Hierarchical linear modeling as an example for measuring change over time in a leadership development evaluation context

One of the difficulties in evaluating leadership development is measuring whether and how people change over the time period of the leadership development initiative. Even when change over time is an inherent part of the design and evaluation of leadership development, events may occur outside of the control of evaluators that limit the effectiveness of adequately and accurately assessing change over time. With data from a leadership development initiative designed to account for change over time, this article suggests hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) as a multilevel methodological technique to assess change over time in a leadership development context. This article will use real change over time data from a leadership development initiative and discuss the logic and rationale of HLM. We use HLM as an example of a multilevel methodological tool to investigate typical change over time questions in leadership development evaluation.     

“The Compass of Our Life”: A Qualitative Study of Marriage and Faith Among Chinese Immigrants

Twenty highly religious Chinese Christian married couples (n = 40) were interviewed to examine how religious faith influenced their perceptions of marriage and family life. Most participants held advanced graduate degrees (14 PhD and 13 MS degrees). Their ages ranged from 28 to 66, and the number of children ranged from one to four. Grounded theory methods (including open coding and axial coding) were applied to analyze the data. Based on the interview data three emergent themes were identified: (1) Moving from atheism to theism (“God is love”), (2) changing perceptions of marriage (“Marriage is established by God”), and (3) a new priority (“Put God first”). Supporting qualitative data are presented in connection with each theme. Implications for research and practice related to Chinese immigrants’ marriage and family in the United States are discussed.     

Formalizing the Unformalized: Practitioners' Communication of Knowledge in Practice

Correspondence to Dr Jennifer Osmond, School of Human Services, Logan Campus, Griffith University, University Drive, Meadowbrook, Queensland 4131, Australia. E-mail: j.osmond{at}griffith.edu.au Summary Despite considerable debate in the literature, social work continuesto invest considerable analytical and empirical energy on understanding,recognizing and critiquing the nature and form of its knowledgebase. Although such contributions have advanced the discussion,what is largely absent but essential to this debate is an understandingof how practitioners actually express what they know. This paperfocuses specifically on this issue and in so doing, advancesone template for working with practice language. From a qualitative,multi-method research methodology, it was found that participants'communication of their knowledge was not always formal and labelled.Knowing could be expressed via examples, stories, metaphor,as well as understandings that resembled existing theoreticalknowledge or that which had been reformulated and synthesizedin practice. The paper emphasizes the necessity to recognizethis diversity in knowledge communication, so as to accuratelyand responsibly map actual practice knowledge, but in doingso, also raises the issue of addressing limitations that suchrecognition brings. The issue of competent and clear practicearticulation is a topic to which the profession should giveserious attention. The inability of practitioners to explicitlyarticulate the basis of practice behaviour places them at aconsiderable disadvantage in a competitive labour market.     

Uncertainty and the Second Space: Modern Birth Timing and the Dilemma of Education

This paper focuses on the relationship between experiential and statistical uncertainties in the timing of births in Cameroon (Central Africa). Most theories of fertility level and change emphasize the emergence of parity-specific control, treating desired family size as both central, and stable across the life course. By contrast, this paper argues for a theory of reproduction that emphasizes process, social context, and contingency. The paper concentrates on the second birth interval, showing that it is longer and more variable among educated than among uneducated women. The paper argues that this difference is due to the specific forms of uncertainty associated with education in contemporary Cameroon.     

Auf dem Weg an die Spitze Anforderungen an Bewerber für Top-Positionen

En route to the top. Requirements on candidates for top positionsThe assessment of candidates for positions as managing director or as an executive committee member by means of management diagnostics has been frowned upon by German companies for a long time. There has, however, been a clear change of opinion regarding this matter in the meantime. The authors have developed a model of requirements to assess the competencies and potential critical for success. Six areas of responsibility are differentiated between thereby: “Ability to cope with complexity” and “development of decidedness”, “Will to create” and “establishment of structures”, “Establishment of bonds” and “ability of self-management”, and are divided into three levels: the personal level, the co-operative level and the level of corporate culture respectively.     

Evaluation of two school-based HIV prevention interventions in the border city of Tijuana, Mexico

This research project examined the individual and combined effectiveness of an HIV prevention workshop and a free condom distribution program in four high schools in Tijuana, Mexico. Adolescents (N = 320) completed baseline measures on sexual practices and theoretical correlates and participated in a two-part study. In Study 1, students were randomly assigned to an HIV prevention workshop or a control condition, with a 3-month follow-up assessment. Results indicate three significant workshop benefits regarding HIV transmission by altering sexual initiation, access to condoms, and traditional beliefs regarding condoms. In Study 2, we set up a condom distribution program at two of the participating schools, and students completed a 6-month follow-up assessment. Results indicate that exposure to the workshop followed by access to the condom distribution program yielded two beneficial results for reducing HIV transmission: moderating sexual initiation and increasing condom acquisition. Access to the condom distribution program alone had no effects on behavioral and psychosocial correlates of HIV transmission. We discuss implications of these results.     

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder: review of treatment techniques

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic, impairing condition with an estimated lifetime prevalence in adults of 2.5%. Controlled treatment trials have demonstrated that cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective intervention for OCD. However, many individuals diagnosed with OCD do not receive appropriate, empirically validated interventions, perhaps due to limited knowledge of CBT among mental health practitioners. This article provides a review of CBT for OCD. Issues related to treatment delivery and assessment are presented and highlighted by an individual example.     

Health belief factors and dispositional optimism as predictors of STD and HIV preventive behavior

Identifying factors predictive of youth's engaging in preventive behaviors related to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV remains a prominent public health concern. The utility of the Health Belief Model (HBM) continues to be suggested in identifying preventive behaviors. This study sought to examine the full HBM, including self-efficacy, with regard to STD and HIV preventive behavioral intentions in college students. Self-efficacy was identified as the primary predictor for each of the behavioral intentions (condom use, STD testing, and HIV testing), whereas response efficacy was only predictive of testing intentions. Inconsistent with HBM assumptions, perceived HIV severity was negatively related to HIV testing intentions. Students who perceived HIV as high in severity were less likely to intend to obtain HIV testing. Overall, the utility of the HBM in predicting college students' sexual preventive behavior was unsupported. An argument for a change in the direction of research, away from the continued emphasis on the study of cognitive variables, is made.     

Internet use among community college students: implications in designing healthcare interventions

The Internet has become a commonly used venue for seeking healthcare information. Young adults search the Internet for health information more than any other group, yet little is known about use patterns among community college students. The authors surveyed a diverse community college to assess students' use of the Internet for health-related information. More than 80% had home Internet access, regardless of race or gender. Men and women searched for health information in almost equal numbers. Most students were interested in searching for diet/nutrition topics, and least interested in smoking information. Although the digital divide appears to be closing, varying levels of interest in a variety of important health topics remain. Understanding these differences could guide the design of more effective Web-based health interventions.