Digital Commons Network^™

The Social-Construct Of Race And Ethnicity: One’S Self-Identity After A Dna Test, Kathryn Ann Wilson

Dissertations

Self-identity—specific to race and ethnicity—is shaped by a myriad of factors, including genealogical evidence, family lore, learned behaviors and lived experiences. How these various factors affect self-identity varies greatly from individual to individual. Even those raised within the same household may hold different views of who they are. This study examines how individuals’ self-identity is affected by results from DNA testing.

This study is filtered through the lens of Social Constructivism theory and looks at many components which may have impacted how we see ourselves and develop our personal self-identification. The study used mixed methods and sources of data. Quantitative …

Positionality Matters: School Choice Decisions Based On Ethnographic Accounts Of African American Parents, Dr. Stacy L. Thomas

Dissertations

This research delves into experiences with reasoning and selected criteria for choosing the right school for their children. Beginning with a series of vignettes that assist with recognition of parental empowerment, this research archives acknowledgement of their own positionality when it comes to making life changing decisions. As selected parents of African American children grapple with the strategic balance and possibilities of educational outlets, family and finances, they offer ethnographic accounts of their successes and failures with school choice. Individual accounts of parental school choice decisions posing as data ascertained from interviews provided research that explored the critical frequencies and …

Assessing The Cost, Quality, And Effectiveness Of Local Government Training Methodologies, Michael Dean Norman

Dissertations

Two significant factors are present in our current environment: constrained resources and increased globalization. Training is widely recognized as an imperative to increasing productivity, improving economic conditions, and exploiting global opportunities. But what is the most effective learning modality that should be applied in an environment of constrained resources and increased globalization? This study examines that question by comparing, contrasting, and analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of traditional learning vs. e-learning in local government organizations. The variables used in the analysis are cost, quality, and effectiveness.

The results indicated that there are several factors in the analysis of the advantages …

At The Crossroads Of Race, Class And Culture: Identifying The Unintended Consequences Of Technology On The Agency Of Blues Musicians, Michael D. Berghoef

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the impact the rapid evolution and implementation of technology has had on blues musicians and the music they created and shared with their audiences over the past sixty years. The past 150 years have seen the conversion of nearly all musical participation as live, unmediated and with close proximity of performer to audience, to an experience that is increasingly recorded, digitally mediated and often listened to in isolation from others.

While a great deal of live music is still performed around the world on a daily basis, the impact of the largescale cultural shift move to what …

Factors Contributing To The Attrition Of New Student Affairs Professionals, Nicole Millar Allbee

Dissertations

Alumni who graduated within the previous five years from student affairs master’s degree programs across the nation were surveyed to examine issues related to attrition. In total, 697 alumni responded, of which 588 (84.36%) were still in the field of student affairs and 109 (15.64%) had departed. Participants were surveyed regarding their levels of occupational commitment to student affairs and their satisfaction and burnout in their first postgraduate professional role in order to understand how these factors influenced their retention in the profession. These measures were assessed for all alumni as well as for both comparison groups and a logistic …

The Impact Of Push & Pull Factors And Political Stability On Destination Image, Tourist Satisfaction And The Intention To Re-Visit: The Case Of Abu Dhabi In The Uae, Muzoun Ali Darwish Almulla Al Ansaari

Dissertations

Taking into consideration Abu Dhabi 2030 vision, the tourism sector is considered to be a significant sector in its contribution to the long-term economic growth of the UAE. Abu Dhabi has many of the push and pulls factors that attract tourists. By illuminating tourists’ behaviors, the results of this study will enable decision-makers to understand why tourists choose Abu Dhabi over other destinations, what type of experience they are looking for, and the variety of activities that they want. Meanwhile, taking into account the political stability of the UAE in general and Abu Dhabi in particular, insufficient attention has hitherto …

Exploring Critical Reading Experience In English Of Emirati 11th Grade Students, Maryam Ali Salem Alsereidi

Dissertations

This study aimed at exploring the critical reading experiences of Emirati 11th-grade students in public high schools. A sequential explanatory mixed-method design was used to answer the five research questions posed in this study. In this study, data were collected in two consecutive phases and used different instruments including a questionnaire, classroom observation, and a semi-structured interview. In the first phase of the study, a total number of 11^th-grade students (n=645) participated by filling a questionnaire about their critical reading experiences. The second phase of the study featured an in-depth investigation of the teachers’ and students’ views about …

An Investgation Of Multimodal Mobile Literacy Effect On Promoting 10th Graders’ Efl Writing, Motivation And Intercultural Competence, Amin Mefreh Amin Elkhayyat

Dissertations

This study aimed at investigating Multimodal Mobile Literacy (MML) effect on promoting EFL writing performance, writing motivation, and intercultural competence. The Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition Model (SAMR), as one of the 21st-century frameworks for evaluating mobile learning was adopted to select the MML device of the study. The study employed a quasi-experimental design. A convenient sample of 10th-grade students from public schools in three cities in the UAE was selected. The sample comprised of two groups: A treatment Group (n= 176) and a Control Group (n=179). The experimental group made use of the Mobile Learning platform to learn English writing …

Deciphering The Molecular Mechanism Through Which Rhus Coriaria Exerts Its Anti-Cancer Activity, Khawlah Najib Saeed Athamneh

Dissertations

Cancer remains a major health problem around the globe. Among various types of treatments, plants have been shown to have great capacity in cancer treatment, one of which is Rhus coriaria. Commonly known as sumac, Rhus coriaria is a culinary herb that is known to possess different therapeutic values including anti-oxidant and anti-microbial activities.

In this Ph.D. project, we tested the effect of Rhus coriaria extract (RCE) on the migration, invasion, and metastasis of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. We showed that non-cytotoxic concentrations of RCE inhibited migration and invasion, blocked adhesion to fibronectin, and downregulated MMP-9. Additionally, we found …

From Midterms To Naptime: An Autoethnography Of The Affects Of Intersectionality Of An African American Single Parent College Student, Jovon Willis

Dissertations

Abstract

According to United States Census (2016), Women in female-headed households with no spouse experienced higher rates of poverty (35.6 percent) than women in married-couple families (6.6 percent) and men in male-headed households. Having an education would significantly increase their chances of obtaining suitable employment which would also grant them income and benefits that could improve the overall quality of life for their families.

Today women are the majority on college campuses. According to The United States Census Bureau (2011), women make up 56% of college enrollment. Though the percentage of women attending college is increasing, the challenges that they …

A Mixed-Methods Study Of How Middle School Principals Build Trust With Staff Using Weisman’S Five Domains Of Trust Model, Wendy Ryerson

Dissertations

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

Methodology. This explanatory mixed-methods study used surveys and face-to-face interviews with 12 middle school principals to gather data regarding the approaches used to build trust. The survey assessed the degree of importance of the 5Cs for building trust, whereas …

Lifting Behavior, Back Pain, And Back Injury Among Registered Nurses In The Hospital Setting, Joy E. Wachs

Dissertations

Back injury among nursing personnel engaged in direct patient care in the hospital setting has been shown to be a primary occupational health concern. The primary agent of back injuries among nurses has been reported to be the moving of patients. This descriptive, cross sectional survey examined the prevalence of prescribed lifting behavior among registered nurses and the relationship between the behavior and nurse's self report of back injury and back pain. Further, using Suchman's epidemiologic framework, characteristics of the nurse, the patient, and the immediate environment were also ascertained to identify possible antecedents to the behavior.

Crisis Leadership And Management Of Superintendents During The 2017-18 California Wildfires, Dianna Kitamura

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed methods heuristic research study was to discover how school superintendents described their crisis leadership and management experiences during the 2017-2018 wildfires in California through the lens of the Five Critical Tasks of Strategic Crisis Leadership framework of sense making, meaning making, decision-making and coordination, learning, accounting (Boin, 't Hart, Stern, & Sundelius, 2017). Additionally, this study determined the extent to which school superintendents identify their use of the Five Critical Tasks of Strateby Dianna W. Kitamuragic Crisis Leadership framework.

Methodology: This explanatory, sequential mixed methods heuristic research study investigated a quantitative survey and qualitative …

A Dynamic Approach To Understanding Immigration, Ethnicity And Violent Crime In Chicago Communities, Saundra Trujillo

Dissertations

Once again, politically-driven events in the United States have brought the relationship between immigration and crime to the forefront in public, political, and academic discourses. Yet, despite proclamations made by a key U.S. political figure claiming that immigrants, specifically Mexican immigrants, are “bringing drugs...[and] bringing crime” (Trump, 2015) to U.S. communities, criminological research consistently finds that there is either an inverse relationship between immigration and crime- or no relationship at all (see Ousey and Kubrin, 2017 and National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, 2015 for review). Moreover, with decades of research on the relationship between immigration and crime, this …

Leading With Trust: A Phenomenological Study Of The Strategies Leaders In Certified B Corporations Use To Build Trust With Their Employees, Victoria Wodarczyk

Dissertations

Purpose:The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how senior management leaders of certified B Corporations (B Corps) build trust with employees, using the 5 domains of connection, concern, candor, competence, and consistency.

Methodology:Aqualitative phenomenological approach was used in this study to explore how senior leaders of certified B Corps build trust with their employees using The Values Institute (TVI; Weisman, 2016) trust framework and the accompanying domains of connection, concern, candor, competence, and consistency. Participants were purposely chosen based on study criteria of a senior management leader in a certified B Corp including leadership for at …

Public Policy Regarding Infant Mortality: Rhetorical Criticism Of The Mass Media, Joanne Rains Warner

Dissertations

Nurses interested in impacting the formation of policy must understand the multiple factors which influence the process. Mass communication is one important factor because it influences the creation and transmission of political realities. Rhetorical criticism was the methodology used to analyze the persuasive powers of the mass communication, and thereby provide insights into the policy formation process. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the rhetorical strategies of mass communication regarding the issue of infant mortality. The strategies were illuminated within the political context of Indiana's 1988 and 1989 legislative years, and related to legislative activities surrounding legislation which …

Culturally Responsive School Leadership: How Principals Use Culturally Responsive Leadership Strategies To Develop Engaging And Inclusive School Environments For All Students, Cherilynne Hollowell

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this ethnographic investigation was to identify and describe culturally responsive leadership practices and strategies principals of Title I high schools, in suburban contexts, of the Inland Empire in Southern California use to develop schools that engage and include all students.

Methodology: This qualitative study identified and described the practices and strategies of 15 Inland Empire principals of Title I comprehensive high schools in Southern California, used to develop schools that engage and include all students, particularly students that have been historically and traditionally marginalized. Participants were purposively chosen based on specific criteria. The researcher collected data …

Masters In Nursing Students' Experiences As A Member Of A Virtual Classroom On The Internet, Carla L. Mueller

Dissertations

There is a growing demand for masters prepared nurses to meet the health care needs of the population. However, adult students find that multiple role responsibilities make it difficult to participate in the leisurely pace of the youth-centered model of traditional higher education. Courses in virtual classrooms on the Internet have been established to provide more convenient access to graduate nursing education. However, few attempts at systematically investigating and rigorously assessing the experiences of graduate students involved in courses in virtual classrooms on the Internet have been published. Disciplined investigation of students' experiences is warranted in order to fully explore …

A Qualitative Self-Study Of Educational Philosophy Within The Context Of A Structured Educational Framework, Tiffany Young

Dissertations

This study came about as the result of my belief that my philosophy as an educator was no longer in alignment with that of the school district in which I taught. As a result, I decided to conduct a self-study that incorporated my own reflections of myself and my teaching, as well as those of my then-current and previous colleagues and thencurrent and previous administrators/building leaders. Participants varied in their positions and in their number of years of teaching experience, roles, age, gender, and then-current teaching status. It was important to me that I had people with whom I had …

When Worlds Collide: The Meanings Of Work And Fathering Among Fathers Of Premature Infants, Shawn Pohlman

Dissertations

This interpretive phenomenological study examined the meanings, concerns, and practices of eight fathers of pre-term infants. Fathers were interviewed six to eight times over a 6 month period, beginning within a month after birth and continuing at home after infant discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

The Experience Of Post-Craniotomy Pain Among Persons With Brain Tumors, Rebecca Elizabeth Foust

Dissertations

Post-craniotomy brain tumor patients often experience pain in the post-surgical period which can negatively affect recovery and surgical outcomes. Research with this population has focused on pharmacological treatments of post-craniotomy pain and measurement of pain intensity. Little is known about how these patients experience the quality of their pain and how this pain is managed. The purpose of this dissertation was to provide an in-depth description of the experience of post-craniotomy pain during the post-surgical period.

Ideals For Nurses: A Study Of The "American Journal Of Nursing" And "Rn", 1940-1960, Lembi Saarmann

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the ideals promoted in two major nursing journals, the AJN and RN, from 1940 through 1960. A thematic analysis of both journals was conducted. This analysis revealed that the AJN consistently represented the viewpoint of the ANA and the "elite" of nursing. It reflected the thrust toward professionalization desired by the nursing leaders. RN, on the other hand, represented the views of the rank and file of nursing. It reflected their more practical concerns. This difference was most pronounced in the conflict between the ideals of service and self-interest and in the …

Effectiveness And Cost Efficiency Of Interventions In Health Promotion, Rosanne H. Pruitt

Dissertations

There is a general lack of evidence of the efficacy and cost efficiency of interventions in the area of health promotion. The lack of evidence is frequently cited as a reason programs are not adopted. Resources are limited, and it is important that evidence be generated through research to allow for informed choices to be made. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a stress management program and determine overall effectiveness and cost efficiency. Two research hypotheses addressed effectiveness.

The Tenderness Process In Mother-Infant Couples: The Relationship Of Maternal Perception And Anxiety To Infant Satiety And Anxiety, Deidre Marion Blank

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify what impact, if any, maternal perception and anxiety had on an infant at the time of feeding. The framework for testing the relationship was Harry Stack Sullivan's interpersonal theory of psychiatry, as it related specifically to mother-infant tenderness. For the study, tenderness was restricted to a reciprocal process in which the infant had a physiochemical need for milk and the mother a complimentary need to satisfy the infant. Of importance to Sullivan was the fact that an infant had to depend on the intervention of others for survival and therefore manifested a …

The Effect Of Ethnicity And Residential Setting On Cultural Factors Of Low-Income Pregnant Adolescents, Cynthia S. Selleck

Dissertations

Much research has been conducted on adolescent pregnancy; however, culture, as it relates to adolescent pregnancy, has been cited as an area in need of further study. This research focused on the effect of ethnicity and residential setting on cultural factors of low-income pregnant adolescents. The cultural factors studied were social support, knowledge of prevention of pregnancy, and importance of becoming pregnant. These variables were described and compared in white, black, rural, and urban pregnant adolescents. Relationships among these variables were also investigated.

Low-Income Women With Genital Herpes: Recognizing And Managing Their Fear Trajectory, Shirley Countryman Gordon

Dissertations

Every illness tells a story and this study tells the story of low income women with genital herpes. The purpose of this research was to generate a substantive theory about the response of low income women to the critical event of being diagnosed with genital herpes. Data were collected from taped in-depth, interviews from a purposive sample of sixteen (16) low income women who had been diagnosed with genital herpes. Informal interviews were also conducted with five (5) health care providers and several clinic staff members on issues related to stigma and the experience of being diagnosed with genital herpes. …

Educators’ Perceptions Of Restorative Justice, Care, Inclusion, And Disability: A Phen[Women]Ological Study, Jennifer Hull

Dissertations

In the State of Illinois, changes are taking effect related to classroom culture and educational policy is moving from “safe schools/zero tolerance” policies to restorative justice practices. Through a feminist disability studies lens, the focus of this a phen[women]ological study of the lived experiences of six educators from two different schools in Illinois and their perceptions of restorative justice, care, inclusion, and disability was to ask: How are educators making sense of restorative justice practices? What are the implications for students with disabilities? Five topics of significance surfaced, including (a) caring; (b) restorative justice and inclusion; (c) impact of technology; …

Factors Associated With Health Care Personnel Intentions To Respond To A Public Health Event, Susan B. Connor

Dissertations

Health care personnel (HCP) are an important link in emergency response. Yet, researchers have reported that not all HCP intend to respond when a public health event (PHE) occurs. Ajzen's theory of planned behavior (TPB) was the theoretical framework for this study.

The objective of this study was to explore factors associated with HCP intentions to respond to a future PHE.

Promoting Mobile Government Services In The Uae: A Moderated Parallel Mediation Analysis Of The Impact Of Ad Content On Intention, Asma Shaheen Saif Sultan Al Awani

Dissertations

This thesis investigates the role of ad content in influencing citizens’ intention to use mobile government (mGovernment) services in the UAE. mGovernment delivers services through the use of mobile devices to citizens anytime and anywhere in order to increase citizen happiness and satisfaction. mGovernment has been launched as a strategic initiative by the UAE government, and one of the most important success factors for the initiative is increasing the number of citizens who use mGovernment services. Previous research has focused mainly on the factors driving technology acceptance and user intention to use self-service technologies. In contrast, the present research focuses …

A Comparison Of Cooperative Learning And Collaboration In High School Geometry Classes Including Geometry In Construction, Shelley Gates

Dissertations

Currently offered at over 450 high schools in the United States, Geometry in Construction is an interdisciplinary course that provides students with the opportunity to learn Geometry content through the process of constructing a single-family home. Highly functioning cooperative groups are a critical element of the Geometry in Construction program. Cooperative learning is an effective instructional strategy that increases student achievement (Slavin, 2011) and also provides opportunities for students to develop collaboration and teamwork skills. Collaboration and teamwork are critical 21st century skills that are highly valued by employers and therefore worthy of consideration as foundational skills to be taught …