Eastern Michigan University
page banner

Abstracts

Author Department Professor Title Year
Emily R. Sallen Psychology Carol Freedman-Doan Wilderness Treatment Programs: Why They Work
Researchers have attempted to evaluate the efficacy of adolescent residential treatment programs by conducting retrospective and meta-analytic outcome studies. However, the overwhelming lack of data and variability in both measurement instruments and methods has limited the generalizability of these findings. Wilderness therapy programs are a particular subset of treatment programs for adolescents that have recently shown both positive outcomes and growth in attendance. It combines individual and group therapy with outdoor, experiential-based activities such as backpacking and primitive skills in an outdoor-living environment. The current study aims to investigate the elements that contribute to the efficacy of wilderness therapy. By combining and comparing scores on a validated behavioral scale and a semi-structured narrative style interview, we hope to begin to understand the components that lead to successful treatment of adolescent behavior in a wilderness program.
2012
Syreeta Scott Psychology Alissa Huth-Bocks The Association between Attachment Trauma and Maternal Mental Health
Attachment traumas are conceptualized as frightening events during childhood that prevent the goal of the child's attachment system by preventing the availability of the caregiver. Essentially, the child chronically lacks an external mechanism of physiological and emotional regulation that is important to the developmental trajectory of mental health. Previous research has demonstrated that attachment traumas, such as abuse, are likely to co-occur with other traumas in childhood. This study will examine the association between cumulative experiences of attachment traumas in childhood and mental health symptoms in an at-risk sample of mothers. Research in this area can help identify mothers most at-risk for negative outcomes by identifying salient historical risk factors for prevention and intervention efforts.
2012
Alicia M. Totten Psychology Alissa Huth-Bocks Maternal Transmission of Trauma Symptoms to Children
The purpose of this study is to examine rates and severity of trauma symptoms in toddlers in relation to direct trauma exposure and maternal trauma symptoms. Data will be collected from approximately 100 mother-child pairs from a longitudinal study. Mothers' trauma symptoms will be measured using the PTSD Checklist during pregnancy (T1) and when the child is 2 years old (T4). Trauma symptoms will be measured in the children at T4 using the Toddler Trauma Symptoms Questionnaire as well as the Toddler Exposure to Traumatic Events. It is hypothesized that children who have not experienced trauma directly will exhibit trauma symptoms if they are reared by a mother who indicates high levels of trauma on the PTSD checklist.
2012
Ashley A. Wiedemann Psychology Karen Saules Weight Loss Surgery Patients in Substance Abuse Treatment: Do They Differ from the Traditional Substance Abuse Inpatient?
Weight loss surgery (WLS) patients are overrepresented in substance abuse treatment programs. To understand unique factors that may affect WLS patients' substance abuse treatment prognosis, the present study compared WLS patients in a substance abuse treatment program with their non-weight loss (N-WLS) counterparts. WLS patients reported a significantly later mean age of first regular use of alcohol/drugs, concern about alcohol/drug use, and alcohol/drug treatment, and a significantly shorter time between having concerns about substance use and seeking treatment. Analyses comparing rates of other behavioral excesses did not yield significant differences between WLS and N-WLS patients. Results indicate that WLS patients who experience post-surgical substance use may differ from the 'typical' substance abuse patient in several ways that may reflect unique treatment needs.
2012
Erika A. Buckley Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology Kristine Ajrouch Next Generation Immigrant Negotiation Practices
The negotiation practices among second generation (and 1.5) Chinese Americans provide insights into acculturation processes in American society. This study analyzes narrative data from 10 Chinese Americans who were either born in the U.S. or brought over at a young age. Results suggest that the language of assimilation needs reassessment. The key feature of this study was the behavior of negotiation, which participants use to constantly identify themselves with both their families as well as the mainstream American society surrounding them. New directions for scholarly work on immigrant acculturation are discussed.
2012
Nour Fakhoury Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology Kristine Ajrouch Academic Achievement and Attitudes of Arab American Immigrants
The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of the age at arrival, attitudes of students, reasons for migration, and the host country's reception on Arab American immigrant students and their academic achievement. Arab American students who arrived in the United States at age 10 or older will be recruited from two different high schools. Surveys will be administered to students in order to obtain information regarding these and other variables, and twenty Arab American immigrant students will discuss their experiences in depth during open-ended interviews. Official student academic records will be obtained to reveal how this group is performing academically. Findings from this study will shed light on how this specific immigrant group is faring in the United States.
2012
Ellen Jayne Hine Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology Paul Leighton Shh? All Daddies Do This: The Thought Process Behind Sexually Abusive Fathers.
This study is a compilation of previous research findings regarding the thought process behind sexually abusive fathers. The purpose of this research is to understand the feelings and thoughts that lead up to a father engaging in sexual violence with his daughter. While there is an abundance of research focused on the victim of sexual violence, there is very little that looks at the perpetrator. This study will look at statistics and characteristics of victims in order to lay the groundwork for the main focus of fathers and the thought process that allows them to justify having sexual relations with their daughters. It will also look at different forms of therapy for the perpetrators and explore how the abuse affects family relationships.
2012
Erika M. Behrmann Women's and Gender Studies Carol Haddad Investigating Trait Attribution through Gendered Avatar Play: An Analysis of The Sims 3
This presentation introduces a study about whether the life-simulation videogame, The Sims 3, enables the deconstruction of the gender binary. The Sims 3 grants its players the ability to attribute similar traits to male or female avatars. In doing so, players can experiment with taboo trait attributions and potentially defy a male-female binary. A group of 82 The Sims 3 players was surveyed to determine their overall male and female Sims trait selections during game play. Players were asked about their personal gender identity as well as questioned on how their trait selection related to their personal identities. Results indicated that players tend to select traits that maintain a traditional gender binary. This presentation discusses the implications of why players continue to follow social norms even in technological environments conducive to deconstructing the gender binary.
2012
Dana M. Creighton Women's and Gender Studies Margaret Crouch Religious Fundamentalism as a Form of Violence against Women
Religious fundamentalisms based in patriarchal traditions exacerbate various forms of violence against women and are, in fact, forms of violence against women in and of themselves. This can consist of restriction of mobility, visibility, spiritual access, and development; gender segregation; unequal access to social institutions; emotional abuse, economic abuse via restrictions on employment; domestic violence; nonsexual physical assaults; marital rape; street rape; female circumcision; coerced suicides; and honor killings. I will look at three branches of religious fundamentalism: Christian, Islamic, and Hindu. All of these religions have a patriarchal history and all contain fundamentalist sects and groups that have been on the rise, increasing in membership since the twentieth century. Countries that do not protect women from fundamentalist harms are violating international laws and treaties.
2012
Shuli Han Women's and Gender Studies Elizabeth Currans The Encounter between Judith Butler and Lao Zi: A Cross Cultural Dialogue between a Modern Western Feminist and an Ancient Chinese Philosopher
The globalization of feminist movement calls for efficient dialogue between different cultures. However, the existence of the Western cultural hegemony in a globalized capitalist world hampers the effort of feminists to engage in equal cross-cultural communication. Through a tentative encounter between a postmodern Western feminist and an ancient Chinese philosopher, I attempt to explore the possibility of a free and equal transnational dialogue that transcends time and space. What brings Butler and Lao Zi together is their shared concern on the unbalanced power dynamics between men and women. I suggest that the dialogue between Butler and Lao Zi provides an alternative means for the deconstruction of the hierarchical dichotomy between men and women, as well as a possible new way to engage in an equal cross cultural dialogue.
2012
Melissa S. Lininger Women's and Gender Studies Elizabeth Currans The Agency of Role Models in Black Women's Reproductive Choices
Throughout history, Black women have been socially controlled within American society. This paper explores how and why the reproductive rights of Black women have been systematically taken from them by various institutions. Various feminist theorists such as Dorothy Roberts, Chandra Mohanty, and Iris Marion Young examine this issue in their research, in addition to the history of Black women's reproductive choices and their limitations. Certain women, such as Loretta Ross and Elaine Riddick, stood out in Black women's fight against white supremacy. This presentation will show that black women serve as role models for each other against white supremacy in the fight for reproductive freedom.
2012
Jessica Lohmann Women's and Gender Studies Paul Leighton Internalized Homophobia in Lesbians: Unique Factors in Intimate Partner Violence
Heterosexism is a pervasive form of bigotry built upon patriarchal foundations of sexism that affect lesbian relationships and encourage the development of internalized homophobia (IH). Lesbian relationships involving intimate partner violence (IPV) are significantly affected by IH, providing the need to seek out power and control that has been systematically stripped from lesbians, as well as restricting resources to victims of IPV. Through invisibility, distortion of perceived gender roles, and discrimination, IPV in lesbian relationships has been underreported, and the intervention has been compromised. This paper explores the development of IH using the minority stress perspective and the impact it has on lesbian relationships that involve IPV.
2012
Aneshia T. Solomon Women's and Gender Studies Elizabeth Currans Magnified Self-Identities
This paper builds on the concept of intersectionality by exploring the instances when a person can experience a specific part of his/her identity being magnified to such a degree that it pushes all other aspects of that individual's identity to the margins of consciousness. This is referred to as magnified self-identity. The eliciting factor that is looked at in magnified self-identity manifesting in an individual is hostility in various forms, which are external, internal, and structural. It then looks at the ways in which magnified self-identity affects both the individual who is experiencing it and the society that it is being experienced in.
2012
Lacey Story Women's and Gender Studies Elizabeth Currans Feminists Mothering Through the Generations: How Feminist and Queer Theories Are Influencing Contemporary Feminist Mothers
This work looks to identify the ways young feminist mothers are using their philosophies to influence their parenting practices and whether these philosophies and practices are in fact different from those of the former generation of feminist mothers. With gender, queer identity, and queer theory gaining more recognition in the field of women's and gender studies and within feminist activism, I am curious about the effects this has had on the younger generations of feminist mothers and in what ways, if any, it has influenced their parenting practices. I expect to find considerable differences in the parenting practices contemporary feminist mothers and those of previous generations. I interviewed twelve young feminist mothers to show the progression of feminism within contemporary feminism and within the study of feminist motherhood.
2012
Nguyen T. K. Bui World Languages Elizabeth Morgan Free Technological Tools and Activities for Enhancing Intercultural Communicative Competence
Rapid evolution of modern information technology has facilitated virtual communications across boundaries; however, not all technologies are affordable and effective for the language learning and teaching process. This presentation addresses this issue by introducing the useful combination of such free technologies as Webs, ThinkFree, Jing, YouTube, Skype, Audacity, Google Docs, and PodOmatic in facilitating the online intercultural exchanges between students of EMU and Tan Tao University in Vietnam. I will also show specific examples of how to apply these free technological tools for the so-called IT-HELPS activities to enhance students' intercultural communicative competence. This presentation is useful for those who are interested in developing a multimedia-based curriculum for exchange programs that foster language learners' intercultural communicative competence.
2012
Kirtland R. Eastwood World Languages Wendy Wang Learner Noticing and Recasts in Group Tasks
Learner noticing is believed to be crucial for improvement of accuracy in L2 learners. One of the ways in which noticing frequently occurs in ESL/EFL classes is via recasts. Recasts have been recently shown to be effective particularly when they are short, salient, and delivered with rising intonation. This research consists of two groups of students consisting of L1 speakers of Chinese and Arabic. Each learner's mistakes receive a recast that includes the asserted effective characteristics. In this case, the stimulated recall session is conducted immediately after the conversation as opposed to the delayed sessions in the original study. The stimulated recall session is also conducted in a group setting, with noticing of recasts directed towards other learners as an additional focal point.
2012
Diane M. A. Griffin World Languages Wendy Wang Semantic Verb Categories and Their Impact on ESL Tense and Aspect Development
The development of tense and aspect in English L2 learners follows a predictable pattern that is often related more to verbal semantics than form. The aspect hypothesis suggests that English L2 learners acquire tense-aspect morphology first with telic verbs, next with atelic (action) verbs, and finally with stative verbs. Thirty-four samples of ESL student writing were analyzed for general tense-aspect combination and specific application of present perfect. Results showed an acquisition order in keeping with the aspect hypothesis and suggested teaching implications.
2012
Jing Guo World Languages Wendy Wang Vocabulary Learning Strategies of Chinese University Students
This paper reports on research conducted among 111 Chinese university students on their use of vocabulary learning strategies and also compares the strategies used by successful vocabulary learners to those used by unsuccessful vocabulary learners. The result indicates that 1) Most learners believe that words should be learned in context and use rather than through memorization, and the frequency of overall use, shown by order, is Guessing strategies > Note-taking strategies > Metacognitive strategies > Activation strategies > Memory strategies > Encoding strategies > Dictionary strategies; 2) There's significant correlation between overall vocabulary leaning strategies and vocabulary size; and 3) Successful learners and unsuccessful learners report no difference in vocabulary beliefs, but they do differ in terms of vocabulary learning strategies.
2012
Michael Manuszak World Languages Wendy Wang Present Perceptions of Team Teaching
Team teaching, the joint instruction of a non-native English teacher and a native speaker of English, has become one the most emergent issues within the English as a Second Language community in Asia. By replicating a comparative survey performed 13 years ago under similar situations, present classroom perceptions of team teaching and teacher roles in the Japanese classroom can be understood. Students attending a Japanese public high school were surveyed as to their perceptions of their native and non-native instructors and their expectations of classroom roles. Those results were juxtaposed with the English teachers', both native and non-native, understanding of their students' perceptions and expectations. Through this, better comprehension of current team-taught participant opinion and thought can be obtained. By identifying any possible differences, instructors may be able to reevaluate elements of this methodology to better facilitate classroom learning.
2012
Eugenie Mukankwiro World Languages Wendy Wang Corrective Feedback: ESL Learners' Views about Prompts and Recasts
This study investigates ESL learners' perceptions of immediate oral feedback with a goal to find out their preferences, especially between recasts and prompts as corrective feedback techniques. Views were collected by means of a survey conducted through interviews and questionnaires. Twelve students from an advanced-level ESL class at EMU were surveyed by means of questionnaires, and a focus group of 4 students from the same questionnaire respondents was interviewed by means of a semi-structured interview. Results reveal that ESL learners prefer recasts in terms of their affective states but find elicitation prompts to be more productive than recasts in developing their proficiency in English.
2012

« first ‹ previous 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 next › last »

101–120 of 654 abstracts