Digital Commons Network^™

Reentry For Registered Sex Offenders: Navigating Stigma Post-Release, Emily N. Friedman

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Registered sex offenders (RSOs) experience extreme stigmatization and monitoring even after they are released from incarceration. This is due, in part, to sex offender registries which perpetuate high levels of stigma and can contribute to false narratives about reoffending, victimization, and the homogeneity of sex offenders. As a result of societal level stigma, RSOs often struggle to locate and maintain employment, secure suitable housing, and establish positive, prosocial relationships. This current study utilized a qualitative approach using in-depth interviews with eight RSOs to explore how offenders experience and navigate this stigma during reentry. Findings support the notion that RSOs experience …

Triumph After Trauma: A Phenomenological Exploration Into Women Survivor’S Perceptions Of The Influence Of Trauma On Their Leadership, Natalya R. Bannister Roby

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Most research around trauma is focused on negative life consequences. Although limited, there is research that explores the influence of resilience and how some survivors may experience growth after trauma (Kirschman, 2004). Furthermore, research is limited on how trauma influences the leadership style and career trajectories of women who have overcome trauma. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used as the methodological framework to explore the perspectives of women leaders who identify as survivors or overcomers of trauma. The study participants are women leaders in middle management positions to senior-level executives in educational organizations serving middle and high school students.

In-depth …

Investigating Body Dissatisfaction, Obesity, & Eating Pathology: African American Adolescent Girls & Mothers, Samantha Ronderos

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Body dissatisfaction is a globally prevalent issue among adolescents, particularly for those living in industrialized societies (Griffith et al., 2017). Body dissatisfaction is considered a central component of obesity intervention (Huh et at., 2011; Mitola et al., 2007) and eating disorder etiology (Kelly et al., 2005; Saunders & Frazier, 2016). It predominantly effects females and is commonly found among those with eating disorders and those who struggle with obesity or have higher BMI (Kelly et al., 2005; Saunders & Frazier, 2016). However this is contradicted in African American females, the majority of research has found low levels of body dissatisfaction, …

What Makes Collaborative Evaluation Approaches Collaborative? A Q Methodology Study On Program Evaluators’ Perceptions, Dax M. Weaver

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore program evaluators’ perceptions about what they consider to be the essential practices, elements, or attributes of collaborative evaluation approaches (CEAs). This topic was investigated because of the increasing use of CEAs within the field and the ambiguity about what does and does not constitute a CEA. Several researchers have proposed frameworks that attempt to define the essential elements that distinguish CEAs from other evaluation approaches; however, the literature still lacks consensus on their exact nature. It was through an examination of evaluators’ viewpoints on the subject using Q Methodology that this study …

A Study Of State College Faculty Trust In Immediate Supervisors, Anna Byrd

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study investigated faculty trust in their immediate supervisors (academic deans and faculty chairs) in a state college setting. A survey instrument created for this study was based on existing research on trust in schools by Bryk and Schneider (2002) and Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (1998), as well as research on trust in corporate setting. The study’s purpose was to determine the types and frequencies of interactions between community college faculty and deans/faculty chairs – i.e., faculty immediate supervisors – that are related to higher levels of faculty trust. Also investigated were the relationships between faculty trust and demographic characteristics …

Priorities For School Safety: The Alignment Between Federal And State School Safety Legislation And Safety Needs As Perceived By Education Stakeholders In Florida Private Schools For Exceptional Students, Anthony D. Mortimer

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the apparent threat assessment priorities of potential risks to safety in the school environment in the United States and whether stakeholders in Florida private schools that serve exceptional students agree with the priority given to specific identified potential threats. Faculty and staff, high school students, and the students’ parents and guardians at four Florida private schools for exceptional students rated their perceptions of the severity and likelihood of occurrence of nine potential threats identified in a review of federal and Florida state school safety laws and national and state government surveys of incident occurrences. Results showed that …

Student Perceptions Of Police, Taylor Leigh Claxton

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Police-community relations are a frequently discussed topic in both academe and the media. Many factors are believed to influence individuals’ perceptions and views of law enforcement, including demographic variables (race and socioeconomic status), experiences with law enforcement, and media consumption. With an emphasis in the news and on social media regarding police misconduct or police brutality, this research seeks to inquire about college students' perceptions of law enforcement and racial injustice within the criminal justice system. While controlling for key demographic variables, this project specifically examines how individuals’ personal experiences with law enforcement and their exposure to news media and …

Opioid Use Disorder: The Ugly Return And Treatment Effectiveness Of Heroin Use, Antwana L. Drayton

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Relationships among demographic, socioeconomic and person factors and Opioid Use Disorder diagnosis, treatment, and recidivism were explored. Data from a sample of 4,860 adults with substance use difficulties were analyzed. A program evaluation was conducted on Gateway Community Services to explore the use of Medication Assisted Treatments (MATs) and Psychosocial (PS) treatments to address Opioid Use Disorder. Using archival data, a chi-square analysis and independent sample t-test was performed. The results expressed that a relationship among race, type of substance use diagnosis, and treatment type and recidivism rate was found. While White/Non-Hispanics adults were more likely to use heroin than …

Role Tension In The Academy: A Philosophical Inquiry Into Faculty Teaching And Research, Nicholas Michaud

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to understand the conjunction of faculty roles as teachers and as researchers. This understanding is pursued through philosophical analysis. Discourse ethics, in particular, is used as a framework by which to best understand the roles played by faculty and if the roles of teacher and researcher are, in fact, commensurable. The purpose of the work is two-fold: 1) to develop a construct that may be used by future researchers to better understand the roles played by faculty, and 2) to suggest a best-construct that enables future researchers to propose how actual lived roles should be instantiated in …

Women In Leadership: Performance And Interpersonal Consequences Of Stereotype Threat, Samantha Haley Snyder

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Women in leadership positions may experience stereotype threat when explicitly or implicitly reminded of gender and leader stereotypes. Increased worry about potentially confirming the stereotype should affect their behavior and perceptions in leadership situations. I used a 3 (article) x 2 (confederate gender) between-participants design. Female participants read an article that either made stereotypes explicit (explicit threat), countered stereotypes (threat nullification), or did not include stereotype-relevant information (implicit threat) and were assigned to lead a male or female confederate through the construction of a Lego model. I hypothesized that women in the implicit threat conditions (implicit article; male confederate) would …

New Homes! (For The "Right" Family): Exclusionary Messages In Subdivision Advertising, Jennifer J. Heneghan

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Segregation is a large and incompletely understood problem in modern American society. By recognizing some of the ways segregation is perpetuated through print media we can gain more of an understanding into why the problem persists. This study of advertising for new subdivisions appearing in Jacksonville, Florida's major daily newspaper from 1960 through 2000 examines the use of potentially exclusionary messages such as use of the Equal Housing Opportunity logo or tagline, the race/ethnicity of human figures, and messages and images associated with particular socioeconomic statuses. Using both quantitative and qualitative data analysis this paper finds that exclusionary messages persist, …

People, Places, And Perspectives: An Exploration Of The Contextual Effects On Gender Work Role Attitudes, Tracy Amanda Milligan

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research examines possible contextual effects upon gender role attitudes in the United States related to women's employment outside ofthe household. The study included individual-level data, mother's previous work status and mother's educational attainment, not previously analyzed in a hierarchical linear model and state-level data not previously investigated, particularly state median household income. The primary analyses focus upon the contextual effects of state-level educational attainment and income. Analyzing General Social Survey data from 1994 to 2002, these contextual data were not found to have an effect upon the gender work role beliefs. In fact, none of the examined state-level variables …

The Invisible Side Of Military Careers : An Examination Of Employment And Well-Being Among Military Spouses, Beth Allen Easterling

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The link between employment and well-being is well-documented. However, limited research is available examining how employment affects the well-being of military spouses. Using data from the 2003 Air Force Community Assessment Survey, this study examines the impact of employment characteristics on depression levels, satisfaction with emotional well-being, and life satisfaction for military spouses. Results indicate that being unemployed and looking for employment outside of the home is detrimental to well-being for this group. Other personal, familial, and military factors are also discussed in relationship to employment and well-being of military spouses. Practical implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Causes Of Student Underachievement In Northside New Era Secondary School In Ghana, Edward Larbi

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on the causes of student underachievement in a selected high school in Ghana. The anonymous name chosen for the school was Northside New Era Secondary School. The participants in the study were administrators, teachers, and students. They were selected from the same school where the researcher conducted the study. The school was located in the Northern Region of Ghana. It had proven records of underachievement compared to other schools in the country according to the Ministry of Education's recent statistical report on education. The criterion for measurement was based on the results of the final examination conducted …

A Study Of Influences And Life Choices: African American Males From An Urban Pre-Trial Detention Center And The Navy, Patrick O'Neal Arnwine

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to explore the influences, experiences, and disparate life choices of eight African American males from the Jacksonville's Pre-trial Detention Center and the U.S. Navy. The focus of this project was on the choices made by the participants and possible reasons for those choices. Specifically, the research question for this study is "How do some African American males from Jacksonville's Pre-trial Detention Center and the Navy describe their life experiences and the influences of these experiences on their choices?''

The framework for this project was a cross-case and cross-site study. The sites were the Jacksonville Pre-trial Detention …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Crime And Chemical Use: A Study Of Jail Intake Data, Mariesha L. Pearson

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research was completed on a 300-person sample of 1985 arrestees in Jacksonville, Florida. The original focus of the study was to explore the possible relationship between crime and chemical use. Data was obtained from forms that were routinely used in the jail booking and interview process. Two booking/intake forms were used: The Arrest and Booking Report and the Medical Screening Information (P-075) form. Only 24 arrestees in the 300-person sample admitted to using chemicals. Hence, the data did not support the hypothesis of this thesis that a correlational relationship exists between crime and chemical use. This researcher observed and interviewed …

Shift Rotation Among Correctional Officers As A Source Of Perceived Job Related Stress, Phyllis Ingram

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My formal hypothesis for this study is that shift rotation among correctional officers has an effect on correctional officer stress. Although there are many definitions of stress, for the purpose of this study stress is defined as conscious nervous tension. Many authors believe that stress develops from a person's reactions to certain situations that are threatening or exert pressure on them. It is felt that whatever the cause, stress depends not on the outside event but on how one reacts to it. For the purpose of this study, stress was not formally defined to the correctional officers because I was …