Digital Commons Network^™

Remote Sensing Application For Landslide Detection: Monitoring Along Eastern Lake Michigan (Miami Park, Mi), Guzalay Sataer

Dissertations

I assessed the nature and spatial and temporal patterns of deformation over the Miami Park bluffs on the eastern margin of Lake Michigan and investigated the factors controlling its observed deformation. Our approach involved the following steps: (1) extracting bluff deformation rates (velocities along the line of sight of the satellite) using a stack of Sentinel-1A radar imagery in ascending acquisition geometry acquired between 2017 and 2021 and applying the Intermittent Small Baseline Subset (ISBAS) InSAR time series analysis method; (2) generating high-resolution (5 cm) elevation models and orthophotos from temporal unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveys acquired in 2017, 2019, …

Addressing The Teacher Shortage: A Study Of Local School Human Resource Efforts In Illinois, Sean C. Potts

Dissertations

Shortages of highly qualified teachers may be one of the greatest challenges school districts face today. This study is an exploration of how eight school districts in Illinois, ranging from rural to suburban and encompassing elementary, high school, and unit organizations, experienced the effects of a teacher shortage in 2021. The three primary research questions of this study included: (1) To what degree were local districts feeling the impact of the teacher shortage in Illinois, and how did those shortages manifest themselves?; (2) What factors did local human resource directors believe to be contributing most to any obstacles they may …

Educational Experiences That Influence The Upward Mobility Of Maya Women In Belize, Jennine Pettit

Dissertations

This qualitative, multicase study explored the relationship between the educative experiences that allowed some Maya women in Belize to overcome economic and cultural barriers and change the trajectory of their lives. Many Maya girls face indigeneity, rurality, and gender discrimination (Vásquez, 2017), and obtaining a meaningful education was very difficult. The overall question for this study asked how exceptional Maya women perceived the relationship between their educational experiences and their ability to achieve advancement in society? This study also addressed the following sub-questions: How do Maya women describe their journey toward success? What institutional, cultural, or economic obstacles confront Maya …

The Impact Of Academic Advisor Behaviors On Persistence Of Pregnant And Single Mothers At 4-Year Nontraditional Universities: A Mixed Methods Study, Kristina King

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this sequential exploratory mixed methods study was to identify and describe academic advisor behaviors that had the greatest impact on persistence perceived through the lens of students who were both pregnant and single mothers while enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at a 4-year nontraditional university. A secondary purpose of this study was to identify factors that pregnant and single mothers perceived to have impacted their persistence.

Methodology: The qualitative phase of this study consisted of one-on-one interviews to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of single mothers who recently graduated from a 4-year …

Working For Justice: A Black Educators Journey Of Supporting Black Males In An Urban School District, Carey Cunningham

Dissertations

Abstract

This autoethnographic dissertation focuses on my journey as a Black male educator and administrator working in an urban school district. I highlight some of my accomplishments and challenges in dedicating my life to the field of education in the same urban school district that I attended from kindergarten to twelfth grade. This dissertation points out how my journey allowed me to support students, mainly Black boys, who faced challenges in a school district that I know very well. I have increased my, and hopefully others, understanding of the challenges Black male students and Black male administrators face in an …

Applying Retrieval Practice In Climate Change Education: How Retrieval-Based Learning May Enhance High School Students’ Conceptual Understanding On Climate Change Topics, Mengyu Wang

Dissertations

This dissertation explored ways to apply retrieval practice strategy on climate change learning at the high school level. Three studies presented that retrieval practice could be used broadly on different topics of climate change and in different learning scenarios. The first study focused on the effect of question placement on learning when students studied sea level rise from an educational video lecture. The results suggested that applying retrieval practice in a style of embedded short-answer questions in videos has clear advantage over restudying the video lecture in both immediate and delayed tests, but no difference in students' performance was found …

A Comprehensive Evaluation Of Satellite-Based Precipitation Products And Their Performance In Arid And Temperate Climates, Mohammed Tarig Mahmoud

Dissertations

Accurate and continuous precipitation monitoring is critical to enable effective water resources management; the challenge arises from the spatial and temporal variability of precipitation. The recently launched Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite has the capability to detect and measure all types of precipitation using advanced instruments. Being at its early stages of development, the products of the GPM IMERG (early, late, and final-run-products) need to be validated using multiple spatial and temporal assessment techniques. Several studies have emerged over the past few years evaluating GPM IMERG results over areas of limited size. These areas were set by hydrologic interest (e.g., …

A Study Of The Perceptions Of Relationships Between Teachers And Students And Possible Effect On Standardized Test Scores, Rachel Quintana

Dissertations

This research study sought to determine correlations between the perceptions of teacher and student relationships and personality traits with academic achievement as measured by End-of-Course (EOC) summative exams in a rural midwestern high school. As a firm believer in the importance of relationships in the classroom, the researcher created a survey instrument and provided it to teachers and students who enrolled in courses that took End-of-Course (EOC) exams in the Spring of 2021. The researcher-designed instrument categorized teachers and students based on their perceptions of relationships and four common personality traits to determine if correlations to EOC scores existed.

The …

Communication Matters: A Study Of Communication Between Emergency Managers And Water Systems Professionals Regarding Insufficient Access To Drinking Water, Paula R. Buchanan

Dissertations

In 2021, the United States – specifically the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation – declared its first-ever drinking water shortage for the Colorado River and the Hoover Dam, resulting in cuts to water access for the southwestern United States. Unfortunately, incidents like this one are increasingly likely to occur as access to drinking water has become a more pervasive issue that not only impacts the work of water systems professionals, but also impacts the field of emergency management and its practitioners. In addition, these incidents underscore the need to put a spotlight on communication processes between water systems professionals and emergency …

The New Temporary Labor: Regulating The Gig Economy In Austin, Chicago And New York, Ashley Baber

Dissertations

Gig Economy, Labor Market Intermediary, Precarious Labor, Urban Governance

Understanding Teacher Reported Experiences Of Trauma Professional Development/Training, Mayra Alejandra Gaona

Dissertations

trauma informed education, trauma informed practices, trauma informed schools, trauma professional development

A Comparison Of Education In Post-Revolutionary Mexico And Post-Independence India, Yver Alonso Melchor-Hernandez

Dissertations

Comparison, Education, History, India, Mexico

Impact Of Immigration Parent-Child Separation Policies On Children’S Attachment Experiences, Daisy Casasnovas

Dissertations

This critical literature review (CRP) project explores the consequences of child-parent separation by deportation laws. Considering the number of Latinx immigrant families immigrating to the United States, this review focused on how the unexpected separation by deportation impacted immigrant families and how these separations affect their children’s development, attachment style, and overall well-being. The review explored the short- and long-term consequences for immigrant children and their families, including children who are U.S.-born and remain in the country without their parents. Results from the review indicate an extensive and significant impact on attachment style and overall developmental impairments. The unexpected separation …

The Relationship Among Menopausal Knowledge, Stress, And Symptom Management In Southern Rural African American Women: A Developmental Perspective, Susan L. Prather

Dissertations

More than 12.9 million African American women are between the ages of 45 and 54, which is the perimenopausal period. Regardless of the millions of African American women transitioning to menopause yearly, very little information is available about their experiences, and even less is known about how they manage their symptoms.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between menopausal knowledge, stress, and symptom management among rural southern African American women. Researchers have examined menopausal experiences over the last two decades; the majority of health information about menopause is based on studies of middle-toupper-class Caucasian women. Hence, …

Brenno Blauth’S Compositional Style Elements: A Study On The Sonata For Flute And Piano, T.5., Thiago Bohm Bottega

Dissertations

The Sonata para Flauta e Piano, T.5, by Brenno Blauth (1931-1993), is a standard of the Brazilian flute repertoire. This document studies its folk and Brazilian popular music elements in order to better understand Blauth’s compositional rationale.

In 1959 Blauth was responsible for the creation of the group Movimento Musical Renovador. Based in Rio de Janeiro, MMR gathered renowned composers and performers with the goal of promoting Brazilian classical music. Chapter III is dedicated to the group’s initiatives, taking its political and cultural contextualization into account.

Chapter IV is dedicated to the study of Blauth’s compositional style shifts …

Data Collection And Machine Learning Methods For Automated Pedestrian Facility Detection And Mensuration, Joseph Bailey Luttrell Iv

Dissertations

Large-scale collection of pedestrian facility (crosswalks, sidewalks, etc.) presence data is vital to the success of efforts to improve pedestrian facility management, safety analysis, and road network planning. However, this kind of data is typically not available on a large scale due to the high labor and time costs that are the result of relying on manual data collection methods. Therefore, methods for automating this process using techniques such as machine learning are currently being explored by researchers. In our work, we mainly focus on machine learning methods for the detection of crosswalks and sidewalks from both aerial and street-view …

Relative Effects Of Self-Paced And Machine-Paced Learning Under Computer-Based Training, Eunju Choi

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a self-paced instruction versus machine-paced instruction using a computerized format. Instructional applications such as Programmed Instruction and Computer-Based Instruction have long touted the benefits of self-pacing (e.g., teaching machines, Personalized System of Instruction), but direct comparisons of different pacing types are lacking. Some preliminary research suggests that self-pacing may be prone to distraction by competing reinforcers and overall poor self-management of time. As such, it may be possible that machine-paced lessons (based on optimal timings) may foster better learning while retaining other beneficial features of CBI (interactivity, flexibility of …

Emotional Labor And New Independent School Heads, Seth William Yocum

Dissertations

The most important relationship to the life of an independent school has been the relationship between the head of school and the board of trustees. Still, most independent school heads have found that attending to their relationship with their board of trustees was one of the more challenging aspects of their work. Conventional wisdom and scholarship alike have suggested that this relationship could be especially trying for new independent school heads. The goal of this analytic autoethnographic study was to explore the performed emotional labor of new independent school heads in their relationship with their board of trustees during their …

Evidence For An Early Saginaw Lobe Ice Retreat And Drainage Adjustments Across Southern Michigan, Usa, Nathan Erber

Dissertations

The Saginaw lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS), flowed out of Saginaw Bay, across Lower Michigan and into northern Indiana. As it retreated, the Saginaw lobe deposited the Sturgis moraine, a recessional moraine of the lobe in southern Michigan. Positioned to the west and east of the Saginaw lobe were the Lake Michigan and Huron-Erie lobes, respectively. These lobes retreated across the region asynchronously, with the Saginaw lobe retreating first. The asynchronous behavior of the lobes allowed for the Lake Michigan and Huron-Erie lobes to overprint and alter landscapes once occupied by the Saginaw lobe ice.

The Kalamazoo moraine, …

The Science Is In The Dance: The Curricular Intentions Of An Innovation School, Tatum Michele Monaghan

Dissertations

This qualitative study employed educational criticism and connoisseurship to examine the curricular intentions of a school that was pushing to reform traditional standards-based curriculum methods. Improvement of the educational process required that focus be given to schools who had begun to do things differently, schools that had taken a risk to reform. This study examined a public school that holds innovation status. Data collection included interviews with the three founding teachers of the school and document analysis of a planning session transcript that included the school’s nine staff members. Additionally, data collection included document analysis of the founding teachers’ participation …

Implementation Of Postpartum Oral Glucose Testing Follow-Up In Women With Gestational Diabetes, Amanda Rose Metz

Dissertations

Implementation of Postpartum Oral Glucose Testing Follow-up in Women with Gestational Diabetes

Problem One of the most common medical complications of pregnancy is Gestational Diabetes (GDM). After delivery, guidelines recommend follow-up glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) 4-to 12-weeks postpartum. Despite these recommendations, only 16% to 22% of women complete an OGTT postpartum.

Methods The purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project is to pilot a postpartum outreach follow-up via telephone to reach women diagnosed with GDM; the communication will be sent using the institution’s electronic messaging system. Quantitative data were collected prospectively. Data collected included if the patient was contacted and …

Untold Perspectives: The Impact Of The Closure Of A Health Institution In A Black Community In North St. Louis County, Patricia Zahn, Kiley Bednar, Andrea Jackson-Jennings, Erica L. Henderson

Dissertations

Based on the literature of social determinants of health, health equity, and anchor institutions, it is evident that hospitals have a role to play in ensuring the health of their community. However, our understanding of the impact of hospital closures is limited, especially when it comes to Black communities. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of the closure of the Normandy Osteopathic Hospital to the social determinants of health—specifically access to care and economic stability as it relates to income and wealth generation—for a Black community in one near-North suburb of St. Louis. Ten individuals with …

An Evaluation Of Factors Influencing Teacher Retention In Title I Elementary Schools, Marica Stewart

Dissertations

The goal of my study was to evaluate what factors support the decisions of teachers in Title I schools to remain at the same Title I school for multiple years. More specifically, my desired outcome for this study was to determine the factors which can be managed at a school-based level to positively affect teacher retention, thereby ensuring that students have access to fully qualified teachers on an ongoing basis. The study addressed the following research questions: 1) What factors motivated the teachers to accept employment at a Title I school? 2) What factors were instrumental in teachers remaining in …

Entrepreneurship And Heterogeneity Among Firms' Strategies: Three Essays, Xi Zhang

Dissertations

The first essay of this dissertation focuses on the entrepreneurship survival in the early stage, during which time an entrepreneur plays the game at the "edge of chaos" and improvises in real-time to learn the strategic playing field. It examines the social networks of entrepreneurs and the impact on new venture survival. Specifically, it explores how the entrepreneurs' social connections with other entrepreneurs and their types of employment differentially affect survival during the different stages of the entrepreneurial journey in the United States and India. Using the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) dataset, this study documents not only how the social …

Design Of Self-Assembled Peptides For Wound Healing, Ka-Kyung Kim

Dissertations

According to the CDC, 15% of diabetic patients develop diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) and approximately 170,000 patients undergo non-traumatic amputation annually. DFU is a major complication of diabetes caused by non-healing full-thickness wounds through the dermis. The current treatments include blood sugar control, frequent debridement, offloading, moist wound care, infection treatment, and amputation. To achieve wound closure of DFU, appropriate wound care and antibiotic therapy are essential. Topical regimens include hydrocolloids, alginates, foam, silver-impregnated dressings, and hydrogels. Wound healing is a complex and dynamic interplay between the immune system, keratinocytes, and dermal cells (in case of cutaneous wound). Angiogenesis has …

Leading For Excellence, Erin Riley

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods study is to determine the degree of importance for the 12 step principles of leadership proposed by Harvey, Drolet, and DeVore (2014) to create a K-12 school environment that fosters high student achievement as perceived by public middle school principals. A secondary purpose is to explore and describe the leadership strategies for implementing the 12 step principles of leadership proposed by Harvey, Drolet, and DeVore (2014) to create a K-12 school environment that fosters high student achievement as perceived by public middle school principals.

Methodology: This explanatory mixed-methods study was completed to examine …

Constructing Roles And Discourse: Presidential Speech And European Union Accession In The Former Yugoslavia, 2000-2021, John Horner

Dissertations

Yugoslavia’s dissolution in the 1990s resulted in seven distinct nation-states vying for functional institutions, ethno-nationalistic coalescence, and external validation. To this end the European Union (EU) offered a pathway to nation-state building and membership via democratization, economic liberalization, and legal and civil improvements. However, to date only Slovenia (2004) and Croatia (2013) are EU member-states. Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia are candidate countries. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are potential candidates. What are the incentives for Western Balkan countries to reform and join the EU? Were motivations driven by rational, economic benefits of membership, or was the impetus identity-oriented to …

Post-Secondary Education Influence: College Vs. Skilled Trades, Sidney Joseph

Dissertations

Vocational education is a learning process where individuals focus on manual training with a non-academic curriculum related to a specific trade or occupation where individuals seek careers without college. According to Merriam-Webster (2019), vocational education is a type of education or training directed at a particular field and its skills. A skilled trade is any occupation that requires a specific skill set, knowledge, or ability. It is usually a hands-on job, but skilled trades are found in every career cluster. Vocational education helps create future professionals who need education and training, leading to job opportunities for plumbers, mechanics, and factory …

Effects Of Noise, Light, And Landscape On Birds In A Recently Urbanized County, Karina Alejandra Sanchez

Dissertations

Anthropogenic activities are drastically and rapidly altering ecosystems. Research has found that urban environments support less biodiversity than non-urban environments. This work has inspired recent interest investigating animal behavior and individual reproductive success in urban wildlife as mechanisms to why biodiversity is lower in urban areas. For my dissertation research, I used three key urban characteristics; noise, light, and landscape composition to study the effects of urbanization on avian species across Weld County, CO. I used these measurements to test the overarching hypothesis that urban land characteristics alter avian community structure and more specific hypotheses regarding how each factor (noise, …

Gay Male K-12 School Leaders' Self-Sabotaging Behaviors And Their Journey To Reclaiming Their Power: An Explanatory Mixed Methods Study, John Mccarthy

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed-method explanatory study was to identify and describe self-sabotaging behaviors experienced by California gay male K-12 school leaders to explore the impact these behaviors have had on their career development. A secondary purpose of this study was to identify strategies employed by California gay male K-12 school leaders to overcome these self-sabotaging behaviors.

Methodology: This mixed-method sequential explanatory study explored the lived experiences of eight gay male K-12 school leaders who self-identified that they have experienced self-sabotaging behaviors throughout their career. Purposeful, convenience, snowball sampling was utilized to identify gay men who met …