Reciprocal effects of self-concept and academic achievement in sixth and seventh grade

We aimed to (a) assess causal influences of three levels of self-concept on each other, (b) examine the relationship between each level of self-concept and academic achievement, and (c) compare the effect of self-concept on achievement with the effect of achievement on self-concept. In a two-year longitudinal study of 322 sixth and seventh grade students, influences over time between three levels of self-concept were weak. Zero-order correlations between self-concept and grades were positive and substantial, as in past studies. When using structural equation models, we found much weaker paths between self-concept and grades. Influences from self-concept to grades were very weak, but grades had a modest influence on subsequent discipline-specific self-concept. We conclude that past correlational studies have overstated the influence of self-concept on grades and of grades on self-concept.Financial support was supplied by the Life Cycle Institute, Catholic University.Received Ph.D. from Harvard University. Research interests include self-concept, religious development, and moral development.Received Ed.D. from Michigan State University. Research interests include self-concept and reading instruction.Received B.A. from The Catholic University of America. Research interests include political socialization and social movements.     

The effects of precision of sentencing information on crime rates: A theoretical model

This article employs a theory of decision-making under uncertainty to examine the effects of precision of information concerning the probability and severity (costs) of punishment on individuals' “supply of crime.” The analysis demonstrates that providing (correct) information that reduces uncertainty about the probability of punishment will not affect criminals' behavior, whereas the effects of information about the severity of punishment will depend on the shape of individuals' preference function. Applying this framework, the conditions under which the standardization of punishment is a socially desirable policy are identified and discussed.     

The case of the camera in the kitchen: Surveillance,privacy, sanctions,and governance

In the summer of 2007, a member of the Rationality Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem took it upon himself to install a closed‐circuit TV camera in the Center’s kitchen. An email explained that the camera was installed in an effort to solve the problem of cleanness in the kitchen. The camera was removed a week later: within this week, the members of the Center exchanged close to 120 emails among themselves, expressing their opinions for and against the camera, and discussing related issues. Taking off from this exchange, this article explores some of the surprisingly rich set of normative concerns touched upon by the kitchen camera incident. Among them: public surveillance and people’s polarised attitudes to it, the invasive gaze and the argument that “if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to worry about,” the efficacy of disciplining behavior through sanctions along with the problem of shaming sanctions, the notion of privacy and its arguable relevance to the kitchen case, and more. In an epilogue, I offer some reflections in the wake of the incident, connecting it to the incipient literature on regulation through observation. I find that it is precisely the smallness, concreteness, and seeming triviality of this incident that helps bring a large set of interconnected, vexing normative concerns into sharp relief.     

Latino immigrant workers in the Los Angeles apparel industry

Abstract

The apparel industry is one of the most globalized industries in the world. Apparel manufacturers are moving production to areas of the world where they can obtain the lowest wage labor. Imports of clothing to the US have risen dramatically, while garment jobs have dwindled. Los Angeles is the one area of the country that is running counter to this trend, in part because of its access to a large, Latino workforce, many of whom are undocumented. This paper considers the organization of the apparel industry in Los Angeles today, especially the return of sweatshops. It examines the role of Latino immigrants as operatives in the industry, and the conditions under which they must work. The fundamental problem lies in the lack of political power of these workers, who must labor under an apartheid‐like system that denies them basic civil rights. Even recent signs of growing Latino political mobilization cannot bring immediate relief. Garment workers need to unionize in order to protect themselves. The problems and prospects for organizing are briefly considered.     

Transformation in Philippine local government

This research examined the challenges, enablers and outcomes of organisation transformation in Philippine local governments. We combined a multi-case study research design and backward mapping approach in collecting and analysing narratives from 55 leaders in 9 Filipino local government units (LGUs) that have successfully undergone transformation. Results show that the transformations of the LGUs appear to have been catalysed by three interrelated elements: vision, LGU leadership and citizen engagement. The transformation in the local governments concentrated on multiple foci of reform including structure and systems improvement, culture change, human-resource development as well as policy and programme development. This holistic approach enabled the transformation of bureaucratic and unprofessional government service to transparent, professional and efficient public service that engendered pride, transparency and social equity. Implications of the proposed model for transforming LGUs and in developing LGU leaders for good governance are discussed.     

Cognitive and interpersonal factors in woman abuse

As part of a larger ecological analysis of woman battering in Israel, this study examined the combined ability of selected cognitive and interpersonal measures to differentiate among couples in which women were battered and those in which they were not. The ability of these variables to predict men's physical violence and verbal abuse and women's verbal abuse was also executed. Results indicate that a combination of low marital adjustment, high levels of conflict over children, and more perceived self-control over one's life characterized violent men; low marital adjustment and high conflict over child rearing characterized battered women. Both men's and women's verbal abuse was moderately predicted by lower marital adjustment while men's physical violence was predicted by increased levels of conflicts with his partner over child rearing. These findings suggest the importance of marital relationship factors in domestic violence and highlight the need for further study of the interaction between perceived control and marital relationship problems in relationships where men physically abuse women.     

The analysis of biological samples from crime scene for a future human DNA profile confrontation. Effects of presumptive test reagents on the ability to obtain STR profiles for human identification

Because of the increase of evidence of blood stains, that have been washed or cleaned in an attempt to mask the analysis of DNA profiles, there is also an increase in the use of presumptive tests on samples sent to laboratories. Some of the presumptive tests, used to identify blood and semen stains, could potentially affect the recovery of high molecular weight DNA from the samples, or extinguish them, especially those already present in small quantities. After the presumptive tests, often these samples are discarded. This study aimed to examine the possibility of obtaining a DNA profile from samples submitted for presumptive testing and cleaned with bleaches with and without chlorine. Two different protocols were conducted: (a) A unique sample of human blood in natura (5 μL), already typed through the DNA techniques with the genetic profile previously known (control), was distributed onto cotton fabrics and dried at room temperature. Four samples of fabric were macerated in saline solution and Coombs serum and then stored for three months (room temperature and freezer −20 °C). (b) Another sample of human blood, type A, in natura, already typed through the techniques of DNA (control) was used. Aliquots of 200 μL were distributed in: cotton, denim and synthetic fabric. The samples were dried at room temperature for 24 h. The blood stains in those fabrics (cotton, denim and synthetic) were then divided into three groups: unwashed, cleaned with chlorine bleach and cleaned with chlorine bleach and soap powder. The samples were again dried at room temperature for 24 h, before the use of luminol. The DNA were extracted with Chelex 100 and amplified with the Identifiler Kit (Applied Biosystems). The blood stains exposed to saline and Coombs serum had DNA profiles consistent with untreated samples (controls). This result shows that the experts should keep and store the samples treated with saline and Coombs serum for future DNA confrontation when necessary. Also discussed in this paper the pattern of blood stains after washing with bleaching solutions, as well as the quantity of DNA obtained from these samples.