Sociology Commons^™

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Teachers' Attributional Tendencies And Gender Bias Towards Failing Students With Learning Disabilities, Polly Chalette

Dissertations and Theses

Student characteristics, such as sex, race, and socioeconomic status, have been found to influence teachers' perceptions of students and their patterns of interaction with them in the classroom. Behavior and achievement also has been shown to influence a teacher's perceptions. When teachers have been asked for evaluative comments and their expectations for future performance of a student, they have stated ability and effort as their explanations. This study will use the principles of Weiner's attribution theory dealing with success and failure in order to examine teachers' attributional tendencies towards a hypothetical student.

This study intends to examine the degree to …

Returning Women’S Workshop And Retention Of Returning Women Students, Kimberly E. Lamb

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis investigates the retention of returning adult women students by examining: I) demographic and motivational backgrounds of women who attend a university Returning Women's Workshop and women who do not; 2) retention, bonding, and support measures for the two groups of women; 3) student evaluations of the various Workshop components. The thesis also describes the history of the Workshop and the Women's Study Program.

A telephone survey was conducted of women who either participated in the Returning Women's Workshop or attended the University during the same selected years. All the women surveyed were over the age of 24 and …

Illegal Drug Use During Pregnancy : The Effects Of Defendant Race And Type Of Defense On Juror Judgments Of Guilt, Anita Rotondo

Dissertations and Theses

Since the early 1980s fetal harm "caused" by women's illegal drug use during pregnancy has garnered public attention and legal scrutiny. Motivated by concerns over fetal health, the cost of caring for drug-addicted infants, and public support for get tough on crime policies, various states have employed statutes on child abuse, neglect or endangerment, delivering a controlled substance to a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor to criminally inculpate maternal drug users.

Utilizing a written hypothetical trial summary in which a woman was charged with child abuse for using cocaine while pregnant, this research explored the effects …

Portland’S Prostitution-Free Zone Ordinance : The Social Construction Of Prostitution As A Social Problem, Kristin Aman Christophersen

Dissertations and Theses

This study explored the process and the nature of the claims and claimsmaking activities in the most recent presentation of prostitution as a social problem calling for a specific response, the prostitution-free zone ordinance. Integrating the conceptual framework of Best's (1995) constructionist approach to social problems with Strauss and Corbin's (1990) grounded theory approach, this study examined 1) the role and influence of different claimsmakers and their claims in the passage and implementation of the prostitution-free zone ordinance, and 2) how three perspectives (social control, moral reform and radical feminism) are differentially reflected in claimsmakers' framing of prostitution, as well …

The Effects Of Cohabitation On Subsequent Marital Satisfaction, Brenda Fague

Dissertations and Theses

Most research on cohabitation has focused on the subsequent marital instability of cohabitors. However, these findings are inconsistent and. considering the great number of stable unhappy marriages, marital stability is not an accurate measure of relationship success.

The purpose of this research is to compare the relationship satisfaction reported by married couples who cohabited prior to their marriage with the satisfaction of married couples who did not cohabit premaritally. This research uses respondents' self-reported relationship satisfaction as a measure of relationship success.

General Social Survey data co11ected in 1988 and 1994 were analyzed to determine the relationship between premarital cohabitation …

The Stigma Of Obesity : Beliefs About And Attitudes Toward Fat/Obese Persons, Sally Jean Clute

Dissertations and Theses

This research explores the relationship between beliefs about and attitudes toward fat/obese persons, specifically in regard to issues of attribution and perceived responsibility for the physical condition. The purpose of the research is to assess the extent to which fat/obese persons are derogated, given whether or not they are perceived to be held responsible for their fatness/obesity. It utilizes attribution theory (Heider, 1958; Jones & Davis, 1965; Kelley, 1967; Weiner, 1986), in particular, internal locus of control and issues of consensus and distinctiveness (Kelley, 1967) and controllability (Weiner, 1986). The main hypothesis is that fat/obese people will be viewed more …

Gender Socialization Of Preschoolers : The Influence Of Parental Orientation And Preschool Environment, Alice Blackwell Passannante

Dissertations and Theses

Because there are different sets of attitudes and standards that are applied to girls and boys, and because society is permeated with messages delineating the differences between females and males, there is a rapid accumulation of knowledge by children about those differences. There is a need for further examination of the overall impact of different facets of gender socialization.

The purpose of the present study was to clarify the ways in which parental beliefs and practices as well as daycare environment affect the gender-typing of preschoolers. Seventy-nine children from three different preschools were interviewed using Likert, forced-choice, and open-ended items. …