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Previous research has revealed cross-cultural differences in parenting styles and in how these may relate to adolescents' prosocial behavior. Nevertheless, little is known about the role of cognitive flexibility - a key component of executive function -and the immigration context in these associations. Using a person-centered approach, the current study aimed to (1) explore perceived parenting profiles among Chinese immigrant-origin youth in Italy in comparison to their nonimmigrant ethnic majority peers in the country of origin (China) and in the country of destination (Italy), and (2) examine the moderating role of cognitive flexibility in the expected parenting-prosocial behavior link in the three cultural groups. Participants (N = 444; M .sub.(Age) = 11.88 years; SD = 1.08; 50.7% girls; 27.4% Chinese immigrant-origin, 35.4% Chinese ethnic majority; 37.2% Italian ethnic majority) completed a parenting questionnaire and a computerized cognitive flexibility task, while teachers rated their prosocial behavior. Latent profile analysis revealed three perceived parenting styles: 'harsh' (15.8%), 'supportive' (40.5%), and 'strict-affectionate' (43.7%). Chinese immigrant-origin, Italian ethnic majority, and Chinese ethnic majority youths were overrepresented in each of these profiles, respectively. In regression analyses, the association between parenting profiles and prosocial behavior varied as a function of adolescents' cognitive flexibility and cultural group. Specifically, cognitive flexibility strengthened the supportive parenting-prosocial behavior link for Chinese immigrant-origin youth, and buffered against the detrimental effect of harsh parenting on prosocial behavior for their Italian ethnic majority peers. Findings emphasize the influence of cultural and immigration-related factors on adolescents' perceived parenting styles, and provide further evidence for the beneficial role of cognitive flexibility in the positive adjustment of youth with and without an immigrant background., Author(s): Xiaoyu Lan [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.5510.1, 0000 0004 1936 8921, Promenta Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, , Oslo, Norway Prosocial behavior refers to all voluntary [...]

This article identifies three types of traps that can emerge when implementing workplace flexibility--altered work-life dynamics, reduced fairness perceptions, and weakened organizational culture--and provides core lessons for managers seeking a balanced flexibility approach. First managers must become flex savvy to understand the variation that exists in flexibility practices to align implementation with the workforce and organizational context. Second, implementing flexibility must not be treated as an accommodation but as a broader systemic organizational change empowering individuals and teams. The article provides a Worksmart case to highlight how to avoid traps and implement balanced workplace flexibility across multiple stakeholder interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of adaptation in elite sport delineates the adjustment strategies of amateur and professional athletes during career transitions (e.g., promotion, relocation). Fiske (2004) recently identified 5 core motives as the vehicles to adaptation: belonging, understanding, controlling, self-enhancement, and trusting. The goal was to verify and contextualize these core motives with 2 respondent groups of professional athletes from the National Hockey League. The groups consisted of those experiencing rookie adaptation and veteran adaptation. A total of 58 athletes were divided into groups representing the Canadian mainstream, Canadian Aboriginal culture, and Europe. There were 175 newspaper articles that were retrieved using online and library resources. The similarities and discrepancies in and across groups provides insight into this hard-to-reach population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the development of adaptation techniques in one northern Canadian region based on the views of 14 National and International elite coaches. Respondents were from nine different sports and averaged 17.1 yrs of accumulated coaching experience (Range: 8-30 yrs). Data were gathered chronologically using structured open-ended questionnaires, focus groups, and afterwards, follow-up in-depth semi-structured interviews. Content was analyzed to uncover emergent themes. The respondents indicated that elite coaches from their region learn adaptation by (a) cooperating, (b) reframing positively, and (c) coping with their limitations. Further, the respondents elucidated how they use geographical limitations to teach two context specific adaptation skills to aspiring athletes and coaches: (a) psychological adaptation and (b) physical adaptation. Generic coaching strategies across geographical regions are questioned and suggestions regarding elite coaching in small communities are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural sport psychology (CSP) is a recent attempt by researchers to better understand respondents from marginalized cultures. CSP research provides useful suggestions of how to work effectively with unique populations for coaches and sport science practitioners. This paper addresses the struggles and adaptation strategies of 23 (16 male, 7 female) elite Aboriginal Canadian athletes. National and international level athletes elicited from seven sport disciplines and three Canadian provinces were interviewed with a semistructured protocol. Indications are that Aboriginal Canadian athletes engage in two higher order types of adaptation: (a) self-adaptation and (b) adapted environment. The study was developed, analyzed, and coauthored with an Aboriginal community appointed research team. Implications, such as the use of ongoing reflective practice, are proposed for aspiring CSP sport researchers and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents evidence for an incremental change process in decision-making groups whereby change unfolds through self-generated interruptions. Group members initiate self-interruptions by switching their attention to social concerns (in familiar groups) or to discussion instructions (in groups using formal interventions). During such interruptions, members evaluate activities, propose alternative approaches, and change working strategies. Results suggest that familiarity and formal interventions provide flexible structures that lead to superior performance. A central finding reveals that using a formal intervention in familiar groups hurts performance because pre-established interaction patterns are altered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents several studies that examine organizational change. The authors note that certain issues should be addressed when examining the studies including an examination of the multiple contexts and levels of analysis in studying organizational change, the inclusion of time, history, process and action, the link between change processes and organizational performance, the investigation of international and cross-cultural comparisons, the study of receptivity, customization, sequenicng, pace and episodic versus continusous change and the partnership between scholars and practicioners in studying change. The author discuss how these issues are related to the concepts in the studies and note they research has not addressed these issues at this point in time.

This article discusses the manpower management problems of Japanese subsidiaries in the U.S., Europe, and less-developed countries. Two different styles of management are identified among Japanese overseas subsidiaries: the modified local system and the modified Japanese system. Rather than replicating the Japanese style of management outside Japan, Japanese subsidiaries overseas are characterized by centralization of decision making, low levels of trust for local managers, ceilings on promotion for locally employed managers, and problems with unions and equal employment regulations. The success of Japanese companies overseas is primarily due to attention to work detail, discipline at the shop floor, and superior operations management and technology. This evidence raises serious questions about the adaptability of Japanese management techniques to other countries and societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author examines the communication gap the exists between practitioners and theorists in the management and organizational fields and attempts to bridge this divide. He presents his case in hopes of demonstrating to academic administrators that having a recognition of management and organizational principals can be invaluable when managing change. He notes that being aware of these principals can help change come about more smoothly and achieve desired results more quickly. He presents a case that outlines how the application of ineffective management principals can slow the process of organizational change and present unnecessary problems for those in charge of implementing the change.

A typology of participative approaches and methods is applied to organizations. Mechanisms behind the methods are discussed; a causal model is developed; and sets of contingencies conditioning the operation of the model are described. Issues around change toward participation are defined and illustrated, centering on the issue of congruence between the change method and the specific participative approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study explores the journey of an executive leadership team seeking to become more collaborative, innovative, and adaptive in their approach to organizational leadership, using a values-based collaborative leadership program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although research has suggested strong continuity in children's adaptive or maladaptive behavior with peers across the transition to adolescence, less is known about deflected developmental pathways of peer social competence across this transition. This study investigates how mother-child and best friend relationship quality predict the deflection of youth from adaptive to maladaptive behavior with peers or the reverse. Using data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development ( N = 1,055), high-quality friendships were associated with changes in peer social competence from 3rd to 6th grade. More positive and fewer negative interactions with a friend were linked with becoming more prosocial with peers, whereas less positive interactions with a friend were linked to becoming aggressive or withdrawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continued debate about the relative value of fidelity versus adaptation, and lack of clarity about the meaning of fidelity, raise concerns about how frontline service providers resolve similar issues in their daily practice. We use SISTA ('Sisters Informing Sisters on Topics about acquired immune deficiency syndrome'), an evidence-based human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention intervention for African American women, to understand how facilitators and program directors interpret and enact implementation fidelity with the need for adaptation in real-world program delivery. We conducted 22 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with service providers from four agencies implementing SISTA. Facilitators valued their skills as group leaders and ability to emotionally engage participants as more critical to program effectiveness than delivering the intervention with strict fidelity. Consequently, they saw program manuals as guides rather than static texts that should never be changed and, moreover, viewed the prescriptive nature of manuals as undermining their efforts to fully engage with participants. Our findings suggest that greater consideration should be given to understanding the role of facilitators in program effectiveness over and above the question of whether they implement the program with fidelity. Moreover, training curricula should provide facilitators with transferable skills through general facilitator training rather than only program-specific or manual-specific training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ager: Journal of Depopulation & Rural Development Studies / Revista de Estudios sobre Despoblación y Desarrollo Rural is the property of Rolde de Estudios Aragoneses and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present study examined career adaptability in 100 Israeli emerging adults who were followed from ages 22 to 29. Participants were given an in depth interview and were asked to talk about their current work, difficulties they might have had in the past and how they coped with them. In addition they were asked to elaborate on the extent to which their job fits their interests and is meaningful to them. Analyses of interviews yielded three distinctive career adaptability patterns that were associated with different levels of concurrent wellbeing: Integrated, Compromised, and Vague. A lower level of identified motivation measured seven years earlier predicted membership in the Compromised pattern. A higher level of extrinsic motivation combined with decreased parental support predicted membership in the Vague pattern. Findings are discussed within the framework of the occupational adaptations and compromises that young people must make when approaching the age of 30. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human behavioral ecology recognizes that individual behavior is an important part of human adaptability. Shaped by evolution by natural selection, humans possess cognitive mechanisms that influence learning and decision making and that generally guide our behavior toward adaptive solutions. Behavioral ecologists most often develop models to explain the ways in which humans achieve reproductive success, but the capacity for goal-oriented, rational behavior can also play an important role in the development of complex social and political relationships, many of which do not so obviously enhance fitness. In this article, concepts of behavioral ecology are employed to derive a model of how, in certain contexts, individual decision making promotes the importance of 'prestige goods' that characterize the emergence of sociopolitical differentiation in many societies. In particular, concepts of tolerated theft, package size, and resource monopolization are employed to demonstrate under what conditions prestige goods would be expected to become important. This is illustrated through an examination of turquoise artifacts and their role in the sociopolitical elaboration of Chaco-era Puebloan people of the American Southwest. KEY WORDS: Chaco Canyon, Decision theory, Human behavioral ecology, Prestige goods, Turquoise, U.S. Southwest

Data collected on self employed women and men in one county allow examination of work effort, housework effort, housework hours, and preference for flexible work on earnings. Regressions indicate housework effort of self-employed women contributes to their lower earnings. Housework hours do not supporting the view women select self-employment to find flexible work. Housework hours do reduce the earnings of self-employed men, which could reflect their stronger commitment to housework combined with less flexible work. A Oaxaca decomposition suggests less tenure and greater housework effort are important contributors to lower earnings of self-employed women. Ranges that measure earnings may contribute to the insignificance of work effort, normalized work effort, and preference for flexible work hours. (J16, J23) Keywords Self-employment * Effort * Flexible work * Housework

Fire-prone landscapes are not well studied as coupled human and natural systems (CHANS) and present many challenges for understanding and promoting adaptive behaviors and institutions. Here, we explore how heterogeneity, feedbacks, and external drivers in this type of natural hazard system can lead to complexity and can limit the development of more adaptive approaches to policy and management. Institutions and social networks can counter these limitations and promote adaptation. We also develop a conceptual model that includes a robust characterization of social subsystems for a fire-prone landscape in Oregon and describe how we are building an agent-based model to promote understanding of this social-ecological system. Our agent-based model, which incorporates existing ecological models of vegetation and fire and is based on empirical studies of landowner decision-making, will be used to explore alternative management and fire scenarios with land managers and various public entities. We expect that the development of CHANS frameworks and the application of a simulation model in a collaborative setting will facilitate the development of more effective policies and practices for fire-prone landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Case studies are presented of the impact of climate change's resultant rainfall variability on migration and human mobility, through referencing research on households in affect areas. An overview of nations effected by climate changes' management of their citizens' adaptive behavior, including in regard to international efforts in assisting nations address challenges caused by climate changes, is provided.

The article discusses a report which claims that nearly one-quarter of the class of 2000 law school graduates in the U.S. are not practising law as of May 2014, focusing on the flexibility of a law degree and the career paths of various Tennessee attorneys. Writer Terry Price, lobbyist Meagan Frazier, and entrepreneur Taylor Berger are mentioned, along with the Tennessee Bar Association's (TBA's) executive director Allan Ramsaur. The American Bar Foundation is also examined.

This article – based on data that employs interviews conducted with British Army personnel – adopts a social theory of learning in order to examine how both formal and informal learning systems have affected organizational learning within the Army in relation to the counter-insurgency campaign in Afghanistan. It argues that while the Army has adopted new, or reformed existing, formal learning systems, these have not generated a reconceptualization of how to conduct counter-insurgency warfare. It, furthermore, argues that while informal learning systems have enabled units to improve their pre-deployment preparations, these have created adaptation traps that have acted as barriers to higher-level learning. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The categorization of displaced people is grounded in criteria enshrined by international and regional conventions as well as receiving states’ asylum and immigration policies. However, drawing distinctions between displaced people remains a controversial issue because the causes of displacement are more diverse than the categories assigned. Whilst various categories confer different rights and entitlement, the forcibly displaced are often obliged to aspire to particular identities driven by their resettlement livelihood objectives. This paper is based on a study carried out in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo and Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. The paper argues that the institutional and policy environments in the locations where resettlement is sought determine the way displaced people identify themselves in displacement and how they appraise their circumstances and their consequent adaptive livelihood reconstruction strategies. Furthermore, it is shown here that formalized displacement categorization adds complexity to the way displaced people must deal with their circumstances and negatively impacts on livelihood adaptation. Whilst categorization may serve perceived institutional needs, this study finds that displaced people’s self-identification makes them resilient and enables survivability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Byline: Evan D. G. Fraser (1) Abstract: This paper builds on existing theory and proposes a framework to identify vulnerability to climate change in food systems by examining historic cases where common environmental problems caused famine. Cases presented are (1) Ireland's Potato Famine, (2) El Nino induced famines during the Colonial period, and (3) Ethiopia between 1965 and 1997. Three factors stand out as common in each. Prior to each famine: (1) there were very few ways that people could obtain a living in the worst affected regions (2) livelihoods in famine stricken communities came to depend on highly specialized agro-ecosystems that were sensitive to environmental change (3) institutions failed to provide adequate safety nets to protect livelihoods from failure. This analysis suggests that vulnerability to climate change in food systems can be assessed by looking at agro-ecosystems, livelihoods and institutions. Local conditions, however, mean that ways of measuring these three factors will vary from place to place. As a result, direct comparisons are difficult. By conceptualizing these three variables as the axes of a three dimensional 'vulnerability' space, it is possible to compare regions and look at trends over time by studying the paths through this 'space' as traced by changes at the agro-ecosystem, livelihood, and institutional scale. Author Affiliation: (1) Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK Article History: Registration Date: 26/01/2007 Received Date: 07/07/2005 Accepted Date: 15/11/2006 Online Date: 07/03/2007

Halfway through a 3-hour experiment in which 64 3-person teams needed to make a series of decisions, a communications channel began to deteriorate, and teams needed to adapt their system of roles in order to perform effectively. Consistent with previous research, team composition with respect to members' cognitive ability was positively associated with adaptation. Adaptation was also influenced by interactions to team goal difficulty and team composition with respect to team members' goal orientation. Teams with difficult goals and staffed with high-performance orientation members were especially unlikely to adapt. Teams with difficult goals and staffed with high-learning orientation members were especially likely to adapt. Supplemental analyses provided insight into the observed effects in that the difficulty of team goals and members' goal orientation predicted interpersonal, transition, and action processes, all of which predicted team adaptation. Keywords: team, adaptation, goal orientation, goal setting, cognitive ability

The author evaluates the effects of the political tranfsormation and thesubsequent economic collapse in 1998 on the lives of ordinary Russian citizens in Moscow. The article focuses on people's adaptability in the face of a rapidly changing social environment.

How do Whites approach interracial interactions? We argue that a previously unexamined factor—beliefs about the malleability of racial bias-guides Whites' strategies for difficult interracial interactions. We predicted and found that those who believe racial bias is malleable favor learning-oriented strategies such as taking the other person's perspective and trying to learn why an interaction is challenging, whereas those who believe racial bias is fixed favor performance-oriented strategies such as overcompensating in the interaction and trying to end the interaction as quickly as possible. Four studies support these predictions. Whether measured (Studies 1, 3, and 4) or manipulated (Study 2), beliefs that racial bias is fixed versus malleable yielded these divergent strategies for difficult interracial interactions. Furthermore, beliefs about the malleability of racial bias are distinct from related constructs (e.g., prejudice and motivations to respond without prejudice; Studies 1, 3, and 4) and influence self-reported (Studies 1-3) and actual (Study 4) strategies in imagined (Studies 1-2) and real (Studies 3-4) interracial interactions. Together, these findings demonstrate that beliefs about the malleability of racial bias influence Whites' approaches to and strategies within interracial interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were to investigate the degree of psychological and sociocultural adaptation among adolescents from returned Portuguese immigrant families and the factors that may predict adaptation. The study sample consisted of 360 adolescents from returned Portuguese immigrant families who answered a self-report questionnaire. A control group involving 217 Portuguese youths was also included in the study. Adolescents from returned immigrant families revealed similar levels of psychological adaptation and better sociocultural adaptation in comparison with peers who have never migrated. Predictive factors-sociodemographic and intercultural contact variables-were significantly linked to youths' adaptation. It is concluded that perceived discrimination plays an essential role in re-acculturation outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the total assessment of any system, there is a need to consider that the human is capable of a wide range of cognitive adaptations in managing system anomalies. Yet, it is virtually impossible to anticipate all of these potential adaptations. One solution is to focus on the cognitive demands of the system and to determine the minimum capacity in each cognitive skill the person must have to meet those demands. This approach demands an integrated cognitive assessment involving definition of the type and level of cognitive skills required by the system, and evaluation of the impact of various levels of human cognitive capacity on system performance. This approach has been instantiated in several efforts supported by the Department of Defense and NASA. It involves a taxonomy of cognitive skills, an armory of cognitive tests, and mathematical treatments to relate a person's capacity to system demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Theoretical and empirical overlaps between the concepts of resilience, sense of coherence, hardiness, purpose in life, and self-transcendence have earlier been described as some kind of inner strength, but no studies have been found that focus on what attributes these concepts have in common. Objectives: The objective of this study was to perform a theoretical analysis of the concepts of resilience, sense of coherence, hardiness, purpose in life, and self-transcendence, in order to identify their core dimensions in an attempt to get an overarching understanding of inner strength. Print method: An analysis inspired by the procedure of meta-theory construction was performed. The main questions underlying the development of the concepts, the major paradigms and the most prominent assumptions, the critical attributes and the characteristics of the various concepts were identified. Results: The analysis resulted in the identification of four core dimensions of inner strength and the understanding that inner strength relies on the interaction of these dimensions: connectedness, firmness, flexibility, and creativity. These dimensions were validated through comparison with the original descriptions of the concepts. Conclusion: An overarching understanding of inner strength is that it means both to stand steady, to be firm, with both feet on the ground and to be connected to; family, friends, society, nature and spiritual dimensions and to be able to transcend. Having inner strength is to be creative and stretchable, which is to believe in own possibilities to act and to make choices and influence life''s trajectory in a perceived meaningful direction. Inner strength is to shoulder responsibility for oneself and others, to endure and deal with difficulties and adversities. This knowledge about inner strength will raise the awareness of the concept and, in turn, hopefully increase our potential to support people''s inner strength. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Roy adaptation model concepts of stimuli, coping mechanisms, and modes of adaptation have been translated into several middle-range concepts and measured using existing and new instruments. The concept of adaptation level, however, has rarely been used in Roy adaptation model-based research. This paper presents a description of how the Roy adaptation model concept of adaptation level was translated into the logically congruent middle-range theory concept of adjustment. A single-item instrument, the Adjustment Scale, is identified as one way to measure adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Economic & Social Systems is the property of Lavoisier and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article presents a study that examines the beliefs and knowledge of pre-service teachers on diversity and multicultural education through case-based pedagogy. The study utilizes the story "El Secreto de las Niñas" regarding the reasons why Cynthia and Jessica, children of poor immigrant parents, dislike science. It states that personal experiences and formal education of teachers are the bases of their attitudes toward diversity. It mentions the importance of flexibility of teachers in various issues including student's personal background and individual differences, and problem solving about diversity.

The article presents a Delphi study on the futurity of information literacy in academic libraries. It notes that information literacy is a fundamental doctrine of academic librarianship. A survey was given to 13 information literacy experts about the plans that could research on information literacy evolution throughout the next ten years. The results reveal that the majority of the respondents were affirmative regarding the future of academic information literacy. Moreover, the study concludes that the issues on information literacy are outside the control of librarians and librarians expect the changes made by advances and technology, and try to effectively adjust as possible.

The dominant view in economics is that increasing demands for flexibility on the labour market jeopardizes employment security. However against the prediction of a negative relationship or a "trade-off" between flexibility and security, there is evidence for a positive, mutually reinforcing relationship known as the 'flexicurity' thesis. Using comparative panel data for 14 European countries, we elaborate dynamic outcome indicators for flexibility and employment security to assess the differences across countries and welfare regimes in balancing the two. We estimate transftion models to explain the observed mobility patterns. The outcomes confirm the impact of the institutional set-up indicated by regime type on these transitions supporting the 'variety of capitalism' approach. The regulated Southern and Continental regimes perform worst and the unregulated Anglo-Saxon and Nordic regimes best in attaining high levels of flexibility and employment security simultaneously, though for both regimes with a small loss either in flexibility or in security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By employing a network approach and discussing certain features of different family network patterns among Tamil and Somali families, this paper argues that cultural scripts governing kinship, marriage and gender relations developed in the country of origin influence adaptation patterns in exile. Cultural scripts influence the process of interaction between migrants and the Norwegian majority society. While Tamil families appear to have densely-knit and joint networks of relatives and friends, Somali spouses have separate social networks with few cross-linkages. These differences are expressions of different systems of marriage and kinship relations, where Tamils have a system of life-long cross-cousin marriages while Somalis follow a system of exogamy and plural marriages. The paper maintains that, while Tamil cultural scripts tend towards centralisation, which is re-enacted in Norway in ways which confirm family unity, joint gender roles and social cohesion, the diversified and diffusive logic of Somali cultural scripts is likewise re-enacted. This tendency is supported by welfare policy that speeds up the dissolution of Somali families in exile. The analysis does not pretend to give a full understanding of adaptation processes for the two groups; it discusses a temporally limited period in the exiled communities and only some aspects of family adaptation; but its aim is to shed light on aspects that are understudied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the bottom-up vision of the learning society. Unlike the top-down approach, the bottom-up approach does not start by specifying the purposes of learning which should direct the development of the learning society, but from observing interactions among learning individuals as agents. While in the relevant literature and policies much attention has been devoted to certain positions on how one's learning should respond to current change, this paper proposes that when considering the establishment and development of the learning society we should not dismiss the understanding of how individuals, concrete beings, act as they learn, since how they do so has an impact on the way in which learning is structured. This bottom-up approach has to be taken into account, for it helps us to come near to what is embedded in learning practices, and to react pertinently when we need to come to terms with substantive issues for the development of the learning society. Three aspects - lifelong learning, the individualization of learning, and learning beyond education - serve as the context for understanding what characterize the practices of the learning society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative research was designed to understand how the social integration process in the workplace unfolds with adults who have intellectual disabilities. Participant observation and interviews permitted an in-depth examination of 10 integration situations within a company, with regard for the actions and perceptions of the stakeholders. Analyses revealed various intertwined processes, in which the focus persons and their colleagues together sought an optimal adjustment, or coadaptation, with support from a job coach. The study of these interactive processes led to the emergence of a theory of coadaptation, a process that defines and builds social and professional integration. This theoretical development revisits the interactive process within the socioecological perspective of disability and the concept of support and its assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is undertaken to examine the influence of family relationships on attitudes of the second generation working in their parents’ family businesses. Two specific family variables are delineated: family cohesion and family adaptability. The outcome variables are organizational commitment, job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and propensity to leave. Relationships among outcome variables are also examined. A survey questionnaire is used as the research instrument. Results and implications of findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A questionnaire survey of the socio-cultural and educational adaptation experiences of Vietnamese-Canadian university students was conducted in a Canadian prairie city. Students' language use, acculturation, academic performance, and school experience were explored. Results indicated that these Vietnamese students were adapting reasonably well to Canadian society. Multiple ordinary least-squares regression analysis demonstrated that the following were significantly related to students' overall adaptation experience: perceived friendliness of Canadians, satisfaction with academic program, academic performance, language proficiency, ethnic self-identity, and sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An evaluation of the social aspects of sustainability was carried out in two rural communities of the Valley of Toluca, Mexico, using a scheme of attributes-criteria-indicators. One community showed better values in four attributes: stability, resilience, equity and self-dependence, whereas both had similar levels (medium to high) of productivity, adaptability and reliability. Social organization played an important role in the economic and environmental sustainability of both communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]