Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Volunteer Engagement And Retention: Their Relationship To Community Service Self-Efficacy, Elizabeth Harp, Lisa L. Scherer, Joseph A. Allen

Psychology Faculty Publications

The declining number of U.S. volunteers is troubling, necessitating improved understanding of drivers of volunteer retention such as volunteer engagement. We utilized the job demands-resources model to investigate the moderating role of community service self-efficacy (CSSE) on the relationships between two demands (organizational constraints and role ambiguity) and volunteer engagement. Volunteers (N = 235) from three U.S. nonprofit organizations participated in a survey as part of a volunteer program assessment. Volunteers who encountered greater organizational constraints and role ambiguity were less engaged. In addition, CSSE attenuated the negative relationship between organizational constraints and engagement, but not the negative association …

Distributive Justice For Volunteers: Extrinsic Outcome Distribution Matters, Christine Hurst, Lisa L. Scherer, Joseph A. Allen

Psychology Faculty Publications

Volunteer organizations continue to suffer from turnover; the current volunteer rate is the lowest since 2002. Distributive justice, satisfaction, and extrinsic outcome importance were examined as influences of volunteer intention to quit. Survey results from 294 volunteers revealed that those who perceived less than fair distribution of extrinsic outcomes experienced heightened intention to quit compared to those who perceived fair distribution. Overall satisfaction partially mediated this relationship. We explored the potential moderating role of volunteers’ assessment of the importance of extrinsic outcomes on the overall mediated relationship.

Communo Magazine, Spring 2017, School Of Communication

CommUNO Magazine

CommUNO magazine is produced by Capstone Communication and published annually by the UNO School of Communication: 6001 Dodge Street, ASH 140, Omaha, NE 68182: Phone: 402.554.2600. Fax: 402.554.3836. For more information, follow us on Twitter@ CommUNO, join the “UNO School of Communication” page on Facebook or visit communication.unomaha.edu.

Comparison Of Population Growth Rates: 2000-2006 Versus 2010-2016, David Drozd

Past Publications

Nebraska gained in both timeframes and moreso in 2010-16 - red shaded category (Number of Counties)

Population Changes In Nebraska Counties 2016, David Drozd

Past Publications

Percentage Change in Population for Nebraska Counties: 2010 to 2016

Percentage Change In Population For Nebraska Counties: 2010 To 2016, David J. Drozd

Past Publications

Source: 2016 Vintage Population Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau

Perspectives On Evaluation In Financial Education: Landscape, Issues, And Studies, William B. Walstad, Carly Urban, Carlos J. Asarta, Elizabeth Breitbach, William Bosshardt, Julie Heath, Barbara O'Neill, Jamie Wagner, Jing Jian Xiao

Economics Faculty Publications

This review discusses the heterogeneity in the effectiveness of financial education programs that occurs because of the unique conditions for programs and methods to evaluate them. The authors define six groups served by financial education: children, youth, college students and young adults, working adults, military personnel, and low-income consumers. They then discuss research and evaluation literature for each group with a critical eye on program purpose, content, and evaluation. They also present findings affecting multiple groups on four issues: student loans, homeownership, retirement planning, and financial advising. The accumulated evidence on the effectiveness of financial education is positive, although the …

An Exploration Of Employment Factors That Facilitate Or Hinder Working College Students’ Academic Success, Gabrielle M. Gergen, Lisa L. Scherer

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This study was part of a larger study which investigated college student experiences, and how students negotiate multiple roles. This study specifically examined college students’ perceptions of how their employment facilitates versus hinders their abilities to meet the demands of other roles in life such as student, family member, significant other, volunteer, and extracurricular participant. We also assessed students’ suggestions for improving employment conditions to succeed in college. One-on-one interviews with 31 college students were conducted face-to-face, or via Facetime, or Skype. All interviews were taped and transcribed verbatim. Consistent with job facilitation theory, the results showed that students identified …

Childhood Victimization Pathways And Violent Extremism, Michael K. Logan

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The current study elaborates on childhood victimization as a nonideological risk-factor for participation in violent extremism. In particular, we focus on contextualizing the early lives of a sample of former members of violent White supremacist groups (n = 44). Data were collected through life-history interviews and analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach. The findings indicate that there are three distinct victimization pathways characterize the early lives of our sample: (a) living in a dangerous family, (b) residing in a dangerous community, and (c) living in an unstable, chaotic family environment. These victimization pathways provide further insight into the …

An Examination Of Within And Between Family Influences On The Intergenerational Transmission Of Violence And Maltreatment, Bradon A. Valgardson

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant problem that results in long-term mental and physical health issues. Previous research has identified a wide range of factors that potentially contribute to IPV perpetration, with childhood and adolescent maltreatment being some of the more commonly examined sources of influence. Despite these contributions, maltreatment has not been adequately distinguished from additional sources of influence that tend to cluster within families, such as other adverse family experiences and genetic influences. The current study attempts to better isolate the influence of maltreatment on IPV perpetration through the use of a sibling sample from the National …

Why Follow? Followership Favorability And Followership Styles, Hanna M. Miller Ms.

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Given the choice between leading or following in a group setting, which would you choose? Leadership and followership both have strengths and limitations. However, the perceptions of followership are typically unfavorable when compared to leadership. This quantitative study expands on the perceptions of followership by analyzing followership favorability among group members and followership styles as they relate to the Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory and Follower’s Active Engagement Theory.

Keywords: Followership, Leadership, LMX Theory, Leader-Member Exchange, Unfavorable Perceptions, Followership Styles, Active Engagement

The Role Of Research In Social Work Education, Lily E. Defrank

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This presentation focuses on the assessment phase of the Generalist Intervention Model which is often used by social workers to enact policy change or address social problems occurring within their communities. Research has a significant role in planning these community interventions. This particular project aims to address a gap in diversity education within the current social work curriculum. Although this project is specific to Social Work and is still being implemented, it serves as an example of how students are often the best advocates for their own education and encourages students to seek evidence based arguments when participating in policy …

The Assessment Of The Impacts Of Differently-Designed Tax And Expenditure Limitations (Tels) On Municipal Government Revenues: A Game Theoretic Approach, Sungho Park

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Nearly every state in the US imposes some form of limitation on local fiscal decisions – typically property taxes. The effects of tax and expenditure limitations (TELs) on fiscal outcomes have received significant attention by scholars, particularly since passage of California’s Proposition 13. The impact of TELs, however, remains an open empirical question, particularly at the municipal level. Do municipal governments with varying types of TELs, changing TEL structures, or no TELs experience different fiscal outcomes? Scholars and practitioners have attempted to answer these questions; however, the existing literature has at least two limitations. First, the extant literature fails to …

Assessment Of Olfactory-Based Social Recognition: Designing A Paradigm For Marmosets, Stephanie Womack

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Navigation of the social world depends largely on one’s responsiveness to social stimuli and information from a wide range of senses can be used to discriminate between individuals. Mammals use several sensory modes to communicate and respond to their surroundings, but olfaction is the dominant sense across most species. Chemosignals provide a wealth of information including sex, age, reproductive status, and individual identity. Currently, assessment of olfaction is largely limited to the habituation-dishabituation paradigm or the two-choice discrimination task used primarily in rodents. These paradigms are limited by their reliance on inherent reward of interaction with stimuli without providing additional …

An Analysis Of Teacher Perceptions Of Student Behavior And Discipline In Schools Implementing Pbis, Lauren Drelicharz

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The purpose of the current study is to examine the relationship between staff perceptions of behavior and discipline and the implementation of positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS). Despite studies that have found PBIS to be effective, research is needed to understand teachers’ perceptions of behavior and discipline in order to identify the needs and concerns of school staff. Identifying such needs and concerns may lead to improved implementation of PBIS. For this study, 292 teachers and other certified staff from a public school district were asked to complete a survey that addresses the perceptions, beliefs, and needs of school …

Authenticity In College Classrooms: A Qualitative Study Exploring Student Perceptions And Instructor Insights, Ursula Vanantwerp

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The political and financial disturbances that have occurred in recent times have created a universal desire for trustworthy leadership. This widespread unrest makes the study of authentic leadership a timely and worthwhile pursuit. The purpose of this study is to examine how college students identify authentic instructors and explore how authentic instructors view themselves. Through a textural analysis of five college students and four college instructors interviewed in-depth in 2016, the findings indicated that the students identified as authentic the professors who shared common interests, showed interest in them, and were comfortable with who they were as instructors. Instructors that …

Who's Tweeting Whom: The Influence Of Rearing Condition On Social Integration In Zebra Finches, Zachary L. Darwish

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) are a gregarious species of finch. Previous work with zebra finches has demonstrated the long-lasting impacts of ear social environment on social behavior in adulthood. Zebra finch chicks were raised by either both parents (biparental) or their mother only (uniparental) and their behavior in an aviary was recorded using passive integrative transponders. Zebra finch ID numbers were recorded every time they entered a feeding station for 31 days. There was a trend for uniparental birds to engage in more visits to a feeding station per event than biparental birds, however, there was no difference …

Bipolar Disorder: Understanding Motivation, Veronica Wolf

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The present study examines motivation from a qualitative, phenomenological perspective in an effort to understand the lived experience of motivation from the perspective of individuals diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Specific areas of interest include the impact of stigma and clinicians on motivation. Of participants expressing interest in the study, six participants (n=6) will be randomly selected and interviewed using a semi-structured format from Community Alliance Day Rehabilitation Program to meet scientific objectives. All participants will be between 25-45 years of age, diagnosed with Bipolar Disorders, and attending Community Alliance Day Rehabilitation Program. The interviews will be transcribed and will analyzed …

Courting Behavior Among Biparentally And Uniparentally Raised Zebra Finches, Angela K. Adams

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Zebra Finch are a monogamous pair bonded species, and a commonly studied animal due to their complex social behavior. Chicks were raised in a biparental (raised by two parents) or uniparental (raised by the female alone) rearing condition. This study was done to test our hypothesis of differences in parental care and how rearing conditions may affect mate choice for the male finch. Through this study we have found that time spent in proximity to the female differed between a uniparentally raised and biparentally raised male finch.

College Student Experiences And Happiness: A Multi-Method Exploration, Stephanie Hines, Lisa L. Scherer

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This study explored student happiness and their perceptions of positive and negative experiences in college. A multi-method approach was used with both qualitative and quantitative data collected. One-on-one interviews with 31 college students were conducted face-to-face and via Face-time or Skype. All interviews were taped, transcribed verbatim, and then coded for themes. Inter-rater coding agreement was assessed and discrepancies were resolved through consensus. The resulting themes reflecting both the positive and negative experiences reported included: professors and courses, academic supportive services and resources, co-curricular supportive services and activities, college friendships, and work-school interface. The most frequently reported experience themes were …

Neuroendocrine And Psychological Factors Associated With Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, And Reduced Compassion Satisfaction In Mental Health Professionals, Michelle Huffman

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Mental health professionals are at increased risk for burnout, compassion fatigue, and reduced compassion satisfaction. Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and loss of personal accomplishment. Compassion fatigue is a more progressed disruption relative to burnout marked by insomnia/nightmares, arousal, loss of objectivity, isolation, and intrusive thoughts. Compassion satisfaction buffers against burnout and compassion fatigue. Although links between demographic, psychological, and biological factors have been documented, interactions between these factors have not been explored. Mental health professionals completed psychological inventories measuring depression, anxiety, burnout, compassion fatigue, and compassion satisfaction. Saliva samples were collected during the Trier Social Stress Test …

A Wellness Approach To Investigating Student Veterans' Academic And Career Goals, Thomas Seguin

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The purpose of this study is to understand what wellness factors motivate veterans to separate from the military, and how these factors are addressed by the selection of the veteran’s academic major. This project is exploratory in nature, and mixed-methods methodology is being utilized to reach a deep understanding of the wellness and career transition experiences of student veterans. A brief questionnaire has been developed to gather demographic data, and has been distributed among the student veteran population at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (41 respondents at the time of this writing). Interview participants will be selected from the …

The Influence Of Humorous Priming And Situation Type On Generation Of Malevolently Creative Ideas, Reo W. Newring

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Creativity is usually considered a positive attribute, but what happens when creativity is used to generate a harmful product? Malevolent creativity (Cropley, Kaufman, & Cropley, 2008) refers to a clever, original product with negative valence, or intention to harm. The purpose of the current study was to examine predictors of malevolent creativity, expanding on existing knowledge and exploring a new area, specifically humor. Humorous primes were used to evoke malevolence, in the form of dialogues between two cartoon characters engaged in highly aggressive, moderately aggressive, self-defeating, or neutral exchanges. Subjects were then provided with a hypothetical situation (problem) and asked …

Keep Calm And Meeting On: Meeting Professionalism And Stress, Kathleen Stibbs

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Purpose - Professionalism in the workplace can be a motivator for employees to be more attentive in their work. Without professionalism, employees may not have a positive image of their organization. Specifically, a lack of professionalism in meetings can elicit negative responses towards meetings and/or other attendees, which can lead to frustration and stress. Workplace meetings are common in nearly any organization, which makes achieving a greater understanding of meeting interaction and its impact all the more important. Consistent with Hobfoll’s conservation theory of resources, a lack of professionalism may elicit feelings of stress. The purpose of this paper is …

Engaging Users: Enabling Data Analysis, James M. Hopkins

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The challenge in many data collection/analysis efforts is that of engaging users to participate. The Juvenile Case Management System (JCMS) project is a solution to that challenge. JCMS is developed in a collaborative effort between the Juvenile Justice Institute (JJI), the Nebraska Crime Commission, and the Public Health Informatics Research Lab.

Information systems must engage their users to be effective. This research investigates engaging users to interact with information systems and improve data collection for analysis.

The JCMS platform provides a web-based, centralized, database system to users working across the state of Nebraska. By involving users in system and screen …

Understanding Shame: The Clinical Implications Of Trauma Work With Female Adolescents, Madeleine Moore

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Childhood trauma and the accompanying negative neurobiological effects can lead to a variety of detrimental physical and mental health outcomes. This presentation, based on data from the CDC's Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study and related childhood trauma studies, examines the psychological and behavioral vulnerabilities of at-risk teenage girls and highlights evidence-based treatment interventions and shame-reducing activities for working with this susceptible, yet resilient, adolescent population.

Intrinsic Motivation And Creativity: The Mediating Role Of Creative Self-Efficacy, Kasey Klatt

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This research examines the relationship between intrinsic motivation and creativity and the mediating effect of creative self-efficacy in that relationship. Past research suggests domain differences in creativity and the relationship between creative self-efficacy and creativity. Therefore, we evaluated whether domain differences exist in this mediated relationship. Mediation analyses indicated mediation for four of the five domains of creativity from Kaufman’s Domains of Creativity. Creative self-efficacy fully mediated the relationship between intrinsic motivation and creativity for the Artistic and Performance domains and partially mediated the relationship for Scholarly and Everyday domains. No evidence of mediation was found for the Mechanical/Scientific domain. …

Being Proactive: An Exploration Of How College Students Prevent Stress, Mikayla M. Woodard

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Stress is an increasing concern in college students because it can negatively affect them mentally, physically and socially. Though many studies have examined the efficacy of various stress management strategies for enhancing college student wellbeing and success, few have explored preventative stress strategies, This study, part of a larger exploration of college student stress and well-being, explored the preventative strategies utilized by college students to prevent stress, anxiety and depression. Individual interviews were conducted face-to-face or via Skype or FaceTime; they were also taped and verbatim responses were transcribed. Participants were asked open-ended questions in order to capture the participant’s …

Unpacking Divergent Thinking And Intelligence: How Factors Influence Creative Performance, Kevin S. Mitchell

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Creativity has gained increasing research attention with focuses on key individual differences and cognitive processes. Creativity is the production of novel and useful ideas, solutions, or products. There are many factors that can influence creativity, but two well-researched constructs are divergent thinking and intelligence. Both divergent thinking and intelligence have been shown to have a positive relationship with creativity. What is less known is how these factors operate to influence creative performance. To examine the possible mechanism by which these factors influence creativity, we utilize a cognitive process model; specifically examining problem construction. Problem construction is the process of defining …

Extra Curricular Activities: How Good Are They?, Sandra J. Vargas-Salinas 7799949

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

The goal of this research program is to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the causes and consequences of college student stress, wellness, and engagement. Toward that goal, this study examined college student perceptions of the positive and negative characteristics of their experiences with extra-curricular and volunteering activities. Using an adapted version of the job demands-resources theory, we explored whether college students viewed these activities as resource-providing, where skills were developed and connections were built, or whether they were viewed as a demand in the service of merely building their resume. The study collected data from a variety of different college …