Digital Commons Network^™

Gender Differences In Youth’S Mental Health Problems During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kimberly A. Hohlfeld

Honors Capstones

The purpose of this research paper is to examine whether young girls were more likely to experience depression and anxiety symptoms than young boys during the COVID-19 pandemic at two time points, in April of 2020 and May of 2020. An additional hypothesis that was examined was whether the presence of siblings in the home moderated the association between gender and depression and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. T-tests were used to analyze the mean differences in youth mental health symptoms based on gender. Young girls were found to experience significantly higher anxiety symptoms in May of 2020 than …

Assessing The Association Between Experiential Avoidance, Resilience, And Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms, Victoria G. Latayan

Honors Capstones

Resilience is a specific skill that can be fostered over time which, when mastered in greater amounts, allows individuals to more readily cope with interpersonal conflict and stress. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which experiential avoidance of distressing stimuli and trait resilience predict Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. To test this, participants were instructed to complete self-report questionnaires that assessed experiential avoidance and resilience. Each participant also completed the PTSD checklist for DSM-5. The results of the study showed that while trait resilience did not significantly predict Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms (PTSS), experiential avoidance and …

Let The Music Play:Using Community Engagement To Develop A New Sustainable Audience, Leslie D. Wilcher

Student Capstone Projects

Abstract

The Symphony is a dying breed of live music. The lack of classical music education and interest has left barriers to the symphony. Around the country, nonprofit symphonies are adapting to build a sustainable audience. So, how do we stop the closures of the orchestras? How does the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra engage the community through programming and events to accommodate a new sustainable audience for the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra (KSO)? My research will show that new audience members are waiting to be introduced to the symphony.

This research shows that community engagement is the key to bringing a sustainable …

Breaking The Loop: Strategies For Fighting Climate Change On U.S. Farms, Ashley Barry

Honors Capstones

Climate change is an increasingly urgent area of research due to the hardships it causes for lands and communities across the globe. Specifically in regard to the United States (U.S.), climate change has many concerning implications on our agricultural system. Increased weather hazards, decreased crop production, and drought are just a few of the hardships American farmers are facing in their fight to keep their farms alive and feed their communities, despite a rapidly changing climate. This study investigates how farmers can fight and prevent climate change through the use of specific mitigation and adaptation strategies on their farms. Semi- …

Panem's Parallel's: Authoritarianism In The Real World, Quentin J. Stewart

Honors Capstones

Throughout the twentieth century, there has been an increasing awareness and fear of authoritarian governments in the Western world, the United States in particular. While these methods of governance were steadily becoming more present in Western media throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, portrayals of authoritarianism and dystopia experienced a peak in popularity toward the end of the two-thousands decade, with book and film franchises like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins spearheading this emergence. Many of the themes and aspects of the series setting alert the audience to many of the ways authoritarianism can be seen in real life, …

Train Travel As An Adventure, Stormy Kara

Honors Capstones

The train is often seen as a slow, old, and antiquated mode of transportation, and the prevalence of train travel in the modern-day United States is nowhere near where it once was. Other methods of transportation, such as the airplane or the automobile, have taken over as primary choices for travelers in the country. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (2022) reported approximately 80,400,000 trips were taken by airplane in July 2022, compared with just 2,500,000 trips taken via intercity rail in the same time period. However, more than 300 intercity trains operate daily via the quasi-public corporation Amtrak and serve …

The Effects Of Color On Flavor, Tiffany S. Yoo

Honors Capstones

Color and its relation to flavor, is a complex cognitive phenomenon that researchers today are still trying to decipher. The present literature review is an examination of the history of color, process of color perception, the effects of additional factors such as saturation, the exploration of senses that may potentially contribute to perception itself, and the different modern theories suggested. The purpose of this project was to review, revise, and narrow down which theories can be deemed as accurate in terms of the amount of support addressed by modern literature. While a clear-cut answer was not concluded, three potential theories …

Odds At A Job: The Post – Graduate Success Of Nngo Students, Dasha Denia Randle

Student Capstone Projects

This capstone is a case study on graduates from Northern Illinois University who majored, minored, or received a certificate in Nonprofit and NGO studies. This qualitative and quantitative study seeks to measure the employment trends of graduates from the Nonprofit and NGO studies major. As well as make a comparison between the post-graduate experiences of graduates who interned via the Center for Nonprofit and NGO studies and graduates who didn’t. Prior research suggests that paid internships generally have a positive correlation with entry-level career success. However, there is not much research on this relationship within the social sector. I’m interested …

Factors That Influence Black Youth Voter Turnout, Arianna T. Ramos

Honors Capstones

This paper examines the factors that influence black youth voter turnout. First, this paper discusses how it is related to and implemented into black studies. After a brief justification of the need, this paper examines specific factors that influence black youth voter turnout. These factors are then applied with factors that affect youth voter turnout. This paper ends with a survey for black students between the ages of 18-25 to study the factors that influence black youth voter turnout.

Analyzing Parent Trust As A Predictor Of Parental Involvement With Adhd As Moderator, Justin D. Ligeski

Honors Capstones

The current study examined the relationship between parent trust and parent involvement. Higher levels of parent involvement have been shown to have positive effects on child behavior and achievement, and past studies have found significant positive correlations between levels of trust and involvement. ADHD was examined as a possible moderator of the association between trust and parent involvement. Extant data from a larger study involving parents of students in kindergarten was examined. Regression was used to examine the association between parent trust and parent involvement behaviors. ADHD was included in the regression models as a moderator. Results indicated that some …

Nonprofit Employee Work Engagement: A Ripple Effect Impacting Communities, Isabel Raymundo

Student Capstone Projects

The nonprofit sector is experiencing a growth in professionalization, and as such it is important to pay attention to keeping employees engaged at work to be able to compete in a competitive job market. As most nonprofit employees do direct service work, keeping employees engaged should be a primary focus since the sector is known for burnout. Not only is work engagement essential for employee retention, but due to the intensity of the work to meet the mission of the organization, keeping employees engaged is better for the overall health of the organization. If employees are engaged in their work, …

Thrifting Your Way To The Bank: How Student Consumption Of Recycled Clothing Impacts Financial Stability, Ally Mikos

Student Capstone Projects

This qualitative study examines the impact that is made upon university student’s finances when purchasing recycled clothing. It analyzes how utilizing recycled, free or reduced price clothing sources affects student finances as compared to full price/new purchases. Previous research has indicated that two thirds of college students have acquired debt by the time of graduation, yet students have been found to spend as much as $1,000 on clothing per semester. Despite the clear financial burden of paying for college, students still prioritize shopping for clothing, which prompts the research question: To what extent does college student’s use of recycled clothing …

Only 2000 Psi Of Bottom-Time Air: A Case Study Of Diveheart Participant Social Capital, Kirk J. Williams

Student Capstone Projects

Social capital development for many, but not all, is a relatively organic process, and as social creatures, people work together to reach collective goals. The defined interactions related to the practices of societal norms, taboos, and broad cultural acceptance are constructs of communal decisions lending deep credence to the value of any number of the social capital definitions. However, opportunities are not always readily available to individuals living with disabilities, so they can and do get left out to varied degrees. With unsurprising results, previous research relied on comparing survey data from individuals with and without disabilities to identify possible …

The Effect Of Abortion Rights’ Political Activity On Engagement With Planned Parenthood, Emma C. Hazen

Student Capstone Projects

In 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States. Abortion became a hot topic of debate. Activists turned their attention to the issue with new vigor, and countless nonprofits became involved as well. The purpose of this study serves to explore the influence of political activity pertaining to abortion rights on Planned Parenthood. The aim is to analyze the ways that Planned Parenthood, as a national nonprofit, is affected by changes in the political sphere, which in turn generates activity via abortion activists.

This study will evaluate the extent to which abortion activity in …

Mothers’ Use Of Internal State Words With Toddlers With And Without Hearing Loss During Natural Play, Sarah D. Screnock

Honors Capstones

This study examined differences between mothers’ use of internal state words with toddlers with hearing loss and toddlers without hearing loss. Mothers’ speech to toddlers without hearing loss and mothers of toddlers with hearing loss while engaging in natural play was transcribed and analyzed using Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT) software. Twelve toddlers with hearing loss were age matched with 12 toddlers without hearing loss and were also language matched with twelve additional toddlers without hearing loss to create three participant groups- hearing loss, age matched, and MLU matched controls. Mothers’ internal state words were identified and categorized by …

Christianity And Mental Health Counseling: Voices Of The Black-Negro American Experience, Kyle Preston Goodwin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The narration of the lived experiences of Black-Negro Christian Americans in relation to mental health counseling services is vital because opportunities for researchers and clinicians to hear their voices instead of a story written for them by the leading culture is created. Specifically, when it comes to Black-Negro spirituality and religion as part of Black-Negro culture, it is one of the most beautiful and intriguing experiences that exists. A critical theory paradigm is being used for how knowledge is created and disseminated for the purposes of social change. Narrative Qualitative research is used to capture the Black-Negro voice, along with …

Nigerian Media: A Comparative Media Analysis, Temilade Inumidun Adeeko

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The comparative media analysis of Nigeria using Hallin and Mancini's model provides an insightful examination of the country's media system. Hallin and Mancini's model analyzes four dimensions: the degree of state intervention, the degree of political parallelism, the level of journalistic professionalism, and the role of the state. They offer three models of media and politics: The Liberal model, the Democratic Corporatist, and the Polarized Pluralist. Nigeria’s media system is characterized by high state intervention and political parallelism, significant control over media content by the state, a close relationship between the media and political parties, and a low level of …

Herstory 101: Examining The Representation Gap Of Bipoc Women Educational Leaders, Kinasha Brown

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Background/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how lived experiences influenced perceptions of leadership self-efficacy amongst Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color (BIPOC) women educational leaders in order to minimize future representation gaps in educational leadership. Methods: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 14 BIPOC cis-gender female leaders who worked in a large school district in the southwestern region of the United States. Results: Examining the social constructs of race, gender, leadership makes clear how BIPOC women are socially constructed as inferior and how that played out in this educational leadership settings. The interconnectedness of both approaches contributes to …

Understanding The Impact Of Illinois’ Evidence-Based Funding Law: An Examination Of Spending For The First Three Years, Christopher T. Johnson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation comprises an examination of how school districts have allocated the resources they received as a result of the Illinois Evidenced-Based Funding (EBF) for Student Success law. The law was passed in 2017 with the rationale of providing additional resources to school districts based on evidenced-based approaches, with the vast majority of the funds to be allocated to districts in financial need. A brief history of school funding is extrapolated from the literature. An overview of the law and the resources that it brought to districts is then provided, followed by an analysis of how those resources were spent. …

Uruguayan Parents' Perceptions About Educational Segregation In Uruguayan Public Elementary Schools: A Case Study, Natalia Fernández

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Educational segregation has been increasing across public elementary schools in Uruguay producing negative effects on students’ outcomes, performance, and opportunities. It also affects social cohesion. Previous studies detect the presence of educational segregation in Uruguay, identify the predominance of socioeconomic segregation in education in the country, and study the relationships between public and private institutions. A review of the extant literature demonstrates there is a gap in the exploration of the possible factors that contribute to the phenomenon. Moreover, there is a need to know the perceptions and experiences of Uruguayan families about the influence of these factors in their …

Evaluating The Impact Of Bitcoin On International Asset Allocation Using Mean-Variance, Conditional Value-At-Risk (Cvar), And Markov Regime Switching Approaches, Mohammadreza Mahmoudi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This paper aims to analyze the effect of Bitcoin on portfolio optimization using mean-variance, conditional value-at-risk (CVaR), and Markov regime switching approaches. I assessed each approach and developed the next based on the prior approach’s weaknesses until I ended with a high level of confidence in the final approach. Though the results of mean-variance and CVaR frameworks indicate that Bitcoin improves the diversification of a well-diversified international portfolio, they assume that assets’ returns are developed linearly and normally distributed. However, the Bitcoin return does not have both of these characteristics. Due to this, I developed a Markov regime switching approach …

A Single-Case Alternating Treatments Design Utilzing Quantitative Electroencephalography To Observe And Measure Mental State Trends During Individual Participant Non-Nature-Based Small Initiative Adventure Therapy Experiences, Patrick Lane Robert Mcmillion

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This single-case alternating-treatments design research study observed and measured mental state trends during the counseling approach known as Adventure Therapy (AT) using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG). Participants wore a qEEG headset while participating in a multi-stage AT experience. Two problems were addressed in this study. The first was the lack of research in AT utilizing other empirical measures beyond subjective report surveys and the outcomes of specific programs. The second was the lack of neuroscientific measurement of counseling approaches and interventions within the field of counseling in general. There is a need for empirical evidence supporting AT to address access barriers …

Family Routines And Parental Warmth As Potential Protective Factors On The Relation Between Housing Instability And Child Outcomes, Joanna Keane

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Housing instability is associated with numerous poor child outcomes in domains such as behavioral problems, emotional problems, and academic achievement. The impacts of housing instability on child outcomes are typically investigated in the context of sociodemographic risk; however, exploring the role of protective factors (e.g., family routines, parental warmth) in these contexts allows for a more thorough understanding of the effect of housing instability and how potential negative outcomes might be mitigated. The present study further explored the relation between early housing instability and child behavioral, emotional, and academic outcomes in middle-childhood in addition to the potential moderating role of …

Efficacy Of A Brief Mindfulness Intervention For Not-Just-Right Experiences, Samuel Richard Cares

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The obsessions and compulsions that define the diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) traditionally have been characterized by harm avoidance. However, harm avoidance is neither specific to OCD nor does it comprehensively explain all symptoms with which individuals with OCD present. Emerging research has focused on incompleteness—and its manifestation through the phenomenon of not just right experiences (NJREs)—as a potential motivating factor for OCD symptoms. Whereas Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is conceptually relevant to—and empirically supported for treating—symptoms characterized by harm avoidance, there is an unclear connection between ERP and symptoms characterized by incompleteness. Research has begun to explore ways …

Evaluating The Attention Training Technique As A Transdiagnostic Intervention For Fear-Based Psychopathological Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Benjamin John Ellem

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Recent research indicates that fear-related psychological disorders are a distinguished class of psychopathology, all of which share the underlying endophenotype of maladaptive acute fear responding. The relationship between maladaptive fear responding and psychopathology has been found to be moderated by executive functioning capacity—most notably attentional control. However, the current psychopathological nosology does not link fear-based disorders together. As a result, many fear-based disorders are treated separately with different evidence-based psychotherapies. These psychotherapies tend to focus on reducing phenotypic behaviors or self-reported experience of symptoms. Individuals with fear-based disorders may be better served by treatments that focus on the aforementioned endophenotypes …

Grey To Green: The Impact Of Environmental Policy On Us Crime Rates, Kassandra Gonzalez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the social implications of climate change and environmental degradation on deviant and criminal behavior. This study employs general strain theory to examine the effectiveness of city-level climate change mitigation actions in reducing crime rates. Through a systematic approach, this study reviews literature on environmental harms and community strain and explores the impact of local pro-environmental policies on crime reduction. Focusing on the United States, UCR crime rate reports and UN-guided Sustainable Development Goal data are analyzed at the US county level. The findings suggest that sustainable practices, especially those related to local infrastructure and community engagement, could …

A Test And Extension Of Workplace Inclusion Theory: Clarifying Relationships Among Organizational Inclusion Practices, Employees’ Feelings Of Inclusion, And Associated Well-Being And Work Outcomes, Robert T. Keating

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Despite the growth of workplace inclusion research and practice over the last 20 years, conceptual clarity and theoretically grounded research have lagged. The current study used baseline data and twice-daily measurements over a two-week period to test and extend a prominent model of workplace inclusion (i.e., Shore et al. 2011). This involved testing bivariate and indirect relationships between inclusion practices (work involvement, inclusive leadership, and diversity climate), felt inclusion, and well-being and work outcomes (affect, organizational commitment, work engagement, and citizenship behavior), as proposed in the original model. I extended the model to test individual differences in the need for …

Intergenerational Transmission Of Parenting: Does Emotion Regulation Buffer The Effect Of Negative Early Care Experiences On The Cortisol Stress Response And Subsequent Caregiving?, Erin Rochelle Mckay

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

A phenomenon known as the intergenerational transmission of parenting, where children tend to parent their children in a manner similar to how their own parents provided care, has received notable attention within developmental research. While several mechanisms focusing on cognitive and psychological factors have been proposed, there is less research examining biological mechanisms within the intergenerational transmission of parenting framework, especially when considering caregiving behavior exhibited in the context of child distress. Further, few studies have examined parent attributes which may disrupt the intergenerational transmission of parenting. The current study seeks to examine the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis stress response as …

Evaluating The Impact Of Examiner Variability On The Verbal Comprehension Index Of The Wisc-V, Brooke A. Butcher

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to: a) explore rater variability on the VCI, b) explore rater tendencies, and c) compare rater tendencies between graduate students and licensed and/or certified school psychologists. Considering the results of prior literature that has investigated scoring errors and inter-rater agreement on the WISC, it was hypothesized that examiners would be significantly different from one another (overall and between groups) in terms of their tendencies towards severity/leniency on the Vocabulary and Similarities subtests. Raters (N = 10) were comprised of two groups: a) graduate students in training to become school psychologists (n = 5) …

The Impact Of Credit On Domestic Investment: Case Of West African Economic And Monetary Union Countries, Sylvie Sanou

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis evaluates the impact of credit offered by the banking system on the investment rate of seven West African countries that are members of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) countries using data from the World Bank dataset from 1996-2012. Using a fixed effect model and random intercept model, I find that the credit offered by the banking system to private investors has a positive and statistically significant effect on the investment rate. In contrast, no significant effect was found for the credit offered by the banking system to the government. Further, I find a negative relationship …