Digital Commons Network^™

Vines In The Neotropics: Phylogenomics, Biogeography And Systematics In Passion Flowers (Passiflora Subgenus Decaloba Section Decaloba), Serena Acha

Dissertations

With 600 species, Passiflora is a large, morphologically complex and broadly distributed genus in Passifloraceae that represents a major challenge to scientists interested in understanding the evolutionary history of tropical vines. Passiflora has been divided into subgenera, super sections and sections. One of the most enigmatic and species-rich (~120 spp.) groups in Passiflora is section Decaloba, which occurs in the Neotropics and is particularly diverse in Andean montane forests. In this study, we used phylogenomic and population genomic approaches to investigate the evolutionary history, biologeography, species boundaries, and taxonomy of Passiflora section Decaloba. We sampled herbarium specimens, extracted …

Regional And Historical Influences On The Spatial Distribution Of Neotropical Trees, Maria Isabel Loza

Dissertations

At small spatial scales, the composition of species assemblages depends on local conditions and the dispersal of propagules from surrounding regions. In turn, processes taking place at broad temporal and spatial scales, including changes in regional physiography and climate, shape the species pools in these source regions. This dissertation seeks to understand the effects of regional and historical processes on the spatial distribution of Neotropical tree species. In chapter 1, I investigate regional enrichment of local species assemblages testing two hypothesis: i) local species assemblages are enriched by unfiltered species pools, which are composed of all species that can …

The Effect Of Union Affiliation On Salary For Female Community College Faculty, Kathleen Kanz White

Dissertations

There is a substantial pay disparity between the highest and lowest paid full-time community college faculty members, more so for women. Faculty unions, which are common at community colleges, are believed to increase pay equity, although research on unions is limited. This study provided evidence addressing gaps in the literature regarding the community college workforce and unionization in higher education. No previous research has been conducted at the community college level examining specific union affiliation and the role it plays in salary.

The purpose of the study was to examine salary variables for female community college faculty members employed in …

African Centered Education, The Maji Shujaa Online Academy: A Descriptive Case Study, Beverly Jackson

Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive case study framed by African centered theory, is to advance the knowledge about the online African centered educational programming, Maji Shujaa Academy. The researcher is the Chief Executive Officer( CEO) and lead teacher/lead developer of online educational media for the Academy. Considerable private African-centered educators with enterprenueural spirit have advanced and created online African centered global educational programming for the students of Africa and African Diaspora population groups today. Yet the available literature is shallow with regard to the workings of online African centered educational programming. This study explores in which the online Academy makes …

Multi-Tiered System Of Support In California Rural School Settings, John P. Schilling

Dissertations

Rural schools face a different set of challenges that most urban school do not,

such as geographical proximity to qualified staffing, educational and student resources, budgets based upon a smaller student population, access technology and isolation. The purpose of the research was to examine how rural schools and rural school leaders are confronting the challenge of implementing MTSS with limited resources. The researcher used the lens of implementation science as a methodological framework for examining the implementation of MTSS. The researcher used a mixed method design to collect survey data from thirty-eight rural school educators and to collect data from …

Implementation Of The Focus Act In Tennessee: A Case Study, Carol Byrd Clark

Dissertations

The purpose of this single-case holistic descriptive case study was to document and describe the implementation of the FOCUS Act from the perspective of presidents and senior leaders at the Tennessee universities that transitioned from system-level governance by the Tennessee Board of Regents to governance by institutional boards of trustees. The decentralization of governance mandated by the FOCUS Act is an infrequent occurrence in higher education and presented a unique opportunity to examine how the universities prepared for the governance change and how university leaders viewed the governance change after implementation.

The central research question of this study was: What …

Beyond Postsouthern: The Return Of The Rural In Twenty-First Century Southern Literature, Jeremy Ryan Gibbs

Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes how twenty-first century southern literature employs rurality as a means of critiquing the dominant neoliberal impulse of an increasingly urban-attuned society. In times of transition, southern literature has traditionally turned to representations of rurality in order to understand, navigate, or resist change; rapid globalization has influenced contemporary writers to return to the rural in their fiction in order to expose manifestations of the urban/rural hierarchy and offer alternatives to a prevailing urban consciousness. This study’s Introduction discusses ways in which pastoral and anti-pastoral literary modes have framed rurality in southern fiction, specifically through depictions of the plantation …

Experiences Of Secondary Social Studies Educators: The Redheaded Stepchildren Of Education, Rebecca N. Reed

Dissertations

The purpose of this multi-case phenomenological study is to understand the unique experiences of secondary social studies teachers. The number of participants was bound to six secondary social studies teachers from a public school district in a mid-Atlantic state and the experience of the researcher. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews using Seidman’s (2006) Three Step Interview Series and individual profiles were written. The phenomenological data analysis was guided by several methods including Hycner (1985), Moustakas (1994), and Seidman (2006). From the participants’ experiences several themes emerged: similarities in personal learning habits, a dislike for mandatory assessments and curriculum, and …

Career Pathway Orientation Courses And Their Influences On Student Career Decision Making, Daniel Weidner

Dissertations

High schools must create skill- and decision-making experiences to support student college and career readiness and effective transitions to careers. However, traditional career education models have lacked effectiveness. This study examines a career pathway model that includes career orientation courses focused on developing career awareness and advising, confirming and challenging student’s career decision-making. Surveys and interviews were used to identify impacts these courses had on student career choice and the influence different aspects of the orientation course had on their decision-making. From this, best practices were identified, changes to the model were proposed and modifications to policy were developed to …

The Replication Of The Globe Study In Turkey: Understanding The Effects Of Social, Economical, And Political Changes On Cultural Dimensions And Leadership Ideals: A Mixed Methods Study, Zeki Pagda

Dissertations

Starting in 1995, the GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness) project has conducted a comprehensive study of cultural values and leadership ideals of 62 countries. GLOBE has identified nine cultural and six leadership dimensions, examined the relationship between cultural values and leadership ideals, grouped countries into clusters, and presented culturally derived leadership ideals. According to the 1995 GLOBE findings, Turkey fits in the Middle Eastern cluster with its corresponding expectations regarding leadership ideals. However, in the past thirty years, Turkey has undergone dramatic social, economic and political changes that may have affected ideals of leadership. The goal of this …

The Perceptions Of Online Community College Instructors Regarding The Most Effective Collaborative Instructional, Content Specific, And Social Interaction Learning Strategies To Help Online Students Succeed, Maureen Curry

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover what collaborative instructional, content specific, and social interaction learning strategies online community college instructors perceive to be most effective in helping students succeed.

Methodology. Data were collected through interviews and review of artifacts. The target population consisted of online community college instructors in southern California. Twelve participants from three community colleges were chosen using both criterion and convenience sampling procedures.

Findings. Most online community college instructors apply a variety of collaborative instructional strategies through shared discussions, relevant group projects for content specific learning, and community building interaction …

A Quality Initiative To Reduce Pneumonia Readmissions And Mortality In Older Adults, Terri Morris

Dissertations

The United States (U.S.) healthcare system journey for making improvements in the quality and value of healthcare continues. Hospital organizations are required to compose and make publically available their health quality outcome data. The publication transparency and increased availability of local, regional and national health quality metrics, including readmission and mortality rates, to governmental agencies, health plans, investors, other hospitals, providers and potential patient and families’ knowledge, creates a competitive pressure for a hospital to assure their quality outcomes data are the best. Despite breakthrough improvements using innovative care models that target vulnerable and potentially high cost of care areas …

Knowledge Of Stroke Warning Symptoms And Risk Factors: Variations By Rural And Urban Categories, Kathleen Ann Ennen

Dissertations

Stroke continues to have a devastating disabling effect on Americans while remaining the third leading cause of death in the United States. Most Americans do not recognize the symptoms of stroke causing delay in receiving emergency treatment. The purpose of this research was to assess the knowledge of stroke symptoms and risk factors in a general public Midwest sample. Secondarily, similarities and differences in stroke knowledge between rural and urban groups were identified. The self administered Stroke Recognition Questionnaire (SRQ) directed at stroke knowledge assessment was developed. This descriptive, correlational study used a non-experimental quantitative design.

The Personal Experience Of Developing Sexuality In Middle Childhood, Marie Winn

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the personal experience of developing sexuality in middle childhood.

"We Are Strong Women": A Focused Ethnography Of The Reproductive Lives Of Women In Belize, Carrie S. Klima

Dissertations

Belize is a small country in Central America with a unique heritage. The cultural pluralism found in Belize provides an opportunity to explore the cultures of the Maya, Mestizo and the Caribbean. Women in Belize share this cultural heritage as well as the reproductive health issues common to women throughout the developing world. The experiences of unintended pregnancy, contraceptive use and abortion were explored with women using a feminist ethnographic framework. Key informants, participant observations, secondary data sources and individual interviews provided rich sources of data to examine the impact of culture in Belize upon the reproductive lives of women.

Diffusion Of Inclusion: Measuring Willingness To Adopt Inclusive Teaching Strategies In Nursing Educational Environments, Janet A. Levey

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to: (1) examine psychometric properties of the Willingness to Adopt Inclusive Teaching Strategies (ITSinNE) instrument and (2) measure factors influencing a nurse educator's willingness to adopt inclusive teaching strategies based in universal design for instruction (UDI). Universal design for instruction (UDI) is one approach to facilitate multiple ways of learning and evaluation in various learning environments for all learners; however, it is not well known or researched in nursing education. Diffusion of innovation theory (Rogers, 2003) and universal design for instruction (McGuire & Scott, 2006) provided the theoretical framework for the study. A cross-sectional …

Let The Circle Be Unbroken: Health Of Elderly Southern Appalachian Widows, Sonya Renae Hardin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to facilitate discovery and description of the health experience from the perspective of elderly Appalachian widows. The concepts of health, health beliefs, and health practices were explored using the qualitative research design of ethnography.

Governance And Economic Growth In The Arab World: Evidence From Panel Data Analysis, Adel H. Aladlani

Dissertations

Economic growth has been volatile and slow in the Arab World during the last two decades. Arguing that good governance is a precondition to vibrant economic systems and growth, comparative researchers and development policy practitioners view such a slowdown in growth in the Arab World to be triggered by weak governance performance. This cross-national study examines the relationship between governance and economic growth in the Arab World, which includes 22 member-states of the League of Arab States, over the period 1996-2017. By using World Bank data, governance is operationalized through voice and accountability (VA), political stability and absence of violence …

Statistical Machine Learning Methods For Mining Spatial And Temporal Data, Fei Tan

Dissertations

Spatial and temporal dependencies are ubiquitous properties of data in numerous domains. The popularity of spatial and temporal data mining has thus grown with the increasing prevalence of massive data. The presence of spatial and temporal attributes not only provides complementary useful perspectives, but also poses new challenges to the representation and integration into the learning procedure. In this dissertation, the involved spatial and temporal dependencies are explored with three genres: sample-wise, feature-wise, and target-wise. A family of novel methodologies is developed accordingly for the dependency representation in respective scenarios.

First, dependencies among discrete, continuous and repeated observations are studied …

A Tale Of Two Influences: An Exploration Of Downward Accountability In World Vision International, Elena Mccollim

Dissertations

International nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) face increasing accountability challenges stemming from past scandals and their claims to advance the public good. Since the 1990s, INGOs have responded with numerous reforms. The creation of the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership in 2003 and the INGO Accountability Charter in 2009 reflect sector-wide efforts to enhance accountability to mission, intended beneficiaries, and peer organizations.

Many INGOs have adopted a broad range of accountability reforms. This dissertation focuses on how World Vision, the world’s largest INGO, has done so. Downward accountability remains elusive due to such factors as INGOs’ lack of transparency toward beneficiaries; the power imbalance …

Evolving An Ecological Way Of Thinking: Social Interactions And The Construction Of Environmentally Sustainable Behaviors In Adolescents During Expeditionary Learning, Jennifer Fruend

Dissertations

The people around us - as well as the methodical progression of education through content - often shape our relationship to the world. Currently, Earth is at a crossroads, which requires humans to act and live more sustainably with an intentional environmental ethos, whether for literal survival or for slowing Earth’s resource degradation. Situated within the models of ecological contributors such as Aldo Leopold, transformational experiences, particularly when processed with self-reflection, writing, and social interaction, can change behaviors and priorities in individuals. Additionally, by recognizing the place of social learning components in expeditionary, informal, or adventure-based education settings, the potential …

The Development Of Newspaper Restaurant Criticism In Ireland, 1988–2008, Claire O'Mahony

Dissertations

This dissertation examines the development of newspaper restaurant criticism in Ireland from 1988 to 2008. This era was a time of considerable economic change in Ireland. It was also a period that saw changing attitudes to food and dining out, as well as a more varied restaurant landscape. This study aimed to determine how the format and focus of newspaper restaurant reviews changed over this time frame. It also explored the role of the restaurant critic, and how reviews reflected developments in Irish food culture and the economy. Using a mixed methods research design, a sample of reviews from the …

Validation Of A Scale To Measure Phonological And Morphological Knowledge And Skill Of Speech-Language Pathologists And Elementary Teachers, Susan S. Perry

Dissertations

Phonological and morphological skills are crucial to the process of reading. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have received advanced trained in these basic foundations of language and could be an untapped resource in our school systems for teaching beginning reading skills. The purposes of this research were to examine SLPs’ and general education elementary (K-6) teachers’ attitudes toward SLPs taking part in reading instruction, to compare the differences in phonological and morphological knowledge and skill among SLPs and teachers, and to assess the performance of the Revised Basic Language Constructs Surveywhen administered to SLPs and teachers.

Results indicated that, although fewer …

The Cultural Adaptation Experiences Of Chinese Higher Education Students In The American Deep South: A Comparison Across Disciplines, Xiaonan Song

Dissertations

In the past decade, Chinese international students have been found as one of the largest international student groups at American institutions across the country. However, the American Deep South was not less frequently studied in the past. Due to the distinctiveness of the Deep South, the researcher conducted this qualitative research on Chinese international students studying in this historically and culturally distinctive region. Mississippi was chosen as a representative state of the Deep South in the current study. The researcher collected data from in-depth interviews from three publicly funded institutions in Mississippi. Besides reporting many common issues regarding to cultural …

The Effects Of Rurality And Education Deserts On The Four-Year Degree Selection Of Aspiring Teacher Education Candidates In A Rural Community College Setting, Alice Faye Sanders

Dissertations

Teacher shortages exist across the nation, with greater shortages in middle school and secondary education (Center for Public Education, 2016). The purpose of this study was to determine the factors and barriers presented to teacher education candidates affecting the selection of their teacher education degrees in a rural community college setting. The research questions were designed to use quantitative survey questions administered to the teacher education candidate population of ABC College. Qualitative interview questions were used to gather data from the Director and Assistant Director of Enrollment Services/Student Development at ABC College. As a result of data analysis, misconceptions were …

Suspended Sediment And Particulate Matter Transport In Mississippi Sound And Bight Assessed With Physical Modeling, Remote Sensing And In Situ Measurements, Stephan O'Brien

Dissertations

Tidal passes between Mississippi Sound (MS Sound) and Mississippi Bight (MS Bight) act as a transport pathway for the exchange of estuarine discharge and suspended particulate matter. A better understanding of sediment and particulate matter exchange can provide insights into turbidity, nutrient supply and aquatic ecosystem health for the region. This work examined the effects of different forcing factors (e.g. wind and tides) on the advection of suspended sediments and particulate matter in the study area. Fieldwork included particle size distribution, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and conductivity-temperature-depth measurements in the MS Sound and MS Bight from summer 2015 through …

How Exemplary Rural Superintendents Build Trust With And Between School Board Members, Edwin Cora

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study was to identify and describe what strategies exemplary rural superintendents perceive as most important to build trust with school board members using the five domains of competence, consistency, concern, candor, and connection.

Methodology: This explanatory sequential mixed-methods case study combined both quantitative and qualitative approaches, also known as an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study. Numerical data (quantitative), through use of a survey, were used to provide the researcher a broad perspective on how exemplary superintendents build trust with and between school board members. Also, narrative data (qualitative), in the form of select …

Complexities Of Clery Act Reporting Requirements As Related To Non-Compliance: Perceptions Of Compliance Officials At Midwest Higher Education Institutions, William R. Kenny

Dissertations

Violent crimes and sexual assaults on higher education campuses in the United States has been an ongoing for decades. In 1990, Congress enacted the Jeanne Clery Act in to enhance the safety of students by requiring higher education institutions to publish their crime statistics and security policies in the form on an Annual Security Report (Fox, Khey, Lizotte, & Nobles, 2012; Richards & Kafonek 2013). Previous research revealed the Clery Act’s many requirements are confusing and open to interpretation, which has prevented higher education institutions from maintaining compliance (Wood & Janosik, 2012). This study investigates the complexities of Clery Act …

A Mixed-Methods Study Of How Elementary Principals Build Trust With Staff Using Weisman's Five Domains Of Trust Model, Cynthia Smith-Ough

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to identify and describe how elementary principals establish trust with staff using the 5 domains of trust: connection, concern, candor, competence, and consistency (Weisman, 2010). In addition, it was the purpose of this study to determine the elementary principals’ perceived degree of importance of the 5 domains for building trust.

Methodology: This mixed-methods research design used quantitative and qualitative data to analyze the research questions related to trust between elementary principals and their staff. The study combined surveys and in-person interviews. The quantitative data were gathered via a 10-question online Likert Scale …

The Rebel Made Me Do It: Mascots, Race, And The Lost Cause, Patrick Smith

Dissertations

Public memory is commonly tied to street names, toponyms, and monuments because they are interacted with daily and are often directly associated with race, class, and regimes of power. Mascots are not thought of in the same manner although they are present as part of everyday life. The childish or sometimes comedic nature of the mascot discounts it from many considerations of its influence, symbolism and history. Nonetheless this research focuses on the term “Rebel” as a secondary school mascot. The term possesses the trappings of race because the American vernacular ties the word to the Confederate States of America …