Digital Commons Network^™

Cultural Immersion Camps And Development Of Ethnic Identity In Asian American Youth, Yi-Ju Wu, Corliss Outley, David Matarrita-Cascante

Journal of Youth Development

The purpose of this study was to explore camp outcomes specialized in ethnic identity among Asian American youth after they participated in a residential cultural immersion camp. In this study, the cultural immersion camp is viewed as a mediating factor that channels other influences in such a way as to guide Asian American youth to commit more expressly and more fully to their perception of ethnic identity. The results obtained from 3 cultural immersion camps located in the Western United States reveals that cultural immersion camp experiences significantly increase perceived levels of ethnic identity among Asian American youth. Implications of …

Bridging Families And Schools To Prevent Youth From Running Away From Home, Monica Bixby Radu

Journal of Youth Development

Running away from home is a serious problem among American youth. It has been linked to numerous negative social, psychological, and behavioral outcomes. It is well established that family dysfunction is one reason that youth run away from home. However, less research focuses on how both families and schools influence youths’ likelihood of running away from home. Drawing from a sample of 4,546 youth from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, I examine how youths’ perceptions of their schools’ safety, experiences with bully victimization, and bonds with their families and their schools predict the likelihood of running away from …

Exploration Of A College And Career Readiness Leadership Program For Urban Youth, Samantha Bates, Dawn Anderson-Butcher, Jera Niewoehner-Green, John Provenzano

Journal of Youth Development

Urban youth living in poverty are less socially and academically prepared to access postsecondary education compared to their more affluent peers. College and career readiness (CCR) programs traditionally focus on skill-building to assist with college and financial aid applications, test taking, and career exploration. The Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) program includes these components, but also incorporates positive youth development (PYD) and leadership skill development strategies to further prepare urban youth for college and career through internship, service, and leadership opportunities. Using a mixed methods approach, this study explored youth perceptions of the YLA, evaluating the influence of the program on …

Cultural Immersion Camps And Development Of Ethnic Identity In Asian American Youth, Yi-Ju Wu, Corliss Outley, David Matarrita-Cascante

Journal of Youth Development

The purpose of this study was to explore camp outcomes specialized in ethnic identity among Asian American youth after they participated in a residential cultural immersion camp. In this study, the cultural immersion camp is viewed as a mediating factor that channels other influences in such a way as to guide Asian American youth to commit more expressly and more fully to their perception of ethnic identity. The results obtained from 3 cultural immersion camps located in the Western United States reveals that cultural immersion camp experiences significantly increase perceived levels of ethnic identity among Asian American youth. Implications of …

The Role Of The Environmental Context In Advance Care Planning Among Older Adults, Brittany E. Gaines

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Research has focused on various individual characteristics associated with advance care planning (ACP), but little is known about how the environment context is associated with ACP. This study examined the role of environmental characteristics in ACP by addressing three key aims: 1) examine the independent effects of environmental factors on ACP, 2) assess the moderating effects of environmental factors on the associations between ACP and individual household income and educational attainment, and 3) conduct a longitudinal examination of ACP and environmental characteristics. I combined individual ACP information from the 2004 and 2011 waves of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study with county …

Terrorism And Organized Crime: An Analytical Study From An International Law Perspective, Leila Mejdoubi

Master's Theses

With the spread of terrorism and its growing risks since the start of the 21^st century, a wide range of reports and studies have emerged. This funding comes from a special relationship between terrorist organizations, organized crime syndicates, and their cooperation with each other, which has enabled terrorist organizations in particular to carry out recruitment efforts and operations alike. It has also fueled an international black market for smuggling and trade in drugs and arms. Under what conditions do violent terrorist groups driven by extreme Islamist ideology collaborate with organized criminal enterprises to generate the requisite resources to pursue …

People With Mental Illnesses Who Face Coercive Interrogation: The Capability Of Jurors To Consider The Totality Of The Circumstances, Kathryn Derby

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Both coercive yet currently acceptable police interrogation tactics and the presence of mental illness in a defendant have been separately identified as risk factors for false confessions by defendants. Extensive research has been completed regarding each issue individually, with researchers struggling to induce sensitivity in jurors to police interrogation tactics and defendants with mental illness separately. In this study, the researchers sought to examine juror’s ability to understand the totality of the circumstances (mild or severe mental health issues as well as mild or severe police interrogation pressures) when clinical expert testimony was or was not present. Undergraduate psychology students …

The Existing Intersectionality Of Gender And Race Differences In Science, Technology, Engineering And Math Fields, Rachael Carrillo

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis will examine the gender differences women and men experience in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields (STEM) in undergraduate education focusing on the binary genders--men and women--and their experiences in STEM. Thus, the research question is: Do undergraduate women in STEM experience higher levels of gender differences compared to men in STEM? This is an important research question because if female undergraduates in STEM are experiencing sexism while their male colleagues are not, this phenomenon may create a large issue of inequalities for women in our society. STEM fields are typically higher paying fields and if women are …

Pre-Test Processing Differences Of Test Anxious Students, Michelle M. Garcia

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the pre-testing differences in persons with test anxiety (TA) comparted to person without test anxiety. Specifically, the study focused on differences in test preparation and study methods between groups. Further understanding of pretest differences regarding the processing and study methods of TA students may lead to the development of interventions that improve the deficits experienced by those with TA. All participants were administered the Cognitive Test Anxiety Inventory (CTAI) designed by Cassady and Johnson (2002). Persons that scored above the mean of 73.1 were classified as having TA, those who scored below …

Brandt's "Parenting Forward: How To Raise Children With Justice, Mercy, And Kindness" (Book Review), Leslie Starasta

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Working With Environmental Economists, Annika Marie Rieger, Joerg Rieger

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Awareness of environmental degradation, culminating in the broad global transformations of human-caused climate change, is no longer a peripheral issue. And while there may be some debate of climate change, a simple denial is no longer an option in light of the data and the agreement of 97 per cent of scientists. In light of the sheer magnitude of the challenge, which has the potential to threaten human survival, much of what we know must be rethought, including traditional academic disciplines. In this essay, an environmental sociologist and a theologian enter into a conversation with environmental economists and others concerned …

For Ye Have The Poor Always With You: Exploring China's Latest War On Poverty, John A. Donaldson

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

John Donaldson’s section discusses Xi Jinping’s ambitious pledge to end poverty in China by 2020, toward which the CCP has deployed a locally adaptable set of policies that have mobilized actors in the public and private sectors and tied officials’ performance to success in poverty reduction. The Party understands that poverty—a manifestation of a severe inability to provide a good life for the people—represents a concerning indictment of the regime’s legitimacy overall. This paper fills in an analytic gap among Western sources regarding these programs, which have to date seen well over fifty billion dollars of poverty alleviation funding disbursed …

Lived Experiences Of Christian Development Workers In The Thailand Anti-Trafficking Movement: Lessons From The Field, Lauren M. Pinkston

All Dissertations

Private enterprise, sex tourism, international adoption, and soldier recruitment have all been industries that benefit from the coercion or trade of human beings. Although international development organizations and government agencies have been particularly focused on preventing human rights violations, the Protestant Christian community also has been poised with a vested interest around the globe. Unfortunately, data are lacking about faith-based efforts in the anti-trafficking space. This research looks at faith-based organizations’ anti-trafficking operations in Thailand particular, as it has been traditionally known as a nation with unique immigration challenges and extensive migration patterns.

This qualitative study is based on open-ended …

Social Competence And Attitude Towards School In Relation To Academic Achievements Of Students In Kosovo, Blerta Perolli Shehu

All Dissertations

The focus of the research was to determine the relationship among social competence, attitudes toward school and academic achievement of primary school students in Kosovo. Participants in the study were 206 students of 4th grade classes from five different schools in Kosovo, one of their parents and teachers. Parents completed a Survey of Students’ Characteristics, children completed a self-report measure on School Attitude, and teachers completed the Social Competency Rating Form and the School Attitude/Behavior Teacher Version for each of the children in their class. Teachers also assessed the children’s academic performance in 7-items Likert-type scale for each of the …

Black Fatherhood In America Through The Lens Of Contemporary Memoir, Christian Allred

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

No abstract provided.

Factors Limiting Reintroduced Plains Topminnow, Fundulus Sciadicus, Populations In Central Great Plains Streams, Joseph Thiessen, Keith D. Koupal, Casey W. Schoenebeck

The Prairie Naturalist

The plains topminnow (Fundulus sciadicus) is an endemic Great Plains stream fish that has experienced declines in geographic range and local abundance. Due to these declines, the species has been considered for federal protection and designated with conservation status in states throughout its historic range. The reasons for declines are likely similar to hypothesized factors for other endemic stream fish declines in the Great Plains. To investigate potential limiting factors a suite of 17 historic sites with reintroduced plains topminnow populations across Nebraska were evaluated for current populations and if plains topminnow were absent, additional fish were introduced. …

Pay Now, Play Later?: Youth And Adolescent Collision Sports, Vivian E. Hamilton

Faculty Publications

The routine and repeated head impacts experienced by athletes in a range of sports can inflict microscopic brain injuries that accumulate over time, even in the absence of concussion. Indeed, cumulative exposure to head impacts—not number of concussions—is the strongest predictor of sports-related degenerative brain disease in later life. The observable symptoms of disease appear years or decades after initial injury and resemble those of other mental-health conditions such as depression and dementia. The years-long interval between earlier, seemingly minor, head impacts and later brain disease has long obscured the connection between the two.

Risk of injury differs across demographics, …

What Is Wrong With Silence In Intercultural Classrooms? An Insight Into International Students’ Integration At A Uk University, Sihui Wang, Marta Moskal

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

Special Issue

Frontiers In Theory-Predicated Research In Youth Development: A Commentary, Richard Lerner

Journal of Youth Development

The field of youth development sits at the frontier of new opportunities for research and practice. These opportunities are enabled by innovations in theory and in theory-inspired research methods. Framed by relational developmental systems metatheory, dynamic systems models of youth development emphasize that every young person has the potential to change positively by aligning specific individual strengths and contextual resources that, together, can optimize the life paths of a young person. The methods linked to these theoretical models combine to help identify the specific links between an individual and his or her context that may maximize thriving across the adolescent …

Exploration Of A College And Career Readiness Leadership Program For Urban Youth, Samantha Bates, Dawn Anderson-Butcher, Jera Niewoehner-Green, John Provenzano

Journal of Youth Development

Urban youth living in poverty are less socially and academically prepared to access postsecondary education compared to their more affluent peers. College and career readiness (CCR) programs traditionally focus on skill-building to assist with college and financial aid applications, test taking, and career exploration. The Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) program includes these components, but also incorporates positive youth development (PYD) and leadership skill development strategies to further prepare urban youth for college and career through internship, service, and leadership opportunities. Using a mixed methods approach, this study explored youth perceptions of the YLA, evaluating the influence of the program on …

Understanding Youths’ Educational Aspirations In The Somali Diaspora, Joanna Tzenis

Journal of Youth Development

This article shares findings from a 10-month qualitative longitudinal study that offer insight into the educational aspirations of American youth (grades 6-9) who belong to the Minnesota Somali diaspora and highlight the social and cultural influences that shape these aspirations. The findings show that while the majority of youth participants (at one point in the study) expressed that they wanted to become doctors in the future, these aspirations were informed by family values around helping others in Somalia—not an interest in medicine or science. The findings also demonstrate that through time, as the high school youth began to engage more …

El Hip-Hop Cubano: An Agent Of Social And Political Change In Cuba?, Margaree Jackson

Honors Theses

Cuba experienced two distinct periods during which Afro-Cubans encountered various constraints and opportunities. During the Revolutionary Period, the Cuban government outlawed all forms of discrimination and created many opportunities for Afro-Cubans to participate in society. However, these new opportunities came with the price of outlawing discussion of racial discrimination and political and social organization along racial lines. Afro-Cubans who still experienced racial inequality faced the threat of political imprisonment if they spoke out against discrimination. In contrast, during the Special Period, Cuban experienced a devastating economic collapse in 1991. Government policies created in response to the collapse removed many of …

United States Suicide Analysis: 1999-2016, Malynn Clark

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to create information visualizations surrounding suicide trends from 1999-2016 in the United States. The original data was obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Compressed Mortality Database. This database permits users to download several fields of information regarding deaths for the years given. Using this information, many graphs below show trends and patterns for suicide. One notable trend includes the higher proportion of male to female suicides for all categories explored including: age group, race, and metro/nonmetro status. The goal is to bring awareness and understanding surrounding the suicide epidemic in the …

Youth Developmental Experiences Among Female Hockey Players: The Role Of Relative Age, Laura Chittle, Jess Dixon, Sean Horton

Journal of Youth Development

Relative age differences can lead to varying sport participation opportunities; however, scant research has focused on the impact of relative age on experiences within sport. This study explored if youth developmental experiences differed by relative age among competitive female ice hockey players. Players within Ontario (n = 264) completed an online survey that contained the Youth Experience Survey for Sport (YES-S) along with additional demographic questions. The YES-S measures 5 dimensions of positive (i.e., personal and social skills, cognitive skills, goal setting, and initiative) and negative developmental experiences in sport. The results of the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) suggested …

An Exploratory Study Of Duty-Related Stress Among Conservation Officers, Logan Ledford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research relating to police stress has typically focused on officers working in urban areas, neglecting their rural counterparts. This is especially true of conservation officers, who are tasked with enforcing laws in state parks and other recreational areas. To date, only a handful of studies have sought to better understand their experiences and perceptions. The current study seeks to further our understanding of conservation officer stress in three unique ways: (1) via applying McCreary and Thompson’s (2006) operational police stress scale (PSQ-Op) to the population, (2) determining whether officer characteristics (e.g., age, education, length of service) affect perceived stress, and …

Study Protocol: A Multisite Trial Of Work-Related Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Unemployed Persons With Social Anxiety, Joseph A. Himle, Richard T. Lebeau, Addie Weaver, Daphne M. Brydon, Deborah Bybee, Amy M. Kilbourne, Raphael D. Rose, Katherine M. Tucker, Richard Kim, Marcelina Perez, Fonda N. Smith, Brandy R. Sinco, Scott Levine, Nicole Hamameh, Monique Mckiver, Paul T. Wierzbicki, Anni M. Hasratian, Michelle G. Craske

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Faculty Scholarship

This paper provides a methodological description of a multi-site, randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a cognitive-behavioral intervention for enhancing employment success among unemployed persons whose employment efforts have been undermined by social anxiety disorder (SAD). SAD is a common and impairing condition, with negative impacts on occupational functioning. In response to these documented employment-related impairments, in a previous project, we produced and tested an eight-session work-related group cognitive-behavioral therapy provided alongside vocational services as usual (WCBT + VSAU). WCBT is delivered by vocational service professionals and is designed in a context and style that overcomes accessibility and stigma-related obstacles with …

As The Hourly Minimum Wage Moves Toward $15 Across New York State, Some Say The Fight For A Decent Living Is Far From Over., Barbara Prempeh

Capstones

This capstone projects examines the coming of the fight for a $15 minimum wage across New York State and beyond its borders. In 2012, the Fight for $15 organization took the streets of NYC to begin their fight only raising the wages for low income earners who work in different industries such fast- fast, hospitality, and even retail. For years now, the government has yet raise the minimum wage for all Americans which has caused several families to feel a crunch in affording a normal lifestyle. Since the start of this fueled fight, New York City is one of the …

Understanding Counselor Educators’ Experiences Of Professional Identity And Leadership In A Group Private Practice, Jessica L. Hopkins

Dissertations

Similar to other mental health professionals, Counselor Educators work in a variety academic, clinical and business settings. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) (2016) describes CES doctoral programs as preparing “graduates to work as Counselor Educators, supervisors, researchers, and practitioners in academic and clinical settings” (p. 38). However, research has only minimally focused on Counselor Educators who work in private practice settings, especially group counseling practices. Swickert’s (1997) research on the professional identity of Counselor Educators in private practice settings signifies the most recent study of counselor education that references Counselor Educators’ professional identities and …

The Influences Of Calculus I On Engineering Student Persistence, Amie Baisley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

About half of the students that are declared engineering majors end up leaving engineering within their first two years at the university. This happens following the required math and science courses that these students must take before getting into the technical engineering coursework. There are two systems that students must be a part of at the university to feel comfortable and have the desire to continue on in their degree. These include the academic system and the social system. The experiences engineering students have during their first required math course, Calculus I, is likely not promoting integration into these two …

Gender And Social Acceptance Of Immigrants In A New Destination Site, Emma Meade Earl

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this article, I draw on secondary interview data with LatinX immigrants in Cache Valley, Utah, an emerging new destination site in the Inter-Mountain West. While immigrants are drawn to new destinations by employment opportunities, quality of life, or low cost of living, they face many challenges in integrating socially into fairly homogenous communities, which can be particularly challenging for immigrant women. This thesis analyzes the ways in which gender affects social integration in the specific cultural and demographic context of Cache Valley. Using interviews with 16 men and women, I examine gender differences in perceptions of the community, experiences …