Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
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Item REVISITING THE BOTTLENECK HYPOTHESIS: EXAMINING THE CONTRIBUTION OF SEXUAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT TO THE CAREER EXPLORATION AND DECISION-MAKING OF SEXUAL MINORITY COLLEGE STUDENTS(2021) Morris, Taylor Robin; Lent, Robert W; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Cheryl Hetherington (1991) proposed that sexual minority (LGBQ) college students’ sexual identity development conflicts with their career development, creating a “bottleneck” of limited time and psychological energy to contribute to both processes (which may be referred to as the bottleneck hypothesis). A small body of literature has supported this hypothesis but given both methodological limitations in the prior research and societal shifts regarding sexual minority individuals, a reexamination is warranted. This study used a social cognitive career theory framework to investigate whether sexual minority college students have greater difficulties in the career exploration and decision-making process than heterosexual students and whether indicators of both psychological and social aspects of sexual identity development explain unique variance in several career decision-making outcomes. The sample consisted of N = 512 undergraduate students who completed an online survey (n = 225 sexual minority and n = 287 heterosexual). Results showed no significant differences in the mean scores of the two groups on career decision-making process and outcome variables, such as career decision-making anxiety and level of career decidedness. The same sets of social cognitive predictors also accounted for significant variance in career-related exploratory goals, career decision-making anxiety, and career decidedness in both groups of students. One group-specific difference was, however, observed at the level of individual social cognitive predictors: the presence of social support for career decision-making uniquely predicted exploratory goals in the heterosexual sample but not in the sexual minority sample. In addition, a few indicators of sexual identity development explained unique variance in the career exploration and decisional outcomes beyond the social cognitive predictors. Notably, sexual minority students reporting higher levels of identity concealment held relatively fewer career-related exploratory goals. The study’s implications for Hetherington’s (1991) hypothesis of a bottleneck effect and for future research on sexual minority students’ career exploration and decision-making are discussed.Item STORIES OF A TAIWANESE DIASPORA: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY ON THE EXPERIENCES OF TAIWANESE AMERICAN STUDENTS(2018) Chang, Stephanie Hsiao-Sho; Park, Julie J; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)There is a growing emphasis on students’ cultural experiences on campus. As such, the purpose of this study was to explore Taiwanese American students and their connection to Taiwanese culture. As a critical-cultural narrative inquiry this study (a) brought attention to Taiwanese American students and their engagement with Taiwanese culture, (b) expanded upon notions of home and experiences of bicultural integration, and (c) utilized diaspora as a theoretical perspective in a student development and higher education context. Research questions guiding this exploration included the following: (1) What do Taiwanese American students identify as significant and meaningful components of Taiwanese culture? (2) How and where do Taiwanese American students connect to Taiwanese culture on campus? (3) In what ways do the experiences of Taiwanese American students contribute to the existence of Taiwanese diaspora? Eight Taiwanese American students from a Mid-Atlantic University participated in this study. Each participant engaged in two interviews. The outcome of this study included individual participant narratives and a grand narrative encompassing four themes: recognizing their parents’ influence, navigating multiple cultural contexts, finding meaningful connections in non-Taiwanese American settings, and making decisions to move closer to Taiwanese culture. This study explored the importance of Taiwanese American students’ connectedness to their ethnic cultural background.Item The Role of Attachment in a Social Cognitive Model of Social Domain Satisfaction in College Students(2016) Jezzi, Matthew Martin; Lent, Robert W.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The study examined a modified social cognitive model of domain satisfaction (Lent, 2004). In addition to social cognitive variables and trait positive affect, the model included two aspects of adult attachment, attachment anxiety and avoidance. The study extended recent research on well-being and satisfaction in academic, work, and social domains. The adjusted model was tested in a sample of 454 college students, in order to determine the role of adult attachment variables in explaining social satisfaction, above and beyond the direct and indirect effects of trait positive affect. Confirmatory factor analysis found support for 8 correlated factors in the modified model: social domain satisfaction, positive affect, attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, social support, social self-efficacy, social outcome expectations, and social goal progress. Three alternative structural models were tested to account for the ways in which attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance might relate to social satisfaction. Results of model testing provided support for a model in which attachment avoidance produced only an indirect path to social satisfaction via self-efficacy and social support. Positive affect, avoidance, social support, social self-efficacy, and goal progress each produced significant direct or indirect paths to social domain satisfaction, though attachment anxiety and social outcome expectations did not contribute to the predictive model. Implications of the findings regarding the modified social cognitive model of social domain satisfaction were discussed.Item Exploring & Identifying Predictors That Affect Asian American College Students' Sense of Belonging: "How Do I Fit In?"(2015) Lim, Donna Y.; Park, Julie J; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship among various college environment factors, specifically living on campus, on-campus employment, mentorship, involvement in college organizations and student groups, socio-cultural discussions, and perception of nondiscriminatory climate and how these relationships potentially affect Asian American college students' sense of belonging. Data came from the 2009 Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership, which had a robust Asian American sample that included 6,786 Asian American college student participants. Descriptive analysis was conducted to provide an overview of the sample under study in terms of gender, parents' education, high school involvement, major, institutional characteristics, live on-campus, work on-campus, have a mentor, involvement in college organizations and the type of college organization involvement. Through mean comparisons, distribution of sense of belonging was analyzed between all Asian Americans and the three subpopulations being investigated which were Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, and Asian Indian Americans. A one-way ANOVA was used to determine if there were differences in perception of sense of belonging between the ethnic subpopulations as well as from the overall Asian Americans college students and a random sample of non-Asian college students. Astin's (1993) college impact I-E-O model was used to design blocked hierarchical multiple regression models to test and identify significant predictors of sense of belonging for all Asian Americans and the three subpopulations. T-tests were conducted and significant differences between standardized and unstandardized beta coefficients were evaluated. Several key findings emerged from this study to include the most significant predictors of Asian Americans' sense of belonging were the perception of a nondiscriminatory climate on campus and participation in socio-cultural discussions with peers. Other significant predictors include having a mentor and being involved in a college organization particularly student governance and campus wide programming types of student groups. Scholars and practitioners within the field of higher education can continue the work from this study in disaggregating the data on the many Asian American ethnic groups to better understand their respective needs, and in turn, improve services and programs that strengthen this growing constituency's sense of belonging and collegiate success.Item THE NEW SOUTH: A CASE ANALYSIS OF LATINO STUDENTS ATTENDING A HISTORICALLY BLACK UNIVERSITY IN NORTH CAROLINA(2013) Mena, Salvador Bienvenido; Komives, Susan; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Latino students attending a historically Black university in North Carolina. The study was guided by the revised campus climate framework by Milem, Chang, and Antonio (2005). A case study methodological research design was used to explore the following two research questions: (a) What is the Latino student experience at an HBCU that is intentionally seeking to promote Latino student success? (b) How is the campus climate, as defined by Milem et al. (2005), experienced by Latino students at an HBCU? Individual interviews with 13 students, 3 faculty, and 2 staff members were conducted along with the examination of the case site (e.g., review of the institution's strategic plan). The study revealed five areas of focus for understanding and enhancing the Latino student HBCU experience: 1. The decision-making process by Latino students for enrolling at an HBCU; 2. Latino student acclimation to the HBCU campus environment; 3. The cultural dissonance experienced by Latino students in the HBCU setting; 4. The benefits of diversity derived from Latino student enrollment at an HBCU; and 5. Latino student engagement within the HBCU environment. Recommendations for future research and practice based on these five identified areas were made.Item Body Image and Social Anxiety: Integration, Comparison, and Extension of Bioecological Models(2012) Klingaman, Elizabeth Ann; Hoffman, Mary Ann; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Women entering their first year of college are at risk of developing both pathological body image and social anxiety. The bioecological framework of human development (Bronfenbrenner, 1977) was used to guide the selection and synthesis of three relevant models linking the following outcomes to various predictors relevant to first-year-to-college women: social physique anxiety as a subcomponent of body image concerns, and fear of negative evaluation as a subcomponent of social anxiety. While several differences were found between Asian, Black, and White racial groups, the new bioecological model fit well across all racial groups, explaining between 52% and 57% of the variance in social physique anxiety, and from 40% and 47% of the variance in fear of negative evaluation. For all racial groups, social physique anxiety mediated the relation between self-esteem and fear of negative evaluation. Self-esteem was not supported as a moderator of the relation between body mass index and social physique anxiety. Results suggest the importance of assessing social physique anxiety among college women, as well as studying the bioecological model longitudinally. Further results and implications are discussed for theory, research, and practice.Item Asian American Racial Identity Experiences in Intergroup Dialogue: A Narrative Study(2011) Mac, Jacqueline; Quaye, Stephen J; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this constructivist narrative study was to explore how Asian American students experience their racial identity in intergroup dialogue. This study addressed the following guiding research question: how do Asian American students experience their racial identity in the context of intergroup dialogues? Two Asian American students from two intergroup dialogues participated in this study. Data collection included semi-structured individual interviews and course documents, such as journal reflections. Data were analyzed using a hybrid narrative approach that combined the analysis of the content as an entire story (inductive case analysis), of the content of themes within each story, and of the structure of a complete story (cross-case analysis). Full restories of each participant's story were provided. Four themes emerged from these restories to illuminate how students experienced their racial identity in intergroup dialogue. First, racial identities were experienced in a complicated manner that conflated race and ethnicity, within and outside of intergroup dialogue. Second, the salience of racial identity impacted how and what participants shared about their experiences. Third, both participants shared stories of internal conflict related to their racial identities, which were illuminated by their experiences in intergroup dialogue. Lastly, participants shared similar experiences participating in intergroup dialogue, which included holding back, taking risks, and responding to stereotypes. However, these experiences varied in the ways they were explicitly connected to participants' racial identity.Item The Link Between Impulsivity, Suicide Ideation, and Illegal Behavior in College Students(2011) Freeland, Rachel Miriam; Dugan, Laura; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi's general theory of crime posits that persons with low self-control are more likely to engage in criminal, as well as, analogous behaviors. This thesis attempts to explore the relationship between low self-control, as measured by impulsivity, illegal behavior, and suicide ideation, an analogous behavior, in a college student population. Data are taken from the College Life Study, a longitudinal study that examines the health behaviors of one cohort of first-year college students. Using multinomial logistic regression, the results indicate that the more impulsive students are also those who show signs of suicide ideation and illegal behavior or just illegal behavior without suicide ideation. However, when examining suicide ideation alone, there is not a statistically significant relationship with impulsivity. Thus, Gottfredson and Hirschi's theory is only partially supported by this thesis.Item RISKY BEHAVIOR IN COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH ADHD(2008) Rooney, Mary; Chronis-Tuscano, Andrea M; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to engage in risky behavior across the lifespan than those without ADHD. College represents an important developmental phase during which the initiation and escalation of heavy drinking set the stage for lifelong difficulties with alcohol and other drugs (Maggs, 1997). The present study examined patterns of alcohol use, illicit drug use, risky sexual behavior, and risky driving behaviors among 39 college students with ADHD and 60 college students without ADHD. Results suggested that among college students, ADHD, CD, and their comorbidity were differentially associated with patterns of risky behavior. Results from the present study largely support the overarching view that individuals with ADHD engage in higher rates of risky behavior; however, specific findings were at times inconsistent with the existing literature on young adults with ADHD. Further research is needed to examine moderators of the association between ADHD and risky behavior.Item Activism and leadership development: Examining the relationship between college student activism involvement and socially responsible leadership capacity(2010) Page, Jeremy Dale; Komives, Susan R; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between participation in student activism and leadership development among college students. This study applied the social change model of leadership development (SCM) as the theoretical model used to measure socially responsible leadership capacity in students. The study utilized data collected from the Multi-Institutional Study of Leadership (MSL), a research project examining the influences of higher education on leadership development in college students across the country. The sample of 12,510 students consisted of respondents who participated in a sub-study on student activism within the MSL survey. Hierarchical multiple regression models were constructed to investigate the research question using an adapted version of Astin's (1991) I-E-O college impact model. Regression models included participant demographic characteristics, pre-college experiences, institutional descriptors, and consideration of select college experiences in examining the relationship between activism and leadership development. Results indicated that the regression models explained a significant amount of the variance in participant scores. Participation and holding a leadership position in on-campus and off-campus organizations, community service conducted on one's own, and participation in an internship emerged as significant predictors of socially responsible leadership capacity among the collegiate experiences included in the model. Participation in activism also emerged as significant, as awareness of local, national, and global issues indicated influence on all leadership development measures, and participating in protests, contacting public officials, signing a petition, and buying or not buying products due to personal views significantly contributed to measures of citizenship. These findings served to address the existing gap in the literature pertaining to the relationship of student activism and leadership development, and indicated the developmental and educational potential to providing these experiences for students on campus.