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Descriptors:
Child Abuse; Placement; Child Welfare; Foreign Countries; Incidence; Centralization; Canada Natives; American Indians; Public Agencies; Decision Making; Sampling; Hierarchical Linear Modeling; Computer Software; Databases

Abstract:
Objective: This paper builds upon the analyses presented in two companion papers (Fluke et al., 2010 and Fallon et al., 2013) using data from the 1998 and 2003 cycles of the "Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-1998 and CIS-2003)" to examine the influence of clinical and organizational characteristics on the decision to place a child in out-of-home care at the conclusion of a child maltreatment investigation. This paper explores various model specifications to explain the effect of an agency-level factor, proportion of Aboriginal reports, which emerged as a stable and significant factor through the two data collection cycles. It addresses the issue of data comparability between the two cycles and explores various re-specifications and descriptive analyses of reported models to evaluate their solidity with regards to the sampling schemes and the precise contribution of a multi-level specification. Methods: The decision to place a child in out-of-home care was examined using data from the "CIS-2003". This child welfare dataset collected information about the results of nearly 12,000 child maltreatment investigations as well as a description of the characteristics of the workers and organization responsible for conducting those investigations. Multi-level statistical models were developed using MPlus software, which can accommodate dichotomous outcome variables and are more reflective of decision-making in child welfare. The models are thus multi-level binary logistic regressions. Results: Final models revealed that two agency-level variables, "Education degree of majority of workers" and "Degree of centralization in the agency" clarify the nature of the effect of "Proportion of Aboriginal reports", a stable, key second level predictor of the placement decision. The comparability of the effect of this agency-level variable across the 1998 and 2003 cycles becomes further evident through this analysis. By using a unified database including both cycles and various specifications of models, the comparability was found to be robust, in addition to clarifying the precise contribution of a multi-level specification. Conclusions: This third paper in a series establishes the "Proportion of Aboriginal reports" received by the child welfare agency as an important agency level predictor associated with a child's likelihood of being placed in the Canadian child protection system. While the more complex models give support to the notion that unequal resources subtend those results, more analyses are needed to confirm this hypothesis. Unequal resources for agencies with larger Aboriginal caseloads may explain the persistence of the results. These findings suggest that specific resource constraints related to worker education may be explanatory. (Contains 6 tables and 5 figures.) [For Part A, see EJ995515.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Foreign Countries; Bibliometrics; Educational Researchers; Educational Research; Publications; Databases; Individual Characteristics

Abstract:
This paper investigates the fitness-for-purpose and soundness of bibliometric parameters for measuring and elucidating the research performance of individual researchers in the field of education sciences in Switzerland. In order to take into account the specificities of publication practices of researchers in education sciences, the analyses are based on two separate databases: Web of Science and Google Scholar. Both databases show a very unequal distribution of the individual research output, and the indicators used to measure research performance (quantity of publications and citation impact) from the two data sources are highly positively correlated. However, individual characteristics of the researchers, such as age, gender and academic position, that serve to explain the great variance in research performance, can only be identified if the Web of Science is used as a benchmark of research performance. The results indicate that Google Scholar is so inclusive that it impedes a meaningful interpretation of the data. However, the Web of Science inclusion policy for journals is also associated with certain shortcomings that put some researchers at an unjustified disadvantage. Therefore, problems currently exist in regard to both citation databases when used to benchmark individual research performance. 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 Quality; Foreign Countries; Databases; Access to Education; Role; Equal Education; Elementary Schools; Standards; Educational Change; Best Practices; Educational Improvement; Audits (Verification); Data Analysis

Abstract:
The approach taken over the past decade to introduce minimum primary school standards in Vietnam is reviewed, with annual school audits that measured both input (quality) and output indicators. It describes a successful, context specific approach in which flexible data systems were used to support the evolution and adoption of a new set of standards. A rich multiyear data set has enabled impact analysis, equitable investment planning and test hypotheses on the variables within the "black box" of a classroom that influence learning. Institutional challenges presented in mainstreaming and evolving standards are contrasted with international best practice on raising standards. (Contains 4 tables and 9 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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Mental Health; Adolescents; Armed Forces; Futures (of Society); Statistical Analysis; Economic Opportunities; Children; Emotional Adjustment; Correlation; Databases; Military Personnel; Validity; Research Methodology; Sampling; Risk; Age; Violence; Gender Differences; Social Bias; Mental Disorders; Behavior Disorders; War; Longitudinal Studies; Measures (Individuals); Research Needs

Abstract:
Aims and scope: This article reviews the available quantitative research on psychosocial adjustment and mental health among children (age less than 18 years) associated with armed forces and armed groups (CAAFAG)--commonly referred to as child soldiers. Methods: PRISMA standards for systematic reviews were used to search PubMed, PsycInfo, JSTOR, and Sociological Abstracts in February 2012 for all articles on former child soldiers and CAAFAG. Twenty-one quantitative studies from 10 countries were analyzed for author, year of publication, journal, objectives, design, selection population, setting, instruments, prevalence estimates, and associations with war experiences. Opinion pieces, editorials, and qualitative studies were deemed beyond the scope of this study. Quality of evidence was rated according to the Systematic Assessment of Quality in Observational Research (SAQOR). Findings: According to SAQOR criteria, among the available published studies, eight studies were of high quality, four were of moderate quality, and the remaining nine were of low quality. Common limitations were lack of validated mental health measures, unclear methodology including undefined sampling approaches, and failure to report missing data. Only five studies included a comparison group of youth not involved with armed forces/armed groups, and only five studies assessed mental health at more than one point in time. Across studies, a number of risk and protective factors were associated with postconflict psychosocial adjustment and social reintegration in CAAFAG. Abduction, age of conscription, exposure to violence, gender, and community stigma were associated with increased internalizing and externalizing mental health problems. Family acceptance, social support, and educational/economic opportunities were associated with improved psychosocial adjustment. Conclusions: Research on the social reintegration and psychosocial adjustment of former child soldiers is nascent. A number of gaps in the available literature warrant future study. Recommendations to bolster the evidence base on psychosocial adjustment in former child soldiers and other war-affected youth include more studies comprising longitudinal study designs, and validated cross-cultural instruments for assessing mental health, as well as more integrated community-based approaches to study design and research monitoring. (Contains 2 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:
Physical Health; Statistical Analysis; Depression (Psychology); Institutionalized Persons; Correctional Institutions; Religion; Religious Factors; Males; Life Satisfaction; Attachment Behavior; Measures (Individuals); Databases; Goodness of Fit; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Intervention; Therapy; Adults; Older Adults; Case Studies

Abstract:
Purpose of the study: Few studies have investigated the influence of religiosity (REL), forgiveness, and social resources on incarcerated individuals' attachment to their lives, or valuation of life (VOL). We tested a model linking REL to VOL through 3 subscales of the Heartland Forgiveness Scale (Self, Others, and Situations) and social provisions (SPS). Design and Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 261 male prison inmates, aged 45-82, incarcerated in 8 state-managed correctional facilities. Participants were sampled from the prison census database (Oklahoma Department of Corrections or DOC). Exclusion criteria, per the Oklahoma DOC, were those housed in medical or psychiatric units, currently in solitary confinement, or sentenced to death row. Results: To account for possible violations of multivariate normality, we used the Satorra-Bentler chi-square statistic. The final model fit the data well, explaining 57% of the variance in VOL: [chi][superscript 2] (N = 261; df = 3) = 7.40; p = 0.06; Comparative Fit Index = 0.99; root mean squared error of approximation = 0.08; standardized root mean squared residual = 0.02. Significant indirect effects of REL on VOL were present through Forgiveness of Others and SPS, and of REL on SPS through Forgiveness of Others. Analyses controlled for age, race, education, perceived physical health, and depressive symptoms. Implications: Implications of the findings for those involved with prisoner care are discussed, particularly therapeutic interventions including process models of forgiveness. 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:
Academic Libraries; Research Libraries; Management Systems; Higher Education; Computer Software; Open Source Technology; Databases; Electronic Libraries; Web Sites

Abstract:
In 2010, after two previous unsuccessful attempts at electronic resources management system (ERMS) implementation, Texas A&M University (TAMU) Libraries set out once again to find an ERMS that would fit its needs. After surveying the field, TAMU Libraries selected the University of Notre Dame Hesburgh Libraries-developed, open-source ERMS, CORAL (Centralized Online Resources Acquisitions and Licensing). This article documents the selection, planning, and implementation of CORAL at the Texas A&M University Libraries as well as future plans for the system. (Contains 8 figures and 1 footnote.) 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:
Accuracy; Language Impairments; Speech; Syllables; Control Groups; Databases; Young Children; Speech Impairments; Scores; Comparative Analysis; Phonemes

Abstract:
Speech disorder that continues into middle childhood is rarely studied compared with speech disorder in the early years. Speech production in single words, connected speech and nonword repetition was assessed for 7390 eight-year-old children within the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The majority (n=6399) had typical speech and 50 of these children served as controls. The remainder were categorised as using common clinical distortions only (CCD, n=582) or speech difficulties (SDiff, n=409). The samples from the CCD children were not analysed further. Speech samples from the SDiff and the control children were transcribed and analysed in terms of percentage consonants correct, error type and syllable structure. Findings were compared with those from children in the Shriberg et al. (1997) lifespan database (n=25). The 8-year-old children from ALSPAC in the SDiff and control groups achieved similar speech accuracy scores to the 8-year-old children in the lifespan database. The SDiff group had consistently lower scores than the ALSPAC control group, with the following measures most clearly differentiating the groups: single word task (percentage of substitutions and distortions), connected speech task (percentage of vowels correct (PVC), percentage of omission of singletons and entire clusters, and stress pattern matches), nonword repetition task (PVC, percentage of entire clusters omitted, percentage of distortions, and percentage of stress pattern matches). Connected speech and nonword samples provide useful supplementary data for identifying older children with atypical speech. Learning outcomes: The reader will recognize the methods used to identify speech characteristics in a large scale population study. They will describe how measures of speech accuracy in connected speech compare with the Shriberg et al. (1997) lifespan database. The reader will also recall information on how typically and atypically developing children differ on a range of measures across different types of speech sample. (Contains 8 tables and 1 figure.) 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; Parenting Styles; Confidentiality; Records (Forms); Social Services; Risk; Privacy; Socioeconomic Status; Research Methodology; Data Collection; Databases

Abstract:
Linking administrative data records for the same individuals across services and over time offers a powerful, population-wide resource for child maltreatment research that can be used to identify risk and protective factors and to examine outcomes. Multistage de-identification processes have been developed to protect privacy and maintain confidentiality of the datasets. Lack of information on those not coming to the attention of child protection agencies, and limited information on certain variables, such as individual-level SES and parenting practices, is outweighed by strengths that include large and unbiased samples, objective measures, comprehensive long-term follow-up, continuous data collection, and relatively low expense. Ever emerging methodologies and expanded holdings ensure that research using linked population-wide databases will make important contributions to the study of child maltreatment. 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:
Productivity; Academic Rank (Professional); College Faculty; Program Effectiveness; Journal Articles; School Psychology; Gender Differences; Tenure; Accreditation (Institutions); Faculty Publishing; Citations (References); Correlation; Databases

Abstract:
The primary objective of this study was to conduct a normative assessment of the research productivity and scholarly impact of tenured and tenure-track faculty in school psychology programs accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Using the PsycINFO database, productivity and impact were examined for the field as a whole and by faculty rank and gender between 2005 and 2009. Results of our study reflected considerable variability in scholarly impact and productivity. For example, on average, school psychology faculty published slightly more than one refereed journal article per year, with productivity rates ranging from zero to eight articles per year. Similar variability in results was observed for scholarly impact. Results of this study also revealed no significant differences in productivity and impact by scholarly rank. Significant differences were observed for gender, however, with higher productivity and impact for men than women. A secondary objective of this study was to rank the most productive and impactful faculty by total authorship credit, number of publications, and number of citations, and to examine the relationships among these different rankings. Implications and limitations are discussed. (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:
Writing for Publication; Educational Research; Early Childhood Education; Information Sources; Databases; Books; Web Sites; Directories; Guides

Abstract:
Drawing on her experience and expertise as an education librarian the author of this article pinpoints some of the best resources that support research and publication in the field of early childhood education. Free and subscription-based databases are described, as well as print books, ebooks, and websites that cover a wide range of topics. This article serves as a comprehensive resource for early childhood educators and researchers who wish to keep up with the latest developments in early childhood education through research and professional development. Several resources are also provided for those early childhood teacher/scholars interested in writing for publication such as: databases of publishing opportunities, periodical directories, and step-by-step print and digital guides to academic writing and APA citation style. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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