Digital Commons Network^™

Sex Required: The Impact Of Massachusetts' Same-Sex Marriage Cases On Marriages With Intersex And Transsexual Partners, Aleks Kajstura

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

The note argues that the Census Bureau's practice of counting incarcerated individuals as residents of their prison locations, rather than their home communities, distorts political representation by inflating the voting power of districts with prisons and diluting that of others, undermining the principle of "one person, one vote."

Inside Out, Caitlin Rose Applegate

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

The intersection, or in some cases, collision between public and private lives, provides a place to peer through the cracks in the mask we put on for one another each day. A glimpse of this fleeting relaxation of boundaries helps us see one another for what we really are. Alone or in intimate groups, my sculptures describe the vulnerability and insecurity most of us feel beneath our perceived exteriors. I look at the ways in which we define ourselves for others, at the awkwardness found there, and at what happens when that pretense is stripped away. Despite attempts to clothe …

Renovating The Republic: Unified Germany Confronts Its History – Both Deep And Recent – As It Defines Itself For The 21st Century, Katie Backman, Joel Gehringer, Kyle Harpster, Katelyn Kerkhove, Tiffany Lee, Hilary Stohs-Krause, Teresa Prince, Matt Eichinger, Emily Ingram, Tanna Kimmerling, Heather Price, Ewelina Skaza, Brady Jones, Nels Sorensen Jr., Stephanie Sparks, Rachel Anderson, Megan Carrick, Justin Petersen, Chris Welch, Timothy G. Anderson, Charlyne Berens, Nancy Anderson, Frauke Hachtmann, Bernard Mccoy, Michael Farrell, Bruce Thorson, Mr Hahn

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Student Media

Germany and America go way back.

German soldiers fought in the American Revolutionary War, and German settlers already had begun finding their way to America before the colonies became a nation. By the 1850s, many Germans had settled in the Midwest, and they followed the frontier west to the Great Plains. Germans were the largest group of immigrants arriving in Nebraska between 1854 and 1894, and by 1900, almost 20 percent of the state was first- and second-generation Germans.

For the past year, a group of University of Nebraska-Lincoln journalism students has closely examined this foreign country that, perhaps more …

Encouraging Healthy Eating : An Application Of A Dissonance Paradigm, Mariel Lorenz

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate participants' food choices after completing a dissonance task disguised as a healthy eating campaign. The study sought to determine whether participants would make healthy food choices after completing tasks designed to measure healthy eating behaviors. A total of 100 students from Montclair State University were randomly assigned to four treatment conditions and then completed an intention scale designed to measure intended eating behaviors using the Theory of Planned Behavior (Azjen, 1991). Analysis showed that treatment condition had no affect on participants' food choices and did not influence participants' intentions to make healthy …

Personal Values And Involvement In Problem Behaviors Among Bahamian Early Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study, Hongjie Liu, Shuli Yu, Lesley Cottrell, Sonja Lunn, Lynette Deveaux, Nanika V. Brathwaite, Sharon Marshall, Xiaoming Li, Bonita Stanton

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Few studies, particularly in developing countries, have explored the relationship between adolescents and parental values with adolescent problem behaviors. The objectives of the study are to (1) describe adolescents' personal values, their problem behaviors, and the relationships thereof according to gender and (2) examine the relationship between parental values, adolescent values, and adolescents' problem behaviors among sixth-grade students and one of their parents.

Methods

The data used in these analyses were from the baseline assessment of a school-based HIV risk reduction intervention being conducted and evaluated among sixth grade students and one of their parents across 9 elementary …

Socially Just Teaching And The Complementarity Of Ignatian Pedagogy And Critical Pedagogy, Sharon Chubbuck

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

This qualitative research, conducted in a teacher education course at an urban Jesuit university, examines the concerns voiced by preservice teachers when they are challenged to define and embrace a vision of “teaching for social justice” in a methods course utilizing instructional methods based on theories of critical pedagogy and Ignatian pedagogy. The reflective journals and focus group interviews of a cohort of 15 preservice teachers revealed concerns about the curriculum, the pedagogy, and the rationale for socially just teaching. Those concerns, when juxtaposed with Ignatian pedagogy and critical pedagogy, reveal that each theory is both helpful and limited in …

Placeworx: A Model To Foster Youth Engagement And Empowerment, Laxmi Ramasubramanian, Atanacio Gonzalez

Publications and Research

The Placeworx project is an innovative community-university partnership between the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum located in Pilsen, the heart of Chicago's Mexican community. This field report describes a participatory research initiative that created opportunities and spaces for young people to creatively participate in planning the future of their community. The Placeworx project offers a model for engaging and empowering young participants. The participants used a variety of communicative tools and techniques to describe community assets as well their concerns about rapid urban development and gentrification in their immediate neighborhood. Based on our …

Pilot Study Of Psychopathology Among Roman Catholic Secular Clergy, Sarah Knox, Stephen G. Virginia, Jacquelyn Smith

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

This pilot study gathered information regarding overall levels of psychopathology in a nationally selected, random sample of U.S. Roman Catholic secular (i.e., diocesan) priests using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R; Derogatis, 2004). The study yielded a response rate of 45%. One-half of the participants reported marked psychological problems, with interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, and depression most strongly correlated with the instrument’s overall index of psychopathology. Four dimensional scales were elevated (i.e., obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, psychoticism), as were two indices (i.e., GSI, PST). Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Relationships Between Daily Sexual Interactions And Domain-Specific And General Models Of Personality Traits., C. V. Smith, J. B. Nezlek, G. Webster, Elizabeth Layne Paddock

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Although sexuality is an important component of personal relationships, there has been relatively little research on relationships between personality and everyday sexual behavior. Moreover, existing research on sexual behavior and personality (defined in terms of the Five-Factor Model, FFM) has found weak and inconsistent relationships. We hypothesized that sexual behavior can be better understood in terms of a model of personality that focuses on sexuality rather than in terms of a general model of personality. The present study examined relationships between two models of personality and daily sexual behavior. For 3 weeks, two different samples described their sexual interactions and …

Observations Of Rough-Toothed Dolphins (Steno Bredanensis) Off The Coast Of Utila, Honduras, Stan A. Kuczaj Ii, Deirdre Yeater

Psychology Faculty Publications

Local dive shop operators and fishermen report that rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) are frequently encountered off the coast of Utila, Honduras, (16°05'46.5"N 86°55'47.8"W). Our observations suggest that at least some of these animals may constitute a resident population, although the extent of the resident group’s home range has not been determined. Twenty-eight rough-toothed dolphins were identified using photoidentification techniques, 15 of which were re-sighted on two or more occasions. The 12 animals that were re-sighted four or more times were typically seen together, suggesting that they constitute a stable social group. At least one of these dolphins is …

An Investigation Of Introductory Physics Students Approach To Problem Solving, Laura Walsh, Robert Howard, Brian Bowe

Level 3

This paper outlines ongoing research investigating students’ approaches to quantitative and qualitative problem solving in physics. This is an empirical study, which was conducted using a phenomenographic approach to analyse and interpret data from individual semi-structured interviews with students from introductory physics courses. The result of the study thus far is a preliminary set of hierarchical categories that describe the students’ problem-solving approaches when faced with various physics problems. The findings from the research presented here indicate that many introductory students in higher education do not approach problem solving in a strategic manner and many do not try to link …

Key Skills Framework: Enhancing Employability Within A Lifelong Learning Paradigm, Aidan Kenny, Ray English, Dave Kilmartin

Level 3

Employability (see note 1) has become an area of interest among the general public and policy makers alike, with an increasing number of reports in the general media regarding the need for workers in certain sectors to up-skill due to the possible threat of job ‘displacement’. In addition, there has been an increase in education and training policy documents emphasising that citizens should pursue Lifelong Learning (see note 2) /Life Wide Learning to address the increased job-related uncertainty attributed to the globalisation process and the concomitant competitive threats. Academics such as Barnett (2005) claim that we …

The Role Of Mentors/Advisors In The Doctoral Training Of African American Students At Predominately White Universities: Implications For Doctoral Training, James T. Kador, Chance W. Lewis

Essays in Education

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship and the importance of connecting the African American doctoral students and their advisors in the mentor roles. More specifically, this study brings to the forefront the importance as well as the impact of mentors/advisors and their roles in facilitating academic success for African American doctoral students. Many African American doctoral students are typically misunderstood and misdirected in the types of support that they may need to succeed in graduate school (Gallien & Peterson, 2005). Mentors/advisors and the roles that they have are essential to the success of African American doctoral …

Supporting Personhood In Dementia: Examining The Impact Of Volition On Function In Everyday Occupations, Christine L. Raber

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding volition and preferences for occupation is a critical underpinning of effective occupational therapy services that promote and preserve identity for persons with moderate dementia. Although it has been posited that this population has significant difficulty expressing volition for daily occupations, little research has examined the role of volition in guiding engagement in occupations. This phenomenological study provides an in-depth description and analysis of volition in eight persons with moderate dementia. Guiding questions related to understanding patterns of past life interests, outward demonstration of volition, volitional continuity. and the relationship of the social environment to volition and engagement in daily …

Comparison Of Three Methods For Measuring Smoking Behavior, Melissa D. Blank

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the factors that influence regular tobacco use often involves detailed assessment of individuals' smoking behavior (i.e., puff topography), including measuring puff number, volume, duration, and inter-puff interval (IPI) via mouthpiece-based, computerized devices. For example, puff topography measurement has been used to study smoking cessation medications, as well as to demonstrate brand-induced changes in smoking behavior. However, some research suggests that the use of a mouthpiece to evaluate puff topography may alter natural smoking behavior. Thus, this study was designed to compare topography measurement using mouthpiece-based methods (i.e., desktop and portable computerized devices) to methods that do not use a …

On The Binding Of N1-Substituted Tryptamines At H5-Ht6 Receptors, Abner Nyamwaro Nyandege

Theses and Dissertations

Serotonin was first discovered in the late 1940s as a vasotonic factor and is now considered a principal neurotransmitter in the nervous system. 5-HT6 receptors are one of the most recently identified members of the serotonin receptor family which consists of seven classes (5-HT1-5-HT7). 5-HT6 receptors are G-protein coupled, positively coupled to an adenylate cyclase second messenger system and are primarily found in the central nervous system (CNS). The exact functional role of 5-HT6 receptors has not been determined, but is implicated to have possible involvement in certain neuropsychiatric disorders and cognition. To investigate the functional role of these receptors, …

Camping In The Classroom: Ridiculous Theatre As Serious Drama, John Kenneth Deboer

Theses and Dissertations

My first semester pursuing my MFA in Voice and Speech Pedagogy I vocal-coached an openly gay student playing a straight character who would mask his sexual identity in such a manner that his performance became stiff and uninteresting. Rather than using his personal identity as an asset in the pursuit of a successful performance, his chosen vocal tactics removed any sense of theatricality from his performance. I confronted the student and suggested such extreme vocal suppression diminished the quality of his overall performance. He replied, "So you want me to get the gay out."His use of the phrase, "get the …

Familial And Self Systems As Contributors To Sexual Decision-Making Patterns Of Young African American Women, Christina M. Grange

Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a is a two-phase mixed methods design to examine partner-based expectations and perceptions of factors that affecting condom use among African American women recruited at a sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinic. Phase One utilized qualitative methods to analyze interviews from 25 unmarried, African American women between ages 18--26. Interviews explored the following two research questions: (1) How do young adult African American women conceptualize relationships as illustrated by their expectations of their partner and their expectations of themselves in the relationship? (2) What messages do women recall receiving from their family members about sexual opportunities, intercourse, consequences …

Impact Of Combat Stress On Mental Health Outcomes: Brfss Survey Data 2006, Emily Pedneau

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: This study sought to determine the relationship between combat experience and mental health outcomes. The study sought to determine whether age was a significant factor in poor mental health outcomes. Methods: Multiple logistic regression (n = 195,048) and multiple linear regression (n = 264,154) were performed on the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Veteran status and a host of demographic and health status questions were analyzed in relation to diagnosis of anxiety or depressive disorder (multiple logistic regression) and to number of days poor mental health (multiple linear regression). Results: Diagnosis of anxiety or depression was …

A Descriptive Study Of Military Family Needs Following A Polytraumatic Injury, Anna Lisa Harmon

Theses and Dissertations

Family members of service personnel with polytraumatic injuries face a wide range of challenges. Research has shown that family member adaptation and adjustment to the caregiver role has a significant impact on the well-being of the person with the injuries. The Veterans Health Administration is rapidly developing services to meet the needs of severely injured service personnel and their family members. The purpose of the present study was to test the feasibility of a method of assessment to identify the needs of individual family members of service personnel and veterans receiving inpatient rehabilitation services at the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center (PRC) …

Pedagogical Fusion, David Maurice White

Theses and Dissertations

During the five semesters that I have been at VCU I have learned a great deal from the courses that I have been enrolled in but I have learned the most through my experiences as a Teaching Assistant. These experiences have been so valuable because of the wide range of subject areas in which I have been involved and the diverse instructors that I have assisted. Although I hesitate to use the word "problem" I feel that there is a tendency in teacher training for a student to latch onto one professor and model their teaching practices after that one …

Work Hope As A Mediator Between Proactive Coping And Career Planfulness In Domestic And International University Students, Juan Juana Wu

Theses and Dissertations

This study applied proactive coping theory (E. R. Greenglass, 2002; R. Schwarzer, 2000) to the domain of career development in domestic and international student transition-to-university. Participants were recruited from a large southeastern state university. No significant between-group differences were identified in the present study. Within both groups, proactive coping, work hope, and career planfulness were positively correlated. The role of work hope as a mediator between proactive coping and career planfulness was tested in domestic and international students respectively. For domestic students, a partial mediation model was established with a direct effect of proactive coping on career planfulness and an …

Posttraumatic Growth Among College Students At A Large Urban University: The Role Of Social Support And Unsupportive Social Interactions, Wendy E. Balliet

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between both social support and unsupportive interactions and psychological outcomes, in a sample of college students who recently had experienced a stressful event. The research design was cross-sectional, and data were collected from 142 college students. As hypothesized, a significant positive association was found between unsupportive interactions received by participants and depressive symptoms. Contrary to hypotheses, no significant associations were found between unsupportive interactions and positive emotion or posttraumatic growth. Additionally, no significant relationship was evident between received emotional support and the outcome variables. Exploratory analysis revealed that positive reappraisal …

Maternal Caregivers' Organization Of And Reasoning Behind Coping Suggestions To Deal With Community Violence Exposure, Melinda B. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Children and adolescents exposed to community violence can experience a plethora of negative outcomes including both internalizing symptoms and externalizing problems. Coping strategies can either buffer the effects of violence exposure or exacerbate negative outcomes following exposure. Given the diversity of strategies youth use to cope with violence, one unanswered question is how youth come to learn coping strategies to deal with community violence, and the roles that proximal others such as caregivers play in that process. The current study had several aims including understanding (a) how caregivers organize and conceptualize the suggestions they give to their children to cope …

Children With Special Needs Oral Health Quality Of Life Survey, Kristin Elizabeth Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to asses the oral health quality of life of children with special health care needs. This study examined the effects of oral health conditions on general well-being and family life of these children. A secondary aim of the study was to investigate correlations between specific health care conditions, gender, and age of these children and their global ratings of oral health and well-being.Methods: This study was a cross-sectional design with subjects who are members of the Virginia Care Connection for Children program, based at Virginia Commonwealth University. The oral health quality of life …

Victims' Perspectives On The Process Of Seeking A Protective Order: Predictors Of Perceived Empowerment, Sara-Beth Plummer

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined victims' perceived sense of empowerment during the process of seeking a Preliminary Protective Order. A cross sectional survey design with stratified sampling was used to gather information from women seeking Preliminary Protective Orders in Richmond City, Virginia. During a six month period 89 women agreed to participate, for a response rate of 83 percent. In general, the sample consisted of women who identified themselves as African-American, single, with either a high school/GED degree, and/or some college education.Overall, the women found the steps during the process of seeking an Order, either easy or very easy. In general, the …

Pathways To Externalizing Behavior: The Effects Of Mother's Harsh Parenting And Toddler's Emotional Reactivity, Sandra H. Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

Externalizing behavior is stable as early as 2 years of age and is a precursor to many childhood and adult negative outcomes. Although global self report data show a relationship between parenting and children's externalizing, few studies have examined the proximal effect of observed mother's parenting on children's expression of aggression. A sample of 55 primarily African American, toddler-mother dyads were observed in their homes. Data was collected on the 2-year-old children's emotional reactivity, externalizing behavior, social competence and mother's harsh and supportive parenting. A second wave of data was collected one year later with a smaller sample, n=37.Children who …

Constraints On Breastfeeding Choices For Low Income Mothers, Carol Grace Hurst

Theses and Dissertations

The choice to breastfeed a baby is a woman's concern with impact reaching beyond each individual mother and child to longer term health and mental health outcomes for society. The U.S. government has made increasing breastfeeding rates one of its major public health goals for 2010. Breastfeeding is a health disparity issue with mothers who are poor, young, less educated or Black less likely to breastfeed. This project examined impacts of sexual perceptions of breastfeeding, social support, and work on breastfeeding choices made by a sample of low income mothers. A cross-sectional survey design was employed to examine potential barriers …

Structure Of Aggression Among Urban Youth: Competing Factor Models Of Subtypes Of Physical And Relational Aggression, Sarah W. Helms

Theses and Dissertations

Aggression has been demonstrated to pose a serious threat to the adaptive development of youth, with decades of research demonstrating the negative associations between aggression and other problem behaviors, both concurrently and predictively. However, despite this body of research, the current psychological literature continues to suffer from a lack of an overarching organizational framework from which to structure the construct(s) of aggression. Furthermore, existing discrepancies across the literature, particularly in the definitions of and outcomes associated with non-physical forms of aggression (e.g., relational aggression, social aggression), exacerbate the complexities facing prevention and intervention specialists. Insofar as research can isolate the …

Overweight And Obesity: A Comparative Study Of Black And White Non-Hispanic Women In The United States, Fai R. Howard

Theses and Dissertations

The population of the United States is increasingly gaining weight each year.Americans are heavier than they have ever been. African American women are at the forefront of this pandemic. This study addresses the higher prevalence of overweight and obesity among African American women in comparison to White women. Behavioral, psychological, and social known contributors to overweight and obesity using the National Health Interview Survey, 2001 dataset were examined in this study. The research concluded that even when controlling for vigorous exercise, education, income, depression, emotional support, smoking, health coverage, and age, race is the most important predictor of body mass …