Technology is driving much of education, but learning is socially constructed. Learning, including electronic forms, should be designed to create a social learning environment. This can help bridge the divide between the "analog" professor and the "digital" student. (SK)

Examines the role of several factors in shaping the employment outcomes of people with mental illness. While several aspects of work history and work competence were important for gaining employment, equally critical was the role of the social network, particularly family members and employers, in influencing employment outcomes. (Contains 31…

Presents a literature review that covers the following topics related to virtual communities: (1) information and virtual community; (2) virtual communities and communities of practice; (3) virtual communities and virtual arenas, including virtual community networks; and (4) networked virtual communities. (Contains 175 references.) (MES)

Examines the conceptual models that help to understand the development and sustainability of scholarly and professional communication forums on the Internet. An alternative information processing model that considers information technologies as Socio-Technical Interaction Networks (STINs) and a method for modeling electronic forums as STINs are…

Occupational expertise of Dutch employees in early (n=73), mid (n=106), and late (n=54) career stages in small/medium-sized businesses was examined in relationship to three variables: participation in social networks, participation in training, and career initiatives. Network participation increased with age. Early- and late-career workers…

Extended study of social network analysis and labeling theories into residential care homes (RCHs). Findings suggest that, when members of intense social networks decide to move elderly persons into RCHs, placement is needed and that, although likelihood of returning home from RCHs is affected by sociocultural characteristics, functional and…

The study examined the stress associated with parenting a handicapped child experienced by parents living in rural Ontario communities. Availability of social support emerged as the major predictor of reduced stress. Family characteristics (e.g. cohesion and adaptability) and child characteristics (e.g. severity of handicap) emerged less often as…

Examines a descriptive model of communication relationships between members of collectives to determine whether perceptions are the result of formal structure, collective interests, or individual interests. Finds structures of perceived communication relationships are similar across organizations, whereas structures in observable communication are…

Compared characteristics of impaired elderly care receivers, primary caregivers, informal networks, and formal networks likely to affect caregiver stress and burden by area of residence. Data from 1,388 noninstitutionalized functionally limited elderly people and their primary caregivers revealed significant residential differences in…

Raises several problems intrinsic to feminist discourse which have serious repercussions for female academics: tokenism; networks that exclude independent scholars and part-time/sessional instructors, and thereby further marginalize some women; and the gynocentric ideal. (DMM)

A new method, based on loglinear models, is proposed for statistical analysis of dyadic social interaction data measured over time. The data are assumed to be realizations of a social network of a fixed set of actors interacting on a single relation. Associative and predictive statistical models are developed. (TJH)

IMPACT II programs encourage teachers to form networks to exchange their ideas with one another and with other teachers in the system. Teachers attend workshops, visit each other's classrooms, swap ideas, and generally keep in touch by newsletters and conventions. (SI)

Professionalization, accreditation, and a shift in government support toward work-based skills mean that learner-centered literacy learning is in danger of being subordinated to unsatisfactory purposes in order to retain funding. (SK)

The microstructures of interpersonal networks in China and the United States contain many consistent patterns, despite the countries' great differences. In-group choices and network diversity are analyzed with regard to age, sex, educational attainment, occupation, socioeconomic status, and proportion of kin in the network. Contains 21 references…

Among 3,677 surveyed women, aged 44-59, contacts with friends and family depended on the relationship and household structure, followed by distance, resources, and individual predisposition toward maintaining ties. Race, educational attainment, and residence in the South or rural areas affected certain types of contacts. Contains 36 references.…