Sexual minorities or those minoritized as a result of the expressed or assumed sexual orientations and identities (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer), by virtue of their sometimes stigmatized identities, oftentimes report deleterious and unprovoked experiences of harassment, victimization, and prejudice. For several decades, research has confirmed that lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals are at high risk for maladaptive outcomes, including higher rates of suicidality, depression, substance use and abuse, and anxiety disorders. The goal of this dissertation was to 1) document and compare these disparities across two cultures, 2) disentangle social support systems that are important to sexual minorities, and 3) identify factors that best protect sexual minorities against the effects of bias-based bullying. Large datasets were used to compare, understand, and trace the processes of interpersonal relational support on adjustment for sexual minorities. Specifically, different cultural normativities were hypothesized to explain differences in adjustment across culture, parent support was hypothesized to be most associated with lower depression and higher self-esteem, and parent acceptance was expected to buffer the relation between bias-based bullying and depression for sexual minorities. These expectations were generally supported and demonstrate the clear role that parents and friends contribute to mental health for sexual minorities. Implications for future research, parents, teachers, and other stakeholders are discussed in different contexts of sexual minority adjustment.

This study was conducted to explore the adulthood transition experiences of Utah high-school graduates, with heightened focus on the application value of educational content from the course, Adult Roles. The purpose of the study was identified through experiential interactions with high-school graduates, and was supported by research on 21st century adulthood transitions shown to divert away from traditional adulthood markers. The inconsistency between modern adulthood transition behaviors and traditionally held adulthood assumptions lead to negative perceptions about young adult’s capability to adapt to adulthood. The researcher was motivated to investigate opportunities that may provide increased preparation for the transition into adulthood. Exploring the level of adulthood preparation and the methods of preparation was completed by conducting a survey and follow-up interviews, using questions pertaining to traditional and modern adulthood markers. The study was designed to take place during the spring 2019 semester, gathering experiences from participants in two parts. A 16 question, online survey was completed by 39 Utah State University students, and 287 Utah high-school graduates not enrolled in college to assess the level of preparation and methods of acquiring preparation to transition into adulthood, according to specific responsibilities. Follow-up interviews with seven volunteers from the Utah State University participants, consisted of 11 questions, to explore specific adulthood preparation received from enrollment in the Adult Roles course. Concluding results found that Utah high-school graduates perceived themselves as “moderate-positively” prepared for the adulthood transition responsibilities aligned with traditional adulthood markers. Preparation levels for 21st century markers show “minimally prepared” perceptions. The study determined enrollment in the life-skills course, Adult Roles, provided a moderate benefit to transitional experiences. Findings show that high-school graduates seeking a college degree have more positive perceptions of preparedness than graduates not seeking a college degree. Concluding findings show the level of preparedness for adult responsibilities, reflect the instructional emphasis on adulthood markers found within the Adult Roles curriculum. The study suggests that environments influencing adulthood preparation have the potential to support youth adult’s transitional experiences by incorporating preparation related to 21st century adulthood markers.

The purpose of this research was to examine the socialization experiences of new family and consumer sciences teacher educators, including their interpretations of career preparation, their first job, socialization during the first year, continuing socialization and career development, and respondents' recommendations for improving the socialization process. Organizational socialization provided the theory base. Telephone and personal interviews were conducted with ten female family and consumer sciences teacher educators who held positions in comprehensive and research institutions across the country. The constant comparison method was used for analysis of the data. Results of the study revealed that graduate school professors provided the role modeling participants believed was crucial in preparing them for their future career. Participants who had challenging and relevant coursework and opportunities for a variety of professional experiences during graduate school felt they were well prepared for their faculty roles. However participants for whom this was not the case felt their transition to a faculty role was much more of an overwhelming and unhappy experience. New faculty orientation sessions and career development facilitated success at the university level, while department chairs and faculty peers provided support at the department level. Inhibitors of respondents' success included feelings of being overwhelmed with their workload, inability to balance professional and personal lives, and department pressure to conduct research and publish articles. Overall, participants indicated that lack of time was the primary inhibitor of their success. In spite of the overwhelming feelings of confusion, frustration, stress, and unhappiness during their first year in their new role, respondents reported that their second year was more positive. Implications for improved practice include examining graduate program coursework to ensure relevance and application and including opportunities for increased responsibility in professional experiences related to teaching, research, and professional service. Departments with new faculty should provide opportunities for new faculty to meet both formally and informally with the department chair to discuss policies related to promotion and tenure. Further research could be done to examine the socialization experiences of new faculty in other areas of family and consumer sciences and vocational education to determine similarities or differences. / Ph. D.

Given the current state of public education reform and policy conversations, a fundamental component of effective teaching is left out of the dialogue: teacher identity. At present, few studies were found in the literature that focus specifically on the construction of the perceived teacher identity of secondary family and consumer sciences (FCS) teachers in career and technical education (CTE) classrooms. Thus, exploring teachers' experiences and perceptions of how their professional identities developed is important not only for FCS teachers, but for all educators because examining the beliefs held by teachers can improve practice by helping teachers respond to the changes in education. The first purpose of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of secondary FCS teachers in CTE classrooms as they relate to their beliefs about teaching. The second purpose was to further examine the meanings that these teachers make of these experiences and influences as they are connected to the construction of their perceived teaching identities. The researcher used a qualitative research design to examine the lived experiences of 10 FCS teachers. Guided by a theoretical framework of reflective practice, data were gathered using semi-structured participant interviews, researcher reflexive journal, and field notes. The findings are presented in narratives, one for each participant. Themes are identified within each narrative and common themes emerged across narratives. Among the results of the study were that beliefs about teaching are: reflective of the teacher, responsive to students' needs, and related to the teacher-student relationship. These beliefs were shaped by experiences in education, interactions with students, and significant life events. The reported teacher identity of the participants was described as serving as a role model, teaching FCS, caring, and being supportive. Distinct types of support are necessary to encourage teacher longevity and job satisfaction, both of which are constructs linked to teacher identity. A better understanding of how FCS teachers construct their sense of teacher identity offers new insight into job satisfaction, retention, professional development, and the improvement of practice. Recommendations for future research are suggested as part of the conclusions of this study. / Ph. D.

Coupons are a marketing tool used to entice consumers to try a new brand or product in the hopes that they will then become loyal users after trial (Boundless, n.d.). Issuing coupons is a common practice for many businesses because it is relatively inexpensive to begin, and can be used for general advertising purposes in addition to attracting new customers. Digital coupons have been introduced in the last few years and their acceptance is growing, with redemptions in 2010 increasing by 10 times the 2009 rates and projected to increase exponentially with each year (Savings.com, n.d.). Despite the higher acceptance and redemption rates for digital coupon formats over the past 5 years, the overall coupon redemption rate has remained at around 2%. Early coupon academic studies in the promotional literature examine profitability maximization through manipulating coupon characteristics or the coupon process such as the timing of release, length of expiration dates, amount of the cents-off, and other related monetary factors. Despite the ability to adjust coupon features to maximize revenue and redemption, the effect is not strong enough to generate the motivation required to elicit new use from non-users being targeted nor improve the overall low redemption rates. Basic characteristics such as demographic and socioeconomic variables as well as some predisposing motivational characteristics have also been studied to predict coupon use. While some of these characteristics demonstrate differences between consumers who do and do not use coupons, characteristics provide little insight into why non-users choose not to coupon. Furthermore, the findings cannot be generalizable to the population as a whole when the redemption rate persists at 2%. With digital coupons a rapidly growing practice, it is important to determine whether or not this new coupon format might contribute to behavior change in current non- or infrequent users of coupons. The overarching goal of this research was to better understand the motivational processes driving the decisions to not use coupons in the context of consumer packaged goods (grocery). While most previous research has concentrated on characteristics of the consumer, characteristics of the coupon, and predisposing motivational constructs, this study examined why consumers rejected coupons by examining their narratives on the various stages of the coupon process to narrow down the factors contributing the most to deterring coupon use. A two-phase qualitative approach was selected to determine how digital coupons were perceived by both frequent and infrequent users followed by a more in-depth investigation into the timing, motivation and cognitive processes occurring behind the decision not to coupon. The Phase 1 study included 58 participants, 29 frequent users and 29 infrequent users. Participants completed a set of questionnaires measuring previously identified predisposing characteristics, given guidance on the selection of digital coupons loaded onto shopper loyalty cards and were provided with Sunday circulars. Each participant had 1 week to try and redeem the digital coupons and complete follow up questionnaires to determine any changes post-trial. Participants were invited to participate in 1 of 6 focus groups to determine themes related to the digital coupon trial. The Phase 2 study included 10 individuals who participated in depth interviews focusing on the processes, motivations and decisions related to coupon use during grocery shopping. The interview was broken out into 5 stages: 1 is an ice-breaker introduction to the study; 2 involves rapport building and setting the tone; 3 is the depth interview that attempts to elicit understanding into the motivation, timing, and rationale behind rejection of coupon use; 4 presents some popular emerging technologies based on emerging applications of interest to the Association of Coupon Professional Board; and 5 includes a brief discussion of different type of coupon and verification. Overall, the consumer's perceived purpose of the coupon is to save money through item cost reduction whereas from a marketing perspective the coupon is intended to entice consumers new to the brand or to encourage trial of a new product (Boundless, n.d.). This difference in perception could be a major contributor to the valuation process and resistance/rejection themes of infrequent users. Interestingly, very few infrequent users rejected the practice of coupons outright and were far more likely to resist or postpone the practice. More research should be conducted to identify when, how and why infrequent users re-evaluate coupons or try the process again. Coupon industry members should review the coupon practice and make a decision to either abandon or overhaul the process as it currently does not provide value to either the manufacturers issuing the coupons or the consumers, even those actively using coupons. If the decision is to overhaul the practice then a decision should be made whether or not to adapt to the current perceptions that coupons are a means to reduce product price or re-educate consumers and industry members alike on the coupon as a means to solicit trial. Lastly, many of the existing apps do not address any of the coupon-related barriers, incongruities, or infrequent user needs. A disruptive technology is needed to change consumer perceptions, encourage coupon use and provide value added utility beyond just bypassing the coupon process to make the practice relevant in today's mobile culture.

Peer aggression and victimization are currently of national concern due to their high association with maladjustment. Moreover, peer aggression and victimization can occur as different forms (overt, relational) and functions (proactive, reactive), which are usually not examined within the same model. Peer aggression and victimization within the school context can be the result of individually developed negative social cognitions. These negative cognitions, based within social information processing theory, include outcome expectancies and values for pain and suffering. In addition, positive cognitions such as perceived social competence can decrease adverse outcomes such as peer aggression and victimization. This project seeks to take previous research and expand upon it in two ways: 1) examine overt, relational, proactive, and reactive aggression and victimization as separate constructs, within the same model, in association with outcome values, expectancies, and perceived social competence; and 2) examine the potential of extracurricular activities to serve as a buffer between maladjusted cognitions and aggression and victimization. In addition, this study will examine if these relationships differ by activity type, age and gender. Participants included 371 middle and high school students. Findings point toward the importance of examining the separate functions of aggression and victimization, as outcome values and expectancies are associated specifically with higher levels of proactive aggression and victimization and reactive aggression. Activity participation, particularly activities that are not associated with the school that the participant attends, seems to be serving as a buffer against maladjusted cognitions and functions of aggression and victimization. Specifically, having high efficacy for activity participation (ability to meet expectations within activity) serves a buffer for both reactive aggression and reactive victimization. Activity participation benefits appear to not be present if the individual is only participating because their parents are forcing them to be there. No group differences were found. These findings serve to demonstrate the importance of establishing fit of activity context for youth as well as their motivation for participation. More broadly, it is important to examine functions of aggression and victimization in the same model as the forms of aggression and victimization. By better understanding the moderating role of activities, schools can potentially have a low cost intervention tool for peer aggression and victimization difficulties.

Understanding the potential promotive effects of cultural values is particularly relevant for studies on Mexican-origin fathers who are at risk for exposure to multiple sociocultural contextual stressors. Studies, however, have yet to account for specific sociocultural contextual stressors that are particularly pertinent to Mexican-origin groups, such as immigrant- and ethnic-based discrimination and acculturative stress. According to the Family Stress Model, stressors undermine parenting through psychological dysfunction. Using a community sample of Mexican-origin biological fathers (N = 85) of 3 to 6 year-old children, this study aimed to: first, test the linkages between sociocultural contextual stressors and psychological distress; second, test the linkages between psychological distress and parenting practices; and lastly, consider whether cultural values, namely, familismo, respeto, and caballerismo, moderate these associations. Findings from hierarchical linear regression analyses indicated that immigrant-based discrimination stress was positively related to psychological distress only when fathers strongly endorsed familismo and respeto. In addition, a positive relationship between economic hardship and psychological distress existed only when fathers endorsed high levels of familismo. Findings also showed that the inverse relationship between psychological distress and supportive coparenting quality was substantiated when fathers endorsed low levels of familismo. An inverse link between psychological distress and father accessibility was also observed when fathers reported low levels of respeto. Examining how culturally specific risks and strengths inform future responsible fatherhood intervention work among Mexican-origin families is discussed.

Parenting is one of the most salient influences in children's development, particularly during early childhood. Substantial theoretical and empirical evidence has linked sociodemographic risk to compromised parenting, and has contributed to the development of two-generation programs to support low-income parents and their young children. Despite decades of research on these families, little is known about how styles of parenting change across time, how children's emotion regulation influences parenting styles, or how risks predict longitudinal stability and change to parenting. Furthermore, it is unclear how one two-generation program, Early Head Start, promotes positive parenting styles and buffers against contextual risks. The aim of the three papers in this dissertation study is to describe maternal parenting within a low-income sample, by linking longitudinal trajectories of parenting to contextual risks, Early Head Start, children's emotion regulation (ER), and risk for child maltreatment. Guided by the bioecological model, and components specific to the Ecological-Transactional Model of Child Maltreatment (Cicchetti et al., 2010), these three papers indicate specific risks that are most salient to exhibiting unsupportive parenting behaviors: family conflict, maternal depression, and attitudes and beliefs that indicate risk for child physical abuse. Furthermore, the papers highlight important methodological considerations for the study of parenting at risk, children's ER, as well as for clinicians assessing risk. The three papers, collectively, highlight the complex interplay of determinants of parenting, including sociodemographic characteristics, psychological factors, interpersonal relationships, child effects, family-level characteristics, and Early Head Start involvement.

Most research on place in retailing and marketing examines retail atmospherics, spectacular consumption, third spaces and logistics. This study lies at the confluence of retailing, marketing, and geography, and focuses on the city as the product consumed by its residents. The study seeks to examine the degree to which the retail landscape of a city affects the residents' perceived value of the city, their urban identity, and ultimately, their willingness-to-pay to live there. In order to answer this question, this study utilized mixed research methods consisting of a survey, based on several adapted existing perceived value scales; an urban identity scale; a willingness-to-pay scale; as well as archival geodata used to map the existing and perceived retail landscapes of Tucson and San Francisco–the two cities of interest in this study. These two cities were chosen because they are on opposite ends of a spectrum of US cities that includes cost of living and median income, among other variables. Results show that perceived value of the city and urban identity are very highly correlated and suggest the existence of a new construct. While the retail landscape in Tucson tends to have a positive effect on residents' affective responses to living there, there results are not statistically significant. The relatively low cost of living may play a role in these expectations. Residents accept the existing retail landscape and tend to make do with the options available. In San Francisco, because residents already pay a premium to live there, the retail landscape plays a more statistically significant role in residents' affective responses to living there. These results are important to retailers and marketers because retail expenditures form a large part of the tax revenue a city earns each year. If residents are unhappy with their retail patronage options, they may spend money elsewhere resulting in a decreased tax base from which to run the city.

The research investigated consumers' decision-making process during pre-adoption and consumption stages of consumer-based technologies via the context of mobile apps. In an attempt to integrate consumer resistance in predicting the end-decisions to adopt/not adopt or continue/discontinue the use of a technology, the study presented some interesting findings. Employing the theoretical framework of cognitive appraisal theory, the study integrated the TAM, paradoxes of technology, and coping strategies to propose and empirically validate a process-based model of decision-making.Data were collected via a self-administered web-based survey. Two versions of the questionnaire were used to elicit consumers' responses from adopters and non-adopters of mobile apps. A total of 646 smartphone owners responded to the survey, of which, 375 respondents had downloaded apps in the past and 271 respondents had not downloaded any apps. The proposed hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.Results demonstrated that most part of the TAM3 framework is replicable in a consumer-based setting. Additional findings provided evidence for the strong role of goal relevance in the TAM framework. The study also supported the effect of perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use on different technology paradoxes. The factor structure of the technology paradoxes suggested three distinct dimensions. Consumers' evaluation of control, freedom, newness, assimilation, and fulfillment of need as derived from the use of mobile apps was captured by Perceived Benefits. The construct, Perceived Apprehension, comprised of consumers' assessment of the chaos, enslavement, obsolesce, isolation, and creation of needs as a result of using mobile apps. Finally, the factor, Perceived Obscurity, investigated the confusion and/or ambiguity within individuals by measuring their perceived inefficiency and incompetence in using mobile apps.Most importantly, separate investigations of the pre-adoption and consumption stages highlighted consumers' use of varying degrees of resistance as influenced by their appraisal of the technology. The non-adopters resisted the use of mobile apps by either being indifferent towards it or postponing the decision to adopt. The adopters of mobile apps were also found to reject its use by distancing, abandoning, or neglecting the apps. The role of positive coping investigated the positive behavioral tendencies employed by consumers to overcome the challenges of using mobile apps. Managerial implications are discussed.