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This study utilized a quantitative survey design in order to explore the perceptions and preparedness of Master of Social Work (MSW) students in regards to substance using clients. The study was exploratory and the data that was collected focused on the perceptions, attitudes, and level of preparedness of forty MSW students. The study used a self-report survey that included demographic questions in order to identify factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, cohort placement, current year in the program, formal training, and declared specialization. This study found that the perceptions and attitudes of MSW students were mixed and varied across the board. Results indicated that formal training contributed to level of preparedness and that a large majority of the sample felt that taking a substance use course would contribute to preparedness. The study also found that the majority of the sample felt that their MSW program did not contribute to preparedness. The study recommends that future studies on perceptions and preparedness of MSW students collect data from more than one MSW program and include qualitative interviews in order to gain a better understanding of MSW students’ perceptions.

This study aimed to determine the need for practical and academic training in Spanish for bilingual social work students. Using an exploratory method with a qualitative approach, the researcher interviewed bilingual MSW students who were providing counseling services in Spanish and who had not received any training in clinical Spanish. The study used purposive sampling to interview and evaluate participants’ perception of competence in providing services to Spanish speakers. Through data analysis, the researcher identified three themes: linguistic issues in clinical terminology, discomfort feelings, and language expectation. A limitation of this study included that the results could not be generalized to the larger population due to the small sample size. Recommendations included support from bilingual field instructors to process cases in Spanish and to strongly recommend students to participate in the Certificate Program in Healthcare at CSUSB to assist students who wish to continue working with Spanish speaking clients.

Over the past few decades, there has been an increase in literature on social work practice with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community, with a strong focus on the LGB portion of the community. Due to the lack of literature in social work practice with the transgender population, this study was designed to assess bachelor and master levels social workers’ knowledge, attitudes and preparedness for working with the transgender community. This study is significant to the field of social work as it evaluates if students can provide comprehensive services to transgender clients. The study uses a quantitative survey design utilizing an adapted version of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Assessment Scale (LGBTAS). The data were analyzed by differentiating the two types of social work students to evaluate the differences in preparedness levels by asking about participants’ phobias, attitudes, and cultural competence. As there has been minimal literature on the social work practice with the transgender population, the implications of this study will present the support for a transgender-inclusive approach to social work practice. Study findings suggest that when compared to one another, bachelor level students feel more prepared to advocate on behalf of transgender clients than do master level students. Furthermore, master level students felt their social work programs were not providing culturally competent coursework and field placements that prepared them to work with transgender clients, while bachelor level students did feel prepared.

The purpose of this study was to determine the preferences, if any, subjects have for counselors based on counselor characteristics of age, sex and attire. Photographs were taken of persons of differing ages (old, middle-age, young), sex (male, female) and attire (formal, casual, grub). One-hundred and five college and non-college adults were shown the photographs, asked to perceive the photographs as being those of counselors, and asked to rank their preferences for the persons depicted as counselors using a modified Q sort methodology. To determine whether the subjects had actually perceived the photographs as representing counselors and, therefore, discriminated among them on that basis, the subjects were also instructed to perceive the photographed individuals as attorneys and as friends, and to rank their preferences for the persons pictured under these conditions. Statistical analysis of the data was accomplished by assigning each photograph a numerical value (weighting) from one to seven, based on the location (ranking) it had been given by each subject. This procedure resulted in each photograph receiving a score each time a subject ranked the set of pictures. The data were analyzed using three three-way analyses of variance. Significant main effects were found for counselor age (F=6.77; df=2; p<.05) and attire (F=110.97; df=2; p<.05). Significant interaction effects were found for counselor age by sex (F=12.65; df=2; p<.05), counselor sex by attire (F=10.46; df=2; p.05), and counselor age by sex by attire (F=8.54; df=4; p<.05). The manipulation of subject perception of the photographs appeared successful. The results indicated that systematic differences occurred in subject rankings of the photographs when the photographed individuals were perceived and ranked separately as counselors, attorneys and friends, respectively. From the results of the study it was concluded that counselor age, attire and, to a lesser extent, sex are related to subject preferences for counselors. Recommendations concerning the applications of the results to practical settings and areas of further research were given.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis is predicated upon a vision of the future of computing with a separation of functionality between core and edges, very similar to that governing the Internet itself. In this vision, the core of our computing infrastructure is made up of vast server farms with an abundance of storage and processing cycles. Centralization of computation in these farms, coupled with high-speed wired or wireless connectivity, allows for pervasive access to a highly-available and well-maintained repository for data, configurations, and applications. Computation in the edges is concerned with provisioning application state and user data to rich clients, notably mobile devices equipped with powerful displays and graphics processors. We define flexible computing as systems support for applications that dynamically leverage the resources available in the core infrastructure, or cloud. The work in this thesis focuses on two instances of flexible computing that are crucial to the realization of the aforementioned vision. Location flexibility aims to, transparently and seamlessly, migrate applications between the edges and the core based on user demand. This enables performing the interactive tasks on rich edge clients and the computational tasks on powerful core servers. Scale flexibility is the ability of applications executing in cloud environments, such as parallel jobs or clustered servers, to swiftly grow and shrink their footprint according to execution demands. This thesis shows how we can use system virtualization to implement systems that provide scale and location flexibility. To that effect we build and evaluate two system prototypes: Snowbird and SnowFlock. We present techniques for manipulating virtual machine state that turn running software into a malleable entity which is easily manageable, is decoupled from the underlying hardware, and is capable of dynamic relocation and scaling. This thesis demonstrates that virtualization technology is a powerful and suitable tool to enable solutions for location and scale flexibility.

This thesis is predicated upon a vision of the future of computing with a separation of functionality between core and edges, very similar to that governing the Internet itself. In this vision, the core of our computing infrastructure is made up of vast server farms with an abundance of storage and processing cycles. Centralization of computation in these farms, coupled with high-speed wired or wireless connectivity, allows for pervasive access to a highly-available and well-maintained repository for data, configurations, and applications. Computation in the edges is concerned with provisioning application state and user data to rich clients, notably mobile devices equipped with powerful displays and graphics processors. We define flexible computing as systems support for applications that dynamically leverage the resources available in the core infrastructure, or cloud. The work in this thesis focuses on two instances of flexible computing that are crucial to the realization of the aforementioned vision. Location flexibility aims to, transparently and seamlessly, migrate applications between the edges and the core based on user demand. This enables performing the interactive tasks on rich edge clients and the computational tasks on powerful core servers. Scale flexibility is the ability of applications executing in cloud environments, such as parallel jobs or clustered servers, to swiftly grow and shrink their footprint according to execution demands. This thesis shows how we can use system virtualization to implement systems that provide scale and location flexibility. To that effect we build and evaluate two system prototypes: Snowbird and SnowFlock. We present techniques for manipulating virtual machine state that turn running software into a malleable entity which is easily manageable, is decoupled from the underlying hardware, and is capable of dynamic relocation and scaling. This thesis demonstrates that virtualization technology is a powerful and suitable tool to enable solutions for location and scale flexibility.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur människor upplever och hanterar risken att bli utsatt för hot och våld från klienter i arbetet. En kvalitativ ansats valdes vilket innebär att fokus har lagts på subjektiva upplevelser och erfarenheter av studieområdet. Studien genomfördes gentemot Socialtjänsten från två kommuner och urvalet bestod av intervjuer med elva socialsekreterare vars arbete innehåller myndighetsutövning och kontakt med klienter. Analys av data gjordes enligt induktiv tematisk analys. Resultaten visade att det föreligger en risk att bli utsatt för hot och våld av klienter men den upplevs vara liten. Upplevelsen att kunna påverka risken med sitt agerande och bemötande ansågs viktigt för att aggression inte skall uppstå i mötena. För att hantera risken framkom flera strategier där förebyggande åtgärder ansågs som det viktigaste. Även det sociala stödet från kollegor och erfarenhet ansågs bidra till att framgångsrikt hantera aggressioner från klienter. / The purpose of this study was to examine how people perceive and cope with the risk of being subjected to client-related violence in the workplace. A qualitative approach was chosen as the focus was on the subjective experiences of the study area. The study was conducted at two social service agencies from two municipalities and the sample consisted of interviews with eleven social workers whose work involves the exercise of authority and client contact. The analysis of data was made according to inductive thematic analysis. The results showed a risk of being subjected to aggression from clients, but it is perceived to be small. Perceived ability to influence client actions and responses were considered important in order to avoid aggression in the meetings. In order to cope with aggression several different strategies were applied. Social support from colleagues and personal experience assisted in successfully coping with client related aggressions.