Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Privatized Management In Urban Public Housing Communities: A Comparative Analysis Of Perceived Crime, Neighborhood Problems, And Personal Safety, Stan L. Bowie

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A quasi-experimental design with non-equivalent groups assessed the impact of privatized management on crime and personal safety in large public housing communities in Miami, Florida. A randomly-selected sample (N = 503) of low-income African Americans living in 42 different housing "projects" were surveyed. Privatized sites had greater mean values for break-ins and thefts (m = 2.03, S.D. = 1.47, p<.01) and vacant apartment usage. Publicly-managed sites had higher mean values for shootings and violence (m = 2.52, S.D. = 1.67, p<.01). While there were no statistically significant differences in perceived personal safety, publicly-managed respondents expressed greater satisfaction with police services. Privatized management did not result in significantly more positive outcomes and social services utilization was associated with less violent crime. Implications are discussed for public housing crime, federal housing policy, and future research.

Review Of The Course Of Gay And Lesbian Lives: Social And Psychoanalytical Perspectives. Betram J. Cohler And Robert M. Galatzer-Levy. Reviewed By Ronald J. Mancoske 215 The Gender Division Of Welfare: The Impact Of British, Ronald J. Mancoske

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Bertram J. Cohler and Robert M. Galatzer-Levy, The Course of Gay and Lesbian Lives: Social and Psychoanalytical Perspectives. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. $50.00 hardcover.

Risk, Trust, And Welfare. Peter Taylor Gooby (Ed.)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Peter Taylor Gooby (Ed.), Risk, Trust and Welfare. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000. $69.95 hardcover.

Paths To Success: Beating The Odds In American Society. Charles C. Harrington And Susan K. Boardman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Charles C. Harrington and Susan K. Boardman, Paths to Success: Beating the Odds in American Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000. $19.95 papercover.

Comparison Of The Academic Achievement Of Primary School Students In Multiage And Traditional Classrooms., Mary Frances Harmon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether students in a kindergarten/first-grade multiage class achieve at a different level than students enrolled in a traditional kindergarten or first-grade class in a selected primary school in East Tennessee. The question of the interaction between gender and type of instruction was also analyzed.

The causal comparative quantitative research method was used to analyze data differentiating between students enrolled in multiage and traditional classes, retrospectively. A t-test was used to determine the level of performance the students demonstrated on the BRIGANCE K Screen at the beginning of the study. The number of …

The Factors Associated With The Use Of Computers In The K-4 Classrooms Of The Maryville City School System., Jesse A. Robinette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of computers for instruction in the K-4 elementary schools of the Maryville City School System. A survey was distributed to every regular education classroom teacher in each of the four elementary schools of the system. Respondents were asked to provide: (a) demographic data in regard to age, gender, years of teaching experience, grade level taught, level of education, home computer ownership, and technology committee membership; (b) an implementation score based on teacher response to grade-level student performance indicators provided by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE); and (c) …

The Pathological Politics Of Criminal Law, William J. Stuntz

Michigan Law Review

Substantive criminal law defines the conduct that the state punishes. Or does it? If the answer is yes, it should be possible, by reading criminal codes (perhaps with a few case annotations thrown in), to tell what conduct will land you in prison. Most discussions of criminal law, whether in law reviews, law school classrooms, or the popular press, proceed on the premise that the answer is yes. Law reform movements regularly seek to broaden or narrow the scope of some set of criminal liability rules, always on the assumption that by doing so they will broaden or narrow the …

Property Rights And Liability Rules: The Ex Ante View Of The Cathedral, Lucian Arye Bebchuk

Michigan Law Review

This Article aims to contribute to the study of how the law should allocate and protect entitlements in the presence of externalities. In their classic article published thirty years ago, Calabresi and Melamed studied such questions and offered what they labeled "one view of the Cathedral." I seek to add to the inquiry started by Calabresi and Melamed by offering an ex ante perspective and analyzing how allocations of entitlements affect parties' ex ante actions and investments. Suppose that an upstream Factory would benefit from an activity that would pollute a river and harm an activity conducted by a downstream …

Lawyer Conduct In The "Tobacco Wars", Roger C. Cramton

DePaul Law Review

No abstract provided.

Social Learning Theory And The Influence Of Male Role Models On African American Children In Project 2000, Rhonda Wells-Wilbon, Spencer Holland

The Qualitative Report

This study is an assessment of observational learning commonly known as social learning theory of a group of 55 African American students who are participants in a mentoring program known as PROJECT 2000. From first through sixth grades male role models, who were largely African American, were in the classroom as teacher assistants. At the time of the study all student participants were in fifth grade. An interview was conducted featuring a short open-ended questionnaire. Students in PROJECT 2000 had an opportunity to express their feelings about the male role models that worked with them in their classroom. These interviews …

Constraints, Compromises And Choice: Comparing Three Qualitative Research Studies, Julia Connell, Colin Lynch, Peter Waring

The Qualitative Report

Although a number of texts explore social research strategies and methods, most are limited to a basic discussion of such methods and their associated advantages and disadvantages. Few if any, evaluate and compare methods in the context of actual research experiences. This paper endeavours to bridge that gap by reporting the experiences of three researchers working on three separate qualitative studies. All three studies were concerned with investigating the social milieu within organizations. While the research questions were different in each case, all the researchers shared a common goal - to develop explanations for complex social phenomena manifest both internally …

Building A Typology Of Self-Renewal: Reflection Upon-Life Story Research, Izhar Oplatka

The Qualitative Report

The current paper provides a researcher's account of the life-story method used in a study which aimed to identify patterns of the self-renewal process among women school principals in mid-career. The subjects of this study were 25 elementary school women principals aged between 43 and 52 in Israel. The paper outlines the practical aspects of the life-story method and contributes to our understanding of the consecutive pragmatic ways to implement a life-story method aimed to explore and develop a typology of a yet unknown phenomenon. Further, the ethical implications of doing life-story interview are discussed and presented.

An Empirical Study Of Associate Satisfaction, Law Firm Culture, And The Effects Of Billable Hour Requirements-Part One, Susan Saab Fortney

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

This article considers billing practices, the effects of hourly billing pressure, and firm culture as reflected in a survey of associates in Texas law firms. Part I of this article reports the empirical information from the survey. This information includes insight into the toll an increase in billable hour requirements has taken on legal practitioners and the consequent affect on the legal field. Part II discusses what the data means and how it might be used to improve the outlook for attracting and retaining good associates.

The Impact Of Dismissal Of Non-Tenured Teachers On Principals In Tennessee., David W. Messer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the issues that principals face in making the decision or recommendation to bring about the involuntary separation of non-tenured teachers. I was concerned with identifying the emotions, feelings, conflicts, and misgivings that principals experience during this process. Related concerns were identified. They included the issues of principals using professionally ethical ways to encourage or coach teachers to resign prior to dismissal, dealing with "lame duck" teachers between notification and the end of the school year, and writing positive letters of recommendation for teachers they have decided not to renew. These questions were …

The Accidental Experts: A Demonstration Of The Existence, Utility, And Emergence Of Implicitly Learned Tacit Knowledge In Assistive-Augmentative Technology Users., Douglas Eugene Masini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I investigated the presence, utility, and emergence of tacit knowledge in 9 study participants who used assistive-augmentative technology. I conducted phenomenologic interviews, audio-taping, and transcribed the interview with the written consent of the participants. Sixteen highly trained experts critiqued the final product of the interviews and answered a 25-question survey instrument. Non-parametric statistical processes were chosen to conduct inferential hypotheses testing. Wilcoxon - Mann Whitney U tests and Kruskal - Wallis One-Way ANOVA (alpha level of 0.05) were used for questions 1-10, and a 2 x R (R = 3 or 4) contingency table and Fisher's Exact Chi-Square were used …

Language, Vagueness, And Social Communication, Colin B. Grant

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his paper, "Language, Vagueness, and Social Communication," Colin B. Grant adopts an interdisciplinary approach to an interrelated complex of language, communication, and society. Grant operates with a modified concept of vagueness as a pragmatic property and attempts to establish a link between pragmatic vagueness and contingency in communication. This communicative contingency takes the form of improbabilities (entropy). Grant observes that the challenge lies in modelling communication as porous networks which nonetheless enable society to function. In this sense, contingency in communication must not be confused with arbitrariness just as cognitive closure cannot be confused with solipsism. This line of …

The Psychology Of Accountability And Political Review Of Agency Rules, Mark Seidenfeld

Duke Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Note On Comparability Of Microcog Test Forms, Shane J. Lopez, Lisa M. Edwards, R. Keith Floyd, Jeana L. Magyar-Moe, Jason D. Rehfeldt, Jamie A. Ryder

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

This study investigated the differences between the Standard and Short forms of MicroCog by comparing Domain scores for a clinical sample of 351 substance abusers which gave a significant difference between scores on the Spatial Processing Domain. Implications for research and clinical use are discussed.

Scripted Thought: Processing Korean Hancha And Hangul In A Multimedia Context, Nader T. Tavassoli, Jin K. Han

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We compare the cognitive processing of words written in alphabetic scripts with the cognitive processing of words written in logographic scripts. We suggest that the processing of words written in alphabetic scripts relies more heavily on the storage of--and the serial rehearsal properties of--short-term memory's phonological loop. In contrast, the processing of words written in logographic scripts relies more on the storage of--and the spatial-relational rehearsal properties of--visual short-term memory. A series of three experiments investigates implications of these processing differences within a single language, Korean, where words can be written in the alphabetic Hangul or in the logographic Han-cha. …

Reasons For Living Across The Lifespan, Lesley P. Koven

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined gender and age-related differences in reasons for living, using a sample of 50 young adults (M = 20.2), 53 middle-aged adults (M = 49.3), and 55 older adults ( M = 78.5). Participants completed a combined version of the Reasons for Living Inventory, the Reasons for Living Inventory for Younger Adults, and the Reasons for Living Inventory for Older Adults. Although no gender differences emerged in reasons for living, younger adults placed more importance on fear of social disapproval, moral objections, survival and coping skills, peer acceptance, survival and coping beliefs, fear of suicide, and future optimism …

Parent Distress, Parent Behavior, And Infant Distress During Pediatric Immunizations, Rebecca Suzanne Bernard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Infant procedural distress historically has been ignored, and the importance of reducing infant distress only recently has been addressed. To understand and manage infant procedural distress, it is essential to examine the correlates and potential predictors of this distress. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of parent distress on infant procedural distress, the effects of parent behavior on infant distress, and the combined impact of parent distress and behavior on infant distress for 37 parent-infant dyads. Results demonstrated that infant measures were not intercorrelated, only parent self-report measures were intercorrelated, and several measures of parent distress …

Manager Characteristics And Support For Worksite Health Promotion Programs That Target Women In Small, Blue-Collar Worksites, Leigh Wiley Belton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the relationship between manager support for health promotion programs and perceived benefits of health promotion activities, organizational health climate, and personal health behaviors among managers in small, blue-collar textile and light manufacturing worksites in eastern North Carolina. Ninety-eight managers completed a self-administered questionnaire that assessed levels of support for, and interest in, employee health promotion programs, perception of organization climate, and perceived benefits of health promotion activities. Demographic data was also collected. Chi-square and correlation analyses were used to assess statistical significance. No significant associations were found between level of manager support and demographic characteristics, perceived benefits …

Friendship Characteristics Associated With Adolescent Friendship Maintenance And Dissolution, Rebecca A. Owens

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the association between early adolescents' friendship features and friendship outcomes (maintenance vs. dissolution and overall quality) following friendship problems. Also of interest was whether the reported causes of friendship problems and friendship dissolution differed. Early adolescents' (mean age = 12.45 years; 118 girls, 82 boys) experiences with their friends were assessed through several written questionnaires. Six friendship features were used to predict friendship outcomes following problems: length of friendship, closeness, common experiences, balance of costs and rewards, personal characteristics, and expected ease of finding a new friend. Length of friendship and approval of a friend's personal characteristics …

Parent-Infant Interactions During Acute Painful Procedures, Catherine Bradford Mcclellan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite the current recognition of infant procedural pain and distress, there is a dearth of research, both in the assessment and treatment literature, of infant procedural distress. This study examined how specific parent behaviors relate to infant procedural distress and whether this relation is mediated by birth order. Results indicated that females were rated as more distressed than were males, and that birth order did not prove to be a distinguishing factor in infant distress. Finally, while some behaviors appear to have a similar influence on both preschoolers' and infants' behaviors, parents' behavior during infants' distressing procedures were found to …

Prenatal Stress Alters Fear-Conditioned Behaviors And The Response To Serotonergic Drugs, William C. Griffin Iii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Chronic, inescapable stress during pregnancy (i.e. prenatal stress) modifies the behavior of the adult offspring. Several behaviors were evaluated in adult prenatally stressed (PS) rats, most notably the acoustic startle response and behavioral inhibition (i.e. freezing). PS rats do not differ in baseline peak startle responding, or in the habituation of the peak startle response when compared to the non-prenatally stressed (CON) rats. However, PS rats have greater peak responses and longer latencies to reach the peak response following systemic doses of the 5-HT 1A agonist, 8-OH-DPAT, compared to CON rats. The PS rats had shorter latencies than the CON …

Transfer Of Heart Rate Feedback Training To Reduce Heart Rate Response To Laboratory Tasks, Jeffrey Louis Goodie

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Researchers have demonstrated that individuals can successfully reduce their heart rate (HR) response to a stressor when provided with heart rate feedback. However, it is unclear whether individuals can transfer HR reduction skills to stressors not used during HR feedback training. The present study used a multiple baseline, single subject design to examine the transfer of HR feedback training among six individuals. Participants were provided with HR feedback training during the presentation of a videogame, a mental arithmetic challenge, and a hand grip task until the participants reduced their HR to within 4 bpm of their resting HR or until …

Effects Of Concept Mapping On Learning Anatomy And Transfer Of Anatomy Knowledge To Kinesiology In Health Sciences Students, Frances E. Huber

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of concept mapping on academic achievement in anatomy and transfer of anatomy knowledge to kinesiology and to describe the participants' experience with this new study strategy. Methods. Thirty-eight junior physical therapy and occupational therapy students volunteered to participate in this study in the fall of 2000. Thirty students matriculated into the spring semester and completed the study. All participants signed informed consents. Participants were randomly assigned to a control group or concept mapping group. The concept mappers were instructed with concept mapping. Members of the concept mapping group were …

Pain State As A Mediator In The Psychological And Behavioral Assessment Of Migraine And Tension Headache Sufferers, Jennifer L. Sippel

Theses and Dissertations

While research has suggested there is a possibility that headache assessment tools may be affected by the pain state of the individual, only one study to date has examined pain-state differences in assessment results for individuals diagnosed with a headache disorder. Holroyd, France, Nash & Hursey (1993) showed that most differences between headache sufferers and control groups on psychological symptom reports were an artifact of pain state. The present study examined the influence of headache pain state on self-reported psychological and behavioral variables. Undergraduate male and female subjects between the ages of 18 and 30 were selected based on their …

The Effect Of Cultural Affiliations On Attitudes, Beliefs, And Reactions To The Fighting Sioux Nickname Issue Between Northern Plains American Indian And Majority Culture College Students, Angela Larocque

Theses and Dissertations

The main puqjo.sc of this study was to compare the effect of cultural affiliation on altitudes, beliefs, and reactions to the Fighting Sioux Nickname and logo issue for 60 Nonhem Plains American Indian college students and 61 non-Indian college students at the University of North Dakota. Subjects completed a demographic questionnaire and the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux Nickname Attitudes, Beliefs, and Reactions (UNDFSNABR) survey. In addition, American Indian subjects completed the Nonhem Plains Bicuhuralism Inventory (NPBI), Using the Northern Plains Biculluralisin Inventory (NPBI) to identify cultural identification among American Indian participants, the hypotheses of the current study were;: …

Reducing Aberrant Behavior Utilizing Functional Communication Training In Whole-Group, Small-Group And One-To-One Settings, Twila Dawn Sprowl Figueroa

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Functional communication training (FCT) with extinction, as well as multiple manding choices were utilized to reduce aberrant behavior with three individuals with mild to moderate mental retardation or learning disability. The setting was a self-contained special education classroom for students ages six to 11 years old in an elementary school in South Texas. FCT with extinction was utilized within whole group, small group and one-to-one instruction. The findings indicated that FCT did reduce aberrant behavior and did increase communication for all three subjects. FCT is a differential reinforcement of an alternative behavior (DRA) method which has viable uses within the …