Digital Commons Network^™

Experiences With Writing And Reading Neuropsychological Reports: Neuropsychologist And Parent Perspectives, Zsofia Imre

Dissertations

Researchers have described common problems with psychological reports over the past several decades. Some of these issues can contribute to difficulties for neuropsychologists (e.g., efficiency, insurance reimbursement). Additionally, these problems contribute to difficulties with feasibility, readability, and satisfaction for the readers of psychological reports. However, research has been limited on the perceptions of neuropsychological reports specifically, especially related to parent experiences with neuropsychological reports. Hence, this study sought to understand the current report-writing trends, parents' experiences and satisfaction, and neuropsychologists' openness to adjusting their report-writing styles. Data were obtained through surveying parents and neuropsychologists on their experiences reading and writing …

Effect Of Implementing Psychosocial Interventions As Pen Pals In General Chemistry, Kristofer Felix Kintner Reiser

Dissertations

General Chemistry has a high DFWI rate, disproportionately impacting students of marginalized identities (Anderson & Kim, 2006). This research investigates the hypothesis that the impacts of stereotype threat and imposter syndrome could be moderated by sharing with others through a pen pal activity. This embedded mixed method study recruited participants who were general chemistry students at a public university in the Rocky Mountain region over two years (n= 264). Participant affect was measured using the Measure of Chemistry Identity (Hosbein & Barbera, 2020), Theories of Intelligence Scale (Dweck, 2000), Chemistry Attitudes and Experiences-Self Efficacy (Dalgety et al., 2003), and general …

Intercultural Competence For Educators: A Phenomenological Study, Kathryn Mcclintock

Dissertations

The present study examined the lived experiences of in-service kindergarten–12 (K–12) teachers participating in Intercultural Competence for Educators professional development. Intercultural Competence for Educators is a curriculum designed to foster intercultural friendship development and grow educators’ intercultural competence (IC). The study aimed to explore the stories of eight K–12 teacher participants’ experiences in IC activities and investigated four research questions: Q1 What generic skills do in-service K–12 teacher participants assert are needed to grow interculturally competent? Q2 What cultural knowledge do in-service K–12 teacher participants gain from experiencing intercultural competence professional development? Q3 What self-knowledge do in-service K–12 teacher participants …

Oikophilia: Relationships Among Life, Human Life, And Place In School Communities And Their Expressions In Curriculum, Mandi Leigh

Dissertations

This naturalistic, non-experimental inquiry explored relationships among life, human life, and place in school communities along with their expressions in school curriculum. I used educational criticism and connoisseurship to richly describe, interpret meaning, evaluate significance, and discern thematics surrounding relationships and how those relationships were expressed in the curriculum. Postmodern ecology provided the framework for acknowledging ecological precarity and performing the critical, as in essential, work of deconstructing what harms life that could be reconstituted as nourishment. The first study question was: What relationships exist among life, human life, and place in school communities? To answer the question, ecological data …

Men’S Feminist Identity Development: The Process And Critical Influences, Tiana Alexandria Kioko Johnson

Dissertations

Research has historically focused on feminist women, leaving a gap in the literature for exploring men’s feminist identity development. Given that feminist identity is a strong predictor for engaging in gender-justice activism, more research is needed on the experiences of feminist men and how they come to identify as feminists. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to develop a theory of men’s feminist identity development process, as no widely accepted model currently exists. Additionally, the study sought to investigate feminist men’s experiences of privilege as well as guilt in shame in their feminist identity development, as these factors …

Latinx Mothers’ Experience During Their Children’S First Individualized Education Program Process, Briceida Guerrero

Dissertations

As the current number of special education students continues to increase throughout the United States, so does the number of students who currently identify as Latinx. With this increase, it is important to consider what the experiences are for these students’ families as they learn that their children qualify for special education services as well as what this implies for their educational progress and futures. This study used a qualitative research methods approach to examine the experiences of Latinx mothers of students recently qualified for special education services. This study involved a phenomenological approach to study what their experiences were …

An Exploration Of The Experiences Of Preservice Special Education Teachers As They Engage In Explicit Instruction In The Area Of Culturally Responsive Teaching, Keshia Jenelle Green

Dissertations

A lack of teacher preparation for working with racially, culturally, ethnically, economically, and/or linguistically diverse (RCEELD) students is viewed as potentially playing a role in the issue of disproportionality in special education (Griner & Stewart, 2013). The conducted case study aimed to fill an existing gap through providing preservice special education teachers with the opportunity to grow their culturally responsive teaching (CRT) skills and knowledge. The purpose of this case study was to (1) explore the lived experiences of preservice special education teachers as they engaged in explicit instruction in the area of CRT, and (2) further understand the impact …

Exploring The Effects Of Cannabidiol On Psychological Health, Cognitive Function, Neural Health, And Natural Killer Cells, Arjun Ramani

Dissertations

Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotropic cannabis sativa derivative, is gaining attention as a potential promotor of neurological function and cognitive health and as a potential anti-inflammatory compound, although these claims lack evidence-based support from the scientific community. The purpose of this study was to determine whether 8 weeks of 2 doses, 40 mg (CB40) or 20 mg (CB20), of CBD containing beverages will improve psychological health, cognitive function, neural health as well as NK and NKT cell quantity and NK cell function when compared to a control vehicle beverage (CBDV) and a calorie-matched placebo beverage (PLAC) in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, …

Physiological, Ecological, And Microbial Factors Shaping Thermal Tolerance And Performance In Ectothermic Vertebrates, Jason Warren Dallas

Dissertations

Temperature represents a major driving force in biology as it influences essential functions across multiple levels of biological organization. The role of temperature is especially important for ectothermic animals, whose biotic processes are dependent on both body and environmental temperature. Assessing the relationship between temperature and organismal performance represents an important research direction as temperatures continue to warm under anthropogenic climate change. Chapters two and three are focused on a recently colonized population of the invasive Mediterranean House Geckos at the northern edge of their invasion front. These chapters examine the ecological and physiological factors that enable these lizards to …

The Aesthetics Of News: Narrative Construction And Media Illiteracy In Contemporary India, Shashidhar Nanjundaiah

Dissertations

Amidst the public’s declining trust in news, media prosumers—that is, media consumers who have also become producers of mediated texts—are not equipped with any credible alternative mechanism to better understand the world around them. Prior academic studies of news and its delivery have not adequately explored the ideological framework we need to confront this frightening situation. This dissertation does so. I problematize the narration of news as an aesthetic process. Such mass-mediated narration stitches together our world in ideological ways. A tidal flow of stories highlights and obscures selected truths in a frenzy of “new” news cycles, the frequency of …

Fat And Queer: A Qualitative Exploration Of Womens' Experiences Of Fatphobia, Jaidelynn Keeley Rogers

Dissertations

A paucity of psychological research exists on the topic of fatphobia, a type of pervasive oppression that occurs for people with plus-size, large, and/or fat bodies. Much of the research that exists about fatphobia focuses on medical ideals, the associated weight stigma, and how these are related to fat people’s physical health. Medical researchers have determined that weight stigma is actually more harmful to fat people's health than being fat. Fatphobia impacts women at disproportionate rates. Plus-sized, queer, lesbian, bisexual, and pansexual (LGBTQ+) women may be at a heightened risk for experiencing marinization as a result of their intersecting identities …

The Role Of A Roman Catholic Organization In Undergraduate Student Psychosocial Development, Identity Formation And Graduation Rates, Jacob M. Larson

Dissertations

The mixed-methods study investigated the psychosocial development, identity formation, and academic persistence of undergraduate students involved in a Roman Catholic student organization at a private, non-sectarian university. The research framed members’ identity development in the context of Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory and Chickering and Reisser’s Seven Vectors of Student Development. The qualitative research relied on interviews, a focus group, and field observations to gather data on members’ psychosocial and identity development. Regarding psychosocial development, participants discussed that the organization helped them develop meaningful, intimate relationships. Participants also highlighted that the organization helped them to develop intellectual competence, discover purpose …

The Effect Of Parceling On The Measurement Invariance Of Us Students’ Trends In International Mathematics And Science Study (Timss) 2015 Math Attitude Scores, Kritika Thapa

Dissertations

Measurement invariance is crucial for making valid comparisons across different groups (Kline, 2016; Vandenberg, 2002). To address the challenges associated with invariance testing such as large sample size requirements, the complexity of the model, etc., applied researchers have incorporated parcels. Parcels have been shown to alleviate skewness, improve reliability, reduce the number of indicators, and produce a more stable solution (Bandalos & Finney, 2001; Matsunaga et al., 2021; Nasser & Takahashi, 2003). Despite these benefits, limited methodological research has been conducted on the effects of parcels on tests of measurement invariance. This dissertation investigated the effects of different total sample …

Undergraduate Faculty Expectations Of New Graduate Nurses’ Entry-Level Competencies, Bridgette Lynn Bochner

Dissertations

This qualitative descriptive study sought to describe undergraduate faculty expectations of new graduate nurses’ entry-level competencies. By gaining valuable insight from nursing faculty, essential knowledge gained from this faculty perspective will benefit nursing students, nursing education, and all stakeholders in providing safe, quality care and establishing congruent entry-level competencies for new graduate nurses. Eleven faculty from the central and eastern portions of the United States participated in this study. In-depth interviews using open-ended questions were conducted, recorded, and transcribed by the researcher. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify recurring themes. The themes were validated by the participants using a …

A Qualitative Case Study Into The Electronic Correspondence Between Fifth-Grade Students And Their College Mentors, Kevin Pribnow

Dissertations

The ability to navigate emerging technologies is necessary for social and economic participation in the world. Research shows that children from privileged households receive the support needed to develop digital literacy skills, while children from families with lower socioeconomic status do not receive this support. It is the responsibility of schools to address this participation gap by bringing digital literacies into classrooms. The affordances of new technologies make it easier than ever for teachers to provide authentic literacy experiences for their students. This qualitative case study examined an authentic, digital literacy experience during a virtual pen pal correspondence between fifth-grade …

Origin Of The Mega-Streamlined Morphology In Ne Africa And Arabia: Remote Sensing And Field-Based Investigations, Mohamed Samy Mohamed Elhebery

Dissertations

Mega-streamlined landforms on Earth and Mars have been attributed to aeolian, glaciogenic, fluvial, and tectonic processes. Identifying the forces that shaped these landforms is paramount for understanding landscape evolution and constraining paleo-climate models and ice sheet reconstructions. Exhumed Late Ordovician glacial deposits and landscape of the North Gondwana are reported here for the first time from SE Egypt. Using field and remote sensing (Advanced Land Observing Satellite [ALOS], Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) radar, multispectral Landsat TM datasets, and digital elevation models (DEMs) I mapped the distribution of the Late Ordovician glacial features (i.e. deposits and landforms) in …

Examining Attitudes Toward And Utilization Of Mental Health App(Lication)S For Mental Health Service Delivery Among Black, Indigenous, And People Of Color (Bipoc), Kalani A. Gates

Dissertations

The prevalence of mental health conditions among Americans has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has been found to disproportionately affect communities of color and has contributed to elevated rates of mortality, morbidity, and mental illness. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are less likely to utilize or have access to conventional mental health services due to several access-related barriers including inadequate resources, cultural factors, lack of awareness and knowledge about mental health, mistrust of the health and mental health field and providers, and provider biases. Mental health applications (MHAs; software apps that delivery mental health …

Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment: Examining The Perspectives Of Survivors And Speech-Language Pathologists, Patricia Lynn Geels

Dissertations

Scientific advancements have led to significant improvements in cancer treatment and increased survival rates. However, cancer survivors often experience long-term effects, including cognitive impairments known as cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). CRCI is a common and distressing side effect that affects affected individuals’ quality of life. The discipline of speech-language pathology (SLP) is well-positioned to assess and treat CRCI. Still, there is a gap in determining the most effective support for cancer survivors with CRCI. This mixed methods, three-paper dissertation implements exploratory, cross-sectional survey design to examine how speech-language pathologists and survivors view CRCI symptoms, its impact on daily functioning, and …

Visual Circuitry In Adaptive Behavior: Extraction Of Complex Visual Image Information By Arrays Of Non-Image Forming Eyes, Thomas Kipp Halladay Groves

Dissertations

A complete understanding of how neural circuitry underlies the detection and integration of visual cues continues to elude researchers in the 21st century. Since the dawn of life on earth, light has exerted enormous selective pressure on all living organisms. Visual systems represent one of the most common sensory systems in existence, with significant homologies among elements of these systems, such as photopigments and developmental genes. Offering nearly unmatched single cell access at all levels of its nervous system, the European medicinal leech (Hirudo spp.) is an excellent system in which to identify behaviorally relevant neuronal circuits. Hirudo evolved discrete …

Investigation Of The Philosophical Foundations And Use Of Culturally Responsive Evaluation, Ouen Hunter

Dissertations

This three-study dissertation investigated the various aspects of culturally responsive evaluation (CRE) from the perspectives of scholars and practitioners.

The first study investigated CRE scholars’ philosophical stance on CRE through one-on-one interviews. The 14 scholars shared how their lived experiences motivated them to write about CRE. They noted the flexibility of CRE as a complement to other evaluation approaches. The interviewees reported several essential qualities of CRE practitioners. This study highlights the scholars’ commitment to serving marginalized communities as their ontological superordinate theme.

The second study investigated how practitioners applied the CRE lens in their practice. This study confirmed the …

Effects Of A Self-Forgiveness Intervention On Recovery From Substance Use Disorders, Michael Saltzman

Dissertations

Previous research has highlighted the relationship between shame, guilt, and problematic substance use (Gueta, 2013; Luoma et al., 2019; McGaffin et al., 2013; Rahim & Patton, 2015). Self-forgiveness has been associated with positive outcomes for individuals in recovery with substance use disorders (SUDs), though only one prior study has explored the effects of a selfforgiveness intervention for individuals in treatment (Scherer et al., 2011). This study examines the effects of a self-forgiveness intervention on state shame and guilt, state self-forgiveness, and drug avoidance self-efficacy, and it is the first intervention study to focus on self-forgiveness for individuals with SUDs receiving …

A Review Of The Role Of Anxiety In Diagnosis Of Children And Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Paradigm Shift In Conceptualization And Diagnosis, Evan Wahlquist

Dissertations

Early evidence of co-occurring anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) dates back to the first descriptions of ASD by Leo Kanner (1943) and Hans Asperger (Frith & Mira, 1992). While current research has identified anxiety disorders as one of the most prevalent co-occurring disorders in children and adolescents with ASD, little is known about the nature of the relationship between these disorders. In an effort to explain these high prevalence rates, recent research has started to investigate the relationship between these two disorders. To join these efforts, this clinical research project explored the role of …

Towards Reliable Hepatocytic Anatomy Segmentation In Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Using U-Net With Auto-Encoder, Koloud Najem Alkhamaiseh

Dissertations

Despite the advantages of minimally invasive surgeries that depend heavily on vision, the indirect access and lack of the 3D field of view of the area of interest introduce some complications in the desired procedures. Fortunately, the recorded videos from these procedures offer the opportunity for intra-operative and post-operative analyses, to improve future performance and safety.

Deep learning models for surgical video analysis could therefore support visual tasks such as identifying the critical view of safety (CVS) in laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), potentially contributing to the reduction of the current rates of bile duct injuries in LC. Most bile duct injuries …

Experiences Of Tenured Hispanic Faculty In Community College Hispanic Serving Institutions, Barbara Resultan

Dissertations

Over the past 20 years, student and faculty diversity in higher education has increased, but not at similar rates. Student diversity in higher education has surpassed faculty diversity and leaves a situation in which predominantly White faculty instruct a largely non-White student population. Studies have shown tenured and tenure track faculty of color (FOC) in predominantly White institutions (PWIs) often encounter a myriad of negative experiences such as microaggressions, perceived incapability, invalidation of published work, and lack of mentorship. We know little, however, about how tenured and tenure track Hispanic FOC experience higher education in two-year community college Hispanic Serving …

An Exploratory Case Study Of Leadership Practices That Enable International Schools To Become Highly Effective And Learning Progressive Environments, Santha Kumar Sankara Narayanan

Dissertations

Highly effective learning progressive (HELP) environments can prepare students to be future-ready with the needed knowledge and skills to thrive in an ever-changing world. This case study captured the characteristics and measured the effectiveness of an international school working to become a HELP environment using the high-reliability schools (HRS) framework and the leadership practices that enabled them.

This mixed-method study used an explanatory sequential design, beginning with a survey of 122 teachers based on the HRS model (Marzano et al., 2014), where teachers were asked to respond to a series of statements designed to measure the case-study school’s effectiveness and …

The Relationship Between Colorado Teacher Salary And Colorado Teacher Turnover, Jason Lee Seybert

Dissertations

This secondary research study used quantitative research methods to gather and analyze statistical data on specific factors that have been demonstrated to impact teacher retention and assessed their relative importance in impacting teacher turnover. The data utilized for this study were peer-reviewed, publicly available, government data collected by the Colorado Department of Education. The time period examined in this study was the school years of 2015-2019. The study found teacher salary was a significant determinant of teacher retention in Colorado. When controlling for other potentially important factors, such as academic performance, English language learners, socioeconomic status, minority students, and setting …

Experiences Of Middle School Students With Visual Impairments Accessing Technologies In Inclusive Classrooms, Anitha Muthukumaran

Dissertations

As the educational environment is moving more towards a technology-rich system, students with visual impairments (VI) educated in general education classrooms must be guaranteed equitable access to content curricula. The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of middle school students with VI when accessing and using technologies in general education classrooms. In this multiple case study, three middle school students with VI were observed in general education settings for two school days. In addition to the students, general education teachers and teachers of students with VI (TVI) also participated in the study to understand how best they …

Impact Of Coronavirus Disease 2019 On Secondary Market Ticket Price, Attendance Demand, And Fan’S Willingness To Pay: National Football League (Nfl), Yo Han Lee

Dissertations

This study explores how coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affected secondary market ticket prices, the number of attendees, and fans’ willingness to pay in the National Football League (NFL). The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the sport industry, affecting everything from the scheduling and delivery of games to the financial health of teams, leagues, and related businesses. One of the most visible impacts of the pandemic has been the suspension, delay, and cancellation of many sporting events, including entire seasons of some professional sport leagues. Sporting events require large gatherings of people in close proximity, which is precisely the opposite of …

The Inevitabilities Of Activist Teaching: Exploring The Experiences Of An Activist Latinx Teacher In United States Public Schools After The Coronavirus Disease Of 2019 Pandemic, Simon Lewis Cropp

Dissertations

United States public schools post-Coronavirus Disease 2019 are experiencing a crisis as teachers leave the profession in record numbers, and enrollments in teacher preparation programs across the country continue to decline (Pelika, 2022). Simultaneously, Latinx students’ populations continue to grow while Latinx educators struggle to stay in the teaching profession and for the first time in decades, the achievement gap between Latinx students and their White peers has begun to grow (Amos, 2020; Bailey et al., 2021). Latinx teachers play a crucial role in helping Latinx students experience success in public schools, but a growing sub-population of resentful White Americans …

Perceived Support For Higher Education: Perspectives Of Refugee Students, Sibyl Rae Cornell

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how students who are refugees describe their social supports, with a focus on their relationships with those who are supportive of their interest in higher education both within and outside of the school system. Few studies have explored the social capital of these students, and how it may influence their decision to attend college. Therefore, narrative inquiry was used to explore the educational journeys of 13 refugee youth planning to attend higher education in the United States. Through semi-structured interviews, demographic surveys, and the creation of social support …