Suchergebnisse

This introduction summarizes the articles in this collection. It describes how the articles address one or more of the key elements of the child care research model: (a) selecting and measuring the independent variables to determine the characteristics ("qualities") of the child care environment (and, in some studies, the characteristics of parents and family), (b) selecting and measuring the dependent variables to determine the child's physical and developmental status after a period of time in a particular child care arrangement (usually a school year) compared with that of children in other arrangements (or simply the same child before spending time in the arrangement), (c) establishing causal links between the independent and dependent variables that are either assumed in randomized experiments or estimated through statistical controls in nonexperimental studies, and (d) assessing impacts across subgroups to see whether the program benefits one particular group more (or less) than others. The collection closes with a proposal to develop a systematic federal research program to pursue improvements in child care and early childhood education programs.

The early modern political philosopher Benedict de Spinoza is often viewed as the father of the historical critical method for studying the Bible. Building upon the work of contemporaries, Spinoza constructed the methodological foundation upon which later historical criticism would build. This paper examines the political background of Spinoza's biblical criticism, thereby placing Spinoza's work in its sociohistorical context. The Thirty Years' War and the political turmoil in the Dutch Republic provide the proximate backdrop for Spinoza's political theory, and upon his biblical criticism.

Title Page -- Contents -- Editors' Note -- Leena Krohn, Two Stories (translated from Finnish by Eva Buchwald) -- Jeffrey Ford, Not Without Mercy -- Julia Elliott, Clouds -- John Crowley, The Million Monkeys of M. Borel -- Laura Sims, Walking Dead Love Songs -- Valerie Martin, Bromley Hall -- Lavie Tidhar, Tinkerers -- Samuel R. Delany, An Interview (conducted by Brian Evenson) -- Matthew Baker, The Transition -- Paul Park, Blind Spot -- James Tiptree, Jr., Favored by Strange Gods: A Selection of Letters to Joanna Russ (with an introductory note by Nicole Nyhan) -- Michael Parrish Lee, The Showroom Variations -- Peter Straub, The Process Is a Process All Its Own -- Kelly Link, An Interview (conducted by Elizabeth Hand) -- Madeline Bourque Kearin, Fallout -- Jean Muno, Cartoon (translated from French by Edward Gauvin) -- Jonathan Thirkield, Two Poems -- John Clute and John Crowley, Mysterious Strangers: A Conversation -- Joyce Carol Oates, Undocumented Alien -- S. P. Tenhoff, The Unrivaled Happiness of Otters -- Brian Evenson, Smear -- Jessica Reed, Four Atomic Poems -- E. G. Willy, Radio City -- James Morrow, Noh Exit -- Notes on Contributors -- Copyright Page

AbstractRisk communication may accentuate or alleviate the vulnerability of people who have particular difficulties responding to the threat of hazards such as hurricanes. The process of risk communication involves how hazard information is received, understood, and responded to by individuals and groups. Thus, risk communication and vulnerability interact through peoples' knowledge, attitudes, and practices. This study explores risk communication with several groups that may be at particular risk of hurricane impacts: older adults, newer residents, and persons with disabilities. Focus groups conducted in Miami, Florida, examined how members of these groups express their own vulnerability or agency in terms of receiving, interpreting, and responding to hurricane risk information. Findings indicate that people's interactions with risk information are deeply contextual and are facilitated by their individual agency to cope with their vulnerabilities.

Despite the popularity and prevalence of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), and the historical emphasis on how EAP can improve work performance, there has been very little rigorous evaluation of the workplace effects of EAP counseling. The aim of this Federal Occupational Health (FOH) outcome study was to examine if and to what degree EAP counseling is associated with improved workplace effectiveness with this particular population. Federal Occupational Health (FOH) is the largest provider of occupational health services in the Federal Government, serving more than 360 federal agencies and reaching 1.8 million federal employees. FOH began providing Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services in 1980 and is Health and Human Services' recognized expert in this key area of employee health programs, delivering specialized EAP services exclusively to over 905,624 federal employees. In 2004 Selvick, Stephenson, Plaza and Sugden published one of the few studies that demonstrated statistically and practically significant outcomes from the FOH's EAP. Their work showed significant improvement from pre- to post-EAP intervention on measures of productivity; work and social relationships; perceived health status; attendance and tardiness; and global assessment of functioning. In an effort to revitalize the findings with more current outcomes, FOH engaged an industry gold standard tool, the Workplace Outcome Suite (WOS). This measurement tool consists of a 5-item measure, that has been psychometrically tested and is also easy to administer telephonically. It consists of five scales that measures absenteeism, presenteeism, work engagement, life satisfaction, and workplace distress. In October of 2015 FOH began to collect data on specific outcomes for clients who accessed the EAP. This study reports findings from 2016 and 2017 data that indicates a significant decrease in absenteeism and workplace distress as well as increases in life satisfaction and workplace presenteeism.