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Enrollment Data, Office Of Institutional Research And Effectiveness, Mississippi State University

Bulldog Basics

No abstract provided.

Lgb Students And The School Environment, Molly C. Juhl

Graduate Research Papers

Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) students often face negative school environments. This literature review examines the current school environments encountered by LGB students and the risk factors associated with these experiences. These risk factors include suicide, substance abuse, academic issues, and struggles with identity development. After examining these risk factors, recommendations for improving the school environment are explored. Further recommendations for school counselors working with LGB students are then discussed. This literature review examines the use of client-centered therapy, bibliotherapy, group counseling, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy as approaches to working with LGB youth.

The Psychosocial Effects Of Pediatric Cancer On Young Adult Cancer Survivors, Jacob D. Schaefer

Graduate Research Papers

Childhood cancer is a current problem in our society. Today survivor rates are increasing. There are increased numbers of childhood survivors dealing with the after affects of cancer as they move into adulthood. Research correlations between childhood problems and adulthood problems have emerged. Issues of psychological, social, and physical concerns have created difficulties for childhood cancer survivors. However, there have been mixed results as some researches show healthy adaptation while others indicate abnormal daily functioning of children and young adults. Future research areas should focus on individual coping methods, social function of young adult survivors, and the human developmental process …

Exploring The Spiritual Base Of Gay Men In Substance Abuse Treatment, Charles Arthur Selner

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was a qualitative exploration of how gay men experienced the spiritual base of a substance abuse treatment program. The specific clientele are gay men who completed at least sixty days participation in an intensive LGBT outpatient treatment program and were living in a sober residence known as The Studios of Palm Springs, CA. The research question asked whether this program worked to develop spirituality for gay men.

Late Diagnosis Of Autism Among African American Children, Lysette Nana Etti, Kathleen Patrice Holsey

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to raise awareness and to analyze the process of diagnosing African American children with autism and identify variables that correlate with late diagnosis.

The Effect Of Explanatory Style On The Coping Strategies Of Women In Recovery, Alice Joy Kirk

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of explanatory style on the coping strategies of women in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other substances.

The Relationship Between Caseworker Education And Client Outcomes, Theresa Rebecca Brannon

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to measure whether or not a child welfare worker's education has an effect on their client's outcomes. It compares master's degree in social work caseworkers' rates of family reunification and the length of time children on their caseload spend in foster care to those of child welfare workers who do not have an MSW. This study sought to address this gap in the current literature by analyzing available case data from a public child welfare agency in a Southern California county.

Do San Bernardino County, Department Of Children's Services, Licensed Foster Parents Receive Adequate Trainings And Services To Care For Foster Children?, Ryan Deray Berryman

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine the training and support services that were available to foster parents licensed with San Bernardino County, Department of Children's Services. San Bernardino county is responsible for approximately 510 licensed foster homes.

Acculturation And Mental Health Among Mexican Immigrant Women, Monique Diana Castaneda

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between the independent variable of acculturation and the dependent variable of mental health. The sample was drawn from a group of Mexican immigrant women residing in San Bernardino, California.

Perceptions Of Pregnancy Prevention Programs Among Teen Mothers, Cynthia Pineda-Gonzalez

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which pregnancy prevention programs have an effect on teenage pregnancy according to the teen mothers. The study took the perspectives of adolescent mothers and asked what they thought about the preventative programs that are currently implemented in schools.

Do Teachers' Perceptions Of Students Success Differ Between Students In Foster Care And Students Who Are Not In Foster Care, Nira Ortega Mejias

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to assess teacher's perceptions of academic and life success among high school students in foster care in comparison to high school students who are not in foster care. The intent of the study is to examine whether teachers view students who are in foster care placement differently than students who are not in foster care. 36 teachers from two local high schools in Riverside and San Bernardino County were selected to participate in the study.

Emancipated Youths' Perspective On Transitioning Into Adulthood, Deann Petersen Russon

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of transitional aged youths' received services, such as, daily living skills, money management, self care, and social development, and look at whether these services have helped them transition into productive adults. Of the research that exists, emancipated foster youth are shown to be at a higher risk for negative outcomes than youth the same age that were not in foster care. The study collected data from youth involved in two Independent Living Programs in Riverside County.

Perceptions Of Mental Health Services For Operation Iraqi Freedom And Operation Enduring Freedom Military Personnel: A Needs Assessment, Chrystal Anne Long, Jeffrey Lee. Soriano

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of mental health services for OIF/OEF military personnel among military spouses and mental health practitioners. The professional and personal knowledge of the mental health practitioners and the military spouses provided valuable information about the effectiveness, availability, strengths, and weaknesses of the military's mental health services.

Being Accountable: Overrepresentation Of Children Of Color In The Child Welfare System, Victoria Lee Scheele, Juliana Francesca Simixhi

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine the ethnic composition of families enrolled in Voluntary Family Services (VFS) as well as service delivery and service completion rates among the various ethnic groups utilizing these services.

Leadership In Faith-Based Social Service Organizations, Veronica Esqueda

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to examine leadership in faith based social service organizations. The issue that this researcher addressed is leadership styles in faith-based social service organizations and character traits of spirit led servant leaders. This study addressed the issue of spiritual leadership because recent research implies that spirituality and leadership are important factors that contribute to the healthy human development of indviduals. Many social workers find the assumptions, beliefs, and values of the Christian faith helpful in providing a frame of reference for understanding and responding to both individual and societal problems. There were 35 self-assessment servant …

Rethinking Empowerment: Collective Action As Intervention With Women, Melissa Liberty Darnell

Theses Digitization Project

This study explores women's feelings of empowerment that result from participating in collective action events. The study contributes to the growing body of social work scholarship on empowerment practice by identifying and describing the specific variables that may contribute to or enhance empowerment feelings in women as a result of collective action participation.

Investigating Racial Disparity At The Detention Decision: The Role Of Respectability, Don L. Kurtz, Tavis Linnemann, Ryan Spohn

Center on Children, Families, and the Law: Faculty Publications

A concern over inequity and the existence of racial disparity of youth served by the juvenile justice system has long been a topic of considerable interest among scholars, policymakers, and court officials. Numerous empirical studies undertaken by academics and various public and private organizations have attempted to shed some light on this phenomenon. Research findings on disproportionate minority contact have hardly been uniform, leaving much of this practice unexplained. This study uses data obtained at the detention decision point over a three-year period examining variance in juvenile case processing related to race. Findings suggest that extra-legal factors influencing the decision …

Western Michigan University Undergraduate Catalog 2008-2009, Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University Course Catalogs (1904-present)

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Opening Remarks: Soaking Up Summer, Jay Cox

Syracuse University Magazine

No abstract provided.

Understanding And Addressing Racial/Ethnic Disproportionality, Kathy Lemon Osterling, Amy C. D’Andrade, Michael J. Austin

Faculty Publications

Racial/ethnic disproportionality in the child welfare system is a complicated social problem that is receiving increasing amounts of attention from researchers and practitioners. This review of the literature examines disproportionality in the front-end of the child welfare system and interventions that may address it. While none of the interventions had evidence suggesting that they reduced disproportionality in child welfare front-end processes, some of the interventions may improve child welfare case processes related to disproportionality and outcomes for families of color.

Risk And Safety Assessment In Child Welfare: Instrument Comparisons, Amy C. D’Andrade, Michael J. Austin, A Benton

Faculty Publications

The assessment of risk is a critical part of child welfare agency practice. This review of the research literature on different instruments for assessing risk and safety in child welfare focuses on instrument reliability, validity, outcomes, and use with children and families of color. The findings suggest that the current actuarial instruments have stronger predictive validity than consensus-based instruments. This review was limited by the variability in definitions and measures across studies, the relatively small number of studies examining risk assessment instruments, and the lack of studies on case decision points other than the initial investigation.

Understanding And Measuring Child Welfare Outcomes, Amy C. D’Andrade, Kathy Lemon Osterling, Michael J. Austin

Faculty Publications

The new "Children's and Family Services Reviews" (CFSR) process focuses on the effectiveness of services to children and families by measuring client outcomes. This article reviews the research literature related to child welfare outcomes in order to provide a context for federal accountability efforts. It also summarizes the 2001 federal mandate to hold states accountable for child welfare outcomes and describes California's response to this mandate. Implications of the outcomes literature review and measurement problems in the CFSR process suggest CSFR measures do not always capture meaningful outcomes. Recommendations for change are made.

Reasonable Efforts? Implementation Of The Reunification Exception Provisions Of Asfa, J D. Berrick, C Young, Amy C. D’Andrade, L Frame

Faculty Publications

The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA) of 1997 includes provisions to deny reunification services under specified conditions and gives states latitude to develop any number of additional “aggravated circumstances” in which parents need not be offered services. California legislators have developed a relatively large number of conditions enabling agencies to bypass reunification services. Based upon a case record review involving 1,055 parents, this study attempts to identify the proportion of parents eligible for a reunification bypass, the proportion recommended to the courts, and the proportion of parents who were denied reunification services, and examines the characteristics of parents associated …

Webquests: Improving Military Training Through Constructivism And The Web, Brian Patrick Lafferty

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project was for members of the United States Marine Corps to leverage the benefits of inquiry based learning in the form of WebQuests. By creating and implementing WebQuests to meet training needs at the small unit level, non commissioned officers can take advantage of the resources of the World Wide Web in a timely and effective manner. To this end, a course of computer-based training was designed, developed, tested, implemented, and evaluated using the ADDIE instructional design model.

Degree Of Privacy Afforded In Long-Term Care, Lynn Marie Givens, Jesse Ornelas

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to assess the level of privacy among the elderly living in long-term nursing and communal facilities. The data was collected through a probability sampling at the Veterans Home of California in Barstow.

Parental Satisfaction With Child Mental Health Services, Frances Ahunna Ohaeri

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to identify to what degree specific factors influence the level of satisfaction experienced by foster parents whose foster children are recieving mental health services from agencies that they have been referred to by a Coming of Age Foster Family Agency.

Program Effectiveness Among Recovering Susbance Abuse Mothers In A Treatment Program, Elizabeth Anne Pickett

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to see if all the special circumstances, extra classes, and parenting aspects of a treatment program are effective for pregnant substance abusing women. This study also explored the factors that contributed to the perceived satisfaction and effectiveness of the clients enrolled in a drug and alcohol treatment program.

A Strength-Based Perspective On Group Homes, Liza Ana Fimbres, Rose Kathleen Solomon

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to promote a more positive perspective on group homes by raising awareness of their strengths. By identifying strengths, group homes can gain knowledge of and build upon assets to better meet the needs of children in the child welfare system.

Gang Activity In San Bernardino, California: A Needs Assessment For Operation Phoenix, Mario Leone Rogers

Theses Digitization Project

This research study examined an innovative gang approach in the city of San Bernardino called Operation Phoenix. The purpose of this study was to conduct a needs assessment for Operation Phoenix. This qualitative and quantitative study examined how effective Operation Phoenix was in the prevention, intervention, and suppression of gang activity in the city of San Bernardino. In addition it assessed the unique needs of this comprehensive gang program.

Health Literacy And Treatment Adherence Among Latinos With End Stage Renal Disease, Marielena Michel

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine health literacy and treatment adherence among Latinos with end stage renal disease. Health literacy has been overlooked as one of the factors that affects one's ability to comply with the physician's prescribed medical treatment.