Digital Commons Network^™

Remote Neuropsychological Assessment: Does Mode Of Administration Matter?, Renee Dematteis

Dissertations

Neuropsychology relies heavily on standardization of administration to increase the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of an assessment instrument. The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly increased the need to be able to provide neuropsychological assessments remotely. Teleneuropsychology can be conducted through various avenues, including telephone, computerized, and televideo modalities. Given neuropsychology's reliance on standardization for proper use of normative data that accompanies individual assessments, the question arises how mode of administration impacts the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of an assessment instrument. The literature review summarizes the research conducted regarding the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of telephone neuropsychological assessments, computerized …

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of How Transgender And Gender Expansive Youth Experience Their Gender Identities, Michelle N. Saltis

Dissertations

This dissertation presents findings from the first known Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study of how nine transgender and/or gender expansive youth, aged 13-17, experienced their gender identities and additional intersecting identities. The purpose of this study was to share how transgender and/or gender expansive youth experienced their gender identities, additional intersecting identities, and how they made meaning of these experiences within the contexts of current social, cultural, political, and historical factors. Additionally, this study sought to share the participants’ stories within their own words. The primary research question for this study was: how do transgender and gender expansive youth (TGEY) experience …

Evaluation Of Telehealth Training To Teach The Stimulus Identification Questionnaire And Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement, Andrea Perez

Dissertations

The field of behavioral gerontology has seen a paucity in literature within the past 15 years focused on updating training technology and teaching best practice skills to staff. Specifically, there is a need to expand the breadth of training research focus areas could more broadly the elderly population (e.g., increasing engagement), to ensure that trainings are designed to equip caregivers with the skills to be independent, and finally, given the frequent staffing challenges experienced by aging settings (Harrington et al., 2020), to explore effective and efficient training techniques that are alternatives to lengthy, in-person training modalities. Given the personnel challenges, …

The Effects Of Token Menu Manipulations On Token Demand, Sean Regnier

Dissertations

Token economies are systems of contingencies that are designed to reinforce targeted behavior. Engaging in a targeted behavior produces conditioned stimuli that can later be exchanged for established reinforcers. A back-up reinforcer is an established reinforcer that can be acquired by exchanging the tokens. A component of token economies that has received little attention in the literature is the composition of the set of back-up reinforcers available for exchange; typically referred to as the menu. When used as part of behavior therapy, the token menu often contains a set of items that has been identified by conducting a preference assessment …

Considerations For Acquiring Excess Military Equipment By Police Leaders, Michael P. Mendenhall

Dissertations

Police departments across the United States have been able to acquire excess military equipment from the 1033 program since 1997. Although several studies have examined police militarization, including the 1033 program, this is the first study that has surveyed police leaders at the local level to understand the determinants of 1033 acquisitions in Michigan. Using an open systems framework, this dissertation will examine both the internal and external factors that contribute to police leaders’ decisions to acquire or not acquire equipment for their departments. These determinants include internal factors such as budgetary considerations, perceptions of the profession, and knowledge of …

From Multi-Prime To Subset Labelings Of Graphs, Bethel I. Mcgrew

Dissertations

A graph labeling is an assignment of labels (elements of some set) to the vertices or edges (or both) of a graph G. If only the vertices of G are labeled, then the resulting graph is a vertex-labeled graph. If only the edges are labeled, the resulting graph is an edge-labeled graph. The concept was first introduced in the 19th century when Arthur Cayley established Cayley’s Tree Formula, which proved that there are n^n-2 distinct labeled trees of order n. Since then, it has grown into a popular research area.

In this study, we first review several types …

Advancing The Use Of Quality Control Tools For High-Density Data In Modern Manufacturing, Romina Dastoorian

Dissertations

In modern manufacturing, advanced metrology systems are continually being incorporated into quality control (QC) systems to provide high-density (HD) datasets. These datasets can contain millions of measurements that can be used to represent a part’s whole geometry. While integrating HD datasets into QC systems has brought several opportunities to enhance the performance of QC systems, it has resulted in new challenges in this area as well. While significant amounts of research have been performed in this area, the QC research community still strives to tackle these challenges. This study identifies key challenges regarding incorporating HD datasets into QC systems. Specifically, …

The Impact Of The Advisor-Advisee Relationship Among Black And Latino/A/X Stem Graduate Students At Predominantly White Institutions, Tasia C. Bryson

Dissertations

An advisor is often the most central and powerful person influencing a student’s trajectory through graduate school (Barnes & Austin, 2009). This dissertation consisted of three articles that focused on the impact of the advisor-advisee relationship among Black and Latino/a/x students in STEM graduate programs at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) from the student perspective. Two frameworks were used to analyze data and guide the research: Black Feminist Thought (BFT) and Critical Race Theory (CRT). BFT was used to explore Black women’s experiences at Predominately White institutions as it provides an in-depth understanding of Black women’s perspectives. CRT was used when …

First-Generation Students, Belongingness, And Climate In An Academic Unit Of Study, Kelly Christine Scott Raisley

Dissertations

To capture the essence of the sense of belonging for first-generation students (FGS) within an academic unit of study in higher education, this qualitative inquiry used portraiture to provide answers to four research questions. Q1 How do FGS make meaning of belongingness in an academic unit? Q2 How do FGS describe the academic unit’s climate which contributes to their sense of belonging? Q3 According to participants, how do social interactions within the academic unit contribute to belongingness? Q4 How do FGS interpret symbols that create a sense of belongingness? Through the theoretical frame of symbolic interactionism, this research offered a …

Metacognition In Undergraduate Chemistry Education: Instructor Perspectives And Students’ Use, Amber Nicole Heidbrink

Dissertations

My dissertation research has been a quest to understand how to improve metacognition development in undergraduate chemistry education. The first step I took in this investigation was to speak with those with the largest influence on an undergraduate chemistry student’s education: the instructors. I interviewed seventeen postsecondary chemistry instructors on their thoughts of metacognition, its importance, their current practices for developing their students’ metacognition, and their suggestions for how to improve metacognition development in undergraduate chemistry education. After conducting a qualitative reflexive thematic analysis of the interview transcripts, I found that many of these instructors valued metacognition and believed it …

Dolomite Stoichiometry As A Proxy For Fluid Chemistry, Cameron J. Manche

Dissertations

The origin of massive dolomites is a contentious issue in geology. Because modern dolomite is rare, interpretation of ancient dolomites requires the use of proxy resources, most of which provide ambiguous information. High-temperature dolomite synthesis experiments have shown that dolomite stoichiometry, the degree of cation ordering, and reaction rate are controlled by Mg:Ca, temperature, molarity, and salinity of the formative solution. Thus, it is posited here that dolomite stoichiometry may be a useful proxy for fluid chemistry, as are stable isotope and trace element composition of ancient dolomites. High-frequency sample intervals (cm-scale) from the Cretaceous Upper Glen Rose Formation (Comanche …

The Effects Of Multiple Exemplar Instruction On The Textual Responding Of Secondary Students With Reading Delays, Ariana D’Arms

Dissertations

A majority of eighth-grade students in the United States read below a proficient level, which means that they may have difficulty reading and comprehending grade-level text. Research indicates that older struggling readers may be missing phoneme-related skills, which limits their ability to read proficiently. Unfortunately, there is little research examining strategies for establishing such skills in older struggling readers. Multiple exemplar instruction (MEI), which has benefited young readers with phoneme-related skill deficits, is an intervention that may also be effective for older struggling readers who need phonemic skills. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of …

Consistent Bedtime Routines Are Linked To Better Sleep Outcomes: Why?, Kristy Larsen

Dissertations

Results from nationwide studies estimate that between 81 and 95% of parents in the United States with young children use bedtime routines. This is auspicious given that the use of a consistent bedtime routine is linked with better sleep quality. Indeed, the use of bedtime routines has been determined to have “strong” empirical support for addressing bedtime behavior problems (e.g., bedtime resistance) and for improving children’s sleep. However, it is unclear how, or through what mechanism(s), that a consistent bedtime routine is associated with positive sleep outcomes. We evaluated compliance near bedtime and anxious distress at bedtime as possible mechanisms …

Assessing The Real-Time Lagrangian Predictability Of The Operational Navy Coastal Ocean Model In The Gulf Of Mexico, Lea Kristen Locke

Dissertations

This study quantitatively assesses the drift predictive skill of Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center’s (FNMOC’s) operational ocean models which are used to support a wide range of military and civilian applications. Overall, the findings of this work support the recommendation of spatial filtering for regional-scale ocean model velocity fields used in deep-water drift applications. In conjunction with filtering, the use of a pure particle drift algorithm is suggested for short-term forecasts and a drift algorithm including a sub-grid scale, random flight, parameterization for predictions requiring extended forecast predictions.

Drift prediction skill is quantified through metrics of in-cloud percentage, distance …

Microplankton Dynamics In The River-Dominated Mississippi Bight, Adam D. Boyette

Dissertations

The Mississippi Bight (MSB) is a river-dominated continental margin influenced by multiple large river systems, including the Mississippi River, Alabama and Tombigbee rivers via Mobile Bay, and numerous smaller rivers, creeks, and bayous. This is part of a biologically-rich ecosystem that supports the second largest fishery industry by volume in the United States. Despite our understanding of the linkages between primary production with higher trophic levels, there remains limited studies quantifying these trophic interactions in this system. Microplankton (µm) community dynamics and trophic connectivity between primary producers and heterotrophic protists represent a critical nexus influencing overall biological productivity in this …

Examining The Effects Of State Anger On Self-Reported Psychopathic Trait Inventories, Olivia C. Preston

Dissertations

Research indicates that experiencing anger is linked to social undesirability and temporarily induces a host of significant changes within an individual, such as hostile attribution bias, lower trust, increased impulsivity, poorer decision-making, and preferential recall. Such changes theoretically may inflate psychopathy scores due to a greater ability or willingness to endorse attitudes, behaviors, cognitions, and emotions that are regarded as reflective of psychopathic traits and may potentially introduce random error variance into measurement. Such distortion due to mood may bear important implications for applied settings where one individual’s scores are measured at a single time point, rather than research where …

Modeling Hydrochemical And Vegetation Responses Of High-Elevation Forested Watersheds To Future Climate And Atmospheric Deposition Changes In The Southeastern U.S., Hailong Huang

Dissertations

Changes in climate and atmospheric acidic deposition alter biogeochemical cycles in forested ecosystems. I investigated the responses of vegetation, soil, and hydro-related processes to changes in climate and acidic deposition at five high-elevation forests in the southeastern U.S. using a biogeochemical model - PnET-BGC model. I focused on change-points and thresholds concepts that were less studied in forest ecosystems as well as seasonal variability of responses and extreme events. I applied principal component analysis (PCA) to reduce the dimensionality of data. I developed a Bayesian multi-level model to derive key biogeochemical variables response to temperature and precipitation (local) and latitude …

The Effect Of A Contextualized Dosage Calculation Learning Intervention On Pre-Nursing Students’ Math Self-Efficacy And Ability To Pass High Stakes Dosage Calculation Examination On First Attempt, Eileen Veronica Weatherby

Dissertations

Many students in pre-licensure nursing programs struggle with calculating accurate medication dosages even though they meet the numeracy requirements for application to the nursing programs. Most pre-licensure programs require that nursing students pass dosage calculation exams at a specified level of accuracy before progressing to the next term. Students typically have three tries to pass at the specified level and should they not succeed, they must withdraw. If they wish to continue in the program, they must complete the requirements for re-entry which may include space availability restrictions. Factors influencing dosage calculation performance include fear of mathematics, low math self-efficacy, …

Applying Bayesian Growth Modeling In Machine Learning For Longitudinal Data, Alisa Udomvisawakul

Dissertations

There has been increasing interest in the use of Bayesian growth modeling in machine learning environment to answer the questions relating to the patterns of change in trends of social and human behavior in longitudinal data. It is well understood that machine learning works properly with “big data,” because large sample sizes offer machines the better opportunity to “learn” the pattern/structure of data from a training data set to predict the performance in an unseen testing data set. Unfortunately, not all researchers have access to large samples and there is a lack of methodological research addressing the utility of using …

Families’ Experiences Raising A Child With Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, Amber L. Rundle Kahn

Dissertations

Optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) is a leading cause of childhood visual impairment. Children with ONH are at significantly increased risk for a number of concomitant neurological and behavioral problems. This study applied phenomenological qualitative research methods to investigate the experiences that parents of children with ONH have with raising their child. Twelve parents of children with ONH were interviewed. Three major categories emerged from the data: (a) resiliency of parents who have children with ONH; (b) strategies that families of children with ONH use; and (c) connections that support families of children with ONH. The categories and associated themes are …

Development Of A New Foot And Ankle Activity Level Instrument Using The Rasch Model For Orthopaedic Clinical Application, Lauren M. Matheny

Dissertations

Patient-reported outcomes, commonly referred to as PROs, are one of the most valuable tools in assessing general health status of patients, health-related quality of life, functional levels, and symptoms (Abrams, 2017; Acquadro et al., 2003; Bingham et al., 2017). Understanding the patient’s perspective of their own functional and symptomatic levels is important for clinicians for several reasons (Acquadro et al., 2003). PROs have been considered invaluable for understanding the impact of a disease on patients, guiding treatment decisions, evaluating treatment efficacy, and interpreting clinical outcomes (Acquadro et al., 2003; Bingham et al., 2017; Wu et al., 2013). More and more …

Are All These Elementary Assessments Necessary? Phenomenological Study Of Standardized Assessments In The Elementary School Setting, Cathy Wright

Dissertations

All children warrant a rich, meaningful public education that prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities, and challenges that await them as contributing members of a democratic society and a global economy. Based on testing calendars, teacher testimonials, and applied research from other state and local mandated testing studies, this study found that the length of time students spend taking and preparing for the test is extensive. CBS News (2015) noted between 20-25 hours are spent by each student taking standardized assessments, according to a comprehensive report of 66 of the nation’s large-city school districts by the Council of the Great …

Creating Appropriate Clinical Guidelines For The Bilingual Population With Acquired Brain Injuries, Sophia L. Pena

Dissertations

While there is a growing bilingual demographic in the United States, relatively little is known about treating this population should they experience a brain injury. This is a growing area of interest, as research has demonstrated that the acquisition of a second language promotes neuroplastic changes that then impact brain functioning pre- and post-brain-injury. Given bilingualism’s cognitive complexity, clinicians are left with challenges on how best to tailor treatment for brain-injured bilingual populations. Therefore, the focus of this review was to provide clinical recommendations to clinicians performing assessments with bilingual individuals with acquired brain injuries. The goal was for the …

Mixed-Method Investigation Of Truancy Intervention Program In A Midwest Public Urban School District, Stephanie Scurlark-Belt

Dissertations

In pursuance of analyzing attendance at Midwest Public Urban School District (a pseudonym), the researcher investigated the high school’s truancy intervention program's effectiveness. The research intervention program's goal was to find what worked in the program, what needed to be changed, and how practical the truancy intervention program was. To investigate the program, the researcher used a Skyward software system to collect all quantitative data. The data system gave all chronological data information covering attendance from the Freshman enrollment 2016-2017 school year to the first semester senior year, December 2020. Qualitative data were used to analyze if the truant students’ …

Confronting And Dismantling Whiteness In Higher Education: A Grassroots Approach, Winnie Needham

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate how an Educational Studies department in a small, Midwestern liberal arts college might confront and dismantle whiteness in curricular, pedagogical, and policy choices. Utilizing a critical participatory action research design, five higher education faculty engaged in a critical conversation inquiry group (Schieble et al., 2020) to develop their critical literacy (Rogers and Mosley, 2014). This study was designed to answer the following questions: How do faculty within an Educational Studies department think about their racial identities and the relevance of racial identity to the program, the institution, and higher education? …

Increasing Adherence Of Pump Integration With Electronic Medical Record Through Simulation, Judi Reeves

Dissertations

Problem: Intravenous (IV) medication errors account for one-third of the medication errors made by nurses in the United States. A measure to combat medication errors is the development of IV pump integration where the IV pump is electronically connected to the electronic medical record (EMR). With IV pump integration, the nurse is responsible for turning on the pump, scanning the medication and the IV pump, and confirming in the EMR. Human error is removed when the IV pump integration system automatically programs and starts the IV pump. This is a technical system which requires the nurse to have expertise in …

Is United States’ Economic Power In Decline? Can China Replace The U.S. As The World’S Next Economic Superpower?, Islam Bakirci

Dissertations

The decline of American economic power has been passionately debated for decades. Starting from the Kennedy administration, there were many cases that declinist scholars interpreted as the beginning of American economic power decline. The financial crisis of 2007-09 is the latest case of the same debate. However, unlike the previous cases, declinist scholars who support the idea of U.S. economic power is in decline after the financial crisis, strongly believe that this time the decline is different. This time the decline is real. In addition, the same scholars also argue that China, as an economic challenger which is different from …

Risk-Taking Behavior Of Alcohol Use Among Young Adults Who Have Aged Out Of Foster Care, Elizabeth Ana Borroto Levine

Dissertations

Risk-taking behaviors such as excessive alcohol use in adolescence may become destructive habits in adulthood and pose major health problems. For aged-out foster care teenagers (AOTs), the behaviors are especially increased. The study purpose was to determine the incidence of alcohol use among AOTs in South Florida and to test four hypothesis measuring the variables of self-perceptions (self-esteem), risk perceptions (costs/benefits), social/environmental perceptions (peer influence), peer group characteristics (peer values), and risk-taking behaviors that would predict alcohol use among AOTs living in South Florida.

Matrix Product Structure Of A Permuted Quasi Cyclic Code And Its Dual, Perian Perdhiku

Dissertations

In my Dissertation I will work mostly with Permuted Quasi Cyclic Codes. They are a generalization of Cyclic Codes, one of the most important families of Linear Codes in Coding Theory. Linear Codes are very useful in error detection and correction. Error Detection and Correction is a technique that first detects the corrupted data sent from some transmitter over unreliable communication channels and then corrects the errors and reconstructs the original data. Unlike linear codes, cyclic codes are used to correct errors where the pattern is not clear and the error occurs in a short segment of …

Surviving And Thriving As A New Principal: Discussing What It Takes To Be A New Principal Through A Narrative Approach, Patrick Fisher

Dissertations

One often overlooked aspect of school success and student achievement is the vital role of the school principal. While much of the education reform conversation focuses on topics such as accountability, school-family connections, and individual teacher practices, it is the principal who ultimately impacts each of these areas and who can be the driving force behind school growth. Considering this, current high rates of principal turnover are troubling as this may impact many schools across the country. If a principal is to have a positive impact on a school community, it will take a long-term effort, and for this to …