Social Work Commons^™

Leisure Lifestyle And Perceived Social Support Of Older Adults In A Rural Environment, Elizabeth Dow Pittaway

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the leisure lifestyles of rural older adults and specifically to determine whether a relationship existed among leisure lifestyle, perceived social support, and well-being. Control variables included socio-demographic factors, value of leisure, satisfaction with life domains, length of residency, ethnicity, religion, and personal and structural barriers. The theoretical framework included social exchange theory and social support perspectives. A descriptive correlational research design was utilized and a mail survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to people 55 and older. Rural older adults spent more time on indoor leisure compared to outdoor …

Community Residential Environments For Mentally Retarded Adults: Staff Attitudes And Practices Regarding Resident Dependence And Independence, Diane Conway

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A study was conducted to investigate staff attitudes and everyday behaviors and their relationship to the independence of mentally retarded adults in four community residences. Questionnaires administered to 15 front-line staff persons measured their perceptions of the amount of external control (situations in which staff assume control over residents’ environments), personal control (situations in which staff encourage of allow residents to exert control over their own environments), and shared control (situations in which staff encourage shared responsibility between staff and residents in exerting control over the environment). The questionnaires tapped staff perceptions of the degree to which each of these …

Research In The M.S.W. Curriculum: Correlates Of An Effects On Student Attitudes And Knowledge, Daniel Filliol

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

To determine the effect of graduate social work research courses on student research knowledge and attitudes towards research and to find predictors of these, two groups of social work students—one tested prior to and another tested following their social work research courses—were measured on several antecedent variables and on a test of research knowledge, attitude and interest in research as a career. Having an undergraduate major in psychology was predictive of high research knowledge and having had prior research work experience was indicative of a positive attitude towards research. Post-research course students demonstrated greater knowledge of research and a stronger …

An Evaluation Of A Family Life Education Program, Anne Westhues

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study has two distinct objectives: to evaluate how effectively the family life education program at Sir John A. Macdonald High School in Hamilton, Ontario is meeting its stated objectives and to evaluate the relative effectiveness of a traditional teaching method and an annovative teaching method with this family life education program. There are three groups in this study. The first group took the family life education program taught with the innovative method, the second group took the family life education program taught with the traditional method,a nd the third group did not take a family life education program.

Students …

Residential Care For The Mentally Retarded: A Systemic Analysis Of The Creation Of A Community Residence And How Its Development Was Viewed By Members Of The System, David G. Hallman

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The present study, placed in an historical context of care for the mentally retarded, examines the creation and development of a Community Residence for retarded adults. The Residence is described as a system of interrelating groups (the retarded adults, the director and staff, the parents, the Advisory Committee members) whose patterns of communication and interaction affect the nature of the program. The primary sources of data are the observations of the author who was a participant in the develop[ment of the facility and the results of a survey of each of the system’s groups. The survey results indicate some differences …

Social Adjustment, Personality And Behaviour In Training Schools In Ontario, Jerome Caron

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This report was chosen for analysis as we had, while working in the Children’s Aid Society worked with wards who were to be sent to training schools or who were discharged, needing foster homes. Experience during our first field placement, at Madame Vanier Children’s Services, in London, was also gained, as we daily came in contact with children who could be potentially admitted to training school. The positive response of these children to considerate and fair treatment was very evident in this setting. The social policy implications of this report, in which Dr. Grygier emphasizes the need for fair laws …

The Relative Effectiveness Of Three Educational Programmes In Promoting Academic Achievement Among Latency Age Emotionally Disturbed Boys Residing In Treatment Institutions, Denis Quinn

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Several years ago, a small group of men entered what appeared to be an ordinary house in suburban Toronto. These men continued their visits, day after day, for months on end. The outcome of their persistent visits was “Warrendale”—a feature length film which violently jarred open one of the mental closets into which we, as a society, sweep away our most perplexing problems. “Warrendale” dramatically thrust into the public eye a speck of life that could no longer be blinked away. The millions who saw the film had their social blinders rudely removed by the extraordinary residents of that “ordinary” …

Follow-Up Survey Into The Residential Needs Of The Physically Disabled Of Waterloo County: Participation In An On-Going Research Study, Larry Elgin Brigham

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The Social Planning Council of Kitchener-Waterloo had appointed a committee to investigate the needs of the physically handicapped in Waterloo County. A detailed account of the evolution of this committee can be found in a paper by my classmates, Edward Mavor and Judy Rees-Thomas.

The sub-committee to which I will be referring throughout this paper is the sub-committee on the residential needs of the physically disabled. This sub-committee was formed as it was felt that there were too many facets to the problems facing the physically disabled to be handled easily by one committee. In order to organize most efficiently, …

A Comparative Study Of Foster Homes And Group Homes, William Benbow

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of The Personality Trait Of Dependence As A Factor Influencing Social Work Practice, Evelyn J. Eisenberg

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Amphetamine Abuser: Personality Characteristics And “Meaning To Life”, Terrence L. Esch

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This paper will review the literature on amphetamine abuse after which I will discuss some implications for treatment. I will propose an empirical study that should help clarify a major assumption that is apparent in the literature. This study will then point out the possibility of a method of treatment that can be effective in helping amphetamine abusers.

The papers consists of three major themes: (a) Review of the Literature, (b) Implications for treatment, and (c) a proposed empirical study questioning the difference of personality traits and “meaning to life” between amphetamine abusers and youth who are considered to be …

An Analysis Of Dr. Malik’S Study Of School Performance Of Children In Families Receiving Public Assistance In Canada, Thomas Robert Mccoll

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The central questions in the Study were: a) how public assistance children compare with those of unassisted families in the same social stratum, both as to their school performance and their potential for it; and b) whether public assistance families differ from unassisted families in the same stratum with respect to goals and values that have a bearing on educational attainment.

The three main hypotheses of the study are that:

1. recipients of public assistance are characterized by goals and values that differ from those of non recipients of some social stratum
2. these goals and values are transmitted to the children …

A Behavioral Therapy Program With Chronic Mental Patients: An Experimental Demonstration Proposal, Bryon Bonell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

No abstract provided.

Evaluation By Foster Parents Of Services Received From The Children’S Aid Society Of Metropolitan Toronto, Barbara Allen

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The problem area is evaluation of service by foster parents. My concern with this problem stems first from a general concern for what recipients of service value or devalue in that service. There is sparse available data in this area. John E. Mayer and Noel Timms state that “For many years caseworkers have experimented with different ways of helping people. Curiously, the resultant innovations have stemmed not from the client’s perception of what is helpful, but from the practitioner’s. Moreover, with few exceptions, the effectiveness of help has been judged by the persons offering, not receiving, help. In a word …

An Investigation Of Background Factors And Selected Personality Correlates Of Achievement Motivation, Ernest T. Rivait

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In January of 1962, Lewis Arnold Koenigsberg, in completing the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology in the Graduate School of Syracuse University, submitted his dissertation entitled: Achievement Motivation. This particular essay is an analysis of that dissertation.

The purpose of Koenigsberg’s study was to examine the influence of certain child training practices in the development of the need for achievement and also the relationship between achievement motivation and intra-family interaction and selected personality traits. Thus, the relationship between certain dependent variables, such as—home background, personality characteristics and relationships with other family members—and, the independent variable—need achievement—was studied. …

The Impact Of Residential Treatment On Emotionally Disturbed Boys, Marilyn C. Ebert

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Within the past four decades, social work has witnessed the development of increasingly specialized servicecs to children, among these a sort of “total impact therapy” generally defined as residential treatment. In conjunction with the basic social work values of the bio-psycho-social nature of human maladjustment, residential centres have attempted to help the child effect a happier adjustment to his life situation by meeting some ungratified basic need. Institutions for dependent children complimented those for custodial care of even isolation; contemporary residential treatment centres are designed to meet a broader range of needs of the child than those of forty years …

The Religious Dimension And Social Work, Sylvia Goldring

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In 1965, at the Park Plaza Hotel in Toronto, at the Annual Meeting of the National Council on Family Relations, two good friends, David Mace, a devout Quaker, and Albert Ellis, an agnostic and sensationalistic exponent of sexual freedom, conducted a dialogue on marriage counselling. Both are well-known marriage counsellors.

They started the dialogue with a statement of their religious views. It is the opinion of the writer of this research essay:

1. that David Mace and Albert Ellis were right in their implications; viz., that religious views are of such an essential quality that they do underlie not only views …

Requests By Married Parents For Adoption Placement Of Their Children: An Analysis Of A Research Study, With Some Observations On The Relevance Of The Study For Social Work Practice, Olive E. Bolton

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The present study has been undertaken as a result of the reviewer’s interest in the problem of married parents requesting adoption placement of their children, based on her experience in giving service to a small group of these parents at the Children’s Aid Society for the County of Waterloo.

An analysis of the research project of Evelyn McCorkell is the focus of this study. Her project appears to have marked the beginning of an examination of the problem.

Since her study was completed in 1957, there has been additional examination of the problem in the literature, indicating its relevance for …

An Exploration Of Utilization Of College Graduates In Social Work: An Innovative Approach To The Manpower Crisis In The Profession Of Social Work, Doris Jane Baker

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The researcher’s interest in the professional manpower shortage in Social Work (i.e. the MSW) has been generated by the belief that Provincial and Canadian Associations of Social Workers have not been sufficiently concerned with the agency employed by B.A. level of social workers who are eager to attain professional status, if they are given the appropriate opportunity. This researcher believes that many such social workers do not make application to Graduate Schools and conversely, are not recruited by the Graduate Schools as some members of both groups have a suspicion that the present curriculum is not in keeping with the …

Social Worker Efficacy In Changing School System Policies, Joan E. Smith

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The policies of an organization are the most important component in defining its purpose and setting its priorities. The public school system in Ontario is no exception to this rule. In the past century education in the public domain has made no major changes in its policies. The present authoritarian, tightly constricted, vertical hierarchy is the same organizational structure introduced by Ryerson in the 1850’s. At that time, such a system reflected the prevailing societal purposes and needs. But today the public school system does not function in such a manner as to fill its role in 20th century Canadian …

Infant Day Care And The Working Mother: A Proposal For Reducing Maternal Anxiety, David W. Adams

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

My interest in the day care of children of working mothers was stimulated by my recent involvement in a study of the need for day care facilities in Kitchener-Waterloo. During this study it became apparent that most of the facilities and the interest in day care programs was related specifically to the care and education of children ages three to five. In reviewing the findings of a questionnaire used in the study however, it was readily determined that another problem existed. A total of 75 of 170 working mothers from industry stated that they placed a total of 84 infants …

A Social Rehabilitation Program Implementation And Analysis: A Demonstration-Experimental Proposal, William Becks

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The intent of this proposal is to institute a social rehabilitation program on a ward of approximately 40-50 patients and then to assess and analyze the results of the program. Evaluation is to be undertaken through the utilization of a control group of approximately the same size, composition, and general philosophy located within the same hospital.

In designing a research proposal for such a hospital, three important issues must be addressed as the effects of the program have ramifications that radiate throughout the hospital structure. The three issues, in the order of the manner they will be outlined, are operational …

School Performance Of Children In Families Receiving Public Assistance In Canada, Margaret Stephenson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The choice of this particular piece of research for analysis was to some extent influenced by the experiences of my field placements in a Children’s Aid Society and in Provincial Welfare. In both settings I worked with families receiving public assistance and became concerned about the generally poor performance and adjustment in school of many children in these families. Increasing emphasis is being placed on the need for education. It is important to examine the situation in order to see why these children are not successful, so that changes can be brought about to meet their educational needs. Without adequate …

Separation From Professional Employment Among Female Graduates Of Canadian Schools Of Social Work, David Ralph Cassidy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There are several factors which affect the present position of social work as a profession. Historically, it is a relatively young profession. As such, there have been many changes as a state of stable professional identity is sought. Frmo what can be forecast, social work will continue to change, to borrow new knowledge from related professions, to develop new knowledge from within, to retain a dynamic and progressive view to self-improvement, and to work toward the general improvement of social conditions.

While many things have changed, the problem of adequate manpower has not appreciably improved. The number of graduate social …

Multi-Family Group Treatment Of Multi-Problem Families: Preliminary Study, Judith S. Duckman

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

No abstract provided.

The Long-Range Effects Of The Intensive Casework Approach In Service To Multi-Problem Families, Lynn Taylor

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

No abstract provided.

The Potential Use Of Social Welfare Assistant Graduates From Ontario’S Community Colleges, Jane Irving

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this project is to design an exploratory study to examine how the graduates of the two-year social welfare assistants courses from Ontario’s Community Colleges might be employed in the Children’s Aid Societies of Ontario. Such a study will be only a prelude to many other investigations but may provide some immediately useful answers and raise many questions that will form the basis for future research on this topic.

A Project To Study The Effect Of A Waiting Period On The Length Of Treatment Of The Family Service Agency’S Long-Term Cases, John Hartman

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

No abstract provided.

Counselling Foster Parents, Airdrie Thompson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

My interest in this topic is the result of having been a foster parent for a period of one year for a group home for emotionally disturbed teenage boys. When my husband and I undertook this project, we had been married for two years and had one daughter of a year old. The five boys we had during this period ranged in age from eleven to fourteen years. This in itself was a phenomenal adjustment to our way of life. A couple grows with its family, passing through the various stages of development, moving gradually from one experience to the …

A Method For Predicting Foster Parent Success, Joan G. Gilmore

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The criteria used to judge the acceptability of foster parent applications and the relationship of these criteria to the actual rate of foster parent success are issues of great concern for people working with foster children. The purpose of this study is to test the predictability of a rating scheme in order to one, make effective use of home-study time and two, minimize unsuccessful placements.

Factors important in this analysis are those of agency time and commitment to both client groups involved—potential foster parents and children—as well as the expectations and gratifications of the foster parents. These people are the …