Digital Commons Network^™

Educating The Policy-Makers: Analyzing The Effectiveness Of State-Level Discipline Policy In K-12, Alexandria Valkner

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

School discipline practices are an often debated topic in the field of education. In recent years, zero-tolerance policies and the use of consequences such as out-of-school suspensions have been routinely criticized. It is argued that those practices limit in-school instructional time and, therefore, directly affect student performance and achievement. Moreover, such discipline policies have also been known to disproportionately affect students from racial and/or ethnic backgrounds, students with disabilities, and students from low-income families compared to their peers. As a result, other disciplinary practices that focus more on restorative communication have been pursued. But little work has been done to …

Cuando Llega La Muerte: How Undocumented Latinx Navigate The Financial And Emotional Burdens Of Death, Marilyn Valadez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Research on death in the United States primarily focuses on the experience of citizens in the country with legal documentation. As a result, there exists a gap in knowledge on the experiences of undocumented people dealing with death in the country. This thesis examines how undocumented Latinx people navigate the financial and emotional burdens of death. Specifically, the methods that are utilized by this population to overcome challenges despite their unique circumstances. The results of this thesis suggest that social networks play a significant role in helping undocumented participants move forward with burial processes and overcoming grief. Social Networks provided …

Effect Of Cash Transfer On Household Fertility Choice And Children's Human Capital Accumulation In Uganda, Shaila Ahmed

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This analysis examines the effects of conditional and unconditional cash transfer on household fertility decisions and other indicators of human capital accumulation. To test my hypotheses, I rely on the UCT and CCT sub-arms of the Cash-Plus Program recently implemented in Uganda. The design of the Cash-Plus Program follows randomized control trials for intervention. My empirical findings show that the Cash-Plus Program have no discernible impact on beneficiary households' pregnancy incidence. The only effect on the primary outcomes of interest is a marginally significant effect for household heads aged 25 to 49, who received unconditional treatments. The results also show …

Perhabs I Will: A Content Analysis And Media Production Focusing On Contemporary Comedy And Comedians, Abs Anderson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research examined the comedy talk shows Billy on the Street (2011-2017), The Eric Andre Show (2012-present), and Ziwe (2021-present) in order to discover the specific types of humor incorporated within their programs. This study searched for the presence of cringe, stand-up, surreal, sketch, and improvisational comedy in each show. The study analyzed each program using the benign violation theory and the hierarchy of influences model. A content analysis of 15 episodes selected across every program found at least three of the five genres present in their content. An additional purpose of this study was to produce a comparable program …

Understanding The Lived Experiences Of Counselors-In-Training In A Trauma Certificate Program, Mike Caverly

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Psychological trauma is common in mental health, the recent pandemic, the ongoing social justice issues, and the sociopolitical environment add to an already high rate of trauma in the general population. The literature revealed a paucity of adequately trained trauma counselors across the mental health field. Many counseling programs do not offer specialized training despite the prevalence of trauma. Further, the literature revealed that many counseling programs have a training clinic at the university that serves the campus community. The prevalence of trauma in the general community, the prevalence among university students, the likelihood of a clinic at the university, …

Exploring The Interconnections Of Role Satisfaction, Self-Efficacy, Negative Affect, And Stress Among College Students, Jonathan Emmons

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has explored the connections between various psychosocial factors among students, such as the negative association between self-efficacy and stress, or the influence of affect on stress. A separate vein of research has explored the nature of roles and how expectations and behaviors arise for particular roles such as those associated with work or school. As of yet, little to no research has attempted to bridge the gap between these veins of research in order to explore student satisfaction with various roles and what effect, if any, those perceptions have on overall levels of stress. The current study focused …

Un Estudio Sociolingüistíco Del Español De Hombres Con Descendencia Mexicana Que Se Identifican Como Homosexuales, Víctor Bulfrano Estanislao

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Ciertos rasgos lingüísticos específicos se asocian con hablantes de diferentes grupos. Los investigadores sociolingüísticos han identificado una serie de características lingüísticas como marcadores del habla homosexual en inglés y español; el presente estudio examina si estas características están presentes en el español producido por hombres homosexuales bilingües. Los hablantes examinados son hombres mexicanos de entre 18 y 30 años que viven en Chicago o los suburbios circundantes, son bilingües y se identifican como homosexuales. Los participantes completaron una serie de tareas: un cuestionario del contexto lingüístico, una narración oral y una entrevista sociolingüística grabada con el investigador. Se examinaron los …

Prisión Y Género: La Prisión Como Instrumento De Dominación Patriarcal. Un Análisis De San Lunes: Panóptico En Dos Estaciones, Alberto Fernandez Del Valle

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

En este trabajo realicé una lectura crítica de la novela San Lunes: Panóptico en dos estaciones, de Agnieska Hernández. La lectura crítica consistió en un contraste de la prisión descrita en la novela con la teoría acerca del surgimiento y propósito de la prisión, presentada por Foucault en Vigilar y castigar. En el trabajo argumento que la novela revela una dimensión ignorada por Foucault: los mecanismos de disciplina y producción de docilidad basados en el género; el género es otra dimensión de disputa política que se manifiesta con claridad en la cárcel de mujeres. Al final, señalo que la novela …

The Impossibility-Possibility Trilemma, Tammie-Louise Finnegan

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates Dani Rodrik’s “Impossibility Trilemma,” which postulates that policymakers must make a trade-off between globalization, democracy, and national sovereignty. That is, states can combine any two of these three policy orientations, but can never have all three simultaneously or in full. If correct, states who pursue all three policy objectives leave their fate, and that of the global economy, in a volatile disequilibrium. Compiling data on 169 countries spanning the period 1998-2017, this thesis empirically tests the “Impossibility Trilemma” using a time-series multivariate regression analysis and finds inconclusive evidence in support of Rodrik’s proposed theory. Specifically, it does …

Investigating Implicit Cognitive Bias Toward Guilt And Shame Among Individuals With Histories Of Childhood Emotional Abuse, Sarah B. Hill

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Exposure to negative events in childhood has been well-established as a risk factor for negative health outcomes in adulthood. Childhood emotional abuse, while frequently co-occurring with other types of abuse, is often neglected in the trauma literature, but has been found to be an important independent predictor of adult psychopathology. Shame and guilt are negative emotions often experienced by those suffering with depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may have implications for the development and maintenance of these psychological disorders. Further, generalized guilt and shame were found to be significantly higher in individuals with PTSD and depression and associated …

Estimating The Sex Of A Skeleton Using Measurements Of The Femur: Assessing Accuracy Among People Of Different Ancestry And Historic Periods, Hannah Decker

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Two of the most common elements used for sex estimation in humans are the pelvis and the skull, as measurements of these two regions can provide highly accurate results. However, in some forensic cases and archaeological sites, the skull and pelvis may be damaged or missing. As a result, it is important to develop methods for estimating the sex of an individual from other bones of the body. In this study, I specifically examined the femur and determined classification accuracy rates for six femoral measurements: the supero-inferior neck diameter, epicondylar breadth, vertical head diameter, transverse femoral head diameter, femoral shaft …

Development Of The Moral Disengagement And Bullying Scale, Shengse Ruth Jeong

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

To understand the underlying cognitive processes of youth involved in bullying has been of interest in bullying literature. The social cognitive theory is an important heuristic to understand bullying behaviors, and particularly the mechanisms of moral disengagement has gained considerable attention in research as an underlying motive for why youth engage in bullying behaviors. The current study is focused on developing a new moral disengagement measure that would incorporate the eight mechanisms of moral disengagement with bullying behaviors. The current study investigated whether the new measure can be distinguished into eight or four factors of moral disengagement mechanisms outlined by …

'Black Knight' Effect: The Role Of Russia In Countering Democratization In Montenegro And Serbia, Danilo Kalezic

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Russia’s growing presence in the Balkans represents a rising concern for the region’s democratic performance. Recent years witnessed series of events impeded by Kremlin to influence the political dynamics and internal affairs of Montenegro and Serbia. Thus, Russia exhibits all the features of ‘black knight’ for democracy in the region. The thesis looks at the impact on democracy performance of the Kremlin involvement within the two countries. It presents an analysis of the activities and strategies that are utilized to undermine democratization of the countries and how they relate to each other. Furthermore, the thesis argues that Kremlin influence in …

Impact Of Prairie Restoration On Geochemistry And Microbial Communities In Groundwater, Kayla Koenig

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Prairie restoration is important for reversing the loss of biodiversity and repairing ecosystem functions humanity is dependent on diverse ecosystems. This study looks at the impact of the beginning phases of prairie restoration on groundwater geochemistry and microbial communities the relationship between them. This research project studied the geochemistry and microbial communities in five wells before, during, and after the beginning phases of the first year of a prairie restoration on the Northern Illinois University campus. Water samples were collected bimonthly for a year and analyzed on an Ion Chromatograph. Microbial samples were collected monthly and underwent DNA extraction, amplification, …

Sexual Satisfaction And Dysfunction In Female Survivors Of Sexual Violence: The Moderating Effect Of Sexual Motivations, Kyla A. Leonard

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

One in four women are sexually assaulted at some time during their life, which often results in negative effects including lower levels of sexual satisfaction and higher rates of sexual dysfunction. While sexual violence has been consistently linked to lower levels of sexual satisfaction and higher rates of sexual dysfunction, not all women who experience sexual violence go on to experience these negative effects. This suggests that there may be another factor involved in the development of post-assault sexual problems. Research indicates that one factor may be motivation for sexual intercourse as different motivations have shown predictive value for sexual …

Parent Training Workshop For Children With Selective Mutism: A Randomized-Controlled Trial, Jacqueline M. Pabis

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The present study aimed to examine the efficacy of a parent-based workshop for child anxiety adapted from a novel parent-based intervention, Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE). This study expanded upon the current literature as the intervention was conducted with a sample consisting of parents with children who have selective mutism (SM). The sample included 53 parents (Mage = 40.34 years, 98% female, 77.4% White) of children who have SM symptoms. Participants were randomly assigned to the parent workshop condition (n = 26) or the waitlist control condition (n = 27). Participants in the workshop condition completed a 6-week …

The Moderating Effects Of Disability On The Relationship Between Job Embeddedness And Turnover Intention Among Veterans, Beverly Maier

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Nearly 26% of American adults have a disability. The goal of vocational rehabilitation for individuals with disabilities is to participate in the labor market and improve their quality of life. Employment is an excellent community reintegration. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that in 2020, a total of 4.7 million veterans received a rating of the service-connected disability from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or the U.S. Department of Defense. The unemployment rate for veterans with a disability is 6.2%, which is not a significant difference from the unemployment rate of 7.2% for veterans without a disability. According to …

Assessment Of Adolescent Anxiety, Anna E. Martinez-Snyder

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent of any group of disorders among adolescents. Further, the prevalence of anxiety disorders has been shown to increase from adolescence to young adulthood, underscoring the importance of researching adolescent anxiety. Screening for anxiety in adolescents is necessary to identify and treat these disorders, which requires measures with good psychometric properties. One aim of the present study was to examine and compare the psychometric properties of the separation anxiety, social anxiety, panic, and generalized anxiety scales of the Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS), and the Youth Anxiety …

Comparison Of Topsoil Moisture In E3sm Model Simulations And In-Situ Observations Over Illinois, Jacinda Lee Mayer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Soil moisture stimulates land-atmosphere interactions by modifying energy and water fluxes in the boundary layer and it plays an important role in climate change studies. The objective of this research is to quantify the spatial and temporal variations of the Illinois Climate Network’s (ICN) observed topsoil moisture, as well as evaluate how accurately the new climate model, E3SM, is simulating soil moisture compared to the observed data during 2003-2014. Observed topsoil moisture averaged over growing season during the 12-year period indicates a general dry-north and wet-south pattern in Illinois, and northeast and southwest become drier with the progression of the …

An Observational Study Of Maternal Parenting Behavior And Adolescent Social Anxiety, Cassandra R. Mick

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Parenting behaviors, especially maternal parenting behaviors, have been implicated in the etiology and maintenance of adolescent Social Anxiety Disorder and its symptoms for decades. Following calls from meta-analyses and literature reviews for observational measurement of parenting behaviors and preliminary results from a pilot study reviewed here, this investigation sought to evaluate the utility of the undermining autonomous relatedness (UAR) index of the Autonomy and Relatedness Coding System as a path through which maternal social anxiety symptoms are transmitted to adolescents. A racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of 64 early adolescents (Mage = 12.37; 53.1% White; 64.1% female) and their mothers …

Facilitating Equal Access For Disabled Students Who Are Incarcerated: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Study Of Community Colleges' Disability Services In For-Credit Correctional Education Programs, Jenifer K. Montag

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Issues regarding the provision of accommodations for students with disabilities exist in both traditional college environments and nonstandard settings such as medical and legal education settings. While the situation is less than optimal for disabled students seeking degrees in the general population, who are unfettered in their academic pursuits, little is known about accommodations for disabled students who are incarcerated and enrolled in for-credit courses through community colleges that have partnerships with local prisons. This mixed methods study is focused on exploring the current state of accommodation service provision by public community college disability service providers for disabled students’ who …

How Principals Influence, Facilitate, And Support Instructional Coaching Programs, Nadine Y. Norris

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative, multicase study examined how principals perceived the role of instructional coaches and how they facilitated, influenced, and supported teachers’ professional learning through the instructional coaching program. Including the researcher as a participant, 16 participants from three suburban school districts—including district-level administrators, principals, instructional coaches, and teachers—engaged in semistructured interviews. This study was framed by Desimone’s core conceptual framework for professional development and Spillane’s distributed leadership model. Data analysis revealed principals viewed instructional coaches as their partners in instructional leadership and professional learning facilitators. Principals facilitated and influenced the instructional coaching program by empowering teachers, promoting collaboration, and establishing …

Considering Construct Strength And Personality Differences On Susceptibility To Context Effects, Joy Samini Pawirosetiko

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Despite researchers’ best efforts, it still is unclear whether researchers and practitioners can feel comfortable randomizing survey items because of its inconsistent impact on psychometric properties. Using moderated non-linear factor analysis, the present study explored whether randomization, construct strength, and differences in conscientiousness and neuroticism affected respondents’ survey responding behavior to randomized and grouped versions of a communication anxiety measure. Randomization did not affect how respondents interpreted the measure’s content but did affect how they responded to matrix items that appeared next to repeated response scales. Construct strength positively predicted factor level differences, with respondents who reported feeling more certain …

Transgenerational Effects Of Chronic Preconception Stress On Developmental And Health Outcomes In Prairie Vole Offspring: Potential Mediation By Parental Emotionality, Mother-Father Bond, Or Parental Care Quality, W. Tang Watanasriyakul

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Background: A positive rearing environment is important for the health and well-being of growing offspring. Chronic parental stress can create a toxic rearing environment, which may impair developmental and sociobehavioral outcomes of the offspring. Specifically, parental stress is linked to unstable parental emotionality, tension between mother and father, and poor parenting quality, although the inter-relatedness of these factors and the mechanisms through which they contribute to the outcomes of the offspring need further investigation. The current study investigated developmental and sociobehavioral outcomes in prairie vole offspring exposed to chronic preconception stress, with parental emotionality, strength of mother-father bond, and parental …

Cambodian Government’S Responses To The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Success Story, Sopheachanboramey Tuon

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis addresses why the Cambodian government could handle the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. It investigates the factors that contribute to the government’s success. I argue that Cambodia’s success in tackling the COVID-19 crisis depends on the state’s possession of infrastructural power, which effectively enabled the government to mobilize resources, surveil people, disseminate information, and roll out vaccination across the country. Furthermore, I argue that Cambodia’s success in handling the COVID-19 pandemic also links to the government’s longing to enhance its legitimacy. These arguments are supported by the empirical findings from the interview of 25 respondents and the review …

Persistence Of Power And Subnational Democratic Performance: The Case Of Indonesia, Fnu Testriono

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

How different is the democratic performance of one province over another in Indonesia? What explains the variations in democratic performance across provinces in the country? Democratic performance varies within a country. Some subnational jurisdictions have higher electoral accountability, protect civil liberties, and deliver public goods, while others do not. Most studies on democratic performance have focused primarily on comparative analyses across nations and hence have overlooked the subnational variations. Taking advantage of subnational comparative analysis, this study examined the territorially uneven patterns of democratic performance across subnational units within Indonesia. This study utilized factor analysis to assess the performance of …

Locus Of Control, Burnout, And Work Engagement Among K-12 Teachers During Covid-19 Remote Learning, Kellie Menter

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

While teaching can be a satisfying career, teachers often report higher levels of stress than professionals in other fields. Left unmanaged, stress can lead to the occupational syndrome burnout, which can have detrimental effects on physical and mental health. In addition to the negative impact on the health and well-being of the teacher, burnout also has an indirect influence on students, as children in classrooms of teachers experiencing burnout tend to have lowered academic success and more behavioral difficulties. During the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers faced new challenges that may have contributed to stress levels. Conversely, some teachers report work engagement …

Early Life Stress Inoculation Effects On Adult Behaviors, Oreoluwa Ibukunolupo Akinbo

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Chronic and acute stressors are implicated in mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety and posttraumatic disorder. These adulthood disorders may be influenced by stressor exposure during early life. However, controlled mild stressors are linked to the building of resiliency towards later intense stressors. Previously, rodent models have been used to investigate the resilience-promoting effects of early life stress inoculation protocols. For example, the presentation of mild stressors (such as an experimenter handling a rodent for brief periods of time) or exposure to environmental enrichment (such as a presenting a variety of items and activities in the home cage of a …

Efficacy And Possible Mechanisms Of Change In Written Exposure Therapy In Undergraduates With Ptss: A Randomized Trial Of Wet Compared To Trauma-Focused Expressive Writing, Robyn Alyssa Ellis

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Trauma exposure is common, with a 90% lifetime endorsement rate in adults in the United States and a majority of first year students reporting exposure to trauma prior to college. A minority of individuals go on to develop PTSD, with higher rates on college campuses (9-12.4%) than lifetime estimates (7%). Existing evidence-based practices for PTSD have demonstrated efficacy in reducing PTSD symptoms (PTSS), but critiques of evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) for PTSD include high levels of drop-out and barriers to access. Written exposure therapy (WET) is a brief promising intervention for PTSS with a growing literature of evidence suggesting efficacy with …

Three Essays Examining The Effects Of Labor Market Conditions On College Enrollment And Completion, Dezhi Jiang

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research explores the causal effects of labor market conditions on college enrollment and attainment of high school graduates and answers the following questions: Does leaving high school in unfavorable labor market conditions cause a higher probability of college enrollment? Is this effect different between gender and across racial/ethnic groups? Does this effect vary regarding cognitive ability? Does this effect change over cohorts/generations? And does the positive effect on college enrollment in the short run translate into a positive effect on college degree attainment later?

The analysis that uses the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) data suggests that …