Education Commons^™

Saudi Women's Abuse And Help-Seeking Experiences: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis, Shahad Ahmed Subiani

Doctoral Dissertations

In 2013 the Saudi government established the Protection from Abuse Act, which made domestic violence (DV) a crime, as well as outlined the responsibilities of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in providing reporting mechanisms. These and more societal shifts, along with the creation of the governmental family protection units (FPUs), set the stage for greater recognition of DV and more women seeking help. Though public opinion is slowly changing, DV in Saudi Arabia is still largely perceived as a private family matter (Alhabib et al., 2010). Guided by the help-seeking and change model (Liang et al., 2005), …

Preschool Children's Understanding Of Nature And Environmental Stewardship, Maureen D. King

Masters Theses

Exposure to nature is important for children’s development and the future of the natural world. Children’s time spent outdoors has the potential to increase biophilia, one’s connection with nature, impacting their attitude towards nature and nature conservation over their lifetime. Environmental stewardship begins with an understanding of nature and how one can protect the environment around them. This study sought to explore children’s understandings of nature and stewardship by engaging a small group of preschoolers (n = 6) in photographing nature in their school’s outdoor playspace and asking prompting questions using the photographs in a semi-structured follow-up interview. Photographs …

Developing A Hands-On Food Science Curriculum With Bilingual, Elementary-Aged, Hispanic Heritage Students, Jaime Leia Ragos

EURēCA: Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement

In the United States alone there are over 48 million cases of foodborne illness, with most of these cases deriving from food cooked in the home (Young 2016). Many themes have been assessed such as confidence, knowledge, habits, taste in food preferences, and societal/social influences (Young 2016). However, when food safety curricula are targeted toward younger populations, including young adults and children, attitudes and behavior change (Mullan 2018 and Young 2016). As there is a lack in home economics education in today’s current curriculum, students and their families may not know food safety behaviors (Finch 2005; Young 2016). It has …

Developing A Hands-On Food Science Curriculum With Bilingual Elementary-Aged Hispanic Heritage Students, Jaime Leia Ragos

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Emergency Disaster Preparedness And Community Mental Health Facilities Capacity Following Hurricanes Katrina And Rita, Linda Lee Cannon Peoples

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the research study was to assess the impact of the hurricanes Katrina and Rita on community mental health facilities client service capacity and emergency preparedness in the disaster declared and non-declared areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia and Texas in the U.S.A. The impacts associated with client service capacity and emergency preparedness were evaluated. A survey instrument was created, tested for reliability and used to assess the client service capacity and status of emergency disaster preparedness at community mental health facilities following the hurricanes Katrina and Rita disaster. Differences in the reported client service capacity and emergency …

Workers' Compensation And Disability Benefits: The Effect Of The Permanent Partial Disability Multiplier And Settlement Method On Back Injury Claims In The State Of Tennessee, Eric Allan Fenstemaker

Doctoral Dissertations

Back pain is the leading cause of work place disability in Tennessee. The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI, 2002) found that in the United States back claims account for thirty-two (32%) percent of all workers' compensation claims and the average cost of a back claim is roughly fifty (50%) percent higher than the cost of other work-related injuries. Previous research on Tennessee workers' compensation suggests that permanent partial disability benefits (PPD) are a major source of cost and litigation in a court based system (Gardner, Telles, & Moss, 1996; Boden, 1997; Ballantyne, 2003).

The workers' compensation system in Tennessee …

Assessment Of Hiv/Aids Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, And Behaviors Among Students Attending Historically Black Colleges & Universities: The Basis For Developing A Conceptual Teaching/Learning Framework, John Franklin Michael

Doctoral Dissertations

HIV/ AIDS/STD is brought on by a way of life that includes sexual excess and drug abuse and the risk of contracting AIDS depends exclusively on an individual's behavior choices. Changing one's lifestyle is the most effective way of avoiding these infectious diseases. If, in fact, changing to a healthier lifestyle can help one to avoid AIDS/STD, then it becomes essential that college students develop an understanding of the interrelationship between the quality of a person's knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors and an awareness of how these qualities are interwoven into human behavior.

The purpose of this study was to …

Weaving The Threads Of Relational Connectedness Between Women: Exploring How Women Make Meaning In Their Lives Through Relationships With Other Women, Lee Ann Alley Jolley

Doctoral Dissertations

The dearth of research on women's female friendships might suggest that a woman's relationships with her girlfriends are less important than her relationships with her partner, children, or parents. Few researchers have focused on the closeness of female friendships despite the fact that those studies that have been conducted have found those friendships to be significant, and over the course of a woman's life, of great importance to her growth and development.

This study took a phenomenological approach in order to understand the lived experiences of women regarding their female friendships, focusing on how women make meaning in their lives …

Screening Mammography Compliance In Rural And Urban Women In Tennessee, Kathleen Conroy Brown

Doctoral Dissertations

Between 1990 and 2002, breast cancer mortality rates decreased by over 2% each year. Regular screening mammography is largely credited with the decline as it permits detection of breast cancer at its most treatable stage. In the United States approximately 75% of women over forty years of age report mammography screening within the past two years. However, rates vary by age, income, education, and residence.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of screening mammography compliance in women living in rural and urban areas of Tennessee; as well as the associated risk factors with special emphasis on …

The Effects Of Consumer Perceived Value And Subjective Norm On The Adoption Of Mobile Data Services: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of American And Korean Consumers, Kiseol Yang

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite the explosive growth of mobile phone subscribers and rapid adoption of mobile data services worldwide, the usage of mobile data services is highly variable across countries. This study attempted to reveal the differences in mobile data service adoption behavior between American and Korean consumers since it has been reported that the national culture and usage of mobile data services between the two countries is different, but mobile penetration rate is similar between the two countries. This study attempted to explain the differences in mobile data service adoption behavior between American and Korean consumers in regarding the effects of consumer …

Teachers' Classroom Food-Related Practices And Perceptions Of The School Nutrition Environment, Marsha Lynn Spence

Doctoral Dissertations

Objective: This research project consisted of three studies designed to investigate intermediate school teachers’ classroom food-related practices and perceptions of the school nutrition environment

Setting: The setting for this project was a rural county in the southern region of East Tennessee

Design: This project used a mixed-methods approach to investigate teachers’ food-related practices and perceptions of the school nutrition environment, including grounded theory methodology, secondary data analysis, and a cross-sectional survey.

Analyses: For the first study, the transcribed data were coded using open, axial, and selective coding and constant comparison of data. For the second study, descriptive and inferential statistics …

Relationship Of Service Coordinators’ Family-Centered Service Delivery And Maternal Empowerment In Tennessee’S Early Intervention System, Fred W. Coulter

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to assess mothers’ perceptions of family- centered practices and how these practices influenced their feelings of empowerment. The review of literature included examining the basis for family-centered practices and the conceptualization of empowerment. Twelve studies that reported a relationship between family-centered practices and empowerment were reviewed in detail.

The current study was conducted as a component of the Pathways to Family Empowerment Project, whose purpose is to evaluate service delivery and family empowerment of Tennessee’s Early Intervention System. The collected data were responses of 370 mothers to the Family-Centered Program Rating Scale (FamPRS) …

Teachers’ Awareness Of Making Decisions For Their Classrooms, Mary Kathryn Fitzgerald

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to achieve an understanding of the lived experiences of teachers’ awareness of making decisions for their classrooms, by using phenomenological methods involving dialogic interviews and hermeneutic analysis of the resulting texts. Eight early childhood teachers participated in open-ended interviews during which they were asked to describe specific times when they were aware of making decisions for their classrooms. The findings indicated that the teachers in this study were aware of (1) the multiple facets of the process of deciding, (2) the self as decision-maker, and (3) the constraints and possibilities found in individual teaching …

Measuring The Safety Climate Of Steel Mini-Mill Workers Using An Instrument Validated By Structural Equation Modeling, Michael Edward Hall

Doctoral Dissertations

The research study entitled "Measuring the Safety Climate of Steel Mini-Mill Workers using an Instrument Validated by Structural Equation Modeling" created and field tested a new theory based safety climate instrument validated by structural equation modeling. The study also established an employee safety climate profile at three steel mini-mill locations in the United States. The safety culture of the employees and subcontractors at three locations was measured using the newly created Hall Safety Climate Instrument. The instrument was designed to measure safety climate of an organization where employees are required to practice a high level of safety skills and consistently …

The Child Fatality Review Process: A Tennessee Profile, Charity Sue Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

The Child Fatality Review Process: A Tennessee Profile examines the perceptions of Tennessee’s judicial district child fatality review team members concerning the team members’ participation in child fatality review, the preventability of specific causes of childhood fatalities, the effectiveness of the Tennessee child fatality review process, and current educational initiatives used to prevent childhood fatalities. The study was completed using the new instrument entitled “Tennessee Child Fatality Review Team Members: Role in the review process.”

The research study was designed to 1) develop a valid and reliable survey instrument to assess Tennessee judicial district child fatality review team members’ perceptions …

Effects Of Balance Training On Falls Efficacy For Older Adults Residing In Assisted- Living Facilities, James Norman Hurtubise

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of a four-week foam-support balance training program on falls self-efficacy in assisted-living older adults. A Falls Self-Efficacy Scale (FES) and four balance performance measures (single-leg stand, tandem stand, functional reach, and eight-foot up-and-go) were completed to measure functional status and fear of falling. The sample consisted of fifteen older adults from two separate assisted-living facilities. Participants (N = 8) from one facility served as the control group, while those (N = 7) from the other facility represented the intervention group. There were 6 females and 2 males in the control group ranging in age from …

Pessimistic And Optimistic Personality Traits Among Tennessee Adult Tobacco Smokers And Nonsmokers In Selected Worksites, Kandi Delyn Qualls

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine pessimistic and optimistic personality traits and an adults’ tobacco smoking status.

The study population consisted of three Tennessee worksites that gave written permission for data collection. The worksites were comprised of both blue and white collar employees. A convenience sampling technique was used to collect the data. The study sample consisted of 152 employed adults. The sample included adult smokers, nonsmokers and former smokers. Data was collected using a valid and reliable instrument called “Optimism/Pessimism Instrument” (Dember, Martin, Hummer, Howe and Melton, 1989), and a data sheet which included questions about age, …

Alcohol And Analgesic Use In The Baby Boomer Cohort, Martha B. Rider

Doctoral Dissertations

If the population bubble known as the Baby Boomers continue to consume alcohol at higher than expected levels as they age into the middle and older adult categories it could have a substantial impact on future health care needs. This problem will be compounded if Boomers also take analgesic (pain-relief) medications when consuming alcohol. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of alcohol and analgesic usage in the Baby Boomer cohort and to ascertain whether there is an association between alcohol, analgesics, and pain. Drinking alcohol while also taking analgesics can have serious health consequences and, depending …

Absenteeism And Presenteeism As Related To Self-Reported Health Status And Health Beliefs Of Tennessee Safety And Health Professionals, William Tunstall Rogerson Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the health conditions, health status, and health beliefs of Tennessee safety and health professionals using self-reported absenteeism and presenteeism. The study collected self-reported absenteeism, which is missed work due to health conditions, and, presenteeism, which is the decrement in performance due to remaining at work while impaired by health problems. The Health Belief Model was used as the theoretical framework for the study.

Two valid and reliable instruments were adapted for this study. "The Wellness Inventory," by Dr. Ron Goetzel and associates at Cornell University, and "The Health Beliefs Questionnaire," by Dr. …

Accumulation And Food Retailer Store Type: Determining Hispanic Consumers' Attitude Toward Store Attributes In The San Antonio Market, Carol Lynn Nute

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to add to the body of knowledge by determining Hispanic consumers’ food retailer store choice. This study tested: (1) how Hispanic consumers’ attitudes towards store environmental attributes of the primary food retail store type shopped will differ by variety of acculturation (as measured by the attributes’ importance and likelihood the preferred food retailer contains these attributes); (2) how Hispanic consumers’ primary food retail store type choice is dependent upon variety of acculturation; and (3) how Hispanic consumers’ attitudes towards store environmental attributes will differ by the type of primary food retail store shopped.

The …

The Interrelationships Among Marital Hostility, Parental Depression, Compromised Parenting Behaviors, And Youth Maladjustment: A Mediated Model, Karen Lillemor Franck

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among marital hostility, parental depressive affect, compromised parenting behaviors, and youth maladjustment. Youth perceptions of compromised parenting behaviors (i.e., harsh behavioral control, psychological intrusiveness, inconsistency, lower acceptance, and less knowledge of the youth’s friends and activities) were examined as potential mediators of the associations between marital hostility, parental depressive affect, and youth externalizing and internalizing problem behavior. Questionnaire and observational data were collected from 416 mothers, fathers, and a 6^th grade youth. There was evidence that marital hostility and parental depressive affect were related to youth outcomes both directly …

Internet Purchasing Decision Behavior And Product Involvement, Jung-Im Seo

Doctoral Dissertations

Internet sales were less than 2 percent of total consumer spending in 2004 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2004) and are projected to increase to 15-20 percent of total consumer spending by 2010 (The Economist, 2000). Some researchers note that the future of retailing depends on the Internet. The Internet is also an important tool for college students because it provides entertainment, socializing and study sources. Although college students were early adopters and heavy users of the Internet, there is a lack of theoretical and empirical research about college students' Internet shopping behaviors. It is important to study college students' Internet shopping …

The Role Of Self- And Functional Congruity On Online Retail Patronage Behavior, Minsung Kim

Doctoral Dissertations

Three research objectives were determined for this study. The first objective was to explore online store image using both qualitative and quantitative methods to compare traditional store image dimensions and online store image dimensions. The second objective was to explore the relationships among self-congruity, functional congruity, online retail patronage behavior, and the possible moderators between to two types of congruity and online retail patronage behavior. The last objective was to compare the observed relationships based on the second objective between two types of online retailers: General merchandise online retailers vs. Specialty online retailers.

To collect the data, in-depth interviews as …

Nutrition Education Intervention And Substance Abuse Treatment Outcomes, Louise Patricia Grant

Doctoral Dissertations

The objectives of the current research were to assess the use and extent of nutrition intervention in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) substance abuse treatment (SAT) programs and to determine an association between nutrition intervention and SAT outcomes. The research was divided into three parts. A descriptive, single, cross­ sectional survey was developed and tested to measure associations with nutrition services and changes in Addiction Severity Index (ASI) domains. Nutrition services most likely to be offered included nutrition screening, nutrition assessment, nutrition education, drug­ nutrient interaction instruction, meal service, individualized supplemental feedings and physician-prescribed vitamin/mineral supplementation. Positive associations between individualized …

Nutrition Education Intervention And Substance Abuse Treatment Outcomes, Louise Patricia Grant

Doctoral Dissertations

The objectives of the current research were to assess the use and extent of nutrition intervention in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) substance abuse treatment (SAT) programs and to determine an association between nutrition intervention and SAT outcomes. The research was divided into three parts. A descriptive, single, cross-sectional survey was developed and tested to measure associations with nutrition services and changes in Addiction Severity Index (ASI) domains. Nutrition services most likely to be offered included nutrition screening, nutrition assessment, nutrition education, drugnutrient interaction instruction, meal service, individualized supplemental feedings and physician-prescribed vitamin/mineral supplementation. Positive associations between individualized and group-nutrition …

Role Of Dietary Carbohydrate Source In The Development Of Obesity In Rodent Models Of Diet-Induced Obesity, Kristin Lynnet Morris

Doctoral Dissertations

Dietary macronutrient composition plays a critical role in health and disease. The contribution of dietary carbohydrate source in the development of obesity and related diseases is often given minimal attention. The present studies demonstrate that both quantitative and qualitative changes in dietary carbohydrate influence body composition and adiposity in a rodent model of diet-induced obesity. In heterozygous (fa/+) Zuker rats, consumption of a high-fat, carbohydrate free ad libitum, attenuated weight gain and adiposity by increasing energy efficiency and blunting expression of fatty acid synthase, a key enzyme in de novo lipogenesis. These effects were independent of significant …

An Evaluation Of Influences On Preadolescent Boys' Body Mass Index And Body Composition, Lynn Samson Brann

Doctoral Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate the differences in the diets, activity levels, body concerns, body esteem, and body perceptions of fifty preadolescent boys in relation to their body mass index (BMI; kg/m²) and their percent body fat (PBF), measured using air-displacement plethysmography. Additionally, it was designed to examine general parenting and child feeding practices of parents in relation to their sons' BMI and PBF. Boys were recruited based on their BMI and were placed into either an average BMI group or a high BMI group. Additionally, boys were placed into either a lower PBF group or an …

The Effects Of Dietitian Weight And Self-Disclosure About Weight On Women's Evaluations Of Registered Dietitians, Wendy Elizabeth Bounds

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of dietitian weight status, dietitian self-disclosure about personal weight issues, and participant weight status on participants' initial perceptions and evaluations of registered dietitians. The research design was a randomized 2x2x2 factorial design consisting of 2 dietitian weight status conditions (normal weight and obese), 2 dietitian self-disclosure conditions (absence or presence of self-disclosure about personal weight issues), and 2 participant weight status conditions (normal weight and obese). A simulated nutrition counseling situation was developed in which participants were shown a photograph of a dietitian and then listened to an audio recording of an overview of nutrition …

Carnitine, Choline And Caffeine Promote Fat Loss And Metabolism In Rats And Humans, Nobuko Hongu

Doctoral Dissertations

Interaction of two nutrients, carnitine and choline, has been reported. Choline supplementation causes a significant conservation of carnitine in normal healthy humans and guinea pigs. The choline supplementation promoted tissue carnitine accretion, particularly in skeletal muscle of guinea pigs, and livers of rats. Also, choline supplemented guinea pigs had lower percentage of carcass fat and higher percentage of protein but the body weights or the respiratory quotient (RQ) were not affected.

Based on these observations, we hypothesized that a combination of choline and carnitine may further increase carnitine accretion by tissues, and if energy needs were increased by exercise and …

The Relationship Of Market Conditions, Management Practices, And Medical Staff Attributes To Operating Profit Of Small Rural Hospitals In The Carolinas, Larry Lee Isley

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship of the profitability of market conditions, management practices, and medical staff attributes of small, rural hospitals operating in North Carolina and South Carolina. The study included six research questions to measure the three independent variables.

Correlation coefficient using Spearman's Rho and Pearson Correlations were utilized to evaluate the relationship between profit and medical staff attributes and market conditions. A student's t-test evaluated management's decision to merge the rural hospital with a multi-hospital health system.

Results showed a statistically significant correlation (p < .05) between small, rural hospitals' profit and market conditions and medical staff attributes. The study concluded that rural hospitals in the Carolinas are in financial trouble, and senior leadership must broaden their understanding and involvement in the infrastructure of their local communities to form partnerships linking the success of each together.