The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the process of networking in two intentionally created social networks. It sought to describe the core characteristics associated with networking and analyze how networking functions as a social resource generation strategy for adults dealing with personal growth and/or social change. This study utilized a transformational frame of reference to focus the investigation. The literature suggests that transformationalists view networking as an action oriented change strategy which can be used to accomplish an array of personal and group goals. A theoretical rationale was presented to support the assumption that networks and networking are effective vehicles for personal and social transformation. It asserted that networks and networking emerge out of and are a reflection of a new paradigm or worldview. It demonstrated that the characteristics of networks and networking are a manifestation of the propositions inherent in the new paradigm and therefore can be appropriately viewed as vehicles for personal and social transformation. Qualitative research theories and methods were used to conduct two case studies of social networks which were intentionally created to assist adults dealing with some aspect of personal growth and/or social change. The findings indicated that networking can be typified by three core characteristics: connectedness, communication, and cooperation. Networking, in these settings, served four fundamental functions. It provided access to information and potential sources of power and influence, promoted psychological support, provided assistance with problem solving, and enhanced community effectiveness. A comparison of the findings from each of the cases also indicated important differences in the characterization and functions of networking between the two settings. One of the conclusions drawn from this study is that while generic characteristics and potential functions are identified, how and to what extent they became operationalized were effected by various contextual factors, most notably the purpose and structure of the network.

Current efforts to expand adult literacy services in the United States too often merely replicate past ineffective practices and fail to make use of alternative instructional and management approaches available to them. Learner participation practices are one such potentially useful tool. In them, learners are intentionally encouraged to take greater control of responsibility in the running of program activities. Not enough is known at present about the purposes, origins, forms, users, supportive or hindering factors, and outcomes of these practices as they have been developed to date. While there is evidence that the field has a growing interest in participatory approaches, only limited information and analysis have been developed to guide those hoping to improve and expand the use of these practices. To begin to fill in these gaps in knowledge, this study initially reviews the literature on participation and discusses three purposes for active learner participation: "efficiency," "personal development," and "social change." It then presents the results of a national survey of participatory practices in the instructional and management components of U.S. literacy programs. In instruction, learners are in some cases actively involved in planning, evaluation, peer-teaching, writing and reading practices, field trips, and artistic activities. In management, learners are taking leadership roles in public awareness and advocacy, governance, learner recruitment and intake, mutual support, conferences, community development, program staffing, income generation, and staff recruitment and training. Built on documents and interviews, the survey reveals that this interest is evident across the field, particularly within community based and volunteer programs. Next, intensive case studies describe participatory activities in two volunteer programs, two minority-language programs, and two programs for low-income women. These cases and the national survey provide the basis for an analysis of the origins, limitations, strengths, and critical conditions related to participatory efforts. Finally, the study recommends actions aimed at improving and expanding the use of these practices. These actions include building a deeper understanding of participatory literacy education, research and training, and expansion of the material and human resources needed to make these practices work.

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Mental health professionals who provide treatment to sex offenders navigate the complex legal, ethics and moral intersections surrounding the population within the professional-personal dialectic. The purpose of this research study was to explore the potential relationship between mental health professional's attitudes toward sex offenders and their level of moral development in order to encourage increasingly effective training and experiential interventions which then may impact treatment outcomes. Research participants included licensed and non-licensed counselors, social workers and psychologists (n = 135). Along with a demographic questionnaire and the Marlowe- Crowne Social Desirability Scale, the Defining Issues Test was used as a measure of moral development and the Community Attitudes Toward Sex Offender Scale evaluated the attitudes of mental health professionals toward the sex offender population. This study identified a statistically significant relationship between a mental health professional's level of moral development and attitude toward sex offenders with 6.2% of the variation in attitudes related to DIT-II N2 scores. Mental health professionals that engaged in greater amounts of self-directed training endorsed less negative attitudes toward sex offenders. No relationship was found between the mental health professional's length of experience, other types of training and attitudes toward sex offenders. The results and limitations identified within this study support further development of this line of research with an emphasis on recruiting a sample with a larger representation of participants with sex offenders specific credentialing and with the inclusion of additional or alternative assessments related to evaluating attitudes toward sex offenders.

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The purpose of this study was to determine if the behavior modeling approach to training could be used effectively to teach managers conflict management skills. The researcher explored whether behavior modeling training made a significant difference in the participants' conflict management behaviors and whether videotaped feedback to participants enhanced their gain scores.;Forty-eight managers from an industrial organization in central Virginia were the subjects for this study. The managers were invited to participate following a needs assessment identifying conflict management as a skill deficit.;The design used for this study was a combination of the pretest-posttest control group design and the posttest only control group design. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two experimental treatment groups: Group I--behavior modeling training/no video feedback (N = 24) and Group II--behavior modeling training/video feedback (N = 24). Each group was broken into two sub-groups (N = 12). One received a pretest and posttest, the other received a posttest only. The eight dependent variables Describe the Problem, Ask for Reasons and Listen Attentively, Define Needs, Generate Alternatives, Evaluate Alternatives, Select an Alternative, Follow-up, and Overall Rating, were collected using assessment center methodology.;It was hypothesized that (1) behavior modeling would be an effective approach for training managers in conflict management skills, and (2) that videotaping participants' role plays for use as feedback would produce greater gains than behavior modeling without videotaped feedback.;It was concluded that behavior modeling training significantly improved scores on the eight dependent measures. However, behavior modeling training with videotaped feedback had no additional effect on the dependent measures.

The purpose of this study was to determine how RNs who were seniors in academic programs leading to a baccalaureate nursing education perceived their programs. These perceptions were determined by assessing: (1) the educational and experiential characteristics of senior re-entry registered nurses, (2) reasons for returning to college for a baccalaureate education, (3) perceptions of the relevancy of nursing course work, and (4) personal, professional and academic difficulties encountered in the program of study. The study also investigated specific demographic data with relationship to perceptions.;Participants attended nursing programs at seven Virginia state supported colleges and universities. A sample of convenience was used with a total of 78 participants (75% return rate). Participants were in their last semester of study at their respective universities.;The five research questions were: (1) What are the educational and experiential characteristics of the senior re-entry registered nurses who return to college for a baccalaureate nursing education, (2) What are the reasons senior re-entry registered nurses cite for their return to college for a baccalaureate nursing education, (3) How do senior re-entry registered nurses rate the relevancy of their nursing course work, (4) Is there a difference between the work experience of senior re-entry registered nurse students and their perceptions of the academic, professional and personal difficulties experienced while in college? (5) Is there a difference between the educational level of senior re-entry registered nurse students and their perceptions of the academic, professional and personal difficulties experienced while in college?;It was concluded that: The average re-entry RN is 31 to 40 years of age, female, married, with children, white and employed 1-10 years in staff nurse positions in hospitals. (1) Registered nurses return to college for personal reasons, because it is the trend in nursing, and for credibility/prestige, (2) nursing education material is current and reflects new research from a variety of sources, and is appropriate for their backgrounds, (3) the cost of education requires RNs to work in order to afford college, (4) and (5) there was no difference between AD graduates and diploma graduates based on experience and education.

This is a phenomenological study focused on a small, suburban Florida College System institution that has implemented a three-year induction program for new faculty, as part of its professional development program. It is related to retention of new faculty through the first five years. This study was undertaken to define and exemplify professional development and how it is utilized by practitioners. Secondly, it outlines induction programs and what works best to retain skilled faculty in FCS institutions. Members of several cohorts of the induction program were asked to participate in the study and were interviewed about their experiences in the program and of professional development in general over the first year of their employment. Deep analysis of interview transcripts revealed the benefits of a structured, defined induction program including forming a group dynamic within the cohorts, establishing connections across the offices on campus, and creating bonds with mentors in the discipline. This study focuses on state college faculty and creating an atmosphere that encourages retention and inhibits attrition beyond five years. The key findings of this study show new faculty who participate in a college-sponsored, mandatory induction program relate three primary experiences: establishing connections with others across the college and understanding their own place within the institutional structure, enhancing engagement to the college through mentoring experiences, and increasing their skill in teaching and learning in modalities including fully seated classes, hybrid classes, and completely online classes. These experiences relate to the primary themes uncovered through deep analysis of the collected data.

This study examines the relationship between college students’ developmental level of identity formation and their choice to make intentional changes in behavior. Specifically, it examines whether there is a relationship between the level of identity development of college students according to Chickering’s model, measured by the Erwin Identity Scale (EIS), and the level of Readiness for Change concerning alcohol use following the Stages of Change Model by Prochaska and DiClemente. Correlational analyses in the form of multivariate regression is used to examine relationships between the various assessment measures. This helped answer the research questions: Is there a relationship between identity formation developmental levels and Readiness for Change, and do the subscales from the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES) relate individually to any of the subscales of the EIS? The results of the multiple regression analysis conducted with the Recognition subscale of the SOCRATES as the dependent variable and the three subscales of the EIS as the predictors indicated that two of the EIS subscales, Sexual Identity and Comfort about Body and Appearance had a significant relationship to Recognition. The EIS subscale of Confidence showed no significant relationship to Recognition. The possibilities of linking developmental level and issues around changing the drinking behavior of college students open up a way of evaluating college students’, which could alter the counselors’ approach to which interventions they would choose. Since the choice of intervention is imperative to the success of the counseling process, the college students’ level of identity formation may be related to Readiness for Change, and that by identifying students’ identity level and matching the identity level with counseling approaches, counselors may be more effective in helping students make changes in potentially harmful drinking practices.