Digital Commons Network^™

Along For The Journey: Graduate Student Perceptions Of Research, Alissa Droog, Kari D. Weaver, Frances Brady

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Graduate students’ identities and personal lives are heavily tied to their experiences of research, and many struggle to find, understand, and use information for research purposes. Using a drawing exercise rooted in visual research methods combined with semi-structured interviews, a research team in the United States and Canada explored graduate student perceptions of research with nineteen participants. Thematic analysis identified six themes: research is abstract; research is an odyssey; social support makes or breaks the student experience; research is an emotional continuum; interplay between identity/values; information is problematic. The study has implications for how librarians support graduate student research.

Niu Constitution And Bylaws & Fs Bylaws 2024-07-01, Northern Illinois University

University Council Archives

No abstract provided.

Vol. 44, No. 3, Summer 2024: Table Of Contents, Northern Illinois University Law Review

Northern Illinois University Law Review

Table of Contents and Masthead for Volume 44, Issue 3 of the Northern Illinois Law Review

Esg Factors In Municipal Securities Disclosures: Toward A Materiality Concept, Justin Marlowe

Northern Illinois University Law Review

State and local governments in the United States finance most of their infrastructure investment with debt instruments known as municipal bonds. The federal government does not directly regulate when or how municipal issuers access the municipal bond market, and only indirectly regulates the content of municipal borrowers’ disclosure to investors. A consequence of that unique regulatory structure is that municipal borrowers have wide discretion on whether to disclose falling property values, rising crime rates, and other long-term threats to their ability to repay investors. This is at odds with the ever-expanding information needs of investors who seek to align their …

Reparative Editing: Working With Ukrainian Authors In Wartime, Amy K. Levin

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

No abstract provided.

Formula: A Poetic Alchemy Of Emotion And Identity, Arman Eshtiaghi

Graduate Artistry Projects and Performances

"FORMULA: A Poetic Alchemy of Emotion and Identity" is an interdisciplinary art project that explores the intersection of mathematical symbolism, typography, and emotional cartography to examine the complexities of identity formation. Rooted in personal experiences and queer theory, the project delves into the cognitive processes that shape the self, particularly within the context of sexual orientation and societal norms. By intertwining poetry with digital media—such as 3D animation, video projections, and deep neural network-generated visuals—"FORMULA" creates a multisensory experience that invites viewers to engage with the intricate landscapes of human consciousness.

The exhibition challenges traditional perceptions of identity by employing …

The Relationship Between Autistic Traits, Autistic Camouflaging, And Adults’ Representations Of Abstract And Social Concepts, Henry Tomiser, Katja Wiemer Dr.

Honors Capstones

Concrete concepts (e.g., BUTTON) can be experienced directly by the senses, whereas abstract concepts (e.g., FRIENDSHIP) cannot. Additionally, the mind may represent abstract concepts using more introspective, social, and emotional information than concrete concepts. Social difficulties are one defining feature of autism, and autistic individuals may use social camouflaging to hide these difficulties, but the precise nature of social processing in autism is not known. This study aims to explore possible links between autistic traits, autistic camouflaging, and mental representations of concepts. Participants gave open-ended definitions for concepts varying in concreteness and social content via an online survey. Responses were …

Male Student's Perceptions In An Undergraduate Nursing Baccalaureate Program: A Qualitative Study, Jonas Arvin C. Sales

Honors Capstones

There remains a shortage of nurses in the United States. The nursing workforce is aging. Nursing remains majority female. Male nurses can fill the shortage, but men make up only 12% of the workforce. This qualitative study investigated the perspectives of male undergraduate nursing students regarding their education and healthcare roles, the factors contributing to the underrepresentation of men in nursing and explored ideas to attract more men to nursing. A focus group interview was conducted with 13 male baccalaureate nursing students currently enrolled at a midwestern university. Data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. The qualitative analysis generated five …

Antagonism Attenuates The Relationship Between Childhood Polyvictimization And Distress In Adulthood, Benjamin D. Carsten

Honors Capstones

The cumulative effects of childhood polyvictimization, including incremental increases in experiences of childhood maltreatment (CM) types, such as sexual abuse and emotional neglect are associated with an increase in psychological distress. Personality trait domains as measured by the Personality Inventory of the DSM-5, are independently associated with psychological distress, and are thought to moderate the association between traumatic events and distress. The present study was conducted with a sample of undergraduate students (N = 485) who were administered a battery of questionnaires including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS-II) and the Personality Inventory for …

Swine & Symphonies, Dilara Miller

Graduate Artistry Projects and Performances

Dilara Miller’s work critique’s and reflects on the social/cultural effects of being a Turkish-American Muslim woman in today’s society. Through referencing antiquities and how they are presented today, she identifies patterns of hierarchies that exist in human history through an eco-feminist lens. Miller’s work reflects on the role of the artist and the historical testimony we leave behind; like her Girl Birds, she seeks to record her experiences within our Anthropocene as colored by mythic and Islamic teachings. Miller pulls from historic epochs to generate a foundation from which to examine our contemporary treatment of women as related to our …

Childhood Sexual Abuse And The Role Of Experiential Avoidance In College Alcohol Use, Regina Montes

Honors Capstones

Childhood trauma has been related in numerous studies to maladaptive behavior as well as risky behaviors in adulthood, such as alcohol use. However, few studies have focused specifically on the relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and alcohol use. Moreover, experiential avoidance has been shown to be an important factor in poor behavioral outcomes in young adults with a history of childhood trauma. The present study explores experiential avoidance as a mediating factor of the relationship between CSA and alcohol severity in college students. Data for this current investigation was collected as a part of a larger study of undergraduate …

Culturally Responisve Teaching Practices To Support Students With Visual Imapirments, Genesis C. Miranda

Honors Capstones

This project examines education for children with visual impairments and those from racial, cultural, and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Taken separately, they result in a unique educational experience for the individual. This projedct also looks at the intersection of visual impairment and diversity and how students who fall within these groups are taught. The value of culturally responsive teaching practices is presented and applied to teaching children with vision loss to provide educators with strategies to create inclusive environments that promote learning and empowerment.

Addressing Stroke Care Disparities Through Patient Education, Christina Annerino

Honors Capstones

It has been found across current studies and evaluations of stroke care and patient outcomes that there is a disparity in disability and mortality between male and female patients who have experienced stroke. The aforementioned studies did not identify the cause of this disparity, although a number of hypotheses for this phenomenon were provided. This study then conducted a preliminary survey of 130 participants, both men and women, aged 18-80 years old, to evaluate potential barriers to accessing stroke care and receiving treatment effectively. Preliminary survey data demonstrated consistent gaps in knowledge related to stroke risks, stroke symptoms, and when …

Building A Business: A Close-Knit Relationship Between Marketing & Entrepreneurship, Gabrielle O. Ysteboe

Honors Capstones

This project explores how best to build a knit blanket business with respect to several parameters including market research to determine price point, where to sell the product, with options including Etsy, brick and mortar, larger retail stores, personal website, craft fairs, and pop-up retail locations, and determining the target market and demographics, which will shape the marketing strategy to be used. It shows the ties between the 4 P's of marketing and entrepreneurship. Through surveys and primary research, data was found that allowed for one option for business placement to come out on top. It also allowed for the …

Test Anxiety Inflation, Brian Podkulski, David P. Valentiner

Honors Capstones

Mental health conditions are higher than ever worldwide, despite best efforts to increase public awareness and deliver informed solutions. To account for this rise, some suggested models argue that measures taken to ameliorate mental health problems are actually contributing to their inflation through iatrogenic effects. The current proposed study seeks to identify the possibility of iatrogenic effects on test anxiety as a product of psychoeducational material. The scope of this study includes the immediate effects of viewing a typical short-form informational video on core and adjacent symptoms of test anxiety. Participants will engage with our study entirely through an online …

Trauma Type, Resilience And Sense Of Self, Caitlin R. Callahan

Honors Capstones

Most individuals will experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime (Alim et al., 2008), potentially leading to a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD can have significant psychological and physical repercussions (Brady et al., 1997). Experiencing trauma, such as interpersonal or non-interpersonal, can negatively impact resiliency and sense of self. The current study hypothesized that participants who reported interpersonal trauma as their worst event would report lower resilience and sense of self compared to participants reporting a non-interpersonal trauma. Four hundred and twenty-nine undergraduate students were given questionnaires to assess traumatic experiences, resiliency, and sense of self using …

Bridging The Gap Between The Disability Community And Marketers, Amari Richardson

Honors Capstones

People with disabilities have a large amount of buying power, due to their significant collective disposable income. This has resulted in a large untapped market which marketers could target in the future. This study seeks to understand how to people with disabilities would prefer disability inclusive marketing to be executed. One of the research objectives within this study are to understand the importance of disability inclusive marketing when individuals are choosing to purchase from a company. The other objective is to understand what marketing tactics individuals with disabilities prefer. Research method utilized within this study is a Qualtrics survey, which …

Vol. 44, No. 2, Spring 2024: Table Of Contents, Northern Illinois University Law Review

Northern Illinois University Law Review

Table of Contents and Masthead for Volume 44, Issue 2 of the Northern Illinois Law Review

Empower The Imposters In The Legal Field: Teaching & Practicing Mindfulness For Letting Go Of Unproductive Thoughts, Katerina Lewinbuk, Kurstin Grady

Northern Illinois University Law Review

Imposter syndrome, initially coined “imposter phenomenon” by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes, refers to “a psychological experience of intellectual and professional fraudulence.” Those who suffer from imposter syndrome typically experience an all-encompassing fear they are not as intelligent, successful, or accomplished as their qualifications suggest, and thus are bound to ultimately be exposed as “frauds.” To counter these feelings, those who struggle with imposter syndrome set unrealistically high goals for themselves, only to be dissatisfied with any performance that is short of perfection. Over time, this ongoing psychological pressure leads to poor emotional well-being, decreased senses of self-confidence and …

Anti-Lgbt Legislation In Florida: A Prime Example Of States Mentally Harming Lgbt Youth, Kyla Tinsley

Northern Illinois University Law Review

While there has been a growing societal acceptance of LGBT individuals throughout the decades, anti-LGBT bills and laws within the states are on the rise—in particular, bills against LGBT youth. The most famous anti-LGBT law currently in place is Florida’s “Parental Rights in Education” law. The prevalence and inconsistent application of such legislation raises constitutional questions surrounding the rights of LGBT youth, as well as the negative effects the legislation has had on LGBT youth’s mental health and their perception of the legal system they are supposed to trust in and rely on. This Article discusses the impact state anti-LGBT …

Sexual Exploitation: The Crisis And Eradicative Solution, Tonnie Adams Bracey

Student Capstone Projects

French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” I find this to be true in our current era of the digital age. Although technology has gifted a newly improved and vast method of making worldwide connections and broadening our perceptions and views, a change in how we communicate has conveniently presented itself, but the historic pattern of how we handle these new advancements have indeed stayed the same.
Smart phones are a mainstream vessel employing the world with a plethora of information while giving all sorts of people access to individual’s lives …

A Holy Decline, Destiny Ervins

Student Capstone Projects

Christian churches have been a visible contributor to American religion for centuries. However, there has been a noticeable decline in Christian church membership attendance rates. A survey at a small church called Mt. Ebal was conducted to further analyze this topic. The survey was short and concise and rendered around 30 responses. Around 50% of respondents said there had been a decrease in membership attendance. The other 50% consisted of those that said there was an increase, those that said there was no change, and those that were not able to judge based off their less than 10-year membership. The …

Makeher, Maeve R. Wallace

Student Projects

Makeher is a multi-media work that grapples with the existential dilemma of creation within the context of our increasingly unreliable world. Anchored by a concern for the implications of childbirth, my art studies themes of life's genesis and the world we leave behind.

My subject matter, an amalgamation of mirrors, planets, silver, body parts, hair, and tights, are tools with which I explore these themes. Using silver fabric, I abstract the human form. By integrating disassembled body parts with mirrors, I reflect on the fragmented and multifaceted nature of the human existence. This process is not just about the creation …

Fs Transcript 2024-03-27, Northern Illinois University

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Suffering Juicebox, Janelle O'Malley

Graduate Artistry Projects and Performances

Suffering Juicebox investigates the confluences of nostalgia, trauma and identity making by means of sculpture and performance. Creating pieces with built layers of material and found objects Suffering Juicebox takes shape through collecting, forming, layering, petrifying, erasing and reimagining. Pieces are assembled into scenes attempting to rebuild what cannot be obtained. The objects collected and used are metaphors for the memories we accumulate.

Suffering Juicebox explores how gender and identity are created through layers of memory, nostalgia and trauma. Nostalgia’s etymology comes from the greek words nostos meaning “return home” and algos meaning “pain”, and together the word means homesickness. …

Fs Agenda 2024-02-21, Northern Illinois University

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Fs Social Justice Committee Agenda 2024-02-07, Northern Illinois University

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

Fs Agenda 2024-01-24, Northern Illinois University

Faculty Senate Archives

No abstract provided.

How Mathematicians Characterize And Attempt To Develop Understanding Of Concepts And Definitions In Proof-Based Courses, Rachel Rupnow, Timothy Fukawa-Connelly

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Publications

Mathematics education research has long focused on students’ conceptual understanding, including highlighting conceptions viewed as problematic and looking for ways to develop more desirable conceptions. Nevertheless, limited research has examined how mathematicians characterize understanding of concepts and definitions or promote activities beneficial for students. Based on interviews with 13 mathematicians, we present thematic characterizations of what it means to understand a concept and definition, highlight activities mathematicians believe assist students’ learning, and examine their reasons for promoting these activities.

Results include mathematically grounded descriptions of what it means to understand a concept but general descriptions of approaching and supporting learning. …

Providing Medication Reconciliation Through A Post-Discharge Follow-Up Phone Call To Prevent 30-Day Readmissions For Heart Failure, Karolee Fill

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Background: Despite decades of strategic initiatives, all-cause 30-day heart failure readmissions remain greater than 20% nationwide. Issues with medications post-discharge increases the risk of 30-day readmissions.

Local Problem: Heart failure readmission rates within 30 days of discharge remain above the organizational benchmark.

Methods: Quality improvement project utilizing pre- and post-evaluation readmission data from a convenience sample of hospitalized adult heart failure patients.

Interventions: A follow-up phone call from a nurse within 72 hours of hospital discharge to perform medication reconciliation.

Results: Thirty-day readmissions for heart failure in the project population were no different from the hospital population as there was …