Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Turnover Intention Of Women Leaders: The Role Of Leader Identity Development, Haleigh Broucher

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Women’s turnover rate within leadership positions exceed that of men, but the literature fails to outline the specific contexts and antecedents of such gender differences in turnover. Drawing from the leader identity literature, I outline how gender differences in leader identity strength can help illuminate why we see higher turnover intention of women in leadership positions. Given that a strong leader identity has shown to lower turnover intention, I investigate how the leader identity development process unfolds differently for women (compared to men). Leader identity development occurs through the exchange of leader behavior asserting authority (i.e., leader claims) and follower …

Civic Engagement & Health Outcomes: Poor And Black America, Robert Louis Durbin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research explores the implications of state electoral climate on the health of vulnerable groups in America, especially that of Black and low-income Americans. This research uses the Cost of Voting Index (COVI), a measure of state laws related to voting, as a proxy for the potential for civic engagement. Specifically, I contend that a more restrictive state electoral climate hampers individuals’ potential for civic engagement, in turn increasing social isolation and reducing their exposure to useful health information. This reduced community education then contributes to worse health outcomes for individuals living in states with a more restrictive electoral climate. …

Maternal Cumulative Trauma And Child Externalizing Behavior: Indirect Pathways Through Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms And Parenting Behaviors, Chynna Michelle Dubuclet

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The present study aimed to add to the literature by analyzing the relationships present within the connection between maternal cumulative trauma and child externalizing behaviors. Specifically, this study examined the indirect effects that posttraumatic stress symptoms and parenting behaviors exert on the relationship between maternal cumulative trauma and externalizing behaviors. This study used structural equation modeling to assess the relationship between maternal cumulative trauma and child externalizing behaviors (i.e., conduct and behaviors, hyperactivity/impulsivity, opposition/defiance) through maternal PTSS and parenting behaviors (i.e., acceptance, lax discipline, overreactive discipline). Data was collected from 308 mothers (Mage = 20.59, 70.0% White/Caucasian) between April 2020 …

Helicopter Teaching From The Student Perspective: An Application Of Rhetorical And Relational Goals Theory, Denise Victoria Lee

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Research on helicopter teaching from an instructor’s perspective has noted thatimplementing this type of teaching style comes with the potential harm to student learning and the value of education. Prior research, however, has focused on the instructor perspective of helicopter teaching. The purpose of the current study was to explore the student perspective of helicopter teaching behaviors through the lens of rhetorical and relational goals theory. Participants (N = 121) evaluated 17 helicopter teaching behaviors for frequency, negativity, clarity, caring, and positive impact on learning. Results indicated that students perceived helicopter teaching behaviors as strategies that enhanced their learning (i.e., …

Why Terrorism Varies In Indonesia, Titik Firawati

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation studies when, why, and how local religious conflicts escalate to campaigns of terrorist violence. To do so, I examine two most-similar cases in Indonesia: Ambon and Poso. Each experienced significant local conflict between Christians and Muslims in the early 2000s. But while a peace treaty in Ambon in 2002 was largely successful, a similar treaty in Poso failed, and violence actually escalated into an organized campaign of terrorism against Christians. To understand why violence escalated to terrorism in one case, but not the other, I conducted six months of field research, including 98 interviews with original interviews with …

Understanding The Effects Of Organizational And Individual Level Motivations On Impression Formation For Persons With Disabilities In The Workplace, Lauren Francesca Luchetti

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, organizations have begun paying more attention to hiring people with disabilities because of evidence supporting direct and indirect benefits to the organization. The business case for disability outlines the economic benefits for hiring those with disabilities, such as lower rates of turnover and absenteeism. Despite the motivations to hire those with disabilities, this population continues to suffer from higher rates of unemployment and underemployment. The current project attempts to shed light on the mechanisms that can improve the effectiveness of hiring motivations and disability hiring rates. In two experimental studies, the effect of the business case on …

Netflix As A Transverse Transnational Media In Southeast Asia: Exploring The Philippine Context, Lady Aileen Ambion Orsal

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines how Netflix as a transnational Internet TV disrupted the media flow in Southeast Asia. As subscription to streaming platforms grew exponentially, the limited linear flow of contents in traditional TV was transformed into a more personalized viewing experience. Consumers binge-watching on a subscription video on demand service were given the agency to view diverse contents at a time and on a gadget they prefer while also being offered recommendations from the platform’s curated list. As Netflix expanded to over 190 countries around the world, it has employed localization strategies to provide culturally authentic contents through co-production with …

Amazing Or Awful? The Role Of Message Frames In Expectancy-Value Based Weight Management Intentions, Xuan Qian

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effective message frames in improving individuals’ weight management intentions. Focus on gain-framed and loss-framed messages, their interactions with expectancy and value were unveiled in both weight loss and weight loss maintenance conditions. A 2 (message frames: gain-framed vs. loss-framed) x 2 (weight management: weight loss vs. weight loss maintenance) online experiment (N = 249) was conducted. Participants were asked about their weight management experiences, read manipulated messages, and answered questions about perceived expectancies and values toward future behaviors. Results showed that gain-framed messages are more effective in arousing individuals’ intentions and values in both weight loss …

The Influence Of Media Usage On The Outcome Of Social Movement Campaigns In Southeast Asia, Rothsethamony Seng

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Does the use of media strategies help social movements or mass protest movements in Southeast Asia achieve their goals? The prominent study in this area argues that social media, in particular, has done more harm than good for grassroots movements. Tufekci (2017) argues that social media provides little help compared to the regime. I argue that social media helps the movement through three important areas, including (1) amplifying the messages of the movements to shape public opinions and counter propaganda and misleading information from the government, (2) facilitating and mobilizing protestors to coordinate virtual or physical protests, sustaining the momentum, …

Green Spaces And Socioeconomic Disparities In São Paulo City, Brazil: A Spatial Analysis Approach, Flavia Vieira Xavier

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Urban green spaces are an invaluable asset for the benefits they provide to human well-being and environmental sustainability. São Paulo, one of the largest cities in the world, well-known for its demographic complexity, prosperous economy, and cultural diversity, presents great disparities in the distribution and quality of green spaces. Besides that, different socioeconomic groups have different access to these spaces. The significant challenge to achieving equitable urban development invites us to investigate these spaces further, associated with socioeconomic parameters, to understand which groups benefit most from urban green spaces and to advance in the environmental justice discussion. This dissertation contains …

Essays On Institutions And Business Performance In A Less-Developed Economy, Obinna Franklin Ezeibekwe

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The dissertation comprises three essays that collectively contribute novel insights into the impact of institutional and regulatory factors on firm performance in Nigeria.

The first essay presents the first empirical assessment of the causal heterogeneous effects of competition from informal firms on the revenue of Nigerian formal firms using quantile regression, causal mediation analysis, and non-parametric preprocessing matching. The theoretical framework mathematically depicts how informality determines formal firm revenue by influencing prices.

In the second essay, I provide the first empirical assessment of the causal impact of bureaucratic corruption on firms' financial constraints in Nigeria by calculating treatment effects using …

A Comparison Of Academic Achievement And Psychological Symptoms In Homeschooled And Traditionally Schooled Children: Accounting For Demographic And Family Characteristics, Lauren Elizabeth Hauck

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The prevalence of homeschooling is increasing, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, methodologically strong research examining how children's well-being may differ based on their schooling type (i.e., homeschooled vs. traditionally schooled) is rare. This study is a response to a call for advancing the methodological rigor and expanding our understanding of family contributions to differences between homeschooled and traditionally schooled children’s adjustment. Thus, the study aims to determine if differences between homeschooled and traditionally schooled (i.e., attending public school) children’s academic and emotional adjustment are present after accounting for both family demographic characteristics and parenting and home …

Three Papers On The Investigation Of Epistemic Legitimacy Among Colombian Regulators, Carolina Velandia Hernández

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores the intricate dynamics of how policy actors, as members of distinct epistemic communities, form, legitimize, and rationalize their preferences and behaviors. These epistemic communities provide a foundation for understanding the origins of beliefs and the mechanisms that drive cooperation, coordination, and advocacy among policy actors. By focusing on regulators within the energy policy subsystem in Colombia, this study sheds light on the significance of epistemic community membership in shaping beliefs about the human-nature relationship.

Additionally, this dissertation makes a methodological contribution by employing interpretative techniques for interviewing and data collection. It emphasizes the role of positionality, particularly …

Expressive Writing Rooted In Self-Determination Theory: An Intervention For Racial Trauma, Diana A. Robinson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the impact of racial discrimination is not a new endeavor in the field of psychology. However, research utilizing a trauma-focused lens to evaluate the negative mental health outcomes in the aftermath of racial discrimination is only in its infancy. In addition to depression, anxiety, and substance use, recent research has linked racial discrimination to negative mental health outcomes that mirror that of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although many researchers have identified the negative effects of racial discrimination, few studies have examined intervention approaches designed to reduce the negative impact of racial discrimination. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is a comprehensive theory …

Experiences Of Discrimination, Covid-19 Stress, And Racial Trauma In College Students, Jennifer Valentine

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Extant literature has illustrated the devastating effects of repeated exposure to discriminatory events on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), leading to the development of a psychological injury, known as racial trauma. Research has suggested that racial trauma can sensitize individuals to future stressors, potentially placing marginalized populations at risk of developing adverse mental health outcomes due to the pervasive effects of systemic racism. While the literature on racial trauma is expanding, there remains a paucity of research examining racial trauma in the context of inequity in communities of color, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, despite …

Development Of A Novel Prosocial Teasing Measure For Adolescents, Kristina Wiemer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Prosocial teasing is a fun, playful way for students to interact with each other that involves humorous off-record markers and playful provocation. While research has been done to observe prosocial teasing in school-aged youth, there are no validated measures of prosocial teasing that are designed to measure prosocial teasing frequency in adolescents. The current study extended the research on prosocial teasing through the validation of a novel, adolescent-specific measure of prosocial teasing behavior frequency. The current study also explored gender and grade-level differences in self-reported prosocial teasing frequency. Results indicated a one factor structure to the novel prosocial teasing measure …

Three Essays On The Impact Of Debt On Young American Adults’ Lives After Graduation, Sylvie Sanou

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the impact of financial constraints due to debt on three aspects of young American adults' lives after graduation. The first essay examines the impact of student loan debt on the mental health of US young adults using restricted-access and publicly available data from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97). Prior studies found that debt negatively affects mental health. However, few papers focused on educational debt. Unlike other debt, student loan debt is special because it funds human capital investment, and borrowers expect to receive a significant return on the investment. Using a two-stage estimation model, …

The Human Faces Of Dissident Socialism: The Fight For Human Rights In Soviet Ukraine, Alexander Nicholas Sosenko

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the transformation of a Ukrainian literary and aesthetic avant-garde movement in the 1960s, the Sixtiers, into an emblem of the 1970s global human rights campaign. This historical interpretation intertwines the brief flicker of early-1960s Ukrainian art and poetry with the joyous and tragic stories of Soviet citizens fighting for human rights. The Ukrainian Sixtiers’ experience with political persecution made them ideal players in the international human rights movement in its formative years. They adopted positive foreign influences and modified them for their own situation, whether in intellectual work or human rights activism. This represents a Soviet Ukrainian …

The Expansion Of Social Assistance Programs: The Politics Of Development In Bangladesh, Sumaya Tamanna

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Why do authoritarian regimes in the global south expand social assistance programs when electoral competition is absent? What are the driving factors behind their willingness to adopt and expand pro-poor social assistance programs? To answer this question in the context of Bangladesh, I did a secondary qualitative analysis to unfold the puzzle of social assistance expansion in Bangladesh. I explored existing literature and tested those in the case of Bangladesh by analyzing existing literature on Bangladesh, as well as data and documents in order to solve the puzzle. I find that, even though electoral competition is absent, the current regime …

Univariate Extreme Value Analysis Of Quantitative Investment Management, George Agbenyega Zumanu

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The evolution of product development within the variable annuity (VA) business have sparked interest in quantitative investment management, particularly as most VA issuers have integrated volatility-controlled funds into their annuity portfolios. Despite the existence of empirical research on statistical analysis of extreme values in conventional investments, there has been a notable gap in research focus towards risk modeling in volatility-controlled funds.

This study contributes by analyzing and modeling the extreme values of investments in volatility-controlled funds, comparing them to conventional equity funds. The financial returns of S&P Dow Jones Indices (SPDJI) indices - SPXTR, risk control SPXT18UT, and managed risk …

Trajectory Of Infant Emotion Regulation Strategies And Negative Affect And Associations With Toddler Externalizing Problems, Sabrina D. Ung

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Previous research recognizes the critical role played by child emotion regulation (ER), the regulatory component of temperament, and negative emotionality (i.e., the tendency to experience negative emotions such as fear, sadness, anger, and frustration) in emotional and behavioral functioning throughout the lifespan. Poor ER and high negative affect in early childhood are linked to impulsive and aggressive behaviors, internalizing behaviors, and lower cognitive functioning. However, few studies have investigated how specific ER strategies and negative affect change across infancy by employing latent growth modeling. Additionally, existing work has neglected to examine the growth trajectory of escape behaviors across infancy as …

Defending Behavior In Bullying: Moral Disengagement, Defender Self-Efficacy, Student-Student Relationship Quality And Student-Teacher Closeness, Ruth Jeong

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Bullying is a social phenomenon that involves more participants than the bully and the victim. Since the identification of other bullying participant behaviors, endeavors have been made to explore what inclines a person to defend a victim of bullying. With the social cognitive theory in mind, the current study examined whether students’ level of moral disengagement and defender self-efficacy were associated with engagement in defending behavior with a sample of 573 six to eighth grade students. Additionally, students’ perceived relationship qualities with teachers and peers were examined as moderators in the association among moral disengagement, defender self-efficacy, and defending behavior. …

Building From The Family Stress Model: Examining The Role Of Maternal Impulsivity And Neighborhood Collective Efficacy On Adolescent Psychological Symptoms, Lauren Therese Mcneela

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The Family Stress Model (FSM) offers an understanding of the complex relationship between economic hardship and child outcomes through a number of parent factors (e.g., psychological functioning) and parenting practices; however, additional variables of influence were considered within this framework, as a way to fully encapsulate the processes within the family and neighborhood contexts that influence child psychological functioning. Using the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, formerly called Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), a sample of primarily low-income, single-parent households, the present study examined the FSM in relation to adolescent externalizing and internalizing psychological outcomes. Additionally, …

Journalists’ Perception Of Artificial Intelligence: The Case Of Nigerian Newsrooms, Amaka Peace Onebunne

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Technological advancements have always influenced how news is sourced, produced, and disseminated. The emergence of AI technology fundamentally repositions human journalists, requiring them to work with non-human agents. Typically, the Global North leads in adopting such technologies, resulting in unequal technological diffusion and research between the Global North and South. This research thus takes a less-traveled path within a portion of the global south to understand journalists’ views of Artificial Intelligence in Nigerian newsrooms and how geographical and cultural factors influence AI usage. Grounded in the human-machine communication framework, semi-structured interviews with 18 Nigerian journalists revealed a double-edged view of …

Self-Compassion Intervention For Shame In Trauma-Exposed Gender And Sexual Minorities, Kyla A. Leonard

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Individuals who identify as gender or sexual minorities (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, queer, transgender, nonbinary, intersex, gender nonconforming, etc.) have a high prevalence of interpersonal trauma. These individuals also experience a higher likelihood of experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms after exposure to potentially traumatic events. It has also been shown that those who identify as gender or sexual minorities experience high rates of shame due to minority stress and psychological factors such as internalized heterosexism. Experiences of shame are a central component in the development and maintenance of PTSD symptoms, particularly within this population. Self-compassion is an …

Examining Relations Among Educator Demands, Burnout, And Engagement: Work Recovery As A Moderator During Covid-19, Kellie Menter

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Education is described as a fulfilling career field; however, educator shortages associated with burnout and job dissatisfaction constitute a major issue in public education currently. During the COVID-19 pandemic, new challenges resulted in increased job stress for many educators. Using survey responses of a sample of 159 educators from a midwestern public school district, the current study explored whether a personal resource, work recovery experiences, was associated with educator burnout and work engagement during the context of remote instruction associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicated psychological detachment significantly moderated the relation between demands and burnout. However, control over leisure …

Essays On Computational And Financial Economics, Mohammadreza Mahmoudi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation comprises three essays centered on computational and financial economics, addressing the economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, the interplay between monetary policy and the cryptocurrency market, and the strategies for cryptocurrency portfolio optimization.

In the first essay, the spotlight is cast on the U.S. government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent economic ramifications. The study meticulously assesses the implemented uniform pandemic control policies and contrasts them with potential targeted measures. These targeted strategies take into account the differential effects of the virus on various age demographics. By employing the adjusted SEQIHR model as a tool for …

Explicit And Implicit: Traumatized Cognitions And Identities, Brandon Michael Davis

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Negative cognitions following exposure to traumatic events, such as viewing the self or the world negatively, are a crucial factor in the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Furthermore, evidence points to traumatic exposure impacting identity and perception of the self. Effective measurement of these negative self-cognitions is important for understanding the consequences of traumatic events. Self-report measures are the most common approach to studying cognitions, but other methods such as cognitive tasks that require automatic responses may give further insight into negative posttraumatic cognitions. This study sought to investigate self-report and automatic evaluations of trauma cognitions in …

(Agri)Cultural Activism: The Role Of Pgaz K’Nyau Karen Youth In Sustaining Rotational Farming In Thailand, Mitchell Rigert

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The focus of this thesis is to shed light on youth group activism in an Indigenous Pgaz k’Nyau Karen community in Thailand. These youth are seeking rights and recognition to sustain their subsistence-based practice of swidden agriculture in the context of state forest policy officially banning such practices. I draw on over two months of multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in Thailand. I argue that the youth use a variety of strategies to render swidden agriculture visible and legible to the state and public in the interest of sustaining the practice, which they see as an essential part of their communal identity. …

Re-Feminizing The Divine: Understanding The Cultural Constructs Of Gender And Sexuality In A Church-Based Christian Community, Cameron K. Thomas

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Historically, Christianity has sought to maintain rigid separation between men and women. Christianity often views women as secondary to men, particularly in relation to authority under Jesus Christ. These ideals have led to the restrictions of rights and roles of people who choose not to adhere to strictly defined or enforced gender roles. For this ethnography, I examined one church community; namely Barbwire Baptist Church in northern Illinois and how its members used scripture and doctrine beyond simply worship to reinforce norms and expectations of self and others regarding gender and sexuality. I draw on scholarship in gender studies, and …