A content analysis of intervention research in social work doctoral dissertations

It is imperative for the social work profession that the on-going schism between researchers and practitioners commented on in the literature for the past 40 years be effectively addressed. Doctoral programs are in a unique position to affect the production of research focusing on intervention. The purpose of this study was to determine if social work doctoral programs are currently successful in encouraging their doctoral candidates to engage in intervention research. A content analysis was conducted on 252 dissertation abstracts produced by social work doctoral students in 2006. Only 13.49% of the abstracts indicated a focus on social work intervention. The researchers argue that this finding indicates a need for a paradigm shift in social work education and practice.     

Hidden boundaries and shared meanings: the roles of researcher characteristics and cultural norms in shaping understandings of sexuality in the unstructured interview setting

This paper examines the role of the research process in shaping the construction of knowledge about sensitive topics in in-depth interviews particularly with regard to researcher identity and cultural influences or norms. We argue that these influences shape all aspects of the research process and that researchers will benefit from reflecting upon them when planning, undertaking and interpreting qualitative studies. Drawing on an empirical study interviewing Australian women aged 55 years and older about sexuality we address differences and similarities between researchers and participants; cultural constructions of sexuality and ageing, and generational influences. Using examples from our interview data we interrogate the contribution of each of these aspects to the interview dynamic and the co-production of meaning. Our analysis draws attention to the fluidity of insider and outsider status and to the existence of hidden boundaries that impact on how certain topics can be discussed in interviews. The paper argues that knowledge about sensitive topics such as older people’s sexuality must be viewed as a situated occurrence shaped by the particularities of the interview and the cultural context. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings for qualitative inquiries into sensitive topics.     

Transforming a hospital safety and ergonomics program: a four year journey of change

The conception of "Patient Safety" being the number one priority at Hospitals can reduce the emphasis on overall employee safety and health. This review examines a hospital's need to improve 24/7 active (i.e., not reactive) coverage, regulatory compliance, as well as the frequency and severity of employee injury losses. It also discusses a journey to integrate and improve safety and ergonomics to achieve these goals. Three approaches used by the ergonomist to create the transformation included: 1) adoption of the safety and ergonomic hazard identification; 2) safe patient handling; and 3) implementation of a 5S program. The results of the four (4) year effort at the not for profit, 637 bed, full service, acute-care hospital has shown a steady decline in frequency, reduced waste, and improved housekeeping. Ergonomists can have a key role in transforming Hospital Safety and Ergonomic Programs.     

Some notes on poisson limits for empirical point processes

The authors define the scaled empirical point process. They obtain the weak limit of these point processes through a novel use of a dimension‐free method based on the convergence of compensators of multiparameter martingales. The method extends previous results in several directions. They obtain limits at points where the density may be zero, but has regular variation. The joint limit of the empirical process evaluated at distinct points is given by independent Poisson processes. They provide applications both to nearest‐neighbour density estimation in high dimensions, and to the asymptotic behaviour of multivariate extremes such as those arising from bivariate normal copulas. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 37: 347–360; 2009 © 2009 Statistical Society of Canada     

Expanding the School Counselor Repertoire Through STEM‐Focused Career Development

The call to generate increased student interest in math and science careers continues to receive tremendous amounts of national attention, most recently in President Barack Obama's (2011) State of the Union address when he referred to the current climate as “our generation's Sputnik moment.” Responses to this call focus predominantly on teacher training and standards‐based instruction. However, considering the explosive momentum within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education initiatives and the pivotal role school counselors can and should play in academic and career planning, school counselors would benefit from taking the necessary steps toward adopting and integrating elements of these STEM initiatives into their work.     

Contradictions,Dialectics, and Paradoxes in Organizations: A Constitutive Approach†

This article presents a constitutive approach to the study of organizational contradictions, dialectics, paradoxes, and tensions. In particular, it highlights five constitutive dimensions (i.e., discourse, developmental actions, socio-historical conditions, presence in multiples, and praxis) that appear across the literature in five metatheoretical traditions—process-based systems, structuration, critical, postmodern, and relational dialectics. In exploring these dimensions, it defines and distinguishes among key constructs, links research to process outcomes, and sets forth a typology of alternative ways of responding to organizational tensions. It concludes by challenging researchers to sharpen their focus on time in process studies, privilege emotion in relation to rationality, and explore the dialectic between order and disorder.     

Understanding Quality-of-Life While Living with Late-Stage Lung Cancer: An Exploratory Study

U.S. Veterans have a higher prevalence of advanced lung cancer and poorer survival outcomes compared to the general population; yet, no studies exist which specifically explore the psychosocial and existential quality-of-life (QOL) of late-stage lung cancer among this population. This article presents the perspectives of older veterans (N = 12) living with late-stage lung cancer who were receiving chemotherapy, routine hospice care, or both concurrently. Based on individual interviews, themes associated with loss of functionality, close relationships, and communicative acts contributed to veterans’ perceptions of diminished or enhanced QOL while living with advanced disease. An overarching theme, loss of the person I know myself to be, suggests that personhood is an important concept to consider in QOL assessment. While findings suggest that the experiences of older Veterans with late-stage lung cancer are similar to other populations of lung cancer patients, and persons with incurable cancer in general, further research regarding the influence of veteran identity at end-of-life is warranted. Further research is needed which explores the influence of a whole person approach to QOL during life-limiting illness and end-of-life decision-making, particularly while receiving late-stage cancer-directed therapy.     

ESTIMATING WITHIN-HOUSEHOLD CONTACT NETWORKS FROM EGOCENTRIC DATA

Acute respiratory diseases are transmitted over networks of social contacts. Large-scale simulation models are used to predict epidemic dynamics and evaluate the impact of various interventions, but the contact behavior in these models is based on simplistic and strong assumptions which are not informed by survey data. These assumptions are also used for estimating transmission measures such as the basic reproductive number and secondary attack rates. Development of methodology to infer contact networks from survey data could improve these models and estimation methods. We contribute to this area by developing a model of within-household social contacts and using it to analyze the Belgian POLYMOD data set, which contains detailed diaries of social contacts in a 24-hour period. We model dependency in contact behavior through a latent variable indicating which household members are at home. We estimate age-specific probabilities of being at home and age-specific probabilities of contact conditional on two members being at home. Our results differ from the standard random mixing assumption. In addition, we find that the probability that all members contact each other on a given day is fairly low: 0.49 for households with two 0-5 year olds and two 19-35 year olds, and 0.36 for households with two 12-18 year olds and two 36+ year olds. We find higher contact rates in households with 2-3 members, helping explain the higher influenza secondary attack rates found in households of this size.     

Modesty can promote trust: Evidence from China

When people let others know about their accomplishments, they can improve their social standing, but doing so may also have a cost, especially within social environments in which there is great emphasis on the value of modesty. One particular downside of self‐promotion, the risk of being seen as untrustworthy, was examined among children in China. Across three studies, children ranging in age from 7 to 11 years (total N = 251) judged the trustworthiness of protagonists who exhibited either modesty or immodesty. In Study 1, protagonists who told lies in the service of modesty were judged as more trustworthy than those who told lies to avoid getting into trouble. In Study 2, protagonists who demonstrated modesty were rated as trustworthy, but those who demonstrated immodesty were not. Study 3 showed that the positive implications of modesty for trust are specific to downplaying one’s own accomplishments and do not extend to downplaying the accomplishments of a peer. Taken together, the results suggest that for children in China, the level of modesty serves as a cue about which people can be trusted.