Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Presidential Domain: An Exploratory Study Of Prospect Theory And Us Climate Policy Since 1998, Hal T. Nelson

Dissertations and Theses

The Bush administration's decision to abandon the Kyoto Protocol can be explained by prospect theory. The change in federal climate policy between the Clinton and Bush administrations was due to the difference in domain that each president operated under. President Clinton operated under a domain of losses as he associated continued fossil fuel use with future socio-economic and environmental damages from climate change. This domain of losses increased President Clinton's risk tolerances and explains his pursuit of the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Conversely, President Bush operated under a domain of gains where he did …

The Role Of Trust, Leader-Member Exchange, And Organizational Justice In Employee Attitudes And Behaviors: A Laboratory And Field Investigation, Rudolph Joseph Sanchez

Dissertations and Theses

The study of interpersonal relationships continues to be a major focus of theory and research in a wide array of disciplines. The present research examined one of the most prevalent and significant interpersonal relationships in the workplace context—the dyadic relationship between a supervisor and a subordinate. This research examined the relationships between trust, quality of the leader-member exchange relationship (LMX; a measure of the quality of the dyadic relationship), perceived organizational justice, and several employee attitudes and behaviors that are important to individual workers and the organizations in which they work.

Data were collected in both laboratory and field settings. …

The Other Side Of The Tracks: The Archaeology And History Of A Virginia City, Nevada Neighborhood, Julie Marie Schablitsky

Dissertations and Theses

Archaeologists and historians have conducted a limited number of 19th century western neighborhood studies. The small number of inquiries into the urban past has left research on western working and middle class neighborhoods, along with their ethnic and class composition, relatively untouched by modern scholars. Although eastern immigrant neighborhood studies by historic archaeologists are currently increasing, western immigrant neighborhood research projects continue to be underrepresented in the literature. Perceiving an absence of western urban neighborhood studies, an intensive study on an ethnically heterogeneous working and middle class neighborhood was conducted in Virginia City, Nevada.

The community was situated adjacent to …

The Transformation Of Civic Institutions And Practices In Portland, Oregon, 1960-1999, Steven Reed Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

In this dissertation I examine how the organizational framework for civic life in Portland, Oregon, changed between 1960 and 1999 and identify several key aspects of the transformation.

The most basic change has been in the type of organizations involved in civic issues. In 1960 civic life in Portland was dominated by traditional civic organizations: fraternal and benevolent organizations, women's clubs, voluntary and charitable organizations, ethnic cultural groups, and direct social service organizations. By 1999 traditional civic organizations were displaced by advocacy oriented organizations: identity interest groups, neighborhood associations, citizen interest organizations, and social service organizations that advocated for causes. …

A Critical Review Of Issues In Applying Restorative Justice Principles And Practices To Cases Of Hate Crime, Terri Lee Kelly

Dissertations and Theses

A restorative approach to justice focuses on accountability for healing the harm done to victims and communities as a result of criminal acts. Hate crimes are intended to send a threatening message to a particular group of people. There is enough reliable research on restorative justice principles and practices, and on the causes, meaning and impact of hate crimes, to bring together a representative selection of available literature for a critical review. This thesis critically reviews the literature of restorative justice principles and practices, and the literature of hate crime causes, definitions, laws, and typologies of offenders, using as a …

Discrimination And Nepotism Within Police Specialty Units, Robert Norvell Hollins Iii

Dissertations and Theses

A career as a police officer has served as a legitimate avenue for many Black Americans to elevate themselves from numerous low paying less prestigious jobs, to a more respectable better paying secured occupation that has a higher social economic status. The general perception related to the civil service position of a police officer, suggests that it is an occupation which should offer an environment free from discrimination and nepotism, thereby allowing fair treatment and equal access for advancement to all individuals employed within the police organization.

The concept of a police organization that offers fair treatment and equal access …

Multiple Convergence: Induced Travel Analysis In Metropolitan Areas, Jihong Zhang

Dissertations and Theses

The triple convergence principle, proposed by Anthony Downs, states that subsequent to increases in roadway supply, travelers change their travel route, time, and mode to mitigate the effect of lowering congestion levels. More recently, studies indicate that building roadways also induces people to drive more, a phenomenon called induced travel.

Using personal data from the 1995 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey (NPTS) enriched with roadway supply data from the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), this dissertation studies travel behavioral responses of urban workers to roadway supply improvements. These responses include the possible additional travel amount as well as the spatial, temporal and …

Forest Landscape Change Detection In The Meseta PuréPecha, MichoacáN, MéXico, John Malcolm Chase

Dissertations and Theses

Social, political, economic, and environmental factors converge in developing countries to stimulate high rates of deforestation. Forest conversion reduces biodiversity, contributes to carbon loading of the atmosphere, alters the global water balance, and degrades the quality of life for rural people. Mexico is the fifth most biologically diverse country in the world and temperate and tropical forests in Mexico are rapidly disappearing with environmental and cultural repercussions for people and ecosystems.

Social, political, economic, and environmental factors converge in developing countries to stimulate high rates of deforestation. Forest conversion reduces biodiversity, contributes to carbon loading of the atmosphere, alters the …

The Effects Of Parent Care And Child Care Role Quality On Work Outcomes Among Dual-Earner Couples In The Sandwiched Generation, Angela Rickard

Dissertations and Theses

Research has shown that more men and women are occupying multiple roles as employees and caregivers to a child or an elder. The proliferation of women in the U.S. workforce since the 1960's has resulted in a “typical” American family that no longer consists of an employed father and stay-at-home mother, but rather one in which the father and mother both work outside the home. Indeed, the “dual-earner” family is the dominant family form in the U.S. today and into the foreseeable future. The aging and increased longevity of the American population, coupled with changes in the level and timing …

Public Outreach And The "Hows" Of Archaeology : Archaeology As A Model For Education, Jon Darin Daehnke

Dissertations and Theses

There is growing awareness of the importance of public outreach in archaeology. Many professional archaeologists argue that in order to ensure continued funding we must communicate the relevance of our discipline to the public in a more effective manner. Furthermore, it is often argued that public outreach and education provides perhaps the only reliable defense against looting and rampant psuedoarchaeology.

Current outreach activities, however, tend to focus on what archaeologists have discovered about the past. While this type of outreach is important, a more effective model for public outreach would focus on the methods of archaeology, rather than the results. …

Identifying And Building On Strengths Of Children With Serious Emotional Disturbances, Michael Orval Taylor

Dissertations and Theses

The aim of this study is to explore strengths assessments and the participation of parents in assessment of strengths and functioning of their children challenged by serious emotional disorders. The children in this study have a high level of exposure to mental illness, domestic violence and substance abuse in their biological families. These children are living with family members or foster families in the community, with the majority at continuing risk of placement outside of their homes and communities due to serious emotional and behavioral problems.

The research questions investigated are the concordance of families and professionals in assessment of …

Patterns In Glass : The Interpretation Of European Glass Trade Beads From Two Protohistoric Sites In The Greater Lower Columbia Region, Gretchen Anne Kaehler

Dissertations and Theses

The issue of social status as it manifests in the archaeological record has long been a problematic one. Glass beads are often the most numerous class of historic artifacts recovered in protohistoric sites in the Pacific Northwest. Ethnohistoric accounts indicated that these beads might have functioned as prestige items and as a form of "primitive cash" among the aboriginal peoples of the Lower Columbia River in the early to mid 1800s. To what extent were glass beads indicative of status and can their spatial distribution within protohistoric sites be used to address this question?

The purpose of the present study …

Writing In The Contact Zone: Three Portraits Of Reflexivity And Transformation, Laurene L. Christensen

Dissertations and Theses

Culture is at the core of language teaching. Because classrooms are contact zones (Pratt 1991), teachers must have a well-developed sense of their own intercultural competence so that they may better facilitate the cross-cultural discovery inherent in language teaching. Teacher preparation programs need to provide opportunities for new teachers to increase their intercultural awareness. The purpose of this research was to qualitatively understand the experiences of pre-service teachers in a required culture-learning class at a large urban university. Specifically, the focus of this study was the completion of a mini-ethnography project designed to give the students a cross-cultural exchange. Since …

A Qualitative Analysis For Sex Determination In Humans Utilizing Posterior And Medial Aspects Of The Distal Humerus, Veronica L. Wanek

Dissertations and Theses

Visual and metric analysis both provide accepted methods for sex determination in humans. Visual ascertainment uses differing morphological traits in males and females to establish sex. Researchers have continually sought accurate methods of sexing long bones when skulls or pelves are absent or fragmented. These long bone elements may not have sexually distinct characteristics, but tend to survive in the field quite well.

Metric analysis depends on size dimorphism between males and females to correctly assign sex. Metric methods fail where the sexes overlap or when skeletal elements cannot be assigned to their correct biological population. Under these conditions, visual …

An Evaluation Of Families And Service Providers Participating In Participatory Action Research Related To Self-Determination In Young Children With Disabilities, Kristen L. Kozlowski

Dissertations and Theses

The concept of self-determination or "acting as the primary casual agent in one's life and making choices and decisions regarding one's quality of life free from undue external influence or interference" (Wehmeyer, 1996, p.24) has long been a focus of educating adults with disabilities. Recently, researchers and educators have begun to examine teaching foundational skills of self-determination to young children with disabilities. It is important to evaluate programs and methodologies that are said to enhance self-determination in order to ensure their efficacy. Research has examined self-determination programs involving adults and older children, however to date there have been few studies …

Special Focus Programs, Magnet Programs And Schools, And Early Childhood Education Centers: Equal Access In Portland Public School's Elementary Options, Nancy Seidule Hauth

Dissertations and Theses

As parents and educators demand more choice programs in their school districts, it is important for district officials to govern issues around equal access. When specialty programs are designed by grassroots groups and school staff without district-level guidance or funding, as it is in Portland, Oregon, equal access provisions can be overlooked resulting in lower ethnic and socio-economic diversity.

The purpose of this study was threefold: to determine if all families in Portland Public School district have equal access to special focus/magnet programs at the elementary grades; to better understand the link between Portland's past desegregation policies and current choice …

Low-Income Homeownership In Portland's Albina Community: A Comparative Analysis Of Housing Quality In Market-Rate And Subsidized Houses, Carolyn Emily Collopy

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to detem1ine which of these two options, market-rate or subsidized, offer higher quality affordable housing to low and moderate-level income households. Through field observation and GIS analysis, the study compared the structural, block, neighborhood amenity, crime, and proximity to CBD characteristics of affordable market-rate and subsidized houses in Portland's Albina Community. The study samples were approximately 100 houses per sample; market-rate houses consisted of houses that sold during 2000 for $125,000 or less, and subsidized houses were selected from housing created by three local non-profit development agencies.

General characteristics of the two samples revealed …

A Dissertation On African American Male Youth Violence: "Trying To Kill The Part Of You That Isn’T Loved", Joy Degruy Leary

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation is based on Sociocultural Theory, Social Learning Theory and Trauma Theory, as well as a new theoretical framework (Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome) which takes into account multigenerational trauma. Five research questions involving independent variables believed to predict violent behavior in African American male youth were investigated. The first three questions addressed stressors experienced by African Americans: violence witnessing, violence victimization, and daily urban hassles. The fourth and fifth questions concerned the sociocultural characteristics of racial socialization and prosocial attitudes toward respect. Participants were 200 African American male youth residing in inner Northeast Portland, Oregon who were recruited from …

Trends In Women's Sex-Role Attitudes Concerning Work And Familial Roles, 1977-1996, Andria F. Howell

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines changes in women's sex-role attitudes concerning work and familial roles during the years of 1977 to 1996. Using a secondary data analysis of a General Social Survey data set, the attitudes of 3302 women during the years 1977, 1985 and 1996 are examined.

One area of focus of this research is the relationship between work force participation and women's sex-role attitudes. Demographic variables relating to family status and socio-economic status are also examined, as well as the effects of mother's out-of-home experiences on daughter's sex-role attitudes. Finally, this thesis identifies the rate of attitude change in the …

Reading Techniques Employed By Mothers Vs. Fathers During Storybook Reading Events With Their Child, Kameron Brief Beaulieu

Dissertations and Theses

Research demonstrates that engaging children in storybook reading positively relates to the development of early literacy skills. Parents use a variety of techniques to facilitate interactions when reading to a child. Past research suggests that these techniques may have measurable effects on language and literacy development.

The purpose of this study was to investigate reading events shared by parents and their preschool aged children to determine if differences are present in the didactic techniques and language used by fathers and mothers. The primary research question addressed by this study was: Are there differences in reading techniques employed by mothers and …

An Antidote To The Anesthetic: A Diary Study, Carol Rasmussen Schramm

Dissertations and Theses

The teaching experiences of an American ESL teacher, recorded in a critically reflective diary, for the basis for this study. Through analysis of the diary, the culturally formed and framed attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions of the teacher are explored in an attempt to understand the dialectic relationship between the diarist's culture and the cultures of her students. The researcher believes that increases in awareness in these areas can lead to improved teaching practice. Thus, one goal of this study is the professional development of its author.

The literature in the field of TESOL does not adequately address the impact of …

Form Or Function First In Foreign Language Classrooms?, Senta Görtler

Dissertations and Theses

The study was inspired by continuous discussion in the field of second language acquisition and teaching on the role of grammar instruction in successful language learning. Traditionally foreign language and second language classrooms have been taught with a pedagogical focus on language structure. More recently there has been support for second language classrooms focusing on content, function, or communication rather than form. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to compare the effectiveness of an innovative function-based classroom with a traditional form-based classroom.

During a ten-week period, one class of Intermediate German was taught in a form-based classroom while another …

Water Rights As Contested Terrain: The Case Of Tenmile Creek, Oregon, Marcie L. Allen

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the complex conflict over water rights at Tenmile Creek, located along the south central Oregon Coast. The research is an exploratory case study identifying the main motivations of actors, the constraints they faced, and the conditions that encouraged or dissuaded collaborative behavior.

The main objectives are (1) to refine the understanding of the relationship between societies and their physical environment in market societies that are both motivated to exploit and preserve natural resources and, (2) to explore the kinds of institutional arrangements that may be required to manage the water supply in a collaborative and sustainable manner. …

State-To-State Migration During 1975–80 And 1985–90: An Analysis By Age, Race, Sex, And Education, Joseph Augustine Smith-Buani

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation uses 1980 and 1990 United States census and administrative data to analyze interstate migration during 1975-80 and 1985-90, and to assess the effects of several determinants on state-to-state migration by age, race, sex, and education. Descriptions are presented of migration rates, migration stream volumes and efficiency ratios, indexes of differential migration, and regional fixed-effects regression models using theories, techniques, and methodologies from recent migration literature.

Regression analysis shows race, education, age, and sex having independent effects on interstate migration rates. A polytomous logistic regression model is used to investigate how selected variables affect the probability of state-to-state migration …

American Consul In Jerusalem 1856-1896, Eric Vaughn Lowe

Dissertations and Theses

The Europeans were the first ones to establish Consuls at Jerusalem. They used their consular offices to establish permanence and extend their influence in the region. Under the guise of citizen and religious protection they extended their power and influence in the Ottoman territory. The United States established its consulate in Jerusalem in 1853. In comparison with the European consuls the American Service was-new, inexperienced, and lacking professionalism. This American outpost was plagued with complexities that were distinct to the office at Jerusalem. The consul reports from 1856-1896 reflect the mission and difficulties faced at this seemingly remote outpost.

Limited …

A Search For Peace, Kami Horton

Dissertations and Theses

This is a creative thesis on a personal experiences working for the European peace movement. It reflects the parallel efforts of working for personal and shared peace in order to contribute to both,

After several years as a reporter, I became disenchanted with my life choices and became an intern with the Catholic peace organization Pax Christi International in Belgium. It was a transition that proved both challenging and rewarding.

While I was discovering the physical peace work through Pax Christi I was also embarking on an inner journey to find personal peace with my decisions and myself.

This is …

The Neoglacial History Of Mt. Thielsen, Southern Oregon Cascades, Martin Dietrich Lafrenz

Dissertations and Theses

Little Ice Age (LIA) deposits are recognized on Mt. Tbielsen, southern Oregon Cascades (43° 9' N, 122° 3' W), based on particle morphology and relative position. The initial advance, Lathrop 1, created a sharp-crested moraine and a protalus rampart within 200 m of the headwall. The retreat of the glacier and recent ice movement, Lathrop 2, is recognized by the deformation of the moraine and a mantle of "protalus till" creating a polygenetic "push-deformation'' moraine. Both the moraine and the protalus rampart have sparse vegetation, no lichens, and a lightly weathered Cox/C soil. This sequence is correlative with LIA Phase …

Traditional And Non-Traditional Dispute Settlement In The Federated States Of Micronesia, Kris Tina Yurgin Cummings

Dissertations and Theses

The current U.S. mediation system is founded on a paradigm of individual focus and Western values. This model may fail to represent the various cultural components disputants from more collective cultures may bring to the mediation process. In addition, the U.S. mediation system relies on the collaboration of two or more disputants to confront the issues between them. Again, this model presupposes that confrontation is an appropriate means of conflict resolution.

The purpose of this study is to offer a different perspective of dispute settlement as practiced in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Cultural values that emphasize the social …

An Analysis Of Sex Trafficking In The Asian Region In An Era Of Globalization, Corie J. Hammers

Dissertations and Theses

Globalization, spurred on by capitalist principles, seeks the integration of countries and their economies into a single global market. Global integration has impacted countries in many ways, often negatively. Phenomena such as the illicit trade in weapons, drugs, and people for their sexual and/or physical labor, have also been facilitated by globalization. Specifically examined in this study were a) patterns of sex trafficking of women and girls in four countries: India, Nepal, the Philippines, and Thailand, and b) the various ways globalization has both impacted women's status within these countries and facilitated the sex trade.

One manifestation of globalization has …

An Analysis Of The Changing Forces Behind Health Insurance Coverage Of Homebirth, Christina Anne Gasbarro

Dissertations and Theses

The expansion of managed care, which is premised on containing costs while maintaining market share, represents a radical transformation of the U.S. health care system. A central question for medical sociologists is to determine how the changes brought by managed care influence health insurance and health care options. In evaluating the impacts of managed care, obstetrics is a particularly important site of study. Part of this agenda involves gathering baseline data on a specific transformation in obstetrics practice new to the managed care scene: the emergence of health insurance coverage for the option of home birth. The research project detailed …