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Drug Use And Harm Reduction: Community Readiness As Pathway To Well-Being And Reintegration, Lauretta Ekanem Omale

Dissertations

Drug abuse negatively impacts the life and well-being of those who use drugs; this harm often extends to their loved ones, communities, and society. One presumptive set of psychological explanations for drug abuse is an addictive personality, a psychological susceptibility resulting from challenging family relationships, inadequate reinforcement, the absence of healthy role models, conflicting parental expectations, and a lack of love and respect. Harm reduction is a public health approach that focuses on minimizing the harmful effects of drugs and reducing judgment. It aims to meet people where they are in life and provide judgment-free, empathetic, supportive, and needed medical …

Collective Teacher Efficacy And Effective Title I Eligible Schools: A Mixed Methods Approach, Donald R. Mendenhall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Students living in poverty have historically scored lower than more affluent peers. However, research suggests that collective teacher efficacy (CTE) may be more strongly associated with student academic success than socioeconomic background. Therefore, this study identifies successful Title I eligible schools that also have high levels of collective teacher efficacy to identify methods for increasing CTE in schools. A mixed methods research study model is used to explain how two successful Title I schools were able to achieve academic success and high levels of CTE. The study finds some of the perceptions of school staff, and the actions and processes …

Hózhó + Art Heals, Eugene Tapahe

Theses and Dissertations

The land where I grew up gives me a sense of purpose and belonging. It embodies the Navajo concept of hózhó, which represents harmony, beauty, and balance. Being in tune with this spiritual connection inspires me to bring people together through art and healing. I use natural materials like sand, sage, cedar, tree twigs, and yellow and blue cornmeal to create my art. To maintain the spirituality of my work, I employ traditional and ritualistic harvesting methods passed down from generation to generation. These techniques are deeply connected to the land and are essential to my identity as an artist …

Culture Education Program To Improve Work Culture In Healthcare, Ngufor Fube Divine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This study investigated the efficacy of a culture educational intervention program in addressing toxic work culture within healthcare settings. The prevalence of toxic work environments in healthcare has been linked to adverse outcomes for both employees and patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a targeted culture educational intervention on shifting organizational culture towards more positive dimensions, specifically focusing on Clan, Adhocracy, Market, and Hierarchy cultures. Utilizing a quantitative quasi-experimental design, this study employed repeated measures to assess participants' perceptions of organizational culture before, immediately after, and preferred following the intervention. The sample consisted …

The Great Cultural Commission: Fulfilling The Command Of Jesus To Lead And Create A Culture Different Than The World’S, Kevin D. Geer

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Jesus gathered his disciples together and shared with them how the leaders of this world love to use their influence, power, and titles to rule over those they lead. Jesus told his disciples “among you it will be different” (Matt 20:26) compared to the leadership of the world. Jesus called his disciples to the Great Culture Commission, a call to servant leadership in which one uses their opportunities, gifts, and advantages to lift everyone else around them. This call creates a culture that propels the Great Commission while cultivating servant-hearted leadership. The intent of this dissertation is to discover the …

Hidden Meanings In Elementary Instrumental Music Method Books: A Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis, Mara Hope Thompson

Education Doctorate Dissertations

Textbooks serve as the primary resource utilized to deliver curriculum in a variety of subject areas and educational contexts. However, much previous research has found that texts often convey concealed meanings in the form of hidden and null curricula. This Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) explored the musical discourses and cultural contexts of musical examples in two elementary instrumental music textbook series to investigate whose values, cultures, perspectives, and knowledge are conveyed by the texts and whose are excluded or misrepresented. Framed by the social theory of Postcolonialism, the research revealed binary ideologies of exoticism embedded in many aspects of …

The Impact Of Culture On Construction, Vatulele Uluakiotonga Finau

Construction Management

The aim of this comprehensive exploration is to identify elements within Japanese, Islamic/Arabic, and Tongan cultures that can be implemented into construction practices in California, leveraging their unique values to enhance home design and construction. The study reveals that culture plays a pivotal role in shaping the design and construction of homes, reflecting deeply held values, traditions, and societal norms. Through qualitative research, expert interviews, and a detailed literature review, key elements defining each cultural approach to housing are elucidated. From the emphasis on privacy and natural ventilation in Japanese homes to the integration of modesty and hospitality in Islamic/Arabic …

The Impact Of Resilience On A Middle Manager’S Resistance To Organizational Change, April D. Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Change is never ending in organizations, as it is necessary to maintain a competitive advantage. Although change is needed, research shows most change implementations do not succeed.

Middle managers (MMs) are considered the main facilitators of change. They receive directive for change and are tasked with not only processing and accepting the change but also communicating the directive down into the ranks and executing upon it. This basic qualitative study explored how resilience can aid an MM when implementing change, where resistance is present. The conceptual framework for this study included Lewin’s (1947) three-stage model of change theory and the …

Adjunct Faculty Perceptions Of Leadership And Cultures Of Engagement, Inclusion, Collaboration, And Value Through A Social Capital Theory Framework, Mary Athena Geron-Newton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

At the time of this study, there were more adjunct or part-time teaching positions at colleges and universities than full-time or tenure track positions. It is predicted this trend will persist because it is fiscally beneficial to educational institutions; adjuncts will work for a quarter of the salary and with fewer benefits, no real job security, unpredictable teaching schedules, and no commensurate voice in faculty decisions. This case study expanded the understanding of the reasons behind contingent faculty's perceptions of satisfaction and their decisions to remain in instructional positions even with the positions' blatant inequities. According to Bourdieu's social capital …

Building Resilience, Navigating Crises Since 2019: A Phenomenological Study Of Leadership Factors Influencing Retail Business Owners In Lebanon, Mira Fadel

Theses and Dissertations

The Lebanese population and culture are recognized for their resilience when facing adversity withstanding events such as the Lebanese Civil War, and multiple country invasions. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of retail business owners from different geographical regions and retail types in Lebanon and to identify the leadership factors that kept them resilient while navigating the compounding crises since 2019. The leadership factors included leadership styles, strategies, and agility. The conceptual framework encompassed all leadership factors, the retail industry, cultural context, and resilience. Data for this hermeneutic phenomenology was collected through semi-structured interviews followed …

Affluence And Interpersonal Trust, Alexandra Tosone

Sociology Theses

This study explores the interplay between affluence and interpersonal trust in the United States. While existing research often focuses on the impoverished, this investigation shifts the lens to the affluent, shedding light on how affluence affects interpersonal trust dynamics.

Using qualitative methods, we conducted 15 in-depth interviews with affluent individuals and their family members. Three key findings emerged:

Trust Discrepancy: Participants claimed to trust others, but their behaviors suggested hesitancy in trust-dependent activities like sharing secrets or loaning money.

Affluent Upbringing and Lower Trust: Those raised in affluent households reported lower trust levels compared to others.

Reluctance to Discuss Finances: …

A Thematic Analysis Of Religious Identity And Volunteer Motivation Among Emerging Adult Members Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Jennifer R. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought insight into the religious and cultural identity of emerging adults belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints(LDS) and the impact such identity had in relation to volunteering motivation. Participants included 24 emerging adult college students belonging to the Church. Thematic analysis was used to determine influencing factors that led to Church membership and how Church membership shaped self-perception. Participants shared volunteer experiences and motivation to volunteer in relation to Deci and Ryan’s (2000) self-determination theory (SDT) was examined. The motivation of relatedness was identified among 100% of participants as compared to competence (37.5%) and …

This Passing Shadow: The Role Of Trauma In Reforming Individual And Cultural Identity In The Lord Of The Rings And Anglo-Saxon Literature, Benjamin C. Benson

English MA Theses

Many scholars focus on J.R.R. Tolkien's personal history and attempt to locate his own trauma in the texts of his works. However, this focus often overlooks the role that trauma plays in the reshaping of individual and cultural identity within the works of Tolkien. Tolkien uses a number of methods to communicate trauma throughout his works, but these methods often have roots in Anglo-Saxon Literature. This study analyzes the various ways that Tolkien adapts Anglo-Saxon works to communicate trauma while simultaneously using the traumatic events to help communicate healing through the interaction of the traumatized with their community.

How Is Wildlife Poaching Changing In Uganda And How Can We Understand The Contribution Of Wildlife Protection Efforts At Multiple Scales: Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda., Ingrid Nyonza Nyakabwa

All Dissertations

Wildlife poaching is a critical global issue that poses significant threats to biodiversity, ecological balance, and the long-term sustainability of wildlife in Sub-Saharan Africa. The illicit trade in wildlife and their derivatives continues to grow, fueled by various socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors. As the demand for wildlife products persists, it is imperative to understand the underlying causes, impacts, and potential solutions to combat this detrimental practice.

This research examined the dimensions of wildlife poaching in and around the area of Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda, the largest and oldest National Park in Uganda. Uganda has experienced success in …

Falling Down The Rabbit Hole: World Building In Ya Literature, Claire Webb

Undergraduate Honors Theses

World building is a key component to many young adult novels, but what is world building and what are some different styles and techniques that authors use when constructing fictional universes? In this thesis, Falling Down the Rabbit Hole: World Building Techniques in YA Literature, I will examine Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865), The Princess Bride by William Goldman (1973), and my own unpublished novel, The Sun Kingdom, to compare different techniques and styles of world building. These works will be explored through the aspect of world building, focusing specifically on the importance of the geography, language, …

Music With A Racial Nexus: Culture Clash In Los Angeles Punk Rock Communities, 1976-1981, Lawson Hammock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The chief argument of this work rests on the idea that culture-blindness—especially White ethnic-cultural blindness—contributed as much as issues of race to the heavily documented social rift between predominantly Chicanx, Eastside punk and the mostly-White, Westside punk rock communities of Los Angeles, 1976-1981. To date, historical blame for the divide has centered on racism, including racist intent. The second area of analysis directly relates to the first in that it demonstrates the inextricable link between cultural and spatial identity formation and assignment among the various scenes. This aspect of the study evaluates the complaints of some Eastside acts who have …

Beautifully Grotesque: Umezu Kazuo And The Shōjo Experience In Horror Manga, Miko Suzuki

Dissertations and Theses

"Mama's Scary" ("Mama ga kowai", 1965) by manga artist Umezu Kazuo took a new direction in depicting mother-daughter relationships by giving them a monstrous twist. "Mama's Scary" directly responded to how mother-daughter relationships were portrayed in 1960s shōjo manga, in which they were typically shown to be loving and caring, hence why adding horror elements to such relationship dynamics was considered jarring during the Shōwa era. Therefore, to analyze "Mama's Scary" is to also explore how women and young girls were portrayed in manga by men during the Shōwa era, and to analyze how adding the element of horror either …

Evaluation Of The Hispanic Paradox: Conceptualized Through The Lens Of Generational Decision-Making Styles Of First-, Second-, And Third-Plus-Generation Hispanic Leaders, Daniel De Leon Jr

PhD in Organizational Leadership

The primary objective of this dissertation was first to ascertain whether there is a statistically significant effect of generation on decision-making styles and secondarily to ascertain whether there would be a statistically significant interaction effect for study participant gender and generation upon decision-making styles. The researcher hypothesized that there are quantifiable differences among Hispanic generations: first-generation Hispanic immigrants to the second and third-plus generations (Kiang et al., 2011; Pan & Pierre Lu, 2015). Decision-making styles create a framework to understand an individual's decision-making process, problem-solving matrix, and interactions with other organizations and team members (Rowe & Boulgarides, 1983). The population …

Christ As Dialogue With Culture: Reimaging The Church For Incarnational Discipleship And Ministry, Sean Sloan

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

God spoke, and Logos created. Increased polarization and divisiveness in USAmerican society and the resulting social pain and even violence inspired this project to pursue a healthier and restorative dialogue. If God’s spoken and incarnate Word originated human life and was and is the means of redeeming humans to life with God and one another, how might such a dialogical Christology impact a theology of dialogue capable of addressing brokenness in a culture? As action research, this project tested the potential for a theology of dialogue to impact perceptions as a precursor to altering behaviors through a presentation at Calvary …

Incorporating World Languages In Elementary Schools, Amber Bruce

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Bruce, A. (2023). Incorporating World Languages in Elementary Schools. This capstone project aims to answer the question: How does Learning a World Language Affect Elementary Students Academically, Socially, and Culturally? This topic is inspired by personal and professional experiences as a former student and now current educator. This project first explores my background information and influences along with an overview of the project. Then it dives into a thorough literature review that focuses on the academic, social, and cultural aspects of learning a world language. The research and findings from WIDA and the ACTFL organizations, along with other resources, helped …

Social And Cultural Processes That Impact Physical Activity Among South Asian Americans Managing Hypertension: A Mixed Methods Study, Sugandha Gupta

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), the number one cause of death in the U.S., disproportionately affects South Asian Americans (SAAs). Physical activity is a modifiable health behavior that can reduce cardiovascular risk. Health behaviors, such as physical activity, occur within specific social and cultural contexts and are influenced by multiple factors at multiple levels of the social ecological model. This dissertation aimed to provide a rich, culturally-informed understanding of the factors at multiple levels – individual, interpersonal, and cultural –associated with physical activity among SAAs at risk for CVD. A sequential exploratory mixed methods approach was employed to examine social and cultural …

The Transformative Mindset Of Middle School Principals On Culture And The Impact Of Student Achievement, Christina Gfell

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and describe how exemplary middle school principals perceived practices of Sinek’s (2019) infinite mindset framework were embedded in their organization to inspire achievement of extraordinary results. A further purpose of this study was to understand organizational supports and barriers exemplary middle school principals perceived affected infinite mindset development.

Methodology: This phenomenological study explored experiences of exemplary leaders and their perceptions of how the five practices of Sinek’s (2019) infinite mindset framework were embedded in their organization. The target population for this study was exemplary middle school principals in Harris County, Texas. …

Investigation Of The Philosophical Foundations And Use Of Culturally Responsive Evaluation, Ouen Hunter

Dissertations

This three-study dissertation investigated the various aspects of culturally responsive evaluation (CRE) from the perspectives of scholars and practitioners.

The first study investigated CRE scholars’ philosophical stance on CRE through one-on-one interviews. The 14 scholars shared how their lived experiences motivated them to write about CRE. They noted the flexibility of CRE as a complement to other evaluation approaches. The interviewees reported several essential qualities of CRE practitioners. This study highlights the scholars’ commitment to serving marginalized communities as their ontological superordinate theme.

The second study investigated how practitioners applied the CRE lens in their practice. This study confirmed the …

Breaking Bridges: A Latina's Role In Familismo And Higher Education, Desiree Trejo

Theses and Dissertations

This research and collective experiences have been recorded to bring together an autoethnography that demonstrates my personal experiences of being the eldest daughter in a Latino family and how these experiences situate within a social context. The primary purpose of this autoethnography is to provide insight on Latino culture expectations placed upon first born daughters. My own experiences connect to my research covering Latino culture and gender expectations to further understand social meanings and understandings of this culture. This autoethnography presents qualitive research that allows me to self-reflect and apply these findings to my personal experiences within my family to …

African-American Parents’ Cultural Understandings Of The Concept Of Autism And Implications For Parental Communication And Health Management, Kellie J. Fennell

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

In 2023 the Centers of Disease Control reported that around 1 in 36 children are diagnosed with Autism in America and that the prevalence has increased by 178% since 2000 (CDC, 2023). Despite increases in awareness and diagnosis past research finds that the discussions of ASD in African American communities is minimal (Fombonne, 2003; Yeargin Allsopp et al., 2003). This disparity is important considering that African American children receive an ASD diagnosis years later than their white counterparts and are much more likely to be misdiagnosed (Mandell et al., 2009, 2002).

Given the history of a lack of representation of …

The Influence Of Extracurriculat Activities On Engagement And Environment Elements Of School Culture At Two Title I Middle Schools In Alabama, Jeremy Jones

Ed.D. Dissertations

Limited research had been conducted on the role extracurricular activities had on school culture. Even less was dedicated to how middle school educators perceived how extracurricular activities influenced school culture. Due to the lack of overall research, further research was necessary to develop a better understanding of the influence of extracurricular activities on school culture, more specifically the Safe Supportive Schools Model’s engagement and environment elements of school culture. The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study was to examine educators’ perceptions of the influence extracurricular activities had on the Safe Supportive Schools Model’s engagement and environment elements of school …

Effective Leader Development Within A Church-Planting Organization For A Changing And Chaotic World, Jeremy Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A challenge in cross-cultural church planting is developing leaders. Cross-cultural church-planting organizations like Latin American Mission (LAM; pseudonym) that lack a leadership development strategy struggle to form lasting leaders, sending missionaries with Biblical training but not leader development training. Additionally, developing leaders in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment creates specific challenges that missionaries must address. The purpose of this qualitative, Delphi method study was to investigate the leadership development perceptions and experiences among existing LAM missionaries in the regions of Latin America (Colombia, Cuba, Mexico City, Peru, Brazil, and Ecuador) to provide suggestions for improving effective leadership …

Traditional Culture And Knowledge As Suicide Prevention Among Indigenous People, Nigel Lawrence

M.Ed. Literature Reviews

American Indians and Alaska Native (AIAN) people possess the resilience and fortitude to survive attempted genocide, colonization, and assimilation. Still, the resulting intergenerational trauma has left AIANs with suicide rates disproportionately higher than any other race. This study reviews the research on the effectiveness of teaching traditional cultural knowledge and practices as suicide prevention measures. Alcohol and drug abuse have been shown to increase the likelihood of death by suicide; therefore, drug and alcohol use prevention measures will be included. As part of colonization and assimilation, much of the traditional cultural knowledge and practices were suppressed. If drug and alcohol …

Case Study On Increasing The Amount Of High School El Students College And Career Ready, Octavio Patino

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to describe the leadership practices of high school principals who work with their staff to close the college and career achievement gap for English language learners (ELLs) based on Anderson and Ackerman Anderson’s (2010) change model (mindset, behavior, culture, and systems).

Methodology: This qualitative multicase study was conducted through interviews with four high school principals of Title I schools in California. I selected qualitative methods because they describe the leadership practices that worked with their staff to close ELLs’ college and career readiness (CCR) gap.

Findings: Close examination of data from …

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 …