Thesis (M.P.A.)--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 1993. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2964. Abstract precedes thesis as [1] preliminary leaf. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [184]-199).

Thesis (M.Sc. (Pharmaceutics))--Mahidol University, 2007. / LICL has E-Thesis 0025 ; please contact computer services.

Thesis (doctoral)--Leiden University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [335]-361) and index.

Thesis (doctoral)--Leiden University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [335]-361) and index.

This study examined the effects of volunteer counselor training (empathy training versus information only) and age of volunteer (senior citizens versus adolescents) upon depression level of nursing home residents. Results showed that residents who received a volunteer counselor significantly improved (p < .01) in level of depression compared to the no volunteer control group. The empathy trained counselors were not significantly more effective than the information only group. The age of the. volunteer counselor was found not to be a significant variable.

Knowledge management is a major concern for organizations today, and in spite of investments in technology, knowledge transfer remains problematic. This study sought to determine whether a relationship exists among participant group demographics (experience), implementation of an integrated knowledge transfer system (best practices model), knowledge transfer barriers, and knowledge transfer project (Web-based training) outcome in a virtual organization. The participant organization was a network of individuals and groups who practice patient advocacy in the research and treatment of cancer. These advocates volunteer in various capacities and are not collocated nor do they report to any single organizational entity. Volunteer participants were randomly assigned to a treatment or control condition. The treatment participants received a training supplement based upon a best practices knowledge transfer model. All participants reviewed a Web-based communications training module scheduled for deployment by the participant organization. Upon completion of the training program, participants were instructed to practice specific techniques from the program. At the end of this period, participants completed an online survey that measured demographics, perceived barriers to the knowledge transfer, and project outcome. Knowledge transfer barriers were defined as knowledge, source, recipient, and organizational context characteristics that inhibit the expected transfer. Project outcome was a composite score of items measuring completion time, budget, and satisfaction of the user. Multiple regression identified two significant predictor variables, source (the training program and implementation) and experience (amount of time spent in advocacy practice). Additional analyses found knowledge (causal ambiguity and unproven knowledge) and the experimental treatment condition to show a strong relationship with the explained variance of the dependent variable, knowledge transfer project outcome. Results suggest that an online training implementation is a valid tool for certain specific transfer design characteristics. Experience was a negative predictor of outcome, suggesting that participant-specific level of training material may produce improved outcome. Furthermore, knowledge in the form of evidence that the material is useful as well as explanation of the cause and effect linkage is a factor in a more successful transfer. Finally, the application of a knowledge transfer system designed around organization-specific variables shows promise as a factor in enhanced knowledge transfer in Web-based training in virtual organizations. Further research is suggested to provide additional insight into the predictive value of these variables.

Orientador: Anita Liberalesso Neri / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-07T22:38:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lopes_Andrea_D.pdf: 1085991 bytes, checksum: 1aa9d76f96791a79d287fc3de9cd74f4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: Objetivo: analisar significados, motivações, benefícios percebidos, bem-estar subjetivo, ajustamento psicológico e atitudes em relação à comunidade' entre idosos brasileiros e americanos que realizam trabalho voluntário. Participantes: 54 brasileiros e 49 americanos com mais de 60 anos, principalmente mulheres. Instrumentos e técnicas: questionários e escalas levantando informações sociodemográficas, natureza do vínculo institucional, modos de vida, motivações, significados, benefícios percebidos, bem-estar subjetivo, ajustamento psicológico e atitudes em relação à comunidade; entrevistas semi-estruturadas; observação participante. Análise de dados: análise de conteúdo, estatística descritiva e análise etnográfica. Resultados: Forte similaridade entre os dois grupos, embora os americanos tenham vínculo mais forte com o trabalho voluntário. Todos valorizaram a solidariedade, a oportunidade para a auto-desenvolvimento e a geratividade propiciadas pelo trabalho voluntário; os americanos enfatizaram mais os ganhos em geratividade e os brasileiros a auto-aceitação e o crescimento pessoal. A satisfação e os afetos positivos foram elevados nas duas amostras; o significado do termo voluntário associa-se a valor social. Houve diferenças entre as motivações iniciais, voltadas ao outro, e as motivações permanência, voltadas ao self ; satisfação com o voluntariado associou-se a treinamento e supervisão; identificaram-se relações de interdependência no ambiente institucional. Conclusão: a atividade voluntária formal entre idosos estimula o processo de socialização e o auto-conhecimento / Abstract: Objective: to assess meanings, motivations, perceived benefits, subjective well-being, and psychological adjustment and attitudes toward community among Brazilian and American seniors that do volunteer work. Participants: 54 Brazilian and 49 American people older than 60 years of age, especially women. Instruments and techniques: questionnaires and scales gathering the following data: sociodemographic, nature of the institutional link, ways of life, motivations, meanings, perceived benefits, subjective well-being, psychological adjustment, and attitudes regarding community; semi-structured interviews; participant observation. Data analysis: content analysis, descriptive statistics, ethnographic analysis. Results: strong similarity between the two groups, although Americans have a strongest link with volunteer work. Everyone valued solidarity, opportunity for self-development and gerativity brought by the volunteer work; Americans emphasized gains in generativity and Brazilians, self-acceptation and personal growth. Satisfaction and positive affects were high in both samples. There were differences between the initial motivations, focused on other people, and the permanent motivations, focused on the self; satisfactions with volunteer work were associated to training and supervision; interdependent relationships in the institutional environment were identified. Conclusion: formal volunteer work among seniors stimulates processes of socialization and self-knowledge / Doutorado

The need for behavioral evaluations of volunteers performing hotline crisis work led to the development of the Lethality Assessment (LA) Analogue. This measure is designed to evaluate the competence of hotline volunteers in performing the specific crisis intervention skill of Lethality Assessment. This skill is the ability of the volunteers to assess suicide risk in a caller. The specific procedures used in the development of the LA Analogue and preliminary validation data on its use are reported. The development stages of the LA Analogue were following: (a) operationally defining the skill to be assessed, (b) the formulation of a case summary and caller script based on the skill to be assessed, (c) the formulation of a performance rating scale, (d) the standardization of instructions given to the hotline volunteers being assessed and simulators performing the script, and € training and evaluation of simulators. The construct validity of the LA Analogue was evaluated by assessing a group of hotline volunteers beginning a training program at a crisis intervention center. As expected, LA Analogue scores for hotline volunteers increased significantly following specific training in Lethality Assessment with control group scores showing no significant change over the same interval of time, t(25) = 4.50, p < .0005, one-tailed. In addition, a comparison between the significance levels of the LA Analogue and two other instruments measuring a similar attribute, the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory (SIRI) and the Test for Evaluation of Training in Suicide Prevention (SP Test), showed the LA Analogue to be significantly superior to the other two instruments in measuring training effect, LA Analogue p < .0005, SIRI p< .005, and SP Test p < .05, one-tailed. High reliability was demonstrated for the rating system used, .95 to 1.00. The expected correlation between the LA Analogue, SIRI, and SP Test was not found. It is speculated that this lack of correlation may be due to the instruments assessing different levels (performance vs. cognitive) of the same construct (McGee, 1974) and the correlation coefficient's sensitivity to a small range of scores (Pfeiffer & Olson, 1981). For further validation and resolution of this lack of correlation, additional work employing a larger sample size is needed. The formulation of the LA Analogue has several implications for the advancement of assessment in suicide prevention and hotline crisis intervention training. The availability of a consistent behavioral assessment procedure will enable centers to compare the performance of their volunteers. With other methods of assessment in which the presenting stimulus is not controlled, comparisons would be inappropriate for the reason that volunteers are being assessed in response to different caller variables. An additional advancement is the LA Analogue's focus in measuring a skill specific to crisis intervention. In the area of training, the LA Analogue also provides the volunteer with an experiential learning experience in which he or she is directly confronted with the anxieties, fears, and rewards associated with being a hotline crisis worker. The LA Analogue and applications of its design will contribute to the advancement of assessment of hotline crisis intervention skills.

Thesis (M Social Work (Social Work))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The welfare of communities depends to a large extent on the successful mobilisation of the voluntary contributions (manpower, time, money) by religious based organisations. Poverty and all the other social problems like unemployment and HIV/AIDS, that are associated with it, can only be addressed effectively if volunteers are empowered by social workers to handle the problems in a sustaining way (Annual report, Unit for Religion Development Research: 2002). In order to empower the volunteers, it is important that social workers understand their role in the empowerment process. The aim of the study is to clarify the task of the social worker regarding the empowerment of volunteers at religious based organisations. This study is a descriptive study, seeing that the empowerment of volunteers are described at the end of the research (Mouton, 2001:54). The study also contains elements of an exploring (investigation) study, seeing that the situation has been explored in practice. After completion of a literate study, an empirical investigation was done with the aim to investigate principles of empowerment in practice. For the purpose of this study, the universe is regarded as the social workers who work at religious based organisations in the working area of the Valcare Trust. Deliberate selection, according to the non-probability test sampling as described by Babbie and Mouton (2001:166-168) was used to obtain the test sample. The type of test sample selection is applicable where the researcher is conversant with the research problem and the universe (Rubin and Babbie, 1993). Deliberate selection is therefore based on the researcher’s judgement and the aim of the study (Rubin and Babbie, 1993). The researcher is well conversant with the universe, seeing that the social workers are working at religious based organisations that are registered on the database of the Valcare Trust. Questionnaires, consisting of structured questions were compiled after completion of the literate study for the purpose of the empirical study. The self administered questionnaires were supplied to the respondents. Thirteen respondents took part in the empirical study.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work