Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

University of Central Florida

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 1291 - 1320 of 3664

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

From American Service To Disservice: An Exploration Of The Impact Of Military Experience Among An Incarcerated Population, Erika Brooke Jan 2015

From American Service To Disservice: An Exploration Of The Impact Of Military Experience Among An Incarcerated Population, Erika Brooke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research examines the impact of military service among an incarcerated population. It addresses the gaps identified within the prior literature by taking a closer look at the association between service experience and criminal justice outcomes. Specifically, the present study explores whether branch type, combat exposure, age of entrance, service length, and discharge status impact the number of lifetime arrests, current offense type, and institutional misconduct. This research uses data from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics* 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correctional Facilities. Multivariate analyses indicate that different elements of military participation influence criminal and …


Layers Of Identity & Privilege In Legislation: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Senate Bill 744, Jessica Hewkin Jan 2015

Layers Of Identity & Privilege In Legislation: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Senate Bill 744, Jessica Hewkin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research examines Senate Bill 744 (S.744) from the 113th Congress of the United States, and its findings will be used as a model to reveal problems in similar legislation. Senate Bill 744 was proposed by the 113th Congress in an attempt to accomplish bi-partisan immigration reform. The bill was viewed (and still is) as a comprehensive compromise, in that neither Democrats nor Republicans were completely satisfied with its result. The outcome was that the legislators who were involved in S.744*s creation were satisfied that something on the topic of immigration reform had been accomplished (the bill passed the Senate, …


A Formative Evaluation Of A Technology-Mediated Alternative To Traditional Study Abroad, Wendy Howard Jan 2015

A Formative Evaluation Of A Technology-Mediated Alternative To Traditional Study Abroad, Wendy Howard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if a proposed technology-mediated intervention is a viable alternative to traditional study abroad for those who are unable to travel. While technology cannot reproduce the same experience of traveling abroad, the primary objective of this study was to determine if there is value in using Web conferencing technology to provide students with access to the same opportunity to interact with international experts in the field as their counterparts who were able to travel. This formative evaluation is the first in a series of iterative studies aimed at developing a viable, sustainable, …


A Study On The Relationships Between Participation In Tutoring And Accountability Measures In One Urban High School, Hector Maestre Jan 2015

A Study On The Relationships Between Participation In Tutoring And Accountability Measures In One Urban High School, Hector Maestre

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify relationships between an urban high school*s student participation in an after-school tutoring program and its relationship to accountability measures on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) Reading and End of Course (EOC) exams in the 2013-2014 school year. The research aimed to determine the influence of tutoring participation for urban high school students. Participants included students enrolled in one urban high school who participated in the FCAT Reading and EOC assessments and is was identified if they participated in the school tutoring program or not. Quantitative results revealed the relationship between students* …


Hmong Americans In Higher Education: Exploring Their Sense Of Belongingness And The Concept Of The American Dream., Janet Daugherty Jan 2015

Hmong Americans In Higher Education: Exploring Their Sense Of Belongingness And The Concept Of The American Dream., Janet Daugherty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I conducted this study to examine Hmong American college students' perspectives on sense of belongingness and their idea on the American Dream. The college experience can serve as a precursor to improving the social and economic situation of the Hmong students when aligned with the personal desire to gain upward mobility and motivation to circumvent social and academic inconsistencies. The methodology of the study was designed for one-on-one phenomenological informal interviews with Hmong American college upper-classmen using a two-part interview protocol to elicit demographic and experiential information. Moustakas' approach to the analysis of data provided guidelines to review individual transcripts …


Fostering College Student Success: An Analysis Of The Educational Outcomes Of Florida College Students Utilizing Relative Caregiver, Road-To-Independence, And Adoption Tuition Exemptions, Lauren Murray Jan 2015

Fostering College Student Success: An Analysis Of The Educational Outcomes Of Florida College Students Utilizing Relative Caregiver, Road-To-Independence, And Adoption Tuition Exemptions, Lauren Murray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the educational outcomes of foster care youth utilizing the Road to Independence, Adopted from DCF, and Relative Caregiver tuition exemptions to pursue enrollment in Florida's state college system during the 2012-2013 academic year. An extensive literature review was conducted to examine the history of foster care, examine a contemporary portrait of the American foster care system, and the adult outcomes of former foster care. Federal and state policies impacting the population, campus support initiatives at colleges nationwide and the concept of resilience were also explored. In conjunction with the Florida Department of Education's Division of Accountability, Research …


The Interspecies Family: Attitudes And Narratives, Nicole Owens Jan 2015

The Interspecies Family: Attitudes And Narratives, Nicole Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Families are conceptualized and accomplished in increasingly diverse ways in the 21st century. A constructionist framework was utilized to examine a widespread contemporary family form, the interspecies family. This mixed-method approach relied on both quantitative survey data and qualitative interview data. First, survey data from the 2006 Constructing the Family Survey were analyzed to understand who in America counts pets as family. Many social demographics were associated and predicted counting pets as family but gender was one of the strongest associations. However, marital status moderated the relationship between gender and counting pets as family at a statically significant level. Men …


Nurse Managers, Work Environment Factors And Workplace Bullying, Joy Parchment Jan 2015

Nurse Managers, Work Environment Factors And Workplace Bullying, Joy Parchment

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore relationships between authentic leadership style, global social power, job demand, job control, and workplace bullying of nurse managers in acute care settings across the United States. Over 30 years of workplace bullying research exists. Consequences are linked to intent to leave, turnover, and harmful emotional and physical effects. Published studies identifying nurse managers as targets of workplace bullying and work environment factors that contribute to nurse managers being recipients of workplace bullying either, downward from their leaders, horizontally from their nurse manager peers, and upwards from their clinical nurses were not identified. …


The Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (Hpwds): Development And Validation, Ashley Blount Jan 2015

The Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (Hpwds): Development And Validation, Ashley Blount

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wellness is an integral component of the helping professions (Myers & Sweeney, 2005; Witmer, 1985). Specifically, wellness is included in ethical codes, suggestions for practice, and codes of conduct throughout counseling, psychology, and social work fields (see American Counseling Association Code of Ethics, 2014; American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, 2010; National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, 1996). Even so, wellness in helping professionals is a difficult construct to measure. Thus, the purpose of the research investigation was to develop the Helping Professional Wellness Discrepancy Scale (HPWDS) and examine the psychometric features of …


Connections Between Voice And Design In Puppetry: A Case-Study, Ryan Skiles Jan 2015

Connections Between Voice And Design In Puppetry: A Case-Study, Ryan Skiles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Puppets have been entertaining, educating, and mesmerizing American audiences since the birth of our nation. Both in live theatrical events and TV/film, audiences have watched puppeteers bring their puppet characters to life with clever voice quality choices, unique characterizations, and vivid visual designs. This thesis is a case study that first borrows insight from cartoon character designers, animators, and voiceover actors to provide considerations for voice quality choices, characterizations, and design elements when creating a new puppet character. It then investigates the connections that exist between those three elements once a puppet is fully realized. In order to identify these …


When Oppressed Women Attack: Female-Enacted Violence Through Minority American Female Playwrights' Works, Kate Busselle Jan 2015

When Oppressed Women Attack: Female-Enacted Violence Through Minority American Female Playwrights' Works, Kate Busselle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As an Actor Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors, theatrical violence is something that has always captivated me. When a female combat instructor once told me that even though I throw a great punch I will never be able to use it because women are always on the receiving end of violence in theatre, I wondered if this was truly the case. After a thorough exploration of several works with theatrical violence, I am glad to say that it is not the case. When most scholars examine violence in theatre, the focus is either male-centric or specifically on …


Collection Development Policy, Regionals, Cynthia Kisby Jan 2015

Collection Development Policy, Regionals, Cynthia Kisby

Libraries' Documents

No abstract provided.


Editor's Note, Janie M. H. Fritz Jan 2015

Editor's Note, Janie M. H. Fritz

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This is the Editor’s Note to Volume 34, Issue 1 of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.


Students’ Perceptions And Misperceptions Of The Communication Major: Opportunities And Challenges Of Reputation, Nichole Egbert, Joy L. Daggs, Phillip R. Reed Jan 2015

Students’ Perceptions And Misperceptions Of The Communication Major: Opportunities And Challenges Of Reputation, Nichole Egbert, Joy L. Daggs, Phillip R. Reed

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This study investigates undergraduate students' perceptions of the content, difficulty, and value of the Communication major. Students in majors other than Communication from two universities indicated that the content of the Communication major was valuable and, in some cases, involved difficult tasks. However, the major was perceived as easier than any other compared discipline. The students surveyed demonstrated low to moderate belief in most popular “myths” regarding Communication as an academic field. A number of potential strategies to increase awareness of the value of a degree in communication are provided, which can be adapted for use with existing departmental marketing …


Embedding Arête: Core Skills, Department Culture And Whole-Student Development, Richard K. Olsen, David E. Weber Jan 2015

Embedding Arête: Core Skills, Department Culture And Whole-Student Development, Richard K. Olsen, David E. Weber

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

In this article the authors summarize how an academic department designed and now enacts the “core skills,” a template the unit operationalized to facilitate their goal of wholestudent development. First, the authors present a brief summary of contemporary literature—including Rich’s (2008) Megaskills, plus key principles and perspectives (e.g., rhetoric, arête, culture, dialectical tension, communicative construction of organization) of the communication studies discipline—relevant to the articulation of the core skills as both a heuristic and praxis. Next, we delineate concerns and critical incidents that inspired unit personnel to decide whole-student development was mission-critical. Then we describe key challenges in of cultivating …


From “Safe Spaces” To “Communicative Spaces”: Semiotic Labor, Authentic Civility And The Basic Communication Course, Hannah Karolak, Craig T. Maier Jan 2015

From “Safe Spaces” To “Communicative Spaces”: Semiotic Labor, Authentic Civility And The Basic Communication Course, Hannah Karolak, Craig T. Maier

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Difficult conversations and controversial topics are common in the basic communication classroom, raising difficult challenges for course directors, instructors, and students. In response to this problem, many in higher education promote the development of “safe spaces.” Drawing from Eicher-Catt’s work on civility, this essay suggests shifting the focus from safe spaces to the development and maintenance of what Eicher-Catt calls communicative spaces. The notion of communicative spaces, when extended into the classroom, reorients our understanding of classroom civility and suggests practices for course directors, instructors, and students that affirm the dignity of students by attending not to their emotional needs …


Conditions Associated With Increased Risk Of Fraud: A Model For Publicly Traded Restaurant Companies, Elizabeth Yost Jan 2015

Conditions Associated With Increased Risk Of Fraud: A Model For Publicly Traded Restaurant Companies, Elizabeth Yost

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The central focus of this dissertation study is to understand the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the factors that contribute to increased risk of fraud in order to determine why fraud may occur despite the imposed regulation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The main premise of the study tests the application of the fraud triangle framework constructs to publicly traded restaurant companies during the time period of 2002-2014, using proxy variables defined through literature. Essentially, the study seeks to identify the factors that may provide the optimal criteria to engage in fraudulent or opportunistic behavior. The fraud triangle theoretical framework …


The Future Will Require Learning How To Exist In A Multicultural Society, Vanessa Lopez-Littleton Dec 2014

The Future Will Require Learning How To Exist In A Multicultural Society, Vanessa Lopez-Littleton

UCF Forum

Why should I have to tell my sons to respect the police?


Much Of Society's Unrest Caused By Barrage Of Negative Stereotypes In Films, Anthony Major Dec 2014

Much Of Society's Unrest Caused By Barrage Of Negative Stereotypes In Films, Anthony Major

UCF Forum

Everybody has a perception about what the image of art should say – or not say – but few have an informed opinion. The power of the communicative arts transcends the mere power to inform. That power is used in film, television, newspapers, radio, art, magazines, music, theatre and the new social media network as a means of influencing and shaping attitudes by providing images and opinions.


No Longer Can We Keep Our Eyes Closed To Human Trafficking All Around Us, Richard Lapchick Dec 2014

No Longer Can We Keep Our Eyes Closed To Human Trafficking All Around Us, Richard Lapchick

UCF Forum

You may have read in early December that 61 people were arrested across Florida in a four-day human-trafficking sting operation. If you haven’t followed the dramatic increase in stories about human trafficking in the United States, this news may have caught you by surprise.


The Return On Investment For Undergraduate Degrees In Hospitality And Tourism Management, Asli D. Tasci, Abraham Pizam, Robertico Croes, Po-Ju Chen Dec 2014

The Return On Investment For Undergraduate Degrees In Hospitality And Tourism Management, Asli D. Tasci, Abraham Pizam, Robertico Croes, Po-Ju Chen

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Increasing concerns regarding the value of higher education in the USA have motivated several organizations to calculate the return on investment (ROI) for college education by employing diverse methodologies. This study evaluates these methodologies by using data from a survey of alumni of Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida. The results reveal that the highly publicized low ROI for college education might be inaccurate, confusing and misleading for several reasons, among which is the assumption of zero income while studying, causing debt to be the total of a student’s expenses. Data reveal that Rosen College …


Collection Development Policy, Social Work, Hal Mendelsohn Dec 2014

Collection Development Policy, Social Work, Hal Mendelsohn

Libraries' Documents

No abstract provided.


Exploring A Relationship Between Social Anxiety Disorder And Bilingualism, Nicholas James Dec 2014

Exploring A Relationship Between Social Anxiety Disorder And Bilingualism, Nicholas James

HIM 1990-2015

This study investigated the possible relationship between bilingualism and social anxiety disorder. Past research has indicated developmental delays in language as increasing risk for other psychological difficulties. With the pressure to learn two languages, possibly in the drastically different environments of home, school, and/or work, individuals may be vulnerable to becoming socially anxious in conjunction with language use. This study examined a series of factors surrounding linguistic development and reports of social anxiety. Participants were divided into 4 groups: Socially Anxious (SA; n = 43) monolinguals, Non-Socially Anxious (Non-SA; n = 81) monolinguals, SA bilinguals (n = 30), and Non-SA …


Madama Butterfly: The Mythology; Or How Imperialism And The Patriarchy Crushed Butterfly's Wings, Adriana Nieves Dec 2014

Madama Butterfly: The Mythology; Or How Imperialism And The Patriarchy Crushed Butterfly's Wings, Adriana Nieves

HIM 1990-2015

As a popular historic work with constant and worldwide performances, the sexist and racist narratives disseminated by Giacomo Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly causes harmful social and political ramifications. Many scholars point to this opera specifically when discussing the fetishization of Asian females, and mention the title character as the quintessential example of damaging stereotypes. Thus, I conduct a postcolonial and feminist reading of Madama Butterfly, through analysis of the opera's libretto, the libretto sources, and the opera's score. I unravel the Orientalist assumptions that make up the foundation of the Butterfly narrative, and trace them as they make their way …


The Representation Of Poverty In Great Depression American Literature, Cavel Austin Dec 2014

The Representation Of Poverty In Great Depression American Literature, Cavel Austin

HIM 1990-2015

The objective of this thesis is to explore how American authors represented poverty across different states during the Depression Era. I have chosen to review social reform author John Steinbeck, and proletariat authors, Michael Gold, Meridel Le Sueur, and William Attaway. Before addressing the issues presented in the data collection tools (novels): The Grapes of Wrath, Jews Without Money, The Girl, and Blood on the Forge, I reviewed the fundamentals of the events leading up to the crash of the stock market, which spiraled the United States and the world at large in the greatest Depression ever known. In this …


Intercultural Interactions Outside The Classroom: Narratives On A U.S. Campus, Xinran Lehto, Liping A. Cai, Xiaoxiao Fu, Yi Chen Nov 2014

Intercultural Interactions Outside The Classroom: Narratives On A U.S. Campus, Xinran Lehto, Liping A. Cai, Xiaoxiao Fu, Yi Chen

Rosen Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This study provides a picture of the interactional experiences between domestic and international undergraduate students outside the classroom on a US campus. Based on 9 focus group sessions, 8 distinctive themes emerged as a result. The study revealed some similarities but many differences between domestic and international students, illuminating the lack of and barriers to intercultural learning. The findings highlight the challenges and opportunities currently faced on US campuses, thereby making a timely contribution to efforts at developing students’ readiness to be successful in a global and multicultural environment.


Sports News Puts Focus On Society's Problems, Richard Lapchick Oct 2014

Sports News Puts Focus On Society's Problems, Richard Lapchick

UCF Forum

Recent sports news has been filled with terrible stories about racism, gender violence, child abuse, and concussion-related brain damage for one in three former NFL players.


Redefining America's Ethnicity, Gender And Race, Anthony Major Oct 2014

Redefining America's Ethnicity, Gender And Race, Anthony Major

UCF Forum

When redefining the ethnicity, gender and race of American society, I find it is interrelated with the cultural dialogue. The African-American experience has always been tied to those topics.


Are Diversity And Inclusiveness Really Possible?, Vanessa Lopez-Littleton Aug 2014

Are Diversity And Inclusiveness Really Possible?, Vanessa Lopez-Littleton

UCF Forum

I recently overheard one manager ask another if he knew a nurse who was looking for a job. After a moment of thinking, he remembered someone. Within a week, an offer of employment was made for a great-paying job with a wonderful schedule. It is a position that will open doors and create opportunities as well as move this individual into circles he may not have been privy to otherwise


The Failure Of College Sport As An Equal Opportunity Employer, Richard Lapchick Aug 2014

The Failure Of College Sport As An Equal Opportunity Employer, Richard Lapchick

UCF Forum

As someone who has worked for institutions of higher education for more than four decades, it is especially embarrassing for me that colleges have the worst record in sports for hiring women and people of color.