Methodological decisions and the evaluation of possible effects of different family structures on children: The new family structures survey (NFSS)

Every social science researcher must make a number of methodological decisions when planning and implementing research projects. Each such decision carries with it both advantages and limitations. The decisions faced and made by Regnerus (2012) are discussed here in the wider context of social science literature regarding same-sex parenting. Even though the apparent outcomes of Regnerus’s study were unpopular, the methodological decisions he made in the design and implementation of the New Family Structures Survey were not uncommon among social scientists, including many progressive, gay and lesbian scholars. These decisions and the research they produced deserve considerable and continued discussion, but criticisms of the underlying ethics and professionalism are misplaced because nearly every methodological decision that was made has ample precedents in research published by many other credible and distinguished scholars.     

孔子“孝”非反思先行性之哲学分析

孔子"孝"之非反思性的先行状态可以从以下几个角度来论证:"孝"之为人伦中心与"仁"可以打通;孔子对于"孝"的非反思性的先行性的确立其实可以回溯到他对天地自然运动的深刻领会,而将个体的"孝"经验上升到全体人类的"仁"境,最直接的基础是宗教感情,由此可以论证"孝"之非反思先行性的宗教性维度。由此可见,孔子提倡的"孝",不仅仅是其中心思想"仁"的根基,而且可以与孔子对于天地自然的本体论理解相通,也可以与基于祖先崇拜的宗教情感相通,如此,"孝"就由个体源初的感情,上升到人类全体以致世界全体,成为人非反思地面对世界全体的不可移易的先行性基石。     

“我今仅守诗书业,汝勿轻捐少壮时”——论陆游的家庭诗教

在中华民族的文化传承里,＂诗教＂始终占据着第一把交椅的位置。这不仅因为我们是一个诗的国度,而且诗在政治、经济、军事、外交等活动中,都是十分重要的工具。无诗,无以立。因此,士大夫家庭都将＂诗教＂作为家庭教育的首选。陆游即是一个很典型的例证。     

历史上最早记载《三字经》的文献——《三字经》成书于南宋中期新说

南宋慈溪人桂氏《家训》中的一条记载,填补了《三字经》早期文献的空白。桂氏《家训》约成书于嘉定年间,《三字经》应成书于南宋绍熙至嘉定年间。桂氏《家训》的发现,使现知《三字经》的文献记载由明中叶一下子推进到了南宋中期,整整提前了近四百年,不但从根本上动摇了王、区两说的立论基础,而且在客观上证明了宁波是现知《三字经》最早的流传地区,慈溪桂氏家族最早将《三字经》列为蒙学教材用以教育子弟。     

Texting among United States young adults: An exploratory study on texting and its use within families

The current study examines general text messaging tendencies, patterns of and reasons for texting family members, and the impact of texting on familial relationships among a young U.S. adult sample. Participants were recruited through Facebook; they then completed an online questionnaire. Data from 127 young adults (men: 38; women: 87; unidentified: 2) are analyzed and compared by gender. Findings suggest that young adults text at high rates per month. Participants generally report a prompt response to texts and their ability to honestly express feelings within these messages. Results also suggest participants text family members for a variety of reasons, such as to convey information, plan activities, and engage in general conversation. Distinct gender differences, however, are evident regarding who men and women text as well as texting's effects on familial relationships. Overall, these findings expand researchers’ understanding of texting in general and its impact within the family.     

Reunifying Families Affected by Maternal Substance Abuse: Consumer and Service Provider Perspectives on the Obstacles and the Need for Change

ABSTRACT

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study which examined the views of chemically dependent mothers, child welfare service providers and substance abuse service providers regarding the obstacles to family reunification and recommendations for change. Implications for practice, policy and research are discussed, with special reference to the mandates of the Adoption and Safe Families Act.     

意识形态与组织凝聚力

探讨组织凝聚力的问题，是一个许多人都在议论但又缺乏新意的问题，但它是一个实践中的急迫问题。自20世纪80年代以后，中国社会中的单位组织发生了根本性的变化。单位成员的离心力增大，许多单位整体的凝聚力和活力较少。培养一个单位的好风气，是形成单位凝聚力和活力的主要途径。形成单位凝聚力不能仅仅限于制度建设和所谓文化建设，而应立足于政治思想教育工作。政治思想教育是一项意识形态很强的社会实践活动，因而更清晰地反映了政治统治的直接需要。形成单位凝聚力的关键是认清单位风气与意识形态的联系。     

Leadership Dimensions,the Critical Link for the Evolution of Collaboration

Abstract

This article traces the history of one community's efforts to coordinate services to address family violence. The current mazeof organizations in communities is overwhelming to the professionals who work in them, the political leaders who authorize them, the foundations and United Ways who fund them, and, most assuredly, to the persons for whom the various organizations were established. A review of the literature on coordination and collaboration is included as well as a discussion of leadership challenges during the various stages in the evolutionary process to provide confidential, culturally sensitive, comprehensive, accountable, and user-friendly community social service systems.     

Maybe We Should Just Shut Up: The Body as an Important Consideration for Group Work Practice

ABSTRACT

This article explores the role of the human body as an important consideration for group work. It discusses six concepts related to how the body can be paid attention to and utilized within the realm of practice. These concepts include the idea of the body as related to the sense of self; physical experience as metaphor; the body as a barometer of group experience; shared physical experience and group cohesion; physical experiences and behavior; and the notion of somatic intelligence and communication. Examples of each are discussed from the lens of the author's practice.     

Professional stances and personal values in the realm of transnational family reunification with older parents: social work practice in an emerging field

National rules for family reunification take place in an increasingly transnational context. Social workers in Switzerland, whether they work in services for migrants or for elders, are confronted with requests for transnational family reunification with older parents. Such requests, while relatively rare, elicit responses which must be viewed as largely founded on professionals' values and norms regarding the care of elders, family cohabitation, the influence of cultural factors, and examined against a backdrop of increasing suspicion of motives for migration—especially in fields where migration issues have not been at the forefront of professional debate and practice. The militant stance of some services for migrants can thus be contrasted with the relative inexperience of professionals active in social services for elders, who rarely encounter recent migrants. The latter are more likely to reflect their own private—and unexamined—views when advising clients in a field characterised by complexity and instability. The authors interviewed social workers and families in two Swiss cantons. Their results point to ways in which distinct professional cultures could enrich each other and provide social workers with tools to critically analyse their own practice in a very difficult field, the contours of which remain largely unexplored.