Background: Depressive disorders in adolescents are a widespread and increasing problem. Prevention seems a promising and feasible approach. Methods: We designed a cognitive-behavioral school-based universal primary prevention program and followed 347 eighth-grade students participating in a randomized controlled trial for three months. Results:…

Religious communities have an obvious interest in passing on their beliefs and practices to future generations. Many traditional churches, however, report major difficulties in retaining the interest and involvement of adolescents. This study seeks to explore attitudes to a key indicator of traditional practice, church attendance, amongst…

Analyzing the activity of a group of students involved in an online university course with a simulation environment, this article considers and problematizes the idea of online community and its relations to learning. The analysis builds upon Dewey's conception of organic community and related perspectives. In valuing "joint action," such…

Multivariate statistical analyses were used to determine if there were differences in social community, learning community, and perceived learning between male and female students in 12 online graduate education courses in which female students (n = 162) outnumbered males (n = 31). Study results provided evidence that females felt more connected…

This article proposes a critical theoretical paradigm for the evaluation of university-community-school partnerships. Although numerous models have been posited for assessing these collaborative endeavors, few of them have granted adequate attention to the voices of community partners, and none have centered on systemic issues of power and…

This chapter examines the role of a national network of local and regional intermediary organizations in initiating and sustaining community-based youth worker professional development systems. This approach is instructive for other intermediaries in establishing training standards, assessing impact, providing organizational supports for youth…

Rapid changes in language form and function occurring in digital environments present teachers and students of second languages alike with conundrums as to language and discourse standards. Factors affecting the changes that are emerging in digital English include the spatial and temporal possibilities and constraints of the medium, digital…

This paper centres on the sense of isolation that online study may engender among learners, a factor often ignored by many educators, but one that may make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful online learning environment for many students. The importance of a proper appreciation of the learners' social context is stressed, as is…

This study examines a public school administrator network from a qualitative paradigm using network theory and methods. Findings identify and describe four distinct networks emerging from administrators' relationships: the innovation network, the resource network, the social/emotional support network, and the university-school partnership network.…

Background: Evidence suggests that social networks mediate social functioning, self-esteem, mental health and quality of life. This paper presents findings concerning changes in the social lives, skills, behaviour and life experiences of a group of people with intellectual disabilities (n = 18), who gained support from an employment agency to find…

Through qualitative analyses of narratives of what students and faculty wanted in their relationships, the authors identified three themes. The Teaching/Learning Environment theme illustrated needs for nurturing, open, nonthreatening, and respectful attitudes in student-faculty relationships. Exchange of Information students reported a desire to…

Social networking is one of the latest trends to evolve out of the growing online community. Social networking sites gather data submitted by members that is then stored as user profiles. The data or profiles can then be shared among the members of the site. Membership can be free or fee-based. A typical social networking site provides members…

The extensive sociological studies of conservation agriculture have provided considerable understanding of farmers' use of conservation practices, but attempts to develop predictive models have failed. Reviews of research findings question the utility of the conceptual and methodological perspectives of prior research. The argument advanced here…

This paper argues that the current skill strategies of New Labour (in England) and the Labour-led Coalition (in New Zealand) are part of a broader project to construct contrasting markets in education and training. On one hand, the skill strategies are helping to construct open education and training markets through creating institutional-based…

Student interactivity in web-based educational environments has shown to increase academic learning and motivation (Jiang, 1998; Petraglia, 1998). However, instructors often find it difficult to assess the quality of online group dynamics without visual observations of student behaviors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of…