Digital Commons Network^™

Nourishing Births: A Program Evaluation Proposal For Community-Based Nutrition Education, Food Access, And Garden Engagement Among Black Birthing People, Naa Deedei-Vera Hammond

Master's Projects and Capstones

Black birthing people in the United States continue to experience unequal maternal health outcomes, shaped in part by racism and barriers to nutritious food, culturally relevant health education, and supportive community spaces. While prenatal nutrition education and food assistance programs can provide important resources, information alone cannot address the challenges many people face when trying to access healthy and affordable food during pregnancy. The Nourishing Births Initiative is a proposed community-based maternal health program designed to respond to these needs by bringing together prenatal nutrition education, help connecting to food resources, community gardening, and peer support for Black birthing people …

Providing Effective Student Feedback: Effects Of Sociotropy, Student-Teacher Connectedness, And Expressed Disappointment And Praise On Students' Self-Esteem And Motivation, Emily Davied

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study examined how different types of teacher feedback (i.e., expressed pride, expressed disappointment, and near-neutral feedback) impact students’ motivation to learn and self-esteem. It also explored whether such effects vary depending on students' personality and how connected they feel to their teacher. Undergraduate students (N = 221) imagined receiving feedback from a teacher and completed surveys assessing their motivation, self-esteem, sociotropy, and connectedness with the teacher. The results showed that feedback expressing disappointment lowered students' self esteem compared to expressing pride and lowered students' motivation compared to near neutral feedback. Although sociotropy (i.e., dependence on others' approval) and teacher …

Expanding Ai Literacy: The 5cs Of News Literacy In The Era Of Generative Ai, Seth Ashley, Adam Maksl, Paul Cook

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

This article adapts the 5Cs framework of news literacy—context, creation, content, circulation, and consumption—to media environments shaped by generative artificial intelligence. We argue that prevailing discussions of AI literacy overemphasize technical or functional competencies while underemphasizing the social, cultural, political, and communicative systems in which AI operates. Drawing on previous research, we define AI literacy as knowledge of the technical, social, and ethical dimensions of AI-mediated content production, distribution, and consumption, along with the critical capacities needed to exercise agency within those processes. We show how the 5Cs can be reinterpreted for generative AI environments and integrate pedagogical implications for …

The End Of Unmeasured Exploitation: How A.S.M., C.A.S., And S.I.A. Challenge Digital Attention Capitalism, Delante Clark

Graduate Scholarship and Creative Works

Digital attention capitalism generates value through the capture and monetization of human attention, yet it has historically lacked standardized mechanisms for measuring attention-related harm. This paper argues that the Attention Safeguard Models (A.S.M.), Cognitive Attentional Standards (C.A.S.), and Sociological Impact Assessment (S.I.A.) collectively challenge this system by introducing an integrated framework for classifying, measuring, and evaluating digital attention harm and its societal consequences. C.A.S. provides standardized measurement of digital attention harm, A.S.M. identifies and classifies patterns of attentional disruption and manipulation, and S.I.A. evaluates broader impacts on institutions, communities, civic engagement, education, social cohesion, and inequality. Together, these systems transform …

From Consumers To Makers: A Community-Based Model Of The Diy Food And Beverage Kit Ecosystem, Mark Mitchell, Richard Martin, Sheila Mitchell

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The market for do-it-yourself (DIY) food and beverage kits continues to expand as consumers seek experiences that combine convenience, learning, creativity, and participation. This conceptual paper proposes a four-community ecosystem model consisting of consumers, makers, marketers, and consumption communities. Drawing on value co-creation, prosumption, experiential consumption, and diffusion of innovation theories, the model suggests that participation in DIY production transforms consumers into makers, fosters a maker identity, and encourages engagement in product-category consumption communities. Through sharing experiences and outcomes, participants attract new consumers into the marketplace, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of growth. The framework extends value co-creation theory by explaining …

Where Shoppers Look First: How Navigation Bar Design Shapes Visual Attention Online, James Coyle, Linh Nguyen, Lee Hillman

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Abstract

Despite the crucial role that a website navigation bar can play in affecting consumer behavior, there has been a lack of theory-driven studies to investigate how to most effectively design navigation bars. Grounded in cognitive fit theory and visual attention theory, this study investigates how the effects of navigation bar design and content can influence visual processing of an unfamiliar online retailer’s website. A total of 40 subjects participated in a controlled experiment in which we gathered eye-tracking data. We find that navigation bar placement strongly affects how quickly participants locate the navigation bar: an unexpected placement more than …

Reducing Cognitive Load To Strengthen Customer Engagement: The Strategic Role Of Digital Tools, Neda Mossaei, Maryam Tofighi

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper examines how advanced technological interfaces, particularly chatbots and augmented reality, influence customer engagement by reducing the cognitive effort required to interact with firms. As digital tools become increasingly embedded in everyday life, companies are leveraging these technologies to streamline communication, personalize experiences, and foster long-term relational outcomes. Guided by cognitive load theory, this study argues that minimizing mental effort in customer–firm interactions improve engagement by making interactions more seamless and intuitive. At the same time, relationship marketing theory emphasizes that reducing cognitive barriers can cultivate customer engagement, trust, and loyalty over time. Together, these perspectives suggest that implementing …

Navigating Text-To-Speech (Tts): Ethical Leadership In The Use Of Generative Ai For Extension, Xue A Dong, Paul A Hill

Journal of Extension

Text-to-speech (TTS) AI technology transforms written content into natural-sounding speech, offering a useful tool to enhance accessibility and inclusivity in Extension work. This article examines the role of TTS AI in bridging communication gaps, particularly for diverse and multilingual communities, and demonstrates the importance of ethical leadership in its adoption. By prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, Extension professionals can leverage TTS AI to foster greater connection and engagement. Practical applications and examples are provided to guide the integration of TTS AI into programs. The article also offers recommendations for experimenting with innovative technologies to improve educational outcomes and increase the …

How Wisconsin Extension Educators Talk About Climate Change Without Talking About ``Climate Change'', Sky Hershberger, Todd P. Newman

Journal of Extension

Climate change touches all areas of Extension's programming. To understand how educators approach talking about climate change with constituents, we interviewed 15 Extension educators and three program managers in Wisconsin. Crops and Soils educators view climate change as interwoven with their work, Financial Education educators view it as mostly disconnected, and Community Economic Development educators range between these extremes. Educators in all three programs avoid the polarizing phrase ``climate change,'' instead focusing on specific, local, and relatable issues. Educators show empathy and emphasize resilience (adaptation) rather than mitigation. These findings can inform Extension's organizational strategy on climate change.

“None Of Them Use Facebook Anymore, It’S Just For Us, Internet Dinosaurs” Czech Media Education Teachers And Social Media, Karolína Šimková, Ana F. Oliveira, Annamária Neag

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

In today’s digital age, media education teachers are expected to be at the forefront of guiding young people through the complex digital world. This study aimed to explore how media education teachers’ personal and professional engagement with social media shapes their teaching practices in Czech primary schools (teaching pupils aged 11–15). Through 17 semi-structured interviews, we delved into teachers’ social media use, classroom discussions, and pedagogical approaches to media education to identify the distinct attitudes these teachers hold toward social media. The study shows that Czech media education teachers’ diverse strategies for integrating social media into their curriculum are primarily …

The Value Of Information Shared By Indonesian Social Media Influencers Living In Germany, Atika Aisyarahmi Munzir

Jurnal Wacana Politik

This article examines the informational value and influence of Indonesian Social Media Influencers (SMIs) in Germany as informal information intermediaries, highlighting how they disseminate knowledge about living in Germany and shape Indonesians' perceptions of educational and employment opportunities abroad. The study adopts a critical narrative literature review combined with reflexive digital observation of publicly available content produced by Indonesian SMIs residing in Germany. The findings suggest that the informational value of SMI content is shaped by three interrelated dimensions: utility, relatability, and credibility. Indonesian SMIs provide practical information about education, employment, migration, culture, and everyday life in Germany, while their …

Youth Participation In Kediri, Indonesia: An Urban Communication Perspective, Nissa C. Adinia, Budi Guntoro, Roso Witjaksono

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

This article examines how young people in a mid-sized Indonesian city participate in producing the meaning of urban space, and how far a participatory communication intervention succeeds in opening dialogue with city stakeholders. Urban communication scholarship has developed primarily around metropolitan cities in the Global North, while participatory communication research often assumes that facilitated dialogue leads to empowerment. This article addresses both gaps through a Photovoice study conducted in Kediri, East Java, involving 37 young people from three social typologies: pelajar (students), santri (Islamic boarding school-affiliated youth), and pekerja/wirausaha (young workers and entrepreneurs). Drawing on Lefebvre’s spatial triad and Couldry’s …

The Algorithmic Narcissus: Ai Validation And The Atrophy Of The 'Athletic' Social Self, Ilham Phalosa Reswara, Anggi Mayangsari

Jurnal Psikologi Sosial

Artificial intelligence systems designed around continuous affirmation and minimal friction are becoming increasingly prominent as social and relational partners in everyday life. This article examines how sustained interaction with such frictionless AI systems may reshape the developmental conditions under which social selfhood forms and is maintained. Drawing on Cooley's (1902) looking glass self, Kohut's (1971) concept of optimal frustration, and the developmental literature on social competence, the article argues that frictionless AI may distort the social mirror through which identity forms, remove the manageable frustration that appears necessary for psychological growth, weaken empathic capacity, and erode the social stakes that …

Unlocking Effective Evaluations: Lessons From Media Literacy And Digital Skills Intervention Studies In Estonia, Finland, And Poland, Natalia Edisherashvili, Marit Puusepp, Veronika Kalmus, Margus Pedaste, Sini Tiihonen, Fatemeh Irani, Łukasz Tomczyk, Leen D'Haenens, Tania Azadi, Chao Wang

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

This study examines factors that enable and hinder the evaluation of Media Literacy (ML) and Digital Skills (DS) interventions across three countries and four contexts: in-service teachers in Estonia, elderly populations in Jyväskylä (Finland), vocational students in Helsinki (Finland), and pre-service teachers in Poland. Guided by the Logic Model framework, it explores barriers and enablers across Inputs, Activities, Outputs, and Outcomes to reveal structural and contextual elements shaping evaluation effectiveness. Findings cluster into four domains: organisational and administrative factors, intervention design, evaluation processes, and participant engagement. Organisational challenges such as staff turnover disrupted alignment between intervention and evaluation goals, while …

Disney And Critical Global Citizenship: Border Politics And Linguistic Decolonization In The Lion Guard, Gordana Lazić

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

In this essay, I analyze the Disney television series The Lion Guard as a site of public pedagogy and argue that the show fosters a form of critical global citizenship among young viewers. It does this, I further maintain, in two primary ways: the progressive treatment of and careful attention to immigration and border politics, and disruption of the hegemony of the English language. Through age-appropriate plot development and dialogue, The Lion Guard actively participates in public pedagogy urging future policy and decision-makers to develop critical global consciousness.

Semiotic Breakdown In Disaster Evacuation Signage For International Tourists, Mario Christopher Fimbrez

Masters Theses

Japan’s disaster evacuation signage systems are highly standardized and widely regarded as effective for the domestic population, who operate within a shared cultural framework shaped by years of earthquake drills, formal disaster education, and a common visual vocabulary for risk and evacuation. In coastal cities like Kamakura, however, the audience composition has changed significantly, with millions of international visitors now navigating these spaces each year without the disaster literacy or cultural familiarity that the existing signage was designed to assume. When those shared assumptions about urgency, symbolism, and environmental threat are absent, the communicative force of the system can be …

Perceived Effects Of Cancel Culture Threat And Digital Natives’ Patterns Of Communication On Social Media, Randolph N. Townley

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

"Cancel culture" is a well-known atropism that has become commonplace on social media. To many this may feel like a new phenomenon, but it has existed in various forms since antiquity. From biblical times to today, people have attempted to silence dissenting viewpoints. The cancel culture philosophy is distributed over all viewpoints that have a potentially offensive bent for the group of people who deem the content offensive. This study evaluated whether digital natives feel compelled to limit their exposure on social media to their authentic viewpoints considering the threat of repercussions. Using Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory coupled with …

The Social Construction Of Firearm Meaning In 2022 Hollywood Films: A Qualitative Content Analysis, Anthony L. Paduano

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study investigated how meaning was socially constructed around firearms in mainstream American cinema. The study used Berger and Luckmann’s (1966) social construction of reality as the primary framework, with semiotic analysis and Bandura’s (1977, 1986) social learning theory as supporting lenses, treating firearms as culturally loaded signs whose meanings were encoded and stabilized through narrative convention. A qualitative content analysis of 50 films, 2022 Hollywood films in which firearms were prominent enough to meet the study’s inclusion criteria, was conducted using a two-pool design that combined purposive selection with random selection from a bounded pool of commercially prominent …

A Quantitative Content Analysis Of Major United States-Based Religious Organizations' Framing Of Mask-Wearing On X (Formerly Twitter) During Covid-19, Michael J. Farzinpour

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative content analysis was to examine how major U.S.-based religious organizations framed mask-wearing on X (formerly Twitter) during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether identifiable framing cues were associated with observable audience engagement. Grounded in framing theory and prospect theory, the study analyzed publicly available tweets posted by 14 nationally prominent U.S. megachurches and affiliated public-facing organizational representatives between March 2020 and December 2022. The final sample consisted of 1,288 tweets. Tweets were coded for gain- and loss-framed valence-framing cues, compliance- and resistance-oriented frame-orientation cues, and engagement outcomes measured through publicly visible likes, comments, and retweets. Because …

Making Sense Of Organizational Culture Through Internal Communication: A Qualitative Descriptive Study Of University Staff Experiences, Candida A. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Guided by Craig’s sociocultural communication tradition, organizational culture theory, and Barnlund’s transactional model of communication, this qualitative study sought to understand how internal communication practices at a large public university are interpreted by staff as central to meaning-making, trust, and engagement among staff. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews representing multiple divisions, roles, and campus locations at the institution. Thematic analysis revealed: 1) authentic and effective communication, 2) information flow and access, 3) institutional belonging and commitment, and 4) crisis communication breakdowns. Findings revealed that while the institution employs multiple internal communication channels, staff frequently perceived institutional-level communication as delayed, …

When Illness Is Invisible: The Rhetorical Situation Of Internet-Informed Self-Identification In Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Kayla J. Martin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the rhetorical situation of diagnostic communications for individuals with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) when presenting diagnostic information obtained online to medical providers in healthcare settings. The problem was that little was known about how individuals with hEDS communicatively negotiate internet-informed self-identifications or diagnoses within the rhetorical situation of patient-provider diagnostic interactions. The rationale for this research was that individuals with hEDS frequently experience significant diagnostic delays, symptom dismissal, and provider knowledge gaps that lead many to seek diagnostic information through online health information seeking (OHIS) and self-identification prior to obtaining a …

“Don’T Tell Me To Keep Doing What I’M Doing, When I’M Risking My Life Trying To Get You To Do Your Job”: Thoughts On The Politics Of Distance, Alice Chapman

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

Lindenwood Digest, September 16, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Event & Date: The Lindenwood University Employee Digest was published on September 16, 2026, announcing the President's Town Hall on September 16, 2026, and the Fall Business Ethics Panel on October 1, 2026.

• Geographic Grounding: Documented events take place at Scheidegger Theater and Dunseth Auditorium in Harmon Hall, Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri.

• Key Honorees/Awards: Director of Operations and Engineering of Mane Media Productions Brandon McKinney received Q2 recognition for broadcast engineering support; Senior Professor of Psychology Dr. Rebecca Foushee received Q2 recognition for providing independent research materials to biology students; Associate Professor of Art and Design Joe Weber received …

The Current - Volume 37 Issue 02, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

God's Not Neutral: Narrative Tropes, Spiritual Warfare, And The Construction Of Evangelical Political Identity In American Christian Fiction, Evelyn L. Mccullough

Dissertations and Theses

Evangelical Christian fiction has reached tens of millions of readers and viewers during the most sustained period of evangelical political mobilization in American history, yet its narrative construction remains largely unexamined. This study asks how recurrent tropes in this genre build the attitudinal and emotional preconditions for political engagement. Combining systematic qualitative content analysis of eight texts spanning four decades (1986–2024) with Critical Discourse Analysis grounded in van Dijk's sociocognitive framework, it traces how storytelling devices connect theological belief to political behavior. The analysis reveals a single organizing logic: the corpus holds one regressive heroic disposition constant while making it …

Growing, Connecting, And Reflecting: Interpersonal Communication In Relationships, Gordon Alley-Young

Open Educational Resources

"Growing, Connecting, and Reflecting: Interpersonal Communication in Relationships" by Gordon Alley-Young is an Open Educational Resource (OER) textbook exploring communication in interpersonal relationships. The text emphasizing that communication is a collaborative, co-creation of meaning across many contexts and channels. The text recognizes the pervasive influence of culture on communication to recognize how our diverse backgrounds shape relational dynamics and dialogue. Topics and themes explored in the text include: self-concept, perception, cultural awareness, effective listening, emotion, verbal and nonverbal communication, relational climates and conflict, and the formation and evolution of foundational interpersonal relationships. The text encourages individual reflection on the reader's …

Mission Over Bureaucracy: Special Operations Command’S Warrior-Driven Model For Defense Innovation, Robert D. Seader

Joint Force Quarterly

In an era of accelerating technological change, military organizations must rapidly develop and field new capabilities to maintain battlefield superiority. Traditional defense acquisition processes, optimized for peacetime oversight and risk avoidance, now take four times longer than in the 1950s, threatening to undermine military effectiveness against rapidly modernizing adversaries. This paper examines how the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) has pioneered a fundamentally different acquisition approach that delivers new capabilities in months rather than the decades typical of conventional programs.

Through extensive interviews with senior acquisition leaders, this analysis identifies three core elements of USSOCOM’s success: a mission-centric culture …

Lindenwood Digest, September 9, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Event & Date: The Lindenwood University Employee Digest was published on September 9, 2026, detailing university operations, academic deadlines, and the Taste the Cause community event scheduled for September 19, 2026.

• Geographic Grounding: Programmed events are situated at the Family Arena, St. Charles, Missouri, as well as rooms LARC 09 and LARC 10 inside the Library and Academic Resources Center, Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri.

• Key Honorees/Awards: Faculty recognized for institutional service include Dr. Stephanie Afful, Professor of Psychology; Dr. Colleen Biri, Senior Professor of Psychology; Weston Anderson, Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice; Brynne Schroeder, Assistant Professor of Psychology; Suzanne …

Advancing A Familial Understanding Of International Students, Prof-Collins Ifeonu Dr

Critical Internationalization Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Remembering The Great Gumpert, Susan Drucker

Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association

No abstract provided.