Water is essential to sustaining aquatic environments and is also a resource upon which many human-sectors depend. During times of reduced supply, competition or conflict may arise regarding its distribution due to its importance to local economies and its life giving benefits. The Ontario Low Water Response (OLWR) Plan is designed to deal with how water might be allocated under situations of reduced supply. When forced with data from the Coupled Global Climate Model 1 (CGCM1), the Guelph All Weather Storm Event Runoff (GAWSER) hydrologic model projects scenarios of reduced flows for the Grand River watershed, an area within the Province of Ontario. A level III declaration, which marks the highest stage of water emergency has never before been declared in the Province of Ontario, meaning there is uncertainty regarding how OLWR might operate. Using one scenario of climate change, this study explores the resiliency of the OLWR mechanism to operate under the demands of a changing climate and a growing population through interviews. Results show that the mechanism is not resilient enough to operate under conditions of reduced flow due to ambiguity in the mechanism and the tendency for humans to trump environmental uses of water, leading to detrimental effects on the fishery. Recommendations from this study suggest that ambiguities in the mechanism be revisited and clarified with a shift towards a proactive approach in order for environmental integrity to be upheld under scenarios of reduced flow.

Over the past decades, coastal areas in the United States have experienced exponential increases in economic losses due to flooding, hurricanes, and tropical storms. This in part is due to increasing concentrations of human populations in high-risk coastal areas. Although significant progress has been made in developing mitigation measures to reduce losses in these areas, economic losses have continued to mount. The increase in losses has led to a significant change in hazard research by putting more emphasis on disaster resilience. While there has been a growing interest in the concept of disaster resilience, to date there is little or no empirical research that has focused on systematically measuring this concept. Therefore, the main objective of this dissertation was to develop a theoretically-driven index that can be used to measure disaster resilience in coastal communities. This dissertation argues that a comprehensive measure of disaster resilience should address issues of relevance to all phases of disaster: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Furthermore, a fruitful approach to measure disaster resilience is to assess various forms of capital: social, economic, physical, and human. These capitals are important resources for communities to successfully perform disaster phases' activities. A conceptual model based on disaster phases' activities and community capitals was developed in which indicators for measuring disaster resilience were identified. The model was utilized by first identifying activities relevant to each disaster phase and then specifically identifying indicators from each form of capital that might be important for carrying out those activities. The selected indicators were aggregated and a composite index score was calculated using average method which is based on equal weighting. The reliability and validity of the index were assessed using Cronbach's alpha, regression analysis, and GIS techniques. The results provided convincing empirical evidence that the index is a valid and reliable measure. The application of the measure indicated that disaster resilience is an important predictor of flood property damage and flood related deaths in the U.S. Gulf coast region. Also, the findings indicated that Florida counties are the most resilient whereas counties along the Texas-Mexico border region are the least resilient.

This dissertation includes empirical studies of educational achievement and resilience of Hispanic ELL. The dataset used is the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort and Birth Cohort. In the first study, we investigated whether there were differences of instructional practices between ELLs and non-ELLs and the type of classrooms they attended. A 2-way ANOVA indicated ELLs were being exposed more often to teacher-directed, whole-classroom instruction than non-ELLs. In respect to classroom types, the results from this study suggest that student-selected activities and amount of workbook and media instruction differed significantly. The multiple regression results indicated that teacher-directed, small-group instruction, use of workbooks, and 3rd-grade reading achievement significantly (p < .05) influence the ELLs 5th-grade achievement. The second study focused on the 5th-grade mathematics achievement of Hispanic ELLs, Hispanic non-ELLs, and White non-ELLs. The findings of this study indicate that 5th -grade students are receiving more teacher-directed, whole-class instruction and using more mathematics worksheets. Student-selected activities and the use of computers are being used the least. The results also indicate that the use of textbooks or worksheets and computers for solving mathematics problems significantly (p less than .05) influence ELLs' mathematic achievement. Our study also revealed that third-grade mathematics achievement directly impacts the student's fifth-grade achievement. Furthermore, Hispanic ELLs learned more when exposed to blackboards and overheads for solving problems. The final study analyzed the resilience and academic achievement of preschool Hispanic students. The MANOVA results indicated the resilient group had a more active home learning environment, greater socioeconomic status, higher cognitive scores, and higher parental expectations. These studies emphasize the need of future research to include longitudinal studies of Hispanic, ELLs from Preschool through upper-level grades to investigate (a) resilience development, patterns, and changes, (b) consistency and variance of effective instructional practices in different types of classroom, and (c) development of achievement in mathematics and reading. Hispanic ELLs face many educational challenges, but the three studies reported here suggest that promoting resilience and implementing effective instructional practices may increase Hispanic ELLs academic achievement as well as positively enhance their home and school environment. The educational and policy implications of our studies suggest more student-centered instruction is needed in the classrooms because not enough effective instruction is being implemented in diverse classrooms. Our findings also suggest that classrooms and policies should focus on early intervention and prevention fostering resilient characteristics, as well as consistent and effective instructional practices.

The current study tested the effect of ego resilience on engagement and achievement as mediated by social relatedness, using three waves of data and controlling for the stability of each construct as well as within wave correlations among study variables. Using structural equation modeling, we were able to control for the stability of each construct as well as the within wave correlations of residual error variances between constructs. The model also took into account the transactional properties of academic engagement and academic achievement. Furthermore, the study tested the moderation effects of gender on each theoretically-significant path. Despite the models having adequate fit indices, in the larger context of the model the hypothesis that ego resiliency predicts subsequent social relatedness was not supported in either reading or math revised models. Because of this, the overall study hypothesis that social relatedness would mediate the relationship between ego resiliency and subsequent academic engagement and achievement was not supported. However, there were several findings of interest. The results of this study were consistent with the reasoning that social relatedness helps children feel more accepted and supported by peers and teachers, therefore promoting more classroom engagement. Findings suggested that, while social interactions seem to impact students? academic engagement across in the subsequent year, their level of ego resilience at school entry appears to be an important long-term contributor to math achievement two years later. The moderation analyses indicated that ego resilience had more effect on boys? reading achievement and academic engagement two years later. Study limitations and implications were also discussed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of social factors affecting the academic achievement of secondary African American urban (AAU) female students in an urban school district. This study determined whether the AAU females in this study perceived the social factors in the literature review to impact their academic achievement, the relationship between those social factors and academic achievement, and the differences in academic achievement by socioeconomic status. One hundred fifty-eight (158) AAU female students from three high schools in one urban district located in southeast Texas participated in this study. A self-generated 51-item questionnaire (Students' Perceptions of Social Factors Affecting Academic Achievement in Urban Schools) was used to collect data for this study. There were three major results in the study. First, there were not any significant factors impacting the academic achievement of AAU females; secondly, AAU females did not perceive any social factors as significantly affecting their academic achievement; and finally, there were not any statistical differences between socioeconomic status and academic achievement. Specifically, the results did not reveal a difference between AAU 12th grade female students on free and reduced lunch and those not on free and reduced lunch in terms of academic performance.

It may be assumed that the various resources individuals have will be needed in coping with the adjustments required in college. Any deficits in individuals&rsquo / psychological make-up or maladaptive coping strategies will block their adjustment to college. Within this idea of adjustment, adjustment to college and psychological well being were predicted by several variables named as personality, hardiness, and coping strategies under a stressful condition. Students who have completed their freshmen year were administered the scales related to the above variables and a series of path analyses were carried out. Results indicated that problem focused coping and helplessness/self blame had a mediator role between personality variables and psychological well being. Neuroticism was named as a vulnerability factor. Students with neuroticism as a personality characteristic were regarded as risk groups, who were likely to use helplessness/self blame coping. On the other hand, personality characteristics such as conscientiousness, openness/intellect, and hardiness were concluded to be a resilience factors together with problem focused coping.

This study is designed to investigate the relationships between cognitive, emotional, and intentional readiness of teachers towards organizational change and their resilience traits. The main assumption of this study is that readiness of teachers towards organizational change might be associated with their resilience traits. The study aimed at finding a correlation between readiness for change and resilience traits. The sample for this study was composed of 691 teachers who were working at primary and secondary public schools in Ankara. To assess the readiness of teachers, a new readiness scale was developed by the researchers and a previously used resilience scale was conducted to examine the resiliency level of teachers. The results of the multiple linear regressions between the variables of two scales indicated that some of the factors of resiliency were found to be significant predictors of readiness of teachers towards organizational change.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between career resilience and career beliefs among employees in Taiwan. This study also examined whether selected demographic variables had effects on career resilience and career beliefs. A pilot study involving 178 participants was conducted in Taiwan to validate the instruments used in the main study. Twenty items were selected for measuring career resilience. These items were taken from London's Career Motivation Inventory (1993b), Noe, R. A., Noe, A. W., and Bachhuber's measures of career motivation (1990), and Michigan's Career Resilience Scale (Bice, 1999, January 24-30). Forty-nine items consisting of 10 subscales in the Career Beliefs Scale were adopted from Yang's Chinese Career Beliefs Inventory-Form B (1996). The study had 578 current employees from diverse work settings in Taiwan. Career resilience scores were negatively correlated with the total career beliefs scores (r = -.22, p less then .01), which indicated that participants who were higher on career resilience tended to possess fewer irrational career beliefs. Career resilience scores were negatively correlated with belief in fate, avoidance of decision making, the belief that some occupations are more prestigious than others, possessing sex role stereotypes, assuming other's help can determine the best choice, and the belief that salary is the primary concern when making career choices. Career resilience scores were positively correlated with the belief that one should find the best-fit career and that work is very important in one's life. However, the magnitudes of coefficients were small (the absolute r values were all less than .40). The results of ANOVA showed that gender, education, type of institution, recent participation in training/educational activities, and supervisory experience yielded statistically significant main effects in career resilience scores. Additionally, there was a significant interaction effect on career resilience for gender by education. MANOVA results showed that gender, age, educational levels, types of institutions, supervisory experience, career change, and recent participation in training activities yielded statistically significant differences among career beliefs. Discriminant analyses were applied to further investigate the differences among the 10 career belief subscales for the significant demographic variables.

Lors de crises en entreprise, certaines ressources aux caractéristiques particulières émergent pour aider autrui, dans la souffrance. Nous appelons ces ressources : les toxic handlers. Le rôle de cette recherche est de comprendre ce que font les « toxic handlers », pourquoi ils aident autrui dans la souffrance, comment ils le font, comment les organisations peuvent les aider. Les « toxic handlers » sauvent les entreprises par acte de compassion mais payent malheureusement un lourd prix pour cela. Nous avons tenté de répondre au processus de création de la résilience de compassion en entreprise. De quelle manière des individus qui ne laisse rien paraître de particulier au regard de leur entreprise se trouve subitement pris de compassion pour leurs collègues. Nous nous posons la question de ce qui se passe chez le toxic handler, est-il « un porteur de compassion ou de souffrance » ? Comment cette compassion/souffrance va naître chez le « toxic handler » ? Pourquoi les « employés en souffrance » ne parviennent pas à affronter les « émotions toxiques » ? Comment se crée la relation qui va s’effectuer entre le « toxic handler » et « l’employé en souffrance » ? Les toxic handlers sont intermédiaires entre les « toxic boss » et « les employés en souffrance ». Mais les toxic handlers ne peuvent agir seulement et seulement si, il y a crise en entreprise (crise interne) et que le toxic handler soit aussi en crise (nous parlons de double crise). Nous avons réalisé un modèle d’analyse du processus de résilience de compassion et nous l’avons appliqué sur plusieurs entreprises de grandes tailles, subissant des crises. Nos travaux ouvrent un champ de recherches et amènent de nombreuses perspectives au regard de la problématique du processus de résilience de compassion en entreprise. / When a crisis occurs within a company, certain resources with particular characteristics emerge, helping those who suffer. We call these resources: “toxic handlers.”The role of this research is to understand what it is that “toxic handlers” do, why they help others in difficult. How do they do this? What can organizations do to help them? “Toxic handlers” rescue companies through an act compassion, but unfortunately they pay a heavy price for this. We have attempted to answer certain questions surrounding the creation process of compassionate resilience within companies. How do individuals, who don’t appear to be suffering in the eyes of their companies, find themselves full of compassion for their close colleagues? We’re asking ourselves what happens to a toxic handler. Is he or she a “carrier of compassion or of suffering”? How does this compassion or suffering come about with regard to the “toxic handler”? Why can’t employees who suffer manage to front up to toxic emotions? How is the relation between the “toxic handler” and the “employees in pain” created? Toxic handlers act as intermediaries between “toxic boss” and “employees in pain.” The actions of “toxic handlers” are nonexistent within a company unless there is an internal crisis and only if the “toxic handler” is also facing a crisis (what we call a double crisis). We have created an analysis model for compassionate resilience and have applied it to several large companies suffering from a crisis. Our work opens a field of research and brings together numerous perspectives concerning the problematic of compassionate resilience within a company.

Increasing urbanization is a dominant global trend of the past few decades. For cities to become more sustainable, however, the infrastructure on which they rely must also become more efficient and resilient. Urban infrastructure systems are analogous to ecological systems because they are interconnected, complex and adaptive, are comprised of interconnected components, and exhibit characteristic scaling properties. Analyzing them together as a whole, as one would do for an ecological system, provides a better understanding about their dynamics and interactions, and enables system-level optimization. The adoption of this “infrastructure ecology” approach will result in urban development that costs less to build and maintain, is more sustainable (e.g. uses less materials and energy) and resilient, and enables a greater and more equitable creation of wealth and comfort. Resilience, or the capacity of a system to absorb shocks and perform under perturbations, can serve as an appropriate indicator of functional sustainability for dynamic adaptive systems like Urban Water Systems. This research developed an index of resilience (R-Index) to quantify the “full-spectrum” resilience of urban water systems. It developed five separate indices, namely (i) Index of Water Scarcity (IWS), (ii) Relative Dependency Index (RDI), (iii) Water Quality Index (WQI), (iv) Index of Network Resilience (INR), and (v) Relative Criticality Index (RCI), to address the criticalities inherent to urban water systems and then combines them to develop the R-Index through a multi-criteria decision analysis method. The research further developed a theoretical construct to quantify the temporal aspect of resilience, i.e. how quickly the system can return back to its original performance level. While there is a growing impetus of incorporating sustainability in decision making, frequently it comes at the cost of resilience. This is attributable to the fact that the decision-makers often lack a life-cycle perspective and a proven, consistent and robust approach to understand the tradeoff between increased resilience and its impact on sustainability. This research developed an approach to identify the sustainable and resilient (SuRe) zone of urban infrastructure planning and design where both sustainability and resilience can be pursued together.