Digital Commons Network^™

Homeschooling And Online Learning Technologies From A Parent’S Perspective, Karla M. Forti

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative, predictive correlational research study was to examine the relationship between homeschooling parents’ use of educational technology tools and their instructional behaviors and perceptions, with additional consideration of virtual school participation. Survey-based data from 22 parents of over 40 homeschooled children were used to examine technology adoption and instructional preferences across non-traditional learning settings. The study addressed four research questions through descriptive statistics and correlational analysis, while quantitative themes from open-ended responses enriched the findings. Results provided insight into parental motivations and trends influencing homeschooling and virtual school choices, highlighting the expanding role of online learning …

The Disengagement Of Black High School Students In English Language Arts Classrooms, Michelle Chanda Singh

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation explored how high school English Language Arts (ELA) teachers understand and respond to the disengagement of Black students. Racial disparities in literacy achievement persist across the United States. Despite reform efforts, many Black students continue to experience academic and emotional disconnection in ELA classrooms. Few studies have centered on teachers’ perspectives to understand the classroom-level conditions contributing to this disengagement. This qualitative study addressed that gap by examining the beliefs, practices, and experiences of four veteran ELA teachers in the southeastern United States.

Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the study examined how teachers make sense of Black student …

When They See Us: The Lived Experiences Of Bglo Members At A Pwi, Brittany Harris-Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation explored the lived experiences of members of Black Greek-Letter Organizations (BGLOs) at a predominantly White institution (PWI) in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. BGLOs have historically served as critical spaces for leadership development, cultural expression, and community support. However, within PWIs, these organizations often encounter systemic barriers related to visibility, funding, and institutional engagement.

The purpose of this study was to center the voices of BGLO alumni who graduated between 2020 and 2024 to better understand how they navigated their membership experiences during a time of social, institutional, and cultural transition. Using a qualitative research design, …

Effects Of Parent Involvement In Their Children’S Academic And Behavioral Performance, Megan Menozzi

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to investigate the best practices to increase parental involvement in their children’s school activities by recording and scribing the experiences of certified teachers. Prior to this study, the current school experienced a decrease in parental involvement with their child’s scheduled school activities. As the school carry on with planning scheduled events for parental involvement, teachers were still expected to be prepared to implement curriculum in the classrooms, while ensuring children’s needs were being met by way of continuous communication with families.

The researcher developed a qualitative phenomenological approach. The design allowed the researcher to interview …

Foster Care Placement And Law Enforcement Contact, Tranika Guerrero De Los Reyes

Theses and Dissertations

Interaction with law enforcement and delinquency are higher among youth in foster care, and they are likely to experience higher incarceration rates and be involved in criminality, which limits their access to education and employment. The problem addressed in this study was the elevated risk of law enforcement contact outcome (LEO) among adolescents and young adults with a history of foster care placement. The purpose of this quantitative research was to investigate differences in the number of LEO contacts and LEO arrests based on foster care placement type among youth in California’s foster care system.

Guided by the social control …

A Study Of The Effect Of Incentives On Police Recruitment And Retention, Taylor R. Wiggins

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines factors contributing to the staffing crisis in police departments, focusing on officers' perceptions of their organizations. It explores their attitudes toward their departments, motivations for joining law enforcement, and reasons for remaining in their positions. Additionally, the research assesses the impact of various incentives on officer retention.

A total of 140 participants were surveyed, with 113 completing the survey in its entirety, ensuring reliable data analysis. Demographic findings revealed a predominantly male sample (85.8%), with most officers aged between 25 and 44. Analysis of the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) indicated that intrinsic satisfaction (M = 3.85; range …

Overcoming Challenges In Obtaining And Presenting Evidence In Federal Sex Trafficking Prosecutions, Jason Brumbelow

Theses and Dissertations

Sex trafficking is a complex and under-prosecuted federal crime (Cook, 2019). Misunderstandings about how this exploitation happens can “frustrate the criminal justice response to trafficking” (Murphy, 2022, p. 4). Investigating and prosecuting the crime of sex trafficking includes understanding concepts such as consent and coercive control. Proving these concepts within the federal criminal justice system is not straightforward (Albanese et al., 2022).

This study will examine the challenges law enforcement professionals face in identifying and putting forth the elements of force, fraud, and coercion in federal sex trafficking investigations and prosecutions. Investigating and prosecuting the crime of sex trafficking requires …

The Impact Of The Annapolis Police Athletic League On Youth Crime Prevention And Police-Youth Relationships, Talia Carol Lisko

Theses and Dissertations

The Annapolis Police Athletic League (PAL) was established as an initiative to prevent juvenile delinquency by fostering positive relationships between at-risk youth and law enforcement. The study explored the effectiveness of the PAL program using a generic qualitative research approach informed by the CIPP evaluation model. Semi-structured interviews with police officers and volunteer mentors involved in the program provided insight into the program’s implementation, outcomes, and its influence on youth crime prevention in the Annapolis community. The findings from this study contribute to a deeper understanding of community-based crime prevention and the role of law enforcement in promoting pro-social attitudes …

Unrestrained Voices: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis On Formerly Incarcerated Trans People’S Perceptions Of Safety During Incarceration, James Anthoney Crawford

Theses and Dissertations

Heightened risks of violence, discrimination, and insufficient institutional protections mark the experiences of incarcerated trans individuals. This qualitative thematic analysis investigated the perceptions of safety among formerly incarcerated trans people within U.S. correctional facilities. Using qualitative research methods, the study gathered firsthand accounts of physical and sexual assault, examined institutional responses to reported incidents, and assessed the effectiveness of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 in addressing the unique vulnerabilities of trans inmates. Data collection involved oral history transcript analysis, which was analyzed through thematic coding to identify patterns of institutional neglect, inadequate training of correctional staff, and systemic …

Intimate Partner Violence Against American Indian/Alaska Native Women, Jessica Sanchez-Cowan

Theses and Dissertations

Intimate partner violence is not a new problem. Many forms of intimate partner violence can be found worldwide, and evidence of its occurrences can be traced back as far as history goes. However, while intimate partner violence may have been recognized and treated as a private family matter in earlier years, current research shows that it is coming to the forefront as it becomes an increasing issue in the United States and its marginalized communities. With the victimization rate being much higher for American Indian/Alaska Natives in comparison to other races, addressing the issue of intimate partner violence should be …

Incarcerated Youth Returning To Society As Adults: An Examination Of Their Lived Experiences And Challenges, Kimberly R. Lawrance

Theses and Dissertations

When children have been incarcerated, they face collateral consequences that make it nearly impossible to recover from when they return home. Collateral consequences are the adverse effects experienced by incarcerated people and their families often causing restrictions or missed opportunities after interaction with the criminal justice system (Moise, Simonsen, & Kearl, 2023). Collateral consequences can be related to housing, employment, and education, to name a few. These lost opportunities are concerning for youth because most have never held a job or finished high school. Collateral consequences often set them up for failure leading to the revolving doors of jails and …

The Relationship Of Parent Iep Meeting Attendance On African American And Hispanic Middle School Students’ Attendance And Behavior, David W. Johnny

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation investigated whether there was a significant difference in behavioral and attendance outcomes among African American and Hispanic middle school students with disabilities, depending on parental attendance at Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. The study was grounded in Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler’s parent involvement theory. This quantitative study used archival data from a southeastern U.S. middle school to examine whether variations in parental participation corresponded with students' disciplinary incidents and school absences.

The study included 96 students in grades 6–8 whose IEP attendance, behavior referrals, and absence data were analyzed. Independent samples t-tests were conducted to determine if statistically …

Uso De Herramientas De Inteligencia Artificial Generativa Por Parte De Docentes En Una Escuela Del Suroeste De Puerto Rico, Glorimar N. Rodríguez Guiliani

Theses and Dissertations

Esta disertación aplicada fue diseñada para investigar el nivel de conocimiento, uso y dificultades que enfrentan los docentes de quinto a duodécimo grado en una escuela privada del suroeste de Puerto Rico respecto a tecnologías emergentes las cuales presentan desafíos significativos para los docentes y los estudiantes. Se exploró la utilización de herramientas de inteligencia artificial generativa (GenAI) como ChatGPT dentro y fuera del aula para actividades pedagógicas y administrativas.

Los hallazgos revelaron una notable carencia en el conocimiento docente sobre el uso y habilidades de la inteligencia artificial. Se identificó, también, una deficiencia en la capacidad de los docentes …

A Policy Analysis Of Performance Based Funding In Colorado, Nicholas G. Dix

Theses and Dissertations

The researcher used a quantitative approach to examine the effects of performance-based funding policies in Colorado. Specifically, the researcher focused on postsecondary access for Pell-grant eligible and underrepresented minority students. Using a doubly robust difference-in-differences design, the study compares two PBF policy iterations (2.0 and 3.0) to assess the effectiveness of those polices on public four-year degree granting universities in Colorado. The researcher assessed from the data that PBF has no significant impact on Pell-eligible postsecondary accessibility, but PBF has a slightly significant impact on URM accessibility.

The research is grounded in institutional theory and resource dependence theory. The research …

Instructional Design And Technology Professionals: Why Are Some Laggards?, Hayley Mendelson Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Laggards are often thought of as aloof and uninformed late adopters, as traditionalists living in the past (Rogers,2003). Laggards represent the last 16% of a population to adopt an innovation, and, as a result, they are often depicted for their resistance to adopt an innovation much later than the rest of the population, if ever (Jahanmir et al., 2020; Rogers, 2003). The present study attempted to expand the research on laggards, specifically laggard Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) professionals.

IDT professionals were the target group because of their perceived innovativeness as a result of their high exposure to instructional technology …

Nsu Florida Student Handbook 2025–2026, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Student Handbooks

Nova Southeastern University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees.

This handbook and the policies and programs set forth herein are effective through the academic year 2025–2026 or until superseded. Changes in the content of the student handbook may be made, at anytime, by the university, division, or college administration. This student handbook supersedes all previous handbooks, documents, and directives where they may be in conflict. The student handbook is the governing document for all program-related information. Students are required to comply …

Research As Seeking Help: Searching For Liberative Knowledge - An Interview With Taimalieutu Kiwi Tamasese, Taimalieutu Kiwi Tamasese, David Denborough

The Qualitative Report

Indigenous methodologies have been transforming social science research. In this interview, Pasifika researcher, policy analyst, and community worker, Taimalieutu Kiwi Tamasese, speaks with narrative therapist David Denborough about the Just Therapy Team’s significant contributions to developing Pasifika research methods that resist colonizing assumptions and honour culture and relationship. Rather than seeking to establish the researcher as knowledge holder, The Just Therapy Team’s research is guided by values of liberation, sacredness, and belonging to seek solutions to issues affecting communities. Taimalieutu describes the development of innovative research methods capable of eliciting Indigenous knowledges about gender relations and mental health in Samoa …

Research As Respect: Elevating The Knowledge And Stories Of Men At An Aboriginal-Controlled Residential Alcohol And Drug Recovery Service, Mark J. Hammersley, Uncle Les Stanley, Greg J. Smith Dr

The Qualitative Report

This conversation between an Aboriginal Elder, an Aboriginal senior manager/practitioner, and a non-Aboriginal narrative therapist/groupworker centres on a social research project they undertook with men residing in an Aboriginal men’s alcohol and other drug recovery service in Melbourne, Australia. The men were invited to contribute accounts of what was important in their lives and the practices that supported positive developments in their time at the facility. The men, manager, and a community Elder directed a research process that prioritised the use of these accounts to contribute to the lives of other men. The men resident at the facility provided access …

Amplifying Ratego Stories And Knowledges: A Co-Research Initiative With Young Mothers In Social Movements In East Africa, Deborah Mrema, Patricia Nudi Orawo, Lydia Otieno, Juhi Jha, Joseph Kalisa, Serge Nyirinkwaya

The Qualitative Report

Young mothers can be negatively affected by dominant and degrading cultural narratives; their stories of resistance and activism are often rendered invisible in broader social contexts. Informed by collective narrative practice methodologies, we undertook a counter-storytelling research project to elicit and acknowledge the stories of survival and sustenance of young mothers in social movements responding to sexual and gender-based violence in East Africa. We facilitated storytelling circles, incorporating various story and knowledges collection methods. Our approach involved documenting collective experiences and counter-narratives, exchanging stories between communities, and inviting young mothers to respond to other participants’ stories. The telling and retelling …

Potential Health Risks From Trace Elements In Four Commercially Important Fish Species From The Gulf Of Alaska And Bering Sea Excel Data Sheet, Miranda Brohman, Dimtirios Giarikos, Amy Hirons

SECLER Data

Alaskan waters support a diverse array of fish species that are critical to apex predators and substantial commercial fisheries. Archived white lateral muscle tissue for capelin, herring, walleye pollock, and Pacific cod, from 1993 to 1996 were analyzed for 15 trace elements using induced coupled plasma mass spectrometry. This analysis serves as a proxy for assessing trace element concentrations in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. The highest concentrations of eight of the 15 elements (cadmium, chromium, cobalt, iron, manganese, selenium, vanadium, and zinc) were found in fish from the central Gulf of Alaska, while capelin showed the …

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 …

Math Anxiety In Mathematical Education, Chenniya Thompson

Transformations

Have you ever wondered why you were so scared to take a mathematics class? Or wondered why your performance was poor during assessments? Mathematics anxiety is real and has been studied around the world. Come with me to find way we can assess math anxiety and solutions that can help aid this anxiety.

Math Anxiety For High School Students, Justin Gill

Transformations

The stresses math can bring to students who overstress or underperform can intensify as the courses they attend become more rigorous. Reviewing several articles to look at how math anxiety affects students, we will look at the position in which math stands in the eyes of students and if how they observe their classes determines their motivation while in class.

Understanding The Transitional Needs Of Servicemembers To Veterans: A Focus On Mental, Social, And Behavioral Health, Marieann C. Raguso

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to fill the gaps on the transitional American veterans’ lived experience using their own voice. The reconstruction of an American Veteran’s identity after transitioning back into civilian life is a process with many challenges. Transitional practices often fail to help veterans to acculturate back into the civilian world. This includes the formulation of identities and associations. There is a lack of consistency in military transitional practices leading to identity loss and the formulation of mental and behavioral disorders. The aim of this study is to examine the lived experiences of veterans who have transitioned back …

Do New Mothers In Their First-Year Postpartum Feel Prepared To Return To Daily Occupations?, Kim Rose, Jane L. Donat, Cedrica Durham, Bianca Haddock, Danyl Litumbe, Julia Otoski, Katsia Renaud

Occupational Therapy Annual Research Colloquium

Purpose: Our research aimed to explore if new mothers felt prepared to return to their daily lives and the role occupational therapy could have in helping prepare women to transition into their new role as mothers. Previous literature has found that limits to occupational engagement and occupational balance have adversely affected the well-being of new mothers.

Methods: This sequential, exploratory mixed methods study employed the RedCap survey platform to collect demographic information, information regarding women’s birth experience and to obtain consent. Twenty-two women who filled out the survey met the inclusion criteria, and ten were selected to proceed with the …

Implementation Of Trauma-Informed Care In Occupational Therapy: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study, Yu Hsiang Liang-Paultre, Alexis Smich, Mike Palou-Morales, Jamie Spangler, Ashley Fowler, Dylan Spruill

Occupational Therapy Annual Research Colloquium

Abstract

Background: Trauma-informed care is a highly recommended treatment approach, but its application by occupational therapy practitioners remains underutilized, particularly in various rehabilitation settings serving adult clients with physical and/or neurological disorders. This exploratory, sequential mixed-methods study investigated occupational therapy practitioners' knowledge and use of trauma-informed care approaches with adults. The study also examined potential barriers and facilitators for implementing these harm-reduction strategies to prevent retraumatization.

Methods: A quantitative survey was designed to examine practitioner knowledge and implementation of trauma-informed care in adult practice settings. The survey was distributed electronically through the REDCap platform. However, only 32 out of the …

Exploration Of College Students’ Use Of The Occupation Of Music Listening To Support Engagement And Well-Being, Beverly Murphy, Morgan Breen, Jenna Breseman, Jailine Gonzalez, Tiesha Henley, Julianne Sta.Ana

Occupational Therapy Annual Research Colloquium

Heightened feelings of stress or anxiety can often accompany the transition to college, secondary to changes to an existing routine. These changes can potentially lead to occupational disruption or imbalances impacting students’ well-being and performance. This descriptive, exploratory research investigates whether college students are utilizing music as a means to support or enhance their occupational well-being. At this point, little is known about the extent of utilizing music listening as an occupational therapy intervention on college campuses to manage the allostatic load among students. To address this, a quantitative survey with close-ended questions was distributed virtually to college students within …

Stories Of Mothering: Autoethnography Of Generational Sexual Abuse, Karen D. Barley Dr

The Qualitative Report

Being a mother is both rewarding and challenging and most women seek to be the best mother that they can be. Despite best intentions, many find their ability to ‘mother’ has been tempered by their own mothering. This autoethnography encapsulates a series of vignettes describing poignant and melodic memories of my mother; and explores her neglect and inability to protect me because of sexual abuse in her life. Within my family heritage there has been a craven cycle of abuse that has perpetuated a lineage of multigenerational family sexual violence. This cycle has affected the mothers in my family’s ability …

The Experience And Identity Interview: Narrative Therapy In Research Interviewing, Janet E. Conti, James T. M. Calder, Rebekah Rankin

The Qualitative Report

In this paper we introduce “The Experience and Identity Interview” (EII) and demonstrate ways that this qualitative research interview can be used to engage participants in talk that scaffolds between their experiences, the meanings they ascribe to these, and their identity (re)negotiations. In doing so, there is scope to generate rich interview data that addresses a range of research questions. Drawing on the paradigm of narrative therapy, the EII generates a collaborative dialogical space wherein both researchers and research participants may co-contribute to the unpacking of normative discourses that shape participants’ usual ways of speaking about their lived experiences, thereby …