Digital Commons Network^™

Increasing Stem Competence In Urban, High Poverty Elementary School Populations, Sueanne Mckinney, Cynthia Tomovic, Melva Grant, Kaavonia Hinton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Enhancing STEM competence (e.g., interests, knowledge, skills, and dispositions) among urban, high poverty, elementary school populations in the United States (U.S.) is and remains a growing national concern, especially since Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competence is and will continue to be a necessary requisite for gainful employment in the future, according to workforce development experts. In an attempt to address this gap, many urban elementary schools have begun to offer STEM-related programs to increase STEM learning at an early age. STEM competence (interest, knowledge, skills, and dispositions), however, remains low. This paper results in a matrix used to …

A Social-Ecological Framework Of Theory, Assessment, And Prevention Of Suicide, Robert J. Cramer, Nester D, Kapusta

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The juxtaposition of increasing suicide rates with continued calls for suicide prevention efforts begs for new approaches. Grounded in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) framework for tackling health issues, this personal views work integrates relevant suicide risk/protective factor, assessment, and intervention/prevention literatures. Based on these components of suicide risk, we articulate a Social-Ecological Suicide Prevention Model (SESPM) which provides an integration of general and population-specific risk and protective factors. We also use this multi-level perspective to provide a structured approach to understanding current theories and intervention/prevention efforts concerning suicide. Following similar multi-level prevention efforts in interpersonal violence …

Higher Education Distance Advising In The 21st Century: Distance Learning Students' And Advisors' Perceptions, Brooke Lambert Brown

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The intent of this study was to focus on distance learning students’ and advisors’ perceptions of distance advising at a large, public university. Specifically, this study addressed four questions: what were the perceived performance gaps between distance learning students and distance learning advisors practice, how distance learning students’ needs were being satisfied, what tools and technology resources were being incorporated, and how advising needs differed based on college. The Winston and Sandor Academic Advising Inventory (AAI) served as the foundation for this quantitative research. The survey was modified accordingly and sent to two populations: distance learning advisors and distance learning …

Silent No More: The Formation Of Academic Self-Efficacy Among Black Male Community College Students, G. Eric Styles

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Alarming rates of Black male underachievement in the community college are compelling reasons to explore factors that promote their academic success. Black male community college students have the lowest grade point averages among males across all races and ethnicities, and the highest rates of attrition (Department of Education, 2008; Ross et al., 2012). Sadly, the educational experiences of Black males have been characterized by racial discrimination, negative portrayals, marginalization, and lowered expectations. As academic self-efficacy has been found to promote the academic achievement of collegians, this study investigated the factors which have the greatest influence on the academic self-efficacy beliefs …

Adult Sexual Abuse, Disordered Eating Behaviors, And Substance Abuse: The Role Of Internalized Shame And Maladaptive Coping Strategies, Bilgé Özgé Yilmaz

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The prevalence of sexual abuse and disordered eating in young adulthood is increasing in the United States, with as many as one-quarter of women reporting unwanted sexual contact and two-thirds reporting extreme dieting. Among the numerous deleterious effects of sexual abuse are a greater risk of problematic eating, drinking and drug use among women, making this population at particular risk for co-occurrence of sexual abuse, disordered eating and substance use. Despite these statistics, the impact of adult sexual abuse (ASA) on disordered eating and substance use is largely unknown for this population. Shame and avoidance-focused coping have been identified as …

Development And Validation Of A Hybrid Virtual/Physical Nuss Procedure Surgical Trainer, Mohammad F. Obeid

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

With continuous advancements and adoption of minimally invasive surgery, proficiency with nontrivial surgical skills involved is becoming a greater concern. Consequently, the use of surgical simulation has been increasingly embraced by many for training and skill transfer purposes. Some systems utilize haptic feedback within a high-fidelity anatomically-correct virtual environment whereas others use manikins, synthetic components, or box trainers to mimic primary components of a corresponding procedure.

Surgical simulation development for some minimally invasive procedures is still, however, suboptimal or otherwise embryonic. This is true for the Nuss procedure, which is a minimally invasive surgery for correcting pectus excavatum (PE) – …

Essays On The El Niño Anomaly And Stock Return Predictability, Zhijun Yang

Finance Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation is to examine the impact of the El Niño phenomenon on the international stock market, both at the aggregate level and the portfolio level.

In first essay, I study the predictive relation between the El Niño phenomenon and international stock market aggregate returns. I find that the El Niño anomaly can predict all 14 countries’ stock returns. Specifically, the El Niño unconditional effect can predict stock return negatively in Japan, Malaysia, and South Africa, while the El Niño conditional on winter season can predict positively stock returns in 13 countries’ stock markets except for Japan. This conditional effect …

Creativity And Innovation Through The Job Demands-Resources Model, Nathan Haugejorde Bjornberg

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Organizational innovation is key to organizations’ financial performance and long-term success (Anderson, Potočnik, & Zhou, 2014; Bowen, Rostami, & Steel, 2010). Employees drive organizational innovation through their creativity and innovation, making the understanding of how to influence these behaviors especially important. Previous research has stressed the importance of the work environment and individual differences in supporting creativity and innovation (Byron & Khazanchi, 2011; Hammond, Neff, Farr, Schwall, & Zhao, 2011; Hülsheger, Anderson, & Salgado, 2009; Hunter, Bedell, & Mumford, 2007), but results have been unclear about how this occurs (Hennessey & Amabile, 2010). This study used the job-demands resources model …

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of The Lived Experiences And Mentoring Relationships Of Black Women Student Affairs Administrators, Tiffany Shawna Wiggins

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Contemporary literature regarding the experiences of Black women in higher education administration is scarce, and that which does exist, often focuses on those who serve in teaching faculty roles, and/or fails to provide a holistic perspective on the lives of those who makeup this group. Utilizing an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach, this qualitative investigation explored the lives of Black women college administrators from their perspective. Grounded in the theoretical framework of Patricia Hill Collins’s Black Feminist Thought, this study aimed to uncover the lived experiences of Black women student affairs administrators as they relate to their professional demands and pursuits …

Is Every Tweet Created Equal? A Framework To Identify Relevant Tweets For Business Research, Thad Chee

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Theses & Dissertations

It is a life or death matter for a firm to observe its environment and identify new threats or opportunities quickly. Information technology has increased firm’s speed and agility in responding to environmental changes. Social media offers a vast and timely source of environmental information that firms can readily use gauge public sentiment. Twitter is a high-speed service that allows anyone to “tweet” a message to any interested parties. Firms can access near instantaneous changes in the public mood about any topic by using Sentiment Analysis. These topics range from predicting equities prices to predicting election outcomes. A gap exists …

Initial Development And Validation Of The Deliberate Denial Of Disordered Eating Behaviors Scale, Lindsay Marie Howard

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

It is common for individuals who engage in disordered eating behaviors to intentionally conceal symptomatology. The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid measure of deliberate denial as it relates to disordered eating behaviors in a non-clinical population. Deliberate denial of disordered eating behaviors can be defined as any conscious omission, concealment, or misrepresentation of behavior related to disordered eating. The present scale was developed within the context of two studies. Study 1 focused on item generation. Items were based on the definition of deliberate denial of disordered eating behaviors, taken from existing eating disorder assessments …

Leader-Parent Relationships In The Early Childhood Education Context: An Exploration Of Testimonial And Epistemic Justice, Shirley Eileen Adams

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

In this qualitative study, I examined epistemic justice and testimonial injustice experienced by parents of children enrolled in preschool programs. I used a triadic model arising from the synthesis of Fricker’s (2003) markers of epistemic justice, Hoy and Tschannen Moran’s (1999) Five Facets of Trust and Lea’s (2006) markers of collaboration, and employed modified grounded theory (Charmaz, 2008). Public preschool programs often promise that they can ameliorate cognitive and experiential gaps experienced by children who at risk and allow them to enter kindergarten on an equal footing with their more privileged peers (Hulme, Goetz, Gooch, Adams & Snowling, 2007; Camilli …

Affective Factors Explaining The Association Between Depressive Functioning And Alcohol Outcomes, Peter D. Preonas

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Depressive symptoms and alcohol use frequently coexist. In college students, the rates of depression and alcohol use are higher than in the general population, making this population at particular risk for co-occurrence of depressive symptoms and drinking. Though research has shown that depressive symptoms precede alcohol use and problems in non-clinical populations, it is unclear what mechanisms contribute to this relationship. Further exploration into how this relationship occurs could inform and improve intervention of depression and alcohol abuse on college campuses. This study sought to (1) assess three potential mediators (i.e., need for affect, distress tolerance, emotion regulation) to the …

Going The Extra Mile: Successful Transfer Of Latino/Latina Students From Two-Year Institutions To Four-Year, Christopher S. Card

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative dissertation was to provide insight as to the experiences of Latino/a students at community colleges preparing to transfer as compared with those from Latino/a students who had already transferred. The Latino/a population is one of the fastest growing minority populations in the United States yet despite the growth experienced by this population in the United States, particularly in states such as California and Texas, accessing equitable higher education opportunities and achieving educational success have both been a tremendous challenge to this culture (Perez & Ceja, 2010). Eight Latino/a students preparing for transfer from two different …

Retaining Highly Qualified Teachers Through Leadership Support In Secondary Mathematics, Wilbur Powell

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The No Child Left Behind Act was enacted to improve low performing schools. One of the proposed answers to the problem was that all schools would have “highly qualified” teachers, especially in the subjects of mathematics and science. This study was aimed at helping school administrators retain their highly qualified mathematics teachers in their urban schools. The topic for this study was seeking to understand the factors related to school administrators retaining highly qualified mathematics teachers at the secondary level. Therefore, my study examined the lens of leadership factors that related to the retention of secondary mathematics teachers. The study …

Effects Of A Collaborative Care For Depression Intervention On Health Service Utilization And Depression Severity, Girlyn Arganza Cachaper

Health Services Research Dissertations

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, disproportionately affecting the Medicaid population. Collaborative care programs for depression are transforming primary care to increase access and coordinate physical and behavioral health services. Understanding the relationships between components of collaborative care programs, characteristics of participants, and their effect on outcomes can maximize program effectiveness. A pilot collaborative care for depression program within a Medicaid managed care organization was evaluated using administrative claims and case management data. Participants (n=444) included adults with prior Medicaid coverage and a comparison group identified using one-to-one propensity score-matching. Multivariate logistic regression models estimated the odds of …

The Use Of Reflective Questioning As A Peer Coaching Strategy In An Asynchronous Online Cognitive Apprenticeship, Jennifer Ashley Scott Brown

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The cognitive apprenticeship framework melds situated, authentic learning with social learning theory. The learning strategies included in a cognitive apprenticeship are modeling, coaching, scaffolding, articulation, reflection, and exploration. Previous research indicates that the most beneficial strategy for the learner is coaching, and is also the most time-consuming strategy for the instructor. However, no previous research has been conducted to determine which coaching strategies can be utilized in order to lessen the burden on the instructor, while being beneficial to the learner.

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of guided reflective questions as a strategy for enhancing …

A Web-Based Interprofessional Education Program For School Nurses And Athletic Trainers: A Pilot Study, Lauren Ashley Welsch

Health Services Research Dissertations

Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) programs have been shown effective in improving interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) through increased communication and teamwork amongst healthcare professionals with the ultimate goal of improving patient safety and outcomes. However, their use and subsequent outcomes have not been reported amongst athletic trainers (ATs) and school nurses (SNs) in secondary school healthcare. The purpose of this study is to develop, implement and evaluate an IPE program designed to meet the needs of this unique healthcare setting. In addition, qualitative analysis will further describe the communication between ATs and SNs. Methods: A mixed method exploratory design was employed. …

An Exploration Of Career Decision-Making Among Domestic And International Instructional Design Students, Erin L. Mills

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Graduate students encounter specific career difficulties in making career decisions, and turn to various sources of assistance, help-seeking resources and guidance (Gati, Gadasi & Shemesh, 2005). Previous research into graduate student career needs have not sought to better understand the specific differences between international and domestic graduate students in instructional design. As a result, the factors that influence and impact graduate students in the context of their career decision making within an instructional design graduate program remain unexplored.

This mixed methods study captured actual career related difficulties of graduate instructional design students through a conceptual framework based on Bandura (1986) …

The Role Of Consumer Ethnocentrism On The Effects Of Domestic Vs Foreign Product Failure On Post Consumption Emotions And Complaint Behaviors, Kittinand Bandhumasuta

Marketing Theses & Dissertations

It is well acknowledged that consumer ethnocentrism has a negative effect on evaluations of foreign products, brand-related attitudes toward foreign brands, and purchase intentions of the non-local products. However, an investigation into the role of consumer ethnocentrism at the post-consumption stage had been neglected. Specifically, when a product fails for a consumer. The main purpose of this dissertation is to study the role of consumer ethnocentrism on the post purchase consumption emotions and complaint behaviors. This dissertation proposes that cognitive appraisals of antecedent events and individual social traits will lead to differentiated outcomes. Domestic products that are perceived to be …

Exploring The Relationship Between Media Influence And Policy Output: A State Comparative Study, Stephanie Savas Joannou Menefee

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Through the years, various forms of media have become political institutions able to influence the public policy agenda. Analyzing policy helps to promote a better understanding of how the policy process works, how problems appear on the political agenda, and why governments choose to act or not to act on particular policy problems. This research utilizes Baumgartner and Jones’s (1993) Theory of Punctuated Equilibrium (PET) to examine the ways in which media attention influenced public policy on marijuana in the states of Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Vermont between 1996 and 2016.

Using qualitative research methods, the researcher conducted an exploratory, comparative …

Examining Body-Focused Self-Improvement And Self-Evaluation Social Comparisons On Exercise In Young Adult Women Using Ecological Momentary Assessment, Rachel I. Macintyre

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Exercise is highly recommended by health professionals due to its numerous health benefits, yet little is known about the social factors that influence people’s motivation to exercise each day. Studies on social comparisons reveal that college women frequently evaluate their weight and shape compared to those around them through upward body-focused comparisons (i.e., comparing themselves to someone they perceive to be thinner or in better physical shape). Research suggests these comparisons can be driven by two different motivations, self-evaluation and self-improvement. However, the occurrence of these two different types of motivations in everyday life and how they may be associated …

The Effects Of Group-Based Context Personalization On Learning Outcomes And Motivation, Jessica J. Resig

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

The rise of online course enrollments in higher education has highlighted the need to establish and validate effective online instructional strategies focused on improving learning outcomes and affective responses towards instruction. One such strategy, group-based context personalization, frames instructional materials within contexts relevant to shared interests among groups of students. This study sought to investigate the effects of group-based context personalization on learning outcomes and motivation towards the instruction when materials were contextualized based on a learner’s academic major.

This study employed a true experimental design to explore the effects of group-based context personalization on learning outcomes and motivation for …

The Influence Of Cognitive Load On Infotec Students Participating In Online Learning, Joe Price

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The theory of cognitive load has been developed to help educators, instructional designers, and developers of e-learning curriculum and materials, anticipate learning outcomes by fully understanding the cognitive capabilities and limitations of the learner. The theory is broad enough to be used in many educational environments because the focus is on making learning as effective and efficient as possible in regards to the human brain’s ability to process information. By reducing the complexity of the information to be learned and the manipulatives used to produce understanding, the curriculum developer can focus their energies on producing lessons that are streamlined and …

Methodology To Perform Cyber Lethality Assessment, Matthew W. Zurasky

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) Lethality and Effectiveness Branch is the Navy’s subject matter experts (SME) on target vulnerability, weapon lethality, and weapon effectiveness. Branch personnel currently exercise expertise in the kinetic and directed energy weapon domains. When the Navy develops weapons in the kinetic and directed energy domains, there are clear and well established procedures and methodologies for performing target characterization that support weapon-target pairing. Algorithms exist to describe the likelihood of damage effects. It is natural that in the paradigm shift to cyberspace warfare that the Branch provide these same services to the warfighter in …

Brüno Is So Gay, Thomas Duering

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

Few comedians are as willing to confront American culture‟s greatest taboos for the sake of a joke as Sacha Baron Cohen. Baron Cohen originally gained popularity in America with his adorably ignorant and bumbling character, Borat. According to Biography.com, “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan was a surprise smash, bringing in more than $128 million at the box office”. Because of Borat‟s success, Baron Cohen is now known for a unique style of filmmaking in which his characters present themselves to people under false premises in an attempt to catch funny reactions on …

Motor Learning Guided Treatment For Acquired Apraxia Of Speech, Rachel K. Johnson

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to expand the evidence on the effectiveness of motor learning guided approach for the treatment of acquired apraxia of speech. This study investigated the influence of practice frequency and number of targets per practice set on transfer of speech motor learning.

Method: This is a multiple baseline single-case study across two treatment cycles involving two individuals with chronic acquired apraxia of speech. Treatment Cycle 1 investigated the influence of self-controlled practice on speech motor learning through two conditions of practice. Treatment Cycle 2 investigated the influence of number of targets on transfer of …

Caption This: Police In Pussyhats, White Ladies, And Carceral Psychology Under Trump, Alison R. Reed

English Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Factors Impacting The Wellness Of Academic Library Employees, Leo S. Lo, Bethany Herman

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

The term "wellness" is fast garnering attention on how it affects one's professional and personal life. This study explores the multi-dimensions of wellness and investigates factors that might impact the "wellness" of employees in academic libraries. The research topic was addressed through quantitative analyses of responses to multiple choice, ranking and qualitative analyses of responses to open-ended items. With a total of 1123 respondents, key findings include: there are statistical relationships between how respondents characterize themselves and how often they felt overwhelmed; the respondents' age and how often they felt overwhelmed; the respondents' age and how important they feel eating …

A New Player In The Game: Examining Differences In Motives And Consumption Between Traditional, Hybrid, And Daily Fantasy Sport Users, James Weiner, Brendan Dwyer

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Due in part to a $200 million advertising campaign, daily fantasy sport (DFS) participation exploded in 2015. With faster payouts and unlimited lineup options, the activity has added to an already thriving fantasy sports industry. However, little is known about the distinct attitudes and behaviors that drive DFS participants. The current study examined 511 participants who played DFS-only, traditional, season-long fantasy football (TFS), and those who played both activities for motive and behavioral differences. Results indicated statistically significant motive scores differences across the groups as it relates to the factors of gambling, social interaction, and competition while escape and …