Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Resource Reviews, Phyllis Fox

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

The Care And Feeding Of Library Student Assistants, Gregory A. Martin

The Christian Librarian

Cedarville University’s Centennial Library has a long history of recognizing its student employees in a variety of ways. The Care and Feeding of Library Student Assistants will discuss the library’s pay scale, service-based and other awards, and the various social functions planned for its Student Assistants throughout the year. All of these activities are administered by the library’s Managers Council, and the duties and role of the Council will also be explained.

Resources Available For Review, Phyllis Fox

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

Centennial Library E-News, January/February 2008, Cedarville University

Centennial Library Shelf Life

Articles in this issue: Student Internship Program, Children's author visit, LibGuide Service for Faculty, National Library Assessment, Rare Manuscript Page Purchase, National Library Week, University Faculty in Print, University Alumni in Print, Spring & Easter Break Hours

Civil Society's Involvement In Post-Conflict Peacebuilding, Corinne Parver, Rebecca Wolf

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

War is a way of life – in some parts of the world it is an on-going struggle with no end in sight. Years of perpetual conflict have adversely affected the way in which political, socioeconomic, and cultural components of society have developed. Indeed, armed conflict negatively affects all aspects of society: not only does it destroy buildings and societies, but it also leaves surviving individuals and communities with deep wounds that can last a lifetime.

Many efforts have been employed around the world to build peace following a conflict. Some interventions have proven quite successful, while others have not. …

Book Review

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

No abstract provided.

Free To Leave - An Empirical Look At The Fourth Amendment's Seizure Standard, David K. Kessler

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

No abstract provided.

Criminal Prosecution In Sheep's Clothing: The Punitive Effects Of Ofac Freezing Sanctions, Vanessa Ortblad

Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology

No abstract provided.

The Madden-Julian Oscillation And Tropical Cyclone Frequency Variability, Stephen Caparotta

LSU Master's Theses

Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in monetary losses from hurricanes along the U.S. coastline. The vast majority of the damage resulted from major hurricanes (Category 3-5), with 2005’s Katrina, Rita, and Wilma producing an estimated $60 billion in insured losses alone (Insurance Information Institute, 2008). In light of these record damages, it is crucial to have a better understanding of the atmospheric and oceanic conditions that produce the most powerful hurricanes. Prior research has focused on interseasonal variability in tropical cyclones, but much less attention has been devoted to intraseasonal variability. Maloney and Hartmann (2000a) showed that hurricanes …

Cause Of Hispanic Homicides In Major Metropolitan Areas, Michael Gregory Bisciglia

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Research investigating the relationship between segregation and crime has been extensively examined in the literature. Although numerous studies have looked at segregation’s influence homicides, most have focused on African Americans. This study extends current research by focusing on Hispanic segregation and homicide victimization. Using a 236 city sample, homicides are shown to rise when Hispanics are segregated from Whites. In comparison, a 208 city sample finds that segregation also contributes to a rise in African American homicides. It was also expected that the more homogeneous Hispanic population would reduce homicides, but such an association was not present in the full …

Essays On Models For Financial Volatility, Mihaela Oana Craioveanu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research is focused on models for volatility. After the introduction of realized volatility as a consistent estimator for daily volatility, time series models without latent variables have been used to model and forecast volatility. The first part of this research provides a critical review of some of the commonly used realized volatility models and addresses the problem of stationarity and lag selection. In the empirical part we apply our methodology to thirty Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks from the NYSE TAQ dataset. We address the lag selection problem for each of the stocks considered. We find that models based …

News Framing, Pre-Existing Schemas And Public Opinion On International Trade And Individual Investment Intentions, Wei Zha

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Considerable research has been devoted to detailing how news framing structures public opinion. As a major rhetoric device to present information to the public, framing has the capacity of enlightening the public on the costs and benefits of particular policy choices. However, few studies have examined media framing of international trade and its impact on public opinion, and no study to date has connected how framing of international agreements might affect individual investment attentions. This study attempts to fill this gap in the literature by examining individual responses to pro-trade versus anti-trade and gain versus lose frames. It further extends …

Legislative Participation In The American States: Determinants And Consequences, Mileah Kay Kromer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research seeks to analyze the variability in participation across legislators at the state level and to consider the potential consequences of participatory behavior. In this dissertation, I draw on theories of political participation, legislative goals, and state political institutions to explain participation in state legislative activities. To begin with, I examine legislative participation across the legislative process, considering the determinants of sponsorship and roll-call participation. Next, I examine the consequences that participation has for legislators focusing on challenger emergence in the general election. My research demonstrates that legislative participation varies systematically across individual, institutional, and state level variables. However, …

Illness And Inability To Repay: The Role Of Debtor Health In The Discharge Of Educational Debt, Rafael I. Pardo

Scholarship@WashULaw

For a debtor to obtain a discharge of student loans in bankruptcy, the debtor must establish that their repayment would impose an undue hardship. This Article presents the results of an empirical study of bankruptcy court doctrine over a ten-year period that involved undue hardship discharge proceedings where the court reported information on the debtor's health status, monthly household income, and monthly household expenses. The data show that a medical condition increased a debtor's odds of being granted a discharge by 140% but that household income and expense levels did not have a statistically significant association with legal outcome. These …

Neuropsychological Performance And Dementia Symptoms In A Hiv Positive Population, Kathleen E. Kendra

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an infectious disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which affects millions of individuals worldwide. This syndrome is associated with many medical complications. Fortunately, patients with HIV and AIDS have longer life expectancy than in past decades with HIV and AIDS; however, the risk of cognitive impairment is greater in this population. Identification of dementia due to HIV/AIDS by health care professionals is hampered by the unclear relationship between cognitive functioning and HIV-related health status in the HIV/AIDS research literature. For the current study, individuals with HIV/AIDS who are symptomatic with infection but do …

A Rhetoric Of Existentialism, Zachary Gershberg

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Existentialism is often viewed as a morbid philosophy but adapting it to a rhetorical framework reveals a consistent interest in the ontological function of communication. The exchange of discourse and symbols is what ties humans together and existentialism examines the meaning that abounds in life as opposed to attempting to discover the meaning of life. As a rhetorical construct, existentialism provides a critical and unique view of agency and edification as a method of rhetorical practice.

An Examination Of The Good Behavior Game And Behavior Specific Praise Statements On Student And Teacher Behavior, Robert Allen Wright

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study directly compares two interdependent group oriented contingency strategies, the GBG and the GBG with a behavior specific praise statement (BSPS) component (i.e., GBG+BSPS) to examine the relative effectiveness of each as a tool for class-wide behavior management, to inspect the effect on teacher interactions with students, and to assess the relative teacher and student acceptability of both games. The Good Behavior Game has been identified as an evidence-based intervention to manage class-wide behavior difficulties, but recently has been criticized for not being proactive in teaching appropriate classroom behavior. The relative effectiveness and acceptability of each game as a …

Impact Of Participation In A Community Based, Even Start Literacy Program On School Achievement And Parent Involvement For English Language Learners (Ell), Elvira I. Zuazo-Legido

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The family literacy model underlying the national Even Start Family Literacy Program has not fared well in large-scale evaluation studies, with outcomes showing minimal or no positive impact on later school achievement. However, the results of these studies have not been replicated in smaller studies, which hold the possibility of yielding richer and possibly more valid data using appropriate research design, methods, and techniques. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an Even Start Family Literacy Program on the academic progress of a homogeneous group of ELL (English Language Learners) Hispanic immigrant elementary school-age children. Twenty-nine …

Qualitative Analysis Of The Implementation Of An Autism Program Within A Public School District, Lucila F. Hernandez

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The study analyzed the development, implementation and success of an educational program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis within a public school structure. Records reviewed for a two year time period identified four phases to program development and implementation, as well as identifying themes and barriers for specific roles, administration, staff and parents. The success of the program is evidenced by growth in the children and by reported satisfaction of parents and staff. A program blue print offers an outline to program development and implementation. Necessary ASD program components, based on literature reviewed are summarized. This study highlights …

Construction Of The Structured Assessment Of Functioning And Effectiveness-Revised (Safe-R) : Validation Against The Million Adolescent Clinical Inventory (Maci) And Against Other Clinical Measures In An Adolescent Residential Setting, John Girard Kuna

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Adolescents present with various emotional and mental health problems when admitted to residential settings. Such problems increase the probability that these clients represent a safety risk to themselves, to peers and to treatment staff. Psychometric devices can best meet the complex needs for assessment when such instruments are easily administered, well constructed, and diagnostically accurate. However, the usage of psychological assessment instruments labors under growing restrictions by time limited health care delivery systems. With a concerted effort, the field of psychology must respond with a sense of advocacy and a realistic explanation for the value and utility of assessments devices. …

Effect Of Statute Changes On Admission Trends At A New Jersey State Psychiatric Hospital , Monica Malone

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The impact of changes in New Jersey civil commitment laws on admission patterns at a New Jersey state psychiatric hospital was studied using an interrupted time series design. The target years were 1965, 1988, 1994, and 1998, years when significant changes in the commitment law took effect. The data studied were the total number of admissions per month. There were no significant changes in admission trends at any of the target dates. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed.

A Survey Of Pennsylvania School Psychologists' Training, Knowledge And Evaluation Practice For Assessing And Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorders, Loren M. Pearson

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The main purpose of this research was to survey Pennsylvania school psychologists regarding their training, knowledge and evaluation practices when assessing and diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). A 65 question electronic survey focusing on four areas: A) training, B) knowledge, C) current practice and D) demographic information, was distributed to 908 certified school psychologists in Pennsylvania and completed by 243 respondents. Results found that school psychologists in Pennsylvania play a key role with assessment and diagnosis of ASD, yet have limited formal training in important aspects of ASD. Doctoral level school psychologists and school psychologists with the greatest number of …

Development And Validation Of A Scale Of Subjective Well-Being For Cambodian Refugees , Gertha Anne Sicobo

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This is a study of the Subjective Well-Being (SWB) of refugees from Cambodia. A correlational study design composed of questionnaires was used to assess subjective well-being in a Cambodian population in the USA. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a newly constructed Scale of Subjective Well-Being for Khmer Refugees (SSWB-KR), to be used with Cambodian refugees living in the US. The scale is a 49-item, 4-pt. Likert -Type scale that was administered to a sample of 20 Cambodian refugees in Philadelphia, PA. It was administered along with three other measures, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), …

Breaking The "Sound" Barrier To Fluent Reading: An Evaluation Of A Middle School Reading Intervention, Kimberly Simmerman

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The failure to read efficiently accounts for nearly 80% of the children who meet the criteria for a specific learning disability in America. Moreover, many of those children do not receive instruction that is sufficient to improve their reading achievement to within the average range. The current study examines the Breaking the “Sound” Barrier to Fluent Reading program by comparing pretest and posttest scores on individually administered and group statewide tests of reading achievement. The impact of IQ on progress is evaluated and discussed. Students’levels of reading proficiency preintervention and postintervention, as determined by the criteria set forth by the …

Pragmatic Language And Social Skills Functioning In Children Diagnosed With Asperger's Disorder, Donna Lee Toro

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Sixteen children with a diagnosis of Asperger's Disorder, as defined by the DSM-IV-TR (2000), were assessed using the following standardized measures: KBIT-2 (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2003), CASL (Carrow-Woolfolk, 1999), and SSRS (Gresham & Elliot, 1990). The purpose of the study was to determine whether the measurement of pragmatic language functioning is reliably associated with social skill performance in children with Asperger's disorder. Results indicated that the group mean composite index score of the CASL was in the average range for children with a standard score of 85 or higher on the KBIT -2. Group average scores for formal language functioning …

A 5000-Year History Of Caribbean Environmental Change And Hurricane Activity Reconstructed From Coastal Lake Sediments Of The West Indies, Jason Thomas Knowles

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A ~5000 yr history of modern and prehistoric hurricane landfall and environmental change has been reconstructed from coastal lake sediments of the northern West Indies. Hurricane overwash layers and environmental shifts were identified by changes in biological and sedimentary stratigraphies, core lithology, and loss-on-ignition techniques. 14C and 137Cs were used to establish a chronology of events. Many hurricane-induced overwash layers were identified within the lake sediments. Evidence indicates distinct periods of temporal shifts in hurricane activity for the Northern Caribbean islands of Anguilla, Barbuda, and Acklins Island, Bahamas, providing the first paleotempestological records for the region. The northern Caribbean record …

Postcommunist Privatization And Productivity: What Have We Learned?, John S. Earle

Employment Research Newsletter

No abstract provided.

How Does A Pre-Assessment Of Off-Campus Students' Information Literacy Affect The Effectiveness Of Library Instruction?, Lana Ivanitskaya, Susan Duford, Monica Craig, Anne Marie Casey

Publications

This study investigates the impact that pre-tests have on the effectiveness of library instruction when students are given feedback on their pre-test performance. Librarians and academic faculty partnered to measure library instruction outcomes in two Master's degree classes. The Research Readiness Self-Assessment (RRSA) was used as a pre-test (before instruction) and a post-test (after instruction) in Class 1 and as a post-test only in Class 2. Students who completed both tests performed significantly better on a post-test, earning higher scores on obtaining information and overall information literacy. They reported greater library/research experience and less reliance on browsing. Compared to …

Do Off-Campus Students Use E-Books?, Pamela Grudzien, Anne Marie Casey

Publications

The number of electronic books (e-books) that are available is increasing rapidly. Libraries are acquiring them individually, in large groups, and as part of collections. Off-campus librarians perceive them to be the best solution to the problems and expenses related to loaning and shipping print books to off-campus students. This study looks at the usage of e-books by off-campus students at Central Michigan University (CMU) to see if usage patterns can assist librarians with e-book collection development to support off-campus programs.

Testing A Servant Leadership Theory Among United States Military Members, Matthew P. Earnhardt

Publications

Servant leadership, first proposed by Greenleaf (1970), is an emergent leadership theory postulating a leader must serve first. Patterson (2003), building on transformational and previous servant leadership research, developed a model of servant leading based on the following: (a) agapao love, (b) humility, (c) altruism, (d) vision, (e) trust, (f) empowerment, and (g) service. This study tests Patterson’s theory of servant leadership in a military context by investigating the relationship between the seven constructs in Patterson’s servant leadership model. Multi-rank and service military members’ perception of servant leaders was assessed using the servant leadership instrument developed by Dennis and Bocarnea …