Utilizing Peer Nominations in Middle School: A Longitudinal Comparison Between Complete Classroom‐Based and Random List Methods

Although peer nominations provide invaluable data on social status and reputations of classmates, the large size and organizational structure of secondary schools pose a practical challenge to utilizing nomination methods. Particularly problematic is determining the appropriate reference group when students are no longer in self‐contained classrooms. In the current study, we compared a random list method as an alternative to complete classroom‐based or grade list peer nominations. In a 3‐year longitudinal study of 2,307 middle school students, the temporal stability and construct validity of the method were assessed regarding peer acceptance, rejection, coolness, aggression, and victimization. The findings suggested that the random list procedure provides a feasible method to study large peer groups in secondary school settings.     

Identifying and Measuring Racial Profiling by the Police

Over the past decade, public concern about racial profiling and racially disparate treatment of drivers during routine traffic stops has become a critical issue facing law enforcement. Racial disparities in traffic stops, citations and searches impose serious costs on minority citizens and can strain relationships between community members and the police. Over the past decade, researchers, police administrators and legal advocates have employed various methodologies to measure whether or not, and under what conditions, racial profiling exists. Despite a proliferation of research on the subject, many questions about how to best measure racial profiling remain unanswered. This study provides an overview of the problem of racial profiling and discusses the strengths and limitations of the most common research strategies that have been used to identify and measure the prevalence of the problem.     

Screening for recommended antenatal risk factors: How long does it take?

Background

Detection and management of antenatal risk factors is critical for quality care.

Field education in crisis: experiences of field education coordinators in Canada

Significant multi-layered challenges with delivering quality practicum experiences to social work students have led field education coordinators to release a joint statement that social work field education in Canada is in a state of crisis. This article presents the results of a two-year mixed methods study that sought to investigate and describe the challenges in order to enhance understanding of the crisis from the perspective of Canadian social work field education coordinators. The results indicate that social work education programs in Canada face four key challenges in regard to field education that can be further divided into two sections: (a) the social work practice field and (b) social work field education administration. The two key challenges associated with the social work practice field are: (a) social work practice contexts and realities and (b) practicum shortages and saturation. The two key challenges associated with social work field education administration are: (a) practicum procurement and field instructor recruitment and retention; and (b) expectations and workloads of field education coordinators. To address these challenges, collaborative development of a multi-level strategy aimed at moving beyond the current state of crisis toward a sustainable model of social work field education in Canada is recommended.     

Using Concept Mapping to Develop a Statewide Kinship Care Coalition: A Case Study

Increasingly, community coalitions are being developed to address a myriad of social challenges. However, documented research efforts related to planning processes associated with coalition formation are few. This case-study documents the use of concept mapping (CM) to d elineate a conceptual framework for developing a statewide kinship care coalition in one southeastern state. CM is a mixed-method research approach that analyzes qualitative data via nonmetric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses. After a review of relevant literature, this article discusses CM processes associated with this endeavor and examines implications for future use of CM for coalition formation and development.     

Rape: is there an app for that? An empirical analysis of the features of anti-rape apps

This study of mobile phone apps designed to prevent sexual violence (n?=?215) is a quantitative analysis of all their features (n?=?807). We analyze the intended users (victims, bystanders, and perpetrators) and rape prevention strategies of each feature, finding that anti-rape app design generally reinforces and reflects pervasive rape myths, by both targeting potential victims and reinforcing stranger-danger. To demonstrate that these limitations are primarily cultural rather than technological, we conclude by imagining apps with similar technical features that resist rather than reinforce rape myths. This study offers an empirical investigation of the relationship between technical design and social norms, and a unique methodology for uncovering the ideologies that underlie design.     

Has the American Public’s Interest in Information Related to Relationships Beyond “The Couple” Increased Over Time?

Finding romance, love, and sexual intimacy is a central part of our life experience. Although people engage in romance in a variety of ways, alternatives to “the couple” are largely overlooked in relationship research. Scholars and the media have recently argued that the rules of romance are changing, suggesting that interest in consensual departures from monogamy may become popular as people navigate their long-term coupling. This study utilizes Google Trends to assess Americans’ interest in seeking out information related to consensual nonmonogamous relationships across a 10-year period (2006–2015). Using anonymous Web queries from hundreds of thousands of Google search engine users, results show that searches for words related to polyamory and open relationships (but not swinging) have significantly increased over time. Moreover, the magnitude of the correlation between consensual nonmonogamy Web queries and time was significantly higher than popular Web queries over the same time period, indicating this pattern of increased interest in polyamory and open relationships is unique. Future research avenues for incorporating consensual nonmonogamous relationships into relationship science are discussed.     

Function-Altering Effects of Rule Phrasing in the Modulation of Instructional Control

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior - This study evaluated the effects of four instructional variants on instruction following under changing reinforcement schedules using an operant task based on...