Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Gendered Precarity, Informality And Survival Among Cambodian Women Migrants In Thailand, Sokha Eng

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Migration scholars have long assumed that women migrant laborers move as individuals, leave family behind, are governed by labor migration policies, and are employed full-time. However, in the context of South-South migration, many workers migrate as families, with husbands, wives, and sometimes even children. Some engage in the informal economy, serving as casual and on-call workers. These types of employment fall outside the scope of standard labor migration policies and therefore receive less attention. As a result, migrants’ experiences in such work arrangements remain underexplored. This study examines the experiences of Cambodian migrant women in Thailand by examining the case …

Process And Change In The Global Governance Of Sustainable Development, S. Beth Fascitelli

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

In 2015, to euphoric acclaim, the world adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. But with less than five years to deliver its seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Agenda’s “transformational vision” remains unrealized. To understand why, this dissertation looks not to the Agenda’s implementation but to its birth, asking how the three-year process that produced it was designed, implemented, and experienced, and whether its mechanisms reinforced or challenged the structures that shape global sustainability governance. The premise is simple: how global agreements are negotiated matters as much as their substance. The study thus pushes back against a celebratory view …

Redefined: Understanding The Experience Of Black Joy Among Black Youth, Kaela A. Yamini

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The study of Black joy is a newer concept and, therefore, reflected in a small but growing body of literature. Many scholars have reflected on the theoretical nature of Black joy and how it can appear across settings, e.g., academically, occupationally, communally, and internally, but very few studies have examined this phenomenon empirically. Several definitions of Black joy have emerged in connection to history and suffering; however, there is still a notable lack of agreement among researchers. Despite that, all conceptualizations acknowledge how this emotional experience is much greater than the pain associated with it and highlight its ability …

A Discursive Analysis Of Lesbian And Queer Experiences Of Unwanted Consensual Sex, Sarah E. Swanson

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This study drew on a critical discursive psychology (CDP) analytical approach to examine how lesbian and queer participants made sense of unwanted consensual sex (UCS).  The data analysis traced how UCS was constructed on three discursive levels: the construction of UCS across narratives, the interpretive repertoires mobilized (including sexual scripts), and the broader sociocultural discourses that shaped what elements of their experiences were intelligible. Therefore, I sought to understand both how participants drew on familiar heteronormative and queer ways of talking about sex and how various discursive resources shaped how they could construct themselves and others. Data for this research …

Factorial Structure Of A Bilingual Progress Monitoring Tool For Mindfulness Interventions, Andrea V. Molina Palacios

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are an increasingly popular option for schools to support youth in each of the multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). MBIs have proven to increase attention, help with emotion regulation, decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, and overall increase students’ wellbeing with a cost-effective package that makes it affordable for schools to implement. Moreover, MBIs have also proven to be effective for Hispanic youth who are at a higher risk of experiencing low access to mental health care and higher levels of poverty, which puts them at risk for dropping out and having low academic achievement. However, there …

The Negotiated Identities Of Refugee-Background Women During Resettlement, Iuliia Fakhrutdinova

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Refugee-background women experience unique challenges while resettling in the U.S. as they navigate complicated transnational gender roles, education gaps, migration trauma, learning a new language, and literacy in the adaptation process during resettlement, which can derail the productive paths they are on. Therefore, ignoring refugee-background women’s unique experiences and failing to understand their identities prevents our society from doing social justice and creating a space for a smooth adaptation to the new context. Language plays a paramount role in identity formation, as it moves away from the belief that identity is an essential concept. For refugee-background women during resettlement, their …

I Must Be Well, To Do Well: Examining The Relationship Between Toxic Stem Environments, Trauma, Stem Support, And Academic Outcomes Among Diverse Graduate Women In Stem, Aisha Farra

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Women, particularly Women of Colour (WOC), remain underrepresented in STEM. In the last two decades, research has sought to better understand women’s experiences in STEM, highlighting challenges such as isolation, sexism, and racism, which negatively impact mental health and STEM persistence. While these mental health challenges have been documented, further work is needed to examine how these experiences are related to trauma symptoms and physical health outcomes, as well as the mechanisms through which they shape academic outcomes. This quantitative study investigated the relationships among toxic STEM experiences (i.e., gendered racism, sexism, and isolation), trauma symptoms and physical health concerns, …

Our Claims Matter: Latin American Migrants’ Nonviolent And Everyday Resistance Across Transnational Spaces, Pryanka Penafiel-Cevallos

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines how Latin American migrants engage in nonviolent resistance across transnational spaces in Ecuador, challenging dominant narratives that portray migrants primarily as passive actors or humanitarian subjects. Focusing mainly on Venezuelan, Colombian, and returned Ecuadorian migrants, the study places migrants’ political agency at the center of analysis. It asks how migrants resist, for what purposes, and under which conditions they mobilize nonviolent and everyday resistance practices to claim rights, dignity, and human security in a host country marked by both legal innovation and growing exclusion.

Drawing on civil resistance theory, everyday resistance approaches, and migration scholarship, the research …

Governing Climate Change For Sustainable Food Security In The Busoga Region Of Uganda, James Kintu

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Busoga, Uganda's most sugarcane-intensive sub-region, hosts seven mills and an expanding outgrower economy, yet remains among Uganda's most food-insecure areas, with over half of its households food-insecure. This study examined how governance of climate change and sugarcane expansion shapes capabilities for food access, land tenure, and decision-making among women, youth, and land-poor households in Jinja and Buyende.

The study developed an integrated CA-CEP-RFS framework, combining the Capability Approach, Comparative Environmental Politics, and the Resilient Food Systems framework, with Sen's Entitlement Framework bridging capabilities to production, trade, own-labor, and transfer entitlements. A qualitative case study drew on a documentary review, 27 …

The Effect Of State Policy On Individuals With Mental Illness In Nursing Homes: A Multilevel Analysis, Adrita Barooah

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE EFFECT OF STATE POLICY ON INDIVIDUALS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS IN NURSING HOMES: A MULTILEVEL ANALYSIS

August 2026

Adrita Barooah, B.Sc., University of Delhi, India

M.S., University of Massachusetts Boston

Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Boston

Directed by Professor Pamela Nadash

The proportion of individuals living with a mental illness in U.S. nursing homes has grown substantially over the past few decades (Fashaw et al., 2020), raising serious concerns about care quality, resource adequacy, and costs to both nursing homes and government payers. The lack of adequate resources and knowledge has resulted in sub-par mental health care (O'Connor et al., …

Level Of Discrimination Experienced By Gender In Athletic Trainers And Professional Athletic Training Students, Emily Ghaussy, Seungyeon Kim, Jennifer Xu, Emily Madrak

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Context: Although women make up the majority of the athletic training field, gender-based discrimination continues to exist in the profession. Previous research exists; however, more current research on gender discrimination in the workplace is limited. This cross-sectional study examined level of perceived gender-based discrimination experienced by credentialed women athletic trainers and athletic training students in comparison to men athletic trainers and athletic training students. Four hundred forty-six cisgender men and women athletic trainers and athletic training students participated in our study. The median age was 28 years among cisgender women and 35 years among cisgender men.

Methods: Participants completed a …

Autoethnography: Understandings, Evolution, And The Influence Of Genai, Prokopis Christou

The Qualitative Report

Autoethnography occupies a central place within qualitative research because of its focus on lived experience, reflexivity, and meaning-making. In this paper, I critically examine the implications of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) for autoethnographic inquiry through a reflexive and theoretically informed discussion situated within the contemporary AI-mediated era. By revisiting key understandings and developments of autoethnography while drawing on technological mediation theory, I explore how GenAI extends beyond a mere tool to become a mediating mechanism capable of profoundly shaping autoethnographic practice. Attention is given to how seemingly minor AI-generated alterations may transform lived experience into more polished, coherent, and emotionally …

"Why Do Students Save Less?" A Study Of The Determinants Of Saving Intentions And Behaviours Among Undergraduate Students, Rna Hamza Ahmed Eissa, Chi Hau Tan, Ben Hou

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

Despite the issue of low savings being a serious concern, limited research has been conducted on students’ saving behaviour in Malaysia, especially when it comes to private universities. This research focuses on examining factors that affect saving behaviour among undergraduate students at a private university in Malaysia, in reference to the Theory of Planned Behaviour. A mixed-method design was applied. Quantitative research was conducted, in which 122 valid responses were collected via an online survey and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). In addition, qualitative research with 11 respondents was conducted, and the data were analysed using …

“When I’M Not Heard, I Feel Like I Don’T Matter”: Advancing Equity In Disability Policy Through Critical Participatory Action Research With People With Intellectual Disability, Cris Marchionne

Student Theses

People with intellectual disability deserve a system that offers flexible, timely, and person-centered support — one that is innovative, sustainable, and holistic in enabling them to live fulfilling lives. This qualitative study, grounded in Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR), examines how people with intellectual disability experience participation in decision-making within New York State's disability service system. By centering lived experience, the study identifies factors that facilitate or hinder participation in decision-making and examines structural, social, and policy-related barriers that limit agency. Through six focus groups and a Photovoice project with self-advocates receiving OPWDD services, participants described systemic barriers that limited …

Scrolling, Following, Deciding: The Hidden Power Of Digital Influence On Wise Financial Decision, Nur Fatihah Muhamad Irwan, Wan Rasyidah Wan Nawang

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

The effect of social media and digital influencers on financial behaviours has been well documented, but there is yet any solid evidence of their role in driving wise financial decision-making among Malaysians in particular. This study hence sets out to examine the impact of social media engagement and parasocial interaction in shaping financial attitudes, and the influence of financial attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control on the intention to practice wise financial decision-making. The mediating role of financial attitude was also studied, specifically in the link between social media engagement, parasocial interaction, and intention. A total of 250 Malaysian …

Impact Of Environmental, Social, And Governance (Esg) Practices On The Stability And Profitability Of Financial Institutions In Malaysia, Sharifah Najihah Syed Ishar, Sharifah Fairuz Syed Mohamad, Nurul Sima Mohamad Shariff, Mazlynda Md Yusuf

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

This study examines how Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) activities affect the stability and profitability of Malaysian financial institutions, in light of the country's growing emphasis on sustainable finance. Using annual data from 2014 to 2024, the study focuses on three main objectives: assessing whether stronger ESG practices enhance financial stability, identifying the most influential ESG pillar among environmental, social, and governance components, and evaluating whether ESG performance affects profitability. This study employs random-effects panel regression with robust standard errors, yielding empirical evidence relevant to Malaysia’s dual banking landscape. The results show that stronger ESG performance raises the stability of …

Metaphors And Socio-Cultural Values In China's Press Statement Translation, Adinda Natassa Valentine Hutabarat

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

In real practice, political text translations are in line with a country’s main foreign policies. Thus, an in-depth understanding on communicative strategies employed in translating political texts, e.g. press statements, is essential. The paper analyses the translation of press statements from the Source Text (Mandarin Chinese) into the Target Texts (English and Indonesian). To elaborate, this study uses van Dijk’s Political Discourse Analysis at the macro (contexts) and micro (texts) levels. By considering Newmark’s equivalent translation concept, as well as metaphor and annotated translations, the analysis reveals that the translation from China’s perspective uses metaphors and China’s socio-cultural values within …

Knowledge Spillovers, Related And Supporting Industries, And Government Intervention: An Integrated Framework For Cluster-Driven Corporate Innovation, Qinying Lei, Lai-Ying Leong, Annie Cheng San, Ng

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

Late-developing inland clusters face a notable innovation paradox, in which substantial industrial capacity coexists with weak firm-level innovation. Existing research identifies knowledge spillovers, related and supporting industries, and government intervention as major external drivers of innovation, but pays limited attention to how these external conditions are transformed into corporate innovation capability. Drawing on Regional Innovation System Theory, Dynamic Capability Theory, and Porter’s Diamond Model, this study develops an integrated framework comprising seven propositions on direct effects, mediated pathways, and contextual variation. It proposes that cluster performance, defined as the effectiveness of cross-organisational coordination, mediates the relationship between external cluster conditions …

Pricing Under Pressure: Cost Volatility, Customer Affordability And Value Perception In Micro And Small Food Businesses, Fadhlur Rahim Azmi, Nursyahwani Mohd Sukri, Maciej Woźniak, Haslinda Musa

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

This study examines how micro and small food businesses make pricing decisions under cost volatility, customer affordability pressure, and value perception constraints. Drawing on semi-structured interview evidence from 12 Malaysian micro and small food and beverage businesses, this study adopts an interpretive qualitative multiple-case design. The data were analysed using thematic analysis and cross-case comparison, with dynamic capabilities as an interpretive lens. The findings show that pricing is not a simple cost-plus calculation or the application of a single pricing method. Instead, micro and small food businesses practice adaptive hybrid pricing by combining cost awareness, competitor reference, affordability judgment, value …

Does Realised Range Volatility Improve Multivariate Volatility Forecasting? Evidence From Bursa Malaysia Sectors, Mariam Mohamed Abdelwahab Mohamed Badawi, Sew Lai Ng, Ruzanna Ab Razak, Shaikh Fazlur Rahman

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

This study examines whether realised range volatility improves multivariate volatility forecasting performance in an emerging equity market setting. A comparison between vector heterogeneous autoregressive models constructed with realised volatility, realised range volatility, and conventional return-based volatility measures is conducted using sectoral data from the Bursa Malaysia. High-frequency data from September 2018 to December 2024 were collected from the financial data provider Bloomberg. The analysis evaluates out-of-sample forecasting accuracy using a set of 5 loss functions, including symmetric (MSE and MAE) and asymmetric (QLIKE) criteria. The outcomes provide compelling and strong evidence that realised range volatility measures deliver superior forecasting performance …

Debt Financing Cost And Green Innovation: The Conditioning Role Of Financing Dependence Structure In Chinese Manufacturing Firms, Hongzhuo Chen, Mohd Faizal Basri, Hazianti Abdul Halim

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

Debt-financing costs are generally considered to be restrictive for corporate innovation; however, their role in green innovation may be conditional rather than uniformly negative. Based on a sample of A-share listed companies from 2012 to 2023, this study examines whether this cost is related to green patenting and, more importantly, how this relationship varies with firms’ financing dependence structure. Green innovation can be reflected in the scale of total green patent applications and the depth of green invention applications. Based on the estimates, both indicators are positively correlated with the cost of debt, and the impact is relatively stronger for …

Understanding Trust As A Mediating Mechanism In Ai-Based Medical Tools And Clinical Decision Processes, Shanthi Isparan, Seow Ai Na, Chang Jing Jing, Hew Jun Jie

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

The growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has transformed clinical decision-making. Nevertheless, doctors’ engagement with AI-based tools remains hindered, particularly due to trust-related concerns. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors influencing doctors’ engagement with AI-based medical tools, with a focus on the mediating role of trust within the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Data were collected from 197 doctors in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur through a structured survey and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4 software. The findings reveal that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, …

A Systematic Review Of Factors Influencing The Adoption Of Artificial Intelligence For Training And Development In The Nigerian Banking Sector, Adekanye Fareedah Oyelola, Arnifa Asmawi, Rathimala Kannan

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionising human resource management through automation, data-driven decisions, personalised learning, and improved skills-gap detection. Nevertheless, AI adoption in training and development (T&D) programs in the Nigerian banking sector remains low. Therefore, this situation has become a barrier to the development of human capital and to digital transformation. This systematic literature review aims to identify the factors influencing AI adoption in T&D within Nigerian banks and then to analyse the interrelationship among the constructs. This review also examines the mediating role of T&D-AI Fit between influencing factors and AI adoption in T&D. The study uses the Task–Technology …

Impact Of Enterprise Risk Management On Firm Performance And Value: A Panel Data Analysis Of Malaysian Firms, Zhi Beng Chew, Krishnen Kishan, Wei Chien Ng, Yu Qing Soong

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

This study investigates the impact of enterprise risk management (ERM) implementation on firm performance and firm value among Malaysian listed companies from 2010 to 2024. Empirical evidence on ERM outcomes in the Malaysian context remains limited, particularly regarding studies that simultaneously examine financial performance and firm valuation. By jointly analyzing these measures, the study seeks to determine which performance dimension is more significantly influenced by ERM and whether Malaysian investors incorporate risk management practices into firm valuation assessments. The analysis covers 11,285 firm-year observations, using a comprehensive ERM index based on the COSO ERM framework and a fixed-effects panel regression …

Analysis Of The Determinants Of Buy-Now-Pay-Later Payment Mode Among Malaysians In Klang Valley, Wai Zhi Tay, Chi Hau Tan

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

The Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service has become increasingly popular in Malaysia in recent years, especially in the Klang Valley. The BNPL service offers consumers a more convenient payment method and access to credit, raising concerns about increased household debt and financial vulnerability. In this study, this paper used financial literacy, perceived risk, credit attitude, and economic vulnerability to examine which factors influence the intention to use the BNPL payment mode. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) is used to explain the factors influencing consumers’ intention to use BNPL services. This study adopts a quantitative research design and collects …

Dividend Yield Modelling And Forecasting Under The Wilkie Investment Model With Inflation Effects: Evidence From Malaysia, Ilya Adlina Abd Halim, Norizarina Ishak, Siti Raihana Hamzah, Ahmad Fadly Nurullah Rasedee

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

This study uses the Wilkie Investment Model in the context of the Malaysian stock exchange, incorporating inflation as a significant factor in explaining investment behavior in line with local economic conditions. Although the Wilkie model is broadly utilised in actuarial science and has been assessed in many developed countries, its use in emerging markets such as Malaysia is still limited. Based on historical data from Malaysia, both the dividend yield and inflation series were revealed to be stationary using the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test. Therefore, the series is applicable for time series analysis. The study used Malaysian data to estimate …

From Digital Readiness To Employability: Mediating Role Of Artificial Intelligence Competence And The Moderating Influence Of Policy Support Among Malaysian Graduates, Fraz Arshed Butt, Abdelhak Senadjki, Hui Nee Au Yong

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) emphasises the demand for graduates with both digital readiness and artificial intelligence (AI) skills, which are aligned with labour market demands. Although prior studies link digital skills to employability, empirical evidence is scarce, and there is little research on how digital readiness translates into employment outcomes in AI-driven, particularly developing, economies. Hence, considering AI competence as a mediating mechanism and government policy support as a moderator, this study investigates the effects of digital literacy, technological self-efficacy, and digital learning engagement on graduate employability. Grounded in human capital theory, social cognitive theory, and institutional theory, this …

What Drives Consumers To Use Insurtech Apps? The Role Of Insurance Literacy, Jia Chun Chia, Hui Shan Lee, Bik Kai Sia

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

Although financial technology has spread worldwide, the adoption of InsurTech in Malaysia is still low because of the knowledge-action gap, in which people continue to use traditional agents. This study examines the factors that determine behavioral intention to use InsurTech apps by incorporating the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and including a novel insurance literacy factor. A cross-sectional quantitative research design was adopted, and 406 valid responses were gathered from 406 Malaysian Generation Z individuals and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that the model explains 58% of the variance …

Impact Of Green Finance On Environmentally Sustainable Development Goals, Shu Min Loh, Hui Shan Lee, Leong Mow Gooi, Suwen Xie

International Journal of Management, Finance and Accounting

In this context, climate change represents a real phenomenon with significant implications for economies, industries, and societies worldwide. In the context of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement, these implications are significant, given that the countries in question cumulatively account for a considerable share of global emissions, energy consumption, and industrial production. As these countries aim for a carbon-neutral future and continue the path toward the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set for 2030, the question for these countries, therefore, is not whether they should act but how they can act in a sustainable manner toward a …

Editor’S Note To Volume 10 Of The Journal Of Communication Pedagogy: A Critical And Urgent Call, Meggie Mapes

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This editor’s note calls communication educators to respond to contemporary challenges (including AI, institutional pressures, and persistent inequities) with ethical, relational, and accountable pedagogy. It frames the volume as an invitation to ask better questions and enact pedagogical values through everyday classroom practice.