0000000000043455
AUTHOR
Stephen M. Croucher
Social Desirability Bias among Prejudice Instruments : An Integrated Threat
A considerable amount of research has examined the extent to which members of dominant cultures perceive minority groups as threatening their way of life. While various instruments measure these perceptions of threat, few researchers have empirically analysed the statistical properties of these scales. Specifically, studies have not adequately explored social desirability of threat scales. The current study investigates the extent to which one set of threat scales is internally consistent or reliable (González et al., 2008), and explores social desirability within the González et al. (2008) integrated threat instruments by comparing self-reports to other reports (intimate other and friend r…
Refugee Crisis in the European Union
This chapter outlines the myriad push and pull factors that led to the refugee crisis, describes the scale of the migration, and discusses how the European Union (EU) nations and the EU as a whole responded to the crisis. Four push factors are described: the change in migration policy in Macedonia that opened up the Balkan route to the EU, the war in Syria, political and economic instability in sub-Saharan Africa, and climate change. The primary pull factors are economic opportunities and political and religious freedoms. The discussion of the scale of the migration and how each nation responded provides in-depth discussion of how individual EU nations responded to the refugee crisis.
Perception of Finns Towards Refugees and Immigrants
This chapter explores the perception Finns have towards refugees. In particular, building off intergroup threat theory (ITT), this chapter describes the extent to which Finns perceive refugees as a threat to Finnish society. Researchers have proposed Finns might perceive immigrants (and refugees) as threats because they share less cultural and physical similarities with the “Typical” Finns. As fear of this threat increases, so can the chance of intergroup conflict between these two groups. Through an analysis of in-depth interviews, this chapter brings to light these perceived threats to understand the refugee situation in Finland, as perceived by Finns.
Exploring the Relationship Between Teacher Confirmation and Student Motivation: The United States and Finland
Teacher communication behaviors have enormous impacts on students’ learning processes and thus have attracted extensive scholarly attention (Mazer, 2013). Teacher confirmation is the process through which teachers communicate to students that they are endorsed, recognized, and acknowledged as valuable individuals (Ellis, 2000). In primarily US-based research, teacher confirmation has been linked to a variety of effective pedagogical practices, student motivation, and emotional outcomes (Ellis, 2004). As McCroskey and McCroskey (2006) stated, it is not likely that instructional practices in other instructional cultures are always as effective as they are in the United States. To understand t…
Threats and attitudes toward Russian-speaking immigrants: a comparative study between younger and older Finns
Using integrated threat theory as a theoretical lens to detect negative attitudes toward minority groups, this study compares and contrasts the perceptions and attitudes of older and younger Finns toward Russian-speaking minorities in Finland. A sample of high school students between 16 and 20 years of age represented the younger generation, while individuals over 65 years of age represented the older generation. The total sample was 242. Results indicated that there is a positive correlation between threat perception and prejudice. Results revealed that both groups have prejudices against Russian speakers and that these prejudices are related to the perception of realistic threat and negat…
Migration to Finland and the Nordic Nations
This chapter provides a brief review of historical migration to Finland, discusses the legal aspects of migrating to Finland and the rights of immigrants and refugees, current trends in migration to and from Finland, and analyses how other Nordic nations (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden specifically) have responded to the refugee crisis. Through this discussion, similarities and differences in how Nordic nations have historically and currently respond to migration are explained.
Learning to Contradict and Standing Up for the Company: An Exploration of the Relationship Between Organizational Dissent, Organizational Assimilation, and Organizational Reputation
This study explored relationships between organizational assimilation, organizational reputation, and organizational dissent. Survey data collection using standard instruments was conducted with a ...
Perceptions of Immigrants Towards Refugees and Finns
For a full picture and for more developed insights into the intergroup relations between Finns, immigrants, refugees, and other migrants, it was important for us to look beyond the experiences of refugees and ethnic Finns and to examine the position of other immigrants living or residing in Finland. Thus, this chapter explores the perception immigrants have towards Finns and refugees. Building off intergroup threat theory (ITT), this chapter describes the extent to which immigrants perceive immigrants and refugees as a threat to Finnish society. Through an analysis of in-depth interviews, this chapter brings to light these perceived threats to understand the immigration and prejudice situat…
A Functional Analysis of the Finnish 2012 Presidential Elections
This study applied the functional theory of political campaign discourse, developed for political campaigns in the United States to two televised presidential debates in the 2012 presidential elections in Finland. Acclaims were the most preferred statement by the candidates, with agreements being the least preferred. Policy was discussed more than character during the debates. General goals and ideals were used more frequently to acclaim than to attack. Results are generally consistent with the results of previous studies of presidential elections in the US and other countries. However, differences did emerge: the classical functional categories were supplemented by a new category, the role…
Argumentativeness and political participation: A cross-cultural analysis in the United States and Turkey
This study is an examination of the relationship between argumentativeness and political participation and the moderating effect of nationality on this relationship. Through a survey analysis of 801 individuals in the United States (592) and Turkey (209), the following was found: Americans are more argumentative than Turks, Turks participate more in politics than Americans, argumentativeness and political participation are not significantly correlated, and nationality does not significantly affect the relationship between argumentativeness and political participation. Cultural differences between the United States and Turkey are discussed as reasons for differences between the two nations i…
Perceptions of Refugees Towards Finns and Immigrants
Building off of the previous two chapters, this chapter looks at the refugee experience from the point of view of the refugee. While the overwhelming majority of integrated threat studies have been conducted from the point of view of the dominant culture, and a few from the point of view of an immigrant or minority’s perspective, none have explored threat from the point of view of a refugee. Therefore, for a more holistic picture of the Finnish migration situation, and the situation of refugees in Finland, we explored how refugees see threat, migration, their situation, Finns, and other immigrants in Finland. Thus, through the use of in-depth interviews, this chapter explores the perception…
An examination of the relationships among United States college students' media use habits, need for cognition, and grade point average
The current study uses survey methods to understand how US college students' use of various types of social media, such as social networking websites and text messaging on smart phones, as well as consumption of traditional media, such as watching television and reading books for pleasure, is (or is not) related to intellectual cognitive processing and performance in school. The current results, which were based on a number of multiple regression analyses, revealed college students’ use of traditional media appears to be a significant and viable predictor of both college students’ grade point averages (GPAs) and their levels of need for cognition (NFC). On the other hand, college students’ …