Digital Commons Network^™

Social Innovation And Innovation Champions: An Analysis Of Public And Private Processes, Alisia Daily

Theses and Dissertations

This research intends to gain deeper insight into the social innovation processes within public and private organizations. The purpose of the study will be to determine if public and private organizations are influenced more by internal organizational factors or external organizational factors. Using Roger’s diffusion theory, Mohr’s internal determinants and Berry and Berry’s unified theory as a foundation, this research will endeavor to prove hypotheses which suggest that private organizations are influenced more by internal organizational factors and public organizations are influenced more by external organizational factors although not exclusively. The research method for this study will involve a mixed …

Parental Perceptions And Experiences Of Physical And Emotional Violence Between Siblings: A Mixed-Methods, Comparative Case Study, Nathan Perkins

Theses and Dissertations

Sibling violence is a common occurrence for many children yet this form of family violence has received minimal attention in research compared to other forms of child maltreatment. With parents as an integral component in the lives of many children, parental perceptions and experiences of violence between siblings are important to understand. Furthermore, with the increased variation in family structures within society, inclusion of multiple types of families in research is necessary to encompass a broad understanding of sibling violence. This case study included seven parents from four different family structures to examine their perceptions and experiences of physical and …

Crossing Boundaries: Building A Model To Effectively Address Difference In Community Practice, Jason Sawyer

Theses and Dissertations

Community organizing has a rich tradition within the field of social work. Prevailing community practice models, approaches, and frameworks remain primarily based on practice wisdom, experience, and intuition. Difference, pervasive in various contemporary contexts of practice, largely mediates interactions at the community level. Although difference is addressed at various levels of the practice continuum and within the IFSW and NASW codes of ethics, few methodologically driven tools exist within the literature to guide practitioners. This grounded theory study initiates early development of a community practice model based on forging alliances across boundaries of difference. The Critical Difference Engagement model is …

Poverty Deconcentration Priorities In Low-Income Housing Policy: A Content Analysis Of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Lihtc) Qualified Allocation Plans, Monique Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Structural inequalities within the social and economic environment have wide reaching impacts on the housing conditions of the poor. These households are marginalized by swelling housing cost burdens, shelter insufficiency, and sociospatial restriction to the lowest income communities. Housing research has examined the correlation between policy and the social location of low-income individuals. However, very little research analyzes the intersection of low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) policy design and sociospatial trends among low-income households. Using content analysis, the purpose of this dissertation is to determine whether the policy documents that guide allocation of the LIHTC encourage poverty deconcentration. The research …

When It Feels Good To Be Bad: The Effect Of Guilt On Self-Enhancement, Jaclyn Moloney

Theses and Dissertations

The present study aimed to expand on previous research that explains when affect can influence subsequent judgments in an incongruent way. It also investigated a context where a negative emotion may have been maintained in order to achieve a subsequent goal. Participants in a guilt, shame, and control condition visualized past events. Those in the guilt and shame condition wrote about a time when they committed a moral transgression and were instructed to write an apology letter to a person they hurt. They then rated themselves on a number of interpersonal traits as a way to measure self-enhancement. I hypothesized …

The Division Of Family Work Among Fathers And Mothers Of Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder: Implications For Parents And Family Functioning, Paula L. Ogston-Nobile

Theses and Dissertations

n often ignored aspect of parenting and family work is the responsibility-related caregiving (i.e. the monitoring, arranging, and planning) that is done to ensure that a child is cared for. Among fathers and mothers who have a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the intensity of meeting these needs is greater than for a typically developing child (e.g. additional coordination of schooling, interventions, healthcare, recreation, respite, and after-school services). As is the case for all parents, they must also attend to the demands of household labor (e.g. car maintenance, groceries, laundry, yard care), nurture their relationships (e.g. partner, friends, …

Leadership In Collaborative Governance: Understanding The Relationship Of Leadership And Collaborative Performance Of Local Departments Of Social Services Executives, Jennifer Behrens

Theses and Dissertations

Public administration agencies are increasingly called upon to collaborate across organizational boundaries as a regular part of practice. Leaders in the organizations are expected to deliver positive outcomes from collaborations. Common sense implies that good leadership leads to successful collaboration within public administration agencies. However, the exact link between leadership and collaboration continues to be a puzzle for both practitioners and academics in the field. This study examines the relationship of leadership and collaborative governance within a group of social services executives, who are specifically chartered to collaborate with one another and across organizational boundaries for successful delivery of public …

Dissociable Antidepressant-Like And Abuse-Related Effects Of The Noncompetitive Nmda Receptor Antagonists Ketamine And Mk-801 In Rats., Todd Hillhouse

Theses and Dissertations

The noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine produces rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in patients suffering from major depressive disorder. However, abuse liability is a concern. To further evaluate the relationship between antidepressant-like and abuse-related effects of NMDA receptor antagonists, this study evaluated the effects of ketamine, MK-801, and phencyclidine in male Sprague-Dawley rats responding under two procedures that have been used to assess antidepressant-like effects [differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate (DRL) 72 s schedule of food reinforcement] and abuse-related drug effects [intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS)]. Under DRL 72 s, ketamine produced an antidepressant-like effect by increasing reinforcers, decreasing responses, and producing a rightward shift in …

Socioeconomic Status And Weight Loss Behaviors, Hannah Seward

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States and many other countries, obesity is viewed as a public health crisis that must be handled. Many social and individual solutions to the problem are proposed in research and policy. On an individual level, many Americans try to get rid of their fat with a multitude of weight loss practices as part of a healthy lifestyle. Obesity rates, feelings towards fatness, and weight control behaviors are significantly affected by a number of sociocultural factors. In this project I explore the relationship between the desire to lose weight and weight control practices with income. Using data from …

Maternal Health And Child Behaviors As Risk Factors For Child Injury, Christina J. Nicolais

Theses and Dissertations

Evidence suggests that child behavior, parent mental health, parent supervision, and home environment conditions impact a child’s risk of injury. Vulnerable families are at greater risk for the occurrence of child behavior problems, poor health, decreased supervision, and hazardous home conditions. Consistent with a model that proposes that parent, child, and environment factors interact within the lens of sociocultural factors to predict injury, the current study aimed to test a statistical model with maternal physical health and child externalizing behaviors as predictors of child injury, and home hazards and supervision as mediators of these relations. Analyses were conducted using a …

The Effects Of Racial Socialization And Parent-Child Relationship Quality On Emerging Adult Reports Of Racial Discrimination To Parents, Nathasha Cole

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of parent-child relationship quality and racial socialization on reports of racial discrimination to parents are examined in an African American emerging adult population. The effects of parent-child relationship quality and racial socialization on reports of racial discrimination to parents are also considered. The influences of demographic characteristics on reports of racial discrimination are also assessed. The purpose of this study is to examine if there are relationships between cultural origin, gender, socio-economic status and reports of racial discrimination to parents. The study also aims to determine if parent-child relationship quality has an effect on whether or not black …

Longitudinal Relations Between Parental Monitoring, Parental Acceptance, And Externalizing Behaviors Among Urban African American Adolescents, Rachel Garthe

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of aggression and delinquency increase during adolescence and are associated with psychosocial adjustment difficulties. It is important to identify aspects of the parent-adolescent relationship that may protect adolescents from these externalizing behaviors. The current study examined longitudinal relations between parental monitoring behaviors, child disclosure, and externalizing behaviors. Participants included 326 African American adolescents and their primary maternal caregivers, recruited from urban neighborhoods characterized by high rates of violence and low socioeconomic status. Participants provided data annually (three waves across two-year timeframe) through face-to-face interviews. Results of longitudinal path models showed that child disclosure predicted parental knowledge, and parental …

Understanding Collaboration Among Political Subdivisions Of State Government: Examining The Perceptions And Use Of Collaboration By Virginia's Soil & Water Conservation Districts, Kendall Tyree

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the definitions, benefits, challenges, methods and perceived levels of current collaboration of Virginia’s 47 Soil and Water Conservation Districts, each a political subdivision of state government. The study was guided by the following questions (1) What is collaboration and how is it used by political subdivisions of state government? (2) What collaborative strategies are used specifically by soil and water conservation districts? (3) At what level are districts currently collaborating? (4) At what level do districts prefer to collaborate? A mixed methods research survey was used. The quantitative section measured current perceptions …

Efficacy Of A Self-Forgiveness Workbook: A Randomized Controlled Trial With University Students, Brandon J. Griffin

Theses and Dissertations

Insofar as forgiveness of oneself enables one to responsibly manage the consequences of wrongdoing, the practice of self-forgiveness may be essential to the preservation of one’s physical, psychological, relational, and spiritual health. In the present thesis, an intervention wait-list design was employed to investigate the efficacy of a 6-hour self-directed workbook designed to promote self-forgiveness. University students (N = 204) who reported perpetrating an interpersonal offense and who experienced some sense of remorse were randomly assigned to either an immediate treatment or wait-list control condition, and assessments were administered on three occasions. Participants’ self-forgiveness ratings increased in conjunction with completion …

The Role Of Social Information Processing In The Relation Between Interparental Conflict And Child Aggression, Kimberly Parker

Theses and Dissertations

Crick and Dodge’s SIP theoretical model proposes that children use previously stored memories, past experiences, and formed representations that influence six mechanisms that are in turn used in deciding how to act in social situations (Crick & Dodge, 1994). Research has demonstrated a strong link between social information processing (SIP) and child aggression. Furthermore, SIP has been shown to mediate the relation between several parenting practices and child aggression. Research has also shown a strong relation between interparental conflict and child aggression. The focus of the current study was to determine if SIP serves as a mediator between parental conflict …

United States Women Marines’ Experiences And Perspectives About Coping With Service Life: A Phenomenological Study, Beth-Ann Vealey

Theses and Dissertations

Women are expanding their numbers and roles in the United States military. This new generation of military women is exposed to unique factors related to their gender that contribute to challenges for psychosocial well-being and optimal performance. In support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), researchers have identified unique factors for military women, including increased combat exposure, continued military sexual trauma and harassment, and conflicting dual roles. These factors may create obstacles that inhibit help-seeking behaviors and support for military women, and remain an under-researched topic of study. Gender-specific research on military women is limited; current …

Dementia Caregivers: An Exploration Of Their Knowledge, Beliefs, And Behavior Regarding Advance Care Planning For End-Of-Life Care, Mariette Klein

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore what knowledge dementia caregivers have about advance care planning (ACP), how they learn to execute formal advance directives (ADs) or have engaged in an informal ACP process, and how they understand their roles as decision makers for the patients. Factors that contribute to the completion of an ACP process such as demographic, psychosocial, and situational factors are identified. From the grounded theory data analysis, a theory emerged about how ACP is accomplished and used by caregivers. Findings reveal that caregivers understand ACP as having the power to shape the dying process for …

The Use Of Geographic Information Systems By Law Enforcement Agencies And Its Impact On Police Performance, Kun Ulvi

Theses and Dissertations

Do we know whether the use of geographic information systems (GIS) in law enforcement agencies increases police performance? This study examines the impact of GIS use to police performance outcomes in cities and counties of the U.S. between 2000 and 2007. Current research uses computerized mapping conceptualization to operationalize its measurement. Second, the police performance methodological context is used to measure the organizational impact of GIS. Finally, a new theoretical framework, information technology capacity that combines organizational, environmental and managerial factors to explain IT applications, is used to encompass most relevant dimensions of the subject matter. Findings indicate that the …

A Longitudinal Study Of The Bidirectional Relations Between Internalizing Symptoms And Peer Victimization In Urban Adolescents, Tess Drazdowski

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the bidirectional relations between anxious and depressive symptoms and two forms of peer victimization (i.e., overt and relational) within a sample of 358 predominantly African-American adolescents living in low-income urban areas across four years. Longitudinal path analyses tested progressively complex models for each type of victimization. For both overt and relational victimization the autoregressive model where only previous levels of each construct predicted future levels of the construct was the most parsimonious explanation. The best fitting model for both types of peer victimization suggested that internalizing symptoms helped to further explain future …

Advance Graduate Research: Re-Examining Outreach With Workshops, Bettina Peacemaker, Martha Roseberry

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Academic Outreach librarians at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) offer a full range of instructional services to support upper-level and graduate students. Like most academic libraries, this includes workshops as well as course-integrated instruction and small group or individual consultations. While the latter have grown over the years, workshop attendance has dwindled. Offerings were cut until almost none were left, leaving a void but more importantly providing an opportunity to re-envision the role of workshops in outreach efforts.

The Advance Your Research workshop series was developed to go beyond traditional instruction to explore new and different themes and audiences, demonstrating the …

Usability And Ux For Libraries, Erin White

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This presentation provides a brief overview of user experience design principles and their applications for library web design, including heat mapping, personas, guerrilla usability studies, and analytics tools.

Innovate At Your Library With Business Model Generation, Bettina Peacemaker

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

The Business Model Canvas has been widely adopted and adapted for use in wide range of business settings to explore innovation. This poster considers its use in the library to transform current practices and create new value for our audiences.

Why Is Low Waist-To-Chest Ratio Attractive In Males? The Mediating Roles Of Perceived Dominance, Fitness, And Protection Ability, Anthony E. Coy, Jeffrey D. Green, Michael E. Price

Psychology Publications

Past research suggests that a lower waist-to-chest ratio (WCR) in men (i.e., narrower waist and broader chest) is viewed as attractive by women. However, little work has directly examined why low WCRs are preferred. The current work merged insights from theory and past research to develop a model examining perceived dominance, fitness, and protection ability as mediators of to WCR-attractiveness relationship. These mediators and their link to both short-term (sexual) and long-term (relational) attractiveness were simultaneously tested by having 151 women rate one of 15 avatars, created from 3D body scans. Men with lower WCR were perceived as more physically …

A Test Of Spielberger’S State-Trait Theory Of Anger With Adolescents: Five Hypotheses, Colleen Quinn, David Rollock, Scott R. Vrana

Psychology Publications

Spielberger’s state-trait theory of anger was investigated in adolescents (n = 201, ages 10-18, 53% African American, 47% European American, 48% female) using Deffenbacher’s five hypotheses formulated to test the theory in adults. Self-reported experience, heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) responses to anger provoking imagery scripts found strong support for the application of this theory to adolescents. Compared to the low trait anger (LTA) group, adolescents with high trait anger (HTA) produced increased HR, SBP and DBP, and greater self-report of anger to anger imagery (intensity hypothesis) but not greater self-report or cardiovascular …

Cyberbullying Among Adolescents: Measures In Search Of A Construct, Krista R. Mehari, Albert D. Farrell, Anh-Thuy H. Le

Psychology Publications

Objective: This review focuses on the literature on cyberbullying among adolescents. Currently, there is no unified theoretical framework to move the field of cyberbullying forward. Due to some unique features of cyberbullying, researchers have generally assumed that it is distinct from aggression perpetrated in person. Many measures of cyberbullying have been developed based on this assumption rather than to test competing models and inform a theoretical framework for cyberbullying. Approach: We review current theory and research on cyberbullying within the context of the broader literature on aggression to explore the usefulness of the assumption that cyberbullying represents a distinct form …

Research Guides: Getting Past The Home Page, Martha Roseberry

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

LibGuides, or research guides, are an essential tool for many librarians. However, students rarely navigate beyond the home page, leaving many resources unused. The purpose of this research is to determine if students fail to use secondary pages because they are not finding them or because their information needs are being met by those resources found on the home page.

Six scientific LibGuides are being studied. On three, the primary feature of the home page is a menu leading to the secondary pages. Except for one featured book, no links to resources are provided on these home pages, forcing students …

Reach Out In A New Direction: Applying Public Relations Best Practices To Academic Outreach, Bettina Peacemaker, Sue Robinson, Marilyn Scott

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Public relations isn’t just for Fortune 500 companies or high-profile celebrities. The Public Relations Society of America defines public relations as “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” Thinking about outreach in these expansive terms goes beyond simple promotional activities, media relations, or marketing tactics, and the message should resonate with librarians. Building “mutually beneficial relationships” is at the very core of public services, and serving multiple publics should also be a familiar concept as libraries strive to reach a multitude of audiences.

This poster presentation explores key public relations best practices to …

Acknowledgements: Richmond, Race And Regionalism, Richmond Peace Education Center

Richmond, Race and Regionalism

Acknowledgements of contributors to Richmond, Race and Regionalism video project, sponsored by the Richmond Peace Education Center and funded by Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Educational Leadership.

Green Grass, High Cotton: Reflections On The Evolution Of The Journal Of Advertising, Leonard N. Reid

Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture Presentations

This article reflects on my time as the fifth editor of the Journal of Advertising, makes observations about the evolution of scholarship in the Journal over the past decades, offers suggestions for how JA might advance in the coming years, and provides some “words of wisdom” to advertising researchers. Because it is the first in an invited article series of editor reflections, a bit of historical context is provided.

A Demonstration Of Canonical Correlation Analysis With Orthogonal Rotation To Facilitate Interpretation, Patrick V. Dattalo

Social Work Publications

This paper describes and demonstrates Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) with orthogonal rotation to facilitate interpretation. The purpose of CCA is to explain the relationship between two or more sets of variables. CCA can be thought of as a kind of principal components analysis on two set of variables, except that the criteria for the pairs of linear combinations is that they have the highest possible correlation while being orthogonal to “earlier” pairs. Social work researchers should rarely be satisfied with a strategy that determines which sets of variables to model on purely statistical grounds. However, there are times when there …