Digital Commons Network^™

Formative Versus Reflective Measurement: Comment On Marakas, Johnson, And Clay (2007), Andrew M. Hardin, Jerry Cha-Jan Chang, Mark A. Fuller

Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology Faculty Research

In a recent issue of the Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Marakas, Johnson, and Clay (2007) presented an interesting and important discussion on formative versus reflective measurement, specifically related to the measurement of the computer self-efficacy (CSE) construct. However, we believe their recommendation to measure CSE constructs using formative indicators merits additional dialogue before being adopted by researchers. In the current study we discuss why the substantive theory underlying the CSE construct suggests that it is best measured using reflective indicators. We then provide empirical evidence demonstrating how the misspecification of existing CSE measures as formative can result …

Housing In The Nation’S Micropolitan Areas: A First Look, Robert E. Lang, Karen A. Danielsen

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Micropolitan area is a newly defined unit of analysis for examining housing affordability. Before the creation of micropolitan areas in 2003, U.S. counties were categorized as either metropolitan or nonmetropolitan. The category of micropolitan area allows for a more detailed analysis of housing affordability conditions in areas with populations less than metropolitan areas but more than nonmetropolitan areas. Variables examined in this analysis of micropolitan areas include demographic and housing characteristics. A policy section highlights how the findings from this analysis may be applied to micropolitan geography.

Analysis Of The Legal, Theoretical, And Practical Implications---Rumsfeld V Fair, Daryl Privott

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Congress has the power under Article 1 of the United States Constitution to "raise and support armies" and deems military recruiting on college campuses necessary for military preparedness and providing for the national defense. The Solomon Amendment was passed in 1994 and conditions the receipt of federal funds on access to college and universities for the purpose of military recruiting. This condition of federal funds led several law schools and faculty to bring suit against the Secretary of Defense claiming the Solomon Amendment violated their First Amendment rights. This case was heard in December 2005 and was ruled upon in …

Modeling Natural Resource Scarcity And Poverty Effects On Fertility In Honduras, Nepal, And Tanzania, Ayoub Shaban Ayoub

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines whether the vicious circle theory applies in three developing countries characterized by high population growth. According to the vicious circle theory, natural resource scarcity coupled with poverty leads to population growth via positive effects on fertility particularly in rural areas of developing countries. Population growth then leads to a further increase in natural resource scarcity, creating a "feedback loop." This is the first study to use micro-level data to test and control for endogeneity using a two-stage Probit model (IVPROBIT). The existing literature has largely failed to address endogeneity in the relationship between natural resource scarcity and …

Temporal Orientation And Consumer Empowerment: Examining A Las Vegas Casino Loyalty Program, Flavia Hendler

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study examines how temporal orientation impacts perception of a loyalty program. It examines how control over loyalty program features impacts the subjective experience of empowerment for customers with three temporal orientations: Present-Hedonistic (PH), Present-Fatalistic (PF), and Future-Oriented (FO). The study analyzes whether future-oriented individuals evaluate the more long-term and abstract levels associated with choice, while present-oriented individuals look for concrete details and the more immediate benefits of their consumption experience. A qualitative technique, the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET), is used in order to capture the conscious and unconscious meanings associated with a casino loyalty program by members of …

A Multi -Case Study Of Teacher Retention With Veteran Teachers In Hard To Staff Schools, Jacqueline Lissette Garcia

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Over 40 percent of teachers leave the profession within the first five years (Darling-Hammond, 2003; Berry, 2004), and turnover is higher in schools characterized as hard to staff (Ingersoll, 2001). Hard to staff schools often have higher attrition rates, and also have a higher percentage of under qualified teachers (Berry, 2004). The need to retain highly qualified teachers in teaching positions in hard to staff schools is critical because teachers are less likely to continue to teach in schools characterized as such. A multi-case study design was employed to investigate four teachers who have taught in hard to staff schools …

Wayward Fictions: A Study Of The Dynamic Picaresque Novel, Tina Ogorek

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The picaresque has been considered a narrow and historically closed genre, limited to a few examples, as well as a wide and flexible genre inclusive of any number of narratives. As an alternative, I propose that it should be seen as a dynamic form, conserving certain historic characteristics, but also adapting to newly current, mostly social, concerns by reconfiguring form and content. Through its double structure it incorporates inconsistencies and controversies, remaining culturally relevant. In the following chapters I have redefined the picaresque elements of two well-known British picaresque novels, added another picaresque novel to the canon, and qualified two …

An Alternative Study Of Chinese History: Two Daoist Temples, Joan Lorraine Mann

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The Daoist temple is a largely overlooked feature in the study of the history of China. The temple has been an important component of Chinese history since the Zhou dynasty, beginning in the Spring and Autumn period and continuing into the Warring States period.1 It is Daoism that made immortals of mortal Chinese war heroes, emperors, leaders, and ancestors. It is these celestials and immortals, found only in a Chinese Daoist temple that can so successfully relate the history of the common man in China. The Chinese have venerated these Daoist celestials and immortals to the status of "gods," and …

Adult Autism Policy: An Analysis Of Current Policy And Legislation In The Us, Maren A Bennett

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The topic of autism has been gradually emerging as a primary focus for research, education, charities, etc. Much of the attention has been centered on children; however, the subject of adults with autism has long been overlooked. Adults with autism need policy improvements to help gain as much independence in their daily lives as possible. It is the purpose of this thesis to identify deficiencies in service delivery and recommend policies to improve the quality of life of adults with autism. I will utilize a cross-sectional multiple case study design. Three private foundations are utilized as the case studies, along …

Formula For Success: How Las Vegas Became The Entertainment Capital Of The World, Scott M Pruett

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This paper will espouse the theory that Las Vegas was able to evolve into the entertainment capital of the world by establishing itself as an island of controlled social deviance. That is to say that the city became an area of regulatory exception---one with distinct legal differences in a limited geographical area---and allowed a degree of social deviance by permitting behaviors that would be illegal in nearly any other American city. My research will show that when such an environment enables its visitors to experience extended periods of pleasurable sensory stimulation, whether the inducement be physical, psychological, or chemical, this …

The Relationship Between Organizational Climate And Job Satisfaction Of Selected Urban Middle School Teachers In The Clark County School District, Ouida Mildred Brown

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between organizational climate and job satisfaction in the Clark County School District (Las Vegas, Nevada); The data were collected from teachers randomly selected from urban middle schools in this district. There were 19 schools involved in the study, with 15 teachers selected from each school to respond to two instruments. The Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire---Revised Secondary (OCDQ-RS) and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) were sent to 285 teachers, of which 197 were returned (70%). Demographic data were also collected from each of the respondents; There was a significant relationship found …

Critical Introductions To Pioneering Works Of Social Realism From The Early Abbey Theatre, John C Kerrigan

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation presents a critical study of five dramatic works first performed at Dublin's Abbey Theatre in the early twentieth century. The plays considered here have often been called masterpieces by critics, yet they have received little serious scholarly attention and today are forgotten relics of the Abbey's past. Nonetheless, these plays---Padraic Colum's Thomas Muskerry (1910), St. John Ervine's John Ferguson (1915), T. C. Murray's Autumn Fire (1924), Lennox Robinson's The Big House (1926), and Teresa Deevy's Katie Roche (1936)---formed a backbone for the fledgling national theater. They were successful because they attracted and engaged their audiences, but furthermore they …

Worksite Schools: A Study Of Cooperation Between Public Education And Private Business, D. Janell Dietz

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The development of business/educational partnerships in the United States has accelerated in the last few years, fueled in large part by industry concerns over a projected scarcity of future workers who are effectively equipped for the demands of a workforce in an evolving technological environment. This has been accompanied by rising concern over parental choice in the matter of what schools their children will attend; Lankard (1995) has opined that in the new economy where school and work are intertwined, it is increasingly apparent that a dual approach to public school reform has appeal, and such partnerships will continue to …

The Impact Of Promotion On Inventory Forecasting For An Asian Wholesale Corporation, Tzu-Chu Chien

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Inventory control has been a challenge to wholesale firms since inventory can be easily affected by numerous operational, social, cultural, and environmental factors. Besides, marketing related factors create uncertainty as to the levels of the product demands, and that uncertainty makes inventory forecasting much more difficult and forces wholesalers to estimate the impacts of the potentially influential factors. Hence, an understanding of the factors affecting inventory levels is the primary goal of this study; Utilizing historical inventory data and other marketing related information provided by an Asian wholesale corporation, the researcher estimated the effect of promotion on product sales and …

The Nature Of Epistemic Climates In Elementary Classrooms, Florian C Feucht

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the nature of three epistemic climates in a fourth-grade classroom (i.e., a science and a reading lesson) and a sixth-grade classroom (i.e., a reading lesson). An epistemic climate is defined as the nature of knowledge and knowing emerging from the personal epistemologies of: (1) students, and (2) teachers, as well as from the epistemological underpinnings of (3) knowledge representations (e.g., curricula and textbooks), (4) instruction, and (5) their reciprocal relations. An epistemic climate is unique to individual classrooms and subject to change. A variety of qualitative methods were applied to tap the five data points of each …

Communicating The Meanings Of Cultural Artifacts: An Exploratory Study Of Orientation Units, Ryan David Theroux

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the meanings of cultural artifacts on college campuses can provide new students with a way of learning an institution's culture and values. To help communicate the meanings of cultural artifacts, new student orientation is a common activity that provides institutions, particularly orientation units, with an opportunity to acculturate first-year students into a collegiate environment. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how orientation directors and orientation leaders perceive their roles in communicating the meanings of cultural artifacts to first-year students at four public universities in California. In-depth and focus groups interviews were conducted with participants over the …

Exploring Preschoolers' Personal Epistemologies Using Focus Groups, Denise Lynne Winsor

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This is a qualitative study designed to use focus groups as a means of identifying the personal epistemologies of preschool children in an authentic learning environment. Personal epistemology is generally defined as the theory about the nature of knowledge and the process of knowing. Investigations of young children are scarce in this field, and little is known about the early onset of epistemological development. However, recent research suggests a possible connection between epistemic development and theory of mind; This study explores very young children and how their cognitive ability and interactions with peers may reveal information regarding epistemological development. The …

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering October 1 – December 31, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database increased 12% over last quarter. The database now contains 4,937 records.
• Website activity decreased, recording an average of 82,859 hits per month, a decrease of 31% from last quarter, with an average of 8,191 pages viewed per month.
• Volunteer fall training has been completed.
• Three National Public Land Day Events have been completed.
• Two hundred and ten people attended the Volunteer Recognition Event.

Southern Nevada Agency Partnership Cultural Site Stewardship Program – Program Expansion And Steward Retention: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Cultural Site Stewardship Program

• An ATV safety class was conducted to certify Clark County site stewards.

• Stewards reported ten major cultural site impacts and nine lesser impacts.

• Technical design for the new CSSP database is 80% complete.

A Comparative Analysis Of Mice Destinations Between Macau And Singapore, Cheong Su Richard Tan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Macau is probably best known worldwide for its gaming industry which has always been a staple of its economy and has surpassed Las Vegas as the world’s biggest gambling market in 2006 (Cheung, 2007). After its return to Chinese rule in 1999, the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) government decided to diversify its economy and liberalized the gaming market with an aim to transform the territory into a centre of gaming, cultural events, conference and exhibition (Pao, 2004). Recognizing the economic benefits of MICE, the SAR government aims to nurture the city into a prominent MICE destination (Macau Government Tourist …

Inside Unlv, Shane Bevell, David Ashley, Tony Allen, Mamie Peers, Allison Miller

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Goffman Turned To Me And Said With Some Surprise, “You Like Doing Fieldwork?”, Ruth Horowitz

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Dr. Ruth Horowitz, Professor of Sociology at the New York University, wrote this memoir at the invitation of Dmitri Shalin and gave her approval for posting the present version in the Erving Goffman Archives.

Inside Unlv, Cate Weeks, Diane Russell, David Ashley, Grace Russell

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Shaping The Future Of Southern Nevada Conference Key Points, Ron Smith

Shaping the Future of Southern Nevada: Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability

General summary of key points raised at the conference

Concurrent Panel Session 2: Service Learning: Linking Students And Community, Daniel Mclean, Jane Pike, Seth Pollack, Fran Smith, Jean Whitney, Cheri Young

Shaping the Future of Southern Nevada: Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability

Moderator: Peg Rees, UNLV Public Lands Institute Scribe: Melanie Taylor, UNLV Department of Criminal Justice Conference white paper & Full summary of panel session, 4 pages

Concurrent Panel Session 1: Challenges Of Economic Growth & Diversification & Labor Preparation In Las Vegas, Maggie Arias-Petrel, Cedric Crear, Somer Hollingsworth, Mike Majewski, John Restrepo, Mary Riddel, Keith Schwer, Dina Titus

Shaping the Future of Southern Nevada: Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability

Moderator: Dr. Mel Jameson, UNLV College of Business Scribe: Angela Moor, UNLV Department of History Conference white paper & Full summary of panel session, 6 pages

Concurrent Panel Session 2: Challenges Facing Our Youth And Aged Populations, Michele Clark, Claudia Collins, Chris Kearney, Ed Jost, Larry Mason, Carla Sloan, William Sullivan

Shaping the Future of Southern Nevada: Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability

Moderator: Dr. Ann McDonough, UNLV Gerontology Program Scribe: Lisa Gioia-Acres, UNLV Department of History Conference white paper & Full summary of panel session, 4 pages

Concurrent Panel Session 2: Health Challenges Facing Las Vegas, Carlos Brandenburg, Shawn Gerstenberger, Zaven Khachaturian, John Mcdonald, Dennis Pirages, Thom Reilly, Kathy Silver, Bonnie Sorenson, Carolyn B. Yucha, Maurizio Trevisan

Shaping the Future of Southern Nevada: Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability

Moderator: Marcia Turner, NSHE Health Science System Scribe: Candace Griffith, UNLV Department of Sociology Conference white paper & Full summary of panel session, 8 pages

Concurrent Panel Session 1: Environmental Sustainability And Las Vegas, Dale A. Devitt, David E. James, Patricia Mulroy, Alan O'Neill, Thomas C. Piechota, Doug Selby, Krystyna Anne Stave, Michael Yackira, Bruce Turner

Shaping the Future of Southern Nevada: Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability

Moderator: Dr. Stan Smith, UNLV School of Life Sciences Scribe: Crystal Jackson, UNLV Department of Sociology Conference white paper & Full summary of panel session, 6 pages

Las Vegas X 3 @ 2030-Part 1 & 2, Arthur Chris Nelson

Shaping the Future of Southern Nevada: Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability

Part 1, 12 PowerPoint slides