Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Oregon Transportation Plan: Innovations In The Exploratory Scenario Planning Approach, Adam Argo, Jonathan Slason

PSU Transportation Seminars

This seminar reviews the recently-adopted Oregon Transportation Plan and the process and innovations that underpinned the analysis to identify a preferred set of investments and actions to support the vision and goals of the plan. The plan used innovative methods for communicating how investment strategies may affect regions or example households across the state. Funding is a key influence on how the plan by identifying the affects of inadequate funding and identifying how investment priorities change if funding increases. The Statewide VisionEval strategic travel model was used to conduct an exploratory scenario planning process that informed the relationships between funding, …

Scoring Soar, Timothy J. Bartik

Upjohn Institute Policy Papers

This paper estimates the benefits and costs of the incentive package provided to the proposed Ford battery plant in Marshall, Michigan. This project, announced in February 2023, involves a state and local business incentive package whose undiscounted value is $1.7 billion, and which is awarded to a plant that will eventually create 2,500 permanent jobs. The incentive package is analyzed using the Bartik Benefit-Cost Model of Incentives. The model’s estimates suggest that the incentive package has economic benefits whose present value is over 1.8 times the project’s incentive costs. Most of these benefits are higher earnings per capita for Michigan …

Implicit Trait Policies And Situational Judgment Tests: How Personality Shapes Judgments Of Effective Behavior, Alexander Edward Johnson

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

The Situational Judgment Test (SJT) is a popular selection tool used by employers to

make hiring decisions due to their strong predictive validity. SJTs present job candidates with

hypothetical scenarios, asking them to choose the responses that best fit those situations. SJTs

have been used to measure a range of knowledge, skills, and abilities, but what they measure and

why they predict performance remains unclear. Lievens and Motowidlo (2016) called for a

reframing of the SJT as a measure of general domain knowledge. According to their theory, SJTs

measure procedural knowledge, which is composed of general domain knowledge—

operationalized as …

Calling In Antiracist Accomplices Beyond The Writing Center, Hillary Coenen

The Writing Center Journal

A reflective, ethnographic study of a grassroots, antiracist educational workshop (The Conversation Workshops, TCW) reveals that writing center (WC) pedagogy and feminist invitational rhetoric’s (FIR) influence on TCW enables participants to recognize their own and their partners’ expertise, meaningful experiences, valuable perspectives, and their need to be listened to, accounted for, and understood. In an invitational model, particularly one based on a one-with- one, interpersonal dynamic, participants are more like collaborators than audiences, an approach that can be applied in diverse educational settings, and which reflects the WC’s model of one-with- one pedagogy. This dynamic also reveals one of TCW’s …

Destigmatizing Working With Dyslexic Learners, Riley N. Dandurand

The Writing Center Journal

In the field of writing center research there is a paucity of information regarding tutoring students with dyslexia. This comes as no surprise considering it is only in the last 50 years that there has been a conscious effort to include those who have exceptionalities in all areas of education. In addition to a lack of research and training there is another issue that arises with disclosing exceptionalities. Those studying dyslexia have found that students are hesitant to disclose their learning disability because of the stigma and feelings of differentiation from their peers (Brizee et al., 2012). The question then …

The Waiting Period Of Death Row Inmates, Ashlee Patino

Masters Theses

The death penalty is the highest form of capital sentencing and punishment in the United States. Since 1973, a little less than half of U.S. states are responsible for passing death sentences and executions. Nevertheless, the growing number of death row inmates is at an all-time high since the late 70s (DPIC, 2022). Although academia and scholarly research has advanced the general understanding of death penalty sentencing, racial disparities resulting in a death sentence and execution has not been studied as comprehensively. Despite the strides in progress made by academia and scholarly research on the death penalty, there are areas …

Air Force Officers' Faith Influences On Enlisted Member's Motivation And Commitment, Christopher D. Doyle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The vast amount of current literature in the field of spiritual leadership focuses on corporate settings. The current literature highlights followers’ meaning of work, emotional commitment, and innovative work in spiritual organizations. However, current literature lacks data on leaders’ faith influence on followers in other than civilian organizations. The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological case study was to understand Air Force officers’ faith influence on followers’ motivation and commitment for Air Force enlisted members at an Air Force base in the Northwest of the United States. Nine Air Force enlisted members in the ranks of Airman First Class through Chief …

A Multi-Case Study Of Church-Based Business Leader Discipleship Programs And The Furtherance Of The Gospel, Robert Cross

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Can ministry and business be integrated within the church so there can be a positive impact in the church and community by business leaders understanding their unique calling in furthering the gospel? This descriptive qualitative multi-case research explored whether business and ministry can be integrated through a church-based business leader discipleship programs that will result in the furthering and sharing of the gospel. Churches with a discipleship program specifically for business leaders in the church and the business leaders who participated in the programs were interviewed to determine if there is a correlation between participating in a discipleship program and …

Improving Diversity And Inclusion Increasing Multiethnic Presence Within Religious Organizations, Marquita Nicole Davie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The program is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within a religious organization by increasing the participation of individuals from various ethnic backgrounds. The validity of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s statement regarding the most segregated time in Christian America being Sunday mornings will be evaluated through observation, exploration, and scholarly articles. The Fort Leonard Wood Protestant Women of the Chapel will serve as a framework for program design and implementation. The program serves to boost the presence of multiethnic members and leaders by 10% and 5%, respectively. This program will adhere to a logic model that will include five …

Transformational Leadership Behaviors Promoting Job Satisfaction In Mental Health Leaders: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Taylor Blakeley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Similar to leaders in other roles, mental health leaders are responsible for leading, supporting, and guiding their followers. Transformational leadership and job satisfaction are two popular areas of research. However, research primarily focuses on followers’ job satisfaction rather than leaders with transformational leadership. This study focused on what and how mental health leaders’ transformational leadership behaviors promote their job satisfaction. This study used a qualitative phenomenological research design with semi-structured interviews as the data collection method. The population sample consisted of ten (10) mental health leaders. The participants were recruited using social media platforms Facebook, LinkedIn, and Liberty University’s School …

Program Evaluation On 4kids On Foster Parent Retention, Brittany Morton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The number of children coming to the foster care system is increasing while the individuals willing to be foster parents and take these children in their care is rapidly decreasing. There are some aspects that play a crucial part in foster parents’ choice to foster children, including available resources and motivation. Research has studied why foster parents elect to foster and what leads foster parents to close their doors. For the foster care programs that provide services to foster parents, there is minimal research on foster care program evaluation regarding foster parent retention. The program evaluation aims to assess 4Kids …

Erosion Of Credibility: A Mixed Methods Evaluation Of Twitter News Headlines From The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, And Usa Today, Melinda M. Skrbin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

To entice and commodify social media news consumers, contemporary news organizations have increasingly relied on data analytics to boost audience engagement. Clicks, likes, and shares are the metrics that now guide the editorial process and shape decisions about content and coverage. As such, news headlines are regularly manipulated to attract the attention of those who quickly scroll through social media networks on computers and smartphones. However, few studies have examined the typologies of news content most likely to be manipulated in social media news headlines or the impact of news headline manipulation on news source credibility. For this research, source …

Grantmaking Decision-Making Of A Philanthropic Foundation Funding Community Colleges And Community College-Focused Intermediary Organizations: A Case Study, Tanya Wightman Giovanni

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, single-instrument case study was to discover and understand how philanthropic foundations decide to fund community colleges by exploring the perceptions of the decision-making processes of the leadership team. The theoretical framework that guided this study was Cohen et al.’s garbage can model of organizational choice. Semi-structured interviews were used to engage with persons identified as members of the leadership team, decision-makers, and board of directors for the philanthropic foundation. The interviewed study participants were asked open-ended questions related to the central research question, ‘What are the decision-making processes of philanthropic foundations when deciding to fund …

Communication And Community: The Impact Of Closed Facebook Groups On Athletic Trainers, Allison M. Schwartz-Strickland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative research study will use semi-structured interviews to explore the motivations of athletic trainers using social media for professional collaboration. The socio-psychological tradition is used to frame the study. Communities of practice, uses and gratification theory, and the Wisdom of the Crowd model are used as the guiding theoretical perspectives as they provide a framework for understanding how and why athletic trainers use social media. This qualitative study sought to show the impact of closed Facebook Group participation on athletic trainers. How athletic trainers understand patient privacy laws when participating in closed Facebook groups for athletic trainers will also …

The Aging Population And Masking Requirements: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Tiffany M. Mioduszewski

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study is to understand the lived-experiences of individuals over 60 years old. This study was done to specifically understand psychological effects of adhering to protective measure put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. A pandemic can be described as a global epidemic that has the ability to spread to other continents. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted thousands of people worldwide. There have been multiple preventative measures put in place for individuals to follow to reduce the spread of the virus. The mandates vary depending on the country and state in which an individual lives …

Lived Experiences Of Counselors: Navigating The Changing Role Using Emotional Intelligence, Marissa Joelle Stelzer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of counselors during the transition from traditional face-to-face counseling to a teletherapy format during the COVID-19 pandemic and how counselors were able to utilize emotional intelligence skills/abilities during this time. The theories that guided this study were the ability model of emotional intelligence and social constructivism. The following questions guided this study: How did counselors experience their changing role from primarily face-to-face counseling to teletherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic? How did counselors experience emotional intelligence during the transition from traditional face-to-face counseling to teletherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic? …

Perceptions Of Vocation, Calling, And Work Among College Students From Union University: A Phenomenological Study, Matthew S. Bowman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore perceptions of vocation, calling, and work among junior classification students at Union University. Calling was defined as a transcendent drawing toward a particular path in life, particularly as it relates to work. Vocation was defined in light of its historical and theological roots with a focus on the transcendent drawing toward a way of life as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Work was defined as one’s job or career. The theory guiding this study was that of constructivism or social constructivism, which “understands human reality as socially constructed reality” (Berger …

Latina Christian Women Describe Their Religious Experience Overcoming Child Abuse Trauma In The Western United States, Norma Rosales

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Abstract This phenomenological study aimed to understand and discover the childhood abuse experienced by Christian Latinas in the Western United States. The theory guiding this study was Lazarus and Folkman's stress and coping theory, as it focused on the adaptation to stress as a process of interaction between individuals and stressful stimuli. This study explored issues concerning religious coping and how participants adapted and managed child abuse. Data was collected through a semi-structured interview process, whereby the discussion was recorded to ensure that all pertinent information was collected with participant consent. The interviews lasted 1–1.5 hours each, depending on the …

Communication For Personal Relationships: A Qualitative Study On Taylor Swift's Music Videos And Message-Design Logics Theory, Matthew Magliocca

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation focuses on Barbara O’Keefe’s message-design logics theory and Taylor Swift’s music videos on YouTube. The first chapter provides background information and study elements for the project, focusing on the scholarly area of communication, the problem statement, the purpose statement, research questions, and definitions. The second chapter reviews the relevant literature associated with message-design logics theory and music videos on YouTube. The third chapter discusses the dissertation’s methodology, focusing on the study’s approach, framework, setting, instruments, procedures, analyses, and trustworthiness. The fourth chapter features the results of the research questions about Swift’s music videos and message-design logics theory. The …

Effectiveness Of Post-Abortion Bible Studies On Self-Forgiveness And Depression, Karen Haaland Hubbard

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Pro-choice and pro-life perspectives differ regarding adverse emotional symptoms after abortion. Pro-choice researchers maintain that abortion presents no more risk of emotional distress than carrying an unplanned pregnancy to term. However, pro-life researchers discuss evidence that abortion does increase the risk of adverse emotional symptoms that persist long after the abortion. Since many women seek faith-based interventions, the purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of the post-abortion Bible study, Forgiven and Set Free by Linda Cochrane, in decreasing depression and increasing self-forgiveness. The first research question was, “Does participation in a post-abortion Bible study increase post-abortive …

The Influencer Effect: Exploring The Persuasive Communication Tactics Of Social Media Influencers In The Health And Wellness Industry, Deborah Marie Deutsch

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

With the emergence of social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, social media influencers (SMIs) have been a growing source of information in the health and wellness industry. Through their creative, informative, and appealing content, SMIs have the innate ability to reach and attain a large following on social media platforms. The purpose of this study is to ascertain an understanding of the persuasive tactics employed by SMIs in the creation and dissemination of information in the health and wellness industry. Using the theoretical framework of Aristotle’s Rhetorical Appeals and Fisher’s Narrative Paradigm, this qualitative study seeks to examine …

A Phenomenological Approach To Explore The Lived Experiences Of Virtual Employees' Socialization And Organizational Identification, Zachary D. Kostusyk

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Virtual work has been increasing throughout the years with the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating that growth. However, the effects of virtual work remain, leaving much to be known about what experiences virtual employees have with their organization that lead to diverse outcomes. This qualitative phenomenological study explored how virtual employees experienced organizational socialization and organizational identification early in their organizational tenure. The theoretical framework for this study used Blau’s (1964) social exchange theory (SET) and Tajfel and Turner’s (1979) Social identity theory (SIT). Data from 13 participants’ semi-structured interviews were analyzed by the researcher using Heidegger’s (1889–1976) interpretive hermeneutic spiral along …

Introducing Just Competition Theory: Christian Realist Strategic Risk Management In Great Power Competition, Jason A. Byrd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

How can a Christian Realist approach shape United States security policy to manage strategic risk during Great Power Competition? This work finds that Just War Theory, in particular jus in bello (behavior in war), is a common method used by Christian Realists to determine actions and manage consequences in war; however, it is not optimal for the challenges posed in Competition. A complementary structure uniquely applicable to actions below the threshold of armed conflict is needed. This argument is manifested through Just Competition Theory or jus in contentione. In a complex environment of Great Power Competition, principles of jus in …

The Perspectives Of Ghanaian Political Leaders And Citizens Concerning The Development And Implementation Of The Ghana Vision 2020 Development Plan, Kwame Aduhene-Kwarteng

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative research case study is to collect, investigate, and assess Ghanaian citizens’ and political leaders’ perspectives and viewpoints regarding the success or failure of Ghana Vision 2020 and the challenges facing developing nations. The study used a descriptive approach to examine Ghana’s Vision 2020 and the country’s development challenges using a descriptive methodology and primary and secondary sources. The 105 participants for the study included 65 males and 40 females living in Ghana. The theoretical framework of this study are modernization, globalization, and dependency theories. To that end, the study set out to investigate the question: …

A Qualitative Study Of Music Therapy's Effectiveness On Treating Ptsd, Shariee Jones

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological study in this qualitative research described how music therapy has been beneficial to the treatment of trauma survivors suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The research in this study consisted of six participants and previous research to show how music therapy has been effective in treating PTSD. The six participants were individually interviewed based on their prior experiences with music therapy from Board Certified Music Therapists. For years, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs have used music therapy to treat trauma survivors with complementary and alternative medical treatment. Several studies have been done on music …

The Lived Experiences Of Army Senior Enlisted Leaders 90 Days After Retirement: A Phenomenological Study, Stephanie Francois

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The transition from army to civilian life is complicated for many veterans. Veterans must excel in multiple categories, including work, education, finances, health, and social relationships, for their transitions to be successful. Although many programs and services are designed to assist army veterans in transitioning to civilian life, many still experience transition challenges. This phenomenological study aimed to understand the lived experiences of army senior enlisted leaders through retirement from active-duty service to reintegration into civilian life. The guiding theory of this study was Nancy Schlossberg’s transition theory. Transition theory is a theory of adult development established primarily with counseling …

Promises Made, Promises Kept? A Phenomenological Study Exploring The Experiences Of California Community College Promise Program Students And Their Pursuit Of A Bachelor's Degree, Eric R. Garcia

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of students formally enrolled in a California community college promise program at Mountain View Community College, Lakeview Community College, Hillcrest Community College, and Ocean Valley Community College, each located in Southern California. The theoretical framework guiding this study was grounded in Astin’s theory of student involvement which provided a lens to analyze the experiences of promise students and their pursuit of bachelor’s degrees. The central research question under investigation was: What do promise program students previously enrolled at a California community college that have transferred to a four-year …

Resilience Through Relocation In Older Adulthood: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Holly Walker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Resilience, the process and outcome of successful adaptation to a stressor, is important to maintain wellbeing through stressors such as relocation. Relocation is a common experience in late adulthood which can cause significant stress. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of resilience and its relationship to strengths and resources following relocation in older adulthood. The research questions regarded participants’ description of experiencing resilience after relocation and strengths and resources that contributed to that experience. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews with a criterion sample of six adults aged 65 and older who had relocated within …

Church Leadership Personalities: A Comparative Study Of The Personality Components Of Senior And Executive Pastors, Christopher Sean Conrad

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative correlational research was to understand the relationship between the personality components of Senior and Executive Pastors. This study collected data in a quantitative form using a personality assessment called The Birkman Method. The data was then analyzed to understand the relationship between the personality types of Senior and Executive Pastors. Research was needed to understand the relationship of personality types of Senior and Executive Pastors. Research questions derived from the problem statement and research purpose are presented as they provide the structure for the dissertation. These questions led to the gathering of information related to …

Sex And Violence: An Exploratory Study Of Changes In Male And Female Violent Offenders' Choices Of Weapon And Victim Over Time, Lindsey Hutton Nagle

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Violent offenses are part of the history of humankind, and as such, both male and female violent offenders have perpetrated these acts, often with gender differences between male and female offenders present. As more women leave the home and enter the workplace, the gap in gender roles has narrowed, so it follows that this narrowing may also be reflected in the actions of violent offenders. Although there are various explanations for the narrowing of the gender gap in crime, understanding the differences between male and female offenders can help inform gender-based interventions. To address this idea, the type of weapon …