Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Kenyan Immigrant Elders' Attitudes Toward Disabilities, Josephat Makori Nyangau

Theses and Graduate Projects

Kenyan immigrant elders' attitudes toward disabilities can best be explained in two ways: before and after emigrating. The purpose of this research study was to investigate Kenyan immigrant elders' attitude toward disabilities. Using qualitative research methods, three participants were selected to be interviewed one-on-one using specific guiding questions. Five themes emerged from the data: family attitudes toward disabilities, consideration of disabilities as diseases, views on disability categories, causes of disabilities, and the care of individuals with disabilities. Findings from this research study have the potential to enable educators to develop a better cross-cultural perspective when dealing with immigrant elders in …

Emotion Meaning-Making: Identity, Discourse And Social Interaction Among Arab Immigrant Healthcare Providers, Anne Katz

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation sought to deepen understandings of emotion and its role in human personal and social life by exploring how a group of Arab immigrant health care providers, involved in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in one clinic in the United States, assign meaning to emotion. Affectively charged and fluid, often involving conditions of disruption and dislocation, the experience of migration offers a fertile place in which to examine the roles that social and interpretive practices play in constituting emotional experience. Due to increases in patterns of migration associated with globalization, mental health diagnoses are often arrived at …

Self-Other Differences And Perceived Effectiveness: A Look Across Culture Dimensions, Nathalie Castano

Wayne State University Dissertations

The use of 360-degree feedback is prominent across the world. Several studies have in-vestigated the impact of culture on different aspects of 360-degree feedback, such as self-other agreement, but very few have studied how ratings on these instruments predict perceptions of leadership effectiveness, and whether this relationship is the same across different societies. The present study seeks to narrow the gap between cross-cultural research and 360-degree feedback, by (a) investigating the role that culture plays on the self-other agreement and effectiveness relationship from a culture dimension perspective and (b) comparing how different cultural aspects help explain this relationship. As barriers …

Being A Change-Agent In The Context Of International Cross-Cultural Community Development Work, Nicolette Slagle

Student Research – Stevenson Center

January, 2011, I joined the 123 rd group of Peace Corps volunteers heading for Thailand, becoming one over 5,000 volunteers who have served in that nation. Thailand is one of the longest continuously running programs in Peace Corps history. Through Corps' relationship with the kingdom, the goals and objectives for various programs have shifted and changed. I served in one of the last groups under Community -Based Organizational Development (CBOD) project framework. This program was itself a result of Thailand’s 1997 constitution that stressed de -centralization of the gov ernment's functions. Volunteers in this program were assigned to a subdistrict …

Indiana, Susan R. Adams

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

Indiana was admitted to the Union as the 19th state on December 11, 1816. Corydon, Indiana, located in southern Indiana, was the first state capitol until 1825, when the capital was moved to a more central location in Indianapolis. Indiana, located in the midwest, was formerly part of the Indiana Territory, dissolved in 1798. The first governor of the territory was William Henry Harrison, who served from 1800 until 1813. Harrison later became the into president of the United States, in 1840. Two constitutions have been ratified in Indiana: the first in 1816, and the current constitution in 1851. Indiana …

English Proficiency / Fluent English Proficient Students, Susan R. Adams

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

K-12 students whose first language is not English are identified upon enrollment in U.S. schools through a home language survey and are immediately assessed to determine whether English as a second language (ESL) services are required. Students who do not pass this initial screening assessment are classified as English Language Learners (ELLs), or as limited English proficiency (LEP) students, and are identified to receive school-provided English language development (ELD) and accommodations. Students who pass the initial screener or who demonstrate English proficiency two years in a row on state-mandated annual assessments are deemed fluent or fully English proficient (FEP) students …

Using Facebook To Engage Stakeholders: Developing A Content Strategy To Meet Dynamic Social Media Challenges, Scott Bacon, Amanda Foster

Library Faculty Publications

Facebook is often used by higher education institutions to increase engagement with the campus population and larger community. Facebook page administrators must successfully navigate Facebook's News Feed algorithm to have content reach the largest possible audience. This algorithm uses different measures of audience interaction when determining how "engaging" a post is, rewarding the more engaging posts by increasing the likelihood that they will show up in a fan's News Feed. This paper will explore the process taken by Coastal Carolina University's Kimbel Library to re-develop our content strategy in order to increase engagement on our Facebook page. The authors recommend …

The Impact Of Online Non-Partisan Videos On Self-Reported Intention To Vote, Milad Minooie

Communication Theses - Archive

Previous studies have concluded that Web-based get out the vote (GOTV) messages do not impact voting behavior. However, the primary shortcoming of these studies has been the form of GOTV media studied, focusing on lean, text-based internet media, analogous to direct mail. With the advent of Web 2.0, where users are both consumers and generators of content, further research into internet-based GOTV efforts is warranted. To study the effects of richer Internet media, two sets of videos were created, utilizing proximity and peripheral elaboration of messages to positively stimulate voting engagement and intent. Male and female presenters from the same …

A Neighborhood Foreseen: Identifying Social Capital On Congo Street, D. Deidre Humphrey

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

The small Southeast Dallas community of Congo Street is not only unique because of its location within Jubilee Park neighborhood, but rather, it is a place where a group of five homeowners made history by cooperatively revitalizing their community with the assistance of the Building Community Workshop. Ongoing community redevelopment reveals that the homeowners are learning to use their social capital to mobilize within and throughout their community and neighborhood. The initial focus of the study aimed to discover how Congo Street residents use social capital to accept or reject community revitalization goals set by the Building Community Workshop and …

The Impact Of Institutional Support Networks: A Case Study Of A Small Texas Public School District, Christine B. Fougerousse

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

This thesis project focuses on a small independent school district in Texas that serves a high-poverty population yet excels at graduating economically disadvantaged students. Using the concepts of cultural and social capital as a theoretical framework, the paper discusses ways that schools can build institutional support networks that can help students succeed. The study focuses on efforts within the high school, using personal interviews to discover the foundations and methods of the school's supports. Findings include the importance of building trust among staff members and staff members working as a team, therefore building internal social capital that students can then …

Information Technology's Impact On The Space And Automobile Relationship: A Study Of The Link Between Internet Tech, Automobiles, And Residential Preferences, Steven Duong

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

Many city planners, developers, real estate agents, and planning academics have been strong proponents of compact, mixed-use, New Urbanist developments. They point to the research that shows that younger generations will favor the revitalized mixed use, dense, urban downtown centers advocated by urbanists like Jane Jacobs and Richard Florida over newly developed, spacious, quiet suburbs In fact, recent research on ICT and driving suggests that the advent of the smart phone and ubiquitous computing (Ubicomp) may be indeed influencing the lifestyle and preference of young adults, who rather than driving are substituting shopping, social, entertainment, and other trips with virtual …

A Neighborhood Foreseen: Identifying Social Capital On Congo Street, D. Deidre Humphrey

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

The small Southeast Dallas community of Congo Street is not only unique because of its location within Jubilee Park neighborhood, but rather, it is a place where a group of five homeowners made history by cooperatively revitalizing their community with the assistance of the Building Community Workshop. Ongoing community redevelopment reveals that the homeowners are learning to use their social capital to mobilize within and throughout their community and neighborhood. The initial focus of the study aimed to discover how Congo Street residents use social capital to accept or reject community revitalization goals set by the Building Community Workshop and …

Narrowing The Sustainability Paradigm - How Meaningful Participation Builds Socially Equitable Communities, Megan L. O'Neal

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

This work contributes to the third leg of the sustainability paradigm by addressing socially equitable communities in the field of Planning. It uses a case study of neighborhood planning in Seattle, Washington as its basis for linking meaningful public participation with social capital. It uses a thoughtful qualitative framework to measure social capital in primary and secondary sources and bases these parameters with expert knowledge from scholars within the social science fields.

The Impact Of Institutional Support Networks: A Case Study Of A Small Texas Public School District, Christine B. Fougerousse

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

This thesis project focuses on a small independent school district in Texas that serves a high-poverty population yet excels at graduating economically disadvantaged students. Using the concepts of cultural and social capital as a theoretical framework, the paper discusses ways that schools can build institutional support networks that can help students succeed. The study focuses on efforts within the high school, using personal interviews to discover the foundations and methods of the school's supports. Findings include the importance of building trust among staff members and staff members working as a team, therefore building internal social capital that students can then …

The Extent Of Social Disparities In Black And Hispanic Neighborhoods, Monique Coleman

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

The argument of race and segregation is an age-old debate. Nevertheless, in 2013 there are still segregated black and Hispanic neighborhoods experiencing high levels of poverty despite the Fair Housing Act, inclusionary housing practices, and other methods that strive to create mixed-income and mixed-race neighborhoods. Since segregation appears to be a phenomenon that eludes a simple explanation, this research offers to shed light on the subject matter and guide others researching the subject matter to help ascertain the root(s) of social disparities in minority neighborhoods. This report is an extensive review of 2007-2011 American Community Survey (ACS) data for Dallas …

Transitions In Public Administration Theory Through Presidential Approaches To Healthcare Policy, Clifford Smith Blumberg

Public Affairs Theses - Archive

Through interdisciplinary research of twelve presidential administrations and their various approaches to national healthcare policy, a better understanding of the borderless transitions (which I term "melting points") within Public Administration Theory can be pursued. Can key components or characteristics of these transitions in Public Administration be revealed through a President's approach to healthcare policy?

Prison Prerelease Facilities In Texas: What Effect Do These Programs Have On Offender Success?, Brittany Michelle Rodriguez

Public Affairs Dissertations - Archive

There is sufficient evidence to suggest that inmates who participate in prerelease programs are less likely to recidivate once released from prison than those who do not participate in these programs. Research shows that the impact of education, employment skills, and life skills while incarcerated helps contribute to an offender making positive choices that will prevent them from committing new crimes. Furthermore, researchers posit that these offenders have more opportunities for success then offenders who are released with no added programs. The major hypothesis for this study is that inmates in Texas who are released from a prerelease program have …

Effective Truancy Reduction Programs: How Is Success Defined?, Veronica Cole

Public Affairs Dissertations - Archive

This research examines how stakeholders involved with the Dallas County Truancy Court measure and define the success of truancy reduction programs. Previous studies have failed to include the perceptions of all of these major stakeholders. Judges, non-profit organizations, parents, and principals from the six districts serviced within the Dallas County Truancy Court were interviewed to assess how success was measured within truancy reduction programs. Findings indicated the measure of success among stakeholders was not consistent. This study identified the barriers associated with developing a uniform definition of success among multiple stakeholders in a decentralized arrangement.

The Aesthetic Experiences Of Public School Teachers: A Study Of The Physical Environment Of Schools Through The Lens Of The Organizational Aesthetics Framework, Kenneth Clifford Goodwin

Public Affairs Dissertations - Archive

Related in part to the study of organizational culture, organizational aesthetics is concerned more with that level of culture that is represented through the symbols and artifacts found within an organization. Artifacts, as in the present study, can be represented by the larger physical environment in toto. The current study used a qualitative approach in applying the organizational aesthetics framework to explore teachers' perceptions of the aesthetics of the physical environment of public middle schools in the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD). No previously identified studies of schools have used the organizational aesthetics framework. Consequently, this study was covering …

Public Budgeting With A Gender Lens: Fulton County, Georgia And San Francisco, California, Mercy K. Dena

Public Affairs Dissertations - Archive

Public budgeting with a gender lens, also known as gender budgeting [GB], evaluates policies for their effects on men and women to promote gender equity. This research assesses GB in Fulton County, Georgia and San Francisco, California - the only two local governments in the United States [U.S.] that practice it. This study describes the adoption, implementation and impact of GB to fill a dearth of research on U.S. approaches within global GB literature. The study utilizes qualitative methods of focus group discussion, face-to-face and telephone interviews of county administrators and nonprofit agency representatives, as well as observation and secondary …

The Factors That Influence The Development Of Performance Measures In Texas Counties, Julius Awuor Owino

Public Affairs Dissertations - Archive

Over the past few decades, governments have developed performance measurement systems with the objective of improving the quality and effectiveness of services delivered to the public. However, there is scant information about the factors that influence the development of performance measures in county governments because few studies have been carried out to determine the significance of the participation of stakeholders, the strategic planning, the use of incentives, and the availability of resources on the development of performance measures. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the development of performance measures in Texas counties by addressing …

Prison Prerelease Facilities In Texas: What Effect Do These Programs Have On Offender Success?, Brittany Michelle Rodriguez

Public Affairs Dissertations - Archive

There is sufficient evidence to suggest that inmates who participate in prerelease programs are less likely to recidivate once released from prison than those who do not participate in these programs. Research shows that the impact of education, employment skills, and life skills while incarcerated helps contribute to an offender making positive choices that will prevent them from committing new crimes. Furthermore, researchers posit that these offenders have more opportunities for success then offenders who are released with no added programs. The major hypothesis for this study is that inmates in Texas who are released from a prerelease program have …

The Aesthetic Experiences Of Public School Teachers: A Study Of The Physical Environment Of Schools Through The Lens Of The Organizational Aesthetics Framework, Kenneth Clifford Goodwin

Public Affairs Dissertations - Archive

Related in part to the study of organizational culture, organizational aesthetics is concerned more with that level of culture that is represented through the symbols and artifacts found within an organization. Artifacts, as in the present study, can be represented by the larger physical environment in toto. The current study used a qualitative approach in applying the organizational aesthetics framework to explore teachers' perceptions of the aesthetics of the physical environment of public middle schools in the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD). No previously identified studies of schools have used the organizational aesthetics framework. Consequently, this study was covering …

Public Budgeting With A Gender Lens: Fulton County, Georgia And San Francisco, California, Mercy K. Dena

Public Affairs Dissertations - Archive

Public budgeting with a gender lens, also known as gender budgeting [GB], evaluates policies for their effects on men and women to promote gender equity. This research assesses GB in Fulton County, Georgia and San Francisco, California - the only two local governments in the United States [U.S.] that practice it. This study describes the adoption, implementation and impact of GB to fill a dearth of research on U.S. approaches within global GB literature. The study utilizes qualitative methods of focus group discussion, face-to-face and telephone interviews of county administrators and nonprofit agency representatives, as well as observation and secondary …

Challenges Of Mixed-Use Developments : An Analysis Of Current Mixed-Use Developments In U.S.A., Gizachew Teferra Tesso

Public Affairs Dissertations - Archive

There are numerous urban problems that could not be addressed in single use development. Mixed use development as a new theory claims to have the solutions to the urban issues associated with single use development. However, mixed used developments have been criticized for also failing to address their purported claims. This research focuses on analyzing and evaluating the tenets of mixed-use development to determine whether claims of accommodating mixed-income residents, increased density, improved racial diversity, provision of affordable housing, and improved employment trends are achieved. In doing so, 632 single use Block Groups and 84 mixed-use development Block Groups that …

The Factors That Influence The Development Of Performance Measures In Texas Counties, Julius Awuor Owino

Public Affairs Dissertations - Archive

Over the past few decades, governments have developed performance measurement systems with the objective of improving the quality and effectiveness of services delivered to the public. However, there is scant information about the factors that influence the development of performance measures in county governments because few studies have been carried out to determine the significance of the participation of stakeholders, the strategic planning, the use of incentives, and the availability of resources on the development of performance measures. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the development of performance measures in Texas counties by addressing …

Geographies Of Poverty And Retail: The Impact Of Supermarket Expansion On Food Insecurity In Cape Town, Stephen D. Peyton

Geography Honors Projects

The rapid rise in supermarkets in developing countries over the last few decades has resulted in the radical transformation of food retail systems. In the city of Cape Town, the introduction of supermarkets has coincided with rapid urbanization and increasing levels of food insecurity. In the context of a neoliberal approach toward economic development and redistribution, regulatory policies have largely ignored urban problems of food insecurity; therefore, retail modernization has become a largely unregulated market-based solution to improving food access for the poor. However, the introduction of formal food retail formats is often seen as conflicting with the informal food …

Evaluating What Works For Helping Children Exposed To Violence: Results From Nine Randomized Controlled Trials, Laura J. Hickman, Lisa Jaycox, Claude Setodji, Aaron Kofner, Dana Schultz, Dionne Barnes-Proby, Racine Harris

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objectives

The study tests whether participation in interventions offered by a subset of sites from the National Safe Start Promising Approaches for Children Exposed to Violence initiative improved outcomes for children relative to controls.

Methods

The study pools data from the nine Safe Start sites that randomized families to intervention and control groups, using a within-site block randomization strategy based on child age at baseline. Caregiver-reported outcomes, assessed at baseline, six and 12 months, included caregiver personal problems, caregiver resource problems, parenting stress, child and caregiver victimization, child trauma symptoms, child behavior problems, and social-emotional competence.

Results

Results revealed no …

The Academic Library: Cowpath Or Path To The Future?, Verlene J. Herrington

Publications and Research

This paper relates the traditional academic library to the expression, “don’t pave the cowpath”. Originating in the IT world, this expression means to not integrate technology into an established practice without assessing whether the process is still effective or still needed. Even though sustaining technologies have simplified information retrieval and library tasks, library organizational structure and processes remain pretty much unchanged. This article discusses the cowpath that academic libraries have followed for decades and the challenges disruptive technologies pose to the traditional model. It looks at how one academic library rejected tradition, got off the cowpath and created a different …

Sharing And Sustaining Maya Environmental Heritage In Southern Belize, Rebecca K. Zarger, Kristina Baines

Publications and Research

This paper documents an approach to sharing and sustaining Maya environmental and cultural heritage through the development of a primary school curriculum and associated activities in order to bring cultural knowledge and practices to formal school settings. Methods include long-term ethnographic research on environmental knowledge and practices in two Maya communities in Toledo; participatory workshops with educators; iterative consultations with district educators, community leaders, and families; and community for a focus on discussions of how and whether such information could be integrated into formal schooling. Curricula and content for workbooks, radio shows, and field guides are comprised of both generalized …