Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Grammatical Errors By Arabic Esl Students: An Investigation Of L1 Transfer Through Error Analysis, Aisha Saud Alasfour

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the effect of first language (L1) transfer on Arabic ESL learners' acquisition of the relative clauses, the passive voice and the definite article. I used Contrastive Analysis (CA) and Error Analysis (EA) to analyze 50 papers written by Arabic ESL students at the ACTFL Advanced Mid proficiency level. The analysis was paired with interviews with five advanced students to help determine whether L1 transfer was, in fact, influencing students' errors predicted by CA.

Students in this study made L1 errors along with other errors. Although no statistical difference was found between the frequency of transfer and other …

Gendered Partner-Ideals, Relationship Satisfaction, And Intimate Partner Violence, Sylvia Marie Ferguson Kidder

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation identified and developed indicators of a new potential predictor of relationship satisfaction and intimate partner violence (IPV): discrepancies between the ideal and perceived gendered characteristics of romantic partners. Past research has overlooked the implicitly gendered nature of these "partner-ideals." Two pilot studies were conducted to develop measures of gendered partner-ideals and -perceptions based on existing measures of gender ideology.

The main study examined survey data collected online from adults (n = 643) living in the U.S. who were in a heterosexual romantic relationship for at least six months. Three main hypotheses were tested regarding the associations among gender …

A Foucaultian Discourse Analysis Of Person-Centered Practice Using A Genealogical Framework Of Intellectual Disability, Nick Winges-Yanez

Dissertations and Theses

A genealogical framework highlights the important role sexuality has played in constructing the current label of intellectual disability (ID). The genealogical framework is meant to replace the social, medical, and/or rights-based model(s) that have dominated social work and social services working in the disability field. With this framework, or perspective, I use a Foucaultian discourse analysis to read through seminal texts regarding person-centered practice.

Person-centered practice is the foremost intervention used in social work, and other disciplines, to work with people labeled with intellectual disability. My research questions focus on what is revealed about ID in PCP through a genealogical …

The Intersections Of Good Intentions, Criminality, And Anti-Carceral Feminist Logic: A Qualitative Study That Explores Sex Trades Content In Social Work Education, Meg Rose Panichelli

Dissertations and Theses

This study uses anti-carceral feminist logic to explore the cultural meanings, criminal implications, and neoliberal influence that shape the landscape of social work education about the sex trades in the United States and transnationally. "What are social work instructors teaching students about the sex trades in coursework?" is the question that directs the study, which uses a feminist qualitative methodology inclusive of intersectional feminist epistemology as well as direct content analysis. To answer this question, I analyzed 20 social work course syllabi from sex trade related courses across the contiguous United States and interviewed 20 social work instructors from 14 …

Intrapersonal And Social-Contextual Factors Related To Psychological Well-Being Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness, Katricia Stewart

Dissertations and Theses

Homeless youth are typically defined as a group of adolescents and young adults (ages 12-24) who do not have stable dwellings, but instead live on the streets, in shelters or abandoned buildings, or in other unstable situations (e.g., doubling up with friends). Given the myriad of hardships, stressors, and marginalization faced by youth as they navigate life on the streets, it is encouraging that researchers have begun examining well-being among youth experiencing homelessness. However, the few studies examining well-being among homeless youth have produced inconsistent results. Furthermore, little is known about the components of well-being that are both relevant to …

Stance-Taking: Jfl Learners And Benefactive Verbs, Kumiko Takizawa

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores how JFL learners take a benefactive stance in Japanese. As Jaffe (2009) observes, stance-taking "plays a complex role with respect to the naturalization of social and linguistic ideologies and the social structures they legitimate." The way in which language is used to take a stance always concerns the social context in which a speaker finds her/himself. In Japanese, benefactive verbs (kureru, ageru, morau and their honorific and humble equivalents) are indispensable stance indicators for showing gratitude or indebtedness. Such expressions do not really exist in English and their grammar is complex. It is assumed that JFL learners …

Between A Rock And A Hot Place: Economic Development And Climate Change Adaptation In Vietnam, Khanh Katherine Pham

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores 1) the ways that three Vietnamese infrastructure development projects undermine their cities' climate change adaptation goals and 2) the political and economic forces driving these developments. In-depth interviews highlight four main perspectives of planners and decision makers, which explain why these infrastructure projects often undermine cities' climate resilience goals. I describe how the mainstream climate change adaptation planning approach, with its emphasis on participatory planning, good governance and green growth, implicitly reinforces the neoliberal growth model, even as it seeks to ameliorate the inequality and ecological destruction that such a growth model creates. My research reveals how …

Finding Common Ground: Relationship Building And Communication Between Po And Client Within A Community Supervision Setting, Carl Eugene Appleton

Dissertations and Theses

Previous research on the community supervision model entitled Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS) focuses on the increased attention trained probation officers (POs), as opposed to non-trained POs, pay to using core correctional practices (Smith et al. 2012). While studies like this present a picture of what POs do during face-to-face interactions, there is little focus on PO perceptions of these day-to-day practices. Furthermore, still less studies center the clients on supervision in order to better understand topics such as ideal PO, ideal relationship, and perceptions of common community supervision strategies. To address these gaps, this study uses 30 semi-structured …

An Assessment Of Sentencing Disparities Among American Indians Within The Eighth, Ninth, And Tenth Federal Circuit Courts, Makenzie Laron Aaby

Dissertations and Theses

Assessing the effect of race on crime is an important topic of criminology and criminal justice research. Prior investigations have sought to uncover if racial disparities exist within certain aspects of the criminal justice system, such as arrests, trials, and sentencing. The existing scholarship, however, has largely focused on assessing differences between Black and Hispanic offenders in relation to White offenders. There has been little academic exploration to examine if racial disparities exist among American Indian offenders during criminal justice processing. To address this gap in knowledge, this study analyzes data collected from the United States Sentencing Commission to assess …

Insufficient Effort Responding On Mturk Surveys: Evidence-Based Quality Control For Organizational Research, Lee Cyr

Dissertations and Theses

Each year, crowdsourcing organizational research grows increasingly popular. However, this source of sampling receives much scrutiny focused on data quality and related research methods. Specific to the present research, survey attentiveness poses a unique dilemma. Research on updated conceptualizations of attentiveness--insufficient effort responding (IER)--shows that it carries substantial concerns for data quality beyond random noise, which further warrants deleting inattentive participants. However, personal characteristics predict IER, so deleting data may cause sampling bias. Therefore, preventing IER becomes paramount, but research seems to ignore whether IER prevention itself may create systematic error. This study examines the detection and prevention of IER …

Utilitarian Skateboarding: Insight Into An Emergent Mode Of Mobility, Michael Joseph Harpool

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years research and planning efforts to enhance the conditions and opportunities for active transportation modes have increased significantly; however, these efforts have primarily focused on pedestrians and bicyclists. Skateboarding and other alternative modes of mobility remain an untapped potential for healthy and sustainable travel. This research addresses numerous knowledge gaps in the literature on utilitarian skateboarding under the larger umbrella of active transportation. Analysis of online survey results and semi-structured interviews with skateboarders in Portland, OR provides insight into the motivations and barriers of traveling by skateboard and the demographics and perceptions of skateboard commuters. Like bicyclists and …

Politics In The Social Media Era: The Relationship Between Social Media Use And Political Participation During The 2016 United States Presidential Election, Kevin Everett Curry

Dissertations and Theses

The growth of social media use raises significant questions related to political information and its effect on political knowledge and participation. One issue is whether social media delivers news and political information in a similar manner as traditional news media sources, like newspapers, TV, and radio, by contributing to political knowledge, which is linked to voter turnout. This dissertation examines the relationship between an individual's social media use, their use of traditional news media sources, and whether they turn out to vote. It utilizes American National Election Survey data from the 2016 U.S. Presidential election to complete three studies. First, …

Who Am I? Criminal Social Identity As A Mediator In The Relationship Between Criminal Peers And Criminal Attitudes Within A Sample Of Probationers/Parolees, Quinton Thomas Alexander

Dissertations and Theses

Previous research has shown there to be a relationship between criminal peers and an individual's antisocial behavior and attitudes. Social literature lacks however empirical support for social identity theory, which suggests social identity serves as a mediator in the development of attitudes. Rather than a direct relationship where criminal peers influences the presence of criminal attitudes, this research suggests that criminal peers actually influences a mediator (i.e. an individual's social identity), which in turn influences their criminal attitudes. Thus, this mediation serves to clarify the nature of the seemingly apparent relationship between peers and attitudes. The current study, then, attempts …

Neighbor Perceptions Of Psychiatric Supportive Housing : The Role Of Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors, Amy Leigh Shearer

Dissertations and Theses

Purpose: Historically, communities have opposed the development of residential programs for adults with psychiatric disabilities. In the last two decades, national and local campaigns have made targeted efforts to improve public knowledge about mental illness, and attitudes and behaviors towards mental health clients. Supportive housing policies have also been revised to better facilitate integration and independence for clients with psychiatric disabilities. Despite these changes, the number of studies on perceptions of psychiatric supportive housing has dramatically declined in recent years. Little is known about how neighbors currently perceive psychiatric housing and neighbors with mental illness, or the role that mental …

"Tindersluts" & "Tinderellas:" Examining Young Women's Construction And Negotiation Of Modern Sexual Scripts Within A Digital Hookup Culture, Mackenzie A. Christensen

Dissertations and Theses

While a growing body of literature exists examining how intersecting social identities and structural organizations shape the on-campus hookup script, research examining the impact of technology on the hookup culture has been virtually nonexistent. Addressing this gap, this study adds to a current body of literature on the hookup culture and online dating by exploring how a diverse sample of young women and non-binary, femme individuals understand and negotiate interpersonal sexual scripts through the mobile dating app Tinder. Ultimately, findings from 25 in-depth interviews reveal how Tinder has shaped the sexual scripts of young adult dating into a "hybrid hookup …

The Gender Gap In Postsecondary Enrollment Intentions: The Mediating Role Of Student Attitudes And Behaviors, Paul J. Deppen Iii

Dissertations and Theses

Current literature on the gender gap in higher education lacks in-depth exploration of how the gap between males and females in postsecondary enrollment and degree attainment differs among racial/ethnic groups and among students of differing socioeconomic status (SES). This thesis explores the potential mediating role of student attitudes and behaviors and whether or not inclusion in certain racial/ethnic or SES groups moderates the relationship between gender and intentions to continue one's education immediately after high school graduation. This study uses data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009. Results suggest that student attitudes mediate more of the relationship between …

Millennial Perceptions On Homeownership And Financial Planning Decisions, Margaret Ann Greenfield

Dissertations and Theses

This master's thesis investigates the economic factors that are affecting the financial decision-making of educated, middle to upper class Millennials in Los Angeles, California. This thesis explores how economic factors, preferences, and self-efficacy interact to determine housing pathways. This thesis also asks whether Millennials in Los Angeles will be able to afford homes and how the cultural narrative of the American Dream affects preferences. In order to answer these questions, twenty in person interviews are conducted with residents of Los Angeles in which they are asked about their values and preferences regarding housing, and the economic factors they are currently …

The Role Of Caregiver Disruption In The Development Of Juvenile Sexual Offenders, Miranda Sitney

Dissertations and Theses

In the last decade, it has been recognized that juveniles commit as much as 20% of all sexual offenses in the United States (DOJ, 2004). Research that attempts to understand why young people commit sex crimes points to an array of family factors that may uniquely contribute to the development of sexual offending over and above general juvenile delinquency. This study specifically examines disrupted caregiving, or receiving insufficient or substitute care, as a potential moderator in the relationship between offense status and caregiver-child relationship quality. Four distinct moderators were tested: gender of caregiver, biological relationship between caregiver and child, number …

Verb Stem Alternation In Vaiphei, Jesse Prichard

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis describes the form and function of verb stem alternations (VSAs) in Vaiphei, a Kuki-Chin (KC) language belonging to the larger Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. In the existing literature on Vaiphei and Kuki-Chin verb stem alternations, there is no treatment of the form and function of Vaiphei verb stem alternations and how they may be used in classifying Vaiphei in the broader Northern Kuki-Chin language family. I document the form and function of Vaiphei verb stem alternations, showing how these compare to other Northern Kuki-Chin languages and where to classify Vaiphei in Northern Kuki-Chin.

Participants were …

Affirmative Consent Endorsement And Peer Norms Supporting Sexual Violence Among Vulnerable Students On College Campuses, Alyssa Marie Glace

Dissertations and Theses

Understanding how students endorse affirmative consent in their sexual relationships is essential to sexual violence prevention. Some research has indicated that LGBT students and students with disabilities may negotiate and endorse consent uniquely because of socially constructed traditional sexual scripts. Research indicates gender differences may exist as well. The proposed research examines differences based on gender, LGBT status, and disability in affirmative consent endorsement and peer norms around sexual violence. Results indicated that women, nonbinary students, LGBT students, and students with disabilities were significantly less likely than their privileged counterparts to indicate low endorsement of affirmative consent. Results also indicated …

An Experimental Study On The Impact Of Informal Rape Myth Education To Alter Rape Myth Acceptance Scores In A Non-Student Sample, Leah Noelle Reddy

Dissertations and Theses

Sexual assault has come to the forefront in terms of prevention and education for many social institutions such as college campuses. However, with a growing body of research highlighting the importance and effectiveness of interventions, research examining the impact of rape-related education on altering rape myth acceptance (RMA) among non-student populations is severely lacking. This is a problematic gap given the issue of sexual assault in the United States extends well beyond academia. The current study aimed to fill this gap by employing an experimental design with repeated measures. To detect changes in RMA after a short rape myth education …

Differential Well-Being In Response To Incivility And Surface Acting Among Nurses As A Function Of Race, Lauren Sarah Park

Dissertations and Theses

Demand for healthcare services is rising dramatically as the proportion of older adults in the United States increases, and the success of these healthcare organizations depends on cooperation among patients, doctors, and nurses. These interpersonal interactions come with costs associated with managing one's emotions in ways that are in line with completing job tasks effectively, especially as past research has demonstrated that nurses are likely to experience and respond to incivility, and nurses of minority backgrounds even moreso. This study examines the effect of experiencing incivility on engaging in surface acting, or simulating emotions that are not actually felt; how …

What's New Pussyhat? Men, Feminism, And Social Identity, Rachel Lee Crist

Dissertations and Theses

Current understandings of feminism do not seek to dissuade men from feminism as a movement; moreover, men's inclusion in the feminist movement is seen as paramount to achieving equality and dismantling all forms of hegemonic power. Past research has shown that identification with a social movement is a strong predictor for participation in social change, more so than belonging to a disadvantaged social category. Despite this, there is nascent literature on how men define, identify as, and practice feminism. This study draws from a thematic analysis of three focus groups of self-identified males to investigate their self-identification as feminist. Using …

The Role Of Project Management In Fostering Creativity: Towards Successful Architectural Design Projects, Angeliki Giannoulatou Destouni

Dissertations and Theses

The present study aims to identify best practices for project management, which can reinforce creativity in architectural design projects. Although creativity is a critical component of any successful design process, there is no existing literature or systematic documentation of what project management can do to cultivate it within an architecture work environment. Therefore, this research first explores existing theories and bibliography to define creativity and its conducive factors, and draw some hypotheses on the potential contributions of an architectural project manager. The validity of these hypotheses in practice is then tested through a survey, which mostly confirmed and expanded them. …

Study Of The Impact Of Team Morale On Construction Project Performance, Adrian Gerard Saldanha

Dissertations and Theses

The moral of project teams is an important factor when considering the performance of project teams(Dye, 2011) (Yang, Liu, & Fellows, 2010). Morale can be influenced and project leadership has an important role to play in how people work in teams (Gauvreau & Belout, 2004). In research studying the performance of teams working on technology projects, it was learned that an organizational work environment that satisfies the personal and professional needs of individuals has a strong effect on team cooperation and drives team performance (Thamhain, 2004). In a study performed by the US military (Mael & Alderks, 1993), it was …

Key Competencies For Project Managers: An Empirical Study, Sahil Sandhu

Dissertations and Theses

Extant project management literature on the factors that impact the success of projects suggests that the traits, competencies and leadership style of project managers positively impact project success. Despite this understanding, the key competencies and personality traits of projects managers is an under-researched area. While some studies are available that examine whether a particular behavioural trait of the project manager improves his / her efficiency, few studies prepare a list of the key competencies/traits of successful project managers. Given this consideration, the present study aims to prepare a comprehensive list of the traits/qualities of a project manager crucial for project …

Understanding Asean : An Alternative Approach To International Relations Theory In Asia, Ryan Grimstad Driver

Dissertations and Theses

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was originally formed in 1967 by five members as a means to promote peaceful relations and prevent the spread of communist influence within their sovereign states. Since then the regional organization has doubled in size and now includes communist states amongst its membership as it seeks to establish itself as a strong economic and political hub for the greater region as two large military powers, China and the United States, vie for hegemonic influence. The American presence in the region must be governed by a firm understanding of ASEAN's unique nature and goals. …

An Analysis Of The Bizx Commercial Trade Exchange: The Attitudes And Motivations Behind Its Use, Ján André Montoya

Dissertations and Theses

The Global Financial Crisis underscored both the complexity and brittleness of the global financial system, especially for small to medium enterprises dependent on the current banking regime for credit. More than ever, we have also begun to see the disentanglement of small businesses from traditional banks at the local and regional level in the form of CDFIs, fintech alternative lending, and now complementary currencies. Through interviews with the management and members of the BizX complementary currency this study asks what the attitudes and motivations are behind its offering and use. In addition, it inquires into the economic and psychological benefits …

Latinas And Sexual Health: Correlates Of Sexual Satisfaction, Christine Marie Velez

Dissertations and Theses

Latinas/os are one of the fastest growing and most heterogeneous minority ethnic groups in the US. One in 5 women in the US are Latina; by 2060, it is projected that Latinas will compose 1/3 of the female population. Latinas continue to experience disparities in sexual and reproductive health outcomes compared to non-Hispanic whites. While factors impacting undesirable consequences of sexual activity for Latinas have been well documented, Latinas' experiences with sexual satisfaction in the broader context of sexual health remains understudied, despite sexual satisfaction having been identified as an integral component of sexual health. A focus on positive sexual …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Justice Reinvestment Legislation In Oregon: Analyses Of State And County Implementation, Christopher Wade Dollar

Dissertations and Theses

Sentencing reform and "tough on crime" policies have assisted in the inflation of the United States' prison population by nearly 400% over the last 50 years. In 2003, justice reinvestment was conceptualized as a way to decrease recidivism and remedy the exorbitant correctional spending by reinvesting funds on rehabilitation and reentry assistance to those leaving custodial institutions. Early implementations of justice reinvestment in Connecticut and Texas achieved both savings and reductions in prison populations. This led to the creation of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance in 2010. Officials of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative sought …