Educators face multiple forms of misbehavior in the classroom on a regular basis. Quantitative data in the academic literature indicates that some subgroups, particularly minority students, lower income students and boys, face higher rates of disciplinary actions than their peers. Whether this indicates that those students misbehave more often, whether their actions are perceived differently by educators, or whether they are punished more harshly for their misbehavior are issues that are not well-settled by academic research. This research project addresses this gap in the literature, by addressing how the overrepresentation of subgroups may occur and by addressing the decision-making process in general, regardless of a student’s social characteristics. This qualitative research project provides an in-depth account of daily life at a rural high school in Kentucky, illustrating instances of misbehavior within the classroom and the various methods that teachers employed to control the misbehaving students. This project gives voice to the teachers, giving consideration to the factors that impacted the decisions they made with respect to consequences for misbehavior. This research project triangulates observations and interviews with disciplinary data from the school to provide a detailed picture of misbehavior and the resulting consequences. The teachers at this school typically gave students ample opportunity to rectify misbehavior before moving to more serious sanctions and considered consequences for most misbehavior on an individual basis. Nonetheless, minority students were overrepresented among students referred to administrators for misbehavior, indicating the possibility of a cultural mismatch between white educators and students of color. At the administrative level, consequences were fair and consistent, and no evidence of discrimination against any subgroup was demonstrated.

Mental health issues have been the primary focus of much of the health research concerning lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals over the previous decade. Studies have demonstrated that LGB individuals experience psychological distress due to prejudice and discrimination (Lewis, Derlega, Berndt, Morris, & Rose, 2002; Meyer, Schwartz, & Frost, 2008; Rostosky, Riggle, Horne, & Miller, 2009). Health researchers have not given the physical health of LGB individuals the same level of attention (Dibble, Eliason, & Christiansen, 2007). The Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA; 2001) asserted that little was known about LGB physical health disparities and called for more research in this area. However, the Institute of Medicine (2011) showed that comparatively little is known about LGB physical health. There is growing evidence from population-based studies that LGB individuals may be at greater risk than heterosexuals for many physical health conditions (Cochran & Mays, 2007; Dilley, Simmons, Boysun, Pizacani, & Stark, 2010; Sandfort, Bakker, Schellevis, & Vanwesenbeeck, 2009). Many of these studies (e.g., Cochran & Mays, 2007; Sandfort et al., 2009) referred to the stigmatization of LGB individuals; however, none of these studies empirically explored the relation between stigmatization and physical health in LGB individuals. The goal of this study was to test the utility of Meyer’s (2003) minority stress model as a means of explaining the physical health of LGB individuals in the context of a heterosexist society. This study investigated empirical questions about minority stress factors, physical health, and coping self-efficacy (CSE) of LGB individuals. Five-hundred fifteen LGBidentified adult participants (n = 222 women and n = 293 men) were recruited to complete a web-based survey. Participants were primarily recruited through online forums sponsored by LGB-affirming organizations. Results indicated that higher expectations of rejection based on sexual identity, internalized homonegativity, and LGBbased victimization predicted greater reported physical symptoms severity (PSS). CSE fully mediated the relation between expectation of rejection and physical symptom severity and internalized homonegativity and PSS. CSE partially mediated the relation between victimization and PSS. The document proposed several clinical and systemic interventions that may benefit physical health in LGB individuals.

Dans ma thèse j’analyse l’Alliance Démocrate Hongroise de Roumanie (RMDSZ, UDMR, DAHR), l’organisation qui a représenté la minorité hongroise de Roumanie dans le Parlement de la Roumanie entre 1990-2004. La troisième partie de la thèse qui contient l’analyse de l’Alliance Démocrate Hongroise de Roumanie se structure autour des sujets suivants : l’émergence de l’UDMR ; les résultats électoraux de l’UDMR; les relations qui se sont établies entre l’UDMR et les partis politiques roumaines, les partis politiques de Hongrie, les organisations internationales; les changements des programmes de l’UDMR; l’autonomie; la structure de l’UDMR; les initiatives législatives de l’UDMR; la vie interne de l’UDMR. La thèse contient aussi une mis en perspective historique, le recensement et la brève analyse des organisations et des partis qui entre 1920-1989 ont voulu représenter la minorité hongroise de Roumanie. La thèse inclut également un chapitre qui analyse les revendications liées à l’enseignement en langue hongroise des partis/des organisations hongroise entre 1920-2004. The thesis analyses UDMR (RMDSZ/DAHR), the organization that represented the Hungarian minority in the Romanian Parliament between 1990-2004. The third part consists of the analysis of the DAHR and it has as guidelines the following themes: the establishing of DAHR; the electoral results of DAHR; the relationship between DAHR and the Romanian political parties; the relationship between DAHR and the political parties from Hungary; DAHR and the international organizations; the changes of the DAHR’s program; autonomy; the structure of DAHR; the legislative drafts of DAHR; the internal life of DAHR. The thesis speaks also about the organizations/parties that have been representing the Hungarians in the political life of Romania between 1920-1989. In the same time, the last chapter analyses the demands of the Hungarian organizations/parties regarding the education in the Hungarian language at all levels, demands from the period of 1920-2004.

This study explored public library provision to the Tamil Community in Singapore using a focus group methodology. Results of the study were analysed and implications for the library services for the Tamil community in Singapore outlined. Improvement is needed in collections, facilities, programming and services, particularly in the area of provision to young people. Among other suggestions, the participants proposed an Internet portal in Tamil. Many indicated that the library could help in promoting the usage of Tamil language in Singapore through facilitating the reading and use of the Tamil language. Participants perceived this as vital to preserve the Tamil culture in Singapore and ensure its survival as part of the country’s unique cultural heritage in the future. The Tamil language among the other Indian languages has been given official status in Singapore, and this recognition of Tamil as a national language has given the Tamils intrinsic satisfaction. The language provides them with a living link to their ethnic culture. They believe the library can help them regain their cultural identities and also assist them in repositioning themselves well in Singaporean society. The contribution of this study to the professional literature is the idea of cultural identity being central in public library services to special user groups.

Sexual minority youth (i.e., youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, or who report same-sex attractions) disproportionally experience negative mental health and academic outcomes. Yet, few studies have examined positive youth development for this population. The goal of these three manuscripts is to add new information about positive developmental contexts for sexual minority youth in order to generate ideas for intervention and prevention. More specifically, the focus of these three manuscripts is on school-based extracurricular activity involvement of sexual minority youth.Manuscript one presents results from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health that compare sexual minority and heterosexual youth involvement in school-based extracurricular activities. Results documented that sexual minority youth are involved in school-based extracurricular activities at the same frequency as their heterosexual peers. For all youth, there was a small, but positive association between extracurricular activity involvement and school connectedness. School connectedness was associated with better mental health (i.e., higher self-esteem and lower depression), and these associations were stronger for sexual minority youth.Manuscript two presents results from the Preventing School Harassment Study that examine lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) youth involvement in Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs). GSAs are extracurricular clubs that are tailored to the needs of LGBQ youth. This study examined the concurrent associations among GSA presence, GSA membership, and participation in GSA-related social justice activities, with victimization based on sexual orientation and school-based and civic outcomes. GSA presence and participation in GSA-related social justice activities were positively associated with school belongingness and grade-point average (GPA), and GSA membership was associated with greater school belongingness. Results suggested, however, that the positive benefits of GSA presence and social justice involvement dissipate at high levels of school victimization.Manuscript three extends findings from manuscript two by examining the associations among GSA presence, GSA membership, perceived GSA effectiveness, and young adult well-being. The study utilized the Family Acceptance Project and found that the presence of a GSA, membership in a GSA, and GSA effectiveness differentially predicted LGBT young adult well-being. In some cases, these three facets of GSAs buffered the negative effect of LGBT-specific school victimization.

This study was designed to investigate the relationship between discrete areas of cognitive processing and academic achievement in minority children. There have been many questions about the fairness of current testing practices as they have been applied to students from differing ethnicities. These students are entitled by law to a meaningful, nonbiased assessment of their abilities. The minority children targeted for study were bilingual Hispanic students. Cognitive processing tasks were drawn from established measures of perceptual-motor development, auditory recall, and nonverbal intellectual ability. Academic achievement was measured by two comprehensive tests, one that was English-based and another that was Spanish-based. One hundred fifty-eight students enrolled in eleven third grade classrooms were examined. The subjects participated in group administrations of the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices, and a bilingual version of the Digit Span subtest from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised. The Spanish-based achievement test was La Prueba Riverside de Realizacion en Espanol. The English-based achievement test was the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Data were first analyzed by a stepwise multiple regression procedure to determine which of the experimental measures would predict academic achievement. Results indicated that the strongest predictor of academic achievement were scores from the test of nonverbal intellectual ability, which held true for both achievement tests. Scores in immediate auditory recall in English predicted achievement in certain achievement areas, but only on the Spanish-based test. Scores on the perceptual-motor test also predicted achievement on the Spanish-based test only. Auditory recall in Spanish did not predict achievement in any area on either test. The study concludes with a discussion of the viability of the independent measures as a meaningful, comprehensive test battery to be used with minority children in schools. Implications for future research and administrative planning are discussed.

This study identified factors contributing to Mexican-American student persistence in higher education. Tinto's model of student withdrawal was blended with Astin's theory of involvement in a theoretical framework that also gave special focus to hispanic and Mexican-American student concerns. The data consisted of unstructured interviews with a small sample of Mexican-American students at the University of Arizona. Content analysis was used to categorize the data and symbolic interaction theory was used for its interpretation. Findings about personal and institutional factors, were combined to understand persistence in the context of person/environment interaction. The personal factors influencing student persistence were "self," human support, financial adversity, commitment, acculturation, and gender differences; none of these factors stood alone, and each was present to some degree in each of the successful students. Commitment was the most important overriding theme in these personal factors. The institutional factors influencing persistence were academic preparation, use of student services, student/instructor interaction, and academic experiences. Symbolic interaction theory was the analytic framework used to interpret these factors of student persistence in the light of the meanings students attached to events in their college experiences. Empowering students to succeed is proposed as the organizing model for institutions to influence persistence.

A theoretical framework is developed for incorporating class conflict dynamics into accumulation theories of labor market segmentation by analyzing the transaction costs of conflict under varying conditions of economic structure and power resources. The theory has the "bottom up" perspective developed in the "new social history." Skill is treated as a status for which workers struggle and internal labor market hierarchies are considered products of the conflicting strategies between capital and labor. Split-labor market theory is also discussed as a method for explaining why workers discriminate. This theory is amended to distinguish between market and class interests of workers, and to take into account the self-perpetuating economic effects of racist discourse. My historical analysis of the metal-mining industry emphasizes the formation of ethnically stratified segments of the labor market in which Chinese and Mexican workers were denied access to the craft-internal labor market for skilled workers. Competition over mining claims under the threat of takeover by mining companies created ethnic antagonism between Chinese and white independent petty-commodity miners. Discrimination by the white independent miners crowded the Chinese into the labor market, which reduced Chinese wages, and induced conflict between white and Chinese wage workers in the company-mines. Ethnic antagonism in combination with intense class struggle produced a segregated labor market between Mexican miners and Anglo supervisors during the initial proletarianization of the mines. Mexican miners were later displaced by Cornish miners who developed a segregated craft-internal labor market. Analysis of the labor process shows that mechanization initially facilitated the struggle by Cornish miners for a skilled status, contrary to homogenization expectations. Mexican miners were relegated to unskilled manual positions.

This dissertation contributes to the educational literature by providing new research on the achievement gap in the Southwest. For this study, a sequential mixed-methods approach was employed. The quantitative research assessed which factors influenced academic achievement among a 2012 high school graduating class (N=2,238) through analyses using correlation, ANOVA and HLM. Additionally, qualitative themes from 15 in-depth ethnographic teacher interviews and 116 teacher surveys from low income schools were triangulated with the quantitative findings to describe the multiple, interconnected factors that affected student achievement from the teacher's viewpoint. The low income schools in this study were defined as `hardship schools' because they had a high percentage of free and reduced lunch participants, a high minority population, low academic achievement, and frequent turnover in the administrative staff. The findings indicated that a statistically significant academic gap existed between high and low income schools. However, the longitudinal student standardized scores from elementary (5th grade) to high school (10th grade) revealed that the gap did not widen over time between high and low income students. Although students from low income schools lacked social capital and other resources available to their wealthier peers, they were still able to make equivalent academic growth, albeit at a lower performance level. It was argued that a pivotal reason that the gap did not widen was due to a dedicated teacher cadre that chose to work in low income middle schools. These teachers expressed a high level of self efficacy and cultural competency and identified with the students and the surrounding community. Their sense of identification came from one of three sources: similar ethnic background, including Latino culture and language; similar socio-economic upbringing, including poverty and the hardships associated with being an economic underclass; and/or cultural competency, where curiosity and love of diversity is emphasized. This identification helped teachers level the playing field by relating to students and making learning relevant to their environment.

This research focused on affirmative action, equity in the workplace, skills development and training. It examined the manner in which policies and practices aimed at realising representativeness were implemented by the City of Cape Town. Reasons for the slow progress made at realising representativeness in the City of Cape Town were identified as well as the shortcomings of current policies, procedures and practices.