Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2009. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-146).

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Illinois State University, 2000. / Title from title page screen, viewed July 31, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Kenneth F. Jerich (chair), Mark Shelley, Wayne Benenson, Joe Nwoye. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-86) and abstract. Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--Springfield College, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

M.A. (Social Science) / Adolescent pregnancy and motherhood have been given considerable attention in the South African education system. Before 1994 pregnant adolescents were expelled from school (as the policy then stipulated) until they delivered their babies. With the adoption of new national legislation, current policies, the South African Schools Act no 84 of 1996 emphasise that equal education must be provided for all learners, thus abolishing the exclusion of pregnant learners from mainstream education. This study explored support provided to teenage mothers who return to school. The research approach of the research was qualitative in nature. The research design was exploratory and descriptive. The target population was teenage mothers who returned to either of the only two high schools situated in Reiger Park. The sampling strategy was non-probability sampling. The data collection methods were semi-structured interview schedules, observation and a tape recorder. The data were analysed by with the assistance of a qualitative context analysis. The findings suggested that participants experienced support from their families and community as a vital role in being a teenage mother, as they experienced being a teenage mother to be life changing. It was found that the families and community of the teenage mothers provide various kind of support to them to enable them to return to school. Although they had the support of their families and in some cases their boyfriends, the responsibilities of raising a child at such a young age placed heavy burdens on them. The general consensus from all the participants was that their children became the centre of their lives. Practice guidelines for social workers were established to improve the provision of support to teenage mothers who do not receive support from their families and community.

The author developed a model for at-risk youth that outlines processes and incorporates best practices of an equine-facilitated program. The Horse Program Model (HPM) is designed to determine if and how participating in a horse program can help change attitudes, skills and behaviors of at-risk youth.

This research sought to explore the effects of a postmodern career life story intervention on a sample of eight disadvantaged grade 12 learners. A qualitative research design using pre and post intervention interviews was used to explore whether the participants reevaluated or reinterpreted their responses to the interview questions in light of the intervention. The results of the study indicated that the participants experienced increased self-understanding, self-esteem, initiative and hope, optimism and empowerment through the intervention. The participants appreciated the time and space to be able to reflect on their lives. It appears as if all the various components of the life story intervention had a powerful impact on the participants. Writing life stories and using art materials appeared to be a method that was effective with disadvantaged grade 12 learners.

The New Horizons Project, a school/business partnership in Richmond, Virginia, was established in 1980 between the Richmond Public Schools and the Metropolitan Richmond Private Industry Council to prepare youth from economically disadvantaged homes to enter the world of work. An in-depth case history of the New Horizons Project was conducted to describe how it was developed and to identify the factors that became a part of its implementation, success, and demise. The study provides useful information to school systems which are interested in establishing similar partnerships. The population for the study consisted of representatives from the business/industry community, the Richmond-Public Schools, the New Horizons staff, and a Virginia Commonwealth University faculty member who had knowledge of the project. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the readiness, planning, training and implementation stages of staff development in the implementation of the Accelerated Schools Program in a suburban elementary school. The research questions focused on how the school became interested in the accelerated program; the steps that were taken to make the school ready to accept the program; the training made available to the staff, parents and students; how teacher approval and acceptance were achieved; and how the implementation was initiated and to what degree.

Thesis (D. Ed.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 184-203). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

In recent decades, the use of strengths-based approaches has become increasingly popular in youth intervention and prevention programs (Maton et al., 2004), which emphasize creating emotionally safe environments through the process of relational community building (Maton, 2000). However, relatively little is known about the relationship between group composition, specifically similarity between group members, and emotional safety and program efficacy. This thesis examines the relationship between adolescent males' similarity to their peers in terms of their demographic profiles and behaviors and belief systems, experiences of emotional safety, and changing behaviors and belief systems in a strengths-based intervention program within Ohio juvenile correctional facilities. Results indicate that in the cases of education-related self-efficacy and the benefits associated with criminal activity, participants significantly changed in the direction opposite of the program's intentions. However, these negative changes were attenuated by differences between participants and their peers in the program. Theoretical implications and potential explanations are discussed.