Digital Commons Network^™

A Demographic Analysis To Determine User Vulnerability Among Several Categories Of Phishing Attacks., Robert Griffin

Dissertations

Phishing attacks have been on a meteoric rise in the last number of years, with 2016 seeing a 65% increase. The attacks range from targeting individuals with personalised messages to spam attacks from bot accounts. With the chances of being targeted by a phishing attack increasing, it is important to identify who is most at risk in order to help alleviate this threat. The aim of this study is to examine members from several demographics and their vulnerability to three types of phishing using data collected from a survey (n = 198). The survey tested the participant’s ability to recognise …

Image Classification Using Bag-Of-Visual-Words Model, Kaiqiang Huang

Dissertations

Recently, with the explosive growth of digital technologies, there has been a rapid proliferation of the size of image collection. The technique of supervised image clas sification has been widely applied in many domains in order to organize, search, and retrieve images. However, the traditional feature extraction approaches yield the poor classification accuracy. Therefore, the Bag-of-visual-words model, inspired by Bag-of Words model in document classification, was used to present images with the local descriptors for image classification, and also it performs well in some fields. This research provides the empirical evidence to prove that the BoVW model outperforms the traditional …

That Seems Made Up: Deep Learning Classifiers For Fiction & Non Fiction Book Reviews, Clement Manger

Dissertations

The thesis aims to take the first step towards automated extraction of the information found in book reviews, by using machine learning tools to assign a label of fiction or non fiction to the text. The thesis makes use of neural networks and performs experiments around architecture, hyper-parameters and text processing from which an optimized model is produced. The thesis enjoys certain successes; it was possible to match the state of the art achieved by (Kim, 2014) and computation was sped up considerably from the default to the optimized model by 13.8 seconds per 50 steps. Further it is confirmed …

Identifying Expert Investors On Financial Microblog Via Artificial Neural Networks, Pierluca Del Buono

Dissertations

In the recent years, thanks to social media platform, a plethora of information has been available to financial investors, that were traditionally dependent from financial institutions advisors. Strategies are now shared among web users, performances of stocks are commented in web communities and hints and suggestions are travelling on the internet with a fast pace, in a way that was unthinkable few years before. Several attempts have been made in the recent past, to predict Market movements and trends from activity of Financial Social Networks participants, and to evaluate if contributions from individuals with high level of expertise distinguish themselves …

Parental Relationship Quality And Stereotypic Role Endorsement As Predictors Of Marriage Attitudes Of African Americans, Bernasha Monique Anderson

Dissertations

Bernasha M. Anderson

Loyola University Chicago

PARENTAL RELATIONSHIP QUALITY AND STEREOTYPIC ROLE ENDORSEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF MARRIAGE ATTITUDES OF AFRICAN AMERICANS

As the marriage rate of African Americans continues to decline, concern has been expressed about the stability of the African American family system among members of the community. There is currently a dearth of studies examining marriage attitudes among African Americans in the counseling psychology literature. The current study sought to expand the existing scholarship by exploring parental relationship quality and stereotypic role endorsement as predictors of African American women and men's marriage attitudes. Additionally, gender was examined as …

The Impact Of Regulatory Fit On Confrontations Of Bias, Rayne Bozeman

Dissertations

Anti-Black racism remains a major problem in contemporary American life, with deleterious consequences for Blacks. White allies possess social power to change the status quo by confronting racism. Although confrontation reduces biased behavior and prejudiced attitudes, many people refrain from spontaneously confronting. Persuasive appeals may encourage ally confronting. When these appeals are strategically framed in a manner that matches people’s regulatory orientation, they are expected to experience a sense of fit, which makes them feel better about the tasks they are engaged in. Two studies tested whether experiencing regulatory fit would enhance the persuasiveness of a pro-confrontation message. Participants were …

Gender Beliefs Of Teachers In Orthodox Jewish Early Childhood Programs, Ilana Chai Dvorin Friedman

Dissertations

The goal of this study was to explore gender beliefs of teachers in Orthodox Jewish coeducational early childhood programs and give voice to their experiences and viewpoints. Concurrently, a feminist poststructural and queer theory lens was utilized to uphold Gorsetman and Sztokman’s (2013) claim that Orthodox Jewish schooling is fraught with messages and discourses that inhibit “educating for the divine image” (p. 30). This study maintained the need to examine gender consciousness within Orthodox Jewish schooling to promote inclusion and equality.

As young children actively engage in gender construction, teachers play a vital role reinforcing and/or challenging norms and available …

“Gratuitous Distribution”: Distributing African American Antislavery Texts, 1773–1850, Nathan Jeremie-Brink

Dissertations

“‘Gratuitous Distribution’: Distributing African American Antislavery Texts, 1773–1850” examines the networks and practices African Americans used to move antislavery print in the early nineteenth century. Exchanges made use of subscription agents, business affiliates, churches, civic institutions and family or personal connections. Texts moved by formal and informal means, were smuggled and mailed, and some recipients read them aloud to people lacking or prohibited from literacy. At times, these practices transgressed laws or resulted in white authorities’ attempts to suppress the circulation of antislavery materials and the roles played by black distributors. Collaborative efforts facilitated the flow of printed texts and …

Mentoring The Millennials: Induction Of The Millennial Generation In Education, Christopher M. Brown

Dissertations

This research explored who the Millennial teacher is and revealed the relevancy of current teacher induction programs for them, as well as through the lens of the school leaders responsible for induction programming.

Research Questions

1. How do millennial generation teachers perceive their induction programs as new teachers?

a. What are the perceived needs of millennials in their first year of teaching?

b. How does induction programming meet these needs?

c. What are the perceived effectiveness of these programs to meet millennial needs?

2. How do building/district level leaders perceive the induction of millennial generation teachers?

a. What are the …

Not All Fun And Games: Sexism And College Women's Alcohol Consumption, Hannah R. Hamilton

Dissertations

Previous research has suggested that racial discrimination (Pascoe & Smart Richman, 2009) and sexist experiences (Zucker & Landry, 2007) are related to increased alcohol consumption. However, ambivalent sexism theory suggests that there are two forms of sexism (Glick & Fiske, 1996; 1997). While hostile sexism refers to overtly negative attitudes towards women, benevolent sexism refers to positively valenced attitudes towards women that still serve to reaffirm masculine dominance. Therefore, the current studies explore the differential effects of experiencing hostile vs. benevolent sexism on college women's alcohol consumption using correlational (Study 1) and quasi-experimental (Study 2) methodologies. In addition, the current …

Psychological And Economic Self-Sufficiency Among Low-Income Citizens Receiving Governmental Assistance, Vorricia Fechon Harvey

Dissertations

This dissertation study examines dynamics of psychological self-sufficiency (PSS) using a frame of reference that comes from perspectives of low-income citizens who receive some form of governmental assistance (i.e., public aid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and/or housing subsidies). It explores the validity of integrating PSS as a psychological capital into the holistic theory of change in workforce development. Because in the past, great emphasis has been placed on human capital development and fast track movement into the labor market, little has emerged on the influence of psychological capital properties. Subsequently, policy has guided the evolution of employment program …

The Relationship Between Neighborhood Characteristics And College Academic Outcomes Among An Ncaa Division I Student-Athlete Population: A Multilevel Approach, Ann Kearns Davoren

Dissertations

Over 170,000 students participate annually in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I sports. Approximately one-third of these student-athletes fail to graduate from their initial school of enrollment within six years. While some will go on to graduate from a transfer institution, roughly 15% will fail to earn a degree while competing for an NCAA Division I school. Using U.S. census block group data, this study adds the neighborhood characteristics of education, employment, income, and racial composition to prediction models of first-year GPA and six-year baccalaureate degree attainment among an NCAA Division I student-athlete sample. The use of multilevel modeling …

Exploring Nurses' Perceptions Of Dignity During End-Of-Life Care, Barbara Crump

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to understand nurses' perceptions of care that supports patients' dignity during hospitalization at the end of life, and to propose a theoretical foundation consistent with these perceptions as a guide to practice. The research involved analyzing perceptions about processes that can explain how nurses perceive care that supports patients' dignity at the end of life during hospitalization. The aim of the research in this study included a focus on the general problem that patients' dignity is not always respected by healthcare providers according to the review of the literature and the …

Validation Of The Multilayered Gender Identity Questionnaires, Philip Eiseman

Dissertations

Gender identity shapes the ways transgender adults experience themselves and relate to the world around them. Although research and theory suggest that gender identity is a multidimensional construct, most measures of gender identity have viewed gender as primarily a unitary construct tied to the gender binary. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Multilayered Gender Identity Questionnaires (MGIQ), a set of measures of gender identity, in a sample of transgender adults. Qualitative data collected through focus groups with transgender adults (N = 7) helped refine and develop these measures. A series of analyses involving a …

Latino Male College Students' Identities, Psychological Stress, And Coping Mechanisms, Ana E. Ramirez

Dissertations

Latino male college students’ identities impact their personal experiences, academic achievement, and well-being. This qualitative study uses a narrative inquiry approach to research Latino male college students’ racial and ethnic, gender, and academic identities and to investigate how these identities impact their psychological stress and the coping mechanisms they implement to manage their stress. Latino males undergo an identity development in which they engage in negotiating their gender identities in order to prioritize higher education academic requirements. When Latino males are determined to achieve a college degree, they are able to adjust their familism gender role expectations and shift their …

Examining The Role Of Arts Education Partnerships In Sustaining Arts Programs In California Elementary Schools, Marie-Helene Bauguil

Dissertations

This study investigated three arts education partnerships in California elementary schools. The research questions that guided the inquiry were exploratory in nature and intended to reveal the day-to-day functioning of these partnerships, the challenges they faced, and the factors that contributed to their success, through the recounted experiences of the various institutional actors involved. The participants (n=21) comprised school principals and teachers, arts organizations administrative staff, and teaching artists. Qualitative inquiry methods (in-person interviews, classroom observations, and review of relevant documents) were used to analyze the data. The findings showed that the schools’ administrators and faculty appreciated the arts residencies, …

When Rules And Common Sense Collide: Expressions, Roots, And Impact Of Informal Civil Society In Ukraine, Svitlana Krasynska

Dissertations

Western donors have dominated third sector developments in contemporary Eastern Europe in efforts to replicate their own institutional models as a way of reconstructing the region’s post-totalitarian civil society. These efforts resulted in limited success, frustrating the donor community and puzzling scholars. Civil society in the region has long been labeled as weak based on a general lack of citizen participation in formal organizations. This dissertation argues that such assessment of civil society fails to recognize the role of below-the-radar civic engagement in contexts where informal practices permeate economic, political and social spheres.

Based on 70 in-depth interviews with civil …

A Mixed-Methods Study: An Examination Of The Relationship Between Private Social Media Participation And Accountability, Adherence, And Social Connectedness In, Diana A. Cabori

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this mixed-methods sequential explanatory study was to examine the influence of private social media usage on accountability, adherence, and social connectedness in weight loss and fitness program participants.

Methodology: This study utilized a mixed-methods sequential explanatory research design comprised of a multi-state quantitative survey of weight loss and fitness participants and subsequent qualitative interviews to elucidate the influence of private social media on weight loss and fitness program participants regarding program accountability and adherence, and social connectedness to others. The population included 3,000 participants of The Camp Transformation Center and 1,000 participants of Warrior Fitness and …

The Influence Of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In Mississippi Public Schools To Improve Adolescent African American Males' Literacy Achievement, Shawnese Davis

Dissertations

This study used a quantitative approach to measure Mississippi secondary teachers’ understanding and their extent of using culturally relevant pedagogy to increase students’ literacy performance, specifically African American males. The researcher identified school districts with 50% or more African American students. The data collected in this study was used to compare reading high growth (40%) school teachers’ use of culturally relevant pedagogical teaching approaches to determine if there was a statistically significant difference in their understanding and frequency of using culturally relevant pedagogy to increase students’ reading performance. A 38-statement survey instrument was adapted from McKinley’s Strategies and Behaviors of …

A Legion Of Legacy: Tyrolean Militarism, Catholicism, And The Heimwehr Movement, Jason Engle

Dissertations

This study of the origins of the Heimwehr (Home Guard) movement offers insight into the conditions under which such groups gained their following. As such, its story is a valuable one that shows a society groping with the problem of a complex, multi-faceted identity that was, at the same time, wracked with substantial economic privation and politically polarized. The paramilitary Heimwehr movement that began in 1920 was the creation of Austria’s conservative provincial governments. It was intended to preserve the existing social and political order—that of the hegemonic social groups of the Habsburg Monarchy—against the growing threat of Marxist revolution, …

Critical Success Factors For Agile Project Management In Non-Software Related Product Development Teams, Jeff Totten

Dissertations

The use of agile project management methods in the software development industry is well established and researched. The purpose of this study is to understand whether agile project management methods (Scrum in particular) used successfully in the software industry are also being used in full, or in part, in non-software development industries when managing product development projects.

Using an online survey instrument, data was collected from 329 non-software/IT global practitioners to identify in what industries and work functions agile project management methods are used, to find the independent variables that have a significant relationship with project success, and to determine …

How Friendships Between Heterosexual And Sexual Minority Counseling Psychology Doctoral Students Affect Anti-Heterosexist Identity Development, Amber L. Sylvan

Dissertations

As the field of counseling psychology strives to embrace diversity and social justice issues, sexual minority issues have flourished into an active area of study among scholars and an area of focus for LGBT-affirming practitioners. One area of emphasis has been on how heterosexual people develop Anti-Heterosexist Identities. Some studies have noted the importance of friendship as it relates to Anti-Heterosexist Identity Development (Asta & Vacha- Haase, 2012; Duhigg, Rostosky, & Gray, 2010; DiStefano et al., 2000; Gelberg & Chojnacki, 1995; Larson, 2012), however, no known studies have more deeply explored the role of crosssexuality friendships. The purpose of this …

Controlling Political Corruption In Latin America: Institutional Constraints On Executive Power, George G. Lluberes

Dissertations

Corruption has remained resilient in Latin America. In just two decades, six Latin American executives from five distinct countries have faced impeachment processes resulting in removals from office due to issues surrounding corruption. Certainly, corruption has been a longstanding challenge to Latin American democracy and good governance. This study analyzes this phenomenon while discerning between grand and petty corruption. By focusing on executive corruption specifically, this study creates a more nuanced understanding of what affects corruption at high-levels of government in Latin America.

Why have political corruption levels in Latin America remained stagnant in spite of significant gains in political …

A Qualitative Investigation Of The Interpersonal Changes White Psychology Trainees Experience During Their Race-Based Learning And Development, Molly K. Beagle

Dissertations

The current study expands upon prior research that has explored how white psychology and counseling graduate trainees are impacted by their learning about racism. Prior to this study being conducted, research primarily addressed the psychological impact of learning about racism for white trainees. There was minimal acknowledgment and exploration of how learning about racism impacted the interpersonal aspects of trainees’ lives, such as their relationships and larger social networks. The current study addresses this gap within previous research, with it being the first to have an intentional, exclusive focus on the interpersonal impact of learning about racism. The primary purpose …

Assessing The Cultural Effects Of Neoliberalism On Empathy, Melissa May Racho

Dissertations

The current study examined the effect of neoliberalism on the expression of empathy among 40 undergraduate college students. Participants were divided across three groups: two treatment groups who were exposed to either a neoliberal or critical primer and a control group with no exposure to a primer. Individuals were randomly assigned to each condition prior to completing three empathy measures: The Empathic Concern and Perspective Taking subscales of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test. Mean scores were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and revealed no significant differences between groups, indicating the …

Wicor Walkthroughs And Teacher Practice, Christie L. Mcmullen

Dissertations

Watching experts execute their craft allows for learning. In four schools, this type of learning, teachers watching one another teach, was made available and the feedback from those interviewed showed positive results. This paper explains the process each school used for allowing teachers to watch others teach and the results that they got in the process. This program evaluation was designed to provide guidance to principals on some specific ways to ensure that they can avoid pitfalls if they were to employ a similar strategy with their staff. Teachers using high yield strategies with confidence in their classrooms has the …

Transforming The American Education System: A Program Evaluation Of A School District’S 1:1 Chromebook Pilot, Michael Marassa

Dissertations

The focus of this program evaluation is to determine the impact of a Google Chromebook 1:1 program on the learning process and educational experience for students and teachers. The participants attend two high schools of a high-performing public-school district in an affluent Chicago suburb. The following research questions guide the program evaluation:

• What is the measurable relationship between academic performance and engagement and the 1:1 Chromebook program?
• What changes in instructional practice occur with the implementation of 1:1 Chromebooks?

A literature review presents current research in areas that explore 21st Century Skills, Tony Wagner’s Global Achievement Gap, constructivist instructional pedagogy, …

Digitally Segregated Understanding Technology Readiness In Preparation For Higher Education Success, Gloria D. Mullons

Dissertations

The Digital Divide is the gulf between those that have access and use of technology and those that do not. The Digital Divide is a multilayered issue impacting low-income persons, low literacy persons, seniors, and persons with disabilities. The new emphasis is on whether people know how to use technological devices and the Internet for multiple purposes, especially to function and progress in daily society. This dissertation study focuses on technology readiness in preparation for higher education, specifically examining: 1) experiences students had prior to attending the HP3 program, 2) factors that influenced student preparedness for engaging in college-level technology …

Policy Advocacy For Letting Schools Be Schools, Jason Major

Dissertations

Ever since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, schools have been in an era of high stakes accountability around test scores, attendance, and climate and culture. This has also ushered in a wave of accountability down to teachers in the form of paperwork, mandates, and a heavy emphasis on reading and math. In Chicago Public Schools, all schools in the district are rated on the School Quality Rating Policy, which utilizes the Northwest Evaluation Association’s Measures of Academic Progress assessment to determine student growth from the spring of one year to the spring of the next. This heavy …

One Size Doesn't Fit All: Implementation Of Differentiated Instruction, Janet D. Butler

Dissertations

SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL: IMPLEMENTATION OF DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION-A CHANGE LEADERSHIP PLAN

Differentiated instruction is an approach to teaching in which educators actively plan for students' differences so that all students’ academic needs are met. It is also a process of ensuring that what a student learns, how he or she learns it, and how the student demonstrates what he or she has learned is a match for that student's readiness level, interests, and preferred mode of learning (Tomlinson, 2008). In a differentiated classroom, teachers divide their time, resources, and efforts to effectively teach students who have various backgrounds, readiness and …