Current Development Practices Research Articles

Current Juvenile Corrections Professional Development Practices and Future Directions

Personnel in juvenile corrections (JC) work with students who have challenging academic, behavioral, and mental health needs. The complexity of the JC setting requires personnel to be highly skilled in effective practices to meet the demands of their job. Unfortunately, juvenile correctional personnel are neglected as an important link in the school-to-prison pipeline that can be used to redirect students away from further or repeated involvement in the court system. In this article, our purpose is to provide readers with information on the professional development (PD) needs of JC personnel. Student, teacher, and facility contextual considerations in JC are described. Then, specific JC PD knowledge, skills, and dispositions associated with student academic, behavior, and mental health needs are detailed. Finally, resources and future directions are offered.

A Domain-Specific Language for Modelling Security Objectives in a Business Process Models of SOA Applications

Business process modelling is very crucial for enterprises because it give an idea how the business would be operated in the real world and it is important for every stakeholder. SOA is one of the most popular architecture for building Web Information Systems. In current SOA system development practices, security is not defined at the early phases of software development and left on the developer. Properly configuring security requirements in SOA applications is quite difficult for developers because they are not security experts, furthermore SOA security is cross-domain and all required information are not available at downstream phases. The post-hoc, low-level integration of security has a negative impact on resulting SOA applications. Business process modelling is normally performed by the Business Process expert who is not a security expert. Furthermore current business process modelling languages like UML or BPMN do not support the specification of security requirements along the business process modelling. We have presented a DSL, to model the security requirements along the business process model. We are facilitating the Business Process expert to model the security in business process diagram. This security annotated business process model will facilitate the security expert in specifying concrete security implementation. As a proof of work the proposed DSL is applied to the modeling of a typical business process of “on-line student information system”.

MC Sandbox: Devising a tool for method-user-centered method configuration

ContextMethod engineering approaches are often based on the assumption that method users are able to explicitly express their situational method requirements. Similar to systems requirements, method requirements are often vague and hard to explicate. In this paper we address the issue of involving method users early in method configuration. This is done through borrowing ideas from user-centered design and prototyping, and implementing them on the method engineering layer. ObjectiveWe design a computerized tool, MC Sandbox, to capture method requirements through the use of method-user-centered method configuration, hence bridging the gap between systems developers’ and method engineers’ understanding of and expectations on a situational method. MethodThe research method adopted can be characterized as multi-grounded action research. Our implementation of multi-grounded action research follows the traditional ‘canonical’ action research method, which has cycles of diagnosing, action planning, action taking, evaluating, and specifying learning. The research project comprised three such action research cycles where 10 action cases were performed. ResultsMC Sandbox has proven useful in eliciting and negotiating method requirements in a continuously ongoing dialog between the method users and the method engineers during configuration workshops. The results also show that the method engineer role rotated among the systems developers and that they were indeed committed to the negotiated methods during the systems development projects. ConclusionIt is possible for method users to actively participate and construct suitable situational methods if they are provided with appropriate high-level modelling concepts, such as method components, configuration packages and configuration templates. This way, the project members’ understanding of the current development practice develops incrementally, both in terms of understanding the needs and available method support. In addition, both method requirements and commitments are made explicit, which are important aspects when working with method configuration from a collaboration point of view.

Supplier Developmet: Theories and Practices

The purpose of this paper is to find out current supplier development practices employed by different organization. Paper mainly focuses on supplier development, supplier development activities, programs, critical elements and beneficial move by buyer. Importance of relationship development and factors responsible for it long with current gaps in this field is discussed in brief.

Workforce Development Policy: Unrealized Potential for Americans with Disabilities

Individuals with disabilities have lower rates of workforce participation and lower earnings than their nondisabled peers. This article traces the history of the U.S. workforce development policy framework, including the Workforce Investment Act of 1998; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; and the impact of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 on both of these policies. Reviewing literature and administrative data, we discuss how these policies have impacted current rehabilitation practice and identify remaining service delivery gaps. We conclude with a set of recommendations for enhancing the current workforce development policy and practice environment.

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Investigating the Awareness of Applying the Important Web Application Development and Measurement Practices in Small Software Firms

This paper aims to discuss the pilot study and analysis of the current development and measurement practices in Jordanian small software firms. It is conducted because most developers build web applications without using any specific development method and don’t know how to integrate the suitable measurements inside the process to improve and reduce defect, time and rework of the development life cycle. Furthermore the objectives of this pilot study are firstly; determine the real characteristics of small software firms in Jordan. Secondly, investigate the current development and measurement practices. Thirdly, examine the need of new development methodology for building web application in small software firms. Consequently, Pilot survey was conducted in Jordanian small software firms. Descriptive statistics analysis was used to rank the development and measurements methods according to their importance. This paper presents the data, analysis and finding based on pilot survey. These actual findings of this survey will contribute to build new methodology for developing web applications in small software firms taking to account how to integrate the suitable measurement program to the whole development process and also will provide useful information to those who are doing research in the same area.

A low-technology approach toward fabrication of Laminated Bamboo Lumber

Depletion of natural resources has become a major concern in today’s modern industrialized world centering much attention on sustainability of the built environment and sustainable alternatives to current development and construction practices. In the green building community, strong interest lies in natural and renewable building materials that can be used in structural applications. Just such a natural and renewable building material, called Laminated Bamboo Lumber (LBL), has recently been developed. This product, however, typically requires sophisticated fabrication equipment and energy intensive pressing processes that generally limit the possibility of local product fabrication. In an effort to foster local and thus more sustainable production of the product, this paper proposes a simple, practical and low-technology approach for LBL fabrication that could be carried out in any part of the world in which bamboo currently grows. Twelve 4-ply LBL specimens were fabricated using the proposed approach and the mechanical properties of the resulting LBL indicate that the end product is mechanically suitable for use in structural applications. The key contribution of this paper, therefore, is the conclusion that structurally reliable LBL can be fabricated using hand tools, screw-driven mechanical presses, and widely available, economical adhesives.

WORLD VISION: RELIGIOUS IDENTITY IN THE DISCOURSE AND PRACTICE OF GLOBAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT

Three common perspectives regarding the role of religion in humanitarianism have led to the segregation, ignorance, or instrumentalization of religion. Faith-based organizations (FBOs) play a significant role in international development. These organizations' religious identities are not merely labels; international development stakeholders should ask how an organization is religious. This article explores the history of one influential faith-based relief and development agency, World Vision, illustrating how its religious identity is adapted, contested, and asserted through organizational structures and development activities. Rather than simply adjusting its religious identity to fit secular development, World Vision conceives its current development practice as a reflection of its Christian witness.

Revised and Updated Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers

The formation and certification of Primary Stroke Centers has progressed rapidly since the Brain Attack Coalition's original recommendations in 2000. The purpose of this article is to revise and update our recommendations for Primary Stroke Centers to reflect the latest data and experience. We conducted a literature review using MEDLINE and PubMed from March 2000 to January 2011. The review focused on studies that were relevant for acute stroke diagnosis, treatment, and care. Original references as well as meta-analyses and other care guidelines were also reviewed and included if found to be valid and relevant. Levels of evidence were added to reflect current guideline development practices. Based on the literature review and experience at Primary Stroke Centers, the importance of some elements has been further strengthened, and several new areas have been added. These include (1) the importance of acute stroke teams; (2) the importance of Stroke Units with telemetry monitoring; (3) performance of brain imaging with MRI and diffusion-weighted sequences; (4) assessment of cerebral vasculature with MR angiography or CT angiography; (5) cardiac imaging; (6) early initiation of rehabilitation therapies; and (7) certification by an independent body, including a site visit and disease performance measures. Based on the evidence, several elements of Primary Stroke Centers are particularly important for improving the care of patients with an acute stroke. Additional elements focus on imaging of the brain, the cerebral vasculature, and the heart. These new elements may improve the care and outcomes for patients with stroke cared for at a Primary Stroke Center.

Making youth voices count in development programming in Makhado municipality, Limpopo province

In South Africa, there is an increasing realization of the need for engaging youth when developing programmes meant to positively nurture them. Current youth development practices fail to reflect youth aspirations because of dearth of appropriate approaches of engaging them. This exploratory study sought to fill this gap and obtain the perceptions of school-going and out of school youth in Makhado Local Municipality on various dimensions of their own development. 241 youth, comprising 89 out of school and 152 school-going youth from 47 villages in the municipality participated in a youth development-focused workshop. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interview guides were used to obtain youth perceptions. Both categories of youth perceived involvement in sporting activities, pride in own country, better education and employment as the most critical determinants of youth development. Inadequate access to reliable information, involvement of youth in crime, alcohol and drug abuse, and lack of support from communities, among others, also hampered youth development. This information is useful when crafting strategies for youth development. Key words: Youth development, indicators, challenges, focus group, school-going, out of school.

Construct Measurement and Validation Procedures in MIS and Behavioral Research: Integrating New and Existing Techniques

Despite the fact that validating the measures of constructs is critical to building cumulative knowledge in MIS and the behavioral sciences, the process of scale development and validation continues to be a challenging activity. Undoubtedly, part of the problem is that many of the scale development procedures advocated in the literature are limited by the fact that they (1) fail to adequately discuss how to develop appropriate conceptual definitions of the focal construct, (2) often fail to properly specify the measurement model that relates the latent construct to its indicators, and (3) underutilize techniques that provide evidence that the set of items used to represent the focal construct actually measures what it purports to measure. Therefore, the purpose of the present paper is to integrate new and existing techniques into a comprehensive set of recommendations that can be used to give researchers in MIS and the behavioral sciences a framework for developing valid measures. First, we briefly elaborate upon some of the limitations of current scale development practices. Following this, we discuss each of the steps in the scale development process while paying particular attention to the differences that are required when one is attempting to develop scales for constructs with formative indicators as opposed to constructs with reflective indicators. Finally, we discuss several things that should be done after the initial development of a scale to examine its generalizability and to enhance its usefulness.

Labour Market and Human Resources Development: An Analysis of Findings from the Albania Survey of Human Resources Development

The Human Resources Development Survey (HRDS), which was carried out in the region of Korca (Albania), documented changes of the labour market demand and the occupational distribution of employees. This paper, based on the findings of the HRDS, reveals the broad trends in labour market developments at the enterprise level, current human resource development (HRD) practices and needs within enterprises, and suggests areas in which allocating resources to HRD would be most effective. The main findings in relation to four major questions are presented. The paper concludes with a summary of the findings in relation with the challenges of HRD.

Paradigms, Poverty and Adaptive Pluralism

SummaryIn earlier analysis, two paradigms were identified in development professionalism, thinking and practice: one, often dominant, associated with things; and one, often subordinate, associated with people. Current development thinking and practice have diverged into two clusters, with procedures associated with the paradigm of things imposed by powerful actors and organisations in tension and contradiction with participatory methodologies (PMs) associated with the paradigm of people. A binocular vision sees both. This sets out to see further, and whether participatory methodologies (PMs) can bridge these binaries with both – and complementarities and win‐wins.In recent years, PMs have proliferated. Contributing factors have been the way methods have multiplied, their versatility, adaptability and combinability, the explosion of applications of Information and Communication Technologies and Web 2.0, and more speculatively an increase in the number of people working in a creative participatory way. PMs that combine methods have proved increasingly versatile and adaptable to contexts and purposes.PMs are well suited to understanding and expressing the local, complex, diverse, dynamic, uncontrollable and unpredictable (lcdduu) realities experienced by many poor people. These contrast with the controlled conditions and universalities sought in much high status professionalism. Paradigmatically and practically, four domains have increasingly converged and cohere: PMs; poor people's lcdduu realities; technology; and complexity.Paradigm can then be defined as a coherent and mutually supporting pattern of: concepts and ontological assumptions; values and principles; methods, procedures and processes; roles and behaviours; relationships; and mindsets, orientations and predispositions. Empirically, a paradigm of adaptive and participatory pluralism can be inferred from experience and examples. This fits with the realities of poor people as adaptive agents and with PMs seen through lenses of technology and complexity. It contrasts with a paradigm of neo‐Newtonian practice.Adaptive pluralism embraces, underpins and expresses ideas and practices of reflexivity, continuous learning, value and principle‐based eclectic improvisation, co‐evolution and continuous emergence. Conceptually, it embodies paradigmatic synergies. Practically, it offers win‐win solutions and generates an agenda for action.

Constructing a Clear Path to Accomplished Teaching

Given the importance of quality teaching for student success, it is clear that every child needs to be able to receive instruction from a teacher who possesses the knowledge and skills for quality teaching—an accomplished teacher. It is less clear, however, how current teacher development policies and practices can ensure that all students will have the accomplished teachers they need. In 2004, a broad-based coalition of Massachusetts's education stakeholders came together to construct a clear path to accomplished teaching by working toward common standards, a coherent system of supports, and shared accountability for quality teaching. Although the work of our coalition is unfinished, our experience thus far will be useful to the field as increasing numbers of districts and states are thinking strategically about how to develop the human resources needed to provide every child with accomplished teaching.

Current and future CO<sub>2</sub> emissions from drained peatlands in Southeast Asia

Abstract. Forested tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia store at least 42 000 Million metric tonnes (Mt) of soil carbon. Human activity and climate change threatens the stability of this large pool, which has been decreasing rapidly over the last few decades owing to deforestation, drainage and fire. In this paper we estimate the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions resulting from drainage of lowland tropical peatland for agricultural and forestry development which dominates the perturbation of the carbon balance in the region. Present and future emissions from drained peatlands are quantified using data on peatland extent and peat thickness, present and projected land use, water management practices and decomposition rates. Of the 27.1 Million hectares (Mha) of peatland in Southeast Asia, 12.9 Mha had been deforested and mostly drained by 2006. This latter area is increasing rapidly because of increasing land development pressures. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission caused by decomposition of drained peatlands was between 355 Mt y−1 and 855 Mt y−1 in 2006 of which 82% came from Indonesia, largely Sumatra and Kalimantan. At a global scale, CO2 emission from peatland drainage in Southeast Asia is contributing the equivalent of 1.3% to 3.1% of current global CO2 emissions from the combustion of fossil fuel. If current peatland development and management practices continue, these emissions are predicted to continue for decades. This warrants inclusion of tropical peatland CO2 emissions in global greenhouse gas emission calculations and climate mitigation policies. Uncertainties in emission calculations are discussed and research needs for improved estimates are identified.

Investigating Retrieval-Induced Forgetting During Information Requirements Determination

Successful systems development requires that appropriate and accurate information be gathered from people who use or will use the system. One critical issue in information gathering is the recall of relevant information by users and other stakeholders. Prior research has shown that users do not recall all the relevant information they have about the requirements for systems, and we suggest that this problem is exacerbated by current systems development practice, in which the same users are often interviewed multiple times by analysts. A potential theoretical explanation for recall failure in requirements determination is the psychological phenomenon known as Retrieval-Induced Forgetting. Retrieval-Induced Forgetting (RIF) theory and empirical findings show that when people are asked to recall information about a situation multiple times, they are likely to recall the same information on subsequent attempts as they recalled on the first attempt (to the exclusion of other relevant information). Although the RIF phenomenon has been investigated in several contexts, such as eyewitness testimony, there have been no studies that have examined the issue in applied contexts such as systems development, in which prior domain knowledge exists and has been learned over a period of time by users and other stakeholders. In the current study, experimental results showed the presence of RIF in both short-term and longer-term information requirements determination (IRD) contexts, thereby providing a memory-based explanation for missing requirements in IRD. Our results have strong implications for the type and sequencing of requirements elicitation techniques and demonstrate threats to both traditional and iterative development methodologies.