Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Black Students' Classroom Silence In Predominantly White Institutions Of Higher Education, Mahajoy A. Laufer

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explored Black students' silence in classrooms at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) of higher education in the northeast United States. Fifteen student interviews revealed that teaching material centered on European-American culture and history influenced their silence. Participants perceived devaluing of people of color in course material and perceived that professors used and allowed racist language and opinions to pervade the classroom. Students negotiated the tension of having discordant views from the mainstream and at times, between other students of the same racial and cultural group. They often elected to speak out against perceived discrimination and remained silent in …

As Seen On Twitter: African-American Rhetorical Traditions Gone Viral, Tiffani Long

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This communication research study identifies the presence of the African-American rhetorical traditions of call-response, signification, tonal semantics, and narrative sequencing used in communication on the online social media network, Twitter. The objective of this study is to provide insight into the culture and community of Twitter. Additionally, the research demonstrates how traditional oral rhetorical traditions survive in the digital world. Over a 15-day period, tweets were collected by the author using a computer screenshot feature. Using a coding rubric, three coders, including the author, coded the collected tweets for the four rhetorical traditions. Resulting from this procedure, the coders concluded …

Cultural Anthropological Research In The Business Environment, Caitlin Farmer

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Never Put Your Head Down Unless You Pray: The Stories Of African American Men In The Wisconsin Prison System, Julia Marie Kirchner

Theses and Dissertations

Prior research on offender narratives has not examined culture as a factor in how prisoners explain their crimes. This qualitative ethnographic research project explores the self-constructions of African American male prisoners using both participant observation with active gang members on the street and discourse analysis of over 300 letters written by incarcerated men. Focusing primarily on six prisoner consultants, this study investigates the claims that offenders make about themselves in reference to their identity. These convicted felons justify their crimes as rational under the circumstances prevalent in segregated inner cities. In reference to economic crimes such as drug dealing and …

Authenticity And Identity-Making In A Globalized World: Capoeira In Boston And New York, Madeline L. Bishop

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Culture And Counterproductive Workplace Behaviors: A Meta-Analysis, Olusore Anita Taylor

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs) – behaviors that are deemed harmful to organizations and their employees (Bennett & Robinson, 2000). Unfortunately, little knowledge exists on the universality of well-established theories on CWBs across different cultures. Most theories have been developed using studies conducted in the United States and Canada, limiting our ability to confidently extrapolate these theories to other cultures.

In this study, I examine the relationship between culture and CWBs. Specifically, two questions are addressed. First, does culture have a direct relationship with CWBs? Using GLOBE’s cultural dimensions, …

The Chinese Government's Implementation Of Soft And Hard Power Policies Within Xinjiang And Tibet To Encourage Assimilation, Amanda Pace

Honors Theses

Today there is an increasing unrest among the minority populations of China and the government enforces different policies both to encourage assimilation and enforce order within minority regions. My research compares two different minority regions in China, Xinjiang and Tibet, and examines Beijing’s education, language and religious policies within these two minority regions. Beijing uses special mechanisms to implement these policies. I categorize these different policy realms according to their relative power. I find that in order to achieve desired objectives, Beijing will either enforce strict laws or fairly lenient laws depending on the policy realm. I argue that Beijing …

From Roosters To Talking Fish: A Comparative Study Of Hispaniolas Societal Evolution Through Folktales And Myths, Sara Block

Honors Theses

The island of Hispaniola is home to two sovereign nations with a bloody and complex history: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Their disparate experiences with European powers and colonization and their different roads to independence fundamentally shaped their cultures and current political status. The evolution of culture and the intrusions of external influences and powers are visible in the popular myths and folktales of the two countries. After a close analysis of the respective folktales through a historical lens, the thematic and structural composition of the stories suggest that Haitian and Dominican cultures are similar, but still characterized by small …

Efficacy Of Reach Forgiveness For Foreign And Virginia Students, Yin Lin

Theses and Dissertations

People agree that forgiveness is a virtue in essentially all countries. However, different cultures have different ideas about how willing one should forgive and under what circumstances. Although the study occurred in the USA, I recruited both foreign-extraction and Virginia born-and-raised female college students (N=102) to participate a six-hour REACH forgiveness intervention, promoting their forgiveness through psychoeducational groups. In my thesis, I investigated whether students of foreign extraction and Virginia-born students would respond similarly to the intervention. I operationalized culture in two ways—by country and by individual self-reported self-construal. I measured forgiveness using two measures—decisional forgiveness and emotional forgiveness. I …

Sex And The City: A Promotion Of Modern American Feminism, Cameron Michael Tufino

Theses & Dissertations

The television series Sex and the City (SATC), has left a significant impact on American society. The show displays this revelation: American women today have many established cultures of equal worth in male dominated discourses. This thesis explains how the shows narrative represents and expands feminist ideology in America. By modernizing feminist discourses, SATC challenges televisual female representation on subject matters including motherhood, sexuality, marriage, gender identity, and family. Investigating its four protagonists - Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha - demonstrates how the narrative contributed to the social movement of feminism. Furthermore, with analyzing its construction and display since the …

The Real Virtual World: Connectivity And Techno-Mediation In The Lives Of College Students, Alecea Standlee

Sociology - Dissertations

This dissertation examines the way in which techno-mediated communication technologies, such as social media, text messaging, and virtual communities are used to negotiate, establish and maintain interpersonal relationships among college students. Using in-depth interview and online participant observation, I explore the relationship between technological communication and social behavior, interpersonal relationships and social networks. I focus on three broad questions: how do developments and structures of technological communication allow for the emergence of new social expectations and behaviors in the realm of connectivity and social interaction? How do individuals experience social pressures for connectivity and how do such pressures shape relationships? …

The Importance Of Cultural Competency In Alzheimer’S Disease Care Giving, Jacquelyn M. Lotter

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

While the importance of cultural sensitivity has been actively researched in healthcare settings, there is little research about the importance of culture as it relates to people with Alzheimer’s disease. As the most common cause of dementia, there are currently over 5 million Americans over the age of 65 who are believed to have AD and is it expected to increase to over 15 million by 2050. Previous social work research has revealed two major themes in the study of caregiving and Alzheimer’s disease: 1) importance of a familiar environment and 2) management of aggressive responses, both of which factors …

They Were Framed! The Development And Validation Of Context-Specific Measures Of Individual Culture, Amber Schroeder

All Dissertations

Early personality research often described behavior in terms of individual dispositions or stable behavioral tendencies (Allport, 1937; Cattell, 1957; Guilford, 1959), thus taking a context-independent view of personality. However, a recent review of thousands of empirical studies illustrated that even seemingly superficial changes to contextual variables can have a large impact on study results (Richard, Bond, & Stokes-Zoota, 2003). Yet, the use of non-contextualized measures of individual culture still remains the norm in cross-cultural research. Thus, utilizing a sample of more than 1,000 participants across two studies, work and nonwork measures of two cultural variables (i.e., individualism and collectivism) were …

The Impact Of Cultural Distances On The Country Selection Process, Alan Blizzard

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Expatriates' Acculturation Strategies: Going Beyond "How Adjusted Are You?" To "How Do You Adjust?", Matthew Lineberry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Expatriates' degree of adjustment to living and working in a foreign country is well-accepted as an important outcome variable in expatriate management research. However, measures of degree of adjustment do not capture the breadth of strategies expatriates may use to achieve such adjustment, which may be critical for understanding whether expatriates have achieved a healthy and productive orientation to life abroad. Borrowing from research on immigrant populations, this study examines the construct of expatriate acculturation strategies, which characterize expatriates' mode of adjustment along two independent dimensions reflecting maintenance of one's home culture and engagement of the host culture, respectively. One …

Parent And Professional Perspectives About Autism Spectrum Disorders In South India: Beliefs, Practices, And Parent-Professional Relationships., Neeraja Ravindran

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experience of parents and professionals living in a large metropolitan city in South India who were raising and/or working with a child with an autism spectrum disorder. The study explored the unique perspectives of parents and professionals regarding their beliefs and practices about autism, as well as the nature of the parent-professional relationship. Nineteen parents (all mothers) and 21 professionals were interviewed in person at four schools, an early intervention program, a hospital clinic, and a physician’s office. Themes were developed using qualitative software, and reliability was established through multiple …

Amidst Invasion, Conversion, And Extinction, The Power Of Communication Prevails: An Ethnographic-Inspired Account Of The Chumash Indians, Arielle Mease

Communication Studies

No abstract provided.

Color And Brand Design For Multicultural Packaging, Kyle Valdillez

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study is to determine how companies can use the color and brand design of packaging to effectively communicate their products across multiple cultures. Companies are entering new markets overseas where culture is affecting how a product is being perceived. Whether it is positive, negative, or neutral, they must accommodate these influences to potentially increase profits. This study will specifically explore the Spanish and Japanese cultures in comparison to the American culture, concerning the meanings of various colors and their use in brand design. The research methods used were historical research and content analysis. Through thorough examination …

The Relationship Between Social Phobia, Peer Attachment, And Identity Within Different Cultural Contexts, Shengnan Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between social phobia, peer attachment, and identity development, within three different countries: China, India, and the USA. It was hypothesized that social phobia interferes with peer attachment, and that poor peer attachment interferes with identity development among late adolescents and emerging adults, thus peer attachment mediates the relationship between social phobia and identity. It was further hypothesized that this relationship between variables is moderated by culture such that in collectivistic cultures, where identity is more dependent upon group affiliation and identification, the interference of social phobia (through peer attachment) on identity would be much greater …

Hispanic And African American Student Engagement At Faith-Based Institutions And Non-Faith-Based Institutions , Laura Lynn Brown

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

No abstract provided.

Quiero Ser Alguien En La Vida: Hispanic Women And The Role Of Culture In Educational Attainment, Lupita Maria Pivaral

Master's Theses

There are very few studies that investigate the low educational attainment rates of Latinos, and even fewer that consider the role culture may have on educational attainment. In particular, Latinas have been neglected in academic studies regarding their academic pursuits and performance. This study aims to fill this void in the academic literature. It is based on interviews with 13 Hispanic women who were enrolled in a Chicago area adult high school. The women shared their personal narratives, describing in detail various life events and sharing their thoughts of how these may have lead them to make decisions that ultimately …

Crossing The Valley Of Death: A Multi-Sited, Multi-Level Ethnographic Study Of Growth Startups And Entrepreneurial Communities In Post-Industrial Detroit, Marlo Rencher

Wayne State University Dissertations

The intention of this research is to reveal the humanity of the startup experience for American growth companies. What is it about the growth entrepreneurship experience that has been hidden from view? Can we begin to articulate a holistic view of entrepreneurship--including those human universals and culture-bound particulars that must be successfully navigated?

This study is an ethnographic account of three Detroit-based entrepreneurial communities and the people within them. This research examines the sociocultural features of entrepreneurship on three levels. The first level of context for growth businesses to be studied is that of their entrepreneurial community. These communities have …

The Relationship Between Identity And Intimacy As Moderated By Culture, Garima Jhingon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Several important developmental processes occur in the young adulthood period. Young adults form their identities, determine trajectories regarding careers, and typically they form intimate relationships. Erikson (1963) stated that healthy identity development during adolescence is a necessary precursor to intimacy in romantic relationships during emerging adulthood. Although findings from cross-sectional and short-term longitudinal studies somewhat confirm the proposed link between identity and intimacy development, none of them addresses the role of culture in moderating Erikson‘s tenets of developmental ordering. The primary goal of the present investigation was to determine the role of cultural orientation in identity and intimacy development among …

Strategizing Relationships 2.0: An Analysis Of International Companies' Use Of Social Media, Jessica Marie Brightman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Because of technological advances and the blurring of boundaries, the world is becoming a global community. Global communications have made it essential for multinational corporations to develop and maintain a consistent worldwide identity and brand image. It is no longer possible to classify people into simple and stable segments of customers; the world is evolving and so is the population. The purpose of this research is to bridge the gap between the academic and professional world of international public relations by expanding the stream of literature and incorporating a global aspect. Within the last few years, social media has seen …

The New Mexican Migration: Remembering Violence, Connecting, And Living In The Third Space, Uriel G. Posada

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The concept of identity has become a topic of discussion in the last few decades, especially with the growing immigration across several countries. Countries such as the United States and Canada are receiving people who arrive from different parts of the world and who are changing the composition of these countries. In this thesis I explore how a group of Mexican journalists are adjusting their identity as they live in countries outside of Mexico. Five of the journalists are now living in the United States, and one of them is in Canada. They were forced to leave Mexico after they …

Seeing Stars: Emotional Trauma In Athlete Retirement: Contexts, Intersections, And Explorations, Scott P. Tinley

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Few areas of modern sport are as misunderstood in popular and academic literature as that of retired professional and elite athletes. While the subject has been studied, the case of the retiring athlete has yet to be fully explored in a detailed, qualitative, and interdisciplinary study focusing on nuanced contexts affecting the quality of an athlete's exit from sport. Utilizing 3 participant groups--29 elite athletes (16 sports, 18 males, 11 females), 9 professional sport administrators, and 8 sport media journalists--over an 18-month period, extensive semi-structured interviews resulted in 1,436 raw data themes that constituted 13 direct, 3 indirect, and 3 …

Accelerated Culture: Exploring Time And Space In Cinema, Television And New Media In The Digital Age, Thomas J. Connelly

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to understand the impact of speed on the interrelation and the overlapping of the production and consumption of cinematic and televisual texts. It explores the immediacy of digital media and new economic processes, and how they are informing structures of perception, as well as lending themselves to new and different ways of seeing the moving image in the digital age. These visual expressions are evident in the changing perception of the long take; the increasing use of video gaming aesthetics and database narratives; new and variant forms of narrative and visual styles in television; and the speed …

Traumatic Stress Responses In Mothers And Fathers To Pediatric Intensive Care Treatment: The Role Of Beliefs, Carla Cirilli

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of traumatic stress responses in parents of children treated in a pediatric intensive care unit, specifically parental beliefs about their child’s illness and their own coping self-efficacy as related to the severity of parental acute and posttraumatic stress. Archival data from a study conducted August 2004 through July 2005 in the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia PICU were used. Two hundred and forty-five parents were assessed at 48 hours after admission, and 180 parents were assessed 3 months postdischarge. At Time 1, parents completed a screening measure assessing psychosocial factors and …

The Impact Of Culture, Industry Type, And Job Relevance On Applicant Reactions, Olivia Martin

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The present study sought to understand how national culture, industry, and the perception of job relevance has an influence on an applicant's reaction to an online personnel selection assessment. A review of the literature on attribution theory (Fiske & Taylor, 1984; Ployhart & Harold, 2004) and organizational justice theory (Gilliland, 1993; Ployhart & Harold, 2004) provided the theoretical basis for the hypotheses of this paper. Applicant data from companies in manufacturing, finance, retail, and telecommunications were examined to explore differences in applicant reactions. Additionally, data between those in Mexico and the US within the telecommunications industry were examined to distinguish …

Twelve-Step Program Familiarity And The Referral Process, Cory Brad Dennis

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation considered Twelve-Step Program (TSP) referrals as an important area for addressing the less than desirable levels of client participation in TSPs despite the incorporation of them into a majority of substance abuse treatment programs. Clinicians are in a prime position to mentor clients through the socialization process, towards affiliation with the program. TSP familiarity was modeled as foundational to effective mentorship that aims to incorporate of best referral practices. The primary research question guiding this study was: What role does a clinician's level of 12-Step program familiarity have when referring clients to TSPs?