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An Examination of Social Justice and U.S Politics Among Mexican Americans: The Role of Education in Political Participation
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and behaviors of Mexican Americans toward social justice issues in a political context, as a function of educational attainment. Based on the premise set forth by Boakari (2006), we expected those with a higher level of educational attainment would reflect both perceptions and behaviors that represent a more socially aware and participative citizen within a political context. Results were significant for all analyses, indicating that participants with a higher level of educational attainment had perceptions and self-reported behaviors more congruent with social justice issues in a political context, compared to participants with a lower level of educational attainment. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of education in shaping the participation of Mexican Americans in issues related to social justice and U.S. politics
The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on the Academic Performance of At-Risk High School Students.
No full textThe purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and the academic performance of at-risk students. The label of at-risk has become synonymous with a type of student who, due to factors beyond his or her control, would appear to be set up or at-risk for failure before ever having a chance to start learning. Many of these students come to schools so burdened by issues of poverty, language barriers, and dysfunctional families that attending to learning may seem more like a burden than an opportunity. Along with increasing numbers of students who are at-risk for failure and dropping out, educators must now also consider increased levels of state and national accountability requirements. This means an increased pressure on educators at all levels to find new ways to counteract the negative effects of at-risk factors while simultaneously improving the academic success of at-risk students. The 300 student participants in this study were both regular students ami students who have been labeled as at-risk, according to national standards and Texas state standards, and who are in danger of failing courses and dropping out from the traditional high school environment. This study also included 26 Math, English, and Science teachers. All participants took the Mayor Salovey Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). Student participants took the youth version—currently in data collection. To determine correlations between emotional intelligence and academic performance, quantitative analysis was performed using SPSS. Student course grades and standardized test scores in Math and English were correlated to MSCEIT scores. Correlations were also done using demographic data, attendance, and discipline referrals. The Mayor-Salovey four branch model of emotional intelligence was used as a basis for interpretation of data. The findings of this study support the hypotheses that there is a correlation between emotional intelligence and the performance of at-risk students. In addition, the findings support a connection between the academic performance of non at-risk students and emotional intelligence, the correlation between teacher El and student performance, the correlation between verbal ability and emotional intelligence, and the predictive ability of emotional intelligence testing
Describing the Values Within the Sub-Cultures at Hillside University
No full textThe purpose of this study was to describe the values that exist within the sub-cultures of Student Affairs, Business Affairs and Academic Affairs at Hillside University. Hillside University (pseudonym assigned by researcher) is one the fastest growing public universities in the country. Hillside University is considered an emerging research institution as well as committed to its public mission of access and opportunity. This creates competing goals for the university. Values were examined in order to further explore the current organizational culture that exists at Hillside and the differences that may exist between the sub-cultures. This study utilized a quantitative approach involving the collection of data through surveys using the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI), adapted from Cameron and Quinn’s original instrument. The findings of this study showed that Student Affairs, Business Affairs and Academic Affairs all indicated a current hierarchy culture where stability, structure and clear lines of decision-making authority are valued. The study also showed that all three subcultures indicated a preferred future clan culture where flexibility, an extended family atmosphere and employee development are valued. A change to clan values will require a well-planned organizational culture shift to increase organizational effectiveness. While this particular quantitative study does not provide every piece of information needed to fully describe the values that exist at Hillside, it provides the grounding for further research and studies that may impact not only Hillside University but also other universities that struggle to adapt to the changes in our society, in higher education and within universities and colleges
The Potential Benefits of Taking Introduction to Art for Non-Art Major College Students
Get PDFThis research was conducted to discern the potential benefits for non-art majors taking a general art course based on the perspectives of both discipline-based art education (DBAE) and visual culture and art education (VCAE). The research also attempted to ascertain the impact of DBAE and VCAE on the students. DBAE considers art an indispensable part of general education and supports a broad educational mission that promotes building minds and cultivating problem solving, VCAE stresses “meaning making” and active learning. This study demonstrated how the goals or objectives of art education promoted by both DBAE and VCAE are beneficial and crucial for the development of college students. A survey questionnaire was used to obtain qualitative data related to students’ learning outcomes. The researcher first identified the themes prominent in both DBAE and VCAE and then translated those themes into survey items. This study was conducted on the campuses of one college and one university in the southern district of Taiwan. Both are technology schools and award bachelor degrees. After data were cleaned, there were 189 valid questionnaires. In addition, textbooks frequently used by art educators to teach Introduction to Art were analyzed. This research concluded that student participants have benefited from most of the learning outcomes. Based on their answers to the closed-ended questions, students benefited equally from DBAE and VCAE themes. But in responses to the open-ended questions, participants acknowledged more benefits from DBAE outcomes than from VCAE outcomes
The Relationships Among Presidential Leadership Behavior, University Culture and Leadership Effectiveness in Technology Universities in Taiwan
No full textThe purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among presidential leadership behavior, university culture, and leadership effectiveness for academic work in 29 technology universities in Taiwan. A quantitative research methodology was designed for this research to investigate teachers’ perceptions of their president’s leadership behavior, university culture, and leadership effectiveness. This study employed a Chinese translation of the three modified instruments: the University Presidential Leadership Behavior Instrument (UPLBI), the University Culture Assessment Instrument (UCAI), and the Head o f School/Department Evaluation Questionnaire (HSEQ) to collect data from teachers working in these technology universities in Taiwan. A total o f 810 surveys were distributed. 681 surveys were returned (84.07%), of which 651 were valid (80.37%). Data analysis included factor analysis, frequencies, percentages, mean scores, independent-samples tests, one-way ANOVA with post-hoc tests, Pearson correlation, Spearman rho correlation, partial correlation, canonical correlation, multiple regression, cluster analysis, MANOVA, discriminant function analysis, and structural equation modeling. The statistical data were com puted by SPSS 14.0 for Windows, Excel, Statistica 6.0, and AMOS 6.0 with confidence level of .05. The results showed that significant differences were found in relation to demographic groups, including types of university, locations of university, gender, whether teachers participated in administrative duties, whether they were a homeroom teacher, and whether they studied abroad. Age had positive correlations with managing process and producing results of presidential leadership behavior and the overall leadership effectiveness. Working year had positive correlations with market culture. Presidential leadership behavior, university culture and leadership effectiveness were correlated. The results of structural equation modeling and path analysis showed presidential leadership behavior impacted leadership effectiveness and university culture significantly. In particular, relating to people of presidential leadership behavior was most influential factor on leadership effectiveness and university culture
Spiritual Growth in Mission Trips
Get PDFThe objective of this project is to determine if mission trips contribute to the spiritual growth of its participants. I will attend and participate in a 7 day mission trip with a team in rural Honduras with the Diocese of Fort Worth. The goal of this mission trip is to give medical and dental care and distribute the necessary medications to the people.
A list of questions will be given to the team on the plane as we are flying down there to help establish were they are in reference to their spiritual life. Some similar questions will be given the last two days of the trip and I will conduct individual interviews with at least 50% of the participants serving on the mission trip and ask them an open ended guided set of questions. The responses will be summarized and typed. I will analyze all responses looking for common themes to determine if there was indeed any spiritual growth
Religion and the Electability of Presidential Candidates
Get PDFDenominationalism appears to be an important factor in American politics, particularly in presidential elections. Evidence indicates there are, and has always been, favored and disfavored denominations. One such disfavored denomination is Catholicism. Although it is the largest denomination in the United States, there has been only one Catholic president. Until the 2004 election, whenever a Catholic was in the presidential race, anti-Catholic rhetoric was commonly employed against him. Fears of papal control and sinister machinations were expressed. The result was religious discrimination which, like all forms of discrimination, eliminates or greatly reduces the right of participation. This is a violation of social justice
Leadership Behavior, Organizational Trust, and Organizational Commitment Among Volunteers in Taiwanese Non-Profit Foundations
No full textThe purpose of the study is to explore volunteers’ perception of the relationship among executive director’s leadership behaviors and volunteers’ sense of trust in, and commitment to an organization, in Taiwanese nonprofit foundations. The success of any Taiwanese nonprofit foundations is dependent upon the collection of individuals, including leaders and volunteers, and the amount of effort each individual puts into it. Volunteers consist of the largest portion of the human resources for most foundations. Beliefs about the management of these valuable human resources vary from organization to organization, from leader to leader. Nonprofit leaders frequently espouse their own philosophies and exercise vastly different behaviors. Understanding the relationship between leadership behavior and the performance of volunteers is critical to the management of these organizations. A mixed methodology—concurrent nested strategy—was utilized to achieve the purpose of the study. In the quantitative phase, three survey instruments—Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI), Organizational Trust Inventory (OTI), and Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ)— were distributed to 520 volunteers randomly selected from 20 randomly selected nonprofit foundations in Taiwan. Of 439 questionnaires returned 417 were valid. Simultaneously, in the qualitative phase, the purposeful sampling was adopted in choosing 5 nonprofit executive directors and 5 volunteers from those foundations who might reveal the relationship among leadership behaviors, organizational trust, and organizational commitment. Quantitative data were aggregated and analyzed by using Pearson product-moment correlation, partial correlation, multiple regression, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), one-way ANOVA, and paired-samples t-test. Qualitative data were collected from in-depth personal, face-to-face interviews with audio-taped records through using interview protocols. Those were utilized to gather information through the interviewees’ own words, true voices and perspectives on the focus and open-ended questions. As a result, the study provided evidence of support for the belief that executive directors indeed have an impact, through leadership behaviors, on levels of trust in, and commitment to, the foundation among volunteers. Additionally, the quantitative result has not identified the other factors besides leadership behaviors that also influence follower outcomes of organizational trust and commitment in nonprofit workplace; however, the qualitative findings have: consideration of intrinsic incentives comprising positive volunteering experiences and benefits provided by the organization. Based upon the qualitative findings, a model of balance of components of the relationship between leadership behaviors and volunteers’ perceived organizational trust and commitment was developed in the study
The Women\u27s Vocational Training Center, Abundi: A Case Study of the Development of a Rural Vocational Training School in Uganda
No full textThe purpose of this ethnographic case study was to gain insight into the expectations and perceptions of indigenous partners in emerging nations as well as exploring how Western donor organizations, particularly faith based organizations (FBOs), can effectively collaborate in projects initiated in those nations. The Women’s Vocational Training Center in northern Uganda has had its starts and stops. This ethnographic case study examined the collaboration between an African church diocese and its Western partner as well as factors that have created the struggle for the Center’s survival and its impact on stakeholders. Structural functionalism and liberation theory provided the theoretical framework in the study undertaken to gain insight into the expectations and perceptions of indigenous partners in emerging nations as well as to explore how Western donor organizations, particularly faith-based organizations, can effectively work in those countries. Qualitative inquiry utilized interviews, observations, formal meetings, informal gatherings, and journal notes. Twenty-four participants, 12 from each diocese, were chosen from a convenience sample. Semi-structured interviews provided rich data which were subsumed into themes for the study: resources, relationships, education, leadership, change, viability, and culture. The researcher concluded that unrealistic expectations, contrasting views of accountability, the lack of locally generated income, and cultural dissimilarities were root causes of problems in this cross-cultural project. Possibilities for further research include examining the method by which world missions are currently conducted; exploring a new paradigm for teaching illiterate rural women; and the challenge of institutional governance in hierarchical societies as well as enhanced training for cross-cultural projects