Digital Commons Network^™

Wondrous Uncertainty: Transforming Student Educational Experiences Using Restorative Practices, Zachary C. Schafer

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

One of the primary purposes of education is to help students make sense of their lived experiences. In the process of becoming, students navigate multiple relationships (school, peers, adults, and with self). These relationships often cause conditions of uncertainty which can be managed and transformed using restorative practices in tandem with the academic disciplines taught in school. Over the last decade this has been my inquiry puzzle, “As educators, how can we embrace uncertainty with students as a way of helping to empower them through their dignity, with the academic disciplines as a lens through which relational learning occurs in …

How Do Young Adults With Drug Use Disorder (Dud) Utilize Treatment? Exploring And Examining Lived Experiences Towards Treatment Completion In Indonesia, Dewi Kartikawatiningsih

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

In Indonesia which has the highest rate of drug addiction in Southeast Asia, there is currently little knowledge about how young adults perceive the barriers faced when completing treatment or how treatment providers' perspectives influence their treatment completion. Understanding and identifying barriers to treatment completion is essential to making drug treatment more effective. The purpose of this study is to explore the perspectives and live experiences of young adults with DUD and their addiction counselors to develop a deeper understanding of treatment needs. This study interviewed 33 clients and 15 counselors from the rehabilitation center of the Badan Nasional Narkotika …

Integrating Indigenous Values And Community Strengths To Achieve Indigenous Food Sovereignty And Community Well-Being In The Ka’A’Gee Tu First Nation, Northwest Territories, Jennifer K. Temmer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Northern Indigenous communities face disproportionate impacts from interconnected challenges related to climate change, food security, health, and cultural preservation, that threaten traditional food systems and practices. While there is a growing recognition of the importance of community-driven solutions, existing frameworks fail to integrate Indigenous values and local priorities effectively. This research addresses this gap by exploring how the Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation (KTFN) is responding to these crises through climate change adaptation efforts focused on food system sustainability as a pathway to self-sufficiency and community well-being. To contribute to these efforts, this dissertation uses Participatory Action Research to facilitate community-driven …

Y’All Means All: Pro-Choice Abortion Activism In West Texas Post-Dobbs, Hannah S. Noblewolf

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

In the spring of 2021, a six-week abortion ban passed by popular vote in the city of Westerburg, Texas. It had a civil enforcement mechanism, allowing someone to collect a reward of $2,000 if they successfully sued someone they reported for “aiding and abetting” abortion. The ban, called the Westerburg Sanctuary City ordinance, was referred to as “bounty hunting.” When the ban passed it became the template for the state-level Texas Heartbeat Act, which provides a greater financial reward for a successful civil suit, with a minimum of $10,000 plus legal fees. In the face of this ban, pro-choice activists …

“Finally Girls Hitting A Celly:” Emotions And Gender Embodiment In Competitive Swimmers’ Post-Race Celebrations, Lauren Q. Rohde , '25

Senior Theses, Projects, and Awards

In athletic competitions, the moment of achievement is often extremely cathartic and results in a visible celebration. In competitive swimming, these reactions to success are isolated to the end of a race, completely individual, and often feature interaction with one’s surroundings, such as the water or lane lines. These moments are also highly visible and usually well-photographed, and the visibility of these actions contributes to a growing culture in the sport around post-race celebrations. The exposure of the body in competitive swimming additionally contributes to its visibility, further complicating behaviors and norms around celebrating race outcomes. This research aims to …

Exploring Subjective Cognitive Decline And Ageism: At-Risk Older Adults' Lived Experience, Randal L. Williams

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Subjective Cognitive Decline (SCD), the self-perceived decline in cognitive abilities, is recognized as a preclinical marker for neurocognitive disorders (Jessen et al., 2014). Understanding the contextual factors informing SCD experience remains a research priority in this domain. At-risk older adults have heritable markers associated with dementia. Chronic exposure to embedded ageism burdens allostatic load (AL) and exacerbates epigenetic risk for cognitive decline (Levy, 2022; McEwen, 2020; Miller et al., 2021). The current qualitative study explored how ageism shapes the lived experience of SCD among at-risk older adults. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants, all doctoral level clinical practitioners, aged …

Still Hungry, Not Enough: The Past, Present, And Future Of Food Tourism Scholarship, Eerang Park, Sangkyun Kim

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper provides a state-of-the-art critical review of past and current food tourism scholarship and offers key insights and directions to establish a more comprehensive perspective on the field. The food tourism scholarship evolved, transformed, and progressed from earlier intellectual discussions and scholarly discourses on ‘food in tourism’. Through a rapid transition from ‘food in tourism’ to ‘food for tourism’ and ‘tourism for food’ as the current status quo, this paper proposes four directions for future food tourism research. These are: the application of contextualism philosophy with particular attention to the localities and peculiarities of emerging and/or new food tourism …

Family And Community Role In The Provision Of Informal Care For Older People Living With Chronic Life-Limiting Illnesses In Rural Ghana, Barbara Adonteng-Kissi, Obed Adonteng-Kissi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Informal care for older people living with chronic life-limiting illnesses is associated with difficulties. The informal care system built around generational values and cultural norms is steadily weakening in rural Ghana because of economic challenges, migration, urbanisation, and changing family structure. In responding to this knowledge gap, we aimed to ascertain how the immediate family, extended family and community support impact on mechanisms underlying provision of informal care for older people living with chronic life-limiting illnesses. Ethnographic interviews were conducted amongst fifteen older people; fifteen informal caregivers; ten health care professionals, after participatory observations during six months of fieldwork utilised …

A National Survey Of Gendered Grouping Practices In Secondary School Physical Education In England, Shaun D. Wilkinson, Dawn Penney

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Gendered grouping practices and curriculum provision are matters of long-standing contention and debate in physical education (PE) policy, research, and practice internationally. In England, there is a long tradition of single-sex grouping in PE in secondary schools, with accompanying gendered patterns of staffing and many boys and girls taught different activities in the curriculum. Research on the incidence of single- and mixed-sex grouping in PE is however scarce, dated, and limited in scale. At a time when education, sport, and society are challenged to move beyond binary discourses and critically review structures and practices that uphold stereotypical and established …

Investigating The Environmental Awareness And Attitudes Among Fisher Folks In Ghana: A Sustainability Threat, Nana Akua Okyerewa Djandoh, Enock Swanzy-Impraim

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Environmental concerns, such as human alteration, pollution, and the effects of climate change, have had a significant impact on the survival of beaches worldwide. In Ghana, beaches face numerous threats stemming from human activities, such as deforestation, construction, sand mining, open defecation, and disposal of waste into the sea. Moreover, other factors such as strong winds, high waves, and the effects of climate change contribute to beach vulnerability. This paper is part of a broader study that investigated the environmental attitude and behavior of the Fisher Folks along coastal beaches in the Winneba Municipality in Ghana. Although the broader study …

Animating Soil: Cultivating Young Children's Soil Relations, Jane Merewether, Mindy Blaise, Stefania Giamminuti

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article explores young children's relations with soil, drawing on research that positioned soil as animate, lively and interconnected. The paper investigates how animist approaches offered a mode of encounter for children and their teachers, encouraging them to see themselves as part of a larger ecological community. The research began with a "soil biome immersion"experience where teachers engaged with soil through sensory and arts-based experiences. These initial encounters led to further exploration of child-soil relations through experiential learning and storytelling. Children, as active meaning-makers, co-constructed the inquiry through imaginative and sensory engagements. Findings suggest animism cultivates soil relations, challenging traditional …

Community Perceptions On Ecotourism Development In Sebangau National Park, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, Lisna Yulianti, Yun Pratiwi, Susan M. Cheyne, Andi Muhammad Kadhafi

Journal of Indonesian Tourism and Policy Studies

Sebangau National Park (SNP), Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, is home to the world’s largest contiguous population of orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) and a vast number of other fauna and flora. Ecotourism is a developing activity in this region and has the support of regional and national governments and possibilities for local, national and international tourism are extensive. In this case study we investigate perceptions of the local community in the village of Kereng Bangkirai to ecotourism through the following topics: 1) Ecotourism Development, 2) public tourist presence and visits, 3) how involved local people are in SNP management, 4) …

Expenditure Control By Optimization Of Leftover Food In The Holiday Inn Hotel Kemayoran, Achmad Raihan Suryadi Ningrat

Journal of Indonesian Tourism and Policy Studies

The growth of tourism in Indonesia has positively impacted the hospitality sector, particularly in the kitchen department which is in charge of providing food and beverages to guests. Kitchen Hotel Holiday Inn Kemayoran wants to optimize the use of food scraps to control expenses without compromising food quality and hygiene. The results showed that there was a waste of food ingredients at the butcher and commissary in the hotel's main kitchen, such as chicken bones, shrimp shells, and vegetable ingredients. However, the leftovers can be processed with creative use into new dishes that reduce waste. This study provides theoretical benefits …

Biological Aging Pathways That Underlie Life Course Socioeconomic Disparities In Physical Function And Longevity, Tara Gruenewald, Naomi Podber

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The poorer functioning and greater morbidity and mortality risk in those with greater life course socioeconomic disadvantage has led to the search for the biological processes that underlie these associations, including accelerated cellular and system aging. Our study examines whether a DNA methylation profile of the pace of biological aging (DunedinPACE) and a multi-system index of physiological dysregulation (allostatic load (AL)) mediate associations between life course socioeconomic disadvantage (SESDIS) and both physical function (gait speed, chair stand time) and survival. Data are from the Midlife in the U.S. Study (N=1,295, age 26–86, 55.4% female, 69.0% white). Measures included a multi-indicator …

Tourism Carrying Capacity At Petungkriyono Forest And Its Supporting Areas, Nurwidya Ambarwati

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Supported by a variety of diversity and landscapes, the development of tourism in the Petungkriyono area is growing rapidly. Optimizing ecotourism services in the Petungkriyono forest without disrupting the ecosystem and damaging the environment can be done by limiting the number of visitors at tourism sites. This study aims to find out information about the tourism capacity of some tourist attractions in the local forest. This study uses the Cifuentes model to predict the maximum number of visitor capacities that can be accommodated in a tourist attraction called Physical Carrying Capacity (PCC), Real Carrying Capacity (RCC), and Effective Carrying Capacity …

Swimming Against The Tide: Resistance Strategies And Agentic Skills Used By Childfree Women, Carolina Rojas-Madrigal

Journal of Feminist Scholarship

In pronatalist societies, the decision to remain childfree creates a conflict-laden scenario. This article explores how childfree women confront social hostility and defend their reproductive autonomy through resistance strategies and tactics. With this aim, the results of a feminist research, positioned from feminist Standpoint theory and digital ethnography, are presented. The researcher conducted biographical-narrative interviews with sixteen voluntary childless women from Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Spain, and the United Kingdom, all of whom were members of a childfree Facebook group. This research revealed that there is a persistent tension between societal pressure placed on these women in pronatalist …

Volume 11, Issue 3, Critical Currents And Pedagogical Shifts In Popular Culture And Pedagogy, Journal Dialogue

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Volume 11, Issue 3 of Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy: On Confronting Identity and Global Challenges through Popular Culture and Pedagogy.

Building Transferable Skills In An Interdisciplinary Science And Science Fiction Capstone Course, John D. Carrell, Robert G. Weiner, Alexandria Prather

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

College graduates are entering an ever-competitive workforce. Interdisciplinary course experiences are critical for developing analytical abilities and learning and these courses can provide valuable skills that will aid students beyond the classroom. These transferable skills include communication, teamwork, analytical and critical thinking, and creativity. To provide a unique learning experience and, through it, the development of transferable skills, the Honors College at Texas Tech University created an upper-level Capstone course titled “Superheroes, Super Villains, AI, Time Travel, and Film in Science and Popular Culture.” The class is an interdisciplinary look at science and science fiction taught by an engineering faculty …

Research Summaries: Access To Education, Erica Jensen

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Full Issue: Access To Education, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Revisiting Insider Practices: Ethical Considerations, Practices, And Hopes For Doing Community Work And Narrative Research In And About Our Own Communities, Tiffany Sostar, Nathan Viktor Fawaz, Elliot Trimble, Theodosia Octavia Markarian, Bekett Noble

The Qualitative Report

In this paper, we describe the hopes, considerations, and questions of a narrative practice research collaboration among three closely connected transgender (trans) and/or non-binary collaborators, in a collection of work meant to support trans, non-binary, and gender expansive life and in response to trans death at a time of increasing hostility toward trans communities. We apply a specific focus on inquiring into how to do narrative therapy and community work research in and about our own communities, and what the ethical, relational and methodological practices for this work might be. We do this through reflecting on existing literature related to …

Resisting Ableism In Research Design, Gipsy Hosking

The Qualitative Report

This paper explores how ableist assumptions can unintentionally create barriers to participation in research by those of non-normative bodies or minds. In traditional epistemology, bodies are considered “universal” rather than “specific,” and the universal body is coded as fully able-bodied and independent with brain and body adhering to normative standards of the White heterosexual English-speaking male. In this article, I present a story of “enabling participation” for those of diverse body capacity in my work with young women living with chronic illness.^[1]Specifically, I explore the accommodations and adaptions I made to my research design to account for the …

Ilaw Ng Ibang Tahanan: Transnational Mothering Practices Of Overseas Filipina Domestic Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Arvin John C. Ramirez

Sinaya: A Philippine Journal for Senior High School Teachers and Students

Filipino mothers traditionally serve as primary caregivers and, at times, as the main breadwinners for their families. With limited opportunities in the Philippines, many seek employment abroad, leaving their children behind. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority indicated that female Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) often engage in elementary jobs, including domestic work and caregiving. The COVID-19 pandemic added a challenge in fulfilling their maternal needs since health and safety have become everyone’s priority. This study investigates the transnational mothering practices of overseas Filipina domestic workers during the pandemic and how these practices differ from those before the health crisis. Through …

The Camden Study - A Pregnancy Cohort Study Of Pregnancy Complications And Birth Outcomes In Camden, New Jersey, Usa., Stephanie Shiau, Xinhua Chen, Ayana April-Sanders, Ellen C Francis, Shristi Rawal, Megan Hansel, Kehinde Adeyemi, Zorimar Rivera-Núñez, Emily S Barrett

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy is a unique stage of the life course characterized by trade-offs between the nutritional, immune, and metabolic needs of the mother and fetus. The Camden Study was originally initiated to examine nutritional status, growth, and birth outcomes in adolescent pregnancies and expanded to study dietary and molecular predictors of pregnancy complications and birth outcomes in young women.

METHODS: From 1985-2006, 4765 pregnant participants aged 12 years and older were recruited from Camden, NJ, one of the poorest cities in the US. The cohort reflects a population under-represented in perinatal cohort studies (45% Hispanic, 38% non-Hispanic Black, 17% White …

The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Juvenile Delinquency, Abigail Holmquist

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Abstract

Youth that have been exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are at a much higher risk of delinquent acts and involvement in the juvenile legal system. This study includes discussion on two studies of ACEs, conducted by Felitti et al. (2019) and Cronholm et al. (2015), reviews the impact of ACEs on juvenile delinquency in certain demographics, and includes case examples of how I have seen ACEs impact previous clients I had on my caseload. Discussion includes examples of how Social Control Theory and General Strain Theory apply to the relationship of ACEs and juvenile delinquency. Future research recommendations …

The Significance And Impact Of Traditional Naming Practices In The Meru Community Of Tanzania, Wariaeli Ismaeli Pallangyo, Eliakimu Sane

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

In Africa, names are not assigned arbitrarily. They are deliberately chosen to reflect communities’ social, economic and political understandings. The Meru people, residing in northeastern Tanzania, near Mount Meru, identify themselves through ethnic names that embody their cultural practices. This article examines the significance of Meru traditional names, variations and their enduring value in increasing globalisation and cultural homogenisation, drawing on data from the Meru community. Employing a case study design, qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with 49 participants recruited using snowball sampling. Thematic analysis, facilitated by Microsoft Excel, was utilised for data transcription …

Assessing Risks Of Atypical Sexually Violent Offenders, Lesli Mattheus

Master of Arts in Human Services

Forensic behavioral health research over the past few decades has revealed the complexities of assessing sexually violent offenders (SVOs). Risk assessments play a critical role in determining penalties and treatment, evaluating recidivism risk, and guiding interventions. However, most research has focused on adult male offenders, leaving a significant gap in understanding less common offender types, such as women, juveniles, and pedophiles or child sexual abusers. Gender biases and underreporting limit the understanding of women offenders, while juveniles face challenges like substance use disorders and mental health issues. Structured clinical judgment is a key method for assessing SVO risk, but forensic …

Schools Apart: Curricular Stratification Across School Socioeconomic Compositions And Implications For Educational Inequality In The Us, Daniel Mackin Freeman

Dissertations and Theses

Motivated by longstanding sociological theories and utilizing the most current, large, and nationally representative data, this dissertation aims to describe and add nuance to our understanding of how the curriculum US youth are exposed to is stratified by the socioeconomic composition of the schools they attend. All three empirical chapters suggest that school SES contributes to substantial differences in school structure, as evidenced by differences in course-taking patterns and how course-taking relates to academic achievement in high school and beyond. The first study suggests that the relationship between curricular intensity in secondary school and postsecondary achievement is variable depending on …

Conceptualization, Measurement, And Contributors To Participation Among People Living With Parkinson’S Disease, Moon Young Kim

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Participation is a key outcome of rehabilitation and key to successful aging. Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) often experience significant challenges in maintaining participation in meaningful activities and roles. This dissertation examines the influence of living with PD on participation by integrating findings from three studies: a systematic review, a cross-sectional study, and a longitudinal study.

The systematic review synthesized the existing quantitative research on participation in people with PD, revealing inconsistencies in the conceptualization of participation. While the evaluation tools aimed at assessing participation in PD showed acceptable coverage of domains of participation, the assessment of the aspects of …

Society Of American Foresters (Saf) Academic Publications As They Relate To The Curriculum Standards For Saf Forestry Program Accreditation: A Content Analysis, Lisa M. Bentley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Goals that impact decision-making components within academic programs in the university system have the potential to define and change the direction of a field of study, and, with that, should be thoughtfully approached with a certainty of evidence that supports responsible paradigms in forestry education. Periodic revision of the standards for accreditation by SAF influences institutional expectations that result in shifts in forestry education and should be consistent with professional forestry standards. The methodology utilized in this research contextualizes data from a sociological perspective intentionally as a method to holistically integrate data as evidence to support the interpretation of Society …