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Studies indicate that global self-esteem, an individual's overall sense of self-worth, and academic self-esteem, self-worth related to academics, are positively related to academic achievement. This relationship holds for white adolescents. However, while still positive, this relationship is weaker for African Americans, who have high global and academic self-esteem, but very low academic achievement. Patterns for Mexican Americans are less clear, but their global and academic self-esteem appear to fall between the range for white and African American adolescents, while their academic achievement is similar to that of African Americans. To address this, I construct Combinatoric Identity Theory (CIT), a symbolic interactionist theory that incorporates the importance of racial/ethnic and student identities into our current understandings of self-esteem and achievement. I then apply CIT to data collected on Mexican American and white tenth-graders.After a discussion of the relevant literature on education, self-esteem, and identity, I discuss my data collection strategy and techniques. This is followed by empirical analysis. Results indicate that identity processes do affect self-esteem, and that they operate in similar ways for Mexican American and white adolescents. Implications of these results and directions for future research are then presented.

This study examined the relationships between cultural characteristics, communication variables, and medical outcomes in HIV-positive racial/ethnic minority patients. Participants included 33 patients and 5 providers across two urban, community medical clinics. The patient sample was 61% African American, 24% Latino, and 15% Other/Mixed. The majority (73%) were male. Providers included one White female physician, one White male nurse practitioner, two White female nurse practitioners, and one White male physician assistant. In this descriptive study, patients completed self-report ratings of their desire for engagement in decision-making prior to their scheduled medical consultation. After their consultations, patients rated their provider regarding engagement in decision-making, interpersonal communication, and working alliance. Patients also completed measures of acculturation, fatalism, familism, and mistrust. Providers rated their engagement of patients in decision-making, the patients’ interpersonal style, and working alliance immediately after the consultation. Measures of CD4 count and viral load were obtained from patients’ medical records. Cultural characteristics were not related to patient desire for engagement in decision-making. Patient perceptions of being highly informed and involved in decision-making were not related to satisfaction or immune functioning. Patient perceptions of provider affiliation and control, and the complementarity between these two, were also not found to have any significant relation to satisfaction or immune functioning. Though working alliance was not found to have a significant relation to any outcome, the relation between patient perception of a stronger working alliance and higher satisfaction was marginally significant. A match between patient and provider on the bond subscale of working alliance was found to correspond to IMI affiliation complementarity. Though the hypotheses were not supported, certain demographic variables were significantly associated with outcomes. For example, use of antiretroviral medications was associated with lower viral load and gender (i.e., being male) was related to lower CD4. The limitations of this study and directions for future research are discussed.

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo identificar, por meio de análise documental e de entrevistas semiestruturadas com docentes e coordenadores que atuam em cursos de Pedagogia em quatro universidades do estado do Rio de Janeiro UFF, UNIRIO, UFRJ e UFRRJ em que medida e como a questão racial é tratada no currículo desses cursos, de modo a preparar o professor para atuar com a diversidade pluriétnica nas escolas da educação básica brasileiras. Como resultados ressaltam-se os conflitos para incluir esse conteúdo no currículo de uma forma que fomente a intersecção entre disciplinas nos cursos analisados, de modo a tornar mais consistente a sua abordagem. Somado a isso, outros elementos revelaram-se como dificuldades para a entrada desse debate na formação dos pedagogos: as políticas de corte de investimentos na educação pública, que acarretam a diminuição de concursos públicos específicos para docentes que conduzirão essa discussão; as dificuldades para tratar da religiosidade africana e afrobrasileira junto aos estudantes de Pedagogia; a força dos Núcleos de Estudos Africanos e Indígenas no processo de inserção do tema étnico-racial nos currículos, dentre outros aspectos. Desse modo, observou-se que o tratamento conferido à questão étnico-racial pelas universidades investigadas revela um potencial para contribuir para o desenvolvimento da consciência quanto à existência do racismo em nossa sociedade e para o reconhecimento e a valorização de alguns elementos da cultura africana e afro-brasileira; no entanto, sua contribuição é menos evidente no que se refere à instrumentalização dos futuros docentes para o enriquecimento do currículo escolar, tanto no que se refere ao conteúdo quanto à forma de abordagem dessas questões. Acredita-se que somente uma mudança curricular mais profunda e apoiada numa aposta a ser sustentada pelo coletivo de docentes das universidades, poderá conduzir a uma formação inicial de professores da Educação Infantil e dos primeiros anos do Ensino Fundamental que de fato apoie esses profissionais no tratamento da temática nas escolas de ensino básico. / This research, by means of documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews with teachers and coordinators who perform in Pedagogy courses taught at four universities in the State of Rio de Janeiro UFF, UNIRIO, UFRJ and UFRRJ , aims at identifying to what extent and how the racial issue is addressed in the curriculums of those courses, as a way to prepare teachers for dealing with the multiethnic diversity at Basic Education schools in Brazil. Among the results obtained, what stand out are the conflicts concerning the inclusion of this content in the curriculum in a way that fosters the intersection of subjects taught in the courses analyzed, so that the issue is approached more consistently. In addition to that, other elements proved to be difficulties for entering this debate in the education of pedagogues: the policies to cut the investment in public education, which bring the reduction in number of specific public tenders for teachers who will conduct this discussion; the difficulties in addressing the African and African-Brazilian religious belief issue with Pedagogy students; the strength of African and Indigenous Study Centers in the process of inserting the racial-ethnic theme in curriculums, among other aspects. Thus, we observed that the treatment the universities studied give to the racial-ethnic issue reveals the potential for contributing to developing the awareness of the existence of racism in our society, and for acknowledging and appreciating some elements of the African and African-Brazilian cultures. However, the contribution is less apparent when it comes to providing tools to future teachers for the enrichment of the school curriculum, concerning content as well as how those issues are to be approached. We believe that only a deeper curriculum change that is based on a bet to be supported by the collective of University teachers, will be able to lead to an initial education of early years teachers and that of those who teach the first grades of Primary Education, and will actually support these professionals in addressing this theme at Basic Education schools.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T14:31:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcelo Guimaraes Arruda.pdf: 272300 bytes, checksum: 3ce863f5ba3469ca038556b9808e7bf0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-06-21 / 10.639/03, in two public high schools of São Paulo, located in the north of the capital, which are part of the same jurisdictional Board of Education. The investigation sought to ascertain how the inclusion of the issue of African History and Culture in the school curriculum is being done, how teachers are being trained on this topic and what is their perception of the Law. Data collection was conducted through a questionnaire sent to two pedagogical coordinators at the Board of Education and through semi structured interviews with three teachers of a school and a teacher from the second school. The results show that there is a work done by the Board of Education, directed to the implementation of the law through the implementation of some federal projects, providing continuing education for pedagogical coordinators, teachers and representatives of this area, which should act as multipliers at the school level. But schools still walk at a very slow pace, performing occasional activities without an interdisciplinary integration. The data analysis also reveals a certain discomfort of some teachers while discussing this theme, and not everyone agrees with the need for such a Law. The study suggests that much remains to be done in education in order to build new racial ethnic relations / Esta dissertação apresenta uma análise sobre o processo de implementação da Lei nº 10.639/03, em duas escolas de Ensino Médio da rede pública estadual de São Paulo, localizadas na zona norte da capital, jurisdicionadas a mesma Diretoria de Ensino. A investigação buscou verificar como ocorre a inclusão do tema da História e da Cultura Africana no currículo escolar, como os professores vem sendo formados sobre esse tema e qual sua percepção sobre a Lei. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de questionário encaminhado a duas técnicas da Diretoria de Ensino e por entrevistas semi estruturadas realizadas com três professores de uma das escolas e um professor da segunda escola. Os resultados obtidos revelam que há um trabalho realizado por parte da Diretoria de Ensino, direcionado à implantação da lei, através da operacionalização de projetos de âmbito federal, proporcionando uma formação continuada, com foco no professor coordenador, e professores representantes de área, que devem atuar como multiplicadores. Porém as escolas ainda caminham num ritmo muito lento, realizando atividades pontuais, sem uma integração interdisciplinar. A análise das entrevistas revela também certo desconforto de alguns professores na discussão dessa temática, sendo que nem todos concordam com a necessidade da Lei. Os dados sugerem o quanto ainda resta a fazer no campo educacional para a construção de novas relações étnico raciais

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo identificar, por meio de análise documental e de entrevistas semiestruturadas com docentes e coordenadores que atuam em cursos de Pedagogia em quatro universidades do estado do Rio de Janeiro UFF, UNIRIO, UFRJ e UFRRJ em que medida e como a questão racial é tratada no currículo desses cursos, de modo a preparar o professor para atuar com a diversidade pluriétnica nas escolas da educação básica brasileiras. Como resultados ressaltam-se os conflitos para incluir esse conteúdo no currículo de uma forma que fomente a intersecção entre disciplinas nos cursos analisados, de modo a tornar mais consistente a sua abordagem. Somado a isso, outros elementos revelaram-se como dificuldades para a entrada desse debate na formação dos pedagogos: as políticas de corte de investimentos na educação pública, que acarretam a diminuição de concursos públicos específicos para docentes que conduzirão essa discussão; as dificuldades para tratar da religiosidade africana e afrobrasileira junto aos estudantes de Pedagogia; a força dos Núcleos de Estudos Africanos e Indígenas no processo de inserção do tema étnico-racial nos currículos, dentre outros aspectos. Desse modo, observou-se que o tratamento conferido à questão étnico-racial pelas universidades investigadas revela um potencial para contribuir para o desenvolvimento da consciência quanto à existência do racismo em nossa sociedade e para o reconhecimento e a valorização de alguns elementos da cultura africana e afro-brasileira; no entanto, sua contribuição é menos evidente no que se refere à instrumentalização dos futuros docentes para o enriquecimento do currículo escolar, tanto no que se refere ao conteúdo quanto à forma de abordagem dessas questões. Acredita-se que somente uma mudança curricular mais profunda e apoiada numa aposta a ser sustentada pelo coletivo de docentes das universidades, poderá conduzir a uma formação inicial de professores da Educação Infantil e dos primeiros anos do Ensino Fundamental que de fato apoie esses profissionais no tratamento da temática nas escolas de ensino básico. / This research, by means of documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews with teachers and coordinators who perform in Pedagogy courses taught at four universities in the State of Rio de Janeiro UFF, UNIRIO, UFRJ and UFRRJ , aims at identifying to what extent and how the racial issue is addressed in the curriculums of those courses, as a way to prepare teachers for dealing with the multiethnic diversity at Basic Education schools in Brazil. Among the results obtained, what stand out are the conflicts concerning the inclusion of this content in the curriculum in a way that fosters the intersection of subjects taught in the courses analyzed, so that the issue is approached more consistently. In addition to that, other elements proved to be difficulties for entering this debate in the education of pedagogues: the policies to cut the investment in public education, which bring the reduction in number of specific public tenders for teachers who will conduct this discussion; the difficulties in addressing the African and African-Brazilian religious belief issue with Pedagogy students; the strength of African and Indigenous Study Centers in the process of inserting the racial-ethnic theme in curriculums, among other aspects. Thus, we observed that the treatment the universities studied give to the racial-ethnic issue reveals the potential for contributing to developing the awareness of the existence of racism in our society, and for acknowledging and appreciating some elements of the African and African-Brazilian cultures. However, the contribution is less apparent when it comes to providing tools to future teachers for the enrichment of the school curriculum, concerning content as well as how those issues are to be approached. We believe that only a deeper curriculum change that is based on a bet to be supported by the collective of University teachers, will be able to lead to an initial education of early years teachers and that of those who teach the first grades of Primary Education, and will actually support these professionals in addressing this theme at Basic Education schools.

Utilizing a sample of lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parent families with school-age children, results suggested that parents engage in adoption communication less but racial-ethnic socialization more when a child is transracially adopted. No differences were found in lesbian and gay parents socialization practices for adoptive or racial-ethnic identity. Further, lesbian and gay parents engaged in sexual minority parent socialization less than adoptive or racial-ethnic socialization. Children’s self-worth was related to sex but not socialization practices such that girls reported lower self-worth, and no significant associations were present for children’s closeness. Children’s age, sex, and transracial adoptive status were predictive of their understanding of adoption and only children’s age was predictive of their recognition of sexual minority parent socialization. Children’s sex and transracial adoptive status as predictors of understanding of adoption have not yet been reported on in the literature. Further, no work has reported on associations between parent and child socialization practices in the context of sexual minority parent socialization. The implications of differences emerging in parent socialization frequency (i.e., racial-ethnic communication higher than adoptive communicative openness), as well as how children’s sex and transracial adoptive status contribute to children’s understanding of adoption will be discussed.

Extensive research has documented the experiences and outcomes of women and certain underrepresented racial/ethnic minority groups in STEM educational programs. This paper contributes to current conversations by focusing on the experiences of individuals that identify as both a racial/ethnic and sexual/gender minority (SGM). This paper has two major objectives in mind: (1) provide one of the first empirical studies examining the experiences of SGM students in STEM and (2) interrogate the intersection of racial/ethnic identity and sexual/gender identity within the context of these programs. In order to provide a more robust understanding in these areas, this paper is guided by the following research questions: (1) What are the experiences of students who identify as both a racial/ethnic and sexual/gender minority in STEM educational programs, (2) in what ways do these students' sexual/gender and racial/ethnic identity influence these experiences, (3) do racial/ethnic and sexual/gender minorities feel a sense of belonging within their respective programs and why, and (4) how do racial/ethnic and sexual/gender minorities perceive they are treated by peers, faculty, and staff within these programs. This paper takes a mixed-method approach, incorporating both interviews and quantitative survey data to gain insights into these questions. Upon analysis, major findings demonstrated that students experiences an erasure of student diversity in the classroom, while also experiencing higher salience with their sexual/gender identity when compared to their racial/ethnic identity.

<p>In 2010, approximately 84% of the American population lives in a metropolitan area. Different metropolitan areas are characterized by distinct labor markets and economies, housing markets and residential patterns, socioeconomic and demographic factors, and according to some, even distinct 'spirits.' The nature and influence of such structural factors lie at the heart of urban sociology, and have particularly profound effects on patterns of racial and ethnic stratification. This dissertation examines new urban structural changes arising within recent decades, and their implications for racial/ethnic stratification. Specifically, I study the transition to the 'new economy' and racial/ethnic wage inequality; increases in the level and inequality of housing prices and racial/ethnic stratification in homeownership; and increased income inequality, combined with population aging, and racial/ethnic disparities in disability and poor health. I measure metropolitan-level structural factors and racial/ethnic inequalities with data from 5% samples of the 1980, 1990, and 2000 Censuses; the 2010 American Community Survey (ACS); and the 1999-2001 and 2009-2011 Current Population Surveys (CPS). Cross-sectional multilevel regression models examine the spatial distributions of structural factors and racial/ethnic inequality, and the fixed-effects regression models identify the impact of changes in structural factors over time on observed trends in racial stratification. Additionally, I distinguish between effects on minority-white gaps in resource access, and minorities' levels of resource access. This dissertation also makes novel contributions to the field by empirically documenting complex patterns of inequalities among the country's four largest racial and ethnic groups. Perhaps most relevant to theories of racial stratification, this dissertation demonstrates seemingly race-neutral structural changes can have racially stratified effects. </p><p>Chapter 1 describes the foundational literature in urban sociology and racial/ethnic stratification, and provides an overview of the subsequent chapters. Chapter 2 measures the transition to the `new economy' with six structural factors of labor markets: skill-biased technological change, financialization, the rise of the creative class, employment casualization, immigration, and deunionization. Overall, the results indicate the observed Latino-white wage gap may be up to 40% larger in 2010 than in the theoretical absence of the new economy, and the black-white wage gap may be up to 31% larger. Chapter 3 focuses on the long-term trend toward higher and more unequally distributed home prices within local housing markets, epitomized by the housing crisis of the late 2000s. Increases in housing market inequality worsen the Asian-white homeownership gap, but narrow the black-white and Latino-white gaps. However, the level of homeownership is reduced for all groups. Chapter 4 empirically tests the frequently-debated Income Inequality Hypothesis, that macro-level income inequality undermines population health, and hypothesizes any negative effect on health is stronger in areas with greater population aging. The results provide no support for the Income Inequality Hypothesis or any of its proposed extensions, but the chapter's analytic approach may be fruitfully applied to future examinations of structural determinants of health. The theoretical and substantive conclusion of the dissertation is that metropolitan areas represent salient, and changing structural contexts that significantly shape patterns racial/ethnic stratification in America.</p> / Dissertation

abstract: Identifying modifiable causes of chronic disease is essential to prepare for the needs of an aging population. Cognitive decline is a precursor to the development of Alzheimer's and other dementing diseases, representing some of the most prevalent and least understood sources of morbidity and mortality associated with aging. To contribute to the literature on cognitive aging, this work focuses on the role of vascular and physical health in the development of cognitive trajectories while accounting for the socioeconomic context where health disparities are developed. The Assets and Health Dynamics among the Oldest-Old study provided a nationally-representative sample of non-institutionalized adults age 65 and over in 1998, with biennial follow-up continuing until 2008. Latent growth models with adjustment for non-random missing data were used to assess vascular, physical, and social predictors of cognitive change. A core aim of this project was examining socioeconomic and racial/ethnic variation in vascular predictors of cognitive trajectories. Results indicated that diabetes and heart problems were directly related to an increased rate of memory decline in whites, where these risk factors were only associated with baseline word-recall for blacks when conditioned on gender and household assets. These results support the vascular hypotheses of cognitive aging and attest to the significance of socioeconomic and racial/ethnic variation in vascular influences on cognitive health. The second substantive portion of this dissertation used parallel process latent growth models to examine the co-development of cognitive and functional health. Initial word-recall scores were consistently associated with later functional limitations, but baseline functional limitations were not consistently associated with later word-recall scores. Gender and household income moderated this relationship, and indicators of lifecourse SES were better equipped to explain variation in initial cognitive and functional status than change in these measures over time. Overall, this work suggests that research examining associations between cognitive decline, chronic disease, and disability must account for the social context where individuals and their health develop. Also, these findings advocate that reducing socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in cognitive health among the aging requires interventions early in the lifecourse, as disparities in cognitive trajectories were solidified prior to late old age. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Sociology 2011