College of Human Sciences and Humanities Projects, Theses, and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10657.1/828

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Examining the relationship between classroom climate and student achievement of middle school students
(2017-04-21) Barksdale, Christopher J; Peters, Michelle; Corrales, Antonio; Divoll, Kent; Giles, Michelle
The purpose of this sequential mixed method study was to examine the relationship between classroom climate and student achievement of middle school students. This study included a review of data collected from the Learning Environment Inventory from a purposeful sample of middle school students from a large suburban school district. A purposeful sample of students in grades 6-8 were also interviewed in an attempted to provide a more in-depth understanding of the potential influence of classroom climate factors on student achievement. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies, percentage, and Pearson’s product moment correlations (r), while an inductive coding process was used to analyze the collected qualitative data. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that there was not a significant mean difference between classroom climate and student achievement. The qualitative analysis supported evidence from current research related to the topic that a positive relationship does exist between the two factors.
"I am a Free Human Being With an Independent Will": Resisting the Victorian Patriarchy
(2017-12-05) Shahid, Umaymah; Marcoline , Anne Teresa; Day , David D
Victorian authors Wilkie Collins, Anne Brontë, and Charlotte Brontë create female characters in their novels who resist the Victorian patriarchal culture through their speech, behavior, and writing. Although female characters in all three novels use speech, behavior, and writing to resist the patriarchal culture, I argue that writing is the most effective form of resistance. In a culture bent on suppressing women's spoken voices, writing grants the female characters in these novels a platform, albeit a risky one, to voice their thoughts regarding society's customs, laws, and structure, without concern for social propriety. Drawing from Victorian era conduct manuals and twentieth- and twenty-first-century feminist literary criticism, I argue that Marian Holcombe, in Wilkie Collins' THE WOMAN IN WHITE, Helen Huntingdon, in Anne Brontë's THE TENANT OF WILDFELL HALL, and Jane Eyre, in Charlotte Brontë's JANE EYRE, all work to resist the subjugation by the Victorian patriarchal culture through their writings. In addition to these three Victorian texts, I analyze two characters from two European texts: Corinne, in Germaine de Staël's novel, CORINNE, OR ITALY, and Nora, in Henrik Ibsen's play, A DOLL'S HOUSE, to reiterate the prevalence of the struggle for female liberation and society's unwelcoming reception of dominant females. Collectively, these works of fiction demonstrate women's resistance to the pervasive patriarchal culture in the nineteenth century. While the female characters in all of these texts demonstrate resistance, only Helen Huntingdon and Jane Eyre achieve unrestricted liberation. Through Corinne's, Marian's, Helen's, and Jane's writings, readers are made aware of the double standards in the treatment of men and women, the abuse of power within marriages, and the expectation that women would faithfully follow society's every directive to women. These female characters remind society that women are human beings with independent wills and have the courage to resist an oppressive patriarchy.
Charles H. "Chuck" Laubach Collection
(2017-12-05) Gratzfeld, Lindsay; Hodges, Adam; Dugre, Neal; Meyers, Lauren
This project details the organization, preservation and digitization of the Charles H. “Chuck” Laubach collection, which includes a process narrative, a detailed finding aid, and a sample selection of digitized sources that were uploaded to the University of Houston-Clear Lake institutional repository. As an employee of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for 25 years and a Boeing employee for 19 years, Laubach’s contributions to the space program ranged from work with Atlas booster rockets to the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Program. The goal of this project was to contribute a portion to a workable NASA archive that will be beneficial to the historical community, especially for those interested in logistics engineering. This collection explores the importance of logistical engineering in tandem with international contributors to the International Space Station.
Touchscreen Use Among Geoscientists: Perceptions of Comfort, Task Productivity, and Task Satisfaction
(2017-12-05) Parnell, Laura M; Kelling, Nicholas; Akladios, Magdy
Touchscreen use among geoscientists at larger oil and gas companies has been on the rise in the past several years. The investment in this technology is high and the benefits have yet to be confirmed. It is imperative to know whether geoscientists see a reduction in their ergonomic symptoms while experiencing an increase in task productivity and task satisfaction. A group of single touchscreen plus single non-touch display users were compared against a group of dual non-touch display users to see how they relate in all three areas: perceived discomfort, task productivity, and task satisfaction. In addition, the participant’s past ergonomic discomfort was taken into consideration to see if symptoms have improved, worsened, or were transferred to another body part. The aspects of their work that were evaluated and recorded including postures, equipment type, perceived task productivity levels, perceived task satisfaction, and current and previous discomfort levels. The finding supported productivity being positively affected by touchscreen use, while speed was supported at a lesser level. Discomfort was an issue due to poor historical data causing analysis issues and no real significance was found. Overall, doing research in an uncontrolled environment caused several more confounding variables than expected that impacted the veracity of this research. In conclusion, it was found that there were enough significant differences in perceived productivity between the groups to warrant further research in this area, but any future research needs to be conducted in a controlled environment.
Validating an Animal Model of PTSD Through Open Field Behavior
(2017-12-21) Davis, Tasha; Malin, David; Ward, Christopher
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent anxiety disorder that affects people all over the world. Animal models are often used in clinical research to study human disorders; rats and humans share some similar genetic and biological traits. The open field model is a common paradigm for testing locomotor activity and anxiety related behaviors in rats. This study looks at the effect of anxiety-like behaviors in an open field on a rodent model of PTSD. Anxiety-like behaviors were examined after exposure to either restraint stress and predator odor or no restraint stress and no predator odor. Significant differences were found in three of the open field measures assessed in attempts to validate an animal model of PTSD through open field behavior.
The relationship between helicopter parenting and social emotional learning (SEL)
(2018-05-15) Hussain, Hira Abdul Rehman; Schanding, G. Thomas; Short, Mary; Elkins, Sara
Parenting styles play a vital role in children’s development. Research suggests an overinvolved parenting style (helicopter parenting) is negatively associated with children’s overall well-being. Parenting style has important implications for the development of children’s social and emotional learning (SEL). However, there is no clear indication of the association between helicopter parenting and SEL abilities in children. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to examine the relationship between helicopter parenting and SEL in children ages 6 to 11. A correlational design assessed the relationship between helicopter parenting and SEL. Results indicated a negative correlation between helicopter parenting and SEL in children ages 6 to 11. This suggests that as helicopter parenting increases, SEL decreases. More research is needed to evaluate how targeted behavioral parent training can affect helicopter parenting behaviors.
A Job Analysis of Financial Coaches & Case Managers: Enhancing Selection, Performance Management, & Identifying Training Opportunities
(2018-05-15) Sampogna, Olaguibel; Milam, Alex; Sublett, Lisa
This project studies two positions at a social services agency in the southern region of the U.S. The purpose of the project was to identify the most critical tasks performed by case managers and financial coaches in order to enhance selection procedures and performance evaluations and identify training opportunities. Four subject matter experts were interviewed, and the information gathered was used to create a survey that was administered to the remainder of the subject matter experts. The project depicts the most critical tasks, groups them by categories, and compares their respective degrees of difficulty. The findings suggest that even though both positions do not consider their responsibilities to be very difficult, there is an expressed need for additional training. Selection for these two positions should be based on relevant knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics, rather than past performance of the job.
Play to Learn
(2018-05-15) Dawson, Michael J; Brims, Michael; Henry, Anne
Play to Learn is an educational documentary film that uses several highly stylized and experimental techniques to tell the story of Professor Snyder as he learns about gamification. The purpose of the film is to introduce the topic of gamification, discuss its underlying theories, and outline its benefits to professors. The documentary uses storytelling, old educational films, and expert interviews to accomplish its task. This narrative presents an analysis of the movie through precedents, gamification research, stylistic choices, rationales, technical decisions, distribution strategies, and lessons learned from the filmmaking process.
Technology and Elderly Well-Being
(2018-05-15) Dao, Vu Hoang; Lucas, Amy; McMullen, Mike
Technology impacts human life. The well-being of elderly persons may be impacted by the advances of today’s technology such as smartphones, social networking,and wearable devices. A sample of 120 persons who are 55 years of age or above participated in an online survey to probe the relationship between today’s technology and the well-being of elderly people. Data obtained from the survey suggest that elderly individuals who report using technology are more likely to believe that using technology can lead to better physical, psychological, and social health than elderly individuals who do not use technology.
Emotional Intelligence Leadership Development Program
(2018-05-16) Kuhn, Caroline; Milam, Alex; Tombaugh, Jay
The proposed project examines the current literature on Emotional Intelligence (EI) and leadership development. Recent research on EI indicates that there is a vast amount of potential for the use of EI in leadership development. EI has been linked to more effective leadership outcomes and has been studied as a predictor of transformational leadership behaviors. The proposed leadership development program focuses on developing EI and leadership skills based on the ability model of EI introduced by Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso (1999). The leadership development program takes participants through a six-week EI training with the goal of enhancing their leadership skills through EI. The program uses the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) to assess participants’ current level of EI ability and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) in order to assess their current leadership abilities. Participants are given pre and post program assessments in order to measure the effectiveness of the program.
Survey on Perceptions of the Cup of Coffee Intervention
(2018-05-16) Washington, Gia A.; Milam, Alex; Sublett, Lisa
The purpose of this project is to investigate the perceptions of the Cup of Coffee Conversation (COC) by Dr. Gerald Hickson. The Cup of Coffee Conversation is a specific intervention for medical staff with lapses in professionalism or uncivil behavior in the medical workplace. This project focused on survey development; a survey was developed to investigate the perceptions and responses of the medical staff participants to the specific intervention. It is expected that survey findings will reveal positive endorsement of the COC by medical staff respondents. All information gathered by this survey, whether positive or negative, will be considered in the organizational development of a dedicated department for professionalism within a nationally accredited medical school.
War Satire as Tragedy: Redemptive Genres for Catch-22 and Slaughterhouse-Five
(2018-05-16) Livingston, Caryn Leshay; Klett, Elizabeth; White, Craig
Athenian tragedy, despite the suffering it depicts, is theorized to offer emotional relief through its power to deliver a cathartic experience. The three plays forming Aeschylus's Oresteia show the majestic suffering of noble men and women but eventually offer redemption from the cycle of violence through advancement in civilization and jurisprudence. More than two millennia later, however, the monumental event known as World War II unleashed suffering on such a massive plane that the nobility and grandeur of tragedy, in the Athenian sense, fall short of depicting the scale of human suffering and allowing for the same catharsis found in Athenian tragedy. Later in the twentieth century, novelists Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller, who both fought in the war, found a new genre--satire with black humor--for expressing and coping with the traumatic war without unnecessarily ennobling it in the vein of Athenian tragedy. Their respective novels, Slaughterhouse-Five (1969) and Catch-22 (1961), offer redemption for tragedy by approaching the serious subject of the unprecedented, globally destructive World War II in a counter-intuitive and even amusing way, thus reinforcing the horror of the war without cloaking it with the majesty associated with tragedy.
The Underage Consumption of Alcohol and Driving While Intoxicated by College Students
(2018-05-18) Martinez, Damian; Hsu, Henda; Dodson, Kimberly
This paper is made up of multiple sections that focus on different aspects of underage drinking, driving while intoxicated, and binge drinking in relation to college students. The sections in this paper consist of: factors that arise from drunk driving, the ease of obtaining alcohol even when under the legal age to consume alcohol, the question of whether to drink or drive, the effects of drinking and driving at a young age, how to understand the tragedies of drunk driving, factors and results of drinking and driving, remediation to minimize college-aged drunk drivers, and the exponential benefits in reducing underage drinking and driving.
The effect of a 5-HT2A inverse agonist on animal models of obsessive-compulsive disorder: marble burying tasks
(2018-06-12) Jorewicz, Leah; Malin, David; Ward, Christopher
Compulsive persistent, non-functional behavior is a staple characteristics of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in humans. It is commonly studied in rodents through defensive burying of harmless objects. Multiple serotonergic drugs have affected marble burying in rodents. The inclusion of other kinds of interaction with marbles has been suggested as an additional model for compulsive behavior not motivated by anxiety or reward. This study hypothesized that marble interactions, like marble burying will persist or increase over days despite not being motivated by anxiety. It was also hypothesized that pimavanserin, an FDA-approved 5-HT2A serotonin receptor inverse agonist, will decrease the amount of marble interaction over four consecutive days. There was a 20 minute baseline observation with all rats injected with isotonic saline. An experimental group of Lewis rats received 1 mg/kg intraperitoneally of pimavanserin in isotonic saline, daily for four subsequent days. Control rats were injected daily with isotonic saline alone. On each day, there were injections, habituation to the test room and a 20 minute observation with the rat in a tub containing 16 marbles on rodent litter. The baseline scores were subtracted from each rat’s subsequent test score. These change scores were than averaged over all four test days. There was very little deliberate marble burying. In fact review of video recordings show that most “buried” marbles had simple simply been accidently stepped upon by the rats. The control rats persisted in other marble interactions over time, despite showing no aversion to the marbles. This suggests compulsive-like behavior. There was an increase from baseline of marble interactions in the placebo group but a slight decrease in the pimavanerin group. This difference was statistically significant. There were no significant effects on activity level or bouts of inactivity to explain this difference. Thus pimavanserin may serve to decrease compulsive behaviors, and reducing 5HT2A receptor activation might be a novel strategy for managing obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
Provenance research in the 21st century: object history at the Menil Collection
(2018-12-13) Sheppard, Elizabeth E.; Costello, Sarah; Curtis, Maria F.
In museum collections across the United States, antiquities collections often lack documented ownership histories. This paper explores the context of that problem in relation to a particular museum, The Menil Collection in Houston, Texas. Specific examples of artworks are presented to illustrate how a lack of provenance can be problematic. During the course of the de Menils' decades of collecting, laws, international agreements and attitudes changed and evolved. Objects purchased during that time period therefore do not necessarily conform to today's standards in terms of provenance records. This paper also explores motivations for collecting, looking at Dominique and John De Menil and their relationship with various dealers. Finally, this paper proposes ways forward, looking to museum studies and digital humanities as areas we can find solutions for research and display of current museum collections.
Supporting the undocumented community in the era of Trump: a mixed-methods analysis of higher education
(2018-12-13) Gonzalez, Martin; Lucas, Amy; Cherry, Stephen M.
In this mixed-methods study, the issues affecting undocumented immigrants in the American higher education system are examined and discussed in relation to the current sociopolitical climate under the Trump administration. In the second chapter, quantitative data analyses of a survey given to students attending the University of Houston-Clear Lake are used to ascertain the level of prejudice among the sample student body; the results from the survey are further utilized to evaluate the correlations between stronger levels of prejudice and other defining characteristics of student identity, such as political affiliation, race, and major. Through discussing these results, significant connections between student identity, the Trump administration, and the undocumented community are established as a base to necessitate the need for more university intervention on behalf of undocumented students, which is discussed at length in the following chapter. In the third chapter, qualitative data analyses of interview and fieldwork data are used to orient the specific issues undocumented immigrants face while striving to achieve a higher education in the United States; these issues are outlined through six interconnected themes, including barriers to higher education, interorganizational cohesion, the formation of safe spaces, the sense of community between undocumented immigrants, and the concept of allyship toward the undocumented community. The study purposefully collected accounts from workers and volunteers, both documented and undocumented, of nonprofit organizations which actively engage in assisting undocumented immigrants for two key reasons: 1) to increase the generalizability of the findings to higher education institutions, and 2) to highlight the importance of undocumented voices and their allies in current academic literature. Through the analysis of these interviews, a dialogue is created that posits the importance of increasing existing university support for undocumented students, as well as proposing new methods universities could implement that are modeled after existing support tactics used by nonprofit organizations. The culmination of these two chapters provide a context for the importance of discussing undocumented rights in higher education, as well as offer multiple directions for future conversations and research to follow in advocating for the undocumented community.
The effects of institutional discrimination on the successful reentry of ex-offenders
(2018-12-19) Thornton, Deborah Gaye; McMullen, Mike; Arney,.Jennifer
This study seeks to demonstrate the effect that institutional discrimination has on the successful reentry of ex-offenders into society. A statistical analysis of 157 survey respondents showed a positive correlation between institutional discrimination and recidivism within the first twelve months of conviction of a felony and/or release from a correctional facility. By examining the links between recidivism and employment, housing and educational discrimination as well as denied access to social services, the study finds that institutional discrimination has a devastating impact on the successful reentry of ex-offenders. This research highlights the need to examine why institutional discrimination exists and how individuals, communities, government, and society plays a distinctive role in the continuation of discrimination against ex-offenders.
The impact of social media on mental health
(2019-01-31) Pond, Britini; Dodson, Kimberly; Hsu, Henda
Throughout my career as a Houston Police officer, I have responded to numerous calls for service where a complainant was threatened, harassed, impersonated, or otherwise victimized. Many of these calls had a common denominator – social media. Whether social media was the method in which the complainant was contacted, or the tool used to victimize, its role was profound. I wanted to know why people were using social media as a weapon just as much as I wanted to know why many victims seemed incapable of putting their phones down, even for just a few minutes while talking to the police. I decided to focus this research project on the effect that social media usage is having on its users. More specifically, the connection, if one should exist, between social media use and mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, as well as the connection to violent and deviant behaviors. Current research suggests there is a correlation between social media use and deteriorated mental health status. Research also has found that violent and deviant behavior is becoming more prevalent online because of the anonymity of the perpetrator. This project adds to the literature by examining the relationship between social media use and mental health.
Associations Among Teacher Identification of Symptomology in the Classroom and Children's Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptomology: Potential Influences of Caregiver Childhood Maltreatment
(2019-05-07) Patterson, Paige R; Walther, Christine A.P.; Elkins, Sara R
Child abuse is a substantial public health problem in the United States, with approximately one in three children experiencing abuse before the age of 18. Studies examining the cycle of violence suggest that when caregivers are abused, their children’s first 12 years of life may bear increased risk for similar abuse. Teachers are well-equipped to notice symptoms of child abuse and to intervene during this critical developmental period. Thus, teacher identification of traumatic symptomology associated with abuse may serve an important preventive purpose and may mitigate risk for children who experience forms of abuse early in life. The present study examined caregiver childhood abuse as a moderator of the association among teacher identification of student PTSD symptomology and actual PTSD symptomology for children at risk for abuse. The current study utilized a sample of children (n = 872) from the consortium for Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect. Teachers were more likely to identify externalizing behaviors compared to caregivers. One interaction was statistically significant, indicating that caregiver childhood abuse moderated the association between teacher identification of child internalizing behaviors and PTSD symptomology severity at age 12. Further simple slope analyses indicated that teachers were more likely to identify child PTSD symptomology if the student’s caregiver experienced childhood maltreatment. Additionally, findings suggested that caregiver childhood maltreatment is not associated with teacher identification of child internalizing and externalizing behaviors and PTSD clinical significance. Further research and teacher training may be needed to better identify child symptomology in the classroom.
John Howard Kimzey Collection
(2019-05-08) Lopez, Justine K; Hodges, Adam; Dugre, Neal; Meyers, Lauren
This project includes the organization and preservation of the John Howard Kimzey collection. Included are a process narrative, finding aid, and a selection of digitized material from the collection. John Kimzey was an employee of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Johnson Space Center. As a chemical engineer, his contributions to the understanding of Zero-gravity flammability were groundbreaking. From Gemini, Mercury, and Apollo to his work as a Principal Investigator for Skylab 4, Kimzey’s work continued to be at the forefront of the field of study that he pioneered. This project aims to shed light on the significance of his work and his contribution to the space program from his initial work to the present and undoubtedly beyond.

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