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Essays On Snap Participation, Bmi, And Food Purchasing Decisions, Samaneh Ghadyani

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation estimates the SNAP-eligible individuals’ Body Mass Index (BMI) changes by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) in Chapter 1. It also examines whether the food packages’ nutrition fact tables’ refinements improve SNAP-recipients’ healthy food purchasing decisions in Chapter 2. Below, the summary of these chapters are provided:

• Chapter 1: The Effects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on the Body Mass Index (BMI) of SNAP-Eligible Individuals
• Chapter 2: Do Changes in the Nutrition Facts Labels Affect SNAP-Participants’ Food Purchasing Decisions?

Chapter 1 studies the effects of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act …

Educators’ Sensemaking Of Data Within An Mtss Framework: An Exploratory Case Study, Stephanie Marie Green

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how educators working within a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) framework make sense of data, how they use data for instructional decision-making, and how the data use cultures at the district and school levels influence this data use. The study was designed with a theoretical framework informed by the sensemaking about student outcomes model (Bertrand & Marsh, 2015), the data literacy for teaching framework (Mandinach & Gummer, 2016c), and the data use cultures framework (Firestone & Gonzales, 2007). I explored these issues through a case study methodology, utilizing semi-structured interviews, observations, document …

Land Goddesses, Divine Pigs, And Royal Tricksters: Subversive Mythologies And Imperialist Land Ownership Dispossession In Twentieth Century Irish And American Literature, Elizabeth Ricketts

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Land ownership dispossession is a key feature in establishing imperial hegemonies. In the colonial context, limiting access to land concentrates wealth, power, and influence in the hands of a small colonial or neocolonial elite, excluding others from financial independence, accumulation of generational wealth, political representation, and a stable living situation. British imperial activities spanned multiple continents, engaging similar patterns of dispossessing the native population from their land, language, and cultures. In this endeavor, culture and literature in particular, as Edward Said points out in Culture and Imperialism, have been complicit in inculcating imperial ideologies and justifying territorial occupation. As Said …

Instructional Experiences: A Case Study Of Perceptions Of High School American Sign Language Teachers Who Are Hearing, Rhonda S. Leslie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A significant gap has been identified in research-based findings and classroom instructional practices of hearing ASL teachers in high schools in the U.S. (Rosen, 2015). Research has shown the absence of standardized ASL instructional guidelines, rules, and procedures has created a significant gap in teaching and learning practices at the high school level, and research-based findings about the most suitable pedagogical approaches that should be used in ASL induction and immersion programs. This study aims to understand hearing teachers’ perceptions of their ASL instructional practices and choices, using a qualitative research approach and a case study design. Based on a …

Relationship Between Working With Professional Evaluators And An Organization’S Evaluation Culture, James M. Wharton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mission-based organizations like zoos and aquariums are investing in evaluation capacity to help them improve their mission performance, but are these resources improving their professional culture, or merely creating evaluations? This study surveyed the leadership from 100 programming departments at accredited U.S. zoos and aquariums to learn how work with professional evaluators might be related to the nature of an organization’s evaluation culture. Survey results showed no statistically significant relationships between a self-reported measure of evaluation culture and either institutional demographics or work with professional evaluators. Follow-up interviews with nine case study organizations, however, were more supportive of the role …

An Astronomer’S Journey Into Quantitative Reasoning, Jeffrey Bennett

Numeracy

The University of Colorado Boulder campus introduced what may have been the world’s first quantitative reasoning (QR) requirement in 1984 and started offering a QR course in 1988. Although I am an astronomer by training, I had the privilege of creating and teaching that course, which led to my co-authorship of the first textbook directed specifically at QR courses. In this “Roots and Seeds” piece, I will discuss how this course and textbook came to be, how I as an astronomer ended up involved in it, and how this work has connected with other aspects of my career.

Looking Back At Quantitative Reasoning, William Briggs

Numeracy

A teacher looks back on three decades of teaching, pondering, and writing about quantitative reasoning (QR) and shares a few lessons learned. The skills that we teach in QR courses are more important than ever in providing students with a sense of civic virtue: the ability to be engaged and informed citizens in an increasingly complex and quantitative world.

Analysis Of Contextual Emotions Using Multimodal Data, Saurabh Hinduja

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Affective computing builds and evaluates systems that can recognize, interpret, and simulate human emotion. It is an interdisciplinary field, which includes computer science, psychology, and many others. For years, human emotion has been studied in psychology but recently has become a prominent field in computer science. Largely, the field of affective computing has been focused on analyzing static facial expressions to recognize human emotions, without taking bias (e.g. gender, data bias), context, or temporal information into account. Psychology has shown the difficulty of analyzing emotions without incorporating this type of information. In this dissertation, we have proposed new approaches to …

Aspiring To “Make It Work”: Defining Resilience And Agency Amongst Hispanic Youth Living In Low-Income Neighborhoods, Sara Arias-Steele

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored how Hispanic youth (ages 13-21 years) living in low-income neighborhoods of Florida defined resiliency and expressed agency navigating personal challenges and neighborhood adversity in pursuit of success. From the standpoint of the participants, this study focused on how youths: 1) judge the quality of life in their neighborhoods and the opportunities available for them, 2) identify personal aspirations for themselves and 3) identify what resilient factors allowed them to face the challenges and barriers of their daily lives to pursue this aspiration. This study takes into account the structural barriers that create inequities to examine how personal …

A Program Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of A University’S Student Persistence Model, Anthea Daniels Henderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many universities have implemented initiatives designed to address first year retention and persistence. Various prevention and support programs, including summer bridge programs, TRIO and Student Support Services, have been funded for the primary purpose of improving the outcomes of underserved populations. Although these initiatives and programs have been somewhat impactful, higher education leadership continues to seek ways to improve the outcomes of students at their institutions. Graduation outcomes continue to be a challenge for higher education leaders and researchers alike. Talbert (2012) states “Strong communication and cooperation between academic departments, learning support, student services, and federally funded programs is paramount …

Parent Engagement In An Online Behavioral Parent Training Program: A Case Study, Natalie A. Hofmann Leedy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral parent training (BPT) is considered a frontline intervention for challenging behaviors in early childhood. Research on outcomes in behavioral parent training include an emphasis on participant engagement, defined as attendance, cognitive readiness, and task completion (Chacko et al., 2016; Gearing et al., 2014; Nock & Ferriter, 2005). Barriers to treatment attendance and engagement include logistical barriers, perceptions that treatment is burdensome or irrelevant, poor therapeutic alliance, and inaccurate or poor expectations for treatment (Kazdin, Holland, & Crowley, 1997; Nock & Kazdin, 2001). This case study examined parent engagement and barriers to treatment in a BPT program called Developing Our …

Impact Of Starting Right, Now On Unaccompanied Homeless Youth’S Mental Health And School Engagement, Camille A. Randle

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Comprehensive, holistic, and individualized interventions for homeless youth are recommended in order to meet the complexity of their needs, but few of such interventions exist. The current study adds to this sparse literature base by examining the effects of a multifaceted, community-based intervention for unaccompanied homeless youth called Starting Right, Now (SRN). SRN provides unaccompanied homeless youth with a broad range of home-, school-, and community-based services in order to meet their unique needs. Previous research has supported the effectiveness of the intervention on participants’ well-being and quality of life. However, the current study was the first to quantitatively examine …

A Process Evaluation Of Human Resource Practices In Support Of Title I Turnaround Schools With Instructional Vacancies, Herbert Peeples

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Superintendents, human resources personnel, and principals are under immense pressure to ensure that their students perform well on standardized tests due to school accountability and school grades. This pressure is magnified for principals who are leaders of high poverty, high minority, Title I schools. These principals are constantly trying to hire quality teachers to meet the needs of their students. Researchers agree that the most important decision a principal must make is who to hire (e.g., Peterson, 2002; Rothman, 2004). Quality hires help schools move their students toward academic success.

This study examined how a human resource (HR) partner worked …

The Relationship Between Parenting Stress, Attendance, And Attrition In A Group-Based Parent Management Training Program, David Rubio Jr.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Disruptive behaviors rate among the most common referral concern for young children to mental health clinics (Kazdin, 2003). The preferred treatment for child behavior problems is parent management training (PMT; Matthys & Lochman, 2017). Raising a child with externalizing behaviors is associated with high levels of parenting stress, which can interfere with treatment engagement (Deater-Deckard, 2004). One negative outcome that has been associated with high levels of parenting stress is dropping out from treatment (Kazdin et al., 1997). Helping Our Toddlers, Developing Our Children’s Skills (HOT DOCS; Agazzi, Childres, & Armstrong, 2017) is a PMT program that has experienced participant …

The Communicative Constitution Of Environment: Land, Weather, Climate, Leanna K. Smithberger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My project examines the communicative constitution of environment: how we mediate environment in discursive practice, and arrange chaotic and complex timeplaces into organized relationships of agents and objects which act and are acted upon. Climate scholars across disciplines are calling for a paradigm shift in how we understand, study, inhabit, and relate to Earth’s varied environments. In this dissertation, I demonstrate how communication practices do the work of constituting the environment as we know it, and therefore conclude with the hopeful suggestion that these same practices can be used to do the work of a paradigm shift — that is, …

Momentum For Learning: Defining A Pedagogy Of Movement For Improved Learning And Cognition, Gretchen L. Stewart

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study reports the findings of a mixed-methods investigation into learning and cognition that has been theoretically and methodologically positioned as embodied. Embodied learning places pedagogical value on the biophysiologically dependent nature of learning on the development of the central nervous system. Rooted in empirical evidence of structural and functional brain change through movement, the purpose of this study was to investigate the primary teaching and learning features of a neurodevelopmental approach to schooling. The research question was, how do interdisciplinary experts operationalize movement as fundamental pedagogy in a brain relevant school model? Methods included qualitative interviews, a consensus building …

Changes In Educator Attitudes Related To Trauma-Informed Care, Amira Mattison Boylston

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Historically, teachers have been primarily focused on fostering the academic success and progress of their students. Over the years, the role of a teacher has evolved to also encompass meeting the behavioral and social-emotional needs of their students as well. Students with difficulties in these areas are often at-risk for struggling academically and may make limited progress without adequate social-emotional or behavioral support. Unfortunately, many teacher training programs have not adequately prepared their educators to fulfill this need. This is especially concerning because of the growing number of youths who have adverse childhood experiences, which is exposure to traumatic events …

High School Students’ Descriptions Of How Smartphones Affect Their Online Learning During Covid-19, Tiffany K. Southwell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In March of 2020, many schools including the high school where I teach in the southwest United States, shut down and moved all students to online learning due to a coronavirus. At the time, this virus (referred to as COVID-19) was just starting to pose a significant threat to the United States, yet had already claimed lives in other parts of the world including Europe and China. In an effort to slow spread of the virus, many school districts in the United States closed school buildings and abruptly shifted to online learning.

My inquiry was designed to discover how my …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Study Of Supervision In Teacher Preparation In Saudi Arabia, Shahad Babaeer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Teaching is a challenging and complex profession. Teacher preparation programs are facing wide criticism. Several organizations have called for the reform of teacher preparation programs to meet the requirements of the 21st-century world (AACTE, 2018; NCATE, 2010). The purpose of this phenomenological study (Husserl, 1970; Moustakas, 1996) is to gain an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of Saudi Arabian university supervisors regarding supervision in teacher preparation and how these experiences have shaped their conceptualization of supervision. The study utilized purposeful and homogenous sampling strategies. Data collection included three semi-structured individual interviews per participant. The study relied on traditional phenomenological …

Crow's Nest, March 29, 2021, Crow's Nest Staff

Crow's Nest

The March 29, 2021, issue of the Crow's Nest.

Mental Illness Diagnosis And The Construction Of Stigma, Katie Lynn Walkup

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores how mental health legislation and related policy documents contribute to identification, diagnosis, and stigmatization. Using a mixed methods approach including content and stylometric text analysis with R as a heuristic for close and critical reading, I demonstrate how these documents normalize mental health concerns as a public threat. To do this work, I analyze how the Florida Mental Health Act (Chapter 394) and the Florida Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act (SB 7026) circulate and sustain dominant narratives about mental illness. I trace where these narratives are distributed into Florida school districts’ mandatory mental health …

Increasing Personal And Product Influence Through Background Auditory And Visual Cues, Zhihao Yu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Effective persuasion is indispensable for success in business and in life. People may have the best idea, the best product, and the best policy, but without persuading their target audiences to take actions, none of those would matter. However, getting people to say “Yes” is becoming harder and harder. We are living in a complicated world that is busy and crowded with too much information. People are getting more used to processing information in an automatic way and not bothering to scrutinize every bit of information. As a result, companies and individuals have fewer chances to influence their audiences through …

Design, Development, And Evaluation Of An Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Chatbot For Honors College Student Advising In Higher Education, Reginald Saint-Aude Lucien

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Academic advising is seen increasingly as an essential function supporting the educational mission of universities. Institutions have made significant investments supporting academic advisors and student success initiatives by leveraging technology resources such as Canvas and Degreeworks. There is a rising need for technology that can assist academic advisors in their responsibility to guide students along the path to academic success and AI resources that promote more efficient use of human capital are positioned to meet that need. Chatbot applications can serve as a technology-mediated intervention for delivering information and interactive content to support student success.

This study aimed to design, …

Saudi Special Education Teachers’ Perspectives On The Use Of Ipads To Enhance Communication Skills For Students With Autism, Adil Alghamdi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explored teachers’ perceptions of rough-and- tumble (R&T) play in early childhood education in Saudi Arabia. The literature on rough-and-tumble play in Saudi Arabia is limited in scope, and more research is needed to explore teachers’ perceptions on this type of play for early learners. The pertinent literature reveals that R&T play, which includes running, jumping, fighting, wrestling, chasing, pulling, pushing, and climbing, among other rough playful activities, can positively impact learning and development across psychosocial, emotional, and cognitive domains. Teachers’ understanding of R & T play is key, and the attitudes of Saudi early childhood teachers who are …

The Domestic Reality Of Foreign Policy: The 1994 Clinton Administration Response To The Crises In Rwanda And Haiti, Camara Kemanini Silver

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Domestic politics steered The 1994 Clinton Administration's response to the violence in Rwanda and Haiti. This dissertation takes a novel approach by employing a case study method to gauge the political capital of domestic variables such as the news media, interest groups, and public opinion. This dissertation argues that domestic variables' presence and absence can explain foreign policy outcomes in a post-Cold War era. The fear of another version of a "Black Hawk Down" forced the Clinton Administration to streamlined its support in foreign policy decisions requiring domestic input. The 1994 crises in Rwanda and Haiti offer two case studies …

Political Ideologies, Political Party Affiliation, And Treatment Decisions Of Clinical Mental Health Counselors, Aaron L. Norton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Literature in the counseling profession has emphasized the importance of recognition of the potential impact of counselor bias on clinical care for decades. A large body of research has been developed on the potential for the personal, social, and religious beliefs of clinical mental health counselors (CMHCs) to impact their work with clients, but comparatively little research has been conducted on the potential impact of the political beliefs of CMHCs and their clinical practice, creating a gap in the professional literature. The present study sought to bridge the gap in CMHC literature by examining the relationship between the political ideologies, …

Barriers To Reducing The Assistive Technology Use For Students With Autism As Perceived By Special Education Teachers In Saudi Arabia, Othman Ahmed Alasmari

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research has indicated that assistive technology (AT) devices and services can improve the functional capability of students with autism, which includes multiple areas of student needs, such as communication, accessibility, organization, sound, sight, academic skills, mobility, and memory. Nevertheless, concerns persist as to how AT devices are being implemented in the classroom; this is because teachers are experiencing a variety of barriers to using AT (Hew & Brush, 2007). The purpose of this study is to explore the barriers affecting Saudi teachers’ use of AT for teaching children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study’s sample consists of 85 …

Screening Of Pregnant Women With Opioid Use Disorder: Identifying Factors Impacting Implementation Of Screening Recommendations Using The Theoretical Domains Framework, Tara R. Foti

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Prenatal opioid exposure is a growing problem in the United States with high and increasing rates of opioid use and opioid use disorder during pregnancy. Almost 23% of pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid programs filled an opioid prescription during pregnancy in 2007, marking a 21.1% increase since 2000. Maternal opioid use during pregnancy is associated with a variety of poor maternal, pregnancy and infant outcomes, including overdose, pregnancy-associated death, prematurity, low birth weight and Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome. To optimize prenatal care and pregnancy-associated outcomes, the Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health, in collaboration with The American College of …

Sleep Diagnoses And Low Back Pain In U.S. Military Veterans, Kenneth A. Taylor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Low back pain (LBP) is a common problem that is the primary contributor to years lived with disability worldwide. In the U.S. LBP is disproportionately experienced by military veterans. In recent years interest has grown in the impact of sleep and sleep-related diagnoses on musculoskeletal pain complaints (including LBP) and despite growth in the scientific literature investigating this, gaps in our understanding of how sleep diagnoses impact LBP remain. To that end, this dissertation uses administrative electronic health record data from veterans seeking care through the Veterans Health Administration in three manuscripts to address the following specific aims: (1) investigate …

Impacts Of Experiential Learning On The Affective Domain: Gaining Insight Into How To Broaden Participation In The Geosciences, Meghan Lindsey Cook

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Experiential learning exercises, such as field trips, are a common pedagogical practice in geoscience curriculums. Their purpose is to facilitate the transfer of knowledge gained in a classroom or lab setting into a field setting, but can be considered a barrier for entry into the geosciences for those with disabilities, caregiver/employment responsibilities, or financial constraints. Educators have begun turned to other modalities, such as virtual field experiences (VFEs), to create a more inclusive environment in the geosciences. However, the validity of VFEs as a replacement for, or augmentation to traditional field trips has yet to be established. The cognitive domain …