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University of Central Florida

2014

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The Future Will Require Learning How To Exist In A Multicultural Society, Vanessa Lopez-Littleton Dec 2014

The Future Will Require Learning How To Exist In A Multicultural Society, Vanessa Lopez-Littleton

UCF Forum

Why should I have to tell my sons to respect the police?


Much Of Society's Unrest Caused By Barrage Of Negative Stereotypes In Films, Anthony Major Dec 2014

Much Of Society's Unrest Caused By Barrage Of Negative Stereotypes In Films, Anthony Major

UCF Forum

Everybody has a perception about what the image of art should say – or not say – but few have an informed opinion. The power of the communicative arts transcends the mere power to inform. That power is used in film, television, newspapers, radio, art, magazines, music, theatre and the new social media network as a means of influencing and shaping attitudes by providing images and opinions.


No Longer Can We Keep Our Eyes Closed To Human Trafficking All Around Us, Richard Lapchick Dec 2014

No Longer Can We Keep Our Eyes Closed To Human Trafficking All Around Us, Richard Lapchick

UCF Forum

You may have read in early December that 61 people were arrested across Florida in a four-day human-trafficking sting operation. If you haven’t followed the dramatic increase in stories about human trafficking in the United States, this news may have caught you by surprise.


The Return On Investment For Undergraduate Degrees In Hospitality And Tourism Management, Asli D. Tasci, Abraham Pizam, Robertico Croes, Po-Ju Chen Dec 2014

The Return On Investment For Undergraduate Degrees In Hospitality And Tourism Management, Asli D. Tasci, Abraham Pizam, Robertico Croes, Po-Ju Chen

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Increasing concerns regarding the value of higher education in the USA have motivated several organizations to calculate the return on investment (ROI) for college education by employing diverse methodologies. This study evaluates these methodologies by using data from a survey of alumni of Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida. The results reveal that the highly publicized low ROI for college education might be inaccurate, confusing and misleading for several reasons, among which is the assumption of zero income while studying, causing debt to be the total of a student’s expenses. Data reveal that Rosen College …


The Representation Of Poverty In Great Depression American Literature, Cavel Austin Dec 2014

The Representation Of Poverty In Great Depression American Literature, Cavel Austin

HIM 1990-2015

The objective of this thesis is to explore how American authors represented poverty across different states during the Depression Era. I have chosen to review social reform author John Steinbeck, and proletariat authors, Michael Gold, Meridel Le Sueur, and William Attaway. Before addressing the issues presented in the data collection tools (novels): The Grapes of Wrath, Jews Without Money, The Girl, and Blood on the Forge, I reviewed the fundamentals of the events leading up to the crash of the stock market, which spiraled the United States and the world at large in the greatest Depression ever known. In this …


Physical Health Outcomes Of The Stigmatizer, William Butler Dec 2014

Physical Health Outcomes Of The Stigmatizer, William Butler

HIM 1990-2015

This thesis explores physical health outcomes of individuals that hold stigma against those with mental illness. The stigmatizer is mentioned in the literature as an individual that holds a stigma towards another group. In this thesis, stigma refers to those that hold prejudice and may express discrimination towards a targeted group. Two studies were conducted that looked at multiple demographic variables as well as symptomology and degree of stigma towards those with mental illness. The first study looked at overall stigma without the stereotypical psychosomatic symptoms (chest pain and abdominal pain). The second study looked at a second dimension of …


Media Sensationalism And Its Implications On The Public Understanding Of Science, Christopher Barsoum Dec 2014

Media Sensationalism And Its Implications On The Public Understanding Of Science, Christopher Barsoum

HIM 1990-2015

Myths, misinformation, and sensationalism. These are common enemies that directly inhibit the public understanding of science. In particular, the media is often responsible for mishandling or otherwise misrepresenting scientific information, historically and presently speaking. Many sources can combat the public understanding of science through pseudoscientific means. This includes but is not limited to religion, the media, politics, or just simple hearsay. For example, Young Earth creationism is deeply rooted in Christian theology, but the beliefs hold no scientific basis. Yet, almost half of Americans still believe in Young Earth creationism. Another such example is anti-vaccination campaigns due to fears of …


A Comparison Of Teacher Perceptions Of Middle School Mathematics Textbooks In The United States And The United Kingdom, Porscha Clonts Dec 2014

A Comparison Of Teacher Perceptions Of Middle School Mathematics Textbooks In The United States And The United Kingdom, Porscha Clonts

HIM 1990-2015

This study was a qualitative research study dedicated to the deep investigation of a regular and advanced seventh grade mathematics textbook used in Florida and the United Kingdom. A questionnaire was created for a teacher in both locations, along with the researcher, to rate the textbooks according to different characteristics. The two research questions that were answered through the research include: 1. In what ways, if any, is diversity represented in the pages of each seventh grade mathematics textbooks examined? a. In what ways is the diversity of each textbook comparable to the observed diversity of the country in which …


Predicting Science Literacy And Science Appreciation, Robert Hellmuth Dec 2014

Predicting Science Literacy And Science Appreciation, Robert Hellmuth

HIM 1990-2015

Research has shown that the benefits of having a populace literate in science are great. Even if citizens are not literate in basic science, it is important that citizens still appreciate science and those with expertise in the field for many reasons. Recent research suggests that the United States (U.S.) has lower levels of science literacy than it should. Evidence may also suggest that many U.S. citizens are not appreciative of science. Overall, little research has been conducted on what may predict science literacy and science appreciation which is the aim of this research. Specifically, I have examined socio-personal variables, …


Melatonin And Neurogenesis: A Comparative Study Of The Efficacy Of Melatonin, Its Precursors, And L-Dopa On Neural Stem Cell Metabolism In Human Adult Neurospheres, Omar Heriba Dec 2014

Melatonin And Neurogenesis: A Comparative Study Of The Efficacy Of Melatonin, Its Precursors, And L-Dopa On Neural Stem Cell Metabolism In Human Adult Neurospheres, Omar Heriba

HIM 1990-2015

Human neurosphere stem cells offer promising potential for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Their well characterized multi-potency of differentiating into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes when exposed to the optimum exogenous growth factors make them an exciting area of study (38). Finding novel endogenous methods of modulating stem cell metabolism will allow for the safer treatment of various brain disorders (34). In this experiment, melatonin, N-acetylserotonin, L-tryptophan, and L-DOPA are added in three different concentrations to neurospheres suspended in HNSC/GBM media with less than optimal concentrations of exogenous epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF). The alamarBlue assay (resazurin) …


Exploring A Relationship Between Social Anxiety Disorder And Bilingualism, Nicholas James Dec 2014

Exploring A Relationship Between Social Anxiety Disorder And Bilingualism, Nicholas James

HIM 1990-2015

This study investigated the possible relationship between bilingualism and social anxiety disorder. Past research has indicated developmental delays in language as increasing risk for other psychological difficulties. With the pressure to learn two languages, possibly in the drastically different environments of home, school, and/or work, individuals may be vulnerable to becoming socially anxious in conjunction with language use. This study examined a series of factors surrounding linguistic development and reports of social anxiety. Participants were divided into 4 groups: Socially Anxious (SA; n = 43) monolinguals, Non-Socially Anxious (Non-SA; n = 81) monolinguals, SA bilinguals (n = 30), and Non-SA …


Cultural Relevance In Medicine: An Evaluation Of Cultural Competence Curriculum Integration In Southeastern Medical Schools, Leslie Gannon Dec 2014

Cultural Relevance In Medicine: An Evaluation Of Cultural Competence Curriculum Integration In Southeastern Medical Schools, Leslie Gannon

HIM 1990-2015

Cultural competence in health care provision has been broadly identified as the need for providers to acknowledge, address, or incorporate an understanding of the cultural and social context of patients' lives into the process of treating and managing patient's illnesses. However, how cultural competence can be incorporated has been the subject of debates in biomedicine and anthropology, and has often been met with difficulties in physician practice. These challenges arise from differing perspectives about how cultural competence is understood and institutional neglect of culturally relevant education. While the need for cultural competence integration into health care practitioner training during medical …


Secondary English Teachers' Perceptions And Expectations Of High School Athletes, Sarah Jarem Dec 2014

Secondary English Teachers' Perceptions And Expectations Of High School Athletes, Sarah Jarem

HIM 1990-2015

In the United States, there are currently over seven million high school athletes, all of whom are required to take four years of core classes as well as elective classes. Core subject areas consist of math, science, social sciences, and English language arts. Of the four core subject areas, both national and state education committees place emphasis and scrutiny on English language arts. The research within this thesis, conducted in the form of an interview, is meant to explore English language arts teachers' possible attitudes and expectations of their student athletes in concern to their writing abilities. Special emphasis will …


The Association Of Attachment Style And Perceptions Of Caregiver Experience, Kandace Luther Dec 2014

The Association Of Attachment Style And Perceptions Of Caregiver Experience, Kandace Luther

HIM 1990-2015

This research examines caregiver experiences as they relate to attachment style. The overarching hypothesis is that perceptions of the caregiver role differ depending on the degree of avoidance and anxiousness in the caregiver's attachment style. Caregiver response was measured in the areas of filial obligation, work reduction, perceived control, caregiver burden, depressive symptomatology, and preparedness for caregiving. The final sample consisted of 150 caregivers who identified as the primary caregiver for a parent over the age of 65. This sample was recruited using Mechanical Turk, an online survey distribution tool. The survey was created online with Qualtrics software. Data were …


The C.S.I. Effect: Exploration Of Its Influence On Perception Of Criminal Behavior, Alexandra Mcconnell Dec 2014

The C.S.I. Effect: Exploration Of Its Influence On Perception Of Criminal Behavior, Alexandra Mcconnell

HIM 1990-2015

This study explores the C.S.I. effect in relation to its influence on criminal activity. Expansive research exists concerning the C.S.I. Effect, but very little pertains to the influence it has on individuals' perception of crime and their ability to get away with it. The study explores whether heavy viewers of crime show dramas such as Law & Order and C.S.I. display increased confidence in their ability to commit and get away with a crime. Essentially, this study explores whether these crime television shows are not only entertainment, but also may serve as guides on how to commit crimes. Participants in …


Madama Butterfly: The Mythology; Or How Imperialism And The Patriarchy Crushed Butterfly's Wings, Adriana Nieves Dec 2014

Madama Butterfly: The Mythology; Or How Imperialism And The Patriarchy Crushed Butterfly's Wings, Adriana Nieves

HIM 1990-2015

As a popular historic work with constant and worldwide performances, the sexist and racist narratives disseminated by Giacomo Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly causes harmful social and political ramifications. Many scholars point to this opera specifically when discussing the fetishization of Asian females, and mention the title character as the quintessential example of damaging stereotypes. Thus, I conduct a postcolonial and feminist reading of Madama Butterfly, through analysis of the opera's libretto, the libretto sources, and the opera's score. I unravel the Orientalist assumptions that make up the foundation of the Butterfly narrative, and trace them as they make their way …


Media Influence On Risky Driving Behaviors Among Adolescents And Emerging Adults, Kelly Silberman Dec 2014

Media Influence On Risky Driving Behaviors Among Adolescents And Emerging Adults, Kelly Silberman

HIM 1990-2015

Within the last few decades there has been an abundant increase in the amount of violent video games and movies shown within the media. Many of these violent videogames and movies include reckless driving behaviors or certain car scenarios that engross the viewer into wishing to imitate the actions they see on the screen. With that being said, majority of these viewers are adolescents or emerging adults who are beginning to drive and are prone to replicating what they see as adequate driving behaviors. The intent of this thesis is to indicate whether or not the amount of risky driving …


Elementary Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions Of Thematic Unit Instruction Versus Single-Subject Instruction, Shana Shea Dec 2014

Elementary Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions Of Thematic Unit Instruction Versus Single-Subject Instruction, Shana Shea

HIM 1990-2015

The focus of this research project was to determine whether thematic unit instruction or traditional, single-subject instruction was perceived to be the more effective and engaging way of teaching as decided by pre-service teachers. Research has shown that incorporating multiple subjects into one unit or topic of study helps to create more engagement and connections to which students can relate. In creating these connections, students can relate the content to their real life and in turn, better comprehend and retain the material. The pre-service teachers attend the University of Central Florida's College of Education and Human Performance. They voluntarily participated …


Cohabitation: Looking Through A Keyhole, Mary Joy Torrecampo Dec 2014

Cohabitation: Looking Through A Keyhole, Mary Joy Torrecampo

HIM 1990-2015

Initially, my developing body of work aimed to redesign the traditions of representational painting, specifically the female nude, to depict the contemporary notions of lesbianism and femininity in an honest and empowering manner as a form of identity and not as vehicle for voyeurism. As an artist who paints the female nude and identifies as a woman and a lesbian, I examine the preexisting notions of the male gaze and the effect of socialization as it pertains to my work. The act of looking from the point of view of a woman, which is not synonymous with a "female gaze", …


Multi-Tiered System Of Supports In Florida: Exploring The Knowledge Of Parents Within The Mtss Process, Stephanie Troisi Dec 2014

Multi-Tiered System Of Supports In Florida: Exploring The Knowledge Of Parents Within The Mtss Process, Stephanie Troisi

HIM 1990-2015

In the American public school system, as of 2011, over 8% of students are placed in special education programs. To provide early intervention for struggling students before placement into special education services, three-tier model called Response to Intervention (RtI) was put into effect (FDOE, 2009). RtI (currently known as, Multi-Tiered System of Support-MTSS) is a multi-tiered system for struggling learners that provides increasingly intense levels of academic interventions and assessment (Bryd, 2011). Early intervention is a set of services for students who are at risk of, or who currently have, developmental delays or social emotional problems (Guralnick 2005). MTSS focuses …


An Art Teacher's Guide To A Cognitive Teaching Process: Prompting Student's Creative Thought, Kristen Warskow Dec 2014

An Art Teacher's Guide To A Cognitive Teaching Process: Prompting Student's Creative Thought, Kristen Warskow

HIM 1990-2015

This paper seeks to further explore stages an artist moves through that can be applied to teaching art, and helping students understand how to access their creativity. This project involves observation and an auto-ethnographic approach in order to best determine stages artists naturally move through when creating art. In order to most effectively suggest a teachable creative process for secondary art students, this paper will further explore cognitive and disciplinary categories in art education by applying principles and stages to a curricular guide (or lesson plans) for secondary art educators. Topics and studies of design thinking, creative inquiry, studio habits, …


Creation Of A Professionalism Scale For Hospitality Students: An Exploratory Study, Tammie Kaufman, Peter Ricci Nov 2014

Creation Of A Professionalism Scale For Hospitality Students: An Exploratory Study, Tammie Kaufman, Peter Ricci

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The hospitality industry is dependent on a professional staff to exceed guests’ expectations. Existing research has focused primarily on the various attributes necessary for success in the hospitality industry. The primary focus of this research was professionalism and hospitality students’ self-perception of their professional attributes. Data collected from a focus group of hospitality human resource managers were used to develop a professionalism scale. The scale produced five factors that explained 53.6% of the variance in the responses. Students were more likely to agree in their preparedness for the interview process, but less in agreement of their preparedness for workplace issues. …


Data Documentation & Metadata, Sai Deng Nov 2014

Data Documentation & Metadata, Sai Deng

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

No abstract provided.


Intercultural Interactions Outside The Classroom: Narratives On A U.S. Campus, Xinran Lehto, Liping A. Cai, Xiaoxiao Fu, Yi Chen Nov 2014

Intercultural Interactions Outside The Classroom: Narratives On A U.S. Campus, Xinran Lehto, Liping A. Cai, Xiaoxiao Fu, Yi Chen

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study provides a picture of the interactional experiences between domestic and international undergraduate students outside the classroom on a US campus. Based on 9 focus group sessions, 8 distinctive themes emerged as a result. The study revealed some similarities but many differences between domestic and international students, illuminating the lack of and barriers to intercultural learning. The findings highlight the challenges and opportunities currently faced on US campuses, thereby making a timely contribution to efforts at developing students’ readiness to be successful in a global and multicultural environment.


Occupational Self-Perceptions Of Hotel Employees: An Exploratory Study, Arie Reichel, Galia Fuchs, Abraham Pizam, Yaniv Poria Nov 2014

Occupational Self-Perceptions Of Hotel Employees: An Exploratory Study, Arie Reichel, Galia Fuchs, Abraham Pizam, Yaniv Poria

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study aimed to reveal the occupational self-perceptions of rank-and-file employees in the Israeli hotel industry. Due to the exploratory nature of the study a qualitative research approach was adopted. The findings are based on 40 semistructured interviews with current and former Israeli hotel employees. The results revealed that almost all participants had disconcerting negative perceptions of rank-and-file occupations in the Israeli hotel industry. The themes emerged as relevant to the understanding of employees' occupational self-perception were classified into four groups: working conditions, occupational profile, job characteristics and requirements, and moderating factors linked with the reputation of the hotel and …


Sports News Puts Focus On Society's Problems, Richard Lapchick Oct 2014

Sports News Puts Focus On Society's Problems, Richard Lapchick

UCF Forum

Recent sports news has been filled with terrible stories about racism, gender violence, child abuse, and concussion-related brain damage for one in three former NFL players.


The Curaçao North Sea Jazz: A Lustrum Churning Economic And Promotional Opportunities For Curaçao, Manuel A. Rivera, Robertico R. Croes, Kelly J. Semrad Oct 2014

The Curaçao North Sea Jazz: A Lustrum Churning Economic And Promotional Opportunities For Curaçao, Manuel A. Rivera, Robertico R. Croes, Kelly J. Semrad

Dick Pope Sr. Institute Publications

The experience of the first lustrum of the Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival (CNSJF) has been nothing short of astonishing and spectacular. Since 2010, nearly 45,000 international tourists have attended the festival contributing US$75 million to the local economy. These international tourists stayed on average 6.07 days on the island and spent nearly US$263 per day. More significant is that this daily average expenditure by international tourists attending the festival was nearly four times higher than the typical tourists visiting Curaçao. The spending performance prompted by the festival is indeed impressive news in a tourist environment typified lately by stagnation …


Redefining America's Ethnicity, Gender And Race, Anthony Major Oct 2014

Redefining America's Ethnicity, Gender And Race, Anthony Major

UCF Forum

When redefining the ethnicity, gender and race of American society, I find it is interrelated with the cultural dialogue. The African-American experience has always been tied to those topics.


'One Small Candle Of Truth…Dispels A Lot Of Darkness', Rick Brunson Oct 2014

'One Small Candle Of Truth…Dispels A Lot Of Darkness', Rick Brunson

UCF Forum

America the Beautiful.


Are Diversity And Inclusiveness Really Possible?, Vanessa Lopez-Littleton Aug 2014

Are Diversity And Inclusiveness Really Possible?, Vanessa Lopez-Littleton

UCF Forum

I recently overheard one manager ask another if he knew a nurse who was looking for a job. After a moment of thinking, he remembered someone. Within a week, an offer of employment was made for a great-paying job with a wonderful schedule. It is a position that will open doors and create opportunities as well as move this individual into circles he may not have been privy to otherwise