1,721,022 research outputs found
Personality, work overload, and marital relationships
No full textThis study explores the intersection of personality, work overload, and marital relationships. The current study aims to expand current research by examining, using the family stress ABCX framework, how the individual personal resource of personality is related to the perception of work stress, and how these factors account for intimate relationship quality outcomes. Using a sample of married couples, findings indicate that personality is related to work overload and relationship outcomes; however, there was no support for a mediatory effect of work overload on the relationship between personality and the quality of marital relationships. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.This thesis won 1st Place in the Texas Tech University Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Award, Social Sciences, 2010.Embargo status: Restricted from online display. To request an access exception from the author, click on the PDF link to the left
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Identity negotiations of Colombian international students
No full textThe number of international students in the U.S. continues to grow, and during the 2013-2014 academic year, comprised about four percent of all university students. Studies have pointed to both challenges and positive aspects of the study abroad experience, but much of the research is outcome based and does not address the ongoing identity negotiations of these students as they navigate a new cultural setting. The goal of this research was to illustrate a framework for the analysis of identity processing by international students. The framework guiding the research is a sociocultural/dialogical perspective which emphasizes the dynamic, ongoing nature of identity meaning creation via intrapersonal and interpersonal dialoguing with different aspects of self, with actual and imagined other people, with collectives, with abstractions associated with home and host countries, and with future selves.
This sociocultural/dialogical framework was illustrated in the analysis of semi-structured interviews with 14 Colombian international students (6 women, 8 men) attending a university in the Southwest U.S. Analysis of the interviews was derived from the study’s theoretical lens which directs attention to the dialogical self subsystems as composed I-Other positionings and the relations among these positionings. One aspect of the analysis focused on content—the prominent I-positions expressed by students—which were grouped into three broad content categories. The first concerns national identity and meanings regarding U.S. and Colombian societies as well as meanings associated with their international student experience; the second focuses on meanings of independence and the ways these intersect with meanings of family; and the third describes students’ dialoguing about future goals which draws on discourses of opportunity and of national identity.
The main analysis concerned identity negotiation processes, focusing on tensions expressed by students in their positionings toward home and host countries and whether they spontaneously offered a resolution to the tension. This analysis emphasized the diversity of identity negotiations: Some students expressed no tensions engendered by the international experience; some voiced tensions with no proposed resolution; and a final grouping of students expressed tensions but also an emergent synthesis that served to resolve the tension. The analysis of tensions contributes to the international student literature in two ways. First, because much of this literature is based on the assumption that international students experience acculturation stress, it is important to document in more detail the validity of the assumption and the types of tensions experienced by students. Second, and more importantly for the purposes of this study, it points to the value of a process analysis of tensions and the ways in which such tensions can lead to identity reflection and re-evaluation.This dissertation won 2nd Place in the Texas Tech University Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Award, Social Sciences, 2016.Embargo status: Restricted from online display. To request an access exception from the author, click on the PDF link to the left
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
The impact of maternal health and involvement on children's well-being: A latent growth model
Full text linkThe overall well-being of a society can be measured by the health of its individuals. Health is not just a physical indicator, but includes both mental and social well-being for individuals. The current research study specifically looks at maternal health (or mother’s health) and child health and well-being, and tries to empirically demonstrate if maternal health over time could be considered as a valuable predictor for child health and well-being. It also explores the possibility of family process variables, like parental involvement influencing children’s health. It further investigates if such relationships are mediated by maternal health. The study also tries to understand policy issues like impact of Medicaid and other government sponsored health programs for children on child health and well-being. A secondary data analysis of the above mentioned enquiries is done with the help of the “Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS)” dataset. It is a longitudinal analysis covering all 4 waves of available data.
Latent growth structural equation models and panel models are constructed to examine the proposed hypotheses. It was observed that initial maternal health did not influence the change in child health over time. Improvement in child health over the 4 waves had a lower trajectory than maternal heath, but maternal health saw an abrupt decline between child age 5 and age 9. The above outcomes did not have any group differences between foreign born mothers and US born mothers. This was in contrast to earlier studies that have studied the “immigration paradox” on health related protective factors for children’s health and well-being outcomes, that stem from best practices of health behavior among immigrant parents. The study also finds that mother’s education level has a significant impact on both mother and child’s future health, among mothers married/cohabiting with the child’s biological father. A similar trend is also observed for mothers who share a friendly/visiting relationship with the child’s biological father. A unique finding of this research study is that, initial maternal health acts as a partial mediator between maternal involvement and child health. The meditation effect is more pronounced in African American mothers (21%) followed by Non-Hispanic whites (18.9 %). A cross-lagged panel model was created to understand if the health condition of children on Medicaid could be predicted from their well-being (measured here in terms of acute incidents). The proposed model was successful in explaining some temporal causation for children on Medicaid and but was unable to predict the same for the non-Medicaid group. The above findings are not just correlations, they are measured over 4 different time points and hence indicate causation between the factors. The results of this research study should aid policy makers to frame more appropriate policy on maternal health, and child health and well-being in the future
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
The Impact of Social Support on Graduate Student Mental Health
No full textThe researcher conducted a two-part dissertation study examining the relationships among stress, social support and mental health outcomes for graduate students in the United States. Participants were recruited via online advertisements posted on social media sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) and one campus email system in the United States. The first part of the study examined the relationships among stress, social support and mental health outcomes and established an overall model explaining relationships among the variables. Social support served as a moderator between stress and mental health outcome (self-report of new depression and anxiety symptoms), which suggested receiving adequate social support was helpful for students to cope with stress, and served to decrease the intensity of mental distress symptoms. In the second part of the study, the researcher compared the group differences in the conceptual model established in the first study based on participants’ gender, level of study, and relationship status. The researcher found students’ gender and level of study (master’s degree versus doctoral degree of study) modified the model but participants’ relationship status (dating exclusively or not dating) did not influence the model. Implications for clinical practice and for future research conclude the dissertation.Embargo status: Restricted to TTU community only. To view, login with your eRaider (top right). Others may request the author grant access exception by clicking on the PDF link to the left
Anxiety, Identity, and Female College Student Heavy Episodic Drinking
No full textThe purpose of the study was to investigate the developmental variable of identity, the individual variable of anxiety, and their relationship with female college student heavy episodic drinking. Concomitant with the transition from high school to college, is the developmental task of identity formation. College provides a structured context for emerging adult female students to work through the developmental demands of identity formation. For female students, identity development comes with unique risks related to heavy episodic drinking. In addition, anxiety is an inevitable part of life and the life transition from high school to college has its own anxiety. Anxiety has both adaptive and maladaptive functions. For female college students, anxiety comes with its own risks related to heavy episodic drinking and consequences. Heavy episodic drinking by female college students has been gradually increasing and comes with unique risks for female students. Specifically, female college students are more likely to experience negative consequences to self (e.g., rape, sexual assault, unprotected sex, etc) as compared to their male counterparts. Moreover, college age women make up the largest age group of all women reporting alcohol related problems. Examining the bidirectional relationship between anxiety and identity may be particularly relevant in understanding female college heavy episodic drinking. Thus, providing needed understanding to decrease the risks and provide direction for effective university prevention for female college students. Erikson’s Theory of Identity Development was the theoretical framework used to conceptualize and examine identity and anxiety factors related to the problems associated with female heavy episodic drinking and consequences. The method procedures for data collection was comprised of a convenience sample of 237 female college students. Female student participants completed a survey comprised of outcome and predictor measures and demographic items. Structural equation modeling was performed to evaluate mediation and moderation relationships in the proposed model. The moderating analysis addressed age of first drunkenness (early onset of first drunkenness vs. late onset of first drunkenness). Plus, the effects of control variables were also introduced in the model; specifically, grade point average, housing (e.g., on campus and off campus), childhood anxiety, and year in college (e.g., freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior). The outcome of the structural equation model results suggests for this sample of female college students that anxiety and identity did not mediate female college student heavy episodic drinking. Furthermore, identity variables in this study were not a good predictor of female college heavy episodic drinking. Findings resulted in a negative relationship between female college student anxiety and heavy episodic drinking. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between reported childhood anxiety and current anxiety, suggesting possible continuity of anxiety. The moderator, early age of drunkenness, was also positively associated with female student heavy episodic drinking. The implications of the study suggest that identity may not be a good predictor of female heavy episodic drinking. Furthermore, exploration of female student anxiety and its negative relationship with heavy episodic drinking needs more empirical attention. Finally, the study suggests the ongoing need to further understand the pre-college risks for female college students’ heavy episodic drinking. Identity and anxiety factors and their explanatory model with female heavy episodic drinking could merit further examination. The results suggest the need to examine additional multi-group comparisons; specifically, female students with early onset of anxiety (prior to age 17) and late anxiety onset (18+) and no alcohol related problems vs. alcohol related problems. The negative relationship between anxiety and heavy episodic drinking should continue to be empirically investigated to more clearly understand the influences of anxiety.Embargo status: Restricted to TTU community only. To view, login with your eRaider (top right). Others may request the author grant access exception by clicking on the PDF link to the left
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
- …
