Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Landscape: Quiet Places, Elizabeth Mylott, Kenya D. Williams

Metroscape

How does sound affect the urban experience? Recently, acoustics ecologists who study relationships among human beings, communities, and environments have been drawing attention to the potential adverse and pleasurable effects of aural surroundings on physical and behavioral responses. Such reactions to soundscapes are often unnoticed due to passive hearing versus active listening. Cities are often dismissed as loud areas with noisy and annoying soundscapes. However, some parks and gardens within cities are designed, at least in part, for calm and quiet.

Indicators Of The Metroscape: Immigration, Elizabeth Mylott

Metroscape

The number of immigrants living and working in the metroscape is increasing. In 2005, the foreign born population numbered 250,955, a dramatic increase from the 1990 level of 88,072. Not only are more immigrants settling here, but the proportion of the population who is foreign born is also increasing—from 5.96% in 1990 to 12% in 2005.

Healthy Eating And Active Living In North Portland: Asset Mapping With G.I.S., Arthur Aldridge, Susan M. Anderson, Mike Aspros, Lisa Barnes, Matt Bergstrom, Ambra Bingham, Ernest Bork, Sara Cottam, Jeremy Crawford, Shawna Graber, Jonathan Jubera, Patrick Louisel, Rebecca Symonds, Eric Wright

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

Making community development as democratic as possible has long been a challenge for urban planners and municipalities alike. A number of obstacles stand in the way of greater community participation in the planning process and consequently communities who are best served by their design. Visual Preference Surveys (VPS) are a tool planners can use to increase participation in the design process within the communities they serve. This can result in community plans that more accurately reflect the wants or needs of its members. Relying heavily on image driven content, VPS offers communities a straightforward methodology that asks participants to rate …

Focal Point, Volume 21 Number 02, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

Evidence–based programs produce positive outcomes for consumers, providers, and the greater public. However, not all evidence–based programs have been proven to work with diverse groups. This issue of Focal Point features programs that have been developed specifically to meet the needs of underserved youth such as immigrants, rural or homeless youth, and those from racial or sexual minority groups.

O, Give Me A Home: Kids, Stability, & Education, Andrée Tremoulet, Elizabeth Mylott

Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies Publications

Examines the state of homelessness in Oregon, with special focus on special needs for homeless students. Looks at factors affecting housing instability, student stability rates, and what schools should do to best serve homeless students. Calls for a re-examination of homeless stereotypes, in light of the fact that one third of the homeless in Oregon are children.

The Changing Paradigm Of Emergency Management : Improving Professional Development For The Emergency Manager, Robert Edward Grist

Dissertations and Theses

Throughout its short and remarkable history, emergency management has been subjected to a vast array of fast-moving and radical changes which have presented significant challenges to the men and women in this emerging profession. This study was designed to help determine the adequacy of their professional development to meet those challenges.

The study is framed within an environment where emergency managers face the pressure to professionalize; explore the world of risk, trust, and the distribution of power; confront revolutionary changes; and concern themselves with the social impact of disasters in their own communities. This study asks: "Do Emergency Managers feel …

Family-Friendly Workplace Culture, Flexibility, And Workplace Support For Dependent Care : The Perspectives Of Human Resource Professionals, Katherine June Huffstutter

Dissertations and Theses

Integration of family responsibilities and employment demands is challenging for all families, but particularly for those families with extraordinary care requirements of children with mental health disabilities. Utilization of workplace supports, such as flexible work arrangements, has been identified in the work-family literature as an important indicator of organizational responsiveness to employee's family needs (Allen, 2001; Eaton, 2003; Hammer, Neal, Newsom, Brockwood, & Colton, 2005; Secret, 2000). A better understanding of which organizational conditions may improve utilization of available family-friendly supports by employees caring for children with mental health disorders can improve work-life integration for these families. This study examines …

From Prison To The Community : The Role Of Citizen Participation In Female Prisoner Reentry, Dana Roderick Torrey

Dissertations and Theses

Growing attention is being given to the design of programs for female prisoners to assist their successful reentry into the community upon the completion of their incarceration. However, current programs have been largely designed and implemented with the goal of seeking parolee compliance through mandatory rules and practices. Little emphasis is placed on preparing inmates to assume their duties as citizens and active participants in the lives of their community. In short, existing programs pay little attention to the importance of creating what I call for purposes of this study, “citizen participation”.

This study tests the importance of developing a …

Healthy Eating Active Living: A Project Of The Spring 2007 North Portland Asset Mapping Capstone, Andrew Clarke, Melissa Lindsey, Greg Waite, Robert Y. Lee

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

Our mission is to identify, map, and link assets that promote healthy eating and active living in St. Johns and Portsmouth. This study will target young families with the intent of creating a tool that will aid in defining incentives and barriers for the community.

Oregon City School District Enrollment Forecasts, 2007-08 To 2011-12, Portland State University. Population Research Center, Charles Rynerson, Vivian Siu

School District Enrollment Forecast Reports

The Oregon City School District (OCSD) enrolled 7,764 students in Fall 2006, a decrease of 189 students (2.4 percent) from Fall 2005. Much of the K-12 decrease was due to a relatively small kindergarten class entering and a large 12th grade class graduating. Also, the figures do not include enrollment at the District’s two charter schools, both of which opened in Fall 2006 and enrolled some students who were previously enrolled in districtrun schools. This report presents the results of a demographic study conducted by the Portland State University Population Research Center (PRC). The study includes analysis of population, housing …

Hermiston School District Population And Enrollment Forecasts, 2007-08 To 2016-17, Portland State University. Population Research Center, Charles Rynerson, Vivian Siu

School District Enrollment Forecast Reports

The Hermiston School District (HSD) has experienced increases in overall K-12 enrollment in each of the past 11 years. In the past five years, enrollments have increased by an average of 119 annually, reaching a total of 4,776 students in Fall 2006. This report presents the results of a study conducted by the Portland State University Population Research Center (PRC) concluding that the most likely scenario is for continued enrollment growth in the HSD during the next 10 years until 2016-17.

Active Recreation In Parks: Can Park Design And Facilities Promote Use And Physical Activity?, Lynnette Renee Weigand

Dissertations and Theses

Current research is examining the link between the built environment and regular physical activity to improve public health. As communities become denser and individual lots become smaller, locally accessible parks will assume more importance as places to promote physical activity and individual health outcomes.

To determine if park design and facilities can promote use and physical activity, I examined five neighborhood parks in three newer developments near Portland, Oregon (Fairview Village, Sunnyside Village and Orenco Station). I used a multi-method research approach that included interviews with relevant public agencies and developers, field inventories of the parks and surrounding context, observations …

Having Something To Say, Christopher V. Hollister

Communications in Information Literacy

No abstract provided.

Exploring Strategies For Integrated Information Literacy: From "Academic Champions" To Institution-Wide Change, Claire Mcguinness

Communications in Information Literacy

In this paper, the author critically reviews the strategies that have been adopted by librarians to secure academic support for curriculum-integrated information literacy (IL) instruction, and questions whether the popular approach of targeting individual academics offers a suitable foundation for the establishment of long-term IL programs. The paper suggests that librarians should instead align their IL objectives with the overall academic mission of their institutions and seek out the means to effect a more wide-ranging change in the academic culture, where IL is recognized as a core educational value. Several strategies are suggested by which this aim may be achieved.

An Interview With Patricia Senn Breivik, Stewart Brower, Christopher V. Hollister

Communications in Information Literacy

No abstract provided.

Information Literacy At Augustana: A Programmatic Approach, Nancy E. Goebel, Paul J. Neff

Communications in Information Literacy

Information literacy programs, and the factors that influence their development and structure, can vary significantly from institution to institution. Credit-bearing discipline-specific information literacy courses are a rare and valuable component of an undergraduate educational experience and form the basis of Augustana's information literacy program. This article provides an overview of the development, implementation, successes, and drawbacks of the credit-bearing discipline-specific information literacy courses at the Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta (Camrose, Alberta, Canada). Additional program components including Augustana's annual information literacy workshop, information literacy awards, information literacy DVD, and marketing/branding, are discussed.

Developing Students' Information And Research Skills Via Blackboard, Jacqui Weetman Dacosta, Becky Jones

Communications in Information Literacy

This paper summarizes work undertaken at De Montfort University (Leicester, UK) to develop students' information and research skills using the Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment. It outlines how a traditionally delivered and assessed program was reviewed and revised in order to produce a blended learning experience for students. The librarians involved undertook this project with students from the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences during March/April 2005, teaching two groups in parallel--one group using Blackboard and another using the traditional teaching method. Both groups were given a diagnostic evaluation to gauge their confidence levels with both information skills and using Blackboard, …

Network Analysis Of A Shared Governance System, Debra Reifman Whitall

Dissertations and Theses

This study contributes to the growing body of literature on the role of networks in creating efficacious systems of governance. In particular, this study considers if, in addition to network structure, two network characteristics, network social capital and network management, each have direct and indirect effects on network performance. Also considered are the combined effects of these three network characteristics on network performance. The findings of this study re-examine the relationship between network characteristics and performance, especially the influence of network structure on performance. Thus, this study has practical implications for policy makers regarding effective collaborative strategies.

This study used …

Family Participation : Exploring The Role It Plays In Outcomes For Youth With Serious Emotional Disorders, Jodi Lee Kerbs

Dissertations and Theses

The participation of families of children with emotional or behavioral disorders is increasingly seen as an essential component of children's mental health services. Although it is frequently discussed in the literature, family participation has not been a major focus of most research surrounding youth with serious emotional disorders (SED). This gap in research is particularly evident in the literature related to those youth who are also in the juvenile justice system. This study explored the concept of family participation in the context of services for youth with SED and examined the relationship between family participation in treatment planning and child …

Forest Grove School District: Enrollment Forecasts 2007-08 To 2011-12, Portland State University. Population Research Center

School District Enrollment Forecast Reports

The Forest Grove School District (FGSD) enrolled 6,102 students in Fall 2006, an increase of 175 students (3.0 percent) from Fall 2005. Growth was concentrated in the high school grades (9-12), which grew by 101 students (5.5 percent), and elementary grades, which gained 66 students (2.9 percent) between Fall 2005 and Fall 2006. This report presents the results of a demographic study conducted by the Portland State University Population Research Center (PRC). The study includes analysis of population, housing and enrollment trends affecting the District in recent years, estimates of the impacts of new housing development on FGSD enrollment, and …

Miami Voter Dispositions Toward The Development ‘Boom’ And Economic Development Policy: A Report On Focus Group Research Among City Of Miami Voters, Alex Stepick, Marcos Feldman

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this project is to assess City of Miami residents’ opinions about Miami’s building boom of the past few years. We were concerned with how development directly affects the lives of individuals in Miami, especially in the areas where development is concentrated. We wanted to learn what residents view as the positive and negative impacts of development and what path they felt development should follow.

Diversity Training Needs Assessment, Masami Nishishiba

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

The Diversity Action Council of Wagner College requested a needs assessment for a diversity-training program for the Wagner campus community. A series of informal meetings with students, faculty, staff, and administrators was arranged on March 28, 2007.

Several key themes emerged from the various group discussions. They are organized in three categories: (a) Strengths, (b) Issues, and (c) What needs to be done.

A New Measure Of Financial Openness, Menzie David Chinn, Hiro Ito

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We create a new index that measures the extent of openness in capital account transactions. Despite the abundance of literature and policy analyses regarding the effect of financial liberalization, the debate is far from settled. One of the reasons for that outcome is the lack of proper ways of measuring the extent of the openness in cross-border financial transactions. We seek to remedy this deficiency by creating an index aimed at measuring the extensity of capital controls based on the information from the IMF’s Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions (AREAER). This paper details how we construct the …

Newcomer Adjustment During Organizational Socialization: A Meta-Analytic Review Of Antecedents, Outcomes, And Methods, Talya N. Bauer, Berrin Erdogan, Todd Bodner, Donald M. Truxillo, Jennifer S. Tucker

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

The authors tested a model of antecedents and outcomes of newcomer adjustment using 70 unique samples of newcomers with meta-analytic and path modeling techniques. Specifically, they proposed and tested a model in which adjustment (role clarity, self-efficacy, and social acceptance) mediated the effects of organizational socialization tactics and information seeking on socialization outcomes (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job performance, intentions to remain, and turnover). The results generally supported this model. In addition, the authors examined the moderating effects of methodology on these relationships by coding for 3 methodological issues: data collection type (longitudinal vs. cross-sectional), sample characteristics (school-to-work vs. work-to-work …

Contribution Of Public Support Agency Programs To Local New Firm Performance, Stephen Baker Braun

Dissertations and Theses

New and small firms make two indispensable contributions to the American economy: they generate change and competition through market structure changes and they are an essential vehicle by which hundreds of thousands of individuals enter the economic mainstream of American society. Small business formation is hailed as the "engine for economic growth," contributing more than 60 percent of net new jobs in the United States. The central issue of this dissertation is to understand the extent to which entrepreneurs are helped by government agency programs in assembling resources that contribute to the performance of new firms.

This study develops a …

City Club Report On Ballot Measures 26-91 & 26-92, City Club Of Portland (Portland, Or.)

City Club of Portland

No abstract provided.

Pointing Users Toward Citation Searching: Using Google Scholar And Web Of Science, Robert Schroeder

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since April 2005, 10 studies have been published that directly compare the citation features of Google Scholar to those of Web of Science. In an effort to better understand the advantages and disadvantages of these tools, the author undertook an investigation of this research. Although the parameters of the studies varied greatly with respect to the disciplines, dates, and sample sizes, analysis of these preliminary studies can help us gain an initial—albeit sketchy—impression of the relative strength and weakness of each service. The results of this effort are reported here as an informal meta-analysis, followed by some recommendations for utilizing …

Building Community Research Capacity: Process Evaluation Of Community Training And Education In A Community-Based Participatory Research Program Serving A Predominately Puerto Rican Community, Laurene M. Tumiel-Berhalter, Victoria Mclaughlin-Diaz, John Vena, Carlos J. Crespo

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Education and training build community research capacity and have impact on improvements of health outcomes.

Objectives: This manuscript describes the training and educational approaches to building research capacity that were utilized in a community-based participatory research program serving a Puerto Rican population and identifies barriers and strategies for overcoming them.

Methods: A process evaluation identified a multitiered approach to training and education that was critical to reaching the broad community.

Results: This approach included four major categories providing a continuum of education and training opportunities: networking, methods training, on-the-job experience, and community education. Participation in these opportunities supported the …

Disease And Demography In The Plateau, Robert T. Boyd, Cecilia D. Gregory

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Twelve years ago, Roderick Sprague asked the authors-an anthropologist trained in epidemiology and a physician with training in paleopathology-to prepare this paper for his projected book, Burial Practices of the Plateau. Since that volume has not seen print, and with the intention of bringing the information herein to the attention of regional researchers, in early 2004 Sprague asked us if we would be willing to have it published as the first in a special numbered series of articles in the Journal of Northwest Anthropology. We agreed, with the proviso that it be at least moderately updated to reflect developments since …

Evaluation Of The Oregon Dmv Driver Improvement Program, James G. Strathman, Thomas J. Kimpel, Paul Roland Leistner

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report provides an evaluation of the Oregon Department of Transportation-Driver and Motor Vehicle (DMV) Services Driver Improvement Program (DIP), which was substantially changed in 2002. Prior to 2002, the DIP was organized around four progressive steps involving advisory letters, warning letters, probation, and suspension. The current program is organized around two steps: restriction and suspension. The timeline to the steps in the current program have also been shortened. To evaluate the current program, driver records of persons suspended between January and July of 2004 were examined in relation to a sample of Oregon’s driving population. The incidence of crashes …