Digital Commons Network^™

Inaugural Caribbean Flyway Review, Daniele Ventura Del Puerto, E. A. Buckmire

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Back Matter, North American Bird Bander

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Front Matter, North American Bird Bander

North American Bird Bander

No abstract provided.

Beyond Climate In Placencia, Belize: Navigating Environmental Change In The Anthropocene, Rory E. Mckenna

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Examining opportunities for climate resilience requires an evaluation of lived experiences of environmental change which benefits from transdisciplinary perspectives. This research examines those experiences through the lens of anthropogenic change which allows for a critical focus on local conditions of environmental change specific to Placencia Village, Belize, over time. An anthropology of the anthropocene framing shifts the focus from the results of the global phenomenon responsible for climate change to the implications of local human-caused environmental change on natural systems, human-environment relationships and dynamics, and the future trajectories of these relationships. Through the use of interviews, go-alongs, participatory mapping, transdisciplinary …

Linking Education And Work: Understanding The Influence Of Community Schooling Models On Student Pathways, Takiyah N. Dixon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the integration of work-study programs, mentorship, and support systems at Cristo Rey Tampa Salesian High School (CRTSHS) and their role in preparing underrepresented students for post-secondary education and professional careers. Utilizing a case study methodology, this research centers on an in-depth analysis of a single participant's experience, which provides a qualitative insight into the impacts of these educational components. The study examines how the school's work-study program equips students with practical skills, how mentorship shapes their academic and personal development, and how support systems contribute to their readiness for higher education and employment.

The data for this …

Ecological Epidemiology Of The Fungal Pathogen Ophidiomyces Ophiodiicola In Southeastern U.S. Snake Populations: Distribution, Drivers, And Anthropogenic Risk Factors, Shivam Shukla

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studying wildlife diseases is an important conservation measure, as many pathogens are a critical threat to biodiversity worldwide. Ophidiomycosis is an emerging infectious disease caused by the invasive fungal pathogen Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola that affects a wide variety of snake species, often causing mortality. There has been limited surveillance for ophidiomycosis in the southeastern United States’ (US) snake populations and research into the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on disease spread is also lacking. Thus, this project aimed to quantify the distribution and drivers (taxonomic, anthropogenic, and morphological) of ophidiomycosis in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi’s free ranging snakes as well as study …

Evaluating How Malaria Transmission Season, Residency, And Travel History Modify The Association Between Vector Control Method Use And P. Falciparum Infection In Accra, Ghana., Anna Beltrame

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background. Urbanization and population movements increase urban malaria risk, necessitating adjustments to traditional control strategies. Data on vector control methods in urban African settings and their association with malaria risk remain limited.

Objectives. To evaluate the association between vector control methods and Plasmodium falciparum infection in Accra, Ghana, and how this association varies by malaria transmission season, residency, and travel history.

Methods. This observation study utilized data from two cross-sectional household surveys conducted in March-April and June-July 2024 as part of the MUSE study. Participants were household members over six months old who gave consent, randomly selected from 13 health …

Secondary Teacher Perceptions And Practices Of Intercultural Communicative Competence Development In Online Intercultural Exchanges, Paige L. Roland

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Secondary level world language programs in the United States lack efficient infusion and assessment of intercultural communicative competence in the curricula. When a learner acquires a new language, they also shape their personal identity and expand their ability to successfully interact cross-culturally, thus the need for culture and language to be understood as interdependent components of the bigger whole is evident (Liontas & Siegel, 2019). While there are extensive research theories and studies regarding models of assessment for various competences underlying intercultural communicative competence (e.g., communicative competence, idiomatic competence, sociolinguistic competence) throughout the decades, little research is available which utilizes …

Hurricane Evacuation: Navigating Uncertainty During Covid 19 And With Existing Communication Scales, And Considering Public And Expert Perception Of Alternative Scales, Leilani D. Paxton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the effectiveness of current hurricane warning products and communication strategies, exploring factors influencing public perception of risk and decision-making during evacuations. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining survey data, focus group discussions, and interviews with meteorologists and emergency managers. The first paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hurricane risk perception and evacuation decisions. Findings indicate that while COVID-19 concerns played a role in some individuals' decisions, particularly those with pets or concerns about shelter conditions, the majority of participants evacuated for Hurricane Ian. The study highlights the importance of providing clear, consistent, and …

Towards An International, Generalizable Marketing Strategy Maturity Model, Juan Manuel Harraca

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In an increasingly dynamic business environment, organizations face relentless pressure to adapt their strategies and optimize value propositions to maintain competitiveness. The formulation of effective marketing strategies has emerged as a critical factor in achieving sustainable competitive advantage and ensuring long-term success. However, many firms struggle to refine their marketing capabilities in response to evolving market demands. Addressing this challenge, the Marketing Strategy Maturity Model (MSMM), introduced by Harraca in 2023, offers a structured framework to assess and improve a firm’s marketing strategy formulation processes.

The MSMM provides a dual approach, emphasizing the enhancement of both the processes and the …

Moral Of The Story: Secondary Language Arts Teachers’ Perceptions Of Students’ Moral Intelligence, Sadia Fauzia Zaman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The literature review reveals a gap in secondary English Language Arts (ELA) teachers’ perception of students’ moral intelligence (MI). While many character education studies examine the student perspective, this study contributes to the limited research on secondary ELA teachers’ perceptions of students’ moral intelligence and how it can be cultivated. This dissertation addresses that gap by collecting and analyzing ELA teachers’ lived experiences and perceptions of students’ MI, as well as exploring how ELA teachers and schools can support students’ moral development by integrating moral and ethical topics into instructional practices. This qualitative study used narrative inquiry to gather interview …

Framing Barbie: A Thematic Analysis Of News Media, Mckenzie Muskett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study qualitatively examined how newspapers and digital media sources frame the 2023 movie, Barbie, and how news media can either perpetuate stereotypes or uproot them. This was done by first facilitating a thematic analysis of newspaper articles from five major U.S news outlets, New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune, and then from four major digital news outlets, Newsweek, Reuters, BBC, and NewsNation. This study utilized framing theory to identify ten frames news outlets used to frame Barbie. Additionally, feminist theory was implemented to inform the findings and analyze the articles. …

Auction-Based Tolling Systems: Addressing Behavioral Economics And Social Equity Concerns, Tung Huy Vo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The value of time (VOT), or willingness to pay (WTP) to reduce travel time in the context of transportation, is not homogeneous across all road users. Everyone has their own unique VOT and may have multiple values for the VOT associated with factors such as the time of day or the trip purpose. However, the traditional distance-based, time-based, or demand-based congestion pricing methods cannot reflect the true WTP for the use of tolled facilities of the road users. Recent studies have explored and proposed an innovative congestion pricing scheme that integrates auction mechanisms into tolling systems, known as auction-based tolling …

Understanding The Impact Of Cultural Competency Development On College Students Through Experiential Learning: A Study Of An Honors High-Impact Course, C. H. Kevin Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore how students develop cultural competency through participation in an experiential learning-embedded college course. Existing literature often addresses career readiness, student success, cultural competency, and faculty-student affairs collaboration as distinct areas of research. However, while students may engage with diversity best practices as leaders or through diversity-related courses, bridging the gap between curriculum and competency development remains a critical area for ongoing discussion.

This study focused on a course I designed on Korean culture and identity, which provided an overview of topics such as history, politics, cuisine, music, and current events. The …

Leveraging Feedback From Older Adults To Enhance Patient-Centered Engagement In Healthcare Services, Erica Susan Sappington

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is comprised of an introduction to the topic, three academic papers, and a final chapter discussing the implications of the findings. Its primary objective is to examine strategies to engage older adults in proactive health interventions, enhancing their participation and satisfaction within healthcare systems. Each academic paper utilized distinct data sources and research methods. Paper 1's survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlations to understand older adults' engagement with academic medical centers. Paper 2 used thematic analysis of focus group data to identify key themes in older adults' perspectives on novel health services. Paper 3 used …

“Who Am I?”: Novice Teachers Making Meaning Of Their Intersectional Teacher Identity, Kerrijo E. Ellis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how marginalized and/or minoritized novice teachers make meaning of their teacher identity. An integrated theoretical framework informed this study using Hong et al.’s (2024) conceptualization of teacher identity, Crenshaw’s (1989) intersectionality, and Collins & Bilge’s (2020) definition of intersectionality. Utilizing the photovoice methodology, four focus groups were conducted with a purposeful sample of five novice teachers who identified as marginalized (i.e., gender, disability, LGBTQIA+) and/or minoritized (i.e., ethnic and/or racial minority). Using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2023), I identified three themes: (1) Why I Became a Teacher, which included …

Feminist Narrative Inquiry: Stories Of Five Young Adults Who Aged Out Of Florida Foster Care, Amy E. Nourie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are approximately 400,000 children in foster care in the United States and, each year, more than 20,000 reach the age of majority without achieving permanency, also known as aging out (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2022a). Research has consistently called attention to the negative effects of foster care on youth including issues relating to substance use, housing instability, educational obstacles, and mental health concerns (Forkey & Szilagyi, 2014; Sarri et al., 2016). These negative outcomes are often even more pronounced for young adults aging out of foster care and transitioning into adulthood (Haggman-Laitila et al., 2019). Despite the decades of …

Technology And Aging: Maintaining, Improving And Understanding Health And Wellness, Mitchell Roberts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three academic papers followed by a chapter discussing the implications of the findings. This dissertation aims to better understand how technologies can promote older adults' (55 years or age or and older) desires to maintain, improve, and understand their health and wellness. The primary objective is to examine how three different technological modalities can inform proactive interventions at various life stages, aiming to promote healthy aging and alleviate age-related health issues by integrating disease prevention strategies within the Lifespan Theory of Aging.

Each academic paper came from an independent data source. The first paper used audio …

Comparing National Benchmark Quantitative Literacy Paper-Based Tests Scores With Its Computer-Based Counterparts, Robert N. Prince

Numeracy

One of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the rapid shift to replacing traditional, paper-based tests with their computer-based counterparts. In many cases, these new modes of delivering tests will remain in place for the foreseeable future. In South Africa, the National Benchmark Quantitative Literacy (QL) test was impelled to make this rapid shift. While test-makers attempted to ensure comparability between the computer-based and paper-based versions, some scholars have questioned the efficacy of these efforts. The International Test Commission (2005) declared that the equivalency of test scores obtained from computer-based and conventional paper-based testing should be established to ensure …

New Ichnofossil Discovery In Mallorcan Caves: Linking Ancient And Moden Bat-Ectoparasites Coporolites., Antonio Merino Juncadella, Joan J. Fornós, Antoni Mulet, Joaquin Gines

International Journal of Speleology

Bat ectoparasitic ichnofossils can be useful to elucidate microbial mediation in mineralization processes of organic material, supplying valuable information on ancient parasitology and palaeoecology, among other topics. Rod-shaped features found in Cova des Pas de Vallgornera (Mallorca, Spain) are described for the first time. They are related to an ancient bat colony inhabiting the cave in the Early Pleistocene. These micro-morphologies are cylindrical in shape with sizes of a few hundred microns in length and less than one hundred microns in diameter. They are composed by a mash of microscopic calcite particles of different sizes and shapes, lying on deposits …

Preparing Children For Kindergarten Readiness: Early Childhood Teachers’ Goals And Practices, Julie Chappell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literature in the field of early childhood education suggests that standardization and the accountability movement in the United States has changed the way that teachers approach kindergarten, resulting in less play and more teacher-directed activities. This pedagogical shift causes challenges for early childhood educators striving to promote developmentally appropriate, play-based and child-centered approaches to learning for young children while preparing children for the expectations of kindergarten. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of prekindergarten teachers’ views about their role in preparing children for kindergarten. The study was guided by two research questions: How do prekindergarten …

Six-Year College Graduation Status For High School Students Participating In An Upward Bound Program, Raymond Upward Cabrera

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of high school academic indicators and participation in the federally funded Upward Bound program on college graduation rates for first-generation, low-income students. Specifically the extent to which participation in the federally funded TRIO Upward Bound program and related factors—high school GPA, course rigor, program involvement, gender, race, and college type—predict 6-year college graduation rates for first-generation, low-income students. Using stepwise logistic regression analysis on data of 163 students in an Upward Bound program in the Southeast, the results show that students with higher GPAs, active engagement in the program, and females were significantly more likely …

Monsters, Multiplicities, And Liminal Experiences In Doctoral Education: Fabulation As Research Methodology, Anna V. Gonzalez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to experiment with qualitative research methodologies while exploring the complexities of doctoral education, research practices, philosophies of inquiry, and other topics intersecting with(in) educational scholarship. My vision for this work was fueled by postmodernist critiques of humanist education, frustrations with the methodological status quo pervasive in educational research, and deep concerns about the unsustainability of performance-focused teaching and learning.

The logic I follow in this project is simple: if we—researchers and academics—are to contribute solutions for challenges and ongoing crises in our world, then we must start thinking relationally and in ways more complex …

A Contexted Learning Experience: Instructional Strategies For Effective Teaching For Primary And Intermediate Students From Diverse Ses Environments, R. Suzanne Legg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The aim of my three-article dissertation was to investigate the methods employed by effective teachers to promote academic progress among all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status. Each article addressed perspectives on effective teaching strategies aimed at closing the opportunity gap from three different contexts. These contexts were 1) a focus group consisting of primary teachers, 2) a focus group consisting of intermediate teachers, and 3) personal reflections from observations of both focus groups pertaining to COVID-19. Recent scores from the Programme for International Student Assessment (OECD, 2023) revealed a growing disparity in academic achievement between students from higher socioeconomic …

Exploring Factors That Influence Artificial Intelligence Adoption In Banks And Credit Unions, Vijaya S. Tumma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The importance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is exploding in the banking sector, fueled by enhanced productivity, improved efficiencies, and personalized services to the consumers. For credit unions, the adoption of AI technologies presents opportunities and challenges. This research explores the factors influencing AI adoption in the banking sector through the lens of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) framework. This study aims to explore the influence of key aspects of UTAUT model, Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Social Influence (SI), and Facilitating Conditions (FC) on the intention of AI adoption among credit unions, banks, and their …

Coding Connections: Exploring Relationships Between Computer Science Learning And Mathematics Achievement In Secondary Education, Bradley Hayes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation in practice explores the intersection of computer science education, specifically computational thinking and programming, with mathematics achievement among 15-year-old students in selected English-speaking countries. The research addresses a gap in understanding whether skills developed through computer science can positively influence mathematics performance by assessing the extent to which learning in computer science transfers to mathematics.

To achieve this, a quantitative methodology was employed, incorporating pilot study data from a single school and large-scale survey data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022. The analysis assessed the correlation between regular participation in programming activities and mathematics attainment, …

Efficient Smartphone Sensor Analysis For Behavioral Profiling In Transportation Research: A Case Study Of Driver And Passenger Classification, Wilson Lozano, Tempestt Neal

Research Reports

Our study investigates smartphone sensor data for classifying drivers and passengers, aligning with our original proposal to enhance multimodal transportation data collection via the OneBusAway app. We address challenges in balancing data quality with smartphone resource constraints and find that shorter data collection windows significantly improve classification performance. Additionally, feature standardization and selection enhance accuracy, particularly during extended data periods, supporting our goal of refining data quality from open-source platforms. These insights advance our objectives by optimizing data efficiency and supporting the real-world applicability of intelligent models in transportation safety and efficiency.

Advanced Strategies For Improving The Robustness Of Deep Learning, Keyu Chen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) have achieved great success across diverse fields in the last decades, such as facial recognition, medical diagnosis, and language translation. The success, however, largely hinges on the assumption that the training and testing data share the same distribution or domain. In practice, real-world data often exhibits domain shifts, leading to notable degradation in model performance. Hence, the generalization capability of machine lea=rning models is of great importance, which refers to the domain generalization problem. In this dissertation, we present DADG, an effective algorithm for domain generalization, aiming to learn domain-invariant features from seen …

Examining Emergency Remote Teaching And Undergraduate Academic Outcomes During The Pandemic, Melissa S. Ramge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic represented an extraordinary public health emergency, leading to the most profound disruption to education systems in modern history. As higher education institutions expand their post-pandemic online course catalogs, it is necessary first to explore the student outcomes and student perceptions of learning related to the pandemic. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design to assess the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and students’ perceptions of online learning. The purpose of the study was to examine what, if any, trends in undergraduate student course grades and student perceptions of the instruction occurred coincident with the …

The Impact Of Hearing Aid User Speech On Environment Classification And Own Voice Listener Preferences, Robert Andrew Budinsky Iii

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hearing aids (HA) have improved over the past few decades with advanced signal processing, such as environment classification and background noise reduction, but are still limited by challenges related to when the user is speaking. These challenges include the potential interference a HA user’s voice has on device environment classification and the potential influence a HA has on own voice (OV) sound quality. However, the effects of OV on HA environment classification and signal processing are not well established, nor are the desired HA program settings regarding OV listening preferences. In this study, a combination of electroacoustic and behavioral methods …