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23rd Conference On Senior Engineering Design Projects, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

Senior Engineering Design Conference

The 23rd Conference on Senior Engineering Design Projects was held on December 1, 1998 at the College of Engineering and applied Sciences on the Parkview Campus of Western Michigan University. The college sponsors the conference to showcase the work of its graduating seniors, who are required to complete a capstone project that puts into practice what they have learned. Many of the projects are sponsored by business and industry.

The Impact Of Women' S Traditional Caregiving Roles On Their Paid Labor Force Participation Throughout Their Lifecourse, Paulina X. Ruf

Dissertations

Since women are the majority of caregivers to older and/or disabled relatives, the increasing number of women in the labor force has meant that more caregivers are also employed. In an effort to expand our understanding of the perils and benefits of women's caregiving roles, the present study examines the impact of women's traditional caregiving roles on their paid labor force participation throughout their lives. This qualitative study involved semistructured, in-depth interviews with sixteen women (i.e., six in their 50s, four in their 60s, and six women in their 70s), to answer the question, "how do family caregiving roles cumulatively …

Planning For Community Crisis: A Marketing Approach, Amnon Boehm

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The article is based on an examination of a nominal group procedure of two welfare agencies located on the confrontation line between Lebanon and Israel, which implemented a marketing approach in planning intervention for the population for times of community crisis. The agencies are located at a place that was attacked and suffered personal and property loss particularly by short range missiles.

In the nominal group procedure, five elements of the marketing approach (target market, service mix, place and distribution, price, and promotion) were implemented, for four phases of community crisis (warning, shock, organizing, and changing). The results show that …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 25, No. 4 (December 1998)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• ORGANIZATIONAL POSITION: INFLUENCES ON PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL PROPERTIES - Moshe Sherer
• PLANNING FOR COMMUNITY CRISIS: A MARKETING APPROACH - Amnon Boehm
• EMOTIONAL AND EMBODIED KNOWLEDGE: IMPLICATIONS FOR CRITICAL PRACTICE - Colin Peile
• TERMINATION: EXTENDING THE CONCEPT FOR MACRO SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE - Marcia P. Harrigan, David P. Fauri, and F. Ellen Netting
• THE DEFINITION OF FATHERHOOD: IN THE WORDS OF NEVER-MARRIED AFRICAN AMERICAN CUSTODIAL MOTHERS AND THE NON-CUSTODIAL FATHERS OF THEIR CHILDREN - Jennifer F. Hamer
• SOCIAL SUPPORT'S CONTRIBUTION TO REDUCED WELFARE DEPENDENCY: PROGRAM OUTCOMES OF LONG TERM WELFARE RECIPIENTS - Frank A. Sansone
• INSTITUTIONAL ETHNOGRAPHY: STUDYING INSTITUTIONS …

Termination: Extending The Concept For Macro Social Work Practice, Marcia P. Harrigan, David P. Fauri, F. Ellen Netting

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article identifies the ways in which macro practitioners manage and respond to termination issues in organization and community arenas. To conceptualize and partialize problems related to termination, the authors developed a typology in which the purposes, roles, and tasks related to macro termination situations are identified and grouped by three levels of practice: The Technical; The Managerial; and The Institutional. Within each part of the typology the needs are articulated, objectives of the macro practitioner identified, and the role of the practitioner explicated. Several exemplars and an integrating vignette illustrate termination concerns, dilemmas, and the complexity of macro practice …

Institutional Ethnography: Studying Institutions From The Margins, Brian J. O'Neill

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As new approaches to the development of knowledge emerge in the social sciences, there is a need to judge their appropriateness for use in social work research. Using criteria for assessing the goodness of fit between theories and social work values, this article evaluates institutional ethnography, a strategyfor studying institutions which is based on feminist standpoint theory. The author holds that the use of institutional ethnography in social work research is congruent with social work principles and effective in producing knowledge which can inform practice. Discussion of a study of Canadian social work education from the standpoint of gay men …

The Identification Of Domains And Competencies For Community Practice Occupational Therapy, Lisa Anne Werner

Masters Theses

Literature shows evidence of a shift in occupational therapy from traditional institutional settings to community-based settings. As increasing numbers of new and expert occupational therapists enter community-based practice, the need for competency identification for practice, education, and reimbursement becomes paramount. This qualitative research study sought to identify domains and competencies of community-based occupational therapy practice by interviewing three expert occupational therapists using the critical incident method in which each therapist described one therapeutic intervention with a client. This method, as seen in nursing studies (Benner, 1982, 1984), serves to elicit competencies embedded in expert practice. Thirty-nine competencies were described in …

Online Networks In Institutions Of Higher Education: An Assessment Of Student Use, Norbaiduri Ruslan

Masters Theses

Online networks in university campuses are expected to enhance the learning process, an argument founded on the theories of Cognitive Apprenticeship, Situated Cognition, and Social Constructivism. However, the extent to which students use these networks should be a significant predictor of such benefits.

This study investigated the patterns of use of online networks in universities with a survey administered to 299 students enrolled in a random sample of undergraduate classes at Western Michigan University during the summer semester of 1998.

The findings show extensive use of email and the World Wide Web for activities that arguably benefit their education. Other …

Review Of Integrating Knowledge And Practice: The Case Of Social Work And Social Science. Westport, Ct: Praegar Publishers, 1997. David J. Tucker, Charles Garvin And Rosemary Sari (Eds.). Reviewed By Bart Grossman, University Of California, Berkeley., Bart Grossman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of David J. Tucker, Charles Garvin and Rosemary Sarri (Eds.), Integrating Knowledge and practice: The Case of Social Work and Social Science. Westport, CT: Praegar Publishers, 1997. $65.00 hardcover

Panther Stories: A Gendered Analysis Of The Autobiographies Of Former Black Panther Members, Monica Marie White

Dissertations

Literature on the influences and contributions of women within the Black Panther Party has been scant. Much of the documentation is written by and is about males. This dissertation uses the autobiographies of former Black Panther members, both male and female, to explore their experiences while in the organization. Each author's political ideology and his/her perceptions of sexism and racism and distinctions in the writing style of men and women are considered. Seven single-authored autobiographies written by former Panther members were analyzed both individually and comparatively. There were similarities among all members of the group, such as their support of …

The Effects Of Social Skills Training And Reciprocal Social Skills Training With Parent/Guardian(S) On Behavior And Recidivism Of First Time Adjuncted Youth, Kathleen A. Bailey

Dissertations

This research investigates the effect of social skills training on 46 first-time adjudicated males, ages 13 through 15 and placed on traditional probation. The independent variable was the type of group. Three types of groups were conducted: Group I (youth who received social skills training with their parents or guardians), Group II (youth who received social skills training without parents’ or guardians’ participation), and Group III (a control group of youth who did not receive social skills training). The dependent variable was the Jesness Inventory scales and subscales scores, and the type of offenses (status, misdemeanor, and felony). The research …

Loss Of The Lifelong Partner: Implications For Social Adaptation, Anora Ackerson Grinwis

Dissertations

The death of a partner has long been recognized for its ability to alter the lifestyle of the survivor. This life event can be even more significant for older adults who may be facing loss in several areas of their lives simultaneously. The focus of this qualitative study is on how older adults socially reconstruct their lives following a partner's death. The social construction of reality (Berger and Luckmann, 1966) guides design and analysis. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 29 individuals following the death of a lifelong partner, described as a relationship of 45 or more years. Participants had been …

Re-Cycling The Menstrual Cycle: A Multidisciplinary Reinterpretation Of Menstruation, Heather H. Rea

Masters Theses

This thesis offers a reinterpretation of the human female menstrual cycle that understands the process as positive, functional, and practical experience. Standard western definitions and understandings of menstruation use negative terminology and focus on menstrual blood as an indicator of failed conception. This view contributes significantly to the negative perception women have of menstruation in general, their own menstrual cycles, and ultimately of their femaleness. This fundamental, physiological process that symbolizes femaleness, the menstrual cycle, has been defined both, bio-medically and culturally, as a negative experience. I propose a reconceptualization of the menstrual cycle that is not only a tool …

Perceptions Of Americanization In Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, John W. Mcconnell

Masters Theses

This thesis examines perceptions and interpretations of American cultural influences in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. It is aimed at describing typical discourse genres and evaluative patterns in which these cultural influences are interpreted by various social groups of Costa Rican society. The study is based on a series of qualitative interviews and observations conducted in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica in the summer of 1996. The findings show that there exists a largely positive reaction to these images and objects emanating from the United States, and behind this positive evaluation lie attitudes of conformity, fatalism, and reification. The study contributes to …

Emotional And Embodied Knowledge: Implications For Critical Practice, Colin Peile

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Within the practice orientation of the Critical Social Work tradition there has been a dominance of conceptual and rational processes. This has lead to afailure to acknowledge the importance of bodily and emotive knowledge for practice theory. This paper offers a rudimentary and tentative epistemology which recognizes the importance of the body, emotions, ideas and their context. These ideas invite a reconsideration of critical theories of change.

The Definition Of Fatherhood: In The Words Of Never-Married African American Custodial Mothers And The Noncustodial Fathers Of Their Children, Jennifer F. Hamer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This qualitative study explores the meaning of fatherhood from the perspective of never-married parents. Specifically, the study describes: how African American custodial mothers perceive the roles and responsibilities of their children's fathers; the extent to which these mothers' perceptions and definitions of noncustodial fatherhood are consistent with those of noncustodial fathers and the dominant cultural "ideal"; and what mothers do to enhance men's paternal participation. A convenience sample of 25 never-married,f ormer couples was drawn from the predominantlyA frican American population of a mid-sized Midwestern city. Data was collected via in-depth interviews with each individual respondent. The findings suggest that …

Social Support's Contribution To Reduced Welfare Dependency: Program Outcomes Of Long Term Welfare Recipients, Frank A. Sansone

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Long term welfare recipients participated in a state job training and welfare reform demonstration which provided education,job training, and supportive services via intensive case management. Social support research has focused on stress and physical and psychological health outcomes not welfarejob training and education outcomes. Job training and welfare to work policies and programs have not emphasized providing social supports but the supportive services of transportation and child care. Program outcomes at follow-up included: education and job training certificates, including GEDs with some still studying; jobs; and a 50% reduction in welfare receipt. Results of hierarchical regression analysis suggest a participant's …

A Few Contributions Of Economic Theory To Social Welfare Policy Analysis, Michael A. Lewis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The National Association of Social Workers' (NAS W) code of ethics states that social workers have a professional obligation to advocate for social policies that promote the general welfare (NASW, 1996). Presumably, in an effort to provide social workers with the analytical tools that would allow them to do so, schools of social work typically require students to do course work in the area of social welfare policy. Although these courses provide students with valuable information, it is my view that they tend to be limited in one important respect. They usually do not contain a great deal of content …

A Qualitative Cum Quantitative Approach To Construct Definition In A Minority Population: Reasons For Divorce Among Israeli Arab Women, Rivka Savaya, Orna Cohenn

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The paper describes the combined use of qualitative and quantitative methods to provide a preliminary definition of the construct, the reasons for divorce among Israeli Arab women. The qualitative methods consisted of personal in terviews and a focus group, the quantitative method of Trochim's concept mapping. The combined approach was adopted in the wake of skepticism about the ability of research instruments developed in the West to study Western populations to provide valid and reliable assessments of non-Western groups. A culturally sensitive definition of the construct was sought as a first step in the design of a culturally sensitive research …

Review Of Person-Environment Practice. Hawthorne, Ny: Aldine De Gruyter, 1997. Susan P. Kemp, James K. Whitaker And Elizabeth M. Tracy. Reviewed By Catherine Lemieux, Louisiana State University., Catherine Lemieux

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Susan P. Kemp, James K. Whittaker and Elizabeth Tracy, Person- Environment Practice. Hawthorne, NY, 1997. $ 49.95 hardcover, $ 23.95 papercover.

Review Of Confidentiality And Privacy In Social Work: A Guide To The Law For Practitioners And Students. New York: The Free Press, 1998. Donald T. Dickinson. Reviewed By Margaret Severson, University Of Kansas., Margaret Severson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Donald T. Dickson, Confidentiality and Privacy in Social Work: A Guide to the Law for Practitioners and Students. New York: The Free Press, 1998. $ 34.95 hardcover.

Enterprise And The Welfare State. Martin Rein And Eskil Wadensjo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Martin Rein and Eskil Wadensjo, Enterprise and the Welfare State. Williston, VT: Edward Elgar Publishing, 1997. $ 95.00 hardcover.

Creating A National Home: Building The Veteran's Welfare State, 1986-1900. Patrick J. Kelly

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Patrick J. Kelly, Creating a National Home: Building the Veteran's Welfare State. 1860-1900. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1997. $ 37.50 hardcover.

Welfare In America: How Social Science Fails The Poor. William Epstein

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for William Epstein, Welfare in America: How Social Science Fails the Poor. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1997. $ 45.00 hardcover, $ 19.95 papercover.

Western News, Nov. 12, 1998, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Transferred KPH property targeted for College of Health and Human Services consolidation, WMU archaeologists pinpoint Niles site of 300- year-old; French-founded Fort St. Joseph, Asian/Pacific business lecture series starts today, University staffer says United Way 'loan' led to unexpected returns, Campus United Way campaign stays on track; surpasses goal by more than $5,000, Enhancing teaching is new director's focus.

Western News, Oct. 29, 1998, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Corporate/ University partnership brings $50 million in cutting-edge CAD tools to campus engineering labs, Sky Broncos win regionals; prepare to defend title, Evaluation pair heads $2 million Detroit project, Oral history is topic of talk to library friends, Pain and evil are focus of annual Burian lecture, Callan to lecture on Joyce, Grant total starts year at $4.7 million mark, WMUK drive ends with record funds raised.

Western News, Oct. 15, 1998, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Campus set to 'Send in the Spirit' for Homecoming, Faculty salaries top Floyd's list of legislative priorities, WMUK launches fall drive to cover program costs, High-tech research tools are anthropologist's topic, EEOC commissioner is Phi Beta Kappa speaker, University computing experts move into high gear to attack 'problem of the century' in campus offices.

The Western Michigan University Magazine, Fall 1998, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Magazine (1997-present)

• High-Energy Administration: Elson Floyd may be new to the presidency but he's already off and running with an ambitious to-do list.
• Reading Recovery: WMU-backed intervention program helps thousands of Michigan children improve their reading skills.
• Man with a Mission: Muggers, kidnappers and armed escorts are all in a day's work for researcher Dan Stufflebeam.
• Positive Impact: Alumnus Bill Brown, a longtime WMU supporter has been instrumental in reshaping Waldo Stadium.
• University News
• College News
• Alumni News
• Class notes
• Obituaries
• Athletic News

Western News, Oct. 1, 1998, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Floyd lays out vision; planning details for BOT, Student families on campus this weekend for annual Family Festival celebration activities, Nursing chair named for Lacey, Upton aide tapped for legislative affairs post, Coming Out Day marked, Africa's economic impact is visiting scholar's topic, Stoltman honored by national geography group, Day-long arts festival planned for Oct. 10.

Daddy, I Know What The Story Means — Now, I Just Need Help With The Words, William Bintz

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This article describes a single instance of literacy learning involving the author and his two daughters, and provides a demonstration of how this literacy event can be unpacked both theoretically and practically in a way that a reflective practitioner could do. The aim of this article is to stimulate some reflective thinking and start some new conversations about what theoretical assumptions should drive reading instruction in the 21st century.