Browsing by Subject "interviews"

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Addressing Barriers to Extended Foster Care
    (2023) Luna, Christina; Olinger, Emily; Weiner, Evelyn
    Fifteen years ago, federal legislation was passed which provided states with the option of allowing eligible individuals to remain in foster care beyond age 18, paving the way for Minnesota to establish its Extended Foster Care program in 2011. Through this program participants receive monthly stipends and case management support. Research indicates lasting positive effects for participants, as time spent in EFC is associated with positive outcomes such as decreased instances of homelessness and involvement in the criminal justice system. Still, little has been known about the utilization of the program in Minnesota. Our team sought to fill this gap in research by investigating the current utilization rate and factors that affect participation. To do so, we utilized a mixed-methods approach which included interviews with systems actors, summary statistics of program data, and a review of program documents. Through this process, our team identified key strengths, weaknesses, and barriers present in Minnesota’s. Ultimately, we propose recommendations related to data and evaluation, service delivery, program design, and investment in resources to remove barriers and increase participation.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Attitudes toward Language Variation: Evidence from a Qualitative Study of Sociolinguistic Interviews
    (2021) Opusunju, Shelby D
    Due to the multimodal nature of speech perception, social information such as race, gender, or accent gleaned from hearing and seeing a conversational partner can have an influence on how we perceive their speech. One’s preexisting beliefs about language and social identity can not only impact how we perceive the speech of others, but provide a window into what shapes their own speech patterns. This paper examines the sociolinguistic attitudes and beliefs of 46 participants in interviews conducted as part of the “Race, Ethnicity, and Speech Intelligibility in Normal Hearing and Hearing Impairment” project. Responses these participants gave in their sociolinguistic interviews suggested that a large number of them viewed a stereotypical English speaker as a white, highly educated, accentless speaker of American or British English, and (with few exceptions) did not view their authentic speech patterns as aligning with those of this stereotypical speaker due to a broad range of regional, cultural and linguistic differences. Future analysis of these interviews may reveal how these participants' linguistic attitudes may influence how their speech is perceived by listeners.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Front-end Study of User Preferences to Guide the Design of One Extension Website
    (University of Minnesota Extension, 2012-10) Shimek, Sarah; Meyer, Nathan; Ernst, Julie
    Extension programs are increasingly developing online education infrastructure, including substantial investments in creating interactive websites for target audiences. Front-end assessment of user preferences is one approach that Extension staff can use to ensure usability of these websites. A model study for the University of Minnesota Extension Driven to Discover: Authentic Inquiry through Citizen Science project (D2D) utilized structured interviews to assess preferences of a purposeful sample of nine potential users for a website. the website aims to connect professional scientists and adult leaders to strengthen authentic inquiry among youth members of citizen science research teams. Through an inductive coding approach to qualitative analysis, eleven primary themes and forty-nine associated sub-themes emerged from the participant responses, and were used to categorize research results and recommendations to guide the website design. In general, participants responded favorably to the creation of a proposed website to support inquiry work with youth, and saw potential for the site to facilitate connections with scientists. They reported interest in aspects of the proposed website that would support inquiry science through resources and tools, and help establish connections with professional scientists. Several participants expressed skepticism about the social networking features of the proposed website given the barriers of time, access to internet at project sites, and the extensive networking opportunities available either in-person or through existing social networking sites. Recommendations are being used to guide specific modifications to improve the planned website design. Moreover, the study approach proved effective and efficient for project staff, and positive for interview participants.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Out of Home Placement Study.
    (2001) Connor, Jennifer
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Survey of Attitudes Towards the Mississippi River as a Total Resource in Minnesota
    (Water Resources Research Center, University of Minnesota, 1972-09) Baron, Norman J.; Cecil, E. James; Ludwig, James P.; Tideman, Philip L.
    A survey of the attitudes of Minnesotans toward the use, maintenance and development of the Mississippi River in Minnesota was conducted. Background information on the diverse physical nature of the project Universe (those 23 Minnesota counties which the River flows through or is adjacent to) was collected covering the topics of waterflow, soils, population change, changing riparian land use, and recreational opportunities. Great physical and cultural diversity was found in the project Universe. Attitudes of residents were measured by a 40 item mail questionnaire sent to 5,000 residents of the project Universe; 101 in-depth interviews were also conducted. Respondents provided data on their characteristics, evaluated the desirable and undesirable characteristics of the River, evaluated the role of media in providing them with environmental information, expressed attitudes toward the use of the River, how River pollution should be controlled and financed, and provided data on what aspects of their life styles they were and were not willing to change to improve environmental quality. Secondary students were also surveyed in a separate effort to quantify significant difference of attitudes held by youth and adults. Two significant findings were that Minnesotans do not desire to curtail their uses of energy to improve environmental quality, and the perceived present uses of the River are exactly opposite to the uses the public desires.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Women and War.
    (2003) Hakala, JoAnne A.