Digital Commons Network^™

Feedback-Related Negativity, Reward-Based Learning, And Adhd Symptoms: Preliminary Findings In A Pediatric Sample With Prominent Mood Symptoms, Giulia C. Salgari

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Reward-based learning is the ability to alter our future behavior following a novel reward. Dysregulation in this system has been linked to different forms of adult and pediatric psychopathologies such as mood disorders, for which it has proved to be an important treatment target given its link to broader health outcomes for these disorders. However, more research is needed to better understand its underlying mechanisms in the pediatric population. The current study examined how probabilistic reward learning, feedback-related negativity (FRN; an event-related potential from EEG), and dimensional ADHD symptom severity relate in adolescents with prominent mood symptoms. The final sample …

Exploring The Influence Of Inclusive Middle School Classrooms On Resilience, Character Education, And Life Skills Development In Students With Disabilities, Katherine Bonilla

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This study explored the effects of inclusive middle school classrooms on the academic performance, attendance, and social-emotional development of students with disabilities. Using a quantitative, comparative, and correlational design, the research investigated how inclusion influences these outcomes. The study examined data from 1,198 students, including both exceptional student education (ESE) and non-ESE participants, and gathered teacher perceptions to assess the impact of inclusion on social-emotional learning (SEL). Key metrics analyzed included Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) scores for mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA), attendance rates, and teacher survey responses regarding students' SEL competencies, such as resilience, teamwork, and …

Elementary General Education Teachers' Beliefs About Inclusive Practices In General Education Classrooms In The Cayman Islands, Tracey Ann Trail

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Research indicates that teachers' beliefs are pivotal in shaping their inclusive practices. However, there is a dearth of local research on general education teachers’ beliefs about inclusive practices in the Cayman Islands. This qualitative study aimed to fill this gap by understanding the beliefs of general education elementary teachers about inclusive practices in general education classrooms in the Cayman Islands. This encompassed their beliefs about inclusive education, supporting student learning and participation, and their self-efficacy beliefs about implementing inclusive practices. Data about the teacher’s beliefs were collected using two semi-structured interviews with nine general education elementary public elementary school teachers. …

Dual Coalitions Or Dueling Coalitions?: A Comparison Of Single-Issue And Dual-Issue Statewide Domestic Violence And Sexual Assault Coalitions In The U.S., Shannon Sokolowski

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

Domestic violence (DV) and sexual assault (SA) are critical social issues requiring a large scale national response. In the U.S., federally designated statewide DV and SA coalitions are nonprofit organizations that play a critical role at the national, state, and local levels. Once individual social movements, DV and SA advocacy coalitions have merged at higher rates in recent decades. Efforts to achieve economic sustainability may drive the decision to merge or reform. However, nonprofit organizations have a double bottom line, needing to consider financial and mission-related performance. With economic uncertainly rising, it is critical to understand the impact that forming …

Empathy In Digital Healthcare, Michael R. Powell

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation post-2024

This dissertation investigates how the rapid expansion of telehealth, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has reshaped clinician-patient interactions, with a focus on the role of empathy. Telehealth has broadened access to care and introduced new efficiencies, but it also presents distinct challenges in fostering the deep emotional connections traditionally associated with in-person consultations. By exploring how empathy is mediated through digital platforms, this research offers valuable insights into how empathetic connections can be supported, though not fully replicated, in virtual healthcare settings. Through a mixed-methods approach, including qualitative interviews with healthcare providers, the study examines both the barriers …

Developing A Multi-Level Model Of Integrated-Organizational Resilience, Reza Bahari

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Most contemporary organizations work in unsteady environments and are impacted by various types of disruptions that have profound impacts on performance such as natural disasters, globalization, and financial recessions. Due to this, the concept of integrated organizational resilience (IOR) has become an important issue for both academic researchers and practitioners in recent years. A review of the literature shows that much of the research has focused on identifying and measuring the factors that affect OR in an effort to improve organizations' capacity for resilience. While significant research has been conducted in this area, much of the evidence focuses on a …

A Multimodal Framework For Automated Content Moderation Of Children's Videos, Syed Hammad Ahmed

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Online video platforms receive hundreds of hours of uploads every minute, making manual moderation of inappropriate content impossible. The most vulnerable consumers of malicious video content are children from ages 1-5 whose attention is easily captured by bursts of color and sound. Prominent video hosting platforms like YouTube have taken measures to mitigate malicious content, but these videos often go undetected by current automated content moderation tools that are focused on removing explicit or copyrighted content. Scammers attempting to monetize their content may craft malicious children's videos that are superficially similar to educational videos, but include scary and disgusting characters, …

Film As Ritual: Healing From Complex Trauma And Transmuting Pain Through Film, Lorraine I. Sovern

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Forward Fast, Always/Never (Together Forever) and Shotgun Baby are three short experimental documentary films as part of the requirements for earning a Master of Fine Arts in Feature Film Production from the University of Central Florida. These films focus on the unique power of cinema and its ability to assist in healing from complex trauma. Three films were produced on an artisanal, micro-budget scale.

This body of work confronts and examines the significant traumas from an abusive childhood upbringing (Shotgun Baby), the effects of misogyny in Western media on my developing filmic sensibilities (Forward Fast), and …

Spotting The Signs: An Investigation Of The Effectiveness Of A Peer Training Program In Increasing Students' Ability To Detect And Report The Warning Signs Of A Peer School Shooting Plot, Ashley T. Winch

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

To date, there are no evidence-based peer bystander intervention trainings (BIT) aimed at educating peers in school shooting warning behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine an interactive BIT where peers were taught warning behaviors related to someone planning a school shooting and how to report this information. This training was evaluated against a currently available training method (i.e., PowerPoint presentation based) and a control group to determine the best training approach. College students between 18 and 19 years old (N = 57) completed pre, post, and one-month follow-up assessments. At each timepoint accuracy in detection of …

Breaking Molds: Transformative Processes In Art Making, Materials, And Life, James M. Wysolmierski

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Drawing upon traumatic moments of my past as a catalyst, I pursue understanding and acceptance of physical and emotional pain. In this thesis body of work, I employ the intersection of industrial and body imagery in sculptural forms and installation as a corporeal and allegorical account of my lived experience using visual narratives of trepidation and metamorphosis. In my creative practice, I incorporate various materials that create a reference of specific moments from my past. The artworks draw from principles rooted in Buddhism, affect theory, phenomenology, and materiality; incorporating them as tools to comprehend my position in the world and …

In An Immersive Space, Raising Awareness To Universalize The Concept Of Resistance And Hope, Elaheh Jazemi

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Inspired by my Iranian heritage, I symbolize my narrative of the social injustice and suppression prevalent in Iran. Through this thesis, I universalize the concept of resistance and hope for equality by raising awareness and giving a voice to the voiceless despite their significant sacrifices. In my studio practice, I sought to achieve a visual density that would enhance the immersive experiences. I constructed this by overlapping transparent materials such as tulle, resin, silk, and transparent sheets, creating a disorienting atmosphere that invites viewers to grapple with visual metaphors. This overwhelming ambiance, mirroring the despondent nature of the emotions conveyed …

Developing A Course Enrollment Simulation Model To Improve College Graduation Outcomes, Rachel Straney

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The process of enrolling and completing the courses needed to earn an undergraduate degree involves complex interactions between individual students and institutional policies and procedures, especially because student and institutional priorities do not always align. Traditional social and behavioral statistical methods are ineffective for modeling these interactions. Simulation and algorithm-based modeling approaches have been underutilized in higher education, but their adaptability can accommodate the complexity of the degree attainment process. The purpose of this research was to design, develop, validate, and apply a multi-method Course Enrollment Simulation Model (CESM), which mirrored the process of college students enrolling in courses required …

Psychometric Evaluation Of A Brief Measure For Body Image Concerns Related To Breast Appearance, Sivanne Mendelson

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

The complexity of breast-specific body image concerns among women considering cosmetic breast surgery (CBS) underscores the need for a nuanced assessment tool. Despite numerous existing body image measures, there remains a need for a concise, validated instrument focusing on satisfaction with breast appearance. The development of the Breast Appearance Concerns Scale (BACS) aimed at assessing the multifaceted nature of breast-specific concerns through a patient centered lens within a population of otherwise healthy young adult women. The BACS was developed through a comprehensive review of existing literature and refined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, in addition to Rasch measurement analysis. …

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between A Novice Educator Support Team And The Self-Efficacy Of Beginning Teachers In Elementary, Middle, And High Schools, Bailey Holmquist

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Over the last twenty years, there has been an increase in teacher turnover and, in attempts to mitigate this issue, states and school districts have developed novice teacher mentoring programs. A Large Suburban School District implemented a novice teacher mentoring program during the 2021–2022 school year with the goal of providing novice teachers with a larger system of support to increase retention rates. The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between novice teacher perceptions of a mentoring program and novice teacher perceptions of self–efficacy. Novice teachers (i.e., 1 to 3 years of teaching experience) received a survey …

Analyzing The Use Of Plain Language In Brief Summaries On Clinicaltrials.Gov, Megan J. Eddington

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

ClinicalTrials.gov is a database designed to help clinical researchers make their research publicly available. The clinical trials registered on the database each include a brief summary, which is meant to be a short description that the public can easily understand. In September 2022, ClinicalTrials.gov published a "Plain Language Checklist for Lay Brief Summaries" on their website, which identifies plain language best practices intended to help investigators craft summaries that can be readily understood by the public. This thesis assesses the impact of the checklist on the language use in the brief summaries in the year following the checklist's publication. The …

Human Performance In Context: Exploring The Effect Of Social Support On Vigilance, Allison E. Garibaldi

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Over many decades, vigilance research has consistently found that performance on vigilance tasks decline over time (i.e., the vigilance decrement; Davies & Parasuraman, 1982), and that performing a vigilance task is both mentally demanding and stressful (Warm et al., 2008). Researchers have subsequently implemented a wide range of interventions to both understand and attempt to attenuate the vigilance decrement and its associated affective effects. Among these efforts, little attention has been devoted to understanding the effects of the social environment on vigilance. Nonetheless, a handful of studies have indeed suggested that the presence of others can affect performance, workload, and …

Combating Cyberbullying On Social Media: A Machine Learning Approach With Text Analysis On Twitter, Amir Alipour Yengejeh

Data Science and Data Mining

The popularity of the electronic mobile devices along with social media as well as networking websites have been tremendously increased in the recent year. Most people around the world daily engage in the variety of cyberspace additives. Even though the users can take most advantages of these system such as exchange the idea and information, being sociable, and enjoyments, they might be faced with such adverse behaviors such as toxicity, bullying, extremism, and cruelty. The recent statistics reports that such mentioned behaviors has been noticeably grown on the cyberspace such that can threaten the individuals and even any community. Thus, …

Machine Learning Approaches For Cyberbullying Detection, Roland Fiagbe

Data Science and Data Mining

Cyberbullying refers to the act of bullying using electronic means and the internet. In recent years, this act has been identifed to be a major problem among young people and even adults. It can negatively impact one’s emotions and lead to adverse outcomes like depression, anxiety, harassment, and suicide, among others. This has led to the need to employ machine learning techniques to automatically detect cyberbullying and prevent them on various social media platforms. In this study, we want to analyze the combination of some Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms (such as Bag-of-Words and TFIDF) with some popular machine learning …

Relationship Between Fentanyl Misinformation And College Students' Intentions To Administer Naloxone, Zoe Ryon

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: The news media has spread misinformation about the toxicity and potency of fentanyl, exaggerating the extent to which bystanders could be harmed by fentanyl when responding to overdose situations. College students are increasingly among the victims of opioid overdose, and their peers may be the nearest person capable of administering naloxone – an overdose reversal medication. However, college students who fear incidental exposure to fentanyl may be worried about administering naloxone.

Objective: I sought to understand the relationship between undergraduate college students’ perceptions of the risks of fentanyl and their intentions to administer naloxone in an overdose situation.

Methods: …

Improving Screening For Intimate Partner Violence Amongst Older Adults, Olivia Bell

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This systematic literature review was conducted to gather a better understanding of screening for intimate partner violence (IPV) among older adults. IPV affects millions of people every year. Many screenings are conducted with women of reproductive age in medical settings, not older adults. This study focused on ways to improve screenings for older adults by addressing topics including elder abuse and IPV and the lack of resources/knowledge for IPV survivors who are older adults. This study was a literature review conducted with the University of Central Florida’s PRIMO database to find articles on IPV among older adults over the last …

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Writing Award Co-Winner Undergraduate Essay: "Trauma And Tranquility: Rawlings's And Hemingway's Tales Of Transformation", Simon Cole

The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature

No abstract provided.

Service Learning At Hope Helps, Abigail O. Bertsch

UN SDG Open Pedagogy Faculty Fellowship: Renewable Assignments

No abstract provided.

Academic Resilience And Wellness As Predictors Of Imposter Syndrome In First-Generation Graduate Students, Timothy Eng

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This study is a two-part manuscript dissertation that examined the relationships between academic resilience (perseverance, negative affect and emotional response, reflecting and adaptive help-seeking), wellness (spiritual, social, emotional, intellectual, physical, and psychological wellness), and imposter syndrome among first-generation graduate counseling students (FGGCS). Survey data from 172 FGGCS’s was analyzed using bivariate correlational and regression analyses to answer four primary research questions: (1) Is there a statistically significant correlation between FGGCS’s level of imposter syndrome and academic resilience, (2) Is there a statistically significant correlation between FGGCS’s level of imposter syndrome and perceived wellness, (3) Are FGGCS’s level of academic resilience …

Self-Transformation And Spirituality In Marketing, Mrudul Nilangekar

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Self-transformation and spirituality have not been extensively investigated in marketing research. However, these concepts are deeply impactful in an individual's life and are advocated by religious and spiritual traditions across the world. In Essay 1, I extend research on compassion, distance between self and other, and power by examining the effect of self-compassion on prosocial behavior. I test the effect of self-compassion on prosocial behavior mediated by the distance felt between self and other and moderated by felt power. Across five studies, I find that individuals in the self-compassionate and equal power mindset display higher prosocial behavior and lower empathy …

Terminological (In)Justice: Terminology And Reality In A Coordinated Community Response To Intimate Partner Violence, Julio Montanez Ma, Amy Donley Phd

Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS)

Definitions and terminologies are paramount for operationalizing the community-wide effort against intimate partner violence (IPV). However, definitions and terms that do not reflect reality are of little use. This is particularly true in IPV coordinated community responses that attempt to harmonize data collection and legal apparatuses at the federal, state, and local levels. Using qualitative (e.g., focus group and interview data from survivors, interviews with system actors) and quantitative data (e.g., Uniform Crime Reports) from a year-long study in a large southeastern county, the current study aims to answer the following research question: Do IPV-related terms (in data collection and …

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.

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 …