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Intractable conflicts are characterized by their duration, level of violence as well as their attractivity of conflict management and resolution efforts. When mediated, they are most often dealt with coercive tactics designed to pressure the parties to reach an agreement. Despite such adverse context, some third-parties choose to remain mildly involved in the process. This has notably been the case for numerous mediations attempts in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The objective of this research is to explore under what conditions can facilitative mediation reach a formal agreement in an intractable conflict? We conduct a structured focused comparison of two mediation episodes, the 1993 Norwegian mediation and 2000 American mediation of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. In order to investigate our research question, we employ and articulate the readiness theory elaborated by Dean Pruitt. The empirical findings support our hypothesis that a high level of readiness is necessary for facilitative mediation to result in an agreement. However, some limitations and alternative explanations challenge the explanatory power of our theoretical framework. Further research is necessary to consolidate and precise Pruitt’s model.

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This thesis examines different components of ethical research: vulnerability, sensitive research topics, Indigenous participants, informed consent, protecting participant privacy, and minimizing harm. Each element is examined in general and in the context of a case study, with the analysis focusing on solutions for addressing each ethical component. This thesis then examines the current state of the literature on child protection mediation, concluding that there is a gap in the literature regarding the timing of child protection mediations. The literature review provides context for the case study that is presented in the thesis. The case study examines the timing of child protection mediation in British Columbia. It is presented to provide an example for future researchers of how ethical dilemmas can arise and be addressed. Each ethical element is discussed on how the issue came to the attention of the research team, what options were considered, and what was added to the research protocol to manage ethical concerns. / Graduate

Thesis advisor: Alyssa Goldman / Thesis advisor: Sara Moorman / How do lesbian, gay and heterosexual couples experience emotional intimate partnerviolence (IPV) and relationship satisfaction? And how are these associations affected by differences in power, stress and discrimination? This research aims to fill the gap in literature by examining how emotional IPV and relationship satisfaction may be differently shaped by power, stress and discrimination among gay, lesbian and heterosexual couples. To address this research question, I use data from the Health and Relationships Project, in hierarchical linear models to explore the differences between gay (N=248), lesbian (N=342) and straight (N=248) respondents' experiences of emotional intimate partner violence and relationship satisfaction within couples. Using dyadic data, the actor-partner interdependence models also test the mediating roles of stress, discrimination and feelings of equal power. Findings indicate that overall, lesbians experience the least amount of emotional intimate partner violence and the greatest amount of relationship satisfaction, while straight respondents experience the most amount of emotional intimate partner violence and the least amount of relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, feelings of equal power mediate this relationship. These findings contradict past literature, which suggests that same-sex couples would experience more emotional IPV than their heterosexual counterparts. This indicates that more research is needed to explore the numerous variables at play for same-sex and different-sex emotional IPV and relationship satisfaction, as there are unique differences in power, stress and discrimination between these groups. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

This study examines the relationships of work family conflict with job related consequences. Although past studies related work family conflict to different types of job outcomes, little is known regarding its impact on more distal organizationally important outcomes and causal mechanisms through which these effects occur. Based on both quantitative and qualitative literature reviews, mediation hypotheses were developed to test whether proximal outcomes which were commonly used in past studies mediate the relationships of work family conflict with distal consequences including ratings of job performance and organizationally meaningful performance outcomes. Data were collected from 220 customer service workers, matched to 29 managers in 31 hotel food service outlets. In particular, this study used three sources of information such as employee and supervisor surveys and system-generated archival indexes for data analysis. The results of multiple regression analysis (Baron & Kenny, 1986) revealed that job satisfaction and organizational commitment mediate the relationship of work family conflict with only one work outcome—self-reported contextual performance. However, job satisfaction and organizational commitment failed to mediate the relationship between work family conflict and other distal outcomes (e.g., results-organizational indexes). Further, work family conflict was related to one of distal outcomes, check size. The significance of work family conflict's influence on job related consequences and the utility of proximal outcome variables are discussed. Implications for both research and practice are provided along with future directions for research on work family conflict in the hospitality literature. / Ph. D.

Traumatic symptoms are common for survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and such symptoms are often compounded by the presence of shame. While much is known regarding the negative impact of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on CSA survivors, less is known regarding the relationship between PTSD and shame and little to no research has investigated the impact of PTSD on intimacy mediated by shame for CSA survivors. The current study sought to fill this gap in the literature by exploring this phenomenon. Data was randomly collected from households in the following cities: Chicago, IL; New York City, NY; Salt Lake City, UT; and San Francisco, as well as the Utah State Penitentiary. Those who had completed the Trauma Symptom Checklist-33 (TSC-33), the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships scale (PAIR), and Internalized Shame Scale (ISS) were included in the dataset. Exclusionary criteria included females under 18, males, those who had not experienced sexual abuse, and those who had not completed the requisite scales. In all, 318 participants met criteria for the current study. The current study hypothesized that: (1) trauma symptoms would be negatively related to intimacy, (2) internalized shame will be negatively related to intimacy, and (3) internalized shame will significantly mediate the relationship between trauma symptoms and intimacy. The hypotheses were analyzed utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and the associated AMOS 19 and MPlus software. Results found that trauma symptoms negatively impact intimacy and that shame has a mediating impact on this phenomenon. Further, shame was found to be a full mediator. While results of the current study illustrate the mediating role of shame on trauma symptoms, this mediation is within a relational rather than an individual context. Consequently, the current study fills an important gap in the literature regarding the interplay between shame and trauma for CSA victims within a relational context. Results of the current study give direction regarding the treatment of trauma and point to the importance of addressing shame in survivors of sexual abuse.

Retrieving information regarding ambience is difficult since it’s often perceived at a physical location and cannot be easily mediated. This study aimed to explore how ambience at a restaurant or bar can be mediated via a smartphone app. The study was based on the conversation about the relationship of space and place in HCI and CSCW. Based on the research question “What means of mediation are best suited for mediating ambience at a restaurant via a smartphone app?”, a research through design approach was adopted to develop a mockup that favored browsing. The mockup was used as a way to test how different means of mediation mediated ambience. An evaluation was held where users were asked to think aloud when given tasks to perform, then complete an experience questionnaire. Finally, a semi structured debriefing was held. Photos and text-based reviews were the best means of mediation to mediate ambience at restaurants. / Att motta information om en känsla från en fysisk plats är svårt eftersom den inte på ett enkelt sätt kan bli förmedlad från den platsen. Den här studien syftade till att undersöka hur känslan på en restaurang eller bar kan bli förmedlad via en mobilapp. Den här studien grundar sig i diskussionen om relationen mellan fysiska platser och dess betydelse samt relationen till människa-datorinteraktion och CSCW. Utifrån forskningsfrågan ”Vilka sätt att förmedla känsla på är bäst lämpade för att förmedla känsla på en restaurang via en smartphoneapplikation?” togs en forskning genom design-ansats för att utveckla en prototyp. Prototypen användes som ett testmedel för att undersöka hur olika sätt att förmedla känsla kunde användas. En utvärdering hölls där användarna fick tänka högt när de utförde en rad uppgifter, för att sedan fylla i ett formulär och delta i en semistrukturerad intervju. Foton och textbaserade recensioner förmedlade känsla från restauranger och barer bäst.

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Homeschooling is a dynamic learning and living community producing a growing percentage of our nation*s college-ready students. Serious academic studies of homeschooling remain scarce, and those that exist tend to come out of sociology and anthropology. Through an analysis of the literacy practices that constitute the work of homeschooling, this study offers findings and conclusions relevant to current discourses in the fields of literacy studies and rhetoric and composition. These include discussions on the ways technology is reshaping and individualizing traditional models of literacy learning and composing, as well as the growing research on the specific actions taken by literacy brokers when mediating mainstream literacy practices to novices. This study borrows theoretical and methodological concepts provided by the New Literacy Studies in order to understand the ways in which two homeschool families with high school students learn and practice various literacies. Data collection methods included interviews, observations, and participant-produced literacy logs. I took an ecological approach to data analysis that required identifying the specific literacy practices and events of the participants and attempting to situate them within the context of the homeschooling movement and culture at large. A primary finding of the study is that homeschool mothers* role in their students* literacy practices often resembles the work of what scholars term literacy brokers. These mothers actively mediate a wide variety of mainstream or institutional practices and values to their children. While current discussions of literacy brokers detail their actions of advocacy,guidance, and assistance, this study contributes to our understanding of literacy brokers by highlighting homeschool mothers* actions of delegation and customization within the mediation process.