Digital Commons Network^™

Urban Adventure Racing: Using Grounded Theory To Assess Motives, Eddie Hill, Edwin Gómez, Brandi Brinkley, Marni Goldenberg

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Although urban adventure races (ARs) have grown in popularity, little research exists on the reasons for the rising interest. Typically, adventure races are defined as a series of outdoor tasks completed within a given course or timeframe that are meant to challenge individuals, both mentally and physically. ARs borrow much from adventure programming. Aspects of AR programming may include goal-setting, problem-solving activities, and processing, and is often theoretically driven. This study used Grounded Theory as a basis for exploring why participants choose ARs, and if motives vary by gender. Of the 60 questionnaires collected, 40 were suitable for data analysis. …

The Fight To Frame Privacy, Woodrow Hartzog

Faculty Scholarship

The resolution of a debate often hinges on how the problem being debated is presented. In psychology and related disciplines, this method of issue presentation is known as framing. Framing theory holds that even small changes in the presentation of an issue or event can produce significant changes of opinion. Framing has become increasingly important in discussions about privacy and security. In his new book, "Nothing to Hide: The False Tradeoff Between Privacy and Security," Daniel Solove argues that if we continue to view privacy and security as diametrically opposed to each other, privacy will always lose. Solove argues that …

Legal Norms' Distinctiveness In Legal Transplants And Global Legal Pluralism, Toby S. Goldbach

All Faculty Publications

This paper examines the transnational movement of law and legal pluralism in the transnational domain in order to play with a specific question: whether legal norms are distinctive or whether there is a distinctive way that legal norms operate in practice. The paper engages with the International and considers two empirical domains or sets of disciplines: Legal Transplants and Global Legal Pluralism. Both reflect on the relationships between multiple overlapping legal orders and between "donors" and "recipients" in interactional legal practices. These disciplines point to moments of problem-articulation, periods of translation, and practices of acceptance and recognition. The paper suggests …

Introduction To The Special Issue On The Arab Spring, Ayodeji Kamau Perrin

Faculty Scholarship

What quickly became known as the "Arab Spring" is a series of protest movements, reform movements, and revolutions (some bloody and some relatively "bloodless") that has been ongoing for more than two years in the majority-Muslim world of the Middle East and North Africa. Arab Spring recalls both the European Revolutions of 1848, dubbed the "Springtime of the Peoples," as well as the Prague Spring of 1968. And the events have drawn comparisons to the post-Soviet revolutions of 1989. The compilation of essays contained in this Special Issue of the Journal of International Law reflects on these events from a …

A Qualitative Inquiry Into The Experiences Of People Living With Hiv/Aids For An Extended Period Of Time, Sylwia P. Hodorek

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The experience of living with a chronic illness such as HIV/AIDS is complex. The longevity of people living with HIV/AIDS is increasing and changing the medical and mental health care provision for these individuals. A qualitative approach was used to explore the lived experiences of long-term survivors of HIV/AIDS along three factors: (a) uncertainties, (b) stigma, and (c) coping. The research was guided by the constructivist paradigm and biopsychosocial approach. The methodology utilized was the constructivist grounded theory approach, which emphasizes simultaneous data collection and analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants who have been living with HIV/AIDS for …

E-Learning Implementation Strategies For An Ict-Challenged Environment : Case Of The University Of Ghana, Legon, Isaiah T. Awidi

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

E-learning implementation in higher education continues to gain prominence in both developed and developing countries, and while most universities in ICT-rich environments are exploring different ways of using ICT and multimedia resources to enhance teaching and learning, the same cannot be said about ICT-challenged environments. Nevertheless, the question of successful and sustainable e-learning implementation continues to remain a challenge, particularly in ICT-challenged environments.

The primary purpose of this research was to examine policy and strategy issues that have influenced the process of e-learning implementation at the University of Ghana (UG), given that previous ICT and e-learning initiatives failed to improve …

Chanted Landscapes, Fernando N. Zialcita

Sociology & Anthropology Department Faculty Publications

Landscapes within, landscapes without. Contrary to positivist science, the boundary between our body and the world is indefinite and shifting. When I experience space, according to the phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1964: 59), I do not experience it as “an exterior wrap.” Instead, “I see space from within, I am enfolded by it… rather than the world being in front of me, it is around me.” Moreover, in our experience there is a constant interplay between the open and the closed, between the within and the without, between the here and the yonder, between inner space and outer space, writes Gaston …

Corporate Social Responsibility As Corporate Soft Law: Mainstreaming Ethical And Responsible Conduct In Corporate Governance, Eugene K. B. Tan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article explores corporate social responsibility ("CSR') as a viable mode of regulation and governance in the corporate arena. A starting premise is that good corporate governance must move resolutely beyond a compliance mindset to one which recognises that effective corporate governance must have an ethical backbone in which the dimensions of responsibility, transparency, and accountability are evident, recognised and supported. Regulatory endeavours and corporate governance reforms in the past decade have increasingly intersected with mainstream CSR motivations. CSR is increasingly inducted and mainstreamed into corporate governance thinking, characterised by the dual perspective ofrisk management and values-driven/principled governance and operations. …

Transitioning Into Parenthood : Family Leisure And Heterosexual Couples In New Zealand, David Lamb

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The key research question on which this study was based concerned the transition period from first time pregnancy through to first time parenthood for heterosexual couples in Christchurch, New Zealand. The particular focus on this study was on how this transition impacted upon access, opportunity and experiences of family leisure. As a result this study can claim to be longitudinal as it follows a number of couples from the stage of pregnancy into early parenthood. A number of subsidiary questions were developed to explore the different dimensions of the key research question in terms of: the impact of gender; the …

Secondary Victims' Perceptions Of Justice : Implications For Forensic Psychology, Benjamin Bannister

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

An emerging area of study has begun to look at the perceptions of justice of the family and friends of crime victims – or, secondary victims. It is important to improve understanding of secondary victims’ experiences of justice, partly because knowledge about how they perceive justice may help forensic psychologists assist them more effectively. This research attempted to assess how well existing justice theories could account for secondary victims’ perceptions of justice, and also help determine what is important to them. Using the largely ignored group of secondary victims of non-sexual violent crime, the research consisted of two interrelated stages. …

Key Stakeholders’ Experiences Of International Education At One Australian University, Sophia A. Harryba

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Aim: This study aimed to explore the experiences which influenced the perceptions of three key groups of stakeholders: academic and support staff, international students, and their domestic peers, when engaging in International Education at one Australian university. The original research questions for this study were:

1. What experiences influence staff members’ perceptions of International Education at one Australian university?

2. What experiences influence international students’ perception of their education at one Australian university? As directed by theoretical sampling, the views of domestic students were then also sought, to shed light on the following research question:

3. What experiences influence domestic …

Portraits Of Middle Eastern Gulf Female Students In Australian Universities, Susan Delahunty

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research explores the experiences and insights of ten Middle Eastern Gulf women as they cross international borders to study in Australian universities. The literature indicates that international students in Australia establish their identity within the context of their overseas existence. This is particularly important as Muslims may feel they are being placed in a precarious situation due to, more often than not, terrorism being linked to Islam. Also, when Muslim women wear Islamic or traditional attire, the general public tends to look upon them with curiosity. With this in mind, the complex and changed contexts faced by ten Middle …

Institutional Experiences Of Female Child Migrants In Western Australia Between 1947 - 1955, Diane Parker

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In this qualitative study I investigated the institutional experiences of former female child migrants who were placed in the care of the Sisters of Mercy in St Joseph’s Catholic Orphanage, Subiaco, Western Australia. My study was guided by the theoretical orientations of Symbolic Interaction and Constructivism. Data were gathered through a series of individual and group interviews with the Female Child Migrants, who are now in their seventies and had spent at least three years in the orphanage between the years 1947 and 1955. Documents were also obtained from the archives of the Catholic Church, the Sisters of Mercy and …

A Study Of The Spatial Dynamics Of Some Introduced Avian Species In The Southwest Region Of Western Australia, Desiree L. Moon

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The Southwest region of Western Australia is a recognised ‘biodiversity hotspot’, as it possesses high levels of biodiversity and endemism; it also holds a number of species threatened by habitat loss. The arrival of Europeans in the region wrought major changes on the natural landscape. Extensive tracts of bushland were cleared for housing, infrastructure, forestry, farming, and mining. Another challenge to regional biodiversity was the spread of exotic plants and animals (including birds); the latter provide the focus for the present study. The research examines four bird species that colonised the Southwest region following European settlement: Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis …

Power Relationships And Authentic Organisational Learning : Daring To Break The Silence On Meaningful Dialogue In Policing Organisations, Lindsay B. Garratt

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The 21st century presents great opportunities and threats for business: national and global markets are demanding high performance, innovation, creativity, and flexibility. Public sector organisations are continually asked to do more with less, with equal if not greater efficiency and creativity demands as the private sector. Organisational learning is a concept touted as an important and necessary strategy for organisations to keep pace with the rapid changing global environment that now plays host to opportunities as well as great economic and social volatility. However the reality for many is that they become proficient at the kind of organisational learning that …

Drawn From Artists’ Lives: An Empirical Study Of The Situation And Realisation Of Professional Visual Art Practices In The Western Australian Field Of Cultural Production, Duncan Robert Mckay

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis presents the findings of empirical research on the working lives of visual artists living and working in Western Australia. No detailed studies of this kind have previously been undertaken in a Western Australian context, though a series of national, economically framed studies have surveyed Australian artists working in a variety of art forms about their working lives on five occasions since the early 1980s. Collectively the reports published from these five studies make up the most comprehensive picture of artists’ economic activity that has been available to policymakers and others involved in arts and culture in this country …

Towards Aid Effectiveness : Contested Theories And Concepts : A Case Study Of Ghana’S Community–Based Rural Development Project, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The discussion of aid effectiveness continues to gain prominence in international development policy discourse and analysis. However, the question of why aid seems to be ineffective is far more complicated and remains largely unanswered. While the notions that aid drives donors’ interests and creates dependency are still relevant, this thesis confronts the problem, by examining the issues that influenced the operationalisation and effectiveness of aid programs in the context of Ghana’s Community-Based Rural Development Project (CBRDP) (2005-2011). By arguing that aid dependency and “aid as a concept” are different, the thesis makes the most basic assumption that ‘aid’ is not …

A Comparison Of Australian And German Literary Journalism, Christine Boven

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and compare the traditions shaping the development of literary journalism in Australia and Germany. Tracing the different historical developments of the form in the two countries provides the contextual basis for an in-depth comparative analysis, which concentrates on the concepts of credibility and authenticity. The thesis explores whether different attitudes to news and opinion in journalism in the two countries influence these notions that are central to literary journalism. However, in the comparative analysis other significant factors become apparent. In four case studies, two from each country, consisting of book-length examples of …

The Relationship Between The Meaning Of Water And Sense Of Place : A Grounded Theory Study From Northern Thailand, Katesuda Sitthisuntikul

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The literature suggests that a subtle relationship exists for communities between the meaning of water and sense of place, making fertile ground for systematic investigation. The relationship has obvious importance in today’s world, where people’s reliance on water, and the need for reliable supplies, form part of a common discourse in natural resource management. Yet, there has been much less discussion of what water means to people, how it connects with peoples’ sense of place, and what that might mean for the way people interact with their surroundings. The methodology of constructivist grounded theory was therefore appropriate to investigate this …

Analysis And Determinants Of Sustainability Policy Choice Of Local Councils In Australia : A Test Of Stakeholder Theory, Clive P. Oliver

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Since the early 1990’s, issues of sustainability involving community, government and industry have gained momentum, and the environment has become the focus of numerous studies, such as those undertaken by Young and Hayes (2002); Yuan (2001); Staley (2006); Mellahi and Wood (2004); Hezri and Hasan (2006); Dowse 2006; Wilmhurst and Frost (2000); and Qian, Burritt and Monroe (2010). Cotter and Hannan (1999, p.11) also discussed the impetus of a United Nations summit in 1992, known as the Earth Summit, which resulted in Local Agenda 21, a blueprint for action to achieve sustainable development.

Global sustainability is currently a major focus …

Identity Crisis Of Jordanian Bmb (Believer From Muslim Background) Women At The Beginning Phase Of New Faith, Sam Kim

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Rhetorical Approach To 1 Thessalonians In Light Of Funeral Oration, Jae Kyung Cho

ATS Dissertations

The present dissertation is a study of the rhetorical approach to 1 Thessalonians, particularly funeral oration. Though many scholars have interpreted 1 Thessalonians in light of thematic perspective, mirror reading, and epistolary approach, this dissertation asserts that Paul employs elements of epideictic funerary oratory to persuade his audience in writing 1 Thessalonians. Moreover, the dissertation shows that Paul’s use of funerary language with some twists in meaning and purpose illustrates that Paul employs topoi and the purpose of funeral oration in 1 Thessalonians.

Encountering the growing persecution, sufferings, and even death of members, the believers of Thessalonica needed encouragement and …

Accent-Based Implicit Prejudice: A Novel Application Of The Implicit Association Test, Carolyn Chu

Master's Theses

In the present study, implicit attitudes toward accents were examined. The most common method used to study accent-based perceptions is by self-report questionnaires, which measure explicit attitudes. To my knowledge, no previous study has examined implicit accent-based attitudes. In the present investigation, auditory stimuli were used in a novel application of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to measure implicit accent attitudes. Participants were randomly assigned to listen to a passage read in one of three foreign accents (Mexican, Chinese, or British) and the same passage in a Standard American accent. Participants also completed the Speech Dialect Attitudinal Scale, which measured …

Experiences Of Coping With Injury In Division I Athletes From Low-To-Middle Socioeconomic Status Backgrounds, Matthew Philip Bejar

Master's Theses

Injuries inevitably occur in any sport at any level. The integrated sport injury model is one of the most extensive frameworks to address the psychological responses to athletic injury. While this model posits that socioeconomic status (SES) influences how an athlete cognitively, emotionally, and behaviorally responds to an injury, no research has substantiated this claim. Low SES individuals experience an exceptional amount of stress, which may complicate how they cope with a negative event. The coping strategies employed by an athlete can have major implications on rehabilitation adherence, recovery time, and psychosocial well-being. The purpose of this study was to …

An Examination Of American Sport For Development And Peace Interns' Program Experiences, Michael Sanh Dao

Master's Theses

Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) is an international development movement that uses sport to address international humanitarian issues, including education on preventing HIV/AIDS, peaceful resolutions in communities experiencing conflict, and establishing gender equality in male-dominated societies. The emergence of SDP as a branch of international development over the last decade has garnered much attention. National governments, non-governmental organizations, and scholars have involved themselves in the process of SDP. The attention that SDP has attracted by these parties has been both practical and theoretical. Scholarly studies by prior researchers on SDP have included suggestions on best practices, and how people …

The Effect Of Socioeconomic Status On Student Perceptions Of Instructional Communication Behaviors, Samuel A. Crecelius

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In spite of desegregation and efforts to provide equitable education for all students, minorities and students living in poverty continue to underperform their peers. Education theorists have attributed this achievement gap to a cultural mismatch between students and their teachers and schools. At the same time, instructional communication research has found that cultural differences may influence student perceptions of teacher communication behaviors and that these behaviors have an effect on learning outcomes. Interestingly, while race has received extensive study in the instructional communication literature, little research has examined the role of socioeconomic status on students' perceptions of instructor communication behaviors. …

Self-Expansion And Breakups: Effects On Possessions, Caroline Sandrick

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study strives to understand the influence of breakups on the expanded self and its representation through possessions. The self-expansion theory (Aron & Aron, 1986) states that involving oneself in a romantic relationship alters one's sense of self by taking on the partner's characteristics and qualities and integrating them into the self. The study examined the reported self-expansion in the relationship and the couple representativeness of a possession to see if this affected the outcome of the possessions (kept vs. discarded). Participants were asked to report their three favorite possessions and five possessions they would keep (or kept) and …

Funding Sources Of Impactful And Transformative Research, Barrett Anderson

Master's Theses

Understanding how the most important scientific articles have been funded can help inform and improve future funding decisions. Importance is here defined as science that, in the metaphor of the tree of knowledge, plays a structurally significant role (e.g., creates new branches of knowledge or transforms existing ones). The structural significance of articles is broken down into two submeasures: citation count and "generativity" (a novel measure defined as being highly cited and also leading to a comparatively large number of other highly cited articles). Generativity is an attempt to provide a quantitative operationalization that should correlate with transformativeness, a concept …

Future Work Selves And Work-Related Outcomes: The Role Of Perceived Supervisor Support, Shama Arakeri

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between future work selves and work-related outcomes such as proactive career behaviors, self-development organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), and work engagement. Future work self salience was used to capture employee work selves that could be easily and clearly recalled into memory. An additional purpose of the current study was to examine whether perceived supervisor support would moderate each of the three relationships. A total of 123 employees participated. Future work self salience was positively related to proactive career behaviors, self-development OCBs, and work engagement. Furthermore, perceived supervisor support was found to …

Farms On Campus: Strong Stakeholder Support For An Educational Garden At A Non-Land-Grant University, Gina M. Bacigalupi

Master's Theses

University farms and gardens are increasingly seen as effective tools for learning a variety of academic subjects and as resources that allow users to connect experientially to nature. Most existing university farms, however, are found at resource-rich land-grant universities. This research evaluated stakeholder interest and willingness-to-pay in money, time, and labor for a proposed educational farm at a public, urban, non-land-grant university through an online survey of over 400 members of the California State University East Bay, Concord Campus community. Overall, support for an educational farm at this site was high amongst all stakeholder groups. Students and stakeholders who hold …