Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

School Social Workers And Multiple Supervisees, Michelle Krueger

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

There are a limited number of school social workers in District #77, Mankato Area Public Schools. There are two school social workers who provide services in eleven elementary schools and middle/high schools as needed. It was proposed that if there were five or six school social work interns who could primarily provide direct services, the school social workers could perform more of a supervisory role. “Group Supervision lessens dependence on the supervisor and offers a supportive peer environment which lessens anxiety and enhances self-efficacy” (Bogo, Cloberman, & Sussman, 2004).

Research Questions: How effective is group supervision? What are the pros …

Physiological Reactions To Uncanny Stimuli: Substantiation Of Self-Assessment And Individual Perception, Tatiana Ballion

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is abundant anecdotal evidence substantiating Mori’s initial observation of the "uncanny valley", a point at which human response to non-human entities drops sharply with respect to comfort (Mori, 1970), and the construct itself has a long-standing history in both Robotics and Psychology. Currently, many fields such as design, training, entertainment, and education make use of heuristic approaches to accommodate the anticipated needs of the user/consumer/audience in certain important aspects. This is due to the lack of empirical substantiation or, in some cases, the impossibility of rigorous quantification; one such area is with respect to the user’s experience of uncanniness, …

The Relationship Between Caregiver Intimate Partner Violence, Posttraumatic Stress, Child Cognitive Self-Development, And Treatment Attrition Among Child Sexual Abuse Victims., Leigh De Delorenzi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a worldwide problem, with two-thirds of all cases going unreported. A wealth of research over the last 30 years demonstrates the negative emotional, cognitive, physical, spiritual, academic, and social effects of CSA. As a result, researchers and mental health professionals frequently attempt to measure the efficacy of treatment modalities in order to assess which treatments lead to better outcomes. However, in order to effectively study treatment outcomes, researchers must be able to track the status of child functioning and symptomology before, during, and after treatment. Because high levels of treatment attrition exist among CSA victims, …

Children’S Acquisition Of Subject Markers In Isixhosa, Mantoa Smouse, Sandile Gxilishe, Jill De Villiers, Peter A. De Villiers

Philosophy: Faculty Publications

The study of African languages is a rapidly growing area of investigation in linguistics. It has become clear that there is a rich fund of information in the large number of African languages falling into several families that can inform the science of the universal and particular features of human language. Although the Bantu language family has no historical relation to the family of Romance languages, fruitful discussion has begun among researchers seeking to illuminate some of the special features that are shared (De Cat and Demuth 2008), especially in the area of concern here, namely clitics. But the definition …

In Depth Analysis Of An Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear: Effects On The Mind And Body, Keimi Lew

Whittier Scholars Program

Injuries have always been a major concern for athletes; anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common serious injuries around. With the increase in reported ACL injuries, this has become a sort of epidemic especially among female athletes. Female athletes are three times more likely to experience a knee injury than a male athlete competing in the same sport. Since this increase in the last decade, researchers have developed several different hypotheses as to why females are more likely to experience these injuries. With these injuries there is a physical aspect, however, it is much more than that, …

Institutional Factors Contributing To The Under-Representation Of African American Women In Higher Education: Perceptions Of Women In Leadership Positions, Kimberly Ann Robinson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

he purpose of this basic qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of African American women who have obtained senior leadership positions in Predominantly White Higher Education Institutions. Data were collected through open-ended, phenomenological-oriented interviews with 12 African American women holding senior level positions in both academic and student affairs in the north and southeast parts of the United States. This study focused on the perceived institutional barriers that have contributed to the under-representation of African American women in higher education senior administration and strategies that were used to overcome perceived barriers. Critical Race Theory was used as a …

The Role Of Vegetarian Options In Campus Dining: Acceptability Of Vegetarian Burgers, James D. Roche

Masters Theses

Although there are many healthy varieties of meats and sustainable methods of raising livestock, there are still environmental and health concerns regarding meat production and consumption. This study examines the acceptability of garden burgers as a replacement for beef burgers in a university dining center by comparing appearance, taste and overall acceptability of these two products. The study also looked to determine whether there were any differences in sensory ratings for the vegetarian burgers between different genders and participants with varying levels of exposure to vegetarian burgers.

Does Menu Labeling Effect [Sic] Consumer Choices?, Ashley R. Waters

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if patrons purchase fewer calories when calorie information was posted on fast food menus. Researchers also sought to explore how the factors of price, taste, and caloric content influenced purchase decisions. Additionally, to determine if certain groups utilize calorie labels more than others, researchers explored demographic factors like gender, age, and education level and other factors like frequency of fast food consumption and knowledge of daily caloric intake.

Relationships Among Growth, Poverty And Inequality In Developing Countries, Mahlet Getachew Gezahegn

Masters Theses

The relationship among growth, poverty and inequality has been and remains one of the most controversial topics in development economics. Development literature suggests that they are likely to evolve in an interrelated fashion in most countries although their exact path will depend on country circumstances.

The primary objective is to explore relationships among growth, poverty and inequality. The investigation largely follows the approach taken by Lundberg and Squire (2003) who however, examine evolution of only growth and inequality. Suitable modifications to their model are made to achieve a greater understanding of the evolutionary process of the three major variables of …

Critical Bifocality And Circuits Of Privilege: Expanding Critical Ethnographic Theory And Design, Lois Weis, Michelle Fine

Publications and Research

Almost 10 years ago, in Working Method (2004), we argued for a critical theory of method for educational studies, which would analyze lives in the context of history, structure, and institutions, across the power lines of privilege and marginalization.

The Use Of Public Relations Tactics In Two Nationwide Fundraising Campaigns In Nonprofit Organisations In Ireland. A Case Study Analysis, Arlene Hogan

Theses

This study aims to analysis the use of public relations in two of Ireland’s nonprofit organisations and their national fundraising campaigns. The two charities chosen were The Mater Foundation and its national fundraising campaign called The Heart Appeal and the second charity is The Irish Heart Foundation and its national campaign called Happy Heart Weekend. The questions that the author will be looking to find are the importance of having PR as part of a nonprofit nationwide fundraising campaign, what PR tactics do these charities use to publicise their national fundraising campaigns in question and does communication play a strategic …

Ethics Of Using Product Samples As A Public Relations Tactic In The Blogosphere., Catherine Chesne

Theses

Public relations used to be only concerned with traditional media but with the rise of new media and new trends in communication there has been a shift in the public relations media environment. This study aims to look at the ethics of using product samples as public relations tactic in the blogosphere.

A qualitative research design was chosen, and semi structured and online interviews were used to carry out pnmary data collection. Interviewees were selected from both public relations and blogging backgrounds, to get a full understanding into their insight and experience of the research topic.

The research findings show …

Full Circle, John A. Drobnicki

Publications and Research

The author looks back on twenty-five years of working in libraries, and reflects on how some duties have not changed.

Beefmoves: Dissemination, Diversity, And Dynamics Of English Borrowings In A German Hip Hop Forum, Matt Garley, Julia Hockenmaier

Publications and Research

We investigate how novel English-derived words (anglicisms) are used in a German-language Internet hip hop forum, and what factors contribute to their uptake.

Ipad2 Logical Acquisition: Automated Or Manual Examination?, Somaya Ali, Sumaya Alhosani, Farah Alzarooni, Ibrahim Baggili

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Due to their usage increase worldwide, iPads are on the path of becoming key sources of digital evidence in criminal investigations. This research investigated the logical backup acquisition and examination of the iPad2 device using the Apple iTunes backup utility while manually examining the backup data (manual examination) and automatically parsing the backup data (Lantern software-automated examination).The results indicate that a manual examination of the logical backup structure from iTunes reveals more digital evidence, especially if installed application data is required for an investigation. However, the researchers note that if a quick triage is needed of an iOS device, then …

Dynamic Ticket Pricing In Sport: An Agenda For Research And Practice, Joris Drayer, Stephen L. Shapiro, Seoki Lee

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

For decades, the airline and hotel industries have regularly changed prices to keep pace with fluctuating levels of consumer demand. This demand-based approach to pricing is referred to as revenue management. Meanwhile, the sport industry has traditionally underpriced tickets using a cost-based approach in order to maximize attendance and promote fan satisfaction. However, as operating costs have grown, sport organizations are now forced to reconsider these conservative pricing practices. Subsequently, in 2009, the San Francisco Giants were the first team to utilize dynamic pricing, which is a strategy that mirrors the revenue management approach. While data supporting or refuting the …

Developing A Pricing Strategy For The Los Angeles Dodgers, Denise Linda Parris, Joris Drayer, Stephen L. Shapiro

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

In 2011, the Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium averaged 36,236 fans per game, dropping from 43,979 in 2010 and 46,440 in 2009, an overall loss of about 10,000 fans per game in just two years. In 2011, The Dodgers' attendance ranking fell from first to eleventh in Major League Baseball (MLB), which amounted to a loss of over 800,000 tickets sold per year, as well as the resulting revenue from concessions and parking. Despite the Dodgers' long and storied history, ticket demand had been negatively influenced by inconsistent performance, mounting bad publicity surrounding owner Frank McCourt's divorce, the beating of a …

Measuring The Educational Impact Of Promoting Environmental Awareness In Kids (Peak): The Development And Implementation Of A New Scale, Jennifer Miller, Lindsey Brown, Eddie Hill, Amy Shellman, Ron Ramsing, Edwin Gómez

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics (LNT) is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches skills and values for recreating responsibly in the out-of-doors. LNT developed Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids (PEAK), based on seven ethical principles. The PEAK program provides a pack that contains several interactive activities specifically designed to educate children about the outdoors and the responsible use of shared public lands. While the PEAK program has been in existence for a number of years, the program’s effectiveness has not been empirically tested. Moreover, there is limited data regarding responsible environmental attitudes and behavior in elementary school-aged …

Multicultural Picture Books: Windows And Mirrors, Dawn M. Goodale

Graduate Research Papers

Multicultural children’s picture books offer readers views into far away places that can be similar or very different from that of the reader. These picture books can be used to enhance the Social Studies curriculum by offering students new perspectives on other cultures. The researcher employed the five dimensions of global perspectives developed by Robert G. Hanvey (1976) and criteria from the Iowa Core Curriculum Social Studies Standards (grades 3-5), to determine the titles that best exemplified the criteria. Review of related literature included the topics of multicultural education, multicultural literature and reader-text-relationships. The project consists of an annotated bibliography …

Leading By Example: Modeling Global Public Service Excellence, Nadia Rubaii

Public Administration Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Institutional Arrangements On Educational Efficiency, Trevor Collier

Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

Per-pupil expenditures on education in the United States have grown immensely in recent decades, yet student achievement has been stagnant. An abundance of research has sought to solve this enigma, much of it centered on the incentive structure facing administrators. Some recent papers use TIMSS data to analyze the relationship between institutional arrangements—that typically do not vary within a single country—and student achievement. Similarly, we utilize TIMSS 1999 to determine if there is an indirect relationship between institutional arrangements and student achievement, via a relationship with school efficiency. Our results show that the specified link between institutional arrangements and student …

Does The Approach/Avoidance Task Correlate With Other Measures Of Approach/Avoidance Processes?, Ryan Thibodeau

Psychology Faculty/Staff Publications

The Approach/Avoidance Task (AAT; Rinck & Becker, 2007) assesses approach and avoidance motivational processes by requiring participants to respond to pictures by either pulling a joystick handle toward them or pushing it away. The amount of time required to execute these actions is the dependent variable. The rationale is that appetitive images should facilitate pull (i.e., approach) responses, whereas unpleasant images should facilitate push (e.g., avoid) responses. A small research literature attests to the AAT’s validity in measuring approach/avoidance motivational processes (e.g., Wiers et al., 2010, 2011).

Nevertheless, we deemed it important to empirically explore the extent to which the …

Aztec Ceramic Figurines: An Analysis Of “Female Holding Child” Hollow-Rattle Figurine, Valerie Martinez

Undergraduate Student Research Awards

No abstract provided.

Playing Italian: Cross-Cultural Dress And Investigative Journalism At The Fin De Siècle, Laura Vorachek

English Faculty Publications

This examination of late Victorian journalism reveals that one type of clothing offered middle-class women protection from street harassment: cross-cultural dress. In appropriate ethnic attire, reporters and social investigators ventured into the immigrant communities that made up a part of England’s urban poor, exploring such trades as Jewish fur-puller or Italian organ-grinder. This incognito ethnic attire afforded women both the means and the authority to carry out their investigations into the Italian constituency of the Victorian working poor. This study also examines how costumes enabled female investigators to manipulate class- and gender-based assumptions about who had broad access to the …

Social Cognition And The Allure Of The Second-Person Perspective: In Defense Of Empathy And Simulation, Karsten R. Stueber

Philosophy Department Faculty Scholarship

This essay serves as an evaluation of challenges to the orthodox way of conceiving "mindreading" abilities by defending a 2006 claim by the author that those abilities involve basic and reenactive empathy .

Dynamic Associations Of Change In Physical Activity And Change In Cognitive Function: Coordinated Analyses Of Four Longitudinal Studies, Magnus Lindwall, Cynthia R. Cimino, Laura Gibbons, Meghan Mitchell, Andreana Benitez, Cassandra L. Brown, Robert F. Kennison, Steven D. Shirk, Alireza Atri, Annie Robitaille, Stuart W. Macdonald, Elizabeth M. Zelinski, Sherry L. Willis, K. Warner Schaie, Boo Johannson, Marcus Praetorius, Roger A. Dixon, Dan M. Mungas, Scott M. Hofer, Andrea M. Piccinin

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study used a coordinated analyses approach to examine the association of physical activity and cognitive change in four longitudinal studies. A series of multilevel growth models with physical activity included both as a fixed (between-person) and time-varying (within-person) predictor of four domains of cognitive function (reasoning, memory, fluency, and semantic knowledge) was used. Baseline physical activity predicted fluency, reasoning and memory in two studies. However, there was a consistent pattern of positive relationships between time-specific changes in physical activity and time-specific changes in cognition, controlling for expected linear trajectories over time, across all four studies. This pattern was …

Social Activity And Cognitive Functioning Over Time: A Coordinated Analysis Of Four Longitudinal Studies, Cassandra L. Brown, Laura E. Gibbons, Robert F. Kennison, Annie Robitaille, Magnus Lindwall, Meghan B. Mitchell, Steven D. Shirk, Alireza Atri, Cynthia R. Cimino, Andreana Benitez, Stuart W.S. Macdonald, Elizabeth M. Zelinski, Sherry L. Willis, K. Warner Schaie, Boo Johannson, Roger A. Dixon, Dan M. Mungas, Scott M. Hofer, Andrea M. Piccinin

Psychology Faculty Publications

Social activity is typically viewed as part of an engaged lifestyle that may help mitigate the deleterious effects of advanced age on cognitive function. As such, social activity has been examined in relation to cognitive abilities later in life. However, longitudinal evidence for this hypothesis thus far remains inconclusive. The current study sought to clarify the relationship between social activity and cognitive function over time using a coordinated data analysis approach across four longitudinal studies. A series of multilevel growth models with social activity included as a covariate is presented. Four domains of cognitive function were assessed: reasoning, memory, fluency, …

Social Science Research: Principles, Methods, And Practices, Anol Bhattacherjee

Textbooks Collection

This book is designed to introduce doctoral and graduate students to the process of scientific research in the social sciences, business, education, public health, and related disciplines. It is a one-stop, comprehensive, and compact source for foundational concepts in behavioral research, and can serve as a stand-alone text or as a supplement to research readings in any course on research methods.

The contents and examples are designed for anyone interested in behavioral research (not just information systems people), and so, the book should appeal to most business programs, social sciences, education, public health, and related disciplines.

Jour 7000: Media Writing/Editing (Syllabus), Joe Hayden

Journalism and Strategic Media Syllabi Archive

Course Description: Information-gathering, writing, and editing skills necessary for any field within journalism and mass communication through lectures, discussions, and exercises that meld theory to technique; both laboratory writing and field assignments.

Suturing Working Class Subjectivities: Media Mobilizing Project And The Role Of Media Building A Class-Based Social Movement, Peter N. Funke, Chris Robe, Todd Wolfson

Government and International Affairs Faculty Publications

Due to the increasingly atomized, isolated nature of social life, as well as the apparent splintering of the working class under neoliberal capitalism, media serve a pivotal infrastructural function for generating the necessary commonality between the fractured sectors of the contemporary working class. This article ethnographically and textually examines how the media driven practices of the Philadelphia-based Media Mobilizing Project helps collectively suture fragmented groups of workers into a class formation that begins to resist and challenge the hegemony of neoliberal practices. As our detailed analysis of MMP’s 2007 to 2009 montage reels show, MMP videos serve the primary purpose …