Ethnic Differences in Associations Among Popularity,Likability, and Trajectories of Adolescents' Alcohol Use and Frequency

Two‐part latent growth models examined associations between two forms of peer status (popularity, likability) and adolescents' alcohol use trajectories throughout high school; ethnicity was examined as a moderator. Ninth‐grade low‐income adolescents (N = 364; M_age = 15.08; 52.5% Caucasian; 25.8% African American; 21.7% Latino) completed sociometric nominations of peer status and aggression at baseline, and reported their alcohol use every 6 months. After controlling for gender, aggression, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, popularity—but not likability—prospectively predicted alcohol use trajectories. However, these effects were moderated by ethnicity, suggesting popularity as a risk factor for alcohol use probability and frequency among Caucasian and Latino, but not African American adolescents. Results suggest that developmental correlates of peer status should be considered within cultural context.     

Shifting directions in ECEC policy in New Zealand: from a child rights to an interventionist approach

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy reflects ideas about childhood, labour force participation, education, the economy and the role of the state. This article spans a period of political change in New Zealand from a left of centre government during the first decade of the twenty-first century to a right of centre government from 2009. It draws on policy evaluations and document analysis to critically examine the shifts in approaches to ECEC policy over this time and the consequences for participants of different policy frameworks. It argues that discourses of children as ‘priority’ have replaced a focus on citizenship, and a swing has occurred away from universal to targeted approaches aimed at encouraging ECEC participation for a few. Recent policies have removed crucial professional supports and qualification goals for teachers, bringing into question New Zealand's commitment to quality. The market continues to determine provision and unfettered expansion of for-profit provision is occurring. Yet at odds with this trend, some examples of community planning are occurring, offering a glimmer of possibilities for how ECEC might be conceptualised, organised and supported.     

The Impact of Developmental Mathematics Courses and Age,Gender, and Race and Ethnicity on Persistence and Academic Performance in Virginia Community Colleges

This research study examined the 2006 cohort of First-Time-in-College students from all 23 community colleges in Virginia. The goal was to examine fall-to-fall persistence and success in the first college-level mathematics course. Predictor variables used were developmental status, age, gender, and race and ethnicity of the student. Interaction variables were created to determine if age, race and ethnicity, or gender moderates the effects of developmental status for both persistence and success. And a model was created using all main and interaction predictor variables to determine to what extent each variable accounts for persistence and success. It was found that neither gender nor race and ethnicity moderates developmental status for either persistence or success, but age moderates both success and persistence. Developmental courses are more effective for traditionally aged students and developmental courses are positively related to the persistence of nontraditionally aged students and negatively related to the persistence of traditionally aged students. The predictor variables developmental status, age, race and ethnicity, and gender are all significantly related to both the success and persistence of students. The effect of developmental status on both success and persistence is weak. Nondevelopmental status, female, nontraditionally aged, and non-Black race and ethnicity are all positively related to the success of students. Nondevelopmental status, female, traditionally aged, non-White and non-Black race and ethnicities are all positively related to the fall-to-fall persistence of students.     

The Intercultural Conflict Style Inventory: A conceptual framework and measure of intercultural conflict resolution approaches

Grounded in the pragmatics of human communication perspective, the current study examined how disagreements and emotion function across cultural context in resolving conflict. Specifically, the research effort developed the Intercultural Conflict Style (ICS) inventory, a 36-item measure of intercultural conflict resolution style based on two core dimensions: Direct vs. indirect approaches to dealing with disagreements and emotionally expressive vs. emotionally restrained patterns for dealing with the affective dimension of conflict interaction. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) found the proposed two-factor model was a good fit to the data. Analysis of the CFA findings identified a final set of 18 direct/indirect items and 18 emotional expressiveness/restraint items. The direct/indirect scale obtained a coefficient alpha of .73 and the emotional expressiveness/restraint scale achieved .85 reliability. Validity testing of the scales found no significant effects by gender, education or previous intercultural living experience. A theoretical framework for understanding differences in conflict resolution styles grounded in the development of this inventory, a practical, four-quadrant intercultural conflict resolution style model is proposed based on high/low levels of directness and high/low levels of emotional expressiveness: (1) discussion style (direct & emotionally restrained), (2) engagement style (direct & emotionally expressive), (3) accommodation style (indirect & emotionally restrained) and (4) dynamic style (indirect and emotionally expressive).     

Multiple Measures and High-Stakes Decisions: A Framework for Combining Measures

The article presents a framework for combining multiple measures to reach high-stakes decisions. Criteria are identified for the employment of conjunctive, compensatory, and complementary approaches to combining measures. The framework is illustrated through the documentation of the School District of Philadelphia's initiative to employ multiple measures, including standardized test scores, to determine promotion decisions. The author demonstrates that the use of multiple measures itself does not necessarily improve the reliability and validity of the decisions. It is the logic by which the measures are combined that determines the accuracy and appropriateness of the decisions reached.     

EXPLAINING LABOR'S WIN AT THE 1993 AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL ELECTION

This paper investigates Labor's victory at the 1993 AustralianFederal election. In the aftermath of the election a varietyof explanations emerged endeavoring to account for the result.From these explanations factors claimed as important are investigatedfor their influence on vote choice and importantly their contributionto the parties' shares of the vote. Confirming aspects of someof the explanations, the factors which gave the ALP the greatestbenefits were the opposition's proposed goods and services tax,and the medicare and health, and industrial relations issues.The coalition benefited from Labor's employment record, theeconomic management issue, and from the belief that it was timeto change government. This study demonstrates that careful analysisof survey data can provide accurate and detailed accounts ofelection outcomes. We discuss how explanations of election outcomesin general can be improved and the implications of the study'sfindings for the next election.