Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating Book Challenges: Reasons For Challenges, Changes In Public Opinion, And Removals In U.S. School Districts, Makena Nail

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

The American Library Association documented an increase in book challenges in the U.S. in recent years. These are attempts to censor or limit access to books on library and book store shelves and are mostly brought by organizations and elected officials. There is much more research on which particular books are challenged and the reasons for the challenges than on general public opinion about the need for limiting access to books (PBS, 2022; American Library Association, n.d.). Previous research demonstrates that when books are challenged, the underlying goal is protecting community values by limiting access to ideas that some believe …

The Queer Family Farm: Exploring Agrifood Justice And Management Philosophies Among Lgbtq+ And Family Farmers In Minnesota And Wisconsin, Julia I. Castellano

Geography Honors Projects

Agriculture in the US countryside has long been idolized as a symbol of traditional American values via the “family farm” while queerness has become associated with avant-gardism and urbanity. This study contributes to the nascent but growing scholarship at the convergence of these seemingly opposing propositions: queer farming. Specifically, I contextualize LGBTQ+ farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin through historical and modern perspectives on the dominant heteronuclear family farm and industrial agricultural landscape to understand how they approach farming in the absence of traditional gender roles and as predominantly small, alternative farmers. The family farm as we imagine it today is …

The Role Of Viewing Traditionally Gendered Media In Childhood On Influencing Adult Ideas Of Gender Roles And Relationship Ideology, Haille Mark

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Research suggests that the media children watch in their childhood has implications for their socialization, including identity formation, and understanding of gender roles. This study examines the role of children’s films on traditional gender roles and relationship expectations in adulthood. In the current study, female college students were surveyed to assess how the films they watched affected their “MRS” Degree seeking ideology, benevolent sexism, and traditional gender roles. Movies were coded using a scheme, which assesses themes of sexualization, objectification, agency and gender roles. A general linear model (GLM) was used to assess the association. The researcher hypothesizes a relationship …

Decision-Making Of Adult Children Not Using Schedule I Substances Like Their Parents, Deanna Alberta Mccloe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

The Lived Experiences Of Mental Health Clinicians Treating Adolescents Diagnosed With Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Gilbert Hernandez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

I Lost My Number, Can I Have Yours? Body Image Satisfaction With Sexually Dimorphic Traits Is Associated With Men's Dating Anxiety And Confidence, David A. Frederick, Tania A. Reynolds, Nikoline L. Smart, Justin R. Garcia, David A. Puts

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Evolutionary scientists posit that sexual selection processes caused males to develop sexually dimorphic traits to aid them during intrasexual competition and increase their likelihood of being chosen as mates. Evolutionary social sciences have extensively examined women's preferences for traits such as muscle mass and voice pitch, reasoning that these traits serve as cues of men's ability to provide direct benefits (e.g., resources) and indirect (genetic) benefits passed on to offspring. At the same time, body image researchers have extensively focused on the social causes and consequences of men's dissatisfaction with their muscularity and body fat. We connected these two research …

A Captured Audience: How Job Stress Leads Employees To Online Shopping Via Cyberloafing, Seth Williams

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This paper investigates the hyper-connected workplace and how the modern employee deals with job stress in their work environment. Using the theory of compensatory consumer behavior and partial least squares structural equation modeling, we investigate how job stress impacts employees in the workplace to shop online. This shopping is done via cyberloafing, which is using the internet for personal reasons at work. Psychological detachment is also studied as a mediator. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed for managers in the workplace as well as businesses marketing to individuals taking a break on the clock.

Five Strategic Categories Ai Is Transforming Marketing, Ryan Matthews

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a revolutionary technology that provides tools and methodologies to expand marketings impact. AI enables companies to better understand customer needs, preferences, and behaviors to personalize an approach to different market verticals and segments. AI has become a significant factor influencing how businesses interact and retain the attention of customers. Customers increasingly have an appetite for a highly personalized interaction. AI-driven data approaches and innovative technologies are increasing personalization and efficiency. AI is a revolutionary tool that enables marketing to grow beyond traditional limitations. Understanding the correct tool is vital for marketing executives, whether they are obtaining …

A Cross-Cultural Investigation Of Consumer Hoarding Behavior During Covid-19: Differences Between Sweden And The United States, Christy M. Cook, Pia A. Albinsson, James E. Stoddard

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This study is a cross-cultural exploration of consumer hoarding behavior during Covid-19; specifically, a comparison between Sweden and the United States. This research analyzes whether Swedish and American consumer hoarding behavior factors of prosocial orientation, consumer resilience and consumer risk-taking propensity reflect identical relationships during less predictable environmental forces (i.e., Covid-19 or global pandemic). Results from Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) show that consumer prosocial orientation is negatively related to consumer hoarding and prosocial orientation is positively related to consumer resilience. In turn, both prosocial orientation and consumer resilience exhibit a positive relationship towards consumer hoarding. Consumer resilience is …

Going For Gold: Increasing Overall Membership In The Mankato Figure Skating Club, Stephanie Carlson

Strategic Communication Master of Arts Thesis Projects

The Mankato Figure Skating Club (MFSC) is a non-profit community sports organization that provides skating lessons to the Mankato Community. The main problem facing MFSC is its unstable membership numbers. The purpose of this project is to use research and analysis to uncover strategic and creative solutions. Secondary research revealed that volunteer volume, management, organization culture, and community investment are important in running a successful non-profit sports organization. MFSC needs to grow its membership numbers, otherwise this 50-year-old organization may have to disband. MFSC has not conducted research and analysis like this before; this project is the first to provide …

Bring The Heat, Bring The Savings: Supporting Strategic Growth For A Minnesota-Based Energy Efficiency Nonprofit, Abigail P. Oldenberg

Strategic Communication Master of Arts Thesis Projects

The Minnesota-based nonprofit organization Center for Energy and Environment (CEE) exists to deliver effective energy solutions to cold-climate states. Its primary mission is to make energy more affordable for residents and businesses, promote environmental equity, and lower carbon footprints. This project considers the social and political landscape in the United States and its impact on environmental nonprofits. Given the status of grants allocated for energy efficiency programs, while prioritizing the organization’s business development goals, Center for Energy and Environment must diversify its revenue streams. Primary and secondary research conducted for this project includes annual impact reports, social media and website …

Soma: Exploring Touch As Performance And Performance As Therapy, Erica Pamson

Expressive Therapies Theses

This project investigated the role of touch within a performative context and its potential as a creative intervention within Expressive Arts Therapy. Grounded in phenomenology and intersubjectivity, the study draws on Expressive Arts Therapy (EXAT) and Performance Art frameworks that position meaning as emerging through embodied, co-created experience. Existing literature identifies touch as a primary mode of perception and communication, essential to both physical and emotional well-being, while also noting its increasing absence and regulation within contemporary Western culture. Performance art literature further highlights the body as both medium and site of relational exchange, often dissolving boundaries between performer and …

Institutional Silence And The Governance Of Women College Athletes’ Reproductive Autonomy In The United States, Tarlan Chahardovali, Molly Harry Ph.D., Emily S. Mann Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

This study examines how women college athletes understand their pregnancy-related rights and protections and how institutional communication – or its absence – shapes reproductive autonomy within college sport. Guided by a reproductive justice framework, it conceptualizes pregnancy as a site of reproductive governance shaped by institutional policies, norms, and silences within performance-oriented sport organizations. The analysis draws on semi-structured interviews with 25 women college athletes from various NCAA Division I institutions in the United States, conducted between September 2023 and July 2024 in the post-Dobbs legal context, and uses reflexive thematic analysis to examine athletes’ knowledge of Title IX and …

Examining The Influences Of Citizen Factors On The Co-Creation Behaviors Of Online Public Services In A Smart City, Ratih Dyah Kusumastuti, Nurmala Nurmala, Juliana Rouli

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

As smart cities increasingly rely on digital platforms to deliver public services, citizen participation becomes essential for ensuring effective and sustainable service delivery. However, limited research has examined which citizen-related factors drive co-creation behaviors in smart city contexts, particularly in emerging economies. This study aims to investigate the factors that influence the co-creation behaviors of online public services in five smart cities in Indonesia through the city’s digital platform and online social network (OSN). This study analyzes whether citizen factors, namely, perceived benefits over the city and OSN friends, trust in the city and OSN friends, and self-efficacy, affect co-creation …

Reimagining Maternal Health: The Crucial Role Of Social And Behavioural Change Communication In Lmics, Sneha Chetri Ms, Monica Koachar

Journal Of Indian Physician Associates

Preventable maternal mortality is still remarkably high in low and middle-income nations, despite growing investments in maternal health systems. Conventional methods have mostly concentrated on expanding access to services, ignoring important social and behavioural factors that affect how people seek health care. In order to bridge the gap between the availability and actual consumption of maternal health treatments, this opinion piece makes the case for the critical role that social and behavioural change communication plays. The article uses real-world examples from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda to show how SBCC can empower women, change the dynamics of …

Ischool Student Research Journal, Vol.16, Iss.1

School of Information Student Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Age And Congressional Leader Success: Are They Getting Too Old, Edward N. Drinkwine, Scot Schraufnagel

Honors Capstones

Congressional leaders play a central role in shaping legislative agendas, maintaining party cohesion, and negotiating policy outcomes. Despite the important roles they play, our nation's congressional leaders continue to grow older, and research has rarely examined how age influences their effectiveness in these roles. This study asks whether older congressional leaders are less effective at advancing legislation than their younger counterparts. Using data on leaders serving in the U.S. House and Senate from the 93rd through the 118th Congress, the analysis compares leaders’ ages with their Legislative Effectiveness Score Ratios, controlling for legal experience, state legislative experience, elite education, ideology, …

Evolving Art Therapy In Virtual Environments: Exploring Telehealth Art Therapy Within Gaming, Kathleen A. Wilber

Expressive Therapies Theses

The rapid expansion of virtual therapy following the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted art therapists to reconsider how creative processes can be facilitated through digital means. This capstone thesis explores how art therapy practices can evolve within virtual environments by exploring the video game The Sims 4 as a novel digital medium for virtual art therapy. A qualitative approach was used within an intensive outpatient program (IOP), including a preliminary peer session and two individual client sessions. The intervention involved therapist-facilitated gameplay, where the clinician acted as a “third hand,” guiding clients in an effort to support identity and values-based exploration. …

Returning To Play: Play-Centered Art Therapy With Parentified Adult Caregivers, Paola Andrea Mendez Carreno

Expressive Therapies Theses

This research investigates the impact of play-centered art therapy on parentified adult caregivers, focusing on how creative interventions utilizing elements of play can support identity development, self-compassion, and relational capacity. The literature indicates that childhood parentification leads to identity loss and burnout, but creative play can foster neuroplasticity and emotional processing by allowing adults to externalize harmful narratives that have been internalized. To explore these concepts, the author conducted four sessions over six weeks with an adult participant at a private outpatient practice in Massachusetts. Play-centered activities included free collaging, puppet-making, and clay modeling, often involving moments of parallel play …

Propasafe-Hybrid: A Text-Based Hybrid Propaganda Detection Tool (Ila 2026 Presentation), Thomas Kimmeth, Avijit Roy, Vivek Sharma

Publications and Research

This presentation introduces Propasafe-Hybrid, a hybrid system for sentence-level propaganda detection that combines offline transformer-based classification with selective large language model (LLM) explainability. The system employs a two-stage pipeline in which a local BERT-based classifier evaluates all input text and filters non-propagandistic content, while only high-confidence candidates are forwarded to an LLM for rhetorical technique labeling and explanation. This design enables cost-aware, privacy-conscious, and scalable analysis by reducing unnecessary reliance on external models.

Propasafe-Hybrid identifies propagandistic techniques such as loaded language, obfuscation, and appeal to fear, and generates concise natural language rationales that make these techniques interpretable to users. By …

Developing Self-Determination Through Physical Activity Courses In Inclusive Post-Secondary Education Programs, Shannon P. Zimmerman, Samantha Ross-Cypcar, Peter R. Giacobbi, Lesley Cottrell, Emily Murphy, Andrea Taliaferro, Jeanette Garcia

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often experience low physical activity levels, with only 23% meeting recommended guidelines, increasing their risk for secondary health conditions. Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) programs in the U.S. present an opportunity for physical activity promotion. This study examined physical activity strategies across a national sample of IPSE programs (n = 27) using a sequential mixed-method approach, including surveys and follow-up interviews, focusing on alignment with Self-Determination Theory (SDT). While 70.37% of programs offered formalized physical activity courses, all promoted physical activity informally. Common practices included peer mentorship (96.3% of programs), goal setting (100%), and …

Corporate Neocolonialism, The Liability Of Foreignness, And Cultural Extractivism: The Rise And Fall Of The Stanford Cricket Empire In Antigua And The West Indies, Martin Barrett

Journal of Global South Sport Studies

Convicted Texas financier, Allen Stanford, reportedly fell in love with cricket during his many years living in Antigua. This love of cricket culminated with the infamous “20/20 for $20 million” match where the Stanford Superstars defeated the England cricket team at the Stanford Cricket Ground by 10 wickets in November 2008. A little over three months after the Super Series, Stanford’s cricket ventures dissipated when his companies were placed into receivership. The series was not, however, Stanford’s first foray into cricket. The purpose of this paper is to critically analyze the totality of Stanford’s involvement in cricket in the West …

Research On Knowledge Service For Emergency Supplies Supply Under The Framework Of Cognition, Architecture And Operation, Xun Jiang, Mingwei Tang

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] To address the challenges in matching supply-demand information within the emergency material supply domain, this study constructs a knowledge service framework from three dimensions cognition, architecture, and operation to enhance the agility of emergency response and the resilience of supply chains. [Method/process] A cognition-centered knowledge service framework is proposed for the emergency material supply field, encompassing five dimensions: scenario, approach, structure, perspective, and model. Subsequently, a system architecture is developed focusing on three aspects: emergency data integration, knowledge-driven supply, and emergency scenario perception. The operationalization of the proposed knowledge service is explored in terms of its logic, mechanisms, and …

An Increased Understanding Of Political Sociology Would Create A More Pluralistic Society, Mariam H. Jabbar

Thinking Matters Symposium

What are we socially lacking in relation to our current social

identity, based on political and historical events, to create a pluralistic society?

What do we need to prioritize socially to bring awareness for a more

contemporary social construct? My points as a political sociology student will be

focused on how society applies political association to power through unity by

division of society.

Media And Government: Celebrity Endorsements And Their Effect On Voter Efficacy, Political Confidence, And Voter Turnout, Macey Wyler

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

Celebrity endorsements have played a role in American politics for centuries, but their influence has evolved in the digital age with the rise of social media. This study examines how endorsements by public figures influence voter efficacy, confidence, and engagement among college-aged individuals. Using a convenience sample of 162 students ages 18-23, participants responded to a web-based survey featuring hypothetical social media posts to measure how likely they would be to register to vote, engage politically, or share endorsement content based on an endorsement by a public figure. Quantitative analysis in Google Sheets and StatCrunch revealed descriptive trends, and qualitative …

Click, Share, Believe, And Share Again: The Role Fake News Plays On Social Media, Lillian E. Sage

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examines the prevalence and plight of misinformation referred to as fake news found on social media. The study paid particular attention to, investigating which demographic groups are most likely to believe and disseminate fake news, as well as, understanding the kind of effect such exposure may have on individuals. To investigate these issues, a survey was developed using Qualtrics and distributed to members of the University of Arkansas community via email and group messaging platforms. To broaden the sample, the survey was also shared through the researcher’s social media networks, resulting in a more diverse group of …

Fraternities, Athletics, And Masculinity: Exploring Male Perspectives On Sexual Violence And Coercion Prevention In University Settings, Gabrielle A. Phillips

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis presents a timely and relevant qualitative study addressing a
notable gap in sexual violence prevention research: male students’
perspectives. Grounded in Social Learning Theory, the study effectively
situates its inquiry within a robust theoretical framework while focusing on an
often underexplored population, including student-athletes, fraternity members,
and unaffiliated men.
A key strength of the research lies in its use of focus groups, which allows for
nuanced in-depth insights into how male students interpret and discuss sexual
coercion among peers. The findings are particularly compelling in highlighting
the disconnect between conceptual understanding and practical application of
prevention strategies. The …

A Qualitative Study Of Journalism Course Syllabi In Relation To The First Amendment, Elizabeth L. Bunnell

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

The goal of this research is to gain more insight into collegiate journalism course syllabi and the First Amendment. The First Amendment is a foundational aspect for a career in journalism, and one way to learn how college journalism students are interacting with the First Amendment is to conduct a qualitative analysis of the syllabi. A syllabus is the contract between professor and student for the course; therefore, it should contain the most important information relating to the course. 47 syllabi were collected from the School of Journalism and Strategic Media from the Spring 2025 semester. After reading through each …

Stories That Persuade: The Impact Of Pleasure-Based And Pressure-Based Prosocial Appeals On Charitable Support For Sexual And Reproductive Health Nonprofits, Tyler Outhouse

Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study investigates how different narrative framing strategies, and corresponding sources of motivation, influence donors’ willingness to support a sexual and reproductive health nonprofit. A nationally representative sample (N = 205) completed an experiment embedded in an online survey. Participants were randomly assigned to read either a pleasure-based or pressure-based story about reproductive healthcare. Participants then reported their reactions, motivations, and willingness to support the nonprofit. Results indicated no significant difference in charitable support intentions across the two conditions, instead finding that partisan identification and value alignment were the key predictors of charitable support. The results also indicated that …

How Elements Including Location, Time Of Day, And Narrative Structure Influence Audience Engagement And Emotional Connection Within Short Form Video Content, Ashleighe Gibson

Communications and Digital Media Theses

This study examines how TikTok-based digital storytelling communicates urban walking experiences in New York City, focusing on how content strategies influence audience engagement and emotional connection. While both walking and short-form video storytelling have been widely studied, their intersection in shaping perceptions of urban environments remains underexplored. Using a mixed-methods approach, a TikTok account was created to document walking experiences, with content systematically varied by key factors including narrative structure, posting frequency, and environmental context. Engagement metrics, including views, likes, comments, and shares were analyzed alongside qualitative reflections to identify patterns in audience engagement and response. Findings indicate that engagement …