Navigating Emotional Transitions: A Study Of Self-Perception And Emotion In Bio-Childfree Women Entering A Blended Family, Janine Cednick

Dissertations

The transition to a blended family is an emotional and psychological adjustment for bio-childfree individuals. The present qualitative study investigated how self-concept and emotional adjustment of bio-childfree stepmothers change when they become members of their new family. With a phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 female participants who were bio-childfree, in a committed relationship with a partner with children, and had cohabited for one year or more. The study aimed to find out how these women cope in their new role, their emotional adjustment to their transition, and the influences that impact their well-being. Thematic analysis of interviews …

Effective And Empowering Psychotherapy For Black Women: A Culturally Adapted Proposed Model, Kaylla A. Jackson

Dissertations

Black women in the United States are a minoritized group that has experienced oppression and suffering explicitly targeting their intersectional and minority identities. The intensity and frequency of stressors result in a negative impact on Black women that prompts a need to cope. Rather than relying on professional mental health care, many Black women rely on their religious and spiritual communities and other cultural and historical methods to cope with stressors. As a field and profession, clinical psychology has been overwhelmingly dominated by White individuals. The profession has a rich history of developing and perpetuating oppressive systems that have ignored …

A Phenomenological Qualitative Study Of Sense Of Community In An Inner-City Parochial School: Expanding The Seats At The Table., Mary Andree Darnall

Dissertations

St. Angela’s School is an elementary school in the Austin area of Chicago. This phenomenological qualitative study examined Sense of Community (SOC) at St. Angela’s, operationalized as “The feeling that St. Angela School is welcoming, psychologically and physically safe, that I matter, I am respected, and that I belong.” As an inner-city, parochial school, St. Angela’s has seen extensive changes in the neighborhood and the student population, both in ethnicity and enrollment. The last two principals requested a study of its SOC to identify solutions as diminished enrollment and teacher turnover have threatened its continued existence.

Thirty-three individuals …

An Assessment Of Youth Perceptions Of Youth Employment Initiatives And Attachment To Community As Determinants Of Migration Decisions Among The Youth In Keta Municipality Of Ghana, Fortune S. Zaglago

Dissertations

Youth migration from rural to urban areas in Ghana, particularly to cities like Accra, Tema, Kumasi, and Takoradi continues to rise, despite ongoing efforts to improve youth employability and reduce urban influx. This study examined the extent to which youth attachment to community and participation in employment initiatives predict migration intentions. Guided by the network, sense of community, neoclassical, and empowerment theories, the research employed a mixed-method correlational design. Data was collected from 249 participants, including 109 youth employment initiative participants, 126 non-participants, and 10 agency staff through surveys, as well as interviews with 4 heads of agencies. Quantitative data …

Empowering Educational Leaders: Enhancing Administrative Leaders’ Effectiveness Through Strategic Professional Development, Elizabeth Reed

Dissertations

This study analyzed the current state of professional development opportunities for administrative leaders across ten U.S. states. The research aimed to explore trends, perceived needs, and gaps in professional learning programs for educational administrators. The central research question guiding this study asked: How do administrative leaders perceive and experience existing professional development opportunities, and what areas require strategic improvement? A mixed methods approach was used, with survey data collected from administrative leaders serving in K–12 school settings. The survey instrument was designed to assess participants' perceptions of the relevance, effectiveness, and accessibility of their current professional development experiences. Data analysis …

Intersecting Inequities: Latinx Access To Mental Health Services, Melissa Thorson

Dissertations

This study examined barriers to mental health service utilization among Latinx populations using data from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Through the theoretical frameworks of Minority Stress Theory and Toxic Stress Theory, the study investigated the relationships between age, language proficiency, socioeconomic status, and mental health service access among different Latinx subgroups. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests, multiple regression, and mediation analyses on a sample of Latinx adults (N = 9,852). Results indicated associations between age and English proficiency (χ² = 145.23, p < .001, Cramer's V = 0.38), with 45% of adults aged 50 and older reporting limited English proficiency. Socioeconomic analysis revealed that 32% of older Latinx adults reported family incomes below $20,000, with insurance status partially mediating the relationship between income and service utilization (indirect effect = 0.15, 95% CI [0.08, 0.23]). differences in utilization rates emerged among Latinx subgroups (F(6, 1243) = 8.76, p < .001, η² = 0.12), with Mexican-origin individuals showing higher utilization (10%) compared to Puerto Rican individuals (2-3%). Age and socioeconomic status demonstrated interaction effects (β = 0.18, p < .01), while language proficiency moderated the relationship between age and service utilization (β = 0.24, p < .001). These findings suggest that barriers to mental health service utilization among Latinx populations are complex and interconnected, requiring multilevel interventions that address linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic factors simultaneously. Implications for healthcare policy and service delivery are discussed, emphasizing the need for culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate mental health services.

Traditional Institutions As Change Agents: Understanding Cultural Norms And Practices Promoting Gender-Based Violence In Nigerian Communities, Titilayo Ogunbambi

Dissertations

Traditional institutions in Nigerian communities hold a strong cultural foundation and significantly influence cultural norms and practices. Due to the increasing need for effective community-based approaches in addressing social and health problems on a global scale, we explore the attitudes and behaviors of traditional institutions as custodians of cultural customs and norms related to gender-based violence (GBV) and examine their potential role in ensuring community safety. By addressing harmful gendered norms and practices, traditional institutions could become key agents of change, promoting meaningful social transformations. This study explores the dynamics cultural norms and practices play in community safety, emphasizing the …

Social Media And The Effect On Student Engagement, Lara Mcelveen

Dissertations

The purpose of my study was to determine the impact of social media on student engagement and behaviors in high school classrooms. The overarching research question that guided my study was: What is the impact of social media on student engagement? I used a mixed methods approach of quantitative and qualitative data to research my topic. I collected the data using surveys of two stakeholder groups in the study: young adults and educators. The survey results showed that both educators and young adults perceived a decline in class engagement and the rise of behavior in the classroom from social media …

The Premature Loss Of The Black Male And Its Implications On The Black Family System And Community: A Proposed 12-Step Grief Support Group Model, Alicia Smith

Dissertations

Premature deaths, ages 15–44, and loss of Black males through homicide, along with suicide and systemic violence, and incarceration, create lifelong emotional and psychological trauma for those who remain behind in Black family settings and society. U.S. social injustices against Black communities and multigenerational losses and racial harm create specific population-based challenges, such as questioning care, lack of accessibility to competent resources, and Black identity issues, which traditional grief recovery programs struggle to help adequately. Even though approaches such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, complicated grief treatment, present-centered therapy, trauma-focused therapy, including eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, and forgiveness therapy …

The Heart Of The Defense: Exploring The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence, Cultural Competence, And Client-Centered Lawyering In Public Defense, Cherise Burdeen

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI), cultural competence, and client-centered lawyering (CCL) within the public defense system. Using a mixed-methods design, this study analyzed quantitative data from 96 White public defenders and qualitative data from a focus group of 7 experienced public defense trainers. Because of the disparate racialized impact of the criminal legal system and anti-Blackness as a foundational component of the United States, cultural competence was operationalized as antiracism. Pearson correlations revealed significant, positive relationships between EI and CCL, r = .483, p < .001; antiracism and CCL, r = .356, p < .001; and EI and antiracism, r = .225, p = .027). Regression analyses indicated that EI significantly predicted both antiracism (β = .225, p =.027) and CCL (β = .483, p < .001), and that antiracism independently predicted CCL (β = .260, p =.004). A combined model including both EI and antiracism accounted for 29.7% of the variance in CCL scores, R² = .297, p < .001. Qualitative findings revealed that CCL and cultural competence are often viewed by attorneys as intuitive or already mastered, yet training on these skills typically provokes emotional dysregulation and resistance. The qualitative and quantitative analysis resulted in the Emotion-First Praxis Theory (EFPT), which posits that EI is a prerequisite for antiracist and client-centered practice, and that if contextualized in antiracist work, emotionally developed White facilitators should work with White people, to prepare them for the kinds of collaborations needed to ensure tangible results. Recommendations are offered to improve antiracism work in and beyond public defense systems. Future research should validate the CCL measure with clients, expand sampling, and empirically test EFPT in diverse settings.

Land Access As Liberation: A Qualitative Study On Faith, Food, And Farming Of Urban And Rural Black Land Stewards In The United States, Dominique Edwards

Dissertations

Since 1920, Black farmers in the United States have held less than 2% of the nation's farmland, a direct result of race-based discriminatory policies embedded within federal, state, local, and county-level institutions (Daniel, 2013). Structural barriers—ranging from exclusionary lending practices by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the systematic dispossession of land through legal loopholes, heirs’ property laws, and violent racial terror—have contributed to this staggering decline in Black land ownership (Gilbert et al., 2002). The erosion of Black agrarian landholdings intensified in the latter half of the 20th century, as government programs, civil rights legislation, and technological advancements, …

Seen And Heard: A Visual Testimony Of Purity Culture Using Qualitative Photovoice Methodology, Amanda Brown

Dissertations

Purity culture, rooted in Christian teachings, has profoundly shaped individuals’ identities, relationships, and perceptions of sexuality, gender, and faith. While popular culture is talking about the effects of purity culture, scholarly literature is lacking. This study employed photovoice methodology to center the voices of those who grew up in purity culture, using photography and personal narratives to explore its long-term effects. The study focused on how individuals who have experienced purity culture articulate and visualize their stories, revealing nuanced insights across seven thematic domains: gender expectations, romantic relationships, faith, mental health, identity formation, sex and sexuality, and healing and …

Building Bridges: Union Efforts To Address Stress Among Educational Staff, Theodore Michael Hamilton

Dissertations

This mixed-methods study examines the relationship between administrative support and educator stress and burnout in a post-COVID unionized school district. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, and the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, the study surveyed 102 educational professionals and conducted semi-structured interviews with union delegates. Quantitative findings revealed that 75% of staff worked beyond contracted hours, and 63% assumed additional unpaid responsibilities. Lower levels of perceived administrative support were significantly correlated with higher burnout and greater intent to leave the profession. Qualitative thematic analysis identified key stressors, including inconsistent administrative communication, escalating student …

Narratives Of Jewish American Public School Educators Amid Rising Antisemitism Post October 7, 2023, Cassandra Schwartz

Dissertations

This study investigated how Jewish American public school educators are responding to rising antisemitism post-October 7, 2023. While research exists on global antisemitism, the experiences of Jewish educators within the unique context of American public schools represent a significant and under-explored gap in academic literature. A qualitative narrative research approach, grounded in critical theory, was employed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eight Jewish American public school educators and analyzed thematically. The findings revealed participants’ experiences of a heightened sense of fear and silence from colleagues and institutions, leading to feelings of isolation and being unsupported. Critically, this study …

Experimental And Computational Study Of Slow Crack Growth Of High Density Polyethylene, Abdulla Fawzi Almomani

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the slow crack growth (SCG) behavior of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) under various mechanical and environmental conditions. The study combines experimental analysis and computational modeling to enhance the understanding of SCG mechanisms in HDPE, particularly in pressurized pipes and under the exposure to hydrocarbons. A novel Crack Layer (CL) theory-based SCG model is developed and validated through experimental data, offering a predictive framework for HDPE failure assessment. The main objective of this dissertation is to quantify and model the viscoelastic-viscoplastic behavior of HDPE under monotonic and cyclic loading conditions while addressing SCG kinetics in structural applications. The study …

Probing Shielding Tensor Components Of Amino Acids Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Shiva Agarwal

Dissertations

Chirality is fundamental to terrestrial life. While most amino acids exist as nonsuperimposable mirror images, amino acids in terrestrial life are homochiral, with the L-enantiomer being ubiquitous. The detection of an excess of L-amino acids in carbonaceous meteorites suggests that extraterrestrial processes may have contributed to this enantiomeric excess (ee). One proposed mechanism, the magnetochiral model, provides a potential explanation for this phenomenon in stellar environments characterized by strong magnetic and electric fields and the presence of relativistic leptons. According to this model, subtle differences in the electronic environments of chiral amino acids under such conditions …

Investigating The Effects Of Brief Video Interventions On White Undergraduate Students’ Racial Attitudes, Alyssa Powers

Dissertations

In this experimental study, a pretest posttest between-groups design was utilized to investigate the efficacy of two brief multicultural educational video interventions in improving the colorblind and affective racial attitudes of White undergraduate students. Ninety-eight self-identified White undergraduate students from a large, Midwestern university were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) viewing a video on the pervasiveness of individual racism and White privilege in the United States (True Colors); (b) viewing a video on institutional racism in the United States (Segregated by Design); (c) viewing a study tips video as the neutral control condition. Participants’ colorblind and affective …

On The Design Of A Framework For Large-Scale Exploratory Graph Analytics, Oliver Andres Alvarado Rodriguez

Dissertations

Large-scale exploratory graph analytics merges data science with high-performance computing to extract critical insights from network-representable data. Data scientists routinely analyze data from the natural, social, and computing sciences by representing it as networks, or graphs, where objects become vertices and their relationships become edges. This representation allows data scientists to add graph analytics to their toolbox. However, designing tools for large-scale exploratory graph analytics is challenging due to the complexities of graph algorithms, such as high communication in distributed systems and large memory demands. These challenges can lead to overly complex software, which limits usability and development to a …

Fact-Checking As A Multi-Step Process: From Ambiguity Resolution To Claim Validation, Wenbo Wang

Dissertations

The spread of misinformation and disinformation has become a major concern, particularly with the rise of social media as a primary source of information for many people. Fact-checking—the process of verifying claims against credible evidence—has emerged as a critical safeguard against misinformation. Yet, the task is fraught with challenges: claims are often ambiguous, context-dependent, or composed of multiple intertwined assertions, while automated systems struggle to replicate the nuanced reasoning of human experts. This dissertation addresses these challenges by reimagining fact-checking as a multi-step, knowledge-guided process that systematically resolves ambiguity, decomposes complexity, and validates claims through structured reasoning. Additionally, the proposed …

Constructing Portraits Of Elementary Teachers Of Ethnic Studies: Examining The Narratives Of Anti-Racist Educators In An Era Of Common Core Curriculum And Instruction, Jennifer S. Manglicmot

Dissertations

The emergence of policies requiring ethnic studies courses in California’s secondary and higher education institutions amplified calls for anti-racist pedagogy and content in all K-12 grade levels. Currently, little empirical research exists on how ethnic studies is taught in elementary school classrooms. This absence is significant because instruction in these settings tend to focus heavily on meeting state content standards (i.e. Common Core), frameworks which have been critiqued as ignoring communities of Color epistemologies and promoting color-evasive ideologies, among other concerns. Through interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis, this qualitative multiple-case study explored how anti-racist and ethnic studies pedagogies are …

Black Parents’ Use Of Educational Advocates: Disrupting Structural And Systemic Racism In Education, Fredericka R. Butler Phd

Dissertations

Research indicates that educators’ deficit perceptions of Black students and their families factor into Black student overrepresentation in disciplinary and special education referrals and underrepresentation in advanced coursework (Annamma et al., 2014; Ford et al., 2023). This prevalence of implicit bias is documented, as is the significance of Black parent involvement in their children’s education (Latunde & Clark-Louque, 2016). Black parents’ awareness of educator racism encourages distrust of educators and interferes with cultivating effective home-school relationships that encourage successful student outcomes. School districts offer the services of educational advocates to provide support to parents whose children are referred for special …

Through The Four Truth Lens: Exploring Climate Change Communication At Joshua Tree And Glacier Bay National Parks, Heather A. Waterman, Amanda Berlinski

Dissertations

The climate crisis threatens our global communities, cultures, and futures. Communication that brings climate change into everyday conversations and galvanizes the public to respond to it collectively is needed. However, political divides in the United States make climate change a contested heritage topic that is challenging to address. The purpose of this applied, basic qualitative research study was to use the Four Truth Framework, developed by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to investigate climate change communication at Joshua Tree National Park in California and Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. Climate change affects national parks more than other …

Reclaiming Data: A Participatory Action Research Study To Empower Educators, Diana Hammond

Dissertations

Abstract

Currently, the day-to-day data collection and analysis work of teachers is often only deemed valuable if it is easily observed and quantitatively recorded. Teachers are asked to produce results with an incomplete set of tools and are then personally blamed — instead of blame being placed on the structural system — when the desired results don’t manifest. This participatory action research (PAR) study challenged the status quo by asking: What if teachers were empowered to expand their definition of data to include the rich, qualitative data at their fingertips, and what if teachers’ experience and intuition were valued instead …

Leading Change For Transgender And Gender Diverse Healthcare: Assessing Organizational Readiness, Braxten Lovett

Dissertations

Background: Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals face persistent stigma and systemic discrimination across multiple societal domains, with healthcare settings—intended as safe spaces—often being among the most harmful. Despite increased visibility of TGD populations and growing research on their health inequities, inclusive healthcare remains insufficiently addressed by many healthcare leaders, adding to the urgency to advance equitable, inclusive care. Additionally, structural cisnormativity and binary gender frameworks continue to perpetuate misinformation, erasure, and health disparities. Addressing these entrenched barriers requires systemic reform rooted in cultural humility, inclusive practices, and a commitment to dismantling cisnormative bias within healthcare delivery and policy. This study …

Creating A Positive Social-Emotional Learning Environment For Transgender Students: A Post-Pandemic Participatory Action Research, Mark Christopher Maranto

Dissertations

This qualitative research employing participatory action protocols (PAR) engages a limited number of gender minority adolescents (current transgender, nonbinary, and gender-fluid secondary students) and allied staff members at one large Midwestern public high school district. The principal purpose is to improve transgender secondary student schooling experiences. This study extends the current educational discourse on SEL (social-emotional learning) in post-pandemic high schools as far as the commitment to improving students' sense of belonging, growth mindset, resilience, and well-being should be a top priority for all educators. The primary researcher positions all participants as co-researchers to explore ways that could improve the …

Mirrors And Windows: Exploring Queer Identity Representation In Graduate Curriculum, Brody C. Tate

Dissertations

Queer representation in higher education curricula remains sparse, particularly at the graduate level, leaving many students without mirrors to reflect their identities or windows into broader queer experiences. This dissertation explores the extent to which queer graduate students perceive their identities as represented in their academic coursework. Using a narrative ethnographic approach, this study amplifies the voices of queer students, examining their lived experiences in relation to curriculum design, classroom discussions, and institutional inclusion. Framed through Queer Theory and Emily Style’s (1988) “Curriculum as Windows and Mirrors,” this research interrogates heteronormativity in graduate education and highlights the importance of visibility, …

Exploring The Experience Of Embodiment Of Diverse Leaders, Susan Lynn Flaming Yeats

Dissertations

The experience of embodiment is a complex phenomenon that spans a range of feelings: a sense of connection to one's physical body, a sense of capability to accomplish certain physical acts, an attunement to self-care behaviors, a connection to desire, and inhabiting the body as a subjective site (Piran, 2016). This can be a complicated experience for leaders who hold multiple intersecting identities (Hill et al., 2016). As new medical therapies promise radical weight loss possibilities, the experience of embodiment has taken on a new layer of complexity (Giorgis, 2024). For fat leaders who are also women of color, sexual …

Leading Through Crisis: San Diego County Schools' Response To The Social Emotional Needs Of All Students, Johana Bielma

Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic led to unprecedented school closures, forcing administrators to take decisive action to radically change the educational system. The imperative to switch to remote learning transformed the dynamics of teaching and learning, leading to both immediate and long-term academic and social emotional consequences for all stakeholders. When schools reopened, administrators faced the challenge of reintegrating students into in-person learning while addressing the pandemic’s lasting effects on academics, mental health, and school safety. While academic regression was evident, the extent of students’ emotional struggles was less anticipated. Many students exhibited increased irritability and mental health issues such as depression …

Reimagining Pedagogies Of The Prison Yard: Using Ethnotheatre To Embody Transcarceral Conocimiento, Mabelle Reynoso

Dissertations

Latinxs make up 40% of California's population but account for 45% of the prison population and 47% of the jail population (Sawyer, 2023). Their overrepresentation in carceral custody not only impacts the individual but also affects families and communities by limiting access to social, political, and educational capital and agency. In response to gaps in research specific to the collateral impact, this interdisciplinary arts-based qualitative study highlights the experiences of five formerly incarcerated Latino men who participated in an Arts in Corrections playwriting class during their time in a California state prison. This study foregrounds their knowledge as cuentistas (storytellers), …

Liberatory Love: Exploring Educators’ Perspectives In Alternative Education, Kamala J. Mallipudi

Dissertations

Establishing an operational understanding of love is difficult. The struggle is magnified when attempting to create a shared vision of love across a group of educators. As Freire (1970/2005) and Darder (2011) affirmed, academic success is advanced when educators demonstrate love as part of their praxis. Continuation high schools represent a population of at-promise students who stand to gain much when their educators employ liberatory love practices. This study examined how educators’ perceptions about liberatory love are shifted or formed when they read, discuss, and reflect on the topic with their colleagues. This study drew on critical pedagogy and engaged …