Digital Commons Network^™

Synthesis, Characterization And Testing Of Graphene-Based Materials For Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Catalysts, Hassan Shirzadi Jahromi

Dissertations

The requirement for low cost and efficient catalysts for fuel cells motivated the proposed research on Nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO) integrated with transition metal zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs). Synthesis, characterization and performance evaluation of the newly synthesized nitrogen-doped graphene oxide-based catalysts for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) constitutes the main objective of this thesis.

The synthesis of N-rGO combined with cobalt, nickel, or iron ZIFs was carried out using wet chemical methods followed by one step pyrolysis at 900°C, resulting in catalysts with highly porous structures and uniform metal nanoparticle distribution. These were characterized for structure, microstructure, composition …

Picturing The Teaching Of The Holocaust: A Narrative Case Study Of Four English Language Arts Teachers Who Teach The Holocaust, Shelley L. Esman

Dissertations

This qualitative narrative case study was designed to examine the pedagogical choices of four English Language Arts teachers who teach the Holocaust. This study shares the “picture” of the four English language arts teachers from Michigan, Indiana, and Florida. Data collected through interviews and curricular documents were analyzed in connection to each of the teacher’s identities and rationales for teaching the Holocaust. This study highlights each teacher’s process of becoming a Holocaust teacher and describes how each teaches the content of the Holocaust in grades fifth to tenth. It uncovers the common dispositions of these four teachers. It shares the …

Faulty Perception Correction Of Autonomous Vehicles In Real-Life Driving Scenarios, Mark Omwansa

Dissertations

Driving is one of the most popular modes of transportation in the world. The United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) reported 2.8 trillion vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) in 2020, and the National Highway Traffic Association (NHTSA) recorded 3.2 trillion VMT in 2019. Also recorded in the NHTSA report were 39,096 fatalities and 2.7 million injuries due to traffic accidents, costing the economy an estimated $242 billion. Most of these recorded accidents can be attributed to human error or misjudgment. It is for this reason that governments and the automotive industry are looking at autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies …

Public Health Implications Of State-Level Public Health Organizational And System Structures, Cameron Ferguson Hays

Dissertations

Public health thought leaders such as the Institute of Medicine and National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine have long been concerned about the lack of standardization among state-level public health systems (IOM, 1988; NASEM, 2023). However, little research studies these systems, their structures, and whether structural constructs affect population health outcomes.

This study attempted to examine the structural constructs that make up these systems and the impact of those constructs using an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. Variables from management science were qualitatively extracted from materials describing all 50 state-level public health systems. Those variables were then analyzed using a …

Intelligent Health Monitoring Systems Via Flexible Hybrid Electronics And Machine Learning, Masoud Panahi

Dissertations

Advanced data analytics approaches, such as artificial intelligence (AI), are increasingly being integrated into all aspects of patient care. This integration is paving the way for minimally invasive or non-invasive treatment modalities. By combining recent advancements in fabrication technology and computing ingenuity, wearable devices now enable continuous health monitoring and provide data for AI-driven analysis. These intelligent devices seamlessly integrate with the Internet of Things (IoT), enabling remote or “at-home” patient monitoring.

This dissertation study investigates the integration of recent advancements in flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) and machine learning (ML) to develop intelligent health monitoring systems. The developed FHE-based health …

Conceptual Understanding, Engagement, And Optimal Learning Moments With Problem-Oriented Project Learning In High School Physics, Catherine A. Howell

Dissertations

This research explored the effect of Problem-Oriented Problem Based Learning (POPL) on concept attainment and engagement in a high school physics class. While physics education remains a vital component of STEM education, secondary physics enrollment trails chemistry and biology. Issues contributing to physics’ reputation as a complex subject include prior misconceptions and the formulaic nature of pedagogy. Prior research indicated that active learning can challenge misconceptions and mitigate the sameness of instruction. POPL resides firmly in the active learning methodology of Project-Based Learning (PjBL). This study expanded the research by combining Physics, POPL, concept attainment, multiple components of engagement, and …

Exploring The Interplay Among Effort, Motivation, And Self-Efficacy In High School Mathematics And Act Math Achievement, Katrina Lightsey

Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between high school students' attributions of effort, motivation, and self-efficacy as they relate to ACT math scores. Despite the important role of standardized tests in determining college admissions, there has been little research conducted to determine how students feel about these attributions and how they relate to math grades and ACT scores. A total of 52 juniors and seniors from local high schools participated in this study, which was conducted over the summer through voluntary participation following email invitations. The study was designed to measure students' self-reported effort, motivation, and self-efficacy using a survey instrument. …

Understanding The Experience Of Being Food Insecure At An Independent College Or University, Natalie Wagner

Dissertations

Many people struggle to consistently access enough food for an active and healthy life (United States Department of Agriculture, 2020). Research has shown that college students experience food insecurity at rates higher than the general population while also facing negative academic, mental, physical, and social consequences (Baker-Smith et al., 2020; Bruening et al., 2018; Dubick et al., 2016; Henry, 2017; Martinez et al., 2018). Although studies on food insecurity among higher education have increased in the past few years, much of the research has been quantitative in nature and has been conducted at community colleges and state-funded institutions (Baker-Smith et …

Investigating The Impacts Of Ai Integration On Workplace Well-Being, An Exploratory Case Study, Anezka Viskova-Robertson

Dissertations

In an era characterized by rapid technological advancement, organizations are grappling with the profound changes brought by the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). This study examines the impact of AI integration on workplace well-being, conceptualized as a key indicator of the health of an organization’s socio-technical system. Conducted over a four-month period, this research utilized an exploratory case study approach, collecting data from 35 participants across four distinct organizations. By employing a socio-technical systems perspective and the tripartite model of attitudes, the study investigates the intricate interactions between AI technologies and human factors within organizational contexts. The findings reveal that …

The Inclusion Of Behavioral Healthcare Providers In Primary Care Settings: A Phenomenological Study, Janette A. Hernandez

Dissertations

With the shift toward integrated care, Behavior Healthcare Providers (BHPs) play a crucial role in improving patient outcomes and accessibility to mental health services. However, challenges such as time constraints, role ambiguity, and limited understanding of BHP contributions persist. This qualitative phenomenological study explores the experiences of BHPs in integrated primary care settings. Using semi-structured interviews with eight BHPs, the study examines their roles, challenges, and contributions within healthcare teams. Findings indicate that BHPs enhance collaboration with medical staff and facilitate timely mental health interventions. Yet, barriers such as inconsistent role recognition and workflow inefficiencies hinder full integration. This study …

Artificial Intelligence, Machines, Devices, And Robots: Mobilizing Humanness And Intelligence In The American Techno-Landscape, Carlos A. Batres

Dissertations

This dissertation is an ethnographic inquiry of artificial intelligence (AI) in the techno-landscape of three major metropolitan areas in the United States. It traces the ways in which both experts and non-experts talk about their interactions with AI via machines, robots, and other devices, and how the ways in which people deal with AI-technologies have come to shape how we think about our own ways of going about doing things. The goal is to discern what the social ramifications of this technology may be as relationships and relations are formed betwixt and between people and artificially intelligent things.

Mutual Enjoyment: A Levinasian Conception Of Freedom, Aaron Darrisaw

Dissertations

Established scholars typically regard the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas as one that offers a morally elevated, and even religious, sense to the meaning of ethics. He uses many descriptions to encapsulate his understanding of ethics, but a common shorthand is “the calling into question of freedom.” This dissertation aims to answer the following question: What becomes of freedom after it has been submitted to Levinas’s ethical critique? Engaging this question emphasizes the distinctively political significance of Levinas’s philosophy, a significance that is often regarded as lacking. However, my project treats freedom as a unique prism through which to interpret Levinas’s …

Racially And Culturally Conscious Parent Engagement Programs: Parent Contributions To A Critical Analysis, Veronica Maria Lucero

Dissertations

To capture the perspectives of Latinx families as they relate to racially and culturally conscious parent engagement programming, this qualitative phenomenological case study sought to examine the parent engagement for Latinx families and answer following research questions:

• Q1 What are the perceptions regarding parental engagement of Latinx parents who participate in parent engagement programs in a Rocky Mountain, suburban elementary school committed to considering race and culture in their engagement practices?
• Q2 How do Latinx parents perceive culturally and racially conscious parent engagement program participation impacts their students’ school experience?

In the qualitative tradition, interviews were used to critically analyze …

The Application Of Thai Classical Fiddle Techniques For Cello, Athita Kuankachorn

Dissertations

While non-Western cultural influences have become increasingly more prominent in contemporary cello compositions, Thai classical fiddles—saw duang, saw u, and saw sam sai—which are integral to Thai music tradition, have yet to be fully explored or incorporated into cello works. The complexity of the Thai pitch system, diverse performance practices, and the reliance on oral tradition, which limits written resources, pose challenges to integrating Thai fiddle elements into cross-cultural compositions.

This research examines Thai classical fiddle techniques through a bi-musical approach. Among the diverse practices, the Vorayot Seventeen-Microtone Theory, developed by esteemed fiddle Master Vorayot Suksaichon, …

Evaluation Of Joint Model Imputation Of Multilevel Models, Gabriel Owusu

Dissertations

Missing data is a pervasive challenge in research, particularly in studies involving multilevel models. When left unaddressed or handled poorly, missing data can reduce statistical power and introduce bias, undermining the validity of findings. Although multiple imputation has emerged as a preferred method for addressing missing data due to its ability to provide unbiased and efficient estimates, its application in multilevel modeling remains underexplored. This gap is particularly significant given the hierarchical nature of multilevel data, which requires specialized approaches to imputation. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of joint model imputation in handling missing data …

A Delphi Study Exploring Scope And Sequence Of Trauma Education In Counselor Education Master Level Council Of Accreditation Of Counseling Related Education Programs, Alexis A. Hauck

Dissertations

The growing awareness of trauma and its impacts on the social, emotional, and overall wellness of individuals, couples, and families underscores the need for counselor educators to prepare counselors to address trauma symptoms effectively. To bridge this gap, counselor education programs can benefit from expert guidance on the content scope and course sequencing of trauma education in master’s programs.

This research aimed to articulate trauma education scope and sequencing by gathering expert recommendations on best practices for trauma knowledge, awareness, and skill development through clinical experiences in counselor education programs. The grand research question explored expert opinions and beliefs about …

Influence Of Glycopolymer Structure On Amphiphilic, Hybrid, Linear Branched Block Copolymer Properties For Use In Biomedical Applications, Kevin Green

Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation is evaluating and adding fundamental knowledge regarding the structure-property relations of glycopolymers used in the design of hybrid block copolymers (HBC) that are cable of self-assembling into delivery vehicles for biomedical applications. A shift to the utilization of natural materials in the design and fabrication of drug-delivery vehicles has garnered significant attention. Understanding the effects of linear glycopolymers content and composition on the resulting HBCs properties can provide valuable insight into how these materials may be tailored for use in targeted biological applications.

The first chapter introduces current literature on the need for improvement in …

Chain Extension Of Blocked Isocyanates For The Creation Of Covalent Adaptable Networks, Catherine Sarantes

Dissertations

From mattresses to car coatings, polyurethanes and polyureas (PUs) are ubiquitous thermoset materials with tunable thermo-mechanical performance. This tunability is afforded through the extent of crosslinking or covalent linkages established by the formation of urea bonds. Traditionally, urea bonds are highly stable yet through the blocked isocyanate, hindered urea bond (HUB) mechanism this bond is thermally labile allowing for re-processing of normally non-recyclable PU materials. The overarching focus of my dissertation is the exploration synthetic pathways to access secondary diamines to enable re-processing of covalent adaptable networks (CANs) with tunable re-processing through the diamine moiety and the molecular weight of …

A Single Session Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy In A Group Format To Promote Health-Related Behavior Change In Nutrition And Sleep: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Thi Anh Tran

Dissertations

Nutrition and sleep are important health-related behaviors for which only a small percentage of the population meet recommended guidelines. To impact population-health it is important to develop focused, flexible, efficient, and efficacious interventions. This study examined the efficacy of a 60-minute Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention in a group presentation format to initiate change in nutrition and sleep related behaviors in college students. Thirty-two collegians (M age = 18.55 [.85], 66% female, 34% Hispanic, 25% white) were randomized to receive ACT focusing on nutrition (n = 18 participants across 4 groups) or sleep (n = 14 participants across 3 …

Leadership Ways Of The Three Fires Anishinaabek, Grace Boda

Dissertations

Leadership has often been viewed through a narrow lens that primarily reflects Western perspectives, while Indigenous knowledge has been overlooked, marginalized, or excluded, perpetuating colonial systems. This study aims to restore Indigenous knowledge within the Three Fires Anishinaabek community and to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of leadership. Employing an Indigenous research methodology, the study centers relational and wholistic ways of knowing. This approach adheres to Indigenous ethics of relational accountability and utilizes a collaborative strategy for knowledge gathering (data collection) through conversational interviews.

As knowledge contributors (participants), members of the Three Fires Anishinaabek community engaged in discussions that …

Private School Principals’ Leadership Roles In Times Of Change Within The Dominican Republic, Benedicta Calderon

Dissertations

As in many other countries around the globe, the Dominican Republic (DR) has recently implemented important educational changes. The curriculum changed from a content-based to a competence-based approach, and grade configurations changed from four-year to three-year cycles, moving seventh and eighth grades out of elementary and into high school. These changes impacted public and private school structures, with implications on principals’ leadership role. While there is much previous research on principals as instructional leaders implementing significant change; prior to this study, no research was found that looked at private school principals in such roles within a developing country like the …

From Pages To Pixels: Library Workers’ Perceptions Of Power In The Digital Era, Sean Gaffney

Dissertations

This work explores how library workers experience power during the era of digital transformation. As libraries transition from traditional knowledge repositories to dynamic, technology-driven information centers, power structures within these institutions are undergoing significant change. Despite the extensive implementation of digital transformation initiatives, there is a critical gap in understanding how digitalization is impacting employees’ experiences of power within the library context.

Drawing on French and Raven’s Bases of Social Power model, this study investigates how digital tools, platforms, and processes influence how power is perceived among library workers and its distribution and sources. A qualitative survey study was conducted …

Mothering, Leadership, And Career: A Narrative Analysis, Joanne Susan Roehm

Dissertations

In March 2020, much of the world was “sent home” from work and periods of lockdown began. In West Michigan, Friday, March 13 was the day that most workplaces closed their doors and employees began working from home for what was assumed to be a period of weeks. In the spring of 2020 between March and April, some million mothers living with school-age children left active work—either shifting into paid or unpaid leave, losing their job, or exiting the labor market all together.

The stories of mothers who experienced the “balancing act” of mothering and working at home during the …

The Impact Of Restorative Practice Implementation On Culturally Responsive Teaching And Student Behavior, Patrice Mccoy

Dissertations

American public schools uphold the policies, standards, and disciplinary practices that guide the belief systems of how students view fairness and deal with conflict. As teachers invest in student knowledge and seek to guide students in the right direction, the challenge is learning the appropriate methods of dealing with student behavior. Behavior management practices have evolved just as many student challenges and needs have changed. With these changes evolves the need to better understand students and families. Teachers gaining cultural responsiveness to student behavior challenges is a relatively new ideology to ensure students feel understood and more engaged in the …

A Descriptive Case Study Of An Innovative, University-Based Coaching System For Resident Teachers, Matthew J. Wester

Dissertations

Teacher residency programs (TRPs) have emerged over the past two decades as an effective model of teacher preparation. Within this alternative pathway to teacher certification, pre-service teachers, known as resident teachers, engage in a lengthy clinical teaching experience under the guidance of a trained mentor teacher and field supervisor while concurrently completing closely aligned, graduate-level coursework.

A key element of successful teacher residency programs is the use of a structured coaching system to support resident teachers — defined in this study as the components that form the coaching framework for resident teachers within a defined educational context, operating together to …

Students' Perspectives On Co-Creation Opportunities Within Bachelor's, Master's, And Doctoral Level Education Preparation Programs, Oana M. Manta

Dissertations

This study examines Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral students’ experiences with co-creation activities in education programs. Responding to voiced student concerns, it seeks to uncover ways in which students wish to share ownership of the learning process. Additionally, this study aims to contribute students’ thoughts to the existing co-creation literature. Incorporating evidence from a survey and multiple participant interviews, this study demonstrates that students across all three levels of study wish to experience an increase in co-creation activities, but the type and extent vary by level of study. It argues for instructors and overseeing institutions to negotiate, not prescribe, certain aspects …

Engaging Families In School-Based Physical Activity Promotion, Veronica Becerra

Dissertations

This dissertation explored how schools promote and engage families in physical activity (PA) opportunities through two studies conducted in a Mountain West state. Study one explored strategies schools used to engage families in PA. Study two examined how a purposefully selected K-8 school developed family-school partnerships to support PA engagement through Epstein’s (2010) Six Types of Involvement framework.

Study one used a collective case study design guided by the following research questions:

• Q1.1 What strategies do schools implement to promote and engage families in physical activity programming?
• Q1.1a What tactics do schools use to implement these strategies?
• Q1.2 What are …

Study Of Yoga Intervention To Reduce Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Public School Educators, Leslie Marie Hillen

Dissertations

A problem in education was the great amount of stress teachers were under. Secondary Traumatic Stress “is the emotional duress that results when an individual hears about the first-hand trauma experiences of another” (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, n.d.). When teachers feel they cannot work or are overwhelmed with the demands of education, this can be attributed to Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) (Caringi et al., 2015). Many teachers felt there was not enough support from the administration, as they not only deliver curriculum, but they also worried about the students’ mental health, home lives, hunger, and how to support …

Thai Choral Music In Intercultural Choral Literature: A Guide To Thai Choral Music, Dolhathai Intawong

Dissertations

Amid the evolving landscape of intercultural choral literature, Thai choral music emerges as a compelling yet underexplored genre, distinguished by its integration of unique linguistic and Thai musical elements. Despite the diverse choral repertoire in global music scene, the lack of resources on Thai diction and practical approach to Thai choral works for teaching and performing Thai choral music has resulted in its absence from choral global repertoires.

To address this gap, this research examines a comprehensive approach to Thai diction, providing a foundation for understanding the intricacies of Thai pronunciation which is applicable to a wide range of vocal …

Twentieth-Century Chinese Piano Sonatas: An Exploration Of Selected Works By Ding Shande, Guo Zurong, And Chu Wanghua, Qingrui Li

Dissertations

At the turn of the nineteenth to twentieth century, with the arrival of the piano and the increasing cultural exchange between China and the West, China has experienced more than one hundred years of exploration and experimentation, gradually shaping a uniquely Chinese piano culture. The piano sonata, as a classic European genre imported to China, has evolved into an “experimental art form.” Its complex and organized structure and broad space for expression become an outlet for Chinese composers in the twentieth century to experiment with technical means and explore instrumental aesthetics, while also exhibiting a unique style of artistic expression …