Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 13 of 13
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
A Multi-Method Examination Of The Effects Of Students’ Unconscious Biases On Student Evaluations Of Instructors, Brittany M. Kowalski
A Multi-Method Examination Of The Effects Of Students’ Unconscious Biases On Student Evaluations Of Instructors, Brittany M. Kowalski
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
In this dissertation, I complete three studies to evaluate potential reactions to target role congruity, especially gender role congruity, through an examination of Student Evaluations of Instructors (SEIs). Target role congruity refers to assessments an observer makes of whether or not the various roles a target person fills “fit” with one another. For example, a woman surgeon may be perceived as being in an incongruent role due to the masculine characteristics associated with the occupation and the continued dominance of men in the field. Researchers utilizing congruity theories has shown that both women and men in roles that are incongruent …
Normal Violence: The Case Of Fighting On A College Campus, Brent Boyd
Normal Violence: The Case Of Fighting On A College Campus, Brent Boyd
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Researchers have proposed a number of theories to explain how violence becomes normalized and thereby increases the incidence of violent acts. This study explores these theories using the case of interpersonal violence on the campus of a large, Mid-Atlantic university. During the 2012-2013 academic school year, undergraduate participant observers witnessed 150 altercations, and gave detailed descriptions of when and where each altercation occurred, who was involved in them, and what consequences resulted. They also described their thoughts and feelings as they witnessed the physical altercation. Some witnesses reported experiencing fear, distress and sorrow, others experienced no adverse cognitions or emotions, …
Selling 'Fracking': Legitimation Of High Speed Oil And Gas Extraction In The Marcellus Shale Region, Jacob R. Matz
Selling 'Fracking': Legitimation Of High Speed Oil And Gas Extraction In The Marcellus Shale Region, Jacob R. Matz
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The advent of horizontal hydraulic fracture drilling, or 'fracking,' a technology used to access oil and natural gas deposits, has allowed for the extraction of deep, unconventional shale gas and oil deposits in various shale seams throughout the United States and world. One such shale seam, the Marcellus shale, extends from New York State, across Pennsylvania, and throughout West Virginia, where shale gas development has significantly increased within the last decade. This boom has created a massive amount of economic activity surrounding the energy industry, creating jobs for workers, income from leases and royalties for landowners, and profits for energy …
Hyperreal Battlefields: Individual Action And The Composition Of Enemy In Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 1 & 2, Jeffrey Allen Yeager
Hyperreal Battlefields: Individual Action And The Composition Of Enemy In Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 1 & 2, Jeffrey Allen Yeager
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Speculative fictions present us with stories that ask the question "what if?" In the past decades there has been a noticeable increase in the amount of speculative fiction in Western popular media. War-themed video games represent one of the most popular interactive texts that have embraced the speculative fiction genre. There is a multitude of research that examines non-fiction war games and those based loosely on some actual or historical conflict. This research diverges from that path by analyzing the narrative and structure of a series of fictional war games set in the modern era. The game presents a narrative …
The Sustainability Of Hunger Relief: Analysis Of Emergency Food Providers In Low Access Counties Of West Virginia, Juston Chad Morrison
The Sustainability Of Hunger Relief: Analysis Of Emergency Food Providers In Low Access Counties Of West Virginia, Juston Chad Morrison
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Hunger in West Virginia has long been considered a problem that stems from high poverty rates and rural low access communities. The purpose of this study is to assess the stability of emergency food providers in economically distressed counties in West Virginia. Data was collected from Clay and Webster counties, of which Clay is considered low access and Webster is severely low access or a food desert. Administrators of emergency food providers were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding basic information about their program, changes in client usage, and possible threats to the existence of their program. The questionnaires were …
Jimmy Choos Vs. Ariats: The Presentation Of Masculinity In The Online Sex Ads Of Men Who Have Sex With Men, Adam Thomas Babich
Jimmy Choos Vs. Ariats: The Presentation Of Masculinity In The Online Sex Ads Of Men Who Have Sex With Men, Adam Thomas Babich
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The concept of masculinity should be understood in terms of its fluidity. One cannot say that there is a specific "white" masculinity or a specific "straight" masculinity; rather, masculinity is constantly changing. The inherent problem of defining masculinity has not deterred researches but has fueled a large and growing body of literature dedicated to studying masculinity's dynamic process of change. For a long time, gay men have been regarded as a group who is incapable of possessing masculinity; indeed according to hegemonic masculinity, gay men must be excluded. However, research has shown that gay men are rejecting this notion and …
Curriculum Assessment In The Division Of Sociology And Anthropology At West Virginia University, Jennifer Luise Mitchell
Curriculum Assessment In The Division Of Sociology And Anthropology At West Virginia University, Jennifer Luise Mitchell
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Program evaluation is essential for any organization to be successful. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the curriculum assessment in Division of Sociology and Anthropology and to make recommendations for next steps. Graduating senior surveys from 66 seniors during the Spring 2008 semester and transcripts from 504 students that graduated from the department between May 2004 through May 2008 were analyzed. Results suggest that department needs to improve upon advising, the coordination of internships, and the statistics requirement for their students. Through careful planning the department can improve upon these areas. To move forward with assessment in …
Urban Planning, Transportation, And Land -Use Planning: The Effects On Attitudes And Political Behaviors, Abraham Goldberg
Urban Planning, Transportation, And Land -Use Planning: The Effects On Attitudes And Political Behaviors, Abraham Goldberg
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Public policy decisions made across levels of government have an effect on the way in which cities and city neighborhoods are built and maintained. Places vary in several ways including by the level of diversity or uniformity of the types of available amenities, transportation options, cleanliness, safety, affordability, and the availability of basic services. A growing body of literature, through empirical research, demonstrates that these variations affect several domains of people's lives. Personal health, the natural environment, and social capital have all been linked to characteristics of the built environment and attributes of the public realm. In line with this …
Mobilizing Movements, Mobilizing Contemporary Islamic Resistance, Rachael M. Rudolph
Mobilizing Movements, Mobilizing Contemporary Islamic Resistance, Rachael M. Rudolph
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Recent world events, ranging from international violence to elections, have propelled academics and policymakers to examine Islamic resistance movements more closely. Previous studies of such movements, in both the English and Arabic literature, has been limited to historical case studies. The lack of systematic cross-case comparisons has limited the development of generalizable propositions regarding movement mobilization. In a first effort to remedy this gap in the literature, this study examines the mobilization of Islamic resistance movements---the FIS, the PIJ, Hamas, the MNLF, the MILF and the ASG---in three different countries located in three different regions. Mobilization was examined utilizing the …
Analysis Of The West Virginia Child Abuse And Neglect 2005 Court Improvement Program's Re-Evaluation, Kathryn Alexandra Rood
Analysis Of The West Virginia Child Abuse And Neglect 2005 Court Improvement Program's Re-Evaluation, Kathryn Alexandra Rood
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This is a secondary Analysis of the West Virginia Child Abuse and Neglect Circuit Courtroom system based on the 1995 and 2005 Court Improvement Programs State Evaluations. This article focuses on the West Virginia child abuse and neglect court in relation to Reasonable Efforts Policy. The Evaluations gathered responses from the Judges, Prosecutors and Caseworkers. We reviewed the responses using Jacob and Eisenstein's courtroom workgroup model. Our analysis reveals that policy as an ideal and in practice enacts power over the courtroom workgroups ability to comply with federal standards. These standards and policy requirements create tension and precedence for an …
Understanding The Psychosocial Development Of Neighborhoods: Implications For Situational Policing, Jeri Kirby
Understanding The Psychosocial Development Of Neighborhoods: Implications For Situational Policing, Jeri Kirby
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Community policing strategies are aimed at reducing crime and getting neighbors more involved. These goals of achieving safe neighborhoods seem just outside of the police department's reach. The police have been unable to achieve sustained satisfaction with the residents while also deterring crime and disorder. Research has suggested that collective efficacy within neighborhoods has a strong relation to the level of crime and disorder (Sampson, 1999). Assuming that neighborhoods have unique properties/characteristics, other researchers explored the idea that neighborhoods behave like groups and develop through identifiable stages (Nolan, 2004). Using qualitative methods inside the Pittsburgh Police Department and in four …
Creating Virginia: The Role Of John Lederer In The Transition Of Western Virginia From A Wilderness Into A Colony, Richard Jason Burns
Creating Virginia: The Role Of John Lederer In The Transition Of Western Virginia From A Wilderness Into A Colony, Richard Jason Burns
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This thesis seeks to explore and explain the role of John Lederer, a German physician and expedition leader, in the creation of the colony of Virginia. Lederer led three expeditions into the western mountains of Virginia in the years 1670-71, and was the first European to document his expeditions in writing. Sir William Berkeley, Governor of Virginia, commissioned him to explore the western frontier of Virginia in hopes of finding a short route to the East India Sea. The immense commodities, trade, and settlement possibilities within the western Virginia region eventually overshadowed this initial goal.;Following the three expeditions, Lederer's expedition …
Views Of Health Care Providers On Low-Income Populations In West Virginia With Sexually Transmitted Disease, Genevieve R. Cox
Views Of Health Care Providers On Low-Income Populations In West Virginia With Sexually Transmitted Disease, Genevieve R. Cox
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This thesis focuses on health care providers who consistently diagnose sexually transmitted disease (STDs) in low-income populations. Eighteen providers ranging from registered nurses to physicians were interviewed about their experiences dealing with low-income patients, mainly women, who were diagnosed with incurable and curable STDs for the first time. This qualitative analysis which utilized grounded theory methods reveals several interesting findings. First, that providers who consistently work with low-income populations have a high level of empathy. They believe patients undergo a negative change in self-image second to an incurable STD diagnosis. Providers have concerns about a number of issues related to …