Digital Commons Network^™

Lifelong Learning In Social Work: A Qualitative Exploration With Social Work Practitioners, Students, And Field Instructors, Pauline Jivanjee, Kimberly D. Pendell, Laura Nissen, Charlotte Goodluck

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

In the context of rapid change in social work practice related to policy, research findings, and theoretical developments, faculty are challenged to prepare students to engage in lifelong learning, a concept that has not been well-articulated in social work education. This article reports on an exploratory study of students,' social workers,' and field instructors' perspectives and experiences of lifelong learning. Based on focus group discussions, findings reveal the multi-faceted nature of lifelong learning, the personal characteristics and motivations of lifelong learners, and the roles of social work faculty and workplace environments in supporting learning. Implications address the roles of instructors …

State Of The Economy 2015, Portland State University. Institute Of Portland Metropolitan Studies

Institute of Metropolitan Studies Publications

The first comprehensive report from Greater Portland Pulse was entitled The Path to Economic Prosperity: Equity and the Education Imperative. Published in July 2011, that report summarized the findings from the initial benchmarking of desired outcomes articulated by stakeholders and tracked on Greater Portland Pulse. The purpose of this briefing is to update some of the findings from the July 2011 report.

Raps Sheet, October 2015, Retirement Association Of Portland State

RAPS Sheet: Monthly Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Qualitative Daylighting Analysis, Alejandra Ruiz, Genevieve Wasser, Bora Architects

Research-Based Design Initiative

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a combination of strategies used for analyzing daylighting qualities in the context of two classrooms. The strategies include qualitative information from observations and a post-occupancy survey, on-site light level measurements, and computer generated simulations all intended to inform a comparative analysis of the daylighting conditions and perceived daylighting qualities between the two classrooms. This composite approach takes into consideration access to daylight and views, glare problems and control strategies, use of window coverings, and perceived impact of daylight in order to identify and analyze the presence of certain biophilic design patterns. While both rooms …

“Respect The Way I Need To Communicate With You”: Healthcare Experiences Of Adults On The Autism Spectrum, Christina Nicolaidis, Dora Raymaker, Katherine E. Mcdonald, Amelia E.V. Baggs, Sebastian Dern, Steven K. Kapp, Michael Weiner, Cody Boisclair, Elesia Ashkenazy

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Our objective was to obtain an in-depth understanding of autistic adults’ experiences with healthcare and their recommendations for improving care. Our academic-community partnership used a community based participatory research (CBPR) approach to conduct semi-structured, open-ended interviews with 39 autistic adults and 16 people who had experience supporting autistic adults in healthcare settings. Participants identified patient-level, autism-related factors that impact healthcare interactions, including verbal communication skills, sensory sensitivities, challenges with body awareness, slow processing speed, atypical non-verbal communication, and challenges with organization. However, the success of healthcare interactions largely depended on the interplay between patient- and provider-level factors, as well as …

An Exploration Of Bicyclist Comfort Levels Utilizing Crowdsourced Data, Bryan Philip Blanc

Dissertations and Theses

Bicycle transportation has become a central priority of urban areas invested in improving sustainability, livability, and public health outcomes. Transportation agencies are striving to increase the comfort of their bicycle networks to improve the experience of existing cyclists and to attract new cyclists. The Oregon Department of Transportation sponsored the development of ORcycle, a smartphone application designed to collect cyclist travel, comfort, and safety information throughout Oregon. The sample resulting from the initial deployment of the application between November 2014 and March 2015 is described and analyzed within this thesis. 616 bicycle trips from 148 unique users were geo-matched to …

Social Norms About A Health Issue In Work Group Networks, Lauren B. Frank

Communication Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this study is to advance theorizing about how small groups understand health issues through the use of social network analysis. To achieve this goal, an adapted cognitive social structure examines group social norms around a specific health issue, H1N1 flu prevention. As predicted, individual’s attitudes, self-efficacy, and perceived social norms were each positively associated with behavioral intentions for at least one of the H1N1 health behaviors studied. Moreover, collective norms of the whole group were also associated with behavioral intentions, even after controlling for how individual group members perceive those norms. For members of work groups in …

Intervention Effects On Safety Compliance And Citizenship Behaviors: Evidence From The Work, Family, And Health Study, Leslie B. Hammer, Ryan C. Johnson, Tori Laurelle Crain, Todd Bodner, Ellen Ernst Kossek, Kelly Davis, Erin L. Kelly, Orfeu M. Buxton, Georgia Karuntzos, L. Casey Chosewood, Lisa Berkman

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

We tested the effects of a work-family intervention on employee reports of safety compliance and organizational citizenship behaviors in 30 health care facilities using a group-randomized trial. Based on conservation of resources theory and the work-home resources model, we hypothesized that implementing a work-family intervention aimed at increasing contextual resources via supervisor support for work and family, and employee control over work time, would lead to improved personal resources and increased employee performance on the job in the form of self-reported safety compliance and organizational citizenship behaviors. Multilevel analyses used survey data from 1,524 employees at baseline and at 6-month …

Inspiring Action: Measuring The Effect Of Motivational Frames On Social Movement Mobilization, Rebecca Louise Smith

Dissertations and Theses

In order to probe how social movement messages foster participant mobilization, this study utilized an experimental design to investigate collective action frames, core messaging tasks that define problems, assign blame, convey a plan of action, and inspire participation. The study compared the effects of climate change messages that contain motivational frames with those that do not, incorporating the influence of resonance, and exposure to competing and counter frames. Results revealed that motivational frames contributed to mobilization, especially intention to act, under conditions of resonance and with exposure to counter frames. Salience primed participants to respond to motivational frames, however for …

Supervisor-Specific Outcomes Of A Work-Family Intervention: Evidence From The Work, Family, & Health Study, Mackenna Laine Perry

Dissertations and Theses

Workplace interventions provide a practical and important means of providing support for employees' work-family needs. However, work-family interventions are rare and are generally not thoroughly evaluated. The current study seeks to better understand the impacts of STAR ("Support. Transform. Achieve. Results."), the large-scale work-family intervention developed and implemented by the Work, Family, & Health Network (see Bray et al., 2013). Drawing on Conservation of Resources theory (Hobfoll, 1989), this study examines supervisors' participation in STAR through assessment of three primary supervisor-specific outcomes: training-related views and behaviors, well-being, and the work-family interface. The sample, consisting of 184 supervisors from 30 extended-care …

Perspectives On The College Readiness And Outcome Achievement Of Former Intensive English Language Program (Ielp) Students, Meghan Oswalt

Dissertations and Theses

Program evaluation (PE) is important for ESL programs but also difficult. As the scope of PE has grown, student voices have increasingly been included. Alumni provide unique perspectives, but Portland State University's (PSU) Intensive English Language Program (IELP) currently has no exit survey. Furthermore, little research uses alumni data, so this constructivist, mixed-methods study used data triangulation to compare the perceptions of former IELP students with those of three other stakeholder groups -- the topic: IELP student preparedness for PSU. Both online surveys and interviews were conducted, and participants included 63 former and 33 current IELP students, 27 IELP faculty …

Locke, Judgment, And Figure: A Consistent Answer To The Molyneux Problem, Jamale Nagi

Anthós

John Locke has been famously credited with resurrecting the distinction between common and proper sensibles, better known in the Essay as primary and secondary qualities. Although some argue that Locke’s adherence to the doctrine of the common sensibles is in conflict with his empiricist sensibilities, I will show this is not likely to be the case. In order to achieve this I will argue that Locke held there to be cross-modal connections in the mind for the representational content of ideas of primary quality, through the relation of resemblance, but that these representations need to be empirically verified to …

The Storyteller's Trance In The Turn Of The Screw, Leslie C. Slape

Anthós

An examination of the presence and effect of the "storyteller's trance" on the narrators and their audience in The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898).

Thank you to Professor Sarah Ensor for advice and encouragement.

Delinquent Youth: The Ofuna New Wave, Basil Swartzfager

Anthós

In 1960 the Japanese film studio Shochiku Co. announced "the Ofuna New Wave" a revolution in Japanese filmmaking similar to France’s immensely popular Nouvelle Vague. This paper attempts to discover whether this Ofuna New Wave was simply a marketing ploy Shochiku developed in order to attract a larger youth market, or whether it constitutes a legitimate artistic movement along the lines of France’s New Wave. The methods used were a combination of primary research of four Shochiku films released in 1960 as well as secondary historical research regarding the studio and time period. The Shochiku films were then compared to …

Going Deep: Reflections On Teaching Deep Ecology In Costa Rica, Heather L. Burns, Jeffrey Briley

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sustainability education aims to help learners understand their interconnectedness with all life, to become creative problem solvers and active citizens, and to engage personally and intellectually in shaping our common future. Experiential learning and critical pedagogy are central to providing opportunities for learners to engage in transformative sustainability learning. The short-term study abroad course, Theory and Practice of Sustainability in Costa Rica, provides one example of sustainability learning through the lens of deep ecology. This short term study abroad course was designed to create sustainability learning that is transformational, thematic and co-created, focuses on multiple perspectives and questions dominant paradigms, …

Training "In A Good Way": Evaluating The Effect Of A Culturally Responsive Pre-Training Intervention On Learning And Motivation, Adam Thomas Murry

Dissertations and Theses

Employee Training and Development (T&D) is a crucial component to an organization’s success and its ability to remain competitive. Although researchers in the field have discovered ways to enhance the effectiveness of training programs through the design, delivery, and evaluation process, research has not provided empirically-based recommendations for how to best train individuals whose cultural backgrounds may influence receptiveness of training curriculum. This is particularly relevant for employees whose cultural groups have been historically discriminated against, where cultural norms implicit in the training design may be met with resistance on behalf of the trainees. In the field of multicultural education, …

Evaluation Of Washington State Department Of Corrections (Wadoc) Swift And Certain (Sac) Policy Process, Outcome And Cost-Benefit Evaluation, Zachary Hamilton, Jacqueline G. Van Wormer, Alex Conrad Kigerl, Christopher M. Campbell, Brianne Posey

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

In 2012, the Washington State Department of Corrections (WADOC) embarked on an ambitious effort to restructure their community supervision model. These changes were driven by the passage of Senate Bill 6204, which created substantial operating changes to the Community Corrections Division (CCD) of the WADOC, including matching the level of supervision to offender’s risk level, utilizing evidence-based treatment and implementing swift and certain (yet moderate) jail sanctions for community supervision violations (Washington State Department of Corrections 2008; 2014). The Swift and Certain (SAC) policy was implemented in May of 2012, with the intent of expanding the HOPE model to a …

Expressionist Art And Drama Before, During, And After The Weimar Republic, Shane Michael Kennedy

Dissertations and Theses

Expressionism was the major literary and art form in Germany beginning in the early 20th century. It flourished before and during World War I and continued to be the dominant art for of the Early Weimar Republic. By 1924, Neue Sachlichkeit replaced Expressionism as the dominant art form in Germany. Many Expressionists claimed they were never truly apart of Expressionism. However, in the periodization and canonization many of these young artists are labeled as Expressionist.

This thesis examines the periodization and canonization of Expression in art, drama, and film and proves that Expressionism began much earlier than scholars believe and …

Assessing The Impact Of Restrictiveness And Placement Type On Transition-Related Outcomes For Youth With And Without Disabilities Aging Out Of Foster Care, Jessica Danielle Schmidt

Dissertations and Theses

Nearly 23,000 youth age out of the foster care system between the ages of 18 and 21 each year in a transition fraught with challenges and barriers. These young people often lack developmentally appropriate experiences and exposure to necessary knowledge, role modeling, skill building, and long-term social support to promote positive transitions to adulthood while in foster care. As a result, young people who exit care face an array of poor adult outcomes. Nearly 60% of transition-aged foster youth experience a disability, and as such, face compounded challenges exiting foster care. While the examination of young adult outcomes for youth …

A Queer Liberation Movement? A Qualitative Content Analysis Of Queer Liberation Organizations, Investigating Whether They Are Building A Separate Social Movement, Joseph Nicholas Defilippis

Dissertations and Theses

In the last forty years, U.S. national and statewide LGBT organizations, in pursuit of "equality" through a limited and focused agenda, have made remarkably swift progress moving that agenda forward. However, their agenda has been frequently criticized as prioritizing the interests of White, middle-class gay men and lesbians and ignoring the needs of other LGBT people. In their shadows have emerged numerous grassroots organizations led by queer people of color, transgender people, and low-income LGBT people. These "queer liberation" groups have often been viewed as the left wing of the GRM, but have not been extensively studied. My research investigated …

Mistrust: An Exploration Of African Americans' Attitudes And Perspectives Toward Healthcare, Adolfo Gabriel Cuevas

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation explored mistrust through focus group discussions (study 1), responses to standardized laboratory vignettes (study 2), and survey questionnaires (study 3). In the first study, I found that African American community members (N=60) experienced perceived discrimination, medical mistrust, and poor communication in numerous and interrelated ways. For example, medical mistrust occurred when clinicians did not convey respect to patients, leaving patients to wonder whether their clinician's treatment was discriminatory or not. Based on these findings, I wanted to see whether these experiences of perceived discrimination and mistrust were related to other dimensions of Black experience, such as racial identity. …

Investigating The Impact Of Sibling Foster Care On Placement Stability, Jeffrey David Waid

Dissertations and Theses

Sibling relationships are an important, yet under investigated aspect of foster care research. Despite the fact that between 65-85% of children in care have brothers and sisters, only recently have child welfare researchers begun to explore the complex and dynamic nature of sibling relationships in substitute care settings. Although cross-sectional and longitudinal studies suggest differences in placement stability and permanency outcomes for siblings placed together versus those placed separately, the conditions under which sibling relationships influence placement stability, permanency, and well-being in foster care settings remain unknown.

This dissertation investigated how family dynamics and home setting characteristics influenced the likelihood …

A Scaffolded, Metamorphic Ctf For Reverse Engineering, Wu-Chang Feng

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hands-on Capture-the-Flag (CTF) challenges tap into and cultivate the intrinsic motivation within people to solve puzzles, much in the same way Sudoku and crossword puzzles do. While the format has been successful in security competitions, there have been a limited number of attempts to integrate them into a classroom environment. This paper describes MetaCTF, a metamorphic set of CTF challenges for teaching reverse code engineering. MetaCTF is 1) scaffolded in a way that allows students to make incremental progress, 2) integrated with the course material so that students can immediately apply knowledge gained in class, 3) polymorphic and metamorphic so …

Ninth Grade Student Responses To Authentic Science Instruction, Michael Steven Ellison

Dissertations and Theses

This mixed methods case study documents an effort to implement authentic science and engineering instruction in one teacher's ninth grade science classrooms in a science-focused public school. The research framework and methodology is a derivative of work developed and reported by Newmann and others (Newmann & Associates, 1996). Based on a working definition of authenticity, data were collected for eight months on the authenticity in the experienced teacher's pedagogy and in student performance. Authenticity was defined as the degree to which a classroom lesson, an assessment task, or an example of student performance demonstrates construction of knowledge through use of …

A Spline Framework For Optimal Representation Of Semiperiodic Signals, Farzin G. Guilak

Dissertations and Theses

Semiperiodic signals possess an underlying periodicity, but their constituent spectral components include stochastic elements which make it impossible to analytically determine locations of the signal's critical points. Mathematically, a signal's critical points are those at which it is not differentiable or where its derivative is zero. In some domains they represent characteristic points, which are locations indicating important changes in the underlying process reflected by the signal.

For many applications in healthcare, knowledge of precise locations of these points provides key insight for analytic, diagnostic, and therapeutic purposes. For example, given an appropriate signal they might indicate the start or …

A Critical Race Analysis Of Travel For Transformation: Pedagogy For The Privileged Or Vehicle For Socio-Cultural Transformation?, James Arthur Gambrell

Dissertations and Theses

Transformative learning theory (TLT) describes the process of reframing discriminative, untenable worldviews with a more inclusive, permeable, and reflective epistemology. Although TLT has been around for more than 50 years, few studies empirically engage critical theoretical frameworks to move beyond personal learning to identify the impacts of transformation on society. Through a critical race theory (CRT) framework, this study analyzed how the participants' socio-cultural identities (race, class, gender, sexuality, and heritage language) impacted the transformative learning of eight study-abroad students from a medium-sized, rural Midwestern university. Focusing on the extent to which the participants experienced the elements of transformative …

Leader Behaviors, Group Cohesion, And Participation In A Walking Group Program, Betty T. Izumi, Amy J. Schulz, Graciela Mentz, Barbara A. Isreal, Sharon L. Sand, Angela G. Reyes, Bernadine Hoston, Dawn Richardson, Cindy Gamboa, Zachary Rowe, Goys Diaz

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background—Fewer than half of all U.S. adults meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines. Leader behaviors and group cohesion have been associated with increased participation or adherence in sports team and exercise class settings. Physical activity interventions in community settings that encompass these factors may enhance intervention adherence.

Purpose—To examine the impact of Community Health Promoter leader behaviors and group cohesion on participation in a walking group intervention among racially/ethnically diverse adults in low-to-moderate income communities in Detroit, Mich.

Design—Data for the current study were drawn from the Walk Your Heart to Health (WYHH) data set. WYHH was a multi-site cluster …

An Evaluation Of The Impact Of Solitary Confinement On Offenders With Mental Illness, Paula Smith, Ryan M. Labrecque, Paul Gendreau

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

The primary goal of the current study is to examine the impact of solitary confinement (SC) on institutional misconducts in offenders with mental illness. The presentation focuses on the following questions:

• Does the experience of SC reduce institutional misconducts in offenders with mental illness?
• Does the length of time spent in SC influence subsequent institutional misconducts in offenders with mental illness?

Toward A Spatial-Temporal Measure Of Land-Use Mix, Steven R. Gehrke, Kelly Clifton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Urban planning and public-health research has long been interested in the connection between land-use mix and travel. Interest from urban planners stems from the potential of transportation efficiency gains achieved by an increased land-use mix and subsequent shortening of trip lengths; whereas, public-health research advocates an increased land-use mix as an effective policy for facilitating greater physical activity. Yet, despite the transportation, land-use, and health benefits related to improving land-use mix and the extent of topical attention given by researchers, no consensus has been reached regarding the magnitude of its effect on travel. This absence of agreement may largely be …

A Written Instrument For Assessing Students’ Units Coordination Structures, Anderson Norton, Steven Boyce, Nathan Phillips, Tessa Anwyll, Catherine Ulrich, Jesse L. M. Wilkins

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Units coordination refers to students’ abilities to create units and maintain their relationships with other units that they contain or constitute. In recent research, units coordination has arisen as a key construct that mediates opportunities for student learning across several domains of mathematics, including fractions knowledge and algebraic reasoning. To date, assessments of students’ stages of units coordinating ability have relied upon clinical interviews or teaching experiments whose time-intensive nature precludes opportunities for conducting large-scale studies. We introduce a written instrument that teachers and researchers can use with large populations of students. We report on the reliability and validity of …