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Evidence has shown that Multisystemic Therapy (MST) an intensive family- and community-based intervention has been particularly effective in the treatment of youth with antisocial behaviour from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Although the process of change within MST has been explored, there is a dearth of research in looking at this for families from ethnic minority backgrounds. The current research aimed to address this gap by exploring the experiences of a sample of London based caregivers who had completed an MST intervention. A qualitative approach was adopted, using grounded theory methodology to explore ethnic minority caregiver experiences of MST and generate a model of the processes of engagement and change based on participants' accounts. Seven semi-structured interviews were carried out with caregivers from two London sites. The emergent model consisted of seven interacting theoretical codes. Three of these codes were organised around the process of engagement; deciding to engage with MST, becoming therapeutically aligned and considering cultural difference, and four related to the process of change; working within a safe and trusting relationship, therapist acting as cultural broker, empowering the parent and increased communication within and outside the family. The author makes novel suggestions relating to the specific mechanisms that are thought to underlie the process of engaging with MST, and highlights the importance of considering cultural difference in the initial stages of the MST intervention.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the continuous instability of policy decisions relating to the effectiveness of Civilian Conservation Centers and Contract Centers was a result of measurable differences in performance between the two models. Six hypotheses tested differences between types of centers on six quantitative variables which were: average length of stay, job placement, hourly starting wages, educational gains in reading, math, and General Educational Development (GED). To investigate the problem, 30 Civilian Conservation Centers and 17 comparably sized Contract Centers were selected. Reports from the Department of Labor's Automated Management System provided data for comparison between the two models. Results of the t test for independent samples indicated that CCCs demonstrated higher corpsmen placement rates, hourly starting wages, and GED completions. There were no significant differences between the models in average length of stay and educational gains for reading and math. Further research into the costs and benefits of CCCs should be pursued to establish whether CCC slots should be increased, to determine whether rural location is an impediment to program financial efficiency, and to determine if union involvement in vocational training programs is needed.

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The problem this research addresses is that, regardless of training, educational background or social status, with or without work experience, most non- or limited-English speaking immigrants are forced to begin their American careers at the bottom of the occupational ladder. This study focuses on the comparison of the lives of English as a Second Language (ESL) students/warehouse workers before and after migration to try to ascertain whether these individuals have experienced upward or downward mobility. The approximately 80 participants in this study are workers in a garment distribution warehouse in Worcester, Massachusetts. The participants have been drawn from the worksite ESL classes offered during their lunch or dinner hours and extended one-half hour into work time donated by the company. A questionnaire was distributed to voluntary participants. The information gleaned was used to tabulate statistics and analyze hypotheses regarding the socio-economic transition of immigrants to the United States. As a result of this study, the following questions were addressed: (1) How do immigrants perceive the effects of immigration? (2) When immigrants come to the United States, do they feel their lives improve or worsen socioeconomically? (3) If studies prove that high-status immigrants become downwardly mobile upon entrance to the United States, does that imply that lower-status immigrants become upwardly mobile? (4) How do immigrants compare their lives in their native country to their lives in their new country? The objective of this study was to evaluate the ramifications of migration to the United States with respect to upward and downward mobility of higher- and lower-status immigrants. The population consisted of ESL students/warehouse workers from 13 different countries. This group of immigrants was chosen because, regardless of background, education, English language facility, experience, degree of literacy, or previous socioeconomic class, they were now all thrust together, doing the same job, earning the same salary, and on an equal footing here in the United States. Based on this premise, the researcher wanted to study their perceptions of life in the United States compared to their previous countries to see if, in their estimation, they had indeed bettered themselves or their lots in life by migrating to the United States, or whether their lives had taken a downward turn by coming here.

The central question this study addresses is how one school of human services (SHS) became more fully racially diverse while embedded in a predominantly White institution of higher education. The goal was to collect data to answer three questions: (1) How did SHS evolve into a racially diverse organization? (2) How did this transition impact the faculty at SHS? and (3) How does SHS maintain its current level of racial diversity? To conduct this study a descriptive qualitative case study approach was utilized that incorporated 74 hours of field observations, sixteen qualitative interviews with the SHS faculty, and a documentation review of materials relevant to the School's development. The study was carried out from February 1990 to August 1990. To analyze the results of the interviews a White peer reviewer was used to assist the Latino researcher in the verification and reliability of the interpretations of the data. The seven major conclusions and recommendations of this study are that: (1) There is a need to incorporate organizational theories relevant to higher education when undertaking organizational development (OD) or multicultural organizational development (MCOD) in a college or university setting; (2) A mission statement directly tied to teaching and service to communities of color is central to SHS's evolving into a racially diverse school; (3) "Word-of-mouth" networks play a key role in the success of SHS's recruitment and retention processes; (4) By expanding the concept of "qualified" to include racial diversity and the ability to work in a multicultural setting, SHS consistently succeeded in attracting "qualified" candidates (both White and of color); (5) The multiracial collegium at SHS is an intense place to work, full of rewards and challenging conflicts involving vision, trust and issues of organizational power for both White faculty and faculty of color; (6) Therefore, attending to issues of social justice (via MCOD) and effective community building (via OD) are essential to creating more multiracial collegium; (7) Units, schools or institutions interested in racial diversity should consider an open systems approach including more fluid boundaries with communities of color. Finally, this study raised serious methodological concerns about utilizing individualistic qualitative research in examining multiracial settings.