Social Work Commons^™

Making The Most Of Program Evaluation Data: Understanding Human Services Professionals’ Well-Being Through Qualitative Secondary Analysis, Elizabeth Ann Deaton Wacker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Qualitative secondary analysis (QSA) allows researchers to explore new research questions and ensure that participants’ voices are heard to the greatest extent possible, without the burdens of additional data collection. However, this approach is rarely used outside of the health sciences, and little guidance exists in the literature about how to conduct QSA. This study is a secondary analysis of qualitative program evaluation data related to the well-being of human services professionals from two fields: child welfare and early care and education (ECE). It explores these professionals’ well-being, as well as the methodological issues of how well-being has been addressed …

Evaluating The Impact Of Marriage Renewal Workshop On Marital Satisfaction, Communication, Conflict Management, And Forgiveness: A Quantitative And Qualitative Analysis, Hien T. Kim Nguyen

Dissertations

The objectives of this study were to examine the impact of the Marriage Renewal Workshop (MRW) program for relationship satisfaction, communication skills, conflict resolution skills and levels of forgiveness among Vietnamese American married couple participants and their perceptions of the program's impact regarding these outcome variables. This evaluation mixed-method study employed a group of 64 participants who participated in before, after (using 4 closed-ended and open-ended questions) and six-week follow-up surveys and a group of 11 program participants who volunteered for in-depth interviews. Quantitative data were examined by using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and Mann-Whitney U Test, whereas qualitative …

Factors Contributing To Successful Completion Of A Holistic Job Skills Training Program, Renee Paul

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Job skills training programs are one way to address barriers to employment. As is important with any program that is implemented, it is important to evaluate its effectiveness. Existing literature contains several examples of job skills training programs that measure success by looking at outcomes such as employment rates post-program completion. Another way to measure success, which very few studies report, is to look at program completion rates. This study sought to fill that gap by reporting completion rates and factors that contribute to completion for a holistic job skills training program in West Texas. This study tested five variables …

Behavioral Health Practice Competencies Among Graduate Social Work Students: A Program Evaluation, Jane C. Barney

LSU Master's Theses

The Health Services and Resource Administration (HRSA) of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has recognized a need for mental health and substance abuse services for children, adolescents, and transitional youth who are at-risk for developing behavioral health disorders. In response to this need, the Obama administration delegated funds to multiple universities for the purpose of expanding the social work labor force. Louisiana State University is among those that received a block grant, allowing some of the students in the School of Social Work to participate in a Behavioral Health Workforce Education Training (BHWET) Program. This quasi-experimental study …

Warrior Pose: Evaluation Of Yoga Programming For Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness, Stacey Lillebo

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effectiveness and practicality of offering yoga classes for youth aged 18-24 years old experiencing homelessness. The class took place at an urban drop-in center for homeless youth located in a metropolitan city in the Midwest. The goals for the yoga class were to provide a safe space for youth, improve overall physical and mental health, test the effectiveness of yoga programming, and to provide the blue print for future research. A mixed method approach was selected for this evaluation using survey and openended questions and field observations. Quantitative techniques for analysis …

A Process Evaluation Of The Creation Of The Mind-Body Care Curriculum For A Child And Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program, Cady Nielsen

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This study is a process evaluation of a planning committee adding structure to a partial hospitalization program’s curriculum. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the planning process to provide recommendations or indications of changes that can be made in planning for other programs. The data collected consisted of committee meeting agendas, notes and minutes, and committee member interviews. The findings revealed major themes of program structure, logistics and operations, and evidenced-based. In discussion this study met its’ purpose, and gives lessons learned from the committee and implications for social work practice, policy, and research.

Servicenet Participatory Action Research Program Evaluation : A Project Based On An Independent Investigation At Servicenet In Northampton, Ma, Heather L. Crawford, Caroline W. Evans, Margot E. Reilly

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This research project sought to evaluate if program participants of ServiceNet’s Mental Health Recovery Services (MHRS) feel supported to meet their self defined needs and goals. These researchers were guided by the principles of Participatory Action Research (PAR) and facilitated three focus groups who designed a mixed methods survey tool to be distributed by ServiceNet Recovery Counselors. Twelve surveys were refused and returned unopened, 56 program participants received the survey envelopes and did not return them, and 34 surveys were returned completed (n=34).

Participants demonstrated high satisfaction around housing, transportation, personal growth, emotional support, feeling treated like a human being, …

Supporting Teen Leaders: Validation Of The I Drive Smart Survey, Cynthia M. George

Theses and Dissertations

Recent policy change allows states to spend federal dollars directly on teen-led driver safety efforts and requires regular evaluations of effectiveness. There are currently no standardized instruments to measure change in teen driving behavior relevant to teen leaders. This study serves the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Tennessee Highway Safety Office and their network of teen leaders to empirically test and refine the I Drive Smart survey developed by partners and grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The survey is designed to be administered by teen leaders to their peers and produce data relevant for use …

Program Evaluation Of The Wayne State University (Wsu) Transition To Independence Program (Tip), Dinah Ayna

Wayne State University Dissertations

Background: A significant number of children in the US are placed in the child welfare system every year. Among the multiple negative outcomes associated with being in the foster care system is a wide academic achievement gap between foster students and the general population, as well as other disadvantaged groups (e.g. low income). Low academic achievement is particularly pronounced in college. The government and higher education institutions are recognizing these educational gaps and developing specialized programs to address the unique needs of foster students; however, the effectiveness of these programs remains unclear. This study aims at evaluating the effectiveness of …

Sibshops: How Effective Are They In Helping Siblings?, Amy M. Dailey

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Having a brother or sister with special health needs not only impacts parents but siblings as well. Support available for these siblings has been found to be limited in the literature. One particular program designed to provide support to these children is a program called Sibshops. This study completed a program evaluation of Sibshops conducted at a Midwest Children’s hospital between 2011- 2012 in order to assess the effectiveness of this program. Qualitative and quantitative data were obtained using parent feedback surveys. Results from the surveys showed that parents felt Sibshops provided their children with a positive experience, allowed them …

Positive Peers: Exploring How And Why To Incorporate Peers Into Hiv Prevention Services, Allison Tan

Dissertations

In 2002, the Human Resource Service Administration (HRSA) began encouraging and funding a new strategy in HIV prevention. Referred to as Prevention with Positives (PwP), this approach to HIV prevention focused efforts on intervention with individuals who were already HIV-infected. This study examines one particular modality for the delivery of these important prevention messages to men and women living with HIV - the utilization of a peer-based model. "Peer-based" refers to any program which utilizes HIV-positive individuals as service providers for other HIV-positive individuals. A nationwide sample of such programs is used to provide an exploratory look into the possibilities …

An Examination Of The Effectiveness Of An Early Truancy Intervention For Reducing Chronic Absenteeism Amongst At-Risk Students Through The Use Of Regression Discontinuity Analysis, Johanna M. Thomas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Truancy is a major social problem affecting students, families, schools, and communities in the United States and is associated with low academic achievement, grade retention, and dropout. Truancy is also correlated with other adverse life outcomes including delinquency, substance abuse, and incarceration. Social work best practices literature suggests that truancy interventions should take place before habitual chronic truancy becomes a problem. There are few truancy preventions for elementary-age students that have been empirically assessed. Thus, this study examined the effectiveness of the Truancy Assessment and Service Centers intensive case management intervention for elementary-aged students (N = 700) using a quasi-experimental …

Lsu Mental Health Service Program Evaluation, Elizabeth S. Johnston

LSU Master's Theses

This study includes a program evaluation of LSU Mental Health Services and its impact on the college students receiving services. The study used both an outcome survey (Schwartz Outcome Survey-10) to determine any changes in current life functioning and a satisfaction survey (Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8) to assess the client’s perceived contentment with services provided. The expectations were that students would demonstrate an improvement in their current functioning after receiving treatment and that their outcome scores would correspond positively to reported client satisfaction scores. Results reveal that the student participants reported significant improvement in their overall functioning. In addition, the participants …

Evaluating A Day Treatment Program For Children With Serious Emotional Disorders, Nicole Lynn Lee

Theses and Dissertations

The current study used a longitudinal design to evaluate a day treatment program for children with serious emotional disorder located in Richmond, Virginia (N = 101). Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (Hodges, 1984, 1999) results were analyzed from children who had attended the program for at least six months. Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance tests indicated that children attending YDT for nine months improved their overall functioning F(2, 217) = 26.23, p = .01 as well as their functioning at school F(3,279)= 10.822, p =.01, home F(3, 244) = 6.120, p = .01, and in the community F(3, 238) …