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Health messaging can be a successful tool in encouraging pro-social behavior, such as bystander intervention in sexual violence situations. This dissertation explored the development of a social media message to encourage bystander intervention among college students using multiple theoretical frameworks: social norms approach and bystander intervention barriers. After the development of these messages, an experiment was conducted to assess the effect of the messages on attitudes, perceived norms, efficacy, intentions to intervene, and intentions to take responsibility as they relate to bystander intervention. The experiment conditions were four: a norms-based condition, a behavior-based condition, a combination condition, and a control condition. The norms-based condition had an effect on perceived norms and intentions to intervene. The combination condition had an effect on intentions to intervene. These results have implications for our current understanding of bystander intervention models and message development to encourage bystander intervention in sexual violence situations among college students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to describe reasons Federal Pell Grant-eligible community college students in California do not complete the financial aid process after submitting the FAFSA and the resources they need to complete the process. The conceptual framework of this study was Perna's (2006) multi-layered student choice model. The two research questions addressed the reasons Federal Pell Grant-eligible community college students describe for not completing the financial aid process after submitting the FAFSA and the resources needed to complete the financial aid process. A criterion-based, purposeful sampling approach was used to select students from one California community college district. Semi-structured individual Zoom interviews were conducted with 18 students and 50 participants responded to the online questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed guided by Braun and Clarke's six steps of thematic analysis. Six themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) lack of communication and understanding, (b) lack of direct support and follow-up and (c) personal issues are reasons students describe for not completing the financial aid process, while (d) communication and financial aid training, (e) provide direct support to students using multiple mediums and (f) removing requirements barriers are resources students describe needing to complete the financial aid process. Results illustrated that importance of communication, direct support, and financial aid training to increase student understanding of the financial aid process. The conclusion was that students need information communicated to them: actionable steps accompanied by direct support for completing the financial aid process. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This project was a dissertation of practice designed as a needs assessment of a specific program. Specifically, the project identified the needs of an After School Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program in a Southern California School District (SCSD). The purpose was to provide recommendations to address the needs of after school programs to create a high quality after school STEM program, specifically for SCSD. This project was collaborative and carried out by an inquiry team of two doctoral students. Posed by the after school administrator, the areas of needs include evidence and research-based instructional practices, staff knowledge, staff motivation, curriculum, and organizational structures and facilities. The team examined the needs through a triangulation of data from surveys, interviews, documents, and literature review. After analyzing the data, the perceived needs were identified and recommendations were made. The recommendations listed in this needs assessment provides useful guidance in the development of a high quality after school STEM program. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This project was a dissertation of practice designed as a needs assessment of a specific program. Specifically, the project identified the needs of an After School Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program in a Southern California School District (SCSD). The purpose was to provide recommendations to address the needs of after school programs to create a high quality after school STEM program, specifically for SCSD. This project was collaborative and carried out by an inquiry team of two doctoral students. Posed by the after school administrator, the areas of needs include evidence and research-based instructional practices, staff knowledge, staff motivation, curriculum, and organizational structures and facilities. The team examined the needs through a triangulation of data from surveys, interviews, documents, and literature review. After analyzing the data, the perceived needs were identified and recommendations were made. The recommendations listed in this needs assessment provides useful guidance in the development of a high quality after school STEM program. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This study investigates the uses of English in advertising in Brazil and the attitudes of Brazilians towards the use of different difficulty levels of English in advertising. Using a two part, mixed-methods approach, drawing from quantitative and qualitative methods, I utilized a corpus study to examine English uses in Brazilian magazines and a survey to investigate the difficulty of English slogans as a determinant for people's attitudes towards English in advertising. For the first part, three major Brazilian news magazines, Veja, Epoca, and ISTOE were used. From three issues of each magazine, results showed that 57% of the advertisements in all nine magazines contained English in different parts of the advertisements, with most occurrences in the product name, followed by the body copy, headline, subheadline, and slogan. English was used to advertise a number of different product types, but was especially used for advertising cars, electronics, events, and banks. It was also found that the majority of English was used for its symbolic representations of modernity, prestige, globalization, and reliability. Using a survey for the second part of the study, I investigated how Brazilian participants judged four advertisements that featured English slogans that were comparable to slogans judged to be easy or difficult to understand in a similar study conducted by Hornikx, van Meurs, and de Boer (2010). Participants were offered attitudinal choices to mark off on a 4-point Likert scale, where they indicated their attitudes towards the English slogans provided. They were also asked to determine if they understood the slogans and to translate them to indicate their actual understanding of the slogans. Participants showed more positive attitudes towards the uses of English than negative attitudes. The survey provided evidence that with the very low numbers of correctly translated slogans, many participants believed they understood the slogans, which could prove to be more of an indicator of positive attitudes than their actual understanding of the slogans. This project provides an example from one Expanding Circle context touched by the far-reaching influences of World Englishes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This study sought to address the American Psychological Association's goals of providing a multiculturally safe and nurturing environment for ethnic minorities in psychology (CEMRRAT2, 2007). The current research sought to understand how safe, valued, and nurtured Mexican American women in doctoral counseling psychology programs felt. These women were chosen because of their unique position in graduate education as gender and ethnic minorities. The experiences of four Mexican American women were explored through semi-structured interviews. Research was collected and analyzed using qualitative methods. Critical Race Theory (CRT) was used as a philosophical base for this study because of it's focus on the importance of offering a voice to those who have experienced oppression, been ignored, and disempowered within larger systems (Solorzano & Yosso, 2002). Significant findings indicate that participants reported the following as important factors in creating safe, empowering environments: "cultural congruity" (Gloria & Robinson Kurpius, 1996), environments that are multiculturally diverse and inclusive, a focus on mentorship, and a generally supportive and collaborative environment. Findings of the research indicate that participants feel academia could do more to help them feel safe, valued, and nurtured. Recommendations for creating a safer academic environment, based on the experiences of the Mexican American women interviewed, conclude the study. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]