A Case-based Collaborative Learning Model for Teaching Advocacy

Social work graduate school programs focusing on clinical practice have traditionally attended less to the profession's advocacy role. Masters-level clinical social work students, therefore, may not receive adequate training to understand their roles in advocating for or against policies that directly impact their practice. This article proposes a collaborative learning model called ‘Advocacy Week’, which prepares students for a statewide NASW-sponsored Advocacy Day. Using case presentations prepared in collaboration with clinical and policy social work faculty, aspiring clinical social work practitioners are exposed to the relevance of advocacy. Preliminary findings suggest that graduate students exposed to this model become aware of their advocate role as part of their clinical practice, a knowledge which has implications for social work education.     

How cultural difference affects international tourism public relations websites: A comparative analysis using Hofstede's cultural dimensions

This research aims to employ Hofstede's cultural dimensions as a frame to identify valid explanatory factors that account for differences in countries’ tourism websites. The study results support that Hofstede's cultural dimensions can be a valuable tool for developing public relations strategies conducive to building and maintaining relationships with multicultural audiences.     

Integrating Social Justice into the Practice of CBFT: A Critical Look at Family Schemas

Many families come to therapy struggling with the negative consequence of social inequity. Family therapy modalities have been developed to address these negative consequences and attend to power and social equity (Transformative family therapy: Just families in a just society. Boston, MA: Pearson Education; Socio‐emotional relationship therapy. New York, NY: Springer). We argue that many family therapy modalities can be adapted to include social equity (Applying critical social theory in family therapy practice. AFTA Springer Series. New York, NY: Springer Publishing). Specifically, cognitive behavioral family therapy can be used to address the inequality in social systems that negatively affect the family system. We focus on schema formation and suggest an emphasis on societal schemas within the therapy milieu as a tool to help families see how societal inequality can affect the problems faced in family life.     

Sex Differences in Infants' Mapping of Complex Occlusion Sequences: Further Evidence

Recently, infant researchers have reported sex differences in infants' capacity to map their representation of an occlusion sequence onto a subsequent no‐occlusion display. The research reported here sought to identify the extent to which these sex differences are observed in event‐mapping tasks and to identify the underlying basis for these differences. Two experiments were conducted with 9.5‐, 10.5‐, and 11.5‐month‐olds using the following task. First, infants were shown an occlusion event in which a box and a ball emerged successively to opposite sides of a screen. Then, the screen was lowered and infants saw a single ball on the platform. Boys first showed prolonged looking to the 1‐ball display at 10.5 months, suggesting that at 10.5 months, boys detected the inconsistency between the box‐ball occlusion sequence and the final 1‐ball display. In contrast, girls first showed prolonged looking to the 1‐ball display at 11.5 months. However, girls did show prolonged looking at 10.5 months if they were shown an outline of the box‐ball occlusion sequence prior to the test trials. These results provide converging evidence for the conclusion that boys are more likely than girls to successfully map complex occlusion sequences onto no‐occlusion displays. These results also suggest that boys perform better on event‐mapping tasks because they are more adept at extracting the simple structure of complex occlusion sequences that they can then retrieve and compare to the final display, but that girls can extract the simple structure under more supportive conditions. Possible reasons for these robust, albeit transient, sex differences are suggested.     

Gender effects on perceptions of external assets, development of resilience and academic achievement: Perpetuation theory approach

This study found that gender had an effect on external assets and resiliency among urban high school students. Significantly greater caring relations, high expectations, and opportunities for participation in meaningful activities (external assets) from parents, teachers, peers, and adults in the community were available to girls than to boys. Girls also scored higher on resiliency. It was noted that higher resiliency scores did not afford girls an edge in academic achievement nor break the barrier of stereotyping. Instead, the expectations to behave within a given range of possibilities were self-perpetuating. Higher scores in external assets and resilience and low correlations with academic achievement among girls were indicators of perpetuated values that led to complacency and conformity, not to competitiveness, creativity, and curiosity. However, lower scores in external assets and resiliency also may have explained some of the behavioral traits in boys about which researchers currently are concerned. Her research and scholarship focus on teaching and learning, multiculturalism, school policy, and urban and minority education. Her recent research focuses on external and internal assets influencing academic success among urban high school students, and on preparing teachers for students of diverse backgrounds.     

On the efficiency of regression analysis with AR(p) errors

In this paper we will consider a linear regression model with the sequence of error terms following an autoregressive stationary process. The statistical properties of the maximum likelihood and least squares estimators of the regression parameters will be summarized. Then, it will be proved that, for some typical cases of the design matrix, both methods produce asymptotically equivalent estimators. These estimators are also asymptotically efficient. Such cases include the most commonly used models to describe trend and seasonality like polynomial trends, dummy variables and trigonometric polynomials. Further, a very convenient asymptotic formula for the covariance matrix will be derived. It will be illustrated through a brief simulation study that, for the simple linear trend model, the result applies even for sample sizes as small as 20.     

‘All those in favour’: computerised trade union membership lists as sampling frames for postal surveys

The computerisation of membership lists offers considerable scope for postal surveys of trade unionists. However, faith in the new technology can give rise to the illusion of increased accuracy. Yet, the computerised data bases, while undoubtedly quicker and easier to use, may be no more accurate than their manual predecessors and samples drawn from them can result in misleading response rates. Therefore, with reference to a specific case study of a major trade union, we argue that researchers should seek to establish empirically the probable error in their lists with a view to constructing realistic ‘benchmarks’. Then, these substantial new resources can provide a solid basis for worthwhile research.     

Time allocation of one- and two-parent mothers

Using data from one- and two-parent households with two children in rural and urban areas of California, this study analyzes time allocation decisions in market work, household work, and leisure activities among single and married mothers. Results of the seemingly unrelated regression procedures indicate that family structure affects time in household work but not market work or leisure activities. Of the socio-demographic variables, only day of the week explains time allocation to household work, market work, and leisure activities among single and married mothers.This research has been supported by the United States Department of Agriculture through the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station under Southern Regional Project S-206.Teresa Mauldin is an Assistant Professor and Carol B. Meeks is an Associate Professor in the Department of Housing and Consumer Economics, the University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. Dr. Mauldin received her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University and is interested in time use, economic well-being of individuals and families, and family structure. Dr. Meeks also received her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University and her research interests include time use, family structure, and economic aspects of housing.