Digital Commons Network^™

Consumers’ Responses To New Technologies In The Marketplace, Umair Usman

Theses and Dissertations--Marketing and Supply Chain

Chapter 1. This research examines whether the use of blockchain technology to back a brand’s claims (i.e., blockchain augmented claims) influences consumer preference for sustainable products. Consumers are demanding higher levels of transparency from brands and are also showing keen interest in consuming sustainable products, which includes products that promote social, environmental and economic sustainability. Recent advancement in digital technology, specifically blockchain, is offering an opportunity for brands to meet both these consumer demands. In five laboratory studies, I demonstrate that blockchain augmented claims, as compared to traditional industry practices (i.e., use of third-party labels and brand’s self-made claims), increases …

The Impact Of Korean Government’S Industrial R&D Expenditure On Technological Competitiveness, Hyunok Kim

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

In Korea, the total amount of R&D executed by the Korean government in 2019 was $16 billion. The Compound Annual Growth Rate of Korean government R&D budget is 5.04% (2010~2019). This paper studies whether the Korean government's R&D expenditure effectively achieves its purpose. Assuming the purpose of government R&D expenditure is set as science and technology competitiveness based on related laws and the indicator is identified as the technology balance of payments (TBP), this study estimates the statistical correlation between government R&D expenditure and TBP. Since the characteristic of government R&D expenditure is different for each field, the correlation by …

The Influence Of Formal Mentoring On Teacher Beliefs Of K-12 Classroom Technology Use During A Global Pandemic, Anthony Arbisi

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This dissertation explores the influence and transfer of knowledge related to instructional technology that occurs in the formal teacher mentoring relationship of seven mentoring dyads in a suburban Missouri public school district. This multiple case study was performed during the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2020-2021 school year. The unit of analysis in this study was a mentoring dyad that consisted of an experienced mentor teacher and a novice teacher.

A multiple case study method was utilized. Individual interviews and two focus groups were conducted via the Zoom video conference platform to gather data to inform the research study. Thematic analysis …

Integrating Persuasive Messaging Strategies Into Higher Education Early Alert Interventions To Improve Student Academic Behaviors, Joseph Gayheart

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Higher Education is at a critical juncture as both public and private institutions seek to attract, retain, and graduate students. Institutions of higher education have traditionally developed communication and engagement strategies that become part of early warning/alert systems intended to increase student positive academic behaviors and improve student success. Persuasion can be a powerful tool in improving communication—especially when persuasive messages are deployed within the complex and ever-changing media landscape. Communication and persuasion scholars, for example, have applied persuasive messaging interventions in a variety of contexts but have yet to substantially apply these persuasive tactics in a higher education setting. …

The Effects Of School Leaders’ Support On Teachers’ Integration Of Technology In Catholic Schools, Donna Reeves Brown

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This mixed methods study examined the effect of school leaders’ support of teachers’ personal and professional technology use, support of teachers’ technology integration, and support of teachers’ current instructional practice on teachers’ technology integration. In 2018, over six hundred teachers and sixty-five leaders from a Catholic diocese in the southeastern United States participated in the LoTi Digital Survey for Teachers and the LoTi Digital Survey for Leaders. In this two-phase study, data from these surveys were used in phase one to examine the degree to which each of the school leaders’ measures of support affected teachers’ technology integration. Using …

Policy, Aggregate Productivity And Misallocation, Guowen Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This dissertation explores the effects of factors such as industrial policy and listing on the stock market on manufacturing firms’ profitability and productivity.

The second chapter investigates the effect of industrial policies on misallocation using a rich data-set of Chinese firms. Using a difference-in-difference approach, I provide evidence that government policies (i.e. the 10^th Five Year Plan) favoring particular industries lead to increased misallocation (i.e., an increase in the dispersion of revenue productivity across firms in four-digit industries). Moreover, the differential changes between industries supported and not supported by the 10^th Five Year Plan are quantitatively large and …

Technology Aided Instruction And Intervention To Teach Grade Level Science Term Definitions To Middle School Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jessica L. Richards

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to teach middle school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) academic, grade level science term definitions. Three students with ASD who were served in a self-contained classroom for students with moderate and severe disabilities participated in the study. A multiple probe (days) across behaviors research design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a model-lead-test procedure delivered using a computer software program to teach three sets of five science term definitions from the general education academic standards. Generalization probes were conducted in the general education setting by giving each student terms that they learned …

The Use Of Technology To Implement Peer Mediated Intervention: Students With Autism As Tutors And Tutees, Lindsey R. Graessle

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Peer mediated interventions have been effective in teaching academic and social skills to students with disabilities. The present study assesses the effectiveness of students with autism spectrum disorder serving as the tutor and tutee. Four peer mediators and four students with autism spectrum disorder used technology and the simultaneous prompting procedure to teach acquisition of social studies vocabulary. Results indicate that both students with and without autism spectrum disorder effectively delivered instruction using technology and all students learned a portion of the vocabulary taught by a same-aged peer.

Music Therapists’ Perceptions And Practices Regarding Musical Authenticity In Music Therapy Practice, Nora Bryant Veblen

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Music therapists are expected to provide live music for clients with diverse preferences, yet these therapists face many barriers preventing them from recreating client-preferred music in a way that adheres to the expectations of the genre, or with “musical authenticity.” The purpose of this study was to investigate music therapists’ perceptions and practices regarding musical authenticity. Survey responses (n = 904) indicated that music therapists highly value musical authenticity, but a major theme in the qualitative data revealed they often balance its importance with other factors. Descriptive survey data and qualitative themes revealed lack of training in functional musicianship …

Inter-Rater Reliability Of Diagnostic Language Testing Administered Via Telepractice, Sarah E. Adams

Theses and Dissertations--Communication Sciences and Disorders

Federal law mandates children with language disorders receive free and appropriate intervention. Diagnosis is the first step in the intervention continuum; however, children in rural America are underserved due to personnel shortages. Limited studies have demonstrated the reliability of language testing conducted via telepractice. Further research examining the reliability of language tests administered via telepractice is necessary. The purpose of this study was to assess inter-rater reliability of three language tests administered via telepractice.

Effects Of Using An Ipad App With Embedded Models To Teach Sight Words To Elementary Students With Developmental Disabilities, Meghan A. Traynor

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of teaching sight words using an iPad app with embedded models to students with developmental disabilities. The experimental design used was multiple probe (conditions) across behaviors replicated across students. All sessions occurred in a one-to-one format. The results showed the iPad app with embedded models were effective in teaching sight words to students with developmental disabilities.

Technology In A Gifted And Talented Math Classroom: How It Impacts Students' Problem Solving And Mathematical Learning, Brandon H. French

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

Technology has advanced greatly over the past few decades and the surge in the industry has impacted the workplace. As a result, K-12 education has worked to integrate 21^st century skills into curriculum. Many times this is through STEM classes. This study examined the impact technology had on gifted and talented students’ achievement and creative construction. During a unit on Transformations, a control group received traditional instruction, while an experimental group received traditional instruction with an added technology component. A pre and posttest were given to both groups to measure student success with the geometry content. Results indicated that …

Text Messaging Appointment Reminders To Reduce No-Shows: A Pilot Study, Cameron M. Stephenson

DNP Projects

Background: Hospital and outpatient clinic no-show, did not cancel or did not attend rates are a serious problem to organizations across the United States health care system. No-show appointments reduce clinic productivity, wastes clinician time and clinic resources and can be detrimental financially. Bluegrass Pediatrics and Internal Medicine (BPIM) located in Georgetown, KY experiences these problems on a daily basis.

Purpose/Methodology. This quality improvement project consisted of evaluating the effects of text messaging on appointment attendance during 3 clinic weeks of February 2016. The sample was derived from all patients enrolled at BPIM with a scheduled well, established or routine …

Protecting Online Privacy, Stephanie D. Winkler

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Online privacy has become one of the greatest concerns in the United States today. There are currently multiple stakeholders with interests in online privacy including the public, industry, and the United States government. This study examines the issues surrounding the protection of online privacy. Privacy laws in the United States are currently outdated and do little to protect online privacy. These laws are unlikely to be changed as both the government and industry have interests in keeping these privacy laws lax. To bridge the gap between the desired level of online privacy and what is provided legally users may turn …

La Voix Humaine: A Technology Time Warp, Whitney Myers

Theses and Dissertations--Music

In 1959 French composer Francis Poulenc composed the opera La Voix humaine based on Jean Cocteau’s original play (1928). La Voix humaine is a one-act opera for soprano. The main character, Elle, spends the opera on the phone with her ex-lover who is marrying another the next day. Many musicians believe this opera is difficult or impossible to update, due to the use of the telephone and its dated operator system, which is a large aspect of the action and drama.

This document provides the reader with a new interpretation of the opera with modern technology. Chapter One begins with …

Video Activity Schedules To Increase Independence For Students With Multiple Disabilities, Madison H. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a video activity schedule (VidAS) via iPod to increase independence within novel tasks across three school settings (i.e., office, cafeteria, library) to students with multiple disabilities. Participants, ages 12 and 14, included two individuals with various disabilities who received special education services in a self-contained classroom. Results indicated both participants were able to independently complete novel tasks in three different school settings with the use of the visual activity schedule with embedded video prompts. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Virtual Coaching In Guatemala: Can It Be Effective For Changing Targeted Teacher Behaviors?, Ruby Owiny

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The education system in Guatemala struggles to meet the needs of students with disabilities. There are often not enough trained special educators to meet the demand. In addition, general educators are often not trained to adequately meet diverse needs in their classrooms. Thus, schools are often unable to fully meet the needs of students with disabilities. This study sought to identify a method by which teachers could be virtually trained on a teacher behavior (i.e., specific praise) that could help meet diverse student needs. A multiple probe design across participants was used to determine if virtual training could be effective …

Investigating The Impact Of Interactive Applets On Students’ Understanding Of Parameter Changes To Parent Functions: An Explanatory Mixed Methods Study, Robin R. Mcclaran

Theses and Dissertations--Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

The technology principle in the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000) states that technology plays an important role in how teachers teach mathematics and in how students learn mathematics. The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed-methods study was to examine the impact of interactive applets on students’ understanding of parameter changes to parent functions. Students in the treatment classes were found to have statistically significantly higher posttest scores than students in the control classes. Although the data analysis showed a statistically significant difference between classes on procedural understanding, no statistically significant difference was found with regard to conceptual …