Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Intercultural Confrontation Styles Of Culturally Homophilous And Culturally Heterophilous Japanese And U.S. College Students, Toyoko Hattori

Dissertations and Theses

This study focuses on confrontational behavior patterns exhibited by Japanese and U.S. college students in the Portland Metropolitan area. Four questions are addressed: 1) is there a difference Japanese and U.S. confrontation styles? 2) do Japanese use differing confrontation styles depending upon whom they are interacting with? 3) do U.S. individuals use differing confrontation styles depending upon whom they are interacting with? and 4) is there a significant gender difference between Japanese and U.S. confrontation styles? In addition, correlations between the Japanese and U.S. reported confrontation styles and their demographic data are examined.

Perception Of Stressors By 9th And 12th Grade Students Utilizing The Youth Adaptation Rating Scale, Michael James Krummel

Dissertations and Theses

Stress is a fact of life. There has been much research done since the early 1970's dealing with the various aspects and relationships of stress and life events for all stages of human development. The purpose of this study was to investigate perceived life-event stressors of 9th grade and 12th grade students in three Pacific Northwest rural schools. The study also sought to a) ascertain whether male students in the 9th grade and 12th grade perceive stressful life events differently than female students in the same grade, and b) explore if there was a difference in perceptions of students of …

"Staying" And "Straying" : Social Reproduction And Resistance To Secularization, Lisa Graham Mcminn

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores how church-founded liberal arts colleges--specifically fundamental/evangelical liberal arts colleges--stayed the drift toward secularization. It uses comparative case studies to examine the structures and beliefs which enabled "staying" schools to resist secularization. Social reproduction theories are used to explain both the reproduction of the dominant culture (secularization) and the reproduction of a subculture (fundamentalism/evangelicalism). Secularizing institutions conform to state incentives and so reproduce what the state sees as necessary for societal survival. Resisting institutions isolate themselves from the dominant culture by establishing boundaries which let in only what accords with the church and so reproduce a culture the …

Residential Mobility And Revitalization In Portland Between 1970 And 1980: A Study Of The Urban Structural Impacts On Neighborhood Revitalization, Sheka Gassimou Kamara

Dissertations and Theses

Evidence of physical decline due in part to the rapid encroachment of commercial and industrial activity into some of Portland's residential areas in the mid-1960s and efforts to combat the forces of time and change through neighborhood revitalization provide the basis for this study. Additionally, some of the characteristics often employed in explaining the phenomenon in cities are manifested in the city of Portland. For example, Portland is endowed with a distinctive and well established downtown area that provides opportunities for the establishment of businesses as well as white-collar job opportunities. By the standards of the U.S. Bureau of the …

Environmental And Age Differences In The Formation Of Romantic Pairs And Self-Monitoring In Adolescents, Russell I. Oelheim

Dissertations and Theses

Mark Snyder (1974) in his Self-Monitoring (SM) construct proposed there were two ways in which people might be classified: high and low self-monitors. High SM individuals attend to environmental cues and respond to the expectations of a given situation, while low SM individuals respond to their feelings, inner states and personal values. This construct has been extensively researched with adults and children, but not with adolescents.

David Elkind (1979), in his Imaginary Audience (IA) construct, suggested that upon reaching puberty, teenagers become vitally aware of how they are perceived by others. Elkind maintained that girls in early adolescence were more …

The Concept Of Self-Disclosure In Initial Interaction Between Strangers In Japan, Hizuru Sugita

Dissertations and Theses

The study of self-disclosure has been developed and elaborated mainly in the United States, and only a few studies have directly examined self-disclosure in the Japanese cultural context. This study was designed to extend the study of self-disclosure to Japanese culture, and using the concept of ingroup and outgroup relationships, examine the relationship between the level of self-disclosure and perceived social attraction in initial interaction between Japanese strangers. Based on the literature on self-disclosure and features of Japanese culture and communication, two hypotheses were constructed:

H1: For the ingroup members, the high discloser will be perceived to be more socially …

Food And Females: The Taming Of The Oregon Palate?, Peggy Ann Lutz

Dissertations and Theses

Food and Females, The Taming of the Oregon Palate? is a study of the variations in the preparation and consumption of food as reflected in the changes in the roles of women during the hundred years between the settlement of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver and 1920, which marks the beginning of modern times.

Most of the data obtained for this topic was in the form of personal testimonies or culinary records, which came from nineteenth and early twentieth century diaries, journals, letters, and cookbooks. Some secondary sources were used, as well, primarily in the research on Fort …

The Effects Of Captioned Videotapes On The Listening Comprehension Test Scores Of Esl Students, Yuan-Chyuan Andy Lin

Dissertations and Theses

This study was meant to provide some empirical evidence to confirm or disconfirm the assumption that the use of captioned videotapes will enhance the listening comprehension of second language students. This study compared the listening comprehension test results of intermediate English as a Second Language (ESL) students using videotapes with and without captions. Two episodes of an educational program were selected for the study. Students viewed one episode with captions and a second episode without captions. A total of sixty-four students participated in this study. Thirty-two students in Class 1 watched Video I with captions first and then watched Video …

The Geography Of Tourist Hotels In Beijing, China, Hongshen Zhao

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis, utilizing data obtained through the author's working experience and on extensive academic investigation, aims to establish and analyze the locational deficiency of some 100 foreign tourist hotels in Beijing and its origin. To do so, an optimal hotel location is first determined by analysis of social, economic, cultural and environmental features of Beijing in relation to the tourism industry.

Specifically, a standard package tour program of Beijing is established and then analyzed in spatial and temporal terms, the result of which is further mapped by using a weighted mean center technique. The international tourists and the hotels in …

A Comparative Analysis Of U.S. Foreign Policy In Iran And The Philippines, Christina M. Blumel

Dissertations and Theses

This paper is a comparative analysis of U.S. foreign policy towards Iran and the Philippines. The question which prompted this research topic was simple: why was the outcome for the United States so different in terms of subsequent relations with each state after the downfall of the Shah and Ferdinand Marcos? Both leaders were important U.S. allies in strategic states that had benefited from foreign aid. Opposition groups in each state resented this support of their repressive leaders. Unlike Iran, good relations with the Philippines continued during the Aquino presidency, without the resentment and mistrust which prevented good relations after …

The Effect Of Urbanization And Modernization On Family Structure In Oman, Sultan M. Al-Hashmi

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis was designed to describe family change in Oman as it undergoes urbanization and modernization. A survey questionnaire to measure these changes was developed. Some questions were developed in two forms for a comparison of family change across two generations. Respondents were asked to answer the questions as they applied to their current family situation. They were then asked to consider, according to their best recollections, what the situation was in their parents' generation.

Effects Of Setting On Japanese Esl Students' Interaction Patterns, Noriko Yamamoto

Dissertations and Theses

Japanese ESL students are often evaluated negatively by their teachers because of their quiet verbal behavior in the classroom; yet, this study suggests that such silence may be situation specific. The purpose of this study is to describe characteristics of eight Japanese ESL students' production and interaction by comparing with those of four non-Japanese students, across three settings: teacher-fronted, group work, and NS-NNS conversation.

Empathy, Holonomic Brain Processes And Patanjali's Sutras: A Study Of Western And Eastern Models Of Perception As They Relate To Empathic Communication, Dana Ralston Mccullough

Dissertations and Theses

Communication scholars, psychologists, teachers and social scientists recognize the importance of empathy to effective communication; however, its essential nature remains a mystery. The nonverbal and subjective aspects of empathic perception make it difficult to study with traditional Western scientific tools. Existing studies of empathic process concentrate primarily on the early or the latter stages. The central steps are seldom addressed. A method is needed for following empathic perception to its core processes and exploring the principles that govern its nature. Systems science offers a viable alternative method of studying empathy through analysis of models, emphasizing principles of interaction and process.

The Effects Of Negligence And Causation Information On Jurors' Determination Of Liability, David K. Blanchard

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the effect of arguments for and against defendant's behavior being negligent and for and against defendant's behavior being a cause of damages to the plaintiff. The findings were (a) that negligence arguments affected negligence ratings, causation ratings, and verdicts and (b) that causation arguments affected none of the measures.

Assessing The Intercultural Sensitivity Of American Expatriates In Kuwait, Deborah Ann Turner

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to apply a developmental model of intercultural sensitivity to a group of people in an intercultural setting and discover whether or not the model is descriptive. The data collected are also used to determine whether or not the coping mechanisms employed by the sojourners are developmental in terms of this model of intercultural sensitivity.

The population for this study was the American community of Kuwait in 1989 and 1990. Fifteen subjects, all of whom had lived in Kuwait at least two years, were interviewed in Kuwait. The model used is Bennett's (1984) Developmental Model …

The Burnett Site: A Cascade Phase Camp On The Lower Willamette River, Robert M. Burnett

Dissertations and Theses

Artifacts recovered from archaeological excavations near the Willamette River in Lake Oswego, Oregon indicate the presence there of a Late Windust-Early Cascade Phase site possibly dating to 9,000 B.P. The assemblage includes 137 projectile points, bifaces or point fragments, nearly all of the Cascade-type. Two stem fragments and one complete point which are similar to those of the Windust Phase which dates 10,000-8,000 B.P. in the southern Columbia Plateau also were found. Stone knives, choppers, scrapers, hammerstones, cores and microblades also are included in the assemblage. No later type notched or stemmed points have been recovered from the site. If …

Identity Formation : A Comparison Of Adolescents Adopted Through Agency Versus Private Placements, Judith Kay Bentley

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors which might influence the identity formation process in adopted adolescents. Specifically, this research looked at agency versus independent adoption placement as a choice reflecting the adoptive parents' preference for involvement with or distance from a possible adoptive family support network before and after placement. Subjects were also divided according to those whose family had belonged to an adoptive family support group and those who had not. The study involves a combination of descriptive and correlational research methods.

An Assessment Of Behavior Associated With Reproduction And Infant Caretaking In A Captive Family Group Of Saguinus Midas Midas, Melissa Elizabeth Martenson

Dissertations and Theses

The present study gathered both general and specific information about the behavior of a captive family group of Saguinus midas midas [red-handed tamarins] housed at the Washington Park Zoo, Portland, Oregon, USA. Saquinus midas midas is a rarely studied species, and detailed information about the behavior of this species is virtually nonexistent. For this reason, this study collected information about both activity budgets and social grouping within this family group.

The primary focus of this study was, however, the socialization of captive juvenile tamarins with respect to several behaviors relevant to reproductive success among the Callitrichidae. The behaviors assessed were: …

The Function Of Phrasal Verbs And Their Lexical Counterparts In Technical Manuals, Brock Brady

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigates the use of phrasal verbs and their lexical counterparts (i.e. nouns with a lexical structure and meaning similar to corresponding phrasal verbs) in technical manuals from three perspectives: (1) that such two-word items might be more frequent in technical writing than in general texts; (2) that these two-word items might have particular functions in technical writing; and that (3) frequencies of these items might vary according to the presumed expertise of the text's audience.

The technical manual was studied because it is the fundamental genre of technical writing and is applicable to a wide audience. Both "lay" …

An Investigation Of English Spelling Problems Of Arabic-Speaking Students, Deborah Georgette Keim

Dissertations and Theses

In this two-part study, English spelling errors of Arabic speaking students are investigated. Specifically, an empirical study is done to document and investigate exactly what kinds of English spelling errors Arabic-speaking students actually make. Then these data are analyzed. and spelling error patterns are discovered. Next. a study is done to determine if the presence of spelling errors in written work has a significant negative effect on readers' evaluations of this writing.

Internal-External Locus Of Control And The Life Experiences Of Soviet Pentecostal Refugees In Portland, Oregon, Amy Roberts

Dissertations and Theses

The construct internal-external locus of control was utilized to examine the Soviet Pentecostal refugees' perception of life experiences in the United States as defined by three dimensions: social, economical, and political. Unlike the majority of immigration research, which focuses on structural variables, this research further addressed the concept of acculturation as a long term process of resettlement. Subjects completed an anonymous forced choice questionnaire consisting of the Rotter (1966) locus of control instrument scale. Pearson Product moment correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the strength of the relationships between the internal-external locus of control scores and five factor analyzed life …

Percentage Of Phonological Process Usage In Expressive Language Delayed Children, Sherri Lynn Miller

Dissertations and Theses

Language delay and phonological delay have been shown to coexist. Because they so often co-occur, it is possible that they may interact, sharing a relationship during the child's development. A group of children who were "late talkers" as toddlers, achieved normal development in their syntactic ability by the preschool period. Because their language abilities are known to have increased rapidly, data on their phonological development could provide information on the relationship between phonological and syntactic development.

The purpose of this study was to compare the percentage of phonological process usage of the eight most commonly used simplification processes in four-year-old …

Metaphoric Extension As A Basis For Vocabulary Teaching In English As A Second Language, Dennis L. Bergmann

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis addresses the problem of teaching and learning vocabulary in English as a Second Language (ESL), and proposes that a vocabulary based on the process of metaphoric extension could be taught directly. Despite the fact that an inadequate vocabulary is one of the main obstacles for intermediate-level ESL students, both ESL teachers and applied linguists have emphasized other aspects of English more than the study of vocabulary teaching and learning. Consequently, ESL students have few strategies for learning vocabulary other than reliance on the dictionary, and the predominant strategy for teachers is to present words rather unsystematically in the …

Analysis Of English Articles Used By Japanese Students, Noriko Iwasaki

Dissertations and Theses

English articles are perhaps the most difficult grammatical items for Japanese students to master. However, because these are among the most frequently occurring grammatical items in English, Japanese students must concern themselves with them.

Therapeutic Group Approaches For Issues Related To Suicide, Ardis Sherwood

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to (a) summarize a sample of the literature that pertains to suicidal behavior; (b) explore the benefits of the group approach for people who experience suicide-related issues; (c) provide information and models for special suicide-related groups; and (d) discuss age-variations of suicidal behavior.

Intercultural Communication Competence And Intercultural Adjustment Of Japanese Business Sojourners And Their Spouses, Muneo Hotta

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the relationship among intercultural communication competence, attitudes toward the U.S. culture, and linguistic skills in English for Japanese business sojourners and their spouses living in the United States.

A Study Of The Perceptual Learning Style Preferences Of Japanese Students, Elizabeth Ann Hoffner

Dissertations and Theses

This study was based on a study by Joy Reid (1987) on the perceptual learning style preferences of English as a Second Language (ESL) students. The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptual learning style preferences of three groups of students: Japanese students studying in the US, Japanese students studying in Japan, and American students studying in the US. The perceptual styles studied were visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile, with the additional styles of group and individual learning also being studied. The learning style preferences were identified so as to determine the relationship between style and the variables …

The Importance Of Phonological Practice And Other Strategies For Vocabulary Recall And Comprehension, Kristi Allyn Dubois

Dissertations and Theses

This study looks at English as a Second Language (ESL) students• use of vocabulary learning strategies and whether use of specific strategies is related to success in vocabulary recall and comprehension tests. The primary part of the study focuses on the hypothesis that phonological practice with new words will aid long-term recall and comprehension of these words. An empirical experiment with an experimental and control group was designed to test this hypothesis. The secondary section of the study discusses how often subjects reported using the vocabulary learning strategies categorized by Rebecca Oxford in Language Learning Strategies: What Every Teacher Should …

Role And Behavior Of Interpreters : An Exploratory Study In American-Chinese Business Negotiations, Zhijian Kevin Yang

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to identify the roles and behaviors of interpreters. The context of this research is American-Chinese business negotiations. The focus of this study is on the roles and behaviors of interpreters by means of revealing the perspectives of interpreters and American negotiators.

The Spatial Patterning Of Residential Differentiation In Metropolitan Community : The Case Of Kaohsiung City In Taiwan, 1982, Chih-Jen Chen

Dissertations and Theses

The urban growth process produces a complex socio-geographic division of labor among the component parts of the urban community. During this process, each subarea of the community differentiates from the other parts in its physical and demographic characteristics, becomes specialized functionally and structurally. The spatial patterning of the urban community is the result of this differentiation process.