6834 research outputs found
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Religiosity and its effects on perceptions of sexual consent.
No full textSexual harassment and assault are unfortunately common at college universities, including at Christian universities such as Baylor University. Various factors including gender, culture, relationship length, presence of illicit substances, and countless others complicate the way one perceives sexual consent, and thus the way they approach sexual behaviors in the future. To determine the extent to which religiosity affects perceptions of sexual consent, participants in this experiment reported their religious behaviors and then responded to a series of questions about a vignette that depicts a situation in which the need for consent is ambiguous. Through ordinal and logistic regression, this study measures the associations of religion and different perceptions of sexual consent. Analysis revealed that a higher religion score correlated with more conservative views about what behaviors require explicit sexual consent. Additionally, an increased religion score was correlated with a decreased belief that explicit consent was needed once any sexual behavior had occurred. Many responses received similar answers regardless of religion score, indicating that religion is only one of many factors that affect the perceptions of sexual consent
Homiletics that contribute to intergenerational awareness in a secular age.
No full textThis dissertation analyzes the necessity of generational awareness for the effectiveness of sermon preparation and delivery. Situated in what is classified as the ‘Secular Age,’ this research engages the tension present in a cultural landscape where it has become increasingly difficult to believe in the intervention of the divine over human will and desire. To address this need and climate, I first analyzed the biblical and theological foundations for intergenerational preaching by observing the times in which biblical figures such as Moses and Joshua addressed a multigenerational audience. I also analyzed the profiles of successive generations, from the Traditionalists to the Alphas, learning of major generational events, learning styles, and even preaching preferences.
In addition, I held this information in tandem with life development models, such as moral and faith development, to provide insight into the season of life a person may be situated within, based on their age. To make this information useful in a practical sense, I developed a homiletical method that journeyed from reorientation to reflection, which serves as a roadmap of awareness to ensure due diligence in considering the various members of the congregation in preaching. The results of this research showed that awareness of the distinction between multigenerational and intergenerational terminologies, along with facts about generational preferences, developed the preacher’s confidence to effectively address all the generations present in their congregations during their sermons
For the duration : gender, labor, and the temporary transformation of the American workforce during WWII and the Great Depression.
No full textBetween the Great Depression and the end of World War II, women’s labor in the United States undergoes a dramatic and contradictory transformation. As millions of men lose their jobs or enter military service, women join the workforce in unprecedented numbers, often taking on roles previously restricted to men. Yet, despite their vital contributions, they face wage discrimination and job segregation, alongside prevailing norms that demand their exit from the workforce once their employment threatens to unsettle the gendered division of labor that had governed both households and workplaces before the crisis. Traditional economic theories—neoclassical, Keynesian, and Marxist—fail to fully explain these gendered labor dynamics, frequently overlooking the impact of unpaid domestic work and deeply embedded cultural norms. Wartime employment provides many women with a sense of agency and pride, but institutional and ideological forces quickly move to reassert traditional roles. The resulting tension between ideological constraints and the necessity of labor highlights the limitations of existing frameworks in capturing the full scope of women’s labor experiences during this pivotal period
Examining the effects of affectionate touch and active engagement in the relationship between positive interactions and emotional outcomes.
No full textObjective: This study aimed to 1) examine whether affectionate touch explains unique variance in emotional outcomes, such as emotion regulation and positive affect, beyond general positive interactions; 2) investigate whether active engagement moderates the relationship between positive interactions and emotional outcomes; and 3) determine whether these effects differ across various young adult relationship types.
Methods: Participants included 413 undergraduate students at Baylor University who reported seeking social support for a stressful experience within the past month. Participants completed an online survey assessing interpersonal interactions, active engagement during stress, positive affect, and emotion regulation. Participants could evaluate positive interactions across up to three relationship types: 39.9% (N = 165) reported on a romantic partner, 78.7% (N = 325) on a family member, and 79.2% (N = 327) on a close friend.
Results: Affectionate touch did not significantly predict positive affect or context-specific emotion regulation outcomes, with findings consistent across relationship types. Although active engagement was significantly associated with emotional outcomes, it did not moderate the effects of general positive interactions or affectionate touch on emotional outcomes across relationship types.
Conclusions: This study found no evidence that affectionate touch uniquely predicts emotional outcomes beyond general positive interactions. Further, active engagement did not moderate the relationship between positive interactions or affectionate touch and emotional outcomes. Potential explanations for these findings include the possibility that 1) individuals do not distinguish between touch and other types of positive interaction, 2) the Affectionate Touch Scale (ATS) used in this study failed to meaningfully capture facets of affectionate touch in its assessment across relationship types, or 3) methodological limitations of this study impacted the results.
Practice Implications: These findings highlight the need for further research to refine measures of affectionate touch and explore its unique contributions to emotional outcomes across relationship types
Secondary teachers' self-efficacy and years of teaching experience with emergent bilingual students at a southern United States intermediate school : a quantitative study.
No full textSecondary teachers with fluctuating levels of self-efficacy contribute to the opportunity gap for emergent bilingual (EB) students in secondary public schools. These fluctuating levels can occur throughout teachers’ careers, with some teachers not feeling adequately prepared or confident to meet the needs of EB students. This study employed Siwatu’s (2007) culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy model, which emphasizes teachers’ confidence in implementing culturally responsive practices and designing relevant curricula and instruction, to investigate how teachers’ self-efficacy influences their instructional practices and their ability to support EB students based on their years of experience.
To investigate the relationship between self-efficacy and years of teaching experience, this study utilized a quantitative, non-experimental cross-sectional survey, the Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy (CRTSE) survey. This instrument collected data on teachers’ self-efficacy levels based on 29 questions and their years of teaching experience instructing EB students. The results of this study underscore the need for targeted professional development to support teachers in working with EB students. An independent samples t-test did not reveal a statistically significant relationship between novice teachers (those with 10 years or less of experience) and teachers with 11 years or more of experience. However, a simple linear regression analysis revealed statistical significance, with years of teaching experience predicting scores on the CRTSE. The simple linear regression analysis revealed that years of teaching experience account for 29% of the variance in self-efficacy, highlighting the importance of supporting teachers at various stages of their careers to ensure equitable and inclusive education for all students. Specifically, the study yielded two insights: first, targeted professional development and support can enhance the self-efficacy of secondary teachers instructing EB students, and second, these results can inform educational practices and policies aimed at improving instructional strategies and outcomes for EB students by strengthening teachers’ self-efficacy. These results reinforce the urgency of investing in research on the relationship between self-efficacy and years of teaching experience, as well as the direct impact of self-efficacy levels on student achievement
Social jetlag and global sleep quality predict worse grades in first-year STEM students.
No full textSleep health is associated with health and academic outcomes. Poor sleep is common amongst college students and is hypothesized to negatively impact academic performance. However, much of the work on this topic has been cross-sectional and has not accounted for fluid intelligence or baseline mental health, thereby limiting understanding of causal direction. First year college students (N=489, Mage=18.3; 72.2% female; 53.8% BIPOC) were recruited to complete a baseline assessment that included measures of sleep quality, social jetlag, chronotype, daytime sleepiness, mental health, and fluid intelligence. Sleep quality and social jetlag remained predictive of grade point average (GPA) after controlling for all variables (ps<.05). After excluding participants with very low GPAs (< 2.0), sleep quality but not social jetlag continued to predict future GPAs. Social jetlag was predictive of receiving a GPA <2.0, (OR=1.02). Poor sleep and social jetlag early in college are independent risk factors for lower future academic success
Law-related job training and development at Moody Bible Institute : a qualitative single case study of employee motivation.
No full textIn Chicago, a small private Bible college navigated increasingly complex laws and regulations in education, radio, and publishing. These expanding legal challenges have prompted the institution to engage its legal department more extensively and to increase its focus on legal review. As a result, the legal department has increasingly relied on outside counsel to manage critical issues. This trend highlights the current capacity of the in-house legal team regarding student affairs, intellectual property, accreditation, contract management, and litigation. Consequently, outsourcing legal counsel has driven legal expenses beyond historical allowances. Without a viable solution, the institution risks compliance failures, the neglect of necessary legal review, and potential litigation that could threaten its mission.
To explore these challenges, I conducted a single qualitative case study aimed at understanding employees' perspectives on how a law-related job training and development program related employee motivation. I applied the basic self-determination theory model in the workplace (Deci et al., 2017) to explore participants’ descriptions of autonomy, competence, relatedness, well-being, and performance before and after attending the training. Data collection included pre- and post-training questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. This approach provided insight into participants’ views about managing law-related aspects of their jobs and their assessment of how law-related training addressed those responsibilities.
Participants described experiencing improved confidence, reduced anxiety, improved vocabulary and understanding, strengthened connection and community, and a sense of pride and motivation to accomplish law-related tasks. The findings offer practical considerations for human resource professionals, general counsel, and university administrators aiming to strengthen employees' intrinsic motivation by improving their legal knowledge and analytical skills. The study supports the implementation of law-related job training and development programs within organizations and institutions of higher education. Such programs may serve to educate participants on the relevant law-related aspects of their jobs, promote proactive law-related issue identification, and encourage discussion of these implications within their departments. Ultimately, these law-related programs should be designed to align with the broader goal of cultivating employees’ competence, autonomy, and relatedness in their workplace environments
Essays on hospital-level economic outcomes : evidence from psychedelic decriminalization and health system data breaches.
No full textThis dissertation quantifies how legal, clinical, and technological disruptions shape U.S. hospital economics through three essays. Essay 1 exploits staggered city-wide psychedelic decriminalization (2019-2022) using difference-in-differences methods, finding a 25 percent rise—about 33 extra cases per month—in psychosis-related emergency visits. Essay 2 links those policies to inpatient trajectories: proportional-hazards models show hallucinogen exposure raises subsequent psychosis risk five- to sixfold, exceeding cannabis, alcohol, or opioid risks and increasing with repeated exposures. Essay 3 examines 2009-2023 HIPAA breach data; quasi-experimental methods reveal transitory cost spikes that revert to baseline within five years, suggesting insurance coverage and managerial buffers limit losses. Collectively, the essays indicate psychedelic decriminalization generates persistent clinical demand while cybersecurity breaches impose fleeting financial strain. The findings offer evidence for lawmakers evaluating drug policy, hospital administrators planning psychiatric capacity, and insurers pricing cyber-risk, underscoring the diverse channels through which shocks reverberate across hospital balance sheets and patient care
The effects of disclosure on university students' perceptions of a person with aphasia.
No full textAphasia is a neurogenic language disorder usually caused by a stroke. The resulting language impairments typically include word-retrieval deficits, which lead to a decreased ability to communicate functionally. This increases the frustration of the person with aphasia (PWA), leading to social isolation, decreased autonomy, and depression. Individuals with aphasia often have increased difficulty interacting with unfamiliar communicative partners, which can result in negative perceptions among listeners. However, self-disclosure of the disorder can allow for the empowerment of the individual and increased understanding of the situation for the listener. Toward that end, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of self-disclosure, other-mediated disclosure, and no disclosure on the listeners’ perceptions of the PWA’s speech skills and personality characteristics.
The present study utilized an experimental survey design to evaluate the relative impact of different disclosure conditions on listeners’ perceptions of a PWA’s speech skills and personality characteristics. An adult female diagnosed with aphasia served as the speaker in the study. The individuals who served as listeners were 201undergraduate students majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders. There were 67 students in self-disclosure condition (i.e., the PWA gave a verbal disclosure statement prior to her videotaped conversation with the examiner), 68 students in the other-mediated disclosure condition (i.e., the examiner disclosed for the PWA), and 66 students in the no disclosure condition. Students watched one or more video(s), depending on the condition, and then rated the PWA on several speech skills and personality characteristics.
Results revealed that self-disclosure yielded significantly more positive listeners’ perceptions than other-mediated disclosure for seven of the 17 traits measured. Furthermore, self-disclosure yielded significantly more positive listeners’ perceptions than no disclosure for 13 of the 17 traits measured. The other-mediated disclosure did not yield significantly more positive ratings than the no disclosure condition for any traits measured. These findings suggest that the use of self-disclosure impacts the listener beyond simply reducing listener uncertainty. This further supports the use of self-disclosure by PWA when feasible. However, clinicians can have a major role in teaching the importance of self-disclosure, as well as facilitating its use among clients
Automating the screenplay : the creative and technical viability of AI in screenwriting.
No full textThis thesis investigates the effectiveness of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in screenwriting through the development and evaluation of a custom AI-assisted framework. Employing qualitative research methods, guided by George Kozmetsky’s creative and innovative management loop, the study assesses existing AI-driven screenwriting tools, highlighting limitations in iterative refinement, narrative coherence, and dialogue generation. To address these shortcomings, a novel framework integrating AI agents, structured prompt engineering, and advanced memory retention techniques is proposed and implemented. Comparative analysis demonstrates that this innovative approach enhances AI's capabilities as an interactive, collaborative storytelling partner, offering substantial improvements in narrative depth, character consistency, and emotional authenticity. The findings provide valuable insights into optimizing AI-driven screenwriting practices, underscoring AI’s emerging potential to augment human creativity in screenwriting