Digital Commons Network^™

Action Research: A Culturally Specific Case Study On Organizational Capacity-Building To Battle Addiction In The Oneida Native-American Community, Anita F. Barber, Mark Gordon

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

The Healing Society (coded to mask) is a new and developing organization operated by a volunteer board created by Oneida Nation community members. Leaders were seeking strategic direction to build organizational capacity and sustainability for this new organization. They sought to make positive social change after a well-known community member died from an overdose. The purpose of this post-positivist, constructionist qualitative case study was to gather empirical data from the perspectives of internal and external stakeholders through a SWOT analysis. Their answers addressed: (a) the organizational strengths and weaknesses of The Healing Society to ensure short-term strength and long-term growth, …

Leader-To-Leader: Reflexive Leadership In The Midst Of Covid-19 And Social Unrest, Ward Ulmer

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

A leader is only one person in one position, and one person’s ideas are not a panacea for all social ills. But effective leadership can shift the outcome of an organization to manifest its mission of positive social change considering changes in society. Most people have been exposed to leaders who tinker around the edges and others who call for revolution. Leaders are leaders only because they have capable followers. The truth is that some things are just too big for one individual. And when we happen upon those things, we must stand together, hold each other accountable, and encourage …

Socialization Agents That Puerto Rican College Students Use To Make Financial Decisions, Enid Alvarez, Steven Tippins

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

Using consumer socialization theory as theoretical framework, the purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental, cross-sectional study was to identify the information sources that Puerto Ricans college students use to gather financial knowledge. A sample of 198 Puerto Rican college students answered a portion of the College Student Financial Literacy Survey. The research question addressed the preference of four financial information sources, including parents, peers, media, and school. A combination of descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, repeated-measures analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression confirmed that participants preferred to gather financial knowledge from parents. Researchers, educators, and policymakers may use this …

Impact Of A Postcollege Service-Learning Year: From Self To Social Justice, Kelly S. Hall, Cheryl H. Keen

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

Recent college graduates in the United States are increasingly pursuing a year of service in programs such as Teach for America, AmeriCorps, and Volunteers Exploring Vocation. A cohort of 689 volunteers participating in 18 Volunteers Exploring Vocation programs across the nation was surveyed both at the beginning and end of their year of service. Principal component analysis was used to analyze the two surveys. Repeated measures captured volunteers’ motivations for entering the programs and opportunities important to them upon exiting programs. Upon entering, program participants were motivated by opportunities for discovery about themselves in relation to community and for exploring …

The Relationship Between Social Change Involvement And Education, Michelle S. Brown, Beate Baltes

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

Positive social change is part of Walden University’s mission. As such, the institution sponsored the Social Change Impact Report, which includes data from three online surveys that investigated participants’ experiences with social change because factors related to involvement in social action to improve the lives of individuals and communities are not fully known. Data were collected from the Social Change Impact Report to examine the relationship between the level of education an individual has achieved and how they rate the importance of and the involvement in positive social change activities. Results of chi square and analysis of variance indicated …

The Ethical Implications Of Plagiarism And Ghostwriting In An Open Society, Patricia I. Fusch, Lawrence R. Ness, Janet M. Booker, Gene E. Fusch

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

Plagiarism is the theft of intellectual property. Plagiarism has been a problem in academic settings and appears to be on the increase, now moving into areas including the medical and scientific fields as well as industry, manufacturing, military, and legal briefs. The ethical implications can have serious consequences for organizations, individuals, and society, resulting in harm being done to others in favor of expediency. In this scholarly essay, the authors explore and discuss the ethical implications of plagiarism and the increase of ghostwriting in a free society through the writings of Kant, Popper, Kostenbaum, Plato, Whedbee, and others. The conclusion …

An Investigation Of “Circle Of Friends” Peer-Mediated Intervention For Students With Autism, Mary Schlieder, Nancy Maldonado, Beate Baltes

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

The dramatic rise in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is accompanied by a substantial increase in public school inclusion. A growing body of research supports the need for teachers proficient in evidence-based practices to support such students. One strategy involves using peer support networks like Circle of Friends (CoF) for ASD adolescents. A collective case study was used to investigate experiences of stakeholders relative to a CoF community. Four themes emerged from a cross-case analysis: the influence a CoF partnership initiative has on inclusion, social skills improvement, empowerment, and sense of wellbeing. For the purposes of this article, …

Political Engagement In Higher Education Curricula, Iris M. Yob, Aimee Ferraro

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

Political Engagement in Higher Education Curricula

Submitted to the Teaching category of JOSC

Abstract

As more demands are made for universities and colleges to commit to public service, curricula in higher education may need to include the development of knowledge of and skills for political engagement. In an interview study, students, faculty members, and alumni at Walden University reflected on their understanding and experience of political action and working with policy-makers for social change. The responses overall indicated a general agreement that politics, political action, and policy making have roles to play in ensuring the lasting effects of social change …

Managing The Polarities Of Democracy: A Theoretical Framework For Positive Social Change, William J. Benet

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

People around the globe have embraced democracy to bring about positive social change to address our environmental, economic, and militaristic challenges. Yet, there is no agreement on a definition of democracy that can guide social change efforts. The Polarities of Democracy model is a unifying theory of democracy to guide healthy, sustainable, and just social change efforts. The Polarities of Democracy model consists of ten elements, organized as five polarity pairs: freedom & authority, justice & due process, diversity & equality, human-rights & communal-obligations, and participation & representation. In this model each element has positive aspects and negative aspects and …