Master of Arts, Miami University, 2023, Psychology

Craig and Richeson (2014a) showed that salience of the impending majority-minority demographic shift in the United States produced an ideological shift toward political conservatism among white Americans. This effect was mediated by a perceived group status threat, such that knowledge of a shrinking white population elicited perceptions that white Americans would cede their status to current minority groups, which predicted greater endorsement of conservative attitudes. The current work hypothesized that knowledge of this population change might also produce a belonging-threat among white Americans. This threat was hypothesized to mediate the effect of demographic shift salience on conservatism, with greater belonging-threat eliciting greater conservatism. To test these hypotheses, white Americans read about the majority-minority shift or a control message and completed measures of perceived belonging-threat, perceived group status threat, and conservative ideology. Support for the hypotheses was mixed. Replicating Craig and Richeson (2014a), those in the majority-minority shift (versus the control) condition reported greater perceived group status threat. But, opposite to predictions, those in the majority-minority shift condition reported less belonging-threat. The impact of condition on conservatism was mediated (in parallel) by perceived belonging-threat in a direction opposite to predictions and by group status threat in a direction consistent with predictions.

Committee: Heather Claypool (Advisor); Jeffrey Hunger (Committee Member); Allison Farrell (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology; Social Psychology

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2002, Arts and Sciences : Sociology

This research examines the effect of assimilation on fertility of Chinese immigrants to the United States, and examines if immigrants are more assimilated to the majority culture or to the Chinese subculture in the U.S., using the 1990 U. S. Census of Population 5 percent and one-in-10,000 Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS). Results show that the fertility patterns of immigrants, U.S. born Chinese and whites significantly differ from each other, and that immigrants have the fewest children, followed by U.S. born Chinese. The lower fertility of Chinese immigrants can be accounted for by their lack of assimilation. Almost all the indicators of assimilation examined here are found to have a significant impact on immigrants' fertility. These findings provide a picture of the reproductive behavior of immigrants that is partially the consequence of assimilation processes. Result suggests that immigrants are more integrated into the Chinese subculture in the U.S. than into the mainstream of the majority whites; with conventional determinants of fertility controlled, the fertility of immigrants is closer to that of U.S. born Chinese than that of whites.

Committee: Annulla Linders (Advisor) Subjects: Sociology, Demography

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2009, Psychology

This study examined the relationship of minority status stress (MSS) and adjustment with risk for dropping out of college and the impact of MSS on the adjustment of Black undergraduate students at a PWI. Similar to White students, adjustment was a predictor of risk for dropout for Black students at a PWI. Additionally, this study found MSS impacted the adjustment of Black students at a PWI. The findings from this study indicate that interventions aimed at decreasing the risk for dropout for Black students at PWIs should focus on decreasing MSS. This paper also provides specific recommendations as to how this can be done. Further research is necessary to understand what specific aspects of MSS (e.g. faculty relationships, cross-cultural relationships) impact adjustment to academic and social environments.

Committee: Paul Flaspohler PhD (Committee Chair); Jhan Doughty Berry PhD (Committee Member); Roger Knudson PhD (Committee Member); Geri Susan Mosley-Howard PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Academic Guidance Counseling; African Americans; Black History; Education; Higher Education; Mental Health; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Multicultural Education; Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2006, Educational Leadership

Utilizing data collected in the fall of 1998 from the National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF: 99), which was obtained from the National Center for Education Statistics, 13 variables representing the work activities of faculty were analyzed to define the constructs of teaching, scholarship, and institutional service. Tenured and tenure-track teaching faculty from public institutions identified by Carnegie Classifications of Research-Extensive (n=1,354), Research-Intensive (n=527), Master's I (n=1,261) and Master's II (n=94), were selected and analyzed and found to have two distinctly different conceptual models for faculty work. The Research conceptual model was found to be a three factor model similar to the standard triad of teaching, scholarship, and institutional service. The Master's conceptual model was somewhat similar though the scholarship factor split into two factors which were named “journal publications” and “non-journal scholarship.” Factors for both models were stable and demonstrated excellent fits to the data. Relationships between these factors and seven demographic variables (sex, minority status, age, years of teaching experience, tenure status, academic rank, and base salary) were examined. Statistically significant (p<.05) findings were mixed in relation to contemporary literature. Minority status findings refute the literature and show minorities have more scholarly works (during the previous two-year period) than Caucasians in Research-Extensive and Master's II institutions while white faculty in Research-Extensive institutions tend to teach more students and chair more committees. Females tend to engage in more service activities at Research institutions and males tend to have more scholarly works. Academic Rank and tenure tended to be very similar for both Research-Extensive and Master's I institutions with full professors and tenured professors more active in institutional service and scholarship than non-tenured faculty and facult (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Richard Hofmann (Advisor) Subjects: Education, Higher