Digital Commons Network^™

Tail-Imbalance Diffusion Equalizer For Class-Balanced Generation, Chinmay Dhanraj Nehate

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Real-world image corpora are often imbalanced. On long-tailed datasets, the head class can outnumber the tail by a large margin, and a vanilla diffusion probabilistic model (DPM) consequently loses fidelity and diversity on rare categories, undermining controllable generation. To address this gap, we present Tail Imbalance Diffusion Equalizer (TIDE), a training framework that restores class balance without discarding data or adding extra training stages. Our contribution is threefold: (i) score field rebalancing, where we embed class-prior knowledge into a mixing matrix that routes gradients toward minority classes, with this class-prior knowledge consisting of the empirical label frequencies in the training …

A Variable Resistance Suit (Vars) And An Extendable Prosthetic Arm (Expa) For Physical Rehabilitation And Assistance, Ibrahim F. Kadhim

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation presents the design, development, and evaluation of two novel wearable assistive technologies – Variable Resistance Suit (VARS) and the Extendable Prosthetic Arm (EXPA) – to improve rehabilitation outcomes and functional independence of individuals with musculoskeletal impairment. VARS is a modular, lightweight, and wearable resistance training system that applies bidirectional, speed-dependent, and variable mechanical resistance to the elbow and knee joints. It addresses the limitations of traditional resistance equipment by offering a portable, safer, and more accessible alternative. Importantly, VARS enables targeted engagement of specific muscle groups during training, minimizing the risk of overloading adjacent or compensatory muscles. VARS …

A Forgotten Kairos: Rhetorical Memory In 16th Century Europe, Phillip Martin

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

In 16^th century Europe the nearly 2000-year-old discipline of rhetoric, still a pillar of education, underwent significant change. One of the more curious changes occurred in rhetoric’s subdivision known as memory, memoria, that is, memory’s “artificial” cultivation. During the 16^th century rhetorical memory was paradoxically both maximized and marginalized as a discipline. And by the early 17^th century memoria was all but extinct as a branch of rhetoric. The causal mechanisms of this transformation remain underexamined, particularly by rhetoric and composition scholars, and most explanations remain unclear and uncompelling. Accordingly, this thesis attempts a new approach …

A Community-Based Wellness Program To Increase Exercise Adherence For Menopausal And Postmenopausal Women: A Mixed-Methods Pilot Study, Kristin M. Badillo

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Evidence exists that long-term commitment to an exercise routine is beneficial. Contrarily, there is a notable lack in exercise adherence among menopausal and postmenopausal women. Though research has thoroughly examined the reasons why menopausal and postmenopausal women may not be committed to an exercise routine, it remains unclear what motivates those who are adherent. This pilot study employed a mixed-methods design through administering surveys and conducting in-person focus group interviews. Additionally, an 8-week buddy system was implemented to assess the role of social support and its effect on exercise adherence. For quantitative data collection, a total of 7 participants enrolled …

Student-Athlete Vs Athlete-Student: Differences In Athletic Retirement Expectations, Terrie L. Bradshaw

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological Dissertation in Practice was to define the terms student-athletes and athlete-student by discovering any differences in non-cognitive variables between the two groups. Additionally, this study attempted to identify any differences in career transition expectations between student-athletes and athlete-students. Thirteen NCAA athletes from various universities across the United States were included. With the use of one-on-one semi structured interviews, five themes emerged. The themes that emerged were 1) Both types of athletes attend college for different reasons. 2) Differences in level of commitment. 3) Both types of athletes strive for academic success. 4) Different expectations …

Fit Index Criteria For Multisample Analysis In Sem With Ordinal Data: A Monte Carlo Simulation Study, Suat Babayigit

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Measurement invariance is crucial for valid group comparisons in structural equation modeling (SEM), yet testing invariance becomes challenging when using ordinal data. This dissertation evaluates the adequacy of widely used fit index difference criteria (ΔCFI, ΔRMSEA, ΔSRMR) for multisample invariance testing with ordinal indicators. Traditional Δ fit cutoff thresholds were established based on continuous, normally distributed data, but ordinal measures can distort invariance conclusions. Monte Carlo simulations address this issue by manipulating a comprehensive set of conditions: sample sizes (200, 400, 1000), group size ratios (equal vs. unequal), model complexity (low vs. high), underlying distributions (normal vs. nonnormal), Likert scale …

A Case Study Of Grades 3-4 English Language Arts Teachers' Interpretations Of Educational Policy And Their Pedagogical Choices In Literacy Instruction, Priscilla Develder

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how elementary school teachers in a Florida public school district made sense of Florida’s House Bill 1467: K-12 Education (HB 1467) and how their interpretations shaped their reading and writing pedagogy. Guided by Karl Weick’s (1995) Sensemaking Theory as a theoretical lens for understanding these interpretations, the study examined how teachers navigated the complexities of policy implementation within the context of their daily classroom experiences. Participants included six third- and fourth-grade English Language Arts (ELA) teachers from four elementary schools within a Florida public school district. Data was collected …

Instructional And Motivational Factors Predicting Deep Learning Approaches In Pre-Clinical Medical Students, Kenneth L. Dearman

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Pre-clinical medical students predominantly employ surface learning approaches, focusing on memorization and exam preparation rather than developing a deep understanding of medical knowledge. This study employed a correlational design comparing two courses with different instructional approaches using expectancy-value theory to examine how instructional methods and motivational factors predict deep learning approaches among 148 pre-clinical medical students at a College of Medicine in the Southeastern United States. Initial results showed that the three separate constructs in task motivation (expectancy beliefs, values, and cost) did not mediate the relationship between active instructional methods and deep learning strategies. Instead, active learning was a …

Nou La, We Are Here: A Phenomenological Study On Haitian Students' Identity Development In College, Norma J. Altidor

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The United States has seen an increase of individuals migrating from Haiti in search of better opportunities for themselves and their families (Camarota, 2024; Ogunwole, Battle & Cohen, 2017). That rise has correlated with an increase in the number of Haitian students enrolling in American higher education institutions. There are many published studies on the experiences of minorities based on race (Harper & Quaye, 2007) compared to studies on ethnically diverse students (Dennis, Phinney & Chuateco, 2005). Existing literature shows that immigrant youth and first-generation Americans often identify more with their ethnicity than their race (Tatum, 1997). As such, there …

Decreasing Administrative Burdens For Promoting Social Equity: Three Essays On Innvations In Public Service Provision, Kyungmin Lee

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation investigates three aspects of administrative burdens in public service delivery and explores how these burdens—which often discourage eligible individuals from accessing needed services—relate to individuals' perceptions of and behaviors toward those burdens and ultimately to user outcomes. The first essay examines whether a shift from in-person to virtual service modalities imposes additional administrative burden—digital administrative burden—for service users. Using the secondary data from the 2022 “Survey of Citizens’ Perceptions of Public Administration” conducted in South Korea, the study applies Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) to assess the relationship between service modality and digital administrative burden. The findings suggest no …

It's Been Here All Along: Increasing Discomfort In Immersive Horror Puzzle Experiences Without Jump Scares, Brittany R. Porthouse

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This thesis seeks to utilize horror themes in a puzzle-based themed experience without the usage of jump scares. By alerting the body’s startle response once a puzzle is completed with a sudden loud noise or visuals, many horror-themed escape rooms utilize the jump scare tactic to heighten their guests’ adrenaline. While this technique is often effective in eliciting a reaction from participants, the effects are temporary– and sometimes hinder participants’ desire to fully interact with the environment. By primarily using the experience’s narrative and environment to illicit a fear response in guests, as opposed to using the consequences of their …

Examining The Influence Of Multiple Mental Health Trainings On The Andragogical Practices Of Secondary English Language Arts Teachers: A Case Study, Sydney M. Smith

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The increasing prevalence of adolescent mental health issues has underscored the importance of examining how mental health training programs for teachers are implemented. This multiple-case, embedded study explored the impact of mental health trainings under states’ laws and Project AWARE on secondary English language arts (ELA) teachers’ andragogical and hebegogical instructional practices. The research was guided by two key questions: (1) How are mental health trainings under Project AWARE and state laws implemented in two southeastern states? and (2) How do high school English language arts (ELA) teachers in two southeastern states incorporate mental health trainings within their andragogical practices …

Supervised Topic Modeling For Scientific Texts: Bayesian Shrinkage Methods And Domain-Specific Applications In Forensics And Online Aggression Sciences, Amir Alipour Yengejeh

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Topic modeling has become a powerful tool for analyzing large-scale textual corpora across scientific domains. However, traditional unsupervised approaches like Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) often produce redundant or weakly informative topics, limiting their interpretability and predictive utility. This dissertation presents a dual-track study that advances the field of interpretable topic modeling and domain-specific text analysis by (1) quantitatively analyzing research trends in Cyber Aggression and Abuse (CAA), and (2) developing a supervised topic selection framework for forensic science literature.

In the first part, we apply LDA to a corpus of 2,309 journal abstracts on CAA sourced from the Web of …

The Relationship Between Academic Advising And The Academic Success Of First-Generation, First Time In College Students, Nina Leonard

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Students navigate a variety of challenges that impact their success. As of 2024, Florida uses a myriad of metrics to predict retention rates. Studies have highlighted a relationship between students’ Year 2 retention and 4-year graduation rates. Recently, a large, urban university made significant investments in academic advising. The increased funding was influenced by a shift to gain a preeminent designation in the state. This study sought to determine what relationship, if any, academic advising had on student academic success. Quantitative analysis concluded that academic advising was connected to increased institutional grade point averages, retention to the second year, and …

Achievement In Performing Arts At Title I Schools In Florida: A Case Study On The Impact Of Administrative Leadership And Financial Decisions On Student Performance, Mario L. Ford

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Researchers have established that the leadership strategies of a principal can directly impact student achievement, though it has not been clearly stated how that occurs (Cox & Mullen, 2023). This single-case instrumental study investigates the financial and administrative priorities of a principal at a Title I high school in Florida and the impact they have on the Music Performance Assessment (MPA) ratings of band, chorus, and orchestra programs at the district level. Additionally, the purpose of this case study is to provide insight into how the principal at a Title I high school whose performing arts programs have a trend …

American Muslim Women’S Experiences With Pregnancy And Childbirth In The United States Healthcare System, Salema Mohamed

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Muslim women adhere to specific religious beliefs and practices, which can inform their healthcare decisions and requirements during pregnancy and childbirth. Despite an increase in the Muslim population in the U.S., there is currently limited research on Muslim women's maternity care and experiences. To address the gaps in knowledge, this study explored Muslim women’s experiences with pregnancy and childbirth in the U.S. Data consists of interviews from 20 Muslim women who had pregnancy and childbirth in the U.S. A thematic analysis was used to analyze and report the findings. The findings revealed that modesty was a significant concern during pregnancy …

“Rights Not Rescue”: How Stigma Influences Harmful Legislation Toward Sex Workers In The Deep South, Abigail Mckenzie Conover

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

In the United States, while prostitution or sex work is not explicitly illegal at a federal level, certain characteristics have been criminalized, mainly in indirect ways. This is significant when considering the different ways that sex work is regarded (both positively and negatively) at an institutional level. The current study examines the potential correlation between structural/institutional stigma regarding sex work/sex workers and legislation meant to directly or indirectly harm sex workers. The overall goal of this research was to answer the following question: How does structural/institutional stigma against sex workers present itself in legislation? To accomplish this, I conducted a …

The Association Between The Social Determinants Of Health And Shared Decision Making: An Investigation Of The National Survey Of Children's Health, Vernon T. Headley

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Objective: Shared decision-making (SDM) is defined as a clinical approach that allows both physicians and patients to communicate on the best treatment options that will improve the patient's overall health outcomes. Shared decision-making plays a vital role in how parents engage with their physicians regarding the healthcare needs of their children. This dissertation assessed the association between the social determinants of health and shared decision-making regarding children’s health-related issues.

Methods: The data for the current research were the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), combined 2017-2020. The dependent variable was shared decision-making and included discussing treatment options, raising concerns regarding …

Podcast Narratives Of Cybercrime Perpetration, Rebeka Rocco

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The growth of the internet and cybertechnology has created the opportunity for new types of crime. Given the recency of these developments, little is known about cybercrime perpetration and there is scant existing data gathered from those who have perpetrated cybercrime. This project applied thematic analysis to 30 episodes of a popular podcast focused on cybercrime to explore pathways men take to committing and continuing to commit cybercrimes against networks and information, financial cybercrime, and sales of products on illegal online marketplaces. Findings suggest that podcast narratives of perpetration reveal shifting motivations, gradual immersion in online deviant and criminal communities, …

"Identity (Change) Is Not A Joke, Jim!": The Role Of Change In Responsible Drinking Identity On Behavioral Change In College Alcohol Interventions, Angelina V. Leary

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Identity has long fascinated humans, and recent research has explored its role in behavioral change. Identity change may explain why some behavioral interventions are more effective than others. This dissertation examined this idea within the context of college student alcohol interventions. While numerous interventions exist for college students, only some appear to yield long-term effects. It was hypothesized that the key differentiator in effectiveness is how an intervention reshapes an individual’s responsible drinking identity. Participants (71.93% White, 59.40% Female) from a Southeastern university were randomly assigned to one of four intervention conditions: Deviance Regulation Theory (DRT), Personalized Normative Feedback (BASICS), …

Project Esperanza: A Pilot Study On Isolation, Belonging, And Hope For First-Generation Latinx College Students, Marangelie Velez

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study is a two-part manuscript dissertation that explores and assesses culturally grounded strategies to best support first-generation Latinx college students (FGLCS), who often face unique academic and psychosocial challenges. The first manuscript is a conceptual exploration of the intersecting constructs of social isolation, belonging, and hope, and their impact on the well-being and academic success of FGLCS. Thematic analysis revealed the importance of mentorship, culturally relevant content, and opportunities for reflection and community-building. These findings informed the development of a psychoeducational intervention, Project Esperanza. The second manuscript introduces the pilot study designed to reduce social isolation and enhance belonging …

Youth Self-Injurious Thoughts And Behaviors: The Role Of Affect, Interpersonal Stress, And Parenting, Samantha J. Klaver

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) are associated with numerous adverse consequences, including an increased risk of suicide, for youth populations (Castellví et al., 2017; Kiekens et al., 2018). This study developed a more nuanced understanding of the factors associated with SITBs by examining proximal intrapersonal (i.e., daily youth negative affect) and interpersonal (i.e., daily youth interpersonal conflict) factors on youth SITBs utilizing experience sampling methods (ESMs). This study also examined how specific modifiable characteristics (i.e., parent-youth attachment and parental reflective functioning) may moderate these proximal associations. Results from a series of multilevel, mixed-effects negative binomial regression analyses conducted on a …

The Burden Of Blame: Self-Blame After Sexual Victimization And Its Relation To Identity, Cassandra Andrion

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Sexual victimization is a pervasive issue with profound psychological effects. One critical factor influencing post-assault outcomes is self-blame, which can manifest as behavioral (blaming one’s actions) or characterological (blaming one’s core self). Research has shown that self-blame is more strongly associated with sexual assault than with non-interpersonal traumatic events; however, comparisons between sexual assault and other interpersonal traumas remain underexplored. Furthermore, the relationship between specific types of self-blame and different trauma types has not been thoroughly examined. This distinction may be important, as each form of self-blame is linked to different psychological outcomes. Self-blame has been associated with several negative …

Breaking The Karen Curse: A Look At Anti-Mistreatment Signage's Impact On Customer Mistreatment Through Customer Empathy And Entitlement, Amanda Grinley

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation explores the phenomenon of customers mistreating service workers and examines how physical signage about customer behavior can influence the likelihood of such mistreatment occurring in a work environment. The impact of signage was studied broadly at an individual level in Study 1 by comparing the mistreatment service workers experience in workplaces with and without anti-mistreatment signage, and in more depth at an event level from the point of view of the customer in Study 2 using an experimental video vignette design. Results from the two studies indicate that anti-mistreatment signage can significantly reduce the likelihood of customer mistreatment …

It's In My Nature: A Look At The Individual Differences That Influence Perceptions Of Work Stress Recovery With Nature Breaks, Nathaly Rayo

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

The purpose of this study was to explore how individual differences influence employee

perceptions of nature breaks at work. While nature provides restorative benefits to employees such

as reduced fatigue and feelings of recovery and awe, individual differences may impact the fit

between an employee and nature as a desirable work break location. We adopted a person-centered

approach and conducted a Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) using the indicators of nature

connectedness, regulatory focus, uncertainty intolerance, and openness to experience. Results

supported the emergence of four distinct profiles: break under-regulating nature adventurers,

nature-adverse break-takers, nature-loving break self-regulators, and reserved nature-neutral

break-takers. …

Thriving Through Turbulence: Exploring Team Resilience Through An Adversity-Centered Lens, Krisztina Szabo

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Although adversity has been a central component of team resilience definitions (Fisher et al., 2022; Raetze et al., 2022), there is little known about how different characteristics of adversity influence team functioning. Drawing from Event System Theory (Morgeson et al., 2015), the dissertation examined the connections between adverse event characteristics (i.e., event novelty, criticality, disruption, duration), team processes (i.e., planning, collective sensemaking, strategy formulation, coordination, monitoring and backup behaviors), and team outcomes (i.e., team performance) in the context of a repeated measures research study. The results indicated that novelty and criticality of adverse events were significantly and positively related to …

The Role Individual Differences And Environmental Factors In Automated Driving Performance, John M. Duany

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of ADHD diagnosis, inclement weather, non-driving-related tasks (NDRT), automation failures, and traffic density on driving performance and takeover performance. This study also examined the relationship between dispositional factors (i.e., trust in automation, cognitive failures, and self-efficacy) and dynamic factors (i.e., mental workload, situation awareness, and situational trust) in relation to automated driving performance. A total of 156 participants were recruited for this study, including drivers with and without attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Each participant completed four experimental drives and two baseline drives. Mental workload, heart rate variability (HRV), situational trust, …

Examining Educational Inequalities And Driving Science’S Next Generation Forward: Geobus Program Theory Evaluation, Elise M. Lorenzo

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study presents a theory-driven evaluation of GeoBus, a mobile science lab designed to deliver hands-on, “fun learning experiences” via a solar powered, technology-rich learning environment brought directly to K-12 students in Central Florida Title 1 schools. While STEM education is widely recognized as essential for promoting equity, many schools, particularly in under-resourced communities, continue to face barriers to accessing meaningful and inclusive science learning opportunities. GeoBus was created in response to this need, offering students an informal learning environment with exposure to geospatial technologies and interactive science content.

Drawing on mixed-methods data, including content from the GeoBus website and …

Multiclass Cyberbullying Detection Using Advanced Neural Network Architectures: A Comparative Study Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mahyar Alinejad

Data Science and Data Mining

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital communication landscape has seen an unprecedented rise in cyberbullying incidents. Addressing this critical issue, our study develops and evaluates a novel multiclass cyberbullying detection framework employing several advanced neural network architectures—namely Neural Networks (NN), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Long Short-Term Memory networks (LSTM), and Gated Recurrent Units (GRU). Utilizing a balanced dataset created through Dynamic Query Expansion, this research benchmarks the performance of these models in accurately classifying cyberbullying according to specific victim attributes such as age, ethnicity, gender, and religion. Our results demonstrate that LSTM and GRU models, in particular, exhibit superior performance …

Multiclass Cyberbullying Detection Using Advanced Neural Network Architectures: A Comparative Study Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mahyar Alinejad

Data Science and Data Mining

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital communication landscape has seen an unprecedented rise in cyberbullying incidents. Addressing this critical issue, our study develops and evaluates a novel multiclass cyberbullying detection framework employing several advanced neural network architectures—namely Neural Networks (NN), Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Long Short-Term Memory networks (LSTM), and Gated Recurrent Units (GRU). Utilizing a balanced dataset created through Dynamic Query Expansion, this research benchmarks the performance of these models in accurately classifying cyberbullying according to specific victim attributes such as age, ethnicity, gender, and religion. Our results demonstrate that LSTM and GRU models, in particular, exhibit superior performance …