The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians on the Qualla Boundary in western North Carolina had maintained an ethnic identity through adaptive strategies. The theories of Louise Spindler (1977) and Fredrick Barth (1969) were used in this study to analyze how the ethnic boundaries between this group and its white neighbors had been maintained. Simultaneously, an analysis of the school system, also utilizing an ethnographic research design, was conducted to investigate the role it played with regard to the adaptive strategies. In particular, this study was concerned with the function of schooling in maintaining equilibrium in the sociocultural system. / The Eastern Cherokee on the Qualla Boundary had not assimilated into the dominant white culture of Appalachia which surrounded them in the Mountains of westen North Carolina. They had utilized the resources available to them to develop strategies which reaffirmed an ethnic identity. These resources included the tribally held reservation land, federal recognition as an Indian tribe, tribal enrollment requirements, federal, state, and local laws, and tourist attitudes. / The Bureau of Indian Affairs school system played a minor role in the persistence of the Eastern Cherokee ethnic identity, yet neither did it detract from that identity. The Cherokee supported the institution and it adapted to the cultural environment in a manner supportive of the sociocultural system. An important factor in this adaptation to the perceived needs of the Eastern Cherokee was the availability of public schooling in two counties adjacent to the reservation. / This study provided a different perspective on the Acculturation of the largest community of the Eastern Cherokee and the role that schooling played on the Qualla Boundary. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-11, Section: A, page: 4635. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The problem for this study was to examine the relationship between the importance of recruitment and retention efforts offered by a public junior college and an upper level university and the degree to which these services were provided, as perceived by minority students attending these institutions. Specifically, this study attempted to accomplish the following: (1) investigate the efforts on the part of the two institutions in providing equal access to education to minority students and their programs to enhance these students' academic performance; and (2) to describe and analyze the recruitment and retention efforts of the institutions to identify the relevance and effectiveness of these efforts as perceived by selected student participants. A secondary accomplishment was the development and validation of a perceptual device which may be used by other single or paired institutions to secure data necessary for program improvement in higher education for all students. / This research study was descriptive in nature. Elements that should be included in recruitment and retention programs and unique characteristics of high risk minority students were identified from the review of the literature. A questionnaire was developed to obtain additional information from 250 minority students, 125 from each of the public institutions of higher education in Escambia County, Florida. The questionnaire was composed of items relating to personal characteristics of the respondents, and their perceptions of the importance of, and the degree to which services were provided regarding: (1) recruitment procedures, (2) institutional environmental factors, (3) financial assistance, and (4) academic assistance. Of the 250 surveys distributed, 133 or 53.2% were usable for analysis. A second instrument was developed from which to conduct structured interviews with students who had withdrawn from each of the institutions. The van der Waerden test of significance was used to test differences in perceptions of respondents at the .05 level of confidence. The analysis revealed significant differences in two of four areas on the instrument when testing for differences in perceptions between institutions. Significant differences were found to exist in four of the eight areas tested at Pensacola Junior College, and in five of the eight areas tested at the University of West Florida when testing for significance within institutions. / The following major conclusions were drawn from the findings of this study: (1) the assumption that the programs, at both institutions, were somewhat relevant and effective in meeting student needs; (2) only a moderate relationship existed between reasons for enrolling in the institutions and existing recruitment and retention programs; (3) the majority of the students did not feel a sense of belonging as a result of existing retention programs at either institution; (4) the significance of a conducive institutional environment and the importance of finances are recognized as critical elements in retention programs; and (5) human relations factors affect perceptions, and students feel a need for role models in order that they may identify the institution. Two major recommendations emerged from this study: (1) that institutions of higher education open lines of communication with minority students so that their concerns may be heard, respected and acted upon, and (2) that administrative concerns become more visible toward student welfare. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, Section: A, page: 2550. / Thesis (Educat.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes of Greek-Cypriot public school teachers toward the teaching of Greek and Turkish languages and cultures, as well as toward local Greek-Cypriot dialect and culture. Specifically, the study sought to determine if the Greek-Cypriot public school teachers favored the following educational changes suggested in this study: (1) Continuation of the teaching of the Greek language and the use of that language as the medium of instruction; (2) Introduction of the teaching of the Greek-Cypriot dialect and utilization of it as the medium of instruction; (3) Introduction of the Turkish language as a second language; (4) Teaching of the Greek culture in a more realistic form; (5) Full coverage of the Greek-Cypriot culture by the curriculum; (6) Introduction of the teaching of Turkish culture, and teaching it in an objective way. / Procedures. A cluster sample of 300 teachers was selected from the population of all Greek-Cypriot public school teachers, (elementary and secondary levels, and urban or rural). / A Likert type questionnaire consisting of six parts, one for each of the six changes suggested in this study, was constructed by the writer and distributed to the subjects in the sample. Their responses were collected and analyzed accordingly. / Analysis. A score of 68 was designated as the distinguishing point between positive (i.e., higher than 68) and negative (i.e., lower than 68) attitudes. With rejection of the null hypothesis set at p = .05 level of significance, a student t test was conducted in order to determine if the total score of the questionnaire, as a whole, was significantly higher than 68. The same method of analysis was likewise followed for each of the six parts of the questionnaire separately. / Results. (1) Statistically significant differences were yielded between the total score of the questionnaire as a whole and 68, the distinguishing line between positive and negative attitudes; the score was higher than 68, thus, the attitudes were determined to be positive. (2) Positive attitudes for all six parts of the questionnaire were likewise yielded, and indicated moderate readiness on the part of the Greek-Cypriot teachers surveyed to accept and support the continuation of the teaching of Greek language and culture, the introduction of the Greek-Cypriot dialect, and the introduction of Turkish as a culture and second language. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-07, Section: A, page: 2986. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

This study presents a policy-related ethnography of women's income generation in Lesotho. The study begins with the proposition that current Women in Development (WID) policy has been shaped, at the international and local level, by over-generalized and, therefore, decontextualized concepts derived from recent WID literature. While a number of these WID concepts, i.e. women's "marginalization," may be generally valid, they tend to narrow our understanding and predefine our interpretation of women's development needs in specific situations. As a result, a "standardized" approach to WID programming has emerged. The study addresses the need to "break-away" from the standardized concepts underlying conventional WID policy in order to learn about how the proposed beneficiaries of WID policy, the women themselves, interpret and respond to the needs and conditions to their particular environment. / Ethnographic principles and procedures are employed to discover and develop indigenously derived analytical constructs. These constructs are applied to the study's depiction and analysis of the income generation enterprises of Basotho women in a number of villages in the Maseru District of Lesotho. A case study of the development of the enterprises of the study's key informant is presented. / The Domestic Developmental Cycle is presented as a culturally-grounded context for understanding women's income generation as a strategic response to immediate and long-term needs and wants. An ethnographic analysis of these needs and wants is provided. A grounded typology of work is developed and applied in this analysis. The study also identifies and describes the People of Business Network, an informal learning and resource system which supports the learning and development of women involved in business in a number of ways. / The implications of these findings for non-formal education programming in Lesotho are discussed. The study also examines the potential of this ethnographic approach to policy research as a planning and needs assessment strategy to inform educational policy in other settings. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-04, Section: A, page: 0914. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.

This study investigated the determinants of school participation of young children in rural Peru. The study looked at two stages of school participation-initial school enrollment and continuation in school to age 14. The data used are from a household survey jointly conducted by the World Bank and Peru's Instituto Nacional de Estadistica. The Peru Living Standards and Informal Sector Survey was completed in 1985 and included a range of data heretofore unavailable for investigation of this and other related issues. / Four separate models of school participation were run using a probit (maximum likelihood) technique: (1) probability of ever enrolling in schooling, (2) the probability of enrolling a child at an early age (before age nine), (3) the probability of a male child staying in school through age 14, and (4) the probability of a female child staying in school through age 14. / In general, the results support the predictions of the model, and provide insights into the impact of various policy manipulative variables on schooling decisions. The coefficient estimates that school costs are a major determinant of schooling decisions. The results also indicate that children from poor households and female children show lower levels of participation and are most affected by costs changes when schooling decisions are made. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-05, Section: A, page: 1235. / Major Professor: Steven J. Klees. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-06, Section: A, page: 3175. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 38-06, Section: A, page: 3351. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1977.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 37-07, Section: A, page: 4198. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1976.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 38-04, Section: A, page: 1957. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1976.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-02, Section: A, page: 0729. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1978.