Digital Commons Network^™

Building Partnerships With Indigenous Communities, Andrea Plamondon

Dissertations

Non-indigenous researchers embark on research with indigenous communities with good intentions but can unintentionally continue to oppress. While existing research shows building partnerships with indigenous communities, requires researchers to work “with” not “for” communities and walk side-by-side, and to do so with reciprocity, respect, relevance, responsibility and reverence, this research study identified an iterative model to learn, follow, and emerge research relationships through ongoing connections and outlined the mindsets to consider and assess often. Ten non-indigenous researchers from the US and Canada shared their stories about building relationships with indigenous communities. Through their stories of successes and challenges, strengths and …

Connections Through Stories In A Small Town In Rural Virginia, Andrea Plamondon

Dissertations

Stories are powerful tools used for centuries to entertain, teach, empower, and build community. Neuroscience research shows that stories impact the brain in ways that allow us to increase empathy and connect with people (What Happens in the Brain When We Hear Stories?, n.d.; Yang, 2014; Zak, 2015). Community Psychologists have used stories to collect qualitative data and life experiences to create or change a community narrative and address community trauma (Hyman, 2002; Rappaport, 2000). While existing research describes the power of stories and provides storytelling techniques, this research study identified a new method – The Community Story …

Collaboration Of Board Certified Behavior Analysts And Special Education Teachers In Transition, Amelia Ruth Spencer

Theses and Dissertations

Transitions occur at many points in a child's educational journey. For children with disabilities, these changes in routine, service providers, and setting may be especially difficult and result in problem behavior. Special education teachers are expected to facilitate a smooth transition from one setting to another, teaching appropriate skills and addressing problem behavior as it arises. Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), who have an expertise in problem behavior and skill generalization, are currently under-utilized in schools and could work collaboratively with special education teachers and other stakeholders to make it easier for students with disabilities experiencing a school transition. As …

Aren't Only Girls Secretaries…?”: Leadership Lessons From Women U.S. Secretaries Of State, Lindsay Allen

Dissertations

American political systems, predominantly steered by White males, often conform to masculine leadership paradigms derived from traditionally male-dominated domains like the U.S. government. Thus, it is vital to explore women’s roles in political leadership to foster a more comprehensive understanding of effective leadership.

The purpose of this study was to examine how women who have served as U.S. secretary of state exhibited leadership. Of the 71 people to have served as secretary of state, just three have been women: Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Due to the complexity of gendered experiences, and the challenges of having direct …

Emergent Themes Of Operational Safety At Urban Air Mobility At Vertiports: The Stakeholder Perspective, Tracy Leigh Lamb

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The emerging urban air mobility (UAM) industry is dynamic, complex, and still highly conceptual, as vertiports are not currently an operational reality in the United States. The UAM vertiport is at the epicenter of the emerging advanced aviation ecosystem, representing significant operating costs of approximately $130 million per year and more than that to design, develop, and implement. In addition to setting up and operating capital, there are considerable challenges relating to the safe design, development location, and operation of UAM vertiports, representing the confluence of human and autonomous systems, whose interdependence is not yet fully understood. UAM vertiport stakeholders …

Resiliency, Mindset, And Academic Performance: A College Athlete's Perspective, Trisha C. Giacomazzi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in this qualitative case study was the low graduation rates self-reported by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics institutions when compared to the general student population at a small Christian university in the Southern United States. In this study, I sought to acquire a deeper understanding of the degree to which an athlete’s mindset and psychological resilience influenced their perseverance and academic achievement on their path toward graduation. Utilizing semistructured interviews as the primary data collection method, I used purposive, convenience, and snowball selection methods to enlist a total of 10 participants from a pool of 52 …

Training And Supporting Early Childhood Providers In Inclusive Settings, Kimberly K. Bennett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Early childhood providers care for infants and toddlers with developmental delays and special needs in their programs and classrooms. This study addressed the problem that there is insufficient professional development (PD) training for early childhood providers working with infants and toddlers with special needs in inclusive settings. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand what training early childhood providers report they have had, and what training early childhood providers perceive that they need to support infants and toddlers with special needs in inclusive settings. Using the whole teacher approach as the conceptual framework, the research questions explored …

“Their Body, Their Choice. Your Body, Your Choice. Your Baby, Your Choice.”: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis Of Vaccine Access And Acceptance Among U.S. Pregnant People On Reddit, Sydney Marie Perlotto

Public Health Theses

Compared to the general population, pregnant people and newborns are at a higher risk of contracting infectious diseases and experiencing worse adverse outcomes. Vaccines delivered during pregnancy, known as prenatal vaccines, represent a critical yet underused form of preventive care for these populations in the United States. Increasing successful prenatal vaccination uptake requires a focus on both access and acceptance, which pregnant people may experience differently than non-pregnant people due to their unique physiological and social state. Given the evolution of vaccine hesitancy following the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the recent expansion of the U.S. prenatal immunization schedule, this study …