WOU Magazine Spring 2012: Feature stories
WOU's PURE Insights academic journal launches inaugural issue
Western Oregon University launched the inaugural issue of Pure Insights this May. Pure Insights is an academic journal created by the Program for Undergraduate Research Experiences (PURE) at WOU and will publish high quality student work.
This issue received 16 submissions and seven were accepted for publication. Camila Gabaldón, collection development librarian and managing editor for the publication, is pleased with the number of submissions and the enthusiasm from campus. “Personally, I’m thrilled to see the quality of work our students are doing. They are amazing pieces and the variety of content is outstanding,” said Gabaldón. She added that, “I think it’s really going to highlight to the world – not just WOU – the quality of work that we do.”
The journal recognizes the variety of scholarly explorations by WOU students, accepting technical papers, research articles, expository articles, poems, short stories, photographs, videos and other creative works from all academic disciplines. The journal’s contents are available online through Digital Commons – which is heavily indexed by Google – making the students’ work more accessible to the world. Readers do not need to be affiliated with WOU to get access. The next issue will be released spring 2013, with submissions due mid-December 2012.
Below are the titles and authors of the pieces that appeared in the first issue:
The Burden of the Kayayei: Cultural and Socio-economic Difficulties Facing Female Porters in Agbogbloshie, Ghana
by
Katherine Ahlvin
Ahlvin’s paper explores the experiences of female porters known as Kayayei in Agbogboloshie, Ghana. The Kayayei (singl. kayayoo) is a Ga term that describes these young women who carry goods and wares for a fee. A majority of them have migrated from the northern and rural parts of Ghana to earn a sure income in the southern cities. She includes a case study based on a personal interview with a kayayoo.
Xenophobia and Structural Violence: Barriers to Education for Roma Youth
by Lisa Catto
Catto examines barriers to education and segregation faced by the European Roma (also known as Gypsies). Still a heavily persecuted minority population, Roma children are often forced into segregated schools or into special/remedial programs. This paper looks at issues that have led to such an educational dichotomy, the negative impact they have had on the Roma, and the perpetuating cycle that these educational issues are feeding.
Nutrition and Cognitive Functioning: Multifaceted Analysis of Physiological and Psychological Components
by Lindsey M. King
Although the human brain only represents about two percent of the body’s total weight, it uses 20 percent of the total calories consumed each day. Calories are vital for proper cognitive function and development. Previous research has reported a wide array of cognitive deficits associated with malnutrition in early childhood, delayed development in children whose mother consumed inadequate nutrition during pregnancy, and calorie restriction.
Influences on Music Preference Formation
by Chanel K. Meyer
This paper addresses the topic of music preference, an area that addresses questions which continuously elude musicologists, music researchers and social psychologists. Music preference has been studied on many levels and the factors that influence the types of music we prefer are numerous, including genres, exposure, personality, and musical characteristics. Music preferences can be narrowed into two broad categories: intrinsic and extrinsic qualities.
PURE Identity Manual
by Cristin Stevens
Stevens created a branding manual to accompany the new PURE logo and “PURE Insights” journal. The manual guides usage of the logo and any associated branding to ensure a single, consistent and clear visual identity for PURE. The manual explains the design of the logo, dictates the appropriate font and color choices when using the marks. The manual further provides information on using the logo on promotional materials, templates for articles in the journal, stationary layout, and website design.
Gender and Optimism as Predictors of Novice ESOL Teaching Performance Help
by DeAnna R. Sturm, Elizabeth K. Conkey, Natalie Nibler, Debie Brannan and Tasha Bleistein (Azusa Pacific University)
This paper explores results from a study that examined the relationship between gender, optimism, and perceived teaching performance amongst novice English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers. The study sampled and surveyed graduates from two hybrid Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and found that gender and optimism are factors in perceptions of teacher efficacy amongst novice ESOL teachers.
The Devil in the Boardroom: Corporate Psychopaths and Their Impact on Business
by Sophia Wellons
Wellons paper compares and contrasts research on non-incarcerated “Corporate Psychopaths” to distinguish who they are and where they are most likely to be found. While most research focuses on the incarcerated psychopath, there is a limited body of work that centers on the non-criminal psychopaths that might even appear successful in their careers.
