Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Cultural Diversity On Project Performance, Likhith Somalaraju

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

Cultural diversity emerged as a critical factor influencing team dynamics and performance in contemporary project environments. With globalization reshaping the structure of project teams, understanding how cultural diversity affected project outcomes was essential for project managers and organizations. This qualitative study examined the relationship between cultural diversity and project performance within diverse organizational settings. Specifically, the study explored how aspects of cultural diversity such as ethnicity, nationality, language, and values influenced project outcomes measured in terms of schedule adherence, budget compliance, quality standards, and stakeholder satisfaction. The research was grounded in Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory and Social Identity Theory, which …

Coastal Consumption: Diet And Social Organization At Four Postclassic Sites In The Yucatán Peninsula, Paramita Choudhury

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research examines Postclassic Maya food practices during CE 1200–1600 to understand how eating behaviors reflect systems of social hierarchy, political economy, and cultural identity. The investigation focuses on four archaeological sites in the northern Yucatán Peninsula—Tulum, El Rey, El Meco, and San Miguelito—to examine dietary behaviors through dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA), oral pathology, and stable isotope data within a biocultural framework. The research aims to identify whether elite and non-elite individuals exhibited notable variations in food texture consumption, access to resources, and nutritional health. High-resolution 3D surface metrology enabled DMTA to assess the mechanical properties of consumed foods, …

Diversity Training In Clinical Child And Pediatric Psychology Programs: Results From A Survey Of Training Directors., Mary Louise Cashel, Shalonda Brooks, Trista Perez Crawford, Omar G. Gudiño, Sharnita Harris, Astrida S. Kaugars, Noriel Lim, Jerlym Porter

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

This survey study presents satisfaction ratings completed by training directors of graduate, predoctoral internship, and postdoctoral programs in clinical child and pediatric psychology with respect to their culture and diversity training. The approaches to training and areas of diversity focus are also reported. All respondents (n = 42, 71% response rate) were from member programs of the Clinical Child and Pediatric Psychology Training Council, in geographical locations ranging from small towns to large cities across the United States. Over 90% of directors of graduate programs indicated that completing a course on multicultural psychology was a requirement for the program. …

Carrying Light In The Shadows: Four Portraits Of Critical Literacy Teacher Agency In Unlikely Contexts, Cassandra Schroeder

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This qualitative study utilizes portraiture methodology to explore how educators in politically conservative and predominantly White schools enact critical literacy teacher agency. Using a theoretical lens of critical literacy and second-wave Whiteness studies, this research examines the lived experiences and instructional moves of four veteran English/language arts teachers. Through cross-case analysis, the study traces how teacher agency is contextually responsive and dependent on their professional identity, awareness of sociopolitical issues, and traditional school curricular expectations. The findings highlight how educators assess risk, navigate community norms, and maintain critical literacy through dialogic pedagogy and strategic adaptation. The four teachers in the …

Rhetorics Of Encounter: Toward A Biocentric Theory Of Discourse, Matthew D. Whitaker

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Encounters with more-than-human identities are transformative moments that stand to affect dispositional and bodily change in individuals. From close brushes with wild animals in National Parks to everyday interactions with local ecologies, encounters invite us to feel and think differently about the nature of our realities. In Rhetorics of Encounter: Toward a Biocentric Theory of Discourse, I draw from interdisciplinary perspectives to disrupt the idea of rhetoric as a representational medium, arguing that rhetoric occurs not just through textual exchanges of words and symbols, but through embodied moments of contact with other responsive beings. Invoking George Kennedy’s theory …

The Intersection Of Makeup And Recreation: A 21st Century Overview Of Makeup Participation And Its Recreational Benefits, Jason Morgan

All Dissertations

This dissertation critically reconceptualizes makeup participation as a legitimate, multidimensional form of recreation. Through a comprehensive rapid review using the SPIDER framework of 102 peer-reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2025, the research investigates whether and how makeup fulfills the psychological, affective, and symbolic criteria of meaningful leisure. Drawing on the Serious Leisure Perspective (SLP) and broader recreation theory, the study positions makeup not merely as aesthetic behavior or consumer habit, but as a sustained, emotionally generative practice embedded in identity, creativity, personal growth, and well-being.

Findings reveal that makeup is consistently linked to confidence-building, emotional regulation, self-expression, and psychological …

"No One Leaves For Free": A Media Analysis Of The Lived Experiences And Cumulative Impacts Of The Flint Water Crisis., Jordan Leigh Gatewood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In April 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan changed their municipal water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. The effects of this change have been felt far and wide as news broke across the nation that this water was contaminated with lead and residents of Flint were getting sick. This research analyzes 170 news articles from three local and three national news outlets over a 10-year span, 2014 to 2024, to determine how community voice is presented in news media to portray the lived experiences and cumulative impacts of the Flint Water Crisis. Applying a Critical Environmental Justice …

"That’S Not A Meal, Bestie”: Humor, Identity, & Feminized Consumption In “Girl Dinner”., Claire Tudor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the viral “Girl Dinner” trend as a case study in how gendered consumption, digital identity, and feminist humor intersect in digital spaces. Using “Girl Dinner” as a rhetorical artifact, this thesis explores how women use gendered trends to navigate visibility, labor, and autonomy in online spaces. Through thematic analysis of TikTok content, media coverage, and branded adaptations, the research traces the evolution of the trend from a lighthearted joke to a site of cultural negotiation. This study reveals that while “Girl Dinner” may appear empowering and relatable on the surface, it often reinforces traditional gender expectations under …

Seeking Existential Meaning In The “Sea Of Trees:” A Qualitative Exploration In The Depths Of Japan’S Aokigahara “Suicide” Forest, Sophia Bates

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This thesis explores the intercultural perceptions of suicidality and the role that these perceptions have on meaning of life in Japanese culture through an exploratory, autoethnographic analysis of my journey walking through Japan’s Aokigahara “suicide” Forest. In June 2024, I traveled to Fujikawaguchiko, Japan to conduct an autoethnographic analysis of my experiences walking through Aokigahara Forest using shinrin-yoku and mindful walking (Jung, 2014) as supplemental research methodologies to make empirical observations and take notes on my journey walking through suicide forest as an embodied sensory experience. Drawing upon the research and ideas of cultural anthropologist and existential philosopher Ernest Becker, …

Editor’S Note: Toward A Transgressive Communication Pedagogy: Reflections And Directions In/For Dark Times, Lionnell Smith

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This essay introduces a special section marking the 30th anniversary of bell hooks’s Teaching to Transgress, exploring its relevance within the current sociopolitical climate marked by intensified assaults on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in education. Grounded in hooks’s vision of education as a practice of freedom, this essay proposes a framework of transgressive communication pedagogy— an approach that champions radical love, political agency, and open dialogue to resist hegemonic educational structures. The featured contributions in this section examine transgressive practices across diverse contexts: community-based intercultural teaching, intersectional identity work, support for Black students in minority-serving institutions, decolonial approaches to …

Transgressing Linguistic Supremacy: Reimagining Public Speaking Through Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, Sergio Fernando Juárez

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This essay reimagines public speaking education through a culturally sustaining and transgressive lens that challenges dominant norms of language, professionalism, and communication competence. It critiques the ways in which public speaking courses often reinforce linguistic supremacy by privileging standardized English and marginalizing multilingual and culturally grounded speech practices. Drawing on concepts such as translanguaging, Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP), and transgressive pedagogies, the author calls for a shift in pedagogy that centers students’ lived experiences, community-rooted knowledge, and linguistic norms. Rather than asking students to conform to hegemonic standards, this approach empowers them to speak on their own terms, resist assimilationist …

Journal Of Communication Pedagogy, Complete Volume, 2025

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Phase 1 Clinical Trial Of ¡Iniciando! La Adultez: A Culturally Tailored Intervention For Transitioning Latino Young Adults With Autism, Antonio F. Pagán, Ana Esparza, Ana C. Ramirez, Miriam Ortiz, Linda Hernandez, Mary Beth Morgan, Geohanna Noel, Alejandro L. Pagán, Jada Salas, Cecilia Montiel-Nava

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

This Phase 1 clinical trial evaluated ¡Iniciando! la Adultez, a culturally adapted intervention for Latino autistic young adults (n = 56) and their parents (n = 63). Young adults showed significant post-treatment improvements on measures of social responsiveness (SRS-2), adaptive behavior (ABAS-3), executive functioning (BRIEF-A), quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF), transition readiness (TRS-A), coping self-efficacy (CSES), and emotion regulation (DERS-SF). Parents reported significant improvements in their perceptions of their child’s social responsiveness, adaptive behavior, and executive functioning, as well as increased transition readiness ratings. Notably, parents evinced a significant decrease in acculturative stress (RASI) and depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), however, …

Genwriter: Reducing Gender Cues In Biographies Through Text Rewriting, Shweta Soundararajan, Sarah Jane Delany

Conference papers

Gendered language is the use of words that indicate an individual’s gender. Though useful in certain context, it can reinforce gender stereotypes and introduce bias, particularly in machine learning models used for tasks like occupation classification. When textual content such as biographies contains gender cues, it can influence model predictions, leading to unfair outcomes such as reduced hiring opportunities for women. To address this issue, we propose GenWriter, an approach that integrates Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) with Large Language Models (LLMs) to rewrite biographies in a way that obfuscates gender while preserving semantic content. We evaluate GenWriter by measuring gender bias …

Don't Settle For Less: Incorporating Postcolonial And Settler Colonial Perspectives Into The Sociological Canon, Eli Xavier Ornelas

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

For decades now, post-/de-/settler-/ and anticolonial scholars have advanced the argument that sociology has largely failed to incorporate critical insights from theories of empire into the sociological canon. In this dissertation, I argue that introduction to sociology textbooks offer an important vantage point from which to assess conventional sociological knowledge as textbooks are often thought to be “reflections of the discipline.” I analyze the social theory and race chapters of 21 of the most often used introduction to sociology textbooks in the United States to investigate two chapters where insights from theories of empire would be present if indeed incorporated: …

“Self-Compassion Has To Be The Heartbeat Of How I Move Through Life”: A Mixed Methods Study Of Family Caregiver Emotional Well-Being, Sarah O. Rasby

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Often referred to as “hidden patients,” family caregivers endure numerous physical, emotional, psychological, and social hardships due to the demands of caregiving, which often results in their own needs going unmet. With the projected 61.3 million of the baby boomer generation entering the long-term care phase by 2029 along with a mass shortage of professional caregivers post-pandemic, more and more family members are expected to fill in for the role of care without sufficient access to support services (Pollard & Scommegna, 2014; Smith & Chang, 2016). An exploratory, mixed-methods study using a three-group intervention design was utilized to investigate the …

From Marriage To Migration: Analyzing Return Migration, Gender Inequalities And Household Resource Allocation Patterns, Saeed Ahmad

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In Kyrgyzstan, a country shaped by deep-rooted traditions and high rates of migration, women's lives are often influenced by powerful cultural expectations, economic pressures, and limited choices. My research explores how these forces intersect—particularly through the lens of bride kidnapping, migration, and how families use money and resources. Together, these issues reveal how gender inequality operates in everyday life, and how women navigate both constraint and resilience.

This dissertation includes three connected studies. The first examines how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted international labor migration, especially for Kyrgyz migrants working in Russia. Many returnees lost their jobs and faced hostility or …

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 …

Exploring The Long-Term Impact Of Dating And Family Violence On American Indian Youth And Adults: The Role Of Belongingness In Moderating Negative Effects, Racheal M. Killgore

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Exposure to violence during childhood and adolescence is an important issue, particularly among Native Americans, who experience violence at higher rates compared to other racial/ethnic groups. This early exposure to violence can significantly affect future physical and mental health outcomes—including depression, substance abuse, suicide attempts, obesity, and premature death—while also shaping subsequent relationships in adulthood. Though widely studied in the general population, research focused on American Indians is lacking, with cultural contexts and factors uniquely shaping the experiences of those affected. In AI/AN communities, belongingness is important for well-being and, as such, is a relevant cultural factor that calls for …

Trust In Healthcare Ai Can’T Just Be Designed – It Must Be Felt By Clinicians And Patients, Adriana Banozic-Tang, Heng Wang

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Trust in healthcare AI currently over-relies on system design, not lived medical realities.Continuous feedback loops are necessary to embed trust in healthcare AI that is responsive to clinician and patient needs.Initiatives in South-East Asia show how trust in technology can be extended from policy to practice.

Ai In The Judiciary: The Singapore Case, Nydia Remolina Leon

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This paper examines the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the judicial system of Singapore. Singapore's judiciary has embraced AI not as a tool for adjudication, but as an augmentative instrument for legal research, procedural efficiency, and access to justice. It provides a detailed account of AI use cases in the courts, including case summarization, evidence review, assistance for selfrepresented litigants, and tools like the Divorce Assets Informative Division Estimator. The discussion then turns to the legal profession, exploring how law firms in Singapore are adopting AI technologies. The paper also addresses how AI implementation in the judicial system is …

Full Circle: Historiography, Missiology, And Theology In Lin Yutang’S From Pagan To Christian, Teng-Kuan Ng

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Lin Yutang (1895–1976) is renowned for bridging the Chinese and Western worlds through his prolific writings, but the vital role of religion in his intercultural endeavors remains underappreciated. This article situates his seminal work of religious reflection, From Pagan to Christian (1959), within the context of World Christianity, defined as both movement and method. Lin’s departure from the Christianity of his youth into Chinese religions—and back again to the church in his later years—presents timely insights for the study of religious change and pluralism in global modernity. Analyzing the text’s decolonizing, dialogical, and polyphonic dimensions, this article brings Lin’s spiritual …

An Examination Of The Lived Experiences Of Community College Students Of Color Who Utilize On-Campus Food Pantries, Maria Luisa Marte

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In this dissertation, I present the findings of a descriptive phenomenological study I conducted focused on examining the experiences of community college students of color who utilize on-campus food pantries, aiming to understand how these resources impact their well-being. Through in-depth interviews, two central themes emerged. The first theme, Introduction to the On-Campus Food Pantry, highlights the accessibility of the service, with participants emphasizing the simplicity and efficiency of the registration process as a key factor in their initial engagement. The second theme, Experiences Using the Pantry, reveals that students found the pantry environment to be welcoming and non-stigmatizing, fostering …

Crossing Borders: Analyzing The Factors Contributing To Healthcare And Reproductive Preferences Among Residents Of The Texas-Mexico Border, Yamaris Michelle Cordero

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Crossing Borders: Analyzing the Factors Contributing to Healthcare and Reproductive Preferences Among Residents of the Texas-Mexico Border explores the complexities of healthcare access and utilization among border residents, particularly in the context of reproductive health. Through qualitative analysis of focus group discussions with promotoras - community health workers - this study identifies key factors influencing cross-border healthcare decisions, including economic barriers, cultural influences, and perceptions of quality. The findings reveal that high costs and limited insurance coverage in the U.S. drive many individuals to seek affordable healthcare and medications in Mexico, where pharmacies provide immediate, low-cost services without the need …

Skilled Migrants' Experiences Of Othering, Alterity And Language Policing, Uma Jogulu, Maggie Mcalinden, Melissa A. Parris, Juliana Mutum

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The Australian Permanent Migration Program and related settlement services have been critical to Australia's success as a stable, democratic and culturally diverse nation. However, emerging research has revealed that this success may come with a high price for as many as one in four skilled migrants who find themselves employed beneath their level of education, expertise and experience, which we define as underemployment. We designed a study that sought to understand the settlement experiences of 36 Asia-Pacific-skilled migrants working as managers. Incorporating Spivak's concepts of subalternity, othering and alterity as a theoretical framework, our analysis uncovered how migrant identity intersected …

Exploring Commutativity In A Hindi Language Classroom, Kumar Gandharv Mishra

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Commutativity is an important concept in mathematics. However, not much emphasis is given to it in the elementary or secondary school curriculum, as there is a lack of interesting noncommutative examples at this level. Since most examples of binary operations provided deal with numbers, commutativity appears trivial. In this article we offer an interesting example of noncommutativity that is familiar to Indian school children from a different context. Students in India study a chapter based on the joining of vowels in Hindi grammar. This process is analogous to producing commutative as well as noncommutative operations. When we bring in mathematical …

Becoming Culturally Responsive: Cultivating Reflexive Ethics And Inclusive Practices In Qualitative Research, Tito Dimas Atmawijaya

The Qualitative Report

Maria K. E. Lahman's An Introduction to Qualitative Research: Becoming Culturally Responsive (2025) offers a compelling framework for conducting qualitative inquiry with cultural humility, reflexivity, and ethical rigor. This review examines how Lahman interweaves theory and practice across three parts—foundations, data collection, and making the most of qualitative data—to guide researchers toward inclusive, justice-oriented scholarship. By analyzing the book’s structure, key themes, and pedagogical features, this review highlights its transformative potential for scholars, students, and practitioners committed to meaningful, culturally responsive research.

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 …

Literary Study In The Era Of Artificial Intelligence In China, Fen Gao, Pengfei Zhang

Kritika Kultura

In view of the salient characteristics of technological innovation and human-machine symbiosis in the era of artificial intelligence, Chinese literary circles have purveyed a productive exploration of “literary study in the era of artificial intelligence.” Chinese scholars’ innovation of literary theory consists of three characteristics. First, they have established the original theory of “brain text,” systematically analyzed the definition, formation mechanism, and relationship between “brain text” and literature, language, text, and cognition, and applied this theory to literary criticism. Second, on the basis of sorting out and summarizing the core viewpoints of Western digital humanities theory, Chinese scholars have carried …

Fathers’ Experiences With Reunification With The Massachusetts Child Welfare System, Phernel Joseph Manigat

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study focused on fathers’ experiences with the Massachusetts child welfare system (MCWS) or the Department of Children and Families (DCF) during the reunification process with their children, particularly those fathers who received sole custody of their children during this process. Researchers have demonstrated that fathers are minimally engaged and mostly ignored in the child welfare system (CWS). A research gap was identified regarding the experiences of fathers who received sole custody of their children through the CWS. The purpose of this study was to explore these fathers’ experiences with the MCWS or the DCF during the reunification process with …