Wildland firefighting is environmentally and socially a risky and complex occupation. Although much attention has been given to understanding the physical components in fighting wildland fire, much less time has been devoted to understanding and developing the capacity of wildland firefighters to handle the dynamic pressures of the physical and...
Special Olympics International, an organization
committed to providing sport opportunities for children
and adults with mental retardation, has been a major
advocate in promoting competitive experiences for the
mentally retarded. Few studies have focused on the
effects of participation in competitive athletics on
individuals who are mentally retarded. The purpose...
This investigation assessed the effectiveness of an adolescent substance abuse treatment program that incorporated "Rites of Passage." Named Gender Based Treatment (GBT), the treatment program sought to address the adolescents' developmental needs through the use of rituals, myth and story telling, and rites of initiation.
Employing quantitative and qualitative analysis,...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between
adolescents' food preferences and their mothers' attitudes and knowledge about foods
and nutrition in Phitsanulok Province, Thailand. Subjects included 30 boys and 35
girls randomly selected from 11th grade classrooms at two high schools in
Phitsanulok, and their mothers....
The purpose of this study was to investigate the
level of social interaction and social distance or
comfort among five undergraduate ethnic groups (African
Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, Caucasian
Americans, and Hispanic Americans) at Oregon State
University. Another purpose was to explore the
correlation between the level of social...
This study was based upon the Multidimensional Model
of Leadership (Chelladurai, 1978, 1990), and the administration
of the Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS) and the
Sport Orientation Questionnaire (SOQ) (Gill and Deeter,
1988). The purposes of the study were: 1) To determine
the competitive achievement orientations (competitiveness,
goal and win)...
Current research on sport motivation has focused primarily on
goal perspective approaches in an attempt to understand behavior in
achievement situations (Ames, 1984; Nicholls, 1984). According to
Nicholls' (1984) theory, the achievement goal orientation an
individual develops may be influenced by both individual differences
and situational factors.
Relative to situational...
The purpose of this study was to determine what levels of community satisfaction
and personal and household characteristics would result in a model of retirees and pre-retirees
and their propensity to move. This study assessed the relationship between certain
socio-demographic variables and feelings of overall satisfaction as well as satisfaction...
Dietary excesses and imbalances play a prominent role in five of the ten leading causes of death in the U.S. Recognizing that many Americans tend to have poor dietary habits, the government has implemented several nutrition education strategies. Although these efforts have attempted to improve the nutritional status of Americans,...
According to Engel, Blackwell, and Miniard (1993), evaluative criteria is defined as "the standards and specifications used by consumers to compare different products and brands" (p.51). Many studies have investigated factors that might influence the importance of clothing evaluative criteria used by consumers in the decision making process. However, few...
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of parent education on increasing parental awareness of vegetable servings needed by preschool children, lowering barriers to increase vegetable consumption in their children's diets, increasing confidence in their ability to increase vegetables in their children's meals, and promoting parent-child interaction...
Published June 1996. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
The study hypotheses, based on sociobiology, were that the more committed and positive the parental relationship, the greater the likelihood of breastfeeding and of later weaning. Data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study was used; sample size was 3635, and over half were African- 2merican. In a logistic...
The purposes of this study were to (a) outline a three-stage
methodology combining functional/conceptual
equivalence, item equivalence, and equivalence in construct
operationalization to investigate the cross-cultural
validity of psychological test instruments, and (b) to
examine the cross-cultural equivalence of the Physical
Estimation and Attraction Scale (Sonstroem, 1978) for
English-speaking and...
The increasing popularity of catalog shopping has prompted many retailers to enter the market. Consequently, competition among catalog retailers has escalated. To maintain or expand their customer bases, catalog retailers must now find better ways to serve consumers. Many consumers are apprehensive to shop for apparel via catalog because they...
Oregon residents with a terminal illness have had the option to use aid-in-dying under the Oregon Death with Dignity Act (DWDA) since 1997. The DWDA allows terminally ill Oregonians to make a request for lethal dosages of medication, prescribed by physicians for the purpose of self-administering to end one's life....
The purpose of this study is to name and give voice to the spiritual expression of leadership by women community college presidents. The following questions guided the research: (1) How do women community college presidents describe spirituality? (2) How does spirituality convey itself in the reflections, self-expression, and practice of...
This paper will examine the outcomes in child well-being across placement options for children who have experienced child abuse and/or child neglect. Specifically, this paper will compare the relative success of children placed with kin relatives versus those placed wit non-kin adoptive parents. Success is determined by a variety of...
The goal of this study was to pursue the construct of transcendence from a psychosocial, developmental perspective to predict who will volunteer and its influence on the average number of volunteer hours worked per week. The predictor variable is the self-transcendence subscale score on the Adult Self-Transcendence Inventory (ASTI) (Levenson...
Over the past decade, changes in health, economic, and social policies have shifted the dying process out of hospitals and into the community. This exploratory,hypothesis-generating study investigated positive and negative caregiving as well as care management resources of community-based end-of-life caregivers and how they related to caregivers' personal growth following...
This dissertation consists of two articles to be submitted for publication. The first,
a literature review, makes visible common influences on science teaching self-efficacy
beliefs and also points to potentially invisible validation concerns regarding the
instrument used. The second investigates the participants' invisible science teaching self-efficacy
beliefs and, through the...
The purpose of this research was to determine the role of formative experiences in the home and family pertaining to environment on children's overall environmental beliefs. Students attending environmentally related and non-environmentally related summer camps at a children's science museum served as test subjects in this study. A written instrument...
The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experience of courage among community college leaders across the United States. The following questions guided the research: (1) What is the courageous experience like for a community college leader? (2) What is the process of courage development? (3) What are...
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a disability awareness unit implemented into secondary level physical education curricula, on acceptance and knowledge of students without disabilities. One hundred twelve students in the 7th and 8th grades participated in this study. Predetermined classes of students were randomly...
This exploratory study posited that being in an insecure marriage would increase marital conflict and perceived relational aggression when the couple is experiencing economic constraints. The cross-sectional design assessed two groups of marriages: secure and insecure. A structural equation model using multiple group comparison tested the effect of each type...
Jordan has a higher fertility rate (3.8) than the averages of countries similar in income to Jordan (2.2) and compared to the Middle East and North Africa region as a whole (2.8) (WHO, WB, UNICEF, & DHS, 2011). The findings of the 2009 Jordanian Population and Family Health Survey demonstrated...
The growth of foster care, particularly kin foster care has greatly outpaced our knowledge. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to develop a more informed understanding of foster family functioning from the perspective of foster parents. This study examined the experiences of 9 kin and 12 nonkin foster...
Adult development and social experiences are intertwined, which has implications for social policy, health, and well-being across the lifespan. This dissertation explores the benefit and risk that close social partners bring to adults' lives, and the efficacy and consequences of engaging social resources to maintain well-being in the face of...
We examined the effect of daily stress, age, and emotional stability/neuroticism on stress reactivity, using cortisol diurnal rhythms. We used data from the Normative Aging Study (Spiro & Bosse, 2001). The 72 men in this study ranged from 67-93 (M =79.29, SD =4.88). Multilevel modeling showed that higher daily stress...
Distractions and interruptions are common occurrences in an operating room (OR), but little is known about their effects on surgical task performance. Based on human factors research, it was hypothesized that realistic distractions and interruptions in an OR would adversely impact surgical task performance. Because of the concern of patient...
Participation in physical activity has important health benefits among individuals with disabilities, whereas inactive lifestyles may lead to secondary limiting health conditions. However, few people with disabilities regularly participate in the recommended amount of health-related physical activities. Low rate of participation may be related to low motivation due to interconnected...
This thesis explores the evolving purposes for the teaching of first-year English composition in Belize. Starting from an analysis of the underlying cultural assumptions of U.S. composition pedagogies, this thesis argues that American composition pedagogies need to be rethought when applied in a Belizean context to fulfill the country's unique...
According to most health organizations, "obesity" (defined as body mass index [BMI] greater than 30) is a world health problem of "epidemic" proportions. The underlying assumption is that weight is a proxy for health. However, obesity prevention and reduction interventions are designed to regulate body weight, rather than improve health....
Over the past few decades, a primary focus has been on the negative health effects of not participating in regular moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MPVA). Only recently has sedentary behavior been studied as a distinct and independent risk factor for adverse health outcomes. This dissertation sought to provide new insights into...
This research examines the relationship between health literacy among End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients and its relevance for communication between patients and providers. The study was conducted among dialysis services providers at the Good Samaritan Dialysis Center and dialysis patients receiving care at the Center. Data collection techniques included...
How do organizational members socially construct the shared meaning of a mandated change in the external environment? The opportunity to address this question presented itself when President Barack Obama set forth a goal for American community colleges to increase the number of students completing certificates and degrees by 5 million...
In 2004 after Desperate Housewives premiered, it was met with significant criticism condemning the lack of values and morals on the show, depicted through the pervasiveness of sinful and illegal behavior (Olsen & Morgan, 2010). However, Olsen and Morgan contend that sinful and illegal behavior is accompanied with attempts at...
Family Child Care Homes (FCCHs) are the second largest provider of non-relative care in the U.S. However, despite providing care for nearly 1.9 million children under the age of 5, little is known about the physical activity levels of children attending FCCHs. This dissertation sought to provide new information with...
Throughout the world, weather-related and other natural phenomena claim thousands of lives and devour billions of dollars annually in recovery efforts. Destruction of life and property in the wake of disasters is devastating, and can have a dramatic impact on families and businesses around the globe. Yet, published works specifically...
Three trends are occurring today in the United States which inspired this research. First, America is growing increasingly urbanized. Today, more Americans are living in cities than in rural environments, and this pattern is predicted to continue for the foreseeable future. Urban living has benefits, but there are also challenges...
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover the experiences nurse educators (NEs) have had with oppression and to uncover how their experiences may have impacted their teaching. This study was significant as nurse retention is negatively affected by oppressed group behaviors (Duchscher & Myrick, 2008; Tinsley & France,...
This study sought to fill a void in research literature supporting Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and the beneficial effects of exposure to natural, green spaces. The literature predominantly discusses studies with adult and older child participants, finding that exposure to natural environments often produces an attention-restoring effect. ART has been...
Among the many mental health concerns schools face today, self-injury is quickly gaining attention. It is estimated that almost 14% of adolescents have self-injured and the numbers are predicted to rise (Ross & Heath, 2002). Adolescents spend more of their waking hours in the school building than at home or...
Burnout, a problem that relates to an individual's occupation or vocational life, is a prolonged manifestation of emotional exhaustion, cynicism related to work, physical ailments, and reduced accomplishment of work tasks. Recently, the literature has shown that faculty in higher education experience Burnout as do other professions.
However, there is...
Servers in a small college town were asked to take part in an interview to assess perceptions of their use of nonverbal communication, how they believe nonverbal communication affects tipping behavior, and whether or not they received formal training in nonverbal communication tactics. The study also links nonverbal communication with...
Having excess weight carries a negative social stigma in the U.S. Previous research has shown that experiencing stigma has negative physical and mental health consequences. Few studies have examined how experiencing weight stigma might act as a barrier to engaging in healthy behaviors among older adults. The purpose of this...
The thesis analyzes the demographic, attitudinal and
behavioral characteristics of animal rights activists,
placing them in the context of resource policy. It is
argued that the animal rights movement combined the
Victorian critique of empiricism with a reaction to
modernity that was characteristic of other contemporary mass
movements. Animal rights...
Thesis explores the ways in which Information and Communication Technology (ICT)use, specifically that of telephones and the Internet, impacts the lives of Eritrean refugees in Rome, Italy. Informal interviews, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation were carried out in a 'center of second reception.' Results show that information obtained through the...
The illicit use of prescription stimulants (IUPS) is a critical Public Health problem in the college population that represents a unique form of substance use. Namely, the primary motives for IUPS by college students are academic in nature (e.g., Teter, McCabe, LaGrange, Cranford, & Boyd, 2006), which may explain why...
This research focuses on the economic and social impacts to women’s and children’s dental health after methamphetamine abuse. Family oral health status, access to professional services, health literacy and home hygienic practices are evaluated in the frameworks of critical medical anthropology, applied anthropological praxis and matrix and bio-psycho-social addiction models...
Although female athletes are at greater risk of non-contact knee injuries than men, the factors that contribute to these injuries are not well understood. One important question is whether intense exercise influences the risk of knee injury, both acutely
and over the following days. The purpose of this study was...
There is growing evidence that children develop science-related interests in early childhood, before they enter school, and that these interests may have long-term implications for science participation and achievement. Although researchers have made headway in describing interest development in the preschool years, little is currently known about the proximal processes...
The art of software engineering inherently requires high-level problem solving and perseverance, as programmers and designers wrestle with complex design and implementation challenges in the process of turning loose concepts and ideas into working code. In the current developer ecosystem, engineers are commonly incentivized extrinsically by monetary rewards, approval or...
Gender role conflict has been found to be a psychological condition that produces negative outcomes for men as they negotiate the tensions between who they truly are and who they feel they must be based on social expectations (O'Neil, Helms, Gable, David, & Wrightsman, 1986). Recent studies on college men's...
Over the past ten years there has been a dramatic
increase in the number of drug addicted teens in this
country. Accompanying this increase in drug usage of
adolescents has been an rise in the number of treatment and
evaluation centers to serve the adolescent drug abusing
population. Comprehensive and...
A large body of evidence suggests physical activity is inversely associated with
several cardio-metabolic risk factors among children and adolescents. Despite these
health benefits, a majority of youth are not meeting the physical activity guidelines set
forth by the USDHHS. Schools have been identified as an ideal vehicle for interventions;...
The purpose of the study is to explore the life experiences, identities, and self-esteem of a group of Mexican women who attend Even Start, a family literacy program. The study also focuses on the effect that the program has on the women's self-identities. I chose qualitative research considering I was...
Long before the baby is born,you invest your dreams and hopes in the coming child. If you suspect something is wrong, it may be hard to seek the truth.
The best thing you can do, however, is to get a diagnosis as soon as possible. Early detection of a problem...
The absence of Black male counselor educators in CACREP accredited programs is astounding. Out of a pool of 130 CACREP programs, only 31 have at least one Black male full time counselor educator. Although these programs are comprised of approximately 2,000 counselor educators, only 58 of them are Black men....
A recent and steady increase in student participation in study-abroad programs
has caused international educators and student affairs professionals to reevaluate the
current study-abroad paradigm and redesign and implement new curricula better suited
to meet the changing needs of international education. Recent emphasis has been
placed on understanding outcomes of...
The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in students' drinking patterns and the resultant negative consequences based on gender role identity,
gender role ideology and self-reported drinking motivations on a college campus. A
questionnaire was administered to a sample of 735 university students. Gender...
Students are entering college heavier than ever before and some are gaining weight faster than the general population. Weight studies have been conducted, but are limited in scope about how behavior related choices are made. This study was an effort to determine weight stability and to explore the influences of...
The purpose of this study was to determine how the popular writer Wilkie Collins used dress and appearance to bring to light concerns about mental illness in his 1859-60 sensation novel The Woman in White. The method of narrative analysis was used to complete this study. Data sheets were developed...
Latinos are the largest and most rapidly growing ethnic minority in the United States, and they have the highest dropout rates of any major ethnic group in the country (U.S. Department of Labor, 2003). Latinos' educational attainment is consistently lower than that of other students (Gandara, 2008). The majority of...
A consistent research question in caregiving is why caregivers show individual differences in their abilities to manage stress. This study focuses on the personality traits of spouse caregivers to assess individual differences which enable them to adapt to their particular caregiving situation. Previous research has established concurrent relationships between personality...
Because of disease, industrialization, and regional conflicts, young widowhood is an expanding phenomenon in many parts of the world. Young widows face many challenges that can lead to mental health problems. The young widows have to make adjustments to fit their new roles as bread winners of the families, having...
School garden programs have become increasingly popular for their diverse, positive benefits. School gardens are often promoted as a relatively low cost means to offer hands-on learning opportunities that may foster academic achievement, particularly in the sciences, however only six studies have been published on the impact of garden education...
Optimal aging is strongly related to personality factors along with health-behavior habits. Personality has played a key role in understanding the interactions between human behavior and the environment and as a vital predictor in determining health outcomes of individuals. Although previous studies have found links between personality traits and health,...
Changing trends within the mental health system treatment practices demand exploration of the cultural context of assessment and treatment of Black/African Americans. Culturally competent assessments include a realistic integration of historical context. Clinicians counseling Black/African Americans must be prepared to assess and address PTSD, racial trauma, micro-aggressions, and other known...
Most aging individuals prefer to remain in a self-determined home environment, and generally aging adults want to remain in the same home or same community. The benefits of remaining in a self-determined private home environment while aging have been established. Because individuals present a diversity of needs, it takes interdisciplinary...
The decision to attend a university creates many important decisions for a young adult, with one of the most important being the choice of where to live while they make the transition into independent adults. Many choose to live on campus during this critical time. The differences that exist, and...
The increased ethnic diversity of the U.S. population, including an increase of Indian immigrants, calls for an investigation of the Indian apparel consumption differences among first generation Indians and second generation Indian American females within the United States market. This study examined the Indian apparel consumption behavior of two levels...
We examined how the experiences of World War II and Korean War veterans,
including prewar, warzone, and postwar factors, affected PTSD symptoms in later life.
This dissertation consists of two studies. In Study 1, four different hypotheses from a
lifespan approach were examined (King et al., 1996): stress evaporation (only...