Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Upper class – Education – United States'

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine, from a constructivist career development perspective, the factors of well-being and vocational identity that emerged among a diverse sample of upper-division undergraduate students. This study also examined which factors of vocational identity predicted well-being and which factors of well-being predicted vocational identity. Participants included 411 diverse, upper-division health science students from a public university in Southern California. The first two research questions that guided this study were designed to explore emergent factors of well-being and vocational identity using items from the PERMA Well-Being Profiler (PERMA) and the Vocational Identity Status Assessment. The final two research questions were designed to examine the best predictors of well-being among the factors of vocational identity and the best predictors of vocational identity among the factors of well-being. To address the research questions, data obtained from surveys was analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and multiple linear regression analysis.

The findings of this study demonstrated that PERMA theory and Vocational Identity Status theory explained the constructs of well-being and vocational identity among the diverse sample with few exceptions. Further, the PERMA and VISA instruments proved valid and reliable among the diverse sample. In-depth career exploration, identification with career commitment, and career self-doubt were the vocational identity factors that best predicted well-being. Meaning, accomplishment, and engagement were the well-being factors that best predicted vocational identity.

Recommendations based on the findings of this study included revisiting performance based funding policies to incorporate the measurement of well-being and vocational identity as metrics of student success alongside more objective measures like retention, GPA, and time to graduation. Further, recommendations were offered for integrating well-being and vocational identity enhancing activities and interventions into current practices in classroom, counseling, and advising settings. Recommendations for qualitative, experimental, and longitudinal research designs were offered based on the findings of this study.

This thesis aims to compare the relative chances of occupational success of Chinese in Great Britain and the United States. The study uses data from British national Labour Force Surveys (1983 to 1989) and American Census of Population and Housing Public Use Microdata Samples (1980). Using various methods of statistical analysis, mainly logit modelling, the thesis looks at three aspects of the research question. First, analysis is conducted on the relative level of occupational attainment (in access to the service class and avoidance of unemployment) of Chinese immigrants in Britain through comparisons with whites, Indians, Pakistanis, African Asians, West Indians and Irish. Secondly, similar analysis is done for foreign-born and native-born Chinese in the U.S. through comparisons with whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Japanese, Filipinos, Koreans, Indians and Vietnamese. Thirdly, comparisons are made directly on the relative chances of occupational success for being Chinese in Britain versus being Chinese in the U.S.A. In the thesis, specific attempts are made to bring out the effects of education in determining occupational success for Chinese as well as other ethnic groups in the two countries.

Thesis (M.S.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2008.
Thesis advisor: S. Louise Gould. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Mathematics." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 27, 61). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Historically, the majority of immigrants to the United States came from European countries. The 1965 Immigration Reform Act (IRA) fundamentally changed the configuration of immigrants to the United States. The largest immigrant communities now consist of Latin Americans, Asians, and Africans. Another important development in immigrant communities in the past few decades has been the growth of a disproportionately large upper class in non-Hispanic immigrant communities. In this study, I will investigate the determinants of upper class status with a focus on non-Hispanic immigrants in the United States.

I have used a theoretical framework consisting of a wide spectrum of social theories. The theoretical framework encompasses Demographic and Structural Factors, Assimilation Theory, Weberian Theory, Elite Theories, and Marxian Theory. From this wide spectrum of theories, I have developed a set of fifteen exogenous variables including key socio-demographic variables, metropolitan area, region, the number of hours worked, immigration from an English speaking country, citizenship status, the length of stay in the United States, occupational status, occupational prestige, educational attainment, private schooling, and employment status. Consequently, I have analyzed the influence of these variables on upper class status attainment among non-Hispanic immigrants in the United States.

The current study has utilized secondary data analysis from the 2010 American Community Survey (ACS). Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to examine the relationship among study variables. More specifically, by conducting block analysis, the result of the regression analysis spelled out the degree of influence of each theoretical perspective on the dependent variable, upper class status attainment.

The results of this study have revealed that Structural and Demographic factors make up the largest share of influence on upper class status attainment among non-Hispanic immigrants in the United States. The most influential variables emerged as “hours worked” (β = 0.211) from the Demographic and Structural Factors block, “educational attainment” (β = 0.174) from elite theory, and “Marital Status” (β = 0.119) from the Demographic and Structural Factors block respectively.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the educational aspirations and future expectations of working class youth in an all-female Catholic high school. The ethnographic methods of primarily interviews and participant observation were used to discover the plans and the decision processes of approximately 21% of the senior class. Sixty girls were interviewed four weeks before graduation, as well as 20 teachers and administrators. Almost 100% of the sample (59) planned to attend college the following fall. While most institutions were competitive, only one planned to attend a most competitive, most selective institution, although several met the admissions requirements to do so. One-fourth of the sample planned to attend community colleges. The institution helped to facilitate the process of college entrance. However, many of the girls' decisions were determined before high school, and most were influenced by family members, most of whom had never attended a finished college. It was observed and reported by the girls that the all-female environment enhanced their educational experiences.

This action research study investigated the effectiveness and impact of instructional uses of computer gaming on student comprehension of major themes and concepts in United States history. A concurrent embedded experimental mixed method design (Creswell, 2009; Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007; Greene & Caracelli, 1997) was used to determine what impact gameplay has upon student learning as well as student perceptions of the gaming experience upon their learning using Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization in an eleventh grade high school United States History class. This study addressed key issues concerning computer gameplay in an educational setting, asking what impact does computer gameplay have on student understanding and academic performance, and what impact does social interaction surrounding computer gameplay have upon student understanding of content. The quantitative phase of this study focused on the relationship between computer games and academic performance. The qualitative phase of the study focused on student understanding and comprehension of historical content, perceptions of computer gameplay and the social interaction surrounding gameplay.

Students were randomly assigned to one of two classes: one class engaged in gameplay utilizing Civilization IV: Colonization and served as the experimental group, the other class engaged in traditional research and served as the control group. Quantitative data was collected from a pretest administered at the beginning of the semester as well as a posttest administered at the end of the semester. Additional quantitative data was collected from term project presentation grades from both groups at the end of the semester. Scores from the pretest/posttest and student presentations were analyzed to determine if there was a significant difference in learning between the two groups.

Qualitative data was collected at multiple points throughout the study from the experimental group utilizing observation, teacher-researcher reflections, individual interviews, focus group interview, and student data sheets to explore student understanding of the exploration and colonization of North America as well as perceptions of the gaming experience. The qualitative data was analyzed to inform and better understand the impact of computer gaming on student learning.

The findings of this study indicated students who engaged in gameplay with Civilization IV: Colonization scored significantly higher on the postest and presentation scores as well as developed a deeper understanding of major themes, concepts and content in United States History than students who conducted traditional research. The findings of this study also supported and built upon previous research concerning computer game-based learning, specifically within social studies education, as well as addressed a specific void in the research – what impact does computer game-based learning have upon student academic performance?

School personnel are concerned that reading gaps of grade 3 and grade 4 students have persisted in 4 rural elementary schools in the southern United States despite the use of ability grouping to improve student reading proficiency scores. Between the 2014-2016 school years, less than 50% of students in grades 3 and grade 4 scored at the proficient level in reading at the 4 target rural schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the teachers' and administrators' perceptions regarding the influence of grouping on the reading performance of students in grades 3 and 4. Using Vygotsky's framework, the research investigated teachers' and administrators' perceptions of grouping and nongrouping in relation to students' reading progress, socioeconomic status, and achievement gaps between minority and non-minority students. Using purposeful sampling, interview data were collected from 4 administrators who met the criteria of working in a target site that used ability and nonability grouping. Teacher data came from focus groups, and surveys from 15 teacher participants who met the criteria of being certified in English Language Arts, and assigned to Grades 3 and/or 4 in ability or nonability grouping environments. Using emergent coding, themes supported the findings that assessment strategies are positively and negatively perceived, nonability grouping is preferred, reading achievement is perceived as higher in nonability grouping, and gaps in learning are influenced by socioeconomic status. Based on this research the use of nonability grouping may promote greater positive social change that will enhance student success in reading.

Cette Thèse est une étude des dynamiques qui entrainèrent la construction du marché de l'art aux États-Unis entre les années 1800 et 1930. Elle se veut être une analyse des transformations qui permirent la construction d'un réseau national à partir de réseaux régionaux. Plus précisément, elle traite de la manière dont les Beaux-Arts se développèrent à Boston, Philadelphie et New York à partir d'idéologies et d'idéaux religieux et pastoraux, ainsi qu'à partir des concepts et des stéréotypes socio-culturels attachés à l'art et à l'artiste au sein de la société. Cette thèse montre la manière dont les origines sociaux des mécènes et la restructuration social du dix-neuvième siècle jouèrent un rôle central dans cette construction. L'arrivée de nouveaux groupes sociaux provenant de l'industrialisation du pays influencèrent le rôle de l'artiste au sein de la société, ainsi que sa mission culturelle et sa relation avec le public. Cette étude montre aussi comment de nouvelles catégories socio-professionnelles, comme les critiques et les illustrateurs, émergèrent de ce nouveau contexte économique et alternèrent la position social de l'artiste lors de la montée de la diffusion de la presse écrite. Le pouvoir économique des mécènes les poussèrent à utiliser leurs investissement dans les Beaux-Arts pour justifier et affirmer leur nouvelle position sociale. Cette thèse analyse aussi la manière dont le mécénat industriel intègre au marché de l'art des stratégies et des logiques issues de leurs affaires, influençant le fonctionnement de tout le système
This dissertation is a study of the dynamics behind the growth of the US art market from the 1800's to the 1930's. Its main goal is to analyze the transformations which allowed the passage from local and regional networks into a national one. More specifically, it deals with how the development of the fine arts in Boston, Philadelphia and New York were based on religious and pastoral ideas and ideologies, as well as on social and cultural stereotypes and conceptions which defined art and the artist. This dissertation shows how the social origins of patrons and the restructuring of society in the nineteenth century played a pivotal in this construction. The arrival of new social groups originating from the industrialization of the country affected the role of artists inside society, as well as their cultural mission and their relationship with the public. This study also shows how new socio-professional categories, such as critics and illustrators, emerged from this new economic context and altered the position of the artist in society with the rise of the printed press. The economic power of these industrial patrons also enabled them to use their investments inside the fine arts to justify and affirm of their new social positions, while also injecting inside the art market strategies and logics from their businesses, thus affecting the functioning of the system

In recent years, the responsibility for the desegregation of American public schools has transitioned from federal court mandates to school board programs and policies. There is widespread belief that this has resulted in the resegregation of schools across the country. One popular policy that is purported to provide the opportunity for voluntary integration, along with accountability for academic quality, is school choice. The purpose of this study was to consider the implications of such a policy in one large school district. There is an extensive body of research exploring who participates in school choice, how they make their choices, and why they choose the schools their children attend. In contrast, this study was designed to investigate the actual choices made by parents and the impact of those choices on the elementary schools in the district. This quantitative descriptive study examined the racial and socioeconomic composition of students in one district’s elementary schools during the 2009-2010 school year, and explored the extent to which the student populations in these schools would differ if all students had attended their attendance area schools, rather than participating in the district’s voluntary choice plan. The actual 2009-2010 demographics were compared to “counterfactual” demographics for each school. The researcher generated the counterfactual data by removing the students who chose to attend the school and adding back the students who chose to exit the school. These actual and counterfactual demographics for each school were used to compare dissimilarity indices calculated for the district’s elementary schools as they actually were, and as they theoretically would have been without the school choice program. Additionally, the quality of the schools parents chose was investigated. The results showed that, in this district, the school choice plan did not impact the level of integration in the elementary schools. The schools were moderately segregated with the school choice plan in place, but were also moderately segregated based on the counterfactual demographics that represented the district without school choice. Most parents (60%) chose high quality schools, as identified by the state’s accountability plan. However, parents who chose low achieving schools were disproportionately black and poor. Further research is warranted to determine if the mechanics of the school choice plan could be manipulated to improve the level of integration in the district, and to better understand the decisions made by some parents to send their children to low performing schools.

Defence date: 16 May 2017
Examining Board: Professor Hans-Peter Blossfeld, EUI (Supervisor); Professor Fabrizio Bernardi, EUI; Professor Héctor Cebolla Boado, UNED; Professor Hyunjoon Park, University of Pennsylvania
As the saying goes: there are some things that money cannot buy. Yet, scholars have tended to analyze the upper class as a homogeneous group, able to overcome any difficulty that life puts in their way to educational success. Nonetheless, the children of the upper class are subject to the disadvantages of a historically discriminated ethnicity, negatively stereotyped gender, and the boundaries of the institutional framework, among other things. By neglecting the heterogeneity of the upper class, the literature on the Inequalities of Educational Opportunities (IEO) has forgotten to test the limits of class privilege in education. The most crucial point for fully comprehending the research that is being pursued here, is that this dissertation does not tackle whether the rich are simply doing better than the poor in school, or whether the gap between social classes is widening or shrinking. Instead, it focuses on the dynamics and limits of privilege. It analyzes how, in some contexts, the advantaged can be disadvantaged too. In other words, it aims to shed light on what happens when privilege meets disadvantage, and how the perks of being upper class vary among different social groups, such as blacks and whites in the US, or boys and girls in Germany. There are three main lessons to be learned from the three empirical chapters of this dissertation. First, privilege is multidimensional (chapter 3). Second, privilege is dynamic (chapter 4). Finally, privilege is contextual (chapter 5). Lastly, one may wonder why the focus should be on upper-class children since they are, generally, the top performers in any country in the world. The reason is simple; because the dynamics of privilege are part of the IEO puzzle. Only by testing the limits of privilege will we be able to unravel the riddle that IEO poses.

New Orleans women took little part in politics after passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. The advent of Huey Long as a political force changed this. Long's personal behavior and policies enraged the upper class, the former offending them and the latter threatening to affect their economic wellbeing. Women of the upper class mobilized into a movement to unseat Long from the U.S. Senate Though unsuccessful in efforts to remove Long from government, the women gained experience through their work. When, in 1939, revelations of graft and corruption among Long's inheritors came, these women formed the nucleus of a women's movement in New Orleans to unseat Earl Long and put an anti-Long candidate in as governor. Though their movement broadened to include middle-class women, upper-class women retained the leadership. Six years later, the same coterie of women united to work for the election of a reformer as mayor of their city and, in an upset of stunning proportions, saw him elected Upper-class women worked hard to expand the electorate in New Orleans. Though genteel, privileged reformers are traditionally associated in U.S. history with efforts to restrict the suffrage, these women went about the task of increasing the numbers of registered voters and of getting out the vote on election days. Their work helped upset a powerful machine which had relied on a small, easily controlled electorate for its successes Socially and economically comfortable, the elite women failed to understand the lure of patronage and bossism to citizens whose needs were greater than their scruples. This failing prevented their leading a movement with great appeal to the masses. While they promised 'good government,' they declined to address issues of social and economic justice. Their efforts did nevertheless render New Orleans elections much cleaner and New Orleans polls much less volatile, threatening, and unsavory than in times past. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)
acase@tulane.edu