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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Effect Of Race In Primary And Secondary School Achievement : Evidence From Virginia, Khanh Doan Jan 2014

The Effect Of Race In Primary And Secondary School Achievement : Evidence From Virginia, Khanh Doan

Honors Theses

A large body of literature has studied the achievement gap between white and minority groups in the United States. This paper contributes to this discussion by conducting a cross-sectional study of Virginia using data for 2011-2012. I analyze the impact of race/ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic) on school district pass rates conditional on income per capita, population density, and a cohort effect in each school district. I find that the magnitude of the gap is largest in 3rd grade and smallest in 5th grade. There are little differences between Black-White gaps and Hispanic-White gaps. The gaps are neither widening nor narrowing …


The Effect Of Race In Primary And Secondary School Achievement : Evidence From Virginia, Khanh (Miki) Doan Jan 2014

The Effect Of Race In Primary And Secondary School Achievement : Evidence From Virginia, Khanh (Miki) Doan

Honors Theses

A large body of literature has studied the achievement gap between white and minority groups in the United States. This paper contributes to this discussion by conducting a cross-sectional study of Virginia using data for 2011-2012. I analyze the impact of race/ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic) on school district pass rates conditional on income per capita, population density, and a cohort effect in each school district. I find that the magnitude of the gap is largest in 3rd grade and smallest in 5th grade. There are little differences between Black-White gaps and Hispanic-White gaps. The gaps are neither widening nor narrowing …


Masculinity In The Virtual World Of Video Game : A Question Of Agency, Long Trinh Apr 2013

Masculinity In The Virtual World Of Video Game : A Question Of Agency, Long Trinh

Honors Theses

Masculinity is an understudied topic in video games. Traditional literature considered video game as a traditional media and focused mostly on video games content, thus contributed to the common myth that playing video games make people more violent. However, recent studies suggest that video game is distinctive compared to traditional media, and that violence is not the motivating factor in video games. This study involves a content analysis of 22 video game reviews and a non-participant observation of 4 gamers playing The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. The results suggest it is not violence, but rather agency that governs the dynamics of …


Integration Of The Stereotype Content Model And Implicit Theories : A Dynamic Understanding Of Stereotyping Against Obese Individuals, Jenna Sorge Jan 2008

Integration Of The Stereotype Content Model And Implicit Theories : A Dynamic Understanding Of Stereotyping Against Obese Individuals, Jenna Sorge

Honors Theses

The current paper integrated Fiske and colleague’s (2002) Stereotype Content Model (SCM) with the implicit theoretical approach to investigate the stereotyping process against obese individuals. Two studies evaluated the proposition that implicit theories of weight, the belief that weight is fixed (entity theorist) versus malleable (incremental theorist), and implicit person theories, the belief that human attributes are fixed or malleable, will predict how people categorize and discriminate against obese individuals. A pilot study found that entity and incremental theorists of weight have equal knowledge of societal stereotypes against obese individuals. Study 1 revealed those whose endorse an entity theory of …


Pyaguapy Ita: Silencing The Singing Stone: The Impact Of Modern Technology On Indigenous People In Brazil, Caitlin Cassis Jan 2004

Pyaguapy Ita: Silencing The Singing Stone: The Impact Of Modern Technology On Indigenous People In Brazil, Caitlin Cassis

Honors Theses

The name of the world's largest hydroelectric dam, Brazil's Itaipu Binacional, comes from an Ava-Guarani word meaning "singing stone." Before Itaipu became affiliated with dams it represented a smaller, but no less significant monument: a large rock formation in the middle of the Parana River that produced song when struck by water.₂ Today, neither the rock nor the Ava-Guarani tribe remain. In their place is a gargantuan hydroelectric dam that produces sounds more like a thunderous engine than song. When the Brazilian government, in conjunction with Itaipu Binacional officials, constructed the power plant, it not only silenced the singing stone, …


The Power Of Prime-Time Television, Chris Boyd Jan 1998

The Power Of Prime-Time Television, Chris Boyd

Honors Theses

I intend to illustrate the possibilities of prime-time television's impact on creating positive social change. For this to occur, television would be acting as a leader to the audiences at home. Through the images shown on screen, lessons would be learned and attitudes would be changes. This change can happen through various avenues, but they all lead to the same goal, an improved society.


Dance As An Instrument For Social Change Leadership, Meredith Mccanse Jan 1998

Dance As An Instrument For Social Change Leadership, Meredith Mccanse

Honors Theses

From responses of audience members, a domestic violence expert, and a Dance professor, it is apparent that the performance of Silent Cries was a catalyst of change. While not all viewers were raised to a new level of consciousness, a number of participants reported raised awareness and/or intentions to take action in support of domestic violence survivors. An overwhelming majority of those polled reported some form of emotional response to the dance. This is evidence that even with a well-educated audience, dance has the power to make a connection and move hearts. The domestic violence expert as well as general …


"Entre La Espada Y La Pared" : "Up Against The Wall": Bolivian Coca Farmers And Alternative Development Under The Estrategia Boliviana De La Lucha Contra El Narcotráfico 1998-2002, Heather Anne Golding Jan 1998

"Entre La Espada Y La Pared" : "Up Against The Wall": Bolivian Coca Farmers And Alternative Development Under The Estrategia Boliviana De La Lucha Contra El Narcotráfico 1998-2002, Heather Anne Golding

Honors Theses

Bolivia's reputation as a "dangerous" nation stems from its connection with the illegal drug trade. Bolivia is currently the world's third largest cultivator of coca, the raw material used to make cocaine. The US State Department warns US citizens not to visit the Chapare because it is "politically unstable." However, the region is not unstable because its inhabitants are savage people, nor is it dangerous because drug cartel members roam the streets. Rather, it is dangerous, because of the social unrest that plagues the region because the poor coca farmers are continuously being hounded to destroy their coca crops, in …


Leadership And The Breast Cancer Movement, Amy Silverstein Jan 1997

Leadership And The Breast Cancer Movement, Amy Silverstein

Honors Theses

The breast cancer movement stays away from power struggles and superiority complexes. These women figured out that in order to stay organized and in control, every woman needed to feel included. The nature of the issue of the movement helps as well. Since most of these women fought the disease either themselves or with others, they understand how important a supportive environment contributes to a person's well-being. This support flows into the movement and contributes to the sense of togetherness. Some women are more prone to leadership than others, but that does not mean that they are somehow superior. Their …


Music As A Cultural Context For Change : A Study Of Rock Music Of The 1950s And 60s, Sarah Toraason Jan 1996

Music As A Cultural Context For Change : A Study Of Rock Music Of The 1950s And 60s, Sarah Toraason

Honors Theses

Art is important because it sensitizes people and makes them aware of important issues and events. '[M]usic can reveal the nature of feelings with a detail and truth that language cannot approach." (Pielke 1986) It has the capacity to reach a huge audience. It is a "language understood by all without instruction ... Music is a way of holding off time, making the present fill all space. It joins us with others yet defends our privacy. It lifts the spirit, assuages grief, and sometimes teaches as well. Above all, music creates values, along with a social structure that nurtures, defends, …


Music And Leadership, Scott Barksdale Jan 1994

Music And Leadership, Scott Barksdale

Honors Theses

Music and musicians can build on one another to meet shared purpose. The creation of music is one of the most powerful and common types of expression.


Friendship Potential, Knowledge, Skills, And Expectations Of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder And Normal Children, Laura A. Taylor Jan 1990

Friendship Potential, Knowledge, Skills, And Expectations Of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder And Normal Children, Laura A. Taylor

Honors Theses

The present study assessed the differences in the friendship patterns of nonmedicated children with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and children without the disorder. 22 children with ADHD and 23 normal controls and each of their friends completed an interview designed to evaluate their friendship potential, knowledge, skills, expectations, and quality. These children were divided at age 9 years, 8 months into younger and older groups in order to assess age differences across the variables. Results illustrated that children with ADHD have lower levels of friendship potential than children without ADHD especially in terms of their degree of similarity with their …