Getting Beyond the Productivity Gap

Although contemporary definitions of scholarship describe diverse activities through which faculty develop, verify, and advance knowledge of their profession, evaluations of social work program productivity have continued to emphasize the quantity of full-length articles published in selected social work journals. For this study, the authors applied a conceptual framework based on the intended audience and the function of over 1,700 articles and book reviews published from 1990-1993 by faculty of professorial rank at 45 social work doctoral programs. Hierarchical cluster analysis revealed four qualitatively distinct patterns of scholarly productivity, none of which was associated with quantitative productivity. Implications for social work practice and for knowledge development are identified and discussed.     

Stage-specific family structure models: implicit parameter restrictions and Bayesian model comparison with an application to prosocial behavior

The two most frequently used specifications in stage-specific family structure analyses of young adult outcomes-state × stage and event × stage-impose restrictions on the parameters of the underlying model of child development. The restrictions imposed by the state specification have substantive a priori disadvantages, implying that use of the state specification requires justification by a specification test. Because the state and event specifications are non-nested, a classical approach to specification testing runs into practical problems. We demonstrate the advantages of a Bayesian approach to the specification testing problem using two applications to young adult prosocial behavior-charitable giving and volunteering. Substantive results are that family structure transitions during adolescence are negatively associated with subsequent giving, and transitions during middle childhood are positively associated with subsequent volunteering. There are other substantive results that would have been missed had we not realized that the state and event specifications impose restrictions on the underlying model and had we not made specification testing a prerequisite for substantive analysis.     

“It's About Us”: Marital Adjustment and Marital Adaptation in Couples Who Adopt Children From the Child Welfare System

This article examines, using grounded theory methodology, the marital relationships of couples who adopted children from the child welfare system. Twenty-two spouses in four focus groups reported initial marital adjustment that featured husbands' support of their wives' initiation of adoption and management of child needs. About one half of these couples also developed time together and mutual influence to achieve a state of marital adaptation characterized by deeper intimate connection. Professionals are encouraged to understand the potential course of development of these marital relationships and to integrate attention to marital development into service throughout the entire adoption process.     

Professional Associations and Members' Benefits: What's in It for Me?

In this study we examine reasons that professionals become and remain members of professional associations. We looked at tangible and symbolic benefits that an association can provide to attract members. Satisfaction with these benefits was linked to overall membership satisfaction and intent to renew the membership. We also considered the role of customer service in shaping members' attitudes. Based on the responses of 1,980 members of a large international accounting association, we found that members who were satisfied with their benefits and with the quality of customer service reported higher membership satisfaction and intent to renew. We also found that professionals who were more involved in the association were more satisfied with it. Contrary to predictions, younger professionals were less concerned with the value of the benefits of membership. As expected, longer‐tenured members were more likely to consider maintaining their memberships. We conclude with a discussion of practical and research implications for the management of professional associations.     

The Relationship Between Divorce and Children with AD/HD of Different Subtypes and Comorbidity: Results from a Clinically Referred Sample

This study investigated the relationship between divorce and the symptom profile of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). The files of 1,201 children from a pediatric practice in Sydney, Australia were used in this study. Children were aged 6 to 18 years, and were diagnosed with either the inattentive or combined type of AD/HD. Results show that 213 children had parents who were divorced. Children with the combined type, and especially boys with comorbid conduct disorder/oppositional defiant disorder (CD/ODD) were more common in the divorced group, and children of the inattentive type with comorbid learning disabilities were overrepresented in nondivorced families. Results suggest that divorce is associated with disruptive behavior patterns in children with AD/HD. The importance of including marital status as an important correlate in AD/HD treatment outcomes is discussed.     

Notes on School-Based Crime Fighting: International Lessons in Moral Education

Few communities are immune to organized crime and corruption. What has not been fully explored is how education in lawfulness can be introduced into the curriculum of primary and secondary schools to confront the influences of criminal life styles that continue to be romanticized byfactions within a community. This paper reports on such efforts in Sicily, Hong Kong, Russia, and Mexico. Each community is vigorously seeking to repel negative influences from traditional strongholds of organized crime, which continue to exert powerful and pernicious effects on those societies.

Challenging organized crime requires more than governmental regulatory responses. Civic, business, labor, religious, social, and educational organizations all have a role in mitigating the scourge of lawlessness. A central question is to consider the ways in which a civil society can foster a culture of lawfulness. Promoting a set of beliefs and mobilizing the legal norms and institutions for changing, administering, and enforcing laws will enhance and protect “quality of life” is a task that some primary and secondary schools have begun to explore. One approach involves moral education, explicitly and directly teaching children and young people about the rewards and obligations in making moral and ethical decisions. This paper examines this effort in four, distinct cultural settings.     

Adverse Life Experiences and Homelessness Among Adolescents: an examination of the conditions for convergence

Abstract

There are two factors that limit our knowledge of the risk factors associated with homelessness among runaway adolescents, namely (1) the samples used are often composed of youth homeless service users and/or youths living on the streets (visible homelessness), whereas most adolescents in fact use “private” resources (hidden homelessness), and (2) failure to use an adequate control group to identify risk factors associated specifically with homelessness. Our study compares the characteristics of two groups of youths under the supervision oftheyouth protection system, according to the presence or absence of periods of homelessness. The results throw light on the factors underlying the shiftfrom “at risk” to “homeless”, showing that youths with experience of homelessness are more likely to have been placed in substitute home environments, have experienced significant relationship difficulties with one of their parents (deterioration ofthe parent/youth relationship and parental abuse) and to have been diagnosed with behavioral disorders. The findings suggest that the decision to place young people under supervision is based more on the dynamic between risk factors rather than on the existence of behavioral problems.     

Sentencing Outcomes of Convicted Child Sex Offenders

This research examines the sentencing outcomes of convicted child sexual offenders from data collected over an eight year period. Multiple regression and nominal log linear regression are used to examine length of prison sentence, length of probation sentence, and whether the convicted offender is actually sent to prison or to probation. While many independent variables appear to be related to sentence outcome, they fall into three categories: characteristics of the offender, characteristics of the victim, and characteristics of the crime. Additionally, while many variables appear related at the bivariate level, when multivariate analysis is applied, fewer variables remain significant, and these are mostly from the characteristics of the offense.     

Estimating Age: College Males Versus Convicted Male Child Sex Offenders

Two samples, male college students and convicted male child sex offenders, are compared on their abilities to accurately estimate the age group of a series of photographs of a sole female ranging in age from 11 to 29. Both samples tend to overestimate the age group of the subject photos, and no significant difference was found between college students and convicted child sex offenders in their ability to estimate the age of females. Both groups are compared demographically, and only limited differences were found. The implications are discussed in regard to theory and prevention of child sexual abuse.