Digital Commons Network^™

Factors That Influence Elementary School Teachers Who Refer Students To Special, La' Trina Dudley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There is an overrepresentation of African American students in special education classes; placing African Americans disproportionately in special education classes lowers their self-esteem and compromises their academic performance. This study aimed to increase understanding of the meaning-making processes elementary school general education teachers use to refer African American students for special education services. I used critical race theory (CRT) to support the study, which suggests that structural racism in schools harms African American students' self-esteem and academic achievement. Two research questions directed the study: What are the decision-making processes of elementary school teachers who refer African American students for special …

Unveiling Healthcare Disparities By Addressing Historical Traumas To Build Inclusive Spaces For Marginalized Communities: An Autoethnographic Study, Helena Humphreys

Theses and Graduate Projects

This paper delves into the pervasive disparities within the healthcare system, rooted in historical injustices that are perpetuated by systemic biases, particularly affecting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, as well as the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Through a comprehensive literature review and autoethnographic study, the paper examines the deep-seated issues faced by these marginalized groups, including access barriers, discrimination, mistrust of healthcare providers, and the enduring impact these have on health outcomes. Historical traumas such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the use of HeLa cells underscore the enduring impact of past injustices on present-day healthcare experiences. Moreover, the …

Funding Allocations Concerning Composition Creation Standards, Garrett L.H. Robertson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to provide applied research data showing either a correlation or no correlation between the amount of school funding allocation for music education programs in various elementary, middle, and high schools and pedagogical approaches associated with elementary, middle, and high school student’s ability to carry out composition creation relating to the Nation Coalition for Core Art Standards. Additionally, it provides applied research data on how music educators should perceive their effectiveness regarding the quality of school funding. By examining historical evidence through multiple studies, the research data will be able to help conclude if a …

The Relationship Between Overtime And Burnout Among Alabama Secondary Music Ensemble Directors, Ashley Deleen Gresko

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Although there is an existing body of literature discussing stress and burnout among music educators, there has yet to be a significant study regarding the relationship between working hours and the burnout of secondary music ensemble directors. This study covers the perspectives of secondary school instrumental and choral music ensemble directors in Alabama. This quantitative research study identifies influences of overtime that require additional exploration regarding the burnout of Alabama secondary school music ensemble directors. This study surveyed secondary music ensemble directors in Alabama to illustrate the correlation between overtime and burnout. This study is vital to music ensemble directors …

A Non-Experimental Quantitative Correlational Study Of Emotional Intelligence As An Effective Tool For Pastoral Leadership, Louis Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Pastoral leadership must understand their obligation to provide and promote healthy relationships in their personal, professional, and church ministries by utilizing the effective tool of emotional intelligence (EI) to become more effective (Goleman et al., 2013; Hendron et al., 2014; Chavous et al., 2023). The concept and usage of EI have experienced continued growth within the secular and academic organizational fields. However, there is little research on EI among the Christian pastoral leadership, the church, its associated ministries, and its educational institutions (Hendron et al., 2014). As noted by scholars, this gap in the literature and the credibility crisis of …

Hip Hop Performing Arts Charter Schools: The Future Of Arts Education In Predominantly Non-White, Low Income, Underserved Rural Areas Of Louisiana, Anthony P. Shelton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Some still view arts education as a non-essential extracurricular activity despite its benefits. Even though the Every Student Succeeds Act acknowledges arts education is a healthy and well-rounded subject, local, district, and state administrators still control budget allocation and cuts, which generally affect arts education. There has also been a decline or lack of interest in traditional learning methods in the arts and core subjects. Alternative student learning forms have shown benefits in suburban, urban, and inner-city schools. Still, there is little information about these methods in predominantly non-white rural schools. Research using qualitative methods examines the potential effectiveness of …

Pastoral Perceptions Of Formal Mental Health Training In The Black Church, Monique Bethea-Covington

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This purpose of this phenomenological study is to broadly explore the role of the Black Church in providing mental health support by facilitating linkages to professional mental health services by exploring pastoral perceptions of mental health through examination of their experiences with church members. Ten African American pastors of Black Churches in North and South Carolina completed semi-structured, qualitative interviews describing their backgrounds, attitudes, and their mental health experiences within the church. Many of the respondents reported having members of their congregation disclose challenges or difficulties with their mental health. Most of the pastors reported that they understood the need …

Archaeology In Space: The Sampling Quadrangle Assemblages Research Experiment (Square) On The International Space Station. Report 1: Squares 03 And 05, Justin St. P. Walsh, Shawn Graham, Alice C. Gorman, Chantal Brousseau, Salma Abdullah

Art Faculty Articles and Research

Between January and March 2022, crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) performed the first archaeological fieldwork in space, the Sampling Quadrangle Assemblages Research Experiment (SQuARE). The experiment aimed to: (1) develop a new understanding of how humans adapt to life in an environmental context for which we are not evolutionarily adapted, using evidence from the observation of material culture; (2) identify disjunctions between planned and actual usage of facilities on a space station; (3) develop and test techniques that enable archaeological research at a distance; and (4) demonstrate the relevance of social science methods and perspectives for improving life …

Global Portraits From A Changing Climate: The Influence Of Environmental Storytelling On The Climate Narrative, Alexandra Welch

Capstone Collection

Environmental Storytelling can influence the climate narrative and serve as a catalyst to structurally alter how individuals think about the environment. The medium of the “Eco-film” allows viewers to create intimate connections with the natural world, and in turn alter how individuals engage and perceive issues like climate change. To combat climate denialism this project showcases different hopeful stories in a deliverable video collection, called “Global Portraits from a Changing Climate”. Two of these videos will be filmed in Germany, featuring the Waldrapp Team Research and Conservation project. One of the videos from Waldrapp Team will touch on the social …

Summary Report Of Discussions At The Ana Forum 2024, Berkeley, Ca “How Can The North American Nepali Diaspora Contribute To Nepal’S Economic Development?”,, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

The ANA 2024 annual convention, organized on ANA’s 42nd founding anniversary, was held in the San Francisco Bay Area (Berkeley and Oakland) in California, where hundreds of ANA members and friends had gathered. The convention consisted of several forums, sessions, and cultural programs. As always, the convention included a Nepal-related forum “How Can the North American Nepali Diaspora Contribute to Nepal’s Economic Development?” The Forum took place from 1:30-2:30 pm on Saturday July 20, 2024. Four panelists, including the moderator, spoke at the forum. About 45-50 individuals attended the session. Guest panelist, Dr. Minendra Rijal sent a message as he …

Middle West And The Pastoral Ideal In The American Artistic Landscape, Rebecca Umland

Mythcon

The complex and sometimes contradictory origin and use of the term Middle West—an evolving concept especially during the later American Expansionism period (primarily 1880 and after)—impacted the imagination of its writers. Their works view the Middle West as an idyllic place that occupies a central part of their personal and cultural pasts, and as a mediator between East (aged, urban and jaded) and West (wild, youthful, untamed). Middle West rests on yeomanry, an Old-World concept which Jefferson especially admired, embodying the virtues of maturity, wisdom, and kindness: “The pastoral ideal, a haven midway between the corruptions of urban civilization and …

Tolkien’S Orphaned Heroes: Kullervo, Húrin And The Limits Of Fostering, Deidre Dawson

Journal of Tolkien Research

Tolkien’s legendarium features many characters who have lost one or both parents through death or abandonment, and who are consequently fostered or adopted. While there are many positive depictions of fostering in the legendarium, the cases of Kullervo and especially Túrin Turambar stand out because of their similar tragic outcomes involving sibling incest followed by suicide. The contrast between the depiction of fostering in these stories is stark: The Story of Kullervo depicts a case of poor fostering involving violence and neglect, whereas The Children of Húrin describes a loving and nurturing foster environment for its hero, Túrin. Both tales …

“I Desire The Road. . . [But] [R]Oads Were Made For Young Men, Not Middle-Aged Women”: Ista’S Journey From Dowager To Paladin, Robin Anne Reid

Mythcon

Scholarship on Ista, Dowager Royina of Chalion, was minimal until the most recent anthology on Bujold’s work was published with four essays (out of 14, 28%) that focus on Ista, either as the primary focus of the essay (Yung Lee, Herington,), or as one of two characters analyzed (Palmer-Patel, MacDonald). These essay focus on queer and/or feminist readings of Ista (Yung Lee, MacDonald, Herington), and on analyzing the paradox of free will and fate in the Chalion duology (Palmer-Patel). In “I desire the road,” (Bujold’s emphasis), I build on these essays, all of which I consider convincing and strongly argued) …

The Middle People Of Middle-Earth: Dwarven Displacement And Reconciliation In Tolkien’S Legendarium, Andrew Hickman

Mythcon

J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved Dwarves evidence “middleness,” or a consistent state of being in flux or consistent change, as evidenced by their historical development, foreignness to other races, and displacement from their homes. The Dwarven race, from their first references in Tolkien’s works, are considered to be a race at odds with the other races of Ilúvatar. Tolkien’s Dwarves are initially seen as a politically neutral or an outright evil group, neither aligning themselves with followers of Manwë nor of Melkor. Additionally, they are described numerous times as more akin to the Orcish race than of the other Free Folk. While …

Spending The Peace Dividend: Nato And The Failures Of American Diplomacy, Caleb Batman

Theses and Dissertations

Recent years have seen a massive increase in available resources pertaining to US-Russian diplomacy in the years immediately following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Using these newly available resources including diplomatic cables, declassified transcripts, and personal correspondence between President Clinton of the United States and President Yeltsin of the Russian Federation the author attempts to illustrate how the White House missed a chance for reconciliation with Russia during the first Clinton term. Additionally, this paper illustrates how it was not merely bad diplomacy that led to a resumption of Cold War hostilities, but willful policy in Washington that sought …

Genere E L’Identità Femminile In Ariosto E Castiglione, Patricia Stumpp

Theses and Dissertations

A discussion of the attitude toward women expressed in Orlando Furioso and The Book of the Courtier seen through an historical and cultural lens. Included is an English translation of portions of Cantos 9 and 10 of Orlando Furioso important in the development of the character of Olimpia.

Women As Anti-Suffragists In The American West (1869-1920), Oluchi Angela Ekwenye

History Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

The struggle for women’s suffrage in the American West was just as complicated as that of other parts of the United States with a lot of women on both sides of the issue. However, within the narrative of women’s suffrage lies an overlooked story that excludes the role of women who campaigned against the women’s suffrage movement in the American West. From the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, a significant portion of women who were described as “antis” vehemently opposed the quest for the enfranchisement of the female population in the American West. This opposition emerged based …

Mobilizing Feminist Politics In Yugoslavia: Sanja Iveković And Vlasta Delimar’S Performance Art., Candyce Sturgeon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the radical performance works of Yugoslavian artists Sanja Iveković and Vlasta Delimar. Three performances by each artist are analyzed and juxtaposed with one another. These performances include Triangle, 1979, He is Looking at Me all the Time, 1979, and Nessie, 1981 performed by Sanja Iveković along with This was Me in 1980 when Comrade Tito Died, 1980, Visual Orgasm, 1981, and Tied to a Tree, 1985 performed by Vlasta Delimar. Throughout the paper I argue that these performances by Iveković and Delimar, along with their differing stances on feminism, create a multifaceted …

How Comics Impact The Process Of Instructional Design, Aaron M. White

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite growing evidence and professional consensus of the educational benefits of comics, the medium has not received much explicit attention within instructional design literature. This very lack of attention leaves instructional designers (IDs) and subject matter experts (SMEs) without the necessary means to integrate comics into higher education curriculum. Drawn from theoretical and empirical evidence found in Mayer’s Multimedia Learning (2021) and Cohn’s The Visual Language of Comics (2014), this dissertation explored how incorporating comics as anchor text into three different courses (face-to-face, hybrid, and online) at three different higher education institutions in the Midwest impacted the dynamics of the …

Japan’S “Big Lie": The Negation Of Oral Testimony Of Sexual Violence, Robert O'Mochain, Yuki Ueno

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

In recent years, powerful actors in Japan’s political elite have consistently denied the oral testimony of so-called “comfort women.” The denial of this and related historical crimes is made in the service of a claim we denote here as the “big lie.” This is the erroneous assertion that the Asia-Pacific War was a straightforward war of liberation by the Japanese Imperial Army, inspired by a blameless Emperor and carried out by morally exemplary military forces. This denial of historical realities, especially those related to “comfort women,” has constituted a contributory factor for a pattern of denial regarding all historical crimes. …

Everything And Nothing: Exploring The Connection Between Gender Microaggressions In The Family Of Origin And Intimate Adult Relationships, Stephanie Dizenzo-Priestley

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Experiences with gender microaggressions have been shown to negatively impact mental health and self-esteem in women. Cisgender women are faced with pervasive gender microaggressions throughout life, including within their homes and families. This study sought to explore cisgender women’s experiences with gender microaggressions within two critical family systems, the family of origin and intimate adult relationships. Utilizing Postmodern Feminist Theory and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, three overarching themes were identified related to how cisgender women experience and make meaning of gender microaggressions: 1) Rigid Roles and Expectations for Women; 2) Impact of Power Dynamics; and 3) Identifying Pathways to Lasting Change. …

A Southern War On Predators: How Bounty Laws, Environment, European Thought, And Wolves And Other Predators Influenced Colonial South Carolina, Andrew J. Hubbard

All Theses

During the colonization of South Carolina, the natural landscape was altered significantly by European colonists. Bounty laws targeting the native predatory species were one-way humans facilitated this change. These bounty laws were created and enforced throughout much of the colonial period in South Carolina and permanently removed most of the region’s natural large predators. This thesis contends that South Carolina’s laws tell a story unique among colonial bounty laws provide a unique perspective on Euro-American attitudes toward predators, creating precedents later used in the United States’ westward expansion and war on predators. European bias and stereotypes permeate South Carolina’s culture …

A Retrospective Of “Comfort Culture:” A Paradigmatic Study On The Creation Of The “Comfort Women” System Constructed By The Imperial Japanese Military From 1932 To 1945, Emma Nicolini

All Theses

From 1932 to 1945, the Imperial Japanese military sexually enslaved approximately two hundred thousand Asian women from Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Philippines. This institution was known as the comfort women system, which the Imperial Japanese government created to ensure the sexual and mental health of Imperial Japanese military personnel. This provision of comfort for Imperial Japanese military personnel was enabled by cultural influences introduced in the Early Modern period of Japan, which normalized a contemptuous attitude toward sexual labor. This blend of Early Modern Japan, as well as the beliefs that facilitated the need for comfort women, …

"I Will Write Mad Stories": The Hysterical "I" In The Diaries Of George Eliot, Charlotte Forten Grimke, Virginia Woolf, And Sylvia Plath, Jaclyn Marie Swiderski

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation focuses on the long history of hysteria and the ways in which it has been used to denigrate and silence disabled women. Women diagnosed as hysterical, by either the medical establishment or the court of public opinion, are denied the right to generate knowledge about and for themselves – they are epistemologically disabled. The author argues that hysterical women have unique ways of looking at and understanding the world which push back against their epistemological disablement. In order to uncover some of this history of hysterical women, this dissertation uses the diaries of four “hysterical” women over the …

Assessing, Restoring, And Centering Social–Ecological Relationships For Advancing Social–Ecological Resilience In The Northern Great Plains Grasslands, Katia Pilar Carranza Bernal

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Northern Great Plains grasslands are social-ecological systems that were shaped by evolutionary and Indigenous social-ecological relationships. European colonization disrupted many of these interactions, including the coupling of fire and grazing, and degraded social-ecological resilience, shifting these grasslands to a new state. For those reasons, my research focused on assessing, restoring, and centering evolutionary and Indigenous social-ecological relationships for advancing social-ecological resilience in the Northern Great Plains grasslands. I first performed a study in the Nebraska Sandhillls assessing the potential of patch-burn grazing to support grassland resilience by comparing its effects to those of rotational grazing. Through vegetation and bird …

We're Swarming Again! Swarming, Collectivity, And Trope: The Case Of Extinction Rebellion, Tyler J. Behymer

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis explores the rhetoric of the eco-movement Extinction Rebellion, focusing on the use of swarming and nature tropes to mobilize collective action and revivify contemporary notions of collectivity. Drawing on rhetoric of social movement scholarship, cultural studies, and psychoanalysis, this essay theorizes swarming as a tropological economy that expands the conditions of propriety in the context of collectivity. Through an analysis of Extinction Rebellion’s discourse, this study demonstrates how the naturalization of swarming tropes works in various ways to rewild conventional political discourse, galvanize disruptive collective assembly, and challenge green neoliberalism.

Advisor: Casey Ryan Kelly

Students As Faculty Gender Equity Allies: Mitigating Students’ Gender Biases Through Short-Term Awareness-Intervention And Long-Term Research Literacy Training, Li-Yin Liu, Christopher Brough, Dongfang Gaozhao, Hannah Kling, Isabella Thomeier, Veronica Vasko

Reports from the Gender Equity Research Fellowship

This report investigates four interrelated questions: 1) Do gender biases influence the University of Dayton (UD) undergraduate students’ evaluations of the credibility of gender-related research? 2) If such biases exist, can SSC 200 effectively reduce them? 3) Can awareness raising intervention reduce biases in how students evaluate their professors’ teaching effectiveness? 4) Do professors’ identities, including gender and racial ethnicity, affect students’ course enrollment preferences?

To answer these questions, we conducted three separate, but interrelated, studies. The first study aims to address whether UD students have gender bias when evaluating the credibility of information and if short term and long-term …

Female Criminal Agency In Early Fourteenth-Century Norfolk, Anna K. Davis

Masters Theses

Medieval women who were on the wrong side of the law expressed agency in a specific and unusual manner. Criminal agency, as it were, was a way for them to express their wants and desires in a way that is no less valid a subject of study than actions that were legally permissible. However, this agency was constrained by medieval notions of women’s capability. This thesis examines women and their crimes found in an early fourteenth-century Norfolk gaol delivery roll to further understand how the men who ran gaol delivery “allowed” women to be criminal. As gaol delivery rolls were …

Psychopathy And Moral Decision Making, Dimitra Kourtesi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Since the 1800s, psychopathy has been regarded as the absence of morality. The goal of our study was to explore whether psychopathic traits can affect the moral decision-making process in sacrificial moral dilemmas. Participants completed multiple self-report measures of psychopathic traits, utilitarian tendencies, and 16 sacrificial moral dilemma vignettes. After each hypothetical vignette, participants decided whether they believed it was morally right, permissible, and whether they behaviorally intended to sacrifice one person to save five people. Positive correlations emerged among all variables, which allowed us to perform a mediation analysis. Instrumental Harm – the idea of sacrificing one individual to …

Siwa's Influence On Alexander The Great's Self-Presentation, Luke Boardman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis analyzes the changes in Alexander the Great’s public image and how his visit to the Oracle of Ammon was a catalyst for these alterations. Examining moments of Alexander in isolation, his adoption of ostentatious habits, and enrobing himself in foreign attire and culture reveals a connection to his time in the Egyptian desert where Alexander was promised eventual authority over all mankind. The post-Siwa Alexander used these tools to leave behind the Hellenistic leader and become the Lord of Asia.