Social Work Commons^™

Esl Work Readiness Curriculum Survey, Lynda Devine

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Minnesota has seen a 120% increase in immigration between 2003 & 2009. Since work is an integral aspect of quality of life in the USA, and in order to successfully integrate into the USA workforce, the new arrivals will need assistance in gaining USA work related skills .The CLUES agency contracts with Ramsey County, MN for its Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) clients. The contract includes providing job skill training to persons for whom English is a Second Language (ESL). CLUES chose to create an ESL Work Readiness curriculum that was meaningful and linguistically appropriate for the participants while meeting …

A "Pawsitive" Influence Of Animals In Long-Term Care Facilities: Animal-Assisted Therapy At St. Peter Regional Treatment Center, Hannah L. Winkler

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The St. Peter Regional Treatment Center (SPRTC) provides secure, residential, multi-disciplinary treatment services, including psychosocial rehabilitation and skill enhancement, to individuals civilly committed as Mental Ill and Dangerous by the State of Minnesota. Since the treatment process is so comprehensive at SPRTC, patients may spend several years receiving in-patient treatment.

Since SPRTC does not currently have an animal-assisted therapy (AAT) program, the purpose of this project was to research existing AAT programs being implemented with similar patient populations as a way to inform SPRTC staff of possible programs they could implement on their campus. The overall goal of this project …

How Age Of First Dating Experience, Number Of Dating Partners, And Length Of Relationship Relates To Dating Violence Victimization, Marcella Smith

Social Work Theses - Archive

Dating violence is a serious social and health problem for young adolescent in many parts of the world. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between three independent variables: (1) age of first dating experience; (2) number of dating partners; and (3) length of dating relationships with one dependent variable: (1) dating violence victimization among African American middle school youths. A review of the literature indicated conflicting results regarding the relationship between each independent variable and the dependent variables. One-way ANOVA was used to identify the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The results of this …

A Systematic Review Of The Literature On The Association Between Evidence-Based Adhd Treatment And Later Adolescent/Adult Substance Abuse, Jaime Higgins

Social Work Theses - Archive

Objective: There has been much controversy over prescribing stimulant medication to treat the symptoms of childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This study aims to explore the relationship between prescribing stimulant and non-stimulant medication for the treatment of childhood ADHD and future substance abuse in adolescents and young adulthood. Method: A systematic review of all ten studies that met inclusion criteria was conducted testing whether stimulant treatment of ADHD reduces or increases the risk for future substance use, abuse and dependency. Results: Ten studies were critically appraised for high methodological quality. ADHD was found to be a high risk for …

An Exploratory Study Of Sex Selective Abortion Among Indian Immigrants In The United States, Jill Tucker

Social Work Theses - Archive

This qualitative study sought to explore the transmission of and motivation for sex-selective abortion among Indian immigrants in the United States. Using a theoretical framework incorporating social learning theory and self-determination theory, the research design consisted of semi-structured interviews of 20 married Indian immigrant women. Based on an analysis of these interviews, the following emergent themes were discovered: "Problems for and from Girls", "Dowry", "Education (lack of)", "Familial Pressure", "Familial Preference", "Familial Ties", "Inheritance", "Son's Duty", "Money", "Name Carried Forward", and "Want a Boy". Theoretical and social work practice implications based on the findings of the study were discussed. While …

The Impact Of Familial Instability On Adolescent Behavioral Outcomes, Stephen N. Baldridge

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

As the definition of what is considered a family changes in our society, the family unit itself continues to undergo changes. These changes can sometimes lead to decreased stability within the family unit. This study focused on how this instability impacts adolescents who are brought up in unstable families, specifically within the context of their behavioral outcomes. Variables surrounding family stability as well as several indicators of maladaptive behavioral outcomes were used to measure this concept. This study used a longitudinal, non-experimental approach, guided by a comprehensive literature review and the theoretical application to Skinner's theory of applied behavior.

Nonprofit Employee Recognition: An Intrinsically-Based Program, Alicia Barker

Social Work Theses - Archive

This study hypothesizes that nonprofit employees will choose non-monetary motivational factors based on intrinsic values over monetary factors such as better pay, benefits, etc. when asked what is most important. Limited funding plays an important role in dictating the means of recognizing employees who have gone above and beyond their expected job duties. Both qualitative and quantitative methods have been used in order to gather the most comprehensive data. A group interview was conducted to assist in generating ideas with regards to an intrinsically-based recognition program. A job motivational survey was distributed amongst the employees in order to understand the …

Evaluation Of A Web-Phone Intervention System On Preventing Smoking Relapse, Wu-Der Peng

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This randomized-controlled-trial aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a web-phone intervention system in preventing smoking relapse. The intervention was based on the Transtheoretical Model (TTM), incorporated with Motivational Interviewing strategies, and the Two-phase Model. One hundred and sixteen volunteer subjects were recruited from the student smokers name list of a university located in southern Taiwan. They were randomly assigned to three groups with a double-blind principle. The findings are listed as below. After receiving a one-month intensive intervention, the subjects in the experimental group significantly improved on self-efficacy and stage of change toward smoking cessation. After receiving a one-month intensive …

The Challenges Of Complex Trauma And The Promise Of Supporting Strengths, Katherine Tyson Mccrea

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

An Introduction To The Special Section On Professional Standards In Human Services, Tammi F. Milliken, Edward S. Neukrug

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics related to human services including accreditation, code of ethics, and assessment tool.

Using Daily Behavior Report Cards As Intervention For Primary School Students With Adhd, Kristina Schaefer

Senior Honors Theses and Projects

This study is a secondary analysis of the Daily Behavior Report Card (DBRC), for three primary school aged children diagnosed with ADHD. These children are characterized as having difficulty sustaining attention at school and play, as well as exhibiting inappropriately high levels of hyperactivity-impulsivity. The DBRC data were collected over an eight week period and chartered similar to a single system design for each student. Results showed steady improvement for some, but not all three students.

The Absence Of Presence: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Indicated Interventions To Increase Student Attendance, Brandy R. Maynard

Dissertations

The present study utilized systematic review methods and meta-analysis to quantitatively synthesize research and systematically examine the effects of indicated intervention programs on school attendance behaviors of elementary and secondary school students. A comprehensive search strategy resulted in the identification 11 randomized studies, 9 quasi-experimental studies and 13 single group pre-post test studies that met inclusion criteria. Effect sizes data and study, participant, and intervention characteristics were coded and analyzed. Analyses of the randomized and quasi-experimental studies were performed separately from the single group pre-post test studies.

The meta-analytic findings showed overall positive and moderate effects of indicated attendance interventions …

How Counseling Helps: An In-Depth Look At Domestic Violence Counseling, Sonya V. Crabtree-Nelson

Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is currently described by trauma researchers as a social epidemic (Briere & Jordan, 2004) . The array of domestic violence services we currently have in the United States were started 30 years ago by women victims assisting other women. Currently, the services we have for victims of IPV are largely unchanged and the literature lacks information on what is helpful to victims of IPV in a domestic violence counseling setting. The research points to the fact that women seeking domestic violence counseling experience an array of physical and mental health sequelae as a result of the …

A Planning Model For Disaster Relief Agencies, Lajuana Janice Hector

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Rather than identify nongovernmental organizations (NGO) with traditional service delivery systems, NGOs should be viewed as a unique system with specific outcomes pertinent to resource distribution. Grounded theory was used to help design the research methodology and General Systems Theory (GST) served as the theoretical framework. Predisaster planning, training, and leadership results from the empirical research helped to identify perspectives of resource distribution. Open ended interview responses were analyzed using the open coding, content analysis, constant comparison methods which yielded management as the theme with coordination, communication, and preparation as sub-themes. While each outcome may be contingent upon each designated …

Risk And Protective Factors Associated With Teen Fatherhood Among A Sample Of Black, White, And Hispanic Males, Nila Kelly-Ricks

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

After 14 years of consistent decline, the teen pregnancy rate increased for 2 consecutive years. This increase is concerning due to the adverse consequences associated with teen pregnancy. This study conducted secondary analysis with the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data. The Risk and Resilience Perspective guided this study to determine key factors associated with teen fatherhood. The overall purpose of the study was to investigate the key factors associated with teen fatherhood risk. Another purpose of the study was to provide pertinent information for pregnancy prevention programs. The sample consisted of 4588 adolescent males between the ages of 15 …

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury And Social Influence, Terin Marie Driggers

Social Work Theses - Archive

The researcher conducted an online survey through social networking sites and online college/university communications to identify the relationship between social influence (e.g. peer acceptance, media exposure) and NSSI behaviors among undergraduate and graduate students from participating colleges and universities in the United States. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses were utilized to analyze the research objectives and a Pearson's correlation coefficient indicated that a positive, direct relationship was found between social influence and NSSI, but it was weak and not statistically significant (r=.20, p=.12). Implications and recommendations for future research as well as practice are discussed.

How Age Of First Dating Experience, Number Of Dating Partners, And Length Of Relationship Relates To Dating Violence Victimization, Marcella Smith

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Dating violence is a serious social and health problem for young adolescent in many parts of the world. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between three independent variables: (1) age of first dating experience; (2) number of dating partners; and (3) length of dating relationships with one dependent variable: (1) dating violence victimization among African American middle school youths. A review of the literature indicated conflicting results regarding the relationship between each independent variable and the dependent variables. One-way ANOVA was used to identify the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The results of this …

African American Fathers And Afrocentric Parenting - Factors Associated With Parenting Of Their Children, Emmett R. Roberts

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

To provide an alternate explanation for the behavior of African American fathers in their parenting using an Afrocentric model, comparing it with the parenting behavior of the Caucasian father, who would use primarily an Eurocentric model. Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth, IV, 2002, a parenting scale was devised using specific parenting behavior that revolved around the type and frequency of interactions that the fathers had with their children, and whether the father was married, was resident with the child, neither, or both.Findings of this study uncovered many differences and similarities between the groups, namely, that marriage …

The Diverse Adolescent Relational Aggression Scale: Develpment And Validation, Karla B. Horton

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Relational aggression (RA) includes rumor spreading, social isolation, talking behind someone's back, staring, and threats to withdraw friendship. RA is associated with verbal and physical aggression, and these aggression subtypes are often assessed together. This research developed and validated the Diverse Adolescent Relational Aggression Scale to assess RA in diverse populations. The population consisted of 191 students from 9th-12th grade (predominantly African American) from schools located in the south-suburban Independent School District of a major southern city. The measure consisted of 28-items developed from relational aggression research. Factor analysis, reliability tests, t-tests, and correlations were conducted on the data. The …

Flourishing Among Japanese Immigrants And Sojourners In Texas: Social Capital And Acculturation, Sachi Ando

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Are immigrants in the United States flourishing? What constitute flourishing life among them? This cross-sectional, survey study focused on the role of social capital and acculturation to American society on flourishing among the purposive sample of Japanese immigrants and sojourners living in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, USA. A total of 380 cases were used to test the hypothetical model of flourishing through structural equation modeling. The majority of the participants was female, in their 30s and 40s, married, fairly high socioeconomic status, and employed. The average lengths of stay in the United States were almost 10 years. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed …