The Capstone Paper is written by students in the SIT Graduate Institute Master of Arts degree programs. Capstones reassess theoretical knowledge in light of professional experience in the form of a final research paper, incorporating both classroom knowledge and practicum based experience.
The full-text of papers written prior to July 2011 in the Capstone Collection are limited to SIT and other World Learning faculty, staff, students, and alumni. If you are not affiliated with SIT or World Learning and want access to these papers contact your local library and ask about requesting the hard copy on interlibrary loan. Full-text papers written after July 2011 are openly accessible to the public.
Due to copyright restrictions some papers are not available full-text electronically. World Learning affiliated students and staff can check these papers out of the library or, if you are off-campus, request them via interlibrary loan
Submissions from 2006
Integral Human Development: Assessing the Impact of HIV/AIDS on Livelihoods in Rural Malawi, Emily Burrows
Tax justice in Washington state : perspectives from participants in a tax justice campaign an analysis, Heather Carter
Exploring girls' education and Vodoun in Bopa, Benin, Brett L. Cave-Lewis
The silent epidemic : primary school educators and their impact on the incidence of child sexual abuse in Trinidad and Tobago, Kelli Coombs
Interfaith Philanthropy: Giving Across Faith in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, Evelyn L. Davis
Impact analysis of the global village : changing behavior through experiential education, Christian DeVries
The community arts as a community development strategy : a look into community arts festivals, Arlene D. Eidukas
Organizational Growing Pains in Paradise: A Case Study of the Interaction of Japanese Cultural Norms and Founder’s Syndrome in Hawai‘i, Floren Elman-Singh
Businesses for Environmental Responsibility: Morality, Compliance, or Opportunity?, Sara Emerick
From Lottery to Predictability: Prioritizing Humanitarian Assistance Based on Need, Matthew David Emry
In search of a new model on an educative adolescent's rites of passage : a comparative study of adolescents' rites of passage in Kenya and the Vermont Wilderness School in the United States, Protasia C.N. Gathendoh
From the condors : an investigation into Bolivia's role in the exportation of its Altiplano agricultural products to Japan, the United States and Europe, Christina R. Graves
Is contract farming better for Vietnamese farmers that a free market? : a case study in An Giang province, Viet Nam, Tran Minh Hai
Going for the globe : a case study of a multicultural education curriculum for Ebenzer Lutheran Church preschool, Anya C. Hennig
Factors that influence the sustainability of a development project, the case of a bilateral aid project in Vietnam, Mai Thi Kim Hoang
Coming In From the Outside: How College Students From Outside the United States Integrate United States Perceptions of Race and Color into Their Identities, Jhorna Hochstedler
Engaging more undergraduates from underrepresented fields in study abroad : U.K. universities may be an answer, Kristen Kalbrener
Neo Liberal Economic Theory in Underdevelopment: Trade Liberalization in Uganda, Eve Kyomya
Values integration in the workplace : the office of Hawaiian affairs, Carolina Lam
Competitive success for foreign entrepreneurs in Nicaragua, Melissa B. Lombardo
Employee Engagement and Retention: Practical Lessons for the Public Sector, Nate Martinez-Wayman
Benefits and challenges to small scale farmers in conversion from their chemical and pesticide dependence to organic agriculture in Northeast Thailand, Poonsombat Namla
Localization of international NGOs : potential advantages and disadvantages, Aly Ndione
Exploring food choice from a resource framework : Vermont community food shelter, Rebecca S. Neubert
Flowers In The Grass: A Snapshot Of Chinese College Students And A Teacher’s Research In China From 2001-2002, Esteban Nicolas Olivares
Effective Internet Enrollment Strategies For Small Holistic Schools, Nathan Patmor
Volunteer engagement : a case study of Peace Corps-Macedonia's recruitment and site placement organizational practices, Maria Elena Perez
The community arts as a community development strategy : a look into community arts festivals, Arlene Davida Reid
Experience to action : a case study of a development education experience in Zambia, Dana Reiter
Factors that promote positive collaborations between faith-based and community-based organizations (a look at rural Franklin County, Massachusetts), Maria Tarajano Rodman
Household Labor: An Essential but Overlooked Livelihood in Sri Lanka, Paul Russell
Reverse transfer trends among international students at North Lake College and their implications for the students and the college, Leena Shrestha
The impact of online volunteer referral services on volunteer recruiting for nonprofit organizations, Yuichi Somemori
The Implications of the Israeli Disengagement Plan on Economic Recovery in the Gaza Strip, Linda Wafi
Learner accountability in adult basic education : Hmong refugee use of database technology, Jennifer Claire Weaverling
Un/safe Sex Practice in Sri Lanka: Level of Knowledge and Awareness in Two Categories of Sex Practices in Sri Lanka, Amila Wijegunaratne
Submissions from 2005
Up Against a Wall: Woman Farmers in Jayous, Waleed Alkhalili
The role of civil society in poverty reduction strategies : (case study of Ghana), Maxwell Kofi Amo-Hoyte
NGOs as Amicus Curiae: Can they Influence the Outcome of International Litigation and if so, in What Ways?, Olga Amsheeva
Teaching intercultural communication in Ukraine : a case study, Jamie Hoag Barnett
Teaching Intercultural Communication in Ukraine: A Case Study, Jamie Hoag Barnett
Cultural adjustment issues of Mauritanian immigrants in Columbus and Cincinnati Ohio, Amadou Birane Baro
An evaluation of the effectiveness of church sponsorship of refugee resettlement programs in Moline, Illinois, Rachel Bationo
The design of a service-learning program that incorporates a field research component, Kimberly M. Coyne
Prisoners speak! : exploring theater as a tool for personal and social transformation, Craig C. Cullinane
It's my move : studying the effectiveness of the National Conference for Community and Justice's It's Your Move for Middle School Program, Jessica Daigler
Strategic management of the U.S. Global Food for Education (GFE) Program in Brazzaville, Congo : a case study of an IPHD-sponsored project, Sibiri Marc Dao
The importance of personalized student support services in graduate-level programs : a case study of a managerially-run, international graduate program, Elizabeth Dixon
Socially conscious young adults in the Northeast, social change and opera : harmony or dissonance?, Jessica Doerr
"We're not supposed to know about these things" : South African adolescent boys on gender, sex and violence, Rachel Elfenbein
Reparations for Victims of Political Violence: The Case of Peru, Carla Fajardo
Perceptions of a proposed land exchange between a national wildlife refuge and an Alaska Native corporation : interviews with Alaska natives and non-natives, Aurora M. Fernandez
Member driven organizations : growth and retention, Kathleen E. Goodspeed
Vermont Reparative Probation: An Evaluative Case Study of a Restorative Justice Model, Lana Gorman
Making a Difference while Making Money: Building a Balanced Social Enterprise at World Learning For Business, Karin Yixuan Guan
"Feasibility of service-learning in Azerbaijan" case study : the service-learning garden project by the Mingachevir community, Venera Gurbanova
Spirituality and service learning in US higher education : three exploratory portraits and questions for future research, Marcie M. Haeg
Volunteerism Redefined: Ethno-cultural Perspectives of Ethiopian, Oromo and Russian-Speaking Individuals on Community-Building and Volunteerism in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A., Parisa Haj-Ali-Akbari
Motivation, values, & influence : the study abroad dilemma, Ann Marie Harr
Participatory Pedagogy & Practice in Adult ESOL Literacy: A Needs Assessment of the Somali Bantu Refugees Resettled in Boston 2003-2005, Jason David Hatfield
Music piracy in Africa and its implications for economic development, Richard Y. Homawoo
Authority to Broadcast: A Case Study of how the Members of Radio Free Brattleboro Managed the Crisis of a FCC Intervention, Daryl Edward Horney
Creating successful volunteer partnerships between business and nonprofit organizations, Kelly Megan Huber
Intercultural marriage : influences on traditions, customs and celebrations, Julie Burke Ide
Toward implementation of multicultural education : a case study on multicultural competencies of university students in Northern Japan, Sonoyo Ishikawa
Converting to Islam : the effects on Hispanic/Latino cultural identity, Taneeza Shirin Islam
The role of corporate social responsibility reporting initiatives in mission driven organizations, Rebecca J. Jestice
Business-social sector collaboration : motivations and patterns shaping corporate social initiatives in Latvia, Tija Laura Karklis
African immigrant children in America's heartland : the role of identity development in academic achievement, Corin Kaye
The Relationship between International Students’ Stereotypes of Americans and Cultural Adjustment, Beth Eda Korman
A collective case study of Central American ICT handicraft organizations, Melanie Lansing
What characteristics make up an effective board of a grassroots organization?, Maria Laura Larquier
A model of aftercare for female juveniles, Vivian Y. Lee
Expert advice : a study on the role of foreign development practitioners who work in Cambodian government institutions, Peter T. Leth
Literacy for poverty alleviation and social change : an assessment of Proliteracy Worldwide's program in China, He Lianggang
Belize post-independence : a study of decolonization, Kristina Ljungberg
The use of theater-based training to promote change in a diverse workforce : a case study, Charmaign Lomastro
Shifting concepts and experiences of power of undocumented migrant women domestic workers, Anna Liza Magno
Experiential learning at sea, Orville E. Mooney
Acquiring Land and Sense of Self for Campesinos in the Context of the 1996 Guatemalan Peace Accords, Mark Morton
How can Social Entrepreneurs Effectively Employ Performance Measurement Strategies to Achieve Both Greater Programmatic Impact and Organizational Success?, Debra Brodsky Natenshon
Return Migration and Brain Drain: The Ghanaian Student’s Experience, Akosua Akuffo Nyako
Human resource management of foreign service nationals, Scott Alan Paul
The benefits and challenges of self-assessment at Friends World program : a case study, Desha Peacock
Sustained problems : impact of returnees on public services in Basrah, Iraq, Josef Pfattner
Stakeholder relations in serving children with HIV/AIDS in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Trang Thi Thu Pham
Strengthening the Collective Voice: Palestinian Woman NGO Leaders, Sandra Rasheed
Personal Narratives as a Peacebuilding Tool: A Study of Djerbien Jewish and Muslim Co-existence, Aida Robana
Forest certification of non-industrial private forest landowners : perceptions in the forest products industry, John Nicholas Safay
Listening and identity development : conflict transformation skills for the at-risk adolescent, Mary Shymanski
Spiritual development as a framework for sustainable development, Larissa Snorek-Yates
Identity Development And Healing: The Process Of Personal Transformation For Sexual Assault Survivors, Sharon Stevenson