Digital Commons Network^™

Increasing The Efficiency Of Screening For Severity Level Of Neurocognitive Impairment In The Corrections Sample: An Exploratory Study, Kelly Denton

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a serious and potentially devastating health condition that can cause several lasting deleterious consequences affecting many domains of life. Difficulties are commonly reported in cognition, emotional, and social functioning, in addition to physical impairment. ABI disproportionally affects different groups, including the corrections population, which is five times more likely than the general population to have an ABI. However, there is limited research on the severity of neurocognitive impairment after an ABI for inmates in a correctional setting. It was hoped that the current study would help clarify the characteristics of ABI that result in different …

The Influence Of Parental Attitudes On Perceptions Of Gender Socialization In Their Children, Tareva Cortes

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Gender socialization begins early in childhood and plays a significant role in shaping children's beliefs, behaviors, and perceptions of themselves and others. Parents serve as primary agents of gender socialization and contribute to children's understanding of gender roles through attitudes, expectations, and reinforcement of gender-related behaviors. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine parental attitudes regarding traditional gender roles, modern sexism, and children's gender-related behaviors. Participants included 163 parents and legal guardians residing in the United States who had at least one child under the age of 18. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Child Gender Socialization Scale, …

More Than Surviving: Brazilian Immigrants' Stories Of Growth And Wellbeing In The United States, Virginia Veronica Lemos

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Immigration in the United States is often conceptualized within clinical psychology through deficit-oriented frameworks that emphasize risk, trauma, and psychological distress. While this work is essential for documenting vulnerability and inequity, it offers limited guidance for understanding how immigrants sustain wellbeing and meaning amid ongoing sociopolitical and institutional constraints. Brazilian immigrants represent a large and growing population in the US whose experiences remain comparatively understudied, particularly from strengths-based and interpretive perspectives. To address this gap, this qualitative study explores how Brazilian immigrants make sense of immigration and wellbeing through the narratives they construct about their lives in the US. Grounded …

"Why Don't I Talk To A Therapist?": Motivations And Reflections Of Female-Identifying Chinese Immigrants Seeking Psychotherapy For Depression, Qiuyi Wei

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Chinese immigrants and temporary residents struggling with depressive symptoms and their process of seeking and accepting psychotherapy support. The study aimed to describe the factors that motivated participants to enter therapy for depression while also addressing their internal concerns about treatment. Nine female-identified Chinese immigrant adults with such experiences were recruited. Participants’ perceptions of their depressive symptoms and the factors contributing to their decision to seek professional therapy were explored through in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted in Mandarin. The interview transcripts were analyzed in Mandarin using interpretative phenomenological analysis, through which four …

Youth And Caregiver Expectations In Pediatric Concussion Recovery And Persisting Symptoms, Molly A. O'Reilly

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Concussions present complex diagnostic and treatment challenges, particularly for pediatric patients who may experience persisting symptoms. Psychological mechanisms, including patient expectations and beliefs about recovery and symptoms, play a critical role in shaping outcomes. However, there is limited research exploring these factors in pediatric populations, particularly using qualitative approaches. This study sought to address this gap by employing a qualitative phenomenological design with interpretive phenomenological analysis to examine the recovery expectations of pediatric patients with persisting symptoms following concussion, as well as caregivers’ perspectives. Using the nocebo effect as a conceptual framework, eight pediatric patients and their caregivers participated in …

Belonging And Academic Success In A Bilingual Classroom For Latinx Students At Illinois State University, Alejandro Enriquez

Faculty Publications – Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

[In lieu of abstract, first paragraph is replicated here]

In May 2020, Illinois State University published a heartwarming human-interest news story about a recent Latine graduate. The alumna, a mass communication major, had landed a broadcasting job in one of Chicago’s regional television stations, and the goal of the story was to celebrate her success. In telling the story of the success, however, the article stated that “When she was 13 and spoke no English, her family packed up their life in their native Colombia and immigrated to the Chicago area for new opportunities.” In time, the story went on, …

Framing Migration And Legitimizing Power: A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Suella Braverman’S Illegal Migration Bill, Darren Pullen, Andy Brown, Gui Ying Annie Yang-Heim

Faculty Publications - College of Education

Language plays a crucial role in shaping public perceptions, reinforcing ideological dominance, and legitimizing government policies. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how linguistic and rhetorical strategies are used as a means to legitimize government authority and construct migrant identities.  This is achieved through an examination of the rhetorical strategies employed by the former UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman in her speech on the Illegal Migration Bill. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and the Sociolinguistic concepts of ideological positioning and social actor representation, this research investigates word choice, lexical framing, and ideological positioning to reinforce dominant migration narratives. …

Righteous Defenders And Evil Challengers: The Morally Polarized Battle For Books On Reddit, Erika Casburn

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The issue of book bans has moved to the forefront of public and political debate over the past few years. Anti-censorship advocates who defend against these challenges have yet to be studied. The purpose of this study was to examine the beliefs and worldviews as expressed by those defenders in a public forum—Reddit. Data in the form of Reddit threads was collected from subreddits belonging to states that have seen the greatest number of book challenges. This data was subjected to discourse analysis, first manually, then by qualitative analysis software (MAXQDA). Analysis revealed that defenders spent a majority of discursive …

Diagnosing The Discourse: How The Academy Of Breastfeeding Medicine Constructs And Constrains Treatment Of Tethered Oral Tissues, Mary E. Miller

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

While breastfeeding is recognized as fundamental to global public health, oral restrictions that can affect infant latch, milk transfer, and feeding efficiency warrant further examination within policy frameworks. This dissertation proposes an expanded conceptualization of tethered oral tissues (TOTs) that encompasses not only anatomical frenal restrictions but also fascial tensions, neuromuscular limitations, and other conditions restricting orofacial function that may be congenital or acquired. The purpose of this study was to critically examine how this clinical guidance document shapes understandings and responses to TOTs. Using Carol Bacchi’s “What’s the Problem Represented to Be?” approach, a critical discourse analysis of the …

Bridging Worlds Of Care: A Qualitative Exploration Of Integrating Non-Western Healing Modalities With Mental Health Counseling, Douglas Valdez

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The aim of the study is to explore the experiences of practitioners who treat individuals presenting with depression and anxiety using culturally integrative non-Western healing modalities. Participants included 15 experienced practitioners (minimum five years of practice) who identified as Traditional Chinese Medicine providers (e.g., acupuncturists, herbalists) and/or Curandero/x/as. The approach was qualitative, utilizing open-ended survey responses collected electronically and analyzed with thematic analysis. Results indicated six primary themes: (a) Philosophies in Healing, highlighting culturally grounded conceptualizations of depression and anxiety; (b) Traditional Chinese Medicine Interventions, including acupuncture, botanical, nutritional, manual, and movement-based practices; (c) Curanderismo Pláticas and Integrative Western Healing …

Navigating Family, Culture, And Well-Being: A Qualitative Study Of First-Generation Adult Children Of Middle Eastern Immigrants In The United States, Ramona Amely

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experiences of first-generation adult children of Middle Eastern immigrant parents/caregivers living in the United States. This was a phenomenological study with reflexive thematic analysis. Participants (N=10) were interviewed via Zoom, and transcripts were analyzed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA). The results included four themes: (1) Migration Contact and Cultural Formation, (2) Bicultural Identity Development, (3) Family System Adaptation, and (4) Emotional Socialization and Psychological Impact. This study highlights how first-generation adult children of Middle Eastern immigrants navigate complex, interwoven processes of bicultural identity development, family adaptation, and emotional socialization shaped …

Do You See What I Hear?: The Effects Of Musical Harmony On Cultural Perception And Recognition, Marvin Martin Williams

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explores whether listeners can identify the differences in harmonic progressions in a musical composition, and, if so, whether those differences can elicit a cultural or social perception of the origins of the music. By investigating how audiences respond to variations in harmony, specifically traditional versus altered harmonic treatments, the research offers a framework for music producers, educators, healthcare providers, and other cultural gatekeepers to better understand and engage with audiences on an empathetic and meaningful level. The underlying hypothesis posits that harmony in music does more than evoke emotion but may inform a cultural interpretation, thus presenting an …

Approaching Social Cohesion And Social Progress From A Systems Perspective: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of The Canadian Multiculturalism Act, Melissa Kimmel

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Social cohesion plays an important role in supporting stable, equitable, and resilient societies. Growing social division and polarization have weakened collective trust and challenged progress in many nations. Understanding how social cohesion can be strengthened has become increasingly important as societies face rising inequality, political partisanship, and declining institutional legitimacy. This study examines how social cohesion can function as a systemic driver of social progress through the example of Canada’s Multiculturalism Act. The Act provides a lens for understanding how national policy can serve as a way to strengthen inclusion, equality, and belonging within diverse societies. This study utilizes a …

Digital Griots Playing Lottery Tickets: A Study Of Hip Hop And Social Transformation In Ghana's #Fixthecountry Movement, Jaime M. Kowlessar

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

On June 28, 2021, activist Ibrahim Mohammed (Macho Kaaka) was murdered in Ejura, Ghana, after using social media to criticize government failures. When protesters demanding justice were shot by security forces, politically engaged Ghanaian hip hop artists refused silence, contributing to Ghana’s #FixTheCountry movement—the nation’s largest youth mobilization in a generation. Yet scholarly debates about how hip hop contributes to social change remain unresolved, divided between those celebrating its activist potential and those critiquing its limitations. This dissertation introduces the lottery ticket theory as an alternative framework for understanding cultural activism’s relationship to political transformation. Rather than asking whether hip …

Mind The Gap: Comparing Asian American And White American Experiences In Integrated Primary Care, Tenzin Miller-Dorjee

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study explores Asian American and White American adults’ experiences of integrated primary care (IPC), focusing on patient satisfaction and perceived provider cultural competence. Although IPC models are intended to improve access to behavioral health services, it remains important to examine whether these models are experienced as culturally responsive and equitable across racial groups. This study used a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design with 550 adults in the United States who reported experience with IPC. Patient satisfaction was assessed using the Patient Experience of Integrated Care Scale (PEICS), and perceived provider cultural competence was assessed using the Iowa Cultural Understanding Assessment–Client …

“I May Flourish In Spite Of The Obstacles": A Deaf Queer Minority Stress Model, Maya E. Weaver

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The current study explores the intersectional experiences of individuals who identify as both d/Deaf and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer/Questioning, among other marginalized sexual identities. Historically, both Deaf and queer communities have faced significant oppression and discrimination; yet little research has examined the unique challenges encountered by those living at the intersection of these two identities, with most of the existing deaf literature focusing on heterosexual individuals and most of the queer literature centering around non-Deaf individuals. This study sought to address that gap by, within an exploration of their unique form of minority stress, investigating how identifying with both …

The Efflorescence Of Apocalypticism (Imminent & Prepping Beliefs): Considering Informational And Motivational Regulatory Mechanisms, James T. Good Mr.

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In the last quarter of the 21st century, apocalyptic beliefs emerged in scholarly and lay representations notably doubling over the last decade. With nearly forty percent of United States citizen reporting this belief, unfulfilled questions arose: What drives discrepancies in beliefs of an imminent end of the world? Additionally, what drives beliefs in the need to prepare for an end of the world? These individual questions were examined together in this study using Construal Level Theory (CLT) and Regulatory Focus Theory (RFT) in an attempt to identify how psychological mechanisms are significantly affecting the fluctuations, in these self-reported beliefs. A …

Effects Of A Context-Based Intervention On Sidelining Teacher Bias Toward Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Marisa Kortright

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often display behaviors such as inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity that may be perceived as disruptive in classroom settings. These behaviors can influence teachers’ responses and disciplinary decisions, which may be shaped by stereotypes or biases associated with ADHD diagnoses. This study examined whether a context-based intervention could reduce bias in teachers’ disciplinary decisions. Participants were 112 current or former elementary school teachers living in the United States who were recruited through the online recruitment platform Cloud Research. Using an experimental design, participants were randomly assigned to a neutral or empathetic intervention condition and evaluated student …

No Screens Before Two: How First-Time Australian Parents Negotiate Enduring Digital Media Guidelines, Stephanie C. Milford, Emma Jayakumar, Harrison W. See, Lelia Green

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Digital parenting guidance often fails to reflect early caregiving realities, particularly for first-time parents navigating screentime. Although professional guidelines have shifted from rigid time limits toward co-engagement and content quality, these shifts are inconsistently communicated and poorly absorbed into public discourse. Meanwhile, technopanic narratives fuel confusion, guilt, and social judgement. While some studies link extended screen use with adverse outcomes, we examine how correlational findings become blanket prescriptions in early caregiving. Drawing on two interview rounds and three focus groups with 23 Australian first-time parents of children aged birth-to-four, and informed by a socio-ecological approach, we explore how parents interpret …

Embodied Tales Of Older Women And Their Relationship With Movement And Their Younger, Present And Future Selves, Valeria Varea, Robyne Garrett, Alfonso García-Monge, Gustavo González-Calvo

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Ageing has been often seen as negative in Western cultures. Older bodies are frequently associated with decline, loss, dependency, illness and increasing incompetence. Significantly, this ‘decline model’ of ageing tends to ignore the diverse lived experiences of older adults. This paper draws on the theoretical concepts of embodiment and affect to explore the embodied experiences of a group of 17 older women, focussing on their relationship with movement and with their younger, present and future selves. We used a narrative analysis approach and creative nonfiction to represent the data. The findings are presented in composite narratives in the form of …

Participation, Danielle M. Pillet-Shore

Faculty Publications

What does it take to participate in direct, naturally occurring social interaction? Conversation analytic (CA) studies reveal that “participation”—who participates, when, and how—is dynamic and locally, multimodally achieved by the people involved. Particularly in social situations when people are concurrently accessible to one another’s naked senses (Goffman, 1964), co-participation is enabled and performed through embodied and vocal resources including talk, gaze, facial displays, body orientation/posture, proximity, and gestures (e.g., M. H. Goodwin, 1999; C. Goodwin & M. H. Goodwin, 2005; Pillet-Shore, 2010; Sidnell, 2009). Using a multimodal CA lens, this chapter illuminates how “participation” is achieved in real-time, naturally occurring …

Integrating Non-Binary Morphology Into Spanish Grammatical Gender: A Study On Native And Second-Language Speakers, Abigail H. Gustafson

Scripps Senior Theses

This study investigates how native (L1) and second-language (L2) Spanish speakers process non-binary gender morphology, focusing on the pronoun ‘elle’ and the adjective/noun ending ‘-e’. Prior studies show that native speakers outperform L2 speakers in processing traditional masculine–feminine agreement, non-binary forms and their emergence in a binary grammatical system are understudied. To address this gap, I conducted an online reaction-time experiment with bilingual speakers from the Claremont Colleges, who judged the grammaticality of Spanish sentences containing either grammatical gender or social gender (él/ella/elle) agreement and disagreement. Survey data also captured participants’ familiarity with and attitudes toward the pronoun ‘elle’. The …

Detecting Error In Ai-Generated Text: The Effects Of Authorship And Word Presentation Speed, Gabriela Flores Cruz

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The increased us of artificial intelligent (AI) chatbots powered by Generative Pre-trained Transformers has raised concerns about users’ ability to detect errors of AI-generated text. This dissertation examined how readers identify inconsistencies in AI-generated expository passages using the inconsistency detection paradigm from comprehension monitoring research. Across two experiments, it investigated whether perceived authorship and word presentation speed influenced inconsistency detection. Experiment 1 used a 3 (author: human, AI, no author) × 2 (inconsistency type: internal, external) between-subjects design. Perceived authorship did not significantly affect hit rates, sensitivity, or response bias. Exploratory analyses indicated that reading comprehension and working memory predicted …

“How Far Do These Roots Go Down”: An Exploration Of Latinx And Latina Fans On Representation In Disney's Encanto, Noemi Nunez

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

In this dissertation, I examine how Latinx and Latina audiences engaged with and interpreted Disney’s 2021 Encanto, an animated film celebrated for its representation of Colombian and broader Latinx culture. While scholarship on Latinx representation in media has expanded, less attention has been given to how Latinx audiences themselves respond to narratives that are meant to represent them, particularly within fan studies. Focusing on both a broader Latinx fan community and first-generation Latinas in the United States, this project explores how audiences negotiate representation and recognition using Encanto as a media text that centered a Latinx story. Drawing from …

Online Risk And Harm For Marginalized Users: How Social Influence Amplifies Or Mitigates Vulnerability, Tangila Islam Tanni

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Social media has reshaped how people connect, communicate, and influence one another, yet these environments also create harms that disproportionately affect marginalized users. Participation in online communities can expose users to identity-based harassment, emotional distress, and the normalization of harmful attitudes, shaping identity, well-being, and participation online and offline. Prior work has documented many forms of online harm, yet less is understood about how harmful norms and behaviors are reinforced across different forms of social media interaction, from private direct messages to online communities. Guided by the Social Ecological Model, this dissertation investigates how online harms toward marginalized users emerge …

The Role Of Cultural Intelligence In Hotel Employee Engagement, Self-Efficacy, Job Satisfaction, Performance, And Intent To Stay, Meaad Eid F Almotairi

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

This research examined how Cultural Intelligence enhanced hotel employees’ engagement, self-efficacy, job satisfaction, performance, and intent to stay. CQ was defined as an individual’s capability to understand, adapt to, and work effectively in culturally diverse situations. This thesis utilized a quantitative methodology based on the Job Demands–Resources (JDR) model and self-efficacy theory. The study focused on the hospitality industry in Saudi Arabia, where increasing diversity has created a need for stronger cross-cultural skills among employees. Data were collected from hotel employees and managers to examine the relationships between CQ and key employee outcomes. The findings indicated that Cultural Intelligence significantly …

Mapping Multiclass-Targeted Hate Speech In Online Discourse: An Open Dataset, Sanaa Kaddoura, Sumaia Al-Kohlani

All Works

Online social networks have become central spaces for public discourse, where hostile and discriminatory language toward social groups can cause psychological and social consequences for marginalized communities. Although multiple public hate speech datasets are available, many rely on binary categorization practices that obscure linguistic, cultural, and contextual variation across targeted groups. As a result, minority and less visible forms of hate speech remain insufficiently documented and analyzed. This discussion paper examines methodological limitations in existing hate speech annotation schemes and presents a re-annotation framework applied to the HatEval2019 dataset. The proposed framework introduces target-specific multiclass labels that distinguish subcategories of …

Presupposition In Shaqraa Al-Madkhali's "I Almost See Me": A Pragmatic Study, Hadiah Faiz Monawer Alrashidy

University of Tabuk Journal for Humanities and Social Sciences

This research investigates the presuppositions inherent in the poetic collection (Diwan) titled "Akadu Arani" (I Almost See Myself) by the poetess, Shaqra al-Madkhali. The study aims to categorize these presuppositions and analyze their functional role in articulating the poetess's intentionality, ultimately facilitating the efficacy of the communicative process. Methodologically, the paper adopts a pragmatic framework complemented by a descriptive-analytical approach. The study is organized into an introduction, a theoretical preamble on the concept of presupposition, and five core analytical sections: (1) Existential, (2) Factive, (3) Lexical, (4) Structural, and (5) Non-factive presupposition. The investigation concludes with several key findings, most …

A Stylistic Analysis Of Abu Tammam's Poem "Aya Wayla Al-Shaji Min Al-Khali", Fatimah Abdullah Al Shammry

University of Tabuk Journal for Humanities and Social Sciences

This research undertakes a stylistic study of Abu Tammam's poem "Aya Wayl al-Shajiyy min al-Khaliyy," seeking to reveal the aesthetic and semantic characteristics that distinguish the stylistic structure of his poetry. The study adopted the stylistic approach as a theoretical and analytical framework for examining the poetic text through its phonetic, syntactic, semantic, and rhetorical levels, based on a perspective that views language as a tool for generating both meaning and emotion. The research consists of two main sections: the first addresses the theoretical framework, including the definition of stylistics, its origins, methods, and trends, alongside a biographical overview of …

Preoperative Patient Sentiment Is Associated With Postoperative Outcomes In Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery, Ross J. Gore, David Mazur-Hart, Mohan K. Sunkara, Aaqib Ali, Qizar Ali, Christopher J. Lynch, Christopher Ames

Center for Secure and Intelligent Critical Systems (CSICS) Publications

Study Design: Prospective observational pilot study of adult spinal deformity surgery patients.

Objective: To determine whether preoperative patient sentiment, quantified using a 21-class valence scale extending the CARP paradigm implemented through an offline Large Language Model, predicts postoperative outcomes.

Summary of Background Data: Predicting adult spinal deformity surgery outcomes remains challenging with traditional clinical and radiographic parameters alone. Although patient psychological factors and expectations significantly influence postoperative satisfaction and quality of life, systematic approaches to capture these factors are underdeveloped. Offline Large Language Models offer scalable, privacy-preserving psychological risk stratification.

Materials and Methods: We prospectively enrolled 18 patients undergoing adult …