Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-158). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-77).

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

This research is aims to explore the phenomenon of the higher ratio of female students in Education Faculty in HKU. First of all, in the introduction part, the researcher will give some data supported by authoritative organization such as UGC to show that education disciplines always welcomed to female students when they are facing higher education major choice. Then, in order to study the higher ratio phenomenon in the Education Faculty in HKU, the research will use qualitative research method to do interviews. There is only one central research question: Why female students’ population proportion in education is so high? There are ten interviewees are invited to give their opinion in five related specific questions. In the finding parts, the interviewees’ idea to every question will analyzed in order to explore the deeper reasons behind this higher ratio phenomenon. By analyzing the records of the interviews, this research gives a description about why girls usually like to go to education disciplines. The researcher also puts forward some further thought about this phenomenon: though this fact might have both positive and negative effects, we should take an objective attitude towards it. To minimize its negative effect, it takes the effort of women themselves, the support from society and the cooperation of the educational circles. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

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.

No description available.

This is a phenomenological research study of the lived experience of women student mentors at one community college located in an urban setting on the West Coast. The study participants were women students who served as mentors to other women at the community college who are participants in a returning women's program. The researcher interacted with the study participants over a nine-month time period. Interviews were held with the six mentor participants prior to their mentoring experience, during the time of the mentoring experience, and at the end of the mentoring experience. The data for this study consist of interviews, observation, and field notes. The mentoring program coordinator was also interviewed to provide for triangulation of data. Six themes emerged from the interviews with the participants and subsequent analysis of the data: Reflecting on past experience, wanting to help, setting and maintaining boundaries, experiencing strong emotions, relational support from other women, and mentoring as a reciprocal relationship. The resulting implication for practice recommendations from this study for community college administrators and student service professionals designing or implementing mentoring programs are: provide training for mentors, provide ongoing support for mentors, offer an orientation for the mentees on responsibilities and expectations, design the mentoring program to provide a full academic year for the mentor-mentee pair to meet, provide benefit and rewards for serving as a mentor, and ensure adequate staffing of the program. Recommendations for further research on student mentoring are provided. They include additional research in the areas of women as student mentors, men as student mentors, comparison of the experiences of male and female mentors, retention studies on students who serve as mentors, college credit and training for mentors, mentoring programs across individual college campuses, and a statewide view of mentoring programs on college campuses. / Graduation date: 2006

Little empirical research has been conducted on self-gifts as a phenomenon of consumer behavior. A review of literature demonstrated that the phenomenon of self-gifts has been studied from the conceptual aspect, such as self-gift functions. Yet, our knowledge of self-gifts still remains limited because many of the determinants of self-gifts have not been explored (occasions and motivations, self-gifts relation to self-concept, and cultural influences on self-gift behavior). The purpose of this study was to identify occasions that prompt female college students to purchase clothing as a self-gift and some of their motivations for purchasing clothing as gifts for themselves. The data from the respondents was collected through audio-recorded interviews and were transcribed and analyzed by the researcher. A purposive, non-probability sample of 19 female college students was used. The instrument used to measure the occasions and motivations for purchasing self-gifts was the Self-Gift Thematic Apperception Test (SGTAT) developed by Mick, DeMoss, and Faber (1992). This instrument is a specially adapted Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) based on Murstein's (1963) criteria which was derived from the original TAT developed by Murray (1938). The respondents were shown four SGTAT stimulus pictures of drawings of a young woman standing by a counter purchasing a clothing item, with a salesperson nearby. The titles above the drawings suggested common self-gift contexts based on prior research (Mick et al., 1992; Mick & DeMoss, 1990a). The four self-gift contexts were referred to as reward, therapeutic, birthday, and nice-to-self. Content and interpretive analysis were performed by coding the occasions and motivations in the stories that were reported by the respondents. Seventy-two usable Self-Gift Thematic Apperception Test stories were produced (18 respondents by 4 self-gift contexts). Results of the study indicated that personal situations, which were related to significant life-transitions, work-related matters, school-related matters, and interpersonal relationship conflicts were strong occasions that prompted the purchase of self-gifts. In addition, the results of this study indicated that reward, therapeutic, and nice-to-self are common motivations for purchasing gifts for the self. These findings indicated that specific occasions and motivations for purchasing self-gifts can be identified. / Graduation date: 1995

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1983. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 175-184). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

The nutritional impact of snacking on the diets of female, freshman college students between the ages of 17 and 20 years was assessed. Sixty-five women living in freshman residence halls at Oregon State University recorded their dietary intakes and eating habits for four days. Questionnaires concerning eating and activity patterns were also completed. Dietary intakes were analyzed for energy (kcal), protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and ascorbic acid. The nutrient contents of snacks, meals, and nutrient supplements consumed by the subjects were calculated. Nutrient densities (nutrient/1000 kcal) of meals and snacks were also calculated for the above nutrients. All subjects received a Dietary Adequacy Score, which was computed from their mean daily intake over the four-day period, by assigning one point for each nutrient consumed at or above two-thirds of the RDA. All but one subject snacked during the four-day recording period. The subjects consumed a mean of 1.54 snacks daily, with means of 0.19 morning, 0.47 afternoon, and 0.88 evening snacks. With the exception of ascorbic acid, the mean nutrient desities of snacks were significantly (p<0.01) lower than that of meals. The mean nutrient densities of snacks were well below the RDA/1000 kcal for all of the calculated nutrients, again, with the exception of ascorbic acid. Snacks contributed about 20 percent of the mean total energy intake; the proportions supplied by snacks to the mean nutrient intakes were considerably lower (8 to 13 percent). Meal frequency was negatively correlated with snack frequency (r= -.24, p<0.05) and snack energy intake (r= -.40, p<0.01). Lunch was the meal most negatively correlated with snacking frequency (r = .33, p<0.01) and snack energy intake ( r= -.37, p<0.01). By examining when snacking and when missed meals occurred, it appears that snacks were often consumed as a result of missed meals rather than the cause of them. Breakfast was missed most often and dinner least often with snacking occurring most often in the evening and afternoon. Snacks consumed at these times would not have interfered with either lunch or breakfast. Despite the relatively poor nutritional value of snack foods eaten by the subjects (as evidenced by the low nutrient densities), snacks actually improved the Dietary Adequacy Scores of 28 subjects. However, 16 subjects exceeded the RDA for energy with the addition of snacks, eight of whom were not included in the above group of 28 with the improved Dietary Adequacy Scores. But in all, 20 subjects (31 percent) had their Dietary Adequacy Scores improved by snacks, without exceeding the 2100 kcal RDA for energy. The foods most commonly eaten as snacks were (in descending order): cookies, cake and pastries; candy; fruit; dairy desserts; popcorn; crackers, chips etc.; soft drinks; and alcoholic beverages. / Graduation date: 1982