Race, recreation and the American South: Georgia‘s Black State Fair 1906-1930

This thesis provides a specific insight into the previously unexplored subject of the black fair in Macon, Georgia from 1906 to 1930. It draws on archives, government papers, newspaper reports, and the correspondence of black leaders in order to create a localised study documenting the attempts of Georgia‘s African Americans to further themselves and to improve race relations within their community. Subsequently, the fair creates a microcosm of wider efforts of black uplift and racial politics in the South during this period. The fair reveals the work of Richard Wright, a figure who demonstrated how local African American leaders often straddled the doctrines of W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, and adapted their philosophies within everyday life. The fair is also illustrative of how leaders such as Washington also cultivated relationships with black community leaders and fellow educators, while also connecting to the black masses. Similarly the celebration and appearance of national black political figures, such as James Napier, encouraged black pride and determination. Furthermore, such exhibits created powerful symbols which connected black political success with economic wealth. The thesis thereby situates the black fair and its organisers within a significant period of black political development, one which contributed to the later Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Institutions such as the African American fair were vital spaces which fostered a sense of black community, economics and autonomy. This thesis helps draw attention to the importance of such recreational spaces, repositioning them within the political and social studies of black southerners during the early twentieth century

An Exploration of the Utility of a Knowledge Utilization Framework to Study the Gap Between Reading Disabilities Research and Practice

This pre-pilot study explored the usefulness of a knowledge utilization framework comprised of Knott and Wildavsky’s (1980) seven stages of knowledge use and Stone’s (2002) three routes to knowledge use to investigate the gap between reading disabilities research and teachers’ self-reported use of that research. Semi-structured interviews of ten elementary school teachers were undertaken. A qualitative analysis of the interview data indicated that the framework was effective for categorizing and interpreting the interview responses. Findings indicated that a divide between research and reported practice potentially begins with an inadequate reception of research, and that a divide is exacerbated by limited reading and implementation of research knowledge by teachers. The knowledge utilization framework also assisted in identifying obstacles to teachers’ reported use of research. These obstacles were successfully categorized according to the variables of supply, demand, and context. The combined framework of knowledge utilization has potential for studying the use of research by teachers.   Cette étude pré-pilote a exploré l’utilité d’un cadre de l’emploi des connaissances - comprenant les sept étapes de l’emploi des connaissances de Knott et Wildavsky (1980) et les trois routes de l’emploi des connaissances de Stone (2002) – dans l’étude de l’écart entre la recherche portant sur les déficiences en lecture d’une part, et l’emploi que les enseignants affirmaient faire de cette recherche d’autre part. Nous avons effectué des interviews semi-structurées auprès de dix enseignants de l’élémentaire. Une analyse qualitative des données d’entrevue a indiqué que le cadre était efficace dans la catégorisation et l’interprétation des réponses découlant des interviews. Les résultats indiquent qu’un fossé peut commencer à se creuser entre la recherche et l’application qu’on dit en faire quand la recherche n’est pas suffisamment accueillie, et que ce fossé s’élargit si la mise en œuvre que font les enseignants de la recherche et des connaissances qui en découlent est limitée. Le cadre de l’emploi des connaissances a également été utile dans l’identification des obstacles à l’utilisation que les enseignants déclaraient faire de la recherche. On a réussi à classer ces obstacles en fonction de trois variables : l’offre, la demande et le contexte. Le cadre combiné de l’emploi des connaissances pourrait servir dans l’étude de l’utilisation que font les enseignants de la recherche

Pre-service Teacher Beliefs on the Antecedents to Bullying: A Concept Mapping Study

In this study, researchers gathered Canadian pre-service teachers’ beliefs on the antecedents to bullying. Concept mapping (Kane & Trochim, 2007) was used to analyze the data. This study’s findings identified pre-service teachers to have accurate beliefs, inaccurate beliefs, and a lack of knowledge about the antecedents to bullying. Concept maps and accompanying factor-rating tables indicate that participants believe antecedents to bullying include family factors, abuse, instability and socio-economic factors, school and academic factors, interpersonal factors, and personal factors. Results may inform pre-service teachers’ knowledge, and indicate what information pre-service teachers need to be taught

Childhood Predictors of Adult Criminality: A Meta-Analysis Drawn from the Prospective Longitudinal Literature

Sufficient research now exists in the psychology of criminal conduct literature to address the long-term impact of early childhood and adolescent experiences on later adult outcomes. In the present meta-analysis, selected studies were prospective and longitudinal, tracking a variety of early childhood and family factors that could potentially predict later involvement in the adult criminal justice system. Thirty-eight studies met the selection criteria. Major findings indicate that dynamic versus static predictors are related to later adult criminal justice involvement. The older the child was at the time the predictor was measured, the stronger was the relationship to adult offending. Within the set of dynamic predictors, childhood and adolescent factors that rate most highly include a variety of behavioural concerns including early identification of aggression, attentional problems, motor restlessness, and attention seeking. Emotional concerns consistent with depression including withdrawal, anxiety, self-deprecation, and social alienation are also represented. Predictors also included family descriptors such as a variety of negative parenting strategies including coerciveness, authoritarian behaviours, lack of child supervision, and family structure variables such as witnessing violence, inter-parental conflict, family stressors, and poor communication. Results are discussed in relation to prevention strategies for targeted services that influence the probability of antisocial outcomes for children into adulthood

Parameter identifiability in a class of random graph mixture models

We prove identifiability of parameters for a broad class of random graph mixture models. These models are characterized by a partition of the set of graph nodes into latent (unobservable) groups. The connectivities between nodes are independent random variables when conditioned on the groups of the nodes being connected. In the binary random graph case, in which edges are either present or absent, these models are known as stochastic blockmodels and have been widely used in the social sciences and, more recently, in biology. Their generalizations to weighted random graphs, either in parametric or non-parametric form, are also of interest in many areas. Despite a broad range of applications, the parameter identifiability issue for such models is involved, and previously has only been touched upon in the literature. We give here a thorough investigation of this problem. Our work also has consequences for parameter estimation. In particular, the estimation procedure proposed by Frank and Harary for binary affiliation models is revisited in this article

Vermont Legislators\u27 Opinions Regarding the Opioid Epidemic

Introduction • The VT General Assembly includes 180 legislators: 150 representatives and 30 senators • State legislators have substantial power to create opioid-related policies • During the 2017-18 VT legislative session 22 opioid related bills were introduced and 9 were passed • No data currently exist on how VT legislators gather information and formulate public health decisions regarding opioid policies Purpose • Examine VT legislators’ understanding of the opioid epidemic • Identify what drives legislators to draft legislation, including beliefs, priorities, and voting decisions • Inform health and human services professionals to best respond to legislators’ knowledge gaps and continuing education needshttps://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1270/thumbnail.jp