Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How To Help Kids Succeed - School-Based Programs And Social Mobility, Theresa Bell

Honors Theses

Education is the key to Social Mobility and unless children from poor families get a college degree, their economic mobility is severely restricted (Tough, 2016 pg 2). In November of 2005, the City unveiled a college tuition incentive to Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) graduates, The Kalamazoo Promise. According to the Kalamazoo Promise website (2017), the purpose of the Promise is to, “provide a real meaningful and tangible opportunity for all students,” as “education is an important key to financial wellbeing.” Though access to an affordable college education is possible for Kalamazoo students eligible for The Promise, the numbers show that …

Family Experiences In Engaging In Employment: How Do We Improve Outcomes?, John Kramer, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Session 018: Abolishing Exploitive Labour Practices Room: Freedom H

Sponsors: Disability Youth, Aging, and the Life Course

Organizer, Presider &

Discussant: Katherine Caldwell, University of Illinois at Chicago

Papers:

“Differences in Earnings among Persons with and without Disabilities,” Alexandra Krause, Florida State University

“Family Experiences in Engaging in Employment: How Do We Improve Outcomes?” John Kramer, University of Massachusetts Boston

“Shifting the Paradigm through Entrepreneurship,” Katherine Caldwell, University of Illinois at Chicago

Promoting Savings At Tax Time: Insights From Online And In-Person Tax Preparation Services, Genevieve Davison, Ellen Frank-Miller, Stephen P. Roll, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Center for Social Development Research

This report presents findings and insights from Refund to Savings: Applications for myRA, a collaborative project involving the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Washington University in St. Louis, and Intuit, Inc. The project explored methods of promoting the myRA (My Retirement Account) savings program at tax time—that is, when households file their taxes. It focused specifically on opportunities in an online tax-filing setting and in person at Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites. The first component of the project examined the retirement needs of low- and moderate-income (LMI) tax filers through a large, national, online survey. It also …

Indigenous Impacts On North American Great Plains Fire Regimes Of The Past Millennium, Christopher I. Roos, Maria Nieves Zedeño, Kacy L. Hollenback, Mary M. H. Erlick

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Fire use has played an important role in human evolution and subsequent dispersals across the globe, yet the relative importance of human activity and climate on fire regimes is controversial. This is particularly true for historical fire regimes of the Americas, where indigenous groups used fire for myriad reasons but paleofire records indicate strong climate–fire relationships. In North American grasslands, decadal-scale wet periods facilitated widespread fire activity because of the abundance of fuel promoted by pluvial episodes. In these settings, human impacts on fire regimes are assumed to be independent of climate, thereby diminishing the strength of climate–fire relationships. We …

Discovering Meaning-Making In A Child Custody Context: The Combined Benefits Of Using Van Manen's Phenomenology And A Critical Lens, Beth Archer-Kuhn

The Qualitative Report

Phenomenology as a methodology reveals lived experience (van Manen, 2017); as such, it is an excellent methodology to help us understand the parent perceptions and experiences of child custody decision-making. Qualitative researchers have explored the ways in which lived experience is influenced by issues of culture and gender (Kall & Zeiler, 2014). In this paper, I explain how the key tenets of phenomenology, epoché and reduction, revealed the importance of custody status for participants, and also discuss how differences in gender was rendered invisible in the initial analysis. The flexible nature of phenomenology allowed me to use a critical lens …

The Buffering Effect Of Mindfulness Between The Stressors And Perceived Stress In Faith-Based University Students, Amber Glantz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of study was to research the buffering effect of mindfulness between the stressors and perceived stress in faith-based university students. Literature suggests that as mindfulness increases, stress decreases. This study attempts to provide information on college students’ perceived stress levels, stressors they face, and mindfulness awareness. A multiple linear regression was conducted to examine the association between perceived stress, stressors, and mindfulness levels. A sample of 91 students in the Spring of 2018 at a faith-based university in Texas were asked to participate in an online survey. Some findings were not congruent with the literature. The results of …

Wood County Project Connect: Final Report For Event Held October 18, 2017, Melissa W. Burek, Mamta Ojha, Marisa Hutchinson, Brandon Peebles

Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Wood County, Ohio Service providers and volunteers came together to serve those at risk for homelessness and under-served populations at the 5th Annual Project Connect. Data were collected from guests, volunteers, and providers to capture the characteristics and satisfaction levels of those in attendance and those involved in carrying out this expansive, one-day event. The results are presented in the report.

Religion And Resiliency Among Female Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Holders, Sahil K. Gilani

Social Work Theses - Archive

This thesis analyzed the relationship between the religiosity of four newly-arrived female Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders in the Dallas area and its impact on their resiliency, coping, and outlook on their new lives in the United States. The research was conducted through a phenomenological qualitative approach, which allowed the researcher to capture the lived experiences, feelings, and meanings that female SIVs attach to certain phenomena in their social environment (Husserl, 2012). The study hoped to add to the existing evidence-based research and knowledge on the efficacy, or lack thereof, of using religion as a coping mechanism.

Exploring The Predictors Of Well-Being And Advance Directives Among Elder Orphans: A Mixed Methods Study, Rupal M. Parekh

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Elder orphan is a term popularized by the media to describe the more than 22% of community-dwelling US adults aging alone with limited social support, social isolation, multiple chronic health issues, and childlessness. Elder orphans who have not initiated advance directives are at risk of becoming unbefriended, having no able or willing family or friends to make medical decisions during acute injury or medical crisis. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was to understand the determinants of well-being and advance care planning. A cross-sectional analysis of members (n = 368) of an online Facebook group of elder orphans …

An Exploration Of National Family Caregiver Support Programs Serving Informal Grandparent Caregivers: A Descriptive Phenomenology Approach, Dorothea Lagail Ivey

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Grandparent caregiving is a widespread form of kinship care in the U.S. More than 2.7 million of grandparents in the U.S. are the primary caregivers for grandchildren without parental involvement (US Census Bureau, 2012). A particular group among grandparent caregivers often excluded in social services are those that are raising grandchildren informally without child welfare involvement. Informal grandparent caregivers (IGCs) are increasing and will continue to play significant roles in raising grandchildren for many generations (Ehrle et. al., 2001; Gibson & Singh, 2004; Goodman & Silverman, 2001). The National Family Caregiving Support Program (NFCSP) was enacted in 2000 and provides …

Building Successful P-3 Initiatives: Foundations And Catalysts For Systems Change, Lindsey Brianna Patterson, Beth L. Green, Callie H. Lambarth, Mackenzie Burton, Diane Reid

Early Childhood

Across the United States, there is a growing recognition that early education and K-12 systems require transformative changes to address racial, ethnic, linguistic and economic disparities in school readiness and success.

Prenatal-through-Grade-3 (P-3) initiatives address these disparities by coordinating, strengthening and aligning fragmented support systems for families and children from birth through third grade.

These increasingly popular initiatives:

• Are based on accumulating evidence that standalone early childhood and school-based programs are not sufficient to sustain long-term success for children facing early childhood inequities
• Take a collective impact approach that brings families, early childhood providers, K-12 staff and other partners together …

Data Collection Technology In Social Work: Evaluating Barriers To Utilization, Cynthia Lynn Jewett

Social Work Theses - Archive

This thesis explores Master of Social Work students’ Behavioral Intent (BI) to use Excel using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Technology Usage (UTAUT) as a theoretical framework. Excel was selected as a proxy measure of students’ overall readiness for data-intensive professional tasks, including fundraising, outcome tracking and reporting, and assorted administrative and research activities. A survey was adapted from the original UTAUT to measure students’ BI to use Excel, as well as four theorized constructs which were hypothesized to explain BI. The survey was then distributed to a sample of students. Fifty-eight complete responses were received and analyzed using …

A Community Assessment Of Food Resources Available To College Students In The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Katelyn Frances Pearson

Social Work Theses - Archive

After exploring the limited research available on food insecurity among college students, the goal of this study was to add in-depth information on the resources available to college and university students in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. This survey is an in-depth, qualitative interview with key informants in the student affairs departments at local colleges and universities to learn about: the demographics of institutions of higher education in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and the food resources campuses are providing to the students in need. Finally, the survey uncovered trends in addressing food insecurity among the colleges and universities who participated in …

This Is America: A Phenomenological Exploration Into The Educational Experiences Of African American Men Attending A Predominantly White University While On Academic Probation, Dante D. Bryant

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Purpose: The purpose of this investigation was to gain a more comprehensive understanding of educational experiences of eight African American (AA) men on academic probation, while attending a predominantly White college institution in the Southeastern part of the United States. While over the past decade increased attention has been given to the collegiate experiences of AA men, there has been little attention given to AA men who continue to struggle academically and are at the greatest risk of failing. Method: This study utilizes Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and Intersectionality Theory. Results: Participants in this study reported experienced Misrecognition, Diminished Confidence and …

Predicting Perceived Wellness For Cisgender Women Utilizing The Social Determinants Of Health Model: Testing Group Differences Between Sexual Minorities And Heterosexual Respondents, Kristen Leigh Hohn

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this investigation was to bridge a gap in the literature about health disparities experienced across the intersection of multiple identities of women in the United States. Through the theoretical frameworks of the Structural Determinants of Health (SDH; Solar & Irwin, 2010) and Minority Stress Theory (Meyer, 2003), the researcher conducted a cross-sectional anonymous online survey to test the multifaceted SDH statistical model with the Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS) as an outcome indicator for perceived health for sexual minority and non-sexual minority women. A great collection of research reveals increased rates of mental health problems, rates of victimization, …

A Study Of The Effect On Organizational Factors On Job Satisfaction Of Geriatric Practitioners Between Millennials And Older Generations, Peter (Minsuk) Jang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper is to recognize and improve the understanding of social workers’ job satisfaction in the geriatric area. Low job satisfaction makes social workers want to move their field and change their career. The research is the conceptual model of the moderating effect of patient engagement. The hypothesis is that the organizational factors of this model (climate, workplace, pay, supervision) lead to low job satisfaction for social workers and the generation gap between Millennials and older generations will result in different job satisfaction. The assumption was that among the factors (climate, workplace, pay, supervision), salary has the …

Families And Employment Of People With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: Results From A Scoping Study, John Kramer, Jennifer Bose, Jean Winsor, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Purpose: Recent policy changes expanding community employment for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) and awareness of the important role of family members as facilitators of these opportunities motivated this scoping review of the literature on family engagement with the IDD service system.

Methods: Researchers used Arksey and O’Malley’s six-stage scoping review methodology (2005) to map a wide range of literature to discover the resources and strategies available to families supporting people with IDD to find employment; the resources and strategies to support people with IDD and families to develop a vision of employment; and the resources and strategies to support …

Assessing The Relationship Between Acute And Chronic Health Conditions And Transportation Disadvantage And Quality Of Life Among Older Adults In Tarrant County, Texas, James Craig Keaton

Social Work Theses - Archive

By the year 2035, for the first time in US history, there will be more older adults in the US than individuals under the age of 18 (Vespa, 2018), and Tarrant County, Texas is the fastest growing community in the country (US Census Bureau, 2018), with older adults comprising a significant portion of that growth (United Way Tarrant County Community Assessment, 2015). Accompanying this, older adults are among the most at-risk individuals for acute and chronic health problems and are the highest utilizers of health care (Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program, 2018). Syed, Gerber, and Sharp (2013) report the …

Barriers To Self-Sufficiency For Syrian Refugees After Resettlement, Alexi Ellen De Lathouder

Social Work Theses - Archive

This case study serves as insight into the barriers to refugee self-sufficiency for resettled Syrians. An understanding of the refugee experience and obstacles faced after the initial resettlement period was developed through in-depth interviews of a resettled Syrian family in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Via case study and summative content analysis, the practicality of this population achieving self-sufficiency was analyzed. The results produced were compared with previous research to determine significance. The findings and discussion of language, finances, health, and social services resulted in implications for policy and further research regarding the Syrian refugee population.

A Cross-Sectional Study On Korean American Mental Health Challenges And Help-Seeking Behavior, Kelly Eunjung Baek

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Mental distress in the Korean American community remains chronically high yet professional service utilization is amongst the lowest of any ethnic group in the United States. With high rates of co-morbidity in this community, it is critical to utilize a multilevel approach to understand the scope of distress of distress by simultaneously analyzing the occurrences of anxiety, depression, and hwa-byung (a Korean cultural illness), in addition to studying factors that impact help-seeking behavior. To contextualize the unique circumstances and factors that impact mental health challenges and resource utilization in the community, Critical Race Theory and Anderson’s Healthcare Utilization Model was …

What’S Happening During Home Visits? Exploring The Relationship Of Home Visiting Content And Dosage To Parenting Outcomes, Peggy Nygren, Beth Green, Katie Winters, Anna Rockhill

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research has documented modest positive impacts of early childhood home visiting programs. However, understanding more about what home visitors do during visits and how much time they spend on specific topics may provide insight into the variability in effectiveness of services. Methods Outcome data were collected via parent survey at program enrollment and 12 months from 123 women in three MIECHV-funded home visiting models. Home visitors completed weekly home visit content and activity logs. Results Families received an average of 28 visits during the study (3.1 visits per month). Of ten content areas, the three most often discussed were early …

Exploring An Outdoor Experiential And Pyd Program's Influence On Youth In A Residential And Day Treatment Program, Rebecca Durbahn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the process and examines the outcomes of youth participating in a positive youth development adventure-based intervention Challenge By Choice (CBC) with outcomes of youth receiving treatment as usual in a residential and day treatment program. This dissertation aims to build on the growing body of literature on outcomes associated with PYD theoretical models and AET approaches. Specifically, the proposed dissertation asks: Is there a difference in externalizing behavioral outcomes for youth who participate in CBC as compared to peers of similar age/behavioral baseline who receive only treatment as usual?

To answer this research question, a mixed methods …

Texas Foster Care Service Providers’ Awareness And Perceptions Of Human Trafficking And Related Risk Factors Among Child Welfare Involved Youth, Kennedy Morrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to explore foster care service providers’ levels of awareness of human trafficking, exploitation, and related risk factors as experienced by foster youth, and to explore what factors influence those levels of awareness. The study entailed distributing a digital survey to foster care service providers in a snowballing method and encouraging them to send the survey to others. The survey found a statistically significant relationship between awareness/identification of risk factors and identification of exploitation, and the respondent’s previous human trafficking training. This supports the literature which indicates trafficking specific training is necessary to identify trafficking …

An Empirical Demonstration Of The Existence Of Measurement Dependence In The Results Of A Meta-Analysis, William R. Nugent, Sukyung Yoon, Jayme E. Walters

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Objective: Findings from meta-analytic studies that use standardized mean differences (SMDs) may be overly dependent on the original measures that were used to generate SMDs. This may be particularly true when measures have arbitrary metrics or when measures fail to meet measurement equivalence. We test the hypothesis that in such cases, meta-analytic results may vary significantly— statistically and practically—as a function of the measures used to derive SMDs. Methods: We conducted 5 secondary random-effects meta-analyses of SMDs—each under a different measurement scenario—from a published meta-analysis comparing the efficacy of cognitive–behavioral therapy with that of reminiscence therapy for depression in older …

The Intersections Of Good Intentions, Criminality, And Anti-Carceral Feminist Logic: A Qualitative Study That Explores Sex Trades Content In Social Work Education, Meg Rose Panichelli

Dissertations and Theses

This study uses anti-carceral feminist logic to explore the cultural meanings, criminal implications, and neoliberal influence that shape the landscape of social work education about the sex trades in the United States and transnationally. "What are social work instructors teaching students about the sex trades in coursework?" is the question that directs the study, which uses a feminist qualitative methodology inclusive of intersectional feminist epistemology as well as direct content analysis. To answer this question, I analyzed 20 social work course syllabi from sex trade related courses across the contiguous United States and interviewed 20 social work instructors from 14 …

A Foucaultian Discourse Analysis Of Person-Centered Practice Using A Genealogical Framework Of Intellectual Disability, Nick Winges-Yanez

Dissertations and Theses

A genealogical framework highlights the important role sexuality has played in constructing the current label of intellectual disability (ID). The genealogical framework is meant to replace the social, medical, and/or rights-based model(s) that have dominated social work and social services working in the disability field. With this framework, or perspective, I use a Foucaultian discourse analysis to read through seminal texts regarding person-centered practice.

Person-centered practice is the foremost intervention used in social work, and other disciplines, to work with people labeled with intellectual disability. My research questions focus on what is revealed about ID in PCP through a genealogical …

Msu-M Social Work Students' Perceptions Of Sexual Assault Reporting, Elizabeth M. Guss

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Prior research on sexual assault reporting has identified several barriers to reporting, such as rape myths, negative perceptions about how the report will be handled, and misinformation about reporting rights. Due to these barriers, many cases of sexual assault go unreported. By increasing education about sexual assault policies and access to resources, it is hoped that college campuses can become safer for all students. Data for this study was gathered through an online, anonymous survey which contained twelve questions- six about reporting perceptions and knowledge, and six about socio-demographic information. The survey was sent to an intro-level Social Work class …

Evaluation Of A Youth Emergency Room Enhancement Program For Behavioral Health, Anne Thatcher

Dissertations

Problem. Pediatric mental health complaints and subsequent hospitalizations have been steadily increasing. The Behavioral Health Network (BHN) developed an intensive outreach case management program aimed at reducing youth mental health emergency department (ED) visits and inpatient psychiatric admissions. The Youth Emergency Room Enhancement (YERE) program was a process improvement initiative to provide immediate case management to youth and caregivers for mental health care.

Methods. A Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) method utilizing a retrospective case record review occurred over a six-month period. A convenience sample of youth aged 6-20 years presenting to one of eight healthcare facilities for either ED or inpatient hospitalization …

Readiness For Change And Why It Matters, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

Organizations seeking to implement and evaluate a workforce intervention must be prepared for change. Change management experts suggest that when readiness in an organization is high, the organization is better able to initiate and sustain a major change. Staff in organizations that are ready for change are more likely to exert greater effort, persist in the face of obstacles, and display cooperative behavior. In organizations where staff are not ready for change, implementation and evaluation of a new intervention can be very difficult. Staff may not be ready for change if they don’t see the need for an intervention, are …

The Role Of Caregiver Disruption In The Development Of Juvenile Sexual Offenders, Miranda Sitney

Dissertations and Theses

In the last decade, it has been recognized that juveniles commit as much as 20% of all sexual offenses in the United States (DOJ, 2004). Research that attempts to understand why young people commit sex crimes points to an array of family factors that may uniquely contribute to the development of sexual offending over and above general juvenile delinquency. This study specifically examines disrupted caregiving, or receiving insufficient or substitute care, as a potential moderator in the relationship between offense status and caregiver-child relationship quality. Four distinct moderators were tested: gender of caregiver, biological relationship between caregiver and child, number …