Digital Commons Network^™

The Risk Protection Order: Protection From Mass Homicide?, Brooke Elvington

Theses and Dissertations

Gun control measures, referred to as “risk protection orders” or “Red Flag” laws, are expanding with widespread public support. Currently, 19 states have similar legislation, varying in procedural approaches and enforcement to reduce firearm-related homicide, emphasizing mass homicide. However, little is known about whether the legislation is effective. The following questions are presented: (1) Is there a difference between rates of firearm related homicide incidences prior to and after the creation of Florida’s “Red Flag” law? (2) Do risk protection orders target individuals demonstrating known mass homicide offender typology characteristics? The study used data derived from open-source resources. An interrupted …

Middle School Literacy Educators' Views About Student Texting And Its Impact On Student Writing, Rehana Lynda Mohamed Hussain

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation investigated middle school literacy educators’ views about the impact of text messaging on students’ spelling and writing abilities. Specifically, the researcher determined educators’ views about the impact of text messages from Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) and Short Message Service (SMS) on middle school student writing and spelling. The researcher interviewed middle school teachers about their experiences with student writing and whether text speak is present in students’ writing and spelling.

Four research questions are posed: (a) To what extent do middle school teachers notice textspeak within student writing? (b) What do middle school literacy teachers report as the …

An Analysis Of Florida Educators' Perceptions Of The School Superintendency, Qualifications, Leadership Skills, Longevity, And Student Achievement: A Quantitative Study, Natalie Whitco

Theses and Dissertations

High turnover in the role of school superintendent signaled functional disruption, decreased morale and impaired student achievement. The principal researcher sought to explain perceptions among professional Florida K-12 public school educators about key factors related to the role of school superintendent, necessary qualifications, important leadership skills, longevity and its impact on student achievement.

The principal researcher disseminated a 10-question online self-administered survey she developed for the study to a sample of 199 professional Florida K-12 public school educators. Independent demographic variables among sample participants included: gender, current job, highest level of completed education and years of experience as an educator. …

Reconceptualizing Mathematical Word Problems To Reflect Social Justice Principles And Culturally Relevant Teaching, Michelle Aryam Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

As currently developed and written, mathematical word problems lack cultural relevance for an increasingly culturally diverse population in elementary schools in the United States. The design and context of mathematical word problems promote the norms, values, and beliefs of the dominant culture while potentially negatively influencing students from non-dominant culture engagement and achievement in mathematics.

The purpose of this sequential, explanatory mixed-methods study was threefold: to (a)examine in-service teachers’ preexisting beliefs about the relevance of social justice and culturally relevant teaching related to their mathematics instructional practices before receiving a synchronous online professional development program; (b) assess the impact of …

Exploring Attitudes Of Middle School Stakeholders Towards Teachers Carrying Handguns In Schools, Roger Pacheco

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation focused on the attitudes of teachers, administrators, and parents towards teachers carrying handguns in middle schools. This qualitative study will illustrate the perceptions of specific middle school stakeholders and their views on the issue of middle school teachers carrying guns on school grounds. The lack of research about teachers carrying handguns in schools can be detrimental to informing policymakers and school officials when deciding to allow teachers to carry firearms on campus. Arming teachers has become a phenomenon of interest with many high stakeholders, but to understand the logic behind arming teachers, a historical timeline of school …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Siblings Of Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adrielle Benini

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to better understand the experience of having a sibling with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research has historically focused primarily on parents of individuals with ASD and their perceptions of how siblings were impacted; however, there was a lack of adequate research where information was obtained from conducting interviews with the siblings themselves.

The researcher conducted a qualitative study with 10 neurotypical siblings, ages 10 to 17, of individuals with ASD. These siblings were interviewed to explore their individual experiences and perceptions about areas in which they found and needed support. The researcher also utilized demographic …

Police Officer Attitudes About The Importance Of External Procedural Justice, David Borchardt

Theses and Dissertations

External procedural justice has been found to have a relationship with cooperation, compliance, and police legitimacy. Extant methods to increase external procedural justice during police-citizen interactions have been met with mixed results. Fair policing from the inside out proposes that organizationally just treatment of officers will lead to external procedural justice during encounters between officers and citizens. Police organizational justice, comprised of the dimensions of distributive justice, procedural justice, interpersonal justice, and informational justice, has been found to have a relationship with external procedural justice, however, the majority of research has been conducted using overseas samples. The minority of work …

Teacher Perceptions Of Classroom Management Programs To Improve Whole-School Measures Of Attendance, Disruptive Classroom Behaviors, And Academic Outcomes, Charles E. Natt, Jr

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored how the implementation of Capturing Kids’ Hearts (CKH) and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) classroom management programs when implemented together affected students and teachers of a Louisiana K-12 school compared with using the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program alone. Teachers at the school who had used the PBIS alone and then also used the newly implanted CKH and MTSS programs participated in in-depth interviews to examine the practical effectiveness of both program implementations upon students and classroom learning effectiveness. Teacher perceptions were also compared with ex post facto data for the school from …

Competencia Digital De Profesores Universitarios: Evaluación De Actitudes Hacia La Tecnología, Conocimiento De Las Tic Y Uso De Tecnologías En Una Universidad Privada De Colombia, Claudia Yanive Prieto

Theses and Dissertations

Competencia Digital de Profesores Universitarios: Evaluación de Actitudes hacia la Tecnología, Conocimiento de las TIC y Uso de Tecnologías en una Universidad Privada de Colombia. Claudia Yanive Prieto Castillo. 2021: Disertación Aplicada, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Palabras clave: digital competence, attitudes, technology knowledge, technology use, ICT, university level teachers Esta investigación partió del problema de que, en el programa de Licenciatura en Lenguas Extranjeras, de una universidad colombiana, no se habían realizado investigaciones que determinen la competencia digital de los profesores. Además, la revisión de la literatura indicó que la …

A Study Of A Bring Your Own Device Initiative, Myriame Delva Pierre

Theses and Dissertations

The intended purpose of this applied dissertation was to examine how teachers use student-owned technology devices for learning in the classroom and to determine how the use of these devices influence teacher planning and the classroom environment. The Bring Your Own Device initiative was an effort to prepare students by allowing them to use and leverage technology devices in the classroom to advance and enhance their learning (Greer, 2013). It is an initiative that incorporates the use of handheld technology devices into schools to better motivate student engagement. The study determined that mobile devices, as a significant part of daily …

Elementary Teacher Experiences With English Language Learners With Special Education Needs In New York, Colleen Ann Cahill

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study aimed to understand teacher experiences working with English language learners (ELL) with or suspected of having a learning disability. This study also addressed the current problem of ELL students concurrently being under and over classified as needing special education services. This study explored the experiences of elementary school teachers in the state of New York. The participants were from different school districts within New York State. The participants all had experience teaching students who were designated ELL who were currently in the process of response to intervention (RTI) or had already been referred and classified as having …

Embracing A Culture Of Stem Education: A Qualitative Research Study, Katie L. Laux

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this study was to explore teacher and administrator perspectives on STEM education and how they demonstrate characteristics of STEM education. The five schools in this study are part of a greater network of elementary, middle, and high schools that collaborate and learn together. Data were collected through interviews with teachers and administrators and observational notes from meetings and other events. Interviews were recorded and transcribed and then coded to look for themes in the data. Findings indicate teachers and administrators view a supportive leadership, teacher buy in, and comfort in teaching STEM as essential to the implementation …

Political-Pedagogical Character Of The Collective Actions Of The Popular Bars, Magda Victoria Díaz Alzate Sra, Juan Pablo Menjura Acosta Sr, Maria Clara Fonseca Echeverri Sra

The Qualitative Report

Barrismo is a complex phenomenon and cannot be defined universally. Social representation is based on deficient conceptions that relate it to the use of psychoactive substances and violence. This article presents qualitative research evidence based on the epistemological assumptions of social constructionism, a hermeneutical phenomenological design and the use of qualitative interview and documentary and audiovisual review, to understand the political-pedagogical character of the collective actions of the popular bars of the city of Medellín, Colombia, as practices that contribute to the transformation of the territories. Categories found: i. Bars as popular movements: transition from the brave bar to the …

Teaching And Assessing College Stem Courses Online During Covid-19: Evidence-Based Strategies And Recommendations, Santanu De, Georgina Arguello

FDLA Journal

Since the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, most schools, colleges, and universities worldwide underwent a paradigm shift by transitioning to digital teaching and learning modalities. This phenomenon was essential to mitigate the contagion; however, the academic institutions needed to quickly come up with ways to ensure that the quality and rigor of education were maintained, especially the active and experiential learning required by undergraduate and graduate courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This paper highlights key approaches reported or proposed to effectively conduct college-level, in-person STEM courses online owing to the pandemic. These would range from synchronous versus asynchronous pedagogies …

A Study On The Impact Of Socioeconomic Status On Emergency Electronic Learning During The Coronavirus Lockdown, Marie Camille Cuisia-Villanueva, Jayrome Lleva Núñez

FDLA Journal

This research paper tackles the relationship of socioeconomic status (SES) to students’ emergency electronic learning (e-Learning) during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown period in the Philippines. The study investigates the impact of accessibility to the students’ performance in distance learning. By looking at these variables, the researchers seek to answer the research question, ‘what is the impact of the students’ family socioeconomic status on their accessibility to emergency e-Learning’. This mini-study will be viewed in the lens of human capital theory guided by Gary Becker (1964).

Philosophical Foundations Of African Women's Indigenous Knowledge For Food Security: Towards Narrative Feminist Pedagogy, Humphrey Jeremiah Ojwang, Wanjiku Mukabi Kabira, Penninah Amolo Ogada

FDLA Journal

This paper explores the pedagogical value of African Women’s Indigenous Knowledge or Food Security. The approach is narratological and takes into account oral testimonies and life-stories of women farmers in Homa Bay County, Kenya. The paper proposes African feminist epistemology as a viable approach in the pedagogy of food security and agricultural extension in rural Kenya. This is a paradigm shift which incorporates women farmers’ indigenous knowledge in formal agricultural education and extension programmes. The paradigm shift to African feminist epistemology is a response to a pedagogical anomaly where women’s indigenous knowledge has been relegated to the sidelines, with hegemonic …

Maintaining Privacy And Security In Cyberspace: What Everyone Needs To Know, Maureen Mcdermott, Jennifer L. Reeves, Gabriela Mendez, Berta Hayes Capo, Jason Karp

FDLA Journal

The growth of technology will always outpace legal and ethical understanding concerning maintaining privacy and security in cyberspace. Remote network security breaches are a common method for taking sensitive information from companies, K-12 school districts, institutions of higher learning, and from social media accounts. Parents, university/college personnel, teachers and other adults working in the K-12 systems are held accountable to higher standards when determining levels of technology infusion especially with distance education.

Recuerdos Autobiográficos Y Creencias Acerca De La Escolarización En Adultos Víctimas De Acoso En Su Época Escolar, William Tamayo-Agudelo, Yuly Alejandra Agudelo-Cardona, Ana María Castrillón-Suárez

The Qualitative Report

El acoso escolar es un tipo de relación caracterizada por la agresión sistemática ejercida por uno o más escolares sobre una o más personas con el objetivo de causar daño y en la que se evidencia una asimetría de poder entre agresores y agredidos. A pesar de que se han identificado múltiples consecuencias en la salud mental de las víctimas, pocos estudios se han preguntado por los recuerdos acerca de la época escolar de los adultos víctimas de acoso en su niñez y adolescencia. El objetivo de la investigación fue describir los recuerdos autobiográficos de adultos que padecieron acoso escolar …

Teaching And Learning During Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study On Elementary School Teachers In Indonesia, Kartika Yulianti, Amirul Mukminin

The Qualitative Report

In this study, we explored how teachers in elementary schools in urban and rural areas in Indonesia experienced teaching and learning during school closure or learning from home (LFH) period and examined the barriers that hindered the teaching and learning process in both contexts. We collected data through demographic profiles and semi-structured in-depth interviews with 18 teachers. We organized our analysis around their perspectives on teaching and learning during COVID-19 pandemic that they encountered emerged. Overall, an analysis of the text revealed that major themes related to the critical issues of (1) teaching and learning activities during school closure, (2) …

Occupational Therapy’S Role In Health Promotion For Youths Facing Chronic Conditions, Megan A. Moret, Megan A. Moret

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

This 17-week capstone project was completed at The Parker Place and virtually managed throughout the entirety of the experience. The Parker Place is a pediatric endocrinology and lifestyle management facility located in Annapolis, Maryland. Completing a virtual capstone project did not hinder the progress and outcomes of this experience. The Healthy Habits program was developed at this site to implement an occupational therapy role to supplement the served population’s health and wellness goals. Communication and client visits took place through passcode-protected video call sessions, phone calls, a HIPAA-compliant texting system, and email. Dr. Elizabeth Parker was the mentor for this …

Challenges Among Children During Three Phases Of Covid-19 In Pakistan, Sana Rehman

The Qualitative Report

Children are not indifferent to mental health issues in response to COVID-19 and experienced surge of challenges. Therefore, in the current study children of 8 to 16 years were recruited to investigate the challenges and its impact on children mental health during all three phases of COVID-19. The Colaizzi’s phenomenological method for qualitative analysis was used to investigate the student’s response. The reactions of students were summarized into three themes and sixteen sub-themes considering all three phases of COVID-19. The three major themes are religious concerns, mental health issues, and academic concerns. The findings have been discussed in terms of …

The Motivations Of Learning Foreign Languages: A Descriptive Case Study Of Polyglots, Noprival Noprival, Zainal Rafli, Nuruddin Nuruddin

The Qualitative Report

Polyglots are extraordinary people in terms of language ability. Therefore, it is interesting to academically explore their motivations for learning several languages. This research is novel compared to previous studies because scant extant research exists of polyglots’ motivation for learning several languages. To this end, researchers collected data from semi structured interviews obtained from five informants. The method that we used was a descriptive case study. Findings showed that the polyglots’ motivation for learning multiple foreign languages were (a) pleasure, (b) social intercourse, (c) professional purposes, and (d) academic purposes. Mostly, the previous research revealed that motivation for people learning …

Studying South African Black Gay Men’S Experiences: A First-Time Researcher’S Experience Of Reflexivity In A Qualitative Feminist Study, Tshepo B. Maake

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative research on gay experiences in South African society is slowly gaining momentum. However, it is accompanied by serious ethical implications and positionality dilemmas that should be considered in carrying out such research. Black gay researchers’ discussions of reflexivity in research that focuses on gay identities and realities in South Africa remain minimal. This paper focuses on a first-time gay male researcher’s experience of being reflexive in a qualitative feminist study on the realities of Black gay men in mining workplaces. It highlights the importance of reflexivity and how it is enacted by a gay researcher who studies a gay …

Tried And True Methods Of Course Design: Overview & Lesson Example, Judith Slapak-Barski

HCAS Instructional Design and Pedagogy

As we strive to find new models of student engagement in a post-pandemic educational landscape, it best to build upon proven methods and best practices. This paper provides a sample blueprint for course or lesson design that can be used in face-to-face, hybrid, or online courses, so that we can teach the way students learn best. The sample lesson provided is an applied example of integrating each of the steps delineated in Gagné’s book, The Conditions of Learning, first published in 1965, identified the mental conditions for learning. These steps might be completed in one class meeting, in a whole …

Why Online Students Struggle In Higher Education, Rebecca J. Armstrong, David L. Hart Jr

FDLA Journal

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Class In Composition From 1970-2010, Holland R. Cutrell

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Class and socioeconomic status in composition and rhetoric remains a topic that is felt, yet not often discussed. The language students use is highly indicative of their class background, and everyone has a slightly altered form of discourse they prefer (Zebroski, 2006). My thesis examines the issues working-class students have faced with literacy acquisition and discourse assimilation from 1970s–mid 2000s. My analysis illustrates how composition and rhetoric has evolved from the error-centered and hyper-correct culture of the 1970s to the technologically dominated, media driven production powerhouse that affects every aspect of college and beyond. To most effectively address how working-class …

The Future Is Full Of Monsters: Queer Survival One Click At A Twine, 'Aolani N. Robinson

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

Spurred by a desire to explore queer rhetoric through interactive forms of media, this project analyzed the game-making program Twine to uncover how independent queer creators use the tool to explore queer survival against time, capitalism, and constrained identities. A more accessible platform than other game-making tools, Twine’s unique interactivity puts the ability to make interactive games and stories into the hands of indie marginalized creators who are often overlooked in both mainstream gaming and queer rhetorics (Anthropy, 2012). Thus, this thesis contributes to queer rhetoric, game studies, and trans rhetorics by exploring the strategies indie Twine creators use in …

Parents’ Awareness On Online Predators: Cyber Grooming Deterrence, Magiswary Dorasamy, Maniam Kaliannan, Manimekalai Jambulingam, Iqbal Ramadhan, Ashok Sivaji

The Qualitative Report

The rapid increase of information and communications technology is manifested by its tremendous positive outcomes on the economy, business, and society. However, online application use by adolescents, especially mobile technology, has caused uneasiness among parents owing to cyber grooming incidents. This study reflects on the current cyber grooming situation. Investigating the current state of online grooming and the means through which parents can ensure the online safety of their adolescents from adults offering “candy” or wanting to start a relationship is necessary. Teen behavior related scholars believe that parents play a vital role in building safe environments. We conducted a …

“I Finally Marginalized Myself From The Mainstream”: An Autoethnography Study Of Chinese International Student’S Development Of Intercultural Communicative Competence, Yuqi Lin, Hongzhi Zhang

The Qualitative Report

In the higher education market, the cross-border flow of international students has become increasingly apparent. For Australia, China has been a major student source and most of these students have been enrolled in the higher education sector. Such a phenomenon has rendered the innovation of higher education management necessary, and its socio-cultural influence has attracted attention from the Australian government. This study suggests that international students’ intercultural communicative competence (ICC) deficits could influence their self-perceptions thus compromising their ability to communicate with peers. Using a qualitative research approach, the study explores the extent to which China’s College English influences Chinese …

Reflections On Trauma: A Phenomenological Qualitative Secondary Analysis Of Archived Interviews About Adolescent Experiences During The 1970 Kent State Student Shootings, Sheryl L. Chatfield, Kristen A. Debois, Erin Orlins

The Qualitative Report

Among short-term mental health consequences for adolescents who have proximate or direct experience with mass shootings in school settings are posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic stress disorder. Identifying incidence of enduring mental health impacts is challenging due to difficulty of tracking individuals into adulthood. The purpose of this paper is to use qualitative secondary analysis to explore how seven individuals reflectively describe and interpret their lived experiences as adolescents during the May 4, 1970, Kent State University Vietnam protest that resulted in deaths and injuries to students fired upon by Ohio National Guard. Archived transcripts from interviews conducted up to 48 …