Browsing by Subject "Attitudes"
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Item Attitudes, expectations and plans of entering medical students toward complementary and alternative medicine(2014-05) Healey, DaleThis study examines the views of incoming medical students toward complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and integrative medicine (IM). Additionally, their expectations for inclusion of CAM topics in their medical school education are examined. Their plans for incorporating CAM into their future medical practices are also examined. The relationship between these variables and a set of background variables including socioeconomic status, exposure to diversity and previous experience with CAM is also examined for correlation and predictive value. Legitimacy provides a framework for this research to examine medical students' views on CAM and IM. Every healthcare profession is assigned a level of legitimacy by the public and other healthcare practitioners. These legitimacy levels vary greatly among the myriad of healthcare practices, and in part determine the participation levels of each healthcare profession in the greater healthcare system. The views of medical students toward CAM and IM, as measured by legitimacy scales developed for this research, provide insight into the question of the role of CAM and IM in the evolving U.S. healthcare system. Incoming students to the Medical School at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Medical School were surveyed to provide the data for this analysis. Scales were developed from the survey items to form the basis for comparison among variables. In addition to several other background variables, a CAM Familiarity scale was developed as measure of student experience with CAM. Scales were also developed for each of four dependent variables. The CAM Legitimacy scale was developed as a measure of student perceptions of CAM and its role in the healthcare market. The CAM Expectations scale is a measure of student expectations for the inclusion of CAM topics in their medical school curriculum. IM is used to describe an approach to medical practice which emphasizes such elements as the practitioner-patient relationship, care for the whole person, evidence-informed care, and a team approach to care which draws on the strengths of many healthcare professionals to achieve optimal health. The IM Legitimacy scale is an indication of student views toward this approach to care. Lastly, the CAM Plans scale is a measure of student intent to incorporate CAM into their future medical practices. One hundred six medical students completed the survey out of 168 students who received the survey, resulting in a completion percentage of 63 percent. Selected findings of the survey are summarized here:1) Higher levels of CAM use and familiarity are associated with a higher legitimacy rating of CAM. In the case of CAM Use and CAM Legitimacy (r = .46, p < .01) and for CAM Familiarity and CAM Legitimacy (r = .29, p < .01); 2) Higher levels of CAM use and familiarity are also correlated with student plans to incorporate CAM into their future medical practices. In the case of CAM Use and CAM Plans (r = .43, p < .01) and for CAM Familiarity and CAM Plans (r = .23, p < .05); 3) The linear regression model designed to explore the predictive value of student characteristics on IM Legitimacy rating was statistically significant (R2=.46, p < .01). In this model, CAM Familiarity had predictive value for IM Legitimacy ratings with a standardized regression coefficient of .40 (p < .01).4) The linear regression model designed to explore the predictive value of the intermediate outcome variable of CAM Familiarity, CAM Use, CAM Legitimacy and CAM Expectations on CAM Plans was statistically significant (R2 = .76, p < .001). In this model, CAM Legitimacy had strong, positive predictive value for CAM Plans with a standardized regression coefficient of 0.78 (p < .001). The study builds upon previous work examining attitudes toward CAM and considerations for inclusion of CAM topics in medical school curricula. Implications for medical school curricula and learning activities follow from this study. As medical school curricula adapt to the societal and student expectations, the manner in which health care is delivered will change, hopefully for the better.Item A cross-cultural comparison of predictors of achievement amongst Caribbean students: attitudes and behaviors that may explain the achievement gap between girls and boys in the English-speaking Caribbean.(2012-08) Bowe, Anica GwenellPresently in the English-speaking Caribbean, boys' underachievement at the K-12 level is a topic of great concern. Qualitative studies focusing on boys' underachievement have raised the question as to whether this issue is situational and due to short-comings in Caribbean education systems or whether it is actually endemic to Caribbean culture. Quantitative studies addressing these cultural attitudes and behaviors have been limited; therefore this study sought to address that gap and provide quantitative evidence that might explain the girl advantage amongst Caribbean students. This study utilized the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England database which contains a nationally representative sample of English youth that began in 2004 when the young people were about age 14 and in the 9th grade. This database was chosen because it contained a sample of students of Caribbean descent and it had also collected information regarding attitudinal and behavioral variables of interest that have been highlighted in Caribbean studies. In particular, by using data outside the Caribbean, this study lent itself to addressing the question of whether Caribbean boys' underachievement is situational or cultural. First, Caribbean students were compared to those from other ethnic groups on nine attitudes and behaviors of interest. Second, evidence for a girl advantage between boys and girls of Caribbean descent in Math, English and Science at the 6th and 9th grade levels was also explored. Third, the relationship between school type and the girl advantage was examined. Fourth, interaction terms between gender and attitudes/behaviors were examined to determine whether any were important in explaining the Caribbean girl advantage. Finally, it was determined whether attitudes and behaviors were still important even after controlling for the school environment. This study employed confirmatory analyses, independent samples t-tests, growth curve analyses, hierarchical linear model analyses, and multiple regression when appropriate to address the questions understudy. The results demonstrated that Caribbean students generally displayed less positive attitude towards school, had more risky behavior, and had lower academic self-concept, but had parents who perceived themselves has being more involved with their child's school life. Secondly, Caribbean girls displayed an academic advantage over their male counterparts in at least 2 out of 3 subject areas at both time points. Third, no mixed-gender school appeared to attenuate the girl advantage. Fourth, by modeling certain demographic and attitudinal/behavioral variables, the Caribbean girl advantage at Key Stage 3 was accounted for in Math and Science but not English. Lastly, the importance of certain attitudes and behaviors in predicting achievement remained robust even after controlling for school environment. Overall, these results demonstrated that the Caribbean girl advantage is perhaps innate to Caribbean culture. Thus, Caribbean researchers ought to make headways in developing psychological and psycho-social instruments that can measure constructs that may perhaps explain this advantage.Item Deliberation and intra-attitudinal complexity.(2011-07) Lippmann, Brad MichaelAmerican civil discourse suffers from the incivility of its rhetoric and the relative disengagement, ignorance, and bias of its citizenry. Without the space or motivation to discuss serious issues in a sober tone, discussion of serious topics devolves into name calling, sloganeering, and a general avoidance of the problems facing the country. Deliberative democratic theory - a normative model of democracy in which citizens engage in effortful, unbiased, reason-based deliberations with one another in service of finding and implementing a common good - has been advanced as a possible remedy to our civic shortcomings (Gutmann & Thompson, 2004). Extant research has shown that properly constructed deliberative environments increase participants' topic-specific knowledge and alter participants' attitudes. The study detailed here extends this line of research by examining deliberation's ability to induce complex attitudes, those with both a positive and negative evaluation of the attitude object. Further, it tests deliberation's ability to do so relative to non-deliberative alternatives in both a general sample and among those likely most and least ready to engage in deliberation. A process model of complexity induction and maintenance is presented and deliberation's relative ability to retain the complexity induced is assessed. Results indicate that deliberation yields comparable or lesser degrees of intra-attitudinal complexity in the short term and no advantage or deficit in the long term. Implications for the study of deliberation and measurement of intra-attitudinal complexity are discussed.Item The Effect of Partner Reauditorization on Undergraduates’ Attitudes Toward a Peer Who Communicates with Augmentative and Alternative Communication(2016-07) Hyppa Martin, JoleneAbstract Purpose: This study compared undergraduate college students’ attitudes toward a similar-aged male peer who used a nonelectronic augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system with and without a partner reauditorization strategy. The study also examined whether partner reauditorization was associated with reported increases in (a) ease of understanding the peer who used AAC, (b) willingness to engage in interactions with the peer who used AAC, and (c) preferences regarding the AAC systems. Method: The independent variable for this study was the presence or absence of partner reauditorization. Sixty-four undergraduate female college students viewed a video of a peer who communicated using a nonelectronic AAC system in which the communication partner reauditorized the aided message, and a second video in which the message was not reauditorized. The sequence of videos was counterbalanced. The dependent variables were the participants’ reported (a) attitudes toward the peer who used AAC, as well as reported (b) ease of understanding the peer, (c) willingness to engage in interaction with the peer, and (d) preferences regarding the AAC systems. After viewing each video, participants completed the Attitudes Toward Nonspeaking Persons survey (ATNP; Gorenflo & Gorenflo, 1991). Attitudes were measured using mean ratings from the ATNP. Participants also answered survey questions that were developed for this study, each of which utilized a five-point scale similar to the scale of the ATNP. Mean ratings from these original survey questions were used to measure reported ease of understanding and willingness to engage in interaction with the peer who used AAC, as well as preferences about the AAC systems. Results: Participants reported (a) more positive attitudes toward, (b) a greater ease in understanding, and (c) an increased willingness to interact with the peer who used nonelectronic AAC with partner reauditorization versus without partner reauditorization. The presence or absence of partner reauditorization did not influence reported preferences regarding AAC systems, however, a majority of participants reported a preference for an electronic speech-generating device over a nonelectronic AAC system. A majority of respondents commented that reauditorization contributed positively to the conversation shown in the video. Conclusion: Partner reauditorization may play a role in improving attitudes that individuals hold about peers who use nonelectronic AAC. Partner reauditorization may also contribute to ease of understanding the aided message and increased likelihood of peer interactions.Item Expanding Landowner Adoption of Snow Control Measures Through a Better Understanding of Landowner Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2019-12) Current, Dean; Motschke, Collin; Serra, Airton Jr.; Wyatt, Gary; Zamora, DiomyPrevious research demonstrated the ability of snow fences to significantly lower both public and private costs related to the control of blowing and drifting snow. Follow-up research specifically addressed the knowledge of MnDOT staff and attitudes and practices related to the promotion and implementation of snow control measures. These efforts identified a need for a better understanding of landowners' knowledge, attitudes and practices related to snow control measures to develop more effective outreach and foster the adoption of snow control measures. We identified four regions of the state with highway corridors with snow problems. In each region, we carried out listening sessions with landowners and MnDOT personnel, and based on those sessions while applying the KAP (knowledge, attitudes and practices) methodology, we designed a landowner survey to explore landowner knowledge, attitudes and practices related to snow problems and the willingness of landowners to implement snow fences to address the problems. The survey was carried out once prior to an outreach effort and then again after the outreach effort to measure any changes in landowner knowledge, attitudes and practices resulting from the effort. We found that landowners were generally not aware of MnDOT's program to address snow problems and were able to identify constraints to adoption as well as incentives that might be required to promote adoption. We also identified the most acceptable channels for outreach to landowners as well as ways to better structure the MnDOT program to address constraints identified by landowners and provide the assistance and incentives needed to promote greater adoption.Item Exploring Relationships among Organizational Factors, Teachers’ Attitudes toward Evidence-Based Practices, and Implementation of Universal Prevention Programs(2019-12) Zhang, YanchenDecades of research have produced a wide range of evidence-based programs and practices (EBPs) for use in schools. However, the existence of EBPs alone is insufficient to produce changes in student outcomes, as promoting positive student outcomes depends on successful implementation. Research has identified numerous factors that either enable or obstruct the successful implementation of EBPs, including outer context (e.g., policy), inner context (e.g., leadership and climate), and innovation-specific (e.g., the complexity of an intervention) factors. Despite the influence of these factors, successful implementation ultimately resides with the decisions and behaviors of individual implementers (e.g., teachers). Attitudes toward EBPs have garnered significant attention across service sectors as an important factor that is linked to successful implementation. However, there is limited research that has examined the relationship among individual-level factors, such as attitudes toward EBPs, and school organizational factors, such as leadership and climate. Moreover, there is emerging findings highlighting the importance of assessing both general and implementation-specific organizational characteristics and how they interact to explain important implementation-relevant variables and outcomes. In light of these existing voids in the literature, the purpose of this study was to examine teachers' attitudes toward EBP in relation to general and implementation-specific leadership and climate hypothesized to influence the uptake and implementation of EBPs by teachers in school settings.Item Fostering Attitudes of Empathy towards Animals in Youth Ages 4-7 through Play Experiences in a Zoo Setting(2011) Faris, Heidi MZoos are place-based education facilities that have the ability to utilize their natural play spaces to enhance the social and cognitive development of children using live animals. Playing outdoors in nature has shown to increase physical, attentive, cognitive and social development during early childhood. By using place-based learning, zoos can guide children to use different play behaviors to foster attitudes of care and empathy increasing their appreciation to nature. During the week of July 18th-21st, 2011, observations of children playing at the San Antonio Zoo in the Kronkosky's Tiny Tot Nature Spot, to determine if children who play in a zoo setting show empathy for animals and an appreciation for nature. 97 children, both boys and girls between the estimated ages of 4-7 were recorded. Five popular play spaces within the children's area were chosen as observation sites. A coding form and accompanying notebook were used to record observations. Data was collected and coded using different aspects, such as play behaviors per area, boys vs. girls, time spent in an area, actions and language spoken. Children who played in the various play areas showed different levels of empathy towards animals based on the expressions and actions recorded. Further research is needed to include predetermined factors, expanding to more than one zoo, and conduct a longitudinal study to understand long term effects of the role of zoo and nature play areas.Item Improving conservation efforts in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania: an examination of knowledge, benefits, costs, and attitudes.(2010-01) Schmitt, Jennifer AnnMy dissertation addresses the overarching question of how protected area managers can meet the needs/desires of local people and maintain a unique and valuable ecosystem. The Serengeti ecosystem provides the perfect backdrop for addressing this question with very poor people living in the midst of a very rich ecosystem. Other studies have also addressed this question, using primarily theoretical approaches that point out the limitations of conservation activities (Barrett & Arcese 1998; Johannesen & Skonhoft 2004) or by using socioeconomic data from part of the ecosystem to shed light on bushmeat hunting (i.e. the illegal hunting of wildlife for food) or conservation attitudes (Newmark et al. 1993; Loibooki et al. 2002; Kideghesho et al. 2007; Knapp 2007). However, these studies all lack two things, data encompassing the entire ecosystem and the incorporation of data on knowledge of protected areas. My dissertation uses data from areas throughout the ecosystem and includes the analysis of knowledge along with socioeconomics, costs, benefits, and attitudes. In determining how to improve conservation, I critically examine a key assumption of community-based conservation, i.e. that local people are benefitting from conservation. I also focus on how monitoring and evaluating more than just local people's attitudes can provide important insight and suggestions for conservation policies. Although my data is specific to the Serengeti ecosystem, my emphasis on using socioeconomic data for monitoring, evaluating, and improving conservation projects can be applied in other places. My work in the Serengeti ecosystem provides a good template for how conservation practitioners can monitor and evaluate the human dimensions of their work and how this data can improve conservation efforts. In addressing the question of how to improve conservation, I begin my dissertation with a chapter describing the socioeconomics around Serengeti National Park. Chapter one is based on a report solicited by Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) that provides a descriptive overview of the socioeconomic realities facing communities around the ecosystem and speaks to Tanzania's dual commitment to conservation and poverty reduction (Schmitt 2008). I amended the initial report to include data from all 20 of the villages that I studied and added analysis about differences between those villages participating in wildlife management areas and those not participating. Understanding the livelihoods and realities of people in the ecosystem is the first step to understanding how conservation projects are, or are not, affecting local communities. In my second chapter I examine the effectiveness of both community-based and fences-and-fines conservation by evaluating the benefits provided to, and costs imposed on, local people by these conservation strategies. I use empirical data on knowledge of protected areas and the costs and benefits of both conservation and illegal natural resource use to examine how current conservation strategies have affected the decisions of local people. I begin my evaluation by assessing the knowledge of local people about Serengeti National Park and its surrounding protected areas. I then analyze the different costs and benefits local people receive from protected areas and wildlife. Without changing benefits or costs in a significant manner, both community-based and fences-and-fines conservation approaches are unlikely to change behavior of local people, and therefore, unlikely to be effective conservation strategies. My third chapter identifies successes and problems in current conservation strategies by linking socioeconomic data with data on knowledge, benefits, costs and attitudes. I tie the socioeconomic data from chapter one to the knowledge, benefits and costs of chapter two, as well as examine data on local attitudes toward protected areas. I outline the socioeconomic characteristics associated with those who are knowledgeable about protected areas, those reporting benefits, those reporting costs, and those with positive attitudes of protected areas. I then point out what this larger picture of conservation suggests in terms of project success and future policies. Furthermore, I show the benefits of using more than just attitudinal data in evaluating conservation strategies.Item Minnesota Superintendents' Attitudes Toward Gifted Education(2015-01) Lindberg, PhyllisAbstract The key to success or failure of opportunities for gifted students is affected by what a school district provides, how it views giftedness, and how it supports academic flexibility and individualized or differentiated learning. Gifted programs are selected by administrative decision makers based upon their knowledge and understanding of the foundational theories in the field of gifted education. The implementation of policies and provisions for gifted education vary from state to state and often district to district. A commonality often reported is of the negative attitudes towards giftedness and gifted education by staff, faculty, and administrators. Many of the policy decisions in gifted education by administrators, although guided by theory, are influenced by personal experiences, myths, and stereotypes. A review of literature reveals a chronicled legacy of myths and misconceptions providing conflicting concepts of giftedness, gifted education, and educational programs. The effect of these perceptions may directly skew an administrator's ability to make unbiased informed decisions in relationship to this diverse population of gifted learners. The purpose of this study was to investigate Minnesota public school superintendents' attitudes toward gifted students and gifted education, and what factors affect these attitudes. This study utilized the McCoach and Siegle's revised edition of Gagné and Nadeau's survey, Opinions About the Gifted and Their Education. The survey is divided into three subcategories for analysis: support, elitism, and acceleration. Also included are sections on self-perception as gifted and demographic information. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. This exploratory study sampled 119 of 336 Minnesota superintendents in regards to gifted education. Results show mild to moderate support for funding, with women superintendents perceiving themselves as gifted more than male superintendents and showing greater support for gifted education. Among the predictor variables, superintendents who had education or training in gifted education were more supportive toward giftedness and gifted education, less negative about gifted education as being elitist, and more positive toward acceleration of gifted students. With gifted programming relying on the discretion of local administrators and implementation of programs falling on the school faculty, it is important that these stakeholders have a working knowledge of gifted student development and gifted education. Therefore, further research might explore these attitudes in teacher education and administrator training programs.Item The paths from walk preference to walk behavior: Applying latent factors in structural equation modeling(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2012) Coogan, Matthew; Adler, Thomas; Karash, KarlaA structural regression model has been developed to explore the relationship among key factors in the explanation of utilitarian walking. The model examines the relationship between and among unobserved, or “latent,” factors that reflect (1) the values and preferences operant at the time of residential selection; (2) the urban form of the neighborhood; (3) the urban form of the residence; (4) the level of auto dependency; and (5) the extent to which the neighborhood is found satisfactory by the participant and those whose opinions he/she respects. The model allows the detailed examination of the paths from initial inclination toward a neighborhood with walkable destinations, through a series of mediating unobserved factors, each of which might either impede or facilitate the adoption of utilitarian walking. Analysis of the model results shows that values and preferences held at the time of residential selection are directly associated with the amount of utilitarian walking undertaken and indirectly associated through their influence on the choice of the built environment and the extent of auto orientation. The model is designed to facilitate the observation of the manner in which the various factors interact.Item Perceived need for mental health care, mental health service utilization, and satisfaction with care in elderly people.(2008-06) Nelson, Melissa MarieBackground. Elderly people experience symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illnesses differently than younger people, and only half of elderly people with a probable mental illness use mental health care services. Nevertheless, most mental health care research has focused on younger people. This study examined relationships among attitudes toward care, quality of social support, severity of mental illness, presence of physical comorbidities or alcohol abuse problems, sociodemographics, possession of supplemental insurance, perceived need for care, rates of utilization, and satisfaction with mental health care for elderly people. Methods. Data were used from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES), a nationally representative, cross-sectional study of community-dwelling people's mental illnesses and mental health care utilization patterns. Logistic and linear regression models were used to study perceived need, utilization, and satisfaction with care. Results. Perceived need for mental health care increased with severity of depression and anxiety, history of chronic physical conditions, and pressure to seek care. Among respondents who met diagnostic criteria for depression or anxiety, the number of mental illness symptoms experienced was still related to perceived need for care. The odds of using formal mental health care increased with severity of depression or anxiety and with history of chronic physical illnesses. When utilization was measured among respondents who perceived a need for care, however, most measures of mental illness severity and history of chronic physical illness were no longer significant. There was little variation in the satisfaction measure, and multivariate models of satisfaction were unstable. Conclusion. Many elderly people who meet diagnostic criteria for depression and/or anxiety disorders do not use mental health services or even perceive a need for these services. Additionally, physical and mental health are associated with perceived need, but other factors are responsible for determining utilization among those with perceived need. Further studies that include more detailed measures of psychosocial factors and satisfaction with mental health care are necessary to understand what factors lead elderly people to perceive a need for mental health care and what factors influence those who perceive a need for care to actually seek treatment and adhere to it.Item A Poststructural Discourse Analysis of a Preservice Teacher’s Linguistic Ideological Becoming(2024-06) Hemsath, DustinThis dissertation is a single-case study and employs a poststructural approach to discourse analysis to investigate how language ideologies of a world language (WL) preservice teacher develop. Prominent discourses about language teaching and learning in U.S. K-12 schools support monolingual ideologies (e.g., Rivers & Robinson, 2012). While many WL preservice-teacher mentors combat these discourses with multilingual ideologies, monolingual ideologies and associated practices persist within the field (Turnbull, 2018). As a result, WL preservice teachers are bombarded with conflicting discourses, and they can become disoriented regarding the theory and practice options presented to them. They may then enter the profession feeling unprepared without a professional identity or the ideological grounding for making informed decisions (Martel, 2013). Little research regarding WL teachers’ ideological development has been published. With more understanding of the ways WL preservice teachers navigate conflicting discourses, WL teacher preparation programs would be better equipped to help them establish strong professional identities.Using ideological becoming (Bakhtin, 1981), communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991), and poststructural discourse analysis (Baxter, 2008) as theoretical lenses, this study contributes to the sparse literature available in this context. I analyze interviews, observations, and documents to examine how a preservice teacher and his cooperating teacher negotiated their language ideologies and how those ideologies evolved during their ten-week, high-school-Spanish student-teaching placement. Findings suggest that both participants gained a greater consciousness of their beliefs and values about language teaching and learning. They show how both participants’ language ideologies were influenced by discourses from their own language learning experiences and how participants negotiated conflicting beliefs in dialogue with one another to navigate their partnership in the classroom. I explore these findings to understand how the preservice teacher’s beliefs about language teaching and learning evolved through this dialogue, eventually leading him to leave the profession. This study implicates the connection between language ideologies and instructional practice, the co-construction of ideologies through dialogue, and the complexity of ideological becoming for WL preservice teachers. I propose methods to more effectively support preservice teachers’ professional identity development that help them gain a consciousness of the discourses that impact their ideologies regarding language teaching and learning.Item Reassessing 4-H Programming Strategies: A Study of Minnesota 4-H Region Six(2014) Neaton, Nicholas J; Zak, Kevin; Rauschenfels, Diane4-H youth development provides opportunities for youth in grades K-12 to explore new learning opportunities and community service. This study consisted of two parts. Part One measured members’ experience with the 4-H mission mandates of citizenship, healthy living, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). Part Two examined 4-H members’ attitudes towards 4-H, as well as their ideas for improving the organization. The study included 95 youth ages 14 – 19 who had at least three years of 4-H experience and who lived in Minnesota 4-H Region Six, an area comprised of Benton, Meeker, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright counties. 4-H members had the most experience in service, leadership, and prevention of substance abuse. The project areas with the least amount of reported experience included citizenship, engineering, and consumer science. 4-H members also shared ideas for improving the 4-H program, including highlighting community service opportunities; and creating more opportunities to develop practical skills. These results provide 4-H researchers and staff with a sound basis on which to build future programming initiatives.Item Reconstructing Student Conceptions of Climate Change; An Inquiry Approach(2015-08) McClelland, JAbstract No other environmental issue today has as much potential to alter life on Earth as does global climate change. Scientific evidence continues to grow; indicating that climate change is occurring now, and that change is a result of human activities (National Research Council [NRC], 2010). The need for climate literacy in society has become increasingly urgent. Unfortunately, understanding the concepts necessary for climate literacy remains a challenge for most individuals. A growing research base has identified a number of common misconceptions people have about climate literacy concepts (Leiserowitz, Smith, & Marlon 2011; Shepardson, Niyogi, Choi, & Charusombat, 2009). However, few have explored this understanding in high school students. This sequential mixed methods study explored the changing conceptions of global climate change in 90 sophomore biology students through the course of their participation in an eight-week inquiry-based global climate change unit. The study also explored changes in students' attitudes over the course of the study unit, contemplating possible relationships between students' conceptual understanding of and attitudes toward global climate change. Phase I of the mixed methods study included quantitative analysis of pre-post content knowledge and attitude assessment data. Content knowledge gains were statistically significant and over 25% of students in the study shifted from an expressed belief of denial or uncertainty about global warming to one of belief in it. Phase II used an inductive approach to explore student attitudes and conceptions. Conceptually, very few students grew to a scientifically accurate understanding of the greenhouse effect or the relationship between global warming and climate change. However, they generally made progress in their conceptual understanding by adding more specific detail to explain their understanding. Phase III employed a case study approach with eight purposefully selected student cases, identifying five common conceptual and five common attitudebased themes. Findings suggest similar misconceptions revealed in prior research also occurred in this study group. Some examples include; connecting global warming to the hole in the ozone layer, and falsely linking unrelated environmental issues like littering to climate change. Data about students' conceptual understanding of energy may also have implications for education research curriculum development. Similar to Driver & While no statistical relationship between students' attitudes about global climate change and overall conceptual understanding emerged, some data suggested that climate change skeptics may perceive the concept of evidence differently than non-skeptics. One-way ANOVA data comparing skeptics with other students on evidence-based assessment items was significant. This study offers insights to teachers of potential barriers students face when trying to conceptualize global climate change concepts. More importantly it reinforces the idea that students generally find value in learning about global climate change in the classroom.Item Relationships with Females and Attitudes Towards Sexist Language(2018) Strafelda, EllieThis study aims to find a relationship between female influence on one’s life and that individual’s attitude toward sexist language. The literature documents conflicting opinions about politically correct language. Those in support of inclusive language argue that sexist or offensive language has larger social implications that affect the population, and it should be removed from everyday speech. Specifically, that superiors in work environments who allow sexist language give the impression that this language is a signal that sexist actions are also acceptable. On the other hand, opponents of language change state that exclusive language is used when there is a strong discriminatory feeling, and changing the word in question does not combat the problem. Also, free speech is threatened when language is restricted. Studies also show that specific variables are telling of attitudes towards sexist language, including gender, work environment, and feminist identity. This study analyzed the influence of female relationships in their lives on subject’s attitudes towards sexist language. Subjects completed a survey asking them questions about their relationships with females in order to calculate a composite score for the amount of female influence. Subjects then completed the Inventory of Attitudes Toward Sexist/Nonsexist Language-General Version and a composite score was calculated that reflects the individual’s attitude toward sexist language. When analyzed for a bivariate correlation, no significant relationship was found. It is suspected that there were several limitations of the study that may have influenced the results and future studies should take these into account when further searching for correlation between these two variables.Item Residential self-selection, built environment, and travel behavior in the Chinese context(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2014) Wang, Donggen; Lin, TaoResidential self-selection has been reported to be a factor confounding the observed relationship between built environment and travel behavior. By incorporating residential self-selection, studies have generated much insight into the causalities involved in the relationship between built environment and travel behavior. However, most of these studies were conducted in North American cities, where individuals may have the opportunity to realize their preferences in residential and transport mode choices. There are not many similar studies for other parts of the world, such as China, where residential and transport choices are probably more constrained than in North America. This paper aims to partly fill the gap by discussing the specificities of the residential self-selection issue in urban China and suggesting how to cope with this issue when examining the relationship between built environment and travel behavior in the Chinese context. We argue that studies addressing the residential self-selection issue in China need to consider the housing source, which has implications for residential choice, and acknowledge the importance of some travel-related attitudes such as preferences for short commutes, good accessibility to public transport, and proximity to markets for daily goods shopping.Item Sociophonetic perception of African American English in Minnesota(2014-05) Abdurrahman, Muhammad Ibn AbdullahAlthough it can be authentically spoken by people who don't share their lineage, African American English, a variety of American English, is primarily spoken by the descendants of forced immigrants from Africa to North America. An assumption underlying most work on African American English (AAE) is that the variety is not subject to regional variation. Despite this assumption, some studies have found regional variation in AAE (Hinton and Pollock, 2000; Thomas, 2007). This variation is typically explained as assimilation toward or away from local varieties spoken by European Americans. Some studies have suggested that it assimilates with other dialects in less segregated areas or where blacks have greater access to educational opportunity (Hinton and Pollock, 2000). Other studies show that AAE speakers are less likely to produce mainstream regional variants and even less likely in cases of greater racial segregation (Labov and Harris 1986; Bailey, 2001.) This dissertation studies listeners' associations between regional variation and ethnicity. The study focuses on the influence of the regional features of Minnesota English on the perception of talker ethnicity. Hinton and Pollock (2000) begin their study of regional AAE phonology with the understanding that that the Midwest is less segregated than the south, and consider that this may imply that AAE in the Midwest is more likely to assimilate with regional European American varieties. Hence, we would predict that listeners in Minnesota would expect some tendency on the part of African Americans to use Minnesotan English (MNE) features, and hence said listeners would have little hesitation labeling speech containing Minnesotan variants as having been produced by European Americans even if it were produced by an African American. This study examined this topic with a perception experiment. Previous research has shown that listeners can ascertain a speaker's race from audio-only samples of content-neutral speech (Buck, 1968; Roberts, 1966; Walton and Orlikoff, 1994; Plichta, 2001; Thomas and Reaser, 2004). We examined listeners' judgments of the likelihood of particular speaker-listener comparisons. We paired the speech of African Americans and European Americans from Minnesota with pictures of African Americans and European Americans. We were particularly interested in whether listeners would be less likely to judge the speaker-picture pairs to be a match when the tokens contained variants that were characteristic of the 'mainstream' regional variety spoken in Minnesota, and the pictures were of African Americans. Listeners were more likely to rate actual matches between voice and face ethnicity as matches than they were to rate them as mismatches for male voices, but not for female ones. The unwillingness to rate voices produced by European Americans with local Minnesotan features as matches to African American faces suggests that listeners do not believe the local variant of AAE to incorporate Minnesota English features, at least for male speakers. Implications for models of sociophonetic perception and for studies of variation in AAE are discussed.Item Spatial self-selection in land-use–travel behavior interactions: Accounting simultaneously for attitudes and socioeconomic characteristics(Journal of Transport and Land Use, 2014) Abreu e Silva, João deSpatial self-selection can be ascribed to two main factors: socioeconomic characteristics or attitudinal aspects towards travel and location choices. Several studies have investigated the influence of self-selection on the relations between travel behavior and land-use patterns. So far the results could be considered mixed. The model proposed herein uses data collected in 2009 for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. A structural equations model was built to study the effects of spatial self-selection due to both socioeconomic and attitudinal effects. Three model specifications were considered: one treating attitudes toward travel as exogenous and two others considering them as endogenous. The preferred specification considered attitudes as exogenous. The land-use patterns are described by factors both at the residence and employment zones of each individual. The travel behavior variables included here are multidimensional and include commuting distance, car ownership, the number of trips by mode, and the total amount of time between the first and last trips. On account of the data characteristics and sample size, Bayesian estimation, as implemented in AMOSTM software, was used. The results obtained show that although the attitudinal variables significantly influence travel behavior, they do not annul the effects of land-use patterns in also contributing to shape the same behavior.Item The Spread of Behavior: When, How, and For Whom Do Proenvironmental Behaviors Spread to Other People and Other Behaviors?(2015-06) Maki, AlexanderTo address many environmental problems, large groups of people must engage in a range of relevant behaviors. Toward this goal, three studies examined when, how, and for whom the spread of proenvironmental behavior occurs both between individuals, from person to person, and also within the individual, from one behavior to other behaviors. Study 1 used a survey design to demonstrate that people use modeling, persuasion efforts, and conversation to try to spread their proenvironmental behavior to others. Furthermore, people reported engaging in a range of proenvironmental behaviors because of their positive environmental attitudes. Building upon these results, experiments in Studies 2 and 3 revealed that interventions that focus on a single behavior in a specific context (i.e., modeling and planning interventions) successfully increased behavioral intentions (Study 2) and engagement in a target behavior (Study 3). However, a persuasive message intervention that focused on more general attitudes increased behavioral intentions and behaviors related to the spread of behavior between individuals (i.e., people were more likely to try to influence others) and within individuals (i.e., people were more likely to engage in related behaviors). By linking the target behavior to related behaviors and the broader social context, persuasive messages have the potential to induce the spread of proenvironmental behavior both between and within individuals. In addition, people with positive environmental attitudes were more likely to engage in a range of proenvironmental behaviors, and people high in moral exporting were more likely to try to spread their proenvironmental behavior to others. Thus, both experimental and individual difference approaches were linked to the spread of proenvironmental behavior.Item Student-Athlete Perception on a College Campus(2011) McHugh, Michael; Hyman, Randy; Ryan, Cindy; Rauschenfels, DianeNegative attitudes regarding a student-athlete’s academic ability exist in the collegiate environment in the form of the “dumb jock” stereotype (Baucom & Lantz, 2001; Bosworth, Fujita, Jensen, & Simons, 2007; Sailes, 1993; McHugh Engstrom & Sedlacek, 1991). These attitudes and stereotypical images hinder a student-athlete’s academic achievement (Chomitz, Dawson, Slining, McGowan, & Mitchelll, 2009; Aries, Benaji, McCarthy, & Salovey, 2004; Morphew, Toma, & Wolf-Wendel, 2001). The author conducted a study at a public, NCAA Division II university whose student-athletes had a proven and publicized history of academic success. The study examined if perceptions of collegiate student-athletes were congruent with those negative feelings towards the group identified in the research. The setting was selected because of the university’s unique history of proven levels of academic success within the student-athlete population. Results found that a positive perception felt by the student-athletes from the campus community was congruent with the high level of student athletes’ academic achievement.