Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Music Genres: A Study Of Optimal Differentiation By Feature, Rebecca Stetler

Honors Projects

This study explores the presence of optimal differentiation in music at the feature level by genre. Popularity prediction models are constructed and used to identify influential features in predicting popularity in each genre. These influential features are then assessed for optimal differentiation of the most popular songs from all songs in the genre.

Counseling Experiences In Physically Disabled Individuals, Leah Schulze

Honors Projects

This pilot study covers the effects that counseling has on the physically disabled community. 5 individuals were interviewed on a mid-sized college campus about their experiences.

Emerging Viral Diseases: Generation Z'S Outlook, Ian Mcwhorter

Honors Projects

Generation Z differs notably from previous generations like Baby Boomers or Generation X. In recent years, young adults have been persisting through the COVID-19 pandemic, though not unscathed. This paper seeks to answer the following question: How does Generation Z differ in its outlook on Viral diseases compared to previous generations? Using a series of three surveys conducted on three seperate Viral diseases (HIV, Zika, and COVID 19), it was found that while Generation Z has improved in its ability to combat Viral outbreaks due to factors like high digital literacy, other factors such as poorer mental health show that …

Outside The Box: Gender Roles, Gender Incongruence, And Psychological Wellbeing, Ashton Boffa

Honors Projects

My project explores the impacts of gender roles and gender identity on psychological wellbeing. Previous research has shown that gender roles are negatively associated with psychological wellbeing, and transgender individuals have lower psychological wellbeing than the cisgender population. Since transgender individuals have had unique experiences with gender roles, it leads to a question of how these individuals have been affected by gender roles. Participants responded to a confidential questionnaire about their experiences with gender roles as they were growing up, their gender incongruence, and their psychological wellbeing. The results were consistent with previous research. Furthermore, my results suggest that transgender …

Anxiety & Icebreakers, Sara Jurkiewicz

Honors Projects

Icebreakers are a common activity conducted at colleges and universities at various times during a student’s career. They may be performed at orientations, class meetings, in student organizations, and even in jobs. Anxiety can arise from participants in icebreakers for various reasons and as anxiety is a health concern, it is important to consider the impact icebreakers can have on students. Anxiety is related to shyness and sociability of a person as these traits can impact how a person participates in life.

Researching A Marketing Strategy And Building A Website For Small Business, Trinidad Montez

Honors Projects

Research regarding the process and marketing for the design of a website for a local small business.

Quickwrites And The Quest To Reverse Writing Reluctance, Jenna Dunn

Honors Projects

Current research suggests that students’ enjoyment of writing will positively impact their writing achievement (Graham, 2007; Bulut, 2017). Given this trend, the following study explores the extent to which quickwriting, a teaching strategy developed extensively by Linda Rief (2003, 2018) as well as Donald Graves & Penny Kittle (2005), impacts the attitudes of reluctant writers. A total of nineteen eleventh-grade students were interviewed in three focus groups. All of the students within the study experienced three weeks of regular classroom quickwriting along with one week of a quickwriting extension workshop prior to participation in the focus groups. Students were asked …

Concert Audience Engagement: A Select Overview From The Post-Pandemic World, Payton Gehring

Honors Projects

A select overview of five articles outlining audience engagement practices and how they have changed throughout the 21st century.

Determining The Best Practices Of Social Media For A Small Business: A Case Study On The Salt Cave Of Perrysburg, Michelle Timms

Honors Projects

This study is about finding the best social media practices for a small business. I used The Salt Cave of Perrysburg, which is located in Perrysburg, Ohio, as my testing subject for the implementation of the social media practices that were found through primary research, such as surveys and waiver forms, and secondary research, such as previous research papers, textbooks, and previous surveys. Through primary and secondary research, this paper will describe how to research and then implement the best practices for a small business. With the research I have found, I then implemented those findings to The Salt Cave …

Intergroup Dialogue: Affecting Real Change, Lauryn Hulett

Honors Projects

Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) is a course adapted from The University of Michigan. In this Honors Project, a systematic literature review is done from eleven sources in hopes to theorize best practices and areas of improvement amongst applications of Intergroup Dialogue.

Functionally Intense Training (F.I.T.) Multimedia Rebranding Package, Kaitlin Manger

Honors Projects

Branding and social media outreach to customers is essential to small businesses that are looking to grow their business and attract new members. This paper covers the development and production of a multimedia rebranding package that was produced for the high-intensity, CrossFit-like gym in Wapakoneta, Ohio, owned and operated by Steve Knapke, Functionally Intense Training. This gym has been open since 2013 but has no consistent social media content or branding content for the business. This project includes the deliverables of 10 videos, 20 photos, 5 graphic design templates, a new logo, and new branding guidelines. Along with the final …

Sorrow, Healing, And Hope: A Braided Narrative, Abigail Maggi

Honors Projects

This project is a creative nonfiction essay about sadness. In the form of a braided essay, I weave personal narrative with insight and guidance from therapists, psychologists, and friends. In this essay, I share my experience of sadness and how I have processed my emotions during challenging times. The essay is split into three sections – sadness, feeling a little better, and hope – to share my story, the skills I learned that helped me move through sadness, and my decision to choose hope despite and amidst the struggles.

Impact Of Traditional Versus Alternative Assessment On Student Achievement, Beth Lustgarten

Honors Projects

The focus of this study looks at the effect of alternative assessment on student achievement in a high school science classroom. Within this action research, students have choices and are able to demonstrate creativity in their alternative assessments. By comparing student results from traditional and alternative assessments, the impact of assessment showed students had an overwhelming preference for completing alternative assessments, and a majority of students did better on the alternative assessment when compared to the traditional assessment.

An Analysis Of Appearance-Based Assumptions In Content Creation, Emily Andersen

Honors Projects

The purpose of this project is to uncover assumptions and stereotypes held against college majors through content creation. Is it natural to stereotype and label people? Is it harmful? Most may think that is true, while others may believe that is being judgemental. Can others tell what major a student is by a first glance or a brief conversation? Is it the way they dress, their star sign, or political beliefs? These are all examples of stereotypes I believe could influence an assumption. What kind of thoughts goes into these stereotypes from a sociological perspective? Answers are discovered through a …

"Standing In The Gap": Combating Sexual Abuse In The Protestant Church, Hayley N. Carter

Honors Projects

Sexual abuse in the Christian Church has been a problem for many decades, and scholars have written extensively about sexual abuse occurring in the Catholic Church. However, abuse occurring in the Protestant Church has not been given that same attention. In 2017, the #MeToo movement went viral and has inspired many sexual abuse survivors to share their stories. I will argue that the Protestant Church should acknowledge the #MeToo movement’s accomplishments, and that this acknowledgement would lead to positive changes in how it approaches sexual abuse. I also will discuss financial abuse, which is a correlating behavior along with sexual …

Mosaic: A Lifetime Of Poems, Emma F. Bowen

Honors Projects

In hopes of providing a clearer picture of the aging process and its effects on our personalities, follow this collection of poems through diary-like entries of individuals navigating their lives from daycare, heartbreak, and loneliness. The impact that development can have on our psychological well-being and brains is fascinating and feels familiar. Why do we see the world so differently when we are young? As we grow older, what is so important that makes us shift how we view ourselves and our environment multiple times? It is often seen that each generation shares like-mindedness throughout their lives – why?

Architecture In Anime: Miyazaki's Motifs, Jack Collins

Honors Projects

Internationally known, celebrated, and respected, director Hayao Miyazaki has become a household name by transforming an industry through his films. This research focuses on Miyazaki’s process and the similarities he shares with architects, both in and out of his works. By initially examining his background, the three motifs of architecture, inspiration, and sustainability are explored through works like Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and more. The results of this research are to inform fans of both architecture and anime about the connection between someone who designs and builds the world, and one who designs and builds …

How Covid-19 Restrictions During The 2020-2021 School Year Affected The Mental Health, Physical Health, And Social Health Of The Students At Bowling Green State University, Hannah Davies

Honors Projects

The purpose of this study was to survey BGSU students in the Honors College and Athletics Department to obtain their perspective on whether Covid-19 restrictions during the 2020-2021 school year affected their mental health, physical health, and social health. The study was performed in an effort to allow people to consider whether Covid-19 protocols influenced the mental and physical well-being of students. If that was the case, was there a difference between the student-athletes and the non-athlete students.

Into The Blogosphere: Using Poetic Inquiry To Examine Women’S Identities In “Mommy Blogs”, Samantha Ernst

Master of Arts in Media and Communication Plan II Graduate Projects

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How Corrective Lens Choices Are Associated With The Self-Esteem Of College Students, Margaret Neenan

Honors Projects

If you wear glasses or contacts, which one do you wear more often, and why? How Corrective Lens Choices are Associated with the Self-Esteem of College Students is an observational study on 1) how corrective lens choices are associated with the self-esteem of college students, and 2) how do factors such as gender, ethnicity, finances, insurance, recreational and occupational use, or lens options recommended to a patient impact an individual’s choice of corrective lenses. The observational study shows that there is no significant difference in the self-esteem of college students who wore a specific corrective lens more often. However, research …

Connecting Confidence To College Mathematics And High School Ability Tracks, Kaleb Wourms

Honors Projects

Ability tracking within mathematics education is commonplace in American high schools. Some feel that students’ ability tracks act as a predictor for their success in university mathematics. Research has shown that many factors, such as socioeconomic status and more, have substantial effects on student success. The purpose of this study was to further investigate variables related to success in university mathematics. Confidence in mathematics is one factor in student performance that is particularly under-researched. This research investigated the relationship between ability tracking in high school mathematics, student confidence level, and performance in university mathematics. Data was gathered via a survey. …

Title Ix: An Analysis Of Its Effects On Collegiate Athletics, Hanna Laube

Honors Projects

Title IX has had a monumental impact on the development of women’s opportunities in sports. I conducted three interviews with women athletes who competed in college from 1967-71, 1995-99, and 2009-2014. I also analyzed some primary research on how female athletes remember Title IX and some secondary research on remembering Title IX. In the interviews I found that all the athletes were very appreciative of Title IX, but did not know much about it and therefore could not think very critically about it. In contrast, scholars were very critical of Title IX and pointed out the shortcomings in the law. …

The Interrelationships Between Food Choice Motives, Food Insecurity, And Substance Use Among Us College Students, Natalie Nieschwitz

Honors Projects

Dietary quality declines during college and is exacerbated by food insecurity (FI) and substance use (SU), leading to negative health and academic consequences. Purposes of this study were to investigate rank importance of food choice motives (FCM), relationships between FI intensity and FCM, and relationships between SU intensity and FCM.

College students aged 18-30 were recruited by Facebook. The USDA 6-item Food Security Survey Module (FSSM); Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT); Extended Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT-E); and Food Choice Motives Questionnaire were used. FCM were analyzed using Friedman and Dunn-Bonferroni tests. Relationships between FCM and FI and …

For Our Future: Why Suffrage Must Be Extended To Disenfranchised Youth, Nolan Mchugh

Honors Projects

Is our democracy truly representative if large portions of our population consistently fail to make their voices heard at the polls? 18-24 year olds consistently turn out to vote at the lowest levels of any age group, and yet these are the voters who will live the longest with the policy decisions being made today: how can we improve voter turnout and civic engagement in the next generation to ensure our democracy is truly "by the people and for the people?" To answer this question, we must turn to another group whose voices are not heard at the ballot box, …

Plant Wise, Sophia Llamas

Honors Projects

Conceptually, Plant Wise is the key to bridging the gap between preconceived ideas about vegan and vegetarianism and successfully integrating plant-based foods into your everyday life. Physically, Plant Wise is a self-educational, interactive booklet chock-full of activities intended for users to complete at their own pace. Inside this 56-page booklet, there are recipes, doodling spaces, weekly check sheets, activities to do with friends and family, challenges, and so much more. Plant Wise utilizes these activities and journaling opportunities throughout as a self-reflective vehicle to give users an experience to reflect on, which aids in the retention of what’s been learned …

Life Design For Education Majors: Merging College, Career, And Life, Rachel Durbin

Honors Projects

This project explores Life Design and how it can aid college students in making meaningful and intentional decisions regarding their career and life. It identifies key components of design thinking and how they can be applied to career navigation through inquiry-based learning techniques. This project also includes an asynchronous, online course to introduce Education students to Life Design. The goal of the course is to allow students to discover their values and meaning, which can then be used to guide decisions regarding a career.

Final Master's Portfolio, Heather Eubank

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

The following is my final portfolio for the Master of Arts in English with specialization in English Teaching program. An analytical reflective narrative introduces four projects exemplifying the range of theories and methods that have informed my work, the skills I have gained, and the growth I have demonstrated throughout my time at BGSU: a research proposal titled “The Effect of Decreasing Literary Texts in the High School English Language Arts Curriculum: Proposed Perceptions and Analysis of Student Engagement and Performance”; my statement of teaching philosophy and first-year composition course syllabus; an annotated bibliography of pedagogical research and literary criticism …

Final Master's Portfolio, Michael Cullen

Master of Arts in English Plan II Graduate Projects

This portfolio represents the best of the author's work in the MA program in English (individualized track) at Bowling Green State University. Included are an analysis of two Ray Bradbury short stories via eco-criticism and poststructuralism; a creative writing course unit on dystopian fiction; an analysis of several Black films through critical race theory; and an original short story.

The Bg News April 13, 2022, Bowling Green State University

BG News (Student Newspaper)

The BGSU campus student newspaper. April 13, 2022. Volume 101-Issue 27.

Exploring Popular Music's Affect On Popular Culture Through The Media Format Of A Podcast, Alicia Kobasic

Honors Projects

This project covers the development of a podcast titled "The Podcast" where topics relating to popular music and popular culture and how they affect one another are discussed. The project discusses existing research into the topics as well as the development process of the podcast. It delves into each episode and what was learned through the research into the episode and how the episode was recorded and shared. it also talks about the effectiveness of a podcast as method for delivering research.