The Russian Research Center At Harvard Versus Cambridge Analytica: Influencing The Public In A Cold War, Robert Joshua Howard

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Phenomenology Study Of Possible External And Internal Factors Relating T Women’S Under-Representation In Leadership In Large Chinese Media Organizations In Beijing City, Xiaoxue Xiang

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of possible factors that contribute to the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in Chinese media through their lived experience. The 10 participants in this study were from large media organizations in Beijing. The results of this study indicate Balancing work and family and Chinese traditional culture can be considered as the external possible factors of the barriers women leaders encountered in Beijing large media organizations; the negative influence of traditional culture on Chinese women, which refers to women’s low self-evaluation and negative self-awareness, can be taken as the …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy And First-Generation Latinx Student Sense Of Belonging, Rachel Abel

Dissertations

This qualitative research study assessed the impact of culturally relevant pedagogy on first-generation Latinx student sense of belonging at an emerging Hispanic serving institution (HSI). This study adds to current literature around culturally relevant pedagogy, which focused on the close, meaningful relationships between faculty and students in the classroom (Ladson-Billings, Gay, Wlodkowski, & Ginsberg, Stembridge, et al.). The link to sense of belonging (Hurtado & Carter, 1997) demonstrated the importance of academic and non-academic setting connections that led to other social and academic outcomes, which include student satisfaction, motivation to study, and perseverance in completion of a post-secondary. A transformative …

Clinical Trainees' Experience Of Burnout And Its Relationship To Supervision, Amanda Weaver

Dissertations

Burnout is a phenomenon that has recently gotten a lot of attention in research and media, but there is still a need to understand burnout among clinical trainees. Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, a sense of cynicism, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. This qualitative study attempted to understand clinical trainees’ experience of burnout, the factors they believed were contributing factors to their burnout, and how supervision impacted this experience. The participants included six trainees who were enrolled in a clinical or counseling doctorate program, have experienced or are currently experiencing burnout, and had at least six months …

A Mixed-Method Study Analyzing The Impact Of Continuing Education On K-12 Educators, Jennifer Sue Edler

Dissertations

Teachers are consistently developing learners that independently seek to gain knowledge and skills throughout life (Blaschke, 2012). Educators must desire to learn new and improved skills to gain knowledge. The new regulations and qualifications, and standards surrounding a career in education require teachers to become continual learners. Professional development is the practice of teachers continuing to grow in their fields and varies depending on personal preference, personal interests, and professional history, as well as addresses issues present in their district or school (Day, 1999). Educational policies and laws outline the need for high-quality professional development for teachers. However, little evidence …

Community Violence, Protective Factors, And Resilience: Gender Differences In African American Youth, Kimberly Nelson-Arrington

Dissertations

African American youth are exposed to community violence in varying degrees. Over the last few decades, much research has focused on the negative implications of such exposure. While it is helpful to explore the detrimental effects of community violence on this population, the factors that promote resilience, leading to favorable outcomes, should be explored with just as much fervency. The present study sought to explore the protective factors that contribute to resilience in African American youth exposed to community violence. While resilience is a multidimensional construct, this study focused on the participants’ psychological outlook, namely their sense of hopefulness and …

Military Sexual Trauma In Veterans: Consequences, Treatment, And Therapeutic Implications, Chelsey Siville

Dissertations

Amongst Veterans served within the Veterans Affairs healthcare system, approximately 1 in 50 men and 1 in 3 women have experienced military sexual trauma (MST). While every individual is different, a common characteristic or identity amongst those who have served is that of a warrior – someone perceived as strong and ready to defend both their country and fellow soldier. Experiencing military sexual trauma can create a painful and discrepant identity as well as impact almost all domains of functioning. Unfortunately, trauma is an all too common occurrence in the lives of many service members and the multifinality of trauma …

Psychological Factors Related To Physical Activity In Adult Congenital Heart Disease, Tyler Pendleton

Dissertations

Adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) are a new and growing medical population. While medical interventions previously focused on reducing rates of infant mortality, current research suggests increased risk of premature mortality in ACHD may be partially due to acquired cardiovascular disease. One lifestyle intervention to reduce acquired cardiovascular risk is physical activity. Physical activity has been supported in the research as a safe, efficacious, and tolerable intervention for many ACHD; however, most patients do not engage in recommended levels of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to investigate psychological factors related to physical activity in ACHD. Participants …

Effective Paraeducator Implementation Of Behavior Intervention Plans For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploration Of Training And Support Needs, Kristen Nottle-Powell

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this convergent mixed methods study was to describe the training and support paraeducators who work with students with autism spectrum disorder received as they implemented behavior intervention plans based on the Browning-Wright, Mayer, and Saren model. Additionally, this study sought to describe the training and challenges experienced by paraeducators, as well as their training and support recommendations for paraeducators who work with students with autism spectrum disorder with a behavior intervention plan.

Methodology: A convergent mixed methods study was used to describe the training and support experiences, challenges, and recommendations, as described by paraeducators …

Self-Care Management Of African American Men With Type 2 Diabetes, Kevin Konstantinos

Dissertations

African American men are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes and have a 3 times higher rate of 3 serious complications of diabetes, including blindness, amputations, and end-stage renal disease, compared to other groups. The purpose of this project was to address the gap-in-practice disparity that exists in care of African American men with diabetes by providing one-on-one self-care management education in an outpatient clinic setting. The behavior change theories that supported the project intervention were Orem's self-care theory and Bandura's self-efficacy theory. Employing a quasi-experimental design, 33 participants between the ages of 40 and 65 were divided into an …

Adolescent Victims' Experiences With Cyberbullying: A Grounded Theory Study, Melvina Sue Brandau

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to construct a Grounded Theory that explains the processes involved in cyberbullying from the perspectives of those who have been victimized. A Constructivist Grounded Theory approach was used to explain the processes that occur as cyberbullying begins, unfolds, and ends, as well as to determine the methods that adolescent victims use to cope, and the context in which cyberbullying occurs.

Training Practitioners On The Effects Of Psychotropic Medication Via A Web-Based Platform, Anita Li

Dissertations

Many individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) receive multiple therapeutic services in an attempt to supplement behavioral therapy. These services include pharmacological interventions. Two drugs, risperidone (Risperdal) and aripiprazole (Abilify), are FDA-approved to treat “irritability” in children with ASD. Research shows that the effects of risperidone and aripiprazole on irritability varies greatly across treated individuals. Therefore, individualized monitoring and evaluation must be conducted to provide the physician with data to determine if the medication is resulting in desired changes and effects. Certified behavior analysts are trained in data collection and experience high levels of contact with individuals diagnosed with …

Politically And Historically Bound: Examining Whiteness And Intersectionality Among Self-Identified Feminists, Olivia M. Mclaughlin

Dissertations

This dissertation examined the perspectives and beliefs of 23 self-identified feminists who are White. Specifically, it explored whether—and if so, to what extent—Whites have adopted intersectionality. Intersectional feminism refers to the activism and scholarship that recognizes the multi-dimensional nature of power and privilege and stands in contrast to the white-centered feminism that has dominated most feminist spaces since the suffrage movement. Since Kimberlé Crenshaw’s seminal article where the concept of intersectionality was formally introduced to the academy, feminist scholars have characterized the most recent wave of feminism as the intersectional wave. This third, intersectional wave of feminist movement is believed …

Collateral Consequences: The Experiences Of Black Women With Incarcerated Loved Ones, Keiondra Jné Grace

Dissertations

A wealth of research exists that considers the causes of mass incarceration, particularly how it has shaped crime narratives and the life courses of Black men and Black women that experience imprisonment. Scholars have also explored the collateral consequences of incarceration for families and communities in general, but mentioning that Black families and communities in particular are disproportionately impacted by mass incarceration. Despite the documented impact of incarceration on families, and the acknowledgement of the toll mass incarceration has on Black communities—the social cost of mass incarceration in the lives of Black women whom have not experienced incarcerated is yet …

The Effects Of Character Education Programs On School Climate And Student Discipline In Grades 6-8 Through The Eyes Of Substitute Teachers, Javier Lozano

Dissertations

This research study used surveys and one on one interviews conducted with substitute teachers to investigate whether character education programs in a middle school setting can be observed having a noticeable impact on school culture and climate. The study observed findings through the lens and perspectives of substitute teachers to see if guest teachers reported a significant difference in their experience between schools of character versus schools that did not practice character initiatives. The study investigated this Research Question through exploring four topics: 1) how substitute teachers described schools that are actively involved in character education versus those schools that …

A Comparative Study Of Teacher Efficacy Based On Their Years Of Service, Aaron Robert Thomas

Dissertations

Efficacy is thought to be one of the most influential factors in student achievement however, there appears to be little research on how efficacy and years of service are related. Research which does investigate this area mainly focused on preservice and teachers who are starting their careers. This mixed-methods study was designed to determine if there was a correlation between years of service and collective and self-efficacy as well as gain insights into teachers’ perceptions of both collective and self-efficacy. Results of the study found self-efficacy followed an arc pattern, starting out low then rising to its peak for teachers …

Block Versus Traditional Scheduling In High School: Teacher And Student Attitudes, Martin James Spence

Dissertations

The focus of this study was to identify the preferred schedule type (block or traditional) for students and teachers in high schools. Additionally, the purpose of the study was to explore why high schools should assess how time is used during the school day. Survey responses about time management practices of students and teachers at one high school were reported, and implications for how to construct a schedule based on the survey responses were explored. Students and teachers with experience in block and traditional scheduling formats were surveyed for the study. Participants received an online survey and were asked to …

Choosing To Be A Teacher: Understanding The Career Choice Of Academically Excellent University Students Who Had Graduated From High Performing High Schools In The Dominican Republic, Marcela Maria Fuster De Hernàndez

Dissertations

Teachers’ salaries in the Dominican Republic (DR) have become competitive, but there is a noticeable tendency for high performing students from high performing high-schools to avoid selecting teaching as a career (Figueroa & Montes de Oca, 2014). Such students often have choices to enter higher paying and status careers. Yet, some such students are now studying to become teachers, and this research captures their voices around this career choice. This topic is important given the need to improve the academic profile of future teachers who can help improve the Dominican ratings on various international measures.

This study involved 13 semi-structured …

A Unified Decentralized Trust Framework For Detection Of Iot Device Attacks In Smart Homes, Hussein Salim Qasim Alsheakh

Dissertations

Trust in Smart Home technology security is a primary concern for consumers, which can prevent them from adopting smart home services. Such concerns are due to following reasons; (i) nature of IoT devices– which due to their limited computational and resource capabilities, cannot support traditional on-device security controls (ii) any breach to cyber-attacks have an immediate impact on the smart homeowner, compared to traditional cyber-attacks (iii) a large variety of different applications and services under the umbrella of make an overarching security framework for smart homes fundamentally challenging for both providers to offer and owners to manage.

This dissertation offers …

What Role Does The African American Church Play When Meeting The Mental Health Needs Of Its African American Parishioners?, Lisa Sutton

Dissertations

Abstract

This study will focus on understanding the role played by the church in meeting the mental health needs of its African American parishioners. The goal is to understand the ways that African American communities hold faith, position themselves within the church, and the outside world, with a specific focus on issues of trust, which have emerged based on historical and structural violence that has debilitated the health of our community. The study examines attitudes and perceptions of church leadership and members around their caring for parishioners with mental health issues. The hope is that the data will help construct …

An Evaluation Of A School District’S Summer Library Program Designed To Prevent Summer Reading Loss, Crystal Cizmar

Dissertations

The purpose of this evaluation was to study the impact a school district’s summer library program had on summer reading loss. This study was conducted to analyze the design of the program and to determine what effect the program had on participants’ reading assessment scores as compared from spring (pre) to fall (post). Analysis of quantitative and qualitative data demonstrated the program was beneficial to students, parents, teachers, and school librarians. The findings show there is potential to use the summer library program to increase reading assessment scores; however, multiple doses of the program are necessary to achieve results. The …

Into The Cloud: How Professional Development And Leadership Relate To Technology Implementation, Jessica Iovinelli

Dissertations

The skills necessary for 21st century society and the information age require that schools reevaluate their mission, vision, and goals to reflect how they will prepare students for the demands of a world in which immediate access to droves of information has led to increased value placed on what Tony Wagner (2008) has defined as the “seven survival skills”: critical thinking and problem-solving; collaboration and leading by influence; agility and adaptability; initiative and entrepreneurship; effective communication; accessing and analyzing information; and curiosity and imagination. For many districts and schools, the response has been adding technology to the menu of initiatives. …

Women's Experiences Of Internalized Sexism, Syeda Rahmani

Dissertations

This study involved exploring the lived experiences of women with sexism and its internalization. Ten women participated in the study to share their experiences through personal narratives. The study was qualitative in nature and results yielded coded phenomenological themes related to the experiences of sexism and how it can become internalized. The study’s results are divided into themes and subthemes and supported by direct quotes from the participants. Themes included development & socialization across a range of environments, gender expectations, family of origin, intergenerational sexism, relationship conflict, sexism at work, career expectations, loss of income, intersectional experience of discrimination, appearance …

An Interoperative Phenomenological Analysis Of Hindu Psychologists And The Impact Of Hinduism On Their Clinical Work, Kinjal Panchal

Dissertations

This study was an exploration of spirituality, cultural upbringing, and deeply rooted Eastern philosophy and their conscious and unconscious impact on the way Hindu psychologists practice in the field. The purpose was to take into consideration the four major theories of Hinduism and to assess whether psychologists of Hindu origin integrated them into their clinical work. The study used qualitative methods, specifically interpretative phenomenological analysis, as the main strategy of inquiry for data collection and analysis. The goal was to broaden the understanding of how spiritual beliefs can inform a psychologist’s clinical approach and lead to a better understanding of …

Differences In Characteristics Of Criminal Behavior Between Solo And Team Serial Killers, Matthew Woster

Dissertations

Criminal Profiling and classification of serial killers has been an expanding area of research for decades. Recent research has called into question the accuracy and utility of these systems, and calls for further research and development. This study aims to use the Serial Killer Database (SKDB) to examine and classify differences in criminal behavior between serial killers who act alone versus those who act in pairs, groups, or teams. The specific aim of this study is to examine whether there are significant differences between Solo Serial Killers and Team Serial Killers in the Number of Victims, Length of Career, Method …

Academic Disciplinary Differences In The Perceived Value Of The Community Of Practice Model, Alyssa Marie Hill

Dissertations

Through a multi-layered review of United States University, a gap in professional development for adjunct faculty was identified. To ensure that students’ are best supported in the online classroom, ensuring that faculty are provided with training around pedagogical and instructional skills aligned with the University mission is essential. The perceived value of the Community of Practice model was assessed to address the gap in faculty development through a mixed-methods convergent design study. The quantitative data and qualitative data were merged under the unidirectional framework for convergent design integration, and presented in a narrative discussion format. Themes which emerged included knowledge …

Relationships Between Ethnicity, Attitudes Toward Institutional Authority, And Hope In The African American Community, Garnadette Stuckey

Dissertations

Abstract

A set of two mixed method studies were conducted to examine attitudes toward institutional authority and to understand how the presence of societal authority and oppression can impact individual and community capacity for hope and full freedom. Researchers have discussed concepts such as attitudes to authority, suggesting that some individuals are naturally more resistant to authority (Rigby, 1985). However, in the United States, racial disparities are great, particularly when the “authority” is a police officer in an urban community and the individual is African American. In African American communities in the U.S., interactions with authority figures begin in childhood. …

Competency-Based Education Through The Lens Of Personalized Learning In A Large Public High School, Marcus J. Belin

Dissertations

When students end the chapter of high school, the question education must ask is, “What does it take for a student to walk across the stage and receive their high school diploma?” Is it a transcript full of passing letters ranging from A–D or is it a known belief that students do not have gaps in their knowledge and can apply their knowledge in real-world situations? This study identifies the problem and the basis of research in the program evaluation. It also focuses on identifying a policy that best supports competency-based education (CBE). Lastly, the study …

An Examination Of The Application Of Three Deep Learning Principles (Active Learning; Bloom's Taxonomy; Neuroscience Of Learning) In Counselor Education Masters Level Ethics Courses, Tamara A. Tarver

Dissertations

Despite the vow to do no harm that clinicians make upon licensure, incidences of ethical violations of varying kinds in the counseling profession occur fairly frequently, regardless of the many inputs of ethical training in the development of a clinician’s ethical identity. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine the application of three deep learning principles in the teaching methods used to instill counselor ethical identity in counselor education masters level ethics courses. Three groups of participants were interviewed: Four Counselor Education Faculty, Three Licensed Practicing Mental Health Providers, and One Non-practicing/Practicing Licensed Mental Health Provider but …

Program Evaluation Of Behavior Plans And Rubrics: The Process And Impact On Student Growth, Tamariay Gordon

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

In 2017, a behavior plan and rubric, introduced at an alternative behavioral school, hindered students’ transition back to their home school. Students remained at the alternative school because they failed to meet the skewed goals of the behavior plan and rubric. The gathering of qualitative and quantitative data from stakeholders casts a brighter light on the imperfection of the plan and rubric that students and parents failed to understand. A study of the behavior plan and rubric showed areas that created an environment that prevented students from being successful. The development of areas of change produced policy considerations to …