Community-Based Research Commons^™

States And Multicultural Education Policies: A Multinomial Logit Analysis, Leander D. Kellogg

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

This research evaluates the factors that facilitate or constrain the adoption of multicultural education policies in the fifty US state at the state legislature and state bureaucracy levels. According to the 2010 Census, the majority of children under age two—for the first time in US history—are minorities. Furthermore, 11 states and the District of Columbia already have a “minority-majority” population of children under age five. Seven more states are expected to join them in the next decade. Previous research has found that multicultural education policies have been increasingly adopted but are not yet widespread across the states. This study first …

Juror Typologies And Dna Comprehension:Who Benefits From Jury Trial Innovations?, Mari Sakiyama, Joel D. Lieberman

Graduate Research Symposium (2010 - 2017)

When DNA evidence is presented in the courtroom, it is typically accompanied by complex testimony conveying information such as the method of generating population frequencies, match criteria and probabilities, as well as laboratory errors and error rates. Although this evidence may have high probative value, the legal community has expressed growing concern regarding jurors’ ability to comprehend it. However, courts have implemented a variety of jury trial innovations to facilitate jurors’ ability to process complex information. Although these innovations may have a positive effect on comprehension of complex trial evidence, it is unclear whether some jurors are more likely to …

Shaping Young Women For The Future: A Case Study Of A South African Girls’ School, Colleen Mcgeehan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project seeks to examine the place of private schools in preparing young women for a future in the new South Africa. Specifically, this project focuses on high school learners at South African Girls’ School (SAGS) in Durban, South Africa. By examining ways of learning, succeeding and fitting in at SAGS as well as perceptions of a democratic South Africa and how the learners at this school see themselves fitting into the future of their country, we gain a fuller understanding of what it means to be a citizen of this country for a group that is not often studied. …

Predictors Of The Change In The Expression Of Emotional Support Within An Online Breast Cancer Support Group: A Longitudinal Study, Woohyun Yoo, Ming-Yuan Chih, Min-Woo Kwon, Junghwan Yang, Eunji Cho, Bryan Mclaughlin, Kang Namkoong, Dhavan V. Shah, David H. Gustafson

Community & Leadership Development Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: To explore how the expression of emotional support in an online breast cancer support group changes over time, and what factors predict this pattern of change.

METHODS: We conducted growth curve modeling with data collected from 192 participants in an online breast cancer support group within the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS) during a 24-week intervention period.

RESULTS: Individual expression of emotional support tends to increase over time for the first 12 weeks of the intervention, but then decrease slightly with time after that. In addition, we found that age, living situation, comfort level with computer and the …

Ua41 University College Connection, Dennis K. George, Dean, Wendi Kelley, University College, Western Kentucky University

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

Building Up A Community By Empowering Disadvantaged Youth, Sophia De Quattro

Service-Learning | Student Scholarship

When you enter the grounds of Marin County Community School (MCCS), you see security patrolling the premises. The students may be on probation, house arrest, or have general behavior issues deemed unfit for regular public school. High-risk youth in Marin County generally are referred to MCCS, an alternative education facility, in hopes of providing the student a second chance to earn a high school diploma and a better future. MCCS, located in San Rafael, California provides an educational program geared towards intensive instruction in English/Language Arts and Mathematics with a focus on developing pro-social skills through the integration of services …

Diversity And Equity...Community Building Strategies In Public Libraries For Multicultural Communities, Rajeswari Chelliah

Research outputs 2013

The research project focused on the community building potential in the public library due to increasing diversity in multicultural groups. Diversity in Australia and the world at large, is challenged by groups with backgrounds of traditionally embedded mind-sets, civil unrest, war, intolerance and poverty, and who live within the socio-cultural framework of the host culture. Building cohesion and integration among the residents is vital for all nations. The exploratory research project investigated the current level of public library services to Multicultural groups to obtain library staff views. The views of Multicultural individuals about their local public library experiences and information …

Managing The Polarities Of Democracy: A Theoretical Framework For Positive Social Change, William J. Benet

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

People around the globe have embraced democracy to bring about positive social change to address our environmental, economic, and militaristic challenges. Yet, there is no agreement on a definition of democracy that can guide social change efforts. The Polarities of Democracy model is a unifying theory of democracy to guide healthy, sustainable, and just social change efforts. The Polarities of Democracy model consists of ten elements, organized as five polarity pairs: freedom & authority, justice & due process, diversity & equality, human-rights & communal-obligations, and participation & representation. In this model each element has positive aspects and negative aspects and …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of A Health Care Administration Student Practicum, Christopher R. Cochran, Michelle Sotero

Nevada Journal of Public Health

As the health care industry becomes increasingly complex, many leaders and practitioners in the field are worried about the quality and preparation of health care administration graduates (Robbins, Bradley, & Spicer, 2001). Academic health care administration programs prepare students for a professional career in the health care field. One of the biggest challenges for university health care administration programs is to meet industry needs by effectively incorporating practical skills and knowledge into the academic curricula. For students, coursework provides some insight into the demands of the industry, but they also require hands-on experience to be relevant in a highly competitive …

The Administrative Prevalence Of Autism Spectrum Disorders In Nevada School Districts: A Pooled Time Series Analysis, 1996-2004, John P. Tuman, Sheniz Moonie, Danielle Roth-Johnson

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Objective: To examine the administrative prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in all seventeen school districts in Nevada during the period of 1996 to 2004.

Methods: Normalized administrative prevalence rates (per 1,000 children ages 6-17) for ASD, Mental Retardation (MR), Learning Disability (LD), and Speech and Language Impairment (SLI) were calculated. Covariates for board certified pediatricians per 1,000 students, Federal special education funding per student, and other measures of school resources were employed. Models were estimated with pooled Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression with panel corrected standard errors. A separate analysis compared pooled OLS results to results from Latent Growth …

Nutrition Education In Clark County, Nevada, Matt Bittle, Mildred Mcclain, Jeanne A. Hibler, Marcia M. Ditmyer

Nevada Journal of Public Health

Over 51 million school hours are missed annually by school-aged children due to a dental problem or visit, with 117 hours missed per 100 children (NIDCR, 2002). Approximately half a million of California's 7.2 million school-age children missed at least one day of school in 2007 because of dental issues such as toothaches (Pourat, & Nicholson, 2009). Independent research regarding various educational and intervention programs have been conducted in elementary schools across the country that focus on nutrition and/or physical activity, some of which have found that the programs positively impacted students’ dietary behaviors (Edwards, Mauch, & Winkelman, 2011; Muth, …

Alliances Et Cultures Nord, Emily Taft

France: Language, Community and Social Change

Alliances et Cultures est un centre social à Toulouse qui « apporte, par des actions collectives, une réponse à des problèmes d'intégration sociale. » L’association, qui a été officiellement créée en 1987, réalise cette mission par trois axes principaux: l’insertion social et les liens sociales, l’accompagnement à la parentalité, et l’accompagnement aux personnes âgées. L’Alliances et Cultures a trois endroits différents : Sept-Deniers, Mirail, et Nord. Pour ma présentation, je vais parler de l’association en générale, ses missions, ses activités, etc. Je pense qu’il est important de montrer tous les fonctionnes de l’association pour mieux voir comment elles travaillent ensemble …

Motivating Factors For Young Adults In The Brattleboro Area To Start In Organic Agriculture For Their Career, Tomokazu Utsugi

Capstone Collection

Despite a worldwide push for the conversion of conventional agriculture to organic agriculture, organic farming itself is not a very popular vocational choice for young people. Brattleboro, one of the towns in Vermont, is no exception. Although several local organizations are promoting local agriculture and food security, in reality, not many young people in Brattleboro want to choose organic agriculture as their career.

With a total of 17 in-depth qualitative interviews with young adults in the Brattleboro area, this inquiry sought to identify a range of factors that would motivate them to choose organic agriculture as their career. The results …

Reversing The Brain Drain, Milan Wall

Heartland Center for Leadership Development Materials

Reversing the Brain Drain, presentation slides.

Includes a summary of demographic research conducted by Ben Winchester of the University of Minnesota, including information about the "newcomer trend." Also covers Buffalo Commons research conducted by Randy Cantrell or the University of Nebraska.

Southwest Nebraska Community Builders, Graduate Reunion Meeting, May 1, 2012, Craig Schroeder

Heartland Center for Leadership Development Materials

Introduction:

2012 marks 20 years since Dr. Bob Manley brought Community Builder to Southwest Nebraska, as the region emerged from the devastation of the 1980's Ag Crisis. On May 1st, a group of former participants from communities through out the region came together to reflect on the impact Community Builders had on them personally, and on their communities and the region overall. Based upon this reflection it was unanimously determine that a new generation of emerging leaders would greatly benefit from Community Builders. The group then went through the process of evaluating what had been most valuable in the original …

Fortifying The Pipeline: An Exploratory Study Of High School Factors Impacting The Information Literacy Of First-Year College Students, Jennifer L. Fabbi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Information literacy—the ability "to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” (American Library Association [ALA], 1989, para. 3)—has been widely and increasingly cited as an essential competency for college success, for the workplace, and for life (Bruce, 1997; Eisenberg, 2008; Fitzgerald, 2004; Johnston & Webber, 2003; National Leadership Council for Liberal Education and America’s Promise, 2007; Obama, 2009; Rader, 2002). Information literacy best practice and standards state that students optimally develop this skill set through immersion in the research process—often and over time—and this proposition is also supported in …

Exploring German And American Modes Of Pedagogical And Institutional Sustainability: Forging A Way Into The Future, Lindon N. Pronto

Pitzer Senior Theses

Rooted deep in Germany's past is its modern socio-political grounding for environmental respect and sustainability. This translates into individual and collective action and extends equally to the economic and policy realm as it does to educational institutions. This thesis evaluates research conducted in Germany with a view to what best approaches are transferable to the United States liberal arts setting. Furthermore, exemplary American models of institutional sustainability and environmental education are explored and combined with those from abroad to produce a blueprint and action plan fitting for the American college and university.

Using Concepts From Freire’S Pedagogy Of The Oppressed To Promote Colorectal Cancer Screening In An Urban Minority Population, Corey H. Brouse, Charles E. Basch, Randi L. Wolf

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

This paper briefly introduces Freire’s philosophy of education, as well as examples of how this philosophy can be used in health education. Concepts from Freire’s work are highlighted along with how they are applicable to educating adults about colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, a health behavior that is less prevalent among poor and minority populations. Concepts highlighted in Freire’s writing can be directly applied to reducing disparities in health.

Service Learning/Civic Engagement And Assessment In Higher Education [Presentation With Audio], Allison Smith

Assessment & Accountability in Student Affairs & Higher Education (CNS 610)

To illustrate the importance of service learning and civic engagement in higher education.

To demonstrate the need for assessment and accountability of service learning and civic engagement in higher education.

Ua41 University College Connection, Dennis K. George, Dean, Wendi Kelley

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

20 Clues To Community Survival: An Annotated List, Heartland Center For Leadership Development

Heartland Center for Leadership Development Materials

The Heartland Center for Leadership Development is an independent, non-profit organization developing local leadership that responds to the challenges of the future.

The 20 clues are taken from the Heartland Center’s Clues to Rural Community Survival, a landmark study profiling thriving small towns and reservations. The list of vital characteristics provides an “ideal” benchmark against which people can measure their own community. It moves people naturally from theory, to strategy, to action.

Addressing The Learning Needs At Occupy Dc, Andrew J. Batcher

Capstone Collection

The purpose of this paper is to examine how learning can help the Occupy movement in Washington DC. It explores three questions. What are the learning needs of the movement? What educational content can help meet those needs? And how can education be practiced in a way that most effectively addresses the learning needs within the real world circumstances of the movement? Research methods include participant observation, surveys, interviews, focus groups, literature review, and primary document review. Data was coded into 11 outcome oriented learning needs and 3 educational orientations which are geared towards meeting those needs. This paper is …

High School Graduation And Dropout Rates In Nevada, Tiffany G. Tyler, Sandra D. Owens

Social Health of Nevada Reports

The causes and consequences of high school dropout rates are multifaceted and of great importance to society, and that is why this problem has been the subject of close scrutiny by educators, researchers, administrators, politicians and laypersons. Experts do not always agree on the nature of this social problem, but they have pinpointed its economic and social costs, identified key risk factors, and outlined most promising policy options for improving high school graduation rates in our society.

Academic Achievement And School Resources, Tiffany G. Tyler, Douglas L. Garner, Marie A. Wakefield, Roger Cleveland, Sandra D. Owens

Social Health of Nevada Reports

This chapter examines the national and local trends in educational policy, focusing in particular on Nevada’s academic achievement, standardized test performance, available school resources, and unmet needs. The discussion begins with the concept of academic achievement and the ways it is measured. After that, we analyze the policies impacting academic achievement, most notably the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Next, we suggest the strategies to improve academic performance in the Nevada K12 System and make recommendations to increase parental involvement in education and encourage culturally competent policies of bringing together children, families, and schools. Finally, we discuss the resources …

School Program Planning To Increase Active Transport To School, Brenda Aguilar

McNair Poster Presentations

Studies have shown that active transport is known to increase physical activity of children, decrease traffic congestion and the production of greenhouse gasses. This study examines active transport to school (ATS) [walking, biking, or other self-powered wheels to school] among elementary students. Through the Nevada Moves Day program an increase proportion of elementary students who use ATS was expected.

This study was done at two elementary schools, one being the intervention school that participated in the Nevada Moves Day, and a control school, which did not participate. Data was collected over a three week period. Students using active transport and …

Predictors Of Parental Involvement In Immigrant Chinese American Families, Pamela Cornejo, Cathy Anicama, Qing Zhou

McNair Poster Presentations

Parental involvement (PI) relates to children’s positive outcomes but few studies have examined factors of PI, particularly among immigrant families. The current study examines how contextual characteristics influence PI behaviors within Chinese immigrant families and potential mediating factors. Percentage of Asian students in schools and Parents’ report of education. English and Chinese proficiency, employment status and income were analyzed as predictors of PI behavior (i.e., parental involvement- home (PIH), parental involvement- School (PIS), parent-teacher contact (PTC)), based on parent and teacher report. Parental beliefs such as parent and teacher roles, perception of impact and ability, and endorsement of school were …

Study Guide For United In Anger: A History Of Act Up, Matt Brim

Open Educational Resources

The United in Anger Study Guide facilitates classroom and activist engagement with Jim Hubbard’s 2012 documentary, United in Anger: A History of ACT UP. The Study Guide contains discussion sections, projects and exercises, and resources for further research about the activism of the New York chapter of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power). The Study Guide is a free, interactive, multimedia resource for understanding the legacy of ACT UP, the film’s role in preserving that legacy, and its meaning for viewers' lives.

Public Libraries : Celebrating Diversity, Rajeswari Chelliah, Justin A. Brown, Barbara Combes

Research outputs 2012

No abstract provided.

Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum, Volume One, Issue One, Shane Willson, Landon S. Bevier, Rachael E. Gabriel, Taylor Krcek, Alaina Elizabeth Smith

Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum

It is with great pride that we present to you the inaugural issue of Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum. Here we have attempted to create an innovative, peer-reviewed space in which people from numerous disciplines, or even those claiming no discipline, can present research, multimedia, and art aimed at furthering the ideals of social justice, broadly defined. Social justice is not a concept owned by the academy, for attempts to create a more just world can come from many professions, or even from no profession at all. By applying the traditionally academic peer-review process to work done by activists, artists, …

Ua41 University College Connection, Dennis K. George, Dean, Wendi Kelley

UC Publications

No abstract provided.