Search Constraints
Number of results to display per page
Search Results
- Creator:
- Hewawasam, Shehanie R.
- Description:
- There is growing interest in studying the role of protective factors in risk assessment and management. the goal of the present study was to explore the role of the strength and vulnerability items found on the Short-Term Assessment of Risk Treatability (START) and to determine how they work in conjunction with one another. the data was drawn from a sample of inpatients ( n = 527) from a maximum-security forensic psychiatric hospital. Logistic regression analyses indicated that the vulnerability scale was a better predictor of the clinician’s final risk rating on the START. Rule adherence, material resources, impulse control, and external triggers were found as significant predictors among the strength items; whereas, conduct, substance use, and social skills were found as significant predictors among the vulnerability items. Factor analysis was conducted to explore the underlying structure that exists among the 40 strength and vulnerability ratings and resulted in a three-factor solution. These newly identified factors were tested as predictors of final risk ratings, and while they were stronger than the original scales, they also did not account for a large degree of variance and only the factor comprised solely of vulnerability items was a significant predictor. Future research should focus on conceptualizing and improving upon definitions to the strength and vulnerability items to increase the effectiveness of predicting future violent outcomes.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Moldoveanu, Minodora M.
- Description:
- This qualitative study explored the meaning of education for stopped-out students. There has been no exploration of the meaning of education for students who have stopped out of college. Stopping out of college is defined as leaving college for a period of time and then returning. the problem this study addressed is the lack of knowledge of the meaning of education for stopped-out students. the purpose of this study was to understand the differences in the meaning of education for students who stopped out of college starting from the moment they first enrolled in college, to when they stopped out, to when they returned to school, and at the time of the interview. the study relied on personal interviews with 20 participants. the study used Viktor Frankl’s (2006) logotherapy as the main lens to study stopped-out students’ meaning of education. the results indicated that when first enrolling in higher education, students viewed education as a societal expectation and an obstacle to other priorities but also as an opportunity to gain more freedom. When leaving higher education, students described education as an obstacle to other priorities, an additional source of stress, and as worthless. by the time students were returning to college, they viewed education as a means to gain freedom, as meaningful in helping others, and as a badge of honor. At the time of the interview, students described education as a source of freedom, as meaningful in helping others, and as a source of self-improvement. Based on the themes that emerged, students are more likely to persist in higher education when they give education positive meanings.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Leonard, Arielle L.
- Description:
- This thesis study investigated the experience and management of relational struggles and identity gaps in intrafaith romantic relationships. in total, 16 unmarried intrafaith partners (eight couples) participated. In-depth interviews were conducted and transcribed verbatim, and the interview data were interpreted and analyzed. Guided by the assumptions of Solomon, Knobloch, Theiss, and McLaren’s (2016) Relational Turbulence Theory and Hecht, Warren, Jung, and Krieger’s (2005) Communication Theory of Identity, the interpretive analyses revealed identity-driven relational struggles that disrupted the development of the ideal synchronized intrafaith romantic relationship. Specifically, three major struggles were identified along the trajectory of intrafaith romantic relationship development: Relational Uncertainty vs. Longing for Certainty and Reassurance, Protecting the Vulnerable Heart: Intrafaith Relational Struggles on Intimacy Boundary Regulation, and Intrafaith Relational Dilemmas on Emotional, Physical, and Spiritual Intimacy Synchronization. Three types of identity gaps accompanied relational struggles: Communal vs. Personal Identity Gaps, Communal vs. Relational Identity Gaps , and a Perceived Intra-Relational Couple Identity Gap. Finally, intrapersonal and interpersonal communication management strategies included: Intrafaith Romantic Relationship Entry Strategies and Intrafaith Romantic Relationship Development Synchronization Strategies. Chapter 5 discusses this study’s theoretical and practical contributions, limitations, and directions for future research.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Communications
- Creator:
- Lynn, Justin T.
- Description:
- Previous research has documented that human females report a number of preference changes for sexual partners and sexual activity during the high- relative to low-fertility days of the ovulatory cycle. Less studied, however, are the effects of female fertility on their male partner’s perceptions, desires, and behaviors. the present work was designed to examine women’s reports of their partner’s mate retention tactics and sexual jealousy, as well as men’s self-reports of these behaviors, to determine predictable patterns in association between these behaviors and their partner’s cycle phase. in this study, 25 heterosexual couples (Mage = 22.9) participated. Each received a questionnaire containing measures to assess self- and partner-ratings of mate retention behaviors and sexual jealousy at high and low-fertility phases of the ovulatory cycle. It was hypothesized that (1) males in pair-bonded relationships should display changes in behavior that are contingent on the ovulatory phase of their partner’s menstrual cycle, specifically that (1a) males would employ more mate retention tactics during the high-fertility phase, (1b) males would report more sexual jealousy during high-fertility, and (2) these behavioral changes would be moderated by ratings of individual physical attractiveness.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Panah, Sadie S.
- Description:
- Individual differences in the perception of harmony between religious and American identity may moderate how these identities jointly relate to adjustment and may explain mixed findings on religious identity and adjustment for immigrants. Christian, Jewish, and Muslim immigrants (N = 232) living in the U.S. completed online surveys in English via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Religious-American identity predicted increased symptoms of anxiety and decreased satisfaction with life when immigrants perceived their religious and American identities to be neutral or conflictual, but not when they perceived those identities to be harmonious. Moreover, results revealed that Muslims are more likely than Christians and Jewish individuals to perceive low harmony between their religious and American identities. These findings are important in terms of expanding the results of previous research with perceived harmony between ethnic and host cultures to harmony between religion and host (American) culture and how these identities relate to adjustment.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Quinn, Brettni
- Description:
- Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged over the last few decades as a major nosocomial pathogen. Its ability to acquire genetic material and survive in extreme environments has positioned it as a paradigm of multidrug resistance. Horizontal genetic transfer, specifically natural transformation, has played a key role in its evolution. However, little is known about how competence for natural transformation is induced or regulated in A. baumannii and, therefore, our research focuses on identifying inducers of competence and characterizing genes involved in this process. to identify inducers of competence, A. baumannii cells were grown in the presence of host human products or antibiotics and transformation frequencies were assessed. Human serum albumin (HSA) was the only host human product that significantly increased transformation frequencies, suggesting that an albumin-specific mechanism exists in this species. in addition, all three antibiotics tested increased transformation frequencies, likely via different pathways. to better understand induction of competence, RNA sequencing was performed under HSA induction and 167 genes were identified as being significantly differentially expressed. Twenty-three genes were analyzed in depth, including putative transcriptional regulators and those associated with two component regulatory systems and type IV pili. This analysis led to the identification of a number of genes that were not explored before and whose roles in competence development are suitable for further analysis.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Hwang, Joey
- Description:
- The popular perception of the Gallipoli campaign, and the Great War as a whole, as the birthplace of Australia and New Zealand as distinct nations from Britain is not inaccurate. the stories of the ANZACs bravely storming the beaches in Turkey remain a sacred part of their national histories. While most historians recognize that the First World War shaped the two nations, the popular narratives of the war tend to come from a distinctly European perspective. the native peoples of both nations also had a major impact on the development of their national identities, as well as their views of each other. the exploits of the Maori at Gallipoli and the Western Front, as well as continued discrimination against Aboriginal Australians on the home front, had a much stronger influence on the national mythos of both nations than is commonly portrayed. Furthermore, the war’s impact eroded the “colonials’” opinion of Britain, the mother country, and served to only further exacerbate the growing divisions within the empire.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of History
- Creator:
- Pastarnak, Dmitriy
- Description:
- Over the years, the techniques used for the extraction of target compounds out of complex chemical matrices have been continuously improving due to rapidly evolving technologies. This thesis explores several sample preparation techniques. We evaluated solid phase extraction (SPE), solid phase microextraction (SPME), and headspace techniques by comparing them to the current silica gel column chromatography method for extracting two biomarker groups, terpanes and steranes, from bitumen (petroleum tar). We then ranked the methods according to their extraction/column chromatography capability and environmental impact. the extraction/column chromatography capability was evaluated using a gas chromatograph equipped with a single quadrupole mass spectrometer and assessed based on validation parameters. the method safety and the environmental impact were evaluated following the twelve principles of green chemistry. the headspace technique failed to concentrate the target compounds from bitumen during the developmental stage and thus was not included in the validation. the SPME method demonstrated superior selectivity, required the least cleanup and equipment maintenance, had the lowest impact on the environment, and offered an enhanced capability for air sampling. the SPE method was the simplest, quickest, and least expensive. It also yielded the most precise measurements.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Creator:
- Maiorca-nunez, Jessica
- Description:
- Evidence suggests preschool age students with disabilities (SWD) benefit from inclusive settings. Inclusive education has positive impacts on students’ social–emotional, language, and cognitive skills. Yet, preschool age SWD continue to have limited access to inclusive education, and research suggests numerous reasons, including teacher practice. the setting of this study, a K-12 school district in Southern California, had not met expectations related to the percentage of children participating in inclusive settings and the percentage of children demonstrating improved developmental growth. Relevant literature suggests that teacher attitudes and beliefs are the most frequently reported barriers to inclusion of preschool age SWD. to this end, this study examined the differences between early childhood education and early childhood special education teachers’ attitudes and beliefs and student growth outcomes across the special education program continuum, and it investigated whether teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about inclusion impact the social–emotional, language, and cognitive outcomes of their students. for this study, 39 teachers completed a survey that investigated their attitudes and beliefs related to social–emotional benefits, academic benefits, outcomes of inclusive practices, and implementation of inclusion. in addition to teacher surveys, student assessment data (using the Desired Results Developmental Profile, 2015) of 182 students were analyzed to determine student growth in one year. Mean comparisons and multilevel modeling were used to determine if teacher attitudes and beliefs influenced student assessment outcomes. the analysis revealed that early childhood special education teachers had more positive attitudes toward the social–emotional benefits of inclusion of SWD than did early childhood education teachers. They also had more positive attitudes toward the implementation of inclusive practices. SWD participating in coteaching, inclusive models demonstrated higher social–emotional, literacy and language, and cognitive development growth outcomes than SWD participating in self-contained models. There was a correlation between teachers’ attitudes and beliefs related to the social–emotional benefits and academic benefits of inclusion. Student participation in inclusion was a marginally significant predictor of higher social–emotional growth, and inclusion of students with speech and language impairments was a marginally significant predictor of higher cognitive growth.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership
- Creator:
- Reyes-osorio, Osmara
- Description:
- This qualitative dissertation looks at how first-generation college students (FGCS) experience the emotion of guilt as it relates to social capital within higher education. This study included 21 FGCS enrolled at two community colleges in Los Angeles County, California. the study found that guilt, along with other variables influence first-generation college students’ access to social capital. Themes included: positive experiences associated with being a FGCS, parental support, FGCS not working, guilt (associated with familial responsibilities), pride, resiliency through positive self-talk, and challenges accessing social capital. Implications for policy, practice, theory, and future research are discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Dissertation
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Educational Leadership