Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2009. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 48-02, page: .

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

The population of girls being incarcerated continues to grow amid the decline of boy offenders. While society has seen an increase in violent offenses perpetrated by these girls, the majority are still detained on status offenses or for non-violent crimes. For many girls, school is a place to seek solace and safety. Yet, for a growing population of girls, the bond they once shared with school is disintegrating. This disconnect has proven to be a critical turning point in their lives. The purpose of this study is to give girls who have been removed from the general education setting a platform to share their educational experiences.

Doris Lessing and Tsitsi Dangarembga write fiction set in Zimbabwe, the former Southern Rhodesia. Although Lessing grew up as a white settler and Dangarembga, a generation later, as part of the colonized African population, the women sometimes address similar issues. Both write of young girls trying to find a speaking position; under colonialism, what they want to say cannot be said. Lessing's first-person stories differ from her more distant third-person works, which show how white settlers either refuse to recognize their own complicity within the colonial system or accept living a compromised life. Her younger narrators are as yet innocent; the stories often focus on the character's discovery of her own responsibility as a member of the white ruling class. However, these girls have varying levels of self awareness; some seem unaware of the implications of their stories, while others catch glimpses of their own complicity, yet are unable to act. Although Lessing herself is highly critical of colonialism, her stories sometimes risk textually replicating and thus reinforcing the values she criticizes. Dangarembga's first-person novel Nervous Conditions (1988) portrays Tambu, a girl from a poor African family, and her more modern cousin Nyasha. Tambu narrates the story as an adult, Although Nyasha resents colonialism and her patriarchal family, Tambu proceeds with her education, attempting to ignore the injustice around her. Because of the use of an adult narrator, the reader sees what Tambu the child cannot see. Nyasha is unable to voice her concerns; her protest surfaces as anorexia. Both Lessing's and Dangarembga's characters have difficulty speaking because colonialism does not include a space for what they want to say; even if they spoke, their words could make little difference. Lessing' s characters can "speak" only by leaving the country, as Lessing herself did. Dangarembga's Tambu may or may not have "escaped" her situation; by the book's publication, Rhodesia had overcome white rule, and it may be this political change that allows Tambu to tell her story. / Graduation date: 2002

The purpose of the present study was to identify the perception of the parents regarding girls&rsquo / education in Sivas and to explore whether their perceptions show significant differences with respect to certain background variables. More specifically, parents&rsquo / perception of benefits of girls&rsquo / education and barriers to girls&rsquo / education were examined. The sample consisted of 241 parents whose daughters attended the public primary schools in Sivas. Data were gathered from the participants via Girls&rsquo / Education Questionnaire (GEQ) developed by the Researcher and subjected to factor and reliability analysis. Statistical program, SPSS, was utilized to carry out the statistical analyses. Responses to open-ended question were qualitatively analyzed. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized to analyze the data. Descriptive Statistics were used to analyze the background information of the participants. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was employed to explore whether there were significant differences between parents&rsquo / perceptions of benefits of girls&rsquo / education and barriers to girls&rsquo / education with respect to certain background variables. The results indicated that parents had positive thoughts and beliefs concerning girls&rsquo / education. Their ideas regarding benefits of girls&rsquo / education were positive regardless of their social and educational background. As for the barriers to girls&rsquo / education, the findings pointed out that parents&rsquo / were mostly concerned about financial difficulties and securtiy affairs. In conclusion, the results of this study can contribute to girls&rsquo / education by displaying current status of girls education in a relatively small province in Turkey and develop strategies to better the position of girls in education system.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Kent State University, 2006. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Jan. 12, 2007). Advisors: Marty Jencius, Steve Rainey. Keywords: African American adolescent females, Black girls, racial identity, skin color, self-concept, adolescence. Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-108).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1997. / Title from title page screen, viewed June 29, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Roberta Seelinger Trites (chair), Jan Susina, Bruce W. Hawkins. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-177) and abstract. Also available in print.

This action research project examines the role classroom culture and discourse can play on student learning, with a focus on female students. A sixth grade science classroom was evaluated through analysis of two videotaped astronomy lessons. The classroom environment utilized qualitative methods to examine teacher and student interactions, student and student interactions, and classroom environment. The research project began in response to a previous research project which found that after completing an astronomy unit male students not only out preformed female students, but female students lost gains in several area. Findings suggested that there may be a connection between the classroom discourse and microculture and the girls’ low performance.

Childhood depression is a widespread disorder, with Latina girls experiencing higher rates of depression. Cognitive-Behavioral therapy is an empirically supported intervention for the treatment of depression. Group processes occurring during therapy, such as group cohesion, have been proposed as mechanisms through which positive change occurs, though their effectiveness have only begun to be explored. The proposed study will examine the effects of group cohesion in the context of a group CBT treatment on changes in depressive symptoms in biethnic youth. Specifically, this study will analyze self-reports of group cohesion and pre- and post-treatment depression scores of 8- to 14-year old Latina and European-American girls undergoing a CBT treatment for depression. It is hoped that this study will lead to an increased discernment in cultural sensitivity with regards to the delivery of interventions for the treatment of depression. / text

The purpose of this cross-sectional, correlational study was to validate the factors that are related to dysmenorrhea in Taiwanese adolescents. The specific aims were to describe the perceived dysmenorrhea pain symptom experience (SE), related self-care strategies (SCS), and perceived effectiveness of self-care strategies (PESS); to explore the relationships between SE, SCS, and PESS; and to explore the influence of contextual factors on SE, SCS, and PESS. A conceptual framework based on the revised Symptom Management Model was developed and guided this study. A nonprobability sample of 165 adolescent participants was recruited from a technology university located in southern Taiwan. Inclusion criteria for participants were: (1) Taiwanese female adolescent, (2) age 15-19 years old, and (3) willing to participate in this study. All participants and their parents completed the consent forms and completed the questionnaires in their classrooms during free studying time. Five instruments were used and data was analyzed by using the SPSS Version 14.0 including descriptive statistical techniques, Pearson’s correlations, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis. The findings showed the prevalence of dysmenorrhea in this sample was 87.3%. There were 82.4% of participants who reported dysmenorrhea had influenced their daily activity, and 12.7% of participants who reported school absenteeism because of dysmenorrhea. Most of participants used self–care strategies for dysmenorrhea including avoiding cold food or drinks, drinking brown sugar and ginger soup, etc. The most frequently used self-care strategies and their effectiveness were described. Age, age of the first period, total menstrual years, eating cold food or drinks, self-care strategies, and mother’s perceived support of self-care strategies were significantly related to the log of symptom experience of dysmenorrhea. Total menstrual years and self-care strategies were identified as significant predictors of dysmenorrhea. This study added to the body of nursing science regarding dysmenorrhea in Taiwanese adolescents. In particular, the findings supported the existence of relationships between self-care strategies and perceived effectiveness of self-care strategies. Building on these findings, future research should be conducted to design interventions that reduce the pain associated with dysmenorrhea for this population. / text