Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Student Engagement: Regional Campus Students’ Access To High Impact Practices And Co-Curricular Organizations, Angela Kristina Austin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Regional campuses serve a vital role in today's higher education landscape, extending access to college education for underserved locations and populations. The University of Mississippi’s university system has five regional campuses. The students at a regional campus, like their traditional main campus counterparts, aspire to attain bachelor's or graduate degrees. However, regional campus students often exhibit characteristics more akin to community college or non-traditional students.

While literature on regional campuses is limited, ample research supports the positive impact of student involvement in higher education. Even more limited is research on participation levels of non-traditional students in co-curricular organizations and high-impact …

Level Of Pj (Peace Journalism) Awareness Among Journalists From Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Ayidh J. Alqahtani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to ascertain whether Saudi Arabian journalists know peace journalism. According to the peace journalism model and the framing theory, journalists' practices are supposed to foster peace rather than fuel violence. As a result, journalists can shed light on the social and underlying causes of violence with the noble goal of demoting violence and promoting peace. In that sense, 100 journalists from Saudi Arabia made up the sample population of this study. The mixed-method approach was used to collect data; Consequently, the researcher provided the participants with a questionnaire to elicit the level of awareness of peace journalism …

Adolescent Health And Maladaptive Coping: Assessing The Relationship Between Poor Physical Health And Underage Drinking, Shelby Gilbreath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents endure various stressors throughout their lives, making them one of the most vulnerable populations in the United States. Among those life stressors are physical health issues, including physical illness and disabilities. Physical health challenges may serve as a strain that fosters deviant behavior, such as underage drinking. However, prior research has failed to investigate this relationship. The current study uses publicly available data from the National Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to examine the impact of physical health challenges on underage drinking.

Ground Level: Poems, Margaret Graber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“Ground Level” is a full-length poetry collection situated at the intersection of ecopoetics and psychology, where the theme of “grounding” one’s self continually emerges in the midst of personal geographical changes and experiences of collective social trauma during a period of prolonged immersion in the natural world. By exploring through an array of poetic forms, structures, and experimentations including golden shovels, contrapuntals, haikus, an abecedarian, a sestina, grounding exercises, poems featuring 20th century children’s television host Fred Rogers, and a sonnet crown which also explores queerness in the 21st century Southeast, the speaker engages with a number of different methods …

Effects And Mechanisms Of Cognitive Impairment During Vigorous-Intensity Exercise, Myungjin Jung

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent research indicates that vigorous-intensity exercise concurrent with a prefrontal cortex (PFC)-dependent cognitive task can temporarily deactivate the PFC, leading to impaired cognition. Shifting attentional focus from a cognitive task to exercise or vice versa during exercise may also affect cognitive performance. However, the underlying mechanisms of this effect remain unclear. Therefore, this dissertation aimed to evaluate whether changes in attention and PFC oxygenation mediate cognitive impairment during vigorous-intensity exercise. Seventy-five young healthy adults (37 males, 38 females; 20.3 ± 1.6 years) completed three visits. The initial visit consisted of a max cycle test to measure VO2max via indirect calorimetry. …

Mathematics And Special Education Co-Teaching In The Middle School: How Teachers Make Sense Of Their Partnership, Bethany Lavalley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Co-teaching is the practice of general educators and special educators sharing instruction in a general education setting to deliberately meet the needs of students with and without disabilities. Co-teacher research tends to focus on the processes of co-teaching, and little is known about how teachers go about creating a system of interconnected professional expertise that flexibly meets the diverse learning needs of students. This comparative case study examines the interpersonal and professional relationships of two co-teaching teams who were supported by their respective administration, who shared common planning time, co-instructed together in the mathematics classroom, and were engaged in a …

Fte2: An Exploration Of Full-Time Employed, Full-Time Enrolled Undergraduate Student Perceptions Regarding The Impact Of Support Systems On Their Ability To Persist, Victoria Lauren Mccord

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Full-time enrolled students participating in full-time employment is a growing trend on college campuses. This dissertation serves to explore the perceptions of full-time employed, full-time enrolled graduate students’ perceptions on the impact of their support systems on their ability to persist. The proposed study utilizes Laura Perna’s Conceptual Model for College Access and Choice (2006), along with Cabrera, Nora, and Castenada’s Integrated Model for Student Retention (1993) to the following research questions: (1) What factors, support systems or resources do students utilize? (2) What formal or informal support systems and/or resources aid in student persistence, if any? This dissertation addresses …

The Combined Effects Of Context And Importance On Prospective Memory, Gage Owens Regier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prospective memory is memory for activities to be performed in the future. These tasks vary in importance – such as remembering to pick up your medicine on the way home versus buying milk for the next morning – and vary in the amount of contextual information available, where contextual information allows an individual to predict when the intended action might be completed. While importance and context have been studied individually, their combined effects have not been explored. This experiment’s goal was to examine this unexplored interaction using established manipulations and tasks to facilitate comparison to previous work. In doing so, …

Assessing The Relationship Between School Disengagement And Violence Involvement, Senneca Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social control theory suggests that having strong social bonds to a society prevents individuals from engaging in delinquent acts. Consistent with the main assumption of this theoretical framework, the current study assesses whether having a weak bond to school, specifically, school disengagement, impacts violent behavior among adolescents. The current study also assesses whether gender and race/ethnicity moderate the relationship between school disengagement and violence involvement. Data used in this study were obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescents to Adult Health public-use data (N = 6,045). Results show that school disengagement is a significant predictor of violent behavior among …

"No Redemption In Nonfiction": Portfolio Reflection On The Queer, Anticapitalist Directions Of Creative Nonfiction, Bethany Fitts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I reflect on the current state of my artistic practice and discuss rapidly changing documentary methods in the 21st century as they relate to broader evolutions in the creative nonfiction genre. I then discuss these methods alongside my experimental short-doc Gameplay.

Code-Switching In The Emotionalnarratives Of Bilingual Speakers Of English And Arabic, Yasmeen Alruwaili

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores code-switching (CS) in the emotional narratives of bilingual speakers of English and Arabic. Exploring the immigrant Arab community in Mississippi, USA contributes to the literature gap and provides valuable insights into the correlation between codeswitching and bilingual identities in various emotional, social, and cultural contexts. This study examines the complex relationship between linguistic choices, cultural identity, and emotional expressions in bilingual contexts, offering cross-linguistic and cross-cultural insights into codeswitching practices. It also seeks to investigate the types of linguistic structures that appear in the narratives of bilingual speakers and the reasons behind their choices.

In order to …

It’S Just A Way Of Life: A Symbolic-Interactionist Approach To Inequalities In The Contemporary American South, Angela Rankin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The contemporary American South is characterized by significant inequalities that are deeply- embedded into the social fabric of the region. These inequalities are dictated by cultural and social dynamics that have shaped the Southern region over time; however, they are reinforced daily through the individual agency of Southern social actors. This thesis aims to analyze Southern inequalities through a symbolic-interactionist focused lens and data collected from semi-structured, qualitative interviews conducted with over 70 White Southerners in two places within the American South- Oxford, MS, and Memphis, TN. In this thesis, I argue that White Southern actors actively use their individual …

Negotiating Intersectional Identities In The Music Culture Of The Deeper Christian Life Ministries In Nigeria, If-Not-God Moses

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Christianity is the largest religion in the world with a population of over two billion. More than ever before, the rapid growth of this religion is getting more diverse due to a great variety of doctrines and practices that it accommodates. From the inception of Christianity, music has been prominent and a powerful bedrock of its religious worship. This thesis, underpinned by the paradigm of sound as a social structure as espoused by Steven Feld, examines the intersectional identities in the music culture of the Deeper Christian Life Ministries (DCLM) in Nigeria. This research aims to fathom the musical functions …

The Efficacy Of Interventions Aimed At Reducing Early Childhood Toxic Stress: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Sheerah Neal Keith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The foundations of mental health and well-being are built in the first five years of life. Early childhood toxic stress (i.e., repeated, excessive, or prolonged activation of the body’s stress response systems) can undermine children’s sense of safety, sense of stability, and ability to form healthy relationships. The damaging effects of toxic stress can disrupt the normal course of brain, immune, and metabolic development, placing children at increased risk for mental and physical health problems that can last into adulthood. Counselors are uniquely qualified to help prevent and treat early childhood toxic stress. Yet, gaps between counseling theory, research, and …

“The War Will Be Over Sometime”: Female Authorship, Time, Trauma, And Healing In H.D.’S Wartime Works, Loren Samons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a tripartite collection of poems, at first glance H.D.'s Trilogy appears vastly different from her semi-autobiographical novel, Bid Me to Live, but the two are not as removed from each other as their formats and publication timelines might indicate. In fact, their connectedness is much less discreet than many scholars have suggested. In addition to being thematically similar in terms of their considerations of time and gender, Bid Me to Live and Trilogy could be viewed as works in conversation with each other, reflecting the development of the female authorial voice along a timeline of war-related trauma progression and …

Support Experiences Of Beginning Teachers In An Alternate Route Graduate Program In Mississippi, Elizabeth Young Sweeney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Beginning teachers are the group of teachers most at risk of leaving the profession, while research has shown that novice teachers who receive support, such as mentorship or cohort programs, are more likely to continue to teach than those who do not. This study explored supports that beginning teachers in an alternate route graduate program in Mississippi experience and perceive as beneficial. A qualitative research design utilizing a phenomenological approach was used to explore the lived experiences of participants and supports they experience as beginning teachers. Thirteen beginning teachers, each teaching for less than three years, were interviewed using a …

The Influence Of Childhood Emotional Maltreatment And Exclusion On Distress Among Individuals With Social Anxiety Symptoms, Megan Perry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most pervasive psychological conditions affecting emerging adults. Previous literature has demonstrated the importance of biological influences, individual difference characteristics, negative parenting practices, peer victimization experiences, and trauma/adversity in the development and onset of SAD. One unique adverse experience is childhood emotional maltreatment (CEM) or parent-based emotional abuse and/or neglect. CEM has been associated with more severe and persistent social anxiety symptoms in adults. In young adulthood, adverse experiences such as peer exclusion can exacerbate the cognitive and behavioral processes of SAD. However, the impact of early CEM experiences has yet to be …

An Assessment Plan To Analyze Nudges And Their Effectiveness In A Learning Management System At Educational Institutions, Nishanth J. Rodrigues

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Procrastination is a significant problem in academia with some estimates suggesting that this occurs in as high as 70-90% of college students (Abdi Zarrin & Gracia, 2020) that manifests in numerous harmful ways including postponement of weekly reading assignments, delay in writing term papers, and inadequate preparation and beginning too late when studying for exams. The effects of procrastination vary from the immediate, such as a failed grade on an assignment, to the long-term, including delayed graduation or even failure to graduate, all of which have the “knock-on” effect of harming the students’ self-esteem and future success following their studies. …

The Emergence Of Discursive Leadership In Online Commmunities, Chad Diaz Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this Dissertation is to provide a detailed rationale for the way in which I address the following research questions in my dissertation: “What characteristics of user discourse lead to the emergence of leadership in online communities?” To this end, I provide a literature review of studies on online communities, examine past definitions, and propose an integrated definition of online communities. Focusing on the specific domain of leadership in online communities, I conduct a literature review of early and seminal articles published in this domain with the objective of identifying the foundational theoretical frameworks and the factors that …

Can Graphene-Coated Sand Enhance Water Reuse By Improving Water Quality In The Presence Of Municipal Treated Wastewater?, Madelyn Barber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The need for alternative water sources is dramatically increasing. Therefore, it is essential to develop alternative water sources to meet the current water scarcity challenges. Water reclamation, recycling, and reuse involving treated municipal and or animal wastewater address these challenges by resolving water resource issues and creating new sources of high-quality water supplies. However, the presence of bacteria, high levels of nutrients, and turbidity, as well as the occurrence of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) in the treated wastewater, combined with the willingness of the public to use treated wastewater can undermine the wide application of water reuse. Implementing affordable …

Structural Violence And Its Effect On Women's Empowerment In The Case Of Bangladesh Garment Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Fowzia Binte Faruque

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis delves into the complex relationship between women's participation in Bangladesh's garment industry, their empowerment, and structural violence against them. Although Bangladesh's patriarchal society perpetuates structural violence against women, the garment sector has also facilitated social and economic empowerment for many. By adopting a gender-focused lens and examining the interplay between structural violence and empowerment, this research aims to explore the socio-economic status of female garment workers in Bangladesh during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020-2022. The study employs a qualitative content analysis, analyzing two national newspapers—The Daily Star and The Financial Express (Bangladesh)—as primary sources.

The findings …

Nursing Faculty Turnover: Recruitment And Retention At Jones College, Alan Luke Hammonds

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The nursing profession has been facing a deficit of nurses for many years (Denehy, 2000; Haddad et al., 2023, Mayo, 1944; Schorr, 1980; Theisen & Pelfrey, 1990). Nurses are an essential part of the medical care system. They are responsible for most of the functions associated with healthcare. The schools that train nurses are as much affected by the shortage as the industry itself. With fewer nurses in the medical field from which to draw, nursing schools have had a difficult time maintaining nursing faculty levels to meet the needs of the medical community. With nursing faculty shortages already straining …

Food Retailing In Mississippi, 1895-2000, James R. Gulley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a history of the evolution of the grocery industry in Mississippi in the twentieth century. I used primary source interviews, analysis of newspaper articles and advertisements, U.S. Census data, archival materials, and secondary sources to inform the thesis. The research focuses on an urban market in Jackson, Mississippi, and a rural market in Philadelphia, Mississippi. This history also concentrates on two Mississippi-based supermarket chains, Jitney-Jungle and Sunflower, and the families that founded them. The thesis argued that the innovations in grocery retailing during this era improved the lives of all Mississippians by lowering the cost of food, …

Three Essays On The Democratic Party, Jonah King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States today the two parties struggle to find common ground on anything, and strong partisan attachments lead many members of the public to follow the lead of their preferred party on nearly every political decision. However, the sorting of the public does not mean that the parties are monoliths. The Democratic Party in particular is composed of a wide range of groups which often do not easily come to consensus when there are decisions to be made. The occasional lack of consensus within the Democratic Party leads to questions about how the party as a whole is …

Implementation Of Online Learning In Physical Therapy Graduate School: Multimethod Examination Of Physical Therapy Students' Perception, Ryan Mcglawn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The shift to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in the way education is delivered. The online environment provides a new avenue for physical therapy education. With a majority of undergraduate students taking at least one course online, their perceptions of online learning are critical in the development of online physical therapy education. This study aims to investigate the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) entry-level physical therapy students’ perceptions of online learning. The study sample will include approximately 150 students comprised of 3 cohorts of 50 students. The study is a multimethod examination …

Subject Ellipsis In Japanese And Clues For Non-Native Learners, Akiko Murakami

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated whether learners of Japanese are less accurate in selecting appropriate reference of omitted subjects than native speakers and in which environment the learners have the most difficulties. Also, it looked into whether there is a correlation between the accuracy of the selecting and knowledge of the clue grammar. The survey had a subject selecting test and a knowledge test. The subject selecting test included two different environments: Giving/Receiving verbs and Honorific verbs. The knowledge test also covered these two environments. Giving/Receiving verbs have three types: ageru (give), kureru (give), and morau (receive); and Honorific verbs has two …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On First-Time, Freshmen At Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Tiffany Perryman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Manuscript I of this dissertation in practice (DiP) explores the impact of the disruptions of the COVID-19 school year on the academic success of first-time, freshmen enrolled at a community college in Mississippi. The conceptual framework identifies the characteristics of community college students as well as indicators of student success at community colleges. The review of literature highlights the historical role of community colleges in higher education and the impact of COVID-19 on students, particularly first-time freshmen, attending community colleges. Manuscript II of this DiP serves as a formative evaluation to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student …

The World Wide Web Of Women: A Case In Favor Of Global Feminist Coalitions In The Information Age, Hannah S. Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this thesis is to argue that online feminist coalitions can be both locally specific and globally accessible. Postcolonial feminist theorist Chandra Talpade Mohanty in her 1984 article “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses,” argues that there is no real evidence to classify all women as a “Woman” because cultural differences and imbalances of power create a myriad of experiences that cannot be homogenized. However, Mohanty is not arguing that women do not have individual experiences with gender injustice. On the contrary, all women have experiences with gender injustice; these experiences are simply all not the …

Hiv-1 Tat And Neuroendocrine Aging: Potential Benefits Of Neurosteroid-Based Therapy To Attenuate Premature Age-Related Comorbidities In The Era Of Antiretroviral Therapy, Alaa Nader Qrareya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary objectives of this dissertation are to assess the interaction between human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) trans-activator of transcription (Tat) protein and neuroendocrine status on the pathology of Tat/age-related comorbidities and to investigate the potential benefit of hormonal therapy in attenuating Tat/age insults. The advent of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) has increased longevity among people living with HIV (PLWH). However, cART cannot fully eradicate viral reservoirs within the central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, ~50-60% of virally-suppressed PLWH experience neurological and psychological sequelae called “neuroHIV”. Moreover, PLWH are more vulnerable to developing premature age-related comorbidities. In PLWH, hypogonadism is common …

Affording The Value Of Technology: Normalcy And Moral Frameworks, Mitchell Roberts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is often held that technology is value neutral. That is, technology is merely a means to an end and has no intrinsic moral worth. However, as some theorists have demonstrated, this view of technology may be mistaken. One theorist, Michael Klenk, offers what he calls an “affordance theory of embodied values” as one principled way of understanding how technological artifacts embody moral values. Under this view, artifacts embody affordances, or possibilities for action. These affordances are then judged in order to assess the moral status of the artifact which embeds them. In this paper, I develop one problem with …