The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between basketball participation and academic integration at one NCAA Division Ill school. Research on the college experiences of NCAA Division I male student-athletes in corporate sports has demonstrated that athletic participation does not enhance academic integration. Conversely, Division I women athletes have become academically integrated despite participating in intercollegiate athletics. Therefore, this study sought to discover integration differences between males and females at the Division Ill level and made comparisons with the Division I literature. Academic integration was defined as a belief in the academic goals of an institution based on academic involvement, peer interaction, faculty interaction and involvement in work, sport or other extracurricular activities. Nine male and five female Division Ill basketball players from one liberal arts college were interviewed. Based on qualitative analyses, three major themes were identified. First, the student-athletes were predisposed to academic integration based on their high school grade point averages, test scores, parent's education and social class. Second, once in college, they became academically integrated through academic planning, extracurricular involvement, and peer and faculty interaction. Finally, through their coach's assistance with academic planning and the social interaction it created, basketball played a partial role in the integration process for men. Women, however, did not use basketball as their primary means of establishing social ties and did not receive academic assistance from their coach. These were the only differences between genders. The school's academic climate and structure were the most significant factors impacting academic integration. The coach's ability to support these was a secondary factor. When compared to Division I males, these male student-athletes were much more integrated. The females in the current study were similar to their Division I counterparts with respect to academic integration.

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Having identified the need to provide services to elderly, homebound people with arthritis, the Social Work Department at the Vancouver Arthritis Centre initiated an Arthritis Telephone Contact Program in Autumn, 1989. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not a weekly telephone call from volunteers would impact positively on subjects' physical and psychological functioning, level of pain and perceived level of social support. The 11 subjects in this study were elderly, Caucasian women identified by health care professionals as being socially isolated due, in part, to the limits placed on them by either osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. The one-group pretest-posttest research design was employed for this study. Quantitative measures used were the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (AIMS) and the Perceived Social Support From Friends and From Family Scale (PSS-Fr & Fa). Interviews of subjects were conducted in order to describe the efficacy of the Telephone Contact Program from more than one perspective. Over 16 weeks, paired t-test found that the physical functioning of subjects had improved significantly. It was noted that there was a trend towards improved health status for the experimental group in that seven out of the eight subscales of AIMS measured improvement, while one subscale showed no change. Contrary to prediction, perception of social support from family members decreased significantly, as measured by the PSS-Fa scale. Pearson correlation coefficients found no association between changes in perception of social support and changes in health status. Interview data suggests that callers were perceived as sources of social support. Specifically, callers seemed to provide participants with emotional support, informational support, and positive social interaction. Overall, the data suggested that the Telephone Contact Program had the capability to evoke small, but clinically meaningfully improvements in the health status of elderly women with arthritis. Further investigation into the use of telephone contact programs as a minimal intervention is advised. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Cochlear implantation is a surgical procedure, where an electronic device is implanted into the inner ear to give people, with severe to profound hearing loss, access to sound and the spoken word. In spite of a wealth of international research, local studies on cochlear implants, and more specifically research concerning the experience of adolescents with the device, are limited. Adolescence, as a development stage, is also a very difficult phase, which is marked as a crisis period in the developement process towards maturity, as well as a continued selfconsciousness and worry about how others perceive them. It may therefore be deduced that the use of the cochlear implants could cause this to be an intense experience during this developmental phase and that served as motivation to conduct my research specifically on adolescents. This generic qualitative study had a dual purpose: Firstly it endeavoured, through explorative and descriptive research, to determine the experience of adolescents with cochlear implants in school and also in other social circumstances. That sparked off a better understanding and insight, concerning the experience of adolescents with these devices. Secondly, the purpose of this study was to enquire into and describe the experience of adolescents with their support systems. This in turn lead to the identification of support systems, but also the lack of such systems in the personal-, social- and learning environment. An interpretative qualitative study was designed to explain the experience of adolescents with cochlear implants. The Bronfenbrenner Bioecological Model of human development was used as framework to discuss the complex experience of adolescents with cochlear implants. The Asset based approach, as well as Outcomes of well-being founded on the principles of Positive Psychology, was also used as theoretical and conceptual framework to explain existing assets, support systems and management strategies. Four adolescents with cochlear implants and their parents took part in the the study. In-depth data was generated through alternative methods of interviewing, which were adjusted according to the unique requirements of each participant as well as the level of their loss of hearing. Interactive activities, that targeted the interest of participants, were adapted to their language ability and visually interactive were also used. Interviews were constantly supported by thorough field notes. Raw data was then transcribed and processed by using the constant comparative method. The themes, that were constructed from these, seem to indicate that the experieces of these adolescents are unique and are influenced by several intrapersonal and external factors. The exploration of these factors revealed the following: • Adolescents with cochlear implants sometimes experience social exclusion at school as well as amongst their friends. • Various obstacles lead up to social exclusion: Firstly, adolescents with cochlear implants are not able to follow group conversations and background interference further hampers their limited hearing. Secondly, they experience a lack of effort from their peers and teachers to include them in conversations, because the latter have a wrong perception that cochlear implants restore deaf people's hearing 100%. • Participants often experience powerlessness concerning their deafness and are selfconscious due to the visibility of the cochlear implant. • Scholastic advancement is further hampered by the ignorence of teachers, concerning the needs of learners with cochlear implants, and also due to language impairments caused by their deafness. • Personal strengths, like a positive outlook, assertiveness and perseverance, along with coping strategies, like extreme effort and mediation by parents at school, for their adolescents with cochlear implants, improve the resilience of this group to handle the above mentioned obstacles. • Other children with cochlear implants, the families of participants and school are considered to be the primary support systems. Suggestions, concerning the development and improvement of the support systems of adolescents with cochlear implants, were made on the basis of the data results. Due to the limited range of this study, further research suggestions have been made, that are supported by the knowledge gained in this study about the experience of adolescents with cochlear implants. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kogleêre inplantering is 'n chirurgiese metode, waar 'n elektroniese toestel in die binneoor inplanteer word om mense met erge tot uitermatige gehoorverlies, toegang tot klanke en gesproke taal te gee. Ten spyte van 'n rykdom internasionale navorsing, is nasionale studies oor kogleêre inplantings, en meer spesifiek rakende adolessente se ervaring daarmee, beperk. Adolessensie, as ontwikkelingstadium, is ook 'n moeilike fase wat gekenmerk word as 'n krisistydperk in die ontwikkelingsproses tot volwassenheid, asook volgehoue selfbewussyn en kommer oor hoe ander hul ervaar. Die afleiding is dus dat die gebruik van kogleêre inplantings tydens hierdie ontwikkelingsfase, aanleiding kan gee tot 'n intense belewing daarvan en het dit daarom ook as motivering gedien om my ondersoek spesifiek op adolessente te rig. Die doel van hierdie generies kwalitatiewe studie was tweeledig: Eerstens het dit gepoog om, deur verkennende en beskrywende navorsing, die ervaring van vier adolessente met kogleêre inplantings in die skool, en ander sosiale hoedanighede, te bepaal. Dít het aanleiding gegee tot 'n ruimer begrip en insig aangaande adolessente se belewing met hierdie apparate. Tweedens het die studie ten doel gehad om die adolessente se belewing van hul ondersteuningsisteme te ondersoek en te beskryf. Dit het voorts gelei tot die identifisering van ondersteuningsisteme, maar ook die leemtes daarvan in hul persoonlike-, sosiale- en leeromgewing. 'n Interpretivistiese, kwalitatiewe studie is ontwerp om die ervarings van adolessente met kogleêre inplantings te verduidelik. Bronfenbrenner se Bioekologiese Model van menslike ontwikkeling is as raamwerk gebruik om die kompleksiteit van adolessente met kogleêre inplantings se ervaring te bespreek. Die Bategebaseerde benadering, sowel as Uitkomste van welwees ("well-being") wat berus op die beginsels van die Positiewe Sielkunde, is verder as teoretiese en konseptuele raamwerk gebruik om bestaande bates, ondersteuningsisteme en hanteringstrategieë te verduidelik. Vier adolessente met kogleêre inplantings en hul ouers het aan die studie deelgeneem. Data is genereer deur alternatiewe metodes van onderhoudsvoering, wat aangepas is volgens elke deelnemer se unieke behoeftes en verskillende grade van gehoorverlies. Daar is ook gebruik gemaak van interaktiewe aktiwiteite, wat op deelnemers se belangstellings gerig was, volgens hul taalbekwaamheid aangepas is en ook visueel ondersteunend was. Onderhoude is deurlopend met deeglike veldnotas ondersteun. Rou data is getranskribeer en deur middel van die konstante vergelykende metode verwerk. Die temas, wat hieruit gekonstrueer is, dui daarop dat hierdie adolessente se ervarings uniek blyk te wees en deur verskeie intrapersoonlike en eksterne faktore beïnvloed word. Die verkenning van hierdie faktore het die volgende aan die lig gebring: • Adolessente met kogleêre inplantings beleef soms sosiale uitsluiting in die skool, asook tussen hul vriende. • Verskeie hindernisse gee aanleiding tot sosiale uitsluiting: Eerstens kan adolessente met kogleêre inplantings nie gesprekke in groepe volg nie en word hul gehoor verder deur agtergrondgeraas belemmer. Tweedens is hul belewing dat hul vriende en onderwysers nie aanpassings maak om hul by gesprekke te betrek nie, omdat hulle oor 'n wanpersepsie beskik dat kogleêre inplantings mense wat doof is se gehoor 100% herstel. • Deelnemers beleef dikwels magteloosheid oor hul doofheid en is selfbewus oor die sigbaarheid van die kogleêre inplanting. • Skolastiese vordering word belemmer deur onderwysers se onkunde aangaande die behoeftes van leerders met kogleêre inplantings, maar ook as gevolg van taalagterstande, wat deur hul doofheid veroorsaak word. • Persoonlike sterktes, soos 'n positiewe lewensingesteldheid, beslistheid en deursettingsvermoë, asook hanteringstrategieë, soos uiterse harde werk en voorspraak, wat ouers vir hul adolessente met kogleêre inplantings by die skool maak, bevorder veerkragtigheid ("resilience") by hierdie groep adolessente om bogenoemde hindernisse te hanteer. • Ander kinders met kogleêre inplantings, adolessente deelnemers se gesinne en ook die skool word as primêre ondersteuningsisteme beskou. Aanbevelings rakende die verbetering van adolessente met kogleêre inplantings se ondersteuningsisteme is op grond van die bevindinge uit die data gemaak. Vanweë die beperkte omvang van hierdie studie is daar ook, na aanleiding van verworwe kennis aangaande die ervarings van adolessente met kogleêre inplantings, verdere navorsingsvoorstelle gemaak.

When mentoring programs are well-designed and well-implemented, young people can experience positive gains in a number of social, emotional, behavioral, and educational areas. While some of the processes underlying mentoring relationships have been explored, the voices and perspectives of participants themselves have thus far been largely excluded from the mentoring literature. The lack of participant voice in mentoring research suggests that an important source of empirical and interpretive information is unavailable to the field in the process of designing, implementing, and researching mentoring programs. This study used interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore how youth participants in the Friends of the Children (FOTC) mentoring program experience and understand their long-term mentoring relationships. This study used an innovative approach to IPA that combines traditional phenomenological techniques with poetry writing as a key interpretive tool to explore the interplay between the content and meaning of participants' experiences. IPA methods were used to collect and analyze interview data from 12 FOTC participants who had been in the program for more than ten years and who had the same mentor for at least the last four years. Participants were selected purposively to maximize the potential depth and richness of the data. The study included several elements to ensure trustworthiness, including a reflexivity journal, an audit trail, and member checking. Findings suggest that for the participants in this study, long-term mentoring relationships meant: 1) unconditional support and commitment, 2) consistent and reliable help in difficult situations, 3) the chance to develop and appreciate one's own identity, and 4) a path to expanded opportunities in many facets of life. Subthemes within each category are described and interpreted. The poems created from the interview transcripts provide powerful and complementary illustrations for emergent themes by capturing some of the emotional content that can be lost in the process of analyzing, categorizing, and describing complex human phenomena. Key recommendations for mentoring programs and social work professionals are provided. Implications for future research are also discussed.

by Wong Yuk Lin, Renita. / Thesis (M.Ph.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Bibliography: leaves 115-122.

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

With the widespread use of the Internet, grief has been extended in its representation. Specifically, social networking sites, like MySpace, have turned grief presentation from private expressions into public displays of mourning. This study utilizes the theoretical foundations of the grief presentation process of Kübler-Ross' (1969) five categories of bereavement (denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance) to determine whether the grief presentation process is present in an online setting. In this study, the researcher conducted an empirical investigation of 4,931 comments, resulting in 22,263 bereavement themes outlined by Kübler-Ross, which were condensed into 2,288 time-point comparisons posted to 140 MySpace profiles of users who have passed-on. Results revealed noteworthy practices surrounding grief presentation on the MySpace profiles of the deceased. Specifically, bereaved commenters post a significantly greater number of bereavement narratives in the first three months post-mortem as opposed to months four through six. Additionally, race and sex of the deceased, as well as sex of the bereaved, did not prove to be mitigating factors in online grief presentation. Moreover, across observed races and sexes, the bereavement category of acceptance was found most often, followed by depression, denial, anger, and bargaining. Findings suggest that post-mortem commenting behavior blends current memorializing practices while also extending the space for communication and grief presentation. Additional implications for understanding grief communication on MySpace and future directions for research conclude this study.

At last, we found some basic characteristics in Chinese kinship. Couple and child-parent are still the pivots in present urban China. Filial piety is undergoing many changes. For adult children, parents are important in instrumental supports. And siblings are hardly regarded as expected supporters. / For urban Chinese, close-kin playa prominent role in all the support networks. Close-kin include adult children, parents, and siblings. Additionally, supportive roles of different kin are diffused. Spouse and adult children are the most prominent source of support for dealing with both instrumental and emotional problems. In particular, their emotional supports are more significantly beneficial to people's mental health. Parents are the important instrumental supporters, rather than in emotional aspects. Siblings are sitable for contact, but they are not the expected supporters. Extended kin relations are insignificant in any of support dimensions. / It is widely recognized that social relationships have powerful effects on mental health. This empirical study aims at examining this theory among urban Chinese. Based on the dataset of "social networks and mental health in Beijing in 2000", the focus of this research is how depression of the residents in Beijing is related to their kinship (especially, close-kin) networks and supports. The network structural characters include "network size", "frequency of contact", and "residence distance". The functional elements of support include instrumental support and emotional support. CES-D (The Centre for Epidemiological Studies of Depression scale) is used to measure depression. / The major findings in theoretical dimension are: (1) Social supports have main effects, namely social supports are helpful to mental health regardless of stressors people might experience. (2) Some kinds of kinship networks have direct and indirect effects (mediated by kinship supports) on depression. This result also partially confirms "the support argument", which suggests that the social networks enhance the likelihood of accessing support which in turn provides the protective function against distress. / 孫薇薇. / Adviser: Rance Pui Leng Lee. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 72-10, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 200-212). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Sun Weiwei.