Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Placing Immigrant Incorporation: Identity, Trust, And Civic Engagement In Little Havana, Richard N. Gioioso

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Immigrant incorporation in the United States has been a topic of concern and debate since the founding of the nation. Scholars have studied many aspects of the phenomenon, including economic, political, social, and spatial. The most influential paradigm of immigrant incorporation in the US has been, and continues to be, assimilation, and the most important place in and scale at which incorporation occurs is the neighborhood. This dissertation captures both of these integral aspects of immigrant incorporation through its consideration of three dimensions of assimilation – identity, trust, and civic engagement – among Latin American immigrants and American-born Latinos in …

The Relationship Between Classroom Interactions And Exclusionary Discipline As A Social Practice: A Critical Microethnography, Debra M. Pane Phd

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Exclusionary school discipline results in students being removed from classrooms as a consequence of their disruptive behavior and may lead to subsequent suspension and/or expulsion. Literature documents that nondominant students, particularly Black males, are disproportionately impacted by exclusionary discipline, to the point that researchers from a variety of critical perspectives consider exclusionary school discipline an oppressive educational practice and condition. Little or no research examines specific teacher-student social interactions within classrooms that influence teachers’ decisions to use or not use exclusionary discipline. Therefore, this study set forth the central research question: In relation to classroom interactions in alternative education settings, …

Stereotype Threat And The Standardized Testing Experiences Of African American Children At An Urban Elementary School, Martin J. Wasserberg

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stereotype threat (Steele & Aronson, 1995) refers to the risk of confirming a negative stereotype about one’s group in a particular performance domain. The theory assumes that performance in the stereotyped domain is most negatively affected when individuals are more highly identified with the domain in question. As federal law has increased the importance of standardized testing at the elementary level, it can be reasonably hypothesized that the standardized test performance of African American children will be depressed when they are aware of negative societal stereotypes about the academic competence of African Americans. This sequential mixed-methods study investigated whether the …

Emotional Intelligence And Leadership In Organization: A Meta-Analytic Test Of Process Mechanisms, Daniel S. Whitman

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study – employing psychometric meta-analysis of 92 independent studies with sample sizes ranging from 26 to 322 leaders – examined the relationship between EI and leadership effectiveness. Overall, the results supported a linkage between leader EI and effectiveness that was moderate in nature (ρ = .25). In addition, the positive manifold of the effect sizes presented in this study, ranging from .10 to .44, indicate that emotional intelligence has meaningful relations with myriad leadership outcomes including effectiveness, transformational leadership, LMX, follower job satisfaction, and others. Furthermore, this paper examined potential process mechanisms that may account for the EI-leadership …

The Effects Of The Use Of Technology In Mathematics Instruction On Student Achievement, Ron Y. Myers

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the use of technology on students’ mathematics achievement, particularly the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) mathematics results. Eleven schools within the Miami-Dade County Public School System participated in a pilot program on the use of Geometers Sketchpad (GSP). Three of these schools were randomly selected for this study. Each school sent a teacher to a summer in-service training program on how to use GSP to teach geometry. In each school, the GSP class and a traditional geometry class taught by the same teacher were the study participants. Students’ mathematics …

Politics And Prayer In West Perrine, Florida : Civic Social Capital And The Black Church, Susan Oltman Fink

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis traces the mechanisms and sources responsible for the generation of civic social capital (a set of shared norms and values that promote cooperation between groups, enabling them to participate in the political process) by black churches in West Perrine, Florida. Data for this thesis includes over fifty interviews and participant observations, archival records, newspaper articles, and scholarly journals.

Despite the institutional racism of the first half of the twentieth century, many blacks and whites in Perrine developed levels of trust significant enough to form an integrated local governing body, evidence of high levels of csc. At mid-century, when …

Autonomy And Authority In The Lives Of Children Who Work As Domestic Servants In Ghana, Cecilia Nana Derby

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Limited literature exists on Ghana's child domestic servants, and researchers have found it difficult to locate and study these children. The research for this dissertation used qualitative research methodologies and non-probabilistic sampling techniques to make it possible to interview child domestic servants, their parents, employers and recruiters in Ghana. The findings from the qualitative analyses informed the second part of this study, which was quantitative and tested hypotheses using crosstabulations and logistic regression analyses that were based on survey data from the Ghana Statistical Service. Explanatory variables in the quantitative analyses included lineage, level of education and relationships to the …

The Impact Of Migration And Intergenerational Changes On The Cuban Family In The United States, Darna Aybar Guardia

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines changes in the Cuban family in the United States produced by time, migration, and the rise of new generations. The thesis will use a data set extracted from the 5% Public Use Microdata Series (PUMS) of the U.S. Decennial Census of Population for the years 1970, 1980 and 1990. Contingency table analysis and comparison of means were used to examine various family-related variables. The analysis points to changes in the traditional Cuban family towards less traditional family arrangements. The multigenerational feature of the Cuban household has diminished as the elderly have become independent and are more likely …

A Conceptual Framework For Understanding Contemporary Child Slavery, Cecilia Nana Derby

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis developed a conceptual framework aimed at enhancing our understanding of contemporary child slavery. A new variety of slavery exists today, the result of forms of forced servitude that existed alongside slavery many centuries ago. This is tantamount to slavery. There is, however, a critical lack of awareness about important aspects of the reality of this new child slavery. The framework and definitions of slavery in usage today, though interesting and sufficient to cover historical situations, are unable to adequately describe the conditions of the child slavery. Using existing literature and research, this thesis conceptualized children's labor in a …

Solving The Mystery Of Guanxi-A Sociological Explanation Of Social Exchange And Social Networking In Guanxi Practice, Sara Zhang Abramson

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Guanxi, loosely defined as "inter-personal relations" or "personal connections," is one of the key socio-cultural concepts in understanding Chinese society. This thesis presented a theoretical examination of the Chinese socio-cultural concept of guanxi. By using a broad survey of the available literature, this thesis established the following points: Social structures shape and define the development of guanxi practice in Chinese society. Guanxi relationships are based on the social exchange of gifts and favors in dyadic or multi-stranded social networks. While following the general rules of reciprocity found in social exchange, guanxi exchange is also governed by the internalized social norms …

An Examination Of The Possible Consolidation Of African American Political Power Through Selective Migration, Brian Dean Abramson

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined whether African Americans could consolidate political power through a migration into a specific state or set of states in sufficient numbers to establish a voting majority within that state. In order to examine the feasibility and efficacy of this strategy, a variety of factors were reviewed, including the historical context leading to the current situation; the political benefits to be derived from the control of a state; and the population and migration patterns of African Americans. The results indicated that this strategy could succeed in providing significant substantive and symbolic political benefits to the African American community, …

The Maintenance Of Tracking : The Role Of Organizational Culture, Dora Acherman-Chor

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modern comprehensive high schools do not formally track students into different programs, but schools offer different curricular sequences with important and stratified consequences for students' post-secondary education. This study used qualitative methodology to examine how schools' organizational cultures influence the maintenance of tracking practices in four comprehensive high schools in Miami. The methodology included long-term participant observation in each of the four schools, unstructured and semi-structured interviews and the collection of written documents produced by the district. A framework based on the concepts of environment, mission,, information, strategy, and leadership was used to analyze the data.

It was found that …

Influences On Immigrant Students' Perceptions Of The Chances Of Making It In The United States, Velmarie L. Albertini

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined immigrant minority students' perceptions of race relations and of the chances for social mobility in the United States (U.S.) using cohort samples of West Indian (N=173) and Haitian (N=191) students. The Students' responses collected during the 6th and 7th, 8th and 9th grades were analyzed to determine whether perceptions of racial mistrust, teacher derogation and social mobility varied depending on the student's length of stay in the U.S. or self-concept. Quantitative methodology was applied to data extrapolated from a larger epidemiological longitudinal study consisting of 7, 386 middle school students in Miami (Vega and Gil, 1998).

Results …

Health Care Utilization Behavior Of Elders In A Multicultural Urban Environment, Katherine Marie Condon

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to determine the influences of social, environmental, behavioral, and economic forces on the health care service utilization of four racial/ethnic groups of non-institutionalized elders in a multicultural urban environment. To address these issues this dissertation examines three intertwined themes of culture, aging, and health, using a sample of elders residing in Miami-Dade County, FL in four racial/ethnic groups: white non-Hispanic; black non-Hispanic English speakers; Cuban; and non-Cuban Hispanic.

The research questions were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative data. Data for the quantitative component uses telephone survey data from the Dade County Needs Assessment. …

Rastafarianism And The Nation Of Islam As Institutions For Group-Identity Formation Among Blacks In The United States : A Case Study Comparing Their Approaches, Michael A. Barnett

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the Rastafari movement and the Nation of Islam as institutions that provide a group-identity for their adherents. The study seeks to determine the characteristics of the identity that is institutionalized by each movement, and the nature of the institutionalization process. The research was conducted primarily in South Florida where both movements exist. An extensive literature review in conjunction with in-depth field interviews were used as the primary research methodologies. What was of particular interest were the reasons that the members of the movements chose one movement over the other, also the similarities and dissimilarities between the movements …

Vulnerable Identities: Maya Yucatec Identities In A Postmodern World, Juan Castillo Cocom

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In numerous anthropological works there have been preoccupations about the relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Whatever social researchers have concluded, one thing is consistent: the tendency to interpret ethnographic "data" in terms of binary oppositions. This dissertation reviews the works which have been centered upon binary oppositions, as for instance, in the case of Yucatan, between the Maya and the Dzul-the Yucatec Maya term for white males-and highlights the fact that such works have failed to recognize that within and between each "pole," or social group there are individuals that have multiple identities, and that do not recognize themselves …

The Sexual Division Of Labor : The Impact Of Organizational Change Upon Group Cohesion And The Creation Of Occupational Identity, Robert M. Bossarte

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to identify the impact of recent organizational change upon the culture of firefighting.

The experiences of female firefighters were utilized as a measure of cultural change. A purposive sample of twenty-seven male and female firefighters were interviewed in a semi-structured format about their experiences in the fire service.

This research found that the culture of firefighting has adjusted to the presence of previously excluded groups by forging a division among the identities and roles of male and female firefighters. The white, male firefighters, who have traditionally constituted a majority of the workforce, have continued …

Youth And Power In The Village Hybrid Chiefdoms In Fiji, Tali Ben David

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to provide an alternative approach in analyzing social hybrid situations. The study is based on fieldwork conducted in 1995 in the village of Nasautoka, Fiji. The suggested analysis for hybrid cases is based on Anthony Giddens's structuration theory, with an emphasis on the concept of "agency" and "signification" rules. Giddens conceptualizes agents as both knowledgeable and reflexive. The agent is not viewed as passive and impotent as he paces through social life. Signification rules are extremely useful in analyses of symbolic orders, and shed light on the meaning of both "new" and "old" symbols …

Social Capital And High School Football: A Game Plan For The Development Of Human And Cultural Capital, Blane R. Dobey

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The origin of this study was twofold: a concern for the lack of human and cultural capital in many of today's adolescents and a desire to understand the role that athletic participation plays in this situation. The focus of this study is to examine the development of human and cultural capital in the Black male adolescent as a result of his participation in the high school football program. This study is based on a year-long ethnography in three Miami-Dade County high school football programs. Specifically, the social capital and the resources it makes available in each football program was examined …

The Quincunx: A Theory Of Yucatec Maya Indigenous Identity, Juan Castillo Cocom

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A major concern in Cultural Anthropology has been the question of change and continuity. In a world immersed in a process of globalization, with concomitant socioeconomic and political effects, the quest for ethnic reaffirmation, and indigenous identity, has increasingly become reconsidered by scholars from without and from within cultures under geared change. Indigenous identity is thus the main theme of this thesis, specifically based on ancient Maya cosmovision, which is applicable to the present-day Maya. This inquiry, by means of text interpretation of the Maya sacred books, the Popol Vuh and the Books of Chilam Balam, coupled with descriptive commentary …

Donde Esten Mis Hijos Alli Que Me Entierren. The Migration History Of Aura Lila Callejas, Linda M. Callejas

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

"Adonde esten mis hijos alli que me entierren," presents the migration history of my great-aunt Aura Lila Callejas. This work utilizes the oral history method to examine one woman's migration experience in an attempt to identify various theoretical issues. Aura Lila's immigration experience sheds light on a number of different issues, including the reasons why people migrate and how they adapt to an entirely new and often frightening set of circumstances in the country of arrival. The oral history method has proven useful in presenting some of the ways in which structural factors combine with personal motivations to provide the …

The Other Side Of The Kitchen Door: Domestic Service In Lima, Peru, Elena Sabogal Bee

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Domestic service refers to the work required to complete duties pertaining to the maintenance and functioning of the household, particularly when performed by employed labor. This study provides an ethnographic account of domestic service through an analysis of social behavior and cultural patterns. The participants in the social structure of domestic service are the señora (the lady of the house), her family, and the empleadas (domestic workers) all of whom have specific social identities and roles within the household. The señora/empleada dyad is central to the institution and all other participants are secondary. This study contributes to the growing body …

A Sociological Look At The Maria Paradox, Cecilia Juana De Sola Potharst

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Maria Paradox: How Latinas Can Merge Old World Traditions with New World Self-Esteem (1996) argues that acculturation is difficult for Hispanic women more so that for other women, because traditional gender-roles hinder adaptation to life in the United States. While the book looks psychologically at the ideology of marianismo, I believe a sociological analysis of this ideology is helpful. I argue that the umbrella term of Hispanic should not be used because it assumes that this group is culturally homogeneous, which is not the case. Post-industrial society has changed the status quo irrevocably in such a way that everyone …

Natural Disaster And Household Recovery In The Aftermath Of Hurricane Andrew : A Case Study Of Four Hispanic Households In South Miami Heights, Manuel Rafael Alba

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the aid received by four Hispanic households towards recovery after Hurricane Andrew. The four households resided in South Miami Heights, a suburb of Miami. Through the use of questionnaires, information was gathered on various storm related topics. Because the Cuban community in Miami is influential, the role of the Cuban enclave is studied in relation to the recovery of these households. The influence of an urban environment on the extended family ties of these households is also addressed since the literature argues that these ties are powerful among Hispanics. Results show, that aid primarily came from two …

A Cultural Historical Study Of Land Use In Dade County, Florida, James R. Riach

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Humans have used the land within the area currently defined as Dade County, Florida since around 11,000 B.P., but did not significantly alter the local environment until less than one hundred years ago. These recent changes greatly affected many critical ecological factors, thereby reducing the sustainability of many types of life, including humans. This study explains how land use evolved from earlier sustainable systems for satisfying human needs into the current menacing patterns. This is done by examining the environmental, technological, social, and cognitive contexts of land use through time. Changes in all these areas have followed a general trend …

The Survival Strategies Of Haitian Immigrant Women, Sue Chaffee

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Ethnicity And Reaccumulation : An Ecological Analysis, Linda Beer

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study looks at the process of reaccumulation of resources in Miami following Hurricane Andrew. Emphasis is on differences between four major ethnic groups: Anglos, African- Americans, Cubans and non-Cuban Hispanics. Secondary data is used to analyze measures of housing recovery on a census block group level. Results indicate that, while there are ethnic consequences on a block groups level, support for enclave hypotheses are equivocal.