Digital Commons Network^™

Intersectional Realities, Multi-Dimensional Films: Reading Julie Dash's Illusions As An Activist Text, Amelia Morrison

University Honors Theses

This paper reads Julie Dash's 1982 film Illusions as an activist text, which challenges dominant cinematic and historical narratives through its Black feminist perspective. It explores the cinematic and narrative devices that Dash uses--including the weaving of fantasy and history, the strategic use of period aesthetics, and masking--to expose and subvert the mechanisms of white supremacist and patriarchal hegemony within Hollywood. Drawing on intersectional feminist theory from scholars like Kimberlé Crenshaw, Patricia Hill Collins, and bell hooks, alongside cinematic theory, this analysis demonstrates how Illusions critiques the historical erasure of people of color from United States cinema and history. By …

Effect Of Ipv On Latino Children's Perspectives Of Fatherhood, Elizabeth Berks

University Honors Theses

Intimate partner violence (IPV) can be found in many cultures throughout the world, with varying levels of acceptability, victimization, and perpetration. Approximately one in five couples report experiencing at least one instance of IPV in a given year. Women are victims of IPV more frequently than men, and experience more severe injuries. 20% of women report a lifetime history of physical IPV victimization by their current or past partners. Further, women are also ten times more likely to be killed due to IPV than men are. Presently, empirical research literature surrounding the dynamics and impacts of IPV is heavily focused …

Game-Based Learning As A Dynamic System: A Review Of The Literature, Meadow Mcgalliard

University Honors Theses

Game-based learning (GBL) in its development as a field has found itself at an ever-increasing complexity with regard to theories, design elements, and outcomes that define it. It's been long since proven that games produce learning and the ways in which this benefits educators and designers have broad applications, from direct game implementation to integrating GBL knowledge into non-game spaces. The density and complexity of design in GBL prove beneficial for learning opportunities, as the adaptability of design can create an almost infinite series of outcomes in a highly replicable manner. In this broad review, I attempt to display the …

Stigma, Shame, And Narcissism: A Literature Review, Alex Gaither

University Honors Theses

This thesis is a literature review of 12 peer reviewed journal articles accessible through the Portland State University library database on the relationship between stigma, shame, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). This thesis discusses ideas brought up in these articles regarding the classification and conceptualization of NPD as a disorder, the role that shame plays in the pathology of NPD, the ways that shame is addressed through treatment, and public and practitioner held bias resulting from the stigmatization of the disorder. New and upcoming ways of conceptualizing the disorder are also briefly discussed as there has been a push to …

Examining The Impact Of Legalized Sports Gambling On Ncaa Athletes' Welfare And Game Integrity, Reem Al Jaradi

University Honors Theses

This thesis examines the effects of legalized sports gambling on NCAA player welfare and the integrity of competition through a mixed-method analysis of NCAA reports, academic literature, and media sources. Data disclose that although the overall prevalence of gambling among student-athletes has decreased, these individuals are demonstrating more detrimental behaviors, including solitary gaming and incurring substantial losses in a single day. The emphasis on internet abuse associated with betting results has escalated, especially during prominent tournaments. The NCAA's instructional programs and data-monitoring agreements are compromised by ethical issues surrounding data monetization and varying state gambling rules. The research contends that …

Let's Talk About Sex, Baby! Gender Roles In Parent-Child Sexual Communication, Alexandra Henrici

Dissertations and Theses

Parent-child sexual communication remains a fruitful avenue to increase safe sex behaviors, which are currently in decline by today's adolescents. Historically, mothers have reported engaging in parent-child sexual communication more than fathers do. Previous scholarship suggests this difference could be due to traditional gender role beliefs or conflicts with traditionally masculine attributes. Using social cognitive theory and social role theory, this study conducted a cross-sectional survey on parents of children aged 9 through 16. Positive relationships existed between outcome expectations, self-efficacy, and level of detail in sexual and reproductive health conversations between parents and children. Though no statistical difference was …

As Good As It Gets? Comparing Clients’ And Treatment Providers’ Perceptions Of Engagement Barriers And Facilitators For Exposure And Response Prevention Ocd Treatment, Samuel Mutschler-Aldine

University Honors Theses

This mixed-methods study compared clients' and providers' sentiments toward research-based themes on barriers and facilitators of client engagement in treatment. For individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), engagement in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy is a crucial ingredient of successful treatment and symptom remission. Therefore, it is imperative to thoroughly understand the perspectives on engagement barriers and facilitators of people with field experience: ERP patients and therapists.

The researcher administered two Qualtrics surveys to thirty current providers and six current or former clients of ERP for OCD. Each survey contained five-point, Likert-style scales to measure the level each participant agreed …

Is Education Regulation The Solution To Help Lower Substance Use Rates And Substance Use Disorder In Oregon Youth?, Sophia R. Swain

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

How can we lower Oregon’s youth substance use disorder (SUD) and overdose rates? Oregon is third in the country for SUD, with 5.77% of adolescents (12-17) having documented SUD. Some claim that it is because of the decriminalization of drugs, like Senator Art Robinson, but another reason relies on how we are educating Oregon youth. Oregon education standards outline requirements for drug and alcohol education as well as Senate Bill 238. By analyzing school districts current prevention programs in high overdose-rate counties (Multnomah, Lane, and Josephine) and low overdose-rate counties (Washington, Yamhill, Linn, Deschutes, Marion, and Clackamas), a lack of …

Plan Mano Dura: A Punctuated Political Act? Addressing Gang Violence In El Salvador, Carlos A. Arias

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

On July 23, 2003, Salvadoran President Francisco Flores introduced a punitive and militaristic gang-prevention measure, Plan Mano Dura (Plan Iron Fist), in an attempt to solve the gang phenomenon plaguing El Salvador. Although it turned out to be an abject policy failure, its future effects and significance would far outweigh its intended impact, essentially dictating how El Salvador would combat gang violence for the next 20 years and beyond. As such, it is essential to better understand how such an ineffective policy could arise as a policy approach. This paper examines whether Punctuated Equilibrium Theory (PET) can account for the …

One Health Integration To Control And Prevent Zoonoses: Application Of Organizational Theory Literature, Lisset M. Dumet Poma, Sherril Gelmon, Julia M. Goodman, Seth E. O’Neal

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

Zoonoses are infectious diseases transmitted between animals and people that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The One Health (OH) approach aims to integrate systems, incentivizing collaboration among animal, human, and environmental systems to address zoonoses and improve health. Innovative solutions for effectively and sustainably achieving systems integration are needed. Organizational theories can facilitate the study of the context of OH implementation, applying comprehensive approaches that recognize the interconnections among organisms, the environment, and social systems, including the diverse entities needing integration (e.g., policy, community, public organizations). This narrative review examines organization and systems literature to provide recommendations for …

How The U.S. Can Protect Taiwan In The 21st Century, Zachary Surmacz

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

What U.S. policy would deescalate cross-strait tensions, while maintaining Taiwan’s security? This article is supported by the information and perspectives received from 12, one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with a variety of thought leaders in Taiwan. The goal of this proposal is to provide policymakers in the United States with a path for protecting Taiwan, while responsibly managing the U.S.-China relationship. The paper begins with a short background of the complex policy problem facing Taiwan and a review of the current official U.S. policy of “strategic ambiguity." The article then provides an evaluation of the U.S. policy by comparing its stated goals …

Evaluating The Elder Justice Act: Challenges In Funding, Implementation, And Coalition Dynamics, Annabelle Weberg

Hatfield Graduate Journal of Public Affairs

The Elder Justice Act (EJA) was a significant policy that passed in 2010 as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The goal of the EJA was to provide public health and social service programs for preventing, detecting, and treating elder abuse. Due to limited federal discretionary spending, most programs authorized under the Elder Justice Act have not been fully funded or implemented as intended.

The paper seeks to answer this research question: What has caused the limited funding and implementation of the Elder Justice Act, and what role have coalitions played? It analyzes the factors that have …

Cannabis Concentrate Vaping Chemistry, Kaelas R. Munger, Killian M. Anreise, Robert M. Strongin

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background:

This review article addresses the vaping chemistry of manufactured cannabis concentrates—a topic that remains under-researched despite the widespread availability and growing popularity of these products. Given their current prevalence and the fact that many of the findings discussed herein are from early-stage investigations, further research is essential to fully assess the public health risks associated with concentrate use. The purpose of this article is to help begin to bridge this knowledge gap by outlining the technical challenges of studying cannabis concentrates and to present evidence-based data concerning toxicant exposures as a foundation for future investigations.

Methods:

A search of …

Support Beyond Services: Examining The Role Of Neighbor Relationships, Housing Staff, And Place In Mental Health Recovery, Kenna Estell Dickard

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation explores the role of non-clinical support for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). Through three interconnected manuscripts, this dissertation highlights the importance of housing staff support, places in the community, and neighbor relationships in fostering recovery for individuals with SMI. The first manuscript analyzes how housing staff support influences residents' well-being through an ecological lens. This study found that staff support is associated with reduced loneliness, higher residential satisfaction, and increased sense of community. This study also considers the role of self-determination as a moderator, demonstrating the importance of resident agency in maximizing well-being outcomes. The second manuscript …

Temporal Modeling And Forecasting Of Blood Glucose Dynamics In Individuals With Diabetes Mellitus, Mj Ruff

University Honors Theses

People living with Diabetes Mellitus face significant health risks, including an increased likelihood of heart disease, stroke, and fluctuations in blood glucose levels. The unpredictable nature of glucose levels can lead to dangerous conditions such as ketoacidosis and hypoglycemia. This study employs advanced time series analysis tools to forecast the glucose levels for an individual diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

From Lockdown To Learning: Understanding Motivation Shifts In High School Students Due To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kelly Lindberg

University Honors Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic induced profound disruptions to the educational landscape, significantly impacting high school students' motivation to learn. This thesis explores how these disruptions affected students' intrinsic and extrinsic motivations through the lenses of three motivational theories: Self-Determination Theory, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and Expectancy-Value Theory. By examining changes in the learning environment, social connections, and mental health before, during, and after the pandemic, this study identifies key factors that shaped changes in students' academic engagement. The shift to online learning during the pandemic, combined with social isolation and increased mental health challenges, diminished students' intrinsic motivation and weakened their …

Forecasting Influenza Rates Using Machine Learning: A Study Of Chatgpt's Predictive Accuracy, Sara Saleh

University Honors Theses

This study evaluates ChatGPT's ability to forecast influenza rates, such as the number of flu cases, hospitalizations, and death during peak season periods using CDC data, and comparing forecasts against actual results to calculate statistical accuracy and consistency. Influenza forecasting is essential for public health planning, but traditional methods may not always provide timely or accurate predictions. In this research study, ChatGPT was utilized to predict the influenza rates for the following week based on the previous week's data obtained from the FluView surveillance system. The predicted rates were compared to the actual influenza rates to assess the model's overall …

Exploring Muslim American Attitudes Toward Genetic Testing: Perceptions, Barriers, And Ethical Considerations, Hannah Mahmoud

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores perceptions and attitudes toward genetic testing within the Muslim American community, a group often underrepresented in genomic research and public health discourse. Using a community-distributed digital survey, data was collected from 50 self-identified Muslim Americans on their familiarity with genetic testing, reproductive and ethical considerations, and the influence of religious factors. While only 18% had undergone genetic testing themselves, many were familiar through family or friends, and most expressed cautious interest—especially when results could influence future family planning. Education level, age, and religious values shaped both comfort and understanding.

A key theme was the desire for culturally …

If You Give A Website A Cookie: Educating Children About Online Privacy, Tina Mccomiskey

University Honors Theses

Internet usage increases every year, and internet-connected apps and websites make up a large portion of this growth, so it becomes more important to understand how the information we share on the internet can impact our daily lives. From companies using personal data for targeted advertising to hackers exploiting accounts by using public information to answer security questions, poor internet practices can cause a great deal of harm. These forms of exploitation show the need for more education on internet privacy. My Privacy Awareness Learning Games (myPAL Games) was designed to address this gap in education for children …

Death To Comphet: A Chapina Southern Lesbian Story, Doraly Oneida Perez-Valdez

University Honors Theses

This paper is a counterstory that fights narratives that have been placed upon Latina Lesbians by everyone but us. The main topic is compulsory heteronormativity also known as "comphet". This autoethnography explains how "comphet" may affect different identities but specifically a Latina Lesbian from the South. There are nine chapters that explain how each topic affects a different aspect of identity but centers lesbianism. Societal reasons, cultural reasons, "date to marry" culture, Southern upbringing, sex education received, racial and gender stereotypes, and capitalism are all of the topics being explored through the lens of a Southern Latina Lesbian. These topics …

A Mixed-Methods Study On Extended Parental Separation Among Mexican And Central American Immigrants: Insights From Legal Violence And The Stress Process, Natalie J. Cholula

Dissertations and Theses

My mixed-methods dissertation examines the mental health effects of legal violence on Mexican and Central American immigrants experiencing prolonged parental separation amid heightened immigration enforcement. The study encompasses three papers utilizing Menjívar and Abrego's (2012) framework of legal violence and Pearlin's (1989) stress process model. The first paper employs quantitative analysis of the Mesoamerican Migration Project data, revealing that heightened immigration enforcement is associated with increased distress among Mexican immigrants in the context of parental separation, the use of coyotes, and the Trump era. The second paper offers qualitative insights from 29 Mexican and Central American immigrants, highlighting the emotional …

Japanese And English Code-Mixing: A Study On The Grammar And Functions By L1 Japanese-Speakers In Oregon, Takefumi Ariga

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the phenomenon of code-mixing (CM) among speakers of Japanese as their first language (L1) and of English as their second language (L2) residing in Oregon, the United States. Unlike prior studies that focus on early bilinguals or individuals with mixed linguistic and cultural backgrounds, this study specifically target speakers who began learning English in formal settings through compulsory education or a cram school in Japan. After they had completed high school in Japan, they started living in English-speaking countries.

The participants in this study were two communities. Each group recorded their conversations via their own cell phones, …

Analyzing The Intention To Volunteer Through The Integrated Model Of Behavioral Prediction, Sage Mendre

University Honors Theses

Nationwide, a significant portion of adults lack basic, functional literacy skills. To combat functional illiteracy in the United States, non-profit organizations who focus on literacy require the services of volunteers. In Portland, Oregon, the Portland Literacy Council (PLC) is responsible for training volunteer tutors to help people learning English as a second language (ESL) and native English speakers who want to improve their literacy skills. The integrated model of behavioral prediction (IMBP) is a communication theory that identifies the core factors that can lead to the intention to perform a behavior. The connection between volunteering in literacy environments and IMBP …

Pesticides As Multiple Stressors To Bivalves And Echinoderms, Alexandra Gabrielle Tissot

Dissertations and Theses

Pesticides are ubiquitous in aquatic environments, alongside numerous contaminants and other stressors that can result in combined exposure to target and non-target organisms. Nevertheless, traditional toxicity studies quantify the effects of these compounds at an individual level, and to a narrow range of traditional test organisms. Through this dissertation, I explored the presence and effects of commonly detected pesticides of concern in the Pacific Northwest in order to realistically quantify potential effects from combined stressors. In Chapter 2, I demonstrated my background knowledge on these select pesticides (atrazine, bifenthrin, diuron, indaziflam, and imidacloprid), including their chemical and physical properties. Using …

Exploring The Pathway From Customer Sexual Harassment To Instigated Incivility In Service Employees, Fernanda Wolburg Martinez

Dissertations and Theses

The current study explores how and why customer sexual harassment (CSH) experienced by service workers may lead to instigated incivility towards customers in the same week. Specifically, following the tenets of Personality Systems Interaction theory (PSI) and the affective shift model, I hypothesized that week-level affective shifts mediate this relationship, such that upshifts in anxiety and downshifts in self-assurance govern changes in motivational and cognitive functions that impair the employee's ability to provide good customer service. Further, supervisor preventive behaviors and psychological detachment are proposed as interventions that may lead to a departure from the mistreatment spiral by weakening the …

Dynamics Of Urban Heat And Green Infrastructure, Yunjae Ock

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation provides a comprehensive analysis of the interaction between urban heat and green infrastructure (GI) in terms of dynamic aspects, spatiotemporal variation across various spatial scales, temporal phases, and socioeconomic contexts. By integrating a national-scale longitudinal analysis, street-level structural assessments, and neighborhood-specific resilience frameworks, this study enhances our understanding of how cities can utilize existing ecological assets to mitigate increasing heat risks while addressing systemic inequities.

Urban areas face unprecedented thermal challenges due to climate change and the urban heat island effect, with marginalized communities disproportionately affected. Although cities are increasingly adopting GI expansion for heat mitigation, significant knowledge …

Convergence Research For Microplastic Pollution At The Watershed Scale, Heejun Chang, Elise F. Granek, Amanda Gannon, Jordyn M. Wolfand, Janice Brahney

Geography Faculty Publications and Presentations

Microplastics are found in Earth’s atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere, and ecosphere. While there is a growing interest and need to solve this grand challenge in both the academic and policy realms, few have engaged with academics, policymakers, and community partners to co-identify the problem, co-design research, and co-produce knowledge in tackling this issue. Using a convergence research framework, we investigated the perception of microplastic pollution among different end users, delivered educational materials to K-12 teachers and practitioners, and identified key sampling points for assessing environmental microplastic concentrations in the Columbia River Basin, United States. Three community partner workshops identified regional …

Race, Reflection And Resistance: An Autoethnographic Journey In Social Studies Curriculum Development, Jesse Nicholas Hendryx-Dobson

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this qualitative, self- study, autoethnography is to explore my instructional practices, strategies and decision making as I navigate my attempts to build a more anti-racist, racial justice social studies curriculum in a predominantly white school environment. Critical Race Theory as well as racial literacy provided me with a conceptual framework, but also with the language I need to articulate the research problem and my findings. Three research questions guided how I collected and analyzed my data: 1) How do I plan social studies lessons that address the topic of race/racism? 2) How can I use social studies …

#Clandestini: How Italy's Center-Right Parliamentary Coalition Frames The Migrant Crisis On Social Media, Jenna Lynn Depasquale

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation examines the intersection of Italian neo-fascism, the Mediterranean migrant crisis, and digital media. Through a qualitative content analysis of the Twitter and Instagram posts made by Italy's center-right parliamentary coalition from 2014-2018, this research outlines frameworks that facilitate both the physical and social deaths of migrants. Twitter is a platform on which bite-sized xenophobic messages characterize migrants as criminals, spoiled youth, spreaders of infectious disease, and future terrorists--sometimes in a contradictory fashion. Instagram is a medium for conveying Italian identity and history, which disregards the longstanding contributions of people of color, including Muslims, in Southern Italy. Comment sections …

Development Of A Low-Cost Electron Microscope For Educational Purposes, Christopher Halseth

Dissertations and Theses

Electron microscopy is a powerful tool for exploring microscopic world, yet its high cost and operational complexity severely limit accessibility, particularly within educational institutions. Commercial systems are often designed as opaque "black boxes," further hindering hands-on learning and experimentation. This dissertation introduces the Educational Scanning/Transmission Electron Microscope (EduSEM), a project designed to overcome these barriers by developing a low-cost, modular, and transparent electron microscope optimized for educational use.

The EduSEM achieves significant cost reduction by operating in a rough vacuum environment (1-20 mTorr), eliminating the need for expensive high-vacuum pumps. This necessitates novel component designs tolerant of higher pressures. The …