Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Environmental Participation And Evaluation On Marshall University's Campus, Noah Adkins Smentkowski

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Encouraging environmental awareness and engagement on Marshall University’s campus is a fundamental goal of the institution’s Sustainability Department. In working with the department, this study sought to describe the student body’s perceptions, opinions, and rates of environmentally friendly behaviors on campus. In addition to describing the desired population, analysis was conducted to identify what factors influence pro-environmental behaviors within students to produce more effective messaging and engagement strategies for the Sustainability Department. Through the lens of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), individual action is produced by behavioral intent, influenced by an individual’s values, norms, and perceived situational control. Measures …

Identifying Relationships Between Upper Extremity Function And Army Combat Fitness Test Scores In The Reserve 'Officers' Training Corps Population, Lianne Marie Shroba

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Background: The United States Army is implementing the Holistic Health and Fitness program (H2F), intending to transform the Army's culture of health and fitness. It aims to optimize soldier readiness by improving physical and non-physical performance, decreasing injury rates, and improving rehabilitation after injury. A part of that program includes replacing the current Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) with the new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT). The ACFT consists of six functional events that gauge combat readiness. There is already established literature regarding injury epidemiology as it relates to the previous APFT, but little published work on the ACFT …

From Crib To Bench: Understanding Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (Nows) Using A Novel Rodent Model, Sarah Stevens

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

As the opioid epidemic continues to grow, opioid use among pregnant women is increasing significantly. This has led to a steady rise in the number of infants born with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). Although short-term withdrawal symptoms associated with NOWS are well characterized, there are many gaps in our understanding of the short and long-term effects of prenatal opioid exposure. In CHAPTER 1, we describe the clinical presentation, associated neurodevelopmental challenges, and current treatments of NOWS. Our current understanding of the neuropathology of NOWS is limited, and therefore further research is needed. However, current animal models are limited by …

American Mythology: How Storytelling Shapes Modern Cultural Perceptions, Kristin Maynard

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis will examine the American storytelling tradition, paying particular attention to American folktales and legends that arose as the nation expanded westward, such as the stories of Paul Bunyan, John Henry, Billy the Kid, etc. This text will utilize a lens of European narrative tradition (especially those which lent themselves to the written records of oral fairy tales and folktales) and trace the cultural significance and social purpose of these formative American stories. I will discuss the reasons why we so readily recognize the echoes of outside narrative traditions in American storytelling and the ethical implications of these narratives …

Super Pacs And Agenda Setting, Logan Bush

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Several Supreme Court rulings, starting with Buckley v. Valeo and culminating with Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, have created two unequal campaign finance systems: One where party and candidate committees must follow strict fundraising regulations from the Federal Election Commission, and another populated with Super PACs and similar organizations which are allowed to take in unlimited donations. This paper sets out to see if Super PACs, which are freer to operate under the law, have challenged the party and candidate committees’ agenda-setting ability in an election.

School Climate For Lgbtq Youth: Principals’ Perceptions And Experiences, Jessica L. George

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study explored the practices that can mitigate a hostile school climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth and the barriers that negatively affect implementation of those practices. LGBTQ youth are at higher risk for bullying, harassment, and other characteristics of a harsh learning environment, which can result in negative outcomes, both short- and long-term. Principals of West Virginia public high schools were surveyed to collect data on the frequency at which LGBTQ-supportive practices are implemented in their schools and the barriers, if any, they faced. A total of n = 29 (x̄ = 27.6%) participants completed …

Links Of Personality Traits To Media Multitasking: Conscientiousness Predicts Mobile Phone Use In The College Classroom, Masa Toyama, Yusuke Hayashi

Psychology Faculty Research

The present study investigated the relation among mobile phone use in the college classroom and Big Five personality traits, which had not been addressed in previous research. Undergraduate students (83 males and 92 females) whose average age was 20 (SD = 5.1) completed questionnaires on demographic characteristics, mobile phone use, impulse control, and Big Five personality traits. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine whether each personality trait made a unique contribution in predicting mobile phone use in the classroom after taking into consideration the contribution of impulse control in this prediction. The results show that impulse control and …

Roy Goines, Kelli Johnson

Publications

Roy Goines was born on January 3,1938 in Barboursville, West Virginia, to a family with five sisters and two brothers. Goines attended Douglass High School in Huntington, West Virginia and graduated in 1955. He received a scholarship to play football at Marshall University where he studied accounting. At Marshall University, Goines was on the Dean’s List, listed on the Who’s Who list of students, and was second in command of the ROTC.

Longitudinal Stress-Buffering Effects Of Social Integration For Late-Life Functional Health, Masa Toyama, Heather R. Fuller

Psychology Faculty Research

Stress can negatively affect multiple aspects of health, including functional health, among older adults, who are likely to face unique, age-related stressful experiences. Previous research has addressed the protective effects of social relations (i.e., social ties, social participation, and social integration) for physical and mental health outcomes, yet few studies have examined functional health. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal stress-buffering effects of social integration on late-life functional health. Using three-wave data from 399 older adults (aged older than 60 years), two-level hierarchical linear modeling analysis was conducted and the results indicated that in addition to its main effect …

Librarians’ Experiences With Social Media And Covid-19 Misinformation, Kacy J. Lovelace, Sabrina Thomas, Lindsey M. Harper

Librarian Research

This article explores our personal experiences with combating misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 via social media platforms. Next, we describe how sharing our experiences with one another led to the motivation of the current study. Then, we describe the methodology of the present study and examine some of the preliminary results and analysis. Finally, we explore strategies and best practices to mitigate burnout associated with combating COVID-19 misinformation.

The Ecological Avant-Garde: Arkady Fiedler’S The River Of Singing Fish, Ida Day

Modern Languages Faculty Research

Even among his extraordinary generation of Polish avant-garde literary and artistic figures, Arkady Fiedler (1894–1985) stands out as one of the most original and creative authors. His travel reportage from the experimental inter-war period of the 1920s and 1930 is an example of an avant-garde production—ahead of its time, eclectic, and exploring new ideas. As avantgarde is a very broad term referring to a variety of experimental literary and artistic techniques, I focus on Fiedler’s innovative and ethical approach to the natural world. This essay explores how the historical changes of the early twentieth century, affecting literature, theater, and art, …

Get The News Out Loudly And Quickly: Modeling The Influence Of The Media On Limiting Infectious Disease, Anna Mummert, Howard Weiss

Mathematics Faculty Research

During outbreaks of infectious diseases with high morbidity and mortality, individuals closely follow media reports of the outbreak. Many will attempt to minimize contacts with other individuals in order to protect themselves from infection and possibly death. This process is called social distancing. Social distancing strategies include restricting socializing and travel, and using barrier protections. We use modeling to show that for short-term outbreaks, social distancing can have a large influence on reducing outbreak morbidity and mortality. In particular, public health agencies working together with the media can significantly reduce the severity of an outbreak by providing timely accounts of …

Institutional Repository And Archives Partnerships And Futures, Elizabeth James, Lindsey M. Harper, Lori Thompson, Gretchen R. Beach

Librarian Research

A reality of dwindling resources in archives, as well as in higher education more broadly, is that the ability to purchase and maintain a specialized archives management and content management software is often out of reach. For Marshall University Special Collections, the solution to make finding aids and other digital archival materials accessible online required evaluating software already available at the university. Marshall Digital Scholar (MDS), an instance of the bepress institutional repository software, was chosen for its immediate availability, robust discovery services within the repository and through outside search engines, statistic tracking capability, metadata flexibility, support for multiple file …

Review Of Diversity And Inclusion In Libraries: A Call To Action And Strategies For Success, By Shannon D. Jones And Beverly Murphy, Kelli Johnson

Librarian Research

We have been talking about diversity and inclusion in the library world for a long time. There have been articles and books written on the subject. There are sessions at conferences. Our communities and our patrons are more diverse, so why hasn’t the profession become more diverse? Shannon Jones and Beverly Murphy have addressed the issue of making libraries more diverse and inclusive, taking it head-on with a systematic review of what diversity and inclusion mean for libraries and why they are important. But they don’t stop there. They segue into discussions on how to make our libraries and our …

Review Of Diversity And Inclusion In Libraries: A Call To Action And Strategies For Success, Kelli Johnson

Librarian Research

We have been talking about diversity and inclusion in the library world for a long time. There have been articles and books written on the subject. There are sessions at conferences. Our communities and our patrons are more diverse, so why hasn’t the profession become more diverse? Shannon Jones and Beverly Murphy have addressed the issue of making libraries more diverse and inclusive, taking it head-on with a systematic review of what diversity and inclusion mean for libraries and why they are important. But they don’t stop there. They segue into discussions on how to make our libraries and our …

Review Of Diversity And Inclusion In Libraries: A Call To Action And Strategies For Success., Kelli Johnson

Librarian Research

We have been talking about diversity and inclusion in the library world for a long time. There have been articles and books written on the subject. There are sessions at conferences. Our communities and our patrons are more diverse, so why hasn’t the profession become more diverse? Shannon Jones and Beverly Murphy have addressed the issue of making libraries more diverse and inclusive, taking it head-on with a systematic review of what diversity and inclusion mean for libraries and why they are important. But they don’t stop there. They segue into discussions on how to make our libraries and our …

African American Genealogy Workshop Poster, Kelli Johnson

Ephemera

African American Genealogy Workshop Poster

User Guide To The Mds Collection Of African American History In Huntington, West Virginia, Kelli Johnson

User Guides

Various people have worked over the years to collect stories and artifacts about Black history in Huntington, WV. This site seeks to gather that information in one place and make it available for all.

Psychosocial Factors Promoting Personal Growth Throughout Adulthood, Masahiro Toyama, Heather R. Fuller, Joel M. Hektner

Psychology Faculty Research

Personal growth is essential in the lives of adults of any age and is associated with a variety of well-being outcomes. Building on previous research on psychosocial factors associated with personal growth, the present study aimed to investigate whether and how psychosocial factors (including working, generativity, positive interpersonal relationships, and spirituality) could affect aging adults’ personal growth longitudinally. Using three waves of Midlife in the United States data from adults with baseline ages of 20–75, two-level hierarchical linear modeling analyses were conducted to examine the effects of psychosocial factors as well as age and gender on levels and trajectories of …

“Knowledge Puffs Up”: The Evangelical Culture Of Anti—Intellectualism As A Local Strategy, Mark Ward Sr.

Sermon Studies

The anti-intellectual strain of American evangelicalism, rooted in the populist Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th centuries, has prompted much commentary from the 20th century to the present. Analysis of this anti-intellectualism has gained new currency today as evangelicals, who comprise 1 in 4 Americans, reject theories of evolution and manmade climate change. Scholarship on the subject has focused on the discourses of evangelical leaders at the national level. The present study, based on three years of fieldwork at an evangelical church, finds that an animus against intellectual elites is a potent "local strategy" for constructing a satisfying evangelical …

Editor's Welcome, Cassandra B. Whyte Dr., Stephen Young

The Mid-Southern Journal of Criminal Justice

No abstract provided.

Rural Prison Siting: Problems And Promises, Matthew D. Vanden Bosch

The Mid-Southern Journal of Criminal Justice

Abstract

Building prisons in rural areas is not a new phenomenon, though it has been increasing significantly in recent decades. During a massive boom to prison building in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, many of those new prisons were built in rural areas. While rural areas had once generally been staunchly against prisons being built in their areas, their general economic collapse following the exit of manufacturing and other industries left them vulnerable. This, combined with the promises made to them about the economic benefits to be gained from welcoming prisons into their areas, made rural regions much more receptive …

The "D" In Violence. An Analysis Of Domestic Violence In West Virginia., Haley Legg

The Mid-Southern Journal of Criminal Justice

Domestic violence in West Virginia, and all the United States is a major societal problem, that has multiple repercussions for the victims. Intimate partner violence and family violence are both types of domestic violence, and the perpetrator in both have the same goal, which is to control the victim, however possible. The law enforcement agencies have multiple training opportunities and have a guide that they can use to help assess the offender’s dangerousness and lethality. West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence offers training and technical assistance to victim’s advocates that focus on victims of domestic violence.

An Overview Of The Bail System In The United States And Its Discriminatory Components, Eleanor A. Coggins

The Mid-Southern Journal of Criminal Justice

Currently, in the United States, the bail system is not being utilized the way that it was originally intended to be used. Research shows that it unfairly provides wealthier individuals more opportunities for success and those who are minorities and/or of low socioeconomic status are more likely to be convicted and face harsher sentences. Many factors influence a judge’s decision to grant bail; however, some of these factors are based on unfair stereotypes and are inherently discriminatory. While minority groups face discrimination within the bail system, Hispanic/Latino individuals face the most challenges in regard to the bail system in America. …

An Analysis Of The Opioid Epidemic In Rural Areas, Anthony L. Jaime

The Mid-Southern Journal of Criminal Justice

The opioid epidemic is an issue that has affected the United States as a whole. However, it has disproportionately affected rural areas the most, with some rural areas having the highest overdose rates, overdose mortality rates, and opioid usage rates in the entire country. This paper analyzes the opioid epidemic in rural areas in order to determine how the opioid epidemic started in the United States, how it transferred to rural areas, and ultimately its current status within the rural space. In addition, factors relating to the purporting of the opioid epidemic are presented in relation to rural areas as …

Eyecom: An Innovative Approach For Computer Interaction, Anam Mazhar

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The world is innovating rapidly, and there is a need for continuous interaction with the technology. Sadly, there do not exist promising options for paralyzed people to interact with the machines i.e., laptops, smartphones, and tabs. A few commercial solutions such as Google Glasses are costly and cannot be afforded by every paralyzed person for such interaction. Towards this end, the thesis proposes a retina-controlled device called EYECOM. The proposed device is constructed from off-the-shelf cost-effective yet robust IoT devices (i.e., Arduino microcontrollers, Xbee wireless sensors, IR diodes, and accelerometer). The device can easily be mounted on to the glasses; …

Authentic Perspectives On Autistic Resilience: Implications For Schools And Society, Andrew Nelson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study explored resilience factors as identified by autistic adults with authentic lived experience. Historically, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been diagnosed using deficit models and criteria designed by outsiders with little input from the autism community. While risk of adversity is often high for those with ASD, scant research exists looking at the strengths, adaptive skills, and environmental factors contributing to the resilience of people with ASD. Autistic adults were interviewed (N = 10) to assess which internal and external risks and protections participants deemed important to their resilience. Responses were coded, analyzed, and compared to existing resilience data …

United States Medicaid And Pharmacy Fraud: An Unintended Consequence Of The Affordable Care Act, Sean Mcdaniel, Drew Blakely

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Introduction: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) increased access to health insurance throughout the United States. To date, an estimated 20 million previously uninsured individuals have gained access to coverage since the expansion. As a result, the number of fraudulent schemes reported has been on the rise. Among the many fraudulent activities in the healthcare sector, abuse of pharmacy benefits has been the most prevalent. The misuse and abuse of opioids, and opioid related overdoses has created a widespread epidemic throughout the country, thus extending opportunities for potential fraud within the pharmaceutical industry.

Purpose of the Study: The purpose …

Stakeholders' Perception Of A Successful Campus For Former Foster Care Children Attending Post Secondary Education Programs, Jeffrey Lee Shrewsbury

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This qualitative research study examined the supports children with a history of foster care need to be successful in post-secondary education. The study asked ten foster care alumni students receiving services from programs in Virginia, Florida, and Washington State about the level of support they receive and how successful that support is. The study also asked ten case managers that work in these programs their thoughts on the level of supports students with a history of foster care need in post-secondary education; the results of the case managers and students were then compared for agreement. The study also asked the …

Teacher Unrest In West Virginia, 2018-2019, Lindsey D. Reed

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

In 2018, the United States saw an influx of teacher strikes which were largely propagated by red-state legislation. Then and now, teachers are trying to gain a voice in educational legislation despite corporate and political strongholds on legislators. As a last measure to gain access to the policymaking process, teachers strike. When teachers strike, it becomes a social issue which puts pressure on families, the economy, and legislation. The purpose of this non-experimental, descriptive study was to examine the perceptions of teachers who participated in the 2018 and 2019 West Virginia teachers’ strikes as they relate to their interactions with …