Out of Focus: The Fuzzy Line between Regulatory Takings and Valid Zoning-Related Exactions in North Carolina and Federal Jurisprudence

This comment defines the current state of North Carolina and federal law while seeking to provide some practical guidance to the regulatory groups mentioned above

Validity of a Local Norms Approach for Universal Screening in Early Childhood Response to Intervention

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of a local norms approach used to interpret children's universal screening scores within Recognition & Response (R&R), a tiered model of instruction in early childhood. Data for the current study were drawn from two previous studies. Participants included 48 early childhood teachers and the 659 children in their classrooms. Teachers implemented the R&R model for language and literacy instruction in their classrooms throughout the course of the original studies, which included administration of a formative assessment tool to all children in their classrooms at the beginning of the year. A local norms approach, in which children's scores on the formative assessment were rank-ordered within each classroom, was used to determine which children needed a targeted small-group language and literacy intervention. In addition, norm-referenced outcome measures matched to the constructs evaluated by the formative assessment were administered following the universal screening period. In order to evaluate the validity of the local norms approach, the current study compared grouping of children by the local norms approach (i.e., those who needed additional instructional supports and those who did not) with grouping based on the application of various benchmarks to children's scores on the outcome measures, as well as grouping based on the application of recently developed cut points to children's scores on the formative assessment. Patterns in association between children's demographic characteristics and their scores on the formative assessment and outcome measures were examined to identify whether similar patterns occurred among the corresponding measures. Results of the analyses suggested moderate support for the local norms approach. Grouping by the local norms approach aligned relatively well with grouping by children's scores on the outcome measures. Overall, similar patterns in association were found between children's scores on the formative assessment and the corresponding outcome measures. In contrast, analyses involving the cut scores approach indicated that the cut scores may be too stringent for at-risk identification within an RTI/R&R framework. Limitations of the current study and implications for future research and practice are discussed.Doctor of Philosoph

Death Anxiety in a National Sample of United States Funeral Directors and its Relationship with Death Exposure, Age, and Sex

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the level of death anxiety among a national sample of United States funeral directors with varying levels of death exposure, age, and sex. Utilizing the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale (MFODS), the results showed a significant, but weak negative relationship between levels of death anxiety and the participants\u27 reported number of funerals attended per year. The correlation between death anxiety scores and the number of reported embalming cases performed yearly was, however, not significant. We found a significant negative correlation between death anxiety and age in both men and women funeral directors. The difference in the death anxiety scores between men (n = 166) and women (n = 38) funeral directors was not significant. There was a significant negative correlation with age in both men and women in several fears of death including fear of the dying process, fear for significant others, and fear of premature death. The significant negative correlations were stronger for women than men across all three subscales. Results, direction for further research, and implications of the findings for mental health workers are discussed

Ariel - Volume () Number 1

Copyright 1986 Arie

Counselors’ Continuing Education: An Exploratory Assessment of Activities and Perceived Value

A random sample of 597 National Certified Counselors was surveyed to assess counselors’continuing education activities. Recent and intended future choices of delivery methods,motivation for choosing activities, and value ratings of recent activities are described

Facilitating Group Cohesion Among Adolescents Through Challenge Course Experiences

This article reports the results of a study which examined the effects of participation in a low-element challenge course on younger adolescents' perceptions of group cohesion. A pre and post test of the Group Cohesion Evaluation Questionnaire was administered to 167 participants. Results supported that group cohesion developed through the one-day, low-element challenge course experience, and that race, gender, and age of participants did not affect their perception of group cohesion

A proactive approach to couples counseling with adolescents.

Dating and relationships are common among adolescents as they begin to form the foundations upon which they will build future relationships. Although many adolescents seem to follow a pattern of dating and going steady, these relationships do not necessarily follow along an unproblematic course (McDonald & McKinney, 1994). For example, recent research has indicated a rise in dating violence among teens (Cochran, 1994; Kyle, 1991; Sculli, 1992). Not surprisingly, a survey of adolescents found that dating was ranked as one of several major worries that they face (Kaufman, Brown, Graves, Henderson, & Revolinski, 1993)

Importance of Marital Characteristics and Marital Satisfaction: A Comparison of Asian Indians in Arranged Marriages and Americans in Marriages of Choice

To date, little research has been published related to cross-cultural differences in such marital factors as love, intimacy, happiness, and satisfaction. The present study compares factors contributing to marital satisfaction and examines correlations between the importance of these factors and the level of satisfaction for three groups: Asian Indians in arranged marriages living in India (n = 229), Asian Indians in arranged marriages living in the United States (n = 185), and Americans in marriages of choice (n = 173). Results indicated significant differences between the three groups on both total importance and total satisfaction mean scores. Implications for multicultural marriage counseling are discussed and recommendations for further cross-cultural research are presented

Students' Perceptions of Need for Personal Counseling Services in Community Colleges

Although the need for personal counseling services is on the rise across college campuses in the United States, many community colleges do not offer personal counseling services on campus. Instead, community, college counseling services focus primarily on academic and career advising. The purpose of this study was to survey community college students in North Carolina to determine their interest in and need for a personal counseling center on campus. Participants were 134 men and 202 women, 18-68 years of age. Of the participants, 70% indicated that having a personal counseling center on campus would be "very helpful" or "helpful." Results are discussed, and recommendations are made for college counselors working in community college settings