Digital Commons Network^™

Zeitgeist Of The 2010s And Impact On Fashion Trends, Sophie Scott Anderson

Senior Theses

The zeitgeist of the 2010s can be examined through shifts in technology, politics, economy, environment, religion, and entertainment. This research explores how fashion serves as both a mirror and a driver of societal change during this transformative decade. Trend diffusion itself evolved from the traditional theories of trickle-up and trickle-down because of the prominence of influencer culture, giving average consumers the platform to influence numerous like-minded consumers. Defining the 2010s zeitgeist requires an analysis of the significant patterns in the technological and sociocultural environment through as many sources as possible for a holistic approach. Sociologically, fashion has been accepted as …

Probabilistic Cable Aging Diagnosis And Prognosis With Reflectometry And Capacitance Methods, Xuan Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Safe and reliable operation of power plants and power transmission are critical to economy and society. Cables in power generation and transmission are subject to various thermal, chemical, and mechanical stresses, which generally lead to aging and degradation of cable insulation. It is reported that some cables with a projected lifetime of 40 years need to be replaced in 10-15 years. Poorly maintained aged cables can adversely affect power delivery and lead to catastrophic events, such as blackout, fires, and loss of lives. The current research on cable is mainly focused on the detection and localization of hard faults, which …

Progressive Neurochemical, Neuroinflammatory And Cognitive Deficits In An Experimental Model Of Gulf War Illness, Hannah Elizabeth Burzynski

Theses and Dissertations

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a multi-symptom illness that presents with cognitive disturbances and immune dysregulation and continues to affect over 25% of Gulf War veterans. While soldiers were exposed to several hazards in the Gulf, the prophylactic use of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, pyridostigmine bromide (PB) and war-related stress have been identified as chief factors in GWI pathology. As both PB and stress alter acetylcholine (ACh), a critical mediator of cognition and inflammation, the focus of my dissertation work was investigating the lasting effects of PB and stress on peripheral and central cholinergic signaling. Specifically, I assessed hippocampal-dependent learning and …

Transforming Lessons And Those Who Write Them: Professional Development For Educational Content Writers To Integrate Technology Into Lessons Using The Tpack Framework, Rachael Patricia Santopietro

Theses and Dissertations

Efforts to improve technology integration for K–12 teaching and learning focus on professional development for teachers. This research study, however, implemented a professional development course in technology integration for educational content writers at a publisher in the Southeastern United States. This research is strategic because most writers surveyed do not integrate technology to align with pedagogy and content, because developing 21st century learning is important, and because educational resources should meet national standards for integrating technology. This action research involved designing and implementing a professional development course that instructed content writers (n = 6) in technology integration using the TPACK …

Shakespeare In Virtual Reality: Social Presence Of Students In A Virtual Reality Book Club, John Funchess Ott Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to implement and evaluate the impact of a virtual reality book club on the social presence of students. This research examined participants using virtual reality headsets to study the works of William Shakespeare. This study examined two research questions: 1) How does the implementation of a virtual reality technological innovation affect students’ knowledge of Shakespearean works? 2) How does the implementation of a virtual reality technological innovation affect social presence in students? Participants interacted within virtual worlds with one another and the researcher. Data was collected using a pre-post assessment test, writing …

Achieving Sustainability In Urban Transit And High-Occupancy Vehicle Systems Through Emerging Technologies And Operations, Ruixiao Sun

Theses and Dissertations

It is critical to reduce road transportation emissions, as it is the major source contributing to greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and air pollution. However, the increasing travel demand due to the rise of population and economy makes the task challenging. Mathematically, road transportation emissions can be minimized in the manner of reducing total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and lowering vehicle emission rate. Many strategies have been proven viable for achieving transportation sustainability. For example, the total VMT can be reduced by switching low-occupancy transportation modes (i.e., driving alone) to high-occupancy transportation modes (i.e., public transit, ridesharing). The development of alternative-fuel …

Implementing A Technology-Based Instructional Module In An Introduction To Engineering Course: The Impact On Student’S Vocabulary Retention And Attitudes Towards Learning, Robin T. Amick

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the academic impact of a technology-based instructional module for content vocabulary instruction in the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Introduction to Engineering course. The goal of the study was to answer two key questions: 1) How does implementing a technology-based instructional module impact Engineering vocabulary academic gains for students taking the Introduction to Engineering course? and 2) What is the effect of implementing a technology-based instructional model on attitudes towards learning Engineering vocabulary for students taking the Introduction to Engineering course? This study was conducted with Introduction to Engineering students (N …

The Impact Of Nurse-Patient Engagement With Health Information Technology On Patient Portal Usage, Quyen Thuy Vo

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

The patient portal, a Health Information Technology (HIT) tool, was created to promote patient engagement with available health information to improve health outcomes. Low patient portal use of available educational interventions with a HIT tool is an identified problem at a rural hospital in North Carolina. Low usage could be related to nurses’ unfamiliarity with HIT tools. This DNP project provided nursing staff with a flipped classroom learning module on utilizing available HIT tools within the hospital setting, increasing nurses’ engagement with the patient portal. A sample of Registered Nurses (RNs) from two units who were previously taught to utilize …

A Descriptive Mixed-Methods Study Examining Teachers’ Needs And Preferences For Technology Integration Professional Development, Amber Birden

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ needs and preferences for technology integration professional development (PD). To guide the study, three research questions were developed: (1) What are teachers’ needs and preferences for technology integration professional development in K-12 schools?, (2) How are teachers currently integrating technology for teaching and learning in their classroom?, and (3) How do teachers perceive technology benefits and usefulness of technology integration for teaching and learning?

This was a descriptive mixed methods study. The research study included 33 educators from six different U.S. states. Quantitative data was collected from the technology needs assessment …

Pursuing Perceptions: Exploring Ease Of Use, Usefulness, Relevance, Self-Efficacy, And Past Experiences To Describe Influences On Elementary Teachers’ Acceptance Of Digital Game-Based Materials, Andrew L. Simpson

Theses and Dissertations

There are many acceptance factors that might influence teachers’ intent to create instruction supplemented or enhanced with digital game-based materials (DGBM). A mixed-methods exploration of five research questions was used to describe how teachers’ perceived ease of use, self-efficacy beliefs, opinions about usefulness, perceptions of relevance, and past experiences informed their acceptance of digital game-based materials. This research study took place at Hill Street Elementary School, which is a suburban K-5 school within the Kaia County School District. Data collection was conducted using a survey, one-on-one interviews, and fieldnotes. A purposeful sample of nine interview participants from grades K-4, and …

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.

Race And Technology In Southern Literature, Civil War To Civil Rights, Kaitlyn Elizabeth Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation considers the intersection of technology and race in the literature of the American South from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Though narratives about technology in American literature often promise democracy, equality, improvement, and progress, the role of technology in southern literature is more complex and ambivalent. Literature from and about the South from the Civil War to the civil rights era, by Black and white southern authors like Charles Chesnutt, Zora Neale Hurston, William Faulkner, and Eudora Welty reveals technology’s ability to uphold and naturalize southern white supremacy, but also to subvert it. Southern literature traces a pattern …

An Action Research Mixed Methods Study For The Development Of Information And Communication Technology (Ict) Programming For First-Year Students At A Historically Black University, Krystinq Mccauley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research was to explore the information and communication technology (ICT) literacy skills of first-year minority students at Saint Augustine’s University in order to develop a plan for an ICT professional development program. ICT skills are essential in our rapidly changing and technology-driven society. While there is a growing awareness of the importance of ICT, universities are lagging behind in their approach to provide students with the much-needed digital competencies (Murray & Perez, 2014). This study focused on three research questions to determine (a) the ICT skills of first-year minority college students at Saint Augustine’s University, …

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 …

A Case Study Exploring Student Engagement With Technology As Measured By The Arcs And Samr Models, Kyle Ashley Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

This action research case study describes how varying the levels and format of technology integration into high school social studies classroom lessons impact students’ motivation to learn and how the teacher’s effort to support student motivation through the integration of technology supports student achievement. This research study was grounded in the conceptual framework that motivating and engaging students in the classroom (with the introduction of technology) can be very difficult. This study seeks to determine the relationship between student engagement and motivation as classroom lessons are moved along the different levels of the SAMR model, which stands for substitution, augmentation, …

An Exploratory Study Of The Effects Of A Technology-Based Graphic Organizer And 1:1 Chromebooks On The Persuasive Writing Of Third-Grade Students, Kathy L. Caldwell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative action research was to determine the effectiveness of a technology-based graphic organizer on student achievement, engagement, and motivation in writing. The study explored the usefulness of incorporating a mindmapping program, using Chromebooks to assist students when brainstorming ideas for a persuasive essay. Further, this study examined third-grade English language arts students’ perceptions of the use of technology to write persuasive essays using a specific writing prompt.

The teacher-researcher collected and recorded data on eight third-grade students over seven days. To identify and validate the study’s findings, field notes, student interviews, student reflective digital journals, surveys, …

Making Elearning Engaging: The Effect Of Technology Strategies On Student Engagement And Content Knowledge Development In A Secondary Mathematics Digital Classroom, Allison Knapp

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study employed a mixed-methods design to examine the effect of technology strategies on secondary students’ engagement and development of geometry content knowledge in an eLearning setting. Seeking to understand student preferences of the technology tools, this two-week study was conducted during a geometry unit on quadrilaterals and employed the following technology tools: student response systems (SRS), computer-assisted instruction (CAI), gamification, and teacher-made screencasts. Quantitative data was collected on student engagement, the usefulness of the technology, and student self-efficacy through a Likert-scale survey after each day of using technology. Qualitative data were collected through purposeful interviews with students …

The Impact Of Professional Development On Technology Integration: A Mixed-Methods Action Research Study Of Teachers New To Ocean County School District, Mary C. Rizzi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods action research study was to evaluate the impact of a technology integration professional development program on teachers who were new to the Ocean County School District. This study was conducted at one middle school with teacher-participants (n = 4) from different grade levels and subject areas. All teacher-participants were new to the district but not new to teaching. Each participant had access to a laptop computer and an interactive white board. The school district was a one-to-one device district, so students, too, had their own laptops to use in the classroom.

Professional development was …

Digital Distractions: Using Action Research To Explore Students’ Behaviors, Motivations, And Perceptions Of Cyberslacking In A Suburban High School, Kristy Self Rykard

Theses and Dissertations

Digital technology saturates the personal and educational lives of high school students who are accustomed to continuous connectivity; consequently, students are often distracted by technology in the classroom. When students use technology for non-class related activities during class time, this behavior is commonly known as cyberslacking. The purpose of this action research was to describe students’ understanding of cyberslacking and its academic and social effects in my English 3 Honors and Film Studies classes at Carraway High School. The research took place in the spring semester of 2019 with 59 students in Grades 10 through 12 who were enrolled in …

Increasing Relevance And Impact: Using Action Research With Middle Level Teachers’ Insights And Perceptions Of Technology Professional Development, Janet Dedmon

Theses and Dissertations

To move beyond technology use and realize the full benefits of technology integration, school districts need to provide effective technology professional development experiences. The purpose of this action research was to describe middle level teacher attitudes and perceptions regarding technology training and professional development in Woodcreek School District in order to recommend more effective technology professional development offerings. The research questions of this study focused on (1) the attitudes middle level teachers have toward technology professional development and (2) factors that may influence those attitudes. Going deeper into the influences on attitudes toward technology professional development, this study also explored …

Examining The Influence Of Technoference On Sexual Satisfaction And Relationship Satisfaction Using Actor-Partner Interdependence Modeling Among Young Adult Couples, Christopher J. Hipp

Theses and Dissertations

Young adult couples experience differing levels of relationship and sexual satisfaction throughout the development and duration of their relationship. The levels of relationship and sexual satisfaction depend on factors associated with expectations by the individual members of what constitutes acceptable rewards and costs for the continuance of the relationship. Technology use within a relationship is a relatively new concept in research shown to produce potential rewards and costs that influence relationship development and/or sustainment; however, the results of technology use in romantic relationships remains an understudied area. Even less is known about the effects of technoference on young adult couples’ …

Counseling Program Intervention For Improving African American Students’ Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Dual Enrollment Participation, Sonja L. Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

African Americans are underrepresented at all points in the STEM pipeline from K-12 coursework into professional careers. The reasons for this underrepresentation are varied and reflect a myriad of contributing factors based on early academic experiences, sociocultural influences, and the effects of standardized testing. The three-fold purpose of this study was to implement a counseling program to inform nine African American study participants about the dual enrollment opportunity at their high school, to gain perspective about the factors which shaped their STEM disposition, and to determine the effect of the program on their attitudes about dual enrollment participation. The study …

Enhancements In Alginate Microencapsulation Technology & Impacts On Cell Therapy Development, Marwa Belhaj

Theses and Dissertations

Biodegradable alginate microcapsules (MC) are recently becoming widely used in the biomedical field, and have shown effectiveness as a drug delivery system. Alginate has been used in microencapsulation due to its simple gelling process, biodegradability, excellent biocompatibility, and its stability under in-vivo conditions. Alginate polymer is a natural polysaccharide derived from brown seaweed and has the ability to polymerize rapidly in the presence of cations to form a porous matrix. In order to advance the previous system for efficient protein and peptide delivery, we further lyophilized the peptide-filled microcapsules and we were able to rehydrate, and test them for sustained …

The Perceptions Of Students On A Cooperative, Gamebased Learning Latin Curriculum: An Action Research Study, Jason Dean Blackburn

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study describes the impact of Operation LAPIS, a cooperative gamebased Latin 1 curriculum, upon student perceptions in a large suburban high school in South Carolina. The game served as an introduction to Latin grammar, vocabulary, and the daily life of a Roman teenager for 15 Latin 1 students who participated in the study. Syntax, vocabulary acquisition, and cultural studies are essential standards-based elements of learning Latin. Students were surveyed regarding their opinions on the game’s approach to grammar, vocabulary, Roman daily life, and game-based learning in general. These surveys produced a quantitative data set that allowed the …

Ninth-Grade Students’ Perceptions Of Social Media Responsibility & Cyberbullying, Geoffrey A. Wagner

Theses and Dissertations

At Upstate High School (pseudonym) in South Carolina, incidences of cyberbullying are on the rise. This explanatory action research study was implemented with the purpose of raising awareness of social media responsibility among ninth-grade high school students along with determining what these students’ perceptions of social media responsibility and cyberbullying. The study was conducted during the Fall semester of 2016 with a single group of 105 9th grade students at a high school in the upstate of South Carolina. Students who participated in the study completed an 85-item questionnaire to provide such quantitative information as their demographics, social media usage, …

The Effects Of Technology On College Life, Tracy June Dye

Senior Theses

Ever since technology has boomed and cellphones have gone from phones to mini-computers, the effect of technology has been a hot topic in research. Students use technology for everything – from communication to school to entertainment. The times people spend on their phones and computers versus the time spent actually interacting with people seems to quickly be widening. The effects of technology can especially be seen in the college students today since these students are some of the first generation to grow up with almost complete access to technology. As a college student, these effects were of particular interest. Personal …

The Effects Of Emerging Technologies On Data In Auditing, Matthew C. Oldhouser

Senior Theses

In this paper, I examine the current status of the uses and implementation of technology in the external auditing profession. For purposes of this paper, an auditor refers to a Certified Public Accountant working at a large (national and international) accounting firm. Internal auditors, those that work either internally for the client or are hired on a consulting basis by the client, are mentioned specifically when I am trying to highlight their differing approaches and practice. In addition to surveying the current status of business technology, I investigate the drivers of the present state, and try to predict what will …

The Development, Implementation, And Testing Of An Interactive Sexual Health Web-Based Application Intervention To Reduce Sexual Risk Behaviors Among College Students, Dawnyéa Dominique Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

College life is often regarded as a time for exploration and growth. One major area of exploration and growth for college students is sex and sexuality. Growth and exploration involves not only learning how to master these life situations, but also experiencing some negative consequences. Negative consequences for college students engaging in sexual risk-taking behaviors often lead to a high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unintended pregnancies, emotional distress, and large healthcare costs. Given the high prevalence of risky sexual behavior among young adults and the highly negative consequences of risky sexual behavior for this population, it is critical …

There Is An App For That: Uses Of Print And Digital Materials In The Lives Of Three Preschoolers, Rebecca Hickman Mccraw

Theses and Dissertations

This ethnographic study examined the uses of print and digital materials in the lives of three preschoolers over a five-month period of time in the children’s home and community contexts in the southeast region of the United States. The research question asked: What can I learn about the literacy practices of three preschoolers as they use print and digital materials in their worlds? The children were the primary focus of the research, but adults (specifically, the children’s mothers) also served as informants. Grounded in sociocultural theory and informed by constructivist and media theories, the study is important because, while we …

Literacy Crisis, Technology, And The Radical Reversal Of Power, Erin Michelle Cromer

Theses and Dissertations

As new media is changing the way individuals communicate, efforts have already been made within universities to, once again, construct new literacy standards in the digital age, producing the appearance of a literacy crisis. I argue that rather than producing another literacy crisis, the fundamental reversal of the power structure concerning who dominates standard literacy places greater expectations on composition scholars and practitioners--rather than students--ultimately providing the conditions of possibility for using power productively to imagine a new pedagogy of rhetorical dexterity that reverses the role of expectations from standards to invention. Such a pedagogy offers rhetoric and composition a …