Digital Commons Network^™

The Influence Of Previous Traumatic Experiences On Haitian Child Refugees' Conceptualization Of Fear, Jessy Guler, Courtney Guler, Dr. Judit Szente

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

This study investigates how children's experiences as Haitian refugees influence the development of atypical childhood fears. Eighteen child refugees were interviewed about their personal primary fear objects and their interpretation of fear in a series of drawing and picture observation exercises. Five of these eighteen children were Haitian refugees. Each of the refugee children had one adult representative who was interviewed about the child, the family's demographic information, and the child's previous traumatic experiences in his/her native country. The refugee children and their adult representatives' responses to the interview questions were coded and analyzed according to themes. Results suggest that …

The Role Of Parenting And Attachment In Identity Style Development, Kaylin Ratner

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

The present study set investigates the role of the parent-child relationship in identity formation using a sample of 264 students collected from two high schools in the central Florida area. Maternal responsiveness fosters both the informational and normative identity style, as well as positive attachment. Such results suggest that a warm and loving maternal figure allows children to feel safe in their environment, which encourages exploration. Furthermore, positive attachment was found to significantly predict a normative identity style. Despite both responsiveness and attachment independently predicting a normative identity style, issues were raised in regards to multicollinearity of the variables utilized …

Exploring Cognitive Dissonance Between College Students' Religious And Spiritual Beliefs And Their Higher Education, Shawn Gaulden

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

With perceptions of conflict between religion and science often appearing in popular discussions and academic writings, cognitive dissonance may result if college students find their epistemological beliefs challenged during their undergraduate education. The purpose of this study is to explore whether students experience cognitive dissonance between their religious and spiritual identity and their college education and experiences, as well as whether certain factors in college life lead to cognitive dissonance. College students (N = 272) from the Central Florida area were surveyed with measures exploring the dimensions of college life that affect the likelihood of students experiencing tension between their …

Civilizing The Metropole: The Role Of The 1889 Parisian Universal Exposition's Colonial Exhibits In Creating Greater France, Michael D. Brooks

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

During the era of New Imperialism, the French state had the daunting task of convincing the French public of the need to support and to sustain an overseas empire. Stemming from its defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and hoping to regain its former global position, the French state set out to demonstrate the importance of maintaining an empire. Since the vast majority of the French people were apathetic towards colonial ventures, the French state used the 1889 Parisian Universal Exposition not only to educate the French about the economic benefits of the empire, but to entertain them simultaneously so that …

What Is Appealing?: Sex And Racial Differences In Perceptions Of The Physical Attractiveness Of Women, Rachel Sewell

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Beauty and physical appearance are considered to be of great importance in today's society. In the U.S., many strive for physical perfection, and much attention is focused on the way one looks. A beauty ideal has been created over time through the combination of several elements within American culture, and this ideal image attempts to define female beauty as fitting into a certain mold. Certain characteristics have been deemed the most attractive when it comes to female physical attractiveness, and a model of beauty has been presented by the media. This research focuses on whether everyone buys into that ideal. …

In The World But Not Of It: Negotiating Evangelical Tradition And Gendered Identity In Contemporary Family Life, Lauren Hansbury

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Evangelical Protestants are an influential force in the world of politics, particularly in bringing debates over family values to the forefront of public life within the last thirty years. Their perspectives on gender have become a central point of contention in the so-called "culture wars" in American society. Recent research shows that the majority of evangelicals do not embody gender roles that fit within traditional, patriarchal, and gender essentialist models once central to evangelical thought on family life. Evangelicals live out their everyday family lives in much the same way as non-evangelicals and non-religious Americans. Research on evangelicals and subcultural …

Ex-Votos From The Church Of São Lázaro And The Votive Healing Process, Natalia Marques Da Silva

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Votive objects or actions, which are widely referred to as ex-votos, are made in thanksgiving to deities or miraculous beings for graces received. In an ex-voto, the completion of the vow constitutes it as a votive offering. The process of promising and completing a votive acts as a coping mechanism utilized both by individuals and by their communities. This article explores the votive traditions and related coping mechanisms found in the church of São Lázaro, in Salvador, Bahia through field work conducted in 2009.

How Religiosity Affects Perceptions Of The Homeless, Lindsay Dhanani

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

While most research to date has found that the majority of people believe that homelessness is a serious issue, perceptions of homeless individuals vary. Although all major religions encourage compassion for the poor and homeless, little is known about the relationship between religious faith and perceptions of homeless individuals. This study explores how religion impacts people's perceptions of homelessness. This is an important area of research to explore because so many homeless service agencies in the United States are faith-based. The data is taken from a telephone survey of 483 Central Florida residents. Results show that the influence of religion …

Holocaust Educational Practices: Reviews And Recommendations, Shainna Ali, Erik Horne

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

The Holocaust, the most horrific event of the twentieth century, demonstrated the effects of state- ordained genocide. The Holocaust's historical framework emerged from a deep rooted past of racist sentiment that culminated in the organized killing of six million people. Exposing students to constructs of racism, prejudice, indifference, diversity, morality, acceptance, tolerance, and understanding through Holocaust pedagogy can perhaps prevent future genocidal events. Successful Holocaust-based curricula include four main concepts: the placement of the Holocaust as a central event in history, the discussion of values and tolerance, the accurate representation of the Holocaust, and the use of grade-level appropriate teaching …

Are Florida's Children Safe? Evaluating Safety In District 7 Privatized Child Welfare Services, Antoinette Bazunu

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

In 1998, the Florida state legislature mandated the privatization of child welfare services. The decision to contract child welfare services to non-profit organizations was instituted in an effort to lower costs and to increase the effectiveness and quality in service delivery. The 1998 initiative came to be known as "Community-Based Care" and was based on the idea of giving local communities incentives to be more accountable for children.

The federal government requires that the safety of all children be the paramount goal for the child welfare system. The purpose of this study was to assess whether Community-Based Care was indeed …

Social Class Justifications: The Capitalist Conspiracy?, Wendi Kane

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

The purpose of this research is to better understand the attitudes of University of Central Florida students concerning the stereotypes, myths, and ideologies related to social class inequality. This research measures gender, race, social class, and level of exposure to the lower class as key factors in students' beliefs. The data were collected through the use of self-administered surveys distributed to 1496 UCF students from a variety of different colleges on the Orlando campus. The most significant findings were in relation to the "work hard, get ahead" ideology, as well as the equal opportunity myth. This is a non-probability sample; …

Gender Presentation And Membership Bias In Greek Organizations, Jason L. Metzger, Patrick Williams, Mailyn Chen, Genie Chartier

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

The study objective was to explore the possibility of discrimination and bias based on perceived gender presentation. In this study, subjects were female and male undergraduate students of both Greek and non-Greek affiliations at a University in the Southeastern United States. Subjects were asked to rate the probability of extending group membership to others based on perceived visual gender appearance. In the pilot study, 150 University of Central Florida students were polled to assess three categories of visual gender presentation in pictures: average gender presentation (typical female or male), extreme gender presentation (extremely feminine or extremely masculine) and non-traditional gender …

The Effects Of College Student Employment On Academic Achievement, Lauren E. Watanabe

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

With college tuition and the cost of living rising, many students find themselves in the position of having to be employed while trying to attend classes. This study examines the effects that employment has on college students' academic achievement and other possible factors that might have contributed.

All Deliberate Delay: Desegregating The Public Schools Of Orange County, Florida, Brittany Bernstein

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Discussions of the Deep South often ignore Florida and neglect to note the complexities of race relations throughout the state's history. Central Florida particularly has been overlooked and historians have yet to establish firmly the history of mid-twentieth century race relations in the region. Since there are few existing written accounts of the civil rights movement in Central Florida, this study attempts to contribute to the scholarly discourse about race in the region by investigating the desegregation of Orange County public schools.

The bulk of this study is devoted to the 1962 case Ellis v. Board of Public Instruction of …

The Assessment Of University Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors Toward Sex, Melissa Castora

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Previous research provides varying results in the affects of sex education. While the goal of sex education is to educate and therefore protect one's self from high-risk sexual behaviors, research provides support that knowledge and attitudes do not always comply with behavior. The purpose of this study is to test college students' knowledge about sexual topics, their attitudes toward condom use, and compare these with the assessment of students' sexual behaviors. Results from the study support the hypothesis that knowledge about sexual issues and attitudes toward condom use can not predict sexual behavior. The study indicates that students' knowledge about …

Predictors Of Fear Of Crime And The Relationship Of Crime Rates And Fear Of Crime, Jennifer Truman

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Research has shown that demographic characteristics, media exposure, perceived risk to crime, and victimization are associated with a person's perception of crime. Also, many times a person's perception of crime does not coincide with the actual crime rates. Using data from a survey of 315 college students, this study examined the effects of the aforementioned factors on a person's perception of crime, as well as compared these perceptions with actual crime rates. Results indicate that females, minorities, and people who frequently viewed local television news all reported a higher fear of crime, which is consistent with literature. The respondents' perceptions …

Commitment And Acceptance Of Relationship Violence, Jennifer Harrison

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Dating violence is often thought of as a precursor for spousal abuse and that understanding is beneficial. However, according to Makepeace (1981), all the reasons that married individuals give for remaining in violent relationships do not apply to courtship relationships, thus inspiring the question as to why do individuals in dating relationships remain in abusive relationships. Emotional commitment has been a prominent response and has been found to play a powerful role in the individual's acceptance of violence and the outcome of the relationship (Arriaga, 2002). For this reason, it is believed that individuals in committed relationships will be more …

Results Of 2017 Eatonville Community Survey, Amy Donley

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

The University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences (ISBS) conducted face-to-face surveys with residents of Eatonville, FL on behalf of the Florida Hospital Healthy Central Florida Program. The University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences (ISBS) conducted face-to-face surveys with residents of Eatonville, FL on behalf of the Florida Hospital Healthy Central Florida Program.

Predictors Of Job Boredom, Mitchell Eid

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Although job boredom is increasingly common in the workplace, little research has examined its’ causes. Reducing job boredom has relevance to companies looking to increase the well-being of their employees in addition to their productivity. This study examined what variables are related to and predict job boredom. The Big Five personality traits and job characteristics as defined by Hackman and Oldham specifically, skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback from the job itself were included. A regression analysis revealed that emotional stability, openness and autonomy were significant predictors of boredom. While those were the only variables predictive of …

Crystal Healing Practices In The Western World And Beyond, Kristine D. Carlos

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Humans have been using crystals for various healing and ritual reasons for centuries. Both geographically and culturally, a diverse range of groups have turned to crystals and gemstones to address diverse needs over the millennia. While the oldest legends of crystal magic date back to the mythical ancient continent of Atlantis whose people allegedly used crystals for telepathic communication (Raphael 1985), it is believed that the crystal customs continued to perpetuate in Egypt, South America, and Tibet over subsequent centuries. Over recent decades, a renewed interest in crystals and gemstones has emerged in various New Age and mainstream contexts. In …

The African Puzzle: A Study Of Democratic Backsliding In Sub Saharan Africa, Ailbhe Rice

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following study examines the future of democratization and the apparent trend towards autocratization within the context of democratic backsliding in Sub-Saharan Africa. Initially, the findings indicate that regionally, backsliding is not acting fundamentally different in Sub-Saharan Africa when compared to other regions. The analysis finds that regime duration and civil conflict are both significant when it comes to the study of democratic backsliding. The variable for the prior military regime's is extremely significant in all of the models and is, therefore, a strong indicator of backsliding in Africa. The chief takeaway from the study is in the variable for …

The Student Debt Crisis And Political Polarization In The Millennial Generation, Dylan Wallace

Honors Undergraduate Theses

According to the Pew Research Center, the modern wave of political polarization began in 1994, and is the strongest today than it has ever been during the 23-year period. (2007) Polarization in the US party system is evidenced by several factors including: growing consistent partisan views, partisan antipathy, ideological bubbles, growing difference in preferences, a shrinking political center, and the lack of political compromise. (Pew Research Center 2014) The question I attempt to answer in this thesis is on the factors associated with political polarization within the millennial generation. One of the most pressing issues to this generation is what …

The American Dream Short-Lived: The Decline Of Academic Achievement And College Confidence Through Acculturation, Perceptions Of Ethnic Discrimination, And Concerns With Confirming Stereotypes, Alexis N. Miller

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In this exploratory study, the goal was to examine patterns of perceived ethnic discrimination, stereotype confirmation, and acculturation within the context of a diverse, inclusive university. It was predicted that reported rates of perceived ethnic discrimination would be low, but the majority of students would still experience some type of discrimination at least once. The second hypothesis for this study was that higher levels of discrimination, acculturation and stereotype confirmation would result in lower levels of college self-efficacy and GPA. These factors were also predicted to be positively associated with each other as well. The personality trait, conscientiousness was predicted …

When The Clocks Strike Thirteen: Political Repression In Modern America (1990-2015), Faiza Begani

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Abounding acts of repression committed in democracies have continued to be overlooked and under-analyzed by many researchers and scholars due to "democratic exceptionalism". As the United States enters yet another consecutive year of declining political satisfaction and freedom. It has become pertinent that as conflict study researchers, scholars, and readers alike that there is a basic understanding of coercion including acts that have been committed within our own countries. Countless scholars have focused conflict study research on underdeveloped or emerging democracies, yet many have overlooked the seamy side of developed ones. This article aims to explain the relationship between the …

Mutual Gaze Among Strangers, Allie Vaknin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reactions people experienced when engaged in extended eye contact with a stranger. Artist Marina Abramović and an organization entitled The Liberators International have demonstrated a spectrum of reactions, many emotionally-charged, that have occurred from the opportunity to sit across from and gaze into the eyes of a stranger. Current research on eye contact has been predominantly quantitative, with no available research that qualitatively investigates the scenario in focus. The design of this study involved interviewing 35 people who participated in "The World’s Biggest Eye Contact Experiment," where individuals paired with a …

Why Do Women And Children Join Insurgencies? A Comparative Study Of The Pkk And The Farc, Stephanie Melendez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Why do women and children join insurgency groups? The subject has been a matter of extensive debate, with experts offering theories of motivation on well-known groups such as the National Liberation Front (FLN) or the Irish Republican Army (IRA). However, there has been a small amount of work comparing two insurgency groups and their participants to one another. This paper addresses the underlying reasons for why women and children join insurgencies, explicitly focusing on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Turkey from their origins to the present. The paper uses interviews from …

Naughty Or Nice: An Exploration Of Human Sexuality And Its Associations To Online Dating Behavior And The "Hook-Up" Culture, Ciara Peebles

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between human sexuality, online dating, and personality. The two sexual subcultures investigated were the hook-up culture (casual sexuality) and unconventional sexual subculture (such as fetishes). The first hypothesis was that one's casual sexuality would influence one’s online dating participation. The second hypothesis was that there would be gender differences between participation in casual sexuality and participation in unconventional sexuality. The third hypothesis was certain personality traits would influence whether they would participate both sexuality measures. The measures used for the survey were Online Dating Index, Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale, Big Five Inventory, …

A Content Analysis Of Jihadist Magazines: Theoretical Perspectives, Catalina M. Udani

Honors Undergraduate Theses

During its violent spread across the Middle East, the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) amassed both a local and international following in large part due to its usage of emergent media distribution. Beginning in 2014, ISIS’s Ministry of Media published an English-language magazine, Dabiq, disseminating its issues through online platforms. Dabiq and its successor Rumiyah both serve as propagandistic recruitment material for ISIS’s international community as well as broadcasting the message of the jihadist movement to ISIS’s enemies. This study analyzed ISIS’s publications using a qualitative content analysis in order to identify jihadist recruitment strategies through the perspectives …

Digital Citizenship Tools For Cause-Based Campaigns: A Broadened Spectrum Of Social Media Engagement And Participation-Scale Methodology, Jennifer Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Digital Citizenship Tools for Cause-Based Campaigns: A Broadened Spectrum of Social Media Engagement and Participation-Scale Methodology develops and applies two new tools for understanding, measuring, and recursively adjusting small to medium-size social media-based philanthropic campaigns to better foster participation and engagement—in other words, democratic digital citizenship. First, a theoretical model is offered broadening current binary conceptions of success and failure or impact of campaigns, situating specific participant actions in social media on a spectrum. Then, from that model, a new methodology is provided to measure participation and engagement generated by campaign posts. Recommendations are also offered for recursively adjusting campaign …

The Efficacy Of Formal Sexual Education In Lgbtq Adolescents: A Review Of The Literature, Candice P. Dressel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this review of review was to determine if inclusive and comprehensive formal sexual education is effective in promoting safer sex behaviors compared to abstinence only until marriage sexual education, for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) adolescents. Peer reviewed articles were retrieved from Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), Elton B. Stephens Co. Host (Ebsco Host), Medical Literature On-line (Medline), Psychological Information Database (PsychINFO) and government released statistical information that was published from 2000-2017. Inclusion criteria of synthesized articles were based on formal sexual education aimed at adolescent …