Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

What Do Students Value? Exploring Instructor Behaviors In Face-To-Face And Online Higher Education Classrooms, Daria S. Lafave

Wayne State University Dissertations

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Defining The Republic, William Joseph Nichols

Wayne State University Dissertations

Abstract

DEFINING THE REPUBLIC

by

WILLIAM J. NICHOLS

December 2015

Advisor: Dr. Jeffrey Grynaviski

Major: Political Science (Political Theory)

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

The “Great Divergence” between Alexander Hamilton and James Madison is one of the most well-known events in the early history of the United States. Together, Hamilton and Madison wrote most of The Federalist, and each was pivotal in securing the acceptance of the Constitution in their state ratifying conventions. That within just a few years of the establishment of the new form of government each had worked so hard to achieve, they became bitter political enemies, is …

Resident-Led Urban Agriculture And The Hegemony Of Neoliberal Community Development: Eco-Gentrification In A Detroit Neighborhood, Theodore Pride

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation employs a Gramscian framework as an alternative approach to understand the utilization of neoliberal community-based development—which advocates free-market schemes to development, and a refocus from institutional and structural causes of poverty to endogenous community forces (social capital and community capacity building)—by low-income residents in hyper-abandoned and disinvested urban neighborhoods. Using a case study of resident-led neighborhood development in the low-income neighborhood of Brightmoor in Detroit, Michigan, I show how “everyday discourse” of urban decline in Detroit and the possible rehabilitation of the city shape the “common sense” understanding of the “problem-and-solution equation” associated with the process of neighborhood …

How Does Exposure To The Internet Affect Political Knowledge And Attitudes Among Rural Chinese?: A Field Experiment, Wenwen Shi

Wayne State University Dissertations

The Internet's political implications reach far beyond an advanced communication device in authoritarian regimes. The heated debate on the Internet's political potential in China is complicated by a lack of causal evidence demonstrated in the literature. Thus far, studies have only examined consequences of the rise of the Internet and the characteristics of netizens (wangmin), but they have failed to account for the possible transformative effect the Internet has on individual citizens. This study attempts to fill this gap by testing the impact of the Internet on rural Chinese villagers' political knowledge and political attitudes through a field experiment over …

Emerging Genres Of Online Technical Communciation, Luke Anthony Thominet

Wayne State University Dissertations

Emerging Genres of Online Technical Communication is a study of how the proliferation of non-professional participation has the potential to significantly change the shape of technical communication. More specifically, I use a genre analysis methodology to investigate three forms of user-generated content: crowdsourced documentation wikis, video games user reviews, and video game open development. In the first study, I analyze five crowdsourced documentation wikis and find systemic inconsistency in the workflow and content quality of the documentation. Subsequently, I argue that practitioners should use minimalist documentation theory to design more effective user-centered author support for the wikis. My second chapter …

A Measure Of Efficiency Between Charter Schools And Traditional Public Schools In Michigan, Michael Brian Carrauthers

Wayne State University Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure the efficiency between charter schools and traditional public schools in Michigan. 1,628 schools, both charter and traditional public schools were examined in the study. Archived 4th grade MEAP reading and math assessment data was examined. In addition, financial data was examined for all of the schools.

Regression analysis utilizing SPSS was employed with MEAP reading and math scores as the dependent variable and the following independent variables: enrollment economically disadvantages students, percentage of white students, percentage of male students, average total instructional expenditures, and charter schools.

The results of the descriptive statistics …

Student, Teacher, School, And District Determinants Of Elementary School Accountability Classification In The Detroit Metropolitan Region, Embekka Nakia Thompson

Wayne State University Dissertations

Legislators have implemented an accountability system in an effort to increase school quality for all students. Policymakers assume that rewards and sanctions, based on results from high-stakes testing, can improve student achievement. The accountability system does not consider environmental factors that impact student outcomes. This study examines student, teacher, school and district determinants and their impact on student achievement, school designation, and school ranking. Data was collected from 333 elementary (K-5) schools in 56 public school districts and 18 charter schools in three counties: Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne. Two research questions were developed for this study.The first research question examined …

The Public Sharing And Private Consumption Of Celebrity Gossip Through The Motherhood Role, Shawne Katherine Duperon

Wayne State University Dissertations

Research has demonstrated that gossip meets many social and individual needs and serves several functions, often conflicting in the literature. The current study focused on examining the experiences of mothers as they publicly share and privately consume celebrity gossip to better understand celebrity gossip's functions. Motherhood is a demanding role filled with uncertainty and information seeking, as mothers seek to understand what constitutes a "good mother." Given that mothers may selectively seek and expose themselves to content to gain information, reduce uncertainty and to find validation they are a "good mother," this study revealed that participation in celebrity gossip plays …

Funds Of Knowledge Of Arab Immigrant Families: An Examination Of The Perceptions Of High School Students, Parents, And Teachers, Hiba Kahil Elhajj

Wayne State University Dissertations

With the growing numbers of English learners in American schools, the Federal Government has mandated special services and programs to meet the needs of this population which increased research about the best strategies that would help close the gap between ELs and their peers. Nonetheless, the current education system still views ELs from a deficit lens which focuses on closing the gaps in students’ education instead of focusing on the assets that they have. Therefore, there is a specific need to bridge the home and school environments together so that teachers can build on the skills that students bring from …

The Relationship Between Generation, First And Second, Ethnic Identity, Modernity, And Acculturation Among Immigrant Lebanese American Women, Hanan Elali Fadlallah

Wayne State University Dissertations

Based on Berry’s model of acculturation, when immigrants move to a new country, they choose to live according to any one of the following four acculturation modes: assimilation, integration, separation, or marginalization. The specific cultural and psychosocial characteristics of the acculturating individual or group determine what acculturation mode they will most likely follow. Generation, ethnic identity and modernity are few examples of those cultural and psychosocial referents. The present study examined the relationship of generation, ethnic identity and modernity to acculturation among first and second-generation Lebanese American immigrant women living in the metro-Detroit area. Using the snowball technique, ninety women …

Video Game Addiction And Motivation In Emerging Adults: A Person-Centered Approach, Amy Beth Kohl

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study investigated risk for problem video game play (PVGP) and motivation for play in emerging adult college students. A sample of 700 undergraduate students were recruited to participate in an online survey. A person-centered approach was utilized to examine risk for PVGP, and found three clusters of individuals representing a High Functioning/High Gaming group, A Low Functioning/Moderate Gaming group, and a High Functioning/Low Gaming group. For motivation it was found that participants who derived satisfaction of higher order needs from video game play had an increased likelihood of PVGP. In addition, individuals who had lower satisfaction with physiological needs, …

An Examination Of Quality Of Life Of Parents Of Adult Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Christina Noel Marsack

Wayne State University Dissertations

Previous research on parental caregivers has focused primarily on caregivers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, rather than focusing specifically on parents of adult children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Most research on ASD has centered on parents of young children with this diagnosis, but not on parents of adult children with ASD. Understanding the experiences of parents caring for adult children with ASD is important given the increase in the prevalence of individuals with ASD and the lack of information regarding parents of adult children with ASD. A nonexperimental, quantitative, correlational design was used to examine effects …

The Oral Contraceptive Pill: An Analysis Of The Portrayal Of The Pill On Pharmaceutical Websites, Sasikala Nair

Wayne State University Dissertations

Internet Direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising (DTCPA) continues to be an important, popular and rising platform for pharmaceutical companies to market their products to consumers. The purpose of this study was to determine how traditional oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) are portrayed on the pharmaceutical websites during Internet DTCPA. This study also looked to see how women’s bodies and the process of menstruation were medicalized on these websites. Eight traditional OCP websites were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis. The findings suggest that website characteristics such as color, slogans, consumer incentives, images and videos are created in a strategic manner to show consumers …

Essays On Oil Price Volatility And Irreversible Investment, Daniel Joseph Pastor

Wayne State University Dissertations

In chapter 1, we provide an extensive and systematic evaluation of the relative

forecasting performance of several models for the volatility of daily spot

crude oil prices. Empirical research over the past decades has uncovered

significant gains in forecasting performance of Markov Switching GARCH

models over GARCH models for the volatility of financial assets and crude

oil futures. We find that, for spot oil price returns, non-switching models

perform better in the short run, whereas switching models tend to do better

at longer horizons.

In chapter 2, I investigate the impact of volatility on firms' irreversible investment decisions using real …

The Effects Of Courtship And Pairing Behavior On The Nonapeptide And Noradrenergic Systems Of Adult Male And Female Zebra Finches, Erin Lowrey Ondercin

Wayne State University Dissertations

Social relationships are complex and likely involve the multiple neural circuits, including those involved in learning, memory, motivation, and attention. Two neurotransmitter pathways highly involved in these neural circuits are norepinephrine (NE) and the nonapeptides, vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT). There is extensive research implicating a role for the nonapeptides in trust, sociality, parental care, and romantic relationships. There is little direct evidence for the role of nonapeptides in monogamous relationships in any species other than the prairie vole (Goodson 2013). However, there is evidence that nonapeptides are important in pair bonding for both male and female zebra finches (Lowrey …

Child Maltreatment, Problem Alcohol Use And Physical Revictimization: Examining Longitudinal Trajectories In A Nationally Representative Sample, Kathryn Mariah Zumberg Smith

Wayne State University Dissertations

Past investigations examining the relationships between child maltreatment, alcohol use and physical revictimization have been limited by their use of cross-sectional designs and their focus on childhood sexual abuse and sexual revictimization. In addition, there is a paucity of epidemiological studies examining child maltreatment, alcohol use, and physical revictimization. The present study sought to address these limitations by examining relationships between child maltreatment, problem alcohol use, and physical revictimization in a nationally representative sample. Data were analyzed from the public-use data set of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add health; Harris & Udry, 2014), waves I-IV. …

The Impact Of Cyberloafing And Mindfulness On Employee Burnout, Sarah Renee Stoddart

Wayne State University Dissertations

The current study examined two behaviors that are becoming increasing more popular: cyberloafing and mindfulness meditation through a coping lens. Cyberloafing, or personal internet usage, is a type of disengagement coping whereas mindfulness is proposed to be a type of engagement coping. Using a longitudinal data collection method, data was collected at three time points to investigate the mediational role of both cyberloafing and mindfulness on the role overload-work burnout relationship. A cross-lagged model, a supplemental path analysis model, and additional analyses were conducted to analyze the relationship between role overload, coping behaviors, and work burnout. The overall hypotheses were …

Between Coloniality And Transmodernity:Latino/A Fictional Responses To U.S. Interventionism In Latin America, Dolly Reina Tittle

Wayne State University Dissertations

Abstract: This work focuses on four novels: The Americano (1963) by Enrique G. Matta, América’s Dream (1996) by Esmeralda Santiago, Caramelo or Puro Cuento: A novel (2002) by Sandra Cisneros, and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007) by Junot Díaz. These novels share a history of U.S. interventionism, which has not only affected the inhabitants of Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, still a colony of the U.S., but also the lives of their population that now reside in the U.S. mainland. As Latino Studies Scholar Juan Flores has explained, many Latinos/as in the U.S. “migrated here …

A Study Of Stability: Maternal Reflective Functioning From Pregnancy To Seven Months Postpartum, Kristyn Mei-Lee Wong

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study examined the stability of parental reflective functioning from the third trimester of pregnancy to seven months postpartum, as well as possible factors that impact stability. The current sample included a subsample of 47 mothers who participated in a larger study examining fetal brain connectivity and infant outcomes. Parental reflective functioning was assessed using the Pregnancy Interview-Revised (Slade, Grunebaum, Huganir, & Reeves, 1987; Slade, 2011) and the Parent Development Interview-Revised Short form (Slade et al., 2003). Additional measures assessed parity, adult romantic attachment, and demographic factors. Stability of reflective functioning was assessed in two ways, continuously and categorically. Findings …

The Impact Of Age On Workplace Motivation: A Person-Centered Perspective, Keith Lynn Zabel

Wayne State University Dissertations

The present study used the person-centered approach to examine how profiles based upon six different age conceptualizations differentially impact workplace motivation. In the first known study to examine all conceptualizations of age simultaneously, results suggested the age conceptualizations of subjective age and health significantly impact growth motives for older workers, but not social or security motives. Results suggest social motives are influenced more by chronological age as opposed to other conceptualizations of age. Implications for practitioners in designing and implementing HR activities (e.g., succession planning) and researchers in utilizing all the conceptualizations of age and studying workplace interventions are discussed.

Inter-Organizational Networks Among Intergovernmental Organizations In Peace Operations, Isil Akbulut

Wayne State University Dissertations

Notwithstanding the growing consensus on benefits associated with collaborations among intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) in peace operations, academic research has thus far neglected pressing questions of why and how IGOs collaborate within a network context in peace operations and how these inter-organizational collaborations among IGOs, IGO networks, might account for the success/failure of these operations. More specifically, this dissertation concentrates on how structural properties of IGO networks, such as the extensiveness of ties between network partners, and the cohesiveness of such networks, may account for peace operations’ performance in accomplishing their core goals: violence abatement, conflict containment and conflict settlement (Diehl …

Performance Validity Assessment Of Bona Fide And Malingered Traumatic Brain Injury Using Novel Eye-Tracking Systems, Jesse Ryan Bashem

Wayne State University Dissertations

Purposeful presentation of neurocognitive impairment (i.e., dissimulation) in assessment of brain injury is a primary pitfall to accurate psychological assessment, especially among individuals seeking compensation. Current methods used to evaluate effort test failure (EFT; Webb et al., 2012) and dissimulation in brain injury assessment has advanced over the past few decades, but remains unacceptably inaccurate. In diagnostic decision-making, current methods identify obvious cases of purposefully poor performance, but they are considerably less accurate in subtle cases typically seen clinically; more important, they are vulnerable to coaching. Oculomotor behavior during visual tasks may be a promising avenue in the assessment of …

A Developmental Contextualism Perspective On Young Children's Friendships: How Much Do Parental Characteristics, Parental Behaviors, Child Characteristics Matter?, Nicholas Ryan Bergeron

Wayne State University Dissertations

The present study investigated the relationships between parents' proximal factors: strategies used to manage and facilitate children's peer relationships, knowledge of children's playmates and close friends, and endorsement of these strategies; and parents' distal factors: parenting stress, social support network, and personality, and children's quality of peer relationships. It also investigated the relationships between child age, gender, child temperament, and children's peer relationships and children's prosocial behavior. Parents' strategies used and endorsement of those strategies were unrelated to children's peer problems and prosocial behavior, but their knowledge of children's peer relationships was negatively related to children's peer problems. Parenting stress …

The Cost And Technical Efficiency Of Nursing Homes: Do Five–Star Quality Ratings Matter?, Rajendra Dulal

Wayne State University Dissertations

Chapter 1 examines the determinants of nursing home costs and cost efficiency, and investigates how various measures of nursing home care quality influence both of these. It applies a one-step stochastic frontier approach to a large panel of California nursing homes surveyed between 2009 and 2013. Quality is measured by three different ratings available on the Nursing Home Compare website: rating on quality measures, rating on the health inspection, and rating on staffing levels. Results show that the rating on quality measures, an outcome-based measure of quality, is inversely related to costs but unrelated to mean cost efficiency. In other …

Urban African American Youths' Academic Performance As Related To Fathers' Involvement During Development, Travis A. Goldwire

Wayne State University Dissertations

Father involvement in the context of urban African American youth was examined using a subsample (n = 556) of a large cohort of participants followed longitudinally through development. Data was collected at regular intervals (e.g., Age 7, 14, 19 and young adult). Young adults (n = 93) were surveyed for retrospective accounts of their fathers’ involvement in their lives before age 18. In the young adult data collection phase (the main subject of this project), most participants reported varying levels and frequency of involvement from their fathers while growing up, including helping at school, providing social support, and encouraging academic …

The Effects Of A Life-Stress Interview For Women With Chronic Urogenital Pain: A Randomized Trial, Jennifer Carty

Wayne State University Dissertations

Chronic urogenital pain, pressure, and dysfunction are common, affecting nearly one in seven women in the U.S., who are commonly diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunction, painful bladder syndrome, or interstitial cystitis. Women with these symptoms tend to have co-morbid anxiety and depression, relatively high rates of lifetime trauma and abuse, and conflicts or stress from key relationships. There is theory and evidence indicating that unresolved abuse or emotional conflicts can trigger or exacerbate urogenital pain and other symptoms (Abbass, 2009), but assessment of the presence and role of psychological stress is rarely done in women’s health care settings. When mental …

Emotion Perception Correlates In Moderate And Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Rachel Keelan

Wayne State University Dissertations

Introduction: Studies have demonstrated that individuals with TBI experience impairments in emotion perception accuracy in facial and auditory modalities but does not yet understand patterns of emotion perception and their relation to neurocognitive performance. The current study assessed why emotion perception deficits occur via psychological and cognitive relationships as well as patterns of emotion misattributions.

Methods: 50 adults with a bona-fide moderate or severe traumatic brain injury and 39 healthy comparison adults were included in the study. Eligible participants completed a battery of paper-and-pencil and computerized neuropsychological measures, including three tasks of emotion perception, and psychological questionnaires.

Results: The TBI …

Examining Level Of Differentation And Conflict Resolution Styles Used In Romantic Relationships And Implications For Romantic Relationship Satisfaction, Amanda Kerbawy

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study examined the effect of level of differentiation on the conflict resolution styles utilized in romantic relationships, and implications for romantic relationship satisfaction. This study’s sample was composed of 189 participants, with 100 females and 89 males. The average participant age was 30.29. The setting for this study was a large Midwestern urban University. Findings suggested that there is an effect of level of differentiation on the conflict resolution styles used in romantic relationships, with a high level of differentiation being associated with the utilization of the integrating style. Implications for therapy are outlined.

Adolescent Hopelessness: School Connectedness, Community Involvement, And Adult Supervision As Protective Factors In The Context Of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Caitlin Marie Mclear

Wayne State University Dissertations

Research has found that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, absent parent, and parental drug use are linked to a number of negative outcomes, including a sense of hopelessness (Flouri & Panourgia, 2012). However, not every child or adolescent exposed to ACEs will experience negative outcomes or develop a sense of hopelessness, due to potential protective factors which may act as buffers to exposure to trauma. The current study investigated the relationship between ACEs reported by adolescents and self-reported feelings of hopelessness, and examined the potential modifiable external protective factors of school connectedness, community …

Motor Skills Among Preschool-Aged Children Born Prematurely, Brittany Nicole Peters

Wayne State University Dissertations

It has been documented that children who are born prematurely are at risk of experiencing motor skills deficits early in life; however, little is known about the relationships between early perinatal risk factors and later motor abilities. The current investigation attempted to gain better understanding regarding the influence of gestational age and sex on early motor development among a cohort of preschool-aged children born prior to 34 weeks gestation (N = 104). Additionally, relationships between motor performance and other abilities, namely cognitive and language, were examined. As hypothesized, degree of gestational immaturity was significantly associated with poorer performance on specific …