During disaster operations in Ghana in 2015, as a result of flood and fire, there was evidence of poor coordination between the workers and victims of the NGO, as well as inappropriate use of funds, which consequently caused compounding problems for disaster victims especially the outbreak of diseases. Little, however, is known about what conditions precipitated these events that may have delayed humanitarian, non-governmental organizations' (NGOs) ability to engage in disaster relief to victims. Using Freeman's stakeholder theory as the foundation, the purpose of this case study of the 2015 fire/flood disaster in Ghana was to understand from the perspective NGOs what events and conditions may have contributed to lack of coordination and inefficient practices. Data were collected from 13 executive directors, employees, and volunteers of the NGO through personal interviews. Interview data were deductively coded and subjected to a thematic analysis procedure. Findings revealed that participants perceived that the NGO provided financial accountability to donors, but not to disaster victims, nor were victims involved in the NGO's operations. The study's findings have implications for how future researchers in related disasters may approach studies in disaster management by including the perspectives of both NGO and victims in humanitarian aid operations. Implications for social change include recommendations to NGO management to develop and engage in accountability practices to ensure financial accountability to all stakeholders as well as active involvement of the disaster victims.

No description available.

Recent financial problems have highlighted the portion of financial literacy classes related to credit and spending. The recent bursting of the real estate asset bubble and the ongoing economic crisis framed the research question for this study regarding the experiences of social studies and business teachers in teaching coursework in credit-related finance management. The purpose of this study was to understand teacher experiences in the classroom that involved teaching financial information related to consumer credit. The study was based on the theoretical foundations of constructivism and a synthesis of related economic and educational thought. A qualitative, constructivist, and interpretive case study was conducted using interviews with and observations of 6 business and 3 economics teachers. The results were horizontalized and then inductively grouped by phenomenological reduction into domains. Analysis showed that business and economics teachers were faithful in incorporating topics related to consumer credit-related finance education at, or greater than, the level outlined by state standards. The best methods recommended by research were prevalent in the instructional strategies. Teachers stressed the importance of literacy and numeracy. The infusion of economics in early grade levels had little effect on student performance. Participants felt that more finance education in high school was needed, either as a stand-alone course or integrated more efficiently into the curriculum. Implications for positive social change include evaluating financial curriculum components to improve instructional practices by being a part of the curriculum review process and helping administrators and teachers address poverty by improving students' financial skills.

Past research has shown that learner-centered environments can improve students' self-esteem and increase their academic skills. The purpose of this study was to determine whether teaching the core curriculum within a caring classroom environment increases students ability to communicate effectively and perform at higher achievement levels in writing. The study addressed the experiences of teachers in implementing a new writing program with a strong emphasis on social skill development as a precursor to good writing. Guided by the social learning theories of Dewey, Rogers, and Vygotsky, who contended that social interaction is vital to the development of cognition, a qualitative case study was undertaken consisting of individual interviews with 15 teachers at 6 elementary schools in southwestern Connecticut. Data were collected to address the extent to which a caring community of students can foster positive academic outcomes. Data were analyzed and coded to discover common themes. Results showed that teachers perceived that the social skills taught through the program did increase students writing skills. In addition, students had better listening skills and were more comfortable taking academic risks. This finding supports past social learning theories. Based on these findings, 3 days of professional learning workshops were created with the goals of building student-teacher relationships, creating learner-centered environments, and curtailing bullying. Equipping teachers with this resource will help to create social change by helping students become better communicators in a diverse society, increasing their graduation rates, and preparing them to enter the global workforce of the 21st century.

Thesis (M.A.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in Liberal Studies." Includes bibliographical references (p. [36]).

Thesis (M.A.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 55-58).

Thesis (M.A.)--Rutgers University, 2008. / "Graduate Program in Liberal Studies." Includes bibliographical references (p. [34-35]).

Thesis (M.A.)--Rutgers University, 2008. / "Graduate Program in Liberal Studies." Includes bibliographical references (p. 51-54).

Nationally and locally, a paucity of students are effective writers. The purpose of this exploratory, sequential mixed methods study was to explore effective research-based writing strategies and influences on writing skills of 5th grade students. Guided by Vygotsky's zone of proximal development theory, the research questions investigated teachers' perceptions of the best instructional writing practices, the effect of writing practices on students' state writing scores, the relationship between student attendance and performance on the state writing test, and the amount of instructional planning dedicated to best writing practices. Data were collected from interviews with 5th grade teachers (N = 5), student scores on the state writing assessment (N = 247), student attendance records, and teacher lesson plans. Interview data were open coded and thematically analyzed, quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and t tests, and lessons plans were content analyzed for time spent on best writing practices, as identified in the review of literature. The overarching themes from the teacher interviews included (a) importance of teacher guided instruction, (b) confusion about the best practice in writing instruction, and (c) additional supports for students to be effective writers. Current writing instructional practices did not improve state writing assessment scores. There were significant differences in the state writing scores between students who passed and those who did not pass the state writing test. Attendance data were not related to student writing scores. Teacher planning did not reflect the use of best practices in the classroom. These findings informed a 21-hour professional development program to increase awareness of best practices in writing instruction. This study contributes to social change by potentially affecting students' proficiency in writing for 21st century college and career expectations.

Thesis (M.A.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in Liberal Studies." Includes bibliographical references (p. 35-36).