The mathematics education literature has documented gender differences in the learning of mathematics, interventions that promote female and minority students to pursue STEM majors, and the persistence of the gender, achievement, and opportunity gaps. However, there is a significantly lower number of studies that address the mathematics identities of students not majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Even more elusive or non-existent are studies that focus on the factors that shaped the mathematics identities of female students not pursuing STEM majors (non-STEM female students). Because the literature has shown the importance of understanding students' mathematics identities given its correlation with student achievement, motivation, engagement, and attitudes toward mathematics, it is vital to understand the factors that influence the construction of mathematics identities in particular of those students that have been historically marginalized. To address this issue, I explored the mathematics identities held by 12 non-STEM major students (six taking a remedial mathematics course and six others taking a non-remedial mathematics course) in one urban business college in a metropolitan area of the Northeastern United States. This study used Martin's (2000) definition of mathematics identity as the framework to explore the factors that have influenced the mathematics identities of non-STEM female students. The data for this qualitative study were drawn from mathematics autobiographies, one questionnaire, two interviews, and three class observations. I found that the mathematics identities of non-STEM major female students' in remedial and non-remedial mathematics courses were influenced by the same factors but in different ways. Significant differences indicated how successful and non-successful students perceive, interpret, and react to those factors. One of those factors was non-successful students believe some people are born with the ability to do mathematics; consequently, they attributed their lack of success to not having this natural ability. Most of the successful students in remedial mathematics attribute their success to effort and most successful students in non-remedial mathematics attribute their success to having a natural ability to do mathematics. Another factor was successful students expressed having an emotional connection to mathematics. This was evident in cases where mathematics was an emotional bond between father and daughter and those in which mathematics was a family trait. Moreover, the mathematics activities in both classrooms were scripted and orchestrated with limited room for improvisation. However, the non-remedial students experienced moments in which their academic curiosity contributed to opportunities to exercise conceptual agency and author some of their mathematics knowledge. Further, successful students in remedial mathematics did not have the ability to continue the development of positive mathematics identities given rigid classroom activities that contributed to a limited sense of community to support mathematics learning.

This study examines empirically the relationship of value orientation to meanspiritedness. Meanspiritedness (a collection of acts, thoughts and/or attitudes which are intentionally malicious) was defined and a scoring method was designed. The management level of self-interest in individuals as indicated by their value orientation and religious orientation was examined. Additionally, the relationship of value orientation to meanspiritedness was examined as measured by dogmatism scores, psychoticism scores, religious orientation scores, neuroticism scores and extraversion scores. Findings indicate that people in this study who valued at a Humanist rather than a Societal level scored higher in meanspiritedness. / Graduation date: 1995

This study sought to determine the contributions of college students' perceptions of family of origin health and self-esteem to their perceptions of the divorced single mother. It was hypothesized that individuals who hold more positive views of their family of origin health will also view themselves and, consequently, the divorced single mother more positively. Participants were 170 college students, 113 of whom lived only with their biological parents, and 57 of whom lived at sometime in their lives with a divorced single mother. Four instruments were used to collect the data, including the Family of Origin Health Scale (Hovestadt et al., 1985), the Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965), the Perception of Divorced Mother Scale (Ganong & Coleman, 1983), and a demographic questionnaire. A series of hierarchical regression analyses were used in data analyses. Generally, results indicated that family type made no major impact on participants' perceptions of the divorced single mother. Among participants in the biological parent group and the divorced single mother group, family of origin health significantly predicted more positive perceptions of the divorced single mother. In this analysis, the regression model for the biological parent group was significant, while for the divorced single mother group it was not. Self-esteem was not found to contribute significantly to participants' perceptions of the divorced single mother, and thus did not mediate the relationship between family of origin health and perceptions of the divorced single mother. Finally, among the biological parent group, amount of interaction with single parent families headed by a divorced single mother significantly predicted more positive perceptions of the divorced single mother. Among the divorced single mother group, however, amount of time lived in a single parent family headed by a divorced mother did not significantly predict their perceptions of the divorced single mother. / Graduation date: 1995

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This study has examined definitions of sex and virginity loss and the influence of gender, religiosity, middle school sex education, and the importance of virginity on those definitions. The study also tests the applicability of social exchange theory to explain how undergraduates define sex and virginity loss. Vaginal intercourse was most often considered to be sex and virginity loss, followed by anal sex and oral sex. The results indicate that women tend to consider more behaviors to be sex and virginity loss than men. Religion and middle school sex education were minimally important. Both viewing virginity as a gift and the importance of maintaining virginity until marriage were related to definitions of sex and virginity loss. Results indicate that the application of social exchange theory in predicting classification of behaviors as sex and virginity loss were mixed. With oral sex receiving the most variation as to whether or not it is sex and virginity loss and being an activity in which young people frequently participate, sex education programs should provide greater attention to oral sex and the associated health risks. / Department of Sociology

An increased interest in environmental concern has been embraced within the consumer market, particularly in the apparel market. As such, environmentally friendly clothing items are becoming more prevalent in the mainstream consumer market. In order to better understand factors relating to environmental concern and environmental apparel knowledge, this study compared students’ environmental orientation and environmental apparel knowledge depending on college major and gender, and identified attitudes and perceptions of environmentally friendly clothing at a university located in the Midwestern area in the United States. Results indicated that some majors, particularly those grouped as Environmentally Related majors differed from other major groups. Gender was found not to make a difference in either environmental orientation or environmental apparel knowledge in this study. Attitudes and perceptions about environmental friendly clothing were evaluated. In addition, some attitudes and perceptions were found to be correlated with scores relating to environmental orientation and apparel knowledge. / Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

Gender roles have progressed and evolved over time, with women having adopted masculine traits to a greater degree than men have adopted feminine traits. This study examined college students’ views towards women taking on negative stereotypical masculine traits, such as derogatory language and aggressiveness, as presented in two film clips. Results indicate that students who are more egalitarian in their gender views and who identify as masculine in their gender role perceptions were more likely to have favorable views of the nontraditional speech and behavior presented. Open-ended responses revealed a range of attitudes towards what is considered appropriate language and behavior for both men and women, indicating that a is shift occurring, albeit subtle. / Department of Sociology

Negative attitudes of college students toward older adults can be a barrier for universities that are attempting to prepare students for future career trends to meet the needs of an aging society. A growing number of college graduates will be needed to provide health and educational services for this population. Providing intergenerational opportunities through a variety of face-to-face interactions has demonstrated some success at improving attitudes of college students toward older adults. It is believed that improving the attitudes of college students through intergenerational experiences will expand their consideration of careers that provide support to this growing population. This study explored an intergenerational project that paired undergraduate college students with older adults through a series of e-mail communications rather than face-to-face interactions. With the increase in the use of e-mail by persons of all ages, this virtual meeting place provides a convenient communication tool for exploring ways to build relationships online.It was hypothesized that an intergenerational experience between undergraduate college students (18-28 years of age) and older adults (65 years old or older) through e-mail communication would have a positive effect on student attitudes toward older adults as measured by Polizzi's revised version of the Aging Semantic Differential (ASD) survey. Two classes of the same undergraduate course at a midwestern university participated in the project. Both groups were pre-tested using the ASD and then one group was randomly chosen to be the intervention group. Each student in the intervention group was paired with an older adult pen pal to complete six weeks of assigned e-mail exchanges designed to increase in depth of topic. Both groups were then post-tested using the ASD.Results: Although not significantly different at pretest, the attitude of the students in the intervention group was significantly more positive at posttest than the control group. There was a significant difference in the attitudes of the intervention group compared to the control group when post-tested. The students who participated in the intergenerational e-mail pen pal project had a more positive attitude toward older adults following the six-weeks of sharing stories and thoughts with the older generation. / Department of Educational Studies

This study attempted to determine the nature and degree of the relationship between assertive behavior and the situational context in which the behavior occurs.Specifically, the independent variables were sex-of subject, sex of antagonist and familiarity of the subject with the antagonist. An attempt was also made to determine if assertiveness was related in some way to attitudes toward equality of the sexes.Results revealed that subjects were more assertive toward unfamiliar antagonists, the only significant interaction. There were also correlations between the degree of assertiveness and duration of response and between assertiveness and affect.