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Theses and Dissertations

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Validating Boyness: How Art Education Allows Male Adolescent Students A Space For Authenticity, Vulnerability, Empathy, And Connection, Stephanie Behlke-Mcfarland Apr 2024

Validating Boyness: How Art Education Allows Male Adolescent Students A Space For Authenticity, Vulnerability, Empathy, And Connection, Stephanie Behlke-Mcfarland

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines societal norms and unwritten rules for boys as they mature. It is hypothesized that most boys deal with emotional suppression or dissociation in varying degrees of severity due to traumas during their developmental years. This dissociation creates an inability to express their own emotions adequately and therefore affects their ability to empathize with others. A lack of vulnerability may also be a common challenge among boys society still considers vulnerability weakness. This pattern continues into adulthood and is then perpetuated through posterity and future generations. This thesis explores through a qualitative case study how using art integration …


Marriage And Family Therapists' Perspectives Of Working With Couples Impacted By Aphasia: General Perceptions And Response To Relationship-Centered Communication Partner Training, Madison Rae Christensen Mar 2024

Marriage And Family Therapists' Perspectives Of Working With Couples Impacted By Aphasia: General Perceptions And Response To Relationship-Centered Communication Partner Training, Madison Rae Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

The psychosocial needs of couples impacted by aphasia are often unmet. Sixty-one marriage and family therapists' (MFTs) experiences, perceived knowledge, confidence, comfort, and barriers in working with couples impacted by aphasia, and their interactions with speech-language pathologists (SLPs) were investigated using survey methodology. All MFTs were licensed, practicing in the US, and had at least 3 years of experience. Participants completed the following in order: (a) a pre-intervention survey, (b) one of two intervention conditions, and (c) a post-intervention survey. Twenty-eight respondents were randomly assigned to an education-alone intervention and 33 respondents were assigned to an education plus Relationship-Centered Communication …


Uprooted But Unbroken: Exploring The Experiences Of Yemeni Students At Yemeni Schools In Cairo, Sumood Abdulhadi Feb 2024

Uprooted But Unbroken: Exploring The Experiences Of Yemeni Students At Yemeni Schools In Cairo, Sumood Abdulhadi

Theses and Dissertations

To contribute towards filling the research gap on the experiences of uprooted Yemeni children in Egypt, this phenomenological research was designed to explore the experiences of uprooted Yemeni students in Egypt. Twenty male and female Yemeni students from four Yemeni schools in Cairo participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that these uprooted children face various economic, social, and academic challenges within the Yemeni schools in Cairo, which seem to hinder their educational progress. Moreover, Yemeni children face difficulties not only within the Yemeni schools in Cairo but also in the streets and Egyptian schools of Cairo. Nevertheless, they appeared …


Exploring Ngos’ Perspectives And Their Role In Education Reform In Egypt, Ioanna Moriatis Jan 2024

Exploring Ngos’ Perspectives And Their Role In Education Reform In Egypt, Ioanna Moriatis

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory study elicits NGO perceptions regarding Egypt’s Ministry of Education and Technical Education’s (MOETE) reform efforts, their interest in participating in education reform and policy advocacy, and their existing relationship with the ministry. Drawing on the findings from semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 13 representatives of education NGOs based in Cairo and Giza, this thesis takes a qualitative approach toward answering the following research question: How do NGOs targeting K-12 youth perceive their role in shaping education reform in Egypt? Despite having to navigate a host of obstacles to accessing public schools and working with the MOETE, the NGOs represented …


"How Is Photography?": Robert Heinecken's Photographic Concept At The University Of California, Los Angeles, 1960–1991, Noa Wesley Jan 2024

"How Is Photography?": Robert Heinecken's Photographic Concept At The University Of California, Los Angeles, 1960–1991, Noa Wesley

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the photography program Robert Heinecken established at UCLA, highlighting his interest in teaching photography as an idea rather than a technologically inflected medium. This pedagogical model provides a lens through which I trace the work of three of his students: Maria Nordman, John Divola, and Uta Barth.


Prospective Nursing Students’ Perceptions Of The Importance Of Nutrition Literacy: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, John J. Spano Jan 2024

Prospective Nursing Students’ Perceptions Of The Importance Of Nutrition Literacy: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, John J. Spano

Theses and Dissertations

Proper nutrition is essential to the prevention of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. It is also important during the recovery period from disease as well as in the maintenance of general good health. In many health care settings, nurses are the initial health care provider with whom patients have contact. All forms of literacy require a solid foundation in fundamental literacy concepts that must be reinforced to fully develop content-specific literacy, such as nutrition literacy. Nutrition literacy is defined as the extent to which nutrition information is acquired, processed, comprehended, and applied in ways that benefit …


Exploring The Experiences Of Refugee Youth In Public Schools: An Ethical Phenomenological Inquiry, Hilary T. Stim Jan 2024

Exploring The Experiences Of Refugee Youth In Public Schools: An Ethical Phenomenological Inquiry, Hilary T. Stim

Theses and Dissertations

The study outlined in this dissertation focuses on the intersection between refugee youth between the ages of 13-18 and the United States public school, specifically the manner in which refugee youth experience institutionalized education. It utilizes ethical phenomenology as a means to amplify the voices of refugee students and to centralize the students' experiences, thoughts, and ideas related to education The study was framed by one research question that is addressed to the participants: “What is it like being a student in a public school?” Seven students took part in the study. Collaborative dialogues took place with the participants across …


Squaring The Circle: Talking About Accessibility At Discovery World, Ariel Butler Dec 2023

Squaring The Circle: Talking About Accessibility At Discovery World, Ariel Butler

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, museums have made a concerted effort to consider accessibility and the needs of the broader community in their programming. This thesis analyzes how Discovery World, a science and technology museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, can better accommodate diverse learning styles and disabilities in their 2023 Summer Camp program through a case study of implementation. The thesis analyzes the impact of the plan to improve accessibility and inclusivity in the classroom for children in grades 1-8, focusing on how staff conceptualize the ideal setup and aims to provide valuable insights to enhance inclusivity and accessibility in informal educational settings. …


The Unsung Heroes For Intercollegiate Athletics: Examining The Dialogic Principles Of Communication In Community College Athletic Departments, Matthew Alan Stilwell Oct 2023

The Unsung Heroes For Intercollegiate Athletics: Examining The Dialogic Principles Of Communication In Community College Athletic Departments, Matthew Alan Stilwell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore community college athletic departments and how they connect and facilitate messages to their stakeholders. With limited resources, it’s important to understand how the athletic departments are applying best strategies and principles of relational management. Therefore, the goal and importance of this project was to explore how a mass communication tool in Twitter and how it is used in community college athletics, an area that is not a focal point in either collegiate athletics or sport communication scholarship. Using Kent and Taylor’s (1998) dialogic principles of communication as a guide for this project, …


Leveraging Inflammatory Responses Toward Advancing Alzheimer’S Disease Treatments And Biomaterial Implantation, Mihyun Lim Waugh Oct 2023

Leveraging Inflammatory Responses Toward Advancing Alzheimer’S Disease Treatments And Biomaterial Implantation, Mihyun Lim Waugh

Theses and Dissertations

Inflammation is a body’s physiological response to pathogens, foreign materials, or tissue injury. When immune system is triggered, activated leukocytes produce cytokines and chemokines that promote migration of neutrophils and macrophages to the inflammatory regions. At early stages of injury, acute inflammation occurs immediately to fight off the pathogens and restore tissues to homeostasis. However, if the inflammation-inducing stimulus is not removed and thus cells and tissues do not return to its homeostatic state, the prolonged inflammatory responses become a chronic condition. Recent studies have indicated that the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), a key receptor of innate immune …


The Integration Of Simulation-Enhanced Interprofessional Education Into Undergraduate Clinical Laboratory Science Curriculum, Dana Powell Baker Oct 2023

The Integration Of Simulation-Enhanced Interprofessional Education Into Undergraduate Clinical Laboratory Science Curriculum, Dana Powell Baker

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study aimed to integrate simulation-enhanced interprofessional education (Sim-IPE) into the undergraduate clinical laboratory science (CLS) program curriculum. The undergraduate CLS curriculum was comprised of didactic coursework and hands-on learning experiences in the student laboratory. This traditional CLS curriculum model was uniprofessional in its design and educated students in silos rather than on interprofessional teams with other health professions students. Lack of collaboration on healthcare teams has led to increased medical errors and decreased patient safety in clinical settings. Recent studies have indicated that effective communication and teamwork among healthcare professionals has led to improved patient outcomes and …


Nonparametric Tests Of Interaction For The Two-Way Design With Skewed Distributions, Michael Ethan Hornsby Brown Oct 2023

Nonparametric Tests Of Interaction For The Two-Way Design With Skewed Distributions, Michael Ethan Hornsby Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The most common parametric procedure used to test main and interaction effects in the two- or more-groups factorial design is the analysis of variance (ANOVA) F test. Researchers in the behavioral and social sciences fields require statistical methods that are robust in the presence of deviations from the common parametric ANOVA assumptions of (a) normality, (b) homogeneity of variances among groups, and (c) independence of observations. When there is concern that the parametric assumptions are violated, nonparametric procedures can be employed that do not make as many initial assumptions about the parent populations. Of particular interest in the two-factor design …


Docker Technology For Small Scenario-Based Excercises In Cybersecurity, Zeinab Ahmed Oct 2023

Docker Technology For Small Scenario-Based Excercises In Cybersecurity, Zeinab Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to better prepare students for cybersecurity roles by providing practical tools that bridge the gap between theory and real-world applications. We investigate the role of small scenario-based exercises for students’ understanding of cybersecurity concepts. In particular, we assess the use of Docker technology to deliver training that includes a simple small scenario on html code injection. The effectiveness of scenario-based learning has long been defined and by using SBL, we are going to create hands-on activity that involves the fundamental topics in cybersecurity using Docker technology, allowing students to see the exploitation of the vulnerabilities and defense …


Representaciones De La Violencia En El Cuerpo Femenino En María, Llena Eres De Gracia, El Despertar De Las Hormigas Y Cuando Las Flores Hablan, Catalina Lancheros Villa Oct 2023

Representaciones De La Violencia En El Cuerpo Femenino En María, Llena Eres De Gracia, El Despertar De Las Hormigas Y Cuando Las Flores Hablan, Catalina Lancheros Villa

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACTO Son muchas las mujeres que han aportado a la historia y a las luchas contra la violencia de género. Mujeres que han sido registradas en libros, documentales o películas y marcadas en hechos como heroínas del cambio y la transformación social (ej. Policarpa Salavarrieta Ríos / colombiana, Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Calderón / mexicana, Manuela Sáenz/ ecuatoriana). Son estas mujeres fuertes y empoderadas las que han querido un mundo igualitario para todos desde la antigüedad hasta los tiempos modernos. Desde su capacidad intelectual descubrieron que podían mejorar las condiciones de vida, dejando un legado de transformación en un sistema …


Deep Learning For Studying Materials Stability And Solving Thermodynamically Consistent Pdes With Dynamic Boundary Conditions In Arbitrary Domains, Chunyan Li Oct 2023

Deep Learning For Studying Materials Stability And Solving Thermodynamically Consistent Pdes With Dynamic Boundary Conditions In Arbitrary Domains, Chunyan Li

Theses and Dissertations

Deep learning has achieved remarkable success in various fields, including image processing, natural language processing, and signal processing, ushering in a transformative era in research and real-life applications. This rise underscores the transformative capabilities of deep learning, with its innovative approach to function approximation. Traditionally, approximation theory relied on additive constructions, but deep neural networks have introduced a compositional approach, reshaping the landscape of function approximation. This thesis explores the efficacy of this compositional construction within the realm of material science and the solution of thermodynamically consistent partial differential equations with thermodynamically consistent dynamic boundary conditions in arbitrary domains. As …


Investigation, Synthesis And Rational Design Of Novel Transuranic Containing Extended Structures, Adrian Thomas Hines Oct 2023

Investigation, Synthesis And Rational Design Of Novel Transuranic Containing Extended Structures, Adrian Thomas Hines

Theses and Dissertations

The use of nuclear technology has proven useful for energy generation and for weapons manufacturing, but disposal and storage of nuclear waste is an ongoing problem. The accumulation of nuclear waste over the past decades has yielded a vast amount of waste that must be dealt with, and with space at interim storage facilities diminishing, it has become increasingly important to find solutions to nuclear waste storage. The vitrification process has been widely accepted as a viable route for immobilization of high-level waste; however, the process is inadequate for complex waste streams and has many drawbacks such as limited waste …


Floodplain And In-Channel Sedimentation In The Bedrock Congaree River, Sc, Mahsa Ahmadpoor Oct 2023

Floodplain And In-Channel Sedimentation In The Bedrock Congaree River, Sc, Mahsa Ahmadpoor

Theses and Dissertations

The Congaree River planform is characterized by an abrupt increase in channel sinuosity in the downstream direction. Such a change is not typical of alluvial meandering rivers but has been observed in mixed bedrock-alluvial rivers. This motivated the first study of this dissertation, specifically designed to determine if the Congaree River is indeed a mixed bedrock-alluvial river in its low sinuosity (upstream) reach. To test this hypothesis, sonar-based measurements of channel bed and sublayer elevation were performed from Columbia to the Congaree River-Wateree River confluence. The sublayer is here defined as the first surface visible in the sonar measurements underneath …


Equity Among Equity Workers: Public Service Motivation In An Educational Nonprofit Organization, Russell C. West Jr Sep 2023

Equity Among Equity Workers: Public Service Motivation In An Educational Nonprofit Organization, Russell C. West Jr

Theses and Dissertations

What opportunities and challenges arise when an equity-focused educational organization aims to support employee’s individual equity practices while simultaneously developing the organization’s equity practice? In this study, employees of a non-profit educational organization were asked what rationales and expectations played a role in their decision to volunteer in an equity working group. Their responses were used to understand whether Perry’s (2000) process theory of Public Service Motivation helped describe their decision. In a second round of interviews, employees were asked what outcomes they perceived came from their participation. These responses were used to understand whether the outcomes aligned with those …


Addressing Learning Gaps In Acid-Base Chemistry Using Novel Three-Dimensional Models With Learning Module, Gabrielle Marie Grimes Aug 2023

Addressing Learning Gaps In Acid-Base Chemistry Using Novel Three-Dimensional Models With Learning Module, Gabrielle Marie Grimes

Theses and Dissertations

Teaching scientific concepts is very complex and includes the discussion and use of different models that support students’ understanding of particle-level interactions and behavior of chemical phenomena. The presented research describes the development of three-dimensional acid-base models and an accompanying learning module to support students’ understanding of the autoionization of water, acidic strength, pH, and Ka in aqueous acid-base chemistry. The model set includes acid and base models embedded with magnets and removable hydrogen atoms or hydroxide groups to model particle-level interactions. The magnetic models allow students to investigate particle-level processes with student-built models of aqueous acid and base systems. …


Exploring The Digital Divide In Educational Technology Across Illinois School Districts: A Focus On Business Education In Urban, Suburban, And Rural Schools, Zahra Syedah Kazmi Jul 2023

Exploring The Digital Divide In Educational Technology Across Illinois School Districts: A Focus On Business Education In Urban, Suburban, And Rural Schools, Zahra Syedah Kazmi

Theses and Dissertations

This research study examines the extent of the digital divide in educational technologies among K-12 Illinois public schools, with a specific focus on business education. The study investigates the disparities in access and usage of educational technologies across urban, suburban, and rural schools in Illinois, aiming to identify the challenges and opportunities for promoting equitable access to technology in education. The research findings indicate significant differences in access and usage of educational technologies among the different types of schools. While all schools experience the digital divide to some extent, rural schools face more pronounced challenges in accessing and utilizing educational …


Assessing The Implementation Of Egypt’S Education 2.0 Reform: The Case Of Sohag, Norhan Zahran Jun 2023

Assessing The Implementation Of Egypt’S Education 2.0 Reform: The Case Of Sohag, Norhan Zahran

Theses and Dissertations

Education is a key component contributing to a country’s socioeconomic status. Accordingly, countries that seek better economic development focus on the quality of education. Egypt realized that and started a series of educational reforms, none of which delivered the desired objectives. Regrettably, this was clear in Egyptian students' poor performance on international tests in the years 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 (World Economic Forum 2013; 2014). In 2018, the Egyptian Ministry of Education announced the launch of Education 2.0 (EDU 2.0) reform which adopted transformative, multidisciplinary, student-centered educational pedagogies to enhance the quality of education. This study presents the results of an …


Experiences Of School Administrators And Teachers: Challenges And Promising Practices During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Helen Teresa Hyde Carter May 2023

Experiences Of School Administrators And Teachers: Challenges And Promising Practices During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Helen Teresa Hyde Carter

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the lived experiences of teachers and administrators as reflected in their responses regarding instructional materials, instructional delivery, social and emotional well-being of students, and access to critical school services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants shared their experiences about how the instructional materials and delivery modes were selected as well as the guidance and support given by school administrators. Major challenges and concerns along with promising practices related to student engagement, social and emotional well-being of students, and access to critical school services were identified.


Rethinking The Role Of Cultural Empowerment In African Identity, Madina Tall May 2023

Rethinking The Role Of Cultural Empowerment In African Identity, Madina Tall

Theses and Dissertations

Narratives pertaining to the cultural inferiority of Africans have plagued the mindsets and consequently, the actions of millions around the world. The undermining beliefs of societies globally towards the African continent and its people has historically created opportunities for colonialism, imperialism and various other forms of exploitation. Various educational, political and socio-cultural gaps have manifested themselves in disguise of fundamentally/intrinsically poor African management. Examples range from more educational and socio-cultural issues such as cultural rejection/dissociation to everyday manifestations of identity displacement which can be understood as western cultural mimicry. Throughout this thesis, I shall argue that the core of the …


Progressive Education In C. S. Lewis's Prince Caspian, Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, And The Silver Chair: Narnia As A Remedy To The Green Book, Megan Marie Johnson Apr 2023

Progressive Education In C. S. Lewis's Prince Caspian, Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, And The Silver Chair: Narnia As A Remedy To The Green Book, Megan Marie Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Recent scholarship has taken an interest in C. S. Lewis's political views and how they are manifested in his fiction. However, few have thoroughly analyzed the specific political implications of his children's series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Part of this may be because Lewis himself insisted his fiction was nonpartisan. The heavily religious allegories in the series can also overshadow the political commentary. This thesis contributes to the growing discourse on political commentary in Lewis's fiction by identifying four concerns he had with progressive education and then demonstrating how he criticizes them in Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn …


Identifying Attributions And Predictors Of High School Dropout In Rural Youth: A Mixed Methods Approach, Karla Swayngim Reed Apr 2023

Identifying Attributions And Predictors Of High School Dropout In Rural Youth: A Mixed Methods Approach, Karla Swayngim Reed

Theses and Dissertations

Graduating high school is an important educational milestone that is related to better life outcomes; however, high school dropout remains an issue in the United States (US). This mixed methods study began with a qualitative stage using attribution theory to identify the factors rural youth perceive as responsible for their decision to drop out of high school. Focus groups were conducted with youth from a rural area in South Carolina (SC). Seven themes were identified across the two categories of Internal and External Focus. Internal Focus themes included: (a) ability/self-efficacy, (b) effort, (c) plans for the future, and (d) other …


Teacher Observations As Professional Development Opportunities, Ashton Carrie Padgett Apr 2023

Teacher Observations As Professional Development Opportunities, Ashton Carrie Padgett

Theses and Dissertations

This research project sought to understand how the complexities and challenges of offering high-quality professional development district-wide impacted teachers’ ability to implement their new learning. The literature posits that to be considered effective, professional development must include six distinct design elements: (1) Data driven, (2) Incorporates active learning utilizing adult learning theory, (3) Supports collaboration, (4) Context-Specific, (5) Feedback-centered, and (6) Supported by principal leadership (Darling Hammond et al., 2017, p. 4). While each of these design elements seems appropriate and rooted in best practices, when planning professional development, the scheduling and unique circumstances of secondary schools makes incorporating these …


Centering The Teacher: How An Autonomy-Supportive Environment Impacts Arts Educators’ Sense Of Agency And The Collaborative Culture Of Their Education Networks, Kyle Andrew Anderson Apr 2023

Centering The Teacher: How An Autonomy-Supportive Environment Impacts Arts Educators’ Sense Of Agency And The Collaborative Culture Of Their Education Networks, Kyle Andrew Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

In this action research study, I adapted statewide systems of support for visual and performing arts educators in an effort to promote a positive sense of professional identity and strengthen the collaborative culture of the support systems. Prior to this study, the educator network met monthly for professional learning sessions planned and facilitated by a leader in a non-teacher role. As an action researcher, I restructured the sessions to create an autonomy-supportive environment to foster educators’ leadership skills and promote authentic collaboration. Study participants had autonomy over the planning, aims, content, and facilitation of the networking sessions. A basic qualitative …


Violence, Rebellion, And Compromise In Chinese Campus Cinema ----- The Comparison Of Cry Me A Sad River And Better Days, Chunyu Liu Apr 2023

Violence, Rebellion, And Compromise In Chinese Campus Cinema ----- The Comparison Of Cry Me A Sad River And Better Days, Chunyu Liu

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the social critiques in Chinese campus films by viewing their development and cultural context. Social Criticism, a prominent trend in Chinese cinema, addresses a wide range of widely concerned social issues, including education, romance, marriage, politics, environmental concerns, psychological repressions, etc. It appears that a Chinese mainland woman filmmaker and a Hong Kong professional director echo each other on the same theme. They are inspired by similar genuine events and share many similarities in the way they orchestrate the relationships and backgrounds of the characters. However, the two films retain their different characteristics. This thesis will discuss …


Mentors’ Perspective On Mentoring Practices For New Teachers: A Qualitative Study, Rosa Smith-Norman Jan 2023

Mentors’ Perspective On Mentoring Practices For New Teachers: A Qualitative Study, Rosa Smith-Norman

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological research study explores the lived experiences of mentors as they share their perceptions of mentoring practices to better understand how participatory experiences affect the professional growth of new teachers. Using a phenomenological research design helps to better understand the participants’ perceptions and personal meaning making processes that emerge from their first-person lived experiences of their professional practice. This study explores how ongoing participatory experiences have served to shape one’s perceptions about teaching and learning though the use of best mentoring practice strategies. To this end, this study triangulates the data by conducting an initial email interview questionnaire …


Nadezhda Krupskaya And The Reinvention Of Culture In Revolutionary Russia: Populism, Women, And Education In The New Socialist Society, Michael Anthony Iasilli Jan 2023

Nadezhda Krupskaya And The Reinvention Of Culture In Revolutionary Russia: Populism, Women, And Education In The New Socialist Society, Michael Anthony Iasilli

Theses and Dissertations

Most historiography of the Russian Revolution underestimates the impact of the populists of the nineteenth century in shaping political decision-making that led to early Soviet national development as well as the women brought up within the movement. Populism and the legacy of the narodniki is often a separate body of research, or explained within a distinct political category of its own. Likewise, most scholars see the socialist movement at the turn of the century as a divergence away from the populists. However, through the writings and legacy of Nadezhda Krupskaya, Lenin's wife, she demonstrates a political and cultural transcendence of …