A Comprehensive Literature Review Of Research On The GED Diploma To Clarify Conflicting Conclusions Arising From Asynchronous Hypotheses And Study Designs

An initial literature review of 23 published studies on the GED diploma program over its successful life span of nearly 60 years yields inconsistent conclusions through analyses conducted at different times with different populations and different methods. Inasmuch as an hypothesis, an epistemological inquiry into what one wants to know, is a "dictatorship of the research question" (Tashakkori & Teddie, 1991, p. 21), it appears conflicting conclusions may result from an asynchrony between a research question and the study design. To serve as a guide to sort out whether a conflict exists in a study, this researcher collated the a) experiential; b) theoretical; and c) data dimensions of a study into quantitative and qualitative research paradigms. Use of time as a unifying element in this review divides the GED research into its 4 editions/generations. This device prompts the notion of time elements surrounding each hypothesis-- a fourth dimension. Thus, in addition to a personal learning time for the researcher, each hypothesis occurs in an historical time; a theoretical time; and a contextual or societal time. The scope of this paper is to briefly highlight the research reviewed according to its generation, research paradigm, notions of time, and future hope for the field

Encouraging Corporate Governance for the Closely Held Business

Commen

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationChild welfare agencies across the United States investigate millions of allegations of child maltreatment, including abuse and neglect, every year. Approximately 15% of the youth involved in these investigations are removed from their homes. Removals are tremendously impactful and change the trajectory of the lives of children and their families for better or worse. Despite the extreme importance of the decision to remove children from their homes, these decisions are not always made systematically. Decisions are known to vary between workers-beyond variance attributable to the presence of child and family risk factors. There is limited information on what influences this variance. This study explored whether caseworker factors influence removal decisions using real-world data. Caseworker factors explored included demographics, experience, attitudes toward child safety and family preservation, and childhood history of adverse events. The results from this study suggested caseworkers with more experience, male caseworkers, and caseworkers with more ACEs are less likely to remove children from their homes. Each of these are potential areas that could be targeted by policy or practice interventions to reduce inconsistencies in removal decisions. The findings from this study contribute to the growing body of empirical research on CPS decision making, furthering knowledge that can inform theory and child welfare practice