Thesis advisor: Lisa Dodson / Thesis advisor: C. Shawn McGuffey / Non-traditional students are quickly becoming a statistical majority of the undergraduate student population. Furthermore, nearly one-quarter of contemporary undergraduates is a student parent. Emergent imperatives shaped by technological changes in the economy, deindustrialization, credential inflation, the continuing feminization of poverty and the diminished safety net for low-income families have created a mandate for postsecondary education for anyone hoping to move from poverty into the middle-class. Yet, welfare reforms of the past 17 years have de-prioritized, discouraged, and disallowed post-secondary education as a meaningful pathway for low-income parents to achieve economic mobility, even despite a large body of research demonstrating the connections between higher education and: income, occupational prestige, access to employer sponsored benefits, positive intergenerational outcomes, community development, and broader societal gains. While previous research has focused on the impact of welfare reform on access to post-secondary education for participants within the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance program, declining overall TANF participation rates indicate that low-income families are largely turning to more diverse strategies to support their families and pursue higher education. Despite both the recent growth of the population of student parents as a significant minority of the undergraduate population, and the rise of governmental initiatives promoting the expansion of post-secondary education and training to traditionally underserved student populations, very little is known about the comprehensive experiences of contemporary low-income mothers as they navigate college while simultaneously working to balance these endeavors with motherhood and family labor, paid employment and public assistance requirements. This dissertation presents the findings of a multi-method institutional ethnographic research process through which the author collected data regarding the experiences of low-income mothers across the country. This process included conducting in-depth interviews with 31 low-income mothers who were currently enrolled in college or who had been enrolled in college within the past year. Additionally, research journals were collected from an additional 20 participants documenting their experiences across an academic term. In total these participants represented 10 states in three regions of the United States: The West Coast, Mid-West, and Northeast. Secondary data were collected through: institutional interviews with student parent program coordinators, collection of primary materials from programs serving student parents throughout the country, and review of primary policy documents regarding higher education and federal and state welfare policies. As a feminist participatory action research project, participatory methods were employed at all stages of the research process and included the use of two interpretive focus groups within campus-based programs serving student parents that both added to the research findings and to the process of analysis and interpretation. The findings of this dissertation begin by painting the picture of the complex lifeworlds of low-income mothers and their simultaneous experience of role strain and material hardship as they work to balance the responsibilities of college enrollment with mothering, work, and the labor involved in researching, applying for and maintaining multiple public assistance benefits. Next, the author argues that conflicts between higher education policies and public assistance policies as experienced by participants shape the strategies through which they attempt to make ends meet and finance their education and ultimately exacerbate their experiences of role strain and material hardship. The author then moves to explore the impact that these policies have on academic outcomes for this sub-set of students. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the broader social context in which this takes place: one in which policies have been structured on meritocracy rather than equal opportunity for higher education. This presents a dual-edge sword scenario however in that the American Dream both drives the motivation of low-income mothers to persevere in college despite tremendous hardship and personal sacrifice, while it also serves to frame the very policies that make their quest for higher education so grueling. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

The main goal of this thesis is to introduce the topic of public debt and its connection to budget deficit, and to compare the situation in 2 selected countries of the European Union, Ireland and Portugal. The first chapter describes the theory of public finance, its function and the main principles. It focuses on the problem of fiscal imbalance, approach of the European union (especially with regards to the Stability and Growth Pact), it also explains the theory of budget deficit and public debt. Second and third chapters are focused on the selected countries of the EU - Ireland and Portugal - as countries that are facing major problems in the area of public finance and are highly likely to ask for financial help, as it happend in the case of Greece. The chapters describe an overall economic situation of the two countries, the causes of public debt and its increase, approach of the EU towards them, proposed and agreed austerity measures, possible solutions and also further prospects for the future.

Studies that have investigated college choice factors for high-achieving students repeatedly cite academic reputation as one of the top indicators of choice but have not indicated why some high-achieving students choose to attend universities with a less prestigious reputation than the more highly prestigious options available to them. The purpose of this study was to examine whether differences exist between traditional-aged high achieving students who choose to attend higher-tiered universities and their peers who choose to attend lower-tiered universities. Independent variables were selected based upon Hossler and Gallagher's (1987) three-stage model and previous research findings in the literature and grouped according to: (1) students' individual and family characteristics, including ethnicity, gender, parents' education level, and family income; (2) institutional characteristics, including financial considerations and academic reputation; and (3) the influence of others, including parents, relatives, teachers and counselors. The sample was drawn from the 97 universities which administered the CIRP Freshman Survey in 2004. Data were used for students who were attending their first choice college located more than 100 miles from home. Data were used from students who had received scores at or above 660 on the SAT Verbal, and scores at or above 670 on the SAT Math. For students who did not report scores for both SAT verbal and SAT math, the researcher accepted data from students reporting an ACT composite score of 30 or higher. In addition, in order for their data to be used, students were required to have an A or A+ average in high school. Results were reported as (1) frequencies and descriptive statistics, (2) a correlation matrix, and (3) multiple regression models. The study found the availability of financial aid to be the most important factor in predicting whether students will attend a higher-tiered or lower-tiered university. Although college costs and academic reputation were found to be significant predictors of the tier level of university attended, they were of secondary importance compared with the attention to financial aid by high achieving students.

This paper aims to explore how shifting federal, state, and individual priorities have transformed public higher education from a bastion of quality higher education for the greatest number of people to a more privatized state that only provides access and choice to those who can afford them. Decreased public support and state appropriations for public higher education schools have led many institutions to privatize themselves through increasing tuition prices and enrolling more out-of-state and international students who can afford to pay the full sticker price. At the same time, federal financial aid programs have become more and more geared towards assisting middle- and upper-income families, rather than focusing their efforts on removing financial barriers for low-income students. Combined, these two trends have manifested greater socioeconomic inequality for students with low-incomes; public higher education institutions are slowly turning their backs on those for whom federally funded public colleges and universities were built.

Powerful norms tend to define the purpose and function of higher education as a means for individual students to improve individual social mobility and to attain occupational status, and oftentimes, we assume this to be the primary intent of any college student (Baum, Ma, & Payea, 2013; Day & Newberger, 2002). For the purpose of this study, the normative framing of college as primarily an individual benefit is scrutinized to understand how this norm engages American Indian students in the college-going process. Indigenous scholars argue that infusing the concept of Native Nation Building into our understandings of higher education challenges such mainstream cultural norms and fills a space between the individual and mainstream society (Brayboy, Fann, Castagno, and Solyom, 2012). This qualitative study proposes the Individual-Independent/Political-Collective Paradox Model to understand how American Indian students navigate and make-meaning of collective values and the role of student tribal status on the college-going process. Through the voices of thirty-seven American Indian college students, the findings demonstrate the critical thinking and navigation of varying realities that American Indian students face when entering higher education institution. I present the three main findings of this study. The first finding presents how the participant's college-going process is not linear in both pathways and meaning making. Through a college-going typology, students reveal how the college-going phases have cyclical aspects, where each phase is built upon each other and influence subsequent meaning- and decision-making. The second finding demonstrates how the college-choice process is instrumental in understanding how students frame the purpose of higher education through collective values that are intricately related to students' reference of tribal enrollment. The third finding shows how collective values and tribal enrollment help inform the meaning of financial aid for students. These meanings reveal that tribal aid is not only relevant to providing access during the college exploration and choice phases, but the aid reinforces students' purpose of higher education and future goals, which both are primarily collective in nature.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att studera hur socialsekreterare arbetar med aktivering av försörjningsstödstagare och vilka faktorer som påverkar arbetet med aktiveringen. Materialet för studien består av fyra intervjuer med socialsekreterare som arbetar med ekonomiskt bistånd i en kommun i Sverige. Resultaten visar att aktivering av arbetslösa försörjningsstödstagare utförs i form av jobbaktivering eller resursaktivering. Alla intervjuade socialsekreterare ser på aktivering som en bra och nödvändig åtgärd, som både har en stöttande och kontrollerande funktion med tyngdpunkt på stöd. Vidare visar resultaten att det finns faktorer på tre nivåer som påverkar arbete med aktivering: Samhällsnivå: Socialtjänstlagen, arbetsmarknaden, politiska beslut, skärpta regelverk, information och samverkan; Organisationsnivå: otydligt uppdrag, riktlinjer och kriterier; resursbrist, tidsbrist, arbetsbelastning, bristande samverkan, bristande information; Individnivå: socialsekreterarens erfarenhet och utbildning, syn på aktivering; klienteras utbildning, arbetslivserfarenheter, motivation, socialkompetens och eventuella individuell problematik, önskningar, mål och syn på framtid, tidigare erfarenheter av kontakt med socialtjänsten. / The purpose with this paper is to study how social service workers work with activation of welfare receivers, and witch elements that influence the work with activation. The material for the study consists of four interviews with social service workers that work with financial assistance in a municipality in Sweden. The results show that activation of unemployed benefit claimants are carried out in the form of job activation or resource activation. All the interviewed social service workers share a view on activation as a good and necessary line, that have both a supporting and controlling functions with emphasis on support. Furthermore the results show that there are three levels that influence the activation of the welfare receivers: Social aspects: SoL, labour market, political decisions, stringent regulations, information and collaboration; Organization aspects: unclear mission, guidelines and criteria, lack of resources, lack of time, workload, insufficient collaboration and insufficient information; Individual aspects: the social service workers experience and education, view upon activation; clients’ education, working experience, motivation, social competence and eventual individual problems, wishes, goals and view upon the future, earlier experiences of contact with the social service.

This study is intended to study how the social worker in financial assistance relates to the social workers exercise of its authority, regarding the Social Services Act and the Administrative Procedures Act. In concerning how the social worker treats and handles the cases of their clients, but also what significancethe organization's policies and goals have on the social worker’s role and the formation of their professional identity. To answer these questions the study chose a qualitative approach. Because the purpose of this study is to investigate the social worker’s personal beliefs about their way of conducting social work. With the support of previous research in this area, the study has produced its information in the form of deep interviews. The study chose to confine the study to the Stockholm region and received a total of eight informants who represent a significant part of the empirical material. The result demonstrates that there is a difficulty for the social worker in applying the Social Services Act, the Administrative Act and the policies of the workplace in full. This is due to various factors which the social workers feel they encounter in their work. These factors that cause difficulties are caused by the position of power the social worker holds in their professional capacity and the power of jurisdiction the social worker has in its official authority when handling clients’ cases.  These factors arise from the position of power the social worker has through their professional role and the power of jurisdiction worker has over his powers. The results also revealed that there are differences in how attitudes brought to bear on clients in financial assistance and that there are different factors that are the basis for this.  The conclusion of this study demonstrates that the social worker feels that their actions and capability is affected by lack of time, stress, financial budget, guidelines and unreasonable demands of the profession. That leads to the social worker as an official person ending up in a complex situation, where contradictions are between the client's needs and the organization's guidelines. / Denna studie syftar till att studera hur socialarbetaren inom ekonomiskt bistånd förhåller sig kring sitt myndighetsutövande, gällande socialtjänstlagen och förvaltningslagen i mötet med klienten. Samt hur detta bemötande har för inverkan på handläggningen av klienters ärenden, men även vilken betydelse socialtjänstens riktlinjer och verksamhetsmål har för inverkan på socialarbetarens yrkesroll och formandet av dennes yrkesidentitet. För att kunna besvara dessa frågor valdes en kvalitativ ansats, eftersom syftet med studien var att studera hur socialarbetarens personliga uppfattningar kring dennes arbete påverkar arbetssättet. Med stöd av tidigare forskning inom ämnet, har studiens information införskaffats genom djupintervjuer. Studien avgränsades till Stockholms län och med sammanlagt åtta informanter.Resultatet påvisar att det råder svårigheter för socialarbetaren att förhålla sig till socialtjänstlagen, förvaltningslagen och till verksamhetens riktlinjer fullt ut. Studien visar att detta beror på olika faktorer som påverkar den enskilda socialarbetarens handlingsutrymme, såsom lagrum, riktlinjer, egna värderingar och privata föreställningar. I synnerhet när dessa privata föreställningar och värderingar motsätter sig socialtjänstens och klientens behov. Då det kan påverka handläggningen av klienters ärenden. Dessa faktorer uppstår på grund av den maktposition socialarbetaren har genom sin yrkesroll och den maktbehörighet socialarbetaren har via sin myndighetsutövning. I resultatet framkom även att det råder skillnader i hur förhållningssättet utövas gentemot klienterna inom ekonomiskt bistånd och att det är olika faktorer som ligger till grund för detta. Studiens slutsats påvisade att socialarbetaren upplever handlingsutrymmet påverkas av följande faktorer som tidsbrist, stress, ekonomiska resurser, riktlinjer och kraven på yrkesprofessionen. Detta leder till att socialarbetaren som myndighetsperson hamnar i en komplicerad situation, där motsättningar ställs mellan klientens behov och organisationens riktlinjer.

The purpose of this study was to describe the state competitive scholarship programs of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and West Virginia. The coordination and the impact of the respective programs at selected public and non-public colleges and universities within the four states were also studied. The description of the state competitive scholarship programs consisted of the: (1) origin and purpose, (2) superior body and professional staff, (3) selection of the recipients, (4) growth, (5) administration, (6) state grant and/or state loan program(s), (7) problems, (8) recommendations, and (9) future directions. The descriptive information was gathered by private interviews with each of the four state competitive scholarship directors and the eight college student financial aid directors.The review of related literature consisted of three parts: (1) the significance of the state scholarship programs, (2) the National Association of State Scholarship Programs, (3) federal student financial aid programs.The conclusions of the study were:1. The state competitive scholarship programs have a common objective to assist qualified students obtain a college education.2. The monetary scholarships are awarded according to academic ability and demonstrated financial need relative to the approved college choice.3. Applicants who are academically qualified but unable to demonstrate financial need are awarded honorary scholarships.4. Sufficient monies should be available to assist applicants at in-state institutions before consideration be given to using scholarships at out-of-state institutions.5. Concentrated efforts are made to simplify application procedures for state scholarships.6. The state scholarship programs are free from political pressure in the selection of recipients.7. The state grant awards should be used at approved public and non-public institutions.8. The state grant program should make awards on the demonstration of financial need relative to the approved college choice.9. The state loan program should make student loans only on the basis of financial need.10. The state scholarship program directors agreed that the:A. high school counselors are instrumental in the success of the state scholarship program;B. high school counselors should meet at least annually with the state scholarship personnel;C. college student financial aids officers usually coordinate the state scholarship programs satisfactorily;D. college student financial aids officers should meet at least annually with the state scholarship personnel;E. college student financial aids officer who is a generalist is more competent than a specialist11. The college student financial aids officers were in disagreement regarding the success of the state scholarship program in providing a free choice of colleges within the state.12. The college student financial aids directors agreed that an institutional scholarship should beto a state scholar if the additional need was demonstrated.13. Coordination should exist between the United States Office of Education and the state scholarship offices since the mutual concern is to financially assist qualified applicants.A recommended basic design for a state competitive scholarship program was a part of the study. The design was primarily based upon the characteristics of the Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and West Virginia programs.The recommendations for further study are:1. A descriptive study of selected competitive scholarship programs of states which have membership another geographical association of student financial aid administrators.2. An in-depth study of the grant programs which are administered by the state scholarship commissions.3. A study to analyze a state scholarship or grant program for graduate students.4. An attitudinal study of former college students who are now repaying the guaranteed bank loans.5. A study to determine why there has been no apparent coordination between the federal government and the state scholarship commissions.

Thesis (M.S.E.)--University of Wisconsin -- La Crosse, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 44-45).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 175-178). Also available on the World Wide Web.