Understanding Drugs, Michelle Rustin

Integrated Studies

Abstract

The first time someone drinks alcohol or takes a drug, it is a voluntary choice. At some point during use, brain flips a switch and use is no longer voluntary. The drug, rerouting its reward circuit, hijacks the brain. Anyone can become addicted to drugs. After the initial exposure to drugs, no one chooses how their brain will react. Addiction is not a choice, a moral failing, a character flaw, or something that only bad people do. Scientists and experts agree that it is a disease caused by biology, environment, and other factors. Understanding drugs and their harmful effects …

Police Deviancy: An Exploration Of Issues And Ideas Moving Forward, Jason A. Lutz

Integrated Studies

The purpose of this study was to examine one of history’s most horrific offenses carried out by police. This being their participation in the Holocaust. By examining previous research in the field, it was determined the factors that led to their participation still exist in policing today. Factors such as implicit bias and police deviancy along with the absence of ethics-based police training are all contributing factors. An examination was conducted in regard to the existence of the “us versus them mentality” that police possess in order to understand factors that cause it. The research also acknowledges the existence of …

Is Intermittent Fasting The Missing Element To Proper Health?, Joseph Harris

Integrated Studies

Food is more accessible than ever, yet it is ultra-processed and loaded with many chemicals and preservatives. Most foods today are not made to be healthy, just to taste good, and it is making people sick. This research paper will look at the ancient practice of fasting and the health benefits associated with it. There have been numerous theories on how to lose weight and how to live a healthful life, but most people who try to follow these ideals do not succeed at them. Why is obesity becoming a rapidly growing epidemic? Is there a link between obesity and …

Teaching Evaluative Criteria To Increase Critical Thinking: Infographics 101, Dana Thompson

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

This one-shot instruction session is intended to increase students’ critical thinking and visual literacy skills by teaching students how to evaluate and create infographics using specific, evaluative criteria.

Review Of The Book Homesteading The Plains: Toward A New History, Peter A. Kindle

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Review of the book Homesteading the Plains: Toward a New History

Towards A Social Justice Agenda: Intimate Partner Violence Among Rural, African American Women, Shani Collins Woods

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

The social work profession is rooted in community-based work that seeks to eradicate social injustice everywhere. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global phenomenon which impacts women from diverse socio-economic and racial/ethnic backgrounds. It involves power and control, economic abuse, and physical and sexual violence. When compared to other racial and ethnic groups, African American women are likelier to experience physical violence, rape, and homicide. Intimate partner violence among African American women is a social justice issue.

When compared to other racial and ethnic groups, rural and/or low-income African American women are likelier to experience IPV. They are also likelier …

Holistic Approach To Addressing Community Needs In Rural Communities, Ebony L. Hall Lang, Stephanie J. Hamm, Nathalie P. Jones

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

The purpose of this study was to assess health of a rural Texas community in efforts to better understand and develop a plan of action for developing community intervention for increasing availability of human resources. Researchers asked various questions to understand the availability and accessibility of resources within a rural community using a community needs assessment approach. Participants were recruited by the researchers directly within the community using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The sample size included 361 participants in a rural community. The overall quality of life for the rural participants was slightly lower than what researchers considered to …

Mental Health Advocacy: Building An Interdisciplinary Program For Agriculture Professionals, Abby E. Blankenship, Erica E. Nason, Olivia Hayes, Sebastian Bliss

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

The suicide rate among agriculturalists is 3.5 times higher than the general population. A number of external factors related to the farming and veterinary work put individuals in agricultural populations at risk for poor mental health outcomes, including economic variables (e.g. tariffs, market prices), environmental factors affecting yield (e.g. drought, pests), and exposure to difficult or traumatic life events (e.g., mistreatment of animals, loss of crop). Rural values including self-reliance, work orientation, and individualism combined with logistical and systemic barriers to competent behavioral health care further increase risk. Project GROW (Generating Resilience in Our Workforce) is a multifaceted full semester …

Stinky Water And Other Ills: Environmental Justice For Rural Services, Michael R. Daley

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Environmental justice concerns affect rural communities and the people who are members of them. Social workers’ long-standing involvement in improving living conditions of the people and communities with whom they work make environmental justice an important responsibility. Yet there is a rural-urban divide on topics related to the environment, and rural and urban communities tend to establish different environmental priorities. Rural communities tend to prioritize local conditions and solutions over global and societal ones. Rural people distrust national policies especially those established by governmental as not being responsive to their interest. Some common environmental rural problems are identified. Environmental justice …

Review Of The Book Rural Poverty In The United States, Peter A. Kindle

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Review of the book Rural Poverty in the United States

Dress Like Me: An Exploration Of Rural Graduate Social Work Attire, Jody Long, Jocelyn Martin, Audra Pierce, Sean Creech, Stephen Guffey

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

During graduate school internship training, some students wear more formal attire and others casual attire. This study’s purpose was to explore rural areas clients’ preference for graduate social work interns’ attire. Clients from internship sites located in a rural southern location were asked their attire preferences based on comfort and confidence levels, degree of warmth, returning appointments, and during a crisis. One hundred and twenty-six subjects participated in the study and responded that casual dress was preferred in terms of specific impressions. The results of the study were to build rapport; graduate social work interns should consider their clientele when …

Professor Lonnie E. Maness: From The Cotton Fields To The Classroom

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

Professor Lonnie E. Maness: From the Cotton Fields to the Classroom

David L. Maness

Book Reviews

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

Kaskaskia: The Lost Capital of Illinois by David MacDonald and Raine Waters

Richard Dwayne Parker

The Bank War and the Partisan Press: Newspapers, Financial Institutions, and the Post Office in Jacksonian America by Stephen W. Campbell

Berry Craig

Religion, Race, and the Making of Confederate Kentucky, 1830-1880 by Luke E. Harlow

George Humphreys

Shiloh: Conquer or Perish by Timothy Smith

John Ridge

Johnsonville: Union Supply Operations on the Tennessee River and the Battle of Johnsonville, November 4-5, 1864 by Jerry T. Wooten

Zachery Jameson

General Hylan B. Lyon: A Kentucky Confederate and the War in the West by Dan Lee …

Blood At The Root: A Historiographical Commentary On Lynching In America

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

Blood at the Root: A Historiographical Commentary on Lynching in America

Brian K. Clardy

Editor’S Remarks

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

Editor’s Remarks

James S. Humphreys

President’S Report For August 1, 2019 To July 31, 2020

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

President’s Report for August 1, 2019 to July 31, 2020

William H. Mulligan, Jr.

The Truth Is Not Always In Black Or White: Facts And Fictions Surrounding The David Walker Family Lynchings

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

The Truth Is Not Always in Black or White: Facts and Fictions Surrounding the David Walker Family Lynchings

Melinda Meador

The Causes And Consequences Of The War Of 1812: A New Look At Old Sources

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

The Causes and Consequences of the War of 1812: A New Look at Old Sources

William H. Mulligan, Jr.

Cooking The Kentucky Way

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

Cooking the Kentucky Way

Bobbie Smith Bryant

History Of The Baptists In The Jackson Purchase: A Panel Discussion

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

History of the Baptists in the Jackson Purchase: A Panel Discussion

William H. Mulligan, Jr.

Political Centrism, Perspective Taking, And Outgroup Derogation: An Integrated Model, David Kesler

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The relationship between perspective taking abilities, political centrism, and outgroup derogation is not defined at this time. While previous research has demonstrated a negative relationship between political centrism and outgroup derogation (Van Prooijen, Krouwel, Boiten, & Eendebak, 2015), the relationship between the other variables is unclear. Therefore, the current study sought to measure the relationship between (1) perspective taking abilities and political centrism, (2) perspective taking and outgroup derogation, (3) political centrism and outgroup derogation and lastly, (4) whether the relationship between perspective taking abilities and political outgroup derogation would be mediated by an individual's level of political centrism.

Impact Of Teacher Training Programs In Georgia On The Self-Efficacy Of Agricultural Education Teachers In Their First Year, Catrina Pollard, Catrina Pollard

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Teacher self-efficacy is directly tied to teacher longevity. The researcher conducted a causal comparative study to determine self-efficacy in three domains: classroom, FFA, SAE and compared them with demographic characteristics, along with where teachers obtained their teacher training/certification. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between agricultural teacher self-efficacy and the teacher preparation programs that they completed. This surveyed first-year teachers within the state of Georgia that teach agricultural education. The Beginning Agriculture Teacher Assessment determined that there was no connection between teacher self-efficacy and the teacher preparation program. The Beginning Agriculture Teacher Assessment did conclude that …

Educating Public Information Officers In Kentucky, Lori Kent

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study researched the education and training of public information officers (PIO) within Kentucky. Even though training exists, the effectiveness of prior training and education of currently employed public information officers is unknown. As the formalization and importance of the role has evolved in recent years, it is more important to determine and possibly create proper training and post-secondary courses to prepare public information officers for their role. Interviews were conducted, utilizing standard questions with practicing public information officers throughout the state. Research found inconsistent experience and a lack of training by public information officers prior to obtaining their …

Attitudes Towards Self-Harm, Bradi Cislaghi

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, research with a concentration on self-harm has begun to surface. Most of this research focuses on methods and functions of self-harm, mental health disorders associated with self-harm, and attitudes towards self-harm from the perspective of others. However, self-harm research that focuses on examining attitudes towards people who self-harm is lacking. More specifically, research is limited on those who self-harm and their attitudes toward someone else who self-harms. The current study sought to fill this gap by examining how the level of familiarity with self-harm affects a person’s attitudes towards self-harm and if there are differences between the …

Comparison Of Hyperspectral Imaging And Portable X-Ray Fluorescence In Ceramic Analysis And Sourcing, Zachariah J. Elliott

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Recent technological advances have resulted in an abundance of instruments used in the sourcing of low-fired earthenware. However, many of these techniques are expensive, time consuming and result in the sample being damaged or destroyed. As the technology has improved, non-destructive instruments, such as portable X-ray Fluorescence devices (pXRF) have become more accurate and reliable. With advances in the field of remote sensing, handheld hyperspectral imaging devices also have the potential to be a viable nondestructive alternative to other analytical devices in ceramic sourcing. This study uses a Visual Near Infrared Reflectance (VNIR) device and a Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) device …

The Effects Of Parent Teacher Interactions And The Influences That These Interactions Have On Family Engagement And Home Learning Activities, Kammie King

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

As component of the P-20 initiative, education at all levels is critical when moving forward with innovative ideas to increase the lifelong learning of an individual. The foundation for one’s entire educational career begins during a child’s earliest years of life. This time period, prior to kindergarten can have lasting impacts on educational achievement, by influencing the ways that families interact with their child’s school, as well as carries out home learning activities. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the role of family engagement in home learning activities and the role in which parent teacher involvement and …

Effect Of Organic Soil Amendment On Hemp, Mounica Talasila

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The research study is about the impact of different levels of organic soil amendment on the levels of psychoactive compounds produced in industrial hemp. Inorganic or chemical pesticides or fertilizers are not as extensively used in hemp as in other crops. Apart from this, using an organic soil amendment would be an environmentally sustainable way. A randomized block design (RBD) model was used to study the impacts of the soil amendment. The soil amendment used is called “Rehab” a product of Organilock created from the remnants of animals like fish and chicken. This research design has 3 different soil amendment …

Factors To Teacher Retention In Leave:Secondary Agricultural Education, Keasha Floyd

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to provide qualitative inquiry into the attrition rates of high school agriculture teachers in Tennessee. The supply does not equal the demand for high school agriculture teachers. The study investigated why teachers left the profession, their personal experiences while in the classroom, their feelings on preparedness, and identifiable trends among the participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with former secondary agricultural educators taught in a high school agricultural classroom between 2014 and 2019. Objective one sought to describe the demographic characteristics of secondary agricultural teachers. Two themes were found: Teachers who enter the agricultural education profession right out …

One Door Opening Is Another Person’S Insult: Examining Benevolently Sexist Behaviors And Attitudes In American Males, Rachael Turner, Rachael Turner

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study explores Ambivalent Sexism Theory and takes a closer look at the correlation between the behaviors and attitudes that surround it. In this study 133 male participants completed surveys questioning their acceptance and engagement in certain benevolent behaviors, as well as measuring their level of being considered sexist and kind. Results indicate that men who endorsed benevolently sexist ideology more frequently engaged in benevolent behaviors with women as well as believed this behavior was appropriate. However, regression analysis show kindness had a higher predictability in determining whether the men would in engage in these behaviors and consider it appropriate.

Dual Enrollment Students Placing Perspective On The Act Mathematics Benchmark, Monica Newman

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

For high school students achieving high ACT/SAT scores is crucial for admittance, scholarships, and coursework requirements. Dual enrollment students still have to meet the admittance and coursework requirements to be enrolled in a dual enrollment course even though the class could be scheduled for more time than the traditional course taught on campus. The purpose of this study was to determine if ACT predictors closely align to student success for dual enrollment students who complete a college algebra course in a high school setting with an adjunct professor who is a full-time high school teacher. Archival data from 188 dual …