Digital Commons Network^™

Employing Intern-National Students: Perceived Costs And Benefits To Employers For Hiring International Student Interns, Jowei Yek

Masters Projects

International students have historically gravitated toward the United States as a higher education destination, and have subsequently been a significant source of funding for the U.S. economy. However, international students have been observed facing challenges finding employment in the United States, during or after their degree programs, which can deter prospective students from attending U.S. universities.

This study used nine semi-structured interviews to investigate what U.S. employers across various industries in Michigan perceived as the costs and benefits of hiring international students as interns.

The study found financial, procedural, and organizational costs that were seen as barriers for U.S. employers …

Bridging The Gap Between Theory And Practice: A Journey Through Conducting Genre-Based Research In Applied Linguistics For Identifying And Analyzing Genres, Elih Sutisna Yanto, Anita Triastuti

The Qualitative Report

This article discusses Conducting Genre-Based Research in Applied Linguistics: A Methodological Guide, edited by Matt Kessler and Charlene Polio, that addresses the theory-practice gap in genre-based pedagogy. The book emphasizes the importance of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) and its integration into the teaching and learning cycle to improve students' understanding and production of different genres. Theoretical foundations of Halliday's SFL are discussed alongside practical methods such as case studies, ethnography and metadiscourse analysis. The volume offers a comprehensive framework for researchers and educators and describes tools and approaches for analyzing multimodal texts, understanding multilingual competence, and applying genre knowledge …

Teaching Shakespeare In Prison, Renford Reese, Rachel Tracie

Journal of Prison Education Research

The Prison Education Project (PEP) offers life skills and academic courses in 30 correctional facilities in California. Founded in 2011, PEP uses university student and faculty volunteers to teach a range of 32 introductory courses during three seven-week semesters: Fall, Spring, Summer. One of PEP’s most popular courses is the “Introduction to Shakespeare” course. This article examines the impact of teaching an “Introduction to Shakespeare” course in prison. This course introduces in-custody students to the literary interpretation of Shakespeare in the context of their own lived experience. Students in this course deconstruct the use of language and analyze the social, …

An Exploration Of China’S Low Fertility From A Feminist Lens: Chinese Women’S Feminist Identity Development, Perceived Gender Inequality, And Attitudes Toward Marriage, Yuan Hao

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Inspired by China’s current low fertility rate issues, this dissertation explored how Chinese women’s perceptions on gender inequality might shape their attitudes towards marriage and intent to marry, through the influences of different dimensions of feminist identity development. Through an online survey, 251 Chinese women who met the inclusion criteria were participants in this study. Hypotheses were tested through mediation analysis using the PROCESS Macro Model 4.

The following hypotheses were supported: 1) Chinese women’s perception of gender inequality is associated with their attitudes toward marriage. The greater they perceive gender inequality, the more negative their attitudes toward marriage will …

No. 24: Food And Health Security Among Burmese Migrant Domestic Workers In Singapore Amid Myanmar’S ‘Triple Crisis’, Brenda Yeoh, Franchesca Morais, Theodora Lam, Kristel Acedera, Bittiandra Chand Somaiah

Migration and Food Security (MiFOOD) Network

Migrating overseas to work as domestic workers is an increasingly important livelihood strategy for capital-poor women in Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar. However, the recent COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest in Myanmar has highlighted the entrenched precarities and uncertainties attached to this migration strategy. The health crisis has further heightened the importance of remittances and food security for migrants and their sending households. Food production, food systems and access to food supplies in the country have been especially hit by political instability, the energy crisis and inflation. This paper explores issues concerning the food and health security of female …

Linking Community-Level Food Sovereignty To Subjective Wellbeing: Framing Perspectives On Food Systems In The Upper Yakima River Basin, Alexander W. Theophilus

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Food sovereignty is a framework focused on achieving a wide range of changes in food systems that yield more equitable outcomes for consumers, workers, farmers, and future generations. Food sovereignty is also believed to be an important driver of community wellbeing. However, there is limited research linking perceptions of community-level food sovereignty to subjective wellbeing. Additionally, the complex determinants of food sovereignty are not fully understood. Through two papers linking community-level food sovereignty and subjective wellbeing, I discuss the factors that influence food sovereignty and the impact of food systems on wellbeing in Washington’s upper Yakima River Basin.

In the …

Aging In Hopkinton: A Community Needs Assessment, Sue Berger, Caitlin E. Coyle

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA) within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the Town of Hopkinton. The goals of this project were to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Hopkinton residents age 55 or older by engaging the community regarding their experiences and needs relevant to Senior Services objective to identify and serve the needs of Hopkinton’s older residents. The contents of this report are meant to inform the Town of Hopkinton, Hopkinton Senior Services, and organizations that work with and …

Aging In Newton: A Community Needs Assessment, Claire Wickersham, Katherine Burnes, Shu Xu, Caitlin E. Coyle

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report presents the results of a comprehensive examination of issues relating to aging in Newton. A needs assessment was undertaken to support planning on the part of the City of Newton and the Department of Older Adult Services. Results presented here focus on the characteristics and needs of Newton residents who are aged 60 and older. Data was collected via key informant interviews, focus groups with residents and stakeholders and a mailed survey of residents aged 60 and older. Respondents to the community survey included 2,869 Newton residents, which resulted in a response rate of more than 50%. As …

Volume 26, Issue 2 (Special Issue) -- Full Contents

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

My Last Concussion, Shannon Valkr

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

MY LAST CONCUSSION is a thesis consisting of a critical introduction, a number of poetic influences, and a collection of poems. The introduction touches on the themes of the collection, my personal history with my subject, my changing approach to poetry, and a brief evaluation of the work as a whole. It details my approach to Catholicism, paganism, transgender identity, and oppression. My work grapples with both my current understanding of myself and my inability to enunciate my reality in the past. I aim to view divinity and personal history through a lens of queerness.

Advisor: Kwame Dawes

Retirement And Life Satisfaction Among Middle-Aged And Older Adults: A Piecewise Growth Mixture Analysis, Jonathan L. Chia, Andree Hartanto, William Tov

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Retirement represents a significant life transition typically occurring in later adulthood, often accompanied by substantial lifestyle changes. Several theoretical frameworks suggest that these changes present both opportunities and challenges for well-being, and the extent to which individuals experience positive versus negative well-being outcomes may be influenced by various factors. To study such heterogeneity in retirement experiences, researchers have embraced person-centered methodologies. Yet, some previous studies have not robustly delineated retirement- from age-related changes in well-being, accounted for statistical uncertainties, or examined these diverse experiences outside of a Western context. These limitations preclude conclusions about the diverse experience of retirement. Using …

Promoting Cultural Humility, Belonging, And Inclusion To Improve Well-Being Among Direct Care Staff In Oregon Assisted Living, Residential Care, And Memory Care Communities, 2024, Jacklyn Kohon, Dani Himes, Laura Rodriguez, Sarah Dys, Paula Carder, Diana Jacoby, Madeline Fox

Institute on Aging Publications

The voices and experiences of those working and living in assisted living, residential care, and memory care (AL/RC) settings in Oregon are highlighted in this study to understand cultural humility, belonging, inclusion, and intersectional experiences related to sustaining the workforce and promoting quality care. This qualitative study collected data through individual and focus group interviews with a total of 68 people, including 25 direct care staff, voice memos or interviews with 9 former direct care staff, interviews with 9 administrators, interviews with 7 management representatives (owner/operators, human resources specialists, directors of operations, among other titles), and interviews with 18 current …

Burma Refugees’ Migratory And Resettlement Experiences And Health Practices, Eunice E. Kim

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Many refugees from Burma (renamed Myanmar) resettled in the U.S. in recent years; however, they are largely unknown to the American public care system. This dissertation aimed to increase understanding of their unique existence and life trajectory and provide a groundwork to identify an effective way to assist their quest to secure health and well-being in their host communities. Guided by Max Weber's Interpretive Sociology and Ideal Type construct principles, this study investigated the Burma refugee’s particular sociodemographic characteristics, narratives of enduring refugee debilitating conditions across multiple contexts, and life adaptations. The sampled Burma refugees comprised 36 former and current …

Essays On Education And Labor Market Outcomes, Ishita Ahmed

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation focuses on the labor market or educational outcomes using applied microeconomic methods. Chapter 1 investigates the impact of waiting an additional year to start kindergarten on the socioeconomic achievement gap in Nebraska using longitudinal administrative data from the Nebraska Department of Education. I utilize fuzzy regression discontinuity design to find the effect of waiting on test scores. I find waiting a year to improve the test score, and this impact fades away over time. This fading pattern shows a considerable amount of heterogeneity across different demographic groups, suggesting an acceleration of the achievement gap. The study also investigates …

Spaces Of Progress And The Challenge Of “Mindfulness” In A Postcolonial World, M. Satish Kumar

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

Progress implied both change and improvement in the colonial and postcolonial world. Such a concept of progress came to be enshrined in specific geographical places. The notions of development and underdevelopment in the postcolonial context thereafter supplanted this idea. Over time, while the structures of colonial domination dissolved, those of embedded regional inequalities came to be deeply entrenched, thereby urging for Thich Nhat Hanh’s approach to “mindfulness” in a “postcapitalist,” postcolonial world. The key question is whether postcolonialism has reached an impasse in its delivery and deployment of ideas across the widening gulf between the spaces of progress and stagnancy. …

The Decline Of Republican Democracy And Rise Of The Techno-Authoritarian State: Reading Dystopian Novels In Hindi Literature, Manindra Nath Thakur

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

In the past few decades, the nature of capitalism has changed fast as it has lost its philosophical justification based on the principle of the common good. There have been many avatars of the idea of the “common good”: “white man’s burden to civilize the world,” “welfarism,” and “neoliberal concept of freedom of choice.” Capitalism now seems to have moved in a new direction, however, and it has failed to produce any further philosophical justification for its existence as a mode of production despite generating unprecedented economic inequality. Consequently, there is a rising tension between capitalism and democracy in societies …

Human Trafficking Screening Tools Amongst Migrants And Refugees: Current Tools And Future Outlooks, Audra Fox

Student Theses

While various human trafficking screening tools exist to help stakeholders identify indicators and risk of trafficking, few tools are designed specifically for use amongst migrants and refugees. Via interviews with anti-trafficking stakeholders, the following qualitative study describes what tools stakeholders currently use to asses trafficking amongst migrants and refugee, and if stakeholders desire a new tool specific for migrant/refugee populations. Thematic results indicate that most stakeholders are not using validated tools for trafficking victims, let alone migrants and refugees (n=5, 38.5%). Of the total sample, 62% of participants (n=8) reported various screening discrepancies across stakeholders. Additionally, …

Is This Home Truly? Reflections On Singapore As It Turns 59, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In a commentary, SMU President Professor Lily Kong shared her reflections on Singapore as it turns 59. She discussed Singapore's nation-building process and offered her views on how the country can strengthen its social compact to make Singapore a home for Singaporeans.

Border Soundscapes: Latinidad, Belonging, And Sense Of Place In The Paso Del Norte Region., Josã© Manuel Flores Fuentes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores the acoustic ecologies of the Juárez-El Paso border, investigating how soundscapes shape and reflect the cultural identity, sense of belonging, and sense of place within this unique transnational region. Guided by the theoretical lenses of belonging (Kohut, Tajfel, Turner, Hooks), sense of place (Feld & Basso), and habitus (Bourdieu), the research takes a phenomenological approach, informed by Merleau-Ponty's concepts of perception and Ceraso's notion of embodied listening. The study analyzes soundscape samples through Krause's categories of biophonies, geophonies, and anthropophonies, uncovering how these sounds contribute to the development of Latino identity and cultural cohesion in the borderlands.Focusing …

Understanding The Livelihood Diversification Of Arkansas Women Involved In Agricultural Production, Oluwatoyin Elizabeth Abati

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Agriculture as a livelihood activity entails significant risks and uncertainties, which expose agricultural households to a low standard of living, poverty, and a lowering of their food security status. Women's responsibilities in agriculture are expanding and becoming more critical, and farm women are now broadening their duties to include roles off-farm. More research is needed in Arkansas about agricultural women's roles, challenges, and essential job characteristics. Using a quantitative survey, this research aimed to provide a resource on how women involved in agricultural production diversify their livelihoods. Participants were asked to describe their livelihood diversification by identifying their activities on …

Post-Productivism And Rural Revitalization In China: Drivers And Outcomes, Meiling Wu, Qian Forrest Zhang, John A. Donaldson

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

We propose that post-productivism offers a useful analytical framework for understanding the multi-scalar and diverse changes that are taking place in China’s rural revitalization. As a theoretical framework that emerged from the study of rural changes in the Global North, the applicability of post-productivism in the Global South has been contested. This paper offers the first comprehensive analysis of the emergence of post-productivism in rural China and uses post-productivism as a framework to conceptualize a wide range of changes in China’s rural revitalization. We conceptually clarify the driving forces that give rise to post-productivism and the outcomes these drivers produce. …

A Gendered Lens On Mediation And Market Governance: Experiences Of Women Market Vendors In Papua New Guinea, Wilma Langa, Jackie Kauli, Verena Thomas

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The majority of market vendors at urban informal markets in Papua New Guinea are women. They face vulnerabilities related to safety, security and infrastructural support. They operate within male-dominated mediation structures where women’s contributions to mediation and market governance are often invisible. However, in this article, we demonstrate how women market vendors contribute to the social aspect of market governance, particularly addressing issues of law and order within Awagasi market. Through the efforts of women vendors in mediation and conflict management, safety in the market and normal operation of the informal market have improved. The study involved 18 women market …

We're Swarming Again! Swarming, Collectivity, And Trope: The Case Of Extinction Rebellion, Tyler J. Behymer

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis explores the rhetoric of the eco-movement Extinction Rebellion, focusing on the use of swarming and nature tropes to mobilize collective action and revivify contemporary notions of collectivity. Drawing on rhetoric of social movement scholarship, cultural studies, and psychoanalysis, this essay theorizes swarming as a tropological economy that expands the conditions of propriety in the context of collectivity. Through an analysis of Extinction Rebellion’s discourse, this study demonstrates how the naturalization of swarming tropes works in various ways to rewild conventional political discourse, galvanize disruptive collective assembly, and challenge green neoliberalism.

Advisor: Casey Ryan Kelly

Leveling The Playing Field: An Ethnographic Study Of Latinx Youth Soccer Leagues In Las Vegas, Jeannette Hernández

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines how youth sports privatization, family dynamics, coaching, and team organization affect Latinx youth’s opportunities and interests in playing competitive soccer. It also examines the role that soccer plays in identity-making for Latinx people in Las Vegas, if and how they use these soccer spaces to develop kinship ties and build community, and it documents how these soccer spaces are developed as counter-spaces. I employ Critical Ethnography paired with 36 interviews with youth and adults. I observed two club soccer teams and one soccer league in Las Vegas (the league was a public community league that primarily caters …

Political Constructions Of People Who Use Drugs In The Philippines: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Background

This paper examines the political constructions of people who use drugs in the Philippines throughout the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte (2016–2022), during which the government engaged in a ‘war on drugs’ and promoted a punitive drug regime.

Methods

Building on and drawing inspiration from the global drug policy scholarship that has looked at the ways in which drugs are framed and problematised in various domains, this study used qualitative content analysis to review 96 documents from national government agencies - including strategic action plans, directives, memorandums, guidelines, annual reports, and legislative measures.

Results

Foremost, the study finds that various …

Ten Years As Boundary Object: The Search For Identity And Belonging As 'Hongkongers', John Lowe, Darlene Machell Espena, George Wong

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This article examines the complex process of symbolic boundary-making of ‘Hongkonger’ cultural identities through the lens of the controversial 2015 film Ten Years, which is a celebrated omnibus production comprised of five short segments that picture a dystopic end to Hong Kong’s cherished way of life in the year 2025. The article is premised on an interdisciplinary approach engaging with cultural studies and film studies. On one hand, it explores how Ten Years functioned as a boundary object, a vast terrain within which cultural identities of what it means to be a Hongkonger are constructed, banished, imagined, and performed under …

Ticket Punch: The Consequences Of Fare Evasion Enforcement In New York City Subways, Sheyla A. Delgado, Gina Moreno, Fidel L. Osorio, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

Researchers at the John Jay College Research and Evaluation Center studied transit fare evasion in New York City subway stations from 2018 to 2023 as part of the NYPD's Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative. Analyzing fare evasion alongside arrest data and neighborhood characteristics, the study found no significant link between fare enforcement and overall arrest rates. However, fare evasion enforcement was concentrated in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, highlighting the influence of social factors on public safety practices.

Factors Influencing Online Repurchase Intention In Indonesia’S E-Commerce Market: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Egia Etha, Pijar Suciati, Ajenk N. Citra

Jurnal Sosial Humaniora Terapan

The rapid expansion of e-Commerce in Indonesia has revolutionized consumer behavior, shifting preferences from traditional retail to the dynamic world of online shopping. This paradigm shift necessitates a deep understanding of consumer online buying behavior, which unfolds in two critical stages: initial purchase intention and the all-important repurchase intention. The latter is a key determinant of e-Commerce success, reflecting customer loyalty and the overall health of an online business. This research delves into the significant factors driving Indonesian consumers' online repurchase intentions, employing a robust quantitative methodology. A comprehensive survey was conducted with 200 e-commerce shoppers, utilizing both email and …

How Housing Insecurity And Welfare Systems Retraumatize Women In Southern California, Yesika Menera

McNair Summer Research Program

Studies show that individuals experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity also experience trauma and mental illnesses. Despite this evidence, many resources provided through state welfare services seldom allocate sufficient funds and personnel to help address mental health. This study investigates the relationship between housing insecurity and trauma for adult women who have tried to access assistance throughout Southern California. To do this, I conducted in-depth interviews and DSM-5 questionnaires with twenty-six women during the summer of 2023 and 2024 via Zoom. My findings show that adult women who have experienced homelessness and housing insecurity in Southern California were more susceptible to …

Social Media For Pr In University: Building Community And Engagement, Ajenk N. Citra, Intan Primadini, Pijar Suciati

Jurnal Sosial Humaniora Terapan

Public relations and stakeholder engagement at universities have been transformed by social media. According to several studies, colleges are using social media more and more to share information, advertise events, and project a positive image. Some claim, however, that colleges have not fully embraced the participatory features of social media and instead use it as a "spectator sport" for one-way communication. This study aims to analyze how social media helps build community and engagement for public relations purposes in the university. This study uses a qualitative descriptive approach with a case study method. Data are collected through interviews and then …