Digital Commons Network^™

``I Don't.. I Don't Remember The Answer'': A Psycholinguistics Study Of Language Processing Impairment Caused By Traumatic Brain Injury In Film ``The Vow'' (2012), Fathiya Rosyada, Emy Sudarwati, Lee Huan Yik, Putrie Rahayuningtyas

Bahasa dan Seni: Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra, Seni, dan Pengajarannya

There is substantial evidence of an association between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and language difficulties, particularly those related to cognitive impairment. Addressing an underexplored narrative perspective, this study examines the interaction between memory and language in the representation of cognitive-communication disorder (CCD) following TBI in the film The Vow (2012). Using a qualitative approach informed by Clinical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study analyzes selected dialogues to identify post-traumatic cognitive-communication difficulties reflected in language comprehension and production. The findings reveal a dissociation between relatively preserved linguistic competence and impaired communicative performance. In language comprehension, this dissociation is reflected in pragmatic misinterpretation, …

Analyzing The Relationship Between Ai-Enhanced Accounting Disclosure And Financial Reporting Quality: Digital Transparency As A Mediating Variable, Mawj Abbas Jasim Al-Hchaimi, Hasan Talib Hashim, Mohammed Adhab Jassim

Muthanna Journal of Administrative and Economics Sciences

The current research aims to study the relationship between AI-enhanced accounting disclosure and the quality of financial reports in the Iraqi banking sector, while also examining the role of digital transparency as a mediating variable in explaining this relationship. The research was conducted on a sample of 180 financial managers, accountants, internal auditors, and IT specialists from three Iraqi banks: Bank of Baghdad, Al-Rasheed Bank, and the Commercial Bank of Iraq. The research employed a descriptive, analytical, and field-based methodology, using a structured questionnaire, personal interviews, and objective system-performance indicators as the main tools of data collection. Data were analyzed …

From Awareness To Engagement: University Students’ Perceptions Of The Sustainable Development Goals And The Role Of Higher Education Institutions, Ajda Fosner

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: This study examines how university students perceive the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on their self-reported knowledge, attitudes, and views on the role of institutions in promoting sustainability.

Methods: An online survey was conducted among students in Slovenia.

Results: The results show that most students are aware of the SDGs and support their integration into education, although their personal engagement with sustainability practices is more reserved. Statistical analysis revealed that both the level and field of study significantly influence students’ SDG awareness, with advanced and social science students reporting higher familiarity. Regarding institutional roles, students placed the …

The Ecological Impacts Of Un-Protecting Forests: The Case Of Gold Mining In Ghana, Tate Alexander Barend

Master's Theses

This paper estimates the causal effect of Ghana’s Legislative Instrument 2462 (L.I. 2462) on deforestation in protected areas. The policy redefined the regulatory regime governing small-scale gold mining in protected areas, moving from prohibition to discretionary permitting. I exploit the implementation of L.I. 2462 as a policy shock and apply a difference-in-differences event-study framework to a propensity score–matched sample of pixels derived from high-resolution satellite images. Contrary to widespread concerns that the policy would accelerate deforestation, the results provide no evidence of large-scale vegetation loss in exposed protected areas following the policy change. Instead, protected area pixels located within 5 …

Artificial Intelligence (Ai) As A Communication Pedagogy Mega-Risk, Deanna Sellnow

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

With the ever-expanding capabilities offered by artificial intelligence (AI), communication teachers, scholars, and practitioners are currently in the midst of heated debates about whether and how to use AI both in our classrooms and in our research. This essay contextualizes the debate by describing generative AI as a technological mega-risk that, if left unchecked, may manifest into a mega-crisis impacting people and planet in extraordinarily harmful ways. Consequently, I argue that it is our responsibility as instructional communication scholars, communication education teachers, and communication pedagogy experts to discover strategies for harnessing its power to manage the potential threats posed by …

The Mundanity Of Ai, David Westerman, Nicholas Bowman

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

The emergence of ChatGPT in late 2022 brought with it a reemergence of utopian and dystopian claims of the grand power of AI. Yet, AI has failed to achieve such lofty expectations and instead has trended toward far more banal, yet productive, tasks and goals. We argue that this mundanity is precisely what makes AI an important technology, and moreover, those “mundane tasks” are central to communication education. Specifically, we advocate for a decreased focus on the hyped ideas of AI that dominate popular discourse and obfuscate more reasoned analyses of AI as communication technology. A more pragmatic focus should …

Ai Didn’T Break Our Teaching, It Revealed Our Teaching, Michael G. Strawser

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has prompted widespread concern about academic integrity, student learning, and the future of higher education. While AI is often framed as a disruptive force, this commentary argues that many of the challenges attributed to AI predate the technology itself. Rather than creating new problems, AI has exposed long-standing tensions embedded within higher education and communication pedagogy. Three tensions that have become increasingly visible in the presence of AI are identified: learning versus completion, efficiency versus depth, and human connection versus algorithmic mediation. First, AI challenges assumptions that the successful completion of assignments …

Teaching Ai Through Communication: Rethinking Evidence, Interaction, And Learning, Chad Edwards, Matthew J. A. Craig, Varun Rijhwani, Habeeb Abdulrauf

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This conceptual essay advances a central claim: Communication pedagogy is increasingly engaged in teaching AI through communicative interaction. Moving beyond the familiar distinctions between teaching with AI and teaching about AI, it argues that classrooms function as sites where AI communication is shaped through prompting, critique, revision, and ethical evaluation. Drawing on human–machine communication scholarship, the essay reconceptualizes evidence of learning as visible in students’ reasoning, justification, and contextual adaptation rather than in polished outputs. By foregrounding relational engagement, transparency, and communicative judgment, it positions teaching AI as a defining pedagogical task in AI-mediated educational environments.

How To Blow Up An Ai Data Center, Tyler Rife

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This essay advocates a critical pedagogical orientation to AI guided by a politics of refusal. I pursue this advocacy by, first, showing how the social and environmental harms of AI technology outweigh any promises to its social good and then, second, locating resonances between our contemporary technological situation and similar inflection points in the histories of labor organizing and environmental justice activism. Together, these material implications of the emergent technology help form a pedagogical framework for how communication educators can advance critical literacy about AI in the classroom as a constructive counterpoint to its uncritical adoption in the learning process. …

Ai And Agency: Policy As Problem Posing In The Introductory Communication Studies Classroom, Deanna L. Fassett, Nancy Park

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This forum essay examines artificial-intelligence policy in introductory communication courses through the lens of critical communication pedagogy. It identifies a tension between institutional pressures for readily enforceable, surveillance-oriented AI policies and relational approaches that support instructors’ and students’ long-term agency. Drawing on problem-posing pedagogy, the authors argue that prepackaged policies can position teaching assistants as policy enforcers rather than reflective educators. They propose collaborative policy development as a means of fostering dialogue, ethical discernment, human connection, and critical engagement with AI’s role in communication education.

Speaking In Color: Code-Meshing Against Standard Language Ideology In The Public Speaking Classroom, Darrion A. Walker

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Public speaking courses do more than teach presentation skills; they also teach students which voices count as credible. In Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs), instructional norms tied to standard language ideology position standardized English as the unmarked benchmark of professional communication. For students who speak African American Language (AAL) or other culturally informed language varieties, this creates a double bind: conform linguistically or risk being penalized for rhetorical authenticity. This reflective essay identifies the double bind as an underexamined problem in communication pedagogy and suggests that code-meshing—the intentional blending of multiple language varieties within a single communicative act—offers a more equitable, …

Creating Safe(R) Classrooms: Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices In Higher Education, Shannon Pappas, Nolan Bowers, Lili R. Romann

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Trauma is a public health issue, with effects being increasingly harmful for adolescents. While instructors cannot control how students respond to trauma, they can work to create traumainformed teaching practices to support student learning and safety. Based on the principles of trauma-informed pedagogy, this manuscript details how safety, trustworthiness and transparency, choice, collaboration, and empowerment can be implemented in higher education communication courses. Additionally, a sixth principle, responding to the current climate, is introduced. Currently, instructors are grappling with supporting vulnerable students and answering to those in power. These practices offer insights into classroom adaptations to assist instructors in these …

Decolonizing Communication Pedagogy: Toward An Afro-Rhetorical Framework, Lionnell Smith

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This essay introduces Afro-rhetorical pedagogy as a decolonial framework for communication pedagogy. Building on Adam Key’s 2022 call for an Applied Africana Studies framework for public speaking pedagogy, this essay conceptualizes Afro-rhetorical pedagogy grounded in Afrocentric thought and African communication theory. Through a close reading of Molefi Kete Asante’s 2011 address on African curriculum, this essay establishes three foundational principles for Afro-rhetorical pedagogy: (a) epistemological agency, (b) decolonized knowledge production, and (c) institutional reconstruction. This pedagogical framework addresses communication education’s reproduction of white cultural hegemony by promoting African-centered principles, practices, and precepts that reposition communication pedagogy as a more liberatory …

Community Problems Need Community Solutions: Feminist Collaboration Across Campuses To Create Transformative Outcomes Through Community Engaged Learning, Elizabeth Wilhoit Larson, Jasmine R. Linabary, Ziyu Long, Kylie J. Johnson

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This study presents a multi-institutional engaged pedagogy project responding to college food insecurity that involved partnerships among students, instructors, and campus food pantries from three U.S. universities. Through analysis of pre- and post-class surveys, class assignments, and instructor and community partner reflections, we argue that our feminist collaborative approach resulted in transformative outcomes in three areas: (a) heads, as the collaboration enabled critical understandings of food insecurity and how to combat it; (b) hearts, as the collaboration fostered a culture of care and (re)ignited shared passion in doing change work, and (c) hands, as the collaboration inspired actions to address …

The Co-Educators Framework: An Illustrative Account Of Shared Pedagogical Practice And Inclusive Teaching In A Large-Enrollment Communication Course, Divya S, Man Luo, Jisha Jacob, Shahla Shahnaz Dyuti, Victoria Michelle Main

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Large-enrollment courses present structural challenges to inclusive and relational pedagogy, particularly when instructional labor is shared across teaching teams that include graduate teaching assistants (GTAs). This study examines inclusive teaching as a communicative and practical process enacted through co-education, the coordinated instructional work of faculty and GTAs. Using a diary-based reflexive design, four doctoral GTAs contributed teaching journals across one semester of an undergraduate Communication Theory course. Reflexive thematic analysis identified four themes: collaborative course design, communication as pedagogical infrastructure, equitable assessment, and reflexive care. The study offers the Co-Educators Framework as an illustrative account of how shared, communicative pedagogical …

Exploring Power In The Classroom Through The Lens Of Relational Power, Aubree A. Herman, Narissra Maria Punyanunt-Carter Phd

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This study explores how French and Raven’s relational power model shapes student communication in higher education. Through a survey of 530 undergraduates, the research investigates how TA age and gender, and student gender, impact student perceptions of power. Results indicate that TA gender and age impact student perceptions of referent power, but not expert power; however, expert and referent power emerged as the strongest predictors of course satisfaction and intention to take future courses, while coercive power negatively predicted both outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of expertise and interpersonal interaction in the TA–student relationship and suggest that French and …

Initial Pilot Test Of A Single-Session Social Support Program For Increasing Social Approach Behavior And Social Support In Emerging Adults, Emily L. Jones

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emerging adulthood, the developmental stage between adolescence and young adulthood (Arnett, 2000), is marked by increases in autonomy, changes in social dynamics, and identity exploration (Arnett, 2015). During this stage, social stressors may trigger or exacerbate preexisting mental health problems (Slavich & Auerbach, 2018), though few emerging adults seek or receive mental health support (Zhao et al., 2025). Single-session interventions, or “specific, structured programs that intentionally involve just one visit or encounter” (Schleider et al., 2019), may present an opportunity to provide some support to those who face barriers to participation in traditional forms of treatment (Janota et al., 2022). …

Adolescent Depressive Symptoms And Adult Functioning Within Major U.S. Racial Groups, Summer N. A. Millwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Depression is the leading cause of disability among adults in the U.S and is associated with negative short- and long-term social, emotional, economic, and physical health outcomes. Notably, rates of depression among children and adolescents are rapidly increasing across the globe. Depression in youth disrupts crucial developmental processes that can adversely affect concurrent and longitudinal socioeconomic and health outcomes. Although extant research delineates the consequences of adolescent depression for adult functioning (e.g., lower educational attainment, fewer economic resources, worse physical health), studies that examine these associations within racially minoritized populations are scarce. This gap in the literature is especially striking …

The Development And Validation Of Gains-Id, A Guidebook For Adapting Intervention Sessions For Students With Intellectual Disability, Kayla Mccreadie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Targeted interventions can equip students with intellectual disabilities (ID) with essential academic skills that support positive post-secondary outcomes. However, the lack of interventions specifically designed for this population creates barriers to equitable education. Until more interventions are developed, educators may benefit from resources that help adapt evidence-based practices to meet the needs of students with IDD.

The first manuscript introduces GAINS-ID (Guide for Adapting INtervention Sessions for Intellectual Disabilities). Based on best practices and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), the guide offers examples of adaptations to various intervention components—such as time, materials, environment, …

Msw Portfolio: Development Of A Social Work Practitioner, Loren Fitzpatrick

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio details my experiences and professional journey throughout the University of Montana's Master of Social Work program. It provides significant reflection of core social work elements and competencies while highlighting an understanding of trauma informed care, development of theoretical orientation, and the importance of culturally responsive practice. Examples of competency are displayed through provided coursework assignments, group projects, and research papers.

The Question As Discipline: A Journey Toward Advanced Integrated Practice, Claire Boonmanop Webb

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Behind Prison Walls: Unmasking The Victimization Experience Of A Transgender Inmate: A Narrative Study, Kevin E. Hemminger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transgender individuals experience disproportionately high rates of victimization within the U.S. criminal justice system, at rates some studies estimate as four times greater than those of cisgender individuals (Marchi et al., 2025). Victimization may occur at the hands of correctional officers, institutional staff, or fellow inmates. This narrative study focuses on the life story of a formerly incarcerated transgender woman, tracing her experiences before incarceration, throughout her time at two different correctional facilities in two different states, and her life following release. While Community Based Research (CBR) was not adopted as a formal methodological framework, its principles — centering lived …

Cosmetic Nationalism: Fashion And Feminine Performance In Trump-Aligned America, Nicola Rountree-Williams

Undergraduate Theses, Capstones, and Recitals

This paper examines how fashion, beauty, and feminine presentation operate as political tools within Trump-aligned American culture. Drawing on historical examples from fascist Italy, Francoist Spain, and European aristocratic fashion, it argues that aesthetics have long been used to reinforce nationalism, gender hierarchy, and political authority. The paper analyzes contemporary trends such as “Republican makeup” and “Mar-a-Lago face,” arguing that these hyper-feminine and highly racialized beauty standards function as performances of loyalty, wealth, and traditional femininity within Trump-aligned politics. Through figures such as Kristi Noem, the paper demonstrates how women’s appearances can visually legitimize masculine authority while limiting women’s autonomy …

Pushing Forward: The Dialectical Experiences Of Apida Psychologists In Predominantly White Counseling Settings, Shaun A. Fossett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans (APIDAs) are the fastest growing racial group in the United States, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in the field of psychology and notably absent from research examining the professional experiences of racial and ethnic minority clinicians. Existing scholarship has documented the prevalence of racialized organizational structures, microaggressions, and the enduring “model minority” stereotype that both obscures and exacerbates APIDA challenges in professional environments. However, no known published studies have investigated the non–client-facing experiences of APIDA psychologists working in predominantly White counseling settings. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) study was to explore how …

Unmaking Crane Hall: Institutional Change And The Politics Of Exhibit Closures At The Denver Museum Of Nature And Science, Abigail Genene Duff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the June 2023 closure of the North American Indian Cultures Hall (NAICH) at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS) as a critical moment of institutional transformation. Through a case study approach grounded in archival research, interviews, surveys, and discourse analysis of social media posts and public commentary, this project investigates how exhibit closures reflect shifting dynamics of curatorial authority, Indigenous representation, and settler colonial structures. Guided by theoretical frameworks of settler colonial theory, desire-based research, institutional critique, and museum anthropology, this study explores how internal museum politics, community opinion, and public narratives reshape accountability and …

Promoting Developmentally Informed Justice: A Developmental Assessment Referral Framework For Juvenile Transfer Decisions, Carly F. Colman

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

The transfer of youth between juvenile courts and adult courts is one of the most consequential decisions made in the American legal system, as it will influence the youth’s legal outcomes, developmental trajectories, and long-term well-being. Advances in adolescent brain science show that there are many factors associated with youthful offending, including developmental immaturity, susceptibility to external influences, and ongoing neurobiological development—all of which are related to age, rather than being fixed criminal traits. Despite this growing body of evidence, legal decision-making in juvenile transfer and sentencing does not consistently incorporate individualized developmental data. This paper examines the important role …

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

Graduate School of Professional Psychology: Doctoral Papers and Masters Projects

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

Msw Portfolio, Aunnika K. Woods

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

A professional portfolio displaying a collection of experiences and development throughout my time in the MSW program, documenting growth, challenges, and values.

Growth In Discomfort, Kayla Marker

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This portfolio captures the transformation into an advanced social work practitioner, emphasizing self-reflection, social justice, and the integration of theory into practice. Through personal narrative and practical examples, the document demonstrates growth in ethical behavior, advocacy for marginalized groups, trauma-informed care, and cultural humility, particularly in rural and Indigenous contexts. This portfolio details the application of systems, social learning, and empowerment theories, and highlights the importance of bridging micro and macro practice, engaging in research and policy analysis, and assuming leadership roles. The work showcases adaptability, collaboration, and evidence-based approaches, culminating in a commitment to lifelong learning and justice-oriented leadership …

Examining Intimate Partner Violence After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury, Rebecca R. Suzuki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is linked with social problems in peer relationships that can last into adulthood. Little is known about how social problems impact the development of intimate relationships as pediatric TBI survivors grow up. This study addressed this gap by examining risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) in a sample of 50 young adult survivors of pediatric TBI prior to age 13 (M age = 22.96, SD = 1.70, 60% women) and tested social information processing (SIP) as a potential process through which TBI influences risk for IPV. Participants were recruited via Prolific and social media …