The Role of Sense of School Belonging and Gender in the Academic Adjustment of Latino Adolescents

The aim of this study was to examine the roles of sense of belonging and gender in the academic outcomes of urban, Latino adolescents. It was expected that sense of belonging would play a different role in males' and females' academic adjustment. Participants (N = 143) included mostly Mexican and Puerto Rican seniors from a large, urban high school. The academic outcomes assessed were grade point average, absenteeism, motivation, effort, and educational aspirations and expectations. As hypothesized, females consistently had more positive academic outcomes than males. Sense of school belonging significantly predicted academic outcomes, including academic motivation, effort, and absenteeism. Regression analyses did not show that gender explained differences in the relationship between sense of belonging and academic outcomes. Implications and future directions for research on urban Latino males and females are discussed.     

Integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Natural Resources Management in Hurungwe District,Zimbabwe

The study explores the Korekore culture in a bid to show its relevance to modern society's natural resources management in Zimbabwe. The main argument of the article is that the Korekore people have indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) that need to be tapped and integrated in modern-day natural resources management in Zimbabwe and elsewhere. The article argues that if blended with modern technologies, IKS can serve as effective intervention strategies that can mitigate the challenges faced in natural resources management. Adopting a qualitative research design in a case study approach, purposive sampling and snowballing techniques were used to select participants with in-depth knowledge on traditional beliefs and practices in natural resources management. The data collection tools included interviews, questionnaires, and peer-reviewed journal articles analysis. The study observed that the Korekore cultural beliefs and practices are not only relevant at local level, but are consistent with the principles of the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations and United Nations Working Group on Traditional Resources Rights.     

Trials of battered women who kill: the impact of alternative forms of expert evidence

The introduction of battered woman syndrome testimony in trials of battered women who have killed has stirred considerable debate within the psycholegal community. Much of the controversy stems from the testimony's focus on the woman's passivity, as well as its partrayal of a single profile of battered women. In light of these concerns, proposals to alter the content of the testimony (e.g., dropping the syndrome terminology, focus on battered women's social reality as opposed to their psychological state and reactions) have surfaced. In the present research both the woman's prior response history (passive, active) and the presence of expert testimony (battered woman syndrome, social agency, no expert control) were manipulated in a homicide trial involving a battered woman who had killed her abuser. Overall, participants, drawn from both a university (N=195) and a nonuniversity setting (N=202), rendered more lenient verdicts and provided more favorable evaluations of the defendant's claim of self defense in the presence of expert testimony (either form) compared to a no expert control. Further, these effects were more pronounced for the student than the nonstudent sample. Implications of these findings for the use of expert evidence pertaining to battered women are discussed.     

Discovering Directions for Change in Higher Education Through the Experiences of Senior Women Faculty

The Women in Science and Engineering Leadership Institute (WISELI) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, an NSF-funded ADVANCE Institutional Transformation project, employed the “discovery interviews” method to characterize the experiences of senior women faculty in science and engineering on campus. This method allowed WISELI to reach its aims of (1) gaining information from senior women that would inform the programs developed by WISELI, and (2) building relationships among the senior women and WISELI. The discovery interview process also had some unintended consequences, including creation of an expectation of advocacy that exceeded the original intent of the project. This method was well-matched to the needs of WISELI as a change agent at the UW-Madison, and has contributed a great deal to its Institutional Transformation efforts, primarily by changing WISELI’s perceptions of what leadership means to senior women faculty.     

Commentary: In Response to the Paper by Peter. H. Sand,A Century of Green Lessons: The Contribution of Nature Conservation Regimes to Global Governance (see pp. 33–72)

International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics -