Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Borderline Features And Deliberate Self-Harm Behaviors Among College Students: The Mediating Roles Of Emotion Regulation And Interpersonal Functioning, Sydney Mari Levine

Theses and Dissertations

Research has established ACEs as significant predictors of deliberate self-harm (DSH) in both clinical and community populations. Further, adults meeting criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) are nearly 14 times more likely to report childhood adversity. No previous studies have examined the critical roles of emotion regulation and interpersonal functioning as mediating mechanisms in these relations. Thus, the current study explored the mechanism by which ACEs affect borderline personality features (BPF) or deliberate self-harm through emotion regulation and interpersonal functioning in a sample of emerging adult college students. Participants (N = 2,255, M age = 19.25) included college students from …

The Association Between Symptoms Of Adhd And Alcohol Use And Related Consequences In College Students: Social And Environmental Protective And Risk Factors As Moderators Of This Relation, Cameron Shepard Massey

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use, while common in college student populations, can bring about significant mental health and educational problems that have negative consequences (Harris et al., 2017; White & Hingson, 2013). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can also result in significant impairment in academic settings (Kuriyan et al., 2012; Blase et al., 2009, Barbaresi et al., 2007), and those with ADHD often show increased rates of alcohol consumption and related problems, which can greatly increase the risk for students to struggle in college (Barbaresi et al., 2013; Baker et al., 2012). Examining the impact that specific risk and protective factors play in this relation …

Channel Morphology Of A Leaky Coastal Plain River: The Congaree River, Sc 1884-2022, William Nicholas Logan

Theses and Dissertations

Downstream changes in river planform can be associated with changes in geologic controls and often signal changes in channel geometry, bed slope, or bed material grain size. While previous studies documented downstream trends in channel geometry and planform for a variety of rivers, there is a gap in the literature on spatial and temporal trends in channel geometry on the fluvial part of Coastal Plain rivers, i.e., the not-tidally influenced part. The literature highlights the existence of crevasse splays in natural levees that allow floodplain inundation below bankfull conditions as unique feature of channels and floodplains in the Coastal Plain. …

The Hero Within: Developing The Psychological Capital Of First-Generation Students, Mary Elizabeth Sewell

Theses and Dissertations

Psychological capital (PsyCap) is a higher-order construct comprised of four psychological resources: hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism (HERO), and has been linked to academic achievement and engagement (Hazan Liran & Miller, 2019; Luthans, et al., 2012). Interventions designed to build PsyCap may be particularly helpful for firstgeneration (FG) students who face additional challenges in higher education. This study aimed to: (1) explore differences in PsyCap among FG and continuing generation (CG) students; (2) investigate relationships between PsyCap, GPA, and persistence; and (3) examine the impact of a 2-hour PsyCap micro-intervention (PCI) on FG students’ academic PsyCap, academic achievement (GPA), and …

Implementation Of Digital Flashcards To Increase Content-Specific Vocabulary Knowledge And Perceptions Of Motivation And Self-Efficacy In An Eleventh-Grade U.S. History Course: An Action Research Study, Jill Lee Steinmeyer

Theses and Dissertations

Text- and document-dependent courses like high school U.S. History require students to have strong content literacy and vocabulary skills. Traditionally, content-area courses neglect vocabulary skills and those that do address vocabulary often teach words in isolation without context. Students needing more content comprehension skills frequently need more motivation and higher self-efficacy.

Three research questions were used to evaluate the impact of digital flashcards on learning content-specific vocabulary and student perceptions in an eleventh-grade U.S. History course: (a) How and to what extent do digital flashcards affect eleventh-grade U.S. History students’ learning content-specific vocabulary knowledge?; (b) How and to what extent …

Deficit Thinking In Teacher Course Level Recommendations, Andrew Hogan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to analyze teacher perceptions of the impact of deficit thinking in student course level placement to derive greater insight into the causes of the over-representation of students of color in lower-tracked classes. This study was conducted as a virtual focus group using Google Meet that took place across 3 meetings in which 6 teachers participated in activities designed to promote dialogue around the impact of deficit thinking in the placement of students into course levels.

This study found that teachers perceived deficit thinking in institutional deficiencies in meeting the needs of students and the …

Hardly Working: The Labor Concerns Of Graduate Student Assistants In Writing Programs, Lily Victoria Howard-Hill

Theses and Dissertations

The instructors of undergraduate writing courses are very often graduate students who exist in a space between student and teacher, subsequently shouldering a dual burden of responsibility. This is particularly the case in freshman writing and composition classes. Graduate students that hold assistantships and work in writing programs have a number of concerns related to their academic labor, specifically the benefits and compensation they receive in exchange for their work. To further illustrate these issues, this project offers the results of an IRB-approved study that highlights the tight connection between graduate student assistants’ working conditions, the financial and material benefits …

A Holistic Approach To Culturally Relevant Education In Biology To Examine Student Engagement, Robyn Brooke Biery

Theses and Dissertations

Recognizing that many students were disengaged in my grade-level biology class, this study sought to improve student engagement as a result of the implementation of CRE-enriched instruction and to describe themes associated with CRE and engagement. This qualitative action research study used a survey, exit tickets, and observations to discover emergent themes as a result of implementing CRE-enriched lessons. This action research study used member checking and disconfirming evidence to increase rigor and transferability. The results were that the use of CRE-enriched lessons increased the engagement of grade-level students in biology, and that engagement requires a two-pronged approach – cultural …

Improving Undergraduate Psychology Students’ Academic Advising Experiences, Kelsey Grant

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study evaluated how to prepare undergraduate Psychology students for the transition from a developmental style of advising to the prescriptive advising style of departmental advisors. As an Undergraduate Academic Advisor, I drew upon a theoretical framework of appreciative advising, positive psychology, and the theory of transition to examine how to improve my practice in terms of this transition. Survey data from students who had not yet made this transition and interview data from students who had already made the transition enabled me to evaluate their perceptions of the advisor–advisee relationship and overall advising model in Psychology, as …

First-Generation Support: A Mixed-Methods Approach To Understanding Imposter Phenomenon And University Belongingness, Julia Kathryn Hodge

Theses and Dissertations

This longitudinal mixed-methods study examines first-generation students (FGS) from a new angle, using the lens of the imposter phenomenon (IP) and the impact of a support program tailored to this population. The Opportunity Scholars Program (OSP) serves low-income, first-generation in-state students. The program promotes retention for low-income FGS. It is worthwhile to evaluate whether and to what degree such a program affects IP among FGS. At the beginning and end of the fall semester, 99 OSP first-generation students, general FGS, and non-FGS completed surveys on imposter phenomenon, academic self-efficacy, and test anxiety. Following the quantitative measures, 12 first-generation students participated …

The Devil And Tom Robot: The Use Of Robotics To Impact Empathy In Secondary Students Of American Literature, Susan K. Porter-Voss

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to evaluate the effect of a robotics-based intervention on empathy for students enrolled in secondary English and literature courses. Empathy, as a concept, is an integral component of reading comprehension and student motivation. A decline in reported individual levels of empathy among young adults can negatively influence longitudinal academic and career success. Robotics present a promising method in which to impact student learning in K-12 environments. Student manipulation of Wonder Workshop Cue robots in designed challenges was integrated within literature content standards for English III. The outlined study measured the impact of …

Middle School Transition: The Influence Of An Academy Approach And The Role Of Leadership, Kimberly Calhoun Odom

Theses and Dissertations

Students entering middle school frequently encounter challenges in their transition as they leave the comforts of elementary school. Traditionally, fifth grade students experience their last year in elementary school in a similar fashion to the previous five years of elementary school. They are in self-contained classrooms with one teacher for the majority of their school day. This study’s objective is to determine best practices and strategies that support fifth grade students in transitioning to the rigors of middle school. More specifically, the research focuses on the impact of an Academy structure in the elementary setting that models the transitions of …

Examining The Relationship Between School Policing Behaviors And The Depressive Symptoms Experienced By Black Students, Collin Perryman

Theses and Dissertations

The school policing literature has two major themes: (a) the negative safety outcomes of school safety (Gottfredson et al., 2020) and (b) the central role that school police play in placing Black students into the school-to-prison-nexus (Morris, 2016; Turner & Beneke, 2020). The study of school police roles, how school police interact with educators, and the safety effects of school police presence is important. Just as important is knowing the mental health effects of physical and nonphysical school policing behaviors on Black students. This dissertation sought to fill this gap in part by studying the relationship between school police behaviors …

"You Will Be Evaluated According To The Following": Language, Race, And International Students At A U.S. Predominantly White Institution, Anusha Anand

Theses and Dissertations

As sociolinguists have long noted, racial hierarchies in the United States have been maintained through a hegemonic standard language ideology that assumes white middle-class ways of speaking as “standard” and the linguistic marginalization of non-whites ways of speaking as “nonstandard” (Bonfiglio 2010). This phenomenon is well-documented in studies on the perceptions of racialized international TAs (ITAs), which show that the racializing ideologies about ITAs’ language held by predominantly white, Western undergraduates impact their perception of ITAs’ comprehensibility and teaching ability (Staples, Kang, & Wittner 2014). Other studies on international students have shown that the discrimination that they face is driven …

Describing The Experiences Of Canadian Genetic Counseling Students Studying In The United States, Madeline Emma Ladouceur

Theses and Dissertations

There are fewer and smaller genetic counseling master’s programs in Canada compared to the United States, which makes it challenging for prospective Canadian students to train in their home country. We investigated which factors influenced Canadian students to apply or not to apply to American genetic counseling training programs, as well as the experiences of those Canadians who attended a program in the United States. We predicted that Canadian students applied to American genetic counseling training programs primarily because of limited training opportunities in Canada and a competitive application process across North America. We used a mixed method, online survey …

Effectively Integrating Technology To Engage Students And Meet Learning Objectives In Language Arts Classrooms, Jessica L. Austin

Theses and Dissertations

Technology is an ever-changing resource that is more advanced now than it has ever been. This action research project explored how teachers intentionally plan the use of technology in their classroom based on the objectives that need to be taught. The main study that this action research explores is how teacher align objectives to integrate intentional technology that engages students in the middle school ELA classroom? By collecting data via questioning, interviewing, observing and collaboration among participants, the findings show that the use of technology in the classroom is most efficient when implementing a backwards design approach to lesson planning.

A Case Study Of Rural Southern Desegregation: How Black Students In A South Carolina Community Experienced Segregated Schooling And The Integration Process, Margo Mcdowell Gore

Theses and Dissertations

My purpose for this study is to shed light on how the African-American community in a small Southern rural community experienced segregated schools and the long school desegregation process. Conflicts over school integration in urban centers like Little Rock drew the media's attention, but how small communities beyond the glare of the media fared is less well understood and documented. Archival data and contemporary media coverage provide a timeline and context for the experiences of this Black community, and oral history interviews were collected and analyzed to document the range of desegregation experiences.

Although the Brown v. Board of Education …

Secondary Administrators’ Perspectives On Their Involvement In And Barriers To Supporting Secondary Transition Programs For Students With Disabilities, Dottie H. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

To address disparities in post-school outcomes for students with disabilities, federal legislation mandates appropriate education programs to include transition planning and programs for students with disabilities. Because administrators are held responsible for ensuring appropriate educational programs for all learners including those with disabilities, it is important to understand their perspectives on secondary transition; however, research on administrators’ involvement in secondary transition activities is limited. Using a single-state survey, this study examined the perspectives of secondary school administrators on their involvement and engagement in providing effective transition programs and services for students with disabilities and their perceptions of barriers to providing …

Individualized E-Book Experiences: Personalized Reading Plans’ Impact On First-Grade Students’ Reading Motivation And Engagement, Hannah Brunson Miles

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research was to address the issue of first-grade students being unengaged and unmotivated to read independently for the recommended 20-minute block of time in class. Students were also not electing to read independently during any free time they had in class. This research was designed to investigate how implementing a personalized e-book reading plan (PRP) affected students’ reading motivation and engagement during independent reading. The research questions that guided this study were: (a) How and to what extent do the personalized e-book reading plans impact students’ motivation to read? (b) How and to what extent …

Student’S Perspectives Of Chronic Absenteeism In A Suburban High School, Herbert Allen Gray

Theses and Dissertations

For many students, school attendance is a critical issue. There have been several studies conducted concerning attendance numbers. These studies have shown that poor attendance often affects grades, graduation rates, and socioeconomic status post-high school. The purpose of this study was to first investigate the reasons behind absences and attitudes towards school and classes because of missed days. The second purpose was to determine if a weekly mentoring meeting had any noticeable effect on attendance. The targeted pool of students consisted of those who had been identified as chronically absent the previous semester. An initial set of open-ended questions and …

A Descriptive Study About Instructor And Student Attitudes Towards The Use Of Educational Technology In Nursing Instruction, David Lawrence Stanghellini

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, concern has been expressed by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National League for Nursing (NLN) that nursing school graduates lack critical thinking skills needed to provide increasingly complex care to today’s hospitalized patient. Although the use of educational technology in the classroom has been associated with improved critical thinking and performance, some instructors at schools of nursing remain reluctant to integrating technology into their pedagogy. Barriers to technology integration include limited knowledge in the use of technology, perceived low self-efficacy, concerns about training, and long-term support.

This study examined factors that affect instructor and student …

Effect Of Lifestyle, Medical School Culture And Income On Medical Students' Decision To Pursue A Primary Care Career In Saudi Arabia, Ahmed Abdullah Alhussain

Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to examine the relationship of medical school students who select primary care as their career specialty. Based on extensive literature review, we focused on the three main factors that influence students to consider career specialty: lifestyle, income, and medical school culture. With a paper questionnaire of a cross-sectional study survey at ten medical schools, we were able to collect 1,006 participants from fourth and fifth year students. The clear majority of students considered lifestyle characteristics to be a significant influence in their career decision (PP<.05). Also, we found there was a significant relationship between students’ specialty choices and income variables. The result showed us that medical school culture played a notable role in terms of forming the students’ decisions in different ways. First, specialty characteristics were strongly correlated with career consideration. Second, having advising and mentoring within the medical school enhanced the probability of choosing primary care specialty. Finally, the effect of the primary care course was significant and closely related to the choice of the primary care specialty. In conclusion, the study demonstrated the impact of lifestyle, income, and medical school culture on student career selection. These results are in parallel with previous studies conducted in many countries around the world.

The Struggle Is Real: Exploring Epistemological Change Through The Use Of The Next Generation Science Standards In A High School Chemistry Classroom, Nancy Nasr

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative action research study examines my resistance to implementing the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in my high school chemistry classroom, which is not uncommon among teachers. This resistance highlighted my conflicting epistemological beliefs, which, as a product of my own experiences as a student, among other factors, are deep-rooted and difficult to change. The dilemma for many science teachers, like me, is that the NGSS approaches the teaching of science in a constructivist manner, which attempts to move science instruction away from traditional pedagogies. Science teachers whose epistemological beliefs are rooted in traditional pedagogies may understand the inherent …

Approaches To Teaching Music Reading To Piano Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Rachel Elizabeth Davis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to collect information about teaching music reading to piano students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and to determine best teaching practices that may be implemented into existing curricula. The study involved interviewing six professionals who are nationally recognized for successfully teaching piano to students with ASD and analyzing the interviews to learn their procedures for teaching music reading to this population.

The interviews contain information concerning the backgrounds of the individuals being interviewed, the demographic backgrounds of students being taught, and the pedagogical process, instructional materials and technology used for teaching music reading in lessons. …

The Effectiveness Of Video Modeling With Video Feedback On A Given Piece For Mid-To-Late Elementary Piano Students, Huiyun Liang

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of video modeling with video feedback for developing mid-to-late elementary piano students’ motor skills in learning the piece “Polka” by Dmitri Kabalevsky. The secondary purpose was to evaluate the benefits of this method for other aspects of performance and performance retention. Five (N=5) piano students, 8 to 9 years old, at mid-to-late elementary level were selected to participate in this study. The results of the study summarized the performance progress of four participants who demonstrated similar levels of technical and reading skills and completed the test requirements.

The full-scale …

The Impact Of A Global Education Program On The Critical Global Awareness Level Of Eighth Grade Students In A Rural School In South Carolina, Marina Mosneaguta

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past few years of teaching at a school district in a southeastern state, the researcher noticed that her students had become increasingly interested in various global topics. Students wanted to talk about world events and cultures around the world, but they had a limited understanding of their own roles as world citizens. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of global education program on the critical global awareness levels of eighth grade students at East Bridge Middle School. This researcher analyzed the effects of global education program on the critical global awareness level of eighth …

The Impact Of Readers Theater On Fluency, Emily Suggs

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study describes a problem of practice derived from the identification of students in fifth-grade who lack reading skills to be classified fluent readers as identified by Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills-Next Edition Oral Reading Fluency (DIBELS Next ORF). This problem of practice led to the development of an action research study, which examined the impact of fluency instruction that used readers theater texts on students’ overall fluency performance.

Through a convergent mixed methods design, the study addressed three research questions that explored the impact of using readers theater texts on students’ overall fluency performance, the …

The Impact Of Individualized Structured Reading Intervention On High School Students In Special Education: An Action Research Study, Nikki Clark

Theses and Dissertations

Reading skills comprise the following three categories: decoding, fluency, and comprehension. All three of these skills are necessary for students to become successful readers in and out of academic settings. Many students in special education read far below their grade level; difficulty reading is particularly challenging for such students because, in addition to limiting academic success, under-developed reading skills compromise students’ academic and functional independence. This study aimed to examine how a structured, individualized reading intervention may help high school students in special education – students who have been diagnosed with one specific disability or a combination of approved disabilities …

Audio Books’ Impact On Students’ Reading Experiences, Anne W. Hartell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of audio books on students’ reading experiences in a public elementary school in rural upstate South Carolina. This study was conducted to address the problem of practice reported by teachers as low motivation and engagement during independent reading in classrooms that contributed to negative experiences during independent reading. This action research study utilized interviews, a focus group, a survey, and classroom observations to gather qualitative data on the reading experience before and after the introduction of audio books from three resources. Adult support, access, interest, focus, and difficulty were themes …

The Impact Of Scaffolding On The Historical Thinking Skills Of Middle School Students, William R. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

This work is dedicated to some incredibly important people in my life. First, to my students everywhere, you have challenged me to become a better curriculum leader and a better historian. Many of you have inspired me beyond anything that you can imagine. Second, to my colleagues, you have helped create a drive inside of me to seek the best in my students and myself. You have also put up with my seemingly unending impromptu lectures about the newest thought I had on pedagogy.

Finally and most importantly, to my family, it is you that I owe an indescribable debt. …