Digital Commons Network^™

Debunking Myths: Preparing Black Students Who Are Accelerated Learners For Postsecondary Opportunities, Erik M. Hines, Donna Y. Ford, Renae D. Mayes, Tanya J. Middleton, James L. Moore Iii, Desmond Mcglone

Journal of College Access

Black students are the most underrepresented in Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), Advanced Placement (AP), honors, dual enrollment (DE), and other programs for advanced learners (Ford, 2011, 2013; Hines, 2024; Hines, Fletcher et al., 2022). However, accelerated learners, particularly Black students, are usually seen as individuals who understand their educational trajectory, are more likely to know where they plan to attend college, and quickly know their career choice (Smith & Wood, 2020). Accelerated learners are students who are engaged in advanced coursework or programs such as Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), Advanced Placement (AP), honors, dual enrollment (DE). In this …

Immune Modulation Affects Olfactory Glomerular Recovery In Zebrafish, Bonnie E. Ebendick

Dissertations

Adult zebrafish regenerate neurons throughout their lifetime and exhibit rapid recovery from neuronal damage with support from their immune system, making them an excellent model for studying neuroinflammation and brain repair mechanisms. When olfactory sensory neurons are lesioned, their cell death stimulates the immune system by activating microglia and other immune cells in the olfactory bulb, initiating tissue repair and neuronal replacement. This dissertation investigates how the immune system influences recovery from neuronal damage, testing the hypothesis that immune perturbation in zebrafish alters neural recovery.

To investigate the link between immune function and neuronal regeneration, zebrafish received a unilateral lesion …

Mexican Americans’ Attitudes Toward Mexican Immigrants In The United States, Sandra Daisy Espinoza Montes

Dissertations

The United States (U.S.) has often been described as a nation of immigrants. Among the 40 million immigrants in the U.S., Mexican-descent individuals comprise 25% of the overall immigrant population, positioning them as the largest immigrant group in the country. Additionally, Mexican Americans constitute 63% of the Latinx population, making them the largest minoritized ethnic group in the U.S. Considering that Mexican immigrants and Mexican Americans have a significant presence in the country, scholars have called for additional research on attitudes towards Mexican immigrants (Byrne & Dixon, 2016; Flores et al., 2022). However, much of the existing literature on attitudes …

Teachers’ Talk About Children’S Texts, Sarah J. Mccarthey, Ngan Vu, Jiadi Zhang

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

Using a framework for discourses about writing, the qualitative study investigates teachers’ discussions about student texts during focus group sessions. The setting was a small, private school with a diverse student population and teachers who shared an approach to teaching. Their discussions focused on aspects of student writing including word choice and voice; learning to write within genres such as narrative, opinion, and poetry; and writing for an audience. Teachers valued multimodality by emphasizing how pictures and text can support one another throughout the writing process. The data reflect teachers’ knowledge of the students as writers and their cultural and …

Combining Bibliotherapy And Dialogue Journaling In A Fourth-Grade Book Club: Impact On Students’ Writing Apprehension, Leah A. Bryars, Bethanie C. Pletcher

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This article presents the qualitative findings derived from a larger convergent-parallel mixed methods study that explored the outcomes of a bibliotherapy and dialogue journaling intervention on the writing apprehension of eight fourth-grade student participants in an after-school book club. In addition to transcripts of dialogue journal entries, other qualitative data included survey responses from the fourth-grade language arts teachers, field notes, and a post-intervention focus group interview. The qualitative data set was transcribed, coded, and analyzed for emergent themes. Qualitative findings suggested that the student participants demonstrated increased confidence and were in the process of developing more positive attitudes toward …

Ela Pre-Service Teachers Composing For Change: Public Letter Writing As Activist Endeavor, Mike P. Cook, Gail Harper Yeilding, Lindsey Ives

Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education

This study of five English Language Arts pre-service teachers draws on critical literacy and collective case study methods to examine how they talk about their own experiences with public letter writing as part of their writing methods course and they ways they perceive public letter writing as an activist endeavor. Our findings noted three interwoven themes—agency, advocacy, and focus on students—where participants talked about public letter writing as a way to develop and utilize agency, which allows them to advocate for students, teacher, themselves, education, etc. and to focus on students, especially as it relates to writing and writing instruction. …

Following Painting's Quiet Call To Adventure, Kelly Allen

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Yael Goverover, OTR/L, Ph.D., professor and post-professional program director of occupational therapy at New York University at Steinhardt (NYU), provided the cover art for the summer issue of the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. This oil painting on canvas, titled, Still Life, 2024, features an arrangement of everyday objects with vibrant tones of gold, yellow, orange, and green found in the vase, and a coffeepot, fruits, and botanicals set against a backdrop of scarlet and striped patterned fabrics. She created this piece while on sabbatical in Israel as she studied under the tutelage of a seasoned oil …

The Urgent Need For Global Nuclear Disarmament: An Occupational Therapy Perspective, Ryan Thomure, Leon Kirschner, Robert Croonquist

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The risk of nuclear war, exacerbated by recent global conflict, poses an existential threat to humanity and undermines the ability of individuals and communities to engage in meaningful occupation. This article argues that occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants have a role to play in supporting global nuclear disarmament and that such efforts align with both our ethical responsibilities and scope of practice. It explores the profound impact of nuclear weapons on health and well-being, emphasizing the relevance of this issue to occupational therapy. The article outlines practical strategies for occupational therapists to engage in advocacy, including public education campaigns, …

Environmental Advocacy As An Occupation: Perceived Self-Efficacy And Occupational Justice In Community Programming, Emma Sims, Laura H. Vanpuymbrouck

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Current occupational therapy literature demonstrates a gap in knowledge of environmental advocacy as an occupation, which directly impacts occupational justice in those experiencing environmental racism or discrimination. This study’s purpose was to provide foundational information on the importance of advocacy work in the sphere of environmental and occupational justice through the lived experiences of those directly involved in community environmental advocacy.

Method: Qualitative data was collected via three focus groups using semi-structured interviews focused on perceptions of participant experiences in environmental advocacy occupations. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes relating to research questions.

Results: When …

Prevalence Of Incivility And Bullying In Occupational Therapy Fieldwork, Edwin Myers, Kaitlyn Cremer

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The prevalence of incivility and bullying in the domain of occupational therapy warrants attention. The long-term effects of incivility and bullying can be profound and multifaceted. These may include job dissatisfaction, depressive symptoms, heightened hostility, and an increased likelihood of malpractice. Despite the implications of such behavior, there remains a noticeable gap in existing literature. This study investigated the prevalence of incivility and bullying occurring during occupational therapy (OT) fieldwork. The Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) was completed by 702 occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and students regarding their fieldwork experiences. Over 80% of participants reported being exposed to bullying or …

Occupational Therapy Students’ Perceptions Of Using Chatgpt For An Academic Course Assignment, Diane Tom, Robyn Wu, Chi-Kwan Shea

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT), a natural language based artificial intelligence (AI), has been either welcomed or maligned by academia. This project aimed to: (a) provide a structured opportunity for students to use ChatGPT and critique its responses and (b) investigate student perceptions before and after using ChatGPT for a class assignment. Forty graduate occupational therapy students used ChatGPT to complete two written assignments. Pre- and post-ChatGPT assignment surveys completed by students were analyzed. After using ChatGPT to complete course assignments, students were significantly more likely to agree that: (a) ChatGPT is helpful for completing assignments, (b) ChatGPT provides accurate …

Becoming A Skater: A Mixed Methods Study Exploring Supports And Barriers To Participation In Adaptive Skateboarding, Megan Sandwith, Susan Macdermott, Amy Griswold

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The occupation of adaptive skateboarding expands concepts of skateboarding through modifications that support performance for individuals with disabilities. There is a gap in the literature representing the experience of individuals with disabilities who desire to participate in adaptive skateboarding. The intent of the research study was to provide a foundational understanding of the occupation of adaptive skateboarding by exploring the question: What are the supports and barriers to participation in adaptive skateboarding?

Methods:This mixed-methods study was comprised of a 14-question virtual survey, a semi-structured interview, and an optional video submission.

Results: A total of 41 participants participated …

Paving A Path From Occupational Therapy Clinician To Researcher: A Grounded Theory, Marissa J. Wuennemann, Barbara Nadeau

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Research is vital for continued development and support of practice for occupational therapy, yet little is known about occupational therapists currently in research roles. Occupational therapists who primarily conduct research see themselves as a unique minority in the profession. This study aimed to understand the process of occupational therapists who shift their professional identity from being a clinician to a researcher.

Method: Purposive and snowballing sampling was used to recruit occupational therapy clinicians who transitioned into roles where they spend the majority of their time conducting research. Data was collected through individual, semi-structured interviews and analyzed following …

Breastfeeding Interventions For Dyads With Medical Complexity: A Mixed Methods Study, Jairrah L. Godsil, Julia R. Farrell, Julia Shin, Cary C. Moore, Yongyue Qi, Vanessa D. Jewell

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Breastfeeding dyads with medical complexity have lower success with direct breastfeeding. Evidence to support occupational therapists working with this population is limited. This study explored occupational therapists' experiences, training, and interventions for breastfeeding dyads with medical complexity.

Method: Occupational therapists providing clinical breastfeeding services for parents and or children with medically complex conditions participated in this study. The study employed an explanatory, sequential mixed-methods design, consisting of an online survey (N = 102) followed by two 75-min semi-structured focus groups (N = 7).

Results: Occupational therapists with more clinical breastfeeding experience (p = .003) and …

Use Of Podcasts As Emerging Technology In Occupational Therapy Education, Abbigail Kubiak, Karen Jacobs, Varsha S. Kulkarni, Maruška Vizek

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Podcasts are an emerging modality with a developing evidence base to reinforce their use in educational settings; in particular, to support knowledge retention and introduce topics. This research demonstrates the potential of podcasting in an educational context. Podcasts were used to educate occupational therapy (OT) students about emerging and innovative OT career opportunities. A series of 13 standardized 20- to 30-min podcasts featuring occupational therapists in emerging and innovative practice areas (E/IPA) globally were developed. In each podcast, the occupational therapist described implicit and explicit aspects of their career experiences. The podcasts were piloted in an entry-level OT doctoral course …

A Qualitative Study Of Disabled Performance Art In Occupational Identity Formation And Empowerment, Lisa Mahaffey, Kristin Chrissos, Kate Wettergren

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Disabled performance artists use their occupation of performance art to challenge the attitudes of their audience toward disability, leading to a greater sense of empowerment and a strong identity as disabled people.

Method: This project used a narrative approach to qualitative inquiry to explore how engagement in performance art influences occupational identity and empowers disabled artists. Personal connections and snowball sampling resulted in six self-identified disabled performance artists participating in 60- to 90-min interviews. A thematic analysis resulted in three overarching themes.

Results: (a) Belonging to a community of disability activists promotes feelings of empowerment for disabled performance …

Globally Inclusive Occupational Therapy Scholarship, Molly Bathje

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is a global profession and OJOT supports global scholarship through its open-access, online format. OJOT is read in over 200 countries and global/international authorship is encouraged. This article describes the global reach of OJOT and suggests how OJOT authors can embrace the opportunity and responsibility of producing scholarship that has the potential for global impact.

Wmu Board Of Trustees Formal Session Thursday June 26, 2025, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

Acceptance of the Agenda
Approval of the Minutes (April 17, 2025 and April 23, 2025)
Remarks by the Chair of the Board
Remarks by the President
Updates by the Faculty Senate President
Updates by the Western Student Association President
Updates by the Graduate Student Association President
Western Michigan University Employee Graduates
Montgomery Essential Needs Program Presentation
Public Comments Regarding Action Items

Action Items

• Academic Tenure and Promotion
• Student Housing and Meal Rates 2025/26
• Fall 2025 Differential Tuition Rates
• Fall 2025 Tuition and Required Fee Rates
• General Fund Fiscal Year 2025/26 Operating Budget
• President Emeritus Status for Edward Montgomery

Consent Items …

Getting An Airman Medical Certificate With Cerebral Palsy, Stefan Crisp

Honors Theses

This paper aims to document the personal experience of Stefan Crisp attempting to gain an airman medical certificate. It also aims to expose the airman medical certificate process for people with cerebral palsy in the United States. Stefan Crisp, who has cerebral palsy, attempted to gain an airman medical certificate through three attempts across multiple years. Research was done to compare the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with the United Kingdom's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to reveal similarities and differences between accessibility and requirements. Despite successfully navigating through Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 67, Stefan was unable …

The Dpe Shortage And How To Fix It, Paul Dye

Honors Theses

The following content delves into the current issues surrounding the FAA’s designated pilot examiner (DPE) system, which, while functional, is increasingly strained by growing demand and outdated policies. Through firsthand experience, survey data, and analysis of current practices, the paper emphasizes some of the most pressing problems, including scheduling inefficiencies, inconsistent examiner expectations, manual eligibility checks despite the widespread use of digital logbooks, and a lack of meaningful oversight or feedback mechanisms for both DPEs and CFIs.

A major focus is the outdated scheduling process, which remains largely decentralized and prone to double-booking, cancellations, and long wait times, especially for …

Enhancing Autonomous Vehicle Resilience Through Engineering Requirements And Snow-Adaptive Lane Detection, Alexandra Marie Masterson

Masters Theses

This thesis investigates two distinct but interrelated challenges in the development of resilient autonomous vehicle (AV) systems: the formalization of engineering requirements for AV perception subsystems and the enhancement of visual lane detection under snow-covered road conditions. In the first study, field experiments were conducted using a campus-deployed autonomous research vehicle to evaluate the impacts of perception related failures including GPS outages, HD map inconsistencies, and weather interference—on vehicle operation. These findings were used to develop a set of qualitative engineering requirements that promote AV resilience through proactive design. In the second study, a custom snow-focused lane detection dataset was …

An Evaluation Of The Role Of Conditional And Unconditional Probabilities In A Precursor Functional Analysis, Cassie Ross

Masters Theses

Functional analysis assessments are extremely useful tools in determining the function of challenging behavior and designing behavior intervention plans (Iwata et al. 1982/1994), but in the case of severe challenging behavior, can be dangerous to the individual or assessor. Precursor functional analyses place the contingencies onto a precursor to the severe challenging behavior and have been shown to be an effective assessment with high correspondence to a traditional functional analyses (Rahaman et al. 2024). This study utilized a probability analysis to identify precursor behaviors and assess the time required to identify precursors. We used a modified Functional Assessment Interview to …

Assessing The Relationship Between Combat Exposure, Wartime Service, And Barriers To Substance Use Disorder Treatment In Post 9/11 Veterans., Robert Near

Dissertations

Substance use disorders (SUDs) represent a critical public health concern, particularly within military and veteran populations. The complex interplay of mental health challenges, combat exposure, and the unique stressors associated with military service contribute to a heightened vulnerability among veterans. Research from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) underscores the prevalence of these issues, indicating that approximately 1 in 10 veterans from the Iraq or Afghanistan wars treated by the VA are diagnosed with a SUD (Veterans Affairs, 2023). Additionally, veterans from all eras show a higher propensity for binge drinking when compared to the general population, further …

The Rose That Grew From Concrete: Exploring The Romantic Experiences Of Black Men With Histories Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Tatyana Nichelle Smith

Dissertations

Contemporary research typically characterizes Black heterosexual relationships by dismal marriage and divorce rates, largely ignoring the reality of how Black men develop attachments with their romantic partners and therefore continuing to perpetuate deficit perspectives of Black men (e.g., the cause of conflictual romantic relationships and “broken” Black families). What may be less understood about these relationships is the influence of childhood trauma, such as childhood sexual abuse, and Black men’s experiences of gender role conflict. Research shows that Black men’s experiences of childhood sexual abuse and socialization about masculinity have important implications for how they come to view themselves and …

Developing Machine Learning Models And Graphene-Based Flexible Humidity And Temperature Sensors For Machine-Learning-Assisted Sensing, Seth Hajian

Dissertations

Flexible sensor technology has recently gained tremendous momentum in both academic research and industrial applications, transitioning from conceptual frameworks to practical implementations across diverse fields. This remarkable advancement can be attributed to several converging factors, including the maturation of nanomaterial science, the advancements of machine learning algorithms, and the critical demand for intelligent sensing solutions in healthcare, environmental monitoring, and industrial automation. The growing emphasis on personalized medicine and real-time health monitoring, accelerated by global health challenges, has further highlighted the necessity for accurate, cost-effective, and adaptable sensing platforms. This dissertation presents the fulfillment of three interconnected research projects focused …

A Parallel Fuzzy Logic Framework For Surgical Skill Evaluation Via Instance Segmentation And Deepsort Tracking, Mohsen M. Mohaidat

Dissertations

Manual evaluation of suturing skills during laparoscopic training is often subjective and labor-intensive, resulting in the lack of scalable and consistent feedback for trainees. This study proposes an automated framework that not only significantly reduces the need for in-person assessment by experts but also ensures scalability, thereby addressing the objectivity and cost-effectiveness limitations. While low-cost laparoscopic box trainers have become increasingly popular for residency training, performance assessment still depends on expert supervision. The proposed system aims to alleviate these limitations.

This study introduces a novel automated framework incorporating an optimized DeepSORT algorithm for classifying, localizing, and tracking surgical tools using …

Diagnosis By Algorithm: The Transformative Impact Of Social Media–Driven Adhd Self-Diagnosis For Women Over 30 And The Proposal Of Neurotype Strain Theory, Rebecca Lynn Sevin

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the phenomenon of adult women who self-diagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) through content encountered on social media platforms. Drawing on interpretive phenomenological analysis of ten in-depth interviews, the study investigates the emotional, cognitive, and institutional dimensions of this self-diagnosis process. Participants, all over the age of 30, reported that social media played a transformative role in helping them recognize ADHD traits in themselves. Rather than being misinformed or seeking shortcuts, participants engaged thoughtfully with ADHD-related content, valuing lived experience itself as a meaningful source of recognition and reflection. Their engagement was not primarily with educational materials …

Pension Participation Among Different Migrant Groups In China: Job Type, Regional Disparities, And Cross-Provincial Mobility, Boxia Xu

Dissertations

As China undergoes rapid economic transformation and urbanization, the migrant population has grown significantly. Although migrants play essential roles in the labor market, they face persistent structural barriers to pension access. Regional disparities, occupational segmentation, and cross-provincial mobility constraints affect the probability of their pension participation. While policy efforts aim to expand coverage, the fragmented nature of China’s pension system continues to hinder equitable access for migrants. As a result, ensuring pension participation among migrant groups remains a pressing challenge.

Using data from the 2014 China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS), this dissertation employs logistic regression models to investigate how job …

The Fault Line: Understanding Tension Between Industry And Higher Education Institutions In Sustained Partnerships, David Lawrence

Dissertations

This study investigates the dynamics that influence tensions in industry–higher education partnerships and identifies effective navigation factors in sustainable partnerships. Despite the increasing prevalence, such partnerships face high failure rates due to inherent tensions. This research explores how partners from industry and higher education institutions successfully navigate these tensions using a qualitative case study approach.

This investigation employed a case study design with a multi-case two-by-two holistic matrix and an interpretive, constructivist framework. Data collection involved 16 semi-structured interviews with key individuals from nine higher education institutions and five industry organizations spanning healthcare, technology, consulting, real estate development, and accounting …

Complete Issue, Patrick J. O'Connor Phd, Diana Camilo, Moya Malcolm, Laura Owen, Christopher W. Tremblay

Journal of College Access

No abstract provided.