Digital Commons Network^™

Gaining From Loss: Meaning Making And Resolution In Emerging Adults' Low Point Narratives As Predicted By Identity Development And Perceptions Of Parenting In Adolescence, Tara M. Dumas

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Past research suggests that difficult life events can disrupt the expected flow of life, often necessitating increased cognitive effort and reflection to assimilate into the greater life story. In the present longitudinal study, 104 emerging adults (M=26 years) narrated stories about their most difficult life experience. The relationship was examined between certain characteristics of the participants’ low point narratives (depth of learning and coherent positive resolution) at age 26 with their identity development, feelings of support, and parent-child relationships from late adolescence (M=17) to emerging adulthood. Depth of learning refers to the extent to which participants extract more sophisticated forms …

Fitting Under The Marriage Canopy: Same-Sex Weddings As Rites Of Conformity In A Canadian Liberal Jewish Context, Shari Rochelle Lash

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The topic of same-sex marriage continues to be a source of controversy, yet the publicly recognized commitments between lesbian and gay partners is an emerging reality in the twenty-first century, especially in North America. This thesis focuses on the ritual aspects of same sex marriage by exploring the ways in which weddings are adapted to accommodate the needs of a lesbian or gay couple, particularly within Judaism, a tradition in which the components of a wedding ceremony are historically and culturally significnat. Drawing from participant observation and fieldwork interviews with Jewish lesbians in Toronto, this work examines how wedding ceremonies …

First Passage Time Problem For Multivariate Jump-Diffusion Processes: Models, Computation, And Applications In Finance, Di Zhang

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The first passage time (FPT) problems are ubiquitous in many applications, from physics to finance. Mathematically, such problems are often reduced to the evaluation of the probability density of the time for a process to cross a certain level, a boundary, or to enter a certain region. While in other areas of applications the FPT problems can often be solved analytically, in finance we usually have to resort to the application of numerical procedures, in particular when we deal with jump-diffusion stochastic processes (JDP). The application of the conventional Monte-Carlo procedure is possible for the solution of the resulting model, …

The Role Of A Clergyperson Within An Assertive Case Management Outreach Team, Rachel Adrienne Lee Fayter

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Mental health consumer/survivors living in urban poverty are generally marginalized and devalued by society. To aid in the process of recovery they require a holistic form of treatment to meet their physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs. The current exploratory study investigated the role of a pastor as part of a multidisciplinary team engaged in mental health outreach work and the impacts of this role for people experiencing urban homelessness. Multiple qualitative methods were used to collect data from different stakeholder groups. From multiple participant perspectives, the findings indicate that there are many unique spiritual, relational, and moral aspects of …

The Creation Of The Women's Royal Canadian Naval Service And Its Role In Canadian Naval Intelligence And Communications, 1939-45, Julie Anne Redstone-Lewis

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study explores the establishment of the Women’s Royal Naval Canadian Service (WRCNS) on the basis of its British counterpart, and the subsequent restructuring of the service better to suit Canadian needs during the Second World War. This development paralleled and complemented other efforts on the part of the Canadian navy to become more autonomous from British’s Royal Navy. Many Canadians, and the government itself, had profound reservations about the employment of women in military service, but within the navy, as in the other armed forces, these reservations were overcome by much needed skills available among the women who volunteered. …

Social Anxiety And Rumination: The Effects Of Alcohol, Susan Reed Battista

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Previous reserach has found a positive relationship between social anxiety and rumination. A positive relationship has also been found between social anxiety and alcohol use in clinical samples. The current study investigated how alcohol affected levels of rumination in socially anxious and non-socially anxious individuals. It was expected that consuming alcohol would decrease levels of rumination in socially anxious individuals. Eighty male participants were recuited (38 high in social anxiety and 42 low in social anxiety). Most participants were White (86%), students (78%), who ranged in age from 19 to 69 (M=22 years). Individuals were randomly assigned to …

Using Measures Of Print To Predict Reading Ability And Children At-Risk For Reading Disabilities In Spanish-Speaking Second Language Learners, Amy K. Grant

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Due to the changing nature of Canadian society, there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of literature focusing on second language reading acquisition. In this particular study, Spanish-speaking students learning English as a second language (L2) were compared to students who speak English as a first language (L1) on various measures of reading ability and specifically on measures of print exposure, which assess extracurricular reading. Past literature on print exposure has found that print exposure questionnaires serve as significant predictors of variance in reading comprehension, word reading, among other variables (e.g., Cunningham & Stanovich, 1993). The current study …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Jamiacan Immigrant Youth In Two Southern Ontario Cities, Kathleen M. Hogarth

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Research done with immigrant youth in Canada has been largely focused on educational outcomes. The experiences of Jamiacan immigrant youth in Canada have not been explored in great depth in the literature. Canadian statistics show however that Jamiacan immigrant youth account for the largest grouping of Caribbean immigrant youth in Canada. Other data sources point to the fact that Jamiacan youth are more likely to be criminalized and face added challenges in society because of racial stereotyping. The goal of this thesis therefore was to explore the experiences of Jamiacan immigrant youth in Kitchener and Toronto, Ontario through an investigation …

The Reception Of Thomas Of Ireland’S Manipulas Florum In Calvinist Geneva: Sex And Marriage In Jacob Stoer’S 1593 Edition, Nicholas Must

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is an analysis of the first edition of Jacob Stoer’s version of Manipulus florum, along with a comparison to an earlier edition (which served as Stoer’s proximate source), based on topics relevant to marriage and sexuality. Placing Stoer’s collection within the context of the Genevan printing industry and the Calvinist reforming of morals, this study sthows how a popular medieval florilegium was brought into the era of the Reformation and confessionalization.

Examining the physical characteristics of Stoer’s editorial work and the resultant effect on the message, it shows that, by employing a variety of editorial techniques, Stoer …

Abstraction, Technology, And Power, John Wilkinson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The work's central question is how technological designs affect the political power of individuals. This discussion supplements claims that more democratic control over the design and deployment of technology is necessary; it does so by showing how the general tendency toward parametric designs creates technological delegates: artifacts to which we inadvertently delegate our political powers. "Delegation" in this sense is the central theme. It is developed in the context of recent philosophy and sociology of technology, as well as ecofeminism and the existentialism of Gabriel Marcel and Martin Heidegger. A distinction is made between live and dead abstractions (chapter two); …

Descartes’ Concept Of Will, Andreea Mihali

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation focuses on Descartes’ concept of will. Following the Scholastics Descartes takes the will, alongside intellect, to be the main faculty of the mind. The essence of the Cartesian mind is thinking. Most Cartesian scholars take this to mean that for Descartes the essence of the mind consists of thoughts as objects of awareness. I argue that willing is not just another type of thought on a par with conceiving, imaginging, and having sensory perceptions but that willing is as much an essential feature of the Cartesian mind as awareness. Without willing there would be no thinking; willing pertains …

Devotion And The Political: Sermon And Devotional Literature In The Reigns Of Henri Iv And Louis Xiii, 1598–1643, Jason Sager

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis examines the part played by French sermon and devotional literature during the reigns of Henri IV and Louis XIII in providing a model of political and social order. Shortly after the end of the Wars of Religion the French clergy in the seventeenth century rejected the violent rhetoric of the panic preachers of the sixteenth century. These seventeenth-century preachers emphasized social and political obedience as part of the duty of the Christian. Through collaboration with the crown, the ecclesiastical estate was able to assist in the pacification of French society.

This was achieved in the following ways. Throughout …

Intra-Urban Spatial Accessibility: An Improved Methodological Approach, Jeremy W.E. Mcandrew

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The study of accessibility is commonly utilized to further the social equity debate. However, the accessibility literature is ingrained with, and perpetuates, a form of spatial error; aggregation error. The presence of this spatial error severely hinders the applicability of accessibility research in the study of our environment. This thesis seeks to eliminate forms of spatial error from the study of accessibility through the use of comprehensive high resolution spatial information. A service accessibility study is undertaken utilizing origin data collected at the parcel level, while destinations are represented by a diverse and detailed database identifying businesses which cater to …

Assessing Integration In Resource And Environmental Management In The Southwest Yukon, Madison S. Saunders

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis investigates the theory and practice of integration in resource and environmental management. Research on integration is growing as a result of the escalating demands placed on resources, an increase in the quality and quantity of information available concerning the environment, and the increased involvement and coordination of partners and participants in resource and environmental decision-making. Focus is placed on several resource and environmental decision-making. Focus is placed on several resources and environmental management processes in the Southwest Yukon, including wildlife management, protected areas management, forest management and environmental assessment. A case study approach is utilized to examine the …

Impacts Of Organized Sport On Family Life And Travel Demand, Jodi Murray

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In response to the rise in popularity of children’s organized sport there is a need to further our understanding of its impacts, both on family-life and on travel demand. Sport participation has become an integral part of raising children, and its typically rigid structure has significant impacts on many aspects of daily life and management. In order to meet the deamnds of a sport lifestyle, families depend on the “family van” as the main mode of transportation; thus increasing recreation travel. This thesis utilized mixed quantitative/qualitative methods to explore the relationship between youth hocky participation, family life and travel demand. …

Local And Regional-Scale Societal Dynamics In Grizzly Bear Conservation, Douglas Andrew Clark

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Conserving grizzly bear populations is a significant challenge for wildlife managers throughout North America. Much fruitful research has been conducted on the biology of grizzlies, but the human dimensions of bear management remain poorly understood. This imbalance has created conflicts between management agencies and local inhabitants that can jeopardize ecosystem management and planning programs in which grizzlies often feature as key components. Broadly, the goal of this study was to understand how and why such conflicts occur. Qualitative data analysis methods and the policy sciences' interdisciplinary problem analysis framework, along with insights from adaptive governance and co-management concepts, resilience theory, …

Destruction At The Root: Religious Genocide In Tibet?, Jackson Elijah Sherratt

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

What constitutes genocide is a matter of considerable debate. Stripped to its theoretical core, however, genocide requires the presence of a) perpetrators and victims, and b) the established intent of the former to destroy the latter, by c) such methods that can be reasonably be considered genocidal. As such, isolating and identifying these variables becomes an essential task for anyone wishing to establish that a particular historical event, or set of events, amounts to genocide. The United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime and Genocide (UNGC) represents the legal standard in this regard, and codified therein …

An Exploration Of Bullying As Experienced By Sudanese Refugee Youths, Aislinn Clancy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this research is to explore the experience of bullying among Sudanese refugee youths living in Kitchener-Waterloo. Voices in the literature assert that bullying is experienced differently by different social groups. This study proposes to understand the phenomenon of bullying from the unique perspectives of Sudanese refugee youths. As a White middle-class Canadian-born woman, I consider myself a partial outsider to this group. As a partial outsider, I use reflexive strategies to constantly reflect on the impact of my social location on the participants and on the whole research process. To understand how Sudanese youths experienced bullying, I …

Role Changes And Birth Order In Female Adolescent Bereavement, Jennifer Joyce Evans

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis reports on the findings of a qualitative research study that explored role changes experienced by female adolescents after the death of a parent, with special attention paid to birth order. Seventeen women were recruited by convenience sampling for this study: nine were eldest daughters, three were middle daughters, and five were youngest daughters. All of the women lost a parent when they were between the ages of 11 and 17, and all were living at home with both parents at the time of the death. The findings were analyzed using a grounded theory method of coding (Glaser & …

The Examination Of Fixed And Multi-Tier Source Monitoring Training With Children, Sean Curtis Cameron

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The current research consists of two studies examining children’s source monitoring training. As previous research (e.g., Thierry & Spence, 2002; Poole & Lindsay, 2002) on source monitoring training is somewhat inconsistent, this research examined two different types of source training with 3–8 year old children. In Study 1, 131 children across two age ranges (3–4 and 7–8 years) were given comparable source training to that completed by Thierry and Spence (2002). General results indicated that the training benefited 7–8 year olds at two delay times, but only benefited younger children that met the established criterion in training. In Study 2, …

“To Thine Own Self Be True”: A Narrative Analysis Of Social Group Disengagement And Associated Identity Implications, Catherine De Boer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of individuals who had voluntarily disengaged from social groups that had once been central to their self-understandings. Theoretical underpinnings of the study proceeded from the distinction made by social psychologists between personal identity, self-definitions derived from an understanding of one’s self as unique, and social identity, self-definitions derived from an understanding and identification of one’s self as a member of social groups. The overarching aims were to: 1) determine if a disengagement process exists, and if so, to discover its defining characteristics and phenomenological aspects; 2) describe the shifts …

Adolf Reinach’S Contribution To The Early Phenomenological Movement, Kimberly Jaray

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Adolf Reinach made significant contributions to the early phenomenological movement with his work on states of affairs, the ontological categorization of the a priori, and a realist interpretation of essences, yet today his name and contributions go largely unrecognized. To make matters worse, the few who have contributed to Reinach scholarship have seriously misinterpreted central features of his thought. This thesis seeks to rectify this situation by offering an historical account of the origin and development of some of Reinach’s key notions and of their significance to the development of phenomenology in the early twentieth century. This thesis is …

Who Has Seen What When? Pornography’S Contribution To The Social Construction Of Sexuality During Childhood And Adolescence, Bente Skau

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Pornography has a ubiquitous place in contemporary Canadian Society. With or without intention, children and youth are frequently exposed to pornographic images and depictions. There is little research detailing the types of exposure that occur and the impact of said exposure on this population. Through a detailed survey administered to approximately 450 first-year college and university students in Ontario, this retrospective and exploratory study answers the query, “when and to what type of pronography are children and young adults exposed and how does this exposure relate to subsequent sexual behaviours and attitudes?” Following a deatiled escription of pornography exposure, indicating …

The Sense Of Duty: Canadian Ideas Of The Citizen Soldier, 1896–1917, James A. Wood

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation examines the amateur military tradition as it developed in Canada between 1896 and 1917, tracing the evolution of a citizen soldier ideal which had an enormous impact on the country’s experience of the First World War. Prior to 1914, the central dilemma of Canadian military development was to create an army that was both inexpensive and made only limited demands on its soldiers in time of peace, but that could be expanded in war to a strength that was adequate for the defence of the country. Before the First World War, a militia of part-time citizen soldiers seemed …

Environmental Information Systems And Community-Based Resource Management In Ghana: An Investigation Of Institutional Policy And Implementation In Context, Abednego Ayitey Aryee

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study employed a case-study approach and cross-case analysis to investigate the impact of Environmental Information Systems (EIS) and Local Knowledge Systems (LKS) on agro-forestry management and biodiversity conservation. Questionnaire-based interviews with service providers, resource managers and focus group discussions with farmers associated with the United Nations Capacity 21, the Netherlands Tropenbos International (TBI) and the United Nations Project on People Land Management and Conservation (UNPLEC), projects yielded in-depth information on agro-forestry practices in southern Ghana. The findings of the survey revealed that computer-based information systems have been used to identify areas of resource degradation. This has served as a …

A Qualitative Study Of Experiences Of Aboriginal Caregivers Of Children With Developmental Disabilities, Joyce Ellen Clouston

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A qualitative study of 20 caregivers of Aboriginal children with developmental disabilities revealed that caregivers continue to be guided by values rooted in traditional Aboriginal societies where all children were considered gifts of the Creator. The lives of vulnerable children had purpose, they were treated with respect, and the self-growth of the caregiver was connected to care of the child. The needs of young families were supported within a web of relationships in family and community. Disruptions to traditional family relationships began in the colonial era with the negation of Aboriginal culture and spirituality, and continue in many communities in …

Golden Pheasants And Eastern Kings: The German District Administration In The Occupied Soviet Union, 1941–1944, Stephen A. Connor

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of The Perceptions Of Risk And Health Between Old Order Mennonites And Mainstream Society In The Grand River Valley: A Cross-Cultural Analysis, Ewa Dabrowska-Miciula

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The role of culture in the geography of health and technological hazard perception research is an important and relatively recent avenue of research. This dissertation contributes to this research by exploring cross-cultural differences in health and risk perceptions and by examining the relationship between health and place. It involves an in-depth examination of perceptions and meaning of health, as they exist in the local context. It is the first geographical research conducted with individual members of the Old Order Mennonite community considering perceptions of health, technological hazard and understandings of environmental risk.

The studied communities are situated at an agricultural/industrial …

Embracing Life After Breast Cancer: Exploring The Holistic Health Of Survivors, Christine Yakiwchuk

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Health, from a holistic perspective, is more than physical well-being. The experience and treatment of breast cancer has an impact beyond physical health, with psychological, social, and spiritual factors playing a role in wellness. Physically, treatment such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy often have disruptive side effects such as, fatigue, breast soreness, nausea, vomiting, hair loss and weight gain, as well as the possibility of losing one or both breasts (Mustain et al., 2002). Psychologically and emotionally, women may experience anxiety, depression, anger, guilt, fear and repression, psychological distress and persistent fears of recurrence (Glanz & Lerman, 1992). The goal …

'If You're The Alliance For Children And Youth, Where Are All The Children And Youth'?' How The Alliance For Children And Youth Of Waterloo Region Can Help Advance Youth Engagement, Shauna M. Fuller

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Youth engagement (the meaningful participation and sustained involvement of a young person in an activity outside of him or herself; CEYE, 2003), in particular with organizations that affect young people’s lives, has positive effects on both youth and organizations (Driscoll, 2002; Hart, 1992; Zeldin, McDaniel, Topitzes, & Calvert, 2000). Research on youth engagement has identified that successful and sustainable youth engagement requires a combination of local, interagency, and political level structures (Caputo, 2000). Waterloo Region (Ontario, Canada) has isolated pockets of youth engaged in decision-making; however, no regional youth engagement initiative exists at the interagency and political levels. Regional efforts …