Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health On Skill Of Involvement: Differences In First Year Adn And Bsn Nursing Students In Rural Oklahoma, Cynthia Brown

Dissertations

The impact of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) on Skill of Involvement (SOI) has not been adequately studied in nursing education. The skill of involvement is defined by Benner (2022) as necessary to expert-level nursing and it brings humanity, meaningfulness, acute situational awareness, and rapid thinking required for strong clinical decision-making in crisis management of the deteriorating patient. It is important for nurse educators to understand how SDOH impacts SOI on nursing students in order to transform the delivery of nursing education. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of SDOH on SOIs in first-year nursing students …

Night Shift Acute Care Nurse Narratives: Exploring Collaborative Solutions To Reduce Burnout, Increase Morale And Engagement, And Improve Retention, Melissa Queen-Lomas

Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on nurse recruitment and retention in the United States exacerbated the problem of nurse shortages, particularly for acute care nurses on the night shift. Long hours, heavy workloads, stressful work environments, high patient-nurse ratios, and dissatisfaction with administration are causing nurse burnout at an alarming rate. Burnout leads to low morale, exhaustion, intent to leave, and turnover. Moreover, exhausted night shift nurses compromise patient safety and care with unintentional medication errors or tasks left undone due to rigorous hours and little support or resources. Teambuilding, camaraderie, mentoring, and shared learning opportunities are scarce on night shift, …

Examining The Career Path Of Certified Public Accountants In Audit And Tax Services: Perceptions Of Accounting Graduates' Competencies, Steven Mulhollen

Dissertations

Accounting professionals claim there is a deficiency of individuals with the appropriate competencies to enter the accounting workforce (Pasewark, 2021; Richardson, 2020; Sandifer, 2018; Thomson, 2017). Also, recent trends indicate a need to increase the number of qualified accounting professionals who can pass the Certified Public Accounting Exam (CPA Exam) and enter the public accounting workforce (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants [AICPA], 2021a; Dawkins, 2023). This quantitative, causal-comparative study expands existing studies by analyzing the impact of CPA's chosen career path of audit or tax on their perception of the required and attained accounting competencies. This study contributes to …

The Association Between Emotional Intelligence, Empathy, And Social Determinants Of Health Among Accelerated Bachelor Of Science In Nursing Students: A Multi-State Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study, Kwanza Thomas

Dissertations

This study investigated the association between emotional intelligence (managing and understanding), empathy, and social determinants of health (SDOH) among accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) students. Despite the exponential increase in ABSN programs in the United States, little is known about the association between these variables among this nursing student population. A cross-sectional, correlational descriptive design was used to survey 104 students completing ABSN programs in Georgia, Mississippi, Philadelphia, and Texas. Participants self-reported their socioeconomic and programmatic characteristics using a researcher-developed questionnaire. Emotional intelligence (managing and understanding) was measured using two instruments, including the Situational Test of Emotional Management …

Camp À La Campagne: Francis Poulenc’S Les Animaux Modèles, C.J. Everett

Dissertations

Francis Poulenc’s ballet Les Animaux modèles [The model animals] premiered in 1942 at the Paris Opéra during the German occupation of Paris to favorable reviews from prominent voices in the Parisian musical scene. Set in the French countryside (la campagne) in the seventeenth century, the ballet is a seemingly honest depiction of quaint rural life. To create the short vignettes that comprise the work, Poulenc (1899–1963) adapted well-known fables of the poet Jean de La Fontaine (1621–95). Existing discussions of Les Animaux modèles primarily focus on the ballet’s conception during World War II and the political implications of …

Improving Standardized Test Scores, Spatial Ability, And Interest In Math With The Introduction Of 3d Printers Into High School Math Classes, Charles Moore

Dissertations

Mathematics education faces significant challenges with declining ACT scores, national math proficiency rates, and a prevalent dislike for the subject among high school students. Spatial thinking ability, crucial for success in STEM fields, intersects with mathematical comprehension, suggesting a potential avenue for improvement. This study addresses these challenges by integrating 3D printing technology into secondary mathematics instruction. Employing a quasi-experimental quantitative research design, the study evaluates the impact of 3D printers on ACT math scores, spatial abilities, and attitudes toward mathematics. Results from ANOVA tests indicate marginal increases in spatial test scores and positive shifts in students' interest, self-confidence, and …

The Effectiveness Of Curriculum Assessment Literacy Training For Head Start Teachers On Teacher Fidelity Scores And Class Assessment Scores, Netice Rankin, Netice Danyell Rankin

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was threefold, first to assess teachers’ initial knowledge of The Curriculum Fidelity Assessment Tool among Head Start Teachers utilizing the self -assessment. Secondly, the purpose was to assess if an intensive curriculum assessment literacy training made a difference in teacher’s knowledge of the curriculum fidelity Use as measured by The Curriculum Fidelity Assessment Tool for Administrators as reported by ECD Coaches and PI at the pre-test and post-test level. Third, the purpose of this study was to assess if intensive assessment literacy training makes a difference in the variables of interest, namely, curriculum use, classroom …

The Saudi Government's Response To Covid-19: A Social Media Analysis, Raghad Sonbul

Dissertations

In 2020, COVID-19 invaded the world and caused massive losses, materially, morally, and psychologically. Countries worldwide tried to mitigate the damages by taking strict precautionary measures. The response of governments to this pandemic varied. This study explored the Saudi government’s response to the pandemic by examining its official Twitter accounts. Saudi Arabia holds an important position, economically, politically, and religiously. Thus, its response to COVID-19 affects its international image and reputation, as well as the tremendous number of people who visit the country annually during the Umrah and Hajj seasons. A qualitative content analysis was conducted, and 1,007 tweets posted …

Exploring The Influence Of Integrating Soft Skills Training Into The Undergraduate Stem Curriculum On The Stem Identity Of Students, Candace King

Dissertations

One of the major issues that STEM graduates face is overcoming Imposter Syndrome, and there is a consensus amongst STEM graduates and job recruiters that the current higher education system is missing some elements that could better prepare students for a successful STEM career. A solution to this issue results from recent research on the importance of “soft skills.” In general, “soft skills” or non-technical skills, include communication, critical thinking, and self-motivation. These skills complement “hard skills,” or technical skills, such as skills needed for performing laboratory experiments, like pipetting and Western blotting. The lack of soft skills among recent …

Advertising On Snapchat: Exploring The Influence Of Celebrities Among Young Women In Saudi Arabia, Hessah Alqahtani

Dissertations

This study explored the influence of Snapchat celebrities on the purchase decisions of young women in Saudi Arabia. Uses and Gratifications theory and Source Credibility theory were used to investigate motivations for and factors that affect engagement with Snapchat celebrities. An online survey was conducted among 467 social media users. It was found that most Saudi women (62.9%) were motivated to engage with Snapchat celebrities to seek information.They would likely to purchase products endorsed by celebrities who were deemed trustworthy, attractive, and experts in the field. They also responded more favorably to celebrities who they believe are a fit for …

Measuring Inclusive Leadership In Nonprofit Performing Arts Organizations, Thomas Abruzzo

Dissertations

Inclusive leadership is undoubtedly a practice to strive for, and few would argue against the value of leading inclusively. Yet, empirically, little is known about what constitutes effective inclusive leadership, especially in the context of nonprofit performing arts organizations. This sector is a particularly apt place to study and practice inclusive leadership because, in addition to the many benefits it provides, the nonprofit arts sector has problematic roots in terms of privileging a dominant social class by prioritizing certain art forms over others. For example, the popularity of the nonprofit form in the arts sector, when compared to for-profit or …

California School Psychologists’ Assessment Practices With Cld Students: A Phenomenological Study, Hector Manuel Teran Jr.

Dissertations

School psychologists are tasked with assessing students to qualify them for special education, typically using standardized tests. Standardized testing, like IQ testing, routinely used in the psycho-educational process, serves to justify prejudices, as they often mark people of color as intellectually inferior to White people. A closer look at school psychologists’ assessment practices with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students is necessary, as these students have historically been placed in special education at a higher percentage, likely due to misperceptions related to their race, ethnicity, or linguistic background. While IQ tests are regarded as tools that identify the needs of …

Onboarding To Retention: First Year Experiences Of Faculty And Staff Of Color At A Predominantly White Institution, Paige Jones

Dissertations

Proactive onboarding is essential to a long-term retention strategy. Past research has highlighted the challenge of retaining diverse faculty and staff and how an unwelcoming climate affects the decisions of leaving or staying for faculty and staff of color differently than their White coworkers. Using Bauer’s Four Cs framework, this study explores the role of first-year onboarding experiences in the retention of faculty and staff of color at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) in higher education. Purposive sampling was used to select participants, and semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with nine faculty and staff of color at a PWI in Southern …

An Attentionless Account Of The Attentional Blink, Matthew Stephen Junker

Dissertations

Theories of the attentional blink (AB) – a deficit in responding to the second of two temporally proximal stimuli (within 500 ms; Raymond et al., 1992) – generally explain the deficit as resulting from either the dynamics in top-down and bottom-up attentional process, or limitations in the capacity of the hypothesized attentional process. Extensive basic research has been conducted on the neural correlates of top-down and bottom-up attention as well as on the capacity limitations of attention; however, rather than leading to a single definition, the variety and complexity of results has led several taxonomies which differ systematically with the …

Evaluating Effective Communication Of Baccalaureate Nursing Students, Christine Brockway

Dissertations

Brockway, Christine. Evaluating Effective Communication of Baccalaureate Nursing Students. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2024. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine how communication evaluation by clinical faculty compared in a clinical setting versus a simulation setting for Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students. Fifty (50) BSN students from three different schools of nursing were scored using the Interprofessional Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation Nurse to Physician Rubric in both clinical and simulation settings by seven nursing faculty. Scoring for each student occurred in both settings during one semester. Following the evaluation, students …

Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure: Non-Offending Fathers, Mckayla Marie Harrison

Dissertations

Rates of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are difficult to track due to the taboo nature and stigma surrounding the topic (McElvaney & Nixon, 2020). To address this nationwide crisis, mental health clinicians are relied upon to educate, assess, and treat accordingly. Yet, despite the ubiquitous nature of CSA, existing research has not yet examined non-offending fathers’ experience, a major support system and means of healing for children. This qualitative phenomenological study sought to capture the descriptions of non-offending fathers with children that have disclosed sexual abuse in an effort to better understand the struggles and needs for these fathers, as …

Counseling Students’ Experiences Of Religious/Spiritual Transitions: A Narrative Inquiry, Lexi Gene Heringer Wimmer

Dissertations

Religious and spiritual (R/S) identities are not stagnant constructs, as may often be believed (Strawn, 2019). The landscape of religion and spirituality is shifting rapidly, and these changes point to individual experiences of R/S transition. One place these kinds of individual changes are occurring is within counselor training. Counselor training can be a transformative experience, and these transformations can include religious and spiritual changes (Nogueiras et al., 2019). Little research explores a broad understanding of religious/spiritual transition, and this gap widens when considering counselors-in-training (CITs) specifically. The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to more fully understand the narratives of …

Reclaiming Flow: A Phenomenological Study Of Secondary School Counselors, Brett William Fedor

Dissertations

Contemporary research pertaining to the experiences of flow in education is scarce and that which does exist in the literature often focused on the teacher-student relationship. The purpose of this qualitative, interpretive, phenomenological approach (IPA) study was to examine the lived experiences of secondary school counselors as related to occupational and team flow in one school district. Through the lenses of occupational and team flow, the developing rate of work-related burnout and overall job satisfaction were addressed by examining the lived experiences of five counselors across four Student Service departments. An IPA approach was implemented to approach the research questions. …

A Narrative Inquiry Into The Perceptions Of Counseling Faculty Regarding The Use Of Humor In Clinical Supervision, Ryan Cheuk Ming Cheung

Dissertations

Cheung, Ryan Cheuk Ming. A narrative inquiry into the perceptions of counseling faculty regarding the use of humor in clinical supervision. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2024. Students in counselor preparation programs are required to be clinically supervised by faculty when working with clients. Considering how to help supervisees and positively affect supervision outcomes, one method could be the use of humor by counseling supervisors. Research in the area of humor in counseling supervision is largely missing (Dantzler, 2017; Vereen et al., 2006). A key task in supervision is building a strong working alliance (Bordin, 1983) …

A Compendium Of Three Musical Works Inspired By The African American Experience: Recordings, Commentary, And Pedagogical Observations, Edward W. Hardy

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on three of my musical compositions inspired by Wade in the Water, Billie Holiday, and Margaret Walker respectively: Evolution (for solo violin, 2016), Strange Fruit (arranged for string quartet, 2020), and Born Free (for voice, violin, and piano, 2022). From the perspective of a classical composer-violinist, I created musical portraits that reflect America's pre-civil rights oppression, the celebration of the Harlem Renaissance, and the landscape of political, social, and economic experiences. This dissertation can also serve as a tool for various individuals: fellow violinists seeking modern techniques that bridge classical music to popular music, composers in search …

Exploring The Efficacy Of Using An Online Survey To Measure Functional Literacy Among College Students, Emily Jane Dever

Dissertations

This research study was conducted to examine the efficacy of using an online survey to assess the literacy proficiency of college students in an area of the United States with historically low socioeconomic status. Two research questions were written to guide the study:

R1. What is the factor structure of the Online Collegiate Literacy Scale?

R2. What relationship exists between literacy and college students from areas of the United States with a high concentration of poverty?

A literacy measure was created and evaluated in three steps: writing and pretest by subject matter experts; pilot test; and data collection and data …

The Relationship Between Inclusive Leadership, Psychological Safety, And Job Embeddedness On Employees' Turnover Intent In A Post Crisis Environment, Jan Sims

Dissertations

Large-scale adverse events such as natural disasters and pandemics interrupt business services, initiating defining moments for organizations. The trend of people exiting the workforce compels organizations to examine turnover risk and search for factors that mitigate the impact of resignations. In response to the increase in voluntary turnover and retirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examines four elements that have impacted the workplace since 2020–turnover intent, job embeddedness, psychological safety, and inclusive leadership.

This quantitative study examined the relationship between inclusive leadership, psychological safety, and job embeddedness on employees’ turnover intent. Professional and supervisory level employees of public sector …

The Impact Of Death Anxiety On Counselors’-In-Training Efficacy With Substance Use Populations, Jason Rose

Dissertations

Death anxiety has been an unremitting agent of the human experience. The psychological dilemma posed by the awareness and forecasting of death can increase anxiety, thus affecting well-being through the compulsive desire or will to persist (Becker, 1973; Yalom, 1980). Such psychological armor can manifest in conscious and unconscious behaviors, thoughts, and emotions to which persons utilize psychological, social, and cultural defenses to manage anxiety (Becker, 1973; Solomon et al., 2015). Across all levels of counseling, there has been a deficiency in awareness and discussion of death-related fears within the therapeutic process (Lacocque & Loeb, 1988). Therefore, due to the …

Musical Inspirations From Tang Court Dance Nichang Yuyi In Liu Qing’S Fantasia Of Chinese Ancient Dance For Two Pianos, Yuan Li

Dissertations

Dr. Liu Qing’s Fantasia of Chinese Ancient Dance for two pianos (2011) stands as a notable contemporary Chinese piano composition that reinterprets the renowned court dance suite Nichang Yuyi (the dance of Rainbow-Colored Feather Garment) from the 8th century Tang Dynasty China. Drawing inspiration from the structure and the musical modal languages of the Tang court dance, as well as the descriptions from Tang poet Bai Juyi’s poem of Nichang, Liu Qing adeptly combined her knowledge of Chinese musical traditions with Western compositional techniques, introducing stylistic diversity to the piano duo scene through this captivating work of dance music. This …

A Discrit Analysis Of Experiences Influencing Belonging For College Students With Disabilities, Paige Nichole Johnsen

Dissertations

Despite growing numbers of college students with disabilities and a call to offer support beyond disability service offices, earlier data demonstrate disproportionate barriers to disabled students’ academic success resulting from or in (a) limitations to existing accommodations, (b) worsening mental health, (c) academic achievement gaps, and (d) a privileged understanding of disability. Using disability critical race theory (DisCrit) as a theoretical framework, the purpose of this narrative case study was to discover the intersectional experiences impacting sense of belonging for college students with disabilities at a mid-sized regional institution (pseudonym: Mountain West University) in the United States. The study was …

Exploring University Student Perceptions Of Climate Change Using Connection To Nature And Psychological Distance, Jessica Duke

Dissertations

The central goal of my dissertation is to better understand undergraduate biology students’ perceptions of climate change specifically using a localized lens. Research relating to climate change perceptions and understanding is common in the K-12 setting; however, there have been far fewer studies that use undergraduate student populations. Undergraduate students represent a new age of the voting populus and are therefore an important demographic to target for inducing environmental change. To foster climate change awareness, concern, and willingness to act in our undergraduate students, we must first understand how they perceive it. Using both quantitative and qualitative approaches I explored …

Community Of Practice As A Path To An Authentic Emancipatory Education, Rachel James Beckwith

Dissertations

Beckwith, Rachel James. Community of practice as a path to an authentic emancipatory education. Published Doctor of Education dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2024. Emphasized in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is belonging. It is identified as one of the most inherent human needs; we cannot survive without connection, without belonging. Yet our society seems to reject community values in lieu of rugged individualism. This hyper-fixation on liberty at the expense of social responsibility has not been without its consequences. Classrooms have been a prime breeding spot for the battle between “us” and “them;” the heavy emphasis on grades, contests, and …

Compassion Fatigue Among University Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion Practitioners, Stephen P. Loveless

Dissertations

The purpose of this narrative inquiry was to understand Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practitioners’ experiences of compassion fatigue and how their own identities impacted those experiences. The following research questions guided the study in order to understand better why this was occurring. Q1 What are the experiences of diversity, equity, and inclusion practitioners with compassion fatigue? Q2 How do diversity, equity, and inclusion practitioners’ identities influence their interpretations and experiences of compassion fatigue? Participants were selected from DEI practitioners at predominately White public institutions. Seven participants were interviewed to create 14 hours of narrative data collectively. Findings from the …

The Fourth Pandemic: Photo-Narratives Of Mid-Level Student Affairs Professionals During The Great Resignation, Melissa Lafferty

Dissertations

This qualitative study explores the experiences of mid-level higher education professionals navigating workplace changes post-Coronavirus-19 Pandemic and during the subsequent Great Resignation. The study, framed by the theory of ambiguous loss to interpret the impacts of unresolved losses, underscores the importance of equipping higher education to adapt to ongoing transitions. To capture these nuanced dynamics, data were collected through individual interviews and participant photography using photo-narrative methodology. Eight participants, all mid-level student affairs professionals employed at a public research university in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States, completed a total of 15 interviews and submitted 53 photos for …

Exploring Suicide Loss Survivorship And Postvention Support During The Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic, Sean Robert Kershaw

Dissertations

Suicide is both a severe and pervasive issue in our society (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2023b). For every suicide, the loved ones of the deceased who are left behind face a long, arduous journey of grieving. Suicide loss survivors who emerged throughout the COVID-19 pandemic arguably encountered more unique challenges during this global crisis than in times past. However, research regarding suicide loss survivorship experiences during the pandemic remains largely overlooked. Therefore, this novel qualitative phenomenological study aimed to capture the lived experiences of those who became suicide loss survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to …