Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluating "Peer Mobilization" Films As A Tool In Altering Self Concept, Leslie Larson, Mary Morton

Dissertations and Theses

The thesis examines the Peer Mobilization film series to determine if they are effective tools to positively affect mental health.

Parental Attitudes Toward, And Knowledge Of Open-Space Schools, Brian Hines

Dissertations and Theses

As part of an extensive examination of open~space elementary schools in the Beaverton School District, a study was conducted to determine how parents view these schools and the "open" concept of education. This is a description of that study. This report will explain why the research was undertaken, provide some background information, on open-space schools, describe the survey design, and discuss both the results of the study and some implications that can be drawn from the results.

An Investigation Of Between-Ear Tympanometry Measures In Normal-Hearing Young Adults, Barry Lynn Kimmel

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years, tympanometry has been used to provide objective and definitive information regarding the status of middle ear conditions and functions. The present standard for tympanometric normalcy is based upon between-subject measures. This standard, however, does not allow precise differentiation between normal and pathological tympanometry curves. A within-subject comparison of right and left ear tympanometry curves of normal-hearing subjects could provide a narrow standard of tympanometric normalcy which would be more useful in differentiating between pathologic and non-pathologic middle ear function. The within-subject relationship between tympanometry curves for right and left ears was investigated by comparing the individual right …

Villa St. Rose Group Home Study, William H. Finkle

Dissertations and Theses

There has been a gradual move from the exclusive use of institutions for delinquent adolescents as a treatment resource to a realization that institutions need a variety of treatment methods in order to rehabilitate delinquents and other adolescents with adjustment problems. Villa St. Rose is an example of an institution which has acknowledged the effectiveness of developing a therapeutic milieu based on a professional institutional program supported by community treatment in the form of a group home experience.

The Behavior Of Coalitions As Interorganizational Structures: An Exploratory Study Using A Grounded Theory Approach, Elaine Marie Rothrock

Dissertations and Theses

This study is one of four exploratory studies concerned with coalitions of organizations that are formed to plan and develop social welfare programs within the local community. Although each study was conducted independently, taken together their major purpose was to develop some insights and knowledge into the behavior of organizations and the ways in which they interact as they work together to develop community programs. They are, then, exploratory studies of inter-organizational behavior.

Each of the studies had a different focus. One study attempted to identify the present areas of agreement and disagreement regarding inter-organization behavior by systematically reviewing the …

The Pregnancy Counseling Group; An Analysis Of A Sample Of Women Served By Planned Parenthood Association, Portland, Oregon, Marcia Jean Lapham

Dissertations and Theses

In August of 1969 abortion became legal in Oregon. About a year later, in October of 1970, the Planned Parenthood Association in Portland began to offer pregnancy testing and counseling as part of their services. This is a new and separate program which is designed to help women find out if they are pregnant as early as possible (at low or no fee) and provide counseling on the problems connected with unwanted pregnancy. This study is based on a sample of women seeking pregnancy counseling at Planned Parenthood in Portland in the calendar year 1971. During that year about 1,230 …

A Study Of The Characteristics Of Runaways And Their Families In Two Social Agencies, Susan G. Greer, Sarah J. Hertlein, Stephen C. Regner

Dissertations and Theses

Because of the relative uniqueness of the runaway experience as it now exists, minimal current research information is available. It was our feeling that knowledge about runaways, their families, and the social agencies which serve them is essential if significant prevention and treatment for the problem were to be implemented by the community. The purpose and scope of this exploratory research was essentially two-fold; to contribute descriptive information about runaway youth and their families to the community, and to evaluate the current populations of two agencies which service them. An underlying goal throughout the research was to utilize the data …

A Survey Of Non-White Social Service Personnel In The State Of Oregon, Phillis Benton, Patricia Riley, Cynthia Southwell, Dennis Wong

Dissertations and Theses

The National Association of Social Workers and the Council on Social Work Education are concerned with the eradication of racism within the social work profession and the nation at large. Graduate schools throughout the country are presently attempting to come to grips with this elusive and pervasive problem. The School of Social Work at Portland State University is among these schools.

In early 1972, the Portland State University School of Social Work formalized and adopted a specific policy regarding recruitment, education, and issues concerning non-white students and communities. In doing so, this school became the first School of Social Work …

An Analysis Of Change In Girls Released From Villa Saint Rose, H. Marie Ades

Dissertations and Theses

When juveniles are defined by society as delinquent they are frequently institutionalized. These institutions are referred to as reform schools, correctional institutions or schools, residential care facilities, treatment centers, or variations of the above. They are state sponsored or privately sponsored. Whatever name is on the sign by the front door, each institution is in the business of "people changing."

The excellence of an inanimate product can be measured, weighed, checked, and reproduced; but an altered person is more difficult to measure. If one is in the business of people-changing, it seems important to see if one is in fact …

Parental Assessment Of Family Life Education Content: Analysis Of One Elementary School, William Richard Siefke

Dissertations and Theses

In this study the trends of social work were examined and the importance of the family in social work practice was identified. The changing role of the school and its relevance to the total welfare of the child was historically documented. The components of the family life education movement were analyzed as were the social forces which contributed to its growth and development. The incorporation of family life education into the schools was reviewed. The active involvement of several disciplines and numerous national organizations, as well as the federal government, was identified in this process.

The opposition to family life …

Diagnostic Congruence: A Study On Presentation Of Clinical Information To Parents And Recall, Miriam Rae Maier

Dissertations and Theses

The present study was an investigation of recall following presentation of diagnostic information. The setting was the Crippled Children's Division of the University of Oregon Medical School.

The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that one session conferencing imparting diagnostic information to parents of handicapped children reduces recall. Additionally, it was hypothesized that multi-discipline conferencing is related to greater diagnostic recall than single discipline conferencing. The sample was made up of 20 parent units whose children were evaluated at the Crippled Children's Division for suspected Cerebral Palsy and/or Mental Retardation. There were ten families from the Cerebral …

The Impact Of Coordination By A Child Abuse Committee On Community Services To Battered Children, Grace Jackson Anders, Rebekah M. Burton

Dissertations and Theses

The Child Abuse Committee at the University of Oregon Medical School has assumed a coordinating role as an attempt to provide more effective service to abused children and their families. This research report is a follow up to a 1970 study by Matusak which evaluated the effectiveness of the Committee. The Matusak study seemed to indicate that, because of Committee action resulting in appropriate intervention and services, definite improvement in the situation of the children in the study was seen. This study follows the children from the 1970 study one year later and makes further comparisons of child abuse cases …

Coping Patterns Of Those Denied Public Assistance -1970, Robert A. Turcotte, Anita L. Wahl

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this project was to explore the coping patterns of people denied public assistance. The primary focus was on resources available and used by those denied to assist them in the situation that led them to apply for public assistance in the first place.

A review of the literature revealed that very little is known concerning those denied public assistance. This project is one of the first to study the problem of how those denied manage after denial.

The data for this project was gathered by the use of an interview schedule administered in personal interviews with those …

A Study Of The Legal Aid Family Law Center And Its Clients, By Cynthia Ann Thomas [And] Susan Marie Vail, Cynthia Ann Thomas, Susan Marie Vail

Dissertations and Theses

The family is the basic unit in our society. When there is a breakdown in this unit, specifically in the marital relationship, the effect upon the husband, wife, and children can be devastating in terms of poverty, abuse, and cost to society. The frequent inability of the poor to obtain counseling and legal assistance in resolving family relationships perpetuates the social and psychological results of a poor marriage. This study is concerned with poor persons and their ability to receive both legal and counseling services for their family problems 0 Other concerns are with the questions of alternatives to divorce …

Degree Of Depression In Women Preceding Abortion At The University Of Oregon Medical School, William M. Nathe, Ike R. Lacefield

Dissertations and Theses

This evaluation was undertaken because of an interest by the authors in the abortion program at the Medical School. Interest in the emotional status of patients receiving abortions was aroused while working in a field placement at the Medical School through the Portland State University School of Social Work.

With the consent and assistance of the Obstetrics-Gynecology Department and the Director of Social Services, this study was initiated with the hope that it would be a step toward providing an over-all and continuing assessment of information about the women receiving abortions. The researchers' particular area of interest concerned the characteristics …

An Alienation Measurement And Observed Behavior: A Study Of Forty-Two Male Seniors In A Technical High School, Jack Leo Terzenbach

Dissertations and Theses

The study examined the relationships between subjects' degree of alienation and descriptions of their behaviors. The subjects were 42 male, senior students at Benson Polytechnic High School who attended one of two required social science classes. Benson High School is an all male, technical high school which admits students from all parts of the City of Portland, Oregon. Alienation was defined as a syndrome of feelings consisting of apathy, distrust, pessimism, cynicism, and emotional distance. The degree of subjects' alienation, as defined, was measured by the Multiple Alienation Measure devised by Dr. Laurence J. Gould. Subjects' were thereby divided into …

Psycho-Social Aspects Of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia In Children, Sally Myers Hingley, Judith Ann Mckay

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the study was to assess psycho-social differences between two groups. A review of the literature suggested psychological and social factors may affect the onset and progression of malignant disease. Comparisons were made between a group of 23 experimental families with a leukemic child, and a group of control families with a normal child matched for child's sex, age, and number of siblings. Data. was gathered on three quantifiable measures; Coddington's Social Readjustment Rating Questionnaire; a specially constructed Child's Questionnaire, and The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.

The leukemic children and their matched normal controls had approximately equal numbers, …

A Case Study Of The Northwest District Association And Portland City Planning Staff, Jill Sally Haldeman, Kathryn Cynara Heisler

Dissertations and Theses

This is a study of how a city planning staff worked together with a neighborhood group to develop a comprehensive plan for a neighborhood. It explores their relationship and the major conflicts that arise when they work together to develop a district plan.

Interorganizational Coalitional Decision-Making: An Exploratory Investigation, Dennis Brian Keenan

Dissertations and Theses

This study is one of four exploratory studies concerned with coalitions of organizations that are formed to plan and develop social welfare programs within the local community. Although each study was conducted independently, taken together, their major purpose was to develop some insights and knowledge into the behavior of organizations and the ways in which they interact as they work together to develop community programs. They are then, exploratory studies of interorganizational behavior.

Children Without Futures: A Feasibility Study Comparing Characteristics Of Families Who Have Children Placed In Long And Short-Term Foster Care, Kaye Hutchins

Dissertations and Theses

Many children drift into unplanned long-term foster home care, under conditions unsatisfactory for the child, his own family and the foster parents. Current practice in foster care often contributes to foster children growing up without the necessary love, support and guidance from a family that he can call his own. Recent publications in social work journals have suggested that a lack of consistent family relationships may be injurious to the emotional development of children. Social workers have become increasingly dissatisfied with a "helping process" that may, in fact, generate more harm than help. Originating from the social worker's dissatisfaction with …

Nursing: A Profession In Process, Mary Elizabeth Dilling Rambousek

Dissertations and Theses

The general concern of this thesis is with the professional status of nurses in the United States. Specifically, the focus is on the progression of nursing along the occupation continuum toward professionalism. The perspective of this study was adopted from Elliot A. Krause's discussion of "A Historical Perspective" in his "The Sociology of Professions." Krause maintains that an analysis of the past key periods of the history of an occupation can provide a basis for predicting what it will become in the future. The acceleration of change in all aspects of society, and particularly in the role of the nurse …

Proposals For The Establishment Of Social Service Departments At St. John's Hospital And Cowlitz General Hospital, Longview, Washington, Beryl P. Robison

Dissertations and Theses

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work from Portland State University, it was my desire to do a Practicum which would be of benefit to the community where I live, Longview, Washington. One area in which the shortcomings were apparent was pointed out to me time and again by my husband, who is a practicing physician in Longview and through my own contacts in the community, i.e., neither Cowlitz General Hospital nor St. John!s Hospital had a Social Service Department. Therefore, I have written proposals for a Social Service Department for each hospital. …

An Exploratory Analysis Of Developmental Sequences In Interorganizational Coalitions Involved In Community Planning, Clifford Albert Snyder

Dissertations and Theses

This study is one of four exploratory studies concerned with coalitions of organizations that are formed to plan and develop social welfare programs within the local community. Although each study was conducted independently, taken together, their major purpose was to develop some insights and knowledge into the behavior of organizations and the ways in which they interact as they work together to develop community programs. They are then, exploratory studies of interorganizational behavior.

A Scale Of Verbal Accessibility In Mild And Borderline Retarded Adults, Keith Baker

Dissertations and Theses

This is the forth study of verbal accessibility undertaken at the Portland State University School of Social Work. The first two completed in the years 1967 (Kresse, et al., 1967) and 1968 (Walker, et al.,1968) dealt with the area of marriage. The third completed in 1969 (Metz, et al., 1969)dealt with the authoritarian family ideology. The intent of this study is to determine if that material can be applied to use with the retarded adults being placed from Fairview Hospital and Training Center . This is the major State Institution for care and treatment of the mentally retarded in the …

A Descriptive Study Of Educational Background, Contraceptive Knowledge, And Choice Of Agency Among Selected Girls 18 Years Old And Under Seeking An Abortion At The University Of Oregon Medical School, Carol A. Carter, Lititia J. Kirk, Jane F. Ogier

Dissertations and Theses

This study was conducted at the University of Oregon Medical School located in Portland, Oregon. This school has performed many abortions since Oregon liberalized its abortion law in 1969. In Oregon in 1968 before the abortion law was changed there were 238 abortions performed, 35% of these were for women under the age of 19. During 1971 there were 6,997 abortions of these 2,625 were for girls of age 19 and younger.

An Attitudinal Survey Of Forty-Four Juvenile Court Counselors Regarding Due Process Standards In Juvenile Cases, Jerry Robert Franklin

Dissertations and Theses

In late 19^th century America, new schools of criminological thinking asserted that crime had its origins in a complex blend of environmental and social factors rather than in the moral deficiencies of the offender. Partly as a result of this new attitude the handling of offenses by juveniles became differentiated from adult cases, first through the construction of separate penal institutions and, beginning in 1899, through the establishment of courts specializing in juvenile cases.

This study was undertaken to examine the attitudes of juvenile probation officers toward the Supreme Court’s Kent, Gault and Winship decisions which made a number …

Selection Of Practice Models For Social Work, Linda Fritz

Dissertations and Theses

This paper will focus upon the value positions underlying two social work models: the traditional or psychodynamic and that of behavior modification. It is recognized that there are areas in which those two approaches do not seem far removed, e.g., with some neo-behaviorists and/or some ego psychologists. However, to the extent that the lines become very blurred, so does the clarity of position or practice. Like many practitioners who claim to be “eclectic,” it becomes extremely difficult to find out where they are and what they do value at a given point in time. Why do social workers become so …

Preschool Predication Of First Grade Social And Emotional Adjustment, Benjamin Sherrill

Dissertations and Theses

The prediction and/or early identification of problems of the first grader are of concern of concern to educators, school psychologists, and those engaged in elementary school social work. Social and behavioral problems interfere with the child's ability to succeed in school and it is clear that if these difficulties could be anticipated early in the first grader's school experience there could be immediate intervention to enhance his chance for success.

The Role Of Social Work In Genetics Counseling, Diane Margaret Plumridge

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this practicum is to demonstrate the need for social workers to be employed by Genetics Clinics as a member of the genetics team, the hypothesis being that there is need for social work involvement in the field of medical genetics. Research was completed through a survey of the literature in the field of: counseling problems in genetic counseling, social work involvement in genetics clinics, the role of nursing in genetic counseling, and psychological studies concerning problems of genetic counseling. Literature in these areas was extremely limited During the summer of 1971, a questionnaire was sent to ninety …

Testing Of A Design For Client Evaluation Of A Conciliation Service, James A. Dudley, James C. Euler, Peter Njoroge, Richard Streissguth

Dissertations and Theses

This study is an attempt to develop, design, and implement procedures for better data collection in the future and for an evaluation of the services provided in the past.

Conciliation Courts have developed across the country on the notion that case work services can, at best, save a marriage from divorce and, at least, can do no harm. Evaluation of the effectiveness of conciliation services is limited and contradictory.

This practicum is an attempt to develop a research design which can measure the effectiveness of conciliation service. We consider the first priority to develop a work­able design which will insure …