Explores the concepts of support systems and self help and presents a paradigm for relating the two. (Author)

Oklahoma is a microcosm of American Indian country. Water rights, tribal government impotence, jurisdiction, tribal membership, treaty rights, taxation, sovereignty, racism, and poor housing, education, and health are all vital issues facing the Indian tribes of Oklahoma. In order to understand the complexity of these issues, a review of the…

This article discusses four necessary elements of the self-advocacy movement: gaining awareness of one's social and political situation; gaining awareness of individual strengths and potential; taking action through participation in community organizations; and having advisors collaborate with people with disabilities rather than treating them as…

This paper proposes that power/control and affiliation may be valid functions of some behaviors and should be considered in a functional behavior analysis of maladaptive behavior in students. Suggestions are offered for school-based manipulations to determine whether power/control and affiliation are relevant functions in given situations.…

Syntheses of research findings from major studies of school-based management (SBM) generate eight elements of schooling associated with successful SBM: An active vision, meaningful decision-making authority, distribution of power, development and use of knowledge and skills, collecting and communicating information, rewards for progress, shared…

Examines the differences in autonomy development between second-year college students who typically stayed on campus on weekends and those who often left campus on weekends during their freshman year. Findings show that students who stay on campus report higher levels of autonomy than students who tend to leave. (RJM)

This article contains three sections: (1) a literature review demonstrating that powerlessness is linked to disease and empowerment to health; (2) an exposition of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire's empowering education theory with a comparison to traditional health education; and (3) a case study of an empowering education substance abuse…

Today's young children need people committed to making the world a more caring place that offers every child and family the opportunity to thrive. This article presents five steps that any individual can take to become an active advocate for children, letting others know that the learning and experiences of early childhood shape a child's entire…

Reviews literature on the social context of health, identifying the ways that leisure contributes to health. The paper suggests that leisure produces mechanisms for coping with stressful life events. The contribution is mediated by companionships and friendships and perceived social support associated with leisure participation and…

The cycle of social breakdown, self-perpetuating stages of negative adjustment among older persons, can be halted by empowering people through prevention and wellness and by changing attitudes of the culture, care providers, and decision makers toward aging. (SK)

Examined life ownership orientation (extent to which one believes that God, individual, or society has power over one's life) among 117 college students who completed Life Ownership Orientation Questionnaire (LOOQ). Found LOOQ scores demonstrated higher predictive validity with regard to attitudes toward abortion, suicide, doctor-assisted suicide,…

Notes that many who work with troubled children assume curriculum of control to be necessary. Examines ways in which traditional treatments have fostered greater alienation. Suggests foundations for alternative model rooted in empowerment philosophy rather than obedience. Presents model of youth empowerment based on contemporary developmental…

Study looked at the importance of early education and labor market careers for nest leaving and returning to the parental home. The data determined that employment means a high probability of nest leaving but less stability of independent living. The early career was more important for structuring women's nest leaving than men's nest leaving.…

Explores meanings older people attach to successful aging and life satisfaction and to differentiate these concepts. Content analysis of an open-ended survey confirmed five features of successful aging: interactions with others, a sense of purpose, self-acceptance, personal growth, and autonomy. Findings suggest generativity contributes to…

This article profiles Leta Stetter Hollingworth, the founder of gifted education. It discusses her childhood, the New York Public School 165 experiment, the Speyer School experiment, and her overriding belief that since all human beings were not created intellectually equal, all children should not be equated in the same way. (Contains…