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April 29, 2022 — Stephanie Hathcox

Wonki Lee and Giyeon Seo named Gorman Research Methods Award winners 2021-2022

Gorman Research Methods Award, 2021-2022

In December 2004, the Department of Sociology received a gift from Professor Ben Gorman to establish an annual award to recognize excellence in quantitative research by graduate students. The award must be given every year and shall not be shared among multiple recipients from the same doctoral program. The funding for this award comes from a specified account at UF’s Foundation. A plaque is on display in the Streib Conference Room to recognize Professor Gorman and also to commemorate the award winners.

In the AY 2021-2022, the Gorman Award will be given to one graduate student in Sociology and one graduate student in Criminology, Law, and Society ($300 each).

Specifically, the Gorman award shall be given to a graduate student who

  • has performed the most sophisticated and innovative work in quantitative methods in the 2021-2022 academic year. This may be in the context of coursework, a term paper, thesis or dissertation proposal, etc. The character of the work may rest primarily in research design, measurement, or data analysis.
  • has been enrolled full-time in the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters.
  • has not been a previous recipient of this award.

Sociology Winner

Giyeon Seo (Division of Housework and Attitudes toward Divorce: A Cross-National Study): This study examines 1) the relation between the wives’ share of housework and attitudes toward divorce globally, 2) how country-level measures regarding gender equality, welfare regimes, and religion are related to attitudes toward divorce, and 3) whether these contextual measures moderate the relationship between housework share and the attitude toward divorce. Using multilevel mixed-effects linear regression models with International Social Survey Programme 2012 data from 35 countries (N=8,521) merged with macro-level variables, this study has found that in general, a greater share of the housework for wives was associated with more positive attitudes toward. The relationship between the housework share and pro-divorce attitudes was more robust in countries with larger government spending, indicating their likely influences on the autonomy and bargaining position of women in marital conflicts.

Criminology Winner

Wonki Lee (The Effect of Parental Abuse and Negative School Experiences on Female Adolescent’s Substance Use: Focusing on the Mediating Effect of Depression): Consistent with theoretical propositions of general strain theory (GST), abuse from parents and negative school experiences has been demonstrated as primary strain source of female adolescents. However, limited research has examined the pathway of these relationships with considering the mediating role of depression as predicted from the GST perspective. Thus, this study attempted to examine the association between parental abuse, negative school experiences, depressive emotional state, and substance use of female adolescents. Using data from the Korean Youth Panel Survey (KYPS) the SEM model was employed to assess if depression mediates the effect of strain on female adolescents’ substance use. Results indicated a significant influence of parental abuse and negative school experiences on female adolescents’ depression, while only learning-relevant strain from school had a significant effect on female adolescents’ substance use. In terms of mediating role of depression, it was found that the effect of parental abuse and negative relationship with teacher on female adolescents’ substance use was mediated by depression, while the effect of learning-relevant strain was partially mediated. The implications not only for the theoretical framework of GST but also for prevention programs were suggested.