Browsing by Subject "Attitudes"
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Item An analysis of factors that influence community college students' attitudes toward technology(Texas A&M University, 2007-04-25) Fleming, Kathleen LiterskiThis study investigated the factors that influence community college students' attitudes toward technology, particularly in teaching and learning experiences. Studies on post-secondary students' attitudes reported in the literature are limited. Factors cited previously as having an effect on attitudes towards technology and toward computers included: gender; age; presence of a computer in the home; completion of a formal technology course; and comfort with technology. The subjects in this study were 372 students in freshman level credit English classes in the five colleges of the North Harris Montgomery Community College District located in the greater metropolitan Houston area. Previous research instruments and studies to measure students' attitudes toward technology were reviewed. A modified version of the Secondary Students Attitudes' Toward Technology (SSATT) was developed for this study because of the content, reliability, and applicability to the postsecondary population. The instrument was administered in the spring of 2005. The fact that 95.4% of the participants reported having a computer at home and that 70.2% reported having had a formal technology class provided insight into the integration of technology in the lives of this community college sample. A correlation matrix of all variables and analysis of variance were performed. Factor analyses were performed to identify subcomponents of the instrument. Eight factors were identified: (1) need for technology competence, (2) technology benefits, (3) negative aspects of technology, (4) technology and the workplace, (5) impact of increased use of technology, (6) video games, (7) technology and job creation, and (8) technology and safety. A conclusion of the study was that neither age nor gender had a significant effect on the post-secondary students' attitudes toward technology, which differs from the findings in some of the previous studies. Females reported being as comfortable, if not more so, with technology in teaching and learning experiences as the males in the study. Exposure to technology, completion of a formal technology class, and the use of computers appeared to positively affect community college students' attitudes toward technology.Item An exploration of multigenerational attitudes with regard to environmental issues(2007-08) Farrar, Brant L.; Dunham, Charlotte C.; Peek, Charles; Ramirez, Ignacio L.The purpose of this piece is to explore generational differences in attitudes toward the natural environment as well as the transmission of such ideas from generation to generation. Theoretical foundations are based on the work of Karl Manheim concerning generations and supplemented by ecofeminist theory to aid in the formation of research hypotheses. Using three scales as measures of environmental attitudes, environmental threat perception, activism, and material sacrifice, research questions are posed to examine the possible existence of generational differences. Additionally, demographic variables are included and research questions posed based on their relationship to environmental attitudes. The outcome of this work will contribute to a greater understanding of multi-generational trends in environmental attitudes that have occurred, and are continuing to develop, in relation to demographic and ideological variables.Item Colorectal Cancer Screening and Young African-American Men: Male Role Norms, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions(2013-12-05) Rogers, Charles RayOf cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cancer to kill African Americans in the U.S. Compared to White men, African-American men have CRC incidence and mortality rates 20% and 45% higher, respectively. Owing to CRC?s high incidence and younger age at presentation among African-American men, CRC screening (CRCS) is warranted at age 45 rather than 50. Yet, most studies have focused on men older than 45. The findings of these studies suggest that CRC survival is inversely related to early detection, and advocate the continued need for development, testing, and translating prevention interventions into increase screening behavior. Hence, the two-fold purpose of this study was to (1) conduct a systematic review of the professional literature to assess African-American men?s knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors regarding CRCS; and (2) assess the knowledge, attitudes, male role norms, perceptions of subjective norms, and perceptions of barriers associated with CRCS among young adult African-American men (ages 19-45) employing survey research methodology. Utilizing Garrard?s Matrix Method, the systematic literature review synthesized 28 studies examining African-American men's knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors regarding CRCS. Six factors emerged as associated with CRCS intentions and behaviors: previous CRCS, CRC test preference, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, CRC/CRCS knowledge, and physician support/recommendation. In addition, the mean methodological quality score of 10.9 indicated these studies were, overall, of medium quality and suffered from specific flaws. The second component of this study -- an on-line survey questionnaire -- described the male role norms, knowledge, attitudes, perceived subjective norms, and perceived barriers associated with screening for CRC among a non-random sample of 157 young adult African-American men. Ultimately, family history of cancer, work status, and perceived barriers were the critical factors associated with attitudes in all of our models/analyses. Of these, perceived barriers are the only factors amenable to change through health education efforts. Because this study was narrowly-focused on a specific group of African Americans, it provides a solid basis for developing structured health education interventions to increase young adult African-American men?s intention to screen for CRC.Item Mathematics TEKS Connections Program in Texas: Follow-Up Analysis of Teacher Trainers' Attitudes and Systematic Observation of Elementary Mathematics Instruction(2012-08-22) Woods, MelanieThe purpose of this study is to examine two components of a statewide professional development program designed to improve mathematics instruction in Texas: perceptions of train-the-participants and mathematics classroom processes during mathematics instruction. The dissertation utilized a multiple journal article format to explore each component as a stand-alone, yet connected, study using data from an evaluation of the statewide professional development program. The first study explored the impact of the train-the-trainer model used in the professional development program. An online survey was administered to participants to determine their attitudes about a new mathematics curriculum, as well as the potential impact of the curriculum on teacher knowledge and student achievement in mathematics. Descriptive statistics identified the number of trainers who provided professional development in Texas. Independent sample t-tests revealed no statistically significant differences in the attitudes of the participant groups. A content analysis identified themes related to conceptual knowledge, instructional strategies, and classroom interaction as possible impact on teacher content knowledge and student achievement. The second study examined the long-term effects of the statewide professional development program on mathematics classroom processes from one elementary school district in Texas. Quantitative analysis of the systematic classroom observation indicated significant differences in the classroom processes of teachers who participated versus those who did not participate in the professional development program. Descriptive statistics identified the most frequently observed Setting, Instructional Orientation, and Instructional Practice used by teachers, and t-test identified significant different in the classroom processes of teachers who participated versus those who did not participate in the professional development program. The findings from this dissertation have implications on mathematics education research. First, curriculum developers should monitor trainers' attitudes about curriculum materials on an on-going basis to establish differences over time. Second, classroom observations should follow professional development to determine the long term effects of the strategies used by teachers during mathematics instruction.Item Now it looks cool : the effects of brand customization on game players’ processing of brands embedded in advergames(2010-12) Netto, José Jorge Paes Peixoto; Eastin, Matthew S.; Cicchirillo, Vincent J.This study examines brand customization in advergames and its effects on brand memory, game enjoyment, and attitudes gamers form toward the embedded brand. This study also tests for interactions between individuals’ locus of control and brand customization on the measured variables. A 2(customization) x 2(locus of control) experimental design was used. Subjects (N=60) were invited to a laboratory and the car racing game Gran Turismo 3™ was used as the advergame. Participants completed a questionnaire before and after treatment exposure, t-tests were calculated to test the hypotheses, and ANOVAs were run to examine all research questions. Findings suggest that individuals who customize the brand during gameplay recall the brand almost four times as much as individuals who don’t customize the brand. Results also reveal that subjects under the no customization condition negatively described the brand twice as much as subjects under the customization condition. Furthermore, a significant interaction between individuals’ locus of control and brand customization on brand recall was detected. There were no significant differences in attitude toward the brand and game enjoyment due to brand customization. Finally, the data didn’t demonstrate significant interactions between individuals’ locus of control and brand customization for game enjoyment and brand attitude.Item The origins of heterosexist attitudes among young children(2015-05) Clark, Caitlin Marie; Bigler, Rebecca S.; Woolley, Jacqueline; Echols, CatherineStereotyping and prejudice on the basis of sexual orientation are common among adolescents and adults. Although empirical data on the topic are lacking, theoretical work indicates that such biases are likely to emerge in childhood. Children attend to gender and the distribution of genders into roles--including familial roles--by three years of age. Furthermore, young children's limited cognitive skills, and a reliance on the inherence heuristic, lead to especially strong endorsement of many forms of stereotypes and prejudices. The primary goal of this thesis was to test theoretically derived hypotheses concerning the emergence of, and age-related changes in, children's heterosexist views of relationships across early and middle childhood. As part of this goal, I created a reliable, valid, and practical measure of heterosexist attitudes for use with 5- to 10-year-old children. Children viewed 12 advertisements that portray diverse types of human relationships, including both same- and cross-sex couples and families, and answered questions concerning their interpretation and liking of each image. Children also completed measures of their gender stereotyping and the inherence heuristic. Participants included 72 racially diverse children from a large city in the southwest United States. Results indicated that children were much more accurate at interpreting cross-sex than same-sex romantic relationships, and girls were better at this interpretation than boys were. Children's attitudes varied as a function of whether they had accurately or inaccurately labeled the same-sex pairs; those who incorrectly interpreted the same-sex couples as heterosexual had no difference in attitudes, but the children who correctly identified the same-sex romantic pairs showed more positive attitudes towards the cross-sex than the same-sex romantic pairs. There was an interaction of participant gender and image gender for children’s attitudes; children preferred the images that matched their own gender. There were no effects of gender stereotyping on children's attitudes or interpretation. Children who interpreted the same-sex romantic pairs correctly had high levels of inherence heuristic adherence. The study was successful in creating an original measure for assessing heterosexist attitudes in young children, and this opens up many promising venues for research on the development of heterosexist attitudes in young children.Item Predictors of Protestant clergy's attitudes toward pastoral care regarding issues of homosexuality(2009-05-15) Cheatham, Carla AnnLiterature has consistently documented that religious involvement and identity have a positive, protective impact on health. Gay and lesbian persons, as members of a stigmatized group, are at particular risk for numerous physical and psychological difficulties and may benefit from competent care by clergy. The purpose of this dissertation is to report the results of a survey of 1,000 Protestant clergy in the United States designed to describe clergy?s training, knowledge, and experience regarding homosexuality and to examine the predictors of clergy?s attitudes toward issues of homosexuality. Evidence indicates that training and contact with homosexual persons can transmit knowledge to clergy, and that such knowledge is associated with more positive attitudes toward gays and lesbians. However, in this sample, males and respondents reporting more conservative religious beliefs scored lower on the knowledge scale than their more liberal counterparts. Additionally, respondents? formal training about homosexuality overall appears to have been insufficient to meet their professional needs as more information was received through informal training and continuing education. Conservative respondents reported less personal and professional experience with homosexuals and issues of homosexuality. Similarly, conservative respondents, males, persons from the Midwest and South, persons who did not receive clinical pastoral education (CPE) training, and those with less personal experience with homosexual persons reported significantly more conservative attitudes. The one exception to these findings was with conservatives reporting significantly more professional experience providing pastoral care to a homosexual who wanted to become heterosexual. This finding is congruous with conservatives scoring incorrectly more often on knowledge items regarding the changeability/choice of homosexuality. While knowledge was a consistent and significant predictor of attitudes (less knowledge predicted more conservative attitudes/beliefs), religious beliefs provided a stronger contribution to regression models with conservative beliefs significantly predicting more negative attitudes.Item Public attitudes toward municipal water conservation on the Texas Southern High Plains and Rolling Plains(2006-05) Pumphrey, Ronald G.; Elbow, Gary; Ramsey, Heyward; Gerber, Brian J.; Edwards, Jeffrey D.The Texas Southern High Plains and the Rolling Plains regions have never had an over abundance of surface water. Lingering drought over the past several years has taken its toll on the water level in area reservoirs, the area's renewable water supply. In the past century, groundwater from the Ogallala aquifer has been extracted in such large quantities its water level has dropped precipitously. With virtually no recharge, the groundwater from the Ogallala, the area's non-renewable supply, is literally being mined. Little research has been conducted on the Texas Southern High Plains regarding attitudes toward the local water supplies and water conservation. One objective of this study is to gain an understanding of attitudes, awareness and perceptions of residents and city officials in select communities on the Texas Southern High Plains and Rolling Plains concerning the limited municipal water supply. A second objective is to determine attitudes toward water conservation measures that may be necessary at some time in the future because of limited supplies. The final objective is to present the results in such a manner that any municipality embarking on a water conservation program can utilize any or all of these data to formulate policies addressing water conservation. Data were collected from residents and city officials in six Southern High Plains towns by means of a phone survey. Selection of these particular six towns permits a comparison of residents' attitudes based on the three differing water sources available in the study area. Awareness of and attitudes toward the local water supply by residents and city officials, including the issue of water conservation, are analyzed and discussed.Item Sexist attitudes about men’s sexual behavior: Development of a measure(Texas Tech University, 2007-12) Frizzell, Jason R.; Garos, Sheila; Hendrick, Susan S.; Richards, Steven; Clopton, JimSexism research to date has routinely focused primarily on the negative implications sexism has for women, yet has not directly addressed the question of whether such beliefs exist toward men, particularly men’s sexual behavior. In the current study, the Sexist Attitudes About Men’s Sexual Behavior Scale (SAMSB) was developed based on women’s responses to 126 rationally-derived items. Exploratory factor analyses of the SAMSB revealed three latent factors: Men’s Drive for Sex; Disapproval of Men’s Sexual Behavior; and Men’s Sexual Immorality. As hypothesized, scores on the SAMSB were positively correlated with two other measures of negative attitudes toward men: the Ambivalence Toward Men Inventory (ATMI), and the Attitudes Toward Men Scale (ATMS). Additionally, the hypothesis that scores on SAMSB would be positively correlated with women’s negative views of their sexual selves, based on responses to the Conservative-Embarrassed subscale of the Sexual Self-Schema Scale (SSS) was confirmed. A simultaneous regression analysis revealed that the SAMSB composite score was positively correlated with the Hostility Toward Men subscale of the ATMI, the ATMS total score, and the Conservative-Embarrassed subscale of the SSS. As expected, the SAMSB significantly predicted HM (hostility toward men) as well as the Conservative-Embarrassed subscale of the SSS. Results suggest that women who endorse sexist attitudes toward men’s sexual behavior may use sexist attitudes to inform an overall set of generally negative, if not hostile attitudes toward men. Results also suggest that women with sexual self-views reflective of less sexually permissive attitudes also have negative attitudes toward men’s sexual behavior.Item Studying Spanish in Texas: an exploration of the attitudes and motivation of Anglos(2009-12) Martin, Annjeanette; Horwitz, Elaine Kolker, 1950-Motivation has been widely studied in the field of second language learning as one of the most important predictors of linguistic proficiency. Initial studies suggested that socio-cultural factors such as attitudes toward the target group were strongly associated with a desire to learn and the effort expended in learning the target language. Though a second wave of studies emphasized more individual contributions to learner motivation, there has recently been a return to a more contextualized view of learning and the role that motivation plays within a given social context. The present study examines the specific socio-cultural context of the Southwestern U.S. in which Anglos, the dominant socio-linguistic group, have chosen to study Spanish, a minority language. Analyses address intensity of motivation, attitudes toward Spanish and Spanish speaking populations, and motivational orientations; this study also examines issues of social distance and discusses differences in perception regarding Spain and Mexico based on self-report questionnaires from the participants involved. Results indicate that Anglo learners of Spanish are moderately motivated to learn Spanish; though they responded quite positively on items related to desired fluency, participants do not seem necessarily willing to invest the time and effort required to achieve that fluency. Findings suggest that participants have somewhat neutral attitudes toward the Spanish language and Spanish speakers. Participants seem generally positive about the need for English speakers to understand and appreciate Hispanic culture; they are more reticent, however, on issues of language learning responsibilities. It also appears that participants have slightly more negative perceptions of Mexico than of Spain. In addition, results show that motivational intensity is moderately associated with attitudes, supporting many of the initial studies of motivation in language learning that found that more positive attitudes are associated with higher levels of motivation. Although many participants responded that they were only taking Spanish courses to fulfill the language requirement, they also seemed to recognize that there were other compelling reasons to study Spanish. Participants indicated that the usefulness of Spanish was the most important reason for studying the language and that a desire to have a more personal connection with the target group and culture was the least important reason.Item The effects of group deliberation on capital jury verdicts: Bias attenuation or exacerbation?(Texas Tech University, 2007-08) Cottle, Jacquline L; McGlynn, Richard P.; Reifman, Alan; Benson, Daniel H.; Reich, Darcy A.Existing studies regarding the effects of capital punishment attitudes on jury decision making have consistently found that those holding pro-death penalty attitudes process information differently than those against the death penalty. These effects have been shown at all levels of processing including attention, weighting, and recall of attitude-consistent evidence presented at trial. Thus, the consistent finding in the literature that jurors who favor the death penalty are more conviction prone than those who oppose it is troubling given that it is those in favor capital punishment who are empanelled in capital trials. While this presents a problem for the impartial juror construct fundamental to the legal system, the studies used to reach such conclusions are individual level studies which examine only individual juror propensities. The role of capital punishment attitudes on decision making at the group level has largely been ignored, or left to inference. Given the possibility for group outcomes to be different than individual propensities, the question of whether juries would be similarly biased when it comes to capital punishment attitudes was empirically investigated in the present study. Davis’ social decision schemes (SDS) approach was used to examine processing in deliberating juries in order to determine if attitudinal biases favoring conviction evident at the individual level would be enhanced or diminished at the group level. Two types of juries were examined, homogeneous juries composed of those holding pro-capital punishment attitudes, and mixed juries, representing a range of attitudes towards the death penalty. In light of differences in information processing styles, bias enhancement in the form of increased conviction proneness was predicted for homogeneous juries and bias attenuation was expected for mixed juries. However, the results in the present study did not support these predictions. In fact, no evidence was found for bias of any type in the group process. Even the leniency bias, which is robust in other studies of jury decision making, did not emerge in the current study. Possible reasons for this are discussed including the fact that little evidence of bias was found at the individual level before deliberations. It is also conceivable that the type of case chosen and the moderate implications of guilt in the current study mitigated attitudinal biases.Item The influences and factors of an undergraduate research program in preparing women for science careers(Texas Tech University, 2002-08) Campbell, Ashley McDowellProgress has been made in diminishing barriers to women in science in recent years, however obstacles still remain. One of the hallmarks of the Texas Tech University Howard Hughes Medical Institute (TTU/HHMI) Undergraduate Biological Sciences Education Program is to "support activities that broaden access to science for women." In light of the barriers women in science face, this dissertation examined how the experiences of females in the TTU/HHMI fellows program prepared them for a career in science. This study employed mixed methods, utilizing both a questionnaire involving all past female fellows, and in-depth interviews with seven fellows who chose a career as a professional scientist. The guiding research questions were: (1) How did the experiences of females in the TTU/HHMI fellows program prepare them for a career in science? (2) How did experiences in the TTU/HHMI fellows program help females who were pursuing careers in science to overcome or minimize the common barriers women in science encounter? and (3) What factors influenced those female fellows who chose not to pursue a career in science? According to the quantitative data, research experience, the relationship with mentors, and opportunities to present at state or national meetings were program factors that fellows identified as contributing to their career success. Encouragement from the mentor and increased confidence regarding the ability to be successful in science were the most significant predictors of the fellows' career advantages. Motivation to pursue a science-related career due to the HHMI program was the most significant predictor of the fellow's preparation to overcome barriers. Qualitatively, six major themes were identified for coding, which included (a) research experience, (b) the mentor, (c) support and interactions, (d) self-confidence, (e) career decisions, and (f) time demands related to a science career. The themes identified were important factors in preparing these past female fellows for a career in science by initiating a change in their attitudes, knowledge, and skills. With over 90% of past fellows currently pursuing a science career, the program, through research experience and encouraging mentors, made a large impact on the career paths of fellows. According to the National Council for Research on Women (Thom, 2001) model programs for women in science tend to be "sporadic and disjointed," which makes overcoming barriers on a large scale difficult. Since 1988, 30,000 undergraduate students (56% female) have done faculty-mentored research. Data from this study support the premise that the TTU/HHMI program and similar programs that provide undergraduate women with research experiences and mentoring have the potential to increase the number of women pursuing and continuing in science careers.Item West Texas high school agriscience teachers' knowledge, confidence, and attitudes towards teaching water quantity-related topics(2006-12) Miller, Pamela M.; Doerfert, David; Baker, Matt; Burris, Scott; Fraze, StevenAs the nations population grows, the water supply is depleting. Since agricultural education plays a large role in many Texas high schools, it is important to find out agricultural education teacher's behaviors towards water-related topics. The purpose of this study is to determine West Texas agricultural education teacher's personal attitudes about water quantity-related issues and their knowledge and confidence level in teaching water-related issues.Item Wildlife rehabilitation centers: Survey of rehabilitators’ attitudes, motivations, and knowledge & study of animal admittance to the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center(2012-08) Mcgaughey, Kathleen; Perry, Gad; Wallace, Mark C.; Farmer, MichaelWildlife rehabilitation centers and wildlife rehabilitators rehabilitate and release injured, sick, displaced, and orphaned wildlife. To study the wildlife aspect of wildlife rehabilitation, mammal and herpetofauna admittance records for the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (SPWRC) from the years of 1991-2010 were recorded and examined. These admittance data can be used to better manage similar human-wildlife interactions, offer solutions to common rehabilitation problems, and assist in successful release and survival of rehabilitated wildlife. To study the human aspect of wildlife rehabilitation, a survey was conducted of wildlife rehabilitators in Texas in order to study rehabilitators’ characteristics, knowledge and beliefs of some basic wildlife and rehabilitation issues, attitudes towards animals, reasons for rehabilitating, as well as how these things impact their desire and ability to properly educate the public about wildlife, specifically in urban areas.