Digital Commons Network^™

Smoking As A Form Of Persistence In A Christian Nipmuc Community, Jessica Ann Rymer

Graduate Masters Theses

The goal of this thesis is to determine the role that smoking played in the gatherings taking place at the Sarah Burnee/Sarah Boston farmstead and what its presence meant for the Nipmuc who gathered there. Previous work has firmly established that the farmstead functioned as a site of communal feasting for the Hassanamesco Nipmuc using ceramic and faunal evidence, and Heather Law in her 2008 thesis suggested that the site may have operated as an “informal tavern” based on her analysis of the glass assemblage. In all of these studies clay tobacco pipe fragments were utilized for stem bore diameter …

Transition To The Academy: The Influence Of Working-Class Culture For First-Generation Students, Ladonna L. Bridges

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the influence of working class culture on transition to college for first-generation, low-income students. Transition to the dominant culture of college often leaves first-generation students living in two worlds, creating cultural dissonance and leading to lower retention and persistence. Through narrative inquiry, this study explores the lived experiences of students of color, including recent immigrants, at both private and public universities during the first semester of college. Focusing specifically on how habitus and social class shape academic and social experiences for this population, this qualitative study employs virtual go-alongs or walking interviews as a methodology to supplement …

School Nurses' Awareness And Attitudes Towards Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Children: A Mixed Methods Study, Hannah E. Fraley

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Human trafficking is a global problem and a multi-billion dollar industry. Most victims are women and girls and more than half are children. In the United States, many at risk youth continue to attend school with school nurses on the frontlines. Using the Peace and Power Conceptual Model, a mixed methods study was conducted to explore their awareness, attitudes, and role perceptions in prevention of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Two factors related to increased awareness, and positive attitudes and role perceptions to prevent of CSEC included prior exposure to working with vulnerable students, and prior education about CSEC. …

An Investigation Of Chemical Identity Thinking, Courtney L. Ngai

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Chemical identity is a foundational crosscutting concept in chemistry and encompasses the knowledge, reasoning, and practices relevant for the classification and differentiation of substances. Substances are found everywhere – from the chemistry classroom to the kitchen at home – so classification and differentiation of substances is important for everyday decisions as well as challenges that are solved using chemistry. An understanding of chemical identity, then, is essential for scientifically literate citizens in addition to students training to be chemists. A better understanding of how chemical identity thinking develops could be used to inform instruction and education research, with the intent …

Academic Capitalism And The Public Good In Public And Private U.S. Higher Education: A Grounded Theory Study Of Internationalization, Asabe W. Poloma

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Within the context of U.S. higher education, market forces inform institutional strategies at public and private universities alike (Rhoades & Slaughter, 2006). Despite existing studies on market-driven forces in the internationalization and transnationalization of U.S. higher education (Knight, 2004; Marginson, 2012; Rhoades, Lee and Maldonado-Maldonado, 2005; Stromquist, 2007), there is a relative lack of theoretical or methodological engagement with how the theory of academic capitalism informs our understanding of the dominance of market-driven strategies in internationalization and how those strategies and practices blur the boundaries between the market and the public good. Furthermore, no studies have explored how the intersection …

Evolutionary Game Theoretic Multi-Objective Optimization Algorithms And Their Applications, Yi Ren Cheng

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Multi-objective optimization problems require more than one objective functions to be optimized simultaneously. They are widely applied in many science fields, including engineering, economics and logistics where optimal decisions need to be taken in the presence of trade-offs between two or more conicting objectives. Most of the real world multi-objective optimization problems are NP-Hard problems. It may be too computationally costly to find an exact solution but sometimes a near optimal solution is sufficient. In these cases, Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) provide good approximate solutions to problems that cannot be solved easily using other techniques. However Evolutionary Algorithm is not …

Determined Wellness: The Influence Of Mental Illness Models Upon Treatment Outcome Expectancies And Treatment Engagement, Francisco I. Surace

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Multiple campaigns geared towards reducing public and self-stigma associated with depression, and increasing help-seeking behaviors have been launched in the past two decades. There has been an increase in promoting psychoeducation on the biological bases of mental illness. Recent international studies have documented that this increase in public knowledge has not reduced stigma. Indeed, growing evidence suggests that biological models, in comparison to other causal models of mental illness, decrease people’s sense of self-efficacy and self-control, and decrease positive expectancies of treatments and prognosis–among those with and without mental illness. Individuals who have come in contact with health services, however, …

Attentional And Emotional Consequences Of Emotional Acceptance And Suppression In An Elevated Anxiety Sample, Natalie Arbid

Graduate Masters Theses

Acceptance-based strategies have been incorporated into behavioral therapies for anxiety and other disorders (e.g., Roemer & Orsillo, 2009). Experimental literature is in need of better, more nuances assessment of the consequences of acceptance (Kohl, Rief & Glombiewski, 2012). Therefore, this study specifically examined the way in which acceptance can increase attentional flexibility and recovery from stress, which are important factors in the maintenance of anxiety disorders (Cisler & Koster, 2010). This experimental study compared acceptance and suppression of emotional experiences, following exposure to fearful stimuli (i.e., images and film clip), to a control condition.

Results indicated that there was no …

Seeing The Forest And The Trees: Tracing Fuel Use And Landscape Change On The Eastern Pequot Reservation 1740-1850, Kalila Herring

Graduate Masters Theses

Gathering fuel wood was a regular chore for most people throughout time and certainly was a part of life for people living in 18th- and 19th-century Connecticut. During this period, the landscape was being altered due to rapidly expanding agriculture and, by circa 1850, would be at the peak of deforestation. During this period, the Eastern Pequot, a Native American nation in North Stonington, were living on their reservation (established in 1683) in a colonial environment and dealing with timber theft, a reduced land base, overseer control, and the overall environmental changes occurring in Connecticut. This thesis examines the charred …

The Resolute Student, Wipa Khampook

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This synthesis paper presents an autobiographical narrative of my journey as a learner from a poor rural background in Thailand to completing a Masters program in the USA. I describe obstacles and problems at different times in my life — elementary school, high school, college, work, coming over to America, attending an ESL school, earning an Early Childhood Education certificate, and studying in the Critical and Creative Thinking Program. In overcoming obstacles I show myself to be a resolute person. Lessons that I share with readers include grades are not everything, memorizing is not an effective way to learn, meditation …

Transformational Leadership For Growth In Changing Times, David Kooharian

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

“Transformational Leadership for Growth in Changing Times” is a personal exploration into a leadership style that is both humanizing and effective. As a parent, artist, teacher, and counselor I have developed a personal form of leading without understanding what I was doing. After researching leadership styles I discovered that what I had been doing was backed by a recognized theory of leadership called Transformational Leadership.

The keys to Transformational Leadership include: Idealized Influence. Leaders behave as role models demonstrating high ethical standards and moral conduct. They are consistent and provide a feeling of confidence that obstacles can be overcome. The …

Real World Application Of Cct Tools: How Reflection, Dialogue Processes And Action Research Were Used To Promote Organizational Change And Student Success In Re-Engagement Work, Kayla D. Faust

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

I started the CCT program while also beginning a new role as a Dropout Recovery Specialist, working in partnership with a local school district. I work with students who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out explore alternative options to finish their high school diploma or an equivalent. As the newest member of the center, the transition into a new organization created an internal struggle in finding my place. I was also seeing opportunities to improve current routines and practices as demands from district partners were increasing. Overwhelmed by the challenges before me, I was struggling to …

Correcting Millennials Work Performance, Timothy Izzo

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Millennials are the fastest growing segment in the workforce today. There are many different stigmas and ideas about this current work generation. They have lived with the Internet their entire lives. Papers claim this workforce is so connected that they need to be constantly stimulated. This paper looks into the stigmas to see if they are true and whether our training program should be Computer Based Training (CBT). A segment of our learners, predominantly aged 22-28 is having trouble applying the sales techniques we teach. Unsure if this is a training issue or a generational issue, we sent out a …

Basic Knowledge Training For Vfx Production Assistants And Coordinators, Sharon Anne Roberts

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Visual Effects (VFX) is a part of the film-making process that takes place during the broader phase of film-making known as post-production. There are two broad groups of individuals who are responsible for the outcome of the VFX project - artists and production. The groups work in conjunction to achieve the team goals. At present, there is no formalized training available for production individuals and much of the required learning is done on the job. This projects explores a basic training course for individuals looking to increase their basic knowledge of VFX production. Grounded in industry research conducted by the …

Finding A New Home In Harlem: Alice Childress And The Committee For The Negro In The Arts, Judith E. Smith

American Studies Faculty Publication Series

Alice Childress’s performing career in the 1940s was primarily associated with the American Negro Theater, a collectively run professional theater company with a mission to nurture black talent and create compelling theater for Harlem audiences; as Childress would later comment, “We thought we were Harlem’s theater.” ANT made use of all available resources to accomplish this mission; producing plays written by black and white playwrights, hiring white teachers, and accepting white actors and technicians committed to its goals.

Beyond Passive Learning: Utilizing Active Learning Tools For Engagement, Reflection, And Creation, Teresa E. Maceira, Danitta A. Wong

Joseph P. Healey Library Publications

The twenty-first-century student frequently engages with mobile environments to fulfill his or her information needs. Reports from the Pew Research Center (Duggan, 2015) indicate an increasing trend in the use of mobile social media platforms in the US adult population. According to the report, Social Media Usage: 2005–2015 (2015), 65 percent of American adults use social networking sites, and young adults (ages 18–29) reported the highest social media usage for all age groups, at 90 percent. Among the young adult age group, social media usage in 2005 was reported to be 12 percent (Perrin, 2015). This sharp 650 percent rise …

Exploring The Impact Of Community Service On Career Exploration, Self-Determination, And Social Skills For Transition-Age Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Agnes Zalewska, Allison C. Hall, Sheila Fesko, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Bleak transition outcomes for youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), coupled with the surge in incidence, has led to the need for focused and innovative transition strategies. While structured community service reveals promise, documentation of how community service experiences contribute to building employment skills for youth with intellectual/developmental disability (IDD), including those with ASD, is under-researched. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of a community service on employment skill-building for youth with ASD. Findings from 23 qualitative interviews with a range of stakeholders showed positive perceptions in the areas of career exploration, self-determination, and social skill …

Wage Penalties In Major League Baseball, Thomas Kraemer

Honors College Theses

This study examines discrimination both by race and by foreign-born status in the context of Major League Baseball (MLB). The goal of this study is to determine if employer-based discrimination is present in MLB by looking for average differences in wages amongst groups and by looking for differences in returns to on-field output for players of different groups. MLB is an interesting industry to look for evidence of discrimination because it is one of the few industries where employee output is clear to see and compensation information is widely available, which is unusual for labor market studies. Sports is an …

Women In Leadership: A Comparative Case Study On Successful Leadership, Christine Newcomb

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this report is to understand what makes a successful female leader. Since there are so few women in executive level positions, especially chief executive officer positions, I became interested in analyzing how successful leaders act in contrast with how unsuccessful leaders act. To analyze, I will focus on the leadership of two prominent businesswomen, one who has been successful in their tenure, and one who has been unsuccessful. Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, Inc. has been successful throughout her tenure, while Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo has been unsuccessful in turning the company around. I will …

Lgbt Student Experiences In Boston Public Schools: A Case Study, David Geyer

Honors College Theses

While the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community has overcome great obstacles in its fight for equality, the newest challenge has become the poor mental health of the LGBT youth. In this study, the experiences of a recently graduated LGBT Boston Public Schools student were investigated through qualitative research methods. Interviews with the student were analyzed to determine what factors contributed to his overall positive experiences and mental health as a bisexual student attending Boston Public Schools. The showing of support from his mother and peers, along with the presence of a Gay-Straight Alliance club at his school positively affected …

Improving Patient Outcomes: Early Mobilization Of Intensive Care Patients, Casey Teves

Honors College Theses

Early mobilization of intensive care patients has gained the interest of researchers within the last few years due to its safe and practical application and numerous benefits it can provide. Reviewing the literature on this topic reveals the substantial benefits of early mobilization and the detrimental effects of prolonged bed-rest. Despite recent evidence proving that this practice will increase quality of care, many intensive care units still utilize bed-rest as a standard. Understanding the barriers and facilitators of this change can help transform this research into practice and improve patient care outcomes. Nurses are the key facilitators in the initiative …

The Effects Of Familiarity On Visual Search Performance Of Typically Developing Toddlers And Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Laura Keegan

Honors College Theses

Visual Search is an attention task that measures how efficiently a person is able to find a target among distractors. It has been found before that children diagnosed with ASD can perform better at visual search when compared to age-matched typically developing children (Kaldy et al., 2011, 2013). Our team conducted a follow-up study with slightly different stimulus parameters (Smith et al., 2015) and two different potential target objects (in this task, an apple vs. a carrot). The results showed that the identity of the target object influenced toddlers’ search performance: they were slightly faster at finding the target when …

How Racial Microaggressions Impact The Mental Health Of Black Women Of Different Occupational Prestige, Esthanette Reid

Honors College Theses

Much of the literature examining anxiety, depression, and trauma among Black women fails to consider the potential impact of racism. This thesis seeks to begin addressing this gap by assessing the relation between racial microaggressions and mental health for Black women. The primary goal of this thesis is to use data from a nationwide online study, The Resistance and Empowerment Against Racism Study (conducted by Dr. Karen Suyemoto & Dr. Tahirah Abdullah), to examine the effects of racial microaggressions on depression, anxiety, and trauma for 179 Black women with different occupational prestige. Measures such as The Racial Microaggressions Scale (RMAS; …

Racial Roots Of Romanticism: American And European Africanism Are The Creation Of Bio-Politics, James Flynn

Honors College Theses

The British Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the American Edgar Allan Poe shared a number of similarities in their writing styles. Both men came onto the scene early in their respective nation’s forays into Romanticism. Samuel Taylor Coleridge was of the first generation of British literary Romantics, while Poe introduced his Gothic influences before the Renaissance of American Romanticism in the 1850s. In the work of both men there is an emphasis on color as it pertains to race, especially aspects of whiteness. This focus on race has been covered at length by authors such as Toni Morrison in her book …

The Effects Of Gentrification: Inhabitants, Education, And Displacement, Marilyn Pineda

Honors College Theses

Locally and internationally, cities that face decades of disinvestment and neglect at one point experience a resurgence and revival in that location. A city’s resurgence and revival is seen in the form of new houses, businesses, and the migration of middle to upper middle class individuals is known as gentrification. Subjectively, gentrification is beneficial to those who are home owners because they can sell their houses for a higher price than what they bought it for; it is beneficial to the landlord who is able to increase the rents of units (Atkinson 2002). In light of all this, while the …

The Knowledge Worker And Upskilling: Can Instructional Design Frameworks Help?, Susan W. Brown

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This paper explores how knowledge workers face uncertainties in the job market and how workers sustain a decades-long career in the midst of technology changes and globalization pressures. In particular, this paper asks how knowledge workers self-assess knowledge gaps, discover appropriate learning opportunities, demonstrate mastery, and promote credentials across decades-long careers. Interviews with 8 knowledge workers in educational publishing, an industry undergoing workforce changes due to market disruption, provides real-world context to this research question. Taking into account various theoretical frameworks offered for adult education and also reviewing the realities of the postmodern workplace, the paper outlines the hurdles impairing …

Using Training To Increase Standardization And Collaboration Across Teams, Lisa Beck

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This capstone paper analyzes the effectiveness of a company’s current weekly training and its relationship with communication and dispersed teams that work in geographically separated environments. This paper examines a government contracting project and how the inconsistency of the deliverables produced by team members necessitate a need for training improvements. Research from Blayney, Kalyuga, and Sweller, (2015) and Poell, Krogt, Vermulst, Harris, and Simons (2006) on the role of workplace trainers and cognitive load theory support the training improvements presented in this paper. The proposed changes include the introduction of a standardized method of preparing for training and resources to …

Suagm 2017: Las Bibliotecas Transforman; Acceso Y Oportunidad Para Todos, Daniel Ortiz-Zapata

Joseph P. Healey Library Publications

The presentation was delivered at the 5th Conference for Librarians at the Ana G. Mendez Educational System, with five campuses in Puerto Rico and the mainland, around the National Library Week theme on the trans-formative power of libraries. Examples of activities and metrics to measure the impact SUAGM libraries have on their constituents and stakeholders are reviewed in the presentation to inspire and provoke staff and librarians to embark in documenting and providing narratives on the impact the SUAGM libraries have across their campuses.

Guidepost 3: Use Social And Human Capital To Decrease Dependence On Paid Supports, Hannah Curren, Allison C. Hall, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Community Life Engagement refers to how people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) access and participate in their communities outside of employment as part of a meaningful day. (See “What Is Community Life Engagement?” in the box on page 3.) The Community Life Engagement team has been conducting research to identify the elements of highquality Community Life Engagement (CLE) supports. We have created a series of four Engage Briefs to examine the guideposts in detail.

The Diversity And Dispersion Of Latinos In Massachusetts, Ivan Lozano, Phillip Granberry, Trevor Mattos

Gastón Institute Publications

This snapshot report highlights the growing number, and increasing diversity, of Latinos in Massachusetts. In this state, as well as nationally, Latinos’ share of the population continues to increase, at the expense principally of the aging non-Latino white population. The Latino population is young, with a high rate of dependent children and a low rate of dependent elders. Its workforce composition has not changed signifi cantly in recent years: Latinos continue to be over-represented in blue-collar and service-sector jobs and under-represented in white-collar jobs. Across all occupational sectors (including white-collar jobs), Latino workers earn substantially less on average than members …