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As the U.S. population ages, there is a significant increase in functional impairment, chronic conditions and other age related health concerns. In later life, functional limitations and poor quality of health often lead to the utilization of skilled nursing care in institutional settings. However, older adults often report the desire to age in place even when experiencing health challenges. Therefore, identifying ways to promote aging in place at home as a long-term care option could enhance quality of life. The objective of the study is to examine the impact of home modification and other home and community-based services on the ability of Black older adults to age in place in comparison to Whites. The study utilizes administrative data from the Georgia Money Follows the Person program. The results indicate that race, the use of financial support and the utilization of many services were significant in attaining success in the MFP program.

The purpose of Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) is to protect the rights of students with disabilities and to assure that all students receive equitable access to a free and appropriate public education; yet there are explicit exclusions written in the law for students who may have experienced environmental, cultural, and economic disadvantages. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used to study Section Four of the exclusionary clause of Specific Learning Disability (SLD) that states students must be excluded from identification if their learning difficulties are primarily the result of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage. The Contextual Interaction Theory (CIT) was borrowed from water governance policy analysis to provide a theoretical framework for better understanding the complexity of context and interaction processes in special education policy implementation in Oregon. Survey (n = 100) and interview (n = 6) results showed that 87% of Oregon school psychologist respondents demonstrated some level of non-compliant behavior on Section Four implementation. Barriers to implementation included unclear state and federal guidelines, lack of measurable terms, unclear roles and responsibilities, external pressures to find students eligible, and lack of confidence that Section Four can be applied in every case for 69% or more of the sample. Recommendations for future research include defining the Section Four terms, developing a measurement tool with cut offs, and training to improve implementation; however, there is concern that this may be an impossible task. Recommendations were made to develop a state level Task Force to begin the dialogue; however, future research is needed to gain a deeper understanding of validity of CIT, definitions of Section Four terms that are measurable, identification and definitions of the mitigating mechanisms in the determination of Section Four for appropriate and possible implementation. A supplemental spreadsheet file included with this dissertation was used to illustrate the coding and mapping of Ochoa, Rivera, & Powell (1997) factors onto CIT categories.

VENTURINI, F. P. Adolescentes de um núcleo de assistência psicossocial: do conhecimento de seu universo à intervenção para a promoção de desenvolvimento. 224 f. Tese (Doutorado) Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo, 2009. Estudar a fase da vida denominada adolescência tem se mostrado de grande relevância, sobretudo diante da necessidade de estabelecer programas que visem à promoção do desenvolvimento saudável, sendo fundamental que se possam obter informações diretamente das populações frente às quais se pretende atuar. Nessa direção, o objetivo desse trabalho foi conhecer o universo de adolescentes que freqüentavam um Núcleo de Assistência Psicossocial em um bairro popular de Ribeirão Preto - SP, propor e implementar intervenção voltada para promoção de seu desenvolvimento. A pesquisa constituiu-se em um estudo transversal, qualitativo, desenvolvido na modalidade de uma investigação-ação e que foi planejada a partir do Modelo Bioecológico do Desenvolvimento Humano, que enfatiza a necessidade do estudo do desenvolvimento no contexto. O trabalho foi constituído de duas fases. A fase 1 teve por objetivo a investigação de como são percebidos os contextos de convivência, sendo eles: família, escola, amizades, bairro em que moram e o núcleo. Esta etapa da pesquisa visou também fazer um levantamento de necessidades a partir da ótica do próprio adolescente. Participaram 32 adolescentes de ambos os sexos, com idade entre 11 e 15 anos, que freqüentam o referido núcleo no período contrário ao da escola. Os instrumentos para a coleta de dados foram: 1) Questionário Pré-A, que visa avaliar as percepções sobre família, escola e amizades, e 2) entrevista semi-estruturada sobre os temas investigados pelo Pré-A, acrescentando-se as percepções sobre o bairro e o núcleo. Os resultados mostraram que a percepção desses ambientes é de maneira geral positiva. Um dado que se mostrou relevante foram os relatos de incômodo com as brigas e com os comportamentos dos colegas; além de uma visão negativa dos conflitos presenciados em casa. Quanto ao núcleo, consideram que promove mudanças nos comportamentos e cotidiano, mostrando que, para eles, esse espaço tem uma função positiva. Considerando-se os resultados obtidos foi planejada a intervenção (fase 2) que focalizou duas questões: a sexualidade na adolescência e o relacionamento entre pares. Nessa fase foram realizados encontros semanais com 15 adolescentes que participaram da fase 1. Os encontros foram caracterizados pelo estímulo a participação ativa dos adolescentes, pela proposta de uma interação positiva com e entre eles e pela valorização das características positivas dos participantes. A coleta de dados deu-se a partir de: 1) observação, 2) diário de campo, 3) preenchimento da Ficha de Avaliação pelos adolescentes a cada encontro e 4) uma entrevista final com os participantes. Os resultados apontaram a melhora do relacionamento entre os adolescentes e a valorização das informações adquiridas sobre adolescência e sexualidade. A partir da análise dos resultados considerou-se que pesquisas nessa perspectiva, utilizando a interação positiva como instrumento de intervenção e partindo-se das necessidades e potencialidades dos participantes, podem auxiliar na implementação de intervenções mais eficazes além de possibilitar que os indivíduos se tornem mais cientes e possam se apropriar de suas competências. / VENTURINI, F. P. Adolescents of a psychosocial assistance institution: from the knowledge of their universe to a intervention to promote development 224 f. Thesis (Doctoral) Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo, 2009. Studying the stage of the life called adolescence has been showing of great relevance, specially face to the need of establishing programs that aim the promotion of healthy development, and still have fundamental importance the possibility of obtaining information directly from the population were one aims to intervene. The objective of this study was to know the universe of the adolescents that attend a psychosocial assistance institution and collaborate to the promotion of their development through the proposition and execution of an intervention program. This research is a transversal, qualitative, developed as a investigation-action and based on a Bioecological Model of Human Development, which emphasizes the need of the study of development in the context. This research has two stages. The first stage (stage 1), had as objective the investigation of how are experienced the contexts of living of adolescents from a assistance institution in a low income neighborhood in Ribeirão Preto - SP, being then: family, school, friendship, neighborhood where they live, and the institution. This stage also has the objective of surveying their needs. Thirty two adolescents with age from 11 to 15 years old that attend the institute in the period contrary to the school, took part in the research. Data were registered by two instruments: 1) Pre-A Questionnaire, that aims to evaluate the perceptions towards family, school and friendships, and 2) interview that added to Pre-A their perceptions about the neighborhood and the institution. Results showed that their perception of those environments is, in a general manner, positive. One data has shown relevant was the disturbance with the fights/conflicts and with the behavior of the peers; and it was identified a negative perception of the conflicts experienced at home. As for the institution, it has promoted changes in the everyday behavior of the youth, showing that, to them, this space has a positive function in their lives. Based on these results, it was proposed the intervention (stage 2) that focused two issues: the sexuality in the adolescence and the peers relationship. In this stage fifteen weekly meetings were realized with the participants of the first stage. The meetings were characterized by the incentive to active participation, by the proposal of a positive intervention with them and the valorization of their positive characteristics. The data were registered from: 1) observational data during the meeting by one observer, 2) observational data after the meeting, by the researcher, 3) Evaluation Form filled by the adolescents at the end of each meeting and 4) a final interview with the participants. The results show a enhancement of the relationship between the adolescents and the valorization of the information learned about adolescence and sexuality. From the result analysis its considered that researches in this perspective, using positive interaction as a instrument of intervention, and considering the needs and potentialities of the participants, may help in implementing more efficient intervention and allow that individuals become more aware and may earn their competencies.

abstract: In this dissertation, I examine the treatment and sentencing of American Indian defendants. This work contributes to research on cumulative disadvantage and the role race and social context play to influence federal sentencing outcomes. Disparities in federal sentencing for racial and ethnic minorities are an important concern to scholars and policy makers. Literature suggests that blacks and Latinos are sentenced more harshly than similarly situated white offenders. These findings are concerning because they suggest that minorities are treated unfairly by the criminal justice system, questions the legitimacy of how offenders are processed and treated, and defendants of color who are meted out tougher punishments face substantial social and economic difficulties thereafter. Although the black-white and Latino-white disparities have been identified and highlighted, less is known about whether disparities extend to other minority groups, and consequently little is known about the treatment of these neglected groups. I investigate whether American Indian defendants experience cumulative disadvantages at multiple decision points, disadvantage over time, and the effect of social context on drawing on American Indian disadvantage, the focal concerns and minority threat perspectives. The focal concerns perspective is used to develop hypotheses about how American Indian defendants will receive harsher punishments at multiple decision points. I also use this perspective to predict that American Indian disadvantages will increase over time. Lastly, I examine social context and its effect on punishment decisions for American Indians using the minority threat perspective. I hypothesize that 
social context impacts how American Indian defendants are sentenced at the federal level. Data come from the Federal Justice Statistics Program Data Series, the US Census, and the Uniform Crime Report, with a focus on data gathered from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts and the United States Sentencing Commission. A range of modeling strategies are used to test the hypotheses including multinomial logistic regression, ordinary least squares regression, and multilevel modeling. The results suggest that cumulative disadvantages against American Indian defendants is pronounced, American Indian disparity over time is significant for certain outcomes, and social context plays a limited role in American Indian sentencing disadvantage. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Criminology and Criminal Justice 2019

This study investigated educational stratification in Nigeria to determine how socioeconomic status, gender, and regional differences influence achievement in education using the nationally representative 2010 Nigeria Education Data Survey (NEDS). These cross-sectional data are among the first quality household survey data available for assessing aspects of education in Nigeria. In the last four decades, Nigeria has experienced dramatic expansion of its educational system. Following the introduction of educational policies and programs, growth in enrolment at the primary and secondary levels has largely been sustained. For instance, enrolment of pupils in primary education increased from 3,515,827 in 1970 to 14,383,487 in 1985 and to 20,080,986 in 2010. However, this impressive gain was followed by dwindling quality in the educational system, which has reported differing educational outcomes for different groups. Prior research in Nigeria has not examined how socioeconomic status influences achievement in education using large scale representative data. In this study, I primarily focused on assessing socioeconomic status to determine how it predicts achievement in reading and numeracy in Nigerian school children, ages 5 to 16 years. Nigeria is also known to have wide gender and regional gaps in education. Thus, I assessed gender and region variables to determine how much they contribute to the variance in educational achievement. I analyzed NEDS 2010 data and reported the findings of the descriptive and multivariate regression statistics. Descriptive statistics show the frequencies and distribution of the variables in the study. The multivariate regression analyses were employed to determine the relationship of socioeconomic status, gender, and region (the main predictor variables) with achievement in reading and numeracy (outcome variables). Given the use of survey data, both the descriptive and regression statistics were based on weighted statistics. This study found a significant wealth gap in reading and numeracy achievements among Nigerian children. I also found that family wealth, parental education, and region explain differences in academic achievement. Family wealth was found to be the most important variable influencing achievement in reading and numeracy, followed by mother's education and then region. Overall, the findings in this study suggest no significant differences in reading and numeracy achievement for boys and girls. Although gender was not found to be consistently associated with academic achievement in this study, it should not be assumed to mean that gender equality in education exists in Nigeria. It is widely reported elsewhere that gender-biased educational opportunity plays a major role in influencing educational attainment and achievement. More research, preferably using a longitudinal study design, is needed to identify the trends and patterns of gender roles in Nigerian educational attainment and achievement. The findings in this study provide the foundation for making further investigations on the association of social, economic, and cultural factors with academic achievement and to assess inequality in education in Nigeria.

Those who hold multiple disadvantaged identities (i.e., women of color) are subject to inequalities that are not experienced by those who harbor privileged identities. Those with multi-disadvantaged identities have additive disadvantages due to holding multiple subordinate identities and as a result face many barriers. It is critical to recognize these differences in society by raising awareness of privilege. Previous studies have targeted privilege awareness, but have inconsistent findings. However, methods that incorporated experiential learning have shown promising results; an intervention that integrates experiential learning to target privilege may be effective in raising privilege awareness. The Privilege Walk exercise is an experiential learning activity intended to elicit awareness of privilege; it was utilized in this study, integrating racism and microaggressions of gender, race, and ethnicity. However, there are few assessment tools to effectively measure Privilege Walk interventions. In this study, we aim to develop initial Privilege Walk items that we anticipate will improve the effectiveness of the Privilege Walk. The purpose of this study is to qualitatively explore college students’ reactions to the Privilege Walk. This study will allow us to develop items in service of developing a measure that will be used as an assessment element of a larger study. Results revealed that the qualitative data captured participants’ awareness and beliefs in response to the Privilege Walk that helped researchers develop potential Privilege Walk items. Future studies should incorporate balancing gender, race, and ethnicity, develop items that are inclusive of intersectional identity experiences, and track participants’ movements during the activity.

Immigrant entrepreneurs play a significant role in the economic development of the United States. However, some small business immigrant entrepreneurs are less successful than small business nonimmigrant entrepreneurs. The purpose of this multicase study was to explore the strategies some small business immigrant entrepreneurs use to sustain and grow their businesses profitably. Using a purposeful sampling technique, the population for this study consisted of 5 small business immigrant entrepreneurs having sustained and grown businesses for a minimum of 5 years in Houston, Texas. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was a combination of Barney's resource-based theory and the Light's disadvantage theory of business enterprise. Data collection consisted of interviews, field notes about observations, and review of documentation related to business strategies. Data analysis involved a process of disassembling data into common codes, reassembling data into themes, interpreting meaning, and making conclusions. The following 4 themes emerged from data analysis: providing good customer service, offering lower prices than competitors, offering popular products, and keeping costs and expenses low. Results showed that small business immigrant entrepreneurs concentrate on differentiation and cost control to sustain and grow their businesses profitably. The implications for positive social change included the potential to provide small business immigrant entrepreneurs with knowledge to improve their business strategies, thereby enhancing their contribution to the prosperity of their families, their employees, and their local community.

This research examines active labour market policy, and in particular, training schemes targeted towards unemployed individuals who are the most disadvantaged in the labour market in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The purpose of this research is to first, highlight the main tensions between the current policy frameworks for the design and the practice of such training. The second purpose is to offer explanations for these tensions by highlighting the competitive free-market and rational individualistic assumptions that underpin the current frameworks and, in particular, how these constrain the 'choices' and possibilities for the most disadvantaged unemployed. The study identifies and examines State Active Neoliberalism, as a specific place-time articulation of neoliberalism, adopted by two successive Labour-led governments in New Zealand from 1999-2005. Thirdly, a community development theoretical framework is proposed to underpin recommendations that could support more enabling and empowering policies for the most disadvantaged unemployed and the organisations that seek to assist them. The thesis draws on case studies of major State-funded training schemes for long-term unemployed individuals to illustrate the 'on-the-ground' consequences of the discursive shifts in policy rhetoric. This research combines an in-depth, qualitative field research approach with a critical analysis of policy frameworks and political representations of unemployment, training and labour market issues in documents, publications and communications. The findings of this research are that a competitive quasi-market for training provision and the increased reliance on narrow outcome measurements, position commercial imperatives ahead of assisting the most disadvantaged unemployed. In order to remain viable, training organisations are increasingly faced with the need to sacrifice social motivations for commercial survival. This situation erodes the scope, at the local level, for services that are relevant to the various needs and circumstances of disadvantaged unemployed people. While the overarching policy discourses maintain that training schemes serve the needs of the most disadvantaged unemployed, policy mechanisms and competitive labour market contexts undermine such objectives. Not only are the most disadvantaged unemployed people frequently unable to access services claiming to be for their benefit, they are by definition less likely to succeed in the context of competitive labour markets and individualised society.

The extent of Australian Indigenous employment disadvantage has been quantitatively established by researchers since the 1970s. Indigenous Australians have higher unemployment and lower participation rates, they are occupationally concentrated in low skill, low paid jobs, and their income is significantly lower on average than that of other Australians. The explanations given for this disadvantage largely focus on skills deficit and geographical location of Indigenous people. However these explanations do not stand up to scrutiny. Indigenous employment disadvantage remains irrespective of where Indigenous Australians live or how well they are qualified. Alternative explanations are clearly needed. A clue to the direction of research is given by the same researchers who acknowledge the legacy of history in creating the situation of disadvantage faced by Indigenous Australians. However, to date the nature of this legacy has not been explored. It is this history which is the focus of this thesis. The research questions which the thesis addresses are: 1. Are there identifiable 'invariant elements' which underpin the institutional forms which have regulated the treatment of Indigenous Australians within the economy, particularly in relation to employment, from colonisation until recent times? 2. Do these invariant elements help explain the continuing employment disadvantage of Indigenous Australians? To examine the history of the treatment of Indigenous Australians in relation to employment, four concepts were developed from the regulation school of economic theory and the work of Appadurai. These concepts are econoscape, reguloscape, invariant elements and institutional forms. The notion of 'scape' allows for recognition that when Australia was colonised, there already existed a set of economic arrangements and social and legal system. The conflict between the introduced economy and legal and social systems can be conceived as a conflict between two econoscapes and reguloscapes. Analysis of the econoscape and reguloscape from international, national and Indigenous perspectives for the period from colonisation to 1850 has enabled the identification of 'invariant elements' which describe the ways of thinking about Aborigines brought to the Australian colonies and adapted to the realities of the Australian situation. The four invariant elements identified are summarised as belief in 1) Aboriginal inferiority; 2) Aboriginal laziness, incapacity and irresponsibility; 3) the need for white intervention in Aboriginal lives; and 4) disregard for Aboriginal understandings, values and choices. The fourth invariant element is conceptualised as the foundation on which basis the other three developed and were able to be perpetuated. Analysis of the laws pertaining to Aborigines promulgated between 1850 and the 1960s in four jurisdictions shows that the same invariant elements influenced the nature of the institutional forms used to limit the freedom of movement and of employment of Indigenous Australians. Although during the period from the 1850s to the 1960s there was ostensibly a change in policy from one of protection to one of assimilation of Indigenous Australians, in fact little changed in terms of perceptions of Aborigines or in the institutional forms which, by the 1920s in all jurisdictions surveyed, controlled every aspect of their lives. Confirmation of the influence of the invariant elements was sought through closer study of two particular cases from the beginning and end of the above time period. These case studies involved examination of the institutional forms within the context of the econoscape and reguloscape of different times, in the first case in Victoria in the 1860s-1880s, and in the second case in the Northern Territory in the 1960s. The analysis indicates that the invariant elements had a continuing influence on perceptions and treatment of Indigenous Australians at least to the referendum of 1967. This thesis establishes, through rigorous analysis based on a robust theoretical and methodological foundation, that identifiable ways of thinking, or invariant elements, have underpinned continuous Indigenous employment disadvantage and help explain this continuing disadvantage. The common explanations of Indigenous disadvantage are also consistent with these invariant elements. The thesis concludes by recommending further research based on the findings of this thesis be conducted to scrutinise policy and practice over the last three to four decades in relation to Indigenous employment. It also emphasises the importance of redefining the problem and finding solutions, tasks which can only be done effectively by Indigenous Australians.