Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Analysis Of The Factors That Affect Self-Employment, Stefani Broome

Dissertations

This dissertation research identifies the factors that affect self-employment in a three-essay format. Essay one builds a foundation on analyzing the determinants that affect self-employment in the United States through a country-level time-series analysis. Essay two includes a time-series panel analysis and comparative analysis between the United States and United Kingdom by expanding on Meager’s (1992) study of the relationship between unemployment and self-employment. This analysis focuses on the United Kingdom, an outlier in Meager’s (1992) study, which included a structural change to the motivation to enter self-employment after an economic shock in the late 1970s. Essay three utilizes a …

Validation Of A Measure Of Hypervigilance And Anxiety About Gastrointestinal Symptoms For Individuals With Elevated Eating Pathology, K. Jean Forney, Helen Burton Murray, Tiffany A. Brown, Livia Guadagnoli, Gabriella Pucci, Tiffany Taft

Psychology Open Access Publications

Gastrointestinal symptoms are common within eating disorders and gastrointestinal-specific anxiety is a posited maintenance factor. The present study sought to validate a modified version of an existing measure of gastrointestinal-specific anxiety and hypervigilance in a sample with elevated eating pathology. Esophageal-specific terms in the Esophageal Hypervigilance and Anxiety Scale were modified to measure any gastrointestinal symptoms as a general measure of gastrointestinal-specific anxiety and hypervigilance. Three hundred eighty-two undergraduate students (83.5% female, 87.4% White) with elevated eating pathology completed a questionnaire battery that also measured gastrointestinal symptoms, general anxiety sensitivity, and lower gastrointestinal-specific anxiety on two occasions. Analyses were preregistered …

Reiterating Visibility: Canadian Librarians’ Experiences Of Racial Microaggressions Via Findings From A Minority Librarians Network Redux Survey, Yanli Li, Maha Kumaran, Allan Cho, Valentina Ly, Suzanne Fernando, Michael David Miller

Library Publications

Based on the data from the Visible Minority Librarians of Canada 2021 Redux Survey, this study examines experiences of racial microaggressions among visible minority librarians in Canada. This research fills the gap in the library and information science (LIS) literature regarding racial microaggressions in librarianship in the Canadian context. Of the 148 respondents, 69% (n=102) experienced at least one stated racial microaggression. The result of a Kruskal-Wallis H test revealed a significant association between years of experience as a librarian and a librarian’s overall experiences with microaggressions. A post hoc test based on Bonferroni correction was run, which indicated that …

Exploring Perinatal Mental Health: Navigating Challenges And Support For Women Of Color, Chloey R. Pestorious

Counselor Education Capstones

This Capstone Project focuses on peripartum depression, particularly its implications for women of color during the perinatal period, which includes pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Peripartum depression is a mental health condition that effects women, their families, and society as a whole (World Health Organization, 2008). The literature review takes a comprehensive approach, starting with an exploration of peripartum depression, including its prevalence, manifestations, and associated risk factors. Notably, women of color face a higher prevalence of peripartum depression, with disparities arising from multifaceted factors, including racial and ethnic healthcare disparities, socioeconomic challenges, and cultural nuances (Kozhimannil et al., …

Lack Of Quality Media Representation For Transgender Women, Seth Ririe

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

“Transgender” is a term used to describe people whose gender identity is incongruent with their sex assigned at birth. This brief discusses transgender women (that is, transgender people whose gender identity is female) and their experiences with popular narrative media representation. Transgender women are improperly or under-represented due to a lack of transgender media creators, the American public opinion of transgender women, and audience fragmentation, which keeps media featuring transgender women away from wider audiences. As a result of the lack of quality media representation for transgender women, stereotypes surrounding transgender women become more prevalent and transgender women may experience …

Creating A Surname Lexicon For Historical U.S. Records, Spencer Keith Timmerman

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

We develop a method for creating a lexicon of all correctly spelled surnames in historical US records. We focus specially on the full-count 1850-1940 census records which include over 10 million unique spellings in the surname field. We use links across multiple census records to identify the correct spellings of the surname transcriptions.

A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Recent Randomized Controlled Trials Evaluating Effects Of Psychosocial Interventions On Perinatal Depression, Anisha Satish

Theses and Dissertations

Depression is among the most common and burdensome health problems affecting pregnancy and the first-year postpartum (collectively, the perinatal period). Prior quantitative reviews have established both the overall efficacy of psychosocial interventions for perinatal depression and benefits of specific approaches. However, there are important knowledge gaps. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed articles published from 2021 and 2022 describing randomized controlled trials evaluating psychosocial interventions for perinatal depression. We aimed to evaluate the durability of intervention benefits, whether effects differ when interventions are embedded within medical settings, and whether effects differ across trials using mental health professionals …

Brazili(Americ)An: Perception, Preservation, And Transmission Of Identity Among 1st Generation Brazilians Living In Utah And Salt Lake Valleys, Elisabeth Morris

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to better understand how first-generation Brazilian immigrants to Utah’s Salt Lake and Utah Valleys perceive, preserve, and transmit their identity. With this purpose in mind, I hope to add to the previous studies and discussion of identity in the Brazilian diaspora in the United States. The study focuses on the question: How do first-generation Brazilians living in Utah and Salt Lake Valleys perceive their own identities? Additionally, it seeks to answer the following subquestions: How is identity preserved among first-generation Brazilian immigrants to Utah and Salt Lake Valleys and where and how is identity …

Pronouns On Resumes And The Perceived Hireability Of Transgender And Non-Binary Candidates, Seth Ririe

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Transgender and non-binary (TGNB) individuals are more likely to be in poverty and be unemployed than cisgender individuals. This study seeks to understand if placing one’s pronouns on their resumes creates a barrier to equal employment for the TGNB population. I do so through two means: surveying TGNB individuals (n=63) on their worries and experiences with placing their pronouns on their resumes and conducting an RCT (n=654). The RCT assigned participants to 1 of 8 pronouns which shared all information save the candidates’ name (either masculine or feminine) and pronouns (he, she, they, or no pronouns). I find that TGNB …

Pronouns On Resumes And The Perceived Hireability Of Transgender And Non-Binary (Tgnb) Candidates, Seth Ririe

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Transgender and non-binary (TGNB) individuals are more likely to be in poverty and be unemployed than cisgender individuals. This study seeks to understand if placing one’s pronouns on their resumes creates a barrier to equal employment for the TGNB population. I do so through two means: surveying TGNB individuals (n=63) on their worries and experiences with placing their pronouns on their resumes and conducting an RCT (n=654). The RCT assigned participants to 1 of 8 pronouns which shared all information save the candidates’ name (either masculine or feminine) and pronouns (he, she, they, or no pronouns). I find that TGNB …

Youth Identity And Postsecondary Decision Making In A Rural State: Evidence Of A College For All Master Narrative, Jayson Seaman, Cindy L. Hartman, Andrew D. Coppens, Erin H. Sharp, Sarah Jusseaume, Molly Donovan

Faculty Publications

This study examined the normative messages that inform youth postsecondary decision making in a predominantly rural state in the northeastern U.S., focusing on the institutionalization and circulation of identity master narratives. Using a multilevel, ecological approach to sampling, the study interviewed 33 key informants in positions of influence in educational, workforce, and quality of life domains. Narrative analysis yielded evidence of a predominant master narrative – College for All – that participants described as a prescriptive expectation that youth and families orient their postsecondary planning toward four-year, residential baccalaureate degree programs. Both general and domain-specific aspects of this master narrative …

Prayer’S Effect On Love And Respect In Christian Married Couples, Gabrielle Knorr Keenum

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study explored the relationship of Christian religious couples between marital prayer, either with spouse or for spouse, and the Biblical directive found in the New Testament that husbands and wives should both love and respect their spouse. Previous research is explored which finds multiple benefits religiosity and prayer have upon a couple’s relationship. The benefits of religiosity include couples view marriage as sacred and God as their moral authority which produces higher marital satisfaction and marital commitment. Benefits of relational prayer include increased trust, increased marital satisfaction, increased forgiveness, higher ability to resolve marital conflict, lower marital infidelity, higher …

Engaging The Church Body Of First Baptist Church Of Baldwyn Through A Ministry Placement Process, Jonathan Haley Uhrig

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Churches often struggle with finding enough volunteers to staff their ministries fully. The church staff and a small percentage of its membership usually does most of the ministry. Instead of pleading for more volunteers and putting pressure on those already serving to add additional ministries, churches can equip their current membership to serve in the church as they are gifted. When someone comes to Christ, God gives them at least one spiritual gift. Believers also have ministry passions and talents that can be leveraged for building and growing the church. Churches can help their members discover their spiritual gifts and …

The Effects Of Communicative Language Teaching Methods (Clt) Of Teaching Ancient Greek On Student Motivation, Language Learning Experience, Self-Efficacy, Facilitating Anxiety, And Debilitating Anxiety Compared To The Grammar Translation Method (Gtm), Dustin J. Humphreys

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to determine if ancient Greek language programs that use communicative language teaching methods (CLT) produce different student motivation, language learning experience, self-efficacy, facilitating anxiety and debilitating anxiety scores than programs that primarily use the grammar-translation method (GTM) of teaching ancient Greek. This study is critical because the comprehensive teaching of the ancient Greek language has been on the decline in recent decades. This research aims to inform colleges, seminaries, and other language learning schools that teach classical languages, such as ancient Greek, about the potential positive effects of CLT on student motivation, …

An Analysis Of Physical Wellness During Pregnancy, Mary Elizabeth Reynolds-Licciardello

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

There is a lack of proper physical wellness increasing in society. This qualitative phenomenological study explored physical wellness during pregnancy using the theoretic framework of Social Cognitive Theory to show perceptions and lived experiences of women who are pregnant or who have been pregnant in the past three years. Three research questions were the focus of this qualitative study. RQ1: what aspects of physical wellness are important to women who are pregnant? RQ2: what are women’s physical wellness experiences during pregnancy? RQ3: how are women who are pregnant educated about physical wellness? Ten women in central Florida who are pregnant …

A Content Analysis Of Non-Profit Organizations Social Media: Through The Lens Of Compliance-Gaining & Persuasion, Meredith Diene Kiljan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Non-profit organizations utilize social media platforms like Instagram to reach the community, fundraise, convey their mission and vision, establish themselves, and educate others. This study examined whether the communication artifacts of selected nonprofit organizations employed Cialdini's (2021) compliance-gaining strategies through an eight-week qualitative digital content analysis on Instagram to address the problem of understanding how non-profit organizations use Instagram tools to influence and persuade their audience. Compassion International (@compassion), CARE (@careorg), and Direct Relief (@directrelief), the three non-profit organizations chosen in this study, demonstrated the usage of Cialdini’s (2021) compliance-gaining strategies within their digital media communication strategy. Non-profit organizations operate …

Veteran Identity And Academic Accommodations: Another Conflict, Valerie Groll

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Colleges and universities have seen an increase in student veteran enrollment to include student veterans with disabilities. Inconsistencies and inaccurate reporting systems have created conflicting data about veterans’ success in higher education making it difficult to find accurate data-driven research related to student veterans creating challenges when institutions of higher learning are assessing the needs of student populations and the programming needed to support them. Reporting inconsistencies identifying student veterans is not the only problem. There is also limited research regarding the use of academic accommodations among student veterans with disabilities. The purpose of this quantitative causal comparative study is …

African American Women's Posttraumatic Growth After Infidelity, Thelma J. Carpenter-Ellis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological study aims to examine African American women’s posttraumatic growth experience after infidelity without compromising health-related issues. This phenomenon of PTG after cheating needs to be thoroughly analyzed and added to the literature. The research questions are: (1) How do African American women describe their personal growth experiences after marital infidelity? (2) How do African American women describe characteristics that were [e.g., personality, character, fortitude, sense of identity] vital for their resiliency post-infidelity? and (3) How do African American women describe the changes in their assumptive worldview [e.g., trust, safety, attachment, religious faith] because of marital betrayal? Some …

Exploring The Biblical And Theological Foundations Of Security Decisions By Church Leaders, John M. Tuohy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological multi-case study explored the practical, ethical, theological, and biblical foundations of decisions regarding an active security strategy at church gatherings by a cross-section of mainline and nondenominational churches. For the purposes of this study, an active security strategy was defined as a formal plan for site security based on the use of security personnel. This definition included any combination of volunteer personnel, contracted private security personnel, or sworn police officers acting in an official or off-duty capacity while providing security for the gathered congregation. The theory of shepherd leadership, as defined by Laniak (2006), and which related …

A Qualitative Study Of A Stepfather’S Perceptions Of Their Role In A Successful Second Marriage In A Blended Family, Kathy Barbee Thornton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study aimed to comprehensively understand the unique perspective of remarried men as stepfathers within the context of second marriages in blended families. The research delved into the lived experiences of these individuals to shed light on their roles, challenges, and contributions to the dynamic of blended households. By applying Bowen’s family systems theory (FST) to the constructs relevant to blended families, this study offers a resource to the professional counseling community and support for blended families facing various issues. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews focused on the stepfather’s role and responsibilities within the blended family structure. The narratives …

Childhood Trauma And Undergraduate College Success Rates: Examining The Mediating Roles Of Anxiety, Substance Use, And Self-Esteem, Keirsten Lipowski

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Individuals who experience childhood trauma have profound, lasting repercussions on their psychological and physical well-being. This non-experimental correlational study’s purpose is to evaluate if childhood trauma exposure predicts undergraduate college success rates for early adults. This study is designed to examine how the mediating factors of anxiety, substance use, and self-esteem are altered after childhood trauma exposure, ultimately influencing the ability to succeed in a college setting. Four research questions drove this study: (a) What is the relationship between the frequency of complex childhood trauma and college success rates?, (b) How does anxiety mediate the relationship between the frequency of …

Isolation Of The Toxic Principle Of Senecio Latifolius By Means Of The Sensory Receptors Of Sheep, Leendert D. Snyman

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

The aversive substance of Senecio latifolius was isolated by means of the sensory receptors of sheep averted to S. latifolius. Chemical fractions refused due to the presence of the aversive substance sensed by the sheep were fractionated until a purified substance had been isolated. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis of the purified substance showed it to be sceleratine nitrogen oxide, the toxic principle of S. latifolius.

Let The Music Play:Using Community Engagement To Develop A New Sustainable Audience, Leslie D. Wilcher

Nonprofit and NGO Studies Student Projects

Abstract

The Symphony is a dying breed of live music. The lack of classical music education and interest has left barriers to the symphony. Around the country, nonprofit symphonies are adapting to build a sustainable audience. So, how do we stop the closures of the orchestras? How does the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra engage the community through programming and events to accommodate a new sustainable audience for the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra (KSO)? My research will show that new audience members are waiting to be introduced to the symphony.

This research shows that community engagement is the key to bringing a sustainable …

Assessing Stereotype Content And Accuracy Of The Poor: Interpersonal Warmth And Social Competence Dimensions, Shiza Shahid

Master's Theses

The present study assessed (a) the stereotype content of poor people among the poor and the non-poor by using implicit and explicit measures and (b) how these stereotypes map onto actual traits of the poor (i.e., stereotype accuracy). Experiment 1a assessed the stereotype of interpersonal warmth associated with the poor in the non-poor individuals using the Single Category Implicit Association Task (SC-IAT) and stereotype rating questionnaire. Participants also completed the interpersonal warmth inventory. Poor participants completed the SC-IAT, stereotypes ratings, and interpersonal warmth inventory to assess the stereotypes and stereotype accuracy (Experiment 1b). In Experiment 2a, I recruited non-poor participants …

Coach-Athlete Conflict And Well-Being Outcomes For Division I Athletes, Alisha M. Hilliard

Dissertations

The purpose of the research was: to qualitatively explore and further understand NCAA Division I (DI) athletes’ experiences with coach conflict and the impact of that conflict on well-being. To serve the purpose of this research, the primary researcher used a purposive sample of DI student-athletes by contacting them directly or sharing the study with faculty, graduate students, and athletic department personnel who work with student-athletes. An interpretive phenomenological approach was utilized while engaging in qualitative inquiry to pursue richer answers to the research question, because these approaches “seek to explore, describe, and analyze the meaning of individual lived experience” …

Enhancing Self-Awareness And Interpersonal Communication: A Study Of The Enneagram System And College Students Within Career Development Contexts, Eva Grace Lizarraga

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

By combining a theoretical framework and existing research to the results of an original study, the Enneagram system and its impact on the self-awareness and self-perceived interpersonal communication among college students is analyzed. Conducted within the context of a Communication Studies Senior Capstone class focused on curriculum for career development, the study examines the Enneagram Assessment experience of 18 students at St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas. The effectiveness of the assigned Enneagram Assessment was evaluated through the students' feedback, specifically in regards to their self-perceptions and understanding of their own communication styles. Results revealed that most students found the …

Behind Russia’S Invasion Of Ukraine: The Clash Of Different Mode Of Capitalism, Nandito Oktaviano, Agussalim Burhanuddin

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

This research aims to analyse Russian foreign policy toward Ukraine from 2014 to 2022. It uses a dual logical plural approach from Marxist IR Theory. This approach greatly emphasises the importance of two systemic logics, namely capitalism and geopolitics. Since this approach is used in the realm of foreign policy analysis, contextualisation of the level analysis is needed. In this case, the dual logical plural approach proposes a distinctive description of these levels of analysis. International condition refers to the imperialism of the present world order, domestic factor refers to the development of state capitalism, and actors refer to the …

“Every Nation Except Our Own”: The Social Gospel, Anti-Immigrant Sentiments, And U.S. Foreign Policy, Andrea Darmawan

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This thesis concerns the social gospel, a liberal Protestant movement that enjoyed its heyday in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The thesis argues that the movement’s two most prominent figures, Washington Gladden and Walter Rauschenbusch, expressed an antipathy toward immigrants and a paternalistic attitude toward foreign nations and cultures. These attitudes then laid the foundation for contemporary anti-immigrant sentiments and US foreign policy. Gladden and Rauschenbusch’s rhetoric contains sentiments which act as a precursor to various elements of American exceptionalism, from missionary activity abroad to liberal attitudes toward the Middle East after 9/11. These links have …

Inoculant To Influence: Cultivating Critical Citizenship By Foregrounding Ontology Through Kenneth Burke And Walter Fisher’S Rhetorical Frameworks, Mark Griffin

English Department Theses

Scholars interested in exploring the potency of the writing modality of critical pedagogy for molding students into proactive citizens will find the integration of Kenneth Burke’s Dramatism and Walter Fisher’s Narrative Paradigm instrumental, offering tools essential for cultivating a rhetorical awareness adept at navigating narratives in the 21st century. Synthesizing Burke’s rhetorical dialectic between the nature of reality and our understanding of it with Fisher’s concept that the human condition is a narrative condition yields insights into the critical writing process. This integration fosters a rhetorical awareness, serving as an inoculant to influence, countering the prevailing persuasive elements within today’s …

Twitch Chat Advertising: How Live Chat Valence Affects Consumer Advertising Perceptions, Austin W. Camper

Theses and Dissertations

The streaming platform Twitch.tv, is a popular video streaming website where users can watch, communicate, and chat with streamers and other viewers live. Twitch and other live streaming websites typically offer viewers a chat window where the viewer can chat (in real-time) with the streamer and other viewers who are currently watching the stream. Research in live streaming platforms like Twitch and the effects of their various features are novel. The purpose of this study is to analyze how the sentiment of a live chat (positive or negative) and the stated or not stated disclosure of an advertisement posted in …