Previous research has established how childhood attachment extends into adult romantic attachment and attachment to God. Other research has shown that individuals' styles of attachment to God are differentially associated with three types of spiritual coping methods, self-directing, deferring, and collaborative. Hernandez, Salerno, & Bottoms (2010) sought to extend this body of research by investigating the relationship between God attachment, spiritual coping, and alcohol use. A "novel link" was established between God attachment and alcohol use (p. 106). Research on spiritual coping methods has identified three spiritual coping styles associated with people's relational state with God: self-directing, a self-reliant coping and problem-solving style that works independently of God; deferring, where the responsibility of problem-solving rests on God alone; and collaborative, a problem-solving style that views God and person as cooperative partners in coping and problem-solving. Moreover, a person's God attachment has been differentially associated with these coping methods. Hernandez, Salerno, & Bottoms (2010) sought to extend research on attachment and coping by being the first to study "the effects of God attachment and spiritual coping on alcohol use" (p. 99). They hypothesized that spiritual coping styles would mediate the effect of God attachment on alcohol use. Specifically, they predicted that insecure God attachment style, compared to secure God attachment style, would use "collaborative and deferring style coping styles less and self-directing coping style more," which would then result in increased alcohol use (p. 100). For the study, 429 undergraduate Introductory Psychology students from the University of Illinois at Chicago participated for course credit. The sample's (60% female) religious orientation was 46% Catholic, 43% Christian, 6% Hindu, 3% Muslim, 2% Jewish, 0.4% Greek Orthodox, and 0.4% Sikh. Five measures were utilized to test their hypotheses. The Attachment to God Scale was used to measure participants' "perceived emotional attachment to God" (p. 101). The Religious Problem-Solving Scale was used to measure participants' "religious problem solving tendencies," broken down into three spiritual coping styles: self-directing, deferring, and collaborative (p. 101). The Alcohol-Related Coping Scale was used to measure participants' "social, coping, and enhancement motives for drinking alcohol" (p. 101). The Alcohol Frequency Scale was used to measure participants' general alcohol use. Finally, participants' religious characteristics, such as religious orientation and level of religious involvement, were measured. To test the data, the researchers first implemented a series of one-way between-subjects ANOVA with God attachment style as the independent variable and spiritual coping styles, alcohol-related coping, and general alcohol use as dependent variables. This was followed by mediation analyses to test if the "effect of God attachment on alcohol use and alcohol coping was mediated by spiritual coping styles" (p. 102). Related to spiritual coping, there was a significant main effect of God attachment on spiritual coping, F(2,226) = 26.88, p

International Journal for the Psychology of Religion

O ne of the few research texts authored by those with occupational therapy expertise, this book offers a vast amount of information to the beginning researcher or to professionals interested in reviewing studies with a more critical eye. The book proceeus in a logical fashion beginning with the philosophy of research. The how-to's of designing a study and collecting data are presented, and the final chapters deal with analysis and interpretation of data. In Pan I, the authors define research as a form of knowledge that is \"logical, understandable, confirmable and useful\" (p. 5). DePoy and Gitlin also point out that research provides the scientific evidence necessary to generate a professional body of knowledge. The naturalistic approach to research, designed to uncover phenomena via inductive reasoning, is presented in a positive light. The reader becomes aware of the basic theoretical differences between this approach and the somewhat less controversial experimental approach and is given examples of each. The authors discuss that, although these approaches vary in theory, they may be combined to proVide an integrated approach to research. In Part II, the specifics of structuring research projects are addressed. Which framework (experimental, naturalistic, or a combination) is used depends on the question the researcher wants to answer. The authors also discuss the importance and mechanics of performing a thorough literature review and methods to categorize research designs. The remainder of Pan II is devored to further explanation of the naturalistic and experimental approaches. Examples to illustrate the continuum of designs in each of these approaches are given and several methods 1O combine these designs are proposed. In Part Ill, DePoy and Gitlin delve into selection of appropriate populations and sample sizes. They talk aboLlt nor only what population to include, but also what population to exclude to provide the most stable foundation for a research project. Data-gathering techniques are examined in depth for borh the naturalistic and experimental designs, and several methods for performing statistical analysis are presented. Analysis techniques for naturalistic methodologies are included also. Some basic tips for metamorphosing the information proVided from data analysis into a written text that is clear and concise are outlined in the remaining chapters. The authors also make the pOint that information gleaned from research, no matter how relevant, is nor of use to the profession unless it is disseminated to others. In the last chapter, the authors share their personal research experiences. The reader is left with some perceptions of performing research in a practice-oriented profession. The entry-level researcher, or the clinician wishing to upgrade his knowledge of what constitutes a strong study, will find this book of great interest. The authors have tackled a rather esoreric subject and tied it into a clinician's frame of reference. This text was also written to be included in research curriculums. The Student will find all of the necessary teaching information, as well as examples of the theories presented. Some interesting features of this text include its logical organization. Each chapter contains a summary of the information presented so that the reader can review at a glance. Several of the chapters that present the steps necessary to carry out a study have mental exercises the reader can perform to tesl his knowledge. A wonderful gJossary, bibliography, and thorough index make this an appropriate reference book for the clinician. Theories, strategies, and methodologies are presented with tables and illustrations that are clear to those nor familiar with basic research ideas. One area that could be strengthened is the authors' use of clinical examples. The examples provided in the text are sometimes vague and difficult for the reader to relate to the tenets they are used to reinforce. In addition, many examples appear to be drawn from the authors' social work experience, rather than from their occupational therapy expertise. The book does, however, contain several pertinent references to studies encompassing the occupational therapy range. Several of these studies were also done by the authors, lending further credence to their opinions. For the most part, the authors present the information in an easily understandable style. The beginning of the text, with its explanations of the theory of research and the philosophies of several approaches, may be difficult reading for some. But overall, this text does what it was written to do: give the reader interested in research a thorough background in theory and methodology. The authors seek to demystify the research process for those in the health and human services fields, and the reader is left with a sense that research is not JUSt for those with specialized training, but that direct patient care proViders also can possess the necessary skills and knowledge to make a significant contribution to their profession's body of knowledge. Joanne Merante Baird, MA. OTRIL

Introduction to research.

Basic concepts for qualitative research

“One warm day in the spring of 2006, I visited a U.S. History class at a public charter school in a large Midwestern city …” (p. 1) This is the beginning of Diana Hess’ book about the methods of democratic discussion in classroom and it indicates its strong narrative quality including several teacher portraits and scenic vignettes. The book is winner of the 2009 “Exemplary Research in Social Studies” award from the National Council for the Social Studies. In an interview with Kerry G. Hill for the campus journal (School of Education, University of Wisconsin http://campusconnections.education.wisc.edu/post/LEARNING-Diana-Hess.aspx) the author roots the book’s content back to her own biography and socialization: While growing up in northern Illinois, Diana Hess recalls members of her family engaging in lively, raucous political discussions. “Disagreement wasn’t a negative thing,” she remembers.

Controversy in the Classroom. The Democratic Power of Discussion

Moral education target is the transforming medium from moral education aim to moral education practice. Its scientific rationality is the basic premise of effective moral education. Moral education target must be built on the basis that its character, contents, channels, structure and system are grasped precisely.

On Moral Education

This thesis provided a systematic comparison of Religious Education (RE) as it has evolved in the secondary school curriculum of Scotland and Malawi, between 1970 and the present day (2010). It sought to draw analogies and, where valid, to indicate significant points of difference regarding key issues that underpin this development between two countries that also have a historical relationship dating back to 1859. This was a qualitative study which used the phenomenological research method. In both countries data was collected through field-based research using key informant interviews (n60), relevant documents and school surveys. 

The conceptual framework of the thesis was based on concepts and issues in the discourse of contemporary RE. The constant comparison strategy of data analysis was implemented in exploring issues that emerged in the research. To further facilitate the analysis of secondary school RE in Scotland and Malawi a thematic approach was adopted in which six key issues were identified and investigated. The first explored the historical problem of underdevelopment in RE. The second examined motives that engendered reforms in the RE curriculum. The third described the various curriculum changes in RE during the period under study. The fourth discussed contested spaces related to the micro-politics of RE. The fifth surveyed the level of provision in RE in different school contexts. The sixth and last assessed the current state of RE.
 
The findings of this study suggested that despite some points of difference, there was greater similarity on salient issues that underpinned the nature of secondary school RE in the two countries, in areas such as the need for curriculum reform, micro-politics of reform, provision in schools and status of the subject. Given the challenges the subject faces in both Scotland and Malawi, the study concluded that without government intervention and support from other key stakeholders RE will continue to be regarded as a marginal curriculum subject.

A comparative study of religious education in Scotland and Malawi with special reference to developments in the secondary school sector, 1970-2010

African traditional religions and culture in Botswana

tion (RME) offered in Scottish non-denominational schools. The analysis of the findings in this article is weighed against the framework of the new ‘3–18’ Scottish curriculum called ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ (CfE). CfE was introduced in primary schools in 2009 and a year later in secondary schools as replacement of the much criticised ‘5–14’ Curriculum which had been in use since 1992. It is based on qualitative data collected from schools in five Scottish local authorities between 2009 and 2011 as part of a moderation project. What is being problematised in this article is the revelation from the data about issues that impact adversely on good assessment in RME in five key areas, namely: planning, religious knowledge, progression, self and peer assessment, literacy and values. The implications of these assessment problems for effective teaching and learning in RME are analysed.

Problems of assessment in religious and moral education: the Scottish case

This article presents a historical approach to the multi-faith Religious Education introduced at the junior secondary level in Botswana in 1996. The article begins by examining the Christian confessional approach introduced during the missionary era and notes that despite various forms of earlier government opposition the Christian syllabus became popular again in the 1970s. In 1993, a movement toward a multi-faith syllabus gained momentum. Some of the background to this is given including the influence of British experience. This new syllabus is then subjected to some critique. An attempt to classify the new syllabus' methodology is also provided. A discussion of the public and religious groups' response to the multi-faith syllabus follows. Finally, through a small survey, views of teachers (n = 48) on the new syllabus are recorded and discussed and the overall outcome appears positive. The conclusion is that the Botswana multi-faith syllabus, with adjustments, is relevant to the educational nee...

Multi-Faith Religious Education in Botswana.

Although Namibia has been independent for more than two decades (1990–2014), the school curriculum remains essentially Eurocentric despite rhetoric on educational reform. Similar to other African countries, Western ideological power continues to dominate postcolonial education, even though political power rests in the hands of African leaders. Employing George Sefa Dei’s anticolonial discursive framework, this article presents a critical analysis of postcolonial education in Namibia and of its failure to adopt a diverse and culturally sensitive school curriculum. This article concludes that, in future reforms, the Namibian education system must incorporate indigenous knowledge not only to preserve this knowledge but also to recognize the multilogicality of knowledge production and its uses in diverse cultural contexts.

https://myresearchspace.uws.ac.uk/ws/files/1911411/Accepted_Author_Manuscript.pdf

Yonah Matemba

Papers

A comparative study of religious education in Scotland and Malawi with special reference to developments in the secondary school sector, 1970-2010

African traditional religions and culture in Botswana

Problems of assessment in religious and moral education: the Scottish case

Multi-Faith Religious Education in Botswana.

Challenging the Status Quo: Reclaiming Indigenous Knowledge through Namibia's Postcolonial Education System.