Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Establishing An Electronic Theses Repository Using Digital Commons, Deborah L. White, Yumi Ohira

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This presentation discusses: Introduction, Advantages and disadvantages of Bepress DC and CDM, ETD Workflows - PSU, FHSU, (UNO), and Conclusion.

Establishing An Electronic Theses Repository Using Digital Commons, Deborah L. White, Yumi Ohira

Criss Library Faculty Publications

Has your institution mandated an Institutional Repository for electronic theses? Do you feel intimidated with setting up an institutional repository? The authors will share our success and experience of working with the graduate school at two small universities in rural Kansas to establish an electronic theses program.

The repository serves as an Open Access solution for global dissemination. Both Pittsburg State University (PSU) and Fort Hays State University (FHSU) currently use CONTENTdm (COM) as their primary digital repository. In 2015 both FHSU and PSU purchased and launched bepress Digital Commons (DC), a more robust repository. If you seek global discoverability, …

Constructing A Home On The Range: Homemaking In Early Twentieth Century Plains Photograph Albums, Christina E. Dando

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.¹

These lyrics capture a yearning for a place to call home. But what landscape is associated with this longing? For people living near the coasts or mountains of America, it must be hard to imagine longing for a "home on the plains"-but many Americans have had, and still have, a home on the Plains. The stereotypical American image of the Plains is flatness, austerity, emptiness. Not all would …

Compulsive Talkers: Perceptions Of Over Talkers Within The Workplace, Jason R. Axsom

Student Work

Compulsive talkers have been the focus o f limited communication studies, and those that have been written addressed the need for defining and identifying those considered to be over communicators. To date, no recorded studies has investigated the potentially negative impact compulsive talkers could have on those that work with them. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions and reactions of interactants with compulsive talkers in the workplace. Interviews with coworkers of compulsive talkers were conducted to determine their perceptions of these over talkers and their attributes. From these interviews, four distinct patterns emerged. Overall, compulsive talkers …

Acceptance Of Technological Change: Do Age, Expertise And Self-Efficacy Matter?, Cheryl Fernandez

Student Work

This study was designed to examine the acceptance of change by employees of different ages, in different contexts. This study challenged the stereotypes held against older individuals by proposing that factors other than age contribute to the acceptance of changes. It examined two context-specific variables, self-efficacy and expertise which contribute to acceptance of technological changes. The findings indicated that older individuals with computer experience had higher self-efficacy. On the other hand, younger individuals had higher self-efficacy, regardless of computer experience. Also, individuals who felt younger than they actually were had higher self-efficacy when they had experience with computers, compared to …

The Effect Of Values, Conscientiousness, And Self-Efficacy On Ethical Decision-Making, Marcy Young

Student Work

This research explores the roles that values, conscientiousness, and self-efficacy play in ethical decision-making. Although previous research has shown that values affect ethical decision-making, few researchers have evaluated the effect that conscientiousness has on ethical decision-making. Research has evaluated the effect that self-efficacy has on ethical decision-making, but a relationship has not been found. The current study hypothesizes that individuals high in self-transcendence values will make more ethical decisions than individuals high in self-enhancement values. Also, individuals high in conscientiousness are expected to make more ethical decisions than individuals low in conscientiousness. Third, individuals high in self-efficacy are expected to …

Play Assessment: The Effects Of Peer Interaction On Children's Cognitive Capabilities., Korrinda Mendez

Student Work

Play Assessment (PA) has recently gained the attention of researchers as a potential valid assessment tool for determining the cognitive capabilities in younger children. O f particular importance is the use o f PA among various contexts. Specifically, PA can provide insight into the types of contextual situations that promote higher levels of cognitive skills in younger children. The present study explored peer interactions as a contextual aspect of PA using the PACSS empirical coding scheme to determine the highest level of play behavior. According to the present study, results did not yield any significant differences in overall cognitive play …

The Relationship Between Rhetorical Sensitivity, Locus Of Control, And Religiosity Among College Students, Paul J. Hartzell

Student Work

This study looked at the relationship between rhetorical sensitivity, locus of control and religiosity amongst college students at three fundamentally different college institutions. Data were collected from 235 students. Results revealed that students belonging to the most religiously fundamental group have significant differences from students outside that same group. A major finding was discovery of a positive relationship between rhetorical reflectomess and fundamental religiosity as well as a negative relationship between rhetorical sensitivity and fundamental religiosity. Also a significant but modest relationship was found between external locus of control and rhetorical sensitivity and between internal locus of control and noble …

Range Wars: The Plains Frontier Of Boys Don't Cry, Christina E. Dando

Geography and Geology Faculty Publications

In the mythology of the American West, range wars pitted ranchers against farmers, insiders versus outsiders, each struggling to control access to land, each fighting to preserve the freedom and opportunities that first drew them to the frontier. The film, Boys Don't Cry (2000), set on the contemporary Plains and based on actual events, tells of insiders and outsiders who attempt to claim a place. The individuals at the center of the film challenge symbolic fences and attempt border-crossings as they struggle to construct and live with their identities. Plains citizens are depicted to erect and police societal fences, defining …

Emotional Intelligence As A Moderator Of Problem Based Arousal On Solution Quality And Quantity, Anne E. Herman

Student Work

The study examined the interactive influence o f the affective qualities of a problem and a problem solver’s emotional intelligence (El), an individual difference in the ability to perceive, express, integrate, understand, and regulate emotion, on the quality and quantity of solutions generated to two different ill-structured problems. The general hypothesis was that emotional intelligence would moderate the effect of the negative emotional arousal of a problem controlling for the influence of cognitive intelligence, such that the discrepancy between those higher and lower in emotional intelligence would be greater for the problem which is high in emotional arousal than for …

A Causal-Comparative Study To Determine Differences In Levels Of Awareness Of Racism Among Graduate Counseling Students, Sarah C. Wiegman

Student Work

The present study examined the differences in levels of awareness of racism among graduate counseling students. The researcher examined the hypotheses that there would be a significant difference in levels of awareness of racism between those who completed the Counseling Multicultural and Diverse Populations class and those who did not, as well as, there would be a significant relationship between levels of awareness of racism and number of credit hours completed in the counseling education program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. One hundred and six participants (91 female and 15 male) ranging in age between 22 and 57 …

The Effects Of Self-Efficacy And Locus Of Control On The Sexual Behaviors Of College Females, Michelle Noah

Student Work

This research examined the relationship between self-efficacy, locus of control, and sexual behaviors among college females. The research null hypotheses suggest that; 1) There is no correlation between self-efficacy and responsible sexual behaviors, and 2) There is no correlation between locus of control and responsible sexual behaviors. Questionnaire data were collected from 109 undergraduate females at a Midwestern University. The sample was primarily Caucasian (89%), heterosexual (96.3%), and single (73.4%) with a mean age of 23 years. An investigator designed questionnaire, adapted in part, from the Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale (RIELC), The General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), and a …

Partnership With A Graduate Nursing Program: Voices Of The Community, Deborah Essex Forbes Lindell

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

Academic-community partnerships (ACPs) are a means by which community-based organizations can implement their missions and programs of higher education can facilitate student educational objectives through real world learning experiences. Many ACPs are framed in the educational methodology, service-learning. Theoretical definitions of ACPs (as a type of inter-organizational relationship) describe them as relationships that are on-going, reciprocal and characterized by mutual trust and respect.

During the past 15 years, ACPs and service-learning have experienced a rapid growth in nursing education. Literature pertaining to ACPs in nursing education is largely anecdotal and concerns undergraduate nursing programs. There are few reports of research …

A Preliminary Investigation Of Sense Of Humor And Purpose In Life, Sandra Batten

Student Work

It was hypothesized that sense o f humor is related to purpose in life. A convenience sample o f 136 undergraduates completed the Modified Purpose in Life test (Chang & Dodder, 1983-84) and the Multidimensional Sense o f Humor Scale (Thorson & Powell, 1993). The overall correlation between the two scales in this sample was .30 ( p < .001). The sub-scales o f the MSHS that related most robustly to purpose in life were Coping ( r = . 3 1 , p < .001) and Attitude Toward Humor and Humorous People ( r = .45, p < .001).

Fears And The Presence Of Imaginary Companions And Personified Objects In Preschool Children, Jill R. Ramet

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between a pre-school child’s fears and the child’s use of an imaginary companion or personified object. Preschool-aged children (36 To 74 months) were interviewed using a revised version o f the FSSC-R fear scale, and an imaginary companion questionnaire. Parents were asked to complete a demographic questionnaire. Data analyses revealed that children who did not have an imaginary companion or a personified object had an absolute higher total fear score than children who had this type o f figure, although this difference was not significant. Children with the lowest absolute …

The Relationships Between Biodata And Personality: How Different Is Different?, Lindsay A. Bousman

Student Work

The relationships between personality measures and biodata measures were examined using a measure of the Big Five Factors of personality, and a newly created biodata measure. Each measure was used to predict academic achievement and job satisfaction. The biodata measure was created to mimic a factor structure similar to the five factors of personality, to allow a better comparison of the two measures. However, the biodata items were original (with combinations of previously used original items), and were developed for use in this study. Biodata items are typically multiple-choice, situational, and historical in nature, whereas personality items are typically based …

Interpersonal Forgiveness In Elementary School-Aged Children, Susan M. Goss

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to extend the adolescent and adult research and assess how forgiveness develops in elementary school-aged children. Sixty-three children aged 7 to 12 reported how willing they would be to forgive three types of transgressions (emotional, physical, and property) involving an accidental or deliberate act, with or without an apology, and of either low or high severity. In addition, empathy, prosocial behavior, and religiosity were measured. Age, empathy, prosocial behavior, and religiosity were not related to willingness to forgive as had been expected. However, gender differences were found, with boys reporting a greater willingness to …

The Relationship Between Stress And Humor With Asian College Students, Michelle Kristine Jordan

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to examine the interaction of humor and stress in the Asian students in the University o f Nebraska’s International Language Learning Program (ILUNO). Intensive language students completed self-report questionnaires measuring stress and humor. The Spearman correlation revealed that humor has no significant impact on stress experienced by the Asian students. When the level of humor was high, stress symptoms were high.

The Effects Of Expertise And Information Relevance On Information Search Strategy., Jason Lebsack

Student Work

Differences between experts and novices have been the focus of a variety of studies throughout the psychological literature. In general, task outcome differences have been found between experts and novices, but further study is needed to understand the mechanism for explaining these outcome differences. This study investigated taskprocessing differences between experts and novices, specifically, the use of relevant and irrelevant information. Forty human resource professionals served as experts and 40 undergraduate students served as novices in this study. Participants made two hiring decisions. Using an information board format, participants examined eight attributes across six candidates for the job of museum …

Adjustment Personality Trait And The Process Of Grieving Among Parents Who Have Had Children Die Of Sids, Agnes Melissa Ibanez

Student Work

The research examines emotional adjustment personality trait as related to intensity of grief experienced by parents who have had a child die of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). The NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) neuroticism scale measured emotional adjustment trait, and Perinatal Grief Scale (PGS) measured grief intensity. Thirty-three participants from 18 states were recruited via SIDS Alliance and SIDS Network websites. Results supported the hypothesis that there is a direct significant correlation between emotional adjustment and grief experiences. Other results showed that grief intensity was inversely correlated with years since child’s death, conscientiousness, and extraversion. Conscientiousness was found to directly …

Do Teacher Opinion Leaders Impact Other Teachers, Annette Eyman

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were identified opinion leaders among teachers and how those opinion leaders may have influenced teachers’ acceptance levels of the standards and assessment implementation for the language arts curriculum. Three phases of research were conducted. Twenty-four secondary language arts teachers and 109 elementary classroom teachers in the Papillion-LaVista School District were first surveyed to determine their level of acceptance of the standards and assessments for language arts. Each of the respondents was then asked to identify the opinion leaders, or those they turn to and trust regarding the standards and assessment …

The Moderating Role Of Trust On The Relationship Between Ingratiatory Communication Strategies And Interactional Fairness, Erik Drafsten

Student Work

Previous research has shown that when perceptions of both procedural justice and distributive justice are low, increasing perceptions of interactional fairness can serve to reduce negative consequences that an organization may face, including subtle forms of retaliation, or what are known as organizational retaliatory behaviors (ORB). In an organizational setting personal attempts to improve perceptions of interactional fairness, under conditions of low distributive and procedural justice, can take on ingratiatory-like qualities when the source attempting to boost these perceptions of interactional fairness uses flattery, expresses excessive empathy, or excessive sympathy. Research has shown that ingratiatory actions such as these become …

The Impact Of Communication Medium And Outcome Severity On The Effectiveness Of Social Accounts, Peter D. Timmerman

Student Work

The present study was designed as a partial test of the model of social accounts by Folger and Cropanzano (1998). Organizational justice researchers have shown that social accounts are effective in reducing negative reactions and displacing blame from the decision-maker following a harmful decision. Using a 2 x 3 completely randomized design, the study examined the effects of outcome severity and media choice on four types of fairness perceptions, medium appropriateness, anger, and turnover intentions. A temporary pay cut scenario was used to manipulate two levels of outcome severity, and the company president provided an explanation of the pay cut …

Making Organizational Punishment Work: The Effects Of Social Accounts And Punishment Severity, Andrew L. Noon

Student Work

Punishment continues to be used by organizations as one method to eliminate unwanted employee behaviors. Bennett (1998) argued that managers must be aware of two aspects of the punishment situation: (a) the punishment intensity and (b) the negative consequences of the punishment. Previous research indicates that strong punishments are most effective at changing unwanted behaviors, but strong punishments are also more prone to producing negative attitudes in the punished individual. One way managers may be able to reduce the negative impact of punishment is by using explanations regarding the need for punishment. These explanations are called social accounts. Not all …

Interpersonal Forgiveness In Adolescent Friendships, Molly A. Wernli

Student Work

The purpose of the present study was to investigate interpersonal forgiveness in the context of adolescent friendships. The following factors were examined in relation to an adolescent’s forgiveness of a transgressing friend: a) religiosity, b) commitment, c) relationship closeness, d) empathy, e) apologies, and f) transgression severity. A total of 161 students (66 males, 95 females) from grades 7,9, and 11 (12- to 18-years of age) participated. Transgression severity was found to have the most influence on forgiveness, accounting for 70% of the variance. Adolescents were more forgiving after low-severity transgressions than high-severity transgressions. The presence of apology had a …

Characteristics And Qualities That Are Important To Middle School-Aged Students In Choosing Friends, Kristin R. Honaker-Carter

Student Work

This study investigates the characteristics that are important to middle school students when they choose their friends. The subjects for this research study are seventh, eighth, and ninth graders with ages ranging from 11-15 years old.

The population surveyed was limited to 47 middle-school aged children whose parents responded to a flyer posted in one of two college universities. The study design was a 14-question value survey using a Likert scale. The questions relate to the importance of various characteristics in choosing friends. The survey also included demographic questions pertaining to the subject’s gender, grade level, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and …

Variability In Word Learning: Phonological Sensitivity And Phonological Memory, Marnie E. Arkenberg

Student Work

Presently, investigators believe that variability in children’s word learning results from individual differences in one of two separate processes thought to underlie word learning: phonological sensitivity or phonological memory. Traditionally, researchers have viewed differences in children’s vocabularies as being the result of differences in either phonological memory or phonological sensitivity. However, there is reason to believe that a different type of relation exists among phonological sensitivity, phonological memory, and vocabulaiy. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the nature of these relations in preschoolers. Three hypotheses were presented: either phonological memory or phonological sensitivity plays a larger role in …

Cultural Differences In Self-Appraisal Of Group Task: Usage Of Group Vs. Individual Feedback, Mamiko Fujita

Student Work

The present study focused on differences in using group and individual feedback in self-evaluation of performance when engaging in a group task. Based on an established category of cultural differences, collectivistic-individualistic, Japanese and American students participated to represent each culture. The current study tested a hypothesis that Japanese students would use group feedback more heavily in evaluating their individual performances than would American students. The results did not support the hypothesis. Interestingly, the assumption that Japanese students represent collectivistic culture, and American students represent individualistic culture was not supported. According to the scale used in the study, the American participants …

The Effects Of Television On The Social Construction Of Body Images By Five- And Six-Year-Old Girls, Kristine M. Gruidl

Student Work

Television images influence individuals (Elliott and Slater, 1980). Cognitive learning theory suggests that during the first five to six years of life, children’s behavior patterns will be set (Donohue, 1975). Television has the potential to be a positive influence on learning. However, typical American media and television have been a negative influence on most children (Williams, 1981).

A 1996 study reported thirty-nine-point-one percent of first graders do not like their appearance and would change their looks, given the opportunity. It has been suggested the mass media are responsible and have taught children fat is bad and thin is good (Flannery-Schroeder …

Development Of Commitment In Young Children's Best Friendships, Andrea L. Kelp

Student Work

Although the amount of research conducted on children’s friendships is large, the specific characteristic of friendship commitment has received little attention to date. At what age and to what extent commitment is present in children’s friendships is the main focus of this study. Students in grades 2 through 7 completed a demographic questionnaire, the Commitment and Satisfaction Scale, the Children’s Self-Efficacy for Peer Interaction Scale, The Network of Relationships Inventory, and they also responded to hypothetical vignettes. Of particular interest were the effects of children’s age, gender, friendship reciprocity, self-efficacy and friendship satisfaction on their friendship commitment levels. Analyses of …