Digital Commons Network^™

Side-Stepping God: How The Nonreligious Find Success In Alcoholics Anonymous, Caitlin Trombley

Dissertations

This dissertation utilized mixed methods research to examine how nonreligious individuals with substance use disorders navigate recovery within—or in spite of—Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Both the 12-step program itself and Alcoholics Anonymous have long been criticized for being religious and/or spiritual in nature, and some studies have shown that this is particularly challenging for nonreligious individuals seeking recovery. The purpose of this research was to (a) identify differences in recovery resources (recovery capital) between the religious, the nonreligious, those in AA, and those who have adopted alternative forms of recovery; (b) identify barriers that the nonreligious face as they navigate recovery …

(Re)Envisioning Factors Contributing To Black Men’S College Success: An Ecological And Critical Reflection Using Photovoice, Collette Brown Rogers

Dissertations

This research uses modified photovoice combined with an ecological and antideficit approach to amplify the voices of Black men who have completed college degrees. The study explores the question: What factors contribute to college completion for Black men? Using a qualitative approach and the Ethos platform to collect images, photo captions, and critical reflection data from a purposive sample of five Black men. Data analysis included inductive and deductive coding, data organization within the ecological systems, and member checking to validate the findings. The study acknowledges the unique challenges Black men face in pursuing higher education. It emphasizes the importance …

Adverse Childhood Experiences(Aces) And Nonverbal Reasoning Skills, Monika Malinowska

Dissertations

Severe stress and interpersonal traumatic experience in childhood have a cascade effect on an individual's physical and mental health. There is evidence that people with complex adverse childhood experiences have diminished cognitive abilities. However, there are few studies on the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) on non-verbal reasoning skills. This study aimed to assess the relationships between ACEs, non-verbal reasoning skills, and academic achievement.

Parenting And Students' Gpa In The Latino Population: An Exploratory Study, Carolina Arboleda

Dissertations

The present study experimentally investigated Latino high school students’ grade point averages (GPA) and the parenting styles used by their parents based on Baumrind’s (1968, 1971, 1989, 1991) theory of parenting behaviors. Participants (N=52) were asked to take a survey of 62 questions total addressing three parenting dimensions as measured by the Escala Parental Breve to categorize their parents’ behaviors into parenting styles. Participants also responded to demographic questions such as English proficiency, household income, parents’ education level, and other relevant factors impacting parenting and GPA. Results from the study were limited as there was a limited number of participants; …

The Impact Of Culturally Responsive Teaching On The Achievement Of African American Students, Jessica Clark

Dissertations

Culturally responsive teaching is a pedagogical practice that incorporates cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference, and performance styles of students to make learning encounters more relevant and effective. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of culturally responsive teaching on the academic achievement of African American students. The context of this inquiry is at a minority-majority Title I high school within a large urban school district. The district and evaluation school previously adopted a culturally responsive teaching initiative. My mixed-method study captures the quantitative performance of students within the school in teachers' classrooms using culturally responsive …

A Pesar De Todo: A Phenomenological Study On Latinx Undergraduate Students Choosing Their Academic Majors, Flor Carabez

Dissertations

The Latinx population is the largest non-White group in the United States (U.S.) (U.S. Census Bureau, n.d.; Excelencia in Education, n.d.). Nonetheless, members of this community still experience adversity in a myriad of areas, including college degree attainment (Blankenberger et al., 2017; Dueñas & Gloria, 2020; Flores, 2021; Garcia, 2020; Gloria & Castellanos, 2012; Gonzales et al., 2015; Lamont Strayhorn, 2008; Mejia‐Smith & Gushue, 2017; Mora, 2022; Moreno, 2021; Seider et al., 2019; Suwinyattichaiporn & Johnson, 2020; Vásquez, 2013). Stifling college degree attainment is problematic as Americans consider it a tool for upward economic mobility (Cohen & Kisker, 2009; Dwyer …

Leadership Identity Development Among Aspiring Women Leaders In Higher Education: A Phenomenological Study Of Formal Mentoring, Malia E. Roberts

Dissertations

Men have held the majority of presidencies, vice-presidencies, deanships, and other top administrative positions on college campuses since 1950 (Parker, 2015). The disproportionately low representation of women holding leadership roles in higher education is even more urgent considering few women ever reach the senior most leadership levels (Hannum et al., 2015). As such, the American Council on Education not only identified the need to increase the presence of women in leadership positions and to cultivate a pipeline of future leaders, but also the need to provide formal leadership training opportunities for women (Howard & Gagliardi, 2018). While various higher education …

School Principals As Leaders Of Educational Environments In School Settings: Recontextualization Of American Educational Practices In China, Wei Zhang

Dissertations

Chinese principals play a significant role in recontextualizing the U.S. principals’ practices in leading their school reform and student outcomes in Chinese social, cultural, and educational contexts. The purpose of this basic qualitative study is twofold: (1) to describe and interpret how Chinese principals make meaning of their experiences as active democratic leaders and (2) to identify the challenges they are going through in creating an educational environment based on the creative use of U.S. research and theory supporting best practices for principals. The study has a total of 50 participants (n=50) across the United States (n=32) and China (n=18). …

Internationalization Strategies In Chinese Higher Education Institutions: Examining A Selection Of Award-Winning Four-Year Universities, Yuqian Zhang

Dissertations

China is building the fastest growing higher education system, in quality as well as in quantity, in the world and emphasizes internationalization in education policy as a guide to building its own capacity and developing native talent. With regained self-confidence and geopolitical ambition, China is also emerging as a new potential higher education leader along its New Silk Road. The purpose of this study was to explore internationalization strategies employed at select, award-winning Chinese four-year universities, specifically those awarded the National Teaching Achievement Award, the highest national award in teaching and education in the country, for their internationalization efforts.

This …

The Skin I’M In: A Critical Content Analysis Of Picture Books Written By Black Authors, Angela Latrece Justice

Dissertations

This study seeks to explore the experiences of Black male protagonists in picture books. The following question guided this study: How do Black authors demonstrate a commitment to social justice? The theoretical framework that guides this study is Critical Race Theory (CRT), which aids in understanding how Black authors use experiential knowledge to represent experiences that challenge dominant ideologies about Black males. The sample consists of 20 pictures books all written by Black authors and published within the United States from 2018 to 2021. The deductive and inductive approaches to critical content analysis is used as it is effective for …

Seminarians In The Person-Of-The-Therapist (Pott) Training : A Phenomenological Study, Tomichan Moonnanappillil

Dissertations

This dissertation presented a transcendental phenomenological study conducted among eight seminarians in one of the theological schools in Southern Texas, who attended the personof-the- therapist (POTT) training program during the fall semester of 2019. This study aimed to examine seminarian participants' experiences in POTT training, their influence on their selfawareness, and their impact on their emotional maturity and the ability to make responsible life choices. The study was guided by an existential-humanistic philosophical orientation as an overarching theoretical orientation with the subjective epistemological worldview and socialconstructionism paradigm. Findings indicated POTT training positively impacted seminarian participants' human formation, which was foundational …

Career Adaptability: A Phenomenological Examination Of High School Student-Athlete's Perception Of Their Adaptive Skill Development, Aretha Barnes

Dissertations

This phenomenological study examined high school student-athletes’ perspectives on their adaptive skill development and how their experiences with sports influenced their career development techniques. The study aimed to provide insight into the formation of the adaptive skill development of high school student-athletes to promote post-secondary planning that includes career options outside of the world of sports. Twelve graduated student-athletes who participated in revenue sports at the senior high level completed the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale and participated in an interview designed to measure adaptive attitudes, behaviors, and competencies. Participants’ interview responses were coded based on behaviors, attitudes, and competencies that correlated …

Evidence-Based Practices And Self-Efficacy: A Quantitative Study Of Mental Health Counselors Treating Clients With Substance Use Disorder, Carl Bastien

Dissertations

Substance use disorder affects a substantial number of individuals in the United States. The specific problem of this research is that it was not known to what extent their use of evidence-based practices is driven by their sense of self-efficacy. The purpose of this quantitative correlational research was to examine to what extent the use of evidence-based practices covary with a sense of self-efficacy for mental health counselors treating individuals diagnosed with a substance use disorder. The study population was 121 mental health counselors who specialized in substance use disorder treatment who completed a digital survey. The study findings did …

Improving Second Language Learning Through Performance-Based Assessment Practices, Maria Granados

Dissertations

From the time of the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) to the present day, standardized testing has become the benchmark measure for student assessment and school accountability in the United States. Multilingual learners are a vulnerable population with more testing and accountability requirements than mainstream students. Not only are they required to learn a second language, but they are also assessed within the same standardized testing paradigms as their peers - native speakers of the English language. This study aimed to examine and evaluate the benefits of instructional practices and assessments that provide multilingual students and teachers prompt and …

Social And Emotional Learning: An Examination Of Perspectives On Using Faith-Based Supports As An Option In Public-School Communities, Remus Galvin

Dissertations

The present study involved an examination of perspectives on offering faith-based support as an option on an individual basis for social and emotional learning (SEL) within a public-school community. The research consisted of a survey of former and current public-school students and parents (N = 26) and a focus group interview of five former and current school administrators to gather their perspectives of their tenure within public schools and the need to provide access to faith-based supports within a public-school community. After analyzing the data, a majority of the survey participants agreed that access to faith-based supports for SEL …

Pathways To Offending: Domestic Sex Trafficking, Julie Williams

Dissertations

Multidisciplinary professionals across criminal justice, public policy, education, and health and

human services have all attempted to understand the complex phenomenon of sex trafficking to assist victims, correct offenders, and prevent future abuse. However, current research has struggled to agree on terms, definitions of terms, best measures of prevalence, and recommendations to address sex trafficking in the United States. This review of current literature aims to offer a synthesized framework to conceptualize domestic sex trafficking perpetrator behaviors (what they do), their uses of force, fraud, and coercion (how they do it), and their motivations and justifications/rationalizations for those behaviors (why …

Racial Identity Within The Indo-Caribbean Community: A Proposed Model, Alyssa Ramdihal

Dissertations

Part of the South Asian diaspora, the Indo-Caribbean community is a particularly marginalized minority community as a result of colonialism. Indo-Caribbeans are only considered the majority ethnic group in the country of Guyana, where there is a high rate of suicide mostly among Indo-Caribbean men who view it as a behavioral expression of emotional distress. From the research available, the Indo-Caribbean experience of mental health access in the Caribbean is limited due to improper collection and reporting of demographic information. Indo-Caribbeans who were raised from a young age or born outside of the Caribbean community region, often experience discrimination and …

A Rudimentary Framework Of The Emergence Of Naturally-Occurring Mentorships, Aaron S. Baker Cervantes

Dissertations

Cross-age relationships between youth and adults that develop organically outside the construct of youth programs are examples of natural mentoring relationships. In the United States, research has demonstrated the positive impact of these mentorships. Scholars have begun applying concepts learned from natural mentoring to formal mentoring schema; however, much work is yet to be done in examining how these relationships emerge and the factors that impact their development. Designed in partnership with a private secondary school in rural México, this study aimed to unpack these questions using a grounded theory approach. Current students, alumni, and teachers participated in the study …

Identity And Public History, William Holderfield

Dissertations

This paper considers the creation of identity and self through interaction with museums. By understanding whether there is a correlation between how someone views themselves and their placement within society and the national narrative, consideration of alternative actions in combating social issues is possible. Likewise, through this knowledge, there is the potential for museums and public spaces to become of greater interest as places where topics relating to social concerns are presented and discussed. A qualitative research method was used to gather evidence of the correlation between identity and museums and revealed a relationship between identity and self-understanding and museum …

Unraveling The Origins Of Grb190114c: An Investigation Of Progenitor Models Through Observational Analysis, Nusrin Habeeb

Dissertations

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are among the most energetic and violent events in the universe, characterized by sudden and intense emission of gamma rays lasting from a fraction of a second to several minutes. The primary focus of this thesis is to study gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), with a specific emphasis on GRB190114C. GRB190114C is a long-duration GRB that was detected on January 14, 2019, by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) and the Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT). It had a T₉₀ duration of 116 s and a redshift of z = 0.4245, which corresponds to a luminosity distance of …

Effect Of Collaborative Pre-Task Planning On The Writing Quality Of Intermediate Efl Learners Within The Task-Based Language Teaching Approach, Osama Naeem Alzoubi

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the collaborative pre-task planning taking place prior to writing within the Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) framework. The primary aim of this dissertation is to examine how providing time for PTP, considered as a problemsolving activity, has the potential to more positively enhance L2 writers’ performance and motivation to write than writing tasks performed with no planning time. Through a mixed methods experimental design, intermediate school students were distributed into a control and experimental group and conducted a pre-test and post-test to enable the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data over a ten-week period. The actual writing …

Blockchain-Enabled Ehr Sharing In Healthcare Federation: Sharding And Interblockchain Communication, Faiza Hashim

Dissertations

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are crucial components of the healthcare system, facilitating accurate and efficient diagnosis. Blockchain technology has emerged as a promising solution to improve EHRs sharing among medical practitioners while ensuring privacy and security. By leveraging its decentralized, distributed, immutable, and secure architecture, blockchain has the potential to revolutionize the healthcare system. However, due to security concerns, blockchain networks in healthcare typically operate in private or consortium modes, resulting in isolated networks within a federation. Scalability remains a significant challenge for blockchain networks, as the number of participating nodes increases within each network of the federation. Consensus mechanisms …

Delineating The Cellular Mechanisms Of Endoplasmic Reticulum-Retained Endoglin Mutants Causing Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia Type 1, Nesrin Mohammed Gariballa

Dissertations

Endoglin, also known as cluster of differentiation 105 (CD105), is an auxiliary receptor in the TGFβ signaling pathway. It is predominantly expressed in endothelial cells as a component of the heterotetrameric receptor dimers comprising type I, type II receptors and the binding ligands. Mutations in ENG, the gene encoding endoglin, have been associated with Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia type 1 (HHT1), a rare autosomal dominant inherited disorder affecting about 1 in 5000-8000 individuals, which is generally characterized by vascular malformations. Secretory and many endomembrane proteins synthesized in the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) are subjected to a highly stringent protein folding and assembly …

Cortical Activation As A Result Of Reading Stimuli For Students With Dyslexia And Typically Developing: New Insights From Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Neuroimaging (Fnirs), Elazab Mohamed Elshazly

Dissertations

As far as we know, there are few studies that investigated cortical activation using fNIRS and none has examined these hemodynamic changes associated with reading Arabic skills. This study evaluated the changes in cortical activation parameters in terms of oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, hemoglobin difference, and total hemoglobin concentrations observed in the brain (cerebral cortex) of 3^rd grade students during reading Arabic language tasks. The concentrations of cortical activation’s parameters were measured using a functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device. The sample size was comprised of 14 3^rd grade students that were enrolled in an inclusive environment public school in …

Sibling Experiences With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Analysis, Katherine Golden

Dissertations

This study explored the lived experiences of adult siblings of a child with autism utilizing the framework of ambiguous loss theory (Boss, 1999). An exploratory analysis of the sibling experience began with the research question: What are the lived experiences of adult siblings of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder? Further analysis used the theoretical framework of ambiguous loss theory with the secondary question: How have adult siblings been affected by ambiguous loss in their experiences with a sibling with autism spectrum disorder? Heidegger’s (1962) hermeneutic phenomenological approach was utilized to guide the semi structured in-depth interviews and to analyze …

Bismuth And Lanthanides In Mixed Metal Oxides To Metal– Organic Frameworks: Synthesis, Cherectarization, And Photocatalytic Performance, Reem H. Alzard

Dissertations

Known as rare–earth elements (REE), lanthanides (Ln) found in f–blocks of the periodic table, have gained much interest because of their unique characteristics including magnetism, photoluminescence and catalysis. Having a diverse range of coordination geometries, lanthanides can result in different complexes and materials. Herein, three classes of materials containing selected lanthanides such as lanthanide bismuth mixed metal oxides (Ln–Bi oxides), 1D lanthanide coordination polymers (Ln–CPs) and lanthanide metal–organic frameworks (Ln–MOFs) were investigated. Simple route sol– gel method was used to prepare Ln–Bi oxides while Ln–CPs and MOFs were prepared by solvothermal condition. The materials were characterized using multiple analytical, spectroscopic …

Enhancing The Bioactivity And Functionality Of Camel Whey By Enzymatic Hydrolysis And Conjugation With Quercetin, Waqas Nabi Baba

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on enhancing the bioactivity and emulsifying properties of camel whey through peptic hydrolysis and conjugation with quercetin, respectively. Peptic hydrolysis of camel whey using pepsin was performed using a general full factorial design (33) to study the effects of temperature (30, 37, and 45°C), times (120, 240, and 360 min), and enzyme concentrations (0.5, 1, and 2%) on antihypertensive and antilipidemic properties. The generated hydrolysates showed higher inhibition of pancreatic lipase (0.465 to 7.5 mg/mL), cholesterol esterase (0.240 to 1.243 mg/mL), and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) (0.197 to 1.307 mg/mL) compared to control camel whey. Various bioactive …

Stream-Evolving Bot Detection Framework Using Graph-Based And Feature-Based Approaches For Identifying Social Bots On Twitter, Eiman Alothali

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the problem of evolving social bots in online social networks, particularly Twitter. Such accounts spread misinformation and inflate social network content to mislead the masses. The main objective of this dissertation is to propose a stream-based evolving bot detection framework (SEBD), which was constructed using both graph- and feature-based models. It was built using Python, a real-time streaming engine (Apache Kafka version 3.2), and our pretrained model (bot multi-view graph attention network (Bot-MGAT)). The feature-based model was used to identify predictive features for bot detection and evaluate the SEBD predictions. The graph-based model was used to …

The Impact Of The Wiki-Enhanced Tblt Approach On High School Students’ Writing Skill In A Boys’ Public School In Al Ain, Uae, Abdullah Mahmoud Taha

Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of the wiki-enhanced task-based language teaching (TBLT) approach on students’ writing skill in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In addition, it explored the students’ and teacher’s views and perceptions toward the implementation of the wiki-enhanced TBLT approach. The study data were collected quantitatively and qualitatively from two classrooms in a public high school in the UAE, which consisted of 30 students. The quantitative data were collected via a pretest–posttest design from the two assigned groups of students: the control and experimental groups. The qualitative data …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Photocatalytic Activity Of Photoactive Mofs And M-Hof Under Simulated Visible Light Irradiation, Lamia Ali Siddig

Dissertations

The increasing global energy demand has resulted in environmental issues, leading to a shift in research towards sustainable and renewable energy sources. Among these, solar energy is the most abundant natural resource available. One of the most profitable ways to utilize sunlight is through chemical transformation using photocatalysts. In this regard, we reported the synthesis of different stable porous materials, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and metal hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (M-HOFs). The MOF photocatalysts are bismuth-gallate (Bi-gallate), a mixed ligand manganese-based MOF (Mn^II₃(tp)_6/2(bpy)₂. (dmf)) and a new hexagonal layer manganese MOF compound named …