Digital Commons Network^™

Venezuelan Migrants In Prostitution: A Personal Decision?, Yazmin Maria Lucila Cadena Camargo, Izara Maite Mondragon Moreno, Isabela Osorio Jaramillo, Paula Angélica Suárez Álvarez, Andrés Duarte Osorio, Carlos Gómez-Restrepo

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This paper explores the multifaceted experiences of Venezuelan migrant women engaged in prostitution, framed through three critical moments: the “decision to enter in prostitution,” the unique abuses faced, and the resultant consequences on mental, physical, and social health. The study highlights how socioeconomic vulnerabilities—exacerbated by migration and poverty—significantly influence the likelihood of entering prostitution. It also shows how traumatic experiences, particularly in childhood and adolescence, coupled with a lack of support networks, contribute to a heightened risk of exploitation. Eleven life stories were collected through a phenomenological approach, revealing a common narrative of abuse, poverty, and the search for survival …

Plastic Makes Perfect: An Analysis Of Plastic Surgery As Rehabilitation In Early To Late 20th Century Prison Populations, Jack West

The Ozark Historical Review

As early as 1910, journalists from around the United States reported on the cause-and- effect relationship between a criminal’s physical appearance, their offenses, and the plastic surgeons willing to help them. These surgeons were interested in changing the physical “causes” of criminality to sever the mental roots of crime, inferiority, and anti-social attitude. This paper examines the use of plastic surgery programs as reform in prison through the lens of popular newspaper and journal articles and argues that public perception and reaction revealed in these articles shaped the prison program’s journey from its underground beginning to its eventual demise.

Exploring The Relationship Between Perceived E-Working Experience And Autonomy In It Professionals, Sherry Hunt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

As remote work reshapes the professional landscape, understanding how e-working conditions influence the need for autonomy, a core component of motivation and well-being, is increasingly important. This quantitative, correlational study explored the relationship between perceived e-working experience and the psychological need for autonomy among 120 U.S.-based information technology (IT) professionals. Participants completed an online survey comprised of the E-Work Life (EWL) Scale (Charalampous et al., 2023; Grant et al., 2019) and two autonomy subscales from the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Frustration Work Scale (BPNSFWS) (Olafsen et al., 2021). Grounded in self-determination theory (SDT) (Ryan & Deci, 2000, 2017, 2020) …

Exploring Underrepresented Stem Undergraduates' Stem Identity Development: The Role Of Social Partners, Sandy Cerda-Lezama

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation employs a three-study qualitative design to investigate the role of mentorship and social interaction in the identity development of racial minority undergraduate students in STEM disciplines. Grounded in Communities of Practice theory, this research amplifies student narratives to elucidate the relational and contextual factors that inform science identity, belonging, competence, and persistence in higher education. Study One draws upon interview data from fifteen participants in the BUILD program to analyze the role of recognition, particularly from expert scientists--in students' science identity development. This study aims to understand how racial and ethnic identity intersections influence the processes and impact …

“I Am So Resilient Right Now”: Impact Of The Life Skills Journey Summer Program On Métis Program Leaders, Alicia Hibbert, Fay Fletcher, Brent Hammer

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The authors present the impact of the Métis Settlements Life Skills Journey facilitator training program. Community members, aged 16 to 32, were hired and trained to lead youth summer camps. It was hypothesized that participation in the program and employment as facilitators would have a positive impact on their individual resilience. The program and employment were designed to increase participant knowledge in key areas of resilience and skills to engage chil-dren in learning through play.

Do “Days Of Service” Meet Institutional Service-Learning Goals? A Case Study In Assessment Of The Mlk Day Of Service, Elizabeth B. Erbaugh, Jess Bonnan-White

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This study pilots a survey tool for assessing participant experiences in the MLK Day of Service at a public university. Student, faculty, staff, community volunteer, and community partner par-ticipants (N=344) reflected upon service, learning, and university-community connections as part of a multi-method evaluation process. Quantitative analysis of unidimensional and summed variables found significant variation by instructional site and participant affiliation. Such measures and instruments may clarify the role of Days of Service in advancing institutional ser-vice-learning goals.

Reading Beyond Research Results: The Hidden Curriculum In A College And Urban High Schools Partnership, Shirley Mthethwa-Sommers

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

The article draws from a study of a Gear Up partnership between a predominantly white middle class college and four urban high schools with a majority of low-income students of color. Teacher education candidates participated in community engagement through Gear Up at four urban high schools. The study shows that both college and high school students benefited from the partnership. However, employing internal and anticolonial theoretical lenses reveals the hidden curriculum that the positive results attained from the partnership may serve to buttress the myth of dominant culture’s supremacy.

Community Partner Perceptions About Community Engagement Experiences For Nursing Students, Judith E. Wattman, Marjorie A. Schaffer, Maureen J. Juarez, Leanne L. Rogstad, Timothy Bredow, Sara E. Traylor

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

This study explored community agency staff perceptions about community engagement learning experiences for nursing students. Focus groups with staff from eleven health-related community organizations revealed seven themes that will contribute to effective curriculum development and implementation for community engagement: (a) agency expectations for students, (b) orientation, (c) schedule of student experiences, (d) invested student participation, (e) student match with agencies, (f) projects envisioned, and (g) effective interactions with the population. Practice implications for developing community engagement learning experiences are suggested.

Evaluating The Impact Of Seed Money Grants In Stimulating Growth Of Community-Based Research And Service-Learning At A Major Public Research University, Judith A. Jetson, Mary E. Evans, Wendy Hathaway

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

At a major research university, community engagement must intersect with research productivity and attract external funding to be well-regarded. At USF, community engagement increased its value to the institution by using seed grants for community-based research and service-learning projects. Between 1998 and 2006, 132 projects received $1.65 million in seed money from general revenue and local government funds, bringing over $9 million in grants to USF, a return on investment of approximately 6-to-1.

Black Somatic Liberatory Practices: The Africanist Aesthetic In Psychotherapeutic Movement Observation, Ebony Nichols

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This critical ethnographic qualitative study explored Black body-based healing practices and coping strategies used to resist and titrate the impact of racism and oppression. It also examined how Black individuals use their bodies to regulate their nervous systems to heal and cultivate liberatory practices. Grounded in theoretical frameworks such as Black Psychology, African Indigenous Healing Systems, Liberation Psychology, and Critical Race Theory, this research investigated the intersections of Black Aesthetics, Psychology, and the body through the lens of the Africanist Aesthetic. The study employed interaction analysis and reflexive thematic analysis to analyze non-verbal and verbal data collected from two focus …

Investigating Queer Asians' Accultrative Resilience And Wellbeing, Yiyu Cheng

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the role of resilience factors in moderating the effects of acculturative stress on the well-being of queer Asian Americans. A total of 181 survey responses were collected from queer-identified Asian Americans over the age of 18 residing in the United States. Using hierarchical multiple regression analysis, this study explores three models incorporating two identity resilience factors (ethnic identity salience and queer identity salience), two community resilience factors (ethnic community support and queer community support), and two intersectional resilience factors (queer Asian identity salience and queer Asian community support). Well-being was assessed through life satisfaction, negative affect, and …

The Force Of Resilience: Exploration Of Correlations Between Generational Differences In Occupational Resilience And Turnover Intentions Among Active United States Law Enforcement Personnel, Kaylin Elizabeth Switzer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Law enforcement agencies across the United States are facing critical challenges with the recruitment and retention of officers. This study examined whether differences existed in occupational resilience and turnover intentions across generations of active law enforcement personnel, and whether resilience levels were correlated with turnover intentions. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was used to collect data via an online survey that included the Predictive 6-Factor Resilience Scale and the Expanded Multidimensional Turnover Intentions Scale. The sample consisted of 241 active members of law enforcement. There were two one-way ANOVA tests conducted to assess generational differences in resilience and turnover intention scores, …

Prerogative In Common: On The Emancipatory Potential Of Radical Mutuality Amid Sovereign Decisionism, Matthew Builes

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In times of crisis, liberal democracies resort to authoritarian measures that undermine core democratic values. Dominant thought in the study of emergency-era law and politics appeal to a dichotomy of normal and exceptional times, to critique or justify the turn to sovereign decisionism. While this strategy seems clear-cut, the persistence of exceptional spaces and the crises that supposedly generate them challenge existing frameworks by blurring the line between norm and exception. This project explores the prospect of radical mutual aid, as a transformative response to the enduring crisis of modernity.

Chronic Pain: An Exploration Of The Experience Of Chronic Pain, Andrea Alzalde

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic pain is a pervasive public health issue within Western society today and amongst humans worldwide. Although chronic pain is something that many people have or will experience sometime in their life, it is a complex experience that does not have a simple universal solution or immediate cure. The causes of pain can be a multitude of things and the treatments that work for some may not work for others. The current research seeks to explore the experience of chronic pain to help fill gaps in the wider research of pain. This study pursues answers to two research questions including; …

Illness Terminable And Interminable: A Lacanian Exploration Of Medical Assistance In Dying, Matthew Devine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

More and more people worldwide are requesting euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide (PAS), or medical assistance in dying (MAiD). Arguments in favor of expanding access to MAiD tend to prioritize the rational, competent, autonomous subject who has the right to make decisions about their body, including their death. Some have argued that this perspective – common in biomedical and bioethical literature – tends to neglect the fact that requests for assisted dying involve a relational structure: a relationship between the subject who requests an assisted death and the Other to whom this request is addressed. After reviewing relevant psychoanalytic approaches to suicide …

Demographic Characteristics And Selected Personality Traits Of Women In Competitive Bodybuilding, Chloe A. Zeeuw

Master's Theses

This study investigated demographic characteristics and measures of personality (dimensions of performance perfectionism and five-factor model characteristics) in women in competitive bodybuilding between 18-25 years old. A total of 24 women completed an online survey which included a demographic questionnaire, the Five Factor Model Rating Form (FFMRF), and the Performance Perfectionism Scale for Sport (PPSS) inventories. Descriptive results for the FFMRF were Openness (18.17±3.12), Conscientiousness (25.58±3.33), Extraversion (19.96±3.46), Agreeableness (19.88±4.58), and Neuroticism (15.67±4.94), and for the PPS-S were Self-oriented performance perfectionism (20.96±3.53), Socially prescribed performance perfectionism (13.96±4.26), and Other-oriented performance perfectionism (10.54±4.23). Pearson’s correlation coefficients and Shapiro-Wilk tests revealed that …

Exploring Adverse Childhood Experiences And Bullying Of Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Alyson Connelly Ward

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and bullying can lead to psychological distress, causing both short- and long-term health and mental health problems. Children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN), including those who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), face a higher risk of ACEs and bullying, which can affect their well-being.

This study builds on existing literature by (a) reviewing ACEs and bullying in CSHCN, especially those who are DHH, and (b) using data from the 2016-2022 National Survey of Children's Health to analyze ACEs and bullying in children who are DHH, DHH+CSHCN, and CSHCN. The literature review found that disability …

An Exploratory Study Of The Vertical Snarc Effect In Mayan Numerals: Effects Of Language Transparency And Reading Direction, Emmett A. Speed

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The Mayan numerical system, used by the ancient Maya people, is very different from the Western Arabic numerical system. Instead of being based on 10, it's based on 20, and it uses dots and bars instead of the numbers 0 through 9. This study explored how people learn and understand Mayan numbers.

Participants took a 2.5-hour online course to learn Mayan numerals and number words. They were tested to see how quickly and accurately they could recognize and compare Mayan numerals. The results showed that people can learn the Mayan number system and use it automatically.

The study also looked …

The Experience Of Latine Parents During Covid-19: Coping, Support, And Wellness, Jazmin Lara

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Documentation status affects not just individuals, but entire family units. This project shares the voices of Undocumented Individuals and their Loved Ones (UnLOs), specifically Latine parents navigating multiple, overlapping stressors. Data was collected during a particularly challenging time marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and threats to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Participants shared how they cope with stress, who they rely on for social support, how they practice wellness, and the type of community programming they would like to see more of. This research was possible through the collaboration between the Latinx Immigrant Health Alliance (LIHA) and …

The Generality Of Psychosocial Safety Climate Theory—A Fundamental Element For Global Worker Well-Being: Evidence From Four Nations, May Young Loh, Michelle Chin Chin Lee, Maureen Dollard, Dianne Gardner, Kazuki Kikunaga, Tsukumi Tondokoro, Akinori Nakata, Mohd Awang Idris, Tim Bentley, Ali Afsharian, David Tappin, Darryl Forsyth

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Occupational health and safety researchers and policymakers often rely on organisational theories and evidence to provide valuable information for effective policy making and understanding. Yet, most traditional and contemporary organisational theories are developed within a single nation, often in high-income countries. Therefore, cross-national validation is required for generalisable worldwide use. The current study focuses on an antecedent to workplace health and safety, that is, the psychosocial safety climate (PSC), and aims to investigate if PSC is an etic (i.e., universally applicable) or emic (i.e., nationally/context specific) theory. Across nations, we investigate the construct meaning of PSC by testing PSC measurement …

I See Sick People: Beliefs About Sensory Detection Of Infectious Disease Are Largely Consistent Across Cultures, Joshua M. Ackerman, Theodore Samore, Daniel M. T. Fessler, Norman P. Li, Et Al

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Identifying cues to contagious disease is critical for effectively tracking and defending against interpersonal infection threats. People hold lay beliefs about the types of sensory information most relevant for identifying whether others are sick with transmissible illnesses. Are these beliefs universal, or do they vary along cultural and ecological dimensions? Participants in 58 countries (N = 19,217) judged how effective, and how likely they were to use, cues involving each of the five major sensory modalities in an imagined social interaction during a flu outbreak. Belief patterns were strongly consistent across countries (sight > audition > touch > smell > taste), suggesting a largely …

Mexican Americans’ Attitudes Toward Mexican Immigrants In The United States, Sandra Daisy Espinoza Montes

Dissertations

The United States (U.S.) has often been described as a nation of immigrants. Among the 40 million immigrants in the U.S., Mexican-descent individuals comprise 25% of the overall immigrant population, positioning them as the largest immigrant group in the country. Additionally, Mexican Americans constitute 63% of the Latinx population, making them the largest minoritized ethnic group in the U.S. Considering that Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans have a significant presence in the country, scholars have called for additional research on attitudes towards Mexican immigrants (Byrne & Dixon, 2016; Flores et al., 2022). However, much of the existing literature on attitudes …

Flex-Spatialities: Interior Spaces, Play, And Fantasy, Camilo Lozano-Rivera

Interiority

This article examines how interior spaces in the digital age have evolved into flexible, adaptive environments shaped by technological mediation and shifting everyday practices. Focusing on smart homes and home offices, this article introduces the concept of flex-spatiality to describe how these spaces continually reconfigure in response to changes in needs and digital interfaces. Grounded in Gregory Bateson’s (1972) theory of play and fantasy, the study explores how interior spatiality operates on two levels: as a locus for expressing identities and as a structure for organising social interaction. Through Bateson’s distinction between metalinguistic and metacommunicative functions, flex-spatiality is framed as …

Postpartum Experiences Of Arab Women And The Educational Role Of The Mother, Diana Ikki

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Women in the Arab world traditionally observe a 40-day postpartum rest period, during which they rest, follow specific rituals, and learn to care for their newborn under the guidance and care of a family matriarch, typically their mother. Despite the prevalence of this practice, there is limited empirical research exploring the educational role of Arab mothers during their daughters' postpartum period; this qualitative study addressed this gap. Foundational to this study’s theoretical framework was Ramona Mercer’s theory of maternal role attainment. The study addressed two research questions: how Arab women describe their postpartum experiences and the educational role their mothers …

The Reluctant Heroes: How To Teach Younger Generations Every-Day Heroism Through Pedagogical Imagination, Jarema Drozdowicz

Heroism Science

This article explores the notion of pedagogical imagination in the context of its practical use in teaching young learners today. The idea of imagination is being presented through the lens of the existing concepts such as ethnographic, historical, and sociological imagination introduced in the social sciences and humanities by various authors. The educational setting of today’s digitalized reality is being understood here as a sociocultural sphere where different generations clash in their diverse abilities to learn and form specific skills that might help them to cope with difficult real life situations. The process of forming heroic behavior patterns is thus …

Exploring The Bidirectional Relationship Between Attachment Styles And Spiritual Practices In Protestant Christians: A Qualitative Study, Emily Lauren Pritt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study explores the bidirectional relationship between spirituality and attachment among Protestant Christians—a topic with limited empirical focus. Grounded in attachment theory and theological insights, prior research often treats attachment as a static predictor of spiritual development, with little attention to how spiritual engagement may reshape attachment. This study addresses the gap by examining how these relational domains mutually inform each other and affect psychological well-being within a Christian context. The purpose was to explore if adult attachment styles and spiritual practices influence emotional health, relational security, and overall well-being among active Protestant Christians. Twenty-two adults actively engaged in …

The Physical Characteristics Linked To The Perception Of Criminality Of Female Offenders, Jennifer Anne Chapman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gender disparities can be seen throughout the criminal justice system, where females are seen as weak and incapable of causing harm. This quantitative study sought to add to the existing research regarding physical characteristics linked to criminality. The labeling theory explains how physical characteristics labeled as deviant can alter a person’s perception when deciding whether an individual is violent. The research questions explored the physical characteristics linked to the perception of violent female offenders as well as the relationship between the gender of the participant and their ability to successfully identify a violent female offender. A mixture of statistical designs …

Can Mere Possession Of A Consumer Product Boast Your Self-Efficacy? : A Cultural Perspective, Yixuan Gao

Lingnan Theses (MPhil & PhD)

Beggan (1992) introduced the mere ownership effect, suggesting that people evaluate owned objects more positively. Beggan argued that ownership fosters a psychological bond between people and their possessions, driven by self-enhancement motives (e.g., “I am good, thus my object must be good”). Yeung et al. (2017, 2020) extended the mere ownership effect, showing that ownership influences self-evaluations (e.g., I own a book so I am knowledgeable). Previous studies on the “person-based” mere ownership effect have primarily focused on East Asian participants. This thesis aims to compare cross-cultural differences, if any, in the “person-based” mere ownership effect (Study 1), and systematically …

Moral Judgment Toward Individuals In Consensually Non-Monogamous Relationships As A Function Of Moral Foundations And Disgust Sensitivity, Dylan Selterman, Jeff Bowen, Ria Datwani, Amy C. Moors

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

In two experiments we demonstrate how participants perceive individuals in consensually non-monogamous relationships (e.g., polyamory) more negatively compared to those in monogamous relationships, as a function of moral foundation variables and trait-level disgust sensitivity. In Study 1, we experimentally presented participants with vignettes depicting characters in one of two relationship types (monogamous or non-monogamous), after which participants completed character judgments (ethics) and relationship impressions. Participants viewed the characters in a monogamous relationship as more ethical and having higher relationship quality, and these associations were fully mediated by perceptions of the characters as pure, loyal, caring, fair, and honest. Participants high …

The Heritage Conversation Partners Project: Virtual Cultural Heritage Exchange In An Anthropology Course, Michael J. Kimball, Karin L. Bates, Miranda Bermudez, Liner Emilce Solarte Chourio, Amanda Consol

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

We describe the structure, benefits, and challenges associated with a virtual cultural heritage exchange (VCHE) between undergraduate students in an applied anthropology class and a group of English language learners (ELL). Using qualitative data collection and analysis methods, the project aimed to teach anthropological methods and perspectives to the students while investigating three research questions: Will a VCHE (1) build social bonds and bridges, (2) improve English language acquisition, and (3) raise “heritage consciousness” (awareness and appreciation of, along with an associated sense of agency toward, cultural heritage) among participants? Results support the research questions and show the effectiveness of …