Digital Commons Network^™

Behind The Score: The Influence Of Neighborhood Policy Contexts On New York Regents Exam Performance Across New York City Public High Schools, Philip J. Kovacevic

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study used a two-level hierarchical linear model (HLM) to test whether New York City neighborhood zoning and land-use characteristics independently predict school-level performance on the New York State Regents Examinations, after controlling for school demographic and organizational characteristics, and Regents mean scores, both drawn from the NYC DOE's Regents Exam Results file (NYC Public Schools InfoHub, 2024). Using NYC Primary Land Use Tax Lot Output (PLUTO) 2025 data, a Neighborhood Educational Quality (NEQ) index was built for each of the city’s 42 community districts by combining the commercial floor area ratio (CommFAR) and the proportion of lots zoned residential …

Principals’ Experiences With Implementation Practices For School Board Policies In An Urban School District, Andrea J. Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Effective policy implementation is crucial for improving educational outcomes and ensuring equitable learning environments. While existing literature has shown that policy implementation is influenced by factors such as leadership capacity, stakeholder engagement, communication, resource availability, organization context, and accountability, there is little known about how K-12 urban principals narrate, interpret, and make meaning of their experiences to implementing board-mandated policies. This study addressed this gap by exploring how principals in an urban school district in Ohio navigated the complexities of implementing school board policies amid resource limitations, stakeholder resistance, and accountability pressures. The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry study …

Nihilistic Violence Aesthetics In Public Online Communication, Heath Nicholas Landress

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Public online communication has increasingly included violence-related content that is meme-based, ironic, visually stylized, multimodal, and only partially ideological. This comprehensive literature review synthesized research on online extremism, extremist memes, toxic multimodal content, dehumanizing digital communication, nihilistic violent extremism, warning behaviors, platform affordances, and youth-facing online environments. The purpose was to clarify what the literature had established; identify where the scholarship remained fragmented; and map research domains relevant to social, behavioral, public safety, and human services scholarship. The review used a structured, comprehensive literature review strategy supported by integrative synthesis procedures. The final corpus contained 34 scholarly sources, including 32 …

Level Of Discrimination Experienced By Gender In Athletic Trainers And Professional Athletic Training Students, Emily Ghaussy, Seungyeon Kim, Jennifer Xu, Emily Madrak

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Context: Although women make up the majority of the athletic training field, gender-based discrimination continues to exist in the profession. Previous research exists; however, more current research on gender discrimination in the workplace is limited. This cross-sectional study examined level of perceived gender-based discrimination experienced by credentialed women athletic trainers and athletic training students in comparison to men athletic trainers and athletic training students. Four hundred forty-six cisgender men and women athletic trainers and athletic training students participated in our study. The median age was 28 years among cisgender women and 35 years among cisgender men.

Methods: Participants completed a …

“When I’M Not Heard, I Feel Like I Don’T Matter”: Advancing Equity In Disability Policy Through Critical Participatory Action Research With People With Intellectual Disability, Cris Marchionne

Student Theses

People with intellectual disability deserve a system that offers flexible, timely, and person-centered support — one that is innovative, sustainable, and holistic in enabling them to live fulfilling lives. This qualitative study, grounded in Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR), examines how people with intellectual disability experience participation in decision-making within New York State's disability service system. By centering lived experience, the study identifies factors that facilitate or hinder participation in decision-making and examines structural, social, and policy-related barriers that limit agency. Through six focus groups and a Photovoice project with self-advocates receiving OPWDD services, participants described systemic barriers that limited …

Parameters Autumn 2026, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Generative Ai Applications On Employees’ Perceived Job Security: A Field Study In Knowledge-Intensive Organizations In Iraq, Hayder Ibrahim Hassoon

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

This study examines the impact of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) applications on employees’ perceived job security within knowledge-intensive organizations in Iraq. A quantitative, descriptive–analytical field design was employed. Data were collected through a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire administered to a stratified random sample of 420 employees from four organizations: Zain Iraq, Asiacell, Korek, and Rafidain Bank. The independent variable was operationalized through three dimensions: intensity of daily GenAI use, the impact of automation and job redesign, and organizational governance of GenAI use. The dependent variable was employees’ perceived job security. Reliability and construct validity supported the instrument’s adequacy for analysis, with …

Servant Leadership And Organizational Loyalty: Examining The Mediating Effect Of Meaningful Work, Mezher Abdulsada Hunain, Hasan Oudah Abdullah

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

This study aims to examine the effect of servant leadership on organizational loyalty among administrative and technical employees at the University of Basrah, with particular emphasis on the mediating role of meaningful work in explaining this relationship. The study seeks to provide deeper insight into how servant leadership practices influence employees’ organizational attachment by enhancing their perception of work as meaningful, which in turn strengthens organizational loyalty. A quantitative research design was adopted, and a simple random sample of 362 employees was selected to ensure adequate representation across various colleges and administrative units within the university. Data were collected using …

The Impact Of Cyber Resilience On Achieving Digital Development: A Survey Study At North Oil Company, Huda Abdul Rahim Hussein, Ali Abdul Fattah Alshaher, Ahmed Zuhair Tawfiq

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

The research aims to identify the impact of cyber resilience on achieving digital development in the North Oil Company within the framework of a conceptual model that relies on cyber resilience as an independent variable with its four dimensions (prevention, protection, response, recovery) and a dependent variable represented by digital development with its dimensions (digital infrastructure, digital skills, digital inclusion, technological innovation) The research adopted a survey methodology, and data was collected using a questionnaire developed based on previous studies that employed tested measures in the field of information systems and information security. The research sample consisted of 312 individuals …

The Role Of Agile Human Resources In Enhancing Job Performance: An Exploratory Study Of The Opinions Of A Sample Of Human Resources In The Traffic Directorate Of Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Wafaa Salman Ibrahim, James Yohana Odeesh

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

Many organizations face challenges related to poor job performance resulting from difficulty adapting to rapid changes in the work environment. This necessitates the adoption of modern management approaches capable of enhancing human resource efficiency and improving performance levels. Agile human resources is one of the most important of these approaches that contributes to enhancing job performance. Based on this, this research seeks to identify the role of lean human resources as an independent variable in enhancing job performance as a dependent variable in the Sulaimaniyah Governorate Traffic Directorate. The research relied on a questionnaire as a data collection tool, consisting …

Consumer Behavior In The Social Media Ecosystem: A Scoping Review Of Influential Factors, Huda Fadhil Gatea

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

The rapid expansion of social media has fundamentally transformed the ways consumers search for information, interact with brands, and make purchasing decisions. This study provides a structured synthesis of the literature on consumer behavior in the social media ecosystem using a Scoping Review approach aligned with the PRISMA-ScR framework. The review aimed to map the main research streams, identify dominant thematic categories, and clarify the conceptual directions shaping this field. A total of 31 studies published between 2011 and 2025 were included in the final review following a multi-stage screening process involving identification, screening, eligibility assessment, and final inclusion. The …

Connecting Families Through Cash Transfers And An Enabling Environment In Colombia, Mexico, And The Philippines: A Qualitative Study, Johanna K P Greeson, John Gyourko, Sarah Wasch, Kristin Mallory, Lory Fehlig, Cesar Jácome, Nestor David Lara Yanes, Fátima Areli Ruiz Gutiérrez, Dennis Guamos, Adele R. Lehman

Faculty Scholarship

Nearly 700 million people worldwide live in extreme poverty, and almost half of the world’s population lives below the poverty line. Cash transfer programs are increasingly used to address poverty’s effects on family well-being, yet less is known about how families experience programs that combine cash transfers with peer-driven mutual aid. Children International’s (CI) Community Independence Initiative (CII) provides conditional cash transfers and promotes family-led goal setting, mutual support, and shared learning. This qualitative study explored how families in Colombia, Mexico, and the Philippines experienced CII and made meaning of its material and relational components. We conducted focus groups with …

Mentor Evaluation Of A Black Male Youth Mentoring Program, Kenneth Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study was an exploration of how Black male mentors perceived organizational practices, culturally responsive mentoring, relational safety, and systems level barriers shaping their effectiveness and continued participation. The purpose was to examine early mentor-mentee match dissolution and low mentor retention in a nonprofit youth mentoring through the lens of the ecological systems theory and program evaluation framework. The practice-focused research questions were: How do volunteer mentors and program staff perceive the organizational practices and culturally responsive strategies that influence mentor effectiveness and retention in youth mentoring programs, and what organizational and systemic challenges do Black male mentors encounter in …

Business Educational Skills For Successful Aviation Fire Officers, Leo Sedlmeyer

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Purpose: This paper explored the business educational skills aviation fire officers use to manage airport fire departments.

Design/Methodology/Approach: The methodology was a qualitative phenomenological study design. The participants began with 10 aviation fire officers from airports throughout the USA who were at least 28 years old, in a leadership role, and had at least 10 years of experience as aviation fire officers (Buttenschon, 2016). Saturation was reached at seven during the interview phase. The limitations of this study were gaining participants' trust and obtaining comprehensive information from them.

Findings: Six themes emerged from this study, with the top three identified: …

Roots And Systems: A Portfolio Of Clinical Growth, Trauma-Informed Care, And Culturally Centered Practice, Sarah Rice

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Protest, Police, Peace, And Violence: Understanding Variation In Police Violence At Protests, Louis Pascarella

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Why do police engage in violence at some protests but not others? Existing research highlights the importance of protest characteristics, political context, police culture, organizational incentives, and interactions between protesters and law enforcement. While these factors help explain patterns of repression, they provide limited insight into why police responses can shift rapidly from restraint to widespread violence during the course of a protest event.

This dissertation examines variation in police violence during the 2020 George Floyd Uprising through a comparative analysis of protest events in Denver, Colorado and Seattle, Washington. Drawing on original event reconstructions based on livestreams, helicopter footage, …

A Policy Analysis Of Higher Education Support For Foster Youth In The Colorado Child Welfare System, Krystal Robles

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

This policy analysis examines how two Colorado laws, House Bill 22-1374 (Foster Care Success Act), and Senate Bill 22-008 (Higher Education Support for Foster Youth), aim to improve educational outcomes and long-term stability for youth who age out of the foster care system. Critical Policy Analysis (CPA) and Resilience Theory are used in this paper to examine how these policies address systemic inequities, promote resilience, and offer protective factors that support educational attainment. Using policy review, state policy comparison, stakeholder interviews, and community perspectives, I evaluated how the implementation, effectiveness, and limitations of these bills shape real-world impact. The findings …

Act And Posttraumatic Growth In Military Veterans: Growth Through Flexibility After Adversity, Andrew J. Moller

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

Military veterans are disproportionately exposed to potentially traumatic events across service eras. While much of the clinical and research literature has focused on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and symptom reduction, a growing body of work highlights the possibility of posttraumatic growth (PTG) following adversity. PTG refers to positive psychological changes that may emerge through engagement with traumatic experiences, including enhanced appreciation for life, renewed purpose, personal strength, deepened relationships, and reintegration into community roles. Importantly, PTG does not imply the absence of distress but may coexist alongside ongoing trauma-related symptoms. Understanding processes that facilitate growth alongside suffering may support more …

Exploring The Perspectives Of Individuals Who Were Formerly Incarcerated To Determine The Barriers And Facilitators To Successful Reentry Programs In Maryland, Ansu Sawi Momoh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Due to persistently high rates of incarceration and recidivism, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services developed policies and programs geared towards reducing recidivism. Existing literature indicated that successful reentry depends on access to coordinated support services, there was a lack of qualitative studies that explored the perspectives of individuals who were formerly incarcerated, specifically in the state of Maryland. The purpose of this generic qualitative research was to understand the reentry process from the perspective of 12 individuals who were formerly incarcerated. Semi structured interviews were used to explore the barriers and facilitators within the re-entry programs …

Determinants Of Antenatal Care Utilization: A Community-Based, Cross-Sectional Study In Morang And Sunsari Districts, Eastern Nepal, Sunil Shah, Chandra Jha

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

This study examined the factors influencing antenatal care (ANC) utilization in the eastern region of Nepal, focusing on the Morang and Sunsari districts, with the aim of identifying key determinants affecting ANC uptake and assessing the extent of ANC service utilization among mothers. Using lot quality assurance sampling, a community-based, descriptive, cross-sectional design was employed, surveying 164 mothers who had given birth within the previous 12 months; data were collected from June through November 2023. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS, with descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression. Findings revealed that 80.5% of respondents …

Price Tags Of Goodwill: The Examination Of General Strain Theory And Official Behavior, Kathryn A. Loving

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Applying the theoretical framework of Agnew’s (1992) General Strain Theory, this project aimed to understand the connection between strain-induced responses and improper official behavior, considering an individual’s intersectionality (sexuality). Despite extant empirical data recognizing that justice officials' duties expose them to a barrage of human misery, vicarious trauma, and intense circumstances that negatively impact their psyche, little research exists about how compassion fatigue relates to improper official conduct. When culturally induced expectations become divorced from an official despite a coordinated institutional emphasis, negative police responses can jeopardize public service. Because criminal justice officials are the backbone of public safety, it …

Evaluating Administrative Strategies For Implementing Emergency Response Policies: A Public Administration Approach To Active Shooter Incidents, Christopher J. Ferro

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the proposed study is to address the persistent problem of ineffective implementation of emergency response policies for active shooter incidents within public agencies. Despite the development of numerous laws, public policies, and preventive measures aimed at mitigating such incidents, challenges remain in how such policies are administered and executed by public administrators. The proposed study will examine the administrative processes and strategies that shape how relevant policies are implemented and evaluated for effectiveness. The research will incorporate a qualitative design by examining case studies of successful and unsuccessful active shooter incident responses, conducting semi-structured interviews with public …

The National Law Enforcement Staffing Shortage’S Impact On Central Texas, Mark Vincent Valli

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the relationship between perceived support from public administrators and law enforcement supervisors/executives and staffing levels in Central Texas law enforcement agencies. Guided by Social Exchange Theory (SET) and Public Service Motivation (PSM), the research investigated how administrative and supervisory support influences vacancy and turnover rates, two key indicators of staffing stability. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed to integrate quantitative and qualitative perspectives. Quantitative data were collected from agency records and surveys administered to sworn law enforcement personnel across the Central Texas region (defined for this study as the Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) associated …

How Do U.S. Advisors Interpret Successes, Failures, And Strategic Adaptations During Joint Operations In The Philippines, And What Do These Interpretations Reveal About The Processes Shaping Advisory Outcomes Applicable To Future Strategy In The Pacific?, Steven C. Miller

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines was a 14-year mission that entailed a 21st-century, long-term special operation conducted by the United States with a partnered nation in the Pacific. This qualitative study explored how U.S. advisors interpret successes, failures, and strategic adaptations during joint operations in the Philippines, and what these interpretations reveal about the processes shaping advisory outcomes applicable to future strategy in the Pacific. The research evaluated the successes, challenges, and adaptations the U.S. soldiers experienced while deploying as advisors for counterterrorism operations. Data was collected by surveying participants who served as members of the U.S. task force in the southern …

Post-Pandemic Telebehavioral Health: Sustaining And Regulating Remote Mental Health Care As A Core Modality, Weiqiao Dong

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

The United States continues to face a persistent mental health crisis after the COVID-19 pandemic, raising a policy question about the long-term role and regulation of telebehavioral health as a core modality of care. This thesis examines that question through a case study of New York State, an early center of the pandemic and a leader in telehealth policy reform.

Guided by the Health Policy Triangle framework, this thesis integrates longitudinal data from all 62 New York counties for 2010-2025 with a 2025 cross-sectional dataset covering 61 counties. Seventeen standardized indicators are organized into four dimensions: geographic, economic, demographic, and …

Examination Of The Bureau Of Indian Affairs Public Policy Implementation In Support Of Sovereign Tribal Nations, Erna Mae Faber

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Social and economic disparities in the Midwestern Reservation Community have persisted for more than five decades despite the enactment of federal Indian policy designed to address them. Based on the existing research, the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA’s) failure to effectively administer programs addressing health care, housing, and economic opportunity has perpetuated systemic inequities that disproportionately affect tribal nation members. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore how members of the Midwestern Reservation Community viewed the implementation of BIA public policies intended to support tribal nations through the lens of the resource dependence theory, the narrative policy …

Southeastern Michigan Firefighters’ Experiences With Their Organization’S Employee Assistance Program, Angela Patricia Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental health challenges among first responders require coordinated stakeholder efforts. Although employee assistance programs (EAPs) are commonly offered as workplace benefits, little is known about firefighters’ experiences with these programs and how they can be tailored to meet their unique needs. Existing literature suggested that EAP utilization among firefighters is influenced by program awareness, confidentiality concerns, organizational support, stigma, and the extent to which services are tailored to first responders’ needs. Using a generic qualitative design and policy feedback theory, this study explored southeastern Michigan firefighters’ experiences with EAPs. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 11 firefighters for semi structured …

Antiterrorism Policies And Curbing Youth Involvement In Violent Extremism In Nigeria, Timothy Melaye

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nigeria continues to face significant challenges from extremist groups such as Boko Haram, unidentified militia groups, and bandits. The radicalization of youths has played a central role in the country's ongoing violent extremism and general insecurity. Efforts to curb youth radicalization remain largely unsuccessful and pose a major challenge in the country. The existing literature on curbing youth violent extremism focuses on the use of force, while other scholars argue for a complex interplay among economic, social, political, and environmental factors. They also considered that high illiteracy, lack of religious understanding, poverty, unemployment, psychological factors, and unstable family environments contribute …

We Don't See Race, We See Blue: A Case Study Of Police Unions As Racialized Organizations, Sarahfina Aubrey Peterson

Dissertations and Theses

In the late 1960s, police began to unionize. Today, they are the most well-organized labor force in the United States, with 70% to 80% of sworn officers now represented by a union. Though it has been decades, little scholarship has developed about how police unions affect policing. Much of the research that does exist uses race-neutral frames to address an organization steeped in racial history. This study aims to address this gap in scholarship, in part, by introducing race as a motivation for and explanation of organizational output.

This research applies Victor Ray's racialized organizations theory to police unions. I …

The Impact Of Japan’S Security Policy Expansion On Great Power Competition In Southeast Asia: The Case Of Indonesia, Rafyoga Jehan Pratama Irsadanar

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

This paper discusses how fragmented perceptions of threat impact the outcome of international security cooperation. It analyses the impacts of Japan’s expanding security posture in Southeast Asia, specifically focusing on the Japan-China great power rivalry in the region. While previous research has examined Japan’s intention to intensify its security engagement with Southeast Asian countries, this paper aims to study the broader impact of Japan’s expanding security cooperation on the region's security constellation. To achieve this objective, the paper employs Japan-Indonesia security and defence cooperation as a case study. The research found that, despite strengthening bilateral relations, the increasing Japan-Indonesia security …