Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Cultural, Health, And Technology Intersections: A Focus On Migrant Experiences, Merna Mina, Sahij Gill

Bridges: An Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Connections

Despite the plethora of theories and frameworks addressing culture, health, and technology adoption, there remains a notable absence of a unifying theory that comprehensively encompasses all three aspects, particularly concerning newcomers. The Health Belief Model, for example, underscores individual perceptions and attitudes toward health yet fails to consider the intricate interplay between cultural factors and technology adoption among immigrant populations. The Healthy Immigrant Effect, which posits that immigrants often exhibit better health outcomes than native-born individuals, does not mention the role of technology on health outcomes. Acculturation theories, while shedding light on the adaptation process, often fall short of explaining …

Improving Ethics Surrounding Collegiate-Level Hacking Education: Recommended Implementation Plan & Affiliation With Peer-Led Initiatives, Shannon Morgan, Dr. Sanjay Goel

Military Cyber Affairs

Cybersecurity has become a pertinent concern, as novel technological innovations create opportunities for threat actors to exfiltrate sensitive data. To meet the demand for professionals in the workforce, universities have ramped up their academic offerings to provide a broad range of cyber-related programs (e.g., cybersecurity, informatics, information technology, digital forensics, computer science, & engineering). As the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of hackers evolve, the knowledge and skillset required to be an effective cybersecurity professional have escalated accordingly. Therefore, it is critical to train cyber students both technically and theoretically to actively combat cyber criminals and protect the confidentiality, integrity, …

The Mental And Physical Health Of College Students, Cole Palmer, Tiffany Strickland, Nolan Moore, Salvatore Moore, Juan Martinez

ENGL 1102 Showcase

The physical and mental health of college students has been a big topic in recent years, and it is the one that we have chosen. Our inspiration for choosing this topic came from being college students and getting a firsthand view of this issue. Since we are college students, who are navigating the difficulties of higher education daily, we see the issues of mental and physical health in ourselves and among our peers. Exploring the interconnectedness of societal attitudes, nutrition, and physical health regarding mental health is the inspiration for these topics as well. Each individual topic in this paper …

Mypov: Promoting Self-Efficacy And Empowerment Amongst Foster Youth, Hanah Friel

Senior Capstone Papers

Trauma is a key player in the lives of young people within the child welfare system. Adverse childhood experiences define the course of life for many foster youths prior to entering the system, and for many, exemplify their time during and after foster care. The results of this trauma are often overwhelming and far-reaching, as traumatic behaviors often take the form of distrust and dysregulation. Moreover, trauma can disrupt one’s sense of safety and contribute to feelings of disempowerment. For many, it is rare that our lives are representative of a complete lack of opportunity for self-efficacy and empowerment; however, …

Building Technology Breaks Into Classroom Instruction To Reduce Media Multitasking And Increase Learning, Lisa Decicco

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The current study was designed to investigate the impact of media multitasking on learning outcomes in the classroom. The goal was to develop an instructional intervention that reduces the negative effects of media multitasking on learning outcomes by incorporating technology breaks into the instructional design. High school students in an all-girls school took part in three learning sessions, each with a different instructional strategy related to media multitasking in the classroom: Condition 1: Instruction as Usual; Condition 2: No access to technology; Condition 3: Technology Breaks. Students completed a pre and post-test knowledge-based assessment to measure their retention of the …

Embracing Virtual Reality Technology With Black Adolescents To Redress Police Encounters, Danielle M. Olson, Tyler Musgrave, Divya Gumudavelly, Chardee Galan, Sarita Schoenebeck, D. Fox Harrell, Riana E. Anderson

Journal of Youth Development

As Black youth face race-related stress from personal and vicarious experiences with police, practices advancing youth’s coping self-efficacy and agency are needed. We describe the pilot of a program supporting Black adolescents in creating virtual narratives detailing encounters and resolutions with police and offer preliminary observations of how this program could facilitate racial coping and emotional support. The program included four weeks consisting of both curriculum-based instruction and hands-on activities, four weeks solely focused on designing and developing students’ projects, and one week devoted to students’ final project presentations and peer feedback. We utilized a participatory design to co-create narratives …

Integrating Dei Strategies Into Talent Acquisition To Recruit And Retain Women Of Color In Information Technology, Mia Rai Trahan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigates the perceptions of hiring teams and women of color (WOC) in the Information Technology (IT) industry about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in talent acquisition practices. While many organizations advocate for DEI, the IT industry shows a notably disproportionate representation of WOC. The research utilized a qualitative approach to incorporate the viewpoints of 12 hiring professionals and 12 WOC from the IT field to uncover recruitment strategies to enhance DEI for WOC in technology positions. Data were collected through virtual interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The study reveals a positive correlation between DEI initiatives and elevated …

New Commandments, Jacob Sussman

Masters Theses

I reach into the earth, pull out mud-encrusted objects, and recombine them to define new meanings. With every object transposed, the past breaks down; new potentials form. “New Commandments” recombines historical symbolism through an intuitive building, destroying, and merging to reimagine or re-establish meaning.

The work critiques rites of passage, masculinity, and stereotypes by deconstructing how histories, ideologies, and preconceptions form.

As a queer person raised in-between Judaism and Christianity, social preconceptions and religious expectations festered my formation. Our choice is taken away at this moment of conception. To take back autonomy, I reimagine historical, and religious symbolism and transmute …

Gambling Digital Tools Across The Player Spectrum: Promising Practices And Future Opportunities, Melissa Salmon Phd, Sasha Stark Phd

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

In our technology-focused culture, the supply and demand of digital information and support has skyrocketed. In the gambling field specifically, the number and breadth of available tools for the provision of support and information have increased greatly in the last few years. However, questions exist around the appropriateness, effectiveness, and implications of gambling-focused digital tools. The current program of work focuses on answering the question: How can technology be used to deliver information and support to those across the player continuum of gambling involvement and harm? To this end, we first describe the current ecosystem of digital tools (i.e., technology …

Utilizing New Technologies To Measure Therapy Effectiveness For Mental And Physical Health, Jonathan Ossie

Dissertations

Mental health is quickly becoming a major policy concern, with recent data reporting increasing and disproportionately worse mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, increased substance abuse, and elevated suicidal ideation. One specific population that is especially high risk for these issues is the military community because military conflict, deployment stressors, and combat exposure contribute to the risk of mental health problems.

Although several pharmacological approaches have been employed to combat this epidemic, their efficacy is mixed at best, which has led to novel nonpharmacological approaches. One such approach is Operation Surf, a nonprofit that provides nature-based programs advocating the restorative …

Direct Support Professionals' Perspectives On Using Technology To Help Support Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Mixed Methods Study., Christina A. Simmons, Abigail E Moretti, Andrea F Lobo, Patrice D Tremoulet

Faculty Scholarship for the College of Science & Mathematics

BACKGROUND: Documentation is a critical responsibility for direct support professionals (DSPs) who work with adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, it contributes significantly to their workload. Targeted efforts must be made to mitigate the burden of necessary data collection and documentation, which contributes to high DSP turnover rates and poor job satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE: This mixed methods study aimed to explore how technology could assist DSPs who work with adults with ASD and prioritize aspects of technology that would be most useful for future development efforts.

METHODS: In the first study, 15 DSPs who worked with adults with ASD participated …

Increasing Mental Health Treatment-Seeking In Emerging Adult College-Student Survivors Of Sexual Assault: A Randomized Controlled Trial Of An Online Intervention, Jessica Huntt

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of sexual violence, particularly in emerging adult women, is alarming (Sinozich & Langton, 2014; Smith et al., 2017), and rates of treatment seeking are low (e.g., Smith et al., 2010). Engagement strategies and motivational interviewing have garnered support in mitigating barriers to mental health treatment-seeking (e.g., Lerch et al., 2017). However, young college women often do not seek treatment for symptoms following sexual violence due to additional barriers such as shame and institutional betrayal (Holland, 2019; Logan et al, 2005). Lack of treatment can lead to long-term detriments (e.g., Halpern et al., 2018) and there is little research …

Effect Of Gender And Attachment Styles On The Formation Of Parasocial Rleationships, Breanna Carlson, Frank Lien

Concordia Journal of Communication Research

New streaming services, social media platforms, and advances in talk and text are constantly developing in society today. The constant addition to new technological outlets creates a larger platform for viewers to watch and follow their favorite celebrity, television character, or influencers whenever they want. The researchers chose to investigate how a person’s attachment style affects both the likelihood and severity of forming a parasocial relationship with their favorite celebrity or T.V. personality. Specifically, the researchers explored the effect both gender and experiences affect this connection. Participants of the study attend a Lutheran, faith-based institution of college education in an …

Consumers’ Responses To New Technologies In The Marketplace, Umair Usman

Theses and Dissertations--Marketing and Supply Chain

Chapter 1. This research examines whether the use of blockchain technology to back a brand’s claims (i.e., blockchain augmented claims) influences consumer preference for sustainable products. Consumers are demanding higher levels of transparency from brands and are also showing keen interest in consuming sustainable products, which includes products that promote social, environmental and economic sustainability. Recent advancement in digital technology, specifically blockchain, is offering an opportunity for brands to meet both these consumer demands. In five laboratory studies, I demonstrate that blockchain augmented claims, as compared to traditional industry practices (i.e., use of third-party labels and brand’s self-made claims), increases …

Covid-19, Mental Health, Technology Use, And Job Satisfaction Among School Psychology Trainers, Joel O. Bocanegra, Jennifer Gallup, Minghui Hou, Aaron A. Gubi, Chung-Hau Fan, Nai-Jiin Yang, Celal Perihan

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to exacerbate the school psychology personnel crisis. There is a dearth of knowledge regarding how the pandemic has impacted school psychology trainers and course delivery. In this national study, 92 school psychology trainers completed an online questionnaire regarding technological instructional changes, job satisfaction, and their own mental health well-being during the pandemic. Findings suggest that during the portion of the pandemic assessed most trainers reported that they: (a) switched from in-person instruction to primarily online instruction, (b) were mostly satisfied with their jobs, and (c) generally experienced a positive sense of well-being. Furthermore, a sizable portion …

Communication With Families: Understanding The Perspectives Of Early Childhood Teachers, Pearl Avari, Erin Hamel, Rachel E. Schachter, Holly Hatton-Bowers

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Communication between teachers and families in early childhood is a key aspect of successful teacher-family engagement. The goal of this exploratory study was to investigate how teachers communicated with families in early childhood classrooms and what they communicated about. This study of 31 teachers working with children birth to age five, primarily in the Midwestern U.S. examined how they described communication with families using semi-structured interviews. Findings indicated that teachers used multiple formats to communicate with families about children’s daily routines, developmental progress, and other relevant information. Teachers preferred in-person communication although challenges occurred due to classroom dynamics and the …

Lost In Digitization: Physical Products Are Vessels For Social Meaning, Oden H. Groth

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The explosion in digitization means that consumers increasingly have the opportunity to choose between digital and physical versions of products — for example, between an eBook and a paperback book. However, despite the popularity of digital objects, many people nonetheless prefer physical equivalents. This dissertation explores one reason why this may be the case; namely, that physical versions of objects and products are better vessels for social meaning. In chapter 1, explore the specialness of physical objects, and posit that materiality is critical for holding and embodying significance. In chapter 2, I investigate the effects of product format on perceptions …

Teaching Psychology In V2: To Stream Or Not To Stream, That Is The Question, Andrew L. Vincent Mr.

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

University education has historically occurred in face-to-face settings such as the traditional campus lecture hall. However, university teaching has increasingly been instructed online, especially since the recent lockdowns that took place during the COVID19 pandemic. During the pandemic period, many post-secondary institutions took to online teaching formats which often included asynchronous lessons provided by pre-recorded video or synchronous lessons conducted over video conferencing software. Unfortunately, online courses potentially limit the amount of communication possible between student and professor and therefore the engagement between the two may have been limited. Due to this, concerns have been expressed that students may feel …

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy: A Quick Summary, Catherine S. Lin

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Functional Near-InfraRed Spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a type of optical imagery technology that is used to visualize changes in the hemodynamic response (changes in hemoglobin concentrations in response to increased neural activity) near the surface of the brain. Researchers use fNIRA to visualize which brain regions show increased activity during specific experimental conditions. fNIRS is a portable and relatively inexpensive neuroimaging technology, and works well in studies that require many participants, movement, or social environments and interactions.

A Qualitative Look Into Repair Practices, Jumana Labib

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

This research poster is based on a working research paper which moves beyond the traditional scope of repair and examines the Right to Repair movement from a smaller, more personal lens by detailing the 6 categorical impediments as dubbed by Dr. Alissa Centivany (design, law, economic/business strategy, material asymmetry, informational asymmetry, and social impediments) have continuously inhibited repair and affected repair practices, which has consequently had larger implications (environmental, economic, social, etc.) on ourselves, our objects, and our world. The poster builds upon my research from last year (see "The Right to Repair: (Re)building a better future"), this time pulling …

The Impact Of Mobile Technology-Delivered Interventions On Youth Well-Being: Systematic Review And 3-Level Meta-Analysis, Colleen Conley, Elizabeth B. Raposa, Kate Bartolotta, Sarah E. Broner, Maya Hareli, Nicola Forbes, Kirsten M. Christensen, Mark Assink

Psychology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Background: Rates of mental health problems among youth are high and rising, whereas treatment seeking in this population remains low. Technology-delivered interventions (TDIs) appear to be promising avenues for broadening the reach of evidence-based interventions for youth well-being. However, to date, meta-analytic reviews on youth samples have primarily been limited to computer and internet interventions, whereas meta-analytic evidence on mobile TDIs (mTDIs), largely comprising mobile apps for smartphones and tablets, have primarily focused on adult samples.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mTDIs for a broad range of well-being outcomes in unselected, at-risk, and clinical samples of …

Can Technology Reduce The Stress Of The Child Welfare Practitioner?, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

Information and communication technology (ICT) “has the potential to dramatically shift and enhance social work practice,” according to Berzin, Singer, & Chan (2015). ICT includes tools that allow users to both communicate with colleagues and clients and access, store, transmit, and manipulate information (Perron et al., 2010). Such technology integration can create practices that are more flexible, on-demand, and individualized not only to the families served, but also to the practitioner. Mobile technology, as well as other technologies (e.g., gaming, social media, robotics, wearable technologies) will enhance practice gains and result in more timely, accurate, and targeted services (Berzin, Singer, …

Therapist Facilitative Interpersonal Skills In Simulated Text-Based Telepsychotherapy With Cultural Minority Clients, Carly Max Schwartzman

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Objective: The prevalence of mental health difficulties has increased, yet the availability and use of mental health services remains low, particularly in traditionally underserved groups. Telepsychotherapy via videoconferencing has been advertised as a means of mitigating barriers to accessing mental healthcare for these populations, though less attention has focused on text-based approaches. Indeed, although text-based telepsychotherapy is currently widely available, its efficacy in treating folx from cultural minority identities is unknown. Additionally, no research to date has studied the adaptation of multiculturally competent psychotherapy practice to a text-based platform. Thus, this project aimed to examine therapist facilitative interpersonal skills via …

Advancing Technology & Digital Lifestyles: Facilitating A Group Independent Study, Kailey Droz

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

For my senior capstone project, I facilitated a group independent study (ISP) through Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies at Western Washington University called Advancing Technology and Digital Lifestyles. A small group of students and I critically and creatively analyzed our relationship with technology, and its impacts on the individual, interpersonal relationships, culture, and society. Prior to facilitating, I did research within the fields of cyberpsychology, social psychology, communication studies, and media studies. I am sharing my syllabus and facilitation notes, my final project (two short stories), an annotated bibliography, and a reflection on the group ISP and my process.

Here …

Designing Respectful Tech: What Is Your Relationship With Technology?, Noreen Y. Whysel

Publications and Research

According to research at the Me2B Alliance, people feel they have a relationship with technology. It’s emotional. It’s embodied. And it’s very personal. We are studying digital relationships to answer questions like “Do people have a relationship with technology?” “What does that relationship feel like?” And “Do people understand the commitments that they are making when they explore, enter into and dissolve these relationships?” There are parallels between messy human relationships and the kinds of relationships that people develop with technology. As with human relationships, we move through states of discovery, commitment and breakup with digital applications as well. Technology …

Technology, Case Practice, And Turnover: Early Findings From Virginia, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

Listening sessions conducted by Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) staff with child welfare staff across the state and exit survey results from the 120 local departments of social services (LDSS) found that the biggest complaint among caseworkers, particularly those leaving their jobs, was the lack of technological supports and flexibility to help them complete administrative tasks more quickly. VDSS, in partnership with the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QICWD), designed a multi-phase case-supportive technology intervention to help child welfare caseworkers complete their case notes and other administrative tasks required as part of their job. The goals of the …

Constructing Engineering Knowledge Through Tinkering, Reflection, And Digital Storytelling, Lauren C. Pagano

Dissertations

Educators and researchers suggest that informal learning activities in museums, libraries, and families’ homes can promote children’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning (Sobel & Jipson, 2016). Tinkering, a form of hands-on problem-solving involving real tools and materials, is one way to engage families in engineering design processes. However, tinkering activities vary greatly in terms of the goals presented, the resources available, and opportunities to test (Bevan, 2017). Across three studies, we examined how variations in tinkering exhibit design and parent-child interaction relate to children’s memory and STEM learning. In Study 1, we examined the structure and content of …

Artificial Intelligence: An Interprofessional Perspective On Implications For Geriatric Mental Health Research And Care, Brenna N. Renn, Matthew Schurr, Oleg Zaslavsky, Abhishek Pratap

Psychology Faculty Research

Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare aims to learn patterns in large multimodal datasets within and across individuals. These patterns may either improve understanding of current clinical status or predict a future outcome. AI holds the potential to revolutionize geriatric mental health care and research by supporting diagnosis, treatment, and clinical decision-making. However, much of this momentum is driven by data and computer scientists and engineers and runs the risk of being disconnected from pragmatic issues in clinical practice. This interprofessional perspective bridges the experiences of clinical scientists and data science. We provide a brief overview of AI with the main …

The Challenges Of Evaluating The Usability Of Augmented Reality (Ar), Jessyca L. Derby, Barbara S. Chaparro

Publications

Augmented reality (AR) is a new and emerging technology that could benefit from evaluating its usability to better the user’s experience with the device or application. This is often done through usability testing and heuristic evaluations. However, AR technology presents some challenges when completing these usability evaluations. Practitioners need to keep in mind the hardware limitations of AR devices that may not be present with other computerized technology, consistency of the users’ environment plays a larger role in the AR experience, recognize that a novelty effect may occur and affect subjective scores, and choose heuristic sets that will best evaluate …

Cyber Dating Abuse Among Emerging Adult Latina Women, Yanet Ruvalcaba

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the experience of cyber dating abuse victimization among Latina women in emerging adulthood. There is particular emphasis on investigating the relationship between cyber dating abuse victimization and risk and protective factors. Study one implemented a strength-based approach to investigating culturally relevant factors against cyber dating abuse victimization. The relationship between acculturation and familial social support varied based on the subtypes of abuse. Specifically, the best fitting pathways in the structural equation model indicated that Latinx cultural orientation was protective against sexual cyber dating abuse victimization, and this relationship was mediated by family support.

Study two focused on …