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No description available.

Outdoor recreation on national forests near large urban centers is changing and diversifying as users of many ethnic and racial backgrounds increasingly choose urban-proximate forests as recreation sites. These changes are particularly evident on the national forests of Southern California where large numbers of individuals of Hispanic origins are utilizing dispersed, relatively undeveloped sites for day-use recreation activities including picnicking, barbecuing, and swimming. This usage is the focus of the study. Previous studies of outdoor recreation participation have treated ethnic group membership as a unidimensional, categorical variable. Using a social structural model, this study more fully explores inter- and intra-ethnic differences by examining the role of ancestry, generational status, and acculturation in influencing recreation experiences. Additionally, the study attempts a more holistic exploration of recreation experiences, including their meaning and significance as a way of more fully understanding the experience from the visitor's point of view. The study uses a combination of quantitative (on-site, self-administered surveys) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews and observations) methods to accomplish these objectives. From the results of the study it appears that Hispanic visitors to the study sites vary in terms of their structural characteristics. Certain forest sites are visited primarily by relatively unacculturated immigrants to the United States, with few Anglos or more acculturated Hispanic present. Other areas are composed of more acculturated individuals of longer generational tenure. In addition to structural variation in the study site's Hispanic visitors, there is also variation in meanings and preferences related to the recreation experience. Among the variables examined were past use history, social group composition, primary reason for the visit, what respecting the forest means, and place attachment. The largest differences among the study's respondents in the above questions were found between those of Anglo and Central American descent. Among the study's findings are that those of Anglo descent come to the sites more frequently and had been doing so for a longer time, are in smaller groups, and are less attached to the sites than those of Hispanic descent. Considerable structural differences between the two primarily Hispanic ancestral groups were revealed. The Central American response group contained more individuals born outside the United States and of lower acculturation levels. Hispanic participants born outside the United States were more dissimilar to Anglos in their responses to the questions related to recreation experiences than those born in the United States. / M.S.

Graduation date: 1993

This study used qualitative research, particularly life history analysis, to determine the personal pathways of success for Latino students who chose to enter a health science center for graduate study and who graduated. By giving voice to individual success stories of Latino students, some of the influences on the life pathways of these graduates were determined. For the purposes of this study, success was defined as graduation from a health science center with either a doctor of philosophy, doctor of public health or doctor of osteopathic medicine degree. Four research subjects agreed to participate in this study from a possible 11 students from the graduating class of 2004-2005 at this health science center. Data were gathered through multiple in-depth interviews of the students themselves over a period of no more than one month for each participant. Data were analyzed using the mind mapping technique and Padilla's unfolding matrix. Findings indicate that each participant traveled a different pathway to achieve educational success although similarities did exist across participants. The influences of family background, cultural background, educational background and personal perceptions and goals did affect the pathways of these four Latino graduates. While three of four participants indicated that family was the most important influence on their academic success, all participants related the importance of family to their success, although their definitions of family seemed to vary and included the concepts of education, culture, and personal perceptions and goals. The concepts of family support of education and a culture of education within the family unit emerged as similar themes among study participants. Other similarities among participants were a high academic self-concept, a strong internal locus of control, the ability to create academic community, and a positive view of potentially negative situations. Individual themes emerged from the narratives within each category for each participant. The impact of previous studies on student success, using undergraduate models, was reviewed, and one influence was found among the study participants that had not been used in previous models - health. Implications of findings from this study for educational policy, programs, and practice are discussed.

Substantial evidence demonstrates that marriage is associated with better health outcomes and lower mortality risk. Some evidence suggests that there are gender and race/ethnicity differences between the marriage-health benefits association. However, previous studies on marriage and health have mainly focused on non-Hispanic White-Black differences. Limited information is available regarding the roles of Hispanics. The present study examined marital status, gender, and the differences between non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, and Hispanics, in health outcomes. A retrospective cohort analysis of 24,119 Hispanic, NH White, and NH Black adults admitted to a large hospital was conducted. A total of 16,661 patients identified as either married or single was included in the final analyses. Consistent with the broader literature, marriage was associated with beneficial hospital utilization outcomes. With respect to differences in these benefits, results suggest that married patients, Hispanic patients, and women, were less likely to experience in-hospital mortality. Similar effects were observed in aggregated length of stay with married Hispanic women hospitalized nearly 2 days less than their single counterparts (6.83 days and 8.66 days, respectively). These findings support existing literature that marriage is associated with health benefits, add to the emerging research of a Hispanic survival advantage, and broaden the understanding of marriage and health in terms of differences by racial/ethnicity.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a school counselor led classroom intervention, Student Success Skills (SSS) program (Brigman & Webb, 2010), on Grade 5 Hispanic student’s self-regulation, school attendance, and test anxiety. The study used non identifying archival data from a random controlled trial (RCT) collected at 30 elementary schools in one school district during the school year 2012-2013. Attendance was collected at the end of the school year when students completed Grades 4, 5, and 6. Data were collected at three points: pretest, posttest1, and posttest 2. A series of multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) tests and univariate analyses were conducted to determine statistical significance between the treatment group and comparison group in self- regulation, school attendance, and test anxiety. Effect sizes using a partial eta square were calculated for each dependent variable. The results support the Student Success Skills (SSS) classroom program (Brigman & Webb, 2010) implemented by certified school counselors was documented. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

As adolescents transition to middle school, math confidence and performance declines (Eccles et al., 1993; Lee, Statuto, & Kadar-Voivodas, 1983). These declines are typically attributed to social and maturational changes (Eccles, Lord, & Midgley, 1991; Simmons & Blyth, 1987). In this dissertation, I explore the hypothesis that low parent support for schoolwork is also responsible. Latino-American adolescents are especially at risk for math difficulties. Maintaining adolescents’ engagement and performance in math are important goals for mothers because high levels of both are requisites for many professional careers. This dissertation will focus on Latino-American families to determine if mothers’ homework involvement is associated with changes in children’s math-related outcomes across the transition to secondary school. Parental involvement in math homework is assumed to mitigate declines in math performance during this transition. Cognitive models suggest that involved parents utilize scaffolding (Rogoff & Gardner, 1984) and instruction to ensure math achievement (Pomerantz & Moorman, 2010). Motivational models suggest that involved parents foster math engagement by bolstering child confidence, modeling management strategies, and promoting values that encourage children to work hard (Grolnick & Slowiaczek, 1994; Simpkins, Fredricks, & Eccles, 2015). However, empirical evidence in support of the importance of parents in math achievement is limited. While positive forms of involvement co-occur with better math outcomes (Bhanot & Jovanovic, 2005; Rice et al., 2013), no studies have examined such associations longitudinally. Children who are uninterested in math may be more susceptible to the effects of parental homework involvement because they lack internal motivation for mastery that underlies performance in other children. The present study examines the extent to which Latina-American mothers’ involvement in math homework is effective in preventing declines in child math-related outcomes (i.e., perceptions of math ability, etc) during the transition to middle school. Child math interest was postulated to moderate this association. Results indicated that low maternal homework involvement predicts worsening child math-related outcomes, but only for children who were intrinsically uninterested in math. The findings hold important implications for parents, who must work to ensure that they remain engaged in their children’s activities, especially if children appear uninterested in math. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Sociohistorical, sociopolitical and sociostructural barriers in American society create different paths in the college-to-work transition. Some individuals can follow their natural calling for a vocation, while others must contend with limited access to occupational opportunities. The emancipatory communitarian (EC) framework advocates for resisting and changing of structural barriers that hinder the career path of oppressed groups. Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) explains how sociocultural and background contextual factors interact with self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and career goals to shape career behavior. The present study investigated the relation of ethnic identity and acculturation to self-efficacy beliefs and outcome expectations by testing the validity of SCCT tenets with a sample of 357 Latina/o college students. An EC-SCCT framework was used to explore the relationships among ethnic identity, acculturation level, career decision self-efficacy, coping efficacy, and perceived barriers. The results of a modified path model demonstrated that, for this sample, career decision self-efficacy mediated the influence of ethnic identity and Anglo bicultural orientation on the perception of career barriers. The findings also point to the role of ethnic identity in augmenting Latina/o students' career decision self-efficacy and increasing awareness about career barriers (e.g., ethnic discrimination). The current study contributes to the literature promoting a liberational approach to vocational and counseling psychology theory, research, and practice. Limitations and implications for theory, research, training, and practice are discussed.