Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluative Discourse As Community Identity Among Expatriates In Shenzhen, China, Karyn Harding

Theses and Dissertations

Expatriates are a modern-day community built by a rapid advance towards globalization. Expatriates are now likely to be self-initiated; that is, they chose to live in a foreign country rather than having been sent there by an employer, and they are changing the face of the global job market. However, their social interactions have not been the subject of much previous study. This paper delves into the ways that expatriates build and maintain their communities. In this case, participant observation and discourse analysis are used to study an expat community living in Shenzhen, China. As a group not defined by …

Examining Teacher Perceptions Of The Stronge Teacher Effectiveness Performance Evaluation System, Tiffany A. Lynch

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this convergent, parallel mixed methods research study was to gather and analyze data from teachers who have been observed and evaluated using the Stronge Teacher Effectiveness Performance Evaluation System, with regards to it being able to create positive change in both instruction and student achievement, as well as the quality of feedback received on observations and summative evaluations. Data were collected using three instruments: a survey, interviews, and an analysis of summative evaluation scores, and the data led to six emerging themes. The participants did not perceive that the system had the potential to bring about change, …

Visual Artifacts As A Mediating Factor In Collaborative Museum Design, Jacquelyn Claire Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The process of museum exhibit design includes a variety of activities, including collaboration on teams, consulting learning theories, following process models, brainstorming, performing evaluations, and using visuals. Although some articles mention these topics, very few provide specific details about these practices. This dissertation, which includes three articles, explores how design and visual communication occur in exhibit design. The first article examines how exhibit design teams function. The second article describes how they use visual representations to engage team members in ideation and concept development as they planned for new exhibits. This is based on the assumption that designers need to …

The Influence Of Consumer Inference About A Company’S Motive On Corporate Social Responsibility (Csr) Evaluation, Taehoon Park

Theses and Dissertations

The author investigates the roles of consumer inferences and consumer suspicion in responses to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities by companies.

Chapter 1 examines how consumers infer a company’s motive for its prosocial activity when the same company is also involved in a socially harmful accident. When a company is involved in both CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and CSI (Corporate Social Irresponsibility), consumers can infer the motive for the CSR campaign from the temporal order of these two events. The author further proposes that this effect will be moderated by perceived invested effort in CSR campaign. Specifically, high effort invested …

Redirecting My Path And Reclaiming My Voice: An Actor Becomes A Director, Lindsay Rae Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an exploration of my growth as a director. I dissect and discuss five of the seven productions I have directed over the past three years, discovering my directing style and identifying the tools that I will take with me as I shift into my profession. Each chapter describes my preparation, process, and evaluation for every project. It is a reflection of my journey and a celebration of my work.

Psychometric Evaluation Of Lung Cancer Stigma Among Lung Cancer Survivors In South Carolina, Lisa A. Webb

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Despite the improved screening and treatment modalities, lung cancer is the second leading cause of cancer and accounts for 27% of all cancer deaths in the United States. Survivors of lung cancer experience physical, social, and particularly psychological challenges. Lung cancer stigma is a formidable challenge for survivors of lung cancer that complicates their physical, psychological and social well-being.

The Cataldo Lung Cancer Stigma Scale is the first instrument adapted to measure lung cancer stigma. This instrument was adapted from Berger’s HIV Stigma Scale. HIV stigma and lung cancer stigma share similarities. These health-related stigmas reflect behaviors that …

Undergraduate Students' Attitudes About The Collection, Use, And Privacy Of Search Data In Academic Libraries, Laura W. Gariepy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand undergraduate students’ attitudes about search data privacy in academic libraries and their preferences for how librarians should handle information about what students search for, borrow, and download. This is an important area of study due to the increasingly data-driven nature of evaluation, accountability, and improvement in higher education, along with libraries’ professional commitment to privacy, which has historically limited the amount of data collected about student use. Using a qualitative approach through the lens of interpretive description, I used the constant comparative method of data collection and analysis to conduct semi-structured interviews …

Assessing Cultural And Linguistic Competencies In Doctoral Clinical Psychology Students, Gloria Lainez

Theses and Dissertations

With an increase of Spanish-speakers residing in the United States, there is an increase in the need for Spanish-speaking mental health providers. Psychologists have to undergo years of education and extensive training in order to get licensed to provide services. However, little is known about the education and training of psychologists who are bilingual Spanish-English speakers providing mental health services to monolingual Spanish-speaking clients. This qualitative study gathered feedback via phone interviews from seven doctoral level psychology students who identified as bilingual Spanish-English. Feedback gathered was on the Spanish Language Assessment measure created by Dr. Rogelio Serrano in the hope …