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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Developing Nations; Social Indicators; Student Surveys; Least Squares Statistics; Predictive Measurement; Learner Engagement; Secondary School Students; Coping; Friendship; Goodness of Fit; Sociometric Techniques; Social Influences; Social Environment; Quality of Life; Psychometrics; Statistical Analysis; Questionnaires; Correlation; Predictor Variables; School Attitudes; Student School Relationship

Abstract:
This study aims to examine an untested research model that explains the direct- and indirect influences of Academic Coping, Friendship Quality, and Student Engagement on Student Quality of School Life. This study employed the quantitative-based cross-sectional survey method. The sample consisted of 2400 Malaysian secondary Form Four students chosen equally from 50 schools using Multistage Stratified Cluster Sampling procedure. Self-reported questionnaire was administered. The data was analyzed with Partial Least Square approach using SmartPLS 2.0. Findings showed that Academic Coping, Student Engagement, and Friendship Quality significantly explained about 46% of variance in Student Quality of School Life. Student Engagement also contributed approximately 44% of variance in mediating the relationship between Academic Coping and Student Quality of School Life; and approximately 67% of variance between Friendship Quality and Student Quality of School Life. Findings indicated the predictability of the model in terms of predictive relevance and global goodness of fit. Limitations and suggestions for future studies are discussed. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Working Hours; Life Satisfaction; Well Being; Preferences; Values; Interpersonal Relationship; Adults; Behavior Theories; Social Indicators; Measurement; Sociometric Techniques; Social Influences; Socioeconomic Influences; Quality of Life; Research Problems; Psychometrics; Comparative Analysis; Surveys; Statistical Analysis; Cross Cultural Studies; Life Style; Social Life; Attitude Change

Abstract:
Using data from national socio-economic panel surveys in Australia, Britain and Germany, this paper analyzes the effects of individual preferences and choices on subjective well-being (SWB). It is shown that, in all three countries, preferences and choices relating to life goals/values, partner's personality, hours of work, social participation and healthy lifestyle have substantial and similar effects on life satisfaction. The results have negative implications for a widely accepted theory of SWB, "set-point theory." This theory holds that adult SWB is stable in the medium and long term, although temporary fluctuations occur due to life events. Set-point theory has come under increasing criticism in recent years, primarily due to unmistakable evidence in the German Socio-Economic Panel that, during the last 25 years, over a third of the population has recorded substantial and apparently permanent changes in life satisfaction (Fujita and Diener in "J Pers Soc Psychol" 88:158-64, 2005; Headey in "Soc Indic Res" 85:389-403, 2008a; Headey et al. in "Proc Natl Acad Sci USA" 107(42):17922-17926, 2010). It is becoming clear that the main challenge now for SWB researchers is to develop new explanations which can account for medium and long term change, and not merely stability in SWB. Set-point theory is limited precisely because it is purely a theory of stability. The paper is based on specially constructed panel survey files in which data are divided into multi-year periods in order to facilitate analysis of medium and long term change. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Well Being; Life Satisfaction; Measures (Individuals); Freedom; Development; Social Change; Rating Scales; Psychological Patterns; Social Indicators; Measurement; Sociometric Techniques; Social Influences; Social Environment; Psychometrics

Abstract:
A new paper presents a strong case for life satisfaction scales (Diener et al. in "Soc Indic Res," 2012). However, it underestimates two important weaknesses in subjective wellbeing (SWB) measures: the contrast between individual satisfaction and social discontent; and the contradictory evidence on the benefits of personal freedom. This commentary argues that SWB, like other conventional indicators, is measuring Westernization or modernization, rather than improved quality of life or human progress and development. The concepts may overlap, but they are not the same thing. At best, the qualities being measured may be desirable, even necessary, but are not sufficient. At worst, the benefits of modernization are being counted, but not its costs, which are substantial and increasing. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Social Isolation; Questionnaires; Social Stratification; Asians; Social Indicators; Sociometric Techniques; Economic Factors; Social Influences; Social Capital; Quality of Life; Surveys; Predictor Variables; Cross Cultural Studies; Politics

Abstract:
Using data from surveys on "social quality survey questionnaires", carried out by the Asian Consortium for Social Quality between 2009 and 2011, this study investigates the causes of social exclusion in six Asian societies. About 6,460 questionnaires were completed and the analysis of the data reveals the features and the causes of social exclusion in these societies. The study concludes that the impact of social factors (marital status, parental relations, and personal relations with local communities) on social exclusion is stronger than the political and economical factors (including class stratification and lack of financial resources). The findings indicate that the lack of social capitals is the most significant cause of social exclusion in these societies. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Statistical Analysis; Foreign Countries; Usability; Social Influences; Geographic Information Systems; Geography Instruction; Knowledge Level; Secondary School Teachers; Teacher Motivation; Questionnaires; Teacher Attitudes; Models; High Schools

Abstract:
This article explores the adoption of geographic information system (GIS) knowledge and skills through in-service training for high school geography teachers in Taiwan. Through statistical analysis of primary data collected from a census of Taiwan's high school geography teachers, it explores what motivates these teachers to undertake GIS training. The design of the questionnaire was largely inspired by the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the social influence model (SIM). The former model postulates the influence of perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) of GIS on teachers' actual adoption of the technology. The latter, in contrast, postulates that teachers' usage of GIS is affected by their peers and their schools. Statistical findings indicate that PU and school support are important factors influencing teachers' adoption of GIS in Taiwan. (Contains 8 tables and 4 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Acceleration (Education); Rating Scales; Urban Schools; Academically Gifted; Rural Schools; Suburban Schools; Rural Urban Differences; Teacher Attitudes; Social Influences; Emotional Experience; Student Needs; Teachers; Longitudinal Studies; Extracurricular Activities; Teacher Surveys; School Policy; Parent Attitudes; Measures (Individuals); Focus Groups

Abstract:
Despite extensive research supporting its use, including the 2004 publication of "A Nation Deceived," acceleration is an underutilized strategy for meeting the academic needs of gifted and talented students. Parents' and educators' attitudes and beliefs about acceleration influence the extent to which it is implemented in schools. This study investigated gifted and talented educators' attitudes toward acceleration using a 7-point rating scale measuring concerns about acceleration, beliefs about acceleration, and support for specific acceleration strategies. Data indicated there were no differences in attitudes among teachers from rural, suburban, or urban school districts. Overall, the least popular acceleration strategies were also the easiest to implement, but caused the greatest change in students' environments (i.e., grade-skipping and early entrance to kindergarten). As expected, the educators were most troubled by social issues and least concerned about academic issues related to acceleration. (Contains 6 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Mexicans; Migration Patterns; Semi Structured Interviews; Decision Making; Academic Aspiration; Economic Factors; Social Influences; Acculturation; Youth; Immigration; Mexican Americans; Family Influence; Family Characteristics

Abstract:
We explored migration decisions using in-depth, semistructured interviews with male and female youth ages 14 to 24 (n = 47) from two Mexican communities, one with high and one with low U.S. migration density. Half were return migrants and half were nonmigrants with relatives in the United States. Migrant and nonmigrant youth expressed different preferences, especially in terms of education and their ability to wait for financial gain. Reasons for migration were mostly similar across the two communities; however, the perceived risk of the migration journey was higher in the low-density migration community whereas perceived opportunities in Mexico were higher in the high-density migration community. Reasons for return were related to youths' initial social and economic motivations for migration. A greater understanding of factors influencing migration decisions may provide insight into the vulnerability of immigrant youth along the journey, their adaptation process in the United States, and their reintegration in Mexico. (Contains 3 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Activism; Teacher Education Programs; Urban Schools; Race; Professional Identity; Ethnicity; Politics of Education; Minority Group Teachers; Student Teachers; Student Teaching; Arabs; North Americans; Power Structure; Social Influences

Abstract:
Understanding teaching as a political act is often assumed to be a strength for teachers; however, this assumption conceals important aspects of their processes of becoming politicized. I argue that seeing teaching as a political act can be a liability for prospective teachers of color who engaged with college student activism if these assumed qualities are not productively addressed in teacher education programs. I examine trajectories of change in a prospective teacher's sense-making about activism over the course of her first year in a master's and credential program and explore the implications of these findings for programs of teacher education. (Contains 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Child Abuse; Risk; Foster Care; African American Children; Race; Referral; Racial Differences; Mothers; Ethnicity; Victims; Child Welfare; Law Enforcement; Whites; Socioeconomic Status; Health; Hispanic Americans; Social Influences; Political Influences; Environmental Influences; Family (Sociological Unit)

Abstract:
Objective: Data from the United States indicate pronounced and persistent racial/ethnic differences in the rates at which children are referred and substantiated as victims of child abuse and neglect. In this study, we examined the extent to which aggregate racial differences are attributable to variations in the distribution of individual and family-level risk factors. Methods: This study was based on the full population of children born in California in 2002. Birth records were linked to child protective service (CPS) records to identify all children referred for maltreatment by age 5. Generalized linear models were used to compute crude and adjusted racial/ethnic differences in children's risk of referral, substantiation, and entry to foster care. Results: As expected, stark differences between Black and White children emerged in the rates of contact with CPS. Black children were more than twice as likely as White children to be referred for maltreatment, substantiated as victims, and enter foster care before age 5. Yet, there were also significant differences across racial/ethnic groups in the distribution of socioeconomic and health factors strongly correlated with child maltreatment and CPS involvement. After adjusting for these differences, low socioeconomic Black children had a lower risk of referral, substantiation, and entry to foster care than their socioeconomically similar White counterparts. Among Latinos, before adjusting for other factors, children of U.S.-born mothers were significantly more likely than White children to experience system contact, while children of foreign-born mothers were less likely to be involved with CPS. After adjusting for socioeconomic and health indicators, the relative risk of referral, substantiation, and foster care entry was significantly lower for Latino children (regardless of maternal nativity) compared to White children. Conclusions: Race and ethnicity is a marker for a complex interaction of economic, social, political, and environmental factors that influence the health of individuals and communities. This analysis indicates that adjusting for child and family-level risk factors is necessary to distinguish race-specific effects (which may reflect system, worker, or resource biases) from socioeconomic and health indicators associated with maltreatment risk. Identifying the independent effects of these factors is critical to developing effective strategies for reducing racial disparities. (Contains 4 tables and 3 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Policy; Case Studies; Comparative Education; Educational Research; Cultural Influences; Social Influences; History; Policy Formation; Correlation; Global Approach; International Education; Educational Trends; Trend Analysis; Inclusion

Abstract:
International comparison is complicated by the use of different terms, classification methods, policy frameworks and system structures, not to mention different languages and terminology. Multi-case studies can assist in the understanding of the influence wielded by cultural, social, economic, historical and political forces upon educational decisions, policy construction and changes over time. But case studies alone are not enough. In this paper, we argue for an ecological or scaled approach that travels through macro, meso and micro levels to build "nested" case-studies to allow for more comprehensive analysis of the external and internal factors that shape policy-making and education systems. Such an approach allows for deeper understanding of the relationship between globalizing trends and policy developments. (Contains 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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