Theses and Dissertations from UMD
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2
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
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
Browse
23 results
Search Results
Item “What Are We?” A Narrative Study of the “Trickiness” of Identity for Asian American College Students(2018) Kim, Yoolee Choe; Park, Julie J.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Asian Americans are a significant and growing population in U.S. higher education, yet their positionality within the U.S. racial landscape has often been unclear. Acknowledged as neither Black nor White, Asian Americans have occupied an often marginalized yet nonetheless racialized position, which has disguised much of their lived experience as racial beings. This study sought to understand how Asian American college students see themselves as racial beings by exploring the role and salience of race and its intersections with other social identities. Using intersectionality as a theoretical framework, this narrative inquiry study was guided by the following research questions: (a) how do Asian American college students describe and make meaning of their racial identity; (b) in what ways, if any, do their other social identities, such as gender, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, religion, ability status, socioeconomic class, and immigrant generation status, interact with the way Asian American college students describe and make meaning of their racial identity; and (c) how do Asian American college students experience the intersections of their multiple social identities? Following in-depth interviews with four Asian American college students representing a range of identity backgrounds, individual narratives were written for each participant, telling the story of how they came to make meaning of their racial identity, other salient identities, and their intersections. A metanarrative was then generated based on the commonalities of participants’ stories. Through these narratives, the lived experiences of Asian Americans as racial beings were centered. For these four participants, identifying as Asian American was a conscious choice whose meaning was created through reflection on experiences with race, often in conjunction with intersecting identities. Systems of power, oppression, and privilege acted upon those intersections and indelibly shaped the way participants made meaning of their identities, as illuminated by intersectional analysis. The study’s findings indicate paths for future research on Asian American identity development, particularly using critical theoretical perspectives that foreground the influence of systems of power and oppression. The findings also suggest implications for supporting Asian American students and for developing and integrating intersectional approaches in order to create more socially just and inclusive institutions.Item The Impact of Short-Term Sleep Extension on Cognitive and Motor Performance in College Tactical Athletes(2018) Ritland, Bradley Michael; Hatfield, Bradley D; Kinesiology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)U.S. service members are commonly referred to as “tactical athletes” because of the physical training they undergo to maintain and improve occupational performance. Because performance in the military can literally determine the outcome in ‘life and death’ situations, it is critical that tactical athletes are prepared to perform optimally, both physically and mentally. Accordingly, it is important for tactical athletes to focus on health behaviors, like sleep, known to impact both aspects of performance. Little is known about the sleep health of college tactical athletes enrolled in The Reserve Officer's Training Corps (ROTC) and there have been no well-controlled studies on the immediate and residual effects of sleep extension on executive and cognitive motor performance. To address this knowledge gap, a randomized control trial (Sleep extension versus Control) was conducted to determine the immediate and residual effects of a four-night sleep extension intervention (10 hours time in bed) in this population. Consented participants wore a wrist actigraph for fifteen nights in order to measure sleep duration and a cognitive motor battery was conducted after seven nights of habitual sleep (Day 8 – pre-test), after the four nights of sleep extension intervention (Day 12 – post-test), and after the resumption of habitual sleep for four nights (Day 16 – follow-up). Between group comparisons of mean pre- to post-test score changes and mean pre-test to follow-up score changes were performed using independent sample t-tests. Results revealed that the sleep extension group significantly increased their mean sleep duration over the intervention period and that the four nights of sleep extension resulted in immediate benefits in alertness, psychomotor vigilance/attention, executive function performance, standing broad jump performance, and motivation levels. Benefits of sleep extension on broad jump performance and motivation level were still evident four days after resumption of habitual sleep schedules. These results suggest that sleep extension enhances both cognitive and motor performance in college tactical athletes, with some performance benefits lasting days after returning to habitual sleep patterns. Considering the performance improvements noted following sleep extension, a four-night intervention should be considered for training programs aiming to enhance overall performance.Item I Am But I Do Not See: Color-Blind Racial Ideology in College Millennials(2017) Cox, Jonathan; Ray, Rashawn; Marsh, Kris; Sociology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Research suggests that in the midst of pervasive claims of a post-racial society, it is mostly whites who ascribe to color-blind ideology, while people of color still point to the significance of race. However, we know relatively little about the views of young adults, who have largely come of age during the time of the U.S.’ first black-identifying president. Building upon research done by Bonilla-Silva (2003), and drawing upon from literature on racial ideology and racial identity, my research primarily addresses the following question: In what ways do the racial identities of Millennials impact their utilization or rejection of a color-blind racial ideology? To answer my research question, I conducted a study involving 70 racially diverse college students from four schools in the Washington, D.C. area. Students kept weekly journals about race in their lives for a period of time between 3-12 weeks (n = 65), and I interviewed about half individually following the journaling period (n = 35), with questions focusing on racial identity and racial attitudes. My findings suggest that white college Millennials still utilize the frames and styles of color-blind racism in largely the same ways as the individuals in Bonilla-Silva’s work. Millennials of color use color-blind racism, but typically in more nuanced and even contradictory ways. Millennials of color across all races use color-blindness at similar rates, although some differences emerged across ethnicity. Additional emergent themes include that whites often demonstrate a disconnect between their beliefs about living a diverse life and their actual lives, experience white guilt, and are impacted in complex ways by colorblindness. People of color live more diverse lives than their white peers, believe that race and discrimination are still significant factors in their lives, and may use colorblindness as a coping mechanism. My research brings people of color into conversations about colorblindness in ways that have not been done before. Further, it has implications for understanding racial ideology within the emerging tri-racial system in the U.S., suggesting that the intersection of racial identity and racial ideology within this emerging system may be just as complex as identification itself in the system.Item RISK FACTORS FOR NONMEDICAL PRESCRIPTION ANALGESIC USE AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS: RESULTS OF A PROSPECTIVE STUDY(2016) Morioka, Christine Kempsell; Howard, Donna; Public and Community Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Purpose—Nonmedical Prescription Analgesic (NPA) use is a serious public health concern and studies on risk factors for NPA use are lacking. This investigation used preexisting data from a landmark longitudinal, prospective study of college students, the College Life Study (CLS), to examine the longitudinal relationship between four suspected risk factors—affective dysregulation, conduct problems, depressive symptoms, and general psychological health—and NPA use. Methods—The sample was comprised of 1,253 young adults originally recruited as first-year college students from a large, mid-Atlantic university. Results—10.5% (n=103) of the participants during year 3 of the study reported past year NPA use, of which 55.3% (n=57) were male and 81.6% (n=84) were white. Affective dysregulation and conduct problems were found to be significantly and longitudinally (baseline to year 3) associated with incident NPA use after controlling for gender, parents’ education, and race/ethnicity. Conclusions—Affective dysregulation and conduct disorder are longitudinally associated with NPA use among college students. These findings might aid in prevention efforts to reduce NPA use among college students.Item The Role of College Students' Perceptions of Effort Source on Self-Evaluations of Academic Ability(2016) Muenks, Katherine; Wigfield, Allan; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)In the present studies I investigated whether college students’ perceptions of effort source influenced their perceptions of the relation between levels of their own effort and ability in mathematics. In Study 1 (N = 210), I found using hypothetical vignettes that perceptions of task-elicited effort (i.e., effort that arises due to the subjective difficulty or ease of the task) led to perceptions of an inverse relation between one’s effort and ability, and perceptions of self-initiated effort (i.e., effort that arises due to one’s own motivation or lack of motivation) led to perceptions of a positive relation between one’s effort and ability, consistent with my hypotheses and prior research. In Study 2 (N = 160), participants completed an academic task and I used open-ended questions to manipulate their perceptions of effort source. I found that participants in the task-elicited condition endorsed no overall relation between effort and ability, and participants in the self-initiated condition endorsed an overall inverse relation, which is inconsistent with my hypotheses and prior research. Possible explanations for the findings, as well as broader theoretical and educational implications are discussed.Item “Never Give up:” The Strengths and Strategies Used Among Undocumented College Students From Central America to Access and Persist in U.S. Higher Education(2015) Hernandez, Belkis Pamela; Espino, Michelle M.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to identify the strengths and strategies that undocumented college students from Central America used to access and persist in United States higher education. A multiple-case study design was used to conduct in-depth, semi-structured interviews and document collection from ten persons residing in Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, Texas, and Washington. Yosso’s (2005, 2006) community cultural wealth conceptual framework, an analytical and methodological tool, was used to uncover assets used to navigate the higher education system. The findings revealed that participants activated all forms of capital, with cultural capital being the least activated yet necessary, to access and persist in college. Participants also activated most forms of capital together or consecutively in order to attain financial resources, information and social networks that facilitated college access. Participants successfully persisted because they continued to activate forms of capital, displayed a high sense of agency, and managed to sustain college educational goals despite challenges and other external factors. The relationships among forms of capital and federal, state, and institutional policy contexts, which positively influenced both college access and persistence were not illustrated in Yosso’s (2005, 2006) community cultural wealth framework. Therefore, this study presents a modified community cultural wealth framework, which includes these intersections and contexts. In the spirit of Latina/o critical race theory (LatCrit) and critical race theory (CRT), the participants share with other undocumented students suggestions on how to succeed in college. This study can contribute to the growing research of undocumented college students, and develop higher education policy and practice that intentionally consider undocumented college students’ strengths to successfully navigate the institution.Item DRINKING, TEXTING, AND HOOKING UP: THE FEMALE PERSPECTIVE ON GETTING TOGETHER WITH MEN IN COLLEGE(2014) Ross, Katherine; Hoffman, Mary Ann; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Non-platonic relationships are a significant stressor for women in college, and can lead to a variety of negative outcomes (Lindgren, Parkhill, George and Hendershot, 2008). Flirting is how non-platonic interactions begin, yet it has not been studied in a university setting. In this study, semi-structured interviews with twelve heterosexual female college students gathered information about women's intentions, behaviors, and outcomes in non-platonic heterosexual interactions. Understanding college students' goals and communication strategies in non-platonic interactions may improve educational and intervention strategies (Lindgren, Blayney, Schacht, George & Pantalone, 2009). Researchers analyzed interview data using Consensual Qualitative Research methods, which allow for rigorous exploratory analysis aimed at describing the actual experiences of college student women. Students spoke about their personal experiences as well as to their perceptions of norms on college campuses. The conclusions drawn from the data demonstrate the ways in which the college social environment, indirect interpersonal communication, and a desire for human connection characterize college student women's experiences of non-platonic relationships in college.Item The Effect of Living-Learning Program Participation on College Students' Mental Health(2012) Fink, John E.; Hummel, Mary L; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis used Astin's (1993) I-E-O framework to explore how participation in a living-learning program as well as other college environments affected college students' mental health. Data from seven unique institutions that administered an additional mental health module as a part of the 2008 and 2009 National Study of Living-Learning Programs were used in this study. Independent samples t tests, chi-squared tests, and multiple regression were the statistical methods used to investigate three research questions with Keyes et al. (2008) Mental Health Continuum - Short Form (MHC-SF) as the dependent variable. The final predictive model explained 33.5% and 37.6% of the variance in students' MHC-SF scores in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Findings did not evidence a predictive relationship between students' participation in a living-learning program and their mental health. Several aspects of the college environment favorably predicted students' mental health, including ease with transition to college, socially supportive residence hall climate, self-confidence, sense of belonging, and sense of civic engagement. Other variables unfavorably predicted students' mental health, including identification as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, as well as emotional consequences of alcohol use. This study's findings offer implications for practitioners and directions for future research.Item Moving Forward: Addressing stress, positive resources, and gender(2012) Yang, Minji; Miller, Matthew J.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examined a comprehensive stress-buffering model in a sample of 200 college students. Specifically, this study looked at social support and optimism as moderators between different types of stress and psychological health while controlling for gender given prior research that has demonstrated gender differences among the study constructs. Hierarchical regression analyses found that social support, but not optimism, worked as a significant moderator between different stressors, developmental challenge stress, time pressure stress, and social mistreatment stress, and psychological health. Supplemental analyses found in an independent samples t-test analysis that female college students had higher mean levels of time pressure stress than male college students. An extensive literature review of the study constructs including conceptual and methodological information and areas of improvement are delineated. Limitations of this study as well as future directions in research and clinical practice are also included.Item Risky Sexual Behavior in College Students with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Is a Positive Parent-Child Relationship Protective?(2012) Huggins, Suzanne Lorraine; Chronis-Tuscano, Andrea; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)College presents a novel context with decreased parental supervision, increased rates of alcohol and illicit drug use, and increased access to potential sexual partners. It may be especially challenging for students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Research has shown that young adult males with ADHD engage in risky sexual behaviors (RSB); however, little to no research has been done on females or college students with ADHD, nor have prior studies examined environmental factors that may moderate risk. We examined whether ADHD is associated with RSB among college students and whether parent-child relationship quality moderated that relationship. Participants included 92 undergraduates, approximately half with ADHD and half without. Results indicated that the interaction between gender and ADHD status was associated with condom use frequency and age of first sexual experience. Further, the interaction between parent-child relationship and ADHD accounted for significant variance in number of sexual partners in the past year.
- «
- 1 (current)
- 2
- 3
- »