Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Phenomenological Study Into How Early Childhood Educators Experience Gamification As An Employee Motivational Tool, Marlene C. Cooper

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore how early childhood educators (ECE) experience gamification as a motivational tool. The study was grounded in self-efficacy theory and used the transcendental phenomenological methodology to uncover the lived experiences of the participants. The researcher used questionnaires, journals, and interviews to gather data from respondents. The interview utilized open-ended questions to provide respondents the opportunity to give a detailed account of their shared experiences while operating the gamified technology used in their program. Data was collected from 8 ECE teachers working at a private preschool in a mid-Atlantic state. Participant accounts described a …

City Of Camas City Hall Safety And Security Project Plan, Diane Dyra

CUP Undergraduate Research

This proposal is designed for the City of Camas as a means to create a culture of preparedness, improve safety and security, as well as build resilience. The current state of City Hall allows for the threat to the loss of life and property. Through preparation, education, training, crime prevention through environmental design, and structural improvements, a state of safety, security, and continued critical functionality for the community can be met. These improvements allow for the City of Camas to stand by their mission statement, committing to “preserving its heritage, sustaining and enhancing a high quality of life for all …

Banks Community Emergency Response Team (Cert) Project Proposal, Donna Vandendries

CUP Undergraduate Research

This proposal examines the challenges the Banks Fire District is faced with if a catastrophic event, such as a Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake were to strike the Pacific Northwest. The District has concerns surrounding the potential response and recovery challenges during a major disaster. The District is open to expanding its jurisdiction's capabilities with a solution that would benefit the District and Banks community members without compromising the District mission and core values. The District realizes that due to the nature of a CSZ, it will not have the resource capability to respond to the emergency needs of the …

American Medical Response Active Shooter Project Proposal, Matthew Spong

CUP Undergraduate Research

American Medical Response (AMR) Tukwila is the hub of its Western Washington operations. With over 400 employees and multiple customers and guests at any given time, they must have measures in place to ensure the safety and security of those on the premises. In the summer of 2019, AMR Tukwila experienced a possible active shooter incident. While this is a low occurrence event it proves the need for having a plan and procedures in place. Active shooter situations have steadily risen over the years and can happen without warning. This proposal identifies problems and solutions so that AMR Tukwila employees, …

A Phenomenological Study Of Parent Experiences With Postsecondary-Admission Counseling, Anthony Espitia

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to better understand parent experiences with the postsecondary-admission counseling of high school students in California. As a state, California exceeds the ASCA’s student-to-counselor national recommendations, impacting the delivery of postsecondary-admission counseling on high school campuses. To understand the postsecondary-admission counseling experiences in California, a qualitative phenomenological study consisting of 12 parents of current or recently graduated high school students was utilized. Open-ended interviews captured parents’ lived experiences with the postsecondary-admission counseling of California high school counselors. The data analysis for this study was accomplished by utilizing a four-step process outlined by Moustakas (1994), which …

A Single Case Study Of Sophomore College Students’ Self-Awareness And How It Relates To Teamwork At A Private College, Jeanne Thomas

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Teamwork is considered an essential 21st-century skill and is now included in most university curricula. Working in teams helps college students learn skills such as leadership and problem-solving, that can transfer to the workplace. Effective teams are defined as those with members who communicate well and whose members possess a high degree of self-awareness (SA). SA is the primary component of Goleman’s framework of emotional intelligence (EI). A single case study was conducted at a private college in the United States to better understand how sophomore students described SA and how it relates to teamwork. The participants were sophomore …

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort Emergency Response And Preparedness Project Proposal, Georgia Williams

CUP Undergraduate Research

Bandon Dunes Golf Resort has the priority of keeping their employees and guests safe on the property. This means the Resort must understand, plan, and respond to various threats in the area. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort is located along the Oregon coast just outside of the City of Bandon. The Resort must be prepared to respond to more common business disruptions and threats to the hospitality industry or private sector as well as infrequent catastrophic threats like an earthquake/tsunami on the Cascadia Subduction Zone. This catastrophic earthquake has been looming for years and would have a great effect on the …

Police Medical Field-Screening Proposal Plan, Logan Stevens

CUP Undergraduate Research

This proposal document examines the collaboration between the Bend Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Jail, and St. Charles Medical Center Emergency Department and takes into consideration the professional opinions of all stakeholders who currently serve the community of Central Oregon in a variety of different capacities. The Bend Police Department (Bend PD) would like to see a solution that would benefit the citizens served by the department, while supporting the department’s core values of teamwork, integrity, and excellence. Bend PD is concerned about officer efficiency because it is critical for the department to strive to be good stewards of …

Creating A Culture Of Courage: A Behavioral Health Study Of Resilience And Response To Traumatic Events For Firefighters, Brett Ellis

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

Firefighters experience a variety of challenging situations and traumatic events while performing necessary job duties as public servants, which can create behavioral health concerns and even suicide ideation. The purpose of this study is to recognize how individual resilience relates to lived experiences for firefighters who may need next-level behavioral healthcare, which in turn, will identify higher “at risk” firefighters with suicide ideation who need increased mental and emotional care outside of peer interventions. The fundamental question centers on what role does individual resilience, as well as formal and informal resources of behavioral health support, play in mitigating the impact …

Firefighters’ Perception Of Leadership Behaviors On Their Psychological Well-Being: A Case Study, Craig E. Damien

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The psychological well-being of firefighters is an important aspect of fire service, along with the increased awareness of the psychological effects of fire service on firefighters. This study is necessary due to the lack of research exploring how firefighters perceive such influence on their psychological well-being. Understanding leadership’s influence on their psychological well-being is important, since a low level of well-being can lead to depression, anxiety, and suicides. This qualitative, exploratory, case study explores how firefighters in Florida perceive the influence of leader behaviors on their psychological well-being. Data was gathered through a qualitative questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and the Ryff …

The Impact Of Social-Emotional Development In Preschool, Gena Jadwin

Graduate Teacher Education

The development of children’s cognitive and social-emotional learning is of significant importance in education, specifically in early childhood education. Early childhood administrators, educators, and support staff have noticed an increase in the amount of students displaying underdeveloped or lacking social-skills within preschool classrooms. This paper will analyze and summarize research to explain the relationship between social-emotional skills and temperament, classroom environment, and educational outcomes in preschool aged students. It was found through research that a lack of social-emotional understanding and skills was impactful to a child’s future emotional responses and academic achievement. In order for leaders to best prepare teachers …

How Does Living In Poverty Affect Infant And Toddlers' Development?, Megan Aalgaard

Graduate Teacher Education

Research findings showed that significant development takes place during the infant and toddler years of children’s lives, however, children who lived in poverty were often faced with many challenges and life adversities that affected development (Brewer, 2007). Children’s language development, physical health, cognitive development, and social-emotional skills were often negatively impacted when children grew up and lived in poverty (Brito, 2017). Also, distress among parents from the exposure to poverty negatively affected the quality of parent and child interactions (Evans & Kim, 2013). This paper synthesized various available research on poverty’s negative effects on children’s development, as well as discussed …

Stovepiped In Silence: The Growing Threat Of White Supremacy Extremism In The Pacific Northwest, Dacia J. Grayber

CUP Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this practicum proposal is to address the growing threat of White Supremacy Extremism (henceforth referred to as “WSE”) in the Portland Metro region and explore the barriers to identifying WSE and obstacles with information sharing. By understanding current conditions and leaning forward with proactive and holistic approaches to education and information sharing, on a local and regional level we may be able to interrupt the cycle of proliferation and interdict future bias and hate crimes in our communities.

The Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (RDPO) is one of several local agencies that could potentially serve as a possible …

Teacher Perceptions Of How Attire Affects Student Behavior And Academic Performance: A Case Study, Gwendolyn Ivery

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This qualitative single case study sought to examine middle school teachers’ perceptions about how their attire impacts student behavior and academic performance. The study took place in a school district located in Texas, with the target population being middle school teachers at a Title I school. Twelve certified teachers with varying degrees of experience and expertise within a particular content area contributed to this study. After using a semistructured interview process as well as teacher observations, data were coded and analyzed with the aim of allowing general themes to emerge. The results of this study align with the conceptual framework …

Conformity And Cognitive Load In An Asch-Like Paradigm Study, Kaylee Baker

CUP Undergraduate Research

Objective: Conformity is an important phenomenon to examine as it has the potential to influence a vast majority of people in everyday life, especially with the current technology of social media available. Factors that affect conformity rates have had little examination in the past, but are important to note in order to fully understand this behavior of conformity. I designed this study to observe the potential effects of one such factor, cognitive load, on conformity rates in an online setting with the goal of generalizing results to the effects of social media in our contemporary society. Design: I devised an …

Updating The Revised Facts On Suicide Quiz: A Replication Study With An Expansion, Emily Bergan

CUP Undergraduate Research

The objective of this research was to replicate Hubbard and McIntosh’s 1992 study “Integrating Suicidology into Abnormal Psychology Classes: The Revised Facts on Suicide Quiz (RFOS)” with minor modifications. An updated version of the RFOS was utilized to determine the value of informative resources designed to enhance knowledge about suicide, as research on suicide-related knowledge is crucial to improving suicide awareness, treatment, and prevention. First year undergraduate students (N = 70) completed the quiz in the beginning of their Fall 2018 semester, then again at the end of their Fall 2018 semester. Mid-semester, students were given informative resources on the …

Tracking Trouble: Managing Primo Bug Reports, Carin Yavorcik

CUP Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Employable Skills Seminar For Undergraduate Psychology Majors And Minors: Data Visualization In Tableau For The Public Good, Reed M. Mueller, Heidi Lee

CUP Faculty Research

Six undergraduate psychology students in a pilot, one credit, online seminar developed technical, inquiry, and data visualization skills. Students used Tableau, a popular business intelligence platform, and learned to locate, clean, aggregate, and visualize secondary data. A final project required the publication of visualizations for the public good.

Understanding The Experiences Of Latino Community College Students On Academic Probation: A Case Study, Maria P. Mcpherson

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The academic standards and policies of institutions of higher education consider student underachievement, among the other aspects of education. Academic standing addresses the probation status designed to intervene and inform students who are unable to meet certain academic institutional standards. However, there is a lack of research discussing the experiences of community college students on academic probation (AP). This qualitative case study explored the perceptions of Latino college students experiences with AP at a large community college on the west coast of the United States. Specifically, the transitions of Latino students to college as previous studies have demonstrated that their …

Audience Analysis: Learning About Student Motivations And Instructional Preferences, Krista Reynolds

CUP Faculty Research

The energy level in the room is high. Students work together diligently, examining their computer screens and sharing ideas to try to solve a problem. When the instructor asks them to share their findings, several students raise their hands and offer insightful observations. After the session is over, a couple of students take the time to tell the instructor the value of what they learned in class and how helpful it will be to them. This scenario is what we instructors strive for—that our students will be engaged in our sessions and leave feeling their time was well-spent.

Is Emdr More Effective Than Wait List Control And Treatment As Usual With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms?, Joe Denniston

CUP Undergraduate Research

The goal of my thesis was to replicate Chen et al. (2014) and to extend the study by comparing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to Wait List Control (WLC) and Treatment as Usual (TAU) conditions. Effect size estimations for reduction in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology was used to compare the effectiveness of the treatment and comparison conditions. A total of 34 studies were included in this meta-analysis. These studies included at least a PTSD outcome measure along with other outcome measures (i.e., depression outcome measures, anxiety outcome measures, or subjective distress outcome measures). Relevant time point posttest means …

Promoting Academic Self-Efficacy In First-Generation College Students, Sydney Quintana

CUP Undergraduate Research

The objective of this research was to assess differences in academic self-efficacy between demographic classifications, with special regard to differences between first- and continuing-generation college students. Additionally, I explored the relationship between levels of academic self-efficacy and perceived stress within the academic domain. Bandura (1997) coined the term self-efficacy to refer to the individual’s belief that they can take necessary action in order to achieve their goals. In this thesis, I aimed to measure the success of a written academic self-efficacy intervention within a college freshman sample, but the lack of sufficient matched pairs led me to modify the secondary …

Altruism In The Human Species: A Meta-Ethnography, Josh Tedrow

CUP Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this meta-ethnography was to explore the theories surrounding human altruistic behavior. I began by selecting a series of empirical and theoretical sources for review. After reading the empirical materials, I summarized empirical studies within categories such as the observed psychological, biological, and social factors associated with altruism. I then reviewed the theoretical literature and established the similar trends in the discussion about the social application of altruism. The trends that I found were reciprocal altruism, the importance of small-group function in facilitating large-group function, and that group function is imperative for a successful future of humanity. After …

An Analysis Of Sports Talk Radio’S Effect On Social Issues, Rehana Power, Elham Mohamud, Brandon Mcroy, Cleandre Robinson

Concordia Journal of Communication Research

Professional athletes are becoming more vocal about their stances on different social issues like Black Lives Matter, MeToo and more. The researchers chose to investigate the effects that sports talk radio has on listeners perceptions of different social issues. Participants of the study hailed from a Lutheran, faith-based institution of higher education in an urban area of the Midwestern United States. The study thoroughly addressed the relationship between consumers of sports talk radio and their opinions on professional athletes addressing social issues.

Bridging The Gap: How The Generations Communicate, Hannah Downs

Concordia Journal of Communication Research

This study examines intergenerational communication and perception. Using the Anxiety/Uncertainty Management theory and statistical analysis, the following research questions are examined: RQ1: What is the main cause for the generational disconnect between Baby Boomers and Millennials? RQ2: How do the different generations believe they are perceived by the others? Faculty and staff at a private, religious institution in the Midwest, employees of a manufacturing company, and participants from a social media site took an online survey with questions regarding preferred communication methods, ease of communicating with other generations, and self-perception within the generational title they associate most with. The study …

Traveling Abroad: Motivations And Factors, Kacie R. Lorenson

Concordia Journal of Communication Research

This study examines motivations, factors and influences for individuals either traveling alone, with others they know, or with a group travel company. The method used was a self-administered survey that had a total of 17 questions. There were 141 individuals who completed the survey. Once the data was gathered a chi-squared test was used to understand if there is a difference in factors to be included in a tour, in motivations desired for individuals traveling and in influences that affected individual’s decisions in traveling. Once the test statistic was performed and analyzed, the study was able to conclude if there …

An Analysis Of Females In The Media, Nina Buckingham, Kayla Kucala

Concordia Journal of Communication Research

In society today, the media plays a major role in our daily lives. With new websites and apps coming out every day, there is continued exposure to social media. With ideal body image being a very relevant topic of discussion and the popularity of social media, it is possible that there could be a correlation. This study explored this possible correlation and went into further detail on the relationship between social media and females and their effect on interpersonal communication.

Study Abroad: Factors Lending To The Decision, Eden Garman

Concordia Journal of Communication Research

In a world that is becoming more globally connected, universities in the United States of America are pushing for more students to participate in study abroad opportunities. The researcher looked to answer the following questions: What factors influence student involvement in study abroad programs? What influence does the study abroad office exert over a student’s decision to study abroad? What conceptions or circumstances do students have prior to college that stimulate them to decide one way or another? The results where then analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively paired with Social Judgment Theory. The data suggests that females, non-athletes, those that have …