Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Summary Of Mass State Pension Reform Law Chapter 176 Of The Acts Of 2011, Ellen A. Bruce

Pension Action Center Publications

Massachusetts passed significant changes to its public pension system meant to create cost savings for the state and to encourage employees to work longer. Most of the changes apply only to people hired after April 2, 2012. This summarizes the most important changes.

The Practice Effect: The Relationships Among The Frequency Of Early Formal Mindfulness Practice, Mindfulness Skills, Worry, And Quality Of Life In An Acceptance-Based Behavior Therapy For Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Lucas Paul Kawika Morgan

Graduate Masters Theses

Mindfulness- and acceptance-based treatments are currently being used to treat a variety of medical and mental health difficulties. Most of these treatments teach formal mindfulness practices which aim at developing mindfulness skills. However, little is known about the relationships among amount of formal mindfulness practice, changes in mindfulness skills, and changes in outcome variables. An acceptance-based behavior therapy (ABBT) has been shown to be particularly effective in the treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD; Roemer & Orsillo, 2007; Roemer, Orsillo, & Salters-Pednault, 2008). This study explored the relationships among formal mindfulness practice, skills, and outcomes in the context of an …

An Emptying Village: Transformations In Architecture And Spatial Organization At Streamstown Village, Co. Galway, Meagan K. Conway

Graduate Masters Theses

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Ireland was a country of instability. The population rose rapidly, and traditional farming practices shifted to accommodate the rapidly changing population in addition to incorporating and almost entirely depending on a new crop, the potato. A spattering of famine years culminating in the Great Famine of 1847-1850 created an unstable environment for rural Irish farmers and factored into massive depopulation of the western counties. Abandonment of the western counties created dozens of empty villages across the landscape, the majority of which are comprised of stone structures located in farmland and in varying degrees of …

The Marketplace Of Boston: Macrobotanical Remains From Faneuil Hall, Ciana Faye Meyers

Graduate Masters Theses

Residents of Boston in the eighteenth century utilized a wide range of botanical materials in their daily lives, navigating complex urban marketing systems and utilizing their own individual ingenuity to procure botanical resources. The one thousand eight hundred and eighty-three botanical remains recovered from a "community midden" underneath the present-day Faneuil Hall represents a diverse collection of taxa which encodes information not only about the localized dietary practices of colonial urban residents, but also helps to illuminate the more subtle ramifications of Boston's participation in the Atlantic economy on the lives of its residents. These botanical remains represent taxa from …

Broader Questions And A Bigger Toolbox:A Problem-Centered And Student-Centered Approach To Teaching Pluralist Economics, Julie A. Nelson

Economics Faculty Publication Series

This essay discusses a "broader questions and bigger toolbox" approach to teaching pluralist economics. This approach has three central characteristics. First, economics is defined so as to encompass a broad set of (provisioning) concerns. Second, emphasis is placed on contemporary real-world issues, institutions, and current events, rather than on debates in the history of economic thought. Third, a variety of concepts and theories are introduced, all of which are treated as partial and fallible--useful in some (perhaps very limited) situations while not so useful in others. Possible reasons an instructor might want to adopt this approach, and examples of use …

The Social Negotiation Of Ambiguous In-Between Stigmatized Identities: Investigating Identity Processes In Multiracial And Bisexual People, Vali Dagmar Kahn

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

To date, most bisexual and multiracial identity models in psychology capture a largely internal developmental process (Collins, 2000; Kich, 1992; Weinberg, Williams & Pryor, 1994). However, individuals learn to manage their socially stigmatized identities in social interactions (Goffman, 1963). While the demands to socially negotiate stigmatized identity affect all minority peoples, individuals with in-between ambiguous stigmatized identities, such as multiracial and bisexual people, must negotiate also being situated at the margins of their own reference groups (e.g. heterosexual and gay/lesbian). Using a comparative grounded theory approach, this study explored the question: How do experiences of socially negotiating an in-between ambiguous …

Trajectories Of Psychological Distress Among Low-Income, Female Survivors Of Hurricane Katrina, Sarah Ryan Lowe

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate trajectories of psychological distress among low-income women, primarily unmarried and African American, who survived Hurricane Katrina (N = 386). Data were collected in the year prior to the hurricane, as well as approximately one and three years thereafter. Using Latent Class Growth Analysis (LCGA), we detected six distinct trajectory groups. Over half of participants fit into a trajectory consistent with resilience; that is, they maintained low levels of psychological distress over the course of the study, but experienced an elevation in symptoms at the first pre-disaster time point, followed by a return …

The Role Of Home Environments In Residential Adjustment Decision Making In Later Life, Kimberly Joy Stoeckel

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Using the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study, this research explored the multi-faceted influence of the accessibility of housing environments on the occurrence and characteristics of residential adjustments made by older adults aged 70 or older. A range of housing adjustment outcomes were examined, including home modifications and relocation into age-segregated senior housing. Analysis of the accessibility gains following relocation was also included in the empirical analyses.

The Ecological Theory of Aging (Lawton & Nahemow, 1973) provided the conceptual framework for the research. The longitudinal design of the HRS empirically advanced understanding of the key theoretical constructs by sensitizing the …

The Ecology Of Cognitive Training And Aging, Anya Potter

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Older individuals represent the fastest growing portion of the population in the United States, and are threatened by the loss of mobility and independence. The present study examined the relationship of a computer-based training program, specifically Posit Science Cortex^TM with InSight DriveSharp^TM, and performance on neuropsychological measures and an on-road driving paradigm in a normal aging sample. Participants, ranging in ages 60-75 and randomly assigned to the treatment group, completed the DriveSharp^TM as did, subsequently, a wait-list control group. Identical neuropsychological and on-road assessments were conducted at each visit. Neuropsychological assessment of visual attention included the …

Captain Pierce's Fight: An Investigation Into A King Philip's War Battle And Its Remembrance And Memorialization, Lawrence K. Lacroix

Graduate Masters Theses

On March 26, 1676 Native Americans from southern New England overran a company of Plymouth Colony militia, handing the English one of their worst defeats during King Philip's War. This study was concerned with the reconstruction of the Pierce Battle, as it has come to be known, and its eventual memorialization. The study's two main research questions were: First, to what extent did a complete and critical examination of the primary and secondary sources change, support, or add to the commonly accepted battle perspective? Second, in what ways did a contextual analysis of King Philip's War monuments in Rhode Island …

It's Not So Simple: Understanding Participant Involvement In The Design, Implementation, And Improvement Of Cash & Counseling Programs, Erin E. Mcgaffigan

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

For more than three decades, the United States federal government and the states have worked to restructure the long-term care system to be more community based and responsive to personal preferences. Some argue that those who seek such services should be actively engaged in their design (Morris, 2008; Priester, Hewitt, & Kane, 2006). While many who design and implement home and community-based services may believe that participant engagement could be beneficial, most plans move forward with little to no provision for such engagement. The existing literature provides very little insight into the implications of such decisions.

The Cash & Counseling …

Expanding A Model Of Female Heterosexual Coercion: Are Sexually Coercive Women Hyperfeminine?, Elizabeth Anne Schatzel-Murphy

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The present study aimed to replicate a preliminary model of female heterosexual coercion and subsequently expand the model with gender- and race-related variables. The preliminary model, which specified sexual compulsivity, sexual dominance, sociosexuality, and prior sexual abuse, as predictors of female heterosexual coercion, was sufficiently replicated with a racially diverse sample of college women. The model was then successfully expanded by adding rape myth acceptance and hyperfemininity to the model. Hyperfemininity was found to be a core predictor of female heterosexual coercion, challenging the notion that sexual coercion is an inherently "masculine" behavior. Actual minority status, perceived minority status, and …

Leaving Home Care: Decision Making, Risk Scenarios & Services Gaps In The Home Care System, Jacey J. Vaughan, Nina M. Silverstein

Gerontology Institute Publications

Home and community-based services (HCBS) enable older and disabled adults to age-in-place in their homes and communities by helping them function independently for as long as possible (Grabowski et al., 2010; Wong & Silverstein, 2011). Previous studies well document that older adults prefer receiving HCBS rather than institutional care at a nursing home (e.g., Walker, 2010; Fox-Grage, Coleman, & Freiman, 2006). Medicaid is a major source of funding for long-term care. Currently, a large proportion of Medicaid funds in most states has been spent on institutional care (National Conference of State Legislatures & AARP, 2009), and older adults and their …

Data Note: Ssi Recipients Who Work, Daria Domin, Frank A. Smith

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a means-tested income-support program administered by the Social Security Administration. Eligibility is contingent upon proving that one has a limited ability to work due to disability. However, the program offers several work incentives aimed at encouraging SSI recipients to enter the workforce while maintaining their benefits. Despite the promotion of employment through Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) and other programs, a very small percentage of SSI recipients actually work. This Data Note examines the number of SSI recipients working by state in 2010.

Research To Practice: Improving Job Development Through Training And Mentorship, Alberto Migliore, John Butterworth, Derek Nord, Amy Gelb

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Prior research suggests that employment consultants who provide job development support do not consistently use the most promising practices in their field1. These practices include involving family and friends in the job search, using job restructuring or job creation to expand employment opportunities, negotiating with employers, and using planning strategies that emphasize choice, empowerment, and an effective job match. The purpose of this study was to validate a curriculum based on these promising practices for a training and mentoring program that targeted employment consultants.

Improving Educational Outcomes Of English Language Learners In Schools And Programs In Boston Public Schools, Miren Uriarte, Faye Karp, Laurie Gagnon, Rosann Tung, Sarah Rustan, Jie Chen, Michael Berardino, Pamela Stazesky, Eileen De Los Reyes, Antonieta Bolomey

Gastón Institute Publications

Using 4 years of student-level demographic, enrollment and testing and school-level characteristics, this study analyzes the enrollment and outcomes of English Language Learners (ELLs) in Boston Public School between SY2006 and SY2009 and assess the relative impact of individual and school level factors in testing outcomes of ELLs. The study reports on the improvement in ELL dropout rates and testing outcomes during the period of observation. It reports also on the outcomes of ELLs at different levels of English proficiency and finds (1) higher dropout rates and lower testing performance among low English proficiency students; (2) a minimal proportion of …

Learning From Consistently High Performing And Improving Schools For English Language Learners In Boston Public Schools, Rosann Tung, Virginia Diez, Laurie Gagnon, Miren Uriarte, Pamela Stazesky, Eileen De Los Reyes, Antonieta Bolomey

Gastón Institute Publications

Against a backdrop of increasing BPS ELL enrollment, district ELL leadership transitions, state and federal policies affecting ELL education, and with the knowledge that many teachers and administrators within the Boston Public Schools are expert practitioners with ELL students, we addressed the following research questions:

• In which BPS schools were ELL students performing at a consistently high level or showing steady improvement during SY2006-SY2009?
• What were some of the practices that these schools’ staffs credited with their success with ELL students during SY2006-SY2009?
• Which of the practices identified by school staff were shared among the selected schools?

Through case study …

Report Relative To The Organization And Operations Of The Town Of Sherborn, Massachusetts, Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center For Public Management, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Edward J. Collins Center for Public Management Publications

The Town of Sherborn has many important assets. The Town has skilled department heads and staff, a committed core of citizens and elected officials, one of the best school systems in the state, a stunning pastoral landscape, and a reputation as an extremely desirable place to live.

Despite these assets, no one will be shocked by our observation that the Town is also facing some very serious challenges. While the immediate prompt for this study and report was the vacancy in the Town Administrator’s position, it quickly became clear that the vacancy in the position is not the only challenge …

Legislative Study: A Framework To Strengthen Massachusetts Community Mediation As A Cost-Effective Public Service, Susan Jeghelian, Madhawa Palihapitiya, Kaila Eisenkraft

Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration Publications

This report presents a study of community mediation commissioned by the Massachusetts Legislature in July 2011. The study was conducted by the state office of dispute resolution now known as the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration at the University of Massachusetts Boston. The office has been serving as a neutral forum and state-level resource for over 20 years. Its mission is to establish programs and build capacity within public entities for enhanced conflict resolution and intergovernmental and cross-sector collaboration in order to save costs and enable effective problem-solving and civic engagement on major public initiatives.

The report is based on …

Consumer Involvement In Medicaid Nursing Facility Reimbursement: Lessons From New York And Minnesota For State Policymakers, Edward Alan Miller, Cynthia Rudder

Gerontology Institute Publications

Medicaid is the major purchaser of nursing home care in the United States. State governments design their methods of reimbursing nursing homes to achieve desired policy objectives related to facility cost and quality, access to care, payment equity, service capacity, and budgetary control.

Often, participation in the process of developing Medicaid payment policy is limited to state agency officials and providers of care and, occasionally, union representatives and state legislative staff. Invited less frequently to reimbursement policy discussions are consumer representatives. Lack of consumer involvement in the development of state rate setting systems has the potential to result in the …

A Primer For Consumer Involvement In Medicaid Nursing Facility Reimbursement: Lessons From New York And Minnesota, Edward Alan Miller, Cynthia Rudder

Gerontology Institute Publications

Medicaid is the major purchaser of nursing home care in the United States. To ensure that providers behave appropriately, the federal and state governments have established an extensive set of regulations that nursing homes must comply with if they are to be reimbursed for patients insured by Medicaid. Consumers exert considerable influence here by focusing on regulations and enforcement of non-compliance.

States also seek to align providers’ interests with those of other interested parties through controls and incentives built into state reimbursement systems, including with respect to facility cost and quality, access to care, payment equity, service capacity, and budgetary …

Data Note: Decline In The Provision Of Facility-Based Work Services For People With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Jean E. Winsor, Alberto Migliore

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Facility-based work services are vocational services provided in settings where the majority of people have a disability and receive continuous job-related supports and supervision. Facility-based work services are also referred to as sheltered work, work activity services, or extended employment programs.

Community-University Research Partnerships For Workers' And Environmental Health In Campinas Brazil, Maria Inês Monteiro, Carlos Eduardo Siqueira, Heleno Rodrigues Correa-Filho

C. Eduardo Siqueira

Three partnerships between the University of Campinas, community, and pubLic health care services are discussed in this article. A theoretical framework underpins the critical reviews of their accomplishments following criteria proposed by scholars of community-university partnerships and community-based participatory research. The article concludes that despite the significant achievements, there still remain important barriers for their development due to performance criteria that do not value research that partner with communities, health care services, or labor unions.

Brief 2: Overcoming Fragmented Governance: The Case Of Climate Change And The Mdgs, Oran R. Young

Governance and Sustainability Issue Brief Series

Fragmented governance hampers efforts to address tightly coupled challenges, like coming to grips with climate change and fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals. The way forward is to launch programmatic initiatives focusing on adaptation to climate change and the transition to a green economy that appeal to many separate bodies as win-win opportunities.

Adult Children Of Immigrant Entrepreneurs: Memories And Influences, Nga-Wing Anjela Wong, Paul Watanabe, Michael Liu

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

Probing the changing makeup of American college campuses, Adult Children of Immigrant Entrepreneurs: Memories and Influences offers unparalleled insight into the journeys of today’s graduate students born to immigrant entrepreneur parents.

Through interviews with 40 graduate students attending Massachusetts colleges from across the country, Adult Children of Immigrant Entrepreneurs unearths the unique challenges, skills and propensities engendered by growing up in a household where at least one parent ran a business. It also reveals that the students feel a deep-seated desire to give back to the immigrant communities into which they were born and which helped to mold their identities.

The Fairmount Initiative Quarterly Progress Report: People And Places: Understanding The Processes, Outcomes And Impacts Of Interventions Of The Fairmount Corridor, Donna H. Friedman

Center for Social Policy Publications

The Boston Foundation has contracted with the Center for Social Policy as an analytical and evaluation partner for a five year period, December 1, 2010 to November 30, 2015, to maximize effectiveness and create alignment among its people and place based efforts in Boston’s Fairmount commuter rail corridor. The geographic area, encompassing Fairmount neighborhoods which are home to approximately 88,000 residents, extends for 9.2 miles from the Newmarket Transit Station in the north to the Readville Transit Station in the south.

The detail to follow in this report provides an overview of each of the four initiatives, its progress over …

The Residual Income Method: A New Lens On Housing Affordability And Market Behaviour, Michael E. Stone, Terry Burke, Liss Ralston

Community Studies Faculty Publication Series

This study was designed to explore the viability of an alternative method of measuring affordability (the residual income method) to that of the ubiquitous 30 per cent benchmark method and to use this alternative method for enriching understanding around a range of affordability and housing market issues. The work has been exploratory but it does reveal both the potential and the limitations of the method. Put simply, the residual income method calculates how much is left over for housing rents or mortgage after relevant expenditure items for different household types have been taken into account. If there is insufficient left …

Brief 1: Financing International Environmental Governance: Lessons From The United Nations Environment Programme, Maria Ivanova

Governance and Sustainability Issue Brief Series

Financing for the global environment is scattered among many institutions and, without an overview of total financial flows, often considered scarce. This issue brief begins an analysis of the financial landscape by focusing on the anchor institution for the global environment, the UN Environment Programme. It examines the relationship between institutional form and funding and offers insights into innovative financing.

Making A Difference On Pressing Economic And Social Issues: Learning About And Living The Collaborative Leadership Model, Lisa Deangelis

Emerging Leaders Program Team Projects

The forty Fellows in the 2011 Emerging Leaders Program worked in collaboration with the Center for Social Policy at UMass Boston on their “reshaping poverty policy” initiative. The Fellows used their professional skills to analyze data and create awareness campaigns, in turn getting a deeper view of how their civic engagement can make a difference in addressing social issues that affect both businesses and communities. The Fellows examined factors that affect housing and family homelessness, working closely with three organizations: Boston Tenant Coalition, The Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston, and GoKids Boston.

Senior Transportation Abstracts: A Focus On Options, Helen Kerschner, Nina M. Silverstein

Gerontology Institute Publications

This collection of abstracts represents a publication of importance for understanding the needs, challenges, solutions, and/or every day issues related to senior transportation services. While several of the abstracts include information about senior driver safety, the collection’s primary purpose is to present a holistic approach to transportation options for older adults. Such a collection is timely because, although the practice of providing transportation to older adults is not new, research and preparation of practical informational and technical materials related to older adult transportation service needs and service delivery are quite recent.