The social ecology of the Columbine High School shootings

The Columbine High School shooting in 1999 prompted school officials and policy-makers to create and implement programs and policies that would prevent violence in school and ensure school safety. Ten years have passed since the Columbine shooting; however, debates concerning risk factors for the shootings continue to ensue. The focus of this article is to examine the Columbine school shootings within the context of Bronfenbrenner's (1994) ecological systems analysis. We examine the most commonly identified risk factors, which operate within five systems levels: chrono-, macro-, exo-, meso-, and microsystems, and draw implications for school-based practice and policy.     

Surviving grief: An analysis of the exchange of hope in online grief communities

Online grief communities represent relatively new forms of peer support. However, the degree to which they are helpful for individual grieving processes is unknown. To date, no research has evaluated the type or quality of support exchanged in online grief communities. To begin to address these questions, this study analyzed 564 messages from internet grief websites to: (1) classify the type of helping skills used, and (2) extract themes contained in the content of the messages. Messages selected for analysis were the first response to an original post, assuming they would be the first effort to provide support to a grieving individual. Results revealed a majority of responses contained self-disclosure. Themes in the messages suggested provision of more than "one-way" support; messages themes also included exchanging hope for the future by sharing one's own story, validating the grief experience, providing resources, and exchanging psychosocial support. Clinical implications and research recommendations are discussed.     

Sports PR in message boards on Major League Baseball websites

Message boards are possible places for sports fans to actively express and exchange their opinions. The purpose of this study is to explore the typology of message board uses on sports websites. The analysis of 1350 topics on eight Major League Baseball teams’ websites for 10 days revealed that: (1) the cognitive need of using message boards in a sports organization's website was an outstanding motivation; (2) sharing opinions was a new motivation category (compared to traditional uses and gratifications) that was found to be dominant; and (3) winning teams and losing teams’ message boards were significantly different in terms of number of topics, number of users, and optimism score; however, messages seemed to be optimistic. Implications for public relations practitioners suggest that the message board is an excellent monitoring tool for them as well as a fine communication tool between sports organizations and fans.     

In search of the “best” growth inhibitor

In searching for the “best” growth inhibitor, we decided to consider growth inhibition in terms of the lengths of the terminal sprouts. For it is logical to infer that the trees with the longer sprouts (after a 20-month period) will most likely be the ones that will need trimming in the future. Additionally, we reasoned that if a particular treatment produced a smaller proportion of “long” sprouts, then it would be a more effective growth inhibitor. It was now necessary to define what was meant by “long”. After consultation with foresters we chose cutoff lengths of 15.0, 25.0 and 35.0 cm. Hence the response variable was chosen to be the proportion of the terminal sprouts on a tree that exceeded a specified cutoff length. By varying the cutoff lengths, we would minimize the effect of the arbitrariness involved in choosing one particular length.     

Socioeconomic indexes and the new 1980 census occupational classification scheme

Because of their usefulness in a wide variety of research, socioeconomic scores have been revised several times to incorporate changes in the relevant components of the occupational structure and to conform with the changing census occupational classification schemes. The major purpose of this paper is to provide socioeconomic scores for the 1980 census occupational classification scheme. First, however, we review earlier versions of the socioeconomic index (SEI), summarize the relevant disparities between the 1970 and 1980 census occupational classificatory schemes, and then explain in detail the procedures used to reconcile the SEI with 1980 occupational codes. We also show that, although the 1980 occupational classificatory scheme differs radically from the 1970 occupational scheme, the socioconomic scores for 1980 occupational data replicate features found in 1970 data.     

Role of urban governance in the process of bus system reform in Seoul

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) executed an innovative bus system reform in July 2004. The bus lines were reorganized as trunk, feeder, and circular routes; and bus numbers were arranged into eight areas. The monopolized route systems were reorganized as a semi-public operation, with a route tendering system to induce competition. A unified fare system was introduced taking into account transfers between buses; buses and the subway, and other modes of public transportation, all with the development of a new transportation card system. Exclusive median bus lanes were constructed in three major corridors. The main purposes of this paper are to (1) discuss the background and necessity of the bus system reform; (2) review the composition and functions of the Bus System Reform Citizen Committee (BSRCC), which instigated the reform; (3) analyze the role of BSRCC as a type of urban governance; and (4) provide policy implications. The study employs three techniques—literature reviews of the realities of bus service, in-depth interviews with stakeholders to analyze the roles and benefits of the BSRCC, and participant observation via a BSRCC member. All these help to shed light on a new form of urban governance which broke from the execution lead only by officials of the SMG.     

A Study of the Development of Alcohol Use Disorder in Muslim Immigrant Workers in Korea

Abstract

This study examines the process by which Muslim immigrant workers, prohibited by their religion from drinking, develop alcohol use disorder when working in Korea. Participants were seven male immigrant workers who have lived in Korea for 6–10?years and all experienced a change in immigrant status, shifting from registered to unregistered. Utilizing grounded theory devised by Strauss and Corbin, 87 concepts, 24 subcategories, and 10 categories were derived as a result. By converting these categories into a paradigm model, participants moved through stages of “self-monitoring,” “confusion,” “self-despair,” and “daily collapse” as they developed alcohol use disorder, and began to take on an existence as drifters, not settling into life in Korea. Their “learning experiences of drinking to survive turning into experiences of causing social death” is considered a core category. The study’s results suggest that a rehabilitation program for immigrant workers needs to be developed wherein the program not only enables them to reflect on their current existence but also allows them to develop specific coping skills. Future research should be broadened to consider social support mechanisms and viewpoints of other people, including female immigrant workers, and local community members in close contact with Muslim immigrant workers.     

The Economic Value of Career Counseling Services for College Students in South Korea

This study investigated college students’ perception of the monetary value of career counseling services by using the contingent valuation method. The results of a multivariate survival analysis based on interviews with a convenience sample of 291 undergraduate students in South Korea indicate that, on average, participants’ expressed willingness to pay (WTP) for such services ranged from U.S. $10.22 to $10.54 per hour of individual career counseling. Self‐stigma and attitudes toward counseling had positive effects on their WTP, whereas the year in college and social stigma had negative effects. The results provide policy makers with preliminary evidence of the monetary value of career counseling.     

The effects of physical and psychological health on life satisfaction among older adults with a physical disability in South Korea: focus on gender differences

This study aims to investigate whether (a) functional disabilities, self-rated health and depression influence life satisfaction among older adults with a physical disability, and (b) whether the effects of the predictors differ by gender. The study utilises 2008 Korea Welfare Panel Study data. The findings reveal that functional disabilities and depression are negatively associated with life satisfaction, whereas self-rated health is positively related with life satisfaction. In addition, the effects of functional disabilities and income on life satisfaction vary by gender. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.