Sociology Commons^™

A Comparative Study Of International And American Study Abroad Students' Expectations And Experiences With Host Countries., Evelyn Domville-Roach

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This was a comparative study of international and American study abroad students' experiences and expectations with the host countries. The rationale for this study was to acquire a deeper understanding of different experiences of students who study abroad and to understand whether their expectations of the host country have an impact on their experiences. An opportunity sample of American study abroad and international students was selected from the United States student population and their expectations and experiences of the host country compared. The study addressed 6 research questions, using a mixed-method approach. The principal instrument for the investigation was the …

Racial Profiling And Policing In North Carolina: Reality Or Rhetoric?, Randal J. Sluss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined police practices of the North Carolina Highway Patrol concerning the occurrence of racial profiling. The sample data consisted of motorists stopped in North Carolina by the Highway Patrol between January 1, 2000 and July 31, 2000 (N = 332, 861). The findings suggested that race was a likely factor in pretextual stops. The results also indicate that racial profiling was occurring more in the western region than the eastern region of North Carolina. Theoretical reasons are offered in support of these findings.

Dilemmas Of China's Modernization: Population Problem And The Strategy Of Sustainable Development., Hongbo Tang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

By reexamining the process of China's modernization centered on its population in the past half century, this paper explores the grim situation of China's population, historical factors, the relationship between population, resources and environment. Also, focused on controlling the size and improving the quality of China's population, this paper discusses how China's population policy coordinates with the sustainable development strategy. Based on statistics and preliminary data released by the Chinese government and international organizations, this paper analyzes specific problems and implication found under the framework of Western modernization theory, and concludes that China faces a dilemma on population problem and …

Prenatal And Postnatal Nutrition And Lactation Consulting: A Feasibility Study., Marissa Blake Beale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a prenatal and postnatal nutrition and lactation consulting facility in either of two locations in the Tidewater region of Virginia, Virginia Beach or Williamsburg. Experts in nutrition and lactation, a registered dietitian and licensed lactation consultant, would be the ideal means of providing adequate nutritional and lactation advice for the mother and infant to foster healthy, optimal pregnancy outcomes and lactation success. A web-based search for adequate data on the demographic sketches of the two cities was done to develop an understanding of meeting the needs of the target …

Wellness And Nutrition Education Program To Promote Improve Nutritional Practices And Decreased Body Mass In Individuals Working In A Health Care Setting., Jessica Brown Bandy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a wellness and nutrition education program directed at employees of a health care facility would result in changes in weight, waist and hip circumference, BMI, and nutritional practices. Nine participants completed the five week program including final weight, measurements and post-program survey to determine nutritional practices. All participants attended weekly group classes with topics related to nutrition, physical activity, and behavior changes. Changes in weight, anthropometric measurements, and BMI were calculated. Changes in nutritional practices were analyzed using Minitab statistical software. There were improvements made in weight, anthropometric measurements, and BMI …

Lived Religion: An Examination Of "Pass The Salt" Luncheons., Jeff Smith Bernard Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study used a case study approach to examine how religious culture, such as theologies and doctrines, is lived or practiced by "Pass the Salt" luncheon participants. "Pass the Salt" participants are taught the teachings of Harvest Evangelism, an interdenominational Para-church organization; these teachings are evidenced through their cultural toolkit. It was expected that the luncheon participants would practice Harvest Evangelism's religious culture in the workplace. Participant observation and personal interviews were conducted to examine participants' application of the cultural toolkit to their everyday lives, specifically in the workplace. Findings indicated that the leader of the "Pass the Salt" luncheon …

Another Look At Gender In Prime-Time Television, Jan Carolyn Kircher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Television has become an important agent of socialization in society today. Social interaction on prime-time television was examined 24 years ago by members of the Sociology Department at South Dakota State University. That study was similar to this research project that investigates gender roles on prime-time television. The earlier study used a modified version of the Bales Interaction Scale to code male and female behavior to assess the extent to which prime-time television presented traditional or nontraditional gender roles. This study used research methods similar to those of the previous study to see if traditional gender roles depicted on prime-time …

Human Development Ranking: Predictors And Implications For Haiti, Jean Michel Basquin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is an effort to identify some of the predictors of human development index ranking and their implications in the case of Haiti. Secondary quantitative data from a variety of sources were used and complemented with qualitative data collected from Haiti using a key informant interview guide. Because of the unavailability of the secondary data and the nature of the some of the variables, three groups of countries were studied. One group contained 64 countries, another 96, and 121 countries. The Human Development Index (HDI) of the United Nations Development Programs (UNDP) was treated as the dependent variable. Eight …

Fear Of Crime And Perceived Risk Of Victimization Among College Students, Jennifer Truman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fear of crime is argued to be a social problem that may lead to restriction of activities, increased security costs, and avoidance behaviors. Findings from research indicate that there are many demographic influences on the fear of crime. Specifically, gender has been found to be one of the most consistent predictors of crime, that is, females significantly fear crime more than males. Additionally, research suggests that a person's fear of crime or perceived risk to crime may increase their engagement in precautionary behaviors, such as carrying a weapon for protection. The current study examined these relationships using data collected from …

Addressing Domestic Violence Among Small Baptist Church Clergy, Katherine Lieftink

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to survey and discuss how small Baptist church clergy address domestic violence (DV) with the goal of studying how clergy in small Baptist churches view domestic violence and how they address the problem of domestic violence within their congregation. The Baptist faith was selected since they form the largest portion of the Protestant faith in the United States. The sample consisted of clergy from small Baptist churches located within the geographic limits of Brevard County, Florida. Interviews were conducted with ten small Baptist church clergy. The interview questions were constructed to ascertain specific areas …

The Driving Force Behind Gun Crimes: A Time Series Analysis Of The Impact Of Gun Type And Gun Density, Matthew Graham Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Very few studies have explored the relationship between the availability of certain types of firearms and gun density on both gun aggravated assaults and gun homicides. Nonetheless, research by Koper (2001) discovered that the availability of more lethal types of firearms, not gun density, was directly related to an increase in gun homicide rates for Dallas. However, this study did not take into account certain social and economic variables that may strengthen or weaken the determined relationship. The current study uses data previously analyzed by Koper (2001) and includes social and economic variables that have been linked to lethal violence …

In Pursuit Of The Ed.D.: A Study Of East Tennessee State University's Doctors Of Education: Who They Are And Why They Persisted., Mata J. Banks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to Kerlin (1995a), first-generation students are not expected to survive to doctorate degree attainment because of vulnerability to negative affects associated with their status; yet persist they do at East Tennessee State University. The desire to study the first-generation East Tennessee State University's Doctors of Education and the limited number of first-generation graduate studies available, especially in the academic field of education, promoted developing this study. It was the intent of this study to offer additional empirical research toward understanding variables associated with first-generation persistence as encountered by East Tennessee State University's Doctors of education.

Quantitative analysis derived through …

A Study Of Instructional Technology Resource Teachers In Virginia's Public School Divisions: Who Are They And What Do They Do?, Kimberly M. Hooker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine the role of instructional technology resource teachers (ITRTs) within Virginia's public school divisions focusing on how ITRTs used their time throughout the school year to integrate technology into the curriculum. Based on data from surveys of current ITRTs, the researcher investigated further to find relationships, if any, among the professional and educational backgrounds and work calendar of these teachers and their responses to their actual role. The study also addressed training that the ITRTs have received to assist them in their job duties and explored the participants' perceptions of their roles as …

The Effectiveness Of Principal Training And Formal Principal Mentoring Programs., Robert B. Dodson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine principals' perceptions of how effective mentoring programs and university-based principal preparation programs are in developing the skills necessary to carry out the 13 critical success factors identified by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). A review of the literature addressed what it means to be an effective principal and what an effective mentoring program should look like.

The quantitative study was conducted using a survey developed from the SREB's 13 critical success factors that have been developed to determine what makes a successful, effective principal. Each factor was developed into a question …

Perceived Job Satisfaction Factors Impacting The Retention Of Middle School Teachers In Northwest North Carolina., Karen Ward Farthing

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The body of research related to teacher retention continues to grow but is limited concerning middle school teachers. The focus of this study was to examine the factors of job satisfaction for middle school teachers. A portion of the study compares teacher responses with Herzberg, Mausner, and Snyderman's 1959 study of motivation. Additional components of the study provide middle school teachers' feedback on their dispositions and recommendations to administrators and others for attracting and retaining quality middle school teachers.

This qualitative study includes a review of related literature and includes a historical perspective of job satisfaction and a discussion of …

American Reeducation Of German Pows, 1943-1946., Pamela Croley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States held almost 500,000 enemy combatants within her borders during World War II. Out of those 500,000 men, 380,000 were from Nazi Germany. Nazi POWs were confined to camps built near small rural towns in almost every state. It was not something that was well known to the American public. Even less known was the American Military's effort, through reeducation, to introduce Hitler's soldiers to a new political ideology-democracy. This thesis will explore how the reeducation program was formed; examine the people, both German and American, who participated in it, and make a determination on whether or not …

Parenting, Home Environment, And Child Obesity: A Survey Of Parents And Children Attending A Pediatric Clinic., Amit Ravindra Bodhani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Data were collected from 60 parents of children 5-11 years of age to describe the parental and family factors and explore the associations of these factors with children's Body Mass Index (BMI) percentiles. Mother's made up 81.7% of the sample. Whites/Caucasians comprised 88.3% of the sample. Males comprised 51.6% of the child participants while females comprised 48.3%. Among the child participants, 38.3% had BMI equal to or greater than the 95th percentile, and 6.7% had BMI 85th to less than 95th percentile. Concerns about child weight (r_s = 0.582), pressure to eat (r_s = -0.433), and monitoring (r …

African American Public School Principals In East Tennessee: Motivation For Leadership., Joe L. Canada

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore and document the factors that motivated African American public school administrators in a selected school system in East Tennessee to become school leaders. The study highlighted barriers and challenges, support mechanisms, and perceptions of training. If minority educators are to be actively recruited and retained, there must be an understanding of the factors that motivate them to progressively seek administrative leadership positions.

The African American public school administrators' experiences were collected through 17 one-on-one personal interviews. The interviews were audio-taped, transcribed, coded, and used to answer the 4 research questions.

The primary …

Folk Medical Beliefs And Practices Concerning Women's Health And The Female Body In Southern Appalachia., Emily Lucinda Dale

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores folk medical beliefs and practices regarding women's health issues and the female body, specifically menstruation, pregnancy, abortion and menopause, in the Southern Appalachian region. This research reveals what information was given to young girls, by whom was it given, and the effect this had on their self-image and on how they communicated about their bodies as they matured. Other key elements include the social restrictions surrounding menstruation and the ways these beliefs were communicated to young girls. In addition, this project presents information on the treatment of symptoms such as cramps, bloating, headaches, excessive bleeding, lack of …

An Examination Of The Prison Environment: An Analysis Of Inmate Concerns Across Eight Environmental Dimensions., Andrew Ryan Bradford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was undertaken to better understand inmate concerns of the prison environment across 8 dimensions. The 8 dimensions examined in this study were activity, emotional feedback, freedom, privacy, safety, social, structure, and support. To determine the importance of these dimensions among inmates, secondary data were used in an attempt to replicate and validate the findings from Wright's (1985) study which used a prison environment inventory instrument to assess inmate concerns. The secondary data consisted of an inmate sample of 1,054 taken from 30 prisons of minimum, medium, maximum and close security across the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio. …

Romantic Attachment Styles, Gender, And Reasons For Living., Niles Adrian Cruz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine reasons for living in people with secure, avoidant, and anxious/ambivalent romantic attachment styles. Romantic attachment style was assessed by use of the Adult Attachment Questionnaire (AAQ). Reasons for living were assessed using the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL). The independent variables were gender and romantic attachment style. The dependent variable was the RFL score.

Participants included 235 male and female students from a southeastern university. A brief demographic questionnaire, the RFL (Linehan,M., Goodstein, J., Neilson, S., & Chiles J., 1983), and the AAQ (Hazan & Shaver, 1987), were administered in electronic format …

An Analysis Of Financial Planning For Employees Of East Tennessee State University., Steven Roy Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if East Tennessee State University provides its employees appropriate financial planning services. In particular, it is unknown to what degree employees of East Tennessee State University have actively engaged in financial planning.

The research was conducted during June and July, 2005. Data were gathered by surveying faculty, staff, and retirees of the university. Ten percent of the population responded to the study. The survey instrument covered the areas of retirement, other financial planning services, and attitudes toward financial planning.

The results of the data analysis gave insight into what degree employees of …

The Relationship Between Tobacco, Alcohol, And Marijuana Use Among Teenagers., John Donald Rose

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use among teenagers. This study examined three research questions: (1) Is there a relationship between demographic characteristics (i.e., sex and race), the attitudinal variable (attachment to family), and the admitted use of marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco among teenagers? (2) Is there a relationship between the use of marijuana by teenagers and the use of tobacco by teenagers? (3) Is there a relationship between the use of marijuana by teenagers and the use of alcohol by teenagers?

The data used for this paper were from the …

An Investigation Of Gender Differences In Motivation Of Senior Administrators In Virginia Community Colleges Using Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory., Jewell Bevins Worley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the gender differences regarding motivation in the individuals who serve in senior administrative positions in Virginia's community colleges. Institutional morale can be damaged by administrators who become dissatisfied with their positions. Institutions use millions of dollars yearly to conduct searches for individuals to replace senior administrators who leave their positions because of lack of job satisfaction or high job dissatisfaction. This study also addressed the possibility of differences between male senior administrators and female senior administrators regarding job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction.

Frederick Herzberg' 2-factory theory of motivation regarding job satisfaction and …

A Perceptual Study Of The Impact Of Athletic Programs In Selected Community Colleges In The State Of Tennessee., Lee Martin Cigliano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the economic, institutional, and human impact of athletic programs at community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents community college system to determine how the athletic programs affects the benefits, or lack of benefits, for students, the institutions, and the communities.

Sixteen participants were interviewed: two presidents, two athletic directors, four coaches, and eight student-athletes. The student-athletes represented four different sports and came from a variety of educational backgrounds and academic standing. The primary benefits perceived for the institutions and the student-athletes were the impact on missions, enrollment, educational and athletic opportunities, …

The Perceived Impact Of No Child Left Behind On Third- Through Fifth-Grade Elementary Science Classrooms., Angela V. Kinsler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceived impact of No Child Left Behind on elementary science classrooms in 3 Northeast Tennessee school districts. Quantitative descriptive methodology was used to document how No Child Left Behind impacts instructional methodology, professional development, administrative support, materials and resources, and assessment in 3rd through 5th grades.

Data were collected using a survey developed by the researcher. The survey consisted of a demographic section, 28 statements, and 2 open-ended questions. The 51 participants included elementary-school science teachers in 8 schools in 3 upper East Tennessee school districts.

Data analysis was based on …

Physician Communication Behaviors That Elicit Patient Trust., Linda E. Bambino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The general relationship between the physician and the patient is one where communication is used to establish and maintain what will likely become a long-term partnership. Health communication research indicates that physicians who have apt communication skills in the patient-physician relationship develop a platform of trust behaviors. The physician communication behaviors perceived to elicit trust reported by patients are; comfort/caring, agency, competence, compassion and honesty. The objective of the research project was to assess patient perceptions of previously determined physician communication behaviors that predict patient trust through individual surveys (N=162) between foreign-born international medical graduates and American-born non-IMG resident physicians. …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Preparation To Choose And Implement Effective Methods For Teaching Emergent Readers., H. Brooke Blair

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reading is not an easily learned skill for most students. I chose to look at the methodology being used by teachers in East Tennessee to instruct emerging readers. Through my review of literature, I researched reading approaches implemented in American classrooms in the last 150 years. I compared and contrasted data to determine current researchers' findings concerning the most effective techniques for teaching reading and how teachers have implemented this knowledge base into their teaching strategies.

Teachers cannot teach what they do not know. Therefore, I also researched literature addressing the growing concern among educators with teachers' preparation and professional …

Christian Fundamentalism, Authoritarianism, And Attitudes Toward Rape Victims., Christie Arine Carr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on the relationship of five variables: rape myth acceptance, attitudes toward rape victims, sex roles, authoritarianism, and Christian fundamentalism. Also, differences between men and women were compared. The study was conducted at East Tennessee State University, and 100 people participated. Contrary to past research, Christian fundamentalism was not a significant predictor of rape myth acceptance or attitudes towards rape victims, but there were significant relationships between all of the other variables. Men were found to be more accepting of rape myths and had a more negative view of rape victims than did women. Implications of these findings, …

Father Absence And Early Family Composition As A Predictor Of Menarcheal Onset: Psychosocial And Familial Factors That Are Associated With Pubertal Timing., Amanda Christel Healey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Father absence and the introduction of a stepfather before menarche have been shown to contribute to the early onset of menarche. The present study analyzes the effects of father absence situations that tend to result on the onset of menarche. Presence of a related male in a father-absent homes is also considered as a protective factor for menarcheal onset. Participants consisted of 342 female students enrolled in undergraduate work at a southeastern university. The mean age of participants was 20.7 years. Participants completed a survey consisting of 12 questions pertaining to their family environment before menarche. Participants were asked to …