Digital Commons Network^™

The Stew Versus Melting Pot Ministry: Multicultural/Ethic Urban Apostolic Partnership, Parnell M. Lovelace Jr.

Great Commission Research Journal

The church today has an opportunity to explore opportunities of culturally and ethnically diverse apostolic missional partnerships. Is it possible that vanguard and strategic concepts of multicultural/ethnic church planting models are contextualized and expanded within the urban setting? Is it possible that such modalities may serve not only towards the unification of believers, but also provide a means of connectivity to empower the community as a whole? The assertion is there are connecting points of evangelism and church growth opportunities found within such strategic and intentional multi-ethic/cultural models of apostolic partnerships.

Living History Interview With Richard Delgado & Jean Stefancic, Richard Delgado, Jean Stefancic

Faculty Articles

One of the unique features of Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems ("TLCP") is the publication of a "Living History Interview" with a person of international accomplishment and renown. The Living History Interview complements the symposium format of TLCP by blending theory and practice, thus giving a practical perspective to the questions examined in the symposium. The purpose of the Living History Interview is to invite the responses of a prominent international scholar, jurist, or politician-not to explore his or her professional point of view, but to gain insight into his or her personal perspectives as shaped by historical events in …

Enhancing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Childhood Anxiety Disorders: A Parent Manual, Anna L. Lock

Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychiatric disorders affecting children and adolescents. In the past several decades, great advances have been made in the treatment of these disorders. While many psychopharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments exist, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is currently the treatment approach with the most empirical support. Based on a large evidence-base, several CBT manuals have been developed for the treatment of anxiety disorders in children. While research on incorporating parents into these treatments is mixed, parent involvement is widely recommended in these treatments as well as in unmanualized CBT treatment. Although some self-help books and manual-specific …

Towards Sentence Compliance: Examining Pfma Offender Pathways Through Missoula Municipal And Justice Courts, Sara Justine Shapiro

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In recent years, there has been great concern among those who work in the criminal justice system, in Missoula, Montana, about the processing of domestic violence offenders. Many of these people believe that domestic violence defendants are not being consistently prosecuted, and that convicted offenders are not completing their mandated anger management program. To address these concerns, this analysis examines the adjudication, from arrest to sentencing, of a cohort of defendants appearing in Missoula Municipal Court and Missoula County Justice Court. The sample includes defendants whose final charge between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008 was Partner/Family Member Assault …

Obesity And Overweight Prevalence Among A Mississippi Low-Income Preschool Population: A Five-Year Comparison, Bonnie Harbaugh, Jerome R. Kolbo, Elaine F. Molaison, Geoffrey M. Hudson, Lei Zhang, Danyell Wells

Faculty Publications

Purpose. This study determined 2010 rates of overweight/obesity in a representative sample of low-income preschoolers in Mississippi, USA and compared rates between 2005 (� = 1 2 5 0) and 2010 (� = 1 7 6 5). Significance. Obesity is a significant global health issue because of its well-established negative health consequences. Child obesity is a concern due to risk of early-onset obesity-related illnesses and the longevity of lifetime exposure to those illnesses. Methods. Identical measures were used in 2005 and 2010 with complex-stratified sampling designs. Results. Chi-square tests revealed that overall obesity/overweight rates between 2005 (20.6%/17.9%) and 2010 (20.8%/17.0%) …

Contemporary Clothing Issues Of Women Who Are Post-Mastectomy, Carol Beard

Dissertations

The intent of this three-paper format dissertation is to examine three topics germane to the clothing requirements and clothing acquisition of women who are postmastectomy. Each paper’s focus resides within a broader theme of addressing a population that has specialized clothing needs. While each study is independent in nature, they build on each other. The first paper describes the demographics of the population and how those demographics and treatment path for breast cancer provide a different framework for reaction to the retail offerings currently on the market. The next paper focuses on the association between demographics and treatment path of …

"Don't Let The Job Change You; You Change The Job": The Lived Experiences Of Women In Policing, Carrie Buist

Dissertations

In the last decade, the percentage of women working as police officer has not seen any significant increase. This dissertation, "Don't Let the Job Change You; You Change the Job:" The Lived Experiences of Women in Policing uses in-depth, participant guided interviews with current women police officers to gain a better understanding of their experiences. The goal of this project was to allow the women to speak for themselves, and in sharing the narratives of their lived experiences as officers, both add to and build on the existing research on women working in policing. In addition to the interviews, observations …

Exploring The Well-Being Of Foster Children Of Parents With Substance Abuse Problems In Family Dependency Treatment Courts, Barbara M. Howes

Dissertations

The aim of this three-paper format dissertation is to explore how the well-being of foster children of parents with substance abuse problems is defined and promoted through Family Dependency Treatment Courts (FDTC) within the context of the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA). The benefit to the author of the three-paper method is the task of submitting the findings of the study for publication is eased as the dissertation contains three stand-alone articles. A drawback for the reader of the three paper method is that there is redundancy in reading the same sections in each paper. The reader is encouraged …

Reluctant To Report: The Mandated Reporting Practices Of Child Care Providers, Aileen Mckenna

Dissertations

Child care providers spend far more time with children under age 3, the most likely to suffer severe and fatal abuse and neglect, than any other mandated reporter. Their close relationship with both the child and the family places them in a unique position to observe signs and suspicions of abuse or neglect and to make timely reports to Child Protective Services (CPS). Yet despite this, child care providers rank last among mandated reporters in both reporting suspicions of abuse and neglect and in actual substantiated reports. Only a handful of studies have looked specifically at the decision-making practices of …

Latina Women’S Reasons For And Experience Of Sexual Assault Disclosure: A Qualitative Investigation, Melissa Villarreal

Dissertations

This study describes Latina women’s experiences of sexual assault disclosure. The research questions are: (1) What reasons do Latinas give for choosing to disclose, not to disclose, or to delay disclosure of their experiences of sexual assault? (2) Can patterns be detected regarding to whom Latinas disclose and under what circumstances? (3) What feelings and consequences do Latinas remember experiencing during their initial disclosure? (4) In retrospect, how do Latinas interpret their self-disclosure decisions? Participants for this study agreed to be interviewed about their sexual assault experiences. Seven interviews were gathered in 2005 and six in 2011. A constant comparison …

Designing For The User: Exploring The Interface Design Of Web Services, Katelyn Anne Haw

Honors Program Theses

My thesis investigated the ideas of usability and the design process to create software that is considered usable. I developed a web interface for a Plan of Study Application that would help students make the educated decisions about their studies at UNI. Throughout the development of this application I addressed the following questions: "What makes an interface usable?" and "How does the design process affect a system's usability?" User interface design is an interdisciplinary process and it often involves computer programmers and graphic designers working together. Without clear communication and vision between the groups, the software being developed has little …

Attitudes In Psychiatry In Bangalore, India, Akshay Lohitsa

Quill & Scope

An analysis of an international rotation in Bangalore, India where an American medical student was able to compare and contrast attitudes towards psychiatry and mental illness. Many third world countries boast cure rates comparable or better than the U.S. for schizophrenia and other psychiatric diseases, and it remains unclear why this would be. One possible reason of why this trend is occur-ring is provided.

Hofstra’S Family Law With Skills Course: Implementing Fler (The Family Law Education Reform Project), Andrew Schepard, J. Herbie Difonzo

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

The Family Law Education Reform Project (FLER ) Final Report documented that the current doctrinally oriented family law curriculum at most law schools does not adequately prepare students for modern family law practice. FLER recommended that law school courses move from the study of cases to the study of the legal system’s effect on families, and integrate the study of alternative dispute resolution and interdisciplinary knowledge. In response, Hofstra Law School has made a comprehensive attempt to implement FLER’s curricular recommendations. This article discusses one major innovation – the Family Law with Skills course. Family Law with Skills is the …

Reviewer Essay: What Makes For A High Quality Ij-Sotl Research Article?, Lorraine Stefani

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Excerpt:

The characteristics of a high quality research article for the IJ-SoTL do not differ markedly from research articles for other journals. Obviously the nature of a research article presented for review and publication must be a good fit with the terms of reference of the Journal being targeted. It follows therefore that any research article for IJ-SoTL must show that the authors understand the nature, the nuances and the complexities of the scholarship of teaching...

Keywords

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

Keywords for Senate and House bills

Sexual Attraction To Clients : Are Master Of Social Work Students Trained To Manage Such Feelings?, Jennifer Davis Begun

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory/descriptive study was undertaken to determine if master of social work students in a current field placement experienced sexual attraction to clients, and whether they felt adequately trained on the subject. The study also inquired about how the students handled their feelings of sexual attraction and whether they discussed them with their supervisor and/or fellow students. An email was sent out to the researcher's fellow social work students asking them to complete the qualitative and quantitative survey and to pass it along to others in master of social work programs. To be eligible, all survey respondents had to be …

A Channel Of Peace : The Role Of Clinicians' Spirituality In Their Clinical Process, Tiffany Rene Adams

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study examined how experienced clinicians who self-identify as spiritual perceive the role their spirituality has in their clinical practice. The specific research question was: How do clinicians incorporate their own spirituality into their clinical practice? This study was undertaken because of the limited amount of research exploring the relationship between clinicians' personal spirituality and the influence it has in their clinical practice. Given the limited amount of research in the area, a phenomenological approach was used. Thirteen licensed mental health clinicians who self- identified as spiritual filled out a questionnaire and were interviewed. The professions the participants belonged …

Queering The Ncaa : How Athletic Administrators At National Collegiate Athletic Association Institutions Include Transgender Athletes, Lisa Margaret Brookens

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This thesis examines how Athletic Administrators (AA) at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) institutions include transgender identities in their policies and practices. The main hypothesis presumes that people in positions of power within the NCAA membership have less inclusive opinions regarding transgender student-athletes (TSA). A mixed methods design was used, and an anonymous web-based survey tool was employed to address AA perceptions. Inferential statistics along with queer-feminist theory were utilized to document and deconstruct dominant themes generated during data collection. The participant pool included 511 AA's recruited by use of an exhaustive email list of the two top AA's at …

The Psychological And Emotional Experiences Of Pregnant And Postpartum Incarcerated Women, Kimberly Erin Gillette

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This theoretical thesis explores the experiences of pregnant and postpartum incarcerated women, with particular emphasis on the impact of attachment insecurity, relational trauma, and forced separation from their infants. The majority of incarcerated women are dually diagnosed with substance abuse disorder and other clinical disorders on Axis I or II of the Diagnostic Statistic Manual IV. Often the symptoms displayed from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder are mistaken for personality disorders which prejudice staff and providers against these women. Thorough assessments need to be conducted using a compassionate lens to accurately interpret the psychological effects of interpersonal violence and other traumas and …

The Effects Of Alternative Treatments Such As Yoga And Meditation As Adjunctive Therapy On Adolescent Alcohol Abusers With A History Of Trauma, Ann Marie Hegarty

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to determine whether alternative forms of treatment such as yoga and meditation, when used adjunctively with traditional therapies, are effective in the treatment of adolescents with both alcohol use disorder (AUD) and a history of trauma. There have been studies linking relaxation therapy and meditation to improved outcomes in similar adult populations but very few have studied adolescents. Given the early onset of use and abuse of alcohol by many of those who also have a history of trauma, this study sought to explore the opinions of clinicians who utilize these alternative treatments. A total of …

Recovery And The Role Of The Certified Peer Specialist : An Historical Analysis Of An Evolving Concept And Paradigm, Patricia Susan Kruglak

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The last decade of the twentieth century signaled a major shift in United States' mental health care, with 'recovery-oriented care' the new paradigm for mental health policy and services. While there is a consensus on the need to focus on recovery, the concept of recovery remains an evolving construct. This study examined the evolving conceptualization of recovery, focusing in particular on the role of the Consumer/Survivor/Ex-Patient Movement in altering social discourses concerning mental illness, recovery and the power dynamics within the extant mental health system. This study concludes with an examination of the recent Certified Peer Specialist position, concluding that …

An Exploration Of The Potential Interplay Between Mood Disorder And The Artistic Process, Daphne Nayar, Daphne Kaur Nayar

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide a deeper understanding of the complex reciprocal interplay between an artist's diagnosable mood symptoms and his or her creative process through the personal narrative of the artists. To this end, 15 artists of both solitary and performance orientated disciplines were interviewed utilizing a semi-structured open-ended interview format. These artists included painters, poets, an actor, a performing artist, vocalists and musicians, who had all considered themselves to be professional artists for at least five years. As part of the inclusion criteria, each of the artists had been diagnosed with either Depression (Dysthymia …

The Lies That Bind : Heteronormative Constructions Of "Family" In Social Work Discourse, Cassie Maude Peterson

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The social work profession has a long, enduring history and commitment to American families, and has often led the way in embracing alternative family arrangements. Gay and lesbian families are gaining more political visibility and lobbying for the rights and protections from which they were previously excluded. Therefore, this study is an analysis of social work's contemporary, defining representations of gay and lesbian families. Twelve, gay and lesbian "family" research studies were culled from the database, Social Work Abstracts, and subjected to queer discourse analysis in order to illuminate how these alternative family forms are being constructed within the discipline …

Personal Experiences Of Formerly Obese Individuals Maintaining Significant Weight Loss : A Descriptive Study : A Project Based Upon An Investigation At The Weight Management Program Of San Francisco, Inc., San Francisco, California, Jennifer L. Simon

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study explored and described how psychological processes relate to maintaining significant weight loss. The goals for this study were to add to the weight literature the personal experiences of individuals maintaining significant weight loss and to better understand the needs of these individuals so as to develop psychological interventions that are effective in assisting with successful weight loss maintenance (WLM) and in reducing the perceived difficulty of WLM. Twelve formerly obese adults currently engaged in WLM, recruited primarily from The Weight Management Program of San Francisco, Inc., were interviewed about their perceptions, thoughts, emotions, and self-concepts as they reflected …

Antisociality, Childhood Sexual Trauma, And Cognitive Distortions Surprisingly Not Predictive Of Deviant Sexual Arousal In Male Sex Offenders Who Have Abused Children, Amanda Klein Slatus

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

In this study I examined potential predictive factors of deviant arousal. Variables were chosen based on the relationship shown in previous literature between variables and sex offending and recidivism. The sample for this analysis consisted of 100 incarcerated sex offenders who completed the Life History Survey (Burton, 2003). This is a subset of the sample surveyed by Burton (2003). The hypotheses of this study were that antisociality, childhood sexual trauma, and cognitive distortions would each be predictive of deviant arousal and the interaction between the variables would be the strongest predictor of deviant arousal. No predictive relationships were found and …

Feelings Of Preparedness In Assessing, Preventing And Treating Suicide Among Social Work Graduates, Katherine H. O'Brien

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Research on suicide assessment and prevention is limited in the social work field although social workers are the largest group of mental health practitioners treating individuals experiencing suicidal ideation. Recent literature points out social workers receive less than two hours training in suicidology during their graduate training programs. This study evaluates levels of preparedness and comfort in assessing and preventing suicide based on graduate training opportunities for MSW's. The study analyzed data received from 58 completed online surveys. Major findings show that social workers who received training on suicide assessment and prevention in their field placement internships were more prepared …

Book Review: Social Problems: A Service Learning Approach By Corey Dolgon And Chris Baker, Benjamin C. Shepard

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Problem-Based Learning In Mathematics, Thomas C. O'Brien, Chris Wallach, Carla Mash-Duncan

The Mathematics Enthusiast

A teacher of mathematics has a great opportunity. If he fills his allotted time with drilling his students in routine operations, he kills their interest, hampers their intellectual development, and misuses his opportunity. But if he challenges the curiosity of his students by setting them problems proportionate to their knowledge and helps them to solve their problems with stimulating questions, he may give them a taste for, and some independent means of, independent thinking.

Using Hip-Hop As An Empowerment Tool For Young Adults : An Exploratory Study : A Project Based Upon Independent Investigation, Jihan Danae Sims

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study was developed to explore the role that hip-hop music plays in the lives of young adults and empowerment. The researcher was interested in clinical applications of hip-hop music to address high attrition rates of youth in traditional models of therapy. Although there is much literature on the topic of hip-hop music, there is less written about the role that hip-hop music plays in the development of an individual's sense of self and empowerment. The latter was the focus of this study. Twelve participants were interviewed in the Los Angeles area regarding their experience of listening to and …

Can Analysis Align With Antiracism? : An Exploration Of The Experiences Of Psychoanalysts Working Toward Social Justice, Madeline Rae Nussbaum

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This research study is an exploration of the ways in which practicing psychoanalysts work towards antiracism in clinical practice. The study is based on an independent and in-depth investigation of 9 practicing psychoanalysts who self-identify as committed to the goals of antiracism. The study examines the ways in which theoretical orientation, analytic training, and clinical practice experience impact the analysts' commitment to antiracism and their ability to feel effective in their work. The study was designed using the constructivist grounded theory method for data collection and analysis. This method takes into account the social location of the participants and the …