Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Exploration Of Employment Factors That Facilitate Or Hinder Working College Students’ Academic Success, Gabrielle M. Gergen, Lisa L. Scherer

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This study was part of a larger study which investigated college student experiences, and how students negotiate multiple roles. This study specifically examined college students’ perceptions of how their employment facilitates versus hinders their abilities to meet the demands of other roles in life such as student, family member, significant other, volunteer, and extracurricular participant. We also assessed students’ suggestions for improving employment conditions to succeed in college. One-on-one interviews with 31 college students were conducted face-to-face, or via Facetime, or Skype. All interviews were taped and transcribed verbatim. Consistent with job facilitation theory, the results showed that students identified …

An Examination Of Within And Between Family Influences On The Intergenerational Transmission Of Violence And Maltreatment, Bradon A. Valgardson

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant problem that results in long-term mental and physical health issues. Previous research has identified a wide range of factors that potentially contribute to IPV perpetration, with childhood and adolescent maltreatment being some of the more commonly examined sources of influence. Despite these contributions, maltreatment has not been adequately distinguished from additional sources of influence that tend to cluster within families, such as other adverse family experiences and genetic influences. The current study attempts to better isolate the influence of maltreatment on IPV perpetration through the use of a sibling sample from the National …

Why Follow? Followership Favorability And Followership Styles, Hanna M. Miller Ms.

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Given the choice between leading or following in a group setting, which would you choose? Leadership and followership both have strengths and limitations. However, the perceptions of followership are typically unfavorable when compared to leadership. This quantitative study expands on the perceptions of followership by analyzing followership favorability among group members and followership styles as they relate to the Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory and Follower’s Active Engagement Theory.

Keywords: Followership, Leadership, LMX Theory, Leader-Member Exchange, Unfavorable Perceptions, Followership Styles, Active Engagement

The Role Of Research In Social Work Education, Lily E. Defrank

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This presentation focuses on the assessment phase of the Generalist Intervention Model which is often used by social workers to enact policy change or address social problems occurring within their communities. Research has a significant role in planning these community interventions. This particular project aims to address a gap in diversity education within the current social work curriculum. Although this project is specific to Social Work and is still being implemented, it serves as an example of how students are often the best advocates for their own education and encourages students to seek evidence based arguments when participating in policy …

The Assessment Of The Impacts Of Differently-Designed Tax And Expenditure Limitations (Tels) On Municipal Government Revenues: A Game Theoretic Approach, Sungho Park

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Nearly every state in the US imposes some form of limitation on local fiscal decisions – typically property taxes. The effects of tax and expenditure limitations (TELs) on fiscal outcomes have received significant attention by scholars, particularly since passage of California’s Proposition 13. The impact of TELs, however, remains an open empirical question, particularly at the municipal level. Do municipal governments with varying types of TELs, changing TEL structures, or no TELs experience different fiscal outcomes? Scholars and practitioners have attempted to answer these questions; however, the existing literature has at least two limitations. First, the extant literature fails to …

An Analysis Of Teacher Perceptions Of Student Behavior And Discipline In Schools Implementing Pbis, Lauren Drelicharz

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between staff perceptions of behavior and discipline and the implementation of positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS). Despite studies that have found PBIS to be effective, research is needed to understand teachers’ perceptions of behavior and discipline in order to identify the needs and concerns of school staff. Identifying such needs and concerns may lead to improved implementation of PBIS. For this study, 292 teachers and other certified staff from a public school district were asked to complete a survey that addresses the perceptions, beliefs, and needs of school …

Authenticity In College Classrooms: A Qualitative Study Exploring Student Perceptions And Instructor Insights, Ursula Vanantwerp

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The political and financial disturbances that have occurred in recent times have created a universal desire for trustworthy leadership. This widespread unrest makes the study of authentic leadership a timely and worthwhile pursuit. The purpose of this study is to examine how college students identify authentic instructors and explore how authentic instructors view themselves. Through a textural analysis of five college students and four college instructors interviewed in-depth in 2016, the findings indicated that the students identified as authentic the professors who shared common interests, showed interest in them, and were comfortable with who they were as instructors. Instructors that …

Who's Tweeting Whom: The Influence Of Rearing Condition On Social Integration In Zebra Finches, Zachary L. Darwish

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) are a gregarious species of finch. Previous work with zebra finches has demonstrated the long-lasting impacts of ear social environment on social behavior in adulthood. Zebra finch chicks were raised by either both parents (biparental) or their mother only (uniparental) and their behavior in an aviary was recorded using passive integrative transponders. Zebra finch ID numbers were recorded every time they entered a feeding station for 31 days. There was a trend for uniparental birds to engage in more visits to a feeding station per event than biparental birds, however, there was no difference …

Courting Behavior Among Biparentally And Uniparentally Raised Zebra Finches, Angela K. Adams

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Zebra Finch are a monogamous pair bonded species, and a commonly studied animal due to their complex social behavior. Chicks were raised in a biparental (raised by two parents) or uniparental (raised by the female alone) rearing condition. This study was done to test our hypothesis of differences in parental care and how rearing conditions may affect mate choice for the male finch. Through this study we have found that time spent in proximity to the female differed between a uniparentally raised and biparentally raised male finch.

Assessment Of Olfactory-Based Social Recognition: Designing A Paradigm For Marmosets, Stephanie Womack

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Navigation of the social world depends largely on one’s responsiveness to social stimuli and information from a wide range of senses can be used to discriminate between individuals. Mammals use several sensory modes to communicate and respond to their surroundings, but olfaction is the dominant sense across most species. Chemosignals provide a wealth of information including sex, age, reproductive status, and individual identity. Currently, assessment of olfaction is largely limited to the habituation-dishabituation paradigm or the two-choice discrimination task used primarily in rodents. These paradigms are limited by their reliance on inherent reward of interaction with stimuli without providing additional …

College Student Experiences And Happiness: A Multi-Method Exploration, Stephanie Hines, Lisa L. Scherer

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This study explored student happiness and their perceptions of positive and negative experiences in college. A multi-method approach was used with both qualitative and quantitative data collected. One-on-one interviews with 31 college students were conducted face-to-face and via Face-time or Skype. All interviews were taped, transcribed verbatim, and then coded for themes. Inter-rater coding agreement was assessed and discrepancies were resolved through consensus. The resulting themes reflecting both the positive and negative experiences reported included: professors and courses, academic supportive services and resources, co-curricular supportive services and activities, college friendships, and work-school interface. The most frequently reported experience themes were …

Neuroendocrine And Psychological Factors Associated With Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, And Reduced Compassion Satisfaction In Mental Health Professionals, Michelle Huffman

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Mental health professionals are at increased risk for burnout, compassion fatigue, and reduced compassion satisfaction. Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and loss of personal accomplishment. Compassion fatigue is a more progressed disruption relative to burnout marked by insomnia/nightmares, arousal, loss of objectivity, isolation, and intrusive thoughts. Compassion satisfaction buffers against burnout and compassion fatigue. Although links between demographic, psychological, and biological factors have been documented, interactions between these factors have not been explored. Mental health professionals completed psychological inventories measuring depression, anxiety, burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction. Saliva samples were collected during the Trier Social Stress Test …

A Wellness Approach To Investigating Student Veterans' Academic And Career Goals, Thomas Seguin

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The purpose of this study is to understand what wellness factors motivate veterans to separate from the military, and how these factors are addressed by the selection of the veteran’s academic major. This project is exploratory in nature, and mixed-methods methodology is being utilized to reach a deep understanding of the wellness and career transition experiences of student veterans. A brief questionnaire has been developed to gather demographic data, and has been distributed among the student veteran population at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (41 respondents at the time of this writing). Interview participants will be selected from the …

The Influence Of Humorous Priming And Situation Type On Generation Of Malevolently Creative Ideas, Reo W. Newring

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Creativity is usually considered a positive attribute, but what happens when creativity is used to generate a harmful product? Malevolent creativity (Cropley, Kaufman, & Cropley, 2008) refers to a clever, original product with negative valence, or intention to harm. The purpose of the current study was to examine predictors of malevolent creativity, expanding on existing knowledge and exploring a new area, specifically humor. Humorous primes were used to evoke malevolence, in the form of dialogues between two cartoon characters engaged in highly aggressive, moderately aggressive, self-defeating, or neutral exchanges. Subjects were then provided with a hypothetical situation (problem) and asked …

Keep Calm And Meeting On: Meeting Professionalism And Stress, Kathleen Stibbs

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Purpose - Professionalism in the workplace can be a motivator for employees to be more attentive in their work. Without professionalism, employees may not have a positive image of their organization. Specifically, a lack of professionalism in meetings can elicit negative responses towards meetings and/or other attendees, which can lead to frustration and stress. Workplace meetings are common in nearly any organization, which makes achieving a greater understanding of meeting interaction and its impact all the more important. Consistent with Hobfoll’s conservation theory of resources, a lack of professionalism may elicit feelings of stress. The purpose of this paper is …

Being Proactive: An Exploration Of How College Students Prevent Stress, Mikayla M. Woodard

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Stress is an increasing concern in college students because it can negatively affect them mentally, physically and socially. Though many studies have examined the efficacy of various stress management strategies for enhancing college student wellbeing and success, few have explored preventative stress strategies, This study, part of a larger exploration of college student stress and well-being, explored the preventative strategies utilized by college students to prevent stress, anxiety and depression. Individual interviews were conducted face-to-face or via Skype or FaceTime; they were also taped and verbatim responses were transcribed. Participants were asked open-ended questions in order to capture the participant’s …

Extra Curricular Activities: How Good Are They?, Sandra J. Vargas-Salinas 7799949

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The goal of this research program is to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the causes and consequences of college student stress, wellness, and engagement. Toward that goal, this study examined college student perceptions of the positive and negative characteristics of their experiences with extra-curricular and volunteering activities. Using an adapted version of the job demands-resources theory, we explored whether college students viewed these activities as resource-providing, where skills were developed and connections were built, or whether they were viewed as a demand in the service of merely building their resume. The study collected data from a variety of different college …

The Effect Of Leader Behavior On After-Action Review Outcomes, Kelly Prange

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Organizational safety concerns are a critical issue for firefighters. Interventions such as after-action reviews (AARs) may be implemented within firefighter teams to facilitate sensemaking and learning, as well as to foster safety norms. The current study investigated AAR leaders in a Midwest fire department and how their behavior improves individual perceptions of AAR quality, thereby influencing how firefighters perceive team and organizational safety norms. Building upon high-reliability organization theory and theories on the influence of leadership on culture, career firefighters were surveyed to test the mediation model. Results indicated that good AAR leader behaviors promote positive team and organizational safety …

Understanding Queer/Trans Identity And Faith: An Intersectional Approach, Patrick Dunlap

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Understanding Queer/Trans Identity and Faith: An Intersectional Approach combines the results of several academic projects completed in an attempt understand the intersections of queer/trans identity and faith and presents these projects as complete work, highlighting themes present throughout them, and provides recommendations for further efforts.

The Challenges Of College: How Students Cope With Stress, Hilary L. Jenkins, Lisa L. Scherer

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The purpose of this research is to identify what types of coping mechanisms utilized by college students. Stress plays a significant role in college student’s lives and influences the types of coping mechanisms used. This study used a qualitative phenomenological approach to examine work-school conflict, its accompanying demands and how it affects student use of adaptive versus maladaptive coping strategies. One-on-one interviews were conducted with 31 college students who were primarily psychology majors, female, and Caucasian. Results showed that college students who participated in this study were more likely to engage in adaptive coping mechanisms compared with maladaptive coping mechanisms. …

Why Arriving Late To Meetings May Harm Workplace Relationships, Joseph Mroz, Nicole B. Lanowski

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Individuals often attend meetings at work to which at least one person arrives late. Building from attributional theories of interpersonal behavior, we conducted an experiment to determine the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of people’s reactions to meeting lateness. Participants read one of eight experimental vignettes that described someone arriving 5 or 15 mins late to an important or unimportant meeting, after which the person who arrived late offered either a controllable or an uncontrollable reason for being late. Participants reported greater anger and a willingness to punish the late arrival who gave a controllable excuse, whereas sympathy and pro-social …

Volunteer Perceptions Of Upward And Downward Communication Facilitate Organizational Commitment, Kelly Prange

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Retaining productive volunteers is an essential issue nonprofit organizations face, as volunteers help extend the services of their target populations. The current study examined upward and downward communication and training as important volunteer management practices with respect to facilitating volunteer engagement and commitment. Using social exchange theory as a framework, the present study investigated the reasons why organizations should stress giving volunteers training and open communication and soliciting feedback from volunteers. Doing so may initiate a social exchange relationship in which volunteers receive training and communication from organizations and in turn become more engaged and committed to the organization. As …

Volunteer Attrition: Reducing Incivility Among Coworkers, Sheridan Trent

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Although volunteers are vital to the success of many organizations, the rate of volunteerism in the US has been decreasing since 2002 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016). One reason volunteers leave organizations is due to feeling burnt out from volunteer work (Chen & Yu, 2014; Winefield, Xanthopolou, & Metzer, 2012). Although multiple factors have been found to induce burnout in volunteers, studies examining relationships among volunteer coworkers as a potential stressor are sorely lacking. The current study sought to examine coworker incivility as a predictor of volunteer burnout and turnover intentions using Conservation of Resources (COR) theory. COR theory postulates …

Influence Of Meeting Humor Styles On Meeting Satisfaction, Michael Yoerger

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Drawing from theory on humor styles, impression management, and workplace meetings, we developed a video vignette followed by a survey to examine meeting satisfaction. We began by investigating whether there were differences in meeting satisfaction based on differences in the type of humor utilized. We then investigated how individual differences in impression management affects the perception of affiliative and aggressive humor. We found that there were a variety of statistically significant differences in t-test comparisons of humor conditions utilized. Differences in impression management were not associated with differences in meeting satisfaction in the affiliative or aggressive humor condition. One finding …