Digital Commons Network^™

Explicating Factors That Foster Civic Engagement Among Students, Masami Nishishiba, Hal T. Nelson, Craig Shinn

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

This paper investigates many facets of civic engagement by analyzing how college undergraduate students conceptualize civic engagement and by examining factors that predict greater student involvement in political, social, and community affairs.We administered a survey to college students at the beginning of fall, winter, and spring terms, 2001-02.We analyzed survey responses using a structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. The analysis examines how expectations of community and political efficacy, attitudes regarding citizen control of government, and attitudes toward diversity relate to the students’ civic engagement behaviors such as monthly volunteer hours, organizational participation, advocacy, voting, direct political action, and action to …

Revisiting Invasion-Succession: Social Relations In A Gentrifying Neighborhood, Lynda Franks

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the social relationships of different residents in a gentrifying neighborhood in Northeast Portland, Oregon. It examines theoretical tenants in the social identity tradition to understand social change in terms of the impact of neighborhood change on the day-to-day interactions of individuals in a gentrifying neighborhood by exploring the ways in which different members of that neighborhood define and describe the terms “neighborhood”, “neighbor”, and “neighborly behavior”.

Intergroup neighboring research posits two outcomes of neighborhood change on interactions between old and new neighbors, one of conflict, the other of cooperation. The conflict perspective proposes that, in situations where …

Mathematics, Meaning, And Identity: A Study Of The Practice Of Mathematics Education In A Rural High School, Rick Anderson

Dissertations and Theses

The purposes of this study were (1) to explore the relationship between mathematics education and the rural context and (2) to determine the usefulness of a social theory of learning (Wenger, 1998) to account for students' participation in advanced high school mathematics courses. Qualitative methods were used to gather data in a small, rural high school in the Pacific Northwest. Data gathered included a student survey, interviews with students and mathematics teachers, observations in mathematics classes, and documents related to the curriculum, the school, and the community.

The findings suggest that high school mathematics education is related to the rural …

Impact Of Changes To Premiums, Cost-Sharing, And Benefits On Adult Medicaid Beneficiaries: Results From An Ongoing Study Of The Oregon Health Plan, Bill J. Wright, Matthew J. Carlson, Jeanene Smith, Tina Edlund

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In 2003, Oregon implemented changes to its Medicaid program to cope with budget shortfalls. In addition to reducing benefits, increasing premiums, and implementing copays for a substantial portion of enrollees, the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) also eliminated premium exemptions and instituted a six-month lockout for individuals missing premium payments. In 2004, OHP rolled back some of these policies. An ongoing study of the impact of OHP’s program changes finds that, after the initial cost-sharing increases and benefit reductions, nearly two-thirds of individuals surveyed had lost their coverage, many directly resulting from increased costs. Those who left because of premiums and …

2005 Commencement Program, Neal Keny-Guyer

Commencement Archives 2000-09

The program for the PSU Commencement ceremony on June 11, 2005.

Neal Keny-Guyer, CEO of Mercy Corps, delivered the commencement address and was awarded an honorary doctorate by PSU President Daniel Bernstine.

Evaluating Deliberative Democracy: Comparing Habermas' Discourse Ethic And Evaluations Of Consensus Process In Residential Cooperatives, Katheryn Sutter

Dissertations and Theses

How do deliberators reason together on what is best? Planners, policy analysts and community developers should know how to recognize the validity of participatory deliberations claimed to give groups voice in policy decisions. Policy analyses have lost power in the face of postmodern critiques of objectivity. Practical policy analyses require more than objective validity for they express results of what Jürgen Habermas refers to as normative rationality. This study followed John Forester's recommended research agenda for rigorous empirical analyses of policy process deliberations using Jürgen Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action. Three successful residential communities were identified with organizational and institutional …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet May 2005, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The May 2005 Monthly packet includes the May agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held April 2005

An Assessment Of The Spanish-Language Oregon Medicaid Health Risk And Health Status Survey (Omhrhss), Sharon Lee, Matthew J. Carlson

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this project was to assess the validity of the Spanish-language version of the Oregon Medicaid Health Risk and Health Status Survey (OMHRHSS)

Activism Through Music, Cherry Muhanji, Jack C. Straton

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article discuses the pedagogy behind a University Studies freshman inquiry class taught at Portland State University. Portland State University has been engaged in a 10-year revolution in general education (Journal of General Education, 1999) that has inculcated activist education as central to instruction. In addition to the Critical Thinking and Communication instruction that any general education program must provide, Portland State’s University Studies Program promotes Social Responsibility and Diversity as central goals of its efforts.

The Role Of Parent Coaching By Pediatric Physical Therapists: An Exploration Of Current Practice, Nancy Ann Cicirello

Dissertations and Theses

Children with disabilities are not the sole clients of the pediatric physical therapy practitioner. However, research, best practice, and federal mandated legislation oblige therapists to transition from a traditional medical child-centered model of intervention to a family-centered model. This model places an emphasis on instructing parents, guiding their development as the dominant change agent for their children. Viewing parents as the predominant learner during intervention sessions is hampered by the paucity of family-related and adult-learning content in the professional preparation programs in higher education. It is further inhibited by professional attitudinal beliefs that continue to place a higher value on …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet March 2005, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The March 2005 Monthly packet includes the March agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held February 2005

The Impact Of Program Changes On Enrollment, Access, And Utilization In The Oregon Health Plan Standard Population, Matthew J. Carlson, Bill J. Wright

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In February 2003, in an effort to expand Medicaid coverage within tight fiscal constraints, the Oregon Health Plan (OHP) underwent a significant redesign of benefits, cost-sharing and premium structure. The OHP2 redesign resulted in two tiers of coverage, OHP Plus and OHP Standard, and a premium subsidy program. The OHP Plus benefit package and cost sharing structure is similar to the original OHP and serves the federally-mandated Medicaid populations: children and pregnant women, low-income elderly and individuals meeting the SSI definition of disability. OHP Standard, designed for Oregon’s expansion population,1 includes a reduced benefit package, expanded co-pays and increased premiums. …

The Black Market In Small Arms: Examining A Social Network, David Todd Kinsella

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In recent years, researchers have increasingly turned their attention to the proliferation of small arms, a transnational trade amounting to over $7 billion in value during 2002. Small arms are difficult to track and are not the stuff of military parades, but they are immensely destructive. As much as $1 billion worth enters the black market annually. I argue that the illicit trade in small arms should be understood not as a market but as a network, one that shares some important properties with networked forms of organization studied by sociologists. I then employ quantitative methods developed for the study …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet February 2005, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The February 2005 Monthly packet includes the February agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held January 2005

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet January 2005, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The January 2005 Monthly packet includes the January agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held December 2004.

Understanding The Relative Importance Of Positive And Negative Social Exchanges: Examining Specific Domains And Appraisals, Jason T. Newsom, Karen S. Rook, Masami Nishishiba, Dara H. Sorkin, Tyrae Mahan

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Negative social exchanges have been more reliably related to psychological health than have positive social exchanges. Little research, however, has sought to understand how underlying appraisal processes link such exchanges to psychological health. This study examined the frequencies of occurrence and appraisals of four parallel domains of positive and negative exchanges in relation to positive well-being and psychological distress in a national sample of 916 older adults. Structural equation analyses revealed that negative exchanges were related both to less well-being and greater psychological distress, whereas positive exchanges were related only to positive well-being. Furthermore, results supported a process in which …

Community-Based Participatory Research: Defining Community Stakeholders, Laurene M. Tumiel-Berhalter, Robert Watkins, Carlos J. Crespo

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Community-based participatory research requires the participation of community stakeholders to inform the process. The West Side Community Asthma Project, a community-based participatory research program to study the effects of the environment on asthma conducted in Buffalo, N. Y, identified a stakeholders group of community leaders and activists. Creative strategies have been implemented to reach out to other community residents to invite them to participate in the participatory process.

The Real Versus The Possible: Closing The Gaps In Engagement And Learning, Judith A. Ramaley, Lee Zia

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Preparing The Way For Reform In Higher Education: Drawing Upon The Resources Of The Community-At-Large, Judith A. Ramaley

Public Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

Higher education is being asked to pay more attention to student learning and to contribute to the enhancement of the social and economic conditions of the community it serves. As a result, educational institutions will no longer be self-contained. Community members and organizations have become not only critical partners in framing the goals and intentions of the educational reform movement, but they also have assets that must be tapped by educational institutions that wish to implement change and respond to social needs.

Curriculum Change 2005-2006, Portland State University

Bulletin & Curriculum Change Documents

No abstract provided.

Attitudes Of Culturally Diverse Parents And Their Beliefs About The Role They Play In Their Children's Education, Suneetha S. De Silva, Sandra Kay Streeter

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This study examined parental involvement in early childhood programs through a combined lens of anthropology, sociology, and pedagogy seeking to understand the intentional and unintentional behaviors of teachers that may create barriers for parental involvement. The study gave voice to parents from culturally diverse backgrounds that are often overlooked. The study recognized the disparity and disconnectedness that seems to exist in communication between the child's most important caregivers, their parents and their teachers. The findings lead to an understanding that over the popular belief that parents are not involved in the education of their children, the lack of participation in …

Actor And Partner Effects Among Marital Dyads In Retirement Adjustment And Well-Being, Julie Guenette Howard

Dissertations and Theses

Our understanding of and interest in how retirement impacts the lives of individuals have grown over the past 20 years. Studies to date have ranged from small, convenience samples composed primarily of men to large, national longitudinal samples of men and women from different professional and socioeconomic backgrounds. There is consensus in the literature that older adults generally function better with a partner; however, gaps remain. We know little about the impact of retirement beyond the individual, although research in other areas on couples has produced evidence of crossover and contagion effects relative to depression and other outcomes, including absenteeism, …

Identifying And Managing University Assets: A Campus Study Of Portland State University, John Rueter, Talya N. Bauer

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

Between 1994 and 1996, Portland State University (PSU) expanded the definition of scholarship used to assess and reward faculty. Three conditions facilitated this change. The first related to PSU's urban history, culture and values. This context allowed faculty to approach their teaching, learning, and community engagement in scholarly ways. The second condition involved external forces, which challenged PSU faculty to identify and use their intangible assets in the scholarship of teaching, integration, and application. The third condition was, and continues to be, university leadership. Leadership at PSU encourages the faculty to engage in institutional reflection and strategic planning from a …

Bulletin: General Catalog Issue 2005-2006, Portland State University

Bulletin & Curriculum Change Documents

No abstract provided.

Portland State Magazine, Portland State University. Office Of University Communications

Portland State Magazine

PSU’s alumni magazine, published 2-3 times a year. In this issue: Conscientious objectors housed in an Oregon camp during World War II tell their stories; students cast their votes for PSU’s best teachers; a special placed on campus to pay tribute to revered women; families of homicide victims pin hopes on new Portland Police unit; and more.

Work-Life Integration For Families Having Children With Mental Health Disorders, Eileen M. Brennan, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Barbara J. Friesen

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

PDF version of a presentation given at the 37th World Congress of the International Institute of Sociology, Stockholm, Sweden, July 2005.

The Diggable City: Making Urban Agriculture A Planning Priority, Kevin Balmer, James Gill, Heather Kaplinger, Joe Miller, Melissa Peterson, Amanda Rhoads, Paul Rosenbloom, Teak Wall

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Workshop Projects

In addition to an inventory of potential urban agriculture sites, the team also conducted a literature review, held focus groups with relevant stakeholders, conducted numerous interviews, and administered and analyzed surveys. The results of these outreach efforts greatly informed criteria development and recommendations, and expanded our understanding of the potential for urban agriculture in Portland. This project was conducted under the supervision of Sy Adler, Deborah Howe, and Connie Ozawa. A DVD version of this work produced in 2006 can be found at: http://search.library.pdx.edu/PSU:CP71113508690001451

Annual Faculty Senate Minutes October 2005 - June 2006, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Annual Compilations of the Faculty Senate Minutes (Minutes Only)

Minutes of the Faculty Senate for October 2005 to June 2006.

Planning A Sustainable Portland: A Digital Library For Local, Regional, And State Planning And Policy Documents, Carl Abbott

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper is intended as a guiding framework for the collection and digitizing program of the Oregon Sustainable Community Digital Library (OSCDL). The document addresses the following issues: (1) Portland and Oregon as centers of innovative planning (2) The institutional context of planning (3) The types of planning documentation typically found (4) The definition and dimensions of sustainability (5) Issue areas and topics that are most significant and interesting for electronic access.

It then offers suggestions about priorities for digital archiving based on a historical interpretation of Portland’s key planning and policy accomplishments and its consequent planning "gems" that are …

"Alberta Arts District" : Boundaries And Belonging Among Long-Time Residents In A Culturally Changing Neighborhood, Sammy Shaw

Dissertations and Theses

This study takes a cultural perspective in studying the "Alberta Arts District," a gentrifying neighborhood in Northeast Portland in which bohemian cultural production/consumption has become the dominant and commodified vision of the community. Survey data demonstrates residents' general opinions and levels of participation in the changing neighborhood. Forty long-time residents, black and white, homeowners and renters, are interviewed in-depth regarding their perceptions of change. Long-time residents of gentrifying neighborhoods are often overlooked as a less powerful group that only has to negotiate rising rents and property values. This study approaches the meaning of neighborhood changes for long-time residents who have …