Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Haitian Representation In The Media: A Comparative Analysis Between An African American Owned Newspaper And A Mainstream Newspaper, Stephanie Jean-Baptiste

Master's Theses

Are the portrayals of Haitian immigrants in an African-American owned newspaper, different from their portrayal in a white owned newspaper? In this paper I examine newspaper articles covering Haitian immigrants and refugees. The articles selected were published in 2004 and sampled from the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Defender. Although the journals have distinctive goals and market reach, there were similarities in their portrayal of Haitian immigrants. Both journals referred to Haitian immigrants as victims of Haiti’s failed democracy. However, each journal advertised the reception of this migrant group differently. The African American owned newspaper advertised inclusion, while the white-owned …

Down And Out: College Students Experiencing Depressive Symptoms, Jenna Eileen Ofenloch

Master's Theses

Survey research that asks respondents to report on depression often ask

respondents whether they have been diagnosed with depression by a medical

professional. But such questions underestimate depression by leaving out respondents

who are unable or unwilling to seek professional help. Thus, other studies seek to ask

respondents to report symptoms of various dimensions of depression. This is especially

important because, according to the CDC, “persons with mild depressive symptoms, as

well as those with moderate or severe depressive symptoms, reported difficulties with

work, home, and social activities related to their symptoms”. But some groups are more

prone to depression. …

Summertime Sleep And Bmi In Urban Minority Girls: Relations To Physical Activity And Executive Functions, Carolyn Rose Bates

Master's Theses

Urban minority youth, particularly females, are at high risk for increased weight gain during the summertime months, and may also experience insufficient sleep at this time. Few studies have objectively measured summertime sleep in this population or related sleep to weight gain during this season. The current study draws on a sample of 66 urban minority girls aged 10-to-14 who participated in a community-based summer day camp program promoting physical activity (PA). The study objectively characterizes sleep in this sample, both in unstructured and structured contexts. Additionally, the study examines potential pathways underlying summertime relations between sleep and weight, including …

Examining The Effects Of Coping Strategies Specific To Community Violence Exposure Among African American Adolescents, Suzanna So

Master's Theses

Variability in exposure to community violence (ECV) and aggressive behaviors in African American youth from urban communities can be attributed to general coping, but these studies have been inconclusive. Recent qualitative research identified four types of coping that are specific to ECV; however, quantitative research is needed to understand the adaptiveness of these strategies. The current study examined the factor structure of a measure for ECV-specific coping strategies. The current study also assessed how ECV-specific coping was associated with ECV and externalizing behaviors. Data from the current study were derived from an archival dataset comprised of 594 African American adolescents. …

Risk And Resilience Factors Among Low-Income Latino Adolescents: The Impact On Daily Ratings Of Mood, Stephanie Andrea Torres

Master's Theses

Given that Latino adolescents endorse more negative mood when compared to their counterparts of other backgrounds (CDC, 2012), it is especially advantageous to evaluate the impact of risk and resilience factors on mood among this population. The current study uses daily diary methodology to examine the impact that daily economic stress, daily family stress, familism, and ethnic identity commitment and exploration have on daily ratings of mood among 58 (M =13.31, 47% female) low-income Latino adolescents. Results show that daily family stress was strongly linked to daily mood while familism emerged as a salient resilience factor. Contrary to predictions, ethnic …

The Moderating Role Of Emotion Regulation On Longitudinal Associations Between Stress And Mental Health In College Students, Evan Zahniser

Master's Theses

Emotion regulation is consistently linked to subsequent wellbeing, but little research has examined the moderating role of emotion regulation in associations between mental health and other relevant factors. Patterns of gender differences in emotion regulation also remain somewhat unclear. The present study targets these gaps by examining two specific emotion regulation strategies in interaction with stress and gender in predicting internalizing symptoms among college students, a population for whom emotion regulation may be particularly important given the high-stress nature of the college transition. A large sample of students (N = 1,130) provided self-report data at three time points over their …

User-Centered Collection Development: A Citation Analysis Of Graduate Biology Theses, Paula Barnett-Ellis, Yingqi Tang

Research, Publications & Creative Work

The authors sought to identify biology collection usage among graduate students at Jacksonville State University. Forty Master’s student theses from 2008-2014 were examined. A total of 2,351 citations were analyzed, of which journals accounted for 75%, books for 10%, and the remaining 15% included government documents, web sites, dissertations, and theses. Findings are consistent with previous similar studies that students referenced journals more often than books and other sources. Journal and book citations present discrepancies between number of citations and number of authors citing. Wide ranges of journal subjects were cited due to the interdisciplinary nature of graduate programs. Recommendations …

What’S To Argue? A Comparison Of Opposing Viewpoints In Context To The Updated Points Of View Reference Center, With A Nod To The Original Points Of View Reference Center, Harry D. Nuttall

Research, Publications & Creative Work

As one of the traditional rhetorical modes – along with narration, description, exposition, etc. – argument, or persuasion, has long been a staple in the curricula of speech and English at the secondary and higher education levels. Students are given an assignment in which they must select an issue or topic and argue in support of or opposition to it, marshaling evidence to support their position. While it has always been possible for students to locate evidence through standard searches in library catalogs for books and print periodical indexes for magazine and journal articles, such searches can be unwieldy. Some …

Behavioral Response In The Immediate Aftermath Of Shaking: Earthquakes In Christchurch And Wellington, New Zealand, And Hitachi, Japan, Ihnji Jon, Michael K. Lindell, Carla S. Parker, Shih-Kai Huang, Hao-Che Wu, David M. Johnston, Julia S. Becker, Hideyuki Shiroshita, Emma E.H. Doyle, Sally H. Potter, John Mcclure, Emily Lambie

Research, Publications & Creative Work

This study examines people’s response actions in the first 30 min after shaking stopped following earthquakes in Christchurch andWellington, New Zealand, and Hitachi, Japan. Data collected from 257 respondents in Christchurch, 332 respondents in Hitachi, and 204 respondents inWellington revealed notable similarities in some response actions immediately after the shaking stopped. In all four events, people were most likely to contact family members and seek additional information about the situation. However, there were notable differences among events in the frequency of resuming previous activities. Actions taken in the first 30 mins were weakly related to: demographic variables, earthquake experience, contextual …

A Statistical Meta-Analysis Of The Design Components Of New Urbanism On Housing Prices, Park Yun-Mi, Shih-Kai Huang, Galen D. Newman

Research, Publications & Creative Work

The principles of New Urbanism such as increased density, mixed land uses and street connectivity are often recommended in response to the typical conditions of suburban developments. Much current empirical research has begun to test whether these principles can increase property values. The findings of these empirical studies have, however, been quite inconsistent. This research attempts to quantitatively synthesize these conflicting findings through a statistical meta-analysis. This study found that a lower density, decreased street connectivity and a closer proximity to a transit stop contributed to increased housing premiums, while mixed land uses were not shown to always do so.

Caregiver Involvement In Child And Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Care : A Clinician's Perspective, Erika Wentworth

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This mixed-methods exploratory study aimed to contribute to the knowledge about caregiver involvement during child and adolescent inpatient psychiatric treatment, as it is the most agreed upon factor of treatment outcomes by both psychiatric providers and previous research. Thirty-two licensed clinicians who either currently work or worked within the last five years on child and/or adolescent psychiatric inpatient units completed an online survey. The survey included both multiple choice and open ended questions about participants’ perceptions of how they involved caregivers during treatment as well as the involvement of the unit and day programming. The findings of the study confirmed …

Clinician Perceptions Of Harm Reduction, Psychotherapy And The Role Of Traditional Abstinence Models, Abigail R. Vayda

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study sought to better understand clinicians’ perceptions of harm reduction, psychotherapy, and the role of traditional abstinence models when working with actively using clients. This study analyzed the results from a survey completed by 52 practicing clinicians in the United States. The survey contained demographic questions and Likert scale questions measuring attitudes toward harm reduction, abstinence, and psychotherapy with actively using clients. In addition to rating questions, there was also one open-ended question allowing participants to express their understandings of the development of a substance use disorder. The overall response to this survey was a positive attitude toward harm …

Social Work Professional Ethics, As Affected By The Concept Of The Wounded Healer : An Investigation Into The Gatekeeping Practice Of Clinical Social Work Supervision, Cristina B. Bloom

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The objective of this exploratory qualitative study was to assess how the field of social work currently maintains and preserves professional social work ethics in the clinical practice field. This study sought to understand how, in a field where the self is one of the main tools utilized, the field ensures that the practitioner’s self is fit to practice and to do so ethically. This is of particular significance in a field that research indicates that high percentages of people are attracted to because of challenging personal life experiences (Lackie, 1982; Marsh, 1988; Vincent, 1996). More specifically, this study centered …

Evolving Standards Of Decency: The Intersection Of Death Penalty Theory And Supreme Court Jurisprudence, Rachel S. Sullivan

Senior Independent Study Theses

The American death penalty must be abolished in order to establish a more just system of punishment. This thesis examines the arguments of eight political theorists and their connections with five essential Supreme Court cases on capital punishment in order to determine the Court's theoretical view of the American death penalty. This theoretical view is that justices who affirm the constitutionality of capital punishment use philosophical theories, while justices who critique capital punishment rely upon context-dependent analyses. If the Court ever rules that capital punishment is unconstitutional in all circumstances, these latter theories will be dispositive.

Legalization Of Prostitution And Its Impact On The Market For Human Trafficking, Varunavi Newar

Senior Independent Study Theses

No abstract provided.

"Hello My Name Is Inigo Montoya, You Killed My Father, Prepare To Die!" Messaging Effects On Support For Violent Non-State Actors, Alexandra D. Haines

Senior Independent Study Theses

No abstract provided.

From Fried Bologna Sandwich To Butternut Squash Prosciutto Flatbread: Examining Food Culture As A Multivocal Dominant Symbol In The Wessex, Ohio Restaurant Foodscape, Clare T. Carlson

Senior Independent Study Theses

This Independent Study explores the restaurant foodscape in the rural city of Wessex, Ohio and examines how two different sets of restaurants in this foodscape identify themselves as emblematic of the city. Restaurants opened in Wessex over the last ten years that have been selected for inclusion on Wessex Food Tours comprise the first set of restaurants examined. These restaurants are a curated set of local businesses that Wessex Food Tours presents to visitors as representative of a rejuvenated, contemporary Wessex. The other set of restaurants examined are those restaurants that have existed in Wessex for over 50 years, but …

Custom Framing: An Analysis Of Camille Pissarro's "Les Turpitudes Sociales" Within A Base-Superstructure Model, Robin S. Klaus

Senior Independent Study Theses

No abstract provided.

Creating The Middle-Class: The Impact Of Class Based Identity Appeals In Presidential Campaigns, Lois Kimmel

Senior Independent Study Theses

This paper investigates the effect of class-based identity appeals in presidential campaign speeches on voters’ subjective class-based identities and attitudes toward economic policies. Many scholars argue that the relevance of class is declining in contemporary American politics; however, I maintain that class persists as an influencing identity in American political behavior. I argue that recent presidential candidates make more appeals to class-based identities due to the heightened salience of economic inequality in America. Relying on Social Identity Theory, from research in political psychology, I find that more voters who receive a middle class-based identity appeal identified with the middle class, …

“You Can’T Change What You Were”: Liminality And The Process Of Role Exit Among Former Amish, Kathryn Foster

Senior Independent Study Theses

Aside from reality television, which often depicts former Amish as raucous partiers, many documentaries and memoirs portray ex-Amish as runaways, leaving in the night with nothing but the clothes on their back. As the gap between “the world” and the Amish closes, how accurate is this portrayal of leaving the Amish for the roughly 15% who choose to leave? How do ex-Amish negotiate the transition from Amish to English (non-Amish) life? This study, based on interviews with former Amish, explores the difficult decision to leave the Amish church as well as the challenges of transitioning into English life and negotiating …

Opportunity And Empowerment In Female Prison Reentry In Wooster, Oh, Zoe E. Cunningham-Cook

Senior Independent Study Theses

This study investigates the process of reentry after prison for women in Wooster, Ohio, using theories of morality and punishment by Durkheim and Foucault, general strain theory by Broidy and Agnew, and intersectionality by Hill Collins. Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected to gain a broad understanding of this particular court system and the people involved in it. Statistics on the people sentenced to prison through this court from January 2012 to October 2015 were gathered and analyzed to learn of the demographics of those sentenced to prison and how different backgrounds, especially gender, affect the charge and sentence …

The Puzzle Of Post-Conflict Justice: Identifying Factors That Influence State Selection Of Mechanisms, Taylor V. Knoop

Senior Independent Study Theses

The period of post-conflict is wrought with frustrations, broken trust and intense hurt as a state works to bring its society out of internal conflict. Post-conflict justice mechanisms are designed to provide tools to move a state towards stability. While scholars have evaluated the different post-conflict justice mechanisms in reaching their goals, there is limited research into understanding why a state may implement one post-conflict justice mechanism over another. Specifically, what factors impact the form of post-conflict justice mechanisms in states? This research presents six post-conflict justice mechanisms through three theoretical-derived categories, retributive justice, restorative justice and immunity measures, before …

Be Your Own Guru: Authoritarianism And The Problem Of The Guru In Conscious Evolution, Mcauley, Charles E.

Journal of Conscious Evolution

This paper is an exploration of the problematic nature of the guru/disciple relationship, specifically, in Western Society. It begins with a discussion of the nature of spirituality and the spiritual quest. To contextualize the process, I also discuss my own spiritual path based in Roman Catholicism, Taoism, Buddhism and my thoughts on the philosophy of Krishnamurti. I explore the topic of the authoritarian follower in some depth. Its connection is symbiotic to the existence of the authoritarian leader. This connection is demonstrated within this paper as well. Additionally, I look at the flaws in some well-known guru figures and how …

Absence Of “Joseph Smith” In The Book Of Mormon: Lack Of The Name Letter Effect In Nephite, Lamanite, And Jaredite Names, Bruce L. Brown, Sharon Black, Brad Wilcox, Wendy Baker Smemoe

Faculty Publications

Although some authors of fiction attempt to hide their real names by publishing their work under pseudonyms, the letters and sounds they consciously or subconsciously select for the names of their characters often reveal the author’s true identity. Since 1985, research has explored the name letter effect—the preference people show for the letters and sounds (especially initial sounds) in their own names. This tendency is evident in the highly personal and introspective literature produced in the United States during Joseph Smith’s lifetime by authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Washington Irving, and Edgar Allan Poe. The purpose of this study was …

An Evaluation Of A Smartphone–Assisted Behavioral Weight Control Intervention For Adolescents: Pilot Study, Chad D. Jensen, Kristina M. Duncombe, Mark A. Lott, Sanita L. Hunsaker, Kara Mcrae Duraccio, Susan J. Woolford

Faculty Publications

Background: The efficacy of adolescent weight control treatments is modest, and effective treatments are costly and are not widely available. Smartphones may be an effective method for delivering critical components of behavioral weight control treatment including behavioral self-monitoring.

Objective: To examine the efficacy and acceptability of a smartphone assisted adolescent behavioral weight control intervention.

Methods: A total of 16 overweight or obese adolescents (mean age=14.29 years, standard deviation=1.12) received 12 weeks of combined treatment that consisted of weekly in-person group behavioral weight control treatment sessions plus smartphone self-monitoring and daily text messaging. Subsequently they received 12 weeks of electronic-only intervention, …

The Washback Of The Toefl Ibt In Vietnam, Melissa Barnes

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Washback, or the influence of testing on teaching and learning, has received considerable attention in language testing research over the past twenty years. It is widely argued that testing, particularly high-stakes testing, exerts a powerful influence, whether intended or unintended, positive or negative, on both teachers and learners. This article investigates the washback effects of a high-stakes English language proficiency test, the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT), in Vietnam. Vietnam, a developing country whose educational philosophies differ from those underpinning the TOEFL iBT, provided a unique context to explore the test's washback. In the …

Investigating Coherence Among Turkish Elementary Science Teachers’ Teaching Belief Systems, Pedagogical Content Knowledge And Practice, Eralp Bahcivan, William W. Cobern

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study investigated comprehensive science teaching belief systems and their relation to science teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge and teaching practices. Rokeach’s (1968) belief system was used as a framework for representing the hierarchy among in-service teachers’ teaching beliefs. This study employed a multiple case study design with three in-service science teachers. Cases were selected based on participant’s personal epistemology. Data were collected through interviews and classroom observations. Content analyses showed that when science teachers presented characteristics of autonomous self-construal more than related self-construal, they had a more advanced personal epistemology. In addition, these beliefs shaped participants’ conceptions of teaching and …

Parent Perceptions Of Support From The School Library, Heather Garrett

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to analyze and describe parent perspectives and aspirations related to their child's information literacy, lifelong reading, and digital literacy skills and the role of the school library program to enhance these skills. Four parents of fourth or fifth grade students in a rural Iowa district were asked questions regarding their knowledge of the current library program and how the library curriculum could improve to better aid their children as they progress through school. Three research questions guided the interviews: I.What do parents already know about their children's skills in information literacy, lifelong reading, and …

Evidence For Animal Grief?, Carolyn Ristau

Animal Sentience

The nature of evidence appropriate to the study of animal emotion (and cognition) is discussed in this review with reference to Barbara King’s book. How Animals Grieve is beautifully written, but it intermixes examples meeting King’s criteria for evidence of grief with other poignant but far less convincing examples. Yet, as noted earlier by Griffin (1958/1974), “Excessive caution can sometimes lead one as far astray as rash enthusiasm.” King cites strong evidence from long-term scientific field studies, often involving known individuals; from videotapes; from convergent evidence in neurophysiological studies; and, notwithstanding possible emotional bias, from animals living closely with humans. …

Understanding Emotional Suffering, Barbara J. King

Animal Sentience

In responding to insightful commentaries from 7 scholars, for which I am grateful, I offer new thoughts on whether animals can conceptualize and express signs of grief. I also discuss why I included both weak and strong examples of animal mourning, and how this work may help us think about enhanced welfare for animals, including freedom from emotional suffering.