Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / Robert K. Schaeffer / Kansas police chiefs are a unique group of individuals. Because are they located throughout the various sized communities within the state, they have the potential to affect the daily lives of more people on a day-today basis than any other branch of law enforcement. The purpose of this study was to analyze how police chiefs prioritize emerging threats. In this study, using a purposeful sample, 40 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Kansas police chiefs across the state. These police chiefs were asked about their views on the biggest emerging threats they have observed within the last 10 years. They were also asked why certain threats become priorities and why others do not. Police chiefs were split on their thoughts of whether or not they believed resources should be allocated in their communities to defend against terrorism in Kansas. What was discovered during the research process went beyond learning about the process of change for threat prioritization, or what specific threats Kansas police chiefs think their communities are facing today. What was discovered was a deeper understanding of how police chiefs think when it comes to the relationship between police departments, police personnel, and community. As police chiefs addressed the processes by which they go about prioritizing emerging threats, they illuminated a unique strategy hierarchy for success that is centered on maintaining positive departmental perception. To maintain this perception, police chiefs work both officially and covertly within governmental structures and the public sphere to control how people think about their personnel and department. A prominent difference was seen in the physical proximity and accessibility of police chiefs to the community between small, medium, and large towns. In effect, to come to an understanding of the process of prioritization for emerging threats for Kansas police chiefs, it was necessary to understand these police administrators’ unique thought processes that they bring to the table when addressing important issues.

Canadian science policy has increasingly linked the value of academic knowledge to its contribution to economic competitiveness. A market vision of scientific quality is embedded in new funding criteria which encourage academic scientists to collaborate with industry, generate intellectual property, and found companies. While the “Mode 2” thesis advanced by Gibbons and Nowotny asserts that quality criteria in science are changing to incorporate economic relevance, there is little empirical evidence to either refute or substantiate this claim. Using Bourdieu’s theory of practice, this study explores the responses of basic health scientists to market-oriented funding criteria. The goal of the study was to understand how scientists, occupying different positions of power in the scientific field, defined “good science” and pursued scientific prestige. Twenty semi-structured interviews were carried out with 11 scientists trained before and 9 trained after the rise of market-oriented science policy. Data derived from Curriculum Vitae and Background Information Forms were used to estimate the type and volume of capital each participant held. Scientific capital, as reflected in peer-reviewed publications and grants, was perceived as the dominant form of recognition of scientific quality. However, “entrepreneurial capital”, as reflected in patents, licenses, industry funding and company spin-offs, functioned as a new form of power in accessing resources. Study participants adopted different positions in a symbolic struggle over competing visions of “good science” and used different strategies to acquire scientific prestige. Some pursued a traditional strategy of accumulation of scientific capital, while others sought to accumulate and convert entrepreneurial capital into scientific capital. Findings suggest that there is no longer a single symbolic order in the scientific field, but that the field is stratified according to a scientific and market logic. Hence, support is provided for both continuity with “Mode 1” and change towards “Mode 2” evaluation of academic quality.

Canadian science policy has increasingly linked the value of academic knowledge to its contribution to economic competitiveness. A market vision of scientific quality is embedded in new funding criteria which encourage academic scientists to collaborate with industry, generate intellectual property, and found companies. While the “Mode 2” thesis advanced by Gibbons and Nowotny asserts that quality criteria in science are changing to incorporate economic relevance, there is little empirical evidence to either refute or substantiate this claim. Using Bourdieu’s theory of practice, this study explores the responses of basic health scientists to market-oriented funding criteria. The goal of the study was to understand how scientists, occupying different positions of power in the scientific field, defined “good science” and pursued scientific prestige. Twenty semi-structured interviews were carried out with 11 scientists trained before and 9 trained after the rise of market-oriented science policy. Data derived from Curriculum Vitae and Background Information Forms were used to estimate the type and volume of capital each participant held. Scientific capital, as reflected in peer-reviewed publications and grants, was perceived as the dominant form of recognition of scientific quality. However, “entrepreneurial capital”, as reflected in patents, licenses, industry funding and company spin-offs, functioned as a new form of power in accessing resources. Study participants adopted different positions in a symbolic struggle over competing visions of “good science” and used different strategies to acquire scientific prestige. Some pursued a traditional strategy of accumulation of scientific capital, while others sought to accumulate and convert entrepreneurial capital into scientific capital. Findings suggest that there is no longer a single symbolic order in the scientific field, but that the field is stratified according to a scientific and market logic. Hence, support is provided for both continuity with “Mode 1” and change towards “Mode 2” evaluation of academic quality.

This thesis explores the cultural production of addiction and the psychologization of everyday life. Through analyses of ubiquitous addiction literature, as well as ordinary, everyday encounters, I examine how we make meaning of addiction, thus culturally constituting the addict. I explore my situated-ness in relation to addiction, which in turn helps me to think through how I am oriented toward addiction. Through an analysis of a specific account of an intersubjective experience of addiction, I examine how experiences of addiction are made between us. This thesis also explores the relationship between substance use and harm and the role the perceived “warnings signs” of addiction play in how we recognize addiction. Using a phenomenologically informed method of social inquiry, I question what the psychologization of everyday life, or our (over) use of psychology, means for our engagement with others.

This thesis explores the cultural production of addiction and the psychologization of everyday life. Through analyses of ubiquitous addiction literature, as well as ordinary, everyday encounters, I examine how we make meaning of addiction, thus culturally constituting the addict. I explore my situated-ness in relation to addiction, which in turn helps me to think through how I am oriented toward addiction. Through an analysis of a specific account of an intersubjective experience of addiction, I examine how experiences of addiction are made between us. This thesis also explores the relationship between substance use and harm and the role the perceived “warnings signs” of addiction play in how we recognize addiction. Using a phenomenologically informed method of social inquiry, I question what the psychologization of everyday life, or our (over) use of psychology, means for our engagement with others.

Doctor of Philosophy / Personal Financial Planning / Sonya Britt / Health and financial resources may be two of the most important resources when individuals experience stress. As one of the most commonly cited theories in the organizational behavior literature over the last 25 years (Halbeslegen, Paustian-Underdahl & Westman, 2014), the conservation of resources (COR) theory will be used in this dissertation to view how health and financial resources relate to general life and financial stress. The data were collected from a convenience sample. Participants consisted of men and women between the ages of 19 and 65, and were primarily White, female, and averaged less than two dependents. Annual household income averaged between $50,000 and $100,000. Variables for this study were operationalized using established measurements where available, with sound psychometric properties. In order to assess resources, a measure for resources was developed using a principal axis factor analysis from the conservation of resources evaluation (COR-E), which is a list of 74 items identified as valuable resources by the COR theory’s author (Hobfoll, 2001). The relationships among these resources along with demographic characteristics on general life stress and financial stress were examined through ordinary least squares regression analyses. Results indicate that health resources, along with being white, as compared to non-whites, make significant contributions to the variance in general life stress. Financial resources, success resources, being white, as compared to non-whites, and level of household income make significant contributions to the variance in financial stress. This study’s results should help individuals better assess the priority and protection they give to their resources. Employers will likely see savings by designing and implementing properly targeted employer sponsored programs that address resource growth and conservation to help to reduce stress, which should result in reductions to health care costs, fewer lost work days, and increase productivity. Financial planners, and therapists will find the results useful in improving their efforts toward working with individuals on understanding, prioritizing, and growing their resources as a way to reduce stress. Researchers and educators will use the results of this study to gain a deeper understanding of the use of the COR theory.

No description available.

Mémoire de maîtrise présenté en vue de l'obtention de la maîtrise en psychologie (M. Sc) / Contexte : La prosodie de la parole, c'est-à-dire les variations du ton de la voix lorsque l'on parle, joue un rôle clé dans les interactions sociales en apportant entre autres des informations importantes liées à l'identité, l'état émotionnel ou encore l'origine géographique. La prosodie est modifiée par les accents d’une personne, en particulier si elle parle une langue étrangère. Ces accents ont un impact important sur la façon dont la parole est reconnue, avec des conséquences significatives sur la façon dont le locuteur est perçu socialement, comme une baisse d’empathie ou encore une moins grande confiance. Cependant, il est moins clair si cet impact, généralement négatif, persiste dans le contexte des accents régionaux qui constituent des variations plus subtiles du signal vocal. Objectif et hypothèse : L'objectif de ce présent mémoire est de comprendre comment des individus francophones de différentes régions (France, Québec) expriment et reconnaissent des phrases émotionnelles prononcées par des personnes originaires de la même région ou non. Plusieurs études suggèrent un avantage de groupe, qui renvoie à l’idée que même si les émotions pourraient être reconnues de manière universelle, nous reconnaissons mieux les productions émotionnelles de personnes de notre propre groupe culturel que de personnes extérieures à ce groupe. Est-ce que cet avantage persiste dans le cas des accents régionaux, pour lesquels deux populations partagent la même langue ? Cette question reste très peu étudiée et ne l’a jamais été avec la langue française. Nous souhaitons 1) créer et valider une banque de phrases émotionnelles prononcées en français avec des accents de France et du Québec ; 2) caractériser les profils acoustiques de ces productions émotionnelles. Sur la base de données de la littérature (e.g., Mauchand et Pell, 2020), nous nous attendons à ce que les québécois (Qc) montrent une prosodie émotionnelle plus expressive que les Français (Fr). Méthode : Nous avons créé de courtes phrases émotionnelles dans 5 émotions (Joie, Tristesse, Colère, Fierté, Honte), prononcées par des acteurs quebecoie.s.es et français. Cette de banque de stimuli a été validé avec une étude en ligne par des françaises et québécoises. 4 Avec un modèle général mixte, nous avons analysé les paramètres vocaux: moyenne et l’écart type de la fréquence fondamentale, l’écart-type et la moyenne de l'intensité, Shimmer moyen, Jitter, HNR, l’indice Hammarberg, pente spectrale et durée des phrases. Résultats : Les paramètres de la fréquence fondamentale moyenne (F0M), d’intensité, de durée, de pente spectrale et d’indice Hammarberg sont significativement différents selon les émotions et entre les origines, Nous avons aussi noté une interaction entre les sexes des locuteurs et leurs origines. De manière globale, sur les cinq émotions considérées, les Fr parlent avec une F0M plus élevée, sauf pour la tristesse. Les Qc parlent eux, pour toutes les émotions, avec une plus grande intensité et une plus longue durée. Au final, nous pouvons considérer que les Qc expriment de manière plus prononcée les émotions que les Fr, sauf au niveau de la colère. En ce qui concerne les différences liées au sexe des locuteurs, nous avons remarqué que les hommes Qc ont une prosodie émotionnelle plus forte que les hommes Fr. Des différences entre les femmes Qc et Fr ont été seulement observées dans les émotions de honte et de fierté, des émotions plus sociales. Conclusion : Nous avons pu caractériser l’expression vocale émotionnelle des Fr et Qc qui, malgré leur langue commune, s’expriment de manière très distincte pour transmettre leurs émotions. Ces résultats ouvrent des perspectives intéressantes sur les interactions interculturelles d’une même langue mais de régions différentes et confirment la prosodie de langage, en particulier émotionnelle, comme un véritable marqueur identitaire. / Context: The prosody of speech, i.e. the variations in tone of voice when speaking, plays a key role in social interactions by providing important information linked to identity, emotional state and geographical origin. Foreign accents have a major impact on the way speech is recognized, with significant consequences for social evaluations, such as reduced empathy towards the speaker. However, it is less clear whether this impact persists in the context of regional accents, which are more subtle variations of the speech signal. Objective and hypothesis: The aim of this dissertation is to understand how French-speaking individuals from different regions (France, Quebec) express and recognize emotional phrases spoken by people from the same or different regions. Given the hypothesis of group advantage, we believe that expression and perception differ according to culture. Based on Mauchand and Pell’s (2020) study, we expect Quebecers (Qc) to show a more expressive emotional prosody than French people (Fr). Method: We created short emotional sentences in 5 emotions (Joy, Sadness, Anger, Pride, Shame), spoken by Quebecois and French actors. This bank of stimuli was validated with an online study by French and Quebecers. Using a general mixed model, we analyzed the vocal parameters: mean and standard deviation of the fundamental frequency, standard deviation and mean of the intensity, mean Shimmer, Jitter, HNR, Hammarberg index, Spectral Slope, Duration. Results: The parameters of fundamental frequency (F0M), intensity, duration, spectral slope and Hammarberg index differed significantly between the emotions, origins and sexes. For example, of the five emotions, Frs spoke with a higher F0M except for sadness, but Qc spoke with greater intensity and longer duration. The Qc expressed the emotions in a more pronounced way than the Fr, except for anger. Also, many significant differences show that Qc men have a stronger emotional prosody than Fr men. Finally, only differences between Qc and Fr women were observed in the emotions of shame and pride, emotions that are not in the 6 primary emotions, but which 6 would be more cultural emotions. Conclusion: We were able to characterize the emotional vocal expression of Fr and Qc who, despite their common language, express themselves in very distinct ways to convey their emotions. These results open up interesting perspectives on intercultural interactions in the same language but in different regions and show that speech prosody, particularly emotional prosody, could be considered as a marker of regional identity.

Master of Science / Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Candice A. Shoemaker / Once a fixture of American schoolyards during the early 1900’s, school gardens in the United States are again growing in popularity. It is estimated that one-fourth of all public and private schools in the U.S. have a school garden. Funding, teacher involvement, support of the principal, volunteer help, garden coordination, maintenance assistance and site availability are all factors found to contribute to the success of school gardens and are also found to be the barriers to sustainability of school gardens. Many of these challenges can be overcome with the support of volunteers. Little is known however, about individuals who volunteer their time to a school garden program and more importantly no research has investigated the specific variables influencing volunteer retention in an after-school garden club program setting. A case-study of long-term adult after-school garden club program volunteers was conducted to determine the variables affecting one’s decision to continue volunteering after one semester with a program of this type. Twenty long-term after-school garden club program volunteers were interviewed. Interview responses were grouped into main theme and subtheme categories using NVivo, a qualitative analysis software. Main themes that had responses from at least 95% of the volunteers participating in the case-study, were isolated for further analysis. The top five subthemes for each of these isolated main themes were assessed and four of these main themes were found to have similar top five subthemes. These subthemes and the long-term volunteer demographics were then used to determine the variables affecting volunteer retention in an after-school garden club setting. Age, marital status and level of education were all found to affect length of volunteer service. Organizational commitment, positive volunteer relations, organizational support, learning opportunities and the opportunity to work with children all contributed to the decision of after-school garden club program volunteers to continue volunteering after one semester of service. Furthermore, it can be concluded that these volunteers continued to volunteer because their initial motivations, expectations and/or needs were met through their participation in the program.

Doctor of Philosophy / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Charlotte Shoup Olsen / Farrell J. Webb / Homelessness has become an enduring fixture of contemporary United States society. Female veterans face a host of unique challenges; females often carry the burden of serving in the armed forces, while balancing marriages, motherhood, and care giving responsibilities in their home lives. As the veterans return to their lives as civilians, the females who served in the military must deal with the possibility of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape while in the armed services. Female service members are twice as likely to have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD) than their male service members and are three to four times more likely to become homeless. Understanding this view of homelessness from the female veteran’s perspective is limited due to small sample sizes in previous research efforts. However, with the increasing numbers of homeless female veterans it is imperative to understand the risk factors. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using a modified framework for studying vulnerable populations. The study was designed to explore the meaning of homelessness from the female homeless veteran’s perspective. Second, risk factors were examined for homelessness and the services necessary for the female veteran to exit the homeless cycle. Third, the data were coded and analyzed to identify patterns and commonalities of multiple psycho social factors such as unstable family support, domestic violence, job loss, affordable housing options, substance abuse, mental and physical health issues. These factors were cited as the leading risk factors contributing to the homeless state of this sample of female veterans. The data collection consisted of ten homeless female veterans participating in a private, audio taped interview using a semi-structure interview tool. Resources listed as a necessity to end homelessness consisted of affordable housing, job security, earning a living wage income, transportation, remaining drug free, and being awarded disability. The pathway to homelessness varied for each participant, but they all demonstrated a tremendous amount of resiliency.