Fostering a sociological imagination in students is a central goal for most introductory sociology courses and sociology departments generally, yet success is difficult to achieve. This project suggests that using elements of asset-based community development can be used in sociology classrooms to develop a sociological perspective. After…

This article builds on two recent publications (Preece 2013; 2013a) concerning the application of asset-based community development and adaptive leadership theories when negotiating university service learning placements with community organisations in one South African province. The first publication introduced the concept of 'adaptive…

As the popularity of sport continues to grow, more community developers, planners, and leaders are recognizing the ability for sport to foster community. Similar to other community contexts, understanding the structure and management of sport remains central to community building. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explain how sport system…

This article explores leadership of place in the context of three urban middle schools in Morocco. School reform means that principals are changing from agents of authority to leaders with school improvement responsibilities. This shift in mission can be stressful for principals who are called to lead, but are often constrained by bureaucratic and…

Background: In view of the growing globalization, volunteer service organizations, local universities, colleges, and student groups have begun extending their service programs from Taiwan to other countries. This study employs a self-organized, self-funded group of university students participating in international service-learning as its subject,…

Given increasing political and financial commitments to wildfire preparedness, risk policy demands that risk identification, assessment, and mitigation activities are balanced among diverse resident groups. Essential for this is the understanding of residents' perceptions of wildfire risks. This study compares wildfire-risk perceptions of…

This article extends understanding of the connections between education, social capital, and development through a mixed-methods case study of the Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial, or SAT, an innovative secondary-level education system. The quantitative dimension of the research used survey measures of social responsibility to compare 93 SAT…

The Crossroads Survey, an adaptation of the macrostructural accounting techniques, was employed for purposes of testing the community development theory that services are added to communities in the same sequence. Dividing services and amenities into 2 categories (commercial and public/professional), the Crossroads Survey was conducted in Clinton…

A case study analysis of four communities, in which reputation, decision, and position measures of leadership were used, found that there was a high degree of overlap among the three methods in each of the four communities. (LRA)

Comparing socioeconomic characteristics of employed and unemployed heads-of-household in southeast Ohio, the authors found the traditional human resource development model to be a poor predictor of employment status in rural areas. A combined human resources structural perspective is suggested for regional development efforts implemented within…

In the early 1990s, a restructuring of the health services system of Alberta (Canada) amalgamated public health units and hospital districts into 17 Regional Health Authorities. Many of the regions have pursued community grant initiatives in addition to their regular funding, and it seemed that there would be value in comparing the experiences of…

Examines the roles played by universities in three distinct community-building initiatives in Oakland (California) over a five-year period, and outlines four lessons for university-community partnerships. The lessons affirm that the contributions universities can make to community-building are very important, and that the process of maintaining…

The Federal government and private corporations involved in energy production are placing great emphasis on the strip-mining of vast coal reserves. The Navajo Nation, whose lands contain 20 billion tons of low-sulphur coal, sells vast quantities of its natural resources for use in the urban centers of Arizona and southern California. However, the…

Studies pertaining to community growth have dealt with the community's territorial expansion, economy, government's functions, and institutions. Since researchers usually use the dimension that they have been taught (economists use economic measures, and social scientists use sociological measures), two problems have resulted: (1) How should…

Describes a study examining the political and administrative maturity of two American Indian tribes, one in a high state of development and one in a low state of development. Indicates that there was stability, separation of powers, and minimal conflict in the high development tribe, as well as more independence from federal authority. (MAB)