Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of Fact-Checking Misinformation About U.S. Politics On Tiktok Through The Lens Of Two-Step Flow Theory: A Quantitative Content Analysis, Toi Travis Thornton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The social media platform, TikTok, has grown tremendously over the past few years. With the freedom that users have to communicate in the way they desire to and with any information they want to communicate, the spread of misinformation has continued to spread on the application. This has called for a need for reputable fact-checking organizations to correct the misinformation with truth. This research paper examines the effects of fact-checking on TikTok videos containing misinformation about American politics. It addresses the research problem which is that misinformation spread on TikTok has confused users about American politics, which in turn could …

The Ties That Bind: A Comprehensive Pastoral Counseling Approach To Bridge The Gap Between Christians Struggling With Same-Sex Attraction And Cornerstone Church, Barbara Pringle Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation project explores the need for a faith-based counseling program that aligns with biblical principles while fostering inclusivity and support for Christians experiencing same-sex attraction (SSA). The study addresses the challenges faced by individuals in the church community who often encounter isolation, shame, and rejection. It proposes a comprehensive pastoral counseling program to train church leaders in providing compassionate, transformative care. This project employs qualitative research methods, including focus groups and individual interviews, to gather insights from church leaders and members. It analyzes theological, psychological, and pastoral perspectives to build a robust spiritual and emotional support framework. The research …

Exploring Rapport-Building In Coaching Relationships: Coach's Perspective, Tanya Devereaux

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines rapport-building strategies and challenges executive coaches face in their interactions with clients, with an emphasis on demographic influences. By employing a qualitative phenomenological approach, the study captures the subjective experiences of 14 active executive business coaches. These coaches discussed techniques for rapport-building, such as pre-meeting engagement, setting expectations, and creating safe environments during initial sessions. The findings reveal that demographic factors—such as race, gender, and cultural background—impact the coach-coachee dynamic, often necessitating adaptive strategies to align with the unique needs of each client. The themes that emerged from the research aligned with existing literature, and professional experience …

The Impact Of Economic Stress On Marital Satisfaction, Luis Ventura

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Marital satisfaction is considered a common index for measuring the stability and quality of marriages. Various factors have been considered to affect the stability and quality of marriages. In the context of the contemporary world, in which socioeconomic dynamics influence day-to-day existence, economic or financial stress is considered a factor that influences relationships. However, the extent to which economic stress affects relationships is unclear. This study examines the effect that economic stress (through its varied types) has on marital satisfaction. It applies a correlational research design where data is collected using quantitative survey questionnaires on a sample of 80 participants …

Strategies Police Agencies Can Implement To Improve Officer Mental Health, Robert Gleason

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The profession of law enforcement is commonly recognized as being extremely stressful. Policing has the potential to produce extraordinarily high levels of stress among officers, particularly in contemporary political and social situations. This stress can be induced by several reasons, including but not limited to the occupation itself, the organization, and the organizational leadership. Long-term exposure to chronic stress has been linked to adverse effects on mental and physical health, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, exhaustion, and, in extreme situations, suicidal ideations and attempts. This qualitative study examined strategies and initiatives that police officers believe would help agencies …

A Quantitative Study: The Association Between College Selection Methodology And Sense Of Belongingness Among First-Year, Full-Time Residential College Students, Tamara Reese

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

College selection methodology can be traced back to the 1920s when colleges had to rely on their to travel through word of mouth, catalogs, pictures, and brochures. Although virtual tours can be dated back to 1994, COVID-19 catapulted the popularity of traveling through virtual reality. While many studies have sought to measure the impact of visitation on student enrollment propensities, none have made a noteworthy effort to account for a potential endogenous link between the student's college choice methodology and a student's sense of belongingness at their college or university campus. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study is to …

The Lived Experiences Of African American Children Of Clergy: What Has Become Of Them In Their Adulthood?, Chantel Danielle Staton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is noticeable that there are stereotypes associated with being African American due to prejudice and racism. It is identifiable, as well, that there are stereotypes associated with being a child of the clergy due to their expectations being higher than nonclergy children. How do the two coexist? This phenomenological study aims to understand how the lived experiences of African American children of clergy have impacted their adulthood. How has being an African American child growing up in the home of a pastor impacted how that child now copes mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as an adult? This study is designed …

Multi-Ethnic Executive Leadership (Meel) Experiences Within Higher Education: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Enrique Fabian Fernandez

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological hermeneutic study was to understand the experiences of the limited multiethnic executive leadership (MEEL) within proprietary for-profit and private non-profit higher education institutions in the lower Southeastern region of the United States. The study applied a social justice theory interpretive framework via the critical race theory highlighting unconscious biases that have supported by-and-large a majority White leadership hierarchy within higher education in the United States. The study also employed a qualitative study design with a phenomenological hermeneutical approach which fits well with the intent and process aimed at revealing and illuminating participant’s triumphs and …

Disposable Humanity, William L. Blizek, Monica Blizek

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a review of Disposable Humanity (2025), directed by Cameron S. Mitchell and David T. Mitchell.

Cover And Forewords, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

Cover and Forewords

Notch Formation Due To Freeze-Thaw Action In The North-Facing Valley Cliff Of The Asama Volcano Region, Japan, Yukinori Matsukura

The Geographical Bulletin

There are notches at the base of vertical cliffs located at the foot of Asama Volcano, Japan. In the north-facing cliff, frost weathering is frequently observed on the notch surface in winter. Mean air temperature is below freezing point in winter. There are many fine days in winter, but the sunshine cannot hit the northfacing cliff due to its orientation. These conditions gradually cool the notch zone and make a frozen layer which grows parallel to the notch surface. The maximum frost penetration depth is estimated to be 20 to 30 cm in one winter season. Exfoliation occurs in spring …

Volume 32-2 Complete Issue, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 32-2 Complete Issue

Factors Controlling Ground Water Flow To Wells In Crystalline Rocks Based On A Principal Components Analysis, Southeastern Piedmont Of Georgia, Joseph E. Garcia, George A. Brook

The Geographical Bulletin

In a study of the geologic and topographic factors influencing well productivity in the crystalline southern Piedmont region of Georgia, Garcia et al. (1990) found that three variables explained 65 percent of the variation in well productivity. However, many of the nine variables examined could not be included in modeling because of high intercorrelation detracting from the interpretive if not the predictive value of the result. To overcome this problem, data from Garcia et al. (1990) were subjected to a principal components analysis. This technique was used to transform the set of nine highly correlated variables into three uncorrelated components. …

Spatial Patterns Of Visitor Behavior: A Case Study Of The North Carolina Zoological Park, Maurice L. Mckenzie, Keith G. Oebbage

The Geographical Bulletin

This paper explains the spatial patterns of visitor behavior at the North Carolina Zoological Park (NCZP). The NCZP is one of the top ten tourist attractions in the state, but it is unclear what factors influence each individual's decision to visit the zoo. The research reported in this paper partially confirmed many of the theoretical expectations about visitor behavior. Based on the results of a visitor survey, the NCZP is a family attraction that caters to a largely well-educated and affluent audience. Most of those surveyed came from the nearby urban centers, while the rural counties immediately adjacent to the …

Interstate Migration Of Students To Professional Schools, James F. Fryman

The Geographical Bulletin

Among the college student population, those attending professional schools are the most likely to cross state lines to attain a degree. The focus of the present investigation was threefold: first, to describe the components of the interstate migration system based on college student migration to professional schools; second, to determine the degree of association between those components; and third, to determine to what extent, the number of professional schools and the variety of programs, affects the net migration of students. Results indicated a lack of uniformity in professional school location and in the variety of professional programs offered. Net migration …

The Geography Of Rockfall Hazards In Glacier National Park, Montana, David R. Butler

The Geographical Bulletin

Glacier National Park, Montana, has a long history of falling rock and rockfall accidents. The recent history of rockfall activities and accidents in the Park is documented here. Rockfalls are frequent in spring and autumn months, when temperatures fluctuate across the freezing point. Summer rockfall activity is primarily associated with heavy rainfall. Hazardous rockfalls may occur on any slope aspect, especially in areas where stratigraphic dip parallels the slope. Numerous accidents from falling rock have occurred, but are spatially concentrated in two major and two minor highway zones, as well as i., the backcountry. Visitors to the Park are effectively …

Editorial Comments Facilitating Field Research, H. J. De Blij

The Geographical Bulletin

All of us remember the favorite sayings of some of our teachers. When I was a first-year student at the University of the Witwatersrand, Professor J. H. Wellington would start many a lecture by stating "Geography is a field science. What I am about to tell you comes from my field notes. When you go on to graduate school, your success or failure will depend on your ability to do original field research." When I was in the Master's degree program at Northwestern University, a visiting professor, A. E. Moodie, liked to say that "If you cannot map it, it …

A Comparison Of Regional Drought Patterns In The Contiguous United States Using Four Measures Of Drought Severity, Peter T. Soule

The Geographical Bulletin

The primary objectives of this study are 1) to identify spatially homogeneous drought (moisture) regions in the contiguous United States using four different measures of drought severity, and 2) to determine whether these regional drought patterns are consistent across the drought types represented by these indices. Data used include monthly values of the Palmer Hydrologic Drought Index (PHDI)' Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI)' Palmer Moisture Anomaly Index (ZINX), and standardized scores (zscores) of precipitation (PREZ), for the period 1931-1985. A series of S-mode principal components analyses and a VARIMAX rotation are used to search for aggregations of climatic divisions that …

Cover And Forewords, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

Cover and Forewords

Native Texans' Perception Of Yankees, Byron D. Augustin, Dennis E. Fitzsimons

The Geographical Bulletin

Texas now ranks as the third most populous state in the United States. Over the past 40 years, much of the population growth can be attributed to migration from outside the state's boundaries. Not all native Texans look favorably on the new growth patterns. "Yankee" is a term which some native Texans tend to label any new resident who does not enter from Mexico. The purpose of this paper is to delineate those states which are perceived by native Texans to produce Yankees. A second goal is to provide insight into the perception that native Texans have regarding the word …

Volume 32-1 Complete Issue, C. Nicholas Raphael

The Geographical Bulletin

Volume 32-1 Complete Issue

Heat Island Of The Akron Canton Regional Airport, Ohio, Nirmala Kochar, Thomas W. Schmidlin

The Geographical Bulletin

Air temperatures measured by the National Weather Service at rural airports may not represent the temperatures of the surrounding rural areas because of extensive paved surfaces, buildings, sparse vegetation, and the flow of surface traffic at the airport. These factors may cause the presence of a heat island which is generally an urban phenomenon. The temperature and wind of the Akron-Canton Airport and eight nearby rural sites was studied between December 1987 and October 1988. The results showed that the airport was a heat island for 83% of the calm, clear evenings. An airport heat island did not exist under …

Comparison Of Temporal Differences In Models Of Soil Moisture And Plant Biomass Variability In The Southern Great Plains Of The United States, Stephen J. Walsh

The Geographical Bulletin

Multiple regression models of soil moisture at 15, 61, and 91 cm depths, and for above-ground plant biomass explained 92, 90, 92, and 88 percent of the variability, respectively, through field data collected in 1986. Multiple regression models developed for soil moisture and plant biomass, through data collected in 1985, answered 83, 91, and 82 percent, and 85 percent of the variability, respectively. Field data were collected along a 200 km transect in west-central Oklahoma from May through August 1985 and 1986: four sites were eliminated in 1986 and sampling was changed from weekly to bi-weekly. Air temperature, precipitation levels, …

Research Needs In Physical Geography, Melvin G. Marcus

The Geographical Bulletin

The future of research in physical geography is assessed and discussed. The discussion is divided into three parts: the inevitable generalization and comments on geography; geography's share of research funds; and critical research objectives for the future are selectively surveyed. The comments are hopefully not solely limited to physical geography but to geography in general. In spite of technical innovations the writer suggests field studies, regional information and an assessment of older data ought to be undertaken.

Shoreline Modification And Land Use Of Ford Lake, Michigan, Ashley M. Long, Gregory D. Ruhl

The Geographical Bulletin

Ford Lake in an 800-acre dammed reservoir on the Huron River some 35 miles west of Detroit. The 10-mile shoreline was investigated in the field as well as with the use of soil data and aerial photographs. The investigation of the shoreline reveals that shoreline erosion and mass wasting are related to high erodible soil types. The shoreline is being urbanized mainly with multifamily housing, causing a removal of the deciduous hardwood vegetation which has led to increased runoff. Shoreline owners have reinforced the shoreline to combat severe erosion. It is recommended that a reevalution be undertaken to provide development …

Editorial Comments Geography And Yesteryear, Geoffrey J. Martin

The Geographical Bulletin

Have you noticed how we revere what is new? A new scholarly book, a new text book, a new article, a new idea, a new assessment, a new terminology all seem to readily command our attention. This is not surprising for we live in a society which places a premium on what is new; and what is new is considered best. Now such an evaluation is probably legitimate for the accumulative sciences ... mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology. It is eminently not true for art, music and literature; Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt, Mozart and Tchaikovsky, Chaucer and Shakespeare, each speak …

An Afropessimism Of Student Mobility: Is International Higher Education Extreme Investment In Whiteness?, Zoe A. Case

Journal of Graduate Education Research

This paper strives to consider whether, as Riyad Shahjahan and Kirsten Edwards suggest, international higher education systematically invests in Whiteness. In doing so, I explore first whether the international university system invests in Whiteness through its expansion of satellite campuses and systemic fetishisation of global university rankings. Turning towards the micro-level, I consider the individual international student as investor and, via an Afropessimist lens inspired by Frank B. Wilderson III and Sara Ahmed, I find that the question of Whiteness as investment situates Whiteness as a good in which everyone can invest. I show that although international higher education is …

Heritage Language Learners In The Foreign Language Classroom, Annabel Noar

Journal of Graduate Education Research

Heritage language learners are a heterogenous group themselves, and prevalent contrasts exist between them and foreign language learners. This presents challenges for the amalgamation of heritage language learners and foreign language learners within a single language classroom. Reviewing relevant literature, this paper discusses the differences between heritage language learners and foreign language learners, and how these can be accounted for by educators. It argues that, without specific, individualised differentiation, the foreign language classroom is inappropriate for the heritage language learner due to its inability to sufficiently account for their heterogeneity, diverse backgrounds and unique motivations for language learning. The difficulty …

Pornography, Problematic Use And Academic Outcomes In College Students: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Promise Tewogbola, Victoria Bodunde, Deborah Odaudu

Journal of Graduate Education Research

Background: The prevalence of pornography consumption among college students has raised concerns about its potential impact on academic performance. This study aims to examine the relationships between pornography use, academic outcomes, and problematic pornography use among university students.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 739 students from a Midwestern U.S. state university. Participants completed an online survey assessing demographics, grade point average (GPA), pornography consumption frequency, Academic Success Inventory (ASI) scores, and Problematic Pornography Use (PPU) scale scores. Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to examine associations between variables.

Results: Pornography consumers had 41% lower odds of …

Collection Of Self-Research Papers Analyzing The Enhancement Of Uae-China Cooperation Through Public Policy Lenses, Jiaming Lu

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

As a research combination, this thesis is concerned with how UAE public policy can align with China’s overseas interests to deepen the current strategic partnership, focusing on the bilateral business cooperation including diplomacy, free zone trading, and corporate governance in energy sectors. The main objective of this thesis is to analyze whether this relationship can be maintained or upgraded to an all-weather strategic partnership amidst global challenges. Multiple research models are used to investigate specific public policies and their implementation, including historical analysis, policy dynamic framework, socio-legal research, and network governance examination. The results of this thesis indicate that aligning …