Sociology Commons^™

A Study Of The Internal Family Systems Model Applied To Remarried Couples Of Stepfamilies In Different Stages Of Adjustment, Susan Marie Carter

Dissertations

Problem. Stepfamilies are becoming the largest family type in the United States. This has significant implications for understanding the complications of remarriage and providing clinical interventions that support the adjustment process of stepfamilies. The Internal Family Systems Model, developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, asserts that an individual's personality is multiple naturally, and that there are interactions within the individual that have significant impact on their external systems. In applying the IFS model to the study of stepfamilies, this present study identifies the IFS maps of the partners of remarried couples active in stepfamily interaction and to determine how this IFS …

A Longitudinal Study On The Essence Of Success Development As Seen By Caribbean Canadian Women In The Storied Landscape Of Their Lived Experience, Glenda-Mae Greene

Dissertations

Problem. Caribbean Canadians are often susceptible to negative stereotyping because of issues of social class and length of residence in Canada. This study describes how three Caribbean Canadian young women avoided stereotype vulnerability and journeyed to their definition of success. This narrative study focuses on themes which acted as catalysts for success in their lives. The data collection began with interviews conducted during their high school years and concluded with another set of interviews in the post-college years. The study records their stories as they strive to develop and achieve their idea of success in the non-school world.

Method. Through …

Theoretical Orientations To Reading And Reading Instructional Practices Of Selected Home-Education Parents In Southwest Michigan, Pollyanna Prosper Barnes

Dissertations

Problem. This research study sought to determine
(1) home educators' beliefs about reading,
(2) their reading instructional practices, and
(3) the consistency between parents' beliefs and practice.

Method. This study used multiple sources of data. Demographic information was collected from 78 active home educators in southwest Michigan. DeFord's (1985) Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile (TORP) determined parents' theoretical orientation to reading. Nine parents were interviewed and observed teaching reading. The Moss (1980) Classroom Analysis of Teachers' Theoretical Orientation (CATTOR) was used to record parents' instructional practices in reading. Documents utilized during instruction were analyzed and placed in one or more …

An Analysis Of Police Perceptions Of Community Policing And Female Officers, Rhonda Kaye Delong

Dissertations

Traditional and community policing differ in their approach to crime and other social concerns. Traditional policing emphasizes reactive response and enforcement while community policing emphasizes proactive response and community partnership. Often, these two types of departments select officers with specific characteristics which fit well with the philosophy of the department. Characteristics such as age, education, years of military experience, rank, years of police experience, type of department, and family members in the military and the police are examined in this study to determine perceptual differences among officers regarding the community policing philosophy and the role of women in policing. A …

Theoretical And Conceptual Lacunae In Sociological Theories Of Development: The Puerto Rican Anomaly, Dennis Malaret

Dissertations

Puerto Rico is presently facing serious economic and social problems which are characteristic of a neocolony. Many of these problems are associated with Puerto Rico's historical path of industrial development adopted in 1940s. This study, therefore, focuses on economic and development policies implemented in Puerto Rico since the early 1900s and the political and economic role the U.S. has played in such policies.

To understand Puerto Rico's structural problems, a theoretical framework has been developed. This framework combines developmentalist theories such as modernization, dependency, capitalist world economy and indigenous Puerto Rican theorizing. These theories have been critically assessed for their …

The Impact Of Sex And Gender-Role Orientation On Student Evaluations Of Professor Competence In Counselor Education And Counseling Psychology, Suzanne M. Hobson

Dissertations

The focus of this study was on the potential impact of sex and gender-role orientation on one form of evaluation within higher education. Specifically, this study investigated sex and gender-role orientation as they relate to graduate student end-of-course evaluations of professors in the Counselor Education and the Counseling Psychology fields.

Students enrolled in graduate courses in counselor education or counseling psychology at a large university in the Midwest completed the Instructional Development and Effectiveness Assessment (IDEA) end-of-course rating form, a modified version the Bern Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) short form, and a student questionnaire. Professors also participated by completing the IDEA …

Discrimination Against Female Graduate Teaching Assistants, Joanne Ardovini-Brooker

Dissertations

Many studies have been done concerning the classroom climate, particularly in the university setting. It has been found that the classroom climate for women is one that is cold, unreceptive, unwelcoming, and even hostile to women. This chilly reception is endured by female undergraduate students, graduate students, and professors. This researcher believes that the chilly classroom climate also extends to female graduate teaching assistants/instructors. I also believe that this chilly climate may be chillier and more hostile for them, since graduate teaching assistants/instructors do not have the status associated with a doctoral degree. This concept is the basis for what …

What’S Good For Gm… : Deindustrialization, And Crime In Four Michigan Cities, 1975-1993, Rick Matthews

Dissertations

This study examines the effects of deteriorated economic conditions caused by General Motor's deindustrialization efforts between 1975 and 1993 on crime rates in four Michigan cities. The Michigan cities ofFlint and Saginaw are used as examples of cities that were highly dependent on General Motors for their economic well-being, and are compared with Lansing and Grand Rapids which had more diversified economies and experienced less social disorganization. It is hypothesized that General Motor's deindustrialization efforts in Flint and Saginaw caused social disorganization to increase, which, in turn, caused crime rates to increase. Lansing and Grand Rapids, on the other hand, …

Underdevelopment As Meta-Axiological Dilemma: The Socioeconomic Implications Of African Axiology For Rational Choice Determinants Of Microeconomic Agency, Sundiata Keita Ibn-Hyman

Dissertations

The intergenerational problems of indigence, poverty and social dysfunction that plague African societies are inextricably grounded in the broader issue of ethnocentrism in neoclassical microeconomics. Economic anthropology provides a methodological critique of the conceptual limitations of neoclassical micro-behavioral assumptions narrowly imposed on non-westem economic organization. While recognizing non-westem economic praxes, the sociological implications of strict neoclassical microeconomic agency for non-westem socioeconomic development is conspicuously ignored. The critique fails to specifically consider the impact of neoclassical ethnocentrism to non-westem sociocultural organization and improvement.

This research utilizes an African-centered, social psychological approach to examine the paradigmatic implications of rational choice criteria for …

Caroline Bartlett Crane And Progressive Era Reform: A Socio-Historical Analysis Of Ideology In Action, Linda J. Rynbrandt

Dissertations

This dissertation is a sociohistorical analysis of women and social reform in the Progressive Era. Until recently, the role of women has been virtually invisible in accounts of Progressive social reform. While this is no longer the case, considerable questions remain. Using the archival records of one woman, Caroline Bartlett Crane (1858-1935), which document her professional, intellectual and personal life, I describe her contribution to social reform and early sociology. I analyze how her life and work reveals a greater understanding of current feminist debates and other social, historical and political questions.

Decision Making And The Felony Offender: A Cognitive Approach, Marlene O’Hara

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the theory of cognitive self-change as it applies to increasing the successful completion rate of felony offenders sentenced to a probation half-way house. Subjects used were young, males who had been convicted of non-violent crimes and who were ordered to complete the Alternative Directors Residential Probation program as part of their probation order.

The group of residents who entered Alternative Directions in October, 1994 was given an intensive ten hour course using cognitive decision making techniques during their first two weeks in residence. The groups of residents entering the …

The Development Of A Church-Based Seminar On The Impact Of Historicist Eschatology Upon Seventh-Day Adventist Marital Life, Etzer Obas

Dissertations

Problem. The reading of Eph 5:25-27 shows that Christ will marry the church in a state of holiness and blamelessness. Family life on earth must follow the model of the love of Jesus for the church. But there are no guides, seminars, or studies that combine marital life and preparation for Christ's second coming.

Method. This dissertation developed a seminar that emphasized the belief in the soon coming of our Lord Jesus Christ as accepted by the Apostolic Church. Such belief affects all aspects of the Christian life and particularly the family lifestyle. The seminar tied together eschatology and family …

Predictors Of Divorce Adjustment Among Members Of Three Conservative Protestant Denominations, Andreas Erben

Dissertations

Problem. Only a few attempts have been made thus far to explore the situation of Christian divorced men and women in a scholarly manner. The basic question for this research was to find out what social factors, religious factors, and coping strategies are related to the divorce adjustment of divorced Christians who are members of predominately conservative Protestant denominations and how well these Christians adjust to divorce.

Method. The population for this research project was composed of all currently divorced men and women residing in the United States of America who are members of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, the Church …

An Assessment Of Marital Satisfaction In Stepfamilies Toward An Integration Of Three Conceptual Models Of Relationship Satisfaction, Lorie Ann Hamel

Dissertations

Problem. Much more is known about determinants of marital satisfaction in first marriages than remarriages. Although the stepfamily is a dominant and unique family type, it lacks its own theoretical framework from which to investigate factors that contribute to marital satisfaction and stepfamily success.

Method. This study evaluated marital satisfaction in stepfamilies in light of the contextual, problem-solving, and investment models of relationship satisfaction. A questionnaire developed to assess marital satisfaction in stepfamilies using variables from the three conceptual models with the Kansas Marital Scale as a global measure of assessment was sent to 660 stepfamilies selected from the mailing …

Teenage Pregnancy In St. Kitts-Nevis: Psychosocial And Familial Factors, Ermine T. Leader

Dissertations

Problem. This study was conducted to examine some of the factors that are related to teenage pregnancy in St. Kitts-Nevis. It focused on the relationship between teenage pregnancy and father absence/presence, intergenerational teenage pregnancy, childhood sexual abuse, and domestic violence. A young girl's view of her relationship with both parents, the self-esteem of respondents, and their level of attendance and participation in church-related activities were also studied.

Method. Two instruments were incorporated into the questionnaire administered to females in St. Kitts and Nevis between the ages of 12 and 21, some of whom had experienced a pregnancy, and others who …

The Empirical Development Of An Instructional Product Designed To Enhance The Cognitive Awareness Of And The Modification Of Affect Toward The Disability Condition, Rikard Ashmore Bailey

Dissertations

Problem. The Seventh-day Adventist church had no empirically developed instructional product in the form of an educational curriculum designed to enhance the cognitive awareness of and the modification of affect toward the disability condition. The purpose of this project was to develop empirically an instructional product in disability awarenesstraining for Seventh-day Adventist church members and their guests so to better build aninteractive, empowered, and inclusive sense of community.

Method. The developmental process of Baker and Schutz (1971) was used to produce and validate the instructional product. First, the content of the curriculum to train Seventh-day Adventist church members and their …

A Comparative Study Of Stressors Among Undergraduate Students At Grand Valley State University, Lennox Forrest

Dissertations

Problem. Past research provides limited information on stress among college students. A significant number of undergraduate students find their college experience very stressful. This present study was to investigate the frequency and severity of stressors among undergraduate students according to class, gender, race, major, living status, student status, work status, and religion.

Method. The subjects for this study were 420 undergraduate students attending Grand Valley State University.A brief demographic questionnaire was utilized, followed by the Undergraduate Stress Questionnaire (USQ). Chi-square, one-way ANOVA, and t-test analyses were used to analyze the relationship of class, gender, race, major, living status, student status, …

Gender Discourse In Small Learning Groups Of College-Level Developmental Mathematics Students, Allen W. Emerson

Dissertations

This study was motivated by the question as to whether women’s and men’s membership in different gender communicative cultures gives rise to gender differentiated ways of talking that are implicated in the failure of a mixed-sex group to achieve good mathematical discourse when women and men sit face to face engaged in various mathematical tasks. If so, in what ways and to what effect is gender discourse implicated in the failure of a mixed-sex group to achieve good mathematical discourse?

Models of feminine and masculine discourse styles based on the theory of communicative cultural difference, as well as a model …

The Mediating Effects Of Religiosity And Irrational Beliefs In The Differential Experiences Of Guilt And Depression In Gender-Traditional And Gender-Nontraditional Men, Daniel L. Snyder

Dissertations

This research addressed the question of whether or not religiosity and irrational beliefs were predictors of depression or guilt for men who were in gender-traditional and gender-nontraditional occupations. This was a correlational regression study. Religiosity was measured by the Religiosity Scale, irrational beliefs were measured by the Personal Beliefs Test, guilt was measured by the Situational Guilt Scale, depression was measured by the Beck Depression Inventory. It was anticipated that religiosity would be a predictor of depression and guilt for gender-traditional men, and that endorsement of irrational beliefs would be a predictor of both depression and guilt for both groups. …

Maranao Muslim Women Educational Administrators: An Initial Study Of The Emerging Muslim Women Leaders In The Philippines, Carmelita S. Lacar

Dissertations

Long deprived of consequential participation in socioeconomic exchanges outside the home, Filipino Muslim women are now breaking out of their traditional mold. Increasingly, they are acquiring higher education and are assuming vocational and leadership roles which, in years past, were inaccessible to them. Focused on Maranao Muslim women educational administrators, this survey sought to: (a) describe their salient characteristics, career development experiences, goals, and visions that distinguish them from their Muslim women subordinates; (b) describe factors influencing their career; (c) describe their leadership behaviors; and (d) deduce some policy and practical implications of the findings. Primary data on 75 variables …

Behavior And Attitudes Related To The Prevention Of Sexually Transmitted Disease And Unplanned Pregnancy, J. Lee Hoover

Dissertations

A sample of 214 persons was tested to determine the impact of gender role orientation, neuroticism, extraversion, authoritarianism, race, gender, and sexual orientation on attitudes and behavior relevant to the prevention of sexually transmitted disease and unintended pregnancy. Specifically measured was the impact of these factors on attitudes toward the condom as contraceptive, attitudes toward the condom as prophylactic, and reported condom use.

Gender role orientation was measured using the short form of the Bern Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) (Bern, 1978), neuroticism and extraversion were measured using the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) (Costa & McCrae, 1992), and authoritarianism was measured …

A Comparison Of Youth Living Environment In Small And Large Communities Of Michigan, Huilan Yang

Dissertations

This study compares youth living environment in small and large communities in Michigan. The comparison includes three areas of youth living environment: community environment, financial environment, and educational environment. Community in this study is defined as school district. Data are extracted from an existing database developed by the National Center for Educational Statistics titled School District Data Book (SDDB). Out of 560 Michigan school districts included in SDDB, 370 are used in the data analysis, excluding the Detroit City School District and 189 medium-sized districts. Fifteen variables are selected for comparison, categorized under the three areas of youth environment. The …

Spiritual Nurture In The Local Seventh-Day Adventist Congregation Through The Spiritual Gifts Of Prophecy And Shepherding, Francy Duran

Dissertations

The purpose. The purpose of this research was to analyze the church as a nurturing entity, and the spiritual gifts that enable the church to develop a ministry of spiritual nurture.

Method. This study followed the documentary methodology. The Scripture data, in both Old and New Testaments, regarding the purpose of the church and the gifts of prophecy and shepherding were analyzed indepth. Secondary sources, including books, journal articles, and research reports, were used where applicable.

Conclusion. The church was called to accomplish a specific ministry. This ministry is much more than the Gospel proclamation that leads to conversion and …

Toward A Comprehensive Model Of Parent-Teen Socialization: The Antecedents And Consequents Of Parent-Teen Interaction, Gregory L. Sanders

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Adult Male Assaultive Behavior And Correlates With The Mmpi-2, Tom G. Lanning

Dissertations

This study was descriptive in nature and examined the relationship between demographic variables, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) variables, and levels of violence as measured by the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS) (Straus, 1979). The research sample consisted of 44 males entering a treatment program for male batterers. All participants completed a research protocol during a required assessment consisting of: (a) a General Information Sheet, (b) the MMPI-2, and (c) the CTS. The CTS was the only instrument administered solely for research purposes.

The MMPI-2 data were used to construct a sample composite mean profile. MMPI-2 data were also divided into …

State Terrorism In The Arab-Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Social Constructionism And The Question Of Power, Amani Michael Awwad

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The United Center: A Community-Based Corrections Project, William George Hinkle

Dissertations

The United Center is a community-based corrections center located in Middletown, Midwest. Funded by the Midwest Department of Corrections, and administered by local county government, it provides a sentencing alternative to the county's jail, and the state's prison system. Defined as a correctional "halfway-in house," the program provides offenders with employment and education related services, job placement, mental health services, and drug and alcohol counseling in a highly structured, but supportive environment. In operation since the early 1980's, the program has serviced some 400 offenders sentenced to short prison terms for low-level property and drug offenses. Compared to national rates …

Sisters In The Hood, Deborah Burris-Kitchen

Dissertations

This research assembles and organizes the literature in the areas of African-American women, the political economy of racism, the Black feminization of poverty, drug use and distribution, and gang violence. This dissertation explores extant theoretical approaches with a special emphasis on their relationship to the underground economy. The researcher uses ethnographic methods to examine the role that female gang members play in the underclass drug infested community of south central Fort Wayne, Indiana. Of the Black females interviewed, some were drug dealers, others were using illegal drugs, and still others were females who just found themselves in the inner-city, in …

The Role Of Elites In The Quality Of Life In Kalamazoo And Calhoun Counties, Sam S. King

Dissertations

My research examined the role of elites in the quality of life from 1890 to 1990 in two southwestern Michigan communities: Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties. This research is grounded in three research literatures: community power, elites and quality of life. My approach combined a quantitative analysis of six dimensions of quality of life and an historical analysis using case methods to look at the two communities over a 100 year time span.

My assumption at the beginning of this study was that elites play a major role in the quality of life. My data showed that some elites did have …

The Impact Of Mentoring On Leadership Among Young African-American Females, Joyce A. Montgomery

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived effectiveness of the mentoring relationship on the leadership behavior of female mentees in a community leaders program. More specifically, the researcher was concerned with what effects do the variables age, residence location, and family position have on aggressiveness, amount of influence, respect of knowledge, parental substitute and supportiveness components of leadership behavior among adolescent female mentees.

The target population consisted of 47 African-American adolescent females ages 14 through 18 years old attending the Community Leadership Program (CLP) based in Battle Creek, Michigan. The major data-gathering scale used, The Mentoring Leadership …