Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of The Concept-Mapping Method On International Students' Academic Performance And Perceptions, Yinghung Natalie Chiang

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Dissertations

There is concern over international students’ low academic achievement at the college level. Due to language challenges and cultural differences, international students’ academic achievement is not satisfactory that resulting in a decrease in the retention rate. Note-taking strategies such as the concept-mapping method may enhance international students’ knowledge acquisition by providing students with learning tools that promote meaningful learning. The purpose of this mixed-method approach with a comparative research design was to investigate the effects of the concept-mapping strategy on international college students’ economic learning and perceptions. One intact class comprised of international students was designated as a concept-mapping strategy …

The Alignment Of Passage Tombs In Ireland – Horizons, Skyscape, And Domains Of Power, Frank Prendergast

Book/Book Chapter

Neolithic passage tombs are one of four main types on the island of Ireland. This paper considers their orientation within a statistical and phenomenological framework and finds twenty-three examples which face the rising or setting sun at key times in the annual solar cycle, notably the solstices. The discussion reflects the current archaeoastronomical view that intentional solar alignment was of low precision because of the mostly crude architecture of the tombs. Any calendrical function, such as tracking time, should therefore be viewed as secondary. More significantly, astronomically aligned passage tombs are perceived to embody broader cultural and cosmological beliefs most …

Disrupted Identities And Forced Nomads: A Post-Disaster Legacy Of Neocolonialism In The Island Of Barbuda, Lesser Antilles, Sophia Perdikaris, Rebecca Boger, Edith Gonzalez, Emira Ibrahimpašić, Jennifer D. Adams

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

In the aftermath of the forced evacuation of the island of Barbuda due to Hurricane Irma, the Barbudan people have experienced an exile and return to a ‘new’ geographical, political, and economic context, albeit on the same island. With the specter of climate change and the potential impacts on island communities and nations, we use Barbuda, sister island of Antigua in the Lesser Antilles, to examine the trajectory of nomadic identities as they navigate changes that threaten contemporary land relationships and culture. Since its first permanent settlement in the 17th Century, the island geography of Barbuda has been fundamental to …

Oral Interview: Contextualizing The Women's Rights Movement In Tunisia Through Family History, Walid Zarrad

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

In their path towards emancipation and equal rights, Tunisian women have gone through a number of phases that seem to be directly linked to legal changes and cultural factors. In fact, the Code of Personal Status (CPS) of 1956 seems to be a milestone in the women’s movement, and its following amendments continued on this path. However, it is a lot more complex than that. A piece of legislation officially passing is not a simple determinant of the state of Women’s Rights in a country.

Through Dorra Mahfoudh Draoui’s “Report on Gender and Marriage in Tunisian Society” and my interview …

Peddlers In Means Of Public Transportation In Egypt A Discussion Of Policy Options/ الباعة المتجولين في وسائل النقل العام في مصر: نقاش حول بدائل السياسات, Dina Ahmed Ali, Shatha El Sherif, Zainab Mahmoud Taha

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

The Metro and railway stations play crucial roles in Greater Cairo. Most working-class residents use the Metro and trains as the main transport means to reach their workplace. The Metro carries around 4 million passengers daily, whereas the railways take around 1.4 million passengers per day (Saif Eldien, 2019).

This policy paper is tackling the issue of the informal transportation peddlers namely in the Metro (subway) and railway stations. The authors dealt with this kind of informal peddlers as an occupational segment of the society that contributes to the national economy rather than groups of people who are distorting the …

Post Covid-19 Tourism: Promoting The Holy Family Trail As A Niche Religious Tourism Destination/ الترويج ل مسار العائلة :Covid- السياحة بعد 19 المقدسة كوجهة للسياحة الدينية, Hend Elbehary, Mona Elsayed, Nada Abdelghany, Yasmine Mandour

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

The tourism sector constitutes significant importance for the Egyptian economy, with a contribution of 11.9% to the GDP and total employment of 2.49 million in 2018. The sector has different segments including both mass and niche tourism, where Egypt is heavily dependent on the former. Over the past 10 years, the sector was hammered by several internal and external intermittent hits, resulting in instability in the sector and fluctuations in its revenues that have consequently pulled down the foreign currency reserves. The current challenge of COVID-19 has introduced a new global norm that hurdled the mobility of mass tourist groups …

National Cultures And Stock Prices: Evidence From The Emerging Markets, Ahmad E. Shahin, Mostafa Saleh

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

This report in the field of behavioral finance explores the effect of national culture factors and firm specific factors on the stock prices of publicly traded firms in the 36 countries in the emerging markets. Using linear regression, we tested 13 variables (three of them were Hofstede’s indices for Individualism, Uncertainty Avoidance, and Long-term Orientation) against the stock prices. We found that in the Africa, America, and Europe regions, the cultural factors had no significant effect on stock prices. On the other hand we found that only individualistic behavior had a significant effect on stock prices in businesses in Arab …

National Cultures And Capital Structure: Evidence From The Emerging Markets, Ahmad E. Shahin, Laila El Adly, Eman Barr, Islam Fathy, Ahmed Taha

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

This paper identifies the combinations between Hofstede’s six cultural aspects and four selected firm-specific factors, which have a significant impact on the choice of capital structure, in 15,821 listed companies from 34 countries in the emerging market, for the period 2012 – 2014. Thirty seven independent variables and one dependent variable have been tested using regression analysis. It has been concluded that the combinations that have a significant impact on the choice of capital structure (leverage) in the emerging markets were [Cultural – Firm-specific]:

1. Power distance – cash flows, cost of debt
2. Individualism – cash flows, cost of debt
3. Masculinity …

Making Small Families A Social Notion In Egypt/ ترسيخ مبدأ الأسر الصغيرة كمفهوم اجتماعي في مصر, Alaa Abdelaziz, Menna Roshdy, Omar Zein, Souraya El Assiouty

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

Population growth and fertility rates have witnessed fluctuations over the years in Egypt. The government’s efforts to manage the rising trend were not sustainable, leading the total population to 101 million in October 2020. Such a rising trend risks aggravating the pressure on the country’s resources threatens to undermine improvements in overall economic progress and decrease opportunities for prosperity. Although Egypt is currently enjoying a demographic window with a youth bulge with 60% of its population being below the age of 30, this age group requires tailored services which translates to high demand for health and family planning services, education, …

Startups And Human Capital Management In Egypt: In Search Of Decent Jobs, Maryham Abdel Malak, Ibrahem El Sayed Hassan, Fayrouz El Dabbagh, Laila M. El Baradei

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

While startups are considered an important potential contributor to Egypt’s economic growth, they encounter myriad challenges that hinder their ability to reach their potential, sustain their market presence, and their capacity to provide decent job opportunities. Challenges include the difficulty of locating and sustaining funding, the complicated legal and regulatory framework that governs them, the conservative social norms and culture, and the lack of data and information regarding market dynamics and existing opportunities. The research findings revealed that many startups face challenges with their Human Capital Management (HCM), in the planning, acquisition, development, or sanction functions. This policy paper examines …

Water Security In Egypt Issues And Perspectives/ الأمن المائي في مصر: المشاكل والآفاق, Kareem Mostafa, Mariam Allam, Sarah El-Fiky, Seba Issa, Sherif Mohyeldeen

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

Under the looming threat of water scarcity, the government of Egypt (GoE) must impose effective policies that promote water conservation to ensure water security for the future of its population. This policy paper seeks to define, survey, evaluate, and recommend prospective policies that can address the problem of current water scarcity and achieve water security. This paper focuses on two research sub-questions: 1) How can the government implement policies that can help Egypt's water conservation? 2) How can Egypt create alternative water sources?

Volunteerism In The American University In Cairo Through Community Service Student Organizations, Ahmad E. Shahin

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

This paper is a simple and preliminary study of the extent of volunteerism culture in community of The American University in Cairo (AUC), focusing on community service student organizations.

A sample of 7 out of 9 community service student organizations were examined by a direct interview with their leaders, in addition to an interview with a concerned executive from AUC to be as a reference for the difference between AUC and students’ leaders is seeing the effectiveness of AUC support to them, which was found that most of the organizations are not satisfied with AUC, due to insufficient support from …

Increasing The Retention Of The Health Workforce In Egypt: Improving Work Environments/ الاحتفاظ بعاملي الرعاية الصحية في مصر: تحسين بيئة العمل, Ebaa El-Kalamawie, Eman Gamal, Hoda Hassan, Nagui Salama

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

Egypt faces an urgent public health crisis which is a shortage in its health workforce capacity. The main reason for the lack of health workforce retention is the working environment. The Ministry of Health has multiple options to improve the quality of the working environment for health workers. Three interrelated policy options are proposed in this brief: 1) Enhancing organizational trust, 2) providing financial and non-financial incentives, 3) Developing a digital human resource system providing multiple services.

Acknowledging the economic constraints, the suggested options are tailored to be cost-effective. Policymakers can start immediately with their trust repair and trust-building initiatives …

الشركات الناشئة وإدارة رأس المال البشري في مصر: رحلة البحث عن وظائف لائقة, Maryham Madgy Abdelmalak, Fayrouz El Dabbagh, Ibrahem El Sayed Hassan, Laila M. El Baradei

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

تُعد الشركات الناشئة أحد العناصر التي من الممكن أن تساهم في النمو الاقتصادي في مصر، إلا أنها تواجه تحديات عديدة تعرقل قدرتها على تحقيق إمكاناتها، واستدامتها في السوق، وقدرتها على توفير فرص عمل لائقة. وتشمل التحديات: صعوبة تحديد مصدر التمويل، واستدامته وتعقد الإطار القانوني والتنظيمي الذي ينظمها, بالإضافة إلى المعايير الاجتماعية، والثقافة المحافظة، ونقص البيانات والمعلومات المتعلقة بديناميات السوق والفرص المتاحة. وقد أوضحت نتائج البحث أن العديد من الشركات الناشئة تواجه تحديات في إدارة رأس المال البشري لديها فيما يتعلق بمهام التخطيط ،أو اجتذاب الموارد البشرية أو التطوير ،أو الجزاءات. وتتناول هذه الورقة النظام البيئي الحالي للشركات الناشئة في مصر …

An Evaluation Of Wayfinding Abilities In Adolescent And Young Adult Males With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Yingying Yang, Weijia Li, Dan Huang, Wei He, Yanxi Zhang, Edward Merrill

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Background

Wayfinding refers to traveling from place to place in the environment. Despite some research headway, it remains unclear whether individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show strengths, weaknesses, or similarities in wayfinding compared with ability-matched typically developing (TD) controls.

Method

The current study tested 24 individuals with ASD, 24 mental-ability (MA) matched TD (MA-TD) controls, and 24 chronological-age (CA) matched TD (CA-TD) controls. Participants completed a route learning task and a survey learning task, both programmed in virtual environments, and a perspective taking task. Their parents completed questionnaires assessing their children’s everyday wayfinding activities and competence.

Results

Overall, CA-TD …

Ul Annual Report 2020, Stephanie Everett, Amy Freels, Aimee Dechambeau

Library Publications

No abstract provided.

Private Military And Security Corporations In Civil Conflicts, Paul Robert Olander

Dissertations

Paul R. Olander

Loyola University Chicago

PRIVATE MILITARY AND SECURITY CORPORATIONS IN CIVIL CONFLICTS

Why do states fighting civil conflicts hire Private Military and Security Corporations (PMSCs)? Does doing so hasten state victory? Many states have turned to PMSCs for help defeating rebels, yet we lack a broad understanding of the causes and outcomes of this choice. I build upon insights from principal-agent theory and utilize statistical analyses to explain when states delegate tasks to PMSCs during civil conflicts, and what conditions affect when PMSCs help states achieve victory. I also examine the Nigerian government’s decision to hire the PMSC …

The Downfalls Of Performative White Allyship On Social Media In The #Blacklivesmatter Movement, Aerianna Mcclanahan

Munn Scholars Awards

#BlackLivesMatter has been an active social movement for racial justice since 2014. Although the #BlackLivesMatter movement has been fueled by social media through hashtag activism from its conception, the COVID-19 global pandemic has been particularly influential in the rise of digital activism at large, as many people have been confined to their homes during quarantine. This mixed methods study describes and evaluates how the knowledge creation of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) is appropriated, decentralized, or delegitimized in the #BlackLivesMatter movement by white allies on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This study is influenced by standpoint theory given that …

The Information Edge - Library Newsletter - Spring 2021, Brendan Plann-Curley, Sarah Burns-Feyl

University Library Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Avoidance Behavior Due To More Stringent Environmental Standards: Evidence From The Leed Certifcation, Spencer Tu

Honors Papers

LEED certification is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. The certification is a symbol of sustainability achievement, and on November 1st, 2016, the rating system transitioned into a more stringent one. Using data on the LEED applicants, this paper studies the applicants' behavior response to the transition. The analysis yields three main results. First, the total number of applicants to LEED increased significantly in October 2016 and decreased drastically once more rigorous standards are in place. Second, the proportion of applicants receiving the basic certification is significantly higher for applicants that bunched in October 2016. …

'She Should Not Be A Model': The Effect Of Exposure To Plus-Size Models On Body Dissatisfaction, Mood, And Facebook Commenting Behaviour, Daniel Talbot, Hannah Mansfield, Samantha Hayes, Evelyn Smith

Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Objectives: The present study investigated the exposure effect of plus-size models on body dissatisfaction and mood, and the nature of participants’ commenting behaviour towards images of plus-size models.

Method: The study was comprised of 92 female university students who were exposed to Facebook photos of plus-size models. Participants were randomly allocated to having the exposed photo paired with positive, negative, or neutral comments, and participants were asked to leave an anonymous comment on each picture.

Results: Results showed that participants had less body dissatisfaction and better mood after exposure to plus-size models regardless of the comment condition. Additionally, comment condition …

Examination Of Initial Evidence For Emdr As A Treatment For Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Daniel Talbot

Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating psychological condition that impacts millions of people globally. The front-line psychological intervention for OCD is exposure/response prevention (ERP), however, many individuals do not respond to this treatment approach. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a new therapeutic option which could be effective in treating OCD. This review examined the initial evidence for the effectiveness of EMDR in reducing OCD symptoms. Nine studies were included in the review, including six case studies and three group studies. Results indicate that EMDR is a promising candidate for treating OCD, with all studies showing EMDR therapy resulted …

Academic Performance, Anxiety, And Feelings Of Classroom Displacement In College Students Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic., Myron Eusebio

Psychology | Senior Theses

Amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, universities are beginning to shift primarily to online courses and hybrid courses. This presents a potential issue because it disrupts the traditional learning experience that students expect from attending an academic institution. The pandemic and sudden disruption of traditional classroom learning may cause adverse changes in a student’s anxiety levels and academic performance. Research has shown that online courses often require students to have lower anxiety levels to perform well academically, which highlights a problematic relationship in students feeling higher levels of anxiety in online classes. (Solimeno et., 2007). The goal of this study is to …

The Relationship Between Parental Personality, Attachment Style, And Subjective Well-Being, Mia Nguyen

Psychology | Student Research Posters

Parents play a critical role in helping children develop into happy and well-adjusted adults. Factors such as secure attachment, parental rearing behaviors, and parental personality all interact to create a developmental context that impacts a child’s experience. Attachment between parent and child, for instance, is the foundation of later relationships in life. However, a variety of other parental factors including parental rearing behaviors and parenting style can influence attachment (Roelofs et al., 2006). Parenting styles that are nurturing, authoritative, and emotionally involved have not only demonstrated more secure attachments in children but have also been reflective of parents who score …

Intergenerational Trauma And Cultural Dissonance In The Face Of Ongoing Social Issues: A Case Study With Vietnamese Youth, Mia Nguyen

Psychology | Student Research Posters

Intergenerational Trauma (IT) occurs when the effects of traumatic events are passed down across generations (Isobel et al., 2020), typically through family dynamics and interactional patterns (Hesse & Main, 2000). In the Vietnamese American population, IT is exacerbated by a culture that has historically deprioritized/ignored mental well-being. Which is exacerbated by pressure to adhere to the Model Minority Myth (Hall & Yee, 2012), and by Intergenerational Cultural Dissonance (ICD; conflict caused when the values of younger generations diverge from the traditional culture of their parents (Choi et al., 2008)). While mental health resources for this population were severely inadequate before …

Things Are Getting Worse On Our Way To Catastrophe: Neoliberal Environmentalism, Repressive Desublimation, And The Autonomous Ecoconsumer, Alex Stoner

Journal Articles

The aim of neoliberal environmentalism was to unleash the market to protect the environment; but as it turns out, things are getting worse on our way to catastrophe. Despite persistent failures, neoliberal environmentalism remains prevalent—and apparently without alternative. This paper directs focus on an often-overlooked dimension of this apparent stasis: the nexus of self and society in advanced capitalism, as shown in the linkage between neoliberal environmentalism and the autonomous ecoconsumer. Marcuse’s concept of repressive desublimation is engaged to better understand how environmentalist desire is currently being thwarted in ways that inhibit movement toward socioecological emancipation. The paper provides an …

Research On The Cultivation Of False Information Identification Ability Of Users By University Libraries At Home And Abroad, Yan-Ping Jiang, Xiao-Hong Chen, Jane Wu, Wanjun Xia

Otterbein China Librarians Exchange Program Documentations and Publications

With the rapid development of new media on the Internet and the proliferation of misinformation/disinformation, the academic libraries, as the information resource center, has the responsibility and obligation to cultivate the user's information identification ability. However, compared with foreign university libraries, the guidance of domestic university libraries to identify false information is not systematic and explicit. Therefore, we must improve the users' interest, practicality, and depth of training practice activities. This paper analyzes, contrasts, and summarizes the relevant research and practice results of the false information identification training of domestic and foreign well-known university libraries through literature and network research. …

2021 Courtright Memorial Library Facts And Figures, Courtright Memorial Library

Library Publications

Facts and figures about the Courtright Memorial library during the year 2021.

2021 Courtright Memorial Library Annual Report, Courtright Memorial Library

Library Publications

Annual report regarding Courtright Memorial Library's accomplishments.

Introduction, Ebony Walden, Meghan Z. Gough

Richmond Racial Equity Essays: Individual Essays

Introduction to the book Richmond Racial Equity Essays by the editors Ebony Walden and Meghan Z. Gough. The book is a collection of essays on creating racial equity in Richmond, Virginia.