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We Live This Shit: Rap as a Reflection of Reality for Inner City Youth
Title
We Live This Shit: Rap as a Reflection of Reality for Inner City Youth.
Creator
Patel, Parag, Wright, James, Carter, Shannon, Carter, James, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Rap is an extremely popular form of modern music that is notorious for incorporating themes of guns and violence into the lyrics. Early rap was mainly party or dance music until the mid-80s when structural shifts in social conditions brought feelings of hopelessness and frustration into black inner city communities and youth culture. These feelings now find expression in rap lyrics. This thesis uses rap lyrics as qualitative data to understand the plight of urban black youth. Rap music can be...
Show moreRap is an extremely popular form of modern music that is notorious for incorporating themes of guns and violence into the lyrics. Early rap was mainly party or dance music until the mid-80s when structural shifts in social conditions brought feelings of hopelessness and frustration into black inner city communities and youth culture. These feelings now find expression in rap lyrics. This thesis uses rap lyrics as qualitative data to understand the plight of urban black youth. Rap music can be seen as a form of resistance for young African Americans who have historically never had such a medium to express their lived experiences and frustrations with society. The rap performance becomes a stage where the powerless become powerful by using the microphone as a symbolic AK-47 and words as weapons in the form of symbolic hollow point cartridges. This Thesis examines the contemporary African American experience, its reflection in the lyrics of rap music, and its fascination with guns, violence and death. A key theme is while rap lyrics sometimes seem radical and frightening to the mainstream, they often express lines of analysis and understanding that have been widely discussed in conventional sociological literature.
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Date Issued
2011
Identifier
CFE0004151, ucf:49047
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004151
Showcasing Self: An Intersectional Examination of Body Type Presentation in Online Daters
Title
Showcasing Self: An Intersectional Examination of Body Type Presentation in Online Daters.
Creator
Latinsky, Andrew, Carter, James, Grauerholz, Elizabeth, Carter, Shannon, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Using data collected from the online dating site Match.com, this paper performs a content analysis examining the relationships between race, gender, and sexuality as both independent variables and as intersections on impression management strategies in online dating. Impression management strategies form a foundational core of how people interact with others in social situations. This analysis focuses on impression management strategies by examining how people advertise their body type in a...
Show moreUsing data collected from the online dating site Match.com, this paper performs a content analysis examining the relationships between race, gender, and sexuality as both independent variables and as intersections on impression management strategies in online dating. Impression management strategies form a foundational core of how people interact with others in social situations. This analysis focuses on impression management strategies by examining how people advertise their body type in a public arena. Analysis also draws upon the types of bodies these people desire in an ideal date, as a second method of looking at the norms surrounding the ideal body type for a given group. Drawing upon intersectionality theories, this paper looks at potential biases in previous online dating literature towards white heterosexuals. Taking this idea into account, this analysis utilizes 892 profiles from major urban centers within the United States, approximately equal in the numbers of whites and blacks, gay/lesbians and heterosexuals, and men and women, in order to examine underrepresented populations in previous online dating literature. Findings show that body type norms based on intersectional race and gender literature appear to be more accurate predictors of proclaimed body type than only those using gender literatures. In addition, sexuality, race, and gender interactions appear to have an effect in the terminology an online dater uses in describing both themselves and the types of bodies desired in ideal dates. Contrary to prior online dating and gender literature, findings also indicate a greater willingness of women compared to men to use terms that indicate their body might be overweight. Theoretical explanations look at how positions relative to hegemonic power may be an overriding influence in the importance of body type impression management strategies.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004709, ucf:49831
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004709
Creating Constructs Through Categorization: Gender and Race
Title
Creating Constructs Through Categorization: Gender and Race.
Creator
Simpkins, Joshua, Carter, Shannon, Carter, James, Anthony, Amanda, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
In U.S. society, the systems of gender and race operate to privilege and oppress individuals based on their location within these systems. All of the interactions an individual experiences as they go about their day-to-day lives are shaped by these interlocking systems. As a result, there is an extensive body of sociological literature addressing how individuals in U.S. society are privileged and oppressed on the basis of their perceived membership in gender and race categories; however,...
Show moreIn U.S. society, the systems of gender and race operate to privilege and oppress individuals based on their location within these systems. All of the interactions an individual experiences as they go about their day-to-day lives are shaped by these interlocking systems. As a result, there is an extensive body of sociological literature addressing how individuals in U.S. society are privileged and oppressed on the basis of their perceived membership in gender and race categories; however, relatively little research exists examining how individuals come to be seen by others as members of gender and race categories in the first place. In order to address this gap in the existent literature, this thesis asked 354 participants to perform gender and race categorizations for 28 target individuals of various gender and race category memberships. Participants were asked to make a categorization, rate how confident they were in that categorizations accuracy, and then explain why they made the gender or race categorization that they did. In analyzing these categorizations, this thesis produced three important findings about the process of gender and race categorization. First, this thesis identified two gender categories ("female" and "male") and eight race categories ("White," " Black," "Latino," "Asian," "Southeast Asian," "South Asian/Indian," "Middle Eastern," and "Mixed Race") used in gender and race categorization. Second, particularly in the common usage of the biologically-based concepts of "sex" and "race," rather than the socially-based concepts of "gender" and "ethnicity." Third, this thesis found interactions between the gender and race systems in categorization, finding that White individuals and male individuals are gender categorized more easily than Black individuals or female individuals, and individuals will less "ambiguous" skin coloration are more easily categorized than others.
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Date Issued
2014
Identifier
CFE0005259, ucf:50610
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005259
Affective Response of African American and European American Students to Portrayals of Cross-racial Relationships on Television
Title
Affective Response of African American and European American Students to Portrayals of Cross-racial Relationships on Television.
Creator
Mowatt, Earl, Wright, James, Carter, James, Rivera, Fernando, Kinnally, William, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Race is a potent discourse within the world of pop culture, particularly in television where viewers are witnessing more racial diversity in scripted shows. However, show creators must maintain standards that emphasize distinct social roles among characters in order to appeal to large heterogeneous audiences. These roles tend to be characterizations of racial stereotypes that often lead to biased opinions and inaccurate perceptions of minority groups. Previous studies detail that racial...
Show moreRace is a potent discourse within the world of pop culture, particularly in television where viewers are witnessing more racial diversity in scripted shows. However, show creators must maintain standards that emphasize distinct social roles among characters in order to appeal to large heterogeneous audiences. These roles tend to be characterizations of racial stereotypes that often lead to biased opinions and inaccurate perceptions of minority groups. Previous studies detail that racial biases in media adversely shape public opinions about African Americans and depress the desire for racial integration. This seems somewhat confounding since the shift in programming towards racial diversity presumes increased affirmation, importance, and validity of African Americans and other minority groups. This study investigates the affective response of Black and White college students to cross-race relationships on TV and the perceived realism of these media depictions. Since these relationship forms are now becoming part of television's pop culture, and pop culture reflects co-existing attitudes and values in society, it is important that they be examined. Additionally, examining cross-racial relationships may help in understanding larger race relations in the United States.
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Date Issued
2012
Identifier
CFE0004268, ucf:49539
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004268
The Dimensions of Social Capital
Title
The Dimensions of Social Capital.
Creator
Webster, Richard, Wright, James, Grauerholz, Elizabeth, Carter, James, Gay, David, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study called into question the rationale and methods used by researchers used to measure levels of social capital, particularly Putnam (1995), Paxton (1999), and Park (2006). A central purpose to this study was to partially replicate and extend the work of Park, who theoretically derived four dimensions of social capital. I develop measures of each dimension and then regress each on the variables of age, sex, race, ethnicity, marital status, education, income, and religiosity. This...
Show moreThis study called into question the rationale and methods used by researchers used to measure levels of social capital, particularly Putnam (1995), Paxton (1999), and Park (2006). A central purpose to this study was to partially replicate and extend the work of Park, who theoretically derived four dimensions of social capital. I develop measures of each dimension and then regress each on the variables of age, sex, race, ethnicity, marital status, education, income, and religiosity. This created four sets of outcomes from which I drew conclusions about the dimensionality of the social capital concept. Based on the low percentage of variance explained by the models and the fact that many coefficients reverse signs from one model to the next, I conclude that these dimensions do not represent four parts of a single, underlying construct. This was counter to both Paxton and Park's conclusions. The results of this study also offer a way to examine the effects of subgroups on each dimension. In addition, Park's hypothesis of (")coffeeing together(") was tested and found to be inconsistent with the descriptive results. Recommendations were made for future applications of social capital research and an alternative hypothesis was cited as a promising way to conduct subsequent studies.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004771, ucf:49793
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004771
This is just temporary: A study of extended-stay motel residents in Central Florida
Title
This is just temporary: A study of extended-stay motel residents in Central Florida.
Creator
Gonzalez Guittar, Stephanie, Wright, James, Carter, Shannon, Jasinski, Jana, Frumkin, Michael, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Motel life has existed in the United States for over 100 years. However, it was not until the HEARTH Act in 2009 changed the federal definition of homelessness that those who live in motels more or less permanently were considered homeless persons. This project utilizes qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 18 families with children who are living in motels to explore their experiences with motel life and social service providers, their housing identity, and identity management...
Show moreMotel life has existed in the United States for over 100 years. However, it was not until the HEARTH Act in 2009 changed the federal definition of homelessness that those who live in motels more or less permanently were considered homeless persons. This project utilizes qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 18 families with children who are living in motels to explore their experiences with motel life and social service providers, their housing identity, and identity management strategies. Interviews with social service providers were also conducted for context and to gain their perspective on families living in motels. Findings show that most of the motel residents did not identify with the conventional definition or image of homelessness and instead negotiated the term to fit their situation. Although they did not initially self-identify as homeless, when discussing policy recommendations all participants adopted a homeless social-identity (i.e., they identified as members of the homeless social category). As members of the homeless community, the participants agreed that homeless families in the area needed more attention and assistance. The identity management strategies employed by the participants were meant to show how they were good people who were just stuck in a motel because of circumstances outside of their control and how they were deserving of assistance to help their families move out of the motel and obtain adequate, permanent housing. Interviews with the social service providers showed that they often do exercise their power over clients by classifying them into a "deserving" group or a "not willing to work for it" group based on their own experiences and prejudices.
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Date Issued
2012
Identifier
CFE0004540, ucf:49241
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004540
Understanding Gender and Sexuality in a Gay/Straight Alliance
Title
Understanding Gender and Sexuality in a Gay/Straight Alliance.
Creator
Duesterhaus, Megan, Grauerholz, Elizabeth, Lynxwiler, John, Carter, James, Schippert, Claudia, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Gay/Straight Alliances aimed at providing sexual minority youth and their allies with support, social events, and activism and education opportunities have proliferated in high schools in the United States over the past two decades. This study employs a qualitative, grounded theory approach to examine how sexual minority youth and their allies navigate gender, sexuality, and social movement participation. A year and a half of observation and 16 semi-structured individual interviews were...
Show moreGay/Straight Alliances aimed at providing sexual minority youth and their allies with support, social events, and activism and education opportunities have proliferated in high schools in the United States over the past two decades. This study employs a qualitative, grounded theory approach to examine how sexual minority youth and their allies navigate gender, sexuality, and social movement participation. A year and a half of observation and 16 semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with Gay/Straight Alliance members in a high school setting in the southeastern United States. The study reveals that, through the lens of frame analysis, the G/SA is analogous to larger and more organized social movement organizations. The findings also suggest members often struggle and engage with issues surrounding sexuality, including its origins, coming out as a process, and judgments and evaluations surrounding sex and desire. Additionally, the findings address elements of gender conformity and non-conformity.
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Date Issued
2012
Identifier
CFE0004228, ucf:49008
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004228
An Analysis of the Effect of Involuntary Mobility on Student Achievement as Measured by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
Title
An Analysis of the Effect of Involuntary Mobility on Student Achievement as Measured by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.
Creator
Mullins, Mark, Murray, Barbara, Murray, Kenneth, Schafer, Karen, Carter, James, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study examined the impact of involuntary mobility on the academic achievement of tenth grade students in a Central Florida school district. Students of involuntary mobility were selected as the result of new attendance boundaries due to new high school construction. Students were compared against non-mobile peers at schools of like demographics (i.e. poverty level and ethnicity). Mobility status (involuntary or no mobility) was the independent variable. The dependent variable, academic...
Show moreThis study examined the impact of involuntary mobility on the academic achievement of tenth grade students in a Central Florida school district. Students of involuntary mobility were selected as the result of new attendance boundaries due to new high school construction. Students were compared against non-mobile peers at schools of like demographics (i.e. poverty level and ethnicity). Mobility status (involuntary or no mobility) was the independent variable. The dependent variable, academic achievement, was measured by students’ tenth grade developmental scale scores in reading and mathematics on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Students’ ninth grade test scores were used as a covariate to control for students’ prior achievement and isolate the impact of mobility. Additional subgroups (minority and poverty) were compared to determine if involuntary mobility had a more significant impact on these groups. Finally, a hierarchical linear regression was used to determine if a model for reading and mathematics could be used to predict future academic performance for students of involuntary mobility. Findings showed consistently there was no statistically significant difference in the achievement performance among groups or subgroups and the subject tests of reading and/or mathematics with one exception. There was a statistically significant difference in mathematics achievement in the all students group when comparing those students of involuntary mobility with students of stability. Students of mobility actually indicated a modest level of higher achievement than non-mobile peers. The hierarchical linear model was found to be marginally significant for predicting achievement among involuntary mobility students in the area of mathematics, but not necessarily in reading. Future research recommendations include broadening the research to additional grade-levels. This research only considered the impact of achievement on high school students. Future research should consider similar impact on students at both the elementary and/or middle school levels. Qualitative measures would provide additional information, particularly the perceptions and experiences that stakeholders have throughout the involuntary mobility process. Other at-risk subgroups, particularly those of residential mobility and/or previous retention, provide additional considerations that would add to this body of research. Finally, involuntary mobility as the result of school closings would provide additional insight as this factor often has public negative perceptions.
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Date Issued
2011
Identifier
CFE0004144, ucf:49055
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004144
Predictors of Food Insecurity in 3 Central Florida Communities
Title
Predictors of Food Insecurity in 3 Central Florida Communities.
Creator
Towns, Tangela, Rivera, Fernando, Carter, Shannon, Wright, James, Dunn, Stacey, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study examined the association between different socio-demographic factors and food insecurity in the Central Florida Communities of Maitland, Winter Park, and Eatonville. Data from the Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Central Florida were utilized to analyze 3 main questions: In which community is food insecurity more prevalent? To what extent are food consumption, transportation, poverty, and unemployment associated with food insecurity? Does the...
Show moreThis study examined the association between different socio-demographic factors and food insecurity in the Central Florida Communities of Maitland, Winter Park, and Eatonville. Data from the Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Central Florida were utilized to analyze 3 main questions: In which community is food insecurity more prevalent? To what extent are food consumption, transportation, poverty, and unemployment associated with food insecurity? Does the association between food consumption, transportation, poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity remain when controlling for self-reported overall health, education, marital status, and race. The results revealed differences in predictors of food insecurities. Particularly, there was a positive relationship between food consumption and the knowledge of recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables suggesting that those who have nutritional knowledge practice healthy dietary behaviors. Furthermore, structural dysfunctions and affordability pose food consumption limitations on the communities studied (mainly Eatonville).
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004947, ucf:49564
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004947
The effect of free primary education programs on marriage for Kenyan women.
Title
The effect of free primary education programs on marriage for Kenyan women.
Creator
Eisele, Joanna, Wright, James, Corzine, Harold, Rivera, Fernando, Carter, J. Scott, Pals, Heili, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This dissertation investigates the effect of education on the chances and age of marriage during the transition from adolescence into young adulthood among Kenyan women age 15-22. Women who receive more education are more likely to delay marriage. The literature suggests that occupation and age at sexual debut are also significantly associated with age of marriage. This study considers how these and other factors may possibly affect the life course of women in Kenya over a period of time and...
Show moreThis dissertation investigates the effect of education on the chances and age of marriage during the transition from adolescence into young adulthood among Kenyan women age 15-22. Women who receive more education are more likely to delay marriage. The literature suggests that occupation and age at sexual debut are also significantly associated with age of marriage. This study considers how these and other factors may possibly affect the life course of women in Kenya over a period of time and increases our understanding of marriage predictors. Data comes from the 2003 and 2008 Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys. Binary logistic and OLS regression models are used to analyze and compare the data. The results imply that while education has a statistically significant and strong positive effect on a woman's marital status as well as age of marriage, the effect of education on age of marriage has not changed since the introduction of Kenya's free primary education program.
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Date Issued
2014
Identifier
CFE0005486, ucf:50349
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005486
Multiple-Case Study and Exploratory Analysis of the Implementation of Value-Added Teacher Performance Assessment on Eighth Grade Student Achievement in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee
Title
Multiple-Case Study and Exploratory Analysis of the Implementation of Value-Added Teacher Performance Assessment on Eighth Grade Student Achievement in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
Creator
Carter, James, Taylor, Rosemarye, Doherty, Walter, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, Gordon, William, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The goal of this research was to analyze the academic impact of the implementation of the Value Added Assessment Model. The researcher analyzed the Value Added Assessment Models in the three Value Added Assessment Model states that had implemented the Value Added Assessment Model for more than five years. Additionally, the research was done by analyzing the academic impact as measured by the eighth grade reading NAEP and the eighth grade mathematics NAEP. The researcher paired the three...
Show moreThe goal of this research was to analyze the academic impact of the implementation of the Value Added Assessment Model. The researcher analyzed the Value Added Assessment Models in the three Value Added Assessment Model states that had implemented the Value Added Assessment Model for more than five years. Additionally, the research was done by analyzing the academic impact as measured by the eighth grade reading NAEP and the eighth grade mathematics NAEP. The researcher paired the three states that had implemented Value Added Assessment Model for more than five years, with three demographically matched states that had not implemented Value Added Assessment Model. The states were matched as follows: Ohio (Value Added Assessment Model implementing state) with Michigan (non Value Added Assessment Model state), Pennsylvania (Value Added Assessment Model implementing state) with Virginia (non Value Added Assessment Model state) and Tennessee (Value Added Assessment Model implementing state) with Georgia (non Value Added Assessment Model state). The mean composite scale score in NAEP from the following categories of students were compared and analyzed: 1) All students 2) White students 3) Black students 4) National School Lunch Program Eligible Students 5) National School Lunch Program Ineligible Students 6) Exceptional Education students. The results of the study indicated that the impact of Value Added Assessment Model on academic impact as measured by the eighth grade reading NAEP and the eighth grade mathematics NAEP was negligible.
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Date Issued
2014
Identifier
CFE0005468, ucf:52862
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005468