Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding How North Dakota Teachers' Knowledge, Beliefs, And Confidence Are Constructed In An Asynchronous Professional Development Course, Mckenzie Rabenn

Theses and Dissertations

Many researchers have argued that teachers are the most important school-related factor to increasing a student’s academic performance. In turn, schools often turn to professional development (PD) to strengthen educators’ performance and knowledge levels. Indeed, PD can be a prime tool to improve school performance. However, its efficacy is determined by how it is perceived by teachers.

This study examines the experiences of North Dakota elementary teachers who, in response to statewide legislation, enrolled in an online PD and how their experiences shape their knowledge, beliefs, and confidence. Research has demonstrated that these three constructs (knowledge, beliefs, and confidence) have …

Faculty Experiences Of Implementing Co-Teaching Strategies, Krystie Lynn Seese

Theses and Dissertations

Co-teaching is defined as two or more certified teachers working together to meet the needs of the diverse learners in their classroom, especially students with disabilities. Co-teaching is a widely implemented method used in public schools to educate children with and without disabilities in the general education setting to comply with state and national legislation requirements. There are six commonly used co-teaching strategies and approaches: one teach, one observe; one teach, one assist; parallel teaching; station teaching; alternative teaching; and team teaching. The research questions asked and answered were: What approach is most widely used and most effective at the …

The Experiences Of Black Male Teachers In International Schools In East And Southeast Asia, Myson Jonathan Sheppard

Theses and Dissertations

Although substantive research examines the issues surrounding the lack of Black Male Teachers (BMTs) nationally, limited studies involve their experiences in international schools. This is troubling when juxtaposed with their experiences researched and documented during teacher training, hiring practices, and on the job in the U.S. Although the issue is complex, many stem from explicit and implicit racial discrimination from the white racial majority. Given the problems preservice and eventual BMTs face in the U.S., examining BMTs narratives in the international school industry was necessary. Kanter’s token theory suggests that any slice of a social group comprised below 15% of …

Exploration Of Early Career Teachers’ Perspectives On Preservice Training, Classroom Experiences, And Retention, Ashley Smalley

Theses and Dissertations

To promote the advancement of teacher recruitment, retention, and reduce attrition, K-12 teachers need to be fully prepared for the complex nature of being in a classroom, a classroom filled with students of all types. There is a unique nature to education and one must recognize the complexity of each individual student. The context of this study explores early career teachers’ perspectives on their preparedness for teaching. This research examines teachers’ perspectives in their first to fifth years of teaching who graduated from a North Dakota college. Each participant answered 13 questions regarding their perspectives on the preparation they received …

The Impact Of Unmanned Aircraft System Observations On Convection Initiation Along A Boundary In Numerical Weather Prediction, Taylor Nicole Trask

Theses and Dissertations

Executing meteorological research experiments that utilize Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUASs) is difficult due to regulatory limitations, and knowledge regarding weather impacts is limited. To overcome these challenges, an Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) is used herein as a relatively inexpensive method to evaluate how these platforms could hypothetically improve the development, progression, and characteristics of simulated meteorological phenomena in Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP). This OSSE is part of a case study of an event that occurred in southwestern Oklahoma in May 2016 to examine how sUAS observations impact Convection Initiation (CI) along a boundary in NWP. Synthetic observations of …

Tele-Mental Health For Rural Children With Cancer And Their Families, Heather Adame

Theses and Dissertations

Youth and Families from rural areas face different circumstances and challenges when managing a pediatric cancer diagnosis. Challenges such as this include lower access to both physical and mental health care (Janicke & Davies, 2011; Wallings et al., 2019). There is a significant need to investigate how to implement best Telemental health for rural families with pediatric cancer (Ros-DeMarize et al., 2021; Timones, 2019). Due to the limited research on this topic, the purpose of this study was to explore expert opinions on best practices for Telemental health services in pediatric oncology settings and rural families living with pediatric cancer. …

The Use Of Cyber Media In Hybrid Warfare: Narrative Stories From The Front Lines; Proposing A New Gatekeeping Theory, Hussain Almalki

Theses and Dissertations

This study used a qualitative narrative approach to investigate the experiences of journalists operating in the context of hybrid warfare across several global regions. The objective of this study is to ascertain the many problems and hazards encountered by numerous journalists who are subjected to pursuit, censorship, harassment, abduction, incarceration, or fatality daily. Furthermore, the objective of this study is to comprehend the ethical and individual incentives that have driven journalists to venture into and remain in regions of violence. Lastly, this study aims to comprehend the utilization of cyber media by journalists in reporting on instances of violence and …

Risk Factors Associated With Childhood Parental Violence Exposure: Child Abuse Potential And Other Adulthood Maladjustment Outcomes, Stephanie Joy Brezinski

Theses and Dissertations

Research consistently demonstrates childhood adversity is associated with a breadth of maladjustment outcomes. The present study sought to expand the current literature on the impact of witnessing parental violence (OPA) and childhood physical abuse (CPA) as distal risk factors for child abuse potential (CAP) when controlling for select proximal risk factors and other forms of adversity. Perpetration risk was assessed using an analog task. It was hypothesized co-occurring CPA and OPA would predict harsher parenting behaviors on the analog task, particularly among the men, and that select proximal risk factors would influence more severe parenting behaviors. It was also hypothesized …

Mental Health And Youth Sports: The Importance Of Adding A Smartphone App To Improve Awareness, Education, And Resources For Youth Athletes, Kelli Gast

Theses and Dissertations

There is an alarming rate of mental health concerns among today’s youth. Similar trends also show increased anxiety and stress in youth sports. This dissertation examined the impact of a youth sports mental health app called M3Moorhead, which targets mental health and sports psychology education tools and connections for mental health support. Additionally, this study aimed to understand why youth athletes were motivated to download the app, what parts of the app were most helpful, and what motivated the youth athletes to engage in the app. The data for this study was collected through an online survey with the parents …

Self-Efficacy Of Applied Doctoral Students Scale: Initial Development And Validation, Kylie Anne George

Theses and Dissertations

The present study explored the development and initial validation of a measure of doctoral student self-efficacy for students in Health Profession Training (HPT) programs. There is a gap in existing scales that measure the full spectrum of tasks that contribute to doctoral self-efficacy. The scales that do exist focus on broad self-efficacy (Chen et al., 2001) or program-specific self-efficacy in one area (Stump et al., 2012; Van Horn & Christman, 2017; Lent et al., 2003). Our purpose was to develop and provide initial norming and validity information for the Self-Efficacy of Applied Doctoral Students (SEADS) Scale. The SEADS was developed …

Understanding The Characteristics, Motivations, And Preferences Of Non-Profit Donors In Rural Areas, Emily Ruth Gibbens-Buteau

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a two-part study to explore the differences in donation habits and preferences between rural and non-rural non-profit donors. First, a secondary data analysis was conducted on the nearly 160,000 donations from 4,459 real-life non-profit donors utilizing a donor database from Altru Health Foundation. Based on the secondary data analysis results, 28 non-profit donors were recruited for individual in-depth interviews to discuss their experiences and attitudes toward donating money, their motivations to give back to non-profits, and their donation preferences and habits, such as preferred mode of donation, causes they donate to, and types of solicitations they like …

A Measure Predicting Treatment Outcome For Sexual Offenders, Kaitlin Alyssa Guston

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers generally agree that treatment reduces the likelihood of sexual offender recidivism. However, studies show attrition rates of up to 85% in some treatment programs for sex offenders. Because many risk factors for recidivism and treatment attrition are the same, the present study used gold-standard risk assessments to predict which sex offenders would not complete a community treatment program. The Static-99r, Stable-2007, and URICA assessed static risk factors, dynamic needs, and responsivity to treatment for 289 sex offenders. Pre-treatment scores from the sex offenders in the sample indicated that these assessment instruments could predict treatment attrition for sex offenders in …

Towards A New Model Of Romantic Attachment For Autistic Adults, Michael Preston Huttar

Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder is an extremely prevalent developmental disorder, which impacts social-relational functioning. The majority of past research into autism has focused on childhood early intervention and skill development. In comparison, a minute amount of research has been dedicated to the study of autistic adults, particularly within the context of romantic relationships. In this article, we explore the relationships between autistic traits, relationship quality factors (i.e. intimacy, passion, commitment, and satisfaction), and the mediating variable of relationship maintenance behaviors as a possible mechanism in explaining this relationship. Contrary to our hypothesis, autism traits were shown to have no relationship with …

Computational Framework For Neuro-Optics Simulation And Deep Learning Denoising, Cecilia Ling

Theses and Dissertations

The application of machine learning techniques in microscopic image restoration has shown superior performance. However, the development of such techniques has been hindered by the demand for large datasets and the lack of ground truth. To address these challenges, this study introduces a computer simulation model that accurately captures the neural anatomic volume, fluorescence light transportation within the tissue volume, and the photon collection process of microscopic imaging sensors. The primary goal of this simulation is to generate realistic image data for training and validating machine learning models. One notable aspect of this study is the incorporation of a machine …

Graduates’ Perceptions Of Horizontal Mismatch: A Case Study Of A Marketing Program At A Regional Research University, Michael William Mills

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study utilizes the human capital theory to examine the influence of high impact career exploration and career-focused practices in a public, regional four-year institution. Literature shows that graduates who enter well-matched careers earn approximately 30 percent more than graduates who are not closely matched. In addition, well-matched employees lower recruitment and training costs for employers. The guiding notion of the paper is that students should not only be well-rounded but also be prepared to enter a career that is related to their field of study. Most students attend college to advance their career and economic outlook. This …

“When You Fully Immerse Yourself, That’S Where You Gain The Most Confidence”: Integrating Clinician Perspectives To Reframe Excellence In Neurologic Physical Therapy Patient Education, Allyson Muehlemann

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study explored the current perceptions surrounding patient education in physical therapy (PT), specifically analyzing clinicians managing patients with neurological impairments. The purpose of this study was two-fold. The first objective was to gain a better understanding of how current clinicians provide effective patient education, and the second objective was to gain better insight into how physical therapists (PTs) develop self-efficacy to effectively provide patient education to individuals with neurologic involvement. In this study, four themes emerged: effective patient education is individualized, effective education should include discharge planning, self-efficacy in providing effective patient education improves with neuro exposure and …

The Impacts Of Airborne Cloud Microphysical Instrumentation Mounting Location On Measurements Made During The Observations Of Aerosols And Clouds And Their Interactions (Oracles) Project, Joseph Robert O'Brien

Theses and Dissertations

ORACLES (ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their intEractionS) was a five-year NASA investigation into the climate impacts of Southern Africa’s biomass burning aerosols. The University of North Dakota, in coordination with the Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations, the University of Oklahoma and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign integrated and operated a suite of in-situ cloud microphysical instrumentation into the NASA P-3 Orion aircraft to study aerosol-cloud interactions within this region. However, during the course of the individual ORACLES campaigns, the accuracy of the cloud microphysical observations were uncertain due to the mounting location of …

Teachers' Perspectives On Transformational Leadership, Kelsey Rae Peltier

Theses and Dissertations

School leaders aim for steady progress and yearly gains. In most cases, this means modifications must be made throughout the school, particularly within the classroom. If teachers are unprepared or disengaged in the planning process, a program’s success might be at risk. Consideration of teacher needs will be influential in instructional performance and will also have a favorable impact on student achievement. With transformational leadership and its eagerness to include teacher input, reform will surely flourish. Its presence has been reviewed in a quantitative study with participants who currently have a general education position in the same school. An online …

Cognitive Decay And Memory Recall During Long Duration Spaceflight, Terry E. Rector

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aims to advance the efficacy of Long-Duration Space Flight (LDSF) pre-flight and in-flight training programs, acknowledging existing knowledge gaps in NASA's methodologies. The research's objective is to optimize the cognitive workload of LDSF crew members, enhance their neurocognitive functionality, and provide more meaningful work experiences, particularly for Mars missions.The study addresses identified shortcomings in current training and learning strategies and simulation-based training systems, focusing on areas requiring quantitative measures for astronaut proficiency and training effectiveness assessment. The project centers on understanding cognitive decay and memory loss under LDSF-related stressors, seeking to establish when such cognitive decline exceeds acceptable …

Perinatal Mental Health For Indigenous Women And Birthing People, Amy Lynn Stiffarm

Theses and Dissertations

Before for the impacts of colonization, Indigenous women and birthing people were deeply cared for by their communities during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.There is a serious lack of literature on perinatal mental health (PMH) for Indigenous Peoples in the US. Based on what limited data does exist, high rates of PMH complications are consistently reported for Indigenous birthing people. Exploring the unique circumstances experienced by Indigenous birthing people is crucial to addressing the PMH disparity gap. A concept map illustrating the systematic, community, and individual levels of PMH complications for Indigenous Peoples was used to organize and guide …

Hmong Parent Engagement: The Need To Provide Basic Needs Services In Hmong Charter Schools To Increase Parent Engagement, Kevin Xiong

Theses and Dissertations

The Hmong diaspora and settlement in the United States have a direct impact on how Hmong parents engage in their children’s academic journey. With the viewpoint of traditional Westernized parent engagement, Hmong parents may be perceived as engaging too little. However, in order for Hmong parents to be involved in their children’s educational journey as part of this Westernized concept, it is imperative that the families’ basic needs are met. Otherwise, they will primarily focus on meeting their fundamental basic needs rather than being engaged in their children’s academic progress. This research explored two Hmong charter schools in the Twin …

Open-Source Flight Data: Free, But At What Cost?, James Norman

Aviation Faculty Publications

The proliferation of open-source flight data has been heralded throughout the aviation industry, from air traffic service providers seeking efficiencies to the voyeuristic tracking of celebrity aircraft movements. However, the rise of open-source data presents challenges when juxtaposed against the traditional safety management systems that have sustained commercial aviation until now. Open-source data are not protected legally to the same extent as traditional flight data, and data from open-source platforms are not subject to the same validation standards as traditional flight data. Pilots are now able to interface with their own flight data, which diverges from the original aggregate intent …

H. Keith Hunt On Consumer Behavior: Understanding His Contribution, Laura Egan, David Aron

Librarian Publications

This study uses an ego-centric bibliometric analysis of H. Keith Hunt to elucidate his connection to researchers in the consumer behavior field and his impact on the field. We identified publications written or edited by Hunt using Web of Science, Google Scholar, and the Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behavior; analyzed Hunt’s co-authors and citations in those works; and tabulated Hunt’s co-cited authors for top consumer behavior journals in Web of Science. Based on the analysis and quotes from his works and others about Hunt, we also identify and discuss dimensions related to Hunt’s impact on the …

Winter Commencement: December 15-16, 2022, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Winter Commencement program from December 15 and 16, 2022.

Three Approaches, Two Go Arounds, And One Diversion, Eric Carter, James Norman

Aviation Faculty Publications

A surprise in the air often means surprise on the ground, but controllers and pilots rarely have the chance to share perspectives. In this article, Eric Carter and James Norman present a case study to highlight the benefit of a collaborative voice.

A Deep Learning-Based Framework For Food Safety, Cleanliness, And Data Privacy Assurance, Hamed Taheri Gorji

Theses and Dissertations

Food safety and foodborne diseases are significant global public health concerns. Precise, reliable, and speedy contamination detection and disinfection technology while preserving the business owners’ data privacy is an ongoing challenge for the food-service industry. Contamination in food-related services can cause foodborne illness, endangering customers and jeopardizing provider reputations.This dissertation performed a cleanliness assessment and disinfection and data privacy assurance in the food services industry using fluorescence imaging, state-of-the-art deep learning algorithms, and a novel paradigm in machine learning named federated learning. In chapter 3, we combined two deep learning algorithms (EfficientNet-B0 and U-Net) and fluorescence imaging for automatic detection …

Stimulus Discrimination Training And Its Effects On Generalization Gradients, Christopher Veenstra

Theses and Dissertations

Adaptation-level theory has been used to explain how the size and shape of generalization gradients depend on the procedure used to study generalization. However, most of the empirical support for this theory has come from studies using a relatively simple stimulus dimension (e.g., lights that vary in brightness). In addition, much of the research has focused on one specific prediction of adaptation-level theory: that responding during a generalization test should shift towards intermediate values within the tested portion of the stimulus dimension. The present research used a more complex set of stimuli. Specifically, the stimulus dimension was based on bar …

An Indepth Look On Earth-Anchoring Through Architectural Treatments To Mitigate Psychological And Psychosocial Issues During Long-Duration Spaceflight, Skye Elizabeth Schwartz

Theses and Dissertations

Astronauts' mental health is of significant concern for any spaceflight mission. For low-Earth orbit (LEO) spaceflights, crews are four to six hours away from home. They can still see planet Earth, and if there is an emergency, there are escape routes; however, when it comes to long-duration spaceflights millions of miles away from home, crews cannot see planet Earth, cannot turn around in an emergency and are on their own in a monotone and sterile environment. These desensitizing conditions directly impact astronauts’ psychological and psychosocial well-being. Crews must learn how to interact with each other for an extended period, considering …

Evolutionary Cartographies Of Language Diversification: Quantitative Approaches To The Geolinguistic Mapping Of The Kayanic Languages (Central Borneo), Deandré A. Espree-Conaway

Theses and Dissertations

Why are there so many languages in the world and how did this diversity come about? Every day, humans around the world speak over 7,000 languages. One of the most impactful theories describing the processes and mechanisms of language diversification is that of the Linguistic Niche Hypothesis (Lupyan & Dale 2010). The Linguistic Niche Hypothesis suggests that languages adapt to their environments (Lupyan & Dale 2010: 1). Lupyan and Dale describe it, stating that "just as biological organisms are shaped by ecological niches, languages structures...adapt to the environment (niche) in which they are being learned and used" (2010: 1). Taking …

Will Communication Delays Impact Mission Controllers? An Investigation Of Mood, Performance, And Workload During Analog Missions, Madison Diamond

Theses and Dissertations

Mission Controllers (MCs) are responsible for ensuring astronauts remain safe and healthy, making them vital for successful human spaceflight missions. They are the main point of contact for crews in space and communicate frequently over the course of the day. On a mission to Mars, there will be as long as 22-minute one way communication delays between the ground and the crew, causing major changes to current communication infrastructures. Research has commenced on investigating how these communication delays will impact missions. However, thus far, this research has focused on the crew as their subjects, despite alluding to the potential consequences …