Digital Commons Network^™

Neurophysiological Aspects Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Multitasking Adaptability, Kyle Bernhardt

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Wellness Needs Survey For Residents In A Community-Housing Complex, Sara Johnson

Undergraduate Theses and Senior Projects

No abstract provided.

Relationship Of Time Pre-Registration And Academic Achievement Of University Freshman, Nancy C. Moredock

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Community College Faculty Members’ Perceptions Of Creating Digital Content To Enhance Online Instructor Social Presence, Karen M. Arlien

Theses and Dissertations

Current technologies, specifically asynchronous video, allow instructors to enhance their online instructor social presence (OISP) by creating digital content in which they can simultaneously convey their unique persona verbally and nonverbally while supplementing course content. A strong OISP has been shown to contribute toward students’ successful course completion, which continues to be an issue at community colleges. Existing research on the use of digital content to enhance OISP, however, has primarily focused on students’ perceptions even though faculty members are responsible for establishing OISP. The purpose of this study was to ascertain community college faculty members’ perceptions of creating asynchronous …

The Relationship Between Athletes' Perceptions Of Coaching Efficacy And Collective Efficacy In Collegiate Soccer, Frazer Atkinson

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between athletes’ perceptions of their coaches’ confidence and team confidence in a sample of 272 collegiate soccer players (M = 19.84 years; SD = 1.42) from the NCAA and NAIA. Athletes’ perceptions of their coaches’ confidence were assessed using a modified version of the Coaching Efficacy Scale (CES) (Feltz, Chase, Moritz & Sullivan, 1999), and a single item measure asked participants to rate their perceptions of their coaches’ confidence. Team confidence was assessed using the Collective Efficacy Questionnaire for Sport (CEQS) (Short, Sullivan & Feltz, 2005). Athletes also reported the results of their team’s previous …

Fasd, Verbal Comprehension And Maladaptive Behavior, Anthony Brian Athmann

Theses and Dissertations

A Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Diagnosis is comprised of various levels of physical

dysmorphia and behavioral and cognitive dysfunctions. Early identification and diagnosis is difficult, requires specially trained practitioners and often results in the delay of receiving necessary services. This is particularly true for those individuals living in

underserved rural areas. However, screening children with commonly used assessment

tools may help to more quickly identify children who have been prenatally exposed to

alcohol. The purpose of the present study was to contribute to the development of a

neurobehavioral profile of alcohol-exposed children through examining if relationship

exists between verbal comprehension deficits …

The Invocative Use Of The Bible's Rhetorical Power In The Transcripts Of Anne Hutchinson's Trials, Carolyn D. Baker

Theses and Dissertations

Generally speaking, some Massachusetts Bay Colony Puritans invoke the rhetorical power of the Protestant Old and New Testaments in their writings to specify and dictate certain courses of action, especially during the period known as the Antinomian Controversy. These authoritarian, dogmatic, directive allusions to Scripture-- what I call the invocative use of the Bible's rhetorical power--appear frequently in some specific contemporaneous Massachusetts Bay Colony journals, sermons, and letters. The author employs these uses to establish the literary and interpretive contexts for the rhetorical use of the Bible in the transcripts of Hutchinson's civil and ecclesiastical trials. For example, the author …

Negotiating Higher Education In The Us: Voices Of Ghanaian Graduate Students At A Midwestern University, Mildred Emefa Biaku

Theses and Dissertations

In this case study, there was an examination to gain a deeper understanding of the

effects of social interactions experienced by Ghanaian Students with various actors in

curricular and co-curricular departments and perceptions of the support during these

social interactions. Recommendations were made for ways to enhance social interactions.

Data for this qualitative study was collected using three methods; non-participant

observation, interviews, and focus group discussions. Participants for the study were six

Ghanaian international students and five service providers selected from departments

across the campus of a university in the Midwest. It was found that there were systemic

issues that …

The Impact Of Parental Involvement On Academic Achievement In Children, Martin Blank

Theses and Dissertations

Academic achievement in children is affected by many factors including family income, family structure, class size, parental education, and parental expectations. Recent research on academic achievement has evaluated the relationship between parental involvement in children’s education and academic achievement. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, this study investigates the socioeconomic and parental factors that affect academic achievement in children. The question of endogeneity between parental involvement and academic achievement is also explored. The statistical analysis performed utilized OLS regression and instrumental variable techniques. OLS regression techniques demonstrate a negative relationship between parental involvement and academic achievement …

Adolescent Victims' Experiences With Cyberbullying: A Grounded Theory Study, Melvina S. Brandau

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to construct a Grounded Theory that explains the processes involved in cyberbullying from the perspectives of those who have been victimized. A Constructivist Grounded Theory approach was used to explain the processes that occur as cyberbullying begins, unfolds, and ends, as well as to determine the methods that adolescent victims use to cope, and the context in which cyberbullying occurs.

Cyberbullying is a pervasive public health issue, affecting an estimated 10-30% of youth. Cyberbullying, though closely related to traditional physical bullying, has qualities that make it distinctive. Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying is relatively new …

The Role Of Child Characteristics, Parental Self-Efficacy, And Social Support On Parental Stress In Mothers And Fathers Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Lindsey Devries

Theses and Dissertations

Although parents of any child experience stress related to child rearing, parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are especially prone to parenting stress. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship that child characteristics (symptom severity, adaptive behavior, and problem behaviors), parental self-efficacy, and social support have on parenting stress in mothers and fathers of children with an ASD. Participants included mothers (n= 26) and fathers (n=18) of children ages 3 to 24 years in age with a diagnosis of ASD. Maternal and paternal participants completed measures of symptom severity (GARS-3; Gilliam, 2013), adaptive and problem …

Gender Differences In Factors Contributing To Frequency Of Victimization Among Youth In Residential Placement, Chelsey Hukriede

Theses and Dissertations

Violence and victimization are common aspects of life for incarcerated individuals, even youth, with a large majority of offenders reporting experiences of some form of victimization during their stay in custody. Routine activities theory argues that most criminal acts require a convergence of motivated offenders, suitable targets, and the absence of capable guardianship. The purpose of this study is to explore quantitatively, facility and individual level factors that may affect experiences of robbery, physical and sexual assault victimization among youth in residential custody, and how these factors might vary by gender. To answer my research question, secondary data from The …

"Mad In Craft": Action And Melancholy In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Daniel Arthur Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis contains two parts. First, I will present a character analysis of Hamlet in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet; secondly, I will perform the role and conclude this project with a brief reflection on the experience. For the character analysis, I will examine Hamlet’s inner action and his melancholy.

Slot Machine Use As A Measure Of Decision-Making In Substance Use Disorders, Theodore David Krmpotich

Theses and Dissertations

Many of the decision-making tasks involve gambling and gambling paradigms and therefore it is important to understand how gambling relates to decision-making, especially in individuals who use substances. The goal of this study was to investigate how individuals with SUD will perform on a slot machine and relate the slot-machine performance to current lab measures of decision-making. Individuals with and without substance use disorders gambled on a slot machine and completed other decision-making tasks (e.g., IGT, BART, delay discounting). Rewards were manipulated in terms of magnitude (real monetary payout verses no payout) for two reasons. Gambling performance was compared to …

Risky Sexual Behaviors Among College Student Drinkers As A Function Of Drinking Motivation And Alcohol Use, Tess Mone't Kilwein

Theses and Dissertations

Risky sexual behaviors (e.g., sex without protection against pregnancy, sex with multiple partners) are common among college students. In order to decrease these behaviors, it is necessary to understand factors associated with their occurrence, such as alcohol use. Drinking motives are a known predictor of both alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences, which may theoretically include risky sex. However, no research has directly examined drinking motives as a predictor of engaging in a wide range of risky sexual behaviors. Thus, the current study examined whether drinking motives interact with alcohol use to predict risky sex among college students. One-hundred and eight …

Factors Affecting The Academic And Athletic Self-Determined Motivation Of Njcaa Division Iii Student-Athletes: A Mixed Methods Study, Melissa Margaret Majerus

Theses and Dissertations

Student-athletes who participate at Division III technical and community colleges across the country are a unique population of students who have special needs and interests. Their academic needs and interests likely led them towards a technical and community college education, but these students have also chosen to participate in athletics. Deci and Ryan’s (1985) self-determination theory (SDT) of motivation has long been utilized to examine students’ basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) and their impact on academic motivation (intrinsic, extrinsic, amotivation ) and success; yet, little of this research has focused on community college students or student-athletes within a community …

Measuring Job Satisfaction For Rural Mental Health Providers: A Social Cognitive Career Theory Approach, Erin L. Martin

Theses and Dissertations

The current study employed online collection of self-report demographic data as

well self-report aspects of job satisfaction such as: positive affectivity, self-efficacy,

work-related goal progress, work-related goal support, and work conditions. Each

consenting participant completed the same set of online questionnaires. Several

participants chose to expand upon some of the unique stressors they experience as rural

mental health providers in follow-up emails. Results of path analysis did not find the

expected fit of observed data to the proposed structural model. Multiple regression

analyses provided data about the importance of positive affectivity, work conditions,

work-related goal support, and work-related goal progress …

The Process Of Work Re-Entry For Nurses After Substance Use Disorders Treatment: A Grounded Theory Study, Deborah Matthias-Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explicate a substantive theory/model that describes the basic social processes (BSP) operating when a registered nurse (RN) re-enters the workplace following completion of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. There are a reported 2.6 million RNs employed in the U.S (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014). Over the past 25 years, prevalence studies have found up to 10% of nurses will meet diagnostic criteria for SUD, similar to prevalence rates in the general population. SUDs among nurses present challenges to society and to the nursing profession. State boards of nursing operate primarily to …

Racial Microaggressions, College Self-Efficacy, And The Persistence Of Students Of Color In Predominantly White, 4 Year Institutions Of Higher Education, John Mccullagh

Theses and Dissertations

College students of Color face unique challenges and barriers in college settings (Allen, 1992; Harper & Hurtado, 2007) and many of these students are not able to effectively integrate into the academic and social realms of college life. This leads many students of Color to ultimately drop out of college (Fischer, 2007).The present study utilized a sample of 228 Freshman college students of Color to examine the influence of college self-efficacy and experiences of racial micro-aggressions on factors related to the persistence in college of racial and ethnic minority students. Structural equation modeling was utilized to test the direct and …

High/ Low Context Communication And Therapeutic Working Alliance Among Asian Americans, Yoshitaro Oba

Theses and Dissertations

Asian Americans utilize both high and low context communication styles depending on their values and cultural backgrounds. Their styles of communication are unique cultural factors and individualized by their level of acculturation. This study explored how those communication styles could contribute to the process of forming therapeutic relationships. The results indicated that communication styles were associated with levels of acculturation, help seeking attitudes for mental health professionals, and therapeutic working alliance. In addition, step wise multiple regression analysis indicated that interpersonal sensitivity in communication style and help seeking attitudes were predictor for therapeutic working alliance. These findings indicate how Asian …

Development And Validation Of The Partners’ Approval Of Nonsexual Extradyadic Behaviors Scale, Lindsay Frances Kujawa

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the emergent norm in U.S. society for partnered individuals across all sexual orientations to possess both same-sex and cross-sex friends (Weis & Felton, 1987), and the relative complexity that comes with having friends who belong to the sex to which one is sexually attracted, the field is lagging in its ability to measure and better understand individuals’ attitudes about their partners’ engagement in the various behaviors of which these friendships are comprised. The existing scales of extradyadic behaviors are largely measuring individuals’ attitudes about engagement in sexual behaviors with cross-sex friends within the heterosexual population; therefore, they are inadequate …

Schedule Flexibility And The Impact On Work-To-Family Conflict Among Low Earners And High Earners, Brittany Love

Theses and Dissertations

Today many Americans struggle to balance work and family life, and schedule flexibility is one mechanism that can be used to reduce conflict between work and family. Since social class is understudied in work-family scholarship, this study will compare the experiences of high and low earners, with a focus on examining the relationship between schedule flexibility and work-to-family conflict. Using secondary data from the 2008 National Study of Changing Workforce (NSCW), this study explores whether schedule flexibility impacts work-to-family conflict differently among low and high earners (N = 1,665). Results indicated that both low and high earners experienced less work-to-family …

Friendship Is Manly: The Brony Fandom And The Challenge Of Masculinity, Samuel Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the cultural phenomenon of Bronies, adult, mostly male, fans of the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. When large numbers of grown men like a show designed for little girls, how do they contend with the challenges presented by the culturally accepted norms of masculinity? Do these fans disclose their love of ponies to others, if at all? An online mixed methods survey conducted in 2014 looks at how Bronies interact with the show, other fans, and non fans. While some Bronies are cautious about disclosing their fondness for ponies due to potential harassment, there is …

Paul Scott's "The Jewel In The Crown": A Novelist's Philosophy Of History And The End Of The British Raj, Kathryn Ann Hughes Nedegaard

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a study of Paul Scott’s best-known novel The Jewel in the Crown,

published in 1966. Scott noted that much of the research and writing on the British

Raj that ended in 1947, lacked an adequate understanding of the union that had

endured for more than three centuries. Scott believed too that many interpretations

of why the Raj ended relied too heavily on monolithic categories of “us and them”

and that they over-emphasized the socio-political and economic influences of

empire. He also believed that many scholars of the Raj ignored the love that existed

among all the people …

The Pid-5, Everyday Sadism, And Parental Attachment Predict Sexual Aggression, Tiffany Dawn Russell

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempted to replicate and expand the Confluence Model of Sexual Aggression (Malamuth et al., 1991) in an online survey of national (n = 512) and university (n = 100) men. Overall, 28.8% of men (national = 29.5%; university = 25%) reported perpetrating sexual aggression against a woman at least once. In the sexually aggressive group, 81.2% reported perpetrating sexual violence more than once, and 40.3% reported six or more acts. It was hypothesized the Confluence Model would be improved by adding everyday sadism, parental attachment, and the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5). In a structural equation model, …

Personality Disorder Trait Mediation Of Childhood Abuse Effects On Internalized And Externalized Symptoms Of Distress, Amy Catherine Veith

Theses and Dissertations

The current study explored the relationships between childhood maltreatment indicators and mental health symptomatology in adulthood. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that the indirect effects of child abuse on symptom expression as mediated by personality traits would be substantial and possibly larger than the direct effects alone. Additional abuse by trait interactions were examined. Results supported these hypotheses, specifically, the PID-5 trait factors were successful in accounting for a disproportionate amount of the variance in the criterion measures. These traits were substantially stronger than childhood physical abuse and domestic violence exposure. Childhood sexual abuse also outperformed childhood physical …

Hyperfemininity As A Maladaptive Adherence To Feminine Norms: Cross-Validation Using The Personality Assessment Inventory And Personality Inventory For Dsm-5, Hannah Baczynski

Theses and Dissertations

In the present study, the construct validity of a new measure of hyperfemininity, the Hyperfemininity Questionnaire (HFQ), was examined. Hyperfemininity is defined as an exaggerated, strict, and overt adherence to stereotypic feminine gender role norms (Murnen & Byrne, 199). The study built upon two exploratory factor analyses and a confirmatory factor analysis which found five factors included in the HFQ: traditional values, superficiality, emotionality, manipulation, and attraction to masculinity. Two well-established personality measures (Personality Assessment Inventory – PAI, Morey, 2007 and Personality Inventory for DSM-5 - PID-5, Krueger, Derringer, Markon, Watson, & Skodol, 2012) were used to establish the construct …

Bicycle Transit And The Journey To Work: An Exploration Of Bicycle Accessiblity In 10 Large U.S. Cities, Brandon Lee Andreasen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the access to bicycle infrastructure from home locations and the locations of employment opportunities. The accessibility of bicycle infrastructure to employment is calculated using distance thresholds of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 kilometers and compared using the road network, all bicycle infrastructure, and only bicycle paths for 10 United States cities. Findings indicate that on average, 71 percent of jobs in a city have access to bicycle infrastructure, which is found to be statistically significant at the 0.05 level in relation to the bicycle commute mode share, as opposed to 66 percent of residents which was …

The Relationship Between Experiential Avoidance, Eating Expectancies, And Eating Psychopathology In University Students; A Preliminary Test Of An Adaption Of The Ap Model Of Eating Disorder Risk, Nicole Marie Della Longa

Theses and Dissertations

Avoiding unpleasant internal experiences may be associated with eating disorder symptomatology, and college students may be especially at risk. However, the process through which the avoidance of uncomfortable experiences relates to eating psychopathology is unknown. By evaluating experiential avoidance and learned expectancies of eating outcomes, the present study investigated the potential mechanism through which maladaptive avoidant strategies relate to eating psychopathology. Participants included 244 undergraduate students enrolled in psychology courses from a Midwestern university. The participants completed a battery of questionnaires through an online research system managed by the university. Preacher and Hayes’s (2008) bootstrapping method of mediation and structural …

Factors That Influence The Adoption Of Geographic Information Systems In A Professional Work Environment: A Study Of The Property Assessment Profession, Daniel J. Fasteen

Theses and Dissertations

The adoption of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Technology has been emerging in many professional work environments — including the property assessment discipline. Although many uses of GIS have been thoroughly documented throughout the literature in a variety of disciplines, there has been little research on the perceived factors that influence its adoption in professional work settings. The purpose of this research is to assess factors that influence the adoption of geographic information systems technology in a professional work environment. The work environment being studied is the property assessment profession. An online survey was sent out to property assessment professionals from …