Digital Commons Network^™

A Race Against Death: Renwu Magazine’S Exposé On The Working Conditions Of Chinese Food-Delivery Drivers, William James Mccormack

Student Work

Forty pages long with an eleven-page bibliography that shows wide reading in Chinese and English, William McCormack’s essay, “A Race Against Death: Renwu Magazine’s Exposé on the Working Conditions of Chinese Food-Delivery Drivers,” reads beautifully and proceeds in a clear, logical progression.

In its pages, the author offers a close reading of a 22,000-character article on the working conditions of food delivery drivers from Renwu magazine. McCormack’s analysis of a key source for the Renwu investigation, Sun Ping, a Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) official, displays his ability to ask probing questions. The author of the Renwu article, …

Wang Xitian And The Chinese Experience In Imperial Tokyo, 1899-1923: Class, Violence, And The Formation Of A New National Consciousness, Isabella Yihan Yang

Student Work

A 2021-2022 Williams Prize for best essay in East Asian Studies was awarded to Isabella Yang (Saybrook ‘22) for her essay submitted to the Department of History, "Wang Xitian and the Chinese Experience in Imperial Tokyo, 1899-1923: Class, Violence, and the Formation of a New National Consciousness” (Daniel Botsman, Professor of History, advisor).

Drawing upon a remarkable array of sources in Japanese, Chinese and English, Isabella Yang, in her thesis “Wang Xitian and the Chinese Experience in Imperial Tokyo, 1899-1923: Class, Violence, and the Formation of a New National Consciousness,” has crafted a genuinely path-breaking account of an aspect of …

A Case Review Of G. G. V Gloucester County School Board, Jill Gross M.S.

Student Work

In education today, one theme is reoccurring, the question of where and how transgender students fit into our classrooms, our buildings, and on our athletic fields. In G. G. v Gloucester County School Board 20 U.S.C. 1681 § (a); G. G., a minor, transgender male, is attempting to use the boys' restroom at his high school. With the approval of his school administration, G. G. began to use the boys' restroom until the local school board passed a policy banning him from using said restroom. G. G. alleges the board discriminated against him and violated Title IX and the Equal …

A Comfort Women Redress Movement Without Comfort Women, Jenna Shin

Student Work

A 2020-2021 Williams Prize for best essay in East Asian Studies was awarded to Jenna Shin (Morse '21) for her essay submitted to the East Asian Studies Program, "A Comfort Women Redress Movement without Comfort Women” (Yukiko Koga, Associate Professor of Anthropology, advisor).

While the comfort women issue is often framed within contested relations between the victims and the perpetrators, such as South Korean survivors and/or South Korea’s relationship with Japan, Jenna Shin’s essay, “A Comfort Women Redress Movement without Comfort Women,” shifts her reader’s attention to the relationship between the surviving comfort women and their main advocacy group, the …

Imperial Crossings: Chinese Indentured Migration To Sumatra's East Coast, 1865-1911, Gregory Jany

Student Work

A 2020-2021 Williams Prize for best essay in East Asian Studies was awarded to Gregory Jany (Jonathan Edwards, '21) for his essay submitted to the Department of History, “Imperial Crossings: Chinese Indentured Migration to Sumatra's East Coast, 1865-1911" (Denise Ho, Assistant Professor of History, advisor).

Gregory Jany’s thesis, “Imperial Crossings: Chinese Indentured Migration to Sumatra's East Coast, 1865-1911,” is elegantly written, deeply researched in multiple archives—British materials, Dutch archives, and Qing documents—and uses several languages beyond English: Bahasa Indonesia, Dutch, Chinese, and Classical Chinese. Grounded in the literatures of the late imperial China, the Chinese diaspora, and colonial Southeast Asia, …

From Simple To Sophisticated: The Organization Of Terrorist Groups, Michael K. Logan

Student Work

This dissertation draws on gang organization research and organizational theory to assess the underlying dimensions of organization in terrorist groups. Using the Leadership for the Extreme and Dangerous for Innovative Results (LEADIR) dataset, findings suggest that organization is a multidimensional construct in terrorist groups, including the structuring of activities dimension and the concentration of authority dimension. In relation to violence, terrorist groups high on the structuring of activities dimension were significantly more lethal in general and more lethal when attacking hard targets, whereas terrorist groups high on the concentration of authority dimension attacked hard targets at a significantly higher rate. …

Influences On The Implementation Of Guidedplay Practices In Kindergarten: A Grounded Theory Study, Amy Schmidtke

Student Work

The professional capacity of a kindergarten teacher is central to the implementation of developmentally appropriate practices that support children’s learning and development. Evidence indicates that a teacher’s professional capacity is influenced through experiences with leadership, professional learning, and collaboration. Although research clearly supports the positive impact of play experiences for young children, the current educational climate does not provide teachers with the confidence or the structural supports needed to actualize play in kindergarten classrooms. The findings demonstrate what influences kindergarten teachers to implement guided play practices in their classrooms. The implications provide insight as to which elements of leadership, professional …

A Changing Tea Culture, A Changing China: Variations In Conceptions Of Gift Tea Among Tea Sellers, Tiana Wang

Student Work

A 2019-2020 Williams Prize for best essay in East Asian Studies was awarded to Tiana Wang (Ezra Stiles College '20) for her essay submitted to the Department of Sociology, "A Changing Tea Culture, A Changing China: Variations in Conceptions of Gift Tea Among Tea Sellers” (Jeffrey Alexander, Lillian Chavenson Saden Professor of Sociology, advisor).

Tiana Wang’s essay, “A Changing Tea Culture, A Changing China: Variations in Conceptions of Gift Tea among Tea Sellers” makes substantial use of original interviews and observations with twenty tea sellers across Jinan, Shanghai, and Beijing to show that tea culture is changing with new …

Redefining Through Remembering: China’S Political Objectives As Reflected In Chinese State Commemoration Of The Korean War, 1950 - 2010, Yoojin Han

Student Work

A 2019-2020 Williams Prize for best essay in East Asian Studies was awarded to Yoojin Han (Berkeley College '20) for her essay submitted to the Department of History, "Redefining through Remembering: China’s Political Objectives as Reflected in Chinese State Commemoration of the Korean War, 1950 - 2010” (Denise Ho, Assistant Professor of History, advisor).

A highly analytical and engaging senior essay grounded in an impressive array of both primary and secondary sources, Yoojin Han’s thesis, “Redefining through Remembering: China’s Political Objectives as Reflected in Chinese State Commemoration of the Korea War,” utilizes Chinese “leadership speeches” made and published during …

Nancy Friedemann-Sánchez: The Casta Paintings, Jonathan Orozco

Student Work

Colombian-born Lincoln-based artist Nancy Friedemann-Sánchez has grounded her recent art production within a wide art historical and Pan-American discourse. This interdisciplinary and interethnic practice is particularly exemplified in Chapter 6: Casta Paintings, a series of work within her “visual novel”, started after a significant move from New York City to Lincoln. This paper intends to describe and analyze her casta painting works in detail, from their intellectual inception to the minutiae of the work’s creation, providing a context in which a reader can understand the historical and artistic significance of her works within two methodological approaches; critical-race theory and postcolonialism. …

Primary Teachers’ Decisions For Selecting Multicultural Classroom Read Alouds, Jennifer Lemke

Student Work

As the diversity amongst the student population in schools increase, it is important that teachers include literature that contain a variety of settings and themes that allow students to explore the diverse perspectives and cultures that surround them. Research has shown that including literature that reflects the diverse experiences of students not only increases individual student’s self-esteem and confidence, but the respect and empathy for other cultures. Therefore, supporting the need for teachers to be critical and intentional in the titles they select to read aloud is important. This phenomenographic research study identifies factors that influence how primary teachers in …

Educators’ Experiences Implementing Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum In A Suburban Elementary School, Danielle N. Elsasser

Student Work

This qualitative case study explores educators’ experiences in a suburban elementary school during the implementation stages of a new social-emotional learning curriculum. This research combines educators’ first-person accounts of the social-emotional learning curriculum implementation before and during the process as well as analyzes the results of their experiences as a whole. Altogether, this paper investigates the central phenomenon: What are the experiences of elementary educators in a suburban elementary school implementing social-emotional learning curriculum? Participants were invited individually to take part in the interview process. Data collected were analyzed through a series of codes and aggregated into themes. Participants reflected …

Educational Professionals’ Perceptions Of Their Role In Moving Toward Trauma-Sensitive Practices In Schools, Lisa M. Epp

Student Work

The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the different ways classroom teachers, school counselors, school psychologists, and administrators; experience, perceive, understand and conceptualize their specific role in moving toward trauma-sensitive practices in schools. Grounded in the social-ecological theory related to trauma, the study was conducted in a suburban school district in Omaha, Nebraska utilizing focus groups from four participating middle schools. Fifteen education professionals were asked questions regarding their perceptions of trauma and their role in creating and sustaining trauma-sensitive practices in each of their contexts. A researcher-created interview protocol was utilized to collect perceptual data throughout the focus …

Supporting Innovation, Honoring Stability, And Achieving Coherence While Implementing Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support For Behavior At The Middle Level, Chelsea S. Krebs

Student Work

Negative-feeling variables not only distract schools from reform initiatives but make system change matters almost impossible. Paired with increased student behavior and managing school discipline needs, educators can feel frustrated and alone. This study looked at one middle’s school initial implementation of a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior program through the lens of Fullan and Quinn’s Coherence Framework. The constructs of stability and innovation were also explored. The research design for this study was a mixed-data program implementation case study. Survey results from staff regarding program implementation practices were used, as well as field notes and document analysis. A …

What Makes You So Good? Highly Effective General Education Teachers Serving Students With Special Education Needs, Paige Gill

Student Work

Teachers are the single most important factor in student learning, including the learning of students who receive special education services. Most students with disabilities are included in the general education classroom but general education teachers often express feeling underprepared to meet their diverse needs. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences of general education teachers in a traditional high school environment who are highly effective in serving students with special education needs in hopes of finding commonalities that could be replicated for other teachers. In this study, six positive deviant general education teachers participated in …

Implementation Of A New Assessment System: A Look At Year Two Of A Three Year Professional Development Plan, Janet A. Zahm

Student Work

Increased accountability requirements have created a focus on assessments. As schools and districts work to meet federal and state requirements by demonstrating student progress as indicated by high stakes testing, assessment data literacy has become a necessary skill for educators to possess. Districts and schools need to ensure assessment literacy training has occurred that relates to the current tests being utilized. When assessments change, there is a need to understand the new assessment system, including the administration of the test. However, there is a greater need to use assessment data to modify instruction to meet all students’ needs. Knowledge of …

An Exploration Of The Alignment Of Actual And Desired Roles For School Psychologists, Tessa Petereit

Student Work

This mixed data exploratory study examined the actual and desired job responsibilities of school psychologists, the Professional Quality of Life survey,school psychologist to student ratio, and years in the profession. Qualitative data regarding reasons they entered the field, barriers to practicing in their desired role, and roles they felt to be most effective was gathered. The aim of this study was to shed light on the extent to which the alignment of their desired roles influences the perceived effectiveness of the school psychologists. Most school psychologists entered the field to support children; all but one of the school psychologists surveyed …

Experience Of Burnout Among Educational Leadership Doctoral Candidates, Ron M. Azoulay

Student Work

In this era of high accountability, standardized based instructions, and public debates over teacher quality, performance, and evaluation, education administrators across the country have come under intense pressures (Boccio, Weisz, & Lefkowitz, 2016; Carey, 2011; Ravitch, 2010). Due to the high incentives and intense pressures on school leaders, and the wide-ranging impact these positions have on communities, it is crucial to understand those who are seeking greater leadership roles in education. The purpose of this study was to determine if candidates pursing doctorate degrees in educational leadership are experiencing burnout. The dissertation addresses the phenomenon of job burnout, which is …

An Analysis Of Science Teachers’ Perceptions Of Graphical Literacy Within The Context Of The Secondary Science Classroom, Pete Marsh

Student Work

The topic of graphical literacy is considered to be an important aspect of a student’s science education. Skills related to the construction and interpretation of graphs are well documented in science education literature as well as instructional strategies meant to help develop a student’s graphical literacy in science. Absent in the literature is how science teachers address skills related to graphical literacy with their students. The purpose of this study is to provide some insight into how secondary science teachers devote instruction to address graphical literacy with their students in the context of their classroom. Eight secondary science teachers from …

Factors Influencing The Self-Efficacy Of Novice School Librarians, Christine Haeffner

Student Work

Effective school library programs depend on school librarians with the capacity to lead and administrate library programs that reflect the core values of contemporary school librarianship. Research has shown that the first years of practice are critical in establishing the professional identity of the school librarian. This mixed methods explanatory research study identifies factors that affect the self-efficacy of the novice school librarian, which influences the degree to which the novice school librarian feels confident of their ability to succeed in the role of school librarian.

Elementary School Administrators’ Perspectives Of Expanded School Mental Health Systems And Implications For Further Training, Melissa M. Petersen

Student Work

School administrators play a crucial role in the development and implementation of mental health systems that allow all students access to universal, preventative interventions and services. Understanding their perspectives about the fundamental features of effective Expanded School Mental Health systems is critical to understanding the research to practice gap as it relates to the successful implementation of school-based mental health services. Furthermore, it is necessary to understand administrators’ perspectives about the training and supports teachers need to increase knowledge, confidence, and self-efficacy in the delivery of effective school mental health services. The purpose of this pragmatic qualitative research study was …

Teacher Perceptions During The Candidacy Phase Of The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, Nicole M. Beins

Student Work

This qualitative case study explores the perceptions of educators during the candidacy phase of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme in a suburban Midwest school. The methodology was comprised of a two-phase research design. During Phase 1, participants responded anonymously through written narrative responses via electronic questionnaire. This data was analyzed for common themes. After initial data analysis, focus group questions were generated using the findings of common themes to ask focus groups what strengths and challenges were faced during the implementation phase of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. The goal of this research was to gain insight on …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Understanding The Juvenile Re-Entry Mentoring Process, Sara E. Moore

Student Work

Juvenile mentoring programs are an institution of informal social control that through programmatic design intends to mitigate delinquent behaviors with the development of strong quality social bonds. In these programs, mentees involved in the juvenile justice system are matched with older mentors to form social bonds as a method of encouraging prosocial behaviors. The Juvenile Reentry Mentoring Project (JRMP) is one such mentoring program matching juvenile mentees in the justice system with undergraduate mentors. Research is clear that the longer the match relationship, the stronger the relationship (Rhodes, 2007; Garringer et al., 2017). Yet, research is limited as to the …

Grounding Size Predictions For Answer Set Programs, Nicholas Hippen

Student Work

Answer set programming is a declarative programming paradigm geared towards solving difficult combinatorial search problems. Logic programs under answer set semantics can typically be written in many different ways while still encoding the same problem. These different versions of the program may result in diverse performances. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to identify which version of the program performs the best, requiring expert knowledge on both answer set processing and the problem domain. More so, the best version to use may even vary depending on the problem instance. One measure that has been shown to correlate with performance is …

The Search For Coherence: An Exploration Of Strategic Change In One Midwestern School District, Ashley Tomjack

Student Work

Due to the increasingly complex nature of work in school systems, leaders are often faced with sorting through a multitude of competing priorities as they work to implement strategic change at the district level. Coherence is needed to filter through the many competing priorities and provide clarity as to the next steps district leadership should take when implementing changes. Understanding the current reality of a district in regard to a proposed change initiative is one critical step along the path to approaching coherence. This study explored how one urban, Midwestern school district evaluated the perceptions of staff members regarding implementation …

From Swaddling To Swastikas: A Life-Course Investigation Of White Supremacist Extremism, Steven Windisch

Student Work

To date, most terrorism research concerned with the long-term development of extremist behavior focuses on patterns of terrorist attacks, long-term responses to extremist violence or organizational longevity of extremist groups. The current study addresses this void in the existing literature by relying on life-history interviews with 91 North American-based former white supremacists to examine the developmental conditions associated with extremist onset. My attention is primarily focused on individual-level experiences; particularly how childhood risk factors (e.g., abuse, mental illness) and racist family socialization strategies generate emotional and cognitive susceptibilities toward extremist recruitment. This type of investigation contributes to terrorism research by …

Domestic Violence And Sexual Assault: Research Practices For Protection Orders, Shelby Connett

Student Work

Mission Statement: “To be a source of help, hope, safety, and inspiration to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. We embrace and focus on the story of each individual with deep concern and care in order to understand, facilitate, advocate, and support.”

SASA has been in existence for 40 years serving individuals and families in many important ways. Their current set of service provisions can be found detailed below in an organizational chart.

Habitat For Humanity Omaha: Homeownership Program: Quantitative And Qualitative Report, Rachel Lubischer, Heather Carlson

Student Work

This report includes quantitative results, qualitative results, an overall summary, and recommendations. The Quantitative Introduction includes an demographic analysis of 2018 Quarter 3 applicants to the Homeownership Program. The Quantitative Data pages include an explanation of quantitative methodology, data collection, and analysis procedures. Additionally, a comparison of applicant demographic and outcome data, an overall summary, and research limitations are provided. The Qualitative Data pages include information on the data collection process, coding procedures, and primary themes identified. A concept map of qualitative themes and categories, an overall summary, and research limitations are also provided. The Summary provides an overall summary …

The Effect Of Caregiver Self-Efficacy On Health And Nutrition Outcomes In Young Children Enrolled In Head Start, Kristy Feden

Student Work

Healthy development in the earliest years provides the foundation for adult health, while healthy adults comprise a thriving workforce. Investing in the health of young children is paramount to prevention of chronic diseases in later adulthood. Quality early childhood programs have an opportunity to maximize the healthy development of children by intentionally increasing caregiver self-efficacy as it relates to completing tasks associated with preventive care. The purpose of this exploratory data analysis study was to learn more about the relationship between level of caregiver self-efficacy and their ability to achieve required health and dental outcomes for children enrolled in a …

Implementing A Multi-Tiered Behavioral Framework System In Seven K-4 Element Aries, Brad J. Dahl

Student Work

The purpose of this study was to complete a formative check of the Multi-Tiered Behavior Framework (MTBF) implementation by gathering elementary teacher and administrator perceptions. These perceptions of implementation are used to inform system-wide action for successful implementation of MTBF. The theoretical framework which guided this study was the Deming Cycle: Plan, Do, Check, Act (Deming, 1950). This framework allowed for the analysis of the project results compared to the expectations. Use of this data enabled the district to more effectively infuse the Multi-Tiered Behavioral Framework system into the instructional design and improve school climate. This study examined the implementation …