Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Workplace Faculty Friendships And Work-Family Culture, Megumi Watanabe, Christina Falci

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Although various work-family policies are available to faculty members, many underuse these policies due to concerns about negative career consequences. Therefore, we believe it is important to develop an academic work culture that is more supportive of work-family needs. Using network data gathered from faculty members at a Midwestern university, this study investigated the relationship between friendship connections with colleagues and perceived work-family supportiveness in the department. It also explored the role of parental status in the relationship for men and women. Results show that faculty with larger friendship networks have more positive perceptions of work-family culture compared to faculty …

Gvsu Press Releases, 2017, Grand Valley State University

University Press Releases, 1961-Present

A compilation of press releases for the year 2017 submitted by University Communications (formerly News & Information Services) to news agencies concerning the people, places, and events related to Grand Valley State University.

Comm 454: Communication And Health Disparities—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Angela L. Palmer-Wackerly

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

The current portfolio examines the second iteration of a new course in the Department of Communication Studies, Comm 454: Communication and Health Disparities. The primary goal of the course is for students to understand what health disparities are and how communication (on micro, meso, and macro levels) helps to create, reinforce, and improve these health disparities. Student learning was measured through the evaluation of the above course objective through four assignments: a short reflection paper, 2 teaching lessons, a research paper, and a health disparities communication campaign/intervention. The short reflection paper was examined through thematic analysis, while the latter three …

Comparing Sexual Cognition And Risk By Gender, Jacquelynne Dauk

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The ways in which sexuality is perceived among members of society has substantial effects in regards to overall health and well-being. The current study investigates not only the nature of sexual cognition but also the differences in cognition in regards to participant genders. More specifically, this study seeks to investigate the differences in sexual attitudes and thoughts among different genders that may lead to different forms of sexual risk. In order to identify these differences, societal influences such as social roles, parenting styles, and sexual education are all examined in regards to gender. Factors such as age and demographics were …

What Impact Is Felony Disenfranchisement Having On Hispanics In Florida?, Angel E. Sanchez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research produces original empirical estimates of Hispanics in Florida’s Dept. of Corrections (FDOC) and uses those estimates to measure the impact felony disenfranchisement is having on Hispanics in Florida. Research institutions find that data on Hispanics in the criminal justice system, particularly in Florida, is either lacking or inaccurate. This research addresses this problem by applying an optimal surname list method using Census Bureau data and Bayes Theorem to produce an empirical estimate of Hispanics in FDOC’s data. Using the Hispanic rate derived from the empirical FDOC analysis, the rate of Hispanics in the disenfranchised population is estimated. The …

Political Ecology Of Medicinal Plant Use In Rural Nepal: Globalization, Environmental Degradation, And Cultural Transformation, Emily Dovydaitis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Prior to the advent of biomedicine, rural communities in Nepal relied on phytochemically active compounds in medicinal plants as their primary source of medicine; however, ethnobotanical practices have shifted over time due to economic, environmental, and sociocultural stimuli. Findings from 2016 fieldwork conducted in Dumrikharka, Nepal and Tutung, Nepal are compared to existing literature to describe the political ecology of medicinal plants in rural Nepal.

Anthropogenic climate change threatens individual plant species and ecosystem biodiversity. Globalized markets unabated by weak conservation programs place increasing demands on medicinal plants. As indigenous plants become overharvested and more difficult to access, Nepalis incorporate …

Prevalence Of Dental Pathology In A Juvenile Population From The Ancient Maya Site Of Altun Ha, Lindsey D. Lefebvre

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The present research seeks to assesses the presence and prevalence of two distinct dental pathologies: linear enamel hypoplasia and caries in an ancient Maya juvenile subsample from Altun Ha, Belize spanning the Preclassic (ca. 600 B.C.) through the Terminal Classic (ca. 900 A.D.) periods. Teeth offer a remarkable wealth of information about the human experience in the past. Developmental and post-eruption pathology can provide insight into cultural and evolutionary processes by illuminating social and biological factors such as diet, weaning, illness, and overall health that manifest in observable changes to the composition of teeth. In addition, growth and developmental stages …

Leftovers Of A Dissolved Empire: Assessing The Political Stability Of The Former Soviet Republics Of Kazakhstan, Georgia, And The Ukraine, Taraleigh Davis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to explore why when compared to the former Soviet Republics of Ukraine and Georgia there is a measure of stability in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan has made it a priority to slowly build a sense of its own nationalism after decades of Soviet control. In over 20 years of independence it has only known violence for an 18-month period. The Republic of Kazakhstan has gone from the leftovers from a dissolved empire to a stable regional power. Kazakhstan’s hegemony in Asia and peaceful ethnic-governmental relations has made it possible for Kazakhstan to have a multi-faceted foreign …

I’D Rather Teach Peace: An Autoethnographic Account Of The Nonviolent Communication And Peace Course, E. James Baesler

Communication & Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

This autoethnography narrates the story of how I taught the Nonviolent Communication and Peace course to undergraduate students at an urban university in the midst of a densely populated military region in the U.S. I describe what it feels like to be in the peace class from the student and professor’s points of view. I invite readers to consider creative options for teaching and learning about peace, including: insight meditation, cultivating peace attitudes/behavior from readings about inspirational peace people, developing nonviolent communication skills, and connecting students with their local world through a personal and creative peace project. Finally, I include …

Searching For The Divine: An Autoethnographic Account Of Religious/Spiritual And Academic Influences On The Journey To Professor, E. James Baesler

Communication & Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

This autoethnographic account chronicles my academic and religious/spiritual path to becoming a professor of Communication. Spiritual influences and significant life events related to prayer, education, teaching, and research serve as sign posts marking the way. The journey begins with a child scientist experimenting with life—and an adolescent discovering the joy of reading through an illness. The journey continues with a crisis in undergraduate years followed by indoctrination stories of graduate school. Securing and retaining an academic position in Communication reveals the complexities of negotiating research and teaching in higher education. After tenure and promotion, a concurrent spiritual awakening begins a …

Coalition For Prisoners' Rights Newsletter, Vol 42-Yy, No. 1, Coalition For Prisoners' Rights

Coalition for Prisoners' Rights Newsletters

Derechos Para Todos Rights For All Black Lives Matter

U.S. Income Inequality Widens

Prisoners' Families Hit Hard by Poverty

Los Antecedentes Racistas y Xenófobos del Candidato a Fiscal General de Trump

Update on Guantanamo

The Numbers Game

Asking Questions In The Classroom: An Exploration Of Tools And Techniques Used In The Library Instruction Classroom, Sara Maurice Whitver, Leo S. Lo

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

This study explores the tools and techniques used within the library instruction classroom to facilitate a conversation about teaching practices. Researchers focused on the questioning methods employed by librarians, specifically the number of questions asked by librarians and students. This study was comprised of classroom observations of a team of librarians working towards standardized learning outcomes; members of the team had the freedom to independently develop lesson plans and choose teaching approaches for each class. Observations measured the frequency of questions asked of and answered by librarians and students in library instruction sessions via oral discussion, worksheets, and polling. Researchers …

Implementation Of A Self-Directed Staff Learning Pilot Program At Old Dominion University Libraries, Rob Tench

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Old Dominion University Library staff recently implemented a self-directed staff training program after a successful six-month pilot project by two units in the Library. Influenced by similar programs at other libraries, the plan is voluntary and collaborative. Its primary objectives are to assist employees with developing the skill sets necessary to meet 21st century library challenges.

No Satisfaction? But We Try And We Try And We Try!, Tonia Graves

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

When Old Dominion University Libraries conducted the LibQUAL+ survey in 2015, results indicated a lack of satisfaction in effectively discovering and using our electronic resources. This article is based on a presentation from the 2017 North Carolina Serials Conference describing how Old Dominion University Libraries used data from the LibQUAL+ survey results to help our users connect more effectively with information resources, resulting in an improved user experience and an increased level of satisfaction.

Embodied Composition: The Creation Of Enriched Interactional Experiences Through Music Composition, Aaron Bilney Geringer

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Music is a form of embodied interaction through which people can synchronize their motor, sensory, and emotive systems. Anthropologists and developmental psychologists suggest that elements of music provide the groundwork for verbal interaction and interpersonal relationships (Aiello, 1996; Dissanayake, 2000; Mithen, 2006). When people interact with each other through music, the bases of community are formed. Phenomenological descriptions of individual’s experience of music and the role music plays in interpersonal interaction have been documented. However, there is little literature describing the embodied experiences of music composers as the architects of embodied interactions through music. Through this study, I address this …

Reflected Academic Self-Efficacy: How Teacher Behavior Influences Self-Efficacy In The Classroom, John Martin Wildauer

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Self-efficacy refers to an individual’s belief in their ability to complete tasks. The model social cognitive theory provides for studying self-efficacy shows that communicative sources of efficacy expectation yield self-efficacy in individuals by means of cognitive processing. The current study examines these communicative components of self-efficacy in the classroom more closely by marrying social cognitive theory and symbolic interactionism. Analysis of data from a sample of 69 college students found that student perceptions of their teacher’s beliefs about their ability in the classroom (reflected academic self-efficacy) have a direct relationship to their perceptions of their own abilities (academic self-efficacy). More …

A Survey Of Rewards For Teens: Extension, Replication, And 25-Year Follow-Up, Hunter King

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Changes in our immediate environment--as well as our virtual--have great potential to decrease the reinforcing effects of stimuli once identified as potent and reliable in past generations. Extant reinforcement surveys and item preferences assessments alike have shown to be a reliable mode of ascertaining potent reinforcers for various populations; however, many are outdated and may comprise of items or rewards that contemporary populations may not value. Considering the substantial environmental changes that have occurred over recent decades, in tandem with the availability of outdated reward surveys, efforts should be directed towards obtaining empirical evidence demonstrating that contemporary adolescents hold different …

Individual Differences As Predictors Of Success For Learning Community Students, Nicole Haffield

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Learning communities have been receiving attention by the higher education community in recent years (Cross, 1998; Smith, 2001; Stassen 2003). The attention around learning communities seems to largely be centered around their apparent wide-ranging benefits for student outcomes, including improved student retention, achievement and engagement. This research focuses on which types of students may be most successful in learning community programs in a college setting. Specifically, we wanted to understand if and how the Hogan Personality Inventory, and other motivational factors predict learning community student outcomes such as GPA, retention, and program engagement. None of the original hypotheses were supported. …

The Effect Of Clinician Competence And Religiosity On The Trainee Clinician’S Ability To Identify Problematic Sexual Behavior, Cody Butcher

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Models in psychology do not consider the concept of sex addiction the same way as other substance or behavior addictions. For example, sex addiction, which is not a DSM-5 disorder, is often assigned as a label to clients based off of high frequency of sexual behavior. Despite sex addiction not being a diagnosable disorder, sex addiction therapists are conducting treatment with people who identify as sex addicts. Due to this lack of a definition, previous research has found that clinicians may identify sex addiction in clients based on their own preconceived worldviews of what types of sexual behaviors or frequencies …

Evaluating A Measure Of Student Effectiveness In An Undergraduate Psychology Program, Colin Omori

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study evaluates the utility of a measure of student knowledge in various areas of psychology. The 40-item measure is a revision of a pilot test from last year, and was distributed to 90 undergraduate psychology students at a Midwestern university. The average score on the assessment was 19.87 (SD = 6.20), or 49.68%. Future directions for the assessment include validation by professors, leading to the revision and removal of items. An additional suggestion is increased enforcement in regard to student participation: The study's 90-student sample was obtained after omitting 173 students who did not finish the exam, did not …

Motivational Strategies For Improving Healthy Eating Habits: A Thematic Analysis Of A Myplate Twitter Campaign, Md Jamal Uddin

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study examined the #MyPlateMyWins Twitter campaign from ChooseMyPlate.gov to understand the motivational strategies used to influence people to change their eating habits. Although studies have explored healthy diet promotion in a variety of contexts, researchers have been slower to explore how Twitter is used in this regard. Applying Uses and Gratification (U&G) theory and using a thematic analysis, this paper found three major strategies used by the campaign: Starting with small changes in health behavior; being a healthy eating role model for kids; and, remaining physically active. These findings should be helpful for organizations or individuals to design effective …

History Of Desegregation In West Virginia - Timeline 1, Ashley Porter

West Virginia Connection

The lesson plan in this correlates to the book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. This plan shows the history of the desegregation in the state of West Virginia and provides facts about what happened during that time. This will give you the ability to give a brief history to fully understand the hardship for African Americans, and also to show students how the education system has changed overtime. This history lesson connects with Hidden Figures because there is a direct connection to the educational system to the real-life people Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughan. Both had attended schools in …

Making An Inherently Dangerous Profession Safer: New Ambulance Designs, Amanda George

All Capstone Projects

Current ambulance patient compartment designs have proven dangerous to paramedics during patient transport. Currently, there are no set safety standards for patient compartments of ambulances. This study focused on three fire protection districts: Coal City, Wilmington, and Elwood; each identified that the current ambulance design is very dangerous for paramedics in a crash, particularly concerning usage of seat belts and dangers of the side-facing CPR seat and bench seat. Each fire district addressed these issues with new ambulance designs. The mixed methods research began with observations recorded from riding with paramedics on actual calls on both the old and new …

The Role Of Accounts And Apologies In Mitigating Blame Toward Human And Machine Agents, Kimberly Stowers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Would you trust a machine to make life-or-death decisions about your health and safety? Machines today are capable of achieving much more than they could 30 years ago—and the same will be said for machines that exist 30 years from now. The rise of intelligence in machines has resulted in humans entrusting them with ever-increasing responsibility. With this has arisen the question of whether machines should be given equal responsibility to humans—or if humans will ever perceive machines as being accountable for such responsibility. For example, if an intelligent machine accidentally harms a person, should it be blamed for its …

Religious Spiritual Identity And The Experience And Management Of Relational Turbulence In Intrafaith Romantic Relationships, Arielle Hodges

Faculty Publications - Department of Communication and Cinematic Arts

This thesis study investigated the experience and management of relational struggles and identity gaps in intrafaith romantic relationships. In total, 16 unmarried intrafaith partners (eight couples) participated. In-depth interviews were conducted and transcribed verbatim, and the interview data were interpreted and analyzed. Guided by the assumptions of Solomon, Knobloch, Theiss, and McLaren’s (2016) Relational Turbulence Theory and Hecht, Warren, Jung, and Krieger’s (2005) Communication Theory of Identity, the interpretive analyses revealed identity-driven relational struggles that disrupted the development of the ideal synchronized intrafaith romantic relationship.

Specifically, three major struggles were identified along the trajectory of intrafaith romantic relationship development: Relational …

Coates Family Collection, Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections

Finding Aids

Spanning 1988-2020, the collection highlights the life, career and personal interests of Dr. Basil L. Coates, former faculty member of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Southern University. Materials also reference Dr. Coates’ wife and fellow faculty member, Kay G. Coates, as well as their shared travels and research.

Find this collection in the University Library's Catalog

Finding Signatures Of Linguistic Reasoning, Jill De Villiers

Philosophy: Faculty Publications

Hinzen lays out the platform of un-Cartesian linguistics, and the ramifications threaten widespread beliefs about the relations between language and thought. The theoretical story is compelling but my commentary will address my con- cerns as a laborer in research.

Thirty Years Of Preserving, Discovering, And Accessing U.S. Agricultural Information: Past Progress And Current Challenges, Cristina Caminita, Michael Cook, Amy Paster

Faculty Publications

This paper describes past preservation efforts with agricultural literature in the United States, as well as current projects, challenges, and trends. Starting in the early 1990s, preservation of U.S. historical agricultural publications experienced a period of coordinated scholarly evaluation and funding. In 1993 the combined efforts of the United States Agricultural Information Network and librarians at Cornell University’s Albert R. Mann Library produced the National Preservation Program for Agricultural Literature. It was an ambitious effort to save the nation’s historical print-agricultural literature from deterioration. This effort ranged from nationally significant scholarly works, such as the Core Historical Literature of Agriculture, …

An Ethno-Physiological Response To “Chile Macho’ Among Guadalajaran Tapatios In The Los Angeles Region, Lightmary Flores

Whittier Scholars Program

As traditional Guadalajara Mexican folklore predicates, generations of familias ‘tapatias’ would drown their children and/or their new sons-in-law with their ‘chile macho’ that integrated a batch of sun dried peppers cultivated on mexican soil including chile puya, Serrano, and, most famous of all, the chile del arbol. The rite of passage ifs complete with one bite that accompanied a flood of tears and the loosening of mucus among the brave who dared to eat it. This scene captures the drama and the pleasure a person of Mexican heritage faces when eating their extra spicy ‘chile macho’- a type of salsa …

What Do Parks Got To Do With It?: An Ethnographic Analysis On If Urban Parks Foster Human Connection, And If So, How?, Noelle Celeste Leczel

Whittier Scholars Program

Through multiple courses in ethnography, built environments, urbanism, and social structures, with the addition of various internships revolving around local government and nature- like public spaces, I have brought myself to research urban parks and if these green spaces truly do foster human interaction. My research has encompassed thorough research, participatory observation, interviews, and personal funding to acquire the information needed to complete this ethnographic study. The research I used most heavily were multiple scholarly articles that were urban park specific, such as a research studies revolving around multiple ethnic groups and how they use the space, how dogs being …