This paper focuses on the electronic literacy practices of two Korean-American heritage language learners who manage Korean weblogs. Online users deliberately alter standard forms of written language and play with symbols, characters, and words to economize typing effort, mimic oral language, or convey qualities of their linguistic identity such…

Prompted by increasing U.S. longevity and aging demographics, this phenomenological study explored what it is like for 13 women, 75-91, to thrive in elder adulthood. Through multiple interviews, projective inventories, and focus groups, 6 group patterns emerged: (a) vital involvement and service, (b) desire to learn, (c) appreciation of basic life…

The report was commissioned by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) to provide information on organizations providing education focusing on the built environment in three regions (London, the South East and Yorkshire and the Humber). The findings from this study will be used to inform "Engaging Places," a project from DCMS,…

The practice of using a social network to establish and enhance relationships based on some common ground--shared interests, related skills, or a common geographic location--is as old as human societies, but social networking has flourished due to the ease of connecting on the Web. This OCLC membership report explores this web of social…

The Association of Small Computer Users in Education (ASCUE) is a dynamic organization for people interested in small college technology issues. Its members include information technology professionals, instructional technologists, and faculty members from all over the world who use computers and technology to support teaching and learning. The…

Increased attention to student engagement and active learning strategies have become particularly relevant in today's classroom environments. These approaches are also considered to be meaningful when teaching "net generation" students who have different styles and expectations. This study attempts to address these challenges through the…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the role of social networks in promoting or inhibiting student achievement. The study was based on the convoy model--a "convoy" is a dynamic, hierarchical structure of social relations that provide the individual with a supportive base from which to develop personal competencies. The premise of…

Social capital is the glue that holds a community together. It is the network of relationships among persons that can be used to get things done. Social capital is a necessary, but not sufficient, ingredient of community building. A community must mobilize its social capital and the mechanisms of its infrastructure to face and resolve collective…

Based on the experiences of the staff of the Community Membership Project of Bloomington, Indiana, this paper discusses how community builders have collaborated with 10 older persons with developmental disabilities to increase their community participation. The paper addresses the initial stages of community building with older persons, the…

This booklet explains the value of networking--a procedure for establishing connections, securing information, and making problem-solving bridges out of shared experiences of work. It advises looking for networking opportunities to discover career strategy techniques as well as to provide support and, perhaps, to find a new or better job. The…

Exploratory research was conducted to generate hypotheses regarding behaviors of a 2-year-old subject during social interaction with multi-age partners. The subject of the study was a female child age 2 years and 4 months. Interactions observed were limited to those occurring with a number of partners who were members of the subject's social…

The Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors (ISSB) appears to be a satisfactory measure of social support with good reliability and some evidence of validity. To investigate the dimensionality of the ISSB through factor analytic procedures and to predict social support from social network variables, 179 college students (97 male, 82 female)…

The normative transition from adolescent to adult is interrupted by adolescent motherhood. Many argue that obstacles presented by adolescent motherhood can be overcome with support of family, friends, and the baby's father. To examine the size of social networks and the perceived and actual support derived from such networks, data were obtained…

The performance enhancement model (PEM) presented in this information sheet will help administrators and supervisors establish a school program to meet the special needs of first-year teachers. Inservice sessions for new teacher training should be played with the help of peer supervisors who are chosen by the principal for their teaching and…

Social support systems often relate to a person's ability to cope with stressful events. When the stressful event involves relocation, however, the benefits of social support may not extend beyond the relocation. A study was conducted to examine how a move to college affects social support and homesickness. College freshmen (N=70) who were from…