Motivation,Attitude and Teaching Methods

Motivation and attitude are two important factors that influence the students＆#39; foreign language learning. This paper focuses on the diverse influences from the different types of motivation and attitude that the students have. At the same time, it provides some suggestions for the language teachers and hopes that it may be helpful for their language teaching.     

Reintegrating Theories,Methods, and Historical Analysis in Teaching Sociology

We discuss ways of bringing theory and methods into conversation with each other within courses and across the sociology curriculum. Theory is often taught completely separately from research methods, which in turn are simplistically divided into quantitative and qualitative. To counter this fragmented approach to the discipline we discuss two major paradigms, a social-forces paradigm often linked to quantitative research and an interpretive paradigm often linked to qualitative inquiry. But at a deeper level both paradigms require an understanding of historical context. The relationship between these two paradigms and more familiar categories of theory such as "functionalism" and "conflict theories" is not straightforward. We conclude the discussion by describing classroom-tested strategies that help students explore the complexity of the linkages between theories and empirical inquiry.     

Toward a Buddhist Sociology: Theories,Methods, and Possibilities

This article explores potential links between Buddhism and sociology, highlighting the many commonalities between sociology and Buddhism, with an emphasis on ways that Buddhist thought and practice may contribute to the field of sociology. What could Buddhism offer to our understanding of social institutions, social problems, and to the dynamics and possibilities for social change? The Four Noble Truths, central to Buddhist teachings, are explored in reference to their sociological theory applications. Finally, mindfulness practices that are endemic to Buddhism are explored as tools for sociologists to consider as they work reflexively, develop sociological insights, and pursue social justice.     

Marital Quality Assessment: Reviewing the Concept,Instruments, and Methods

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate which instruments have been used in marital quality research since 2005, and the concepts underlying each measure. We conducted a literature review in the following databases: PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, and BVS. The review included 91 studies investigating 21 instruments. Half of the scales were multidimensional, but the most used instruments were unidimensional, except for the DAS. Most measures had exploratory evidence of construct validity and did not provide a definition of the construct under evaluation. Theoretical development is needed to address the problem of largely subjective, empirically based measures. We suggest network models can help to develop new measures and to provide a fresh understanding of the construct and the dynamics of marital relations.     

Nonverbal Behavior in the Digital Age: Meanings,Models, and Methods

This Special Issue of the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior explores nonverbal issues in the digital age, with an emphasis how digital technologies provide researchers with new tools for exploring nonverbal components of interpersonal interactions in digital environments. In addition to showing a range of exciting applications, the featured articles also touch upon the challenges of new digital strategies.     

Anticipating Law: Research Methods, Ethics, and The Law of Privilege

Our ethical obligation to protect the research confidentiality of individual participants is challenged when third parties use subpoenas in the context of criminal proceedings and civil litigation in an effort to order the production of confidential information. This paper discusses strategies researchers may employ in order to maximize their legal ability to maintain confidentiality in spite of those challenges. Use of existing statutory protections is the first choice, but these are available for only a subset of research related to health and criminal justice issues. In situations where statutory protections are not available, the Wigmore criteria may act as a guide for the design of research that maximizes researchers' ability to protect research participants by advancing a case–by–case claim for researcher–participant privilege. We discuss the legal basis for this conclusion and outline procedures that may be used to further strengthen confidentiality protections.     

Compelling Evidence: Research Methods,HIV/AIDS,and Politics in Papua,Indonesia

Increasing calls for an evidence-based public health (EBPH) rely on forms of quantitative evidence to decide HIV/AIDS interventions. A major criticism of this method is it downplays the significance of experiential, cultural or political facets of HIV/AIDS. We apply the concept of ‘rendering technical’ to explore the relationship between methods used in HIV/AIDS research in Papua, Indonesia and current socioeconomic conditions. We analysed research methods used in sixty-two HIV/AIDS studies, assessed presentations at an international AIDS conference, and conducted ethnographic research in Papua. Nation-wide EBPH initiatives are implemented in Papua, yet there remains a critical mass of qualitative ethnographic studies carried out by indigenous scholars emphasising experiences of persons and culture, often within a colonial or post-colonial framework. We argue these studies partially counter approaches which render technical complex realities. In political conditions where indigenous minorities suffer inequities, qualitative ethnographic research may yield critical kinds of evidence, potentially contributing to more nuanced decision-making around HIV.     

新疆：给孩子一个健康的童年

The nutrition-improvement program has been implemented in Jiashi, Moyu and six other counties in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. When the program was implemented in the counties, in 2013, many of the parents were hesitant to accept the packages, especially given their differing religious beliefs and dietary habits.     

Job Volatility of Rural,Low-income Mothers: A Mixed Methods Approach

The struggle for rural, low-income mothers to enter and remain in the workforce can contribute to job volatility, longitudinal changes in employment patterns. This study used a mixed methods longitudinal approach to examine job volatility of 245 rural, low-income mothers across 14 states. The mothers were categorized into three groups: stable employment, intermittent employment, and continuous unemployment. Work and family responsibilities were a continuous struggle for these mothers. Some mothers addressed these struggles through changing jobs, receiving social support, and/or staying out of the workforce to care for their children. To reduce job volatility, both qualitative and quantitative analyses showed that human capital development requires workplace flexibility and social support in addition to the traditional investments in education and healthcare.     

Methods, approaches and data sources for estimating stocks of irregular migrants

This paper presents a comprehensive review of available methods for sizing irregular migrant populations as a particular group in the study of hidden populations. Based on the existing body of literature on the subject, a generic classification scheme is developed that divides existing estimation procedures into subcategories like “approaches”, “methods” and “estimation techniques”. For each of these categories, basic principles, methodical strengths and weaknesses, as well as practical problems, are identified and discussed with the use of existing examples. Special emphasis is placed on data requirements, data shortcomings and possible estimation biases. In addition, based on the empirical classification and quality assessment of country-specific estimates developed in the CLANDESTINO research project, the potential and requirements for replicating best practice models in other countries are explored. Finally, a number of conclusions on the appropriate design of estimation projects are offered.     

Relative Distribution Methods

We present an outline of relative distribution methods, with an application to recent changes in the U.S. wage distribution. Relative distribution methods are a nonparametric statistical framework for analyzing data in a fully distributional context. The framework combines the graphical tools of exploratory data analysis with statistical summaries, decomposition, and inference. The relative distribution is similar to a density ratio. It is technically defined as the random variable obtained by transforming a variable from a comparison group by the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of that variable for a reference group. This transformation produces a set of observations, the relative data, that represent the rank of the original comparison value in terms of the reference group's CDF. The density and CDF of the relative data can therefore be used to fully represent and analyze distributional differences. Analysis can move beyond comparisons of means and variances to tap the detailed information inherent in distributions. The analytic framework is general and flexible, as the relative density is decomposable into the effect of location and shape differences, and into effects that represent both compositional changes in covariates, and changes in the covariate-outcome variable relationship.