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The Importance Of Gender And Readiness To Change In The Prediction Of Drinking And Negative Consequences Of First-Year Student Drinkers, Margot E. Ackermann

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

College drinking is widespread, and binge drinkers can experience serious consequences. The present study examined the effectiveness of two interventions, expressive writing and behavioral monitoring, as well a combined condition, in reducing drinking and negative consequences associated with drinking. Gender differences and differences in readiness to change binge drinking were also assessed. Participants (N = 97) completed a pretest, eight weekly intervention activities, and a posttest during their first semester of college. An ANOVA tested the hypothesis that individuals higher in readiness to change binge drinking participated in more of the weekly intervention activities; this hypothesis was not supported. A …

Graduate Art Therapy Experience Of Students Of Color, Keena Tarrant

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This narrative inquiry explored the perspectives of three professional art therapists of color. This study explored the past experience of being a graduate art therapy student of color on several levels. It also explored the impact of cultural competency course in relation to the experience of being a student of color. This experience is important in terms of how being an ethnic minority can affect the learning environment in relation to graduate experience of students of color and how cultural competency is taught to all students. This study explored the art recommendations of therapy professionals of color for cultural competency …

College Athletes’ Human Figure Drawings, Kaitlin Taggart

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The demands of both lean and non-lean sports upon male athletes can lead to body image dissatisfaction and eating disorders. This study explored whether the Human Figure Drawing (HFD) is a valid method for assessing male college athletes’ body image. A total of 86 male athletes who were competitive on a lean (cross-country or wrestling) or non-lean (football or ice hockey) sport participated in the study. The score recorded on the Male Body Attitude Scale (MBAS) (Tylka, Bergeron, & Schwartz, 2005), a 24-question survey administered to each participant, focused specifically on assessing muscularity, body fat, and height attitudes of these …

A Study On The Effects Of Wheel Throwing And A Child Diagnosed With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Jennifer Evans

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

It has been estimated that 3-7 percent of children are diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Barkley, 2005). Research has found many treatment options to be effective; however, the most efficacious treatment is a combination treatment of medication and cognitive/behavioral therapy. Some art therapists have discussed the treatment of ADHD; however, few studies have large enough samples and repeatable results to provide empirical support. It was hypothesized that an eight week ceramic/wheel-throwing intervention in individual art therapy sessions would help calm and focus a child diagnosed with ADHD. This study consisted of a six week, six sessions, ceramic wheel-throwing intervention …

Adults’ Responses To The Art Process And Interaction With Art Media, Madeline Couch

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The art materials are a major component in art therapy. Their actual usage in sessions with clients, especially with adults, has rarely been the topic of investigation. The ideas about the qualities and purposes that the art materials bring to art therapy sessions are based on older theories, which were created without evidence-based research. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of how adults interact with and react to art media. Five adult volunteers, who were not formally trained as artists and who did not regularly engage in artistic processes, participated in the study. The participants experimented …

Toward An Understanding Of Serial Killers Through Their Artwork: Implications For Forensic Art Therapy, Kelly Macionis

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This research study explored the formal elements and content of 258 images of artwork created by 47 serial killers to see if common themes or content could be discovered. The images were found on five Internet websites containing serial killer artwork. The 47 serial killer artists were all male and it was assumed they were imprisoned when they created their art. The artwork gathered was viewed on a laptop and analyzed using the methods of content analysis. After categories of content and formal elements in the images were entered into a spreadsheet, frequencies and percentages of each category and subcategory …

A School Art Therapy Group: Helping Eighth Grade Students Decrease Disruptive Behaviors And Increase Coping Skills Before The Transition To High School, Erin Spier

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The transition to high school can be difficult for adolescents, especially those exhibiting disruptive behaviors and poor coping skills. This study was concerned with developing conducting a group art therapy intervention that would help increase coping skills and decrease disruptive behaviors in eighth grade students preparing for the transition to high school. Two girls and four boys from a private school in southeastern Virginia participated in the study after the start of their final semester in eighth grade. The study consisted of 8 sessions conducted on alternating days, twice a week for a four-week period.

During the group art therapy …

A Group Art Therapy Intervention To Increase Self-Efficacy In Battered Women, Sheryl Marie Morrison

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Domestic violence is a problem that affects an estimated six million women every year (Berry, 1998). There are many theories that attempt to explain the phenomenon such as, learned helplessness and battered woman syndrome. It is clear that the affects of domestic violence can leave lasting damage in the survivor’s ability to cope and function. One aspect that might be hindered in battered women is self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the degree to which one believes he or she has the ability to be successful. The Self-Efficacy Scale (SES) created by Sherer, et al. (1982) was used to assess the clients’ self-efficacy. …

Exploring The Applicability Of Visual Thinking Strategy To Group Art Therapy With Adolescents, Jessica Rae Hirsh Angle

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Because adolescence is a time marked by physical, psychological, and cognitive changes and stressors, group art therapy with teens can be difficult. Art history enriched art therapy has proven effective with adults to aid in overcoming treatment difficulties. The Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS) is a research supported approach to art history which emphasizes group dynamics and student-directed art discussion. Therefore, this study explores the applicability of VTS to adolescent group art therapy.

In this study, a group of four 13 to 14-year-old girls participated in a three session workshop. Session one included personal art-making and an open discussion of the …

Mandala As A Measure Of Change With Adult Residents Of A Homeless Shelter, Mary W. Cochran

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Homelessness in the United States is a problem that continues to be addressed at the local, state, and federal levels. Diverse solutions to the problem of homelessness include emergency shelters, transitional shelters, and long-term housing. Shelters for families have become a common shelter type, offering diverse programs and types of services. Art therapy with the homeless has concentrated on the aspect of building self-efficacy through the creative process, however, there is limited research concerning the use of art products as a measure of change for the homeless. This study explores the use of mandala drawings to assess changes occurring in …

Deep Ecology And Postmodernity: Making Space For Conversation, Chris Drinkwater

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[Fourth paragraph]

I begin with the fact of ecology's virtual exclusion from cultural studies. Cultural studies are centrally concerned with issues of meaning, subjectivity, objectivity and knowledge. They attempt to describe their production, conditions and complex structural effects. They are particularly interested in effects of inclusion and exclusion: for instance, "What is a legitimate object of attention within a particular discourse?" Why do cultural studies not attend to ecology? Why is negligible attention paid to a discourse and cultural movement, which are so challenging to dominant values and ways of life? I suggest that the omission is not accidental. Cultural …

Camping Out With Ray Bourbon: Female Impersonators And Queer Dread Of Wide-Open Spaces, Don Romesburg

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Mid-twentieth century pansy comedian and female impersonator Ray Bourbon's biography and stage materials suggest a disdain for "wide-open spaces" and queer ambivalences about the rural and the open road as sites of threat and danger. The performer's struggle reflected larger concerns for many queer men, especially traveling professional female impersonators. Often relying on long trips to small towns in order to find work, impersonators were vulnerable to a host of legal and socio-cultural repressions with little recourse. Examining how impersonators negotiated the natural and built environments of small towns and roadsides raises new questions about historical and contemporary understandings of …

Contributors, Alexandra Ganser, Vibha Arora

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Information about contributors to articles in volume 7 issue 2 of Reconstruction.

Gestures Toward Cross-Species Reciprocal Relations In Contemporary Poetics, Mary Newell

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

In this essay, I explore some embodied bases of ethical attitudes toward human/ animal exchanges in the texts of three contemporary authors: Mary Oliver, Heller Levinson, and Adrienne Rich. Since other species share with humans varieties of agency, sentience, and purposive activity, I suggest that reciprocity is a fundamental aim in cross-species relations. Phenomenological philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty depicts the correlation between embodied actions and attitudes, for example, between the hand movement of grasping and an appropriative attitude toward the natural world. His concept of reciprocity, grounded in the experience of one hand touching another, provides a reference for encounters that …

Review Of One Sun, Two Worlds: An Ecological Journey, P. S. Ramakrishnan Et Al., N. Kipgen

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

One Sun, Two Worlds: An Ecological Journey is an exceptional piece of research by a group of scientists, headed by the noted ecologist P.S. Ramakrishnan. The volume is styled in the form of a dialogue between two knowledge systems, i.e. the 'Traditional Knowledge' represented by a villager with a rich experiential traditional knowledge heritage, and the 'Formal Knowledge' represented by a scientist with his text-book based formulations in the area of natural resource management. This ecological journey is through the Great Divide that persists between the Two Worlds - the rural poor with rich traditional wisdom on the …

Predictors Of Student Success In An Entry-Level Baccalaureate Dental Hygiene Program, Mohammad J. Alzahrani, Evelyn M. Thomson, Deborah Blythe Bauman

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to measure the utility of various predictors used by the Old Dominion University Gene W. Hirschfeld School of Dental Hygiene baccalaureate degree dental hygiene program in selecting dental hygiene students who are most likely to graduate and be successful in passing the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE). The following factors were examined: grade point average (GPA); science GPA; final grade in various prerequisite courses; final grade in first-year dental hygiene courses; academic setting where prerequisite courses were completed; multiple attempts to achieve a passing course grade; and admissions criteria points (ACP).

METHODS: …

Methods Of Detecting Differential Item Functioning: A Comparison Of Confirmatory Factor Analysis Methods, Jenny Chia Yi Kuang

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present Monte Carlo study compared four confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) methods for detecting differential item functioning (DIF). The four methods were the noniterative and iterative mean and covariance structure analysis (MACS) methods, the modification index (MI) method, and the modification index-divided sample (MI-divided) method. Reference and focal groups responded to 12 items with 3 of the 12 items designed to exhibit DIF. Sample sizes of 250 and 500 were examined. In addition, three types of DIF were examined: DIF on loadings, DIF on thresholds, and DIF on both loadings and thresholds. Results indicated that for sample size 250, all …

Fin De Siecle 3.0: Cybernetic Anxieties In Posthuman Science Fiction, Jessica L. Dambruch

English Theses & Dissertations

The examination of technological metaphors as pervasive descriptive structures sustained in the genre of science fiction is most apparent in an analysis of the dialogue between posthuman discourse and science fiction. The literary posthuman, jointly derived from a rich history of socio-cultural anxieties of embodiment and identity dating back to Victorian Gothic literatures, is most recently manifest within the sphere of cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk fiction of the late 20th century. A third wave feminist analysis of posthuman technological metaphors is valuable for its potential to apprehend essentialist ideological constructions of gendered identity within science fiction which N. Katherine Hayles and …

Vital Tooth Whitening Effects On Oral Health-Related Quality Of Life In Older Adults, Ann Michelle Poindexter

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

This study determined if vital tooth whitening affects oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) in adults ≥50-years old, and if tooth whitening promotes individuals to seek regular professional dental care and participation in social activities. Using a two-group, single blind, randomized, pre-test-post-test design, 62 participants were enrolled. The experimental group used a whitening product twice daily for three weeks, while the control group used no whitening products. Tooth color satisfaction was assessed using the Tooth Color Satisfaction Scale and was correlated with overall oral health-related quality of life. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP), used as the pre-test …

Using Peer Mediation As A New Alternative For Conflict Resolution: The Effects On Students' Behaviors And Attitudes, Shanika Anicia Testamark

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

During the recent years, countless incidents regarding school violence have captured the attention of many, and have disrupted the lives of numerous young students in the United States. In an effort to rebuild a healthier and safer school climate in America schools, many studies have been conducted on peer mediation programs. Peer mediation programs were developed to educate students on how to resolve conflicts constructively.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the implementation of a peer mediation program called Project S.T.O.P (Students Teaching Options for Peace) could reduce school violence and students' aggressive behaviors and attitudes. To …

Social Disadvantage And Family Violence: Neighborhood Effects On Attitudes About Intimate Partner Violence And Corporal Punishment, Deeanna M. Button

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Family violence is widespread and occurs everyday in the United States. The consequences of the various forms of family violence and physical discipline are both immediate and long lasting. As nearly every family is victimized by some type of family violence (Payne and Gainey 2005), it is important that all dynamics of family life be explored. Extending the focus of family violence risk factors to include neighborhood experiences allows for the potential development of different social policies. The purpose of this thesis was to analyze the effects of perceived neighborhood characteristics, in addition to a macro-level measure of crime, on …

The Tactical Flexibility Of The Union Cavalry: How Modern Firearms Changed The Federal Cavalry, Peter J. Francione

History Theses & Dissertations

The history of warfare is replete with episodes chronicling the struggle between developing tactics with technological advances. From the bow to the smoothbore musket, military leaders have always been forced to alter their tactics in order to take advantage of technological advances. During the American Civil War the Union cavalry was able to achieve great heights by wedding their tactics to the advanced firearms their troopers carried. Realizing the potential of breech-loading and repeating firearms the Union cavalry, from 1861-1865, developed a flexible set of tactics that took advantage of those modern weapons. Their efforts came to fruition as the …

The Potential Influence Of Motivation On The Decision To Stay Or Quit The Navy Delayed Entry Program: A Descriptive Analysis, Angela W. Cyrus

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the influence of public service motivation on recruits' decisions to complete the Navy Delayed Entry Program and proceed to basic training, or to quit the program, having changed their minds about joining the Navy. The study was motivated by a problematic attrition rate, up to 25% in some instances, from the Navy Delayed Entry Program. Given the increased domestic and international demands placed on the U.S. military amidst significant political debate about the deployment of forces, military recruiting faces tough challenges in meeting its authorized personnel requirements. This study examined the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and associated …

Uncertainty Assessment In High-Risk Environments Using Probability, Evidence Theory And Expert Judgment Elicitation, Stella Barberis Bondi

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The level of uncertainty in advanced system design is assessed by comparing the results of expert judgment elicitation to probability and evidence theory. This research shows how one type of monotone measure, namely Dempster-Shafer Theory of Evidence can expand the framework of uncertainty to provide decision makers a more robust solution space. The issues imbedded in this research are focused on how the relevant predictive uncertainty produced by similar action is measured.

This methodology uses the established approach from traditional probability theory and Dempster-Shafer evidence theory to combine two classes of uncertainty, aleatory and epistemic. Probability theory provides the mathematical …

Authoritarianism, Hostility Toward Women, Attitudes Toward Violence, Rape Myth Acceptance, And Sexual Aggression, Gina M. Bondi

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Almost one out of every five women has been, or will have been, the victim of sexual aggression and/or rape in their lives (National Institute of Justice, 2000). This staggering statistic exemplifies the importance of speculating which traits are related to, or are predictive of, sexually aggressive behavior. Based on previous research, the current study investigated relationships between authoritarianism, hostility toward women, attitudes toward violence, and rape myth acceptance, as related sexual aggression in undergraduate men It was projected that authoritarianism, hostility toward women, attitudes toward violence, and rape myth acceptance would significantly and positively predict all dimensions of sexual …

Preservice And K–12 Inservice Teachers' Perceptions Of Appropriateness Of Teacher Self-Disclosure And Its Teaching Effectiveness, Shaoan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Situating teacher self-disclosure within a curriculum and instruction context, this research explored preservice and K-12 inservice teachers' perceptions of appropriateness of teacher self-disclosure and its teaching effectiveness as a component of the informal curriculum as well as an instructional tool. The following research questions were explored: (1) Is there any difference among preservice teachers and K-12 inservice teachers in their perceptions of appropriateness of teacher self-disclosure? (2) Is there any difference between preservice teachers and K-12 inservice teachers in their perceptions of appropriateness of teacher self-disclosure? (3) Is there any difference among K-12 inservice teachers in their application of teacher …

An Examination Of Sport Commitment Of Windsurfers, Jung-Hwan Jeon

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Much research over the past decade has been conducted for understanding the commitment of sport participants. While many different subjects have been examined, there is no study which examines windsurfers through the Sport Commitment Model (SCM) (Scanlan, Carpenter, Schmidt, Simons, & Keeler, 1993). The present study examined the sport commitment of windsurfers and the relationship between windsurfing commitment and the following variables: demographic characteristics, participation frequency, and purchase behavior.

The survey instrument included items from the SCM Questionnaire (Scanlan, Carpneter, et al., 1993) and the Modified SCM questionnaire (Casper, 2004). A total of 173 questionnaires were distributed during two windsurfing …

Pivotal Deterrence And United States Security Policy In The Taiwan Strait, Charles D. Pasquale

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation presents a model of pivotal deterrence—a version the author loosely terms holistic pivotal deterrence—based on the model originally presented in Crawford's Pivotal Deterrence: Third-Party Statecraft and the Pursuit of Peace, and applies it to a regional case study of U.S. security policy in the Taiwan Strait; placing particular emphasis on the crisis junctures of 1954-55, 1958, 1962, and 1995-96. By contrasting this with other models of deterrence, it provides an alternative perspective with which to consider the empirical data on the United States-China-Taiwan relationship and developments in the Strait. By viewing the data through this lens, this …

The Middle Class And Political Change In China: Chinese Middle Class's Attitudinal And Behavioral Orientations Toward Democracy, Chunlong Lu

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Does the middle class in China think and act democratically and hence serve as the harbinger of democratic development in that country? Little empirical work has been done to systematically address this crucial question. The primary goals of this dissertation are to explore the level of attitudinal support for democracy among Chinese middle class individuals, examine their behavioral orientations toward politics, and provide a comprehensive assessment of the role of the Chinese middle class in the evolution of the Chinese political system. This dissertation argues that the middle class in China consists of the following four occupational groups: self-employed laborers, …

An Exploration Of The Influence Of Recreation Benefits And Use Of Public Parks: The Impact On Sense Of Community In Neighborhoods, Svetoslav Dimov Gueorguiev

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to explore what influence public parks have on the sense of community of the residents living near parks. Respondents were chosen from within the service area (0.5 miles) of five parks in Norfolk, VA They rated their park experiences and answered sense of community and demographic questions. Confirmatory factor analysis identified five different dimensions in measuring the SOC levels. Correlation and regression analyses identified the extent of the influence that recreation participation had on sense of community of residents. Results confirmed that recreation use of parks positively influences SOC. Due to the existence …