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Della, Vedova Joseph P. "Measuring relationships : a model for evaluating U.S. Air Force Public Affairs programs /." [Gainesville, Fla.] : University of Florida, 2005. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/UFE0010461.
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Kim, Myeonghwan. "An Institutional Analysis of Differences: The Design of Masters' Programs in Public Affairs." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/28404.
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Early studies in the sociological stream of new institutionalism contributed much to the study of organization, especially in illuminating organizational isomorphism that might appear in organizational fields. Yet, at the same time, they were limited in accounting for organizational differences in the design of institutions.
To help explain such differences, this study introduces a conceptual framework that brings together the Selznick tradition of old institutionalism with recent studies in new institutionalism. The framework includes multiple institutional logics, organizational positions, and organizational belief systems, all of which generate particular contexts that convey varying identities and produce organizational variations in institutional design.
To examine the utility of the conceptual framework, I applied it to the design of 240 masters' programs in public affairs that are members of NASPAA, APPAM, or both. I found much variation in the coverage and structure of the programs' curricula. I discovered, for example, that programs that are affiliated only with NASPAA tend to be located in political science, public administration, and public affairs units; to be ranked in the lower-tier; to have been established in 1970 or later; to have the program mission of producing public leaders; to offer MPAd degrees; and to require higher proportions of core hours to be taken in public management. In contrast, programs affiliated only with APPAM or with both NASPAA and APPAM typically are housed in public policy units, ranked in the upper-tier, were founded in 1969 or earlier, focus on generating policy analysts, offer MPP degrees, and require higher proportions of core hours in public policy.
Among the implications of these findings are that public affairs education continues to be polarized into two camps, traditional public administration and public policy. The field still lacks agreement about the courses that should be taken and how they should be taught. It seems that differing interpretations of what public affairs is and how it should be taught have helped generate the variation in the design of masters' programs in public affairs.
The results of the empirical analyses also demonstrate the utility of the conceptual framework for explaining institutional differences (and similarities). More importantly, the concept of identity may offer a helpful way to combine several key features in studying organizations, including micro versus macro approaches, old versus new institutionalisms, and organizational theory versus organizational behavior. Eventually, this idea promises to enrich the analysis of institutional similarities and differences.Ph. D.
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Sims, Jessica LL. "Voluntary Environmental Programs: An Examination of Program Performance and the Role of Institutional Design." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2011. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1355.
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Many studies exist on whether Voluntary Environmental Programs (VEPs) improve firms’ environmental performance. Furthermore, the literature on VEPs theorizes that specific features contribute to program performance. This study examines the ability of Voluntary Environmental Programs to reduce emissions and the role of institutional design on their performance. Specifically, this study aimed to identify if specific features influence performance more than others do. The indicator of performance focuses on the overall emission reductions of firms across years 2007-2009. To analyze performance and features, the study examines the emission data and design features of each program. The results reveal the ability of the VEPs to reduce emissions and a combination of features that may have a greater influence on performance. This suggests that the success of VEPs rely on their ability to institute these features.
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Maroney, Thomas T. "Recidivism Measurement and Sanction Effectiveness in Youth Diversion Programs." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2012. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5417.
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With the rapid growth of juvenile offender diversion programs, which use many non-traditional sanctions, the effectiveness of sanction combinations in juvenile diversion programs and in each individual program needs to be evaluated. Those making sanctioning decisions currently do so based on intuition rather than using an evidence- or theory-based approach. Considerable research has examined the relationship between offender risk factors and recidivism (who is more likely to reoffend?) and between offender risk factors and sanctions (who is more likely to receive what sanctions?), but little is known about the relationship between sanctions and recidivism (which sanctions best reduce recidivism and for whom?). Furthermore, recidivism studies vary drastically in how they measure or quantify recidivism. This variability of approach makes comparing studies difficult and provides a less-than-complete picture of recidivism in general. The present study used data from one specific youth diversion program to test certain hypotheses of sanctioning by developing and testing a model for assigning sanction combinations to certain offenders on the basis of their individual characteristics. The study first developed measurement models for Offender Risk Propensity, Multiplicity of Sanctions, and Recidivism using structural equation modeling (SEM). Then predictive models were developed to test specific relationships. Understanding the effectiveness of certain sanction packages on certain offenders can form the basis for effective sanctioning in youth diversion programs. This study sought to answer three research questions: What is the best way to measure recidivism? Does completion of a restorative justice program reduce recidivism? Which sanctions, if any, reduce recidivism for specific offender types? To answer the first question: a multi-indicator latent construct of recidivism did a very good job of measuring variation in recidivism. Multiple indicators analyzed simultaneously produced a robust tool that can be used in other recidivism studies and help to reduce comparability issues between studies. The recidivism construct, when tested as a function of completion of the restorative justice program, was seen to produce a significant model having an overall good fit with the data. Thus to answer the second research question: offenders' completion status for the restorative justice program was shown to be a significant predictor of the latent construct of recidivism at the 0.05 level (two-tailed), with those who failed to complete (or chose not to participate) having higher recidivism than did those who completed the program. To answer the third research question: the assignment of specific sanctions (both those suggested by research and theory and those traditionally assigned by this and similar programs) on the entire data set (and on various subsets) of this study have no statistically significant impact on recidivism at the 0.05 level (two tailed). The findings suggest many policy implications. Consistency is all but nonexistent in recidivism measurements in the academic literature and in program review studies. A multi-indicator latent construct of recidivism, such as the one proposed and proven effective in this study, provides a more complete picture than simply conceptualizing recidivism by one dummy variable. This recidivism model can be used as the endogenous variable to evaluate programs and their practices and could reduce the problem of study comparability. This could lead to a better understanding of program characteristics and their impact on offender success. This study also found that completion of the Neighborhood Restorative Justice Program was a significant predictor of recidivism, yet none of the eleven most commonly assigned sanctions were seen to have a significant impact on recidivism for any subgroup. Proponents of restorative justice argue that it is the programs' characteristics and not their specific activities that make the programs successful. Reintegrative Shaming Theory and Labeling Theory support this claim and suggest the best approach to address youth criminal behavior is to admonish the act and not the actor, have the offender and community agree on a plan to make the community whole after that criminal act, and prevent repeated interaction with the formal criminal justice system which encourages the youth to see themself as a deviant and engage in further deviant behavior. These characteristics should be further examined and widely employed if confirmed.ID: 031001313; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Adviser: Thomas T. H. Wan.; Title from PDF title page (viewed March 25, 2013).; Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2012.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 253-262).
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Health and Public Affairs
Public Affairs
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Conner, Christina A. "Constitutionality of affirmative action programs in institutions of higher learning : Grutter v. Bollinger." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2003. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/313.
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This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your Honors Thesis, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by following the instructions on the distribution consent form at http://library.ucf.edu/Systems/DigitalInitiatives/DigitalCollections/InternetDistributionConsentAgreementForm.pdf You may also contact the project coordinator, Kerri Bottorff, at kerri.bottorff@ucf.edu for more information.Bachelors
Health and Public Affairs
Legal Studies
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McCants, Zauditu Esther. "A study of whether African American students in the Atlanta university Center schools were knowledgeable of public health policies and programs concerning abused and neglected children." DigitalCommons@Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center, 2009. http://digitalcommons.auctr.edu/dissertations/68.
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This study analyzed whether African American students in the Atlanta University Center schools were knowledgeable about public health policies and programs concerning abused and neglected children. Two hundred and one (201) participants were selected utilizing convenience sampling. The study surveyed males and females of which 91% were African American students. A survey questionnaire was utilized to collect data. The findings of the study indicated that a majority or 57.2% of the students were not knowledgeable about public health policies for abused and neglected children. However, a majority of the students indicated that they were knowledgeable about public health problems and programs for this population. A majority or 84.1% indicated that they were not abused and neglected as children, but a significant percentage or 15.9% indicated that they were abused and neglected. When the chi square test for significance was applied, the null hypothesis was accepted indicating that there was no statistically significant evidence at the .05 level of probability that the students were abused and neglected when they were children.
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VanZandt, David. "The duality of florida's criminal pretrial diversion programs a separate treatment court for veterans." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2012. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/631.
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This thesis examines two issues facing Florida's young and fledgling Veteran Treatment Courts. First is whether or not a separate hybrid court of already existing mental health and drug courts is needed exclusively for veterans; and second, funding and efficiency of such courts as compared to traditional criminal institutions.B.A. and B.S.
Bachelors
Health and Public Affairs
Legal Studies
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Brown, Erin B. "Collaboration for the Common Good: Examining AmeriCorps Programs Sponsored by Institutions of Higher Education." VCU Scholars Compass, 2014. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/3593.
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The report, A Crucible Moment, published in 2012 by the National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement described a crisis in higher education surrounding the lack of civic learning and engagement opportunities for students. This crisis has led to decreased political participation and a general lack of knowledge in civics education (National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement, 2012). Educating students for citizenship in America’s colleges and universities will assist with sustaining the country’s democracy by engendering a sense of civic responsibility in young adults that will last throughout their lifetime. This qualitative case study examined the relationship between two institutions of higher education (IHEs) and AmeriCorps programs to determine how the partnerships operated and whether they addressed the recommendations for higher education cited in A Crucible Moment.
IHEs are using A Crucible Moment as a guiding document to think about civic learning and democratic engagement. While many are in the process of creating new initiatives and programs to address those issues, this study focuses on two existing programs that may provide a framework for strategically integrating civic engagement into higher education using a readily available government resource—AmeriCorps. With recent budget cuts impacting education, it is difficult for many IHEs to obtain additional funding to support initiatives directly related to student learning. As a result, finding resources to implement civic learning and democratic engagement opportunities that are often perceived as tangential to the education process is nearly impossible. AmeriCorps, now in its 20th year of implementation, has had a steady stream of funding and bipartisan support from the government over the years. IHEs that sponsor an AmeriCorps program have the potential to civically engage students and promote mutually beneficial community partnerships.
Using inteorganizational collaboration theory as a framework, I examined two different models of IHE-AmeriCorps partnerships. Based on the levels of collaboration, I was able to assess the degree to which these types of partnerships could be feasible at distinctly different IHEs given their organizational structure and resources. Although the findings of this research are not generalizable, they provide insights into how IHE-AmeriCorps partnerships operate and demonstrate that, in the cases examined, they do implement the key recommendations of A Crucible Moment. As a result, an IHE-AmeriCorps partnership could be an effective and relatively inexpensive way for an IHE to enhance their civic engagement opportunities.
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McKee, Herbert G. Jr. "Wellness programs in police departments and how they effect workers' compensation claims." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1993. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/873.
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Day, Sandra G. "Litigation and Florida public schools K-12 : identifying the weak link." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2001. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/269.
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This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your Honors Thesis, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by following the instructions on the distribution consent form at http://library.ucf.edu/Systems/DigitalInitiatives/DigitalCollections/InternetDistributionConsentAgreementForm.pdf You may also contact the project coordinator, Kerri Bottorff, at kerri.bottorff@ucf.edu for more information.Bachelors
Health and Public Affairs
Criminal Justice and Legal Studies
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Kraner, Mariah Ann. "Friends or Foes?: Examining Social Capital of International NGOs and Food Security Programs." PDXScholar, 2014. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1647.
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Food insecurity and chronic hunger are devastating global problems currently facing more than a billion people. There are many actors involved in the response to stomp out world hunger, including International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs). These INGOs, however, work in tumultuous environments with limited resources. This dissertation examines the INGOs involved in the food security dilemma (N=51) to investigate how they use resources to reach hungry populations.
It is hypothesized INGOs use a mix of material resources and social capital to enhance their organizational performance. However, little is known about the impact these resources have on reaching communities in need. Social network analysis is used to examine the connections between and among INGOs to create a measure of organizational social capital. In addition, material resources, such as human resources, revenue and volunteers are used to examine an organization's material capacity. Material and social resources are examined through a moderated regression analysis to evaluate how they interact, and if the promotion of both types of resources is beneficial to the INGOs and the communities they serve. With data from over 1186 projects globally, results are presented regarding the effectiveness of social capital and material resources in reaching the world's "bottom billion."
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Foley, Katherine Marie. "Software pilferage in government agencies." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1992. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/755.
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Jenkins, Jennifer N. "Student Learning Assessment in the Social Sciences: Establishing A National Baseline for Criminal Justice Programs." VCU Scholars Compass, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10156/1945.
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Suksai, Ousa, and n/a. "Media and Thai civil society: case studies of television production companies, Watchdog and iTV." University of Canberra. Communication, 2002. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20050602.143439.
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The study concerns the inter-relationship between media reform and civil
society in Thailand between 1995-2000. It examines case studies of two selected
television organisations - the production company Watchdog and the broadcast
channel Independent Television (iTV) - and analyses their internal production
decision-making processes, their public affairs programs and their urban and rural
audiences.
Debates about civil society and media reform between 1995-2000 influenced
the government's media regulation policies to the extent that more attention was paid
to media freedom as intended by Articles 39, 40 and 41 in the 1997 Constitution.
Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) took an important role in monitoring
government policies on media reform under the Constitution and issues about media
re-regulation and ownership were canvassed, although the drawn out National
Broadcasting Commission (NBC) selecting process delayed media reform. The
transparency of the selection process of the NBC has been widely debated among
NGOs, media scholars and media professionals. Most Thai public affairs programs in
the period were shown on iTV, Channel 9 and Channel 11 and were in the minority
compared with entertainment. Thai television stations normally screened
entertainment programs to make profits, while they usually would not allow producers
to air open debates critical of the government. Also, public affairs programs that were
screened often were given inappropriate airtimes.
Watchdog and iTV treated public affairs programs in different ways.
Watchdog, originating from an NCO, the Creative Media Foundation, emphasized
public participation in local community-oriented programs - such as Chirmsak
Pinthong's Lan Ban Lan Muang - which exemplified civic journalism on television.
In contrast, iTV was created in 1996 to meet the promise made in 1992 after Black
May that a non-state commercial channel would be introduced. It was organised by
journalists from the Nation Multimedia Company and focused on current national
news issues which seldom allowed public participation. Both organisations attempted
to maintain their professionalism despite political and business pressures. Chirmsak
and Watchdog were accused of bias favoring the Democrat Party and often
encountered program censorship. ITV staff, especially in the news department led by
Suthichai Yoon and Thepchai Yong, unsuccessful fought. Shin Corps 2000-2001
takeover of the station that had been brought on by the financial problems of iTV and
the Siam Commercial Bank after the economic crisis of 1997.
There were three main concepts of civil society in the period 1997-2000 -
Communitarianism, Self-sufficiency and Good Governance. These ideas were
advanced by reformers such as Dr. Prawase Wasi and Thirayut Boonme, and were
reinforced by His Majesty King Bhumibol's December 1997 Birthday Speech that
endorsed the ideal of national self-sufficiency. Thai civil society debates often were
involved with rural people, while the 8th National Development Plan and the Chuan
government's policy on decentralisation aimed to strengthen the rural sector as an
antidote to the 1997 crisis. However, the aims of civil society reformers were at times
too idealistic and were viewed with skepticism by some middle class urban critics.
The continuing influence of electoral corruption in rural areas also obstructed civil
society ideals, while decentralisation and community development still maintained a
top-down way of development and depended on government support.
These difficulties in implementing pro-civil society reforms in the political
process were paralleled by difficulties in developing public interest programs on Thai
television. Current affairs and investigative journalism programs, such as iTV Talk,
Tod Rahad and Krong Satanakarn, did not often open public discussion on the
programs. Rather, the regular format of panel discussions, consisting of elites and
some celebrities, tended to focus on national topics rather than local issues. The hosts
of many of these public affairs programs depended on their own celebrities status and
tended to invite well-known guests, whereas community-oriented programs such as
Lan Ban Lan Muang and Tid Ban Tang Muang promoted civic journalism and
deliberative democracy more effectively. The latter programs allowed the public to
participate in the programs as the main actors and even proposed their own agendas.
However, a limited study of three audience focus groups - an expert urban
group, a young middle class urban group, and a rural group - found considerable
scepticism about the possibility of developing public interest awareness via television
programs. The expert and young middle class groups criticised both the hosts and the
style of a selection of current affairs programs, which they thought were too serious
and also biased. Some also considered that current affairs programs were a platform
for the people in power rather than providing a space for the public. Therefore, they
rarely watched them. In contrast, the rural group who participated in Lan Ban Lan
Muang, believed that the program was useful for development communication. The
audience gained information about other communities and used the media as the
means to publicise their own community. However, they rarely watched it because
the airtime of the program was the same as a popular entertainment program on
Channel 3.
The researcher used qualitative research methods to collect data, including indepth
interviews, focus groups, participant observation, program recording and
document analysis. Theoretically, the study has attempted to combine the approaches
of western and Thai scholars. The main approach used to explain the relationship
between the media and civil society is media and public sphere theory, as introduced
by Habermas, and combined with the perspectives on media re-regulation of the Thai
scholar Ubonrat Siriyusak. In terms of analysing Watchdog and iTV, the researcher
used political economy perspectives to understand decision-making in both
organisations. In addition, an organisational culture approach was used to explore
conflicts of interest that arose in both organisations due to their different sub-cultures.
Civic journalism, framing theory and development communication theory were
further employed to examine the television programs and their roles in promoting the
public interest and development projects, while the audience groups were considered
in the context of participatory communication theory and reception theory.
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Giqwa, Nomfundiso Louisa. "Investigation of learning in an environmental skills programme: a case study of workers' training in the Department of Environmental Affairs Expanded Public Works Project." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003518.
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This research project examines a case of environmental training for workers in the Expanded Public Works Programme, a poverty relief programme operating in South Africa (EPWP). It is constituted as an interpretive case study, and explores what workers learn and how they learn in an environmental skills programme. The study also examines the context of learning. In accordance with education and training policy, what learners are meant to learn is articulated in unit standards registered on the South African Qualifications Authority website. The unit standards are used to design curricula and learning programmes which are registered as environmental skills programmes by Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs). For the conservation sector the SETA is the Tourism and Hospitality Education and Training Authority (THETA). To develop an understanding of what learners learn, I considered the content, concepts, skills, values and attitudes contained in the unit standards, and then considered the actual learning taking place during the training programme focusing on three unit standards. Data was generated from semi-structured interviews with facilitators, focus group interviews with learners, observations of teaching and learning interventions and document analysis of EPWP, training and skills development policy documents, registered unit standards for the skills programme, and learning support materials produced by the provider implementing the training. The study notes that there is learning taking place within the training implemented through environmental skills programmes. The training is influenced by a number of diverse contextual factors namely policy factors, historical contextual factors, the economic context and diverse literacy levels. Learning interactions involve a variety of social interactions, activities and practices between learners and learners, and learners and facilitators. The main finding of the study is that the training programme’s major emphasis is on concepts and content, and social and learning skills, and values and attitudes. The prominence of social skills masks a neglect of practical workplace related skills which make up a strong focus of the unit standards. This, the study shows, is related to a lack of engagement with workplace learning, which in turn is linked to a disjuncture between policy and practice, where workers working in the EPWP programme are meant to benefit from training, but in this case it was found that community members, who were not working in the programme were being offered training. It was therefore not possible for them to develop the applied workplace skills, which were also meant to facilitate increased employability, as this is one of the key objectives of the EPWP programme. Based on the insights raised by the research findings the study made recommendations that the programme consider the following to recover the situation: to develop strategies that allow for longer term training frameworks so that learners can be trained on full qualifications so that they may qualify and benefit more substantively from the training in terms of employability skills. Facilitators in the programme need to be trained so that they can develop materials that address practical skills, values, attitudes, critical reflections and actions. Monitoring of training needs to be given preference both at materials development level and implementation level.
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Dean, Kelley M. "The Efffects of Gifted Programming on Student Achievement: Differential Results by Race/Ethnicity and Income." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2011. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/pmap_diss/33.
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The central research question is the extent to which gifted programming affects student academic outcomes of gifted as compared to not-gifted students and how this differs by race/ethnicity and/or poverty status. Since the identification of elementary school students as gifted is not random, propensity score matching is used to remove this bias in the estimates of the effects. A matched sample of North Carolina middle school students based on individual level data of both gifted and not-gifted students of varied racial/ethnic groups and income levels is used for this analysis. This enables a comparison of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade student achievement to determine the extent to which participating in gifted programming differentiates effects by race/ethnicity and poverty status. I show the additional test score gain, if any, from being in gifted programming compared to students not participating in gifted programs. Variations in gifted program effects across race/ethnicity and income are assessed. This research adds empirical evidence to the more qualitatively focused gifted debate by analyzing differences in student outcomes between gifted and not-gifted students in North Carolina. Since black and lower income students are less likely to participate in gifted programs, they disproportionately encounter less experienced teachers, lower expectations, and fewer resources. The extent to which these additional learning supports translate to differences in student outcomes are analyzed.
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Spiteri, Joanna. "The challenge of achieving impartiality in Maltese TV news programming." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/21182.
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This study examines some of the challenges that Maltese broadcasting is facing with respect to the news programming produced by the public service broadcaster and by the other two political stations. The thesis also investigates the concepts of balance and objectivity in news reporting and analyzes the extent to which Maltese TV news programmes succeed in providing balanced, impartial and accurate accounts. Special attention is paid to the role of the public service broadcaster, but consideration is also given to the part played by the two Maltese political stations competing with the public service broadcaster. A particular aim of this study is to measure how the requirement to preserve impartiality and balance impinges on the content of TV news bulletins and current affairs programmes produced by PSB and the other two political stations. The study will also consider the impact of current broadcasting regulations and will examine the degree to which such legislation is relevant in the attempt to achieve impartiality and balance in Maltese news broadcasting. As a basis for the study the thesis focuses on a sample of news programming material broadcast on the three television stations in Malta during a Local Council electoral campaign. The aim is to assess how various news messages are communicated to audiences and to consider whether such messages are perceived as impartial and balanced by the viewers. The study explores how news workers and news producers strive to achieve impartiality and balance in their day-to-day practices. Finally the thesis makes one or two tentative suggestions as to how current broadcasting legislation might be amended in order for the Broadcasting Authority can become a more effective watchdog and is able to intervene in cases where news programming is not deemed to be balanced and impartial.
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Vandenberg, Kristine Marie. "An Exploration of the Influence of Race and Gender on Sexual Beliefs and Attitudes of Adolescents." VCU Scholars Compass, 2007. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/996.
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This study explores factors that influence the sexual attitudes and behaviors of adolescents specifically through an examination of social constructs that measure sexual beliefs and attitudes of adolescents and the relationships between race and gender and sexual beliefs and attitudes. As the U.S. has maintained one of the highest rates of unplanned teen pregnancy and births among industrialized nations, schools and community groups have struggled to combat teen pregnancy and worked toward designing effective prevention programs. Through an emphasis either on abstinence or safe sex practices, these programs strive to influence adolescents' sexual behavior. However, studies and reports reveal a paucity of research that examines adolescents' attitudes and beliefs of sexual behavior, especially for cultural- and gender- specific groups of adolescents. Drawing from social constructionist theory and multiracial and radical feminist theoretical frameworks, this study utilizes Virginia Abstinence Education Initiative (VAEI) data from surveys administered to adolescents measuring sexual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. This study examines race and gender differences among the participants with regard to beliefs and attitudes about sexual behavior. The goal is to both better understand race and gender influences on adolescents' sexual beliefs and attitudes and to provide information to those who are in the position to develop more successful and effective teen pregnancy prevention programs. Consistent with existing literature, findings indicate gender-based differences regarding sexual beliefs and attitudes and minimal race-based differences in this analysis. An intersectional analysis further suggests that although female adolescents across race held similar beliefs and attitudes regarding sexuality, there were differences across race among male adolescents.
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Owere, Maureen Kasande. "Evaluating Uganda's public service reform program : rightsizing, pay reform and results oriented management." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/3711.
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Hernandez, Melissa Gomez. "Public Service Values and Disparate Performance: The Case of Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program." FIU Digital Commons, 2018. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3785.
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Public administration scholars accept that public service values guide administrators’ behavior. This guidance also derives from social and cultural values that motivate administrators’ individual attitudes. A part of the field recognizes that public servants play an active role during the implementation process through their daily use of discretion. Nevertheless, public administrators’ values and attitudes are rarely linked to policy implementation and organizational performance. In consequence, public policy evaluation seldom considers the role of values and attitudes of those implementing policy.
This study examines how public administrators’ values and attitudes towards citizens shape policy implementation and influence organizational and program performance. The implementation and results of Section 8 HCV Program serve as case study to address the linkage between public service values and performance. The Section 8 HCV is the federal government's major program that assists low-income families, elderly and disabled people to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. The Program allows participants to choose any housing that meets its requirements.
This research hypothesizes that environmental and organizational factors impose a toll on organizational and policy performance and that public administrators’ values and attitudes towards recipients buffer some of these effects. The study employs a quantitative methods approach to examine and combine demographic characteristics of the communities that surround Public Housing Authorities -where the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program is implemented-, statistic indicators of the local housing market, Section 8 HCV structural factors of operation, levels of poverty and race desegregation in vouchers recipient, and the quality of their neighborhoods, to establish a correlation between Public Housing Authorities’ poor performance and less advantageous environmental factors, and vice versa.
I conducted semi-structured interviews among Section 8 HCV Program’s case managers, directors and front-line practitioners in Public Housing Authorities in the states of Florida and California to identify the Public Service Values-based strategies that influence program’s implementation, and both, organizational and program’s performance.
The quantitative evidence collected and analyzed in this dissertation indicates that environmental and organizational factors impose a toll on Public Housing Authorities and Section 8 HCV program’s performance. Meanwhile, the qualitative portion of the study suggests that public administrators’ values and attitudes towards recipients permeate the implementation process and influence Section 8 HCV program’s results.
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Flaherty, Emma Kathleen. "Prevention as a Component of Homeless Policy: A Longer-Term Evaluation of the State of Virginia's Homeless Intervention Program." VCU Scholars Compass, 1995. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/4544.
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A comprehensive homeless policy includes emergency housing, transitional housing, permanent housing, and prevention components. Researchers have determined that all four categories of homeless assistance are essential to address the needs of the diverse groups that comprise the homeless population.
This dissertation focuses on the prevention component which is designed to assist those in marginal economic circumstances who experience an unavoidable housing crisis. Several states have state-sponsored and state-funded homeless prevention programs.
The Commonwealth of Virginia authorized funding for the Homeless Intervention Program (HIP) in FY 1989-90. A Short-Term Study of the first group of participants conducted by Johnson, Brooks, Hambrick, and Richardson (1991) provided evidence that the 1989-90 participants remained in stable housing for six months after leaving the program. The Longer-Term Study discussed in this dissertation was conducted four years after the participants received HIP assistance and involved enrollees from two of the eight original program sites. The data were gathered through the use of mail and telephone surveys and focused interviews. The results indicate that HIP contributed to the housing stability of the majority of the longer-term study participants who have, in the four years since receiving HIP assistance, remained housing self-sufficient. This study recognizes the implications of the time dimension in program evaluation as put forth by Salamon (1976). Accordingly, in addition to ascertaining whether there was a diminishment in the staying power of HIP, other program results more closely associated with latent and sleeper effects were uncovered.
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Schaller, Joni Y. "Performance funding in Ohio : differences in awareness of Success Challenge between student affairs administrators and academic affairs administrators at Ohio's public universities /." Ohio : Ohio University, 2004. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?ohiou1090944575.
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Castillo, Claudia. "Students with Physical Disabilities - Reflections on their Experiences with Work Preparation Programs, Services and Accommodations in a Higher Education Institution." FIU Digital Commons, 2016. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/2567.
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For a variety of reasons, college students with disabilities encounter stressors beyond those of students who do not have disabilities. One of the more salient examples is that students with disabilities are required to disclose that they have a disability and to communicate with faculty and staff in order to receive academic accommodations, as afforded to them under sub-part E of Section 504 of the Education and Rehabilitation Act of 1974. Therefore, postsecondary institutions are required to make appropriate accommodations available to students with disabilities, but they are not required to proactively seek them out.
The purpose of this study was to learn about the needs that students with physical disabilities have concerning their successful transition into professional careers. This was accomplished by analyzing how five current senior students with disabilities reflected on their experiences, particularly in terms of using work preparation programs and/or accommodations necessary for them to participate in employment recruitment activities provided by the university’s career services office. The intent of those services was to transition disabled students from the university environment into the workforce.
The findings showed that the students perceived they did not receive a lot of information regarding the services available, and they also expressed that the university should have done more in transitioning them into their professional life. The basic premise is that higher education professionals, key support staff, and administrators who provide work preparation programs, career, transition and accommodation services to disabled students are in a position to help remove informational barriers, facilitate the use of services and accommodations, and to actively encourage students with disabilities to enter the workforce upon graduation. The results of this study may inspire university personnel to find creative ways to get students involved and motivated to seek services available to them, to be best self-advocates to students needing their services, and to understand the transition challenges that exist between academic life and entry into the workforce. By being more aware and sensitive about the needs of students with disabilities, the professionals who work with them might be better positioned to help them experience a successful and more supported transition into a competitive employment and independent life after college.
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Heidelberg, Roy L. "Accountability as an Instrument of Power: The Louisiana Broadband Technology Opportunities Program Grant and the Spaces of Public Affairs." The Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1362665658.
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Mann, Mary. "Experiences of Violence in the Lives of the Female Participants in an Abuse Prevention Program." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2003. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/413.
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This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your Honors Thesis, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by following the instructions on the distribution consent form at http://library.ucfBachelors
Health and Public Affairs
Social Work
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Raheem, Zakiyyah. "Analysis of black merchants' participation in a retail revitalization loan program." DigitalCommons@Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center, 1986. http://digitalcommons.auctr.edu/dissertations/2804.
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This study is a descriptive study which identifies the variables that inhibit participation by black merchants in a Retail Revitalization Loan Program (RRLP) that utilizes the public/private partnership concept. A sample of fifteen (15) black merchants were administered self-report questionnaires from a population of seventy (70) in Dallas, Texas through the stratified sampling method, utilizing SIC codes.
From the response patterns of those surveyed, a Z-value was computed and tested at 1% level of significance, revealing that at least 85% of the black merchants identified conventional underwriting criteria as the primary cause for their lack of participation in the RRLP. Therefore, the null hypothesis was upheld.
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Barak, Karen L. "Coordination of program communication between departments of residence life and student activities at four year public institutions in an upper midwest region /." Connect to online version, 1988. http://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/45287.
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Broxton, M. L. "The Relationship Between Nonprofit Capacity Building, Organizational Learning and Organizational Effectiveness: A Case Study of Strengthening Communities Fund Program in Central Florida." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2012. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5140.
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Nonprofit capacity building programs and program activities positively influence perceived organizational effectiveness. Being able to link nonprofit capacity building to organizational effectiveness is a paramount concern for both nonprofits seeking capacity building programming and those entities, be it foundations or government that fund capacity building initiatives and programs. Therefore being able to link nonprofit capacity building to organizational effectiveness and higher performance is crucial to ensure that both nonprofit organizations and funders continue to pursue and support capacity building programming. Through an examination of the developing hollow state and the resulting nonprofit capacity disparity this study demonstrates the purposeful need for the continuation of nonprofit capacity building programming and the support of such programming through outside private foundation and government funding. Using a conceptual model developed from the literature on organizational learning and change this study examines the impact of capacity building programming, programming activities, organizational learning theory and perceived organizational effectiveness. The influence of the type of capacity building programming, i.e. traditional workshop and traditional workshop plus technical and financial assistance is investigated through the use of quantitative and qualitative methods. Specifically the quantitative methods utilized were descriptive including bi-variate correlation analysis, paired and independent T-tests, ANOVA and multiple regression. The qualitative analysis including examining open-ended survey question responses from two pre-post capacity building intervention surveys and one post program survey and the analysis of comments made in 10 focus groups. The influence of capacity building programming activities, i.e. organizational development, organizational program development, organizational collaboration and organizational leadership is investigated through the use of multiple regression and qualitative analysis. This study uses pre-, post-test survey data from a total of 43 nonprofit organizations that participated in the Strengthening Communities Fund in Central Florida Program, managed by the Center for Public and Nonprofit Management at the University of Central Florida. The two year program was offered in two identical 10 month cycles. Pre- and post-test data were collected from 23 participant organizations in Cycle 1 and 20 in Cycle 2. This study sought to identify the nonprofit capacity building programming modality and programming activities that contributed most to perceived organizational effectiveness. According to the findings, nonprofit organizations seeking capacity building and funders looking to support capacity building programs should look to programs that offer activities that increase organizational leadership capacity and organizational program development. Increasing organizational leadership capacity and organizational program development contributes most to perceived organizational effectiveness. This study did not find support to recommend one particular capacity building training modality over another. Regardless of the method of capacity building program delivery, i.e. workshop and/or technical and financial assistance, programs which build organizational leadership capacity and organizational program development will greatly influence the perceived organizational effectiveness of the capacity building participant organizations.ID: 031001488; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Title from PDF title page (viewed July 24, 2013).; Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2012.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-189)
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Health and Public Affairs
Public Affairs
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Deakins, Lahla K. "Women, Art, and Community: A Proposal for a Non-Profit Pottery Program in Appalachia." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2008. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1997.
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Many Appalachian women are creative individuals who enjoy making and sharing quilts, songs, paintings, poetry, and other art. However, many women in rural areas of Central Appalachia lack access to basic resources because of poverty.
While many agencies help poor women find shelter, clothing, and food, there are few that help them find their creative voices. I assert that women who are given the tools to practice creative expression can overcome the mental oppression of poverty to become self-assured individuals who benefit their communities.
This thesis examines the socioeconomic condition of women in Central Appalachia and the positive impacts of pottery in the lives of women potters in the United States to make the case for a non-profit pottery program in Appalachia. The research covers the time period from the early 1900s to 2008 and employs scholarly journal articles, books, Web sites, and interviews to support the thesis.
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Messer, William Barry. "Portland's Multifamily Recycling Program: a Study of Coproduction Policy Implementation and Citizen Involvement." PDXScholar, 1994. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1194.
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This study is on coproduction as a governing policy instrument. Coproduction can be understood as the joint production of services by local officials and individual citizens intended to raise the quality and or amount of service provision. The concept of coproduction as developed in this study suggests that urban services are not simply created by officials and delivered to a passive public. Rather that actions of citizens are an integral part of the service production process. The study purposes are two-fold: (1) to construct a model of coproduction which provides a basis by which citizen involvement in the provision of public services can be fully understood and appreciated; and (2) to examine the usefulness of this model by using it to frame and guide evaluative research on a specific program which targets coproductive participation of citizens. The research examined efforts to implement a program to encourage recycling by residents in multifamily complexes in the City of Portland by involving the direct participation of the managers of the complexes. The research conducted in this study addressed both the inputs and outcomes of citizen involvement in coproduction. Findings of this research are suggestive of the potential importance of both inclusion and volition to furthering citizen involvement in the coproductive process. The level of citizen involvement in producing the programmatic outcomes was by most measures demonstrated to be very important. The results of the investigation in demonstrating the importance of involvement in coproduced programs in generating broader levels of community awareness and involvement, however, were not as conclusive. The model of coproduction developed in this study provides a potentially useful conceptualization of the process and outcomes of coproduction. The empirical investigation provides an assessment of the nature and strength of the relationship between citizen involvement and the coproductive process in the case of Portland's multifamily recycling program. Both the economic and civic considerations of coproduction which were specified and measured in the research contribute to a number of observations about coproduction as a policy instrument leading to several policy recommendations for programs which are built on citizen involvement.
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Rakestraw, Vanessa. "The Impact of the State-Federal Vocational Rehabilitation Program on Quality of Life." VCU Scholars Compass, 2010. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/2150.
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This study utilizes the Longitudinal Study of the Vocational Rehabilitation Program to examine the impact of state-federal vocational rehabilitation services on the quality of life of consumers. The theory that guides this study is an amalgam of theories of Allardt, Halpern, Campbell, and Cummins which indicate that quality of life is made up of various domains which parallel Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The study followed the theory that improvement in the individual domains of life would improve its overall quality. The domains of physical functioning, self-esteem, community integration and productivity were assessed prior to and after the receipt of vocational rehabilitation services. Results indicate that consumers who obtain an employment outcome obtain higher scores on measurements of self-esteem, physical functioning and activities of daily living and productivity than do consumers who do not obtain an employment outcome. The linkages that specific VR services have on individual life domains were also explored. Consumers who receive more education and training services show an increase in community integration scores. Suggestions for state-vocational rehabilitation services change are provided based on a socio-ecological model.
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Bell, Elizabeth, Ani Ter-Mkrtchyan, Kylie Smith, and Wesley Wehde. "Street-Level Bureaucrats Interpretation of Administrative Burden: A Mixed-Method Study of Oklahoma’s Promise Program." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2020. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/7862.
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Wehde, Wesley, and Elizabeth Bell. "Street-Level Bureaucrats Interpretation of Administrative Burden: A Mixed-Method Study of Oklahoma’s Promise Program." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2020. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/7863.
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Dancho, Natalie. "Training Program Evaluation for a Prototype Command, Control & Communication System: Soldier Requirements, Performance & Feedback." TopSCHOLAR®, 1989. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/2243.
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An Army training program was evaluated in order to present recommendations for program refinement. The training program, developed as part of two larger Army combat development (CD) studies (DuBois & Smith, 1989a, 1989b), represents an attempt to define program design requirements for training tank commanders to use the Intervehicular Information System (IVIS). IVIS is a computer-based command, control, and communications system proposed for future M1A1 tank upgrades. Twenty-four Army tank commanders (TCs) participated in the research effort. TCs were of various rank and age. Training and testing were conducted over a 4 day period. Training lasted 1-1/2 days followed by 2-1/2 days of testing. The Biographical Questionnaire, the IVIS Knowledge Test, the IVIS Performance Test, the SIMNET Knowledge Test, the IVIS Survey, and the IVIS Training Reactions Questionnaire were administered to each TC. TC biographical data, reactions to training, post-training performance, and post-operational performance were evaluated. Scale reliability was evaluated for each IVIS instrument. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the soldier reaction and performance measures. Regression analyses were performed to assess the impact of TC background characteristics on commander performance. Results of the above analyses indicate: (a) the IVIS Performance and Knowledge tests are reliable, (b) the soldiers learn during training and the learning transfers to the operational setting (performance measured after two days of testing shows soldiers performance significantly increased from that of post-training performance), and (c) soldier biographical characteristics do not predict IVIS proficiency. The results call for more training time allotted to teaching IVIS skills with some IVIS functions deserving more attention. Additionally, it appears personnel requirements may not be an issue for selecting IVIS system users as the study found no correlation between biographical characteristics and IVIS proficiency. And finally, it is recommended that observational raters receive greater rater training as interrater reliability estimates were low.
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Al-Shawairkh, Abdulkariem Suliman. "Perceptions of the Saudi Students attending American Universities towards the new Saudi Mandatory Cooperative Health Insurance Program (MCHIP)." VCU Scholars Compass, 2006. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd_retro/15.
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Reduction in the price of oil in the mid-eighties forced the Saudi government to adopt new health policies in order to finance health services. On August 11, 1999, the Saudi government approved a new Mandatory Cooperative Health Insurance Program (MCHIP). This new health policy was enacted to replace the current policy of providing free health care. MCHIP is intended to reduce the financial burden on government by sharing the costs of health care with the public. This study had a dual purpose: to analyze the components of MCHIP program by comparing it with the American health system, and to investigate the perceptions of Saudi students attending American universities towards MCHIP program, based on the students' experiences with the American health care system.A multiple methods approach was used to conduct the study. A descriptive approach was employed to compare components of the MCHIP program with similar components of the American health care system. A survey method was used to investigate the perceptions of Saudi students attending American universities toward the new MCHIP program. Scales were constructed to measure the students' expectations of the MCHIP program with respect to cost, quality, and access of health care. Additional scales were used to measure the students' knowledge of the MCHIP program, knowledge of the American health system, and total health insurance knowledge. An electronic survey was posted on the VCU SERL Web page, and a link was e-mailed to 2210 Saudi students using a list provided by the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission (SACM). The survey response rate was 40.6 percent.During the first phase of the research, the comparison to American health care identified areas in which the United States of America experience could be useful in promoting effective implementation of the MCHIP program in Saudi Arabia. In sum, the comparison indicated that the American health insurance model may not be an ideal approach for the Saudi health system. During the second phase of the study, survey results indicated that students expected MCHIP implementation to increase total health costs, improve quality of health care, and increase access to health care in Saudi Arabia. The students' total knowledge of health insurance had a significant effect on students' perceptions of cost and a non-significant effect on their perceptions of quality and access to health care. In order for the MCHIP program to be effectively implemented, study results point to the need for regulation of the Saudi insurance market and for health insurance-related systems (such as for coding, billing, and maintaining effective medical records) to be established. American health insurance system models are not ideal for the Saudi health system, although certain aspects may be useful. To promote success, the MCHIP program should be structured to meet the goal of providing affordable and accessible quality health care to the population, based on Islamic principles.
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Moore, Alvin R. "An Evaluation of a Program for Incarcerated Mothers: Parenting Training and the Enhancement of Self-Esteem." VCU Scholars Compass, 1995. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/1493.
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The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of parenting training on the acquisition of parenting skills and its impact on self-esteem of incarcerated mothers. The program under study is the "Mothers Inside Loving Kids" (M.I.L.K.) program, which is a holistic training/visitation program designed for incarcerated mothers.Study participants included 40 volunteer incarcerated mothers at the Virginia Correctional Center for women. The treatment group consisted of 20 participants who were already involved in the "M.I.L.K." program. The comparison group was made up of 20 mothers who were on the waiting list for the program due to the lack of space. All participants were administered a battery of pre-tests and post-tests. Instruments utilized for the study included the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI), the Nurturing Quiz, the Index of Self Esteem (ISE), and a participant satisfaction survey.Bivariate analyses were used to test the difference between pre-test and post-test mean scores. Both parametric and non-parametric tests were conducted to determine if change scores revealed significant differences. Using independent t-tests to determine if there were significant differences between treatment and comparison groups on change scores, no significant differences were noted. However, in reviewing the direction of change scores for the two groups, the treatment group did show changes in the desired direction in four areas. Specifically, positive directional change occurred on the "Lack of Empathy for the Child" sub-scale, the "Belief in Corporal Punishment" sub-scale, the "Reversing Family Roles" sub-scale, and on the "Nurturing Quiz."Using the Wilcoxon non-parametric test, one measure revealed statistically significant differences between pre-test and post-test scores. Specifically, participants in the treatment group revealed significantly higher scores on the "Nurturing Quiz" at post-testing from pre-testing (z = -2.81, p = .005). This indicates an overall increase in knowledge about positive child management techniques. No significant pre-test to post-test differences were noted in any of the remaining areas under study. However, positive directional change scores were noted in the three different areas of "Inappropriate Expectations of the Child", "Nurturing", and "Self-Esteem."Overall, the findings suggest that the M.I.L.K. Program training positively impacts parenting techniques. Self-esteem appears more difficult to impact.
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Magers, Megan. "A Mixed-Methods Approach to Examining the Memphis Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Model: An exploratory study of program effectiveness and institutionalization processes." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2013. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5811.
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The present study utilized a mixed-methods strategy to examine the effectiveness, diffusion, and institutionalization of the Memphis Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model. To evaluate the effectiveness of the training component of the CIT model, a panel research design was employed in which a sample of 179 law enforcement officers and 100 correctional officers in nine Florida counties were surveyed on the first day of training (pretest), the last day of training (posttest), and one month following their completion of CIT training (follow-up). These surveys measured the extent to which CIT training achieved several officer-level objectives, including increased knowledge of mental illness and the mental health referral process, improved self-efficacy when responding to mental health crises, and enhanced perceptions of verbal de-escalation skills, mental health services in the community, and the mental health referral process. The results of these surveys revealed officers experienced a statistically significant increase on every measure of training effectiveness between the pretest and posttest data collection points. However, a significant decline was found among the 117 officers that responded to the follow-up survey on the measures associated with self-efficacy and perceptions of verbal de-escalation, which points to a measurable decay in the effectiveness of the training in the intermediate timeframe with regard to these two measures. To examine the extent to which the diffusion of the CIT model resembles a social movement in the field of criminal justice and to explore the impact of CIT institutionalization on the organizational structure of criminal justice agencies, an online survey was distributed to 33 representatives of law enforcement and correctional agencies known to participate in the CIT program in the nine Florida counties in which officers were surveyed. The results of this survey indicate interagency communication and external pressure from mental health providers and advocates largely contribute to the decision of criminal justice agencies to adopt the CIT model. In addition, the findings of this survey suggest criminal justice agencies modify their organizational structure in a number of different ways to internalize and institutionalize the CIT model. By coupling a training program evaluation with an assessment of diffusion and institutionalization, this study makes a unique contribution to organizational and evidence-based literature.Ph.D.
Doctorate
Dean's Office, Health and Public Affairs
Health and Public Affairs
Public Affairs; Criminal Justice
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Fernandez, Nicole. "An evaluation of hiv/aids incidence reduction and awareness-raising interventions inspired by the sonagachi project and the 100% condom use program." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2012. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/550.
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In the past thirty years, HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) transformed from a mysteriously lethal disease affecting limited portions of the population to a true global pandemic. Although HIV/AIDS is responsible for the deaths of approximately 30 million people worldwide, prevalence rates are now increasing significantly due to increasing survival rates. However, overall increasing incidence rates now serve as a primary concern for researchers. Avert (2011) suggests that there is a lack of behavioral interventions and prevention programs aimed at decreasing the number of newly affected individuals. This is problematic as it may create not only physical and mental stress upon patients but also a source of financial and resource stress upon service organizations. In Asia, HIV/AIDS is primarily apparent in three high-risk groups: sex workers, men who have sex with men, and intravenous drug users (Avert, 2011). Service organizations target these high-risk groups with prevention programs in order to decrease infection rates and raise general awareness of the disease. This study aims to evaluate two HIV/AIDS prevention program theories(the Sonagachi Project and the 100% Condom Use Program) and the studies that implement them. This proposed evaluation assesses the effectiveness of these HIV/AIDS prevention programs in reducing infection rates and raising awareness of the disease. Due to the widespread use and apparent effectiveness of the 100% Condom Use Program and The Sonagachi Project, this study aims to assess the interventions in lessening HIV infection rates and critique the methods outlined by both. This thesis also employs a systemic review of the literature by using the program theories of The 100% Condom Use Program and The Sonagachi Project.B.S.
Bachelors
Health and Public Affairs
Health Science; Pre-Clinical
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Jerolleman, Alessandra. "The Privatization of Hazard Mitigation: A Case Study of the Creation and Implementation of a Federal Program." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2013. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1692.
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This dissertation explores the role of the private and public sectors in hazard mitigation, an important part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) performance requirements from the Stafford Act. Hazard mitigation is the effort to reduce societal impacts from natural disasters by reducing their risk to people, property and infrastructure; before hazards occur. The goal of the work is to contribute to the literature examining the national trend towards privatization and reliance on the free market economy for the provision of government social services, through such public management movements as the “New Public Management” (NPM) of the 1980s and the general efficiency movement that encompasses a greater market orientation in public government and an increase in the use of private sector contractors as an alternative to public provision (Boston 1996).
The primary question which this dissertation seeks to answer is: How has the provision of hazard mitigation services by the private sector come to be the norm and what have been the consequences. Due to the broad nature of the question and the lack of previous research, this dissertation will utilize a mixed methods approach with the goal of gaining a broad understanding of the privatization of the hazard mitigation sector in its various manifestations. The approach consists of one case study, broken down into two time periods: hazard mitigation prior to the passage of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, and hazard mitigation following the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. The case study is based primarily upon a series of interviews and includes several imbedded cases. They will be contextualized within an overall description of hazard mitigation focusing on the history and the context of the relevant federal legislation.
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James, Mesloh Jennifer. "Social capital influences in women at risk for poor pregnancy outcomes." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2010. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/4643.
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Poor pregnancy outcomes such as prematurity, low birth weight and infant mortality are societal indicators of a nation's health status. These indicators have remained at exceptionally high rates in the United States despite the levels of resources and technology. In the quest to understand that discrepancy, among the ranges of theories and models for explaining poor pregnancy outcomes an emerging concept is coming to attention: social capital. In order to test whether maternal social capital has an impact on pregnancy outcome, women in a Healthy Start program were surveyed over a 13-month period to assess their social capital levels and then their pregnancy outcomes. What emerged was that maternal social capital can predict up to 47% of the variance in pregnancy outcome. That is a powerful research result considering that previously there has been no literature tracing a link between maternal social capital and pregnancy outcome. In this study, maternal risk factors adversely affect up to 30% of the variance in pregnancy outcomes. Previous research has focused on maternal risk factors as the primary reason for high rates of preterm delivery, low birth weight, and infant mortality in the United States. However, this research found that in the sample of women at risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, maternal risk factors had a very strong influence on maternal social capital (R-square=65%) while their effects on pregnancy outcomes were about half of their effects on social capital. This result suggests that social capital mediates the effects of maternal risk factors on pregnancy outcomes. It appears that one of the reasons that the high rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes in the United States have remained a mystery is that maternal social capital has not been taken into account.ID: 028917057; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2010.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 250-280).
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Health and Public Affairs
Public Affairs
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Huffman, Michael C. "AN ANALYSIS OF VIRGINIA TRANSFER POLICY AND ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRANSFER AND NATIVE STUDENTS--ENROLLMENTS AND OUTCOMES IN A TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM." VCU Scholars Compass, 2012. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/2687.
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Transfer articulation is an important policy issue in Virginia. With increasing economic strains on federal and state budgets, pressure on key actors in higher education, and critical teacher shortages, an opportunity presented itself to investigate state transfer policy and articulation agreements designed to facilitate student transfer. Articulation agreements are policy instruments designed to facilitate a seamless transfer of both students and credits from the community college system into senior institutions. Over the last decade increased articulation activity has taken place in the Commonwealth of Virginia driven by higher education costs and articulation specific to teacher preparation due to teacher shortages. This study is an effort to add to the literature by linking the presence of one articulation agreement to increased enrollments of Virginia Community College System (VCCS) associate degree holders into a 5-year teacher preparation program at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Select academic outcomes of associate degree holders, students who took coursework in the VCCS, and native students were also examined for comparative purposes. The study engaged a quantitative, nonexperimental, cross-sectional research methodology using existing data related to the 5-year teacher preparation program at VCU. The data collected for the study originated from the initial teacher licensure Master of Teaching (M.T.) programs which include early/elementary, and secondary (6-12) programs in English, foreign languages, history/social studies, mathematics, sciences, and special education. A master file containing 2,349 observations was created from which samples were then drawn for hypotheses testing. Ordinary Least Square regression, multiple regression, and binary logistic regression were used and the results indicated the presence of the 2004 VCU/VCCS Teacher Education Provision Admission (TEPA) articulation agreement had no impact on enrollment likelihood. Earning an associate degree was a strong predictor of graduation likelihood in the teacher preparation program and associate degree holders could also expect to earn fewer cumulative hours in the program—a potential savings of time and money. Total community college credits earned was a strong predictor of teacher licensure likelihood. Race had no impact on elapsed time spent in the teacher preparation program. The findings of this study suggest the mere presence of an articulation agreement does not guarantee increased enrollments into an academic program, in this case, a 5-year teacher preparation program. Student outcomes also suggest earning the associate degree had significant effects post transfer, almost doubling graduation likelihood. Licensing likelihood is positively affected by total community college credits earned. Results of the models testing common measures of student academic success—cumulative GPA, Praxis I performance, and GRE performance had no impact on graduation likelihood. Since the extant research is not robust on 5-year teacher preparation programs, further research is recommended specifically on 5-year programs related to the effectiveness of articulation agreements on enrollments—in addition to post transfer student outcomes.
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Hasham, Zisham. "Effects of a Parent Instructional Program on the Communicative Turns of African American Children who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication during Book Reading Activities." Honors in the Major Thesis, University of Central Florida, 2004. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETH/id/432.
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This item is only available in print in the UCF Libraries. If this is your Honors Thesis, you can help us make it available online for use by researchers around the world by following the instructions on the distribution consent form at http://library.ucfBachelors
Health and Public Affairs
Communicative Disorders
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Stone, Karin Jewel. "An Evaluation of Recidivism Rates for Resolutions Northwest's Victim-Offender Mediation Program." PDXScholar, 2000. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/2291.
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Victim-offender mediation, a component of restorative justice, has been a valuable tool for rehabilitating juvenile offenders since the late 1970s. Victim offender mediation brings crime victims and offenders together to reach agreements for restitution and community healing. Resolutions Northwest, a non-profit organization in Multnomah County, offers a victim-offender mediation program to juvenile offenders and their victims.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the recidivism rates for juvenile offenders who went through Resolutions Northwest's victim-offender mediation program as opposed to offenders who went through the traditional justice system. It was hypothesized that the participants in this program would have lower recidivism rates than the juvenile offenders who were not given this restorative justice option.
Records on juvenile offenders who successfully completed the victim-offender mediation program were collected from Resolutions Northwest. These records were then compared to a secondary data set. This secondary data was from the Tri-County Juvenile Information System database, supplied by the Multnomah County Department of Adult and Community Justice to Professor William Feyerherm as part of the Casey Foundation supported Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative.
It was found that 41.6% of the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative group reoffended within one year of their original arrest. In comparison, only 20.3% of the Resolutions Northwest group reoffended within a year of their victim-offender mediation program completion. It was also investigated as to whether the juveniles in both groups reoffended a second, third or even fourth time within a one year period. The explorations into second, third and fourth reoffenses yielded similar results in that the juveniles from Resolutions Northwest had significantly lower recidivism rates than those from the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative group.
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Regalado, de Hurtado Liliana. "URIOSTE, George L. Hijos de Pariya Qaqa: La tradición oralde Waru Chiri (Mitología. Ritual y Costumbres). Forengein and Comparative Studies Program Latín American Series,N 9 6 Vol. 1, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Publics Affairs. Syracuse, New York, 1983. 2 Tms." Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, 2014. http://repositorio.pucp.edu.pe/index/handle/123456789/121937.
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Smith, William S. II. "Send in the...Scholars?: The History of the Fulbright Program from 1961-1970." Bowling Green State University / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1305116307.
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Kinuthia, Wanyee. "“Accumulation by Dispossession” by the Global Extractive Industry: The Case of Canada." Thèse, Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10393/30170.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis draws on David Harvey’s concept of “accumulation by dispossession” and an international political economy (IPE) approach centred on the institutional arrangements and power structures that privilege certain actors and values, in order to critique current capitalist practices of primitive accumulation by the global corporate extractive industry. The thesis examines how accumulation by dispossession by the global extractive industry is facilitated by the “free entry” or “free mining” principle. It does so by focusing on Canada as a leader in the global extractive industry and the spread of this country’s mining laws to other countries – in other words, the transnationalisation of norms in the global extractive industry – so as to maintain a consistent and familiar operating environment for Canadian extractive companies. The transnationalisation of norms is further promoted by key international institutions such as the World Bank, which is also the world’s largest development lender and also plays a key role in shaping the regulations that govern natural resource extraction. The thesis briefly investigates some Canadian examples of resource extraction projects, in order to demonstrate the weaknesses of Canadian mining laws, particularly the lack of protection of landowners’ rights under the free entry system and the subsequent need for “free, prior and informed consent” (FPIC). The thesis also considers some of the challenges to the adoption and implementation of the right to FPIC. These challenges include embedded institutional structures like the free entry mining system, international political economy (IPE) as shaped by international institutions and powerful corporations, as well as concerns regarding ‘local’ power structures or the legitimacy of representatives of communities affected by extractive projects. The thesis concludes that in order for Canada to be truly recognized as a leader in the global extractive industry, it must establish legal norms domestically to ensure that Canadian mining companies and residents can be held accountable when there is evidence of environmental and/or human rights violations associated with the activities of Canadian mining companies abroad. The thesis also concludes that Canada needs to address underlying structural issues such as the free entry mining system and implement FPIC, in order to curb “accumulation by dispossession” by the extractive industry, both domestically and abroad.
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"Reconsidering the media public sphere: a study of radio phone-in programs in Hong Kong." 2002. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5891211.
Full textAbstract:
Adelaide Nga-yan Lau.Thesis submitted in: December 2001.
Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 152-158).
Abstracts in English and Chinese.
Introduction --- p.p. 1 -4
Theoretical Framework --- p.p.5-25
The Habermasian public sphere
Chapter ■ --- Universal access
Chapter ■ --- Topics of public concern
Chapter ■ --- Rational discussion
Gatekeeping in production
Chapter ■ --- Individual gatekeeping
Chapter ■ --- Organizational gatekeeping
Chapter ■ --- Impact of commercialization
Phone-in Programs as Media Public Spheres --- p.p.26-46
Factors for developing public sphere
Chapter ■ --- Capitalism
Chapter ■ --- Freedom of expression
Media and political communication in Hong Kong
Political and social contexts of radio phone-in programs
Chapter ■ --- Period of germination
Chapter ■ --- Period of recognition
Chapter ■ --- Period of flourishing
Three radio phone-in programs in Hong Kong
Chapter ■ --- RTHK's Talkabout
Chapter ■ --- Commercial Radio's Teacup in a Storm
Chapter ■ --- Metro Radio's Metropolitics
Methodology --- p.p.47-55
Data collection
Chapter ■ --- The Robert Chung case
Data analysis
Chapter ■ --- Content analysis
Chapter ■ --- Discourse analysis
Analysis I - Universal Access --- p.p.56-76
Technologies enhance accessibility
Equal opportunity for callers
Selecting calls
Chapter ■ --- Screening in Talkabout
Chapter ■ --- Screening in Teacup in a Storm
Chapter ■ --- Screening in Metropolitics
What is universal access?
Analysis II - Topics of Public Concern --- p.p.77-96
Topics initiated by the public
Handling of topics initiated by the public
Characteristics of pre-set discussion topics
Chapter ■ --- Characteristics of discussion topics in Talkabout
Chapter ■ --- Characteristics of discussion topics in Teacup in a Storm
Chapter ■ --- Characteristics of discussion topics in Metropolitics
Who sets the media agenda?
Analysis III - Rational Discussion --- p.P. 97 -114
Opinions with grounds
Discourse analysis of discussion on the Robert Chung case
Chapter ■ --- Period of reticence
Chapter ■ --- Period of development
Chapter ■ --- Period of investigation
Chapter ■ --- Period of conclusion
What is rational discussion?
Conclusion and Discussion --- p.P.115-128
Interpretations of three main criteria in the media public sphere
Organizational gatekeeping in the media public sphere
Chapter ■ --- Political economy of Talkabout
Chapter ■ --- Political economy of Teacup in a Storm
Chapter ■ --- Political economy of Metropolitics
One additional criterion 一 Pluralism
Reconsidering the media public sphere
Appendices --- p.P.129-151
Bibliography --- p.P.152-158
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Chang, Li-ping, and 張麗萍. "The Case Study on the Application of Deliberative Democracy - Study Circle Program in Senior High School Students’ Learning of Public Affairs Engagement." Thesis, 2008. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/44170319381981476858.
Full textAbstract:
碩士國立臺灣大學
國家發展研究所
96
According to the viewpoints of the worldwide civic educationalists, students’ ability of citizen participation needs to be cultivated. Lately, the citizen participation pattern of deliberative democracy, which is being largely used in the discussion of many public issues, has become an effective way to promote citizen participation. Based on the theory of citizen participation and the citizen participation pattern of deliberative democracy, this case study, through applying the study circle model to the high school students’ learning process of citizen participation, observes and analyzes its feasibility in high school operation and to realize whether it is beneficial to high school students’ learning in citizen participation. The study, based on the steps of study circle, designs a public affairs learning circle and, prior to the implementation of the learning circle, forms a public affairs group to collect and analyze relevant materials regarding the public issues, so that the students may have a comprehensive understanding of the information. In this study, the experiments, observation and focused group have been applied. This case study selects one particular senior high school in northern Taiwan as its study target, and uses the agenda of retrieving school land as the subject of public affairs in the study. And the senior high school students in this high school are involved. The above is based on the five thinking aspects designed in this study, which are subjectivity, awareness, ways and degrees of participation, effects on civic education, and cost effects. This study is a qualitative research in which questionnaires, records, journals, group interviews and audio/video recordings are used to conduct the collection and analysis of study data. The findings are as follows. First, the public affairs group enables students to fully understand the school campus issue. Second, the public affairs learning circle acquaints students with the reasonable communication way of deliberative democracy and promote students’ participation in public affairs. Finally, the suggestions are as follows: First, the study circle model should be applied by high schools as a permanent and regular system to involve students’ participation in public affairs. Second, more teachers and students should be trained to involve in the leading work of deliberative democracy and learning circle. Third, public affairs group activities should be incorporated in citizen and society courses to cultivate high school students’ ability of citizen participation.
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Tsai, Lo-Dau, and 蔡樂道. "The Program Design in Account Management System and Junior High School Campus public order Affairs Fill the Report System Based on Extreme Programming Method." Thesis, 2007. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/61143641116963232788.
Full textAbstract:
碩士立德管理學院
應用資訊研究所
95
Because of the advance of the information technology as to gambol, the education organization of the school administration computerization continuously and energetic promotes. But recently the local government public finance is not abundant, can't the farm-out build. However the need of the school administration computerization is very big, owing to the information technology for an effect that the education administrations manage. As the artificial work can't in a twinkling inform, but through the network system can complete. Therefore in the Bureau of Education under establish to educate the network center, be responsible for to serve works that each school with the information education and the administration computerization. Educate the network center becomes to medium the role in the school and the information of the Bureau of Education. The message of the Bureau of Education in time presents and delivers by the network through the host of the education network center to the school; the school is also the message that is in time through the system response that the education network center provides to Bureau of Education. By the education network center impersonation of in medium the role, can see the administration to request of fast and accurate have a lot of to deeply rely on the information technology. Although, the education network center of the local government, have no how much budget and source of money, the manpower also simplifies very much, the hope is in the limited resource underneath, can develop the over-valued benefit. At the future that can foresee, the information work is more and more heavy and necessary. This research aim is in looking for the work of the software development, can there is a method can with basis. The development scale of the information system, with 5 personal small units of member, be responsible for the education administration information service work of the whole city, need a programming of software development ineluctably. The basis originally studies the result to suggest the education network center, needing to duct into the newer software programming with the improvement more the software of the small scale the development the result, and quelling the user chasm that the program design and school carry. The eXtreme Programming has already go it for year abroad, the most well-known special features may be "pair programming", it the point that request is "simple" and "communicate". It emphasize a software develops the success or failure of the project, in fact depending on "person". The team that a want for communicates with customer, impossibly and actually make to match the software that the customer request. Due to this research urges the development process that the Tainan education network center is expand by the single work to 2-5 people's development scale, insure the efficiency of the software development. And through actually make the system, to identify the eXtreme programming in the effect of the small scale software development.
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Sisa, Edgar. "Implementation of the performance management system in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Botswana public service." Thesis, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/18683.
Full textAbstract:
The main aim of this study was to investigate the implementation of the performance management system in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation of the Botswana public service and to identify the factors that facilitated and hindered the successful implementation of the programme. This study used a mixed methods research design which combines both qualitative and quantitative research design. The study used the model of social programmes, which is a holistic and comprehensive analytical framework that is used to study the implementation of social intervention programmes.
Research data was obtained using a triangulation of research methods (case study, evaluation research and survey method) and data sources (literature review, document analysis, self-administered questionnaires and follow-up personal interviews). A sample of 90 respondents was selected using the purposive sampling strategy. The study found that the implementation of the performance management system in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation was problematic because of unclear and ambiguous foreign policy goals and objectives; lack of broad-based support and critical mass of champions of the performance management system; use of command-and-control management model rather than empowerment and the adaptation model; inadequate human and institutional capacities; ineffective supporting systems of the performance management system; weak accountability and responsibility mechanisms; weak intra-ministerial and inter-ministerial communication, co-operation, collaboration and co-ordination; inadequate information and communications technology infrastructure and unfavourable international environment.
This study contributed to the existing literature by investigating the implementation of the performance management system in the global environment from a public service perspective rather than a private sector perspective, which relies on the experiences of multinational companies. The study findings provide some invaluable insights that may improve the implementation of the performance management system in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation of the Botswana public service by proposing recommendations to the identified problems. The recommendations include: setting clear and specific foreign policy objectives; creating a critical mass of champions of the performance management system; strengthening human and institutional capacities; promoting effective implementation and use of supporting systems of the performance management system; strengthening accountability and responsibility mechanisms; strengthening intra-ministerial and inter-ministerial communication, co-operation, collaboration, and co-ordination; strengthening decentralisation and empowerment principles and upgrading information and communications technology infrastructure.Public Administration and Management
DPA