Facebook Use and Its Role in Shaping Access to Social Benefits among Older Adults

Adults who are 65 years or older have increasingly adopted social network sites (SNSs), Facebook in particular. Yet the ramifications of SNS use in this population remain understudied. Using a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (N = 2,003), this study focuses on Facebook users (N = 1,138) and examines patterns of Facebook use by younger (aged 18–65 years) and older users (aged 65 or older), as well as the social benefits associated with older users’ Facebook use. Findings show that older users have different network structures, but the frequency of their visits and engagement in Social Media Relationship Maintenance Behaviors (SMRMB), a measure of perceived likelihood to engage with others via social media, do not significantly differ from those of younger users. Moreover, our results suggest that among older users (N = 98), the number of self-reported “actual” friends on Facebook and SMRMB positively predict perceived support, while SMRMB contributes to perceptions of access to useful information. Overall, the study highlights unique usage patterns and social benefits associated with Facebook use among older adults. As such, its findings provide insights for the future design of technological interventions to help older adults better access social benefits associated with SNS use.     

Therapeutic metaphors: Gateways to understanding

Counsellors, in a variety of settings, use counselling tools to assist clients in the conceptualization of issues and in developing coping and problem solving strategies. Counsellors are limited only by their creative abilities in selecting and developing tools and methods that will effect client change. This article explores the use of metaphor as a versatile and viable tool to facilitate client growth and transformation. After a brief review of definitions and historical perspectives, this paper outlines skills and considerations for using, creating, and delivering effective metaphors within a variety of theoretical approaches.     

Early adopters of ORCID functionality enabling recognition of peer review: Two brief case studies

Key points

• Publishers increasingly acknowledge the need for better recognition of peer review activities and are experimenting with ways to achieve this.
• A recent community working group recommended a set of data exchange standards to support this recognition, and these have now been implemented by the Open Researcher and Contributor ID.
• The American Geophysical Union and F1000 are the first adopters of this new functionality.

     

The literacy curriculum and use of an Integrated Learning System

This article describes one aspect of a year‐long study of primary level teachers’ and children’s (Grades 1‐3; children aged 6‐9 years) use of the language arts component of SuccessMaker, an Integrated Learning System (ILS). Using information gathered from teacher surveys and classroom observation, we documented areas where the curricula embedded in the ILS were congruent with teachers’ normal curricula and pedagogical practices. However, we also found numerous instances of incongruity. To illustrate our findings we use the case of phonics instruction to reveal discrepancies between normal practice and computer‐based learning. The differences in content, presentation sequence and instructional practices raise issues about the appropriate relationship between computer‐based instruction and teachers’ normal practices.     

Letter From the Editor

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

Beyond the Rhetoric of Empowerment: Speak the Language, Live the Experience of the Rural Poor

Growth in rural communities, along with attendant changes in social, economic and environmental conditions, challenges members of these communities to take even more responsibility for their lives than in the past. While there is a need to promote sustainable economic prosperity, it is important that developmental approaches should not compromise the potential of citizens to meet these challenges independently. The present contribution is based on a phenomenological study that explored approaches to community development in Botswana. One of the key findings was that these were dominated by a bureaucratized welfare scheme, as the government gave free food and farming implements to poor people in an approach referred to as atlhama-o-je (‘open-your-mouth-and-eat’). The present contribution reflects on the consequences of using this type of approach, arguing that instead of bringing real hope to the rural poor, it generated counterproductive attitudes. In conclusion, the authors suggest alternative strategies that take account of the life experiences of the rural poor and render them less dependent on government intervention for their well-being.     

Beyond the Rhetoric of Empowerment: Speak the Language, Live the Experience of the Rural Poor

Growth in rural communities, along with attendant changes in social, economic and environmental conditions, challenges members of these communities to take even more responsibility for their lives than in the past. While there is a need to promote sustainable economic prosperity, it is important that developmental approaches should not compromise the potential of citizens to meet these challenges independently. The present contribution is based on a phenomenological study that explored approaches to community development in Botswana. One of the key findings was that these were dominated by a bureaucratized welfare scheme, as the government gave free food and farming implements to poor people in an approach referred to as atlhama-o-je (‘open-your-mouth-and-eat’). The present contribution reflects on the consequences of using this type of approach, arguing that instead of bringing real hope to the rural poor, it generated counterproductive attitudes. In conclusion, the authors suggest alternative strategies that take account of the life experiences of the rural poor and render them less dependent on government intervention for their well-being.