Home Literacy Environment and English Language and Literacy Skills Among Chinese Young Children Who Learn English as a Second Language

The present study explored the home literacy environment for Chinese ESL kindergarteners and examined the relationships between home literacy practices and language and literacy skills. Ninety Hong Kong Chinese ESL kindergarteners were assessed for English vocabulary, phonological awareness, letter knowledge and word reading. Their parents completed a questionnaire about home literacy practices. Results showed that these practices can be classified into three aspects: shared reading, exposure to English materials and home teaching. Shared reading uniquely predicted receptive and expressive vocabulary, syllable awareness and word reading in English. Exposure to English materials predicted expressive vocabulary and home teaching predicted letter knowledge.     

Main and interactive effects of social support in predicting mental health symptoms in men and women following military stressor exposure

Abstract

Evidence across a multitude of contexts indicates that social support is associated with reduced risk for mental health symptoms. More information is needed on the effectiveness of different sources of support, as well as sex differences in support. Associations between social support from two sources – the military unit and friends and family – and mental health symptoms were examined in a study of 1571 Marine recruits assessed at the beginning and end of a highly stressful 13-week training program. Military social support buffered the stressor exposure–posttraumatic stress symptomatology (PTSS) relationship, whereas the relationship between stressor exposure and PTSS was highest when civilian social support was high. Further inspection of the interactions revealed that military support was most important at high levels of stressor exposure. Sex differences in the relationship between social support and symptoms were found, such that support from military peers was associated with lower levels of PTSS for men, whereas civilian support was associated with lower PTSS for women. While civilian social support was associated with lower levels of depression symptom severity in both women and men, the relationship was stronger for women. Reviewed implications focus on the importance of considering the recipient, source, and context of social support.     

Childhood Physical Abuse and Sociopathy: Is This Link Magnified among Firstborn Children?

The Psychopathic Deviate scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2 (MMPI–2) provides a valid psychometric index of sociopathic tendencies in both clinical and nonclinical samples. Childhood physical abuse has provided a robust predictor of sociopathic penchants. The link between childhood physical abuse and MMPI–2 Psychopathic Deviate scores was examined (N = 322) as a function of birth order. A significant childhood physical abuse by birth order interaction was found (p < .0001, η² = .62) with a 6-fold increase in relative risk of a Psychopathic Deviate elevation (T > 70) found for firstborn participants. Childhood physical abuse predicted Psychopathic Deviate scores for firstborn (r = .50, p < .0001, d = 1.15) and middle-born (r = .24, p = .006, d = .49) offspring. Harris–Lingoes subscale scores suggested firstborns felt selectively alienated from self and others in response to childhood physical abuse experiences.     

Making sense of “resistance”: Responses to organizational change in a private nursing home for the elderly

Abstract

This article reports a study of resistance to change amongst organizational employees. It focuses on the introduction of skill development programmes to give staff nationally recognized qualifications. Resistance to the innovation is interpreted in light of the values of staff and how they are consistent or inconsistent with the value base of the innovation.     

What do the young (old) people think of me? Content and accuracy of age-based metastereotypes

Increasing age diversity in the workforce points to the need to understand the dynamics of interpersonal relations across age groups. An important element of these interactions involves interpersonal perceptions, including both what an individual believes about members of other age groups (stereotypes) and what individuals believe other age groups think of their own group (metastereotypes). We explore the content and accuracy of the stereotypes and metastereotypes in a sample of 247 younger, middle-aged, and older workers. We compare the stereotypes and metastereotypes of and by different groups in terms of their affective valence (positive/negative) and compare the results produced by open-ended and closed-ended methods. We map out the usefulness of these data for future work towards enhancing cross-aged interactions in the workplace.     

Parent Education in Youth Sport: A Community Case Study of Parents,Coaches, and Administrators

The present community case study was designed to highlight parent, coach, and administrator perceptions of community-based parent education in a youth sport community in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States. Interviews with parents (n?=?12), coaches (n?=?13), and administrators (n?=?11) were interpreted inductively using constructivist thematic analysis. Nine emergent categories are highlighted, including parents’ sport goals for their children, parents’ involvement in youth sport including impacts of involvement on children, and barriers to implementing parent education, as well as potential content for parent education. A proposed sequential framework informing community-based parent education, as well as suggestions for further action, and study limitations are included.     

Social Capital and Community Group Participation: Examining ‘Bridging’ and ‘Bonding’ in the Context of a Healthy Living Centre in the UK

Social capital has been widely advocated as a way of understanding and building community participation in the interest of health improvement. However, the concept as proposed by Putnam, has been criticised for presenting an overly romanticised account of complex community relations. This paper presents analysis from a qualitative evaluation of a Healthy Living Centre (HLC) in the North of England, to examine the utility of the concept of social capital in this context. We found the concepts of ‘bridging’ and ‘bonding’ social capital were useful – though not without limitations – in helping to make sense of the complexities and contradictions in participants’ experiences of community group participation. 'Bridging' helped provide an understanding of how the decline in shared social spaces such as local shops impacts on social relationships. 'Bonding' highlighted how community group membership can have positive and negative implications for individuals and the wider community. It was found that skilled group leadership was key to strengthening bridging capital. Politically, in the UK, community participation is seen as having an essential role in social change, for example, its centrality to the coalition government's idea of the ‘Big Society’. A micro‐examination of this HLC using the lens of social capital provides a valuable critical insight into community participation. It shows that this kind of initiative can be successful in building social capital, given conditions such as an appropriate setting and effective leadership. However, they cannot substitute for other kinds of investment in the physical infrastructure of a community. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Activity Group Therapy of a Dull Boy with Severe Body EGO Problems

The presence of a time limit shapes the entire therapeutic process and culminates in the management of termination. This paper outlines a protocol for dealing with termination in time-limited psychotherapy groups: (1) Select suitable members with similar capacity to use a time-limited format; (2) use a closed group format; (3) clarify the time boundaries at the beginning; (4) reinforce the time frame during the last half of the group; (5) provide focused interventions; (6) forestall premature termination; (7) reinforce termination themes of deprivation, resentment and anger, rejection, grief and loss, responsibility for self; (8) structure the final session; and (9) plan a 4-month follow-up visit to encourage ongoing application. These guidelines provide the therapist with a general structure to ensure that major termination themes are systematically addressed. They deal with powerful concepts of maturation and self-responsibility and incorporate the principal strategies that distinguish time-limited from time-unlimited group psychotherapy.