Digital Commons Network^™

Transgressive Migrations: Gender Roles, Space, And Place In American Novels, 1900-1999, Selena Gail Larkin

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I examine how gender roles combine with changes in space and place to affect women protagonists in twentieth-century American literature. I argue that as these characters migrate, the (self-)perception of their identities shift. Particularly, their outward performances as well as their internal awareness change. My analysis concentrates on the novel genre because of specific characteristics—plot, characterization, and narration. The chosen literary works on which I focus are The Grapes of Wrath (1939), Quicksand (1928), Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), The Dollmaker (1954), and Under the Feet of Jesus (1996).

Concepts that I …

Previvor And High-Risk Breast Cancer Patients’ Opinions On A Specialized Management Clinic, Madeleine Nicole Tjoelker

Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 5-10% of cancers are thought to be hereditary, caused by pathogenic variants in genes associated with inherited cancer syndromes. Previvors, individuals who have a higher predisposition to cancer due to genetic or other risk factors, have specific healthcare and psychological needs that may be better served by a specialized management clinic. This study compared the experiences of previvors who had access to a specialized management clinic with those who did not, in order to better understand the unique needs of previvors. This study utilized a mixed methods design including an online survey (N=26) and semi-structured phone interview …

Assessing The Anticipated Needs Of Transgender Patients In Cancer Genetic Counseling, Jacqueline Baquet

Theses and Dissertations

Most cancers are sporadic, but 5-10% of all cancer is hereditary, or caused by a heritable genetic mutation. A patient’s medical history, family history, genetic test results, intact organs (e.g., ovaries) at an increased risk for developing cancer, and the availability and accessibility of interventions are used to make recommendations for cancer-risk management. In addition to basic medical care, transgender patients have healthcare needs that differ from those of cisgender patients such as expert care related to using hormones or having gender-affirming surgery, as well as unique mental health concerns. Transgender individuals may also experience a greater number of barriers …

Teacher Efficacy In Implementing Social And Emotional Learning: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study, Wendy Barr Holmes

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe teachers’ perceived self-efficacy and related experiences in implementing a state-mandated Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program during a global pandemic. Program implementation was initiated at the start of the 2020-2021 school year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent extended school closures. Research questions included: 1) How do teachers perceive their sense of efficacy in implementing Social and Emotional Learning during a global pandemic? and 2) What are the experiences of teachers implementing Social and Emotional Learning during a global pandemic? Participants included nine middle school teachers who taught daily SEL …

There’S More Than Meets The I(Dentity): A Multidimensional View Of Identity Threat, Christina B. Hymer

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation provides a multiple identity perspective to how people experience challenges towards their identities ("identity threats"). While research on identity threat has normally focused on identity threat in relation to a single identity, my dissertation challenges this assumption by examining how connections between multiple identities (e.g., professional, spouse) affect how people experience identity threats. I provide a review of identity threat research, after which I establish an intrapersonal identity network view of identity threat that considers how the centralization of a threatened identity, as well as the density of one’s identity network in terms of enhancing and conflicting relationships, …

A Conceptual Analysis Of The Mand And Its Relevance To Acquisition, Meka N. Mccammon

Theses and Dissertations

With the rapid increase in the diagnostic rates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there has been a growing need for evaluating the trends in training natural change agents to implement behavioral interventions and coming to a consensus on training procedures that are efficacious, efficient, and accessible. The purpose of this multiple manuscript dissertation is to describe three studies in a line of research designed to contribute to the video modeling literature as well as illuminate gaps in the literature concerning the assessment of generalization and maintenance of student mand outcomes and the components essentials to mand training. Specifically, video models …

“It Seemed Like Reaching For The Moon:” Southside Virginia’S Civil Rights Struggle Against The Virginia Way, 1951-1964, Emily A. Martin Cochran

Theses and Dissertations

During the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and in the historiography, Virginia held a racially moderate reputation. Scholarship on civil rights in Virginia typically credits racial moderation with implementing integration in the state while avoiding major violence and protest. In Southside Virginia, the rural south-central area of the state dominated by tobacco and textile mills with a substantial black population, two towns became the sites of significant civil rights activity. Both Farmville and Danville had direct-action movements spearheaded by local African American students and activists, but these movements drew limited national attention despite extreme reaction and …

Why Do Tourists Accept Lodging Through Accommodation Sharing Platforms? Model Development And Model Comparison, Ge Zhu

Theses and Dissertations

The P2P accommodation sharing market has emerged as a disruptive innovation as it has exponentially expanded globally, even though this market is still emerging and has not been used by most people. This study investigates why tourists accept the sharing platforms and how to promote this service. A literature review on innovation adoption models was conducted to select a proper theoretical framework to investigate travelers’ motivation for using Airbnb. According to model-evaluation principles and literature analysis, this self-efficacy-based value adoption model (SVM) was selected, which is derived from social cognitive theory’s reciprocal determination. Based on the SVM, an extended SVM …

Treatment Of Hiv-1 Associated Neurocognitive Disorders Through Mechanisms Of Neurogenesis With 11-Hour Voluntary Running Wheel Exposure, Alex Steiner

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with HIV-1 taking combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) live longer with less morbidity associated with the infection. The increase in lifespan has created a critical need for the deterrence of HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) reported in the aging population. Previous reports indicate that the HIV-1 infection may cause impairment in neurogenesis, leading to many of the cognitive deficits seen. The current paper proposes that exercise, as defined by voluntary wheel running, would be a potent inducer of neurogenesis that results in the neuro-restoration of CNS properties and cognitive functioning. Each animal had free access to 11-hour nocturnal wheel-running seven …

Essays In The Economics Of Tournaments, Eren Bilen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three essays that focus on tournaments, incentives, and performance. The first essay presents evidence of cheating that took place in online examinations during COVID-19 lockdowns and proposes two solutions with and without a camera for the cheating problem based on the experience accumulated by online chess communities over the past two decades. The best implementable solution is a uniform online exam policy where a camera capturing each students computer screen and room is a requirement.

The second essay investigates the "superstar effect" using observations from chess tournaments. Superstars exist in many places. In competition, they might …

“Where Beauty And Anguish Had Contended”: Eden, Gender, And Creativity In Melville’S Pierre, Kersey Reynolds

Theses and Dissertations

Much critical interest regarding incest in Pierre has been focused horizontally on the Glendinning family tree, in terms of the brother-sister relationship forged between Pierre Glendinning and Isabel Banford. But this thesis evaluates incest within Melville’s scheme of creativity and gender in the novel. As Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar have established, to author a text is to become owner of its subjects—a father of one’s “brain-children” (Gilbert and Gubar 7). So, as Pierre writes Isabel into the Glendinning name, the incestuous relationship between Pierre and Isabel may be viewed through the lens of a father-daughter dynamic between the …

Ready Or Not For K5: A Study On Early Childhood Interventions Within Special Education And General Education Setting, Paulette Mizzell

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study describes how using the Enhanced Alphabet Knowledge model affects preschool students' readiness for Kindergarten. The theoretical framework that supported this study was based on Cindy Jones', Sarah Clark's, and D. Ray Reutzel's Enhanced Alphabet Knowledge Method (2013). This study used quantitative data to further indicate the impact and importance of early intervention classrooms. The participants of this study included eight students from one preschool intervention class. Data collection instruments included pre-and post- phonological awareness literacy screening scores and a teacher questionnaire. Results of this study indicated that the majority of student participants experienced an increase in …

The Impact Of Self-Regulated Learning Interventions On Acting Skills And Self-Regulated Learning, Jessica Perry Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of self-regulated learning interventions on acting skills and self-regulated learning. Research questions sought to investigate the impact of self-regulated learning interventions on students’ acting and self-regulated learning skills and determine the perceptions of students regarding the integration of self-regulated learning interventions in the Acting classroom. Self-regulated learning is an important skill for students to have as self-regulated learners are able to self-direct their own learning processes. In the intervention, students engaged in goal setting, progress monitoring, video annotating, and self-evaluation exercises to determine if the self-regulated learning interventions impact their …

Military Communities And Natural Hazards In The United States, Logan Lee

Theses and Dissertations

The vulnerability and resilience of communities to hazards is a concept that has gained traction in the research community in recent decades. Climate change, combined with increasing damages from natural hazards, has energized researchers and practitioners alike to identify the risks to people and places from future losses. Military communities support large military bases and are composed of service members, their families, and civilian populations alike. Due to the presence of military installations and military populations, the characteristics of the population and influences in military communities are unique. However, there is a gap in current research to assess whether the …

How Do Literacy Coaches Function As Policy Actors?, Angela Vaughan

Theses and Dissertations

How do literacy coaches function as policy actors? Using a case study of literacy coaches in a small, rural South Carolina school district, this dissertation explored the ways coaches act as policy actors, the policies coaches create, and how they institutionalize policy.

This study focused on literacy coaches as policy actors. The South Carolina Read to Succeed R2S legislation of 2014 created coaching positions to support teachers in meeting the needs of students and to assist in meeting the requirements of the legislation. These professionals are usually successful master teachers chosen to share their content and instructional expertise. The coaches …

Improving Access To Teacher Mentors For Black Students: The Mediating Role Of School Safety, Anna Flitner

Theses and Dissertations

Having a teacher mentor is associated with several positive outcomes, yet teacher mentors are not distributed evenly among youth, and children who are Black are substantially less likely to form mentoring relationships with teachers. In this study I tested a putative explanatory hypothesis for differences between Black and White children’s access to teacher mentors. Data from Waves I and III from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were used. Linear regression models were used to predict the access to teacher mentors and a mediational analysis was conducted to determine the effect of school safety on the relationship between race …

Patterned Adolescent Socially Deviant Behavior, Raymond B. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests that most adolescent youth AY (AY) will engage in socially deviant behavior (SDB) beginning from ages 10-14, peak in rate of participation at 16-17, and begin to desist thereafter (ages 17 and older). AY participation in SDB varies by frequency and severity, ranging from minor acts such as smoking cigarettes to behaviors that threaten the safety of self and others. Most AY do not participate in SDB to harm, however, but instead are attempting to express autonomous function from parental and adult oversight. During adolescence, youth become aware of their physical transformation to adulthood and growing sense of …

A Unified Approach To Estimating The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient And Its Bias: An Exploratory Study, Kelvin Terrell Pompey

Theses and Dissertations

Many methods are used to measure interrater reliability for studies where each target receives ratings by a different set of judges. The purpose of this study is to explore the use of hierarchical linear modeling for estimating interrater reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient. This study provides a description of how the ICC can be estimated using hierarchical linear modeling, recommends an appropriate non-parametric bootstrapping method, illustrates how both can be implemented to obtain a point estimate and an estimate of bias, and explores the viability of using these statistical tools to obtain such estimates. Results indicated that hierarchical linear …

Exploring Neurocognitive Processes That Underlie Reading Performance In Children: A Foundational Study, Ayan Mitra

Theses and Dissertations

With advancement in brain research, neuroscience researchers have collectively informed our understanding of reading-related processes. Despite an extensive body of literature, many educators are not aware of specific neuroimaging findings related to phonological processing and word reading. Therefore, the study builds on this body of research by exploring the connection between the brain and reading scores. Quantitative EEG and standardized academic achievement analyses were performed on 60 school-aged children. Intrahemispheric coherence analysis at rest were conducted across the sample of participants and several coherence networks were extracted and compared to standardized reading achievement scores. Specifically, networks that included Brodmann area …

Examination Of Energy Needs And Female Athlete Triad Components In Competitive Cheerleaders, Allison Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The sport of cheerleading has grown immensely over the recent decades. The current sport requires full body athletic abilities like gymnastics, ballet, and swimming and diving. These sports have previously reported high rates of eating disorder (ED) risk, body image dissatisfaction, and Female Athlete Triad (Triad) components (low energy availability with or without and eating disorder, menstrual cycle dysfunction, and low bone mineral density). Scientific research examining these factors within cheerleaders has been limited. The purpose of this study was to examine overall ED risk across cheerleading team type (All-Star, college), squad type (all-girl, coed), and by position (flyer, base, …

Praying Soldiers: Experiencing Religion As A Revolutionary War Soldier Fighting For Independence, Roberto Oscar Flores De Apodaca

Theses and Dissertations

While enduring the hardships of battle, many Revolutionary War soldiers recorded more about their personal religious lives than perhaps any other single topic. They especially enjoyed cataloging events they ascribed to divine intervention, listing their daily religious routines, and commenting on first time encounters with religious others. New and extreme circumstances tested the religious preconceptions of those who enlisted in ways that they had rarely encountered in civilian life. Their religion took on new importance for them as soldiers relied on it both as an interpretive lens and as a source of stability amid a chaotic war. My dissertation examines …

The Impact Of Interactive Journaling On Seventh-Grade Students’ Writing Self-Efficacy, Writing Performance, And Attitudes Towards Writing, Nicholle Morgan Arman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to evaluate the impact of interactive journaling on the writing self-efficacy, writing performance, and attitudes towards writing of seventh-grade students. According to the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Writing Test, only one-fourth of 8th and 12th graders are proficient at writing. This means thousands of people are entering the job market with inadequate writing skills (U.S. Department of Education, 2014). Research suggests that if people feel more confident in their writing abilities, writing performance will improve. This study was guided by several research questions. First, the study aimed to reveal …

Politics Of Belonging: Identity, Integration, And Spatial Practices Of Algerian Immigrants And Their Descendants In Paris, France, Elizabeth Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Using a geographic framework, this dissertation explores how Algerian immigrants and their descendants perform identity and negotiate belonging in French society. Bringing together critical theorizations of race, identity, space, and place, this work investigates what it means to be a racialized minority in a postcolonial context and to learn and experience the boundaries of ‘Frenchness.’ It is based on the narratives of Algerian immigrants who have migrated to Paris, France, and their French-born children. The empirical evidence of the case studies highlights the myriad ways in which Algerian immigrants and their descendants encounter and structure their interactions with French society, …

When The Learning Environment Becomes E-Learning: A Narrative Inquiry Into High School Honors Students’ Motivation, Tyesha L. Deas

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 forever changed the landscape of the world, especially education. Due to the guidelines the pandemic caused, education abruptly moved the e-learning setting in the Spring of 2020, when students and teachers had to quickly adjust to new methods of teaching and learning. As a result, students were bearing the responsibility for their own motivation for learning as they took on the of learning from home (Rake & Dunn, 2010, p. 79). Therefore, this study seeks to better understand four high school honors students changes in motivation as the school environment changed to e-learning, determine what …

Ten Years Of Japanese Piano Pedagogy (2009-2018) Through A Survey Of Educational Resources, Natsumi Takai

Theses and Dissertations

Educational resources are a reflection of the field. The content of articles and presentations articulate the recent landscape of the field. The investigation of such resources often appear in the field of piano pedagogy in the United States, to observe the trends and developments of the field. With a similar purpose, the current study explores the tendency of content of ten piano-related resources in Japan including journals, seminars and conferences and the background of authors and presenters for 2009-2018. By categorizing topics into five tiers and their subcategories, the research investigates an overview of Japanese piano pedagogy .

This study …

Let’S Talk About It: Bridging The Gap Between Diverse Students And Their White Teachers, Beth Dean Boring Shoff

Theses and Dissertations

The achievement gap is a notorious construct of 21st-century schools and refers to the achievement of marginalized groups as compared to their White counterparts. This qualitative action research studied this phenomenon in a small, suburban school district experiencing shifting demographics by analyzing educators’ perceptions and attitudes for multicultural education and culture-centered themes. Survey responses and interview data were coded using Banks’s five dimensions of multicultural education (content integration, knowledge construction, equity pedagogy, prejudice reduction, and empowering school culture) to frame professional learning opportunities for White, middle-class educators. Additionally, emergent themes were identified that impact the achievement gap in this setting: …

Benefits Of Video Feedback On Low Performing Female Cadets In Physical Education: An Action Research Study, John Borman

Theses and Dissertations

Learning novel physical motor skills can be frustrating for some students. A lack of clear feedback further exacerbates the problem for students’ skill development. This study examined the benefits of using video recording as augmented feedback to inform motor skill development in an applied gymnastics course at a service academy. The primary aim was to identify the effects of video feedback on the instructor/student process for skill evaluation and skill improvement. The secondary aim was to examine at what degree does giving video feedback promote female student motivation to learn, use of deliberate practice, autonomy, and competence. This action research …

The Motivational Impact Of A Digital Student Response Tool During Text-Dependent Writing Instruction In A Concurrent Middle School Classroom, Lisa Marie Cobb

Theses and Dissertations

While the Common Core State Standards initiated the instructional shift that promoted technology to achieve a student-centered, process-oriented blended reading and writing classroom, the COVID 19 pandemic demanded innovative technology applications in K-12 public schools. This qualitative, phenomenological action research study explored the motivational effects of a digital student response system tool used to facilitate reading and writing instruction in a seventh-grade ELA concurrent classroom. Overall, using a student response tool to facilitate the text-dependent writing process positively impacted students’ self-determination.

Incorporating a digital student response tool as a facet of a formative assessment system promoted the efficient use of …

An Orchestral Conductor’S Guide To The James/Daehler Edition Of The Hinrichs And Winkler Compilation Score To The 1925 Silent Film The Phantom Of The Opera, Hayden Richard Denesha

Theses and Dissertations

The performance of silent film scores with live screenings of silent films is an artform that is still enjoyed by 21st century audiences. One of the most frequently performed examples of this is The Phantom of the Opera (1925). In addition to being an iconic film in the history of Hollywood cinema, this film possesses a full orchestral score which allows it to have accessibility for mainstream concert-hall performance. Live film music has become increasingly popular in mainstream concert halls, and there is a consistent need for accessible repertoire in this medium.

Performing a silent film with live orchestral accompaniment …

Fostering Self-Determination Skills Among High Schools Students With Disabilites In An Online Environment, Laura Simmons

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored the understanding of high school special education teachers in an online setting, in regard to self-determination skills. It also explored current instructional practices utilized in the online setting as well as perceived challenges and barriers for instruction and the acquisition of self - determination skills for students with a variety of disabilities in grades 9-12 enrolled in two specific online schools located in the south east region of the U.S. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted and held virtually with the nine participants in this study. The emerging themes were analyzed and viewed through the lens …