Peace and Conflict Studies Commons^™

Heart Work: A Phenomenological Analysis Of School-Embedded Program Facilitators In High-Need South Florida Schools, Takia Bullock

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Student misconduct leading to youth violence has been recognized as a major public health problem requiring intervention. To reduce antisocial behaviors, school districts and non-profit organizations promote prosocial behaviors and problem-solving skills. Positive youth development, social emotional learning, positive behavioral intervention support, and conflict resolution programs have been implemented in many school districts; yet problems associated with aggression, poor decision-making, and low student achievement still occur. This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study explored the lived experiences of seven school-embedded positive intervention program facilitators implementing programs with conflict management components for at-risk students in high need South Florida schools. Semi-structured interviews were …

Why Would I Want To Talk To Them? An Exploration Of Perceptions Of Talking Across Political Divides, Melinda Burrell

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Americans are increasingly reluctant to talk across the political divide, a problematic situation for a system predicated on a citizenry exploring a marketplace of ideas and arriving at policy consensus. This study seeks to illuminate this problem through a qualitative, exploratory study around the research question of how conservatives and liberals experience communicating across the political divide. Results are examined through a research framework that first posits the benefit of deliberative democracy (Habermas, 1996), then identifies two major challenges to such – the tendency to avoid uncomfortable political discussions (Eliasoph, 1998) and the emotional, identity-driven process of polarization (Iyengar and …

Apart Yet Still Together: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of How Coparents Navigate Conflict Post-Divorce, Rebecca Anderson

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the experiences of parents choosing to coparent after divorce in an effort to understand the challenges and conflicts they encountered and how they managed those conflicts. The qualitative study included the experiences of 18 individuals, 9 mothers and 9 fathers through semi-structured interviews. Participants ranged in age from 31 to 52 years old. While all shared custody, they varied in custody arrangements. The number of years divorced ranged from one year to fifteen years. Parents had anywhere from one to four children between them. At the time of the divorce, children ranged in age from seven months …

A Quantitative Exploration Of Conflict Potential And Perceptions Of Threats, Benefits And Barriers: Toward Conflict Prevention When Dogs Visit Nature Trails, Jane Marie Szostak Walsh

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

The managers of natural settings, that welcome visitors with dogs, often post regulations requiring dog waste to be collected and dogs to be leashed, but noncompliant behavior persists. Using an outdoor-recreation conflict model (ORCM) dog-walking practices were positioned as potential sources of conflict. The overarching purpose of this study was to explore the utility of pairing the ORCM with an expectancy decision-making model (the health belief model, HBM) when developing a persuasive message to promote the collection of dog waste. As a cross-sectional, descriptive, online survey, responses from 284 trail visitors who walk with a dog were used to test …

Territorial Threat And Women’S Legislative Representation, Alice J. Kang, Nam Kyu Kim

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

Why do some countries have fewer women in parliament than do others? Recent studies find that women have less access to positions of political power in countries facing external threats. Exist-ing studies, however, do not differentiate between types of threat. We theorize that territorial threats are a particular driver of gender inequality in national parliaments. When a country’s land is under threat, people prefer having “tough” representatives in the national legislature who are competent on the military and defense moreso than when a country faces other threats. Moreo-ver, when countries face territorial threats, they build larger standing armies and adopt …

Conflict Style Is Not A Label: The Relationship Of Age, Education Level, Work Level, Reason For Assessment, And Time Between Assessments To Conflict Style Change, Michael P. Kelly

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Organizations and research that are only measuring conflict style one time, are treating conflict style as a trait or label. However, conflict style can change over time, and with context. Even the circumstances around the conflict itself may impact how individuals handle conflict. This means that individuals may demonstrate different conflict styles in different circumstances. There is little research that explores the implications of individual conflict style change if measured at different times and in different circumstances. Nor is there much research that explores what factors may have an influence on conflict style change. This study explores whether conflict style …

The Verbal And Non-Verbal Indicators Of Deceit In Financial And Political Fraud: A Case Study Of Bernard L. Madoff, Chen Shui-Bien And Bo Xilai, Vivian Wu

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

From the earliest financial scams of the seventeenth century, through the headlinegrabbing Wall Street scandals of our time, financial fraud and embezzlement have damaged both domestic and global economic systems. Preventative measures are the best way to reduce fraud. Fraudsters are adaptive and will find ways to circumvent such measures. Detecting fraud is essential once the prevention mechanisms have failed. This dissertation investigated the inherent problems of financial fraud detection for high stake fraudsters in the corporate and political fields in the United States, China and Taiwan. Both verbal and non-verbal signs of deception were examined in the case studies …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Trauma On Foster Youth Aging Out Of The Florida Foster Care System: Implications For Supportive Interventions And Practices, Kesia Vazquez

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

In the U.S. there are approximately 25,000 youth that leave the Child Welfare System without a stable long-term housing arrangement and are left to age out of foster care and transition into adulthood (Dion, Dworsky, Kauff, & Kleinman, 2014, p. iii). These foster youth alumni (FYA) travel through various paths yet share many traumatic events that cause long-term effects that influence coping skills. This qualitative and phenomenological study aims to investigate the various traumas experienced, before and during foster care, and the coping skills that FYA have developed. A total of 16 FYA, from the Florida Child Welfare System, were …

Correlates Of War And Sino Revisionism, Douglas Sanders

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

Some conflict resolution and national security professionals contend there is no shortfall of qualitative research on Asia, China, Realism, or war. That said, this doctoral dissertation has two overarching purposes: first, an empirical study of interstate conflict at the regional and systematic levels. Second, is to examine the extent to which the Correlates of War covariates associated with the People’s Republic of China’s revisionist strategies. Combining these objectives led to the formulation of the main research question: What is the relationship between the correlates of war and China’s revisionist strategy in Asia? Realism contends that strong national capability and displays …

A Silent Dilemma: The Challenges Black Collegiate Women Face Disclosing Sexual Victimization, Lawrence William Henry

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on Black women, who were sexually assaulted in college, and the dilemmas they faced with disclosure between 1989 to 1999. The purpose of this study was to conduct an interpretative phenomenological analysis on the experiences of how Black women, who were sexually assaulted as college undergraduates, understood reasons for their non-disclosure while in college. Interviewing eight research participants, the researcher sought to identify, through one’s lived experience, the factors that created disclosure dilemmas for Black women who were sexually assaulted as college undergraduates. Through this effort, the researcher identified several intrinsic and extrinsic reasons and the leading …

Presidential Authoritarianism In The United States And Russia During The Metamodern Era, Christopher Davis

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined the public language of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to assess how they frame modern crises. Both the United States and Russia have experienced internal turmoil, social discord, political and economic instability, and international conflict since the termination of their hostilities three decades ago. Helming the presidential offices of these great powers, self-described strongmen Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin nostalgically promise to restore the lost glories of their respective countries while making mawkish appeals to tribal identities to build popular support for authoritarian tendencies and practices; preying on popular yearning for stability in …

The Effect Of Strikes On Students Who Attended Imo State University, Nigeria, From 2012 -2017: A Phenomenological Study, Innocent Okechukwu Ntiasagwe

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This research focused on the effect of the university strikes from 2012 to 2017, on students of Imo State University, in the Imo State of Nigerian. The study used a qualitative methodology, specifically, transcendental phenomenology. In-depth interviews were used to collect data. Eight student participants (alumni), who had attended Imo State University were interviewed. Appropriate approval was obtained from the Nova Southeastern University Institutional Review Board (IRB). The meaning of the student’s lived experience was analyzed. The researcher identified the main causes of strike action and its effect on students at Imo State University and the conflict among its stakeholders. …

Voice Of The Employer: A Mixed-Methods Study Of Winning Messages For Nlrb Elections, John Mark Codd

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation studied the conflict associated with National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) elections from the perspective of employers. Using systems and structural violence theories, the influences that foment conflict were identified and solutions were proffered through the lenses of both theories. This mixed methods study contributed to the scholarship of NLRB campaign messaging and tactics by incorporating the heretofore-omitted voice of the employer, through quantitative correlational analyses of a 300 NLRB elections database as well as a survey of over 30 employer representatives. A third portion of the study incorporated qualitative thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews of seven subject matter …

A Qualitative Study On The Perceived Value Of Emotional Intelligence Training On Foster Parents, Omar Shere Johnson

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

The experiences of a child in the foster care system rely heavily on the preparedness ofthe foster parent. For decades, researchers and practitioners have written about the challenges that foster children face while in the foster care system and discussed ways to assist them. This research discusses another way to improve the preparedness of a foster child as they go through the foster care system—improving the parenting skills of the foster parent using emotional intelligence. The entirety of this study is the analysis and study of this specific research question, “What perceived impact can emotional intelligence training (IV) have on …

Prostitution In Havana, Cuba, A Conflict Analysis Of “The Phenomenon Of Jineterismo In Havana, Cuba.” A Narrative Study, Nery Roman

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This narrative inquiry discovered the phenomenon of jineteras and jineterismo in Havana, Cuba. Jinetera (single) or jineterismo (group) refers to female prostitution in Cuba. Thus, the study examines the life experiences of jineteras, including the causes and influences. This dissertation provided an opportunity for women currently involved in jineterismo to voice their narratives in a natural and safe environment. The study involved seven jineteras who engaged in the research through informal interviews. This narrative inquiry protects individuals’ social situations and circumstances. The researcher examined the interview data through a holistic – content, the life story of an individual, and the …

Bent Nose Row, Joe Maslanka

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A young man joins a boxing club and learns some hard lessons about the world.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit.

What Was He Thinking, Jack Frazer

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A law enforcement negotiator tries to make sense of the aftermath of a failed negotiation.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit.

Discovery, Kathleen Harrison

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A Marine reflects on the cyclic nature of mental health through her experience with depression and recovery.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit.

Going Ashore In Thule, David Schlitz

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A Coast Guard member aboard The Westwind recounts his team’s adventures during the summer of 1961 in Thule.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit.

Homecoming, Claes Tholand

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A young Navy SK3 experiences his last mission before coming home to a country with very different opinions about his service.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit.