A Prescription for Global Education in Health and Human Services

Study abroad might be associated primarily with humanities or business majors, but San Diego State University has mandated an international experience for all its health and human services students. Here's why.     

Home-school Agreements: A true partnership?

From September 1999 all schools in England and Wales will be expected to have a 'home-school' agreement in place. The home-school agreement initiative has provoked considerable debate amongst and between politicians, educationalists, professional associations and parents' organisations. This article provides an analysis of this controversy . The first part places home-school agreements within the historical context of home-school relations. The second part discusses two key issues of 'enforceability' and 'partnership' that have informed much of the debate . The article concludes by suggesting that models of parents as 'problems', as 'partners' and as 'consumers' are all implicit within this recent initiative and it questions whether an acceptable balance between these models can be incorporated in the process of implementation.     

Sex preference and body orientation preference in huddling behavior of rat pups

The social huddling of six litters of rat pups (Rattus norvegicus) was observed on Days 6–9 postpartum without the dam present. Each litter was reduced to three male and three female pups. Thirty-six pups were used as subjects (18 male, 18 female). Tests for the effects of sex of subject, age of subject, sex of littermate huddled against, and body orientation during huddling were carried out. Results indicated that subjects huddled against opposite-sex Uttermates more frequently than against same-sex littermates. Huddling was a curvilinear function of age, with average frequency of huddling reaching a peak on the second day of observation (Day 7 postpartum) and decreasing thereafter. Results also showed that subjects, regardless of sex, huddled using an orientation that allowed their heads to touch more frequently than an orientation in which the head was touching the body of a sibling. These data on early sex preference and body orientation pReferences during huddling suggest that rat pups are competent in aspects of behavior having attachment potential. The findings also help define the age of social competence in this species.     

Differential Third‐Grade Outcomes Associated With Attending Publicly Funded Preschool Programs for Low‐Income Latino Children

This study examined the third‐grade outcomes of 11,902 low‐income Latino children who experienced public school pre‐K or child care via subsidies (center‐based care) at age 4 in Miami‐Dade County, Florida. Regression and propensity score analyses revealed that children who experienced public school pre‐K earned higher scores on standardized assessments of math and reading in third grade and had higher grade point averages than those who attended center‐based care 4 years earlier. The sustained associations between public school pre‐K (vs. center‐based care) and third‐grade outcomes were mediated by children's kindergarten entry preacademic and social–behavioral skills, and among English‐language learners, English proficiency. Implications for investing in early childhood programs to assist with the school readiness of young Latino children in poverty are discussed.     

The effect of national culture on partner buyouts in cross-border biotechnology alliances

This study examines how national culture influences the likelihood and rate of buyouts among R&D equity alliances and joint ventures in the biotechnology industry. We hypothesize that the interaction of specific national culture attributes and cultural differences between alliance partners have an impact on: (1) the amount of endogenous uncertainty surrounding the potential integration of the target firm and (2) the marginal rate of learning in hierarchical versus collaborative governance. Applying a competing hazard model to a sample of 173 joint ventures and minority equity collaborations in the biotechnology industry, we found that investing firms from high power distance and high uncertainty avoidance countries are more likely to buy out their alliance partners. Furthermore, greater cultural distance between alliance partners increases the likelihood of partner buyout when investing firms are from high power distance countries.     

No one way: Differentiating school district leadership and support for school improvement

This article examines findings from a qualitative investigation of how school district administrators in four mid to large sized urban school districts (10,000–50,000) identify and address differences in school performance. The analysis explores the interaction between district policies and actions that centralize and standardize expectations for teaching, learning, and leadership, and those that lead to the differentiation of district support to schools depending upon their identified needs. The findings demonstrate variability in district orientation and capacity to understand school needs to improve performance, as well as in district strategies for actually differentiating support to schools. Differentiated assistance can focus both on strengthening implementation of district expectations in order to improve school performance, and on supporting experimentation with non-standard solutions to performance challenges that are not solvable through use of established programs and practices.     

Sexual Health Transformation Among College Student Educators in an Arts-Based HIV Prevention Intervention: A Qualitative Cross-Site Analysis

We examined the sexual health change process experienced by 26 college student sexual health educators from three geographic regions of the United States who participated in a multisite arts-based sexual health prevention program. We conducted eight focus groups and used a phenomenological approach to analyze data. We drew from social cognitive theory (SCT) to examine how sexual health knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and communication shifted across the duration of participation. Findings suggest that the college student sexual health educators (a) developed enhanced sexual health awareness and critical consciousness, (b) questioned their own sexual health education and challenged previous beliefs, and (c) demonstrated self-efficacy related to intended behavior change and their perceived role as social justice advocates. We present both similarities and differences regarding the sexual health change process among the college student sexual health educators across the three sites.     

The Effects of Physical Abuse on Children's Social Relationships

Social behavior and peer status of 87 physically abused 8–12-year-old urban children were compared with those of 87 case-matched nonmaltreated classmates. Peer nominations and peer ratings were collected in classrooms, social networks were assessed by child interview, family variables were assessed by interviewing mothers, and behavior problems were rated by parents and teachers. Significant findings were that abused children had lower peer status and less positive reciprocity with peers chosen as friends; they were rated by peers as more aggressive and less cooperative and by parents and teachers as more disturbed; and their social networks showed more insularity, atypicality, and negativity. Social behavior as perceived by peers accounted for a significant portion of the variance in social status; global disturbance measures did not add to this association. Results are discussed in terms of a context of family violence in the development of social maladjustment.