What We Are Talking About When We Talk About Social Media: A Framework for Study

Social media continues to grow as a focus of social, organizational, and scholarly interest, yet there is little agreement as to what constitutes social media and how it can be effectively analyzed. We review various definitions of social media and note that much of the confusion regarding social media comes from conflation between social media types, platforms, and activities. To facilitate investigations of social media, we debunk common social media myths and review the relationship between social media and several prominent sociological concerns. We conclude by reflecting on directions for future research on social media.     

Development of outstanding leadership: A life narrative approach

Developmental events of a sample of outstanding leaders experienced in early life were examined. Relevant sections of 120 biographies of outstanding leaders in the 20th Century were content coded using a life narrative framework. The results indicated that individuals evidencing a particular leadership type (charismatic, ideological, or pragmatic) and orientation (socialized or personalized) were linked to certain types of developmental events. Similarly, event content was found to vary between the leader styles. Specific kinds of experiences were also related to various indices of leader performance. Practical and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Improved estimation for the parameters of an inverse gaussian distribution

James-Stein estimators are proposed for the #-parameter of an inverse Gaussian #G# distribution. The estimators of this class have smaller expected quadratic loss than the maximum likelihood estimator usually employed when analysing real sets of data. This problem is also studied for the case of an unknown nuisance parameter. Finally, improved estimators are considered for # in the two sample problem.     

Group work is … powerful! This stuff changes … lives: training on group processes for facilitators of curriculum-based groups

ABSTRACT

This article describes a four-year group work training project conducted with facilitators of curriculum-based parenting groups who had not been trained in group work or group processes. A total 14 group facilitators and 144 group members from 34 groups were involved in the training and the mixed method evaluation. Participants described how the training modified their group facilitation, helping them understand that the groups themselves as well as the curricula were informative and transformative, and that group members as well as group facilitators had roles. Further, facilitators indicated that the training resulted in fundamental change in their self-perceptions from being simply purveyors of a parenting curriculum to empathic agents of change as well.     

Perceived sexual intent in the U.S. and Brazil as a function of nature of encounter,subjects'nationality,and gender

This study tested three hypotheses. First, Brazilian college students in introductory psychology courses (n = 196) would perceive more sexual intent than would their American counterparts (n = 204) in four hypothetical scenarios in which the consumption of alcohol and agreement of a female to go to a male's dorm room were manipulated. Second, male respondents (regardless of country) would perceive more sexual intent in all scenarios than would female respondents. Third, perceived sexual intent would be greatest when the male and female characters both had been drinking alcohol, and the female agreed to go to the male's dorm room. The results were generally consistent with these hypotheses. Thus, the findings suggest that, across these two cultures, males perceive (and presume) sexual cues to a greater extent than do females and that a woman's agreement to go to a male's dorm room may be construed as consent for sex; such perception might then escalate into rape.     

The effects of parental involvement on academic performance of Ghanaian youth: Testing measurement and relationships using structural equation modeling

Research in developed countries suggests that parental involvement is associated with youth academic success. However, little is known about the overall impact of parental involvement on youth academic performance in developing countries. Further, it is unclear what type of parental involvement impacts the academic performance of youth from developing countries. This study examines whether parental involvement at home and school are meaningfully different constructs in a population of Ghanaian youth and their parents, and whether parental involvement predicts academic performance. Results suggest a multidimensional construct consists of home and school involvement. The effect of parental involvement on youth academic performance appears to be a function of the type of parental involvement. Home-based parental involvement is positively associated with academic performance, while school-based parental involvement is negatively associated with academic performance. Parental involvement in youth's education has important implications for academic performance. Parental involvement in education has the potential to model positive attitudes toward school as well as adaptive academic practices, thus sending the message to youth that school is important.     

Immigration in the United States and What Social Workers Should Know

This article has been retracted.