Sociology Commons^™

Therapeutic Wilderness Experiences And Empathetic Perception Of At-Risk Adolescent Youth, Sandra Short-Robbins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current research involving wilderness therapy (WT) programs indicates that therapeutic wilderness or outdoor interventions have increased in popularity as alternative approaches for treating at-risk or adjudicated adolescents. However, the role that empathetic perception plays in advancing the efficacy of WT intervention absent from the majority of extant literature. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to address a gap in research involving how empathetic perception may be affected by WT program participation. The conceptual framework for the project involved ecopsychology, a branch of science that addresses the connection between human beings and the natural world. Nine young adults between …

Measuring Levels Of Posttraumatic Growth In Firefighters, Anna Lisa De Lima

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Firefighters provide essential lifesaving services to the community. They are at high risk for mental health issues due to their exposure to trauma in the line of duty. Moreover, adverse effects on mental health can affect their ability to provide appropriate care to the community resulting in a serious social problem. Researchers have explored the concept that individuals can also experience growth from trauma. However, there are few studies that explore the factors that can predict growth in firefighters. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the degree to which selected variables such as the level of posttraumatic …

First Responders' Experience During The Initial Chaos In A Large-Scale Event, Amanda Jo Reese

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is little focus on how first responders (e.g., firefighters, police officers, medical staff) experience the initial chaos immediately following a large-scale disaster. Previous research indicated that understanding the initial chaos of disaster response is imperative to keeping first responders safe and healthy. First responders may also reduce the perception of chaos by implementing situational awareness skills. This research study explored (a) how first responders experienced the initial chaos immediately following a large-scale disaster, (b) how first responders experienced their emotions (good or bad) and what, if any, emotions were present, (c) how their emotions affected job performance, and (d) …

A Phenomenological Study On Adoption Disclosure Experienced By Adult Adoptees, Carmen H. Leggett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThis research addressed the psychological experiences that adoption disclosure has on adoptees and their systems. In this phenomenological study eight interviews were conducted that consisted of four females and four males guided by general systems theory. Interviews were conducted via video conference, telephone, and email/telephone. Data saturation was achieved after the fourth interview as no new information had surfaced and similar responses were being echoed repeatedly from the participants. However, the interviews continued because the stories being shared by the participants were invaluable and to ensure the sampling criteria of eight participants was met. The interviews were transcribed, and several …

Adolescent Suicidal Ideation And Parental Perception, Parenting Style, And Parental Denial, Julie Mann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adolescent suicidal ideation is a substantial health concern in the United States, from both mental and physical perspectives. Parent-child connectedness (PCC) ostensibly plays a considerable role in reducing the problem. Along with parents of youth who are struggling with suicide, mental health care providers and school administrators would appreciate understanding more effective strategies for eliminating adolescent suicidal ideation. This cross-sectional, quantitative study sought a statistically significant relationship between PCC measured as parental perception, parenting style, and parental denial (independent variables) and the dependent variable of adolescent suicidal ideation. Bandura’s social cognitive theory, Baumrind’s parenting style theory, and Mowder’s parent development …

Addressing Leakages Between The Tourism Hotel Sector And Other Sectors In The Bahamas, Carlton Derek Russell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIn The Bahamas, the hotel sector imports the majority of its goods and services, rather than buying goods and services from local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) at levels that support tourism SMEs sustainability and growth. Termed an economic leakage hotel reliance on imports has negative effects on the development of tourism-related SMEs in Nassau and Paradise Island in The Bahamas. The purpose of this study was to explore and examine why high tourism economic leakages exist between the tourism hotel sector and other sectors in The Bahamas. To address this problem, this case study used a qualitative method approach …

Wrongful Conviction: Using Lived Experience To Explore Errors In Juror Cognition, Danielle Nicole Schulte Lewis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractWrongful conviction is a pressing legal and social justice issue that requires scholarly attention in the United States. The role of jurors in the criminal justice system has been empirically investigated and debated for many decades as researchers attempt to understand the juror decision-making process and how jurors contribute to wrongful conviction. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore how errors in juror cognition during decision-making led to juror reliance on narrative construction and commonsense reasoning rather than legal and judicial instruction in wrongful conviction cases. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 jurors who served on a criminal …

Therapeutic Wilderness Experiences And Empathetic Perception Of At-Risk Adolescent Youth, Sandra Short-Robbins

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Current research involving wilderness therapy (WT) programs indicates that therapeutic wilderness or outdoor interventions have increased in popularity as alternative approaches for treating at-risk or adjudicated adolescents. However, the role that empathetic perception plays in advancing the efficacy of WT intervention absent from the majority of extant literature. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to address a gap in research involving how empathetic perception may be affected by WT program participation. The conceptual framework for the project involved ecopsychology, a branch of science that addresses the connection between human beings and the natural world. Nine young adults between …

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #3: Hurricanes And Covid-19, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Hurricane Evacuation & Sheltering During COVID-19

The 2020 Life in Hampton Roads (LIHR) survey includes several questions concerning how residents plan to prepare for and respond to hurricanes during the COVID19 pandemic.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #1: Education, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads: COVID-19 and Education

The 2020 Life in Hampton Roads survey included several questions concerning response by state officials and public schools to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as opinions for reopening plans in the fall. These questions provide insight into the experiences and concerns of Hampton Roads citizens.

Life In Hampton Roads Report: The 11th Annual Life In Hampton Roads Survey, Tancy Vandecar-Burdin, Randy R. Gainey, Jesse T. Richman, Joshua G. Behr, Wie Yusuf, Nicole S. Hutton, Steve Parker, Wendi Wilson-John, James Valliere, Brittany Haslem

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

[From the Executive Summary]

The Social Science Research Center (SSRC) at Old Dominion University is pleased to present the results from the 11th annual Life in Hampton Roads (LIHR) survey. The purpose of the survey was to gain insight into residents’ perceptions of the quality of life in Hampton Roads. It is important to note that the methodology for this year’s survey differs from previous Life in Hampton Roads surveys. The first ten years of the survey were conducted using a random sample of Hampton Roads residents via telephone. However, this year state and university COVID-19 restrictions did not allow …

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #4: Presidential Polling, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads Survey - Presidential Polling Results

Respondents were asked: “Do you approve or disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as president?” Roughly one-third (34.1%) approved, with 13.9% strongly approving. Nearly two-thirds (65.9%) disapproved, with 43.8% disapproving strongly.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #2: Policy And Local Response Covid-19, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads: Politics, Policy and COVID-19 Response

The survey included several questions that provide a window into the views of Hampton Roads citizens concerning policy choices and leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic response. Overall and on most issues the public was quite divided, with divisions often falling along party lines, but President Trump and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) seemed to elicit the strongest negative and positive responses, respectively. A substantial majority approved of Governor Northam’s timing on the initial stay-at-home order, and respondents leaned toward the view that additional restrictions on public activity should …

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #7: Perceptions Of Employment And Economy, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads: Employment, the Economy and COVID-19

This year’s survey included general questions about employment and economy as well at the impact of COVID-19 on work conditions. These data provide insight into how residents in Hampton Roads perceive the economy and how work conditions may have changed as a result. This year’s survey also included some general questions about diversity in the workplace.

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #6: Perceptions Of Police And Protests, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads Survey: Police and Protests

Hampton Roads residents were asked a variety of questions about the police. About two-thirds of respondents reported being very satisfied (31.6%) or somewhat satisfied (35.3%) with the local police. About one-quarter of respondents reported being either somewhat dissatisfied (13.7%) or very dissatisfied (11.8%),and 7.7% indicated that they did not know.

Close to three-quarters of respondents indicated that they trust the local police at least somewhat (37.6%) or a great deal (35.6%). About 17% said they trust the police “not much,” and 9.8% trust them “not at all.”

Life In Hampton Roads Survey Press Release #8: Health And Covid-19, Social Science Research Center, Old Dominion University

Life in Hampton Roads Survey Report

Life in Hampton Roads: COVID-19 and Health

The 2020 survey included several questions about health-related concerns and behaviors of residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Responses provide insight into the experiences and concerns of Hampton Roads citizens around a variety of health-related topics.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, about three-quarters of Hampton Roads residents felt that their health in general was good (19.6%) or excellent (55.8%). Only 2.7% rated their health as poor while one in five rated their health as fair (20.8%).

An Evaluation Of Georgia Southern University Public Safety Department's Community Policing Program: A Residence Hall Partnership Program, Charles P. Bowen

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The Residence Hall Partnership Program (R.H.P.P.) is the first major department wide community policing effort by the Georgia Southern police department. This study is an evaluation of that program’s first year of implementation. The evaluation process consists of a series of two mostly quantitative surveys of the residence hall students and officers of the Georgia Southern police department. The first survey was distributed at the beginning of the program during the Fall 2019 semester, the follow-up survey at the end of the Spring 2020 semester. The theories being examined are that community policing programs will improve student’s perceptions of police, …

The Effect Of Question Characteristics On Question Reading Behaviors In Telephone Surveys, Kristen M. Olson, Jolene Smyth, Antje Kirchner

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Asking questions fluently, exactly as worded, and at a reasonable pace is a fundamental part of a survey interviewer’s role. Doing so allows the question to be asked as intended by the researcher and may decrease the risk of measurement error and contribute to rapport. Despite the central importance placed on reading questions exactly as worded, interviewers commonly misread questions, and it is not always clear why. Thus, understanding the risk of measurement error requires understanding how different interviewers, respondents, and question features may trigger question reading problems. In this article, we evaluate the effects of question features on question …

Easily Overstated: Estimating The Relationship Between State Justice Policy Environments And Falling Rates Of Youth Confinement, Douglas N. Evans, Gina Moreno, Kevin T. Wolff, Jeffrey A. Butts

Publications and Research

Researchers used state-level data on youth justice policies and practices to explore the association between state policy environments and recent changes in the use of residential placements for adjudicated youth (i.e., confinement). The study assigned a score to each of the 50 states based on the extent to which their youth justice policy environments could be considered "progressive" as opposed to punitive or regressive. Using data from the National Center for Juvenile Justice's compendium of justice system characteristics, "Juvenile Justice, Geography, Policy, Practice & Statistics" (JJGPS), the research team created an index that accounts for 16 policies that are more …

Examining Public Opinion About Abortion: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review Of Research Over The Last 15 Years, Amy Adamczyk, Chunrye Kim, Leevia Dillon

Publications and Research

Although abortion became legal four decades ago, Americans remain staunchly divided over its acceptability. While researchers have been interested in the factors shaping abortion attitudes, there are almost no reviews of this work. We examine the factors shaping Americans’ abortion attitudes and assess the state of published peer-reviewed articles in this area over the last 15 years. Using a mixed-methods systematic review, we analyze and critique the findings from 116 journal articles that have examined attitudes about abortion between 2001 and 2016. Amongst the many predictors and outcomes examined, we show that religion is by far the most utilized statistically …

Is Lying Contagious? Spatial Diffusion Of High-Yield “Satellites” During China’S Great Leap Forward, Hongwei Xu, Geng Tian

Publications and Research

Situated in China’s Great Leap Forward (GLF) campaign in 1958, this study examines the spatial diffusion of “launching high-yield satellites”— exaggerating grain yields, which contributed to the 1959–61 GLF famine that claimed millions of human lives. The authors conceptualize exaggerating grain yields as a political innovation adopted by local cadres to endorse the GLF and signal political loyalty to their superiors. Using geocoded county-level event history data from historical newspaper archives, the authors found that the diffusion of exaggerating grain yields across the country was primarily driven by the interaction between geographic proximity and political proximity.

Enactments Of A Minor Inquiry, Lisa A. Mazzei, Matthew C. Graham, Laura Smithers

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

In this article, we map conditions and enactments for a new plane of inquiry, what Mazzei named a minor inquiry. Informed by our collective thinking with Deleuze and Guattari’s discussion of a minor literature and its attendant characteristics, deterritorialization, political immediacy, and collective assemblage of enunciation, we present the conditions for inquiry on this new plane, provide enactments from our individual projects, and conclude with incitements for escaping the dogma of prescribed method.

What Made The Masses Revolutionary?: Ignorance, Character, And Class In Teodoro Agoncillo’S The Revolt Of The Masses, Filomeno V. Aguilar Jr

History Department Faculty Publications

Regarded as a classic in Philippine historiography, Teodoro Agoncillo’s The Revolt of the Masses published in 1956 is examined to understand the author’s explanation of what made “the masses” revolutionary. The study finds a profound incoherence: Agoncillo posited literacy and political consciousness in explaining the explosion in the Katipunan’s membership, but throughout the book the dominant characterization of the masses was one of ignorance, gullibility, impulsiveness, irrationality, and treachery. The study explains this contradiction in light of Agoncillo’s blending of literature and history, the educated elite’s unquestioned assumptions about ignorance, and the ethos of the postwar “proletarian” writer.

What Makes Collaborative Evaluation Approaches Collaborative? A Q Methodology Study On Program Evaluators’ Perceptions, Dax M. Weaver

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore program evaluators’ perceptions about what they consider to be the essential practices, elements, or attributes of collaborative evaluation approaches (CEAs). This topic was investigated because of the increasing use of CEAs within the field and the ambiguity about what does and does not constitute a CEA. Several researchers have proposed frameworks that attempt to define the essential elements that distinguish CEAs from other evaluation approaches; however, the literature still lacks consensus on their exact nature. It was through an examination of evaluators’ viewpoints on the subject using Q Methodology that this study …

A Review Of Teaching Qualitative Research: Strategies For Engaging Emerging Scholars, Jason D. Dehart

The Qualitative Report

This review highlights salient features of the book, Teaching Qualitative Research: Strategies for Engaging Emerging Scholars. The review notes the practical applications of the book, including the advice that the book’s authors offer about beginning research projects. Of particular note in the review is the way the authors balance a classroom introductory approach to qualitative work, while also giving attention to the depth and complexity of the methodologies that are used.

I Don’T Know How To Talk About These Wor(L)Ds, But I Do Walk, I Shoot, And I Write: Autoethnographic Written And Visual Cures For A Fragmented Identity, Ursula-Helen Kassaveti

The Qualitative Report

In this article, I examine how my unprogrammatized and spontaneous informal fieldwork in Athens, undertaken in a rather unconsciously autoethnographic vein, has helped me while on the process of investigating my personal identity. My temporary change of academic direction and my delving into the ocean of fieldwork have shaped and answered my endless quest for important answers about a researcher’s own self. Through the use of written text, photography and other visual indexes, “thin” and “thick” description, I argue that autoethnography as a method could be a healing process, providing therapy for a researcher’s “fragmented” heart and identity.

Impact Of Organizational Culture And Perceived Process Safety In The Uae Oil And Gas Industry, Mohamed Ali Al Mazrouei Mr., Khalizani Khalid Dr., Ross Davidson Dr., Salam Abdallah Dr.

The Qualitative Report

In the last few decades, there had been a lot of accidents in the oil and gas industry throughout the world. This article reports a qualitative study of 30 employees employed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) oil and gas industry. Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) culture is a concept which was studied in many researches. However, this research is set to examine how certain behaviors affect the safety performance in UAE’s oil and gas industry. Four core themes that were drawn from the interviewee discussions of how safety culture, leadership safety behaviors, supervisory safety behaviors, and employee training on …

Factors Behind Dissuasion To Green Products Among Young Consumers: A Qualitative Study, Anitha Acharya Dr.

The Qualitative Report

The current estimated market share for green consumption is less than five percent worldwide, therefore it is very important to understand the factors that stimulate non green consumption among young consumers since this can promote environmental thinking at an early age and also to increase the demand for green products. In these circumstances, emerging countries like India have contributed very less to the consumption of green products and environmental effects. India is among the fastest growing economies in the world. With the increase in population as well as in disposable income, India is expected to see a growth in green …

A Need To Continue Healing: Report Of Findings From An Autoethnographic Study, David T. Culkin

The Qualitative Report

This article reviews the design and findings of an autoethnographic study on identity development over time. The researcher wanted to know how an adult can make meaning from and develop through experiences of mental illness, spiritual awareness, and death. The purpose of this autoethnographic bildungsroman was to explore how a male in the general population describes how life events have influenced his identity development over a period of 23 years, spanning three decades. The author, as the researcher-participant, asked two primary questions: (a) How does the individual describe his adult development in terms of life events or “individual and cultural …

It Piques A Novice’S Curiosity And Engages The Experienced: A Review Of Designing Qualitative Research (The Sage Qualitative Research Kit), Julius Kyakuwa

The Qualitative Report

This book is one of ten in The SAGE Qualitative Research Kit and addresses the fundamental design issues in qualitative research. It outlines a framework for the other books in the kit on a practical and methodological level. Flick discusses obstacles in realizing success, technical matters like ethics, achieving quality, generalization, and considerations regarding the researcher’s perspective in qualitative research designs. Several examples that support and motivate the text are derived from the author’s qualitative research projects and publications. The book is appropriate for novice qualitative researchers and sufficiently informative to engage but also refresh the perspectives of the experienced …