Social Work Commons^™

Social Policy And Constructivism: Using Constructivist Learning Theory In Teaching Social Work Students Research Skills, Linda Sizemore, Brad Marcum

The Southeastern Librarian

Principles of constructivist learning theory were used in developing a process-oriented approach to research skills instruction as applied to real world social problems and social policy responses. Building upon past experiences in establishing collaborative relationships with social work faculty, the theories of constructivism, Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process, and collaborative learning were incorporated into the framework of efforts to provide library instruction at important developmental phases, also known as “zones of intervention”, in student coursework involving three successive social work classes. This article will attempt to describe the above concepts and articulate how these concepts were employed in efforts to improve …

Integrating Spirituality In Practice: From Inner Journey To Outer Engagement, Holly Nelson-Becker

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Bringing Together Local Culture And Rural Development: Findings From Ireland, Pennsylvania And Alaska, M. A. Brennan, Courtney G. Flint, A. E. Luloff

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The developmental trajectories of communities are routinely explained by reference to economic history, human capital deficits, or the structure of local labour markets. The role of local culture in understanding community development or in interpreting empirical research has received less attention. We believe culture plays an important independent role in shaping community debate and action. Framing community as an interactional field emphasises the opportunities created when people who share interests come together to address local problems. Interaction and local culture are essential parts of community and community development. Appreciating community uniqueness and local culture helps in the interpretation of study …

What Motivates African-American Charitable Giving: Findings From A National Sample, Vernon B. Carter, Jerry D. Marx

Social Work

Given the growing wealth of minority families in America, including that of African-American families, the potential for charitable donations from these households is much greater. The purpose of this secondary analysis is to examine those variables that may influence African-American charitable giving patterns. This study uses the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) data to analyze the effects of multiple factors on the giving habits of African-Americans. Based on this study's findings, social workers employed as executive directors or fund-raisers in private nonprofit organizations may want to identify and cultivate individual African-American donors directly, instead of relying on United Way …

Paediatric Palliative Care Research In Canada: Development And Progress Of A New Emerging Team, Lynn Straatman, Susan Cadell, Betty Davies, Harold Siden, Rose Steele

Lyle S. Hallman Social Work Faculty Publications

Paediatric pallative care is a field distinct from adult palliative care, although there are many overlaps in language, approach and philosophy. Several features, however, distinguish paediatric palliative care. The illnesses that affect children are different from those that are most predominant in the adult population. In addition, the role and involvement of the family, while always important in palliative care generally, is heightened in paediatric palliative care. In this new and growing interdisciplinary speciality, paediatric palliative care professionals recognize that children exist within a family system, with individual members making up the components (1). These distinguishing characteristics mean that we …

Review Of Citizenship And Those Who Leave: The Politics Of Emigration And Expatriation. Nancy L. Green And Francois Weil, Editors. Reviewed By Miriam Potocky., Miriam Potocky

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Nancy L. Green & Francois Weil (Eds.). Citizenship and Those Who Leave: The Politics of Emigration and Expatriation. Champagne, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2007. $60.00 hardcover, $25.00 papercover.

Review Of Ask & Tell: Gay & Lesbian Veterans Speak Out. Steve Estes. Reviewed By John F. Longres., John F. Longres

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Steve Estes. Ask & Tell: Gay & Lesbian Veterans Speak Out. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2007. $29.95 hardcover.

Blame Welfare, Ignore Poverty And Inequality. Joel F. Handler And Yeheskel Hasenfeld.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Joel F. Handler & Yeheskel Hasenfeld. Blame Welfare, Ignore Poverty and Inequality. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. $80.00 hardcover, $29.99 papercover.

Pathways To Drug And Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Detained Adolescents, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

This study recruited 559 youths from detention centers (mean age was 15.4 years; 50.1% of detainees were girls) to investigate pathways that link witnessing community violence in the 12 months before detainment to drug and sexual risk behaviors in the two months preceding detainment. Through the use of audio-computer-assisted technology, data were collected on demographics, family factors, peer influences, religiosity, witnessing community violence, and drug and sexual risk behaviors. When controlling for demographics and family variables, the authors found positive associations between witnessing community violence and drug and sexual risk behaviors. Witnessing community violence was directly linked to sexual risk …

Long-Term Tanf Participants And Barriers To Employment: A Qualitative Study In Maine, Sandra S. Butler, Janine Corbett, Crystal Bond, Chris Hastedt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although welfare rolls have declined dramatically since the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in 1996, many of those parents still receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) face multiple barriers to employment. In response to a proposed state bill increasing work requirements and imposing stricter time limits, the authors conducted focus groups and interviews in order to learn about the experiences of long-term recipients of TANF in Maine. Domestic violence, children's disabilities, and health issues for the mother emerged as key obstacles to meeting TANF work requirements for the 28 women participating in the …

Welfare And Family Economic Security: Toward A Place-Based Poverty Knowledge, Deborah A. Harris, Domenico Parisi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996 is viewed by many as a resounding success. Its success, however, is predicated primarily on caseload reduction rather than improvement of family well-being. In addition, provisions in the act ignore the importance of place in shaping one's life chances. Using Alice O'Connor's influential book, Poverty Knowledge, as a framework, we discuss findings from a qualitative study that examines how low-income families plan for a life without welfare in places with different opportunities and structural constraints. We find that returns to TANF are common among welfare leavers and that place …

The Untold Story Of Welfare Fraud, Richelle S. Swan, Linda L. Shaw, Sharon Cullity, Joni Halpern, Juliana Humphrey, Wendy M. Limbert, Mary Roche

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The experiences of women who have been charged with welfare fraud in the years following the passage of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act cast a shadow over the claim that welfare reform has been an unequivocal success. This article addresses this under-explored issue by considering the face of welfare fraud in San Diego, California after the change to federal welfare law. After a brief discussion of the socio-historical context of welfare fraud prosecution and a summary of the scholarly findings related to welfare fraud post-PRWORA, the aiticle details a new "poverty knowledge" about welfare fraud drawn …

Lost In Appalachia: The Unexpected Impact Of Welfare Reform On Older Women In Rural Communities, Debra A. Henderson, Ann R. Tickamyer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A primary goal of welfare reform was to overcome welfare dependency through the promotion of work and the setting of lifetime limits. While atf irst blush thisg oal may have appearedr easonablef or young recipients, it does not address the needs of older recipients, particularly women. Based on in-depth interviews with welfare recipients in four impoverished rural Appalachian counties over a four year time span (1999-2001; 2004), this paper evaluates the experiences of older women as they confront the changes brought on by welfare reform legislation. Findings suggest that impoverished older women in isolated rural communities experience multiple crises as …

"It's All One Big Circle": Welfare Discourse And The Everyday Lives Of Urban Adolescents, Staci T. Lowe

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Welfare reform succeeded, in part, because of discourse that characterized the poverty problem as one of long-term dependency and personal irresponsibility. Adolescent pregnancy was targeted as both cause and manifestation of a welfare crisis. This study examined how welfare reform was perceived and experienced by lowincome, urban adolescents. Findings from interviews revealed that adolescents agreed with many of the basic tenets of welfare reform, largely because they had appropriated much of the discourse prevalent in wider society. However, their complex life stories contained a powerful subtext concerning structural determinants of poverty that ran counter to prevailing notions of "personal responsibility."

Review Of Gangs In The Global City: Alternatives To Traditional Criminology. John M. Hagedorn, Editor. Reviewed By Matthew T. Theriot., Matthew T. Theriot

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of John M. Hagedorn (Ed.). Gangs in the Global City: Alternatives to Traditional Criminology. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2007. $65.00 hardcover, $25.00 papercover.

Review Of Civic Engagement: Social Science And Progressive Era Reform In New York City. John Louis Recchiuti. Reviewed By John M. Herrick., John M. Herrick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review for John Louis Recchiuti. Civic Engagement: Social Science and Progressive Era Reform in New York City. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007. $59.95 hardcover.

The Promise Of Welfare Reform. Keith M. Kilty And Elizabeth Segal.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Keith M. Kilty & Elizabeth Segal, The Promise of Welfare Reform. Binghampton, NY: Haworth Press, 2006. $34.96 papercover.

Human Behavior And The Social Environment: Models, Metaphors, And Maps For Applying Theoretical Perspectives To Practice. James Forte.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for James Forte. Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Models, Metaphors, and Maps for Applying Theoretical Perspectives to Practice. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2007. $67.95 papercover.

Understanding Social Inequality. Tim Butler And Paul Watt.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Tim Butler & Paul Watt. Understanding Social Inequality. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2007. $39.95 papercover.

Tearing Down The Gates: Confronting The Class Divide In American Education. Peter Sacks.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Peter Sacks. Tearing Down the Gates: Confronting the Class Divide in American Education. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2007. $24.95 hardcover.

Social Security Between Past And Future: Ambonese Networks Of Care And Support. Franz Von Benda-Beckmann And Kebeet Von Benda-Beckmann.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Franz von Benda-Beckmann & Kebeet von Benda-Beckmann. Social Security between Past and Future: Ambonese Networks of Care and Support. Berlin, Lit Verlag, 2007.

The Europeanization Of Social Protection. Jon Kvist And Juho Saari, Editors.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Jon Kvist & Juho Saari (Eds.). The Europeanization of Social Protection. Bristol: Policy Press, 2007. $39.95 papercover, $99.00 cloth.

Introduction To The Special Issue, Mary Gatta, Luisa S. Deprez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare has hosted a number of special editions since President Clinton "ended welfare as we know it." Special topics such as Evaluation of TANF in 2001, Coping with Poverty in 2006, Globalization and Social Justice in 2007 and Contemporary Social Welfare History earlier this year brought attention to issues of critical concern within the field. All have focused on human well-being in the wake of a society that appears less caring for those who are most vulnerable: the poor, immigrants, people of color, and single mothers on welfare. Additionally, each special edition framed the …

Women's Lives And Poverty: Developing A Framework Of Real Reform For Welfare, Mary Gatta, Luisa S. Deprez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The historic 1996 welfare reform is typically regarded as a successful public policy. Using the limited success metric of "reducing welfare rolls," welfare evaluations and analysis have obscured the lived experiences of recipients, particularly among women, who are disproportionally represented among welfare recipients. While it is true that welfare numbers are down, those women who have been forced off or left behind are not doing well. In this paper we seek to explore and critically evaluate the lived experiences of women, to challenge mainstream understandings of women's "success" post-welfare, and propose a theoretical and methodological framework, based on an intersectional …

Dropped From The Rolls: Mexican Immigrants, Race, And Rights In The Era Of Welfare Reform, Alejandra Marchevsky, Jeanne Theoharis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Welfare reform transferred considerable discretion over eligibility standards and benefits to individual caseworkers, contributing to a highly diffuse, yet system-wide, practice of discrimination against nonwhite and foreign-born families within the new TANF program. Based on a two-year ethnographic study of welfare reform's impact on Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles County, this article documents a pattern of heightened anti-immigrant sentiment and disentitlement within L.A. County's welfare system following the passage of PRWORA. The vast majority of eligible immigrant families in our study lost some or all of their cash and food stamp benefits, and were systematically denied access to the work …

Tracking The Transition From Welfare To Work, Cynthia Needles Fletcher, Mary Winter, An-Ti Shih

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

One of the primary goals of the 1996 federal welfare reform legislation was to reduce dependency on cash transfers and to promote self-sufficiency through employment in the paid labor force. This paper draws upon a qualitative study of 18 Iowa welfare recipients and tracks changes that occur over a three-year, post-reform period. Thick descriptions highlight the internal family dynamics of the choices made over time. The purposes of the study are twofold:first, to document changes in family composition, employment, housing, and program participation, and second, to report how recipients experience such changes. Findings reveal that the 11 families who left …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 35, No. 3 (September 2008)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

SPECIAL ISSUE: BEYOND THE NUMBERS: HOW THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN CHALLENGE THE "SUCCESS" OF WELFARE REFORM

• INTRODUCTION - Mary Gatta and Luisa S. Deprez
• WOMEN'S LIVES AND POVERTY: DEVELOPING A FRAMEWORK OF REAL REFORM FOR WELFARE - Mary Gatta and Luisa S. Deprez
• LONG-TERM TANF PARTICIPANTS AND BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT: A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN MAINE - Sandra S. Butler, Janine Corbett, Crystal Bond and Chris Hastedt
• DROPPED FROM THE ROLLS: MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS, RACE, AND RIGHTS IN THE ERA OF WELFARE REFORM - Alejandra Marchevsky and Jeanne Theoharis
• WELFARE AND FAMILY ECONOMIC SECURITY: TOWARD A PLACE-BASED POVERTY KNOWLEDGE - Deborah …

Review Of Civic Service Worldwide: Impacts And Inquiry. Amanda Moore Mcbride & Michael W. Sherraden, Editors. Reviewed By Barbara J. Robles., Barbara J. Robles

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Amanda Moore McBride & Michael W. Sherraden, (Eds.). Civic Service Worldwide: Impacts and Inquiry. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe, 2007. $49.95 hardcover.

Review Of Drugs And Drug Policy: The Control Of Consciousness Alteration. Clayton J. Mosher And Scott M. Akins. Reviewed By Sean R. Hogan., Sean R. Hogan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Clayton J. Mosher & Scott M. Akins. Drugs and Drug Policy: The Control of Consciousness Alteration. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2007. $54.95 papercover, $99.95 hardcover.

The First Year Out: Understanding American Teens After High School. Tim Clydesdale.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Tim Clydesdale. The First Year Out: Understanding American Teens After High School. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007. $20.00 papercover.