Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing Learning Outcomes And Social Capital Formation Resulting From The Use And Sharing Of Internet Knowledge Resources, Regina S. Collins

Dissertations

Today’s “digital natives” use the Internet to address most, if not all, their learning-related knowledge needs. This research evaluates the outcomes of formal learning activities requiring students to use, manage, share, and consolidate Internet knowledge resources (such as websites, videos, and blogs) to achieve both individual and group learning. This research takes an integrative approach to learning, capturing learner cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal characteristics as well as the impact of the digital environment by evaluating the technological affordances of two different systems supporting such learning activities. This research also examines pedagogical modifications that would best integrate course assignments utilizing Internet …

Development Of Flexible Batteries Using Nano-Carbons And Polymers, Zhiqian Wang

Dissertations

Flexible electronics such as wearable equipment, displays, cell phones and smart cards require flexible power sources like batteries. In this thesis, the development of flexible batteries and supercapacitors are presented. Different types of flexible batteries including zinc carbon batteries, primary alkaline batteries, secondary alkaline batteries and zinc air cells are presented, These were designed, fabricated and improved using polymers and nano-carbons like carbon nanotubes (CNTs). CNTs are found to be effective as conductive additives compared to the traditional graphite. Purification is important to remove impurities that lead to side reactions/ corrosions. However, further treatment like carboxylation lead to higher electric …

Piezoelectric Scaffolds For Osteochondral Defect Repair, Sita Mahalakshmi Damaraju

Dissertations

Osteoarthritis is one of the most prevalent causes of disability affecting nearly 27 million Americans. Osteoarthritis is caused when extensive damage occurs to the articular cartilage later spreading to the underlying subchondral bone, resulting in osteochondral defects. The current clinical therapies aim at regenerating the hyaline cartilage, but instead fibrocartilage forms at the osteochondral defect site, which is inferior in structure and function and fails to integrate with the surrounding tissue. A biomimetic scaffold, which can provide cues similar to the native extracellular matrix, may facilitate osteochondral defect repair. Articular cartilage and bone extracellular matrix have been shown to produce …

An Efficient Boundary Integral Method For Stiff Fluid Interface Problems, Oleksiy Varfolomiyev

Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to formulate and investigate a boundary integral method for the solution of the internal waves/Rayleigh-Taylor problem. This problem describes the evolution of the interface between two immiscible, inviscid, incompressible, irrotational fluids of different density in three dimensions. A mathematical model of this interfacial flow problem in 3D is derived. The motion of the interface and fluids is driven by the action of a gravity force, surface tension at the interface, elastic bending and/or a prescribed far-field pressure gradient. The presented models include derived equations for the evolution of the interface and dipole density on …

The Evaluation Of The Implementation Of A Shared Medical Appointment For Patients With Diabetes In A Rural Private Practice, Rebecca Rohrbach

Dissertations

Objective: This practice improvement project was designed to test the efficacy and feasibility of implementing Shared Medical Appointments (SMA) as an innovative approach to improve the care of diabetic patients while containing costs in a rural private practice associated with an Accountable Care Organization (ACO).

Methods: Five Medicare quality measures specific to diabetes were used as patient outcomes: hemoglobin A1C control.

Results: Fifteen patients participated in one or more monthly SMAs with groups ranging from two to five participants per appointment over 10 months. Participants indicated a high level of satisfaction with themes associated with social support. No significant difference …

The Superintendent As Transformational Leader: A Case Study Analysis Of The Strategies, Initiatives And Processes Used By Superintendents Of Exemplar 21st Century School Districts To Implement District-Wide Change For The 21st Century, Rebecca A. Summers

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify and describe the visions, frameworks, strategies, initiatives and change models used by eight superintendents of exemplar 21st century school districts as designated by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, in order to successfully implement a district-wide 21st century learning model. Semi-structured interviews were used to provide rich narratives of the superintendents’ experiences with the transformational change processes in their districts as they implemented 21st century models of education. The interviews were coded and analyzed for common themes and patterns. The findings revealed that although the superintendents were system thinkers about …

Teaching At The Top Of The Class: Black Female Educators' Perspective On Teaching High Achieving Black Children, Sheandra P. Brown

Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine the action steps that Black female educators take when teaching high achieving Black students. More specifically this study investigated the way that the participants implement instruction in their classroom for high achieving students. This study included five Black female educators from four predominately Black school districts in a small town in the Midwest. Critical Race Theory and Othermothering were used as theoretical frameworks to examine the importance of the role that Black female educators play in today's urban classrooms. The terms gifted and high achiever are often used interchangeably in …

Maturity Of Cloud Application Interoperability Frameworks For Small To Medium Enterprises, John Warde

Dissertations

Cloud computing has many benefits and organisations have bought into the cost effective and elastic solutions provided by major players in the market. However, cloud computing and Cloud Service Providers (CSP) are still evolving, hence there are differences in how customers connect with each provider to the orchestrate application lifecycle management. A lack of standards can create vendor lock-in. This work investigates current research and possible solutions to the vendor lock-in problem through the use of Cloud Interoperability or multi-cloud frameworks. Software developers and organisations can use these frameworks which abstract the differences between CSPs and mitigate vendor lock-in. A …

Investigating The Utility Of A Mindfulness-Based Intervention With Men On Probation Or Parole, Reginald Wynn Holt

Dissertations

Using a mixed-method design of quantitative and qualitative approaches, this study investigated the utility of implementing an adapted version of Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention for Addictive Behaviors (MBRP; Bowen, Chawla, & Marlatt, 2011) with six men on probation or parole. The researcher integrated a focus on anger management into the eight MBRP sessions and taught mindfulness meditation exercises during a weekly group. Outcome variables of mindfulness, anger, and empathy were measured at baseline and immediately after the intervention. Field violation and parole revocation data were provided by the Missouri Department of Corrections 30 days following completion of the program. The participants’ …

In Search Of Spirit: The Making And Meaning Of Gay Spirituality, David Willilam Hart

Dissertations

Over the past two decades, a substantial number of scholarly studies have examined the confluence of religious and sexual minority identities (Kocet et al., 2011; Love, Bock, Jannarone, & Richardson, 2005; Rodriguez & Ouellete, 2000; Schuck & Liddle, 2001). Religious identity was often framed within a traditional Judeo-Christian context. A major limitation of this body of work is the neglect of spiritual identity as a construct separate from religious identity. Many Protestant, Judaic, Islamic, and Catholic doctrines regard homosexuality and gender non-conformity as deviant and view the expression of same-sex attraction as errant and immoral (Haldeman, 2002). While reconciliation of …

Accountability Model For Alternative Education Settings, Victoria Ford

Dissertations

Since 2001 professionals have worked to assist alternative education and juvenile court schools in navigating accountability connected to the 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, otherwise known as the No Child Left Behind Act. As alternative education programs struggle through the process of program improvement it seems as if there has to be a more accurate model to measure program effectiveness and student achievement in these settings. Under the current federal model, which is still aligned to the NCLB goals, a school could enter program improvement based on the proficiency of less than 15 students, out of …

The Impact Of Realignment On Property Crime: Perspectives Of Chiefs Of Police, Daniel S. Llorens

Dissertations

Realignment, instituted in October 2011, was California’s latest effort at prison reform by realigning responsibility for prisoners labeled nonviolent, non-serious, and non sex-related from the state to counties. Many of these offenders were in state prison upon conviction of property crime offenses. Realignment had a net decarcerative effect on offenders. Simultaneously, California cities’ officer staffing levels shrunk during the great recession. To determine what impact realignment may have had on property crime in small California cities, and to identify effective response strategies, property crime and officer staffing data was analyzed and a survey administered to the chiefs of those cities. …

Spatial, Temporal And Demographical Analysis Of Gulf Of Mexico Research Priorities, The Effect Of The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Stephen Hiller Sempier

Dissertations

A set of twenty equally-weighted national ocean research priorities were define in 2007, but it was not clear if these priorities applied for the Gulf of Mexico. A series of three longitudinal surveys of people who conduct research, sponsor research or use research for professional or recreational purposes was released that focused on the twenty research priorities and asked people how they rated each. A convenience sampling method was employed, which suggests that the results are constrained to the survey respondents and should not be extrapolated to a larger population. More than 1,500 people completed the 2013 GMRP survey and …

An Examination Of The Volunteer Coordinator's Influence On Church Volunteers' Intent-To-Continue At The Largest Protestant Churches, Jason Berton Golden

Dissertations

Volunteers contribute to the production of goods and services by easing the burden of the paid workforce while not increasing costs. Today’s volunteers tend to be highly trained, skilled professionals looking for a place to invest their time and skills. Churches are the largest single recipient of many volunteers’ efforts. Despite this fact, volunteerism is on the decline in churches.

Once recruited, attrition rates can climb as high as 40% in the first 12 months following training of volunteers. Therefore, the greatest challenge churches face is turnover. Not only does turnover lead to reduced production; it also incurs added expenditures …

The Great Divide: The Perceptions And Dynamics Of The Faculty And Staff Professional Relationship, Meredith L. Skaggs

Dissertations

The college community is built with several necessary components. When considering the faces of a college campus one visualizes the administration, faculty, staff, and students. Through these roles, each serves a function impacting the mission of the institution. Utilizing qualitative methods of interviews, observations, and document analysis this study examined the dynamics and interactions of two roles on a community college campus. The research sought to understand the perceptions of faculty and staff regarding one another and the ultimate impact on the community college campus culture. The data revealed a gap not only exists in the available literature on the …

Shakespeare And Boyhood: Early Modern Representations And Contemporary Appropriations, Marvin Tyler Sasser

Dissertations

This dissertation demonstrates that Shakespearean boyhood, both in early modern plays and contemporary reimaginings for young readers, critiques patriarchal and hegemonic ideals through the rhetoric and behavior of boy characters. Although critics have called Shakespeare’s boy characters indistinguishable, I find that they provide Shakespeare a unique resource to offer persuasive skepticism about heroic conventions, education, and political instability. This project begins by examining the lexical network of boy in order to chart its uses in early modern England. The subsequent three chapters establish how Shakespeare uses boys to comment on a range of ideal manhoods, such as the chivalrous …

Encouraging Bipartisanship: Polarization And Civility As Rhetorical Tools For Ameliorating The U.S. Senate’S Partisan Environment, Angela Marie Mcgowan

Dissertations

On October 1, 2013, the Senate buckled under the pressure of intense partisanship. Dramatically demonstrating their lack of mutual agreement, senators refrained from conducting the nation’s business for 16 days. Considerable media attention covered this shut down, especially the ensuing rhetorical activities of the Senate’s female policymakers who urged bipartisanship. The flurry of activity surrounding the legislative impasse sparked this dissertation’s conceptual orientation. Accordingly, this investigation reveals how Washington lawmakers can, in good faith, set aside partisan views in order to accommodate policy objectives.

This project reveals rhetorical strategies that, when utilized, are capable of facilitating Senate bipartisanship. Each chapter …

Looking Back At The Media's Future: A Mixed Method Analysis Of Race And Gender Bias During The 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary Season, Tim Vance

Dissertations

Political knowledge has been defined as the individual’s ability to recall candidate names, personal characteristics, and qualifications. Furthermore, it is the ability to identify election issues, current campaign developments, and recognize connections between candidates and issue positions (C. Atkin & Heald, 1976). I posit that political knowledge has become much more…and much less.

I have introduced, in this paper, a number of sources for political learning: ads, newspapers, YouTube, and television news. All hold some interest for investigation as political knowledge sources, but methodology cannot be standardized across all sources. As such, the focus of the qualitative part of this …

External Organizational Identification, Parasocial Relationships, And Social Media Use, Lindsey Webb Dancy

Dissertations

The pervasive use of the Internet for social purposes has led to organizational and social change, as well as social movements online throughout the world. Of particular interest in this study is commitment to organizations by patrons and stakeholders showcased via social media outlets. This research includes a review of organizational identification, parasocial relationships and social media research followed by a detailed description of the method, which included the creation and testing of a questionnaire examining the organizational identification and parasocial relationships of external publics, and their social media use. A hypothesis is put forth suggesting that there is a …

An American Public High School Ethnographic Study: Effectively Preparing African American Male Students For Academic Success, Demarius J. Howard

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to engage in ethnographic research involving Jack E. Singley High School (JESA), which was part of the Irving Independent School District in Irving, Texas and recognized throughout the state as one of its most successful high schools. Singley High School had a population of 1600, with 88% minority students, who continued to exhibit academic achievement. The researcher evidenced specific interest in the performance of African-American male students at Singley, since this academic performance consistently received national recognition. This sub-population had been described as experiencing an ‘achievement gap’. However at Singley, African- American males were …

The Impact Of Freshman Transition Programs On Achievement, Jeremy Way

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the potential effects a freshman transition program has on high school success rates. Results could provide the basis for freshman transfer strategies and help academic success following the No Child Left Behind mandate. The research question asked was: Did program complexity have an impact on the success of freshman students, measured by number of failing grades, percentage of discipline referrals assigned, and attendance rates? To answer the question, the researcher studied three homogenous high schools in the greater St. Louis area. These three freshman transition programs varied in complexity provided for incoming …

Case Study On The Efficacy Of An Elementary Steam Laboratory School, Mary Paula Armknecht

Dissertations

A case study was conducted of an elementary STEAM laboratory program in a Midwest Missouri school district, which was unique to the area, and involved risk-taking by the school officials. The delivery model for instruction in the program was inquiry-based learning with a STEAM focus. The planning of the program involved the community, as well as district personnel. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of the program at the end of the first year to determine if the goals of the planning committee had been met and if the perceptions of the stakeholders were in favor …

The Role Of Cyberbullying Victimization In Sexual Minority Adolescents' Reported Levels Of Depression And Anxiety, Jessica Lauryn Byrd

Dissertations

This dissertation examined the relationship between sexual and gender minority adolescents’ and heterosexual adolescents’ frequency of cyberbullying victimization and their reported levels of depression and anxiety. A total of 93 sexual and gender minority adolescents and 113 heterosexual adolescents participated. Results indicated sexual and gender minority participants experienced significantly more victimization than heterosexual participants. Sexual and gender minority participants reported significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety. Participants with the highest levels of victimization reported experiencing significantly higher levels of depression than participants with medium amounts of victimization. When controlling for frequency of victimization, sexual and gender minority and heterosexual …

Instructional Practices In Early Elementary School Written Expression: Teacher Beliefs, Instructional Strategies And Decision Making, Lisa Cottrell Hickman Little

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Attendance Motivators And Constraints: An Investigation Of Students At The Football Championship Series Division, Kurt C. Mayer

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Journey Within: Discovering The Sense Of Becoming, Peggy A. Ursuy

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Modeling New Product Success From Component Measures Of Product Advantage: A Model Utilizing Automated Text Classification And Sentiment Analysis, Ashley Nolen Akerman

Dissertations

What attributes of products are most associated with product success from the perspective of the consumer and how is this association affected by the technology level of the product offering? Creating successful new products is an imperative for long term survival for businesses. Past research has focused on the perspectives of manufacturers to understand product attributes that comprise the construct described as product advantage. This study investigated the components of product advantage from the perspective of the consumer and the significance of each component in explaining variance in product success.

A methodology and two classification toolsets were developed for the …

Family Resilience And Sojourning Japanese Families In The U.S., Mitsuyo Izumi

Dissertations

This study examined processes of family resilience sojourning Japanese parents reported using while raising children (between the ages of 4 and 8) in the U.S., the relationship between family resilience and child behavior and impact of stressful life events, and predictors of the impact of stressful life events and child behavior. Seventy mothers and 37 fathers from six Japanese educational institutions completed self-report questionnaires. Measures included Japanese translations of the Family Resilience Assessment (Duncan Lane, 2011), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997), the Impact of Stressful Life Events Scale (Hasui et al., 2009), the Kansas Marital Satisfaction (Schumm et al., …

On Moral Imagination And Indigenous Wisdom: How Leaders Approach Moral-Ethical Tension In Post-Modern Bali, Alan James Yu

Dissertations

Moral imagination can be defined as an act or process that involves the consideration of a moral-ethical tension and the generation of a novel and appropriate course of action that accommodates the situation. The purpose of this study was to understand how, if at all, might Balinese leaders demonstrate moral imagination using their sociocultural values. The following supporting research questions frame this study: (a) What sociocultural values inform the process by which Balinese leaders approach moral-ethical tension? (b) What specific interventions are part of Balinese leaders’ process in achieving their stated vision? (c) How, if at all, might the …

Aspiring And Doing Activism Under Repressive Systems: A Narrative Inquiry Of Former Student Activists, Kedir Assefa Tessema

Dissertations

The expansion of higher education in the last 24 years in Ethiopia has broadened the causes, alignments, and avenue for students to engage in student organizations and contentious actions. Despite the severity of the state‘s repressive tactics, university students contentious actions have not waned. Not only do students engage in everyday micro resistance, they also use student organizations and clandestine means to challenge policies and practices. Such collective student engagements and contentious actions cannot be done without activists who mobilize and organize students in extremely complex and risky circumstances. Unfortunately, little is known about such activists.

The purpose of the …