Research example 4:
The title of this peer reviewed article is “Aesthetics” by Ethel Puffer Howes. This article talks about aesthetics, and what people find to be aesthetically pleasing. It continues to discuss the psychological analysis of aesthetics specifically how the brain reacts to different aesthetic experiences. There are many types of aesthetics, be it in art or economy. The author explains that you cannot compress all the aspects of aesthetics into a single formula, it consists of a many elements.
The topic of this article is aesthetics and the research question would be: what elements make up aesthetics?
In order to gather this data, you would need to either survey people and ask them, “what elements make up aesthetics?” Or you would need to discuss aesthetics with an expert- asking what makes something aesthetically pleasing.
This research is much more conceptual than any other readings I have come across. It takes a unique stance on the various elements and tools that make something aesthetically pleasing.
It is a secondary source because it takes the information from other peoples research and studies.

Citation: Howes, E. (1913). Æsthetics. Psychological Bulletin, 10(5), 196–201. doi:10.1037/h0071344

In researching for my proposal, I came across an article examining the reasons why students are involved in community service. This is relevant to my proposal, as I am researching if being involved in community service has a positive influence on struggling students’ academics. The article is “Understanding Patterns of Commitment” by Jones and Hill (2003). This study had many guiding research questions. The overarching research question of this article, and the question I feel is most relevant to my research, is: “What are students’ reasons for participation in community service in high school?” (Jones & Hill, 2003). The type of data needed to answer this question is reports of acts, behaviors, and events, as students are giving reasons for  involvement in community service. To collect this data, the researchers performed in-depth interviews with select students that were nominated by the Community Service Directors at the participants’ schools. The researchers analyzed the data through what they call “constructivist ground theory” (Jones & Hill, 2003). In this method, the authors look for patterns and themes within their data and continuously look back at their data with new questions until a narrative emerges. Jones and Hill found that high schoolers involved in community service often were influence by external factors, such as family, friends, or school community service requirements (2003). Despite these influences, the participants usually felt good after volunteering, but the participants did not think much about why they were engaging in community service, unless they were involved in service because of their church or religion (Jones & Hill, 2003). This will be important to think about in regards to my own research as to the reasoning of students who participate in community service. If I am interested in the effects community service has on students who are struggling academically, then it will aid my research to know why students get involved in the first place.

Jones, S.R., & Hill, K.E. (2003). Understanding patterns of commitment: student motivation for community service involvement. The Journal of Higher Education, 74 (5), 516-539.

I found my research example for this week in the Journal of Urban Health. The study conducted by Nancy Wolff, Cynthia L. Blitz, Jing Shi, Ronet Bachman, and Jane Siegel, is titled “Sexual Violence Inside Prisons: Rates of Victimization”. The paper estimates the prevalence of sexual victimization within a state prison system. It also takes into account that sexual violence in prisons is a public health concern, since HIV infection rates are higher than in the general population. They conducted the study by surveying 6,964 men and 564 women utilizing an audio-CASI. Respondents were sampled through an invitation by researchers to participate in a survey. Surveys were conducted face to face as well as through questionnaires. The two main questions asked were: The questions were “Have you been sexually assaulted by (an inmate or staff member) within the past 6 months?” and “Have you ever been sexually assaulted by (an inmate or staff member) on this bid [conviction]?” Sexual violence was defined as nonconsensual sexual acts, which consisted of forced sex acts, including oral and anal sex, and abusive sexual contacts, which included intentional touching of specified areas of the body. One surprising result of the study was the prevalence of inmate on inmate sexual victimization in the female prison was higher than in the male prison. Additionally, the study found no statistically significant differences between males and females in rates of experiencing staff-on-inmate sexual violence. While female inmates were more likely to be sexually victimized by other inmates than by staff, male inmates were more likely to report an incident of sexual victimization perpetrated by staff.

Wolff, N., Blitz, C. L., Shi, J., Bachman, R., & Siegel, J. A. (2006). Sexual Violence Inside Prisons: Rates of Victimization. Journal of Urban Health : Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 83(5), 835–848. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-006-9065-2

The researcher pursued a case study on the Na Iwi O Na Kupuna O Mokapu v. Dalton repatriation case in which 1,582 Native Hawaiian human remains were excavated and relocated from a Mokapu burial site to the Bishop Museum.  This site in Oahu is known as the most disturbed burial site in Hawaii due to the mass relocation.  After the passing of NAGPRA, the U.S. Marine Corps Base Hawaii assisted the museum in the inventory and repatriation of the remains.  A Native Hawaiian tribe filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of the Department of Navy and the Bishop Museum, claiming the Navy “failed to return expeditiously the Mokapu remains.”  They also claimed that illegal scientific research was conducted on the Mokapu remains.

The researcher, Greer, used a case study research logic.  She utilized reports of acts, behaviors, and events and collected them through public and private records.  Greer analyzed the data in a qualitative analysis.  Her research question was, “How did the Na Iwi O Na Kupuna O Mokapu v. Dalton case reveal a disconnection between the intent and the process of NAGPRA?”  Her broader research topic was the repatriation of Native Hawaiian remains.

This was an interesting case study, and I think the researcher provided thorough analyses of the data.  She provided historical research on other Native Hawaiian cases of repatriation.  She evaluated how the repatriation process can be laborious or even humiliating.

Greer, E. Sunny. “Na Wai E Ho‘ōla i Nā Iwi? Who Will Save the Bones: Native Hawaiians and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.” Asian-Pacific Law and Policy   Journal 14, no. 1, 34-52.

This article was found in the Public Policy Research journal. Martha Nussbaum, a professor of law and philosophy at the University of Chicago, and Mohammed Abed, a philosophy professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison hold a debate discussing the justifications of Israeli academic boycotts. The citation for the article is:

Nussbaum, Martha, and Mohammed Abed. 2007. “Can (Israeli) academic boycotts be justified?” Public Policy Research 14 (4): 218-28. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-540x.2008.00493.x.

Nussbaum argues that boycotts directed at academic institutions are not successful, and disagrees with the justifications for them. Abel believes that boycotts are more effective than other strategies because there is no government involvement, and because they have a bigger and more direct impact on the oppressive situations. The topic of this article is about the Palestinian boycott of Israeli academic institutions. Its research question is “Can Israeli academic boycotts be justified?” The data type used in this article is deep opinions and attitudes, collected by an in-depth interview. The analysis method used is qualitative. I think this research is interesting because it includes conflicting opinions which will be useful for me to see counter-arguments for the BDS movement. One thing I think is interesting is the fact that neither professors seem to have lived or experienced the boycotts first-hand so I’m wondering how well they can report on them.

I found a study in The Journal of Perinatal Education titled “Understanding Factors that Influence Adolescent Mothers’ Doula Use: A Qualitative Study” by Dr. Sheryl Coley and Dr. Tracy R. Nichols. The study is primary literature and is peer-reviewed.

The article explained a study that was done in order to understand why adolescent women chose to have a doula present at the birth of their child. The research question was asking what factors women report to influence their decision to have a doula present when they give birth to their children. The 20 adolescent women who were a part of the study were  nineteen-years-old or younger at the Young Women’s Christian Association. There were also 6 practicing doulas who were a part of the study. The type of data needed was deep opinions and attitudes. The data was gathered through interviews, focus groups, and field observations. At the end of the study, the data was coded in order to review all answers and observations. The results helped the researchers understand factors that influenced doula use, and also reasons why women are against the use of a doula. The young expecting-mothers appreciated that the doula was there for them through every step of their pregnancy, and even after it. The main conclusion of the study was that since doulas create such a strong relationship with their clients during and after pregnancy, young mothers are more likely to be in favor of hiring them.

The Young Women’s Christian Association in the area where the study was conducted has programs for expecting mothers where they meet and talk to doulas in order to be fully informed about the different options that they have. I really appreciate that these young women were presented with the option of having a doula present at the birth of their children because many women are unaware of the options that they have. I think it is really important for women to know all of their childbirth options before they make a decision so that they can hopefully have the best experience possible.

Citation:

Coley, Sheryl L., DrP.H. and Tracy R. Nichols PhD. 2016. “Understanding Factors that Influence Adolescent Mothers’ Doula use: A Qualitative Study.” The Journal of Perinatal Education 25(1):46-55 (http://ezproxy.redlands.edu/docview/1805376631?accountid=14729). doi: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.redlands.edu/10.1891/1058-1243.25.1.46.

The research article I selected for research example #4 is an article I found in the current periodical section of the library. The article is from the Journal of Environmental Health volume 73, number 4, November 2010. The title of the article is “Nonhygienic Behavior, Knowledge and Attitudes Among Interactive Splash Park Visitors.” The authors of this article conducted a behavioral observation study at four Idaho splash parks to determine the effectiveness of signage and attendance and to establish baseline information on non-hygienic behavior, knowledge, and attitudes among the visitors. Splash parks are popular because they are usually free, easy to get to, and many times are located within municipal parks. These splash parks are water attractions spray or pour water on visitors and have been associated with outbreaks of illnesses. The proposed research method was reviewed by the Idaho department of health and welfare IRB and was granted an exempt status. The study had two main components: (1) observation of the behavior of children visiting the splash parks and (2) administering a questionnaire to the adult supervisors. There were 145 children observed who ranged in ages to less than one year to seventeen years. thirty -eight percent of the children wore either traditional disposable or swim diapers. Twenty – three percent of the children observed placed an open mouth to the splash park water and forty -six percent of the children were observed exposing their butts to splash park water. Of the 564 adults that were surveyed, fifty – seven percent told their children not to drink the splash park water, eighty percent of the adults watched their children’s hands with soap and water after leaving the park. Only twenty – five percent of the adults told the children not to sit on top of the fountains and only twenty – seven percent bathed the children before visiting the park. Seventy -five percent of the adults thought that splash parks were safer than swimming pools. The authors concluded that splash designers and public health officials should be mindful of the fact that children engage in non – hygienic behavior in spite of the presence educational signs and attendants. Splash parks should be designed to protect against transmission of chlorine resistant organisms be installing additional disinfection technologies.

Randall J. Nett, Robin Toblin, Annora Sheehan, Wan-Ting Huang, Andrew Baughman, Kris Carter. 2010 “Nonhygienic Behavior, Knowledge and Attitudes Among Interactive Splash Park Visitors.” Journal of Environmental Health. Vol 73 (4): 8-14

• I found This article on gentrification and the connection to neo liberalism and urbanis. The article was interesting because touched on the argument that neoliberalism becomes a regulator of the market which makes capitalism more stronger and more of a social production. As a result urban cities are  growing rapidly and leading to more and more gentrification.  The paper dives into subjects and events in NY during the 90’s as a way to exemplify  sides bout the relationship between neoliberal urbanism and globalization. The social production seems to take a dip as the capitalist production increases when the neo liberalism dissipates and the new  urbanism takes hold. It touched on how global cities are becoming rapidly metropolitan economies of its continents.  It was interesting finding how the housing market played a role in the forward movement  of gentrification. These cities becoming un-urbanized are closely tied to the global capital and cultural circulation. The shifting force of turning an urban area into an area where the investment of capital takes a larger place in the area.  If i were to use this for my paper it could show me the ways in which to better understand and explain the way the US shifted our communities into capitalist pits of money opportunities for the rich.

• Smith, N. (2002, December 16). New Globalism, New Urbanism: Gentrification as Global Urban Strategy. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8330.00249/full

As I keep reading over my research question “how does music genres affect percieved stress?” I feel like it may be to broad in a sense. However, most of the articles that i have found on my topic seem to be that music is a very theraputical stress reliever. For this article i looked up on google scholar how does music affect your mood and found an article called “memorable expeirences with sad music- reasons, reactions, and mechanisms of three types of experiences.” The article discusses how to clarify the relevant reasons, mechanisms, and emotions involved in musical experiences associated with sadness. They  wanted to focus on 4 specific questions: What are the characteristics of music-induced sadness in terms of the situations, changes in physical and mental states and physical reactions? What are the dominant psychological mechanisms and reasons behind the experiences involving sad music? what are the typical emotions associated with such experiences and the specific structure underlying these? And how prevalent are the different types of experiences previously identified in association with listening to sad music? The method they used to answer these questions was an online survey and was anonymous which was no consent from the particpants but the survey explained the volunatary use they will be using the survey for. The first section dealt with attitudes towards sad music, the second section dealt with exploration of the 24 reasons to listen to sad music, and the third section dealt with the participants chosen memorable sad music. I believe this a great method i could use to see how different types of genres of music can help with any kind of stress you may be having.

Eerola, Tuomas, and Henna-Riikka Peltola. “Memorable Experiences with Sad Music—Reasons, Reactions and Mechanisms of Three Types of Experiences.” Plos One, vol. 11, no. 6, 2016, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0157444.

As my research question has developed and become finalized into, “What do today’s American farmers and ranchers report to be the greatest challenge that they face in regard to their livelihood?” I wanted to focus my research on one of the six categories of challenges that I proposed in my concept paper. This time I looked at the social challenges that farmers and ranchers are facing today. Specifically, queer farmers and farmers who are part of the LBGTQ community. This is a challenge that I had originally though little about but Isaac Leslie’s article, “Queer Farmers: Sexuality and the Transition to Sustainable Agriculture” in Rural Sociology volume 82, issue 4, from 2017 brought it to my attention. Leslie poses the question, “How do queer farmers’ lived experiences illuminate the role of sexuality in the transition to sustainable agriculture?” (Leslie, 2017).

Leslie focuses on the sustainable agriculture movement and how queer farmers are struggling to be integrated into the lifestyle’s community. Leslie describes sustainable farming as being very relationship-based which is hard when some queer farmers are not welcomed into the community. Utilizing participant observation, Leslie interviewed 30 sustainable farmers (19 queer and 11 heterosexual) from New England. The members of the sample were obtained through farming events, markets, and snowball sampling. He conducted his interviews while being given a tour of the farm, while preforming manual labor with the individual, or in a normal sit-down interview setting. This was to ensure that the interviewee felt comfortable and provided candid answers to Leslie’s open-ended questions. Leslie assigned pseudonyms to each individual and made sure he had their consent before recording their conversations. He did so in order to maintain confidentiality and remain ethical throughout his study. After obtaining his 30 interviews he utilized ATLAS.ti qualitative data analysis software and grounded theory to analyze the responses.

Through doing these interviews, Leslie found that many queer farmers struggle to create and maintain personal relationships with other sustainable farmers. At the same time, though, he found that many of these same farmers were surprised with how accepting heterosexual farmers were. It is a common assumption that people who live in rural areas might not be as accepting to homosexual lifestyles as those who live in urban areas. When interviewing the 19 queer farmers, Leslie found that many of them were pleasantly surprised with how accepting their neighbors and business partners were with their homosexuality. But this should not disregard the challenges that these specific farmers face. When it comes to a customer-base, many people expect their food to come from family run farms where common family values are present. Another issue arises when customers are not comfortable with the fact that their food is coming from a queer-run farm where the producer does not share the same values as they do. I find this to be ridiculous and a reason that I had not thought of as an issue to begin with, but maybe I am naive.

This article was eye-opening to me any very interesting. I had not thought of this specific issue and challenge before and it only broadened my understanding of what many farmers and ranchers are struggling with today. This specific topic would fall under the ‘social’ challenges that farmers and ranchers are facing today. This article helped me to think about how I would collect a sample group for my own study and how I might analyze my own in-depth interviews. Before, I planned to do a survey for my research study, but after reading this article I am considering doing in-depth interviews instead.

Leslie, Isaac. 2017. “Queer Farmers: Sexuality and the Transition to Sustainable Agriculture.” Rural Sociology82(4): 747-771. Retrieved March 11, 2018. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.redlands.edu/doi/10.1111/ruso.12153/full