Digital Commons Network^™

The Educators Of Educators: An Evaluation Of Carnegie Foundation's "Very High Research Activity" Universities' Schools Of Education Professors, Joshua R. Polanin

Master's Theses

The field of education is diverse, its history marred with politically driven problems, and its research ill-funded and often disaggregated. Indeed researchers of the past have questioned education research's purpose (Kaestle, 1993) while researchers of the present doubt the field's ability to evaluate properly its current researchers and research (Hedges & Hans-Martin, 2009). Therefore the purpose of this thesis was to investigate and evaluate critically who education researchers were and what type of research they produced.

Using a nationally representative, stratified-random sample technique, this author distributed the Education Research Identity Survey (ERIS) electronically via email to 2,723 Schools of Education …

Building Citizens Or Building Nations? Alternative Visions For Learning History In Germany And The United States: The Geschichtswettbewerb Des Bundespraesidenten And National History Day, 1974-1984, Crystal Johnson

Master's Theses

The German philanthropist Kurt Körber and the American historian David Van Tassel envisioned a future where students engaged in discovering the sources and interpreting the past for themselves rather than reciting facts filtered by a textbook or teacher. Their ideas developed into two strikingly similar programs: the Geschichtswettbewerb des Bundespräsidenten and National History Day. These endeavors became models for similar efforts in many other countries. This comparative history argues that such programs offer provocative insights into the civic nature and purpose of history education. Inquiry learning and enhanced access to sources gave students opportunities to ask their own questions of …

Knowledge, The Marketization Of Education, And High-Stakes Accountability: Curriculum Differentiation In Chicago Public High Schools, Paige Elizabeth Jessee

Master's Theses

Over the course of the twentieth century curriculum differentiation became a mainstay in education, particularly in secondary schools. Much has been written on how this is a purposeful selection process often tied to larger social and political status and relationships. Moreover, knowledge is largely deemed appropriate based upon whose knowledge it is and for what student it is appropriate. Also, within the past two decades, there has been an increase in neoliberal school choice policies and neoconservative standardization policies in public education largely in the form of charter schools and high-stakes testing. These market policies aim to increase innovation and …

The City Imagined: Race, Place And Identity In The Making Of Urban Church, Jessica M. Barron

Master's Theses

In this study, I will explore the racial and urban imaginary of church leaders and members seeking to create an authentic and relevant church for Chicago's unchurched, young-adult urbanite. In their quest to develop a relevant church, the varied imaginations of the city of Chicago by leaders, volunteers and members come to the forefront. How these imaginations are fostered, incorporated, rebelled against or dismissed brings to light the politics of imagining the imagined city. This paper will discuss these varied, dueling, and sometimes contradictory imaginations informing the construction, operation, and branding campaigns of Urban Church. Particular focus will be paid …

Erasing Mexican Chicago: The Role Of Community Based Organizations And Immigrant Networks In The Gentrifying Neighborhood Of Pilsen, David Orta

Master's Theses

This study explores the effects of gentrification in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, a historic port of entry for Mexican immigrants and a basin for community organization and other resources. The research questions of this study first query the effects of gentrification on the informal immigrant networks that make Pilsen a site for community resources for new immigrants. Second, the study explores the effects of gentrification on community-based organizations in a rapidly changing environment. As the racial and economic demographics of the neighborhood shift, community based organizations must adapt. Finally, this study examines the relationship between neighborhood residents and community based organizations. …

If I Could Choose: Internalized Homophobia Of The Queer Cinema Movement, James Joseph Flaherty

Master's Theses

This thesis offers a critical examination of essentialist and constructionist theories of queer identities, with emphasis on portrayals of internalized homophobia in film. The thesis examines three films released at the latter part of the first New Queer Cinema movement (1991 - 2000) - American Beauty (1999), Urbania (2000) and Velvet Goldmine (1998). Using criticisms of Queer as performativity, as theorized by Judith Butler, in addition to the works of Gregory M. Herek, Harry M. Benshoff, Jeffrey Weeks, and other theorists and academics, the thesis analyzes the use of characterization, mise-en-scene, and spatial and temporal relationships in these films as …

Who Am I?: The Reflexivity Of Self-Identity Through Tourism, Matthew Lee Milde

Master's Theses

This study has set forth to close gaps, explore innovative methods, and create a better understanding of "Who am I?", in tourism research. Few studies in tourism research focus on how experiences gained from traveling shape self-identity through personal biographies. Building on the work of seminal authors on self-identity, personal narrative, and tourism, this study explores the reflexivity of self-identity as represented in travel narratives. The lived experiences offered through narrative condition spontaneous instances of self-discovery allowing for the (re)creation of new self-identities.

Participants were selected through a snowball sample; in-depth interviews were held with fifteen (15) adults born and …

Predicting Work And Organizational Engagement With Work And Personal Factors, Andrea Kittredge

Master's Theses

The current study examined how psychological hardiness and self efficacy would be related to both work engagement and organizational engagement after controlling for job characteristics, perceived organizational support, and procedural justice as work characteristics. Findings showed that psychological hardiness, specifically commitment, added significant predictive value to both work and organizational engagement after controlling for the work characteristics. However, commitment accounted for more variance in work engagement than variance in organizational engagement. Although it was correlated with overall hardiness, self efficacy was not found to be directly related to either engagement variable, nor did it add predictive value to either of …

Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation Applied To Flight Training, Joel D. Hanson

Master's Theses

Between 1994 and 2003 spatial disorientation resulted in at least 202 aircraft

accidents, 184 of them resulting in fatalities. Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation (GVS)

provides a cost effective and safe way to simulate spatial disorientation and

potentially test pilot’s vestibular system prior to aircraft operation. This experiment

investigates the use of GVS as an indicator of motion sensitivity and explores the

effects of GVS on flight simulation performance. Bilateral bipolar rectangular pulse

electrical stimulations were given to subjects via skin-mounted electrodes placed over

each mastoid process to stimulate the vestibular system with roll and yaw sensations.

Two studies were conducted in …

"A Change Has Swept Over Our Land": American Moravians And The Civil War, Adrienne E. Robertson

Master's Theses

When they first came to North America, the Moravians—a pietistic, Germanic Christian sect—settled in isolated communities where only a few people ventured out to do missionary work for the community. They separated themselves from their non-Moravian neighbors, one missionary community serving the North from its seat in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and the other serving the South from Salem, North Carolina, and neither participating in civic or military life. Then, over the course of a few decades, economic and civic circumstances forced the Moravians in North America to adapt their ways to be more like those of their non-Moravian neighbors, adopting styles …

A Longitudinal Study Of The Outcomes From Participation In Wilderness Adventure Education Programs, Jason Phillip Cummings

Master's Theses

The results from this study suggest that participants of wilderness adventure education programs offered by Outward Bound and the National Outdoor Leadership School felt challenged by many of the experiences from their programs. Interactions with their group helped in dealing with the challenges presented by the experience. The development of hard skills gave participants a confidence in their abilities to survive and feel safe in these wilderness environments, which allowed them to relax and enjoy the experience, develop new perspectives, become motivated and inspired, and develop a sense of independence. Participants developed a sense of growth and maturity from their …

Enhancement Plan For Downtown Cayucos, Ca, Rachelle Sarai Sneh Lopez

Master's Theses

An area can be torn by the competition between the preservation of its character and the desire for new development. Cayucos’ downtown area is recognized by both residents and visitors as a special place with a strong, small, coastal town feel. However, issues such as accessibility, public amenities, parking, maintenance, and general development needs have to be dealt with. This thesis deals with the issue of how to plan for change while maintaining the character of Cayucos, and presents an enhancement plan proposal for its downtown. The development of this plan was based on a research-based design methodology, which included …

The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund : A Case Study, Mary Kathleen Gorman

Master's Theses

The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund was the largest victim compensation fund in U.S. history, disseminating more than $7B federal tax monies directly to survivors, victims and their respective families following the terrorist attacks of that day. This represented an unprecedented effort on the part of the U.S. government to fully fund terrorism victim compensation within a no-fault framework intended, first and foremost, to protect the airline industry from potential economic ruin. But in so doing, the Fund compromised legal, ethical, economic and sociological principles on which victim compensation had been based since the inception of government. This interdisciplinary exploratory case …

Mount San Jacinto State Park Visitor Attributes, Preferences, And Perceptions, Katherine Elizabeth Wassenberg

Master's Theses

The purpose of the study was to assess Mount San Jacinto State Park visitor attributes, visit attributes, preferences, and perceptions. Visitor surveys were conducted at two predetermined points within Mount San Jacinto State Park Wilderness Area, the entrance to Long Valley and adjacent to the Long Valley Ranger Station, during summer 2008. Three hundred and seventy-eight subjects completed one of the two visitor surveys (97.68% response rate), 256 (67.7%) completed the Long Valley Survey and 122 (32.3%) completed the Wilderness Survey. The subjects were mostly male, married, from California, and White or Latino/Hispanic. The average age was 45 years old …

Computers For The Masses: The American Socio-Technological Change Of The 1970'S And 1980'S, Robert Bryan Goodman

Master's Theses

This thesis developed out of my personal curiosity on the subject of high-technological development. Specifically, high-technology’s shift from primarily a military tool to a consumer product raised several questions to answer since first taking an interest in the subject. My lifestyle, like many other Americans in my generation, incorporates computers, cell-phones, and video game consoles as not only an innovative tool, but a standard and necessary mode of production. In our contemporary society, technology is obtainable everywhere. As an entertaining tool in the form of video games to a productivity tool in our workplaces, most individuals have assimilated consumer electronics. …

Ethnic Identity And Sense Of School Belongingness: Behaviors And Beliefs Of Immigrant Hispanic Students And Parents, Francisco B. Ortiz

Master's Theses

For many decades, the number of minority students, particularly Hispanics, dropping out from school has been noticeable to say the least (Rumberger, 1995). These students have in the past and continue in the present to struggle with the educational system, and it is certain, but not clear, that various factors contribute to Hispanics’ poor academic performance and not being able to graduate from High School (Rumbaut & Cornelius, 1995). Some of these factors are organized in three groups: School-Related; Parental-Related; and Student-Related. Thus, this study is an attempt to understand how immigrant students and parents are currently responding to the …

The Unjust Selection Of Justice Professionals: Balancing Fairness For Police Officer Applicants And The Potential Citizens They Will Serve, Robert W. Boyle

Master's Theses

This paper examines the effects on the community when its police officers are held to different physical standards based upon their sex. Through a Platonic analysis of the modern day "guardians of the city," it can be seen that the community is deprived of the strongest and best police force when the department compensates individuals based upon a "weakness" that thier class of applicants possesses. This process proves to be unfair to both the applicants and to the citizens they may subsequently serve.

Comparing Generation X To Generation Y On Work-Related Beliefs., Susana Fernandez

Master's Theses

A new generation of employees with new expectations is entering the workplace. They are known by many names, but most will recognize them as the Millennials or Generation Y (Gen Y). With many Gen Y members already in the workforce, managers are likely to be required to deal with the generational differences that appear to exist among employees. Given that Gen Y members are likely to work closely with Gen X members, the present study explored possible differences between Gen X and Gen Y on their work-related beliefs.

Offshoring Effectiveness: Measurement And Improvement With Optimization Approach., Dip Biswas

Master's Theses

This study takes a refreshing look at IT outsourcing from a vendor's perspective and discusses best practices required to effectively manage offshore business needs and offshoring effectiveness. We have conducted a detailed investigation to learn why outsourcing ventures fail, how to effectively measure up to service provider capability, and how to deliver strategic value to the end customer. Extant literature does not talk about the vendor's issues and problems in outsourcing, and our investigation emphasized the vendor's perspective on offshoring strategy and offshore resource effectiveness as the two important differentiators in a make-or-buy decision. Measurement metrics for each of the …

Examination Of The Factors That Predict Job Satisfaction., Amani Shoman

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the predictors of job satisfaction among three departments within an organization. The study used five predictors: leadership/top management communication with subordinates, feedback received from one's supervisor, training opportunities for employees, career opportunities within the company, and teamwork or cooperation among employees. Using data from 608 participants, the present study examined the relationships between each of these five predictors and job satisfaction. Consistent with hypotheses, each of these predictors was significantly related to job satisfaction. Moreover, leadership/top management communication with subordinates (except for one department surveyed), career opportunities within the company, and teamwork …

Enhancing Spammer Detection In Online Social Networks With Trust-Based Metrics., Alexander J. Murmann

Master's Theses

As online social networks acquire larger user bases, they also become more interesting targets for spammers. Spam can take very different forms on social Web sites and cannot always be detected by analyzing textual content. However, the platform's social nature also offers new ways of approaching the spam problem. In this work the possibilities of analyzing a user's direct neighbors in the social graph to improve spammer detection are explored. Special features of social Web sites and their implicit trust relations are utilized to create an enhanced attribute set that categorizes users on the Twitter microblogging platform as spammers or …

Factors In Bmi Increase Among Multicultural Freshmen., Leah Haritan

Master's Theses

This observational research examines body mass index (BMI) changes in multicultural freshmen attending a large public urban university. It explores factors associated with BMI increase and investigates behavior changes and perceptions related to diet and body weight. The study utilizes an online survey distributed in November 2007 and again in April 2008. All 3,260 freshmen were eligible to participate. Initial response rate was 23%; 44% of initial respondents completed both surveys (N = 337). Results revealed a significant increase in BMI for on-campus residents, Caucasians, and males (P < 0.05). Decreased vegetable intake was associated with a BMI increase of less than one (P < 0.05). Fruits and vegetables were perceived by most as healthful; their high cost, and limited variety and availability on campus were deemed potential barriers to intake. Freshman weight gain may be a function of gender, residence, and ethnicity, and deserves further examination.

Immigrant Iranian Women In Search Of Sociopolitical And Religious Freedoms., Khatoun Nourallahi

Master's Theses

This study focuses on the causes of migration of female immigrants from Iran to the United States over the past several decades. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the main cause of migration was the pursuit of sociopolitical and religious freedom rather than just economic opportunities.

Portrayals Of Motherhood In Four Women's Magazines: 1985 And 2009., Kristen A. Sato

Master's Theses

This thesis concerns representations of women as mothers in women's magazines during 1985 and 2009. It analyzes the images, symbols, and textual messages within the advertisements of these magazines. Gender roles and gender scripts for women during the respective years are then considered with the collected data, in order to contrast portrayals of mothers in the advertisements against aspects of actual motherhood.

"I'M Korean, Living In The United States", Youngmin Seo

Master's Theses

This study explores the acculturation process of generation 1.5 Korean immigrants in the United States with special attention to their construction of ethnic identity as it influences their adjustment to the new culture. The researcher defines generation 1.5 Korean as those who were born in Korea and immigrated to the United States between age 5 and 16. For the purpose of this study, the researcher conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews on the participants' immigration experiences, focusing on how they have developed their ethnic identities over time. Twenty Korean immigrants were recruited and interviewed in the area of San Jose, California.

Barriers To Mitigation: Incentives And The Influence Of Social Networks., Crystal Paul

Master's Theses

This study is an expansion of previous research and a pilot study conducted on the barriers to hazard mitigation. Using a sample of 235 American Red Cross staff members and volunteers, factors such as the barriers and incentives around earthquake mitigation were assessed. Demographic characteristics and threat perceptions were also measured and compared to respondents' mitigation activities. While few demographic characteristics could be related to mitigation activity overall, findings were consistent with information found in the literature review and the pilot study. Barriers to mitigation were generally cost, time required, lack of information, and a feeling that it was unnecessary …

Host Majority Group Members' Acculturation Attitudes Towards Immigrant Groups., Kanako Miwa

Master's Theses

One out of every four individuals residing in the U.S. lived in another country before moving to the U.S. Such an individual has to face acculturation. Research has consistently shown that immigrants differ in how they go about their acculturation. However, little is known about what acculturation strategies the majority group members believe immigrants should adopt in the host country. Therefore, the present study examines the host majority group members' (Euro-Americans) acculturation orientations toward two immigrant groups (Mexican and Japanese) on different life domains and identifies individual difference factors (e.g., social dominance orientation, social distance, and self-efficacy) that are related …

Negotiating Multicultural Identities Within The Classroom., Teresa Lee Teng

Master's Theses

This thesis explores cultural identity negotiation among American born Chinese (ABC) college students. Specifically analyzing their communication patterns within the classroom, the author illuminates how ABC students negotiate their multicultural identities through emergent dialectical tensions and patterns of praxis.

Theodicy And Execution For Expiation In 2 Samuel 21:1-14, Carrie S. Rhodes

Master's Theses

Problem The execution of Saul’s descendants in 2 Sam 21:1-14 has long been interpreted as resulting from David’s succession motives, and may appear to be posthumous ruler punishment, expiation on Saul’s behalf, or an error in judgment on David’s part in whom to turn to in order to know what to do in this case. In addition, the delay in justice until David’s reign for something that Saul had done is puzzling. Method Analysis of the Hebrew text, comparison between ANE and biblical homicide law, examination of the sociological structure of the ANE family, examination of the characters of Saul …

Job Related Stress And The Ability To Transition Among Life Roles For Police Officers, Stacy Dawn Seay

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.