Digital Commons Network^™

Attention Visual, Baris Dingil

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

This research presents an innovative approach to improving visual-spatial attention using a research tool based on the web. Recognizing the significant role visual-spatial attention plays in everyday life and cognitive function for humans, this research was undertaken with the aim of developing a user-friendly, accessible web-based tool called Attention Visual (attentionvisual.com) to enhance this crucial cognitive skill. This tool also facilitates data collection, potentially accelerating the pace and enhancing the quality of related research. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized for data collection and analysis. In order to stimulate improvements in visual-spatial attention, the tool’s algorithm was structured to …

The Process Of Designing And Revising A High-Quality Digital Math Curriculum For A Large Diverse Urban School District: Recommendations From A Math Designer, Suzan Kheireddin

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Reproduction Of An “American Dream” Or “American Nightmare”: The School Perceptions Of Low-Income African American And Latino Young Men Of Promise, Roberto Suarez

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Schooling can often function as a structure contributing to the reproduction of an American Dream of material and social success, but it can also reproduce an American nightmare of marginalization. Research studies have noted young men of color populate negative outcomes of academic achievement with trends of low test scores, overrepresentation in special education programs, and underrepresentation in gifted and talented programs, contributing toward higher rates of school failure, delinquency, and dropout with life outcomes involving poverty, despair, and legal punishment. This study is an exploration of how school rules and expectations impact the perceptions of low-income young men of …

孟母三迁 (Meng Mu San Qian): New Chinese Immigrant Parents' Narratives About Involvement In U.S. Public High School Education, Haixia Li

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The phrase 孟母三迁(Meng Mu San Qian) refers to a traditional Chinese story in which a mother moves three times to better her child’s education. The story evokes considerable parental and family sacrifices to provide educational opportunities. Meng Mu San Qian (孟母三迁) offers a powerful metaphor for the experiences of migrant and immigrant parents who undertake tremendous and profoundly life-altering journeys to secure better education for their children. The story is especially useful in capturing the experiences of Chinese immigrant parents, particularly those who moved to the U.S. after 2016 and faced unprecedented challenges, in part due to xenophobia of the …

“Young, Gifted, And Black”: Understanding The Complex Experiences Of High-Achieving Black Students In Ap Classes At A Diverse Suburban High School, Jody Elliott-Schrimmer

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the social and academic experiences of Black students in AP English classes at a diverse suburban high school. This study aimed to illuminate their experiences while giving voice to this traditionally marginalized group. Students provided recommendations for increasing academic success and belonging for future students as schools continually work toward gender and racial equity in the AP classroom. In this Critical Race Theory (CRT) oriented study, I sought to understand the essence of the Black experience in predominantly White academic spaces through a phenomenological methodology. I analyzed the significant moments and …

A Spotlight On Teachers’ Culturally Sustaining Beliefs And Responsive Practices For Students Of Color In Mathematics, Susan Ejma

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

School leaders and educators across the country are striving to improve instruction for ethnically, culturally, and socio-economically diverse students for long term learning and growth. For years, researchers and scholars praised the tenets of culturally responsive instruction as the solution to meeting the needs of this growing diversity in schools. Unfortunately, many students from ethnically and culturally diverse communities do not have schooling experiences that validate and affirm their knowledge. Culturally responsive teaching is still an area that is under researched, specifically in mathematics. Drawing on the theoretical lens of culturally responsive pedagogy, this mixed methods case study aimed to …

Service Learning In The Digital Age: Understanding Nontraditional Students And Their Experiential Journey Through Electronic-Service Learning, Qianhui Hub

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Service learning (SL) is an experiential learning pedagogy that merges real-life community service activities with structured reflection. Electronic-Service Learning (e-SL) is a blended pedagogy that combines online education and SL. The pandemic has significantly prompted the evolution of SL toward e-SL. In planning pedagogy initiatives, educators must not overlook the changing demographics of their student bodies. Within higher education in the U.S., 75% of students have at least one nontraditional student characteristic. Yet, the perceptions and experiences of nontraditional students on e-SL are critically underexplored. Thus, this dissertation examined the potential and value of developing e-SL with particular attention to …

Understanding Athletics Academic Advisors’ Experience With Job Burnout And Antecedents That Shape Job Burnout, Felicia O'Rourke

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Chronic stress and burnout associated with Division I athletics is common and specifically the profession of athletics academic advising at the Division I level has reputed to be, as Meyer (2005) states, “one of the most challenging jobs in higher education.” Yet, the topic is under-explored. While roughly one thousand articles are being published each year on job burnout in general, there are very few that examine job burnout and workplace stress among Division I athletics academic advisors. Drawing on aspects of an interpretive phenomenological approach, this qualitative research study aims to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of …

Black, Male, Juvenile: A Multi-System Perspective On Hope, Dehumanization, And Redemption In Recidivism & Education, Alexandra M. Brandt

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Across the United States millions of juveniles enter the criminal justice system each year. The foundational theories that are being used for this study are Hirschi’s Social learning theory and Shaw & McKay’s theory of Social Disorganization. The intention of this study is to explore the outcome of exposure factors on recidivism among male black juveniles from the perspectives of Juvenile Justice Professionals and Educators within the City of Chicago. Data will be collected from in-depth interviews with 10 minority participant's including Chicago Police Department Officers, Juvenile Detectives, a Cook County Juvenile Judge, Cook County Juvenile Correctional Officers, Educators, and …

Interorganizational Practices That Foster Reciprocal Trust Between Central Office Administrators And Principals, Andrea M. Derdenger

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Reciprocal trust among leaders in education improves the learning outcomes for students, which is the primary goal for educators. Researchers studying administrative teams have found the degree and level of reciprocal trust that exists in a learning organization between district-level leaders and principals can aid or impede the implementation of policies and initiatives. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the practices that develop reciprocal trust between principals and district-level school administrators. This study was informed by semi-structured interviews with five principals who serve in K-8 schools. Participants identified communication, decision-making structures, relationships, and leadership styles as elements …

Northeastern Illinois University: Identifying Characteristics Associated With Low African American Student Retention And Persistence, Laural E. Johnson

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Although a recent study found that college student retention and persistence rates are on the rise, there continues to be significant differences between African American and White students at predominately white institutions (PWIs). Institutional factors such as unwelcoming campus climates, racial stereotypes, and faculty relationships have been found to be viable factors as to why the disparities between African American and other students continue to exist. This Case Study explored some of the key issues/factors/questions related to the retention and persistence of African American students at a Midwest PWI. This study found that university resources and financial support, inclusion, comfortability …

Music In The Liturgy: An Education-Focused Approach, Robert M. Beatty

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This project examines how people engage with music in the Latin Rite Roman Catholic Liturgy. Despite ongoing debates in the field of liturgical music regarding musical style, music may express theological concepts, explore critical historical developments, reflect different cultural influences, and challenge commonly held beliefs. This inquiry explores these dynamics from the standpoints of educational theory and theology by examining the process of 'doing' and ‘receiving’ music in the liturgy. The site for this study was St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Chicago, whose current curriculum-based, liturgical music program developed over the last twenty-five years. Qualitative, case-study research methods, personal …

The Sanctity Of Human Life: An Examination Of The Effects Of Education And Training Of Less-Lethal Force Option Devices In The Royal Thai Police, Trak Silapaduriyang

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Under Article III of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security. It is the duty of law enforcement to protect and respect these rights. The Royal Thai Police (RTP) patrol officers carry firearms as lethal weapons on their duty belts, similar to police officers in the United States (US). However, firearms are the only force option available to the RTP in stark contrast to the options police officers in the US have when they encounter resistance from suspects. For the RTP, conducted energy devices (CED) and oleoresin capsicum (OC) sprays are …

Implementation And Assessment Of A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (Cure) In General Chemistry, Alissa Potts

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are growing in popularity in the chemistry community to replace traditional laboratory courses. This approach creates a research experience for a larger number of students than traditional research mentorship experiences offered at universities. CUREs can help students take ownership of projects, learn to design and troubleshoot experimental setups, problem-solve experiments that don’t have a “known answer”, and gain confidence in the laboratory. To assess the effectiveness of a general chemistry laboratory-based CURE course with DePaul students, the Experimental Design Ability Test (EDAT) and the Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory Instrument (MLLI) survey were given to …

Spatiotemporal Dynamics Of Ticks And Tick-Borne Disease At Neon Sites Across A Sub-Continental Scale, Ana Sofia Rivera

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Tick-borne diseases in humans such as Lyme disease cases in the United States have doubled between 2004 and 2016. Understanding the dynamics of infectious diseases has long been of interest for ecologists. Tick and tick-borne diseases are influenced by temperature and precipitation at local scales, indirectly through mast seeding in forest trees which increases the abundance of tick hosts (e.g., small mammals), as well as direct effects on survival. Most tick studies occur at local scales that comprise only a small part of their range. The aim of my thesis is to characterize spatiotemporal dynamics of ticks and tick-borne diseases …

Optical Variability Of Green Pea Galaxies, Julissa Marie Sarmiento

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I am investigating the optical variability of Green Pea galaxies (GPs). GPs are good analogs to high-redshift galaxies, enabling us to learn more about the first galaxies in the universe. One of their key properties is their strong emission lines, some of which indicate the presence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). An effective way to identify AGN is to look for stochastic variability in the optical light from the galaxy. Finding AGN in these galaxies would help us learn more about the formation and evolution of the supermassive black holes that power AGN. In this thesis, …

The Prairie State: Using Ecological Niche Modeling To Predict Distributions Of Early Land Plants, Zoe Ryan

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Bryophytes are environmentally and ecologically significant biological indicators, as their distribution is largely determined by the climate and the land features that shape these factors. Yet it is a challenge to track the ranges of these plants and even more so to predict their future distribution patterns due to their small size and sensitivity to environmental change. This study aims to model the potential distribution of selected bryophyte species in Illinois to investigate the potential impact of global warming and determine what environmental factors affect distribution patterns. Bryophyte occurrences post 1970 of some of the most common epiphytic species and …

The Positive Impact Of Exposure To Nature Versus Urban-Environment Images On Cognitive Processing: Working Memory And Problem Solving, Caitlin Julia Ailsworth

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The benefit of natural environments, compared to urban environments, to cognitive resources such as working memory have been documented and replicated (e.g., Berman et al., 2012; Berman et al., 2008; Berto, 2005). However, existing data do not extend beyond lower-order cognitive resources to higher-order cognitive processes such as problem solving. The goal of this thesis was to address this gap. The experiment tested both the beneficial effect of nature on executive function and problem solving. Using a backward digit-span task to measure working memory, I hypothesized that participants would repeat a higher number of sequences correctly after versus before viewing …

Social Zapping: Examining Predictors Of Last-Minute Cancelations Among Community Members, Alyssa T. Altieri

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Social zapping refers to the tendency to cancel plans or appointments shortly before they are supposed to take place in order to attend plans deemed “better” than the original (Müller et al., 2020). With the recent global pandemic occurring and forced isolation presenting as a consequence, the population more than ever has turned to technology to keep up with their relationships (Pennington, 2021). Because of this, social zapping has become increasingly prevalent. Although there is clear need to assess social zapping, few empirical studies have been conducted regarding the predictors and implications of social zapping (Müller et al., 2020; 2021). …

The Interplay Between Parental Psychological Control And Parental Emotional Overinvolvement On Depressive Symptoms Among Early Adolescents, Taylor Breanna Ullrich

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Parenting and parental behaviors are critical to the emotional well-being of youth. Emotional overinvolvement is one part of a broader construct known as Expressed Emotion. Emotional overinvolvement is known as intrusive, overprotective, excessively self-sacrificing, or devoted behavior or exaggerated emotional response to the child (Leff & Vaughn, 1985). It is not known how Emotional Overinvolvement relates to other dimensions of parenting. Psychological control parenting behavior that involves the use of tactics such as love withdrawal, guilt induction, invalidation, and conditional approval (Barber, 1996). The current study is the first study to investigate the association between psychological control, emotional overinvolvement and …

The Role Of Anhedonia In The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces) And Alcohol Use And Food Addiction In A Sample Of Emerging Adults, Mary Takgbajouah

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur before an individual reaches age 18, and previous research has shown that they are associated with numerous negative physical and mental health outcomes, including increased rates of depression, alcohol and substance use, disordered patterns of overeating, food addiction (FA), and obesity. Moreover, anhedonia, or an inability to feel pleasure, has been also shown to increase risk for alcohol and substance use, as well as FA and obesity. There is a lack of research on the specific role of anhedonia in the relationship between ACEs and FA/substance use. It is possible …

Physical Activity And Depressive Symptoms In Adolescence: Direction Of Effects And Mechanisms Of Influence, Bridget Brush

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Physical activity (PA) is associated with numerous physical and mental health benefits, such as decreased rates of cardiovascular disease and depression. Stress-response systems may play an important role in this relationship as PA has been shown to cause adaptations to both physiological and psychological stress systems. Less is known about the short and long-term effects of PA on depressive symptoms in adolescents even though adolescence marks an important period of development with regard to changes in rates of depression and physical activity. The objectives of this study were to evaluate concurrent and prospective associations of PA on depressive symptoms in …

Thinking Style As Input: Information Seeking And Processing, Youlim Kim

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I propose that thinking style and cognitive load are associated with information-processing. Analytic thinkers focus on focal objects, whereas holistic thinkers focus on the relation between focal objects and peripheral objects. In addition, cognitive load also increases people’s heuristic use in information-processing. Across two studies, I investigated the relationship between thinking style and information-processing, moderated by time pressure (Study 1) or accuracy motivation (Study 2). Results showed opposite patterns of what past literature has demonstrated. Relatively holistic thinkers were less likely to search for additional suspect cues with higher levels of confidence compared to relatively analytic thinkers. …

Conceptualizing Positive Versus Negative Awe: Do Connection And Self-Significance Interact To Determine Awe’S Valence?, Christopher Evan Cole

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I adopted an appraisal theory approach to differentiating positive and negative experiences of awe. In addition to assessing traditional appraisal dimensions, I focused on self-diminishment and connectedness as the appraisals hypothesized to best differentiate awe by valence. I predicted that self-diminishment and connectedness would interact to determine whether awe is experienced as positive or negative, arguing that feeling “small” can be positive if paired with feeling connected but that feeling small can be negative if paired with feeling isolated. An exploratory study (n = 742) induced participants to feel an emotion (positive awe, negative awe, joy, or …

Campus Racial Climate And Mentoring: Impact On Academic And School Experience Outcomes, Safa Asad

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The current negative sociopolitical climate has impacted students on college campuses throughout the nation. Literature suggests campus racial climate is a risk factor for negative student outcomes. Using resiliency theory and the protective resilience model, this study examines the effects of campus racial climate and mentoring on school experiences and academic outcomes in 247 college freshmen. This study utilizes linear regression to examine the relationship between racial climate perception and mentoring on student outcomes (e.g., sense of belonging, school engagement, and grade point average at graduation) and uses moderated linear regression to determine if the presence of a …

How We Feel About Numbers: The Impact Of Framing And Number Format On Emotion And Decision Making, Kwame Poku-Acheampong

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

The impact of framing and number format on people’s comprehension of and feelings about information they encounter has been documented and replicated (Kühne et al., 2015; Lee et al., 2019, 2021). However, existing research does not extend beyond specific feelings such as anger and fear. The goal of this thesis was to address this gap by broadening the scope of affect from specific emotions to positive and negative affect. This thesis also aimed to extend the line of research to investigate how message frames and numerical formats impact comprehension, feelings, perceived issue seriousness, and judgements by using a 2 (Frame: …

An Exploration Of Affective, Physiological, And Environmental Stress Among Adolescents With Chronic Medical Conditions, Brittany Lynn Ricart

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Youth with chronic medical conditions (CMC) may be at-risk for increased stressors. For adolescents with CMC, maladaptive stress responsivity could lead to worse psychological and physiological effects from the stressors themselves. The current study aimed to understand the relation between affective and physiological responses to stress, environmental context, and longer-term health outcomes in youth with and without CMC. A sample of 141 adolescents, 73 with CMC and 68 without CMC, were randomly matched on age and gender. Participants completed self-report questionnaires at two time points, 6 months apart. Cortisol samples were collected during different timepoints of the Trier Social Stress …

Balanced Negotiations: An Online Negotiation Training For Women, Kaitlyn Rose Gallagher

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Research has identified consistent differences in the processes and outcomes of negotiation between women and men (Mazei et al., 2015; Stuhlmacher & Walter, 1999), but there has been little investigation into different types of negotiation trainings specifically for women (Barkacs & Barkacs, 2017; Kulik et al., 2020). This study developed and evaluated an online evidence-based negotiation training for women. Using a pretest-posttest randomly assigned control group design, 95 early career female participants completed three short self-guided online training modules. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), with pretest scores used as a covariate to reduce error variance, found that the intervention had a …

Quiet Quitting: Navigating An Old Phenomenon In The New Normal, Eilish Keane

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Quiet quitting is a recently popularized trend that has taken the workplace by storm following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The term is not clear or easily defined, described by some as an anti-work philosophy and by others as healthy boundary setting. This review explores the evidence that quiet quitting is occurring, similar concepts from the I-O literature that appear highly similar to quiet quitting (i.e., disengagement, work-life balance), how Job Demands-Resources Theory may apply, the potential role of the psychological contract, how the pandemic uniquely contributed to the trend, recommendations for addressing or preventing quiet quitting in the …

Youth Relational History Affecting Mentoring Relationship Quality, Brittanie Nicole Gage

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Black youth in low-income communities have a heightened risk of exposure to poverty-related stressors, increasing the risk of poor youth outcomes. Proven moderately effective, youth mentoring programs were created to decrease the risk of negative outcomes and promote positive development. A primary relational experience, the parent – child relationship shapes a youth’s relational history and influences their relational capacity, or ability to connect with a mentor. The mentoring relationship quality (MRQ) is a key determinant in mentoring success. Emerging research suggests youth with moderate relational histories experience the most benefits from mentoring, demonstrating a curvilinear relationship.

This study investigated two …