Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Using A Media Technology Showcase To Bridge The Gap Between K-12 & Higher Education: Creating A Professional Development Workshop, Sonya S. Shepherd

University Libraries: Faculty Presentations

Why should students spend time navigating to find the library tools needed to search? Why not provide direct links to library resources so more time is spent finding, evaluating, and synthesizing information? These were questions asked by some academic librarians trying to help students locate resources for assignments.As a result, these academic librarians created online tutorials for using persistent links to library resources. Teaching faculty learned how to use the links in web pages and WebCT Vista. These tutorials were also shared at conferences. Attendees encouraged the presenters to develop a hands-on workshop. Attendees also suggested the workshop as a …

Out Of The Themanos: A Model Of Combined Expressive Art And Outreach Therapy, Tal Reemarchook

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The research investigated the effectiveness of an innovative model of combined Expressive Therapies (ET) and outreach therapy. This model was developed to accommodate the needs of dysfunctional clients who cannot fully benefit from the conventional ET setting. The study was a preliminary qualitative case study, investigating the assumption that combining ET work in the office with an activity in an outreach setting chosen by the client could contribute to initial experiences of coping and success for dysfunctional clients. One woman and two men aged 20, 32 and 47 participated in the research over 15 sessions on a twice a week …

Predicting Bullying Among High School Students Using Individual And School Factors: Analysis Of A National Survey, Chad M. Bohn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Being bullied has been recognized as a problem within the U.S. school systems. Individuals who have been bullied physically, verbally, relationally, or electronically typically suffer from mental health problems as a result. As it has been shown that males are more at risk for being bullied, it is important to understand what variables can predict males being bullied in order to design appropriate preventions and interventions to curb bullying in the schools. Four forms of school bullying behaviors among U.S. adolescent males and their association with type of bullying, school environment, and school performance and engagement variables were examined.

Data …

Social Skills Intervention For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Survey Of School Psychologists, Amanda S. Day

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Social skills interventions for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are needed as the number of students with ASD are increasing in educational settings. The purpose of this study was to investigate school psychologists' perceptions on the effectiveness and generalization of social skills interventions for students with ASD. Training and confidence of providing services to students with ASD was also examined in the study. A survey was administered to a sample of school psychologists from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). In total, 221 responses were received and 136 of those responders indicated that they have implemented or organized …

Book Review: "How Latin America Saved The Soul Of The Catholic Church" (Cleary, 2009), Jayeel Cornelio

Development Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

At The Crossroads: The History Of The Greek-Catholic Church In Lithuania Part Iii: A New Beginning, Francesco La Rocca

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Let's Face Facts, These Mountains Won't Grow Back: Reducing The Environmental Impact Of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining In Appalachia, Diana Kaneva

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Gatekeeping In A Tv News Editorial Conference: Shift Of Force, Other Media, Personal Experience And Pack Mentality, Kyril Daniel Plaskon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study uses Gatekeeping Theory and Conversational Analysis to describe how four factors influence news gatekeepers in a small group at one TV station. The four factors include shifting forces, other media, personal experience and pack mentality. They were identified through conversational analysis of pilot data and the research questions are supported in the literature as common influences in news gatekeeping. This study describes how those four elements occur during group conversation.

Analysis of the recorded data collected in five editorial conferences describes how the four factors are expressed by the gatekeepers as they consider events that may become news. …

The Process Of Coaching: An Examination Of Authenticity, Steven C. Barnson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The primary purpose of this project was to approach the complexity of coaching by embracing the tensions inherently found in the coaching process. In doing so, the goal was to develop a grounded theory that describes the process interscholastic team coaches' use in doing their job from a paradoxical perspective. While working to achieve that goal, the coaching process was described using language that is meaningful for practicing coaches. In addition, the nature a coaching philosophy plays in the decision-making process for coaches was also probed. The goals of this study were developed because of coaching science's failure to adequately …

International Study Program For Indoor Environmental Research, Stoil Pamoukov

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined the effect on student performance, perception and mood caused by different physical classroom environmental conditions. Three classroom physical environmental conditions were investigated; room temperature, light intensity and sound level. A two phase pilot study was performed where these conditions were compounded into one and two levels were selected in such a way to create a normal and extreme classroom physical environment. A total of 154 undergraduate UNLV students participated in the two phase pilot laboratory study in which they completed tasks related to reading and listening to an oral presentation of a passage of high density technical …

Ready For Life — An Evaluation: Factors Relating To Truancy And Promising Practices, Clayton Nichols, Shenita Harper, Maria Thomas, Mikaela Louve, Christina Vela

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Truancy has been linked to serious delinquent activity in youth and to significant negative behavior and characteristics in adults. Truancy is one of the most common factors leading to dropout and students not meeting graduation standards. Nevada has arguably the highest high school dropout rate in the nation. This evaluation was prepared for Ready for Life: A movement created by Nevada Public Education Foundation (NPEF), to connect youth to school and work by age 25, but can be of use to several audiences. Practitioners who work with struggling students, court representatives and parents, teachers and administrators, and anyone who has …

Housing Factors Associated With Marital Satisfaction, Samantha J. Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to assess the direction and magnitude of the relationship between levels of marital satisfaction and two main housing variables--the housing burden ratio and the amount of home equity. The influence that these variables have on levels of marital satisfaction was mediated and moderated by how satisfied couples were with their homes and their finances, as well as their perceived experience of economic pressure. The results ultimately provide insights that can improve both couple well-being and financial/housing situations by pinpointing factors that account for the variance in marital satisfaction.

This study used existing data from …

Exploring The Relationship Between Place Identity And Personalization Of Space In Temporary Student Housing, Joshua H. Rowley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationship between the personalization of one’s physical environment and the degree of place identity the person has toward their space, specifically those living in temporary student housing. There have been several studies on peoples’ inherent need to personalize their space. While previous research has identified key factors that help to define place identity in general, this study addresses the fact that not much has been said about how people in temporary housing, specifically student housing, actually go about creating their living spaces.

The key issues this research addressed were the …

Socioeconomic Status, Women, And Hiv: Do The Determinants Of Female Hiv Vary By Socioeconomic Status In Cameroon?, Joyce Ndueh Mumah

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is currently one of the greatest health challenges being faced by many developing nations, especially countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that more than 25 million Sub-Saharan Africans are infected with the disease, with more than 2.8 million new infected cases in 2006. Mortality from the disease is high, with an estimated 2.1 million having already died from the disease. Women are more likely to be infected with the disease, and account for more than half of all global HIV/AIDS cases. Sub-Saharan African (SSA) women, specifically, constitute about 77 percent of all HIV/AIDS cases in the …

Sociodemographic Correlates Of Public Land Use And Management Preferences Among Utah Residents, Ashley R. Styczynski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis is to look at the preferred use and management of public lands in the state of Utah. The data used in this study was collected through a statewide, random survey measuring the respondent’s preferred use and management of public lands along with social and demographic information. Several quantitative tests were conducted on the variables used to illustrate the following: a snapshot of what the survey population looks like, how each independent variable interacts with the dependent variable, and finally, the combined interaction of all of the independent variables on the dependent variable. The primary goal …

By-Products: Immigration, Raids, And Meatpacking In Rural Communities, Kevin D. Hanks

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis is to show the short- and long-term responses and adaptations of workers and employers in the meatpacking industry to the new immigration enforcement strategy of the increased use of worksite immigration raids. Worksite raids have become part of the new immigration enforcement strategy of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (I.C.E.). A review of the literature regarding the meatpacking industry, its history, relocation to and impacts on rural communities, and of immigration policy over the last 70 years is conducted. A case study of the Swift & Co. meatpacking plant in Hyrum, Utah that experienced …

For Love Or Money: Has Neoliberalism Impacted Fertility? A Historical Comparison, Elizabeth Anne Kiester

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Known as neoliberalism, an economic philosophy has spread throughout the world and may be contributing to total fertility rates that have fallen well below replacement value. I present two neoliberal mechanisms and how they may have driven total fertility rates around the world well below replacement levels and inhibited growth. These include increased social risks in the labor market as well as in the household. I then build a theoretical framework based on the social embeddedness of markets as conceived by Karl Polanyi and the concept of social risk as suggested by Richard Breen, suggesting that the unique combinations of …

Successes And Challenges Of Family And Consumer Science Extension Agents In The Implementation Of Couple And Relationship Education, Stacey A. Huffaker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Although healthy relationship initiatives are becoming more common, relatively little is known about the processes and outcomes of these initiatives. This study uses a phenomenological qualitative approach to examine the experiences of Family and Consumer Science (FCS) extension agents in the implementation of couple and relationship education in the Utah Healthy Relationship Initiative. Data were collected through quarterly report forms submitted by extension agents describing successes and barriers to their work. Successes in the project related to collaborative partnerships, attendance/participation, and positive outcomes for participants. Collaborative partnerships were instrumental in reaching more participants and finding cultural resources. The challenges that …

A Multigroup Analysis Of Reintegrative Shaming Theory: An Application To Drunk Driving Offenses, Elizabeth J. Dansie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A restorative justice alternative to crime prevention termed reintegrative shaming theory by Braithwaite has seen increased attention as an alternative to retributive justice, although empirical investigations of its efficacy are limited. The purpose of the present study was to test confirmatory measurement and structural models of reintegrative shaming theory in order to assess the underlying theoretical model and the application of this theory in response to drunk driving offenses. Nine latent constructs were included in these models: reintegration, stigmatization, perceived fairness, self esteem, shame-guilt, embarrassment-exposure, unresolved shame, offender responsibility, and family support.

Multigroup structural equation modeling was used to assess …

Nondrug Reinforcement Loss And Relapse To Alcohol Seeking In Another Context, Adam D. Pyszczynski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Extinguished alcohol-maintained responding has been shown to relapse in a
resurgence preparation when food-reinforced responding is subsequently extinguished within the same context. However, drug and nondrug reinforcers are often specific to different contexts. Accordingly, the present experiments sought to determine whether loss of an alternative source of nondrug reinforcement in one context could produce relapse to drug seeking in a separate context. In one experiment, rats made topographically different responses for food or alcohol in alternating components of a multiple schedule. Both reinforcers were delivered during baseline, alcohol was withheld during the second phase of the experiment, and finally both …

Examining The Effects Of Reinforcement Context On Relapse Of Observing, Eric A. Thrailkill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Attentional biases occur with various psychological disorders, including drug addiction and anxiety. Conditioned reinforcement likely plays a role in maintaining attentional biases to stimuli associated with reinforcement for unwanted behavior. The observing-response procedure is considered a model of attending as reflected by responding maintained by conditioned reinforcement. Effects of primary reinforcement on the persistence of observing have been studied in the framework of behavioral momentum theory. Studies have shown observing-responses to be more resistant to
change in contexts arranging relatively higher rates of primary reinforcement. Recently, behavioral momentum theory has been extended to describe the effects of primary reinforcement context …

Lifestyle Behaviors And Cognitive Status In A Community Sample Of Older Adults, Heeyoung Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Lifestyle behaviors have been associated with better cognitive status and reduced risk of dementia. However, only individual or combinations of a few lifestyle behaviors have been studied. The present study examines the association between lifestyle behaviors and cognitive status in older adults including six lifestyle behaviors: cognitive activities, social activities, physical activities, religious involvement, diet, and alcohol consumption.

The study population is a sample of 1,216 community-dwelling men and women age 65 years and older from Cache County, Utah. The present study is conducted using the extant data from the Cache County Study on Memory Health and Aging (CCSMHA), a …

Determining Profitability Strategies For Various Retained Ownership Enterprises In Utah, Matthew H. Hirschi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

With the price of corn now over $6 per bushel, and with feedlot total cost per pound of gain now approaching $1.00 per pound of gain there are new incentives to try and add weight to calves outside of feedlots. The question then arises of how to add weight to a calf in the most economical manner. There are many different feeding programs to consider. However, with few exceptions, the cheapest way to add weight outside of a feedlot usually involves the calf grazing for an extended period of time. Winter pasture grazing, wheat pasture grazing and corn stalk grazing …

Essays On Population Aging And Social Security In The U.S., Shantanu Bagchi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Over the past few decades, falling birth rates and increasing life expectancies have threatened the viability of social security programs all across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In this dissertation, I attempt to shed some light on the extent of the crisis that the social security program in the United States (U.S.) currently faces, and I also recommend one possible reform policy. In the first essay, I provide an alternative estimate of the impact of population aging on the future social security benefits in the U.S., while accounting for the household-level and macroeconomic adjustments to population aging. …

Counseling And Psychotherapy With Clients Of Middle Eastern Descent: A Qualitative Inquiry, Sara Boghosian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It is becoming increasingly important for clinical and counseling psychologists to have multicultural competence skills for treating an increasingly diverse client population. The psychology literature related to culturally competent treatment with persons of Middle Eastern descent is currently limited. In this study, qualitative methodology was utilized to explore the mental health attitudes and psychotherapy experiences of clients of Middle Eastern descent. Participants described culturally influenced mental health attitudes. Major themes included the severity of stigma associated with mental illness, the importance of family in responding to mental illness, and the process of grieving in Middle Eastern cultures. Study findings suggest …

Behavioral Responses Of Willow Flycatchers, Empidonax Traillii, To A Heterogeneous Environment, Amanda V. Bakian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Spatial heterogeneity impacts population and community-level dynamics including species-level dispersal patterns, the use and availability of refugia, predator/prey dynamics, and reproductive fitness. Understanding how wild animal populations respond to environmental heterogeneity is essential for their proper management and conservation. In this study, I examine the responses of Willow Flycatchers to spatial heterogeneity in the distribution of their food and habitat resources. Over the course of three breeding seasons, I radio- tracked Willow Flycatchers at Fish Creek in Manti-La Sal National Forest in Utah, recorded detailed behavior data at each radio location, and collected fecal, feather and insect samples. I formulated …

Three Essays On The Economic Impact Of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy In The United States, Rachna Gollamudi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The first native-born case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE or commonly known as Mad Cow Disease) in North American continent was reported on 20 May 2003 in central Alberta, Canada. The first case of BSE in the United States was announced on 23 December 2003.

My dissertation is divided into three essays on the economic impact of the outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in the United States in December 2003. The first essay focuses on quantifying the impact of the outbreak of BSE in the United States and Canada on the stock returns of major publicly traded agribusiness firms …

Therapists' And Families' Views On Family Involvement In Adolescent Residential Treatment, Jonathan D. Zabriskie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study of 24 therapists and 64 family members representing 109 adolescent residents of six residential treatment centers aimed to better understand therapists' and family members' points of view about family involvement in residential treatment for troubled adolescents. The study also provided the therapists' and family members' recommendations for family involvement in residential treatment.

Findings from this mixed-methods study suggest that (a) the families from this study were involved in many different ways in their adolescents' treatment, including phone calls, visits to the treatment center, participation in therapy, and so forth; (b) there were areas in which therapists and family …

Examining Child Sexual Abuse And Future Parenting: An Application Of Latent Class Modeling, Kimberly W. D'Zatko

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was designed to empirically derive latent classes of mothers who were sexually abused during childhood and to assess the association between depression, alcohol/drug use, supportive intimate partner, and specific classes.

One hundred six women between the ages of 20 and 44 years (M = 27) who reported having been sexually abused during childhood (CSA) and 158 non-CSA mothers between the ages of 20 and 43 years (M = 23) were interviewed and assessed along six parenting dimensions. Logistic regression models evaluated the association between psychoemotional variables and specific classes.

The final model consisted of three classes—53.2%, …

The Shape Of Grief: A Generational Legacy Of The Vietnam War, Benjamin A. Quick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A well-known memoirist once said that a true war story never seems to end, that it just keeps going and going. The question begs: If the war story never ends, then how does it manifest in future generations? In my case, as the first-born son of a Vietnam veteran, the war story has played out physically, within my body, in the form of an Agent Orange-related disability and a resulting set of limitations and adaptations. Fortunately, for me the limitations have been few and the adaptations many. But despite this, I’ve known, since a relatively young age, that I am …