Kobia Thesis

EXAMINING TEEN GIRLS’ FASHION BEHAVIOR IN THE VIRTUAL AND THE REAL
WORLD: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

A Thesis
Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the
Louisiana State University and
Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Science
In
The School of Human Ecology

By
Caroline Makena Kobia
B.Ed., Moi University, Kenya, 2000
May 2011

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My greatest debt of gratitude goes to my advisor, Dr. Chuanlan Liu, whose insightful comments, invaluable time, scholarly guidance and cooperation saw me through this study. I am most thankful for her support and encouragement that made my academic experiences so precious. I would like to thank my committees, Dr. Jenna Tedrick Kuttruff, Dr. Loren Marks and
Dr. Lisa McRoberts, for their support and expert guidance.
While it is not possible to give acknowledgements to all those who assisted me, I have to give special thanks to my husband, Thomas and my two sons Mishael and Aviel who always support, encourage, love and pray for me. I would also like to appreciate my parents, Grace and
Andrew, who have always believed in me and unceasingly prayed for me. Ultimately I give glory to God for bringing this research to an accomplishment.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ ii
LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... v
LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... vi
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. vii
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Statement of the Problem

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