Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Trade Integration And Economic Growth In Africa: Lessons From Sadc And Ecowas Regional Trading Blocs, Kofi Ampoma Asuako

Masters Theses

The literature on the effects of free trade agreements (FTA) or trade liberalization on economies is vast and tends to focus on the post-liberalization performance of countries, particularly in Europe and North America. However, an analysis of how varying levels of integration within free trade blocs in Sub-Saharan Africa affect economic growth does not appear to be in the international economics literature. This analysis is vital as 54 out of 55 African union member States have begun trading under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA) which intends to gradually decrease and ultimately do away with customs duties and non-tariff …

The Digital Generation: Exploring The Effects And Creation Of Collegiate E-Sports Programs, Joshua Gostlin

Masters Theses

This phenomenological study looked at five collegiate e-sports programs that are members of the National Association of Collegiate E-sports (NACE) to better understand why and how those programs were made, how e-sport athletes are recruited and retain, and operational differences between e-sports programs and traditional sports programs. The participants for this study were five higher education institutions from across the United States that were being represented by the leading administrator of their e-sports team. These institutions ranged from small private schools to large public schools in the hopes of getting a more holistic understanding of collegiate e-sports. Each participant participated …

The Effect Of Mortality Salience On Compromising Mate Selection Standards In Homosexual And Heterosexual Individuals, Sydney Rohmann

Masters Theses

Terror management theory (TMT), proposed by Greenberg, Pyszcynski, and Solomon (1986), suggests that humans cope with terror resulting from the knowledge of their own mortality. The need for coping mechanisms arises when individuals are reminded of their own inevitable death; that is, when they experience mortality salience (MS). Hirschberger, Florian, and Mikulincer (2002) found that when primed with death reminders, heterosexual individuals tend to compromise their ideal mate selection to form close relationships. There has also been extensive research on the differences between homosexual and heterosexual mating preferences. This study examined the effect mortality salience has on an individuals’ mate …

Self-Reported Multicultural Teaching Knowledge And Skills Of School Professionals, Julia Kedzior

Masters Theses

Diverse learners face a variety of challenges, such as achievement gaps, behavior problems, and absenteeism. Therefore, it is important for their educators to have both multicultural teaching knowledge and skills to address these challenges and work towards a successful school experience for all students. Although research has sought to measure the cultural competence of teachers, not many studies have examined cultural competence in other school professionals (administrators, school psychologists, social workers, interventionists, instructional assistants, and other individuals who directly work with students in the school environment). In the current study, 185 teachers and other school professionals completed an adapted version …

Examining The Relationship Between Social Anxiety And Social Media Engagement, Emilee A. Kruchten

Masters Theses

The relationship between social anxiety and social media has been studied looking at social networking sites as a whole, or looking at problematic use of social networking sites. However, to the authors knowledge, no research study has been conducted comparing different social media sites. This study intended to look specifically at the relationship between social anxiety and Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat in college students. Furthermore, this study assessed fear of negative evaluation, fear of positive evaluation, fear of missing out, and social comparison as potential meditators of this relationship. It was hypothesized that there would be a relationship between social …

Convergent And Discriminant Validity Of The Conners 3 Teacher Rating Scale: Comparisons With The Adjustment Scales For Children And Adolescents, Stephanie G. Buhrow

Masters Theses

The Conners 3-Teacher Rating Scale (Conners 3-T) and the Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA) are both teacher report rating scales used for school system evaluations to assess youth and adolescent psychopathology. The Conners 3-T has limited research available independent from the Conners 3 Manual assessing its validity and diagnostic utility. The purpose of the present study was to compare correlations between the Conners 3-T and the ASCA to determine convergent and discriminant validity in support of the Conners 3-T. The present study included 118 students either randomly selected by teachers (n = 111) or referred for a special …

Relationships Between Parent-Child Interactions And Sexual Attitudes, Behaviors And Online Activity In Young Adulthood, Emily Donar

Masters Theses

The current study examined correlations between parent-child relationships and its relationship with the sexual attitudes and behaviors of young adults. Participants were asked to report on their perception of communication and quality relations with their parents. The findings indicate there was a relationship between the perception of high-quality parent-child relationships, likelihood of having extensive sexual experience, tendency to hold specific sexual attitudes and the frequency of online sexual behaviors. Explanations regarding the discrepancy between previous findings and the current study were discussed, including the sexual fluency of those with conservative attitudes. The consideration of gaps in literature incorporating online sexual …

Faith Down The Rabbit Hole: A Critical Rhetorical Interrogation Of Q-Anon And Parasitic Christianity, Nate Carlson

Masters Theses

Over the course of the last six years, the conspiracy theory community known as Q-Anon has risen to prominence across the internet, coming to encapsulate a significant portion of the United States’ conservative and protestant populations. This study applies the act of Critical Rhetoric as proposed by McKerrow (1989) to the Q-Anon “drops”; message board posts wherein Q, the enigmatic leader of Q-Anon, preached conspiratorial ideology and misinformation to his followers. A pattern of Christian theology being usurped and retooled by Q as a method of faith-based political radicalization emerged throughout the texts, and this phenomenon was named “Parasitic Christianity.” …

Emotions And Opinions: The Causes And Effects Of Contemporary Populism, Hunter Driggers

Masters Theses

Populism has experienced a global resurgence. Yet at the individual level, little empirical research has been conducted to validate theories surrounding this phenomenon, including claims that anger is necessary to trigger populist sentiment and that contemporary populists have a strongly negative perception of society. I conduct a novel survey experiment on US adults (n = 488) that induces anger among various groups and measures populist sentiment as well as opinions on domestic society and the global commons. I perform this examination by first comparing control and treatment groups, ascertaining anger’s impact on populist sentiment while accounting for preexisting anger and …

Albion Through Malleable Eyes: The Great Migration, Urban Renewal And Missed Opportunities, Demetrius R. Goodale

Masters Theses

Albion, Michigan’s African American community built a robust, diverse, and thriving city in the early 20th century. Jobs were plentiful and wages allowed for healthy communities to sprout up across the city’s landscape. During this period Albion’s overall population more than doubled, and its African American community grew exponentially over the course of six decades. However, for many in the African American community, societal and economic gains were overshadowed by a crippling shortage in viable housing options. Albion’s African American community experienced limited options to help remedy the community’s housing challenges. These limitations were due to discriminatory housing norms and …

Constructing And Experiencing The Medieval Waddenland, Hugh R. Milner

Masters Theses

Part of the intertidal zone along the southeast portion of the North Sea, the Wadden Sea Coast runs from modern Friesland and Groningen in the Netherlands, through Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, and up the west coast of Jutland to just past Ribe. This project seeks to understand medieval responses to an environment in constant contact with the sea via documentary and historical sources. The people of the Wadden Sea Coast defined their landscape and their history in part with earthworks and water infrastructure, negotiating control of both anthropogenic and natural environments.

Assessment Of Dopaminergic And Serotonergic Receptor Antagonists In Male Rats Trained To Discriminate 4-Methylmethcathinone (Mephedrone), Rachel L. Burroughs

Masters Theses

Preclinical drug discrimination studies of the synthetic cathinone, 4-methylmethcathinone (mephedrone) have demonstrated its effects are comparable to those of other popular psychostimulant drugs. Few studies have directly examined the contribution of specific neurotransmitter receptors to mephedrone’s discriminative stimulus effects. The present study investigated the role of dopamine and serotonin receptors in these effects. Eight adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate 3.0 mg/kg mephedrone from saline. After dose-response curves were determined with mephedrone (0.375-3.0 mg/kg), a series of stimulus antagonism tests were conducted with dopamine antagonists (Sch 23390, haloperidol) and serotonin antagonists (WAY 100,635, MDL 100,907, pirenperone) administered as …

A Radar And Model Based Synopsis Of Surface Soil Moisture State As It Relates To Back-Building Thunderstorm Behavior: Northern Great Plains, Skye Leake

Masters Theses

Severe thunderstorm behavior across the Great Plains of North America can result in negative economic impact, put infrastructure at risk, and pose a hazard to the lives of those calling the area home. Substantial research has been conducted throughout the Great Plains on a variety of severe weather conditions such as extreme wind, hail, tornadoes, and flash flooding, however such research is limited in the northern portion of the Great Plains. Some research has been conducted on these severe phenomena produced by thunderstorms in the northern Great Plains; however, little has been done in the realm of training/back-building of storms. …

Tracing Relations Between Attachment, Social Media Use, Self-Esteem, Loneliness, And Depression: A Mediation Model, Meagan Patricia Sabo

Masters Theses

An extensive amount of correlational research has well-established the link between insecure attachment style and subsequent adverse interpersonal and psychopathological outcomes. Moreover, the rise of social media has precipitated a shift in the methods by which individuals communicate; consequently, this has resulted in the shifting of preexisting dispositions toward dysfunctional behaviors to a more ubiquitous route of manifestation. Given that attachment literature has indicated notable differences in both underlying mechanisms and resulting outcomes of both avoidant and anxious attachment, examination of this alongside social media use provides valuable insight into potential relationships between the two. Further, research has examined the …

The Impact Of Political Culture On Political Reactions: A Case Study Of Eu Sanctions On Russia, Kenzie Robin De Keyser

Masters Theses

The political impact of European Union (EU) sanctions on Russia is complicated by the political culture of the Russian state and the economic interdependencies of the EU bloc and the Russian Federation. This study explores the impacts of European Union sanctions on Russian politics, using economic interdependence and the political culture of Russia to help explain both the political effects of the sanctions on Russia and the overall Russian political reaction to the scenario that is unfolding. The foundations of government, political society, and political norms within Russia can be found throughout the different bases of Russian political culture which …

How Do Food Shopping Behaviors Differ Between High-Income And Low-Income Shoppers In The Grand Rapids Metropolitan Area?, Alison M. Cooney

Masters Theses

Background: The social determinants of health and health equity are influenced by access, environment, and socioeconomic status (SES). Health inequities are preventable and can be avoided with systemic policy change surrounding the distribution of wealth and resources. Few studies have researched the differences in different income levels and the influence income has on food shopping behaviors.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in food shopping behaviors between high-income and low-income shoppers living in the same zip code. Subjects Sixty-eight individuals who live in the 49341 zip code which represents a small city in Kent County, …

"Lead Us Not": Linguistic And Exegetical Considerations For Translating The Sixth Petition Of The Lord's Prayer, Brodie Allan Robinson

Masters Theses

In 2019, the Vatican announced a revision to the Italian translation of the Roman Missal, modifying the temptation petition of the Lord’s Prayer from “non ci indurre in tentazione” (“lead us not into temptation”) to “non abbandonarci alla tentazione” (“do not abandon us to temptation”). A formal, word-for-word rendering of the petition was substituted for a freer, more interpretive one. Though such a change seems insignificant, it stands at the heart of one of the most theologically contested passages in the New Testament, a passage which appears to contradict most scriptural teaching on temptation. This thesis probes the multiple problems …

Determining The Impacts Of Exercise Participation On Disaster Response, Tanya Jean Hockett

Masters Theses

There are many opinions surrounding the importance and effectiveness of emergency exercises and their influence on the response phase of emergency management. Understanding how exercises affect emergency response operations can help training and exercise programs enhance the structure and implementation of meaningful, strategic exercises. However, there is limited research available to validate this. This qualitative study analyzed the responses of 106 survey participants and found that exercise participation positively impacted the ability of individuals to respond to incidents and disasters. By analyzing and categorizing a series of open-ended responses, it was determined that the most important benefit of exercise participation …

New Media Art: Curating Social Justice In Contemporary Art Museums And Arts Organizations, Kyung Eun Lee

Masters Theses

My research project includes case studies in which I interviewed nine new media art curators and directors whose curatorial practices offer historical analyses and theoretical perspectives that address the dynamics of social justice by using new media art. I investigate the ways in which social justice is presented in museums and arts organizations. Central to this project is an examination of museum practices where the use of new media art becomes a central platform to showcase issues of social justice.

The Color Line In Communism: The East German Ministry Of Culture’S Portrayal Of Paul Robeson’S State Visit, Colin J. Rensch

Masters Theses

During the 1950s and 1960s, the Cold War, the American Civil Rights movement, and anticolonialism combined to create a complex political, social, and economic landscape and a division of the globe into the so-called first, second, and third worlds. It is within this context that African American performer and activist Paul Robeson traveled to the GDR for an official visit in October 1960.

This visit was highly significant in light of the oppression Robeson had experienced at the hands of the US State Department. In response to Robeson’s communist sympathy, the State Department had revoked Robeson’s passport in 1950, and …

Turning The Page: A Design Thinking Approach To Increasing Literacy Advocacy In West Alabama, Justin C. Walters

Masters Theses

Through the problem/solution lens of design thinking, this research critically analyzes the promotional activities and materials used by the Literacy Council of West Alabama (LCWA) to determine their effectiveness in reaching both functionally illiterate populations as well as the fully-literate population aiming to work the advocacy front with this nonprofit organization. Qualitative data was gathered through the utilization of a web heuristic evaluation, as well as the evaluation of current marketing materials for LCWA; these insights were used to guide the design and creation of new print and digital marketing materials for the organization. Results of this research aimed to …

Analysis Of Interdunal Wetlands And Ecosystem Dynamics Using Uas And Obia In Ludington State Park, Michigan, Claire Gilbert

Masters Theses

The Great Lakes sand dunes are the world's largest freshwater dune complex. There is a functional relationship between coastal wetlands and freshwater sand dune, referred to as interdunal wetlands. Interdunal wetland systems are highly dynamic and change dramatically seasonally and annually. Using geographic information systems (GIS) and unoccupied aerial systems (UAS), this thesis project is focused on understanding the spatial distribution of sparse and dense vegetation, and abiotic influence such as distance to coast, slope, and aspect influence interdunal wetland stability within a Great Lakes shoreline dune system. Object-based image analysis (OBIA) classification results extracted meaningful vegetation densities of growth …

Traumatic Clergical Ministry Leads To Vicarious Trauma, Ptsd, And Ministry Burnout, Teresa Denine Hanson

Masters Theses

The exodus of clergy leaving their positions of ministry incites the need to identify the cause; to probe the question of “why?” Though the topic of burnout is proliferous within ministry circles, the writer’s thesis is that the cause of departure lies within three areas, not isolated to the topic of “burnout.” Diversification of causes exist, broken down into three primary causes: Vicarious Trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Burnout. Following diversification of cause, personality traits are identified in the section Contributing Factors. From this point, the writer first addresses external supports for those with these primary areas, followed by …

“Someone’S Got To Look Out For The People”: Exploring Donald Trump And Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’S Online Performance Of Populism And Immigration Rhetoric, Taylor P. Koopman

Masters Theses

This thesis examines the performance of populism by a right- and left-wing politician in the digital sphere during the peak of the immigration crisis in 2019 using the lens of Moffitt’s populism as performance theory (performer, stage, and audience) and Baldwin-Philippi’s four methods of ‘centering the people.’ My findings show that Trump and Ocasio-Cortez’s performances of populism condemn the degradation of the U.S. and portray themselves as immigration warriors. Trump uses exclusionary rhetoric to advocate putting “America First,” and Ocasio-Cortez expresses inclusionary rhetoric to develop an “America for All,” in a way that informs their performances of …

Can’T Stop: The Effects Of High-P Sequencing On Fluency And Retention, Andrew R. Smith

Masters Theses

Precision teaching has led to successful outcomes in both training and education. Past research has shown that by using flashcard techniques such as SAFMEDS in ratebuilding exercises, one can expect expert levels of performance and retention of learned material by practicing for a minute a day. Fluency training using SAFMEDS could prove invaluable in businesses that wish to train their employees using cost and time efficient methods. However, recent research has shown that the SAFMEDS sequence may not quickly build accurate rates of responding in earlier sessions, or reliably lead to high levels of retention. High probability (high-p) sequences can …

Singing In Synchrony: A Feasibility Study Of Interpersonal Familiarity And Movement Synchrony In Group Singing, Sheridan Rockwell Brown

Masters Theses

In a time when social isolation and decreased in-person interactions pose increasing risks for physical, emotional, and mental well-being, it is more important than ever to find ways to combat the negative consequences of social isolation. Moving in synchrony with others and singing with others have both been identified as social activities through which social bonding may occur, yet little is known about the role of natural movement synchrony in group singing. This study sought to explore the feasibility of using motion capture technology to examine the natural head movements of groups of four participants singing together. The study consisted …

The Urban Morphology Of Hyderabad, India: A Historical Geographic Analysis, Kevin B. Haynes

Masters Theses

Hyderabad, India has undergone tremendous change over the last three centuries. The study seeks to understand how and why Hyderabad transitioned from a north-south urban morphological directional pattern to east-west during from 1687 to 2019. Satellite-based remote sensing will be used to measure the extent and land classifications of the city throughout the twentieth and twenty-first century using a geographic information science and historical-geographic approach. This approach provides the basis for a structured archival historical-geographic analysis. Focusing on Hyderabad, India from 1687 to 2019, the objectives of this research are to: (1) delineate and quantify the geographic extent of built-up …

The Portrayal Of The Woman’S Suffrage Movement In High School History Textbooks, Michelle A. Devries

Masters Theses

The narrative of the woman’s suffrage movement in high school history textbooks varies from textbook to textbook and over time. Textbooks include different information, people, events, and interpretations of events. They employ different word choices and pictures. By using comparative analyzation of numerous popular high school textbooks, the pressure exerted by external economic, social, and political forces on the historical narrative can be seen. Studying the historical narrative in this way trains students to be discerning learners of history and equips them not only to recognize the bias in any historical narrative, but also to be able to analyze how …

Attraction To Both Genders And The Link To Depression Mediated By The Big Five And Permissiveness In Relationships, Jolene Elizabeth Wyman

Masters Theses

The outcome of depression has been well established for sexual minorities. This can be seen in particular within the research regarding those who are attracted to both genders (ABG). The lifestyle choice of nonmonogamous or open relationships is commonly found in ABG relationships. These behaviors demonstrate the concept of permissiveness in relationships. The negative effect of the nonmonogamous lifestyle yields mixed results of either no developed psychopathologies and more personal satisfaction or in developed psychopathologies such as depression. Conscientiousness is often negatively correlated to ABG, permissive behavior in relationships, and depression. The current hypothesis is that conscientiousness and permissiveness in …

Those Beyond The Walls: An Archaeological Examination Of Michilimackinac’S Extramural Domestic Settlement, 1760-1781, James Cain Dunnigan

Masters Theses

Ideal for both the French and British, the location of Fort Michilimackinac was selected to serve as a key entrepôt for European goods from the colonized east coast to be traded for furs from the Upper Country. The diverse population that formed around Michilimackinac included French and British soldiers, traders, craftsmen, and their families, as well as large seasonal populations of Native Americans. While the Fort’s interior continues to be vigorously examined, little focus has been directed to the larger, multicultural village that emerged outside the fort’s walls in the latter half of the eighteenth century. Excavations from 1970-1973, conducted …