Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Educational Equity: An Ethnographic Case Study Of Non-Profit Initiatives In Early Childhood Education, Jovana Jovanovic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Quality early childhood education is acknowledged as a crucial factor in paving the way for academic success and societal contribution. Childhood experiences greatly influence individual life trajectories, significantly shaping future endeavors. This research delves into the intricate dynamics between socioeconomic status (SES), educational outcomes, and non-profit organizations, emphasizing the challenges faced by students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. While factors such as limited resources, financial constraints, and substandard living conditions have been linked to negative consequences on educational attainment, this research seeks to understand the specific role of non-profits in enhancing educational opportunities. By shedding light on collaborative efforts between local …

An Exposome Atlas Of Serum Reveals The Risk Of Chronic Diseases In The Chinese Population, Lei You, Jing Kou, Mengdie Wang, Guoqin Ji, Xiang Li, Chang Su, Fujian Zheng, Mingye Zhang, Yuting Wang, Tiantian Chen, Ting Li, Lina Zhou, Xianzhe Shi, Chunxia Zhao, Xinyu Liu, Surong Mei, Guowang Xu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Although adverse environmental exposures are considered a major cause of chronic diseases, current studies provide limited information on real-world chemical exposures and related risks. For this study, we collected serum samples from 5696 healthy people and patients, including those with 12 chronic diseases, in China and completed serum biomonitoring including 267 chemicals via gas and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Seventy-four highly frequently detected exposures were used for exposure characterization and risk analysis. The results show that region is the most critical factor influencing human exposure levels, followed by age. Organochlorine pesticides and perfluoroalkyl substances are associated with multiple chronic diseases, …

The Experience Of Knowledge Workers In Remote Environments During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Dale F. Knapp

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

When regional quarantine restrictions were rapidly implemented in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, knowledge workers were forced to vacate their traditional shared office spaces and transition to remote work environments. This unprecedented mass exodus from traditional in-person physical workplaces was facilitated by existing and new software and technology that allowed workers to remain connected and working. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences and perceptions of knowledge workers who experienced this transition to a full-time remote work environment. The study also examined how knowledge workers perceived work performance relative to their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were …

Strategies For Educators To Teach Mixed Methods Research: A Discussion, Ahtisham Younas, Angela Durante Dr., Sergi Fàbregues Feijóo Dr., Elsa Lucia Escalante-Barrios

The Qualitative Report

Mixed methods research has become increasingly popular in multiple disciplines. Teaching mixed methods is critical to prepare students for using and evaluating the quality of published mixed methods research to inform practice. However, there is limited knowledge about instructional and pedagogical approaches to teaching mixed methods. The purpose of this paper is to outline strategies for educators on how to effectively teach mixed methods research. Teaching mixed methods requires educators to use multifaceted teaching and learning strategies targeting reflective, experiential, collaborative, and inquiry-based learning domains. Including case studies, games, and critical appraisal exercises can result in a more engaging and …

Fold In The Cheese? An Approach To Teaching Qualitative Data Analysis To Students, Jennifer Jackson Phd

The Qualitative Report

There are many elements of qualitative data analysis that may appear intangible to novice researchers. In this article, I present an approach to a data analysis workshop with students, where I do my best to avoid the instruction to “fold in the cheese,” as per the television series Schitt’s Creek. Students attend 90-minute workshops where they use an assortment of buttons to practice different strategies of qualitative analysis. The tactile mechanism of sorting objects has proven invaluable in workshops, as it helps students to physically organize their thoughts and takes pressure off to find the “right” answer. The nature of …

Close Contacts Of Xenograft Recipients: Ethical Considerations Due To Risk Of Xenozoonosis, Daniel J Hurst, Luz Padilla, Daniel Rodger, Tamar Schiff, David K C Cooper

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

With decades of pre-clinical studies culminating in the recent clinical application of xenotransplantation, it would appear timely to provide recommendations for operationalizing oversight of xenotransplantation clinical trials. Ethical issues with clinical xenotransplantation have been described for decades, largely centering on animal welfare, the risks posed to the recipient, and public health risks posed by potential spread of xenozoonosis. Much less attention has been given to considerations relating to potentially elevated risks faced by those who may care for or otherwise have close contact with xenograft recipients. This paper examines the ethical and logistical issues raised by the potential exposure to …

Addressing Service Gaps For Underserved Populations Of Gender-Based Violence: Insights From A Midwestern State Needs Assessment Survey, Ziwei Qi, Annalise Loucks, Suzanna Schneider

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Abstract:

Understanding the prevalence and service needs of underserved populations affected by gender-based violence (GBV) is crucial, as their experiences are often underreported, and existing services frequently fall short of effectively addressing their needs. In this presentation, "underserved populations" refers to historically marginalized, underrepresented, and inadequately supported groups as victims of GBV.

The presentation examines various services, including direct forms like shelter and advocacy, and indirect approaches such as systemic interventions and policy reform. Conducted in a Midwestern state, the presentation involved insights from advocates, victim shelter staff, law enforcement, and legal professionals, totaling 41 responses. Findings reveal significant service …

The Relationship Between Social Stigma And Career Decisions Of Individualized And Freelance Male Sex Workers, Luis Miguel Dos Santos, Ho Fai Lo

The Qualitative Report

Switching from a white-collar professional to a sex worker is not an easy step, particularly for individuals with a postgraduate degree in South Korea who may have significant expectations from their parents, peers, and communities. Based on the social stigma theory and social cognitive career and motivation theory, this study aims to understand how stress and pressure impact the motivations, career decisions, and decision-making processes of individualized and freelance male sex workers and their career transition experiences in South Korea. Based on the thematic analysis, ten highly educated male sex workers joined and shared their experiences. The researchers categorized three …

“It’S Always An Admixture Of So Many Identities”: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Indigenous Kalasha Cultural Identity, Fahad Riaz Choudhry Dr, Karen Jennifer Golden, Miriam Sang-Ah Park

The Qualitative Report

This case study examined how an Indigenous Kalasha participant in northern Pakistan makes sense of his multi-faceted identity. The interpretative phenomenological analysis method was used to analyze data from an in-depth, single person case study. Our selected participant was a 36-year-old male postgraduate student from an Indigenous marginalized tribe, which is an ethnic and religious minority group in the northern Hindukush mountain region of Pakistan. Results are presented in four superordinate themes: (1) Identity: admixture of a number of identities, (2) Changing culture and its psychological impact, (3) Cultural protective factors against psychological problems and (4) Mental health perspective. …

The Decline Of The Non-Hispanic White Population In The United States Of America, Richard R. Verdugo, David A. Swanson

Publications, Reports and Presentations

Objectives: The question of a declining non-Hispanic white (NHW) population has sparked debate in the United States. In examining this question, three bodies of research have emerged. One group reports that the decline is real, a second argues that it is an illusion, and the third provides evidence that the decline is concentrated within socio-economic segments of the NHW population. We use the third groups’ insight as the starting point for our research objective. Methods: In conjunction with data from Census Bureau sources, we use a series of Regression Models in this inquiry. Results: Our results show that the decline …

U.S. Military Veteran Identity And Civilian Adjustment, Darren A. Sosa

Pacific Journal of Health

U.S. military veterans transitioning back into the civilian sector often experience a variety of challenges and need to readjust into non-military environments. In order to examine the psychological challenges involved in the transition and readjustment processes among U. S. active military veterans, a qualitative study was conducted. For 6 months, data was collected from veterans in California, Nevada, Texas, Florida, and New York. Following an IRB approval, semi-structured open-ended self-developed interviews were developed and conducted with sixteen military veterans who have served in 4 branches of the U.S. Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Data and information …

Us-Taiwan Relations And The Future Of The Liberal Order, Christina Lai

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Strengthening ties with Taiwan is the best chance the United States has to preserve the liberal international order in Asia and improve its security relative to China. This study offers a normative perspective on how Taiwan can contribute to US-led international institutions and the Asian regional order and reduce conflict risk. It concludes with recommendations for the United States and its partners to integrate Taiwan into multilateral institutions in Asia.

Casar Student Debate#4:"Should Men Be Allowed To Vote On Abortion Legislation?", The Prince Alwaleed Center For American Studies And Research Casar, Yasmeen El Ghazaly, Mark W. Deets

Performances, Events, and Presentations

Every semester, CASAR AUC holds miscellaneous student debates discussing the hot controversial topics in the US, Egypt and from around the world in hopes of raising awareness about these topics & broadening the perspectives of our students as they learn to engage in fruitful discussions as they share different opinion on the topic being deliberated.

At this CASAR Student Discussion event #4 in celebration of International Women's Day, an introduction was given about the historical context for enacting laws on abortion in Egypt & the US, then we watched a brief video where men in the US answered this very …

Pornography: Social, Emotional And Mental Implications Among Adolescents, William K. Canady

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

This presentation will explain the historical development of pornography. It will highlight three segments: 1- Porn’s impact on brain development of reward pathways, ultimately increasing the appetite for more porn. 2- Porn can be a false substitute for real intimacy, resulting in decreased sexual satisfaction with a real person and increased verbal and physical aggression. 3- Porn promotes sex trafficking, promotes multiple sex partners and reduced STD prevention.

Rethinking The Mentor/Mentee Relationship: The Critical Mentoring Approach In A North Carolina Middle School, Kendra P. Alexander, Brianna Mccullough, Nikaizha Davis, Patrick Clifford

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

In this session, undergraduate and graduate students from North Carolina A&T State University describe the genesis and evolution of an internship-based, community-academic partnership grounded in the concept of critical mentoring. As mentors with the Nia Project, interns support middle school students in critical exploration of post-high school pathways. Along with the supervising instructor, students identify key concepts and prerequisites for successful implementation.

Cognitive Functioning Is Higher Among Older Adults In Walkable Neighborhoods That Have Low Economic Disadvantage, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, Seung-Won Emily Choi, Shannon Halloway, Uchechi A. Mitchell, Benjamin A. Shaw

Population Health Research Brief Series

Living in neighborhoods with poor built and social environments, such as low walkability and high concentrations of low-income populations, is associated with low levels of cognitive functioning among older adults. This brief summarizes findings from a study that aims to understand how U.S. older adults’ (age 65+) exposures to residential neighborhood environments – specifically walkability and concentrated socioeconomic disadvantage – are associated with their cognitive functioning between 2010 and 2018. The authors also examined how these associations vary by older adults’ education level and household income level.

Racial/Ethnic Differences In The Effects Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors Among Youth, Lorres Wan Cheung Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have examined the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on various health, well-being, and life outcomes, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors. However, considerably less studies have investigated whether the relationships between ACEs and suicidal thoughts and behaviors vary by race/ethnicity among adolescents. Therefore, this study's purpose is twofold: 1) Is there an association between ACEs and adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors? 2) If so, to what extent do these relationships vary across race/ethnicity? Utilizing the 2022 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey, methods of logistic regression modeling and categorical-categorical interactions were employed to answer these two questions. Results indicated …

Sino-Russian Cross-Border Tourism, Vladislav Chernov, Liubov Skavronskaya, Mariia Perelygina, Alexandra Bec, Elham Falatoonitoosi

Books / Book chapters

Geographic periphery regions are the focus of sustainable regional development research, with ongoing discussions on coreperiphery relationships to address economic disadvantage and remoteness. However, periphery regions face challenges due to the high efficiency of core regions. Tourism provides an alternative economic landscape, revitalizing stagnant sectors and driving strategic exploration. The Sino-Russian border, spanning 4,209 km, represents a periphery where tourism plays a vital role. This chapter views Sino-Russian cross-border tourism through the lens of the coreperiphery model, suggests two conceptual models of developing experiential cores in the cross-border areas of geographic peripheries, and argues for peripheries’ potential to become sustainable …

An Ordinary White: My Antiracist Education [Excerpt], David Roediger

American Studies

A prize-winning historian details his intellectual and political evolution

Written by the author of the landmark book The Wages of Whiteness and one of the key figures in the critical study of race and racism in America, An Ordinary White is the life story of the historian and radical American writer, David Roediger.

With wry wit and keen observation, Roediger chronicles his intellectual and political evolution from growing up in his southern Midwest sundown town to becoming a leading figure in working-class his­tory and Whiteness studies. A latecomer to the New Left, a longtime figure in the Chicago Surrealist Group, …

The Impact Of Applied Mental Health Classes On Eudaimonia, Gratitude, And Heart Rate Variability, Derek Charles Bartlett

Theses and Dissertations

Rates of depression, anxiety, and stress have been increasing and college students are especially at risk. College counseling centers often have long waitlists and have difficulty addressing the growing need for psychotherapy. Researchers have suggested that depression and anxiety may arise because of low levels of eudaimonia and self-compassion. Depression and anxiety not only have a toll on mental health but on physical health as well, as researchers have observed decreased HRV in individuals with depression and anxiety. To address the disparity between available resources and treatment need, applied mental health classes were developed to see if teaching psychotherapeutic principles …

Entangled Positionality: Researchers’ Everyday Practices Amidst Coronavirus, War, And Parenting, Vlas Nikulkin, Olga Zvonareva

The Qualitative Report

Reflecting on the researcher’s position is crucial for understanding how data are gathered, analyzed, and presented. However, researcher positionality is often reckoned through overly deterministic and rigid social statuses. This is problematic, as intertwined everyday practices of researchers’ living and doing fieldwork are diverse and messy. By reflecting on ethnographic research in Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the wake of the Russo-Ukrainian war, we elaborate an alternative way to speak of and identify the researcher’s position. Using the concept of “entanglement,” we describe how researchers’ everyday practices together with large-scale events, researchers’ social statuses, personal lives, and mundane …

Queer Rural Youth Online: A Digital Ethnography, Joseph Robert Burns

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is based on digital ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2023 within Queer subcommunities on the social media sites Reddit and Twitter (now known as X) and data collected from interviews with Queer rural youth members of these communities. The data reveal that social media use directly influences the lives and actions of Queer rural youth, who use the space to build social connections, shape their personal identities, and seek advice pertaining to their in-person lives and decisions. By using these spaces, Queer rural youth build both bonding and bridging social capital, learn to subvert restrictions to their Internet access, …

Review Of Poverty, By America, Linda Plitt Donaldson

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Book Discussion "Innovations In Peace And Security In Africa"

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of The Intersectional Environmentalist: How To Dismantle Systems Of Oppression To Protect People + Planet, Raymond Appiah

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

Review Of Water Management And Violent Conflict In East Africa: Scarcity And Security In Kenya And Uganda, Ken Conca

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.

In Memory Of Bishop Paride Taban, Sara Ketelaar, Fr. Peter Mbaro, John Ashworth, Fr. Joseph G. Healey, Rosanne Fischer, William O’Keefe

The Journal of Social Encounters

The Journal of Social Encounters mourns the loss, and celebrates the life, of the much-loved Bishop Paride Taban. We thank our authors below for sharing their reflections on him. In his memory, we also re-print an essay about him by Alberto Eisman Torres, A Beacon of Hope in a Troubled Context: Sketches of the Life of Mons. Paride Taban, Shepherd and Bridge-builder, an essay in our special collection on Peace Bishops. I was blessed to know Bisop Taban, and would see him in Nairobi and in Minnesota. One of his associates was a student of mine at the Catholic …

Peace Bishop: Bishop Nicolas Djoma Lola -- Bishop Of Tshumbé, Stephen R. Hilbert

The Journal of Social Encounters

Fr. Nicolas Djomo Lola was appointed a bishop in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1997 and immediately was thrust into a brutal war between Rwanda, Burundi and Zaire that lasted through 2003. That conflict exacerbated deadly ethnic conflicts in the eastern provinces of the Congo that continue to this day. Bishop Djomo, driven by his belief that Jesus Christ calls all people to build peace, and protect people from violence responded to this war and chaos in remarkable ways. He led a delegation of the Central Africa Bishops to advocate with the Presidents of Burundi, Rwanda and …

Relational Leadership And Governing: Somali Clan Cultural Leadership, Farhia Abdi

The Journal of Social Encounters

This research is focused on exploring the distinction between theories of leadership and more contemporary visions of relational leading. In order to do so, the specific case of traditional clan structure seen in the Somali state will be examined, and parallels between the two will be drawn. This paper argues that the old Somali tradition shares much in common with current writing on relational leadership (Uhl-Bien, 2006) and, therefore, can expand our understanding and support for a form of leadership that transcends traditional, individualist, hierarchical leadership. This argument will be supported by a detailed investigation into clan politics, leadership, and …

A Short Supplemental Reading List For The Environment: Issues In Justice, Conflict And Peacebuilding, Ronald Pagnucco

The Journal of Social Encounters

No abstract provided.