<p> High turnover of child welfare workers is a problem to the children and families that receive services and the child welfare organizations that lose their staff. For children and their families, turnover of their assigned worker may interrupt their ability to achieve their permanency goals. Child welfare organizations encounter high costs for hiring staff due to the turnover and the staff that remain suffer with higher caseloads and not being able to provide the quality of services that they should be able to offer. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the lived experiences of child welfare workers who remained with the same employer for 3 years or more. The conceptual framework consisted of 2 theories: organizational climate and organizational culture theory. Two focus groups, consisting of 3 participants from an urban community and 5 participants from a rural community, were used. A snowball sampling method was used to obtain the sample. A content analysis was conducted to discover major and minor themes. This study revealed that 5 factors contribute toward retention: a) caseload size; b) educational background and training; c) recruitment, screening, and selection; d) supervisory support; and e) peer support were supported by all 8 participants. In addition, a new factor of self-care emerged as a result of this study. While all the child welfare workers experienced all the factors that could have resulted in their turnover, due to implementation of self-care techniques they ended up remaining from 3 years to 13 years. Exploring self-care as an answer toward retention is worth exploring and can contribute toward social change in the field of child welfare.</p><p>

<p> Maslow's hierarchy of needs identifies shelter (specifically safety and security) as a basic need that motivates people to continue through life. Many Americans are at risk of losing this basic need, yet we continue to stigmatize specific groups of people based on their inability to secure permanent housing. The integration of crisis intervention, resource networking, education, and empowerment into a supportive housing strategy in Washington, DC could reduce chronic homelessness. </p><p> Homelessness is a major issue that does not receive adequate attention in most cities. As gentrification continues, affordable housing is rapidly declining, placing longtime residents at risk of being displaced. An issue that can't be overlooked, homelessness contributes to social issues such as crime and violence. There are several stages of homelessness; therefore, multiple approaches must be developed to combat the issue at different points in the cycle. While an intervention may be successful in only one stage of the cycle, it could potentially provide the answers to questions surrounding other stages of homelessness. </p><p> This thesis will explore the causes of homelessness and only its associated problems. By identifying some of these problems and shedding light on some of the causes of homelessness (and realizing that those issues are present throughout society), this thesis will identify why it is important to create supportive housing and how this type of approach will help end chronic homelessness. </p><p> To develop a solution to this problem this thesis will use correlational research, observational research, qualitative data and quantitative data to identify the current homeless population, and the potential growth of the population within specific geographic areas. This information will help me identify a site and develop a replicable housing solution that will reduce the number of destitute residents, as well as potentially provide strategies for reducing the homeless population. </p><p> It has been determined that supportive housing, along with consideration for sustainability and several factors that affect the human psyche, will help end homelessness, which is costly in a small city such as Washington, DC. This thesis will explore supportive housing as one solution to chronic homelessness.</p><p>

<p> Gender inequality continues to impose limitations on the progress of women in a number of ways. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how female administrators have experienced gender inequality in the workplace in order to gain a better understanding of the barriers they have encountered. This study explored participants&rsquo; administrative background, experiences as an administrator, challenges encountered related to gender inequality, and what was learned (i.e., coping, strategies to address gender inequality). The findings revealed the main challenges participants&rsquo; encountered in the workplace were based on pay and promotion. Through this study, female administrators were given an outlet to express their concerns regarding gender inequality and provide their input concerning strategies that may be effective in addressing gender inequality in the workplace.</p><p>

<p> This research study examines the Flint water crisis to determine if Flint residents were the target of a degenerative policy. The study employs critical ethnography to explore the development and implementation of environmental water policy and investigate state-appointed legislator's decision to switch water sources in the city of Flint, Michigan, a predominantly low-income and minority community. In addition to using critical ethnography as a method, the study is interdisciplinary, integrating secondary data from news reports, governmental and nongovernmental documents, and budgets. The residents in Flint, Michigan water source was switched from Lake Huron (Detroit) a source used for more than 50 years to the Flint River. The water switch resulted in lead-contaminated water that poisoned more than 7,900 children and caused a widespread outbreak of Legionnaires' disease.</p><p>

<p> This study examined the process of team creativity in the workplace as it relates to experiential, cognitive, and social factors, including organizational and cultural structures, team social dynamics, and effects on individuals. Its purpose was to understand the quality of real-time social interactions and dynamics underlying the creative process in teams. The researcher employed a case study methodology, using observation and individual and focus group interviews of a highly creative team within an organization in a creative industry. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. </p><p> The study had seven major findings: (1) the team actively integrated elements of play during initial interactions; (2) the setting provided a &ldquo;play&rdquo; environment that encouraged team members to view things from different perspectives; (3) the play mood that was initiated in early meetings accelerated team bonding and trust and consequently facilitated the emergence of creativity in subsequent meetings; (4) through the active integration of available resources and tools over time, team members generated novel ways of interacting with the environment; (5) the introduction of externally induced stress caused an abrupt shift from playful to task-oriented behaviors; (6) the final solution emerged gradually through incremental integration of ideas proposed by individual team members over time; and (7) all team members took part in developing elements of the final work product based on their individual strengths and preferences. Conclusions include the following: (1) the creative process incorporates play as a behavioral orientation; (2) the creative process is enabled by a combination of autonomy and constraint; (3) the creative process combines significant aspects of experiential and social learning expressed through the reciprocal interaction of the environment, personal and cognitive factors, and behavior; and (4) team member alignment around shared values helps facilitate social dynamics and the creative process. This study sheds new insight on the transdisciplinary nature of the creativity phenomenon that integrates creativity, play, adult learning, and general systems theories. Recommendations for practice and research include, but are not limited to, integrating this study&rsquo;s findings into existing innovative team learning models (e.g., action learning) and developing an inquiry-based design to generating creativity in organizations.</p><p>

<p> While obesity is a nationwide phenomenon, African Americans &ndash; especially women &ndash; continue to be more severely affected than any other ethnic group. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 20% of African American women are obese compared to 15.6% of Caucasian women. The church is an important community center for many African Americans, and is often a site for health promotion programs, though little is known of the effectiveness of these programs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to study the experiences and attitudes of African American women who have gone through a church-based weight-loss program. Questions were asked about the cultural, environmental and social barriers to weight loss, and the components of effective church-based weight loss programs. Using a phenomenological approach, this study was designed to capture new data for the development of sustainable church-based weight-loss programs. The theory of social support was used as a theoretical framework. The major themes arising from the data concerned the importance of: (a) social support on all levels; (b) the involvement of the pastor, his spouse, or other church leadership; (c) the inclusion of weight-loss participants in program design; (d) a holistic program design to meet the needs of the entire family; and (e) a culturally sensitive program. The inclusion of all these elements is recommended for future programs. The social change implication is that these recommendations could be helpful in the design, development, and implementation of sustainable church-based weight-loss programs for African American women.</p><p>

<p> Over the past five years, American public opinion on homosexuality has rapidly shifted in a more positive direction. Its subjugation exemplifies how an intimate and singular topic can be used to ignite and potentially misguide the American people, resulting in violent demonstration and even death. Although public opinion has shifted towards a greater acceptance of homosexuality, viewpoints are still very polarized. In addition to the available literature, elements from the complete data set of the General Social Survey (1972&ndash;2014) were analyzed to better understand this polarization that persists. Subject-specific variables concerning homosexuality were extrapolated and simple Ordinary Least Squares regression models were tested using STATA version SE 12.1. The evidence gathered supports this thesis&rsquo; assertion that Snyder&rsquo;s theory of hope, when applied to the topic of homosexuality, provides a uniquely useful and alternative lens through which to explain the polarization of current public opinion about homosexuality in America.</p><p>

<p> This thesis examines how a nutrition transition effects identity, locality, and economy in a Q&rsquo;eqchi&rsquo; Maya <i>aldea</i> (hamlet) near Livingston, Guatemala, located along the Caribbean coast. The data collected explore community members&rsquo; attitudes and behaviors regarding food consumption, food sources, and health&mdash;both individual and familial. This thesis examines the structuralist categories community members created within a larger discussion of the effects of globalization and economic development on indigenous communities. Analysis explored how external processed food companies profit by hijacking internal cultural attributes. Findings indicate that, as community members have had consistent contact with external forces for at least 25 years, local notions of healthiness have accommodated processed foods into the diet. Based on these findings, this research enhances our understandings of how processed food companies have used marketing and branding to insert themselves into rural communities&mdash;what Thomas Leatherman calls &ldquo;Coca Colonization.&rdquo; </p><p>

<p> Middle school teachers are challenged on a daily basis with a population in flux. Middle school students are in transition from elementary school to high school. With the onset of puberty, middle school students are experiencing a host of changes. They also continue to struggle with self-regulation skills, organizational skills and executive functioning. In addition to the physical and emotional changes, a middle school child is able to be left alone at home while one or both parent works. Middle school teachers are tasked to teach this volatile population with science, mathematics, English and social studies. Augment poverty, incarceration, an urban setting, gang violence and influences to the middle school population and you have an even larger challenge for middle school teachers in an urban setting. What sets these urban middle school teachers apart from teachers in other settings? Do they possess a level of hope that elevates and permeates the levels of stress regardless of age, commute, experience, their own middle school setting? Do they feel supported by fellow teachers and administration? Are they new to the field of teaching and teaching in an urban setting is their first teaching job? The goal of this study is to analyze how middle school teachers in an urban setting perceive stress and their level of hope while working with students in an urban setting. </p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perception, beliefs, and attitudes of church leadership on issues of bullying. The focus on church leadership is important as the impact that adults in key leadership positions have on issues of bullying and other forms of interpersonal violence is better recognized today. The role of church leadership is especially important in small, rural communities where churches are often the centerpiece of worship and social bonding. Church leaders from a rural community of eastern Kentucky were assessed on their willingness and capacity to support and lead anti-bullying efforts as well as on their current and future roles in anti-bullying efforts. Through in-depth qualitative interviews, six key themes emerged, including the strong connection between bullying and Christian values, the lifelong physical and emotional impact of bullying, and the lack of current and future action despite a strong belief in personal capacity to make a difference in issues of bullying. The results of the research provided deeper understanding and insight into church leaderships&rsquo; perception of bullying as well as future implications for practice.</p><p>