Sociology Commons^™

Newspaper Representations Of Homelessness: A Temporal Comparative Analysis, Sarah Werman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research focuses on the ways in which homelessness is discussed in two newspapers in a major city in the intermountain United States. I analyzed newspaper articles with the goal of understanding public discourse in two ideologically distinct newspaper venues. I examined the news media portrayal of the homeless in 752 articles in these two newspapers during two distinct six­-month time periods, one during which the city was nationally recognized as a major advocate for “Housing First,” or “solving homelessness,” and a more recent period during which urban gentrification has challenged the location of homeless services. Specifically, I addressed the …

For Love Or Money: Has Neoliberalism Impacted Fertility? A Historical Comparison, Elizabeth Anne Kiester

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Known as neoliberalism, an economic philosophy has spread throughout the world and may be contributing to total fertility rates that have fallen well below replacement value. I present two neoliberal mechanisms and how they may have driven total fertility rates around the world well below replacement levels and inhibited growth. These include increased social risks in the labor market as well as in the household. I then build a theoretical framework based on the social embeddedness of markets as conceived by Karl Polanyi and the concept of social risk as suggested by Richard Breen, suggesting that the unique combinations of …

Mormon Return Migration: A Return To Zion, Don Calder Larson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research has been to study contemporary Mormon migration in the United States. The underlying assumption of the research was that Utah Mormons are culturally and normatively different from Mormons living elsewhere. Research was carried out in two stages. The first stage was a description of migration streams between four designated regions, i.e. Utah, states adjacent to Utah, other Western states, and the remaining Other states. This stage also determined the proportion of return migration in each stream. It provides initial evidence of the cultural pull of Utah for Mormons.

The second stage was a multivariate analysis …

Person-Environment Interaction Psychological Strain And Delinquency: A Longitudinal Test Of The Theory, Mahmood Gazi-Tabatabaie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Utilizing longitudinal panel data from Youth In Transition Project, the Person-Environment fit (P-E Fit) theory and its specific application to the area of delinquency and aggression was investigated longitudinally. Analysis of Covariance Structure Technique (LISREL) was used to address the issues of multi-dimensionality, stability, measurement of total P-E fit and to test the proposed delinquency model. The relationships between P-E fit, psychological strain, and delinquency were tested both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The student sub-group (those respondents who stayed in school after high school) and the working sub-group (those who went to work after high school) were tested separately. P-E fit …

Shoshoni Conceptualizations Of Plant Relationships, Bryan Ray Spykerman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Interviews were conducted with 10 Shoshoni-speaking people to investigate conceptualizations of plant relationships. A card-sort technique and informal questioning were employed in an attempt to elicit plant classifications and taxonomic relationships. Results indicate classifications are based on multiple criteria including morphology, cultural utilization, geographic setting and growth habit. A paradigm which postulates conceptualizations based on prototypic images fits the data better than the supposition that memory is composed of extensive taxonomic structures.

The Influence Of Ethnic Background, Religion, Education, And Income Upon Family Planning Behavior And Attitudes Of Certain Married Couples At Utah State University, Gustavo Loza-Montenegro

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this study was to determine whether certain socio-cultural factors tend to influence family planning behavior and attitudes of certain married couples at Utah State University. Socio-cultural factors considered in this study were: ethnic background, religious preference, level of education, and income. These socio-cultural factors (independent variables) were examined from the standpoint of their influence upon one or more of the following dependent variables: the use or non-use of family planning, the extent to which family planning is used, attitude toward the most important source of information for family planning, and attitude regarding the single method which is …

An Acculturation Study Of Japanese-American Buddhists In Northern Utah, Priscilla Tomich Timper

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary purpose of this study was to present a sociological analysis of American Buddhism in northern Utah. Specifically, the analysis covered the acculturation changes of American Buddhism in X __ , Utah, the functions of the acculturation changes, and the effects of secularization on the Buddhists.

The findings were as follows:

1. Buddhism in X___ is becoming "American Buddhism" just as Buddhism in Japan became Japanese Buddhism.
2. Buddhism in X___ reinforces the norms and values of the X___ society but also puts a strain on social relationship by contributing to ethnocentrism and racial segregation.
3. The Buddhist Society in X___ has …