A major focus of many U.S. higher-education institutions is to increase internationalization of their campus through, in part, the promotion of study abroad experiences among domestic students and to recruit and retain international students to their institution. This study explored the effects of certain factors on various domains of the Global Engagement Measurement Scale (GEMS) – Cultural Engagement, Ambiguity Tolerance, Knowledge of Host Site, and Diversity Openness – among U.S. students who have studied abroad and international exchange students who have studied in the U.S. There was a particular focus, on determining whether U.S. study abroad students, compared to international students, rate differently on GEMS scales, after controlling for other possible confounding variables. Participants were recruited from three Southeastern, public, 4-year universities and were eligible if they were enrolled at any of those universities in the last five years. A hierarchical regression analysis revealed several factors significantly affected each of the various outcomes on the GEMS. Cultural Engagement and Ambiguity Tolerance were both predicted by the institution of study and the type of student (U.S. study abroad versus international exchange). Knowledge of Host Site was predicted by whether or not the trip was government sponsored, pre-trip familiarity with the host culture, and type of student. The overall regression model for Diversity Openness was not significant. These results provide insights into key factors that affect the overall global engagement of college students and can be used to inform university faculty and staff about features they can add to improve campus internationalization efforts.

Habitat type has been suggested to be a major factor contributing to differencesin plant trait distribution of grassland habitats. Land use changes in agricultural landscapes have affected the available habitats and the dispersal ability of plants, which may effect plant trait diversity of agricultural landscapes. Little is also known about the effects of landscape openness on plant trait diversity. This study analysed differences in plant traits between different semi-natural grassland habitats in agricultural landscapes in four different regions in Sweden: Skåne, Södermanland, Gävleborg, and Norrbotten. The following research questions were used: (1) How does landscape openness (the amount of open andarable land found in a landscape) affect plant trait values collected from a new database in semi-natural grassland habitats in agricultural landscapes? (2) How does the type of habitat affect plant trait values in semi-natural grassland habitats in agricultural landscapes? (3) How does geographical location in Sweden affect plant trait values in semi-natural grassland habitats in agricultural landscapes? Overall 12 landscapes in each region were surveyed for plant data using 20 sample plots in each landscape. Trait values for biodiversity relevance, nectar production, nitrogen, phosphorus, grazing/mowing, soil disturbance, longevity, pollinator dependence, and seed dispenser were assigned for each plant species based on an external database, and average trait values were calculated for each of the studied traits in each sample. Kruskal-Wallis test andANOVA were performed on average trait values to identify differences between each habitat types and regions. Besides the effect of habitat type, the effect of openness in the landscape on the chosen traits was analysed with Spearman’s and Pearson’s correlations. The results revealed differences between habitat types in almost all studied traits: grazed habitats had plants with higher biodiversity relevance but lower nectar production. Differences were also found between the southern and northern regions. More open landscapes had plants with higher biodiversity relevance as well as higher tolerance for both nitrogen and phosphorus. Less open landscapes had higher tolerance for grazing/mowing and higher nectar production. The results of this study therefore support earlier findings of the importance of habitat in plant trait distribution of grassland habitats.

No description available.

The aim of the thesis has been to analyse the book ‘The Whole Story of Half a Girl’ from the perspective of James Marcia’s identity theory and Peter Berger’s modernisation theory. The analysis focuses on 11-year-old Sonia's description of her upbringing with parents of two different religious faiths as a depiction of identity development. The research questions were as follows:   -       How can the portrayal of Sonia’s reflections about her identity in the book ‘The Whole Story of Half a Girl’ be understood based on James Marcia’s theory of identity status, particularly in relation to Marcia’s description of the developmental positions of moratorium and identity achievement?   -       How can the portrayal of Sonia’s reflections about her identity in the book ‘The Whole Story of Half a Girl’ be understood based on Peter Berger’s description of modern identity, particularly in relation to Berger’s description of relative openness and differentiation?   The study was conducted using qualitative thematic analysis with an deductive approach. The conclusions show that the portrayal of Sonia in the book ‘The Whole Story of Half a Girl’ corresponds to the identity position of moratorium in James Marcia's theory of identity status. Peter Berger's theory of modern identity, on a more general level can create an understanding of the difficulty, but also risk, it can mean for Sonia's identity development in relation to her parents’ different religious faiths and backgrounds.     Keywords: identity, development of identity, moratorium, identity achievement, relative openness, differentiation / Syftet med uppsatsen har varit att utifrån James Marcias teori om identitetsstatus och Peter Bergers beskrivning av modern identitet analysera boken The whole story of half a girl (Hiranandani 2012). Analysen har fokuserat på 11-åriga Sonias beskrivning av sin uppväxt med föräldrar från två olika religiösa traditioner som en skildring av identitetsutveckling. Frågeställningarna var följande;   -          Hur kan porträtteringen av Sonias reflektioner kring sin identitet i boken The whole story of half a girl förstås utifrån James Marcias teori om identitetsstatus, och i synnerhet i relation till Marcias beskrivning av utvecklingspositionerna moratorium och uppnådd identitet?   -          Hur kan porträtteringen av Sonias reflektioner kring sin identitet i boken The whole story of half a girl förstås utifrån Peter Bergers beskrivning av modern identitet, och i synnerhet i relation till Bergers beskrivning av relativ öppenhet och differentiering?   Studien genomfördes i form av en kvalitativ tematisk analys med en deduktiv ansats. Jag har kodat och kategoriserat teman utifrån utvalda begrepp ur mina val av teorier. Teorierna har utgjort ett ramverk i bearbetningen av materialet. I resultat- och analysavsnittet har jag besvarat mina frågeställningar och med citat och beskrivningar belyst olika delar av relevans. Slutsatserna visade att porträtteringen av Sonia i boken The whole story of half a girl utifrån James Marcias teori om identitetsstatus kunde förstås som att Sonia befinner sig i den position som Marcia kallar för moratorium. I ett sammanhang i boken kunde porträtteringen av Sonia tyda på att Sonia befinner sig i den position som Marcia beskriver som uppnådd identitet eller i en skarv mellan moratorium och uppnådd identitet. I relation till Peter Bergers teori om modern identitet visade resultatet att porträtteringen av Sonias identitetsutveckling kunde förstås som att det finns en viss del av relativ öppenhet och differentiering i relation till Sonias reflektioner kring sin identitet, men inte i den omfattning att Peter Bergers teori skapar en fulltäckande förståelse för Sonias identitetsutveckling. Dock kan Peter Bergers teori om modern identitet på en mer övergripande nivå skapa förståelse för den svårighet, men också risk, det kan innebära för Sonias identitetsutveckling utifrån att hon växer upp med föräldrar med olika religiösa traditioner och bakgrunder.

The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which actual (e.g., density and openness) and perceptual (e.g., crowding and distance) elements of the spatial home environment act as predictors of family functioning. Data were gathered from 126 families whose child was attending a university’s preschool/kindergarten facility in a mid-sized community in the Western United States. Structural equation modeling (SEM, AMOS 19.0) was employed to examine the strength of the relationships within the model. Results showed that though actual home items (specifically density and great room openness) affect family functioning outcomes, perceived crowding was especially influential as a mediational variable. Findings suggest that how one perceives his or her home environment has more of an effect on family functioning than actual home characteristics.

A major concern with using personality tests in the selection process is the prevalence of applicant faking behavior which can influence the rank order of applicants such that fakers are hired at an elevated frequency. This study examined the effects of the detection/consequence warning and a more applicant-friendly warning on faking and perceived procedural justice. I hypothesized that a positive warning (reasoning warning) and a detection/consequence warning would show similar mean personality trait levels compared to honest responses, with all means showing less socially desirable responding than no warning prompt. Results suggested that the detection/consequence warning is more effective at reducing faking behavior in the selection context, and the content of the warning has no impact on perceived procedural justice.

No description available.

No description available.

This study addresses a specific gap in research concerning personality type and aesthetic preference. The goal of this study was to assess the following question: is there a positive correlation between an enjoyment of atonal harmony and the personality trait dimension known as “openness to experience”? A survey was crafted, and a number of musical pieces with various degrees of tonality and atonality were composed for this study. Respondents of the survey answered a personality test, listened to the musical pieces and ranked their enjoyment of them. What was found is that not all people who are open to experience enjoy atonal harmony, but a majority of the enjoyers of atonal harmony are open to experience. Potential avenues for future research are discussed, including how knowledge of the relationship between music and the mind can help composers and music theoreticians, as well as game developers. / <p>Det finns övrigt digitalt material (t.ex. film-, bild- eller ljudfiler) eller modeller/artefakter tillhörande examensarbetet som ska skickas till arkivet.</p>

Naturvin växer som ett koncept och som ett samfund, särskilt i Sverige betraktas det till en stor del som något nytt. Syftet med denna studie var att identifiera normerna som definierar samfundet och analyserar hur de människor som arbetar med naturvin varje dag marknadsför och presenterar det som en produkt för konsumtion. För att besvara dessa frågor genomfördes fyra intervjuer med människor som arbetar med naturvin dagligen. Två sommeliers på välkända restauranger i Stockholm som primärt arbetar med naturvin som dryck. Samt två importörer av naturvin som är verksamma över hela Sverige. Denna studie visar att naturligt vin har vuxit mycket under de senaste tio åren i Sverige och att ett samfund har byggts runt det. Det visade också att normer som ärlighet och öppenhet är viktiga i samhället. Storytelling verkar också vara en stor del i försäljningen av produkten och som ett sätt att introducera nya människor till naturligt vin som ett koncept. Hållbarhet är också en stor del av debatten som för närvarande äger rum kring naturligt vin. Slutligen upptäckte vi att naturligt vin kan ha det svårt i framtiden på grund av bristen på tydlig juridisk definition av produkten. Medans alla de fyra personerna som intervjuades i stort sett var överens med varandra om definitionen av naturligt vin, kan bristen på en definitiv definition skada tillväxten framöver.