Digital Commons Network^™

Bayesian Multivariate Joint Modeling For Skewed-Longitudinal And Time-To-Event Data, Lan Xu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In epidemiologic and clinical studies, a relatively large number of biomarkers are repeatedly measured in patients over time, often associated with data on epidemiologic and clinical interest events. So, much attention is focused on developing the specific patterns of the longitudinal measurements, and the associations between those patterns and the time to a certain event, such as heart attack, diagnose of disease, time to transplantation, or death. In the last two decades, the research into joint modeling of longitudinal and time-to-event data has received a tremendous amount of attention.

Numerous researchers have proposed joint modeling approaches for a single longitudinal …

Reference-Dependent Choice On Digital Platforms, Joshua K. Kaisen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Throughout this dissertation I explore a significant departure from the standard model of rationality known as reference-dependence. The theory reference-dependence asserts that an individual’s choice is dependent on their frame of reference established through factors divorced from their rational cost and benefit. This behavior is inefficient as individuals fail to rationally optimize their payoffs. This behavior is understudied in natural settings where isolating specific stimuli which may establish a reference is challenging. However, digital platforms contain limited stimuli which are fully observable to researchers and present an ideal setting to study the theory of reference-dependence. Thus, I introduce three new …

Measuring State Empathy: Exploring The Efficacy Of A Film Clip Task And Examining Individual Differences In Empathic Responding, Stephanie R. Hruza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study of trait empathy and the experience of empathy has implications for psychopathologies, the enactment of prosocial behaviors, and inhibition of aggression. For the most part, studies on empathy have been limited to the examination of trait empathy and/or empathy-related prosocial behaviors. However, to better understand how trait empathy may translate into empathy-related behaviors, it is important to find the best ways to elicit and measure state empathy, as well as characterize the relationship between trait and state empathy. Additionally, research into the relationship between normal-range personality traits and empathy on both a trait and state level has largely …

A Longitudinal Examination Of Coping And Subjective Well-Being Among High School Students In Accelerated Curricula, Hannah L. Gilfix

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

High school students in accelerated curriculum, which include Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, face greater amounts of academic stress than those in the general education curriculum (Suldo & Shaunessey, 2013). It is crucial to understand how these students cope with their academic demands and the impact that their use of various coping factors has on their overall subjective well-being. This study utilized a longitudinal non-experimental design to a) examine the stability of coping factors, b) examine the relationship between individual coping factors and subjective well-being, c) investigate the impact of socioeconomic status on the relationship of coping …

The Role Of Antecedent Music In The Running Routines Of Experienced Runners, Jennifer L. Cook

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Promoting running as an accessible and cost-effective form of exercise is important because persistent runners have a 29 to 50% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality compared to those who never run (Lee et al., 2014). Although there is a body of research on music and running, the results have been inconclusive across the literature. This may be due to a reliance on self-report measures and the averaging of results employed with group designs. To address these issues, the current study measured performance (pace) as the primary dependent variable in a series of within-subject designs. First, an online cross-sectional survey (Study …

The Ring Of Gyges 2.0: How Anonymity Providing Behaviors Affect Willingness To Participate In Online Deviance, Cassandra E. Dodge

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anonymity has long been discussed as a source of disinhibition. The myth of the Ring of Gyges illustrates how a person may act immorally solely because they know they will not be caught (Plato, 375/2017). Incorporating perspectives of rational choice and deterrence, anonymity serves as a form of risk reduction within hedonistic calculus (Beccaria, 1764/1963; Bentham, 1781/2000). Analogous to the myth of the Ring of Gyges (Plato, 375/2017), techniques of anonymity “hide” users from others while online. These techniques serve as a form of risk reduction, reducing the certainty of punishment (Becarria 1764/1963). Additionally, there are many ways by which …

Investigating The Relationship Between Vocabulary Size Level, Informal Exposure, Motivation, And The Efl Learners’ Collocational Knowledge In Saudi Arabia, Amal Barzanji

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigated the correlation between English collocation test scores and three independent variables including vocabulary level, informal language exposure, and motivation. The study also examined which independent variable was the most influential in predicting the collocation tests scores. Data was collected using, Gyllstad’s (2007) COLLEX and COLLMATCH tests, Webb et al.’s (2017) Form A of the updated Vocabulary Levels Test, Luk and Bialystok’s (2013) Language and Social Background Questionnaire (LSBQ), and Moskovsky et al.’s (2016) L2 Motivational Self-System Questionnaire (L2MSS). Participants (N = 136) from a Saudi university completed the questionnaires. The results indicated that although there were …

Evacuation Decision Making And The Role Of Social Connections Across Evacuation Statuses During Hurricane Irma, Nathan D. Shull

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine the evacuation decision-making process during Hurricane Irma in 2017. Special consideration was given to the role of an individual’s social connections (SCs). Additionally, the dependability, density (i.e., social network size and number of connections), and diversity of SCs were compared between those who: (a) evacuated to a shelter in Pinellas County, (b) evacuated to somewhere outside of the Tampa Bay area, and (c) did not evacuate. Data for evacuees and non-evacuees from Collins et al. (2018) were used to perform this comparison, while the data for shelter evacuees were acquired via a …

Cognitive Ability And Ambivalence Toward Alcohol: An Examination Of Working Memory Capacity’S Influence On Drinking Behavior, Emily T. Noyes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research stemming from dual-processing theories suggest that working memory capacity may have an important role in the ability to inhibit automatic tendencies when there is the motivation to do so (Barrett, Tugade, & Engle, 2004). Ambivalence, the simultaneous desire to engage in (approach motivation) and inhibit (avoidance motivation), often occurs with problematic behaviors like alcohol abuse. The current study sought to determine whether individual differences in working memory capacity moderate the relationship between approach, avoidance and subsequent drinking behavior in a clinical sample. A total of 66 individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) participated in a baseline assessment of working …

A Self-Study Of Need-Supportive Teaching In Elementary Art, Craig Jacobowitz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I present a self-study of my need-supportive teaching practice. I have long been curious about what it is about my teaching, what I say and do, that motivates students to work harder on their artwork and persevere when they become mired in difficulties. Need-supportive teaching addresses students' basic psychological needs within the classroom setting through high-quality teacher/student relationships and structure. Need-supportive teaching, motivation, and academic resilience are areas I made an extensive study of, as presented in chapter two. In March of 2020, the educational landscape in the United States was altered by the arrival of the unprecedented and novel …

Mental Health Problems, Traumatic Brain Injury, And Offending Behavior Among Persons Incarcerated In A County Jail, Lauren F. Fournier

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous work has found that although mental illness is positively related to offending behavior, it is a fairly poor predictor of aggression, violence, offending, and recidivism after controlling for sociodemographic and historical risk factors (i.e., criminal history, age, race, gender). This refutes the model that mental illness is a direct cause of crime. Instead, risk for recidivism or crime related to mental health problems may be higher when combined with other risk factors. The current study evaluated traumatic brain injury (TBI) and associated symptoms of post-concussion syndrome (PCS) as potential moderators of the relationship between mental health problems and concurrently …

An Examination Of Covid-19 Health Behaviors And Public Health Messaging Using The Health Belief Model And Organization-Public Relationship Quality, Aaron L. Nichols

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the context of the most severe pandemic in over 100 years, this study examined public health behavior and public health messaging using the health belief model (HBM) and organization-public relationships (OPR) as frameworks. The study employed a cross-sectional survey of students (N = 288) and employees (N = 203) at a large public university in the southeastern United States. First, the study empirically tested the components of the HBM as determinants of engaging in public health behaviors meant to slow or prevent the spread of COVID-19 and found all components of the model to be significantly related to engaging …

Agenda And Supplementary Materials, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus Advisory Board Programs Update Workshop, June 8, 2021, University Of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus Board

Campus Board Agendas, Minutes, and Supporting Documents

The agenda and supplementary materials for the University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus Advisory Board programs update workshop held on June 8, 2021.

Framing #Metoo Movement In China A Content Analysis Of China Women’S News Coverage, Wenminzi Wu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Grounded in the framing theory, this article examined a differential study by content analysis. After the #MeToo movement rapidly trended in at least 85 countries including China, many people’s life and mind have been changed. The purpose of this study was to explore the frames used in the news coverage in China Women’s News referring to sexual harassment/assault and to examine how far the sense of gender equality has been changed in China especially after the #MeToo movement began. The sample came from the online database of a total of 546 relevant coverage from 2014 to 2020 in China Women’s …

An Ecological Momentary Assessment Of Disordered Eating Behaviors Within Alcohol Use Episodes: Determining Temporal Sequencing In Food And Alcohol Disturbance, Emily M. Choquette

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The co-occurrence of disordered eating and alcohol use has been well documented in the literature. Food and Alcohol Disturbance (FAD), previously referred to as “drunkorexia,” refers to the use of disordered eating behaviors within an alcohol use episode for the purpose of increasing alcohol effects and/or offsetting caloric intake from alcohol. There is a relatively limited literature base which examines FAD; however, there is evidence that FAD is associated with alcohol-related consequences and health risk behaviors. As such, further study into this phenomenon is necessary. The current study aimed to address significant limitations in the literature. While the aims of …

Retention Strategies For Online Students: A Systematic Literature Review, Katy Seery, Albert A. Barreda, Stephanie G. Hein, Jokima L. Hiller

Journal of Global Education and Research

The purpose of this paper is to examine online retention research in higher education over a 5-year span (January 2015–March 2019) to further advance research in higher education retention. Through an academic database search, 18 articles were collected from EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, and Research Gate using combinations of the keywords online, retention strategies, and higher education. All articles were analyzed for proposed retention strategies. Retention is a global topic. As such, this study demonstrates the importance of retention and clarifies issues or challenges students encounter, which may cause lower retention rates. The data reviewed suggest the most common retention …

Do I Belong? What Students Teach Us About Belonging To A New University, Jennifer Ann Scaia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Foundational to this evaluation study, the participating institution aspired to improve its retention rate. Students’ perceived sense of belonging has been identified as an important variable related to student retention and persistence (Bean & Eaton, 2000; Strayhorn 2012; Strayhorn 2019; Tinto, 2017). For students to succeed beyond their first year in college, it is fundamentally important that they view themselves as valued members of the university community (Bean & Eaton, 2000; Bollen & Hoyle, 1990; Murphy, 2016).

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how undergraduate students, predicted as less likely to retain into their second year, described their …

The Attributes Of Mathematics Learning Which Ghanaian Senior High School Students Value, Ernest Kofi Davis, Wee Tiong Seah, Nathaniel Howard, Eric Magnus Wilmot

Journal of Global Education and Research

Valuing constitutes an important aspect of mathematics pedagogy and hence student learning outcomes. This study surveyed 416 students from Cape Coast, Ghana to explore what senior high school students in this country in West Africa valued in their study of mathematics. The data collected were analyzed using principal component analysis. The results suggest that Ghanaian senior high school students found connections, understanding, fluency, learning technologies, feedback, instructional materials, open-endedness and problem-solving important in their mathematics learning. Implications of the findings for curriculum delivery in mathematics and future research opportunities are also discussed.

Using Avatars To Address Teacher Self-Efficacy, Chancey Bosch, Trevor Ellis

Journal of Global Education and Research

Technology-enhanced learning continues to provide opportunities for increased interventions in educational programing. For teacher education programs, novelty pales in comparison to providing meaningful instruction and enduring outcomes. The use of avatars has provided integration of research evidence that increases intended behaviors; however, research is lacking on teacher self-efficacy change via an avatar experience. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and avatar use in a teacher education program. A relational study using both parametric and non-parametric designs for four different samples indicated a significant relationship between avatar intervention and teacher self-efficacy in classroom management, …

Exploring Educators' Sensemaking Of Statewide Professional Learning For Educational Decision-Making Within An Mtss, Sarah E. Thoman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative inquiry explored district-based educators’ sensemaking of an ongoing, statewide professional learning series focused on special education eligibility for students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) using a response-to-intervention (RtI) approach within a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). Specifically, the professional learning series was designed as a community of practice (CoP; Lave & Wenger, 1991) with both face-to-face and virtual activities. The professional learning series was in its second year of implementation and educators in the first two cohorts (Cohort 1 and Cohort 2) of the series were the participants in this study. The theoretical framework of sensemaking (Weick, 1995) …

Forced Compartmentalization: Parenting, Professing, And Writing Through The Age Of Covid-19 And Anti-Asian Hate, Kathleen T. Alves

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

No abstract provided.

"Side By Side With A Ruinous, Ever-Present Past": Trauma-Informed Teaching And The Eighteenth Century, Clarissa, And Fantomina, Kate Parker, Bryan M. Kopp, Lindsay Steiner

ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640–1830

This article explores the need for and applications of trauma-informed teaching in eighteenth-century studies, particularly around representations of sexual trauma (rape) and consent. The prevalence of trauma guarantees its presence in our classrooms, even and especially in its absences. As the field of eighteenth-century studies continues to reframe its white, Eurocentric, male-dominated past through more intentionally inclusive research and teaching methods, particularly those that explore the intersections of eighteenth-century studies and social justice approaches to education, the presence of trauma in our classrooms will become only more significant. Keeping in mind those students of marginalized identities who are most likely …

Arts & Literature: Feeding Her Child A Green Slipper Instead Of A Cucumber, Kaziwa Salih

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

I first observed the confident, sad, yet hopeful face of Nabat Fayiaq Rahman through the black screen of the TV. She was wearing a traditional, completely black Kurdish outfit that matched the stage curtains designed for the anniversary of the Anfal genocide, marked on April 14th of each year. The Kurdish Anfal genocide in Iraq was perpetrated by Saddam Hussein’s regime in the 1980s. Human Rights Watch (1994) estimates that as many as 182,000 Kurds were buried alive in mass graves; many of these mass graves were found after Hussein was overthrown. More than 2.5 million people were displaced, 4500 …

Full Issue 15.1

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

“We Planted Rice And Killed People:” Symbiogenetic Destruction In The Cambodian Genocide, Andrew Woolford, Wanda June, Sereyvothny Um

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

In recent years, genocide scholars have given greater attention to the dangers posed by climate change for increasing the prevalence or intensity of genocide. Challenges related to forced migration, resource scarcity, famine, and other threats of the Anthropocene are identified as sources of present and future risk, especially for those committed to genocide prevention. We approach the connection between the natural and social aspects of genocide from a different angle. Our research emanates out of a North American Indigenous studies and new materialist rather than Euro-genocide studies framework, meaning we see the natural and the social (or cultural) as inseparable, …

The Impact Of Religious Beliefs, Practices, And Social Networks On Rwandan Rescue Efforts During Genocide, Nicole Fox, Hollie Nyseth Brehm, John Gasana Gasasira

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

In April 1994, in one of the most Christian nations in Africa, genocidal violence erupted culminating in the deaths of upwards of one million people. While thousands participated in mass killings, others choose not to, and rescued persecuted individuals instead. Relying on 45 in-depth interviews with individuals who rescued others in Rwanda, we demonstrate that religion is tied to rescue efforts in at least three ways: 1) through the creation of cognitive safety nets that enabled high-risk actions; 2) through religious practices that isolated individuals from the social networks of those committing the violence; and 3) through religious social networks …

The Healing Of Historical Collective Trauma, Eugen Koh

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Historical collective trauma is embedded in the shared consciousness of a collective, which can be considered as being the collective’s culture. The healing of historical collective trauma is a most complex and challenging task. At the core of it is a collective process of working through painful and overwhelming experiences, which is only possible in a safe and supportive environment. This process involves remembering and making sense of defined events and depends on the possession of a capable and authentic “collective thinking apparatus,” which is proposed here, to be a function of a collective’s culture. The healing of single, …

Art As Atrocity Prevention: The Auschwitz Institute, Artivism, And The 2019 Venice Biennale, Kaitlin Murphy

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

Although largely overlooked in genocide and atrocity prevention scholarship, the arts have a critical role to play in mitigating risk factors associated with genocide and atrocity. Grounded in analysis of "Artivism: The Atrocity Prevention Pavilion,” the Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities’ 2019 Venice Biennale exhibition and drawing from fieldwork, interviews, and secondary research, this article explores why one of the leading NGOs working to prevent future violent conflict would choose to curate an art exhibit at the Venice Biennale and what might be accomplished through such an exhibit. Ultimately, the Artivism exhibit, in its collection …

Narrative Meaning Productions Of Compassionate Healthcare: An Examination Of Cultural Codes, Organizational Practices, And Everyday Realities, Carley Geiss

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the social complexities of emotion in healthcare; employing a multi-level narrative approach that explores the cultural, organizational, and interactional aspects of “compassionate care.” The central question I ask is: How do cultural beliefs and values surrounding compassionate healthcare inform organizational practices and the lived experiences of individuals providing such care? This project highlights the largely overlooked cultural, structural aspects of emotion, demonstrating how pervasive collective values and beliefs become institutionalized, and how such standards inform everyday experiences of healthcare providers.

Examining The Potential Interactions Of Expectancies And Disordered Eating Behavior, Cody B. Staples

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Expectancy models (i.e., cognitions regarding perceived consequences of behavior) have been applied to eating behaviors to understand the development and maintenance of disordered eating. The two primary categories of expectancies, thinness/restriction expectancies (i.e., perceived rewards from being thin or restricting one’s diet) and negative affect reduction expectancies (i.e., the belief that eating will reduce negative emotions) have largely been studied in isolation, despite evidence that individuals can endorse both sets of expectancies simultaneously. To address this, the current study proposed an interactive model of thinness/restriction and eating to manage negative affect expectancies and disordered eating behavior. Specifically, it was hypothesized …