Digital Commons Network^™

Professional Identity And Pedagogical Discontentment In High School Science Teachers Participating In A Professional Development Institute, Stephanie J. Hathcock

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Although science teachers regularly participate in PD experiences involving reform-based practices, even our best teachers struggle to change their teaching practices to coincide with these pedagogics, and when they do change, it occurs at differential rates. The aim of this study was to better understand teachers' self-systems by analyzing their experiences in a PD institute program through the lens of professional identity. This multiple case study involved five high school science teachers participating in a summer PD initiative. Data were collected through interviews, written reflections and exploration and commitment cards, and a scale designed to capture participants' perceived level of …

The Influence Of Childhood Maltreatment On Substance Abuse In Adulthood, James Michael Blinco

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between suffering physical or sexual abuse as a child and drug or alcohol use in adulthood. Data was used from the first three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health survey. This study found that being a victim of childhood physical abuse can lead to abuse of alcohol later in life. In addition being male and African American are key factors in predicting alcohol abuse and other illegal drug use in adulthood. No significant relationship was found between being a victim of sexual abuse and abusing alcohol, using marijuana, or using any other …

Exploring Police Shootings And Officer Survivability: A Case Study, Amanda Leigh Farrell

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Police shootings are incidents that have lasting effects on the officers involved, the department to which they belong and the community at large, yet these events are rarely discussed holistically with consideration given to the multiple parties impacted. Given the significant impacts, officer survivability and resilience in the aftermath of a shooting incident have become a topic with which most modern police agencies are concerned. While this number of lethal incidents may seem surprisingly low, there is often a narrow focus on the shooting incident itself, with little attention paid to pre-event factors or to the long and short term …

College Health And Mental Health Outcomes On Student Success, Daniel Joseph St. John

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between college students' utilization of university counseling services and university health services, and student academic performance. Data was collected using an archival data set including university counseling center records, health center records, and academic reports from institutional research at a large, public southeastern university. The primary variables of this study included: number of sessions in the university counseling center and/or university health center, instances of new initiated contacts, treatment variables, GPA, and degree completion. The overarching hypothesis of this study is that students who receive mental health services are significantly more likely to experience student …

The Experiences Of School Counselors With Court Involvement Related To Child Custody, Crystal E. Hatton

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Professional school counselors are often confronted with a myriad of legal and ethical challenges when working with students and their families. While school counselors are discouraged from becoming involved in child custody matters, many are unable to avoid the process for a variety of reasons. This qualitative phenomenological research inquiry explored professional school counselors' experiences with court involvement in child custody matters and sought to understand how such experiences may have affected how they perceive their role in assisting children and families who are undergoing divorce, separation, or child custody disputes. A series of semi-structured interview questions and a written …

A Grounded Theory Of Suicidality In Children Ten And Younger, Katherine Angela Heimsch

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Once every two days in the United States, a child aged 5 to 14 years old dies by suicide (World Health Organization, 2010). When viewed on a spectrum that includes suicidal ideation, verbalizations, behaviors, and attempts, the problem of youth suicidality is actually far greater than the numbers of completed suicides suggest (Cheng, Tao, Riley, Kann, Ye, Tian...Hu, 2009). This study examined suicidality in children ages 10 and younger, and included the characteristics of suicidal children, factors that influence childhood suicidality, and treatment implications. The researcher conducted 12 semi-structured qualitative interviews with experienced treatment providers and performed a content analysis …

Caves As Anti-Places: Robert Penn Warren’S The Cave And Cormac Mccarthy’S Child Of God, Ralph Crane, Lisa Fletcher

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

In Robert Penn Warren's poem "Speleology," a young boy turns off his flashlight deep in a cave and knows "darkness and depth and no Time." This poem's powerful imagery of the spatial otherness of caves is the starting point for this article, which argues that analyzing the literary representation of natural subterranean voids requires a careful re-theorisation of the dynamic relations of space and place. The difficult question of how meaning comes to be attached to a particular space, thus transforming it into place, is central to Robert Penn Warren's The Cave and Cormac McCarthy’s Child of God, both …

Factors Associated With Quality Of Life Among Mothers Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Marian Marconyak

Health Services Research Dissertations

The increasing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has levied associated effects upon the quality of life (QOL) of mothers of children with ASD. These mothers are subjected to various influences upon their lives as a result of their role as caregivers to children with ASD. The purpose of this study was to assess the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Body Functions and Structures, Activities, Participation, Environmental, and Personal Factors associated with QOL among mothers of children with ASD.

English literate, inhabitants of the United States, mothers over the age of 18, of children with ASD were …

Aesthetics In Visual Rhetoric: An Analysis Of The Volkswagen Beetle, Melanie Ann Barker

English Theses & Dissertations

This thesis outlines how aesthetics can add to the current functionality of the field of visual rhetoric. A methodology for an aesthetic analysis was created and then executed using the classic Volkswagen Beetle as an artifact. The end result of this thesis will be an argument for the inclusion of aesthetics in visual rhetoric, and thus greater understanding of the emotional ties of audiences and the potential for stronger analyses.

A Cross-National Analysis Of The Impact Of Conscription On Crime Rates, Nicolette G. Rose

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This paper examines the relationship between conscription laws (mandatory military or social service) and crime rates across countries. This cross-national study focuses on three major crimes: burglary, robbery, and homicide. In addition to conscription laws several control variables have been included in the analyses are: percent of the labor force that is military, level of civil liberties/freedom, level of industrialization, illiteracy rates, percent of urban population, unemployment rates, percent under the international poverty line, income disparity (measured using the Gini index), and population.

This study assesses the impact of conscription on crime rates by formulating and testing three hypotheses. First, …

The Effects Of Student Engagement On Retention: Comparing Male Undergraduate Stem Majors To Non-Stem Majors, Tourgee D. Simpson Jr.

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Researchers suggest certain benchmarks of student engagement (i.e., student-faculty interaction, level of academic challenge, enriching educational experiences, active and collaborative learning, and supportive campus environment) positively influence student success. This study investigated the relationship between student engagement and the retention of male, full-time undergraduate students in STEM majors by comparing male, full-time undergraduate students in select science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors to male, full-time undergraduate students in non-STEM majors to identify best practices to improve retention and increase degree completion among men in STEM fields.

Students were invited to participate in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). …

Communication, Romantic Reconciliation, And Emerging Adulthood: A Relational Dialectics Study, Ashley M. Poole

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

Building on the extant research of on-again/off-again (on-off) romantic relationships, the current thesis focused on building upon past findings by utilizing a unique theoretical methodology in an emerging demographic. A sample of 22 emergent adult (ages 18-29) participants who were currently in or had recently experienced an on-off relationship completed face-to-face interviews discussing communicative processes during romantic reconciliation. The primary purpose of this thesis was to identify and define discursive struggles found within on-off relationships during reconciliation attempts, and understand how they are used between partners to give meaning to the terms "on" and "off" as a precursor to restructuring …

The Antecedents And Effects Of Strategic Caring: A Cross-National Empirical Study, Thomas Weber

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

This study develops a new construct, strategic caring, defined as actions taken by top managers within stakeholder relationships to improve the well-being of both the stakeholders and the firm. This construct is based on a review of the multidisciplinary caring literature from which a definition of individual caring was developed through content analysis, and then subjected to conceptual inferences to the organizational level of analysis. Strategic caring focuses on a broad set of firm stakeholders, and this stakeholder orientation suggests that a firm can take actions to improve the well-being of these many stakeholder groups and perform as well as, …

Tempering The Resource Curse In Sub-Saharan Africa: An Explanatory Analysis Of The Variance Of The Resource Curse In Nigeria And Botswana, Jody-Ann Suzette Jones

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The issue of the resource curse has been central to the academic debate since the 1990s. In recent years, we have witnessed a resurgence of the importance of this topic because of the discoveries of oil, natural gas, and other point source resources in several developing countries such as Ghana, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is important to note that while the resource curse is not solely limited to developing states, the main observation is that the majority of negative effects associated with the resource curse primarily afflicts poorer countries, especially those in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is reported that sub-Saharan Africa …

Weak Links In A Dangerously Fractured Region: Fragile State As Global Threats, Tasawar Ul-Rahim Baig

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

In the post-9/11 period a common belief emerged that fragile states are launching pads for unprecedented and unconventional transnational threats. The rise of state fragility or state failure as a paradigm surfaced after the end of the Cold War, but their high risk factor was noticed only later. This is because increased interconnectedness allows information to spread faster and intensifies threat perceptions.

This study recognizes that the idea of weak states, small states, and political decay existed before, and that the notion of state fragility has been widely used in recent years. The conventional wisdom about political decay refers to …

Applying Leadership Theory To The Work-Family Interface: Examining The Interactive Effects Of Family Supportive Supervisor Behaviors And Leader-Member Exchange Quality, Heather M. Bolen

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Extant work-family research has traditionally looked at the role of the supervisor in diminishing work-family conflict using a supervisor support framework. The current study draws from recent trends that look past perceptions of support and contend that leadership can be used as a lens through which work-family outcomes can be understood (e.g., Major & Cleveland, 2007). Specifically, the current study contends that exploring leader-subordinate relationship quality (i.e., leader-member exchange) and specific behaviors that leaders engage in to be supportive of subordinates' work-family needs (i.e., family supportive supervisor behaviors) is the next step in examining the role of one's leader in …

Crew Resource Management Training Attitudes Of United States Coast Guard Aviators, Greg Stewart

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study is to compare the attitudes on Crew Resource Management practices of US Coast Guard enlisted flight crew members to those of pilots to determine if the current blended training is appropriate.

The Relationship Among Counseling Supervision Satisfaction, Counselor Self-Efficacy, Working Alliance And Multicultural Factors, Jennifer Dawn Logan

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Supervision in counseling is essential to the personal and professional growth of counselors, and ensures client welfare (Bernard & Goodyear, 2013). The purpose of this study was to examine supervisees' perceived satisfaction with supervision, the SWA, and supervisee self-efficacy, with supervision experiences they have during practicum and/or internship. Specifically, the association these perceived levels of satisfaction, the SWA, and self-efficacy had with supervisor type (i.e., full-time faculty, adjunct faculty, or doctoral student) and student type (i.e., practicum or internship) were explored. Additionally, this study investigated how multicultural variables (i.e., race/ethnicity, gender, and degree of practice related to religious/spiritual affiliation) were …

Resident Assistants' Self- Efficacy For Participation In Counseling Activities, Miranda Johnson Parries

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Based on the changes in mental health needs on college campuses, this study examines Resident Assistants' self-efficacy to participate in counseling activities with the residents whom they are assigned to assist. The literature review discusses recent efforts introduced by residence life departments to respond to the increase in mental health and behavioral issues that college students are now facing, the barriers that prevent Resident Assistants, who function as paraprofessionals within their on-campus communities, from taking action, and recommended training components and parameters. The increase of serious mental health issues calls for the reimagining of the training provided to Resident Assistants …

Environmental Context And Aggression: An Experimental Demonstration Of The Role Of Alcohol Expectancies, Brynn E. Sheehan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Research has extensively investigated predictors of alcohol-related aggression. Alcohol expectancy theory suggests that the link between alcohol and aggression may be related to one's beliefs regarding the expected effects of alcohol on aggression. As such, research has found that exposure to a bar environment may elicit alcohol-related aggression expectancies (Wall, McKee, & Hinson, 2000; Wall, McKee, Hinson, & Goldstein, 2001). Additionally, aggression expectancies have shown to predict direct aggression, such as hitting or yelling (Leonard, Collins, & Quigley, 2003; Smucker Barnwell, Borders, & Earlywine, 2006). While these research studies have shown separately that alcohol cues elicit aggression expectancies, and that …

Refusing A Spoiled Identity: How The Swinger Community Represents On The Web, Barbara Kreston

English Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines whether and how Websites provide a way for the unique community of swingers, also called Lifestylers, to represent a new (and revise an old) deviant identity without risk to their social and employment standing. Unlike many marginalized social groups who publically rally, swingers have had to take advantage of virtual space to safely appeal to their audiences. The time period studied includes the history of the swingers "spoiled" identity via academy articles, newspaper headlines, and moral turpitude clauses from the 1950s to the current use of the Web to showcase swingers and their clubs. The study used …

The Effects Of Cooperative Grouping Strategies And A Three-Level Evaluation Tool On Student Soft Skills Achievement And Satisfaction Within A Problem-Based Instructional Model In The Soft Sciences, Kelly Stoneman Rippard

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

In education, many academic majors can fall within one of two main concentrations: the hard or soft sciences. The hard sciences are defined as the natural sciences and include subjects such as Engineering, Chemistry, and Biology while the soft sciences are defined as the social sciences and include subjects such as English, Sociology, and Anthropology. While instructional approaches have been created to help instructors teach and students learn within each of the scientific areas, few studies have sought to see if instructional approaches from one of the sciences can be used in the other. One such instructional approach is the …

Supervisor Perceptions Of Their Multicultural Training Needs For Working With English Language Learning Supervisees, Hsin-Ya Tang

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

The counselor education and supervision profession has embraced the need to prepare multiculturally competent supervisors (American Counseling Association, 2005; Bernard & Goodyear, 2013; Inman & Ladany, 2014). However, literature dealing with training supervisors to work with linguistically diverse supervisees is limited and supervisors' training needs for effectively supervising linguistically diverse supervisees are not yet clearly addressed. The aim of this qualitative study was to develop a theory which explained supervisors' perceptions of their multicultural training needs for working with English language learning supervisees. Constructivist grounded theory was utilized in this effort to analyze the data gathered from 10 supervisors who …

Perceptions Of Safety By On-Campus Location, Rurality, And Type Of Security/Police Force: The Case Of The Community College, Robert C. Patton, Dennis E. Gregory

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This study examined Virginia community college students' perceptions of campus safety. A survey of 11,161 students revealed the crimes students most feared being a victim of while on the community college campus and the areas in which they felt the most and least safe. The research also demonstrated the effect of certain variables had on students' overall perception of campus safety. The variables studied included student demographics, the presence and type of security personnel, and the rurality of the campus setting. The campuses with the highest and lowest degrees of perceived safety were then further studied via case studies to …

Bits Of Research, Michele C. Weigle

Computer Science Presentations

PDF of a powerpoint presentation that provides an overview of digital preservation, web archiving, and information visualization research; dated June 26, 2014. Also available on Slideshare.

An Art Therapy Program Design For Anti-Bullying In New Jersey Middle Schools, Michele Deanna Seher

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This thesis proposes an art therapy based anti-bullying program for a model school in New Jersey. The program design responds to strict Anti-Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (Anti-HIB) regulations mandated for NJ schools by the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights (ABR). The target population is middle school (grades 7 and 8), which exhibits the highest rate of HIB activity. Programmatic art therapy services focus on prevention through an art-based anti-bullying club, after school open studio, and psychoeducational application of group art therapy addressing HIB curriculum. Art therapy is also advised for the intervention and remediation of HIB incidents, as necessary.

Paper Soldiers: A Clinical Case Study Exploring Papermaking As An Art Therapy Intervention To Increase Posttraumatic Growth In Military Sexual Trauma Survivors, Yonsenia White

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Through a six-week qualitative, single subject clinical case study, the effect of papermaking and other paper based art therapy directives showed potential in increasing posttraumatic growth in a veteran with military sexual trauma (MST) related PTSD. Pre and Post-Test Questionnaires and the AT-PIA were administered to assess the client’s current level of mental health functioning, feelings about the MST experience, and to develop a treatment goal and art directives for the study, as well as check in and check out words, and Self-Work Assignments for personal reflection. Papermaking was chosen as the main art intervention because it carries within itself …

Proposal For An Art Therapy Clinical Program Within The U.S. Department Of Veterans Health Administration, Darshini Walton

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, the military veteran population has increased due to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. This increase is congruent with the escalation of a Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnoses among military war veterans. Currently, the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) PTSD treatment utilizes various pharmacologic and/or psychotherapeutic interventions ranging from Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in residential and outpatient settings. In the event a veteran has a “complicated medical case” or comorbidity that does not respond to conventional medical treatment, the veteran may be referred to an art therapist, …

Self Study: A Heuristic Exploration Of Father-Absence Through A One-Canvas Process Painting, Brittany Adams

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Literature has indicated that there has been a growing interest in the career motivations and development of the professional therapist and counselor, including personality, family background, gender, cultural background, spirituality, and values. Individuals who pursue a career in a helping profession commonly express an interest in understanding and helping others with minimal awareness of the origin of that helping desire. This self-study was designed to explore my experiences of father-absence through a one-canvas process painting as a means to building self-awareness and my professional art therapist identity. Art-based research and heuristic inquiry allowed me to investigate my experiences of father-absence …

Art Therapy And Cognitive Processing Therapy For Combat Ptsd: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Melissa Campbell

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Five veterans were recruited for this randomized controlled trial examining the effects of art therapy in conjunction with Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for veterans with combat PTSD. The results of this study supported our hypothesis that art therapy in combination with CPT would be more effective, and indicated that art therapy is a powerful form of treatment for this population and needs to be explored further. Other goals of this study were to gain a basic understanding of the benefits of art therapy for combat veterans with PTSD and if it should be included as a standard treatment for this …