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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Criminal Psychological Profiling: A Comparative Study Of Knowledge And Perception Between Police Officers And Criminology And Criminal Justice Students, Bonnie Lynn Bevers
Criminal Psychological Profiling: A Comparative Study Of Knowledge And Perception Between Police Officers And Criminology And Criminal Justice Students, Bonnie Lynn Bevers
Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses
The purpose of this study is to examine the knowledge and perceptions of police officers from police departments in North Texas and students in the Criminology and Criminal Justice program at the University of Texas at Arlington on criminal psychological profiling. Data was obtained from a sample of graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Texas at Arlington and police officers in the Investigation Unit at Irving Police Department. Officers and students seemed to agree that criminal psychological profiling was a significant tool in the criminal justice field, while having differing perceptions of whether education or experience were more …
An Examination Of The Tone System Of Fur And Its Function In Grammar, Georgianna Noel
An Examination Of The Tone System Of Fur And Its Function In Grammar, Georgianna Noel
Linguistics & TESOL Theses
This research into the tonal system of Fur and its grammatical functions began with several basic assumptions. These assumptions were based on the excellent prior research by Jakobi (1989), and Kutsch Lojenga and Waag(2000). These assumptions were: 1. Fur is a register tone language with two tones L and H. Contours on LH and HL are possible. 2. Tone makes lexical distinctions in Fur as exemplified by examples such as: 'desert' úrì 'sheep' úri 3. Tone also functions in the grammar of Fur. Tone is used to differentiate the nominative and locative forms of nouns and the attributive and predicate …
Kachin Refugee Women's Work Identity: Narratives In Transition, Christie Ann Wright
Kachin Refugee Women's Work Identity: Narratives In Transition, Christie Ann Wright
Sociology & Anthropology Theses
My work focuses on the Kachin women's experiences of work in the American workforce in comparison to their experience of work in Burma. Through in-depth interviews with twelve Kachin women in the North Texas area, I analyze the dynamics of migration and work at the intersection of gender and class. Their experiences are both shaped by their prior middle-class status of gendered spheres of paid and unpaid work and their work experiences and expectations in America. Subsequently, they mostly draw from homeland ideas of gendered ideologies because these ideals create and enhance both women's gender and class-statuses in Burma. The …
The Public's View Of Terrorism In Their Communities As Related To Media-Viewing Habits, Renee Bradshaw
The Public's View Of Terrorism In Their Communities As Related To Media-Viewing Habits, Renee Bradshaw
Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses
The purpose of this study was to analyze the beliefs and behaviors of criminology and communications students in regards to general media and terrorism media exposure, as well as fear of terrorism. It was conducted using a survey, which concentrated on the participants’ media-viewing habits; perceptions of current terrorism trends; fear of terrorism; viewer characteristics; and demographic information. Results revealed more frequent media exposure among communications students than among criminology students. Criminology students were more likely to believe another terrorist attack is likely in the United States, while being less fearful of such an attack on a personal level; communication …
Working Librarians' Perceptions Of The Role Of The Public Library In The 21st Century, Susan Smith
Working Librarians' Perceptions Of The Role Of The Public Library In The 21st Century, Susan Smith
Public Affairs Dissertations
Tax-supported public institutions with often-insufficient resources, public libraries in America can only provide a limited array of programs, services and materials. Recent surveys of the public show libraries are important, but there is a lack of understanding and awareness about what the library does and the source of library funding. Librarians have long known that they do a bad job of telling others about the library. An unclear mission would make communicating difficult, as it is hard to communicate what the library does if there is no clear role or purpose for the library. Examining current professional literatures shows little …
The Acoustic Correlates Of Atr Harmony In Seven- And Nine-Vowel African Languages: A Phonetic Inquiry Into Phonological Structure, Coleen Grace Anderson Starwalt
The Acoustic Correlates Of Atr Harmony In Seven- And Nine-Vowel African Languages: A Phonetic Inquiry Into Phonological Structure, Coleen Grace Anderson Starwalt
Linguistics & TESOL Dissertations
This study compares eleven Niger-Congo languages with [ATR] harmony and seeks to determine especially whether the acoustic properties of the "voice quality" differences associated with [ATR] in nine-vowel languages, such as Akan, are present or absent in all, some or none of the seven-vowel languages. Of particular interest is the nature of the height 2 and 3 vowels of the nine- and degree 2 vowels of seven-vowel systems. First, this study corroborates previous work on nine-vowel systems by demonstrating that height 2 vowels [-ATR] [? ?] frequently overlap with height 3 vowels [+ATR] [e o]. Next, it considers the question …
Texas Homeland Security: Trust, Communication, And Effective Working Relationships Between Regional Coordinators And Local Respondents, Bobbie Brown
Political Science Theses
Policy implementation and intergovernmental relationships are most often examined from a federal/state perspective. This research, however, focuses on the effectiveness of working relationships between the two lower-levels of state government (i.e. regional and local jurisdictions) who implement homeland security policies in Texas. Using elite interviews conducted with the principal homeland security officials from the regional Councils of Governments and survey responses from chiefs of police across the state, this study seeks to identify what environmental, agency, and individual characteristics are associated with effective working relationships between these lower-levels of state government. Texas chose to integrate the implementation of its homeland …
A Contextual Analysis Of A Preclassic Problematic Deposit At Blackman Eddy, Belize, Rebecca Lynn Shelton
A Contextual Analysis Of A Preclassic Problematic Deposit At Blackman Eddy, Belize, Rebecca Lynn Shelton
Sociology & Anthropology Theses
This thesis examines Problematic Deposit #3 from two operations in Plaza B at Blackman Eddy, Belize through a detailed contextual analysis. Due to the ambiguous nature of problematic deposits, several methods of analysis were utilized to determine the event or events associated with the cultural material and the architectural remains uncovered in the two operations. For the analysis of the ceramic assemblage, the type-variety method was first utilized to determine the relative date of PD#3. Second, a functional analysis of the partial vessels within the problematic deposit was performed and a radiometric AMS date was collected from PD#3 of 380 …
Working Librarians' Perceptions Of The Role Of The Public Library In The 21st Century, Susan Smith
Working Librarians' Perceptions Of The Role Of The Public Library In The 21st Century, Susan Smith
Public Affairs Dissertations
Tax-supported public institutions with often-insufficient resources, public libraries in America can only provide a limited array of programs, services and materials. Recent surveys of the public show libraries are important, but there is a lack of understanding and awareness about what the library does and the source of library funding. Librarians have long known that they do a bad job of telling others about the library. An unclear mission would make communicating difficult, as it is hard to communicate what the library does if there is no clear role or purpose for the library. Examining current professional literatures shows little …
The Irony Of Proving Discrimination, Rosalyn Wilson-Green
The Irony Of Proving Discrimination, Rosalyn Wilson-Green
Public Affairs Dissertations
Currently America courts require plaintiffs alleging discrimination to not only prove the existence of present day discrimination but to also prove the "discriminatory intent." This dissertation contains two applications of the theory of unconscious discrimination as it reveals the difficulty of prevailing in discrimination cases. The assumption applied is that policy-makers use theories that dismiss or render invisible the presence of subtle discrimination. This perpetuates the problem and hinders its adequate address. Since so many people suffer because of discrimination's invisible-yet present existence, measures must be taken to unveil the remedy this subtler form of discrimination. In this dissertation, I …
Questions In American Sign Language: A Quantitative Analysis Of Raised And Lowered Eyebrows, Traci Patricia Weast
Questions In American Sign Language: A Quantitative Analysis Of Raised And Lowered Eyebrows, Traci Patricia Weast
Linguistics & TESOL Dissertations
Although much of linguistic information in American Sign Language (ASL) is conveyed through nonmanual signals, the majority of more than 40 years of research focuses on manual signs. As a result, we are just beginning to understand the role of the face, head, and upper body in signed languages, including eyebrow movement. While researchers generally agree that eyebrows play a role in questions of examined sign languages, they disagree whether upper face nonmanuals are syntactic or prosodic and intonational. Wilbur 2000, 2003 widens the debate to suggest a layered combination in the upper face, where eyebrows represent syntax, and other …
Kangri In Context: An Areal Perspective, Robert D. Eaton
Kangri In Context: An Areal Perspective, Robert D. Eaton
Linguistics & TESOL Dissertations
This study is a grammatical description and analysis of the dialect of Pahari known as Kangri, spoken in and around Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India. It presents data for Phonology, Tone, Stress, Morphology, and Syntax and includes feature comparisons with several of the related regional and high domain languages (Hindi, Punjabi, and Dogri), particularly at points where they differ. Special focus is given to issues involving stress assignment and tone. These are shown to be sensitive to different morphological categories, for which the framework of Lexical Phonology is useful in accounting. Various tense/aspect grammatical categories are also discussed, among which there …
Public Management Reform In Developing Countries: An Empirical Investigation Of Operational And Financial Efficiency Of Private Versus Public Airports In Latin America And The Caribbean, Alvin H. Brown
Public Affairs Dissertations
Public enterprises in Latin American and Caribbean developing nations (LACDNs) are constantly struggling to make their public infrastructures in sectors such as banking, energy; telecommunications, trade, and aviation operate more efficiently and effectively. Public management reform is used to analyze the problems of government and provide solutions. The problems encountered are the growing cost of the public sector in conjunction with inefficient and unresponsive bureaucracies in LACDNs. Accordingly, the solutions involve governments focusing on ensuring that public enterprises are performing efficiently and effectively by adopting a holistic market approach for operating public enterprises. The purpose of this study is to …
Public Management Reform In Developing Countries: An Empirical Investigation Of Operational And Financial Efficiency Of Private Versus Public Airports In Latin America And The Caribbean, Alvin H. Brown
Public Affairs Dissertations
Public enterprises in Latin American and Caribbean developing nations (LACDNs) are constantly struggling to make their public infrastructures in sectors such as banking, energy; telecommunications, trade, and aviation operate more efficiently and effectively. Public management reform is used to analyze the problems of government and provide solutions. The problems encountered are the growing cost of the public sector in conjunction with inefficient and unresponsive bureaucracies in LACDNs. Accordingly, the solutions involve governments focusing on ensuring that public enterprises are performing efficiently and effectively by adopting a holistic market approach for operating public enterprises. The purpose of this study is to …
The Irony Of Proving Discrimination, Rosalyn Wilson-Green
The Irony Of Proving Discrimination, Rosalyn Wilson-Green
Public Affairs Dissertations
Currently America courts require plaintiffs alleging discrimination to not only prove the existence of present day discrimination but to also prove the "discriminatory intent." This dissertation contains two applications of the theory of unconscious discrimination as it reveals the difficulty of prevailing in discrimination cases. The assumption applied is that policy-makers use theories that dismiss or render invisible the presence of subtle discrimination. This perpetuates the problem and hinders its adequate address. Since so many people suffer because of discrimination's invisible-yet present existence, measures must be taken to unveil the remedy this subtler form of discrimination. In this dissertation, I …
Russia's Portrayal In The Western Media: A Quantitative Analysis Of Leading Media Agency News Stories In 2007, Mihai Moscovici
Russia's Portrayal In The Western Media: A Quantitative Analysis Of Leading Media Agency News Stories In 2007, Mihai Moscovici
Communication Theses
This study examined Western media news coverage about Russia. Representative samples from the leading Western wire and international broadcasting services - the AP, BBC and DW - were selected and analyzed using content analysis methodology. The research is grounded in the theoretical frameworks of the agenda-setting and framing theories - considering the reality constructed by mass media and the determinants on foreign news coverage. Findings about Russia's portrayal in the Western media are discussed. A quantitative content analysis was used in identifying the main topics, tones and frames used in Western media news coverage about Russia. This research concluded that …
Seeing Is Perceiving: The Influence Of Race As A Peripheral Cue On The Stereotypical Perception Of A Spokesperson In An Advertisement, Siobhan Denise Flowers
Seeing Is Perceiving: The Influence Of Race As A Peripheral Cue On The Stereotypical Perception Of A Spokesperson In An Advertisement, Siobhan Denise Flowers
Communication Theses
Due to the vast amount of stimuli individuals come in contact with daily, people often tend to look for easy-to-process cues to help them make quick judgments about what they are seeing (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986). While this can sometimes be helpful, it is not always so. For example, if someone makes a snap judgment about another person based on the color of their skin, it is possible they will fall prey to stereotypes. In the case of African-Americans, a number of negative stereotypes have been perpetuated through the years, contributing to prejudice (Devine, 1989). This study sought to answer …
United States Presence In Afghanistan And Iraq: A Comparitive Analysis Of Opinions And Policy Implications, Michele L. Whitehead
United States Presence In Afghanistan And Iraq: A Comparitive Analysis Of Opinions And Policy Implications, Michele L. Whitehead
Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses
The purpose of this study is to explore undergraduate student opinion regarding the continued presence of the United States military in Afghanistan and Iraq. Using a voluntary survey instrument and quantitative research methodology, this study will attempt to differentiate between variances in opinion among undergraduate students in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department and non-Criminology and Criminal Justice majors at the University of Texas at Arlington, while examining the impact exposure to various forms of media and academic information has on the formation of perception. This study also evaluates the potential impact the result of analyzing these variables has on …
Perception Towards Airport Security As It Relates To Terrorism: An Analysis Of Criminology/Criminal Justice Majors And Non-Majors, Brittany Michelle Rodriguez
Perception Towards Airport Security As It Relates To Terrorism: An Analysis Of Criminology/Criminal Justice Majors And Non-Majors, Brittany Michelle Rodriguez
Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses
The purpose of this study is to examine the knowledge and perception of airline security and safety between Criminology and Criminal Justice Majors and Non-Criminology and Criminal Justice Majors post September 11, 2001. The data for this study was obtained from a sample of Criminal Justice majors and Non-Criminal Justice majors enrolled at The University of Texas at Arlington. Questions were asked pertaining to the students' knowledge of TSA (The Transportation Security Administration) and the Air Marshals Program to determine if students were aware what security measures were in place since September 11, 2001. Furthermore, the surveys included questions regarding …
Perceptions Of Alcohol Consumption: An Examination Of Undergraduate Students' Perception Of Harmful Alcohol Consumption As A Social Problem And Its Relationship With Crime, Michael Chad Gann
Perceptions Of Alcohol Consumption: An Examination Of Undergraduate Students' Perception Of Harmful Alcohol Consumption As A Social Problem And Its Relationship With Crime, Michael Chad Gann
Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses
The role of law enforcement in the United States has evolved such that police officers are expected to be problem solvers as well as crime fighters. To that extent, the author begins this study as a broad examination of a social problem that plagues the United States on a day to day basis and ultimately focuses more specifically on social problems locally. It is understood that alcohol-related offenses are the leading cause of negligent deaths in the United States but the problem goes deeper than most realize. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine undergraduate students' perceptions of …
The Language Of The University: A Systemic Functional Analysis, Erin Gonzales
The Language Of The University: A Systemic Functional Analysis, Erin Gonzales
Linguistics & TESOL Theses
This study examines the negotiation of interpersonal meaning in the language of university administrators in their communications with students. The three texts in this study were written by the president of a large university to the student body and concern a controversy which arose on campus. The study uses Systemic Functional Grammar to examine how the language of the texts constructs interpersonal relationships between administration and students, as well as the extent to which such language changes when significant contextual issues become a factor. Specifically, in this study data analysis reveals that the language used changes in different contexts in …
Sounds Of Chinese Korean: A Variationist Approach, Wenhua Jin
Sounds Of Chinese Korean: A Variationist Approach, Wenhua Jin
Linguistics & TESOL Dissertations
This study approaches the understudied Chinese Korean from a variationist perspective, with an aim to capture the variation patterns and potential changes in the sounds of Chinese Korean. More specifically, three variables were examined: the voice onset time (VOT) of stop consonants and front rounded vowels /y/ and /ø/. To discern any variation and change in these variables, 35 native speakers of Chinese Korean were interviewed in three different styles and digitally recorded in the Korean community of Shenyang, China. Results of the analysis reveal the existence of a diachronic VOT shift and the "incrementation" of VOT change in the …
Dispensationalism And United States Foreign Policy With Israel, Aaron William Stone
Dispensationalism And United States Foreign Policy With Israel, Aaron William Stone
Political Science Theses
I incorporated various public opinion surveys regarding the nature of Dispensational concepts to convey the prevalence of Dispensational theology in America. I incorporated demographic data regarding survey participants in an effort to show characteristics of Dispensational thought and what segments of the population were most likely to be in agreement with these ideas. This information was used as a springboard to examine the history of Dispensationalism in the United States and how support for Israel has been formed by such ideologies. I found that Dispensationalism is a salient belief and is responsible for a considerable amount of public support for …
The Politics Of State Public Arts Funding, Danielle Marie Georgiou
The Politics Of State Public Arts Funding, Danielle Marie Georgiou
Political Science Theses
Arts funding in America is comprised of public dollars, private support, and earned income that is critical to the economic vitality of state and local communities and to the nation's cultural well-being. To date, most research has focused either on the national level, on the local level, or on public opinions and attitudes regarding the arts. In contrast, patterns of state arts funding have not been thoroughly examined since the 1980s. This study attempts to identify factors that explain differences in levels of state funding for the arts by examining changes in state-level funding (1985-2007) and policymaking. This study is …
Balancing Safety And Normalcy: A Study Of Parents' Management Of Young Children's Severe Food Allergies, Leslie Brook Graceffo
Balancing Safety And Normalcy: A Study Of Parents' Management Of Young Children's Severe Food Allergies, Leslie Brook Graceffo
Sociology & Anthropology Theses
While severe food allergies have been extensively studied by physicians, sociologists have not yet examined the parental management of children's severe food allergies. In this thesis, I examine how parents negotiate physical, emotional, and social issues that arise in daily life with a severely allergic child. Severe food allergy management is not an easy task given the potentially fatalistic nature of severe food allergies coupled with the inadequate level of social awareness of such allergies. In order to better understand the parental management of food allergies, I interviewed twelve parents of severely food allergic children regarding the various spheres of …
Shared Land Use Impacts Between Military Installations And Contiguous Communities (Post-Brac): Fact And Opinion Differences In Planning And Public Policy, Rumanda Kay Young
Shared Land Use Impacts Between Military Installations And Contiguous Communities (Post-Brac): Fact And Opinion Differences In Planning And Public Policy, Rumanda Kay Young
Public Affairs Dissertations
How a policy or planning tool (e.g. BRAC) contributes to real and perceived conclusions from policy implementation is the main focus of this research. This research examines differences between real and perceived encroachment issues and concerns through study of military installations and their contiguous communities using post-BRAC opinion data compared to conclusions drawn from pre-BRAC and post-BRAC empirical data. A study of six (6) supporting research topics from current literature leads to a hypothesis that there are no differences between the same variables using empirical data (reality) and opinions (perception) with respect to variable descriptors of encroachment in the post-BRAC …
The Public's Role In Framing The Agenda In The Digital Age, Karen Ayres
The Public's Role In Framing The Agenda In The Digital Age, Karen Ayres
Communication Theses
The rapid growth of the Internet has transformed the business of journalism by allowing the public many new ways to participate in the news process. This thesis focuses on the public's participation in online news forums to assess how consumers' responses to news stories affect agenda setting. It centers on framing and agenda setting theories and employs quantitative methods to analyze the responses. The study relied on a content analysis of online postings tied to 50 different stories posted on The Lede, a news blog of The New York Times that can be found on the paper's website. The stories …
Hollywood To Hilltop: Does Celebrity Status Act As A Peripheral Cue In Voting Decisions, Angela Beth Torrey
Hollywood To Hilltop: Does Celebrity Status Act As A Peripheral Cue In Voting Decisions, Angela Beth Torrey
Communication Theses
Given the increase in Hollywood celebrities running for political office and the young adult population's cultural tendency to glorify the lives of celebrities, this research explored tenets of the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to determine whether celebrity status acts as a peripheral cue that makes thoughtful engagement of political candidates and their stances unlikely in young adult's voting decisions. Indeed, the results of this study found that celebrity status does serve as such a cue, in many cases making it more likely that a celebrity would be voted for and liked more, when compared to an otherwise-comparable candidate. Further applying …
The Amber Alert: A Comparative Analysis Of The Suggested Federal Amber Alert Activation Guidelines And Individual State Activation Criteria, Jacklyn Leann Donalson
The Amber Alert: A Comparative Analysis Of The Suggested Federal Amber Alert Activation Guidelines And Individual State Activation Criteria, Jacklyn Leann Donalson
Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses
This study focuses on the AMBER Alert system, in particular the criteria that should be present prior to the issuance of an alert. The purpose of this study is to review individual state's AMBER Alert activation criteria as they relate to the suggested federal AMBER Alert activation guidelines. Police department's interpretations of their state's AMBER Alert criteria were also analyzed on a case-by-case basis. The findings of this study suggest that the federal government should ensure that all states use standardized activation criteria that includes confirmation of an abduction prior to an AMBER Alert activation.
Prison Programming In Texas: Do We Practice What We Preach, Molly Baldwin
Prison Programming In Texas: Do We Practice What We Preach, Molly Baldwin
Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses
Prison programming is an important aspect of the criminal justice system. Programming can be used to help solve many problems in the system. In this thesis, educational and life skills programs offered in public prisons in Texas are examined. Comparisons are made to the number of programs in women's and men's prisons. This thesis argues that Texas needs to offer more programming and that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice might not be living up to its mission statement in terms of the number of programs offered. Simply stated the educational and life skills programs that are offered in the …