<p> Behavioral complications, such as Inappropriate Sexual Behavior (ISB), are developed in many cases of dementia. Sex, even for those with dementia, is a primary need, but supporting this need in an appropriate manner may overwhelm caregivers. The purpose of this project was to create a curriculum for Dementia Friendly Community (DFC) residential caregivers on the topic of sexual expression among older adults with dementia. By offering training on sexuality and dementia it is expected that caregivers can increase the DFC's provision of quality of life. This project presented an assessment tool and plan on how to manage ISB, activities relevant to the discussed topics, and curriculum evaluation forms. Expert reviewers offered recommendations to further improve the curriculum's quality.</p>

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Candyce S. Russell / Marriage and family therapists (MFTs) over the past twenty years have increased their visibility by using their clinical skills and a systemic framework in other areas outside of therapy (i.e., business, school, medicine). Many of these individuals have pioneered roads of systems theory application through a creative process. Traditional creativity research has focused mainly on individual factors. However, Csikszentmihalyi’s theories of flow and creativity have offered important insight on the systemic nature of the creative process. Recently, research regarding intrinsic motivation and group creativity has provided more insight on how Csikszentmihalyi’s theory could be further developed. Furthermore, applying an ecological systems theory framework to his current model provides additional levels of influence to be examined in regards to maximizing creative potential in individuals and groups. Using deductive and inductive methodologies, an ecological systems theory of creativity is presented providing a framework for studying how MFTs that have successfully entered into non-traditional realms of systemic application go through the creative process of entering into their endeavors. Interviews with successful MFTs applying skills in non-traditional areas of applications were conducted using a modified phenomenological approach. Creative processes were outlined based on themes and patterns that emerged during the analysis. Implications of these findings are made regarding how to improve creativity in MFTs at the individual, academic, and professional field levels. In addition, implications are made regarding how to improve student recruitment and maximize potential in MFT trainees. Finally, implications regarding the maximization of productivity in university settings and applying systemic creativity to business, school, government, and education settings are presented.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Walter R. Schumm / This exploratory study examines abortion decision-making attitudes of adolescents attending Roman Catholic schools. With a theoretical background using both cognitive-developmental theory and moral development theory, this study investigated adolescent abortion decision-making attitudes with a multi-part paper and pencil survey. The first part of the Abortion Attitude Scale consisted of a combination of the seven General Social Survey (GSS) abortion questions, intermingled with seven additional author-devised abortion questions. The second part of the survey consisted of sixteen reality-based scenarios, each containing a high or low level of four dimensions. The dimensions consisted of the four most common reasons for abortion females wrote about in their online written testimonies about their actual abortion experiences. The four dimensions were determined after the author conducted a frequency count of reasons for abortion originating from 87 testimonies from pro-choice web sites and 82 testimonies from pro-life web sites, plus phone calls to 8 pro-choice agencies and phone calls to 8 pro-life agencies. The Abortion Attitude Scale was offered to a convenience sample of 8th through 12th graders attending the Topeka, Kansas Catholic Schools, which includes five elementary schools and one high school. Written parental consent and written student ascent were required for students to be eligible to participate in the study. A total of 350 students participated. The study’s six hypotheses explored whether or not the combined GSS and author-devised abortion questions are unidimensional; whether or not interaction effects exist among the four dimensions in each of the scenarios; and how the independent variables of gender, age, ethnicity, and intrinsic religiosity may impact adolescents’ abortion attitudes. Results suggest several conclusions. The GSS and author-devised abortion questions are multidimensional. Regarding the four dimensions used in each of the scenarios, there were interaction effects among the four dimensions. Whereas the adolescent female participants in this study did appear to be less accepting of abortion than the male participants, and the adolescents with higher intrinsic religiosity appeared to be less accepting of abortion, the hypotheses regarding younger age and greater ethnic diversity did not appear to lend support to adolescents being less accepting of abortion. The findings thus appear to show that this study’s participants had complex attitudes about abortion decision-making, and that these attitudes appear to be at least somewhat situationally-dependent. Implications for further studies are discussed, along with limitations and conclusions.

<p> Many Canadian school districts use standardized reading achievement data to support reading instruction. Over 30% of 9th-grade students in the Anglophone School District-South (ASD-S) have not met targets for the English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA), a graduation requirement in New Brunswick, Canada. This study compared archival reading scores of 6th-grade students from 2009-2012 with the same students&rsquo; scores in 9th-grade from 2012-2015, to determine if 6th-grade scores were a predictor of 9th-grade results. Rendering the impact illiteracy plays on society, this study applied the theoretical framework of social theory from Bourdieu&rsquo;s (1977, 1984, 1986) view of social mobility and Turner&rsquo;s (1960) view of contest mobility. A quantitative design employed a regression analysis to determine how standardized reading scores for three cohorts of students in 6th-grade between 2009-2012 compared with the reading achievement test scores as 9th-grade students in 2012-2015. A sample of 1,200 students was selected. A paired samples <i>t</i> test determined which level(s) of reading comprehension (literal, inferential, or critical) presented the most difficulties for students between 2009-2015. Results of the study concluded that 6th-grade overall reading scores were a predictor of 9th-grade overall scores and that inferential and critical levels of reading comprehension were areas of concern. These findings are intended for administrators and District leadership in ASD-S to support the implementation of an intervention year in Grades 7 and 8 to address this problem. This research promotes positive social change by identifying potential pathways for improving adolescent reading skills for New Brunswick youth.</p>

The thesis examines post-event displacement of households in the year following Hurricane Harvey. Using data gathered from a three-page mail survey conducted approximately 1-year after the storm, this study examines two primary research objectives. First this thesis aims to identify variables that predict displacement or non-displacement after the disaster. Second, this study explores patterns in the destination and duration of displaced households following Hurricane Harvey. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the extent to which household composition characteristics and level of damage sustained during Hurricane Harvey predicted post-disaster displacement. Next, independent sample t-tests and descriptive statistical analyses were used to identify patterns in the destination of post-event relocations. Research findings indicate in the overall binary logistic regression model that after Hurricane Harvey, being White, level of home damage, wind damage, and number of days a member of the household returned home post-Harvey increased the likelihood of a household being displaced. Analysis of the survey responses also indicated that many households made multiple moves following Hurricane Harvey and specifically, displaced households were more likely to stay with a friend or relative. Additionally, this study found that with each additional relocation, the duration of stay at each destination increased while the distance from their pre-disaster home decreased. This thesis advances understanding of what predicts household displacement after a disaster and offers new insights into where people go during the short-term and beginning of the long-term recovery phases.

No description available.

Today, many school districts are mandating tests to measure student performance and to hold individual schools and school systems accountable for that performance in order to meet the standards set forth in the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004). The focus of this study was to examine the relationship among cognitive ability as measured by the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) and measures of achievement, specifically, standardized achievement scores on the New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (NJ ASK) and school grades. The current study investigated archival data of 452 seventh grade students enrolled in a large, suburban public school district during the 2007-2008 school year. Scores on the CogAT and NJ ASK were collected from grades 3, 5, and 7. Final grades in the subject areas of Reading, Writing, Math, Social Studies and Science were collected from report cards from the end of seventh grade of the 2007-2008 school year. Pearson correlations found significant relationships between: (1) cognitive ability and standardized achievement scores in grades 3, 5, and 7, (2) third grade cognitive ability and grade seven grades, and (3) third grade standardized achievement scores and grade seven grades. Further, out of the five cluster scores on the grade 3 CogAT and NJ ASK, the NJ ASK Language Arts score was the best predictor of grades in Reading and Writing and the NJ ASK Mathematics score was the best predictor of grades in Math, Science, and Social Studies. Finally, third grade NJ ASK Language Arts, NJ ASK Mathematics and CogAT Verbal scores were the best predictors of special education classification in grade 7, accounting for a combined 22% of the variance. Limitations to the study and implications for future research and practice are discussed. / School Psychology

This study examined ethnic identity and academic achievement among urban African-American adolescents and investigated how bicultural competence may be related to these variables. There is a dearth of literature in school psychology on how these variables relate to best practices for closing the achievement gap. Seventy-two students in the sixth through eighth grades from three urban parochial schools and one urban charter school participated in the study including African Americans (n=43) and students of other ethnicities (n=29). Students included in the Other category included those who self-identified as Latino, Mixed, Other, Asian American, and Native American. The sample was 65.3% female (n=47) and 34.7% male (n=25) with students who ranged in age from 11 to 15 years of age. Using a correlational design, the participants were interviewed at their schools using a brief demographics questionnaire and the Revised Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM). Standardized test scores for each participant and information on socioeconomic status were also examined. No significant relationships were found between ethnic identity and any other variable in African-American adolescents or adolescents from other groups. As their grade levels increased, African-American students' levels of bicultural competence increased while their math achievement decreased. Students from other ethnicities who were high in bicultural competence had higher math achievement scores. Adolescent girls from the Other ethnicities group who were higher in bicultural competence tended to achieve more highly in math. Students from other ethnicities who were high in bicultural competence were less likely to receive free or reduced-price lunch. Students from other ethnicities whose parents were born in the United States were higher in bicultural competence than students in the same group whose parents were born outside the United States. This study indicated that academic achievement among urban adolescents can be consistent with a number of combinations of ethnic identities and levels of bicultural competence. The results of the present study suggest that, in order to help close the achievement gap, school psychologists and other decision makers should take socio-cultural and socioeconomic factors such as bicultural competence into consideration when making decisions for individual students and when affecting policy at the systems level. / School Psychology

School violence is a problem and particularly in Jamaica where it seems to be more pronounced in coeducational schools. Keen qualitative data garnering driven by the theory of symbolic interaction provides insight. Recently, Northern Caribbean University Radio announced that, in Jamaica, there is a high rate of violence in schools, and that there have been more reports of violence in coeducational schools than in single-sex schools (NCU Radio FM 91). We need to know is why this is the case? This qualitative research investigates the relationship between school structure and the incidences of violence. For a considerable period of time, the arm of the government, namely, the Ministry of Education, has been trying to stem the continuous wave of violence in schools, apparently with very little success. To date, coeducational schools have recorded more student violent activities than single-sex schools. This study will seek to ascertain why there is more violence in coeducational schools. The primary source of data for this study will be interviews with principals and vice principals, deans of discipline, guidance counselors and classroom teachers in both single-sex and coeducational schools. Another data source will be documents relating to violence in coeducational schools. / Educational Leadership

In the present study, we have explored the role of brand trust and consumer brand identification in evoking brand forgiveness when individuals are exposed to communications related to corporate social responsibility (CSR) wrongdoings. Grounded in attribution theory, we have developed and empirically tested a conceptual model to assess the effectiveness of brand trust in facilitating the attribution of wrongdoings either internally (e.g., believing that the brand had wrong intentions) or externally (e.g., believing that there are other factors beyond the brand's control) in influencing brand forgiveness. We conducted an online experiment utilizing Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to recruit participants from the U.S. national population (N = 620) following a quota sampling method. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed in Mplus to analyze the hypothesized direct and mediation relationships. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed to test the moderating hypotheses in SPSS (i.e., the interplay of brand trust and consumer brand identification in influencing internal and external attributions). Supporting the hypotheses, we found that brand trust positively influenced external attribution and external attributions, evoking brand forgiveness when individuals are exposed to communications related to CSR wrongdoings. However, contrary to our expectation, we found that the brand trust positively influenced internal attribution which indicated that higher the degree of faith individuals had in the brands, higher their tendency was to consider the possibility that the brand was indeed involved in unethical CSR practices.