Digital Commons Network^™

Family Story Functions And Roles: A Comparsion Of Three Families Of Different Ethnicities, Carma L. Bylund

Student Work

Family storytelling has been a topic given increased attention recently, although research comparing family stories among different ethnicities is limited. This study investigated the differences in the family story experience among three families of different ethnicities: Caucasian, African-American and Hispanic The research focused primarily on family members’ perceptions of family story functions and roles and how these families differed in those perceptions. The findings are discussed, and the families’ experiences are examined in terms of ethnicity.

Preference For Top Managerial Positions As A Result Of Utility-Maximization Behavior Under Religious Moral Prescriptions, Corneliu Munteanu

Student Work

The analysis described in this study is focused on the influence of religious ethics over individuals' tendency to seek top-managerial positions in their professional activity. The analysis assumes agents maximize utility. According to religious doctrines, afterlife salvation is a goal which could be accomplished only by following certain prescribed behavioural norms. While salvation can be considered as being an identical goal for most religions, the- way of pursuing it differs from one religion to another. This difference in means of attaining salvation reflects on various aspects of human behaviour. One of these aspects is the professional conduct of people engaging …

The Impact Of Cocurricular Experience On Leadership Development, Deborah H. White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of cocurricular activities on leadership development. College graduates recognized as community leaders were selected from three communities in Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Through survey and interview techniques, the leaders were asked to reflect on high school and college experiences that led to their development as leaders. The study included a focus on differences in experiences of male and female leaders. Developmental influences such as family, mentors, global experience, and the cocurricular activities engaged in during high school and college were explored. Title IX had no impact on increased opportunities for women in this group of …

An Analysis Of Workplace Violence Incidents In Virginia Community Colleges And The Major Employers, Betsy E. Summerfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The media during the past ten years has given considerable attention to the workplace violence in factories, service organizations, and the public school systems throughout the United States. This study compared patterns of workplace violence in the 23 member institutions of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) with the patterns of workplace violence in selected for-profit service and manufacturing employers in Virginia, to determine if workplace violence incidents occurring in the VCCS's member institutions reflect the workplace violence incidents experienced by business and industry within each member institution's service region. Chi-square analysis showed a significant difference in non-violent conflict training …

An Analysis Of Equity Preferences And The Relationship Between Belief And Behavioral Intent To Support Funding As A Basis For Regional Park Allocation Decisions In Brazoria County, Texas, Richard Mark Hansen

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study is to assist the Brazoria County Regional Park Planning Team determine what patterns of equity preferences for allocating park and recreation resources are important among residents of Brazoria County. Random samples of equity opinions were taken. Factor analysis was used to discover three important dimensions or areas of consideration within residents belief system for allocation of regional parks. Multiple regression was used to investigate relationships between belief in equity choices and behavioral intent to support funding for equity choices. Belief and behavioral intent to support funding were found to be significantly related for allocation of …

Culturally Congruent Care: Predictors Of Patient Satisfaction Among Adult Mexican Americans, Shannon Marie Dowdall, Alma Rosa Flores, Karyn Elizabeth Taplay

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Predictors of patient satisfaction among hospitalized adult Mexican Americans were examined in this pilot study. Acculturation as determined by the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II (ARSMA-II), ethnicity of the nurse, age, gender, socioeconomic status, level of education and marital status were examined as predictors of patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction was measured by the Patient Satisfaction Inventory (PSI). The pilot study was conducted in an acute care setting in the lower Rio Grande Valley, where 81 participants provided the data. The questionnaires were offered in both English and Spanish. Two qualitative questions were asked regarding the patients' perception of culturally …

A Portrayal Of The Work Life Of Tenured African-American Female Faculty Working Within Historically White, Public Institutions Of Higher Education In Virginia, Carol A. Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to portray the experiences of African-American tenured female faculty employed within Historically White, public institutions of higher education in Virginia. This study is a portrait of the career paths, teaching experiences, institutional experiences, community and personal activities, work life, and the future of African-Americans. The study focused on personal experiences and provided a grounded recording for other African-American female faculty members employed within comparable institutions of higher education. The interviews also addressed educational preparation, mentoring, expectations, frustrations, difficulties, cultural and collegial experiences. Participants' audio taped responses were transcribed. Similarities that evolved from the discussions …

Factors Which Cause Families To Home School Their Children In Northeast Tennessee, Tony G. England

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem which this researcher investigated centered around the motivational factors which caused parents to educate their children at home. The purpose of this study was to assess the factors as perceived to cause families to home school their children. This study of home school education offered the opportunity to examine the dynamics within home schooling families as they conducted a non-traditional educational alternative. The study may provide information and insight to assist public school policy makers in considering inclusion of program components presently perceived as missing. Two home school associations in upper East Tennessee responded to a home school …

Depression In Mexican American Adolescence And Its Relations To Ethnic Identity And Self Esteem, Deborah Cohen Woloski

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study investigated incidence of depressive symptomatology, clinical depression, and suicidal ideation in a high school sample of 1751 Mexican-American adolescents. The relations of depression, as measured by the Diagnostic Scale for Depression-26 (DSD26), self-esteem, as measured by the abbreviated Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale and ethnic identity, as measured by the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) were analyzed. Results indicate that Mexican-American adolescents are at increased risk for depressive symptomatology and suicidal ideation. Results showed that there is no higher incidence of Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in Mexican-American adolescents but an increased risk for depressive symptomatology was found. Ethnic identity and …

Happy Meals At Mcdonald's : A Qualitative Field Study Of Family Dinner At Mcdonald's, Joy Sandersen-Smith

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to examine the family meal at McDonald’s as a family dinner ritual and as an arena for socialization of children. A field study, including six McDonald’s restaurants in Omaha, Nebraska, was conducted during the months of May and June. Approximately 25 hours of observations were recorded using the method of participant observation. The main sample consisted of 58 families (adults with children) and included single mothers, single fathers, two-parent families, as well as grandparents with children and other family constellations with children and adults. The most common family type at McDonald’s was single mothers …

A Neglected Little Rebellion: The Farmers' Holiday Association In Dixon, Dakota, And Thurston Counties, Nebraska, 1932-1934, Travis Sing

Student Work

On the night of August 22, 1932, a Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha livestock train was twice detained by an unknown number of farmers on its way from Norfolk, Nebraska, to Sioux City, Iowa. The train was scheduled to arrive in Sioux City at 10:40 P.M. after leaving Norfolk at 6 P.M., but did not reach its final destination until 4 a .m . This episode became front-page news in many newspapers, including those in the metropolitan areas of Omaha and Sioux City, and was even mentioned in the New York Times. The train was halted by a group …

Perceived Health Competency And Health Value, Acculturation And Obesity In A Mexican American Population, Roberto Eliud Maldonado

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Mexican Americans have a higher incidence of obesity than non-Hispanic whites, yet this population seems to be less concerned with maintaining an ideal body weight than non-Hispanic whites. This puts the Mexican Americans population at higher risk for illnesses associated with increased body fat and obesity. One important factor found to influence health maintenance behavior is perceived self-efficacy, or the degree to which the individual feels capable of effectively managing his or her behavioral outcome. This study examines the moderating effect of health competency and health value on body weight in individuals undergoing acculturation.

Although no significant correlations were found …

Dehner Boot Company Of Omaha, Nebraska: A Study In Manufacturing Geography, Larry J. Mastin

Student Work

This study addresses and follows the changing nature and character of the Dehner Boot Company of Omaha, Nebraska between 1883 and 1997. It examines the spatial (or geographic) patterns of change the company followed through its conception outside the gates of Fort Riley, Kansas, its influx of orders forcing it to seek a new facility in Wichita, Kansas, and the internal problems forcing the company to divide. This study used methodology proposed by Ann Markusen searching for qualitative data through interviews with the past and present president of the company to unravel the decision making process that forced the company …

A Case Study Of The Effects Of Integration On Two Black High Schools In East Tennessee, Sheila R. Knaff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of integration on two black high schools and their communities in East Tennessee. The purpose of the study was to show how integration impacted these two communities both negatively and positively. The research method was qualitative and used the case study approach. Interviews of former students, teachers, and administrators of these two schools was a primary source of data collection. Further analysis of the data used the qualitative software package QSR NUD*IST 4.0. Data gained from the interviews, coupled with historical and current literature, as well as other published documents in relation to these two …

United States Policy Toward China's Most-Favored-Nation (Mfn) Status, Shengjun Yuan

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This thesis reviews the historical process of the Sino-American trade relationship. It delves into the United States policy toward China's most-favored-nation (MFN) status, especially after the Tienanmen Incident in 1989. The thesis also discusses the issues related to the trade status.

In essence, the thesis analyzes the political motivation for the U.S. government to shape its trade policy toward China. It provides an in-depth analysis of possible consequences of revocation of China's MFN status if the U.S. adopts a get-tough policy in its relationship with Beijing.

Acculturation Of A Mexican-American Male Population And Gender Role Conflict, Gary Evan Leka

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examined the effects of different modes of acculturation upon self reported levels of gender role conflict, and explored the relationship among acculturative stress, the concepts of Machismo and Familism and gender role conflicts. Hispanic males (N = 164) from a university with an 90% Hispanic enrollment were surveyed. Low Bicultural subjects differed significantly upon the factors of restrictive emotionality and restrictive affectionate behavior between men than other modes of acculturation. Machismo was found to be significantly related to stress and conflicts with gender roles, while Familism was found to be related to two of the patterns of gender …

Perceptions Of Competencies For Americorps Supervisors Within The Texas Agricultural Extension Service: An Exploratory Study, Ruben Javier Saldana

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

As a special project of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, the AmeriCorps program requires special supervisional and management competencies on the part of supervising agents at the local level. This study tested 131 variables as indicators of high performance and surveyed all fourteen agent supervisors. Management areas were divided into structure, performance management, office management, and competencies. Exemplary supervisors were identified in a triangulation model that involved nominations by peers, immediate supervisors, and the AmeriCorps project director.

Findings were that the use of the plan of work and incorporation of project goals were highly related to high performance. Coaching behavior …

Voces De Las Buenas Mujeres: An Ethnographic Study Of Marianismo Among Mexican American And Mexican Women, Lori Anne Ruiz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Research has focused on gender roles of the Hispanic male and female in regards to the machismo social construct. The current study examines the other side of machismo, via Gil and Vasquez's (1996) Ten Commandments of Marianismo, and explores the validity of this social construct through interviews with Mexican American and Mexican women. Twenty Mexican American and Mexican women were selected through a nonrandom purposive sample to participate in the interviews. The taped interviews were analyzed verbatim. Eight categories emerged which are directly related to marianismo. The women's responses are used to convey their attitudes, roles, and relationships and to …

Perceptions About The Environment From The Cayo District Of Belize, Jeanie Vincent

Student Work

Land use from associated exponential human population growth is causing dynamic and destructive changes on the Earth's surface. Before land use management can be modified to conserve our remaining global resources, however, a better understanding is needed of how physical and social land use aspects interact. This social science research was conducted to answer the research question of 'what variations in perception exist among three categories of the social construct; Local Workers, Land Owners/Managers, and Tourists in the Cayo District of Belize. Also examined were pertinent background factors and individual characteristics involved in perception and relationship formation such as social …

Promoting Economic Development Of An Urban Area Using A Web-Based Gis, Clifford J. Todd

Student Work

A GIS (geographic information system) is an excellent tool for spatial data analysis and associated database functions. However, a GIS has long been viewed as being practiced “behind closed doors” and only by those with extensive training. Currently, there are a number of ways to work with GIS data, but very few ways to present the data to large groups of people. Providing information from a GIS to people outside of a group or organization is difficult but essential. For example, urban or regional areas can promote economic development by making this information available to investors or prospective residents from …

A Case Study Of The Factors Involved In Enhancing A Positive Learning Environment In A Native American School In Nebraska, Henry Eggert

Student Work

The purpose of this study is to investigate factors involved in enhancing a positive learning environment in a Native American school. The study will address the factors involved in enhancing a positive learning environment as perceived by K-12 teachers of Native American Students.

Reconceiving Citizenship: The Social Education Of Seven Members Of Students Against Driving Drunk., Cheryl Jeannette Edwards

LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses

This qualitative study centers on education for citizenship, a topic which is explored through an analysis of case studies of seven participants who were members of Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) in high school. Data was collected in two phases. The first phase occurred between September of 1988 and May of 1991. During this period, the researcher was a participant-observer and conducted individual and group interviews with members. Phase two took place in 1995, with follow-up interviews being conducted with seven former members who served as key informants for the study. The primary research questions addressed in this study are: …

The Educational Needs Of Welfare Recipients And The Role Of The Community College As An Agent Of Social Change, Carolyn L. Browning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate two underlying questions related to welfare reform and its impact on participants in the Cumberland Plateau Region: (1) What are the training and other noneducational needs of the participants in the VIEW program? and (2) What is the projected success of the impact of the training on the lives of the participants? The research study included 47 interviews with four distinct groups of individuals--VIEW participants, case managers, administrators, and trainers. Three focus group interviews were conducted with individuals who were participants in the VIEW program or professionals actively involved in the administration …

Hardiness And Job Fitness For The Intensive Family Preservation Specialist: A Correlational Study, Sandi Fisher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is costly to train the counselors who serve in intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS). The hiring agency must pay for traveling expenses in addition to any fee paid for training. When an IFPS worker chooses to terminate employment before the end of two years of employment, this puts a strain on an already tight budget. This problem could be alleviated by finding an efficient pre-hire screening instrument. The three personality traits described in Hardiness Theory literature: commitment, challenge, and control, are traits often used to describe the ideal IFPS worker. This study assessed IFPS workers to determine if the …

Links Between Devolution And Changes In Curriculum Policy : A Case Study Of Year 8-10 Social Studies Curriculum In Western Australia Since 1987, Shaohua Xie

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigates the links between devolution and Year 8-10 Society and Environment (SAE) curriculum policy in Western Australia (WA) since 1987. It explores whether changes to the structure within which SAE resides, the process through which curriculum decision making occurs, and the content of SAE are consistent with the principles and practice of devolution. An attempt is made in the study to determine whether these changes would have occurred anyway, even if devolution had not been introduced. The investigation is based on a radical humanist model of social inquiry, As such, it uses a critical theory conceptual framework to …

There Back Again In Coachella Valley: A Multimedia Presentation On Historical Sites In The Coachella Valley, Lani Sue Ray

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Language Proficiency And Stress: Impact On Measured Intelligence And Anxiety For Latino Children, Marlene Baldizon De Naclerio

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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