Digital Commons Network^™

The Value Of Mentorship For Black Ballerinas, Anna Dunn

Dissertations

Much research has been done in other fields about the relationship of gender and race to the success of mentors to increase student confidence to pursue additional training or a career in certain fields. The purpose of this study was to articulate formally the importance of the relationship between Black ballet students and a mentor who has lived a similar life experience, having navigated the ballet industry as a Black ballerina. This research sought to answer the questions of what value do Black ballet students perceive in having a Black ballerina as a mentor and how white ballet teachers can …

The Impact Establishing A Focus On Learning Through Plcs Has On Student Growth In Elementary Mathematics, Heather Hodge

Dissertations

This quantitative study examined the impact of professional learning communities (PLCs) implementing a “Focus on Learning” in a Title I school in north central Georgia. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact PLCs can have on student growth and achievement in fourth and fifth-grade mathematics, once teachers spend time identifying essential standards for their respective grade level. The researcher conducted this study during the first year of implementation, so the findings will be used to identify ways to build and improve PLCs at their school in order to increase student growth and achievement in mathematics.

Evaluating The Need For Professional Learning That Highlights Proficient Teaching Strategies For Students With Autism In The Elementary Environment, Allison Norman

Dissertations

There is an increase in the identification of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) throughout the country. There is also an emphasis on inclusion within the classrooms in the country. This qualitative study addresses the need for teachers to grasp more knowledge about Autism so that they can help children with autism have better access to the general education curriculum and increase support for success in the classroom. Through an action research project, this study aimed to gauge elementary school teachers' existing knowledge about Autism and identify areas where they desired further education. The study involved surveying teachers to understand …

Implementing A Clinical Practice Guideline To Reduce Antibiotic Use In Asymptomatic Bacteriuria, Connie Sue Clum

Dissertations

Antibiotic use in asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) may not be necessary. At the project site, there was no systematic process to manage ordering antibiotics and urine cultures without first diagnosing a urinary tract infection, so an evidence-based solution was sought. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to determine if implementing an antimicrobial stewardship program utilizing the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria would impact urine cultures ordering and antibiotic use among adult patients admitted to the general medical service. The project was piloted over 12 weeks in an urban hospital …

From Injustice To Social Justice Education: The Journey Of Formerly Incarcerated Women Of Color In Community College, Hossna Sadat Ahadi

Dissertations

There is a growing rate of women of color in the U.S. prison system—their intersectional identities are hypercriminalized surrounding the nexus of oppressive barriers they experience (Annamma, 2017). The lack of awareness, understanding, and advocacy for carceral-impacted women of color in higher education has engendered an erasure. This qualitative research study explored and elevated the lived experiences and intersectional identities of formerly incarcerated women of color in postsecondary education. Through the lens of Latino critical race theory (LatCrit) and Chicana feminism, four methods of data collection took place—surveys, cajitas, testimonios, and reflective journaling. Formerly incarcerated women of color experienced the …

The Lived Experience Of Patients In Feeling Empathy From Nurses When Receiving Care Via Telehealth, Donna L. Cutting

Dissertations

With the increased use of telehealth, particularly telenursing, there is a lack of literature regarding the portrayal and deliverance of empathy and compassion from the nurse to the patient when physical separation exists, such as when the nurse and the patient are in different locations and "seeing" each other through use of technology.

The aim of this qualitative, phenomenological dissertation study was to describe the lived experience of patients feeling empathy or not from nurses when receiving care via telehealth. Watson's Human Caring Science was the nursing theory used to guide this study. The research question was: What is the …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Impact Of Iready On Student Reading Achievement For Students In Response To Intervention, Althia Gates

Dissertations

This qualitative case study aimed to explore teachers’ perceptions of the impact of i-Ready on student reading achievement for students in Response to Intervention (RTI). In this qualitative case study, participants were given an opportunity to voice their point of view and perceptions of the impact of i-Ready, including the benefits and barriers they experience when implementing i-Ready as an intervention tool for struggling readers. The need to hear teacher voices and perspectives on an RTI intervention tool is essential to providing students with the best learning experience and growth results. The study included five elementary teachers who implement i-Ready …

Teacher Perceptions Of Calming Corners In Language Arts Middle School Classrooms, Freya Sneed

Dissertations

Student stress and anxiety are at an all-time high. Following the pandemic, more research is needed to better understand what types of interventions can be supportive in helping students manage their emotional wellbeing. To better support them, the researcher worked with various English Language Arts middle school teachers to implement Calming Corners, a social emotional based intervention. In this qualitative action research study, students in sixth-eighth grades were offered the use of Calming Corners in their English Language Arts classes. This research examined whether the Calming Corners was effective in reducing stress and anxiety for the students in their educational …

Second Victim Syndrome: Nurses Suffering In Silence, Matthew Riehm

Dissertations

Medication errors are inherent in health care due to human fallibility and inherent systemic complexities. Nurses are often unjustly blamed after committing a medication error despite the multitude of contributing factors. Formal education and healthcare organizations focus on preventing medication errors, but little has been done to support nurses involved in these tragic incidents. Recent cases, including RaDonda Vaught and Kimberly Hiatt, demonstrated the victimization of nurses after committing medication errors that plague the healthcare system potentially causing profound psychological trauma, often known as Second Victim Syndrome, SVS. There is limited research on the phenomenon of SVS in nursing due …

Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health On Skill Of Involvement: Differences In First Year Adn And Bsn Nursing Students In Rural Oklahoma, Cynthia Brown

Dissertations

The impact of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) on Skill of Involvement (SOI) has not been adequately studied in nursing education. The skill of involvement is defined by Benner (2022) as necessary to expert-level nursing and it brings humanity, meaningfulness, acute situational awareness, and rapid thinking required for strong clinical decision-making in crisis management of the deteriorating patient. It is important for nurse educators to understand how SDOH impacts SOI on nursing students in order to transform the delivery of nursing education. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of SDOH on SOIs in first-year nursing students …

Night Shift Acute Care Nurse Narratives: Exploring Collaborative Solutions To Reduce Burnout, Increase Morale And Engagement, And Improve Retention, Melissa Queen-Lomas

Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on nurse recruitment and retention in the United States exacerbated the problem of nurse shortages, particularly for acute care nurses on the night shift. Long hours, heavy workloads, stressful work environments, high patient-nurse ratios, and dissatisfaction with administration are causing nurse burnout at an alarming rate. Burnout leads to low morale, exhaustion, intent to leave, and turnover. Moreover, exhausted night shift nurses compromise patient safety and care with unintentional medication errors or tasks left undone due to rigorous hours and little support or resources. Teambuilding, camaraderie, mentoring, and shared learning opportunities are scarce on night shift, …

Essays On Foreign Direct Investment, Free Trade Agreements, And The Digital Economy, Constance Vigilance

Dissertations

Economic globalization’s key components include international trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), and the digital economy. FDI stimulates export growth, complementing international trade. The global economy is being transformed by digitalization, boosting international trade and GDP through speed, convenience, productivity, and transparency and driving shifts in FDI patterns through resource-efficient products and green technologies.

This dissertation investigates three prominent issues - the FDI inflows to fragile, least-developed countries (LDC), the proliferation of Free Trade Agreements (FTA,) and the digital economy. Using the Generalised Least Squares Random effects (GLS RE) and the Ordinary least squares (OLS) estimations with a sample size of …

Eliciting A Syncopated Response From An Ensemble, Thomas Trautman

Dissertations

This dissertation began the process of aggregating available knowledge on the subject of eliciting a syncopated response from a musical ensemble from professors of conducting and conducting textbooks, searching for commonalities, and distilling them into several independent variables which can then be quantitatively tested in an experimental or quasi-experimental setting in future research.

Participants (n = 11) were Directors of Choral Activities, or any other job title with similar responsibilities, at universities which confer doctoral degrees in Choral Conducting. Each participant was required to have a different educational background than every other participant. Participants were given 15 examples of …

An Open Conversation: Deliberating Perceptions Of Power Through New Media, Abigail Barnes

Dissertations

This research aims to investigate aims to critically assess how mediated participants utilize new media spheres deliberate upon perceptions of power through rhetorical criticism and critical discourse analysis. Since the conception of social media, users have utilized the platforms to network, negotiate, and dissent from controversies through mediated public deliberation. The present study aims to nuance how Habermas’ original conception of deliberative rhetoric has transformed through new media deliberation. To exemplify this change in deliberative rhetoric, the present study will also critically evaluate online social movements through the case study of the AOC Tik Tok Challenge, responses to online controversies …

Improving Standardized Test Scores, Spatial Ability, And Interest In Math With The Introduction Of 3d Printers Into High School Math Classes, Charles Moore

Dissertations

Mathematics education faces significant challenges with declining ACT scores, national math proficiency rates, and a prevalent dislike for the subject among high school students. Spatial thinking ability, crucial for success in STEM fields, intersects with mathematical comprehension, suggesting a potential avenue for improvement. This study addresses these challenges by integrating 3D printing technology into secondary mathematics instruction. Employing a quasi-experimental quantitative research design, the study evaluates the impact of 3D printers on ACT math scores, spatial abilities, and attitudes toward mathematics. Results from ANOVA tests indicate marginal increases in spatial test scores and positive shifts in students' interest, self-confidence, and …

The Effects Of Free Volume And Processing On The Development Of Gas Separation Membranes, Jacob Schekman

Dissertations

Structure, thermal, mechanical, gas transport, and free volume properties of thiol-ene based systems are investigated and discussed. In the pursuit of generating low energy-cost polymer membranes for gas separation, it became apparent that UV-curing of thiol-ene materials presented several routes toward achieving this goal. Network structure plays a vital role in determining the gas transport properties of membrane materials. UV photopolymerization techniques provide a means to rapidly vitrify network morphologies which can be tuned depending on choice of monomer. Thiol-ene monomers offer a broad range of precursor materials from which to choose for the design of functional membrane materials.

Chapter …

Understanding Chain Dynamics And Conformation Of Conjugated Polymers In Films And Solutions, Guorong Ma

Dissertations

Significant efforts have been dedicated to the development of high-performance organic electronic materials, endowed with novel attributes that traditional inorganic silicon-based electronics cannot provide. Conjugated polymers stand out as the predominant class of organic semiconducting materials, offering a unique avenue to manufacture flexible, ductile, large-area, and customizable electronic devices through cost-effective solution processing. Despite the extensive array of processing methods, there remains a significant gap in our understanding of the dynamic and thermodynamic properties of conjugated polymer solutions and thin films. This dissertation endeavors to unravel the intricate structure-property-processing relationships of these materials by delving into their mechanical, dynamic, and …

The Saudi Government's Response To Covid-19: A Social Media Analysis, Raghad Sonbul

Dissertations

In 2020, COVID-19 invaded the world and caused massive losses, materially, morally, and psychologically. Countries worldwide tried to mitigate the damages by taking strict precautionary measures. The response of governments to this pandemic varied. This study explored the Saudi government’s response to the pandemic by examining its official Twitter accounts. Saudi Arabia holds an important position, economically, politically, and religiously. Thus, its response to COVID-19 affects its international image and reputation, as well as the tremendous number of people who visit the country annually during the Umrah and Hajj seasons. A qualitative content analysis was conducted, and 1,007 tweets posted …

Advertising On Snapchat: Exploring The Influence Of Celebrities Among Young Women In Saudi Arabia, Hessah Alqahtani

Dissertations

This study explored the influence of Snapchat celebrities on the purchase decisions of young women in Saudi Arabia. Uses and Gratifications theory and Source Credibility theory were used to investigate motivations for and factors that affect engagement with Snapchat celebrities. An online survey was conducted among 467 social media users. It was found that most Saudi women (62.9%) were motivated to engage with Snapchat celebrities to seek information.They would likely to purchase products endorsed by celebrities who were deemed trustworthy, attractive, and experts in the field. They also responded more favorably to celebrities who they believe are a fit for …

A Mixed Methods Evaluation Of Three Quantitative Approaches For Examining Persistence, Angela J. Rockwell

Dissertations

Institutional researchers use skills from their diverse backgrounds to collect, analyze and report data about their institutions to stakeholders representing various interests and levels of data literacy. However, there is little research into how these professionals process data and none into what aspects are important to institutional researchers when planning and executing these analyses. Given the importance of student persistence in higher education, this study used mixed methods to examine the factors institutional researchers consider when selecting a quantitative approach to exploring persistence and how they apply to selecting a quantitative approach. Three approaches (proportions, logistic regression, and discrete time …

Enhancing Chinese Language Learning Through Problem-Solving Gameplay, Weihsuan Lo

Dissertations

Integrating 21st-century skills into language education faces challenges in providing meaningful, skills-based activities beyond traditional vocabulary and grammar instruction. This study addressed the need for updated curricula that aligned learning goals with 21st-century labor market demands, emphasizing the development of creative thinking, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills (P21 4C skills). Teacher-centered approaches in Chinese language education further complicate the adoption of student-centered pedagogies. To overcome these challenges, the study proposed using game-based learning to create an inclusive and dynamic learning environment that fostered language proficiency and P21 4C skills. The FIXIT card game was introduced as an educational tool …

Essays On Economic Effects Of The Monetary Union Of The West African Monetary Zone, Collins Kelechukwu Anosike

Dissertations

It is now reasonably undebatable that monetary and fiscal policies have real effects on monetary union in WAMZ. What seems to prevent the meeting of convergence criteria that was set by the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ), a counterpart of the European Monetary Union (EMU)has been explored. Consequently, this study examines the economic effect of monetary union in the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ). This research examines the economic convergence criteria and obstacles to achieving them for the six West African economies of Nigeria, The Gambia, Guinea, Sierraleone, Ghana, and Liberia. The study examines the exchange and inflation rates convergence …

An Attentionless Account Of The Attentional Blink, Matthew Stephen Junker

Dissertations

Theories of the attentional blink (AB) – a deficit in responding to the second of two temporally proximal stimuli (within 500 ms; Raymond et al., 1992) – generally explain the deficit as resulting from either the dynamics in top-down and bottom-up attentional process, or limitations in the capacity of the hypothesized attentional process. Extensive basic research has been conducted on the neural correlates of top-down and bottom-up attention as well as on the capacity limitations of attention; however, rather than leading to a single definition, the variety and complexity of results has led several taxonomies which differ systematically with the …

Evaluating Effective Communication Of Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Christine Brockway

Dissertations

Brockway, Christine. Evaluating Effective Communication of Baccalaureate Nursing Students. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2024. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine how communication evaluation by clinical faculty compared in a clinical setting versus a simulation setting for Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students. Fifty (50) BSN students from three different schools of nursing were scored using the Interprofessional Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation Nurse to Physician Rubric in both clinical and simulation settings by seven nursing faculty. Scoring for each student occurred in both settings during one semester. Following the evaluation, students …

Practices, Curricula, And Perspectives: Creating Equitable And Inclusive Science Higher Education Classrooms, Victoria Lee Duncan

Dissertations

How can Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) faculty create environments where students do not feel marginalized? Changes are necessary to address the historically exclusive climate, systemic oppressive classroom policies, and practices dominated by White, patriarchal, Eurocentric perspectives in many STEM classrooms. Faculty incorporating approaches and practices documented in the literature across time and multiple STEM disciplines can create equitable and inclusive (EI) classrooms. However, the challenge for faculty is consolidating the information to identify fundamental elements necessary for establishing EI classrooms. By synthesizing and cataloging components found in the literature, following a qualitative meta-synthesis framework, the purpose of Project …

A Narrative Inquiry Into The Perceptions Of Counseling Faculty Regarding The Use Of Humor In Clinical Supervision, Ryan Cheuk Ming Cheung

Dissertations

Cheung, Ryan Cheuk Ming. A narrative inquiry into the perceptions of counseling faculty regarding the use of humor in clinical supervision. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2024. Students in counselor preparation programs are required to be clinically supervised by faculty when working with clients. Considering how to help supervisees and positively affect supervision outcomes, one method could be the use of humor by counseling supervisors. Research in the area of humor in counseling supervision is largely missing (Dantzler, 2017; Vereen et al., 2006). A key task in supervision is building a strong working alliance (Bordin, 1983) …

Simulacra Alligoría Spílaio Socráti A Reconsideration Of The Allegory Of Socrates Cave: Game-Based Theory In Inclusive Higher Education, Barry Karrh

Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the use of Game Based Learning (GBL) and Game Based Pedagogy (GBP) implemented in higher education and considers what effects may be measured on retention and learning.

Using the allegory of Socrates Cave, a story which challenges how learners’ perspectives differ according to each individual’s unique understanding, this study considered how participants reacted in similar scenarios during ‘serious games’ implemented in college level classes to reinforce and review material before testing. This study used a pre- and post-test model to assess the difference games used as an intervention had on short-term retention. The final credential scores of …

Design, Synthesis, And Optimization Of Allosteric Inhibitors Of Hiv-1 Integrase, Krunal H. Patel

Dissertations

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection remains a global health crisis, necessitating the development of innovative antiviral strategies. During the integration step, HIV-1 integrase (IN) interacts with viral DNA and the cellular cofactor LEDGF/p75 to effectively integrate the reverse transcript into the host chromatin. Recently, a novel class of antiretroviral agents called Allosteric Inhibitors of HIV-1 Integrase (ALLINI) compounds has emerged as a promising avenue in the fight against HIV-1. While originally designed to inhibit IN-LEDGF/p75 interactions, these compounds have been shown to also impact late-stage viral maturation severely through IN multimerization. Induction of IN multimerization interferes with …

The Impact Of Death Anxiety On Counselors’-In-Training Efficacy With Substance Use Populations, Jason Rose

Dissertations

Death anxiety has been an unremitting agent of the human experience. The psychological dilemma posed by the awareness and forecasting of death can increase anxiety, thus affecting well-being through the compulsive desire or will to persist (Becker, 1973; Yalom, 1980). Such psychological armor can manifest in conscious and unconscious behaviors, thoughts, and emotions to which persons utilize psychological, social, and cultural defenses to manage anxiety (Becker, 1973; Solomon et al., 2015). Across all levels of counseling, there has been a deficiency in awareness and discussion of death-related fears within the therapeutic process (Lacocque & Loeb, 1988). Therefore, due to the …

Comparison Of Bayesian Versus Maximum Likelihood Estimation In The Case Of Unbalanced Panels With Count Data, Bryan Hudson

Dissertations

Commonly in applied research settings, investigators wish to study counts of some event of interest over time, such as number of infections, or absences from school. However, in many cases, investigators may only have access to data sets in which measurements with individuals are not available at each measurement timepoint. A foundational statistical method for the study of panel data is generalized linear mixed effect modeling, which typically uses the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) to estimate parameters. However, Bayesian estimation (BE) offers an alternative approach. In this simulation study, data were generated with varying sample sizes, proportions of missing data, …