With over 2.3 million individuals in a states, federal prison and/or local jail, the United States has the largest prison population in the world. Ninety-five percent of all offenders incarcerated will return to society at some point in their lives; nevertheless, at least two-third recidivate within three years of their parole/post-release and return to prison. The high volume of offenders contributing to the crime rates, enormous prison growth and the budget needed for correctional operation, has led scholars, policymakers, and correctional officials, in addition to society as a whole, to give great attention in discovering and determining ways to break the repetitive cycle of incarceration and recidivism. Once an offender returns to society after incarceration, they face perplexing challenging barriers, and obstacles that impedes upon their ability to resist crime and complete parole supervision. For African American men, these challenging barriers and obstacles are exacerbated, because of their race and gender. Research shows that African American men are disproportionally represented, among the incarceration rates, prison population and are highly susceptible to factors that lead to recidivism. The purpose of this study sought to gain more in-depth understanding of former African American male offenders’ experiences and perceptions of resisting crime and completing parole/post-release supervision. In particular, this study used qualitative methods to interview six African American men, in order to determine the significant impact which social and personal factors led them to successful parole/post-release supervision completion. The results of this study indicated that African American male offenders have the ability to complete parole/post-release supervision, when provided the opportunity to gain employment, higher levels of education and vocational training, strong support from their family and friend, establish positive social networks, participate in rehabilitative programs. The research further revealed other contributing factors aids in their success as well.

Classroom teachers are constantly trying to find the answer to those many behavior situations that arise on a daily basis in schools. In this study, we looked at the benefits of using a digital recorder in the classroom to help students become more “aware” of their behaviors. The study was done in a rural, public elementary school with three males that ranged from third grade to fifth grade. Each of these three boys has been identified as students with either specific learning disabilities or emotional disturbances. This program was run by the resource teacher and a trained paraprofessional. The methods of this study included a digital recording of classroom activities with a focus on the three students. On a daily basis, each student would watch the recording with the resource teacher and evaluate their behaviors. The students were asked to self-evaluate their behaviors before discussing them with the resource teacher. The results for two of the three subjects were a decrease in the target behavior while the third subject’s results were not consistent. With additional time and training, this subject could also benefit from this program. The benefits of this program could reach individual students to improve their classroom behaviors while benefiting the entire classroom as well. Teachers will be able to teach and students able to learn without being interrupted by behavior incidents.

Common discourse concerning the educational trajectories of African American males consists of dismal future outcomes due to defective schooling experiences in kindergarten through twelfth grades. There has been a disregard of counter narratives of high academic achievement and overall school success coupled with a highlighting of failure through deficit-based research practices. Consequently, African American males are positioned as delayed or troubled, which serves to perpetuate educational inequity. This study attempts to increase the scarcity of literature by giving voice to the experiences of high achievement among African American adolescent males attending a school designed to support the achievement of impoverished youth of color. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to investigate the lifeworlds of nine African American males in seventh and eighth grade at a private, college preparatory middle school in southwestern Florida. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted regarding their experiences of academic success. The results indicate that these young men developed positive scholar identities through a process that included the cultivation of academic achievement, sacrificing to succeed, trailblazing, striving for the good life, and planning for success while simultaneously rejecting deficit-based and peril portrayals of Black males. Practical implications for school psychologists, educators, and parents are discussed.

Multiple choice testing has been introduced as an assessment instrument in almost all educational systems during the past twenty years. A growing body of research seems to indicate that tests structured to a multiple choice format favour males. In the ACT, Queensland and Western Australia, a multiple choice examination known as ASAT was used to moderate student scores. Using data from the 1989 ASAT Paper 1, as well as data from the ACT Year 12 cohort of that year, an investigation was made of the items in the ASAT paper. This investigation attempted to identify specific types of questions that enabled males, on average, to perform better than females. Questions, which had a statistically significant difference between the results of males and females, were examined further. An ASAT unit was given to students to complete and their answers to a questionnaire concerning the unit were taped and analysed. The study found that males performed better, on average, than females on the 1989 ASAT Paper 1. The mean difference in the quantitative questions was much greater than in the verbal questions. A number of factors appear to contribute to the difference in performance between males and females. A statistically significant number of females study Mathematics at a lower level, which appears to contribute to females lower quantatitive scores. Females seem to be considerably more anxious about taking tests and this anxiety remains throughout a multiple choice test. Females lack confidence in their ability to achieve in tests and are tentative about "risktaking" which is an element of multiple choice tests. The language of the test and male oriented content may contribute to females' negative performance in multiple choice testing.

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mineral density, deteriorated bone microstructure and increased fracture risk. About 50% of all women and 25% of all men will have an osteoporotic fracture. Given that there is no effective cure in established osteoporosis, prevention is of high importance. Bone mineral density (BMD) is accumulated during childhood and adolescence with a peak at about 20 years of age. Peak BMD has been suggested to explain at least half of the variation in BMD up to old age. Thus, to increase peak BMD could decrease the risk of later fractures. The purpose of the present thesis was to investigate the influence of physical activity, vitamins A and D, and fatty acids on peak bone mass in men. The influence of physical activity on bone accrual was studied in two cohorts. In the first cohort 46 ice hockey players, 18 badminton players and 27 controls, all 17 years of age at baseline, were followed for four years. During the follow up the badminton players gained more bone mass at the hip compared to both the ice hockey players and controls. In the second cohort the associations between physical activity and BMD were investigated in 62 female and 62 male young medical students. The estimated high impact activity per week was associated with bone mass at all sites in the male medical students (r=0.27-0.53, p<0.05). In the female cohort different estimates of physical activity were not related to bone mass at any site. In both males and females correlations between bone mass and body constitution parameters were observed. Levels of vitamin D3, vitamin D2, retinol, retinol-binding-protein-4 (RBP-4) and fatty acids were measured in 78 young men with a mean age of 22.6 years. BMD at various sites were measured using Dual-Energy X-ray absorptiometry. Levels of vitamin D3 showed a significant positive association with all BMD sites and also lean body mass (r=0.23-0.35, p<0.05). Levels of vitamin D2, however, showed a significant negative correlation with BMD of the total body (r=-0.28, p=0.01) and spine (r=-0.27, p=0.02). There was also a significant negative relationship between levels of vitamin D3 and D2 (r=-0.31, p=0.006). Concentrations of n-3 (omega-3) fatty acids showed a positive association with BMD at the total body (r=0.27, p=0.02) and spine BMD (r=0.25, p=0.02). There was also a positive association between levels of n-3 fatty acids and changes in BMD of the spine between 16 and 22 years of age (r=0.26, p=0.02). The significant associations found seemed to be related mostly to the concentration of the n-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid. Levels of retinol and RBP-4 were not related to BMD but to levels of osteocalcin, which is a marker of bone formation. This association disappeared when adjusting for the influence of abdominal fat mass. In summary, the present thesis suggests that many modifiable factors may influence the accumulation of peak bone mass in males, such as physical activity, vitamins, and fatty acids. Further studies are needed to investigate whether optimizing these factors in youth may decrease the risk of osteoporosis later in life.

Visual implicit propositioning suggests that exemplars can activate stereotypes regarding social group members, affecting how individuals may perceive issues presented in a news format. This experiment sought to test the main tenet of visual implicit propositioning by examining how gay exemplars affect social estimate perceptions associated with the mortgage crisis and support for programs that would help homeowners refinance their mortgages. One hundred and ninety heterosexual college students read a news story featuring recent the mortgage crisis with a gay male couple, a heterosexual couple or a house and reported their perceptions related to various social groups. Gay exemplars did not affect social estimate perceptions, but did affect support for programs that would help homeowners refinance their homes. Attitudes towards gay males was examined as a moderating variable, however, this study did not find that these attitudes moderated the relationship between the exemplar presented and social estimates or support for programs.

A large number of African American males have experienced risk and protective factors that may impede or enhance their success in the school setting. As a result of these risk and protective factors, they may or may not be at-risk for adverse outcomes behaviorally as well as academically. As indicated throughout the literature, to better serve behaviorally at-risk students, the educational system has responded by implementing methods such as zero-tolerance policies, increased security, and alternative education programs. While the former has been established throughout the literature, there has been a paucity of research on alternative education programs in general and even less with regard to African American male students. This study examined four levels of risk and protective factors, individual, school, community, and family, among African American males in both alternative and general educational settings. One hundred fifteen students ages 11 to 16 were assessed for demographics, self-efficacy, school engagement, and racial identity measures. The purpose of the study was to examine the differences between risk and protective factors among African American males in alternative and general education settings. Specifically, the individual level was examined in detail using the following risk and protective factors: self-efficacy, school engagement, and racial identity. This study also examined the impact risk and protective factors have in predicting the likelihood that an African American male would be placed in an alternative education setting. Both independent samples t-tests and hierarchical logistic regression analyses were used. Results indicated that there are statistically significant differences in levels of self-efficacy and school engagement between African American males in alternative education settings and general educations settings. No difference was found in levels of racial identity among the groups. Results from the hierarchical logistic regressions indicated that self-efficacy is a significant predictor. These findings show the importance for school psychologists to work with students to instill confidence to be successful in school settings. Also, since self-efficacy was shown to be a significant predictor of placement status in alternative school settings, it is important for school psychologists and school personnel to get involved with these students before they even become at-risk.

Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-62).

The topic of leadership has been present in the academic world for about 100 years. In science, this is considered a rather short period of time, during which the discipline has developed enormously. Initially formulated theories and approaches have now been revised for the most part or even in their entirety. Yet, of special interest for the purpose of this research is the extremely slow development of females in this context and the lack of attention that is given to gender biased perceptions. This academic paper reviews the earliest beginnings of the subject and, as the title suggests, covers not only the history of the subject, but also the latest trends and developments in the area of leadership and gender. As it’s been said by the townsman (c.f. Anecdote), the perceptions people have of their surroundings are as diverse as the people themselves. They depend upon an infinite amount of personal experiences, shaping each and every person’s character the way they are. Therefore, during the course of this thesis, special attention is given to the role of females and especially the cognitions towards female leaders in order to address the issue of potential gender biased perceptions. By means of an online survey - which was not directed towards the general public, but rather towards persons dedicated to the field of gender and leadership - numerical and qualitative data on questions about gender-specific perceptions of leadership was collected. In summary, it can be deduced from these results, that there is a difference in the perception of leadership qualities with respect to gender. However, it should be noted that the gender biases work in two ways: The perceived differences are dependent on both, the gender of the person who answered the questions, as well as the gender of the person in the leadership position. In our opinion as researcher, the findings reveal that there are, indeed, deeply anchored, probably subconscious perceptions that seem to be associated with the topic of gender and leadership. However, all in all it can be said that the commonly assumed stereotypes of clearly male and female leader attributes do not consistently exist anymore. According to the findings of our research, the awareness of females associated with hitherto mostly male perceived leader attributes is present and will probably further consolidate in the years to come. Hence, the findings of this thesis reinforce the general positive evolution of females in leader positions. Additionally, they nurture and further strengthen growing idea of females as being naturally perceived as leaders in order to ensure fair and equitable systems for women and men in leadership.

The present study compared children's perceptions of mothers' and fathers' parental rearing styles in White and Hispanic families. Participants included 173 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade children recruited from after-school care programs in the School District of Hillsborough County, Florida. Children completed measures of perceived parenting for both mothers and fathers and a self-report inventory of their own current psychological symptoms. No differences between perceptions of parental acceptance in Hispanic and White families were expected. However, perceptions of hostile control were predicted to be higher for Hispanic fathers than for White fathers. In contrast, perceptions of maternal inconsistent discipline were hypothesized to be higher for Hispanic mothers than for White mothers. Ethnicity was hypothesized to act as a moderator between perceptions of negative parenting and internalizing and externalizing symptomology. Results indicated that there were few differences in parenting practices between White and Hispanic mothers and fathers. Only perceptions of maternal hostile control were higher for Hispanic participants in comparison to White participants when family socioeconomic status was not controlled statistically. Maladaptive parental rearing behaviors were more associated with children's internalizing than externalizing symptomology. These results indicate that Hispanic and White families are more similar in parental rearing styles than theorized originally. For fathers in particular, an emergent view of fatherhood in Hispanic families was supported. Results are discussed in terms of parenting in diverse families.