Digital Commons Network^™

A Look At Emotional Intelligence: A Qualitative Study Of Peer Mentorship Via Circle Of Friends, Christopher De Loach

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of former Circle of Friends (CoF) nondisabled peer mentors of students with multiple disabilities to discover how this mentorship program impacted Daniel Goleman’s four dimensions of emotional intelligence.

Methodology: This study employed a qualitative phenomenological design. In qualitative designs, the researcher seeks to welcome the subject’s voice into a chorus that contributes to the summative ballad of the sample. The researcher must seek to be a neutral conduit that captures those voices. Thus, the researcher in this study interviewed 14 former peer friends from the CoF program …

Rocky Journey Toward Effective Lgbt Leadership: A Qualitative Case Study Research Of The Perceptions Of Openly Gay Male Leaders In High-Level Leadership Positions, Javier Valdovinos

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative ethnographic case study was to explore and discover the perceptions of California gay male leaders in high-level leadership positions, specifically in regard to the types of support they received and the types of barriers they encountered along their leadership journey to attain a high-level leadership position.

Findings: Data collection and analysis resulted in six major findings in the ascent or journey to leadership of the 12 selected participants: (a) self-acceptance and personal determination, (b) networking support, (c) education and leadership skills, (d) family and friends, (e) internalized homophobia, and (f) social prejudice and …

Identifying And Interpreting The Technological Self-Efficacy Ratings Of Teachers In Midwestern School Districts With 1:1 Technology: A Mixed-Methods Approach, Gregory Edwards

Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-methods study, which included 182 teachers across three Midwestern school districts, was threefold. First, the researcher sought to determine the technological self-efficacy ratings of teachers at school districts with 1:1 technology in relation to the ISTE’s National Education Technology Standards for Teachers. Based on the study’s findings, participants had the lowest mean self-efficacy ratings for ISTE’s fifth standard, which focused on teachers’ lifelong learning and growing as professionals (ISTE, 2008). Participants had the highest mean ratings for the fourth standard, which related to digital citizenship (ISTE, 2008). Second, the researcher aimed to identify if there was …

Guidelines For U.S. Teacher Leaders In Adult Classrooms To Enhance International Undergraduate Satisfaction, Somanita Kheang

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research was to (a) explore the issues that international undergraduate students face during academic experiences at U.S. colleges and/or universities, (b) study the relationship between U.S. professors and international undergraduate students as measured by the extent of congruency between U.S. professors’ and international undergraduate students’ online survey results, and (c) propose appropriate guidelines for U.S. Teacher Leaders in adult classrooms to enhance international undergraduate students’ learning satisfaction. The researcher used convenience sampling that included 96 participants at Lindenwood University, Saint Charles. The researcher conducted a focus group discussion with 14 international undergraduate students from 10 …

The Role Of Conversation In How Educational Services Assistant Superintendents Lead Change, Lisa Paisley

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to describe the behaviors that exemplary educational services assistant superintendents practice to lead their organizations through conversation as depicted by Groysberg and Slind’s (2012b) 4 elements of conversational leadership: intimacy, interactivity, inclusion, and intentionality. Methodology: A qualitative, phenomenological approach was used in this study in order to describe the lived experiences and behaviors of exemplary leaders. The target population was educational services assistant superintendents in Southern California. Participants were selected using a purposeful, nonprobability, convenience sampling. Data gathering took the form of semistructured, in-depth interviews, observations, and artifact collection. Interviews were …

Understanding And Describing The Impact Of Self-Concept On Weight Loss As Perceived By African American Women, Tchicaya Missamou

Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to understand and describe the impact of Bracken’s (1992) six domains of self-concept (affect, academic, competence, family, physical, and social) on weight loss as perceived by African American women.

Methods. This study employed a sequential mixed-methods exploratory design. A web-based survey was administered with 66 respondents, followed by in-person interviews with 10 participants. Data were collected from African American women who participated in a fitness and weight loss challenge and lived in the greater Los Angeles Area.

Findings. The extent to which each domain affected participants’ ability to lose …

Using Video Modeling To Teach Vocational Skills To Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Karl Schoenherr

Dissertations

This study evaluated the effectiveness of video self-modeling as a method for teaching two young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) how to perform job-related skills in a vocational setting. Prior to intervention, videos were recorded of the participants as they performed single steps of novel tasks at their jobsites. The researcher created video self-models by combining and editing the recordings of the single tasks into a video that depicted the participants performing all the steps of the task in succession. The videos included written instructions and voiceovers of the instructions. The videos were uploaded to Box, an app that …

A Mixed-Methods Study On The Relationship Between Corrective Reading Interventions And Student Achievement In An Urban Middle School After-School Program, Emma Campbell-Cornelius

Dissertations

The researcher investigated the corrective reading interventions implemented in an urban middle school’s after-school program to determine if the interventions were helping students perform better in English Language Arts (ELA) classes and improved their overall achievement on the Northwest Evaluation Assessment (NWEA). The researcher also investigated teacher perceptions of professional development hours and student achievement in ELA. This study primarily focused on students in fifth-eighth grade, due to the low academic performance in ELA scores at the middle school. The purpose of this study was to determine if students in middle school would perform better if they received additional supports …

Genomic And Cellular Studies Establish The Pathogenesis And Cellular Mechanisms Of Disease-Causing Mutations In Families With Autosomal Recessive Disorders, Nesreen Khalid Ahmad Al Jezawi

Dissertations

The majority of the reported genetic disorders in the UAE population are of the autosomal recessive type, which is mainly due to high rates of consanguinity within the UAE national population, and within a significant proportion of other UAE expatriate communities; such as Arabs and Pakistanis. It is estimated that more than 50% of all marriages among Emiratis occur between biologically related couples, with first cousin marriages being the highest. That could be attributed to sociocultural values in the region. Successful management of genetic diseases can be achieved by the implementation of effective preventative programs that could help reduce the …

Conversational Leadership: A Phenomenological Study Of Exemplary Elementary Superintendents And The Behaviors They Practice In Leading Their Organizations, Kristin Brogan-Baranski

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to describe the behaviors that exemplary elementary superintendents practice to lead their organizations through conversation using Groysberg and Slind’s (2012b) 4 elements of conversational leadership: intimacy, interactivity, inclusion, and intentionality.

Methodology: The phenomenological qualitative inquiry method was used to describe the behaviors of 10 exemplary elementary superintendents in Southern California and their perspectives of lived events related to conversational leadership. The study combined semistructured interviews using an interview guide, observations, and artifact collection. These qualitative tools helped the researcher gain insight on study participants’ conversational leadership behaviors defined in the study’s …

Ukraine At The Crossroad In Post-Communist Europe: Policymaking And The Role Of Foreign Actors, Ryan Barrett

Dissertations

As the mounting protests from Maidan Square in Kyiv led to the resignation of President Viktor Yanukovich, Ukrainians found themselves at an unavoidable fork in the road in their history. For years the country had become a new frontier of Western influence, forcing a decision between tightening economic and cultural ties with Western countries or with Russia. The basic question many Ukrainians now faced included choosing between their Soviet past or a potential liberal democratic future. Furthermore, the Russian takeover of Crimea became the first major invasion of a European country since 1968. This military maneuver stunned the international community …

The Resiliency Of Highly Mobile Military Children: Implications For Military And Education Leadership, Kim D. Hunt

Dissertations

The life of a highly mobile child brings educational and social challenges. Highly mobile children who move at least four to five times during their PK-12 grade years generally experience greater difficulty in their social interactions and education than children with a more stable living experience. One specific group of highly mobile children, military children, face these challenges and more, due somewhat to the unique culture of the military. Military children are called upon to move across state lines and/or international borders and typically face multiple school absences and stress related to deployments of their active duty parent(s). There is …

Visualization Of Co-Authorshipin Dit Arrow, Dan Xu

Dissertations

With the popularization of information technology and the unprecedented development of online reading, the management and service of the library are facing severe challenges; the traditional library operation mode has been challenging to optimize the service. At the same time, there is also a fatal impact on library collection and systematic management, however, with the development of visualization techniques in management and service, the library can alleviate the effect of the current network information basically, which achieves the intellectual development of library field. This study empirically provides the evidence to indicate that the force directed layout has the statistically significant …

The User, The Reader, And The Pocket Cathedral: William Morris's Arts And Crafts Aesthetic And The Decorated Book, Brandiann Molby

Dissertations

In an expansion of Jerome McGann's claims for a "materialist aesthetic" as the defining feature of William Morris's Kelmscott Press books, this dissertation maintains that Morris's book designs are the fullest expression of an Arts and Crafts interpretive model that Morris established over his career as a designer and a craftsman and that decisively intervenes in traditional theoretical discussions of the distinctions between the visual and verbal arts. This dissertation demonstrates that Morris's book designs are predicated on the user's interpretive engagement with the material object to bring together word and image, form and function, and decoration and design in …

Ultrathin Perfect Light Absorbers As Color Filters And Modulators, Seyed Sadreddin Mirshafieyan

Dissertations

Methods for spectrally controlling light absorption in optoelectronic devices have attracted considerable attention in recent years. The principle objectives of this research are to experimentally demonstrate spectrally selective perfect light absorption in static thin-film layer structures in the visible and near infrared and provide a path toward dynamically controlling this absorption. The absorber structure comprises a Fabry-Perot nanocavity made of ultrathin semiconductor and metal films. The absorption wavelength is controlled by either tailoring the thickness of the cavity, applying thermal annealing, altering the metal layer, or by applying an electrical voltage. Investigating static spectrally selective light absorption in the visible …

Characterization Of Outdoor Dielectrics For Power System Applications, Longfei Cui

Dissertations

The economy of transporting large amount of power over long distance makes high voltage transmission line an important component of the power system. The continuous and stable operation of the transmission lines are critical for the power system. Outdoor insulators provide electrical insulation as well as mechanical support between energized conductor and grounded parts. Therefore, insulator performance is intimately related to the reliability of power delivery. Insulator performance is affected by weather parameters (such as rain and pollution) and aging characteristics of its components. High voltage transmission lines, passing through high vegetation areas, also face a risk of wildfire. During …

Barriers And Perceptions To Obtaining Palliative Care In The Emergency Department, Jacqueline Lucille Saucier

Dissertations

Background:

Purpose: This study explored barriers and perceptions of providing palliative care services while patients are in the emergency department (ED) in order to increase the>likelihood of caregivers to elicit palliative care methodologies for patients with chronic illness, who are not necessarily at the end of life, but rather who are identified through repeated visits to the ED.

Design and Methods: A mixed methods approach was used to explore the barriers and perceptions of providing palliative care services in the ED. By using a qualitative approach, evidenced by grounded theory, this study explored the barriers and perceptions of providing …

A Multi Case Study Of Sexual Assault Policies And Procedures Of Two Residential Higher Education Institutions In The Midwest, Slandah Dieujuste

Dissertations

Problem

Sexual misconduct is a public health and safety issue affecting most if not all higher education institutions in the United States. Over the past fifteen years, student on student sexual misconduct cases occurring on American college and university campuses have caught the attention of the federal government and put the American public on high alert. As a response to public outcry, Congress enacted several laws that imposed requirements on institutions regarding how they address sexual misconduct cases to how and when they publish crime statistics. Although many research studies have looked into the issues surrounding sexual misconduct cases on …

Activist Leadership: A Grounded Theory Study Of Leadership And Effective Public-Sector Performance In A Young Democracy, Akinwumi Oladapo Oke

Dissertations

Problem

The problem this study investigated is the phenomenon of a small but growing group of activist political leaders who are redefining public sector governance by reshaping the organizations they lead, thereby improving the institutional environments of hitherto moribund public agencies. The study explored the unique dispositions, skills, values, and/or behaviors of this class of leaders in order to provide an understanding of their emergence in terms of their development, decision-making and other personal leadership characteristics that evolved into their 'activist' nature. The purpose of this research was to develop a grounded theory regarding how the leadership competencies/qualities exhibited by …

Family Relational Dialectics: A Systemic Model For Explaining Relational Factors Contributing To Adolescents' Faith Maturity, Life Values, And Commitment To Christ, Jasmine J. Fraser

Dissertations

Problem

Though widespread studies have been conducted on the psycho-socio-cultural effects of family systems functioning on individuals’ developmental outcomes, there is limited discussion on the direct correlations between family relational encounters and adolescents’ development of faith and life values. The effects of dialectical interplay within family systems are often missed, misinterpreted, or minimized. This study presumed that because familial relationships have far-reaching psycho-socio-cultural effects on individuals’ development outcomes, there are also likely effects on certain religious outcomes. Subsequently, certain parent-child relational encounters were examined to determine whether they have significant effects on adolescents’ faith maturity, life values, and commitment to …

Ethnic Identity And Adult Attachment As Correlates Of Relationship Satisfaction Among White, Black, And Interracial Couples, Donalea Mcintyre

Dissertations

Problem

Relationship satisfaction is a broad construct that has been extensively researched. However, there are gaps in the literature pertaining to relationship satisfaction in minority and interracial couples. This present study examines the extent of the relationship between ethnic identity and adult attachment to relationship satisfaction in White, Black, and Interracial couples.

Method

Participants completed surveys that measure a) ethnic identity, b) adult attachment, and c) relationship satisfaction. Several statistical analysis methods were used to answer two research questions. These methods included descriptive statistics, one-way MANOVA, and Path Analysis. Six hundred and seven adults in the United States general population …

Adapting To Change In The Swiss German Media Industry: Identifying And Developing Competencies Needed By Journalists And Editors To Cope With Future Market Needs - A Collective Case Study, Christiane E. Theiss

Dissertations

The global media industry has undergone a tremendous change and massive upheaval during the last two decades. On the one side, media consumption has changed immensely and on the other side, media convergence appeared, a phenomenon which describes the merge of different media production genres (print, TV, radio, digital).

Using a qualitative collective case study approach, this study was able to explore and depict competencies needed by journalists for coping with media convergence in the Swiss German media industry. The requirements for convergent work are the following seven competency themes: technical skills, social and emotional skills, cognitive skills, writing and …

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With A Teacher Component: Outcomes Examined In A School Setting, Kelly Marie Holmes

Dissertations

Trauma exposure among youth is common and can result in long-term social-emotional, behavioral, and academic problems (Finkelhor, Turner, Hamby, & Ormrod, 2011; Kronenberg et al., 2010). Fortunately, there are interventions that can ameliorate these problems. In particular, trauma-focused, interventions are effective in reducing trauma related symptomatology and problems among youth (Cary & McMillen, 2012). Trauma exposure among youth is common and can result in long-term social-emotional, behavioral, and academic problems (Finkelhor, Turner, Hamby, & Ormrod, 2011). Additionally, most youth receive mental health services in schools (Green et al., 2013). Fortunately, there are school-based, trauma-focused interventions that have been found to …

Cultural Assets And Racial Discrimination: A Person-Based Exploration Of Culturally Relevant Coping With African American Male Adolescents, Emma-Lorraine Baaba Bart-Plange

Dissertations

African-American youth from economically-disadvantaged, urban families and communities are disproportionately exposed to stressful life conditions, including racial discrimination, placing them at increased risk for mental health problems (Gonzales & Kim, 1997; Grant et al., 2000). Though exposure to racial discrimination can span a lifetime, examining youths’ encounters with discrimination during adolescence allows us to better understand how they affect development during a critical period in which they are developing racial/ethnic identity and increasing their use of reasoning. Coping research with African American youth has found evidence for racial discrimination predicting use of culturally-relevant coping strategies (Gaylord-Harden & Cunningham, 2009) and …

Entre Dos Tierras: Between Two Lands: Stories Of Latinx Immigrant Students In Us Public High Schools, Yahaira Diaz

Dissertations

The election of the 45th president of the United States has increased a sense of anxiety, fear, and xenophobia for many in our country. The divisive campaign and current discussion of policy is demeaning towards LGBT communities, people with disabilities, women, and ethnic minorities, specifically the immigrant population. The nation’s current preoccupation with and much deserved attention towards a comprehensive immigration reform and the continuance of immigration into the United States has impacted the rise of anti-Hispanic hate crimes and xenophobia (Shihadeh & Barranco, 2013; Stacey, Carbone-Lopez, & Rosenfeld, 2011; Yakushko, 2009). Educators report an increase in hostility against immigrants …

Social Scientists' Conceptualization And Implementation Of Research Ethics And Integrity, Heather A. Pease

Dissertations

The purpose of the current study is to identify core themes, values, and principles through which social scientists conceptualize and implement research ethics and integrity. Periods of rapid growth and interest in research ethics and integrity often coincide with significant scientific discoveries (e.g., mapping of the human genome) or scientific misconduct (e.g., Tuskegee studies). Even though research policies are being developed, they are done in a manner which does not maximize the opportunities to regulate ethics and integrity within social science research. The laws and programs aimed at mitigating acts of misconduct were originally intended for biomedical sciences, yet they …

Innovation And Change In Jesuit Education: Horizon 2020, A Case Study In The Jesuit School Network In Catalonia, Spain, Hugo Nelson Gomez-Sevilla

Dissertations

Innovation has taken place in education as a necessity to respond to a rapidly

changing world. In their commitment to contribute to the creative and healing mission of the

Society of Jesus, the Jesuit School Network of Catalonia created HORIZON 2020 to

envision a new school to effectively educate in the 21st Century and adapt the Ignatian

tradition to the present day.

Understanding the case and extracting the main lessons from it were best

accomplished by using a qualitative research approach. Particularly, this study used

descriptive single-case design with embedded units. The project Horizon 2020 of the

Jesuit Education Foundation …

Socio-Ecological Moderating Factors In The Grit-Academic Achievement Relationship, Keeshawna Brooks

Dissertations

There has been a recent focus in research on a concept that centers on an individual’s ability to be persistent in the pursuit of their goals. This concept, referred to as grit, is an addition to the conversation about noncognitive measures that show promise to positively affect student academic performance. However, with the salient focus on the individual qualities that contribute to student success, it is important to avoid looking at these student qualities in isolation from the socio-ecological milieu (Ysseldyke, Lekwa, Klingbeil, & Cormier, 2012). Situating individual student qualities within Bronfenbrenner’s socio-ecological framework can be particularly helpful when seeking …

An Application Of Natural Language Processing For Triangulation Of Cognitive Load Assessments In Third Level Education, Luis Alfredo Contreras

Dissertations

Work has been done to measure Mental Workload based on applications mainly related to ergonomics, human factors, and Machine Learning. The influence of Machine Learning is a reflection of an increased use of new technologies applied to areas conventionally dominated by theoretical approaches. However, collaboration between MWL and Natural Language Processing techniques seems to happen rarely. In this sense, the objective of this research is to make use of Natural Languages Processing techniques to contribute to the analysis of the relationship between Mental Workload subjective measures and Relative Frequency Ratios of keywords gathered during pre-tasks and post-tasks of MWL activities …

Elasticity Measurement In Caas Environments - Extending The Existing Bungee Elasticity Benchmark To Aws's Elastic Container Service, Nora Limbourg

Dissertations

Rapid elasticity and automatic scaling are core concepts of most current cloud computing systems. Elasticity describes how well and how fast cloud systems adapt to increases and decreases in workload. In parallel, software architectures are moving towards employing containerised microservices running on systems managed by container orchestration platforms. Cloud users who employ such container-based systems may want to compare the elasticity of different systems or system settings to ensure rapid elasticity and maintain service level objectives while avoiding over-provisioning. Previous research has established a variety of metrics to measure elasticity. Some existing benchmark tools are designed to measure elasticity in …