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2013

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Articles 15121 - 15150 of 17401

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Government Spending And Child Well-Being : A Correlational Study Of The Organization For Economic Co-Operation And Development (Oecd) Countries, Rachel Suzanna Foretich Jan 2013

Government Spending And Child Well-Being : A Correlational Study Of The Organization For Economic Co-Operation And Development (Oecd) Countries, Rachel Suzanna Foretich

LSU Master's Theses

Children who live in poverty are more likely to suffer from avoidable illnesses, become teenaged parents, be involved in the criminal justice system, and mature into adults who live in poverty (Isaacs et al., 2011). This study examines the relationship between government spending as a percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and 21 child well-being indicators. The samples in this study were collected from 30 Organization of Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) countries for the years 2009 and 2012. The major finding of this study reveals that there is a statistically significant relationship between government spending as a percent of …

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An Analysis Of Femininity : How Popular Female Characters In The Media Portray Contemporary Womanhood, Stephanie Ortego Roussell Jan 2013

An Analysis Of Femininity : How Popular Female Characters In The Media Portray Contemporary Womanhood, Stephanie Ortego Roussell

LSU Master's Theses

The impact of the media on adolescent girls has received greater theoretical, legal and societal focus over the last few decades. Several studies link the development of women’s gendered identities, healthy sexual activity and self-efficacy to how the media portray women. Restrictive or unrealistic themes of womanhood or femininity in the media can impact a young girl’s social construction of identity and provide limited examples of what it means to be a woman in today’s society. This study qualitatively examines femininity in contemporary media by analyzing—via textual analysis and focus groups—how popular female characters embody, portray and promote different conceptualizations …

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Tops Tech Utilization: Systemic Barriers And Facilitators In Louisiana, Melissa Clare Ledoux Jan 2013

Tops Tech Utilization: Systemic Barriers And Facilitators In Louisiana, Melissa Clare Ledoux

LSU Master's Theses

TOPS Tech is a social welfare program in Louisiana that provides students with financial support to obtain the specific training that they need to get the jobs that are available in Louisiana. Since 1998, 42,918 students were eligible for the award, yet only 5,515 (12.85%) students enrolled full-time and utilized it (Louisiana Board of Regents, 2012). In order for educational leaders in Louisiana to improve participation in the TOPS Tech Program, they must first understand the barriers faced by students who want to utilize it. This study explored the potential factors contributing to the utilization (or underutilization) of TOPS Tech. …

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Did You Watch #Thewalkingdead Last Night? An Examination Of Television Hashtags And Twitter Activity, Jessica Hutchinson Jan 2013

Did You Watch #Thewalkingdead Last Night? An Examination Of Television Hashtags And Twitter Activity, Jessica Hutchinson

LSU Master's Theses

This study examined on-screen hashtags and Twitter activity associated with four television programs (The Walking Dead, Pretty Little Liars, Scandal and Hannibal). Twitter facilitates real time discussions, allowing “water cooler conversations” about television to occur while shows air live. Hashtags organize these conversations around topics of interest. Active viewers will migrate to new media sources, searching for additional content that interests them. The act of complementarity increases their level of media enjoyment. The desire for this additional content dictates the viewer’s behavior. Network producers also promote media convergence, utilizing websites and social media to build word of mouth advertising for …

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Multitude Of Needs Met By An Online Mom Community, Shannon Alexis Snell Jan 2013

Multitude Of Needs Met By An Online Mom Community, Shannon Alexis Snell

LSU Master's Theses

Online communities for expectant mothers have existed for many years, but newer social media sites are allowing these groups to exist in different formats. This study features an online community of 94 women that originated from TheBump.com’s forums who then formed their own community, a Facebook group for February 2012 moms. The women exist in many different social media spheres including the group, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and a separate Buy/Sell/Trade Facebook group. This study used a survey questionnaire to determine whether these different social media sites and platforms met different needs for this specific group of women. The study also …

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The Unequal Distribution Of Professional Autonomy In Schools, Joseph Cleary Jan 2013

The Unequal Distribution Of Professional Autonomy In Schools, Joseph Cleary

LSU Master's Theses

This qualitative study examines the ways in which educators interpret and respond to government interventions in public schools. I conducted semi-structured interviews with eleven teachers and two principals at two public high schools in Baton Rouge, Louisiana . By comparing the perceptions of educators at a low-performing school (which serves high percentages of minority and low-income students) with perceptions of educators at a high-performing school (which serves fewer numbers of minority and low-income students), this study demonstrates how an educator’s sense of autonomy relates to students’ socioeconomic backgrounds. Findings show that educators, who work in schools with high numbers of …

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Discrimination Of Sexual Minorities And Plans To Relocate, Margaret H. Smith Jan 2013

Discrimination Of Sexual Minorities And Plans To Relocate, Margaret H. Smith

LSU Master's Theses

LGBTQ individuals make relocation decisions with their sexual orientation and gender identity in mind (Gorman-Murray, 2007). The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between non-violent discrimination faced by LGBTQ individuals and whether or not those individuals have future plans to relocate. A literature review of LGBTQ discrimination and LGBTQ relocation is discussed, and a secondary data analysis was conducted on a sample of LGBTQ individuals who participated in a quality-of-life survey. All hypotheses were supported except the hypothesis that analyzed anti-LGBTQ discrimination and its association with time until relocation. Results indicated that experiencing anti-LGBTQ nonviolent discrimination was …

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Snap Use Among Older Adults, Jennifer R. Geiger Jan 2013

Snap Use Among Older Adults, Jennifer R. Geiger

LSU Master's Theses

Older adults participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at much lower rates than the general population. Possible explanations for this disparity include stigma, lack of information, and lack of transportation. However, past research focusing on SNAP use among older adults is limited and utilizes age cohorts in their analyses that may not accurately reflect actual age differences in SNAP participation. This study explored four different models of age categorizations as they relate to SNAP participation rates among older adults over 55. Using a sample of 10,116 from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (HRS), the research used …

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The Blessing Of The Fleet : Heritage And Identity In Three Gulf Coast Communities, Audriana Hubbard Jan 2013

The Blessing Of The Fleet : Heritage And Identity In Three Gulf Coast Communities, Audriana Hubbard

LSU Master's Theses

Annual Blessing of the Fleet festivals are held throughout communities all along the Gulf Coast; each year boats parade down local waters to receive the blessing of the priest before the opening of the shrimp season. The shrimping industry has a long history in the area and has become intrinsically tied to local individual and community identities. This thesis investigates three festivals held in Chauvin and Morgan City, Louisiana, and Biloxi, Mississippi to understand how the festival is used by participants as a way of negotiating their shrimping identities in a changing socio-economic environment. The tourism and the oil industries …

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Schizotypy: The Dynamic Relationship Between Trait And State Processes, Rebecca K. Macaulay Jan 2013

Schizotypy: The Dynamic Relationship Between Trait And State Processes, Rebecca K. Macaulay

LSU Master's Theses

Importantly, elevations in emotional reactivity to stress are often found in individuals vulnerable for psychosis. This study investigated several meaningful factors that appear to either increase vulnerability to stress (degree of schizotypy traits, trait negative affect, low perceived control, and impaired selective attention), or increase resiliency to stress (trait positive affect). A modified Posner spatial-cueing task utilizing affective cues was employed to assess selective attention within a neutral and an uncontrollable stressor condition. Between group differences (high, medium and low in schizotypy traits) and interactions between affective traits, state affect, and perceived control were evaluated in order to shed light …

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Chronic Pain In Entertainment Media: Using Empathy To Reduce Stigma, Rebecca Lang Jan 2013

Chronic Pain In Entertainment Media: Using Empathy To Reduce Stigma, Rebecca Lang

LSU Master's Theses

Entertainment media represent a primary source of health information, making it a prime area of research for wide-spread health issues such as chronic pain. Chronic pain conditions can elicit stigmatization due to pain representing a subjective experience; coming to understand the experience of a person in pain can reduce stigma for that person as well as the entire group of people with chronic pain. Entertainment media, through the use of an engaging narrative and characters, can portray an illness experience that potentially elicits empathy and reduces stigma for chronic pain conditions. This study is among the few to employ empathy …

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Multi-Informant Investigation Of College Student Drinking Behaviors And Social Anxiety : The Role Of Perceived Descriptive And Injunctive Norms, Anthony H. Ecker Jan 2013

Multi-Informant Investigation Of College Student Drinking Behaviors And Social Anxiety : The Role Of Perceived Descriptive And Injunctive Norms, Anthony H. Ecker

LSU Master's Theses

Problematic alcohol use in college is a major public health concern. Identification of variables related to development of alcohol-related problems is an important research goal. Social anxiety and perceived social norms are two such variables. Social anxiety is associated with concurrent experience of alcohol-related problems and development of future problems with alcohol. Perceived norms, especially norms related to perceived approval of risky alcohol use (i.e., injunctive norms), are related to greater drinking problems among college students with higher social anxiety. College students typically overestimate the amount that other students in general use alcohol, and the discrepancy between perceived and actual …

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Three From The Bottom : Examining Racial And Ethnic Identity Among Italian Americans In Bossier City, Jamie Rene Digilormo Jan 2013

Three From The Bottom : Examining Racial And Ethnic Identity Among Italian Americans In Bossier City, Jamie Rene Digilormo

LSU Master's Theses

This study examines the use of ethnic and racial labels as they are used in the construction of social identity among Italian Americans in Bossier City, Louisiana. In particular, the researcher is interested in how racial and ethnic identities are constructed through linguistic features, such as labels, and how these labels can often reflect the beliefs, values, or ideologies that influence the speaker. By examining which labels are used and how, it is possible to better understand what it means for each participant to be an Italian American today. The researcher relies heavily on Foucault’s notion of knowledge/power and the …

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Relationship Between Childhood Sexual Abuse, Weight, And Attitudes Toward Obesity In Lesbians, Amy L. Wright Jan 2013

Relationship Between Childhood Sexual Abuse, Weight, And Attitudes Toward Obesity In Lesbians, Amy L. Wright

LSU Master's Theses

In many professional practice settings, it is very likely that social workers will work with female clients who identify as lesbian or bisexual. These sexual minority females are more likely to be overweight or obese, have a history of childhood sexual abuse, and have more positive attitudes toward overweight and obesity than heterosexual women. In this study, the author sought to identify the relationship between childhood sexual abuse, obesity, (specifically, body mass index [BMI]), and attitudes toward obesity among lesbian and bisexual women. Eighty-five sexual minority females completed a survey. Childhood sexual abuse was found to be positively correlated with …

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Speak, And Speak Immediately : The Risen Subpoena, The Executive Branch, And The Reporter's Privilege, Matthew Schafer Jan 2013

Speak, And Speak Immediately : The Risen Subpoena, The Executive Branch, And The Reporter's Privilege, Matthew Schafer

LSU Master's Theses

In 1972, Branzburg v. Hayes required the Supreme Court to consider whether the First Amendment to the United States Constitution conferred on journalists a right to quash grand jury subpoenas issued by the government. The Court held in a five-to-four opinion that it did not. Yet, in 2011, a federal district judge found that James Risen, a New York Times reporter, had a First Amendment reporter’s privilege that protected him from having to reveal his source for a book chapter about a secretive CIA operation. This judge is not alone in finding such a privilege in spite of Branzburg; indeed, …

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Resolving Conflicts In Capital Budgeting For Mutually Exclusive Projects With Time Disparity Differences Jan 2013

Resolving Conflicts In Capital Budgeting For Mutually Exclusive Projects With Time Disparity Differences

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

When two capital budgeting alternatives are mutually exclusive and have a time disparity of cash flows, a conflict may occur between the NPV and IRR for the two projects. One project may have a higher NPV and the other project may have a higher IRR. The indifference point is the crossover point for the two NPV’s in the NPV profile. If the reinvestment rate for future cash flows is above or below the crossover point, the project with the higher NPV at that point is preferred. This paper shows how to determine the crossover point in the NPV profile.

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Teaching Mirr To Improve Comprehension Of Investment Performance Evaluation Techniques Jan 2013

Teaching Mirr To Improve Comprehension Of Investment Performance Evaluation Techniques

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

NPV and IRR are frequently used to evaluate investment performance, yet when they conflict many firms base capital budgeting decisions on IRR, though NPV is superior in specific cases. Teaching the MIRR technique should reinforce academia’s preference of the NPV technique. The reinvestment assumptions of NPV and IRR are implicit and hidden from students, while the calculation of the MIRR technique forces explicit decisions regarding the investment and discounting of interim cash flows. Thus, by teaching the MIRR calculation students may gain a better understanding of the differences between the three techniques reinforcing the primacy of NPV.

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Hypnosis, Hypnotizability, Memory And Involvement In Films, Reed Maxwell Jan 2013

Hypnosis, Hypnotizability, Memory And Involvement In Films, Reed Maxwell

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

Researchers have reported increased involvement in reading (Baum and Lynn, 1981) and music-listening (Snodgrass and Lynn, 1989) tasks during hypnosis. We predicted a similar effect for film viewing of greater absorption and involvement in an emotional (The Champ) versus a non-emotional ( Scenes of Toronto) film clip. We also examined the effects of hypnosis and film valence on memory and state depersonalization. Our study is the first to use state dissociation to index response to hypnosis. We tested 121 participants who completed measures of absorption and trait dissociation and the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility and …

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Exploring Cultural Competence In Clincial Practice Behaviors, Yolonda M. Young Armstrong Jan 2013

Exploring Cultural Competence In Clincial Practice Behaviors, Yolonda M. Young Armstrong

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative research study explores clinical practice behaviors that influence the perceptions of college students' of color regarding cultural competence in the therapeutic dyad. Interviews were used to obtain data from six college students of color in Western Massachusetts who had a history of engagement in outpatient therapy. This study uses Object Relations Theory as a conceptual framework for understanding social constructions of privilege and identity development and as a learning tool for examining interpersonal behavior as a reflection of one's internalized perceptions. More specifically, for this study, Object Relations Theory provides academic context for understanding how external social phenomena …

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Shifting Place Identities In A Post-Conflict Society : Irony And Multiculturality In Quemoy, Taiwan, Yi-Chia Chen Jan 2013

Shifting Place Identities In A Post-Conflict Society : Irony And Multiculturality In Quemoy, Taiwan, Yi-Chia Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT Quemoy is a small island with an area of fifty-eight square miles at the mouth of Xiamen Bay on the southeast coast of China. As a Cold-War front of Taiwan shelled by the Chinese artillery for twenty years, Quemoy is becoming a heritage tourism destination attracting mainland Chinese to sightsee in its military structures. In this study, I examine landscape change in the post-conflict society through the interplay of three social dynamics—reconciliation, demilitarization, and touristification—exploring the cultural mechanism of landscape change and its meaning. Through a review of Quemoy’s history, I identify Quemoy’s geographical characteristics—marginality, cultural hybridity, and islandness—formed …

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The Effect Of Dynamic Assessment On Adult Learners Of Arabic: A Mixed-Method Study At The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Mohsen Mahmoud Fahmy Jan 2013

The Effect Of Dynamic Assessment On Adult Learners Of Arabic: A Mixed-Method Study At The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Mohsen Mahmoud Fahmy

Doctoral Dissertations

Dynamic assessment (DA) is based on Vygotsky's (1978) sociocultural theory and his Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). ZPD is the range of abilities bordered by the learner's assisted and independent performances. Previous studies showed promising results for DA in tutoring settings. However, they did not use proficiency-based rubrics to measure students' progress and did not mention the method of using DA practically in classrooms. The literature showed that task-based language instruction (TBLI) is effective in adult classrooms. This study combined DA with TBLI to answer four questions. What is the change in the structural control of Arabic speaking based on …

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Burn, Boil & Eat : An Intersection Analysis Of Stereotypes In The Most Influential Films Of All Time, Roslyn M. Satchel Jan 2013

Burn, Boil & Eat : An Intersection Analysis Of Stereotypes In The Most Influential Films Of All Time, Roslyn M. Satchel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research builds upon the work of Entman & Rojecki (2001) in examining the ways the most influential movies use racial stereotypes in media frames. The results of this study contribute to the rather limited mass media research and body of knowledge regarding the media content that attracts the largest and most enduring audiences in the new media landscape. As ten of the films that have generated the most revenue, the movies in this sample constitute a genre of movies that are also a prime feature of on-going publishing, cable, internet, digital gaming, DVD, and movie sequel franchises. If, as …

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Holding International Public-Private Partnership Accountable: An Analysis Of Sensitivity And Vulnerability Dynamics In Ghana's Water Sector Reform And Its Impact On The Target Population, Xi Chen Jan 2013

Holding International Public-Private Partnership Accountable: An Analysis Of Sensitivity And Vulnerability Dynamics In Ghana's Water Sector Reform And Its Impact On The Target Population, Xi Chen

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the interaction among stakeholders involved in global public-private partnerships, using and developing the theoretical framework provided by the interdependence theory's sensitivity and vulnerability analysis, which is further supplemented by the two-level game model. Citing the case of Ghana's water sector reform, it looks into the dynamics among four categories of stakeholders involved in the partnership, namely the public and private partners, the World Bank (as the broker), and Ghanaian civil societies representing a broad spectrum of the local population. It is charged with the task of investigating the negotiation dynamics of all the listed actors in relation …

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The Westernization Of Advertisements Published In Kuwaiti Newspapers From 1992 To 2012; A Content Analysis, Farah Taleb Alrefai Jan 2013

The Westernization Of Advertisements Published In Kuwaiti Newspapers From 1992 To 2012; A Content Analysis, Farah Taleb Alrefai

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree of Westernization in advertisements published in major Kuwaiti daily newspapers over the past 21 years (1992-2012). Utilizing a quantitative content analysis, the diffusion of Westernization into the content and form of the advertisements was analyzed. Specifically, a sample of 584 advertisements published on the front pages of AlQabas and AlWatan Kuwaiti dailies from 1992 to 2012 were examined. The advertisements were analyzed to detect the increase and/or decrease of the presence of 12 Westernization attributes. These attributes are: product/ brand origin (Western or local), Western models and or local models, …

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Urban Adventure Racing: Using Grounded Theory To Assess Motives, Eddie Hill, Edwin Gómez, Brandi Brinkley, Marni Goldenberg Jan 2013

Urban Adventure Racing: Using Grounded Theory To Assess Motives, Eddie Hill, Edwin Gómez, Brandi Brinkley, Marni Goldenberg

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Although urban adventure races (ARs) have grown in popularity, little research exists on the reasons for the rising interest. Typically, adventure races are defined as a series of outdoor tasks completed within a given course or timeframe that are meant to challenge individuals, both mentally and physically. ARs borrow much from adventure programming. Aspects of AR programming may include goal-setting, problem-solving activities, and processing, and is often theoretically driven. This study used Grounded Theory as a basis for exploring why participants choose ARs, and if motives vary by gender. Of the 60 questionnaires collected, 40 were suitable for data analysis. …

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Meditation & Mindfulness In Dialectical Behavior Therapy : An Exploration Of Therapists' Experiences With Personal Meditation And Mindfulness Practices, Felicia Marohn Jan 2013

Meditation & Mindfulness In Dialectical Behavior Therapy : An Exploration Of Therapists' Experiences With Personal Meditation And Mindfulness Practices, Felicia Marohn

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The majority of mindfulness research conducted over the past two decades has examined client improvements and far fewer studies have connected the benefits of meditation and mindfulness to skills and well-being of psychotherapists. In this exploratory study, I examined how therapists who practice Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) experience a personal meditation and mindfulness practice. The goal was to explore DBT therapists' attitudes and perceptions regarding potential benefits of meditation and mindfulness, changes over time in meditation and mindfulness, and best avenues to acquire as well as maintain meditation and mindfulness skills. I drew from theories of classical Buddhism, contemporary mindfulness …

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Natural Disaster-Risk Assessment Hinesville Georgia, Assana Magagi-Alio Jan 2013

Natural Disaster-Risk Assessment Hinesville Georgia, Assana Magagi-Alio

Georgia Municipal Association Practicum (2013-2022)

No abstract provided.

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City Of Metter Georgia: 2013 Citizen Survey, Jackeisha Hughes, Judith A. Oglesby Jan 2013

City Of Metter Georgia: 2013 Citizen Survey, Jackeisha Hughes, Judith A. Oglesby

Georgia Municipal Association Practicum (2013-2022)

No abstract provided.

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Carrots, Sticks, And Salience, Brian Galle Jan 2013

Carrots, Sticks, And Salience, Brian Galle

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This Article considers the second-best design of Pigouvian taxes and subsidies in the presence of agents who are imperfectly aware of the instrument. Until very recently, the price instrument literature has assumed perfect rationality, and even the handful of prior attempts to account for “hidden” prices focus mainly on the income tax. I extend these efforts in several directions. First, I show that the best available instrument for correcting negative externalities is often one whose price is partially adjusted upwards -- or, in the case of subsidies, downwards -- to counter-act the neglect of irrational actors. In addition, I argue …

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Developing A Student Employee Leadership Program: The Importance Of Evaluating Effectiveness, Jacob K. Tingle, Christina Cooney, Seth E. Asbury, Sheldon Tate Jan 2013

Developing A Student Employee Leadership Program: The Importance Of Evaluating Effectiveness, Jacob K. Tingle, Christina Cooney, Seth E. Asbury, Sheldon Tate

School of Business Faculty Research

Outstanding student employees are essential for campus recreation programs to achieve organizational goals. To that end, this study examined the effectiveness of a leadership development program in which three groups of campus recreation (rec sports) student employees participated at various levels in the following: oncampus training, an off-site retreat, a scavenger hunt, and biweekly meetings. Using a quasi-experimental design, data were collected in two phases from 51 students and measured the growth of each student’s leadership capabilities as reported using the Student Leadership Practices Inventory. Statistical analyses revealed that group membership did significantly affect growth in the student’s leadership capacity, …

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