Digital Commons Network^™

Taking Things Into Account: Learning As Kinaesthetically-Mediated Collaboration, Jayson O. Seaman

Kinesiology

This paper presents research on participant learning processes in challenge course workshops using the framework known as Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). CHAT views learning as a shared, social process rather than as an individual event. Participants' experiencing and learning was mediated by the physical and social conditions of the experience and by the contributions of other participants. The concept of mediation suggests that the meaning participants make of experience is not an individual event, but instead is enacted as a creative, collaborative process using cultural and institutional tools. The recognition that people's physical, social and reflective learning processes are mediated, …

Parental Emotion Coaching: How Does It Relate To Attachment, Anger, Assertiveness, And Conflict Management?, Ines S. Cofrin

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between participants' retrospective reports of parental emotion coaching (EC) and emotion dismissing (ED) and participants' anger, romantic attachment, assertiveness, and conflict management. EC and ED were assessed by a retrospective self-report developed by the author (RECS; Kroll, 2002), based on Gottman's theory (Gottman, Katz, & Hooven, 1996). Results suggested that for most analyses, EC and ED correlated significantly with all outcome variables, even after controlling for attachment and caregiver emotional stability. Retrospective EC and ED were also assessed directly from primary caregivers through a mailed survey, and correlated with participants' reports of EC and ED. …

Limiting Exchange Rate Swings Under A Managed Floating Regime: Evidence From A Panel Of 24 Currencies, Nevin Cavusoglu Yalcin

Doctoral Dissertations

The monetary authorities of many open economies regularly intervene in foreign exchange markets with the aim of limiting swings in exchange rates. A survey of exchange rate models reveals, however, that the literature lacks a model that provides an explanation for exchange rate swings and at the same time offers a role for official intervention and parity announcement to affect exchange rate movements. Furthermore, empirical studies suggest that official intervention can have a significant effect on exchange rate movements, but only in the short run (up to 3 months). In this dissertation, I build on the premium model by Frydman …

Interdisciplinary Middle School Teaming, Donna J. Cronin

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine how the substance of interdisciplinary team meetings reflects team members' beliefs regarding the middle school concept and the school practices and cultural characteristics as delineated by the National Middle School Association (NMSA, 2005), which create successful middle schools for young adolescents.

The teachers of three interdisciplinary teams in an evolving middle school in the Northeast were participants in this bounded case study where the team was the unit of analysis.

Individual team member data were collected through individual audio taped interviews and validated by questionnaire responses from each participant. Team meeting discourse …

Understanding Abstract Algebra Concepts, Anna S. Titova

Doctoral Dissertations

This study discusses various theoretical perspectives on abstract concept formation. Students' reasoning about abstract objects is described based on theoretical proposition that abstraction is a shift from abstract to concrete. Existing literature suggested a theoretical framework for the study. The framework describes process of abstraction through its elements: assembling, theoretical generalization into abstract entity, and articulation. The elements of the theoretical framework are identified from students' interpretations of and manipulations with elementary abstract algebra concepts including the concepts of binary operation, identity and inverse element, group, subgroup, cyclic group. To accomplish this, students participating in the abstract algebra class were …

Critical Autonomy: Investigating Social Class And Education, Peter-John Giampietro

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation develops the concept of critical autonomy as a theoretical framework to guide responses to social class oppression in schooling. The project is grounded on Cheryl Misak and C. S. Peirce's arguments about inquiry and their implications for holding knowledge claims, especially claims to self-knowledge. As a result, critical autonomy presupposes the need for engagement in a community of inquiry. Unlike other theories of autonomy that may acknowledge that autonomy is nurtured socially but is realized in isolation, I argue that critical autonomy is enhanced through the constant process of inquiry with other inquirers. Thus it is always a …

Encoding And Decoding Mutual Grooming: Communication With A Specialized Form Of Touch, Holly Nelson

Doctoral Dissertations

Although primatology research indicates that social grooming has broad social significance for primates, it has not been previously considered as a nonverbal communication channel among humans. Therefore, this research aimed to provide information about its social significance among humans in two ways. Participants completed a questionnaire in which they indicated the incidence of grooming others in several relationship contexts. Second, a different sample participated in an experiment in which they read one of several vignettes and gave their impressions. Impressions were targeted to presumed communicative functions of grooming: courtship/flirtation and attachment/pairbonding. Two variables were manipulated: type of action performed (grooming, …

Coming To Know Reflective Practice: An Ethnography Of Novice University Teachers, Gail Fensom

Doctoral Dissertations

This ethnography investigates the cultural construction of reflection about teaching. The central setting was a two-semester practicum and seminar course in college teaching for psychology Ph.D. candidates in their third year of study at a four-year public university, Key participants were two male and two female doctoral students. Other participants included the two tenured faculty members who supervised the practicum and seminar.

Reflection was defined as the purposeful deliberation of anticipated and/or past teaching behavior, and included examination of relevant assumptions, values and beliefs. The purpose of the study was to describe and understand the reflective processes about teaching demonstrated …

Underlying Processes Of Antisocial Decisions: Adolescents Versus Adults, Kathryn L. Modecki

Doctoral Dissertations

The question of adolescent decision maturity holds significant ramifications for today's youth. When adolescents are viewed as competent, rational decision makers, they may be considered mature enough to make decisions in their best interest in criminal court (Grisso, 1997) and are held fully culpable for their crimes. In contrast, when adolescents are viewed as immature decision makers, they may be considered less competent to make criminal decisions, and thus may not be considered fully culpable for their crimes (Woolard, Reppucci, & Redding, 1996). The present study is based on responses to hypothetical vignettes and measures maturity of judgment (Scott, Reppucci, …

Sustainability Of New Hampshire's Sawmill Industry And Its Forest Resource Base, Difei Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

Sustaining our forests is vital for a healthy ecosystem and for the future of forest industry. To sustain the regional sawmill industry as well as the associated forest resource base, the key is to track the consumption and inventory of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.), the most dominant commercial species in New Hampshire. This research profiled the sawmill industry in New Hampshire and Vermont in terms of production, consumption, labor characteristics and regulating economic and policy issues. We examined the sustainability of the industry and its resource base; with a specific focus on the white pine sawmill industry and …

"Coming Out" Stories Of Gay And Lesbian Young Adults: Relation Between Memory Characteristics And Psychological Well-Being, Nicole E. Rossi

Doctoral Dissertations

Gay and lesbian young adults (N = 53) were interviewed in detail about coming out for the first time to each of their parents. Participants also completed an extensive battery of psychological measures, including event centrality related to disclosure to their mother and father, parental attachment, attitudes toward homosexuality, relationship satisfaction, anxiety, and depression. Analyses of memory content and structure (complexity, coherence, descriptiveness) were conducted, and the relation between memory qualities and well-being were analyzed. Hypotheses related to disclosure to parents and peers were largely supported. The majority of participants first disclosed their sexual orientation to a friend. More participants …

More Than Simply "Hanging Out": The Nature Of Participant Observation And Research Relationships, Julie Frances Simpson

Doctoral Dissertations

Participant observation is a research activity used in qualitative inquiry, particularly ethnography, where the aim is to understand the meanings and experiences of social actors. Researchers employing this activity take part in people's lives as a way of learning about them and their culture, and to gain understanding of social life processes. Often these activities in the field are referred to as "hanging out": that is, interacting with participants in an uncontrived fashion as they go about their daily lives.

Participation observation is multifaceted: participant observation is conducted within the framework of scientists' own and others' life worlds; participant observers …

Searching Under Stress: Anxiety And Selective Information Exposure, Melissa K. Surawski

Doctoral Dissertations

For centuries, political philosophers have argued that emotion clouds rational judgment and should be avoided at all costs. In light of advances made in the fields of social cognition, political science, and social psychology, however, the question of how affective states work in conjunction with cognitive processes has been approached anew, and interesting patterns have emerged in the data. They theory of affective intelligence (Marcus, Neuman, & MacKuen, 2000) posits that emotional arousal, particularly anxiety, alerts organisms to gather and evaluate information from the environment that can be useful for self-protection. On the other hand, terror management theory (Solomon, Greenberg, …

Urban Middle School Teachers' Efficacy Change Resulting From Project Adventure's Year -Long Respect Curricular Intervention: A Quasi -Experimental Design With Corroborating Data, M Brooke Moran

Doctoral Dissertations

Over 30 years of research highlight the effect teachers' beliefs about their teaching abilities (i.e., teacher efficacy) have on their professional actions (i.e., teachers' effectiveness). Yet the literature addressing this connection lacks extensive insight into how to raise teachers' efficacy. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Project Adventure's RESPECT Program in raising middle school teachers' efficacy in four northeastern urban public schools.

This pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study tracked 68 teachers' efficacy change over the course of one school year. Teacher Efficacy (TE) change was measured using the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale's (TSES) following subscales: Student …

Dirty Whites And Dark Secrets: Sex And Race In "Peyton Place", Sally Hirsh-Dickinson

Doctoral Dissertations

"Dirty Whites and Dark Secrets: Sex and Race in Peyton Place " suggests that Grace Metalious's 1956 potboiler Peyton Place contains a critique of race which may have been just as unsettling to a mid-century readership as the novel's famed critique of sexuality. Peyton Place is most often said to be "about" sex. In this study, I argue that it is also "about" race, and that it is the racing of the sex that may have provoked the scandalized outcry against the novel. My work posits that Peyton Place's controversial reputation resulted from Metalious's racialized representations of sexuality and the …

The Comradeship Of The "Happy Few": Henry James, Edith Wharton, And The Pederastic Tradition, Sharon Kehl Califano

Doctoral Dissertations

The recent scholarly reevaluation of Henry James in terms of queer theory has created a need to reexamine James' influence on Edith Wharton and her works. In this dissertation, I explore how James introduced Wharton to a circle of friends (the "Happy Few"), a group of queer men-of-letters who provided the author with both a literal and figurative space for discovering an interiorized, masculine queer self. Specifically addressing the years between 1905 and 1910, I show in this study how Wharton's initiation into queer culture and her introduction to the pederastic tradition, as reimagined through Walt Whitman's paradigmatic "comradeship," gave …

The Male Perspective: The Psychological Experience Of A Male Whose Wife Is Diagnosed With Breast Cancer, Heather Roy

Master's Theses and Capstones

Breast cancer is the leading cancer among women in the United States. Breast cancer does not only affect the individual diagnosed, but also her family. Research has shown that spouses are the most commonly reported support people for married women with the diagnosis. The impact of the diagnosis of breast cancer and treatment for women is well studied and documented, but the psychological effects on spouses have received less attention. This phenomenological study was designed to enhance understanding of the psychological experiences of a male whose wife is diagnosed with breast cancer Participants in this study were six Caucasian males …

Annual Reports For Hart's Location, School Year Ending June 30, 2006, Town Year Ending December 31, 2006., Hart's Location Town Representatives

Hart's Location, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Annual Report. Errol, New Hampshire. Year Ending December 31, 2006. Errol School District Annual Report Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2006., Errol Town Representatives

Errol, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Annual Report From The Town Officers Of Clarksville, New Hampshire, For The Year Ending December 31, 2006, Report Of The School Directors Included., Clarksville Town Representatives

Clarksville, NH Annual Reports

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire.

Hospice Nurses, Spiritual Development And A Changing Health Care Paradigm, Amy L. Barr

Master's Theses and Capstones

Recently researchers have become increasingly interested in how we are going to care for our growing elderly population. Little, however, has been done to examine the personal attitudes toward death, dying and spirituality of the professionals who care for the terminally ill. The purpose of this study is to examine spiritual development among hospice nurses who work in palliative care. Data were obtained using qualitative, in-depth interviews with 20 hospice nurses (4 males, 16 females) from ages 36 to 61. The interviews were conducted at three different hospice organizations located in the northwest, northeast and New England regions of the …

Job Characteristics And The Psychological Well-Being Of Older Workers, Anne M. Shattuck

Master's Theses and Capstones

Changes in public and private pensions as well as demographic and economic changes will likely lead to higher labor force participation rates for older adults in the future. Little research has examined the impact of work on the well-being of older adults beyond simply comparing those who work with those who do not. Using data from the 2002 and 2004 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, this thesis examined whether specific job characteristics---namely job flexibility, job stress, and the workplace climate's friendliness to older workers---were associated with depressive symptoms among a group of workers aged 62 to 73. Cross-sectional …

Slavery In New Hampshire: Profitable Godliness To Racial Consciousness, Jody R. Fernald

Master's Theses and Capstones

The goal of this thesis is to restore complexity, normalcy, and the later development of racism to the history and culture of slavery in New Hampshire. In addition to its role as a normal aspect of life in a hierarchical Atlantic world, slavery in New Hampshire gave birth to both racism and racial consciousness after its gradual demise in the state. The roots of slavery, the acculturation of different populations, changing interpretations of the state's history of slavery, and contemporary examples of its influence are presented here in an effort to correct the perception that slavery was inconsequential in the …

A Psychoeducational Group Designed For The Social Supporters Of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Parents, Tara Jordan

Master's Theses and Capstones

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) claims 5,000 to 7,000 infant lives each year. The deaths undoubtedly cause a sense of guilt, depression and hopelessness among survivors; specifically the parents. Many people supporting SIDS parents tend to feel uncomfortable around them and thus avoid the grieving family altogether. Many SIDS parents state that while their friends and family are trying to be helpful and supportive, many of their attempts actually are hurtful. A psychoeducational group was developed for the social supporters of SIDS parents, allowing its members to become better equipped to help support the grieving parents and to give them …

Is Romanian Mothers' Employment Status During A Child's First Year Of Life Correlated With School-Age Children's Behavior Problems?, Codruta A. Ruset

Master's Theses and Capstones

Although research studies are more likely now than in the past to include children and families of varied racial and ethnic backgrounds, no attempts have been made to examine the relationship between early maternal employment among Romanian mothers and their children's behavioral problems. Therefore, based on a sample drawn from a Romanian population, this thesis investigates whether maternal employment during the first year of the child's life is related to Romanian school-age children's behavioral problems, considering control variables like period of maternal employment, employment type, child care type, family income; child's age, maternal educational level, and family type. Findings illustrate …

Mythological Heroes And The Presence Of The Hero And Journey Archetypes In "The Lord Of The Rings" And "Harry Potter", Cheryl A. Hunter

Master's Theses and Capstones

Mythology entertains, relates history and conveys man's relationship to god and the universe. Mythology provides individuals with life models and establishes a connection to the people from whom an individual is descended. Works of modern literature that incorporate mythology and universal human themes and archetypes provide a contemporary guide to dealing with the problems universally faced by people.

In Western literature, Homer first established the hero and the journey archetypes approximately 800 B.C. and authors continue to use them. In literature, heroes are important and interesting characters who are role models and who teach the reader important lessons about the …

Race Salience In Defense Attorney Opening And Closing Statements: The Effects Of Ambiguity And Juror Attitudes, Donald Bucolo

Master's Theses and Capstones

Two studies were conducted to evaluate if making a defendant's race salient in defense attorneys' opening and closing statements would reduce White juror racial bias towards a Black defendant when evidence against the defendant was strong (Study 1) or weak (Study 2). In Study 1, making race salient did reduce guilty verdicts against the Black defendant. In addition, more racist jurors were more likely to find the Black defendant guilty only when race was not made salient. In Study 2, making a defendant's race salient did not affect White jurors verdicts. Further, in Study 2 participants with more positive views …

Independent Or Undeclared? The Role Of The Undeclared Voter In The New Hampshire Presidential Primary, Jennifer E S Gupta

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis examines whether New Hampshire's undeclared voters vote in a similar manner to registered partisans or whether New Hampshire's voting laws allow undeclared voters to act more independently. Two main hypotheses focus on how New Hampshire's undeclared voters act and whether they are more volatile than partisans. Data from pre-primary tracking polls and Election Day exit polls were used to assess actions and volatility. Two variable cross-tabulation was the primary means of data analysis.

The author concludes that New Hampshire's undeclared voters are more independent but as involved and interested in politics as their partisan counterparts. Additionally, while undeclared …

Moving Beyond Choosing Us Or Choosing Them: The Role Of Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy, And Perception Of Discrimination In The Development Of Arab American Racial Identity Status, Dahlia Rizk

Master's Theses and Capstones

This research examined the relationship between racial identity development and self-esteem, self-efficacy, and perceptions of discrimination in Arab American individuals (N=97) utilizing Helms' (1995) People of Color racial identity model as a framework. Participants responded to an online survey including the following instruments: The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, The Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, The People of Color Racial Identity Attitudes Scale and The Schedule of Racist Events. Correlations revealed significant relationships at each racial identity status consistent with the characteristics outlined in Helms' model. Independent samples t-tests were conducted to determine if there were significant differences between the mean responses of U.S. …

The Accessibility Of Spatial Information: Two Competing Views, Jennifer J. Stiegler

Master's Theses and Capstones

The experiments reported in this thesis were designed to investigate factors involved in the reactivation of spatial information. Participants read passages that described a protagonist and a target object in a spatial location. In Experiment 1, naming times demonstrated that the target object was active immediately after reading the introduction whereas the target object was no longer active in memory after reading filler information that did not remention the target object. In Experiment 2, participants were asked to read a cuing sentence immediately following the filler information. The results showed that this cue served to reactivate the target object. In …