Locking the virtual filing cabinet: A researcher's guide to Internet data security

As the Internet has grown in popularity, the opportunity it provides for conducting research has also become too large for researchers to ignore. Thus many have flocked to put surveys, experiments, and other data collection measures online in an attempt to gather empirical evidence in a variety of fields. While some choose a commercial provider to host surveys or experiments, others require the additional flexibility that comes with creating and maintaining a custom server. Herein lies a crucial problem: Most researchers lack the skills necessary to design, implement, and manage a server end-to-end. To overcome this limitation, they often hire programmers and administrators, who while usually competent, are not ultimately accountable to granting agencies funding research or Institutional Review Boards overseeing the research. This puts the researcher in a position of accountability in data security, confidentiality, and privacy concerns. The goal of the present paper is to outline a typical server setup, and highlight issues pertaining to data security in language accessible to researcher. This paper also presents data collected and analyzed from an anonymous distributed survey asking researchers questions assessing their management of research data. Our findings from the responses confirmed the legitimacy of our concerns by demonstrating the evident need for stricter security measures in research settings. By reading this paper, we hope that researchers will be cognizant of the optimal security practices which can be equipped to avoid the extreme consequences of data security breaches and gain a deeper understanding of the software they use to collect research data.     

Parental physical and psychological aggression: Psychological symptoms in young adults

ObjectiveThe purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between various levels of parent-child physical violence and psychological symptoms reported by college students, while controlling for demographic variables, severity and frequency of violence, and co-occurrence of parental psychological aggression.MethodParticipants included 298 college students ranging in age from 18 to 27 years. Participants completed a demographic information form, the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale (CTSPC).ResultsResults of analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of variance indicated that individuals in the child physical abuse group obtained higher BSI scores compared to individuals in the corporal punishment and no violence groups. Few differences were observed between mild and severe corporal punishment groups. Multiple regression analyses indicated that when frequency of corporal punishment, child physical abuse, and psychological aggression, along with demographic variables, were considered simultaneously, psychological aggression was the most unique predictor of BSI scores.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that severe forms of physical violence were associated with long-term psychological symptoms. When demographic variables and the frequency of several parent aggression variables were considered simultaneously, however, psychological aggression was most predictive of psychological outcome. These findings suggest that messages communicated to a child via psychological aggression may be more important in contributing to psychological outcome than the actual occurrence of physical violence toward the child.Practice implicationsThe current study supports the premise that severe physical aggression experienced in childhood is associated with serious psychological consequences in adulthood. In contrast, individuals who experienced less severe forms of parent-child violence, such as corporal aggression, exhibited similar symptom levels to those reporting no parent-child violence. When severe physical aggression, corporal aggression, and psychological aggression were considered simultaneously, however, psychological aggression emerged as the most unique predictor of psychological outcome. Researchers and clinicians who work with adults reporting childhood histories of severe parent-child violence should be aware of the importance of parent-child psychological aggression in contributing to psychological outcome.     

Liberatory Public Education: A Framework for Centering Community and Democracy in Public Education

In this conceptual article, the authors argue that diversity is an invitation to educators, youth, families, and community members to work together—a goal accomplished only by centering the local community rather than the local school—to educate youth and create a more just society. Based upon liberatory and emancipatory education, liberatory public education, an intersectional conceptual framework, brings together recent and current justice-oriented scholarship focused on youth development, curriculum and pedagogy, schooling, and community liberation, making a parallel case for justice-oriented family engagement in public schooling. The authors conclude with implications for teacher education, education policy, and family engagement scholarship.     

Where we are headed—and why: A step-by-step guide to strategic planning in center-based child care

Having a vision for the future is an essential, yet elusive, part of day care management. For busy administrators, planning for the years ahead is often a low priority due to the day-to-day emergencies which take precedent. However, this can be accomplished in an effective manner through the process of strategic planning. Unlike long-term planning, completed by a few administrators in isolation and based on current trends, strategic planning allows all those involved in the child care center—board members, director, staff, volunteers, and parents—to participate in the process of constructing a future for the child care center based on current realities as well as their hopes and dreams. Once it is written, a guide is established which provides direction for future activities for the center. This article offers a step-by-step guide to the development of a strategic plan.     

Are abusive fractures in young children becoming less common? Changes over 24 years

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the proportion of fractures rated as abusive in children <36 months of age evaluated at a regional pediatric hospital increased over a 24-year period from 1979 to 2002. Fractures were chosen as an example of serious injuries in young children. METHODS: Medical records were abstracted for all children <36 months of age who were seen at a single pediatric hospital with a fracture during three time periods: 1979-1983, 1991-1994, and 1999-2002. After reviewing the abstracted and radiographic information, two clinicians (one an expert on child abuse) and two pediatric radiologists each rated the likelihood of abuse using explicit criteria and a seven-point scale from definite abuse to definite unintentional injury. Ratings were done independently; when disagreements occurred, the case was discussed, and a joint rating was agreed upon, if possible. The proportions of cases rated as abuse were compared over the three time periods, and logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (OR). RESULTS: In the early, middle, and late samples, there were 200, 240, and 232 children, respectively, with fractures. The proportion of cases rated as abuse decreased from 22.5% in the early period to 10.0% in the middle period and was 10.8% in the late period (p<.001). When comparing the odds of abuse in the middle and late groups to the odds of abuse in the early group (controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, type of medical insurance, and site of pediatric care), the adjusted ORs were .31 (95% CI=.15, .62) for the middle group and .45 (95% CI=.23, .86) for the late group. Thus, the odds of a given case being rated as abuse decreased by over 50% from the early period to the middle and late time periods. No statistically significant difference was found when comparing the odds of abuse for the middle group to those of the late group, OR: 1.46 (95% CI=.69, 3.08). CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of abusive fractures in young children decreased substantially from 1979-1983 to 1991-1994 and 1999-2002 at a major pediatric hospital. We speculate that this decrease may reflect early recognition of less serious forms of maltreatment and the availability of services to high-risk families.     

Tracking avian flu on the Web

To some the term avian flu or H5N1 has become synonymous with the pandemic flu of 1918. Like the former pandemic, this current threat has the potential to cause up to 7.4 million deaths worldwide. Yet as of mid-2006, the viability of this threat is still unclear. There is no doubt that birds, especially poultry, have been the primary target of this particular strain of influenza. Human illnesses and deaths have resulted from direct contact with birds; farmers and food handlers are most at risk. Fortunately there has not been a shift to human-to-human transmission. However, it is imperative for public heath officers, health professionals, and other appropriate officials to keep current on the progress of this virus within the bird population, and its spread around the world. Preventative measures including worst case scenarios have been widely discussed and even resulted in a made-for-TV movie. The need for up-to-date information is essential in order to track the extent of transmission, location of current outbreaks, and most importantly steps for preparedness that could be vital for prevention and containment. This article explores and identifies major Web sites along with basic Internet search techniques to find informative and credible Webbased resources. doi:10.1300/J115v26n01_06.