Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item FROM STIGMA TO STRENGTH(2023) Roberts, Vasilea Christine; Curry, Daniel B; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Helping homeless LGBTQIA+ youth from a place of uncertainty to a place of security to ensure the wellbeing of future city dwellers. This thesis aims to help the ongoing issue of homelessness in Washington, D.C. This will be achieved by creating a wellness facility for LGBTQIA+ youth. This thesis is overall attempting to create a more healthy, lively, green city, starting with transforming the lives of its youth. The goal of the wellness facility is to welcome the homeless LGBTQIA+ youth population of the city and those less fortunate and help them transition to a life that focuses on their success and wellbeing. This involves rehabilitation, education, and transitional housing, in order to help the occupants begin a new chapter of life. There will also be physical necessities for the occupants like food, water, and shelter - the basic things that these people may struggle to find on a daily basis. The occupants can stay and be fully immersed into a life-rehabilitation program or use the facility until necessary. The multi-use facility will be part of a larger master plan for Howard University, integrating mixed-used commercial, residential, and retail space for more sustainable urban design that involves the community. Helping people get off the street and start a stable life will also increase the lives of all city dwellers and create a more livable and healthier city. The goal of the exterior of the wellness facility is to create a space on the street for a more enjoyable pedestrian experience. The interior exterior will also introduce local art and context in order to engage the community and embrace the passions of the wellness facility’s occupants. Overall, this thesis aims to create a city that is kind to its occupants and creates an environment of peace and success.Item Preparing for Life After Homelessness: From Homelessness to Transitional Housing(2015) Svensson, Katarina Evelina; Eisenbach, Ronit; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Homelessness is a state to recover from, not a problem to fix. Currently in the United States, there are three main strategies provided for aiding the homeless: emergency shelters, permanent housing, and transitional housing. Emergency shelters provide temporary services, however they are often associated with crime, filth, and danger . Permanent housing programs aim to get the homeless of the street and into housing while providing social services, yet places the burden of proof on applicants. Transitional housing however provides temporary living situations and supportive services with an ultimate goal of helping homeless individuals and families prepare to reenter permanent housing, transition to independent living, and become productive members of society. This thesis focuses on models of transitional and supportive housing, and how through design, the needs of homeless individuals and families are best provided for through services. This thesis explores how locating programs and facilities in the underserved community of Harlem Park Baltimore, MD can integrate two communities that have been isolated and neglected.Item A BOOK READING WORKSHOP IN A TRANSITIONAL HOME: PARENTAL EXPERIENCES, SELF-EFFICACY, AND PRACTICES WHEN TAUGHT CODES OF THE CULTURE OF POWER(2013) Crassas, Maria Elliker; Afflerbach, Peter P; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In this case study, I explored parents' experiences, self-efficacy, and practices in supporting their children as readers. These factors were explored while parents who were homeless attended a book-reading workshop in a transitional home, in which the primary focus was mainstream book-reading practices, which I refer to as "codes." To examine parental experiences, self-efficacy, and practices, I collected data over a ten week period of time, through interviews, observations of workshop sessions, focus groups, unscheduled meetings, and a post-workshop survey. Participants included five parents and their nine children. For additional data, I also interviewed and held a focus group for staff members who worked closely with the participating families after the workshop had concluded. In examining parental experiences, I found that relationships and interactions, including those with the workshop implementer/researcher, other parents, and children were crucial in contributing to a positive experience. Additionally, parents and children were enthusiastic during the workshop about reading and about new vocabulary. However, parents also encountered many challenges in supporting their children as readers, which contributed negatively to experiences. In regard to parental self-efficacy, parents demonstrated their self-efficacy through reporting their own or their children's reading skills, their comfort level in reading with their children, their current practices, and their knowledge of supportive practices. Parents also strengthened their self-efficacy through positive feedback from their children, each other, and the researcher/implementer. Negative factors toward self-efficacy included a perceived lack of reading skills and a lack of time and energy. In regard to practices, parents already valued mainstream reading "codes" and were open to learning more about mainstream practices. Social, school-related, and economic factors were also found to influence parental experiences, self-efficacy, and practices. Context was found to greatly influence power dynamics as well as self-efficacy. Implications for practice and research include a continued focus on building relationships between parents and educators, a continued focus on self-efficacy and agency, a focus on the role of siblings, and a need to continue programs that instruct mainstream "codes," while also highlighting and building on parents' current supportive practices.Item AN INVESTIGATION OF SCHOOL COUNSELORS' EFFORTS TO SERVE STUDENTS WHO ARE HOMELESS: THE ROLE OF PERCEIVED KNOWLEDGE, PREPARATION, ADVOCACY ROLE, AND SELF-EFFICACY TO THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN RECOMMENDED INTERVENTIONS AND PARTNERSHIP PRACTICES(2012) Gaenzle, Stacey Anita; Bryan, Julia A; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)With the array of challenges faced by children and youth who are homeless, approaches to support their needs must be systemic and involve partnerships with all key stakeholders. This study examined school counselors' involvement in partnership practices and interventions to meet the needs of students who are homeless. Further, this study explored relationships between school counselors' preparation to work with students who are homeless, their perceived knowledge of McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and their involvement in partnership practices and interventions to work with students who are homeless. An online questionnaire, which was a combination of the School Counselor Involvement in Partnerships Survey (SCIPS) and the revised Knowledge and Skills with Homeless Students Survey (KSHSS) was emailed to a random sample of American School Counselor Association (ASCA) members. Further, descriptive statistics and regression analyses were run to determine relationships between variables. The results of the study suggested that school counselors are involved in practices to support students who are homeless that are more individual and school-based. They are involved less in practices that require collaboration and partnerships. The results of this research also suggest that there are relationships between school counselors' perceptions of their specific knowledge of homelessness, self-efficacy, and advocacy role and their involvement in interventions and partnership practices to support students who homeless.