Browsing by Subject "ethnicity"
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Item Clarifying the Relationships between Rural Parenting Practices and Child Sedentary Behaviors(2013-04-29) Gabriel, Myra GayleChildhood obesity is a growing problem in the United States. Though a great body of research has focused on this area, little is still known about the factors that influence this phenomenon in rural settings. Sedentary behavior and parenting factors are just two factors that influence this trend toward obesity. However, even less is known about how the intersection of parenting influences affects child sedentary behaviors in rural communities. This study examines the relationship between parenting factors and child sedentary behaviors within the context of rurality. This study was completed in two parts. Part one consisted of a comprehensive review of the literature that provided background on the current practices and set the stage for the statistical analysis that followed. Part two included the statistical analysis, which focused on examining the relationships between parents? TV and behavior rules, and child?s sedentary activity behaviors. Pearson correlation and Spearman?s rank were used to assess whether relationships existed between variables. Correlations between weekday and weekend activity and gender were not found to be significant. Also, relationships between rule enforcement and activity were not found to be significant. This study found a glaring gap in the literature that examines how parenting factors influence child sedentary behaviors in rural settings. Also, the statistical analysis revealed that parental rules have no associations with child sedentary activity, despite medium rates of enforcement.Item Compliance and Best Practices in Transition Planning: Effects of Disability and Ethnicity(2011-02-22) Landmark, Leena JoIt is well known that individuals with disabilities have poor postsecondary outcomes. As a result, state and local education agencies are held accountable for the post-school achievements of their students with disabilities. The purposes of this study were (a) to determine the extent to which the transition components of Individualized Education Program (IEP) documents were compliant with the transition requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEIA), (b) to determine the extent to which the transition components of the IEP documents provided evidence of best practices, (c) to determine the effects that disability category and ethnicity had on compliance and practices as evidenced in the transition components of the IEP documents, and (d) to determine the relationship between overall compliance and best practices. The sample for the study included 212 secondary students who had a developmental disability, an emotional disorder, or a learning disability and who were African American, Caucasian, or Hispanic. Several types of analyses were conducted including descriptive, multiple logistic regression, and Spearman's rho correlation. The overall level of compliance was 2.03 (SD = 1.238). The range of possible scores was 0 - 5, with 0 indicating that none of the components of compliance were 100 percent compliant, and 5 indicating that all of the components were 100 percent compliant. The overall level of best practices as evidenced in the IEP documents was 4.89 (SD = 1.569). The range of possible scores was 0 - 8, with 0 indicating that there was no evidence of any of the practices in the IEP document, and 8 indicating that evidence of all the practices was found in the IEP document. A student's disability category and ethnicity were found to be influencing characteristics for increasing or decreasing the probability of an IEP document being compliant and/or having evidence of best practices. A statistically significant correlation of r = .429 was found between the overall levels of compliance and best practices, indicating that as the level of compliance increased, so too did the level of best practices evident in the IEP document.Item Eating Disorder Symptomotology: The Role of Ethnic Identity in Caucasian and Hispanic College Women(2011-12-12) Avina, Vanessa; Arbona, Consuelo; Day, Susan X.; Armsworth, Mary; Olvera, NormaA relative large number of women on college campuses report experiencing eating afflictions. About 61% of college women indicated that they either occasionally or regularly used extreme measures to control their weight (Mintz & Betz, 1988). No clear consensus on the relative prevalence of eating disorder symptoms across ethnic groups has emerged (Franko et al., 2007). However, previous literature has accentuated the importance of BMI and the internalization of ideals for thinness as important predictive factors for eating disorder symptoms, and thus should be included in an analysis of symptomotology. Moreover, no studies were located that have taken into account ethnic identity when comparing the endorsement of eating disorder symptomotology among Caucasian and Hispanic women. The purpose of this study was to examine (a) to what extent college women from Hispanic and Caucasian ethnic groups differ in behavioral and attitudinal symptoms of eating disorders, respectively when controlling for BMI, (b) to what extent ethnic identity contributed to behavioral and attitudinal symptomotology, respectively, when controlling for BMI and the internalization thinness as a beauty ideal, and (c) whether ethnicity moderated the relation of ethnic identity to eating disorder behavioral and attitudinal symptoms. Participants in this study included 264 female students (45% Hispanic, N=119; 55% Caucasian, N=145) at a large urban university in the Southwest United States. The majority of the Hispanic participants identified themselves as second generation (N = 72, 62.2%, SD= 1.27), meaning they were born in the United States, and had one or both parents born in a Latin country. Participants completed Demographics questions, the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDEQ; Fairburn & Beglin, 1994), the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM; Phinney, 1999), and the Sociocultural Attitudes towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ; Heinberg, Thompson, & Stormer, 1995). Bivariate correlations showed that behavioral and attitudinal eating disorder symptoms were positively and highly correlated to one another for both ethnic groups. For Hispanics, both types of symptoms were positively correlated to BMI and internalization, and negatively correlated to ethnic identity. Results differed for the Caucasian group, with positive significant correlations between attitudinal symptoms to internalization and to BMI. Behavioral symptoms were only significantly correlated with internalization and not BMI. Among Caucasians there were no statistically significant correlations of ethnic identity to any of the variables included in the study. The MANCOVA analysis showed no statistically significant differences in symptomotology between the two ethnic groups. Hierarchical Linear Regressions showed that ethnicity does not moderate the relation of ethnic identity and eating disorder symptoms.Item Immigrants' Acculturation as Expressed in Architecture: 19th Century Churches and Courthouses in South Central Texas(2014-12-09) Morris, Jacob JamesThis paper introduces a conceptual framework to analyze identity and assimilation processes in immigrants? architecture. Specifically, the study examines European immigrants who arrived directly to Texas port cities and settled in South Central Texas during mid-to-late nineteenth century. The architectural choices made in the communities in which these immigrants settled express various aspects of their orientations to maintain identity and tradition while at the same time assimilate to the new land. The theoretical framework theorizes that the manifestation of these two distinct directions in public architecture in these communities is conditioned by community context and building type. This study posits that churches serve as the symbol of cultural heritage and reflect the collective memory of immigrants? homeland. Courthouses have been considered as the predominant symbol of self-government and of community?s civic pride. Thus, the county courthouse served as the icon of immigrants? negotiation of new and externally derived civic responsibilities, i.e., assimilation. Consequently the study focused on two building types, churches and courthouses, built in Texas county seats. The locations were chosen so that the sites will represent a variety of immigrant ethnic groups. To test the expectations derived from the framework, this study utilized a small sample comparative analysis. The comparisons of the targeted buildings (courthouses and churches) were conducted along specific criteria, which included site, morphology, and building technology. The findings show that across all criteria, churches exhibited a higher degree of European traditional architecture in correspondence to the cultural identity of each applicable ethnic group. Courthouses generally reflected architectural patterns of that era across Texas and thereby were more similar to one another, in the context that they reflected overall contemporary practice throughout the state of Texas. The courthouses demonstrated the assimilation process of immigrants to their new land. These findings lead to a better comprehension of the influence of immigrants upon public architecture in their new homeland, and to the recognition of the significance of identity, pride, and place in the interpretation of historic architecture.Item The impact of race/ethnicity on post acute services(2009-02-24) Tracy U Nguyen-Oghalai; Jean Freeman; Terry A McNearney; Kenneth J Ottenbacher; James S Goodwin; Huifang LuEach year, more than 300,000 people fracture their hip. The number of hip fractures in the US is expected to increase with the aging of the population in the coming years; by 2040, 500,000 patients annually will sustain a hip fracture. Better understanding of factors impacting outcomes after hip fractures can inform the health care work force, facilitate future interventions to improve outcomes for patients with hip fractures and inform future health policy. This dissertation reviewed the impact of race/ethnicity and comorbidity on perioperative and subacute hip fracture management and discussed the implications for future medical management and health policy.Item Malady of the "model minority": White racism's assault on the Asian American psyche(2009-05-15) Chou, Rosalind SueMy research is a qualitative study about the Asian American experience. Studies have shown that Asian Americans obtain high levels of educational attainment and household income, but these figures are misleading. Asian Americans are getting a lower financial return on their education compared to their white counterparts. They suffer higher rates of suicide and depression than all other racial groups. Little quantitative and no qualitative research exists addressing these issues. My research explores Asian American life experiences with a focus on what role systemic racism plays in their lives and how this connects to the health disparities. This analysis utilizes thirty-six in-depth interviews to discuss the types and frequency of racist events. Respondents revealed a plethora of discriminatory incidents and shared various coping strategies that they use to deal with the stress of discrimination and to combat future racism. The analysis concludes that the great efforts that Asian Americans go to in order to protect themselves from white racism are costly. Respondents have to combat feelings of isolation, inadequacy, and inferiority. The analysis also utilizes interview data to discuss the ways in which respondents attempt to conform to the white racial frame in hopes to find relief from discrimination. By conforming, some adopt negative racial stereotypes about themselves and other people of color. Even after going to great lengths to conform, interviewees still struggled with feeling excluded by whites. Eventually, some respondents became hopeless that they would ever be accepted. This work also explores alternative methods some Asian Americans are using to combat systemic racism. Some respondents revealed an alternate mindset to those who have chosen to conform to the white racial frame. This group of respondents challenged white racist ideologies, and some even discussed methods in which they actively resist in hopes to improve the racial situation for all Asian Americans. This work is an attempt to fill the large gaps in research about the unique Asian American experience. There has been no other similar analysis in the past. My data reveal the complexities of the Asian American experience and the need for further research.Item Predictors of the likelihood of adoption among U.S. women by race and ethnicity(2009-05-15) Klucsarits, Christine ElizabethThis thesis utilizes a series of seven logistic regression models to examine the predictors of the likelihood of adoption among U.S. women based on the National Survey of Family Growth, Cycle 6. The individual characteristics that have been found most influential in determining adoption behavior in past studies were examined, including age at the time of the interview, parity, fecundity status, and socioeconomic status. A special focus was placed upon the relationship between the race and ethnicity of a woman and her adoption behavior, which has received limited attention in the adoption literature. The results of this analysis suggest that the main determinants of adoption are undergoing change. While findings on the relationship between a woman?s age and her likelihood of adoption are consistent with past research, the relationships of parity, marital status, fecundity status and socioeconomic status with adoption behavior each exhibit surprising developments. Additionally, the results of this analysis reveal that race and ethnicity are important variables in terms of the adoption behavior of U.S. women. The implications of these results, as well as the need for more comprehensive adoption data, are also discussed.Item Social comparison, ethnicity, body image, and media exposure to thin-ideal models: an experimental study(2009-06-02) Warren, Cortney SoderlindSocial comparison theory offers a useful conceptual framework to understand how mainstream American sociocultural values of appearance may shape the development of body image disturbance and eating disorders. Some experimental research demonstrates that women report significantly greater increases in negative affect and body image disturbance and decreases in self-esteem after viewing thin models than after viewing inanimate objects, normal-weight models, and overweight women. The main goal of this study was to investigate whether the effects of viewing thin models are influenced by the ethnicity of the observer and/or the ethnic and racial similarity of the model to the observer. In addition, the study tested the extent to which social comparison tendency, trait appearance evaluation, ethnic identity, and racial identity may moderate these effects. In study 1, women rated the race, attractiveness, and thinness of a group of ethnically diverse models. Study 2 assessed affect, self-esteem, and body image in Euro-American (n = 105), African-American (n = 91), and Latina (n = 111) women before and after viewing ethnically self-similar models, self-different models, or control images. Results indicated that ethnic similarity between model and participants influenced affect such that increased social comparison tendency in Latina participants predicted increased negative affect after viewing Latina models. Additionally, the type of media images viewed and proposed moderators influenced affect and body image. As predicted, positive appearance evaluation was more strongly associated with positive feelings about one?s weight after viewing models and, in African-American and Latina women, increased idealization of Whiteness was associated with decreased positive feelings regarding one?s weight after viewing White models. Unexpectedly, increased social comparison tendency was associated with increased positive affect after viewing African-American models whereas increased social comparison tendency was associated with less positive affect after viewing Latina models. Finally, independent of media exposure, African-American women reported higher appearance-based self-esteem and body image than Euro-American and Latina women and increased social comparison tendency, decreased positive appearance evaluation, decreased ethnic identity, and increased racial identity idealizing Whiteness were each associated with undesirable levels of self-esteem and body image. Clinical implications and directions for future research are provided.Item Sociospatial Inequality: A Multilevel and Geo-Spatial Analysis of Latino Poverty(2012-02-14) Siordia, CarlosSociology at its core has always been interested in understanding how society works. Previous studies on social stratification have sought to outline who gets what, when, and why. This project introduces the where element to advance our understanding of how resource distribution affects life chances. The research question is: Does the percent of Latinos in the area of residence have an influence on Latino?s individual poverty over and above the influence on poverty of the person characteristics? The study ascertains how micro-level inequality is influenced by macro-level attributes and explores how spatial non-stationarity plays a role in these mechanics. This sociospatial inequality investigation will delineate how individual-level stratifying mechanisms are influenced by context-level structural attributes and how sociospatial non-stationary processes play a role in these mechanics. The dissertation is conceptually driven by Hubert M. Blalock's 1970 theory on minority relationships. Blalock posited the testable hypothesis that discrimination against oppressed groups increases when their population rises. Using theoretical propositions inspired by Blalock leads to the testing of the following two formal hypothesis: the multilevel hypothesis (H1) focuses on macro-level effects, I hypothesize that as the percent of Latinos/as in the area of residence increases, the odds of being in poverty will increase for Latinas/os; on the spatial hypothesis (H2), I hypothesize that the statistical association between percent Latina/o and percent poverty is spatially nonstationary. I find that H1 cannot be falsified. The models reveal, as Blalock predicted, that as the percent of Latinos/as in the area of residence increases, the odds of being in poverty increase for Latinas/os (even after controlling for various level-1, level-2, and GWR-level-2 factors). I also find that H2 could not be falsified. I find that the statistical association between percent Latina/o and percent poverty is spatially nonstationary. My multilevel and spatial modeling investigation was unable to falsify Blalock's minority group threat theory. Hierarchical models indicate that as the percent of Latino/a increases, the likelihood of being in poverty for Latinas/os increases. This statically significant relationship holds constant even after spatial nonstationarity level-2 control factors are introduced.Item The Experiences for People of Asian Descent in Professional Positions in American College Sport(2014-12-16) Shim, Kun SooThe purpose of this study was to understand the role that race and ethnicity plays in the experiences for people of Asian descent in professional positions in American college sport. Specifically, this study sought to understand (a) the reasons for the underrepresentation of people of Asian descent in professional positions, (b) the ways that race and racism play a role in the underrepresentation for people of Asian descent in professional positions, and (c) the strategies employed for obtaining and maintaining a professional position for people of Asian descent in American college sport. This basic interpretive qualitative research was conducted utilizing in-depth semi-structured interviews. The participants of the study consisted of six (N=6) professionals of Asian descent that are currently working or have worked in American college sport. Asian critical theory was utilized to guide and establish research questions, method, interpretation of findings, discussion, and conclusion. Five themes emerged from the data:(a) Asian cultural value of education over sport/athletic participation (i.e., family influence and educational competitiveness in an Asian country); (b) incongruousness of the term ?Asians? with sport; (c) language barriers (i.e., lack of communication skills and limited network); (d) exclusion due to race-based view of foreigner; and (e) commonly accepted job practices (i.e., persistence and building a network). As an initial study on people of Asian descent in American college sport, the findings could benefit practitioners in American college sport to understand the current experiences for people of Asian descent face and educate people of Asian descent as to how they succeed in American college sport. In addition, this study would make a contribution to literature in the sport context by providing experiential knowledge of people of Asian descent in American college sport.Item The Role Mentoring Plays in a White Female Novice Teacher's Perceptions of Her Enculturation into a Culturally Diverse Campus(2012-07-16) Noble, Erica MichelleMany of America's schools are populated with diverse student populations, while the teaching population remains largely White. This creates dissonance for White teachers and students of color. Possibly mentoring can assist novice White teachers as they enculturate into the profession and their culturally diverse campuses. This qualitative research, conducted from an Interpretivism paradigm, used a case study of a White female novice teacher at a culturally diverse campus to understand the role mentoring played in a White female novice teacher's perceptions of her enculturation into a culturally diverse campus. Several methods of data collection were used, including 9 semi-structured interviews with the novice teacher, email dialogues, 3 days of shadowing, as well as two semi-structured interviews with the subject's principal and mentor. The data was analyzed using the constant comparative method. This White female novice teacher taught at a campus with a large Hispanic student population. She struggled to feel confident in her work and in her relationships with her mentor, her fellow teachers, her administrators, her students and their parents. She relied heavily on her faith and her fellow novice teacher and teammate. Her mentor visited her once a week. She liked her mentor, but never felt she received the assistance desired. She recognized she knew little about the Hispanic culture of her students; she was willing to learn more, but failed to see her own privileged membership in the dominant White culture and its effect on interactions with her students. The discussion of this study looks at the structuring of an effective mentoring program for novice teachers, and the new teacher?s frustrations with the mentoring received; her relationship struggles with her principal and other staff, but also some successes in forming friendly relationships; her desire to understand her Hispanic students and their culture, yet her inability to see her membership in the dominant culture, as well has her school and district's "color-blind" approach to race; and her perceptions of her enculturation into the profession of teaching. The conclusions of this study discuss mentoring new teachers, the role of principals in the induction of new teachers, cultural differences between teachers and students, and the influence of faith and character with a teacher and his/her teaching.