Digital Commons Network^™

Work/Family Conflict As A Predictor Of Employee Work Engagement Of Extension Professionals, April B. Martin

Doctoral Dissertations

This study utilizes stress theory to explore the effects of work-family conflict and family-work conflict upon the work engagement outcomes of employees. Using a web-based questionnaire with a primary data sample of 2,782 full time Extension professionals in 46 states, this study incorporates the structural equation modeling analytic technique. This study confirmed the single, second order work-family conflict construct consisting of six first order constructs of work-family time, strain and behavior and family-work time, strain, and behavior. The bi-directionality of work-family conflict and family-work conflict was sustained, as numerous research studies have recommended. The structural equation modeling analysis found the …

The Relationship Between Broad And Narrow Personality Traits And Change Of Academic Major, Nancy A. Foster

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between personality traits and academic major change in two samples of college undergraduates. Utilizing a field study design, a total number of 859 undergraduates completed an online inventory that included the “Big Five” and other -related, narrow personality traits, as well as academic major change and various demographic variables. A number of expected and unexpected findings emerged. As hypothesized, the traits of Sense of Identity and Extraversion were significantly and negatively related to decisions to change major, but only for certain grade levels. Contrary to expectations, Career Decidedness and Optimism …

Understanding The Student Perspective Of Teacher-Student Engagement In First-Year Studies Courses, Anton R. Reece

Doctoral Dissertations

Higher education institutions continue to seek high impact retention methods to address student attrition, particularly during the first year of college. First-year studies courses represent a major institutional intervention and retention resource designed to help higher education institutions meet the unique academic and social needs of students transitioning from high school to college. Teacher-student engagement is considered to be an essential part of student retention efforts. However, most of the research on teacher-student engagement has focused on pedagogical strategies and the teachers’ perspectives of engagement. What is lacking in the literature are studies of students’ perspectives of classroom engagement. This …

The Role Of An Intergenerational Acculturation Gap In The Adjustment Of Immigrant Youth: A Meta-Analysis, Min-Jung Jung

Doctoral Dissertations

Rapidly increasing numbers of immigrant families with children in the U.S. have led researchers to study the dynamics of immigrant families, focusing particularly on discrepancies in the acculturation levels of parents and children. Many studies have found such an acculturation gap to be associated with problematic functioning, such as conflicts between family members and poor adjustment outcomes among immigrant youth. Other studies have found no such associations. In order to clarify this association, this dissertation conducted a meta-analysis of available studies. Literature searches identified 63 qualifying studies, in which 117 separate effect sizes were reported.

Concentrating on main effects, the …

Rural To Urban Intercity Transit User Characteristics Analysis, Demand Estimation And Network Design, Hongtai Yang

Doctoral Dissertations

Rural transit always plays a critical role in transporting rural residents, especially the ones who do not have a car, cannot drive, or choose not to drive. Intercity bus (ICB), deviated fixed route transit (DFRT) and demand responsive transit (DRT) are three major modes of rural public transportation. Although there are more DFRT and DRT service providers and services in the US, due to institutional issues, there are much more studies about ICB than DFRT and DRT. Meanwhile, state governments are struggling on how to improve the rural transit system with limited budget. This dissertation is aimed to fill the …

Comparing Their Stories: A Narrative Inquiry Of African American Women Of The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (1960-1966) And Contemporary Student Activists (2002-2012), Tracia Nikole Cloud

Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a collection of oral personal experience narratives from four self-identified Black female student activists – two from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) (1960-1966) and two from the contemporary movement (2002-2012). I investigate general aspects of their experiences of being Black, female, students and activists within the context of their communities and educational institutions. My research questions are: 1) What were/are the cultural and historical factors that drove/drive each woman to activism? 2) How did/have women develop(ed) ways of knowing about self and community through activism and education? 3) How do Civil Rights activists (1960-1966) and contemporary …

Reconstruction Of Patient-Specific Bone Models From X-Ray Radiography, Hatem Amin Abdel Fattah El Dakhakhni

Doctoral Dissertations

The availability of a patient‐specific bone model has become an increasingly invaluable addition to orthopedic case evaluation and planning [1]. Utilized within a wide range of specialized visualization and analysis tools, such models provide unprecedented wealth of bone shape information previously unattainable using traditional radiographic imaging [2]. In this work, a novel bone reconstruction method from two or more x‐ray images is described. This method is superior to previous attempts in terms of accuracy and repeatability. The new technique accurately models the radiological scene in a way that eliminates the need for expensive multi‐planar radiographic imaging systems. It is also …

African American Oral Histories Of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Public Schools During The Early Days Of Desegregation, 1955 – 1967, Lorena B. Whipple

Doctoral Dissertations

Many traditional historical texts of the United States are missing the voiced presence of African Americans. Existing historical texts concerning desegregation in the South, and particularly in Tennessee, are missing African Americans’ experienced perspectives during racial desegregation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The intention of this dissertation is to use oral history as a methodology to document the memories of seven African Americans who participated in the racial desegregation of Oak Ridge, Tennessee public schools. Critical race theory is the interpretive lens used to analyze the interviews. The oral historical accounts contained in this study suggest African Americans have a unique …

Exploring Neonatal Intensive Care Nurses’ Affective Responses To Providing End-Of-Life Care, Stephanie Lynn Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations

Significance. The Joint Commission established standards to evaluate comprehensive end-of-life infant care and the positive outcomes of such care are well documented. However, findings from multiple studies conducted over the last decade indicate that end-of-life care in the neonatal intensive care unit is not provided consistently or holistically to all dying infants. Because nurses are the healthcare professionals most often responsible for providing this care, anything that detracts from their ability to provide it, including their own affective responses, needs to be addressed.

Aim. The purpose of this study was to explore—through lived and told stories—the affective, interactional, and …

Martin Buber's For The Sake Of Heaven: Prophetic Education, Joseph Lee Hall

Doctoral Dissertations

The author proposes to examine the ontological and epistemological foundations of Martin Buber’s novel, For the Sake of Heaven, in this philosophical study. He purposes to use what he finds to address questions regarding the ways that educational communities often ignore the underlying ontological narratives that are important to communities. After describing Martin Buber’s idea of dialogical relations, the author explores dialogical relations as a current running through the novel. Using the model of the epistemic commentary, he describes the Hasidic community of the character known as the prophet in the novel. Themes of ontology and epistemology are developed. The …

Safety And Immunoreactivity Of A Xenogeneic Dna Plasmid Vaccine Expressing Human Tyrosinase In Tumor-Bearing Horses, Luis Miguel Lembcke Perez Prieto

Doctoral Dissertations

Melanomas are among the most common skin tumors in horses (second only to sarcoids), with prevalence rates reaching as high as 80% in adult gray horses. Despite the wide availability of measures of local control, there are currently no systemic therapies that can effectively prevent spread, or treat metastatic or locally advanced/non-resectable melanoma in horses. A form of gene immunotherapy based on a plasmid DNA construct containing a xenogeneic form of the antigen tyrosinase have been developed and optimized for targeting cancer in both humans and dogs; and have demonstrated significant immunoreactivity and clinical benefit in the treatment of melanocytic …

The Revolution Before The Revolution? A Material Culture Approach To Consumerism At George Washington’S Mount Vernon, Va, Eleanor E. Breen

Doctoral Dissertations

Before the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) profoundly impacted the lives of colonial Americans, another revolution of sorts was taking place. This one occurred in the realm of the daily lives of all colonial Americans – free and enslaved, poor and wealthy. What made the 40-year period before the American Revolution unique was that access to consumer goods appears to have opened up for larger segments of the colonial population through a more sophisticated and far-reaching system of distribution for imported items. But just how equal was this access? What can be learned about colonial culture and the maintenance of power …

A Multi-Case Study Of Teens Who Write Outside Of School For Their Own Purposes, Paula Jill Henderson

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the phenomenon of the teen writer as defined as one who answers readily to the label of writer and who reports writing regularly outside of school for his or her own purposes. The research questions guiding this work are: (1) What do these young people write on their own time and for their own purposes? and (2) Why do young writers choose to write and how do they value and understand their own writing practices? In this multi-case study, seven teenage participants were interviewed twice, invited into any of three focus groups …

Update Newsletter December 2013, Department Of Forestry, Wildlife And Fisheries

Monthly Extension Update Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Third Thursday 12-2013, Institute Of Agriculture

Third Thursday

No abstract provided.

Creating And Maintaining Social Presence Via Computer-Mediated Communication: Measuring The Self-Rated Behaviors That Lead To Social Presence, Scott A. Christen

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation involved the creation and validation of a new measure of social presence. The first study involved the use of focus groups to create items for the future measure. The focus groups were presented with a set of items that were created based upon past literature; an through discussion of these items, a preliminary measure was created. The second study gathers data concerning the measure that was created from study one and an exploratory factor analysis was performed to eliminate items that did not work well with each other. This reduced the measure from 54 items to 23. The …

The Impact Of Rumination Induction On Iq Performance, Kerry Margaret Cannity

Masters Theses

Performance deficits on cognitive tasks have been demonstrated consistently in depressed and anxious individuals. Processing efficiency theory asserts that these deficits might be accounted for by task-irrelevant processes, including the negative impact of rumination. This study was designed to better understand the relationship between cognitive deficits and depression by creating a ruminative state in healthy control subjects to determine if they would exhibit performance deficits similar to those observed in patients with depression. Specifically, the effect of rumination induction on select subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) was examined. Participants were college students with no …

The Relationships Between Internalized Heterosexism, Spirituality, And Mental Health In Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Young Adults, Jon Raymond Bourn

Masters Theses

Minority stressors like internalized heterosexism have been found to be related to suicidality among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals (e.g., Savin-Williams & Ream, 2003). Additional research is needed, however, to better understand the factors that may serve as moderators (i.e., protective factors) in the relationships between minority stressors and negative mental health outcomes, such as depression and suicidality (e.g., Szymanski et al., 2008). The current study attempted to examine the relationships between internalized heterosexism and two negative mental health outcomes associated with suicide, psychache (defined as unbearable psychological pain) and depression, in a sample of LGB young adults. Given …

Internalized Heterosexism, Social Support, And Career Development In Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Undergraduate And Graduate Students: An Application Of Social Cognitive Career Theory, James Edward Arnett

Masters Theses

Using a the framework of Social Cognitive Career Theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994), we examined the relationships between one potential career-related barrier, internalized heterosexism (IH), and social support on career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE) and vocational outcome expectations in lesbian, gay, and bisexual undergraduate and graduate students. Specifically, we predicted that internalized heterosexism would be negatively related to CDMSE and vocational outcome expectations, and that social support would serve as a buffer that moderates these relationships. Results indicated that IH and social support were both unique predictors of outcome expectations. There was also a significant interaction effect between IH and …

Playing With Food: Maternal Feeding Style And Perceptions Of How Preschoolers Interact With Toy Foods In The Home Environment, Kori Michelle Higgins

Masters Theses

Maternal feeding styles have been linked to dietary intake patterns in young children. Additionally, pretend play with toy foods provides a promising means of promoting development of healthy eating patterns in this age group and the potential of it to play a positive role in the home environment may, in part, be related to maternal interactions with the child during pretend play. The purpose of the present study was to explore maternal perceptions of pretend play with toy foods in the home environment relative to maternal feeding style. Specifically, our objectives were to employ a mixed-methods approach to 1) describe …

Demand Analysis For Tomato, Onion, Peppers, And Fresh Okra In Nigeria, Olga Khaliukova

Masters Theses

The results found in this study have implications for local Nigerian food producers, retailers, other participants of the food sector, and government food policy makers.

In this thesis the demand analysis for onion, peppers, fresh okra and tomato in Nigeria was conducted using General Household Survey data collected by the World Bank and the Nigeria National Bureau of Statistics. The two stage estimation procedure and Linear Approximation Almost Ideal Demand System addressing censoring were used to analyze the demand system. The analyses are based on the assumption that every household is maximizing its utility subject to a budget constraint. Standard …

Biomechanical Difference Between Chronic Ankle Instability Individuals And Healthy Individuals During Landing On Flat, Inverted And Combined Surfaces, Xuan Liu

Masters Theses

Lateral ankle sprains most frequently occurs during sports. Individuals who experienced a first time ankle sprain had a high reoccurrence rate and residual symptoms and functional instability leading to chronic ankle instability (CAI). The purpose of this study was to investigate kinematic and kinetic differences between CAI individuals and healthy subjects in single-leg drop landing on a flat surface, an inverted surface and a combined surface of inversion and plantarflexion. A total of 17 subjects (6 subjects with chronic ankle instability, 11 healthy subjects) performed five trails in each of four dynamic movement conditions of drop landing from a height …

Who Supports Labor? The Intersection Of Race And Skill In Union Campaigns, Zachary Joseph Mckenney

Masters Theses

In the past half century, there has been an unprecedented decline in labor union membership, organizing ability, political effectiveness and strike activity in the United States. As a result, the ability of labor unions to influence the debate on labor standards and social reforms has experienced a significant decline. Using a mixed method approach, this research explores differences in attitudes and orientations towards labor unions across racial groups in the United States as well as organizational strategies and capacities of a labor union in a right-to-work state. Although African Americans and Latinos have been discriminated against at the hands of …

Temperament In Mothers With Borderline Personality Disorder And In Their Young Children Aged 4-7, Christina Gabriela Mena

Masters Theses

In this study we sampled mothers with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and their young children ages 4-7 (n = 36), as well as normative comparisons (n = 34). We assessed temperament in both mothers and their children. Mothers reported on their own and on their children’s temperament. Controlling for maternal current major depressive disorder and education, mothers with BPD reported more negative affectivity, less effortful control, and less positive affect than did normative comparison mothers. Children whose mothers had BPD had more negative affectivity (fear and frustration) and less effortful control, but not less smiling and laughter. When …

Adolescents’ Definitions Of Cheating In Romantic Relationships, Jerika C. Norona

Masters Theses

Cheating is a common occurrence in dating relationships. However, less is known about cheating in adolescence, a time when many individuals first experience romantic relationships. An important initial step for research is examining how adolescents define cheating in their romantic relationships. The present study used Thematic Analysis, a qualitative analytic method, to explore adolescents’ definitions of cheating and how these definitions might differ across age and gender. Furthermore, the present study examined patterns that emerged within definitions. Results indicate that definitions of cheating included a range of behaviors, such as engaging in physical activity, romantic/intimate involvement, spending time with, talking …

A Framework To Predict High Risk Roadways For Pedestrians In Tennessee, Zane Hunter Pannell

Masters Theses

Pedestrians and bicyclists are a class of vulnerable road users that are often over-represented in incapacitating injury or fatal crash statistics. Because non-motorized trips are vital to many urban and rural residents for utility or recreation and exercise, it is essential to identify safety deficiencies in our existing transportation infrastructure to address rising injuries and fatalities among this group of road users. As the economy continues to struggle and fuel prices remain high, many cities and rural transportation agencies are seeing large increases in bicycling, walking, and transit ridership. While passenger car fatalities have shown sharp declines in the last …

Saints And Savages: American Religion And The Construction Of Victory Culture, Jacob Tyler Hayes

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

An Occupant-Based Dynamic Simulation Tool For Predicting Residential Power Demand And Quantifying The Impact Of Residential Demand Response, Brandon Jeffrey Johnson

Masters Theses

With their large impact on the power system and widespread distribution, residential loads provide vast resources that if utilized correctly have the potential to help reduce both electricity cost and demand throughout the day. Previous research in this area has been primarily focused on building more energy efficient homes and improving the efficiencies of appliances and lighting technologies. Far less attention has been given to the ability of residential loads to provide various demand response services. Residential loads with demand response capabilities have the potential to be very useful in both peak shifting and regulation applications, and could be utilized …

Cobb Creek Church: Changing Perspectives In A Serpent-Handling Congregation In East Tennessee, Michael Noel Reid

Masters Theses

In the last year, the traditional practice of handling venomous snakes in Pentecostal church services has returned to the forefront of popular media attention. With the death of renowned handler Randy “Mack” Wolford in West Virginia in May, the news has been rife with stories of the century-old tradition. New, younger groups of handlers have also been instrumental in raising attention to the practice. One congregation in particular has been a key focus for media outlets around the nation. The Cobb Creek Church of God has been featured in The Tennessean, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, …

Personal And Group Environment Factors Of Water Polo Players, Shelby Morgan Reyes

Masters Theses

This study examined to see if Division I female water polo players (n = 113) had a distinct personality profile when compared to their counterpart of other female college students (n = 170). Also, this study analyzed to see the impact personality traits and team cohesion variables had on overall athletic satisfaction in female water polo players. The measures used were as follows: for personality, the Personal Style Inventory for College Students (PSI, Lounsbury & Gibson, 2008); for team cohesion, Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ, Carron, Widmeyer, & Brawley, 1985) ; and for athletic satisfaction, Athletes Satisfaction Questionnaire (ASQ, Riemer & …