This qualitative study sought to understand how access, or lack of access, to a local community college can affect the self-identity of immigrant students living in southeastern Pennsylvania (PA). The primary sources of data included formal and informal interviews. Interview transcriptions, field notes, and subsequent short essay responses from participants were the primary sources of data used in evaluating their experiences. A year was spent observing and interacting with participants in a variety of settings, at home or at a nearby restaurant. Data was analyzed using triangulation matrices, coding and constant comparison methods to generate categories showing patterns and relationships of meaning. A narrative inquiry that employs the use of counterstories gives voice to the human dignity of immigrant students in the United States and their right to be acknowledged as intelligent, capable human beings with the capacity to learn and pursue their goals. An unexpected finding in this study was how the immigrant student’s struggle is amplified by racism in the form of microaggressions from classmates and employers. / Educational Leadership / Accompanied by one .pdf file: Experiences of Immigrant Students.

Despite having expertise on the day to day consequences of how individuals and groups are impacted by the policies and decisions of governments, charities have experienced a great deal of tension in their attempts to influence public policy. The CPS-022 Policy Statement that restricts the political activity of charities to 10 percent of their overall budget has been identified as confusing, antiquated, and not in line with the advocacy role that some charities identify as necessary for social change. These tensions were further exacerbated by the political activity audit program which was enacted by the Harper government from 2012-2015. This program caused an advocacy chill that was felt to varying levels by different charities in the sector. The purpose of this research is to explore how the CPS-022 interacts with everyday practice as it pertains to advocacy, gauge whether or not there has been a warming to the advocacy chill, and to collect senior employee’s impressions regarding the proposed recommendations for changes to the CPS-022 collected by a consultation panel. Semi structured qualitative interviews were completed with 6 participants from macro-based social organizations in Ontario. Participants shared their opinions and experiences of audit, governmental control of the social agenda, working within the policy statement, and the panel’s recommendations for change. Using a structural social work lens to analyze the data, it was found that a lack of clarity and a broad scope of interpretation within the CPS-022 made advocacy more daunting, participants were not concerned about exceeding the 10 percent limit, and there has been a variable warming to the advocacy chill. Participants were generally happy with the recommendations laid out by the panel, despite a lack of focus on clarifying partisanship, and the potential for broadness in the legislation. Overall, it became obvious that the charitable sector is in a period of transition and growth with regard to their role in public policy development. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

Network, organizational, and policy learning literatures indicate that when interest groups face failure they will seek out alternative ideas and strategies that will enhance their potential for future success. Research with regard to interest groups and legal change has found that interest groups, using arguments that were once accepted as the legal standard for Supreme Court decisions, were unwilling or unable to alter their arguments when the Court reversed its position on these legal standards. This research project examined the conflicting findings of these literatures. Using the Advocacy Coalition Framework as a guide, this project studied the separationist advocacy coalition in cases regarding state aid to elementary and secondary sectarian schools from 1971 to 2002. The legal briefs filed by members of the separationist advocacy coalition with the Court were examined using content analysis to track changes in their legal arguments. Elite interviews were then conducted to gain an understanding of the rationale for results found in the content analysis. The research expectation was that the separationist advocacy coalition would seek out and incorporate into their briefs new and innovative legal arguments to promote their policy goals. The research results demonstrated that prior to legal change interest groups did seek out and incorporate new legal arguments borrowed from other fora and sought to expand or reinterpret established legal arguments to better aid their policy goals. The changes that seemed to have the potential for adoption by the Court were quickly incorporated into the briefs of the other members of the coalition. Following legal change interest groups continued to analyze the decisions of the Court in order to seek out the best possible legal arguments to use in their briefs; however, the main focus of legal arguments examined and used by the coalition narrowed to those cited by the swing justice in the funding cases. Two innovative arguments were developed, but were either ignored or considered unsuitable, and were not used by the other members of the coalition. Counter to this project's research expectations new and innovative legal arguments were not adopted by the coalition. As the Court discontinued the use of various legal arguments the coalition quickly responded to these changes and dropped those obsolete legal arguments. Therefore, contrary to prior research, the interest groups and the coalition altered their arguments following legal change. Only those interest groups who no longer participated in coalition discussions reverted back to using pre-legal change arguments. Learning continued to occur in the coalition following legal change; however, the focus of analysis and the pool of arguments deemed worthy of use narrowed considerably. / Ph. D.

According to data published in 2018, approximately 20,000 children resided in group homes across the United States. By the nature of their situations, living outside of their familial homes, these children are experiencing trauma while trying to participate in typical childhood activities, such as making friends and attending school. Children who reside in group homes are foster youth. Foster youth consistently show low levels of academic achievement (Vacca, 2008). Children who reside in group homes have many service providers that are responsible for their care, including teachers, social workers, therapists, group home staff; these people make up the child’s circle of care. The purpose of this study was to explore how the service professionals within the circle of care support the academic development of students who reside in group homes and how existing strategies can be improved. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Weick’s (1976) concept of loosely coupled systems in education was used to theorize the connections between service providers and identify opportunities for improved collaboration. Results showed that all members of the circle of care need to work together more closely to appropriately support these students, especially those members who work for the group homes and the schools. All members of the circle of care need more training in trauma informed care and the laws that allocate resources and direct the care for children who reside in group homes.

In recent years, the focus on the Black travel market has increased exponentially. While some may consider this to be a new market segment, Black travelers have been in the travel industry for years, however their legitimacy as a viable market segment has been questionable. This dissertation uses a three article approach to further the scholarship on Black travelers. The first paper uses a qualitative approach to explore the evolution of the Black travel market as represented in Black print media from 1920-2020. It further uncovers the tensions that exist between the socio-cultural and political norms of the times. The second article develops a valid and reliable measure of legitimacy using cognitive, pragmatic, and relational dimensions. The third article uses an experiment to investigate Black travelers' perceptions of racial justice advocacy statements made by destination marketing organizations (DMOs). Results from this dissertation indicate the longstanding engagement in the travel industry primarily through entrepreneurial endeavors. It also showcases Black travelers' ability to disrupt institutions and systems due to their willingness to share personal accounts of discrimination and through activism travel. As it relates to the evaluations of the tourism industry, Black travelers like to be recognized and represented in tourism-related products and services. Thus, their evaluations of DMOs' response to racial justice warranted a more detailed approach than what was often displayed. / Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation explores the past, present, and future of the Black travel movement and the ways in which the tourism industry can develop more inclusive products and services. Three papers make up this dissertation. The first uses three forms of Black print media to understand how Black travel was represented between 1920-2020. The second develops a measurement scale to explore the dimensions that make up legitimacy from the perspective of Black travelers. The final article uses elements of that scale to measure the Black travelers' perceptions of racial justice advocacy statements.

Yes / The concept of 'narrative economies' has recently been proposed as a set of exchange relationships that, through biography and story-telling, facilitate access to resources and act as a source of value. We utilise this concept to inform our analysis of 18 qualitative interviews with five people with dementia and four informal carers. Our participants are members of a pre-existing group of dementia advocates, representing the voices of those living with the condition. There are a growing number of people in the early stages of dementia - like our participants - being called upon to account for their experience, as a means of developing a politicised 'collective illness identity'. These interviews present an opportunity to study a group of people who are actively involved in speaking as, and for, people with dementia. Four themes emerged from the data: becoming a voice of or for people with dementia; biographical reinforcement; responsibilisation; and resistance. These themes illustrate the ways in which people with dementia participate in their own identity construction and, as representatives of those living with dementia, they also illustrate the ways in which illness narratives produce material and symbolic value.

The early childhood profession regards advocacy as a professional and ethical responsibility yet little is known about advocacy instructional practices in teacher education programs. This study surveyed selected early childhood teacher educators who currently prepare undergraduate preservice professionals in two- and four-year institutions throughout the United States to identify and evaluate the existing advocacy training practices in preservice education. The study was designed to: (a) determine what leaders in the field of early childhood believe constitutes appropriate advocacy training for preprofessionals, (b) describe the advocacy activities of teacher educators, (c) determine if there is a difference in the advocacy instructional practices of two- and four-year institutions, and (d) recommend a model for advocacy in preprofessional programs. The participants included 607 teacher educators who responded to a mailed questionnaire and 14 leaders of early childhood professional organizations who participated in telephone interviews. Participants represented 48 states and all geographic regions of the United States. Results indicate that teacher educators and leaders believe advocacy instruction is important in preparation programs. The most frequently included advocacy activities are professionalism and understanding the professional role. Advocacy skills and strategies focused on public policy were included the least. Findings show that teacher educators participate in a variety of advocacy activities although few participate in public policy activities. No statistically significant differences were found between two- and four-year institutions in advocacy instructional practices. Based on study data, the researcher developed the Brunson Model for Advocacy Instruction in order to provide the profession with a consistent and sequenced approach to advocacy instruction. Recommendations for future research include: investigation of effective strategies for teaching advocacy; a study of the developmental nature of advocacy; and a study of the Brunson Model for Advocacy Instruction to determine the model's effectiveness in preparing professionals who will have the ability to speak up and speak out for children and families.

Studien avser att förklara riksdagspartiernas inställning mot Natomedlemskap över tid. Därför utförs en policyanalys inom ramen för ''The Advocacy Coalition Framework'’. Detta genomförs genom att kategorisera riksdagspartierna till relevanta advocacy coalitions utifrån deras beliefs. Studien använder sig av utrikespolitiska debatter för att avgöra respektive riksdagspartis beliefs. Genom att undersöka riksdagspartiernas normative och empirical policy core beliefs över tid kan studien finna likheter och skillnader mellan advocacy coalitions. Vad studien kommer fram till är hur riksdagspartierna tar en annan ställning inom säkerhetspolitiken och hur gemensamma beliefs kan förekomma mellan advocacy coalitions. Med åren går det även att se hur riksdagspartier börjar värna mer om militära medel för svensk säkerhet. Studien erbjuder också ett teoretiskt intressant inlägg genom att lyfta upp hur empirical policy core beliefs binder också advocacy coalitions varifrån tidigare forskning visar hur oftast normative policy core beliefs avgör strukturen i advocacy coalitions. Riksdagspartiers ställningstagande antingen för Natomedlemskap eller mot Natomedlemskap blev relevant för vilken advocacy coalition riksdagspartierna blev kategoriserade inom.

xv, 177 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / The purpose of this dissertation was to develop and conduct initial validation procedures for the Environmental Justice Advocacy Scale (EJAS). Environmental justice refers to the equitable distribution of environmental risks and benefits across diverse groups in terms of the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws and regulations. Environmental justice advocacy involves efforts to organize communities and collaborate with policymakers to prevent or remediate environmental injustice. The findings of three studies are presented and describe reliability, concurrent and discriminant validity, and internal structural validity analyses. A national sample of graduate students, practitioners, and faculty in the specialties of counseling psychology, counseling, and social work were surveyed ( n = 43, n = 294, and n = 295, respectively). Study 1 addresses initial scale development procedures that resulted in a 47-item measure. In Study 2, an exploratory factor analysis suggested a three-factor structure (Attitudes, Knowledge, and Skills) with excellent reliability and strong concurrent and discriminant validity. The results indicated that two of the subscales were correlated ( r = .16 and r = .1 6, p < .01) with a measure of social desirability. In Study 3, a confirmatory factor analysis failed to replicate the three-factor model. However, four factors (Attitudes, Knowledge-General Environmental Justice, Knowledge-Psychological and Physical Health Environmental Justice, and Skills) explained a statistically significant amount of variance in question items. Suggestions for modification of the measure and recommendations for future research, training, and practice related to environmental justice advocacy for mental health professionals are provided. / Committee in charge: Ellen McWhirter, Chairperson, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; Benedict McWhirter, Member, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; Keith Zvoch, Member, Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership; Michael Dreiling, Outside Member, Sociology

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