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Support Services And State Standardized Assessments For Homeless And High Mobility Youth: A Mixed Methods Case Study, Veronika Cummings

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

For the past decade, the number of homeless youth in the United States has drastically increased, with public schools now consistently serving over one million homeless students each year. Research spanning three decades has linked youth homelessness and poorer academic achievement. In addition to decreased academic achievement, homeless and highly mobile (HHM) youth are more likely to suffer from mental health issues, have a behavioral diagnosis, engage in high-risk behavior, be truant, abuse drugs and alcohol, and even face premature death. Because homelessness is also frequently misidentified as solely an urban problem, it often results in HHM youth being left …

Cover Guys: Masculinity, Sexuality, And Representations Of Men's Bodies In Popular Magazines For Men, Trenton M. Haltom

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Scant research puts magazines into conversation with sociological theories of masculinity or sexuality. Yet, magazines have long projected idealized images of masculinities, the male body, and men’s sexuality. In this dissertation, I examine representations of men in popular magazines, highlighting the multifaceted ways magazines have marketed masculinity and the sexualization of men.

Using an explanatory sequential mixed method content analysis, I analyze 38 years (1980–2018; N=2,750) of magazine covers from GQ (n=516), Men’s Health (n=277), and Sports Illustrated (n=1,671). Each cover was coded using a standardized coding form developed for this dissertation. The coding …

Beauty And Lifestyle Subscription Services: A Modern Retailing Format For The Vigilante Collaborative Consumption Consumer, Melisa Spilinek

Department of Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Advancements in technology and ease of use of online shopping via phone applications (apps) and subscription services have fundamentally changed how consumers shop. Now more than ever, consumers are turning to time-saving technological tools that are subscription services. Subscription services provide a multitude of benefits to consumers and contribute to collaborative consumption in nearly every product and service category from coffee to apparel. To investigate beauty and lifestyle subscription services and collaborative consumption this study will utilize a mixed methods convergent design to analyze user experience including price sensitivity, subscription service apps and ease of use. Anticipated contributions to the …

Women In Beekeeping: Impacts Of A Beekeeper Educational Program, Bridget Gross

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The decline in honey bee populations over the past two decades in the United States is alarming. The management provided by beekeepers to their honey bee colonies influences the survival of the colony. However, there is a lack of information on the experiences of beekeepers, specifically women beekeepers. The Center for Rural Affairs (CFRA) in Nebraska hosted the “Honey Bees on the Farm: Connecting Women Beekeepers and Women Farmers for Environmental and Economic Benefit” program that provided informal, educational events to women beekeepers and landowners. Using a convergent mixed methods design, the first research question examines the impacts of the …

Cruising Into Conflict: A Mixed Methods Examination Of Cruise Missile Possession And The Initiation Of Military Force, Dennis Crawford

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This research examines the effect of cruise missile possession on state behavior. Specifically, it seeks to determine if countries who possess cruise missiles are more likely to initiate a military threat, display, or use of force than countries who do not possess cruise missiles. Traditional International Relations theory suggests that, all else being equal, a state with an asymmetrical military advantage should enjoy concessions from target states, decreasing the likelihood of armed conflict. Accordingly, coercion theory warns the use of armed force to change adversarial behavior should be exercised sparingly. However, this dissertation finds that states possessing cruise missile initiate …

Meaningful Consumption: A Eudaimonic Perspective On The Consumer Pursuit Of Happiness And Well-Being, Aditya Gupta

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Prior research indicates that consumers often pursue happiness through the market and that their purchase choices can vary depending on how they define happiness. However, while prior research has tended to use a hedonic lens to frame happiness in terms of pleasure, the current investigation is one of the first to use a eudaimonic lens to frame happiness in terms of personal meaning or meaningfulness. The central goal of this dissertation, therefore, is to arrive at a stronger understanding of eudaimonic consumption. In this regard, findings from six experimental studies reveal that eudaimonic consumption differs from hedonic consumption on a …

Measuring Landscape Performance: Case Study Investigation, Hannah Michelle Lopresto, Brandon Zambrano, Catherine De Almeida

UCARE Research Products

Participating in the Landscape Architecture Foundation’s 2018 Case Study Investigation has been an incredibly informative experience for our research team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. We are eager to shine a spotlight on the landscape performance of two Great Plains projects: P Street Corridor, a revitalized downtown streetscape in Lincoln, Nebraska, and Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park, a waterfront redevelopment in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Working on the post-occupancy study of both projects has been extremely beneficial in understanding how reclaiming underutilized sites can create high-performing landscapes. Both are public projects in urban settings with primary goals of transforming formerly unpleasant, …

The Effects Of Active Learning Technology On Instructors’ Practices And Students’ Engagement And Grades: A Mixed Methods Study, Jeremy C. Van Hof

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Partly in response to university teachers’ changing pedagogies marked by flipping instruction, lecture capture technologies are evolving into active learning systems. Little published research exists on the effects of active learning technology on either teachers or students. This two-phase sequential explanatory mixed methods study details the effects that active learning systems have on instructor practices and on student grades and engagement. Phase one combined quantitative data collection with instructor interviews. Phase one findings show higher student engagement levels correlate with the use of the active learning system only in the presence of very specific, flipped classroom practices. Phase two, a …

A Little Bit More The Same Than Yesterday: A Mixed Methods Exploration Of Choir Member Empathy And Attitudes Toward Individuals With Disabilities, Lynda A. Laird

Glenn Korff School of Music: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Creative Work, and Performance

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the effect of self- reported contact with individuals with disabilities on choir member empathy and attitudes toward individuals with disabilities. Further, this study investigated effects of an inclusive choral music experience on empathy and attitudes toward individuals with disabilities. Finally, the study explored expectations, experiences, perceptions, and beliefs of six individuals who participated in an inclusive choral music experience.

Phase I (n=207) addressed the effect of level of contact with individuals with disabilities on choral members’ empathy and attitudes toward people with disabilities, and relationships between empathy and attitudes. A …

Exploring Elementary Students’ Agricultural And Scientific Knowledge Using Evidence Centered Design, Molly R. Brandt

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The public is more disconnected from agriculture than ever. Americans are two to four generations removed from the farm, and a majority of Americans, even in rural agricultural states have no direct link to agriculture. As a result, the public lacks the knowledge and appreciation of the food, fuel, and fiber it demands. The National Center for Agricultural Literacy (NCAL) uses National Agricultural Learning Objectives (NALOs) to measure student’s agricultural knowledge. The purpose of this project is to develop assessments aligned with the NALOs and to use results from the assessments to further understand students’ agricultural literacy. This study focuses …

Influence Of Parents, Peers, Internet Product Search And Visual Social Media On College Students’ Purchase Behavior: A Mixed Methods Study, Jennifer E. Johnson

Department of Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Visually-oriented online social networking websites (VSNS) have become frontrunners in the race for popularity among all other online social networks. Pinterest, Instagram, Wanelo, and Snapchat have allowed for consumers to share their everyday lives, as well as the products that define their personal cultures. Products that require less financial and social risk tend to not only be influenced by online social networking websites, but also by peers (Kim & Sung, 2008). Products that require more financial and social risk tend to be influenced by family members and the amount of Internet product search behavior (Drozdenko, Jensen, & Coelho, 2012). Little …

Impact Of Being A Resident Assistant On Student's Academic Success, Brian P. Donahue

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine the experiences and needs of resident assistants at Great Plains University institution to better understand the impact that being a resident assistant has on the resident assistant’s academic success. A quantitative survey was created and sent to 175 resident assistants to their academic success strategies. In addition, six resident assistants were interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of the multiple roles assumed, the support systems in place, and the studying habits in which they engage regularly.

There were two research questions that guided the exploration of this study. The first research …

Factors That Facilitate Or Inhibit Interest Of Domestic Students In The Engineering Phd: A Mixed Methods Study, Michelle C. Howell Smith

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Given the increasing complexity of technology in our society, the United States has a growing demand for a more highly educated technical workforce. Unfortunately, the proportion of United States citizens earning a PhD in engineering has been declining and there is concern about meeting the economic, national security and quality of life needs of our country.

This mixed methods sequential exploratory instrument design study identified factors that facilitate or inhibit interest in engineering PhD programs among domestic engineering undergraduate students in the United States. This study developed a testable theory for how domestic students become interested in engineering PhD programs …