The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the challenges African-American women in abusive relationships face when they consider seeking-help from their informal networks. Data are reported from interviews with 15 African-American women who were self-identified as having survived physical intimate partner violence. A 13-item,…

Guided by family stress theory, relations among neighborhood stress, maternal psychological functioning, and parenting were examined among 123 low-income, urban-dwelling, African American single mothers. Using a longitudinal design, structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesis that neighborhood stress results in poorer…

Reviews principal theoretical developments in the study of schools as organizations, particularly neo-institutional theory and analysis of faculty workplace. Discusses a theoretical approach integrating these developments including institutional constraints on schools, administrative responses to them, and networks of informal faculty ties.…

In this article we describe the evolving structure of the Inquiry Learning Forum (ILF), a sociotechnical interaction network (STIN) designed to support a Web-based community of in-service and preservice mathematics and science teachers sharing, improving, and creating inquiry-based pedagogical practices. Specifically, we apply activity theory as…

American colleges and universities often refer to their "dedication to diversity". The truth is, some institutions really make an effort, and some only offer lip service. This article discusses ways on how college institutions can provide a more welcoming atmosphere to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (glbt) students through use…

Women often perceive a disadvantage over similarly qualified males in professional advancement because they are not part of the "old boys' network." Based upon the assumption that women and minorities struggle to gain access into educational administration positions due to lack of professional networks and mentors, this phenomenological…

Successful social work practice requires orientation to diverse social and cultural characteristics which structure the framework for our communities and families. This paper explores the necessity of incorporating the connection between people and non-human relationships in our understanding of social support systems. Specifically, we examine our…

Integrating sustainability into an undergraduate engineering program at the University of Technology, Sydney has been a challenging project. The authors of this paper have been participant observers of the integration process. In this paper, they have attempted an analysis of that process, focussing on the dynamics of the network of people and…

Objective: To explore the relationship between peer social network positions and smoking experimentation among Chinese adolescents. Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were administered to 1040 adolescents in grades 6, 8, and 10. Paired-friendship linkages were used to assign participants into 3 mutually exclusive social network positions.…

Objectives: To examine suicidality among urban youth and its relationship to patterns of adult support. Methods: Study surveyed 879 adolescents. Suicide ideation and attempts, perceived adult support, family and formal network availability, and network activation were assessed. Results: Only half of those reporting a suicide attempt had spoken…

Career development gains new meaning in the context of employability demands in a knowledge economy. In this context, increased mobility, a dynamic work environment, and an increased level of career support from employers are seen as characteristics of a modern career. All of these characteristics put emphasis on individual and self-management in…

The call for a just social order in Aotearoa (New Zealand) includes the transformation of mono-cultural institutions such as the accountancy profession. Maori women accountants in this research expressed concern about maintaining their identity as Maori while participating in the corporate culture of the firms in which they are employed. These…

Mentoring has transformed from traditional master-apprentice relationships into multiple developmental relationships that extend beyond functional, organizational, and geographic boundaries. The Internet provides one mechanism for proteges to identify mentors to help navigate career opportunities. The online mentor activity presented here requires…

For NSTA, 2001-2002 was a productive year as they worked to fulfill their mission and meet the presidential goals of "Learning Science and the Science of Learning." They enhanced many of their traditional offerings while bringing several new popular programs and initiatives to fruition. As always, they aimed to give teachers a variety of rich…

In this article, the authors describe an evaluation of a troubled high school that was conducted approximately fifteen years ago. Their original evaluation plan focused on the collection of academic achievement scores and attitudinal variables taken from the school effectiveness literature, but the serendipitous inclusion of what they called…