Digital Commons Network^™

Carrying Light In The Shadows: Four Portraits Of Critical Literacy Teacher Agency In Unlikely Contexts, Cassandra Schroeder

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

This qualitative study utilizes portraiture methodology to explore how educators in politically conservative and predominantly White schools enact critical literacy teacher agency. Using a theoretical lens of critical literacy and second-wave Whiteness studies, this research examines the lived experiences and instructional moves of four veteran English/language arts teachers. Through cross-case analysis, the study traces how teacher agency is contextually responsive and dependent on their professional identity, awareness of sociopolitical issues, and traditional school curricular expectations. The findings highlight how educators assess risk, navigate community norms, and maintain critical literacy through dialogic pedagogy and strategic adaptation. The four teachers in the …

From Classroom To Content Creator: Leadership Practices And Identities Of Female Science Teachers On Tiktok, Rachel M. Benzoni

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

This qualitative multiple case study investigates how four secondary science teachers use TikTok to advocate for science education and how content creation shapes their professional identities as leaders. Using interviews and video content with a framework integrating constructivist leadership, Leader Identity Construction Theory (LICT), and the Social Change Model (SCM), findings show participants enacted leadership outside formal roles through distributed and relational practices leveraging social media's affordances. Five themes emerged from the analysis: (1) Reconceptualizing Teacher Leadership on Social Media, (2) Leadership Through Equity-Driven Practice, (3) Constructing and Leading in Online Professional Learning Communities, (4) Forming and Negotiating Identities in …

Seeking Existential Meaning In The “Sea Of Trees:” A Qualitative Exploration In The Depths Of Japan’S Aokigahara “Suicide” Forest, Sophia Bates

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This thesis explores the intercultural perceptions of suicidality and the role that these perceptions have on meaning of life in Japanese culture through an exploratory, autoethnographic analysis of my journey walking through Japan’s Aokigahara “suicide” Forest. In June 2024, I traveled to Fujikawaguchiko, Japan to conduct an autoethnographic analysis of my experiences walking through Aokigahara Forest using shinrin-yoku and mindful walking (Jung, 2014) as supplemental research methodologies to make empirical observations and take notes on my journey walking through suicide forest as an embodied sensory experience. Drawing upon the research and ideas of cultural anthropologist and existential philosopher Ernest Becker, …

Language Barriers In Accessing Healthcare Services For Refugees In The United States, Sadaf Khuram

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

Accessing healthcare is a pivotal aspect of refugees' integration into their host countries and significantly impacts their long-term health outcomes. The literature emphasizes the critical role of language proficiency in overcoming communication barriers within healthcare settings. This thesis, however, challenges the assumption that addressing language barriers alone is universally sufficient. It argues that the importance of language solutions is context-dependent, varying with the design of healthcare systems and the diverse needs and backgrounds of refugees. In some cases, focusing primarily on language barriers can divert resources from other critical areas, particularly when healthcare facilities have limited capacities or when services …

Empowering The User Through Inclusive Technical Writing, Robert Enriquez

English Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the issues in technical writing due to a disconnect between writer and reader/user. I am basing this study on my real-life job. I am a manager at a well-known sneaker retailer. In August 2024, there was a Workforce Management (WFM) software that the sneaker retailer launched in the retail stores. The WFM itself was glitched and unfinished. Not much disclaimer, training or preparation was given other than these procedural documents the sneaker retailer gave. If all the store managers had to depend on was technical documentation to prepare for this already glitched WFM, then I argue there …

Influences Of The Western Press On News Framing Of Global Events In Developing Countries: Examining Covid-19 And Climate Coverage In A Bangladeshi News Organization, Arif Md Tareque Habib

Communication ETDs

This study shows that a small number of Western news organizations (e.g., Reuters, The New York Times) may influence how local news organizations in developing countries frame global crises and that this influence may lead local news organizations to ignore locally relevant aspects of those crises. To test this thesis, two studies were conducted on the coverage of two crises -- COVID-19 and climate change -- by a news organization in Bangladesh, a developing country in South Asia. The news organization, www.bdnews24.com, serves both as a news agency or news supplier for local newspapers and an online newspaper for users. …

A Verdant Reading: On The Agency Of The Nonhuman Landscape In Apocalypse Now (1979), Christian Jil Benitez

Kritika Kultura

lack of sensitization, and fanatic adherence to tradition allow the illegal practice of prenatal sex

Neoliberal Society, Alienation, And Affective Crisis In The Answers (2017), Xiaoxiao Huang

Kritika Kultura

West finds a nemesis in sex-selective abortion in India. Unfortunately, the sociocultural baggage,

In Quest Of The “Sublime Paralytic”: Speculations On History, Identity, Andthe Emergence Of National-Class Consciousness, E. San Juan Jr.

Kritika Kultura

employing a focus on abortion in extending liberation for women since the mid-1900s in the

Maritime (Im)Mobility And Heterotopia: Jeju Island In South Korea, Taehee Kim

Kritika Kultura

Jeju Island, located on the remote periphery of the Korean peninsula and historically a site of exile, has become a popular destination for domestic migration over the past decade. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s notion of heterotopia as a methodological framework and taking Jeju Island as an example to reveal “islandness,” this paper discusses how the island is imagined and represented in Korean society. From this perspective, Jeju Island is regarded exteriorly as a place outside the ordinary and internally as a heterogeneous place. Further, in the heterotopia of “illusion” and “compensation,” a sojourn on Jeju Island is expected and experienced …

Love Is A Molecular Island, Chun-Mei Chuang

Kritika Kultura

When clarifying Spinoza’s concept of affect, Deleuze declares, “Hope as such or love as such represents nothing, strictly nothing.” In this paper, I approach the question of love by taking a detour of nonhuman affinity. First, I present this paper as an experimental becoming that weaves through heterogeneous lines of thinking and creating. Second, explicating the Deleuzian-Guattarian notion of “abstract machine” alongside Isabelle Stengers’s figure of “inappropriable unknown,” I argue for viewing the cosmos and art as interconnected abstract machines that foster novel realities and communities. Third, I weave planetary thinking with an interdisciplinary approach to propose a “planetary art …

Literary Study In The Era Of Artificial Intelligence In China, Fen Gao, Pengfei Zhang

Kritika Kultura

In view of the salient characteristics of technological innovation and human-machine symbiosis in the era of artificial intelligence, Chinese literary circles have purveyed a productive exploration of “literary study in the era of artificial intelligence.” Chinese scholars’ innovation of literary theory consists of three characteristics. First, they have established the original theory of “brain text,” systematically analyzed the definition, formation mechanism, and relationship between “brain text” and literature, language, text, and cognition, and applied this theory to literary criticism. Second, on the basis of sorting out and summarizing the core viewpoints of Western digital humanities theory, Chinese scholars have carried …

Editor's Introduction, Vincenz Serrano

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, Kritika Kultura

Kritika Kultura

No abstract provided.

What's The Joke Princess?: A Qualitative Analysis On The Comic Representation Of Women In Disney Sitcoms, Julia J. Lee

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the comedic representation of women in recent Disney sitcoms (2019"“2025), focusing on the framing devices, stereotypes, and situational contexts through which gendered humor is constructed and reinforced. Drawing from existing literature on comedic archetypes, the study identifies six historically dominant comedic frames and reveals eleven emergent subframes that complicate, reinforce, or expand these traditional portrayals. Through qualitative content analysis and systematic coding of selected Disney sitcoms, this study identifies consistent character traits and comedic techniques that span multiple frames and contexts, revealing how these patterns influence audience perceptions of femininity. The study situates these frames within three …

Beyond The Pitch: Teaching Emotional Labor In Advertising Education Through An Action Research Program, Michael Joseph Mallory

Theses and Dissertations

As the advertising industry continues to expand, new graduates must navigate the profession in the face of increasing challenges. With competition in the job market growing and Generation Z valuing work-life balance, the advantage of quality advertising education becomes paramount. Current advertising education does not address the challenge of emotional labor that professionals will face in the field. With limited scholarship that explores emotional regulation, communication dynamics, and client relations in an academic advertising setting, emotional labor in advertising education is explored through a thoroughly documented experiential learning study. This study employs Participatory Action Research (PAR) to investigate, develop, and …

The Influence Of Colonialism On The Development Of Religious Life In Timor Leste, Abdul Kadirsyam Salampessy, Rahadjeng Pulungsari Hadi

International Review of Humanities Studies

Timor-Leste is the youngest country in the world with unique religious dynamics. The Catholic population increased rapidly after independence, while the Muslim population decreased drastically due to political dynamics. The presence of Mari Alkatiri, an Arab-descended Timorese Muslim who became Prime Minister (PM) twice, is a depiction of the presence of Islam in a Catholic-majority country. The long history of colonialism in Timor-Leste has greatly influenced the landscape of religious life there. In its development, the people of Timor-Leste live harmoniously and democratically.

This journal uses a qualitative research method that focuses on the social and cultural phenomena of the …

Qualitative Thematic Analysis Of Crisis Communications From The Digital Pulpits Of Megachurches During Covid-19, Ralph Dustin Henderson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative thematic analysis multi-case study was to explore how secular crisis communication theories were adopted and modified by theological themes in U.S. megachurches during the first six weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic related lockdowns. Image Repair Theory (IRT), Discourse Renewal Theory (DRT), and Rhetorical Arena Theory (RAT) were examined alongside Christian themes (Theodicy, Radical Love, Physical Care, and Nontraditional Stakeholder Scope). Thematic analysis of sermon transcripts from 18 megachurches showed that IRT modified: high-attribution tactics were minimal; denial (via IMRA theodicy) defended the Church Universal (CU); evasion justified Church Local (CL)actions; and offensiveness reduction (esp. Transcendence) …

Using Media As A Source In Lessons: Media Literacy Methodology And Constructivist Media Decoding, Ayşe Aslı Sezgin Büyükalaca, Chris Sperry, Cyndy Scheibe

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media literacy, beyond being an independent course, can be integrated into educational content at various levels through a structural approach that emphasizes questioning and understanding diverse perspectives. Students need tools to analyze diverse content critically, so it’s important to move away from traditional teacher-centered instruction. This paper examines a question-based approach to integrating media literacy into Turkish educational courses, emphasizing the Constructivist Media Decoding (CMD) method. The study highlights CMD’s potential to address gaps in Turkiye’s media literacy education, offering a detailed discussion of its theoretical background and benefits within the Turkish context. By illustrating CMD’s adaptability and value, this …

A Systematic Review Of Transmedia Literacy: Implications For Lifelong Learning, Rafel Meyerhofer-Parra

Journal of Media Literacy Education

One of the main objectives of international agendas is the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities. Transmedia literacy, usually acquired informally, offers many of the key skills, competences and strategies to ensure learning in a world where technology has a predominant role. However, no analyses reporting the impact of their use are systematically identified in the literature. Therefore, a systematic review of the literature on transmedia literacy and its practices is proposed, searching 4 databases and analysing a total of 42 articles. The results show experiences with plural thematic, extension and educational context, mainly located in the formal educational system, and …

Insights From Educators: Integrating Ai Literacy Into Media Literacy Education In Practice, Stephanie Jean Tsang

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Through in-depth interviews with junior high school teachers in Hong Kong who participated in a media and artificial intelligence literacy program intervention, this research highlights the importance of prioritizing values and ethics education over technical proficiency when incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into media literacy training. While quantitatively assessing students’ literacy levels posed challenges, future media literacy programs should concentrate on introducing technological terminology and concepts, promoting awareness of potential issues, instilling values for responsible technology use, and fostering empathy to create a harmonious online environment. By focusing on fundamental values and key concepts rather than following fleeting AI trends, educators …

Classroom Contexts: Teachers Talk Teaching Media Literacy, Sakshi Bhalla, Michelle R. Nelson, Michael Spikes

Journal of Media Literacy Education

In this study, we examine the lived experiences of educators who engage with youth through media literacy education. While prior research has examined the efficacy of media literacy education interventions, little attention has been paid to the contexts in which these are conducted. Our analysis of 20 semistructured interviews reveals how the structural context illuminates several “divides,” shaping how media literacy is taught and experienced. Three major themes emerged from the data: (1) teachers and high school students inhabit distinct media worlds, shaping their media understanding differently; (2) the socio-economic status of the school determines whether media literacy is taught …

Generalizability Of Existing Ai Models For Automatic Disfluency Detection In Children's Speech, Caryn W. C. Iwakiri

Master's Theses

Achieving consensus in identifying disfluencies and diagnosing developmental stuttering has been a significant challenge for many clinicians, particularly in young bilingual children, who tend to show increased disfluencies. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to recognize more complex yet systematic patterns that might not be easily observable by even trained clinicians. It also has the potential to bring consistency in the measurement of stuttered speech. This study compares the performance of four AI models, their performance on detecting disfluencies including both stutter-like-disfluencies (SLD) and typical disfluencies (TD) in monolingual and bilingual children's data, then explores whether increasing the quantity of …

Public Understanding Of And Engagement With Community Health Workers And Promotores De Salud: Findings From Two National Surveys, Elizabeth A. Rohan, Julie S. Townsend, Andrea Torres, Hope L. Thompson, Dawn M. Holman, Avid Reza, Felicia Solomon Tharpe, Erin Caple, Ashley Wennerstrom

School of Public Health Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION: Community health workers (CHWs) can improve health by helping people navigate health care services and systems and connecting them to community services that address nonmedical factors such as food insecurity, housing, and transportation. While CHWs have long been part of the US public health system, there are no data, to our knowledge, on the public's familiarity and interactions with CHWs. METHODS: We analyzed data from the 2022 Porter Novelli FallStyles and Estilos surveys, online market research surveys of the general public delivered in English (FallStyles) or primarily Spanish (Estilos). Each survey asked the same 4 questions on familiarity and …

Investigating The Complexity Of Language Acquisition For Linguistically Diverse Children, Krittin Srisajjakul

Master's Theses

Understanding the natural productions of children's early expressive language development is important to support their development. These natural productions may also be especially complex in children with diverse linguistic backgrounds. A challenge for clinicians is how to assess these natural productions for children’s early expressive language milestones. For example, what does it mean for children to say the same word in two languages and refer to the same concept (e.g., “water” and “agua”)? Or refer to two different concepts, (e.g., “water” and “leche” (milk))? By understanding how children’s expressive language connects to conceptual understanding, clinicians can better support language learning. …

Lindenwood Digest, July 23, 2025, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

The Lindenwood Digest has been a digital employee newsletter since 2009.

The M State Advantage: Engaging Community College Students And Alumni To Cultivate A Culture Of Giving, Shannon M. Britten

Strategic Communication Master of Arts Thesis Projects

This project examines M State Foundation and Alumni’s efforts to increase donations from the alumni of Minnesota State Community and Technical College (M State). The donations provide scholarships, emergency grants, food pantry supplies, and academic program support. The Foundation has consistently fallen short of fundraising goals, but with over 19,000 alumni, an opportunity exists to rebuild engagement after years of disconnection due to name changes and mergers. This project leverages research and analysis to develop strategic, data-driven solutions to increase donations by appealing to current students and alumni. A review of institutional effectiveness data, operational metrics, and industry reports provided …

Setting Course For The Future At Westfield Golf Club, Lisa L. Kinowski

Strategic Communication Master of Arts Thesis Projects

Westfield Golf Course is a public golf course in Winona, Minnesota. Westfield opened for business in 1923 and is operated by Westfield, LLC, and overseen by a board of directors that ensures compliance with the terms of a deed for the land on which Westfield sits. The golf course has seen consistent success since its inception, but due to changing economics and increased competition, its membership has declined from a high of approximately 1,200 members in the 1980s to around 300 today. This project uses research and analysis to uncover strategic and creative solutions to address Westfield’s challenges. A review …

Black Men And Health Literacy: Strategies For Improvement In A Digital Age Through The Adaptation Of A Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, Evelina Weidman Sterling, Laura Stevens, Vanessa Robinson-Dooley, Tyler Collette

Faculty Articles

Health literacy is a critical determinant of health outcomes, yet it is often overlooked, particularly among marginalized groups. This paper explores the significance of health literacy, with a particular focus on low-income African American and Black (AA/B) men, a population that faces unique challenges due to intersecting factors such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and educational disparities. We examine how these factors contribute to health literacy gaps, highlighting adverse effects on health outcomes for AA/B men compared to the general population. Additionally, we stress the growing importance of digital literacy in an increasingly technology-driven world. Not actively addressing digital health …

Enhancing Medication Communication In The Acute Care Setting To Strengthen Patient Comprehension And Retention, Ashleigh C. Christensen

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Research has shown that breakdowns in communication, especially in the context of medication education, play a critical role in the delivery of safe and effective patient care. These findings underscore the need to prioritize effective communication in medication education. In the acute care setting, effective communication is essential for ensuring patient safety, adherence, and improved patient-centered outcomes.

PICOT: In clinical staff providing direct patient care in the acute care setting (P), does the implementation of the evidence-based teach-back method (I), as compared to current practice (C), improve patient knowledge, understanding, and self-management upon discharge (O), over ten weeks …