Digital Commons Network^™

Critical Discourse Analysis Of The Dialogical Demands Of Florida's 10th Grade B.E.S.T. English Language Arts Standards, Amanda Nb Kaplowitz

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This study investigates the extent to which the Florida B.E.S.T (Benchmark for Excellent Student Thinking) English Language Arts (ELA) standards demand that students participate in dialogic interactions within the 10th grade ELA classroom. Dialogic demands, characterized by active discourse and collaborative sense-making, are the opportunities students interact with one another or with a text. The dialogic elements of classroom pedagogy are an increasingly recognized critical component of effective literacy instruction in contrast with the monologic classroom where teachers are the primary source of information. A Critical Discourse Analysis through the lens of Fairclough is used as this research aims to …

The Impact Of Well-Designed Graphics And Multimedia On Student Engagement And Learning In Online Classes, Joseph E. Lloyd

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The purpose of this research study was to examine the graphical redesign of an online Psychology course and determine the impact of that redesign on student engagement in the course, and students’ perceptions of the course, and the impact of the redesign elements on their learning. It also examined whether this redesign impacted students’ performance in the course. The results from this study could provide insights for instructors, instructional designers, and graphic designers on how the inclusion of such graphics affects student engagement and learning. In addition, how the students view their own engagement and learning with the addition of …

University Of Central Florida Graduate Catalog, 2024 - 2025, University Of Central Florida

UCF Catalogs

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Bilingualism On Visual Semantic Processing, Ancuta Margondai

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Bilingualism has been shown to influence a variety of cognitive aspects, including attentional control, behavioral regulation, and the adaptation to fluctuating linguistic demands. Nevertheless, the influence of bilingualism on visual semantic processing remains ambiguous, characterized by inconsistent previous findings.. The present study aims to investigate the bilingual switch cost effect, characterized by slower response times and increased inaccuracy for bilinguals, in the context of visual semantic processing.

The study is grounded in three theoretical models: the Bilingual Interactive Activation (BIA) model, the Adaptive Control Hypothesis, and the Visual World Paradigm Theory. These models hypothesize that bilinguals would demonstrate enhanced visual …

Enhancing Digital Reading Experiences For Older Adults: Investigating The Impact Of Font Selection And Hyperlinks In Newspaper Articles On Reading Speed, Comprehension, Engagement, Reading Pleasure, And Fatigue, Shalah Thomas

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study explores the impact of font selection, hyperlink presence, memory retention, and visual acuity on digital reading experiences for older adults. Initially designed to evaluate the effects of font types and hyperlinks on reading outcomes, the study adapted its approach after participants indicated a strong dislike for hyperlinks and largely avoided using them. Using a multiple linear regression analysis, this research examines how font choices, memory, and visual acuity influence reading speed, comprehension, engagement, pleasure, and fatigue. Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) analysis was employed to address multicollinearity. Results indicate that familiar fonts, strong memory retention, and good visual acuity …

Shifting Educational Paradigms: An Analysis Of Evolving Student Expectations Within A Reformed Physical Chemistry Curriculum, Kevin E. Morales

Undergraduate Scholarship and Creative Works

Students often hold negative expectations when enrolling in rigorous undergraduate courses. PhysicalChemistry is a challenging upper-level course for Chemistry majors; the course has a reputation as a demandingcourse that leads to students building negative expectations. This worsened when ambiguity existed in an instructor’s pedagogy. Not addressing those initial expectations of the students abates their motivation, which does not put them in the best place to learn, leading to poor academic performance. The course syllabus is often the first interaction a student has with the course; it can be a critical tool in (re)setting students' initial expectations and allows the instructor …

Using Geographic Information Systems To Examine Unmet Healthcare Needs Among Transgender And Non-Binary Young Adults In Florida, Nino Franklin

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This study explored healthcare utilization among the Transgender and Gender Non-Binary (TGNB) population of Florida using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to visualize and analyze the spatial distribution of unmet healthcare needs. The aim was to provide a clear comparison of unmet healthcare needs across various regions, highlight areas with the highest and lowest levels of unmet needs, and understand the demographic factors influencing these disparities. Utilizing survey data from the NIH-funded U=CARE study, which involved TGNB participants aged 18-26 from diverse racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, the data were cleaned, geocoded, and analyzed within ArcGIS. Geocoded survey responses were linked to …

Opportunities And Insecurities: Discursive Power And The Neoliberal Transformation Of Work In The Great Resignation, Caroline Austin

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study explores the Great Resignation—a mass wave of voluntary job departures during and after the COVID-19 pandemic— through a Foucauldian lens, exploring the intersections of neoliberal labor practices, worker subjectivities, and discursive power. Using Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (FDA) 25 interviews with individuals who resigned during this period were analyzed to explore how workers engage with neoliberal discourses in making sense of their work-related attitudes, experiences, and decisions as well as the broader discursive constructions used to interpret the Great Resignation as a societal phenomenon. Participants’ narratives reveal varying degrees of alignment, negotiation, and resistance to neoliberal subjectivity, shaped by …

An Intersectional Examination Of Adverse Childhood Experiences And Educational Outcomes In Children In The U.S., Josalie C. Condon

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Background: Research has found that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been shown to lead to a myriad of issues including struggling in school. The more ACEs a child experiences, the worse their outcome tends to be, including school outcomes. However, critics of ACE research have argued that not all ACEs weigh the same and intersectionality needs to be considered. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the relationship between ACEs and school outcome issues. These school outcome variables are analyzed, first with a binary ACE variable, then with ACE scale variable, to test whether more ACEs lead to worse outcomes. And, …

Grief, Identity Transformation, And Resilience In Emerging Adulthood Following Profound Loss, Isabella S. Marcon

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Loss and grief are unfortunate forces of the human experience, highly variable in the experience of intensity and duration, not limited solely to death. Grief is the process that follows loss, and can be a transformative journey towards personal growth, healing, and reshaping one’s self-concept (Corless et al., 2014).

Individuals who have experienced the loss of a significant figure and have grappled with grief and bereavement during their childhood, adolescence, or emerging adulthood have yet to be thoroughly studied. The repercussions of navigating grief and bereavement during these formative years encompass intrapersonal relationships, coping mechanisms, resilience, and overall psychological well-being …

The Influence Of Foster Parent Characteristics On The Relational Permanence Of Foster Youth, Yogita Venkata

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Research suggests that lack of permanency is associated with an increased risk of aggression, mental instability, and delinquent behavior in children (Leve et al., 2012). A crucial component of permanency involves establishing stable connections, including relational permanence with peers and adults, which are believed to enhance the well-being of foster youth (Wekerle et al., 2009). Further, the literature suggests a relationship between a parent’s adverse traumatic experiences, their attachments to their own parents, and their ability to regulate their foster child’s relational permanence to supportive adults and peers. Foster parents who have experienced trauma are often insecurely attached to their …

An Exploration Of Mhealth Applications Usage Among Older Adults: A Mixed Methods Study, Francine N. Sutton

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This study examines the technology and appointment scheduling habits of older adults over the age of 55 through an exploratory sequential three phase mixed methods study. Phase One of this study examined features of ten existing mHealth applications through a qualitative content analysis, then a mHealth wireframe was developed from the app to replicate in addition to a redesigned version. Phase Two of the study was a thirty-four questions survey with 40 participants that inquired about their background with appointment scheduling, prior experience with technology, and demographics. After that, the mHealth applications were revised into two mHealth application prototypes. Lastly, …

Anticipating Combustion: Suffering's Potential For Finding Meaning, Perseverance, And Transcendence, Alexander Alvarez

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Arising from the complications of an underprivileged and impoverished background this thesis focuses on exposing the grotesque consequences of conflicting ideologies through personal and societal suffering while in search of universal connections to showcase the need for compassion and understanding. My artistic practice is utilized as an entry point to have difficult discussions, a tool for teaching themes of injustice, inequality, and mistreatment. The traumatizing experience of poverty or corruption has the potential to be transmuted into something beneficial. I utilize discarded, low valued, unwanted, and damaged materials in my artmaking to symbolize transfiguration, an advanced state of former self. …

Lucas' Gift: Exploring The Importance Of Self-Care, Kevaun L. Gayle

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Lucas' Gift is a traditionally animated short film focusing on themes of selflessness and self-care. In an alternate world where magic exists, lives a young boy from a small community experiencing a drought. After being gifted a magical plant growing necklace from the Good Witch, Lucas works diligently to feed his community. After working himself to exhaustion, he learns the importance of self-care. The artistic direction is influenced by works such as Steven Universe and Craig of the Creek.

Campbell & The Cryptid: Mindfulness And Mediality, Elaina Buffkin

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Campbell & The Cryptid is a short film that intertwines the bittersweet intensity of imagination with the nostalgic medium of hand drawn two-dimensional animation. Campbell is an eleven-year-old girl who loves adventure and spending time with her brother. But when he moves away, she carries on her explorations on her own. This leads her to discover a strange friend in the woods. The experience helps her understand that the unknown is not always as bad as imagined. Influences on the artistic direction include irreverent media such as Calvin & Hobbes, as well as more speculative works such as Over …

From The Slime And Mud: Rumination As Fuel For Artistic Process, Olivia Van Natta

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This thesis examines my work to harness ruminative thinking as a driving force for my art practice. With a combination of drawing and painting in watercolor pencil, I activate and engage with rumination through the act of sublimation as defined in clinical psychology. Repetition of process and hand-rendered detail serve as outward channels for my obsessive cyclical thoughts. Based on my experience living with the physical effects of a hyperactive mind, I depict botanical life symbolically in an effort to communicate impressions of the bodily sensations associated with rumination, such as palpable tension, anxiety, or dread. In my research, I …

Prohibition In Sanford: Local Lives Questioning A National Narrative Presented Through Data, Discourse Analysis And Digital Mapping, Lindsey K. Yeazell

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This thesis uses a microhistorical methodology to examine the social impact and lived experience of Prohibition in Sanford, Florida, and the surrounding area – an historically "dry" community. Historiographical claims from state, regional, and national studies are tested through data sampling of Sanford Municipal Court Records; close readings of more than 200 Sanford Herald articles; and an oral history with a local museum curator based on family tradition.

This is an evidence-driven thesis. A thirty-percent sampling of 23,000 Sanford Municipal Court Records covering the Prohibition era (1920-1933) enables detailed analysis of alcohol-related arrest and enforcement patterns based on race, gender, …

Ai Hacks For Educators, Kevin Yee, Laurie Uttich, Eric Main, Elizabeth Giltner

UCF Created OER Works

No abstract provided.

Development Of An Objective Battery For Ptsd, Kathryn O'Dell

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is marked by avoidance, arousal, re-experiencing, and negative mood and cognition. To date, these symptoms are assessed using self-report measures (e.g., the PCL-5) and clinician administered assessments (e.g., the CAPS-5). While these are the present gold-standard assessments for PTSD, they still are prone to bias on behalf of both the administrator and the patient. Presently, there is evidence that individuals with PTSD perform differently than individuals without PTSD on certain cognitive tasks that measure attention bias and avoidance behaviors. As such, creating a battery of these tasks may be a viable route for objectively measuring PTSD. …

The Ethics Of Brain-Machine Interfaces, Devon J. Lynn

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Brain Machine Interfaces (BMI) are a rapidly developing technology that raise unique ethical issues that demand review. They have demonstrated impressive restorative potential, particularly for individuals living with epilepsy, and those who are locked in. Although BMIs have the potential to provide significant benefit to millions of users, further advancement of the technology should proceed cautiously, according to the guidelines outlined in this paper. Failure to adhere to ethical guidelines could lead to severe privacy concerns, and would violate moral principles of beneficence, virtue ethics, care ethics, and utilitarianism. Despite the moral risks, BMIs hold promise for reshaping future healthcare …

Differences In Health-Related Quality Of Life Among Breast Cancer Survivors By Hispanic Origin In A Cross-Sectional Study, Meera Lakshmanan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among American women. Research has examined the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among breast cancer survivors of various races/ethnicities, reporting that Hispanic women have lower levels of HRQOL compared to non-Hispanic whites. Hispanics are not a homogenous population, and subpopulations may have different lifestyles, socioeconomic status, and cultural/personal/social ideals that could affect their HRQOL after treatment of breast cancer. The objective of this study was to examine the differences in HRQOL by Hispanic origin among breast cancer survivors in Central Florida.

Patient data was obtained from the Florida Cancer Data …

Renewing Voter Confidence In Election Outcomes: A Qualitative Examination Of Election Processes And Security Measures, Hannah Barnes

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This paper explores the topic of voter confidence in U.S. election outcomes and seeks to identify the factors that influence that confidence. Given the increasing interest in questions surrounding election integrity and election security, it is important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the current election structure in America. By analyzing components of the election process such as voter registration, voting machines and other election technology, along with existing voting laws and proposed legislation, I highlight key areas where voter confidence is strongly impacted. Through this research I determined that by improving voter education and awareness of functions within …

Madness As Epistemic Advantage: The Relevance Of Standpoint Epistemology To The Evolution Of Mental Health Care, Aven E. Kazmier

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to examine the potential epistemic advantage possessed by those with lived experience of mental illness. The frequent lack of conceptual alignment between the perspectives of individuals with lived experience and the biomedical model of mental illness has often resulted in epistemic injustice—lived experiential knowledge tends to be devalued and excluded from larger discussions about mental health. I propose that by occupying a marginalized social location and critically engaging with one’s social position, psychopathologized individuals may achieve a standpoint that allows a deeper comprehension of the systems of power that affect the mental health care …

Attitudes And Perceptions Of Mental Health In The Vietnamese Community: A Comprehensive Analysis, Mai Ly Nguyen-Luu

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis explores the complex and multifaceted landscape of attitudes and perceptions toward mental health within the Vietnamese community. Mental health issues remain a significant global concern, and understanding how these issues are perceived and addressed within specific cultural contexts is vital for effective mental health promotion and intervention. In the case of the Vietnamese community, the interplay of cultural values, stigmatization, and access to mental healthcare services makes this study particularly relevant.

The research investigates the cultural factors that shape attitudes and perceptions toward mental health in the Vietnamese community, including traditional beliefs, familial roles, and the influence of …

The Nebulous Binaries Of C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces, Amantia Menalla

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Much of C.S. Lewis’ novel Till We Have Faces can be examined through one of two binaries. The tension between rationality, or reason, and spirituality, or religion, is one of the core facets of both the text and its main character, Orual. Orual feels the pull of both ideas and thus spends most of the novel in a nebulous space between them. This tension is further complicated by the space between the feminine and the masculine which she also inhabits. By covering her face and body, Orual de-emphasizes her feminine identity and takes on a masculine role, dressing as a …

The New Antisemitism, Edgar G. Soto

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Following the Second World War, antisemitism appeared to be on a decline. Presently, however, there is an uptick in antisemitic hate crimes, worldwide. Modern-day Islamic antisemitism in particular is in large part recycled European Christian antisemitism adapted for Islamic audiences and intensified by the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict. This iteration of anti-Jewish bigotry is not the same as the “old,” but neither is it different. As will be explained, antisemitism has, throughout history, amounted to an anomaly in Islamic culture and in what may be called “normative” Islam.

Indeed, Muslims and Jews lived together amicably for centuries. In fact, within dar-al-Islam, …

The Association Between Patient Race/Ethnicity/Culture, Physician-Patient Communication, And Patient Outcomes: A Systematic Review, Maazen Khan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Research shows that health disparities exist among patients of varying races, ethnicities, and cultures in the United States. Numerous studies have suggested that these disparities may be partly associated with physician-patient communication. The larger project that this thesis is a part of is a mixed-methods analysis of physician-patient communication across patient race, ethnicity, and culture. This thesis specifically excluded qualitative studies and focused on how such communication can affect health outcomes. Sixty-nine studies were identified and appraised for quality. Of these, only four associated physician-patient communication with the health outcomes of patients. These studies had inconsistent results, highlighting the gap …

Concepts And Measures Of Human Intelligence And Anthropology: A Systematic Review Of Academic Literature From 1930s To 2010s, Leilani Maldonado

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis explores the evolution of intelligence research and its contextualization within historical biases. Using a meta-analysis approach, the study examines word frequencies in academic literature spanning from the 1930s to the 2010s to identify shifting trends in intelligence discourse. Eleven search terms related to intelligence were analyzed to interpret changes in academic focus over time. The findings reveal significant shifts influenced by historical events, societal movements, and advancements in technology and methodology. From the prominence of IQ measures during World War II to the rise of cognitive science in the 1960s and the emergence of emotional intelligence in the …

Rewriting Reality: The Sociological Context Of Gaslighting, Kristen L. Engasser Jr.

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In 2007, Robin Stern published The gaslight effect: How to spot and survive the hidden manipulation others use to control your life, highlighting gaslighting as a form of psychological abuse that makes victims question the validity of their perceptions. Since then, gaslighting has primarily been tackled from a psychological perspective. Some sociologists, however, theorize that gaslighting is not simply a psychological issue but a sociological one as well. They argue that gaslighting may take place unintentionally when a perpetrator acts on their biases towards members of other social groups, a concept known as epistemic gaslighting. As a form of …

Guns Can't Kill Ghosts, Krista B. Ruffo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis explores the grieving process of a child, 6-year-old Maple, in a fictional way. As Maple attempts to carry on with daily life, such as attending first grade, after the death of her father, she experiences supernatural visions that cause her to consider what life and, consequently, death is. She also contends with her mother’s unwillingness to tell Maple why her father is dead, since her mother believes that keeping Maple shielded from the full truth is the best course of action. Maple struggles with sleeping issues, reoccurring dreams of her father, depression, lack of interest in formerly exciting …