Digital Commons Network^™

Data Collection Challenges And Recommendations For Early Career Researchers, Marylen Rimando, Andrea M. Brace, Apophia Namageyo-Funa, Tiffany L. Parr, Diadrey-Anne Sealy, Teaniese L. Davis, Lourdes M. Martinez, Richard W. Christiana

The Qualitative Report

Data collection is critical to the social research process. When implemented correctly, data collection enhances the quality of a social research study. However, doctoral students and early career researchers may encounter challenges with data collection. This article reports on the data collection challenges in dissertation research encountered by doctoral students enrolled in a public health program at a southeastern United States urban university. Each doctoral student shared at least one challenge and how it affected the data collection process. Additionally, the doctoral students shared how the identified challenges were addressed or suggested recommendations. Understanding these experiences of doctoral students is …

Services For People With Intellectual And/Or Developmental Disabilities In The U.S. Territories, John Butterworth, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

The following report represents an expansion of the data collection activities mandated by a 2012 Administration of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Prior to 2012, the AIDD funded data projects, Access to Integrated Employment, Family and Individual Information Systems project (FISP), Residential Information Systems Project (RISP) and the State of the States in Developmental Disabilities only collected data from the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The 2012 FOA requested that three of the AIDD data projects work together to include the five U.S. Territories (American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, …

Navigating Gender Inequality In Musical Subgenres, Adria Ryan Mclaughlin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study looks at female musicians performing in subcultural rock genres commonly considered non-gender-conforming, such as punk rock, heavy metal, noise, and experimental. Twenty-four interviews were conducted with female musicians who reflected on their experiences as musicians. Themes emerged on women’s patterns of entry into music, barriers they negotiated while playing, and forces that may push them out of the music scene. Once women gained a musician identity, their gender functioned as a master status. They negotiated sexism when people questioned their abilities, assumed men played better, expected them to fail, held them to conventional gender roles, and sexually objectified …

Evaluating The Impact Of Pharmacist Health Education On The Perceptions Of The Pharmacist’S Role Among Women Living In A Homeless Shelter, Laura V. Tsu, Kelsey Buckley, Sarah Nguyen, Jennifer Kohn

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Objectives: To determine the impact of pharmacist-provided educational seminars on the participant’s perception of the pharmacist’s role in providing women’s health education. Secondary objectives include the participant’s level of perceived benefit from the information provided during each presentation, as well as determining characteristics of participants who are interested in attending seminars.

Methods: This is a prospective study conducted within a homeless women’s shelter in Phoenix, Arizona. Pharmacists and pharmacy students provided 10 monthly educational seminars on topics related to women’s health. Participants completed a pre- and post-seminar survey regarding their perceptions of the presentations and pharmacists.

Results: …

Scardovia Wiggsiae Prevalence In Orthodontic Patients, Brandon Joseph Streiff

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Dental caries has mainly been associated with Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, Actinomyces and Veillonella species. But in recent salivary studies a new cariogenic pathogen, has been identified. This new bacteria, Scardovia wiggsiae (SW), is currently being tested within the UNLV School of Dental Medicine patient population. Although these current studies are being conducted to study its prevalence in both pediatric and adult populations, it has not been evaluated among patients with an altered oral environment as seen in patients with orthodontic appliances. Fixed orthodontic appliances increase the difficulty of removing daily plaque on and in between the teeth with standard oral hygiene …

The Situation Of Thailand’S Older Population: An Update Based On The 2014 Survey Of Older Persons In Thailand, John Knodel, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan, Vipan Prachuabmoh, Wiraporn Pothisiri

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Population ageing and the well-being of older persons are major emerging challenges for families, communities and government in Thailand as in much of Asia. The Thai government has been giving very serious attention to ageing issues. This was clearly indicated by the adoption of the Second National Plan for Older Persons covering 2002-2021, the prominence of ageing issues in the 2012-16 National Economic and Social Development Plan, and a 2015 establishment of the Department of Older Persons with expanded authority to carry out programs to support elderly Thais. Furthermore, the Old Age Allowance program was expanded in 2009 into a …

Preliminary Evidence For The Existence Of A Regional Sacbe Across The Northern Maya Lowlands, Scott L. Fedick, Dawn Reid, Jennifer P. Mathews

Jennifer P Mathews

Ancient road systems have often been used by archaeologists to reconstruct interaction and political ties among prehistoric settlements. Roads built by the ancient Maya offer many insights into the political geography of the area, particularly in the northern lowlands where hieroglyphic texts are rare. This study examines ethnohistoric, historic, and archaeological data that suggest that a regional road, some 300 km in length, once spanned the northern lowlands from the modern location of Mérida to the east coast facing the island of Cozumel. The political implications of such a road, if it once existed, are discussed.

Assessing The Deployment Of Home Visiting: Learning From A State-Wide Survey Of Home Visiting Programs, Robert L. Fischer, Elizabeth R. Anthony, Nina Lalich, Paul Bakaki, Siran Koroukian-Hajinazarian

Faculty Scholarship

Objectives: Large-scale planning for health and human services programming is required to inform effective public policy as well as deliver services to meet community needs. The present study demonstrates the value of collecting data directly from deliverers of home visiting programs across a state. This study was conducted in response to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which requires states to conduct a needs assessment of home visiting programs for pregnant women and young children to receive federal funding. In this paper, we provide a descriptive analysis of a needs assessment of home visiting programs in Ohio. Methods: All …

Occupations, Organizations, And Boundaryless Careers, Pamela S. Tolbert

Pamela S Tolbert

[Excerpt] The central premise of this chapter is that, as organizations become less important in defining career pathways and boundaries, occupations will become increasingly more important. While occupational demarcations have always had a significant, albeit often unacknowledged, impact on individual career patterns, the significance of such demarcations for careers is likely to be heightened by current trends in employment relationships. In this chapter, then, I review the sociological literature on occupational labor markets and on the structure of professional occupations, in an effort to shed light on a number of issues associated with occupationally based careers. Of specific concern are …

La Relación Entre El Desamparo Y La Salud: El Caso Del Campamento Japón En Santiago, Chile, Chaveli Concepción

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En esta investigación se busca exponer más a fondo como la desigualdad social afecta la salud de aquellos que han sido menos favorecidos. En esta ocasión se analizó el caso de los habitantes del Campamento Japón, en la comuna de Maipú, de Santiago, Chile, con el objetivo de entender el fenómeno de la desigualdad social y cómo esta afecta la salud de las personas que la sufren. La metodología de este estudio cualitativo se constituyó de investigación bibliográfica previa, y posteriormente visitas y trabajos voluntarios al Campamento Japón para hacer observaciones y entrevistas a los activistas del campamento, a los …

Do Parents Favor Their Adoptive Or Biological Children? Predictions From Kin Selection And Compensatory Models, Nancy L. Segal, Norman P. Li, Jamie L. Graham, Steven A. Miller

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Evolutionary reasoning (Kin Selection Theory) predicts less favorable behaviors directed by parents toward their unrelated children, relative to their biologically related children. By extension, it may be argued that parents should also have less favorable perceptions of the intellectual, personality and other behavioral traits of unrelated children, compared with biologically related children. However, recent work has modified this expectation, given the distinction between unrelated adopted children (who are acquired intentionally) and unrelated stepchildren (who are acquired via mating effort). The compensatory model takes into account evolved desires for parenting and the evolutionarily novel availability of unrelated children. It predicts that …

Poking, Prodding, And Piercing: Becoming A Successful Body Modifier, Joshua A. Ison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Body modification is a global phenomenon. In the southeastern United States, two forms of modifications present themselves most often: piercings and tattoos. Much of the research conducted on body modifications looks at deviance as a primary concern, focusing less on what the individuals are like. This study examines the personal accounts of people with body modifications and add to the existing information about body-modified people. Interviews were conducted with fifteen participants across several months in different parts of two east Tennessee cities. Questions were open-ended and all responses were transcribed. Participants discussed a variety of topics, including pain, belongingness, and …

The Convergence Of Structure And Design Between Video Games And Video Gambling, Daniel Sahl

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study looks at the incorporation of video game design and structure into contemporary slot machines. The investigation was guided by theoretical and empirical works from a range of scholarly fields: gambling studies, video-game studies, digital communication, psychology, and sociology. Two methodological designs were employed. The first phase used a content analysis that identified the distribution of video-game styles and design in the most recent slot games on display at a major industry conference. The second phase employed semi-structured interviews with both experienced and inexperienced slot players to assess the impact of different design elements on their playing experience and …

Maine Head Start And Early Head Start Needs Assessment Report 2015 Annual Update, Linda Labas, Jill Downs

Early Childhood Resources

The Maine Head Start and Early Head Start Needs Assessment Report 2015 Annual Update presents findings from a broad survey of directors and staff representing the 11 non-tribal Head Start grantees in Maine. This report serves as one source of information from which to assess partnerships and develop a strategic plan for the MHSSCO to enhance collaboration with other Maine early childhood system partners to support families and children in Maine.

A "Greedy" Institution With Great Job Benefits: Family Structure And Gender Variation In Commitment To Military Employment, Karen M. Brummond

Masters Theses

Scholars describe both the military and the family as “greedy institutions,” or institutions that require expansive time and energy commitments, and alter participants’ master status (Segal 1986; Coser 1974). However, the military’s employment benefits may counteract its greedy elements. I use data from the 2008 Survey of Active Duty Members to examine commitment to military employment in wartime, accounting for greedy elements of military service (such as geographic mobility, risk of bodily harm, and separations), job benefits, family structure, and gender. The results show that women in dual-service marriages, unmarried men, and those who experienced separations reported lower career commitment …

Know Your Value: Negotiation Skill Development For Junior Investigators In The Academic Environment—A Report From The American Society Of Preventive Oncology's Junior Members Interest Group, Allison B. Burton-Chase, Maria C. Swartz, Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera, Karen Basen-Engquist, Faith E. Fletcher, Peter G. Shields

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

The American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO) is a professional society for multidisciplinary investigators in cancer prevention and control. One of the aims of ASPO is to enable investigators at all levels to create new opportunities and maximize their success. One strategy adopted by ASPO was to develop the Junior Members Interest Group in 1999. The Interest Group membership includes predoctoral fellows, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty members who are provided career development and training opportunities (1). Responsibilities of the members of the Junior Members Interest Group include serving on the ASPO Executive Committee and the Program Planning …

University College Connection Summer 2015, Dennis K. George, Dean, Wendi Kelley, Univeristy College

UC Publications

No abstract provided.

Progression Through Partnership, Aurelia Spaulding Editor, Leah Ashwill, Lauren D. Cunningham

ALIVE Center Publications

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Experiences Of African-American Relatives Who Serve As Care Providers To Custodial Children In Arkansas: An Intersectional Case Study, Carmen Johnson-Hardin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An increase in the provision of long-term care by relative caregivers to custodial children has brought attention to the physical, emotional, and Social challenges of this complex caregiving experience. Prior studies have examined separate structural identities that focus on comparing the quality of life, educational status, Social status, and income of grandparent custodial caregivers. To extend this research, it is important to explore the gaps in service provisions to relative caregivers; comparative viewpoints of relative caregivers and service providers regarding policies and practices; and heterogeneity among Black relative caregivers utilizing an intersectional framework. Face-to-face or telephone interviews were conducted with …

Cultural Influences On Attitudes Toward The Criminal Justice System: A Focus On The Filipino American Community, Moises Osias Mina Jr.

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Based on the Individualism-Collectivism (I-C) perspective and elements of Cullen's social support theory, the present exploratory analysis tested for differences in individualism and collectivism and the potential impact of such differences on attitudes toward criminal justice constructs. Survey participants were Philippine residents, Filipino immigrants to the United States, and US-born Filipino Americans. Initial results suggested minimal variations in individualism and collectivism among the three groups, however, more significant differences were found when respondents were grouped by country of birth, with US-born Filipino Americans exhibiting lower scores in collectivism and, unexpectedly, in individualism. Measures of specific I-C traits, such as independence, …

Service Learning To Community Engagement, M. S. Joseph Antony Jacob Sj

Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Service-Learning 亞太地區服務研習會議

No abstract provided.

A Critical Analysis Of Volunteer Tourism And The Implications For Developing Communities, Haley A. Garrison

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The practice of volunteer tourism has recently experienced a rise in both popularity and participation, along with research into the effectiveness of the approaches to service taken in foreign countries. This type of tourism is commonly described as an eco-friendly and economically sustainable alternative to traditional methods of international travel. Participants typically express altruistic motivations behind their desire to travel, as conventional touristic activities are paired with various forms of volunteer work. Though this paper describes significant benefits associated with this growing industry, many critiques have also explored the limitations of a voluntourism approach to community development. In contrast to …

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Within Refugee Populations And Its Effects On Acculturation Into The United States, Brittany Burk

Celebration of Learning

The focus of this Honors Capstone research was to better understand the process through which a refugee acculturates into U.S. society. To do this, the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder, cultural differences, United States citizens’ perceptions of refugees, and other challenges were addressed. A survey was conducted involving citizens’ perceptions of refugees, and revealed that individuals’ perceptions were determined by refugee status, PTSD and/or situational differences, depending on the scenario being described. This research seeks to address the problems faced by refugees entering the United States and proposes some solutions to provide a better transition into the U.S. culture by …

Gold Mining And Unequal Exchange In Western Amazonia: A Theoretical Photo Essay, Gordon L. Ulmer

disClosure: A Journal of Social Theory

I combine fieldwork photography and ethnographic documentation of gold mining in Madre de Dios, Peru, to examine the localized material, social, environmental, and health outcomes of the global gold boom. This 'theoretical photo essay’ examines how local and global forces coalesce around gold mining and influence peoples and environments in Western Amazonia. I use embodiment theory in anthropology, ecological economics, and theories of underdevelopment to understand local consequences of the global gold trade and to elucidate how opulence and the machinations of capital accumulation in economic centers of the world occur at the expense of human lives and environments in …

Intimate Partner Violence In South Texas (Rio Grande Valley): An Exploratory Research Of Latinas Of Mexican Descent, Georgina Villegas

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This is a qualitative exploratory research study of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) among a sample of Latinas from the Rio Grande Valley. Purposive and snowball sampling was used to identify 12 Latina victims of intimate partner violence. Respondents’ ages ranged from 24 to 40 and were born in cities throughout the Rio Grande Valley. Respondents participated in a structured interview process. Respondents’ descriptions of abuse included physical, verbal, sexual, and emotional abuse. Interview results produced 12 distinct narrative memos summarizing respondents’ intimate partner violence experiences. Interview results were analyzed and revealed several themes and subthemes frequently identified in other intimate …

A Constructivist Study Of Graduate Assistants' Healthcare Experiences In A Research University, Uttam Gaulee, Brenda Lee, Douglas Whitaker, Natalie Khoury Ridgewell, Mirka Koro-Ljungberg, Dayna M. Watson, Colleen Butcher

The Qualitative Report

This constructivist study explores 16 graduate assistants’ (GAs) healthcare experiences and uses grounded theory to create a model of graduate assistants’ experiences with university-provided healthcare in a large research university. The model is composed of four broad components: (a) systems; (b) access, care and coverage; (c) knowledge, quality and cost; and (d) self. Graduate assistants’ needs and expectations constantly negotiate various systems in the model. Expanding upon the limited research regarding graduate student healthcare, this study provides implications for higher education administrators and policy makers. Based on our study findings we argue that it is not sufficient for university administrations …

Animals As Lifechangers And Lifesavers: Pets In The Redemption Narratives Of Homeless People, Leslie Irvine

Leslie Irvine, PhD

This paper examines personal narratives in which homeless and formerly homeless people construct their companion animals as having changed or saved their lives. The analysis considers selfhood a narrative accomplishment, the strategic outcome rather than the source of the stories people tell. These particular stories employ the theme of redemption, in which tellers describe overcoming adversity to face a better future, with animals playing key roles. The analysis reveals the narrative elements through which animals become vehicles for redemption. As dependent others, animals encourage a sense of responsibility. As the providers of unconditional love, they reward the fulfillment of responsibility. …

A Conversation With Alisha Thompson

LGBTQ Alumni Oral History Project

This conversation represents an oral history interview with a Holy Cross alum who graduated in 2014. Highlights of this interview include the interviewee's reflections of campus life as a closeted and out GLBTQ student as well as the sources of support she turned to throughout her four years.

Interview keywords: closet, college, coming out, family, Jesuit, professional life, study abroad, support

Creating (Un)Docufriendly Campuses For High Achieving (Un)Docuscholars, Rhonda Rios Kravitz

NACCS Annual Conference Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Mapping Boston's Assets To Improve Livability For Older Adults: Boston's Age Friendly Community Initiative; And Building Bonds To Last A Lifetime: Creating Community Among Beverly’S Aging Population, Bernard A. Steinman, Abigail Butt, Ceara Somerville, Hayley Gleason

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Boston Age Friendly Community Initiative is working with the City of Boston to document a comprehensive and inclusive baseline assessment of needs within domains that influence health and quality of life of older adults. In a separate project, UMass Boston worked with the City of Beverly Council on Aging and Senior Center to develop a database that would allow the Senior Center to locate and contact both new and long-time resident seniors in the hopes of building a better relationship with them.