Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Comparing News Frames About The Syrian Crisis Between The Kommersant And The Financial Times, Anton Dinerstein

Masters Theses

This is an exploratory comparative study aimed to examine media frames about ongoing civil war in Syria. The civil uprising started on March 15, 2011, and turned into a civil war after May 8, 2011. The conflict has lasted for more than four years, and more than 220,000 people have died since it began. During the conflict, both the Syrian government and military opposition were accused of extreme cruelty and of using chemical weapons. However, there was no official proof of using chemical weapons until the August 21, 2013, when Syrian government forces used chemical weapons during their attack on …

Fostering Global Leaders: A Case Study Of The Korea Foundation For The Next Generation Sports Talent And Its Partnership With The University Of Tennessee, Knoxville, Benjamin Hisung Nam

Masters Theses

The Korea Foundation for the Next Generation Sports Talent (NEST) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville have been collaborating to foster global sports talent through academic cooperation and have been interacting to reeducate retired South Korean elite athletes since December, 2008. The purpose of the partnership is to create mutual international understandings between the two parties. This study explores the intended/initial goals of the partnership and whether these goals have changed (if so how and why) or remained the same. If the goals have remained the same, has anything changed? Results indicate that fostering global leadership skills, English language training, …

Factors Impacting Ffa Involvement After High School, Danielle Eve-Marie Sanok

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence FFA members to continue or discontinue with their FFA experience past high school. The specific objectives of this study were to determine the reasons why students discontinue with their FFA experience past high school, determine membership needs from the Collegiate and Alumni FFA Organization and ways to overcome membership attainment barriers.

Data collection methods included three sets of focus groups: (a) one for inactive FFA members, (b) one for current Collegiate FFA members, and (c) one for current and past State Officers. Data was analyzed using the thematic …

Making Meaning Of The Illness Experience: Narratives Of Partners Of Cancer Survivors, Heather Nicole Tidwell

Masters Theses

Receiving a cancer diagnosis not only uproots the life of the patient but also the lives of the patient’s family members and loved ones. Adjustments in communication and disclosure as well as in identity must be made at various stages of the cancer trajectory. Survivorship, specifically, poses its own set of challenges as both cancer survivors and their partners must cope with perpetual uncertainty as to whether the cancer is truly over (Fife, 1994; Lethborg, Kissane, & Burns, 2003; Miller & Caughlin, 2012). Furthermore, although partners report being significantly impacted by a cancer diagnosis, they are often understudied when it …

Betting Markets Vs Opinion Polling: The 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum, Jamie Alexander Greig

Masters Theses

This Master’s thesis focuses on the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, in particular comparing betting markets and opinion polling as outcome predictors. While opinion polls are the most significant data sets used by political scientists and the media when discussing the predicted outcome of elections there is evidence to suggest that betting markets may be more accurate predictors of eventual outcomes. Using data from 5 months of betting and polling this research paper confirms this previous research in the case of the 2014 Scottish referendum. An outcome of this is the conflict between intention and expectation as research questions, the impact …

The Effect Of Advertising On Male Body Image Disturbance: A Content Analysis Of Male Models In Esquire Magazine Ads From 1955-2005, Zienab Ahmed Mohamed Shoieb

Masters Theses

This study examines the transformation of the male body ideal in magazine ads over time. A content analysis of 218 male models in Esquire ads from 1955 to 2005 were coded for level of male models’ fat, muscularity, and nudity levels; whether the ad was photographed or illustrated; and product category. Findings reveal (1) a significant decrease in male models’ fat levels over time, (2) a significant increase in male models’ muscularity levels over time, and (3) a significant increase in nudity over time. Male models in photographed advertisements were found to have higher levels of muscularity and nudity than …

A Content Analysis Of Gender Stereotypes In Contemporary Teenage Magazines, Umana Anjalin

Masters Theses

The portrayal of women has long been a matter of concern as well as discontent. The patterns reflected in the media mostly deal with stereotyping females in very limited roles, and frequently as sex objects. Magazine content could be a crucial source in the issue of adolescent socialization. Magazines directed to adolescent female consumers orient the audience with the explicit and implicit messages of socio-economic lifestyle. Teens' relying on the subjective as well as objective comprehension of these magazines is crucial to their growing up. Therefore, it was essential to understand the factors that are influential for much of adolescent …

The Relationship Between Parent Communication Orientations And The Self-Efficacy Of Student-Athletes, Sara Marie Erdner

Masters Theses

The influence of parent(s)/guardian(s) communication on a student-athlete’s self-efficacy has received limited attention despite its potential implications for the athlete’s sport performance. Student-athlete participants (N = 290) completed measures to report their level of self-efficacy along with the student-athlete perceptions of their parent(s)/guardian’(s) communication orientation. Further, efficacy-enhancing techniques were measured to report frequency-of-use and effectiveness as these strategies were administered by the parent(s)/guardian(s). Significant relationships were found between conformity- and conversation communication and a student-athlete’s self-efficacy. However, these communication orientations did not interact to influence a student-athlete’s self-efficacy. Mean scores are reported to demonstrate which efficacy-enhancing techniques are the most …

Deception Among Organizational Leaders: Impacts On Employee Perceptions Of Supervisor Credibility, Power, And Trust, Paisleigh Jo Kelley

Masters Theses

Deception is ubiquitous in day-to-day communication. While most deceptive acts are relatively minor in terms of interpersonal impact, lying in the workplace may result in negative organizational outcomes (Griffith et al., 2011). Moreover, business leaders who engage in deceptive communication may elicit similar behavior in their employees (Henrichs, 2007). The current study assesses how different deceptive messages spoken by organizational leaders (e.g., honest messages, messages that withhold information, and messages that distort information) impact employee perceptions of that leader’s credibility, power, and trustworthiness. The results of this study indicate that employees view business leaders as less credible and less trustworthy …