<p>There were dual purposes of this qualitative phenomenological study. The first purpose was to describe and compare the goals, design, implementation, and outcomes of college counseling programs in college preparatory charter high schools in Los Angeles as experienced and shared by high school college counselors. The second purpose was to explore what college preparatory charter high school college counselors perceive to be the most important components in a charter high school college-going culture to assist underrepresented students with access to college and preparation to persist in higher education. This phenomenological study utilized interviews to collect data. The one-on-one interviews were with college counselors at Los Angeles college-preparatory charter high schools where at least 60% of students are from underrepresented backgrounds. The 9 interview questions were developed to learn about the goals, design, implementation, and outcomes of college counseling programs at the participants? high schools. The questions were also designed to learn about what counselors perceive as important components in a college-going culture to help underrepresented students access and persist in higher education. The study yielded 5 conclusions. First, students and families from underrepresented backgrounds rely on their schools to inform them about the college preparation process. Second, parental involvement helps hold students academically accountable and helps them pursue higher education. Third, individualized academic advising is critical for student success. Fourth, charter high schools provide insight to address student-to-counselor ratios, which influence the quality of high school college counseling programs. Lastly, students? ability to adapt and navigate changes in academic rigor, social environment, and academic community impacts their college access and persistence. The study yielded 4 recommendations. First, states, districts, and schools are encouraged to continue to address student-to-counselor ratios to enable personalized college counseling that students need. Second, it is advised that counselors have conversations about college in collaboration with parents. Third, it is recommended that schools provide opportunities via their college counseling programs to expose students to individuals from different backgrounds and to different environments. Finally, it is suggested that high schools challenge students academically to help them prepare for the academic rigor of higher education.

The purpose of this study was the production of a handbook on ethics and law for mental health counselors in Arizona. The handbook is the summation of information from: professional literature, state statutes, professional codes of ethics, state agencies, a survey of Arizona counselors, evaluations by practicing counselors and graduate students in counseling, and personal interviews. A survey of Arizona Counselors Association members was conducted by a mailed questionnaire. The purpose of the questionnaire was to identify and assess typical counseling practices and to determine the perceived usefulness of the proposed handbook. Results of the survey indicate that respondent counselors' typical practices do not vary substantially from one Arizona metropolitan area to the next and that almost all of them would find the handbook useful. Some of the evaluators' suggestions for modifications of the proposed handbook have been incorporated in the version which is Appendix A to this thesis.

The purpose of this study was to identity whether the following variables are related to a sense of alienation among international students: age, sex, marital status, length of time in the United States and in Tucson, the place of residence, the participation in campus activities, and their perception of language ability. Alienation is viewed as a sense of powerlessness, meaninglessness, and social estrangement. The instrument for collecting demographic information and measuring the level of participation and alienation were administered to randomly selected international students at a southwestern university. Responses (185) were analyzed to find out the relationship among variables. The analysis identified that the more international students participated in campus activities, the less they felt alienated. Asian students had higher alienation scores than non-Asian students. The results suggest that the needs of different groups among international students should be evaluated separately, especially when designing the language programs. The international students should take the initiative to utilize the resources on campus which could help them adjust to the environment easier.

This study presents information gathered from a follow-up survey of 124 female community college honors graduates from the years 1989, 1990, and 1991. Results are intended to provide descriptive information in understanding the role that successful completion of community college education plays in the career development of women. Participants provided information via a questionnaire regarding demographics, factors related to academic success, choice of major, current education and employment status, and career and educational goals for the future. Results indicate that female community college honors graduates are likely to be reentry women who have career related goals. One to three years after graduation, the women are employed full-time, studying for bachelors degrees, or working in the home. It appears that community colleges provide women with an opportunity to achieve formal education at virtually every life stage. Conclusions and implications are drawn for career counselors and community college personnel.

The issue of satanic ritual abuse has gained widespread public and professional attention in the past ten years. During therapy, many adult Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) clients describe memories of Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) beginning in childhood. Basically, the only information circulating in the mental health professional community about MPD/SRA issues is derived from workshops and lectures at trainings and professional meetings. The intent of this project was to determine the need for an in-depth educational training film for mental health professionals to assess, diagnose and treat satanic ritual abuse survivors in conjunction with multiple personality disorder. A questionnaire was used to determine whether a video educational training film would be beneficial. The conclusion was reached that an educational training film would be useful in helping mental health professionals. It was also concluded that educational training films in the behavioral sciences is an effective training tool.

This is a pre-test, post-test with a comparison and treatment group study surrounding sexual diversity in residence halls at The University of Arizona. The study starts at the beginning of an academic year with an anonymous Diversity Questionnaire for all residents in two similar residence halls. Both halls are coeducational and similar in student population, age, size and location. Each hall's residents were asked to complete the questionnaire to be scored. One hall's (Graham/Greenlee) Resident Assistants were told of the results and asked to prioritize their programming to include sexual diversity issues. The other hall's (Apache/Santa Cruz) questionnaires were scored, but no results will be disclosed and, therefore, no special programming took place. At the end of the academic year, the questionnaire was repeated in both halls and compared to the beginning of the year questionnaire results to show changes in attitudes towards sexual diversity.

Fifty-five fathers and 90 mothers in Taiwan were studied to test if there were any parental factors related to their parenting knowledge, knowledge of child development, and childrearing involvement. The data were collected by the Personal Information Questionnaire, Parenting Knowledge Questionnaire, Knowledge of Child Development Inventory, and Childrearing involvement Questionnaire. The parents' educational level, parental occupation, and parenting training experience were found to be positively related to the parents' level of parenting knowledge, knowledge of child development, and childrearing involvement. Positive relationships were also indicated between the annual family income of parents and their level of parenting knowledge, knowledge of child development. However, the parental age and the parents' childrearing experience existed negative relationships with their level of parenting knowledge and childrearing involvement in the study.

This study examined negative reception to caregiving by a chronically ill spouse and the impact on the caregiving and the caregiver spouse. Quantitative and qualitative methodology were used. Audiotaped interviews using the Caregiver Impact Inventory (CII) (Miller, 1993) provided data on caregivers' perceptions of negative reception to caregiving by a chronically ill spouse. Perceptions of Caregiving (Oberst, 1991), Caregiver Burden Scale (Oberst, 1991), Caregiver Strain Index (Robinson, 1983), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem (Rosenberg, 1965), were implemented. Eight respondents indicated (CII) that negative reception to caregiving by a chronically ill spouse had a significant impact on the thoughts and feelings, and self-esteem of the caregiver. Caregiver spouses responded by reserving or withholding caregiving responses. The caregiver spouses indicated that moderate levels of threat, general stress and benefit (POC), moderate levels of burden (CBS), moderate levels of strain (CSI) and low-moderate self-esteem were experienced.

This study sought to examine patterns of acculturation among a sample of 18 Mexican American college students and to compare them with participants' scores on a self-esteem scale, which was selected as a measure of adjustment. Mendoza's Cultural Life Style Inventory was used to assess acculturation due to its ability to provide a more precise profile of acculturation. Self-esteem was measured with the 10-item Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. Although the findings did not indicate a statistically significant correlation between the two, the data contained in the acculturation assessments, particularly, suggested some interesting indications to the effect that while most have an overall dominant tendency of cultural shift, the tendencies exhibited in several individual dimensions more frequently tended to be cultural incorporation or cultural resistance. It was also noted that the self-esteem scores tended to be quite high.

The purpose of this research is to investigate self-concepts among middle school females. A nine-week self-concept enhancement program is implemented and utilized as the treatment condition. The self-concepts of all participants are assessed and monitored in nine-week intervals. The instrument, Student Self-Concept Scale assesses: (1) Self-Confidence in four areas: self-image, academic, social, and composite; (2) Importance of: self-image, academic, and social, and (3) an Outcome-Confidence composite. The results indicate that statistically significant differences exist at the pretest in two subscales: academic importance and social importance. At the posttest, statistically significant differences are detected in the academic importance subscale and in the outcome confidence composite. Overall, the results illustrate positive trends within the treatment group for each domain of the self-concept scale, with the exception of the decreased importance that all participants placed on self-image. Nine-week delayed tests in the experimental group reveal that increases from the posttest are maintained.