Digital Commons Network^™

Rights, Principles, And Data Use: An Investigation Of User Knowledge And Opinion Of Facebook's Legal Contract, Nikolas D. Payne

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This project investigated the legal contract to which users must agree before creating a Facebook account. Multi-methodological in nature, this research explored user knowledge and perception of the contract as well as how the contract measures up to the principles which Facebook claims serve as its foundation. For the quantitative portion of this analysis, a survey including measures of knowledge and perception was administered to respondents. The qualitative portion critically compared Facebook’s legal contract to the list of principles espoused by the company on their website. These analyses reveal that users rarely read this contract before agreeing to it, tend …

Examining Social Anxiety And Depression Among Excessive Online Gamers, Nathan Sharer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The main purpose of this study was to examine the correlations between social anxiety, depression, and other psychological factors among online gamers in order to better understand the differences between excessive gamers (whose habits interfere with relationship, occupational, social, or health issues) and enthusiastic gamers (who spend much of their free time playing games but do not report any significant functional impairment as a result). A literature review revealed diverse conceptualizations of excessive gaming as well as differing opinions of what classifies gaming to be excessive/addicting/problematic, suggesting a need to more specifically analyze gaming habits in terms of coexisting pathology …

Targeted Cognitive-Based Tier Ii Interventions To Increase Student Achievement, Rachel K. Wakefield

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine whether targeted cognitive-based reading interventions are more effective than traditional evidence-based Tier II reading interventions. Ninety students who performed in the lowest third on a state reading test from a rural school district in Virginia were placed into three groups: 1) students who received traditional evidence-based reading interventions, 2) students whose teachers were trained in Cattell-Horn-Carroll theory and whose teacher chose an intervention that he/she thought would be most tailored to the student’s cognitive needs, 3) students who were tested using the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ-III) and were …

Assessing The Presence And Use Of Nonverbal Communication In Primary Reading Instruction, Amelia C. Ferrell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This research examined the presence and types of nonverbal communication presented in primary reading instruction. Primary instructors were surveyed about their use and types of nonverbal communication employed during reading instruction. Nonverbal communication variables studied were determined from relevant literature regarding nonverbal immediacy, primary education, and reading instruction. Findings revealed that almost all nonverbal communication variables studied were employed frequently and most respondents had no prior training. Findings suggest how future studies can better evaluate the role of nonverbal communication in reading instruction and provide education for primary teachers in hopes of improving literacy education.

Emotional Intelligence And Team Cohesiveness, Myra M. Beam

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Emotional Intelligence is generally defined as encompassing the awareness and understanding of emotions. Emotional Intelligence also incorporates the application of this understanding to decision making, regulation, and self-management. Many theorists have shown that Emotional Intelligence has a significant positive impact on various aspects of teamwork. Today, more companies and organizations use teamwork to solve problems and complete tasks, so exploring elements that enhance teamwork would be beneficial.

This study was designed to support the notion that Emotional Intelligence is an integral part of teamwork. It was hypothesized that Emotional Intelligence has an impact on teamwork by making the team more …

Parental Involvement And Level Of Parent Satisfaction In A Summer Enrichment Program, Leslie Rae Danner

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The current study was conducted to determine which variable of parental involvement was the best predictor of parental satisfaction in the 2011 Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program. Data of parental involvement and level of parent satisfaction was collected using a survey format. A prediction equation analysis using a linear regression was calculated and results indicated that parents feeling involved was a significant variable in satisfaction. An independent samples t-test determined that there was no significant difference between parents’ actual participation in services and satisfaction. A linear regression determined the levels of involvement in activities were not a predictor of satisfaction. …

Climate Influence On The Health Of An Appalachian City, Ryan Wade Becka

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 2008 the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found Huntington, West Virginia, to be the unhealthiest city in America. A Gallup Poll conducted in 2010 found the Huntington-Ashland metropolitan area number one of 188 metro areas where depression diagnoses are most common. Manifestations of poor health in Huntington may be related to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression that occurs mainly in winter months. Symptoms of SAD are reported as a lack of energy, sleeping more, and consuming high amounts of carbohydrates and starchy foods. I theorize that these maladaptive behaviors may be a reaction to climate conditions …

Role Of West Virginia School Psychologists In A Response To Intervention Framework, Bryan Anthony Wilson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

With the passage of No Child Left Behind in 2001, schools were required to prepare students using research-based teaching methods, interventions, and approaches. Response to Intervention (RTI) is an evidence-based practice that allows schools to assess student responses to interventions. RTI was implemented as a pilot program in West Virginia beginning from 2007 to 2010. Although research has been frequent on implementing RTI, little research has been conducted analyzing RTI and school psychologist involvement, particularly in West Virginia. The purpose of this study was to examine what factors serve as predictors of RTI involvement in West Virginia. The examiner used …

Measuring Team Collaboration In The Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program, Marian Pyles

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The present study investigates measures of team collaboration among graduate students participating in the Marshall University Graduate College Summer Enrichment Program. The purpose of the study was to use an independent criterion, rankings by an expert panel, as a way to determine the better measure of collaboration: Thermometers or the Collaboration Survey. A Spearman’s rho correlation showed correlations between the Thermometer Team question, the Collaboration Survey, and the expert rankings, whereas a binary logistic regression showed that only the Thermometers predicted whether a team would be ranked as high or low. Results indicate that the MUGC Summer Enrichment Program should …

Parent Expectations Linked To Parent Satisfaction In A Summer Enrichment Program Evaluation, Laura E. Saltsman

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to determine if parent expectations were a determining factor in the level of satisfaction of the parents of students who attended the Marshall University Graduate College Summer Enrichment Program of 2011. Data of parent satisfaction was collected using a revised survey based off of parent satisfaction surveys from previous years while parent expectation data was collected from applications completed by parents prior to the start of the program. Analysis using independent samples t-test determined parental expectations was not a predictor of parent satisfaction. Further exploration of the data indicated the most common expectations were …

Covert Behaviors Occurring In Childhood And Adolescence: Predictors Of Adult Sexual Orientation And Sexual Identity, Shelia Ramona Robinett

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study examined the influence pre-adulthood overt and covert same-sex sexual behaviors had on adult sexual orientation and the influence post-adulthood overt and covert same-sex sexual behaviors had on sexual identity in both women and men. Retrospective data were gathered via a computer-assisted self interview on 1281 non-transsexual female (age range 18-78) and 804 non-transsexual male (age range 18-84) participants for the outcome of sexual orientation and 1086 non-transsexual female and 692 non-transsexual male participants for outcomes of sexual identity. Same-sex romantic emotional attachment experience before adulthood predicted adult same-sex sexual orientation in both women and men. Such experiences occurred …

Attachment Patterns And The Development Of Depression: Path Analysis Of Avoidant And Ambivalent Models, Jessica Lynn Taylor

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Two attachment-based models of depression were tested with path analysis. In the first model, it was proposed that avoidant attachments to one’s father and mother and a family milieu supporting the suppression of feelings would influence one’s attachment to partner and level of shame, making one susceptible to depression. In the second model, it was proposed that ambivalent attachments to one’s father, mother, and partner would influence one’s levels of rumination and shame, making one susceptible to depression. Data were from a previous study and consisted of 126 participants’ de-identified Beck Depression Inventory-II and Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire scores. …

West Virginia Therapists' Knowledge Of Tarasoff-Related Court Cases, Bruce E. Clay

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Tarasoff decisions regarding the duties to third parties were profoundly significant to the practice of psychology and counseling. Despite this, there have been few studies regarding the impact on these decisions on clinical practice. There are essentially three sources of data regarding the analysis of any Tarasoff-related clinical scenario. They include state statutes, court case law and the professional ethics codes. Most of the limited studies conducted have indicated serious knowledge gaps with respect to relevant state statues and the essence of the Tarasoff duties. This study evaluated West Virginia therapists’ knowledge of Tarasoff-related court cases. It was hypothesized …

Parental Satisfaction With Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program Evaluation: Completers Vs. Non-Completers, Rebecca Joan Wendell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this program evaluation was to determine if completion of the Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program (MUSEP) of 2011 had an effect on parent satisfaction. Parents of the students who attended the program answered survey questions pertaining to their satisfaction with the program, services they participated in during the program and reasons why, if they failed to complete the program. The results revealed completion of the program had no effect on parental satisfaction. Further analysis of the data revealed several reasons why students did not complete the MUSEP. The two most significant reasons were prior obligations and vacations.

An Examination Of Star Players' Effects On The Branding Process Of Professional Sports Teams, Nathan David Pifer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Although various models and real-life examples seem to convey its presence, the relationship between star players and the branding process of professional sports teams is one that remains rather vague and unquantified. Though numerous examples seem to suggest that star players are capable of exerting an effect on a team’s brand, more thorough analysis is required in order to decipher which areas of a brand’s development are more or less affected by these marquee athletes. Taking responses from survey questionnaires containing 40 items pertinent to the topic, this study deployed Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to uncover six underlying factors that …

Decolonizing The Mind: A Comparative Approach To Indigenous Movements And Globalization, Robert Andrew Wallace

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Indigenous political movements represent an emerging challenge to globalization as embodied by the spread of capitalist free markets and neoliberal reform. Indigenous groups are creating new spaces in which to express agency and propose alternatives to the dominant growth economic model. Although these processes have led to the creation of new and hybrid norms of development, they have also resulted in conflict between indigenous peoples and the nation-states within which they reside. The role of scholarly analysis in exploring and understanding these processes is crucial. However, conventional Western approaches-namely Marxist and Liberal- may prove insufficient for two reasons, one empirical …

Containing The Beat: An Analysis Of The Press Coverage Of The Beat Generation During The 1950s, Anna Lou Jessmer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The early Cold War era was a period marked by a fear of Communist subversion and a distrust of the other. It was during this time that the Beat Generation emerged in literature and society as a minority opinion group—failing to conform to mainstream norms and living outside the margins of acceptable American culture. In response to the Beat Generation and their dissenting viewpoints, the media framed the Beats in a mostly negative manner. This negative framing was fueled by a desire to delegitimize the Beats as well as any other dissenting groups that posed a threat to American ideology. …

Conservative Media And Political Socialization: Immigration, Gay Marriage, And Abortion As Presented By Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, And Cnn, Jeff Mckay

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study addresses the political socialization of politically conservative individuals and how political ideologies seem to coalesce among individuals from various socioeconomic backgrounds. The main issue that this study aims to tackle is the impact of conservative media on the political socialization of conservative individuals and how media as an agent of socialization might influence them to support ideas that are not to their benefit economically. For instance, conservative individuals from various backgrounds wholeheartedly support the same free market principles. However, the negative effect that capitalism has had on the liberty of middle and lower class citizens of the United …

Lessons From Libya: A Situational Approach To The Generic Criticism Of President Obama's March 28, 2011 Address To The Nation On Libya, Amy L. Schumacher

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Many scholars have called the utility of the generic method of rhetorical criticism into question. Adopting a situational approach to generic rhetorical criticism increases the value of the method considerably. By analyzing situational constituents (scene, purpose, agent, act, agency, and audience) surrounding a discourse, a critic gains a holistic understanding of that text. When coupled with generic comparisons - whether the critic proceeds inductively or deductively - he or she can then trace the recurrent rhetorical strategies across time and place and, simultaneously, highlight the elements unique to the particular rhetor and discourse. I demonstrate this approach through an analysis …

Comparing Measures Of Attachment : “To Whom One Turns In Times Of Stress,” Parental Warmth, And Partner Satisfaction, Marc A. Lindberg Ph.D., April Fugett, Stuart W. Thomas

Psychology Faculty Research

The Attachment and Clinical Issues Questionnaire (ACIQ; M. A. Lindberg& S. W. Thomas, 2011), was developed over an 18-year period containing 29 scales. Thepurpose of the present study was to test (a) the validity of the attachment scales in terms ofhow they predict to whom one turns in times of stress and for affective sharing, and (b) how the attachment scales compared with the Experiences in Close Relationship Questionnaire (ECR) in terms of concurrent, convergent, and discriminant evidence. The relevant secure scales of the ACIQ predicted to whom one turned in Study 1, and Study 2 demonstrated good convergent evidence …

0794: The Bon Ton Bullets In The Service, 1943-1945, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists copies of nineteen editions of a Huntington, West Virginia area newsletter titled, “The Bon Ton Bullets in the Service” published between 1943 and 1945. The newsletter describes activities of area service members during World War II, and published excerpts from letters sent from servicemen, news from home, addresses, and miscellanea. Also included is an index of individuals mentioned in many of the newsletters.

Ethnographic Study Of Information Literacy Librarians’ Work Experience: A Report From Two States, Celene Seymour

Librarian Research

This chapter reports on an ethnographic study of the experiences, practices and feelings of academic librarians who teach information literacy. Based on in-depth interviews with nine librarians who have information literacy responsibilities – five in West Virginia and four in Colorado – it examines the real-life work of practitioners in a wide variety of instructional environments. The research considers participants’ preparation for their instructional role, ambiguity about the concept of information literacy, instructional challenges and professional practices. The authentic voices of instructional librarians provide insights into the roadblocks they face, success they experience and their expectations for the future.

Challenges And Obstacles In Palestinian Libraries, Majed J. Khader Phd

Librarian Research

This chapter provides readers with an understanding of the current situation of libraries in Palestine. It offers an overview of the challenges and obstacles facing Palestinian libraries in this information age of the twenty-first century. It deals with general barriers inhibiting libraries from flourishing and functioning like peer libraries elsewhere.

George W. Bush, The American Press, And The Initial Framing Of The War On Terror After 9/11, Stephen D. Cooper, Jim A. Kuypers, Matthew T. Althouse

Communications Faculty Research

President George W. Bush's speech to the General Assembly of the United Nations on November I 0, 200 I, marks an important moment in the history of the War on Terror. 1 It followed closely upon the joint U.S.-Northern Alliance military capture of Mazari Sarif, Afghanistan, which significantly disrupted the Taliban's operations and arguably marked the official beginning of America's War on Terror. As President Bush stated, "The time for sympathy has now passed; the time for action has now arrived."2 In some ways, the speech offered nothing new. It reiterated words and ideas that the president frequently used to …

0792: Huntington Parks And Recreation Photo Collection, 1950-2012, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists primarily of photographs compiled by the Huntington Parks and Recreation Department related to the Veteran's Memorial Field House in Huntington, West Virginia at the time of its demolition in 2012. Materials include photographs of events, social and sporting, at the Field House and other items including a short manuscript titled, “The Veterans Memorial Field House in Huntington, W. Va.: A History” by Stan Bumgardner as well as a program and tickets from the final game played at the Field House in 2012.

To view materials from this collection that are digitized and available online, search the Huntington …

Toward The History Of Study Of Symbiogenesis: On The English Translation Of B. M. Kozo-Polyansky’S A New Principle Of Biology (1924), Victor Fet

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

We reproduce the text by Victor Fet, which was read on 6 October 2011 at the Moscow Society of Naturalists during the presentation of new book translation (B.M. Kozo- Polyansky. Symbiogenesis: A New Principle of Evolution / transl. by Victor Fet; ed. by Victor Fet & Lynn Margulis. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2010. 138 p.) This half- forgotten book by Boris M. Kozo-Polyansky was known only by name to Western biologists. Victor Fet gives a brief history of this new translation, enthusiastically initiated and supported by Lynn Margulis (1938–2011), a famous naturalist who was always eager to gave credit …

Book Review: Student Engagement Techniques: A Handbook For College Faculty, Sherry L. Early Phd

Leadership Studies Faculty Research

Publisher Description: Keeping students involved, motivated, and actively learning is challenging educators across the country, yet good advice on how to accomplish this has not been readily available. Student Engagement Techniques is a comprehensive resource that offers college teachers a dynamic model for engaging students and includes over one hundred tips, strategies, and techniques that have been proven to help teachers from a wide variety of disciplines and institutions motivate and connect with their students. The ready-to-use format shows how to apply each of the book's techniques in the classroom and includes purpose, preparation, procedures, examples, online implementation, variations and …

Empowering Advisors To Facilitate Change, Melissa R. Shehane, Michael Baumhardt, Michael E. Shehane, Sherry L. Early Phd

Leadership Studies Faculty Research

Advancing group dynamics is difficult. In order for students to learn, develop, and grow within an organization, they need to be empowered by their advisor to feel that their ideas and contributions are both important and valuable. This concept of empowerment means providing freedom for people to do successfully what they want to do, rather than getting them to do what you want them to do (Whetten & Cameron, 2011). As an advisor to a student-led organization, it is important to empower students to identify specific actions and strategies that facilitate change and achieve the outcomes of the organization.

Combating Medicare Fraud: A Struggling Work In Progress, Natalie Thorpe,, Stacie Deslich, Andrew Sikula Sr., Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

INTRODUCTION: The United States has spent approximately $2.6 trillion on healthcare in recent years. This accounts for 17.9% of the national gross domestic product. Fraud has been identified as one of the leading causes of the nation's increasing health expense. Medicare fraud has taken many forms including overutilization, upcoding, billing for services not provided and filing false cost reports. Fraud has been found throughout the healthcare industry and has been difficult to detect.

METHODOLOGY: The methodology for this qualitative study was a literature review. Four electronic databases and several government websites were utilized. Thirty nine sources were referenced for this …