Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Quasi-Experimental Test Of The Elementary School Success Profile Model Of Assessment And Prevention, Natasha K. Bowen, Aaron M. Thompson, Joelle D. Powers

Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Elementary School Success Profile Model of Assessment and Prevention (ESSP MAP) is an assessment and intervention strategy designed to improve student academic performance and behavior. The current analysis uses a quasi-experimental design to examine the relationship between a 3-year implementation of the ESSP MAP and aggregate academic outcomes. Students in one 3rd grade cohort (2007-2008) from 4 schools in 1 district received the intervention as they progressed from 3rd to 5th grade. Longitudinal hierarchical linear modeling with cross-classified effects of schools (N = 10) and cohorts (N = 11) was used to compare trajectories of reading proficiency percentages for …

Racial And Ethnic Disparities In Food Insufficiency: Evidence From A Statewide Probability Sample Of White, African American, American Indian, And Hispanic Infants, Yunju Nam, Jin Huang, Colleen Heflin, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

This study examines racial and ethnic disparities in the experience of food insufficiency among families with infants, focusing on the roles of socioeconomic characteristics. It uses the SEED for Oklahoma Kids baseline survey data collected from a probability sample of white, African American, American Indian, and Hispanic caregivers of infants randomly selected from Oklahoma’s birth certificates. Fairlie’s extension of the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition is employed to analyze these data. Results suggest that whites experience food insufficiency at a statistically significantly lower rate than do the three minority groups. Compositional gaps in economic and noneconomic resources are found to explain much of …

My Path: An Innovative Initiative To Increase Financial Capability Among Economically Vulnerable Youth, Vernon Loke, Margaret Libby, Laura Choi

Center for Social Development Research

My Path: An Innovative Initiative to Increase Financial Capability Among Economically Vulnerable Youth

Better Together: Expanding Rural Partnerships To Support Families, Harriet Shaklee, Jeri Bigbee, Misty Wall

Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Chronic shortages of health, social service, and mental health professionals in rural areas necessitate creative partnerships in support of families. Cooperative extension professionals in Family and Consumer Sciences and community health nurses are introduced as trusted professionals in rural communities who can bring critical skills to human services teams. Multidisciplinary prevention programs offer particularly good contexts for county extension educators and community health nurses to work in collaboration with social workers. The case of grandparents raising grandchildren illustrates the critical roles that can be filled by professionals in these two fields to extend the reach of family support programs.

The Journal Of Counselor Preparation And Supervision Volume 5, Number 2, Edina Renfro-Michel, Larry D. Burlew

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

No abstract provided.

2012kvaaannualreport.Docx, Patricia Desrosiers, Erica Thompson

Social Work Faculty Publications

The first year of the Kentucky State Victim’s Assistance Academy is nearing its end. We set out with several goals in mind including developing a Steering Committee for oversight of the process, completing a Needs Assessment to guide our plan, and forming subcommittees to begin planning the actual inaugural academy. This Annual Report documents the activities of the past year in detail.

Choosing A Survey Sample When Data On The Population Are Limited: A Method Using Global Positioning Systems And Aerial And Satellite Photographs, Harry S. Shannon, Royce Hutson, Athena Kolbe, Bernadette Stringer, Ted Haines

Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Various methods have been proposed for sampling when data on the population are limited. However, these methods are often biased. We propose a new method to draw a population sample using Global Positioning Systems and aerial or satellite photographs.

Results: We randomly sampled Global Positioning System locations in designated areas. A circle was drawn around each location with radius representing 20 m. Buildings in the circle were identified from satellite photographs; one was randomly chosen. Interviewers selected one household from the building, and interviews were conducted with eligible household members.

Conclusions: Participants had known selection probabilities, allowing proper estimation …

Long-Term Follow-Up Of Individual Development Accounts: Evidence From The Add Experiment, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Michael Sherraden, William M. Rohe, William Gale, Mark Schreiner, Clinton Key

Center for Social Development Research

Long-Term Follow-Up of Individual Development Accounts: Evidence From the ADD Experiment

Early Program Enrollment In A Statewide Child Development Account Program, Jin Huang, Sondra Beverly, Margaret Clancy, Terry Lassar, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Early Program Enrollment in a Statewide Child Development Account Program

Does The Type Of Communication Media Affect Relationship Quality?, Kristin B. Dennis

Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if the amount of time spent using three types of communication (electronic, voice, and face-to-face) had an effect on the perceived quality of a romantic relationship. Seventy-eight heterosexual females who self-identified as being in a romantic relationship completed a set of demographic questions, the Perceived Relationship Quality Components Inventory (Fletcher, Simpson, & Thomas, 2000), as well as questions pertaining to the average amount of time spent per day using each of the communication methods. It was hypothesized that the more time spent communicating face-to- face would have a positive effect on the …

Numeric Estimation And Response Options: An Examination Of The Measurement Properties Of Numeric And Vague Quantifier Responses, Mohammad T. Al Baghal

Survey Research and Methodology Program: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Many survey questions ask respondents to provide responses that contain quantitative information. These questions are often asked requiring open ended numeric responses, while others have been asked using vague quantifier scales. How these questions are asked, particularly in terms of the response format, can have an important impact on the data. Therefore, the response format is of particular importance for ensuring that any use of the data contains the best possible information. Generally, survey researchers have argued against the use of vague quantifier scales. This dissertation compares various measurement properties between numeric open ended and vague quantifier responses, using three …

Product Pilot Report: Youth Savings Performance In Ghana, Kenya, And Nepal, Lissa Johnson, Yungsoo Lee, Isaac Osei-Akoto, Moses Njenga, Sharad Sharma

Center for Social Development Research

Product Pilot Report: Youth Savings Performance in Ghana, Kenya, and Nepal

Household Assets, School Enrollment And Parental Aspirations For Children's Education In Rural China: Does Gender Matter?, Suo Deng, Jin Huang, Minchao Jin, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Using rural household data from the China Household Income Project (CHIP) 2002, this paper provides an analysis of different effects of household assets independent of family income on children’s school enrollment and parental aspirations for education, examining both outcomes by child’s gender. The study first compares the responsiveness of boys’ and girls’ enrollment to the improvement of household assets, measured as liquid assets and net worth, relative to family income. The multivariate regression analysis further detects the effects of household assets on both boys’ and girls’ school enrollment and parental aspirations for children’s future education by child’s gender. Statistical results …

Validity Of Infact Race/Ethnicity From Birth Certificates In The Context Of U.S. Demographic Change, Lisa Reyes Mason, Yunju Nam, Youngmi Kim

Center for Social Development Research

In this study, we examined consistency of infant race/ethnicity across two data sources (N=2,63) using measures of sensitivity and positive predictive value. First we created and compared conventional measures of infant race/ethnicity from 2007 Oklahoma birth certificates and SEED for Oklahoma Kids baseline survey data, classifying infants as White, African American, American Indian, Asian, or Hispanic. Then we created and tested alternative measures with a biracial classification, based on biological parentage from birth certificates or parent report of infant biracial identity in the survey. We find that, for conventional measures, sensitivity is highest for Whites and African Americans and lowest …

Financial Knowledge And Attitudes Of Youth In Ghana, Gina A. N. Chowa, Mathieu R. Despard, Isaac Osei-Akoto

Center for Social Development Research

Financial Knowledge and Attitudes of Youth in Ghana

Youth In The Ghana Experiment: Characteristics And Living Conditions, Gina A. N. Chowa, Rainier Masa, Isaac Osei-Akoto

Center for Social Development Research

Youth in the Ghana Experiment: Characteristics and Living Conditions

Homicide By Neighborhood: Mapping New York City’S Violent Crime Drop, Preeti Chauhan, Lauren Kois

Publications and Research

Researchers, scholars, and policymakers interested in the falling rate of violent crime in New York City (NYC) have attempted to pinpoint causes of the welcome trend. Discovering the causes of the city’s crime drop may lead to important lessons for the city itself and may influence policy and practice throughout the state, nation, and perhaps other countries. Researchers have suggested a host of mechanisms that may explain the dramatic decline in violence, but two factors—misdemeanor policing and the transformation of drug markets—continue to receive the most attention. This report focuses on these factors in relation to gun-related homicide rates. It …

Youth Saving Patterns And Performance In Ghana, Gina A. N. Chowa, Mathieu R. Despard, Issac Osei-Akoto

Center for Social Development Research

Youth Saving Patterns and Performance in Ghana

Socioeconomic Status And Early Savings Outcomes: Evidence From A Statewide Child Development Account Experiment, Sondra G. Beverly, Youngmi Kim, Michael Sherraden, Yunju Nam, Margaret Clancy

Center for Social Development Research

Socioeconomic Status and Early Savings Outcomes: Evidence From a Statewide Child Development Account Experiment

Seoul Hope Plus Savings Accounts: Asset-Building Program For Low-Income Households In Seoul, Youngmi Kim, Soonung Lee, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Seoul Hope Plus Savings Accounts: Asset-Building Program for Low-Income Households in Seoul

Are Child Development Accounts Inclusive? Early Evidence From A Statewide Experiment, Sondra G. Beverly, Youngmi Kim, Michael Sherraden, Yunju Nam, Margaret Clancy

Center for Social Development Research

A key objective of Child Development Accounts (CDAs) is to increase college completion rates among disadvantaged youth by helping families accumulate assets for college and by encouraging youth to see themselves as college bound. While the major asset-building programs in the United States largely benefit socioeconomically advantaged individuals, CDAs explicitly aim to facilitate account holding and asset accumulation by disadvantaged families. But do CDAs meet the goal of being inclusive? This research uses data from a large CDA experiment with probability sampling and random assignment to examine early CDA savings outcomes. Findings indicate that the CDA improves outcomes for several …

Young Kuria Of Tanzania: What Drives Them To Choose Army Careers, Hezron Zacharia Onditi

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Although there are many career opportunities in the world of work, some groups have been historically inclined to particular professions. Young males of Tanzania’s Kuria tribe have long been known to have preference for a career in the armed forces. This paper examines what drives them to choose an army career. The field work for the paper was conducted in Tarime district of the Mara region where Tanzania’s Kuria population is largely concentrated. The analysis is based on the theoretical framework developed by the theory of planned behaviour in terms of which the intention of the individual human actor is …

Civic Service And Asset Building In Generating Livelihoods Among Youth In Africa, Benjamin J. Lough, Margaret S. Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Given high rates of unemployment among African youth, civic service offers a promising strategy for preparing young people for the labor market. Despite its potential, a lack of service opportunities, incentives, and competing livelihood needs, frequently prevent young people from volunteering. This paper reviews the debate on financial remuneration for volunteering, and describes innovative “hybrid” ways to incentivize and support young volunteers. These approaches offer the potential to build financial assets during service in the form of savings, stipends, and microenterprise credit or education awards. This paper highlights programs in several regions of Africa where similar approaches have been piloted. …

Volunteerism For Peace In East Africa, Benjamin Lough, Jacob Mwathi Mati

Center for Social Development Research

Volunteering is central to any community-centered development intervention. As such, volunteers can contribute substantially to establishing and preserving peace. This paper describes various interpersonal, intergroup, and institutional theoretical perspectives to explain why volunteerism is particularly suited to peacemaking and peacekeeping. Special consideration is given to how involving young volunteers may be highly beneficial to peacemaking and peacekeeping. The paper emphasizes the “added value” of utilizing volunteers in peace and development organizations, and provides specific examples from the Eastern African region that illustrate how volunteerism is being used to prevent conflict, to mediate and transform active conflict, and to reduce the …

Spirituality And The Therapeutic Recreation Practitioner: Exploring The Implications For Practice And Research, Angela Wozencroft, Phd, Steven N. Waller Ph.D., Gene A. Hayes, Larry Brown

Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies

There is a growing body of literature that relates to spirituality and leisure. Within this corpus, several scholars continue to address the relationship between spirituality and therapeutic recreation. Much of the available literature chronicles the health and wellness benefits that accrue to the client/participant but little attention has been devoted to understanding the relationship between the personal spirituality of the therapeutic recreation (TR) professional and its influence on service delivery. The purpose of this essay was three-fold: (1) to examine the influence of spirituality in the work lives of TR practitioners; and (2) to chronicle existing literature that relates to …

"We See What We Seek": A Rejoinder To The Responses Of Amato, Eggebeen, And Osborne, Loren Marks

Faculty Publications

In this rejoinder I adopt a conversational and less dehydrated tone, to the relief of any who labored through my full-length piece. I will be comparatively brief and, hopefully, more engaging.

Same-Sex Parenting And Children’S Outcomes: A Closer Examination Of The American Psychological Association’S Brief On Lesbian And Gay Parenting, Loren Marks

Faculty Publications

In 2005, the American Psychological Association (APA) issued an official brief on lesbian and gay parenting. This brief included the assertion: “Not a single study has found children of lesbian or gay parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents” (p. 15). The present article closely examines this assertion and the 59 published studies cited by the APA to support it. Seven central questions address: (1) homogeneous sampling, (2) absence of comparison groups, (3) comparison group characteristics, (4) contradictory data, (5) the limited scope of children’s outcomes studied, (6) paucity of long-term outcome data, …

The February Revolution Of 2011: A Harbinger Of Arab Spring, Steven A. Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Behold Arab Spring! Nature abhors political vacuums. Machiavelli himself recognized the brutal nature of what is apt to fill such a vacuum. Abraham Lincoln anticipated this problem even in America in his early Lyceum Address by envisioning the rise of an American Napoleon. The question is whether the willingness to sacrifice for the sake of a cause measures up to or falls far short of the worthiness of the cause itself.

The Crisis Of Our Age: An Update, Steven A. Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

John Calvin recognized the moral hazard that arises when people are induced to act contrary to their consciences. Perhaps all the buzzing, blooming confusion of our modern media culture has become simply a mechanism for demoralizing the population, by making all of us accomplices in people’s bad behavior, by assaulting, weakening, and gradually undermining our moral defenses. As David Chilton characterized it: “If this is a culture, it belongs in a Petri dish.” People with bad consciences are more easily manipulated as they become fatalistic and slavish in their attitudes.

Training And Assessment Of Toothbrushing Skills Among Children With Special Needs, Rachel A. Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The success of applied behavior analysis (ABA) interventions relies heavily on adherence to measures of social importance. One area identified by caregivers, educators, and researchers as having social importance is the area of daily living skills; particularly in populations of children with special needs. A number of studies employed the use of a task analysis to objectively measure toothbrushing, with various training procedures utilized. Behavioral Skills Training (BST) is an effective procedure used to train a variety of skills. Further, research indicates the addition of an in situ assessment promotes generalization of trained skills. The current study examined the use …