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Reading Horizons Vol. 38, No. 2

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons volume 38, issue 2.

Constructing Meaning From Literature: Examining Discourse In Departmentalized, Multidisciplinary, And Interdisciplinary Contexts, Joyce E. Many, Lisa Nicklow, Rebecca Hutchingson

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This naturalistic study examines the literary discourse which occurred in a sixth-grade language arts classroom within a departmentalized, a multidisciplinary, and then an interdisciplinary context. Audio tapes and accompanying field notes of all literature discussions surrounding three novels served as the primary data source. Secondary data sources included informal and formal interviews with the participants. Using a constant-comparative approach we identified elements of discourse and organized these elements into the following broad themes: 1) the text and the story world; 2) the reader and the story world; and 3) discipline knowledge and the story world. The literary discussions within the …

Review Of Reflections On Violence. John Keane. Reviewed By Henry D'Souza, University Of Nebraska At Omaha., Henry D'Souza

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

John Keane, Reflections on Violence. New York: Routledge, 1996. $17.95 papercover.

Resources, Deprivation And Poverty. Brian Nolan And Christopher T. Whelan.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Brian Nolan and Christopher T. Whelan. Resources, Deprivation and Poverty. New York: Clarendon Press, 1996, $ 65.00 hardcover.

Review Of Still The Promised City?: African-Americans And New Immigrants In Postindustrial New York. Roger Waldinger. Reviewed By Charles Jaret, Georgia State University, Charles Jaret

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Roger Waldinger. Still the Promised City?: African-Americans and New Immigrants in Postindustrial New York. New York. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996. $35.00 hardcover.

Literacy Lessons From The Childhoods Of Authors, Marcia Baghban

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The retrospectives of authors' childhoods can provide courageous portraits for children. Their examples demonstrate how reading and writing helped these professionals not only survive illness, loneliness, and rejection, but also forge meaningful lives. Children need to hear their stories, and so do adults. This piece reviews the role that literacy played in the childhoods of Eudora Welty, Madeleine L'Engle, and Jack London, and contrasts aspects of their childhoods with aspects of contemporary childhoods. The contrast sounds a clarion call to today's adults to assume greater responsibility for how children spend their time.

Lessons From Yellow Medicine County: Work And Custodial Service At The County Poor Farm, 1889-1935, Ralph Woehle

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Poor farms, which spread to the Midwestern United States in the nineteenth century, were intended to provide work for their residents. Existing literature indicates that the need for work and the ability of residents to work was limited on Midwestern poor farms and that it decreased with time. In the historical case study of a rural Minnesota poor farm presented here, data support contentions of the literature. Between 1889 and 1935, the Yellow Medicine County Poor Farm expanded and modernized the house, while allowing an originally modern farming operation to stagnate. Residents who accounted for most of the occupancy were …

Time Series Analysis Of The Implementation Of Child Support Enforcement Policies In Federal Region V States, Susan Gaffney, Sumati Dubey

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examines the impact legislation, such as the Family Support Act of 1988, Child Support Recovery Act of 1992 and Ted Weiss Child Support Enforcement Act of 1992 had on child support enforcement in Federal Region V states (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin). These pieces of legislation authorize coercive means to force noncustodial parents to meet their child support obligations. Child support is the money noncustodial parents are obligated to pay for the support of their children on a monthly basis. Child support laws have been enacted to increase the number of noncustodial parents located, paternities established, …

The Process And Implications Of Doing Qualitative Research: An Analysis Of 54 Doctoral Dissertations, Carl Brun

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The number of social work doctoral dissertations following qualitative research methods tripled in the ten year period from 1982 to 1992. The purpose of the current study was to understand the qualitative research process of 54 social work dissertations completed between 1986 and 1993. The two general reasons for following a qualitative design were the researcher's dissatisfaction with current theory to explain the studied phenomena and the desire to implement participantd riven research.M uch was written by the dissertation authors about the place of theory in qualitative research and the mutual influences between the researcher and researched. The study results …

Afdc And Homicide, Lance Hannon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Conservatives generally believe that government largess has created a morally defective welfare subculture. Some argue that excessive welfare payments contribute to high homicide rates by undermining individual responsibility and attachment to traditional social institutions. Liberals, on the other hand, suggest that higher welfare benefits may reduce homicide rates by alleviating the strains of poverty and promoting educational achievement. Drawing on a review of literature and aggregate welfare data, this study examined the relationship between local AFDC benefit levels and homicide rates. Variables were derived from Department of Health and Human Services, 1990 Census, and FBI data describing social/economic areas (N=394). …

Review Of Feminism And Social Change: Bridging Theory And Practice. Heidi Gottfried (Ed.). Reviewed By Rebecca S. Carter, Louisiana State University., Rebecca S. Carter

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Heidi Gottfried (Ed.), Feminism and Social Change: Bridging Theory and Practice. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1996 $ 39.95 hardcover, $14.95 papercover.

Review Of Rethinking Abortion: Equal Choice, The Constitution And Reproductive Politics. Mark Graber. Reviewed By Margaret Severson, University Of Kansas., Margaret Severson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Mark Graber, Rethinking Abortion: Equal Choice, the Constitution and Reproductive Politics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996. $29.95 hardcover.

The Biography Of A Scale: Contextual Factors That Influence The Measurement Of Family Functioning, Ludwig Geismar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The subject of instrument relevance is addressed by examining issues that have arisen in the use of a single scale over a forty year period. The issues revolve around the impact of varying social conditions, changing ethos, differential respondent receptiveness, and evolving research technology. Extended use of an instrument, it is argued, yields information that transcends the conventional techniques for testing instrument adequacy. The lack of opportunities in social work for accessing information on extended use of measurement tools is due, among other factors, to a preoccupation with working on subjects that are new and original and to a lack …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 24, No. 4 (December 1997)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• THE BIOGRAPHY OF A SCALE: CONTEXTUAL FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE MEASUREMENT OF FAMILY FUNCTIONING - Ludwig Geismar
• LESSONS FROM YELLOW MEDICINE COUNTY: WORK AND CUSTODIAL SERVICE AT THE COUNTY POOR FARM, 1889-1935 - Ralph Woehle
• ECO MAPS: A TOOL TO BRIDGE THE PRACTICE-RESEARCH GAP - Rena D. Harold, Lucy R. Mercier, Lisa G. Colarossi
• NEW COMMUNITARIAN THOUGHT AND THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL POLICY - John McNutt
• TIME SERIES ANALYSIS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT POLICIES IN FEDERAL REGION V STATES - Susan Gaffney, Sumati Dubey
• THE PROCESS AND IMPLICATIONS OF DOING QUALITATIVE RESEARCH: AN ANALYSIS …

Eco Maps: A Tool To Bridge The Practice-Research Gap, Rena D. Harold, Lucy R. Mercier, Lisa G. Colarossi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The social work profession has played host to a continuing dialogue about the interplay between research and practice. Traditionally, practitioners collect data that have real-world usefulness and are relevant to the intervention process with particular clients. Researchers, on the other hand, are skilled in designing and conducting studies that result in data that can be generalized to build the profession's foundation of knowledge. Data collection tools and techniques that are both relevant to practice and germane to knowledge-building are needed. This paper demonstrates the use of the eco map, a common practice tool, to collect and organize data about families, …

New Communitarian Thought And The Future Of Social Policy, John Mcnutt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Communitarian thought is an emerging force in American social policy in the 1990s. Communitarians see the breakdown of community and morality as the major problem of our society. They conclude that rampant individualism is the cause of this breakdown. Communitarians propose reforms that will limit rampant individualism and restore our communities and institutions. In these proposals are threats to social justice, as well as positive elements that social workers can endorse. This paper reviews and critiques the communitarian position and suggests ways that social workers can use this new force to advance the cause of social justice.

Connecting To Communities: Transformational Leadership From Africentric And Feminist Perspectives, Joan L. Arches

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Twenty female administrators in human service agencies serving diverse ethnic communities were interviewed to provide an understanding of their struggles and leadership styles. Applying both Africentric and feminist theoretical frameworks to inform the political frame advanced in theories of transformational leadership, connecting with community and community building were strategies for providing leadership.

Review Of Queer Science: The Use And Abuse Of Research Into Homosexuality. Simon Levay. Reviewed By Carol Tully, Tulane University., Carol Tully

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Simon LeVay, Queer Science: The Use and Abuse of Research into Homosexuality. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1996, 364 pages, $25.00 hardcover.

Building American: The Democratic Promise Of Public Work. Harry C. Boyte And Nancy N. Kari.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Harry C. Boyte and Nancy N. Kari, Building America: The Democratic Promise of Public Work. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 1996. $ 54.96 hardcover, $ 18.95 papercover.

Human Capital Or Cultural Capital? George Farkas.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

George Farkas, Human Capital or Cultural Capital? New York: Aldyne de Gruyter, 1996. $ 42.95 hardcover, $ 22.95 papercover.

Sociology, Environmentalism, Globalization. Steven Yearley.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Steven Yearley, Sociology, Environmentalism, Globalization. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1996. $ 69.95 hardcover, $ 22.95 papercover.

Search And Destroy: African American Males In The Criminal Justice System. Jerome J. Miller

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Jerome J. Miller. Search and Destroy: African American Males in the Criminal Justice System. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. $ 24.95 hardcover.

Self-Selected Journal Writing In The Kindergarten Classroom: Five Conditions That Foster Literacy Development, M. Jean Bouas, Pat Thompson, Nancy Farlow

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

"What can kindergarten children write?" This question came from Doris, a middle school language arts teacher when she was told about Nancy's kindergarten classroom. Nancy had a regularly scheduled self selected journal writing time. The children were allowed to choose their messages and forms of writing. Children scribbled, drew, wrote nonphonetic letter strings, and demonstrated phonetic and conventional spelling. These are all forms of spelling exhibited by emerging writers according to Sulzby, Teale, and Kamberelis, 1989.

Reading Horizons Vol. 38, No. 1

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons volume 38, issue 1.

Escaping Poverty & Becoming Self-Sufficient, Richard K. Caputo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Using logistic regression analysis on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this study found that sociodemographic factors were far more influential in determining escape from poverty and becoming self sufficient than social psychological factors. The number of years respondents lived in poverty was the best predictor of escaping poverty, while the number of years respondents made use of public assistance programs was the best predictor of becoming self-sufficient. Marital status and change in the number of hours worked influenced the prospect for escaping poverty, though not becoming self-sufficient. Implications regarding the changing philosophy of social welfare from income …

Successful Adaptation Of Immigrants From The Former Soviet Union To Project Renewal Neighborhoods: The Influential Factors, Haya Itzhaky

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Migration has been an international phenomenon for centuries. The widespread trend toward migration in recent years has resulted in efforts to examine the factors involved in the adaptation of immigrants to life in the host country. This study examines the factors that effect immigrant adaptation and integration in urban neighborhoods in Israel that are undergoing a process of rehabilitation. Adaptation is defined by the variables: contact with neighbors, participation in community activities, sense of belonging to the community and well-being. These mediator and dependent variables were found to be directly effected by home and host related variables. These variables were …

The Class Politics Of Domestic Violence, John P. Mckendy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The claim is often voiced that wife abuse is a problem that "cuts across" all social and economic lines. Yet there is considerable research evidence suggesting an inverse relationship between wife abuse and the socioeconomic status of both victims and perpetrators. The question of the relevance of social class has generally been construed as a factual one, in principle resolvable by collecting more and better data. Doing a participant observation study of a treatment programme for men who batter, I was forced to bracket the "objective," empirical question, but freed to see how certain ideological practices worked to keep class …

The Legacy Of Mccarthyism On Social Group Work: An Historical Analysis, Janice Andrews, Michael Reisch

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper explores the impact of McCarthyism on the ideology, education, practice, and public image of group work. The authors argue that the witchhunts that occured during the period and its climate of widespread fear purges and political conservatism diminished the gains the social work profession had made in the 1930s and 1940s through its participation in progressive activities and left the profession, particularly social group work ill-prepared for the issues and activism of the 1960s and 1970s.

Editorial, Bob Leighninger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

A Man Without A Job Is A Dead Man: The Meaning Of Work And Welfare In The Lives Of Young Men, Kathleen A. Kost

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Little is known about the use of welfare by young men as most research and debate have concentrated on the use of welfare by families headed by single women. This research includes young men in this debate by examining the personal characteristics, events that precipitated their use, why they exited, and the barriers they faced in obtaining employment. Data are from qualitative interviews of 20 young men who resided in Madison, Wisconsin. Findings suggest that these men use General Assistance as a type of unemployment insurance between jobs. Policy, program and research recommendations are made regarding the need for assistance …