Digital Commons Network^™

The Postmodern Indian: Representation And The Films Of Sherman Alexie, Tara P. Mccrink Burcham

Dissertations

For hundreds of years, Native Americans have been characters in American media. For most of those years, whites determined the way in which Native Americans were represented. First in print, radio, silent movies and later talkies and television, representations of Native Americans have included being uneducated sidekicks, savages, noble savages seeking to steal white women, drunken idiots, or hilarious jesters all for the entertainment of viewers. This troublesome history of negative depictions of Native Americans is the reason this research is directed at the films by Native American writer and filmmaker Sherman Alexie. This research is a qualitative analysis of …

Reflective Journaling To Decrease Anxiety Among Undergraduate Nursing Students In The Clinical Setting, Joely Tara Goodman

Dissertations

Many nursing students experience anxiety in the clinical setting. Increased anxiety impairs students’ ability to learn and can have a negative effect on patient safety. To promote student learning and patient safety, it is imperative that nurse educators identify and implement strategies to decrease nursing students’ anxiety. The purpose of this embedded mixed methods study was to determine if reflective journals are an effective strategy to address the problem of student anxiety. Participants were randomly assigned by their clinical group to either write guided reflective journals, non-guided reflective journals, or no reflective journals during their first clinical rotation where they …

Male Belting: An Exploration Of Technique And Style From 1967 To Current, Bruce Earnest

Dissertations

Male belting is found in many different stylistic forms of musical theatre repertoire. Its evolution began in the late 1960s with the emergence of the rock musical phenomenon and the early musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Belting is a musical theatre singing technique that achieves specific vocal tone qualities derived from speechlike tones. These tone qualities can resonate through a performance space without the use of amplification.

Belting technique has also evolved to support the singing of musical theatre repertoire that requires an extended male vocal tessitura and honest communication of text. The advance of belting as a legitimate vocal …

Cowboy Art Song: A Contextual And Musical Analysis Of Libby Larsen's "Cowboy Songs", Ann Gabrielle Richardson

Dissertations

This dissertation sprang from a combination of two personal interests: cowboy culture and classical art song. The union of my cowgirl heritage with my career as a classical vocalist has long fueled an interest in a particular niche of repertoire: soprano art song with thematic connections to the North American cowboy. A conducted state of research reveals no scholarly literature exploring this specific topic. Libby Larsen’s collection, Cowboy Songs, fulfills the aforementioned niche, successfully capturing the spirit, musical idioms, and cultural themes of the North American cowboy.

Chapter I lays a contextual foundation for cowboy song, providing a catalogue …

A Conductor's Guide To Christian Wind Band Literature, Wesley Dykes

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to provide a conductor’s guide of the highest quality high school, collegiate, and professional Christian wind band literature readily available to those wind band conductors desiring to perform such works. Before this study, wind band conductors who wished to program sacred works did not have a convenient way to find such works, nor obtain pertinent information about them. The National Band Association Selective Music List was used as the source for all of the works in this conductor’s guide to help ensure the quality of the literature included; the list contains works of Grades …

A Qualitative Case Study In Augmented Reality Applications In Education: Dimensions Of Strategic Implementation, Abrar S. Almoosa

Dissertations

The main purpose behind technology integration is to improve the teaching and learning process. Augmented reality (AR) is a new instructional tool in the educational field. Current literature showed AR integration is successful in the United States. However, it does not exist for Kuwait. Despite the time and money invested to integrate different instructional tools, teachers in Kuwait have been unaware of the existence of the AR application and its potential use in the classroom. There is a need to help teacher educators in Kuwait use AR applications and maximize the benefits of this technology for students’ best interests. This …

Contextualizing Experiences Of Parent Engagement: Iraqi Refugee Mothers’ Perceptions Of Their Role In Their Child’S Education In The United States, Heather Nicole Kholif

Dissertations

To meaningfully capture the experiences of parent engagement of Iraqi refugee mothers in the United States, this study embraced qualitative tradition and employed narrative case study methodology to explore the primary research question: How do Iraqi refugee mothers perceive their role in their children's education in the United States? Through a critical race feminist theoretical lens, this study offers an examination of intersectionality and the way race, gender, and culture shaped Iraqi refugee mother’s experiences of parent engagement in the U.S. The participants within this study included five Iraqi refugee mothers, two who were living in the Western U.S. and …

Saudi Arabian Students' Perceptions Of Teacher Care In The United States, Abdullah Saeed Alasmari

Dissertations

Care is an essential need for human beings, especially students who spend extensive time at school. The goal of this study is to qualitatively explore Saudi university students’ perceptions of teacher care in the US. Fourteen male and female Saudi students at a large Midwestern US university were interviewed. This study offers a literature review about Saudi students’ cultural backgrounds, which make studying their educational experiences more understandable. Several themes emerged from the research data including cultural differences, learning a new language, help and support, making connections, and caring teachers as role models. Recommendations for US American teachers, Saudi Ministry …

Conditions For Social Change: Theorizing Critical Communication Pedagogy With/In The Classroom Using A Lens Of Relational Safety, David Whitfield

Dissertations

AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF DAVID W. WHITFIELD, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in COMMUNICATION STUDIES, presented on APRIL 2, 2018, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: CONDITIONS FOR SOCIAL CHANGE: THEORIZING CRITICAL COMMUNICATION PEDAGOGY WITH/IN THE CLASSROOM USING A LENS OF RELATIONAL SAFETY MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Sandra Pensoneau-Conway Using the ten commitments of Critical Communication Pedagogy (CCP) as a grounding perspective, this research project investigates the teacher-student relational dynamic with an inquiry into the degree of safety students and teachers perceive in their shared relationship. Relational safety is a new term being introduced into the literature on …

Exporting America: The U.S. Information Centers And German Reconstruction, James Podesva

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the establishment of United States Information Centers in West Germany immediately after the Second World War, and their role in securing the support of West German elites for American occupation policies, particularly democratic self-government. Located at the intersection of culture, economics, and American politics, the America Houses (Amerikahäuser) educated curious Germans about the United States, presenting a carefully curated vision of American life that minimized conflict and highlighted the material and cultural prosperity enjoyed by the mythical “average American.” The Americans contended that with the adoption of democracy and a reformed market economy, affluence was something West …

Constituted And Constituing Symbols Of The Kamëntšá Culture: Essays On Native Philosophy Of Culture, Juan Alejandro Chindoy

Dissertations

Drawing from child personal memories, stories, and participation in different ceremonies in Sibundoy (Colombia), as well as from scholarly papers and books on the Kamëntšá culture, a native culture settled in the southwest of Colombia, I discuss the constituted and constituting meanings of a native culture. The main argument is that storytelling, dancing, and yajé ceremonies are Kamëntšá’s symbolic ways of approaching the quest for meaning. At once constituting and constituted symbols of it, Kamëntšá symbols define its culture and sustain it alive. I use the idea of constituting symbols to underlie the experiences of creativity and adjustment of Kamëntšá …

Political Accountability And Determinants Of Governance Under Principal-Agent Theory, Matthew Bluem

Dissertations

This study examines the theory that quality of governance is largely dependent upon political accountability, and that the effect of political accountability on governance varies based on three main determinants: level of democracy, level of information available to the public, and diversification of the economy (Adserà et al. 2003). With quality of governance, represented by the World Bank’s World Governance Indicators (WGI), as the dependent variable, this study considers how these three independent variables, and several control variables, affect governance quality. Incorporating data from 2010 – 2015 for 143 countries in both cross-sectional OLS and fixed effects panel regression analysis, …

Security Is Local: An Analysis Of The Use Of Community-Based Security Forces During Counterinsurgency Operations, Alexander Stephenson

Dissertations

Counterinsurgency (COIN) operations are the most common type of military operation conducted by the United States and other Western powers. In most cases, conventional forces intervening in an insurgency are limited in personnel and turn to local community-based security forces to mitigate this shortcoming after initial attempts fail to defeat an insurgency with the conventional forces available. While the use of community-based security forces is a common element of COIN operations, little research has been conducted to determine the factors that contribute to their successful employment. A synthesis of existing COIN and community-based policing theory provides a model to evaluate …

The Impact Of Strategic Management Practices On The Performance Of Uae Banks, Fatmah Mohamed Al Suwaidi

Dissertations

The aim of this study is to assess the impact of strategic planning and management practices (SPM practices) on the performance of banks in the United Arab Emirates and the challenges they face in developing and implementing their strategic plans. Although banks in the UAE were able to recover smoothly after the 2008 financial crisis, they still face challenges due to globalization, low oil prices, and political instability in the region. The situation calls for efficient strategic planning and management by the authorities of the banks. This study, therefore, aims to contribute to improving the effectiveness of SPM practices within …

A Quantitative Inquiry Into The Relationship Between Learning Styles, Psychological Types And Standardized Achievement Examination Performance Of Nurse Aide Students., Sameer Ahmed

Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to explore the relationship between learning styles, psychological types and multiple-choice standardized achievement examination performance of nurse aide students with typology being the gross indicator using a non-experimental, comparative and descriptive approach. The study sample included nurse aide students (N = 326) seeking nurse aide certification selected through a stratified random sampling technique. The participation rate for completed MBTI® inventory was 58.42% (N = 326). The learning styles and psychological types were measured against the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® Form M in North American English. The multiple-choice standardized achievement examination performance of nurse aide …

A Correlation Study Of Perceived Servant Leadership Practices And Job Satisfaction Among Teachers In A Military Foreign Language Center, Saliha Murtic

Dissertations

Purpose: This correlation study determined the relationship between the level of servant-leadership practices of department chairs perceived by their foreign language teachers and the level of those same teachers’ job satisfaction within the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) in Monterey, CA.

Methodology: The study employed a quantitative method using descriptive and inferential statistical tests to answer the research questions. The sample population included 165 foreign language classroom teachers within the undergraduate basic language training at the DLIFLC. The data were collected through the Servant Leadership Questionnaire (Barbuto and Wheeler, 2006) and the Teacher Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (Lester, 1982). …

Does Seeing Matter? Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Use Of Self-Video As A Tool For Self-Reflection In The Study Of Their Own Practice, Lynn Navin

Dissertations

The use of video for teacher learning is a useful tool to support reflection and self-analysis. Video records have been successful in supporting teachers in learning to notice student thinking, a strong component in instructional expertise. The use of video provides permanent records of classroom lessons that can be viewed repeatedly (Sherin, 2001, 2007; van Es & Sherin, 2002, 2008.) It allows deep engagement and collaborative learning. Including the use of video in teacher preparation courses has successfully contributed to increasing pre-service teachers’ attending and analyzing skills, necessary components of professional vision, (Santagata & Guarani, 2011; Stürmer, Könings, & Seidel, …

Teacher Autonomy In A Site-Managed Charter School: Views Of Autonomy, Autonomy Support, And Their Educational Impact, Kristen Levin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover how pre-service teachers (PSTs), classroom teachers, and administrators in an urban charter school perceive their own professional autonomy and administrative support by the school, and how the balance of autonomy and support impact their instructional practices. I designed and implemented this research as a single case study of Highland Charter School (a pseudonym), in a Midwestern U.S. city. This study involved seven teachers, three pre-service teachers, six administrators, and the charter sponsor. The case is an independent charter school serving mainly students of low socioeconomic backgrounds, from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. At …

A Multilevel Model Of Poverty, Community Factors, And Learning For Students With Disabilities., Randal Barnes

Dissertations

Students with disabilities face challenges to academic success that can be exacerbated by the effects of poverty. In this study, Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was used to analyze the effects of socio-economic status, social capital, and threats to safety on literacy test scores for students with disabilities. Results of the analysis indicate that discipline rate had a significant effect on mean district scores on statewide standardized tests, but not on the impact of socio-economic status on test scores. Conversely, the percent of college graduates in a school district did not have a significant effect on district scores, but moderated the …

Interactions And Pathogen Transmission Between Carnivores In Madagascar, Fidisoa Rasambainarivo

Dissertations

Introduced carnivores exert considerable pressure on native predators through predation, competition and disease transmission. Improved understanding of determinant factors of interactions and pathogen transmission between introduced and endemic wildlife may help to predict disease emergence, avoid pathogen spillover and help control outbreaks. Using non-invasive camera traps, I identified areas where transmission of pathogens might happen through records of shared space-use within a protected area in Eastern Madagascar. I showed that indirect interactions between animals were more likely to occur near the research station which may constitute a disease transmission hotspot for carnivores in the landscape. Secondly, I investigated the associations …

Poetics Of The [Selves]∞: An Active Aesthetic, Alena Tunprasert-Ahrens

Dissertations

This practitioner-based research reports on the development and assessment of a transdisciplinary pedagogical model for the learning sciences. The theoretical underpinnings of Poetics of the [Selves]^∞ draw from three domains of knowledge: (1) mindfulness, (2) positive psychology, and (3) contemporary performance. The approach is designed to create positive self-transformation in participants as a result of engaging them in a sequence of activities that require different modes of reflection. The model was tested in two settings: a collaborative learning space, and a university classroom. The sample from the first workshop included individuals from the general public, and middle and high-school …

Engaging Hispanic Science Learners Within California’S Central Valley: A Mixed Methods Study Of The Perceptions Of High School Teachers Relative To Advanced Placement Science Courses, David Menshew

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the engagement of Hispanic Advanced Placement science learners in California’s Central Valley as perceived by high school teachers.

Methodology: The mixed method study surveyed 20 Advanced Placement science teachers from the region of interest. Likert surveys were used to determine: 1) their perceptions of the engagement of Hispanic students by the AP Program, and 2) barriers presented by the AP Program. Quantitative results indicated teacher support for the AP Program and few barriers as currently administered. A focus group of 12 teachers recruited from the 20 surveyed provided qualitative …

The Impact Of Proactive Community Circles On Student Academic Achievement And Student Behavior In An Elementary Setting, Michele Lenertz

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine the differences in student academic achievement and student behavior prior to and after implementation of proactive community circles (PCC) in elementary schools in California that have implemented for a minimum of two years as measured by standardized test scores and student behavior records. The second purpose was to describe the impact of proactive community circles on student academic achievement and student behavior in elementary schools in California that have implemented proactive community circles for a minimum of two years as perceived by school administrators.

Methodology: The mixed method explanatory …

The Unsung Heroes And Silent Partners Of The Educational World, Gillian Schneider

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed method study was to identify and describe what paraeducators perceive as factors that lead to effective and sustainable engagement in special education special day classes, and identify what strategies are effective for encouraging discretionary effort as perceived by paraeducators.

Methodology: The participants in the study were 69 paraeducators employed by a Southern California County Office of Education. Participants partook in two research instruments: (a) a 37-question survey and (b) a semi-structured interview.

Findings: Data based on the mixed method analysis revealed that paraeducators are highly committed employees who want to know that they are …

Meaning Makers: A Mixed-Methods Case Study Of Exemplary K-12 Superintendents And The Behaviors They Use To Create Personal And Organizational Meaning, Jamel Thompson

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this thematic, mixed-methods case study was to identify and describe the behaviors that exemplary K-12 superintendents use to create personal and organizational meaning for themselves and their followers through character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration. Further, this study surveyed followers to assess the degree to which followers believe a leader uses character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration to create personal and organizational meaning.

Methodology: This research was achieved by interviewing exemplary K-12 superintendents regarding their perceptions of utilizing the behaviors associated with the five domains—character, vision, relationships, wisdom, and inspiration.

Findings: Overall, the participants indicated that …

Effective Teaching And Behavioral Strategies Used By Exemplary Non-Public Alternative Education Schools, Alana Maxine Hughes

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore and describe the teaching and behavioral strategies exemplary, non-public alternative education schools used to support student learning as perceived by education specialists and site administrators at high-achieving, non-public alternative education schools in Los Angeles County, San Bernardino County, and Orange County.

Methodology: This qualitative case study examined the perception of education specialists and site administrators by conducting interviews to identify effective teaching and behavioral strategies used by exemplary non-public alternative education schools. The researcher interviewed nine education specialists and three site administrators from exemplary non-public alternative schools. …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Homework's Effects On English Learners, Peggy Smith

Dissertations

Purpose: Homework is an educational practice that has been implemented for many years. Research has shown that homework can have stringent effects on the well-being of students. To date, much of the research discusses the students’ and parents’ point of view on homework’s effects. Although teachers are the practitioners that develop and implement this practice, there is a dearth of research on teacher’s perspectives of homework’s effects on the well-being of students. Even less research has been carried out on teachers’ perspectives of homework’s effects on the well-being of English Learner Students. Since the goal of education is to provide …

The Relationship Between Financial Literacy, Financial Status, And Academic Success In College Students, Brian Douglas Brausch

Dissertations

As the cost of college continues to rise, an increasing number of students are relying on loans and credit cards to fund their postsecondary education. In an effort to curb student debt and increase retention and graduation rates, many universities have begun to offer financial literacy initiatives to stimulate financial knowledge and promote positive money management behaviors.

This study examines the relationship between a for-credit personal financial literacy course and student academic success and economic status. Students who took a personal finance course during their first or second year of college are compared to a random sampling of students who …

Acquisition Of Word Spellings And Meanings During Reading In Nonnative Chinese Speakers, Yang Liu

Dissertations

This dissertation explored the acquisition of word spellings (orthographic learning) and word meanings (incidental word learning) during reading in adult nonnative Chinese speakers. Two studies were designed for this dissertation. In Study One, 45 Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) learners at intermediate and advanced proficiency levels participated and completed a character learning experiment in a self-teaching paradigm. Results indicate that CFL learners were able to use the phonetic regularity and semantic transparency of radicals to learn the spellings and pronunciations of new characters after limited exposures to the characters in a story context. In Study Two, 72 CFL learners …

Restorative Practices In Schools And Its Relationship To Decreasing Discipline Infractions In African American Males, Leslie Muhammad

Dissertations

After passing the Zero Tolerance policies in 1994, schools began to have a substantial increase in the number of suspensions especially among African Americans and students of color. The researcher wanted to explore alternative methods to traditional discipline to ascertain if it would decrease the number of suspensions in African American boys. The purpose of this mixed-methods study on restorative practices is to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative discipline methods such as Restorative Practices and Mindful Activities in Midwestern urban inner city elementary school of African American male students, in third grade. There has been a true void in addressing …