Sociology Commons^™

The Effect Of Elementary After-School Participation On The Transition To Middle School, Grant Scanland Adamz

Theses and Dissertations

This case study takes an in-depth look at what type of students transition from elementary to middle school 21st Century Community Learning Center programs. Using binary logistic regressions, I identify key characteristics that predict whether or not a student will continue to attend the program after they transition to a new school and then discuss how to improve the attendance of after-school programs. Moreover, this case study also identifies how different school program environments serve different types of students in two cohorts starting in fifth grade. Middle school context moderates the effects of other variables that are predictive of participation …

Adult Attachment: A Framework For Predicting Dating Patterns, Franklin Owen Poulsen

Theses and Dissertations

Although adult attachment has been the focus of a great deal of relationship research, few studies have attempted to examine how adult attachment style may be related to relationship initiation. This study investigates how adult attachment is associated with dating processes and patterns in a sample (N = 587) of college students at a private religious university. Results indicate that attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance are related to a pattern of being mostly dateless in a twenty-five week period. Furthermore, attachment avoidance but not anxiety is related to having fewer relationships in the period. Along with attachment avoidance and anxiety, …

Community Satisfaction, Community Attachment, Community Experience, Internet Use And Internet Access In Rural Utah Communities, Tisah M. Quarnberg

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of the Internet on rural community satisfaction, attachment and overall experience. With the geographic dispersion of social networks, the majority of the population has a greater need for long-distance social networking. The Internet has the potential to mitigate distance and connect social networks much faster than letter writing or face-to-face visits. While the Internet is available, to at least some extent, in rural communities in Utah, does it positively affect overall perceptions of community life? This study finds that this is not the case. There is a negative relationship between Internet use and community satisfaction …

Thin-Ideal Internalization, Body Misperception, And Their Association With Weight Control Behaviors Among Adolescent Girls, Erin Lindsey Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Negative body image and preoccupation with weight are the norm for most women and girls in Western society, despite their potentially harmful consequences for psychological and physical wellness. While we know that many in this population experience negative feelings towards their bodies, we do not know if their beliefs about their body size are accurate and what effect a correct or incorrect assessment of one's body size has in terms of actual behavior. I examine this question among adolescent girls using data from the 2002 Health Behaviors in School-Age Children Survey. With a sample of 2,784 girls between the ages …

Higher Education In Native American Communities: Who Graduates And Why?, Ramon Francisco Castillo Ii

Theses and Dissertations

In this case study, I examine the graduation patterns of students attending Chief Dull Knife College located on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Lame Deer, Montana. While comparing the characteristics of students attending this college with that of two-year colleges nationally and tribal schools throughout the nation, we begin to understand the unique situation that this community faces. With the use of logistic and linear regressions, I explored the characteristics of those who graduate and ask the question, who graduates and what makes them unique? This study found that the credits attempted per semester, the number of credits they earned …

Democracy Online: Immigration Discourse Over Time, Brian David Harris

Theses and Dissertations

The growth of internet communication has affected deliberative democracy by introducing new public spheres. One emerging public sphere is the discussion forum linked to online news sources. By analyzing 1,768 comments posted to a regional online news website, I discuss five key frameworks that commenters used to simplify the debate over immigration. I also find that extreme comments decreased in frequency over a two-year period while more moderate comments increased. In light of group polarization theory, this finding suggests that the forum is more like a single community with a fairly moderate average position to which people with differing opinions …

The Influence Of Religious Attendance And Gender In Accessing High-Status Social Ties, James William Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

Religious participation often influences the composition of one's social network, but less is known about the degree to which religious attendance increases access to highly-influential individuals who can offer potential advantages in terms of resource distribution. Using data from the Panel Study of American Religion and Ethnicity (PS-ARE) I examine the influence of religious attendance and gender on accessing high-status social ties, which are defined as having conversations with the highly educated, elected public officials, and congregation leaders. I estimate ordered logistic regression models and find that increased religious attendance is associated with greater odds of accessing high-status social ties. …

Mormon Fertility In Latin America, Kiira Elizabeth Fox

Theses and Dissertations

While previous research has identified religion as an influence of fertility, how context changes the nature of that relationship remains little understood. Using census data from Brazil, Chile and Mexico, this study examines whether the high fertility pattern of one pronatalist, American-born religion (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) translates to the Latin American context. Results indicate that it does, but only inconsistently as the pronatalist pattern is masked by members' educational attainment and mixed religion marriages. When these attributes are accounted for LDS fertility is high in Latin America, especially among the more educated. This study highlights …

The Impact Of Marital Conflict On Parenting And Adolescent Prosocial Behavior, Adam M. Clark

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between marital conflict, parenting, and adolescent prosocial behavior. Parents and one target child from two-parent families (n = 330) responded to questionnaires regarding levels of marital conflict, parenting behaviors, and child prosocial behavior. Using structural equation modeling, results indicated that one dimension of parenting, warmth and connection, mediated the relationship between marital conflict and child prosocial behavior. Group comparisons did not find significant gender differences. The significance on parent-child connection is discussed along with clinical implications.

Microglial P38Α Mapk Is A Key Regulator Of Proinflammatory Cytokine Up-Regulation Induced By Toll-Like Receptor (Tlr) Ligands Or Beta-Amyloid (Aβ), Adam D. Bachstetter, Bin Xing, Lucia De Almeida, Edgardo R. Dimayuga, D. Martin Watterson, Linda J. Van Eldik

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines from activated microglia has been implicated as an important contributor to pathophysiology progression in both acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, it is critical to elucidate intracellular signaling pathways that are significant contributors to cytokine overproduction in microglia exposed to specific stressors, especially pathways amenable to drug interventions. The serine/threonine protein kinase p38α MAPK is a key enzyme in the parallel and convergent intracellular signaling pathways involved in stressor-induced production of IL-1β and TNFα in peripheral tissues, and is a drug development target for peripheral inflammatory diseases. However, much less is known about the quantitative …

Dismissed With Prejudice: Gender Inequality In The Utah Legal Market, Collin Read Flake

Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing feminization of the legal profession in the United States over the last half century, past research has documented the prevalence and transformation of gender inequality in law firms. However, relatively little is known about gender inequality in small, conservative legal markets like Utah. This thesis examines data from the 2008-2009 Utah Attorney Advancement and Retention Survey. The analyses indicate that relative to their male colleagues, women earned less in 2007 and are less likely to procure higher quality job assignments than their peers. The most promising explanations for these disparities include employment sector, gender and motherhood statuses, …

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering April 5, 2011-July 4, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• Plans were set for a meeting of government, business and nonprofit stakeholders to explore how to enhance statewide collaboration on litter and dumping issues.
• The Hector’s Helpers program with the Clark County School District continued in various schools.
• Planning for the integration of the information sharing portal, volunteer litter monitoring and the GIS database was conducted.
• A total of 12 clean-up events were conducted this quarter.

Understanding A Pakistani Science Teacher's Practice Through A Life History Study, Nelofer Halai

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of the single case life history study was to understand a female science teacher's conceptions of the nature of science as explicit in her practice. While this paper highlights these understandings, an additional purpose is to give a detailed account of the process of creating a life history account through more than 13 in-depth interviews. It includes a discussion of what the author calls composite observations where the observations of the teacher and the researcher are presented as a single unified story. Also discussed are ethical issues specific to life history created due to the intimacy created by …

From Qualitative Data To Instrument Development: The Women's Breast Conflict Scale, Eileen Thomas

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this article is to describe the initial development of the Women's Breast Conflict Scale, a predictive instrument designed to identify women who may be least likely to follow recommended mammography screening guidelines. This new instrument incorporates self/body image, teasing, family norms and values, and societal/media influence - themes identified from three qualitative studies and five years of qualitative data collection. The themes aided in the development of a conceptual model (Breast Conflict), which provided the framework for this instrument. A description of the traditional steps involved in instrument development is provided to aid qualitative researchers in the …

Self Image And Physical Education- A Phenomenological Study, Renée Perrin-Wallqvist, Eva Segolsson Carlsson

The Qualitative Report

In this study our aim was to investigate (a) how the awareness of one's self-image reveals itself as a phenomenon, and (b) if self-image is influenced by physical education in a social context with teachers and pupils. Six pupils, aged 15 and 16 years, attending compulsory school were interviewed with the use of an empirical phenomenological psychological method. The Empirical Phenomenological Psychological (EPP) analysis of the interviews resulted in two main themes in terms of self-concepts: self-image as self-contemplation and the factors of influence upon a pupil's self-image in physical education each with three subthemes. We end with a discussion …

Modifying The Body: Canadian Men's Perspectives On Appearance And Cosmetic Surgery, Rosemary Ricciardelli, Philip White

The Qualitative Report

In postmodern scholarship there has been a temporal shift to thinking of the body as malleable rather than fixed, which has opened space for the remaking of the self via the remaking of the body (Featherstone, 1991; Giddens, 1991). Among men, this process is thought to interact with shifting understandings of masculinity. In this study, 14 interviews were conducted to investigate experiences of masculinity, physical appearance and cosmetic surgery among Canadian men who had undergone or were contemplating cosmetic surgery. Responses suggest that bodily presentations and experiences of masculinity continue to influence how people feel about themselves and their perspective …

Collecting International Merchant Seafarer Oral Histories: Experiences And Reflections, Tom Matyók

The Qualitative Report

Investigating highly mobile labor populations presents researchers with unique challenges and opportunities. In this paper, I share my experiences and reflections in collecting international merchant seafarers' oral histories and propose to move the dialogue forward regarding the use of hybrid qualitative research practices. Seafarers are constantly moving, at sea and in port, and traditional research methodologies are inadequate in determining the nature of modern-day seafaring. I suggest how qualitative research methods must be flexible enough to accommodate researchers' needs in a chaotic global milieu. Investigators researching highly mobile labor populations, as well as mobile immigrant and refugee communities, can gain …

Visualizing The Intersection Of The Personal And The Social Context - The Use Of Multi-Layered Chronological Charts In Biographical Studies, Patrick T. Hiller

The Qualitative Report

This paper outlines the theoretical reasoning and technical implementation of a particular approach to creating multi-layered chronological charts in qualitative biographical studies. The discussed method elucidates the interpretation of traditional life chronologies where the individual's "objective" life facts are reconstructed free from analysis. The novelty of multi-layered chronological charts lies in their ability to enrich the visualization of a temporal connection between personal and social contextual factors based on categories determined by the researcher. In doing so, such charts make existing interview data more accessible and processable. In-depth, thematic data analysis can be supported through the visualization of prominent life …

Philosophical Roots Of Classical Grounded Theory: Its Foundations In Symbolic Interactionism, Khaldoun M. Aldiabat, Carole-Lynne Le Navenec

The Qualitative Report

Although many researchers have discussed the historical relationship between the Grounded Theory methodology and Symbolic Interactionism, they have not clearly articulated the congruency of their salient concepts and assumptions. The purpose of this paper is to provide a thorough discussion of this congruency. A hypothetical example about smoking among college students is included in this paper to illustrate this relationship. This paper will be useful for qualitative researchers who seek a fuller understanding of how the assumptions and concepts provided by Symbolic Interactionism can inform the researcher who adopts a Grounded Theory methodology to investigate human behaviour. The relevance of …

Insights Into Attempts At Using Action Research In A Collaborative Work In A Policy Review Exercise In Botswana, Anthony Tsatsing Koosimile

The Qualitative Report

In this paper I embrace the thinking that writing on one's experiences in the use of qualitative educational research strategies and principles could potentially contribute to furthering knowledge in the field. In adopting an action research framework to guide collaborative work in a policy review exercise in Botswana, I found that collaborative work is itself a challenge. Similarly, given the political nature of policy formulation, significant effort and attention is required to facilitate broader reflection and debate on the adoption and use of qualitative research strategies in policy matters in Botswana. Generally my experience suggests that the strictures of underlying …

Interpreting Community Accountability: Citizen Views Of Responding To Domestic Violence (Or Not), Jacob Z. Hess, Nicole E. Allen, Nathan R. Todd

The Qualitative Report

In spite of common public condemnations of domestic violence, survey research suggests that citizens aware of actual abuse often believe they cannot or should not personally respond. Through in-depth interviews with 20 local citizens across the political spectrum, we sought to explore this dynamic more carefully by better understanding community interpretations of domestic violence and its appropriate response. This paper explores ten specific views identified in these interviews as potentially relevant to citizen action (or inaction) in response to known abuse. After examining subtle consequences of each belief, we explore broader implications for community mobilization and propose several ways of …

Science Instructors' Views Of Science And Nature Of Science, Mehmet Karakas

The Qualitative Report

This qualitative study examined how college science faculty who teach introductory level undergraduate science courses including the fields of chemistry, biology, physics, and earth science, understand and define science and nature of science (NOS). Participants were seventeen science instructors from five different institutions in the northeastern U.S. and all of them were interviewed. Consistent with previous research, the findings revealed that the participants in this study held sophisticated and complex conceptions of NOS. In some instances their views were in line with the views promoted by science philosophers, and in other instances their views were more mixed and naive. Findings …

Online Dynamic Asynchronous Audit Strategy For Reflexivity In The Qualitative Paradigm, Frank Labanca

The Qualitative Report

The trustworthiness of a qualitative study can be increased by maintaining high credibility and objectivity. Of utmost importance to these factors is the reflexivity of the researcher. Standard journaling techniques are frequently used to maintain an audit trail and document tentative interpretations of a study. One of the major limitations to paper-based reflexivity is the lack of regular audit feedback. Online blogging tools can facilitate reflexivity and subsequent auditing with ease. Blogs are potentially cost-free, and only a rudimentary understanding of a web browser and word processing program are necessary for effective use. Moreover, blogs provide a simple, contiguous interface …

A Review Of Qualitative Research: Studying How Things Work, Kristen Chorba

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative Research: Studying How Things Work by Robert E. Stake reviews the processes, procedures, concepts, and assumptions of qualitative research in a way that encourages the reader to consider multiple elements of the design, implementation, and reporting of a study. This book is appropriate for a wide range of qualitative and mixed-methods researchers, including those who are just beginning and those who have moved beyond the basics and are working on their own studies. Stake's clear and conversational style makes this book easy to understand and apply to one's own work, but the text will challenge readers to take their …

The Sense And Sensibility Of Qualitative Research, Bernard Smith

The Qualitative Report

David Silverman's new edition of Qualitative Research addresses how to engage in qualitative research with increased sensibility. The book is divided into seven sections with 23 chapters written by premier researchers. The chapters are written for students rather than the writers' peers, and while every chapter makes extensive use of the authors' fieldwork and data, John Heritage's chapter on conversational analysis (CA) stands out because he demonstrates to the reader how he made sense of a recurring piece of talk he calls an "oh-prefaced response." The papers are clearly written with helpful summaries and suggested further readings and online resources. …

A Revolutionary Collage Of Same Sex Attraction Stories, Marcela Polanco

The Qualitative Report

Tony E. Adams' (2011) book presents what could be considered a revolutionary, humanizing understanding of same-sex attraction. This is accomplished by providing a relational understanding of "the closet" and experiences of coming into, living in, and coming out of the closet. It is a production of significant social relevance, denouncing the marginalizing effects of the domains of heteronormativity. While highly scholarly, his evocative storytelling makes this book accessible to an interested reader regardless of his or her degree or area of specialization.

Resilience Of Gendered Spheres In Translational Migration: A Comparison Of Two Cultures, Jose Luis Calderon

The Qualitative Report

Sheba George's ethnographic study used participant-observation methods, purposive sampling, and an insider's transnational journey to examine changes in family and social roles that result when nurses from Kerala, India, immigrate to the United States ahead of their husbands. The author concludes that the economic and political gain immigration affords nurses does not translate into enhanced social status for their family in India nor for their husbands in the U.S. when they undergo a gender role transferal from primary breadwinner to homemaker whilst their wives pursue their nursing careers. In a key observation, the author emphasizes that this role transferal also …

Doctoral Students' Conceptions Of Research, Rod Pitcher

The Qualitative Report

In this paper I report a study of the conceptions of research held by a sample of doctoral students at an Australian research-intensive university. I take a unique approach by using metaphor analysis to study the students' conceptions. The students in this study were recruited for an on-line survey in which they answered questions relating to their conceptions of research. I arrived at four categories that I have labelled research is explorative, research is constructive, research is spatial, and research is organic.

Methodological And Ethical Dilemmas Encountered During Field Research Of Family Violence Experienced By Adolescent Women In Buenos Aires, Natalia Luxardo, Graciela Colombo, Gabriela Iglesias

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this article is to examine some obstacles and dilemmas related to methodological strategies and ethical considerations that arose during the fieldwork of research focused on family violence during the stages of pregnancy and childbirth in adolescent females in Buenos Aires during 2007. From this study, we are able to contribute some reflections in the arena of qualitative and mixed methods inquiries. Some of the problematic topics encountered were: institutional constraints, questionnaires with categories too abstract for the target population, lack of interest in participating, orthodox methods that did not work in the field and ethical protocols that …

How To Conduct Qualitative Research On The Patient's Experience, Ronald J. Chenail

The Qualitative Report

From a perspective of patient-centered healthcare, exploring patients' (a) preconceptions, (b) treatment experiences, (c) quality of life, (d) satisfaction, (e) illness understandings, and (f) design are all critical components in improving primary health care and research. Utilizing qualitative approaches to discover patients' experiences can provide valuable information for practitioners and investigators alike. In this paper, the author describes how researchers can select from among five major qualitative designs (i.e., primary qualitative research, qualitative evaluation, collaborative inquiry, mixed method, and qualitative meta-study) and five preeminent qualitative methodologies (i.e., descriptive, phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, and narrative) to create studies to meet their …