Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Activist Leadership: A Grounded Theory Study Of Leadership And Effective Public-Sector Performance In A Young Democracy, Akinwumi Oladapo Oke

Dissertations

Problem

The problem this study investigated is the phenomenon of a small but growing group of activist political leaders who are redefining public sector governance by reshaping the organizations they lead, thereby improving the institutional environments of hitherto moribund public agencies. The study explored the unique dispositions, skills, values, and/or behaviors of this class of leaders in order to provide an understanding of their emergence in terms of their development, decision-making and other personal leadership characteristics that evolved into their 'activist' nature. The purpose of this research was to develop a grounded theory regarding how the leadership competencies/qualities exhibited by …

A Study Of Collaborative Skills Of Graduates Of A National, Faith-Based, Leadership Development Program, Eileen Kooreman

Dissertations

Collaboration is often cited as a long-term benefit of participation in leadership development programs. Successful collaboration requires unique leadership skills, which rely on trust and influence rather than authority and position. Collaboration takes place over the passage of time. Evaluation of leadership development programs that focus on outcomes after the passage of time is rare making it difficult to confirm if a relationship between the collaborative skills taught and measurable collaboration activity exists.

This study was able to draw on the alumni of the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative, a national faith-based leadership development program that maintains on-going relationships with its …

Ethnic Identity And Adult Attachment As Correlates Of Relationship Satisfaction Among White, Black, And Interracial Couples, Donalea Mcintyre

Dissertations

Problem

Relationship satisfaction is a broad construct that has been extensively researched. However, there are gaps in the literature pertaining to relationship satisfaction in minority and interracial couples. This present study examines the extent of the relationship between ethnic identity and adult attachment to relationship satisfaction in White, Black, and Interracial couples.

Method

Participants completed surveys that measure a) ethnic identity, b) adult attachment, and c) relationship satisfaction. Several statistical analysis methods were used to answer two research questions. These methods included descriptive statistics, one-way MANOVA, and Path Analysis. Six hundred and seven adults in the United States general population …

Religiosity And Ethnic Identity As Predictors Of Identity Orientation Among African American And Caucasian American Women, Helen N. Rolle

Dissertations

Problem

Research on the role of religion and ethnicity in the identity orientation of women has been largely neglected in psychology for many years. While previous identity studies have attempted to examine a range of variables as it relates to the general population, how women specifically experience identity based on their gender has not been included, resulting in gaps in the research literature. The present study is intended to add to the literature by focusing on the contributing factors of religiosity and ethnic identity to identity orientation and compare how they vary among African American and Caucasian American women.

Method …

Leadership Development Among Youth In Latino Congregations: The Relationship Of Religious Participation To Social Service Involvement And Engagement In Leadership Tasks, Elizabeth Tamez Mendez

Dissertations

Problem

Personal observations and anecdotal accounts attest that some of the young people in U.S. Latino churches are developing as leaders within their congregations. This seems to come as a result of the organic or less-formalized leadership development dynamics and practices present within Latino congregations, where leaders often develop by being actively involved in leadership actions without necessarily first following a curriculum of study, completing a training program, or fulfilling a set of theological education requirements. In this way, many are acquiring roles and responsibilities by which they actively contribute towards local congregational and community life, and by which they …

Adapting To Change In The Swiss German Media Industry: Identifying And Developing Competencies Needed By Journalists And Editors To Cope With Future Market Needs - A Collective Case Study, Christiane E. Theiss

Dissertations

The global media industry has undergone a tremendous change and massive upheaval during the last two decades. On the one side, media consumption has changed immensely and on the other side, media convergence appeared, a phenomenon which describes the merge of different media production genres (print, TV, radio, digital).

Using a qualitative collective case study approach, this study was able to explore and depict competencies needed by journalists for coping with media convergence in the Swiss German media industry. The requirements for convergent work are the following seven competency themes: technical skills, social and emotional skills, cognitive skills, writing and …

The Effect Of A Single-Session Group Songwriting Intervention On Grief Processing In Hospice Clinicians, Melissa Deaton

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a single-session group music therapy songwriting session on grief processing in hospice clinicians. The study design was quasi-experimental. Participants were cluster randomized into a control group and a treatment group. The researcher led a 50-minute songwriting session focused on sharing and processing experiences of grief-related stress and burnout in hospice work. Grief processing was measured using a self-report survey for n=25. Overall differences between control and treatment groups were not found to be statistically significant. Significant differences were also not found in treatment score differences for type of …

The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Executive Functions In High School Aged Students, Julia Barta

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Childhood adversity and executive function deficits pose significant concerns for those who experience these issues directly, as well as the educators, parents, medical providers, and communities in which they live. Much research has outlined negative physiological effects on typical brain development and health, as well as negative behavioral, social, and emotional outcomes stemming from early life trauma. Similarly, individuals with executive function deficits are more likely to struggle with behavior, emotions, and cognition. Little is known about the self-reported relationship between early life trauma and executive function. This study was designed to learn more about the relationship between adverse childhood …

Refining The Assessment Of Adhd: The Relationship Between Self-Report And Observable Behavioral Symptoms, Bryan Gastelle

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Individuals with adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) present with deficits in attention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, or a combination of these symptoms. Functional impairment due to inattention, reduced motivation, poor impulse control, emotion dysregulation, and deficits in executive functioning are also frequently seen. Assessment of ADHD, using objective continuous performance tasks, has been introduced in conjunction with widely used self-report measures of ADHD symptom severity. The Conner’s Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS) is one such self-report measure of ADHD, consisting of 66 self-report items that measure symptoms of ADHD, including inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and poor self-concept. The Quotient ADHD System purports to provide objective …

What Type Of Training Predicts Adherence To Cbt-I Among Professionals Specializing In The Treatment Of Insomnia?, Mark D. Delguercio

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between certain educational and professional variables that influence the adherence to empirically supported practices in cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). The variables of interest included the practitioner’s level of training as measured by the number of hours of advanced training in CBT-I, the total number of hours practicing CBT-I out of the total annual clinical practice hours, and the total number of years practicing CBT-I. The final variable of interest was treatment preference and practice knowledge. The study used a one-time, cross-sectional, web-based survey. The participants consisted of 165 mental health and medical professionals of …

Identifying Subtypes Of Schizophrenia Through Differential Neurocognitive And Symptomatic Profiles, Brielle A. Marino

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Schizophrenia has long been characterized solely by positive and negative symptoms of psychosis. It has also been typified by its widespread heterogeneity, which has impeded treatment outcomes. Previous attempts at reducing this heterogeneity via identifying symptom-based subtypes has been unhelpful and unreliable. More recently, cognitive deficits have been identified as prominent features of the disorder and are now included as necessary diagnostic criteria. The present study aimed to identify the unique relationships between cognitive deficits and psychotic symptoms and to establish subtypes based on these profiles. The findings suggest two distinct subtypes: (a) a deficit subtype wherein individuals display more …

Examining Procedural Fidelity In School-Based Problem-Solving Teams Within Elementary Schools, Catalina Ottinger-Ovens

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The current study examined the procedural fidelity within problem solving teams in three elementary schools, utilizing a 19-item modified checklist (Burns et al., 2008) completed by team members and a trained observer concurrently at eight meetings at each of the schools. The purpose of the study was to determine if there was a relationship between the team members’ ratings and the observer’s ratings, and also to determine the level of procedural fidelity across the three schools. The items on the checklist were divided into three subscales for analysis, based on the problem solving model: problem identification, problem analysis, and problem …

The Effect Of Age At Diagnosis On Neuropsychological Functioning For Survivors Of Pediatric Brain Tumors Treated With Proton Radiation Therapy, Christina Zebrowski

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Compared to photon radiation, proton radiation spares healthy tissue by better targeting the tumor, reducing entrance dose, and eliminating exit dose (Semenova, 2009). Research thus far has largely focused on intelligence and adaptive profiles for individuals treated with proton radiation therapy (PRT; Patel, Mullins, O-Neil, & Wilson, 2011). Additionally, the effect of age varies in regard to age being protective or not (Levisohn, Cronin-Golomb, & Schmahmann, 2000; De Ruiter, Van Mourik, Schouten-Van Meeteren, Grootenhus, & Oosterlann, 2013; Wolfe, Madan-Swain, & Kana, 2012). This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the effect of age on diagnosis on neuropsychological functioning for individuals with …

School Staff Perceptions Of A Trauma Informed Program On Improving Knowledge, Competence, And School Climate, Elizabeth Mikolajczyk

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study sought to examine school staff perceptions of knowledge, competence, school climate and program effectiveness during and after participation in a trauma informed care professional development. The majority of the sample consisted of special areas (art, music, library) teachers and paraprofessionals from all district schools, which consisted of three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school in in a school district located in Southeast Pennsylvania approximately 20 miles from a major metropolitan city. Most of the participants were female. Participants completed a pretest survey and an identical survey following each phase. Questions on the survey pertained to …

Using Dialectical Behavior Therapy To Improve School Performance Of High School Students, Kelly R. Wayne

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study explored the effect of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) on the school functioning of high school students with trauma histories. The lifelong impact of trauma exposure across multiple domains of functioning is well documented. However, there is a gap between research and practice in school environments. Teachers in this study were taught trauma-sensitive teaching practices and DBT strategies to improve their ability to understand student emotional dysregulation, reduce challenging classroom behaviors, and improve academic performance. Students were taught DBT strategies in mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal relations designed to reduce disciplinary referrals, increase use of positive coping …

Testing The Efficacy Of A Brief Psychoeducational Video On Improving Mental Health Literacy, Gregory Amatrudo

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Mental health literacy (MHL) is defined as knowledge and beliefs about mental health disorders which aid in recognition, management, or prevention (Jorm et al., 1997). The concept of MHL is essential in helping individuals understand and recognize symptoms of mental health disorders. In addition, MHL encompasses components related to stigma and attitudes that serve to facilitate or inhibit help seeking behaviors. Although the public has benefited greatly from initiatives aimed at improving knowledge about physical disease, similar initiatives aimed at improving MHL have been comparatively neglected. Many members of the public have difficulty recognizing specific types of psychological distress (Jorm, …

Instructing Students With Pediatric And Mental Health Conditions: Predictors Of Teachers’ Self-Efficacy, Rachel Allen

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Teachers face unique challenges when teaching children who have individualized education plans (IEPs) and/or 504 plans, including managing problematic behaviors and knowing about the symptoms and accommodations necessary when children present with health conditions. The factors that predict teachers’ self-efficacy when working with these children have not been established. This was a quantitative retrospective design utilizing a survey of teachers’ past experiences teaching children with IEP’s and/or 504 plans. K-8 elementary school teachers were surveyed using the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale for Children with IEP/504 Plans (2017), which was developed by the authors and was adapted from a previous measure, the …

The Effects Of Negative Body Image And Self-Assessed Health On Health Behaviors In Adults, Danielle N. Beach

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Body image (BI) is a complex concept that seems to be related to self-assessed health (SAH), in other words, how an individual perceives his or her health. Negative BI does seem to influence adaptive and maladaptive health behaviors. For example, women with negative BI are more likely to smoke cigarettes and have more difficulty with smoking cessation than their counterparts with less negative BI. Previous studies have explored the relationship between select variables, and the samples have consisted of mostly adolescents and European samples. The current study aimed to determine if a relationship exists between these variables and to examine …

Inter-Rater Agreement And Validity Of A Tackling Performance Assessment Scale In Youth American Football, Eric Schussler, Richard J. Jagacinski, Susan E. White, Ajit M. Chaudhari, John A. Buford, James A. Onate

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Long term neurologic injury and concussion have been identified as risks from participation in American football. Altering tackling form has been recommended to reduce the risk of neurologic injury caused by head accelerations when tackling. The purpose of this research is to determine the inter-rater agreement and validity of the Qualitative Youth Tackling System (QYTS), a six-item feedback scale to correct tackling form, when utilized by novice and expert raters.

Hypothesis: Experienced raters will have higher levels of agreement with each other and with motion capture when compared to novice raters. Methods: Both novice and experienced raters viewed video …

"Think Of The Children!”: Gender And Sexuality In Nickelodeon Cart And Designoons, Rebecca Grenier

Whittier Scholars Program

The world of television cart and designoons has historically been, and largely remains, a space dominated by stories of straight male characters. Cart and designoons are written about boys, for boys, and even as live-action television is making dedicated strides toward on-screen gender equity, these animated programs continue to fall short. At least, that’s the theory. ‘Think of the Children!’: Gender and Sexuality in Nickelodeon Cart and designoons examines the amount and quality of representation of genders and sexualities in five culturally-significant cart and designoons that premiered on children’s television network Nickelodeon between 1991 and 2001: Rugrats, Hey Arnold!, SpongeBob …

Risk Factors For The Ill-Defined Causes Of Death In The Brazilian States: A Multilevel Analysis, Nadia Cristina Pinheiro Rodrigues, Regina Paiva Daumas, Andrea Sobral De Almeida, Gisele O'Dwyer, Monica Kramer De Noronha Andrade, Matthew B. Flynn, Valeria Teresa Saraiva Lino

Political Science & International Studies: Faculty Publications

This study describes the spatial-temporal changes of the proportion of ill-defined causes of death in Brazil (1998-2012) and investigates which demographic and socioeconomic factors affect this proportion. We collected information of the proportion of ill-defined causes of death by age (15-59 years), sex, period, locality, and socioeconomic data. We used a multilevel Poisson model to investigate which factors affect the risk of ill-defined causes of death. Unlike states located in the South and Midwest, we detected clusters with high proportional levels of these deaths in states in the North and Northeast regions. A greater proportion occurred in 1998-2002 (0.09), in …

Fpga-Based On-Board Geometric Calibration For Linear Ccd Array Sensors, Guoqing Zhou, Linjun Jiang, Jingjin Huang, Rongting Zhang, Dequan Liu, Xiang Zhou, Oktay Baysal

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

With increasing demands in real-time or near real-time remotely sensed imagery applications in such as military deployments, quick response to terrorist attacks and disaster rescue, the on-board geometric calibration problem has attracted the attention of many scientists in recent years. This paper presents an on-board geometric calibration method for linear CCD sensor arrays using FPGA chips. The proposed method mainly consists of four modules—Input Data, Coefficient Calculation, Adjustment Computation and Comparison—in which the parallel computations for building the observation equations and least squares adjustment, are implemented using FPGA chips, for which a decomposed matrix inversion method is presented. A Xilinx …

Contemporary Analysis Of Information Literacy In Music: A Literature Review And Selected Annotated Bibliography, Michael J. Duffy Iv

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Since 2004, the body of literature dedicated to information literacy in music has expanded, reflecting themes of definitions and standards of information literacy, the role of information literacy in accreditation and assessment, instructional relationships with faculty and students, and online instruction. In addition, the literature also explored themes of information ethics, embedded librarians, unconventional instructional modes, and the implications of user behavior for information literacy. This literature review and selected bibliography traces these themes across 57 writings, published or in-press, highlighting potential application of some of the ideas in these writings as well as potential for further exploration.

Review Of An Intellectual History Of Turkish Nationalism: Between Turkish Ethnicity And Islamic Identity, Shahrzad Khosrowpour

Library Articles and Research

A review of An intellectual history of Turkish nationalism: Between Turkish ethnicity and Islamic identity by Umut Uzer.

Review Of Felâtun Bey And Râkim Efendi: An Ottoman Novel, Shahrzad Khosrowpour

Library Articles and Research

A review of Felâtun Bey and Râkim Efendi: an Ottoman Novel by Ahmet Midhat Efendi.

Review Of Gilgamesh’S Snake And Other Poems, Shahrzad Khosrowpour

Library Articles and Research

A review of Gilgamesh’s Snake and Other Poems by Ghareeb Iskander.

Facilitating Collaboration Among School And Community Providers In Children's Mental Health, Holly J. Curran

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Interprofessional collaboration among school-based and community-based mental health providers in children's mental has been studied in relation to specific providers and as part of program evaluation; however, limited information exists as to how to overcome barriers to collaborative relationships. This study describes the experiences of school and community mental health service providers and those who supervise them. Using phenomenological methodology, three focus-group interview transcripts were analyzed by identifying recurrent themes relevant to the experience of collaboration from school and community providers' perspectives. Although participants viewed aspects of collaboration positively, barriers frequently interfered with collaborative relationships. Support for collaboration from state, …

Saving Behaviour In The Australian Dream: Its Relationship With Aspiration And Motivation, Financial Literacy, And Materialism, Ming D’Iapico-Bien

Theses : Honours

In Australia, most people aspire to achieve the “Australian dream” of owning their homes. Australian house prices have risen dramatically in comparison to people’s incomes, but despite this, many Australians still strive to enter the property market. The aim of this correlational study was to investigate the relationships between saving behaviour (with the ultimate goal of spending accumulated savings on a house deposit) and various psychological variables over and above sex, age, education, employment status, and income. The investigated predictor variables were motivation, extrinsic aspiration, financial literacy, and materialism. Previous research grounded in self-determination theory (SDT) has shown that intrinsic …

Muslim Veiled Women And Religious Discrimination: A Strength Perspective, Aishath Shizleen

Theses : Honours

The word ‘Islamophobia’ has gained and continues to gain wider currency in both the academic and public sphere. In the recent years, there has been an increase in literature focusing on Muslims and their experiences living in Western societies. It has been established that religious discrimination impacts negatively on self-esteem, mental wellbeing and one’s sense of identity. However, there is little research focusing on Muslim veiled women in particular even though it has been established that people who are visibly Muslim are more vulnerable to religious discrimination. This phenomenological study explored the lived experience of Muslim veiled women from South …

Neutrosophic Optimization And Its Application On Structural Designs, Florentin Smarandache, Mridula Sarkar, Tapan Kumar Roy

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

In the real world, uncertainty or vagueness is prevalent in engineering and management computations. Commonly, such uncertainties are included in the design process by introducing simplified hypothesis and safety or design factors. In case of structural and pavement design, several design methods are available to optimize objectives. But all such methods follow numerous monographs, tables and charts to find effective thickness of pavement design or optimum weight and deflection of structure calculating certain loop of algorithm in the cited iteration process. Most of the time, designers either only take help of a software or stop the cited procedure even after …