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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Rebuilding The Appalachian Economy From The Ground Up: Towards A Holistic Organizational Framework For Community And Economic Development In Rural Extractive Areas, Brandon M. Dennison Jan 2023

Rebuilding The Appalachian Economy From The Ground Up: Towards A Holistic Organizational Framework For Community And Economic Development In Rural Extractive Areas, Brandon M. Dennison

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Central Appalachia specifically and rural extractive areas more generally face some of the most challenging socio-economic realities in North America. Community-based organizations (CBOs) are an important tool for addressing these challenges. As governments intensify efforts to mitigate climate change, and as fossil-fuel industries contract, extracted communities are experiencing economic, cultural, and environmental upheaval. Many leaders call for a “just transition” away from fossil-fuels, which would make local extraction communities whole. However, achieving a truly just transition away from fossil fuels is extraordinarily challenging, and many extracted communities were never whole to begin with. I argue CBOs are the crucial vehicle …


Social Comparison Theory: The Effects Athletic Influencers Have On An Appalachian Generation Z Men Audience, Aaron David Dickens Jan 2023

Social Comparison Theory: The Effects Athletic Influencers Have On An Appalachian Generation Z Men Audience, Aaron David Dickens

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Many studies have highlighted how social comparison can influence self-efficacy for exercise, body dissatisfaction, and motivation to exercise, especially on social media; in addition, several studies have supported how attitude toward exercise and confidence toward exercise correlate with one another. However, these dependent variables have not been examined in the context of Generation Z men in Appalachia. Despite the lack of literature on this demographic, it is important to study Generation Z Appalachian men because of the frequent health problems this demographic faces, such as obesity. Therefore, this pretest-posttest between-subjects lab experiment investigated how an athletic influencer on social media …


Source Credibility And Trust Of Media Information Based On Gender Of Reporter, Madison R. Urse Jan 2023

Source Credibility And Trust Of Media Information Based On Gender Of Reporter, Madison R. Urse

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

An experiment was used for this study to explore if the gender of a reporter impacts perceived source credibility and thus trust in information. Previous research has shown how gender biases can affect how topics are covered, reported on, perceived and marketed in the journalistic world. Modern media and newsrooms are meant to mirror reality as they convey information to the public, yet women continue to be gatekept out of reporting on certain types of news. Further, changes in the mode of delivery of news are also impacting the journalism landscape. Thus, this study employed a digital stimulus to explore …


The U.S. Coal Industry: Market Structure & Implications, Sara Elizabeth Guffey Jan 2022

The U.S. Coal Industry: Market Structure & Implications, Sara Elizabeth Guffey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The U.S. coal mining industry was once a booming industry which created and defined communities, particularly in Appalachia. The industry has, however, transformed significantly in the last couple of decades with the passage of environmental policies, with competition from the Shale Revolution, from changes in company ownership, and from mine safety regulation. Overall, the coal industry during this time has experienced a massive decline in production and employment. This dissertation is composed of three papers that investigate these mechanisms and their role in understanding market structure, coal transactions and prices, and mine safety outcomes. Motivated by the shutdowns of U.S. …


The Heart Of Everything In The Middle Of Nowhere: The Role Of Rural Identity In The Formation And Deployment Of Political Attitudes In Pennsylvania, Mikaela G. Zimmerman Jan 2022

The Heart Of Everything In The Middle Of Nowhere: The Role Of Rural Identity In The Formation And Deployment Of Political Attitudes In Pennsylvania, Mikaela G. Zimmerman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The world of American politics continues to infiltrate households across the United States as technological advancement extends the reach of breaking news and government action. With this expanding reach, communities all over the country are digesting and contemplating their place in national politics more fervently than ever. At the crux of this discussion is the backbone of political engagement and action—identity and its resulting political attitudes. For decades, partisanship has been a point of contention amongst American citizens. Cities across the nation showcase protests, demonstrations, town hall meetings, and more illustrating citizens’ care for their democratized input in government affairs. …


Sexual And Place-Based Identity: A Life Course Analysis Of Lgbtq+ Undergraduate Understandings Of Climate Change In Appalachia, Brandon Anthony Rothrock Jan 2021

Sexual And Place-Based Identity: A Life Course Analysis Of Lgbtq+ Undergraduate Understandings Of Climate Change In Appalachia, Brandon Anthony Rothrock

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

LGBTQ+ persons face heightened vulnerability to climate change-induced disasters due to their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Yet, there are limited studies that examine how LGBTQ+ students, particularly in a higher-education setting, understand climate change in relation to their sexuality. With a majority of studies on LGBTQ+ persons and climate change focusing on LGBTQ+ experience during and after disaster, there is a gap in understanding LGBTQ+ perceptions of climate change in the day-to-day. Particularly in Appalachia, a region characterized by a strong place-attachment to and a collective identity with the natural environment, studies of marginalized groups’ perceptions of …


Staying Power: Examining Resistance In West Virginia, Beth Nardella Jan 2021

Staying Power: Examining Resistance In West Virginia, Beth Nardella

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

West Virginia has been plagued with high unemployment rates, high rates of addiction and poverty, and some of the worst health outcomes in the country. Outmigration has been the paradigm for many, but why do some people choose to stay? Numerous scholars have written about outmigration, but there is little information on why people stay. After decades of people leaving, many who remain have made a choice to stay. This choice can be seen as an act of resistance against the problematic discourses surrounding the Appalachian region and the economic disparities found within rural communities. West Virginians are often dependent …


Effects Of Appalachian Culture And Pregnancy Status On Pain-Related Fear, Cecelia Irene Nelson Jan 2020

Effects Of Appalachian Culture And Pregnancy Status On Pain-Related Fear, Cecelia Irene Nelson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Fear of pain during pregnancy is an understudied phenomenon with important implications for prenatal and postpartum functioning. The aim of the current study was to understand the role of pregnancy and culture on pain-related fear in Appalachia. Archival datasets, and a new sample of women recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, were sources of data. Participants completed the Fear of Pain Questionnaire-9 and responded to demographic questions in order to ascertain whether they were pregnant at the time of the study as well as the number and nature of prior pregnancies. In support of hypotheses, results indicated that pregnant women reported …


Super-Localizing Food As Tourism Development™: Producing The 30 Mile Meal™ In Athens, Ohio, Jed Debruin Jan 2019

Super-Localizing Food As Tourism Development™: Producing The 30 Mile Meal™ In Athens, Ohio, Jed Debruin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Geographers have played a leading role in the theorization and critique of local food initiatives, raising critical questions about why they are advanced, how they work, and who benefits. Central to geographic critique of local food initiatives is how “the local” is framed, valued, and fetishized. The 30 Mile Meal™ (30MM) is one of these local food initiatives that seeks to rebrand local food in Appalachia through tourism development, as well as expand this model to other communities. In this paper, I explore how the 30MM is distintinctive in relation to other local food initiatives, how the 30MM constructs and …


Richwood, West Virginia After The 2016 Flood: Place, Devastation, And Hope In An Appalachian Community, Christine Elizabeth Witt Jan 2019

Richwood, West Virginia After The 2016 Flood: Place, Devastation, And Hope In An Appalachian Community, Christine Elizabeth Witt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

How does a community cope with a crisis that threatens its identity or even its existence? This is the question facing the town of Richwood, West Virginia, after a devastating flood that impacted much of the town in 2016. Some of the consequences of the 2016 flood were the loss of the high school building, followed by difficulties receiving the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) money to rebuild the school, and a loss of additional FEMA money for other critical issues due to alleged corruption. How do community residents cope emotionally with devastation? How do they understand the causes of …