Time use and change in academic achievement: A longitudinal follow-up

As a follow-up of the research of Smith in 1990, academic achievement results from two years later are added to the data for 1208 of the 1584 seventh and ninth graders for whom Smith studied relationships between achievement and time use. Growth in academic achievement over two years, like contemporaneous achievement, is not positively related to time spent on homework or with parents at the beginning of the period. The other findings are also in general accord with the results of the previous study, although the associations are somewhat weaker and less consistent. Growth in reading, language, and overall achievement is significantly negatively related to time spent on house-hold chores, suggesting that chores may compete with academic or other intellectual activities or may cause destructive resentment. Growth in reading achievement is significantly negatively related to time spent listening to radio and recordings, suggesting negative effects of the adolescent subculture. Growth in mathematics achievement tends to be positively associated with time spent watching television among students with parents in lower-status occupations but has a statistically significant negative association with TV time among those with higher status parents, supporting previous findings of interaction between family SES and TV viewing. The results are interpreted in terms of competition among various time uses for the time and attention of adolescents.Research for this paper was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants SES-8507004 and SES-8920852, and by The University of South Carolina. The earlier study (Smith, 1990), which this one follows up, was also supported by the former NSF grant, but the acknowledgment was inadvertently omitted when the paper was published in the sixth issue in Volume 19 of this journal.Doctorate in sociology was granted by The University of Minnesota. Main research interests are parent-adolescent relations and influences on academic achievement.     

Staffing the higher civil services in Bangladesh: An analysis of recruitment and selection processes

In developing a recruitment and selection policy for the Bangladesh Civil Service there has been significant disagreement over whether this should be based exclusively on merit or whether merit should be modified in the interests of equity. The government has, in practice, required that the policy should recognize the principle of equity and various interests have been given a privileged status in recruitment. At the same time the administration of the recruitment process has been conducted in a way that has undermined confidence in it. The authors describe the policy differences and problems of administration concluding with ideas on desirable reforms.     

Retrospective reports of parental partner abuse: Relationships to depression,trauma symptoms and self-esteem among college students

This study tested whether retrospective reports of childhood exposure to parental partner abuse were associated with internalizing aspects of adult adjustment. Participants were 550 men and women college students. Among women, childhood exposure to partner abuse was related to depression, trauma-related symptoms, and low self-esteem; among men, exposure was associated with trauma-related symptoms. These relationships were statistically independent of reported parental alcohol abuse and divorce. Relationships of parental partner abuse to low self-esteem and depression among women were also independent of variation in retrospective reports of child sexual and physical abuse. However, the relationship of partner abuse to trauma-related symptoms depended, in part, on the co-occurrence of child abuse. The discussion addressed implications of the findings for future research and for clinical practice.     

Combating crime and citizen attitudes: A study of the corresponding reality

The effectiveness of crime deterrence projects such as increased street lighting in ghetto environments has been questioned. The present study not only examines whether increased street lighting in fact reduces crime, but also investigates the attitudes towards local government of citizens who live within that particular environment. The findings illustrate that it would be advisable for governments to address citizen attitudes before undertaking certain crime prevention projects.     

Effects of marital conflict and family structure on the self-concepts of pre- and early adolescents

This study explored the effects of marital conflict and family structure on the self-concepts of youth aged 8–12. Subjects were 16 mother-youth pairs from intact parent families (IP) and 17 mother-youth pairs from separated parent families (SP). Results revealed youth in families with low marital hostility and high marital affection had significantly more positive self-concepts. Analyses suggested differences between IP and SP groups may best be explained by differences in marital hostility. The authors discuss the effects of marital discord on parenting within an ecosystems perspective.This study received partial support from the Indiana University School of Nursing Alumni Association and Sigma Theta Tau, Alpha Chapter.Research interests: children's social networks, marital structure, and parenting.Research interests: chronic illness in children.