Digital Commons Network^™

Leaving The Cockpit: Understanding The Military-To-Civilian Transition Experience Of U.S. Army Special Operations Forces Aviation Veterans, Robert D. Harris

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study explored the military-to-civilian (MTC) transition experiences of U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation (ARSOA) veterans through a hermeneutic phenomenological approach supported by reflexive thematic analysis (RTA). ARSOA aviators operate in a demanding environment that requires advanced technical proficiency, exceptional cognitive agility, and the capacity to shift between complex tasks rapidly. They possess elite-level skills in target acquisition, decision making under pressure, and processing high volumes of information, capabilities that extend well beyond those typically expected of conventional military pilots. Thirteen former ARSOA aviators, crew chiefs, and flight medics who had separated within the past five years participated in semi-structured …

Eco-Humanitarianism: A Political Ecological Framework For Humanitarian Resilience, Roksanna Keyvan

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Politics, Economics and World Affairs

No abstract provided.

Developing Cross-Cultural Competence And Media Literacy Through Multi-Modal Instruction And Projects, Michelle Verbitskaya, Alla Kourova, Irina Pidberejna

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

We explore the integration of Media Literacy in the 2-year Russian language STARTALK program, “How Words Shape People: Understanding Business Russian Through Proverbs.” Given the current geopolitical climate, particularly the ongoing war in Ukraine, fostering critical engagement with media has become more essential than ever. By encouraging students to interact with multimedia resources—including animated videos, podcasts, news articles, and the Russian National Corpora—the curriculum aims to enhance both language and media literacy skills. Media Literacy’s Five Key Framework is applied to guide students in analyzing media critically while producing academic projects and cultural responses. We present a curriculum that fosters …

Ucf Pegasus Plan - 5th Grade - Early American Inventions, Del M. Herman, Jaclyne Casella, Kathryn Garner

Pegasus Plans: Social Studies Unit Plans for Florida Teachers

During this unit, students will trace early American inventions' effects on the early United States and the business productivity of that era. Students will complete primary source analyses on the different inventions, take guided notes in a foldable on each invention, and participate in a collaborative project where students will create a PowerPoint on a particular early American invention in order to demonstrate proficiency in this unit.

Practicing In The Laboratories Of Democracy: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of How Political Science Faculty Use Simulations With Community College Students, James Stewart Shifflett

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Political science faculty members have often used simulations to promote civic engagement and build political efficacy in students. However, the use of political simulations with community college students has not been studied as extensively as it has with their four-year counterparts. Through the interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) methodology, this study examined the experiences of nine political science faculty members who use simulations with community college students to understand how instructional designers might better support their civic engagement and design efforts. Faculty members who participated in the study use simulations as constructive social interactions; as comprehensive learning experiences integrating preparation, facilitation …

Media Literacy In The Crosshairs: Nato’S Strategic Goals And The Revival Of Protectionist Pedagogy, Nolan Higdon, Sydney Sullivan

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This qualitative study critically evaluated whether curricula’s power dynamics address the needs of students and educators or serve institutional or ideological agendas. To facilitate this evaluation, the study applied a critical media literacy framework to analyze the pedagogical approach promoted by the Center for Media Literacy within its educational framework. Employing narrative analysis grounded in progressive critical media literacy, the study interrogated the power structures and implicit messages embedded in the Center for Media Literacy’s report on The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, (NATO)-aligned media literacy pedagogy. The analysis identifies four key themes: the framing of NATO as a central target …

Disinformation Awareness Via Sms? Exploring A New Modality For Boosting Adult Media Literacy, Jannie Lilja, Ester Tottie, Niklas Eklund, Tobias Lindé, Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Given a rapidly evolving disinformation environment, many initiatives are currently being developed to counter the harmful impacts of disinformation. The aim of this study is to explore how an SMS intervention, as a hitherto untested modality for raising awareness of disinformation with promising potential and wide reach, could boost media literacy among adults. We probe the effects on a national sample of adult Swedish respondents (N = 2536). An initial survey is followed by a five-week text messaging intervention and concluded with a second survey. Respondents’ objective ability to identify false information, and their subjective perceptions of attitude and …

Unburden The Pastoral Chair To Create A More Effective Minister, William Travis Boyd

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation explores how to alleviate the burden on senior pastors to create more effective ministers. This research aims to explore the implications of the pastoral chair’s duties and responsibilities and focuses on how the church community can support the senior pastor through encouragement and awareness of the importance of maintaining the pastoral chair’s mental, emotional, and professional health. This research features a comprehensive literature review on the current state of senior pastors’ professional health and the impact that overwhelming duties and responsibilities impose on their professional confidence, ministry, and overall sense of productivity and accomplishment in providing pastoral services …

القيادة الاستباقية وعلاقتها بإدارة مخاطر البيئة المدرسية لدى مديري مدارس الرمثا. Proactive Leadership And Its Relationship To School Environment Risk Management Among Ramtha School Principals, لانا عبد المولى العنزي, محمد عبود الحراحشة

Association of Arab Universities Journal for Education and Psychology

هدفت هذه الدراسة التعرف إلى درجة ممارسة القيادة الاستباقية وعلاقتها بإدارة مخاطر البيئة المدرسية لدى مديري مدارس الرمثا. ولتحقيق هدف الدراسة تم استخدام المنهج الوصفي المسحي الارتباطي، واختيار عينة عشوائية بسيطة تكونت من (340) معلما ومعلمة. تم تطوير استبانة تكونت من محورين الأول لقياس درجة القيادة الاستباقية تضمنت (32) فقرة، أما المحور الثاني فكان لقياس درجة ممارسة إدارة مخاطر البيئة المدرسية وتضمنت (29) فقرة، وذلك بعد أن تم التحقق من صدقها وثباتها. وتوصلت الدراسة إلى أن درجة ممارسة القيادة الاستباقية من وجهة نظر المعلمين مرتفعة، وبينت نتائج الدراسة إلى أن درجة ممارسة إدارة مخاطر البيئة المدرسية من وجهة نظر المعلمين …

Six Steps To A Successful Study Abroad Program: Case Study In Stockholm, Sweden, Bryan R. Burton

csuglobalaction

This article is meant to serve as a guide for developing a short-term (typically 2 to 3 weeks long) faculty-led study abroad program. I will focus solely on my work in Stockholm, Sweden during summer 2023. This article will be particularly helpful to faculty members who are new to developing their own study abroad programs. I have six suggested steps for developing a successful faculty-led program. These six steps include:

1. thinking about what you want for students and your own career;

2. building on-campus partnerships;

3. Recruiting and supporting students as early as possible;

4. making the program itinerary interactive and rewarding for …

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Post-9/11 Navy Service Members’ Barriers To Using Military Educational Benefits, Karen D. Cross

Dissertations

There are studies explaining how many service members are using military educational benefits or the challenges service members incur after they have enrolled in school and are attending classes. There are also studies that report how many service members use military educational benefits. However, studies exploring why some service members, or some Post-9/11 service members in particular, do not use military educational benefits has been limited. The purpose of this study was to discover why many service members in the United States Navy do not or did not take advantage of military educational benefits. This study also sought to find …

Stepping Up, Keeping On Track, And Pulling Your Own Weight: Collaborative Arts-Based Service-Learning Metaphors, Marcy Meyer

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

In this study, the author explores metaphors related to students’ experiences conducting collaborative arts-based ethnographic research in a U.S. nonprofit organization. A metaphor analysis of 25 students’ essays revealed they were most likely to frame their experiences with arts-based service learning as a journey or a sports contest. The author examines the extent to which students’ metaphors legitimize or delegitimize arts-based service learning, as well as the degree of novelty that characterizes these metaphors. She explores the implications of her findings for teaching and promoting arts-based service learning in the academy.

Special Operations Forces Cadre Self-Efficacy: Insights From A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study On Education And Training, Edward O. Funes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study is to describe the lived experiences of the special operations forces’ cadre self-efficacy throughout their educational journey at the Special Operations Forces Training Center (SOFTC). The theory guiding this study is Bandura’s self-efficacy, based on the social cognitive theory, which posits that individuals’ belief in their capabilities is crucial to their success. The central research question is: What are the experiences of the special operations forces’ cadre self-efficacy throughout their educational journey? The methodology used in this study ensures that all its chapters are interconnected with a robust, cohesive, and rigorous approach to …

The Self That Practices Deeper Teaching: An Exploration Of Influences On Teacher Beliefs And Values, Kerstin L. Rowe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For decades, educators have called for “a fundamental redesign of the industrial-age classroom.” However, despite ongoing discourse around educational reform, the majority of teachers still use the industrial model of education while too few teachers implement deeper teaching practices which situate students as active learners in addressing complex, real-world challenges rather than being passive recipients of knowledge. Existing literature does not explore the influences upon the beliefs and values of teachers who create deeper learning experiences.

This qualitative study employs educational criticism and connoisseurship to illuminate the inner self of those who practice deeper teaching. Drawing on in-depth observations, interviews, …

Democratic Lawyering: Upending The “Hidden Curriculum” To Prepare New Lawyers For A New World, Eduardo R.C. Capulong, Andrew King-Ries, Monte Mills

The Journal of Law Teaching and Learning

Multiple heightening crises reveal the deficiencies and contradictions of legal education, in particular the values it imparts. Perpetuating myths about U.S. democracy and rule of law, the enduring formalist, liberal legalist cast of law school is increasingly at odds with students’ lived experiences. As liberal democracy and the rule of law falter, no longer is relying on the “hidden curriculum” or the historically nebulous and mythical narratives of the law and our legal system sufficient to prepare tomorrow’s lawyers for the challenges faced by our profession. Instead, with a boost from ABA Standard 303, this article draws on the tradition …

Why Should We Give Thanks?, Calvin Vandermeyden

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Narratives Of Jewish American Public School Educators Amid Rising Antisemitism Post October 7, 2023, Cassandra Schwartz

Dissertations

This study investigated how Jewish American public school educators are responding to rising antisemitism post-October 7, 2023. While research exists on global antisemitism, the experiences of Jewish educators within the unique context of American public schools represent a significant and under-explored gap in academic literature. A qualitative narrative research approach, grounded in critical theory, was employed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eight Jewish American public school educators and analyzed thematically. The findings revealed participants’ experiences of a heightened sense of fear and silence from colleagues and institutions, leading to feelings of isolation and being unsupported. Critically, this study …

Give Them Their Roses: Honoring Student Affairs Professionals Of Color Combatting Secondary Racial Battle Fatigue At A Historically White Institution, Julián X. Latshang, Julián X. Latshang

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the phenomenon of Secondary Racial Battle Fatigue (SRBF) and its impact on student affairs professionals of color in higher education. Grounded in critical qualitative inquiry and the lived experiences of participants, this study examines how emotional, behavioral, and physiological effects of SRBF manifest both through professionals’ direct racialized experiences and their roles supporting students enduring racial trauma. Framed by Racial Battle Fatigue (Smith, 2010) and Secondary Traumatic Stress (Figley, 1995), the research addresses three guiding questions: (a) How does SRBF manifest in professionals of color? (b) In what ways does it emerge when supporting racially traumatized students? …

The Impact Of Historical Intergenerational Transmission Of Trauma On Black American Women Who Endured Adverse Childhood Experiences, Gigi Andrews Ritchey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the experiences of Black American women in the Southeastern United States who endured adverse childhood experiences and whether historical intergenerational transmission of trauma (HITT) influenced the behavior of their primary caregivers. The problem was that the connection between Post traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS) and HITT had not been explored as it related to Black American women. To conduct the study, Black American women were screened for HITT via the Black American Woman (BAW) Danieli Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma questionnaire. Qualitative data was accrued via semi-structured individual interviews. The findings …

The Confluence, Volume 4, Issue 1, Full Issue

The Confluence

No abstract provided.

Maroon Science: A Counterstory Of Apocalypse, Abolition, And Abandonment, Kenjus Watson

Black Educology Mixtape "Journal"

This Critical Race Counterstory explores "Maroon Science," covert and adaptive knowledge systems rooted in African Sacred Sciences, as a means of navigating the dystopic polycrisis of anti-Blackness, Black youth suicide, and climate destruction. Framed through Apocalyptic Education, the work begins at the end, the inevitable collapse of western schooling and broader state systems it supports, to foreground fugitivity as essential to Black autonomy. The track maps connections between Black Indigeneity, ecological adaptation, and the concealment necessary for maroon communities to evade capture. The layered counterstory portrays Maroon Science as contingencies for African epistemologies of survival, flourishing in ungovernable pockets of …

Volume Cxliv, Number 20, May 2, 2025, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

Finite Disappointment, Infinite Hope: Enacting Cultural Humility, Institutional Accountability, And Sustainable Resistance, R. Danielle Scott

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

Higher education faces unprecedented political and organizational shifts, including bans on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. These challenges create barriers for educators committed to equity and justice. Grounded in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words, “Finite Disappointment, Infinite Hope,” this article explores cultural humility—particularly institutional accountability—as a key strategy for navigating this evolving landscape. Cultural humility fosters critical self-reflection, redressing power imbalances and lifelong learning, offering a sustainable approach to social justice advocacy. This article outlines strategies for bolstering institutional accountability. The author introduces Five Care Practices—Recalling Core Values, Remembering, Resting, Reading and Intellectualism, and Radical Self-Care—as essential tools …

Reviving Baybayin: The Pre-Hispanic Writing System Of The Philippines, And Raising Awareness In The United States, Richana K. Stone

Honors Thesis

Baybayin is an Indigenous system of writing in the Philippines that has been preserved, but has seen rapid decline in usage throughout the centuries. This paper explores the history of Baybayin and the methods of reviving the written script that have been suggested and used to reimplement Baybayin into the daily lives of Filipinos. Furthermore, this paper will look at how Lakota and Peruvian recording systems, the winter count and the khipu, respectively, have been preserved and used in modern times. Viewing the history of these groups and how they preserved these writing systems sparks a potential for the adoption …

A Weapon In One Hand And A Bible In The Other: Places Of Worship Are Under Attack, Edmond J. Bergeron

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative descriptive study aims to ascertain the degree of preparedness for reducing and preventing extreme violence and the countermeasures that are in place (or lack thereof) at houses of worship. All places of worship in this study are considered soft targets and not “holy ground” as traditionally referenced. The terms “places of worship” and “church” will be used interchangeably in this study. A place of refuge for both the physical and spiritual is now considered vulnerable as the congregants are focused on worship rather than protection from an attack. Violence against places of worship will be described at this …

"Integrating The Seven Stages Of Conocimiento With Nahuatl And Ralámuri Wisdom In Kosmic Feminism: My Creative Writer Identity.", Hilda Yaneth Sotelo Dr

Journal of Creative Writing Studies

This paper explores the intersection of Kosmic Feminism and the seven stages of conocimiento as outlined by Gloria Anzaldúa, integrating Indigenous wisdom from Nahuatl and Ralámuri traditions. It examines how decolonial thought, feminist theory, and creative writing can be transformative tools for personal and communal healing. Drawing on personal experiences rooted in the borderlands of Ciudad Juárez-El Paso and Rarámuri heritage, the author blends Anzaldúa’s framework of conocimiento with Indigenous perspectives to offer a critique of patriarchal systems and a vision of holistic, cosmic resistance. The seven stages of conocimiento—awakening (El Arrebato), liminality (La Nepantla), commitment (El Compromiso), healing (La …

Bryant University Research And Engagement Day Program

Bryant REDay (Research and Engagement Day)

No abstract provided.

Stari Most, Lajla Hadžimujić

Honors Projects

This project aims to highlight Bosnian culture and history, specifically to examine the historical and cultural significance of the Stari Most in Bosnia during the Bosnian War and its aftereffects. To discuss the “othering” that Bosnian Muslims faced during the war and how that correlated with the destruction of the Stari Most. This project includes an acrylic painting of the Stari Most as both a symbol of cultural resilience and architectural grace.

The Three Ps: Political Polarization, Perception, And Pedagogy, Tianka Renee Sheard Mitchell

Student Theses and Dissertations

Political polarization significantly impacts modern education, especially within social studies, where teachers confront sensitive issues in their curricula. This study addressed two research questions: RQ1 examined teachers’ perceptions of the influence of political polarization, and RQ2 explored how these perceptions affect their pedagogy. Through the lens of Reconstructionist Educational Theory, this research highlights the necessity for social studies education to cultivate critical thinking and civic engagement among students. The study aimed to determine whether social studies teachers modify their instructional approaches in response to political polarization, as avoiding "hard history" could jeopardize students’ critical thinking and cultural literacy. Participants shared …

Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge Systems In Environmental Education: Creating Culturally Responsive Curriculum To Foster A More Inclusive And Holistic Approach To Science Learning, Emilie Potocki

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project explores how elementary science curriculum can be adapted to become more culturally responsive (CR), with a particular focus on integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) into 4th-grade instruction. Grounded in the belief that many Indigenous cultures have long held deep ecological knowledge and sustainable practices, the curriculum seeks to challenge the dominant, Eurocentric framework of traditional science education. Research highlights that culturally responsive teaching not only affirms students’ identities but also improves engagement, academic achievement, and long-term retention of scientific concepts. However, few curricular models at the elementary level meaningfully incorporate Indigenous perspectives in ways that are respectful, authentic, …