Previous investigations of the Level of Service Inventory Ontario Revision (LSI-OR) have examined individual subgroups of offenders (e.g., women, Aboriginal offenders), which has made comparisons of its predictive validity between specific offender groups suspect. This study was conducted on a complete cohort of 26,450 offenders who were released from Ontario provincial correctional facilities, sentenced to a conditional sentence, or who began a term of probation in 2004. Participants were followed up for at least four years to collect recidivism information on numerous subgroups of offenders including males (81.7%), females (18.3%), Aboriginal (6.4%), Black (7.3%) and Caucasian offenders (59.2%). Analyses revealed that the LSI-OR scores are positively correlated with recidivism (r = .441, p < .001), and similar correlations were found for all offenders regardless of gender or race, (Aboriginal r = .377, p < .001; Black, r = .420, p < .001; Caucasian, r = .417, p < .001; Male, r = .439, p < .001; Female, r = .426, p < .001). LSI-OR scores are also correlated with severity of the recidivism offence, (r = .098, p <.001) indicating that higher LSI-OR scores are related to higher offence severity for all ethnicities, sentence types, and genders. These findings indicate that the LSI-OR is an effective risk assessment tool for use among different ethnicities, sentence types and genders for provincially sentenced offenders in Ontario.

The study seeks to investigate and understand how individuals create their identity from the perspective of two countries and cultures, and how these affect their current lives today. The focus of the study is aimed at young adults who have mostly or entirely grown up in Sweden to parents that have migrated. The material is based on seven qualitative, semi-structured interviews. The result is then divided into three themes; ethnic and cultural belonging, life impact, and the preservation and passing on of culture. The derivation of the first theme is that there are mixed views regarding the cultural association of the persons interviewed. Some present a clear vision of their cultural belonging and identities as Swedes, while others give a more ambiguous depiction as they find themselves in between two cultures and are experiencing a certain ambivalence regarding their cultural belonging. The second theme describes the pros and cons of living alongside two cultures as well as the importance of language. One of the main advantages that emerge is that the respondents perceive themselves as having a broader perspective and a deeper understanding of other cultures and ethnicities. Negative aspects that individuals have experienced are discrimination and parental influence. This theme also addresses the importance of language regarding the cultural belonging of the individual. The respondents agree that the language is of importance for the feeling of belonging, and that it is natural to feel more connected to those who speak the same language. The third and last theme describes how the individuals retain their original culture in their everyday lives, and it furthermore deals with ideas regarding the future as well as the passing on of culture.

Bakgrund: Tidigare var det förbjudet i Sverige att utföra homosexuella handlingar. Homosexualiteten är nu mer synlig och accepterad i samhället på grund av lagar och författningar. Inom Hälso- och sjukvården har alla rätt till likvärdig vård, oavsett sexuell identitet. Trots detta har en del vårdpersonal fortfarande en negativ syn på patienter utanför heteronormen. Därför är det av vikt att sjuksköterskan får en ökad medvetenhet om patienternas upplevelser. Syftet var att beskriva patienter med homosexuell identitets upplevelser av och önskemål kring vårdpersonalens bemötande. Metod: En litteraturstudie som byggdes på sex kvalitativa och en kvantitativ artikel som speglade studiens syfte. Resultat och konklusion: Patienterna upplevde att vårdpersonalen arbetade utifrån ett heteronormativt synsätt. Det framkom upplevelser av att vårdpersonalen hade en diskriminerande, kränkande och nedvärderade attityd. Dessutom framkom upplevelser av att kommunikationen hämmades i relationen mellan vårdpersonal och patient. Det framkom även önskemål från patienter med homosexuell identitet om hur ett bra bemötande och hur en god kommunikation skulle kunna skapas. Implikation: Det finns behov av ökad kunskap om olika sexuella identiteter hos vårdpersonal, för att undvika att patienter upplever diskriminering och utanförskap. Därmed kan det vara betydelsefullt att lyfta problemet tydligare i grundutbildningen. Det finns även behov av vidare forskning för att få ökad kunskap om hur dessa negativa upplevelser skall undvikas.

Abstract Title: Den mångtydiga svenskheten: En studie av det svensk-amerikanska föreningslivet i Kalifornien utifrån en etnisk aspekt 1910 &amp; 1915. (The multiplicity of Swedishness: A study of the Swedish-American society’s associations in California from an ethnic point of wiew 1910 &amp; 1915. Author: Joakim Fransson Master Thesis in History (10p) Växjö University The purpose of this thesis is to examine the Swedish-American associations in San Francisco and Los Angeles and how they withheld or/and formed a Swedish or American ethnic identity. The primary source for obtaining that objective is the newspapers Vestkusten and California Veckoblad were the announcements from the associations are analysed. The thesis main questions are as following: Which ethnic aspects appears in the announcements from the Swedish-American associations in the newspapers Vestkusten and California Veckoblad 1910 and 1915? And What similarities and differences in the ethnic expressions appears in the primary sources during these periods? The conclusions can be briefed as there was a great variety of Swedish-American associations during the examined periods, there was a frequent occurrence in both religious and secular movements. The activities arranged by the societies can in general be divided into groups, for example dance masquerades and theatre or literature and lectures. The purpose of these gatherings were mainly ethnic, the Swedish population were often gathered at these activates to take part of for example lectures of Swedish heroes, kings like Gustav II Adolf or when Sweden was a great power. Thus, there is evidence in the material that indicates that the Swedish associations also get hold of American influences which indicates that the formation of a Swedish-American identity was an integration of partly Swedish and partly American cultural heritage. There is also debated in the empirical study that an ethnic identity not necessarily have to be the main reason for attending to the Swedish-American association activates, there is argued for that the individual or the group in the first hand identify themselves on gender, working, age or class basis. There is also of importance that the primary sources, the Swedish newspapers was an ethnic institution in the Swedish-American society and had a great influence on the Swedish population.

This interpretive study examines how narratives and collective memories about the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict affect the identities of Jewish Israeli Americans and Palestinian Americans today. In contrast to Charles Tilly's (2002) assumption that identity stories and their salience are chiefly generated at the boundary between groups, I demonstrate that perceptions of conflict, and not just direct experience with conflict, are significant in identity formation and maintenance process. To make this argument I bring together several literatures. These include conflict theory, segmented assimilation theory, social memory theory, transnationalism literature and account/narrative/storytelling qualitative methods. I explore perceptions of homeland conflict drawn from various sources, such as direct experiences, stories passed down through the family, media coverage and personal connections in the homeland, and compare the effects these perceptions have on Jewish Israeli and Palestinian American identity. Despite all of the emphasized differences between these seemingly opposing groups, I will show how both Palestinian and Jewish Israeli Americans are greatly influenced by strife in their shared homeland. Both groups are tired of the violence and ready for peace. Beyond this overarching--and all too often overlooked--commonality, there are distinct group-level differences in how conflict shapes identity from afar, by generational status and by ethnic group. For first generation individuals, the major links are having been raised in a society permeated by conflict and maintaining social connections there. The second generation is mainly influenced by the stories imparted upon them by their parents. Palestinian Americans believe they have less choice in having their lives and identities shaped by homeland conflict for three main reasons: first, their experience of having been forcefully exiled and refused the right of return or recognition as a nation; second, the perceived misrepresentation of and bias against Palestinians, Muslims and Arabs in the American media; and third, their belief that their host country, the United States, is supportive of Israel and its military incursions upon the people of Palestine. My claims are substantiated by the twenty-nine in-depth, open-ended interviews I conducted first and second generation Jewish Israeli Americans and Palestinian Americans, all from the Triangle region of North Carolina. / Dissertation

<p>Less democratic countries conduct elections under the majoritarian electoral formula more often than under proportional representation by a wide margin. Yet, robust democratic systems utilize both majoritarian and PR electoral formulas with great success. This dissertation approaches this empirical puzzle and tries to unveil what role, if any, electoral formulas play in politics.</p><p> To do so, it focuses on the electoral process exclusively and utilizes Judith Kelley's recently completed comprehensive dataset on election quality to perform some large-sample statistical analyses of the relationship between the electoral formula, ethno-cultural polarization and election quality. Then, it presents three in-depth case studies of Nigeria, Ghana and Indonesia to unveil in more detail institutional origins and the mechanisms of electoral manipulation, as refracted through the electoral formula. </p><p>The conclusions reached are that PR is much better suited for conducting free and fair elections in ethno-culturally polarized countries. Yet, majoritarian and mixed formulas perform just as well when polarization is low. This finding is directly related to an ongoing debate by institutional designers and academics alike and provides systematic quantitative and detailed qualitative support. The study also suggests that PR might not only mediate inter-ethnic differences when disagreement is high, but also reduces the level of polarization if applied over several electoral cycles.</p> / Dissertation

This study suggests that the long-term results of ethnic consciousness is a political socialization. But, the political events (The Missile crisis in the Taiwan Strait and Chinese Communists intimidation) caused the Chinese identity declination. Even though it is hard to say totally verify the critical impact of ¡§political incidents,¡¨ this paper has analyzed and found that when Taiwan¡¦s ¡§Chinese identity¡¨ took an apparent drop. The high level of education of the people in the Chinese identity drop faster. The second generation and third generations down faster. At last, the disappearance of first generation Mainland provinces and cities people is not the main reason for the disappearance of Chinese identity. The second generation and third generations change their ¡§Chinese identity¡¨ to ¡§Both of Identity¡¨ and ¡§Taiwanese Identity ¡¨ in twenty years was the most important factor.

My research is a qualitative study about the Asian American experience. Studies have shown that Asian Americans obtain high levels of educational attainment and household income, but these figures are misleading. Asian Americans are getting a lower financial return on their education compared to their white counterparts. They suffer higher rates of suicide and depression than all other racial groups. Little quantitative and no qualitative research exists addressing these issues. My research explores Asian American life experiences with a focus on what role systemic racism plays in their lives and how this connects to the health disparities. This analysis utilizes thirty-six in-depth interviews to discuss the types and frequency of racist events. Respondents revealed a plethora of discriminatory incidents and shared various coping strategies that they use to deal with the stress of discrimination and to combat future racism. The analysis concludes that the great efforts that Asian Americans go to in order to protect themselves from white racism are costly. Respondents have to combat feelings of isolation, inadequacy, and inferiority. The analysis also utilizes interview data to discuss the ways in which respondents attempt to conform to the white racial frame in hopes to find relief from discrimination. By conforming, some adopt negative racial stereotypes about themselves and other people of color. Even after going to great lengths to conform, interviewees still struggled with feeling excluded by whites. Eventually, some respondents became hopeless that they would ever be accepted. This work also explores alternative methods some Asian Americans are using to combat systemic racism. Some respondents revealed an alternate mindset to those who have chosen to conform to the white racial frame. This group of respondents challenged white racist ideologies, and some even discussed methods in which they actively resist in hopes to improve the racial situation for all Asian Americans. This work is an attempt to fill the large gaps in research about the unique Asian American experience. There has been no other similar analysis in the past. My data reveal the complexities of the Asian American experience and the need for further research.

The focus of this study was to examine the relationship between principal ethnicity and other chosen demographics (community type of the school, average years of teacher experience, and percent of students qualifying as economically disadvantaged) and student achievement as measured by the Texas Education Agency?s (TEA?s) accountability rating system in predominantly Hispanic public high schools in Texas. The study sought to identify causal factors in relation to campus accountability rating and principal ethnicity in an effort to determine if principal ethnicity had an impact on student achievement in predominantly Hispanic public high schools in Texas. The study examined data obtained from the Texas Education Agency for the 2007-2008 school year. There were 335 schools that met the criteria set forth for the study. The findings of the study stated there was no statistically significant relationship between principal ethnicity and student achievement as measured by the TEA?s accountability system. There were some significant statistical findings in relation to principal ethnicity, accountability rating and indicators of community type of school, years of teacher experience, and percent of students qualifying as economically disadvantaged. Moderate relationships were found between community type and accountability rating and between community type and ethnicity of the principal. There were also significant relationships found between accountability rating and average years of teacher experience as well as principal ethnicity and percent of students qualifying as economically disadvantaged. There was no significant finding between principal ethnicity and average years of teaching experience. There was also no significant finding in relation to accountability rating and percent of students qualifying as economically disadvantaged. The growing number of Hispanic students entering schools is leading to more campuses becoming predominantly Hispanic in student population. The achievement gap between Hispanic students and White students has continued to be an ongoing problem and important issue. The findings of this study show that ethnicity of the principal does not have an impact on student achievement in predominantly Hispanic public high schools in Texas. Hiring administrators should focus on hiring school leaders who possess identified characteristics that lead to improved student achievement.

In present Taiwan society, ethnic issue is the most sensitive and unavoidable issue. The ¡§Taiwanese - Provincial¡¨ concept divides people in Taiwan into two ethnic groups, and these two groups have different ethinic memories and specific political attitudes. But the classification isn¡¦t preexistent. People learn to recognize the society and political affairs in Taiwan by using ¡§Taiwanese - Provincial¡¨ concepts when they grow up with political socialization. Some people consider that KMT regime give Provincial some preferential treatments in economic side. Therefore, the article hopes to depict the basic appearance of ¡§party-state system¡¨ by KMT regime, and find the provincial discriminating system in economic side under the special historical background. Furthermore, the article hopes to find the relationship between the Provincial ethnicity construction and the discriminating system. The research detects KMT regime constructed provincial discrimination in economic side after withdrawing to Taiwan and building party-state system. KMT regime constructed these discrimination and enforced the historical memories of ¡§withdraw from mainland China¡¨, and made separate provincial crowd forming the ethnic consciousness of ¡§Provincial¡¨. Finally Provincial become a new ethnic group, and inter-verify with ethnic theories