Digital Commons Network^™

Ua19/16/2 Basketball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases, photos and game statistics for WKU basketball team from August to December 2021.

Ua94/6/1 Pandemic Personal Narrative, Leah Painter

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

COVID-19 personal narrative written by student Leah Painter for History 241 class.

Ua42 Division Of Extended Learning & Outreach, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the Division of Extended Learning & Outreach.

Meeting Minutes, Wku Staff Council

Staff Council

Minutes of September 2021 meeting.

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 97, No. 3), Kentucky Library Research Collections

The Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Ua12/2/1 Fresh Start, Vol. 97, No. 1, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

College Heights Herald magazine regarding returning to WKU in person after COVID-19 lockdown.

• Stone, Damon. Fresh Faces, Familiar Traditions Come to Campus with Incoming Class – Class of 2025
• Jones, Jake. WKU Commons Sees Delays, Expected to be Completed In the Fall – University Libraries
• Murray, Debra. Living Learning Communities Bring a New Sense of Home to WKU
• Murray, Debra. What You Missed on the Hill This Summer – Garrett Conference Center, First Year Village, Munday Hall, COVID-19, Retirement
• Fisher, Brittany. Reclaiming the Hill – MASTER Plan
• Burris, Lily. Dear Readers
• Stryker, Shane. The Usual Take on My Unusual College …

Alfred Russel Wallace Notes 18: Wallace On The Balance Of Nature, Charles H. Smith

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823−1913) had a unique perspective on the ‘balance of nature’: he avoided classical thoughts on the subject, but nevertheless seems to have adopted elements of the ‘balance’ concept while acknowledging that irreversible change occurs at both the biological and environmental levels. Wallace’s position can be understood from his grounding in Humboldtian ‘equilibrium of forces’ thinking, and his turn toward ‘final causes’-based interpretations.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation With The Halo Sport Does Not Improve Performance On A Three-Minute High Intensity Cycling Test, Collin Garner, Rachel Dykstra, Nicholas J. Hanson, Michael G. Miller

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(3): 962-970, 2021. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) uses a weak electrical current that is sent through the cerebral cortex. The Halo Sport headphones are a user-friendly form of tDCS that is implemented by many athletes purportedly to improve performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of tDCS, using the Halo Sport, on performance variables associated with a high-intensity three-minute cycling test. Eighteen healthy, active individuals (ten men, eight women) volunteered for this study. The Halo Sport headphones were worn during a 20-minute warmup before completing a high-intensity three-minute cycling test. …

Differentiation For Gifted And Talented Elementary Students: What Teachers Know And Implement, Karyn Michelle Andrews

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this research was to measure the ways elementary school teachers are differentiating instruction for their gifted and talented students and to gauge their awareness of the need for implementing appropriate differentiation strategies they use in their classrooms. The study surveyed elementary teachers currently teaching in one large school district in Kentucky. Teachers responded to 38 survey items, indicating how often they use specific practices with their gifted students versus with their average-achieving students.

The results indicated that there is much work to be done to increase teacher awareness of the importance of differentiated instruction for gifted and …

Knot Theory In Virtual Reality, Donald Lee Price

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Throughout the study of Knot Theory, there have been several programmatic solutions to common problems or questions. These solutions have included software to draw knots, software to identify knots, or online databases to look up pre-computed data about knots. We introduce a novel prototype of software used to study knots and links by using Virtual Reality. This software can allow researchers to draw links in 3D, run physics simulations on them, and identify them. This technique has not yet been rigorously explored and we believe it will be of great interest to Knot Theory researchers. The computer code is written …

Clinicians' Use Of Mhealth Applications In Interventions For Substance Use Disorders, James Daniel Bender

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine how clinicians are identifying, evaluating, and utilizing mHealth apps as treatment adjuncts with their clients who have a substance use disorder. A sample of 93 participants (20 males, 72 females, and 1 not listed) completed measures of demographics and inquiries about their use and evaluation of mHealth apps in their practices. Clinicians who work at mental health centers and private practicing clinicians were recruited. The majority of the sample (71%) reported that they had not utilized mHealth apps with their clients who have a substance use disorder diagnosis. Participants who have attended …

What You Speak Shall Come: Examining Spirituality On Retention Of African American Males Attending A Predominantly White Institution Using A Sequential Explanatory Mixed-Methods Design, Carlous Brian Yates

Dissertations

African American males have faced significant challenges at institutions of higher education over the years (Harper, 2013; Griffith et al., 2019). This study aimed to examine the impact of spirituality on the retention of African American males attending a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) through a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design study.

The participants in the study were African American males (N = 47) with age range 18 to 48 years old all attending a mid-sized university located in the mid-western region of the United States during the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters. The university is considered a Predominantly White Institution …

A Systematic Review Examining The Efficacy And Effectiveness Of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Abigail R. Howerton

Psychology Capstone Projects

More than two-thirds of children and adolescents experience a traumatic event by the age of 16. Trauma comes in many forms and affects people in many ways. Trauma can affect behavioral, cognitive, emotional, physical, and neurological development. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is a type of therapy created to treat children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. TF-CBT is an evidencebased treatment (EBT) and is currently the only EBT whose focus is solely on treating trauma in children and adolescents. This article reviews the literature assessing studies using randomized controlled trials (RCT’s) to determine the effectiveness and efficacy of TF-CBT …

The Effect Of Pedagogical Agent Persona On Performance, Self-Efficacy, And Attitudes In Adult Learners In An Online Environment, Justin L. Mathews

Dissertations

Pedagogical agents, virtual avatars that are often included in online training or educational modules, have been studied in a variety of disciplines to determine the extent to which their inclusion in online or multimedia learning environments may influence both cognitive and affective outcomes in learners. The present study examined the effect of a peer-like pedagogical agent providing motivational messaging in an online English language learning environment to determine if the agent will positively affect college students’ performance, self-efficacy, and attitude in comparison to a control group. All participants studied an online, self-paced English grammar module, either with (treatment version) or …

Measuring Accessibility To Pediatricians In The Los Angeles Metropolitan Statistical Area, Craig Zwiren

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

No abstract provided.

Examining Treatment Acceptability Of An Eight-Week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Protocol, Blake William Palmer

Dissertations

The goal of this study is to examine whether levels of perceived stress, experiential avoidance, personality traits including openness to experience and agreeableness, and demographic variables will predict the treatment acceptability (indicated by responses on the Treatment Acceptability and Adherence Scale) of an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. This study collected data in the Spring of 2019. The final number of participants in the study was 116 (40 females, 76 males, Mage = 36, age range: 22-69 years). Participants completed measures including the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), the agreeableness and openness to Experience domains …

The Effect Of Freeze-Thaw Events On Dna Integrity In The Gray Treefrog (Hyla Versicolor), Georgia Ficarra

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Freeze-tolerant gray treefrogs survive winter by producing natural cryoprotectants and accommodating ice formation within extracellular spaces. While frozen, gray treefrogs endure hyperglycemia, dehydration, and anoxia due to the halt of all bodily functions. Upon thawing, the frogs’ anoxic cells receive a rapid influx of oxygen, which can cause oxidative damage to vital macromolecules including DNA. Previous studies have suggested freeze-tolerant frogs avoid oxidative damage after freeze-thaw events by elevating antioxidant activity, but recent work has shown upregulated DNA repair encoding genes in post-freeze frogs. The objective of this thesis is to assess the cellular costs of freezing by measuring oxidative …

Development Of A Scale To Measure School Psychologists' Self-Efficacy For Working With Gifted Populations, Brittany Marie Dodds

Dissertations

School psychologists are specialists in educational assessment, consultation, youth mental health, and social-emotional-behavioral development. As a result of their training, school psychologists are positioned to serve students with exceptionalities, including gifted students. However, research indicates that school psychologists' familiarity with gifted issues is lacking and that information regarding school psychologists' self-efficacy for working with this population is nonexistent. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to create a tool to assess school psychologists' self- efficacy for working with gifted populations. The Dodds Inventory of Gifted Self- Efficacy for School Psychologists (DIGS-SP) was developed and administered to 229 practicing school …

High School Principals’ And Assistant Principals’ Perceived Knowledge Of Career And Technical Education, Sara Jo Greene

Dissertations

An employment crisis is ever growing in Kentucky. Business and industry continue to search for reliable skilled employees without success. These representatives have started looking at local high school and technical education centers to help fill these employment gaps. Career and Technical Education (CTE) provides students with a strong foundation to become a well skilled, employable individual who will make a great employee. Although CTE programs are available throughout the state of Kentucky, enrollment is not where it should be. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of perceived knowledge of CTE held by Kentucky high school …

The Influence Of Professional Development On Teacher Self-Efficacy In Gifted Education, Keely P'Pool

Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to study the impact of effective professional development training provided to both preservice and inservice teachers about gifted education and gifted students. This research also seeks to discover whether a notable difference exists between preservice and inservice teachers in regard to the increase in their knowledge and self-efficacy upon completion of the professional development training. A quantitative approach using a survey and a required training was used for all participants. Study participants included preservice teachers attending a southern Kentucky public university who were taking education classes as well as inservice teachers from 11 school …

Examining The Effects Of A Curriculum-Based Professional Learning Community On Teacher Efficacy Toward Inquiry-Based Science Instruction, Samuel Joel Northern

Dissertations

Improving STEM education is pivotal to our country’s economic future and security. Unfortunately, most young students have limited access to standards-based science education. Science instruction is notoriously difficult to implement in the early grades. This dissertation explored the root causes for the lack of effective science instruction in elementary schools, including accountability testing, instructional time, historically weak standards, family factors, teacher efficacy, and professional development.

This study aimed to understand how elementary school teachers’ attitudes promote or hinder the implementation of science instruction. This study’s primary driver to improve science education in the early grades was a curriculum-based professional learning …

Calibration Of The Severity Of Rule Violations And Punishments In Team Disciplinary Decisions, Grant Boyd Mowrer

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In this study I investigated perceptions of the severity of rule violations and punishments to calibrate these events for use in research on sport team disciplinary decisions. Data were collected from 62 athletes and 12 coaches who rated the severity of violations and punishments. Comparisons were made between the athlete and coach ratings for both violations and punishments. The results showed that there is a high degree of agreement between the coaches and athletes in their rating the severity of violations and punishments. Ratings in this study were compared with the results of a previous study conducted almost two decades …

Countering Online Misinformation In The First-Year Composition Classroom, Samantha Sparrow Williams

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis encourages the intentional and explicit integration of the best practices in media literacy education within the first-year composition classroom. The nature of FYC, which incorporates such content as research skills and source evaluation, provides an ideal opportunity to address the online misinformation and disinformation that have resulted in growing political polarization and cynicism. Recent findings suggest that these trends can be countered with the teaching of practices like lateral reading to verify a source’s veracity. After first demonstrating the challenges that university freshmen may bring with them to campus, this project makes suggestions for simple, consistent practices that …

Passing Savage: Poems, Bradley Murff

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This creative thesis is a collection of poetry. Many of the poems are personal in nature, but several deal with important social issues. The style of the poems varies from free verse to formal. Many of the formal pieces are sonnets, but there are other formal arrangements as well, such as “Mammoth Cave,” “Dawn Chorus,” and “A Staircase in Jamacia, Queens.” All of the poems were completed while I was a student here at Western Kentucky University.

Ua10/1 Vitality Report, Wku Suzanne Vitale Clinical Education Complex

CEC Publications

Newsletter created by and about the Suzanne Vitale Clinical Education Complex.

• Moore, Mary. From the Director's Desk
• McMaine-Render, Sarah. Circle of Support - Summer Program
• Sales, Shannon. The 2021 Special Needs Expo
• Reynolds, Laura. 14th Annual Run for Autism
• Schaeffer, Beth. It's That Time, Again
• Conder, Sarah. Art, Imagination, & Friendship
• Elkins, Michelle. CIrcle of Support - Graduates
• Brunett, Lauren & Kelsey Harris. A Word from Our Family Resource Program Interns
• Hudson, Caroline. Alternative & Augmentative Communication Support in Renshaw Early Childhood Center
• Wheeler, David. LifeWorks@WKU Spring 2021
• Swietek, Molly. Conceptualizing an Alliance for Autism & Other Learning Differences
• Collins, …

Ua52/1 Out Of The Box, Wku Archives

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about WKU Archives and the records management program.

Extracellular Vesicle Concentration But Not Size Differs Between Men And Women During Military Operational Stress, W Conkright, M Beckner, A Sahu, Z Clemens, M Lovalekar, Q Mi, B Martin, S Flanagan, F Ambrosio, B Nindl Facsm

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

Click the PDF icon to download the abstract

Ua3/10/4 Naming & Symbols Task Force Report & Recommendations, Wku President's Office - Caboni

WKU Administration Documents

Report of the Naming & Symbols Task Force concerning four major areas:

• Solicit input and perspectives from a broad range of constituencies and stakeholders that will guide us as we examine the origins of the names and symbols used on campus.
• Audit the names used on buildings and other campus symbols to determine which may be connected to exclusion, segregation, racism or slavery.
• Create a set of guiding principles and a range of options for how we should address any issues raised.
• Provide to University leadership a set of recommendations.

Ua1b3 Report & Recommendations, Wku Naming & Symbols Task Force

WKU Administration Documents

Report of the WKU Naming & Symbols Task Force.

Effect Of Stand-Up Paddle Boarding On Hydration Status In Recreational And Competitive Individuals, Robyn Mcarthur, Jasmine Duque-Anne, James Furness, Kevin Kemp-Smith, Vini Simas, Mike Climstein

International Journal of Exercise Science

International Journal of Exercise Science 14(6): 756-767, 2021. Stand up paddle (SUP) boarding is a popular water-based aquatic sport and recreational activity that continues to grow in popularity, however, little is known about its effect upon hydration status in recreational and elite level participants. The aim of this study was to examine the hydration status in SUP by investigating fluid loss through measurement of nude body mass. Thirty participants successfully completed the study. Hydration status was assessed by measurements of nude body mass taken pre and post SUP session. Intensity of the session was monitored throughout each session using a …