Digital Commons Network^™

International Worker Cultural Adaptation: A Qualitative Study, Luis Romero Valenzuela

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

International workers are a vulnerable population within the hospitality industry. Their challenges, and needs have an impact on productivity, loyalty and satisfaction of international workers towards the organizations that employ them. The social and cultural impacts of labor migration are felt in their new environment by both domestic and immigrant populations. It is important to understand international workers’ acculturation process in order to provide them with tools necessary to succeed; it is also important to create responsible practices that translate into positive migration outcomes for both domestic and foreign populations. This study collected data on the motivations, processes, challenges, and …

How Does Jay-Customer Affect Employee Job Stress And Job Satisfaction?, Gawon Kim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Guest-contact employees interact with various types of customers, and they are often exposed to stressful conditions caused by the deviant, or jay-customers. The purpose of this study is to examine how jay-customer behaviors (customer incivility and customer aggression) affect employees’ job stress, and consequently, job satisfaction. Surveys of 210 participants, currently working as guest-contact employees in the hospitality industry, were analyzed for the study. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses show a positive relationship between the experience of customer incivility and employees’ job stress. Additionally, the results indicate a full mediation effect of employees’ job stress on the relationship …

Nutritionally Focused Drive-Thru Menus And The Impact On Consumer Preferences: A Study Of The Restaurant Industry, Meschelle M. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

More than one-third of the U.S. citizens (over 70 million people) and 16% of children are classified as obese and are at risk of many diseases including heart disease. Research indicates that 65% of Americans over the age of twenty years old are considered overweight. To address this public health issue, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has proposed new nutritional guidelines for restaurant menus. Thus, the current study investigated the preferences of quick service restaurant (QSR) industry consumers with reference to the newly proposed U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations. This study includes development and redesigning of drive thru …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The Pga's Professional Gold Management (Pgm) Program, David Lane Smiley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the relationships between knowledge, skills, ability, self-efficacy, and experiential learning and performance expectations and satisfaction. The purpose of this study was threefold. First, the study attempted to understand the motivators for student motivation to recommend the program. Second, the study looked at the contribution of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators for retention and positive word-of-mouth. Further, the research evaluated the relationship of the curriculum in influencing the student’s performance and satisfaction. The study sample consisted of 676 undergraduate students attending one of six PGA Professional Golf management programs in the spring of 2011. The survey instrument was …

Frederic Siedenburg, Sj: The Journey Of A Social Activist, Edward Gumz

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This is an archival study of Frederic Siedenburg, SJ, a Jesuit, who founded the first Catholic-Jesuit School of Social Work in the United States at Loyola University of Chicago in 1914. This study examines the multi-faceted career of this sociologist who served at two Catholic universities from 1914 through the 1930s when Progressivism and the New Deal in the United States were attempts to deal with social reform; the Catholic Church, in a variety of ways, responded to these reform efforts. Siedenburg espoused Catholic social teaching and attempted to carry out its tenets within a Catholic context as an educator …

Patterns Of Discovery In Participatory Action Research From The Insider’S Perspective, Katherine Tyson Mccrea

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Leveraging Learning To Improve Disaster Management Outcomes, Denise D. P. Thompson

Publications and Research

Disaster management agencies should be exemplars of learning given the volatility of their operating environment. However, there are cognitive, social, and organizational barriers that prevent these organizations from learning. The purpose of this article is to use the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) as an example of an organization that achieves double-loop learning in spite of known barriers. This research shows significant learning variations in the CDEMA organization from the regional to the national level. The results demonstrate that the CDEMA Coordinating Unit and a few national member agencies achieve double-loop learning, while the opposite is true for …

Challenges To Terry For The Twenty-First Century, Richard E. Myers Ii

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Feminism In The Global Political Economy: Contradiction And Consensus In Cuba, Deborah M. Weissman

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Effect Of Mentoring On First-Semester Associate-Degree Nursing Students, Arlene Walker-Adams

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This research study assessed the perceptions of first-semester nursing students about mentoring. The first purpose of the study was to describe the perceptions of first-semester nursing students in an associate-degree nursing program about mentoring. The second purpose was to ascertain the students‟ perceived values of mentorship as a strategy to support their learning and promote retention.

The sample population consisted of 10 first-semester nursing students who participated as mentees. The researcher utilized a qualitative methodology to assess the perceptions of first-semester nursing students. The researcher used three instruments to collect the data: focus groups, individual interviews, and a demographic questionnaire. …

An Ethnographic Case Study Of Elementary Principal Leadership Strategies And The No Child Left Behind Act, Cassandra J. Poole

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Leadership is regarded as the key to comprehensive school improvement efforts and the principal is expected to lead the charge/change. Book knowledge is good, but the difference between effective and less effective principals is not what they know but what they actually do. What do principals do to meet AYP? Young (2004) pointed out that some principals recognize they can gain the edge and survive by learning from other effective practitioners. NCLB and AYP demand change to meet the mandates that will bring about improvement in student achievement. NCLB has changed the educational landscape. Numerous articles and literature exists on …

A Preliminary Examination Of A Program That Provides Free Blood Glucose Testing Meters, And Subsidies On Test-Strips To Adult Diabetics, Cecil White

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This applied dissertation was designed to conduct a preliminary examination of the effects of the provision of free glucose testing meters, and test-strips subsidies on blood glucose control among diabetics. The study examined whether there was any impact on the frequency of testing, and whether there was a correlation between the frequency of testing and blood sugar control, as measured by HbA1c tests.

The researcher conducted a study of the program using a quasi-experimental design, and used the Glucose Monitoring Patient Questionnaire to compare the results between a test group and a control group of participants. Independent t tests were …

Fragments In Libeskind And Wittgenstein, Rossen Ventzislavov

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

My paper explores the similar role that fragments play in Wittgenstein’s later philosophy and in Libeskind’s architecture. The fragment is an infraction of traditional linear approaches to architecture and philosophy and thus affords an alternative critical glimpse into the fabric of each respective field. The fact that some philosophy and architecture use this device and its critical stance bodes well not only for the futures of the two disciplines but also for the embattled connection between them. In my paper I try to show that the break with linearity Wittgenstein and Libeskind engage in effectively replaces the ivory towers of …

Psychometric Evaluations Of An Acculturation Scale And An Acculturation Stress Scale With American Indian University Students, Michael Brian Trahan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Acculturation and acculturation stress are constructs studied with various minority groups. This study tests the factor loadings for both the Native American Acculturation Scale (N.A.A.S.) and the Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental Acculturation Stress Scale (S.A.F.E.), as well as the reliability of these measures with American Indian undergraduate and graduate students in a university setting. The first hypothesis was that the factor loadings of the N.A.A.S. with this sample would not resemble the original factor structure found by Garrett and Pichette (2000). It was also believed that the N.A.A.S. would exhibit robust reliability with this sample, based upon a previous, …

Lumpy Property, Lee Anne Fennell

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

No abstract provided.

An Instructional Pyramid: Expanding Coach Wooden's "Pyramid Of Success" To Guide P.E.T.E. Professionals, Robert Christenson, David C. Barney

Faculty Publications

What in the teaching-learning process can PETE (Physical Education Teacher Education) faculty identify as being effective and a critical part of this multifaceted practice? Which of the physical activity learning experiences best serves the student? Finally, how does a future-professional physical education teacher, who is inexperienced and intimidated by their first job circumstances, wade through all the information and responsibilities to perform up to expectations? As described by Veal (2011), "Teachers operate in an intensely complicated and demanding world. They face 30 or more students at once – each one different from the other, demanding individualized attention and treatment. Teachers …

General Attitudes Of Middle School Students Towards Physical Education, David C. Barney, Robert Christenson

Faculty Publications

Attitudes are formed by beliefs and experiences a person has had in their life (Silverman & Subramanian, 1999). This principle applies to middle school students' attitudes in physical education. The purpose of this study was to determine middle school students' attitudes towards physical education. For this study 227 middle school students in the Midwest of the United States were surveyed, then 28 students were interviewed regarding the attitudes towards physical education. It was found that middle school students tend to have positive attitudes towards physical education more specifically, the student felt that physical education is important their education and that …

Legal Realisms, Old And New, Brian Leiter

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

No abstract provided.

The Lawyer’S Library In The Early American Republic, Alison Lacroix

Public Law and Legal Theory Working Papers

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Tiered Training On General Educators' Use Of Specific Praise, M. T. Thompson, Michelle Marchant, D. Anderson, Mary Anne Prater, G. Gibb

Faculty Publications

Research suggests a compelling correlation between teacher behavior and effective learning environments. Focusing on the evidence-based teaching skill of offering behavior-specific praise (BSP), the researchers worked with three elementary-level general educators in a tiered model of training generally known as response to intervention (RtI). Although RtI commonly provides targeted instructional support to students, this study used the RtI framework to provide professional development instruction to teachers. The researchers also tracked the behavior of three students identified by the teachers as having behavioral difficulties, who became the focus of each teacher's BSP. Results showed increases in rates of BSP following the …

Using Tpack As A Framework To Understand Teacher Candidates’ Technology Integration Decisions, Charles R. Graham, J. Borup, N. B. Smith

Faculty Publications

This research uses the technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) framework as a lens for understanding howteacher candidates make decisions about the use of information and communication technology in their teaching. Pre- and post-treatment assessments required elementary teacher candidates at Brigham Young University to articulate how and why they would integrate technology in three content teaching design tasks. Researchers identified themes from student rationales that mapped to the TPACK constructs. Rationales simultaneously supported subcategories of knowledge that could be helpful to other researchers trying to understand and measure TPACK. The research showed significant student growth in the use of rationales …

An Analysis Of High Impact Scholarship And Publication Trends In Blended Learning, Lisa R. Halverson, Charles R. Graham, Kristian J. Spring, Jeffrey S. Drysdale

Faculty Publications

Blended learning is a diverse and expanding area of design and inquiry that combines face-to-face and online modalities. As blended learning research matures, numerous voices enter the conversation. This study begins the search for the center of this emerging area of study by finding the most cited scholarship on blended learning. Using Harzing’s Publish or Perish software (http:// www.harzing.com/pop.htm), we determined the most frequently cited books, book chapters, and articles on the subject of blended learning, as well as the journals in which these highly cited articles appeared. Through these findings we offer some conclusions about where the conversations about …

Strategy Selection, Surrogation, And Strategic Performance Measurement Systems, Jongwoon Choi, Gary Hecht, William B. Tayler

Faculty Publications

Strategic performance measurement systems operationalize firm strategy with a set of performance measures. A consequence of such alignment is the tendency for managers to lose sight of the strategic construct(s) the measures are intended to represent, and subsequently act as though the measures are the constructs of interest, a phenomenon referred to as surrogation. We investigate how involvement in strategy selection affects managers’ propensity to exhibit surrogation. We predict and find that strategy selection reduces surrogation. Surprisingly, we do not find that engaging in strategy deliberation, a key process underlying strategy selection, reduces surrogation. Thus, managers’ involvement in the actual …

The Value Of A Master’S Degree To Recreation Professionals, Camilla J. Hodge, Brian J. Hill, Christian Brinton

Faculty Publications

This study assessed the nature of the relationship between earning advanced degrees and career outcomes such as salary, job satisfaction, social capital, and human capital among professionals in the parks and recreation field. The sample (n = 196) was drawn from parks and recreation agencies located in the United States. Agencies, excluding educational institutions, were identified via an Internet search for parks and recreation agencies in urban areas. Findings indicated there was a positive relationship between earning a master’s degree and salary. Earning a master’s degree, however, was not significantly related to job satisfaction, social capital, or human capital. Furthermore, …

Me, My Spouse, And My Avatar: The Relationship Between Marital Satisfaction And Playing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (Mmorpgs), Michelle Ahlstrom, Neil R. Lundberg, Ramon Zabriskie, Dennis Eggett, Gordon B. Lindsay

Faculty Publications

A variety of online support groups exist for “gaming widows” who feel their spousal relationship has been displaced by time spent playing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game(s) (MMORPGs). MMORPG research has been presented on youth and adults, however to date, there is no research on married gamers to support or refute the claims of discontented spouses. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the gaming behaviors of couples who play MMORPGs. The sample included 349 couples. Results indicated lower marital satisfaction related to couples’ MMORPG gaming interactions such as quarrelling about gaming, not retiring to …

Impacts Of A Parenting Newsletter On Fathers Of Kindergarten Children, Sean E. Brotherson, Erin Kramer Holmes, Christopher J. Bouwhuis

Faculty Publications

This study is the first assessment of the perceived effectiveness of a parenting newsletter written specifically for fathers or father figures. The Father Times newsletter was distributed weekly for six weeks to all families of kindergarten children at a local school. Once hundred seventy-seven fathers responded to a self-report questionnaire regarding usage of the parenting newsletter, perceptions of the newsletter as a resource, and impacts of fathers' attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, and father–child relationship quality. Two-thirds of fathers in the sample reported changing at least "somewhat" in all nine outcomes explored. Neither father age nor number of children in the home …

Using Ricoeur’S Mimetic Process To Examine The Identities Of Struggling Adolescent Readers, Dawan Coombs

Faculty Publications

Building on the principles of philosophical hermeneutics, Ricoeur (1984) used the concept of narrative to explain how individuals interpret their experiences and make sense of seemingly disconnected elements of life by turning them into the stories. Narrative identities represent the coming together of the stories individuals tell, as well as those told about them by collectivities and by others (Bruner, 1986; Kearney, 2002). These ideas prove particularly relevant to literacy studies because identity influences how individuals make sense of their experiences, including their interactions with texts (McCarthey & Moje, 2000). Using the methodological framework of philosophical hermeneutics, this article discusses …

Reclaiming Literacy Classroom Through Critical Dialogue, Bob Fecho, Dawan Coombs, Sean Mcauley

Faculty Publications

Tim (all student names are pseudonyms), a young English teacher, took a position in a corporately owned charter school. Despite misgivings—“Just not sure privatization and choice are the saviors of public education”—Tim needed a job and accepted what was offered.

Typically for Tim, he threw himself into his teaching, getting additionally involved in class sponsorship and student government. As an offshoot of these activities, Tim asked his sophomore classes to write about, and then discuss, the seeming lack of school spirit and what they could do about it:

Two Sides To The Same Coin: Relational And Physical Aggression In The Media, Sarah M. Coyne, Laura Stockdale, David A. Nelson

Faculty Publications

Purpose - This review aims to examine how aggression is portrayed in the media and how it can influence behavior and attitudes regarding aggression.

Design/methodology/approach - The authors reviewed the relevant literature and examined both physical and relational forms of aggression in multiple media forms (television, film, video games, music, books).

Findings - Across media types, evidence is found that both physical and relational aggression are portrayed frequently and in ways that may contribute to subsequent aggression. Furthermore, though there are studies finding no effect of exposure to media aggression, evidence is found that watching physical and relational aggression in …

Household Labor, Gender Roles, And Family Satisfaction: A Cross-National Comparison, Renata Forste, Kiira Fox

Faculty Publications

Due to the interrelation of work and family domains recent scholarship has been devoted to determining the impact of women's rising employment in the home. More specifically, research has focused on what happens to the division of domestic labor in the wake of mother's paid employment and how the new arrangements are determined. In general, women have responded by dedicating less time to housework and men have responded by increasing their participation in unpaid labor. That said, male contributions do not compensate for the decrease in time by women in the home, and women still maintain responsibility for the majority …