Abstracts

Weight loss surgery (WLS) patients are overrepresented in substance abuse treatment programs. To understand unique factors that may affect WLS patients' substance abuse treatment prognosis, the present study compared WLS patients in a substance abuse treatment program with their non-weight loss (N-WLS) counterparts. WLS patients reported a significantly later mean age of first regular use of alcohol/drugs, concern about alcohol/drug use, and alcohol/drug treatment, and a significantly shorter time between having concerns about substance use and seeking treatment. Analyses comparing rates of other behavioral excesses did not yield significant differences between WLS and N-WLS patients. Results indicate that WLS patients who experience post-surgical substance use may differ from the 'typical' substance abuse patient in several ways that may reflect unique treatment needs.

Although there is a lot of work done by scholars in defining the scope and meaning of multicultural education, contemporary multiculturalists still have different views about how to define the boundaries of multicultural education. In order to address the common misconceptions about multicultural education and to develop a deeper understanding of this phenomenon, analysis of various interpretations of multicultural education and their interconnections at different developmental stages is needed. This paper focuses on exploration of definitions of multiculturalism in education, analyzing the changes in American society that have influenced multicultural education. Since its conceptualization, multicultural education has developed from appreciating solely racial and cultural differences and similarities to analyzing complex hierarchical systems of domination and oppression based on interrelation of race, ethnicity, social class, gender, environmental issues, and so on in the American society. Implications of these findings are discussed in relevance to the content of multicultural education.

Little is known about HCT survivors' perceived need (PN) for MHS. This cross-sectional, online study of determinants of HCT survivors' PN for MHS examined a preliminary subset of 360 predominantly female, well-educated, and middle-aged HCT survivors. Via hierarchical multiple regression analyses, PN was regressed onto demographic variables and graft source, psychiatric diagnosis pre-transplant and retrospectively-rated PN pre-transplant, and social support and social constraint relative to the primary caregiver. Our models accounted for 30-40% of PN variance (p < .001). PN pre-transplant accounted for most PN post-transplant variance, followed by low social support and high social constraint. These findings suggest a) an empirically-guided approach to follow-up resource allocation through identification of patients with PN for MHS pre-HCT may improve patient care; and b) as quality of caregiver-provided support declines over time, patient care plans should consider proactively addressing communication patterns that elicit social constraint within the caregiver-patient relationship.

Choosing a narrative voice is vital in the oral performance of fiction. Otherwise, a story is simply being read aloud. An omniscient narrator, being emotionally uninvolved in the story, literally has no character and is thus not very interesting. Dickens' speaker in "David Copperfield" readily reveals himself in the title of the first chapter, "I am Born." Other books are less clear, the plot and action moving the proceedings forward with the assumption that the narrator is the person telling the story. In Neil Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book," an omniscient, unidentified narrator describes past events. In this presentation I will share through performance how and why I chose to place the story in the present with the young boy narrating. The challenge in this oral interpretation is in justifying the use of third person narration when the third person is the first person. As a performer, I place myself in the Now of the story, telling it to an audience as if I were remembering events while they are unfolding. Ultimately, these choices challenge the time/space continuum, requiring total commitment from the storyteller.

Children come to school from various backgrounds and speak a variety of dialects. I argue that African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is a stigmatized dialect that affects African American students' experiences in schools. This complex topic has been debated for years. Research shows a strong connection between teachers' negative attitudes about stigmatized dialects and lower teacher expectations for students, leading to lower academic achievement. This qualitative research project investigates parent perspectives about their children's experiences in school through in-depth interviews with a small sample of African-American and bi-racial parents in SE Michigan. Recommendations include culturally sensitive teacher preparation, classroom instruction, and practices to increase levels of student achievement among those children who may be marginalized based on the way they speak.

Researchers have attempted to evaluate the efficacy of adolescent residential treatment programs by conducting retrospective and meta-analytic outcome studies. However, the overwhelming lack of data and variability in both measurement instruments and methods has limited the generalizability of these findings. Wilderness therapy programs are a particular subset of treatment programs for adolescents that have recently shown both positive outcomes and growth in attendance. It combines individual and group therapy with outdoor, experiential-based activities such as backpacking and primitive skills in an outdoor-living environment. The current study aims to investigate the elements that contribute to the efficacy of wilderness therapy. By combining and comparing scores on a validated behavioral scale and a semi-structured narrative style interview, we hope to begin to understand the components that lead to successful treatment of adolescent behavior in a wilderness program.

Europe in the early modern period was dominated by a witch craze that was characterized by large scale, systematic trials and executions of those found guilty of diabolical practices and pacts with the Devil himself. One notable exception to this hysteria was England. Rather than mass inquisitions, accusations of witchcraft and subsequent trials occurred on a sporadic and individual basis with relatively restrained execution rates. This paper examines the question: Why did the English legal system and its implementation result in a much smaller scale witch craze than was seen in continental Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries? This research will show that because of the trial process, an absence of legal torture, and extensive central authority over local courts, the era of the witch trials was remarkably limited in England.

In this oral history project, six current and former EMU university professors, local residents, and pioneer family members were interviewed about their experiences and perceptions of a one-room school, the Town Hall School on EMU's campus. Besides narratives, photos and archives were used to present the context and analyze the stories collected. The narratives were analyzed and organized into three categories: school experiences, the history of the normal school, and changes in public education. The analysis focuses on understanding the legacy of the one-room schoolhouse, its meaning to the history of American education, and the impact of consolidation on local education and community life.

At events such as The Alzheimer's Association's Memory Walk, there are few if any survivors to testify to what Alzheimer's awareness and research has done for them. They do not walk for themselves. In autoethnographic performance, one is asked to bear witness, to give voice to others and groups who have no voice. Depending on the stage and severity of the memory loss, patients with Alzheimer's and dementia cannot speak about their pasts because they do not remember them. Their memories are in the hands of those who watched them live. Can ethnographic and autoethnographic performance give voice to those whose memories have dissolved and who live only in the present? In this narrating self-performance, I work to give voice to memory loss patients through the lens of my great-aunt, a tiny, loud, self-proclaimed 'fox' who lived boldly on a tiny island and found herself years later in another island: a gated assisted-living facility.

Until the WWII, women in Central Asia were very secluded. They were covered fully and were not encouraged to be active in public spheres. However, after the formation of Soviet Union, the Soviet government encouraged women to participate in social life, get an education, and be part of building a socialistic society. Women started to be active and participate in jobs that were previously considered for men only. This process involved men and women into building a socialistic society; thus they both became part of gender equality process.?During this period, women in Central Asia got a decent education and became more liberated than in the past. One of the main reasons for women's liberation was to build an?industrialized?society where everyone's involvement was crucial and necessary.

Jordan has faced many obstacles when it comes to gender equality. Little or no participation of women in government, small number of women in the workforce, and violence against women are some of the issues that need to be addressed. The question remains: Why is Jordan, a country that has relatively made great strides at advancing and modernizing, still lagging behind some of its neighboring nation-states when it comes to the equality of women? An in-depth examination of Islam in Jordan as well as the prevalent tribal culture in Jordanian society has shed some light on why women haven't been able to advance and why they continue to face much discrimination and violence. The existing governmental programs and non-governmental organization at the local and global level that have been making progress are discussed, as is further action that could be taken in order to promote gender equality in Jordan.

According to a recent report from the Department of Labor Statistics (2009), the number of unemployed workers has increased from 7.5 million to 15.4 million in the last two years. Many of these displaced workers are enrolling at community colleges to acquire the skills needed to re-enter the workforce. This research project will look at how community colleges are rising to meet the needs of this growing population and what specific services and programs are being offered. Data collection will consist of on-site observations and interviews with student services leaders and other key personnel from at least one rural, one suburban, and one urban community college in Michigan. Current workforce development programs will be explored and evaluated. Recommendations for future programming will be provided.

As an instructor of English as a Second Language composition classes, I spend countless hours providing written feedback on my L2 students' essays. This is an exhausting process, and I have begun questioning the effectiveness of this feedback and whether the time I spend offering comments is helping the students become more proficient writers. This project allowed me to examine the initial thought process that leads me to make the feedback decisions that I do. I examined the rationale behind my feedback provision (the decisions I make about which errors to address, and the way in which I choose to address the error[s]) in the context of a student essay on which I provided written feedback comments. This project resulted in the development of a 'Pre-Feedback Questionnaire' that I will use with future ESL composition classes.

Wrongful convictions are a growing concern as the number of exonerees increases every year. As these numbers continue to grow, it is important to recognize the factors that lead to this miscarriage of justice. The police play a significant role and are responsible for multiple factors that can result in a wrongful conviction. Two case studies and the components that led to these wrongful convictions are discussed. Suggestions for change are encouraged to prevent these miscarriages of justice. By showing that they are concerned and proactively taking action, police have the potential to remarkably lower the chances of wrongful convictions from occurring in the future.