The Role of the Social Scientist in the Community. ESRI Memorandum Series No. 80 1970

I must start by saying that I am somewhat torn between two ways of approaching this problem. On the one hand I would very much like to talk in detail about programmes of community development, the way they can be organised, and their consequences. On the other hand I would like to review some of the results of several survey investigations in which I have been involved and then go on to talk about ways in which I would like to see this work extended. Although these two courses of action are largely mutually exclusive as far as this evening’s paper is concerned I myself regard them as having a great deal of overlap

On civics education. ESRI Memorandum Series 78

Perhaps more than any other subject civics can be used to encourage pupils to develop the tendency to notice socially important problems, and to take on themselves the responsibility for doing something about them, to develop integrated thought-action strategies which involve developing the tendency to spontaneously engage in effective behavior-to be sensitive to the feelings that indicate that all is not as well as it might be, to bring these up into full conciousness and think about the situation to translate these thoughts into effective action by collecting relevant data (and shutting off and ignoring irrelevant data, such as most of what pupils are taught at school) sifting relevant data from irrelevant information, analysing situations, planning action strategies, anticipating obstacles to goal attainment, seeking out needed help and information, seeking out resources, tracking on progress toward one’s goals and, if necessary, taking effective corrective action, making use of the cues available from the environment which indicate ways of improving the effectiveness of what one is doing, working with others, learning to lead and to follow: learning to articulate goals and means to their attainment, learning to build up one’s own understanding of a total plan of action and one’s own part within it without having to be told exactly what to do and when to do it

Social and Economic Development. ESRI Memorandum Series No. 62 1966(?)

In 1967 the NIEC wrote "Perhaps the greatest potential contribution towards achieving full employment (which is equated with economic growth) lies in changing the attitudes of all those who are engaged in the productive process at all levels. There has been no research into these attitudes nor is any serious research now proceeding into their causes; and the arts of bringing about changes in them are undeveloped

Notes on developments in the technology of educational evaluation. ESRI Memorandum Series 78

These notes are concerned with developments in the technology of educational evaluation. They are, however, written in the context of some other considerations which, if not accepted, mean that much of what is said is irrelevent

Developing the Entrepreneurial Spirit. ESRI Memorandum Series No. 83 1970

The Killarney Conference left me somewhat up in the air. I have three questions to which I don't know the answer: First: Am I an Entrepreneur? Second: Should I be? and Third: If I should, how do I go about becoming one? It is precisely to answer these three questions, raised by an Irish manager after the Killarney Conference, that special courses have been developed by D. C. McClelland and his associates at Harvard and run and evaluated in various arts of the world. A pilot programme of this sort has also been run by Liam Connellen, Dermot Egan, Liam Gorman and the author in Ireland; and the results of the evaluation are awaited with interest

A possible list of aims for the junior cycle of post primary education, together with their implications for educational practice (For the Department of Education Inter-Cert Committee 1972). ESRI Memorandum Series No. 86:

Educational aims vary with the background from which the pupils come, with the Society, or sub-section society~ in which the pupils are going to live, and with the part puvils are going to playin that society, both in and out of work. We do not have adequate data on which to base a reasoned statement of aims; we know Very little about the important features in the home backgrounds of our pupils, or even which are the most important things one should find out about; we know very little about theldemands that are going to be made upon our pupils as they lead their lives after they leave school and about the sort of problems they are going to be called upon to tackle; we know very little about the changes that are going to take place in the society in which we live and the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are going to be called uponto tackle these problems; and we know very little about the long term consequences of different types of educational input

Medieval landscapes and lordship in South Uist

This thesis examines the structures of society and lordship in the Middle Ages in South Uist through historical documentation, oral-tradition, cultural landscapes, monuments and settlement patterns. In this thesis, the medieval period has been defined as that between c. 1000 and c. 1650. The historical evidence is considered along with archaeological evidence to create a holistic understanding of medieval social developments in South Uist. The results have ramifications for interpreting contemporaneous society throughout Scotland and Ireland. The study focuses on rural settlement (farms, townships, field- and transhumance-systems) and high-status monuments (churches, duns and castles). Developments visible in both the historical and archaeological record demonstrate that considerable social, economic and cultural changes took place within the landscape of South Uist throughout the Middle Ages. However, the nature of the evidence polarises the study into two time spheres: the Norse period, c. 1000 - c. 1400, and the Late Medieval period, c. 1550 - c. 1650. Remains belonging to the intervening period have proved difficult to locate. The Norse period landscape was characterised by dispersed farmsteads, possibly siting within an enclosed field-system. It is probable that these farmsteads originated as the homesteads of Viking Age settlers. Between the eleventh century and the end of the 1300s, there was a trend towards social and economic centralisation and the creation of an increasingly formalised social hierarchy: manifestations of this can be seen in the archaeological record and a new system of taxation. Archaeologically this is revealed by increasing divergence in the sizes of farmsteads, the largest of which also exhibit signs of industrial and agricultural control. Increased social differentiation is additionally reflected in artefact assemblages

An evaluation of two alcohol education courses in a military setting : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University

An evaluation of two alcohol education courses conducted in a military setting for a supposedly "high risk" group in terms of alcohol related problems, formed the basis of the present study. The two courses differed in length (3 x 2 hour lessons, 2 x 2 hour lessons), and comprized a combination of lecture, film, question-answer and discussion group instructional methods. Pre and post questionnaire responses of the two groups of course participants (n = 28,26) and of a control group (n = 28) were analysed. In addition a follow-up measure was taken of one group of participants four months after programme completion. Results indicated a significant gain in the course participants' knowledge as a result of the programme, but no change in attitudes, or skills-related responses. Despite a small positive post course reaction to the programme, the subjects self-reported alcohol consumption remained unaffected by the course, and on average placed the sample in the top 35% of the New Zealand population in terms of self-reported alcohol consumption. These results were considered to be reflective of the theoretical and practical distances between the concepts and processes of education, prevention and evaluation, by the present author