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Older Adults' Satisfaction With Physical Therapists' Communication And Physical Therapy Treatment, Neela M. Lakatoo Dec 2006

Older Adults' Satisfaction With Physical Therapists' Communication And Physical Therapy Treatment, Neela M. Lakatoo

Gerontology Theses

Little research documents the impact of communication on the relationship between the physical therapist and the older patient. As key health professionals, physical therapists need to know the degree to which a therapeutic relationship is occurring with the older adults they treat, and what aspects of the communication process can be improved to effectively meet the needs of this unique patient population. This exploratory study examines the relationships between older adults’ perceptions of physical therapists’ patient-centered communication (PCC), and their satisfaction with communication and physical therapy treatment (SPT). The sample consisted of 40 participants from 4 different physical therapy sites, …


Getting By Gatekeepers: Transmen's Dialectical Negotiations Within Psychomedical Institutions, Elroi Waszkiewicz Dec 2006

Getting By Gatekeepers: Transmen's Dialectical Negotiations Within Psychomedical Institutions, Elroi Waszkiewicz

Sociology Theses

Transsexuality remains grounded in pathologizing discourses. Mental health professionals largely classify transgender experiences as disorders, and transgender people seeking to alter their bodies typically must obtain authenticating letters from therapists verifying such diagnoses. Physicians usually require these letters to perform transition-related services, and sometimes require additional legitimization. In these ways, psychomedical professionals impose gatekeeping measures that withhold and confer services to transsexuals who desire medical transition. Using qualitative interview data and grounded theory methods with 20 female-to-male transsexuals, this study demonstrates that transmen typically represent informed consumers whom carefully research psychomedical protocol and anticipate providers’ adherence to professional standards. When …


Stand By Your Man, Redneck Woman: Towards A Historical View Of Country Music Gender Roles, Cenate Pruitt Dec 2006

Stand By Your Man, Redneck Woman: Towards A Historical View Of Country Music Gender Roles, Cenate Pruitt

Sociology Theses

Country music, considered a uniquely American musical genre, has been relatively under-researched compared to rock and rap music. This thesis proposes research into the topic of country music, specifically the ways which country music songs portray gender. The thesis uses Billboard chart data to determine commercially successful songs, and performs a content analysis on the lyrics of these songs. I will select songs from a fifty year period ranging from 1955 to 2005, so as to allow for a longitudinal study of potential changes in presentation. Attention will be focused on the lyrical descriptions of men and women and how …


Senior Multipurpose Facilities And Quality Of Life Among African American Older Adults: A Case Study, Davette A. Taylor-Harris Dec 2006

Senior Multipurpose Facilities And Quality Of Life Among African American Older Adults: A Case Study, Davette A. Taylor-Harris

Gerontology Theses

Little is known about the impact of senior multipurpose facilities on the quality of life of African American elders. This thesis examined the context of African American elders’ participation in these facilities. Qualitative methods were used. Fifteen in-depth participant interviews, one facility program coordinator interview and eighteen weeks of participant observation were completed. The principles of grounded-theory method were used during data analysis. Findings reveal that racial experiences played an important role in participants’ sense of community. Female and male participants engaged in different types of activities. While some participants reported physical improvements, all participants recounted social and emotional benefits …


The Building Blocks Of Atlanta: Racial Residential Segregation And Neighborhood Inequity, Melissa Mae Hayes Aug 2006

The Building Blocks Of Atlanta: Racial Residential Segregation And Neighborhood Inequity, Melissa Mae Hayes

Sociology Theses

I conduct a case study of Atlanta's metropolitan core in order to provide a rich, detailed analysis of urban neighborhoods, and to document the persistence of racial inequalities. Using Census 2000 block group data, I examine racial residential segregation in the five core counties of Atlanta between whites and minority groups, as well as among minority groups. I find high levels of residential segregation between whites and blacks, as well as between blacks and Asians, and blacks and Hispanics; segregation is lower between whites and Asians, and whites and Hispanics. I also investigate neighborhood characteristics like percentage poverty and educational …


Predictors Of Job Satisfaction Among Staff In Assisted Living, Guangya Liu Aug 2006

Predictors Of Job Satisfaction Among Staff In Assisted Living, Guangya Liu

Sociology Theses

Using findings from a statewide study of satisfaction and retention of 294 direct-care staff in 39 assisted-living facilities (ALFs) in Georgia, this study examines the effect of sociodemographic, job, and attitudinal characteristics on overall job satisfaction and its various dimensions. The results show age has a negative effect on promotion satisfaction. Whites are more satisfied than non-whites with overall job, work, supervision, and pay. Urban workers are less satisfied with overall job, supervisor, coworker, promotion, and pay than their rural counterparts. Education negatively affects coworker satisfaction. Workers with children are less satisfied with supervisor relationships, and pay than childless persons. …


Salvaging Children's Lives: Understanding The Experiences Of Black Aunts Who Serve As Kinship Care Providers Within Black Families, Regina Louise Davis-Sowers Aug 2006

Salvaging Children's Lives: Understanding The Experiences Of Black Aunts Who Serve As Kinship Care Providers Within Black Families, Regina Louise Davis-Sowers

Sociology Dissertations

Previous research on grandparents as kinship care providers demonstrated that grandparents are confronted with both challenges and rewards. Using qualitative research methods, I examined the lives of 35 black aunts who served as kinship care providers for nieces and nephews. I found that grandparents and aunts experienced increased time demands, financial burdens, and family stress. However, this study demonstrated that aunts’ experiences differ from grandparents’, due to the younger age of aunts and the fact that aunts are of the same generation as the biological parents. Moreover, I found that aunting, or the care and nurture of children by aunts …


Building Inequality: A Case Study Of White, Black, And Latino Contractors In The Atlanta Construction Industry, Cameron D. Lippard Jul 2006

Building Inequality: A Case Study Of White, Black, And Latino Contractors In The Atlanta Construction Industry, Cameron D. Lippard

Sociology Dissertations

In this exploratory case study, I compare and contrast the self-employment experiences and hiring practices of Black, Latino, and White business owners in the Atlanta construction industry. While much of the ethnic entrepreneurship literature has explained the racialized differences between racial and ethnic groups concerning self-employment and their hiring practices, few studies have been able to provide a clear explanation of the mechanisms racial groups use to maintain an economic and social edge without being overtly racist. Furthermore, many scholars have not yet begun to compare the experiences of Whites, Blacks, and Latinos in the South and how their racial …


Racial Disparity In Social Spatiality: Usage Of National Parks And Opera Attendance, Joseph Terry Johnson Jun 2006

Racial Disparity In Social Spatiality: Usage Of National Parks And Opera Attendance, Joseph Terry Johnson

Sociology Theses

This study investigates the existence of an ethnic separation in different settings of leisure activities. I examine the relationship between race, gender, socioeconomic status, and education with respect to the usage of popular cultural activities and high cultural activities to demonstrate the racial disparity occurring in both. A literature review pertaining to the usage of outdoor recreation, as in camping and hiking evidences the influence of racism on the disparity in Non-white participation. In contrast to out-door leisure activities, literature evidences the influence of class instead of race for the disparity in indoor leisure activities. Using the 1993 General Social …


Making Education Work: The Effects Of Welfare Reform On The Educational Goals And Experiences Of Tanf Participants, A. Fiona Pearson Jun 2006

Making Education Work: The Effects Of Welfare Reform On The Educational Goals And Experiences Of Tanf Participants, A. Fiona Pearson

Sociology Dissertations

After U.S. welfare was reformed in 1996, many states eliminated their educational programs and replaced them with "work-first" options. This study uses in-depth interviews and content analysis of current and proposed welfare legislation to examine how these policy changes have shaped the experiences of postsecondary students participating in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and to determine whether or not proposed policy changes in TANF reauthorization legislation meet the needs of students. To fulfill the first objective of this study, I conducted interviews with 20 TANF participants who were using enrollment in a postsecondary institution as a means …


Black Employment Opportunities: The Role Of Immigrant Job Concentrations, Jim Baird Jun 2006

Black Employment Opportunities: The Role Of Immigrant Job Concentrations, Jim Baird

Sociology Theses

Recent, post-1980, immigration patterns have had a dramatic effect on U.S. labor markets, leading to considerable debate about the impact of immigration on native-born black workers. This research examines immigrant and black labor markets, across metropolitan areas, using Public Use Microdata and Summary File data from Census 2000 to generate low, mid, and high classifications of immigrant and black occupations based on socio-economic index (SEI). Multivariate findings indicate that the effect of recent immigration on black labor market outcomes differs by occupational level. Competition for low-skilled jobs is identified for native-born blacks in low-level jobs while a “bump-up” effect is …


Transporting Atlanta: The Mode Of Mobility Under Construction, Miriam Fiedler Konrad May 2006

Transporting Atlanta: The Mode Of Mobility Under Construction, Miriam Fiedler Konrad

Sociology Dissertations

The transportation crisis in Atlanta has attained epic proportions. Inconveniences and hardships created by too many automobiles and not enough alternatives for movement, have reached untenable levels. Getting at what lies beneath the asphalt, interrogating what drives the paving of America, along with the seemingly unstoppable space, energy, and money consumption that the current mode of mobility entails will perhaps allow for future decision-making that includes a more nuanced reading of the landscape. In an effort to understand these forces, I interrogate the creation, trajectories, and current positioning of three major Atlanta transportation projects: the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority …


"I Know What You Are Going Through": The Impact Of Negotiating The Criminal Justice System On The Well Being Of Family Members Of Homicide Victims And Criminal Offenders., Cara-Vanessa Hadassah Bertollini Feb 2006

"I Know What You Are Going Through": The Impact Of Negotiating The Criminal Justice System On The Well Being Of Family Members Of Homicide Victims And Criminal Offenders., Cara-Vanessa Hadassah Bertollini

Sociology Theses

Increasingly individuals are coming into contact with the criminal justice system. For millions of Americans this contact is mediated by the victimization or offense of a loved one. This study focused on exploring what the family members of victims and offenders identify as their needs and concerns in relation to the criminal justice system, assessing if the system is effective in addressing these needs and concerns, and understanding how these families' lives are shaped by interaction with the system. Grounded theory method was used to analyze the narratives posted on two on-line message boards, one for victims' families and one …


Japanese Fathers In The United States: Negotiating Different Cultural Expectations, Yuka Abe Jan 2006

Japanese Fathers In The United States: Negotiating Different Cultural Expectations, Yuka Abe

Sociology Theses

Japanese fathers residing abroad have not been given much attention in Japanese scholarship. In this study, I examine how Japanese fathers in the United States negotiate between Japanese and American cultural expectations regarding fatherhood. Relying on a symbolic interactionist perspective, and through qualitative research involving in-depth interviews with 24 Japanese fathers who live in the United States for business, I focus on the men's culture, conduct, and self-identification. My interviews suggest that Japanese fathers who temporarily stay in the United States usually adhere to Japanese culture and, accordingly, live up to Japanese expectations of fatherhood. Thus, paternal modifications influenced by …


To Be Or Not To Be…Christian: Explaining Chinese Immigrant Elders’ Christian Participation In The U.S., Gehui Zhang Jan 2006

To Be Or Not To Be…Christian: Explaining Chinese Immigrant Elders’ Christian Participation In The U.S., Gehui Zhang

Sociology Theses

In recent years, growing numbers of Mainland Chinese elders are participating in Christian congregations during short visits or extended stays in the U.S. This thesis explores social and cultural factors that explain these immigrant elders’ involvement with Christianity while in the U.S. Based on face-to-face interviews with 20 Mainland Chinese elders living in Atlanta as well as participant observation at a Chinese Christian church and with a Bible study group, this study finds that loneliness and social isolation in a foreign land are the main reasons for Mainland Chinese elders’ participation in Christian activities. Besides religious services, social service functions …


"Excuse Me, Ma'am? That's Sir To You!" Perceptions Of Butch Privilege In Contemporary Society, Mikel L. Walters Jan 2006

"Excuse Me, Ma'am? That's Sir To You!" Perceptions Of Butch Privilege In Contemporary Society, Mikel L. Walters

Sociology Theses

This thesis focuses on perceptions of butch privilege in the undergraduate student body at Georgia State University. Butch privilege is similar to traditional definitions of privilege, whether male, white or heterosexual. I define it as the unearned and unacknowledged privilege experienced by a butch lesbian (perceived or self-identified) due to her occupation of masculinity. In order to investigate this topic, an exploratory quantitative analysis of how perceptions of masculinity and status are associated with butch privilege was conducted. A survey consisting of questions regarding participants’ perceptions of how differential privileges are extended to masculine and feminine looking women were presented …