This study explores partnership working as a mechanism for effective public service delivery. It investigates into how Public-Social Enterprise Partnerships (P-SEPs) can utilise innovative models of user involvement and Service Innovation (SI) in the co-design and co-delivery of user-led socially-oriented services to young adults (18-24) in East England. It identifies the inability of P-SEPs to conceptually explore innovative models of user involvement and SI when engaging young-adult end users in the co-design and co-delivery of user-led solutions to `wicked` issues like `rough sleeping` as a gap in knowledge which I will explore three interrelated research questions in filling. This study draws conceptual inspiration from the network theory, the Pragmatic research paradigm and the inductive-deductive research strategy in exploring the Concurrent Mixed Method underpinned by Likert-scale questionnaires and semi-structure interviews as my data gathering instruments. The emergent conceptual framework from my data analyses posits that high users` perception of their involvement in the co-design and co-delivery of user-led public services can engineer satisfaction, transformational outcomes and high service quality. A fieldtrip provided the conceptual opportunity for me to explore three multiple-case studies in gathering qualitative data through semi-structured interviews administered to staff as these were coded, thematised and analysed using NVivo. Quantitative data from questionnaires administered to end users were analysed using Excel. Evidence gleaned from both strands was integrated and triangulated in complementing and enhancing my research findings. This study challenges misconceptions and dominant ideologies which underpin user involvement while making three interconnected contributions to knowledge. First, it extends the frontiers of knowledge in the discipline by creating new insights and articulating four innovative models of user involvement. Second, at the practical level, it contributes to the ongoing debate on conceptualising, modernising and delivering more effective userengineered public services by informing professional practice and policymaking. And third, at the theoretical level, it contributes towards the development of a theory on user involvement. It thus underlines the factual conclusion that high users` perception of their involvement in the co-design and co-delivery of user-led outcomes can engineer high user satisfaction, high service quality and transformational outcomes. It successfully re-positions the debates on user involvement on new conceptual and empirical grounds.

The effects of taking a third person role on self disclosure, self sympatheticness and several nonverbal parameters of task involvement were examined in a psychotherapy analogue study. Subjects were classified as high or low in ego strength using previously established norms for college students. In the third person role subjects were instructed to describe themselves from the perspective of an "intimate and sympathetic best friend." An encouragement to talk format was used to facilitate self description from the first person. Support was not found for the hypotheses that altering the perspective used in self description would increase self disclosure and that high ego strength subjects would be better able to use a perspective taking intervention. Theoretical and methodological issues are discussed. Recommendations for future research are made.

"This study was conducted to find the extent to which girls are involved in industrial arts classes and related activities in Texas public schools, the factors which limit their enrollment, and teachers' opinions concerning industrial arts experiences most beneficial for girls. Data were obtained from bulletins, books, magazines, related studies, and from information forms completed by 123 industrial arts teachers....Among the more important findings were: 1. Girls tend to enroll in certain areas of industrial arts with little or no participation in other areas. 2. A large majority of the respondents indicated they would be receptive to teaching industrial arts to girls. 3. The respondents indicated industrial arts would be of great value to girls. 4. The optimum number of industrial arts credits for girls is one or two. 5. Girls should be taught in mixed classes. 6. The realization of the states objectives of industrial arts is of equal value to boys and girls. 7. Many girls have negative feelings toward becoming involved in industrial arts. 8. Exchange units and unified arts programs are of value to girls and boys." --p. 2

Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common pediatric chronic illnesses. Adolescents are at risk for poorer glycemic control; however, youth whose parents remain involved in diabetes care are in better control. The current study examined parental involvement (PI) using a multi-method, multi-source approach in a sample of 255 youth (Age M = 12.83). The Diabetes Family Responsibility Questionnaire, Parental Monitoring of Diabetes Care Scale, and 24-Hour Diabetes Interview assessed two types of PI, parental responsibility and parental monitoring. Global and specific assessment served to cross-corroborate indicators of PI related to HbA1c. Higher levels of monitoring related to lower HbA1c for both parent- and youth-report; however, the effect decreased after controlling for socioeconomic status (SES). Additionally, monitoring mediated the relation between age and HbA1c. Controlling for SES, youth whose parents demonstrated higher levels of monitoring were in better glycemic control. Both research and clinical implications are discussed.

Alliance and client involvement are thought to be important therapy process factors in child psychotherapy; however, few studies have investigated them over the course of treatment. The present study examined change in alliance, client involvement, and the relationship between the two over time in an effectiveness study comparing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and usual clinical care (UC) for child anxiety disorders. The sample included 40 clinically-referred children (57.50%, female, mean age = 10.81, SD = 2.11, 35.00% Caucasian, 32.50% Latino/Hispanic, 5.00% African-American, 7.50% mixed ethnicity, 20.00% not reported) and 39 therapists employed by community clinics. Two doctoral-level students comprised the coding teams for each measure and independently rated alliance and client involvement in all available recorded sessions. Unconditional multilevel growth models indicated alliance and client involvement did not significantly change over time. Findings suggest that when measured by observational coders, initial levels of alliance and client involvement remain relatively stable throughout different treatments for child anxiety in community settings. Existing therapy process models may require further specification based on treatment setting and method of measurement. In practice, these findings suggest strategies to bolster initial alliance and client involvement could help improve the impact and delivery of child anxiety treatment in community settings.

This study is a case study of an institutional transformational change effort in an urban research university. The study's focus is on the impact of The Milwaukee Idea on faculty and students as the soul of the university. Literature on transformational change in higher education focuses on the processes for launching this type of change and the role of formal change leaders. Less is known about the impact of transformational change on faculty and students. Relevant literature on change and institutional culture informed this study, including Kotter (1996), Wilber (1998), Cutright (2001), Peterson and Spencer (2000), Kezar and Eckel(2000), and Astin (2001). National projects sponsored by ACE and the Kellogg Foundation are also reviewed. Sense-making emerges as a critical construct in understanding the culture and values of students and faculty.Findings reveal that the change agenda brought cultural values around civic engagement, interdisciplinary work, and collaboration to the forefront of the institutional agenda. Faculty has engaged in new and enhanced work as a result of The Milwaukee Idea initiatives, while traditional university structures, including the faculty reward system, have been maintained. Students were recipients of the change agenda, but not active in its development. Community members have new expectations for their involvement in the university and the university's ability to contribute to the public good. There is an understanding in the community and at the university that their two fates are linked.The aggregate of faculty and student participants do not report a deep, pervasive impact on their culture and experiences. The Milwaukee Idea brought change to the university in new programs and centers, but it was not transformational. What The Milwaukee Idea did do is bring forward values within the culture and establish the university as a more visible presence and force in the local community.

Master of Science / Department of Journalism and Mass Communications / Curtis B. Matthews / Two-sided message research has often led to ambiguous findings due to several factors. The present study examines if the level of general involvement with the product category presented in the persuasive message influences whether or not the inclusion of unfavorable information can generate positive effects on source credibility, brand attitude, and behavioral intent. Past studies on the effects of involvement on sidedness failed to deliver clear results, due to vague operationalizations, irrelevant claims and message statements. A 3 (sidedness: one-sided, two-sided unrelated attributes, or two-sided related attributes) x 2 (involvement: low or high) factorial design was used for this study. Contrary to past research, this study indicates that two-sided messages have many facets. Although a main effect for two-sided messages over one-sided ones was present, findings indicate nearly all of the benefits associated with two-sided messages were due the relatedness of the negative information claim. Two-sided messages without relatedness of information performed no differently than the one-sided format.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / William H. Meredith Jr / Walter R. Schumm / This study addresses a social capital literature that has mostly targeted a White majority population in the United States. Hispanic audiences, especially new immigrant populations, have not been primary survey respondents in most studies. Information about the social connectedness of minorities has come from secondary sources. The goal of this study was to understand to what extent Hispanic, compared to Anglo, families in rural Kansas experienced different levels of social capital in terms of social connectedness and community involvement. This study was done in English and Spanish in order to reach the under-represented population. According to political scientist, Robert Putnam (2000), it is through experiences of face-to-face interaction with those from different backgrounds that people learn to trust each other. Connections create networks that allow social trust to spread throughout society. At the individual level, there has been strong, consistent evidence that social connectedness has positive consequences. Individuals have the capacity and the choice to build their social connectedness and community engagement. Then those assets can be shared with the collective; be it family, organization, community, state, or country. When individuals have access to networks of supportive and accepting associates, it can generate an array of personal and societal benefits that include preventing or overcoming illness, preventing crime, mitigating poverty, addressing racial inequalities, supporting child development, improving health, and addressing other social ills. When one builds a stock of personal relationships and other social connections from which he or she can call upon in times of need, it is called social capital. This study, in part, assessed social connectedness and community engagement of people in Southwest County, a rural location in Southwest Kansas which has a 30% Hispanic population. Surveys were sent to selected households in English and Spanish, and two small focus groups were conducted in the two languages. Statistical analyses indicated support for the hypotheses when the independent variables gender, age, race/ethnicity, education, income, and community longevity were analyzed with dependent variables made up of scaled items to measure social connectedness and community engagement. Race/ethnicity, education, and income appeared to be the strongest predictors of social connectedness and community engagement. Implications of the results are discussed.

Doctor of Philosophy / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Walter R. Schumm / Farrell J. Webb / Army fathers are consistently confronting and overcoming unique socio-cultural obstacles involving their paternal role. Due to the dynamic military culture in which Army fathers live, they could serve as powerful examples of resilience for all fathers in diverse communities. Transitions in the work environment such as frequent deployments, relocations, and other related stressors often create competing priorities for Army fathers. The enormous sacrifices, challenges, and demands that these dads face are often juxtaposed with the benefits, rewards, and honors involved with serving one’s country. This research examines the influence of the paternal role on father involvement among fathers currently serving on active-duty in the United States Army. Utilizing a sample of military fathers (n = 161) from an Army installation, it was possible to identify various types of paternal roles and the corresponding levels of father involvement. This study provides a comprehensive plan for support programs and services to increase father involvement within families and communities. It also serves as a basis for educational programs and services designed to support fathers in the United States armed services. The Influence of Paternal Role upon Father Involvement Model integrates conceptual underpinnings from Ecological Systems and Symbolic Interaction perspectives that were operationalized and tested in this research. This research found a positive association between paternal role and father involvement, F (₁₃, ₁₅₁) = 10.683, p < .001. It was determined that approximately 49% of the variance in paternal role could be explained by father involvement. These data revealed that paternal role has a greater impact than originally postulated in addressing issues related to competing environmental factors and father involvement. The research findings underscore the daunting socio-cultural challenges of being a tough guy and tender father through unparalleled commitment to their Nation and fatherhood displayed by soldiers serving on active duty. The implications from this investigation are broad in focus and have important ramifications for our society. Military fathers are experiencing complex issues related to father involvement and require structured comprehensive support programs. The sacrifices military fathers volunteer to take on are often more extensive than initially perceived. Therefore, dynamic fathering programs should be implemented to offset some of the challenges of unanticipated expectations and increase paternal involvement among Army fathers.

The central research problem of this study was the challenges that occur with the United States Joint Warfighters Center's (JWFC) implementation of information systems (IS) requirements-gathering process. Thus, this study investigated the contribution of perceived security clearance (PSC), developer perceived user involvement (DPUI), and computer self-efficacy (CSE) to efficiency of the perceived requirements-gathering process (PERGP). Due to the perceived efficiency of IS development, the U.S. Department of Defense statutory document called the Joint Capability Integration and Development System (JCIDS), mandated that as an IS development requirement, the rapid development of IS was needed to sustain U.S. warfighters. As a result, the central aim of this study was to look at several variables that may predict the efficiency to the IS requirements-gathering process at JWFC. The central research question behind this study was: What are the contributions of PSC, DPUI, and CSE to the PERGP at the JWFC? This study proposed a theoretical model, and two statistical methods were used to formulate models and test predictive power: Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Ordinal Logistic Regression (OLR). The sample size of this study included 61 IS developers from JWFC. The results of this study indicated a strong reliability for the measures of all variables (PSC, DPUI, CSE, and PERGP). Moreover, results of both models developed indicated that DPUI is a significant contributor to PEGRP, while CSE was demonstrated to be significant contributor to PEGRP only via the OLR model providing the indication that the relationships among the measured variables was non-linear. Additionally, results demonstrated that DPUI was the most significant contributor to PEGRP in both models, while PSC had little or no contribution to the dependent variable, PEGRP. This study also identified two key implications for practice and research. The first impaction of this study is the investigation of unique factors such as PSC and PEGRP in the context of military-based IS development within DOD organizations. Results of this study can help managers in government organizations that are faced with security clearance issues to identify contributors in the early phase of IS development that could possibly hinder PEGRP. The second implication of this study is the non-significant results related to PSC in this investigation. For researchers, such results may need future validation in other governmental and military-based organization. Moreover, such results may indicate to managers in government organizations that are faced with security clearance issues that security clearance, at least as indicated by the results of this study, has no major hindering on the PEGRP. These results maybe profound in their implications and, as such, needed additional validations.