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Identifying Issues In Acquired Brain Injury Recovery That Lead To A Productive And Fulfilling Life, Margaret Calvert

Master's Theses and Capstones

Primary objective. To establish and report the shared characteristics of survivors who have demonstrated successful recovery from ABI and who indicate that they live productive lives.

Main outcomes and results. Four major themes emerged from the interviews: (a) development of support networks, (b) learning strategies to cope with emotional issues, (c) acceptance of injury and redefinition of self, and (d) empowerment.

Conclusions. The issues raised in these interviews may serve to inspire other survivors and provide them with hope and motivation as they progress through the recovery process. Suggestions on how clinicians can help to facilitate this process are discussed.

Identifying Sources Of Adolescent Exclusion Due To Violence: Participatory Mapping In South Africa, Nora Kenworthy, Kelly Hallman, Judith A. Diers

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Adolescents in post-apartheid South Africa lead lives that are filled with new opportunities yet overshadowed by rampant violence and crime. The presence of multiple and simultaneous forms of violence and the systemic lack of safety are experienced most acutely by adolescents—in particular, adolescent girls. High levels of violence and crime within the community are coupled with violence within the home and schools. The Population Council’s Transitions to Adulthood Program examines the particular factors that shape adolescents’ life chances and choices. In South Africa, Council researchers have studied how economic literacy and life skills education affect young men and women who …

Four Leaves Of Renewed Luck, Merrill A. Fortier

The Mercury

No abstract provided.

Day In The Life, John R. Pittenger

The Mercury

No abstract provided.

Lexical And Segmental Influences On Child And Adult Learners’ Production Of Second Language Vowels, Wendy Baker-Smemoe, Pavel Trofimovich

Faculty Publications

This study examined how two segmental or sound-related factors (crosslanguage perceptual similarity, syllabic context) as well as two lexical or wordrelated factors (word frequency, subjective word familiarity) influenced the production of eight English vowels by 40 Korean children and adults exposed to English in the U.S. for an average of 1 and 7 years. Results of two experiments revealed that lexical factors affected adults’ second language (L2) production more than children’s and depended (at least for adults) on amount of L2 experience. Lexical influences on L2 production were obtained when segmental influences were particularly strong (for dissimilar L2 vowels or …

Suicidal Ideation In College Students Varies Across Semesters: The Mediating Role Of Belongingness, Scott R. Braithwaite, Kimberly Van Orden, Tracy K. Witte, Lisa M. James, Yessenia Castro, Kathryn H. Gordon, Daniel L. Hollar, Thomas E. Joiner Jr.

Faculty Publications

The interpersonal–psychological theory of suicidal behavior (Joiner, 2005)proposes that the need to belong is fundamental; when met it can prevent suicide and when thwarted it can substantially increase the risk for suicide. We investigate one source of group-wide variation in belongingness among college students—changes in the social composition of college campuses across academic semesters—as an explanation for variation in suicidal ideation across the academic year.Our results indicate that in a sample of college students at a large southern state university (n=309), suicidal ideation varied across academic semesters, with high-est levels in summer compared to both spring and fall. Differences in …

Is There Something Unique About Marriage? The Relative Impact Of Marital Status, Relationship Quality, And Network Social Support On Ambulatory Blood Pressure And Mental Health, Wendy C. Birmingham, Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Brandon Q. Jones

Faculty Publications

Background Having close social relationships and being married specifically have been reliably associated with health benefits including lower morbidity and mortality. Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of marital status, relationship quality, and network support on measures of psychological and cardiovascular health. Method We examined ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) among 204 married and 99 single males and females (N=303). Results We found that both marital status and marital quality were important. Married individuals had greater satisfaction with life (SWL) and blood pressure dipping than single individuals. High marital quality was associated with lower ABP, lower …

Naipaul’S Children: Representations Of Humor And Ruin In Miguel Street, Aaron Eastley

Faculty Publications

The piece had originally appeared in the Demerara Daily Argosy in neighboring British Guiana, and was contributed by a writer who signed himself simply as "Clarence" ("Immigration"9). Under the subheading "UNJUST TO IMMIGRANTS" Clarence argues that abolishing the system of indentured labor, which brought a recorded 141,615 immigrant workers from India to Trinidad between 1845 and 1917 (Weller 151-3), would be "an act of veiled cruelty to the immigrants themselves" ("Immigration 9). He credits the system with keeping immigrants under skilled care and supervision until they ha[ve] learned how to live under the new conditions" of life in the West …

Japanese Vocabulary Acquisition By Learners In Three Contexts, Dan P. Dewey

Faculty Publications

This study is an investigation of the development of vocabulary knowledge during study abroad (SA), intensive domestic immersion (IM) and academic-year formal classroom (AY) learning. Its focus was the growth of vocabulary knowledge in Japanese--a language where little SA research has been conducted to date. Unlike most studies addressing vocabulary development, it was centered strictly on vocabulary acquisition. Following the example of one of the most insightful comparative studies of vocabulary learning abroad and at home to date (Laufer & Paribakht, 1998), it included multiple measures of vocabulary knowledge to assess possible subtle differences in vocabulary acquisition between the SA, …

“The Mormon Education Of A Gentile Justice: George Sutherland And Brigham Young Academy”, Edward L. Carter, James C. Phillips

Faculty Publications

Even within the eclectic group of men and women who have sat on the U.S. Supreme Court, Associate Justice George Sutherland (1922-38) was truly one of a kind: The only Justice ever to come from the state of Utah, he grew up as a non-Mormon in a cloistered 19th century Mormon society—and yet he rose to become one of the community’s most popular and even beloved political figures. As a lawyer, Sutherland defended Mormon men charged with “unlawful cohabitation” for polygamous lifestyles—and yet as a U.S. Senator he championed women’s rights, including suffrage. As one of the so-called “Four Horsemen …

A Closer Look At The Relationship Between Justice Perceptions And Feedback Reactions: The Role Of The Quality Of The Relationship With The Supervisor, Marjolein Feys, Nele Libbrecht, Frederik Anseel, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Two field studies were undertaken to investigate the nature of the relationship between justice perceptions and feedback reactions. Previous work Suggests that the relationship between procedural justice and feedback reactions is mediated by the quality of the relationship with the supervisor. However, there are also good theoretical reasons to hypothesise that the relationship between justice perceptions and feedback reactions is moderated by relationship quality. Across two field studies, we found Support for both mediated and moderated relationships. Results of the moderator analyses showed that the positive relationship between justice perceptions and feedback reactions was more pronounced for subordinates in a …

Japanese Vocabulary Acquisition By Learners In Three Contexts, Dan Dewey

Faculty Publications

This study is an investigation of the development of vocabulary knowledge during study abroad (SA), intensive domestic immersion (IM) and academic year formal classroom (AY) learning. Freed (1999) has emphasized the importance of knowing how stateside IM and AY experiences compare with SA and of determining the specific shared and unique linguistic benefits of each of these contexts. While few in number, comparisons between these contexts have been made (e.g., DeKeyser, 1986; Dewey, 2004; Freed, 1995b; Freed, Segalowitz & Dewey, 2004; Lafford, 1995; Milton & Meara, 1995). Only one study was found (Freed et al., 2004) comparing all three contexts …

How Are Preferences Revealed?, John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian

Faculty Publications

Revealed preferences are tastes that rationalize an economic agent's observed actions. Normative preferences represent the agent's actual interests. It sometimes makes sense to assume that revealed preferences are identical to normative preferences. But there are many cases where this assumption is violated. We identify five factors that increase the likelihood of a disparity between revealed preferences and normative preferences: passive choice, complexity, limited personal experience, third-party marketing, and intertemporal choice. We then discuss six approaches that jointly contribute to the identification of normative preferences: structural estimation, active decisions, asymptotic choice, aggregated revealed preferences, reported preferences, and informed preferences. Each …

The Importance Of Default Options For Retirement Saving Outcomes: Evidence From The United States, John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian

Faculty Publications

If transaction costs are small, standard economic theory would suggest that defaults should have little impact on economic outcomes. Agents with well-defined preferences will opt out of any default that does not maximize their utility, regardless of the nature of the default. In practice, however, defaults can have quite sizeable effects on economic outcomes. Recent research has highlighted the important role that defaults play in a wide range of settings: organ donation decisions (Johnson and Goldstein 2003; Abadie and Gay 2004), car insurance plan choices (Johnson et al. 1993), car option purchases (Park, Jun, and McInnis 2000), and consent to …

The Importance Of Default Options For Retirement Savings Outcomes: Evidence From The United States, John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian

Faculty Publications

This paper summarizes the empirical evidence on how defaults impact retirement savings outcomes. After outlining the salient features of the various sources of retirement income in the U.S., the paper presents the empirical evidence on how defaults impact retirement savings outcomes at all stages of the savings lifecycle, including savings plan participation, savings rates, asset allocation, and post-retirement savings distributions. The paper then discusses why defaults have such a tremendous impact on savings outcomes. The paper concludes with a discussion of the role of public policy towards retirement saving when defaults matter.

Spirituality And Organizational Culture: Cultivating The Abcs Of An Inspiring Workplace, Stanley E. Fawcett, James C. Brau, Gary K. Rhoads, David Whitlark, Amydee M. Fawcett

Faculty Publications

Perhaps the greatest source of unique advantage is an organization’s workforce. Unfortunately, while many managers talk about the importance or their people, they often fail to cultivate a organizational spirit that leverages their people’s creativity, insight and passion. A senior executive at a Fortune 500 company commented on this reality, saying, “People are either the bridge or the barrier.” One of today’s primary leadership challenges is to overcome practices that limit workers’ involvement. The goal is to create a workplace that inspires creativity and contribution. The question becomes, “What practices cultivate a culture that can transform an organization’s workforce into …

Development Of Teaching And Technology Integration: Focus On Pedagogy, Nancy Wentworth, Charles R. Graham, Tonya Tripp

Faculty Publications

The development, implementation, review, and subsequent revision of a capstone assignment during teacher education candidates’ field experience and the assignments-related rubric was based on research that points teacher education programs to give candidates experiences in rethinking their views of pedagogy as they integrate technology into the curriculum. The initial development of the rubric came as a result of requirements of national accrediting organizations for licensure programs to have performance assessments of their candidates. The review of the assignment by technology experts as well as education faculty showed a disconnect between the goals of the technology faculty and the mentors helping …

Corporate Entrepreneurship As Resource Capital Configuration In Emerging Market Firms, Daphne W. Yiu, Chung-Ming Lau

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Network-based resource capital such as political capital, social capital, and reputational capital are critical in providing firms with special access to various resources and legitimacy in emerging markets. However, how these generic nonmarket forms of capital are transformed into value-adding, industry-specific, and firm-specific uses, which subsequently enhance firm competitiveness, remained unanswered. Adopting a dynamic capability approach, this paper posits that corporate entrepreneurship performs a unique role of resource capital configuration and transformation in emerging market firms by continuously renewing firm competences so that congruence with the changing environment can be achieved. Building on this conceptualization, we argue that the positive …

Six Critical Ingredients In Creating An Effective Workplace, Jenet I. Jacob, James T. Bond, Ellen Galinsky, E. Jeffrey Hill

Faculty Publications

Using a nationally representative sample of data collected from waged and salaried employees in the United States (n = 2810) by the 2002 National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW), we evaluate workplace flexibility as another critical ingredient in creating an effective workplace. The study examined the bivariate relationships between six factors of workplace effectiveness and three job outcomes (job engagement, job satisfaction, employee retention) and one employee outcome (mental health). It also examined the relationship between a composite measure of overall workplace effectiveness and the four outcomes. Results indicated that all six aspects of workplace effectiveness and the composite …

Does Marriage And Relationship Education Work? A Meta-Analytic Study, Alan J. Hawkins, Victoria L. Blanchard, Scott A. Baldwin, Elizabeth B. Fawcett

Faculty Publications

In this meta-analytic study, the authors examined the efficacy of marriage and relationship education (MRE) on 2 common outcomes: relationship quality and communication skills. A thorough search produced 86 codable reports that yielded 117 studies and more than 500 effect sizes. The effect sizes for relationship quality for experimental studies ranged from d = .30 to .36, while the communication skills effect sizes ranged from d = .43 to .45. Quasi-experimental studies generated smaller effect sizes, but these appeared to be due to pretest group differences. Moderate-dosage programs produced larger effect sizes than did lows-dosage programs. For communication skills, published …

Effects Of Friendship In Transactions In An Emerging Market: Empirical Evidence From Brazil, Wesley Mendes-Da-Silva, Thaís Fernanda Salves De Brito, Rubens Famá, Jonathan T. Liljegren

Faculty Publications

This paper considers the inclusion of human behavioral aspects and implications of cognitive psychology and anthropology in decisions relating to the emerging field of behavioral finance. The formulated hypotheses were tested using 400 questionnaires, answered by students enrolled in MBA programs. The principal results suggest that individuals involved in transactions among friends or among strangers assume different behaviors—friends agree about the price attributed to an asset, while strangers show the propensity to bargain.

Promoting Supportive Relationships In Youth Programs: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective, Mat D. Duerden, Ann Gillard

Faculty Publications

Although research suggests that positive contact with nonparental adults is developmentally beneficial for youth; many adolescents do not have access to such relationships. It is important that adults structure existing relationships to optimize positive youth development. Relationships with adults, who support youth’s needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence, provide youth with scaffolding as they navigate their way through adolescence. Self-Determination Theory offers a straight-forward approach to understanding the elements of contexts that best promote the development of supportive relationships. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature concerning youth-adult relationships, including their associated prevalence and developmental benefits across …

Using Wheelchair Sports To Complement Disability Awareness Curriculum Among College Students, Neil R. Lundberg, Ramon Zabriskie, Kevin M. Smith, Keith W. Barney

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a campus-wide intramural wheelchair sports program on attitudes toward people with disabilities. The sample consisted of 126 participants at a large, western university. A quasi-experimental pre-post design was used. Results indicated that there was a significant decrease in discomfort in interaction with people with disabilities after participation in the program. Additional findings indicated that recreation majors who were required to have some disability awareness training in their coursework had statistically lower pre- and post-test scores than other majors and demonstrated the greatest change in attitude toward people with disabilities. …

Exploring The Relationship Between Parent Beliefs And Athletes' Perceptions: A Sport Commitment Approach, Heather M. Dewaard

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between parents' and gymnasts' perceptions on sport commitment constructs. The sport commitment model developed by Scanlan et al. (1993) provides a theoretical framework in which to explain why athletes participate. Two constructs in the sport commitment model, social constraints and support, represent the social influence factors which can be perceived as supportive or pressuring and may come from a variety of sources such as: parents, coaches, teachers, and peers. Parents tend to play an important role in their child's sport experiences (M.R. Weiss & Ferrer-Caja, 2002), and may influence an …

Does Content Knowledge Matter In Scoring Teacher Work Samples?: A Study Of Rater Differences, Yana A. Cornish

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The study examines the role of rater characteristics in the assessment of teacher practice as presented in Renaissance Teacher Work Samples (RTWS). The study analyzed ratings of 10 teacher work samples submitted by teacher candidates at the University of Northern Iowa between Fall 2000 and Spring 2004. These teacher work samples, created in the area of Spanish language learning at 7-11 grade levels, were analyzed to determine the impact of content expertise, amount of teaching experience, and previous RTWS rating experience on reviewer's ratings. Three study questions form the foundation for the investigation:

(1) Is there a significant difference between …

Disability And Difference: Adolescents' Interpretations Based On Television Viewing, Paula Anne Schmidt

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was conducted in order to decipher adolescent interpretations of disability that were portrayed on television. Employing qualitative methodology and methods, I conducted focus groups with adolescents during which they viewed television programs containing portrayals of characters with disabilities, or otherwise defining differences. The sixth grade participants freely shared their perspectives of the programs and characters in addition to their thoughts about the nature of difference in general.

Although I originally intended to interpret adolescents' reactions toward characters with disabilities, I found that it was not only characters with disabilities that they viewed in a judgmental manner. As the …

Women Chief Information Officers In Higher Education: Voices From The Field, Marilyn J. Ziesman Drury

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The lived experiences of women higher education Chief Information Officers (CIOs) were investigated and documented in this qualitative study. Three women higher education CIOs provided their perspectives on the opportunities and obstacles encountered as they pursued and achieved their current positions. These women's stories were gathered under a conceptual framework focusing on the intersection of applicable elements from gendered organizational theory, feminist standpoint theory, and occupational jurisdiction. Methods of overcoming obstacles and facilitating opportunities were discussed in relation to their lived lives and experiences. Examining institutional gendered norms accentuated the thoughts, values, practices, and processes that lead to muted women's …

Now Have We Gotten It Right?: Exploring The Special Education Referral Process, Janine Sue Wahl

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This qualitative inquiry explored the special education referral process as understood and implemented by two first grade teachers in a rural school. Both were interviewed and their classes observed; team meetings about their referrals were attended and recorded. The results of these observations were examined through the beliefs and assumptions about teaching and learning by the two teachers.

Each teacher referred two students into the process during this study, but none of the four students was found eligible for special education services during first grade. Through a cross-case analysis of the teachers and these students, distinct differences and commonalities were …

Effects Of Problem Solving Team Processes On Student Outcomes, Brooke A. Dahl

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Systematic data collection and case documentation are vital components in the consultative problem solving process. Carefully documented and easily understood data allow problem solving teams to make informed decisions about intervention development and implementation, as well as future programming for struggling students. The Instructional Consultation (IC) Team Model was developed as an organized and efficient process for conducting pre-referral problem solving (Rosenfield, 1987). The present research explores the relationship between processes and/or procedures as prescribed by the IC Team Model and student outcomes. Processes utilized by problem solving teams following the IC Team Model and other models of problem solving …

Empirical Health Law Scholarship: The State Of The Field, Michelle M. Mello, Kathryn Zeiler

Faculty Scholarship

The last three decades have seen the blossoming of the fields of health law and empirical legal studies and their intersection - empirical scholarship in health law and policy. Researchers in legal academia and other settings have conducted hundreds of studies using data to estimate the effects of health law on accident rates, health outcomes, health care utilization, and costs, as well as other outcome variables. Yet the emerging field of empirical health law faces significant challenges: practical, methodological, and political. The purpose of this Article is to survey the current state of the field by describing commonly used methods, …