Social Work Commons^™

Youth Savings Around The World: Youth Characteristics, Savings Performance, And Potential Effects, Rainier Masa, Margaret Sherrard Sherraden, Li Zou, Fred Ssewamala, Lissa Johnson, David Ansong, Gina Chowa, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Youth Savings Around the World: Youth Characteristics, Savings Performance, and Potential Effects

College Savings Plan Accounts At Birth: Maine's Statewide Program, Margaret M. Clancy, Terry Lassar

Center for Social Development Research

The Harold Alfond College Challenge offers $500 to every child in the state enrolled in Maine’s NextGen college savings plan within 1 year from birth. As the first U.S. example of a statewide Child Development Account, the Alfond Challenge is a laboratory to study and learn from Maine’s experience. This CSD policy brief provides an overview of the Alfond Challenge, examines administrative and enrollment challenges, and offers recommendations and federal and state policy directions.

Effectiveness Of Japan's Extended/Night Child Care: A Five-Year Follow Up, Uma Segal, Tokie Anme, H. Tanaka, R. Shinohara, Y. Sugisawa, E. Tanaka, L. Tong, T. Watanabe, Y. Onda, Y. Kawashima, E. Tomisaki, H. Mochizuki, M. Hirano, K. Morita

Social Work Faculty Works

Background: With increasing numbers of women joining the evening/nighttime and extended-hour workforce, there is a need for quality childcare during these hours. Methods: This project, conducted in Japan, sought to compare the effects of expanded child-care on the development and adaptation of 185 young children after five years in care. Parents completed a survey on the childrearing environment at home, their feelings of self-confidence, and the presence of support for childcare. Childcare professionals evaluated the development of children. Results: The results of multiple regression analysis indicate that factors in the home environment, not length of center-based care, explained developmental risks …

Relationship And Injury Trends In The Homicide Of Women Across The Lifespan: A Research Note, Carol E. Jordan, Adam J. Pritchard, Danielle Duckett, Pamela Wilcox, Tracey Corey, Mandy Combest

Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women Publications

In 2006, more than 3,600 women in the United States lost their lives to homicide. Descriptive data regarding homicides of women are beginning to reveal important complexities regarding victim–offender relationships, severity of injury, and age of female homicide victim. More specifically, there is some indication that the correlation between victim–offender relationship and injury severity may be conditional, depending on victim age. This retrospective review accessed medical examiner records of female homicide victims from 2002 through 2004, and its findings offer additional illumination on the trends in associations of injury and relationship variables in the homicide of women over their life …

The Lived Experience Of Empowered Volunteers: A Study Of Christian Church Volunteers, Adam K. Peters

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Psychological empowerment has been thoroughly studied in the workplace context. Volunteerism has also been thoroughly studied through a multitude of different facets. However, little research could be found bridging the empowerment construct into volunteerism. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the experience of empowerment among volunteers. Volunteer empowerment was discovered through four primary themes, make a difference, rewarding, lifestyle of service, and passion, and three secondary themes, autonomy, awareness, and ability. Other relevant findings included and revolved around volunteer time and balance, challenges, propelling forces, and getting started. Current …

A Comparison Of Course Completion, Satisfaction, Achievement, And Performance Among Non-Profit Professionals Who Complete Andragogical Or Pedagogical Online Learning Modules On Grant Writing, Joe Bernard Bradley Jr.

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes among staff members of nonprofit social service agencies who participated in or completed an andragogicallyfacilitated or a pedagogically-conducted online learning module on foundation grant writing. The efficacy of andragogical methods is unknown and often debated due to scarce empirical research on the topic. Though most prior empirical studies revealed no significant differences in outcomes between the two methods, this is the first study of its kind to address each of the assumptions of andragogy in an online non-formal learning environment. Effectiveness was measured based on participants’ self-reported reaction to learning …

Family Preservation In Families’ Ecological Systems: Factors That Predict Out-Of-Home Placement And Maltreatment For Service Recipients In Richmond City, Jody Hearn

Theses and Dissertations

Family preservation services are intended to prevent the out-of-home placement (into foster care or some other alternative arrangement) of children and youth in families at risk of maltreating them. An Ecological Systems perspective of these families might suggest that a family’s context (represented by the variables of poverty, agency services, family history, and individual/caretaker characteristics) must be considered as an over-arching influence in families’ risk and outcomes. The purpose of this cross-sectional secondary data analysis study was to identify layered factors that distinguish family preservation cases in Richmond, VA that experience removal or subsequent abuse or neglect from those that …

Job And Personal Resources And Demands: The Effects On Job Satisfaction And Job Search Behavior Of Certified Nursing Assistants (Cnas) Working In Nursing Homes, Natsuko Ryosho

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine how job resources, job demands, personal resource, personal demands, and demographic characteristics predict job satisfaction and job search behavior of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) working in nursing homes. The study used data from the 2004 National Nursing Assistant Survey (NNAS). The job demands-resources (JD-R) model (Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner, & Schaufeli, 2001) provided the basis for the conceptual framework of the study. First, a series of multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to determine how the five categories of predictor variables predicted the levels of job satisfaction among CNAs. Next, a series …

Aps: Neglected Agency In Feed Of Transformation, Suncica Sue Vilic

Theses & Honors Papers

Approximately 3 million elders are mistreated annually in the United States. Due to factors such as increase in life expectancy, this number is likely to amplify. Adult Protective Services agencies across the nation have been established by The Social Security Act, with purpose and goal of providing services to stop elder mistreatment and prevent it from occurring further. Although program was created over 40 years ago, APS agencies continue to make little progress and are publicly and legislatively neglected when compared to child welfare programs and domestic violence programs.

This thesis presents overview of APS problems on local, state, and …

Civic Engagement: Volunteer Opportunities For The Bemidji State University Community, Krista Stowe

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Social Welfare Leadership Lessons From The Obama Campaign, Betty Brown-Chappell

Faculty Scholarship - Social Work

No abstract provided.

Contemporary Rural Social Work - Spring 2010 (Volume 2, Number 1)

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Contemporary Rural Social Work - Spring 2010 (Volume 2, Number 1)

Full issue

Can Establishing Partnerships Between College Campuses And Nonprofit Organizations Be Mutually Beneficial?, Crystal S. Aschenbrener Msw

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

More than ever nonprofit organizations need to find creative ways to be resourceful and cost effective in achieving their mission. Partnerships between college campuses and nonprofit organizations can be a mutually beneficial way of meeting nonprofit’s program goals while empowering college students, who are the next generation of volunteers, donors, and professionals. With these partnerships, nonprofits gain new ideas and extra working hands though established projects while students gain field experiences and the opportunity to apply their course knowledge. With this article, readers will understand the benefits of building as well as a step-by-step model to develop such partnerships.

Faculty Perceptions Of Differences Between Teaching Rural Appalachian And Urban Social Work Students, Lonnie R. Helton Lisw-S, Acsw

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Faculty who teach social work students in both rural Appalachian colleges and urban settings often notice differences in how these students approach learning and respond to the classroom environment and university setting. There is limited research on how Appalachian college students experience higher education and how they perceive the benefits of a college degree. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of social work faculty members at three Appalachian and three Midwestern universities, who have taught rural Appalachian students, as well as students from urban areas. Findings indicated that faculty mostly viewed Appalachian students as being different from urban students. Appalachian …

Who Wants To Do Rural Social Work? Student Perceptions Of Rural Social Work Practice, Amy Phillips Mssw, Phd, Andrew Quinn Mssw, Phd, Thomasine Heitkamp Msw

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

In response to growing concerns about the national shortage of rural social workers, the researchers surveyed and interviewed 115 social work students (97 BSW, 18 MSW) to ascertain their career plans and perceptions of rural social work practice. Although more than half reported living in rural communities at the time of their high school graduation, over 70% indicated a preference for practicing social work in or near an urban area. Students articulated multiple incentives that would attract them to rural social work and expressed a clear understanding of how various systems (social service, legislative, community, and educational) could provide these …

Social Work Student Interests In Rural Practice, David D. Barney Msw, Mph, Phd, Timothy Barnett-Queen Mdiv, Msw, Phd, Betty E.S. Duran Msw, Mph, Iván De La Rosa Msw, Phd

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This study of BSW and MSW students (N = 122) in the School of Social Work at New Mexico State University reports student attitudes, concerns and interest in rural social work practice and rural social work practice curriculum. Strong support for rural social work practice and concomitant rural curriculum was evidenced by 93% who believed that social workers should practice in rural areas and 22% who ideally want to practice only in a rural community. Originally conceptualized and conducted to gather background data in support of a rural social work practice curriculum minor, its broader implications for rural social work …

A Case Study Of Health Risk Behaviors In A Sample Of Residents In Rural Appalachia, Gretchen E. Ely, Patricia G. Cook-Craig, Mark B. Dignan, Carol R. White, Sandy Good, Shelli Deskins

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

The purpose of this paper was to examine health risk behaviors from a sample of adults living in one of the nation’s poorest counties in Central Appalachia. A descriptive secondary analysis of data collected for a public health surveillance project was conducted to determine the most pressing health problems and risk behaviors affecting this unique population. Residents reported high rates of hypertension, back pain, and sleep problems. They also reported very low levels of physical activity. A discussion of results is provided, including a comparison of the study population to information from national surveys. The limitations of the study and …

Parents Describe Finding Income And Resources For Their Medicaid-Eligible Children With Disabilities, Joanne Riebschleger, Marya Sosulski, Angelique Day

Social Work Faculty Publications

In the U.S. social system, the roles of work and parenthood are often in conflict, and this conflict is especially problematic for parents of children with special needs. This study was designed to give parents an opportunity to describe their experiences in finding income and resources while caring for a Medicaid-eligible child with a chronic illness or disability. Three themes emerged: work and parenting responsibilities constantly intersected; resources for families were often insufficient or unavailable; and when parents received help, the helpers took extraordinary measures. Findings were compared to those of emerging literature; in addition, parents offered many practice and …

The Use Of Prescription Drugs For Academic Performance Enhancement In College Aged Students, Sarah Sweeney

Social Work Theses

100 students between the ages of 18-22 were surveyed at a small, private New England college in an effort to develop a better understanding of the use of stimulant medications by this population and to evaluate existing and potential policies surrounding such use. Finding revealed high rates of illicit use of such medications with 56% of the surveyed sample reporting to use during their college career and 94% responding that they were aware of such use on campus. A statistically significant relationship was identified between students that illicitly used the medications and students that believe the drugs were harmless. In …

The Relationship Between Individualistic Attitudes And Attitudes Towards Traditional Marriage In Contemporary American Society, Mary Sarah Harper

Social Work Theses

This report examines attitudes of a sample of 100 individuals from the ‘marriage-eligible population’ regarding the Institution of Marriage in relation to the rising prevalence of Individualistic attitudes in contemporary American society. This study found the rise of individualistic attitudes to have a statistically significant positive correlation to the rise in negative attitudes towards traditional marriage. It is argued in this study that the increase in individualistic attitudes is the primary contributing factor to the three trends of marital decline; the increasing divorce rate, the decreasing marriage rate, and the increasing number of alternatives to traditional marriage. This study attempts …