Establishing Practical Equivalence Of Factor Loadings In Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Christopher Edward Shank

Dissertations

This dissertation compares the performance of equivalence test (EQT) and null hypothesis test (NHT) procedures for identifying invariant and noninvariant factor loadings under a range of experimental manipulations. EQT is the statistically appropriate approach when the research goal is to find evidence of group similarity rather than group difference; despite this, the conventional approach to measurement invariance analysis relies upon NHT. EQT has proved effective for invariance detection using global model-data fit statistics in simulated and real-world data (Counsell et al., 2020) but its use in partial measurement invariance (PMI) analysis for evaluation of factor loading differences between groups has …

Shigella Flexneri Diguanylate Cyclases Regulate Pathogenesis, Ruchi Ojha

Dissertations

The intracellular human pathogen Shigella invades the colonic epithelium to cause disease. Prior to colon invasion, this bacterium navigates through different environments within the human body, including acidic conditions in the stomach and the small intestine which contains antimicrobial molecules including bile acids. To adapt to changing environments, Shigella uses the bacterial second messenger c-di-GMP signaling system. C-di-GMP is synthesized by diguanylate cyclases (DGCs) encoding GGDEF domains. Shigella encodes 10 DGCs in its genome, but 6 of these genes have acquired mutations that presumably inactivated the c-di-GMP synthesis activity of these enzymes. In this study, we first expressed VCA0956, a …

Identity And Alterity In A Comedy Series From Santa Cruz, Bolivia, During The Presidency Of Evo Morales, Anita L. Zandstra,

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the construction of social identity and social difference in and through Neo/Los Mismos, a Bolivian comedy series produced during the presidency of Evo Morales (2006-2019), the country’s first president to claim an Indigenous identity. These years were characterized by profound divisions between the Bolivian highlands, home to Morales’s base of support, and the opposition based in the lowlands department of Santa Cruz. This qualitative study takes an interdisciplinary approach to social identity and social difference during the Morales era, drawing on concepts from linguistic anthropology, literary criticism, and humor studies, and tracing connections between Neo/Los Mismos and …

Restorative Practices Effect On The Culture And Climate Of A School Or District, Stephanie Daly

Dissertations

Restorative practices have emerged as a transformative approach within various domains, particularly education, aiming to nurture constructive relationships, address conflicts, and foster community. This research delves into the multifaceted world of restorative practices in educational settings, exploring their impact on school climate, conflict resolution, social and emotional learning, and broader implications for equity and justice in the classroom. This study looks to see if restorative practices affect the culture and climate of a school or district. It looks at how students describe a classroom that uses these practices. The feelings and reactions of students participating in these practices were also …

A Qualitative Phenomenological Study Examining The Experiences Of Substance Use Disorder Clients Engaging In Adventure Therapy, Heather Cresswell

Dissertations

Drug overdose deaths in the United States continue to rise. In 2019, over 70,000 drug overdose deaths were recorded, marking a 4% increase from the previous year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). More recent estimates suggest the death toll exceeded 100,000 in a twelve-month period ending in April 2021, indicating a significant rise (Johnson, 2021). The high mortality rate linked to addiction highlights the necessity for effective interventions for individuals diagnosed with SUD. The study presented focused on the impact of Adventure Therapy (AT) as an addition to the treatment of adults diagnosed with SUD. The chosen research …

Impact Of Financial Literacy And Financial Capability On Students' Self-Efficacy, Darren Scott

Dissertations

Low-income, first-generation college students experience unique obstacles in their pursuits of a college degree. One of the biggest stressors that exist within this population is financial stress which has led to money being the number one reason students do not persist to graduation. Despite this being one of their biggest stressors, many higher education institutions do not put an emphasis on financial literacy initiatives that research has shown can help alleviate this type of stress. This mixed methods study explores the impact financial literacy and financial capability has on a students’ self-efficacy. This research is guided by Albert Bandura’s Self-Efficacy …

Examining The Influence Of Professional Learning Communities On Grit And Social-Emotional Skill Development In Students And Collective Teacher Efficacy Within A Middle School, Sam Kurtz

Dissertations

There has been a change in student behavior and social-emotional competence following the isolation, independence, and disjointed nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. Regardless of our efforts to engage students in learning, many are not emotionally available to participate in or avail themselves of the learning process. Through this study, I connected the potential development of collective teacher efficacy through utilizing a professional learning community (PLC) model, which focused on addressing students' lagging social-emotional skills in the middle school setting. This research aimed to determine if collective efficay and PLCs with a central focus on social-emotional learning could yield growth in …

An Evaluation Of The Factors That Lead To The Development Of Deferential Interactions Between Teachers And Students, Shondra Browne-Bolton

Dissertations

Schools have historically maintained a hierarchy with an expectation that students show deference. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors that caused students to treat teachers disrespectfully. This mixed-methods inquiry included K-12 teachers and administrators who responded to a social media post and participated in surveys and interviews. Based on my findings, the factors that led to the development of deferential interactions between teachers and students included establishing trusting relationships, reciprocated respect, clear schoolwide behavior expectations, positive communication with parents, and teachers' professional dress. My recommendations were for establishing clear schoolwide behavior expectations, for school districts to …

The Impact Of Household Preparedness And Work-Family Conflict On Medic-Firefighter Ability And Willingness To Respond For Duty In A Disaster, Joshua S. Simmons

Dissertations

There is a general assumption in disaster planning that emergency responders will respond for duty in any emergency or disaster. Role abandonment by medic-firefighters could impede an organization’s ability to effectively manage the impact of a disaster. This study investigated household preparedness and work-family conflict levels, identified as primary variables affecting ability and willingness to respond in the literature. The aim was to determine if these factors impacted the ability and willingness of medic-firefighters in a coastal Virginia fire department to respond during disaster scenarios. The results showed that emergency preparedness levels were low, and that there were moderate levels …

My Legacy Document: A Story Told Through A Pedagogical Lens Of Three Landscapes. School, Work, And Faith, Debra Williams

Dissertations

Too often professionals, when answering the question “Who are you?”, resort to listing what they do. Although individuals are gifted, experienced, and qualified, as these persons influence and significantly impact others, one could get lost as a person and be unfulfilled. That’s a problem.

Positioning myself as the study of research, utilizing autoethnography as the chosen methodology, my doctoral journey is chronicled. Three landscapes, school, work, and faith, serve as the areas of emphasis.

An Intelligent Framework Towards Fully Autonomous Driving Fueled By Smart Roads, Muhammad Jalal Khan

Dissertations

Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) are transforming next-generation autonomous mobility. These vehicles promise to increase road safety, improve traffic efficiency, reduce vehicle emissions, and enhance overall mobility. They achieve higher levels of Autonomous Driving (AD) by integrating sensors, communication technologies, computation, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Apart from these advancements, significant gaps remain in integrating heterogeneous technologies and disciplines essential for optimizing AD. Therefore, the current solution approaches lack the capability to exploit intelligent road infrastructures and effectively orchestrate perceptual services for complex driving scenarios. The main objective of this dissertation is to address these challenges by proposing a novel end-to-end intelligent framework …

Mental Health Professionals' Perspectives On The Third Party When Treating Married Heterosexual Couples For Infidelity: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, Suzanne M. Freid

Dissertations

No research seems to exist that focuses on how the nonexclusive spouse and the exclusive spouse discuss the third party in couple therapy for infidelity. Similarly, we know almost nothing about mental health professionals' perceptions of what the couple says and does, how the therapist responds to them, and what they perceive about the third party and their work with married, heterosexual couples. Eight licensed and experienced mental health professionals from the Austin, Texas community participated in this study grounded in Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Findings suggest that training programs fail to provide information and evidenced-based techniques for working with couples …

Development Of Enzyme-Based Biotechnology For Removing Stickies And Regaining Fiber Quality In Paper Recycling, Yun Wang

Dissertations

Producing paper with recycled paper consumes about 30-70% less energy and emits less GHG than using virgin wood. However, with current recycling practices, more foreign matters are commingled with the recycled paper including hot-melt adhesives, food residues, inks, resins/sizing agents, and coating adhesives, which result in stickies issues in the paper remanufacturing process. On the other hand, recycled fibers inherently have lower quality due to mechanical treatment, heating, chemical processing, and aging in various types of application/use of paper products, limiting the production of high-quality paper grades from recycled fibers. The goal of this dissertation research is to address both …

The Effects Of Combined Evaluative And Memo, Matrix, And Graphic Objective Feedback On Performance When Receiving Fixed Pay, Amber L. Derthick

Dissertations

The purpose of this current study was to examine the relative effectiveness of written feedback in the form of a memo that displays the performer’s current performance (memo feedback), written feedback in the form of a matrix that displays the performer’s current performance along with past performance (matrix feedback), and graphic feedback that displays the performer’s current performance along with past performance on a line graph (graphic feedback) when individuals receive fixed pay. The memo, matrix, and graphic feedback displayed “objective” feedback. Participants were 70 undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions. Participants attended a …

Say Her Name: A Phenomenological Study On Black Women’S Experiences With Fearful Encounters With The Police, Marilyn Shantey Buford

Dissertations

Police violence is a historical, systemic issue that continues to plague the Black community to this day. Research discussing the systemic oppression of police violence on Black people has seen an increase over the past decade. However, little has been discussed on the effects of police violence on Black people’s health and wellness, particularly their mental health. The research that exists surrounding police violence and mental health is largely concentrated on the experiences of Black men. Little is known about how Black women personally experience police violence or how these experiences impact their mental, emotional, and physical health. Not exploring …

The Impact Of Changing The Admission Policy On Students’ Educational Opportunities In Abu Dhabi Higher Educational Institutions, Maha Khalifa Al Mansoori

Dissertations

This dissertation is concerned with the intricate dynamics of educational change in the UAE, particularly focusing on the impact of admission policy changes on students’ educational opportunities on higher educational institutions. The main objective of this dissertation is to critically evaluate the effectiveness of educational changes, specifically through the lens of revised admission policy, in enhancing the standards of higher education in the United Arab Emirates.
/="/">A quantitative research methodology using questionnaire was utilized in this research paper and PLS-SEM method with SmartPLS software was used for data analysis. The study investigates the effect of changing the admission policy …

Enhancement Of Rainfall Prediction And Satellite Precipitation Estimates: A Machine Learning Approach For United Arab Emirates, Faisal Baig

Dissertations

The accurate estimation of rainfall in arid regions presents a significant challenge due to sparse ground observations and complex atmospheric dynamics. This dissertation investigates various aspects of rainfall estimation and prediction in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), employing Satellite Precipitation Products (SPPs) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques. The research is structured around four key articles, each addressing different facets of the overarching theme. The first publication examines rainfall variability, consistency, and concentration in the UAE by comparing satellite precipitation products with rain gauge observations, highlighting the discrepancies between the two data sources. The second publication evaluates the performance of precipitation …

Policymaker's Perspectives And Student Experiences Of Bullying At Schools In The Uae: A Mixed-Method Approach, Alfan Saghayir Alketbi

Dissertations

Bullying is a significant issue in schools worldwide, including Abu Dhabi, the UAE. This dissertation aims to explore the dynamics of school bullying and improve anti-bullying interventions through a mixed-method approach. The primary goal is to investigate current anti-bullying efforts in the UAE and develop a comprehensive framework for school-based bullying intervention, considering policymaker perspectives and student experiences.

The study includes a systematic scoping review, qualitative studies with policymakers, a SWOT analysis of Abu Dhabi's anti-bullying approaches, and a cross-sectional survey of students' perceptions, attitudes, and awareness in Al-Ain City. These methods provide an integrated view of bullying in the …

One Hand Doesn't Clap: The Moderation Of Individual Factors On The Relationship Between Leader Narcissism And Followers' Outcomes, Wafa Mohammed Al Wahedi

Dissertations

Drawing on leadership and social exchange theories, the purpose of this study is to examine the adverse impact of the toxic triangle; namely, Leader Narcissism (LN), Perceived Unethical Climate (PUC) and Followers' Submissiveness (FS) on followers' outcomes, particularly Psychological Capital (PsyCap) and Constructive Deviance (CD) through the mediation of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX). The study introduces Moral Identity (MI) as a moderator. The conceptual framework was put to the test with data collected from both leaders and their followers in UAE-based organizations. Hierarchical linear model analysis was run on leaders and followers' dyadic data for testing whether moral identity moderated the …

Increasing Folic Acid Self-Efficacy In College-Age Women Of Childbearing Age, Kristie Buchanan

Dissertations

Preventative measures taken by women of childbearing age before and during conception limit the risk of fetal defects or complications. One specific measure that is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is that all women of childbearing age take folic acid 400 mcg daily. Evidence-based research suggests that taking 400 mcg daily limits the risk of fetal neural tube defects if taken daily and started at least two months before conception. Fetal neural tube defects are classified as defects that damage the baby's spine and brain. The researcher conducted an evidence-based practice project that sought to determine …

Multi-Modality Transformer For E-Commerce: Inferring User Purchase Intention To Bridge The Query-Product Gap, Srivatsa Mallapragada

Dissertations

The rapid growth of e-commerce has necessitated the development of sophisticated product retrieval systems that can effectively match user queries with relevant products. However, the semantic gap between queries and products remains a significant challenge, as traditional retrieval methods often fail to capture the nuances of user purchase intentions. E-commerce click-stream data and product catalogs offer critical user behavior insights and product knowledge that are untapped in the current product search algorithms. This dissertation presents learning strategies that leverage the query-product transaction logs to enrich the pipeline of our proposed multi-modal transformer model, which transforms initial user queries into pseudo …

Increasing The Usage Of Mychart Bedside By Nurses And Patients In The Acute Care Setting: An Integrative Review, Laura Darnell

Dissertations

Teach-back has been a proven model to teach patients about their disease process, medications, or dressing changes in a simple-to-understand language that often includes a return demonstration. Teach-Back isn't just a tool to be used with patients, it can be used to help anyone understand something new. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model, people are less inclined to use new technology if they do not find it easy to use or useful in their day-to-day jobs. This integrative review aims to support the use of the Teach-Back method of instruction with staff, including return demonstration, to prove the ease of …

On Pills And Needles: Students' And Clinical Nursing Faculty's Lived Experience Of A Nursing Students' First Med Pass In The Clinical Setting, Cindy K. Paradiso

Dissertations

Learning and teaching medication administration is a substantial component of prelicensure nursing education. The emphasis of the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses initiative is to prepare nursing students to provide safe, quality care. Medication administration, which falls under this initiative, is a challenge for nursing students to learn and for clinical nursing faculty to teach. Consequently, nursing students graduate feeling unprepared to administer medications in their practice. This issue is prevalent and long-standing within nursing education. Most of the research studies conducted, though, are from senior nursing students and nurses. There is little research from the beginner nursing student …

Impact Of Brøset Violence Checklist On Safety Events In An Adult Mental Health Unit, Maritess B. Bernardo

Dissertations

Background: Workplace violence (WPV) is an escalating issue in healthcare that needs to be addressed to improve patient outcomes and staff satisfaction. Inpatient mental health facilities are at higher risk for safety event occurrences.

Problem: There is a practice gap in the assessment of possible violence at the practicum site with higher tolerance and acceptance that this is an acceptable event. The policies on deescalation are poorly implemented.

Methods: A pre- and post-intervention design was used to investigate the impact of the BVC tool on safety events. Data analysis included outcome measures on BVC scores, safety events, and de-escalation intervention. …

The Effect Of Teacher Identity On The Level Of Cultural Inclusion In The Classroom, Jennifer Jones

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenographical study was to investigate high school teachers’ perceptions of cultural inclusion and the impact of teacher identity on the level of cultural inclusion in the classroom. This research study utilized semi-structured one-on-one interviews as the primary source of data and participant surveys and researcher notes taken during the interviews as the secondary sources. This study sought to address two research questions: (1) What can we learn from teachers' experiences at a southeastern suburban high school regarding the post-COVID perceptions of cultural inclusion in the classroom? (2) How does teacher identity affect cultural inclusion in …

Participation Mandatory, Learning Not Required: A Phenomenological Study Of Diversity Training In Education And Law Enforcement, Jamie Martin, Tabari Asim Coleman, Toni J. Fall, Crystal L. Isom, Jennifer L. Niebrzydoski

Dissertations

This study provides a timely, qualitative exploration of the perceived efficacy of cultural competency training for both law enforcement officers and educators. It comprises 18 semi-structured interviews, 10 of which were conducted with education professionals and 8 with law enforcement officers. Drawing four main themes from the interview sample, findings show participants held a complex perception of training efficacy. Interviews featured multiple anecdotes from participants concerning the application of culturally competency skills, as well as important takeaways concerning their desired topics/format of professional development sessions and their favored characteristics of facilitator approach. Our analysis further reveals implications of participants’ identity …

For Black Women - When The Rainbow Was Not Enough (Shange, 1976, New York City): An Autoethnographic Collection About Spirit Assassination, Teresa Quarles, Tamika Galvin, Sherrie Mcclellan

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

We live in an America where the higher you elevate in your career as a Black woman, the greater your chances of being subjected to racism, discrimination, isolation, and bullying. We are underrepresented in various elevated roles, but we will not let that stop us. As Black women, we can attest to the experiences that we are subjected to with no question about our mental health. The Black community in America has been subjected to a considerable presence of systemic racism, oppression, and violence - with the objectives of exercising authority and oppressing the Black community, as well as …

Ethnic Studies And White Identity, Aimee Snelling, Kara Cisco

Dissertations

Abstract

This dissertation addresses white individuals’ experiences in ethnic studies courses and addresses concerns that there is too little research in this area. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of Critical Whiteness Studies and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, this qualitative research study examines the lived experiences of white individuals who have taken at least one ethnic studies course in high school and explores the extent to which these experiences influence the development of their racial identity in the present. An extensive literature review includes the most recent research on Critical Whiteness Studies, white racial identity development, ethnic studies, and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. …

Enhancing Teachers’ Tpack And Self-Efficacy Through Content-Based Technology Professional Development, Chloe Wilson

Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to examine the impact of content-based instructional technology on teacher’s TPACK, specifically the technology related knowledge domains, and instructional technology self-efficacy. Demographic data was compared for correlations with TPACK or self-efficacy ratings. Additionally, the professional development model was evaluated by gathering teacher perceptions. A pre- and post-intervention survey was conducted to gather TPACK, self-efficacy, and perceptions of professional development. Findings were consistent and built upon previous research. Teachers experienced growth in all TPACK technology knowledge domains and displayed increased instructional technology self-efficacy ratings. Additionally, suggestions from previous research regarding best practices for …

Nursing Student Attitudes Toward Mental Illness: A Quantitative Quasi-Experimental Study, Todd B. Hastings

Dissertations

Nursing students often harbor negative stereotypes and feel unknowledgeable and unprepared to work with mentally ill people. In addition, nursing students rarely choose the psychiatric specialty as a career option. A quantitative quasi-experimental study was conducted to examine nursing student feelings about engaging those with behavioral health problems. Over 300 nursing students in eight Bachelor of Science in Nursing professional nursing programs were surveyed on the first and last day of their program's psychiatric mental health nursing course (the independent variable). A valid and reliable survey instrument was used to collect nursing student responses characterizing attitudes, impressions of knowledge and …