Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Coordination And Symbolic Convergence At The Candles Holocaust Museum And Education Center, Jessica Mcdonald

Masters Theses

Using Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) and Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT), this study examines the ways in which meaning is managed between the messages of the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center and the visitors of the museum. The research shows that the museum and the museum visitors work together in order to create an overall rhetorical vision of the museum's main message, both within the museum space and beyond. Using the metaphor of conversation, this study demonstrates the three ways through which the museum and its visitors achieve the rhetorical vision: historical conversation, personal conversation, and residual conversation. In …

Video Game Cultivation: Sowing The Seeds Of Consumer Behavior, Jonathan K. Mattson

Masters Theses

George Gerbner (1998) dedicated a significant amount of this life attempting to understand the creation and impact of mass media messages on viewers. Out of this research sprang cultivation theory, which holds viewers' realities can be impacted over time by the media environment they inhabit and its overarching messages. While often applied to television, cultivation theory has largely ignored other mediums, specifically video games. Video games have evolved as a medium since the public arcades of the 1980's and now run on high-powered, internet-enabled consoles. These consoles allow producers into the home of the consumer, saturating them with messages. This …

Are You In Or Out?: Qualitative Study On Factors Associated With Minorities' Decisions About Organ Donation, Jennifer Yvonne Cannon

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Soldier's Home, Andrew O. Mclaughlin

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Teacher's Knowledge And Attitudes Regarding Grade Retention As An Intervention, Timothy G. Snodgrass

Masters Theses

Despite the research demonstrating that grade retention is ineffective for improving students' academic and social-emotional functioning, this practice continues to be used prevalently in schools. This correlational study investigated teachers' knowledge and attitudes regarding grade retention. Additionally, this study attempted to understand teachers' past retention practices based on attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control as specified by the Theory of Planned Behavior. Participants included 129 teachers. Results showed that teachers had limited knowledge of research and positive attitudes toward retention. Retention practices for the last three years were predicted by the Theory of Planned Behavior, but these variables accounted …

Pygmalion Music Festival As Alternative Media? A Critical Analysis Of The Intersection Of Independence And Corporatization, Patrick R. Singer

Masters Theses

This study of Pygmalion Music Festival utilizes a theoretical framework of alternative media theory to analyze the festival's position in independent and corporate music festival and concert production. Pygmalion Music Festival is a mid-sized independently owned and operated music festival held annually in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. This research investigates the progression of independent ( or "indie") music culture, how the industry has gradually become co-opted by the corporate music industry, and how Pygmalion Music Festival is situated within the indie/corporate binary. This binary is not black and white, rather an intersection that creates a blurred area between the two. "Indie" artists …

Self-Compassion As A Mediator Between Coping Styles And Psychopathology, Yamini Bellare

Masters Theses

Self-compassion helps an individual to respond to suffering or pain with mindfulness, common humanity and self-kindness. It has been identified as a protective factor, which promotes physical and mental health. Self-compassion was examined as a potential mediator in the relationship between coping strategies and psychopathology. A literature review of the existing research on self-compassion and its links with specific coping strategies, depression and anxiety is presented. Findings indicate that self-compassion partially mediates the relationship between avoidance-oriented coping and social-anxiety. Self-compassion also was associated with lower levels of psychopathology and avoidance-oriented coping and higher use of adaptive problem-focused coping. The probable …

Is Ethanol A Potential Solution To Reducing U.S. Foreign Oil Dependence?, Jasmina N. Patel

Masters Theses

In this study, we estimated the impact of increasing ethanol production on net imports of crude oil in the United States. We also examined whether factors such as com production, population, gross fixed capital formation and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 contributed to an increase in ethanol production. Using time series data from 1981 to 2012, the results of multiple regression models showed that ethanol production was a significant variable and had an inverse relation to net imports of crude oil. Our study also showed that the implementation of the 2005 Act and an increase in com production contributed …

A Thermal Conversion Efficiency Study On Biomass Gasification Of Arundo Donax And Woodchips, Wei Wang

Masters Theses

The threat of energy depletion and greenhouse gas effect prove that fossil fuels are no longer sustainable for wide use. Thus, looking for alternative energy resources that are sustainable for use, environmentally friendly as well as regionally available is a challenge for current researchers. Biomass gasification is a process that turns solid biomass into combustible syn-gas. The identification of appropriate fuel sources for biomass gasification facilities in a particular region is significant from both energy and economic efficiency perspective.

This research developed three methods to calculate thermal conversion efficiency for biomass gasification using a downdraft laboratory scale gasification system. These …

Juvenile Delinquency: A Comparative Analysis Between Divorced And Married Homes, Cristina R. Prestin-Latham

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Montessori Principles: Do Montessori Parents Understand Their Significance And Apply Them To Their Family Lives?, Cody Davis Sanantonio

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Those Who Slay Together, Stay Together: A Thematic Analysis Of Concert Fan Narratives And The I-57 Youth Punk Music Scene, Michael James Janowski

Masters Theses

This study uses qualitative methods of narrative interviewing and thematic analysis of narrative to explore the communicative phenomenon of youth punk concert fan story-telling. It explores how the phenomenon functions to construct the subculture of the I-57 youth punk concert fan music scene. Through methods of thematic analysis of narrative, the study works to deconstruct numerous implicit understandings and taken-for-granted assumptions that drive and govern interactions among youth punk music fans participating within the I-57 youth punk music scene. The study is broken down into four exploratory categories where meanings are derived and critically analyzed: youth, punk, fandom, and the …

Factors That Support Individuals With Mental Disabilities In Employment, Penny A. Arthur

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Consumer Behavior Relationship Between Mothers And Their Adult Daughters, Helen M. Marcotte

Masters Theses

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the consumer behavior relationship between mothers and their adult daughters. Intergenerational influences (IGI), communication patterns, and the length of time adult daughters lived with their mothers are variables explored in this study. The results of this study suggested that, although the adult daughter seems to have a meaningful relationship with her mother, the only significant correlation was between mother-daughter communication patterns and the mother's role in her adult daughter's consumer behavior.

Mediators Of The Relationship Between Mindfulness And Alcohol Use, Melissa Lafferty

Masters Theses

Mindfulness is the act of "paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally" (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p.4). Mindfulness training has been shown to produce beneficial effects for a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms, including substance abuse (Baer, 2003). The current study attempted to test a working model of how mindfulness can enhance psychological well-being developed by Hölzel et al. (2011) within the specific context of alcohol use. It was hypothesized that higher levels of mindfulness would be associated with less alcohol use and less alcohol-related problems experienced. In addition, this study investigated whether …

Identity Theft Among College Students, Laura B. Lucas

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The All Power Labs Power Pallet As A Training Tool For Biomass Gasification Education, Christopher Che Frederick

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of classroom training with regard to renewable energies. A lecture series and survey were developed by the principle researcher and presented to students in the Alternative and Renewable Energy Systems class and Machine Design class at Eastern Illinois University. The lecture series introduced students to biomass gasification and its application at Eastern Illinois University. The survey analyzed participant's level of knowledge of gasification technologies. The survey's pre and post test scores were used to validate the effectiveness of the training.

The All Power Labs Power Pallet was utilized as …

"A Few Smooth Moves": Phi Rho Eta Fraternity Inc. National Branding Campaign, Shea E. Brunson

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Coping Strategies Used By Families Caring For A Child Or Children With Special Needs: Available Intervention Services And Access To Other Resources, Antonia N. Ofosu

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Upvoting The Audience: A Burkean Analysis Of Reddit, Doug Urbanski

Masters Theses

My thesis examines the Internet community Reddit through the rhetorical framework of Kenneth Burke, specifically his work with identification between individuals and how identification shapes communities. I focused on three sections of Reddit: World News, Ask Reddit, and Politics, and analyzed the best-voted comments of top posts from each section, focusing on how anonymous users communicate with one another and how their anonymity might influence the ways they interact. Additionally, I propose a method for instructors to use Reddit in the classroom, taking advantage of the medium's systematic anonymity.

A Strategic Communication Campaign To Build Effective Relationships, Lauren Kluge Padillo

Masters Theses

This creative thesis discusses a strategic communication campaign that will help build effective relationships with the use of several communication strategies and marketing plans. I used our department's move to a new location as an opportunity to initiate dialogue to solve communication problems that are currently an issue. A brochure was developed as a tool that can be later used for reference. The project was successful and did bridge the communication gaps. Based on the success of the project, we will continue to use the literature and make visits to our internal and external customers.

Separating The Whites From The Chaff: Whiteness, Blackness, Racial Exclusion In The Midwest Agrarian Mind, Philip Mohr

Masters Theses

This thesis approaches the construction of race through the vantage of one agrarian magazine, the Prairie Farmer. It analyzes the rhetoric of the people who wrote for this magazine to distinguish changing attitudes toward whiteness and blackness in the rural and agricultural Midwest from the end of the Civil War to the Great Migration. While whiteness was equated with what the Prairie Farmer saw as the active, progressive farmer, blackness was associated with stupidity, laziness, and threat to property. From this, the thesis argues we can build a base of knowledge from which to analyze the roots of racism …

Cup Size Effects On Soda Consumption, Lisa Heiser

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Advancement Of European Security Integration, Rachel Anne Dicke

Masters Theses

For almost a decade and a half the European Union has been steadily developing as a global security actor, attempting to unify disparate national security polices into a more coherent, European security policy. The progress of European Security Integration (ESI) is the subject of this thesis, and has been examined in terms of three critical elements. By studying an EU-level defense institution, several individual member states, and an EU-led crisis management operation, a more comprehensive sense of the process could be obtained. The European Defence Agency is analyzed in Chapter 2, followed by the states Denmark, Sweden, and Finland in …

Is Nigeria's Conflict Ethnic Or Religious?: Resolving The Escalating Conflict In Nigeria, Ejikeme Nonso Alo

Masters Theses

The history and politics in Nigeria have often been characterized and marred with conflict, ranging from political to religious, ethnic and electoral violence. In this study, Edward Azar's Protracted Social Conflict theory which advocates for a multidimensional analysis of conflict was adopted in an attempt to properly understanding the nature and manifestation of the current Boko Haram insurgence in Nigeria. Methodologically, both the qualitative and quantitative methods were deployed. Survey's (questionnaires and evidence from social media) was conducted in the three regions with the aim of comparing and contrasting various perspectives on the root cause of the conflict. While lack …

Examining The Relationship Between Environmental Policy And Economic Competitiveness In The United States And The European Union, Scott A. Trail

Masters Theses

In sum, when considering the findings of all three chapters of this thesis cumulatively, several implications are worth noting in regards to the relationship between environmental policy and economic competitiveness. First, the notion that adopting stringent environmental standards will impede on a state's ability to remain economically competitive was shown to be the exception, rather than the rule in all of the cases surveyed in this thesis. Moreover, the cumulative research throughout this thesis has shown the depth of complexity that exists between environmental and economic policy networks. Each chapter illustrated how the general relationship between government and private interests …

The Construction Of Spiritual Identity: Cmm And Conversion To Catholicism, Stephanie Gruner

Masters Theses

This study uses the Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) to examine the spiritual stories of six people who were not raised Catholic, but joined the Catholic faith as adults. The participants' experiences reveal that their spiritual identities have both personal and communal aspects and that they view their identities as both fixed and changing. Additionally, when communicating their spiritualities to others these individuals must balance relationship concerns with the desire to express their spiritual identities. Applying CMM's hierarchy of meaning to the data shows that the levels work together in shaping the participants' understandings of their identities. The participants' relationships …

Don't Waist Your College Experience: Administering Nutrition Education Through Facebook, Brittany A. Zaring

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Impacts Of Dams On Nutrient And Sediment Loading In The Kalamazoo River Using The Soil And Water Assessment Tool (Swat), Daniel Henry Serfas

Masters Theses

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was applied to the Kalamazoo River Watershed in order to evaluate the impacts that several dams within a superfund site "Area of Concern" have on the sediment, nutrients, and streamflow of the system. It was hypothesized that the SWAT model could be used to recreate the watershed in hopes of estimating the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment that would result from the removal of the dams. The model would then be used to evaluate dam removal scenarios to come up with a best management practice (BMP).

The model was calibrated, however, during …

How Now Shall We Consume: Widening Conception Of Political Consumption And Analysis Of The American Buyer, John Patton Chew

Masters Theses

As consumption of goods has risen, it has increasingly become a space for political activists to brand products and for the everyday consumer to voice their opinion on how businesses should be run. Through the practices of buycotting and boycotting political consumers have increasingly been able to show their support for issues as diverse as gay rights, environmental issues, funding for disease cures, and American based products.

This study attempts to gain an understanding of how prevalent political consumption is and of who are political consumers. The findings show that a large percentage of the population is knowledgeable and active …