Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons^™

Bio-Politics Of State Repression: A Case Study Of The Indignados Social Movement In Ciudad Juárez, México, Igi G. Acosta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Police repression has become one of the most widespread experiences of participating in social movements. This thesis provides a case study of how repression is experienced and how it affected the Indignados social movement in Ciudad Juárez, México. Specifically, it chronicles the circumstances around two separate repressive events that occurred on November 1, 2011. The thesis has two broad aims. First, it seeks to provide a sociological analysis of how state repression applied through structural and systematic use of police violence affected the political trajectory and lives of peaceful and non-violent activists from Ciudad Juárez. This highlights the violent reality …

Esta Con La Partera: A Qualitative Feminist Perspective Of Women's Birthing Experiences In El Paso Texas, Anessa Anchondo-Rivera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The state of pregnancy is a political one, where women act within and from the social structures that can influence life choices. Through in-depth interviews, this qualitative study examines the choices of six women who birthed at the only birthing center in El Paso County, El Paso Texas. This research uses feminist standpoint theory and life course approach theory to examine how these six women interviewed negotiated their decision-making processes during their pregnancy and birth. Through the use of visual sociology, the research also uses the documentary Catching Babies as a secondary source to examine the services of Maternidad La …

The Effect Of A Fluent Signing Narrator On Quality Of Maternal Behavior During E-Book Shared Reading Interactions With Their Children With Hearing Loss, Mar Alejandra Bonilla Yáñez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: The average high school student with hearing loss graduates reading at a 4th grade level. A factor that may contribute to the literacy development in children with typical hearing is language modeling and support surrounding shared book reading. The shared book reading experiences of children with hearing loss (CHL) and their parents may be different in quantity and quality from their peers with typical hearing. There is evidence reporting parental frustration and feeling of incompetence when reading to their CHL due to a sensory mismatch between the childâ??s and the parentâ??s mode of communication and skills. This study investigated …

The Effect Of A Fluent Signing Narrator On Children's Behavior During Technology-Enhanced Shared Reading With Children With Hearing Loss And Their Parents, Gabriela Itzel Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Shared reading plays an essential role in the language and literacy development of children who are at risk of future problems in those areas. Children with hearing loss (CHL) are a group who usually experience limited and poor quality activities that foster literacy development such as shared reading (SR). Researchers examining high quality interactions have rated child behaviors, primarily attention and initiation, during shared reading and play based activities finding positive correlations between these behaviors and the overall development in typically developing children as well as in children with other impairments such as Autism Spectrum Disorder and Down syndrome (Kim …

Volunteering And Democratization In Southern Africa: A Structural And Cultural Analysis, Sara Compion

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

This dissertation examines the practices and social constructions of volunteering in Southern Africa. Grounded in structural and cultural theory, I focus on volunteering as the product, rather than the raw material, of political processes. My approach stresses the volunteers’ perspectives, yet centers on critiques of dominance. In doing so, I destabilize the view of volunteering as inherently pro-social behavior, or as intrinsically characteristic of deepening democratic systems.

Combining evidence from Afrobarometer surveys and twelve months of ethnographic fieldwork in South Africa and Zambia I show how meanings and practices, not just resources and capital, shape the socially constructed nature of …

High Wire, No Net: Emergence From Generational Poverty Without Higher Education, Corey Alan Caugherty

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Existing literature indicates that education is vital to overcoming poverty, yet educational prospects for those in persistent, generational poverty (GP) are often limited. This qualitative phenomenological study centered on the emergence from GP of individuals without formal education beyond 12th grade or a high school equivalency certificate, and explored how those who have done it perceived their experiences. Rutter's resilience theory was the conceptual framework for examining this phenomenon and its challenges and processes. A sample of five adult participants from the United States were recruited using a snowball method, completed a screening survey, and then participated in in-depth interviews. …

Exploring Transition Factors Among Female Veterans Of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (Oif/Oef), Myra Robinson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Many transitional challenges have affected female veterans after returning from serving in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The number of females joining the military and becoming involved in combat has increased within the past 10 years. Research exists on the transitional challenges of male veterans. However, little research exists on the reintegration challenges faced by female veterans. As these females become veterans, they are more visible in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System. Given this increase in number of female veterans, it is important to address transitional challenges experienced by females who served in Operations Enduring Freedom and Operation …

A Composite Index To Measure Integration Of Global Business Citizenship, Linda L. Sanner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Among the top Fortune 100 U.S. companies, 97% claim to be global business citizens, primarily based on self-evaluated qualitative criteria. The purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional survey design study was to develop a self-administered survey and apply it to calculate a composite index rating that assesses the maturity level a company has attained toward becoming a global business citizen. The theoretical framework underpinning the research was based on the theory of global business citizenship (GBC) and accompanying four-step implementation process. The GBC theory was utilized to develop the research survey consisting of 1 qualifying question and 22 Likert-type questions. The …

Domestic Violence Intervention Program Facilitators' Motivation For Working With Repeat Offenders, Elaine Marie Barclay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Domestic violence (DV) rehabilitative program facilitators administer the same treatment programs to males who reoffend. When DV facilitators administer the same unsuccessful treatment programs to repeat offenders, facilitators may lose intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to perform their job. For this study a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology approach was used to explore the phenomenon of DV facilitators' motivation. Self-determination theory was used to frame the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on DV facilitators who administer treatment programs to repeat offending males. A recruitment flyer was placed in the DV organization, data were collected from 7 participants through face-to-face or telephone interviews …

Using Data Mining To Predict The Occurrence Of Respondent Retrieval Strategies In Calendar Interviewing: The Quality Of Retrospective Reports, Robert Belli, L. Dee Miller, Tarek Al Baghal, Leen-Kiat Soh

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Determining which verbal behaviors of interviewers and respondents are dependent on one another is a complex problem that can be facilitated via data-mining approaches. Data are derived from the interviews of 153 respondents of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) who were interviewed about their life-course histories. Behavioral sequences of interviewer-respondent interactions that were most predictive of respondents spontaneously using parallel, timing, duration, and sequential retrieval strategies in their generation of answers were examined. We also examined which behavioral sequences were predictive of retrospective reporting data quality as shown by correspondence between calendar responses with responses collected in prior …

Content Analysis In The Study Of Crime, Media, And Popular Culture, Lisa Kort-Butler

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Content analysis is considered both a quantitative and a qualitative research method. The overarching goal of much of the research using this method is to demonstrate and understand how crime, deviance, and social control are represented in the media and popular culture. Unlike surveys of public opinions about crime issues, which seek to know what people think or feel about crime, content analysis of media and popular culture aims to reveal a culture’s story about crime. Unlike research that examines how individuals’ patterns of media consumption shape their attitudes about crime and control, content analysis appraises the meaning and messages …

Phenomenological Study Of Career Advancement Experiences Of Ethnic Female Migrant, Evelyn Oghogho Brisibe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the 2006 census, Statistics Canada recorded that 23% of immigrant women aged 15 and over had a university degree at the bachelor's level or above. These women could help sustain an organization's competitive advantage and respond to labor shortages posed by an aging population. This phenomenological study highlighted self-initiated migration journey and career advancement experiences of migrant women. Through LinkedIn and referrals from non-profit organizations, a sample of 20 women was recruited. All women had migrated to Canada between the ages 32 to 50, all had 5 to 10 years of residence in Canada and all had college degrees …

Servant Leaders' Use Of High Performance Work Practices And Corporate Social Performance, Michelle Kathleen Fitzgerald Preiksaitis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Business researchers have shown that servant leaders empower, provide long-term vision, and serve their workers and followers better than do nonservant leaders. High performance work practices (HPWPs) and corporate social performance (CSP) can enhance employee and firm productivity. However, when overused or poorly managed, HPWPs and CSP can lead to the business problems of employee disengagement, overload, or anxiety. Scholars noted a gap in human resource management research regarding whether leadership styles affect HPWPs and CSP use. This study examined the relationship between leadership style and the use of HPWPs and CSP, by using a quantitative, nonexperimental design. U.S. business …

Socioeconomic Status Mobility And Lifetime Exposure To Discrimination On Cardiovascular Disease Events, Nkenge H. Jones-Jack

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Blacks in the United States have the highest rates of hypertension in the world, and their cardiovascular disease mortality rates are higher than for any other population group as a result of traditional risk factors such as obesity and stronger family history. However, additional underlying factors, such as social determinants of health (e.g., socioeconomic status [SES]) and macrosocial factors (e.g., racism), also correlate with adverse health outcomes. This study investigated whether the interaction between SES mobility over the lifecourse and lifetime racial discrimination influenced the extent to which hypertension contributed to the cardiovascular disease health disparities observed among Blacks in …

The Influence Of Public Policy Interventions On Millennial Distracted Driving Behavior, Karen Anne Versuk

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite recent public policy initiatives limiting or banning forms of distracted driving resultant from cellular phone use, crashes remain on the rise. Individuals from the millennial generation, ages 16 to 35, appear to be most susceptible to distracted driving. Understanding the behaviors, attitudes, and habits of millennials is critical to developing effective policy for behavior change. A dual task ethnographic study framed by Skinner's theory of behavior modification and Maslow's hierarchy of needs motivational model, was used to investigate to what extent millennials feel public policy has influenced their driving, and if additional policy initiatives are required to deter distracted …

Life Events, Initial Sexual Behaviors, And Teenage Pregnancy Among African American Females, Yonzetta Brook Tillman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Teenage pregnancy is disproportionate between African American and Caucasian females. This disproportion is notable because African American teenagers are 3 times more likely to become pregnant than their Caucasian counterparts are. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists among major life events, sexual behaviors, and resultant teenage pregnancy among African American females in the United States. The theoretical framework for this study was social learning theory. Three key research questions focused on relationships among (a) major life events and initial sexual behavior, (b) ethnicity, and (c) teenage pregnancy. Independent variables were life event and ethnicity, …

Motives For Participation In Triathlons Among Midlife To Older Black Women: A Mixed Method Study, Candace Brown

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Research has established the positive link between physical activity and its impact on health among adults. Generally, as people get older, they are less likely to be active. Black women comprise 13% of the women in the US but constitute 52% of women who are inactive. Existing articles on exercise motivation among Black women have generally assessed sedentary individuals. Little research has examined the motivations to exercise among physically active Black women. METHODS: Guided by the regulators of the Self Determination Theory, the 56 item Motivations of Marathoners Scales for Triathletes (MOMS-T) was used to assess the motives of …

Understanding The Influence Of Human Emotions In Organizations: The Emotional Extent Effects, Lambert Ikechi Ofoegbu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emotional disengagement of employees may cause poor organizational performance, while emotional commitment of employees may enhance organizational performance. Informed by the theory of psychological ownership in organizations, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore how employee emotional interactions in the workplace related to organizational performance within 3 multinational companies in Nigeria. The 3 selected companies represented the 3 industrial sectors in Nigeria were financial, construction, and oil and gas. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 24 participants with a minimum of 5 years' experience in their respective organizations. Data analysis included transcription, coding, and querying, which produced …

Correlations Of Race, Ethnicity, And Family Relations On The Developmental Outcomes Of Youth Raised In Single Mother Headed Households, Sabrina Blount Watson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite known risk factors associated with families headed by single mothers such as delinquency, substance abuse, and early unprotected sex, researchers have rarely focused on how family relations positively shape the developmental trajectories of youth living in nontraditional families. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between the independent variables of ethnicity, parent-child relationship, and family interaction (including the relationship with important non-parental adults) and the dependent variables of developmental outcomes (social and emotional competence) for youth living in families headed by single mothers. The associations were investigated using data collected from the Project on Human …

Emergency Responder Causal Reasoning Impact, Derek Skuzenski

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This ethnographic and phenomenological study examined the relationship between the benefits and compensation afforded to emergency responders; their perceptions of work equity, equality, justice, and risk management; and the effect of perceived equity, equality, justice, and risk management on the execution of an emergency responder's duties. The data was collected through interviews with members of the culture group, including law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical responder's (n = 24). The interviews were audio recorded, then manually transcribed by the researcher. The raw data was coded for reoccurring themes and commonalities. The reoccurring themes were organized and displayed in tables …