Digital Commons Network^™

“I Don’T Believe The World Is Tilted”: Emotion, Struggle, And Relationship In Making Meaning With Texts, Alison Faye Oddie

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand how the social and cultural practices of classroom literacy instruction afforded students opportunities to make meaning with texts. Research was conducted from a sociocultural perspective that focused on students as participants in social learning, in a context of interactive relations. This study was responsive to contemporary developments of the sociocultural tradition, recognizing the importance of emotion and other subjective means for constructing understanding. Two classes of a turnaround school, 18 Second-Grade students and 20 Third-Grade students, were observed as they participated in Interactive Read Aloud and Guided Reading over a period of …

Pharmacogenomics Translation In A Community Medical Context Using A Diffusion Of Innovations Framework: Provider Perspectives And Evaluation Implications, Sabrina Ewald Holley

Dissertations

Translation, in the context of medical research, is a process that describes how knowledge and innovation move and change into real world applications and outcomes. This study explores the translation of a medical innovation, pharmacogenomics (PGx), from research into clinical practice using the perspectives of medical providers in a community setting. PGx is the influence of a person’s genetics on drug response. Despite being available for over a decade, PGx testing is not widely adopted. Prior research primarily examined PGx translation in large academic medical centers, but not much is known about it in community practice settings. A better understanding …

The Nursing Classroom Climate: Cooler For Traditional-Age Students Who Are Male, Marietta J. Bell-Scriber

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the nursing classroom climate and the perceptions and experiences of traditional-age student nurses who are male as they relate to the nursing classroom. A qualitative research procedure in the form of a case study was used to answer the descriptive research questions: (a) What is the classroom climate for traditional-age students who are male? (b) If an inequitable or sex-biased classroom environment is found to exist for traditional-age student nurses who are male, what are the nursing faculty behaviors that contributed to this environment? (c) If an inequitable or sex-biased classroom environment …

Mentoring: The Factors That Contribute To Persistence To Graduation For African American Males In Predominantly White Institutions In Missouri, Paula Miller

Dissertations

Due to several decisions by the United States Supreme Court in the 19^th and 20^th centuries, African Americans were granted access to PWI’s of higher education. However, African Americans still face challenges in obtaining post-secondary education. For example, in 2019 – 2020, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics (2021), 13.1% of African Americans graduated with master’s degrees. Additionally, in 2020, 19% of African Americans attained a post-secondary degree in Missouri (Towncharts.com, 2021).

Despite access, the number of African Americans obtaining degrees remains low. And, when the lens is focused on African American males, the numbers are …

The Impact Of Structured Orientation On Role Transition And Turnover Intentions Of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, Nadege Jules

Dissertations

The first year of transitioning from being an expert nurse to embracing the role as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) is challenging. The literature identifies a gap in APRNs transition to practice support in the new role. The impact of structured orientation on role transition and job turnover intentions of novice Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in their first APRN position is warranted and have not been addressed.

The purpose of this nonexperimental, correlational study was to investigate the impact of structured orientation on role transition and job turnover intentions of novice Advanced Practice Registered Nurses in the United States …

Maladies Of Public Administration: Factors That Exacerbate Corruption In Kenya, Moses Waithaka

Dissertations

This study examines factors that exacerbate corruption in Kenya, focusing on institutional weakness as a key factor that fosters corruption in government institutions. Thus, the study examines difficulty in accessing public services, lack of availability of the broadest and most straightforward access to information, and electoral manipulation -voter intimidation, and inability to remove elected leader through the ballot. The study uses Afrobarometer round 8 dataset collected between November and December 2019. This data set was collected under the guidance of the University of Nairobi Institute for Development Studies IDS. Additionally, the study considers a comprehensive literature review to assess and …

The Lived Experience Of Veteran Medics Entering A Baccalaureate Nursing Program, June L. Llerena

Dissertations

In 2017, 755,479 veterans received Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to attend higher education (VA, 2018). For many returning veterans a rapid transition from military life to student life not only creates academic barriers but also increases stress (Bagby et al., 2015). Studies focusing on transition found 51% of Post 9/11 veterans experienced difficulty transitioning into civilian life (Anderson & Goodman, 2014). Additionally, combat veterans have reported experiencing greater social isolation and emotional struggles compared to non-combat veterans (Bagby et al., 2015). Schonfeld et al. (2015) studied general student veterans and found that: 34.5 % had severe anxiety, 23.7% had …

A Longitudinal Study On The Impact Of Occupational Health And Safety Practices On Employee Productivity At Sibca Llc, Maryam Ibrahim Mohamed Hussain Lari

Dissertations

Occupational health and safety (OHS) refer to practices that businesses use to proactively ensure the health and safety of employees. OHS scholars believe companies can use such practices to improve the health and safety of their organization and employee productivity. This study assesses how OHS practices can impact employee productivity at SIBCA LLC, a UAE-based company. It employed a longitudinal research design with pre- and post-intervention data collection to determine the effect of OHS practices on employee productivity. The study sample comprised 293 SIBCA LLC employees. Participants completed the same questionnaire twice, and productivity data were collected twice, 13 months …

The Influence Of Social Capital On First-Generation African American Gradaute Students: A Grounded Theory, Janeisha Anderson

Dissertations

First-generation African American/Black graduate students face challenges that must be overcome if they are to persist to degree completion. However, literature on factors contributing to their success and circumstances that hinder their academic outcomes is sparse. This qualitative grounded theory study investigated social capital and its influence on first-generation African American/Black graduate students' success. Participants (n = 17) were purposefully selected and included students who were enrolled or had already graduated, and others who had withdrawn from their graduate program. Thematic analysis of 17 interviews identified three primary themes: support within an academic setting, external support outside of an educational …

The Impact Of Internal And External Factors On Female Enrollment In Vocational Training Institutes In The United Arab Emirates: A Phenomenological Qualitative Study, Saada Mubarak Amro

Dissertations

Educational institutes around the world and vocational training institutes, in particular, are concerned with students’ participation and enrollment rates. Great emphasis is placed on the vocational sector and its role in establishing a knowledge-based economy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as articulated in the UAE Vision 2021, its economic foresight 2030, and in the recent 50th-anniversary statement released in 2019 by HH Mohammed Rashed Al Maktoum. The importance of this sector is its significance in diversifying the economy, providing employment, and equipping both employed and unemployed nationals with the vocational skills required by local and international markets and industries. …

An Intersectional And Relational Approach To Investigating Narratives And The Suggestions Of Cultural Sociology: How Young Black Men Make Sense Of Violent Victimization And The Prospects Of Help-Seeking., Dale Aaron Dan-Irabor

Dissertations

Black men experience fatal and non-fatal violent victimization at a rate higher than any other dyadic group of race and gender in the U.S. (Harrell, 2009; CDC 2019; Rich 2009). However, there is not enough research focused on investigating how these men make sense of their victimization experiences and manage the consequences of exposure to violence. Therefore, using 55 interviews of young Black men, who came of age in New York City area, and self-reported recent serious violent victimization experiences, the present study details the results of an intersectional and relational approach to examining the suggestions of Cultural Sociology, to …

Improving Nurse Mentor Retention Through The Use Of Nurse Residency Programs, Morgan Newman

Dissertations

Graduate nurses beginning their nursing career require a collaborative relationship with an expert nurse mentor to make this transition successful. However, high turnover among these experienced nurse mentors is causing a problematic gap in knowledge transfer, experience, and expertise in the nursing workforce. This project investigated whether nurse mentors who mentored in a Nurse Residency Program (NRP) remained with the organization longer and were more satisfied with their mentoring experience than nurse mentors who mentored outside of a NRP. The diffusion of innovations theory was used to support the project and process of dispersing information on the outcome of the …

Personality And Psychopathology Correlates Of Institutional Misconduct Among Juvenile Offenders, Paula Floyd

Dissertations

Juvenile delinquency is a national concern, as delinquent behavior is associated with a host of poor psychosocial outcomes during later adolescence and adulthood. To address delinquency, it is important to understand psychological adjustment among adolescents who have already made contact with the juvenile justice system. One way to explore adjustment within this population involves examining personality and psychopathology correlates of institutional misconduct (i.e., behavioral infractions while incarcerated). While there is a robust body of literature regarding personality and psychopathology correlates of misconduct in adult inmate samples, there has been far less work devoted to these relationships among justice-involved youth. Furthermore, …

Communication Matters: A Study Of Communication Between Emergency Managers And Water Systems Professionals Regarding Insufficient Access To Drinking Water, Paula R. Buchanan

Dissertations

In 2021, the United States – specifically the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation – declared its first-ever drinking water shortage for the Colorado River and the Hoover Dam, resulting in cuts to water access for the southwestern United States. Unfortunately, incidents like this one are increasingly likely to occur as access to drinking water has become a more pervasive issue that not only impacts the work of water systems professionals, but also impacts the field of emergency management and its practitioners. In addition, these incidents underscore the need to put a spotlight on communication processes between water systems professionals and emergency …

The New Temporary Labor: Regulating The Gig Economy In Austin, Chicago And New York, Ashley Baber

Dissertations

Gig Economy, Labor Market Intermediary, Precarious Labor, Urban Governance

Resisting A Political Ontology Of Threat By Embracing Stories Of Survivance Through Storytelling, Conversation, And Joy: An Intimate Insight Into The Lives Of Undocumented Students, Julia F. Mendes

Dissertations

political ontology, storytelling, survivance, undocumented students

Implementation Of The Massachusetts Policy On Youth Sport-Related Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries: Perceptions Of Key Personnel At Massachusetts Public And Charter Schools, Gretchen A. Kilbourne

Dissertations

The major purpose of this cross-sectional, descriptive, and explanatory survey research was to assess key school personnel's perceptions of barriers to and facilitators of implementation of the Massachusetts (MA) policy on youth sport-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) to guide, inform, and increase awareness of implementation of this policy.

Organizational Factors As Barriers To Racially And Ethnically Diverse Nursing Students, Janine Lynn Johnson

Dissertations

Increasing the nursing profession's diverse make up is thought to improve health disparities. To improve this diversity, it is essential for nursing students from diverse backgrounds to be successful in nursing school. The purpose of this phenomenological study using critical race theory for the framework was to discover racially and ethnically diverse students' perceptions related to organizational factors impacting their success in an undergraduate nursing program. Organizational factors included the policies and practices at the course, department, and institutional levels. The aim of this study was to determine how nurse educators and schools of nursing can increase the diversity among …

Caregiver Burden And Its Relationship To Health-Related Quality Of Life Of Spouses Of Coronary Artery Bypass Patients, Margo A. Halm

Dissertations

With today's aging population and short hospitalizations, patients recovering after coronary artery bypass (CAB) surgery rely on family assistance, usually from their spouse. While caregiving may be meaningful, this experience may be stressful. Very little is known about caregiver burden after CAB surgery. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the correlates of caregiver burden in the first year after CAB surgery and its relationship to spousal health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcomes.

La Vraie Bouillabaisse: An Investigation Into The History And Current Practice Of The Provencal Dish Bouillabaisse, And Its Significance As A Traditional Dish, Mathieu Belledent

Dissertations

This thesis examines the history and the current practices (popularity, service styles, and recipes) of the Provencal dish bouillabaisse. It aims to establish the evolution and the traditional characteristics of the dish. It also explores the historical and contemporary popularity as well as the everyday role that bouillabaisse plays in the regional identity of Provencal cooking. Finally, the research questions if bouillabaisse would benefit from a European Union quality schemes protection or official recognition by UNESCO. This research uses an exploratory sequential mixed methods model combining qualitative and quantitative data collection which are analysed in a sequence of phases. …

Analyzing Fluctuation Of Topics And Public Sentiment Through Social Media Data, Haoyue Liu

Dissertations

Over the past decade years, Internet users were expending rapidly in the world. They form various online social networks through such Internet platforms as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. These platforms provide a fast way that helps their users receive and disseminate information and express personal opinions in virtual space. When dealing with massive and chaotic social media data, how to accurately determine what events or concepts users are discussing is an interesting and important problem.

This dissertation work mainly consists of two parts. First, this research pays attention to mining the hidden topics and user interest trend by analyzing real-world …

Stress, Bullying, Cortisol, And Depressive Symptoms In 9th Grade Adolescents, Susan G. Williams

Dissertations

Stress and bullying are known contributors to depressive symptoms in adolescents. Prevalence of depressive symptoms in adolescents is estimated to range from 13% to 34% in recent studies. Ninth graders are in a transitional period developmentally, biologically, physically, and psychosocially. Few studies have examined the relationship between stress, bullying, and depressive symptoms from a biobehavioral perspective in 9th graders. The purpose of this study was to examine stress, bullying, and depressive symptoms including a biomarker of stress, salivary cortisol diurnal rhythm, to determine if there is mediation between the individual variables of stressful life events, perceived stress, bullying, and depressive …

A Delphi Study Of The Skills Necessary For A Speech-Language Pathologist Or Occupational Therapist To Be Successful In A Leadership Position, Jessica Miller

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this Delphi study was to identify the skills necessary for a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist to be successful in a leadership position using an expert panel. In addition, the purpose was to rate the identified skills based on importance and lastly to determine the activities experts recommend to acquire the top-rated skills. Methodology: This study used a three-round Delphi method to collect data from expert leaders in speech-language pathology and occupational therapy. In Round 1, the expert panel was asked to identify the skills necessary to transition from a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist to …

Brenno Blauth’S Compositional Style Elements: A Study On The Sonata For Flute And Piano, T.5., Thiago Bohm Bottega

Dissertations

The Sonata para Flauta e Piano, T.5, by Brenno Blauth (1931-1993), is a standard of the Brazilian flute repertoire. This document studies its folk and Brazilian popular music elements in order to better understand Blauth’s compositional rationale.

In 1959 Blauth was responsible for the creation of the group Movimento Musical Renovador. Based in Rio de Janeiro, MMR gathered renowned composers and performers with the goal of promoting Brazilian classical music. Chapter III is dedicated to the group’s initiatives, taking its political and cultural contextualization into account.

Chapter IV is dedicated to the study of Blauth’s compositional style shifts …

For Colored Girls Who Considered Natural When The Perm Was Enuf: A Cultural Examination Of The Political Significance Of Natural Hair Youtube Influencers, Randrika C. Henderson

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the discourse between natural hair YouTube vloggers and audiences’ interactions with two popular YouTube channels, Jasmine Brown and The Chic Natural. This study uses hooks’ (2003) oppositional gaze as a theoretical framework that centers on media representation of Black women and the inability to produce images that mirrors Black women’s spectatorship (hooks, 2003). This study investigates how hegemonic and averisve racist ideologies (often represented in Western beauty standards) are encoded and decoded in Black women’s mediated spaces. This cultural and critical semiotic analysis explores two research questions: how hegemonic structures exist during the interactions between influencers and …

A Predictive Model Of Completion At Mississippi’S Community Colleges, Richard Baker

Dissertations

In the 2020 American presidential election and throughout the time since, the discussion of free community college continues to raise its head in the present political landscape in the United States. As the recognition of the contribution of community colleges to the overall educational level of the country grows, increased focus is going to be placed on how efficient and effective these two-year institutions are.

This research expands the body of knowledge by combining Resource Dependency Theory (RDT) and Astin’s Input-Environment-Output (IEO) model into an educational production function as defined by Bowles (1970). Neither RDT nor IEO is complete on …

The Impact Of The Black Student Excellence And Enrichment Program On The Retention Of Black Students, Angie Royal

Dissertations

This mixed-methods study investigated a retention program for Black students on a small, private liberal arts campus in the Midwest, to determine if the program increased the retention of Black students. It also examined why students chose to (or not to) participate in the program, what components of the program students found helpful, the challenges Black students faced on campus, and whether they would recommend the program to future students.

The gap in the retention rates of Black students compared to other ethnic groups has continued to be a topic of concern on college campuses. At the research site, this …

Clinician Experiences With Conducting Suicide Risk Assessments And Interventions, Sydney Lee Cople

Dissertations

Rates of suicide across the United States have been found to be increasingly prevalent and acute in recent years (Centers for Disease Control, 2018). To address this nationwide health crisis of suicidality, mental health clinicians are relied upon to prevent, assess, and intervene accordingly. Yet despite the ubiquitous nature of client suicidality, existing research has not yet examined how clinicians are experiencing working with such intense and acute risk for suicide. This qualitative phenomenological study sought to capture the descriptions of clinicians’ internal and external responses to assessing for and intervening with client suicidality in an effort to better understand …

“I Just Want To Play”: Methodological Considerations For Including Older Adults In Co-Creation Of Research With A Focus On The Meaning Of Activity For Residents Of A 55+ Active Adult Master Planned Community, Becky Alice De Oliveira

Dissertations

Co-creation of research with older adults is examined methodologically and the meaning of activity for older adults living in a 55+ active adult master planned community is examined contextually. Older adults are often the subjects of research but rarely involved as co-creators. Literature on co-creation of research indicates that it allows stakeholders greater participation (Halvorsrud et al., 2021), and older adults should be seen as stakeholders (Weil, 2015). This perspective challenges bias toward older people (van den Berg et al., 2019), and acknowledges the wealth of knowledge they possess as “experts” (Partridge, 2022). While potential exist for co-creation of research …

Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching In Co-Teachers At The Post-Secondary Level: A Cognitive And Enacted Approach, Lida Marie Lavelle Bentz

Dissertations

Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT), the knowledge used by a teacher to teach mathematics, has often been examined as a cognitive construct in K-6 teachers, but little research exists examining MKT in the post-secondary teaching context. Schoenfeld (2020) extended the definition of knowledge and thus MKT to include tacit and explicit perceptions. In doing so, Schoenfeld created the terms "big K" mKt and "little k" mkt, where mKt refers to the tacit and explicit perceptions used by a teacher to teach mathematics and mkt includes the teacher's understanding used in teaching mathematics (similar to cognitive MKT). Building from Schoenfeld’s conceptualization …