Digital Commons Network^™

Integrity And Its Relationship To Morality, Hyun Jeong Kang

Theses and Dissertations

Some scholars take it for granted that one’s possession of integrity has nothing to do with one’s moral quality whereas others believe that they are no doubt intertwined. Hume, for instance, holds that a person who ambitiously tries to gain a great achievement can still be a person of integrity even if he is dishonest with others. Plato’s concept of integrity can be formulated in the way that a person with morally vicious commitments has disunity in his soul and fails to possess integrity. In order to decide which side is right, I suggest that we examine the most promising …

Mental Health And The Relationship Between Parental Divorce And Children’S Higher Degree Acquisition, Brittany V. Pittelli

Theses and Dissertations

Studies between parental divorce and children’s educational attainment have been extensively observed in family research. However, few studies have attempted to examine the negative relationship of those associations with graduate level attainment. This study suggests that parental divorce is associated with diminished overall mental health (i.e., depressive symptoms) in children, and that this decrease may help explain the connection between parental divorce and lower graduate level academic attainment. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), a nationally representative sample of nearly 9,000 individuals interviewed, this study outlines hypotheses that link parental divorce, mental health, and graduate …

Reading Between The Lines: An Intersectional Media Analysis Of Female Sex Offenders In Florida Newspapers, Toniqua C. Mikell

Theses and Dissertations

The media is one of the furthest reaching social institutions of our society. It is a source of white patriarchal ideologies and a vehicle through which they are communicated. Female sex offenders represent a nexus of prescribed social and legal violations. This dissertation examines the reinforcement of patriarchal ideas in media coverage of female sex offenders by posing the question: how are female sex offenders portrayed in the media? Specifically, how are those portrayals racialized? Using an intersectional lens, this study employs a qualitative content analysis to examine the top five circulating newspapers in Florida and their coverage of female …

Vietnamese Family Caregivers’ Adjustment Process To Their Caregiving Roles For Family Members With Dementia, Trang Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the psychological process that Vietnamese family members go through to adjust to the caregiving role for their relatives with dementia. Adopting constructivist grounded theory, 30 face-to-face, semi-structured interviews, including 10 follow-up interviews, were conducted with 20 Vietnamese primary family caregivers of relatives with dementia from the National Geriatric Hospital in Vietnam. The study results reveal that Vietnamese family caregivers held limited understanding of dementia. They used a mixed explanatory model, combining both folk (e.g., dementia as normal aging) and biomedical approaches (e.g., dementia as a brain-related disease) to explain causes of dementia. Family cohesion and responsibility are …

Tool Migration: A Framework To Study The Cross-Disciplinary Use Of Mathematical Constructs In Science, Chia-Hua Lin

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is concerned with the scientific practice in which a mathematical construct that was originally developed to study a particular subject matter subsequently used in other disciplines or sub-disciplines for a different subject matter, a phenomenon that I call ‘tool migration.’ I argue that tool migration can be ‘epistemically risky.’ Specifically, uprooting a research tool from one disciplinary context and re-situating it for use in another can change how the tool is applied; whatever has made the tool useful and reliable in the first place may not have stayed the same in the new context. Using the migrations of …

Beyond Standardized Test Scores: The Use Of Culturally And Linguistically Responsive Pedagogy To Improve Access To Gifted Programming For Hispanic Students, Virginia G. Pratt

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods action research study was to explore how expanding curriculum in a gifted and talented English/ Language Arts (ELA) class to include a culturally and linguistically responsive strategy might broaden access to gifted programming for high-achieving children of Hispanic descent. The identified problem of practice is that the population of students from Hispanic families at Little Tree Elementary School (a pseudonym) continues to rise, yet Hispanic students are largely underrepresented in the school’s gifted program. This action research was carried out with a fourth-grade gifted ELA class in a Title I South Carolina elementary school. The …

The Impact Of Intelligent Tutoring Software On Geometry Students, Simela Oueini

Theses and Dissertations

This purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding for a problem of practice in the mathematics educators’ classroom of low retention of information thus leading to poor mathematics achievement. The identification of the problem of practice led to a development of a research focus examining the effects of using intelligent tutoring software in the mathematics classroom and the impact it has on mathematics achievement, student motivation as it relates to self-efficacy, student engagement and attitudes towards mathematics. Using a convergent mixed methods approach (Creswell, 2012), this paper elaborates on the research questions addressing “What effects does the integration …

The Impact Of Jigsaw Learning On Student Engagement In Beginning Students At A Community College: An Action Research Study, Kalina White

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study is to explore the impact of the cooperative learning technique of the jigsaw method on student engagement in the beginning biology laboratory at Northern Community College (NCC). Professorial observations, a student survey, and interviews were used to investigate whether or not jigsaw methods should be adopted at NCC which serves a moderately large metropolitan area in the Northern United States. Data were collected over a 6-week period over the Fall 2018 semester. Over three weeks, one of three sections were exposed to a jigsaw version of the normal laboratory protocol while the other …

An Exploration Of Academic Librarian Self-Efficacy In The Teaching Role: A Canadian Perspective, Kari D. Weaver

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of short professional development interventions, covering core concepts in teaching and learning, on the self- efficacy of academic librarians in the teaching role. The participants in this study were six academic librarians at a large, research-intensive university in Canada for whom instructional work was a requirement of their position.

To examine librarian self-efficacy in the teaching role, the participants completed a standard self-efficacy questionnaire and a semi-structured interview prior to participating in the professional development interventions. The topics covered for professional development included learning theory, lesson planning, classroom management, and …

The Impact Of The Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (Bscs) 5e Model On Middle-Level Students’ Content Knowledge, Michelle Norwood

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to describe a middle-level science teacher’s transition to an inquiry-based, progressivist, student-centered model from a traditional, teacher-centered model as well to document the student-participants’ perceptions of the new model. The study population consisted of one-hundred student- participants, three teacher participants, and one administrator participant. Data was collected at Lakeview Middle School (LMS) (pseudonym) in the low country of South Carolina. The Research Question driving the study: How do middle-level students, accustomed to a traditional teacher-centered curriculum, perceive an inquiry-based, student-centered science classroom based on the Biological Science Curriculum Studies (BSCS) 5E …

A Case Study Of School Leaders’ Understanding And Practice In Providing Feedback During The Teacher Observation Process, Karen Allen Benton

Theses and Dissertations

New teacher evaluation reforms in the state of New Jersey and across the country have put an increased emphasis on the role of classroom observations as a method to improve teacher practice. School leaders are expected to facilitate the observation process and provide meaningful feedback that leads to teacher engagement in professional learning that results in instructional improvement and increased student achievement. To meet state mandates for increased number of classroom observations for all teachers and adoption of state-approved evaluation tools, such as the Danielson Framework, districts have increased the work demands of administrators. Yet there has been little guidance …

Helping South Carolina’S Children Thrive: Promoting Protective Factors To Prevent The Long-Term Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences Through The Development Of Evidence-Based Public Health Policies, Aditi Srivastav

Theses and Dissertations

This study considered Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) to be an underlying cause of engagement in risk behaviors and that the implementation of protective factors, or positive relationships and environments, can reduce long-term implications of ACEs. First, this study examined the empirical relationship between safe, stable, and nurturing relationships (SSNRs), exposure to ACEs, and risk behaviors using a population-level health survey in South Carolina. The results of this research, which demonstrate that SSNRs moderate the relationship between ACEs and risk behaviors, provide innovative evidence for the role of protective factors in reducing exposure to ACEs and risk behavior engagement. Next, this …

The Impact Of Drama Pedagogy On Student Achievement, Attitude, And Empathy: An Action Research Study, Deborah J. Gascon

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study evaluated a problem of practice which emerged from the apathy and passive responses of students to reading classic literature in the high school English classroom. Teachers instructed while students received information with little investment on their part. The purpose of this study was to determine how to help students read closer and develop a deeper comprehension and appreciation of literature while expanding capabilities within the affective domain.

Through a convergent mixed methods action research design, the study addressed three research questions that explored how drama pedagogy affected student comprehension, their attitudes toward reading classic literature, and …

Supervision Behaviors Of Board-Certified Behavior Analysts With Precertification Candidates, Zahra Hajiaghamohseni

Theses and Dissertations

With the rapid increase in the rate of board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs), there has been a need to evaluate the state of precertification supervision practices. There is no comprehensive information available on the supervision practices of BCBA/BCBAs used with precertification candidate supervisors. Current recommended supervision practices are derived from the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code (PECC) 5.0 Behavior Analyst as a Supervisor. Leaders in the field have attempted to further define individual behaviors that support compliance with 5.0 Behavior Analyst as a Supervisor (LeBlanc, Heinicke, & Baker, 2012; LeBlanc & Luiselli, 2016; Sellers, Alai-Rosales, & MacDonald, 2016, 2016; …

Role Of Resources For Care In Improving Care Behaviors, Children’S Nutritional Status And Early Childhood Development In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Sulochana Basnet

Theses and Dissertations

Poor child growth and suboptimal early childhood development are global health problems. Provision of appropriate care may help to achieve optimum child growth and development. Maternal resources for care such as education, knowledge, health, autonomy, reasonable workload, and social support may be needed to provide appropriate care behaviors, and improve children’s nutritional status, and early childhood development. The overall goal of this research was to understand the role of resources for care in improving care behaviors, child nutritional status, and early childhood development. The baseline Alive & Thrive household surveys from Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Ethiopia were used. We examined the …

The Impact Of A Thematic Unit And Integration On Students’ Achievement In Social Studies, Holness Samuels

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study focused on a problem of practice observed in a Title 1 middle school in rural South Carolina, where seventh-grade students show low academic achievement levels in social studies, evidenced by low scores on teacher-made tests, district benchmarks, and the state standardized test. To address this problem of practice, research questions were formulated: What is the impact of implementing a thematic unit on World War One, an integrated approach, on students' motivation to learn social studies? What impact will the implementation of a thematic unit on World War One have on students’ perception of social studies? and, …

Teacher Attunement To Bullies And Victims: Effects On Percpetion Of Bullying, Social-Emotional Well-Being And Academic Outcomes, Lauren Elaine Mcguire

Theses and Dissertations

With students spending so much of their time in schools, and bullying negatively affecting many students in a multitude of ways, this study examined the relationship between teacher attunement during the fall term of the students sixth-grade year, to academic competence through the way students perceive the bullying ecology within their school, and how the students report their social-emotional well-being. This study used structural equation modeling in order to assess the relationship between these variables with a subsample of student and school data from twenty schools that participated in the Rural Early Adolescent Learning (REAL) project. The results demonstrated how …

The Interaction Of Individual Working Memory Capacity With Cognitive Linguistics-Based And Translation-Based Instructional Treatments During The Acquisition Of Polysemous L2 Spanish Spatial Prepositions, Joseph F. Letexier

Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated three areas in SLA related to the acquisition of polysemous L2 Spanish spatial prepositions. These three areas were (1) the effect of instructional method on the acquisition of productive knowledge of polysemous L2 Spanish spatial prepositions, (2) the effect of working memory capacity on the acquisition of productive knowledge of polysemous L2 Spanish spatial prepositions, and (3) the effects resulting from the interaction of working memory capacity with instructional method on the acquisition of productive knowledge of polysemous L2 Spanish spatial prepositions. The target learners were adult L1 English speakers 18 years of age or over …

Russian Roots In Southern Soil, James Preston Edge

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the profound influence that 19th-century Russian authors had on 20th-century Southern writers. Recent analyses of the American South have looked to the fluid nature of this region’s borders, often spreading into the Caribbean, South America, and American West, but there has not yet been any book- length study of the ways in which several Russian literary masters, including Ivan Turgenev, Anton Chekhov, and Fyodor Dostoevsky, influenced Southern authors, particularly Ernest Gaines, Eudora Welty, and Richard Wright. In particular, these Southern authors, in interviews and essays, have repeatedly extolled these Russian figures for their elevation of communal folklore, …

Reproductive-Aged Adults Diagnosed With Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (Tsc): Understanding Of Clinical Variability, Perceived Disease Burden, And Reproductive Decision-Making, Diane L. Biederman

Theses and Dissertations

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a highly variable autosomal dominant multisystem disorder characterized by the growth of benign tumors, epilepsy, and TSC- associated neuropsychiatric disorders (TAND). There is a high level of clinical variability, even within the same family. While reproductive decisions always carry a level of uncertainty, individuals with highly variable genetic conditions like TSC must consider both the chance of passing on the condition and the uncertain clinical presentation. There is currently no literature on factors influencing reproductive decisions of adults with TSC. To address this gap in understanding, we conducted an exploratory mixed-methods survey utilizing an anonymous …

The Impact Of Project-Based Learning Assignments On The Writing, Communication And Interpersonal Skills Of Students In A College Skills Course, Aungeto Ditze Lockhart Sigman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to determine the impact of project- based learning on the writing, communication and interpersonal skills of students in a college skills course. This course was required for students who were enrolled in at least one or more developmental courses. The purpose of this course was to equip the students with skills necessary for success during college and beyond. However, the syllabus for the course did not include any activities or assignments to improve the students’ writing, communication or interpersonal skills. As a result, the students were not successful in completing the final …

“Power In Repose”: Sleep And Agency In American Literature, 1875-1916, Hannah Leigh Huber

Theses and Dissertations

“Power in Repose” argues that American literature provided its own response to the cult of wakefulness that emerged at the turn of the twentieth century. Narratives by authors Henry James, Charles Chesnutt, Edith Wharton, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman emerged from a time in which conceptions of rest were reshaped by the coalescence of America’s Protestant work ethic and industrial advancement. By complicating the separation of public and private space, my chosen texts present characters exhausted by the permeation of the supposedly impervious aspects of modernity, such as artificial light, traffic commotion, and round-the-clock labor and social activity. Marginalized figures are …

Examining Non-Targeted Effects Of The Connect Through Play Project: Implications For Addressing Mental Health Of Underserved Middle School Youth, Jessica Dandan

Theses and Dissertations

Early adolescence is a developmental phase accompanied by several changes occurring in various biopsychosocial domains, associated with an increased vulnerability to mental and physical health problems. Youth of minority status and/or low socio- economic status have been shown to be more susceptible, as they are more likely to incur greater exposure to stressors accordingly. Coincidently, as psychological problems emerge such as internalizing disorders, physical activity engagement declines; those trends seem to persist into adulthood and have been associated with numerous negative health outcomes. Evidence points to the direct impact of physical activity, as well as, social variables such as social …

Judicial Legitimacy And The Dearth Of State Supreme Court Knowledge, Tj Kimel

Theses and Dissertations

As western democracies face challenges unseen since the Cold War ended, understanding the correlates of legitimacy for democratic institutions has grown in importance. While scholars have well-developed theories and empirical evidence of Supreme Court support, we know far less about state supreme court legitimacy. This is despite the fact that these courts hand down 100,000 legal decisions annually. Relying on an original survey conducted with participants in 46 states, I develop and test a theory that respondents rely on the Supreme Court as a cue when deciding whether they should extend legitimacy to state supreme courts they know next to …

Multidimenstional Balance In Youth With Visual Impairments, Adam Pennell

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three studies which examined multidimensional balance in youth (≤ 21 years; Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004) with visual impairments (VIs) using the Brief-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Brief- BESTest). These studies have the potential to inform (adapted) physical education curricula and therapeutic/rehabilitative practices by providing novel understandings of balance performance in youth with VIs. If identified as a meaningful mechanism of action, the assessment and development of multidimensional balance in youth with VIs should be given elevated status by practitioners. Thus, the purpose of this dissertation was to investigate multidimensional balance in youth with VIs.

The …

African American Hair And Beauty: Examining Afrocentricity And Identity Through The Reemergence And Expression Of Natural Hair In The 21st Century, Tiffany Nicole Peacock

Theses and Dissertations

In the 21st century, African American women are challenging the stereotypes and limitations of who or what defines beauty. More African American women are cutting off their relaxed tresses and starting anew with the natural roots that was inherited from their African ancestors. The recent transition challenges post-colonial ideas of what it means to have good or bad hair through the empowerment of Black men and women. Rooted within the Black Power and Black is Beautiful movements of the 1970s, African American women are no longer accepting or tolerating how someone else will define their hair. By altering their kinky, …

The Effectiveness Of Video Modeling With Video Feedback On A Given Piece For Mid-To-Late Elementary Piano Students, Huiyun Liang

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of video modeling with video feedback for developing mid-to-late elementary piano students’ motor skills in learning the piece “Polka” by Dmitri Kabalevsky. The secondary purpose was to evaluate the benefits of this method for other aspects of performance and performance retention. Five (N=5) piano students, 8 to 9 years old, at mid-to-late elementary level were selected to participate in this study. The results of the study summarized the performance progress of four participants who demonstrated similar levels of technical and reading skills and completed the test requirements.

The full-scale …

Self-Affirmation And Perspective Taking In Organizations: An Integrated Framework For Examining Process-Oriented Phenomena As Trajectories Of Change, Patrick J. Flynn

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals’ perceptions of their fit within in an organization unfold as a process over time that is subject to influence and change. This dissertation is a program of research that takes a process-oriented approach to understanding change from patterns of outcome trajectories and trajectory changes. Appendix A presents a study that introduces a conceptual framework for a temporal approach to change. Appendix A showed that strong events serve to change the trajectory of individuals’ affective commitment. Appendix B presents a first intervention study with surprising results where instead of self-affirmation, perspective taking appeared to facilitate positive trajectory changes in individuals’ …

An Investigation Of The Impact Of A Supervision Intervention On Secondary Traumatic Stress Responses Among Counselors Treating Child Survivors Of Sexual Abuse, Brooke Wymer

Theses and Dissertations

Novice counselors who have high trauma caseloads are at risk for secondary traumatic stress (STS) responses, which can impact their ability to function effectively in professional counseling roles. Supervision is one factor frequently conceptualized to have an impact on STS responses in counselors; however, there is a dearth of literature regarding specific supervision interventions that are evidence-based to reduce or prevent STS responses among counselors treating trauma, specifically child survivors of sexual abuse (CSSA). Due to the absence of supervision intervention studies among counselors working with this population, the current study implemented an experimental single case research design to measure …

Child Sport Fan Behavior: An Examination Of The Effects Of Socialization, Branding, And Alternatives On Children’S Psychological Connections To Sports Teams, Katherine Rose Nakamoto Reifurth

Theses and Dissertations

This three-study dissertation focuses on child fans of professional sport teams and the ways in which they become fans and attach themselves and connect to these sport brands. In Study 1, the researchers focused on the socialization into fandom of young children and the effects of communities and the game-day environment on this socialization utilizing qualitative observations and interviews with children ages 6 to 14 and resulted in an expanded understanding of the dame-day aspects that attract and excite children most. In Study 2, the researchers focused on the aspects of a new team’s brand that children ages 5 to …