Through the looking glass: Ethnic and generational patterns of immigrant identity

Traditional theories of the “looking glass self” and “social mirroring” assume that people's views of their own group reflect the societal view. Crocker and colleagues (Crocker, J., Luhtanen, R., Blaine, B., & Brodnax, S. (1994). Collective self-esteem and psychological well-being among white, black, and Asian college students. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20, 503–513), however, found ethnic group differences in the extent to which private and public views correspond. We report data from two studies that further examine this correspondence in (a) a sample of first- and second-generation Black immigrants and (b) samples of first- and second-generation Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, Latino, and White immigrants. Study 1 shows significant shifts for Black immigrants, from a high correlation between public and private regard in the first generation to a non-significant relationship in the second generation. Study 2 replicates the findings for the Black sample and shows different patterns of association for the other three groups. It also shows that endorsement of multiculturalism moderates the relationship between public and private regard among first generation Black and Latino immigrants. We discuss these results in terms of managing the negative value associated with one's group in society and consider immigration as a site for studying social change.     

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INFORMATIONAL SUPPORT AND POST-INJURY FUNCTIONAL STATUS IN OLDER WOMEN RECOVERING FROM A HIP FRACTURE

One type of social support is social activity. Most older adults engage in some form of social activity with network members, either in person or by telephone, especially during an episode of an acute illness. Informational support (one type of functional social support) provides an individual with the necessary knowledge and skills to resolve various problems and stressful situations. This support is provided by members and for members within a social network. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of social activity, a component of informational support, on postinjury functional status following a hip fracture in women 65 years of age and older. A cross-sectional exploratory study was conducted to examine the relationship between informational support and postinjury functional status in older women recovering from hip fracture. A correlational design was used to examine the relationships among an older woman's individual characteristics, social activity-informational support, and postinjury functional status. The sample was obtained from two community hospitals containing subacute units and a geriatric center with a short stay rehabilitation unit. Over half of the respondents were interviewed in their homes (55%); the remaining were interviewed either at a hospital subacute unit (33%), geriatric rehabilitation center (11%), or while living with a family member (1%). Instruments used in this study included: (a) Pfeiffer's Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire, (b) the instrumental activities of daily living and a modified version of physical activities of daily living subscales from the OARS Multidimensional Functional Assessment Questionnaire, (c) the modified Informational Support subscale in the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors version, and (d) individual characteristics (age, marital status, education, income, living arrangement, preinjury functional status, time since injury, number of postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and discharge destination). A convenience sample of 73 respondents were interviewed. Results indicated that: (a) time since injury predicted informational support, and (b) preinjury functional status (FS), time since injury, and informational support predicted postinjury FS. This is the first study to examine the influence of informational support on postinjury functional status in older women recovering from a hip fracture. The results support an important relationship between informational support and postinjury functional status. Future studies are needed to explore how informational support from health care providers, family, friends, and community can improve the recovery process and to assist the interdisciplinary team in designing therapeutic interventions that promote informational support in hip fracture patients.     

‘You know what you've done right and what you've done wrong and what you need to improve on’: New Zealand students' perspectives on feedback

This study was designed to explore children's understanding of formative assessment and its effects on their learning, in order to establish what learners perceive as important to help them improve their learning. The study found that children have a good understanding of the concepts of feedback, and can articulate clearly the elements most useful for helping them to improve their learning. A key finding of the study was that although there is consistency about the factors involved in good assessment, there is variation in the type of feedback seen as effective in demonstrating those factors. Issues relating to possible gender differences in the reception of feedback, and in what is perceived as helpful, emerged during the study. Recommendations for future research include the need to explore these, followed by the identification of implications for classroom use if a gender‐based link relating to formative assessment is found.     

The molecular scattering of light from certain organic liquids

An attempt is made to discover in the molecular scattering of light a method by which atomic linkages in molecules may be recognized. The essential features of the method are described. There are rather serious difficulties in its application to complex molecules, two of which are suggested. Nevertheless, it may be claimed that the work is not without result, because frequencies attributable to linkages which hold externally substituted atoms or groups seem to be relatively undisturbed by positional effects.In conclusion, the authors wish to express their indebtedness to Mr. G. M. J. Mackay whose interest in this problem made the present work possible.