James R. Moran

Measuring Bicultural Ethnic Identity among American Indian Adolescents A Factor Analytic Study

Based on the premise that ethnic identity provides a fruitful approach to exploring issues related to ethnicity, an empirically based strategy was used to develop a measure of ethnic identity among American Indian adolescents. Because American Indians live in two worlds, a bicultural approach was drawn on to measure the degree that respondents identified with Indian culture and with the mainstream or White culture. An exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the structure of ethnic identity among Indian adolescents and the resulting models were tested with confirmatory factor analysis. A scale for measuring bicultural ethnic identity was developed and the reliability and validity of the scale was assessed.

Rural and Urban Social Work Practice: Is There a Difference?

THE THEORY AND PRACTICE of social work in rural areas, after a hiatus during the 1940s and 1950s, have reemerged as a relevant concern for the profession. Part of the stimulus for this renewed concern is the perception that social work practice principles derived from urban settings may not be relevant to rural problems.’ If the rural context is different in terms of its needs, culture, and value systems, then the logical assumption would be that social work must be practiced differently if it is to be appropriate to its context. The literature on rural social work specifies that rural social workers emphasize different professional roles, are generalists rather than specialists, and rely more upon the use of informal networks than do their urban counterparts.? However, little empirical evidence suggests that social workers in rural areas actually differ

Critical Issues for Substance Abuse Prevention Targeting American Indian Youth

This paper examines prevention programs targeting alcohol and other drug use among American Indian youth. We start with a review of what is known about substance use by this population. We provide consideration of specific prevention programs for Indian youth within these frameworks: Cognitive/Information Dissemination, Affective Education, Social Influence, and Personal and Social Skills Training. A particular focus is on the manner in which issues of culture are incorporated into prevention programs. A detailed overview of the diversity of the American Indian population is presented and its implications for prevention work with Indian youth are discussed. A major conclusion is that there is not one type of prevention program that is likely to work with American Indian youth since there is no such thing as a typical American Indian.

A Comparison of Beginning MSW and MBA Students on their Aptitudes for Human Service Management

This study argues that graduate students’ values and personal orientations are important in determining their aptitude for human service management. This article reports on a fall 1989 study which compared the answers of beginning MSW and MBA students to nearly 50 scaled statements on values and personal orientation. Because the qualities on which the MSW students outscored their MBA counterparts all support effective leadership of human service agencies, the authors posit that social work education should maintain or even strengthen its involvement in training future managers.