Digital Commons Network^™

Southeastern Tanzanian Benedictine Monasteries: Filling A Void Of Governmental Services For The Poorest Regions, John Christie-Searles

Dissertations

This research illuminates the partnership of a particular civil society actor, Benedictine monasteries, in achieving developmental goals and delivery outcomes for education and health in Tanzania. Faith based organizations (FBOs) like these Benedictine monasteries quietly persevered with their work. These monasteries without governmental support were able to achieve similar results in areas of Tanzania deprived of infrastructure and consistent governmental administrative attention.

Monastic apostolate fervor is similar to the professionalism exhibited by international aid organizations and nongovernmental organizations in their desire to meet the needs of the poor. Motivations are complex and varied from evangelization to political and strategic agendas …

The Influence Of Manual And Hydraulic Stretchers On Recruitment, Retention, And Turnover In The Emergency Medical Services Workforce, Gregory Cole

Dissertations

The Department of Labor predicts an increase in demand for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) as the United States’ population grows older. The leaders of EMS must confront the difficulties surrounding recruitment, retention, and employment turnover of the EMS workforce to ensure a solvent employment pipeline to meet the predicted service demands. Previous researchers found that hydraulic stretchers reduced the number of occupationally acquired injuries among the EMS workforce. Grounded in human capital development and corporate social responsibility theories, this study extended from the work of Brice et al. (2012), Fredericks, Butt, and Hovenkamp (2009), and Studnek, Crawford, & Fernandez, (2011) …

Perspectives Regarding Care Of Students Enrolled In Special Education Day Schools For Emotionally Disabled Students, Robin Y. Davis

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was the program evaluation of a special education day school for students with emotional disabilities by analyzing data from the perspectives of the staff employed by the day school and the parents of students enrolled in the day school. The evaluation will enable the day school to make decisions about which aspects of the program to continue, strengthen, or discontinue.

In this study, Malcom Provus’ Discrepancy Evaluation Model (DEM) was used. The population included staff employed by the day schools and parents of students enrolled in the program during May, 2016. Data were gathered from …

Barriers And Enablers To Native American Persistence In Higher Education Programs: Narratives From Mississippi Band Of Choctaw Indians, Bianca J. York-Crockett

Dissertations

According to data from the U. S. Census Bureau (2016), Native Americans have the lowest postsecondary education completion rate (13.8%) among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States; and simultaneously, Native Americans had the second highest unemployment rate among all ethnic groups. A positive and direct correlation exists between a community’s economic growth and the attainment of higher education by members within that community (Becker, 1994; Fann, 2009). Though 567 federally recognized tribes exist in the United States, this research study focuses on one tribe, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI). The national postsecondary six-year completion rate …

African American Women: The Role Of Education, Spirituality, And Resilience In Their Transition From Poverty, Donna Scott

Dissertations

African American women born into impoverished families often have difficulty moving beyond their low socioeconomic circumstances (Cozarelli, Wilkinson, & Tagler, 2001). Although education has been shown to influence the lives of African American women, limited research has been conducted relative to the influence of education in their transition from poverty. Also, while there is considerable evidence regarding the authoritative role of spirituality in the lives of women, and for African American women in particular (Mattis, 2002), little research has focused on how African American women utilized spirituality as a source of strength in response to the challenges of poverty. The …

Consciously Becoming Black: A Phenomenological Exploration Of Black Sub-Saharan African International Students' Racial Identity Development At Historically Black Colleges And Universities In The American South, Tanyaradzwa Chipo Mandishona

Dissertations

Research about the experiences of Black international students studying in the United States is limited and often grouped with the experiences of all international students. While all international students share similar experiences and difficulties adjusting to their lives in the United States, Black international students have a unique experience based on their race and the historical connection they share with their Black American peers. Many Black sub-Saharan African international students are raised in countries where race is not a significant identity and therefore do not view race as significant part of their identity. However, race is a salient part of …

Measuring Quality Standards, Assessment Practices, And Outcomes/Effectiveness Of Competency-Based Education (Cbe) Using Mixed Methods Research To Determine Cbe’S Vitality, Elizabeth Giddens

Dissertations

Competency-based education (CBE) has been around since the late 1800s but has recently served as a revamped pedagogy designed to respond to some of higher education’s most pressing issues today: low degree attainment and problems of equity; lack of alignment between education and the job market; low and slow graduation rates; high tuition; and poor academic quality. Despite the promises of CBE to resolve these issues, the approach to learning lacks much empirical data. The researcher provided a summary of current research on CBE and identified gaps in the literature. Three gaps were identified including why CBE had failed in …

The Effects Of Organizational Commitment And Harmonious Passion On Voluntary Turnover Among Social Workers: A Mixed Methods Study, Ashley Scales

Dissertations

The retention of Social Workers (SWs) is a concern that affects government and private organizations and the workforce. Voluntary turnover among SWs is increasing at an alarming rate. Not only is voluntary turnover rising, but organizational commitment and harmonious passion are declining (Wharton University of Pennsylvania, 2012). This study explored and examined the effect organizational commitment and harmonious passion have on voluntary turnover among Child Protective Services (CPS) SWs. The study used a concurrent mixed method design. Data collected during the quantitative phase provided information on the perceptions of SWs regarding organizational commitment, harmonious passion, and their intent to leave. …

Rendering Reliance: Consuming Coloniality In The Global North, Victoria L. Brown

Dissertations

In this dissertation, I offer a theoretical lens for understanding how the Global South is imagined by the Global North. The Global South has become a popular cause that for-profit companies use in order to engage in what Samantha King terms cause-marketing. While individuals in the South are certainly helped by these campaigns, they are harmed through Northern consumers being empowered by private companies encouraging them to adopt a colonizing gaze that subjugates those in the South with adhering to stereotypes. I develop three rhetorical devices that fulfill stereotypes long-held about those who are “other.”

First, I offer the endangered …

Exploring Organizational And Professional Commitment, Servant Leadership, Occupational Stress, And Humor Perspectives: How Nurses Manage, Brian Steven Perna

Dissertations

The primary research objective of this study was to explore how nurses’ communication influences organizational commitment, professional commitment, servant leadership, occupational stress, and humor use. These concepts were approached qualitatively to obtain deep and rich information about communication influences on nurses’ work lives.

A total of 34 nurse participants from network sampling and snowball sampling techniques were interviewed for this study, most from a medium-sized southeastern hospital. Specifically, semi-structured interviews were conducted where participants were asked to provide perspectives regarding communication events of organizational commitment, professional commitment, servant leadership, occupational stress, and humor use. These perspectives were analyzed using Strauss …

Theory Of Planned Behavior Applied To High School Science Teachers Implementing Next Generation Science Standards, Anna Pierce

Dissertations

The high demand for a scientifically literate society and workforce led to the creation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and their release in April 2013. NGSS are based on a call to improve science education at the primary and secondary levels and emphasize the importance of a more conceptual and hands-on approach to science. The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to examine, through the use of Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior, the factors involved in teachers’ intentions to implement the NGSS in high school science courses. Semi-structured interviews were performed with nine teachers and experts …

A Case Study Evaluation Of The Implementation Of Twice-Exceptional Professional Development, Chin-Wen Lee

Dissertations

According to the 2014–2015 State of the States in Gifted Education, Colorado is the only state in the United States where a series of onsite, customized twice-exceptional professional development opportunities have been implemented. Yet, the Colorado Department of Education and its partner school districts have not systematically evaluated the impact of that two-year initiative. The purpose of this study was to understand the implementation of twice-exceptional professional development during 2014–2016 in a school district in Colorado. A case study design was used to better understand (a) educators’ perspectives about their training experiences and the educational services developed and/or implemented as …

Creating Digital Stories With Saudi Arabian Pre-Service Teachers: Using The Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Model To Promote Lesson Plan Development, Yosra Mohammed Bugis

Dissertations

In this digital age, teachers need to incorporate advanced technology into their classrooms. Digital storytelling (DST) is one such skill that has been shown to be effective for learners. However, not enough teachers have adequate training to implement this strategy and interventions are focused mainly on current teachers. There is a need to train teachers before they finish their teacher training programs. However, to do this effectively, the field of teacher education needs more knowledge and understanding of pre-service teachers’ perceptions, needs, and experiences in using DST as a structured teaching model. This qualitative study examined 38 Saudi Arabian pre-service …

Physical Education Cooperating Teachers Participation And Beliefs As Teacher Educators, Hillary May Franks

Dissertations

Cooperating teachers (CTs) have consented “to assume one of the most responsible, influential, and exciting roles in teacher education” (Henry & Weber, 2010, p. 2); therefore, it is imperative for teacher preparation programs to prepare and support them for this role. No evidence suggests ways in which CTs, specifically physical education cooperating teachers (PECTs), either do or do not participate as teacher educators during the student teaching experience. Clarke, Triggs, and Neilsen (2014) identified 11 teacher educator roles CTs engage in and suggest further exploration into the ways in which CTs identify and participate in these roles. It is unclear …

The National Hockey League Totals Market: Efficiency, Profitability, And Heuristic Behaviors, Alexander Traugutt

Dissertations

The National Hockey League (NHL) totals market provides an optimal setting to test the theory of efficient markets. Under the notion of market efficiency, prices of an asset are reflexive of all publicly available information, making it impossible to enjoy consistent, above-average, returns. In contrast to the other major professional sporting leagues in North America, the NHL was the last to become fully integrated into sportsbooks, thus making it more susceptible to inefficiencies. To date, there has only been one published study related to the NHL totals market, which found deviations from market efficiency. The present research builds and expands …

Investigating The Construct Of Health Literacy Assessment: A Cross-Validation Approach, Bethany Miller

Dissertations

According to researchers, low health literacy is considered a worldwide health threat (Lee, Tsai-Tzul, Tsai, & Kuo, 2010). With the recent emphasis on healthcare and improving health status, knowledge has proven vital in the struggle for improved health status and health prevention. The purpose of this study was to investigate the measurement of health literacy utilizing a cross-validation approach. Health literacy measurement has been assessed using three health literacy instruments that are currently available: Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (STOFHLA), Newest Vital Sign (NVS), and Health Literacy Skills Instrument (HLSI). This study used an exploratory research design. …

Effectiveness Of Student Engagement Using Learning Management System In The Blended Learning Environment At Saudi Electronic University, Yousef Almoslamani

Dissertations

The use of learning management systems (LMS) in higher education continues to grow, yet research into the impact of the amount of engagement on student outcomes is still developing. This dissertation investigated the relationships between student engagement and student outcomes in the blended learning environment of Saudi Electronic University. It used data from LMS activities self-reported by students with special attention to whether gender played a role in the level of engagement and quality of outcome. This dissertation used a quantitative method to analyze the correlational relationship between the perceived amount of time students spent hourly participating in LMS activities …

A Male Elementary School Principal’S Experience Of Gender And Leadership, Joanne Eileen Chatlos

Dissertations

Schools are a site for the reproduction and transformation of masculinities, impacting both children and adults. For principals, both gender and leadership are roles that they perform in social relation. In this case study, focused on an elementary school in the Western United States, I explored the ways constructions of gender impact a male public elementary school teacher’s leadership experience and the ways local gender norms relate to faculty perceptions of his leadership. Utilizing a methodological bricolage, I sought to examine the ways in which gender and leadership are enacted and understood through discourses such as speech, gestures, dress, or …

The Effects Of In Vitro Fish Oil And Dietary Fish Meal Supplementation On Microdomains Within Bovine Luteal Cells, Michele Renae Plewes

Dissertations

Lipid microdomains are regions of plasma membrane rich in cholesterol and sphingolipids, ranging in size from 10–200 nm in diameter. These structures serve as platforms to facilitate co-localization of intracellular signaling proteins during agonistinduced signal transduction. The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are a distinct class of fatty acids that have been shown to incorporate into lipid microdomains, disrupting the structural integrity of domains, and possibly attenuation of cell signaling. Fish byproducts, such as fish oil or meal, are a rich source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids that can be supplemented into cell cultures and diets of breeding females as a …

Catholic Students Intersecting With The Academy: An Exploration Of Religious Identities, Sara Elizabeth Miller

Dissertations

This study is a constructivist, narrative case study exploring the experiences of Catholic college students at a secular university. Eight student narratives are explored through the lens of intersectionality theory, in the context of classroom experiences. This study reviews the history of religion in higher education, Christian privilege, religious identity development, and sense of belonging in order to contextualize the participants’ perceptions of being marginalized in academic settings. With consideration for current social issues and political debates, students reflected on their experiences and ultimately revealed that Catholic students are feeling marginalized in their classrooms, not only for their specific beliefs, …

Teacher Candidates’ Perceived Psychological Wellness, Behavior Management Skills, And Mental Health Literacy, Elizabeth Coady Leeper

Dissertations

A teacher’s behavior management style has particular implications for those students who encounter difficulties due to social-emotional concerns. This study explored the relationship between teacher candidates’ perceived psychological wellness, behavior management skills, and mental health literacy. Four previously developed surveys were used to acquire information on these perceptions from undergraduate and graduate teacher candidates enrolled in a student teaching experience. Surveys were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, and convergent validity was examined between a newly developed wellness survey and a well-established wellness survey. The personal experiences of teacher candidates with social-emotional concerns and those of their close friends and family …

Edward Elgar’S The Music Makers: A Choral Conductor’S Analysis And Score Preparation Guide, David Klement

Dissertations

Edward Elgar’s The Music Makers, op 69, a cantata for full choir, mezzo-soprano soloist and orchestra, was debuted and conducted by the composer on October 1, 1912 at the Birmingham Festival in England. Based on the now familiar poem by late nineteenth-century English pre-Raphaelite poet Arthur O’Shaughnessy (1844-1881), and beginning with the phrase “We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams”, the work is considered by some historians to be a personal requiem by the composer. Written at Elgar’s peak of compositional creativity, this extended, almost forty-minute cantata, is a choral work of deep personal meaning …

Functional Emulsions Via Thiol-Ene Chemistry, Douglas Amato

Dissertations

Polymer particles (micro to nano) with tunable functionality have emerged as a promising and viable technology platform for applications including coatings, cosmetics, nanomedicine, and imaging. Unfortunately, the lengthy polymerization time and lack of intrinsic functionality in the monomers used to fabricate particles is an industrial challenge. Thiol-ene chemistry cirmcumvents these limitations with very rapid polymerization kinetics, high reaction yields, with supressed side reactions and inherent functionality. This dissertation demonstrates the utility of thiol-ene/yne polymerization in miniemulsion and microfluidics to generate functional materials in a one-pot-method. The functionality is typically generated via off-stoichiometry thiol-ene (OSTE) resins which allow for either excess …

The Characterization Of The Transcription Factor Msab And Its Role In Staphylococcal Virulence, Justin Batte

Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is a common human pathogen that is responsible for a wide range of infections, ranging from relative minor skin infections to life-threatening disease such as bacteremia, septicemia, and endocarditis. S. aureus possesses many different virulent factors that aid in its ability to cause this wide array of infections. One major virulence factor includes the production of capsular polysaccharide (CP). The production of CP plays a major role in the virulence response during infection specifically by providing S. aureus an antiphagocytic mechanism that allows the pathogen to evade phagocytosis during an infection. S. aureus has developed complex genetic regulatory …

The Sociocultural Mediation Of Metacognition During Problem Solving In Undergraduate Mathematics Classroom Communities Of Practice, Emilie R. Hancock

Dissertations

Metacognition has long been identified as an essential component of the problem-solving process. While the language of metacognition has been conveyed in teaching, research, and policy, much of the research on metacognition does not describe the explicit role metacognition plays during students’ real-time problem-solving process. Moreover, metacognitive interventions are typically disconnected from the natural mathematical activity and discourse within a classroom community. Research concerning metacognition and metacognitive interventions has historically adopted an acquisition metaphor for learning. This qualitative study takes a participationist lens to consider metacognition as a problem-solving habit of mind, a normative way of thinking to which students …

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 …

Perceptions About Educational Supports From Those Living In Poverty In The Suburbs, Sean Christopher Corey

Dissertations

Supporting children who are living in conditions of economic poverty has been an issue that educational leaders have attempted to solve for many years. Much of the research has focused on alleviating the conditions associated with poverty in urban settings. The share of the population living in poverty in the suburbs is increasing at a faster rate than the share of the population living in urban settings. The supports to alleviate suburban poverty that have been applied have generalized the response structures that were based on studies from urban and rural setting. The purpose of this study was to contribute …

Academic And Student Affairs Educators Make Meaning Of Their Collaboration On Campus, Genia Hope Lemonedes

Dissertations

Operating from a constructivist paradigm and utilizing narrative inquiry, the purpose of this inquiry was to improve understanding of academic and student affairs collaboration on a college campus. Seven mid-level academic and student affairs educators participated in this study, which was conducted at a four-year, public university in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States. Of the participants, four were positioned within academic affairs offices while three were within student affairs offices on campus. All participants were engaged in academic and student affairs collaborations associated with First-Year Experience (FYE) and/or Experiential Learning programming. Participants were asked what collaboration means …

Hand And Wrist Overuse Injuries In Flutists: Physical Causes And Prevention, Xin Jing

Dissertations

In music, overuse injury is a common problem that is insufficiently addressed by many instrumentalists. Research has shown a significant number of flutists have suffered from overuse-related injuries. If flutists become cognizant of the anatomy, alignment, and function in their fingers, hands, and wrists, they will recognize how practicing wisely can prevent injuries. By incorporating informed, preventative measures into practice routines, the need for treatment is unnecessary or minimized. However, in current literature, there is a lack of research pertaining to physical causes and prevention of overuse injuries for this population and this issue. In this dissertation, the author delves …

The Prospective Influence Of Religiousness On Alcohol Use: What Role Do Perceived Norms Play?, Corey Todd Brawner

Dissertations

Alcohol misuse is recognized as one of the most pressing health hazards for college students. Previous research has supported a protective relationship between religiousness and problematic alcohol use, but it is less clear what aspects of religiousness are protective and through what mechanisms its effect is exerted. The current study utilized a prospective design to accomplish three primary goals: (1) Delineate the protective effects of religious motivation and public participation on alcohol use and alcohol-related problems in a sample of undergraduates at a large public university in the southeastern United States, (2) determine whether effects were maintained long-term, and (3) …