Integrating Group Dynamics Training and the Education and Development of Social Work Students

Summary This paper explores experience of the development of a groupdynamics workshop in a post-graduate course for student socialworkers. The background to the workshops is outlined with referenceto students, course staff and consultant staff. A brief summaryof different conceptual approaches to group dynamics trainingis offered in order to clarify terminology and methods. Importantconclusions concerning the design and operation of the workshopsare drawn and emphasis is placed on an analysis of the multiplerole situation of student social workers, choosing appropriatelearning designs, and making these explicit     

Image‐Based Empirical Importance Sampling: An Efficient Way of Estimating Intensities

Abstract. Very recently, it has been suggested in the biomedical literature to combine computerized image analysis with non‐uniform sampling to increase the efficiency of estimators of intensities of biological cell populations. We give this ingenious idea of empirical importance sampling a stochastic formulation, using point process theory and modern sampling theory. We develop statistical tools for assessing its efficiency and construct optimal model‐based estimators of intensities. Examples of applications of empirical importance sampling in microscopy are provided.     

The Save the Children Fund and the Russian Famine of 1921–23: Claims and Counter‐Claims about Feeding “Bolshevik” Children*

Drawing on literature on the social construction of social problems, this paper examines the British Save the Children Fund's claims making activities regarding support for child famine victims in Russia in 1921–23. It examines 1) how the Fund constructed famine in Russia as a social problem that was worthy of British, and wider international, support and attention; 2) the rhetorical strategies used by the Fund to construct the causes of the famine for the British public; and 3) the claims the Fund made about why Britons should care about starving children in Russia. We also attend to counter‐claims made about the Fund and its involvement with Russia. We used unpublished letters, memos and reports from The Save the Children Fund archives to examine how the Fund responded to attacks on its activities coming from Russian émigrés and from The Daily Express. We suggest that the examination of this case through the concept of claims making offers a lens to understand how children in distress in the early 20^th century became the objects of British, and wider international aid.     

The Use of Bounded Recall Procedures in Single Interviews

This note describes procedures for bounding recall in a singleinterview. The methods tested seem to be as effective as themore traditional panel procedures in reducing telescoping. Nomajor administration problems are observed.     

The Current Efficiency of List-Assisted Telephone Sampling Designs

List-assisted random digit dialing (RDD) designs became popularin the late 1980s and early 1990s. Work done by the Bureau ofLabor Statistics and the University of Michigan in 1993 resultedin the development of the underlying theory for these designsas well as the evaluation of various alternative sampling plansto optimize the method. Recent research to reevaluate thesedesigns in light of the significant changes in the telephonesystem over the past decade is presented in this article. Thearticle provides background on the development of list-assisteddesigns, and recent changes in the U.S. telephone system arereviewed. Using 1999 data from Survey Sampling, Inc., an analysisof the current state of the telephone system is presented, anda reoptimization of the earlier designs is undertaken. Resultsfrom the earlier work are compared with findings from the 1999data.     

“Keeping Young Minds Sharp”: Children's Cognitive Stimulation and the Rise of Parenting Magazines, 1959–2003*

Dans cet article, l'auteure etudie l'éthos changeant du métier de parent en se fondant sur l'examen des magazines et des articles sur l'art d'être parent. La diversification et l'augmentation substantielle du nombre de magazines sur l'éducation des enfants dans quatre pays industrialisés d'expression anglaise démontrent une grande préoccupation par rapport à l'« art d'etre parent » en tant qu'entreprise intentionnelle. Une analyse de contenu de plus de 500 articles canadiens sur le sujet révèle un déplacement de l'importance placée sur les activités d'« amusement » vers un intérêt croissant pour l'education et le développement cognitif des enfants. En accord avec ceux et celles qui observent au fil du temps un souci accru concernant le développement cognitif des enfants, l'auteure pense que les parents canadiens sont de plus en plus encouragés à favoriser activement les aptitudes aux études de leurs enfants. This study is an exploration of the changing ethos of parenting based on an examination of parenting magazines and articles. The substantial growth and diversification of parenting magazines in four English‐speaking industrialized countries indicate a larger preoccupation about “parenting” as a deliberate undertaking. A content analysis of more than 500 Canadian parenting articles reveals a shift in emphasis from “fun” activities to an increasing focus on schooling and children's cognitive development. Consistent with others who document a heightened concern for children's cognitive development over time, I find that Canadian parents are increasingly encouraged to actively foster their children's academic skills.