Sociology Commons^™

All In The Family Home: The Biological Children Of Parents Who Foster, Judith Heidburrt

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Foster families are intended to provide children at risk with a secure environment. But how secure is this environment for the biological children of the foster family? While foster parents may feel drained by the needs of the foster children in their homes, the biological children may feel neglected by their parents. How do these children respond to—and perceive—the reality of foster children in their home? To address these questions, nine children were interviewed individually. Five of these children were still living at home, four were adult children reflecting back on their experiences growing up. The results from these interviews …

The Biographic Impact Of An Hiv Diagnosis (Immune Deficiency), Leanne Carol Baird

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

No abstract provided.

Resolving Community Conflicts With Public Participation: A Case Study Of A Southwestern Ontario Community, Rosalba Stocco

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative case study of a southern Ontario urban fringe community demonstrates that unresolved community conflict continues to be played out in the political arena by different actors in on-going disputes. A macro, meta and micro level of analysis reveals that negative patterns of interaction have contributed to a fatalistic attitude to community problem solving. Furthermore, the study confirms that the traditional processes did not address the needs and fears of the residents, thus contributing to the entrenchment and impasses the community faced.

Eramosa Township was chosen for its highly conflictual nature and its extensive public participation practices. Participants from …

A Naturalistic Study Of The Relationship Between The Process Of Empowerment And Mental Health During Adolescence, Michael Terrence Ungar

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A qualitative study of 21 at-risk adolescents led to the development of a grounded theory which shows that mental health and resilience depends on the acceptance of teenagers experiences for their self-definitions and the power they exercise in the social discourse which constructs these defining labels. Using the metaphor of drift, this paper explores how teens seek acceptance for the most powerful personal labels accessible to them. The process of empowerment is conceptualized as a protective mechanism giving a young person power in the social construction of his or her identity. The young people in this study explained that participation …

The Role Of The State And The Community In Community Participation: A Case Study, Joseph Jean-Marc Andre Belanger

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study analyzes the principles and the practice of the concept of community participation. The purpose of research is to address the degree and manner of autonomy that can be exercised at the local community level and also what kind of participation should come from the state when communities are engaged with the state in a community participation process. The methodology of qualitative nature, is a case study of the Sudbury Better Beginnings, Better Futures Associations. An analysis of the public documents comparing the state and the Sudbury Association’s position on community participation principles is portrayed before performing an analysis …

Families And Job Loss In Rural Newfoundland And Urban Ontario: A Systems Approach To Identifying Stress And Coping Strategies For Pastoral Care, Christina Marguerite Emmaus Edwards

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In response to the Church's mission to manifest God's love in active concern for those in need, the experiences that have helped or blocked families to develop coping skills when faced with the pain of job loss due to the crisis in the fishing industry in rural Newfoundland and the recession in urban Ontario were investigated and recommendations for systemic pastoral care were made. The data was gathered using qualitative research methods and the FACES 111: Social Adaptability and Cohesion Scale. Building on the work of Hill, McCubbin and Patterson, and using Graham's Psychosystemic map a Triple ABC-X Model of …

Hearing Metaphor: A Study Of Clients' Use Of Language In A Family Therapy Situation, Christopher Allen Whynot

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Metaphor is defined as a central function of language by which different realms of experience are conjoined and which operates at the nexus of internal and social processes. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in an exploratory study of metaphor use by families in therapy. Significant differences were found in quantity of metaphor use along gender and generational axes. Content analysis also identified some suggestive differences with respect to issues of agency and imagery along lines of gender and parenting status. Categories nominated from the identified metaphors are also suggestive of the differential dilemmas faced by the clients. The study …

The Young Adult Substance Abuse Clinic. A Program Evaluation: Process And Immediate Output, Kimberly Calderwood

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

ln this program evaluation, I present the demographic characteristics and underlying problems of YASAC’s clientele. The clients’ level of satisfaction regarding the services provided is also examined. A comparison of the results with YASAC's implementation objectives as well as its current goals and objectives helps to determine some of the clinic’s strengths and weaknesses. An extensive literature review provides the basis for six hypotheses used to address the following three questions: (1) whether clients involved with probation and parole differ from other clients in terms of successful completion of the program, (2) whether clients’ attitudes toward their alcohol and drug …

Southeast Asian Refugees In Canada: Gender Differences In Adaptation And Mental Health, Roger Gary Edwards

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis involves secondary analysis of epidemiological data concerning a large cohort of Southeast Asian refugees resettled in British Columbia, Canada, who were surveyed three times over a ten year period. Male-female differences in the mental health impact of adaptational demands, such as the acquisition of host language skills and securing employment were the focus for the thesis. The psychometric properties of the mental health scales used in the study demonstrated high internal consistencies and construct validity in both male and female samples. There was evidence to suggest that the external validity of the study was somewhat compromised by the …

Canadian Social Work Education From The Standpoint Of Gay Men, Brian Joseph O'Neill

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study explores issues related to same-gender sexual orientation in social work education from the standpoint of gay men. The literature suggests that the effectiveness of social services is limited by social workers’ lack of knowledge and sensitivity regarding same-gender sexual orientation. This problem is significant because at least 10% of the population are sexually attracted to members of their own gender and because clients from this segment of the population may have service needs different than those of heterosexuals, particularly related to societal discrimination based on sexual orientation. The purpose of this inquiry is to identify changes needed in …

Managing Young Offender Programs: Self-Perceived Power To Manage Young Offender Custody Programs In Ontario, Kenneth Emmanuel Thomas

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The primary focus of this dissertation was to understand more about the nature and bases of power that are available to Managers of Young Offender Custody Programs in Ontario. Within a pluralist view of organizations (Morgan, 1986) and French and Raven’s (1959) framework of social power, three major questions provided direction for this research: (1) What are the perceptions of managers and their power? (2) What are the differences between managers in their perceptions of their power? and, (3) What are the possible explanations for such differences? The research involved an exploratory, descriptive study of manager power in 141 Young …

Quest For Balm In Gilead: Disclosure Patterns Of Church-Affiliated Family Members With Relatives Who Have 'Come Out' As Lesbian Or Gay, Margaret Elizabeth Myers

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The researcher conducted a study between September 2005 and March 2006 that explored the disclosure experiences of church-affiliated relatives of lesbians and gays in their mainline church communities. The researcher believed that findings would potentially contribute to the provision of pastoral care in church communities that would improve the life experiences of those family members whose relatives are lesbian or gay. The study used a combined qualitative and quantitative approach. Interviews took place with 16 family members to discover their disclosure experiences, and an additional 54 family members completed a 30-item questionnaire that sought additional information about disclosure experienced. The …

Gender And Self-Care In Undergraduate University Students: A Qualitative Study, Anne Johnston Munroe

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Although there has been more interest in home health care, self-care, or "lay" initiatives in health care in recent years, most research is from the perspective of the researcher. The researcher names and defines the important issues and also generally makes use of structured questionnaires that force responses into predetermined categories. My research project was a departure from this approach. Grounded in the interpretive paradigm, this research sought to better understand the ways in which men and women experience their physical and mental health and the methods they employ to augment or maintain their health. Another purpose of the research …

Organizations And Attitudes In The Local Economic Development Process: A Case Study Of The West Parry Sound Area (Ontario), Darin Gregory Tucci

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this study is to further our understanding of the obstacles and catalysts to the local economic development (LED) process. The central issues under examination deal with multi-community and multi-organization integration at the subregional level. These issues are explored though a case study of West Parry Sound Area (WPSA). The difficulties associated with integration and the differences among member municipalities and organizations were evaluated in two ways. First, the agencies involved in the WSPA LED process were examined to assess the organizational structure resulting from overlapping objectives and representatives. Second, the attitudes of key actors within these agencies …

The Measurement Of Effective Parenting In Native Communities, Adje Van De Sande

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In Native communities across North America, there are initiatives currently being taken by Native people to develop culturally relevant child welfare programs to deal with the problems of child maltreatment. One example of such a program is Cherish the Children, a training program developed by the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Centre to teach “parenting skills to Indian mothers with young children” (Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, 1988). It was developed by Anishnabe (Ojibway) people and encourages Anishnabe parents to return to “the old ways” of parenting. The purpose of this study was to develop a culturally-sensitive instrument that would measure …

An Investigation Of The Ability Of Elementary School-Aged Children To Learn Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Concepts, Leslie Maureen Tutty

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The current research was designed to investigate a wide range of variables which could affect the ability of elementary school children to learn and to remember child sexual abuse prevention concepts. The major questions posed for the study were: how much do the children know about child sexual abuse before participating in a prevention program, do children learn the prevention concepts after participating in the program and do they remember the concepts over time (five months). Age was considered a critical variable, so three age groups were delineated: Grades 1, 3 and 6. A smaller sample of kindergarten children were …

Leisure Lifestyle And Perceived Social Support Of Older Adults In A Rural Environment, Elizabeth Dow Pittaway

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the leisure lifestyles of rural older adults and specifically to determine whether a relationship existed among leisure lifestyle, perceived social support, and well-being. Control variables included socio-demographic factors, value of leisure, satisfaction with life domains, length of residency, ethnicity, religion, and personal and structural barriers. The theoretical framework included social exchange theory and social support perspectives. A descriptive correlational research design was utilized and a mail survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to people 55 and older. Rural older adults spent more time on indoor leisure compared to outdoor …

An Attributional Perspective In The Study Of Crime Seriousness And Criminal Sentencing, Bikram Dasgupta

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There is a need at present to understand the basis of seriousness judgments and the following sentence recommendation with respect to judicial decision-making. The defensive attribution model (cf. Jones & Davis, 1965) suggests that assessments of responsibility are strongly influenced by perceived intent freedom and duration factors, along with the material consequences of act. One’s attitude toward punishment has also been implicated as strongly related to the resulting sentencing decision imposed upon the offender. The role of these factors in seriousness and sentencing respectively was explored in the present research. The study also observed the role of three situational factors …

Environmental Perception And Its Impacts On The Tourist Industry: A Case Study Of The Niagara Region, Donna Marie Senese

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The natural resources of the Niagara Region of Ontario have played an important role in the success of the tourist industry in the region. The Niagara Region has been developed on an industrial and agricultural base since the nineteenth century. Due to conflicting demands of the manufacturing, agricultural and tourism industries for aesthetic, recreational and waste disposal purposes, the physical environment has deteriorated. The research problem of this thesis is to determine the extent of the effect of this deteriorated environment upon the tourist industry in the Niagara Region.

Physical inventories of resources are not adequate in terms of evaluating …

The Pilgrimage To Elvis Presley's Graceland: A Study Of The Meanings Of Place, James W. Davidson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Sites become places when people bestow meaning, such as sanctity, upon them. Throughout human history, sacred places have continually emerged within cultural groups. Sacred places commonly focus on heroic figures. A pilgrimage is the visible expression of the sanctity of a place. This thesis examines the motives, meanings and experiences which are associated with the journey to Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion and grave in Memphis, Tennessee.

Data came from questioning 209 people visiting Presley’s home in the summer of 1984, from fan clubs around the world, and from personal interviews with key figures in Memphis. In my analysis of the …

Sociology Of Medicine For Whom?: Feminist Perspectives In A Multi-Paradigmatic Sociology Of Medicine, Juanne Nancarrow Clarke

Sociology Faculty Publications

My mother was a nurse, always called on when the neighbor’s child fell out of a high chair, woke up with spots or red eyes or had a fever. But, like others with whom I’ve talked whose parents offer health care services, I learned to feel that sickness was a weakness. I grew to feel ashamed of being sick; to have to rationalize and justify my own indisposition or to ignore or hide it. Through this, I learned that sickness and health were not biological events only but were constructed out of a web of social relations and meanings. And …

Communities In Transition Elmira And St. Jacobs, Ontario : A Study Of Resident And Retailer Attitudes Toward Tourism, Frances Hohol

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The present thesis examines the changes which tourism development has brought to two Canadian communities, Elmira and St. Jacobs, Ontario. They are "communities in transition". The research focusses on the local resident and retailer attitudes toward this development, and the possibility and desirability of further tourism development. Following analysis of the data collected through questionnaires, nine recommendations are presented.

Consumer Images Of Shopping Centres A Socio-Economic Analysis, David W. Bell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Previous research has shown that behaviour by consumers is influenced by many interacting factors that motivate each individual in different ways. It is how these factors are perceived and combined by each person that leads to the formation of consumer images of shopping centres. Image is an important criterion in the comprehension of the consumer’s perception of shopping centres. Studies have found that the consumer’s image is related in a systematic way with the measures of social and economic characteristics of the consumer. Occupation and income are two variables that have often been employed by previous researchers to measure a …

Social Support, Stress, And Young Unwed Mothers' Ability To Cope Effectively With Parenthood, Christina Henninger

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Seventy-six single mothers between the ages of 15 and 22 were studied to determine the relationship between stress and social support and to determine their service needs. Of these 76 individuals, 19 were chosen to participate in a Home Visit Program (a self-help support program), while 21 were chosen to act as a control group for the evaluation of the program. It was hypothesized that for the total sample an inverse relationship between stress and support would be found (as support increases, stress decreases). Our findings partially supported this hypothesis. Individuals having high scores for Family Support tended to have …