Digital Commons Network^™

An Ambivalent Embrace: Service Needs And Gaps For Asian Immigrants In New Destinations, John J. Chin

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Asian immigrants to the U.S. are settling in "new destinations," but there has been little research on their health care and social service needs. Our analysis of Census data to identify cities with the fastest Asian immigrant population growth (1990-2000) yielded 33 smaller cities in 13 states. The cities ranged in population from 7,677 to 86,660; were spread across 13 states in the Northeast, South, and Midwest regions of the US; and varied widely demographically. Pilot surveys conducted in 2009 indicated that, although many residents had positive attitudes towards immigrants, many were also concerned about job competition and dilution of …

From Bison To Cattle: The Ecology Of The Southern Plains 1500-1750, Jenni Tifft-Ochoa

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

Bison made their home on the Southern Plains for millennia. However, their migratory patterns began to shift in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. My research investigated what caused this drastic shift and how it had far reaching effects on the ecology of the Southern Plains. Using archives from two prominent Catholic priests, I began to piece together why the bison left the Southern Plains. Rather than focus on the Europeans as the main players, I instead focused on the Indigenous peoples, the animals, and the land as the centralized actors in this project. I discovered that the introduction …

Exploring Student Retention In Postsecondary Agriculture, Food, And Natural Resources Education Programs, Aaron J. Mckim, Tyson J. Sorensen, R. Bud Mckendree, Catlin M. Pauley

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The current analysis foregrounded postsecondary agriculture, food, and natural resources (AFNR) education programs through an analysis of learning community, social community, general self-efficacy, and major commitment. Analysis identified statistically significant differences in major commitment perceived by year in school, with students earlier in their program reporting statistically higher major commitment than those later in their program. In congruence with the theoretical framework of student learning and persistence, the outcome variable general self-efficacy was modeled with year in school, learning community, and social community as predictors. In total, the model predicted 16% of the variance in general self-efficacy with social community …

Protective Factors Among Postsecondary Students Enrolled In A First-Generation Program, Ashley L. Austin, Stacy K. Vincent, Andrea Kirby

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

For generations, researchers have examined attributes that contribute to the adaptability of low socioeconomic youth. Attributes that help one become resilient are known as protective factors. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the protective factor(s) that contributed to the enrollment of first-generation, low-socioeconomic status (SES) students at a southern land-grant university. The population consisted of postsecondary students in a First Scholars program during the 2015-2016 academic year. The authors examine the existing literature on the effects of low SES on postsecondary education in order to explore what assists these students in maintaining a steadfast behavior. Recommendations are …

Estimating Population Growth Of Las Vegas, Ryan Desacola, Jacob Valadez, Ryan S. Tan

Math 365 Class Projects

An issue we have identified is Las Vegas' population growth. To those that live in Las Vegas, many know that Las Vegas is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States of America; due to its rampant growth, projecting future population growth is of utmost importance in order to prepare public utilities, housing developments, and other such services for the inevitable incrase. Consequently, for our project, we are attempting to extrapolate upon existing population growth trends (identified by censuses of years past) and utilize the method of least squares to turn out extrapolation into a mathematical prediction.

Rock Paper Scissors And Evolutionary Game Theory, Christian Cordova, Rudolf Jovero, Evan Thomas

Math 365 Class Projects

In Rock Paper Scissors (RPS), three different "species" compete, but no single species has a dominating strategy. In evolutionary game theory, replicator equations model population densities over time. When a mutation is introduced, they are called "replicator-mutator" equations. Using the replicator-mutator equation in [1] we have shown how population density of three species change.

Racial Minority Immigrant Acculturation: Examining Filipino Settlement Experiences In Canada Utilizing A Community-Focused Acculturation Framework, Renato M. Liboro

Psychology Faculty Research

By incorporating perspectives from Community Psychology into Berry’s (1997) acculturation framework from Cross-cultural Psychology, a more community-focused acculturation framework was developed and proposed in this essay. Elements from Community Psychology that focus on group-specific settings, community-level analysis, sociocultural resources, sociopolitical forces, and roles of grassroots organizations and host societies in challenging institutional power were consolidated into Berry’s acculturation framework to establish a new framework with a stronger community focus. In a theoretical application utilizing the new community-focused framework, socio-historical accounts of and discourse on Filipino experiences prior to the beginnings of the Filipino diaspora to Canada in the mid-1990s and …

Developing Multicultural Self-Awareness Through A Transformative Learning Experience, Cynthia Bezard, Sara A. Shaw

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the ways that a change in perspective can create a better understanding of cultural identity. This study addressed: (1) How does a self-awareness transformative learning experience develop critical cultural competence in career and technical education instructors? (2) How does the practice of critical reflection construct career and technical education instructors’ ability to develop self-awareness of critical cultural competence? (3) How does involvement in critical discourse construct career and technical education instructors’ ability to develop self-awareness of critical cultural competence? A three-phase professional development experience rooted in multicultural education provided key …

Economic Attainment Patterns Of College-Educated Women In Mid-Career: An Objective Indicator Of Career Success, Hyojung Han, Jay W. Rojewski

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

The purpose of this study was to identify latent classes of college-educated late-baby-boomer generation women’s economic attainment (income) patterns during mid-career and examine the family and job satisfaction characteristics within each latent class. Longitudinal latent class analysis was used to analyze income data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 for 607 college-educated women in the United States for the years 1990 to 2010. The analysis revealed five distinct patterns of women’s economic attainment. A majority of the sample (72.7%) fell into the sustained growth group in which women’s economic attainment increased continuously and consistently. Approximately one-third of the …

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Ben Brikman

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

According to J Stuart Elborn (2016), a medical professor from Queen’s University Belfast, youth that grow up with this disease “have shown a high prevalence of depression and anxiety in patients with cystic fibrosis and parent caregivers.” It greatly affects a person when they are feel like it is a burden to take care of themselves. Many affected by psychological distress allows this negativity to affect their adherence to their treatment and experience more frequent exacerbations, which leads to a poor quality of outlook on life.

J.T. Mcwilliams Elementary, Anthony Cano

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

According to Nevada Report Card, 287,550 students in the state of Nevada are identified as minorities.

John D. Jackie Gaughan Clubhouse, Dakyung Jung

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

“Alleviating urban poverty depends significantly on economic growth and the nation’s ability to provide more, and better-paying, jobs” (Lemons, 2015).

Project 150, Jacob Mcqueen

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

The social issue that Project 150 seeks to address is the issue of homeless and underprivileged youth.

Religion Declining, Oscar Pascual

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

As of today, compared to previous generations there are fewer people going to church or are affiliated with a religion that day practice daily. During my volunteering in my service site, where it was my job to basically teach, or enlighten youths from a Catholic family and show them what their religion means to them and its importance, my fellow teachers and I face the challenge of basically grabbing their interest even worse their attention to the topic.

Assistant Sunday School Teacherst. John The Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, Nicholas Barbarino

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

Give the children the necessary information to be able to make a decision about the religion in their future.

Making A New Friend, Taylor Fireman

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

Keeping elderly minds alive.

Project 150, Anthony Louie

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

Homelessness is a major problem in the world we live, but it is even bigger when it happens to youths.

Golden Desert Speech And Debate, Grant Schober

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

Health and well- being of kids.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association, Natasha Ortiz

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a social problem because the people affected by it do not get to live a normal life.

Thomas O’Roarke Elementary, Jarod Grimm

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

Parent involvement.

Mentoring With Core Academy, Danielle Olson

Second-Year Seminar Posters (COE 202)

Giving children a chance to have one person who is always rooting for them and having a positive reinforcement in their life.

Setting The Childless Free: An Ethnographic Study Of The Practice Of The Childfree Identity, Shelly Volsche

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Heeding Sherry Ortner’s call to turn anthropological analysis inward, toward one’s own culture, the following dissertation seeks to understand the identity and practice of the voluntarily childless (hereafter “childfree”) movement in the United States. How do these individuals practice their identity, and how does the identity of “childfree” interact with other roles in their lives? How do they build meaning in a society that emphasizes children as a hallmark of adulthood? What other outlets do childfree individuals have for the “nurturing” tendencies of our species?

Combining sociohistoric analysis with identity and feminist theories, I embarked on nearly two years of …

Acute Salivary Steroid Hormone Responses During Coalitional And Dyadic Competitions In Hong Kong Juvenile Children, Timothy Mchale

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A large body of research links testosterone and cortisol responses to competition during adulthood. Little psychoneuroendocrine research has explored salivary steroid hormone responses to competition during middle childhood. This project investigated the relationship between acute salivary steroid hormone change, performance, competitor type, and outcome effects in three different field studies, while controlling for Body Mass Index (BMI) and pubertal development, in a population of ethnically Chinese, Hong Kong juvenile children, 8-11 years of age. The relative dynamics of salivary steroid change were assessed during a 1) coalitional physical competition (soccer) in boys, 2) a non-physical mixed-sex coalitional competition (math contest), …

The Balance Between Privacy And Safety In Police Uav Use: The Power Of Threat And Its Effect On People’S Receptivity, Mari Sakiyama

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are an innovative technology that has received significant interest from the law enforcement community. The size and ability, technological capability, and cost effectiveness of UAVs make them an attractive tool for law enforcement agencies to utilize in the course of operations, including domestic surveillance. Despite the potential benefits to the society, public perception of police UAV use is mixed, and “Not Over My Backyard (NOMBY)” attitudes relevant to Fourth Amendment privacy concerns are consistently demonstrated across studies related to public perceptions on this emerging technology.

The present study focuses on the relative …

An Investigation Of Employment And Wage Distribution In The Construction Industry By Race/Ethnicity And Gender, Binit Kumar Shrestha

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

One of the largest job providers in the U.S, is the construction industry, an industry that suffers from critical problems pertaining to a labor shortage. Yet the industry also struggles with insufficient interest and inconsistent participation from underrepresented demographic groups. To address the issue of workforce income inequality and bias, the industry must better understand the current situation regarding inequality; it needs to pinpoint some basic problems. To do so, analysts must scrutinize the following aspects: 1) the current differences within the construction workforce by race/ethnicity and gender with regards to the total employment and 2) the current disparity within …

Attitudes, Attachment Styles, And Gender: Implications On Perceptions Of Infidelity, Christian M. Stewart

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Understanding the impact infidelity has on individuals, couples, families, and societies has increasingly become a topic of interest over the last few decades. In recent years, scholars have sought to increase understanding of infidelity through investigating the relationship between infidelity and attachment theory. This research study examines the impact attitudes about infidelity, attachment styles, and gender have on the way in which individuals perceive infidelity. Data was gathered from 310 participants recruited from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and social media. Participants were 18 years of age and older and were, at the time of the study, either in …

Case Studies Of Teach For America Teachers’ Teacher Identity Development In Relation To English Language Learners, Refika Turgut

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to examine the teacher identity development of Teach for America (TFA) teachers in relation to English language learners (ELLs) in the context of a semester-long teaching English as a second language (TESL) course. In addition, this study aims to explore primary considerations come into play in TFA teachers’ teacher identity development as novice teachers of ELLs. The theoretical lenses guiding this study are Wenger’s Community of Practice perspective and Positioning theory (Davies & Harré, 1990). A multiple-case design is employed to examine TFA teachers’ teacher identity in relation to ELLs. Data collection took place …

The Relationship Between African- American Male Education And Employment Opportunities Through The Lenses Of Critical Race Theory And Stereotype Threat In The Historical Context Of The 1965 Moynihan Report, Robert Paul Walker

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to examine the connection between education and employment outcomes for African American males through the dual lenses of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Stereotype Threat (ST) in the historical context of the 1965 Moynihan Report. A qualitative case study design allowed for the collection of rich data through in-depth interviews designed to elicit the Black male participants’ perspectives and lived experience of education and employment. For more than fifty years, the trajectory of African American male education and employment has been a negative one. This study documented, in their own voice, the African American …

Race, Resilience, And Resistance: A Culturally Relevant Examination Of How Black Women School Leaders Advance Racial Equity And Social Justice In U.S. Schools, Tonya Evette Walls

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This culturally relevant qualitative examination of the leadership of Black women educational leaders (BWEL) committed to advancing a social justice leadership agenda within the contested spaces (Stovall, 2004) comprising United States (U.S.) P-12 schools, employs an African centered emancipatory methodology (Kershaw, 1990, 1992; Tillman, 2002), situated in a conceptual framework grounded in the research on applied critical leadership (Santamaria, 2013). It examines, highlights, celebrates, and makes transparent, the unique leadership of BWEL. Engaged to rebuke the silencing and marginalization of women educational leaders of color in the educational leadership discourse, this study bridges engages a multiple case study approach, phenomenological …

A Historical Case Study Of Title Ix In Nevada: An Excellent Investment In Our Youth, Jason Clark

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine and document the history of Title IX in the American West, specifically at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), and at Clark County School District (CCSD) in Las Vegas, Nevada. This thesis contends that since the late nineteenth-century, women have utilized sports as a method to shed discriminatory stereotypes, fight for inclusion, and promote gender equality. In addition, the progressive actions of educational administrators and community leaders regarding Title IX make both UNR and CCSD exceptional institutions for gender equality. This thesis contains six chapters including the introduction and conclusion. Chapter 1 …