Climate change in Alaska: Social workers’ attitudes,beliefs, and experiences

The average temperature in Alaska and the North American Arctic has risen at twice the rate of the global average due to climate change, causing changes to the natural environment that affect the physical, social, and emotional well‐being of people and communities. Social workers must be prepared to respond. Using a non‐probability, convenience sample, this study surveyed 159 social workers in Alaska to assess their attitudes and their perceptions of the effects of climate change on their clients and constituents. Results indicate that social workers in Alaska believe that climate change is happening, that human activities are responsible, and that it is a large threat to people in Alaska. Over 75% believe that climate change is dangerous for their clients now or will be dangerous in 10 years. Social workers report that in the past year their clients or constituents have experienced multiple climate change‐related problems with community infrastructure, health, and mental health.     

Parental Influence on Child Career Development in Mainland China: A Qualitative Study

Compared with adolescents and adults, there is little research that examines child career development and especially how parents might influence such development. This is especially true in Mainland China, where family life is highly valued. This study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to examine how Mainland Chinese parents influence the career development of their 5th‐grade children. Six superordinate themes were identified from both the children's and the parents' perspectives: responding to career curiosity, influence on career gender stereotypes, emphasizing the importance of education, encouraging independent career decision making, providing opportunities for career interest development, and mothers as career role models. Suggestions are offered for future career development learning programs and research.     

Variance estimation in adaptive cluster sampling

Abstract

In this paper, a class of variance estimator is proposed of a finite population variance under an adaptive cluster sampling design in the presence of information on an auxiliary variable. We obtain expressions for the mean square error and bias for the developed estimators and their performance is evaluated on a Poisson clustered process and a real data set. The simulation study evaluates the efficiency of the suggested estimators for an adaptive cluster sampling (ACS) design and the Isaki (1983 Isaki, C. T. 1983. Variance estimation using auxiliary information. Journal of the American Statistical Association 78 (381):117–23. doi: 10.1080/01621459.1983.10477939.[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) estimator of the variance for SRSWOR over the sample variance for SRSWOR.     

Locations of Decision Makers in Membership Organizations

Few studies have theorized and empirically tested variation in location of decision making in NGOs and relationship of decision location choices to accountability dimensions. Using a sample of Lebanese NGOs legally registered as membership organizations, we examine if their budget size and level of member dues, along with dependence on donors interested in democratic governance, predict who participates in their decision‐making process through involvement in preparing and formally approving the annual budget, financial records, and work plan. Our study reveals the reality of shared leadership in these organizations and suggests the value of considering the location of decision making for NGO leaders and the government regulators and funders who wish to encourage democratic processes within membership organizations.     

Developing reflective capacities in midwifery students: Enhancing learning through reflective writing

Background

Practice-based or clinical placements are highly valued for linking theory to practice and enabling students to meet graduate outcomes and industry standards. Post-practicum, the period immediately following clinical experiences, is a time when students have an opportunity to share, compare and engage critically in considering how these experiences impact on their learning. Reflective practice has merit in facilitating this process.

A structural model of subjective well-being: A comparison of ethnicity

Using secondary data analysis, we proposed and tested a structural model of subjective well-being using LISREL V. Separate analyses were performed on samples of Asians (N=142), Blacks (N=338), Hispanics (N=188), and Whites (N=293). Exogenous predictor variables were age, serious personal loss, occupational status, and employment status. Endogenous predictors were self-perceived health, physical activity, and strength of social ties. Results indicated that within group models were somewhat different from each other. We concluded that analyses done separately be ethnicity yielded more accurate representations of structural models of subjective well-being, and provide evidence that ethnic groups are reference groups in which determinants of subjective well-being operate differentially.     

Grade level differences in school satisfaction

Despite evidence that children and adolescents are much more dissatisfied with the student role than adults are with the worker role, sociologists and psychologists have devoted much more effort to examining adult age differences in job satisfaction than grade level differences in school satisfaction. In this study, scores from a 3-item school satisfaction measure were analyzed via a 12 (Grade Level) by 5 (Ethnicity) by 2 (Gender) ANOVA. Twenty-five percent of the 431 330 public school students surveyed in the state of Arizona endorsed none of the school satisfaction items. Grade level was nonlinearly related to school satisfaction. School satisfaction decreased over grades 1–8 and did not vary across grades 9–12. Ethnicity and gender did not moderate the grade level-school satisfaction relation.