The Development and Evaluation of Online Learning Modules to Deliver Lifespan Content in Human Behavior in Social Environment Courses

This article details the development and evaluation of a lifespan development computer modules that were used in human behavior in social environment courses. An anonymous, Web-based survey was developed to evaluate the modules. Supporting the first hypothesis, the majority of students (83.5%) found the modules to be a good learning alternative. The hypotheses that MSW students will experience more barriers to Web-based instruction and that students who previously mastered more content will spend less time on mobdules than students who previously mastered less content were not supported. Lessons learned provide implications for the use of computer-assisted instruction.     

Organizational factors,leadership practices,and adoption of technological and administrative innovations: an exploratory study of Lithuanian nonprofit social service organizations Organizaciniai faktoriai,lyderystė ir technologinė bei administracinė inovacijos: aprašomasis Lietuvos nevyriausybini organizacij tyrimas

This exploratory study sought to describe the types of innovations implemented by Lithuanian nonprofit social service organizations, their leadership practices and organizational cultures. It also assessed the relationships among organizational innovation, leadership, organizational culture, and size. Thirty-five nonprofit organizations in Kaunas, Lithuania, constituted the sample. Technological product innovation was by far the most often implemented innovation type. While technological innovation was not related to any of the independent variables, administrative innovation was positively related to the value dimensions of team orientation and stability. Taking a closer look at the relationship between leadership and organizational culture variables provided useful insights into why there was little association between organizational innovation and the independent variables. Limitations of the study are discussed along with implications for social work practice.

?is tyrimas siek? apra?yti inovacijas, kurias diegia Lietuvos socialin?s nevyriausybin?s organizacijos, ?i organizacij kultūr bei lyderyst?s praktikas. Taip pat buvo vertinti ry?iai tarp organizacij inovatori?kumo, lyderyst?s, organizacin?s kultūros bei organizacijos dyd?io. Tyrimo antrankos grup sudar? trisde?imt penkios Kauno miesto (Lietuva) nevyriausybin?s organizacijos. Da?nausiai naudojam inovacij tipas—technologin?s, arba produkto inovacijos. Nors technologin?s/produkto inovacijos nebuvo susietos nei su vienu nepriklausomu kintamuoju, administracin?s inovacijos buvo teigiamai susietos su orientacijos komandin veikl bei stabilumo vertyb?mis. Gilesnis ry?i tarp lyderyst?s ir organizacin?s kultūros kintamj nagrin?jimas pad?jo geriau suprasti silpnus ry?ius tarp organizacini inovacij bei nepriklausom kintamj. ?is straipsnis taip pat aptaria tyrimo trūkumus bei rezultat svarb socialinio darbo praktikai.     

An investigation of successfully treated adolescent sex offenders

Little is known about the characteristics of adolescent sex offenders who do not reoffend. Most studies emphasize reoffense rates, recidivism and those who reoffend. Moreover, these studies provide quantitative summaries without describing the individual, his behavior, and challenges after treatment. The present study seeks to provide novel information about the life experiences of adolescent sex offenders who have not reoffended after reentering society. Through a structured questionnaire and an in-depth qualitative interview, the adolescents (N = 7) provided information regarding their life experiences after treatment with an emphasis on the challenges they face in society.     

Stress and tobacco use among African-American adolescents: the buffering effect of cultural factors

Tobacco is a leading contributor to morbidity and mortality and a primary reason for health disparities among African Americans. In this study we explore the role of stress in smoking and cultural factors that protect against stress among African-American adolescents. Our sample consisted of 239 youth who were recruited into the study while enrolled in 8th and 12th grade. Measures of risk factors (stress, school transition stress, and community disorganization), moderator or protective factors (religious support and intergenerational connections), and 30-day tobacco use were collected. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted. Intergenerational connections moderated the effect of stress on past 30-day tobacco use. Religious support moderated the effect of neighborhood disorganization on past 30-day tobacco use. Religious support also moderated the effect of stress on past 30-day tobacco use. The findings have implications for prevention efforts to consider religious beliefs and practices and also to link youth with supportive adults in their community.     

Evaluating Parents in Partnership: A Preliminary Study of a Child Welfare Intervention Designed to Increase Reunification

Child welfare systems struggle with how best to accomplish reunification for children who have been removed from their home due to child maltreatment. Parent mentor programs may facilitate the reunification process. In these programs, parents who have successfully reunified with their children after child welfare involvement provide support and guidance for parents currently navigating the system. The current study examines (a) whether distance was a barrier to participation in orientation of a parent mentor program (called Parents in Partnership [PIP]) for 98 parents involved with the child welfare system and (b) whether participation affected reunification outcomes for 73 parents. Logistic regression models showed parents who lived closer to the PIP orientation location were more likely to participate in the orientation. Further, parents who attended PIP orientation were 5 times more likely to reunify with their children. Parent mentor programs may be one way to increase the likelihood of reunification for families involved in the child welfare system and may increase the engagement of fathers involved with the child welfare system. Future research should examine whether participation in parent mentor programs reduces the length of time children stay in foster care in addition to increasing rates of reunification.     

“The right to lead”: Navajo language,dis‐citizenship,and Diné presidential politics

This article examines the 2014 Navajo Nation presidential primary election and language debate as a window into the politics of Navajo heritage language and identity. Using Facebook posts written in response to a videotaped hearing testing the fluency of one of the candidates that subsequently went viral, we analyse social citizenship and stigmatized language identities through the lens of critical Diné (Navajo) language consciousness. Focusing on generational differences between speaker groups that undergirded this debate, we analyse (a) the fluency test itself and (b) online and ethnographic responses to the fluency test. Using discourse analysis of Facebook posts of both heritage language and new Navajo speakers, we show how new speakers in particular express investment in their language and Diné cultural continuity and, through their emphasis on the heterogeneity of contemporary Diné communicative practices, offer an alternative template for ways to move forward in Diné language reclamation efforts.     

Illicit use of prescribed stimulant medication among college students

The authors investigated illicit use of stimulant medications at a midwestern university. They used a questionnaire to (a) examine the extent to which university students illicitly used stimulant medications prescribed for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; (b) determine why college students abused such drugs; and (c) identify the factors that predicted illicit use of prescribed stimulant medication. Findings revealed that 17% of 179 surveyed men and 11% of 202 women reported illicit use of prescribed stimulant medication. Forty-four percent of surveyed students stated that they knew students who used stimulant medication illicitly for both academic and recreational reasons. Students reported they experienced time pressures associated with college life and that stimulants were said to increase alertness and energy. Regression analysis revealed that the factor that predicted men's use was knowing where to get easily acquired stimulant medication, whereas the main predictor for women was whether another student had offered the prescribed stimulants.     

The Discounted Moments of the Surplus After the Last Innovation Before Ruin Under the Dual Risk Model

□ This article's focus is on finding an explicit form of the discounted moments of the surplus at the time of the last jump before ruin for the compound Poisson dual risk model. For this purpose, we derive a non-homogeneous integro-differential equation, which is satisfied by the targeted quantity. To solve this equation, the general solution of the corresponding homogeneous equation and a particular solution of the non-homogeneous equation are obtained. Also, some additional results are provided, such as the defective distribution of the time to ruin and the Laplace transform of the time when the last jump before ruin happens.     

Long-term planning and decision-making among midlife and older gay men and lesbians

This article examines the issues of long-term planning and decision-making among midlife and older gay men and lesbian caregivers. Using a qualitative methodology, in-depth interviews were conducted with 19 gay men and lesbians over 50. Participants reported on their long-term planning and decision-making processes. All but four persons reported that their partners had advance directives, but the majority of caregivers did not have advance directives for themselves. Concerns about informal family dynamics and interactions with formal systems were expressed, along with financial and ownership issues. It is important for social workers to intervene across individual, organizational, and community levels in advocacy for the needs of older gay men and lesbian clients.