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Six adolescent refugees, ages 15-17, were interviewed regarding transition between Bosnia and upstate New York. All had been in the United States for 3-7 years, were enrolled in public school, and fluent in English. In 45 to 90 minute semi-structured interviews, there were a wide range of responses to the teens common refugee experience. While those who had spent time in refugee camps reported feelings of loss upon leaving, travel to the United States was variously described as terrifying and as like a vacation. Although all found entering school difficult and all reported school success, self-reported interaction with peers in the school setting ranged from isolation to full involvement. Interviewees also discussed family relationships, educational and vocational goals, household tasks, values, fears, hopes, and dreams for the future. Their responses revealed individual and familial differences in the process of acculturation and coming to terms with ethnic identity during a time of adolescent identity formation. Despite the small sample size preventing generalizations based upon demographic characteristics, results provide tentative insights into this specific refugee group, serve as a basis for further research, and elucidate the findings of previous researchers. (Contains 25 references.) (Author)

The educational memories of 26 Spanish adults between the ages of 50 and 92 years who had attended school between 1921 and 1956 were explored in a narrative analysis. The adults' oral biographies were obtained through semi-structured interviews examining their life experiences and transitions. The participants' grandchildren conducted the interviews as an optional project during an undergraduate-level course on education and development during adult and later life. The participants' schooling was examined as a life transition from a life-span perspective. Although the study participants had attended formal education under very different sociohistorical and political conditions, a number of patterns emerged in their responses when interviewed. On average, the participants spent little time in schools, and most stated that they would have liked to continue their education. The participants' reasons for leaving school and their curricula while in school were organized around gender categories, and their tendency toward early withdrawal from school was linked to the fact that they grew up in rural areas providing adult social roles and occupations that are only partially connected to formal education. The participants showed an orientation toward instrumental and school skills, which they also acquired and expanded in out-of-school contexts. (Seven tables/examples are included. The bibliography lists 16 references.) (MN)

This paper explores the difficulty of claims to truth in the analysis of the life of the Victorian feminist, reformer, educationist, and celebrity, Harriet Martineau (1802-76). She was widely known as a truthful person. For example, her contemporary, the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning, wrote in 1845 that "her love of the truth is proverbial among her friends, and even among such are averse from her present views." It is argued, however, that predating the ideas of the French philosopher Michel Foucault by a century or more, Martineau recognized an essential element of truth production--that truth is linked in a circular relation with systems of power which produce and sustain it, and to effects of power which it induces and which extend it (Foucault, 1980). Her strategies for placing boundaries around the truths that could be spoken about her, provide an example of how regimes of truth are created and how social eminence may be grasped and sustained. Martineau recognized that control of communication was crucial to the advancement of her truth. The paper contributes to debates regarding the value of auto/biographical approaches in educational and historical research, in particular in relation to women. (Contains 30 references.) (Author/BT)

This paper compares the early life, background, and education of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. It makes the case that an adaptation of the curve developed by C. Quigley can be used to trace the motivations of both Piaget and Vygotsky in creating their respective theories. The analysis also reveals the adversity that each man faced. Although they lived in countries with very different governments and histories, the political and military aspects of their nations had an impact on both men as they created their pedagogies. Both were influenced by prevailing science attitudes. Had they not lived in countries with flexible science attitudes, neither would have been a pedagogue. Piaget would have been a natural scientist; Vygotsky, a teacher. Flexibility at the university level led each to see that psychology required further investigation. The social factor had the greatest influence on both men. Without the influence of their hometowns, parents, siblings, friends, mentors, and teachers, neither would have created a pedagogy. Early in their lives, both men rejected organized religion in favor of philosophy, but neither rejected the heart of his faith. In the final analysis, however, it was education that gave each the means by which he could relieve inner psychological tensions through the development of his theories. To overcome angst, they had to expand their intellects. (Contains 192 references.) (SLD)

The purpose of this study was to examine, describe, and explain experiences of men with eating disorders and to gain understanding of the relevant life issues, perceptions, and attitudes. What are some of the contributing factors and experiences of men who suffer from eating disorders despite the widely held assumption that eating disorders are "feminine disorders," and more importantly, what is it like to be a man with an eating disorder. The results of the study revealed that although the personalities of the men interviewed were different, as were their families of origin, their socio-economic status, their careers, and their sexual orientation, still many common elements emerged. This suggests that a variety of origins and factors contribute to men's eating disorders. Eating disorders in men take many forms, but the review of literature and the interviews with men suggest that common components of isolation, shame, and angst with regard to food are prevalent in the experiences of all men suffering from these disorders. Medical and mental health professionals need to be attuned to the variety of forms that eating disorders can present. An appendix contains the study interview questions. (Contains 18 references.) (GCP)

This paper focuses on similarities in the lives of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky to enlighten study of their pedagogies and to provide some information for current classroom techniques. Neither man had a great deal to say about his early life, although Piaget published an autobiography. A number of primary sources were used to construct the timeline that shows similarities in the lives of these two theorists. The environments in which they grew up and lived impelled them to bring to their research efforts a personal background that gave birth to their research and influenced its scope and perspective. The timeline traces the course of both men's lives from birth to death, marking the publication of many of their pedagogical works. (Contains 15 references.) (SLD)

A qualitative study explored the influences of life and family histories on high school teachers' beliefs about U.S. history. Drawing on data gathered through surveys and in-depth interviews, this paper argues that personal knowledge acts as a lens through which teachers see and project subject matter in U.S. history. Inquiring into life history influences on teachers' understandings and beliefs about history builds on an emergent strand of research about the influence of family history, race, gender, and nationality on students' understandings of history. The paper states that to explore the influences of family history and life experiences on teacher beliefs about U.S. history, the study drew on strategies used in grounded theory, life history, and narrative inquiry. It notes that 62 teachers from 33 Rhode Island schools returned completed surveys, and numerical analyses were used to identify emergent themes in the close-ended responses. The conclusion is that attention to the role personal knowledge plays in the construction of historical understandings and interpretations implies a rejection of attempts to depersonalize and standardize history teaching and learning and may point toward opportunities for meaningful and authentic engagement with the past in history classrooms. (Contains 55 references.) (BT)

This report presents a comprehensive analysis of the reasons why girls and young women smoke, drink and use drugs, and what increases or lowers their risk of substance abuse. It demonstrates that certain key risk factors for substance abuse are unique to girls and young women and pose a greater threat to them than to boys and young men. This report reveals the need for a complete revamping of the Nations prevention efforts to: tailor programs to the unique motivations and vulnerabilities of girls; intervene earlier with all girls, before unhealthy attitudes, beliefs and behaviors set in; target all girls and young women going through key life transitions that increase their vulnerability to substance use; target girls known to be at particularly high risk, such as those who have suffered from sexual or physical abuse, are depressed, have eating disorders, or have parents or friends who abuse substances. It illustrates the many life pathways that can hike the risk of substance abuse among girls and young women, including incorrect knowledge and beliefs about substances, inattentive parents, substance-using friends, schools and communities that turn a blind eye, physicians who are not vigilant to early warning signs, and exposure to the entertainment media advertising which shower girls and young women with unhealthy and unrealistic messages about smoking, drinking and weight loss. Six appendixes contain survey methodology, survey instrument, focus groups methodology, descriptions of national surveys, select female-specific prevention programs, and select female-specific treatment programs. (Contains 593 references and 5 tables.) (GCP)

This report presents an evaluation of family preservation programs in Kentucky, New Jersey, and Tennessee, and a county program in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Key goals of these programs were reducing foster care placement, maintaining child safety, and improving family functioning. The statewide programs employed the Homebuilders program model, and the county program used a broader, home-based service model. Volume 1 of the report describes the study implementation, the study sites, and families in the Homebuilders model sites. Volume 2, which includes an executive summary, examines services and outcomes for both types of programs, analyzes attrition, and presents conclusions. In the evaluation, families were randomly assigned to a family preservation program or to regular service of the child welfare system. Information on parenting practices, family functioning, child well-being, and caseworker-caregiver interaction was collected through interviews. Information on family functioning was assessed at the beginning of services, at the close of Homebuilder services, and 1 year after services began. Administrative data provided information on childrens placements, reentries, and subsequent abuse/neglect allegations up to 18 months after experiment entry. Staff attitudes and characteristics were collected through questionnaires. Discussions with personnel of provider agencies provided information about services, policies, staffing, training, and the service context. Findings revealed that the experimental group received more services and more intensive services than the control group in all four states. There were no significant group differences on family-level placement rates, proportion of time in substitute care, case closings, or subsequent maltreatment. There were a few child and family functioning items in which the experimental group displayed better outcomes than the control group at the end of Homebuilders services, but these results did not occur in more than one state. There were very few differences at the 1-year follow-up. The report's discussion focuses on implications and highlights the need to rethink the functions, target group, and characteristics of services and to examine the issues of program specialization, length, and intensity. Each report section contains references or endnotes. Volume 3 of the report comprises 11 appendices, which include the screening protocol, worker safety checklist, secondary analyses for chapters in volume 2, and study instruments.(KB)

In order to better serve the needs of people in midlife and beyond, Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC), California, is considering the establishment of a Center for Longevity and Education (CLE). The CLE mission would be to foster a supportive environment for lifelong learning and life transitions for midlife and beyond, while channeling the knowledge and talents of older adults to support each other and the community through intergenerational activities on and off campus. The population of the United States is aging faster than it is growing, and at the same time seniors are more affluent than ever before. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that the over-65 population will grow between two and two-and-a-half times over the next 40 years, to more than 70 million, and the population of those over 85 will triple to 9 million. To help develop a plan for the CLE, 3 focus groups were conducted at 3 local community/senior centers during a 2-week period, with 20 female and 5 male participants. In addition, 3,516 surveys were mailed to a random sample of 48-65 year olds with incomes of $75,000 or more, and 400 were returned for a response rate of 11.4%. This report includes survey results. Research instrument appended. (Author/NB)

This study examined the effectiveness of using selected self-report measures assessing motivational orientation, learning strategies, procrastination, and perceptions of daily hassles to facilitate the prediction of student engagement in a self-paced introductory psychology course. Research has shown these factors to be associated with academic success. Four surveys purporting to measure the constructs were chosen, and a demographic survey was also administered. The course used a local area network of personal computers to administer all materials and to collect relevant data for each participant. Students agreeing to participate were administered the surveys during the first three class sessions of the semester. The course was self-paced, with students determining their rate of engagement. A criterion level of accumulated points determined course letter grade and course completion. Data were collected on 149 students, 122 of whom completed the course. For students completing the course, engagement was determined relevant to the number of days to course completion. A median-split was used to determine early finish versus late finish groups. Nonfinishers made up a third group. Discriminant function analysis to discover and interpret combinations of predictors determined that group membership could be predicted reliably. Implications for using these surveys to predict student engagement, as well as instructor intervention, are discussed. (Contains 2 tables and 110 references.) (Author/SLD)

Birthparents are the least studied, understood and served members of the adoption triad. Birthparents are also often the invisible members of the adoption triad. For some this is by preference, and for others this is an artifact of a system that has traditionally required invisibility. This manuscript briefly reviews the limited and interdisciplinary literature on the lifelong experiences of birthparents. Much of the research attempts to predict relinquishment among adolescents considering adoption. Longer-term follow-up research is comprised mostly of retrospective studies of clinical populations. These findings, though not representative, indicate that birthparents feel a sense of loss up to thirty years following the relinquishment of their child. Counseling and research implications are discussed, including the importance of studying and providing services to international birthparents, birthfathers, and domestic birthmothers. (Contains 16 references.) (Author/GCP)

This report examines the eighth grade cohort of 1888 in the year 2000. It presents findings from the fourth followup survey of the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), from the year in which most cohort members turned 26. The period in which this cohort attended school saw major initiatives in educational reform in the United States, with one of the most notable changes being an increase in student loans for higher education. Many social and economic forces may have affected this cohort as well. The data of the fourth followup were collected at a key stage of life transitions for the class of 1988. Most had been out of high school for nearly 8 years, and many had completed their educations and started to form families. By 2000, most had earned a high school diploma (83%), and an additional 9% had earned a GED. In 2000, 29% of the cohort had obtained a bachelors degree, and nearly 47% had some postsecondary credits. About 96% were employed in a full- or part-time job, with those who had a high school degree more likely to be employed than those who did not. Information is also provided on labor market experiences, current work and education activities, income, family formation activities, and civic and leisure activities. Three appendixes contain technical notes and a glossary, a list of areas of inquiry pursued with NELS:88 data, and standard error tables. (Contains 19 tables, 12 figures, and 103 references.) (SLD)

Adjustment experiences of South Korean graduate students' wives living in Georgia were examined from a feminist viewpoint. The adaptive process, its cultural meaning, and related social ramifications, was hypothesized to be an example of transformative learning. These two questions guided the study: (1) how did South Korean students' wives adapt to their new surroundings; and (2) what cultural meaning did they make of their experiences. Six college-educated women (who had resided in the United States for at least one year) who were full-time homemakers between the ages of 27 and 35 with at least one child were interviewed and observed. Their writing was analyzed and their husbands were interviewed (although the findings do not indicate the results of these interviews). The adaptation process was found to be three-staged: (1) identity crisis or culture shock; (2) overcoming through friendship formation and ESL classes; and (3) mental equilibrium through "thinking positively." The wives regarded their adaptive experiences as learning, something that went beyond the boundaries of formal education. Finally, the adaptation process changed the wives' world view by forcing them to become independent; they expressed this as "standing alone." Moving from such a passive stance to an active one conflicted with their upbringing in South Korea's patriarchal society; however, this was described as a welcome change. (The bibliography lists 11 references). (AJ)

Career theory is not a new topic, but one with an interesting past. The theories have been developed through working with men in the early days of the study of careers, modified to add women, and then modified even more for men and women in transition. Making a career decision is not a single event that takes place only in one's early adulthood, but might happen on other occasions during the life span. As the theory changes, different considerations are evident in the research. Much interest is focused on career transitions and the life change involved in breaking a career pattern. Factors such as changing economies, role expectations, more women in higher education and the workplace have caused theories to be modified and changed. Two implications of a study that investigated what women had done when faced with midlife career changes and how they made their choices were noteworthy and are as follows: (1) the socialization of girls and women and the correlation to their career choice and (2) the apparent need for flexible programming for women. The women in the study who initially focused on being "stay-at-home-mothers" have all chosen traditional women's occupations--a typical pattern according to Gottfredson's theory about early socialization and the tendency for women to choose gender-acceptable occupations. Career planning and vocational maturity need to consider the whole woman and all her needs, which is difficult when the flexibility of time is not available. (Contains 77 references.) (YLB)

The literature on transformative learning theory and the literature on cross-cultural adaptation were analyzed to identify links between both bodies of literature. The notion of an unexpected phenomenon that influences individuals residing in an unfamiliar culture was shown to be a common thread linking the two bodies of literature. Transformative learning theory called this phenomenon a trigger event, whereas cross-cultural adaptation theory called it culture shock. Eight studies combining both fields were identified. The eight studies differed from one another from the following standpoints: (1) their purpose; (2) the need for the study; (3) the criteria used to select participants; (4) their methodology, and (5) the length of the sojourn in the host culture. The eight studies shared several important similarities as follows: (1) they all referred to disorienting dilemmas that sparked a perspective transformation; (2) the use of nonreflective thinking or reflective thinking was pertinent to each study; (3) they all indicated that cross-cultural learning involved some aspect of transformation; and (4) they all discussed the role of supporting relationships within the context of transformative learning theory. The importance of identifying other theories and bodies of literature with relevance to transformative learning theory was emphasized. (20 references) (MN)

This paper describes a professional development approach using narrative and study. During the 2000-2001 school year, researchers worked with the leadership team (13 educators) of a county accommodation school district in a major urban center in the southwestern United States. The general goal of professional development was to assist the leadership team in accomplishing high quality work while paying attention to the underlying moral purposes of their work at an accommodation school district that serves homeless children, incarcerated children, and children who have been unsuccessful in their prior school experiences. The approach asked education leaders to explore their own stories, their workplace experiences, and professional dilemmas as they crafted stories of practice. Three general assumptions about professional development guided the project: (1) to respect the intellectual capacity of school administrators and others in the school district; (2) to focus on building competence with attention to individual and organizational leadership; and (3) to promote continuous inquiry and school betterment that are embedded in the daily practice of schools. Outcomes of this work were the stories that participants produced, the discussions that followed, and the applications to other tasks/responsibilities of the leadership team. Seven such stories are attached. (Contains 4 tables and 27 references.) (SLD)

This monograph is designed to be a tribute to E. Paul Torrance, a renowned creativity researcher, university teacher, and mentor. It is presented in three sections, the first of which is a discussion of Torrance's life. It reviews his childhood in rural Georgia, his academic accomplishments, the emergence of his interest in creativity and the development of his creativity theory, the application of his creativity theory, and his affirmation of creativity in challenging times during his retirement years. The second section of the monograph provides an overview of Torrance's accomplishments, including his creativity research, the design and refinement of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) to measure creative abilities, results of his longitudinal studies on creativity, the development of the Future Problem Solving Program, and the development of the Incubation Model for creative teaching. The monograph states that the TTCT has been used in more than 2,000 studies and has been translated into more than 32 languages, and explains the components of the TTCT, scoring, and interpretation of the TTCT. The monograph concludes with a discussion of his legacy and the Torrance Center for Creative Studies. Testimonies of former students on Torrance's mentorship and inspirational leadership are included. (Contains 47 references.) (CR)

N.F.S. Grundtvig was a priest, historian, poet, and founder of the Danish Folk High School. He believed that education for adults should be geared to adults and wanted schools to be independent of the church. Grundtvig was among the first to call for Denmark's schools to use the native Danish language. Grundtvig believed that each group or culture of people who shared the same language had its own national spirit or folk's spirit that should allow for free and fruitful interaction between generations and all social classes. He advocated establishing folk schools that would cater exclusively to the life experiences of adults, and he envisioned the folk school's mission as helping students think for themselves, learn to distinguish between true and false values, provide useful subjects that students wanted to know, and arouse students' interest and widen their horizon with a new view of the world. According to Grundtvig, folk schools would include time for individual work in a library, and conversations. Grundtvig's influence extended to the United States, where he also influenced the work of several specialists in adult education, including Malcolm Knowles, Martin Knowlton, Olive Campbell, and Myles Horton and the development of institutions such as Ashland College, Elderhostel, Campbell Folk School and Highlander Folk School. (Contains 12 references.) (MN)

The issues of language, literacy, and numeracy (LL&N) in Aboriginal health worker (AHW) training in Australia were explored to determine how these issues interrelate, overlap, and influence the types of literacy practices required in indigenous contexts. Data were collected through two workshops and formal and informal discussions with a sample of nine AHW trainers from four organizations. The study established that the lack of LL&N specialists in the field of training AHW has diminished LL&N being embedded in the AHW competency standards and that the introduction of AHW competency standards has reduced community ownership of the health service. The following were among the nine recommendations emerging from the study: (1) include substantial input from English language and literacy professionals in any rewriting or reworking of the units of competency for AHWs; (2) conduct further research on national and international models of "good practice" in multilingual, multicultural, postcompulsory education and training delivery and their implications for AHW training; and (3) fund programs of professional development in English as a second language and cross-cultural awareness for all teachers and trainers working in indigenous contexts. (The bibliography lists 29 references. The following items are appended: interview questions; study consent form; and list of the units of competency in the AHW certificate program.) (MN)

It is a challenge in areas of teacher education to find relative and meaningful classroom methods to teach educational theories and practices. Often, when preservice and inservice teachers are presented with educational theory, they resist absorbing its value because of disconnection with their personal experiences. Specifically, public theory does not always take into account the private individual and the individual's life events that influence the manner in which theories are digested and accepted. In order to combat this dilemma, researchers suggest the adaptation of teachers' stories or personal history methodologies within teacher education programs. Personal history methodologies possess many advantages: they offer teachers a voice in their education; they validate and legitimize their experiences; they provide an opportunity for differentiated instruction; and they offer an opportunity for reflection. Although the personal history has many advantages to teacher educators and students, researchers also warn of their limitations and suggest pedagogical approaches that can counter these confines. Just as personal history methodologies have been initiated within preservice education program, so too should they be adapted for inservice education so that teachers can reap the benefits of this instructional approach in order to inform and analyze their teaching practices. (Contains 17 references.) (Author/SM)

The incorporation of human immune deficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) into identity over time was examined by collecting data from the same 11 HIV-positive individuals at 3 points in time (in 1995, early 1998, and late 1999). By the time of their semi-structured interviews in late 1999, the seven men and four women interviewed had been HIV-positive for between 7 and 16 years. An analysis of the nature of the learning reported by the study participants revealed the existence of a six-point incorporation process that included the following stages: (1) diagnosis (the beginning of incorporation of HIV/AIDS into identity and often included shock, fear, denial, and relief); (2) a post-diagnosis turning point (that was often referred to as a "catalytic experience" and involved social interaction; (3) immersion (during which participants actively participated in the HIV/AIDS community); (4) a post-immersion turning point (which caused a reevaluation of priorities); (5) integration (a stage that was marked by HIV/AIDS identity decentralization; and (6) a disclosure process (a process that progressed from disclosure to significant others only to public disclosures followed by situational disclosures on a need-to-know basis). This process of incorporation was transformational and also included increased appreciation for the human condition and an expanded view of intimacy. (Contains 12 references.) (MN)

Observation of human behavior increasingly suggests there is a chasm between "what you do" (leadership, skill, behavior) and "what you know" (intellect, cognition, aptitude). To examine the gap between what is done and what is known regarding the teaching of children, a project first reviewed the literature on school-life activities that allows children to express knowledge, judgment, goal setting, decision-making, wisdom, and values. The literature was found lacking. Then 30 rising fifth and sixth graders at a rural elementary school used brightly colored washable markers and a 24" x 48" piece of white freezer paper to create a line to begin at any time in their past and end at any time in the future. They were asked to reflect on what had happened to them in their past, what was happening to them today, and what they envisioned would happen to them in their future, and to put it on paper. Personalization and embellishment were encouraged; spontaneous teams and joint efforts were not discouraged. After one hour, each student gave an extemporaneous presentation, followed by praise and applause from the audience. Findings suggest the students prioritized the relevance of events of their life chronologically, with potent examples of mature life experience emerging from their presentations. Students examined loss, suffering, and death as well as joy and victory in their lives, discussed leadership figures and loved ones, and presented meaningful plans for their future. Every child told his or her story, every child was praised and received the audience's applause. Children are filled with implicit and explicit information and utilize it at a younger age than is reflected in existing texts. Timelines served no diagnostic value in this exercise, but served to establish a dialogue between teachers and students leading to the emergence of critical literacy. (Author/NKA)

A study conducted life history interviews with long-time adult educators regarding their career paths and choices, philosophical perspectives, influences in professional careers, changes witnessed in the field, and predictions about future trends in adult education. A literature review focused on the history of adult education in the United States and major philosophical perspectives about adult education that have evolved. Study results were based on 17 adult educators who have been formally involved in the field throughout North America for at least 40 years and whose roles in the field were confirmed through published work or positions of responsibility or leadership. Data were collected through interviews, written responses to questionnaires, and review of background information from vitas and published literature. Six major themes were identified in data analysis: (1) there were commonalities in influences that helped shaped their careers, with most citing Cyril Houle as having been most influential; (2) philosophical perspectives were diverse but remained generally unchanged; (3) most participants identified similar changes in the field over the past 40 years; (4) predictions about future trends were congruent with their individual philosophical perspectives; (5) almost none of the individuals intentionally went into the field of adult education; and (6) even though most are officially retired, they were still involved in some form of adult education. (The survey is appended.) (YLB)

A study investigated relationships between two instructional dimensions and change in the literacy practices of adult literacy students: degree of authenticity of activities and texts in class and degree of teacher/student collaboration. Data on class activities and texts and degree of student influence on them were triangulated from teacher questionnaire, class observation, and group-student interview. Data on change in adult students' literacy practices were collected from adult literacy students by a questionnaire administered to students in their homes every 3 months for up to a year and analyzed using Hierarchical Linear Modeling. Questionnaire responses were placed on a common scale using Item Response Theory from which a change score was derived. Analysis results based on 157 students in 77 adult literacy classes revealed authenticity had a moderate effect on change in student literacy practices, shown as increased frequency of reading and writing and/or types of texts read and written. Analysis of literacy engagement and change scales revealed that the increases in types of texts involved reading and writing more texts at higher levels of discourse. Degree of collaboration had no effect on literacy practice. Qualitative analysis of student comments on the questionnaire showed they reported life changes--changes in employment, changes emanating from learning to read and write, and changes in living and family situations. (Contains 45 references.) (YLB)

A study explored how young adults experience control and exercise personal agency (self-determination) as they pass through periods of transition in education and training, work, unemployment, and in their personal lives. Data were gathered through structured questionnaires administered to at least 100 young adults from universities and companies, and among unemployed young people in each of these three contexts in two localities in Germany and one in England that were experiencing economic transformation. In addition, 21 group interviews were carried out involving 136 participants from these groups. First findings from the study showed that choice and uncertainty can be important dimensions in young adults' biographies in the current moment. Their experiences and actions are not exclusively determined by socializing and structural influences, but also involve elements of subjectivity, choice, and agency. The research is expected to contribute to understanding of the process involved in becoming independent and personally effective in different settings. It is also expected to add to the debate about the most effective ways to support transitions in early adult life. (Contains 19 references.) (KC)

This study surveys African Americans to assess perceptions of and life experiences with the issue of skin tone. Thirty-seven African American adults agreed to complete a survey packet and participate in a semi-structured focus group discussion. Participants completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure, the Skin Color Assessment Procedure and Skin Color Questionnaire,and a demographic sheet. The findings appear to indicate that African Americans are indeed aware of and can articulate the ways in which skin tone affects their lives. Results indicate significant relationships between idealized skin tones and self-perceptions of and satisfaction with skin tone. Other significant relationships include global ethnic identity, education levels, parental education levels, and personal income. Focus group analysis indicates the ascription of traits based on skin tone and the significance of skin tone in familial, professional, and social experiences. The study recommends that mental health professionals be aware of the issue of color consciousness so that it may be addressed in counseling. Counselors and counseling psychologists can assist in efforts to educate African Americans to recognize, acknowledge, and directly address issues of skin tone both within and across racial groups. (Contains 19 references.) (GCP)

Older adults, defined as those aged 65 or older, are rapidly becoming the largest group of individuals in the United States. As this population steadily increases, so will the demand for adequate and appropriate mental health care. Counselors need to be prepared to meet this increasing demand by understanding efficacious ways to conceptualize and intervene with older adults. Existential theory and therapy is one tool to conceptualize older adults in counseling and is uniquely suited for therapy with older adults by its direct focus on late-life issues such as death and meaningfulness. This paper provides a brief overview of the existential theory, followed by a discussion of how to meet the mental health needs of older adults by utilizing existential techniques. Two therapy cases are presented as preliminary evidence that existential therapy can be useful with older adults. The limitations of this approach are also discussed. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/GCP)

Drawing on diverse perspectives, this paper examines six lenses on settings that offer a more complex picture of their role in lived experience than is often available in traditional analyses and reports of qualitative educational research. In this discussion, "settings" is defined as a bounded environment in which particular situations, interactions, and behaviors accrue to it as normal by virtue of history, cultural values, and beliefs. The discussion focuses on some of the social and cultural signifiers implicit in particular settings and in moves from one setting into another. The premise developed is that a deeper analysis of settings requires an unraveling of relations among people and the settings in which they participate as well as inquiry into characteristics that particularize those settings. These lenses are not meant to be inclusive but to suggest questions and analyses that may yield fresh perspectives on the roles of settings in people's lives. (Contains 52 references.) (Author/SLD)

Data from the 1811 and 1851 census in England and Wales as well as other data from those countries in 1891 and 1921 were analyzed to investigate individuals' timing and extent of departure from the parental home. The authors found the following: (1) there was a gradual increase in the ages at which children left the parental home; (2) the pace of departure became more rapid over the entire period studied for males, although for females, the pace was increased in the twentieth century; (3) there was a decline in non-familial residence; and (4) there was a rise, especially in the twentieth century, in post-marriage co-residence with parents. The trends were attributed to a general decline in farm employment and domestic service (where employees had traditionally been given room and board) and the subsequent rise in urbanization and industrialization. The period from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century increasingly witnessed a divergence between the experience of leaving the parental home and entry into the labor market. The author suggested further research on the changing patterns of the timing of entry into the workplace. (Contains 17 tables and 73 references.) (AJ)

The applications of biographical concepts in educational settings were examined through a case study of one researcher's use of the biographical narrative interview to examine the connection between subjective and structural conditions and coping strategies in individual lives and to inform adult education practitioners. The biographical approach illustrated in the case study is based on the writings of F. Schutze, who has used examples of biographical "trajectories" or "changing processes" to show how structures dominate biographies for long periods and how social science and educational researchers can use narrative interviews to reconstruct individual actions in the framework of social situations. According to Schutze, a recapitulation of experiences contains the following cognitive figures: (1) the biography holder or event holder; (2) the frame of events and experiences; (3) situations, life milieus, and social structures as the setting of orientation and condition; and (4) the real shape of life history. These cognitive figures constitute a kind of dynamic landscape in which the basic process-structures of life courses can be rebuilt in the following attitudes: (1) the biographical action scheme, which shows individuals as the creators of their own biography; (2) institutional patterns for the life-course procedure; (3) life "trajectories"; and (4) transformation processes. (Contains 10 references) (MN)

The relationship between life history, gender, and the discourse of modernization was examined from the perspective of a researcher with extensive experience performing evaluations about modernization within human services in Denmark. Three stories about site-based management in two human service institutionsa youth center and a boarding school for autistic childrenwere presented to illuminate fragments of the complex condition that modernization represents. One story, which was told by a female superintendent, reflects feelings of skepticism and professional pride and discusses modernization in terms of development. A second story, which was told by a male superintendent, stresses the challenges and criticism encountered during modernization. In analyzing the stories, the author explored the following themes: (1) the discourse of modernization; (2) pre-existing or interpretive narratives; (3) the notion of the dialectical, liberated, and dispersed subject and the various theoretical forms in which life histories emerge; (4) the concepts of subject and surface and their relationship to the discourse of life history and modernization; (5) fluent and fixed icons of life history; (6) lost virginity and floating space as images of modernization; and (7) rituals of passage, storytelling, imagination, and the researcher's voice. (Fourteen endnotes and 27 references are included.) (MN)

This address, based on 10 years of clinical and research experience with immigrant children and their families, discusses the fundamental information that both clinicians and researchers interested in the experiences of immigrant adolescent girls should consider. The various stresses of immigration are detailed, as are the factors that may significantly attenuate the response to the transitions and stress of immigration. Recent research efforts involve collecting data from a variety of sources including structured interviews of immigrant children and adolescents, their teachers and parents; ethnographic fieldwork in the schools and neighborhoods; psychological measures; and school records and achievement tests. While each of these data sets provide important information on their own, it is maintained that by combining the data and exploring points of convergence and points of divergence, it is possible to address more systematically and more thoroughly the changing experiences of immigrant youth. The model advocated attempts to capture the complexities of changing adaptations by connecting data. The objective is to generate high quality data to develop theoretically robust models, and to delineate how different players involved in the lives of immigrant children come to view their adaptations. (Contains 72 references.) (GCP)