Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Review Of Sociological Theory: From The 1950s To The Present. Richard Munch. Reviewed By Michael D. Frimes, Louisiana State University., Michael D. Grimes

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Richard Munch, Sociological Theory: From the 1850s to the Present. Chicago, IL: Nelson-Hall, 1994. $51.95 hardcover.

Review Of The Decomposition Of Sociology. Irving Louis Horowitz. Reviewed By William W. Falk, University Of Maryland., William W. Falk

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Irving Louis Horowitz. The Decomposition of Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press. 1993. $35.00 hardcover.

Review Of Small Group Research: A Handbook. A. Paul Hare, Herbert H. Blumberg, Martin F. Davies And Valerie Kent. Reviewed By Kenneth E. Reid, Western Michigan University., Kenneth E. Reid

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A. Paul Hare, Herbert H. Blumberg, Martin F. Davies, and M. Valerie Kent. Small Group Research: A Handbook. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corp., 1994. $89.50 hardcover $42.50 papercover.

Contemporary Urban Sociology. William G. Flannagan.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

William G. Flannagan. Contemporary Urban Sociology. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993. $49.95 hardcover, $14.95 papercover.

The Frankfurt School: Its History, Theories And Political Significance. Rolf Wiggershaus.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History, Theories and Political Significance. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1994. $60.00 hardcover. (Translated by Michael Robertson).

Paths To Homelessness: Extreme Poverty And The Urban Housing Crisis. Doug A. Timmer, D. Stanley Eitzen And Kathryn D. Talley.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Doug A. Timmer, D. Stanley Eitzen and Kathryn D. Talley, Paths to Homelessness: Extreme Poverty and the Urban Housing Crisis. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1994. $55.00 hardcover, $16.95 papercover.

The Return To Family Intervention In Youth Services: A Juvenile Justice Case Study, Gordon Bazemore, Susan Day

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

After more than a decade of relative neglect, youth services policymakers in the late 1980s began targeting the family as a primary focus of intervention in the response to a range of deviant behavior. One recent example of this return to family intervention has been a renewed emphasis on family services in juvenile courts and juvenile justice agencies. This case study describes one attempt to implement a new "family-focused" intervention approach as part of a larger return to treatment-oriented probation services in an urban juvenile justice system. Based on interviews and participant observation data gathered during a nine month field …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 22, No. 3 (September 1995)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• AN OPPORTUNITY LOST: THE FAILURE OF THE MICHIGAN COMMISSION ON DEATH AND DYING - Joseph Ellin
• THE RETURN TO FAMILY INTERVENTION IN YOUTH SERVICES: A JUVENILE JUSTICE CASE STUDY - Gordon Bazemore and Susan Day
• POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN SOCIAL WELFARE: A FRAMEWORK FOR ANALYSIS - Valire Carr Copeland and Sandra Wexler
• RESEARCHING SOCIAL NETWORKS IN ACTION - C. Kenneth Banks and J. Marshall Mangan
• CONSTRUCTING AN ECOLOGY OF FOSTER CARE: AN ANALYSIS OF THE ENTRY AND EXIT RATES OF FOSTER HOMES - Lorna F Hurl and David J. Tucker
• FAMILY FUNCTIONING AND MIGRATION: CONSIDERATIONS FOR PRACTICE - …

Policy Implementation In Social Welfare: A Framework For Analysis, Valire Carr Copeland, Sandra Wexler

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A review of the research on implementation of federal-state partnership programs indicates a need for more analyses of the post-legislative phase of social welfare policy. This paper addresses the importance of research on policy implementation in social welfare. It examines some critical tools in the policy implementation analysis process, presents a framework for analysis, and offers recommendations to stimulate interest in the study of the implementation process.

Researching Social Networks In Action, Kenneth C. Banks, Marshall J. Mangan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Many communities across Canada today are challenged by conditions that approach social and economic disintegration. As agencies of the state cut back their financial support of welfare services, citizens are faced with both increasing levels of stress and fewer forms of relief provided by established institutions. For researchers, the challenges of a shrinking resource base are compounded by ongoing epistemological and methodological controversies within social science. The recent emergence of a "postmodern" critique of traditional social-scientific methodology arises from some profound reorientations in the philosophy and the social context of the social sciences, reorientations that are reflective of fundamental economic …

Review Of To Render A Life: Let Us Now Praise Famous Men And The Documentary Vision. Reviewed By David R. Simon, U.C. Berkeley & San Diego State University, David R. Simon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

"To Render A Life: LET US NOW PRAISE FAMOUS MEN And The Documentary Vision" (1992) and "Long Shadows: The Legacy of the American Civil War" (1992). Both by the JAMES AGEE FILM PROJECT, 316 E. Main Street, Johnson City, TN 37601 Phone: (615) 926-8637.

Review Of Dead Artists Live Theories. Stanley Aronowitz. Reviewed By John W. Murphy, University Of Miami., John W. Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Stanley Aronowitz: Dead Artists Live Theorists. New York: Routledge, 1994. $49.95 hardcover, $16.95 papercover.

Review Of Kinship With Strangers: Adoption And Interpretations Of Kinship In American Culture. Judith S. Modell. Reviewed By Dorina N. Novle, Louisiana State University., Dorinda N. Noble

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Judith S. Modell. Kinship with Strangers: Adoption and Interpretations of Kinship in American Culture. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1994. $35 hardcover.

Review Of Classical Sociological Theory. Jonathan H. Turner. Reviewed By Valerie A. Haines, The University Of Calgary., Valerie A. Haines

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Jonathan Turner. Classical Sociological Theory: A Positivist's Perspective. Chicago, IL: Nelson Hall, 1993. $ 18.95 papercover.

Families In Troubled Times: Adapting To Change In Rural America. Rand D. Conger And Glen H. Elder.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Rand D. Conger and Glen H. Elder, Families in Troubled Times: Adapting to Change in Rural America. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter, 1994. $46.95 hardcover; $23.95 papercover.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary Of Sociology. Gordon Marshall (Ed.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Gordon Marshall (Ed.), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994. $11.95 paperback.

Acculturation To A Work Force Of Diversity: Two Case Studies Of Japanese-Owned Companies Operating In The United States, Jun Nagasawa

Masters Theses

This paper explores the acculturation processes associated with Japanese companies corning to the United States, especially focusing on race and gender issues. This was done by related literature review and two case studies of Japanese-owned companies operating in the Midwestern region. Data were obtained using unstructured interviews with workers of the two companies.

Accusations of discrimination against Japanese companies operating in the U.S. of discrimination based on race, gender and nationality are introduced. Japanese and American social backgrounds relating to race and gender, especially in employment area are reviewed. Also Japanese and American management styles are contrasted for analytical purposes. …

An Analysis Of The Korean Political Bureaucracy In Terms Of Riggs’ Theory Of Prismatic Society And Korean With U.S. Bureaucratic Interaction 1945-1953, Jae Jo Lee

Masters Theses

The administrative, political, and social development and modernization experience of Korea for the period 1945 through 1953 was examined in this study. Bureaucratic transformation was understood as significant to developmental outcomes for all facets of Korean society.

The political and social development theory model of Fred W. Riggs, the Prismatic Society, was selected for application in the Korean situation. Prismatic theory itself was first analyzed in detail. Korean bureaucratic formation was elucidated from multiple perspectives. The key factor of analysis was interpreted as being the U.S. with Korean bureaucratic interaction.

The bureaucratic complexity was subjected to analysis in terms of …

Sense Of Coherence, Stressors, Perception Of Stress And Drinking Patterns Among College Students, Jeanne C. Debruyn

Masters Theses

This research examined the protective qualities of Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence (SOC), a social-psychological dispositional concept, in relation of the daily hassles associated with the transitory college years of students, perceived stress, quantity/frequency and patterns of alcohol use. This cross-sectional study (n=103) was site-based in the classroom. Data were collected by survey questionnaire administered by the primary researcher. Results indicated that SOC affords protection to students possessing a strong SOC by allowing them to perceive the hassles associated with college life as less stressful and in ameliorating the negative consequences of heavy drinking. Significant problems with alcohol were found in …

Planning For Change: Feminist Standpoint Epistemology Informing The Program Planning Process, Laura Nichols

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the process by which social programs are developed and explores how feminist standpoint epistemology may inform the process. A peer education program developed for college women is used as an example to illustrate the planning process. Secondary data collection, focus groups and a self-administered survey were the research techniques utilized in this planning approach.

The specific steps involved in program planning are identified and explained based on the program planning process presented and literature about this topic. The thesis concludes by exploring how certain ideas in feminist standpoint epistemology can be applied to the planning process in …

Question Block Order Effects In A Telephone Survey, Peter Montague Meyers

Masters Theses

Question order effects in a repetitive questionnaire was the focus of the study. A dataset was constructed based on results involving seven different organizations where the institutions were rotated into seven different blocked placements to test for order effects. This analysis used the Arts and Culture Survey conducted by the Kercher Center for Social Research at Western Michigan University in 1994.

Comparisons of means were used to determine whether fatigue from question repetitiveness affected respondents when responding to questions with fixed response questions, multiple responses, "don't know" responses, and open-ended responses. The issue of popularity was also examined to see …

Patterns Of "I Don't Know" Responses In Telephone Surveys, Christine Lewerenz Hinkle

Masters Theses

The question of how best to handle "don't know" responses continues to be a troublesome problem to survey researchers. There are no guidelines for handling "don't know" responses because little systematic investigation for the problem has been made. This research addresses the characteristics of those who answer "don't know" in social surveys. I am focusing on four independent variables, sex, age, income, and education. Included in this research will also be an independent variable of interviewer gender. The fact that most survey research does not record the sex of the interviewer has caused this research to be somewhat limited. I …

The Effects Of Site Design On Neighboring Patterns And Safety Perceptions Among Residents Of University Apartments, Julie L. Steinbacher

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationships among site design, neighboring patterns and safety perceptions of residents of living in university housing communities at Western Michigan University.

Many previous studies have examined the impact of site on neighboring patterns and safety perceptions among residents of housing communities. However, most of these studies have been conducted to communities outside of university housing complexes. This study was developed because the college environment offers a unique perspective to occupants living in university sponsored apartments. Furthermore, residents in college housing communities tend to be diverse and transient and the impact of …

The Impact Of School Climate On Self-Reported Alcohol And Other Drug Use, Karen R. Humes

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of dimensions of the school climate upon twelfth grade self-reported alcohol, marijuana, and cigarette use. In order to do this, social bond theory and its elements of attachment, belief, and commitment were tested. Data involving peer pressure to use drugs, perception of school drug policy enforcement, and college boundness were utilized in examining their relationship with drug use.

The data which were chosen for this study involved 141 Michigan public school districts and were based on the responses of 17,211 high school seniors collected during the 1993-1994 school year. Due …

Assessing Pediatricians' Diagnostic Practices: An Analogue Study Of Responses To Adhd-Like Presentations In Preschoolers, Helle Augustesen

Dissertations

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been considered one of the most chronic behavior disorders observed in the preadolescent population and is one of the most frequently diagnosed childhood disorders in North America. Currently, however, there is little consistency in terms of identifying specific criteria which need to be present in a child's behavior to make a diagnosis of ADHD. This difficulty is even more pronounced in very young children of preschool age. This study utilized a three year old male child shown to 80 subjects on a videotape engaging in either a high or a low level of activity. …

The United Center: A Community-Based Corrections Project, William George Hinkle

Dissertations

The United Center is a community-based corrections center located in Middletown, Midwest. Funded by the Midwest Department of Corrections, and administered by local county government, it provides a sentencing alternative to the county's jail, and the state's prison system. Defined as a correctional "halfway-in house," the program provides offenders with employment and education related services, job placement, mental health services, and drug and alcohol counseling in a highly structured, but supportive environment. In operation since the early 1980's, the program has serviced some 400 offenders sentenced to short prison terms for low-level property and drug offenses. Compared to national rates …

Evaluation Of A Computer Simulation To Assess Subject Preference For Different Types Of Incentive Pay: Part Two, Stephen Mark Sundby

Dissertations

This study further investigated the use of a computer simulation to assess subject preference for different types of pay systems. Subjects were eight undergraduates recruited from psychology classes at Western Michigan University. The dependent variable was the subjects’ choice of pay system, either simulated hourly pay or base pay plus incentive. Simulated work performance was determined by the computer with 0.50 probability of low or high performance. For Experiment 1, the independent variable was the maximum amount of simulated pay that subjects could earn under each pay type. For Experiments 2 and 3, the independent variable was the percentage of …

The Effects Of Intensive, Structured Study On Gre Verbal And Quantitative Scores, Jan Marie Miller

Dissertations

This research served as a follow-up to previous research (Goodyear-Orwat and Malott, 1994) in which students engaged in self-study utilizing various study materials. Three courses (spring, summer, and fall) were offered to further examine the effects of intensive, structured study on Graduate Record Examination verbal and quantitative scores.

Twenty undergraduates enrolled in Graduate Record Examination preparatory courses studied from 66 to 105 hours. An attendance and participation contingency was established to encourage adequate study time. The courses were structured to allow students to assess and manage their own performance, utilizing standard, self-instructional texts and computerized drill programs. Students worked at …

Autocorrelation In Single-Subject Data: A Meta-Analytic View, Laura L. Methot

Dissertations

Recent work by Huitema and McKean (1991, 1994a, 1994b, 1994c, in press) has shown that the most frequently used statistical methods for performing conventional time-series analyses lead to gross distortions of results when these approaches are applied in the context of the typical behavioral research study. Most of these problems could be avoided if researchers were aware that the time-series methods recommended in many areas are not generally needed. The appropriate evidence regarding the need for complex time-series methods requires a meta-analysis of the autocorrelation present in behavioral studies. The project involved: (a) sampling several hundred research articles published in …

Students Against Driving Drunk (Sadd): Testing The Organization's Effects On Students' Behavior And Attitudes Toward Alcohol Use, William Post Jr.

Masters Theses

This research examines the influence of Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) chapters on the reported behavior and attitudes towards alcohol use of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students in 208 public school districts in Michigan. This research is conducted at the intersection of social movement theory coupled with self-help group issues; theoretical approaches to explaining adolescent alcohol use; and SADD's etiological assumptions about adolescent alcohol use as derived from the organization's activities. These lead to comparing two types of SADD chapters (active and inactive) to school districts without SADD chapters, using students' (N=92,257) responses to the Michigan Alcohol and Other …