Perceptions of journal quality and research paradigm:results of a web-based survey of British accounting academics

This paper reports the results of a web-based perception study of the ranking of peer reviewed accounting journals by UK academics. The design of the survey instrument allows an interactive selection of journals to be scored. The webbased format is unique in that it also includes a step in which respondents classify the journals according to methodological perspective (paradigm). This is depicted graphically in the paper in a bubble diagram that shows the "positioning" of journals according to perceptions of both paradigm and quality.

A paradigm sensitive perspective on the ranking of accounting journals:a web-based survey approach

This paper reports the results of a web-based study of the perceptions of accounting journals in Australasia. Journal ranking studies have generally adopted citation techniques or used academics’ perceptions as the basis for assessing journal quality. Our research contributes to the existing literature by conducting a survey of academics in Australasia using a web-based instrument. The analysis indicates that the perceptions of the so-called “elite” accounting journals have become unsettled. The research highlights the emergence of more recent, alternative paradigm journals (CPA and AAAJ) as both highly ranking.

Investigating positive identity development in a school-based youth development project

Adolescence is a pivotal period offering both opportunities and constraints on individual development. It is during this important time that one decides upon and commits to the values, goals, and beliefs which will form one's identity and guide one throughout the lifespan. Positive youth development programs, such as the Miami Youth Development Project's Changing Lives Program, target the formation of a positive sense of identity as a critical intervention point. Through developing a coherent and positive sense of self, adolescents take control of and responsibility for their lives and their decisions. Furthermore, a positive identity has been found to be a developmental asset and is linked to lower risk behaviors and positive outcomes including increased self-esteem, sense of purpose, and a positive view of the future. Positive youth development programs, which promote positive identity development, have been found to be more strongly tied to positive outcomes including skills, values, and competencies than have contextual opportunities. As such, it is critical to determine what leads to positive identity development. ^ The current study used structural equation modeling to evaluate three potential mediators of identity development. Findings indicated good model fit where change in identity commitment and change in identity exploration were mediated by informational identity style, personal expressiveness, and identity distress. There were also significant differences found between the control and intervention groups indicative of intervention effects. The findings of the current study suggest potential areas of intervention as well as the need for further research including longitudinal study and the use of qualitative methodology. ^

“Who’s that Faggot at the Board?”: A School-based Intervention with a Gay Student

This article describes a successful intervention conducted in a public high school in Miami, Florida, to address an incident of harassment based on a student’s sexual orientation. The implications for educators and other school personnel to intervene in such instances are considered.

Commitment language as a predictor of alcohol and marijuana use outcomes among adolescents in school -based group treatment

Despite widespread recognition of the problem of adolescent alcohol and other drug (AOD) abuse, research on its most common treatment modality, group work, is lacking. This research gap is alarming given that outcomes range from positive to potentially iatrogenic. This study sought to identify change mechanisms and/or treatment factors that are observable within group treatment sessions and that may predict AOD use outcomes. This NIH (F31 DA 020233-01A1) study evaluated 108, 10-19 year olds and the 19 school-based treatment groups to which they were previously assigned (R01 AA10246; PI: Wagner). Associations between motivational interviewing (MI) based change talk variables, group leader MI skills, and alcohol and marijuana use outcomes up to 12-months following treatment were evaluated. Treatment session audio recordings and transcripts (1R21AA015679-01; PI: Macgowan) were coded using a new discourse analysis coding scheme for measuring group member change talk (Amrhein, 2003). Therapist MI skills were similarly measured using the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity instrument. Group member responses to commitment predicted group marijuana use at the 1-month follow up. Also, group leader empathy was significantly associated with group commitment for marijuana use at the middle and ending stages of treatment. Both of the above process measures were applied in a group setting for the first time. Building upon MI and social learning theory principles, group commitment and group member responses to commitment are new observable, in-session, process constructs that may predict positive and negative adolescent group treatment outcomes. These constructs, as well as the discourse analysis method and instruments used to measure them, raise many possibilities for future group work process research and practice.

An investigation of the effects of a school-based intervention on feelings of personal expressiveness in multi-problem adolescent youth

This study was conducted to determine the effects of the Changing Lives Program intervention on troubled adolescents' feelings of personal expressiveness, believed to be one domain of positive identity development. Forty-three intervention and twenty nonintervention comparison control participants were given a battery of pre-, post-, and follow-up assessments including the Personally Expressive Questionnaire (Waterman, 1995), which was used to derive participants' feelings of personal expressiveness scores. Using Repeated Measures Analysis of Multivariate Analysis (RMANOVA), a significant four-way interaction of Time X Condition X Gender X Ethnicity was found relative to the Control, Roy's Ɵ = .166, F(2,47) = 3.899, p < .027 indicating that intervention participants' feelings of personal expressiveness did increase significantly relative to the control group. Furthermore, the results suggest differential outcomes based on ethnicity, suggesting the need for future study with respect to specificity of effects and mechanisms of identity formation in differing ethnic subgroups.

Determinants of Waterpipe and Cigarette Smoking Progression among a School Based Sample of Adolescents in Irbid, Jordan: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study (2008-2011)

The prevalence of waterpipe smoking exceeds that of cigarettes among adolescents in the Middle East where waterpipe is believed as less harmful, less addictive and can be a safer alternative to cigarettes. This dissertation tested the gateway hypothesis that waterpipe can provide a bridge to initiate cigarette smoking, identified the predictors of cigarette smoking progression, and identified predictors of waterpipe smoking progression among a school-based sample of Jordanian adolescents (mean age ± SD) (12.7 ±0.61) years at baseline. Data for this research have been drawn from Irbid Longitudinal Study of smoking behavior, Jordan (2008-2011). The grouped-time survival analysis showed that waterpipe smoking was associated with a higher risk of cigarette smoking initiation compared to never smokers (P < 0.001) and this association was dose dependent (P < 0.001). Predictors of cigarette smoking progression were peer smoking and attending public schools for boys, siblings’ smoking for girls, and the urge to smoke for both genders. Predictors of waterpipe smoking progression were enrollment in public schools, frequent physical activity, and low refusal self-efficacy for boys, ever smoking cigarettes, friends’ and siblings’ waterpipe smoking for girls. Awareness of harms of waterpipe among boys and seeing warning labels on the tobacco packs by girls were protective against waterpipe smoking progression. In Conclusion, waterpipe can serve as a gateway to cigarette smoking initiation among adolescents. Waterpipe and cigarette smoking progressions among initiators were solely family-related among girls, and mainly peer-related among boys. The unique gender differences for both cigarette and waterpipe smoking among Jordanian adolescents in Irbid call for cultural and gender-specific smoking prevention interventions to prevent the progression of smoking among initiators.

The association of HIV counseling and testing with HIV risk behaviors in a random population-based survey in Kisumu, Kenya.

HIV testing has been promoted as a key HIV prevention strategy in low-resource settings, despite studies showing variable impact on risk behavior. We sought to examine rates of HIV testing and the association between testing and sexual risk behaviors in Kisumu, Kenya. Participants were interviewed about HIV testing and sexual risk behaviors. They then underwent HIV serologic testing. We found that 47% of women and 36% of men reported prior testing. Two-thirds of participants who tested HIV-positive in this study reported no prior HIV test. Women who had undergone recent testing were less likely to report high-risk behaviors than women who had never been tested; this was not seen among men. Although rates of HIV testing were higher than seen in previous studies, the majority of HIV-infected people were unaware of their status. Efforts should be made to increase HIV testing among this population.

The Development and Evaluation of a School-Based Programme to Promote and the Enhance Well-Being of Primary School Children

The current study was carried out to evaluate the impact of a well-being curriculum based on existing knowledge of themes within PP, which contribute to well-being. The Positive Well-Being Curriculum consists of twelve ninety minute sessions delivered weekly during a school term. The twelve well-being sessions fit into four domains: positive experience, positive emotions, positive relationships, achievement and meaning (Seligman, 2007). The objectives of the study were to test the practical implications of running a well-being curriculum, to develop a range of activities within each domain and to evaluate the impact on student well-being with regard to life satisfaction, positive affectivity and subjective happiness. A pilot was carried out as preparation for the main mixed method intervention study, which was conducted in two London primary schools. Pre and post data was collected using standardised measures, focus groups and one to one interviews. Findings from the pilot demonstrated a significant increase in well-being as demonstrated by increases in: life satisfaction, positive affect and subjective happiness. Additional information was gathered which informed the content and implementation of the curriculum in the main study. The experience of taking part in the study as evidenced through qualitative and quantitative results, indicate that the Positive Well-being Curriculum was perceived by participating teachers and children to contribute positively to the well-being of the children. These findings would be of interest to educational psychologists as there is an increasing interest by schools to include creative and validated resources to support and enhance the well-being of all children. A number of useful insights were developed about the usefulness of the curriculum for children in a variety of educational settings.

School-Based Referrals to the Juvenile Courts: Prevalence and Characteristics in Several States

Effective school discipline practices are essential to keeping schools safe and creating an optimal learning environment. However, the overreliance of exclusionary discipline often removes students from the school setting and deprives them of the opportunity to learn. Previous research has suggested that students are being introduced to the juvenile justice system through the use of school-based juvenile court referrals. In 2011, approximately 1.2 million delinquency cases were referred to the juvenile courts in the United States. Preliminary evidence suggests that an increasing number of these referrals have originated in the schools. This study investigated school-based referrals to the juvenile courts as an element of the School-to-Prison Pipeline (StPP). The likelihood of school-based juvenile court referrals and rate of dismissal of these referrals was examined in several states using data from the National Juvenile Court Data Archives. In addition, the study examined race and special education status as predictors of school-based juvenile court referrals. Descriptive statistics, logistic regression and odds ratio, were used to analyze the data, make conclusions based on the findings and recommend appropriate school discipline practices.

Community pharmacists’ understanding, attitudes, practice and perceived barriers related to providing pharmaceutical care: a questionnaire-based survey in Macao

Purpose: To explore the knowledge, attitudes, practice and perceived barriers of community pharmacists regarding provision of pharmaceutical care as well as provide recommendations on how to advance the service during the early stage of development in Macao. Methods: A questionnaire comprising 10 items was used to collect respondents’ demographic information and to evaluate their understanding of pharmaceutical care, attitude towards service provision, current practice and perceived barriers. Descriptive and comparative analysis of the results was conducted. Results: While 95 % of the participating pharmacists agreed that patients’ health was their primary responsibility, only 57 % believed that they can provide better pharmaceutical care in the future. The majority spent most of their work time counselling patients (90 %) and checking prescription (70 %). Only a small portion monitored adverse drug reaction and drug compliance (44 %), engaged in health screening or drug safety promotion (20 %) or maintained patient medication records (4 %). Insufficient communication with physicians (90 %), lack of time (79 %) and lack of physical space at the pharmacy (76 %) were considered the most significant barriers. Conclusion: A suboptimal level of pharmaceutical care is provided by pharmacists in Macao. Considering the barriers identified and integrating other country experiences, establishing an enabling atmosphere using policy and regulatory measures is the fundamental element for advancing pharmaceutical care by community pharmacists.