Implementation and Development of Federally-Funded Systems of Care Over Time

This study describes development in federally funded systems of care. Data for this study were collected using the System of Care Assessment that rated grantees' enactment of system of care principles in the infrastructure and service delivery domains. Data were collected by trained raters who conducted several site visits over the funding period. This study described system development over time across 61 sites and tested whether gains were statistically significant. Latent profile analysis was used to explore whether sites could be meaningfully grouped based on their baseline service delivery domain scores. Differences across groups were tested in terms of community, system, and client characteristics. Differential growth across groups was also examined. Overall, systems of care developed over time in both the infrastructure and service delivery domains. Although infrastructure scores were generally lower than service delivery scores, greater gains were seen for the infrastructure domain. Three groups of sites were identified that could be distinguished in terms of degree of development overall, and for specific system of care principles. The groups of sites differed in terms of community factors, system features, and client characteristics. In addition, repeated measures analyses found differential growth in system development over time across groups.     

USE OF THE GATB “G” SCORE FOR PREDICTING ACHIEVEMENT ON THE GED

The present study investigates the relationship of the GATB “G” with the GED. Practical and theoretical implications are involved. Making use of samples from the Las Vegas, Nevada population, the study compares scores of individuals administered the GED and GATB. A substantial correlation for prediction purposes was devised to illustrate the use of the GATB “G” to predict, by interval, an individual's position on the GED. The expectancy table helps guide the Vocational Counselor with a constructive tool whereby he advises the next steps of action for an educationally deficient or proficient client. The study recommends further replications to determine if such studies could guide agency policies whereby vocational counseling practice is improved and agency testing costs reduced.     

Shame, self-consciousness, and locus of control in people who stutter

Stuttering is a multidimensional disorder, including psychological as well as physiological elements. This investigation of the value of 3 psychological constructs (shame, self-consciousness, and locus of control) in the prediction of 3 self-reported behavioral dimensions of stuttering (struggle, avoidance, and expectancy) revealed shame and self-consciousness to be significant psychological predictors of the selected dimensions of stuttering, whereas locus of control was found not to be. Certain demographic elements, including affiliations with others who stutter, were also determined to be predictive of the stuttering dimensions. The present findings and their implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.