Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How Do Economic Conditions Affect How The Environment Is Treated, Hogan Thomas

Honors Projects

This paper focuses on how economic conditions affect how the environment is treated. It creates a correlation between the ease of doing business ranking, human freedom index, economic freedom index, Real GDP growth, inflation, and environmental ranking to see how they impact each other. It also looks into historical changes in environmentalism and finds how the changes correlated with changes in economic conditions.

The Effects Of Activation And Values-Enhanced Activation On Mood, Joshua Bock

Honors Projects

Behavioral Activation (BA) is a contemporary behavioral therapy that aims to lessen depressive symptoms by increasing the activity of depressed individuals. There are many protocols for implementing BA, with most protocols being relatively similar. One difference frequently observed between protocols is the inclusion or omission of values (Kanter et al., 2006, 2009). Despite this variation in protocol, there has yet to be an empirical exploration of whether including values in BA makes the therapy more effective. The current study examines the effect of values-based activation on mood by manipulating the inclusion of values in an activation prompt with a general …

Mothers’ Use Of Internal State Words With Toddlers With And Without Hearing Loss During Natural Play, Sarah D. Screnock

Honors Capstones

This study examined differences between mothers’ use of internal state words with toddlers with hearing loss and toddlers without hearing loss. Mothers’ speech to toddlers without hearing loss and mothers of toddlers with hearing loss while engaging in natural play was transcribed and analyzed using Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT) software. Twelve toddlers with hearing loss were age matched with 12 toddlers without hearing loss and were also language matched with twelve additional toddlers without hearing loss to create three participant groups- hearing loss, age matched, and MLU matched controls. Mothers’ internal state words were identified and categorized by …

Becoming Good: Muslims Pursuing Moral Personhood In A Rural French Town, Clayton S. Van Woerkom

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how members of a Muslim community (made up of migrants and their descendants from various parts of North Africa, West Africa, Turkey, and elsewhere) in a small town in France seek to become moral persons through Islam. I argue that this quest for moral recognition is informed simultaneously by Islamic and French Republican values, which my French Muslim interlocutors usually conceive of as being consistent with one another. I contrast this analysis with other scholarly approaches to Islam in France that have generally explored the way non-Muslims perceive Islam to be at odds with Frenchness, how Muslims …

Comparing Levels Of Situational Empathy Based On Medium Of Exposure To Covid-19 Mortality Information: Does Political Affiliation Impact Levels Of Situational Empathy?, Keira N. Mills, Kaylee Ries, Beth Durkin, Abby Braden, Wesley Barnhart

Honors Projects

Psychophysical numbing, compassion fading, and the singularity effect are strongly affecting the world amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Empathy-motivated prosocial behavior is not consistent with the drastic number of lives lost due to COVID-19. The current study evaluated participants for situational empathy levels post-exposure to either COVID-19 death statistics or a personal reflection on loss due to COVID-19. Alongside empathy, political affiliation and COVID-19 personal loss were measured as potential moderators on the relationship between medium of exposure to mortality information and empathy levels in the sample.

Estimating The Xi Effect: How Chinese Aid Affects Economic And Political Institutions, Mackenzie Owens

Business and Economics Honors Papers

Under Xi Jinping, China has expanded its aid allocation worldwide and has introduced global infrastructure projects to connect itself to countries everywhere. With such ambitious aid allocation, China has been the recipient of both admiration and scorn on the international stage. This paper assesses these concerns using data from 2000 to 2017 to determine how Chinese aid affects recipient states’ economic and political institutions. Specifically, this research looked to ascertain if there is a measurable Xi Effect in recipient states. The quantitative analysis shows the Xi Effect is small and positive on economic institutions and political institutions, signifying Xi Jinping’s …

The Role Of Legal Studies In Undergraduate Business Curricula And Its Impact On Students' Problem-Solving Skills, Olivia Martucci

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

Although the presence of legal studies within undergraduate business curricula is continuously growing, there seems to be a lack of understanding and appreciation for the value that legal studies coursework brings to undergraduate business education. This research aims to determine whether legal studies courses provide undergraduate business students with transferrable non-legal skills, such as problem-solving skills. The goal of this research is to explore the importance of legal studies in undergraduate business curricula by trying to determine if it provides students with valuable skills that can be utilized across disciplines. The methodology of this research is a posttest-only control group …

Female Politicians And The Way That Gender Stereotypes And The Male-Dominated Power Structure Influence The Way They Run Their Campaigns, Morgan Marckres

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

Women only make up 28.5% of Congress even though they make up 50.5% of the population of the United States. This disparity indicates that there are significant barriers that female politicians face when they are running for office. To look for why, an extensive literature review was conducted that gave context about the gender stereotypes that female candidates face and how they navigate the male template of power. Using the material from the literature review, the campaigns of three women and three men who won their election in the recent 2022 midterms were analyzed. The candidate’s campaigns were then compared. …

Sara (Wheeler) Mcdaniel '98 (Renovation Takes Root), Jon Merryman

Press Releases

If you’ve ever wondered why Minden, La., is called “the friendliest city in the South,” one visit with Sara McDaniel ’98 explains it all. She is genuine, friendly, humble and kind – much like others you’ll meet in this sweet, Southern town.

After teaching elementary students in Texas for 10 years, McDaniel shifted to a career that supported teachers through educational sales and consulting. During this time, she went through a difficult divorce, struggling with what was next.

After feeling the Lord leading her to return home to Louisiana in 2014, McDaniel set her sights on restoring a cottage built …

Ann (Owen) Chami '83 (Caring Builds Connection), Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

It’s often been said that you can’t kid a kidder. Ann Chami ’83 would say that you can’t kid a kid.

“Children have the unique ability to discern how adults feel about them,” said Chami, a veteran educator who serves as head of lower school at Little Rock Christian Academy. “If they know you genuinely care for them and love them, they will do anything for you.”

Chami earned a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in early childhood education from Ouachita in 1983 and spent the next 20 years teaching first, second or third grade before becoming an …

Chris Babb '99 (Instructor Of Communications And Director Of Sports Media Productions), Anna Roussel, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

As a senior communications major at Ouachita, Chris Babb ’99 sat across the desk from his advisor, Dr. Bill Downs, and told him he might want to teach. He was not sure what was pulling him in that direction but knew his future job also would involve sports.

“Dr. Downs told me, ‘Don’t do that. Go out in the world and get some experience, and then in 20 years if something comes available, you’ll have experience and you can teach,’” Babb said. “That was in the spring of 1999. In the spring of 2019, exactly 20 years later, was when …

Courage To Engage, Brooke Zimny, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Ouachita prides itself in its personal approach to higher education, from the thoughtful attention prospective students receive during their college search, to the ways faculty and staff invest in students’ lives, to our commitment to tight-knit Christian community, which is built in dozens of ways for students whether they live on campus or attend classes online. During the pandemic, this level of engagement was challenged. Physical distance separated us; events, classes and residence life took new approaches.

While life over the last year slowly began to look more like the pre-pandemic world, things came into focus on campus even more …

Quantel Williams (Director Of Residence Life), Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Hang out in Evans Student Center awhile with Quantel Williams, and it soon becomes obvious why this is his favorite place on campus.

Williams was named Ouachita’s director of residence life in June; he’s also a member of the campus police force, an adjunct professor in Christian studies and a bi-vocational pastor. Engaging with students is an important part of his work.

Before becoming Res Life director, Williams served as resident director at Tollett Hall and then O.C. Bailey Hall. He’s a student favorite among Ouachita staff. Even in a frenetic lunchtime crowd in “the stu,” they seek him out …

Why We Engage, Ben Sells

Press Releases

Contemporary higher education narratives can be negative, often deservedly so. Alternatively, Ouachita’s story is positive – in large part because of our determination to engage.

We engage students. I tell prospective students, “If you don’t want us to know your name, don’t come to Ouachita.” We intend to be a campus where students are known, cultivating a tightly-knit community, believing the personal investment of our lives in students’ lives matters. This ethos helps explain why our four-year graduation rate is almost double the state’s average. Similarly, it explains why our career outcomes rate – the percentage of our grads …

Honoring Firsts (Green-Blevins Rotunda Dedication To Ouachita's First African American Graduates), Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Carolyn Jean Green and the late Gustine Blevins, who in 1966 became the first African American graduates in Ouachita’s history, were celebrated Nov. 12 when the Green-Blevins Rotunda was dedicated in their honor.

The community-wide service and reception brought a standing-room-only crowd of students, faculty, staff and visitors to the refurbished rotunda in McClellan Hall at 10 a.m. for a program featuring guest speakers Green and Dr. LaJuan Martin, Blevins’ son.

“I have felt like I’m truly coming home,” said Green, the first Black student to live in a Ouachita dorm and pledge a social club, options she didn’t have …

Scholars Day 2023 Program Of Events, Carl Goodson Honors Program

Scholars Day

This is the program of events for the 2023 Scholars Day Conference, where undergraduates across disciplines present their scholarly and creative works.

The Effect Of Youth Sports Participation On Health Outcomes For Immigrants In The United States, Emma Kennedy

Honors Theses

My study investigates the relationship between youth sports participation and health outcomes for immigrants using a quantitative statistical analysis of secondary data. Given the theory behind the relationships between physical activity level, sense of community, and health outcomes, I test the hypothesis that immigrants are positively impacted by youth sports participation on a significantly higher level compared to non-immigrants. Using Stata as my statistical analysis software tool, I measure the associations between immigrant status, sports participation, and various indicators of health such as BMI and reports of chronic illness. I found that sports participation is associated with improved general health …

Library As A Promoter Of Reading Habits Among Students In Nigeria, John Gibson Ogonu Dr, Comfort N. Owate Dr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The focus of this paper is to examine the roles of library in promoting Reading Habits among students. The paper saw the library as a social service oriented institution aimed at encouraging students to cultivate reading habits. It looked at library as learning environments that provide space, access to resources, activities and services to encourage and support students, teachers, and community learning. The paper also explained the concept of reading and that reading provides the information needed to expand our understanding of thing. The paper defined reading habits as a passion and zeal for reading and outlined its importance to …

Keep Your Litter In The Loop: Predicting Generation Z’S Intention To Recycle Single-Use Plastic Waste, Astrid Gisela Herabadi, Elsa S. Bella, Syanesti Adishesa, Wahyu C. Nugroho

Psychological Research on Urban Society

The introduction of single-use plastic into modern daily life has created an alarming number of plastic-waste in Indonesia. Government policies and social movements efforts to reduce and manage single-use plastic waste may not be enough. It is therefore important to study the factors related to the inclination of individual citizens to participate in the recycling effort, which is unfortunately still quite low. This study implements the Theory of Planned Behaviour to measure the predictiveness of the antecedent factors; attitude toward recycling single-use plastic, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control; on the intention to recycle single-use plastic among Generation Z in …

Assessing The Dynamic Amongst Self-Compassion, Connection To Nature, And Well-Being, Yueyi Fan

Honors Theses

In 2015, the United Nations deemed promoting individual well-being of paramount importance, along with seventeen other sustainable development goals (to be achieved by 2030). Unfortunately, overall mental health has taken sharp declines with the unprecedented onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (OECD, 2021). According to a report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the prevalence of anxiety and depression has increased globally; it has doubled or more than doubled as compared to previous years (OECD, 2021). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported increasing levels of adverse mental health conditions, substance use, and suicidal …

The Weaponization Of Rape: Conflict-Related Rape And The International Criminal Court, Claire Velte

International Relations Honors Papers

Conflict-related rape—once thought to be an inevitable symptom of war—has been legally recognized as both a distinct weapon of war and a crime against humanity, yet it continues to be utilized with impunity. To understand why combatants rape, this paper examines the aspects of military culture that create environments in which raping is not only permissible, but encouraged; additionally, this paper considers cases of genocide in Bosnia and Rwanda in which rape was used systematically to achieve political goals, and how these conflicts contributed to new conceptions of rape in international criminal law. These new conceptions of conflict-related rape created …

Indigenous African-Centred Organizational Change: Building Capacity At A Grassroots B3 Organization, Emanuella Nicola Bringi

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Nakupenda Community Services (NCS) is a B3 organization based in Ontario Canada. At NCS there are several valuable programs serving the everyday needs of clients. While the services are valued by the community, the internal challenge within the organization is the lack of capacity to lead all programs. Compounding this problem is the demand for more programs and services given the impacts of the recent pandemic. The very active board of directors and employees have made significant efforts to meet the needs of clients, but the problem of capacity persists and negatively impacts service delivery as employees and leaders tend …

Generative Beauty: How Engaging With Beauty Sparks Transformation, Rebecca Byrd Musser

Honors Theses

“Be the change you wish to see in the world,” declared Mahatma Gandhi. There is a profound awareness of the need for change as individuals reflect on the impact of global and system challenges as well as community challenges. People cannot just “be the change” until they themselves are first changed. Beauty is a powerful catalyst for change that begins with the individual, expanding to the community. To solve community problems, program designers must find a way to unleash untapped creativity. This study explores the impact of engaging beauty via the arts (paintings, Mary Oliver poetry, and The Lark …

A Selective Review On Use Of Information Resources And Services In Academic Libraries, Prema Jayaraj, Kannappanavar B. U Dr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

More than seventy online studies were reviewed to identify awareness, usage, satisfaction, and challenges of using information resources and services in academic libraries by users. The main objective of this study is to review the literature on information resources and services regarding awareness, usage, impact, challenges, satisfaction levels of users of various academic libraries. The study includes research papers published in national and international journals and other sources available on the internet. A review of various studies revealed that users use library resources and services for various purposes. Studies reveal that most users are satisfied with print resources, but they …

Altmetrics Study On Research Outputs In Fields Of Social Sciences In Top Iranian Universities, Amir Ghasemian, Amir Reza Asnafi, Amin Erfanmanesh

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Purpose: The purpose of the present work was Altmetrics study of research outputs in the field of social and behavioral sciences in major Iranian universities during 2010-2020.

Methodology: The research outputs of the thematic domains of social and behavior of sciences major Iranian universities indexed in the Scopus database were reviewed. This applied research was conducted with a Altmetrics approach. Scopus and Altmetrics Explorer databases were used to collect data. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests in Excel software.

Findings: Current study revealed Shahid Beheshti, Tehran, Tarbiat Modares, Tabriz, and Shiraz universities, in the field of …

Does Oxybenzone Affect The Development Of Sea Urchins Up To The Gastrula Stage, And What Do We Do About It?, Claire Crozier

Honors Projects

Understanding the effects of anthropogenic factors, such as oxybenzone, on sea urchins is extremely important to protect the growth of coral reefs- the ocean’s hotspot for biodiversity. Spawning of sea urchins, Lytechinus variegatus, was induced and eggs were fertilized in different concentrations of oxybenzone contaminated water. 48 hours later, data was collected underneath a light microscope. Observations of the data indicate that oxybenzone negatively affects sea urchin development up until the gastrula stage. Using both my data and knowledge from standing literature, I decided to write a policy analysis paper to answer the question “what should we do regarding sunscreen …

Online Self-Compassion Training Vs. Expressive Writing: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Lauren Benyo Linford

Theses and Dissertations

Self-compassion is associated with a variety of positive outcomes including well-being and positive body image. There is a need for accessible online self-compassion resources that can be disseminated to the general public. This study examined the efficacy of The Gift of Self-Compassion course (GSC): a 30-day internet-delivered self-compassion training within a non-clinical general population sample. Outcomes examined were self-compassion, well-being, and body dissatisfaction. Using a randomized controlled design, this study compared the GSC to an expressive writing (EW) curriculum. Participants were 215 adults from the general population. Seemingly unrelated regression models were used to estimate treatment differences between groups as …

The Practice Environment For Nurse Anesthetists In Tennessee, Taylor Cathey, Jessica Hobbs, Matthew Owen, Alexis Varney, James Alberding, Tausha Alexander

Graduate Publications and Other Selected Works - Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Potential consequences of anesthesia provider shortages may include a reduction in health care access, poor patient outcomes, and increased costs to government funded agencies. Current leaders in the anesthesia profession need to establish a work environment that is embracing, supportive, and safe so that certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA) can remain healthy and productive. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) scholarly project was to provide an overview of the current CRNA practice environment in Tennessee and advocate for policies to promote CRNA retention and enhance patient access to care. The overarching goal included gathering sufficient evidence regarding …

Dissecting The Interrelations Of Suicidality And Mental Health Across First Responder Subtypes Seeking Treatment: A Cross-Sectional Study, Alaina Beauchamp, Warren Ponder, Katelyn Jetelina

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

First responders are routinely exposed to traumatic events that can affect their mental health to the extent of suicidal ideation and suicide completion. The purpose of our study is to inform the comparability of predictors of suicidality across first responder types to elucidate the most efficacious targets for intervention and clinical intercession. Clients (N = 224) sought counseling services between 2015 and 2020 at a not-for-profit organization. We conducted a matched study with cases defined as those with suicidality at baseline and those without suicidality at baseline (controls). First responder types were law enforcement officers (LEOs), firefighters, and emergency …

Student Movements, Politics, And Policy In Chile, 2001 – 2012, Leesa Rasp

Dissertations

Chile has frequently been touted as an economic miracle, the “Jaguar of Latin America”. Boasting the strongest economy in South America, due to severe neoliberal economic structural adjustments made under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, it has long been held up as the perfect exemplar of economic growth and stability, as well as the poster child for the effectiveness of neoliberal economics. After the re-establishment of democracy in 1990, political conditions improved as well; the country enjoyed a decade of stability and peace under its first two democratically-elected governments.

Yet, beginning approximately ten years after the transition to democracy, …