Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Healthcare Access And Experiences Among Transgender University Students, Micah Reisner

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background

As transgender identification rises in younger generations, it is imperative that colleges and universities account for the health and wellbeing of this growing subset of the student body. Previous research indicates that transgender populations experience unique barriers to accessing healthcare, including socioeconomic barriers and a lack of healthcare providers experienced in transgender medicine. These barriers contribute to low rates of healthcare utilization and significant health disparities in transgender populations.

Methods

A community health assessment of transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) students at the University of Central Florida was conducted in order to assess: (1) students' access to and experiences with …

The Perfect Storm: Motherhood, Intimate Partner Violence, And Covid-19, Kelly Blauschild

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an insidious societal problem with potentially lethal ramifications. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread conditions and virus risk mitigation procedures like social distancing and stay-at-home orders exacerbated factors that contribute to IPV such as poverty and substance use. Though anyone can experience IPV, mothers carried unparalleled burdens in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic such as increasing childcare responsibilities, growing financial difficulties, and worsening mental health, and many of these factors have been linked to experiencing IPV. The growing body of literature indicates a rise in IPV during COVID-19, but little has …

Reflections On White-Passing Black Identity, Edi Mucka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Now, there are more options than ever for racial identity. Identities such as Black, White, Native, Asian, and Latino have put into contention how past racial boundaries and definitions interact with newer racial color lines. Racial passing is one concept that captures both older and newer forms of identity maintenance. Racial passing refers to when a person classified as a member of a racial group is accepted or perceived as a member of another. In this thesis, I review the literature on racial passing to understand its history and theoretical explanations. Based on the review, I examine a convenience sample …

Becoming Racially Aware: A Social Process Of (Re)Constructing An Alternative White Identity, Ashley Sobke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Structural and systemic mechanisms reinforce institutionalized racism, whiteness, and white supremacy in the United States. These mechanisms prove adaptable and resilient, shifting and changing to continuously restructure and reinforce the material reality that people experience within a racialized social order. White people's incomprehension of complicity in racism and privilege, along with color-blind ideologies, perpetuate racialized disparities resulting from this social order and render white superiority as "normal" and "universal." This underlies an often internalized sense of normative, white American identity interconnected with racism and white supremacy. In a society where many white Americans remain sheltered from and/or resistant to acknowledging …

Christian Perspectives On Natural Disasters Using A Religious Systems Approach, Lakelyn Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This study investigated how Christian beliefs and the perceived importance of practice at each level of the religious systems model may impact Protestant Christian beliefs about natural disasters and natural disaster responses. This study was conducted to address diverging trends in religious interpretations of and reactions to risk and crisis events. Participants answered a series of close- and open-ended questions via on online survey about religious beliefs and practices and their personal experiences with natural disasters and responses. Qualitative findings demonstrated an overarching Christian ethic underlying participants' experiences and responses. Most comments from participants mentioned individual and micro level actions …

Technology In The Classroom: The Features Language Teachers Should Consider, Sophie Cuocci, Padideh Fattahi Marnani

Journal of English Learner Education

The fast development of technology and the new generation of highly computer literate students led to consider the integration of technology in school as essential. Throughout the last two decades, research has identified multiple factors leading to the successful and unsuccessful integration of technology in the classroom. Educators must consider these factors when deciding on which technology tools to use and how to integrate them to their lessons. Simultaneously, the increasing number of English learners in the United States calls for the identification of teaching strategies that will best support their needs. Many language teachers now rely on teaching techniques …

Foreign Language Anxiety: A Review On Theories, Causes, Consequences And Implications For Educators, Padideh Fattahi Marnani, Sophie Cuocci

Journal of English Learner Education

Anxiety has been considered one of the main obstacles in second language learning in instruction-based contexts. During the last few decades, many scholars have tried to shed light on different aspects of this phenomenon. This literature review clarifies previous scholarly works and covers some of the most significant empirical studies conducted in this field. The purpose of this literature review is to review various aspects of foreign language anxiety, its corresponding theoretical frameworks and models, causes, consequences, gender differences, class modalities (face-to-face and online) and lastly, implications for educators. Foreign language anxiety is a significant barrier that hinders the learning …

Ivf So White, So Medical: Digital Normativity And Algorithm Bias In Infertility On Instagram, Caitlyn M. Jarvis, Margaret M. Quinlan

Human-Machine Communication

Increasingly, women experiencing infertility are turning online to social media platforms, like Instagram, to engage with a support network and foster empathy. However, Instagram is also noted for its augmentation of White, cis, and heteronormative femininity through a process of silencing and minoritizing alternative, non-White voices. Through an inductive analysis of the most frequently used infertility hashtags, we collected and analyzed 252 Instagram posts to investigate how these algorithmic practices may socially construct the idealized IVF experience through communicating normative expectations. We identify predominant patterns of use that reinforce stratification within infertility treatments as primarily accessible to White women and …

Designing A Loving Robot: A Social Construction Analysis Of A Sex Robot Creator’S Vision, Annette Masterson

Human-Machine Communication

In 2018, one of the world’s first sex robots was released by CEO Matt McMullen and his company, RealDoll. With artificial intelligence capabilities, the Harmony model is meant to support and converse with users. Using a social construction of technology theory lens, this study develops the theory’s fourth level of analysis, emphasizing mass media’s construction abilities. A critical discourse analysis of 38 publicity interviews found a tendency to emphasize the companionship of sex robots while envisioning a future where integration is normalized, and a sentient robot is possible. As the creator, McMullen’s vision could determine the future of robotic design, …

The Evolution Of Gendered Software: Products, Scientific Reasoning, Criticism, And Tools, Victoria A. E. Kratel

Human-Machine Communication

Over the past 7 decades, gendered software has become globally established. In this theoretical distribution, I outline the evolution of gendered software. The journey of gendered software started with the raw idea fueled by Alan Turing’s imitation game in the 1950s. And only shortly thereafter, in the 1960s and 1970s, the first gendered software products like Joseph Weizenbaum’s ELIZA were developed. Thus, academia took its time to not only explore technological aspects, but to further investigate the matter of gender in the 1990s CASA-paradigm (Nass et al., 1994) and Media Equation (Reeves & Nass, 1996). As these theories reasoned the …

Do People Perceive Alexa As Gendered? A Cross-Cultural Study Of People’S Perceptions, Expectations, And Desires Of Alexa, Leopoldina Fortunati, Autumn P. Edwards, Anna Maria Manganelli, Chad Edwards, Federico De Luca

Human-Machine Communication

Mainly, the scholarly debate on Alexa has focused on sexist/anti-woman gender representations in the everyday life of many families, on a cluster of themes such as privacy, insecurity, and trust, and on the world of education and health. This paper takes another stance and explores via online survey methodology how university student respondents in two countries (the United States, n = 333; and Italy, n = 322) perceive Alexa’s image and gender, what they expect from this voice-based assistant, and how they would like Alexa to be. Results of a free association exercise showed that Alexa’s image was scarcely embodied …

Gender Ambiguity In Voice-Based Assistants: Gender Perception And Influences Of Context, Sandra Mooshammer, Katrin Etzrodt

Human-Machine Communication

Recently emerging synthetic acoustically gender-ambiguous voices could contribute to dissolving the still prevailing genderism. Yet, are we indeed perceiving these voices as “unassignable”? Or are we trying to assimilate them into existing genders? To investigate the perceived ambiguity, we conducted an explorative 3 (male, female, ambiguous voice) × 3 (male, female, ambiguous topic) experiment. We found that, although participants perceived the gender-ambiguous voice as ambiguous, they used a profoundly wide range of the scale, indicating tendencies toward a gender. We uncovered a mild dissolve of gender roles. Neither the listener’s gender nor the personal gender stereotypes impacted the perception. However, …

Gender And Human-Machine Communication: Where Are We?, Leopoldina Fortunati, Autumn P. Edwards

Human-Machine Communication

In this introduction to the fifth volume of the journal Human-Machine Communication, we present and discuss the five articles focusing on gender and human-machine communication. In this essay, we will analyze the theme of gender, including how this notion has historically and politically been set up, and for what reasons. We will start by considering gender in in-person communication, then we will progress to consider what happens to gender when it is mediated by the most important ICTs that preceded HMC: the telephone, mobile phone, and computer-mediated communication (CMC). We outline the historical framework necessary to analyze the last section …

A Transdisciplinary Emergent Approach For Systems And Interventions (Easi), Chaithanya Renduchintala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

In modeling human behavior and social structures several factors can emerge over time this can be attributed to the availability of new data, increased complexity, changes to the organizational structure, interventions, introduction of innovative technology or services and due to improved knowledge and treatments. We hypothesize a new class of emergent decision support systems that continually evolve to account for this "Causal Drift". In this work, we illustrate the application of the Emergent Approach to Systems and Intervention (EASI™) methodology with the example of Community Intervention Activity Model (CIAM) to reduce the rate of diabetic hospitalization at the local/ county …

Modeling The Effects Of Diversity And Corporations On Participation Dynamics In Floss Ecosystems, Olivia Newton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

A multitude of societal issues associated with the development of technology have emerged over the years including, but not limited to: insufficient personnel for maintenance; a lack of accessibility; the spread of harmful tools; and bias and discrimination against marginalized groups. I propose that a systems perspective is necessary to identify potential leverage points in technology production systems to influence them towards increased social good and evaluate their effectiveness for intervention. Toward this end, I conducted a mixed-methods study of a widely-adopted approach in tech production, free/libre and open source software (FLOSS) development. A survey was distributed to elicit responses …

Progress In Chaos: Cash Transfers And Women Economic Empowerment Amidst Climate Change And Violent Conflicts In West Africa, Jennifer Obado Joel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Do cash transfers shift gender norms of economic relations within households and communities during crises? This study explores the effect of social protection programs like cash transfers on women's economic empowerment in contexts where climate change and violent conflicts co-occur. Cash transfers have become a policy of choice for governments and development agencies seeking to alleviate poverty, address economic and political grievances, and build individual and community resilience to climate change. Due to the recent popularity of cash transfers, there needs to be more scholarship on its effect on women's intra-household economic agency and voice in communities. Therefore, this study …

Textbook Affordability + Wordpress + Dc Api = Unique Etextbook Portal Collaboration, Lee Dotson, Bobby Ciullo, Lily Dubach, Kerri Bottorff

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

As part of a textbook affordability initiative, the University of Central Florida Libraries sought ways to inform students that hundreds of required textbooks are available for free as library eTextbooks. When other methods did not include necessary information such as a link to the eTextbook or other details, a secondary method was investigated: creating an eTextbook Portal. An eTextbook Portal serves as a searchable webpage to help students locate eTextbooks that match their courses. A collaboration between the institutional repository, textbook affordability, and web services produced this creative solution to organize and share information for each eTextbook using Digital Commons …

Honors Undergraduate Thesis Final Revisions, Kerri Bottorff

STARS Documentation

Slides from the workshop presented to Honors Undergraduate Thesis students each semester.

Conscious Editing And Metadata Enhancement For Library Collections, Sai Deng, Jeanne Piascik

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

To promote Diversity and Inclusion and conscious metadata editing, the librarians in Cataloging Services at the University of Central Florida collaborated with several departments for the audit and reparative editing of digital collections related to sensitive materials, and enhancement and enrichment of subject headings for physical collections on biographies.

Working with Digital Initiatives, and Special Collections & University Archives, the cataloging librarians have been auditing and editing metadata for The African American Legacy: The Carol Mundy Collection, 1794-2010, The Civil War Collection, and PRISM: Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements. For instance, an inclusion statement has been added to …

Orange County, Fl Substance Use Disorder Treatment Gap Analysis, Amy Donley Phd, Caroline Austin, Jacquelyn Reiss

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

The University of Central Florida's Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS) partnered with the Orange County Drug-Free Office to undertake a gap analysis focused on substance use disorder treatment. Specifically, we designed a study to determine the capacity of treatment options, identify barriers to seeking treatment, and illuminate what works particularly well. The gap analysis results can guide future decisions on allocating resources best to ensure that treatment is accessible to all in need.

Figuring Embedded Librarianship: An Analysis Of The Embedded Journalist Metaphor In The Professional Discourse, Rachel L. Edford

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

In the wake of the COVID pandemic, many academic libraries sought virtual instruction options, like the embedded librarian model, bringing renewed interest to the topic. Debates defining embedded librarianship are plentiful and varied, but a review of the professional literature reveals a commonly used metaphor comparing embedded librarians to embedded journalists. This paper analyses the prevalence of that metaphor in the professional discourse through the lens of cognitive metaphor theory (CMT) to reveal the semantic and pragmatic implications of its use. CMT highlights the power of figurative language to reflect and define professional identities. The metaphor’s militaristic rhetoric counters negative …

A Modern Guide To Tourism Economics, Chapter 1: Introduction, Robertico Croes, Yang Yang

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This Modern Guide captures the evolution of foundational tenets, theories, frameworks and models that buttressed tourism economics into an evolving discipline, shining light on both new and old approaches. It systematically examines current and future trends and issues related to new economic perspectives, consolidating the notion of tourism economics as a discipline.

Associations Between Childhood Sexual Abuse, Adult Sexual Assault Experiences, Psychological Distress, And Substance Use, Diamonde Mccollum

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

This study evaluates the potential mechanisms underlying the association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and substance use among adult women. Moreover, CSA, adult sexual assault (ASA), and psychological distress (including symptoms of depression and perceived stress) was evaluated to determine how it contributes to substance misuse. Past research shows that individuals who experience CSA are more likely to experience ASA, which results in psychological distress. Individuals may use substances to cope with psychological distress from CSA and ASA, consistent with the self-medication hypothesis. Women (N = 225) were recruited from Mechanical Turk (Mturk) and completed an online survey. Results indicate …

Canton Through Western Eyes: Resources & Wood’S Sketches Of China, Sai Deng

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This book talk was organized by the Guangzhou Book Club and it was aimed to introduce the newly translated and published book《洋记者的广州城记》(English title: Sketches of China: with Illustrations from Original Drawings). The original English book was written by William Wightman Wood (1804-), an American journalist, businessman and cartoonist, who went to Canton, China in 1825 and created one of the first English newspapers in China, The Canton Register. This book is about his impressions and experiences of Canton and the southern China in the 1820s, all based on his travel notes. Canton was the only city which was open …

The One Size Does Not Fit All Approach: Case Studies In Modeling Embedded Librarianship, Rachel L. Edford, Sandy Avila

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Paper presentation at the 2022 Distance Library Services Conference. Due to the pandemic and the shift to remote work, the need for distance library services has expanded, with librarians exploring different modes of engagement, including the embedded librarianship model. But have you ever tried to define embedded librarianship? Two academic librarians from different departments at the same large public institution of higher education debated that same question. The literature on embedded librarianship is both plentiful and diverse, with few authors agreeing on how to define the concept. While many articles discuss the importance of integration and collaboration to embedded librarianship, …

Ace Your Next Promotion & Tenure: How To Balance Your Duties As A Stem Librarian, Sandy Avila, Buenaventura Basco

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This presentation was given at the virtual STEM Librarians Collaborative Conference held on July 20, 2022.

Have you considered going up for promotion or in need of achieving tenure? Ever wondered how to manage your everyday duties as a STEM liaison librarian while simultaneously working on scholarship and service? Well look no further! Our session will address how to ace your next promotion and tenure while handling the multiple duties of STEM librarianship. In this short presentation, two STEM librarians will share their success stories in achieving both an early and late career promotion while balancing their subject liaison duties. …

Towards Inclusive Metadata: Dei Analysis And Subjects Enhancement For Juvenile Biographies, Sai Deng

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This presentation is part of the 2022 Faculty Showcase at the University of Central Florida Libraries. It is a shortened version of “Analyzing and Enhancing Juvenile Biography Subject Headings for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion,” which was presented at the “Approaches to Reparative Metadata Projects” Panel hosted by the Sunshine State Digital Network (SSDN).

To better present the Curriculum Materials Center (CMC) materials at the University of Central Florida and improve access to these materials for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), the librarians from Cataloging, CMC and Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery Services (ILL/DDS) undertook a project to analyze the bibliographic …

Christian Service Center: Needs Assessment Survey Results, Amy Donley Phd, John Weston

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

The Christian Service Center expressed a need for a needs assessment to be undertaken for the Ocoee campus. UCF’s Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS) develop a survey questionnaire (Appendix A) designed to increase the understanding of the client base being served in Ocoee in order for the Christian Service Center to better serve their clients.

Enhancing Gender, Race And Ethnicity Subjects For Inclusive Metadata, Sai Deng, Jeanne Piascik, Peter Spyers-Duran

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

To improve discovery of biography collections in a library and embrace Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in cataloging, the librarians can audit their collections with gender, race and ethnicity of the biographees in mind. At the University of Central Florida, librarians from Cataloging, Curriculum Materials Center (CMC) and Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery Services (ILL/DDS) analyzed a juvenile biography collection for biases, and enhanced its subject headings with the biographees’ gender, race and other information.

A rubric was designed to analyze the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) and non-LCSH in bibliographic records for biographies, including the biographees’ gender, race, …

Using Wikidata To Create Knowledge Graphs For Library Collections, Sai Deng

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

As a Linked Open Data (LOD) platform for structured data, and a community-building knowledge base, Wikidata stores people, spaces, times and other entities, and their semantic relationships. Wikidata Knowledge graph is a knowledge base that illustrates entities and relationships for data discovery and integration for users. This poster will present the knowledge graphs created for digital collections at the University of Central Florida (UCF) Libraires, including People in Pemberton Correspondence Collection and the UCF Teachers & Researchers. Models for historical people from the Pemberton Correspondence Collection and university teachers from the Theses and Dissertations Collection are built, and Wikidata items …