Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Parental Perceptions Of Behavioral Changes In Children Following Divorce, Kenneth W. Bork

Dissertations and Theses

This research was undertaken primarily to describe the parental perceptions of the effects of divorce upon the children age eighteen or younger of the first married couples filing for divorce in Clackamas County, Oregon during 1975.

Native American Social Work Symposium : An Evaluation, Lou Stone

Dissertations and Theses

The inconsistencies of the state and federal policy toward Native populations and additionally those inconsistencies within the two governments themselves, require the maintenance of Indian and Alaskan Native organizations with sophisticated mechanisms developed to advocate “reforms” in Indian services to meet unique Indian needs.

Indian and Alaskan Native social workers invariably find themselves at the confluence of client service provision and surviving the extension of policies available to them from resource allocators for the purpose of service provision. In order to approach this dilemma, the Native American Social Work Symposium, held in May of 1977, convened on the basis of …

The Minorities Of Czechoslovakia And Poland : Of Treaties And Human Nature, Bryant L. Larson

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores briefly two experimental cases, Czechoslovakia and Poland, where between 1919 and 1938, efforts were made to solve the “minority problem." This thesis consists of five basic parts: Chapter I, an introduction that defines or describes such concepts as nationalism, nation, state, and minority; Chapter II that succinctly presents backgrounds and problems of minorities in Czechoslovakia (Germans, Magyars, Ruthenians, and Jews), and Poland (Germans, Jews and Ukrainians); Chapter III that analyzes the provisions of the Minority Treaties prepared by the principal Allied Powers at the end of World War I to protect minority rights within Czechoslovakia and Poland; …

Politics Of Land Use : The Lengthy Saga Of Senate Bill 100, Kathleen Joan Zachary

Dissertations and Theses

Theoretical literature on the politics of land use is so limited that original research into the problem was required. The drafting and enactment of Senate Bill 100 by the Fifty-seventh Session of the Oregon Legislature provided the basis for researching my premise of need equals want. The bill designated state land use planning organizational structure.

The Land Use Policy Committee minutes and Legislative minutes were merged with information attained through personal interviews from a variety of participants in the drafting of the Senate Bill 100. Theoretical literature was equally available in Public Administration, Law and Land Use Planning. The Constitutions …

An Evaluation Of Hew Grant 426, A Training Program For Foster Parents Of Handicapped Foster Children, William Mckee Thome

Dissertations and Theses

In 1969, the "President's Committee on Mental Retardation" issued a challenge to all those involved in the care and treatment of the mentally retarded, to integrate institutionalized children into "... normal community living... and enable them to develop their ability and potential to the fullest extent."¹ In addition to this mandate the federal government became increasingly aggressive in its campaign to make available to all handicapped children the same rights and privileges as "normal children". One of the major thrusts of this campaign today is to encourage local communities to commit themselves to fulfilling the needs of the handicapped …

Washington County Mental Health Program Year End Report For Fiscal Year 1976-1977, Jennifer Dee Pockel

Dissertations and Theses

Program evaluation is in its infancy at the Washington County Mental Health Program; it is only within the last two years that there has been any emphasis placed on evaluation activities. The first chapter in this practicum will identify and provide a context for the recent introduction of the management by objectives approach to process evaluation within the Washington County Mental Health Program as well as present a rationale for such an approach; the second chapter in this practicum is a presentation of results obtained from the first follow-up study to employ management objectives as an evaluation tool; the third …

A Study To Determine If Service Workers Want Additional Training Regarding Black Issues, Patricia Dickerson, Diane S. Whalen

Dissertations and Theses

The study is based upon five research questions which seek to determine service workers’ perceptions of black life experiences, the causes of black clients’ problems, and possible ways to alleviate these problems. Service workers are asked if present modes of intervention are effective in working with black clients. They are further asked if training regarding black issues would help facilitate their working with black clients, and if so, what areas of training would be most useful.

The researchers could have chosen any from among several client groups for this project. It was decided to limit the study to one group, …

Menopause, Middle Age, And The Social Worker, Bonnie C. Vatter

Dissertations and Theses

The central thesis of this paper is that the social work profession needs to know much more about menopause and its concomitants in order to enhance diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, the woeful lack of research and consequent paucity of data on the subject require a heavy reliance upon intuitively plausible statements in support of larger propositions about many of the strategic relationships advanced in the course of the argument. When these propositions and statements are taken as a whole, the paper is also an outline of essential research topics.

Material-Specific Processes In Tactile Short-Term Memory, Christina Anne Meyers

Dissertations and Theses

Studies concerning tactile short-term memory (short-term memory or the sense of touch) have often been contradictory. Some of these studies support the existence of modality-specific tactile memory, a separate, independent storage system for tactile information. Other studies do not support such a system. Further, confusion has arisen regarding the tactile test materials, since many of them use common shapes which are easily labeled verbally. It is hypothesized that information which can be labeled is stored in material-specific verbal memory in the left hemisphere, while patterned or spatial information is stored in material-specific nonverbal memory in the right hemisphere.

This paper …

Political Activities Of Professional Social Workers Residing In Portland, Oregon, Connie May Henes

Dissertations and Theses

In order to assess political activity levels of Portland social workers, thirty Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) social workers were interviewed according to a structured questionnaire. The members of the sample were selected from National Association of Social Workers, Oregon Chapter membership and from selected public social service agencies.

The results showed, in comparison to previous research findings of Lester Milbrath and Julian Woodward, that Portland social workers are more politically active and knowledgeable than hypothesized. Portland social workers were found to be largely Democrats. The most politically active social workers were found to be those who are employed in …

The Resilience Of The Child As A Factor In Successful Adjustment To Permanent Placement, Lani Maureen Mcdonald

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores the hypothesis that constitutional factors were significant in mediating their successful adjustment. The adjustment of children who in the past would have been viewed as permanently scarred and unable to adjust has provided researchers with an idiosyncratic situation that has also been found in other studies: children have adjusted despite odds against it and children considered to have incurred minimal trauma have had difficulty adjusting.

"Fallen Angels": An Historical Review Of Program Development And Clientele Of The Salvation Army White Shield Home With An Emphasis On The Years 1940-1976, Wendy Jo Ballard

Dissertations and Theses

The following paper is a study of the history of the Salvation Army White Shield Home of Portland, Oregon with emphasis on the years 1940 through 1976. The White Shield Home is a residential program which provides comprehensive services to school-age parents. A complete description of the setting and the services offered is found in Chapter II. "School-age parents" is the current term used to refer to unmarried pregnant women and women with infants in an effort to eliminate the stigma attached to "unwed mother" or "pregnant teenager".

The purpose of the study is threefold: 1) to familiarize the reader …

Program Evaluation: A Model For Evaluating Group Homes For The Developmentally Disabled, Michael J. Maley

Dissertations and Theses

The movement to increase the number of group home programs for the mentally retarded/developmentally disabled is present in the state of Oregon. The Boundary Street group home, located in Portland, was established as a result of this movement. As a rather typical group home program, it is subject to many of the program concerns and evaluation needs experienced by similar services. This point represents the ultimate reason for this paper. The primary purpose will be to develop a program evaluation system that will be appropriate and beneficial in meeting the evaluation needs of the Boundary Street group home. Because the …

A Comparative Study Of The Resettlement Status Of Indochinese Refugees In Portland, Rosalynn R. Ringor, Chareundi Van-Si, Steven Hernandez

Dissertations and Theses

This study sought to explore the resettlement of Indochinese refugees to their new life in Portland, Oregon. Three basic areas were under consideration. The first area dealt with demographic data: who are the refugees and what are their pasts? The second area focused on aspects of successful resettlement: what do refugees seek in order to consider themselves successfully resettled, and how do their ideas of successful resettlement collate with their present state of resettlement? The third area dealt with the effectiveness of resettlement programs: how have various assistance programs been helpful to the refugees, and are the refugees aware of …

Personality, Counseling And The Cancer Patient, Janet March, Ann Maxwell

Dissertations and Theses

The researchers in this study are concerned about what factors are involved in determining who actually does seek out adjunctive counseling for help in dealing with their diagnosis. In particular, personality factors of those who have cancer are examined. The more known about what motivates a patient to seek counseling, the easier it will be to develop rehabilitation and supportive programs to meet the needs of cancer patients. Hence, sanction for a research project such as this lies in the fact that the question of motivation regarding adjunctive counseling has not been dealt with specifically in the past.

Human Services Aa Degree Programs, Ken Price

Dissertations and Theses

There are two major purposes of this study. One purpose is to provide faculty, administrators, and advisory committees of the Human Services program at Clackamas Community College (CCC) with information for use in recruitment and curriculum planning. The other purpose is to fulfill practicum credit requirements of the Master of Social Work program at Portland State University.

The four chapters of this practicum cover background information about Associate of Arts (AA) programs and CCC, the review of the literature, the empirical research, and implications of the study for the CCC Human Services Department.

Indications Of Feminist Influence On Contemporary Social Work Practice, Clara Elizabeth Miller

Dissertations and Theses

It is criticism of traditional theory and methods, and the advocacy of new approaches that feminists have tried to present to social workers and to other professionals in mental health and other social services. The feminist goal has been to convince social workers and others to modify their beliefs and practice in order to be more helpful (as the feminists believe) to women. In this study of the beliefs and practice of social workers in Oregon, I attempt to find out to what extent, ten years after the "rebirth of feminism," they have adopted feminist beliefs and recommendations for practice.

Outcome Evaluation Of Medical Care Utilizing Goal Attainment Scaling, Bonnie G. Little

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose for this study was to develop guidelines for the implementation of Goal Attainment Sealing (a mental health measurement technique) in the medical care setting. As a graduate student of social work, I have become involved in the delivery of medical care and am interested in the dynamics of psycho-social variables as they affect the structure, delivery, and outcome of medical services.

Alternative Living Situation For Indian Youth, Colleen Lynn Langer Yost, Lloyd Blackstone Pinkham

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis includes a proposed program that is designed to provide alternatives for Indian youth, allow for the creation of a residential treatment facility for the diagnosis, placement, and treatment of Indian juvenile delinquents, establish reporting and operating procedures with various courts, and help reduce the delinquent behavior of the resident youth.

Medical Social Workers' Attitudes Toward Death And Related Matters, Lon M. Stratton

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study to examine the attitudes of several (MSW) medical social workers, currently employed in hospital settings, regarding: (1) death and dying issues, (2) education and training received related to working with the terminally ill patient, (3) specific practice issues which relate to the terminal patient, and, lastly, (4) the effectiveness of each social worker's place of employment in meeting the needs of the terminally ill patient and providing for adequate training of staff in this sensitive area.

A Manual For Emergency Room Social Workers, Jack West

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this manual is to fill the void I encountered when I first began doing emergency room social work. After reading a mass of material on crisis theory, depression, suicide, psychiatric emergencies, etc., after having role played an emergency room crisis counselor, and after reviewing what seemed an infinite number of required hospital procedures, I began work as an emergency room social worker. The first few cases I encountered on my own were bewildering. When emergency room personnel would refer a patient to me with the prefatory remark: "This guy looks like he has real emotional problems. See …

Perceptions Of Indian Tribal Leaders Regarding The Indian Self-Determination Act (Public Law 93-638), Ramona O'Connor

Dissertations and Theses

This study is an analysis of a policy, The Indian Self-Determination Act (Public Law 93-638), and consists of a survey designed to examine the perceptions of selected Indian tribal leaders regarding the policy. The findings of the survey are reviewed and analyzed and the study is concluded with a consideration of the implications of the findings for social work. In general, the study is concerned with an aspect of the social policy process. A specific policy is addressed and a survey of perceptions of people effected by that policy was taken. The policy itself is an indication of a seemingly …

The Relationship Of Weight Loss To Self Concept In The Mentally Retarded Adult, Pauline Bunting Wall

Dissertations and Theses

The major part of this study was a treatment program designed to motivate mentally retarded adults to lose weight within a small group setting. Subjects were tested pre- and posttreatment on the Tennessee Self Concept Scale to ascertain any improvement in self-esteem. A 50-question diet quiz was constructed by the experimenters and administered pre- and posttreatment to find out if the subjects would improve their knowledge of health and nutrition through the study.

A Readership Study Of Oregon Wildlife Magazine, Deborah C. Sullivan

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent and frequency of readership of the Oregon Wildlife magazine and this relationship to Klapper's reinforcing hypothesis.

The basic question posed was: What population of individuals in Oregon read which types of fish and wildlife articles in the Oregon Wildlife magazine, and how do these respondents assess the readability and accuracy of the magazine?

Toward A Model Of Interorganizational Fields : A Case Study Of A Social Service Federation, Ralph Cherry

Dissertations and Theses

The concept of interorganizational field refers to the pattern of relationships or the context within which organizations negotiate or compete to accomplish their goals. This paper examines the proposition that the type of interorganizational field shapes and· influences interactions between organizations. To explore the nature of any contextual effects, a hypothesis is extracted to represent each of four subareas of the literature: the transaction or exchange, the resource dependency, the communication, and the division of labor subareas. Non-verification of the hypotheses indicates the extent and the manner in which interorganizational fields can affect relations between organizations.

A case study of …

A Study Of The Perceptual Parameters Of Voice In Aging Females, Barbara Ann Mathers

Dissertations and Theses

An interest in understanding the aging processes, as they relate to voice, has prompted research investigating physiological, acoustical, and perceptual attributes of the aging vocal mechanism. Recently, it has been demonstrated that perceptual parameters, in older male voices, differentiate speakers according to age estimations, as determined by a group of listeners.

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptual characteristics of the female voice which are associated with perceived age, as contrasted to chronological age.

Social Behavior In A Group Of Captive Bobcats : A Study In The Sociability Of Felids, Lon W. House

Dissertations and Theses

A group of four captive bobcats (Felis rufus), two males and two females, was observed for 102.67 hours over the period of one year. A pilot study was conducted consisting of a minimum of three separate observations for each daylight hour. The remaining observations were concentrated during the early morning hours immediately after feeding, the time of maximum activity and social interaction.

Memory For Crossed And Nested Classifications, John Ernest Garwood

Dissertations and Theses

Memory for crossed and nested classifications was investigated. Two experimental groups were exposed to stimuli which could be organized by both a crossed and nested classification. The stimuli consisted of nine drawings in a 3 x 3 matrix. Each drawing is characterized by attributes on five dimensions. The nested classification requires four dimensions to organize the nine drawings, while the crossed classification requires two dimensions. Of the five dimensions, three are unique to the nested classification, one is unique to the crossed classification, and one is common to both classifications. Subjects were presented the stimuli so that either the crossed …

Recent And Contemporary Foraging Practices Of The Harney Valley Paiute, Marilyn Dunlap Couture

Dissertations and Theses

Native plants still play an important part in the lives of some American Indians. This thesis describes recent foraging practices which persist among the Harney Valley Paiute, a group of Northern Paiute Indians which formerly occupied all of Harney Valley in southeastern Oregon. The field research was conducted from 1973 to 1978. The traditional seasonal harvest round is described as well as the identification, habitat, distribution, and seasonality of forty-one plant species. Native plant use, subsistence and the role of plants, foraging techniques, implements, processing, preservation, intertribal relations, trade patterns, and tribal movements are also presented.

A Survey Of Reading-Readiness Skills And Their Application To The Late Reader, Gail E. Robbins

Dissertations and Theses

Reading readiness is a subject that concerns reading teachers and educators. Inadequate readiness training may cause some students to become late readers, who can be identified as students who score below their age and grade level on a standardized reading test. It is important to define reading readiness and examine the component skills and factors in order to help late readers. This examination was conducted by a study of reading-readiness literature. The reading-readiness skills include auditory discrimination, visual and visual-motor discrimination, development of language, concept formation, and reasoning skills. Readiness factors include fixed factors, social, and emotional factors. Fixed factors …