Digital Commons Network^™

Opening The Door To The Whirlwind” Of British Gothic Literature: Exploring Risk-Taking Practices In The Preservice Classroom, Syndie Allen

Northwest Journal of Teacher Education

This study explores the connections, reflections, and risk-taking practices of elementary preservice teachers (n=15) enrolled in a Teaching Writing/Language Arts Methods course at a Pacific Northwest University as they engaged in a 4-week thematic unit focused on British Gothic Literature. The big questions asked about the connections and moves made both as student and beginning teacher. The study then looked at how new knowledge was infused into teaching practices. Inductive, phenomenological analysis of reading responses, informal quickwriting, narratives, lesson plans, reflections, and field notes reveal that the preservice teachers participated in the unit with enthusiasm and curiosity as students, arrived …

Effects Of A Workplace Intervention Targeting Psychosocial Risk Factors On Safety And Health Outcomes, Leslie B. Hammer, Donald M. Truxillo, Todd Bodner, Jennifer Rae Rineer, Amy C. Pytlovany, Amy Richman

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The goal of this study was to test the effectiveness of a workplace intervention targeting work-life stress and safety-related psychosocial risk factors on health and safety outcomes. Data were collected over time using a randomized control trial design with 264 construction workers employed in an urban municipal department. The intervention involved family- and safety-supportive supervisor behavior training (computer-based), followed by two weeks of behavior tracking and a four-hour, facilitated team effectiveness session including supervisors and employees. A significant positive intervention effect was found for an objective measure of blood pressure at the 12-month follow-up. However, no significant intervention results were …

Racial Bias In Driver Yielding Behavior At Crosswalks, Tara Goddard, Kimberly Barsamian Kahn, Arlie Adkins

Psychology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Psychological and social identity-related factors have been shown to influence drivers’ behaviors toward pedestrians, but no previous studies have examined the potential for drivers’ racial bias to impact yielding behavior with pedestrians. If drivers’ yielding behavior results in differential behavior toward Black and White pedestrians, this may lead to disparate pedestrian crossing experiences based on race and potentially contribute to disproportionate safety outcomes for minorities. We tested the hypothesis that drivers’ yielding behavior is influenced by pedestrians’ race in a controlled field experiment at an unsignalized midblock marked crosswalk in downtown Portland, Oregon. Six trained male research team participants (3 …

Body-Worn Cameras: A Step Toward Trust And Legitimacy For Campus Police, Jaycee Elliott

University Honors Theses

Throughout history, police-community relations have often been called into question. In an era of instantaneous communication through social media and other outlets, media coverage of events involving perceived police misconduct can have an instant impact on the public trust of the police and their perceptions of the police as legitimate. Just as evolving technology can have a negative impact on perceptions of the police, officer body-worn cameras present departments with a novel outlet to rebuild and maintain trust and legitimacy within their communities. As campus law enforcement agencies continue to be tasked with the equivalent roles of their municipal counterparts, …

Technicalities: A Memoir, Shelley Smith

University Honors Theses

Using memoir, this piece explores the social location of the author throughout her life. By examining memory, writing in the past tense and providing creative observations and commentary on experience, the author is able to offer perspective on various aspects of privilege, oppression and the intersections therein. The creative style also attempts to validate and legitimize personal experience as research in a deconstructed, approachable manner to increase public interest and awareness of personal social location.

Conceptualization Of The Memorial Tattoo In Scholarly Literature, Nicole Brown

University Honors Theses

The intent of this study is to examine the "self-help tattoo," specifically the sub-genre of the self-help tattoo, known as the memorial tattoo in scholarly literature. Over the past few decades, tattoos became increasingly popular within the United States' middle- and upper-class communities. The widespread use and increasing acceptance of such body art in Western society have invited researchers in many scholarly fields to interpret the memorial tattoo's meaning. This study finds that the memorial tattoo is conceptualized differently across scholarly fields and there isn't an overarching theoretical framework that all scholars follow.

The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Physical Activity According To Social Media: A Content Analysis Of Celebrities' Posts On Twitter And Instagram, Amelia Meisser

University Honors Theses

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the majority of the US population is overweight. Researchers have attributed the increase of people being overweight to a change in diet and a lack of exercise. Because physical activity is attributed to being a large component of maintaining a healthy weight, this paper analyzes how often celebrities’ posts on Twitter and Instagram refer to physical activity. Social media was examined with regard to social cognitive theory which suggests that individuals can learn by observing. A content analysis was conducted of posts about physical activity from the top 30 most …

Vasectomy Disparities Among Foreign-Born Latinos Living In The United States : A Preliminary Study, Midori Mawi Altamirano

University Honors Theses

The number of vasectomized foreign-born Latinos in the U.S. has increased by 2.2% from 1995-2010 (CDC, 2012). This increase is analyzed using a financial and cultural framework. The study has two objectives: a) examine the accessibility of a vasectomy among foreign-born Latinos, b) explore masculinity traits among foreign-born Latinos that influence their decision to undergo a vasectomy. Based on the literature review, this research study proposes an expansion in vasectomy coverage not only to eliminate health care disparities, but also to decrease expenses in health care costs by providing coverage for a more affordable permanent sterilization method; and the implementation …

Crossing The Tracks, Keaton Suskie

University Honors Theses

Substance abuse is a major issue all around the world. It is an issue that not only affects the abuser but also affects individuals and entire communities as well. Substance abuse is often glamorized in media and, though there are some cases where it is not, substance abuse is all too often misrepresented. The issue of adolescent substance abuse is virtually ignored or, at the very least, is underrepresented in media. In a few cases where adolescent substance abuse does play a role in media, it is rarely the central issue. More often than not, the issue of adolescent substance …

Algeria In Perspective: Changing The Understanding Of The Modern Algerian State, Austin Averett

University Honors Theses

Much of the existing literature on the modern state of Algeria reinforces rivalry-based understandings of the politico-linguistic infrastructure that overemphasize the presence of a dichotomy (French v. Arabic) in the linguistic make up of the state. Many studies rely on this construction of an Algerian language dichotomy to predict the future of the state, while; in fact, more attention should be paid to the multilingual, multicultural, and multinational reality of the larger demographic. Algeria’s history of language rationalization has laid the foundation for unique institutional reflections of state power dynamics within a multilingual environment. Discussions of Algeria’s historical background, identity …

Institute For Sustainable Solutions Annual Report (2013-2014), Portland State University. Institute For Sustainable Solutions

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

This brief annual report from Portland State University's Institute for Sustainable Solutions captures the highlights from the year and signals where sustainability at PSU is headed in the years to come.

Youth & Young Adult Peer Support: What Research Tells Us About Its Effectiveness In Mental Health Services, Sharice Jackson, Janet S. Walker, Celeste Seibel

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increasing the availability of peer support for youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions has been advocated by service users, researchers, and government commissions. Efforts to provide peer support for young people are becoming more and more common. This FAQ describes the research evidence for peer support, as well as some of the challenges that can be expected when peer support is implemented.

Pedagogies Of Possibility Within The Disciplines: Critical Information Literacy And Literatures In English, Heidi L. M. Jacobs

Communications in Information Literacy

While most disciplines have responded to the generic openness of the ACRL Standards by creating discipline-specific guidelines and competencies, there is a need for us to consider other ways to approach information literacy in the disciplines. Critical information literacy reminds us to engage ourselves and our students with what Freire described as "problem-posing education," which "bases itself on creativity and stimulates true reflection and action upon reality" (84). This article discusses how information literacy work in literatures in English could engage students and librarians in the act of collective problem-posing about the discipline. Drawing upon critical information literacy's emphasis on …

The Impact Of Documentation Status On The Educational Attainment Experiences Of Undocumented Hispanic/Latino Students, Brittanie Alexandria Roberts

Dissertations and Theses

The issue of undocumented immigration has recently taken center-stage in the media and national politics in the United States. A large population of undocumented youth grows up with legal access to public education through high school, following the Supreme Court decision of Plyler vs. Doe, but faces legal and economic barriers to post-secondary education. Following high school, undocumented Hispanic/Latino youth legal protections end, greatly limiting chances for upward mobility through traditional post-secondary education pipelines. In some cases, knowledge of future barriers to post-secondary education leads to a decline in educational motivation.

The current political atmosphere makes this study a bit …

Strengths In Action: Implementing A Learning Organization Model In A Human Service Setting, Barbara Ann Whitbeck

Dissertations and Theses

Although learning organization theory evolved in corporate settings, literature suggests that the theory has much to offer human service organizations. This dissertation examines the implementation of a modified learning organization model in three small field offices of a publicly-funded vocational rehabilitation organization in the Pacific Northwest, at a time when the organization was negotiating financial cutbacks and organizational changes. The model - known as Strengths in Action - was based on Senge's five learning organization disciplines, and informed by organizational culture theory. In each participating office, all staff worked together to set a goal, make a plan, and achieve the …

Building The 21st Century Legal Resource Center & Law Library, Portland State University. Hatfield School Of Government. Center For Public Service, Mark G. Harmon, Shannon Grzybowski, Bryan Matthew Thompson, Stephanie Cross

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

A Report on the Current Status of the Multnomah County’s Law Library and Recommendations for Addressing the Needs of Current Patrons.

Exploring Critical And Indigenous Research Methods With A Research Community: Part Ii – The Landing, Robert Schroeder

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

This article is the second and final installment of my research exploring critical and Indigenous research methods and their relation to LIS. What is the context of these twentieth century methods and what might they mean to a librarian in the twenty-first century? Read along as I discover, for myself and my “research community,” some unexpected, and perhaps profound, aspects of these research methods and their associated worldviews.

Trends In Crime Measures: British Columbia, 1999-2013, Paul J. Brantingham, Kathryn Wuschke, Silas Melo

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Three different measures of crime intensity are available in British Columbia: the Standard Crime Rate (SCR) which measures the number of crimes per 100,000 population; the Crime Severity Index (CSI) which measures the weighted risk to residents of a police jurisdiction; and the Crime Gravity Score (CGS) which measures the seriousness of the set of crimes handled by police in a particular jurisdiction.

All three measures show declines over the past decade. British Columbians are safer now than they were in the early 2000’s. Police resource implications of the measures are different. The SCR and CSI have both declined by …

Raps Sheet, December 2014, Retirement Association Of Portland State

RAPS Sheet: Monthly Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Street Level Food Networks: Understanding Ethnic Food Cart Supply Chains In Eastern Portland, Or, Alexander G. Novie

Dissertations and Theses

Portland, OR, is the site of a unique urban food cart phenomenon that provides opportunities for small business ownership and access points for culturally specific food for the city's foreign-born and minority populations. Known as a "foodie haven," Portland also has an active sustainable food movement with engaged citizens and support from city and regional policies aimed at significantly increasing the consumption of local food. To date, there have been no in-depth studies on the sourcing habits of Portland food cart owners and whether or not these street-level actors are involved in the area's local alternative food movements (AFNs). The …

"Your Information Station": A Case Study Of Rural Radio In The 21st Century, William Jacob Amadeus Pinnock

Dissertations and Theses

The study examined how the introduction of high-speed internet into a rural community affected audience members' use of their local radio station. A qualitative case study was guided by uses and gratifications and niche theory. The author conducted interviews with KMMR FM audience members in Malta, Montana, to investigate how the introduction of high-speed internet impacted listener habits. Twenty participants who either listened to or produced content for KMMR FM were interviewed. The author performed a thematic analysis of different uses for the radio guided by typologies created by Rubin (1983), Palmgreen and Rayburn (1979), and Katz, Haas, and Gurevitch …

The Stories We Tell: A Qualitative Inquiry To Multiracial Family Storytelling, Mariko O. Thomas

Dissertations and Theses

A narrative inheritance is comprised of the stories told by family members that are received by a younger generation and used to help construct identity. According to the communication theory of identity, identity is formed through communication. Additionally, the storied resource perspective looks at narratives as a major method of creating and maintaining identity. This study looks at the kinds of narrative inheritance concerning race that people in multiracial families receive and possible ways it affects racial identity formation. Findings from 12 semi-structured interviews indicate that narratives of racism, cultural pride, and hardship are prevalent in multiracial families. Additionally, findings …

Latino Men Managing Hiv: An Appraisal Analysis Of Intersubjective Relations In The Discourse Of Five Research Interviews, Will Caston

Dissertations and Theses

Latino men, particularly those who have sex with other men, have been disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Scholars have sought for nearly two decades to understand how various social and cultural factors in the Latino community exacerbate HIV risk among these men. Although following the advent of life-sustaining medications in 1996, HIV is often regarded as a manageable chronic illness, as opposed to a death sentence, scant attention has been devoted to how HIV-positive Latino men experience managing the illness. Among studies that have focused on HIV-positive persons' illness management, few Latino men have participated.

Using the Appraisal framework from Hallidayan …

Research & Strategic Partnerships: Quarterly Review, Volume 2, Issue 1, Portland State University. Research & Strategic Partnerships

Portland State Research Magazine

This Review describes connections among Portland State University, society's needs, and innovation: engineer Evan Thomas’s public health program in Rwanda, chemist Steve Reichow's protein research in the Collabo­rative Life Sciences Building, environmental historian Catherine McNeur's look back at urban agriculture in New York City, the "My Life" mentoring program for foster teens, and "Reclaiming Futures" interventions that help at-risk kids avoid incarceration.

It also focuses on EXITO. EXITO, Portland State University's largest-ever federal grant, awarded by the NIH to a team headed by Professors Carlos Crespo and Tom Keller. In the next decade, EXITO will help hundreds of underrepresented students …

Can Protected Bike Lanes Help Close The Gender Gap In Cycling? Lessons From Five Cities, Jennifer Dill, Tara Goddard, Christopher Monsere, Nathan Mcneil

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Even in areas with increased levels of bicycling, there remains a significant “gender gap” in bicycling in the United States, in contrast to many other countries with high rates of bicycling. The primary objective of this paper was to explore whether protected bike lanes could help reduce the gender gap. To do so, the authors used survey data from a comprehensive evaluation of protected bike lanes in five large U.S. cities (Austin, TX, Chicago, IL, Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, and Washington, DC) that included survey responses of 1,111 intercepted bicyclists and 2,283 residents. Both men and women overwhelmingly felt …

The Effect Of Social Media On Public Awareness And Extra-Judicial Effects: The Gay Marriage Cases And Litigating For New Rights, Sarahfina Aubrey Peterson

Dissertations and Theses

When the Supreme Court grants new rights, public awareness is a crucial part of enforcement. Gerald N. Rosenberg and Michael J. Klarman famously criticized minority rights organizations for attempting to gain new rights through the judiciary. The crux of their argument relied heavily on the American media's scanty coverage of Court issues and subsequent low public awareness of Court cases. Using the 2013 United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry rulings as a case study, I suggest that the media environment has changed so much since Rosenberg and Klarman were writing that their theories warrant reconsideration. Minority rights groups …

"But There's A Black History Month": A Content Analysis Of Ideological Framing And Presentation In White Nationalist Publications, Dylan Tomas Waite

Dissertations and Theses

The political climate in America continues to become more polarized each year. The "left" and "right" political parties are locked in near-constant struggle and it is often the people whom they are meant to serve that suffer the harshest effects of this struggle. This mainstream political posturing and hostile behavior has allowed for the continued presence, and some say resurgence, of racially motivated right-wing nationalist groups. Groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nations and racist Skinheads have seen periods of strength and decline throughout American history. In the late 20th and early 21st Centuries they have begun …

First Generation Minority Students: Understanding The Influential Factors That Contributed To Their Preparation And Decision To Pursue Higher Education, Alexis Shawnee Palacios Cabrera

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

The purpose of this research was to explore and understand the experiences of first generation minority students at Portland State University. First generation students are students whose parents have not earned a four-year degree or the equivalence of a bachelor’s degree in the United States. By looking at factors that contributed to college decision making process, such as family, peers, high school educators, and high school mentor programs, we can better understand how these factors influence students’ experiences. A qualitative analysis was used to assess the responses from 42 students collected through an online survey. This study looked at how …

Front Matter Volume 8, 2014, Mcnair Scholars Program

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

Front matter includes program background, Table of Contents, and a complete listing of 2014 Portland State McNair Scholars.

Building A More Diverse Skilled Workforce In The Highway Trades: Are Oregon’S Current Efforts Working?, Sarah Burd-Sharps, Kristen Lewis, Maura Kelly

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Jobs in the highway construction trades have historically been primarily held by white men and largely remain so today; of those completing apprenticeships in the highway trades in Oregon between 2011 and early 2014, 83.4 percent were white men. Building a more diverse skilled workforce and making careers in these trades more accessible and appealing to women and people of color has proven challenging.

The state’s Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), in 2010 began a statewide effort—the Highway Construction Workforce Development Program—to find, train, and employ a diverse workforce for …