Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Experiences Of Parents Moving In, Moving Through, And Moving Out Of Play Therapy: A Phenomenological Study, Carly Rowan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to describe the experiences of parents as they make meaning of their children’s participation in play therapy in the Dallas/Fort Worth region. Schlossberg's transition theory was utilized to provide a theoretical framework for answering the following questions: How do parents describe their expectations and perceptions of play therapy for their children who have received a minimum of eight play therapy sessions? How do parents describe their expectations for play therapy before their experience? In what ways were the parents' expectations met, and what were the unexpected outcomes experienced while their child was …

The Role Of Social Media In Shaping Romantic Relationships, Chelsea A. Fiszbajn

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study’s purpose was to examine the role social media has in adult romantic relationships. This study focused on the impact social media has on trust, communication, and the quality of the relationship. Social media platforms have become a very integral part of today’s relationships, which in turn has added room in the relationship for more jealousy, temptation, and validation from others. This study used a survey-based methodology to collect data on individuals' personal experiences and perceptions of how social media impacts their current romantic relationships. Using quantitative measures, the research evaluated how often a partner uses social media, …

Exploring Help-Seeking Behaviors For Marital Distress Amongst African American Clergy, Desmond John Crawley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the help-seeking behaviors of African American clergy along the East Coast of the United States in response to marital distress. The theory guiding this study is social constructivism, which was developed in the 1930s by Russian Social Scientist Lev Vygotsky. This theory explores how meaning is developed through social interaction within and between individuals in a given community. Relative to this study, this constructivist perspective will help to explore the meanings that African American clergy assign to marital distress, the prioritization of help-seeking, and their role within the Black community. This …

Sacred Silence: The Unspoken Realities Of Satisfaction In Marital Intimacy Among Black Christian Women, Shonda Reneé Brooks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Sexual intimacy is a vital component of marital satisfaction, yet many married Black Christian women, taught to abstain from sex until marriage, enter matrimony without adequate marital guidance. This qualitative phenomenological study describes the lived experiences of married Black Christian women, ages 30–60, who were taught to abstain from sex until marriage but received little to no instruction on sexual intimacy after marriage. The central research question is: How do married Black Christian women, who were taught to abstain from sex until marriage, describe their experiences with marital intimacy? Framed by feminist theory, attachment theory, and intersectionality, the study examines …

Study On The Prevalence Of Police Whistleblower Retaliation In The United States Of America, Brian Andrew Morrison

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Research indicates that two substantial problems arise as a result of retaliation against law enforcement whistleblowers. The first is that up to 10% of whistleblowers attempt suicide, with more contemplating the action (Shepard, 2021). The second problem is that, in law enforcement, the corruption of the investigative authorities involved in such cases represents a significant issue. In the last 5 years, the need for change in law enforcement has grown; one cause of this has been the rising voices of those who have witnessed corruption. Consequently, the aim of this applied quantitative study is to help unravel the problem of …

Wrestling With The Cold War, Robert M. Barnum

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines how professional wrestling functioned as a cultural arena through which Americans interpreted, dramatized, and emotionally processed the Cold War from the 1950s to the early 1990s. By analyzing wrestling storylines, character archetypes, promotional narratives, and fan responses, the study demonstrates that wrestling not only reflected prevailing geopolitical tensions but also actively shaped public perceptions of the ideological conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. Throughout the Cold War, promotions deployed foreign “heel” characters—initially German and Japanese, later Soviet and Iranian—to embody national anxieties and reinforce patriotic sentiment. Soviet characters, including Nikolai Volkoff, Ivan Koloff, and …

Leading Like Christ: A Phenomenological Study Of The Biblical Shepherd Motif In Christian Parachurch Executive Leadership, Alex Sefton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Christian nonprofit parachurch organization executive leaders in southeastern Indiana (i.e., Decatur County and its adjacent counties). For the purpose of this study, executive leaders was defined as those who hold a top-level leadership position at an organization, and Christian nonprofit parachurch organization was defined as an organization designated under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) that advances biblical principles and social welfare. Shepherd-like leadership was generally defined as a leadership style that demonstrates relational care, personal guidance, and protection of well-being, as seen in Psalm …

From The Ground To The Stars: How Research And Development In Aerospace Plays A Massive Role, Bryan Sohan

Honors College Theses

Aerospace technology is a long-standing field of innovation, yet it has experienced renewed momentum in recent years due to increased public and private investment. This study analyzes how changes in budget allocations to aerospace-related firms and government organizations influence the pace and scope of technological development within the aerospace sector. By examining historical trends in aerospace innovation alongside recent funding initiatives and policy decisions, this research evaluates the relationship between financial investment and technological advancement. This analysis focuses on Hypothesis 1 (H1): that higher aerospace R&D expenditure is positively correlated with innovation output. Using a two-period state-level panel (FY2021 and …

Soft Systems For Community-Based Hcv Management In Indonesian Oil Palm Plantations, Neny Indriyana, Suyud Warno Utomo, Tri Edhi Budhi Soesilo, Linda Darmajanti

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Certification mandates under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) have made measurable strides in promoting sustainability standards, yet governance challenges in High Conservation Value (HCV) 4, 5, and 6 management remain insufficiently addressed within Indonesian plantation contexts.  Drawing on adaptive governance theory and the social-ecological systems framework, this study argues that such gaps are structurally linked to the marginalisation of community agency within corporate-dominated decision-making. This study proposes and empirically evaluates an integrated governance framework that positions community engagement as a functional contributor to conservation outcomes within plantation landscapes of West Kalimantan, under …

Energy Transitions By Wire? The Spatial Politics Of Transmission Development In New England, Maddy Kroot

Student Publications [Scholarly]

This data set is a corpus of de-identified transcripts from a doctoral research project examining local opposition to two high-voltage transmission lines in northern New England. The corpus includes 41 transcripts from interview participants who consented for their de-identified transcripts to be posted to the Clark Digital Commons. This research was supported by the NSF Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Doctoral  Dissertation Research Improvement Award (#2400991).

Enhancing Students’ Self-Disclosure Through Assertive Training: Evidence From A Group Counseling Intervention, Abu Yazid Abu Bakar, Khairul Bariyyah, Santy Andrianie, Setyorini Setyorini, Restu Dwi Ariyanto, Laily Tiarani Soejanto, Dzata Inasah Bil Humaydah

Buletin Konseling Inovatif

Self disclosure is a critical component of students’ social and emotional development; however, many students experience difficulties in expressing their thoughts and feelings openly, which may hinder interpersonal relationships and psychological well-being. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of group counseling using assertive training techniques in enhancing students’ self-disclosure. A quantitative approach with a pre-experimental one-group pre-test–post-test design was employed. The participants consisted of five junior high school students identified as having low self-disclosure levels through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a self-disclosure scale and analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired samples t-test, effect size (Cohen’s d), Wilcoxon signed-rank …

Rituals, Culture, And The Swiftie Self: An Autoethnography Of The Life Of A Showgirl Release, Karla Auria Sadang Galeon

The Manuscript: Journal of Taylor Swift Studies

This autoethnographic study investigates the meta-cognitive labor and ritualistic practices involved in constructing a contemporary digital fan identity. Drawing from detailed self-generated data (pre-release journals and real-time video reactions) surrounding the release of Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl, the research asks: "What are the rituals that construct, regulate, and sustain a fan identity in this media event?" This thematic analysis revealed four interconnected categories of fan rituals that underscore the active, self-monitoring nature of fandom: Rituals of Preparation and Sanctified Space (transforming consumption into a structured event), Rituals of Relational and Aesthetic Boundary Work (negotiating personal relevance …

We’Ve Been Dying From Trying: Taylor Swift, Earnestness, And The Collective Repudiation Of Cool., Kathryn J. Lively

The Manuscript: Journal of Taylor Swift Studies

This essay argues that cool operates not as an aesthetic preference but as a feeling rule—a socially enforced constraint on which emotions are permissible in public life. Drawing on Thornton's concept of subcultural capital, Goffman's dramaturgical framework, and Hochschild's theory of feeling rules, the paper identifies three structural requirements of cool: distinction in the mode of appreciation, performative concealment of effort, and emotional constraint. Taylor Swift violates all three. Through analysis of the Eras Tour, Swift's songwriting, her public persona, and the ritual practices of her fandom, the essay demonstrates that Swift's cultural significance lies not in her popularity but …

Platform Affordances, Produsage, And The Attention Economy: From Red (Taylor’S Version) To The Life Of A Showgirl, Angela Rose Asuncion

The Manuscript: Journal of Taylor Swift Studies

Social media platforms increasingly operate as infrastructures of visibility, shaping the conditions under which cultural content is produced, circulated, and recognised (van Dijck et al.; Nieborg and Poell). This article examines Taylor Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version) and The Life of a Showgirl as two distinct visibility configurations emerging from the affordances and algorithmic logics of TikTok and Instagram. Drawing on platform studies (Abidin), celebrity theory (Dyer; Marshall; Marwick), and participatory culture and produsage (Jenkins; Bruns), the study employs a QCA-inspired configurational approach (Ragin) to analyse how clusters of affective cues, aesthetic strategies, parasocial signals, and circulation patterns generate contrasting visibility …

Taylor Swift And The Social Construction Of Risk: Harms Realized And Avoided, Jack L. Rozdilsky, Talia Shortt

The Manuscript: Journal of Taylor Swift Studies

An especially difficult ten-day period for Taylor Swift and her fans occurred in late July to early August 2024 as the Eras Tour was wrapping up its European leg.  On July 29, 2024, a Taylor Swift themed yoga and dance workshop taking place in Southport, United Kingdom, was attacked.  A disaster was realized as three children were killed during a criminal mass stabbing attack.  On August 7, 2024, a sequence of three Eras Tour concerts intended to be held in Vienna, Austria, was suddenly cancelled due to the discovery of an anticipated terrorist attack that was in the advanced stages …

Taylor Swift, Gender, And Feminism: What Do The Data Say?, Maxine Lewis

The Manuscript: Journal of Taylor Swift Studies

In the world of Swiftian scholarship, several scholars have credited Taylor Swift with feminist impact, while others have criticized both her type of feminism and claims to be a feminist. Many arguments rest on a narrow group of protest songs (“The Man”, “You Need To Calm Down”, and “Only The Young”) and a short period of Swift’s career in which she made many paratextual political gestures (2019-2020). However, claims about a songwriter’s feminism (or lack thereof) will be more accurate, robust, and nuanced if they draw on data from her whole career.

This article provides the first systematic survey of …

“Everybody's So Punk On The Internet:” What Online Discourse On Taylor Swift’S Life Of A Showgirl Tells Us About Social Movements, Media, And Activism, Kaela Joseph, Tanya Cook

The Manuscript: Journal of Taylor Swift Studies

Taylor Swift’s twelfth album (TS12), Life of a Showgirl, broke multiple records in charting and sales (Sisario), however, early online discourse focused less on the album’s commercial success and more on Swift herself as a public figure in the current sociopolitical landscape. While some critiques were typical, discursive of Swift’s lyricism and composition, as well as the expectations set by Swift’s marketing of the album, others questioned what the album says about Swift’s sociopolitical positionality. More specifically, discourse questioned how the album contributes to, or detracts from, Swift’s role as a starticipant; a celebrity who contributes to the success …

Social Contagion: How Social Media Alters Users Self Perceptions Of Mental Health, Clara T. Patey

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

This study investigates the complex relationship between mental health content on social media and users' self perceptions of mental health. Using a qualitative survey, we analyzed the frequency of participants' social media usage, perceived credibility of mental health content and how the information they view online impacts the perceptions of their mental health. The main study results show that the use of social media as a mental health tool leads to reduced mental health status. These findings suggest that this is a growing issue within the field of mental health, and needs to be further researched as technological advancements continue …

China-Canada Resource Diplomacy: New Era Of Land Grabbing, Valdrin Dragusha

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

This paper examines the evolving economic relationship between China and Canada, particularly in the context of China's transition from a strictly social economy to an authoritarian socialist market economy. It highlights the implications of China's Going Out Policy initiated in 2000, aimed at securing vital natural resources amidst growing domestic demands driven by rapid economic expansion. The paper analyzes China's significant demand for resources, its sustainable development policies, and the changing dynamics of land acquisitions, particularly in relation to Canada, which is perceived as a strategic investment destination due to its abundant natural resources and technological advancements in clean energy. …

Heart Rate Variability In The Context Of Mental Health And Substance Use, Sage M. Lopez

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) has been linked to various areas of cardiovascular disease and mortality in previous research. Within this area, certain mental illnesses and use of psychoactive substances have been associated with low HRV and its health implications. Little research exists that examines the combined effects of mental illness and psychoactive substance use. The current research aims to understand if there is a compounding negative effect of these two factors when studied in tandem. Using a three-phase study design, HRV was analysed at baseline and at physiological relaxation, with participants being included under certain mental health, substance use, or …

Quantitative Analysis And Mechanism Pathways Of China's Patent Commercialization Policies Based On A Three-Dimensional Framework, Zhulin Xin, Feng Wei, Hong Zhou, Amei Deng, Luyao Dou

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] Improving the patent commercialization policy system is a necessary prerequisite for leveraging the institutional advantages of China's patent system. Analyzing the structure and content of patent commercialization policies and uncovering their core operational mechanisms is of great significance for enhancing the industrialization rate of patents. [Method/process] This study investigates patent commercialization policies issued by central, provincial, and municipal governments in China. It adopts a quantitative policy text analysis method and constructs a three-dimensional analytical framework consisting of policy tools-institutional systems-participating actors to examine the integrated operational characteristics of policy instruments, institutional structures, and actor roles within the current policy …

The Evolution Of China's Future Industry Policies And Textual Quantitative Analysis, Liang Chen, Wei Chen, Yutao Zhang, Xiulai Wang

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] Conducting quantitative analysis of policy texts helps clarify the alignment between policy tool implementation and policy objective achievement, which is crucial for enhancing policy execution effectiveness and advancing future industry development. [Method/process] By comprehensively examining both the external structure and internal textual elements of policies, this study proposes a three-dimensional analytical framework"policy actors-policy instruments-policy objectives"based on an evolution analysis of 157 Chinese future industry policies from 2013 to 2024.Content analysis and complex network analysis are applied to examine single, paired, and multi-dimensional interactions. [Result/conclusion] Policy evolution follows a "local pilot-central coordination-local follow-up" pattern, featuring multi-actor collaboration, mixed policy tools, …

Semantic Correlation Analysis Between Policy Texts And Corporate Annual Reports In The Context Of Digital Transformation In The Pharmaceutical Industry, Fangfang Wen, Xueying Zhang, Duoduo Chen

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] Policy issuance constitutes a fundamental aspect of effective government administration. The alignment and relevance between policy content and corporate digital transformation practices determine whether policies can fulfill their functional attributes and ultimately affect the implementation effectiveness of enterprise digital transformation. [Method/process] Targeting listed companies in China's pharmaceutical industry, this study measures the semantic similarity between policy texts and annual reports, and examines the alignment between policies and corporate digital transformation behaviors at the thematic level. [Result/conclusion] Policy themes remain at the preliminary stage of digital transformation, exhibiting an overall lag behind actual corporate development. While enterprises are advancing digital …

The Game Pattern And Related Thoughts In The Implementation Of The U.S. Intelligence Reform And Terrorism Prevention Act, Zhongjian Hu, Peng Cao

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] To summarize the implementation of the US Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act(IRTPA), and to comprehensively examine the contemporary disputes surrounding the IRTPA,and the power expansion and checks and balances of US intelligence agencies, is beneficial for further understanding the evolution of the US intelligence legal framework and its impact on the national intelligence system and mechanisms. [Method/process] This paper, from the perspective of stakeholder theory, combines methods of literature analysis and case study to summarize and analyze the basic situation, development process, and contradictory disputes of IRTPA. [Result/conclusion] The IRPTA addresses the systemic governance of intelligence dysfunction issues …

Research On The Accessibility Elements Of Rural Public Digital Cultural Services Based On Aism-Fmicmac, Lihui Peng, Banruo Gu, Chuang Hong, Xisheng Hu

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] A structural analysis of the stratified dependencies among accessibility determinants in rural public digital cultural ecosystems enables identification of pivotal developmental nodes, thereby establishing theoretical foundations for optimizing service delivery mechanisms and achieving spatial equilibrium in digital cultural provision. [Method/process] This study applies grounded theory to conduct a comprehensive coding analysis of policy documents related to China's rural public digital cultural services. Through this process, five dimensions and fifteen sub-components of accessibility are identified. An index system for accessibility factors is then developed using the AISM approach. The identified elements are classified into three hierarchical levels. To further validate …

Using Network Analysis And Text Mining To Study The Social Networks Of Song Dynasty Literati： An Analysis Based On Cbdb And The Collection Of Song Poems, Jun Pan, Ning Liu

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] The Song dynasty ranks among the most flourishing periods for literati culture in ancient China. This paper aims to observe the interaction between the literati's friendship network, social culture, and changes in the political system in the Song dynasty from the perspective of digital humanities. [Method/process] This paper uses the China Biographical Database (CBDB) to create a high-quality dataset of cleansed historical elite group in the Song dynasty for social network analysis and network topology statistics. By connecting CBDB with The Complete Collection of Song Poems, we build a dataset and a corpus of Song literati's friendship poem. The …

Drug Risk Knowledge Discovery For Western Medicines Based On Knowledge Graph Link Prediction, Jianxiang Wei, Ma Hengyuan Ma, Yuehong Sun, Wenwen Du, Letian Hu

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] The risk information contained in drug instructions is usually incomplete, and some new adverse reactions can only be discovered in actual clinical use. This paper proposes an information organization and knowledge discovery method for pharmacovigilance, in order to timely and accurately identify missing risk knowledge in drug instructions. [Method/process] Drug instructions of 8 152 Western medicines are collected as the research data; On the basis of ontology construction, data annotation, and model training, the UIE model is used to jointly extract entity and relationship triplets from the research data; A new knowledge graph link prediction method CompGCN-RotatE, is proposed, …

Coexistence Of“Emotion”And“Rationality”：Analysis Of The Impact Mechanism Of Frequent Reversal Events On The Evolution Of Online Public Opinion, Liqiang Wang, Xueqi Li, Yixian Wang

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] In recent years, frequent reversal events have negatively impacted the online media environment, leading to an increasing number of skeptical voices during the evolution of public opinion.These doubts are no longer merely emotional outbursts but also involve rational understanding of the event's authenticity. This study aims to gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon and attempts to reveal the impact mechanism of frequent reversal events on the evolution of online public opinion. [Method/process] Through surveys and computer simulation experiments, the study analyzes various elements such as individuals, media environment, and evolution patterns in online public opinion,then according to the …

Research Progress On The Application Of Altmetrics In Scientific And Technical Evaluation, Jiachen Li, Yi Han

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] Altmetrics has been widely applied in scientific and technical evaluation. To find its theoretical basis, systematically review existing research literature, clarify its value, summarize its existing problems and shortcomings, it is helpful to construct a scientific and technical evaluation system that integrates Altmetrics. [Method/process] Find theoretical basis to demonstrate the rationality and feasibility of using Altmetrics for scientific and technical evaluation. Based on a systematic literature review method, this paper summarizes the progress of Altmetrics method technology in evaluating academic achievements,scholars, institutions, disciplinary fields, countries, and other emerging scenarios. It points out that there are many shortcomings in current …

Profile And Insights On Core Authors In National Security Intelligence Research：An Analysis Based On The Journal Intelligence And National Security, Yaping Hu, Yongge Xiao

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] This study delineates the developmental trajectory and knowledge production characteristics of international national security intelligence research by revealing the collective profile, career development patterns, collaboration network structures, and core research theme evolution of its key scholars. It aims to provide insights and references for promoting the discipline construction of national security intelligence in China. [Method/process] Core authors were selected from the Intelligence and National Security journal based on publication volume criteria. Employing biographical analysis, the information of these international core authors was categorized into four core dimensions—disciplinary background, research direction, research output, and work experience for comparative analysis. Furthermore, …