Faculty of Criminology, Justice and Policy Studies

This dissertation utilizes a Foucauldian perspective to explore the relationship between at-risk youth and the acceptance and integration of long-term conventional goals and values held by the general population. I posit that orthodox theories, which argue that youth who engage in delinquent behaviors do so because they either reject the goals and values of society, or they realize they have no legitimate means of goal attainment, fail to adequately explain why some youth appear to integrate and strive for these goals. I argue that Foucault's work on power and knowledge, more specifically the use of bio-power and the technologies of normalization, can be used as an explanation for how at-risk youth come to integrate and accept these conventional goals and fully participate in the creation of themselves as "docile bodies". </p> <p>This issue is explored through an analysis of two sets of data collected through the development and implementation of two separate surveys; one given to the general population of youth and the other to at-risk youth. As well, I explore the findings of personal interviews collected with youth incarcerated in Kilburn Hall, a remand centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. </p> <p>What these data show is that, far from rejecting the conventional goals and values of society, at-risk youth appear to integrate both the goals and a strong ideology of personal responsibility for the attainment, or failure to achieve these goals.

The purpose of this thesis is to look at the current treatment of children and youth who are being exploited by the street sex trade. An understanding of the issues faced by these young people needs to be present before successful solutions can be developed and implemented. This thesis argues that children and youth are forced into the street sex trade by social and economic factors that are outside of their control. Young people do not have realistic alternatives to engaging in the street sex trade. Their involvement in the sex trade amounts to survival sex which may be the only way that they are able to provide for themselves. The lack of realistic alternatives to engaging in prostitution related offenses leads to the argument that charging children and youth with these types of offences is a violation of their basic rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Criminal charges do not address the realities that lead to sexual exploitation through the sex trade. Constructive steps need to be taken to deal with this issue in a way that allows for positive changes to occur. It is argued that programs that aim to address the root issues leading to sexual exploitation through the sex trade should be developed and supported. These programs should attempt to divert children and youth off the streets as a more permanent solution, rather then charging them under the Criminal Code. Effective solutions need to be found to protect the children and youth from further exploitation through the sex trade.

Each year, County Extension Agents dedicate many hours toward educational programs to serve clientele. One of the largest programs in 4-H is the youth livestock project. Livestock projects take a significant amount of time and there is a variety of programs offered to youth exhibitors. One of these educational programs offered though Texas Cooperative Extension is Quality Counts. Quality Counts focuses on teaching character education and quality assurance to youth livestock exhibitors. The purpose of this study was to determine the total number of youth livestock projects entered in Texas during 2006 and identify any apparent educational trends. The second objective of this study was to determine how Quality Counts is perceived by County Extension Agents. To complete this study, a web based survey was sent administered to every County Extension office in Texas. 250 of 254 counties responded to the survey (98.43% response rate). From data collected, it was revealed that there were a total of 89,839 total livestock projects entered in 2006 at the county level (76,225 market and 13, 614 breeding). This data was compared to a previous study completed in 2001 by Boleman, Howard, Smith, and Couch. This data compared market livestock entry numbers. Based upon the comparison, market livestock projects have increased by 7.06% since 2000. Beef cattle and goats have increased, while sheep and swine have slightly decreased. Roughly a third of Texas counties will be utilizing the Quality Counts curriculum during the year 2007. Qualitative analysis reveals that Quality Counts is seen as educationally useful and easy to implement into traditional livestock educational programming, and is most often used as part of ongoing project clinics. Most importantly, program participants are increasing their knowledge of livestock projects, character, and ethics. Respondents are also beginning to see program participants’ behaviors change because of participating in Quality Counts.

The achievement gap between White youth and youth of color is a pervasive problem in the United States. Many cultural explanations have been provided within the academic literature to explain the differences in achievement between Black and White youth. However, present theories lack empirical evidence and continuously use a deficit model to explain Black adolescent achievement. It is of utmost importance to explore other theories about Black youth achievement and to identify protective factors to support Black adolescent academic success. Study I of this dissertation examines the effect of behavioral engagement and achievement values on the academic achievement of Black late elementary school students longitudinally through the use of Structural Equation Modeling. Results indicate that whereas behavioral engagement is a significant predictor of academic achievement, abstract achievement values do not influence behavioral engagement or academic achievement. In a follow-up to the study, Study II examines a more complete construct of achievement values, along with behavioral engagement and the impact of these constructs on Black adolescents' academic achievement. Additionally, this study assessed who, peers or parents, has influence on the academic attainment of Black adolescents through the use of Structural Equation Modeling. Results indicate that the achievement values of Black adolescents affect behavioral engagement and subsequent achievement. Furthermore, results suggest that both peer and parent influences have a significant effect on students' achievement values and behavioral engagement. Intervention strategies including fostering the development of positive and academically supportive peer relationships, creating opportunities for youth to interact with pro-social peers, and providing explicit strategies to encourage the continued involvement of parents and parental academic socialization are discussed.

The purpose of the study is to examine the variable of empathy, self-esteem, community involvement, and positive view of the future for both 4-H and non-4-H members in an urban setting. The study also evaluates the link of leadership to empathy, self-esteem, positive view of the future, and community involvement. The study utilized a quantitative research model in which a survey was taken of youth presiding in urban areas in the state of Texas. Descriptive statistics were used to report subject responses from each of the four variables for each question. Individual demographic data was reported by each participant. Reliability was calculated for each sub-scale based on the question section. The reliabilities reported internal constancy within the instrument. The study was designed to look at both 4-H and non-4-H participants in an urban population. Seven of the twenty urban and urban initiative counties chose to participate; these counties were Bexar, Denton, Harris, Lubbock, Montgomery, Nueces, and Travis. Data were collected using purposive sampling. County extension agents were targeted who had access to both 4-H and non-4-H groups. Data collection was consistently below the expectation for each county. This resulted in the low number of overall respondents and low representation of both 4-H and non-4-H members. One problem that occurred was the lack of representation of non-4-H members due to the 4-H agent not being able to contact other agencies due to the timing of the questionnaire and the amount of time and depth of the questionnaire. The overall response rate for the study was 27%. This low response rate hinders results and decreases the applicable differences between the two groups. All findings can only be based to the specific group that was sampled. Findings are: 1. Empathy, community involvement, self esteem, and positive view of the future can be indicators of leadership. 2. Race has a significant impact on self-esteem. 3. 4-H involvement has a significant impact on community involvement. 4. Race has a significant impact on positive view of the future.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2000. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-141).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2001. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-188). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1978. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-117). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

Thesis (Ph. D.) in Individualized in Education and Human Development--University of Maine, 2000. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-102).