<p> The focus on the lack of diversity in technology has become a hot topic over the last several years, with technology companies coming under fire for not being more representative of the markets that they serve. Even The White House and President Obama has made this issue of technology diversity and recruiting more women and people of color a topic of discussion hosting several events at The White House aimed at finding solutions to this issue. The issue has become so prevalent in the news recently that technology companies have been asked to publish report cards disclosing the demographic breakdown of their employee workforce. Most of the major technology companies in Silicon Valley have vowed to dedicate themselves to becoming more diverse, and have instituted programs to do such. However, progress has been slow and the results have been disappointing. Although many attempts to fix this problem has occurred for decades there has been no panacea to emerge. Why are there so few minorities pursuing careers in technology? The answer to this question at the moment is unknown. Although many experts have offered theories, there is little in the way of agreement. As the numbers continue to dwindle and more women and people of color continue to pursue careers in other fields or depart from the technology industry, technology companies are challenged to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in their workforce and to come up with solutions that address this issue that has become so important to the future economic growth of the United States. </p><p> Qualitative by design, this study examines the perspectives, insights, and understandings of African American software development engineers. Accordingly, participants in this research study provided key insights regarding strategies, best practices, and challenges experienced by African American software development engineers while developing and implementing application programs at American corporations. Participants&rsquo; perspectives provided an insightful understanding of the complexities of being an underrepresented minority in an American corporate information technology department.</p><p>

The West Vancouver Acceleration Programme was started in 1955 under the direction of the British Columbia Department of Education. It was part of an experiment carried out in three separate schools, to see if some of the top academic students could complete the regular High School curriculum, Grades 9-12, in three instead of four years. The 'above average students' were grouped into special classes in which both acceleration and enrichment took place. In this context, the 'above average students' were those students whose I.Q. was 113 or better and who had achieved consistently high results in the academic subjects English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science. The question asked was: Have the accelerated students at West Vancouver Senior High School attained an academic standard in three years as high as that attained by a matched group of regular programme students in four years? The experimental group consisted of two divisions of accelerated students at the Grade 12 level, who covered the last four years of the regular High School programme in three years, completing it in 1958. The control group was drawn from the two top divisions of the regular Grade 12 students who were of comparable ability to the accelerated students, and who would probably have been on the "Acceleration Programme" had it commenced one year earlier. The marks used for comparison purposes were those obtained in the 1958 internal Easter examinations. The two groups were matched for I.Q. and the comparison carried out on a subject basis. In Mathematics a statistically significant difference between the means of the marks obtained was found in favour of the accelerated group. In Physics, French and Latin no significant difference was found. It was concluded that in general the accelerated students achieved an academic standard in three years as high as the regular programme students achieved in four years. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

Many years ago, the provincial Department of Education recognized that adolescents have special needs and problems. As a consequence, junior high schools have been instituted In British Columbia to meet, not only the academic needs of adolescents, but some of their social and personal needs, as well. To this end, also, counselling services became a part of the program of secondary schools. Counselling program and practice have changed over the years from group guidance on educational and vocational matters to an individual counseling service primarily Intended for vocational counselling but, in practice, extended to many other problems. Current conceptions of counselling also appear to have some relationship to those of casework practice meriting clearer definition. In order to determine the implications of school counsell-in for social work, the counselling program and process in a sample junior high school in Vancouver were studied, by use of structured interviews with counsellors, general interviews with other members of the school staff, School Board employees, and staff members of agencies whose clients were pupils at the school which was studied. The classification developed to examine the "counselling area" was: (a) minor problems; (b) problems related to educational and vocational guidance; (c) problems related to low academic achievement; (d) problems related to school discipline; (e) personality and school adjustment problems; (f) problems related to the home situation. The counsellor's role in helping with problems in each of these areas was distinguished by relating the counsellors duties and responsibilities, training and qualification to the way in which specific cases were dealt with, either by the counsellor alone or with assistance from other people or groups. It was concluded that counsellors provide valuable assistance on an Individual basis to children with problems, where the basis of the problem is not an emotional disturbance stemming from personality or environmental factors. The study indicates, however, that counsellors are obliged to deal with the latter kind of problem, to some extent, despite the fact that they are not trained to do so. Reasons are advanced for proposing that the treatment of emotionally disturbed children in the school should be carried out by properly qualified social caseworkers, who could work with counsellors, each in their respective areas of competence, to give help to the adolescent in school. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

The present study was undertaken to find what guidance services are being offered in the secondary schools of Vancouver and generally to appraise the adequacy of those services. After an examination of research and other literature in the field it was decided to use the questionnaire-survey method of appraisal, and to restrict the investigation to the administrative services provided for the following seven major aspects of guidance; orientation of the student, gathering and using information on pupils, educational guidance, vocational guidance, placement of drop-outs and graduates, individual counselling, and growth and improvement of the guidance program. The report does not claim to evaluate the operation or results of the program. Prior to gathering any data, criteria were set up to afford a basis for appraising the adequacy of the services provided. A list was made of specific practices considered by the experts to be desirable in a guidance program and, on the basis of the criteria, a questionnaire was prepared which contained 116 items, covering as fully as possible the administration of the seven aspects of guidance being surveyed and evaluated. Interviews were held with the counsellors of each of the secondary schools in Vancouver. Using the questionnaire as a basis for questioning, the different aspects of each program were reviewed and comments made on the form where necessary or applicable. The report is so organized that each major aspect of the program is evaluated in a separate chapter. The applicable data are analyzed first by questionnaire item, then by school. Comparative evaluations of the individual programs are based on the number of specific practices reported by each school for that particular aspect. Only three evaluation categories are used, "Inadequate," "Minimum," and "Extended." In the last chapter of the study the comparative evaluations made in the preceding chapters are recapitulated. From this summary conclusions are drawn regarding the services provided by each individual school for all the seven major aspects under consideration. The strengths and weaknesses are indicated and recommendations are made for each school. Another recapitulation shows the incidence of the three evaluation types of services in the thirteen schools for each of the seven major aspects under consideration. From this summary general conclusions are drawn regarding the strong and weak elements in the guidance programs of the Vancouver secondary schools as a whole. Throughout the investigation the data reported by the counsellors repeatedly discloses the same specific weaknesses in many of the schools. These weaknesses are summarized in the final chapter in the form of recommendations. The study indicates the need for trained counsellors in every school no matter how small. It is also apparent that much more uniformity is needed in the guidance services. It is therefore recommended that a central guidance division be set up to coordinate all individual school services and carry out a systematic program of evaluation Suggestions are made for further studies to investigate the effectiveness of the practices, to determine the outcomes of the guidance in terms of the individual, to determine the effect on teachers and counsellors of the guidance program, to determine the areas of growth in the guidance program, and to determine the permanence of the effects of the guidance program. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

This study of counselling problems is concerned with the nature and frequency of problems as they affect girls at the junior high school level. An intensive study has been made of the problems with which the writer dealt during a period of four months at Point Grey Junior High School. A problem is not an isolated incident but is part of a sequence of events growing out of environmental conditions, and can only he understood in the light of an appreciation of the total environment of home, school, and community. It has, therefore, been considered advisable to give an explanation of the guidance services of the school and to include information about the girls to be studied, the facilities available for counselling, and the procedures commonly used. The study has grown out of the experiences of the writer as grade adviser and counsellor at Point Grey Junior High School. These began with the opening of the school in 1929, when counselling services for the students were instituted, and have continued to the present time. Thus, the writer has been privileged to share in the development of the counselling program and to observe the behaviour of several generations of girls. The information is based largely on records compiled by the principal and teachers at Point Grey junior High School. The particular information regarding specific pupils is obtained from school reports and records, from individual cumulative files, and from personal observation and investigation. The problems discussed and the data on which the tables are bases were assembled during the period from January 7 to April 30, 1949. In Chapter I counselling is shown to be an integral part of the program of secondary schools in British Columbia. The definition and limitations of the investigation are then given. A description of the girls studied, of the counselling program, and of the methods used in dealing with problems is included in this chapter. In Chapter II are presented facts on environment, test results, and personal data which are essential to the counsellor for analysing problems and diagnosing cases. While Chapters I and II give general information which is helpful in understanding the study, Chapter III introduces the actual problems which the counsellor meets. In.it are discussed very briefly some of the studies which have already been made in the field of student problems. Finally, a preliminary classification of counselling problems is presented in order to facilitate the investigation. In Chapter IV is given a detailed presentation of the facts found in each of the nine problem areas indicated in Chapter III. An analysis is made of each type of problem, the conditions are tabulated, and wherever possible the frequency of each type and sub-type is recorded. This is followed by a statement of the main findings and a discussion of their possible implications. In Chapter V, the writer comments on the possible usefulness of the study. She first states what she considers to be significant general findings. Lastly, she classifies and lists particular findings insofar as they may be of use to the various persons concerned in counselling girls. / Arts, Faculty of / Philosophy, Department of / Graduate

<p> This study assessed the impact of sense of belonging and social capital as predictors of academic achievement among foster youths in an urban high school. Prior work on social capital by Dr. Ricardo Stanton-Salazar was extended by applying his concepts of institutional agents to foster youths. This study was motivated by four research questions: 1. What resources are available for foster youths in the high school, and how are these accessed? 2. How does a sense of belonging relate and/or contribute to academic attainment? 3. How do social capital networks relate or contribute to academic attainment? 4. How does a course of study or program serve to define the experiences of students in foster care and influence their academic success? </p><p> How social capital networks relate or contribute to academic attainment is a fundamental question in foster youths&rsquo; academic achievement. This researcher argues that a new generation of research in this area should address the extent of foster youths&rsquo; academic achievement and outcomes. Previous research and current literature on students in foster care has focused on the negative aspects of academic achievement and has come from a deficit perspective. However, this study advances the understanding of social capital among foster youths in high school. </p><p> Findings must be considered preliminary due to the small sample size of 14 high school foster youths who participated in the study. The preliminary findings showed the correlation between social capital and academic attainment among foster youths in high school as well as how school districts can eliminate barriers and have open access to all classes and programs that benefit all students, especially those students who have been historically underrepresented. The research has implications for practitioners and policymakers in addressing the needs and concerns of students in foster care in educational settings. Recommendations included holding school districts and schools accountable for fully implementing the Local Control Funding Formula and Local Control Accountability Plan requirements by having measurable academic outcomes for students in foster care.</p>

D.Ed. / This study is my account, as an educational psychologist and newly educated educational ethnographer, of how a school community experiences major social political change. I had ventured into a school to inquire into matters related to educational psychology and found a culture in flux- a school in crisis. The notion of an ethnographic inquiry was conceived at the time when I realised that broader systemic changes were impacting the school to the extent where the institution became a concert, to some degree a Bakhtinian medieval carnival -thus the style and format, or design type of the study. The research, which had commenced as a conventional qualitative inquiry, metamorphosed into something of a critical ethnography, written up as an integrated account of research, narrative and also, ultimately, as a way of doing school counselling. The study is thus presented as an illustrated account of what I observed, interpreted, and came to understand at some levels. My interaction with children experiencing learning and developmental barriers in my private practice, led me to the decision to interrogate the impact that change has on their behaviour and their emotional experience. In my initial assumption, I considered the policy change with regard to the 'national' curriculum to be the major change confronting school communities. My interaction as a participant observer in a predominant white, Afrikaans primary school on the East Rand during the course of 1999 introduced me to their experience of chaos in a rapidly changing world as reflected in a changing education system. Curriculum 2005 seemed of little consequence in their struggle against redeployment, uncertainty, poverty, crime and a general sense of futility and isolation. During the course of the year, their preparation for the school variety concert, known in these schools as a "revue", commanded specific attention, due to the amount of time, energy and money invested in presenting a concert of outstanding quality. Through the use of an ethnographic methodology, I tried to capture their story, using the songs sung in the concert to present the framework of the ethnographic stage on which I was planning to present the findings emanating from the inquiry.

<p> Changes to society, the economy, and technology in the 21^st century have transformed the world of work as employees are expecting greater flexibility (Bond, Thompson, Galinsky, &amp; Prottas, 2002; Matos &amp; Galinsky, 2014; McNall, Masuda, &amp; Nicklin, 2010). Among all forms of flexibility, gaining in popularity is the concept known as teleworking (Nilles, 1998). Teleworking is on the rise (Matos &amp; Galinsky, 2014; Lister, 2010; Telework trendlines, 2007; Telework trendlines, 2009) however adequate literature is lacking on the teleworker experience. This case study was designed to understand and explore the lived experiences of exempt employees who telework and to determine if these employees experience fit, as outlined by the theoretical framework, <i>Concept of Fit</i> (Belanger &amp; Collins, 1998). </p><p> The 11 participants in the sample included exempt employees who had a telework agreement on file with the Department of Human Resources at public, research university located in the state of Maryland. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and data analysis revealed that exempt employees did experience fit at outlined by the theoretical framework. While all participants had unique experiences with teleworking, there were similar themes among the entire participant group. Participants agreed that they would like to telework more. During their telework day, they are more focused and disciplined, leading to increased productivity. They understand, however, the need for face-to-face communication and collaboration in the workplace. They plan specific tasks to complete while working from home and believe that they work with supportive supervisors and employees. It was recommended that additional research on the theoretical framework, as amended, be conducted to further support the framework. Additionally, it was recommended that research on supervisory support, the influence of gender on teleworking, and telework day in respect to experience, be explored. </p>

<p>ABSTRACT An Ethnographic Investigation on How Chief Nursing Officers Use Transformational Leadership to Lead and Support New Nurse Graduates by Susan Pailet Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic study was to examine how chief nursing officers (CNOs) use transformational leadership to lead and support new nurse graduates based on the Transformational Leadership Skills Inventory (TLSi) tool developed by Larick and White (2012). Methodology: The sample for this qualitative ethnographic study included 13 CNOs in 4 counties in California (Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside) working for hospitals and other healthcare settings. The data sources for this study included observations, interviews, and artifact reviews. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. Findings: 8 major findings emerged: (a) CNOs participate in rounds and take time to listen to new nurses, (b) CNOs create a culture of caring and compassion with new nurses, (c) CNOs use storytelling to create sustainable change, (d) CNOs meet with new nurses regularly, (e) CNOs recognize generational differences, (f) CNOs hire new nurses with critical thinking and soft skills, (g) CNOs support evidence-based decision making, and (h) CNOs encourage teamwork and collaboration through shared governance. Conclusions: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that new nurses thrive when CNOs communicate with them by rounding and listening to them; new nurses understand their responsibility to patient outcomes when CNOs create a culture of caring; new nurses are retained when CNOs adapt rapidly to change; new nurses thrive when they feel like they are able to share their opinions, thoughts, and experiences with their CNOs; CNOs are working to engage older generations with the new millennial generation of nurses; patient satisfaction increases when CNOs focus on ensuring new nurses have good customer service and critical thinking skills; new nurses make fewer medical errors when CNOs support evidence-based decision making; and new nurses thrive when CNOs encourage teamwork and collaboration through shared governance. Recommendations: Further research is recommended in other geographical areas, with other types of nursing facilities, on factors that influence new nurses to leave the profession within 2 years of graduating nursing school, using new nurses as the population to understand their perspective, on nurses who have at least 5 years of experience, and to further correlate patient satisfaction surveys to employee satisfaction surveys.

This study examined, from a qualitative approach, the impact of vision, personal philosophies and ideologies on the institutional administration of selected HBCU presidents. The study was based on the premise that a president's vision directly influenced their ability to lead their institution as it related to the following areas: institutional administration, academic affairs, student affairs, personnel administration and financial management. The researcher found that vision had a direct and profound impact on the actions of the selected HBCU presidents and further found that each of the five areas of emphasis was guided by the presidents vision. The conclusions drawn from the findings suggest that the vision of an HBCU president must be formally and informally disseminated not only to faculty, staff and students of the institution, but also to the public at large in order to realize the vision and goals set by both the president and administrators of HBCUs.