Asian adolescent and young adult adoptees' psychological well-being: Examining the mediating role of marginality

Adolescent adoptees from an ethnic minority background different from that of their adoptive parents can face unique challenges to their psychosocial adjustment that may include, for some, a sense of marginality and low self-esteem. Using a web-based survey design with a sample of 100 internationally adopted Asian adolescent and young adults, the present study examined how feelings of marginality mediate the relationship between ethnic and racial socialization and psychological well-being among Asian adoptees. The results showed that (a) supports for racial socialization decreased adoptees' feeling of marginality and thereby, increased their positive sense of self; and (b) ethnic socialization was not related to feelings of marginality and self-esteem. This study illustrates the importance of providing post adoption services addressing racial socialization issues. Further, adoptive parents should teach their children how to deal with racial prejudice and discrimination, and prepare them by helping them to develop positive coping strategies.     

Social identity and alcohol in young adolescence: the perceived difference between youthful and adult drinking

This paper examines the evolving social identities of young adolescents in regard to alcohol and drinking culture in Norway. Detailed analysis of 29 focus group interviews and 32 individual interviews with 12–13-year-olds reveal a thorough negative attitude towards alcohol, especially when enjoyed by young people. Young adolescents found young people to be too irresponsible and immature to drink, while adults were portrayed as capable of enjoying alcohol without losing control or experiencing other negative effects. Through symbolic boundary work, they distanced themselves from adolescents who drank. The young adolescents rejected the idea that drinking alcohol was a sign of maturity; instead, they exhibited maturity by distancing themselves from drunk adolescents. We discuss how these findings reflect the participants’ socio-cognitive development, and how symbolic boundaries are often drawn against those closest in social distance. We conclude that boundaries between ‘adolescents’ and ‘adults’ are fundamental when understanding emerging adolescent social identities, especially when it comes to drinking and drinking culture.     

传媒类高职院校学生情感因素与大学英语教学的调查

通过调查山东传媒职业学院464名学生的英语学习情况,探究传媒类高职院校学生情感因素与大学英语教学之间的关系。结果表明：传媒类高职学生的英语基础普遍较弱;自信心不足,学习动机缺乏稳定性,克服困难的意志一般。因此,教师要注重与学生的沟通,注重培养学生的积极情感,鼓励学生主动探索和解决学习中出现的问题。     

Precarious belonging: blindness,masculinity, and work in Polish young adult literature of the 1970s and 1980s

ABSTRACT

This article explores the relationship between disability, identity, and productivity in two Polish young adult novels published under state socialism: Jak trudno kocha? (How difficult it is to love) and Spotkania (The meetings). How Difficult it is to Love by Jerzy Szczygie? (1976) tells the story of a young blind man who, after living many years “unproductively” with his mother, decides to study and work. Published in 1986, Klementyna So?onowicz-Olbrychska’s novel The Meetings also focuses on a blind male teenager who leaves his hometown to live with other blind students at a residential school where he plans a future profession. The two works are concerned with the processes of becoming disabled and becoming a part of the blind community. Crucially, it is productivity – the main value in a socialist state – that participates in the formation of disability identity and enables disabled men to form separate communities and workshops for disabled people.     

Poverty and educational achievement in the US: A less-biased estimate using PISA 2012 data

In the current paper, we employ the most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data to calculate a less-biased estimate of poverty on US achievement. The PISA was specifically chosen as it is an assessment removed from a specific curriculum and instead focuses on concepts that students should know in order to participate in a global economy. Using a propensity score matching approach, our findings suggest that US students in poverty have notable educational attainment deficiencies compared to a matched group of students who are not in poverty. In other words, when we select two students who have a great deal in common but for the fact that one comes from a poverty background, the student in poverty is expected to perform nearly 28 points, or about a quarter of a standard deviation lower, on the PISA assessment. In real terms, this puts math achievement for children not in poverty on-par with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average, while children in poverty are well below the OECD average.     

上海科技成果产业化的瓶颈与对策研究

科技成果产业化是实现科技第一生产力的根本途径。科技成果产业化是上海经济转型发展面临的一个关键问题。必须从上海实际出发,找准科技成果产业化中存在的瓶颈问题,积极探索促进科技成果产业化的有效实现模式。     

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and well-being of children and young people

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact across the world. In this discussion paper, we examine the effect that lockdown has had on the mental health and well-being of children and young people. We write from a UK perspective in the light of the international evidence. Many of the discussion points raised resonate globally. We discuss how these issues can be dealt with and set out potential solutions as we emerge from this global crisis.     

Unmasking Racism: Halloween Costuming and Engagement of the Racial Other

We explore Halloween as a uniquely constructive space for engaging racial concepts and identities, particularly through ritual costuming. Data were collected using 663 participant observation journals from college students across the U.S. During Halloween, many individuals actively engage the racial other in costuming across racial/ethnic lines. Although some recognize the significance of racial stereotyping in costuming, it is often dismissed as being part of the holiday's social context. We explore the costumes worn, as well as responses to cross-racial costuming, analyzing how “playing” with racialized concepts and making light of them in the “safe” context of Halloween allows students to trivialize and reproduce racial stereotypes while supporting the racial hierarchy. We argue that unlike traditional “rituals of rebellion,” wherein subjugated groups temporarily assume powerful roles, whites contemporarily engage Halloween as a sort of “ritual of rebellion” in response to the seemingly restrictive social context of the post-Civil Rights era, and in a way that ultimately reinforces white dominance.

大学生与务工返乡青年农村创业刍议

改革开放尤其是党的十六大以来,我国农村经济社会建设在取得显著成就的同时,城乡失衡的矛盾和问题在某些方面也日益突出。如何统筹城乡发展,缩小区域差距成为“十二五”时期重大攻坚课题。立足农村发展实际,对大学生与务工返乡青年农村创业进行相关研究有历史和现实意义,大学生和务工返乡青年创业竞合将成为农村经济社会发展的强劲动力源,是当前统筹城乡发展有效的途径之一。     

关于上海科技服务业发展环境的调研

近年来,上海科技创新体系总体呈现良好发展态势。但现阶段仍然存在着科技成果转化率低、科技成果转化供需双方两头冷的现象。究其原因,地区科技服务业发展相对滞后是一个重要原因。总体来看,上海虽已初步形成了科技创新服务体系,但科技服务能力的疲软仍是阻碍创新型城市和创新型国家的建设的短板。上海应逐步调整科技服务业的发展路径,将科技服务业列入现代服务业的主要产业来培育,进一步优化科技服务业市场化运作环境,有效激发其活力,从而提升上海城市综合服务功能和自主创新能力。     

上海软件和信息服务业布局优化研究

软件和信息服务业是上海经济新的支柱性产业和重要增长点。目前,上海软件和信息服务业仍集中在以浦东和徐汇为核心的中心城区,但有向外围扩散的趋势。目前存在的主要问题是产业布局差异化不足、郊区产业配套能力不足、产业园区辐射能力不足。上海应针对地标区域、中心城区、外围区域、传统产业集聚区和新兴区域,采取不同的信息服务业发展思路;针对现有信息服务业基地和新兴发展区域,采取不同的产业发展政策。     

低碳科技公共服务平台的功能与机制研究

从低碳经济和节能减排的视角考察,加强低碳科技创新与科技公共服务是实现发展方式转变和促进节能减排的关键与前提。低碳科技公共服务平台是促进低碳科技创新而构建的科技基础条件和服务平台。低碳科技公共服务平台的功能模型主要包括功能流程、功能类型、四维主体等。实现低碳科技公共服务平台的基本功能,需要构建合作创新、政策支持、联席协商、要素流动等实现机制。     

美国中东政策调整与中、美、阿关系互动

迫于国际形势和国内外舆论压力，布什政府从2007年开始调整中东政策，把遏制伊朗作为政策重点。为此，美国重新扮演了巴以和平调解人的角色，主动缓和与阿拉伯国家关系。美阿关系的发展对正在积极参与中东事务的中国具有重要意义。未来中东仍是美国对外战略关注的重点，“美国因素”在中阿关系中会更加频繁，三者互动将更为密切。中国对中东问题的积极立场及对中东事务的主动参与，对于推动中、美、阿关系的良性互动将产生深远影响。     

A review of the risks associated with children and young people’s social media use and the implications for social work practice

Abstract

This paper explores what the research says about the risks to children and young people of using social media. Taking a systematic approach this literature search identified 16 peer reviewed articles, written in English since January 2010. Four areas of risk were identified: cyberbullying and online abuse, exposure to negative forms of user-generated content, the converging of offline and online networks, and developing interpretations of privacy. The research also highlighted how the extent of the risk depends upon the developmental stage and social circumstances. This review provides several implications for social work practice. Social workers must develop their understanding of different social media platforms in order to identify risks and maximise opportunities. Assessment approaches must be tailored to ensure social media use and its effect on those of different ages and backgrounds is considered. Finally they need to consider their role in educating about the risks of social media use.     

Organizational Elaboration as Social Movement Tactic: A Case Study of Strategic Leadership in the first US School-sponsored Program for Gay and Lesbian Youth

This research contributes to our understanding of two central and related problems in the study of social movements: tactical innovation and strategic leadership. Focusing on the leadership history (1984–2003) of the founder and director of the first US public school program for gay and lesbian youth, called Project 10 and located in the Los Angeles, California public school system, this case study illustrates the importance of leadership agency on the part of those ‘organizing from within’. Analyses herein indicate the significance of both institutional constraints and life course circumstances in determining leadership choices. This paper maps organizational obstacles and the tactical dilemmas they produced to explain how successful strategic choices get made. The case of Project 10 indicates that institutional constraints can be overcome tactically with organizational elaboration. Additionally, hybridity, assumed in the literature to produce organizational precariousness, is shown here to be a mechanism for stability, facilitating networks and resource acquisition over time.     

An examination of the views of young people in the Romanian residential care system regarding their relationship with biological family members and the option of reintegration

This paper reports findings from research conducted in six Romanian residential care homes. The aim of the paper is to examine the views held by young people, currently living in residential care, about the importance of their biological families and the option and challenge of reintegration. The data reflect the ideas and perspectives of 44 young people captured through a narrative interview approach using social mapping activities. The results indicate that most children and young people know at least one birth parent and maintain contact on their own initiative; most do not place a high level of importance on such relationships which are generally characterised by lack of confidence, low security and a presumed limited capacity on the part of the biological family to meet their needs. Family reintegration is considered to be a viable option for a small number of young people; others do not see it as realistic because of the impact of long-term separation and the likelihood of experiencing poorer living conditions.     

Working with Families Who Experience Parental Mental Health and/or Drug and Alcohol Problems in the Context of Child Protection Concerns: Recommendations for Service Improvement

Child abuse and neglect often occur within the context of multiple risk factors, in particular parental mental health (MH) and/or drug and alcohol (D&A) problems. Interventions aimed at improving parental MH and D&A issues can have a positive impact on children now, as well as in the future. However, implementing sustainable service models that facilitate positive change for families with multiple risk factors is challenging. The purpose of the present study was to gain feedback from key stakeholders on a service model targeted at families where there are parental D&A, MH and child protection concerns to identify possible strengths and limitations of the model. This identified possible strategies for service improvement from the perspective of discharged clients and clinical staff. Gaining feedback from key stakeholders on service models is increasingly recognised as central to service evaluation and development. Ten interviews were conducted with clinical staff and twenty interviews with discharged clients of a pilot service that works with families where the child or children are at risk of significant harm in the context of parental MH and/or D&A issues. The interviews with clinicians highlighted difficulties working with this complex client group and its impact on staff burnout. Clinicians suggested how the model could be changed to better support clinical staff from burnout. Interviews with discharged clients highlighted the importance of the relationship with the worker in establishing client engagement and facilitating change. The way in which these recommendations informed the design of the service model is discussed.     

Social work students dealing with moral dilemmas in the care for children and young people: an evaluation of moral case deliberation as an educational tool

Social work professionals face moral dilemmas. Evidence-based guidelines only partly help them to deal with these dilemmas. Recently, moral case deliberation (MCD) as a bottom-up aid has been successfully introduced into Dutch health care to help strengthen professional moral competence. This research investigates whether MCD can help future professionals caring for children and young people to deal with their dilemmas. Research questions are: (1) How do students evaluate two series of four MCD sessions related to moral dilemmas in cases they experienced in practice? and (2) Does MCD contribute to students’ ability to justify their decisions? Applying a mixed-method evaluation study, we found that students consider MCD highly important. They feel supported in their ability to justify decisions ethically. Most students value the challenge of thinking critically in MCD. However, some do not appreciate the uncertainties which come with this. One-third of the students prove able to justify their decisions ethically after attending MCD sessions. Robust conclusions about MCD as the cause of these results cannot be drawn on the basis of the study design. Suggestions are made for future research regarding the contribution of MCD to the development of competence in dealing better with moral dilemmas.     

The Assessment Checklist for Adolescents — ACA: A scale for measuring the mental health of young people in foster,kinship, residential and adoptive care

The Assessment Checklist for Adolescents — ACA is a 105-item carer-report mental health rating scale, measuring behaviours, emotional states, traits, and manners of relating to others, as manifested by adolescents (ages 12 to 17) residing in various types of alternate care, as well as those adopted from care. The ACA was designed for population and clinical research with these young people, and for use as a clinical assessment measure. The ACA's content was largely derived from the Assessment Checklist for Children (ACC). Fifteen ACC items were modified to better reflect adolescent difficulties, and 25 additional items were derived using a combination of inductive and deductive strategies. Item and factor analyses were carried out on scores from a 136-item research instrument, obtained for 230 young people residing in long-term care (as part of the NSW Children in Care study). These data were supplemented by ACC scores obtained for 142 adolescents residing in treatment foster care in Ontario, Canada. A robust 7-factor model was identified among a core of 73 clinical item scores, accounting for 51% of score variance. Four of the factors replicate ACC clinical scales (non-reciprocal interpersonal behaviour; sexual behaviour problems; food maintenance behaviour; and suicide discourse), and three are unique to the ACA (social instability/behavioural dysregulation; emotional dysregulation/distorted social cognition; and dissociation/trauma symptoms). The ACA also contains two empirically-derived low self-esteem scales (low confidence; negative self-image) that are shared with the ACC. Initial data indicate that the ACA has good content, construct and criterion-related validity, as well as high internal reliability.