Digital Commons Network^™

Perceptions And Practices: A Qualitative Study Of Middle Grades Physical Science Teachers’ Knowledge And Use Of Formative Assessment, Michelle Morgan

Dissertations

Declining content mastery scores in middle grades physical science across the River Valley School District, as reflected in College and Career Ready Performance Index data, have raised concerns about instructional practices and the use of formative assessment. Although formative assessment is widely recognized as a high-impact practice, limited research has examined how middle school physical science teachers’ conceptual knowledge aligns with their instructional planning and classroom practices. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore teachers’ knowledge of formative assessment and the relationship between their stated beliefs and instructional practices. Participants included five eighth-grade physical science teachers …

The Impact Of Targeted Remediation On Reading Growth Among Remedial Middle School Students, Jennifer Givens

Dissertations

Many middle school students enter secondary education with below grade-level reading skills and are unable to demonstrate measurable growth without structured intervention. This study examined relationship between participation in a targeted Remedial Education Program (REP) English Language Arts (ELA) course and reading growth, as measured by the Northwestern Evaluation Association’s Measures of Academic Progress (NWEA MAP) Reading assessment. A quasi-experimental design compared fall-to-winter MAP Reading RIT growth between students enrolled in REP and academically similar students receiving special education services but not enrolled in REP. This study also investigated whether the effects of the intervention varied based on gender or …

Students’ And Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Impact Of I-Ready On Students’ Math Achievement, Tanisha L. Wright

Dissertations

This semester-long qualitative study included semi-structured interviews to gather ideas, opinions, and impressions (perceptions) regarding the i-Ready Program, a computer-based solution used to address students’ math deficiencies.  The researcher interviewed three teachers who volunteered to participate. These teachers had at least five years of teaching experience and at least two years of i-Ready use. The researcher also interviewed eight students with varying learning abilities. Parental consent was obtained to conduct the interviews.

Although this program is very popular and used in multiple school districts, this research aims to determine whether it is the best solution for our school district in …

The Digital Divide And Participation In Financial Services: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective, Melissa A. Cunningham-Sereque

Dissertations

The global financial technology (FinTech) market reached nearly $395 billion in 2025 and is projected to surpass $1 trillion within the next decade (Fortune Business Insights, 2025). As digital technologies become increasingly embedded in banking and financial services, this dissertation responds to calls within the Information Systems (IS) discipline to better understand digital access, inclusion, and participation in financial systems (PFS). Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory, this study used prominent dimensions from extant digital divide literature to build a digital resource domain consisting of connectability, affordability, usability, mentality, and skill. These dimensions are proposed to influence intrinsic motivation, …

A Phenomenological Study Of Teachers Who Use Oral Reading To Foster Student Reading Fluency And Engagement, Donyetta Grimes

Dissertations

The National Reading Panel (2000) recommends oral reading instruction as a means to improve overall reading fluency and reading comprehension. Oral reading fluency is a necessary foundational skill, and students who have not mastered it by the end of third grade, when students transition from learning to read to reading to learn, become struggling adolescent readers (Ming, 2018). Furthermore, there is a lack of research on reading fluency past the primary grades (Makebo et al., 2022). Additionally, research gaps exist when considering teachers’ actual practices during reading instruction (O’Sullivan et al., 2009). This gap is particularly concerning considering that teachers …

Science For All: Utilizing Native And Everyday Language To Increase Academic Performance And Student Engagement For High School English Language Learners, Lashanda K. Whitworth

Dissertations

In public high schools across the U.S. high stakes assessments are seen as a lever to facilitate high-quality education and to gauge student learning. English Language Learners are mainstreamed into content classes and despite having low English proficiency scores are expected to perform as well as English first students and are required to take district and state mandated biology assessments. At the research site, ELLs comprise 25% of students and consistently score below the other subgroups in biology. This quasi-experimental study tested whether using disaggregate instructional strategies—incorporating ELLs’ native and everyday language—increases learning gains, academic growth, and engagement in a …

Chilling Or Galvanizing: Perceptions Of Controversial Issues In The Social Studies Classroom, Patrick Leahy

Dissertations

This study explores social studies teachers' perceptions of the use of controversial issues in their content and classrooms. Through a case study approach, it explores the decision-making process of social studies teachers in Georgia, contextualized by the current political environment, including the enactment of divisive concepts laws such as Georgia’s HB 1084, the Protect Students First Act, and increasing scrutiny over what is taught in public schools. Findings reveal that while the literature and advocates critical of divisive concepts laws tend to argue that these laws have a chilling effect on the discussion of controversial issues, the reality is more …

Perceptions And Beliefs Of A High School Geometry Professional Learning Community During Initial Implementation Of Standards-Based Grading, Marcellyn E. Baker

Dissertations

Traditional grading systems in secondary schools often conflate behavior with achievement, obscure evidence of understanding, and constrain teachers’ ability to enact learning-centered beliefs. This qualitative case study examined how five experienced secondary mathematics teachers in a public high school geometry department experienced and interpreted a grassroots transition to standards-based grading (SBG) within collaborative professional learning communities (PLCs). Guided by a pragmatic and constructivist worldview, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus groups, field observations, and questionnaires and analyzed using iterative open and axial coding with cross-group pattern analysis. Findings indicated that SBG did not fundamentally alter teachers’ beliefs about learning; …

Certified Orientation And Mobility Specialists’ Experiences Working With Students Who Have Cerebral Visual Impairment, Elise Nobuko Darrow

Dissertations

Certified orientation and mobility specialists (COMS) provide instruction to students who are blind or visually impaired on how to navigate safely and efficiently. Visual impairments can stem from eye-related conditions or neurological issues, such as cerebral visual impairment (CVI), which affects visual processing. Cerebral visual impairment is currently the leading cause of visual impairment in children in the United States and is often accompanied by comorbidities such as cerebral palsy, which is associated with additional disabilities. Orientation and mobility (O&M) instruction focuses on teaching safe and efficient travel skills and began as a rehabilitation service for blinded war veterans who …

Exploring Predictors Of First-Time National Council Licensure Exam For Registered Nurses Next Generation Success In Bachelor Of Science In Nursing Program To Determine The Need For Remediation, Ashton Clarkson

Dissertations

Passing the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) on the first attempt is crucial not only for nursing students but also for nursing programs and employers. Nursing programs’ reputations rest on their first-time NCLEX pass rates for incoming students and for national accreditation (Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, 2023; Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 2024; Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation, 2021). Also, the United States is experiencing a nursing shortage that could be alleviated by more nurses passing the NCLEX-RN on the first try. This quantitative study aimed to determine whether there is predictive ability between the …

Reconsidering The Undergraduate Viola Canon: A Skill Based Framework For Repertoire Expansion, Daniella Isabel Angulo Martinez

Dissertations

This research analyses the limitations of the standard undergraduate viola repertoire and proposes a structured, skill-based framework for its expansion. Within collegiate viola programs in the United States, training frequently focuses on a limited group of orchestra-accompanied works, particularly those by Telemann, Stamitz, Bruch, and Walton. While these works have a great pedagogical value, their dominance has contributed to a restricted repertoire that can limit students’ technical development, musical style knowledge, and artistic growth.

Based on the pedagogical standards of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), this research identifies five core performance domains - technique, rhythm, intonation, tone projection, and …

An Expertise-Based Approach To Training Decision-Making And Situational Awareness For Basketball Referees, Scott Warner Boatright

Dissertations

Expertise, rapid decision-making, and situational awareness are key components of high performance in many areas, including basketball officiating. Traditional methods of providing feedback on performance to basketball referees rely heavily on broadcast video and rule review, which does not adequately target the perceptual-cognitive skills associated with rapid and dynamic decision-making. The current study developed and evaluated a 360-degree video virtual reality (VR) Expertise-Based Training (XBT) program designed to accelerate expertise in intermediate-level basketball referees. Using think-aloud protocol, conducted with an expert basketball referee, expert judgments and rational were elicited and implemented as Expert-Model Feedback within the referee training program. Twelve …

Enhancing Control Charting Schemes And Exploring New Assessment Metrics To Advance Quality Control And Cyber-Attack Detection In Manufacturing, Ahmad Al Majali

Dissertations

The increasing integration of digital technologies and industrial control systems in modern manufacturing has introduced new cybersecurity vulnerabilities within cyber–physical production environments. Malicious actors can exploit these vulnerabilities to induce subtle process deviations that degrade product quality while remaining undetected by conventional statistical monitoring tools. Such attacks can be deliberately engineered to manipulate process behavior through transient shifts that vary in magnitude, duration, and frequency. Despite extensive research on transient shifts caused by assignable causes in Statistical Process Control (SPC), limited attention has been given to intelligently designed cyber–physical attacks that exploit the structural characteristics and limitations of control charting …

Enhancing Traffic Safety Through Ai-Driven, Privacy-Preserving, And Secure Impaired Driving Detection Systems, Razan Alsulieman

Dissertations

Drunk driving remains a major threat to road safety worldwide, contributing significantly to traffic injuries and fatalities each year. Traditional detection approaches are largely reactive and vehicle-centric, relying on in-vehicle sensors, breathalyzers, or post-incident enforcement. These methods often depend on driver cooperation, intrusive hardware installations, or limited monitoring environments, restricting their scalability and effectiveness in large transportation systems. At the same time, modern cities increasingly deploy roadside cameras, surveillance networks, and drone- based monitoring systems, creating new opportunities for proactive intoxication detection at the infrastructure level. However, leveraging such external monitoring introduces challenges related to secure data collection, reliable AI-based …

Journey Of Becoming: Risk And Self-Determination In The Story Of Self For Adults With Intellectual, Developmental, And Learning Disabilities A Phenomenological Case Study Employing Narrative Inquiry And Thematic Analysis, Christopher R. J. Worth

Dissertations

This phenomenological case study, employing narrative inquiry and thematic analysis, captured the first-person voice of emerging adults (ages 20–28) with intellectual, developmental, and learning disabilities to explore how experiences of risk and self-determination shaped their personal narratives, or story of self. Guided by Critical Disability Theory, Foucault’s concept of relational power, and Shogren’s Causal Agency Theory, the study challenged the systemic bubble-wrapping that denies this population the "dignity of risk" (Perske, 1972). Data were collected from six participants through semi-structured interviews, adapted photovoice submissions, and participant selfreflections. The findings revealed that the phenomenon of becoming, catalyzed by intellectual adaptive risk-taking, …

Formative Experiences, Belief Formation, And Entrepreneurial Success: An Upstream Development Perspective For Entrepreneurship Education, Johan C.G. Eriksson

Dissertations

This research examines how formative experiences inform the formation of entrepreneurial beliefs and how those beliefs relate to a practitioner-informed understanding of entrepreneurial success. Using a mixed-methods design, the study began with semi-structured interviews with 25 experienced entrepreneurs. Participants reflected on how they define entrepreneurial success and which formative experiences they associate with achieving it. Inductive thematic analysis produced a practitioner-informed definition of entrepreneurial success and identified twelve formative experiences connected to entrepreneurial development. A subsequent two-round Delphi study engaged these expert participants to further examine the relative importance of the identified experiences and to provide insight into which formative …

Our Stories: Black Parents’ Experiences At K-12 Predominantly White Institutions, Jason Thompson

Dissertations

Black parents of Black children attending K–12 predominantly White institutions (PWIs) often experience stress as they navigate school environments where they may be perceived as uninterested, combative, or “token” members of the school community. These deficit-based perceptions can cause Black parents to limit school interactions, question whether their perspectives will be valued, and develop distrust toward school personnel. Although research has examined Black students’ experiences in PWIs, fewer qualitative studies have centered on Black parents’ stories. Capturing these experiences in parents’ own words helps challenge harmful stereotypes and offers schools, especially school counselors, deeper insight into strengthening relationships with Black …

Organizing To Engage: A Framework For Conflict Strategy, Paul Mason Carpenter

Dissertations

Conflict strategy can be exceedingly complex. While many of the basics are simple, even the simple can be highly complicated to execute. The Schlieffen Plan in World War I appeared straight forward, but execution was a great deal more complex. It failed and the result was years of trench warfare.  In addition, leaders entering conflict may not fully appreciate the full context, its effect, and the need for a long term result--a better state of peace.

Strategy and tactics may be challenging to transform as an engagement evolves. In addition, strategists must often commit to courses of action within very …

A Design-Based Mixed-Method Study On Mathematical Fluency Interventions Implemented In A Midwestern School District, Shari Fox

Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to implement math fluency interventions with intention and fidelity to increase student math achievement. Recent studies have reported a decline in students' mathematics achievement scores, calling for an urgent redesign of instructional practices. Aligning with strategic organizational change, the scholar-practitioner designed math fluency activities to be implemented during math instructional time, embedding the strategies within the current curriculum, which lacked sufficient resources. The researcher then collected data from student reflections, end-of-unit assessments, and the beginning-of-year math diagnostic to design a specific implementation of math fluency activities that would help students increase their mathematical …

Active Listening And Reassurance In Text-Based Virtual Health Coaches, Ghulam Hussain

Dissertations

Conversational agents (CAs) have strong potential to support health and physical wellbeing through text-based coaching, but they remain limited in their ability to demonstrate supportive social behaviours that are important in human coaching interactions. In particular, relatively little is known about how Active Listening and Reassurance are perceived, modelled, and evaluated in text-based virtual healthcare coaching, or how such behaviours should be adapted to individual users.

This dissertation investigates how supportive interaction behaviours can enhance text based virtual health coaching, with an initial focus on Active Listening and Reassurance and a later theoretical emphasis on Active Listening. Across five unique …

The Impact Of Social-Emotional Learning Instruction On Intermediate Grade Levels, Leah Frances Davis

Dissertations

The study, The Impact of Social-emotional Learning on Intermediate Grade Levels, examined the perceived impact of social-emotional learning on the five core CASEL competencies. This included: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The study was a mixed methods design using qualitative research methods of surveys and interviews to analyze the teachers’ perceptions on the impact of social-emotional learning. Quantitative analysis reviewed attendance and discipline data to determine the impact of social-emotional learning on these factors. Teachers’ perceptions, coupled with and compared to the quantitative component of change in discipline infractions and daily attendance, offer great insight into …

Perspectives Of Classroom Teachers On The Foundational Reading Needs Of Fourth Through Sixth Grade Students, Deliska Burton-Cooley

Dissertations

Reading proficiency is a critical foundation for academic success; however, many students enter the upper elementary grades without the foundational literacy skills necessary to access grade level content. Teachers in grades four through six are increasingly responsible for addressing persistent reading gaps while simultaneously meeting instructional expectations aligned with grade-level standards. The problem addressed in this qualitative descriptive study was the limited research examining how upper elementary teachers identify and respond to foundational reading needs when such gaps persist beyond the primary grades. The purpose of this study was to examine upper-elementary teachers’ perspectives on identifying and addressing foundational reading …

Fully Decentralized Hierarchical Federated Learning At The Edge With Post-Quantum Secure Communication, Tariq Qayyum

Dissertations

Federated learning (FL) enables collaborative model training without centralizing raw data, but deploying FL at scale in real edge environments remains challenging because iterative training and aggregation must operate over heterogeneous, resource-constrained, and often mobile devices with time-varying connectivity. Conventional hierarchical federated learning (HFL) partially mitigates communication cost by introducing fog/edge aggregation, yet many designs retain cloud-based global aggregation and cloud-centric coordination. This places wide-area network latency on the critical path of every training round, creates a single point of failure, and limits responsiveness as model sizes and federation scale grow. Moreover, moving coordination and aggregation closer to the edge …

Intelligent Deep Learning-Based Sign Language Translation System, Nada Rasem Shahin

Dissertations

The Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) community uses sign language as a primary means of communication. However, the shortage of sign language interpreters and the existence of hundreds of sign languages limit accessibility and inclusion. Sign Language Machine Translation (SLMT) systems present a promising solution for bridging the communication gap between the DHH and the hearing individuals, supporting inclusive societies. In smart cities, such systems play an essential role in improving the quality of life on a community level. In particular, as the population’s well-being is critical, developing intelligent assistive technologies, such as SLMT systems, is necessary to provide …

Hybrid Neural Network Model Defenses, Eric Yocam

Dissertations

Hybrid neural networks (HNNs), which integrate classical convolutional neural networks with quantum circuit components, are highly vulnerable to white-box targeted compound (WTC) adversarial attacks. Previous research has primarily evaluated defenses against single-method attacks, leaving a critical gap in understanding defense effectiveness against compound attacks that combine multiple perturbation strategies. This research study systematically evaluates defense mechanisms against WTC adversarial attacks on HNN models across 120 experimental conditions. Three defense categories are investigated: test-time defenses (input transformation and randomization, applied during inference without retraining) and training-time defense (adversarial training, requiring model retraining). Evaluation uses four datasets (MNIST, EMNIST "Digits", TinyImageNet, TrafficSigns) …

Emotional Tides In The Sea Of Automation: The Interplay Of Emotions And Trust On Automation Reliance, Lei Shirase

Dissertations

The present study examined the interplay between emotions and trust in the context of automation reliance. The study investigated whether specific emotions (happiness, interest, anger, sadness, and fear) systematically impacted users’ trust in an x-ray screening decision aid, their reliance on the aid, as well as their resilience to any errors made by the aid. Despite successfully inducing certain emotional states, there was no significant relationship between emotions and trust in / reliance on the automated aid. Supplemental analyses revealed that stable individual difference traits (i.e. propensity to trust) to be a strong predictor of initial trust levels in the …

Quantum Safe Encryption (Qse) Within The Internet Of Medical Things (Iomt) Environment Using Zero Trust Architecture (Zta), Michael Grant Williams

Dissertations

This research will use a Design Science Research (DSR) methodology and show that the results would be feasible, since there will not be any actual validating or testing occurring within or on this research project because this model is a theoretical model. In addition, this proposed theoretical model is based on extensive use of NIST standards and frameworks. This theoretical model will focused on the use of Quantum-Safe Encryption (QSE) within the Vivalink Electrocardiogram (ECG) Patch Monitor Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) device in a Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA). The advancement of quantum computing (QC) is expected to …

Feedback In Digital Game-Based Learning: A Taxonomy And The Design And Empirical Evaluation Of A Feedback System In A Mathematics Serious Game, André Almo

Dissertations

Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) is an active, student-centred pedagogical approach in which feedback plays a central role by informing learners’ actions, guiding decision-making and shaping motivation and engagement. Despite its importance, feedback in serious games is often described inconsistently and insufficiently in research, limiting comparability across studies and the accumulation of design knowledge, particularly for children. This thesis addresses these gaps through two complementary contributions: the development of a taxonomy for feedback design in digital serious games and the empirical evaluation of a taxonomy-informed feedback system in a mathematics game for primary school students. First, this work introduces the Taxonomy …

Resting-State Eeg Spectral Activity In Children And Adolescents With Asd: Potential Correlations With Interoceptive Neocortical Areas, Stephanie J. Morris

Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition marked by impairments in social interaction, communication, repetitive behaviors, and differences in cognitive and emotional functioning. These challenges can significantly affect daily living, relationships, and long-term independence, often requiring lifelong support. Emerging research suggests that deficits in interoceptive processing—the ability to perceive internal bodily states—may contribute to ASD symptoms and represent a potential target for intervention.

This study aims to compare resting-state EEG (QEEG) activity between children and adolescents with ASD and neurotypical (TD) peers, and to explore the relationship between interoceptive processing and ASD diagnosis. Archival QEEG data from individuals aged …

A Capability Maturity Model For Artificial Intelligence Integration In Supply Chain Management, Lordt Becklines

Dissertations

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming Supply Chain Management (SCM), yet many organizations struggle to assess their readiness for AI adoption and to understand how AI capabilities develop across maturity stages. This dissertation addresses this gap by developing a Capability Maturity Model (CMM) for AI integration in SCM, grounded in Organizational Information Processing Theory (OIPT), the Resource-Based View, and related capability frameworks. The model provides a structured approach for evaluating an organization's information-processing requirements, resource configurations, and alignment needed for effective AI-enabled supply chain operations.

Using a design science research approach, the AI-SCM CMM and its associated assessment instrument were derived …