Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Social Class And The Production Of Mountain Space: The Historical Geographies Of The Seattle Mountaineers, 1906-1939, Thomas C. Christian

WWU Graduate School Collection

Spaces and landscapes are actively made, remade, and struggled over through social practices. Constructions of landscape and space matter because they define how they can be used, who may occupy them, and who cannot. This study examines the Northwest’s mountain spaces and the social class background of the Mountaineers, a Seattle-based alpine club that influenced the construction of these landscapes. From its founding in 1906, the club shaped these spaces through summer outings, an annual journal, and skills courses. Early on, the Mountaineers produced spaces for upper class socializing and scientific study, but individual club members struggled over the meanings …

Investigating Pterion From Two Perspectives: Phylogenetics And Biomechanics, Nambi Gamet

WWU Graduate School Collection

Pterion is a skull landmark located directly behind the orbits where four cranial bones (sphenoid, parietal, temporal and frontal) articulate in 4 basic configurations: spheno-parietal, fronto-temporal, stellate and epipteric. Two hypotheses may explain the configurations and other aspects of pterion: 1) phylogenetic history reflected in conservative development in species with shared ancestry and 2) biomechanical forces due to chewing stressors on skull shape. Impacts of phylogenetics and biomechanics may be highlighted through the diversity of skull used.

Skulls from UW’s Burke Museum were assessed for pterion pattern, suture length and masseter and temporalis muscles in: Canis latrans (30), Vulpes vulpes …

Program Development At The Outback: Exploring Place-Based, Experiential Education Through A Campus Farm., Paul Kearsley

WWU Graduate School Collection

This project explores experiential, place-based, sustainable-design education on a higher-ed campus farm. It includes program development concepts as well as curriculum development for hands-on teaching of agroecology, ecological design and permaculture. The focus is the application of sustainable systems thinking to the educational farm environment to facilitate meaningful connections between theory and practice as well as between the student and their immediate environment.

The .PDF document outlines a 3-year process of developing the teaching potential of Western Washington University's Outback Farm. This includes personal reflection on administrative tasks, teaching experiences and discourse in environmental education. Much of the work draws …

Building The Climate Justice Movement: A Field Manual To Increase Climate Activism, Jill Macintyre Witt

WWU Graduate School Collection

Governments from around the world have been meeting annually for over twenty years to determine solutions for addressing global climate change. At the COP 21 Climate Summit in Paris, 195 governments agreed that carbon emissions must be lowered and each country reported their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) for lowering carbon emissions. Now it is up to civil society to hold governments accountable to their commitment and to also urge bolder action since their contributions are not adequate to lower emissions to a level suitable for a livable future. A global justice movement focused on climate action can play a …

College Students’ Values For Self-Expression, Their Facebook Use, And Bridging Social Capital, Chelsea J. Melton

WWU Graduate School Collection

Emerging adults are coming of age in social worlds permeated by social media. Communication with others on social media can provide access to bridging social capital, defined as social resources embedded in relationships with acquaintances which promote access to new information. Grooming ties through self-expression and masspersonal communication in networked publics is important for acquiring bridging social capital, behaviors complicated by context collapse. When engaging in masspersonal communication, social media users must balance their desire to express themselves with their desire to maintain positive impressions to multiple audiences. Recent research suggests an important strategy for navigating context collapse is the …

Gender Identity In A Cultural Context: An Application Of The Master Narrative Framework, Chelsea Fordham

WWU Graduate School Collection

The current study builds upon existing work that defines master narratives (McLean & Syed, 2016), and explores master narratives relating to gender (McLean, Syed, & Shucard, 2016). The specific question addressed in this thesis is, how does one’s sociocultural context relate to the individual process of identity construction, in the domain of gender identity? I examined biographical master narratives, or those that describe cultural expectations for a life course, in the context of gender identity. I used narrative and survey methodologies to describe the American biographical master narratives for men and women, and whether and how individuals deviate from these …

The Presence Of Rhetoric: A Content Analysis Of The Estonian American National Council’S Documents From Estonia, 1986-1989, Michael Redlinger

WWU Graduate School Collection

In 1991, Estonia formally gained its independence following years of public protest against the Soviet Union and its policies. In 1987, Soviet plans to expand phosphate mining operations in Estonia were made public on live television. That year, independence advocates began to incorporate the environmental grievances of protesters, who were concerned with severe and increasing industrial pollution, into underground publications and protest speeches. Protests in 1987 helped lead to the cancellation of Soviet plans to expand open-pit phosphate mining operations in the Rakvere area -- an important headwater region in eastern Estonia. The project’s cancellation by the Soviet government marked …

An Exploration Of Digital Sketch Mapping, Interview And Qualitative Analysis To Document A Therapeutic Landscape In Whatcom County, George Edward Juszynski

WWU Graduate School Collection

Recent literature cites interest toward utilizing new technologies to unify methods within geography. One area showing promise towards fulfilling this goal is qualitative GIS (QGIS), which combines the methods of social/cultural and spatial/analytical geographers. QGIS research combines sketch maps with GIS and qualitative research methods to uncover “hidden geographies” found within the individual geo-narratives of individuals and within groups of individuals. This thesis explores the merits of using newly developed technology for digital sketch maps acquisition, computer assisted qualitative data analysis (CAQDAS) and qualitative geographic information system (QGIS) analysis for the discovery of “hidden geographies”. The case study demonstrates the …

The Stones They Chose: Lithic Analysis And Design Selections At Čḯxwicən Village (45ca523), Joseph Sparaga

WWU Graduate School Collection

This thesis used a Design Theory approach to analyze lithic artifacts from the Čḯx^wicən village site, particularly to understand the distinctions between utilitarian and prestige values in the production of lithic tools and their intended role within the society. The Northwest Coast has a variety of resources available; how groups utilized these resources for functional and social purposes is important in understanding behavior choices. The Čḯx^wicən village site was a large permanent settlement originally inhabited by the ancestors of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe between 2,000 years BP to the historical contact period. The site was …

Caring For The Qualified Life: Mexicana Certified Nursing Assistants In Bellingham, Washington, Marinel Kniseley

WWU Graduate School Collection

Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) are the first line of care in eldercare institutions. They spend more time with residents than any other staff member, performing the most intimate tasks, and serving as a locus of support and information for both residents and their families. Belied by their low wages and low status within the industry, their work nonetheless entails considerable skill and interpretation of clients’ needs. In Washington State, positive ratings of eldercare facilities have been associated with the presence of immigrant caregivers, indicating this may come from the motivations and skills they bring to their work. This thesis examines …

Defining Physician Burnout, And Differentiating Between Burnout And Depression—I, Bianchi Renzo, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

A redefinition of burnout as a depressive condition is called for so that the harmful effects of unresolvable job stress can be more accurately and comprehensively assessed. As research compellingly suggests, reducing the harmful effects of unresolvable job stress to the experience of burnout's dimensions of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment is mistaken in that it denies the depressive core of the syndrome referred to as “burnout.” Replacing the notion of burnout by the concept of job-induced depression would help us be more effective in the management of occupational adversity.

Critical Agrarian Studies In Theory And Practice, Marc Edelman, Wendy Wolford

Publications and Research

Abstract: In this introductory article we argue for renewed attention to life and labor on and of the land—or what we call the field of Critical Agrarian Studies. Empirically rich and theoretically rigorous studies of humanity’s relationship to “soil” remain essential not just for historical analysis but for understanding urgent contemporary crises, including widespread food insecurity, climate change, the proliferation of environmental refugees, growing corporate power and threats to biodiversity. The article introduces an innovative and varied collection of works in Critical Agrarian Studies and also examines the intellectual and political history of this broader field.

Resumen: En este artículo …

Identity Gaps And Perceived Racial Prejudice In The Grandparent-Grandchild Relationship, Matthew J. Thomas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The purpose of this study is to examine potential relationships between both blatant and subtle racial prejudice, identity gaps (as conceptualized by the communication theory of identity) and relationship satisfaction in the grandparent-emerging adult grandchild relationship. This study also addresses the discrepancy between grandchild perceptions of grandparent levels of blatant and subtle prejudice compared to the grandchild’s selfreport of blatant and subtle prejudice. Results of the current study (N = 460) confirm previous research that indicates both the personal-enacted and personal-relational identity gaps have a negative relationship with relationship satisfaction. Additionally, this study suggests that grandchildren perceive their grandparents’ racial …

Representational Gesture As A Tool For Promoting Verb Learning In Young Children, Elizabeth M. Wakefield, Casey Hall, Karin H. James, Susan Goldin-Meadow

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The movements we produce or observe others produce can help us learn. Two forms of movement that are commonplace in our daily lives are actions, hand movements that directly manipulate our environment, and gestures, hand movements that accompany speech and represent ideas but do not lead to physical changes in the environment. Both action and gesture have been found to influence cognition, facilitating our ability to learn and remember new information (e.g., Calvo-Merino, Glaser, Grezes, Passingham, & Haggard, 2005; Casile & Giese, 2006; Chao & Martin, 2000; Cook, Mitchell, & GoldinMeadow, 2008; Goldin-Meadow, Cook, & Mitchell, 2009; Goldin-Meadow et al., …

The Influence Of Gender And Cultural Values On Savoring In Korean Undergraduates, Soyeon Kim, Fred B. Bryant

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

The present study investigated antecedents of savoring beliefs and responses in a sample of South Korean college students. Historically, Korea has been strongly influenced by Chinese Confucianism, which emphasizes not only gender-role differentiation and patriarchal norms, but also the dampening of emotions as a culturally appropriate style of positive emotional regulation. We hypothesized that Korean females, relative to males, would reject traditional Asian cultural values in order to gain more empowerment, and would, as a result, report a greater capacity to savor positive experience. Confirming the hypotheses, Korean women, compared to men, reported stronger disagreement with traditional Asian values, greater …

The Role Of Ngos As Intermediaries: Negotiating The Space Between Donors And Community Members, Mara Horn

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

South Africa is considered one of the most unequal countries in the world, even after the fall of the apartheid government in 1994. In order to address the disparities present within the country and the inability of the government to meet the needs of the disadvantaged, NGOs emerged as a possible solution and development alternative. This study aims to understand how NGOs currently operating in Durban, South Africa negotiate their role as intermediaries between donors and community members. Focusing on the perspectives of experts who work for justice-oriented NGOs, each participant’s understanding of their organization’s intermediary position is explored: what …

The Lilead Survey: A National Study Of District-Level Library Supervisors: Roles, Responsibilities, Challenges, And Professional Development Needs, Ann Carlson Weeks, Jeffrey Discala, Diane L. Barlow, Sheri A. Massey, Christie Kodama, Rosemary Hall, Kelsey Jarrell, Leah Jacobs, Alexandra Moses, Rebecca Follman

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The school district library supervisor plays a pivotal role in supporting, advising, and providing professional development to building-level librarians; advocating for the program; providing leadership; and representing school library programs to stakeholders in the school system and the larger community. To gain a better understanding of supervisors' roles, responsibilities, demographics, and challenges, and to establish baseline data upon which further research can be built, the Lilead Project was initiated in 2011 at the University of Maryland with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. In 2012 the project team conducted the Lilead Survey, a survey of supervisors nationwide. …

Examining Collaborative Knowledge Construction In Microblogging-Based Learning Environments, Tian Luo, Lacey Clifton

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of the study is to provide foundational research to exemplify how knowledge construction takes place in microblogging-based learning environments, to understand learner interaction representing the knowledge construction process, and to analyze learner perception, thereby suggesting a model of delivery for microblogging.

Background: Up-and-coming digital native learners crave the real-time, multimedia, global-interconnectedness of microblogging, yet there has been limited research that specifically proposes a working model of Twitter's classroom integration for designers and practitioners without bundling it in with other social media tools.

Methodology: This semester-long study utilized a case-study research design via a multi-dimensional approach in a …

Use Of Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays For Engineering Technology Students And Implications On Spatial Visualization, Petros Katsioloudis, Mildred Jones, Vukica Jovanovic

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Results from a number of studies indicate that the use of head-mounted displays can influence spatial visualization ability; however, research provides inconsistent results. Considering this, a quasi-experimental study was conducted to identify the existence of statistically significant effects on rotational view drawing ability due to the impacts of the displays. In particular, the study compared the use of three different types of displays; head-mounted, pc dynamic and 3D printed and whether a significant difference exists towards rotational view drawing ability, among engineering technology students. According to the results of this study it is suggested that the impact of the display …

The Ripple Effect: Youth Leadership Development And Influence On Environmental Engagement In The Community, Laine Bourassa

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Youth leadership is a critical factor in creating momentum for a cultural shift in sustainability practices and can be fostered through youth leadership programs. While evidence exists showing youth environmental programs are able to promote program participant leadership, it is not yet known to what degree these participants are able to improve the environmental engagement of members of their social networks. This “ripple effect” is assessed in the current study through the context of the Make-A-Difference (MAD) Youth Sustainability Leadership Program in New Zealand. The program involves a 3-day social gathering (hui) and ongoing support for several following years. The …

Mexico-United States Migration: Security Implications, Roberto Zepeda Martinez, Johnathan D. Rosen

Research Publications

JGI Research Scientist Dr. Jonathan Rosen along with Mexican scholar Roberto Zepeda Martinez just released a newly published journal article titled "Mexico-United States Migration: Security Implications." This piece argues that in order to reduce migration levels, the US and Mexico must work together to regulate migration flows in order to meet the demands for labor force in the US while protecting against illicit movements.

Objective And Subjective Temperature Effects Of Virtual Reality, Nicholas B.N. Lauderdale

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

The purpose of this study was to examine whether we could manipulate an individual’s body temperature by immersing them in a virtual environment. Virtual reality (VR) involves digital environment immersion of individuals and their movements into a digital space designed to simulate a real environment. The goal of VR is to give the perception that people are actively interacting with the virtual environment. The present study examined the effects of VR on participants in two conditions: the experimental condition of a snowy blizzard environment and the control condition of a temperate forest environment. It was hypothesized that participants would experience …

Examining Fears Of Compassion As A Potential Mediator Between Shame And Anger, Tiffany Whetsel

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

To date, there is a great deal of research supporting the correlation between experiences of shame and struggles with clinical anger. What has received less attention is the nature of this relationship. The current study sought to explore the nature of shame’s correlation to clinical anger by analyzing fears of compassion—the reluctance or inability to experience compassion for others, to accept compassion from others, and fear of directing compassion to the self. It was hypothesized that fears of compassion would function as a mediating variable between shame and anger. Participants were administered self-report questionnaires measuring levels of anger, shame, fear …

An Examination Of Mindfulness And Cognitive Interference In American Veterans Of The Global War On Terrorism, Andrew C. Rowley

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Utilizing an internet-based research protocol, PTSD symptoms, mindfulness skills, and cognitive interference were assessed. Participants completed self-report measures of PTSD symptoms and mindfulness skills, and then completed an emotional Stroop task that contained words selected to induce cognitive interference based on their combat-related nature. Consistent with past research, this study hypothesized that participants with combat-related PTSD would have longer response latencies on the task relative to participants with lower scores on a combat-related PTSD measure. This study also hypothesized that veterans in general would exhibit longer response latencies that non-veterans. This study was also hypothesized that mindfulness skills would moderate …

Rage, Rage Against The Dying Of The Light: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Role Of Existentialism, Grieving, And Space In Science Fiction Films, Daniel J. Roemer

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This research explores a collection of science fiction films released in four consecutive years that are wholly unique among the genre, including Gravity (2013), Interstellar (2014), The Martian (2015), and Arrival (2016). These films advance themes first enacted in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Contact (1997). In fact, Ron Howard’s Apollo 13, while based on a real event, set the stage for many of the more frantic scenes of the four films under study. The films are examined using genre analysis in order to first illuminate common criteria that are found within the films, and then to explore why …

Increasing Attendance Of Ewu Students At Cheney Mayfest: Does Social Media Play A Role?, Kyra M. Phelps

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

The non-profit organization, Cheney Mayfest, puts on an event each year to promote the community and its local businesses. Most of the Cheney community is Eastern Washington University (EWU) students. Cheney Mayfest’s goal is to have an increase in EWU student attendance at Mayfest each year. In order to examine the best way to reach them, this study examines what motivates EWU students to attend and the barriers as to why they do not attend. Findings from this study indicate that most students do not know what Cheney Mayfest is and have not seen any marketing for the event. Understanding …

Academic Achievement As A Function Of Intrinsic Motivation And Distraction During Study, Ryan A. Willcockson

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Self-determination can be characterized as one’s own effort to perform a task without any external force. Distraction by cell phones, social media or television during online course work, study time, or in the workplace can negatively impact performance and attention. The aim of the current study was to explore the relationship between students’ intrinsic motivations, their tendency to study with distractions present, and their overall academic success. Participants consisted of 215 undergraduate students in online psychology courses. Participants completed the Needs Assessment Questionnaire, and gave self-reports about their usage of their cell phone, social media, and television during study. The …

Impact Of Inter-Parental Character Assassination On Children Post-Divorce, Holly Keller

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Divorce is a common phenomenon in the United States that constitutes as a crisis for many families (Esmaeili & Yaacob, 2011; Heatherington, 1979). Kelly (2003) estimates that about 8 to 15 percent of parents continue high conflict anywhere from 2 to 3 years post-divorce. Post-divorce parental conflict has been found to be more important in influencing the functioning of adolescents than parental divorce (Amato, 2001). The purpose of this study is to investigate if adult children will generally tend to join in coalition with a same sex primary custodial parent regardless of their parent’s role in character assassination. Eastern Washington …

Radio Home: Giving A Voice To The Homeless In Spokane, Washington, Aaron R. Bocook

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Masculine Stereotypes Of Lesbians And Masculine-Looking Women: Potential Advantages Of Assumed Agentic Qualities In Employment, Kiah Breslin-Kessler

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

The purpose of the present study was to explore whether or not agentic stereotypes attributed to lesbian and masculine appearing women would provide an advantage in obtaining employment. Previous research has shown that lesbian women are favored over heterosexual women, and masculine appearing individuals are favored over feminine appearing individuals for traditionally masculine jobs. The present study contributes to this body of research in that it examines the role of appearance for lesbian women (in addition to heterosexual women), as well as the potential mediating role of agency in these hiring decisions. I predicted that the lesbian and masculine appearing …