Digital Commons Network^™

Exploration Of African American Women’S Infant Feeding Choices, Karen Marie Robinson, Leona Vandevusse

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

It is well documented in the literature that breastfeeding is more beneficial for infants and mothers than is formula feeding. Yet, African-American women are least likely to initiate and continue breastfeeding compared to other ethnic groups. Few studies have examined African-American women's infant feeding choices from the women's perspectives. Therefore, the purpose of this

exploratory study was to examine African-American women's infant feeding choices with individual narrative interviews at 3 weeks postpartum. Five African-American women participated. After coding and analyzing the narrative interviews, three major themes with sub-themes emerged that identified influencing factors on participants' choices and their opinions about …

A Brief Version Of The Family Background Questionnaire, Timothy P. Melchert, Augustine Kalemeera

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

Although it is lengthy. the Family Background Questionnaire provides reliable behaviorally specific family history information. Results from reliability and validity analyses suggest that a brief version of this instrument that assesses parental responsiveness, child maltreatment, and parental substance abuse would provide a useful screening instrument for obtaining family history information.

The Nature Of Contradictions In India: Using An Applied Ethnographic Technique To Further Intercultural Understanding, Melissa Lr Handa

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

India is often noted for the large body of contradictions that exist within it, which has left many observers in a state of bafflement, never really understanding why or how such huge inconsistencies can harmoniously exist. The intent of this thesis is to begin an exploration into India’s mass of contradictions.

The insights of Indian informants were incorporated into this study in an attempt to explain this dilemma. The respondents were interviewed in order to determine whether (1) they are aware that these contradictions exist and (2) whether they attempt to reconcile them and, if so, how. The fascinating interplay …

The Impact Of Homelessness On Young Children: Building Resilience Through Supportive Early Educational Interventions, Felice Moorman

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study investigates and analyzes the barriers faced by homeless children and their families in southeast Michigan. The experiences of current or formerly homeless families are documented in relation to perceived obstacles and supports in their schools and child care centers through open-ended, semi-structured interviews and ethnographic classroom observations. A small sample of parents, children, teachers, and case workers are interviewed, and nine children are observed in three schools. The analysis of data reveals significant barriers and obstacles for children who experience indifferent and demeaning treatment in their school environments. Conversely, the findings point to significant benefits for homeless …

African American Women And Hiv Prevention, Nicole Monique Samuel

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

For many health conditions, non-Hispanic Blacks bear a disproportionate burden of disease, injury, death, and disability. The purpose of this study was to examine African American females and their HIV prevention methods, as well as to identify factors that may lead to the non-use of condoms. Seventy-one participants were recruited from Planned Parenthood in Detroit. The instrumentation used for this research was the Sexual Health and Beliefs Survey. Results indicated that 69 percent of the respondents had five or more sexual partners in the lifetime. Ninety-four percent of the participants knew where to purchase condoms, and 89 percent stated that …

Differences In Food Intake, Nutrition Knowledge, And Fitness Assessment Measurements In High School Students Who Have Completed The Nutricise 4 Life Program And Students Who Have Not, Malorie Blake

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The Nutricise 4 Life Program (N4L) is a school-based physical activity and nutrition education program for adolescents. It was hypothesized that dietary intake, nutrition knowledge, fitness assessment measurements and motivation/confidence to make healthier lifestyle choices would be improved in students participating in the N4L group compared to a control group. Twenty-eight students in 10th to 12th grade from 2 high schools in Pennsylvania participated. This quasi-experimental trial collected data over 19 weeks to assess program impact on dietary intake, nutrition knowledge, fitness assessment measurements, and motivation/confidence levels. The N4L group saw no improvements in dietary intake. Students in the intervention …

The Effect Of Multiple Perpetrators On Judgements Of Responsibility, Louise Hamer

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study questioned whether participants feel one person committing a crime alone is more, less, or equally responsible for his or her actions than two people committing a crime together; whether participants react differently to two equally culpable coconspirators than they do to a perpetrator who was coerced by a companion to commit the crime; and whether these factors affect the amount of responsibility attributed to the perpetrator or the length of sentence recommended. The study found that less responsibility was attributed to a coerced perpetrator; however, all perpetrators received sentences of similar lengths. Also, White respondents attributed more responsibility …

Walk To Jerusalem: Facilitating Physical Activity In A Faith Community, Lisa Schmidt

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Obesity and physical inactivity are on the rise in our society today. Combined with poor eating habits, many Americans are overweight or obese. Churches have become important settings for providing health education programs, especially for African-American populations. There have been mixed results from faith-based physical activity studies, and few have been conducted with Caucasian populations. The present study used the Walk to Jerusalem program as a motivational tool within a Caucasian faith-based setting. The objectives were to increase physical activity, decrease blood pressure and weight, if needed, and improve attitude toward physical activity. The primary objective of the project was …

Layering, Aimee Pickett

Theses

It is my belief that furniture has the potential to store worlds. It can protect the china inherited from a grandmother. It can display porcelain bowls collected on a trip through Asia. It can bear the scratches from a pet, or carry the hallmarks of its previous owner. These are merely a few examples of how furniture can store personal history. In the same vein, I believe that a piece of furniture has the potential to become a metaphor of oneself through daily interaction. Ideally what is chosen for a home reflects one self, and as a result each home …

A Descriptive Study Of The Diet And Physical Activity Practices Of Overweight And Obese College Students Enrolled In A Weight Loss Program, Laura Brooke Walters

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The effect of weight gain on college students may lead to physical and emotional problems that could continue into adulthood. Identifying behavioral, demographic, and psychological factors that impact college student’s weight status could aid in developing programs to help reduce weight and prevent weight gain in overweight and obese college students. This study evaluated the dietary habits, physical activity, and psychosocial characteristics of college students entering a university-sponsored weight loss program. Results suggest that the majority of participants have experienced weight gain in the past year and none have experienced weight loss. The student’s diets tended to include less than …

Disestablishing Environmentalism, Andrew P. Morriss, Benjamin D. Cramer

Faculty Scholarship

The debate over environmental policy is increasingly conducted in language with strong religious overtones. Both proponents and opponents of various environmental policies appeal to religious doctrine to support their positions: Those who question human-caused global warming are labeled "heretics, " while appeals for environmental "stewardship" echo Biblical texts. Religious groups play an important role in defining environmental policy issues, and both supporters and critics of specific environmental policy views have labeled particular sets of beliefs about the environment a "religion." In this Article we engage in a thought experiment, arguing that there are valuable lessons to be learned from treating …

Examination Of Instructional Strategies And Teaching Methods Used In Training A Platform Battle Command System To Sustainment Warfighters, Lori Rapovy

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine if different teaching methods lead to improved short term student comprehension conducted during the FBCB2 operator course.

Significant Differences Between Seventh And Eighth Grade Students Enrolled In Keyboarding To Earn High School Credit, Kellie Wheeler

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to investigate seventh and eighth grade students end of course grades in keyboarding to determine if their passing score were higher for students who were more mature in age.

An Examination Of The Association Between Middle School Students' Perceptions Of Teacher Interactions, Home-School Dissonance, And School Attachment, Ruby Jewel Stevens

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether middle school students’ perceptions of teacher interactions and home-school dissonance are predictors of school attachment. The study sought to determine if there were differences in students’ perceptions of teacher interactions and home-school dissonance based on ethnicity, gender and/or grade level. This investigation is one of the first to explore the association between these variables.

Data for this investigation was obtained from a larger study where surveys were administered to over 800 racially diverse students in grades 6 through 8 in Language Arts classrooms in two public middle schools with diverse student …

Linking Service Encounters To Financial Performance: An Extended Approach To Valuation, Carla Yvonne Childers

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Managers and researchers have become increasingly interested in linking marketing activities to firm financial performance. That is, they desire to make marketing more financially accountable. One approach to achieving this goal has been to “valuate” customers to determine their degrees of profitability over the lifetime of their relationships with firms. However, traditional customer valuation techniques are largely based on quantitative factors and do not account for softer measures such as a customer’s behavior and performance both during and after service encounters.

Additionally, while customer profitability is commonly valuated, employees are not generally assessed in this manner in profit linkage frameworks. …

The Use Of The Child Observation Record As A Tool For Predicting Early Literacy Skills In Preschool Children, Christopher R. Singer

Theses

Reading is an important part of a child's schooling. Identifying students with literacy difficulties early in the academic process can provide them with early intervention services to keep them from falling behind. The use of an observational assessment when dealing with preschoolers can yield vital information to help identify children who may be at risk for developing reading difficulties. The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS; Good & Kaminski, 2002) is a standardized assessment currently used to identify and evaluate students' reading abilities. The Child Observation Record (COR; High/Scope, 1992) is a preschool assessment tool used to assess …

Female Perspectives Of Professional Identity And Success In The Counseling Field, Amanda C. Healey

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the contextual and definitional qualities of professional identity as well as the perceptions of success as defined by female counseling professionals. The ideals and beliefs related to professional identity were examined in order to determine if they are upheld by females who practice as professional counselors, counseling doctoral students, and tenure-track counselor educators. Findings indicated 16 themes that addressed issues related to personal and professional congruence and the counseling philosophy; particularly with regard to a conflict with the professional success model as it intersected with personal and professional roles. The information gathered …

Congregate Mealsite Participants’ Self-Reported And Functional Health, Participation In Activities And Attitudes Toward Aging In Wisconsin, Amy Ramsey

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The number of older Americans is increasing. Participation in activities is essential for maintaining health and functional independence, preventing or delaying chronic diseases and improving quality of life. Generally, as older adults age, prevalence of regular activity declines. Many older adults are not engaging in activities and are not receiving the health benefits that these offer.

This cross-sectional study used a self-administered survey to examine whether there is an association between attitudes toward aging, self-reported and functional health, and participation in activities among older adults aged 55 and older who attend congregate mealsites in Wisconsin. It was hypothesized that older …

The Effects Of Yoga On Children’S Self-Perceived Stress And Coping Abilities, Holly Smith-Vogtmann

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Stress is a problem for many children in our society. Previous research has shown how yoga can be used to help reduce stress levels. Twenty-seven fourth- and fifth-grade students from an urban elementary school participated in a three-week yoga unit during their physical education class, as a stress management unit. Using a repeated measures design, the participants’ self-perceived stress level, stress coping skills, and perception of yoga was measured. The current study found no significant change in the participants’ self-perceived stress level or stress coping skills after the yoga implementation. There was a significant change in student perceptions of yoga …

Health Belief Model Of Breast Cancer Screening For Female College Students, Kirsten M. Frankenfield

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

No abstract provided.

World War I And The Mobilization Of Maternal Sacrifice: Considerations For Peace Politics, Ana C. Garner, Karen L. Slattery

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Positive Psychology Within A Cultural Context, Jennifer Teramoto Pedrotti, Lisa M. Edwards, Shane J. Lopez

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

As our capacity for communication with nations across the globe increases through the advances of technology, our interactions with others with different worldviews also become more frequent. This exposure to diversity on so many levels requires a better understanding of the multiple contexts in which people from different cultural backgrounds live and the strengths they possess that help them experience well-being. In order to define the characteristics that my be viewed as strengths in different groups, we must make efforts to remember that cultural rules and norms often dictate what can be called a strength versus a weakness. It is …

Promises We Have Kept: Using Grounded Theory Methodology To Understand Developmental Factors That Contribute To Caucasian Low-Income Parents Positive Assessment Of Marital Health, S. Greg Thompson

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Low-income Caucasian married parents described lifespan processes and conditions that contributed to their individual assessments that their marriage was healthy. Spouses participated in an interview together, followed later by an individual interview with each. Interview scripts referenced the study‘s primary research questions which sought their reflections on (a) external conditions that they considered to be important to their development, and (b) personal thoughts, emotions and behaviors they deemed relevant to the success of their marriage. A third research question called for integration of participants‘ reflections into a cogent grounded theory regarding successful low-income marriages. Analysis incorporated grounded theory methods, and …

The Culture Connection: Testing A Model Of African American Attitudes Toward Mental Health Service Utilization, Andrea Michelle Smith

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to combine the factors previously determined to be related to African American help seeking into a single path model and, using structural equation modeling (SEM), determine the relative influence of each factor in the attitudes toward seeking mental health services (see Figure 2.2) among a community sample of African American adults from several metropolitan areas in the US. As such, SEM was utilized to compare the relative fit of two opposing models within this sample, one where a path from economic barriers to help-seeking attitudes was estimated freely and one where that path …

Exploring Lesbian And Gay Experiences With Individuals, Systems, And Environments: Patterns Of Response To Heterosexist Prejudice And Discrimination, James Russell Couch

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

While the general social climate in the U.S. has become more accepting and tolerant of sexual minority individuals, heterosexist discrimination, prejudice and violence continues to affect LGBT individuals, families and communities. While much research literature exists on the experience of minority stress and the psychological consequences of minority stress on sexual minorities, little research has been produced that examines sexual minority coping. Within the last decade, heteronegativity has been suggested as a possible coping response to heterosexism. The goal of the present study was to understand sexual minority responses to heterosexism (including heteronegativity) in a variety of contexts and circumstances. …

Examining The Construct Of Perfectionism: A Factor-Analytic Study, Agnes Mariann Stairs

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The construct of perfectionism is related to many important outcome variables. However, the term “perfectionism” has been defined in many different ways, and items comprising the different existing scales appear to be very different in content. The overarching aim of the present set of studies was to help clarify the specific unidimensional constructs underlying what is called “perfectionism”. First, trained raters reliably sorted items from existing measures of perfectionism into nine dimensions. An exploratory factor analysis, followed by a confirmatory factor analysis on an independent sample, resulted in a 9 scale, 61 item measure, called the Measure of Constructs Underlying …

Analysis Of Progessive Lag Reinforcement Schedules And Environmental Cues On Verbal Response Variability, Brian Esteve

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examined the effectiveness of progressive lag reinforcement schedules to increase novel and appropriate verbal responses to academic skills for three children with language delays. The effect of visual cues on verbal responses was evaluated in conjunction with progressive lag reinforcement schedules using a multiple baseline with an embedded alternating treatments design. Basic research utilizing lag reinforcement schedules have shown to increase variable behavior in both animal and human participants; however, little research has been conducted to evaluate lag reinforcement schedules in applied settings. The results of this study preliminarily indicate that progressive lag reinforcement schedules are an effective …

In My Humble Opinion: Testing The Sprial Of Silence In Computer-Mediated And Face-To-Face Contexts, Robert James Zuercher

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The purpose of this investigation is to further an understanding of the spiral of silence theory as it functions within both face-to-face (FtF) and computer-mediated contexts. Computer-mediated communication (CMC is often touted for being an empowering medium as it affords its users anonymity. This finding could have an impact on whether the spiral of silence occurs within CMC. Previous studies have relied upon hypothetical scenarios and have established weak support for the theory. Despite this study’s utilization of a within-subjects experimental design, however, no significant differences in minority opinion holders’ fear of isolation were found. Similarly, no significant relationship was …

Quality Assurance And Program Evaluation: Terms, Models, And Applications, M. J. Leahy, V. A. Thielsen, Michael J. Millington, B. Austin, A. Fleming

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

Quality assurance and program evaluation have become essential elements in continuous improvement efforts within the public rehabilitation program and community-based rehabilitation organizations. This article is a review of quality assurance and program evaluation models and approaches that appear the most promising in helping rehabilitation organizations improve the quality of services and outcomes of individuals receiving vocational rehabilitation services in the public and nonprofit practice settings. Examples of applications will be presented, and a discussion of key elements that appear to be critical in the design and utilization of these methods in rehabilitation administration will be discussed.

The Challenge Of Organizational Culture In Quality Assurance Implementation, Michael J. Millington, Jared C. Schultz

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.