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Ethnic Community Involvement And Academic Achievement Among Vietnamese-American Secondary School Students: A Community Study., Carl Leon Bankston Iii

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

In this dissertation, I examine the role of involvement in an ethnic community in the academic achievement of Vietnamese American teenagers. I first describe the social context of these young people by discussing the situation of Vietnamese people in the United States and by offering a detailed description of a Vietnamese American community. Next, I examine how Vietnamese American students are performing in American schools and look at the characteristics of young people in the community in question. Finally, I employ data from a survey administered in the public schools of New Orleans where Vietnamese youth are concentrated in order …

The Church In Post-Transition Societies: Evidence From Eastern Europe., Mary L. Gautier

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

I explore the relationship between religious affiliation and support for democratic values in postcommunist societies. Using the Tocquevillian idea of the institutional learning of democratic values within civil society, I examine three post-transition countries of Eastern Europe for evidence that the churches preserved and promoted democratic values during the years of Soviet regime control. Comparative historical examination of the relationship between the institutional churches and the state during the years of communist regime control demonstrate how the churches worked to preserve and promote democratic values. In those countries where the churches were marginalized and excluded from power by the state …

The Nation-State And Its Ideology: A Study Of School Children's Views Of Nationalism, Politics, And Enmity, Linda June Olson

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the reproduction and ideological legitimization of the nation-state in the eyes of successive generations. There are two components to this study. The first is a socio-historical analysis of the formation of nation-state ideology, a formation which seems to necessitate creation of "in-groups" and "out-groups." It is a socio-historical analysis of victimization, of the tendency to justify colonialism, expansionism, imperialism, and brutality to outsiders.

The second component of this study is concerned with how the ideology of the nation-state regarding nationalism, patriotism, and especially classification of enemy groups, is reproduced and legitimized for future generations. For this purpose, …

The Impact On The Family Of Long-Term Caregiving In The Home, Holley Spangler Gimpel

Doctoral Dissertations

Families provide care in ever-increasing numbers for chronically and terminally ill family members. Previous empirical measurement of caregiver strain was generally limited to one type of care recipient population (e.g., elderly), with samples drawn primarily from metropolitan centers (and often support groups), and confined to individual assessment (i.e., primary caregiver), with outcomes of depression and anxiety. This study sought to address some of the research gaps in previous research.

In-depth caregiver and family-member interviews using both quantitative and qualitative research methods were conducted during a 10-month period throughout an entire state, composed mostly of rural and small-town populations. Examination was …

Professionalization Of Occupational Therapists: A Study Of Emergent Identities, Lou Ann Sooy Griswold

Doctoral Dissertations

The unprecedented demand for occupational therapists and resulting growth in student numbers necessitates the need to understand how students acquire professional ideology, learn expected role behavior, and identify themselves as occupational therapists. This ethnographic study includes interview data from a series of three interviews with 37 trainees, from freshmen to the first year of employment, who had been or were in the occupational therapy program at Worcester State College, in central Massachusetts. Students included women and men who were preparing for either a first or second career. Interviews with six academic faculty and seven fieldwork supervisors in three areas of …

Information Technology, Employee Participation And The De-Skilling Thesis, Jay Charles Lacke

Doctoral Dissertations

While the de-skilling of work may involve many facets, including task simplification and the degradation of manual skills, this dissertation focuses specifically on the loss of control by workers over the organization and direction ("conception") of their own work. This focus is consistent with Harry Braverman's (1974) seminal argument that the "pivot" of capitalist management, and the core of the de-skilling thesis, is the separation of the conception of work from its execution.

Employee participation strategies whereby workers exercise discretion over the organization and conduct of work are contrary to the de-skilling thesis. But their existence is compatible with post-Braverman …

Leaving Parental Homes In Canada: An Examination Of Gender, Family And Culture, Zhihong Zhao

Digitized Theses

This dissertation first explores a theoretical synthesis for the home-leaving of young adults in Canada. It proposes that home-leaving decisions are made at the family level, instead of at the individual level. While young adults may base their considerations concerning their living arrangements primarily on their own self-interest, parents are more likely to consider not only their own interests but also the best interests of their children. Young adults from social groups with different levels of familism will also have different patterns of home-leaving.;The analysis involves the life table and the proportional hazards models, as well as logistic regression, using …

Pilferers Not Professionals: The Shoplifting Experiences Of Fourteen Canadian Women., Gina. Sampson Ryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Shoplifters and shoplifting is the focus of this thesis. Fourteen adult, female shoplifters in Windsor, Ontario and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia were interviewed over a period of three months in 1993. The motivations of these Canadian women were explored in an attempt to answer the questions of who, what, where, when, how and why. Previous research on shoplifters and shoplifting is limited and Canadian research especially, has consisted of few studies and government documents. It is argued that shoplifting is not only a crime of poverty, but one of control as well. Women shoplift for a variety of reasons, but …

Legal Constructions Of Battered Women: The Limitations Of The Battered Woman Syndrome In A Sample Of Violent Female Offenders In Prison., Kristie Marie. Pagniello

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to provide a critical examination of the Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS), with respect to its legally relevant premises and its uses in the legal defences of women who have committed violent crimes relating to their experiences with domestic violence. This was to be accomplished through a qualitative examination of case files for fourteen women of Michigan's Battered Women's Clemency Project, entitled Freedom Link. The case files contain interview data and documentation of women's experiences with domestic violence, information about their crimes, and details about their encounters with, and the handling of their cases by, …

Fatal Attractions: A Sociological Study Of The Sex Ratios Of Intimate Homicide., Deann K. Gauthier

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the question of why sex ratios of intimate killing vary across relationship type, race, and ultimately--place. The research investigates the influences of rates of family disruption and the direct and indirect affects of gender inequality in communities on various relationship and race specific sex ratios of intimate killing (SROK's). The results of OLS regression analyses reveal that the indirect effects (through family disruption) of gender inequality on relationship-specific SROK's are negligible, but the independent direct effects are considerable. Contrary to much of the criminological literature, higher female-to-male employment in a community does not lead to higher rates …

Conflicting Gender, Kin, And Couple Dynamics Of Nigerian Immigrant Families In Canada., Akinniyi Godwin. Opeola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is two-fold: first, it is an effort to understand how Nigerian immigrant families have improved their economic status and live up to their financial obligation to their relatives. Secondly, it intends to see how women's status changes by way of participating in family decision making once they become income earners. The structure of the Yoruba traditional family and its dynamics are examined. Then, the modern family forms in Nigeria such as the modified extended family and the nuclear family forms are discussed. The researcher chose to present a survey of literature reflecting two major areas: …

The Social Construction Of Acid Rain: The Paper Says It Looks Like Rain Today., Christopher Lorne. Driscoll

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis has determined that there were a number of acid rain constructions presented to the public by the Ontario press. Although acid rain had been around since the 1890s, there had been no widespread knowledge among the general public until February 6, 1979, when the press considered the subject newsworthy. The press constructed acid rain using familiar symbolism and imagery that would get the attention of the readership. However, due to the newsgathering techniques of journalists, more specifically their selection of sources, the constructions that were presented to the public were biased and incomplete. The perspectives of political sources …

The Social Construction Of The Male Batterer As 'Normal'., Sandra Ann. Macmillan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research, from a feminist constructionist perspective, attempts to deconstruct society's view of the male batterer as normal from legal documents such as police and probation reports, court transcripts, psychological reports and women's own accounts. This latter data was collected by the Michigan Battered Women's Clemency Project for women in Michigan prisons who are sentenced to lengthy incarceration for committing violent crimes related to the battering situation. This study goes against the existing literature available on men's violence against women and explains men's violence in terms of power and control on a structural and individual level. The existing research available …

The Social Construction Of The Serial Killer., John Gordon. Cater

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The research examined the social construction of the serial murderer. The primary theoretical proposition was that the serial murderer had learned to become such a murderer and therefore is a product of society. Sociological profiles of different types of serial murderers were created. The typologies employed in the research were the frequently cited typologies of serial murderer offered by Holmes and DeBurger (1988). The main source of data for the research was all available secondary information on the convicted serial killers Clifford Olson, Arthur Shawcross and Jeffrey Dahmer. The research followed a case study methodology and format. The results of …

Women Lawbreakers Constructed In Terms Of Traditional Definitions Of Femininity: The Sentencing Of Women In Conflict With The Law., Catherine Elizabeth. Kaukinen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the considerations judges include in the sentencing of women offenders. In particular, I look at the way the sentencing of women lawbreakers incorporates traditional constructions of femininity. Using a feminist criminological approach, various sentencing strategies were identified in terms of the way in which judges explain women's criminal behaviour and construct motherhood relative to women lawbreakers. These sentencing strategies or judge types are: traditional judges, judges who construct criminal women as "bad" mothers, judges who view motherhood as a non-factor and the "new judges," who attempt to sensitize sentencing to the experiences of women. This research finds …

High Crime Reputations Of An Urban Community: Olde Sandwich Towne, Windsor, Ontario., Leona Vera. Leveque

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the subject of community "high-crime" reputation. The site chosen as a case study is Olde Sandwich Towne, Windsor, Ontario, to which this label has been applied. A combination of field and literature research, interviews, and participant observation inform this thesis. In examining the characterization of Olde Sandwich Towne as a high-crime area, this study describes the basis for the label as demonstrated in how the label developed, problems created by the label, the process of community deterioration, and crimes which, according to police data, are typical of the community. This study also evaluates attempts by the community …

Media Portrayal Of Police: A Content Analysis Of The "Toronto Star", The "Toronto Sun" And "Now" (Ontario)., Julie Elizabeth. Porter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to examine the nature of newspaper articles which dealt with the subject of policing in Canada and also to identify how this particular medium portrays individuals and events surrounding the police during the work-to-rule protest of 1992. A total of 730 newspaper articles were examined. These articles appeared in either the Toronto Star, Toronto Sun or Now. In addition articles were also drawn from the Globe and Mail, on days which a large amount of coverage occurred in the previously mentioned papers. A content analysis procedure was then used to examine the newspaper …

Police: Male Police Officers' Attitudes Toward Their Female Counterparts In The Windsor Police Services (Ontario)., Marco. Del Colombo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The attitude of male police officers toward their female counterparts within the Windsor Police Services was the focus of the research. It was proposed that male police officers would hold traditional and negative views toward female police officers. Secondly, the research also proposed that male officers attitudes towards female police officers would be similar to their attitudes toward women in general. Third, the study also proposed that male police officers' attitudes toward female officers and women in general would be related to the male officers' age, rank, educational level, number of years on the police service and the amount of …