A study done in 1968-1969 by students at Portland State University School of Social Work at the request of the Oregon State Public Welfare Commission Staff Development Division sought to devise an instrument for assessing the effectiveness of teaching the casework principles of Felix P. Biestek to casework trainees :in the public welfare's orientation program. The test instrument developed was found to have low, but acceptable, internal reliability. Building en the previous year's work, this 1969-1970 study sought to determine the validity of the test instrument by relating test scores to two measures of job performance, namely the latest supervisory civil service rating and a self-rating. Data was collected on thirty of the original test group. The test instrument was determined to be invalid on the basis of these assessments which used measures of total job performance as validating criteria. The study group concluded that the instrument should not be used by itself to determine the effectiveness of teaching casework principles to caseworkers in a public welfare orientation program. While the instrument was being tested, it was recognized that orientation training covers more than just Biestek’s casework principles. Other types of knowledge are also needed for caseworkers to perform effectively on their jobs. Consequently, the scope of the project was enlarged to include an exploration of other factors in caseworker development during orientation. To explore other factors, two instruments were used. One was a questionnaire developed by the group to obtain background information and to measure some attitudes of the caseworker toward his job and the welfare agency. The second was an instrument borrowed from the Oregon State Fish Commission for determining job satisfaction attitudes. The findings of the questionnaire indicated that informal training and supervision were important in caseworker development. The importance of supervision was reinforced by responses given to the survey of job satisfaction attitudes. The survey elicited complaints about bureaucratic agencies, i.e., the red tape, little use or trying of innovative methods, and poor communications within the agency and to the public. In view of the findings, the study group made six recommendations to the Oregon State Public Welfare Division regarding their orientation and staff development program. The study conclusions state that further research is needed (1) to define the casework job and then develop a test to measure a worker’s competency; (2) to develop tools to determine the social work attitudes, knowledge, and skills of the bachelor level service worker; and (3) to investigate use of the structured versus unstructured situation for teaching new caseworkers.

Graduation date: 1996

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the Oregon Level I Diversion Program in changing knowledge and attitude concerning driving after drinking. A secondary purpose was to determine the effect of the eight different class-time schedules used to teach the required 12-hour curriculum on the clients' test scores. An additional purpose was to determine if a significant correlation existed between gain in knowledge scores and selected instructional variables. The 61 Item Drinking and Driving Inventory was administered to all 965 individuals in the sample. Pretest and posttest scores were analyzed using a Paired T and Analysis of Covariance. Data from questionnaires administered to teachers in the Oregon Diversion Program were correlated with students' gains in knowledge scores. The Pearson r and Spearman rho were used in the correlation analyses. Results of the statistical analyses at the .05 level of significance were: 1. There was a significant difference in pretest and posttest scores for all four dependent variables (knowledge score, two attitude scores and the behavioral intention score). 2. There was a significant difference in the adjusted means among the eight time spans for three of the dependent variables (knowledge score, one attitude score and the behavioral intention score). 3. The instructional variable identified as Cultural Differences on the questionnaire correlated significantly with students' gains in knowledge scores. An additional finding was gathered from the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles' statistics. There was a lower re-arrest rate for the clients who completed the Level I Diversion Program than for the persons who chose to be processed through the court system. Selected recommendations included: 1. A long range study of recidivism to include correlation of personal and demographic variables of clients should be conducted. 2. A demographic analysis of program instructors, including their educational background correlated with performance, should be undertaken. / Graduation date: 1984

This study was undertaken as a first step in measuring effectiveness of the Oregon State Public Welfare Orientation Center program in teaching principles of the casework relationship as conceptualized by Felix P. Biestek. This anticipated the development of a reasonably reliable instrument, improvement and validation of which would be undertaken in a subsequent study. The population tested was made up of male and female college graduates, newly hired by the State, who were then entering a four week orientation program for caseworkers. Their education and experience varied, but all had passed the State Civil Service examination for this position. Learning was tested on concepts of purposeful expression of feelings, controlled emotional involvement, acceptance, individualization, .non-judgmental attitude, client self-determination, and confidentiality. From constructed test questions, two tests were formulated and administered in a pretest. Following evaluation of the pretest, the questions were revised and used for two versions of the test which were administered to two orientation classes before and after training. Internal and inter-test reliability, item analysis, and sensitivity were determined for the instrument. Pre-training and post-training differences within and between groups were estimated statistically. Statistical analysis of the data indicated that the tests were moderately reliable both internally and with each other. The testing instruments were able to discriminate between before and after scores. There was significant learning in that scores were higher after completion of the training session beyond chance.

The objectives of this study were to, (1) review the opinions of contemporary American educators regarding activity programs in our secondary schools; (2) investigate the activity programs currently provided in the junior and senior high schools in Washington County, Oregon; and (3) offer some suggestions based upon this information. The literature in this field, although somewhat limited, except for periodicals, acquainted the reader with the general area and provided a basis for the review and study of the present practices in Washington County. The data concerning the practices in the schools studied was obtained through a questionnaire which was personally distributed and collected. The results were tabulated on 22 tables from which a narrative synopsis of pertinent information was drawn. For example. at the junior high level, five schools engage in interscholastic sports; all eight schools have assemblies; three schools maintain a homeroom activity; all eight schools offer vocal music; and the two largest schools have more special interest clubs than any of the others. At the senior high level, all schools engage in interscholastic athletic competition; three schools have intramural sports; two schools do not have a marching band; and six schools publish more than a yearbook and newspaper. As a result of the review of what is currently done in the secondary schools of Washington County, and viewed in the perspective gained by the study of the Literature in this field, ten suggestions that might improve the current programs in some schools are provided for the decision-making personnel of the school districts and schools of the County. The highlights of these suggestions are: 1. That each school establish criteria by which it annually evaluates its activity program. 2. That workshops be established to discuss student needs. 3. That a census of both student participation and teacher skills be taken. 4. That junior and senior high schools work closely to allow beginning skills and interests to be carried over in the advanced grades. s. That school districts investigate programs in other geographical areas and make activity information available to those interested. 6. That schools provide a wide range of activities that may offer carry-over recreational possibilities for adult life.

This investigation had the dual purpose of exploring, in historical perspectives, the academic discipline known as Early Childhood Education and the use of Early Childhood Education as a vehicle for compensatory education in the Portland Public Schools from 1965-1984.

The purpose of this investigation was to obtain a broad view of the development and structure of the program of college education conducted at the Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP) in Salem, Oregon to arrive at a means to explicate program effectiveness. This research problem encompassed the compilation and interpretation of an historical chronicle, based upon the views of program participants, including inmate-students, teachers, and administrators, directed at the history, development, and structure of the program. The specific research objectives of this investigation included the following: 1) Review of the existing literature describing schooling within prisons; 2) development of a research protocol; and 3) utilization of the developed protocol to conduct research on the development and structure of the college education program at OSP, including: a. a record of the overall effectiveness of the program and the degree to which it has been accepted, based upon the attitudes and feelings of past and present program participants, to include inmate-students, teachers, administrators, and volunteers, and b. a chronicle of the development and status of the college education program as perceived within the community in which it has been administered. These research objectives were achieved by application of a triangular methodology involving a review of appropriate literature, personal observations, and interviews with past and present staff members as well as student-inmates in the OSP college education programs. Thus it was concluded, subject to persistent communication problems that would seem to be inevitable when the principles of "academic freedom" are introduced into the closed and restrictive penitentiary environment, that the college education program at OSP has been successful in the view of inmate-students, education and prison staffs, and concerned institutional administrators. It may be foreseen that, as teachers presently employed at OSP quit or retire, all academic and vocational education at OSP, with the exception of baccalaureate programs, will in the future be contracted through existing community college programs. With the continued development of education programs within state penal institutions, communicative research should continue apace to minimize potential conflicts between the programs for the different types of programs offered. / Graduation date: 1993

Organizations leading education reform of the 1980's have challenged teacher education programs at colleges and universities across the nation to improve the subject matter content preparation of teachers. Past methods of program development and techniques to assess teacher's knowledge competence have been one-sided in their approach. New research studies on expert vs novice teachers show that expert teachers are more efficient in carrying out standard patterns of instruction. This nation's mathematics community has engaged in a revitalization of mathematics curricula. Traditional mathematics is being transformed to become a powerful science. Using the growing body of research, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics have developed standards for improving the teaching and learning of mathematics. Oregon's Department of Education has also established standards to meet the needs of a changing mathematics curricula and the challenges of a changing society. This study identified the specific content knowledge taught in the mathematics curricula within colleges and universities which offer four, five or fifth year teacher education programs. It then compared these findings against teacher identified origins of elementary, middle and high school teachers' mathematics content knowledge relative to the Essential Learning Skills of Oregon. It was found that teachers' content knowledge of the Essential Learning Skills of Oregon was not directly related to their preparation as teachers; at the elementary and high school levels, there was no direct relationship found between teachers' degrees and their teaching assignment; there was no apparent relationship between teachers' knowledge of the Essential Learning Skills of Oregon and graduation from an Oregon college or university; there was no apparent relationship between teachers' lack of knowledge of the Essential Learning Skills of Oregon and graduation from a non-Oregon college or university. / Graduation date: 1990

Graduation date: 1950

Mentor teachers are currently seen as a solution to education's dilemma of how to orient beginners into the profession and provide educational advancement for its most capable, experienced teachers. One goal of Oregon's mentor program is to have mentors provide their proteges with instructional assistance through an observation process. The purpose of this study was to explore the quantity and types of observations being conducted by mentors and discover what factors most affect their ability to complete observations for instructional assistance. In order to determine the possible need for differentiation in training, comparisons were made between elementary and secondary level mentors for the quantity and types of observations conducted and for needs related to attitude, skills, and context. A literature survey provided an initial list of needs and attitudes previous researchers have found to be critical to mentors' success. This list was refined through the work of a Delphi Panel. The resulting survey gathered observation-related information from a random sample of two hundred and twenty-five Oregon mentors distributed throughout the state. Data was analyzed using Analysis of variance and Chi square tests at the .05 level to determine if there were significant differences between elementary and secondary level mentors and between twenty-four observation-related factors. A significant difference was found between observation-related factors, the most important being trust between the mentor and protege, availability of release time, the mentor's teaching in the same building as his/her protege, and the protege's willingness to be observed. No significant differences were found between elementary and secondary level mentors in either the quantity and types of observations conducted or in the perceived importance of various observation-related factors. / Graduation date: 1991