The purpose of this qualitative, in-depth interview, study was to understand the experiences of heterosexual male Resident Assistants (RAs) from a gendered perspective taking into account their leadership position and identity development. The significance of this particular topic is underrepresented in literature. Heterosexual male RAs have not been subjects for most masculinity studies and little research actually has considered the identities of heterosexual men as gendered individuals. Therefore, heterosexual males in a compassionate leadership position may suffer from being ignored and dismissed as not having developmental situations imposed upon them directly by this position. The results of this study include an understanding of how heterosexual male RAs identify their masculinities and the pressures they feel from societal gender norms. Implications include suggestions for how to advocate for male RAs and improve training to promote greater success for heterosexual men. / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community. / Department of Educational Studies

This study was designed to examine the attitudes of undergraduate students toward interracial dating. The study examined the influence of race, gender, and previous interracial dating experience on interracial dating attitudes. The independent variable of racial identity salience was also examined. A final sample consisted of 389 students, recruited from first year political science classes at the University of North Texas. An 11- item self administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The results indicated that race and previous interracial dating experience was associated with college students' attitudes. A weak association was also found between greater racial identity salience and less positive interracial dating attitudes. Future research should further examine racial identity salience and its role in partner selection.

This study investigates the relationship between an individual's attitude toward gay men and lesbians and their identity development. The sample included 440 undergraduates from a university in the northeast Texas area. Many, if not all, of the factors that are associated with negative attitudes toward gays and lesbians (i.e., restrictive gender-role attitudes, high levels of authoritarianism, perceptions of negative attitudes toward homosexuals within their peer group, little or no contact with homosexuals, and conservative religious ideologies) have a logical relation to identity development. Furthermore, the various functions that attitudes toward gays and lesbians can serve (e.g., value-expression, group membership) were hypothesized to be especially attractive for persons in specific identity statuses. Thus, the case was made that identity development may be a valuable framework in which to understand attitudes toward gays and lesbians. In the current study, attitudes toward gays and lesbians were related to identity development, though the relationship is complex. When comparing persons who were higher and lower on absolutism, attitude toward gays and lesbians were most similar in achieved identity groups, while those who were foreclosed were the most disparate. In the interaction between identity, absolutism and gender role stereotyping, some groups utilized their attitude to express values more than other groups. Clinical implications as well as limitations of the study are discussed.

A Magical Contagion and AIDS Scale was developed to address problems with existing Contagion and AIDS measures. Magical Contagion is an influence that exists after contact is terminated. It is comprised of Permanence, Holographic Effects, Moral Germ Conflation and Backward Action. Data from 280 undergraduates revealed low mean levels of Magical Contagion and AIDS. Contagion effects did not differ on demographic variables. Content validity, criterion-related validity, discriminate validity, and internal consistency were evaluated. Significant correlations were found between the Contagion Scale and Merging/Separation and Homophobia Scales. Negative correlations were found between the Contagion scale and the AIDS knowledge and social desirability scales. Alpha reliabilities were high (a > .93) for the Contagion scale and subscales. Factor analysis suggested the existence of a single factor and mixed support for three factors.

The problem of this study was an investigation of the relationships among the attitudes, critical thinking ability,and personality attributes of students in a teacher education program.

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the College Student Attitude Toward Female Victims of Domestic Violence Scale. Procedures used were a 12-day test-retest for reliability, experts assessment for face validity, and a principal component factor analysis for construct validity. Cronbach's alpha for test-retest reliability was .86.

This study examines the association between the attitudes of students toward computers and their knowledge of the ethical uses of computers. The focus for this research was undergraduate students in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences (Department of Computer Science), Business and Education at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas.

The problem with which this study was concerned is the association between exposure to computer instruction and changes in attitudes toward computers. The study had a two-fold purpose. The first was to determine the attitudes of undergraduate students toward computers. The second was to determine whether exposure to information about computers and their uses is associated with changes in students' attitudes toward computers. A computer literacy test was administered to subjects as a pre-and post-test. The major findings of the study indicate that there were significant, positive attitude changes among students exposed to computer instruction. There were also significant increases in knowledge about computers among participants exposed to computer instruction. The major conclusions are that attitudes are not fixed and develop in the process of need satisfaction. Participants in the study experienced attitude changes, which supports the suggestion that attitudes are developmental. Futhermore, the attitude changes observed in the study occurred in the process of learning about computers, a process assumed to be rooted in the educational and/or career needs of the participants. Attitudes are shaped by the information to which people are exposed. Attitude modification seldom, if ever, occurs in a vacuum. Instead, it most often takes place in the context of information dissemination and exposure. In this study, attitudes toward computers changed positively and significantly as participants were exposed to information about computers.

This study compared the sexual knowledge and sexual attitudes of college students. Utilizing the Sex Knowledge Inventory - Form Y and the Valois Sexual Attitudes Questionnaire, data was gathered from 203 students. Analysis of the data concluded no significant differences between the sexual knowledge of or the sexual attitudes of male and female subjects. A significant difference, at .01, was found between the attitudes of subjects scoring either low or high in sexual knowledge. Individuals with lower knowledge expressed less accepting sexual attitudes, while those with higher knowledge expressed more accepting sexual attitudes. Lastly, the correlation of sexual knowledge with attitude indicated a positive association to exist between high sexual knowledge and various' sexual topics.

Following Ajzen/Fishbein's 1980 Theory of Reasoned Action, influences of hospitality students' external variables (age, gender, university classification, and work experience) on computer attitudes, and relationships between computer attitudes and intentions to learn and use computers were tested. A sample of 412 hospitality students completed two measurements: Loyd/Gressard's 1984 Computer Attitude Scale, and Behavioral Intentions to Learn and Use Computers. Males and females had positive computer attitudes. Graduates had more positive computer attitudes. No interaction effect existed between gender and classification. No relationships existed between age and work experience on computer attitudes. Computer attitudes positively correlated with intentions to learn and use computers. Results supported the Theory of Reasoned Action. External variables partially influence attitudes and attitudes influence intentions.