Schedule of Events

While a 2015 Supreme Court ruling legalized same-sex marriage in all fifty states, Americans remain divided on the issue. Prior research on same-sex marriage suggests that individuals strive for social approval and therefore look to their reference group when they form opinions on such topics. With political parties and religious communities serving as powerful reference groups, individuals’ views on issues such as same-sex marriage often align with the groups that they belong to. This study aims to test this theory and uncover any other factors that may be influential in determining one’s view on same-sex marriage. Through an online survey, 107 participants were asked questions about their personal ideologies and habits in hopes of determining not only why they are led to form the opinion that they have on same-sex marriage, but also what factor was ultimately most influential in the process. Our findings suggest that political affiliation is influential with Democrats being more likely to approve of same-sex marriage than Republicans. Despite what previous research suggests, we did not have significant enough data to prove religiosity is correlated to support or disapproval of same-sex marriage. Ultimately, we saw contact with those in the LGBTQ+ community to be an influential factor that can trump the effects of both political affiliation and religiosity. However, further research is needed to prove this theory to be statistically significant. 

Previous research has identified several factors that have affected the experiences of first generation Latina college students. These factors include family expectations outside of school, psychological episodes, and limited resources on campus. Building on these research findings, this study examines the educational barriers that first generation Latina college students in Ventura County face and their coping strategies while pursuing higher education. I conducted five in-depth interviews and used a snowball sampling method to identify the participants. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded to identify common themes among the participants. I used pseudonym to ensure confidentiality. I identified six common themes: Conflict between family expectations and academic demand, difficulty that comes with parents’ undocumented status, psychological episodes due to the stress of taking multiple roles, resources and support provided by academic programs, peer and mentor support, and identity development through participation in Mexican/Latino club organizations. The study shows that though university programs, student clubs and individuals on campus provide informational resources and emotional support, they do not necessarily address issues that arise due to the difference between middle class mainstream college expectations and Latino/Mexican cultural expectations at home effectively. In addition, the study also shows the importance of culturally sensitive mental health care. My study does not give the overall picture of all the barriers and coping strategies that this population faces due to the limited time and participants that I interviewed. Therefore, future studies need to recruit a lager sample of participants to fully understand their experiences.

This study investigates parent/child interaction styles during children’s birthday parties as social presentations of self and family. The research is based on data collected during a semester-long participant observation study of 8 birthday parties in an indoor playground in which parents pay to reserve the space and have their parties hosted/organized. The findings reveal that parent/child interaction styles during birthday party encounters can be divided into categories that include polite, controlling, and rude interactions. Children were most polite in their interactions with employees and children; in contrast, they were most rude in their interactions with parents and children. Usually, mothers were social agents who exhibited controlling behaviors toward their children and the employees. In terms of discipline, mothers and fathers used different disciplinary styles when their kids misbehaved. This study expands on previous studies to explore the ways in which parents and children behave and interact during birthday parties in paid venues. Results from this study can be used to understand birthday parties as symbolic events of social family presentation and why families may demonstrate concern for guests’ assessments of their child’s party. The results can also help parents better understand which disciplinary methods are effective when interacting with misbehaving children in this context. Employees at indoor playgrounds may benefit by better understanding the ways in which parents and children interact so they can help interactions remain respectful and festive.