Digital Commons Network^™

'Consuming Children' : A Sociological Analysis Of Children's Relationship With Contempory Consumer Culture, Julie Marianne Evans

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

The aim of this thesis is to identify and understand children's relationships with the world of consumption. Through the children's own narratives a picture emerges of the mediating properties of consumer goods in their wider social and personal friendships. Living in what could be described as a materially divided society this project explores how children make sense of those inequalities and what their experiences are in understanding their own socio-economic position compared to others and how it impacts on their relationships to consumer culture. A particular concern is that such relationships may be more complicated than they seem on the …

Juvenile Justice Reform: A Tale Of Two Systems, Erika Gebo

Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines two juvenile justice reform efforts in one state. The first initiative, a detention risk assessment tool, is embedded within the second initiative, a family court pilot project. Detention screening tools have been developed primarily to alleviate detention center overcrowding and to reduce disproportionate minority confinement in those centers. The instrument under analysis limits discretion by judges in the detention decision making process. The second reform effort, family court, is premised on the rehabilitative ideal. In these courts, judges are presumably given wide latitude in deciding cases in order to meet the individual needs of each offender. These …

Breaking The Norm: Family Characteristics Associated With The Avoidance Of Corporal Punishment, Wendy Ann Walsh

Doctoral Dissertations

Corporal punishment (CP) is an acceptable and frequently used discipline tactic, with 94% of parents of 2- to 4-year-olds using it (Straus, 2001). Much of the parenting literature indicates that there are more positive ways to discipline a child (May, 2000; Sears & Sears, 1995; Spock & Parker, 1998). Yet, only a minority of parents raise children without CP.

Using Belsky's (1984) model of parenting, this study analyzed the 1985 National Family Violence Survey to compare this minority group of parents with those who use CP in order to understand the experiences and context associated with avoiding it. The extent …

Child Welfare Reformers, Academic Psychologists, And The Dependent Child In Progressive Era America, Phyllis Ann Wentworth

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores what was being done on behalf of dependent children during the Progressive Era, drawing connections between the reform movement and theories and figures from academic psychology. Chapter One is a detailed overview of the 1909 White House Conference on the Care of Dependent Children, with an emphasis on discussions that stress reformers' attitudes toward proper care of dependent children. Chapters Two, Three and Four take up individual themes that emanate from the Conference and correspond with current gaps in the historical literature. Chapter Two explores both the majority position opposing congregate asylums and the minority position supporting …

Depressive Symptomatology Among Dominicans: Links To Acculturative And Economic Stressors, Skin Tone, And Perceived Discrimination, Teresita Camacho-Gonsalves

Doctoral Dissertations

Latinos have been identified as a population at high risk of developing mental health problems. However, studies on Latinos rarely address differences between subgroups. There are important social and cultural differences between subgroups that are likely to be reflected in differential expressions of depressive symptoms. The fast growing Dominican community in the United States is one subgroup of Latinos that has been understudied and underserved.

The objectives of this dissertation were to explore among Dominicans: (1) the direct and indirect effects of sociodemographic factors and skin tone on psychological distress; (2) the relationships between various stressors (economic, perceived discrimination, and …

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: Making Change In Early Head Start, Patrice W. Hallock

Doctoral Dissertations

This is a field study of families and home visitors in Early Head Start. Its purpose is to understand the social context of infants born into poverty and to understand the home visiting relationship when families receive intervention services from home visitors who are socially and economically different. Two questions were posed: First, how do socially and economically diverse families perceive infant well-being? Second, what is the experience of families who participate in Early Head Start? The study used interviews, participant observation, and cultural interpretation to understand the perspective of participant families.

The study provided evidence that economically and socially …

Training Mediators To Be Reflective Practitioners, Christina Gerene Begley

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Mediators, like many other professionals, draw from a broad skill set that includes a variety of communication, listening and analytical proficiencies. While many training programs emphasize the basic theoretical and methodological considerations of competent practice, few - if any - spend time working with new mediators to develop the capacity to be continuous learners. The ability to reflect critically on one’s own professional practice, both through self evaluation and peer assessment, has been a missing component to effectively training mediators. Without critically analyzing one’s own practice, the ability of a professional mediator to work for the best interest of the …

Violence In American Cinema, Ryan Lewis

Whittier Scholars Program

The table of contents includes The Production Code, Violence, A Clockwork Orange, Reservoir Dogs, Natural Born Killers, and Fight Club. The project begins with an overview of the history of the production code and how violence was originally prohibited in movies. The author discusses various movies that include violence and the different techniques they used. A VHS tape is included as well.

Individuals With Disabilities As Parents And Their Earliest Connections To Systems Of Support, Mary Clare Schuh

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to better understand the experiences of individuals with disabilities as parents, and the variables influencing the referral processes used by pre and postnatal care professionals to connect parents with disabilities to systems of family support. This process was examined through the experiences, beliefs, and attitudes of pre and postnatal care professionals as well as through the experiences and perspectives of parents with disabilities. Research objectives included both an increased understanding of the relationship between parents with disabilities and their earliest connections to systems of support and policy and practice recommendations for pre and postnatal …

Sexual Harassment: Do Perceptions Differ Across Race And Sex?, Amanda J. Webster

McNair Scholars Journal

Sexual harassment is a prevalent problem in the business world today. It interferes with effective organizational performance and has significant physical and psychological consequences for the direct victim (e.g., Gutek & Koss, 1993, Hanisch, 1996) and any indirect victims (e.g., Glomb, Richman, Hulin, Drasgow, Schneider, & Fitzgerald, 1997). The past two decades have seen a proliferation of research on the frequency of sexual harassment (Cohen & Gutek, 1985; Fitzgerald & Hesson-McInnis, 1989; Gutek & Koss, 1993), as well as how individuals perceive the harasser, the victim, and the situation (Corr & Jackson, 2001; Henry & Meltzof, 1998; Perry, Schmidtke, & …

A Teacher's Guide To Genocide In California History, Thomas William Hunnicutt

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

It is the purpose of this teacher’s guide to provide educators with a conceptual and historical framework for interpreting a specific aspect of Indian/white relationships in Northern California during the years of 1840 to 1880. During this period of time the Indians of California suffered a dramatic reduction in their population as a result of disease, mass killings, kidnappings, relocations, and the destruction of the material resources necessary for cultural continuance. It is the conclusion of historians such as Jack Norton (1997), Rupert and Jeannette Costo (1995), Lynwood Carranco and Estle Beard (1981), Russel Thornton (1987), and others that California …

Rurality For Whom? An Analysis Of The Country Life Movement And Its Expression In The Orchard Homes District Western Montana 1900-1930, Rebecca A. Markussen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Lesbian Suicide And Shortcomings Of Socialism In Interwar Japan, Scott Reynen '02

Undergraduate Review

No abstract provided.

Five Cases Of African Revolution—A Comparative Historical Study Of Successful Anti-Colonial Revolutions, Fergus John October Breck

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis is a comparative historical study of successful anti-colonial revolutions. The idea is to determine what shared social conditions in these revolutions contributed to their success. The thesis includes an extensive review of the literature on revolutions, as well as a section devoted to defining the term ‘revolution’ as it will be used. A detailed method of analysis for the cases is offered and an application of the process is presented following a section devoted to the relevant history of each selected case. The broad themes, for analysis are then presented and analyzed in depth to determine whether or …

A Feminist/Interactionist Approach To Disability, Michael E. Grossman

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

People with disabilities are the most oppressed social group in the world. According to some estimates, 500 million people are victims of disability oppression. People with disabilities, as well as society, have undergone radical changes over the last 30 years. Activists, legislators, academics, and families of people with disabilities, have been largely responsible in pointing out the social realities of the disability experience. People with disabilities continue to experience a tremendous amount of discrimination however, and the stigma of being a person with a disability is slow to fade. The current thesis surveys the literature on disability, demonstrating the manner …

Family Transformations And The Well-Being Of Children: Recent Evidence From Canadian Longitudinal Data, Don Kerr

PSC Discussion Papers Series

This paper uses longitudinal data to examine negative child outcomes among young children in Canada. In following a cohort of children as they move through their early elementary school years, a slight decline in hyperactivity is documented, as is a slight increase in internalizing difficulties. After introducing a longitudinal dimension to our analysis, both family structure and income poverty are found to have a weaker effect on child outcomes than was initially anticipated. The current analysis also demonstrates the utility of LISREL’s “weighted least squares” estimation procedure in the development of structural equation models while working with ordinal and/or censored …

Integration At Late Life: Inclusion, Participation, And Belonging Among The Elderly, Zenaida R. Ravanera, Rajulton Fernando

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

Residential Location And Intra City Mobility In An African City: Some Empirical Observations Among Migrants In Metropolitan Accra, Ghana, S. Obeng-Manu Gyimah

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Although many facets of the migration phenomena in sub-Saharan Africa have been studied extensively, there is a paucity of research on residential mobility behavior of migrants. This exploratory study examines the residential mobility in Accra, Ghana, using a retrospective survey of randomly selected migrant households. To examine the direction of moves, Accra was delineated into three major zones: the inner city, former periphery and recent periphery. The results demonstrate that unlike studies elsewhere, the inner zone of Accra does not serve as the major port of entry for migrants. While the former periphery served as the zone of entry for …

Missing Data In Quantitative Social Research, S. Obeng-Manu Gyimah

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Almost invariably, the data available to the social scientist display one or more characteristics of missing information. Even though reasons for non response are varied, most frequently, they reflect the unwillingness of respondents to provide information on undesirable social behaviours and on issues considered as private. Besides these, sloppy research designs often leads to ambiguous and poorly structured survey questions which provide a recipe for low response. Longitudinal surveys also suffer from incompleteness due to attrition resulting from death and emigration, while in retrospective surveys, memory effect might be a major source of non-response.

While there is no consensus among …

An Investigation Of The Phenomenon Of Polygyny In Rural Egypt, Laila S. Shahd

Faculty Books

No abstract provided.

Models Of Earning And Caring: Evidence From Canadian Time-Use Data, Roderic Beaujot, Jianye Liu

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Family models can usefully consider the production and reproduction roles of women and men. For husband-wife families, the breadwinner, one-earner, or complementary-roles model has advantages in terms of efficiency/specialization and stability, but it is a high risk model for women and children in the face of the inability or unwillingness of the breadwinner to provide for (especially former) spouse and children. The alternate model has been called two-earner, companionship, “new families” or collaborative in the sense of spouses collaborating in both the paid and unpaid work needed to provide for and care for the family. When there are children, this …

Intergenerational Support And Family Cohesion, Rajulton Fernando, Zenaida R. Ravanera

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

Child Poverty And Family Structure In Canada, Don Kerr, Roderic Beaujot

PSC Discussion Papers Series

This paper examines the relationship between family structure and child poverty in Canada over the 1981-1997 period. While recognising the many methodological and conceptual difficulties encountered in efforts to document child poverty over time, two alternate indicators are used, Statistics Canada’s official low income cut-offs, and an alternate indicator of "deep poverty”. Using the Survey of Consumer Finances (1981, 1989 and 1997), trends in low income are considered, along with concurrent changes in the structure of Canadian families with children. Particular attention is paid to trends in the incidence of lone parenthood, the number of children per family, and the …

Family Relations, Low Income And Child Outcomes: A Comparison Of Canadian Children In Intact, Step And Lone Parent Families, Don Kerr, Roderic Beaujot

PSC Discussion Papers Series

This paper examines conditions that are more likely to lead to positive or negative child outcomes in intact, female lone parent and reconstituted families. Family type is found to be more important than low income in predicting a set of behavioural, emotional and psychological difficulties. After establishing measurement equivalence across family types, multiple group analysis using structural equation modelling shows that the explanatory factors also operate differently in the various family settings. In particular, low income has a significant impact on childhood difficulties in lone parent and stepfamilies, but not in intact families. Family functioning has less impact on children’s …

Child Morbidity In Kenya: Does Women’S Status Matter?, D. Walter Rasugu Omariba

PSC Discussion Papers Series

This paper utilises data on women from the 1998 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey to examine the conditions under which children under the age of five remain healthy or become ill with three fatal diseases, namely, malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infection. The major objective of the paper was to identify the principal determinants of child morbidity and to pinpoint possible areas where current health programmes could be improved to secure greater child survival. Logistic regression is applied on the data to examine the relationship between women status as indicated by various social and economic factors and the morbidity status …

The Sociology Of Risk And Social Demographic Change, David Hall

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

Earning And Caring: Demographic Change And Policy Implications, Roderic Beaujot

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Seeking to define families as groups of people who share earning and caring activities, we contrast theoretical orientations that see advantages to a division of labour or complementary roles, in comparison to orientations that see less risk and greater companionship in a collaborative model based on sharing paid and unpaid work, or co-providing and co-parenting.

It is important to look both inside and outside of families, or at the changing gendered links between earning and caring, to understand change both in families and in the work world. It is proposed that equal opportunity by gender has advanced further in the …

Perspectives On Below Replacement Fertility In Canada: Trends, Desires, And Accomodations, Roderic Beaujot, Alain Bélanger

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available

Social Influence On Paranormal Beliefs, Barry N. Markovsky, Shane R. Thye

Faculty Publications

In spite of strong public expressions of skepticism from the scientific community, polls show that more than nine out of ten American adults profess belief in paranormal phenomena. Some scientists view this as a social problem, directing much blame (but little research) at a variety of sources including lack of critical thinking skills, fads, need for transcendent experiences, failure of the educational system, and cultural cycles. Social impact theory provides an alternative focus: it views paranormal beliefs as a natural consequence of social influence processes in interpersonal settings. In this study, subjects in a laboratory experiment were informed that some …

Earnings Implications Of Person Years Lost Life Expectancy Among First Nations Peoples, Paul S. Maxim, Jerry P. White, Paul C. Whitehead, Daniel Beavon

PSC Discussion Papers Series

Abstract not available