Anti‐bullying practices in American schools: Perspectives of school psychologists

A random sample of 213 school psychologists working in a school setting completed a survey on their schools' current anti‐bullying practices. Talking with bullies following bullying incidents, disciplinary consequences for bullies, and increasing adult supervision were the three most frequently used strategies. Peer juries/court, an anti‐bullying committee, and peer counselors were least frequently used, according to respondents. School‐wide positive behavior support, modifying space and schedule, and immediate responses to bullying incidents were perceived as most effective, whereas avoiding contact between bullies and victims, a zero‐tolerance policy with bullies, and a written anti‐bullying policy were least effective. Results and implications are discussed within the context of empirically supported practices. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Violence among high school students in Thailand: Cultural perspectives

The objectives of this study were to explore the prevalence and severity of violent behavior among high school students in Thailand, in relation to their family, peers, school and neighborhoods. The sample consisted of 2897 youths. Seven scales were used to measure violence. Males were found to be more violent than females, and the strongest predictor of own violence was violence in the youth's environment, followed by peer effects and personal characteristics. The results indicate that besides some unique influences, which could explain emphasis or differences in type, range and frequency of violent behaviors among Thai youth, compared with youth from other cultures, risk factors for youth violence reported in Western studies are applicable also to Thai youths. The results were interpreted in light of the cultural characteristics of Thailand.     

Online Communities of Practice: A Catalyst for Faculty Development

This article addresses the concept of communities of practice and how it has come of age for the professional development of professors as teachers. Thanks to current technological options, faculty developers can enhance the opportunity for the entire faculty to learn through the use of online communities. Designing a faculty development portal using community of practice concepts can be an effective means to jump-start, facilitate, develop, and sustain faculty involvement in academic communities.     

Pharmacists’ utilization and interest in usage of personal digital assistants in their professional responsibilities

Background and objectives: Pharmacists use PDAs for performing various activities related to their profession. The objective of this study was to examine pharmacists’ utilization pattern and interest in usage of personal digital assistants (PDAs) in various facets of health care. Methods: A cross‐sectional survey was conducted by distributing a pre‐validated 23‐item instrument to a convenience sample of pharmacists (n = 295) in the Houston area. Usage frequency (0 = never to 5 = frequently) and interest in future use (1 = extremely disinterested to 5 = extremely interested) of PDAs for various activities were evaluated and compared across pharmacy practice settings. Results: Most pharmacists reported maximum use of PDAs, as personal organizers (3.7 ± 1.8), in obtaining drug information (2.9 ± 1.8) and as medical calculators (2.6 ± 1.9). Similar results were obtained while evaluating interest of pharmacists who did not have PDAs and have never used PDAs for these three activities. Hospital pharmacists owned and used PDAs significantly (P < 0.05) more often than community pharmacists. Conclusions: Pharmacists used PDAs for basic functions in their profession role. Application of PDA technology in community pharmacy settings may result in its better adoption in both the settings.     

Criminal activity among Jewish and Arab youth in Israel

This study examines data deriving from the self-reported criminal activities of Israeli Jewish and Arab street corner youth and junior and senior high-school students in Israel. Differences were found between the groups as regards type and levels of criminal activity. The findings indicate that (a) street corner youth committed more crimes than did students; (b) Arab juveniles committed more crimes than did Jewish juveniles; and (c) Arab street corner youth committed more crimes than did members of the other groups. The data are analyzed to determine if the differences revealed between the two ethnic groups reflect (a) possible discrimination against Arab juveniles by the criminal justice system in Israel, and (b) the influence of Arab-Jewish tensions in the region. Special attention is given to the types of juvenile crime typically committed during the current disorders in the occupied territories.     

Lessons learned from an evolving DEI programme within a global publisher

• Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is at the core of Springer Nature's mission. Prioritizing DEI helps us become the business we aim to be: one that enables millions of people to access, trust and make sense of the latest insights, to improve and enrich both our lives and the planet.
• We are committed to championing DEI across our content, communities and organization—and also across the whole set of businesses that make up Springer Nature Group—education, health, professional and research.
• Working across our business to harness the varied reach, business capabilities and resources of all our colleagues has been important in this journey, but so too is accountability and the collective efforts of pan-publisher initiatives.
• From editorial guidance to internal mentoring programmes and sustainable development curriculum programmes, our DEI work has been varied and successful, but we have learnt lessons along the way—and still have a way to go. This piece looks at what we have done so far, and our priorities for progress moving forward.