Thesis (D. Min.)--Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis, MO, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-134).

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2001. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-98). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ71619.

Thesis (D. Ed. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2002. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-131).

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In the United States, prominent racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy, abortion, and unintended births exist. Recent analysis suggests that Latinas are three times more likely to experience an unintended pregnancy than non-Latina white women. More than half of pregnancies among Latinas (53%) in the United States are unintended and have higher unintended births as they are less likely than black women to have an abortion. In addition, in 2006 the unintended pregnancy rate was highest among women aged 20-24. Little research has 0been conducted to understand unintended pregnancy particularly among young adult Latina women. The purpose of the study is to determine and understand the meaning of unintended pregnancy among Latina subpopulations and examine the perceived consequences and management of unintended pregnancy among Latina subpopulations. Between May 2012 and October 2012, twenty in-depth-interviews were conducted with U. S. born- Latinas between 18-25 years of age seeking a confirmation pregnancy test at clinics in which some provided abortion services. Latinas in the study's meaning of pregnancy came from their complicated life situations, and were facilitated by Latino cultural beliefs, such as fatalism, religiosity and familismo. Many held favorable and positive meanings of their unintended pregnancy, particularly those who continued their pregnancies to term. Consistent with several other studies, the act of deliberately trying to plan a pregnancy was foreign to many of these women, particularly because a pregnancy was something that should was not in their control and left up to God. Most of the Latinas in the study felt that women should not plan their pregnancies and doing so was going against fate and natural life course. Public health research overwhelmingly highlights the negative maternal and child health consequences of unintended, while many women in this study perceived the negative consequences of unintended pregnancy to be primarily emotional and social. The inquiry found stigma surrounding unintended pregnancy among Latinas in this study. More than half of the women in the study resorted to termination of their pregnancy and cited fears of family reaction, fears their partner would deny paternity or responsibility, and/or desires to continue schooling, community and societal attitudes toward an unintended pregnancy and religiosity, as influencing this decision. In addition, contributing to the stigma were the stereotypes of Latinas. Latinas decision to continue their pregnancies to term or have an abortion was provoked by diverse and interrelated factors. Although a few Latinas in the study stated their partner's had an influence on the pregnancy resolution decision, all Latina stated that ultimately they were in control over their pregnancy resolution decision. Even when Latinas partners did not agree with their decision, women still performed their intended pregnancy resolution decision. . Family planning services might benefit from intervention designs with the following features that address the cultural needs of this population; a) highlight/stress the importance and benefits of delaying a pregnancy, not discuss pregnancy planning which was found to be irrelevant to these women, b) incorporate and address cultural constructs such as familismo and fatalism as protective factors rather than risk factors, and c) link and discuss issues such as poverty, education, insurance, stigma, and mental health issues. Many women reported these factors as perceived consequences and influencing the management of an unintended pregnancy. Interventions may be aimed at improving provider communication with Latinas about prevention of unintended pregnancy as well their pregnancy resolution options. Future public health campaigns might benefit from incorporating promotores de salud who had similar experiences in curriculums already discussing reproductive health. Support groups and mental health counseling was suggested as needed among participants that terminated their pregnancies. Future research should continue to focus on the multiple levels of influence and the contribution they make on the meaning and consequences of unintended pregnancy. In addition, the role of cultural protective factors in strengthening families and communities merits further exploration. This study increased our understanding of what unintended pregnancy means in the Latino community, and explored it from a comprehensive, multi-dimensional, and structural perspective. Understanding these factors are important and first steps to addressing an issue that affects Latinas, their families, communities, and the nation-at large.

Sociologists are generally in agreement that the closing decades of the twentieth century involved striking changes in the landscape against which British young people grew up. Transformations in education and the labour market had the potential to dramatically alter and re-shape patterns of social inequality. This thesis addresses the importance of family effects upon educational attainment, early career prospects and, in turn, the post-16 trajectories of young adults against the contextual changes of this period. Recently, youth researchers have been keen to argue that we are continuing to progress towards a ‘post-modern era’, which centres on the ‘individualisation’ or ‘detraditionalisation’ arguments of Beck and Giddens; where structural factors, such as gender and social class are diminishing as the defining elements of the pathway a young person will take. In this study, the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), a contemporary source of longitudinal data from the early 1990s onwards, is used to demonstrate a lack of evidence of detraditionalisation, or the weakening of structural factors in determining the outcomes of young people. To the contrary, the gap between those from advantaged and less advantaged backgrounds remains wide. Furthermore, this research augments and extends previous studies of educational and early labour market outcomes by providing more comprehensive and integrated statistical analyses of household, family and parental effects, using techniques for longitudinal data analysis which give insight into patterns of social inequality being replicated in current contexts. Evidence using 17 years of longitudinal panel data indicate that, over time, family effects on school attainment and early labour market outcomes remain strong.

This thesis document provides an historical overview of the internationalization of theatre for young audiences (TYA) in the United States, which has been largely influenced by international populations and organizations since the early 1900’s. Contemporary practices and theories of international education are examined in order to consider its intersections with international TYA. Emphasizing Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and the research of established and emerging TYA scholars, I examine international TYA’s potential to increase the global consciousness of young audiences in the U.S. Through developing global sensitivity, global understanding, and global self (Veronica Boix Mansilla and Howard Gardner’s three components of global consciousness), international TYA presents diverse cultures and stories to young audiences, potentially dispelling stereotyping and ethnocentrism, promoting a global consciousness through theatre’s provocation of empathy. / text

The primary aim of this study was to enhance understanding of readiness to change excessive alcohol use in young adults, ages 18-29 in order optimize clinical care for military personnel. Secondary data analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with a proxy sample of community health center beneficiaries obtained from the 2009 Insight Project Research Group’s study on Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) in the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD). Based on research-supported predictors of readiness to change alcohol use a multivariate model of pathways to readiness to change was created which incorporated psychological (i.e., emotional distress), behavioral (i.e., drinking severity, consequences severity), and maturation (i.e., age, marital status) factors, as well as demographic characteristics (i.e, race/ethnicity, gender). Multiple fit indices were used to assess the model fit with the data, while multiple group analysis was used to test for invariance between pathways to readiness to change for the young (18-29) and middle adult (30-60) groups. The study sample was ethnically diverse and consisted of 1,256 young adults and 4,623 middle adults. The proposed model showed a good fit with the InSight data set. Results demonstrated a strong path connecting emotional distress to both drinking severity and consequences severity, and then from consequence severity to readiness to change. Together, this path lends support to the concept that young adults are using alcohol to modulate their emotions and further, consequences may play an important role in readiness to chance excessive drinking. Variance detected in the multi-group analysis between young and middle adults also provided support for theory claiming differentiation of these groups, particularly as it relates to excessive drinking and readiness to change. Implications for future research and practice include the importance of replicating this and future studies with military samples. These findings lend support to the role of emotional distress and the coping theory paradigm in treating young adults. The military may be best served by continuing to support resources which promote healthy stress tolerance while simultaneously fostering proactive screening procedures and evidence-based care. Further, these findings also suggest that pathways to readiness to change may vary between young and middle adults, particularly as they relate to alcohol related consequences. Future research should focus on the role of consequences and the influence they may have in promoting readiness to change for each age group within the clinical setting. / text

Social networking has become integrated into every aspect of business that one can imagine and universities must take advantage of the phenomenon to build personal relationships with young alumni in an effort to build a lifetime of loyalty. This study addresses some issues that should be considered to build loyalty in young alumni, from the moment of their first arrival, rather than waiting until after they graduate to cultivate them. This study examines how alumni relations officers can help build relationships through social networks, and in-school interventions that will help creating lifetime loyalty among young alumni. Young alumni, who are more familiar with technology than older generations of alumni are a prime target audience that should be considered to study efficient and effective way for universities to get their messages out. Through an interactive qualitative analysis study, this research addresses the factors that keep alumni from wanting to hear about and be vested in their alma mater before they graduate and how they will communicate with the university after graduation. This study explores the broad question, Why do some students use alumni social media and some do not? To answer the question, the researcher explores the phenomenon of The Undergraduate Experience and Using Social Media. Using Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA), this study identifies the elements that make up The Undergraduate Experience and The Using Social Media Experience. The study goes further by identifying how these elements relate in a system of influence. The study concludes with practical solutions for the engagement of alumni. / text

The purpose of the survey was to find out how early childhood teachers work with the curriculum of I Ur och Skur with children between 1-3 years in the forest and how such educators are using the outdoor pedagogy in the forest environment in preschool. In order to answer the study's aim and objectives interviews were performed with six teachers in I Ur och Skur kindergartens. What emerged from this study is that forest excursions are a central part of the curriculum and is seen as their educational place. The teachers are working to create a feeling of security among the youngest children of enjoying the woods and also to raise an interest in the children. Natural materials are used during the forest stay and no other toys or materials. The results reveal that educators work to get the smallest children to use and develop their imagination at play and at the same time they are involved with the children in their discovery of the woods. With the smallest children in kindergarten it involves being on the level of children and as a teacher to have the flexibility to change the forest stay environment if needed.