Volume 4, Issues 1 & 2, 2014

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Dilemmas of long-term unemployment: talking about constraint, self-determination and the future
Gilbert, K., Tileagă, C., & Cahill, S. Pages 7-33Author(s): Gilbert Kendra, Cristian Tileagă, Cahill Sharon
Language: English
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Psychology
Issue: 1 & 2/4/2014
Page Range: 7-33
No. of Pages: 27
Keywords: discursive psychology; long-term unemployment; conditionality; constraint
Summary/Abstract: This is a paper on how young long-term unemployed people manage their identity as job seekers in semi-structured interviews about their experiences of unemployment. The paper draws on discursive psychology to highlight some of the patterns of common sense reasoning about their predicament in the context of UK's third wave neoliberalist welfare provision and philosophy of 'personalised conditionality'. In contrast to studies that tend to consider the individual psychological impact of unemployment, particularly with regard to mental health issues, or resilience, this paper shows how a discursive approach can be a fruitful avenue to understanding how people account for their experiences of unemployment. The analysis shows how the thesaurus of everyday psychological states is used as a rhetorical tool for managing accountability for actions and motivations. The situated uses of psychological states allow speakers to engage with the tension between constraint and self-determination, and that between a 'desirable' (based on institutional priorities) and individually 'desired' future (based on subjective 'choice' and 'preference'). In describing their experiences of unemployment, participants talk into being the contradictory themes lodged at the heart of neoliberal ideologies of employment.
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The pro-social behaviour in young people in the technical studies. Sociological research
Jitaru, O. Pages 34-45Author(s): Oana Jitaru
Language: English
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Psychology
Issue: 1 & 2/4/2014
Page Range: 34-45
No. of Pages: 12
Keywords: pro-social behaviour; charity; volunteering; altruism; participation in community
Summary/Abstract: The paper presents results of a sociological research based on the method of questionnaire, regarding forms of manifestation of the pro-social behaviour in young students and graduates from the technical studies. It is analysed the evolution of the manifestation of the pro-social behaviour with age and enrichment of the social environment where the young people are active, differences of manifestation according to the gender of the subjects, as well as factors that can influence their participation in activities beneficial for the community. The results are interpreted from the psychological point of view, and offer a base to support the civic education and the stimulation of the actions of volunteering as strategies of social influence, where young people can generate change and can interfere in the sense of the development of the community they belong to.
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Using electronic resources to teach computer literacy: students’ perceptions and use
Yager, S. E., & Szabo, Zs. Pages 46-67Author(s): Susan E. Yager, Zsuzsanna Szabo
Language: English
Subject(s): Education, Psychology
Issue: 1 & 2/4/2014
Page Range: 46-67
No. of Pages: 22
Keywords: e-books and electronic resources; teaching computer literacy; college teaching
Summary/Abstract: This paper presents results from a two-step study that examines students’ reported perception and use of electronic textbook (e-book) and other electronic ancillary resources in a computer literacy course at a medium-sized, Midwestern university. The first, an exploratory study, compares results on the same measures from two groups of students: one group using a printed book with traditional supplemental materials, and another group using an e-book and its ancillary resources. Pre- and post-test achievement results are presented. In addition, a survey asked students about their study strategies and note taking habits. E-book users who responded to the survey were asked to volunteer for individual interviews, during which they raised several issues about using the electronic features. Results from the exploratory study support the cost efficiency of using e-books with no major negative effect on students’ performance when compared with using a printed book. Educational implications for teaching, student learning, and training users of technology gathered in the exploratory study were adopted for the course. Results from the second, follow-up study, show differences in reported responses by gender, race, and age. Students also report their use of electronic ancillary resources in learning the content and preparing for tests.
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Practising summarizing within cooperative groups - experimental study
Popa, C. Pages 68-77Author(s): Carmen Popa
Language: English
Subject(s): Education
Issue: 1 & 2/4/2014
Page Range: 68-77
No. of Pages: 10
Keywords: cooperative learning; learning together model; summarizing skills; primary school
Summary/Abstract: This study presents the data of an extensive experimental research that aimed to measure the experimental conditions of the efficiency of Learning together model regarding the students’ ability to summarize ideas in third and fourth grades. We included 236 students in the study. They were selected from four schools from Oradea to ensure a similar level of training and a common area of origin. The experiment lasted 3 months and included implementing cooperative group activities to the experimental classes: 1 hour per week in each of the two disciplines: Romanian and Mathematics. For the control classes the teaching process carried on in a normal way without our intervention. The lessons developed were videotaped and data analysis was done using Cooperative Learning Scale developed in 1997 by B. Kenter, K. Post, S. Veenman and adapted by us with permission.The results gained proved that the model Learning together could lead to an increase in the frequency of cooperative learning behavior, but it is not powerful enough to be able to perpetuate it in time. Although the post-test at the experimental third grades marked an increase in the scores, the average values were low both in the third and fourth grades. The decreased results from the re-test at the third level classes demonstrated that the skill of summarizing ideas of others required a more consistent exercise.
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Family and school environment determine social skills among Indian adolescents
Kaur, J., & Singh, D. Pages 78-92Author(s): Jagpreet Kaur, Dalvir Singh
Language: English
Subject(s): Education
Issue: 1 & 2/4/2014
Page Range: 78-92
No. of Pages: 15
Keywords: social skills; home environment; school environment; adolescents
Summary/Abstract: The main objective of this study was to explore the relationship of social skills with family and school environment of adolescents in a sample of 500 adolescents from Patiala district of Punjab. Social skills considered in the present study were self awareness, empathy, effective communication and interpersonal relationship. The results of correlation analysis revealed a positive and significant relationship of these social skills with cohesion, expressiveness, acceptance and caring, independence, active recreational orientation and organization dimensions of home environment among adolescents. However, a negative and significant relationship of these social skills with conflict dimension of home environment among adolescents was observed. Also, social skills among adolescents was found to be positively and significantly related to creative stimulation, cognitive encouragement, permissiveness and acceptance dimensions of school environment. However, social skills among adolescents were found to be negatively and significantly related to rejection dimension of school environment. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was run to examine the extent to which the various dimensions of home and school environment contributed to the variability in social skills among adolescents. The results indicated that cohesion, expressiveness, acceptance and caring and dimensions of home environment and creative stimulation and control dimensions of school environment were the significant predictors of self awareness among adolescents. In case of empathy, conflict component of home environment and creative stimulation and cognitive encouragement and control components of school environment were found to be the significant predictors. However, effective communication was found to be significantly predicted by control, rejection and permissiveness components of school environment and acceptance and caring component of home environment. For interpersonal relationship skills, acceptance and caring and independence dimension of home environment and control and creative stimulation components of school environment came out to be the significant predictors. These results of the study have implications for counsellors, teachers and parents.
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The socio-demographic factors of career indecision
Perţe, A., & Pătroc, D. Pages 93-104Author(s): Andra Perțe, Dan Pătroc
Language: English
Subject(s): Education
Issue: 1 & 2/4/2014
Page Range: 93-104
No. of Pages: 12
Keywords: career decision; gender; social environment; ethnicity; CDDQ; CDMSE-SF
Summary/Abstract: This study aims at pointing out how some of the classical socio-demographic factors affect people’s ability to make career decisions early in life. We have selected three relevant dimensions for this: gender, social environment, and ethnicity. As a tool for measuring the concept of career decision/indecision we used two well-known instruments designed for this purpose: CDDQ (Career Decision Difficulties Questionnaire) and CDMSE-SF (Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy - Short Form), both adapted and validated on the Romanian population.
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