Human services educators and scholars maintain that they are teaching social change theory and skills that will allow students to engage in large-scale social change. A review of the literature, from a critical theory perspective, offered little evidence that social change is being taught in human services programs. In this collective case study,…

This report summarizes the findings from a study on the impacts of Head Start on children and families during the children's preschool, kindergarten, and 1st grade years. Its study goals were to: (1) Determine the impact of Head Start on children's school readiness, and on parental practices that support children's development; and to (2)…

In this study, we examine how broad heteronormative discourses circulate, become embodied within, negotiated by, and potentially resisted within a university, a college of education, and educators themselves. We pay special attention to how heteronormative discourses at Southwestern University (SWU) impact the various roles this college of…

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), LitTECH Outreach was a 3-year technology-based preschool literacy project conducted by staff at the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood, a research and development division of the College of Education and Human Services at Western Illinois…

This report presents findings from a rigorous evaluation of the Life Skills Training Program (LST) in Los Angeles County. LST provides 30 hours of life skills training over five weeks to foster youths ages 16 and older. The classes are held on community college campuses throughout Los Angeles County. The program is staffed by workers tasked with…

The purpose of this study was to examine the subjective opinions of Korean college students about good death. Q methodology was used to analyze 34 Q-statements from 37 respondents who majored in social work, nursing, or education at a university in South Korea. With the use of a PC-QUANL software package, 4 types of perceptions about good death…

Examines "historical hostility" (a pattern of responses that many African Americans exhibit) and how it may stem from prolonged subjection to inferior treatment in American society. Explores the impact of historical hostility on the counseling relationship, offers suggestions for diagnosing it, and presents some intervention strategies.…

Surveys of 170 disabled American Indian clients of 3 tribal vocational rehabilitation programs examined frequency of disability type, severity and duration of disability, other health problems, service needs, barriers to specific rehabilitation services, attitudes toward disability, perceptions of others' attitudes, and impact of acculturation.…

Conducted interviews with six clients of a child welfare agency providing prevention and support services to the Native population of metropolitan Toronto, Ontario. Found that clients' comments about the agency's programs could contribute significantly to the agency's aim to secure a mandate for child protection. Explored the question of…

This study surveyed National Organization of Human Service Education (NOHSE) members' rates of attendance in counseling. It solicited members' opinions about characteristics deemed important in choosing a therapist. It also examined attitudes toward counseling; types and duration of counseling attended; reasons for seeking or not seeking…

A semi-structured focus group prompted interaction among 23 human service undergraduates prior to a unique service-learning experience that involved completing a horticultural project and case management tasks with at-risk youth living in a locked psychiatric residential treatment center. The focus group provided an opportunity for university…

For Dr. William Glasser (1965), the world-famous originator of Reality Therapy, the first question that he generally asks of all those who seek his services is: "What do you want?" While seeking to acquire an answer to this inquiry, however, he strongly recommends that the therapist also "make friends with the client," so that the relationship is…

In North America, 40-50 per cent of older adults are actively involved as formal volunteers in providing diverse health and human services. We review empirical studies concerning older adults' motivations for volunteering, as well as the health and morale benefits they derive from this expression of altruism. Knowledge of the exact nature and…

Consumer choice is a key concept in developmental disability intervention, but relatively little quantitative research has focused on the relationship between choice and quality of life. This study used data from Washington state's Division of Developmental Disabilities 2002 National Core Indicators study (Human Services Research Institute, 2001a,…

This article discusses some advantages for a close relationship between the arts and recreation. (PD)