Sociology Commons^™

Critical Race Historical Examination Of Summer Programs: Impact On African American Youth, Megan Lee, June Hopps, Deryl Bailey

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

Living In Essex: A Community Needs Assessment, Sue Berger, Ceara Somerville, Caitlin E. Coyle

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA) within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the Town of Essex. The goals of this project were to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Essex residents age 18 or older by engaging the community regarding their experiences and needs relevant to the Council on Aging’s (COA’s) objective to identify and serve the needs of all Essex citizens 60 and older.

Kansas City, Kansas, Vida Davidović

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

KANSAS CITY, KANSAS is a thesis that operates in the tradition of expressionist dramaturgy and playwriting, taking up themes of abuse, imperialism, war, trauma, womanhood, Balkan identities, history of the Balkans, as well as the discourses of psychoanalysis and postcolonial theory. The use of different theoretical frameworks related to both international and personal politics, which are shown to be intertwined, suggests a strong relationship between political processes in the Second World Countries that had experienced many occupations throughout their history and the way women in those countries relate to the questions of body, authority, feminity, and interpersonal relationships. The play …

Planting The Seed: Rumors And Ceo Dismissal, Diego Villalpando

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Researchers have investigated the short-term performance implications of CEO dismissals as assessed through investor reactions to CEO dismissal announcements. While the corporate governance mechanism of dismissal that boards orchestrate when CEOs underperform could be positively perceived by investors, empirical evidence suggests that a positive association between CEO dismissals and investor reactions is equivocal. Thus, in my dissertation, I examine investor reactions to S&P 500 dismissal announcements and further understanding about this intriguing relationship through the development of theory that incorporates the important theoretical mechanism of information uncertainty. Since it is increasingly hard for boards to reduce the information uncertainty surrounding …

Youth Sport Participation And Cognitive Development: The Need For Improved Measurement, Amelia Anne Miramonti

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Background: Youth sport participation is associated with numerous positive developmental outcomes, including potential cognitive benefits. However, research examining sport-cognition links often uses simplistic operationalizations of sport participation and cross-sectional designs, limiting causal inference and understanding of specific sport characteristics' roles. This study aimed to develop and compare a novel, nuanced sport participation scoring method against common operationalizations in predicting cognitive outcomes in a large youth sample, while controlling for general physical activity and health as a first step towards more robust longitudinal analyses.

Methods: Data were drawn from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study Year 2 follow-up …

Melanated Reflections Through Testimonios: Centering The Experiences Of African American Women Teachers Turned Leaders And Their Implications On Recruitment, Selection, Hiring, And Retention Of Women Of Color In Leadership Positions, Tanya Rochelle Santos

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2022), during the 2017–2018 academic year, only 7% of all teachers identified as Black or African American, with approximately 76% of that group being women. This qualitative study investigates the lived experiences of African American women educators who have transitioned into leadership roles within P–12 educational settings across the Great Plains Region of the United States. The research explores how their experiences intersect with issues of racial and gender equity, particularly within the broader discourse of social justice in education and educational leadership.

Framed within the theoretical lens of Black Feminist Thought, …

The Ballad Of The Wheel, John Kosch

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The Ballad of the Wheel is a piece for voice, percussion, and electronics that examines the cyclical nature of humanity. It draws texts from existential literature that spans almost all of recorded history, from antiquity to present day. In this work, a single narrator poses the same concerns about the nature of existence in different texts, revealing that questions about the meaning of life transcend boundaries of time and space. The prevalence of the theme of reincarnation also suggests that each movement of the piece presents a different manifestation of a single being. The Ballad of the Wheel implies a …

Belly Dance In Nebraska: Identity, Social Acceptance, And Perseverance, Alex R. Mohr

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Belly dance is an art form as well as an often-contested practice due to tensions over dress, terminology and cultural practices within the belly dance community because the dance originated outside the United States. Additionally, there is often a need to prove the legitimacy of the dance to those outside its sphere because it is often stigmatized due to the early association with exotic dancing. Belly dance is inherently geographic, as seen through its places of origin, music and movement styles, global spread, practitioners, and spaces of practice. However, it has not been well-represented in geography, and there is also …

Queered Tradition: Disidentificatory Practices Of Queer-Affirming Religious Space, Amanda R. Peterson

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Responding to high rates of religious trauma in the United States, particularly for LGBTQ people, this study investigates the rhetorical moves made in protestant Christian spaces to consider what makes these spaces safe and affirming for queer people. Specifically, I consider the rhetorical impact these churches make through not only their space but also their liturgy and online presence, which informs the embodied experience of the space.

Through autoethnographic research, I look at three local churches—Metropolitan Community Church of Omaha, Urban Abbey, and Elevate Church–the first two queer-affirming and the third conservative. Findings show the various church elements negotiated with …

The Association Between Economic Outcomes And Abortion: A Scoping Review, Larisa Nicole Stephenson

Capstone Experience: Master of Public Health

Background: Abortion access is not just an issue of autonomy, but an economic issue as well. Evidence of the intersectionality of abortion health care and economics has endured due to the financial cascading effects a denial of an abortion, or the inability to access an abortion, has on one’s personal, professional, and economic upward mobility. A change in recent policies impacting access to abortion warrants an updated synthesis examining the relationships between economic outcomes and abortion access for people of reproductive age in the United States (U.S.).

Aim: This scoping review summarizes evidence pertaining to the association …

Understanding The Underrepresented: A Descriptive Deep-Dive Into The Impact Of Young Legislators, Eric T. Meade Jr.

Honors Scholar Theses

This project explores youth members (thirty-five years old or younger) from the first Congress up until the present Congress by examining and analyzing the ideology, career trajectory, and accomplishments of these members. This project also analyzes the voting records of Congress members on topics that are highly salient to young voters to see how they align with young voters’ preferences and highlights multiple members of note to provide more detail on their backgrounds and unique circumstances. This study aims to demonstrate how young people have been represented historically and why it is so important for the U.S. to have youth …

Examining Spirituality/Religiousness As A Protective Factor For The School-To-Prison Pipeline, Selena M. Balderas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: The school to prison pipeline (STPP) is a systemic issue that reflects the intersection of educational inequities and punitive practices disproportionately affecting society’s youth in underserved communities. The STPP funnels students out of educational environments and into the criminal justice system through the overuse of punitive practices such as suspension, expulsion, and school-based arrests. This especially affects students of color, LGBTQ youth and those with disabilities and perpetuates cycles of injustice, poverty, marginalization, and incarceration. The social control theory provides a useful framework in understanding the relationship between deviant behavior and social bonds (Stewart & Rapp, 2017). When individuals …

The Sense-Making Of Race, Gender, And Masculinity In College Men Of Color: A Critical Race-Grounded Theory Approach, Leon Phú Strayer

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Literature on Men of Color in college has highlighted the disparate retention, persistence, and graduation rates of college Men of Color when compared to their female counterparts or White male peers. As a contribution to the scholarly research on Men of Color, this qualitative critical race-grounded theory study explored this phenomenon and made further inquiry about the nuanced and unique lives of Men of Color attending a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI). This research involved nine Men of Color undergraduate students who attended an HSI in Southern California who collaborated and coconstructed knowledge during the study. The collaborators, or participants, contributed to …

Environmental Influences Of Zero-Sum Thinking And Its Outcome, Edison Sora Tan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Zero-sum thinking refers to a generalized mentality or a belief that one person’s gain can only come at the expense of another person’s loss. In this research, I argue that people’s zero-sum thinking is, at least in part, influenced by the interacting characteristics of the environment, namely, resource scarcity and population density. This is because resource scarcity highlights people’s resource insecurity, particularly when population density accentuates potential competition for finite resources. Consequently, zero-sum thinking reduces trust and cooperation as people reduce their commitment to potentially risky social investments. Analysis with data from a large-scale field study and ecological data provided …

More Than Meets The Eye: Misaligned Expectations In Social Interactions For Individuals With Chronic Illness, Janice Patricia

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Despite the importance of social relationships for well-being, individuals with chronic illness often face barriers that deter them from initiating meaningful connections, such as perceived stigma, fear of rejection, or strained relationships upon a disclosure of their illness. These challenges reveal two key misalignments: overestimated negative (or underestimated positive) expectations of social interactions held by individuals with chronic illness, as well as perceptions held by potential acquaintances. The present study examined how these misalignments hinder social interactions and relationship initiation. Study 1 involved individuals with chronic illness and revealed that participants overestimated the likelihood of awkwardness, disrespect, and rejection, while …

What Makes An Experience Meaningful: A Process/Outcome Approach, Clement Yong Hao Lau

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Scant research has investigated how meaning judgement of an experience are derived; even fewer has examined how these judgements shift over time. To address these gaps, the present research introduced Process/Outcome Meaning Model (POMM)—which proposes that meaning can be derived from two distinct aspects of an experience: its process (i.e., the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that unfold during the experience) and its outcome (i.e., the results or consequences that follow). POMM further suggests that changes in perceived outcomes may lead to corresponding shifts in meaning judgements over time. Across three studies, participants wrote about and reflected on their personal (positive …

The Missing Void: Lack Of Pockets In Womenswear And Its Effect On Daily Life, Clare Bolon

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Pockets give power to people who possess them. Yet, an estimated half of the U.S. population —women— frequently wear garments lacking useful pockets. Why? Womenswear is molded by beauty standards. This study brings an anthropological perspective on gender inequality in the U.S. by examining modern clothing and the differences in pocket access by gender. 127 participants were recruited for a mixed methods survey, most from a medium-sized university in the Mountain West region. Survey questions explored the attitudes and experiences of people who wear women’s clothing regarding pockets (or the lack thereof) and its impact on their daily lives. Open-ended …

Exploring The Relationship Between Intrinsic Capacity And Social Participation In Healthy Ageing: Evidence From Singapore, Li Ling Cheong, William Tov, Robin Wai Munn Choo, Micah Tan, Lay Khoon Lau, Wee Shiong Lim, Yew Yoong Ding, Paulin Tay Straughan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objective: The World Health Organization has identified intrinsic capacity and functional ability as key constructs in enabling healthy ageing. However, functional ability is distinct from actual levels of social and physical participation, which research has shown to be associated with health and wellbeing. This study distinguishes between functional ability and actual levels of social and physical participation, and utilizes the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework to examine the relationship between IC and the two constructs. Methods: This study utilizes cross-sectional self-reported data from a nationally representative panel of Singapore residents aged 56–75 (N = 6,434). We performed …

A Theoretical Model Of Participatory Team Science Training, Angela E. Jordan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

BACKGROUND: Teams have long been used to address major scientific and societal problems, and interdisciplinary teams are understood to be the best approach to complex systems-based problems like climate change. Engaged research collaborations incorporating community members as equal partners in research projects are recognized as both a means of advancing equity and justice in research, and also of improving the success of research translation by developing solutions with community use-value. The science of team science (TS) and community-engaged research (CEnR) have emerged as scholarly disciplines, with attempts to define competencies, skills, functioning, and success. A growing body of literature in …

Political Socialization In Generation Z, Audrey E. Seibel

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the political socialization experienced by Generation Z. With the twenty-first century of American politics characterized by intensely negative emotions, affective polarization, and the augmentation of social media as a means to communicate and engage politically, this thesis argues that the modern political environment has led to a “hot” political socialization. The primary objective of this research was to measure political socialization, and explore the effects of this on current engagement, emotions, trust, and polarization within Generation Z, as well as how the cohort potentially differs from previous generations. The research for this thesis was conducted through the …

A Worker-Centered Study Exploring Trust, Dependency, And Worker Identity In Digital Platform-Mediated Labor, Wael Altali

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Digital gig platforms have transformed labor markets globally. This dissertation critically examines the intersections of platform design and worker experiences through four interrelated studies. The research identifies how differences between on-demand and cloud work platforms shape identity, trust, and autonomy.

Drawing on Cultural Domain Analysis, the first study proposes a practical classification system for digital gig platforms. Experts categorize platforms as on-demand or cloud work, avoiding theoretical subtypes like skill level. This framework supports targeted analyses of platform design and regulatory implications.

The second and third studies examine the paradoxes of worker identity in platform-mediated environments. A survey of 268 …

Saving Lives: Changing Perceptions Of Naloxone Distribution For Opioid Overdoses, Ryan Turner

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the impact and community perceptions of Narcan® (naloxone) distribution in El Paso County, Texas, as a harm reduction strategy amid the ongoing opioid epidemic. Drawing from a mixed-methods approach, the research surveyed 368 participants comprised of opioid users, family members, first responders, and community members who engaged in Narcan® training facilitated by two nonprofit organizations. The study explored four main questions: perceptions of Narcan® among different community stakeholders, patterns of Narcan® administration, whether the availability of Narcan encouraged drug use, and its effectiveness in reducing overdose deaths. Findings revealed widespread support for Narcan® distribution, although some community …

"Alone I Can't, But Together We Can": A Photovoice Study To Explore Insights Of Assisted Outpatient Treatment (Aot) From Providers Working With Individuals With Serious Mental Illness (Smi)., Monica G. Urquieta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) is a court-ordered mental health treatment program for individuals with SMI (bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia) who have a history of noncompliance with treatment and are at risk of deteriorating or causing harm to themselves or others. This dissertation examined the perceptions and experiences of thirteen providers (lawyers, judges, case managers, psychiatrists, housing navigators, treatment guardians, nurse practitioners, therapists and peer support specialists with lived experience) on the AOT program for clients with SMI; and the environments that shape these perceptions, taking into account a system and community-based approach focusing on how the unique …

Testing Revenge Pornography Using The General Strain Theory And Online Disinhibition Effect, Jesus Manuel Guardado Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The current study tests whether perceptions of general strain and online disinhibition effect could explain the intent to commit Revenge Pornography (RP). The data was collected using an online survey that was launched on a research platform called "Connect Cloud Research." After gathering the data, bivariate correlation and multiple regression analysis were necessary to establish the relationship and causality. Results were mixed, showing that there is a positive correlation with general strain and online disinhibition effect factors with the intent to commit RP, while multiple regression indicated that the independent variables did not predict the intent to commit RP. Unexpectedly, …

Can Shame And Guilt Be Used As A Deterrent For Drug Use And Drug Crime Recidivism?, Megan Elizabeth Pesek

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction: The present study focuses on how shame and guilt can be used as a deterrent for substance use and substance-related crime recidivism. This research is significant because of on-going alcohol and other drug crime recidivism in the United States. About 68% of drug-involved offenders have been found to recidivate within three years of their release from prison. Understanding how guilt and shame affect one's drug use and crime recidivism is important in recovery. This study was influenced by Braithwaite's theory of reintegrative shaming: using shame and guilt as the specific deterrent for recidivism. Methods: Based on this theory, I …

Trends In Prenatal Care Utilization, 2014-2022: The Role Of Race And Ethnicity, Sidney Bigham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States has made significant advancements in healthcare, yet maternal mortality rates continue to rise, with pronounced racial and ethnic disparities in prenatal care (PNC) utilization. The current study examines PNC trends from 2014 to 2022 using data from the CDC WONDER Natality database, focusing on disparities across racial and ethnic groups and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings reveal a concerning decline in PNC utilization, with average visits decreasing from 11.24 in 2014 to 10.96 in 2022. Persistent racial disparities are evident, as Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic women consistently receive fewer PNC visits compared to Non-Hispanic White …

Nebraska's Preparedness For A Growing Diverse Aging Population: A Survey Of Area Agencies On Aging, Vince Barger

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

This paper aims to examine the current efforts of Nebraska’s Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) to serve a growing diverse population of older adults (United States Census Bureau, 2023). This project is comprised of a survey created to gauge the thoughts and opinions of Nebraska AAA employees supplemented by a comprehensive literature review. The findings of the literature review indicate the need for an understanding of the importance of diversity and how it affects individual life experiences. The survey revealed that the AAAs are already making changes to reflect the population shift that is currently happening, such as specific programs …

Educational Leadership In A Vuca World: The Crisis Management Experiences Of Rural School Superintendents, Lucas J. Grossnicklaus

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The job of both urban and rural superintendents is challenging, but it is the rural school superintendency that comes with unique challenges that aren’t always faced by their urban and suburban counterparts. The COVID-19 Pandemic brought about a number of crises for school superintendents such as school closures, mask mandates, and navigating positions taken by governors, teachers unions, and school boards. While concerns about school closures and mask mandates has dissipated, conflict within school districts has only seemed to grow since the pandemic.

This multi-case study explored the lived experience of rural superintendents in the Midwest who have experienced a …

Black Scare, Red Scare: The Fbi’S Covert War On Black Radical Activism, Christian E. Maddox

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Black resistance movements have always existed to push the envelope and fight to establish political agency and freedom against the state and surrounding institutions that work to dispose of and disenfranchise Black communities across the U.S. The contentious relationship between the U.S. government and leftist movements is a rich and developed ground of scholarship analyzing how repression emerges and evolves across time as a tool against social movements fighting for change. This scholarship however misses how state agencies work to undermine and racially flatten Black radical movements through crafting official, racialized narratives and images that reshape what these movements represent. …

The Shift In Children's Dance: From A Culture Of Innocence To A Battlefield Of Hypersexualization, Mary Bawden

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.