Digital Commons Network^™

Ecological Restoration Parks In Xi’An, China: An Evolving Type, Han Yan

Dissertations

This dissertation examines four urban ecological restoration projects used as public spaces in the city of Xi'an, China. The overall goal is to understand the social and ecological implications of the site features at both design and planning scale and define what is ecological restoration in China's urban context. The result of the research shows that the top-down planning initiatives approach for establishing ecological restoration sites in urban areas that meet the need for more public open space in addition to restoring healthy urban ecological systems is very different from the definition of what is traditionally understood as "ecological restoration". …

Increase Access To Community-Based Health Care For Underserved Individuals: A Quality Improvement Project, Piper Oneal

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Manuscripts

Abstract

Background: Health care access disproportionately affects certain populations. Health care opportunities for uninsured adult members of a rural community can be limited. Suwannee County is a rural community with a population of 43,814 of which 40.8 % live below the 200% poverty income level (WellFlorida Council, 2020). Problem: In 2016, 23.8% of adults in Suwannee County were unable to see a doctor in the past year due to the inability to pay and lack of insurance (Florida Department of Health, 2020). Community-based health care initiatives can address such issues by targeting underserved individuals, reducing barriers, and making health services …

Sustainable Development Among Four–Year Higher Education Institutions In The United States: A Geographic And Anthropological Perspective, Kori Nadine Armstrong

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the factors that contribute to the cultural characteristics of sustainability among higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United States to shed light on how they represent themselves as sustainable. It documents four-year HEIs in the United States that self-identify as sustainable; evaluates how these institutions portray themselves to society as sustainable; and documents who is leading sustainability on U.S. college campuses. This dissertation fills an important gap in the literature on sustainable development in higher education that Holm and others (2016) have identified. Although education for sustainable development (ESD) has been recognized as an important topic, and …

What Does Social Entrepreneurship Mean To Change Agents In New Mexico? A Phenomenographic Approach To Understanding Social Entrepreneurship, Audriana Stark

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

Social entrepreneurship has been identified as a solution to some of the world’s most pressing problems, including health, education, and environmental issues. Despite the rise in literature about social entrepreneurship, there is still a lack of understanding how place-based social entrepreneurship is being conceived and experienced by practitioners. Therefore, this study uses a phenomenographic approach to understand what social entrepreneurship means to change agents in New Mexico, a place characterized by social and economic challenges, as well as an abundance of natural and cultural resources. The findings revealed five distinct categories of description for social entrepreneurship including: Category 1. No …

Student-Perceived Inclusivity In The Fyc Classroom: Embracing Multilingualism, Melinda Grant

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

The purpose of this study was to compare student perspectives on inclusivity in the first-year English composition classroom viewed explicitly through two distinct lenses: 1. a pre-post survey design that measures students’ perceptions of classroom inclusivity and 2. instructor-perceived observations that reflect upon methods of pedagogical delivery within a multimodal framework. The results provide a further understanding of how curriculum is being received in a diverse academic environment utilizing blended instructional modalities. While all students did not embrace purposeful means of translanguaging via code-meshing in classroom formative and summative writing opportunities, 100% of students surveyed indicated experiencing inclusivity in the …

Museums & Environmental Sustainability: Are They Doing Enough?, Alexandra M. Dwyer

Museum Studies Theses

As the world continues to be affected by the rapid rates of climate change, institutions from every sector are transitioning to become more sustainable by reducing or eliminating their harmful habits on the ecosystem. Whether by their own accord or external pressure from current legislative action to cut carbon emissions, institutions are shifting towards a sustainable future. For museums there are additional unique reasons to adopt sustainability into various aspects with their institution. The most influential reason is that museums have a responsibility as community leaders and change makers. However, looming questions remain: Are museums doing enough? Are these cultural …

Developing Implementable Policies Targeting Sustainable Building Construction Through International Policy Diffusion, Melisa Ciara Hancock

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The buildings and construction sector is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to vast list of negative impacts humans have on the environment through material production, natural resource usage, and waste. While many organizations like the United Nations (UN), OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), and Architecture 2030 have been advocating for a shift to sustainability within the sector for decades, there is still a major disconnect between countries that have and haven’t implemented sustainability into all practices. This research focuses on analyzing the content of national building codes for their level of sustainability …

Theological Practices For Sustaining Community Renewal At Speedway Church Of Christ, Kent A. Ellett

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This project assembled a group of potential small-group facilitators for the purpose of drafting a small-group discussion guide to be used at the Speedway (Indiana) Church of Christ. The guide was intended to aid the discernment of missional practices which sustain the renewal of the wider community. Focusing on the Gospel of John, the intervention attempted to recover a temple Christology, construing the incarnation, ministry, death, and the lifting up of Jesus within the larger story of the temple’s ongoing re-creation of the world. In bestowing his glory upon the church, Jesus sends the church into all the world, as …

“You Can’T Hide Behind Being A House”: Examining The Policy Process, Design, And Implementation Of Short-Term Rental Regulations, A Case Study Of Nashville, Tn, Jamie L. Cathey

All Dissertations

Following the economic crash of 2008, the rapid expansion of platform capitalism and the recruitment of others to work for themselves using a company’s platform, has led to a ‘paradigm shift’ in which a sharing economy business model has enabled small entrepreneurial endeavors to become industry giants (Srnricek, 2017). One such platform, Airbnb, has created a new, informal tourism accommodation sector that is bringing with it questions of regulation and community impact. Airbnb regulation thus is a growing national and international trend affecting cities of all sizes and forcing policy response and change at the local government level. Current trends …

Urbanization And Climate Change Impacts: A Comparative Analysis Of Adaptability Of Us Coastal Cities, Olaniyi David Olaleye

Dissertations (2016-Present)

The quest to address human and societal developmental requirements has caused urban cities to grow and expand (Zhao, Gao, & Cuo, 2016). Urbanization is a term associated with the physical development of metropolitan cities. The word relates closely to the developmental approach utilized in the formation of urban societies (Fishman, 2017). According to researchers, urbanization contributes to the impacts of climate change and associated natural disasters. Climate change is closely related to societal and environmental carbon footprints and greenhouse gas emissions (Brody, Zahran, Maghelal, Grover, & Highfield, 2007). Development activities and growth of municipal settings have substantial impacts on the …

The Impact Of The Community Partnership School Model On Student Self-Efficacy And Civic Engagement, Brandon Lowe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to identify the impact of the Community Partnership Schools™ (CPS) model of community schools in the areas of social self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy, emotional self-efficacy, and civic engagement beyond the point of enrollment in the school. To answer the research questions, the researcher compared the responses of 96 high school students that had previously been enrolled in a CPS with the responses of 402 students from racially and socioeconomically similar schools that were not CPS, using the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C) and the Civic Engagement Scale (CES). Results showed a significant positive correlation …

Creating A Responsibly Made Product For A Handcrafted Business, Jordan Khusnulgatin

Theses

The purpose of this project is to build a small scale handcrafted product and business from scratch that incorporates sustainable practices. There are many factors that make up a business. For this project in particular, the main concern will be centered around all aspects of the product and customer experience, including finding a niche, the aesthetic, branding, packaging, pricing, sustainable practices, and creating a business plan. This project will follow the steps described above to discover a niche and the basis upon which this handmade business will be derived from, providing a physical example of what a thoroughly thought-out handcrafted …

Visual Quality Integerated Cost Model For Developing Green Neighborhoods: An Optimization Apporoach, Eiman Yehia El-Banhawy

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Gated Communities In The Uae: From A Social Sustainability Barrier To A Catalyst, Marwa Salem Al Jaberi

Theses

Gated communities are commonly defined as residential areas with restricted access, where commonly public spaces are privatized. The main characteristic of gated communities, based on the physical aspect of the development, involves gates, walls, guards, and closed-circuit surveillance. Scholarly studies have focused on the phenomenon of gated communities through covering its implications on the society and the city, where the benefits of this type of development have been frequently questioned. Gated communities have been linked with their negative impacts on the communities as socially segregated areas form the surrounding urban context. Nonetheless, several other studies advocated paradoxical theories related to …

Three Essays On Corporate Sustainability Language, Nahyun Kim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

My dissertation explores how public firms employ language in their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports to lengthen the horizons of their strategic decisions. The three essays included in my dissertation introduce and investigate the pursuit of temporal equilibrium in the aftermath of the 2008 Financial Crisis. Specifically, I compare the emphasis placed on the short versus long- future in the annual sustainability reports of public firms and derive three explanations for the increased emphasis of long-termism.

In Essay 1 (Chapter 2), I describe how firms seek and find temporal equilibrium after the Financial Crisis. Using topic modeling, I linguistically and …

Systems Thinking Teaching Strategies Using The Un Sustainable Development Goals To Help Best Prepare Students To Be Future Ready, Elizabeth Hickey

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The United Nations has outlined seventeen sustainable development goals that high school students will have to tackle to have a sustainable future. Schools must take meaningful action in teaching their students systems thinking strategies to best prepare them to be empathic, self-aware, innovative, resilient communicators that are equipped to be sustainable global citizens. This capstone project takes ninth grade students through a student-choice inquiry project to tackle the challenges of how their school’s sustainable initiatives can become more sustainable in order to answer the question, How can I best integrate the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals into my Understanding By …

A Project-Based Learning Approach To Community-Based Learning: Action Research To Explore Transformative Change In 1st Year Occupational Therapy Students’ Awareness About Contextual Barriers, Occupational Justice, And Advocating For Community Health And Wellness, Patricia Ann Wisniewski

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research was to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing reflexive photography as a means for a transformative community-based learning (CBL) experience. CBL is an experiential teaching pedagogy that helps prepare college students for a rapidly changing and diverse society that fosters social, health, and cultural awareness about individuals and populations. Students engage collaboratively within the local community to help solve societal problems.

This study focused on three research questions, each exploring how a reflexive photography project (RPP): (a) changes how students view occupational justice, (b) influences students awareness about contextual barriers that may impact community residents …

Community Factors Contributing To Covid-19 Positivity Rate: Using Illinois As A Case Study, Helena Lucia Swanson

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Community level factors influence many aspects of residents’ lives (Flournoy & Yen, 2004), including health (Ellen et al., 200). An instance in which community level factors greatly influence individual health is in the case of a disaster (Couch & Coles, 2010; Steinglass & Gerrity, 1990). A recent and ongoing global disaster that communities are experiencing is the COVID-19 pandemic. In times of disaster, similar to the COVID-19 pandemic, disaster management and response are crucial for communities. A community-level factor that influences individual and community health in times of disaster is social vulnerability. Another community level factor that has yet to …

Current State Of Seagrasses In Zanzibar: Impacts Of Coastal Economic Activities And Marine Protected Areas On Seagrass Cover, Danielle Purvis, Narriman Jiddawi

Capstone Collection

Seagrass meadows are located abundantly in Zanzibar, Tanzania and provide essential ecosystem services, such as sediment nutrient enrichment and blue carbon sequestration. However, seagrasses have been less researched or protected than other marine ecosystems. Although environmental variables affect seagrass health, evidence suggests that anthropogenic impacts are their greatest threats. The rapid expansion of seaweed farming and tourism and widespread use of harmful small-scale fishing practices in Zanzibar have contributed to the degradation and removal of seagrass meadows, disrupted coastal marine food chains, and reduced local biodiversity that seagrasses support. Public or private marine protected areas (MPAs) protect most of Zanzibar’s …

Parents' Perceptions Of Life Skill Development And Satisfaction With Utah 4-H, Oakley G. Perry

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The 4-H program is the nation’s largest youth development program with near six million members nationwide. Utah 4-H provides this program to the residents of Utah through Utah State University’s Extension Service. The program focuses on teaching life skills to youth to prepare them for their future using hands on educational programs tied to project areas, or particular topics like equine science or fine arts. Utah 4-H has many different stakeholders, one of which being the parents of its members. For youth programs to continue to be successful, these programs must show stakeholders their significance and ensure that its audience …

An Evaluation Of The Central Coast Rangeland Coalition: Trust And Other Factors Important For Collaborative Conservation, Dustin Tran

Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management Projects

The proliferation of collaborative partnerships across the western United States and the lack of tools and protocols to evaluate them have been well documented. As the number and types (conservation-based, policy actions, information sharing) of collaboratives rises, there is a need for research that aims to evaluate these partnerships' performance and collaborative process considering their importance and potential to solve complex ecological, economic, and social problems. This study aims to contribute to this pool of research by interviewing the Steering Committee (SC) members of the Central Coast Rangeland Coalition (CCRC), a volunteer-based and information-sharing rangeland collaborative coalition. We evaluate and …

Environmental And Health Implications Of Mine Tailing-Based Construction Materials In Developing Communities: Current Practices And Ways Forward, Jose Raul Velasquez Vasquez

Civil Engineering Theses

For many years, artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) communities around the world have been developing strategies to reduce contaminated mine tailings produced by mineral processing operations. These mine tailings are the by-product of the physical and chemical processes required to extract metals that humans require every day. The strategies developed by these communities cover a wide range of solutions, such as better practices in mineral processing activities as well as alternative technologies that help reduce the environmental impact of mining. Specifically, the recycling of mine tailings to produce construction materials has been of interest to researchers and communities. The use …

Investigating The Habits Of Mind Of Practicing Engineers, Theresa K. Green

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

One goal of undergraduate engineering education is to prepare students with the knowledge, skills, and decision-making strategies that are necessary for success in engineering practice. One proposed method to teach students these skills is to incorporate habits of mind into K-12 and undergraduate curricula. Habits of mind are the intelligent, social behaviors that engineers should aspire to have when solving problems, engaging with others, and dealing with uncertainty. Previous literature has suggested that incorporating ideas about habits of mind in educational curricula can teach students the disciplinary skills, technical knowledge, and social values that would help prepare them to enter …

Urban Agroecology For Food Sovereignty And Biodiversity: Are Urban Community Farms Or Gardens More Effective?, Heidi L. Giancola

Master's Theses

Industrial agriculture is accurately criticized for eliminating biodiversity and destroying food sovereignty. Urban agroecosystems, usually individual plots in community gardens, are promoted to restore ecological services and equity to food systems. Recently, collectively tended urban community farms have developed, with explicit social justice goals. This study directly contrasts the effectiveness of the urban community farm and garden models. Spatial analysis is used to confirm that community farms enhance geographic access for healthy food priority areas compared to gardens in the San Francisco bay area. An online survey of farm staff and gardeners from Marin to Santa Clara County resulted in …

Disease, Development, And Disorder: Examining The Effect Of Health On Subnational Development And Conflict In Sub-Saharan Africa, Dlorah C. Jenkins

Doctor of International Conflict Management Dissertations

Progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been uneven across and within countries - particularly in Africa, least developed countries, and low-income countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened to reverse much of the progress made towards achieving the SDGs, especially SDG 3, which aims to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”.

The tendency for disease, underdevelopment, and conflict to occur concomitantly suggests potential causal mechanisms linking them. This study attempts to address two pieces of the puzzle: the causal effect of disease on underdevelopment and the impact of development on conflict risk. Focusing …

Mobilization Of Women In Africa: The 2019 Sudanese Uprising, Mahder Serekberhan

Theses - ALL

In 2019 we witnessed the possibilities of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-racial, multi-cultural, and multi-gendered democracy and a bottom-up democratization process led by women. Sudanese youth and women led and participated in mobilization and demonstration that not only reflected the mass character of the social formation, but also managed to subvert the Islamist military dependent capitalist state (and its apparatus). Over the span of 30 years, the regime, under Omar al-Bashir, managed to entrench and escalate structures and systems of exploitation and oppression necessary for capital accumulation. The intensified neoliberalization and militarization, at the expense of women's super-exploitation, was made possible …

Adding Value Through Sustainability: Incentivizing An Ecosystem Approach To Oyster Aquaculture In Maine, Samuel Feldman

All Theses And Dissertations

This study identified oyster farming practices that have the potential to increase the sustainability of Maine’s oyster industry while increasing its value. Practices aligned with the principles of the ecosystem approach to aquaculture were gleaned from semi-structured interviews and surveys of oyster farmers and their buyers. Themes from interview transcripts were developed using thematic analysis. Survey data was used to triangulate interview transcript data. As a result, sustainable oyster farming practices were identified that had direct and indirect connections to the value of Maine’s oysters. Practices with direct connections to increased oyster value included conducting and advertising actions of increased …

Social Presence Theory: Creating Engaging And Strong Online Learning Communities At The K-12 Level, Abigail Amundson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Social presence theory is “the degree to which a person is perceived as a real person in mediated communication” (Gunawardena, 1995). Enhancing student’s perception of social presence increases instructional effectiveness and learning in an online learning environment. To increase perceived social presence, teachers must use techniques and interaction skills to build an online classroom community. There is not a lot of research on social presence theory in K-12 online learning environments so the purpose of this study was to find tools and strategies that create a strong online learning environments and to find if there is a relation between social …

Artistic Leadership In Minnesota Community Theater, Darlene Olson

Doctorate in Education

Minnesota artistic directors working in community theater benefit the communities they serve. The purpose of this narrative research and case study was to understand how the artistic director furthers equity and diversity in their leadership roles. Artistic directors see their practice as transforming and supporting diversity. The artistic directors' voice and viewpoints were from their own contextual situation and experiences in the field of education, leadership, and theater arts practice. The primary unit of this interpretative study was the community theater sites, its context, and the artistic directors' leadership experience. The semi-structured interviews were scheduled via Zoom during the 2020-2021 …

Envisioning Maternal Health Practice Through Antiracist Feminisms, Haley Moles

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Health care systems in the United States perpetuate disturbing maternal health inequity. Rampant maternal health disparities, including preterm births, low birthweight, maternal and infant mortality, and maternal morbidities, disproportionately affect birthing parents of color, queer parents, and low-income parents in comparison to white, cisgender, heterosexual, financially-privileged parents. My master's thesis examines how hegemonic cultural ideology surrounding motherhood in the United States (rooted in white supremacist, cis-hetero-patriarchal, and classist standards of mothering and birth) affects health care practices and provider biases, as well as directly contributes to maternal health disparities experienced by marginalized birthing parents. Furthermore, my thesis examines how antiracist …