Reconceptualising hope within the context of vulnerability in South Africa

This study was aimed at clarifying conceptualisations of hope amongst vulnerable young people in a high HIV/AIDS prevalence South African setting. Participants were four young people ranging from 15 to 19, and interview data were collected on their household conditions, lived experiences in the communities and schools, and family support systems. Analysis applied grounded theory process to characterise main themes. Four mechanisms characterised the nurturing of hope processes in the context of vulnerability, namely: predatory, protective, promotion and possibility processes. Six protective intrapersonal themes were also identified: finding purpose, building a sense of the future; building faith in a higher power; embracing educational opportunities; thinking positively; building on strengths; and adopting supportive networks. Findings suggest that conceptualisations of hope need to be grounded in social context and the imperatives of social justice to support vulnerable young people in realising their future aspirations.     

Investigating Two Approaches to Fostering Children's Comprehension of Literature

This instructional study investigated the effects of two approaches to fostering elementary students' comprehension of literature. Participants were 54 third-grade students in 2 classrooms in a linguistic and culturally diverse, urban elementary school. Students read two folktales, receiving a Scaffolded Reading Experience (SRE) unit with one folktale and a unit we termed a Response-Oriented approach with the other folktale in a counterbalanced fashion. Classes were observed throughout both units and students completed multiple-choice and short-answer tests after reading each story and receiving the unit instruction. Teachers were interviewed after presenting both units. Results on the multiple-choice tests showed that students scored significantly higher when receiving the SRE units and that teachers preferred the SRE unit lessons. However, there were no differences between the two approaches on the short-answer tests, and teachers noted that some of the activities in the Response-Oriented units were very useful. Our conclusions are that both the Response-Oriented units and the SRE units provided strong scaffolding for students' reading, that the two approaches should be thought of as complementary rather than as competing, and that there is a place for both of them in classrooms that seek to build both comprehension and appreciation of literature.     

Parental Characteristics,Ecological Factors,and the Academic Achievement of African American Males

Parental characteristics, ecological factors, and the academic achievement of African American male high school students were examined. One hundred fifty‐three 11th and 12th grade African American males completed the Parenting Style Index ( Steinberg, Lamborn, Darling, Mounts, & Dornbusch, 1994 ) and a demographic questionnaire. Results indicated no significant relationship between parenting styles and enrollment in honors courses. However, the results indicated that fathers’ education level and two‐parent family structures are positive predictors of grade point average (GPA), and fathers’ expectations is a negative predictor of GPA. Implications for counselor practice and research are delineated.     

Cross-Field Differences in Creative Problem-Solving Skills: A Comparison of Health,Biological, and Social Sciences

In this study, 258 doctoral students working in the health, biological, and social sciences were asked to solve a series of field-relevant problems calling for creative thought. Proposed solutions to these problems were scored with respect to critical creative thinking skills such as problem definition, conceptual combination, and idea generation. Results indicated that health, biological, and social scientists differed with respect to their skill in executing various operations, or processes, involved in creative thought. Interestingly, no differences were observed as a function of the students' level of experience. The implications of these findings for understanding cross-field, and cross-experience level, differences in creative thought are discussed.     

Emotion-recognition abilities and behavior problem dimensions in preschoolers: Evidence for a specific role for childhood hyperactivity

Facial emotion-recognition difficulties have been reported in school-aged children with behavior problems; little is known, however, about either this association in preschool children or with regard to vocal emotion recognition. The current study explored the association between facial and vocal emotion recognition and behavior problems in a sample of 3 to 6-year-old children. A sample of 57 children enriched for risk of behavior problems (41 were recruited from the general population while 16 had been referred for behavior problems to local clinics) were each presented with a series of vocal and facial stimuli expressing different emotions (i.e., angry, happy, and sad) of low and high intensity. Parents rated children’s externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. Vocal and facial emotion recognition accuracy was negatively correlated with externalizing but not internalizing behavior problems independent of emotion type. The effects with the externalizing domain were independently associated with hyperactivity rather than conduct problems. The results highlight the importance of using vocal as well as facial stimuli when studying the relationship between emotion-recognition and behavior problems. Future studies should test the hypothesis that difficulties in responding to adult instructions and commands seen in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be due to deficits in the processing of vocal emotions.     

Clinical Behaviors for Addressing Religious/Spiritual Issues: Do We Practice What We Preach?

To determine if counselors integrate clinical behaviors for addressing religious/spiritual issues in counseling consistent with their ratings of the importance of such behaviors, the authors conducted a national survey of American Counseling Association (ACA) members. Seventy‐eight ACA members rated the importance of and frequency with which they engaged in a set of 30 clinical behaviors that were identified in the existing literature as addressing religious/spiritual issues within counseling. Results indicated possible disparities between importance and frequency ratings. Potential barriers to counselors' utilization of religious and spiritually directed clinical behaviors were identified.     

Screening for Behavioral Disorders With the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System: Sensitivity,Specificity, and Core Discriminative Components

We assessed the ability of the Dyadic Parent-Child Coding System to discriminate between Norwegian children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and/or Conduct Disorder (n = 36) and community controls with no diagnosis (n = 122). All children were diagnosed by the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment. Results showed that a composite score of three negative parent codes—Negative Talk, Indirect Commands with No Opportunity for Compliance, and Direct Command with Compliance—as well as one child code, Command, evidenced excellent screening efficiency. Results are discussed in light of possible cultural differences in parent-child interaction and revisions of the coding system.     

An Ecclesia and Missio Crucis: Douglas John Hall's Contribution to the Missional Church Conversation

Canadian theologian Douglas John Hall's contextual analysis of the church in North America has contributed significantly to the missional church conversation; however, his own constructive ecclesiology has received less attention. This article presents and critically examines Hall's proposal of a “suffering church” and offers constructive suggestions for further developing it: expanding solidarity into accompaniment; shifting from the category of representation to reconciliation as the paradigm for the church's mission; and finally, considering the theology of the cross in more pneumatological terms.     

Applying Cases to Solve Ethical Problems: The Significance of Positive and Process-Oriented Reflection

This study examined the role of reflection on personal cases for making ethical decisions with regard to new ethical problems. Participants assumed the position of a business manager in a hypothetical organization and solved ethical problems that might be encountered. Prior to making a decision for the business problems, participants reflected on a relevant ethical experience. The findings revealed that application of material garnered from reflection on a personal experience was associated with decisions of higher ethicality. However, whether the case was viewed as positive or negative, and whether the outcomes, processes, or outcomes and processes embedded in the experience were examined, influenced the application of case material to the new problem. As expected, examining positive experiences and the processes involved in those positive experiences resulted in greater application of case material to new problems. Future directions and implications for understanding ethical decision making are discussed.