Multilevel Factorial Invariance in n-Level Structural Equation Modeling (nSEM)

We present a multigroup multilevel confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model and a procedure for testing multilevel factorial invariance in n-level structural equation modeling (nSEM). Multigroup multilevel CFA introduces a complexity when the group membership at the lower level intersects the clustered structure, because the observations in different groups but in the same cluster are not independent of one another. nSEM provides a framework in which the multigroup multilevel data structure is represented with the dependency between groups at the lower level properly taken into account. The procedure for testing multilevel factorial invariance is illustrated with an empirical example using an R package xxm2.     

The Impact of Neighborhood,Family, and Individual Risk Factors on Toddlers’ Disruptive Behavior

Disadvantaged neighborhoods confer risk for behavior problems in school‐aged children but their impact in toddlerhood is unknown. Relations between toddlers’ disruptive behavior and neighborhood disadvantage, family disadvantage, violence or conflict exposure, parent depressive symptoms, and parenting behavior were examined using multilevel, multigroup (girl–boy) models. Participants were 1,204 families (mean child age = 24.7 months). Unique associations between disruptive behavior and all risk factors were observed, but the effect of neighborhood disadvantage was negligible when all of the more proximal factors were accounted for. The results suggest both that children in disadvantaged neighborhoods are at greater risk of behavior problems than children in nondisadvantaged neighborhoods and that optimal prevention/intervention work with these children will attend to proximal risk factors.     

现代社会保障模式及其影响因素分析

社会保障模式的选择受到价值观念与经济发展水平的制约。价值观念主要取决于政府对于不同发展目标重要性的判断与社会福利内容的解析,也受到一国社会文化因素的影响。而经济发展水平则决定了一国实现公共福利目标的层次与范围。在严明的法律体系保障下,才能保证社会保障措施的顺利实施。我国应根据当前的经济、社会环境,选择适合中国国情的社会保障模式,并在条件成熟的时候应考虑确立社会保障的基本法。     

Does maternal employment influence poor children’s social development?

Various initiatives over the past 40 years have aimed to strengthen children’s early learning and social development. One policy theory—manifest in recent welfare reforms—postulates that requiring single mothers to work more outside the home will advance children’s well-being. We first examine whether young children’s social development is related to maternal employment among 405 women who entered welfare-to-work programs in 1998. For girls, age 24–42 months, we found that their mother’s recent employment duration was significantly associated with a lower incidence of aggressive behavior and inattentiveness, measured by two scales from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 2/3). Yet these relationships with employment were weaker than more robust associations observed for proximal child-rearing practices, including the frequency of reading with the child, enforcing a regular bedtime, the propensity to spank the child, as well as levels of maternal depression. We then assess whether broader measures of the mother’s economic security help to predict these proximal determinants of development. We observed that food security and indicators of job quality consistently predicted the proximal factors. Structural equation models (SEM) provided additional evidence that these broader indicators of economic security, but not recent employment per se, operated through parenting practices and maternal depression to influence girls’ and boys’ social development. These results are consistent with recent findings from random-assignment experiments, showing that employment gains rarely affect child outcomes unless mothers’ income and broader economic security also improve.     

社会生态学的环境哲学理念及其启示

社会生态学是一种辩证自然主义哲学,要求我们认识自然("第一自然")与社会("第二自然")是大自然内在统一的辩证发展过程。社会生态学认为,我们人类当今所面临的所有生态问题,都根源于深层的社会问题。一个以"要么增长,要么死亡"为基础并将其作为普遍规则的社会,必然对生态环境造成灾难性的影响。社会生态学的根本价值目标是寻求经济制度、政治制度和精神文化的生态化,建设一个生态社会。     

Knowing in practice: re-conceptualising vocational expertise

The following re-conceptualisation of vocational expertise is premised on reconciling contributions from cognitive psychology with those from social and cultural theories of thinking and acting. Relations between the individuals acting and the social practice in which they act are proposed as bases for knowing and performance — knowing in practice. Domains of knowledge are held to be products of reciprocal and interpretative construction arising from individuals' engagement in social practice, rather than being abstracted disciplinary knowledge or disembedded sociocultural tools. The construction of the individuals' domains of vocational practice is constituted reciprocally through their participation at work. Some implications for curriculum are also proposed.     

Children's school readiness in the ECLS-K: Predictions to academic, health, and social outcomes in first grade

Two studies examine patterns of school readiness in children at school entry and how these patterns predict first-grade outcomes in a nationally representative sample of first-time kindergartners from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Class of 1998–1999 (N = 17,219). In Study 1, cluster analyses revealed four profiles at kindergarten entry: comprehensive positive development (30%), social/emotional and health strengths (34%), social/emotional risk (13%), and health risk (22.5% of the sample). Study 2 results suggested that children with one of the two “risk” profiles were more likely to be from families with multiple socioeconomic disadvantages. In addition, all four profiles differentially predicted academic and social adjustment in early elementary school. Children with a risk profile performed the worst on all outcomes; children with a comprehensive positive development profile performed the best. The authors discuss the need for early identification of children who may be at risk for entering school with few school readiness strengths.     

大学生择业的社会生态模型:环境的力量

西方职业学家从个人利益最大化的角度提出了以兴趣和能力、就业机会为核心的特质论和决策模型,以及以供需关系、社会声望为主导的经济学、社会学模型,然而这些建立在西方社会经济背景之上的模型很难解释当今大学生的择业行为,如择业常常牺牲专业、欠发达地区人才需求强劲但无人问津、民营企业缺乏吸引力等。为此,本论文结合我国区域社会经济发展极不平衡的实际,以及市场经济条件下大学生需求的特点,突出择业过程中嵌套职业岗位的组织和地区环境的社会生态对个人的价值回报,提出并论证了大学生择业的社会生态模型。     

What contributes to low achievement of middle school students: Evidence from multigroup structural equation modeling

The authors' purpose was to examine the degree to which low achievement is related to ontogenetic factors (i.e., personal psychological traits expressed as attention and depression) or microsystemic factors (i.e., socioeconomic status, parenting, relationship with peers and teachers), using a total of 721 middle school students in South Korea. Based on the percentile rank, low-achieving students (bottom 15%; n = 323) and high-achieving students (top 15%; n = 398) were grouped, and a multigroup structural equation modeling was employed to determine which ecological factor(s) contribute to predict low achievement of middle school students. Results from multigroup structural equation modeling showed that 3 of the 6 ecological and ontological factors had significant direct or indirect effect on low achievement: socioeconomic status (direct effect), attention (direct effect), parenting (indirect effect). The findings are discussed in terms of the intertwined influences of ecological factors on low achievement, finally leading to the discussion on the limitations and future directions for research.     

Developing Preschoolers’ Social Skills: The Effectiveness of Two Educational Methods

This study tested whether and how methods called ‘Play Time/Social Time’ and ‘I Can Problem Solve’ contribute to the improvement of social skills and the development of theory of mind (ToM) in children. The participants in the experiment were nearly 200 (N = 196) preschool children with low social functioning, with and without disabilities. The study showed that social skills and the level of ToM in children attending the lessons improved more than those of children from the control group. Both methods turned out to be effective in the case of social skills and ToM development among children with and without disabilities. It is worthwhile to popularise these methods among preschool teachers.     

The dark side of social support: Understanding the role of social support,drinking behaviors and alcohol outlets for child physical abuse

The purpose of this study is to examine how parental drinking behavior, drinking locations, alcohol outlet density, and types of social support (tangible, emotional, and social companionship) may place children at greater risk for physical abuse. Data on use of physical abuse, drinking behaviors, types of social support, social networks, and demographic information were collected via telephone interviews with 3,023 parent respondents in 50 cities in California. Data on alcohol outlet density were obtained by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Multilevel Poisson models were used to analyze data for the drinking levels in the entire sample and dose-response drinking models for drinkers. Social companionship support was related to more frequent use of physical abuse. Having a higher percentage of social companionship support network living within the neighborhood was related to more frequent physical abuse in the full sample. This relationship was moderated by on-premise alcohol outlet density. With regards to drinking behaviors, drinking behaviors from ex-drinkers to frequent heavy drinkers used physically abusive parenting practices more often than lifetime abstainers. The dose-response models show that each additional drinking event at a bar or home/party was related to more frequent use of physical abuse. Practitioners working with parents who abuse their children should be aware that not all social support is beneficial. Findings build evidence that child maltreatment is influenced by the interaction between individual and ecological factors.     

The relative impact of school‐wide positive behavior support on teachers’ perceptions of student behavior across schools,teachers, and students

School‐wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) is a systemic approach for implementing a proactive schoolwide discipline and for improving students’ academic and behavioral outcomes by targeting the school’s organizational and social culture. With a multilevel approach, the present study evaluates the relative effectiveness of SWPBS on teachers’ perceptions of the student behavior (N = 3,295) across schools, teachers, and children using a multilevel approach. We assessed teacher perception of student problem behavior five times during a 3‐year implementation of SWPBS in 23 Dutch schools. Multilevel analyses not only revealed a small increase in perceived prosocial behavior and a small decrease in problems with peers, but also different effects across children, teachers, and schools. Effects were stronger for girls and for students with higher severity of perceived problems at baseline. At teachers’ level, higher mean baseline severity of perceived problems was associated with the reduced impact of SWPBS on perceived emotional problems and problems with peers. At the school level, effects were stronger for regular schools as compared with special needs schools.     

Personalizing twitter communication: an evaluation of ‘rotation-curation’ for enhancing social media engagement within higher education

Social media content generated by learning communities within universities is serving both pedagogical and marketing purposes. There is currently a dearth of literature related to social media use at the departmental level within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This study explores the multi-voiced interactions of a UK Psychology department’s ‘rotation curation’ approach to using Twitter. An in-depth analysis of a corpus of 4342 tweets by 58 curators (14 staff, 41 students, and 3 guest curators) was carried out using a combination of computer-assisted and manual techniques to generate a quantitative content analysis. The interactions received (e.g. retweets and favorites) and type of content posted (e.g. original tweets, retweets and replies) varied by curator type. Student curators were more likely to gain interactions from other students in comparison to staff. This paper discusses the benefits and potential limitations of a multi-voiced ‘rotation curation’ approach to social media management.     

社会流动的现状、原因和规则

社会流动是指个体或者群体在不同的社会经济地位之间的流动。对于社会流动的原因,美国学派认为个人的态度和行为是社会流动的主要原因,而欧洲学派则认为社会流动的主要原因是社会结构的转变。事实上,社会流动既受社会结构的影响,又受个人特质的影响,其流动规则有先赋性和自致性。现代社会应提供给社会成员更多的通过获致性因素而改变社会身份的机会。     

Child maltreatment in the “Children of the Nineties:” deprivation, class, and social networks in a UK sample

Aim: To determine risk factors for child maltreatment within the socio-economic environment of a contemporary UK child population.Methods: The research is based on a large cohort study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Out of 14,256 children participating in the study, 115 have been identified as having been placed on local child protection registers prior to their 6th birthday. Data on the socio-economic environment of the families have been obtained from a series of questionnaires administered during pregnancy and the first 3 years of life. Risk factors have been analyzed using logistic regression analysis.Results: Four indicators of deprivation all showed significant relationships with registration. Adjusted odds ratios were 2.33 for paternal unemployment; 7.65 for council housing; 2.16 for overcrowding; and 2.33 for car ownership. There was a strong relationship between the number of indicators of deprivation and the risk of maltreatment. In a second model, maternal unemployment, high mobility (> 3 house moves in the previous 5 years) and a poor social network were also significant with odds ratios of 2.82, 2.81, and 3.09, respectively.Conclusions: This study confirms the importance of social factors in the etiology of child maltreatment. Social deprivation is an important determinant of child maltreatment, and encompasses a number of different aspects, including financial security, housing situation and material benefits; in addition, the job situation of the parents and the stability and richness of their social networks all have a significant impact on risk of maltreatment. Interventions at both an individual and a community level are important to support families and reduce the risk of maltreatment.     

宁夏生态移民社会支持状况调查分析

利用社会支持评定量表(SSRS)对宁夏南部生态移民和移居地当地居民进行问卷调查,了解移民和当地居民在不同阶段的社会支持状况差异,并提出相应的对策,为提高移民的生活质量提供参考.     

Social support, attachment, and psychopathology in high risk formerly maltreated adults

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among social support, attachment security, and psychopathology in an adult sample of high risk abuse survivors. Attachment security was conceptualized in terms of two underlying dimensions, the working models of self and other. METHOD: Sixty-six participants (24 men and 42 women) who met conditions for physical or sexual abuse were recruited from the greater Boston area. They completed the "Record of Maltreatment Experiences." the "Relationship Scales Questionnaire," the "Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire," and multiple measures of psychopathology. RESULTS: When multiple risk and protective factors were examined concurrently (e.g., social support, attachment, abuse history, IQ, SES), a negative view of self (one of the attachment poles) was the strongest predictor of overall psychopathology. Social support did not emerge as a significant direct predictor of psychopathology, once the effects of negative view of self were accounted for. However, among participants low on social support, in comparison to those who are high, a negative view of self was more highly correlated with some psychopathology measures. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that among maltreatment survivors, negative view of self emerges as the most substantial predictor of psychopathology when examined in combination with other relevant risk factors.     

社会体育发展的经济学视角

经济是社会体育发展的基础,社会体育和经济发展有着互动关系。必须通过提高社会体育的参与程度.优化社会体育资源配置,提升社会体育管理水平来促进社会体育的发展,发挥它在经济建设中的积极作用。     

Sources of self-efficacy in mathematics: A validation study

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate items with which to assess A. Bandura’s (1997) theorized sources of self-efficacy among middle school mathematics students. Results from Phase 1 (N = 1111) were used to develop and refine items for subsequent use. In Phase 2 of the study (N = 824), a 39-item, four-factor exploratory model fit best. Items were revised to strengthen psychometric properties. In Phase 3 (N = 803), a 24-item, four-factor confirmatory factor model fit best. This final model was invariant across gender and ethnicity. Subscales correlated with self-efficacy, self-concept, mastery goals, and optimism. Results suggest that the sources scale is psychometrically sound and could be adapted for use in other domains.     

西部民族地区基层领导干部的应急能力

社会转型、利益调整、矛盾激化、突发事件呈逐年上升的趋势,给社会带来了巨大的损失。西部民族地区的社会生态环境给基层领导干部提出了更严峻的挑战,文章分析了西部民族地区引发社会矛盾的干部因素,提出加强基层领导干部作风建设、强化危机意识、提升预警和处置能力、学习危机处置技巧、加强干群良性互动的对策建议。