Testing the validity of social capital measures in the study of information and communication technologies

Social capital has been considered a cause and consequence of various uses of new information and communication technologies (ICTs). However, there is a growing divergence between how social capital is commonly measured in the study of ICTs and how it is measured in other fields. This departure raises questions about the validity of some of the most widely cited studies of social capital and ICTs. We compare the Internet Social Capital Scales (ISCS) developed by Williams [2006. On and off the ’net: scales for social capital in an online era. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(2), 593–628. doi: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00029.x] – a series of psychometric scales commonly used to measure ‘social capital’ – to established, structural measures of social capital: name, position, and resource generators. Based on a survey of 880 undergraduate students (the population to which the ISCS has been most frequently administered), we find that, unlike structural measures, the ISCS does not distinguish between the distinct constructs of bonding and bridging social capital. The ISCS does not have convergent validity with structural measures of bonding or bridging social capital; it does not measure the same concept as structural measures. The ISCS conflates social capital with the related constructs of social support and attachment. The ISCS does not measure perceived or actual social capital. These findings raise concerns about the interpretations of existing studies of ‘social capital’ and ICTs that are based on the ISCS. Given the absence of measurement validity, we urge those studying social capital to abandon the ISCS in favor of alternative approaches.     

Can Psychosocial Intervention Improve Peer and Sibling Relations Among War‐affected Children? Impact and Mediating Analyses in a Randomized Controlled Trial

Social resources are considered important protectors in traumatic conditions, but few studies have analyzed their role in psychosocial interventions among war‐affected children. We examined (1) whether a psychosocial intervention (teaching recovery techniques, TRT) is effective in improving peer and sibling relations, and (2) whether these potentially improved relations mediate the intervention's impacts on children's mental health. Participants were 428 Palestinian children [10–13 (mean = 11.29, standard deviation SD = .68)‐year‐old girls (49.4 percent) and boys (50.6 percent)], who were cluster‐randomized into the TRT and wait‐list control groups. They reported the quality of peer (friendship and loneliness) and sibling (intimacy, warmth, conflict, and rivalry) relations, and posttraumatic stress, depressive and psychological distress symptoms, as well as psychosocial well‐being at baseline (T1), postintervention (T2), and six month follow‐up (T3). Results showed gender‐specific TRT intervention effects: Loneliness in peer relations reduced among boys and sibling rivalry reduced among girls. The TRT prevented the increase in sibling conflict that happened in the control group. The mediating hypothesis was partially substantiated for improved peer relations, and beneficial changes in sibling relations were generally associated with improved mental health.     

A pilot qualitative study of the under-representation of Hispanics in public relations

This pilot study explored the under-representation of Hispanics/Latinos in the public relations profession by conducting focused interviews with Hispanic practitioners. The study found that public relations was not the Latinos’ initial career choice, identified three barriers to Hispanics entering the profession, elicited practical suggestions to attract more Hispanics, and also revealed opportunities for future scholarly research to address the under-representation of Hispanics in public relations.     

高端装备制造业知识网络有效性影响因素分析

分析影响高端装备制造业知识网络有效性的五个因素,构建知识网络有效性模型并进行仿真分析,得出结论:企业为提高知识吸收能力和知识释放意愿所做投入在一定范围内可以提升知识网络有效性,投入超过一定值后,这种提升作用不再明显;企业较高的知识水平、企业间良好的合作关系与适当的知识势差可以提高知识网络有效性,并根据仿真结果提出相关建议。     

网络环境下的图书馆文献典藏——从民初笔记野史《乌蒙秘闻》说起

由于网络数字技术的冲击,大量久藏深闺的文献资料流布天下,偶有引起认识或研究的混乱。《乌蒙秘闻》一书是许指严在民初"反满"思想的影响下,为生计考虑,以清初滇东北改土归流为背景创作的一篇传奇小说,本不足信。但网络上却较常见,有称"中外名著"的,有称"重要资料"的,还出现了专门的词条,这就对当前承担公共服务的图书馆等部门提出了新的要求和任务。     

云计算在高校校园网资源管理中的应用

校园网以云计算为核心架构，可以实现基础设施与实际应用的分离，解决校园网面临的资源共享、设备更新、管理统一等问题，促进教师的教学和科研工作，丰富学生的学习和生活，并为资源的存储和安全提供的保障。     

高校思想政治教育网络教育手段的理性分析

网络技术运用于高校思想政治教育,不仅丰富了思想政治教育的途径和方式,而且也有效地拓展了思想政治教育的空间。但是由于思想观念、技术水平的差异性,网络为思想政治教育提供的手段并没有得到充分地开发利用。因此,大胆实施改革创新,不断完善网络教育手段和方式,是促使思想政治教育功能得以最大程度发挥的重要基础。     

Using a “child's‐eye view” of social success to understand the importance of school readiness at the transition to formal schooling

Recent research into school readiness has highlighted the importance of not only children's cognitive and socio‐emotional skills, but also the degree to which they have family support in the home. The current study examines the association between social success upon school entry and teacher‐ratings of school readiness as assessed by the Brief Early Skills and Support Index (BESSI), controlling for language ability. Importantly, social success was assessed using a “child's‐eye view” with peer‐reported assessments of both social preference and reciprocated friendships. A total of 244 children (131 boys, M_age = 61 months, SD = 4.78 months) in their first year of formal schooling participated. Child school readiness was found to be important for social preference, with the association being more marked for boys versus girls. Family support was the only independent predictor of children's reciprocated friendships. The use of the BESSI, with its broad scope compared to other measures of school readiness, highlights the importance of focusing both on a child's cognitive and socio‐emotional skills at school entry and their family support when exploring the association of school readiness to children's social success at the transition to formal schooling.     

Social development quartet: When is parental supportiveness a good thing? The dynamic value of parents' supportive emotion socialization across childhood

This introduction to the Social Development Quartet summarizes four articles that examine age‐related and contextual shifts in the utility of parents' emotion socialization responses for children's social‐emotional development. The first two articles present evidence for age‐related changes in the benefits of parents' supportive responses and consequences of parents' nonsupportive responses to children's negative emotions between early and middle childhood. The next two articles consider contextual variations in this developmental shift by examining teacher reports of children's competence and family patterns of response among mothers and fathers. Together, these studies question the unilateral assumption that parental support of children's negative emotions is always a good thing, and provide a more nuanced understanding of when and in what contexts parents' responses are adaptive for children.     

高铁网络下的中国十大城市群旅游交通格局及其经济联系的比较研究

旅游交通是旅游经济发展中重要的内容之一,通过对中国十大城市群城市旅游交通可达性、铁路交通流分布情况与旅游经济联系、总量和隶属度进行计算,借助Arcgis10.2对中国十大城市群交通空间流分布情况和旅游经济联系进行空间可视化处理,并对计算结果进行综合比较分析。研究发现:高铁使得中国十大城市群城市旅游交通可达性水平得到大幅提升,且交通流分布均衡。中国十大城市群城市可达性的提升给城市旅游经济带来了一定的积极影响。高铁网络下中国十大城市群旅游经济联系分布不均衡。