The Effect of a Career Development Course on the Dysfunctional Career Thoughts of Racially and Ethnically Diverse College Freshmen

Pre‐ and posttests revealed that the dysfunctional career thoughts of 158 racially and ethnically diverse college freshmen were significantly reduced following a 6‐week, 1‐credit‐hour career development course. Freshmen with the highest level of dysfunctional career thinking indicated the most dramatic decrease. These reductions in dysfunctional career thinking occurred irrespective of students' gender or race/ethnicity.     

Mixed‐Gender Groups,Dating, and Romantic Relationships in Early Adolescence

This study examined dating‐stage and developmental‐contextual models of romantic relationships during early adolescence. Same‐gender friendships, affiliation with mixed‐gender groups, dating, and romantic relationships were investigated in a sample of 1,284 young adolescents of diverse ethnocultural backgrounds. Data were collected cross‐sectionally in Grades 5 through 8, as well as longitudinally in the fall and spring of an academic year. Consistent with a stage model, affiliation with mixed‐gender groups and dating were qualitatively distinct activities that were sequentially organized and facilitated the progression from same‐gender friendships to dyadic romantic relationships. The results also provide insights on how the developmental context may alter stage pathways: Dating activities were incorporated with mixed‐gender affiliations, group‐based romantic stages showed more stability than other stages, and the ethnocultural context influenced romantic timing. Finally, results indicated that participation in romantic activities heightened adolescents' future interest in having a romantic relationship.     

NCWWI Tribal Traineeship Programs: Promoting Diversity in the Child Welfare Workforce

Twelve universities and one American Indian (AI) tribal college were selected for the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute’s 5-year stipend traineeship program. These tribal traineeships were designed to provide social work child welfare education for tribal and nontribal students. Twenty-two AI students and 58 nontribal students completed a bachelor or master’s of social work degree. The students’ field placements were in tribal agencies or public agencies that served a segment of the AI population. These programs were enhanced through the use of valuable relationships (i.e., partnerships, mentorships, allies), and cultural competence was a key aspect of the students’ education. The students’ education was enriched with a specific child welfare curriculum, cultural teachings, tribal traineeship collaborations, and tribal community events.     

Using Embeddedness Theory to Understand and Promote Persistence in STEM Majors

Student retention in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors is a national concern. Research typically emphasizes attrition in STEM fields by examining factors driving students to switch career paths. This study used embeddedness theory to instead focus on factors that better anchor students within their majors. Focus groups were conducted with 21 junior and senior students majoring in STEM to contextualize the 3 tenets of embeddedness: fit, links, and sacrifice. Results supported embeddedness theory as a viable framework for understanding and promoting STEM student retention because fit, links, and sacrifice were all cited as factors that enriched the student experience. Gender differences suggested a heightened sense of pride for women as compared with men who pursue STEM degrees. Results inform ways to contextualize quantitative measures of STEM embeddedness. To facilitate retention, career counselors, instructors, and others may assist students to frame challenge as normal among persisting STEM upperclassmen.     

Using collaboration to maximize outcomes for a John A. Hartford Foundation geriatric enrichment project

Two institutions representing two BSW and one MSW program and a geriatric education center collaborated in a John A. Hartford geriatric enrichment project. Sharing the risks and benefits of a collaborative model, 75 percent of faculty participated in mini faculty fellowships, and bi-monthly dinner meetings with colleagues from each of the three programs, and actively engaged in the curricula revisions. Faculty report pervasive geriatric enrichment in each program's foundation content areas, and increases in students placed in geriatric enriched field practicum settings, from pre-project levels of 8.1 percent to a high of 24 percent. The features of the collaborative project include: respecting each program's autonomy while actively sharing ideas, resources and partnering with community's aging experts; and strengthening mutually reciprocal relationships among faculty and the gerontologic practice community. This model of shared risks and benefits also provides opportunities for innovation, diverse thinking, and shared decision making.     

Individual Needs Versus Collective Interests: Network Dynamics in the Freelance Editorial Association

The Freelance Editorial Association, founded in the 1980s, was an organization of editorial professionals working on contract. Through its 15 years of operation, the organization developed a model of collective representation and sought to improve employment practices and work relations for these contingent workers. Expanding through occupational networks, the association established a program of services and a set of principles for advocacy, which it applied on behalf of members seeking resolution of disputes with clients. The organization, however, proved unsustainable. Resource constraints, labor market structures, and the underlying dynamics of occupational networks, which operated in the interests of clients as well as freelancers, undermined its model. Although the association addressed many individual needs, it generated little leverage toward promoting collective interests. Its efforts, however, offer caveats for the development of new models of collective representation.

Using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in job placement

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) presents a new paradigm for understanding health and health-related conditions and promises to be a useful tool in job placement. The ICF framework is compatible with ecological, systems-based approaches to placement and can assist vocational rehabilitation professionals in identifying needed interventions, implementing effective placement strategies, and assessing employment outcomes. This article presents an overview of the ICF, its potential applications in job placement practice and research, and provides a case study example. Current limitations of the ICF and possible future directions are also discussed.