bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Behavior Therapy and the Elderly: A Conceptual and Ethical Analysis
Authors: O'Donohue William T. , Fisher Jane E. , Krasner Leonard
Published: May 2005

This article examines several dimensions of the conceptual framework of the behavioral approach to the treatment of the elderly's problems in living that require emphasis. These dimensions are: 1) Within the behavioral approach behavior is viewed as not being a function of discontinuous, developmental stages each with a unique set of psychological processes; chronological age therefore is considered not to be a causal variable in psychological development, but rather a pure index of only certain physical events; 2) The level of analysis of the behavioral approach to the problems of the elderly is that of molar behavior, and therefore explanations which appeal to other levels of observation, described in different terms and measured in different dimensions, are not considered to be part of this approach; 3) The molar behavior of the elderly is viewed as a function of the contingencies of reinforcement, and behavior that is labeled abnormal is viewed as not quantitatively nor qualitatively different in its development and maintenance from other learned behavior; and 4) Behavior therapy, like all therapies, is a value-laden enterprise in which ends as well as means can be explicated and critically examined. Behavior therapy, in which the involvement of the elderly in the determination of treatment goals is maximized and in which the ability of the elderly to influence and design their environments is enhanced, is advocated.
Directions and Trends in Aging Services: A German-American Comparison
Authors: Gelfand Donald E.
Published: May 2005

Services for older people in many countries now appear to have strong similarities. There are, however, important differences in the directions and emphases of these services. This article examines factors related to differing trends in the development of services in the United States and West Germany, two countries that currently have major economic, social, and political commonalities. The differing historical development of these two countries is traced and related to the structure of services for the elderly, the role of professionals in developing these services, and the relative emphases on primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Predictions of future trends in services for older persons in the two countries are also explored.
Black Grandparents: Curriculum Development
Authors: Strom Robert , Strom Shirley , Collinsworth Pat , Strom Paris , Griswold Dianne
Published: May 2005

The performance of Black grandparents was examined to determine the most suitable content for an educational program intended to assist them in their role. A sample of 626 non-consanguineous subjects included 204 grandparents, 128 parents, and 294 grandchildren. Each generation group completed a separate version of the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory to identify the favorable qualities of grandparents and aspects of their relationships in which further growth was necessary. A combination of multivariate analysis of variance procedures, univariate analysis of variance tests, and t-tests were used to analyze scores, confirm results, and assist with interpretation of data. All groups described aspects of grandparents success and made known specific realms of learning that grandparents should acquire in order to become more effective. Analysis of the responses revealed significant main effects for generation, gender of grandchild, age of grandchild, and amount of time that grandparent and grandchild spent together. Considerations were identified for improving grandparent influence and guiding the development of grandparent education programs.
Individual and Community: Normative Conflicts in the Development of a New Therapeutic Community for Older Persons
Authors: Gatz Margaret , Siegler Ilene C. , Dibner Susan Schmidt
Published: May 2005

This paper examines the role of ideology in the establishment of a new therapeutic community for geriatric patients in a state mental hospital. Contradictory role expectations, reflected both in staff-staff and in staff-patient relationships, interfered with the program's achieving its stated goals. In order to apply a humanistic approach to programs for elderly patients, realistic goals-encompassing the range of patient competence-must be set within a reasonable time framework, and the program must provide for an appropriate range of structure.
Confronting the Continuing Problem of Asbestos in Scotland: Report on a Scottish Public Sector Initiative for the 21st Century
Authors: Gorman Tommy , Watterson Andrew
Published: May 2005

This article outlines a Scottish initiative for tackling asbestos in local authority (municipal) buildings. It explores issues surrounding municipal asbestos usage, financial costs, health and safety management and control and also support systems to assist asbestos victims and their families. Some solutions are offered to address these issues.
Continuity and Change in Friendships in Advanced Old Age: Findings from the Berkeley Older Generation Study
Authors: Field Dorothy
Published: May 2005

A longitudinal study of friendships between young-old and old-old adults found far more continuity than change in amount of contact with friends. Nevertheless, activities with casual friends more often occurred in groups, whereas activities with close friends were more often concerned with exchanging confidences, with sharing interesting experiences and thoughts, and with helping each other. Gender differences are more pronounced than life-course differences. Men declined in number of new friends, in their desire for close friendships, in the less intimate nature of their interactions with friends, and in involvement in beyond-family activities, while women did not change. Questions about closest friends revealed only a trivial difference between men and women in young-old age; but in old-old age, men (but not women) had declined in many measures of friendship.
The Use of the Semantic Differential Technique in Drug Education Research: An Example and Some Suggestions
Authors: Simpson M. L. , Koenig F. W.
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this paper is to suggest that the Semantic Differential Technique is an efficient and reliable instrument for measuring attitudes in drug education. Its sensitivity to gradations in attitudes is demonstrated in an actual research study and suggestions for its potential uses in drug education programs are discussed.
The Relationship between Life Crises and Mental Deterioration in Old Age
Authors: Amster Leslie Ellen , Krauss Herbert H.
Published: May 2005

This study relates mental deterioration in old age to recent life history. A family member or close friend completed the Geriatric Schedule of Recent Experience (GSRE) for each of 25 mentally deteriorated and 25 normal elderly women. The results showed a positive relationship between magnitude and number of life crises and mental deterioration.
Attitudes toward the Elderly in Sweden: Correlates and Age Group Comparisons
Authors: Skoglund John
Published: May 2005

The objectives were to examine attitudes toward societal relations of the elderly in two age-stratified random samples, aged thirty to sixty-five, and seventy to seventy-five (both groups expressed attitudes toward the latter group), and to explore which of various correlates were associated with the attitudes. Six attitudinal dimensions were analyzed by means of group comparisons and linear regression. The younger group appeared positive toward interactive behavior, the elderly in turn being positive toward previous roles though reluctant to engagement in new activities. Some significant correlates were distinguished, although in a diversified manner over groups and dimensions: Positive attitudes among the younger were associated with low age, high education, and being female. No such clear pattern was found among the elderly, where instead work commitment and contacts with peers were particularly indicative of positive attitudes toward social activities.
Attitudes of Adult Children Whose Aged Parents are Members of a Sheltered Workshop
Authors: Reingold Jacob , Wolk Robert L. , Schwartz Shirley
Published: May 2005

Responses to items on a questionnaire returned by children of parents employed in a sheltered workshop were evaluated to determine childrens' attitudes about their parents' participation, how they would feel about entering such a facility themselves, and whether changes were recognized in their parents as a result of the vocational therapy. Respondents studied were groups of children of aged men and women who were physically and mentally well, men and women who were mentally impaired, and aged women who were mentally intact but suffering some physical impairment, to determine effects of parents' condition on children's attitudes. While respondents viewed the therapy as favorable, their parents' participation in the workshop did not appear to alter children's feelings about the aging process.
A Training Model for Drug Abuse Prevention: Content and Evaluation
Authors: Horan John J. , Shute Robert E. , Swisher John D. , Westcott Thomas B.
Published: May 2005

This article briefly describes the content and evaluation of a training center for drug abuse prevention. Through a series of four workshops conducted throughout Central Pennsylvania, teams of students, educators, and community leaders received intensive training in behavioral group counseling focused on alternatives to drug use. Evaluation along several criteria indicated that the goals of the training center were successfully achieved.
The Pooling of Logitudinal Studies of Aging
Authors: Riegel Klaus F. , Angleitner Alois
Published: May 2005

This report describes the pooling of 5 longitudinal studies conducted during the last 20 years in West Germany. The pooling provides the following improvements: By increasing the number of participants the reliability and precision of the results are improved. The sample becomes representative of the whole area of the FRG. Both cohort and age comparisons are improved by extending their ranges. The time-of-testing range is increased from 5 to 17 years. Since the significance of this factor has been recognized often but since few empirical explorations have been made in the past, the extension of the time-of-testing range represents the most important contribution of the present work. The pooling of different studies is possible only if they share a common set of methods. This requirement is met under the present conditions. Moreover, each study adds unique methods to the pool, thus, supplementing the common explorations in a constructive manner.
Exchange and Power in Special Settings for the Aged
Authors: Schmidt Mary Gwynne
Published: May 2005

Goffman's model of institutional totality was examined within a social-exchange framework in the boarding and nursing units of two homes for the aged. The power-dependence relationships appeared to be determined by the residents' social resources — all the assets that enabled them to reward a favor, extort a concession, or do without — and by the conditions of patienthood that limited their use. Boarders were equally responsive to peer and staff expectations while patients, lacking a cohesive peer group, were more conforming to the demands of staff members, who controlled most of the system's rewards in the nursing units. Efforts to humanize these late-life settings seem unlikely to succeed unless they take into account staff's ability to structure the conditions of negotiation as a base of its power.
Behavioral Objectives for the Drug Education Preparation of K-3 Elementary School Teachers
Authors: Cohen Stuart J.
Published: May 2005

While the need for drug education in the lower grades of elementary school —kindergarten to grade three (K-3) — is recognized, K-3 elementary school teachers are not properly trained or qualified to teach this subject. Further, there is no clear-cut definition of the training that should equip them to do so. Thus, as a way to start improving the training and adequacy of these K-3 elementary school teachers for drug education, a study was conducted to answer the following questions: Can behavioral objectives for the drug education preparation of K-3 elementary school teachers be adequately developed and set forth for use?
An Alternative Method for Conducting a College Drug Education Course
Authors: Serdahely William J.
Published: May 2005

A college drug education course was designed to implement four assumptions: 1) class time should be devoted to expressing and clarifying values; 2) students should be given freedom to study topics of interest to them; 3) an essay final examination would be a better learning experience than a multiple choice examination; and 4) a study of over-the-counter products would be helpful to students. Data from a course evaluation completed by students supported these assumptions.
Differential Aging: An Exploratory Approach Using Cluster Analysis
Authors: Ford Graeme , Taylor Rex
Published: May 2005

This article uses cluster analysis to identify different patterns of personal resources within a random sample of the well, elderly population. Ten such patterns or natural groupings are identified and their implications for coping and successful aging are discussed. It is apparent that there are a number of ways both of aging well and aging badly, and that these patterns cannot be predicted solely on the basis of structural data. The article poses a number of questions on the performance of cluster members over time and draws attention to the importance of longitudinal data.
Learner-Control Effects: A Review of Reviews and a Meta-Analysis
Authors: Niemiec Richard P. , Sikorski Christian , Walberg Herbert J.
Published: May 2005

This article concerns the effects of learner control in computer-assisted instruction (CAI). After reviewing previous reviews of research on the topic, twenty-four studies of learner control were subjected to meta-analysis. The results of both the review and meta-analysis are equivocal. Several reviews indicate that learner control works less well with younger, less able students. Other reviews indicate that, given optimal conditions, learner control can work with any students. The meta-analysis, however, yielded an average effect size that was small and negative suggesting that the average student would be slightly better off without it. Although learner control has theoretical appeal, its effects on learning seem neither powerful nor consistent.
Lawyer in the Classroom
Authors: Ingram Verner M.
Published: May 2005

Modern drug education is marked by an increased use of the professional from the community as a guest speaker in the classroom. Directly relevant is the contribution which may be made by the lawyer on the subject of the law of drug abuse. Since the practice of law is somewhat unfamiliar to those outside the profession, the use of some basic guidelines may assist the teacher in finding a “classroom lawyer,” and in making his presentation more meaningful.
Child Psychiatric Disorders in a Primary Care Arab Population
Authors: Eapen Valsamma , Ai-Sabosy Moza , Saeed Mohammed , Sabri Sufyan
Published: May 2005

Objectives:

Physical and psychiatric comorbidity is relatively common in general practice but there have been few systematic studies using clinical interviews of children attending the primary care services in the Arab population, and none from the Gulf countries. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and nature of child psychiatric morbidity in primary care in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Method:

Systematic psychiatric evaluations were carried out on consecutive children aged 6 to 18 years visiting their primary care doctors in Al Ain. The sample consisted of 141 (50.7%) boys and 137 (49.3%) girls.

Results:

Forty-three percent of the 278 children received a DSM-IV diagnosis. Of these, 46 (38%) were males and 74 (62%) were females. However, only 1.1% (3/120) of the patients consulted general practitioners for a primary psychiatric symptom. The most common diagnosis was anxiety disorder followed by depression. Obsessive compulsive disorder was present in 11%, conduct disorder in 7%, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in 3% of those with a diagnosis. A statistically significant association was found between DSM-IV caseness and female gender, higher number of children in the household, relationship problems in the family, physical illness and family history of psychiatric disorder. Other factors that did not show any significant association were age, nationality, socioeconomic status, parental education or occupation, scholastic performance or developmental delay in the child, or parental consanguinity.

Conclusion:

Our findings suggest that psychiatric disorders are common among young people of Arab origin attending primary care facilities, and that doctors need to be vigilant about this possibility.
Patterns of Personality Development in Middle-Aged Women: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Livson Florine B.
Published: May 2005

Personality development was examined in two groups of women studied since adolescence who were judged psychologically healthy at age fifty: 1) Independents, whose health improved from forty to fifty, were ambitious and intellectual. 2) Traditional, healthy at both ages, were gregarious and nurturant. Traditionals showed steady personality growth since adolescence. Independents were constricted at age forty but recovered by fifty. These patterns are compared in terms of the fit between personality and sex role. Traditional personalities fit conventional feminine roles, accounting for their health throughout the middle years. Independents improved when disengaging from mothering freed them to develop their more assertive skills.
Race, Socioeconomic Status, and the Subjective Well-Being of Older Americans
Authors: McKenzie Brad , Campbell James
Published: May 2005

Causal examination of factors influencing life satisfaction among older Americans can provide knowledge important to social policy development. Using rotated factor analysis, this study isolates two dimensions of life satisfaction, labeled happiness and morale, using data from the 1981 Harris survey on aging. Race, SES characteristics, and the two intervening variables of self-assessed health status and problems experienced are tested through path analysis on the two attributes of life satisfaction. Most of the effects of race and SES are mediated by self-assessed health status and problems experienced, and these two intervening variables are the strongest direct predictors of happiness and morale. Of particular significance are results which demonstrate that racial background has a strong influence on problems experienced, and that education is more influential than income on the life satisfaction factors tested in this study.
Life Review Reminiscence in the Elderly: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Molinari Victor , Reichlin Robert E.
Published: May 2005

The literature on life review reminiscence in the elderly is reviewed. Research indicates that life review is a personal, self-evaluative form of reminiscence with intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions. The nature and quality of these dimensions change with age. The process and outcome of life review in the elderly may vary as a function of independent, as compared with institutional, living. There needs to be closer correspondence between clinical and research endeavors since empirical documentation is lacking regarding the efficacy of life review groups. It is suggested that an integration of intrapersonal and interpersonal approaches may provide the basis for a broad conceptualization of life review reminiscence in aged adults.
Student Portfolio Analysis by Data Cube Technology for Decision Support of Web-Based Classroom Teacher
Authors: Chang Chih-Kai , Chen Gwo-Dong , Ou Kou-Liang
Published: May 2005

As learners increasingly use Web-based distance learning systems over years, large amounts of learning logs are generated. An instructor needs analysis tools to manage the logs and discover patterns within them to help improve instruction. A variety of analysis tools, including descriptive statistics, statistical inference, prediction, etc., can be utilized to analyze the effects of a teaching strategy from the logs. However, logs of a Web server, as learners' portfolios, cannot satisfy the requirements of these analysis tools. To resolve this problem, a data cube model is proposed as the infrastructure to store learning logs for analysis. We also describe the method of using query language to retrieve information from a database to construct the data cube. Furthermore, user-friendly operations for manipulating a data cube can retrieve statistical information from the data cube. Although statistical tools for managing Web logs exist, none specifically address the needs of the distance learning instructor. This article uses data cubes and database technology as fundamental analysis tools to satisfy a distance learning instructor's requirements for managing and analyzing learning logs.
The Impact of a High School Alcohol Education Program Utilizing a Live Theatrical Performance: A Comparative Study
Authors: Gliksman Louis , Douglas Ronald R. , Smythe Cindy
Published: May 2005

The impact of a live theatrical performance on the knowledge, attitudes and behavior of grade nine and ten students viewing the performance was assessed by eighteen measures using a pretest/posttest questionnaire. “BOOZE,” a series of five alcohol related skits, was matched with a subset of ARF Alcohol Lesson Plans for comparative purposes. Participating Northwestern Ontario schools were assigned to one of four groups; Performance Only, Lesson Plans Only, Performance and Lesson Plans, and Control. The results indicated that all three interventions had an impact on attitudes and behavior. Although the Performance Only intervention was as effective as the Lesson Plans Only program, the two together not only did not increase the impact, but in some instances produced decrements. The results of the present study offer encouragement for the potential of theatrical performances as a vehicle for drug education. Since the study demonstrates a short term effect, the authors recommend utilizing a live theatrical performance with special consideration given to evaluating the duration of message impact.
Stress and Alcoholic Denial
Authors: Kanas Nick
Published: May 2005

Pathological denial in alcoholics may be a reaction to stress from past traumatic events, the sequelae of alcoholism, or even the treatment process itself. A case is presented which illustrates this conceptualization, and relevant treatment nuances are discussed.
A Case Study of Second Year Student Persistence
Authors: Gohn Lyle , Swartz James , Donnelly Sharon
Published: May 2005

Most colleges/universities emphasize retention efforts during the first year. However, most campuses lose as many students through attrition from the second year to graduation as are lost from first to second year. Researchers at a major university in the mid-south studied second year students using a qualitative approach. A Conceptual Diagram of Issues, developed from the literature, guided the data collection and analysis. These included: Emotional and Personal Support; Commitment and Aspiration; Academic; and Financial. Eleven second-year students, representing various characteristics of the student population were interviewed. Major factors relating to attrition or persistence for second year students included: 1) adjustment to stress, 2) grade satisfaction, 3) time management, 4) financial management, and 5) stabilization of career choice.
Individual Psychotherapy with the Aged: A Selective Review
Authors: Sparacino Jack
Published: May 2005

While elderly individuals are still markedly underrepresented in facilities providing outpatient psychological services, clinical interest in individual psychotherapeutic intervention with the aged mentally ill has gradually risen during the past several decades. A broad review of the literature suggests that published descriptions of such interventions have generally been global and vague and that research reports, while collectively pointing to the feasibility of individual psychotherapy, have been infrequent and methodologically weak. In view of the rising numbers of elderly persons potentially requiring psychological services and a probable decrease in the mutual avoidance of therapists and the aged, the need for further theoretical development and empirical research is indicated.
Racism and the Older Voter? Arizona's Rejection of a Paid Holiday to Honor Martin Luther King
Authors: Kastenbaum Robert
Published: May 2005

Two propositions that would have established a paid Martin Luther King holiday were defeated in Arizona's statewide elections of November 6,1990. Communities and counties with high proportions of senior adult voters cast proportionately more votes against these propositions. Was this an example of racism among the primarily anglo senior adult voters of Arizona? Three models were proposed to account for the general pattern of election-related behavior as well as the vote itself: 1) proactive racist, 2) pragmatic self-interest, and 3) fortress mentality. It was suggested that proactive racism and pragmatic self-interest accounted for less of the opposition to a paid holiday honoring Martin Luther King than did a fortress mentality that has developed through a combination of circumstances. Attention is also given to the larger question of senior adults as perpetrators as well as victims of bigotry.
Memory Development: An Approach to the Mentally Impaired Elderly in the Long-Term Care Setting
Authors: Carroll Kathleen , Gray Katherine
Published: May 2005

Based upon a review of the literature on memory and cognitive impairments a number of procedures were implemented to improve memory function among nursing home residents. This paper describes the conceptual basis for the program called Memory Development (MD), and delineates procedures and techniques involving the use of cues, practice, and motivation. MD is compared to the traditional Reality Orientation (RO) approach.
Gender Differences in Computer Education: A Costa Rican Case Study
Authors: Huber Brad R. , Scaglion Richard
Published: May 2005

A time allocation study was designed to determine how two types of teachers spend their time in a primary school computer lab in Costa Rica. As a group, teachers of both types were found to allocate more of their time to boys than to girls. Moreover, boys were found to monopolize the primary teaching resource (the formally trained lab teacher), leaving girls to seek assistance from the secondary resource (their regular classroom teacher). Results of the study have important implications both for the anthropology of education and for Costa Rican society at large.
Relationship between Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol Problems in Young Adults
Authors: Werch Chudley E. , Gorman Dean R. , Marty Phillip J.
Published: May 2005

The relationships among alcohol problems and alcohol consumption variables including quantity-frequency (Q-F) classifications, frequency of alcohol use, quantity of alcohol use, and beverage types, were examined in a young adult population. Total alcohol-related problems, drinking and driving problems, and school problems increased significantly when young adults drank moderately. Certain types of problems, however, appear to be more or less associated with alcohol consumption. For example, physical illness problems increased during light drinking, while interpersonal and legal problems increased during moderate-heavy and heavy alcohol use, respectively. Virtually no differences were found on alcohol problems for drinking classifications between sexes. Both the frequency and quantity of beer and liquor use were found to be positively associated with alcohol problems. The relationship between the frequency and quantity of wine use and alcohol problems, however, was less strong and more dissonant. In general, alcohol problems were found to be related to relatively low levels of frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption. Specific suggestions regarding substance abuse prevention program content and models were also discussed.
Gender, Group Composition, Cooperation, and Self-Efficacy in Computer Studies
Authors: Busch Tor
Published: May 2005

This study aimed to investigate whether gender, group composition, or self-efficacy in computing has any impact on cooperation, giving or getting task-related help, and level of activity in student groups. The groups were established during a computer course among 150 college students in business administration. According to our results, students with low self-efficacy in computing, and students in groups with a majority of females, cooperated more than any other categories in their work with computers. Furthermore, students with high self-efficacy in computing, and students with a high degree of previous computer experience, offered more task-related help to other students than did the rest. In terms of gender, the level of activity was evaluated as highest in majority-female or majority-male groups. Moreover, female students had significantly lower self-efficacy in computing, less previous computer experience, and they had received less previous encouragement to work with computers. Finally, female students were receiving more task-related help, while at the same time giving less task-related help than male students.
A Comparison of Recruiting Strategies for Increasing Older Adults' Initial Entry and Compliance in a Memory Training Program
Authors: Schleser Robert , West Robin L. , Boatwright Lynn K.
Published: May 2005

Older adults in highrise buildings were recruited for memory training using positive (“build your memory power”), neutral (“learn memory skills”), or negative (“avoid memory failures”) content approaches which were: 1) printed on a poster mounted in a prominent place (CSA), 2) presented orally at a building meeting (PC), and, finally, 3) printed on flyers distributed to the residents (DC). There were more volunteers after PC with neutral or positive content, but the CSA respondents were more likely to complete the training. Negative content was most likely to attract persons concerned about age-realted memory decline. The discussion focused on the appropriate recruitment methods for particular intervention programs.
Grandparents in Japan: A Three-Generational Study
Authors:   The United States Team, Strom Robert , Strom Shirley , Collinsworth Pat ,   The Japanese Team, Sato Saburo , Makino Katsuko , Sasaki Yasuyuki , Sasaki Hiroko , Nishio Norihiro , Nishio Norihiro
Published: May 2005

Grandparents in Japan believe that their status in the family is eroding. They want to be influential but social policy has not included education for their changing role. The purpose of this study was to identify strengths and needs of Japanese grandparents as perceived by three generations. Each generation completed a separate version of the Grandparent Strengths and Needs Inventory. Multivariate analysis of variance procedures were used to compare perceptions of 239 grandparents, 266 parents, and 274 school-age grandchildren from cities and small towns. Grandparents reported more satisfaction, greater success, and more extensive involvement in teaching than was observed by parents and grandchildren. Grandparents experienced greater difficulty, more frustration, and felt less informed to carry out their role than was reported by parents and grandchildren. Significant main effects that influenced responses about grandparent performance were generation, gender of grandchild, age of grandchild, generations living together, frequency of grandchild care by grandparent, and amount of time they spent together. Considerations were identified to improve grandparent behavior and guide the development of educational programs for them.
Student Retention in Higher Education: Some Conceptual and Programmatic Perspectives
Authors: Lang Marvel
Published: May 2005

Over the past two decades the attrition of students in higher education has raised grave concerns. These concerns were raised initially over the higher rates of attrition of minority students in the early 1980s following a decade of record rates of minority enrollment in higher education institutions during the 1970s. However, by the mid-1980s the rates of high attrition of African-American and Hispanic students had grabbed the attention of the academic community across the country. When scholars and higher education administrators began to take notice of the higher rates of attrition of minority students they found out that student dropout and attrition in higher education institutions was a problem with all students, not just students of color. This article summarizes and presents perspectives on the causes of attrition and the problems of the retention of students in higher education. These ideas and perspectives are based on what has been learned from research on student retention over the past two decades. Also, programmatic strategies that have been implemented at institutions are summarized as examples of student retention initiatives that have had significant impacts.
Web-Based Case Conferencing for Preservice Teacher Education: Electronic Discourse from the Field
Authors: Bonk Curtis Jay , Malikowski Steve , Angeli Charoula , East Judy
Published: May 2005

The purpose of this study was to foster preservice teacher learning of educational psychology by creating a Web-based learning community using actual case situations these future teachers had experienced during their field observations. In this study, 146 undergraduate educational psychology students were randomly assigned to two different electronic conferencing groups where they generated teaching vignettes related to their early field experiences and reacted to the cases of their peers. As a counterbalanced research design, half of these students received heavy scaffolding (HS) during the first three weeks of electronic case conferencing and weak scaffolding (WS) during the following three weeks; the other half received the opposite. Within these conferences, there were a total of 229 cases generated for discussion with 1,320 replies. While there were 20 percent more postings in the first three weeks, the cases and responses generated in the second three weeks were lengthier. Importantly, HS fostered 18 percent more student cases than WS, though these were of significantly lower quality than the WS cases. A coding of dialogue transcripts from fifty-eight randomly selected cases indicated that peer feedback was extremely conversational and opinionated, whereas instructor mentoring was focused on high level questioning, course related advice, and case specific feedback.
Sociological Functionalism, Exchange Theory and Life-Cycle Analysis: A Call for More Explicit Theoretical Bridges
Authors: Bengtson Vern L. , Dowd James J.
Published: May 2005

There has been a notable lack of articulation between mainstream sociological theory and the work of social gerontologists. This paper suggests four reasons for this, and reviews the basic assumptions and applications to gerontology of two well-established frameworks in sociological theory: structural-functionalism and exchange. With more rigorous and systematic integration of gerontological data with social and social psychological theory, more comprehensive explanations of life course phenomena would result. Moreover, the age variable would be considered by other sociologists as less of a control and more of a relevant variable in its own right.
Drug Use and Criminal Behavior
Authors: Fink Ludwig , Hyatt Murray P.
Published: May 2005

An overview of addiction and crime, as well as the attempts to link the use of drugs to the incidence of crime, is presented. In particular, crimes of violence, and sex crimes, are contrasted with non-violent criminal behavior, when drug-connected.

Tentative conclusions concerning the following drugs and drug-groups are postulated; alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates, opiates, cocaine, marijuana, hallucinogens, and volatile inhalants.

Based on the evidence, it is suggested that alternative methods of dealing with drug abuse and criminal behavior be explored, and that several previously discarded methods be re-examined.
Alcoholism and Self-Responsibility: The Gestalt Approach
Authors: Graceffo Samuel A.
Published: May 2005

A Gestalt therapist views alcoholic behavior as one outgrowth of an unwillingness to accept self-responsibility. Some of the major theories on the etiology of alcoholism are reviewed from the perspective of self-responsibility. This reveals a range of from 100 per cent ascribed self-responsibility in the Gestalt view to 0 per cent self-responsibility in the disease theory of alcoholism. The Gestalt concept of self-responsibility is the acknowledgement by the individual that he/she is the author of all thoughts, feelings, and behavior. The behavior of the alcoholic is contrasted with the self-responsible individual and seen to be a polar opposite. The clinical application of Gestalt therapy techniques to alcoholism is demonstrated and discussed with several case illustrations.
Determinants of Microcomputer Literacy in High School Students
Authors: Lockheed Marlaine E. , Nielsen Antonia , Stone Meredith K.
Published: May 2005

This article analyzes some determinants of gain in computer literacy by 206 male and 207 female high school students enrolled in a required introductory computer science course. Gender, grade, mathematics course type and mathematics section type were all found to be related to gain: males, younger students, students in sophomore and junior college preparatory mathematics, and students in advanced sections of mathematics courses gained relatively more than females, older students, and students enrolled in other mathematics courses or section levels. Access to and experience with computers were generally unrelated to gain in computer literacy.
Drug Use at a Small Technological University in Tennessee
Authors: Hogan H. Wayne
Published: May 2005

This report is of 409 students at a small technological university in middle Tennessee who anonymously responded to a comprehensive drug use/nonuse questionnaire sent to them at their campus post office boxes. Users and nonusers were predictably differentiated along such psychological dimensions as anomia, authoritarianism, sensation-seeking, and self-esteem, and by such sociological factors as family background/relationships, peer support, and prior familiarity with drugs and other habituating substances. A major contribution of these data is their suggestion that the use/nonuse character of illicit drugs is essentially the same among students in a rural southern setting as has been previously demonstrated for the more urbanized regions of the northeast and far west. The present results further suggest that the students' responses were more of a male vs. female than user vs. nonuser phenomenon. Some of the implications of these two conclusions are discussed briefly.
Amazing Grace: Religion and Identity among Elderly Black Individuals
Authors: Nye William P.
Published: May 2005

A sample of forty-three “life stories” collected from elderly African-Americans residing in Southwestern Virginia is analyzed from the perspective of Continuity Theory. The focus is on the “theme” which religion plays as a bulwark of continuity in the lives of the respondents. The data reveal that religion serves at least seven significant and positive functions in the normal aging process of Black-Americans. As is customary, all names of respondents have been changed to protect their anonymity.
A Sun Awareness Pilot Project in Texas
Authors: Franklin Gillian , Coggin Claudia , Lykens Kristine , Mains Douglas
Published: May 2005

Skin cancer, the most common cancer in the United States today, is the most preventable. Sun overexposure results in approximately 90% of all skin cancer. Americans' lifetime risk of developing skin cancer is one-in-six. The purpose of this pilot project was to increase the level of sun protection knowledge and awareness in parents at their baby's 6-month immunization visit. This nonrandomized pretest, intervention, posttest study was modeled after Australia's Anti-Cancer Council “Slip! Slop! Slap!” campaign. Self-reported baseline data about parental sun protective measures for parents and their children were obtained from five pediatric clinics in Texas. Demographics, skin type, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about the sun and sun protection were investigated. Overall, parental sun protective knowledge and awareness increased; however, parents protected themselves more on average than they did their children. These findings should be a useful guide for future health education on prevention of skin cancers.
Perception, Psychedelics, and Social Change
Authors: Kaiser Charles , Gold Robert
Published: May 2005

If it is true that experiences involving altered states of consciousness have historically been confined to a minute segment of the population (such as shamans, prophets, and even self-actualizers within Maslow's [1] context), and if the psychedelics act as a catalyst for such experiences, then their widespread availability portends significant social consequences. The most profound long term consequences of the increasingly widespread use of psychedelics may not be medical or even psychological in nature, but rather socio-logical. Altered states of consciousness create nothing less than new perceptual configurations which may well spell the end of social institutions based upon modes of perception which are incongruent with new perceptions being attained by increasing numbers of people via the psychedelic experience.
Alcohol and Drug Education Programs
Authors: Milgram Gail G.
Published: May 2005

The design and implementation of alcohol and drug education efforts and programs are discussed by presenting necessary concepts for effective programming. Philosophy and policy statements, which form the support basis for educational efforts, are outlined. Specific prevention goals and the interpretation of these goals into program content and methodology are presented. Significant aspects of program evaluation and the need for improved approaches and further research in this area conclude the focus on alcohol and drug education programs.
Teacher Training in Norm Setting Approaches to Drug Education: A Pilot Study Comparing Standard and Video-Enhanced Methods
Authors: Dusenbury Linda A. , Hansen William B. , Giles Steven M.
Published: May 2005

Norm setting has been shown to be a crucial element of effective drug education. The purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which a videotape describing concepts and methods for establishing positive norms would enhance standard training. Participants included 35 teachers and 64 health education students who were randomly assigned to the standard training condition or the video-enhanced training. Participants completed pretest and posttest measures of beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge concerning prevention methods. Both the standard and the video-based instruction produced improved understanding of norms and norm setting prevention methods. However, the video-based instruction resulted in several notable improvements beyond what was achieved in standard instruction. Video training can be an important tool as research-based drug abuse prevention achieves wide-scale dissemination. It offers a way of standardizing training and has the potential to increase the fidelity with which prevention programs are implemented.
Discovering a Good Age
Authors: Novak Mark
Published: May 2005

In the past, gerontologists often used sick or institutionalized people in their research. As a result, aging came to be seen as a time of decline filled with problems. Even today some of the best research dwells on the problems that come with age. To balance this view, in a recent study I spoke with over sixty of the “best” older people I could find. These were people who exemplified a good age—they were healthy, happy, active, involved and eager to tell about their lives. From their comments, it appears that a good age does not happen by accident. It is something people work for and discover for themselves; a process described in this paper.
Factors Related to the Retention of Female Graduate Students over 30
Authors: Hagedorn Linda Serra
Published: May 2005

While admissions at the undergraduate level are experiencing a surge of students over thirty years of age (Spaid, 1989), the pool of traditionally aged students is declining. These phenomena may indicate that students over age thirty will also be enrolling in graduate programs in increasing numbers. This study addresses the issue of retention as it pertains to older female graduate students. Utilizing a sample from a large Midwestern research university, results of a logistic regression indicate that the important variables to persistence are being unmarried, maintaining positive student-student and student-faculty interactions, and achieving a high GPA. Although the study is exploratory in nature, several policy implications and interventions are suggested.
Alcoholics Anonymous in a Therapeutic Community
Authors: Krupka Lewis F. , Blume E. Sue
Published: May 2005

In an effort to deal with increased numbers of “multiple substance abusers” (combined alcohol and drug abuse) approaching a drug treatment agency, a program was developed which integrated a formalized Alcoholics Anonymous approach with confrontational therapy. This model of treatment utilizing the Therapeutic Community, a traditional approach for the drug addict, in conjunction with Alcoholics Anonymous and Alcohol Education is shown to supplement the treatment process when working with multiple substance abusers. The paper questions the efficacy of maintaining separate programs for alcohol and drug users and the practicality and effectiveness of A.A. as a support mechanism for individuals dysfunctional because of drug abuse.
Joyce Carol Oates' “A Theory of Knowledge”
Authors: Berman Harry J.
Published: May 2005

This article presents a critical reading of “A Theory of Knowledge” by Joyce Carol Oates, which appears in a recently published collection of stories about aging. The story is analyzed in terms of two ideas in current adult developmental theory, the idea of personal narrative as developed by Cohler, and the idea of generativity as developed by Erikson, Kotre, and McAdams.
The Minimal Effects and Methodological Problems in the Evaluation of a Harm Reduction Drug Education Programme in a High School Setting
Authors: Casswell Sally , Mortimer Dorothy , Gilroy Carol
Published: May 2005

Responses to an anonymous questionnaire were used to evaluate the effects of a drug education programme among high school students. The programme, taught as part of the social studies curriculum, was based on Dorn's situational based decision making process [1] with an extension into behavioural rehearsal of ‘appropriate’ social responses in drug offer and use situations. Results from a sample which was both pre and post-tested indicated a relatively long lasting increase in knowledge but no significant effects of the programme on either attitudes or self-reported past or anticipated behaviour. Initial significant differences between control and experimental students' responses were present illustrating the potential problems in evaluations employing a quasi experimental design.
A Cross-Cultural Perspective on Continuity and Change in Social Relations in Old Age: Introduction to a Special Issue
Authors: Field Dorothy
Published: May 2005

The four articles that make up this Special Issue represent a sample of the stimulating work being done with longitudinal studies of social relationships in Europe, Israel, and the United States. A Dutch article examines support to fathers and mothers by their sons and daughters; an Israeli article finds some differences in family relationships among three national origin groups; a Swedish article finds that life satisfaction is associated with sibling contact; and an American article describes differences between casual and close friends, and between the friendships of very old men and women. This essay introduces these articles and comments on cultural similarities and differences that have been found in the broad field of social relationships.