Sociology & Anthropology Masters Theses

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Browsing Sociology & Anthropology Masters Theses by browse.metadata.program "Community Development"

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    Beyond Buildings, Progressive Planning: Improving Collaboration Among Design and Community Development Professionals
    (North Dakota State University, 2014) Braseth, Tia Marie
    This research presents a basic understanding of the relationships among design and community development professionals. If their collaboration progresses, there might be a rise in vibrant and sustainable communities. Research participants included 22 professionals comprised of architects, engineers, planners, housing specialists, community/economic developers, and educators. Research questions focused on methods of community building, roles and levels of involvement, and ways to build and strengthen relationships critical to community development. The prevalent themes found in the interviews were related to roles and responsibilities, first impressions, trust, challenges, and moving forward. Conclusions are that all participants think collaboration among each other is extremely important, roles and responsibilities should be clearly defined and adopted prior to starting projects, and a lack in trust might suggest trust-building efforts. Implications of this research include increased and improved collaboration among design and community development professionals, vibrant and sustainable communities, and increase research in this topic.
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    It's the Process, not the Project: The Role of Social Capital in Adaptive Co-Management in Northwest Minnesota
    (North Dakota State University, 2012) MacGregor, Molly Frances
    Changing behavior to improve water quality must be endogenous, arising from a balancing or integration of self-interest and shared interests. The subject of this study is the public who are not organized, affiliated or represented by any government agency or special interest group. Property owners living upstream and downstream of a water management control structure were surveyed to determine experiences and opinions about that project. Respondents supported the project, but expressed greater support for the process used to develop the project. The adaptive co-management process used to develop the project built a social organization including norm-based processes, shared goals, and a framework for continuous learning. The resulting social framework provides the opportunity for the individual to modify self interest and to accept the shared interest of the process. Long-term monitoring is recommended to measure ecological and organizational performance of the project.
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    Nature Versus Technology: Which is More Appealing to Youth Ages 11-14?
    (North Dakota State University, 2016) Zurcher, Micky Lyn
    Recent studies show playtime for youth has shifted from playing outdoors to being connected to a screen-based device. This study examines the amount of time youth ages 11-14 are spending in nature versus the amount of time they are spending connected to a screen-based device. The Drift Prairie group (N=16) spent a day in the great outdoors interacting with their peers and nature. The Comparison group (N=19) was randomly selected from a local 4-H organization. Both the Drift Prairie group and the Comparison group were surveyed using a questionnaire. The Drift Prairie group response was 62.6% active in nature whereas the Comparison group was 68.4%. The Drift Prairie group response to using a screen-based device was 6.3% whereas the Comparison group was 15.8%. The results of this study were not conclusive with the growing trend of youth spending more time with a screen-based device versus spending time with nature.
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    An Organizational Assessment for the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Park using Community Capital Frameworks
    (North Dakota State University, 2016) Knudsen, April-Dawn
    The Boys & Girls Clubs of South Park (BGCSP) is a youth service 501(c)3 serving Park County, Colorado. With over 60% of Park County’s workforce commuting to another county for employment the need for affordable out-of-school youth care is apparent, but the need for BGCSP goes further. These rural communities need local opportunities for children. This isolated population is a food desert, medical desert, and had limited industry. The schools lack resources and the population is projected to see unprecedented growth over the next eight years. The need for BGCSP is apparent, but what is their impact? The following chapters are an assessment of BGCSP using mixed methods research. Through the use of interviews, ripple effects mapping, various data, finances, club documents and public documents, these chapters were formed. The use of qualitative and quantitative data created a balanced, in-depth picture of this organization’s assets, accomplishments and areas of opportunity.
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    Perceived Social, Economic and Environmental Costs/Benefits of a Fargo-Moorhead Diversion Plan
    (North Dakota State University, 2012) Kubas, Andrew
    Flooding has long been an issue in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota. Recently, leaders in the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area called for a permanent solution to the annual flooding woes. This solution took the form of a proposed diversion channel, an extensive ditch designed to divert a portion of the Red River west of the metro in order to lower river levels in the urban core during flooding events. This project seeks to understand how residents in the Fargo-Moorhead community perceive the costs and benefits of the diversion plan when compared to current strategies that are in place. The purpose of the research is to understand how various flood mitigation strategies are perceived by local residents and whether or not positive and negative perceptions are a result of place-based linkages to different parts of the metropolitan area.
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    Political Representation of Visible Minorities at the Local Level: A Case Study
    (North Dakota State University, 2019) Edwards, Janice Marie
    Visible minorities – i.e., persons defined by the Government of Canada as those who are not Aboriginal, Caucasian in race, or white in color – account for roughly 22% of Canada’s population. Yet this group continues to be underrepresented as political candidates and elected officials in many municipal councils across Canada. Assessing the state and quality of a nation’s democracy ought to consider the extent to which citizens are politically engaged. In an effort to understand the representational deficit of visible minorities at the municipal level, this study assesses the scope of visible minority representation in Winnipeg, Canada. The results demonstrate that although visible minorities are underrepresented at Winnipeg’s City Council, this group is currently better represented than at any point in council’s history. The findings are also consistent with what the literature unanimously reveals about incumbency – it continues to be a strong predictor of electoral success in local elections.
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    School Integration in Arizona's White Mountains
    (North Dakota State University, 2019) Reeck, Adam Nicholas
    Due to Arizona’s mandated open enrollment policy for public schools, Blue Ridge Unified School District’s (BRUSD) population of Native American students has increased by 148% over the last 12 years as students migrate into BRUSD from Whiteriver Unified School District (WUSD) on the Fort Apache Reservation. This research examines the short-term effects of school choice policy in BRUSD by addressing the following sub-problems: 1) What are the administrative and faculty perceptions of changes affecting BRUSD? 2) What are the measured changes affecting BRUSD? Key findings include decreases in some test scores while other scores increase. Also, faculty is convinced the school is moving in positive directions as it deals with other comprehensive changes. Recommendations include that BRUSD incorporate best practices in schooling diverse populations and in Native American pedagogy. The overall conclusion is that BRUSD has a unique opportunity to provide a quality education for a diverse community of learners.
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    Skills, Knowledge and Values of Community Health Needs Assessment Managers
    (North Dakota State University, 2019) Crabtree, Karen Michelle
    Nonprofit hospital systems must complete a community health needs assessment (CHNA). In healthcare there is a lack of consensus on what skills, knowledge and values are important for the person managing CHNA departments, including educational background appropriate or needed to be successful. This is an exploratory study of one healthcare system. The study seeks to identify the perception of what skills, knowledge and values are necessary to be an effective CHNA manager, and how that aligns with the skills, knowledge and values taught in public health, community development and social work. The study utilizes grounded theory, inductive research and evaluative research methods. Question: What are the perceived most important skills, values and knowledge for the CHNA manager to be effective in their role by CHNA personnel? How do those skills, knowledge and values align with macro practice social work, public health, and community development education in healthcare?
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    Violence towards Aboriginal People: Consulting with Aboriginal Community Members to Develop Culturally Safe Victim Service
    (North Dakota State University, 2014) Haldane, Marie Janet
    The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Aboriginal people when they accessed victim services in order to determine if the services were culturally safe for them. Several themes emerged which included: discrimination by the police stops Aboriginal people from using the services which are available to them; historical trauma continues to negatively affect Aboriginal people; there is a lack of understanding about Aboriginal history and the legacy of colonization. Study participants suggested ways services could be changed to better meet their cultural needs: services need to have a cultural focus; there needs to be more Aboriginal service providers. Aboriginal people are more likely than other Canadians to experience violence and victimization. In order to support them it is essential that they have access to culturally safe services. Using cultural safety as a framework for program development gives us the tools to provide culturally safe service.