Digital Commons Network^™

Intertextuality In The Fiction Of Cormac Mccarthy, Benjamin J. Burr

Theses and Dissertations

The moral and aesthetic complexity of Cormac McCarthy's fiction demands sophisticated theoretical reading paradigms. Intertextuality informed by poststructuralism is a theoretical approach that enables one to read the moral and aesthetic elements of McCarthy's work in productive ways. McCarthy's work is augmented by its connection to the works of other great artists and writers. As a result, McCarthy's work forces us to read his precedents from a different framework. An examination of the conversation between Martin Heidegger, Meyer Schapiro, Jacques Derrida, and Frederic Jameson about Van Gogh's A Pair of Boots creates an intertextual framework for examining the connection between …

A Correlational Study On How Reading Scores Are Affected By Complementing Learning And Teaching Styles In Multiple Kindergarten Settings, Leslie-Ann D. Monforto

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this correlational study were to (a) observe the learning styles of groups of kindergarten students and the teaching styles of their corresponding teachers; and (b) determine the effects that the matching of similar learning and teaching styles had on students' reading performances. It was hypothesized that students whose learning styles matched that of their teachers' teaching styles would do significantly better on their reading scores than those students whose learning styles did not match that of their teachers' teaching styles. Teacher and students were assessed using an adaptation of Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Test to determine their …

College Students' Preferences In Seeking Social Support From Divorced Verses Non-Divorced Parents, Juliet Maria Joseph

Theses and Dissertations

The goals of the current study were to (a) determine if differences exist in social support sought by college students from divorced vs. intact families and (b) to determine if the nature of the stressor is also related to students seeking support from either parent. Fifty-five students were recruited from Psychology courses at Rowan University and were given a modified version of the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ) and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). They were also given a demographics sheet to complete. A one-way Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and a univariate test revealed significant differences in the SSQ-A/father ratings …

Parenting Practices In Emerging Adulthood: Development Of A New Measure, Melanie Easley Mckay

Theses and Dissertations

Given that more and more young people are living at home well into their twenties, and parents no longer see their children as adults until well into their mid to late twenties (Nelson, Walker, Carroll, Madsen, Barry, & Badger, 2006), parents may continue to "parent" for much longer than we have typically believed. Although parenting may still play an important role, little research has been done examining parenting in emerging adulthood, including its correlates and outcomes. As such, there is a need for a measure of parenting that is appropriate for use in emerging adulthood. The current study attempted to …

Different Methods Of Measuring The Problems Experienced By Significant Others Of Substance Abusers, Christine Perugini

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine responses to two administration formats of an assessment instrument. Specifically, this study examined responses to oral and written administrations of an instrument designed to examine the problems of significant others of substance abusers. Participants were part of a larger treatment study conducted at the Treatment Research Institute and consisted of two significant others of substance abusers. Participants were given both an oral and written administration of the Significant Other Checklist (SOC; Kirby et al., 2005) at intake of the larger treatment study. The SOC (Kirby et al., 2005) seeks to examine problems …

How Parents And Their Adolescent Children "Talk The Talk" In Religious Conversations, Jennifer Yorgason Thatcher

Theses and Dissertations

This study builds on previous research regarding parent-child religious conversations to explore the elements and bidirectional processes of parent-adolescent religious conversations. It employs qualitative analyses of interviews with highly religious parents and adolescents representing the major Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) from New England and Northern California. Variations in content, structure, conversational processes, and bidirectional influence are summarized in a conceptual model. Findings suggest that the quality of conversations is greater for parents and adolescents when they are youth-centered than when they are parent-centered.

Advances In Student Self-Authorship: A Program Evaluation Of The Community Standards Model, Klinton E. Hobbs

Theses and Dissertations

Universities are increasingly applying student developmental theories in a variety of contexts in order to better understand students and to accomplish institutional educational objectives. Robert Kegan's constructive-developmental theory has been utilized in the creation of the Community Standards Model, a program designed for use in university residence halls. The purpose of the Model is to promote student development from Kegan's third order of consciousness, in which student identity is based on a fusion of their peers' expectations and ideas, to the fourth order of consciousness, in which one becomes the author of his or her own values, beliefs, and ideals. …

The Relationship Of Social Capital To High -Risk Behavior Engagement By High School Students, Erin M. Curran

Theses and Dissertations

Social capital theory suggests that there are assets inherent in social relations that may be used to facilitate enhanced social, cultural, economic, and education outcomes for individuals and groups. More specifically, this theory can be extended to include those relational investments in youth that may serve to enhance their developmental, social, and educational outcomes. Proponents of social capital theory have asserted that youth with increased access to social capital may be less likely to exhibit social and behavioral difficulties. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social capital and engagement in high-risk behaviors (including substance use, …

The Relationship Of Implicit Family Process Rules To Adolescent Presentation Of Psychological Systems, Ian David Feinauer

Theses and Dissertations

Implicit family process rules refer to unspoken rules about family beliefs and expectations about communication, closeness, and organization and are an important dimension of family functioning that may have a powerful influence over adolescent psychological well being. This study focused on the relationship between implicit family process rules and adolescent psychological symptoms such as: Hostility, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, and somatization. It was hypothesized that more facilitative implicit family process rules would be related to fewer adolescent psychological symptoms. In addition, a model was created that included theexogenousindependent variables of family status, (defined as intact-marriage or non-intact), treatment status (whether …

Rock, Rhythm, And Rap, Wayne Helmly

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis suggests an alternative approach to teaching general music/music appreciation to students in grades 7-12 that incorporates the history of rock and roll and pop music. An approach to teaching rhythm reading skills through rap music is also suggested using Rockin ' Rhythm Raps by Cheryl Lavender (1998). Rare is the student that has not been saturated with popular culture during most of his or her lifetime. The case is made that teaching what is relevant to students, namely the history of vernacular music, can contribute significantly to the development of music appreciation. Sixteen lessons are provided. These lessons …

Internalized Shame As A Moderating Variable For Inhibited Sexual Difficulties In Adult Women Resulting From Childhood Sexual Abuse, Kristine Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

An adult female sample of childhood sexual abuse survivors (N=467) were surveyed to determine whether internalized shame moderated the effects of sexual inhibited difficulties. Other variables such as severity, duration, and frequency of sexual abuse, as well as whether physical abuse was also part of their experience, were examined to determine their role in later sexual inhibition. It was predicted that there would be a significant positive relationship between 1) Scores on variables of physical abuse, severity of abuse, frequency of abuse, duration of abuse, identity of the perpetrator and scores on the variable of inhibited sexual difficulties; 2) Scores …

Cyber-Crime Fear And Victimization: An Analysis Of A National Survey, Abdullah Al-Shalan

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to investigate cyber-crime victimization among Internet users in the United States by: 1) assessing the factors that impact computer virus victimization; 2) assessing the factors that impact cyber-crime victimization; and 3) predicting fear of cyber-crime. Two domains in criminology were applied to the study of cyber-crime phenomenon: routine activity theory, and the fear of crime literature. Three independent models were developed to predict computer virus victimization, cyber-crime victimization, and fear of cyber-crime. Measures of routine activity theory applied to cyber-crime victimization include risk exposure, and suitable targets were created. A more reliable measure of …

Diversity In Action: Protesting Abortion In Mississippi, Jonelle Henry Husain

Theses and Dissertations

Abortion remains a controversial contemporary social issue, spawning disparate and strongly held opinions among the American public. Pro-life activists play a central role in opposing abortion, mobilizing a disinterested public to public activism, and collectively working to restrict abortion access. This study focused on pro-life activism in Mississippi, the state with the most restrictive laws governing abortion, abortion clinics, and abortion doctors. Contrary to previous studies and media portrayals that homogenize pro-life activists and public pro-life activism, I find that diversity, rather than consensus, characterizes Mississippi pro-life activists who engage in public activism and direct action to stop abortion. Specifically, …

An Investigation Of Violence-Related Trauma At Two Sites In The Pickwick Basin: Dust Cave (1lu496) And The O'Neal Site (1lu61), James Harvey Turner Ii

Theses and Dissertations

Osteological evidence for violence has only in recent times been thoroughly investigated. Several kinds of traumas indicative of violence have been identified in human skeletal remains worldwide. Such traumas include scalping, embedded and/or associated projectile points, cranial fractures, parry fractures and defensive injuries, decapitation and dismemberment, and evidence of cannibalism. Analysis of traumas at Dust Cave (1LU496) and the O?Neal site (1LU61), two sites in northwestern Alabama with Middle and Late Archaic occupations, was undertaken. Violence-related traumas were observed at both sites. A highly significant difference exists in trauma patterns between the sites. Results were compared to research done on …

The Relationship Between Cooperation And Conflict And Perceived Level Of Marital Happiness As Indicators Of The Adlerian Concept Of Social Interest, Debra Eubanks Leggett

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to bridge the existing gap in the literature by exploring the relationship between the Adlerian concept of social interest, expressed through cooperation and conflict, and perceived level of marital happiness. This study explored behaviors along a continuum of social interest from cooperation to conflict. Preexisting data were used from the longitudinal Marital Instability over the Life Course Project funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institute on Aging (Booth, Johnson, Amato, & Rogers, 2003). Data from telephone surveys were collected in 1980, 1983, 1988, 1992-1994, 1997, and …

The Sustainability Of The Seven Two-Year United Methodist Colleges In The United States, Michelle R. Johnston

Theses and Dissertations

The two-year private college has been recognized as a valuable sector of American higher education; yet, its documented decline has failed to incite substantial research focusing on the how and why. This study explored the plight and potential of one particular set of private institutions, the two-year United Methodist colleges, which exhibit characteristics that both distinguish and closely align them with the broader institutional classification as two-year private colleges. By means of a multi-case approach, this study attempted to identify significant opportunities and threats perceived by chief executive officers that affect the viability of these representative institutions. Ultimately, the study …

Defining An Alternative Typology For Early Holocene Projectile Points From The Hester Site (22mo569), Northeast Mississippi: A Systematic Approach, Agnes Burris

Theses and Dissertations

There is a universally recognized need for a more refined chronological understanding of the Early Holocene in the Southeast. The Paleoindian/Early Archaic period deposits at the Hester site provide an opportunity to refine the local chronology for northeast Mississippi. Three-dimensional spatial analysis of these deposits revealed the presence of at least four distinct occupations. Attribute-level morphological analysis of projectile points excavated from these occupations indicated that base width, shoulder width, and basal indentation ratio, changed significantly through time. A paradigmatic classification system employing these attributes was used to classify the projectile points from Hester. These classes were successfully seriated indicating …

Democracy Satisfaction: The Role Of Social Capital And Civic Engagement In Local Communities, Paulette Ann Meikle-Yaw

Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary United States has witnessed a gradual shift of political responsibilities to local communities. This shift creates opportunities for a greater sense of democracy among individuals in local communities. This dissertation explores how elements of social capital and civic engagement support participatory democratic processes, and ultimately improve the quality of democracy for individuals. The central premise of this research is that democracy satisfaction includes the ability to influence decisions for individual and community benefits. Thus individuals who possess social capital and actively participate in civic life are likely to experience democracy satisfaction. Trust is specified as a primary social capital …

Case Studies Of Women In Academia: Challenges, Accomplishments, And Attributions To Success, Anna Tiffany Tindall

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors in the life histories of women in academia in science and engineering that they perceive to have influenced their success and how these factors have influenced their success. Three broad areas were addressed: challenges, accomplishments, and attributions to success. This study employed a multiple-case design, and purposive sampling was used to select the participants in this study. Each of the seven participants held a Ph.D. and was employed at a doctoral-degree granting institution in a science or engineering field. Four major themes emerged from the data with respect to challenges …

In Search Of Digital Equality In Mississippi's Two Largest Cities: An Examination Of The Digital Divide That Exists Between African And European American-Owned Small Businesses In Jackson And Gulfport, Dwyane Keith Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Does a Digital Divide exist between African and European American-owned small businesses in the South? There is no inferential statistical research literature on this subject. The literature available are usually conjectures made by small business observers who are quoting results from descriptive statistical reports whose samples originate from cities and states in the North. Research indicates that Northern businesses have vastly different racial, gender, educational, and economic characteristics than Southern businesses. Therefore, it is unlikely that business technology data generated from these locations are generalizable to cities in the South. Research also suggests that a technologically urbane small business environment …

Impact Of Educational Attainment Before Diagnosis On Functioning Level After Diagnosis, Rachele M. Weichmann

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to (a) locate any impact between the amount of education attained prior to the diagnosis of a mental illness and functionality after the diagnosis of a mental illness, (b) to see if the type of diagnosis, whether it had psychotic or non-psychotic features, had an effect on these results, and (c) to see if the relationship between these variables would plateau at the higher levels of education. The researcher examined the case histories of a group of adults with mental illness (n = 122), looking for the number of educational years each individual completed …

Gender Role Development In Early Versus Late Adolescence, Andrea Buchma

Theses and Dissertations

Gender roles have been a subject that has been explored through the years. Previous research looked mainly on gender roles and childhood. In the present research, a different outlook of gender roles in adolescence was investigated. This research looked at a sample of 126 middle school and high school students. The students were each given a survey comprised of the Bem Sex Role Inventory and a simple gender recognition test. Test scores were compared with the variables of sex and age (early or late adolescent) through univariate analyses of variance, or ANOVA. The research found an association between gender recognition …

The Effect Of Income On Students' Behavior And Parental Involvement, Alison Hoell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of social economic status on a child's behavior and his parental involvement. By obtaining archival files of students formerly enrolled at the Abbott center, Tiny Tots Preschool in Vineland, NJ, the researcher was able to correlate the amount of behavior problems with parental involvement and income.

The hypothesis of this study is that children of lower socio-economic status tend to have more behavior problems and less parental involvement than children of higher socio-economic status. This hypothesis was partially supported by the study. The study found that the majority of students …

Social Reality Versus Theatrical Portrayal: Puerto Rican Gangs In West Side Story, Rebecka Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

“Social Reality Versus Theatrical Portrayal: Puerto Rican Gangs in West Side Story” asks the question of whether or not the acclaimed Broadway musical West Side Story is more than just a museum piece. I hypothesize that its success can be linked to its continuing social relevance concerning Puerto Rican gangs in New York City. To evaluate the musical’s social relevance, the socioeconomic condition of Puerto Ricans in New York City is examined during three specific time periods and compared to the condition of the Puerto Rican gang, the Sharks, as portrayed in the musical. The three periods are the 1950s, …

Cohabitation In North Dakota: A Socio-Legal Examination Of The Congruence Of The Law And Attitudes Towards Living Arrangements Among College Students, James Lee Foster

Theses and Dissertations

The political wrangling over cohauitation law has been an ongoing ordeal in North Dakota politics in recent years. Even more so since there have been multiple failed attempts to have the State’s law panning cohabitation repealed. The purpose of this thesis is to determine attitudes toward cohabitation and its components from a sample of college students. There were a total of 945 participants who took part in the study which called for them to fill out a short survey. The survey consists of three parts.

Pari I includes such items as race, sex, gender, etc. basically demographic data. Part II …

Parental Death And Its Impact On The Marital Satisfaction Of The Surviving Adult Child, Ryan Glenn Henry

Theses and Dissertations

Previous literature has identified parental death as having a negative impact on the physical and mental health of the surviving adult child. In addition, research suggests that the marital satisfaction of a male or female adult child is negatively impacted after either a father or mother has died. The purpose of this research is to further study this topic by examining longitudinal dyadic data to determine how the death of a parent or death of an in-law impacts marital interaction when certain mediating variables are taken into account. Some of the mediating variables included quality of the parent-child relationship, caregiving, …

Digital Storytelling: The Application Of Vichian Theory, Karen Pierotti

Theses and Dissertations

Storytelling is often looked at as something archaic or something that simpler cultures engage in. However, in our sophisticated and highly technological world storytelling swirls about us though we may not always recognize it. This thesis looks at the phenomenon of digital storytelling that functions to create community on the Internet. In order to ground this phenomenon in theory, I examine the works of Giambattista Vico, the 18th-century Neapolitan philosopher/rhetorician, who lived on the cusp of the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment. Furthermore, as a teacher of rhetoric to youth, Vico admonished young people to study the arts of …

From Womanhood To Sisterhood: The Evolution Of The Brigham Young University Women's Conference, Velda Gale Davis Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

For over twenty-five years the Brigham Young University Women's Conference has given women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon) the opportunity to go beyond womanhood and share sisterhood. Spurred by the women's movement of the 1970s, LDS women were pressed to define for themselves what it meant to be a woman in the Church. This discovery and defining process often brought confusion, criticism and conflict. As women sought to reconcile the discrepancies between their own lives and views, their internal definition and the external definition they received from others, a reconstruction began to take …

Exploring Cultural Competence In The Lived Experience Of Instructional Designers, Paul Clinton Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

There has been a limited amount of research concerning culture and online education. Although human beings have the ability to transcend past and current environments, helping professions are recognizing the influence of cultural epistemologies on themselves and those they intend to serve. The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of additional challenges and concerns present when designing online instruction in a cross-cultural context. The data collected in this study stands as preliminary work to creating a substantive theory regarding the importance of cultural influences in the thinking, practice and lived experience of instructional designers, specifically those who …

The Effects Of Ability Homophily On Individual Performance, Michael J. Gray

Theses and Dissertations

Homophily is the sociological term for a principle that is easily observed and understood: similar people tend to associate with one another (or the well-known saying "Birds of a feather flock together"). Homophily creates divides among people with numerous demographic characteristics and causes people to surround themselves with others who are similar to themselves (McPherson et al., 2001). Race and ethnicity have the greatest influence on relationship choices followed by age, religion, education, occupation, and gender (McPherson et al., 2001). While studies of homophily of race and gender are quite common, few studies have examined homophily based on instrumental attributes …