Digital Commons Network^™

Principal And Teacher Perceptions Of Classroom Walkthroughs In Middle School Settings, Ethel Shanklin

Dissertations

There is no question that education is paramount to student success. The goal of No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2001), did not work. The last revision of this act, the Every Students Succeeds Act of 2016 is now being implemented, Educators are yet struggling for the panacea that is effective for all students’ competencies in the world. Students from low socio-economic areas are at a greater risk of their educational needs not being met for various reasons. There is the opportunity to reach students in schools in spite of their home situations. Instruction begins and ends with instructional leaders in …

Acupuncture For Symptom Management In A Menopausal Population: An Exploration Of Mechanism And Experience, Cheryl L. Wright

Dissertations

This early phase study examined the effects of a series of ten standard-protocol acupuncture treatments over four weeks in 12 healthy, but symptomatic, menopausal women. In addition to measuring two biologic markers that may shed light on the physiologic impact of acupuncture, symptom experience data were collected.

Having Courage: A Lived Experience Of Human Becoming, Debra A. Bournes

Dissertations

Having courage is inextricably related to the way people make choices about what is important, what to do, and how to go on in life in ways they view as worthwhile. It is a universal lived experience that is important to quality of life. The purposes of this research were to identify the essences of the experience of having courage and to contribute to knowledge about human becoming the nursing theory guiding this study. Participants were ten persons 21 to 64 years of age who were living in the community with spinal cord injuries. They were willing to speak about …

Si Me Preguntas, Te Lo Contaré Todo: If You Ask Me, I'Ll Tell You Everything. Battered Latina Women's Experiences Of Health Care, Ursula A. Kelly

Dissertations

Intimate partner abuse (IPA) is a significant health problem for women around the globe, and a challenge for health care providers (HCPs). Identifying and appropriately responding to victims of IPA is the standard of care for HCPs. There is a lack of understanding of this problem, as well as the needs of victims of IPA, from patients' perspectives, particularly Latina women. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenology was to improve health care providers' understanding of the health care experiences of battered Latina women. Feminism was the orienting philosophical framework of the study. Hermeneutic interviews were conducted with 17 Latina women …

Nursing Effects In Policy-Making, Alexis A. Wilson

Dissertations

Nursing effects in policy-making is a qualitative interview study about the effects of nursing as a professional entity in the policy-making process. The framework of the study included exploration of a perceived problem that nursing does not communicate effectively within the larger health care community. The research question asked was: What are the effects of the nursing profession in the policy-making process? The question was answered through in-depth interviews with eight influential nursing leaders, and two non-nurse health care leaders. Respondents were chosen because of demonstrated excellence or leadership positions, political positions, non-traditional nursing experiences, attachment to service ideals, and/or …

College Smoking And Psychosocial Correlates Among College Students, Mavra E. Kear

Dissertations

While the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adolescents and adults declined in the 1990's, smoking among college students rose nearly 30%. Relatively little research has explored smoking determinants among this at-risk group. Given the high cost of morbidity and premature mortality related to smoking, it is crucial that factors influencing smoking be identified and addressed in tobacco use prevention and cessation programs aimed at this age group. The combined effect of risk-taking tendency, depression, social normative beliefs, and smoking resistance self-efficacy on cigarette smoking behavior among college students was studied. The Theory of Triadic Influence (Flay & Petraitis, 1994), a …

The Effect Of Interpersonal Relatedness On Partner Abuse As Mediated By Hopelessness And Depression In African-American Males, Larry B. Rankin

Dissertations

Research on partner abuse has generated controversy regarding contributing factors. One problem is studies have not included significant numbers of African-American males. This study examined the effect of interpersonal relatedness variables on partner abuse as they were mediated by affect states of hopelessness and depression in 69 African-American males who were arrested for partner abuse. Path analysis was used to examine the relationship between attachment, social support, and sense of belonging as mediated by hopelessness and depression to explain abusive behaviors in African-American males arrested for partner abuse. There were nine hypotheses proposed for the study. They included the examination …

Compassion Fatigue Among U.S. Military Rns Post Overseas Deployment, Dawn Marie Goldstein

Dissertations

Describe the meaning of compassion fatigue (CF) as experienced by the U.S. military registered nurse (RN) post-deployment from Iraq and Afghanistan. Background: CF is characterized by deep emotional and physical exhaustion, and may resemble posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Often this causes a shift in confidence and clouds RN perceptions. Symptoms include difficulty concentrating, intrusive imagery, hopelessness, exhaustion, and irritability leading to profound alterations in one's view of the world, patients, family, and friends. Outcomes include depersonalizing patients, poor coping mechanisms, lowered standards, clinical errors, and blurring boundaries, all can contribute to a toxic work environment and RNs leaving the profession.

An Intervention To Increase Intentions And Behavioral Skills To Postpone Sexual Activity In Cameroonian Preadolescent Female Students, Comfort C. Enah

Dissertations

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is an escalating problem in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the World Health Organization, the disease constitutes a threat to the health of adolescents in this region. One of the countries in this region with a growing prevalence of AIDS is Cameroon, where an estimated one in four adolescents is at risk for contracting this disease. Little is known, however, about effective strategies that can assist adolescents in this country to reduce their vulnerability. The specific aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of a school-based intervention delivered to pre-adolescent Cameroonian girls to: (1) …

Factors Affecting The Relocation And Transition Of Internationally Educated Nurses Migrating To The United States Of America, Kristina S. Ibitayo

Dissertations

A paucity of research studies and systematic reviews have been conducted on IEN nurse migration experiences in the US. The number of IENs in the US RN workforce is projected to continue growing. Therefore, studies on nurse migration and IEN relocation and transition experiences are essential. This exploratory descriptive study on the transition conditions and professional satisfaction of nurses migrating to the US provides information on the complex pull and push factors affecting nurse migration. This study described the push factors, pull factors, personal characteristics, motivation to migrate, transition conditions, family/social environment, work environment, and professional satisfaction of IENs in …

Studies Of Two-Phase Flow With Soluble Surfactant, Ryan Peter Atwater

Dissertations

Numerical methods are developed for accurate solution of two-phase flow in the zero Reynolds number limit of Stokes flow, when surfactant is present on a drop interface and in its bulk phase interior. The methods are designed to achieve high accuracy when the bulk Péclet number is large, or equivalently when the bulk phase surfactant has small diffusivity

In the limit of infinite bulk Péclet number the advection-diffusion equation that governs evolution of surfactant concentration in the bulk is singularly perturbed, indicating a separation of spatial scales. A hybrid numerical method based on a leading order asymptotic reduction in this …

Deverne Calloway: “I Am A Teacher---I Will Teach”, Holly Hick

Dissertations

In 1962, DeVerne Calloway was the first Black woman elected to the Missouri General Assembly and the first Black woman elected to any public office in the state of Missouri. A political activist and educator by nature, a legislator by trade, DeVerne has decades of historically documented critical work within the intersections of race, gender, and class. Her work, though well documented, remains undertheorized. This study seeks to explore DeVerne’s life and work through Black feminist theory and Critical Race Theory’s tenets of intersectionality and interest convergence, ultimately tracing her actions as a public intellectual. Written as an educational biography, …

Self-Concept Cognitive Perception And Adherence To Recommended Health Regimes In Adults With Heart Failure, Christine M. Thomas

Dissertations

This study used Roy's Self-concept Mode Theory to examine the relationships between components of self-concept including body sensation, body image, self-consistency, self-ideal, and moral-ethical-spiritual self and adherence to recommended health regimes in individuals with heart failure (HF). The study also examined the extent to which aspects of self-concept cognitive perception of health regimes might predict adherence to health regimes.

The Social Organization Of Women's Preterm Labour Experiences, Karen Ann Mackinnon

Dissertations

This study is grounded in a deep sense of respect for the work that women do in the family and by a desire to make that work visible so that women can be recognized for the valuable contributions they make to our Canadian society. I have explored the unpaid work that women do while also living with the threat of preterm labour. Women were able to talk about the complex nature of their work and described their many family responsibilities. They also described their fear of going home from the hospital and feeling alone with the responsibility for their work …

Calming Music And Hand Massage With Agitated Elderly, Ruth M. Remington

Dissertations

Agitated behavior is a widespread problem that adversely affects the health of nursing home residents and increases the cost of their care. Agitated nursing home residents are more likely to be physically or chemically restrained, to fall and to have a lower quality of life. Current strategies to reduce agitated behavior tend to be costly.

This dissertation research examined a relatively inexpensive intervention to reduce the agitated behavior of cognitively impaired nursing home residents. The specific aim was to compare the effect of calming music or hand massage or a combination of calming music and hand massage on the level …

Accessing Prenatal And Perinatal Health Care Services: Experiences Of First Generation Latina Immigrants In A Rural West Tennessee County, Jacqueline Rosenjack Burchum

Dissertations

Between 1990 and 2000, there was a substantial immigration of people of Latino heritage to the United States. Tennessee, with an increase in Latino residents of 278.2%, had the fourth largest percentage Latino population increase in the nation. Research findings show that people of Latino heritage experience difficulties accessing healthcare services. Furthermore, people of all ethnicities and races living in rural areas experience greater difficulty in accessing healthcare services than do people living in non-rural areas. The purpose of this research was to explore how first generation Latina immigrants in a rural West Tennessee county accessed prenatal and perinatal healthcare …

The Evaluation Of Neuroendocrine Measures In Women With Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Leah Z. Fitzgerald

Dissertations

Increased cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of stress mediators, such as corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), norepinephrine (NE) and Substance P (Sp) have been reported to be abnormal in several stress-related syndromes (post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, fibromyalgia) which frequently co-exist with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

To determine if CSF levels of CRF, NE and SP differ between IBS and healthy controls and if CSF levels correlate with peripheral measures of HPA axis regulation and clinical parameters.

Qualitative Study Investigating Elementary And Middle School Comprehensive School Counseling Programs And Secondary Schooling In Privately Funded And Publicly Funded Schools In Missouri, Natalie Rohlfing

Dissertations

The purpose of this proposed qualitative study was to explore whether the absence of Comprehensive School Counseling Programs (CSCP) in privately-funded elementary and middle school impacts student personal, social-emotional, and academic growth in secondary school. This researcher used surveys and focus groups to gather data. The information resulting from this study will provide private and public schools reliable data to be used to implement and/or improve school counseling programs in elementary and middle school. A Comprehensive School Counseling Program is able to address the needs of students by facilitating their academic, career, and social-emotional development as well as helping create …

Perceptions Of Elementary School Support Staff Of Their Role In Supporting The School Mission Statement, Matthew Dean

Dissertations

School district mission statements are intended to be unifying declarations that set a tone and direction for organizations and provide a unifying motivator for the individuals who serve those organizations (Rey, 2017). School district mission statements should be created and articulated in a manner that can be understood and followed by certified administrators and teachers, as well as classified personnel such as district support staff (Lynch, 2016). Without adequate articulation, school district mission statements can fall short of providing guidance and motivation to every employee in the district (Rey, 2017). This qualitative study was initiated to gain the perceptions of …

The Effect Of The Missouri Preschool Program On School Readiness, Madeline June Allin

Dissertations

National policymakers, practitioners, and researchers have consistently questioned how to develop the necessary skills for the nation’s youth to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The answer points directly to the provision of highquality early childhood programs to prepare children for entrance to kindergarten and put them on a trajectory toward lifelong positive outcomes (Ferrarello, 2017; Phillips et al., 2017). The Missouri Preschool Program is a high-quality, state grant-funded program, with grant priority given to schools serving a large number of disadvantaged children (MODESE, 2018a). The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to compare the school readiness skills …

Disparities In Health Care For The Transgender Population, Shannon Crowe

Dissertations

Individuals identifying as transgender, gender nonconforming, or those born with differences of sex development from societal norms have specific healthcare needs. These individuals experience disparities in healthcare treatment as a result of a lack of cultural competence, stereotypes, and personal bias among healthcare professionals. Despite being inclusive of all patients and acceptance of cultural beliefs, many organizations fall short of being inclusive when caring for transgender or gender nonconforming patients. Front line healthcare workers can have a positive impact on the psychological and physical care delivered to transgender patients; thus, setting the stage for a patient of a minority having …

A Study Of Information Bots And Knowledge Bots, Amartya Hatua

Dissertations

In this dissertation, a study of different aspects of information bots and knowledge bots is done. The research contributes to a better understanding of the various characteristics of information bots as well as the different patterns and factors responsible for the information diffusion in a social network. This research also shows how these factors can be used to predict information diffusion for a particular topic in a social network. The second part of the research is focused on strategies for improving the knowledge base of knowledge bots, where two different approaches are studied. In the first approach, knowledge is transferred …

Microcelebrity Endorsement Of Public Relations Campaigns For Nonprofit Organizations: A Study Of Snapchat In Saudi Arabia, Sami Altuwayjiri

Dissertations

This research investigates the influence of Snapchat microcelebrity endorsement for nonprofit organizations’ PR campaigns through testing the self-disclosure model, source attractiveness model, and congruence or fit model in relation to individuals’ donation intentions and attitudes toward the endorsement. This paper has highlighted the effectiveness of the three models through testing each model three times via three endorsements featuring three different microcelebrities. The result of the survey suggests that self-disclosure practiced by the endorsing microcelebrity has a weak influence on peoples’ donation intention and attitude towards the endorsement. However, physical attractiveness of the endorsing microcelebrity has an influence on people’s donation …

Synthesis Of Alpha-Methylselenocysteine, Its Relevant Analogues, And An Unnatural Glutathione Disulfide Core, Robert J. Wehrle

Dissertations

Selenoproteins, such as glutathione peroxidase, have gained interest for their ability to act as antioxidants, and their potential to act as anti-cancer agents. Synthesizing and studying selenoproteins can be problematic, however, due to their propensity to degrade from over-oxidation. The degradation from over-oxidation can be avoided by the incorporation of the unnatural amino acid, alpha-methylselenocysteine. A synthesis utilizing methyl malonic esters was used to synthesize protected (R)-alpha-methylselenocysteine efficiently (46% over four steps) and in high enantio-purity (88% enantiomeric excess). Using similar procedures, the (S)-enantiomer was also synthesized as well as a beta-analogue.

The use of enzymes …

Merging Two Scales: A Comprehensive Measure Of Physical Appearance-Related Social Anxieties, Kimberly Smith

Dissertations

Physical appearance-related social anxieties have been identified as feelings individuals experience in general and in different social situations based on their outward appearance. Two instruments have been used to assess the construct of social anxiety, the social physique anxiety scale (SPAS) and the social appearance anxiety scale (SAAS). This cross-sectional study implemented a non-experimental design with randomization of the total sample (n=1214) into three equal groups. Participants were recruited using a crowdsource sampling platform, MTurk. This study was broken into three Phases: confirming the factor models for the SPAS and SAAS, using an exploratory technique to determine the factor structure …

Core Subject Integration In The K-6 Music Classroom, Rose Bowe

Dissertations

Federal legislation through No Child Left Behind (NCLB) (2002) and Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (2015) held schools accountable for improved test scores and academic achievement. The heightened scrutiny in performance and expectations placed enormous pressure on students, teachers, and administrators to reach the lofty goals of the accountability model and put emphasis on state-mandated tests for several subjects. Non-tested subjects often encountered a shift in funds and their programs became diminished or even eliminated. Subjects that were not tested, such as music education, were considered non-essential. Nonetheless, the value of music used for instruction to stimulate knowledge retention was …

Watching Disability: A Discourse Analysis Of Representations Of Disabled Characters In Scripted Television Programs, Wilbur Martin

Dissertations

This dissertation is a discourse analysis of three television series, Speechless, Atypical, and Breaking Bad. A close reading of those series was performed to analyze the representations of disability in those television series and whether those representations enforced classic stereotypes or differed from those classic stereotypes for disabilities. The representations were also analyzed to see if those representations enforced the medical or social model of disability.

All three series had instances of stereotypical representations as well as representations that were not stereotypical. All three series representations identified with the medical and social model of disabilities. Series that …

Teacher Beliefs And The Intent And Current Use Of Movement As It Influences Students With And Without Adhd, Kimberly Mcquagge

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to add to the knowledge base regarding utilizing movement in the classroom as it influences reading and mathematics achievement for students with and without Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Mississippi public school teachers (n= 379) responded to an online questionnaire that gathered demographic data and collected ratings based on teacher beliefs and both their current use of movement and intent to use movement in the classroom based on a 5-point Likert scale.

In order to predict if a relationship existed between teacher beliefs of utilizing movement in the classroom and both their current use of movement …

Machine Learning Approaches For Improving Prediction Performance Of Structure-Activity Relationship Models, Gabriel Idakwo

Dissertations

In silico bioactivity prediction studies are designed to complement in vivo and in vitro efforts to assess the activity and properties of small molecules. In silico methods such as Quantitative Structure-Activity/Property Relationship (QSAR) are used to correlate the structure of a molecule to its biological property in drug design and toxicological studies. In this body of work, I started with two in-depth reviews into the application of machine learning based approaches and feature reduction methods to QSAR, and then investigated solutions to three common challenges faced in machine learning based QSAR studies.

First, to improve the prediction accuracy of learning …

Predicting Political Development After United States Military Assistance: Evidence From Case Study Analysis, Susan Rae Alaniz

Dissertations

During the administration of former President Barak Obama, United States foreign policy increased its focus on international development instability that threatened U.S. national security. In 2010, President Obama issued Presidential Policy Directive 6, which declared that international development is a vital U.S. national interest. This was a watershed moment for not just how the United States views its national interests, but in which resources should be dedicated to protect them. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Defense has security assistance relationships with 155 countries. These countries represent a wide range of international development challenges.

This research examines the recipient state …