Sociology Commons^™

Brain Development And Learning In The Primary Years .G2198, Jennifer Gerdes, Tonia Renee Durden, Lisa M. Poppe

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

In the primary years, children are beginning to think in complex ways about themselves, their environment, and others. Teachers can play a role in honing children’s brain development and learning.

The Importance Of Outdoor Experiences In The Primary Years .G2202, Jennifer Gerdes, Tonia Renee Durden, Leanne Manning, Julia C. Torquati

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Daily experiences in natural environments can have immediate and long-lasting benefits for children. Increased physical activity is associated with decreases in depression and anxiety and increases in levels of concentration. It also is a key strategy in addressing childhood obesity.

Research overwhelmingly supports the need for children to experience natural environments often and in a variety of ways. For many reasons, children are spending increasing amounts of time inside the house watching television and playing video games. Also, many schools are cutting recess times or eliminating recess all together in favor of spending more time during the day focusing on …

Parent Beliefs And Children’S Social-Behavioral Functioning: The Mediating Role Of Parent-Teacher Relationships, Elizabeth Moorman Kim, Susan M. Sheridan Dr., Kyongboon Kwon, Natalie A. Koziol

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

This research investigated whether parent-teacher relationship quality mediated the relation between parents’ motivational beliefs and children’s adaptive functioning and externalizing behaviors. The sample consisted of kindergarten through third-grade children with behavioral concerns (N = 206). Parents reported on their motivational beliefs (i.e., role construction and efficacy), and teachers reported on the quality of their relationships with parents and children’s adaptive functioning (i.e., social and adaptive skills) and externalizing behaviors. Results indicated that parents’ motivational beliefs were related significantly and positively to children’s adaptive functioning and negatively to children’s externalizing behaviors. Parents’ motivational beliefs were also significantly associated with enhanced …

The Efficacy Of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation On Parents And Children In The Home Setting: Results Of A Randomized Controlled Trial, Susan M. Sheridan, Ji Hoon Ryoo, Andrew Garbacz, Gina M. Kunz, Frances L. Chumney

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

The present study is a large-scale randomized trial testing the effects of a family-school partnership model (i.e., Conjoint Behavioral Consultation, CBC) for promoting behavioral competence and decreasing problem behaviors of children identified by their teachers as disruptive. CBC is a structured approach to problem solving that involves consultants, parents, and teachers. The effects of CBC on family variables that are commonly associated with important outcomes among school-aged children (i.e., family involvement and parent competence in problem solving), as well as child outcomes at home, were evaluated. Participants were 207 children with disruptive behaviors from 91 classrooms in 21 schools in …

Mexican-Origin Youths’ Trajectories Of Depressive Symptoms: The Role Of Familism Values, Katharine H. Zeiders, Kimberly A. Updegraff, Adriana J. Umana-Taylor, Lorey A. Wheeler, Norma J. Perez-Brena, Sue A. Rodriguez

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Purpose—To describe Mexican-origin youths’ trajectories of depressive symptoms from early to late adolescence and examine the role of three aspects of familism values: supportive, obligation, and referent familism. Methods—Mexican-origin adolescents (N = 492) participated in home interviews and provided self-reports of depressive symptoms and cultural values at four assessments across an 8-year span. Using a cohort sequential design and accounting for the nesting within the 246 families (2 youth per family), we examined depressive symptoms from ages 12 to 22 years and the within-person, between-sibling, and between-family effects of familism values. Results—Mexican-origin males’ depressive symptoms decreased across …

Recognition Of Loss: Disenfranchised Grief And The Children Of Incarcerated Parents, Julia Anna Soto

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to assess provider awareness and perception of service needs, and of the grief and loss issues that children with incarcerated parents face. These issues include the behavioral and emotional state of the child, the attribution of behaviors and emotions to grief, types of referrals, support and services offered for these children, placement disruptions, and keeping maternal contact.

Assessing Depression Among Elders: How Are We Doing?, Kayli Nicole Stohler

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to understand medical social workers' and licensed registered nurses' decision-making process for recognizing late-life depression. The study participants involved in this research project included 10 medical social workers and 9 licensed registered nurses from Redlands Community Hospital. For this study, interviewing was the primary source of collecting data.

The Psychological Effects Of Ageism On Older Adults: Are There Any?, Christina Denise Nieblas

Theses Digitization Project

The focus of this study was the psychological effects and experiences of ageism on older adults. Data was gathered qualitatively through interviews with seventeen older adults living in independent living apartments of a continuing care retirement community. The study site was a continuing care retirement community with independent living apartments for older adults in Riverside County, California.

Perspectives On Aging: Stereotypes And Implicit Personality Theories, Reannin Michelle Weinstein

Theses Digitization Project

Current research regarding perspectives on aging discusses perspectives of older adults aged 65+ and college aged young adults, but does not include a discussion of perspectives of individuals aged 30-60 on aging.

Integrating Assumptions About Crime, People, And Society The Author’S Response To The Commentary Of Toward A Unified Criminology, Robert Agnew

Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Criminology

No abstract provided.

Public Perceptions Regarding The Police Bureau And Crime In Portland, Oregon, Brian Renauer, Kimberly Barsamian Kahn, Kris R. Henning, Greg Stewart

Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute Research Briefs

On September 12, 2012 the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint in the Federal District Court for Oregon asserting that the City of Portland has engaged in a pattern and practice of unnecessary or excessive force against persons experiencing a mental health crisis. This survey is the result of a settlement agreement between Portland’s City Council and the DOJ which specified the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) develop a means of assessing public perceptions.

This report examines public perceptions of PPB across four content areas that are highlighted in the DOJ settlement agreement. Data for the report were …

A Developmental Approach To Civility And Bystander Intervention, Jennifer Q. Mccary

College Life Publications

The students of color in your classroom experience discrimination every day, in small and large ways. They don’t often see themselves represented in their textbooks, and encounter hostility in school, and outside. For them race is a constant reality, and an issue they need, and want, to discuss. Failure to do so can inhibit their academic performance.

Failure to discuss race prevents White students from getting a real, critical and deep understanding of our society and their place in it. It is essential for the well-being of all students that they learn to have constructive conversations about the history of …

Ape Autonomy? Social Norms And Moral Agency In Other Species, Kristin Andrews

Moral Standing and Animal Rights Collection

No abstract provided.

Building Up A Community By Empowering Disadvantaged Youth, Sophia De Quattro

Service-Learning | Student Scholarship

When you enter the grounds of Marin County Community School (MCCS), you see security patrolling the premises. The students may be on probation, house arrest, or have general behavior issues deemed unfit for regular public school. High-risk youth in Marin County generally are referred to MCCS, an alternative education facility, in hopes of providing the student a second chance to earn a high school diploma and a better future. MCCS, located in San Rafael, California provides an educational program geared towards intensive instruction in English/Language Arts and Mathematics with a focus on developing pro-social skills through the integration of services …

Juvenile Life Without The Possibility Of Parole: Constitutional But Complicated, Christopher A. Mallett

Social Work Faculty Publications

The Supreme Court's recent decision in Miller v. Alabama found that juvenile life without the possibility of parole sentences for homicide crimes was unconstitutional if mandated by state law. Thus, allowing this sentence only after an individualized decision determines the sanction proportional given the circumstances of the offense and mitigating factors. This decision, for a number of reasons, does not go far enough in protecting those youthful offenders afflicted with maltreatment victimizations, mental health problems, and/or learning disabilities - all potential links for some adolescents to serious offending and potentially homicide. While the Supreme Court has not protected these youthful …

"There Is No Substitute For Victory" - Remembrances Of World War Ii, Janet S. Hahn Ph.D.

Center for Gerontology Reports and Publications

From the Forward

The WMU students in the Spring 2013 Issues in Aging: Service Learning Course learned from people who lived through World War II. Over the course of the semester, students moved from discomfort when calling strangers for interviews to expressing passion for finding the best ways to share the stories and lessons learned. Students strengthened their communication and planning skills and focused on learning more about an earlier generation. Students were moved by the memories of deep sacrifices and loss. They were amazed by the frugal lifestyle required during the World War II Era, and were honored to …

Ua3/7/1 President's Office-Alexander Subject/Correspondence File, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Unprocessed subject / correspondence files created by the President's Office during Kern Alexander's administration.

“Babies Aren’T Persons”: A Survey Of Delayed Personhood, David F. Lancy

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

To better understand attachment from a cross-cultural and historical perspective, I have amassed over 200 cases from the ethnographic and archaeological records that reveal cultural models (D'Andrade and Strauss 1992) of infancy. The 200 cases represent all areas of the world, historical epochs from the Mesolithic to the present and all types of subsistence patterns (Appendix 1). The approach is inductive where cases with similar models of infancy are clustered into archetypes. My principal finding from this analysis is that, in the broadest overview, infants are, effectively, placed on probation and not immediately integrated into the society. Attachment failure is …

Ua1b2/1 Wku-Glasgow Campus Celebrating 25 Years Of The Wku Spirit, Wku Glasgow

WKU Administration Documents

Program for the 25th Anniversary of WKU Glasgow celebration. Includes:

• College Heights
• Terry, Sam. History of WKU-Glasgow
• Harrison, Lowell. From College Heights to Liberty Heights
• WKU Regents. Meeting Minutes, 12/2/1987
• Lessenberry, Robert. Editorial, 12/13/1987
• WKU Fight Song
• Special Thanks

When Do (And Don’T) Normative Appeals Influence Sustainable Consumer Behaviors?, Katherine White, Bonnie Simpson

Management and Organizational Studies Publications

The authors explore how injunctive appeals (i.e., highlighting what others think one should do), descriptive appeals (i.e., highlighting what others are doing), and benefit appeals (i.e., highlighting the benefits of the action) can encourage consumers to engage in relatively unfamiliar sustainable behaviors such as “grasscycling” and composting. Across one field study and three laboratory studies, the authors demonstrate that the effectiveness of the appeal type depends on whether the individual or collective level of the self is activated. When the collective level of self is activated, injunctive and descriptive normative appeals are most effective, whereas benefit appeals are less effective …

Blurring The Ingroup-Outgroup Distinction: The Agenda For Acceptance For All, Bryan M. Niederman

2010-2016 Archived Posters

This study offered participants an opportunity to alter automatic evaluations of others. Intergroup experiences that emphasize social identity complexity (SIC) and cross-cutting group membership (CCGM) awareness can supplant initial impressions, attenuate/replace prejudicial beliefs, reshape ingroup-outgroup boundaries, reduce social category distinctions, and introduce a culture of acceptance. 39 staff of a nonprofit agency participated in SD (learn about the social identities of others), DEC (cooperative task aiming to achieve a superordinate group goal), or comparison. Participation impacted participant perception of levels of acceptance of diversity and behavior as it pertains to being free of bias, prejudice, and discrimination, major social change …

The Gendered Nature Of Sexuality, Anna E. Spengen

Sociology Publications

This essay focuses on casual sex encounters, wherein the gendered nature of sexuality is thought to be most salient. Four specific areas of sexuality and its scripts are investigated as gendered within this essay: instigation, negotiation, the act of intercourse, and social repercussions of participation. These four categories are comparatively analyzed within the two dominant and competing perspectives of essentialism and social constructionism. This analysis seeks to highlight the superiority of a constructionist view in explaining the gendered nature of sexuality. The narrow minded view of essentialism, with its failure to acknowledge the influences of social and cultural factors, posits …

The Experiences Of First-Generation University Students, Anna E. Spengen

Sociology Publications

As the enrollment of first-generation university students increases it becomes paramount to analyze their unique experiences. It is important not to dismiss these students as passively accepting of their lower-class positions, but rather recognize their potential for mobility. This paper works under the assumption that students have found a way to confront barriers to university access, and have already gained enrollment within an institution. Thus, the focus centers upon experiences within the university setting as they pertain to support systems, engagement within the university, and academic achievement. Such experiences are framed within the theoretical confines of Pierre Bourdieu and his …

Ua19/16/1 Cross Country / Track & Field Media Guide, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

WKU track and field media guide for 2013-14 season.

Community And Individual Well-Being In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2013 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben

Nebraska Rural Poll

By many different measures, rural Nebraskans are positive about their community. Many rural Nebraskans rate their community as friendly, trusting and supportive. Most rural Nebraskans also say it would be difficult to leave their community. In addition, most rural Nebraskans disagree that their community is powerless to control its future.

Differences of opinion exist by the size of their community. Residents of smaller communities are more likely than residents of larger communities to rate their community favorably on its social dimensions. However, residents of larger communities are more likely than residents of smaller communities to say their community has changed …

Water And Climate: Perceptions Of Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans: 2013 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben

Nebraska Rural Poll

Many rural Nebraskans have experienced loss of wildlife and wildlife habitat, voluntary decrease in water usage, decreased farm production and wildfires to some extent as a result of last year’s drought. The majority of persons with occupations in agriculture have experienced decreased farm production and loss of business income as a result of last year’s drought.

Most rural Nebraskans rate indoor use in existing homes and agricultural uses (irrigation and livestock) as high priority uses of water. Uses of water that were not ranked very high include swimming pools for individual homes, watering golf courses and transferring water to other …

Critical Success Factors In The Promotion Of Sustainable Rural Tourism By Destination Marketing Organisations: A Study Of Ballyhoura Fáilte, Louise Nugent, Siobhán Lynch

Irish Business Journal

With the Irish tourism industry maturing, destination marketing organisations (DMOs) must meet tourists’ changing expectations. For rural tourism destinations, the challenge lies in ensuring that they obtain a position of sustainability in the Irish tourism industry (Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht, 2011). Due to the highly volatile nature of the Irish rural tourism industry, treating rural tourism like any other product does not comply with the new approach to destination marketing management, which considers the resources available, the environment, the tourist, and the residents themselves (Buhalis, 2000; Pike, 2008). The aim of this study is to carry out a …

Divided Diasporas: Southern Africans In Canada, Jonathan Crush, Abel Chikanda, Wade Pendleton, Mary Caesar, Sujata Ramachandran, Cassandra Eberhardt, Ashley Hill

Southern African Migration Programme

The protracted economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe led directly to a major increase in mixed migration flows to South Africa. Migrants were drawn from every sector of society, all education and skill levels, equal numbers of both sexes, and all ages (including unaccompanied child migration). Many migrants claimed asylum in South Africa which gave them the right to work while they waited for a refugee hearing. Many others were arrested and deported back to Zimbabwe. Migrants who were unable to find employment in the formal economy turned to employment and self-employment in the informal economy. These migrant entrepreneurs used …

No. 64: Soft Targets: Xenophobia, Public Violence And Changing Attitudes To Migrants In South Africa After May 2008, Jonathan Crush, Sujata Ramachandran, Wade Pendleton

Southern African Migration Programme

No abstract provided.

Understanding Racial Differences In Aspiration Realization: Middle Income, Middle Class, And College-Going Behaviors, Omari Jackson

Wayne State University Dissertations

It is well documented that African Americans attend college at a lower rate than whites. However, African Americans' rate of aspiring to attend college is not lower than whites; rather their aspirations are higher than those of whites. Because there is such disparity between African American's educational aspirations and attainment, further investigation into this paradox is necessary. Literature shows that membership in the middle class generally equips one with greater resources that prepare them for college. If such research is accurate, middle class African American students should possess college preparatory resources and attend college. Because this is not the case, …