Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Conceptualizations Of Teamwork And Leadership: A Cross- Cultural Analysis, Ioana Mot

Doctoral Dissertations

The present study investigated differences in the conceptualization of teamwork and leadership in two countries with culturally diverse backgrounds, Romania and the United States. We expected to find between-culture differences in the conceptualizations of teamwork and leadership based on cultural antecedents (collectivistic societal and in-group values). We also investigated a potential cultural shift in the Romanian nation, based on age. The conceptualizations of teamwork and leadership were examined and compared using Pathfinder.

The Romanian sample displayed higher collectivistic values than the U.S. sample. A cultural shift was observed in the Romanian nation, such that the younger participants reported lower collectivistic …

Just Another Day At The Office: An Investigation Into How Public College Administrators Balance The First Amendment Rights Of The Student Press And The Broader Interests Of Their Campuses, James Edward Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

Courts have ruled for decades that student journalists at public colleges and universities are entitled to constitutional protection. As a result, higher education officials are faced regularly with dilemmas that pit the free campus press against what the administration sees as the greater good of the institution at large. With a summary of relevant case law as its backdrop, this qualitative study describes how public college administrators balance the First Amendment rights of the campus press and the broader interests of their institutions.

A number of authors have suggested that open dialogue and mutual understanding are crucial for a healthy …

A Social Identity Framework For Examining Leadership Schema Congruence: A Multilevel Analysis, Joy T. Oliver

Doctoral Dissertations

Recent leadership research has focused on the importance of implicit leadership theory (ILT) for organizational outcomes (e.g., Epitropaki & Martin, 2005; Hains, Hogg, & Duck, 1997). Specifically, when followers perceive their leader’s trait profile to be closer to the ILTs they endorse (i.e., leadership schema congruence), this results in a number of positive outcomes (e.g., Epitropaki & Martin, 2005; Hains et al., 1997; Martin & Epitropaki, 2001). Although recent leadership research has highlighted the need for multilevel examinations of leadership (Hall & Lord, 1995; Lord & Hall, 1992), no multilevel models of leadership schema congruence have been examined to date. …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Mindfulness And Aspects Of Personality Structure, Chad R. Sims

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to further the developing understanding of mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Although recent studies have examined this construct using various self-report measures, there is a paucity of research concerning the potential impact of mindfulness on unconscious aspects of personality structure as understood in psychodynamic theory. A total of 81 university students were recruited from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and administered several cards from the Thematic Apperception Test, along with two validated self-report measures of mindfulness, and a measure of social desirability. The TAT stories were scored for defensive functioning using the …

Transition Variables And The Personality Assessment Inventory In University Counseling Centers, Lauren K. Shaw

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between transition variables and Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) profiles of university counseling center clients. If these variables have a significant impact on PAI profiles, then understanding how these variables are related to personality profiles will provide important information for diagnosis and treatment planning. Archival data was reviewed for 838 clients seen at a midsized southeastern university counseling center. Transition variables included international or domestic student status, distance from home, student classification (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate), parent education level, and rural or urban classification of hometown. Ethnicity and gender …

The Counselor Color Consciousness Scale: Evidence For Relevance, Reliability, And Validity, Dwight David Tolliver

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the current investigation was to develop the Counselor Color Consciousness Scale (CCCS) that was constructed based on Ridley’s (1995, 2005) theoretical conceptions of this construct. This study aimed to assess the relevance, reliability, and validity of the CCCS as a scientific tool measuring racial attitudes of white therapists and their work with clients of color. The sample consisted of 73 white therapists in Study 1, and 118 white therapists in Study 2. Both studies used a web survey format.

Overall, the results were noteworthy in several respects. First, the CCCS showed high internal consistency in both studies. …

Interest, Convenience, Or Necessity? An Experimental Study Of Listener Responses To Localism In Radio Programming And Ownership, Glenn Thomas Hubbard

Doctoral Dissertations

Localism has long been a key goal of broadcast regulatory policy. In recent years, members of the FCC have echoed the often-repeated claims of community activists that lowpower radio stations, being inherently more “local”, not only serve the public interest more effectively but also function as an antidote to what many consider the negative effects of nationally consolidated, corporate ownership of increasing numbers of radio stations. However, such a claim hinges on the assumption that small, low-power and/or community radio stations are able to compete effectively for at least some of the same listeners big corporate stations pursue. Furthermore, there …

An Empirical Investigation Of The Fairtax As An Alternative To The Federal Personal Income, Corporate Income, Estate And Gift, And Payroll Taxes, Yingxu Kuang

Doctoral Dissertations

Dissatisfaction with the current federal tax system is fostering serious interest in a national retail sales tax. Specifically, the FairTax Plan intends to replace most of the federal taxes with a national retail sales tax and is gaining momentum in Congress because of its purported progressive features. The FairTax is promoted as being progressive but there is considerable opposition to this claim.

Using the most recent 2005 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES) data and estimating lifetime income from a Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) panel tracked over 1968-2005, the distribution impacts of the FairTax Plan are examined, as well as …

Biological Affinity And Sex Determination Using Morphometric And Morphoscopic Variables From The Human Mandible, Gregory Eugene Berg

Doctoral Dissertations

This study determined that morphometric and morphoscopic variables of the human mandible can be used to estimate the partial biological profile of an individual. Specifically, these mandibular variables were used in linear discriminant function analyses designed to estimate the biological affinity or sex of an individual, with or without biological a priori knowledge. The study data set is composed of 17 world samples including U.S. White, Black, and Hispanic individuals, prehistoric and proto-historic Native American groups, Southeast and Northeast Asian peoples, a Central American group, and a Nubian group. Eleven metric measurements were utilized: eight are standard measurements; two were …

Person-Organization Fit Perceptions And The Job Choice Process: The Impact Of Supplementary And Complementary Fit On Attitudes, Intentions, And Job Search Behaviors, Shawn Michael Bergman

Doctoral Dissertations

Although there has been a growing interest in studying the effects that Person- Organization fit perceptions have on the job choice process, at least two gaps exist in this literature. First, despite evidence suggesting that both the supplementary and complementary fit traditions should be used together, previous research efforts have focused almost exclusively on supplementary fit. Second, research in the job choice domain has focused mainly on global assessments of Person-Organization fit and has not examined if the different characteristics individuals consider when evaluating their fit with an organization impacts the job choice process. The current study helps to fill …

A Dispositional Model Of Leader Development: The Role Of Core Self-Evaluation, Narcissism And Goal Orientation, Carrie A. Blair

Doctoral Dissertations

Organizations are frequently investing time and money in preparing to develop the leaders within their organizations. Past research has shown that individual differences are generally related to participation in leader development activities, and past research has confirmed that individual difference factors are related to individual propensity to accept feedback. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that participation and attention to feedback are important. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore two alternative measures of leader development effectiveness (e.g., the quality of leader development goals; correspondence between leader development feedback and leader development goals), and to examine potential dispositional antecedents of …

Crossing The Rubicon: The Demise Of Segregation And The Origins Of Divergence In South Africa And The American South, Kyle Thomas Rector

Doctoral Dissertations

South Africa and the American South have long shared historical and socioeconomic commonalities. Of these similarities, their histories of governmentally-mandated racial segregation are what most often led people to draw comparisons between the two areas. Likewise, South Africa and the American South for much of the 20th century were considered atypical or exceptional when compared to their geographically proximate neighbors. Hence, research by Fredrickson, Cell, Sparks, and others identify how these two areas, though halfway around the globe from one another, have mirrored and impacted one another.

With the demise of governmentally-mandated segregation in both areas, it is worth asking …

School Finance Reform: Responses, Equity And Outcomes, Laura D. Ullrich

Doctoral Dissertations

School finance reform cases have become immensely more common since the Serrano v. Priest case in California in 1971. Tennessee’s case Small Schools v. McWherter led to a significant reform of the Tennessee school finance system during the 1992-1993 school year. This reform created a new system of education funding in Tennessee known as the Basic Education Program (BEP). Essay 1 examines the impact Tennessee’s school finance reform had on education spending as well as local and stateprovided education revenues from 1989-2006. Results indicate that as state funding for education improved, locally-provided funding decreased, all else constant. In addition, institutional …

Plasticity And Population Structure: Exploring Secular Trends In The Three- Dimensional Cranial Morphology Of The Modern Portuguese, Katherine Elizabeth Weisensee

Doctoral Dissertations

Significant secular changes have been documented in several worldwide populations over the past 200 years; these changes include increased stature and weight, increased cranial vault height, and a narrowing of the cranial vault width (Angel 1976; Boas 1912; Jantz 2001; Jonke et al. 2007; Little et al. 2006). A variety of hypotheses have been proposed as to the origins of the observed changes. This dissertation uses a documented collection of skeletons from the 19^th and 20^th centuries to describe the precise nature of the changes using three-dimensional methods and explores possible causes underlying the changes including individual environmental …

Body Mass Estimation From The Human Skeleton, Megan K. Moore

Doctoral Dissertations

The established methods for estimating average body mass from the skeleton are of two types: biomechanical and morphometric. Neither technique currently addresses the extremes of body mass (e.g. emaciation or obesity). The goal of this research is to explore several different biomechanical methods, using data collected from high resolution computed tomographic scans and macroscopic analysis of 150 known modern individuals from the William M. Bass Donated Skeleton Collection at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This research will review the biomechanics of human gait and the biomechanical accommodations that occur with increased obesity and load bearing. The analysis will include cross-sectional …

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Lexington Attachment To Pets Scale, Tracy Leigh Zaparanick

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the word “pet” provided valid results in the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale (LAPS) (Johnson, Garrity, & Stallones, 1992). A multiple-groups confirmatory factor analysis, using maximum likelihood (ML) estimation, was conducted to test the hypothesized factor structures in the specified measurement model. Respondents to the Original version (i.e. used the word pet) and the Personalized version (i.e. embedded the canine’s name as typed by participants) made up the two groups. Features of an electronic survey were necessary for this personalization and systematic alternative assignment to the two LAPS …

The Resolution Of Hate: A Meaning Centered Analysis, John M. Daniels

Doctoral Dissertations

The present study analyzed participant descriptions of what it was like to resolve one’s hate toward someone or something. This experience was described as taking place in terms of a structure involving three phases: (1) When I Hated, (2) Resolution of Hate, and (3) After Hate. The first phase, When I Hated, was characterized by four themes: Power, Unjust, Significant, and Not Me. Phase 2, which concerned the Resolution of Hate, was described as a transition period defined by the themes of Choice, Separation/Distance, and Change in Perspective. The final phase, After Hate, was characterized by two themes: Burden Lifted …

Facilitating Private Forestland Management: Relating Landowners’ Experience Of Their Forestland And Their Conceptualization Of Forest Management To Their Management Behavior, Miriam L.E. Steiner Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

Privately owned forestland accounts for the majority of forested land in the US and provides numerous ecological, economic and social benefits to its owners and society at large. However, numerous issues ranging from fragmentation and parcelization, to pressure from the forest products industry, to increasing land values for development and real estate interests threaten to “unravel” the forest landscape. Active management of forestland is seen as one way to combat such threats. Active management of private forestland has been linked to numerous factors such as private forest landowners’ (PFLs’) general education level and familiarity with forest management, their goals, interests, …

Application Of The Western Hemisphere Health Index To Prehistoric Populations From Tennessee And The Semi-Arid North Of Chile: A Comparative Bioarchaeological Study Of The Implications Of Subsistence Choice, Elizabeth A. Digangi

Doctoral Dissertations

The Western Hemisphere Health Index was applied to prehistoric contemporaneous skeletal populations from Tennessee and the semi-arid North of Chile to ascertain four things: 1. overall health status for each culture; 2. comparison of health status between contemporaneous cultures; 3. if subsistence change (i.e., transition from gathering-hunting to agriculture) is consistently accompanied by a decline in overall health; and 4. the utility of the health index methodology. The skeletal populations analyzed from the semi-arid North of Chile were Archaic (7730 B.C. – A.D. 245) and Diaguita (A.D. 1000 – 1536). Prehistoric individuals examined from Tennessee were Archaic (8000 – 1000 …

Spokes, Pyramids, And Chiefs Of Staff: Howard H. Baker, Jr. And The Reagan Presidency, Michael Lee Haynes

Doctoral Dissertations

One of the most compelling areas of research when considering the modern presidency is the role of the White House chief of staff (COS) and the direct impact it has on the presidency. The office of the president’s chief of staff is often referred to as the power behind the throne. Chiefs of staff exercise great authority and control within the White House Office (WHO) functioning as a filter or gatekeeper strictly controlling the access of information and people reaching the president. The COS is also one of the president’s closest advisers. James Baker, former chief of staff for …

Evaluating Frame-Of-Reference Rater Training Effectiveness Via Performance Schema Accuracy, Charles A. Gorman

Doctoral Dissertations

Frame-of-reference (FOR) training has been shown to be an effective intervention for improving the accuracy of performance ratings (e.g., Woehr & Huffcutt, 1994). Despite evidence in support of the effectiveness of FOR training, few studies have empirically addressed the ultimate goal of FOR training, which is to train raters to share a common conceptualization of performance (Athey & McIntyre, 1987; Woehr, 1994). The present study tested the hypothesis that FOR-trained raters would possess schemas of performance after training that are more similar to an expert schema than would control-trained raters. It was also hypothesized that schema accuracy would be positively …

Governmental Fragmentation And Rural Sprawl: Case Studies Examining Governmental Structure And Limited Public Choice, Daniel C. Carter

Doctoral Dissertations

Marion County, Tennessee was formed in 1817 and currently all seven cities within its boundaries combined account for 34,202 (thousand) acres. Within a short period time, Marion County will experience over 40,000 (thousand) acres of traditional forestland being converted to private, rural residential development. These former forested tracts are all located in remote areas of the county with very few existing public services. The intent of this dissertation is to demonstrate how government structure and funding mechanisms result in a type of rural sprawl that is rapidly fragmenting thousands of acres throughout Tennessee and the United States as timber companies …

The Power Of A Paradoxical Persona: An Analysis Of John Peel’S Radio Talk And Career At The Bbc, Richard P. Winham

Doctoral Dissertations

John Peel holds a unique place in British broadcasting history. During his almost 40-year career as a DJ on the BBC’s Radio One and Radio Four, he not only introduced innovative music—including psychedelia, reggae, punk, hip hop, grunge and electronica—into the British mainstream, but championed hundreds of musicians whose work might otherwise have gone unnoticed. Using Peel as a case study, this research focuses on the role his persona played in three distinct aspects of his success: (1) his ability to attract audiences across several generations; (2) his longevity at the BBC, a bastion of conservative bureaucracy; and (3) his …

Antecedents Of Entrepreneurial Orientation: A Contingency Approach, Laurent Stephane Josien

Doctoral Dissertations

This research was created in order to offer a better understanding of the entrepreneurial orientation construct. Based on the literature review several antecedents of the entrepreneurial orientation construct were identified: risk, achievement, innovation, locus of control, self-esteem, opportunity, autonomy, proactiveness, and competitive aggressiveness. Relying on the contingency theory developed by Burns and Stalker (1961), it was decided to use the Carland's trichotomy of entrepreneurs as a moderator variable between the antecedents and the entrepreneurial orientation construct. As a result, three main areas of research were identified. The first area deals with determining which dimensions are underpinning the entrepreneurial orientation construct, …

Proactive Behavior: A Selection Perspective, Laura Elizabeth Marler

Doctoral Dissertations

In the 15 years since Bateman and Crant (1993) formulated the construct of proactive personality, numerous researchers have devoted a significant amount of attention to proactive attributes and behaviors (e.g., Parker, Williams, & Turner, 2006; Crant, 2000; Frese & Fay, 2001; Parker, 2000; Erdogan & Bauer, 2005). Campbell's (1990) model of performance suggests that an organization's selection system may ultimately promote proactive behavior. Consequently, in this dissertation, I advocate a selection approach as the initial building block towards creating a workplace in which proactive behavior is a fundamental outcome.

One of the selection tools yet to be explored by researchers …