ScholarWorks (California State University)
Not a member yet
87523 research outputs found
Sort by
Child Autism Spectrum Disorder and Parenting Stress: A Comparative Study of the Parents of Single Birth Children, and Discordant and Concordant Twin Pairs
No full textA study was conducted to examine parental stress levels of parents who have a single birth child,discordant twin pair (i.e., one twin was diagnosed,and the other was not), or concordant twin pair (i.e.,both twins were diagnosed) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An online survey was created toassess perceived parental stress among parents of children with ASD. The Parental Stress Scale (PSS)andAutism Parenting Stress Index (APSI) were used to measure parental stress. Twin type (i.e.,monozygotic ordizygotic twins) was assessed by the Nichols and Bilbro (1966) physical resemblanceform. Fifty-three parents participated in the study (20 parents of a single birth child, 23 parents ofdiscordant twins, and 10 parents of concordant twins). Though parental stress levels slightly differedbetween the three parent groups, the findings were non-significant. The current study attempted to fillthe gap of knowledge about parental stress levels for twin pairs with ASD, which is underrepresentedwithin psychological literature. The study also attempted to determine if there was a difference inperceived stress between parents of single birth children and parents of one or two multiple birthchildren with ASD. The study was the first to compare parental stress forparents of singletons and twinsdiagnosed with ASD and the first to apply the parental stress protocols to twins
The Parental State and Abortion: An analysis of Supreme Court Abortion Cases.
No full textAbortion has been a contested issue throughout United States history. Roe v. Wade (1973), a landmark abortion case, first granted the women a right to choose an abortion and gave salience to the abortion debate in the United States and around the world. After Roe, there have been many cases that have been abortion on the Supreme Court agenda. For example, Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), preserved the central holding of Roe, and introduced a new standard of scrutiny for states to regulate abortion in the United States, and setting the stage for a cascade of cases that would increase the power of the states to regulate abortion. The federally recognized right to privacy regarding abortion came to a halt when in Dobbs v. Jackson (2022), the current Supreme Court overruled Roe and Casey, taking away women's right to choose an abortion and instead leaving the right up to the states. In this research, I argue that the conflict in the abortion debate is not necessarily about women's rights vs fetal rights, as commonly understood, but the clash between women's autonomy and state power. I show that the post Roe Supreme Court has consistently upheld the "interest" of the state in fetal life, without asserting any kind of substantive fetal rights, while establishing a "parental" approach to regulating women's body and inhibiting their autonomy.https://doi.org/10.46569/9593v423
"United" by Music: The Politics of the Apolitical Eurovision Song Contest
No full textSince 1956, the European Broadcasting Union has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in a quest to unite Europe after World War II and after the fall of the Soviet Union. Eurovision prides itself on being an apolitical entity that only focuses on music. In this thesis, I argue that Eurovision is extremely political. Three things make up Eurovision: voting, performance, and the songs. All of them are political in some form. With countries participating against each other, voting for each other is a political act, especially during times of crisis. From the end of World War II to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Eurovision Song Contest has existed in the middle of political crises. As Eurovision expanded its audience on social media, the performance aspect of the contest became just as important as the music. Political messages can be included in these performances, like the songs themselves.https://doi.org/10.46569/t148fs92
Lu Xun Subverts Orientalism with "Diary of a Madman"
No full textThis thesis examines Lu Xun's "Diary of a Madman" as a subversion of Edward Said's Orientalist framework, presenting a nuanced critique of cultural representations. By adopting Said's foundational arguments from Orientalism—the distorted lens through which the West views in the East—this paper explores how Lu Xun challenges the dominance of Western narratives and reclaims agency for Chinese cultural identity. Positioned as both a critic of traditional Chinese norms and an interpreter of Western thought, Lu Xun navigates the complexities of cultural exchange. His narrative with Western literary techniques transcends binary distinctions, offering a self-determined perspective that deconstructs Orientalist stereotypes while fostering an authentic representation of Chinese identity. This work highlights Lu Xun's role as a cultural translator and reformist, who uses literature to critique Confucian values, resist Western hegemony, and reshape China's cultural image within a global context.https://doi.org/10.46569/k0698h97
Immigrant youth and mental health: accessibility and impact
No full textThe purpose of this research study was to analyze therapeutic interventions offered to immigrant youth from an ecological perspective. The following questions were examined: (a) what therapeutic interventions are offered in ORR facilities for immigrant youth; (b) what therapeutic interventions are offered in school-based settings for immigrant youth; (c) what therapeutic interventions are offered in religious institutions for immigrant youth; (d) what factors (e.g., cultural competence, language barriers, staff training, facility resources) are associated with the accessibility and effectiveness of therapeutic interventions for immigrant youth; (e) are there significant differences in effectiveness of therapeutic interventions depending on the setting. This study employed a systemic review methodology that reviewed literature from the years 2000 through 2024. The databases used for this study were: ProQuest Social Services, JSTOR, Google Scholar, and EBSCO Information Services. Results concluded that school-based, trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) programs are particularly effective due to their high rates of accessibility, cultural adaptation and integration in youth's daily environment. Religious institutions and family involvement in services also play unique and impactful roles. However, structural barriers like language access, institutional preparedness, and lack of culturally humble care persist, especially in settings like Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) facilities. This review calls for systemic reforms in social work policy, practice, and research to ensure immigrant youth receive equitable, holistic, and culturally grounded mental health support.https://doi.org/10.46569/k0698h98
Youth club volleyball and well-being: the influence of team and coaches
No full textYouth sport participation creates opportunities for youth to learn skills and develop relationships that contribute to their own experience and ability to connect with their community. Basic Needs Theory explains that three psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness must be fulfilled to benefit one's well-being. In sport, these needs can be fulfilled through participation and interacting with coaches and teammates. When a coach uses autonomy supportive behaviors and there is higher team cohesion, athletes tend to have higher basic needs fulfillment and thus, higher well-being. This study explored youth club volleyball players (11-18 years old, N= 157) by examining their well-being, need satisfaction, and coach autonomy support across two age groups 11–14-year-old girls (n= 91) and 15-18-year-old girls (n= 66). Using a longitudinal design, players responded to an online questionnaire at Time 1 (beginning of season) and Time 2 (latter half of season). Results showed very high perceptions of well-being, need satisfaction, team cohesion, and coach autonomy support. A series of 2x2 ANOVAs revealed some significant decreases over time in team and coach relatedness, coach autonomy support, and task cohesion (p < .001). Social cohesion, competence, and autonomy remained stable across the two timepoints. Younger girls had significantly higher perceptions of well-being, coach relatedness, and coach autonomy support than older girls (p < .001). Regression analyses revealed that perception of autonomy at Time 1 was the only significant predictor of Time 2 well-being (p <.001, beta = .40). Social cohesion at Time 1 significantly predicted teammate relatedness at Time 2 (p <.001, beta = .30). Results suggest youth club volleyballathletes' well-being is greatly informed by their sense of choice, relationships they form with coaches and teammates, their perception of their environment, and the stage of life they are in.https://doi.org/10.46569/vq27zx74
Overlooked and Underserved: Increasing Educational Access for Incarcerated Students in California Jails Through Multidistrict Partnerships
No full textDespite the proven benefits of postsecondary correctional education (PSCE), most of California's jails lack access to college programming. Only 29 of the 58 county jail systems have educational partnerships with community colleges, leaving thousands of incarcerated students in California's jails underserved. This study examines the barriers to implementing PSCE in county jail facilities and offers solutions to expand access through multidistrict partnerships. Using institutional ethnography and intersectionality as theoretical frameworks, the research traces how bureaucratic policies, and historical legacies of exclusion have shaped current practices. It identifies key barriers limiting jail-based education —such as inconsistent funding, institutional misalignment, administrative turnover, and district boundary restrictions—as well as the systemic forces that sustain them. Furthermore, it reveals that while California Community Colleges operate under a mission of equity and open access, some have engaged in territorial behavior that undermines collaboration and limits jail-based education. Drawing on qualitative data from interviews and document analysis, it proposes that effective PSCE requires dismantling bureaucratic silos, redefining education in jails as a right rather than a discretionary rehabilitative service and investing in regional partnerships. The findings underscore the need for policy reform that supports interdistrict cooperation and aligns PSCE efforts with California's larger goals of educational equity and decarceration. By reimagining jails as legitimate postsecondary sites, this research culminates in an alternate vision of how colleges can serve incarcerated learners and how their contributions lead to the achievement of many broader social justice goals.https://doi.org/10.46569/3t946179
Collaborative Governance in the Context of United States Affordable Housing: A Multi-Policy Analysis
No full textAs recent statistics reveal a growing number of severely cost-burdened households, the relevance of affordable housing becomes increasingly pronounced. While there are different types of policies in the United States intended to enhance access to housing, this graduate project focuses on the measures that involve collaboration between different levels of government and cross-sector actions. Particularly, the following interventions are studied within the scope of this graduate project: Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and Inclusionary Zoning. Using a systematic review research design, this study examines the underlying collaborative structures shaping each of these three interventions and evaluates their outcomes. Literature analysis reveals a pattern of decentralized implementation in LIHTC and HOME, as both are federal programs that delegate a level of discretion to state and local governments. Inclusionary zoning, by contrast, is primarily a local instrument, although in some instances there has been increasing state participation in its governance. Cross-sector collaboration plays a major role across all three initiatives and involves the public sector, private sector, as well as nonprofit organizations. Findings related to the effectiveness and impacts of these interventions exhibit heterogeneity across studies. While the increase in the production of affordable housing units has been reported in some contexts, outcomes vary in different locations and policy environments. Future studies may adopt alternative research designs or pursue different areas of inquiry to further investigate the relationship between collaborative governance and access to housing
The Impact of Digital Divide Among Vulnerable Communities
No full textDigital divide refers to those that have or do not have access to modern technology for the use of accessing basic information and communication resources. This graduate project will analyze the digital divide that impacted vulnerable communities in accessing social welfare services using modern technological tools. For this study, relevant research was reviewed to understand accessibility of modern technological tools and the impact of digital divide among vulnerable populations, including elderly, disabled adults, low-income households, and residents of rural areas. Comprehension of the challenges within disadvantage communities of the digital divide can help policymakers in developing economic policies and support programs to assist these populations
Comparative and hybrid approach to credit card fraud detection using machine learning and deep learning
No full textCredit card fraud detection is one of the most important problems in financial systems where it is crucial to use effective methods for the control of transactions and prevention of losses. This paper offers a comparative and a hybrid model combining machine learning and deep learning to improve the effectiveness of the fraud detection models. This study compares classical machine learning models (Logistic Regression, Decision Trees, and Random Forests) with deep learning approaches (CNNs and RNNs) on a newly curated large-scale transactional dataset. Traditional models provide interpretability, whereas deep learning methods offer adaptability to complex fraud patterns. This research applies advanced feature selection algorithms alongside ensemble learning techniques to improve prediction accuracy while minimizing false positives. However, no model eliminates false positives entirely. Financial security traces credit card fraud detection as an essential challenge where accurate and efficient machine learning models are required for proper analysis. The proposed fraud detection system combines KNN and Random Forest algorithms with CNN to improve performance in security applications. The Random Forest + CNN model achieved an AUC-ROC of 0.99998 and an accuracy of 99.99%. While these results surpass traditional machine learning models, such high performance warrants further validation to rule out overfitting. The proposed method surpasses traditional machine learning models because it achieves better classification performance according to existing research AUC-ROC results from 0.95 to 0.98 combined with 94% to 97% accuracy rates. The analytical results confirm that hybrid deep learning approaches decrease financial security risks by controlling false positives and false negatives which consequently decreases fraudulent events. Therefore, this research offers a solution to credit card fraud detection by presenting a novel, efficient and scalable hybrid model. To highlight the benefits of applying a range of different machine learning and deep learning methods in adapting the approach to address new fraud risks, secure and trust-worthy methods of financial transactions are showcased