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Zona, Zachary Williams

Dissertations

This dissertation is a collection of poems written between 2011 and 2019. Zona the title of the book, meditates on themes of precarity, loss, imagination, and transformation. Drawing from both the Surrealist and Deep Image traditions, the book comments on life and aesthetic experience under late-stage capitalism.

Enablers And Barriers Influencing African American Administrators’ Career Advancement At Predominantly White Institutions Of Higher Learning, Larry Webster

Dissertations

Many Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) of higher learning do not have enough African Americans to lead their institutions in curriculum development, mentoring, recruitment, and governance (Reyes & Rios, 2005). Previous studies have attributed the modest representation of African American administrators to systemic barriers impeding the recruitment and advancement of African Americans at PWIs of higher learning (Jones, 2007; Perna, Gerald, Baum, & Milem, 2007). Ideally, the administrative leadership at PWIs of higher learning would adequately represent—ethnically and racially—its student population (Higgs, 2014). Levin, Walker, Haberler, and Jackson–Boothby (2013) suggest minimal progress in hiring African American administrators at PWIs of higher …

Social And Literacy Development Of School-Based Pre-Kindergarten Students, Stewart Smirthwaite

Dissertations

In order to meet the demands of college and career ready standards, students are expected to enter kindergarten knowing more than ever before. A need exists to examine data that provides evidence of desired social and literacy outcomes for students in kindergarten. In order to address the need for further study of school prekindergarten opportunities for young children, two different sets of data were collected, examined, and discussed. Literacy proficiency was measured by using data from the Mississippi K-3 Assessment Support System’s (MKAS²) Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA). Social competence was measured using the Behavior Assessment System for Children, …

Beyond Postsouthern: The Return Of The Rural In Twenty-First Century Southern Literature, Jeremy Ryan Gibbs

Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes how twenty-first century southern literature employs rurality as a means of critiquing the dominant neoliberal impulse of an increasingly urban-attuned society. In times of transition, southern literature has traditionally turned to representations of rurality in order to understand, navigate, or resist change; rapid globalization has influenced contemporary writers to return to the rural in their fiction in order to expose manifestations of the urban/rural hierarchy and offer alternatives to a prevailing urban consciousness. This study’s Introduction discusses ways in which pastoral and anti-pastoral literary modes have framed rurality in southern fiction, specifically through depictions of the plantation …

The Development Of Thad Jones’ Arranging/Scoring Style: A Comparative Study Of Six Works For Large Jazz Ensemble, Chang Su

Dissertations

This dissertation examined and compared six pieces for large jazz ensemble composed and arranged by Thad Jones. The analyses focused on Jones’ arranging and scoring techniques developed through three distinct periods of his career. In Jones’ early period, his arranging style showed influences from the Count Basie Orchestra as evidenced in blues vocabulary, call-and-response between saxophones and brass, and the form and structure of the arrangements. In his middle period, he explored symphonic sounds, suite-like forms, and elements from rock-jazz and funk-jazz music. In his late period, a more comprehensive development of tension and release guided his arranging. The vacancy …

Sexual Minority Identity And Religious Styles: How Sexual Identity Development And Religious Schemata Explain Experiences Of Religious And Spiritual Struggles And Life Satisfaction, Jeffrey Allen Paul

Dissertations

A growing body of research indicates both potentially positive and negative experiences for sexual minorities with religious/spiritual (R/S) experiences. The current study sought to answer calls for larger samples and quantitative research methods at this intersection of identities by investigating the relationships between sexual minority identity development, religious schemata, R/S struggles, and life satisfaction among a sample of sexual minority adults with R/S experiences (N = 655). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to determine the variance explained by sexual identity development factors and religious schemata above and beyond the variance explained by demographic differences when explaining the outcome variables of …

Students Of Size: An Exploratory Case Study On A Hidden Climate, Braelin Pantel

Dissertations

Colleges and universities often espouse values related to equity and inclusion for diverse students (Harper & antonio, 2008; Torres, Arminio, & Pope, 2012;). Student affairs practitioners are frequently responsible for working towards inclusive environments (American College Personnel Association (ACPA), & National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), 2015). An estimated 31% of college and university students are classified as overweight or obese (American College Health Association, 2007), yet body weight or size is rarely a consideration in work related to student equity and inclusion on campus. Limited research exists on the experiences of students of size in college and university …

Specialty Certification In Nursing: The Influence Of Nursing Faculty On Pre-Licensure Students, Christina N. George

Dissertations

The seminal publication To Err is Human focused on designing healthcare processes to ensure safe patient outcomes (IOM, 2000). That report identified board certification of health professionals as one way to improve patient care quality and safety (IOM, 2000). Current discussions within the nursing profession regarding professional development have recognized value in specialty certification post-licensure, but the research on the perceived value of specialty certification has been limited among nurse educators. This study utilized the Perceived Value of Certification Tool (PVCT) to examine whether nursing faculty perceive value in certification and whether that perception is shared in the educational setting. …

Group Differences In Motivation And Achievement Outcomes Within A First-Year Seminar, Selani D. Flores

Dissertations

This intervention study explored potential motivation, achievement, and gender differences among students within an existing first-year program (n = 388). This intervention program (FYE 101) was chosen because it has a diverse population and a large number of underserved students, it fosters content that is grounded in motivational research, and it has had a positive impact on increased student GPA and fall-to-fall persistence. Prior research showed that FYE 101 was effective in mitigating academic outcomes for students within the course when compared to students who did not participate, however, we do not know if it would be equally effective for …

It’S All Fun And Games Until Someone Learns To Read, Then It’S Educational: Children’S Librarians As Literacy Educators, Louise F. Benke

Dissertations

Children’s librarians who emphasize making reading and libraries fun may not think of themselves as literacy educators. But, a look into the profession’s past and three studies reveal both a history of overlap with literacy education in formal schools and informal learning and an overlap in the children’s librarians’ profession today. This dissertation presents two articles: (1) a literature review and comparative historical analysis on children’s librarians’ role in literacy instruction from 1876 to the end of the 20th century, and (2) a set of studies examining children’s librarians’ self-perceptions as literacy educators. In the first article, events in literacy …

Seductive Details In Educational Materials: Exploring Attention Distraction Using Eye-Tracking, Matthew A. Swaffer

Dissertations

Current advances in technology allow for a great deal of learning intervention materials to be designed by teachers. An active body of research is being conducted on how information is processed from these materials which are often created using electronic media. The design of these materials often includes interesting but irrelevant details which may detract from learning. These are termed “seductive details” and the impact of these inclusions in learning materials is not yet fully understood. Developing a better understanding of what factors play a role in the damaging effects of seductive details can help in the design of learning …

The Replication Of The Globe Study In Turkey: Understanding The Effects Of Social, Economical, And Political Changes On Cultural Dimensions And Leadership Ideals: A Mixed Methods Study, Zeki Pagda

Dissertations

Starting in 1995, the GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness) project has conducted a comprehensive study of cultural values and leadership ideals of 62 countries. GLOBE has identified nine cultural and six leadership dimensions, examined the relationship between cultural values and leadership ideals, grouped countries into clusters, and presented culturally derived leadership ideals. According to the 1995 GLOBE findings, Turkey fits in the Middle Eastern cluster with its corresponding expectations regarding leadership ideals. However, in the past thirty years, Turkey has undergone dramatic social, economic and political changes that may have affected ideals of leadership. The goal of this …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Adolescent Depression, Anhedonia, And Behavioral Therapy, Alison A. Delizza

Dissertations

Adolescent depression is a significant public health problem, however the current characterization of depression as a categorical label is problematic for understanding individual phenomenology, interindividual variability, and best treatment practices (Lewinsohn, Solomon, Seeley, & Zeiss, 2000). Anhedonia has been posited as a process underlying depression that may contribute to poorer outcomes (Gabbay, 2015). The current project examines large samples of adolescents diagnosed with depression to identify common features at a symptom level and the relationship these features have with behavioral therapy outcomes. Four phases of analyses were completed to 1) examine symptomology of multiple depressed adolescent samples in order to …

Sexual Coercion: The Role Of Communication And Heteronormative Beliefs, Brianna Lindley Forbis

Dissertations

Sexual assault is a pervasive issue on college campuses, with large numbers of students experiencing sexual assault during their college careers (Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000). Sexual assault is often perpetrated by a known offender, which has brought increased attention to forms of sexual assault that do not necessarily include violence or the direct threat of violence. Sexual coercion is one such construct that has received increased attention in the literature, with several studies finding associations between heteronormative beliefs and sexual coercion (Eaton & Matamala 2014; Haworth- Hoeppner, 1998; Vanwesenbeek, 1998). Aims of the current study included further exploring the …

Evaluation Of Data Collection Operations For Real-Time Influenza Surveillance During An Emergency, Yuwen Gu

Dissertations

It is unclear how data collection operations for surveillance alter the disease portrayal that influenza reported trends attempt to provide during an emergency. This study developed a model that simulates the collection and testing of influenza specimens after an outbreak is declared in Michigan. It performed simulation based optimization to understand which operational factors affect the biases between the growth rates of original and observed influenza incidence trends, and to quantify the predictive power of the influenza incidence trends at different points of data collection. The results show that emergency driven high risk perception increases the reporting, which leads to …

Values In Evaluations Of Maternal And Child Health Programs, Erica Lynn Dodds

Dissertations

Values are a central component in evaluation and are prominently discussed in evaluation theory, but relatively little is known about how they are used in practice. The theory-practice gap in evaluation may cause unsound evaluation practice or irrelevant or impractical evaluation theory. However, little is known about this gap as it relates to values and valuing. Failing to take certain values into account in an evaluation risks reinforcing the status quo to the detriment of vulnerable populations, so identifying how the theory-practice gap plays out in the use of values is important.

This study focuses on the maternal and child …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Women’S Infertility And Miscarriage Grief Experiences, Tristan Mcbain

Dissertations

Infertility and miscarriage are reproductive losses that often produce grief reactions in affected women. This phenomenological study investigated the grief experiences of infertility and miscarriage through the ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief frameworks in order to better understand both the obscurity of reproductive loss and how the resulting grief may be invalidated.

Sixteen women volunteered to participate in this study and each fell into one of the following three categories: women affected by infertility without miscarriage (4); women affected by miscarriage without infertility (4); and women affected by infertility and miscarriage (8). A phenomenological hermeneutic approach was utilized to uncover …

Deliberation For Devolution In The Public Sphere: A Case Study From Pakistan, Beenish Kulsoom

Dissertations

Genuine democratic deliberation on design of institutional rules is possible only when the state apparatus and political and civil society are engaged in communicative interexchange, exchanging ideas, and speaking in a language understood and accepted by all others. Moreover, in such an exchange the interlocutors do not hold back their thoughts to achieve strategic control in order to subvert the communicative engagement. The deliberative theory of democracy advocates communicative engagement between state and society actors that results in institutional rules that are accepted by all.

The advocates of the theory of deliberative democracy argue that while the state is the …

College Adjustment, Belongingness, Academic Self-Efficacy, Persistence, And Academic Success Among First-Generation College Students, Heather R. Highhouse

Dissertations

Previous research has compared the impacts of college adjustment, belongingness, and academic self-efficacy on first-generation and continuing-generation college students. However, the impacts of these factors on academic success (GPA) and persistence of first-semester, first-generation college students have not been investigated. The primary purpose of this study was to examine college adjustment and belongingness for first-semester, first-generation college students, with a focus on race and gender. This study also examined the impact of academic self-efficacy (i.e., course self-efficacy and social self-efficacy), college adjustment, and belongingness for academic success (GPA) and persistence of these students. The roles of race and gender in …

A Qualitative Investigation Of The Andragogical Teaching Methods Used In Adult Group Piano/Organ Instruction, Deborah Timpone Curran

Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored adult keyboard (piano/organ) students in a group environment at a piano/organ store in the Midwest United States. Included in the study was a Level 1 Piano class, a Level 2 Piano class, and one Seniors’ Organ class. The researcher explored the use of andragogical principles in the group keyboard classes based upon the programming and instruction, especially in connection with Knowles’ six assumptions and eight processes of andragogy. In addition, the researcher also focused on the presence of trust in the relationships between instructor(s) and student participants, or the lack thereof. The use of Henschke’s …

Standards-Based Grading Practices In Middle School Mathematics Classrooms: A Multicase Study, Michelle Ann Morgan

Dissertations

This qualitative, multicase study sought to describe middle school mathematics teachers’ teaching practices as they implemented standards-based grading. Specifically, the study focused on understanding middle school mathematics teachers’ implementations of standards-based grading, use of assessment and feedback, and instructional design. Guided by cultural-historical activity theory lens, the researcher invited four middle school mathematics teachers who self-reported using standards-based grading practices to participate in the research study. Data collection for each case consisted of two interviews, lesson summaries and reflections, and classroom observations over the course of five consecutive class periods. Data analysis highlighted differences in the teachers’ uses of mathematical …

Latinos’ Intention To Seek Mental Health Services: A Cultural Adaptation Of The Theory Of Reasoned Action, Jesse Andrew Valdez

Dissertations

Latinos are at unique risk for experiencing untreated mental illness. These men face structural, cultural and gender specific barriers that may inhibit their use of counseling services. The current study provided greater insight into the factors that positively influence Latinos intention to seek these services. Building upon previous research, the current bi-lingual study recruited participants from Northern Colorado. Using an empirically supported model for explaining human behavior, the influence of traditional machismo, caballerismo, and attitudes as they relate to Latinos intention to seek counseling services were examined. In addition, the current study included measures of psychological distress, acculturation and enculturation, …

Individuals Perception Of The Double Value Coupon Program And It's Administrative Scope In Southern Illinois: A Qualitative Study, Dominique M. Rose

Dissertations

This dissertation examined the dimensions of food access and its effects on food selection for individuals enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); low-income senior citizens; and recipients of the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefit. This study investigated the use of the Link Up Illinois Double Value SNAP Nutrition Incentives Program (DVCP), a coupon with which recipients can receive twice as much fresh produce when redeemed at a farmers market. In addition, this study measured the organizational scope of administering the Double Value Coupon Program in the 12th Congressional District of Illinois. This information allows for the development …

Use Of Mindfulness To Treat Mental Health Symptoms Of Individuals Subjected To Human Sex Trafficking And Prostitution, Amanda Mccaw

Dissertations

Human sex trafficking and prostitution is a global phenomenon that has been occurring for centuries. Millions of people are subjected to the cruelties that occur within sex trafficking and prostitution. The distinction between sex trafficking and prostitution is minute. Large economic profits serve as an incentive to sustain the sex work industry, despite the harm it causes to the people that are employed as sex workers. Numerous mental health problems can arise for individuals subjected to sex trafficking and prostitution including posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, dissociation, terror, anxiety, guilt, anger, and substance abuse (Dalla, 2002; Farley, Baral, Kiremire, & Sezgin, …

Gender And The Enactment Of Suicide Bombings By Boko Haram, Jordan N. Galehan

Dissertations

The Boko Haram terror group has utilized more women as suicide bombers than any other group in history. While prior research has examined why this phenomenon is occurring, and what makes Boko Haram a unique terror group, the present study examines how these attacks are being perpetrated, or enacted, by the female bombers. Utilizing the Global Terrorism Database (GTD), which is the largest terrorism incident database available, the study examined the incidents of female suicide bombings perpetrated by Boko Haram. The open-sourced citations provided by the GTD were compiled and turned into a complementary qualitative dataset. Overall, there were 151 …

Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Via Frequency Up-Conversion Technology, Amin Abedini

Dissertations

Ambient energy harvesting has attracted significant attention over the last years for applications such as wireless sensors, implantable devices, health monitoring systems, and wearable devices. The methods of vibration-to-electric energy conversion can be included in the following categories: electromagnetic, electrostatic, and piezoelectric. Among various techniques of vibration-based energy harvesting, piezoelectric transduction method has received the most attention due to the large power density of the piezoelectric material and its simple architectures. In contrast to electromagnetic energy harvesting, the output voltage of a piezoelectric energy harvester is high, which can charge a storage component such as a battery. Compared to electrostatic …

Visual Saliency Analysis, Prediction, And Visualization: A Deep Learning Perspective, Ali Majeed Mahdi

Dissertations

In the recent years, a huge success has been accomplished in prediction of human eye fixations. Several studies employed deep learning to achieve high accuracy of prediction of human eye fixations. These studies rely on pre-trained deep learning for object classification. They exploit deep learning either as a transfer-learning problem, or the weights of the pre-trained network as the initialization to learn a saliency model. The utilization of such pre-trained neural networks is due to the relatively small datasets of human fixations available to train a deep learning model. Another relatively less prioritized problem is amount of computation of such …

A Single Session Of Acceptance And Commitment Therapy To Promote Health-Related Behavior Change: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Monica Barreto

Dissertations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified physical activity, nutrition, and sleep as three key health-related behaviors that can help the prevention of chronic disease. Only a fraction of the population met the recommended guidelines across these domains. It is important to develop interventions that can be simultaneously focused, flexible, efficient, and efficacious as a means of impacting population health. This study examined the efficacy of a single 60-minute Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) session targeting health-related behavior change and compared it to an information-only wait-list (WL) control condition. Forty-five collegians (Mage = 22.35 [6.91], 78% female, 56% …

An Exploratory Investigation Into The Role Of Evaluation Theory In Evaluative Thinking, Lyssa Wilson Becho

Dissertations

The field of evaluation generally agrees that evaluation theory is important. Evaluation theorists and scholars have written prolifically about the role of evaluation theory in practice. However, the empirical literature associated with how and why evaluation theory is important is still emerging. In particular, how evaluation theory fosters high quality evaluation practice through transparent logical reasoning, attention to values and valuing, and contextual responsiveness, and how these inform evaluative thinking are understudied phenomena in the field.

This study intends to provide insights into the relationship between evaluation theory and evaluation practice to answer two major research questions. The first research …

From The Boots On The Ground: A Comparison Of The Attitudes And Beliefs Of Military Members And Mental Health Professionals Regarding The Moral Injury Construct, Karis L. Callaway

Dissertations

An increasing amount of research conducted in recent years indicates that, in addition to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, moral injury is a key concept to recognize when considering the deployment experiences of service members. Although related to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, which is a fear-based mental health diagnosis, moral injury is a distinct concept. It acknowledges the possible prolonged negative psychological, social, and spiritual consequences that may occur after experiences that challenge and transgress one’s deeply held moral beliefs. Events such as perpetration of harm, failing to protect or prevent harm, and witnessing or learning about distressing acts committed by influential others …