Although considerable research has addressed development from childhood giftedness to adult excellence, subjective perceptions of this development by gifted individuals themselves have remained largely unexplored. This multiple case study examined the ways in which young adults, who in the past had been identified as gifted, made sense of their…

At-risk youth face many difficulties including higher dropout rates, lack of positive adult support, poor neighborhood conditions, exposure to violence, and a lack of parental support and family stability. Mentoring programs for at-risk youth may help mitigate these difficulties, but the quality of the mentor-mentee relationship is predictive of…

Previous research with the Aspiration Index suggests that the importance of intrinsic life goals (e.g. personal growth and relationships) is in positive association with indicators of well-being, whereas an orientation toward extrinsic life goals (e.g. wealth and appearance) is connected with decreased positive functioning. Our study extended the…

Scientific proficiency is important, not only for a solid, interdisciplinary educational foundation, but also for entry into and mobility within today's increasingly technological and globalized workplace, as well as for informed, democratic participation in society (National Academies Press, 2007b). Within the United States, low-income,…

The purpose of this collective-case study was to explore the characteristics of transformational figures. This study revealed that interpersonal encounters were seen as a catalyst that assisted study participants through the process of transformation. Ten themes emerged from the cross-case analysis: Imposed and Intentional Influence; Metaphors of…

The paper is based on a comparative and qualitative case study of "friluftsliv" in Denmark and outdoor education in New Zealand. Cultural analysis with a comparative cultural perspective informed the research approach. Configurational analysis was used as an important supplement to focus on cultural patterns linked to bodily movement. It…

Parents of college students are an important partner in higher education today. Students maintain close relationships with their parents and consider them their top advisors. Parents can provide support and influence to help their students succeed. However, little empirical research on parents of college students exists. Much of the information in…

Disability labels and other social categories in school arise out of an educational system which attributes learning problems, perceived weaknesses, and academic failure to individual students. Instead, this dissertation investigates how learning problems are produced and reinforced through cultural practices. Through a two-year, cross-context…

In 2009 AONTAS commissioned a piece of research to examine the outcomes and impact of community education in relation to the three aims that the Government has defined for it: enhancing learning; fostering empowerment, and contributing to civic society. In part, the research also responds to a need to measure the wider benefits of learning (such…

Both spouses were placed in separate mixed counseling groups in which the focus was on interpersonal relationships. Marital problems were discussed only as related to feelings experienced in the group. In the case cited, results were favorable. (Author)

This paper discusses the background and key findings of a two-year Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded mixed-method research project (2006-2008) which was designed, within the context of university internationalisation, to provide an investigation of the experiences of first-year international students during their undergraduate…

This article deals with the potential for growth and development during the postdivorce period, using, as a conceptual frame of reference, developmental psychoanalytic psychology. (Author)

Maintains that multiple case study developmental pathway research is needed to substantiate the theoretical propositions of Rothbaum et al. (Author/KB)

A case study of peasant women, based on oral accounts of 40 married Italian Piedmontese peasants who lived during the Industrial Revolution, examines their relationships in everyday life and in society. The impact of puberty, marriage, and childbirth on relationships among women is discussed. (AM)

When focus is placed on the more scientific, dramatic, and avant-garde social work techniques, some less dramatic but equally valuable techniques are overlooked. One such technique is the use of photographs in the termination phase of the casework relationship. (Author)