Digital Commons Network^™

Media Framing Of Yusuf Islam’S An Other Cup: Music, Religion, And Narrative Construction, Joshua Hamburg

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The “Arab Spring” In The Discourse Of The Western Media, Logan De La Barre-Hayes

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Swing State Residency And Young Voter Turnout, Alex Hotard

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Vol.41 N.40 May 1st 2014, Brown Publishing Company

Black Voice News

No abstract provided.

Vol. 13, No. 1 (Full Issue), Jmasm Editors

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

No abstract provided.

The Fallacy Of Cultural Authenticity: The Simulacra And Cultural Appropriation In The Free Market Through The Lens Of Literature, Christopher Amuzzini

Master’s Theses and Projects

I. The Individual’s Pursuit of Cultural Authenticity: Music and Materialism in E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime and Nella Larsen’s Quicksand

II. ‘Buying’ Into Culture: The Effect of Commoditization on the Cultural Artifact in Willa Cather’s The Professor’s House

III. Selling Experience: The Fallacy of Memory & Influence of Late Capitalism on the Cultural Experience in Julian Barnes’ England, England

Connecting With Families Of Poverty Handbook, Rebecca Christine Oren

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project is to create a handbook describing services available in the Sumner School District and researched based practices for elementary administrators and teachers to use when working with students and families of poverty. The McKinney-Vento Act in the United States protects families to ensure that all students have immediate access to school-linked services, including free breakfast and lunch, as well as transportation needs for getting to and from school. This handbook includes descriptions and contact information for local support organizations that administrators and teachers can additionally partner with to create supportive learning environments within their school …

Dirty Recycling: Auto Salvage And Its Potential Impacts On Marginalized Populations, Ethan B. Dively, Nicholas C. Ferreri, Cole D. Rossiter

Student Publications

The salvage yard represents the final waypoint in the cradle-to-grave cycle of the automobile. Residual amounts of petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and acids used in automobiles can be extremely harmful to human health and the environment if not managed correctly. The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which minority populations were exposed to the hazards of the auto salvage industry. Census data for population, income, race/ethnicity, sex, and age were organized using ArcGIS software. Population demographics were analyzed in the areas surrounding 98 auto salvage yards found in Philadelphia and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia County, …

Competency-Based Education In Public High Schools, Angus M. Cantwell

Senior Honors Projects

Recent government-backed programs such as Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind have increased competition in schools in an effort to improve student and teacher performance. However, these programs have not had as drastic an impact as many had hoped, and the United States continues to toil in the middle of the pack educationally when compared with the rest of the world.

As many students have continued to struggle in school, many different ideas have been introduced into different levels of the education system in an attempt to raise scores and boost performance. One such idea is competency-based …

Quantitative Literacy And High School Mathematics : The Evolution Of A Collaboratively Constructed Course And Its Impact On Students' Attitudes And Numeracy, Mark Francis Russo

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study describes a practitioner action research project in which I co-constructed a high school mathematics elective course with my students. The focus of the course was on developing students’ quantitative literacy. I examined the impact of the coconstruction process on the evolution of the course, analyzed how the course influenced students’ quantitative literacy and attitudes about mathematics, and reflected on some of the lessons I learned about making mathematics more relevant for my students. This study fills a gap in the literature by describing the impact of a quantitative literacy course at the high school level and by documenting …

Antecedents Of Environmentally Sensitive Consumer Behaviors : An Investigation Of Goal Framing Theory, Naz Onel

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Human behavior strongly impacts environmental quality. Altering behaviors that significantly affect the well-being of the environment can reduce the impact of human actions in a way that could help overcome environmental deterioration. However, this requires understanding the factors affecting consumer behavior towards acting in a more ecologically conscious manner. Further, the effects of these factors could vary based on the different types of consumer behaviors, such as environmentally sensitive purchase (acquisition), usage, and post-use (disposal) behaviors. The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the predicting factors of different types of environmentally sensitive consumer behavior by examining the extent to …

The Relationship Between Perceived Career Barriers And Career Decision Self-Efficacy On The Certainty Of Initial Career Choice Among Educational Opportunity Fund Program Students, Nicole Pacheco Pulliam

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study was an investigation of the predictive value of perceived career barriers and career decision self-efficacy on the certainty of initial career choice among Educational Opportunity Fund Program (EOF) pre-freshman college students, an under-studied college population with respect to career development (Winograd & Shick Tryon, 2009). The moderating effects of certain cultural characteristics (race, gender and college generational status) on the certainty of initial career choice were also examined. A nonexperimental correlational research design was utilized, along with a multiple linear regression analysis, to investigate the predictability of perceived career barriers and career decision self-efficacy, directly and as moderated …

Multimedia Portfolio, Dan Clark

Journalism Program

For a journalist, there are only a few things that can land you a job. One of those things is having a professional portfolio. That’s why the Journalism Department has its students complete a professional portfolio as part of their Honors program. The Honors Program takes work students have already completed, then asks them to revise it, or even do it again. That way, when we leave the program, we’re ready to start sending out portfolios and resumés to potential employers. My portfolio is dominated by work that I wrote for a print medium because that’s what our program focuses …

One Mans Dream: How A Company's Unique Culture Can Translate Into Long Term Success, Carli Zink

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis answers the question of whether a unique organizational culture can help a company find long-term success. My main focus of the thesis was on the Walt Disney Co., a company that I think has set the standard in organizational culture and is where I will be starting my professional career. My aim was to find what aspects of culture are most important to have, and how companies can use their culture to gain a competitive advantage. In order to answer this question, I researched companies that have been recognized for having a very successful organizational culture, as well …

The Effect Of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy On Caregiver Rigidity, Job Satisfaction And Childhood Misbehavior, Victoria Tackett Riley

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

This research studied the effects of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) training in a residential care facility for children with histories of maltreatment. Initially, five direct care staff were trained to provide an adapted version of PCIT to a randomly assigned child in the facility. The goal was to improve staff’s interactions with the children in their care and increase job satisfaction while decreasing the instances of misbehavior among those children. Data was recorded four times (pre, during, and post intervention) to assess the efficacy of the intervention and included completion of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), the Rigidity scale …

The Reasons And Motivation For Pre-Service Teachers Choosing To Specialise In Primary Physical Education Teacher Education, Sharna Spittle, Michael Spittle

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study explored the reasons for pre-service teachers choosing to specialise in primary physical education and how these choices related to their motivation. Pre-service teachers who then elected to specialise in primary physical education (n = 248) completed the Attractors and Facilitators for Physical Education (AFPE) questionnaire and the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS). The main reasons for specialising in primary physical education were sport and physical activity, confident interpersonal service, and role models. Pre-service teachers who were also completing health as a teaching method reported lower perceived demand than pre-service teachers who were completing other teaching methods. The strongest …

Autoethnography And Teacher Education: Snapshot Stories Of Cultural Encounter, Maureen F. Legge

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this paper I discuss how I framed and wrote an autoethnographic personal narrative of my lived experience as a New Zealand physical education teacher educator in the presence of two cultures, Māori and Pākehā. Central to my qualitative study was writing as a method of inquiry. Using this method I wrote a series of descriptive ‘snapshot stories’ derived from field experiences, over an 11 year period, that involved close and prolonged encounters with physical education teacher education (PETE) students in tertiary classrooms and 4 day marae stays. The storied accounts served as data for self-reflexivity about my role as …

Mama Said Come On Out, Henry Flournory

Undergraduate Prizes and Awards

No abstract provided.

Social Framework Studies Such As Women Don’T Ask And It Does Hurt To Ask Show Us The Next Step Toward Achieving Gender Equality—Eliminating The Long-Term Effects Of Implicit Bias—But Are Not Likely To Get Cases Past Summary Judgment, Andrea Doneff

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

Lawyers and judges long have relied on outside evidence—usually studies or empirical research—to help them better understand the impact or meaning of the facts in certain cases. In employment cases, lawyers have used studies that show statistical variance in hiring or promotion between men and women to prove discrimination. They have used studies that talk about implicit bias, the kind of bias that we apply without even knowing we are biased, perhaps the kind of bias we apply even when we are doing our best not to be biased, to understand that comments like “You should go to charm school” …

Brides Of Christ: An Examination Of Female Sainthood, Zachary J. Ridder

Honors Theses

The history of the Catholic Church is replete with examples of virtuous men and women leading holy lives as an inspiration to others. While male saints certainly outnumber women it is impossible to read through the list of canonized individuals without noticing the large number of women who have been acclaimed as saints. What led the male dominated church to raise these women to stand as equals with popes and apostles? The answer lies in virtue and the means by which these women acquired it. Some were mystics like Hildegard of Bingen, others were martyrs like St. Perpetua but all …

Funny Or French: How Humor Varies Across Cultures, Audrey Mefford

Honors Theses

This paper examines the works of four cartoonists (Saul Steinberg, Jean-Jacques Sempé, Roz Chast, and Claire Bretécher) in order to determine similarities and differences between French humor and American humor. It incorporates compiled data from each of the above artist's lifetime works, as well as knowledge from the fields of cartoons and comics, sociology, and cross-cultural psychology, to answer the question "What is funny?" in each of these two disparate cultures.

‘Liberty Is The Word With Me’ The Ideologies And Allegiances Of Civil War Soldiers In Hamilton County, James J. W. Scott

Honors Theses

This case study of Hamilton County, Tennessee investigates Civil War soldiers to determine how the county was divided and why men chose to fight for the Union or the Confederacy. Using descriptive statistics and Grounded Theory Method, this study analyzes census data, military records, and personal correspondence to show that Confederate soldiers were concentrated in urban areas as wealthy businessmen or poor laborers, while Unionists dominated rural areas mostly as middleclass small farm owners. This research reveals that Confederates adopted an identity and ideology similar to other states in the Confederacy through railroad and business connections, and Unionists resented a …

Blood, Mud, And Money: Place And Public Land Conflicts In The Shawnee Hills, Karen Wolf

Dissertations

This dissertation examines conflicts involving the use of public land for both extractive resources and recreational purposes in Southern Illinois from an anthropological perspective. These conflicts are examined in terms of place, western ideas of nature and culture, and the debate concerning conservation versus preservation. The beginning point for this work was the question of whether or not place building influences conflicts over public land. The conflicts that this work encompasses are logging, hunting, use of off-road vehicles, equestrian, and hydraulic fracturing. My goal was to look at different recreational conflicts of Southern Illinois and determine how issues of place, …

A Phenomenological Study On The Role Of Juche, Militarism, And Human Rights In The Educational Life Experiences Of North Korean Defectors, Andrea Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study describes the essence of the premigration, transmigration, and postmigration educational life experiences of 15 North Korean defectors in South Korea in light of their exposure to Juche, militarism, and human rights violations. The literature review includes a theoretical framework rooted in the transformative learning theory and pertinent themes related to the educational experiences of North Korean defectors. Data was collected through a demographic survey; a timeline of primary life events; standardized, open-ended interviews; and journal entries. The central research question examined primary themes from the educational life experiences of North Korean defectors during premigration, transmigration, and …

Normal Violence: The Case Of Fighting On A College Campus, Brent Boyd

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Researchers have proposed a number of theories to explain how violence becomes normalized and thereby increases the incidence of violent acts. This study explores these theories using the case of interpersonal violence on the campus of a large, Mid-Atlantic university. During the 2012-2013 academic school year, undergraduate participant observers witnessed 150 altercations, and gave detailed descriptions of when and where each altercation occurred, who was involved in them, and what consequences resulted. They also described their thoughts and feelings as they witnessed the physical altercation. Some witnesses reported experiencing fear, distress and sorrow, others experienced no adverse cognitions or emotions, …

Promoting Diversity In The Universal : Rethinking Universal Design For Learning., Jill Sadowski

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

No abstract provided.

Relative Importance Of Predictors In Multilevel Modeling, Yan Liu, Bruno D. Zumbo, Amery D. Wu

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

The Pratt index is a useful and practical strategy for day-to-day researchers when ordering predictors in a multiple regression analysis. The purposes of this study are to introduce and demonstrate the use of the Pratt index to assess the relative importance of predictors for a random intercept multilevel model.

Predicting Survival Time Of Localized Melanoma Patients Using Discrete Survival Time Method, Taysseer Sharaf, Chris P. Tsokos

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Melanoma is the most fatal type of skin cancer. It is ranked first in death of skin cancer diseases. This study establishes a statistical model that can predict the survival time of localized melanoma patients, as a function of age at diagnosis, tumor thickness, and extension of the tumor (tumor invasion). The discrete time survival method was used to build the statistical model. The patients involved in the current study were observed from the SEER database. Patients were divided into nine groups according to age at diagnosis. Variation in survival time was found to be significant among some of the …

Investigating The Feasibility Of Using Mplus In The Estimation Of Growth Mixture Models, Ming Li, Jeffrey R. Harring, George B. Macready

Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods

Hipp and Bauer (2006) investigated the issues of singularities and local maximum solutions within growth mixture models (GMMs) and made recommendations regarding the use of multiple starting values. Building on their work, this simulation study investigates the feasibility of estimating GMMs within Mplus as measured by convergence to proper, but local solutions.

Underrepresented Minorities In Medical School Admissions, Margaret A. Hadinger Edd, Ms

Department of Education

No abstract provided.