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The House That Propaganda Built: Historicizing The Democracy Promotion Efforts And Measurement Tools Of Freedom House, Emily A. Zerndt

Dissertations

Democracy promotion has been an overt objective of American foreign policy ever since Woodrow Wilson declared it the goal of WWI. This dissertation examines the influence of Freedom House on those policy decisions as well as academia. Freedom House was created in 1941 with the “quiet encouragement” of both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt to combat the pervasive isolationism in the United States. Erected as the Western counterpoint to the Braunhaus, the Nazi propaganda center, Freedom House has distinctly political origins. Over the course of its institutional life, Freedom House has evolved from keeping a “balance sheet” on the level of …

Rising Against The “Enemies Of The Church”: The Dynamics Of Russian Desecularization And The Making Of Its Punitive Regime, Rachel Lynn Schroeder

Dissertations

This study makes an original contribution to theorizing desecularization, which Karpov (2010) defines as “a process of counter-secularization, through which religion reasserts its societal influence in reaction to previous and/or co-occurring, secularizing processes.” Existing theory states that desecularization is agency driven, involves social actors and activists with specific interests, ideologies and strategies. However, the theory does not explain the dynamics whereby desecularization takes place and a particular desecularizing regime—in structural and normative form and symbolic and discursive content—develops through social action and achieves hegemonic status. This dissertation fills this important gap by asking: How and why, in the anomic post-Soviet …

Only The River Remains: History And Memory Of The Eastland Disaster In The Great Lakes Region, 1915 – 2015, Caitlyn Perry Dial

Dissertations

On July 24, 1915, the passenger boat Eastland capsized while docked in the Chicago River, killing 844 of its 2,500 passengers. The Eastland Disaster remains the greatest loss-of-life tragedy on the Great Lakes. Using museum exhibits, government documents, trial transcripts, period newspapers, oral interviews, images, ephemera, and popular culture materials, this study examines the century after the disaster in terms of the place the Eastland has held in regional and national public memory. For much of that period, the public memory of the tragedy had been lost, but private memories survived through storytelling within the families of survivors, rescuers, and …

Conceptualization, Measurement, And Effects Of Helicopter Parenting On College Students From The Millennial Generation, Baochun Z. Hind

Dissertations

The social phenomenon of helicopter parenting (HP) has been rapidly growing. Although HP is generally characterized as overly involved parents who “hover” over their college student children (Cline & Fay, 1990), and some research efforts have been made in recent years on understanding the construct of HP, an essential weakness of the majority of these studies is the inadequate conceptualization of HP, both theoretically and operationally. The aim of the current study was to develop a new scale to measure the construct of helicopter parent controlling (HPC), and three questions were used to guide this study: (1) What are the …

Some Nonparametric Ordered Restricted Inference Problems In The Context Of A Statistical Education Study, Bradford M. Dykes

Dissertations

Over the past 10 years, the Department of Statistics at Western Michigan University has developed a question generating system that can be used for creating multiple forms of exams, quizzes and homework for online and face-to-face use. This system can also be used to provide students with a form of instantaneous feedback. With the goal of analyzing how different levels of feedback in an online learning environment impacts students' performance on assignments, this study presents data collected on two semesters of students enrolled in three different meeting types (strictly online, typical face-to-face, and honors face-to-face) of an introductory Statistics course. …

Preparing For 1:1 Technology: Impact On Collaboration, Instruction, And Student Learning, Pamela R. Schwallier

Masters Theses

The purpose of this action research project was to examine how the preparation of a 1:1 technology initiative, through professional development and early access to devices, in secondary (6-12) schools affected personal computing skills of teachers as well as collaboration, instruction, and student learning. This study takes place at West Ottawa Public Schools where district educators received personal Chromebooks and had ongoing professional development throughout the 2015-2016 school year to prepare specifically for the successful adoption of the 1:1 technology model in the 2017-2018 school year. The district is able to provide personal Chromebooks for all students entering grades 7-12 …

An Analysis Of Evaluation Practices Of Two Training Programs In The Healthcare Sector Using The New World Kirkpatrick Model, Michelle Woodhouse

Dissertations

The American Customer Satisfaction Index Report in 2015 indicated that service quality in the healthcare sector has declined even though the demand for healthcare service is rising. Companies invest billions of dollars annually to develop and implement customer service training programs; however, although companies evaluate their programs in order to continuously improve customer satisfaction, service quality is still on the decline. This may be because the evaluation process is neither formal nor comprehensive. Although the literature indicates that companies carry out evaluations, little is known about the actual evaluation process that is utilized to evaluate training programs, the levels at …

Cultivation In An On-Demand Era: Television Consumption, Explicit And Implicit Attitudes Toward Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Individuals, Jasmine M. Labine

Masters Theses

Past research in media effects suggests that the media we consume influences our daily lives. More specifically, Cultivation Theory suggests that television collectively contributes to our worldviews. In this study, cultivation was applied at both macro- and micro-levels. Macrolevel cultivation, or traditional cultivation, involves analysis of television as a collective medium and the way that it affects attitudes. Micro-level cultivation refers to the idea that certain types of programs influence specific attitudes.

Attitudes toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals were analyzed in relation to a number of variables. Few statistically significant results were found relating demographics and general television …

Approved For All Audiences: A Longitudinal Content Analysis Of The Portrayal Of Women In Movie Trailers, Brooke S. O’Neil

Masters Theses

Movie trailers are ever present in our society and impactful in the way society constructs views about various aspects of life. Trailers are unique in that they are specifically tailored and edited to entice audiences to buy tickets to the film. Further, prior research has indicated that in various forms of media, women are continuously underrepresented, disproportionately sexualized, stereotyped, and victimized. The present study examines the portrayal of women through a content analysis of 230 of the top grossing trailers across seven decades: 1950-2015. The research focuses on women’s representation, sexualization, gender roles, and violence. The analysis reveals that in …

Stratigraphy Of The Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Michigan Basin: Review And Revision With An Emphasis On The Ellsworth Petroleum System, Bryan J. Currie

Masters Theses

Compression associated with the formation of the Transcontinental Arch and the Acadian Mountains initiated subsidence in the Michigan Basin and lead to a depositional switch in the Michigan Basin from an oxic shallow-water carbonate platform (Traverse Group and Squaw Bay Limestone) to a deep anaerobic sea floor and the beginning of Upper Devonian Antrim Shale. The vertical distribution of the different Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian formations and members demonstrates large scale cycles of anaerobic-dysaerobic transitions attributed fluctuations in sea-level, different rates of subsidence and sediment influx triggered by different orogenic events to.

The regional understanding and the distribution of the different …

Snatching Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory: The Curious Case [Study] Of California’S Proposition 37, Dave Brundage

Masters Theses

In 2012, California became the first state to qualify a ballot measure for public vote on the topic of genetically modified food labeling. Proposition 37, The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, enjoyed overwhelming support leading up to the November elections. However, an 11th hour surge by the opposition led to its defeat. This case study examines the media messages deployed by the pro and antilabeling groups in an effort to understand how each side attempted to curry favor to their cause. Content analysis was performed on 27 television, radio, and internet advertisements broadcast during the campaign. Focused …

15-05 Infrastructure And Technology For Sustainable Livable Cities, Upul Attanayake, Mehedi Hasan, Lizmert Lopez

Transportation Research Center Reports

Providing access and mobility for key installations and businesses located in cities become a challenge when there is limited public transport and non-motorized facilities. The challenges are significant in cities that are subjected to severe winter weather conditions. Improving access to sustainable mobility choices is a key aspect of developing livable cities. This project scope is limited to identifying methods and infrastructure to promote walking and cycling. With regards to cycling, bike-share program development and use of location-allocation models as planning tools are presented. To minimize exposure to adverse weather conditions, underground and above ground pedestrian systems are provided. These …

Collapsing Microfinance Institutions In Ghana: An Account Of How Four Expanded And Imploded In The Ashanti Region, Festival Godwin Boateng, Stephen Nortey, Jonas Asamanin Barnie, Peter Dwumah, Martin Acheampong, Eunice Ackom-Sampene

International Journal of African Development

The study inquired into the collapse of four microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It was found that the collapses primarily were due to unduly risky, unethical and illegal practices, mismanagement and disregard for due diligence, compounded by external factors like macroeconomic instabilities and panic withdrawals, which then pushed the risk levels of the MFIs beyond the point of containment. The paper argues that the 2013 macroeconomic crisis in Ghana only contributed to the pervasiveness of the collapses – the crisis was not a root cause.

Reducing Marginalization Of Fishermen Through Participatory Action Research In The Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe, Bernard Manyena, Andrew E. Collins, Frank Mudimba, Danisa Mudimba

International Journal of African Development

Equitable sharing of fishing resources has been the major source of tension between Zambezi Valley communities and the Zimbabwe government authorities since the 1950s following the Kariba Dam-induced resettlement. Using participatory action research, it was found that the fishing license system and criminalization of fishermen were the major sources of tension between fishermen and government authorities. Engaging with government authorities to address these tensions, fishermen were recognized as partners in the fishing industry. The conclusion was that enhancing community agencies through participatory action research would be fundamental towards creating socially just and equitable arrangements that could emancipate marginalized communities from …

International Journal Of African Development, Vol. 3, Issue 2

International Journal of African Development

Complete issue of International Journal of African Development, Volume 3, Issue 2 - Spring 2016.

Choice And Rigor: Achieving A Balance In Middle School Reading/Language Arts Classrooms In The Era Of The Common Core, Nancy L. Stevens

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

While the advantages of reading workshops are well known (Atwell, 1998), there is currently a debate among scholars, practitioners, and politicians about the use of instructional/independent level texts in light of the Common Core Standards’ end-of-year requirement for students to be reading at grade level (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010). Particularly in middle school, where motivation to read often declines, a workshop approach can help students develop and strengthen their interest in reading. A classroom survey completed by middle school students in a suburban school district in the Midwestern United …

Peer Observation And Evaluation Tool (Poet): A Formative Peer Review Supporting Scholarly Teaching, Jeffrey L. Crabtree, Patricia J. Scott, Fengyi Kuo

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The Peer Observation and Evaluation Tool (POET) is a valid and reliable measure developed for formative peer evaluation of pharmacy faculty. The authors replicated a study conducted on the POET in pharmacy in order to report the instrument’s validity and reliability in occupational therapy and to explore its potential as a formative teaching evaluation for occupational therapy educators. To verify item importance, seven participants from the faculty in an occupational therapy department rated each item. To establish inter-rater reliability, the participants evaluated one videotaped 55 min lecture. The POET was reliable with ICC at 0.93. There were high levels of …

Student Perceptions Of Scholarly Writing, Shirley Peganoff O'Brien, Dory Marken, Kelsey Bennett Petrey

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Learning the process of scholarly writing, including the significance of peer review, is an essential element in the preparation of students for professional practice. This descriptive research study, using Scholarship of Teaching and Learning methodology, explores one approach to teaching scholarly writing in an occupational science/occupational therapy curriculum. The writing assignment was designed to offer multiple points for feedback and revision and instructional features to reinforce learning. A survey of students [n = 169] participating in this scholarly writing project was conducted yearly to gather their perceptions of learning. The results revealed four key elements: instructional strategies are needed …

Development Of A Clinical Performance Assessment Tool For An Occupational Therapy Teaching Clinic, Whitney Henderson

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Health professional education is experiencing increased accountability from higher education and professional accrediting bodies to produce professionals who are prepared to meet the demands of the complex, fast-paced, ever changing health-care environment. Using competency-based assessment methods to evaluate a student’s performance can assist to decrease the gap between education and practice and ease the critical transition from the classroom to the clinic. A variety of assessment methods that use a Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) framework to assess student performance and competency can be found throughout the health professions literature. Because of the lack of literature about the assessment of student …

Development And Psychometric Properties Of The Emotional Intelligence Admission Essay Scale, Sharon A. Gutman, Janet P. Falk-Kessler

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The purpose was to describe the development and psychometric properties of the Emotional Intelligence Admission Essay scale. The authors developed an admission essay question and rating scale designed to provide information about applicants’ emotional intelligence (EI). Content validity, convergent validity, interrater reliability, and internal consistency were established. The scale was also examined to determine if it could discriminate between students with and without professional behavior problems in the academic and fieldwork settings. Content validity was found to be high by a panel of three experts in EI (content validity index = 1.0). Convergent validity with the Assessing Emotions Scale was …

Digital Storytelling As Poetic Reflection In Occupational Therapy Education: An Empirical Study, Lisebet S. Skarpaas, Grete Jamissen, Cecilie Krüger, Vigdis Holmberg, Pip Hardy

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Stories are powerful aids to reflection. Thus, the use of stories may be a pathway to enhanced reflective practice and clinical reasoning skills. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether and how digital storytelling can contribute to occupational therapy (OT) students’ learning through reflections on experiences from placement education. A cohort of OT students (n = 57) participated in a 2-day workshop to create digital stories. Data were generated through a questionnaire with a response rate of 100% of students who completed the workshop (n = 34). Quantitative analysis methods were used to reveal a level of agreement …

Developing An Indigenous, Entry-Level Master’S Degree Program In A Country With An Emerging Ot Profession, Lesley A. Garcia, Julie D. Kugel, Heather Javaherian-Dysinger, Esther Huecker

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

In the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago the full range of physical, mental, psychological, and socially derived problems of occupational engagement exist. Occupational therapy is often a part of the health care team to address these challenges; however, the profession is at an emergent stage in the country. This paper describes a process used for the development of an indigenous entry-level master’s degree program in occupational therapy. The process was also supported and enhanced by the collaborative relationships among key stakeholders, including global partners. A qualitative design process was used to analyze the health care needs, barriers, and strategies that …

Professional Reflections - Summer 2016, College Of Education And Human Development

College of Education and Human Development News

• U.S. News and World Report
• Future Educators Scholarship Announcement
• 16th Annual CEHD Awards
• In Memorium: Dr. Charles Warfield
• TRiO Receives $1.1 Million Grant
• Make a Difference Award Winners
• CEHD Distinguished Scholar Award & MRA Teacher of the Year
• CEHD Emerging Scholar Award & Glata Outstanding Educator
• Merze Tate Grant Recipients

Take A Bow - 07/2016, Department Of Theatre

Theatre Newsletter

WMU Theatre News

Connections, 07/2016, College Of Health And Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Newsletter

• Dr. Lydia Schuck earns appointment, recognition
• Western Regional Area Health Education Center summer 2016 newsletter
• Unified Clinics newsletter for July 2016
• Nursing students receive scholarships at KMMBNA awards dinner
• Social work faculty presenting research in Spain
• WMU's new physical therapy department names founding chair, director

(Mis)Representation By Bravo: Maintaining/Countering Stereotypes Of Black Women On Reality Television, Michelle Mayfield

Honors Theses

This honors thesis investigates the use of stereotypes used to portray Black women on reality television.  Focusing on Bravo’s Blood Sweat and Heels, this project utilizes an Afrosemiotic framework, which is a combination of Afrocentricity and Semiotics.  Afrocentricity focuses on the agency and consciousness of Africans and African Americans.  Semiotics focuses on the study of signs and the explicit and implicit markers of these signs.  The first season’s narrative focuses on the positive lives of single, successful Black women but shifts to mainly negative portrayals inspired by Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise.  This project focuses on stereotypes associated with Black …

When War Is Peace: Peacebuilding In An Era Of Warfare, Josh Berkenpas

The Hilltop Review

A first step in constituting an international regime of peace is to construct a reliable cross-national map of the global order supporting continuous warfare. I examine the case of the conflict in Syria as a demonstration of the truly global nature of the conflict and the way that a multitude of state, corporate, and non-state actors are profiting from the war. I develop a case study of the war in Syria in order to highlight the nature of “new war” and the complexity of the situation, including the issue of arming rebels by the U.S. and other states. I follow …

The Hilltop Review Spring 2016 Issue

The Hilltop Review

No abstract provided.

Reflection, Interrupted: Material Mirror Work In The Confessio Amantis, Jenny Boyar

Accessus

The Confessio Amantis concludes with a revelatory scene in which Venus holds up a mirror to Amans, allowing him to recognize John Gower the poet— a moment that is often read as a mimetic and healing counterpoint to the Confessio’s sickness and self-questioning. My intention in this paper is to very slightly modify certain aspects of this narrative, to consider how the materiality of the mirror can inform its metaphoric deployments in the Confessio. I organize my discussion around two seemingly contrasting moments in the poem in which the self is seen and in different ways recognized through …

Foreword, Georgiana Donavin, Eve Salisbury

Accessus

In this Foreword, the editors summarize the articles published in Accessus 3.1 and offer conclusions about their importance for Gower Studies and contemporary medical practice.