Digital Commons Network^™

Hip-Hop, Medellín And Social Change, Veronica Henao Posada

Master's Theses

This study explores the ways in which the Hip-hop movement is producing social change in Medellín, Colombia. Looking specifically at a Hip-hop school called Cuatro Elementos Skuela, which exists autonomously and with very little state support in the Medellín neighborhood of Aranjuez, I argue that young people are contributing to the reconstruction of the city’s social, cultural and economic fabric. I start by explaining the historical context of Medellín, describing the different sets of conflicts that unleashed high levels of violence and caused the fragmentation of the social, cultural and economic fabric. Moreover, I review the role of the …

Youth Sport Coaching Efficacy: Coach Education Level As A Predictor Of Coaching Efficacy, Geoffrey V. Weller

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this research was to evaluate coaches’ level of education as a predictor of their coaching efficacy level. The study tested ten hypotheses. Two for each of the five types of coaching efficacy identified: (1) Coaches with a higher level of education will not exhibit a higher level of coaching efficacy and (2) male coaches will not exhibit a higher level of coaching efficacy than similarly educated female coaches. Individuals (N=1669) coaching teams within the YMCA of Lincoln, NE Youth Sports Branch were emailed a link to an online survey developed using Qualtrics software. An analysis of variance …

Sense Of Belonging In The Urban School Environments Of Aboriginal Youth, Chantelle Am Richmond, Dawn Smith, * The Wabano Centre For Aboriginal Health

Chantelle Richmond

It is well established that educational attainment and social support are critical social determinants of health among Aboriginal Canadians. Still, the gap in educational attainment with non-Aboriginal Canadians continues to grow, and little is known about the role of social support as a health determinant among Aboriginal youth. In collaboration with The Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health (Ottawa, Canada), we undertook focus groups with urban Aboriginal youth at-risk to examine perceptions of their urban school environments, including access to social support. Data were analyzed using a general inductive approach. Results indicate that youths’ perceived level of trust is key to …

Testing Pathways Linking Exposure To Community Violence And Sexual Behaviors Among African American Youth, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

Exposure to community violence and HIV sexual risks are two major public health concerns among youth. This study tests various pathways linking exposure to community violence and sexual behaviors among African American adolescents. Using a sample of 563 (61 % females) African American youth attending high school we examined whether problematic psychological symptoms, low school engagement, and/or negative perceptions of peer norms about safer sex functioned as pathways linking exposure to community violence and sexual behaviors. Major findings indicated that, for boys, the relationship between exposure to community violence and sexual début and sexual risk behaviors were linked by aggression. …

Initial Impact Of Tailored Web-Based Messages About Cigarette Smoke And Breast Cancer Risk On Boys' And Girls' Risk Perceptions And Information Seeking: Randomized Controlled Trial, Chris G. Richardson, Laura L. Struik, Kenneth C. Johnson, Pamela A. Ratner, Carolyn Gotay, Jasmina Memetovic, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Joan L. Bottorff

Nursing Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence indicates a causal link between both active smoking and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure and breast cancer (BC).

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the initial reactions of girls and boys to tailored Web-based messages that describe the relationship between SHS and BC, using a parallel, single-blinded cluster randomized controlled trial.

METHODS: This trial was nested within a cycle of an ongoing longitudinal study of 1498 students from 74 secondary schools. Self-reported assessments were used to evaluate the impact of study messages on participants' risk perception and interest in obtaining additional information after participants …

Lindsey, Zanga Anne, B. 1968? (Sc 1263), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1263. Paper, “Remembering the Rift,” by Zanga Anne Lindsey, Edmonson County, Kentucky, written for a WKU history class. Lindsey focuses on the views of her mother, Zanga Vincent Lindsey, concerning the Vietnam War and society during that troubled period.

The Relationship Between Household Economic Resources And Youth Academic Performance In Ghana: A Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling, David Ansong

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The Government of Ghana recognizes the importance of education for improving the socioeconomic well-being of young Ghanaians and the development of the nation. Education currently accounts for the largest share: 31%) of Ghana's national budget: GNA, 2012). Educational reforms and investments have had remarkable success in improving access to education up to the Junior High School: JHS) level, but progression beyond JHS remains a challenge. More than half of JHS graduates do not gain admission into Senior High School: SHS) because of poor academic performance and the inability of those who qualify to afford the drastic increase in educational costs. …

An Examination Of Injury Prevention Tactics Of Selected Youth Football Programs, Matthew Kim

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Companion Animal Ownership Among Canadian Street-Involved Youth: A Qualitative Analysis, Michelle Lem, Jason B. Coe, Derek B. Haley, Elizabeth Stone, William O'Grady

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In Canada, approximately 150,000 youth are homeless on any given night, and many have companion animals. Through a series of semi-structured interviews, this qualitative study explored the issues and effects of companion animal ownership among street-involved youth from the perspective of the youth themselves. "Pet before self" was the substantive theme, with first level sub-themes of "physical" and "emotional" effects. Previously unidentified findings include benefits of having a companion animal, such as creating structure and routine and decreasing use of drugs. Loss of the companion animal was a negative effect. Youth consistently reported making choices to stay with their animal …

Second Look Commission 2013 Annual Report, Tennessee. Commission On Children And Youth.

Second Look Commission Annual Report

No abstract provided.

Parenting Skills As Predictors Of Child And Adolescent Psychotherapy Outcomes: Examining Change In Usual Care Settings, Alicia Ann Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

Youth psychotherapy literature is in need of more research related to understanding psychotherapy process and outcome in child psychotherapy in community settings. The purpose of this study was to examine how key parenting skills were associated with child and adolescent symptoms and outcomes over the course of treatment in an outpatient community mental health system. Much of the research on child and adolescent outcomes has been conducted in controlled research settings, which raises the importance of more research needing to be done in representative clinical practice conditions (Weisz & Jensen, 2001). Further, few child and adolescent studies have examined potential …

Funds Of Knowledge And Literacies In Latino/A Youths' Community-Based Engineering Design Work, Amy Wilson-Lopez, Joel Alejandro Mejia, Indhira María Hasbún, Daniel L. Householder, Chris Hailey

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

STEM fields in the US continue to be dominated by people whose cultural backgrounds are White, English-speaking, and middle class (National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council, 2009). Many reasons have been offered to explain this phenomenon: Students’ backgrounds may include worldviews, beliefs, and communicative practices that do not cohere with those practiced in STEM classrooms (Aikenhead & Jegede, 1999; Lee, 1999); instructional materials may present STEM fields as a-cultural, decontextualized practices with no evident connection to students’ lives and communities, such as the routine completion of numerical exercises (O’Halloran, 2005); students’ identities—shaped in part by their desired life …

An Inconsistent Invitation: Am I Invited To Be A Party? How Not Affording Party Status To Youth In Washington Dependency Hearings Can Be A Violation Of Due Process, Laura Baird

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.

A Study On The Depiction Of Drug Usage, Alcohol Consumption And Cigarette Smoking In Movies And Its Perceived Effect On A Young Audience. A Comparative Study Of American And Indian Cinema And Their Respective Audiences., Zain Farook Merchant

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes the depiction of drug usage, cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption in

movies in terms of character stereotyping and typecasting. Because movies are focused on making money they are being used as marketing tools by alcohol and cigarette conglomerates (Grube, 2004). The study also explores youth perception of such content and tries to determine the behavioral implications or influence of such content on young children. The goal of this research is to analyze the social cognitive influence of movies on the youth and the effects of censorship in movies today. The research compares this effect in the two …

Paul, Linda (Smith) (Sc 1211), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collecction 1211. “The Life of Jessie Smith,” written by Jessie Marie (Trowbridge) Smith and compiled by Jessie’s granddaughter Linda (Smith) Paul, detailing Jessie’s life including information about traveling round trip in a covered wagon from Missouri to Oklahoma, frontier life, and life in Trask, Missouri.

The Impact Of Maternal Acculturation, Youth Age, Sex And Anxiety Sensitivity On Anxiety Symptoms In Hispanic Youth, Maria Pienkowski

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite progress that has been made in the areas of maternal acculturation and internalizing symptoms in Hispanic youth, much remains to be learned about the relation between maternal acculturation and youth anxiety. The inclusion of cognitive vulnerabilities such as anxiety sensitivity (AS) further adds to the understanding the development of anxiety in Hispanic youth. Examining the role that youth age and youth sex play in the relation between AS and youth anxiety symptoms also can further understanding of the development of youth anxiety. Thus, the specific aims of this dissertation were to examine whether: (1) a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) …

A Comparison Of School-Based And Community-Based Adherence To Wraparound During Family Planning Meetings, Philip D. Nordness

Philip D. Nordness Dr.

Recently a number of studies have begun to examine how the wraparound approach is adhered to during family planning meetings in community-based settings. However, no studies have compared wraparound family planning meetings across community-based and school-based settings. The purpose of this study was to examine adherence to the wraparound approach during family planning meetings across school-based and community-based settings to determine if there is a difference in the participants, domains discussed, and key characteristics of wraparound. Over the course of 9 months, observations were conducted on community-based (N = 85) and school-based (N = 109) wraparound family planning meetings. Results …

The Impact Of Extension Gardening Programs On Healthy Attitudes And Behaviors, Erica Odera, Alexa J. Lamm, Courtney Owens, Sandra Thompson, Lawrence Carter

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Gardening programs have been increasing in popularity since 1995 when California enacted legislation with the goal of putting a garden in every school. Research has shown positive benefits of gardening programs include increasing a child’s academic skills, environmental awareness, and social skills, but little is known about their impact on healthy attitudes and behaviors. Considering childhood obesity rates are rapidly increasing, understanding how educational programs, such as gardening, can impact health has become important. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact Extension gardening programs had on participants’ healthy attitudes and behaviors. Using a pretest/posttest research design with …

A Vision For The Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club, Ivette Banoub, John E. Fries, Tara Lynn Gehring, Madeline Jacknin, Jane M. Schonhaut, Alexander R. Train

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

The goal of Planning Studio is to develop a student’s techniques for collecting, analyzing, synthesizing spatial and non-spatial data and presenting that collective data in a manner (i.e., report, video, presentation, charettes) that is understandable to academics, professionals, and the public. Planning Studio allows students to integrate knowledge from coursework and research, and apply such knowledge to resolving representative planning problems. At UMASS Amherst, these problems are found in neighborhood, rural, urban, and/or regional settings. In Fall 2013, the course completed three projects: Master Plans & Land-Use Elements, the Revitalization of the Lower Worthington Street District (Springfield, MA), a Vision …

Prevention Of Type 2 Diabetes (T2dm) In South Africa - A Focus On Facilitating Physical Activity Behaviour Change In Peri-Urban Youth, Carmen Anderson, Anica Jansen Van Vuuren, Despina Learmonth

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

This paper focuses on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and the significant health implications it has on individuals living in currently disadvantaged peri-urban areas in South Africa. Given the significant public health and socio-economic burden South Africa faces due to scarce resources and escalating rates of chronic diseases, prevention strategies which impact on modifiable risk factors for T2DM are vital. The population of interest was children and adolescents living in informal settlements on the outskirts of Cape Town. The suggested behaviour change was the increase and maintenance of a more physically active and healthy lifestyle, thereby facilitating weight loss and …

Youth Transitions Advisory Council Annual Report 2013, Tennessee. Commission On Children And Youth.

Youth Transitions Advisory Council

No abstract provided.

Youth As Community Science Experts In Green Energy Technologies, Angela Calabrese Barton, Daniel Birmingham, Takumi Sato, Edna Tan, Scott Calabrese Barton

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Footnote Online Supplement: State Truancy Law Compilation, Dean H. Rivkin

College of Law Faculty Scholarship

This compilation of state truancy laws is being provided as a footnote supplement to the forthcoming article No Child Left Behind? Representing Youth and Families in Truancy Matters (2013) by Prof. Dean Hill Rivkin and Brenda McGee, of The Education Law Practicum at the University of Tennessee College of Law. It is an updated version of the laws listed in the Juvenile Law Center’s excellent amicus curiae brief in Bellevue School District v. E.S., Brief of Juvenile Law Center, et al., As Amicus Curiae on Behalf of Respondent, Bellevue Sch. Dist. v. E.S., 257 P.3d 570 (Wash. 2011) …

Kington, Donald Mason, B. 1928 (Mss 475), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 475. Typewritten draft, with corrections, of Donald M. Kington’s book Forgotten Summers: The Story of the Citizens’ Military Training Camps, 1921-1940. The book chronicles the one-month-long camps run every summer by the U.S. Army to give young volunteers the experience of soldiering. The book was published in 1995.

Examination Of The Kendall County Youth Education Class, David E. Olson, Taheri Sema, Michelle Mioduszewski, Olson Mollie

David E. Olson

The research examined the characteristics of youth served by the Kendall County Probation and Court Services Department's Youth Education Class, a diversion program for youth charged with alcohol-related offenses. The research examined changes in awareness of alcohol and drug risks and health consequencies, and post-program recidivism.

Visual Demonstration Of Academic Performance And Parental Involvement In Ghana, David Ansong, Gena A. N. Chowa

Center for Social Development Research

Visual Demonstration of Academic Performance and Parental Involvement in Ghana

Preferred Methods Of Assessing Suicidality In Youth, Corina L. Fisk

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Literature on youth suicide has identified this phenomenon as a national health problem and one that continues to be on the rise. Moreover, youth suicide has been identified as a serious problem for the last two decades. The purpose of this study was to determine if practice setting, specialized training, and/or graduate education influence both the method and frequency of suicide risk assessment by practicing clinicians who work with adolescents. A descriptive study design using an on-line data collection service was utilized (SurveyMonkey) to reach a non-probability sample of clinicians. The on-line survey was comprised of two sections. The first …

How Do Student And School Characteristics Influence Youth Academic Performance In Ghana? A Hierarchical Linear Modeling Of Baseline Data From The Youthsave Ghana Experiment, Gina A. N. Chowa, Rainier D. Masa, Yalitza Ramos, David Ansong

Center for Social Development Research

Student and school characteristics are associated with academic performance of high school students. However, few attempts have been made to examine the simultaneous influence of student and school factors on academic performance of youth in sub-Saharan Africa. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we examine student- and school- level predictors of academic performance of Ghanaian junior high school students. As other researchers have found, we note that age and gender are significant predictors of academic performance. Student traits, including academic self-efficacy and commitment to school, are positively associated with math and English scores. Class size and presence of a toilet facility are …

Parental Involvement's Effects On Academic Performance: Evidence From The Youthsave Ghana Experiment, Gina A. N. Chowa, Rainier D. Masa, Jenna Tucker

Center for Social Development Research

Research in developed countries suggests that parental involvement is associated with youth academic success, but little is known about this relationship in developing countries. Further, it is unclear which type of parental involvement may impact the academic performance of youth from developing countries. This study examines whether (a) parental involvement at home and in school are meaningfully different constructs in a population of Ghanaian youth and their parents and (b) parental involvement predicts academic performance. Results suggest that parental involvement is a bidimensional construct consists of home and school involvement. The effect of parental involvement on youth academic performance appears …

The Great Epoch: An Exploration Of The Psychology Of Desistance From Offending., Triona O'Sullivan

Dissertations

This research is an exploratory study aimed at examining the psychological processes underlying desistance from offending based on the lived experience of seven ex-offenders. A phenomenological approach was chosen and the research used qualitative semi-structured interviewing in order to collect rich data regarding the self-narratives of participants. Research findings confirmed several themes already prominent in the desistance literature including the importance of psychological maturation, the role of choice, the importance of the individuals’ self concept, the role of ‘making good’ and cognitive change in the area of thought processes and attitudes to offending. In addition several themes emerged which are …