Digital Commons Network^™

Fueling Reactions: Three Empirical Essays On Behavioral Responses, Economic Shocks, And Energy Markets, Euclides Coelho De Medeiros Correia

Economics Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how shocks in energy and commodity markets propagate through local economies and reshape human behavior, spanning three empirical essays that connect energy markets to electoral behavior, commodity price dynamics, and criminal violence.

Where Is Home: Finding Belonging In God Through Expressive And Drama Therapy Processes Among Chinese Diaspora International Students, Minmin Pan

Expressive Therapies Theses

Being an international student for 12 years in the United States, this research engages with personal reflection and literature around international student identity formation situated in the current social and political context of increasing visa and employment uncertainty. International students’ ongoing movement across cultural spaces, limited representation of cross-cultural narratives and supportive spaces in academic settings, can contribute to fragmentation in experiences and identity that are shaped by dominant narratives and social positioning, thus further leading to disconnection from self and surroundings.

Relational spirituality literature suggests that one’s relational experience with God can deeply impact their interpretation of experiences, social …

Fluid Identities: Using Seattle's Diverse Water Narratives To Shape Cultural Values And Adaptive Conservation Strategies, Brooke J. Vanden Berg

Honors Projects

This paper explores human interactions with the environment in and around Seattle, Washington, following its trajectory from the Vashon glacial episode to its present standing as a city on the frontier of future urban climate resilience. By examining the shift from indigenous stewardship to a twentieth-century settler-led industrial “taming” paradigm, ecological vulnerabilities are considered through the lens of ill-advised hydraulic regrading and the centralization and privatization of water infrastructure and rights. This history is contextualized in the 21st century as climate projections indicate that Seattle's reliance on mountain snowpack, increasing thermal extremes, sea-level rise, and hydraulic instability caused by climate …

Shelter From The Storm: Public Library Value And Community Adaptive Capacities, Margo Gustina

Economics ETDs

This dissertation contributes to theoretical framing within the discipline of library science, while building out empirical methods for quantitatively valuing broadly loved public libraries. Chapter 1 lays the foundation for understanding how analysis public libraries must always be set within regional contexts. Chapter 2 demonstrates that positive voter valuation of public libraries is driven by proximity to a library building by using data from public funding referendum events. Chapter 3 estimates a reduction of 0.75 percentage point (p=0.002) in graduation rates where public libraries were closed (but school instruction was in-person) from COVID closures. Chapter 4 builds on the previous …

Perception, Payment, And Pollution- Examining The Effects Of Air Quality On Health And Healthcare, Colin Sleeper

Economics ETDs

Abstract

This dissertation examines how air quality and public attention to environmental shock affect perceived health status and healthcare utilization. The first chapter uses publicly available survey data from BRFSS and a triple difference framework to analyze the effects of the 2018 wildfire season in Oregon on self-reported mental and physical health. Findings indicate that those in Oregon in 2018, during the period of heightened attention to wildfire smoke, experienced approximately 1.4 additional poor mental health days, on average. The second chapter includes Merative MarketScan commercial insurance claims data to test whether these changes translate into a behavioral response. Results …

Agricultural Water Management, Farmer Decision-Making And Climate Adaptation In Dryland Agriculture: A Case Of The Middle Rio Grande Basin, Oluwatosin A. Olofinsao

Economics ETDs

Agriculture in dryland regions faces mounting pressure from climate change, water scarcity, and shifting land-use demands. The Middle Rio Grande Basin (MRGB) of central New Mexico exemplifies these challenges, where irrigated agriculture relies on increasingly variable surface water supplies. This dissertation examines agricultural water use, farmer decision-making, and adaptation strategies across farm types and climate conditions in the MRGB. The first study presents a spatial descriptive analysis of farm size, crop patterns, groundwater access, evapotranspiration (ET), and effective ET, revealing a landscape numerically dominated by smallholder farms that account for a substantial share of irrigation water use. The second study …

Exploring Color-Blind Racial Attitudes And Critical Race Theory - Informed Beliefs Among School Social Workers, Faith E. King

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Black Americans face unequal rates of psychological distress and misdiagnosis primarily due to systemic racism embedded in institutions. Despite these alarming realities, current mental health frameworks often cling to biased perceptions of wellness facilitated by White, Eurocentric norms that pathologize communal resilience and cultural expressions of healing. In clinical spaces, these realities are too often erased by the biased meanings and individualistic norms that render Black grief pathological and Black resistance dysfunctional. Dominant therapeutic modalities labeled “evidence-based” remain rooted in racially neutral, individualist assumptions that exclude the lived experiences of Black clients, as they were developed for them. The National …

Moving As Mycelium: Dance/Movement Therapy With Nature And Its Potential For Sustainability Transformations: A Literature Review, Abby Polk

Expressive Therapies Theses

Environmental degradation and destruction impact the long-term health and wellbeing of humans and ecosystems alike. Humans require new ways of relating to nature that support sustainable futures for all. This thesis argues that dance/movement therapy (DMT) with nature has the potential to facilitate sustainability transformations and that the embodiment of relationality can support the development of reciprocal human-nature relationships. This literature review is grounded in theories of relationality and reciprocity as conceptualized in various Indigenous knowledge systems and the fields of both sustainability and DMT. Existing research suggests that culturally-responsive, embodied, arts-based practices may increase human-nature connectedness and strengthen reciprocity …

Brain-Based Mechanisms Of Behavioral Impairment In Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (Fasd): The Neuroimaging Biomarkers Of Inhibitory Control, Zinia Pervin

Biomedical Engineering ETDs

The developing brain is highly susceptible to alcohol-induced toxicity, often resulting in long-term deficits in executive function and behavioral regulation. Inhibitory control impairments are among the most prominent deficits observed in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). This study investigated the neural mechanisms of inhibitory dysfunction using a multimodal MEG–DTI approach in 67 children aged 6–8 years (34 with FASD, 33 controls) who performed a Go/No-Go task. Source-level MEG analyses revealed reduced stimulus-locked cortical activation in the anterior cingulate cortex and significant group-by-hemisphere interactions in the superior parietal cortex and cuneus. Time–frequency analyses showed diminished response-locked beta power in the sensory-motor …

Blockade Logic: Settler Consciousness And The Petro-Security Apparatus, Sarah Seroy

Communication ETDs

This study examines contemporary CID legislation and surrounding political rhetoric in Canada and its implications for Indigenous communities. It reveals how settler consciousness is affirmed through such legislation and how discourse rooted in colonial logics serves to strengthen Canada’s petro-security apparatus. Drawing from Teun van Dijk’s (1995) method of Ideological Discourse Analysis and integrating Indigenous epistemologies, it offers a research approach of anticolonial discourse analysis. This analysis reveals CID legislation as a racialized, colonial tool and a form of biopower the settler-state exerts over Indigenous communities. It normalizes settler-state hegemony and justifies the ongoing dispossession of Indigenous communities. This study …

The Motivation Tapes: Employee Narratives Of Leadership That Matters, Jessica Gray

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This qualitative phenomenological study explored how employees describe their lived experiences at work. The purpose of the research was to understand the relational, emotional, and developmental dimensions that shape employees’ day-to-day workplace realities and the meanings they assign to those experiences. Four participants from diverse occupational backgrounds were interviewed using semi-structured protocols designed to elicit rich, descriptive accounts of their work environments, relationships, and sense-making processes. The findings reveal that participants shared experiences of supportive and hands-on leadership, opportunities for autonomy and ownership, and moments of connection, meaning, and long-term growth. Participants also described disruptions to these experiences. The implications …

Interprofessional Collaboration: A Survey Study Focusing On Pre-Service Professionals, Megan L. Bell

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) are bound by an ethical code to engage in appropriate means of interprofessional collaboration for the best interest of their clients. Training in this has been increased during graduate coursework to ensure BCBAs are intentionally following through on this notion to allow for stronger professional relationships with other related service providers and are holistically providing the best care possible for their clients. The goal of this survey was to better understand how these changes compares to other related services providers and their goals of collaboration, when working with individuals with disabilities. A survey was disseminated …

Hospital Concentration And Aca Premiums, Lucas Piselli

Bryant University Undergraduate Journal

PowerPoint presentation about Hospital concentrations and the ACA marketplace.

Reviving The Sacred: Reintegrating Traditional Tantric Philosophies Into Modern Yoga And Meditation Practices, Cameron J. Geary

Denison Journal of Religion

No abstract provided.

Ai Tools For Research Teams, Sandra Desjardins

Library Class: Lunch & Learn

Join us for a fast-paced, practical session on using free and low-cost AI tools to save hours on your research workflow, from initial discovery to final synthesis. We'll have an overview of tools like Rayyan, ResearchRabbit, and Elicit.

Remaking Buford Highway: Immigration And The Struggle For Walkable Suburbia, Amit Kamma

Harvey M. Applebaum ’59 Award

Constructed according to a car-centric vision typical of American suburbs, one segment of Buford Highway outside Atlanta has become a corridor defined by immigrants who often walk and use public transit. These behaviors conflict with the existing car-focused infrastructure, compelling government actors to make the Highway more multimodal. Progress towards that goal is ongoing and precarious, demonstrating wider systemic challenges in U.S. planning and local governance.

Boundaries Of Inequality: The Political Economy Of Redlining And Modern Mortgage Credit, Kyle Guo

Harvey M. Applebaum ’59 Award

This paper investigates the legacy of historical redlining on contemporary access to mortgage credit across three distinct urban policy environments: Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Manhattan. I find that while historical redlining is associated with a statistically significant negative effect on mortgage approval rates, the magnitude of this direct effect is relatively small. In comparison, applicant race, particularly for Black applicants, is a stronger predictor of mortgage approval rates across cities and models. This study utilizes 1930s Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) residential security maps and Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data from 2007 to 2017, and uses ordinary least squares (OLS) …

Behind The Scores: How Federal Education Legislation Influenced Dayton Public Schools’ Special Education System For Students Of Color, Simran Kaur

Aurora

This paper analyzes the district special education system of Dayton Public Schools’ through federal legislation requirements and state-reported data to evaluate access, implementation, and equity. Findings show that while the district meets several procedural requirements at federal levels, students with disabilities (especially Black students) face limited access to general education environments, family engagement, and disability identification at a local level. Risk ratios reveal subjective disability categories, which is contributing to the district’s low Achievement Gap Closing rate through the state-wide report card.

Birth Control Use Alters Memory For A Stressful Experience, Julia N. Gross, Kristie Payment, Boyd R. Rorabaugh, Phillip R. Zoladz

Aurora

Hormonal birth control methods are widely used; however, some users suffer considerable side effects. Previous research suggests oral contraceptive users exhibit a blunted cortisol response to psychosocial stressors and alterations in emotional memory, including differential recall of emotional images and details of emotional stories. However, no studies have examined how birth control influences memory for a stressful experience.

The present study analyzes data previously collected from female undergraduate students. In this study, participants reported contraceptive use, then underwent a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) or the friendly-TSST (f-TSST). The TSST required participants to deliver a ten-minute, …

The Academic Workplace Climate Measure: A New Instrument To Measure Counselor Education Faculty Climate, Ryan Holliman, Ryan D. Foster, Pedro Blanco

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Research indicates that between 32% and 62% of faculty in higher education have experienced some form of incivility (Cassell, 2011; Fox, 2010; Heffernan & Bosetti, 2020; Hollis, 2012; Keashly & Neuman, 2008; McKay et al., 2008). Incivility among faculty can be associated with declining health, decreased faculty retention, diminished self-esteem, and lowered psychological well-being (McClendon et al., 2021; Miner et al., 2012; Raskauskas & Skrabec, 2011). Although counselor educators are presumably experts in effective communication and conflict negotiation, anecdotal reports of conflict in counselor education departments are frequent. This study developed an instrument called the Academic Workplace Climate Measure. In …

Marginalization Experiences Of Chinese International Counseling Students In Social And Cultural Diversity Courses, Hsin-Ya Tang, Caiwei Tang, Hexin Bi, Qingyue Zhang

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

No abstract provided.

Analyzing Outcome Research In Aca Counseling Journals: A Content Analysis, Lisa Rickman, Marangelie Velez, Serene Hasan, Elizabeth Lugo, Sejal Barden

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

To assess the current state of evidence-based practices within counseling and counselor education, researchers conducted a comprehensive content analysis of outcome research published in counseling journals. Using quantitative methods to examine publication trends and frequency, the study reviewed 5,266 articles across 21 journals over a ten-year span (2013–2023), identifying 405 outcome studies for inclusion. Findings revealed a substantial gap in outcome research within professional counseling, particularly with respect to methodological diversity and representation of diverse populations. The authors emphasize the need for counselor educators and practitioners to prioritize outcome research to enhance clinical effectiveness and strengthen the profession. Furthermore, the …

Negotiating Professional Identity Development Across Contexts: A Collaborative Autoethnography, Clark D. Ausloos, Rebecca J. Vannest, Hayley Ostlund

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This collaborative autoethnography (CAE) explores how two counselor educators and one doctoral student navigate professional identity formation across three intersecting contexts: school counseling, clinical mental health counseling, and counselor education. Through critical reflection and collaborative analysis of focus-group data and individual reflections, we identify four themes: Career Flexibility & Adaptability, Identity Formation in Supportive and Restrictive Systems, Role Strain & Stigma, and Values-Driven Practices. Implications call for counselor education programs and higher education systems to embrace multiplicity, non-linear careers, redefine mentorship structures for doctoral students and faculty, and revise promotion criteria to value relationality, and creative, student- and community-engaged …

Understanding Counselor Burnout From An Ecological Systems Perspective, Stephanie Thorson-Olesen, Lisa Belknap, Emily Velidow, Jessica Gaul, Phoenix Rosewood, Nayara Aparecida Da Costa Silva Beall

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory as a guiding framework, this study explored the experiences of licensed counselors who self-identified as having recovered from burnout. Burnout was conceptualized as a prolonged response to chronic occupational stress, while participants were invited to describe their experiences based on their own lived understandings of the phenomenon. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted using data collected through an anonymous online survey featuring open-ended prompts. Participants included 32 licensed counselors who graduated from CACREP-accredited programs and reported previously experiencing burnout and no longer identifying as currently burned out. Thematic analysis yielded nine interrelated themes encompassing contributors, …

Predicting Counseling Student Well-Being: The Role Of Faculty And Stress, Kendall G. Woods, Elizabeth K. N. Harper, Michell L. Temple

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Approximately one-third of Americans live in areas with limited access to mental health services, with only one mental health provider for every 350 people (Health Resources and Services Administration [HRSA], 2024; Reinert & Nguyen, 2022). The shortage of mental health providers persists as the need for services grows, a challenge compounded by the 40-60% attrition rate among counseling trainees (Chrzanowski, 2018). Improving counseling program completion is essential to address the mental health workforce shortage. While previous research has emphasized the importance of faculty support for graduate students (Estrada et al, 2019), little research has examined how faculty-student interactions and academic …

Counseling Supervision In Vocational Rehabilitation: An Integration And Extension Of The Discrimination Model And Critical Disability Theory, Nichole Tichy, Harvey C. Peters

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

As a specialized counseling discipline, vocational rehabilitation aims to support individuals with disabilities in obtaining integrated and competitive employment within their communities. Within the rehabilitation counseling profession, the practice of clinical supervision is considered an essential function of the job; however, most professionals report inadequate or nonexistent supervision within their professional settings. Research on this topic is scarce, and few clinical supervision models exist specific to the needs of rehabilitation counselors. In this manuscript, we present an adaptation of the discrimination model for counselors that incorporates vocational rehabilitation and critical disability theory to encourage the challenging and dismantling of ableism. …

Experiences Of Perceived Sexism Among Female Doctoral Counselor Education Students, Laura Smestad, Keiko Sano

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of sexism among female counselor education and supervision doctoral students. Fourteen participants completed a semi-structured interview. The following themes were identified: in-class experiences of sexism, intersection of gender and other identities, power differentials, exclusion, female networks, silence, lack of university support, and self-minimization.

Navigating The Borderlands: Testimonios Of First-Generation Chicanas In Counselor Education, Jessenia Garcia, Heather Trepal

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This research applies Anzaldúa’s (1987) Borderlands Theory to examine the testimonios of first-generation Chicana faculty in counselor education. A narrative methodology was employed (n=10), leading to the identification of several themes that illuminate their unique challenges and resilience. Four themes emerged: (a) balancing worlds: family and academia, (b) weaving identity into academia, (c) cultural identity in the borderlands, and (d) disrupting borders, including the subtheme: Red tape and higher ed mafia. These findings provide insight into the institutional barriers and identity navigation experienced by these faculty members. Recommendations for recruitment and retention are included.

Navigating The Intersection Of Artificial Intelligence And Counseling: Implications For Counselor Identity, Ethics, And Counselor Education, Anabel Mifsud, Barbara Herlihy

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This article examines the ethical, professional identity, and counselor education implications of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into counseling practice. As AI use expands in mental health care, it offers opportunities to enhance accessibility and efficiency while raising complex ethical concerns regarding competence, accountability, transparency, confidentiality, equity, and preservation of the therapeutic relationship. The authors explore how AI may reshape counselor roles and professional identity, underscoring the need to safeguard core values and the relational foundation of counseling. Recommendations are offered for adapting counselor education to prepare future practitioners for AI-augmented practice. The authors call for sustained, critical dialogue to ensure …

Practitioners’ Experiences Of Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-Based (Dir) Approach In Their Professional Practice With Neurodivergent Clients: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study, Ekaterina Sidor

Educational Studies Dissertations

This phenomenological study explores how professionals experience integrating the developmental, individual-differences, and relationship-based (DIR) framework in their work with neurodivergent clients. Although DIR is recognized as an evidence-based developmental approach in the field of autism support, little is known about how its integration affects practitioners themselves. Grounded in relational-cultural theory and transformative learning theory, the study examines how engagement with DIR influences practitioners’ professional practice and development. Using a qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological design, data were collected through open-ended questionnaires and in-depth interviews with multidisciplinary professionals from diverse international contexts who completed DIRFloortime training and actively implement DIR in their work. …