Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Crowdsourcing: A New Tool For Policy-Making?, Araz Taeihagh

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Crowdsourcing is rapidly evolving and applied in situations where ideas, labour, opinion or expertise of large groups of people is used. Crowdsourcing is now used in various policy-making initiatives; however, this use has usually focused on open collaboration platforms and specific stages of the policy process, such as agenda-setting and policy evaluations. Other forms of crowdsourcing have been neglected in policy-making, with a few exceptions. This article examines crowdsourcing as a tool for policy-making and explores the nuances of the technology and its use and implications for different stages of the policy process. The article addresses questions surrounding the role …

Above, On, Or Shang (上)? Language And Spatial Representations Among English–Mandarin Bilinguals, Wei Xing Toh, Lidia Suãrez

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This study investigated if exposure to spatial language could affect spatial cognition in English-Mandarin bilinguals by focusing on contact/noncontact distinctions, an area that has been a source of contention in the language-and-thought literature. Sixty-three participants were first primed with sentences containing spatial terms (e.g., above, on) before performing a spatial decision task. Approximately half of the participants (n = 33) were primed in English; for the remaining participants (n = 30), primes comprising Mandarin spatial terms―which mark spatial distinctions differently than in English (e.g., shang in Mandarin signifies both above and on in English)―were employed instead. Our findings revealed that …

In The Organization’S Shadow: How Individual Behavior Is Shaped By Organizational Leakage, Matthew E. Brashears, Michael Genkin, Chan S. Suh

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Individuals who join an organization often adopt its characteristic behaviors, but does the same effect extend to nearby nonmembers, and is this process impeded or enhanced by the competition between organizations? This article argues that organizations influence the behavior of both members and proximate nonmembers in a process we term “organizational leakage” and that competition between organizations moderates the impact of any one of them on individual behavior. This article finds, using the Add Health data, that an individual’s location in an organizational ecology is an important predictor of his or her behavior, even while controlling for other factors, including …

Beyond Personal Control: When And How Executives' Beliefs In Negotiable Fate Foster Entrepreneurial Orientation And Firm Performance, Evelyn W. M. Au, Xin Qin, Zhi-Xue Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Negotiable fate, the belief that fate imposes boundaries within which personal actions can shape outcomes, is rooted in Chinese collective wisdom. This belief is hypothesized to prompt executives to use of available resources to create opportunities by directing their attention to controllable aspects of unpredictable environments. Thus, executives' endorsement of negotiable fate beliefs is expected not only to enhance firm-level entrepreneurial orientation, but also to positively predict firm innovation and financial performance. We further expect these mediation effects to be stronger under dynamic environments. Studies of top executives in China support the theorized moderated-mediation model. By providing evidence for its …

Staying Up-To-Date With Research, Michael Ladisch

Pacific Libraries Workshops

Keeping up-to-date in your field of research can be challenging. This talk will provide some tips on how to do so effectively by using saved searches, RSS feeds, social networks, alerts etc.

• Finding resources
• Saving search strategies, setting up email alerts
• Using RSS feeds
• Following on social networks (RG, Academia, Google Scholar)
• Email discussion lists
• Preprint server
• Podcasts

Demographic Influences On Nonadoption Of Calf Management And Marketing Practices For Cow-Calf Operations, Stephanie Schumacher, Derrell S. Peel, Kellie Curry Raper

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

Though research indicates that many calf management and marketing practices are available to add value for the cow-calf producer, a high percentage of producers are still nonadopters of such practices. Little information identifies nonadopters in the beef cattle industry, limiting efforts to provide educational support. This study uses a binomial logit model and primary survey data to examine the demographic influence on producers’ nonadoption of commonly recommended value-added management and marketing practices specific to feeder calves in the cow-calf segment.

Short-Term Asset And Debt Choice And U.S. Corn Farm Liquidity, Sarah Stutzman, Todd Hubbs

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

The liquidity positions of U.S. corn farms over the period 2002–2013 is examined using Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) data and calculating the average annual working capital to gross revenue (WC/GR) ratio for farms within the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile. The relationship between liquidity and land ownership, farm size, and the composition and level of short-term farm asset and debts by category are compared across farms within the 25th, 25th–75th, and 75th WC/GR ratio percentile. We find that, on average, farms in the 75th WC/GR ratio percentile owned a greater portion of their operated acres and maintained both …

Financial Vulnerability Of Midwest Grain Farms: Implications Of Price, Yield, And Cost Shocks, Shasha Li, Michael Boehlje

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

Recent years have witnessed increasing volatility in crop prices and yields, fertilizer prices, and farm asset values. In this study, the financial performance of illustrative Midwest grain farms with different scales, tenure status, and capital structures was examined under the shocks of volatile crop prices, yields, fertilizer prices, farmland value, and cash rent. Illustrative farms of 550, 1,200, and 2,500 acres were constructed reflecting the production activity for these farms with three different farmland ownership structures (15%, 50%, and 85% of land owned) and two capital structures measured by debt-to- asset ratio (25% and 50%). Absolute measures and financial ratios …

Violent And Non-Violent Strategies Of Counterinsurgency, Anna O. Pechenkina, D. Scott Bennett

Political Science Faculty Publications

Responses to insurgency include both a large-scale societal reform directed at improving the lives of civilians and a direct military response with no additional programs to improve civilian welfare. In this paper, we as, what is the optimal combination of aid and military response from the viewpoint of the state? Using a computational model, we evaluate what mix of these two strategies helps the government defeat an insurgency more quickly. Our model yields that aid may boost a military strategy that avoids civilian casualties, but it may not compensate for a military strategy that targets civilians indiscriminately.

Spartan Daily, October 31, 2017, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2017

Volume 149, Issue 29

Tony Tan [Singapore, President, Minister For Defence, Education], Tony Tan

Digital Narratives of Asia

Tony Tan Keng Yam, the seventh President of Singapore and Commander-in-Chief of Singapore Armed Forces, tells DNA about his most satisfying aspect of work with the army, and the most challenging portfolio in education. He describes the impact of the changing media environment and citizens' aspirations, disclosing the rationales of some policies he had implemented.

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 93, No. 20, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Kast, Monica. Professor’s Use of Funds Investigated by FBI, WKU – Matthw Dettman
• Collins, Emma. Halloweekend – International Students, Halloween
• Collins, Emma. Regents Discuss Drop in Enrollment, Diversity Plan
• DeLetter, Emily. International Engineering Student Studies at WKU – Bareera Mirza
• Alvey, Rebekah. Students Respond to Controversial Halloween Costumes
• Johnson, Kalyn. Wear These Alternative Halloween Costumes
• Austin, Emma. Editorial Cartoon re: Trick or Treat or Tuition
• Leonard, Nicole. Spooky Style
• Huff, Taylor. Spook Up Your Life with Help from the Stars – Horoscopes
• Mansfield, Tyler. Young …

Inklings And Tentacled Things: Grasping At Kinship Through Video Games, Melissa Bianchi

Communication, Media, and Arts Faculty Articles

Connecting Haraway’s recent observations about “making kin” to video games, this essay examines how particular elements of the medium might cultivate nuanced considerations for multispecies relations. To fully grasp how video games broadly redefine relations between human and nonhuman animals, we must consider the role of game aesthetics and play mechanics in players’ experiences of becoming-with. These elements of games fundamentally shape players’ engagements with the medium and are inextricably linked to their storytelling and production. Moreover, game aesthetics and play mechanics (in conjunction with storytelling) demand that players take specific actions and inhabit distinct roles during play, enabling players …

1759 - A Natural And Civil History Of California, Volume I

Miscellaneous Publications – Spanish

Volume I. is the 1759 English translation of Spanish Jesuit Miguel Venegas’s 1758 publication regarding the history of the Peninsula of California. It describes the soil, mountains, harbors, lakes, rivers and seas, the animals, vegetables, minerals and fishery for pearls; as well as the customs of the inhabitants, their religion, government, manner of living before their conversion to the Christian religion by the Jesuits. The Preface addresses the merits of the Spanish publication, the strengths and weakness of the Spanish in this far region, as well as the potential opportunities for England. Volume one contains Part I. through Part III, …

Measuring The Impact Of Youth Leadership Development: An Evaluation Of Impacts, Heartland Center For Leadership Development

Heartland Center for Leadership Development Materials

Introduction

The research purpose of this collaborative study is to develop a psychometrically sound measure of youth leadership and examine its relationship to community outcomes such as retention, civic engagement, entrepreneurial activity and community attachment. This program, entitled the Rural Civic Action Program (RCAP), is designed to engage undergraduate “fellows” with rural middle or high schools to facilitate a service learning project intended to address locally identified needs.

A Formative Evaluation With Extension Educators: Exploring Implementation Approaches Using Web-Based Methods, Adrienne M. Duke, Shnovia Joy Maxwell Scott

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The article describes the formative evaluation of a bullying prevention program called Be SAFE from the perspective of Extension educators. Twelve regional and county educators from Family and Child Development and 4-H Youth Development participated in our study. We used a web-based, mixed methods approach, utilizing both Qualtrics, an online survey software platform, and Scopia, a video conferencing application, to collect survey data and do a focus group. The results of the survey show that three activities, Clear Mind, Mud Mind, Take a Stand, and The Relationship Continuum, were perceived as garnering the most participation from students. However, focus group …

An Examination Of Georgia Young Farmer Program Participants’ Learning Style Preferences, Barry S. Bailey, James R. Lindner, Brian Parr

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

This study was designed to describe Georgia Young Farmer Program participants’ learning style preferences. Using survey research methods, a questionnaire was designed to collect data related to the purpose of the study. The population for this study included active members in the program. Study findings showed that participants had a preference for kinesthetic learning over visual and auditory learning. While participants indicated a preference for kinesthetic learning, all three learning styles were deemed effective. Preferences for learning styles and perception of effectiveness did not differ by personal characteristics. Recommendations include taking learning style preferences into account when designing and delivering …

Carsey Perspectives: Innovative Financing For Community Businesses, Eric Hangen

Carsey Publications

In this perspectives brief, author Eric Hangen examines two nonprofit “alternative business financiers”-- Vested for Growth and the Local Enterprise Assistance Fund -- who have been broadening the financing options available for community-based businesses. Early results from both initiatives suggest that both the borrowing businesses and community lenders can succeed with these financing strategies: businesses are getting flexible financing while maintaining control of the company, and community lenders are earning returns that help to sustain their operations.

Pursuing A Common Goal: Measuring The Comfort Level Of Educational Diagnosticians To Manage A Caseload Of Students With Visual Impairments, Jerry Mullins M.Ed., Michael P. Munro M.Ed.

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

This study was conducted to measure the level of comfort and knowledge that educational diagnosticians possess regarding the unique learning needs, assistive technology, special accommodations, agencies, required visual impairment related Individual Educational Plan documents, and special evaluation considerations appropriate for students with a vision loss. Teachers of students with visual impairments were surveyed to gauge their perception of educational diagnosticians’ knowledge of the field of visual impairment and diagnosticians were also surveyed to determine their comfort level in the management of a caseload of students with visual impairments. Research question were based on how TVIs rated the comfort level and …

Bodies Of Water: Politics, Ethics, And Relationships Along New Mexico's Acequias, Elise Trott

Anthropology ETDs

Growing public attention to global economic and environmental instability and collapse have brought new urgency to a classic activity of anthropology: looking for alternative economic and environmental models in other ways of life. This dissertation is a case study of the complex and sometimes contradictory ways in which New Mexico’s acequias (communally-managed irrigation ditches) are produced, experienced, and contested as an alternative form of living, creating community, and relating ethically to the environment. Drawing on over six years of participant observation and in-depth interviews with Nuevomexicano (Spanish- and Mexican-descendant), indigenous, and non-indigenous acequia users and organizers in North-Central New Mexico …

Interview With Marion Wilhite, Cherice Bock, Ralph Beebe

War & Conscientious Objection in Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends, 1940-1975

Marion Wilhite talks about his service in the Navy, and how even though he grew up in the Quaker church his mindset was different due to the fact that he had brothers serving in the military.

Interview With Eric Palmer, Cherice Bock, Ralph Beebe

War & Conscientious Objection in Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends, 1940-1975

Eric Palmer reflects on how he registered for the draft as a conscientious objector, and how his faith influenced his decision.

Role Of Extension In Building Sustainable Partnerships With Multiple Stakeholders For Land Conservation, John M. Diaz, Robert E. Bardon, Dennis Hazel, Jackie Bruce, K.S.U. Jayaratne

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The complexity of issues facing rural landscapes in the United States has resulted in a shift from the traditional Extension model to a partnership building approach. In North Carolina, Extension was charged with coordinating a partnership with a diverse set of stakeholders representing the interests of working lands, conservation, and national defense to address shared land compatibility issues. Using a single case study design, we evaluate the role of Extension in the coordination of diverse stakeholder groups for conservation of rural landscapes to protect the military training mission based on insights from the North Carolina Sentinel Landscapes Partnership. The case …

Identifying Assets Associated With Quality Extension Programming At The Local Level, Amy Harder, Priscilla Zelaya

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

County Extension offices are responsible for the majority of programming delivered in the United States. The purpose of this study was to identify and explore assets influencing the quality of county Extension programs. A basic qualitative research design was followed to conduct constant comparative analysis of five Extension county program review reports. Using the appreciative inquiry process as the lens through which to view the county program review reports revealed multiple assets leading to quality programming. Assets of the reviewed county Extension programs were found to cluster within the following themes: competent and enthusiastic Extension faculty, community partnerships, engaged and …

A Conceptual Model For Selecting Extension Delivery Methods To Plan Better Programs, Rama Radhakrishna, Brad Olson, Anil Kumar Chaudhary

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

Extension educators today face several challenges in designing, delivering, and evaluating programs. Achieving successful program outcomes is becoming increasingly difficult. Educators must choose amongst a wide variety of technology and delivery methods, all while facing resource constraints such as cost, time, and materials. Educators require a tool that helps them to select delivery methods that achieve more successful program outcomes. We developed a conceptual model that connects the scholarly works of Bloom et al., Dale, and Bennett with over 30 program delivery methods. This article demonstrates the model’s utility by applying it to a past program on smoking cessation.

Assessing The Tennessee Extension Master Gardener Program Using Both County Coordinator And Extension Volunteer Perspectives, Natalie R. Bumgarner, Joseph L. Donaldson

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

The Extension Master Gardener (EMG) program is a vital contributor to Tennessee Extension residential and consumer horticulture education and outreach. In 2014, 2,480 volunteers statewide completed service and education requirements to achieve or maintain certified EMG status. These volunteers, led by Tennessee Extension agent county coordinators, contributed over 178,800 hours of service while recording over 30,300 hours of continuing education. These totals illustrate both the contributions of EMG volunteers to horticulture outreach and their desire for education to enhance their own knowledge and skill. Understanding the most needed areas of training for EMG volunteers to support their education and outreach …

Ethnic Conflict And Gender Inequality In Education: The Case Of Turkey, Ramazan Kilinc, Jody L. Neathery-Castro, Selin Akyuz

Political Science Faculty Publications

Although conflict remains a major obstacle to development in many areas of the world, its impact on education has been rarely studied. This article investigates the relationship between conflict and gender equality, focusing on the schooling of the girls in the conflict-ridden regions of Turkey. Patriarchy is the most important determinant of low educational levels among girls in Southeastern Turkey. However, ethnic conflict exacerbates male-dominant traditions and blocks economic development, reinforcing patriarchal norms and limiting girls’ school attendance. Yet, by provoking political mobilization around a Kurdish identity, ethnic conflict may undermine patriarchy and unintentionally promote girls’ education.

Reading Between The Vines: Analyzing Climate Change Adaptive Capacity In The Tulbagh Valley Wine Industry, South Africa, Jana Catherine Brady

LSU Master's Theses

There is great concern across the wine industry about the effect climate change will have on wine production and quality. These worries are valid because wine grapes are sensitive to the climatological conditions in which they are grown. However, not all viticultural areas will experience climate change in the same manner and the effects of climate change could vary considerably by region. This thesis examines the potential impact of climate change on the wine industry in the already hot and dry Tulbagh Valley, South Africa. The valley has produced wine since the early 18^th century, but today the valley …

“If You Want The History Of A White Man, You Go To The Library”: Critiquing Our Legacy, Addressing Our Library Collections Gaps, Jennifer Bowers, Katherine Crowe, Peggy Keeran

University Libraries: Faculty Scholarship

In 1864, the same year the University of Denver was founded by John Evans, then the Territorial Governor of Colorado and the Superintendent of Indian Affairs, a group of U.S. militia attacked and killed vulnerable members of the Cheyenne and Arapaho nations at Sand Creek. Using Critical Race Theory and the feminist “ethic of care,” we critique our collections in terms of the Massacre and absent Native American voices, in order to develop a collecting philosophy and direction to acknowledge and address the gaps, and to formulate strategies for teaching students to interrogate a predominately white institutional archive to give …

Development Of A Nutrition Education Program For The Mississippi Communities For Healthy Living Nutrition Intervention Using The Diffusion Of Innovations Theory, Holly F. Huye, Elaine Molaison, Laura H. Downey, Alicia S. Landry, Lashaundrea B. Crook, Carol L. Connell

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

This research identified themes when exploring the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ (DGA) attributes of relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability to provide information for the design and structure of a nutrition education program for the Mississippi Communities of Healthy Living Nutrition Intervention. Diffusion of Innovations theory was used to develop education sessions to promote the adoption and consumption of a DGAbased healthy diet innovation in the Lower Mississippi Delta. Two focus groups were conducted with a purposive sample of 13 women in the community as well as one expert panel of six registered dietitians. Major themes identified for the …