety of literature-based components of volunteerism and systematically group them into ten facets. Together, they provide clarity and better understanding of the major components of volunteer activity.
Volunteering Among Teenagers in the United States
Authors: Sundeen Richard A. , Raskoff Sally A.
Published: November 2009

The characteristics of teenage volunteers are examined.
Some Challenges in Nonprofit and Voluntary Action Research
Authors: Smith David Horton
Published: November 2009

This article identifies six challenges confronting research on nonprofit organizations and voluntary action: more attention must be given to informal volunteering as a social process; the dark side of nonprofit organizations has been given insufficient attention; more research should focus on member-benefit organizations; the distinction between volunteer organizations and paid-staff organizations should be emphasized; we must understand more completely what factors contribute to values of service and altruism in paid staff; and nonprofits research must examine and incorporate the experience of developing nations.
Managerial Roles and Entrepreneurship in Nonprofit Urban Arts Agencies in Virginia
Authors: Rossheim Beth N. , Kim Pan S. , Ruchelman Leonard
Published: November 2009

The purpose of this study was to determine how arts administrators in virginia manage under conditions of retrenchment and fiscal constraint. The data analysis separated managers into four role groups according to their perceived degree of creativity and documented access to organizational resources. Managerial role types were compared with management behaviors to discern significant differences. The data suggest that arts agencies must select managers with a combination of entrepreneurial and administrative skills.
Nonprofit Organizations Facing State Incitement Strategies; Policies Related to Alcohol Problems and HIV/AIDS in Switzerland
Authors: Bütschi Danielle , Cattacin Sandro
Published: November 2009

This article deals with Swiss state agencies in the fields of HIV/AIDS and alcohol-related problems. We are interested in their development over the lust decade: What types of societal regulations did the state establish during the eighties and what are their effects? Why were they enacted? Developments in these fields can be seen as a transformation of the relation between the state and civil society. As a liberal state holding the principle of subsidiarity as a major tool, the Swiss state first became a limited welfare state, then a provoker state trying to stimulate autonomous societal organization.
Factors Affecting Volunteer Long-Term Care Ombudsman Organizational Commitment and Burnout
Authors: Nelson H. Wayne , Pratt Clara C. , Carpenter Charles E. , Walter Kathy L.
Published: November 2009

This article examines volunteer nursing home advocates' perceptions about their work and organizational experiences. Bivariate correlations and regression analysis support a model of volunteer organizational effectiveness incorporating selected job context variables. The most important results concern organizational commitment, job involvement, role conflict, role ambiguity, and burnout. An especially important finding was the relation between higher job involvement and lower role confusion, higher organizational commitment, and a higher sense of personal accomplishment. The researchers were surprised by exceedingly low burnout scores and by burnout's modest link to organizational commitment. Demographic findings were mixed with several hypothesized associations proving nonsignificant or inconsistent with previous research.
The Ironies of Human Resource Mobilization by Neighborhood Associations
Authors: Oropesa Sal R.
Published: November 2009

This article explores the mobilization of human resources by sixty-one neighborhood associations in the Seattle area. Although support is generated for hypotheses that emphasize the importance of neighborhood composition, internal polity, association incentive systems, and communications channels, ironies of human resource mobilization are discovered and explained. Specifically, both newsletters and the value of residential property promote membership and discourage participation. The negative effect of newsletters is particularly evident for representative democracies in wealthy areas.
Vitamin D insufficiency in a large female SLE cohort
Authors: Toloza SMA , Cole DEC , Gladman DD , Ibañez D. , Urowitz MB
Published: November 2009

The objective of this study was to determine the vitamin D status and its relationship with disease and therapy features and with bone mineral density in women with systemic lupus erythematosus. Non-pregnant systemic lupus erythematosus women with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and vitamin D measurements performed between May 1 2005 and August 31 2006 were studied. In each patient, the lowest T-score of the first dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan during the study period was used. In postmenopausal women, a T-score ≥1.0 standard deviation was considered normal, between -1.0 and -2.5 standard deviations osteopenia and ≤2.5 standard deviations osteoporosis; in premenopausal women a T-score ≥2.5 standard deviations was normal and ≤2.5 standard deviations defined as reduced bone density. 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels were determined at the time of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. A 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of <80 nmol/L was defined as sub-optimal and a level <40 nmol/L as deficient. Demographic and clinical variables were investigated for association with vitamin D levels by univariate and multivariate analyses. One-hundred and twenty-four systemic lupus erythematosus women had dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans and vitamin D assays performed during the study period. Sub-optimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were found in 82 (66.7%) and deficient 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in 22 (17.9%) patients. The disease-related features examined at the time of vitamin D assays or bone mineral density showed no correlation with vitamin D levels by univariate analyses. Neither 25-hydroxyvitamin D nor 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D was associated with bone mineral density status among these patients. A multivariate logistic regression model identified season, cumulative glucocorticoid exposure, and serum creatinine as being associated with 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, whereas ethnicity, glucocorticoid exposure, and serum creatinine were associated with 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels. In conclusion, sub-optimal vitamin D status is common in women with systemic lupus erythematosus and is related to season, cumulative glucocorticoid dose, and serum creatinine.
SLE mortality in an oriental population
Authors: Koh ET , Seow A. , Leong KH , Chng HH
Published: November 2009

We analysed the causes of 67 deaths, over a 4 y period, in our oriental population with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The median disease duration was 48±60.5 months (range 1—250 months). The mean age at diagnosis and death were 30 and 35.1 y respectively. SLE alone accounted for death in 30 patients (44.8%), infection in 27 (40.3%), pulmonary embolism in 5 (7.5%), malignancy in 4 (5.9%) and rheumatic heart disease in 1 (1.5%). The major organ involvement in those with active disease at death were SLE related thrombocytopenia (n = 23/44, 52.3%), nephritis ( n=21/44), 47.7%), cerebral lupus ( n=16/44, 36.4%), and pulmonary haemorrhage ( n=12/44, 27.3%). As in other series, SLE and infection were the principal causes of death in our population. During this 4 y period, there was no late death due to atherosclerosis.
Indecent, Important and in Focus
Authors: Hunt Mary E.
Published: November 2009

Marcella Althaus-Reid's Indecent Theology: Theological Perversions in Sex, Gender and Politics brings a liberationist view to postmodern analysis, a queer eye to Christianity, and a theologian's critique to culture. It marks the beginning of what Hunt hopes will be sustained reflection by Latin American women on the relationship between sexuality and theo-politics.
Marcella Althaus-Reid's 'Obscenity no. 1: Bi/Christ': Expanding Christ's Wardrobe of Dresses
Authors: Goss Robert E.
Published: November 2009

Marcella Althaus-Reid proposes the Bi/Christ in her sexual reconstruction of theology. Goss examines three representational strategies of the obscene Christ to test the inclusiveness of her model. He applies Judith Butler's notion of gender performativity to the pop star Madonna to suggest an accessorizing of Althaus-Reid's model of the Bi/Christ to the Bi/Transvestite Christ.
One Day I Went to a Theological Consultation on Domestic Violence
Authors: McMullen Christine
Published: November 2009

The problem of violence in the home is on the public agenda. Although many Christians are concerned to eliminate such abuse in their communities, the church has special problems when it tries to address the matter. Violence against family members is related to power and patriarchy, and solutions to the problem relate to the Christian understanding of the nature of the marriage bond, the confidentiality of the confessional and our understanding of the nature of God. In tackling this problem, the church is as much part of the problem as an agent in the solution.
Male Sex Offenders: A Distorted Masculinity? A Theological Exploration of Possible Links
Authors: Monk-Shepherd Rosa
Published: November 2009

This paper is concerned with an enquiry into male sex offenders' understanding of masculinity to establish whether there exists a link between their view of masculinity and their sexual offending behaviour. The enquiry concerned twenty-five sexual offenders serving prison sentences. A short discussion follows and it is suggested that a sexuality and spirituality support group could be piloted within the prison context in order to give sex offenders a new perspective on how to be male in an evolving and flexible way by meaningful relationship.
On Divorce: A Feminist Christian Perspective
Authors: Chen Hannah
Published: November 2009

Divorce is not only a personal choice, but also a sign of the lack of confidence in the institution of marriage. The issue of divorce raises questions that are sociological, theological, experiential, philosophical and political. This article traces the arguments with particular reference to the situation in Taiwan where women have no right to initiate divorce. It surveys the biblical and theological arguments, locating issues of divorce in the area of gender justice within patriarchal systems. Marriage, as well as divorce, is complex. To impose a monolithic definition of divorce is to fail to recognize the diversity of marital conflict and breakdown, generally to the advantage of a patriarchal society. This was as true of Hebrew society as it is of modern Taiwan, with its history of political struggle. The article concludes by challenging the Taiwanese churches to provide insights for people in their relationships with one another and with God.
Consensus Statements: Ambulatory Pediatric Oncology Nursing Practice
Authors: Conley Susanne B. , O'Hanlon Curry Joan , Hines Melissa , Baker Kelley , Schmidt Kaye , Zwier Kathy , Siever Beth , Mirisola Therese , Burke Susie , Thom Bridgette , Kline Nancy E.
Published: November 2009

The pre-conference workshop at the 32nd Annual Conference of the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nursing, held in September 2008, focused on issues faced by pediatric oncology nurses in the ambulatory setting. The workshop was developed after several years of intense discussions at several forums. Therefore the need for an extended discussion period with ambulatory pediatric oncology nurses across the country to address these concerns was evident. There has been a major shift over the past ten years from inpatient to outpatient treatment in oncology (Chabot & Fox, 2005). This shift has resulted in numerous unique challenges for the pediatric oncology nurse. Challenges include lack of staffing resources for fluctuating patient volume and acuity, telephone triage volume and management, home care patient issues, scheduling systems, patient flow and wait time, and multi-institutional communication. This article reports the results of the APHON workshop which utilized the evidence from adult ambulatory oncology literature and standards and the recommendations of the expert pediatric oncology nurse participants to develop global statements about pediatric oncology ambulatory practice standards. The energy and productivity of the group was evidence of a common theme and demand for attention to the ambulatory nursing staff and practice. The ability to identify common threads and reach consensus with powerful statements of practice supports the continued use of such forums to move practice forward.
From Cradle to Commencement: Transitioning Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease Patients to Adult Providers
Authors: Doulton Donna M.
Published: November 2009

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are surviving past childhood and well into adulthood. Concerns are raised as to who is going to care for these children as they reach adulthood. We have developed a 2-part transition program. We have transitioned 20 of our 18- to 27-year-old patients to adult providers recognizing that early preparation is essential. At the newborn’s initial visit or transfer from another clinic the transition program is explained to the family. At age 13 years, all our patients are given a “Preparation for Transition” binder. This binder is reviewed in detail with the patient and parent on a regular basis. At 18 years of age, coordinating with the milestone of graduating from high school and depending on developmental age, the transition is completed. The goal is a continuum of care in the transition process.