Digital Commons Network^™

Childhood Experiences Of Appalachian Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence During Adulthood., Amy L. Reeves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent national surveys in the United States estimate one in five females will experience abuse by an intimate partner during her lifetime. Previous quantitative research linked childhood victimization to repeated victimization in adult relationships. This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of childhood in eight female victims of intimate partner violence who were born and reared in southern Appalachia. Interviews were analyzed using a descriptive-interpretative phenomenological method, as described by Van Manen. The three essential themes from childhood were identified as: living 'as if' an orphan; surviving in chaos; and, manifesting a devalued self. These themes were congruent with findings …

Risk Perceptions Of Adults In The Town Of Unicoi, Tennessee, Regarding The Possible Building Of A Uranium Enrichment Plant., Shannon Kathleen Sellards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A prolonged siting controversy for a uranium enrichment facility has occurred in the Town of Unicoi, Tennessee. One hundred-seventy residents of Unicoi were interviewed using a questionnaire regarding the building of a proposed uranium enrichment facility for Unicoi. The questionnaire sought to determine relationships between residents’ risk perceptions and 18 variables. When the Fisher’s exact procedure was applied at α< 0.05, the results indicated several associations. Odds ratio measured the strength of association. Results are reported as crude measures of association. Risk perceptions were influenced by the choice of possible locations for the facility [p=0.0003; OR=32.6]. Residents' risk perceptions were associated with a history of working with nuclear materials [p=0.0476; OR=3.2]. Finally, risk perceptions were associated with residents' beliefs that the nuclear facility would affect their health [p=0.0001; OR=18.8]. These results are discussed in light of risk perception and communication theories.

Building A Model Of Campus Diversity: An Organization-As-The-Individual Based Approach, Ian Spencer Ray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diversity is a vital concept when engaging with modern social science research and among higher education practitioners. Despite the pervasive discourse surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, quantification of diversity remains a challenge across the social sciences. This study proposes a new conceptual framework, applies the framework to the quantification of diversity and measurement of its impacts. Further, this study demonstrates the robustness of the new conceptual framework alongside the positive impacts of diversity on institutional outcomes.

The Organization-As-The-Individual (OATI) framework arises from an integration of the social and biological sciences. The framework argues that humans, as biological organisms, …

Assessing How Identity Lens Accessibility And Distinctiveness Inform Application Of Gender- And Race-Relevant Stereotypes To Black Women, Gina A. Paganini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite clear evidence that stereotypes of women and Black individuals are opposing, little is known about how such identity-relevant stereotypes are applied to Black women. The lens-based account of intersectional stereotyping (Petsko & Bodenhausen, 2020) suggests that judgments of an individual Black woman should shift toward (i.e., assimilate to) stereotypes of whichever identity “lens” (gender, race, or their intersection) is salient. This dissertation builds on the lens-based account by considering whether identity lens salience can lead judgments of an individual Black woman to assimilate or contrast to identity-relevant stereotypes, and whether different ways of inducing identity lens salience are more …

The Relationship Between Political Cynicism And Right-Wing Authoritarianism : A Study Of The Louisville-Jefferson County Merger., Jeremy Reed Porter 1978-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The government's ability to gain and hold a high proportion of citizens' trust is essential to the functioning of an efficient and successful administration at the federal, state, and local levels. This thesis is a quantitative study aimed at finding possible explanations for differences in levels of political cynicism. One possible explanation, right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), is the subject of this study. Furthermore, the study aims to link the variables to the 2000 Louisville-Jefferson County merger. The data for this study were collected from 802 respondents residing in the Metro Louisville area using a random technique via the 2004 Louisville Metro …

Non-Specific Stress Indicators And Growth Efficiency In The Archaic And Mississippian At The Perry Site (1 Lu25) In Northwestern Alabama, Robin Wiebe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Porotic hyperostosis, linear enamel hypoplasias and adult stature are all nonspecific indicators of stress. When studied together, they provide an understanding of the long-term survival of periods of stress occurring in varying stages of the life of an individual. Because the Perry Site contains both Archaic and Mississippian components, it provides a unique opportunity to examine not only how these indicators interact, but also how interactions may change across time and subsistence base. Most studies show increases in frequency of porotic hyperostosis and linear enamel hypoplasias and a decrease in adult stature with a shift to agriculture. The Perry material …

A Durkheimian Sociobiology?, Jason Oliver Dixon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As conceived by Durkheim, social facts set parameters on what is of sociological interest, and subsequently how social phenomena are explained. This thesis reworks this theoretical concept to allow for biological explanations of some social phenomena. It by no means, asserts that all social phenomena can be explained by biology, but it recognizes that biological explanations of human behavior are available and are of sociological interest. The argument agrees with the main thrust of Durkheim's defense of social facts, but his critique of utility, while insightful, is considered unnecessary to negate individual causality.

Fundamentalist Religious Movements : A Case Study Of The Maitatsine Movement In Nigeria., Katarzyna Z. Skuratowicz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is a historical analysis of reasons and dynamics behind the emergence of fundamentalist religious movements. Its purpose is to develop a new conceptual apparatus to the approach toward religious fundamentalist movements that would analyze both external and internal factors influencing their emergence. It is a case study of an Islamic fundamentalist religious movement called Maitatsine in Nigeria. The theoretical background is based upon the concepts of international division of labor and the role of the state taken from development theories, which explain the external factors influencing the dynamics in West Africa, the region where the analyzed religious movement …

Participatory Action Research With Adults With Mental Retardation : "Oh My God. Look Out World.", Rita Marie Valade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a participatory action research project with adults with mental retardation who reside in Louisville, Kentucky. It explores some of the history and ideologies that frequently have hindered persons with mental retardation from being regarded by others as unique individuals with various abilities. It investigates dynamics of social ostracism and the resultant silence, inclusive of the social work profession's relative absence in the field of mental retardation. Furthermore, it explores various aspects of research with persons with disabilities, and with persons with mental retardation in particular. While there have been multiple studies about persons with mental retardation, very …

The Cost Of Wisdom : A Comparative Theoretical Analysis Of Research Ethics In The United States, Germany And Hungary., Steven A. Drewry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a comparative theoretical analysis of human rights, research ethics and human subjects protection. The history of human rights is a long one, but for the sake of immediacy and focus, the author will limit the discussion to events pertaining to the last century and the beginning of a new one. Through a process of sociocultural review of significant human rights and scientific events pertinent to research involving human subjects, this work will examine the evolution of research ethics in the United States, Germany and Hungary. These nations are not intended to be representative of international research ethics …

Variants Of Volunteerism Among Mature Adults Within Communities Of Northeast Tennessee., Martha Wilcox Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A purposive study conducted among mature adults aged 55 and older in Northeast Tennessee examined variants of volunteerism as well as volunteer needs of agencies and organizations and what percent of volunteers in those agencies fall within the specified age group. Mature volunteers in the region match profiles of other studies -- predominantly white, married, homeowners, who are protestant, females with educational levels beyond high school, and who have income levels above the regional average. Findings show that most volunteers attend religious services at least once each week but found no association between gender and informal volunteerism, between health and …

Under The Influence: Adolescent Girls' Compliance In Competitive Softball., Cory Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how and why young female athletes participate in the competitive organized sport of softball. Based on participant observation and interviews with coaches and players of Team Z, this study examines how parents and coaches influence females to participate in athletics through incentives and punishments. This thesis also examines the cultural assumptions about work that organized sports introduce to female athletes. Furthermore, the study discusses how parents and competitive sports organizations perpetuate the existence of male domination in sports and in society more generally.

Chocolate Plantation: A Geophysical And Archaeological Examination Of A Sea Island Cotton Plantation On Sapelo Island, Georgia, Christopher William Simmons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chocolate Field, the area containing the ruins of Chocolate Plantation, was occupied from the Late Archaic through the antebellum period into the 20th century. A complex overlay of architectural remains generated during the operation of the plantation by everyone from French nobles to 20^th century millionaires is buried at the site. A four- instrument geophysical survey in conjunction with test excavations provides data which make it possible to delineate the extent of the site, determine structure function, and separate the plantation into occupational phases. These results will ultimately serve to help link the Geechee/Gullah community presently living on Sapelo …

The Effect Of Closed Versus More Liberal Visitation Policies On Work Satisfaction Beliefs And Nurse Retention., Suzanne M. Boswell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nurses believe that more liberal visitation policies will cause greater work overload and decrease the quality of patient care. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a liberal visitation policy on work satisfaction, beliefs, and retention of nurses.

In this study, nurses were asked to complete a survey before and after implementation of a more liberal visitation policy. The nurses were surveyed using Stamps (1997) Index of Work Satisfaction and the Boswell Beliefs Inventory. Statistical analyses were conducted to discover nurses level of satisfaction and beliefs related to the new policy.

Results indicate that nurses were …

The Relationship Between The Use Of Developmentally Appropriate Practice And The Inclusion Of Product-Producing Art Activities In Infant Programs., April D. Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Product-producing art activities (PPAA) produce visual products, disregarding developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) and the creative learning experience. Infant programs in Northeast TN were examined to determine if as PPAA levels increased DAP levels decreased, which was unfounded: t (2) = 1.80, n.s. In fact, significant differences were found between programs with high PPAA levels and DAP as indicated by scores on the Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale (Harms, Cryer, & Clifford, 1990) sub-scales: Furnishings and Displays, t (2) = 7.59, p < .05; Listening and Talking, t (2) = 6.71, p < .05; and Learning Activities, t (2) = 7.29, p < .05. Caregivers' main reason for including PPAA was: positive sensory experience; main reason for exclusion: infant/teacher relationship is more important.

Strategies To Address The Effects Of Reduced Funding For Music Education., Jill Leigh Hobby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop a consensus from a panel of experts composed of public school music teachers both based in instrumental methods and/or choral methods, higher education music professors from various backgrounds, public school administrators, philanthropists, authors, researchers, state music supervisors, and leaders in professional music organizations on regional and national levels.

Through the use of the panel of experts from geographical regions across the United States and Canada, this study strove to build strategies that addressed the effects of reducing funding for music education. The vehicle used to build consensus was the Delphi Technique. Through …

A Church Crisis: A Rhetorical Criticism Of Communication Arguments From Proponents Of Both Sides Of The Homosexual Movement In The Christian Church, Garland Brent Wallace

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The increased levels of homosexual discussion in mainstream media culture have aroused opinion diversity in both secular and religious circles. The case of Bishop Gene Robinson has brought the issue of homosexuality in the priesthood to the forefront. However, the main issue does not rest on the issue of homosexuality but rather on the inspiration, validity, and authority of the Bible as scripture. After the evaluation of two pieces of rhetoric, including an interview given by Bishop Gene Robinson on a local radio broadcast and a speech given by B. L. Mauser concerning homosexuality as sin, Kenneth Burke's pentad will …

The Effect Of Tourist Theft On Future Travel Decisions, Judith Lynn Holcomb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Past research has shown that theft is a prevalent crime against tourists. This study's purpose was to determine the effects of past incidents of personal theft on tourists' future decisions to travel by analyzing and comparing those who have experienced personal theft to those who heard of such incidents through personal accounts of friends or family. The findings, which were taken from a survey of 215 respondents, revealed that that experiencing personal theft, or knowing of someone who has, is not a deterrent for visiting a destination where the theft occurred. Results also showed that one aspect of theft that …

Do You Have A Friend?: The Impact Of Personal Knowledge Of Someone With Aids On Attitudes Towards Aids, Leith Leonce Lombas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study of attitudes towards those with AIDS is relatively recent. Most studies have examined attitudes concerning health and medical concerns. Little research has focused on attitudes toward social and behavior concerns. The few that have focused on such attitudes have employed relatively small samples collected primarily out of convenience. The studies that have used national samples have primarily addressed public policy issues. Using national data from the 1988 General Social Survey, this paper examines the effects of personal knowledge about the AIDS virus and other attitudinal variables on four dimensions of social and behavioral concern for those with AIDS …

The Impact Of Traditional Shona Beliefs On Hiv/Aids Intervention Work In Zimbabwe, Brian Goercke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between secondary students in the rural and peri-urban areas of Mashonaland in Zimbabwe and their tendencies to agree or disagree with traditional Shona attitudes, beliefs and practices as they related to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. A convenience, cluster sample was used to identify the 482 students who participated in this study. A questionnaire composed of demographics, hypothetical and open-ended questions was administered to these students within the regular classrooms of their respective schools.

A notable finding in this study was that traditional Shona beliefs appear to be stronger in the rural areas. However, the students surveyed …

A Historical Study Of The Emergence Of Social Movements: Case Study Of The Sierra Leone Women's Forum In The 1990s, Agnes Mariama Farma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The emergence of the Women's Forum during the 1990's in Sierra Leone is analyzed using the political process model proposed by Douglas McAdam. The strength of the indigenous organizations, the political opportunities presented by the civil strife of the period and the emergence of insurgency consciousness on the part of the women of Sierra Leone were identified as significant in contributing to the success of the movement in bringing an end to the civil war and influencing the peace process to address women's issues, indicating the usefulness of this model in analyzing the emergence of social movements in the Sierra …

The Rhetorical Dimensions Of Radio Propaganda In Nazi Germany, 1933-1945, Frank Rybicki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intrinsic power and subtle influence of broadcasting is not readily recognized by the average consumer of mass media. This circumstance has an abusive potential for those wishing to use the electronic media for ulterior motives. Such was the case between 1933 and 1945 when the Nazis unleashed their manipulative mass media campaign that helped facilitate totalitarian control over the German people. This dissertation is the study of its radio component. Special emphasis is placed on the origins, construction, and subsequent implementation of Nazi broadcast rhetoric heard on domestic and short wave radio during the twelve-year period of the Third …

Immigration And Social Change : A Case Study Of Reverse Social Remittances Among North Mississippi, Church-Based Esl Volunteers, Rachael C. Sibley Gutierrez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Different Kind Of Civil Rights Work : The Gustavus Adolphus College Black Recruitment Program, William P. Hustwit

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Happily Ever After: A Study Of Social Correlates Of Marital Unhappiness And Policy Implications, Benjamin Sprajcar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the variable happiness with marriage within the context of 14 independent variables. The 14 independent variables are sex, number of years of education, income, church attendance, job satisfaction, importance of having a fulfilling job, work hours, age, television hours watched per day, number of children, class identification, divorce, race and religious denomination. The purpose of this study is to help expose factors that affect marital happiness and to then suggest policy ideas that are directed at alleviating these problems. Using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), more specifically the General Social Survey (GSS), I was …

A Study Of The Principle Of Subsidiarity In Catholic Social Thought: Implications For Social Justice And Civil Society In Nigeria, Simeon Iber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined the centrality of the principle of subsidiarity in Catholic social teaching, in bringing about social and moral reconstruction of society and in particular the Nigerian social context. The origin of this principle has been traced to the natural human inclination to build a healthy relationship between the individual and society, such that, the society will provide generous help and support to individuals to help themselves. Subsidiarity is a way of organizing individuals and social groups in community to help each other in pursuing their interests with common goals, the ultimate purpose being to assist one another and …

Searching For Mother: Chicana Writers Revise And Renew Malinche And Guadalupe, Diane L. Maldonado

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chicana writers currently assume the role of border culturalists in order to present alternative views of female figures perpetuated by histories, chronicles, myths, and other narrations motivated by imperial ideology and patriarchy. Two such female figures in Mexican-American culture are La Virgen de Guadalupe and La Malinche, archetypes that emerged in Mexico during the Spanish conquest period and that traditionally became dichotomous constructions of virgin and whore, Virgin Mary and Eve, and protector and traitor, respectively. However, contemporary Chicana feminist writers, such as Gloria Anzaldúa, Ana Castillo, Sandra Cisneros and Pat Mora, not only revise traditional images of Malinche and …

The Baby Out With The Bathwater! Securitization Of Corruption And Its Impact On Human Security, Shabnam Mallick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the context of the president's rule in India in 1975, this paper looks at the intersection of political corruption and human security through the lens of the theory of securitization and desecuritization. In this, I study the deeper politics--i.e., the frame of reference of actors--behind the distortions in the civic and political institutions of India. I argue that the securitization of development led to its de-politicization, which in turn negatively impacted human security. In doing so, I arrive at some moral, social-psychological, and cognitive understanding of how not to securitize. The policy implications are towards employing securitization only as …

Examining The Perspectives Of An Interdisciplinary Treatment Team Regarding The Implementation Of A Sensory Motor Group Trauma Curriculum In A Child And Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program, Barbara Peck

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A trauma curriculum was introduced at a child and adolescent partial hospitalization program. This study examined (a) the impact of the trauma curriculum on the partial hospitalization program; (b) the perspectives of the multi-disciplinary treatment team--teachers, teacher aides, trauma clinicians for the children and adolescents in the partial program, parents/caregivers, the facility's psychiatric nurse, the facility's medical director, and county program specialists--and a panel of expert practitioners toward the curriculum, and (c) any changes in the perspectives of the multi-disciplinary treatment team concerning the concept of trauma and its effects. To answer the research questions of this qualitative study, an …

A Comparison Of The Behavioral Adjustment Of First-Grade Students That Attended A Full-Day Kindergarten Program And First-Grade Students That Attended A Half-Day Kindergarten Program, Denise Shaffer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated and compared the behavioral adjustment of first-grade students that participated in a full-day kindergarten program and first-grade students that participated in a half-day kindergarten program. The researcher also examined gender interactions between the two groups. The study was conducted in two elementary schools in western Pennsylvania. Participants in the study included 10 first-grade teachers. Participants completed a total of ninety-three behavioral questionnaires. Student's t-tests and analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. Results of the study showed no statistically significant difference in overall behavioral adjustment, impulsive acting out behaviors, passive-aggressive behaviors, impulsive overactive behaviors, repressed …