Digital Commons Network^™

Speech-Language Pathologist And General Educator Perceptions Of The Inclusive Service Delivery Model, Kellie Rine

Dissertations

The inclusive service delivery model is a philosophy of education that involves changing how educators address disability and provide educational services. Arkansas has recently developed a plan to implement inclusion whenever possible to better comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act guidelines for students with disabilities. Preparing for implementation, Arkansas leaders compared data from the Every Student Succeeds Act prior to and following the implementation of inclusive service delivery in pilot schools. Data were positive for increased achievement in literacy and mathematics. Arkansas has created a timeline for implementation, setting a goal for fully inclusive practices in Arkansas by …

Nursing Faculty As Self-Care Influencers: Current Nursing Students’ Perspectives, Shane Yardley

Dissertations

The future of health care depends on nurses who can provide expert patient care and are equally prepared to care for themselves. This balance allows nurses to effectively model caring for themselves to their patients while also enabling them to withstand the inevitable rigors of the profession. As role models, nursing faculty exhibit behaviors that influence students or role aspirants' ability and motivation to successfully perform self-care. For nursing faculty to be intentional in their influence in this area, they must understand what students interpret as helpful and detrimental in facilitating their self-care. The purpose of this study was to …

Rethinking Jazz Education In The Digital Age, Matthew Ryan York

Dissertations

Many resources for jazz educators and students are readily available online for free. With consistent video content and online platform growth across the globe, jazz educators are called upon to engage within this digital discourse. Additionally, they must find new ways of adopting these resources and administer them within their curriculum. How can educators effectively utilize online video resources within their curriculum without altering the existing course offerings to match those of their music education degree counterparts? Almost ten years ago research showed that “streaming from Netflix and YouTube accounted for 50 percent of all North America fixed network data” …

Studies On Molecular And Morphological Evolution And Biogeography Of Squids, Abigail M. Pratt

Dissertations

The cephalopod clade Decapodiformes consists of Spirulida (ram’s horn squid), Sepiolida (bobtail squids), Sepiida (cuttlefishes), Myopsida (inshore squids), and Oegopsida (oceanic squids). While many unanswered questions remain regarding this clade, a thorough examination requires a multi-level taxonomic approach due to uneven data coverage within. This dissertation explores a diverse set of topics in decapodiform evolution and biogeography with a hierarchical approach, starting with the “superorder” Decapodiformes, moving to the “order” Oegopsida, and finally zooming in to the family level with Pyroteuthidae. addressing four main questions: 1) Does RNA editing affect the use of transcriptomics in cephalopod phylogenetics? 2) What is …

The Lived Experiences Of Transition-Age Youth With Usher Syndrome Preparing For Postsecondary Education: A Retrospective Study, Tara Mae Brown-Ogilvie

Dissertations

Youth with Usher syndrome (USH) can experience unique challenges in postsecondary preparation. Currently, there is a paucity of research addressing the postsecondary preparation experiences of youth with USH. The purpose of this study was to learn from college students with USH about their lived experiences of preparing for postsecondary education; specifically, exploring K-12 educational supports, transition planning, and support systems that helped youth with USH prepare for postsecondary education. Due to the unique nature of this microcosm of deafblindness, qualitative and phenomenological methods were best suited for this study to garner first-hand accounts of those who have experienced this phenomenon …

Implicit Bias Toward Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder And The Influential Role Of Teacher Self-Efficacy, Laurie Claire Landrieu

Dissertations

The current study observed the presence of implicit bias toward students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the classroom and the influential role of teacher self-efficacy. Teachers report a lack of readiness to work with students with diverse learning needs. Students with alternative learning needs, such as those with ADHD, report less social competency with adults and peers, and lower self-concept. The purpose of the study is to provide further information about the implicit biases held toward students with ADHD within the classroom and the influential role of teacher self-efficacy. Forty general education teachers were recruited. A paired samples t-test was …

Performance Of Shared Parameter Missing Data Models For Intensive Longitudinal Data, Justin Harding

Dissertations

Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) studies, also known as Intensive Longitudinal Data (ILD), involve participants that are intensively measured over time. Intermittent missing data tends to occur due to participants not responding when prompted. The high volume of assessments and intermittent nature of missingness have made some traditional longitudinal missing data methods unsuited to handle the missingness of EMA data. Two recent missing models intended for ecological momentary assessment missing data situations have emerged that jointly model the outcome and missingness, providing information about the latent trait of responding to prompts. Both models implement a shared parameter as a random effect …

Facilitating Language Development In Late-Talking Toddlers: A Study Of Caregiver Training And Intervention Effectiveness, Kelly Meadows

Dissertations

The prevalence of late language emergence (LLE) in young children is high, comprising 10 to 20% of toddlers. Late language emergence refers to children who do not use at least 50 single words and 2-word phrases at the age of two. Current best practices for the under-three population with or at risk of having disabilities include the use of family-centered services in early intervention. One method of EI for LLE is caregiver-implemented interventions, where the caregiver learns techniques or strategies to help support their child’s expressive language development. This service delivery model prioritizes building the family’s capacity to support their …

Understanding The Acculturation Experiences Of Post-9/11 Student Veterans In The Higher Education Culture Of Civilian Postsecondary Educational Institutions, Jansen Sheridan Legreid

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the essence of the acculturation experiences of post-9/11 student veterans as they navigated within the dominant higher education culture of civilian postsecondary educational institutions (PEIs). Specifically, this study aimed to conceptualize the acculturation experiences of post-9/11 student veterans by simultaneously identifying the components of their military cultural identity that they decided to maintain or abandon in PEI settings as well as which components of the dominant higher education culture that they decided to adopt or reject. This study answered the following research questions: Q1 What are the acculturation experiences of post-9/11 student …

Voices Of Change: Exploring The Narratives Of Physical Education Stakeholders’ Policy Work In Colorado, Lisa Paulson

Dissertations

Quality physical education, pivotal for the development of physical, social, and emotional skills for an active and healthy lifestyle (Society of Health and Physical Educators [SHAPE] America, 2014; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2021), has been globally marginalized, necessitating a heightened focus on policy advocacy engagement (Hardman, 2013; van der Mars, 2021). Policies touch nearly all aspects of physical education (UNESCO, 2014), and a significant barrier is the ‘policy illiteracy’ that contributes to the field’s neglect (van der Mars et al., 2021). Many educators receive little to no policy education, often not identifying as policy actors (Lorusso …

Undergraduate Nurse Educators’ Conceptualization And Utilization Of Deliberate Practice In Psychomotor Skills Education, Sarah Bundren Tappendorf

Dissertations

Nurses are responsible for providing safe patient care. When nurses lack skill competence, patient harm can occur. Therefore, providing skill competency education in pre-licensure nursing programs is key to providing safe patient care. Deliberate practice (DP) has been shown to be an effective teaching strategy for psychomotor skills acquisition and retention. Deliberate practice is the repetitive focused practice of skills facilitated by expert feedback with the goal to obtain mastery. The purpose of this descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative study was to determine the proportion of undergraduate nurse educators who knew or did not know about DP, what undergraduate nurse educators who …

A Grounded Theory Exploration Of Learning To Read In The Montessori Early Childhood Classroom: Using Teacher Knowledge And Experience To Build A Model Of Reading Development And To Examine How Montessori Pedagogy Supports Reading Motivation, Sharra Weasler

Dissertations

Learning to read is one of the most important components of education and literacy skills in early childhood have a significant impact on later reading success. There is an abundance of quantitative research focused on reading, known as the science of reading. However, gaps and flaws have been identified in the research, indicating that an alternative approach is needed to supplement the current body of knowledge. The Montessori Method includes a comprehensive and effective approach for learning to read. Yet, no systematic research has been conducted to explore reading in this context. The purpose of this study was to explore …

Examining Novice Teacher’S Perspectives On Mentoring Programs And Their Influence On Attrition, Lakeisha Ector

Dissertations

This qualitative study examines the perspectives of novice teachers on mentoring programs and their influence on attrition. Mentoring programs present opportunities for skilled educators to teach, sponsor, encourage and advise novices, improving their personal and professional development. The research determines whether mentoring and induction programs strengthen teacher efficacy and their influence on attrition rates. The study is rooted in constructivism, which seeks to develop an understanding and knowledge of individuals through their experiences and reflection. The research employs an inductive and deductive approach, facilitating pattern and theme identification. The study involves nine participants – novice teachers – from Martin-Ellison County …

Republican Klansmen: The Ku Klux Klan And The Grand Old Party In Prohibition Era Indiana, Andrew Scott Barbero

Dissertations

Since the proliferation of Trumpism in American politics there has been newfound interest in Ku Klux Klan related studies. Scholars have turned to the rise of the “Invisible Empire” in the 1920s, and the massive political influence it yielded nationwide, to better understand and contextualize the MAGA Movement of Republicans currently dominating their own party, and American politics more broadly. This dissertation focuses on the rise of the Ku Klux Klan as a dominant force in Indiana politics throughout the 1920s. Indiana boasted one of the largest Klan groups at the time, and it was seen in popular culture as …

'Crowned With The Wreath Of Immortality': Martyrdom, Death, And The Afterlife In North African Religious Discourse, Matthew William Egbert

Dissertations

This dissertation explores North Africa’s role in the development of its own religious discourse, specifically with regard to martyrdom, death, the afterlife, and other eschatological themes. Historians of early Christianity and Islam often depict the region as peripheral, but it was actually a crossroads where pre-existing traditions met new ideas to develop unique, localized versions of these religions. More often than not, these emphasized a pursuit of martyrdom and veneration of saints. This longue-durée study covers a vast timeline, spanning the pre-Christian period to the late Fatimid Caliphate. Its central focus, however, is the Donatist schism that divided North Africa …

Essays On The Effects Of Resource Wealth And Us Influence On Employment, Education And Export Structure, Lyndrison Garthfield Lincoln

Dissertations

Although several studies have sought to identify the determinants of export diversity and sophistication, few have examined the role of historical events in shaping or reshaping them. In my first chapter I use data on CIA interventions during the Cold War period. I show that such interventions had a negative impact on the range of goods exported by affected countries. I provide evidence that this effect persisted in the long run. In my second chapter, I study the local impact of trade union strength on employment during resource booms. I use unionization and coverage rates along with the presence of …

Methods And Metacognition: Teaching An Historically And Culturally Responsive Holocaust Unit, Katie Sluiter

Dissertations

While at least forty-seven states have legislation around teaching the Holocaust and/or genocide to secondary students (grades 6-12), this curriculum is typically housed in the social studies departments of most districts; however, there are many English language arts teachers who either choose to teach Holocaust literature alongside their social studies counterparts, or create stand-alone Holocaust units around both informational texts and literature.

This study centers around the author’s own Holocaust unit taught to eighth-grade honors ELA students in an urban, Title I school district. The unit is used as an artifact to examine two aspects of a successful unit on …

White Counseling Psychology Doctoral Trainees’ Experiences Broaching Whiteness With White Clients: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study, Zari Koelbel Carpenter

Dissertations

This research builds upon scholarship of critical theorists and critical whiteness studies. The “invisibility” of whiteness has been increasingly acknowledged and attended to in counseling psychology. Further, prominent scholars have continuously urged the field of counseling psychology to acknowledge race as a psychological characteristic of white people (Helms, 2017; Helms & Carter, 1990a). Attention to whiteness is needed, as the majority of the counseling workforce, including doctoral students (55%), identifies as white (American Psychological Association, 2020). As racial identity development can advance the personal and professional development of white counseling psychologists and benefit clients, increased attention is merited for the …

Three Essays On Financial Economics And Monetary Policy, Kumadebis Tamiru Gemechu

Dissertations

This dissertation comprises three independent essays that contribute to understanding the impacts of monetary policy announcements on financial markets and the banking industry.

The first essay studies a natural language analysis of FOMC statements to identify monetary policy and its effects on financial markets. Using structural topic modeling, in the first essay I identify three dimensions of Fed monetary policy announcements: inflation outlook, state of the economy, and policy stance factors. This article focuses on the qualitative information released by the Fed through the FOMC statement, which has previously been overlooked in favor of quantitative communication such as the Green …

Breaking Boundaries: A Qualitative Exploration Of Scientific Motivation And Persistance From The Perspectives Of Arab Women Undergradute Students In Stem In The Us, Fadwa Hamad

Dissertations

There is a lack of information regarding the motivational experiences of Arab women undergraduate students in STEM fields in the US and the factors that contribute to their engagement and persistence in this field. This is because of their categorization as white on census documents, which renders them invisible. Research has shown that motivational beliefs are effective predictors of students' persistence especially for women from minority groups. Thus, it is important to understand the motivational experiences of Arab women students as part of the minority women in STEM in the US. Using an intersectionality framework, and a multi-component motivational model, …

Relationship Enhancement With New College Dating Couples: An Examination Of Self-Report And Observational Data, Kyra Katte

Dissertations

The present dissertation project investigated relationship enhancement following a brief self-disclosure task (i.e., the Fast Friends Procedure; FFP) via self-report and observational data. Thirty-three undergraduate couples dating for less than six months asked and answered questions that required increasingly higher levels of self-disclosure for 45 minutes. Interactions were recorded and coded for fondness/admiration, experiential avoidance, interdependence, reciprocity, and relationship satisfaction. Relationship outcomes were assessed pre-FFP, post- FFP, and at a six-month follow-up timepoint. Variables measured via observation demonstrated correlations with and predicted relationship outcomes, though most findings were nonsignificant. Nonsignificant findings may be attributed to the virtual administration of the …

A Comparison Of Training Approaches On Skill Acquisition Among Direct Care Staff At An Adult Day Program, Sandra Wagner

Dissertations

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are often dependent on direct care staff to engage in daily activities, such as personal care, eating, and engaging in leisure activities. One way direct care staff can support adults with IDD to become more independent is by using prompting strategies. Often times, however, direct care staff have not been trained on how to use prompts to encourage independence. Current studies have demonstrated success in teaching direct care staff prompting strategies in personal care tasks (e.g., Engelman et al., 2002; Parsons et al., 1993) through behavioral skills training. Although the trainings produced an …

Counselor Education Doctoral Student Supervisors’ Preparedness To Address Indirect Trauma: Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Traumatic Stress, And Vicarious Trauma, Dynetta Clark

Dissertations

Hearing the painful stories of clients (indirect trauma) has been described as an occupational hazard for professionals working with trauma survivors and is becoming more common among mental health professionals. This might include counselors struggling with intrusive thoughts and having flashbacks of victimization, counselors viewing the world as an unsafe and unpredictable place, and/or counselors experiencing a loss of ability to empathize with clients. Clinical supervision is documented as an effective strategy to reduce the adverse effects of indirect trauma symptomology. A signature component of most counselor education and supervision doctoral programs is the training and preparation of students to …

Black Women’S Instagram Usage And Body Dissatisfaction, Shirlee Buchanan Moore Jr.

Dissertations

Within U.S. culture, girls and women of all ages are subject to experiencing body dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction often results from direct comparison of one’s body to others, often via media depictions. Viewing these images prompts women of all cultures to engage in social comparison and learn to view themselves through an observer’s perspective. The advent of contemporary social media has increased the accessibility of images of others and, subsequently, social comparison of one’s body to others. Research has noted that women of all racial backgrounds utilize social media and experience varying degrees of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with their bodies. Despite …

Emailed Prompt Package To Increase Alternative School Educators’ Use Of Behavior Specific Praise, Chelsea Johnson

Dissertations

Alternative school educators are often placed in alternative education settings with minimal training or support to manage disruptive behaviors in the classroom. To combat this, school-based consultation may be provided to assist alternative school educators with classroom management strategies. However, face-to-face consultation may be limited due to the numerous responsibilities placed on school-based consultants. Behavior specific praise (BSP) is a strategy that is recommended, but often provided at low rates. To address these barriers, previous literature has examined the use of emailed prompts to increase treatment integrity, feasibility, and acceptability of a variety of evidence-based interventions. A concurrent multiple baseline …

Medical Imaging Dataset Management Leveraging Deep Learning Frameworks In Breast Cancer Screening, Inchan Hwang

Dissertations

In the domain of Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CADx) for breast cancer diagnosis through mammography, prevailing models have traditionally been trained and validated using old film-based mammography. However, contemporary U.S. hospital practices involve the utilization of Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM), offering more detailed images captured at various angles than old film-scanned mammography. Despite this shift, the existing body of research predominantly focuses on old-film based datasets, the implications of FFDM for CADx systems have not been understood. This dissertation addresses the issues emerged from FFDM such as data augmentation between old film-based set and new FFDM whether they are more effective …

Respiratory Treatments In Post-Covid Patients To Improve Physical Activity, Pamela Tarver

Dissertations

A significant number of individuals affected by the coronavirus (COVID) developed severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), causing respiratory dysfunction which led to decreased functional capacity. This project aimed to evaluate the project site's archival data for post-COVID patients to determine whether respiratory treatments improved physical activity, as evidenced by the results of the pre and post 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels. The Donabedian quality model was utilized to evaluate the resources, the interventions, and the outcomes of post-COVID patients.

Implementing A Tai Chi Exercise Program To Prevent Falls In Long-Term Care, Angela F. Miles

Dissertations

Falls can be a frequent occurrence in older adults residing in long-term care facilities. At the project site there was no systematic process to impact falls, so an evidence-based solution was sought. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to determine if the translation of Li et al.'s research utilizing Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance (TJQMBB) exercise in conjunction with the current fall risk assessment would impact fall rates among older adults over a 12-week period in an urban Georgia long term care facility. Betty Neuman's systems theory and Kurt Lewin's change model provided the scientific underpinnings …

Beyond The Classroom Walls: Examining Educational And Social Outcomes Of Cross-Curricular Peer Observation In Secondary Schools, Jacinda Miller

Dissertations

This qualitative case study involved a sample of middle school teachers participating in a cross-curricular peer observation of teaching (POT) program. The study aimed to explore the experiences of these teachers in the POT program, focusing on its impact on teaching pedagogy and partner relationships. Data collection methods included a demographic questionnaire, writing prompts, feedback forms, observation of feedback meetings, interviews, and a researcher journal. The findings demonstrated that cross-curricular peer observations are perceived as an effective form of professional development among this group of middle school teachers, benefiting both the observer and the observed. Participants acquired and implemented new …

A Comparison Of Instructor Audio-Video With Text-Based Feedback Versus Text-Based Feedback Alone On Students' Perceptions Of Community Of Inquiry Among Rn-To-Bsn Online Students, Marie K. Lindley

Dissertations

In order to meet the healthcare needs of the US population, Registered Nurses (RNs), with Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees, are needed. This descriptive posttest study, with independent samples, examined the use of audio-video with text-based feedback versus text-based only feedback on student's perceptions of the community of inquiry (COI) among RN-BSN online students (n=125), enrolled in one course at one university. The COI survey performed reliably with Cronbach's alpha .94 on the pretest and .98 on the posttest. No statistically significant difference was found between the groups on the pretest for teaching presence (p=.31), …