This thesis presents post modern, feminist narratives written from the author’s experiences as a community development worker over a period of twenty years. The contexts are largely based in Sydney and the housing developments in western Sydney. The author writes from within the post modern tensions between subjectivity and objectivity, consciously choosing to represent her own experiences, thoughts, beliefs and actions as case studies. She names and explores her changing ideologies as a community worker through cameos of critical incidents throughout her career. Different styles of narratives are presented of a community development engagement in Fairfield, NSW in 1990-1991. It is argued that community development has a role in the sustainability of civil society, to foster a peaceful oppositional force so necessary as part of a vigorous democracy which values and respects difference. / Master of Science (Hons) Social Ecology

Thesis (MA(MW)--University of Pretoria, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2005. / Title from title page screen, viewed on April 16, 2007. Dissertation Committee: Patricia H. Klass (chair), Kathleen McKinney, Phyllis McCluskey-Titus, James Palmer. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 212-216) and abstract. Also available in print.

A growing body of research demonstrates the links between parental involvement and students' outcomes. Some benefits of this involvement include improved academic achievement, higher grades, increased attendance, and better social skills (Henderson & Mapp, 2002; Sui-Chu & Willms, 1996; Dryfoos & Knauer, 2004; Coalition for Community Schools, 2003). Despite these benefits, many educators report challenges in engaging parents and community members within the school. The purpose of the research was to explore the processes two school staffs used to facilitate community engagement by utilizing community education practices and, within each individual site, compare to any increase in community engagement at the school. <p>Over the 2006-2007 school year, the researcher spent time connecting with staff members and parents at two schools a suburban elementary school, and an inner-city community school. Through observation, interviews with administrators, focus groups with parents, and focus groups with staff members, the researcher obtained information regarding staff members growth in community engagement, development of community education practices, and the impact of those practices on community engagement in the school. Through analysis of the data, the researcher identified themes, conditions for community engagement, and promising community education practices. <p>Data from observation, focus groups, and interviews demonstrated the importance of leadership, developing relationships with parents, creating a welcoming school environment, focusing staff development on community education, and creating opportunities for staff members and community members to come together, for community engagement to be successful. The research captured the importance of making beliefs and assumptions explicit, and identified how these beliefs can be helpful or harmful in engaging youth, families, and community members. The research study demonstrated that as staff members at Eagle Point School and Sunrise Community School increased their level of understanding of community education and created community education practices, they experienced greater community engagement in their respective schools.

A growing body of research demonstrates the links between parental involvement and students' outcomes. Some benefits of this involvement include improved academic achievement, higher grades, increased attendance, and better social skills (Henderson & Mapp, 2002; Sui-Chu & Willms, 1996; Dryfoos & Knauer, 2004; Coalition for Community Schools, 2003). Despite these benefits, many educators report challenges in engaging parents and community members within the school. The purpose of the research was to explore the processes two school staffs used to facilitate community engagement by utilizing community education practices and, within each individual site, compare to any increase in community engagement at the school. <p>Over the 2006-2007 school year, the researcher spent time connecting with staff members and parents at two schools a suburban elementary school, and an inner-city community school. Through observation, interviews with administrators, focus groups with parents, and focus groups with staff members, the researcher obtained information regarding staff members growth in community engagement, development of community education practices, and the impact of those practices on community engagement in the school. Through analysis of the data, the researcher identified themes, conditions for community engagement, and promising community education practices. <p>Data from observation, focus groups, and interviews demonstrated the importance of leadership, developing relationships with parents, creating a welcoming school environment, focusing staff development on community education, and creating opportunities for staff members and community members to come together, for community engagement to be successful. The research captured the importance of making beliefs and assumptions explicit, and identified how these beliefs can be helpful or harmful in engaging youth, families, and community members. The research study demonstrated that as staff members at Eagle Point School and Sunrise Community School increased their level of understanding of community education and created community education practices, they experienced greater community engagement in their respective schools.

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The first encounter with the ¡§Green Map¡¨ was astonishing because it entailed learning about our environment through caring for the land and the ecosystem. Such a simple tool, and yet it activates a wonderful power and becomes a long and lasting effect. Through the process, the researcher became a promotional instructor and set the research goal as the effects of the ¡§Green Map.¡¨ The literature review on the ¡§Sense of Community¡¨ reveals that most concentrate on dissecting the formation of the sense of community. The researches often look into the various factors that affect the sense of community. The goal of this research was to see the effects of drafting the ¡§Green Map¡¨ on the ¡§sense of community¡¨ through the viewpoint of a ¡§community medium.¡¨ It further compared the different results obtained from a ¡§country-style community¡¨ (the ¡§Zhu-wei Community¡¨) and a ¡§city-style community¡¨ (the ¡§Fu-shan Community¡¨) during the same process of drafting the ¡§Green Map,¡¨ both during and after the process. The sampling masses of this research were the ¡§Zhu-wei Community¡¨ (a country-style community) and the ¡§Fu-shan Community¡¨ (a city-style community). General analyses revealed the differences in the sense of community by pre- and post-tests were more uniform for the residents of the Zhu-wei Community and more diverse for those of the Fu-shan Community. The induced effects after the drafting of the Green Map were evident in ¡§Community Participation,¡¨ ¡§Community Identity,¡¨ and ¡§Neighborhood Interaction¡¨ for the Zhu-wei Community; and were significant in ¡§Community Participation¡¨ and ¡§Community Identity¡¨ for the Fu-shan Community. Post-test feedback revealed clearly that for both Zhu-wei Community and Fu-shan Community, participants all agreed that the drafting of the Green Map affected the sense of community. This is especially true for ¡§Environmental Thinking,¡¨ ¡§Environmental Sustainability,¡¨ ¡§Activity Participation,¡¨ and ¡§Community Identity.¡¨ The results indicated a high degree of change in recognition. In general, the scale of the change is greater in the Zhu-wei Community than in that of the Fu-shan community. This research concluded that the ¡§Green Map¡¨ showed significant impact on the ¡§sense of community.¡¨ The results are beneficial to the current simple and effective way of promotion by using the ¡§Green Map¡¨ as the medium to concentrate the sense of community. It is advised that in order to push policies forward, the training programs on the macro-construction of communities should include promotional courses on the ¡§Green Map¡¨ and to cultivate seed instructors to serve as promotional manpower.

The purpose of this study was to understand residents¡¦ sense of community and their cognition of community empowerment of metropolitan communities, and to investigate the relationship between residents¡¦ sense of community and their cognition of community empowerment in He-ti Community, Kaohsiung City. Hopefully, this study might offer related suggestions to boost community empowerment of metropolitan communities. The methodology of this study was using questionnaire survey to collect data on the He-ti Community for analysis. The subjects of this study were community residents of 20 year-old and above. ¡§Questionnaire about residents¡¦ sense of community and their cognition of community empowerment¡¨, which was developed and based on related literatures, was adopted as tool for this survey. 600 questionnaires were issued while 505 valid questionnaires were received, with valid sample rate 84.17¢H. The main conclusions of this study are as follows: 1. Residents of the community have the above average degree on sense of community, especially on the ¡§community identification¡¨ domain, but the domain of ¡§community familiarity¡¨ in need of improvement. 2. The cognition of community empowerment among the residents¡¦ are below the middle with the highest on the domain of ¡§actual boost¡¨ and the lowest on the domain of ¡§policy content¡¨. 3. The residents of male, the age above 50, the education below junior high school, married, having children with the age below 18, with house self-having and filling the autonomy post, have higher degree of sense of community. 4. The residents of male, the age between 50 and 59, having no children with age below 18, living in community 5~9 years and filling the autonomy post, have higher degree on cognition of community empowerment. 5. There is a positive correlation between residents¡¦ sense of community and their cognition of community empowerment. 6. Residents¡¦ sense of community has a significant prediction on their cognition of community empowerment. The prediction capacity of factor ¡§community concern¡¨ is the highest with the factor ¡§community familiarity¡¨ the second highest. Based upon the above conclusions, this study offers several related suggestions to the governments, community autonomies and future researchers for their reference to boost ulterior community empowerment and researches.

Ever since the promulgation and implementation of Voluntary Service Act, a new milestone has been laid for the work of voluntary service of Taiwan. The work of voluntary service begins to appear in a diversified style, and the development of voluntary service is more prosperous. In fact, voluntary service can compensate the insufficiency of the government¡¦s public services and social welfare service. Through the promotion of voluntary service, the work of voluntary service for social welfare can be facilitated more generally and completely. The study mainly investigates seven aspects, including the development process of the resource recycling volunteers of Shoutian Temple, Gangshan Township, Kaohsiung County, the altruism and utility theory affecting the participation motives of volunteers, etc. The study also finds out how the team of volunteers faces the social and environmental changes, and understands how the groups of voluntary service carry out their work after the Voluntary Service Act was passed and implemented. Employing the way of qualitative study, the researcher participated in the team of volunteers, observed its work, made in-depth interviews with the volunteers, and studied the focus organizations. Focusing on the analysis of the interview data, the following conclusions are made: 1. The background for the establishment of the team of volunteers was that the Matsu Temple of Shoutian Temple proposed the construction of Houlong Pavilion; 2. The team of volunteers was reorganized according to the environmental change; 3. On the basis of mutual trust, the team of volunteers is able to develop smoothly; and 4. The team of volunteers does not carries out its service according to the Voluntary Service Act. The study has made discussions about the community citizens¡¦ participation of the work of voluntary service, the motives for allowing the community citizens to participate voluntary service, the successful example of this team of resource recycling volunteers of Shoutian Temple, and the actual implementation of the Act of Voluntary Service on the groups of voluntary service. These discussions can be the references for the study of the work of voluntary service in the later days. Finally, the study proposes some suggestions for the amendment of the Voluntary Service Act.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI/Dissertation Abstracts International.