This dissertation is a qualitative case study of a program where binational program established by the University of Texas to lower the Hispanic high school dropout rate in the United States. The Language Learners at the University of Texas at Austin Center for Hispanic Achievement (LUCHA) program is the focus of this dissertation. The LUCHA program serves immigrant Hispanic students who account for 34% of the 45% Hispanic dropout rate reported by NCES. The theoretical framework employed included the theories of cultural and social capital and the theory of caring to answer the following questions: 1) What challenges had to be met in order to initiate and develop the LUCHA program, a binational education program to combat the high dropout rate among Latino immigrants?, and 2) What can be learned from the implementation and practice of the LUCHA program in school districts with almost identical, homogenous population, and different levels of success with the program. Data was collected in Mexico and the United States and included participants involved in the program at different levels ranging form political involvement in Mexico to immigrant students in South Texas Valley school districts where the program started operations in 2006. The researcher was a participant in this study. The innovative ideas developed and instituted to reduce the Hispanic dropout rate included equipping schools with essential/core and English as a Second Language courses produced in Mexico, validating prior high school credits students had from Mexico through a transcript analysis service, obtaining Mexican transcripts for immigrant students who could not deliver them to schools, and diagnostic tests produced in Mexico for immigrant students with interrupted schooling. These services and their delivery were modified and adapted to meet the changing needs and graduation requirements of students and the educational bureaucracy in the U.S. This study brings to light the skills sets, assumptions, and characteristics of people needed to create binational agreements of cooperation. This research suggests that the perception of caring (Noddings, 1984) of educational agents in schools and school districts influences the level of success of the program in schools with almost identical populations. / text

Syftet med studien är att belysa hur unga fotbollsspelande tjejer upplever sin idrott.  - Vad vill unga fotbollstjejer att träningarna och verksamheten ska innehålla och hur ska den organiseras för att de ska upprätthålla sitt intresse och stanna kvar? - Vad är viktigt i ledarens agerande för att tjejerna ska trivas? Studien bygger på en kvalitativ metod och genomfördes med 17 tjejer i ett 14-års lag i fyra fokusgruppintervjuer. Resultatet visar att alla tjejer tycker att det roligaste med idrotten är att spela matcher och åka på cuper. De tycker att det är viktigt att vinna, men har de spelat bra och fått visa upp vad de lärt sig så kan de ta en förlust. Kompisarna är en viktig faktor och att ha roligt tillsammans är det som gör att de vill fortsätta att spela fotboll. De tycker att träningarna ska innehålla blandade övningar och att de även där får spela matcher i många olika varianter. Ledaren är en viktig person och hon/han ska peppa och pusha dem samt hjälpa dem så att de gör rätt. De tycker att  alla ska få vara med och spela, bli sedda och behandlas lika. Engströms prestations-, tränings- och upplevelselogiker blir här väldigt tydliga.

This study examined the perceptions of counsellors who provide group counselling for abusive men regarding what characteristics differentiate program dropouts from program completers. A total of 37 counsellors participated via an online-based or paper-based survey. The respondents rated 44 different client variables from four different categories (demographic, psychological, client-group, and client-therapist) on their impact on a client‟s likelihood to drop out of the program. The results were analyzed using chi square analyses, Mann Whitney U Tests and Kendall‟s tau-b correlations to determine the extent to which these variables were judged to impact dropout and how these results interacted with respondents‟ characteristics including demographic variables as well as experience and training variables. The results confirmed that many of the variables found in previous literature to discriminate between these two groups do operate in this way. Additionally, the results suggest several new sets of variables that could be helpful including batterer typology variables, stages of change variables and stages of group development variables. The implications of the findings are discussed with regards to their application in developing and facilitating group programs for abusive men with a view to identifying and intervening with potential dropout clients such that they are more likely to complete the program. The thesis concludes by discussing future research opportunities in this area and outlining the limitations of the study. / xvii, 174 leaves ; 28 cm

<p>A qualitative research design in the form of a case study was employed. A quantitative method was also utilized in the form of a short questionnaire for demographic purposes in order to provide a general description of the sample. A purposive sample of 10 parenting learners, and two teachers was selected. The study was conducted in a Senior Secondary School that is located in Khayelitsha, a historically disadvantaged community in the Western Cape. Semi structured interviews of approximately ninety minutes each were conducted and audio taped. A thematic analysis was used to analyse the audio taped data from the transcribed interviews. The key findings from this research illustrate that there is a misunderstanding and miscommunication between teachers and learners about learner pregnancy. Pregnant learners hide pregnancy from the teachers to avoid comments and from being expelled from the school and consequently do not get any support from the school. On the other hand, the findings indicate that if the teachers were aware of their pregnancy and trained to deal with learner pregnancy, these learners would be supported by the school. Some of the recommendations were to develop the capacity of the teachers so that the school is able to provide an adolescent-professional-friendly service. A safe non-judgmental environment is required so that the learner is able to disclose her pregnancy status as early as possible to ensure that they receive the necessary support.</p>

This study was designed to determine if a personality type or personality type characteristic that-was statistically different from the general population could be found for high school dropouts who perceived school dissatisfaction as the reason for dropping out of school. Data were collected from each gender group and analyzed by gender group.Dropouts registering to take the general equivalency test through one of three cooperating programs in Clark County, Ohio, were contacted to participate in the study. Individuals were determined to have dropped out of school because of perceived school dissatisfaction by means of their responses on a checksheet of reasons for dropping out of school. The list was culled from the review of literature. Dropouts Identified as "dissatisfied" were then given the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Form G. A total of 262 dropouts were contacted before the sample size of fifty males and fifty females was reached.Four null hypotheses were generated for the study. Analysis of data using a binomial distribution resulted in a refection of the four hypotheses at a .01 level of significance. Results of the analysis demonstrated the Introvert-Sensing-Thinking-Perceiving (ISTP) personality type for males and the Introvert-Sensing-Feeling-Perceiving (ISFP) personality type for females from the sample were statistically different from the general population. The Sensing (S) personality type characteristic for both gender groups in the sample was statistically different from the general population.Major conclusions were: 1) Males with an ISTP personality type and who are dissatisfied with school have a greater possibility of dropping out of school than males with other personality types; 2) Females with an ISFP personality type and who are dissatisfied with school have a greater possibility of dropping out of school than females with other personality types; and 3) Males and females determined to have the Sensing (S) personality type characteristic and who are dissatisfied with school are at a greater risk of dropping out of school than others displaying the Intuition CI) characteristic. / Department of Educational Leadership

Ungdomsinnebandyn i Jämtlands län har de senaste 10 åren tappat spelare. Precis som övriga idrottsverksamheter i Sverige upplever innebandyn ett tapp av ungdomar vid 15 till 16 års ålder. Forskningen pekar mot att en ungdomstränare är av betydelse för att ungdomar ska fortsätta med sin idrott. Syfte Belysa betydelsefulla faktorer till att ungdomar fortsatt att spela innebandy till seniornivå, samt betydelsen av ungdomstränaren. Metod Kvalitativ manifest innehållsanalys utifrån semi-strukturerade intervjuer (n=5) med unga manliga seniorspelare (=21,8 år; sd=1,6 år) från Jämtlands län. Respondenterna hade oavbrutet spelat tävlingsinnebandy från ungdomsnivå till seniornivå. Resultat Kompisar och upplevd framgång var de viktigaste faktorerna till att respondenterna spelar innebandy idag. I början uppskattades en lättsam miljö med mycket lek. Med ökad ålder ökade betydelsen av upplev utveckling och tävlingsmomentet blev viktigare. En ungdomstränare är av betydelse och bör vara positiv och skapa ett lättsamt klimat i unga år. Under senare delen av ungdomen bör ungdomstränaren vara mer auktoritär och ha mer fokus på utveckling. Konklusion Kompisar och upplevd framgång är de viktigaste faktorerna samtidigt som ungdomstränaren är av betydelse. Tidigare studier har påvisat liknande resultat. / Youth floorball in the county of Jämtland has shown a decreased number of players in the last 10 years. Floorball, like other sports in Sweden, also drops a lot of players at the age of 15 to 16 years. Earlier studies in the field have shown that youth team coaches are important for young athletes to stay in sports. Aim To highlight factors that have been important for youth floorball players to stay in the sport up to senior level, and the importance of the youth team coach. Method Qualitative content analysis from semi-structured interviews (n=5) with young male senior floorball players (=21,8 years; sd=1,6 years) from the county of Jämland. The respondents have played floorball from youth level to senior level without any break. Results Friends and perceived success has been the most important factors for the respondents. A friendly climate has been important in the early stage while progress and competition have been important in the latter stage of the youth level. A youth team coach is important and should be positive and create a positive and friendly climate. In later years the youth team coach should be focusing on progress and can therefore be more demanding. Conclusion Friends and perceived success has been the most important factors while a youth team coach is important. Earlier studies has shown similar results.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-164). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 1993. / Title from title page screen, viewed February 15, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Lanny Morreau (chair), Ming-Gon John Lian, Paul Baker, Keith Stearns. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 134-152) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 226-241).

La perspective psycho-sociale suggère que les stéréotypes sexués pourraient en partie expliquer l’investissement différencié des hommes et des femmes en sport. Ce travail doctoral vise à examiner le rôle joué par les stéréotypes sexués dans les comportements d’engagement/abandon sportif selon (1) la voie indirecte, via l’internalisation de ces croyances durant le processus de socialisation (Fredricks & Eccles, 2004) et (2) la voie directe, via leur activation automatique. Un programme de recherche articulé autour de 8 études et impliquant près de 1300 participants a été conduit. Les études 1 à 3 ont d’une part confirmé que des croyances étaient spécifiquement attachées aux activités sportives et d’autre part, qu’elles étaient susceptibles d’être activées automatiquement lors de la présentation brève d’activités féminines et d’affecter la catégorisation de prénoms subséquente. Les études 4 à 6 ont mis en évidence le rôle significatif joué par les stéréotypes sexués dans l’investissement sportif des individus puisque l’adhésion à des croyances défavorables à son groupe sexué prédisait négativement l’engagement sportif des adolescents, via les perceptions de soi (compétence, valeur). Si aucun lien n’a été observé entre l’association implicite sport-genre et l’engagement sportif, une identité implicite soi + masculin semble être négativement associée à l’abandon sportif. Finalement, les études 5, 7 et 8 ont montré que certains stéréotypes explicites étaient malléables d’un point de vue développemental (stéréotype général) ou suite à une manipulation expérimentale (stéréotype relatif à la compétence), mais n’ont révélé aucun pattern développemental, ni de sensibilité à la manipulation expérimentale concernant l’association implicite sport-genre. / The psycho-social perspective suggests that gender stereotypes could partly explain the differentiated involvement of men and women in sport. This doctoral research aims to examine the role played by gender stereotypes in sport involvement/dropout behaviours according to (1) the indirect pathway, via the internalization of these beliefs during the socialization process (Fredricks & Eccles, 2004) and (2) the direct pathway, via their automatic activation. A research program structured around 8 studies and implicating almost 1300 participants has been conducted. The studies 1 to 3 have confirmed on the one hand that specific beliefs are attached to sport activities and on the other hand, that they are likely to be automatically activated by the brief presentation of feminine activities and to affect the subsequent categorization of names. The studies 4 to 6 have highlighted the significant role played by gender stereotypes in individuals ‘sport involvement, since the endorsement of beliefs in disfavour of one’s own sex-group predicted negatively adolescents’ sport involvement, via the self-perceptions (competence, value). If, none link has been observed between sport-gender implicit association and sport involvement, a self + masculine implicit identity seems to be negatively associated with sport dropout. Finally, the studies 5, 7 and 8 showed that certain explicit stereotypes are malleable under a developmental perspective (general stereotype) and after an experimental manipulation (stereotype related to competence), but did not reveal any developmental pattern, nor sensibility to the experimental manipulation concerning the sport-gender implicit association.