Digital Commons Network^™

A Qualitative Exploration Of Perceptions Of Down Syndrome And Student Disabilities In A Suburban Midwest High School, Gregory Wagener

Dissertations

The researcher explored the perceptions of typically-developing students, teachers, and parents of students with Down syndrome and students with disabilities at a suburban Midwestern High School. In exploring these perceptions of students with Down syndrome and students with disabilities, this study intended to explore how to increase effective inclusion of students with Down syndrome and students with disabilities in the general education setting, but more so, to explore the stigmas surrounding students with Down syndrome and students with disabilities in order to better understand the character of typically-developing students, teachers, and parents regarding students with Down syndrome and students with …

A Framework For Personalized Content Recommendations To Support Informal Learning In Massively Diverse Information Wikis, Heba M Ismail

Dissertations

Personalization has proved to achieve better learning outcomes by adapting to specific learners’ needs, interests, and/or preferences. Traditionally, most personalized learning software systems focused on formal learning. However, learning personalization is not only desirable for formal learning, it is also required for informal learning, which is self-directed, does not follow a specified curriculum, and does not lead to formal qualifications. Wikis among other informal learning platforms are found to attract an increasing attention for informal learning, especially Wikipedia. The nature of wikis enables learners to freely navigate the learning environment and independently construct knowledge without being forced to follow a …

Negotiating The Intersection Of Arabic And Anglo-American Literary Journalism: Exploring Possibilities, Challenging Canons, Samah Gomaa Abou Marzouk

Dissertations

Literary journalism is an art form that combines storytelling techniques with the verifiability of standard journalism. Research in the field is recent and predominantly Western. Unlike Anglo-American literary journalism, there are no studies on Arabic literary journalism as a stand-alone art form in Arabic and only one in English, which examines the reasons for its scarcity. This study aims to prove otherwise. The objective of this research is to combine history and criticism in exploring Arabic literary journalism; examine it is predecessors, characteristics, motives and how it relates to its Anglo-American counterpart; and determine whether the two are fundamentally different …

Beyond Curriculum: Information Literacy, Librarianship, And The Role Of The Faculty At A Rural Community College In Missouri, Michelle A. Lane

Dissertations

This case study was designed to evaluate faculty perceptions of teaching information literacy within the general education curriculum, the level of collaboration between faculty and library staff, and challenges regarding instruction of information literacy at a community college in Missouri. Using an adapted survey from a 2014 study by Dr. Sharon Weiner of Purdue University, faculty were asked to provide their current views regarding instruction of information literacy at the Missouri institution. Additionally, archival data provided by the institution were analyzed using triangulation to establish a baseline regarding the best path forward to improving instruction, assessment, and student learning. While …

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 …

The Relationship Of Self-Directed Learning Readiness And Completion Of Officers In The Army War College Distance Education Program, Kevin Mangan

Dissertations

Today, more adults are participating in online education than ever before. The latest data from the Department of Educational Statistics show an increase of students taking all coursework online grew to 15.4% (Ginder, Kelly-Reid, & Mann, 2018). Despite this trend, some adults lack the readiness to engage in formal adult education. Readiness and other factors such as time and personal matters adults encounter are some of the most significant challenges for institutions in addressing attrition rates, which average 38% (USDE, 2011). The Army higher education programs experience the same problem in their educational institutions (U.S. Army War College Data, 2016). …

Building Community In Online Faculty Development, Jennifer Mckanry

Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine current best practices building community in online faculty development (FD). Ongoing participation in pedagogical FD is critical to teaching today due to changing technologies, pedagogical strategies, and increasing numbers of at-risk students. However, competing demands make prioritizing FD challenging. As a result, many institutions are implementing online asynchronous FD offerings. Little research exists on online offerings specifically for faculty with needs and motivations different from students. Particularly, it is important to look at social construction of knowledge through community in online asynchronous FD.

This study supplemented the scant literature by interviewing …

The Value Of Interactive Multimodal Online Higher Education Classrooms: Examining The Impact Of Interactive Multimedia-Based Instructional Design (Imbid), Andrea Munro

Dissertations

Purpose: Despite their affordability and convenience, online courses have higher student failure and dropout rates than ground based-courses. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative single-case study was to determine if there is a difference between interactive, multimedia-based online instruction and traditional text-based online instruction as it relates to the level of student performance, engagement, and satisfaction in higher education.

Methodology: This quantitative research design used inferential statistics to analyze the research questions. The researcher selected 13 text-based courses that were redesigned to become interactive, multimedia-based courses. Archival student performance, engagement, and satisfaction data was abstracted from both the text-based and …

A Qualitative Exploration Of The School Resource Officer’S Role In Two K-12 School Districts, Christopher T. Muench

Dissertations

The researcher conducted a qualitative exploration on the role of the School Resource Officer (SRO) specifically on safety/security, law enforcement duties, and interaction with students. The idea of an SRO was present in school systems since the 1950s and over the decades showed considerable expansion. On the surface, the SRO position seemed to need little definition but attempting to clarify the role led to conflicts, vagueness, and confusion among organizations served, the community, and the SROs themselves. The research was diverse concerning the roles and responsibilities of the SRO whether it be from a legal, educational, or tactical standpoint. This …

The Ontology, Epistemology, And Axiology Of Social And Racial Justice Educators: An Untapped Resource To Address The Unequal Educational Outcomes For Students Of Color And Other Non-Dominant Comunities, Adriana Eva Rangel

Dissertations

Despite repeated efforts towards educational reform, white students continue to experience higher educational attainment levels than historically underserved students. While the responsibility to change these outcomes has been vastly placed on the educational system, these disenfranchised populations have largely carried the blame for not improving their educational achievement. Thus, Students of Color have been portrayed as not possessing the drive nor interest to increase their educational attainment rates. Research notes many educators working with Communities of Color often lack the necessary critical consciousness around issues of race, privilege, power and oppression. These are warranted to adequately understand and support opportunities …

Students Of Black Or African American Ancestry In Grades 10th -12th Perceptions Of Their Schooling Experiences, Annette Renee Kennedy

Dissertations

California continues to tackle blatant racist acts within school systems across the state as recent headlines read, “Deeply offensive blackface video of California high school student sparks backlash” (Yancey-Bragg, Guynn, & Rhor, 2019, n.p.) and “Four teachers and their principal placed on leave after cheerfully posing for photo with noose” (Lunning, 2019, n.p.). Gaining a greater awareness of the non-headlining actions that take place on a day-to-day basis that have an equally powerful adverse effect on the school experiences of black learners was the focus of this study. Microaggressions are “subtle, stunning, often automatic, and non-verbal exchanges which are put …

Superintendent Recruitment: Effects Of Superintendent Job Status, School Councils (Principal Selection Models), District Wealth, And Signing Bonus On Applicant Rating Of The Job, Mark Jeffery Martin

Dissertations

This nearly perfect replicated study (Millay, 2003) was a superintendent recruitment simulation with the purpose of investigating factors that influence recruiting qualified individuals to serve as district superintendents of public schools. The study was a factorial experiment involving a four-way 2 x 2 x 2 x (3 x S) fixed-factor betweenwithin analysis of variance (ANOVA) which yielded 24 cells. The participants in the study were Kentucky Superintendents (N = 72) and individuals in Kentucky certified to be a school superintendent (N = 72) but employed in another position.

The between-groups variables were superintendent job status (superintendent, certified), district wealth (high, …

Evaluation Of Reasons That May Affect Whether Academically Capable Females Choose To Major In Stem, Kerri Alexander Adkins

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to study the reasons why academically capable females choose to pursue majors in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. A mixed-methods approach using focus groups and a survey were used. Data were gathered from the focus group sessions and used to develop the survey that was then validated and checked for reliability. After some edits, the survey was administered to female freshmen attending Western Kentucky University. Unfortunately, all female students who completed the survey except one indicated they were pursuing STEM majors.

The results from this study suggest that the reasons surrounding the …

The Alternative Voice: A Content Analysis Of Twitter News Accounts In Kuwait, Yousef Aldaihani

Dissertations

In response to the Agenda Setting scholars’ calls to locate innovative methods to gauge public salience in the evolving communication environment, this study used retweets, likes, and replies to measure public salience on two types of Kuwaiti Twitter news accounts: traditional newspapers accounts, and alternative news accounts. It also aimed to examine the potential effect of media salience constructs: attention, prominence, and valence on public perceived salience. The study was conducted on a 2203 systematically selected tweets from six news accounts. Results revealed that the agenda of the two types were positively significantly correlated. Social issues and politics were the …

Adjustment Issues Of Saudi Arabian Students And Their Spouses In The U.S., Saleh Saeed Alshihri

Dissertations

A significant proportion of Saudi Arabians seek further studies in western countries, including the United States. The benefits of an international education come with the challenges of relationship stress for Saudi s tudents and their spouses that increase during their stay in the United States. The purpose of this study was to understand the adjustment issues of Saudi Arabian students and their spouses in the U.S. This study u sed a sample of 320 Saudi Arabian students and student spouses, 65 of which could be matched with their spouse, in the U.S. The couples were sampled from different areas in …

Law Enforcement Officers' Romantic Relationships Strengths : A Mixed Methods Analysis, Mary Telisak

Dissertations

This study explores the diversity of personal and interpersonal features associated with relationship quality for law enforcement officers and their romantic partners. A concurrent, embedded, mixed methods design was used to address the central research question, "What interpersonal characteristics and work- and home-based contextual factors are associated with relationship quality for law enforcement officers and their romantic partners?" Specific efforts were made to account for the gaps left by existing literature on the romantic relationships of law enforcement officers. Participants were recruited from four Midwestern communities of similar size and demographic composition in the winter of 2018-2019. One hundred ten …

Predictors Of Distress During The Breast Diagnostic Period, Mariann Mayhew Harding

Dissertations

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women and the leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide (Warner, 2011). Mortality from breast cancer in the United States has been decreasing in part due to advances in therapy and the detection of the disease at earlier stages. As a result, more than 1.6 million U.S. women will undergo a breast biopsy in 2013 with approximately 232,340 of these being diagnosed with cancer. Although distress in women undergoing a breast diagnostic evaluation has been recognized as having the potential to alter treatment outcomes in those diagnosed with cancer, few …

Self-Efficacy, Social Support, Therapeutic Support And The Initiation And Duration Of Breastfeeding In Adolescent Mothers, Deborah L. Birk

Dissertations

This longitudinal investigation examines self-efficacy, social support and therapeutic support as predictors of initiation and duration of breastfeeding in adolescent mothers. It proposes that prenatal levels of self-efficacy, social support and therapeutic support are significant predictors of breastfeeding initiation in adolescent mothers. It also proposes that postpartum levels of these variables are significant predictors of the number of days breastfeeding after delivery in adolescent mothers.

Using Second-Transitionary Phase Cognitive Factors To Predict Adherence To A Walking Routine, Donna B. Konradi

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to test a regression model designed to predict adherence to a walking for exercise routine. An extension of the Second-Transitionary (Adherence) phase of the Natural History of Exercise Model, referred to as the Natural History of Walking for Exercise Model (NHWEM) was the organizing framework.

The Relationship Between The Nurses' Work Environment And Patient And Nurse Outcomes, Nancy Theresa Blake

Dissertations

Medical errors cost the United States over $50 billion annually. Healthy work environments (HWE) can reduce medical errors and decrease Registered Nurse (RN) turnover. Three of the variables that impact the work environments are communication, collaboration and leadership. The Joint Commission stated that communication failures are the leading cause of harm to patients in hospitals today. With an estimated shortage of 260,000 nurses identified in the year 2025, nurse leaders need to be creative and do what they can to improve the work environment. The purpose of this research study was to determine the relationship between HWEs, patient outcomes and …

A Secondary Analysis Of Mammography And Pap Screening Among Women With Diabetes, Janet G. Marshall

Dissertations

Using a national database for secondary analysis, the purpose of this investigation was to determine if women with diabetes have different patterns of screening for breast and cervical cancer than women of the general population; and, if so, identify the determinants of the screening pattern. The PRECEDE Model was the organizing framework for this investigation of the complex issues related to cancer screening. The 12 states utilizing the optional women's health module for the 2003 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) was downloaded into STATA Software.

Development Of The Woman Abuse Screening Tool, Wendy K. Taylor

Dissertations

Researchers reported that 25%-33% of female trauma victims had injuries caused by battering. More than one million women per year seek medical care for injuries caused by battering. Of those who seek medical care, only one in ten is officially identified as a battered woman. Women are routinely screened for a variety of problems, conditions, or medical disorders, but violence is not included. An important issue related to identifying battered women is the lack of an appropriate comprehensive screening tool. The purpose of this study was threefold: (a) determine whether using a comprehensive abuse screening tool results in an increased …

Managing My Pregnancy: A Grounded Theory Of Pregnancy And Childbearing Beliefs And Practices Of Women Of Mexican Descent, Lorena Consuelo Guerrero

Dissertations

Examples of pregnancy-specific health beliefs and practices of Hispanic women are found in the medical literature, but the findings regarding the beliefs and practices are often outdated, limited, mostly curative in nature, and are often dismissed as benign cultural practices of a mainly homogeneous cultural group. Hispanic women incorporate both conventional and biomedical practices with traditional medicine/complementary and alternative medicine in their treatment of illnesses. The findings from this study served to illustrate current pregnancy-specific health beliefs and practices of pregnant Hispanic women of Mexican origin. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the pregnancy-specific health …

A Silent Epidemic With No Voice: Alzheimer's Education In An African American Midwest Community, Sandra D. Fields

Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease is a growing crisis in this country, particularly in the African American community. Despite this awareness by the health care community and educational programs offered about the disease, a deficit in research assessing the impact of these programs exists. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to analyze the key criterion relative to the educational programs about Alzheimer’s offered by local organizations and the impact they have on a Midwest African American community.

According to research regarding Alzheimer’s disease, African Americans continue to go undiagnosed and untreated. The literature review in this study explores the synergy of three …

Barriers To Student Connectedness And Engagement: How Socioeconomic Status Affects Student Involvement, Dominic M. Manola

Dissertations

Today, as students prepare for post-secondary opportunities, a greater and greater emphasis is placed on the importance of engaging learners both in and out of the classroom. While many students are inclined to get involved, there is a growing number of young people who face barriers that prevent them from connecting and engaging in the high school experience. Importantly, socioeconomic status plays a key role in determining how engaged a student may be, as well as serving as a key identifier in what must be addressed to ensure more young people get involved in their academic and co-curricular learning. This …

Effects Of Electro-Osmotic Consolidation Of Clays And Its Improvement Using Ion Exchange Membranes, Lucas Martin

Dissertations

Electro-osmosis is an established method of expediting consolidation of soft, saturated clayey soils compared to commonly used methods, such as preloading with wick drains. In electro-osmotic consolidation a direct current (DC) is applied via inserted electrodes. This causes hydrated ions in the interstitial fluid to migrate to oppositely charged electrodes. Because the clay particles have a negative surface charge, the majority of ions in the interstitial fluid are positively charged. Therefore, the net flow will be towards the negatively charged electrode (cathode), where the water can be removed and thus consolidation is achieved. Certain problems, such as pH changes in …

Analyzing Evolution Of Rare Events Through Social Media Data, Xiaoyu Lu

Dissertations

Recently, some researchers have attempted to find a relationship between the evolution of rare events and temporal-spatial patterns of social media activities. Their studies verify that the relationship exists in both time and spatial domains. However, few of those studies can accurately deduce a time point when social media activities are most highly affected by a rare event because producing an accurate temporal pattern of social media during the evolution of a rare event is very difficult. This work expands the current studies along three directions. Firstly, we focus on the intensity of information volume and propose an innovative clustering …

Roles Of Surfactant And Binary Polymers On Dissolution Enhancement Of Bcs Ii Drugs From Nanocomposites And Amorphous Solid Dispersions, Md Mahbubur Rahman

Dissertations

Drug nanocomposites and amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) are two major formulation platforms used for the bioavailability enhancement of BCS Class II drugs. The major drawback of nanocomposites is their inability to attain high drug supersaturation during in vitro (<50% relative supersaturation) and in vivo dissolution. On the other hand, formulating an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) with high drug loading (>20%) that releases drug rapidly, while generating and maintaining high supersaturation over at least three hours is challenging. The goal of this thesis is to develop a fundamental understanding of the impact of anionic surfactants–polymers on in vitro drug release from nanocomposites and ASDs, while addressing the above challenges. To achieve this goal, the following objectives are set: (1) compare griseofulvin …

Data Multiplexing In Vector Acoustic Communication: System Design And Experiments, Erjian Zhang

Dissertations

Acoustic particle velocity channels, which are vector components of the acoustic field, have been recently explored to achieve communication purposes underwater. Vector sensors and transducers that can utilize acoustic particle velocity channels have compact multichannel designs, which are perfect for compact size underwater platforms. In this dissertation, an underwater acoustic multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication system featuring orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation is discussed. By transmitting multiple independent data streams simultaneously over several channels within the same bandwidth, the proposed MIMO system increases the transmission rate. A variety of components of the system such as …

Development And Testing Of A Text Messaging Educational Intervention For Pregnant Adolescents, Rhonda R. Martin

Dissertations

This study developed a literature based educational text messaging intervention, utilizing professional and adolescent subject matter experts (SMEs) to assess the content validity of the intervention, and pilot test the intervention for effect on pregnant adolescents' knowledge of nutrition and physical activity. Pregnant adolescents tend to utilize prenatal care inconsistently and have problems with weight gain during pregnancy. Questions have arisen regarding whether pregnant women are receiving education needed to eat healthy and be active during pregnancy. Several studies identified that women know to eat healthy and exercise but not specifically what to eat, what kind of activity to perform, …