Digital Commons Network^™

Reforging Sales: The Rise Of The Sales Bricoleur In Dynamic Ecosystems, Donovan Gordon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bricolage refers to the ability of individual actors to intuitively and creatively integrate and orchestrate resources within a firm's ecosystem to provide solutions and co-create value in constrained environments. Recently introduced to the sales literature, bricolage is a dynamic capability that enables salespeople to adapt, reallocate, innovate, and navigate their ecosystem with constrained resources to drive performance (Epler et al., 2024; Epler & Leach, 2021). Despite roots in management and entrepreneurial research, bricolage remains underexplored within the sales literature. The purpose of this research is to advance the sales literature by integrating Service-Dominant Logic (SDL), Resource-Based View (RBV), Knowledge-Based View …

The Impact Of Palm Cooling On The Physiological And Cognitive Function Of Aerobically Trained Individuals, Katherine L. Tibbs

Honors Theses

Background: Cooling strategies have been shown to combat the harmful effects that an increase in body temperature can potentially cause, and palm cooling in particular has been adopted due to its effectiveness in mitigating muscle fatigue during exercise. While there is clear support that this improves muscular strength and endurance, there is a lack of research on the impact palm cooling has on the mental aspect of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cognitive and physiological effects of palm cooling on aerobic exercise performance. Methods: Ten aerobically trained participants between the ages of 18-35 were …

Neither Academy Nor Convent: Reconciling Religious And Feminist Readings Of Mary Astell, Hannah E. Brown

Honors Theses

Mary Astell is frequently interpreting through competing frameworks: as either a feminist advocate of women’s rational autonomy or a religious conservative committed to Anglican orthodoxy. This division reflects a broader tendency in Astell scholarship to separate her intellectual, moral, and theological commitments into distinct and often conflicting domains. This paper argues that such fragmentation is not grounded in Astell’s own philosophy but is instead the result of interpretive assumptions—particularly the view that intellectual autonomy and religious obedience are incompatible. By examining Astell’s account of reason, education for women, and spiritual development, this paper demonstrates that these elements form an integrated …

Empowering Women Journalists’ Preparedness: An Evaluation Of Hostile Environment First Aid Training (Hefat) And Its Implementation In Academic Journalism Programs, Vanessa Charlot

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This Dissertation in Practice examines the potential integration of gender-sensitive Hostile Environment and First Aid Training (HEFAT) into journalism education to enhance the preparedness of women journalists for high-risk reporting contexts. Manuscript I investigates existing gaps in curricula, highlighting the distinct physical, psychological, and ethical risks encountered by women in hostile environments. Manuscript II outlines a framework for qualitatively evaluating an adapted HEFAT program, considering how identity-informed and trauma-sensitive approaches might strengthen student safety, resilience, and ethical decision-making. Manuscript III explores leadership strategies for implementing inclusive, trauma-informed HEFAT curricula, emphasizing reflexive practice and self-authorship as mechanisms for fostering transformative, equity-driven …

The Relationship Between Winning In The Classroom And On The Field At The Athletic Department Level, John Zachary Gory

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the presence and extent of the relationship between athletic department success based on SBLive© All-Sports Award Scaled Scores and academic outcomes in Mississippi 4A high schools. Specifically, the study investigates whether SBLive© All-Sports Award Scaled Scores in 4A Mississippi high schools are associated with Mississippi School Accountability System (MSAS) Accountability Scale Scores, Chronic Absenteeism, Incidents of Violence, and Graduation Rates across four school years (2021–2022 through 2024–2025). A quasi-experimental quantitative design utilizing Pearson correlation coefficient (r) analyzes relationships among continuous variables and identifies trends across years, including the impact of Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) reclassification …

Murdoch's Metaphorical And Mystical Moral Metaphysics, William Jade Langley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this project, I explain the mysticism found in Iris Murdoch’s The Sovereignty of Good, emphasizing what the illustrative thought experiments and metaphors are meant to explain. To do this, I introduce her understanding of G. E Moore’s moral realism and compare this with how Bertrand Russell understands mystical intuition and revelation. Then, to understand how we can still do moral philosophy when morality is fundamentally mystical, I compare Murdoch’s usage of metaphor with that of Victoria Welby, who also takes metaphorical understanding to be crucial to our understanding of the world. Though Welby goes further than Murdoch in saying …

Media Framing Of Peace And Justice In Post Conflict Societies: Rwanda And Colombia In Focus, Ahmer Anwar Khan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates how traditional journalism frames peace and justice in post-conflict societies, using Rwanda and Colombia as comparative case studies. It explores the role of media in shaping public discourse around transitional justice, reconciliation, and national healing. The findings indicate that Rwanda’s media adopted a justice-first framing, emphasizing accountability and moral restoration through mechanisms such as the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the Gacaca courts. In contrast, Colombian journalism during the 2012–2016 peace negotiations with the FARC guerrilla group prioritized peace-first framing, portraying dialogue and reintegration as essential to ending decades of violence. These divergent approaches reflect …

Secondary English Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding The Impact, If Any, Of Shifts In The Emphasis Of History Education On Students’ Comprehension Of Literature, Bailey J. Poole

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored secondary English teachers’ perceptions of the emphasis on history education and its perceived impact on their students’ comprehension of literature. This research used an interpretivist approach and a conceptual framework shaped by schema theory and constructivism to understand whether teachers perceived a shift in the value of history education, how they described such shifts, if any, and how they responded instructionally to those shifts, if necessary.

Data was collected through six semi-structured interviews with 11th and 12th grade English Language Arts teachers from public high schools in Mississippi, each with a minimum of ten years teaching …

Disturbances In A Convergece Zone: Artisanal Fishers And The Making Of The Nearshore In Northern Coastal Peru, Leigh Shattuck Rodi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project seeks to study how artisanal fishers in northern coastal Peru interpret and respond to environmental change provoked by three sources of harm: climate change, overfishing, and contamination. Drawing from six and a half weeks of ethnographic fieldwork among artisanal fishers in Lobitos, Peru, this paper foregrounds the concept of the nearshore assemblage to highlight the ever-shifting relations between humans and marine ecologies that constitute littoral and oceanic worlds. Artisanal fishers utilize discriminatory, non-mechanical methods to fish in a protected section of Peru’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Fishing livelihoods in this space were previously possible because the convergence of …

“Con Ăn Cơm Chưa?” (“Have You Eaten Yet?”): Foodways, Identity, And Generational Place-Making For Vietnamese Women In Memphis, Alana Freimanis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examines the role of food within community tactics for mobilization and negotiation. In order to do so, this study employs a mixed-methods approach of semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and archival analysis, to answer questions around how participants subvert historically racialized narratives around Vietnamese immigrant’s labor, family, and identity. Specifically, how do Vietnamese American women in Memphis use food labor to negotiate racialized immigrant identities and mobilize cultural and community power within the constraints of gendered expectations, class position, and racial stereotypes? Furthermore, this research focuses on Vietnamese women’s positionality, centering women chefs and community leaders as the …

Mining The Body: Racial Capitalism And The Embodied Sacrifice Zone, Regina Marie Young

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mining the Body: Racial Capitalism and the Sacrifice Zone of the Body examines 20th and 21st-century American literature, excavating the ways in which mining not only extracted resources from the earth, but also mined the bodies of their workers for their labor, often ignoring safety in the name of economy. This extraction of coal and of labor, along with its attendant exploitations, sparked unionization and labor movements throughout the century, as miners were frequently at the forefront of asserting their rights in response to this treatment. Using a framework that relies on both environmental criticism, such as Rob Nixon’s Slow …

Examining The Relationship Between Co-Curricular Programming And Burnout Among Medical Students At An Academic Medical Center, Lauren Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This three-manuscript dissertation examines the relationship between co-curricular programming and burnout among Doctor of Medicine (MD) students at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), situating the issue within broader concerns about physician well-being and institutional responsibility.

Manuscript I establishes the conceptual and empirical foundation for the study by reviewing the prevalence, consequences, and theoretical framing of burnout in medical education. Drawing on Maslach’s three-dimensional model of burnout—emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment—and Astin’s Student Involvement Theory, the manuscript situates co-curricular engagement as a potential protective factor against distress. The literature review highlights alarming rates of depression, suicidal ideation, …

Connecting The Dots: Hbcus, Access To Ai Education, And The Realities Of Public-Private Collaboration, Whitney Wells

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape workforce demands and educational priorities, this partnership has emerged as a potentially effective mechanism for advancing equitable access to emerging technologies. However, limited research has explored how and why diverse organizations engage in such collaborations, particularly in regions facing persistent educational and economic disparities. This study examines the organizational motivations driving participation in the Mississippi AI Collaborative (MAIC), a multi-sector partnership involving a higher education institution, industry partners, nonprofits, and a K-12 system. While the MAIC focuses specifically on AI education and training, the purpose of this study is not to examine AI …

Right (Or Wrong) To Bear Arms: Regional-Campus Women Students' Perceptions Of Campus Carry, Daniel Christian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Campus carry legislation remains one of the most contested higher education policy issues in the United States, particularly in states where concealed carry permit holders may legally carry firearms on public college campuses. Although prior research has included women as one of many demographics, there is a dearth of scholarship that focuses on college women exclusively to investigate their response to campus carry. This gap is concerning given documented gender differences in attitudes toward gun policy and the disproportionate impact of sexual violence and safety concerns on women in collegiate settings.

To fill a gap in the literature, the proposed …

A Needs Assessment For College Students Of Incarcerated Parents (Csips), Deetra A. Wiley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The presence and needs of children of incarcerated parents are largely invisible within higher education, even though they experience a variety of adverse social, emotional, and academic outcomes. A population that navigates complex trauma, financial instability, stigma, and institutional neglect with limited support is the focus of this dissertation in practice (DiP): College Students of Incarcerated Parents (CSIPS). This manuscript assesses the availability of institutional services and examines the academic challenges faced by CSIPS, as guided by the Advocacy Strategy Framework (Kozleski, 2010). A thorough examination of the literature has revealed that a sense of belonging and academic persistence are …

Exploring Academic Support And Motivation Among Current And Prospective Adult Learners In Mississippi Pursuing A Diploma Through The University Of Mississippi Online High School Program, Reham Helal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the academic support systems and motivational factors influencing adult learners in Mississippi who are enrolled in or consider enrollment in the University of Mississippi High School (UMHS) online diploma program. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), the research examined how autonomy, capability, and connection influence adult learners’ motivation to return to and persist in education after periods of interruption.

By conducting semi-structured interviews with five adult learners aged 27 to 51, the study revealed the real-life experiences and challenges that shape their educational journeys. The findings showed that participants’ initial withdrawals from high school …

School Counselor Preparation For Supporting Special Education Competencies In Mississippi, Rachel Mcclain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School counselors play a critical role in supporting the academic, social, emotional, and career development of students with disabilities (SWD) in K-12 educational settings. However, current preparation standards provide limited guidance regarding how school counseling programs should prepare school counselors-in-training to work with special education populations. This qualitative case study explored how two CACREP-accredited school counseling programs in Mississippi prepare school counselors-in-training to support SWD. Participants included school counselor educators, site supervisors, and school counseling interns affiliated with the programs. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and a document review of course syllabi and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings revealed …

Invisible: An Autoethnographic Study Of Teaching And Learning With Physical Disabilities And Neurodivergence, Amanda Josephine Austin Goodwin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this autoethnographic study, vignettes of a female high school teacher and graduate student with invisible disabilities are analyzed through the lens of Critical Disability Theory. This study provides teachers, administrators, and policy makers with a first-hand account of some of the barriers individuals with invisible disabilities face. Policies, environments, and practices in K-12 education, higher education, and broader society are analyzed. Advancements in inclusivity and accessibility as well as improvements in teacher education programs are suggested. Reflection throughout this study, three core themes emerged: listen, believe, and support individuals with invisible disabilities.

Exploring Integrated Arts Education For Students With Autism, Karen Denise Harrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often misunderstood because of challenges in communication, social-emotional development, and sensory processing. Neuroscience research highlights that individuals with ASD process information and stimuli differently, particularly in areas related to sensory integration, executive functioning, and emotional regulation. Traditional educational methods often isolate these students from their neurotypical peers, reducing opportunities to engage meaningfully with standards-based curricula. Integrated arts education offers an alternative approach, aligning with neuroscience principles by engaging multiple brain regions through movement, rhythm, imagery, and creativity, allowing students with ASD to demonstrate their learning through project-based and creative experiences that meet diverse …

Faculty Socialization In Physical Therapy Residencies, Joseph Michael Meurrier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Therapy schools. Many of the new faculty members will be composed of former clinicians who have made the transition to academia without any prior preparation or experience in the academic sphere. To help with this transition, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has accredited Faculty Development Residencies (FDRs) to help prepare new faculty for academic life. However, many clinicians transitioning to faculty life are not in a position to go through a residency prior to starting an academic position. Therefore, my goal with the Dissertation in Practice (DiP) was to take the socialization elements from the FDRs and propose a …

Read Again, Succeed Again, Kaitlin Martz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of a repeated reading (RR) intervention on the oral reading fluency and comprehension of first grade students identified as “at-risk” in a high poverty school in the Mississippi Delta. Students from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds often have limited early literacy experiences, which contributes to persistent achievement gaps in reading (Romeo et al., 2022; NAEP, 2024). This study is grounded in LaBerge and Samuels’ (1974) theory of automaticity to employ an intervention focused on building reading fluency as a means to improve reading comprehension.

Six students participated in one-on-one sessions three times per week for …

Young Alumni Engagement At The University Of Mississippi: A Qualitative Study On Recent Graduate Perceptions Of The Ole Miss Alumni Association, Mary Kate Skelton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Declining government funding for higher education has led universities to progressively rely on private donations from alumni and donors. Mississippi’s budget for higher education has decreased by $6.6 billion from FY08 to FY18 (Mitchell et al., 2019). As financial pressure increases, the role of alumni association offices has become crucial in securing financial support for scholarships, infrastructure, research, and campus life (McDonough, 2017). With alumni contributing over $59.9 billion in private funds to higher education in 2022, their support is vital for colleges and universities to meet financial and academic goals (CASE, 2023). Early engagement of young alumni is critical …

Exploring Mississippi Valley State University’S First-Year Experience Program: Students’ Perceptions Of Its Impact On Their Sense Of Belonging, Jordan Freeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Colleges and universities have a primary goal of providing quality education to their students with the hope that those students go on to make positive contributions to society. While many people tend to credit classroom learning for those societal contributions, an argument can be made that supplementary experiences are just as valuable. At Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU), a small, public Historically Black College/University in the Mississippi Delta area, student engagement initiatives are of extreme importance for first-year students. Students at MVSU face several challenges including college readiness, ability to afford college, and desire to persist and earn their degrees. …

Could Grange Membership Reduce Brain Drain?: Perceptions Of Student Fraternal Members On Returning To Rural America After Graduation, Amanda Leigh Brozana

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rural communities across the United States continue to experience population decline as young adults with postsecondary aspirations often leave their hometowns in pursuit of educational and economic opportunities. This migration, commonly referred to as rural brain drain, is often a result of the cumulative effects of limited access to postsecondary resources, career pathways, and community infrastructure that support rural retention. While extensive research documents the economic and educational dimensions of this phenomenon, fewer studies explore the influence of social, civic, and fraternal organizations on sustaining rural identity and fostering connection to place. This Dissertation in Practice proposes a study to …

Life Balance And Teacher Wellness: Exploring Protective Factors Among Early Childhood Educators, Kathryn Amidon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Early childhood educators shape future generations by guiding the development of young children. The well-being of early childhood educators is a concern due to unique stressors within the early childhood education context, including heavy workloads, high demands, and too few resources. Previous studies on the topic of teacher wellness have shown that teachers’ mental wellness impacts teacher burnout, teacher retention, and student outcomes, making the need for better understanding of the factors influencing teacher wellness a priority for future research. This quantitative study aimed to explore life balance as a protective factor of teacher wellness, inquiring about the extent of …

Investors' Perceptions Of Audit Workload And Experience Disclosures, Tara L. Baggett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I employ a 3 x 2 between-subjects experiment to examine how audit experience and workload disclosures impact non-professional investors’ perceptions of audit quality. Consistent with implications for actual audit quality, I predict and find that non-professional investors perceive audit quality to be higher when disclosures report more experienced auditors. Workload, though, is more susceptible to variations in interpretation, with the possibility of discrepant effects. I identify and explore two potential interpretations of workload, effort and overwork, finding support for both, and as predicted, I find evidence that these interpretations differentially affect non-professional investors’ perceptions of audit quality. Interpreted as overwork, …

Retail Investor Responses To Accounting Disclosures Using Trade-Level Evidence, Matthew Oakes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Retail trading is experiencing remarkable growth amongst the current capital markets driven by many advancements such as commission free trading, fintech applications, and fractional share trading. Prior literature documents differing opinions on the capabilities of retail traders, often describing these traders as noise or attention-based traders. Whether these investors trade on complex accounting information remains an empirical question. In this study, I investigate whether retail investors respond to and incorporate accounting disclosures in their trading decisions by examining financial restatements, going concern opinions, and material weakness disclosures. I analyze retail activity using the quote midpoint method and fractional share trades. …

The Impact Of County School Zone Policies On Retention And Racial Composition In Schools: A Study Of Florida's Ten Largest Urban School Districts, Jazanae Alize Humphries

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores how zoning policies contribute to academic disparities in Florida’s Ten largest urban school districts. This study selected Florida because it operates a large public school system with diverse urban districts that enforce geographic assignment policies within shared statewide policies. These districts serve large populations, manage substantial demographic inequality, and rely heavily on boundary based school assignment, making them significantly important to examine zoning governance in education. To better understand this for Florida districts is significantly important as there is limited research on how zoning policies are enforced across large districts, which serve the majority of urban black …

Institutional Strain And Substance Coping: Analyzing Perceived Racial Discrimination As A Predictor Of Adolescent Marijuana Use, Fahad Bin Islam Khan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between perceived racial/ethnic discrimination, psychological distress, and youth marijuana consumption through the lens of the General Strain Theory. It uses the complete-case sample from the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), which surveyed 17,268 high school students across the United States, in a cross-sectional study. The study used logistic regression analyses to assess the association between perceived racial or ethnic bias (e.g., actual discriminatory experiences), psychological distress, and substance use (marijuana), and how closely emotional stress linked these two phenomena. The results indicate that perceived discrimination has a significant positive association (greater likelihood) with both …

Adversarial Llm-Gans For Robust Synthetic Pharmaceutical Data In Self-Emulsifying Drug Delivery Systems, Samiul Islam Niloy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The formulation of self-emulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) represents a pivotal advancement in improving the oral bio-availability of poorly water-soluble pharmaceutical compounds, yet traditional development is heavily hindered by limited experimental datasets and the complexity of predicting key quality attributes like nanoparticle size and drug release profiles. Because empirical methodologies struggle to balance formulation constraints with predictive accuracy, this research introduces a comprehensive framework that leverages state-of-the-art generative artificial intelligence to synthesize realistic, constraint-compliant SEDDS datasets. The study proposes two primary methodologies to overcome data scarcity: a novel Drug Formulation Agent (DFA) powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) and a …