No description available.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Rat Challenge program. The Rat Challenge is designed to foster self-confidence and physical conditioning in Fourth Classmen by creating training situations which are stressful enough to show them they are capable of doing tasks which surpass their previously self-imposed mental and physical limits. The program is designed to provide leadership development opportunities for the cadre. It places the responsibility on the cadets for leading and teaching the Fourth Classmen as they advance through the exercises and participate in activities which have calculated elements of risk that make safety paramount. In designing the Rat Challenge, VMI has named 10 goals and objectives of each Challenge Station. They are: improve physical condition, help conquer fears, improve relations with cadre, improve self-esteem, help build team spirit, improve ability to resolve conflict, improve sensitivity to differences in ability, develop problem solving skills, and have fun. The physical education department has not assessed these goals and objectives after completion of the program. Two research questions were asked. What level of achievement was reached by participating VMI cadets by Rat Challenge station? What differences by group(gender, class standing, VMI legacy, siblings at VMI, participation in intramural activities, participation in organized sports, prior military experience, parental prior military experience, parents presently in the military) were observed? The survey population included the Rats and cadre involved in the Rat Challenge at VMI. A two-part, paper and pencil, self-report questionnaire was utilized. Respondents were asked to respond using a Likert-type scale. An open-ended response section followed. Respondents were asked to write any additional comments regarding each Challenge Station. Significant differences in means were found in 6 out of 10 objectives and 9 out of 21 stations. / Master of Arts

Thesis (PhD(Curriculum Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references.

Diversity of social identities among college students has received increasing attention in higher education research, with a particular focus on singular dimensions of identity. However, scholars have often neglected the intersectional experiences of multiple social identities. While research has begun to address the experiences of students with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) students as distinct populations, few researchers have addressed the identities and experiences of LGBTQ students with disabilities in higher education. Thus, this study begins to address a need for empirical research on the social identities and higher education experiences of this population. Two primary research questions guided this study: (1) How do LGBTQ students with disabilities conceptualize their multiple, intersecting social identities, specifically the intersections of disability, gender, and sexuality? (2) How do LGBTQ students with disabilities perceive the influence of context at a predominantly White, research-intensive university in the southern United States in shaping their identity development journeys? This study utilized a qualitative methodology situated within critical and postmodern epistemologies. Specifically, concepts from queer theory, disability studies, and queer disability theory/crip theory guided this research. Situational analysis, a postmodern extension of grounded theory that calls for the making of three types of situational maps, guided the study’s design and analysis. Purposive sampling techniques were used to identify: (1) the institution of higher education under study, and (2) 25 undergraduate and graduate students who self-identify as LGBTQ and with a disability to participate in one to two semi-structured interviews. Students constructed positive, salient queer identities and utilized a variety of contextual labels for gender and sexuality. Most participants understood disability primarily as a medical phenomenon, but some participants also began to attach relational and political meanings to disability. Though participants acknowledged the presence of multiple identities, they viewed connections among their identities in distinctive ways: intersectional, interactive, overlapping, parallel, and/or oppositional. Students described complex processes for disclosing identities, forming community, and navigating normative temporal and spatial expectations of the university. Finally, students spoke of their journeys finding campus resources, encountering able-bodied/heteronormative assumptions in the classroom, and joining with others to create social change. / text

Thesis (D. Min.)--Bethel Theological Seminary, 1981. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 207-211).

Thesis (M.S.)--Eastern Illinois University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-65).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Iowa, 2009. / Thesis supervisors: Anne DiPardo, Carolyn Colvin. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 294-310).

Thesis (M.S.)--Eastern Illinois University, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-82).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-79).