Digital Commons Network^™

Susceptibility And Resilience To Cyber Threat: Findings From A Scenario Decision Program To Measure Secure And Insecure Computing Behavior, Carl F. Weems, Irfan Ahmed, Golden G. Richard, Justin D. Russell, Erin L. Neill

Faculty Publications

Interest in the individual differences underlying end user computer security behavior has led to the development of a multidisciplinary field of research known as behavioral information security. An important gap in knowledge and the motivation for this research is the development of ways to measure secure and insecure cyber behavior for research and eventually practice. Here we report a study designed to develop a technique for assessing secure and insecure cyber behavior for broad research use. The Susceptibility and Resilience to Cyber Threat (SRCT) is an immersive scenario decision program. The SRCT measures susceptibility to cyber threat and malicious behavior …

I Am Complicated, And So Is My Blackness: A Trifecta Exploration Of Educational Spaces And Identity Development, Kala Burrell-Craft

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Myriads of research studies have been written over the past 20 years highlighting the racial gap and disparities in educational opportunities and outcomes between Black and White students, but as revealed in a review of the literature, more studies need to be conducted that examine the intersection of race, space/place, and racial identity development. Using critical race theory as a framework, this study comprised of three separate, but related essays that explore the function of educational spaces in which Black Americans navigate, grow, and develop as it intersects with race, space/place, and identity development. Essay one is a critical narrative …

Creating Coping Mechanism: An Anatomy Of A Gallery-Based Installation And Performance Work, Jamie M. Kutner

LSU Master's Theses

The project described in this paper is an exhibition of gallery-based durational performance art, and resulting three-dimensional artifacts, that was created through a tangled process of relapse and recovery from mental illness. The first section of this paper peers into the parameters of ephemeral artistic practice. I discuss the process of merging my recovery and creative practice through performance art, and then parse the discussion of the work into the categories of performer, audience, site, and time. Section II details various aspects of spectator experience through a second-person narrative tracing the crowd flow of the exhibition. I conclude with an …

Workplace Learning Measures For Human Resource Development: Review And Summary, Sunyoung Park, Jae Young Lee

Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the existing workplace learning measures used in empirical studies in human resource development (HRD). Design/methodology/approach: By reviewing 141 studies on workplace learning published in six journals in the field of HRD, we identified nine measures for workplace learning. Tynjälä’s (2013) 3-P model of workplace learning was adopted as the framework to analyze the features of each measure in terms of presage, process and product. Findings: Workplace Climate Questionnaire, Learning Opportunities Questionnaire, Approaches to Work Questionnaire and Self-regulated Learning in the Workplace Questionnaire belong to the presage category. Small Business Workplace Learning …

Maternal Encouragement Of Modest Behavior, Temperamental Shyness, And Anxious Withdrawal Linkages To Chinese American Children's Social Adjustment: A Moderated Mediation Analysis, Merve Balkaya, Charissa S.L. Cheah, Jing Yu, Craig H. Hart, Shuyan Sun

Faculty Publications

© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Past studies have revealed potential differences in the functional meaning and social evaluation of children's temperamental shyness between Chinese interdependence-oriented and North American independence-oriented cultural contexts. However, very little is known about shy Chinese American children's adjustment in Western school contexts and potential pathways underlying their adjustment. To address this gap in the literature, we examined the associations between Chinese American children's temperamental shyness and their social adjustment outcomes, including peer exclusion, prosocial behavior, and assertiveness/leadership skills. In addition, the mediating role of children's display of anxious-withdrawn behavior and the moderating role of …

Novel Modelling Approaches To Characterize And Quantify Carryover Effects On Sensory Acceptability, Damir Dennis Torrico, Wannita Jirangrat, Jing Wang, Penkwan Chompreeda, Sujinda Sriwattana, Witoon Prinyawiwatkul

Faculty Publications

Sensory biases caused by the residual sensations of previously served samples are known as carryover effects (COE). Contrast and convergence effects are the two possible outcomes of carryover. COE can lead to misinterpretations of acceptability, due to the presence of intrinsic psychological/physiological biases. COE on sensory acceptability (hedonic liking) were characterized and quantified using mixed and nonlinear models. N = 540 subjects evaluated grape juice samples of different acceptability qualities (A = good, B = medium, C = poor) for the liking of color (C), taste (T), and overall (OL). Three models were used to quantify COE: (1) COE as …

Return To The Repressive: Re-Thinking Nature- Culture In Contemporary Feminist Theory, Deborah Goldgaber

Faculty Publications

In "History of Sexuality"(Vol I.) Foucault argued that repression is the wrong model of power, understanding it in exclusively negative terms, as external to the body it constrains and inhibits. Power may also be positive, productive, and constitutive of the body and its possibilities. Thus, an adequate account of the relation between cultural forces and the body, Foucault argues, must challenge the "repressive hypothesis"(RH). Contemporary feminist accounts of the body are structured by this same oppositional view of power Foucault assumed: to call on Rosi Braidotti's distinction, discursive (cultural) forces are either negative or repressive (potestas) or positive and empowering …

Course Design…Online: Helping Students Perform In The Digital Age, Joseph W. Harris

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The current study sought to test the relationship between course design, as described by the rubric produced by Quality Matters, and online university student performance. Due to the link between student motivation and active learning behaviors, and thus performance, it was predicted that the better-designed courses would facilitate student motivation. It was also predicted that goal orientation would moderate this relationship. While a significant relationship was observed between student motivation and course performance, no relationship was observed between course quality, as measured by the QM Rubric, and motivation, or performance. Only slight evidence was found for a moderating effect of …

Unpacking The Double Bind: Exploring How The Intersection Of Race And Gender Shape The Undergraduate Experiences Of African American Women In Engineering, Anissa Guerin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This three-part qualitative study explored the factors that contribute to the success of African American female students’ persistence in engineering majors. This study also addressed obstacles African American female students face and overcome to persist in engineering majors. Examining African American women in engineering who persist would be an effective method to provide academic support and increase participation amongst this underrepresented group. In addition to exploring the challenges and barriers faced by African American women, this study also acknowledged the skills, perspectives and resources African American women bring to engineering and engineering education. Highlighting their distinctive contributions and attributes would …

Scaffolded Play As A Predictor Of Change In Language And Play In Children With Autism, Cara Tyson

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A child’s play is facilitative of language development, creating a situation where words are needed to speak to and for toy characters, socially engage with peers, and develop play narratives. Children with language disorders, in particular autism spectrum disorder, often fail to engage in play activities at levels of their typically developing peers. However, under highly structured conditions, or scaffolded conditions, children with autism have demonstrated the ability to engage in play at similar levels as their typically developing peers. It remains unclear whether direct teaching of play under scaffolded conditions will predict language skills over time for this population. …

Citizen Science In 4-H: Youth Volunteer Motivations, Participation, Retention And Scientific Literacy, Veronica Del Bianco

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the influence of volunteer motivation, participation, and citizen science project type on the retention and scientific literacy of 4-H youth volunteers ages 8-19 years participating in science projects. The conceptual model of participation in organized activities (OA) proposed by Bohnert, Fredericks and Randall (2010) was used as a framework for the variables included in the study categorizing them as predictors of participation, participation, program characteristics, or outcomes. A systematic review of volunteer motivations, retention, and scientific literacy in citizen science projects exposed that the literature contains silos of information published in …

Teachers As Leaders: An Autoethnographic Account Into The Way That Personal Spirituality Influenced One Teacher's Leadership In A South Louisiana High School, Scott Mckneely Blanchard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this autoethnographic study is to better understand the role spiritual leaders have in both educational settings and in the motivation of students. An overarching question guides this autoethnographic study: Is spiritual leadership, influenced by Christianity, an appropriate form of mentoring-leadership relationships in public secondary schools? The specific research sub-questions for this study address the following: 1. How do servant leadership and spiritual leadership help create this autonomous learning environment identified by Deci and therefore reduce the number of amotivated students? 2. How can understanding the student as an individual help a teacher confront the issues with motivation …

The Socialization Of Students Serving On United States Public Post-Secondary Education Boards, Erin Renee Bendily

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study aimed to explain how student members of United States public post-secondary education boards are socialized into their roles and how specific strategies influence their engagement and effectiveness. Researchers have studied student involvement and leadership, including why and how students become involved, individual and institutional benefits, challenges that students experience, and perceptions about students’ involvement in decision-making. Literature also addresses organizational socialization and that of post-secondary education board newcomers, including strategies that organizations use to support their engagement and effectiveness. Little research, however, has been done on the ways in which those boards attempt to support and facilitate students’ …

The Use Of Systematic Distractions To Increase Sustained Attention In School-Aged Children With Attention Problems, Emma Larson

LSU Master's Theses

With the growing prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children (DSM-5, 2013), it has been established that the ability of these children to sustain attention is marked with difficulty (Barkley, 2006). Prior research has addressed the need to increase sustained attention in children with ADHD, however, not all of the promising methods take into consideration that children with ADHD have difficulty ignoring distractions (Rapport et al., 2009). This is problematic because the typical classroom environment is filled with distractions. The current study attempted to fill this research gap by training participants to sustain attention while systematically introducing distractions …

Partner Gender As A Predictor Of Relationship Satisfaction, Sexual Satisfaction, Relationship Commitment, And Attachment Identity Among Women, Amy Leigh Wright

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Previous research examining overall relationship satisfaction, relationship commitment, and sexual satisfaction among heterosexual women is well-documented. The theoretical foundation of attachment has also been well-established within relationship research among heterosexual women. However, little to no published reports examine such variables among women currently in same-sex relationships. Furthermore, virtually no reports assess for any differences in attachment identity based on the gender of women’s romantic partners. This study therefore sought to identify any interrelationships between relationship satisfaction, relationship commitment, sexual satisfaction, and attachment identity (measured using the dimensions of avoidance and anxiety) among two groups of women based on their partner’s …

Identifying Key Factors Associated With High Risk Asthma Patients To Reduce The Cost Of Health Resources Utilization, Amani Ahmad

LSU Master's Theses

Asthma is associated with frequent use of primary health services and places a burden on the United States economy. Identifying key factors associated with increased cost of asthma is an essential step to improve practices of asthma management.

The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with over utilization of primary health services and increased cost via claims data and to explore the effectiveness of case management program in reducing overall asthma related cost.

Claims data analysis for Medicaid insured asthma patients in Louisiana was conducted. Asthma patients were identified using their ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, forward variable …

Project Narrative: Examining The Interplay Of Experiences Of Participants In An After-School Writing Club, Courtney A. Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Writing is a vital part of literacy development. It affords the opportunity for the expression and analysis of comprehensive thought, while simultaneously being a modality for unique and creative communication. In order for productive dialogue about the study of writing to be engaged, the contemplation of its many dynamic parts occurring across a diversity of contexts must be considered in such a way that one writing strategy, process, product or environment is not privileged above another. Each constituent part of writing construction contributes meaningfully to the existing body of research for this field, and when carefully disaggregated can offer specific …

Religion, Racism, And Ecological Stress Among African-American Families: A Qualitative Analysis Of Perceptions And Coping Strategies, Johnnie W. Jones

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Americans do not reside in what many consider now a Post-Racial society. A remarkable number of researchers found that African Americans are more likely than any other racial group to experience racism, manifested by racist attitudes and practices, which negatively affect their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing (health). Very importantly, numerous scholarly works have examined racism and Black women qualitatively. Unfortunately, less has been known about the personal processes and meaning-making mechanisms of Black married couples and African American males in terms of how they cope with racism, and ecological stress. To address this gap, this study uses qualitative …

Fibroblast Growth Factor 21, Adiposity, And Macronutrient Balance In A Healthy, Pregnant Population With Overweight And Obesity, Elizabeth F. Sutton, Christopher D. Morrison, Jacqueline M. Stephens, Leanne M. Redman

Faculty Publications

© 2018, © 2018 Taylor & Francis. Aim of the study: The regulation and actions of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) are responsive to energy status and macronutrient balance, and investigations of FGF21 in normal pregnancy, which could be informative for FGF21 biology, are seldom. The goal of our study was to examine FGF21 levels in a contemporary healthy, pregnant population. Methods: We phenotyped 43 women with overweight and obesity during pregnancy for weight, body composition, and fasting blood. Serum FGF21 was measured during the first and third trimesters. Placentas were collected at delivery. Results: Maternal FGF21 concentrations were positively …

Spatial-Temporal Event-Driven Modeling For Occupant Behavior Studies Using Immersive Virtual Environments, Sanaz Saeidi, Chanachok Chokwitthaya, Yimin Zhu, Ming Sun

Faculty Publications

It is widely accepted that the prediction of building energy performance is strongly related to the occupancy parameters. Currently, existing buildings and laboratories are the main sources for collecting occupancy related data. However, using such data for predicting the energy consumption of future buildings can create a considerable amount of uncertainties. Recent studies show that Immersive Virtual Environments (IVEs) have the potential to generate design and context sensitive occupant-related data. However, extended observations (longitudinal data covering relevant spatial and temporal events) which are necessary for developing quantitative predictive models are impractical using conventional IVEs. To that end, the authors propose …

Social Class Divergence In Family Transitions: The Importance Of Cohabitation, Heather M. Rackin, Christina M. Gibson-Davis

Faculty Publications

Objective: This study examined trends in familial transitions by maternal education and whether transitions rose because of changes in prevalence (the share of children exposed to a relationship state, either marriage or cohabitation) or churning (the number of entrances and exits conditional on being exposed to a relationship state). Background: Children's experiences of transitions, an important predictor of well-being, have leveled off in recent decades. Plateauing in transitions may reflect heterogeneity by socioeconomic status. Method: Data came from the National Survey of Family Growth on firstborn children observed from ages 0 to 5 among mothers aged 15 to 34 at …

Development, Validation, And Testing Of A Self-Determination Theory Instrument Called The Motivation To Prepare Healthy Foods Questionnaire, Ariana Delong Bailey

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objectives of these studies were to validate and confirm the structure of a previously developed questionnaire that measures the psychosocial constructs defined by the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and then test this questionnaire in a nutrition education setting. The instrument, titled the Motivation to Prepare Healthy Foods Questionnaire (MPHFQ), included items that measured intrinsic motivation, perceived competence, relatedness, autonomy, and autonomy support. These studies evaluated the questionnaire’s validity and ability to measure changes in the SDT construct scores.

The MPHFQ is a previously developed and reliable instrument intended to measure adults’ intrinsic motivation and perceived competence to prepare healthy foods, …

Feasibility Study Of The Switch Implementation Process For Enhancing School Wellness 13 Education 1303 Specialist Studies In Education, Senlin Chen, David A. Dzewaltowski, Richard R. Rosenkranz, Lorraine Lanningham-Foster, Spyridoula Vazou, Douglas A. Gentile, Joey A. Lee, Kyle J. Braun, Maren M. Wolff, Gregory J. Welk

Faculty Publications

Background: There is a need to identify strategies that enhance the implementation of evidence-based school wellness intervention programs in real-world settings. The present study evaluates the feasibility of empowering school wellness leaders to deliver an evidence-based, childhood obesity-prevention program called Switch ™. We specifically evaluated the feasibility of a new implementation framework, based on the robust Healthy Youth Places framework, to increase capacity of school leaders to lead school wellness programming. Methods: The SWITCH (School Wellness Integration Targeting Child Health) implementation process was evaluated in a convenience sample of eight Iowa elementary schools. Teams of three leaders from each school …

The (B)Link Between Amotivation And Dopamine In Psychosis: What Phasic Eye Blink Rate Reveals, Jessica Elaina Mcgovern

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Motivation deficits (i.e., avolition or amotivation) are a cardinal feature of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) and are linked to worse functional outcomes. Accumulating evidence implicates underactive dopamine responses in reward areas of the brain (e.g., striatum) in the etiology of amotivation. Phasic dopamine firing in the striatum purportedly has a role in increasing the perceived value of a potential reward that, in effect, helps “push” the organism toward initiating and persisting in the action to pursue rewards. Previous research has suggested that eye blink rate (EBR) may be a reliable and valid index of striatal dopamine. Amotivation (clinician-rated and self-reported) …

Similarities And Differences In Western Media Portrayals Of The Greek Economic Crisis: A Qualitative Analysis Of The Guardian And The New York Times' Summer 2015 Coverage Of The Greek Economic Crisis, Tryfon Boukouvidis

LSU Master's Theses

This study examines newspaper coverage of the Greek economic crisis in the summer of 2015 by exploring attribution of responsibility to the actors involved in the crisis. I performed a qualitative content analysis on 114 news stories, 59 from The Guardian and 55 from The New York Times. Prior literature has indicated that American newspapers tend to present economic crisis from an elite perspective, which could distort public opinion to reflect elite views. Following previous studies, I analyzed the news stories in terms of how they used the responsibility frame of coverage of the Greeks and their creditors. The …

The Effect Of Rest Period On Fatigue Using Electromyography During Manual Lifting, Nandakumar Prabhakar

LSU Master's Theses

Manual materials handing (MMH) is the main cause and concern for injuries in the working population which lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs significantly contribute to the cost of workers’ compensation and loss of productivity, thus impacting economy of the United States. MSDs are mainly caused due to over exertion and fatigue experienced by workers involved in manual materials handling. In addition to over-exertion and fatigue, lack of short and frequent rest intervals between tasks contributes to the risk of MSDs. The objective of this research was to study the effect of rest period on muscle fatigue using electromyography (EMG) …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Hatha Yoga Intervention For Smokers, Emily Robin Jeffries

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite well-documented negative effects of smoking, many individuals continue to smoke. Anxiety and depression are associated with poorer cessation outcomes. Three transdiagnostic factors may explain the anxiety/depression-smoking link: anxiety sensitivity (AS), distress tolerance (DT), anhedonia (Anh; Leventhal & Zvolensky, 2015). It therefore follows that changing AS, DT, and Anh could aid cessation efforts. Thus, the current study tested the efficacy of hatha yoga for reducing craving, smoking, AS, and Anh and increasing DT, and whether anxiety/depression moderates these relationships. Participants were 55 community-recruited smokers (62% male, 71% non-Hispanic White, M_age = 28.16) motivated to reduce or quit smoking. We …

The Power Of Pictures: Drawing On Visual Sign-Systems To Teach Inference In Gerstein’S The Man Between Two Towers, Shannon Howrey

The Journal of Balanced Literacy Research and Instruction

The ability to infer while reading is a critical part of meaning-making. Readers who infer go beyond the literal words on the page by adding information to the text and making implicit connections between the text and their prior knowledge (Barr, Blacowicz, Bates, Katz, & Kaufman, 2013). This skill allows them to establish causal relationships between story events, connect the events to their personal experiences, and determine relationships, motivations, and emotions within and between characters. Drawing on dual coding theory and visual literacy principles, the author demonstrates how the lines in the illustrations of The Man Between Two Towers assist …

The Response Strategies Of Proficient Readers When Correcting And Attempting To Correct Miscues On A Complex Scientific Text, Stephen B B. Kucer Dr.

The Journal of Balanced Literacy Research and Instruction

This study examines the strategies that proficient fourth grade readers employ when responding to their miscues. Thirty-four students orally read a complex expository scientific text. The text was part of the fourth grade science curriculum. Reader response strategies to their miscues—corrections and attempts to correct—were identified. It was discovered that response strategies were either graphic or contextual in nature. As measured by Chi-squares, readers varied their use of these strategies. This variation was statistically significant at the p < .001 level for both correction and attempt to correct strategies. For both, the primary focus was on the word level. Existing research documents that as text complexity increases, readers have a tendency to rely on sounding out as a default strategy. As readers progress across the grades, teachers will therefore need to prompt the use more than graphic strategies when readers respond to their miscues. This is particularly the case due to the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Students are being introduced to complex disciplinary texts in which the use of context is critical to …

Taboo Journal Guidelines, Taboo Journal

Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education

No abstract provided.