Browse the Social Science/Education/Public Health Collections
Ya no nos crían así: A qualitative study of career socialization of Latina college students03/21/2017The purpose of this study is to identify messages that Latinas receive regarding gender norms, college expectations, and career aspirations. Even though Latinos/as are entering college at greater rates than ever before, only 13% of Latinos/as have attained at least a bachelor’s degree, which is frequently necessary in career development and choice. However, career development is notably harder for Latinas in particular due to culture, values, and gender roles that influence their decision-making. Socialization and intersectionality theory provide a lens to explore the ways in which Latinas’ gender and career socialization patterns intersect. To this end, this study was guided by interviews with Latina undergraduate students from a Midwestern university about a) their personal background and education, (b) messages received about college and career, and (c) messages received about gender. This study makes important theoretical contributions. First, it extends socialization theory to account for the experiences of Latinas. Second, it will provide insight on how messages regarding expectations for college and career are affected by culture and gender norms. This study also offers pragmatic guidance to educators on how to prepare Latina students in pursuing a career that aligns with their interests. Last, this study offers insight into the factors motivating this population to pursue educational and professional goals. Keywords: Latina, college, career, messages, socialization |
W.H.Y. campaign - We Hear You: Improving Mental Health in College Freshman03/21/2017Depression and anxiety in college freshman is growing quickly from 10 to 15 percent in the 1980’s to 33 to 40 percent today. Through research on previous interventions and statistics collected from colleges across the United States, we have determined that mental illness on college campuses goes unrecognized. Almost 73 percent of students living with a mental health condition have experienced a mental health crisis on a college campus. Concern of stigma is the number one reason students do not seek help. In light of these findings we have developed an intervention to implement in freshman courses and residence halls. Our campaign, We Hear You (W.H.Y.), aims to improve mental health in college freshman through multimedia using creative mental health educational presentations and connecting students efficiently with on- campus and off-campus mental health resources. We wish to see significant reduction in stigma of mental illness by use of surveys before and after the intervention. |
The Key Factors of Combat Uniforms that Contribute to Increasing Casualties in Modern Warfare03/21/2017Introduction Combat uniforms are meant to protect our troops from the dangers they face on the battlefield. While there is gear designed specifically to protect service members from bullets, these pieces have not been designed with recent combat environments in mind. After conducting several interviews, with veterans and current soldiers, the recommendations suggested to me were to create a uniform that was more durable and breathable. Soldiers were more concerned about these areas of the uniform the most. Method I analyzed the casualty statistics, which allowed me to understand what caused the most injuries on the battlefield, and that the casualty statistics have actually increased in recent years especially the amount of amputees, explosive injuries, and head injuries. My primary research included interviews with Kent State veterans as well as active service members to learn more about the uniforms they wore while serving in combat. Results Breathable uniforms allow for air movement around the body, keeping them cooler in unbearable heat and protecting them from weather-related medical conditions, such as heat stroke. Also, a comfortable uniform will enable wearers to be more focused on their situations and surroundings instead of being distracted by the temperature. My research also indicates that soldiers sometimes will take off parts of their uniforms, such as their vests, because they are extremely hot and the perception is that the vest does not offer much protection. But when troops don’t wear their protective gear on the battlefield, it can decrease their survival rate. |
The HateHate Campaign: Facilitating a Grassroots Movement to Change the World03/21/2017In the United States, 42% of people who are LGBT report living in an unwelcome environment and 80% of youth who are LGBT report severe social isolation. Factors that contribute to these staggering statistics include misunderstanding, shame, stigma, lack of education, and lack of positive mainstream representation. Through critical examination of prior interventions, in-depth literature review, and knowledge based on years of work in the community, we were able to identify deficits and needs of this population and ways in which they were or were not being met. The HateHate Campaign strives to build a new and accessible guide to connect the LGBTQ+ youth population to needed resources and enable them to become advocates for themselves and others. This website will work to combat stigma and increase awareness through education and inclusion. This will empower young people to speak up and combat stigma in their everyday lives, creating a grassroots movement to decrease negative attitudes among the general population. Effectiveness of our program will be seen through the analysis of site traffic and a comprehensive survey to gauge understanding and attitudes around Kent State’s campus. |
The Expected Cost of Housing Discrimination03/21/2017The aim of this research is to increase the understanding regarding discrimination in the home rental market, especially in a way that is applicable to individuals, by constructing a framework with which its expected cost can be found. After estimating an expected cost, this research seeks to use that cost as a platform to explore conditions surrounding this expected cost. Furthermore, this research makes a case for why this should be an important issue among Disability Studies scholars and Disability Rights activists. Starting with 1988 amendments to the Fair Housing Act, America has made a legal effort to secure fair housing. However, it is estimated that over four million instances of discrimination occur in the rental market alone each year. This report aims to examine the expected cost of rental housing discrimination in order to better understand the conditions and circumstances that might bring an individual to committing discrimination. This research finds that the expected cost for committing the criminal act is exceptionally low due to the lack of enforcement of these complaints and the unwillingness of some individuals to report instances of discrimination. This provides evidence for the consensus among fair housing advocates that fair housing agencies are underfunded and unable to properly handle their caseloads. |
The Effects of Poverty on McNair Scholars’ Educational Attainability03/21/2017This presentation addresses research on how poverty has affected undergraduate McNair Scholar TRIO Program students’ educational attainment. It should be noted that participants in McNair were admitted partially on the criteria of lower socio-economic status as well as first-generation college attendance. The study aims to reveal well-being as it is tied to education and poverty levels specifically. Authors that serve as inspiration and guidance in this research include Gorski and Landsman (2014). In their book The Poverty and Education Reader: A Call for Equity in Many Voices, Gorski and Landsman interview youth, and statistics are shared on how poverty affects today’s learners. Models discussed in Gorski and Landsman’s work that particularly influenced the theoretical positioning of this study include Deficit vs. Resiliency, and the presence of parents in schooling. Gorski, P. & Landsman, J. (2014) The poverty and education reader: A call for equity in many voices. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. |
Te’māto Te’māto: How does your cultural identity influence your health?03/21/2017The self-categorization theory, in conjunction with the identity based motivation model of health behaviors, states that individuals will conform to behaviors that they believe to be typical of their in-group, especially when an individual is made more cognizant of their in-group identity. We primed individuals with cues related to their cultural identity to examine how they would respond to a nutritional health prompt. A study was designed in which subjects of varying cultural groups were exposed to either a positive, negative, or neutral primer. Each group then completed: a food label interpretation test, a food and consumer "me/not me" behavior survey, and a Positive and Negative Affect Survey (PANAS). We expect that individuals in the negative stimuli group will display a more unfavorable valuation of nutrition information and health related behaviors when compared to individuals who receive a neutral or positive cultural stimuli. We attribute this difference in identity-infused behavior to a congruency in general health perception with the [positive or negative] context in which the identity was made salient. Furthermore, we believe this difference in motive will be induced by feelings of stress (or lack thereof) under the protocol of the study. It is predicted that the favorability of the resulting data from the study will be congruent with context of the [positive/negative/neutral] conditions of each group. |
Social Rhetoric Shaping Lesbian Identity03/21/2017Social rhetoric often portrays lesbians as hypersexualized, aggressive, and predatory. Yet, there is a lack of research on how this negative social rhetoric shapes lesbian identity. I seek to fill this gap in the literature by addressing this question. To do this, I use structured interviews conducted in 2016 with 5 lesbians at a university in Northeast Ohio. My findings from these interviews demonstrate that social rhetoric in the media influences women’s sexuality at a young age. Also, media and religion collectively create significant amounts of negative social rhetoric, including the stereotypes that these women face. Finally, all of the women believe that sexuality is very complex and is developed by many different social and biological factors. With this research, I hope to better understand how social rhetoric shapes lesbian identity and to influence society away from using negative social rhetoric to represent lesbians because its affects how they form their identity. |
Sexual Consent in the Media: From Screen to Silence03/21/2017Sexual Consent in the Media: from Screen to Silence In my project I will be discussing the research I have done on sexual consent in the media. My research includes how consent is defined by academic resources, but also how the media misinterprets consent, and how the media negatively influence sexual consent. The media sources for my project includes advertisements, which represent the ideas of sexual consent in the media, and why it is damaging. The beginning of my presentation will include how people define consent, I will find as many definitions of consent that I can. The next part of my presentation will include what the media says about consent. I have found product advertisements from the internet that show My advertisements that include images of women being objectified and show women being objectified, and do not have consent. When images like this are shown for advertisements, it normalizes gender indifferences and sexual assault. Sexual assault in the media creates and normalizes sexual assault, when in reality it is a serious issue. Educating on sexual consent is what I believe needs to be done, in order to understand sexual assault. Consent is not talked about as much as I think it should be, and I want to define consent instead of define sexual assault. By educating on policies and statistics of sexual assault and sexual consent, I am able to use media representations to enforce that something needs to be done about this issue. Most of the images I have include women being objectified to sell products, and women being used for sex. Rape culture in our society calls for education of consent and policies to protect victims. The victim is often seen as the problem, and educating the community on why these images in the media are damaging is the first step in making consent an important part of the sexual assault prevention agenda society should have. |
Life Factors Leading to the Behavior of Maternal Prenatal Smoking03/21/2017In the United States, approximately 22% of women of childbearing age are habitual smokers and only 20% of pregnant smokers quit smoking once they learned they were pregnant. Smoking throughout pregnancy is currently the primary preventable cause of detrimental fetal results, such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and low birth weight. Current research presents little information about the epidemiology of maternal smoking. The secondary data set, National Pregnancy and Health Survey: Drug Use Among Women Delivering Live Births, 1992, found on ICPSR, was utilized to analyze the connection between life factors and likelihood of maternal prenatal cigarette smoking. In this retrospective study, we analyzed mothers on an individual level and utilized questionnaires that were distributed at sample hospitals in addition to select medical records. After a bivariate and multivariate analysis, we found that risk factors for maternal smoking during pregnancy were: race, education, employment status, marital status, the number of previous pregnancies, and number of weeks pregnant before first prenatal visit. Looking at how smoking behaviors change over the course of a pregnancy and what life factors influence pregnant mothers to stop smoking could offer insight for how to decrease the prevalence of maternal smoking. |