The purpose of this study was to identity whether the following variables are related to a sense of alienation among international students: age, sex, marital status, length of time in the United States and in Tucson, the place of residence, the participation in campus activities, and their perception of language ability. Alienation is viewed as a sense of powerlessness, meaninglessness, and social estrangement. The instrument for collecting demographic information and measuring the level of participation and alienation were administered to randomly selected international students at a southwestern university. Responses (185) were analyzed to find out the relationship among variables. The analysis identified that the more international students participated in campus activities, the less they felt alienated. Asian students had higher alienation scores than non-Asian students. The results suggest that the needs of different groups among international students should be evaluated separately, especially when designing the language programs. The international students should take the initiative to utilize the resources on campus which could help them adjust to the environment easier.

This study presents information gathered from a follow-up survey of 124 female community college honors graduates from the years 1989, 1990, and 1991. Results are intended to provide descriptive information in understanding the role that successful completion of community college education plays in the career development of women. Participants provided information via a questionnaire regarding demographics, factors related to academic success, choice of major, current education and employment status, and career and educational goals for the future. Results indicate that female community college honors graduates are likely to be reentry women who have career related goals. One to three years after graduation, the women are employed full-time, studying for bachelors degrees, or working in the home. It appears that community colleges provide women with an opportunity to achieve formal education at virtually every life stage. Conclusions and implications are drawn for career counselors and community college personnel.

The issue of satanic ritual abuse has gained widespread public and professional attention in the past ten years. During therapy, many adult Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) clients describe memories of Satanic Ritual Abuse (SRA) beginning in childhood. Basically, the only information circulating in the mental health professional community about MPD/SRA issues is derived from workshops and lectures at trainings and professional meetings. The intent of this project was to determine the need for an in-depth educational training film for mental health professionals to assess, diagnose and treat satanic ritual abuse survivors in conjunction with multiple personality disorder. A questionnaire was used to determine whether a video educational training film would be beneficial. The conclusion was reached that an educational training film would be useful in helping mental health professionals. It was also concluded that educational training films in the behavioral sciences is an effective training tool.

This is a pre-test, post-test with a comparison and treatment group study surrounding sexual diversity in residence halls at The University of Arizona. The study starts at the beginning of an academic year with an anonymous Diversity Questionnaire for all residents in two similar residence halls. Both halls are coeducational and similar in student population, age, size and location. Each hall's residents were asked to complete the questionnaire to be scored. One hall's (Graham/Greenlee) Resident Assistants were told of the results and asked to prioritize their programming to include sexual diversity issues. The other hall's (Apache/Santa Cruz) questionnaires were scored, but no results will be disclosed and, therefore, no special programming took place. At the end of the academic year, the questionnaire was repeated in both halls and compared to the beginning of the year questionnaire results to show changes in attitudes towards sexual diversity.

Fifty-five fathers and 90 mothers in Taiwan were studied to test if there were any parental factors related to their parenting knowledge, knowledge of child development, and childrearing involvement. The data were collected by the Personal Information Questionnaire, Parenting Knowledge Questionnaire, Knowledge of Child Development Inventory, and Childrearing involvement Questionnaire. The parents' educational level, parental occupation, and parenting training experience were found to be positively related to the parents' level of parenting knowledge, knowledge of child development, and childrearing involvement. Positive relationships were also indicated between the annual family income of parents and their level of parenting knowledge, knowledge of child development. However, the parental age and the parents' childrearing experience existed negative relationships with their level of parenting knowledge and childrearing involvement in the study.

This study examined negative reception to caregiving by a chronically ill spouse and the impact on the caregiving and the caregiver spouse. Quantitative and qualitative methodology were used. Audiotaped interviews using the Caregiver Impact Inventory (CII) (Miller, 1993) provided data on caregivers' perceptions of negative reception to caregiving by a chronically ill spouse. Perceptions of Caregiving (Oberst, 1991), Caregiver Burden Scale (Oberst, 1991), Caregiver Strain Index (Robinson, 1983), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem (Rosenberg, 1965), were implemented. Eight respondents indicated (CII) that negative reception to caregiving by a chronically ill spouse had a significant impact on the thoughts and feelings, and self-esteem of the caregiver. Caregiver spouses responded by reserving or withholding caregiving responses. The caregiver spouses indicated that moderate levels of threat, general stress and benefit (POC), moderate levels of burden (CBS), moderate levels of strain (CSI) and low-moderate self-esteem were experienced.

This study sought to examine patterns of acculturation among a sample of 18 Mexican American college students and to compare them with participants' scores on a self-esteem scale, which was selected as a measure of adjustment. Mendoza's Cultural Life Style Inventory was used to assess acculturation due to its ability to provide a more precise profile of acculturation. Self-esteem was measured with the 10-item Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. Although the findings did not indicate a statistically significant correlation between the two, the data contained in the acculturation assessments, particularly, suggested some interesting indications to the effect that while most have an overall dominant tendency of cultural shift, the tendencies exhibited in several individual dimensions more frequently tended to be cultural incorporation or cultural resistance. It was also noted that the self-esteem scores tended to be quite high.

The purpose of this research is to investigate self-concepts among middle school females. A nine-week self-concept enhancement program is implemented and utilized as the treatment condition. The self-concepts of all participants are assessed and monitored in nine-week intervals. The instrument, Student Self-Concept Scale assesses: (1) Self-Confidence in four areas: self-image, academic, social, and composite; (2) Importance of: self-image, academic, and social, and (3) an Outcome-Confidence composite. The results indicate that statistically significant differences exist at the pretest in two subscales: academic importance and social importance. At the posttest, statistically significant differences are detected in the academic importance subscale and in the outcome confidence composite. Overall, the results illustrate positive trends within the treatment group for each domain of the self-concept scale, with the exception of the decreased importance that all participants placed on self-image. Nine-week delayed tests in the experimental group reveal that increases from the posttest are maintained.

Young children are being exposed to violence at an alarming rate. Many societal issues have changed over the last three decades since Head Start began, including an increase in violence. According to Beyond the Blueprint: Directions for Research on Head Start's Families (Phillips & Cabera, 1996), violence is a major issue which should be studied to determine Head Start's role. Head Start parents were surveyed in 1996 to determine (a) how they teach their children non-violence, and (b) how they would like Head Start to support them. Surveys were analyzed and served as the basis for developing interview questions for a separate group of parents in 1997. Interviews were conducted with Head Start parents to determine (a) how their child is exposed to violence, (b) coping methods parents use when their child is exposed to violence, and (c) what parents think Head Start's role should be regarding violence. Interviews were analyzed and recommendations regarding Head Start's role are discussed.

In 2000, the number of students giving up on school will increase to about 40% or nearly 2,000,000 (The National Dropout Prevention Center, 1989). Unfortunately, these students typically will drop out of society and out of the work force. This study examined 387 eighth graders' general attitudes toward school, ditching school, peer influence in the context of dropping out, educational aspirations, how time is spent, parental involvement, and attitudes toward dropping out of school. The strongest factor that emerged was parental influence. The findings revealed a statistically significant relationship between parental influence and students' educational aspirations. Moreover, chi-square tests for independence revealed significant differences between the levels of parental influence and students' thinking of dropping out and students' believing that they would drop out. These findings suggest that there is a strong positive relationship between parental influence and students' attitude toward dropping out of school and students' educational aspirations.