Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Comparison Of Walk-In Counselling And The Wait List Model For Delivering Counselling Services, Carol Stalker, Manuel Riemer, Cheryl-Anne Cait, Susan Horton, Jocelyn Booton, Leslie Josling, Joanna Bedggood, Margaret Zaczek

Lyle S. Hallman Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Walk-in counselling has been used to reduce wait times but there are few controlled studies to compare outcomes between walk-in and the traditional model of service delivery.

Aims: To compare change in psychological distress by clients receiving services from two models of service delivery, a walk-in counselling model and a traditional counselling model involving a wait list

Method: Mixed methods sequential explanatory design including quantitative comparison of groups with one pre-test and two follow ups, and qualitative analysis of interviews with a subsample. 524 participants 16 years and older were recruited from two Family Counselling Agencies; the General Health …

Improving Evaluation In Nonprofit Organizations: A Study Of How Evaluation Requests For Proposals Are Developed, Responded To, And Fulfilled, Nakia S. Matthews

Dissertations

It is often necessary for nonprofit organizations (NPOs) to formulate a Request for Proposal (RFP) to procure essential contracted services. This is most common when seeking the services of an external evaluator. Since most NPOs do not have internal evaluation staff, developing an appropriate RFP can be quite challenging. With limited literature and resources to guide NPOs on how to prepare RFPs, the process for procuring qualified evaluators can be even more daunting. This lack of resources and supports can lead to insufficient or incomplete RFPs, subsequently narrowing the pool of qualified potential bidders and reducing the extent to which …

Preference Of Chinese Undergraduate Music Majors For Chinese Xi-Qu And Western Opera, Hong Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to explore the preference of the Chinese undergraduate music majors (N = 27) for Chinese Xi-Qu and Western opera audiovisual examples, the reasons for preference, influence of familiarity on preference, and the relationship between preference ratings and the emotions as detected by FaceReader. The mixed research method, convergent parallel design, was used to explore this topic in depth. As Xi-Qu and opera integrate multiple art forms, eight audiovisual examples (Xi-Qu, n = 4, opera, n = 4) were selected as the stimuli to show the characteristics of the two genres. The participants watched …

Tacit Cultural Knowledge: An Instrumental Qualitative Case Study Of Mixed Methods Research In South Africa, Debra Rena Miller

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Notwithstanding the dramatic expansion of mixed methods research, research methodologies, methods, and findings are culturally situated. Problematically, studies conducted outside the global north often embrace canonical methodologies aimed at understanding concepts more explicit than tacit. Learning about the needs of researchers and participants in South Africa may bring to light taken-for-granted assumptions in Anglo-American orientations of mixed methods. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore aspects of tacit cultural knowledge that contextualize mixed methods research in South Africa.

In-person interviews among South African professors as well as a corpus of books, sections, journal articles, and theses informed the …

Evaluation Of An Academic Library's Liquid Designed Website, Holt Zaugg, Vera Terekhova, Brian Rennick

Faculty Publications

Objective: When the AAA Library (BBB) at CCC released a new website with same-look capabilities for computers, tablets, and smartphones, we undertook a summative assessment to review website features and to determine baseline measures of website access via device and patron group.

Methods: The study used a mixed methods approach using three levels of assessment (focus groups, an online survey, and a usability test), with each level informing the subsequent level.

Results: The website changes were well-received by the overwhelming majority of patrons. Device usage was associated with the type of task for which patrons were accessing …

Multi-Method Exploration Of The Economic Sustainability Of Probiotic Yoghurt Kitchens In Mwanza, Tanzania, Emily Eyles

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research aimed to examine the economic and locational aspects of a probiotic yoghurt kitchen development project facilitated by Western Heads East in Mwanza, Tanzania. This study is based upon 41 semi-structured interviews with 57 participants in three groups: kitchen group members, customers, and staff of the African Probiotic Yoghurt Network. This research contributes to the literature on development geography, specifically on the ins and outs of the everyday of the kitchens, as well as proposing a new approach to multicriteria evaluation using qualitative data, and the ‘researcher as instrument’ approach. The results demonstrate that while there are problems in …

Sociocultural Influences On Perceived Risk In Latinos At Risk Of Developing Type 2 Diabetes, Allyson S. Hughes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Previous studies have shown that perceived risk is a predictor of positive health behaviors to avert preventative chronic conditions. As a major factor in the Health Belief Model, high levels of perceived risk may operate as a "perceived susceptibility" to disease and may function as a "perceived threat" that triggers action towards preventing the onset of disease (Champion & Skinner, 2008). Following an Ecodevelopmental Model approach in an effort to prevent prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (Castro, Shaibi & Boehm-Smith, 2009) includes understanding the potential protective effects of certain cultural factors (including sources of social support that can promote healthy …

Exploring Daily Dietary Behaviour Through Examination Of The Food Choice Process, Ivy Dam

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

As obesity rates continue to rise, the negative health impacts associated with unhealthy food choice behaviour remain an issue of concern. Observing the connection between food consumption and weight gain alone is likely not sufficient to understanding people’s construction of food choices. More detailed examination of a novel concept, the overall food choice process (FCP), including food thoughts, plans, purchases, and preparation, leading up to food intake/consumption may contribute to an improved understanding of food choice behaviour.

This thesis explored the wider FCP that gives rise to observed food consumption by testing passive video recording technologies, …

Enhancing Canadian Girls’ Resilience Through Girls-Only Programming, Ayesha Umme-Jihad

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Canadian girls face a number of complex issues as they transition through girlhood and into adolescence. Despite the barriers they face, girls can be resilient with the development of internal and external assets. Presently, we know that protective factors developed in girls-only programs between the critical ages of 9 and 13 enhance girls’ resilience in the short-term (Alcade, Hayward, Loomis, & Hodgson, 2012). This thesis project operationalizes protective factors as confidence, critical thinking skills, connectedness, and parental relationships. Risk factors are operationalized as adversity within environments, depression, negative behaviours, and substance use. A mixed methods approach is used to investigate …

An Unfinished Journey: The Evolution Of Crime Measurement In The United States, Daniel J. Patten

The Hilltop Review

This article traces the history of crime measurement in the United States beginning with the U.S. census in 1790 while exploring several key pieces of history that influenced how crime is measured today. After discussing the origins of the U.S. census and its contributions to measuring crime, the Chicago School of Sociology is observed for its monumental influence on early criminology in America. Next, the division of sociology and criminal justice into two distinct fields had major implications for measuring crime. How crime is measured is often attributed to the ideological differences between these academic fields. Then, the three primary …

Computer Anxiety And Computer Self-Efficacy Of Older Adults, Elizabeth Diane Cooper-Gaiter

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many older adults (aged 55 and older) need training to acquire computer knowledge and skills. Using computers and the Internet could provide access to vital resources for improving older adults' health and maintaining their connections with family and society. This study examined 2 psychological constructs--computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy--that have been shown to impact a person's successful use of computers and related technology. Guided by Bandura's self-efficacy theory, which emphasizes the importance of adult learners being motivated and taking charge of their learning, this study examined the impact of a computer knowledge and skills workshop on older adults' computer anxiety …

A Mixed Methods Perspective: How Integral Leaders Can Contribute To The Growth Of Emerging Leaders, Susan M. Hayes

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Given that organizational complexity continues to increase, leaders are looking for credible information, and a process that helps them become a better leader. Emerging leaders are faced with trying to be the best leader they can be while leading teams of people who think and act differently from them. To assist emerging leaders with their leadership, this study explores the literature and looks to highly respected and admired leaders for how they became the leader they are today. The purpose of this study was fourfold: first, to identify and describe first and second tier integral theory leaders from a sample …

Inequality And Involvement: Participatory Trends In The Politics Of A Rural Maine Town, Shelby O'Neill

Honors Theses

Interdisciplinary research suggests that participation in most forms of political activity in the United States is stratified by socioeconomic status. People with higher socioeconomic statuses are more able and willing to participate in politics than people with lower socioeconomic statuses. This participatory inequality amplifies the political voice of the upper class relative to the lower class. However, little academic attention has been paid to analyzing the impact of socioeconomic inequality on participation in local politics. By analyzing participatory trends in the politics of the rural town of Belgrade, ME, this honors thesis fills a gap in the academic literature on …