Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Effectively Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives: A Case Study, Razaz Banoun

Theses and Dissertations

The execution of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy requires that companies maintain clarity in communication of their objectives to the public. The core reason for doing this is so that the companies are not misconstrued on the basis of their intentions. Commonly, people have tended to raise suspicions based on the sudden goodwill of corporations performing well in terms of their profit ratings, given that they are perceived as having a hidden agenda in relation to their active engagements in CSR. This case study has sought to highlight the various ways that are applied by Samsung Inc. to communicate …

A Path To Empathy: Child And Family Communication, Sarah Ann Stone

Theses and Dissertations

This longitudinal study examined the association between communication in the family on the development of empathy in young children. Co-regulation and family expressiveness measured communication in parent-child dyads at age 12 months (N = 186), 24 months (N = 100), and 36 months (N = 78). A follow-up was conducted at 60 months (N = 47) to measure empathy-related responding in children. Co-regulation styles change over time, generally increasing in the most engaged, two-way style of communication (symmetrical) and decreasing in one-sided and less engaged types. Greater family expressiveness predicted higher levels of empathy as observed in an empathy-eliciting experiment, …

The Vocabulary Research Database: A Compilation Of State-Of-The-Art Academic Vocabulary Research, Melissa Ann Young

Theses and Dissertations

The Vocabulary Research Database (VRD) is a research tool comprised of a compilation of state-of-the art academic research in the field of vocabulary acquisition and pedagogy. The VRD has flexible search features that allow users to obtain higher granularity than is possible with other free databases and online search options currently available, making the results more relevant and manageable. These features include the ability to constrain results by date, author, publication, sub-topics, keywords, citation numbers, journal impact factors, and participant ages. It is anticipated that the ability to manipulate results, combined with relevant and current content, will provide language professionals …

Idioms As A Measure Of Proficiency, Kyle Hugh Vanderniet

Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of this thesis is to explore the relationship between idiomatic knowledge and second language proficiency. As the amount of research directly related to this topic is sparse, an in-depth discussion of relevant research and definitions comprises the first part of this paper. Two studies are then presented here that test the relationship between idiomatic knowledge and second language proficiency. A new definition for idioms proposes that all non-compositional phrases, popularized by usage, that is stored, retrieved, and employed as a single lexical unit. The results from more than 400 participants across two studies indicate that the two constructs …

Half The Art Of Living: The Influence Of Religion On The Relation Between Interparental Conflict And Childhood Internalizing And Externalizing Behaviors, Alexandra Michelle Wills

Theses and Dissertations

Children are increasingly being raised in environments that threaten healthy development, but there are children who develop well in spite of these threats, and there are factors within children's lives that can ameliorate the negative influence of these threats some of the time (Condly, 2006; Masten, 2001; Werner, 1993). Interparental conflict is one factor that can contribute to threatening healthy development and, indeed, has been linked with a variety of negative outcomes for children, including internalizing and externalizing behaviors (Gonzales, Pitts, Hill, & Roosa, 2000; Ingoldsby, Shaw, Owens, & Winslow, 1999; Rhoades, 2008). Religion has been studied as a contributing …

Predicting Risky Sexual Behavior: The Role Of Family Context Factors And Socioeconomic Status, Kori Daniel

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine the association between family context factors (parental monitoring, family structure, and amount and timing of parent-adolescent communication), socioeconomic status (parental education) and sexual risk taking behaviors in adolescence (age of sexual initiation, number of lifetime partners, condom use, pregnancy prevention, and drug/alcohol use). The participants included 255 students between the ages of 18 and 25 from Illinois State University. The majority of the participants were White/European, heterosexual, women. Students were offered the opportunity to receive extra credit for their participation in the study. Participants were asked to fill out a demographic …

Life Is Calling ... How Far Will You Go ... Back In The Closet? Identity Negotiation And Management Among Queer, Peace Corps Volunteers, Kate Elizabeth Slisz

Theses and Dissertations

There is little to no research surrounding the experiences of queer, foreign-aid workers. To address this gap, a study was conducted to explore how compulsory heterosexuality affects the social construction of sexuality in societies where queer, foreign-aid workers serve and how this influences their identity negotiation and management processes. Participants consisted of ten self-identified queer, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), as well as, the researcher herself who also identifies as queer. Data was gathered through both semi-structured interviews and autoethnographic research. Meaning structuring through narratives was used to analyze the data. Analysis revealed that strategies of silencing, counterfeiting, and lying …

Ideographs And American Mass Media: Understanding The Narrative On The Israel-Palestine Conflict And Its Influence On Publics, Savanna Lynn Fowler

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the American mass media's narrative on the Israel-Palestine conflict to understand the power of ideographs and their influence on specific publics. I focus on two popular ideographs in mass media reporting,and, in order to examine how these ideographs are utilized to construct a narrative for the media's publics, the political ideologies they represent, the agendas they further, and the consequences their narrow use has on developing counterpublics and emerging alternative narratives around the conflict. I focus my attention on the mass media's coverage of a sixteen day Israeli shelling in Gaza and how public consent is acquired …

Caution, Traffick Ahead: Determining Message Design Features From Anti-Human Trafficking Non-Profit Organizations, Elayne Goldman

Theses and Dissertations

This paper looks at the effectiveness of the messages distributed by Anti-Human Trafficking Non-Profit Organizations, from the perspective of the individual Non-Profit Organizations themselves. Anti-Human Trafficking messages are disseminated to the public by non-profit organizations on a daily basis, but are constantly ignored. This paper tries to determine why. Research suggests that Non-Profit Organizations use either fear appeal or a call-to-action when creating and distributing their messages, and the goal of the study conducted was to determine the effectiveness of those messages from the perspectives of those who create the messages. Participants were individuals from Anti-Human Trafficking Non-Profit Organizations that …

Can Non-Haptic Manipulation Of Temperature Influence The Same Emotions As Ostracism?, Rebecca Ann Oglesby

Theses and Dissertations

I explored the possibility that temperature can alter the same variables affected by ostracism (i.e., being ignored and excluded): belonging, control, meaningful existence, and self-esteem need satisfaction, feelings of ostracism, mood, and loneliness. According to the theory of embodied cognition, individuals can associate physical warmth with social intimacy, as well as cold temperatures with social isolation (Zhong & Leonardelli, 2008; IJzerman et al., 2012). Bargh and Shalev (2012) found that participants holding a cold pack reported higher loneliness than participants holding a neutral or warm pack. My study expands upon Bargh and Shalevâ??s (2012) findings by examining more emotions frequently …

Exploring The Dark Side: Investigating The Relationship Between Creativity And Perceptions Of Dishonesty, Kiera Michelle Dymit

Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have reported a connection between creativity and dishonesty (Beaussart, Andrews, & Kaufman, 2013; Gino & Ariely, 2012; Gino & Wiltermuth, 2014). This study attempts to investigate these finding further, and empirically connect the number of justifications provided or produced for a dishonest behavior to the perceived acceptability of the behavior. 203 participants were given two tasks involving evaluating and justifying dishonest behavior. Those who scored high on the Creative Behavior Inventory were able to produce significantly more justifications overall, but not those who scored high on the Creative Personality Scale. The total number of justifications produced was correlated …

"Sing Me A Sad Song And Make Me Feel Better": Exploring Rewards Related To Liking Familiar Sad Music, John D. Hogue

Theses and Dissertations

Hogue (2013) tested some of Levinson's (1997) theoretical ideas about why people like listening to songs that make them sad. Particularly, Hogue tested Levinson's ideas of communion, mediation, savoring feeling, and how absorption interacted with the songs to affect communion and the emotion. Hogue, however, did not use musical stimuli that were familiar to the participants, which is a precursor to Levinson's (1997) theory. This thesis retested Levinson's theory comparing familiar songs against unfamiliar songs and songs from another participant.

Data were collected from 82 participants. Each participant provided songs that induced happiness and songs that induced sadness. Participants listened …

Evaluation, Coordination And Execution: An Analysis Of Military Coup Agency At Instances Of Successful Coup D’État, Karim El-Baz

Theses and Dissertations

Theoretically, members of the ground forces are the normal coup plotters as they have sufficient training and equipment to accomplish the objectives of a successful coup. Henceforth, what is quite puzzling is mixed coups. These coups include other officers from other service branches; taking into account, the ability of ground forces to execute the coup without the interference of other service branches. Therefore, the question is why would the coup leader involve those whom he would not tactically need for the coups’ execution. This is only one side of the puzzle that asks why and how a mixed coup agency …

Examining Social Desirability Bias In Measures Of Financial Behavior, Nicole L. Kelly

Theses and Dissertations

Surveys that investigate the financial lives of consumers consist of direct questions about financial behavior, with college students being a heavily surveyed and convenient sample (Gutter 2013). However, the subjective nature of survey data is not bias-free, indicated by the presence of disparities between the respondents' reported and actual behavior. Due to the fact that many students begin to acquire loans, establish credit, and initiate saving behaviors in college, it is important that we have a complete understanding the financial behavior of college students.

The goal of this study was to investigate the role of socially desirable responding (SDR) in …

Childhood Feeding Practices And Parenting Styles In Hispanics, Kasi Spinelli

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to detect an ethnic difference in Hispanic and feeding practices in early childhood. It is further hypothesized that there will be a relationship between parenting styles and feeding practices. 24 Rowan graduate students completed a survey, the Toddler Feeding questionnaire by Chaidez & Kaiser (2011). The items on the survey were divided into questions that asked about parenting styles, feeding practices, environmental factors, and demographics. The ethnicity was analyzed by using a one-way ANOVA (within) to discover any associations between the parenting styles and feeding practices items on the survey. There was not a …

Sentencing Disparities In Arkansas: A Multiple Year Study, Jennifer M. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines contextual- and individual-level predictors of adult sentencing outcomes for felony offenders in the state of Arkansas from 2005 to 2009. Contextual- and individual-level variables are used to determine the effects of conflict and social disorganization theory on sentencing outcomes and/or disparities as the individuals vary by race/ethnicity across counties. In the United States, where whites are the majority, theoretically laws and policies should demonstrate oppressive results on the minorities. Criminological literature illustrates sentencing disparities based on race and/or ethnicity, depending on location. One consistent theoretical perspective that emerges from the literature for explaining this phenomenon is conflict …

The Life Course Of Female Homicide Offenders: A Mixed Methods Analysis, Alesa Ray Liles

Theses and Dissertations

Although research on female offending has grown in the past few decades, the criminal justice system has remained inadequate in addressing and responding to the needs of women. Researchers have just begun to study the lives of women independently of men to uncover the similarities, and more importantly, differences. The limited research that is available on the life histories of female offenders, particularly female homicide offenders, shows there are events and experiences that play a significant role in the lives of these women. To increase knowledge on the individual factors that lead to female offending, this dissertation sought to incorporate …

A Multilevel Approach To Recidivism: The Role Of Risk For Criminal Opportunities At The Neighborhood Level, Grant Drawve

Theses and Dissertations

In the past, research has focused on individual-level characteristics in examining recidivism, which could, in part, be because recidivism relies on the offenders to commit crime. In short, people recidivate, so research focuses on individuals, the ‘who’. With such a spotlight on individual characteristics, other, potential influential factors of recidivism are limited in research. One potential aspect of recidivism research that may add to the understanding is that the offenders are going back to neighborhoods. The expansion of research on recidivism to examine the neighborhood factors builds from identify the ‘who’ and working towards understanding the ‘where’. The purpose of …

Bibliotherapy As An Intervention For Aggressive Elementary Children, Kari Newman

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effect of bibliotherapy as an intervention for aggressive elementary children at a residential treatment center in the western United States. Bibliotherapy was provided for six children, three boys and three girls, ages 9 to 11, Caucasian and Hispanic, who took part in one of two groups. The study involved a multi-baseline design, beginning with a baseline phase, followed by two separate intervention phases comprised of eight sessions of bibliotherapy. Data gathered from almost daily observations along with pre- and post-intervention ratings of aggressive behaviors indicated that four of the six students demonstrated notable decreases in observed …

Assessment Variability Among States In Determining Part C Eligibility Criteria, April Siktar

Theses and Dissertations

Early intervention (EI), known as Part C, is an integral component of providing young children with individualized attention that enriches their development. The EI services are provided to children zero to two years old that are deemed eligible by specific diagnosis, clinical opinion, or based on assessment scores. States have flexibility on which assessments should be used and the qualifications of the examiner. The variations among states and districts can have implications on who is eligible to receive services throughout the country. The purpose of this study is to investigate the assessments and examiner's qualification in each state. The ongoing …

The Innovation Makerspace: Geographies Of Digital Fabrication Innovation In Greater New York City, Kathryn Dickerson

Theses and Dissertations

Desktop digital fabrication technology has the potential to powerfully alter the economics, geography, and sociology of production. The desktop technology cannot reach its potential for widespread impact until it improves in quality and decreases in price. Makerspaces have emerged in the United States in the last eight years as informal social organizations where innovation in this technology may be occurring. This study examines whether innovation in digital fabrication technology has occurred, or has the potential to occur, at makerspaces in the New York City area.

Foreign Teachers With Foreign Language Accents In The Classroom: Perspectives And Reactions From High School Students, Judith Justine Knieling Daouda

Theses and Dissertations

One aspect that has been suggested to hinder teaching and learning is a foreign language accent of a teacher. Some students complain about not being able to understand their teachers and attribute their academic performance to their teachers’ foreign-accented speech. An analysis of the data from an exit survey from the senior students of a local public charter school that employs numerous foreign-born teachers who speak English non-natively explains 1. if high school students think that their academic performance is affected by their foreign teachers’ foreign language accents, and 2. what students do if they think their teachers’ foreign accents …

The Doha Round And Globalization: A Failure Of World Economic Development?, William E. Keating

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to analyze the WTO’s Doha Round and its numerous developmental objectives, assess the major issues that led to its stagnation, as well as examine the economic prospects for developing nations and the potential future of international trade and development.

Women Workin’ It In Gis: A Mixed Methods Study Of Underrepresentation And The Gendered Experience Among Female Gis Practitioners, Livia M. Betancourt Mazur

Theses and Dissertations

Through novel empirical research, this thesis explores the experience of women working in the professional field of geographic information systems (GIS), adding to GIS literature, as well as to academic geography and wider science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) discourses, addressing gaps in these bodies of knowledge.

Transportation And Sanitation Drivers Of Land Use/Land Cover Change: Loss Of The Jamaica Bay Wetlands, Margaret Joy Cytryn

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an analysis (1830-2014) of the historical events of land use/land cover change in the Jamaica Bay estuary, identification of the agents of change, and a perspective on the potential drivers of transportation and sanitation in land use/land cover change.

Childhood Feeding Practices In African Americans, Nicole Somogy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the feeding practices of minority children specifically looking at African Americans from birth to 11 years old to see if there are any red flags so that professionals can be alerted for a concern with obesity. Previous research conducted on feeding styles and patterns of adults have shown some clues as how a parent plays a key role in the etiology of childhood obesity (Chaidez & Kaiser, 2011). One strategy that is used when looking at obesity is to look at physical activity as well as parenting styles which includes authoritative, authoritarian, …

Examination Of Structured Physical Activity On Students With Special Needs, Arianna Sparano

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of a structured physical activity, Rowan Unified Sports Basketball organization, for children with special needs and the positive impact the physical activity will have on their social skills. Past studies have proven that exercise has many beneficial effects mentally, physically, and socially. The effects reflex on children and adults. Not only does physical fitness promote good health, it relieves stress and anxiety. Social skills will be analyzed using the Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) Rating Scale, the parent form version. A pretest was given at the beginning of the season …

Kosovo After The Conflict The Influence Of Religion In Politics, Adelina Shabani

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Deixis In Shughni: Grammatical And Semantic Considerations, Katja S. Mueller

Theses and Dissertations

Shughni is one of the best documented and described languages of the Pamirs. Linguistic research so far has focused on the verbal system of Shughni grammar but no detailed study has been done on the deictic system of the language. In this thesis I will describe grammatical and semantic aspects of the deictic system in Shughni.

During the course of the project I observed natural conversations, and listened to stories and discussions, and additionally I elicited sentences or conversations in order to clarify structures or understanding of previous observations.

In this thesis I describe the grammatical structures of Shughni deixis …

Computer-Assisted Vocabulary Learning For Deaf Learners Of Foreign Sign Languages, Benjamin J. Cavaletto

Theses and Dissertations

Deaf people have as great or greater need and desire to learn foreign languages as their hearing peers. Currently it is difficult for these learners to find courses and materials that are appropriate for their learning needs. Especially difficult is finding courses or learning materials for learning sign languages, which are more motivating and more accessible for Deaf learners than spoken languages. Additionally, evidence is presented that learning a foreign sign language can act as a bridge to learning a spoken language from the same region. The study presented in this thesis tested the efficacy of a computer-assisted vocabulary learning …