Resilient families are able to adapt to adversities, but the nature of family resilience is not well understood. This study examines patterns of family functioning that may protect families from the negative impact of alcohol abuse. Naturally occurring patterns of family functioning are identified and associations between these patterns and parenting, current parental alcohol use, recent family stressful events, supportive relationships outside the family, and demographic characteristics are assessed. Cross-sectional data are analyzed from racially diverse american and Canadian families (N = 674) who have at least one parent with an alcohol abuse problem and a child between ages 9 and 12 years. Cluster analyses derived from family functioning indicators are used to identify naturally occurring family patterns. Multivariate assessments evaluated relationships between family functioning clusters and Coyle et al. / The Nature of Family Resilience 1607 potentially influencing factors. The study results reveal a continuum of family functioning associated with parenting, child's perception of teacher caring, and race.
Social work admission criteria are used to ensure student academic competence, identify personal characteristics associated with success in social work education and practice, predict success in class and field work, and promote diversity of the student body. However, evidence that supports the effectiveness of these admission policies is inconclusive. This article discusses common BSW admission processes in American and Canadian colleges and universities, presents findings of studies that have examined admission practices, and recommends methods for using research evidence to design admission criteria that effectively choose the best social work students.
Parent-child interaction is important for early childhood development and best practice in early child care and education (ECCE) promotes effective parent-child interaction. However, research about ECCE impact on parent-child interaction is inconclusive. This study analyzed data from Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) to examine the effect of ECCE attendance on parent-child interactions in Central Asia, using a 2SLS regression analysis to explicitly model selection bias and isolate the causal effect of ECCE on the quality of parent-child interactions.The study found that increased hours of ECCE led to increased parent-child interaction in every country under investigation. This demonstrates that even underfunded ECCE programs in CentralAsia can have significant positive effect, and has broader implications for all ECCE programs.
S ubstandard writing skills have been noticed in schools and workplaces across disciplines. Writing courses and writing centre programs can teach students about grammar and composition, and library orientations help students effectively locate source material for papers and projects. However, writing skills, which are often related to specific disciplines or professions, are learned indirectly. Coursework that prepares students for future careers tends to focus on the curriculum content rather than the writing skills students use to present that content. Yet writing ability is often vital for effective work performance, thus demonstrating writing skills that are relevant to future employment is an essential learning outcome for higher education curriculum.Many employers are alarmed about poor writing skills in new employees and have asked business schools to increase emphasis on writing (Quible & Griffin, 2007). Haberstroh (1994)
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