Digital Commons Network^™

The Sand Creek Massacre And The History Of Greater Reconstruction In The American West, Anna E. Plotnick

Dissertations and Theses

In the traditional U.S. historical narrative, the Civil War & Reconstruction era is a North vs. South story. Nevertheless, the era of western expansion, a central theme throughout the nineteenth century, has no contingent place within this traditional narrative. Meanwhile, the history of the American West and its diverse peoples appears in many textbooks as an unrelated albeit contemporaneous narrative. Separated by geographical regions, historians often do not examine these concurrent histories. However, many of these historical events and actors were interconnected. As I am interested in understanding the Reconstruction era’s national impact, I intend to explore how Reconstruction policies …

Essential Caretaking For Artists With Disabilities: Exploring The Overlooked Histories Of Hazel Knapp And Grandma Moses, Bryan P. Martin

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis explores the intersection of disability studies and art history, addressing the underrepresentation of disability in scholarship, especially concerning medical sociology and caretaking. Focusing on two early-twentieth-century self-taught American artists, Hazel Knapp (1908–95), who fell into obscurity, and Anna Mary Robertson Moses (1860–1961), best known as Grandma Moses, this is a comparative analysis of how disability influenced their artistic practices and shaped their divergent career outcomes. Knapp was born with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a neurodegenerative disorder, and fell into obscurity due to a lack of support for her condition, but experienced a promising start to her career that included patronage …

The Third Person Effect: Misinformation And Disinformation Of News On Racism, Jody-Ann Kadine Tyson

Dissertations and Theses

The increased proliferation of misinformation and disinformation has been a cause for concern in the 21st century, as it has had significant repercussions on societal systems and the overall livelihood of individuals. Additionally, a 2016 study revealed that 84% of the American respondents are confident in their ability to detect misinformation and disinformation, while 64% believed that misinformation and disinformation made others confused about current affairs and events (Barthel et al., 2016). These results confirm that some people are not cognizant of the effects of media messages on themselves, but on others (TPE). Due to this implied ignorance, the spread …

Eye Region Redaction: Familiar Versus Unfamiliar Face Recognition, Tyler Gandy

Dissertations and Theses

Our brains are incredibly skilled at recognizing faces, even decades later after first viewing a face. Face recognition is a crucial social function, enabling us to identify and interact appropriately with others. Studies have identified specific brain regions, such as the fusiform face area, that are specialized for this task. Additionally, areas around the eyes have been shown to be crucial to our face recognition ability. Despite the abundant research in face recognition, little is known about how we recognize familiar versus unfamiliar faces when the eye region is redacted. To understand the role familiarity plays in eye redacted face …

Investigating Trauma-Informed Practices Impact On Teacher Well-Being And Burnout, Philip Walter Schonebaum

Dissertations and Theses

Trauma-informed practices are a way to reduce the negative impacts of trauma without retraumatizing trauma victims (SAMHSA, 2014). Using trauma-informed training for staff, this study herein sought out to examine the overall impacts on utilizing trauma-informed care strategies on teacher well-being and burnout. The action research project, relying on qualitative data collection techniques, was an immersive approach to impact change in the educational landscape of a small, rural school district. Findings showed implementing trauma-informed practices in the school district led to a greater job satisfaction, reduced stress, and a sense of camaraderie with the students within the school. This study …

Educational Trouble In Paradise: Student Perception Of Teaching Behaviors And It's Relation To Intrinsic Motivation And Academic Achievement, David Mchale Davis

Dissertations and Theses

Grounded in self-determination theory, this study explored students’ perceptions of provision of choice, teacher feedback, and emotional support, and how these teaching behaviors relate to intrinsic motivation and academic achievement. This study is a cross-sectional survey design and has data from 197 public high school students in the Bahamas. Path analysis was used to evaluate a model in which the three teaching behaviors predicted intrinsic motivation, which in turn was hypothesized to mediate their effects on academic achievement, measured by GPA, math grade, and students’ perceived likelihood of graduating. Results supported the model, indicating that higher levels of perceived teacher …

Social-Emotional Learning In Out-Of-School Time Settings: A Mixed Methods Investigation Of Perceived Need, Kaitlin Halbert

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the integration of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) into Out-of-School Time (OOST) settings. It evaluates the perceived need for SEL curricula among OOST professionals, highlights potential benefits and barriers to implementation, and identifies necessary adaptations to tailor these programs for the unique OOST environment. Using a mixed-methods explanatory sequential design, including surveys (BIRS, URP-NEEDS, URP-IR) completed by 115 OOST providers and interviews with 10 providers, the research analyzes both quantitative and qualitative data. The results demonstrate a strong consensus among OOST professionals on the importance and value of SEL, acknowledging its potential to enhance student behavior, social …

American Indian Survivors Of Domestic Violence And Self-Perceived Mental Health After Seeking Domestic Violence Services, Arial Swallow

Dissertations and Theses

Domestic violence has long-term impacts on women’s emotional, psychological, and physical health, with American Indian women experiencing disproportionately high rates of violence and face unique barriers in overcoming challenges of healing. As part of a larger study, this research aimed to better understand the healing process of American Indian women domestic violence survivors in rural areas. This study examined findings from a mixed methods approach, which investigated the significance of identifying co-occurring mental health needs and providing support, education, and resources to address these needs. The research utilized a quantitative method of descriptive statistics, identifying survivors who endorsed mental health …

Schools Apart: Curricular Stratification Across School Socioeconomic Compositions And Implications For Educational Inequality In The Us, Daniel Mackin Freeman

Dissertations and Theses

Motivated by longstanding sociological theories and utilizing the most current, large, and nationally representative data, this dissertation aims to describe and add nuance to our understanding of how the curriculum US youth are exposed to is stratified by the socioeconomic composition of the schools they attend. All three empirical chapters suggest that school SES contributes to substantial differences in school structure, as evidenced by differences in course-taking patterns and how course-taking relates to academic achievement in high school and beyond. The first study suggests that the relationship between curricular intensity in secondary school and postsecondary achievement is variable depending on …

A Contemporary Examination Of Racial Intraminority Relations: Attitudes, Motivations, And Barriers To Participation In Collective Action, Jaboa Shawntaé Lake

Dissertations and Theses

Social movements globally and within the U.S. are gaining widespread acknowledgment as many individuals become more aware of systems of disadvantage and oppression, gain a better understanding of their root causes, and engage in collective ways to approach social change. Social science research on engagement with collective action has started to go beyond looking only at majority-minority relations (such as between White and Black people) to examine solidarity and coalition building between minoritized groups. This dissertation expands the literature both on collective action and intraminority intergroup relations through three manuscripts. Chapter II explores various social attitudes (e.g., awareness of privilege …

Investigating Student Expectations, Buy-In, And Engagement In Lower Division Undergraduate Chemistry Labs, Elizabeth Blanche Vaughan

Dissertations and Theses

Laboratory courses constitute an integral aspect of chemistry education at the undergraduate level. Despite their prominence, a growing number of researchers have begun to think more critically about the value of laboratory learning experiences. As pedagogical decisions should be based on evidence, it is necessary for chemistry education researchers and practitioners to investigate the claim that teaching laboratories are a valuable part of science education. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation was to address one small section of this gap in the literature by obtaining a more robust understanding of students' expectations, buy-in, and engagement in lower division, undergraduate, chemistry …

It's Going To Be Okay: Experiences And Perceptions Of People Who Seek Reassurance At Work, Liana Bernard

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the experiences and perceptions of people who seek reassurance at work using a mixed methods (focus groups and experimental) approach. Reassurance-seeking is an attempt to elicit supportive communication from another person to help one reduce experienced anxiety. First, using focus groups with 32 participants, this study found that people seeking reassurance at work develop complex cognitive structures to reduce the prospective negative impacts of reassurance-seeking behaviors, particularly for those with marginalized identities. Then, in a 3x2 between-person experimental design in which employee gender and reassurance-seeking were manipulated, participants read a transcript of an interaction between an employee …

Faint Glimmers: Redrawing The Housewife In Yamada Murasaki's Talk To My Back, Ceres Lovelace

Dissertations and Theses

Yamada Murasaki's seminal manga collection Talk to My Back, originally titled Shinkirari, tells a story of a woman's gradual journey toward agency within the constraints of a nuclear patriarchal family. Set within the everyday suburban life of Chiharu in 1980s Japan, Yamada uses subtle visual cues and restrained narrative techniques to illustrate her protagonist's struggles and quiet breakthroughs as she questions her identity and renegotiates her role as a housewife and mother.

By exploring the often-overlooked inner world of a housewife, Yamada scrutinizes traditional gender roles and reveals the burden and psychological toll of the emotional labor imposed on …

Education And Tolerance Of Homosexuality In Diverse Islamic Contexts, Camila Swift

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the relationship between educational attainment and moral tolerance of homosexuality among Muslims in Algeria, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Turkey. Utilizing human development theory to understand how educational attainment affects social values, the analysis draws on data from over 5,000 respondents from the Pew Research Center's "World's Muslims" dataset, which includes responses from a nationally representative sample of Muslims in these four countries. Logistic regression models and predicted probabilities are used to explore how educational attainment relates to moral tolerance of homosexuality, adjusting estimates for various alternate explanations through the use of control variables. The findings reveal that the …

Far-Right Monologues And Extreme Identity, Benjamin Alexander Thigpen

Dissertations and Theses

My thesis is focused on the American far-right, by way of two sperate case studies, one centered on a contemporary movement (the manosphere) and one that has fallen from prominence (racist skinheads). Grounded in primary source analysis, my thesis builds off of the work of social movement theorists such as Sidney Tarrow, scholars of American politics like Richard Hofstadter, and emergent theories of social identity as laid out by Judith Butler and others. Through my analysis, I develop two theoretical arguments: first, that there are two distinct categories amongst far-right narratives (which I term offensive and defensive); and second, that …

Peer Group Influence On The Antecedents Of Academic Coping Over The First Year Of Middle School, Daniel Lee Grimes

Dissertations and Theses

The motivational model of academic coping provides a framework for investigating the motivational antecedents and social contextual influences on ways of coping with academic adversity during the transition to middle school. Two studies were conducted to investigate the roles of three motivational antecedent variables of academic coping: perceived control, autonomous motivation, and catastrophizing. Study 1 investigated relationships between the motivational variables and academic coping across the first year of middle school. Study 2 investigated peer group influences on the motivational variables and on academic coping. Data from an entire cohort of 366 sixth students in the only middle school in …

Control And Management Of Type-Ii Diabetes Among People Living With Hiv (Plwh) Compared To Hiv-Negative Patients And By Clinic Type In The Bronx, Nyc, Aprielle Wills

Dissertations and Theses

ABSTRACT

Control and Management of Type-II Diabetes Among People Living with HIV (PLWH) compared to HIV-Negative Patients and by Clinic Type in the Bronx, NYC

by

Aprielle Wills

Advisor: Heidi E Jones, MPH PHD

Background: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that approximately 1.3 million people in the United States (U.S.) were living with an HIV diagnosis by the end of 2021. With advancements of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and improved access to care, HIV has become a chronic condition in the U.S. As PLWH age, they are experiencing higher rates of other chronic conditions, specifically type-II diabetes (type-II …

A Native American Perspective On Navigating The Academic World With Resilience And Honoring The Wisdom Of Native Elders, Shani Renee Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

The graduation percentage among Native American students has consistently remained at a discouraging 50 %, both in the past and at present. This study employed a narrative inquiry approach to investigate the low graduation rates among Native American students, from the perspective of a Native American educator and mother. This study examined the historical trauma and colonization experienced by Native Americans and how it has affected Native American families and communities, resulting in low rates of graduation among Native students. In addition, this study examined factors contributing to resilience by acknowledging Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Indigenous Ways of Knowing …

Participatory Democracy: The Potential For Civic Transformation Understanding Participants' Learning In The Milwaukie Citizens Jury, Amanda Grace Hudson

Dissertations and Theses

Faced with unresponsive government institutions and the limitations of representative democracy, participatory and deliberative democrats have created alternative models for robust democratic participation such as civic juries, civic assemblies and participatory budgeting. Advocates claim that these methods create better citizens and better outcomes and they claim these forums act as a school of democracy. The schools of democracy theory describes participation as a virtuous circle--that doing democracy will make people more democratic. While these processes often produce enthusiastic supporters and encouraging results, there has been very little research to date that attempts to explain how and why people learn and …

Stricken By The Worst Type Of Sickness: The Communal Reaction And Response To Impaired Individuals In The Middle Ages, Alice Holland

Dissertations and Theses

Medieval communities often approached trouble within the fold collectively. This includes concerns over the health and safety of their individual members. This thesis examines the communal perception and treatment of disabled individuals in the Middle Ages. Using four twelfth-century miracle collections, The Miracles of Saint Gibrian (1145), The Life and Miracles of William of Norwich (1150-1172), The Miracles of Our Lady of Rocamadour (1172-1173), and The Miracles of Thomas Becket (1173-1179), I examine how communities created systems of care for their impaired members. In using these sources, which tell the stories of common individuals traveling to shrines for a saint's …

Itagaki Paru's Animalized Japan, Adoria Shanelle Walker

Dissertations and Theses

In the earlier works of manga artist and author Itagaki Paru, animal characters are used to prompt a discussion of the uchi/soto ("in-group"/"out-group") dynamic present in Japanese society. Throughout her most popular work, Beastars, and its supplemental short story collection Beast Complex, Itagaki tackles binary thinking and in-group versus out-group social politics using a blatantly obvious, yet nuanced and subtle herbivore-versus-carnivore, predator-versus-prey metaphor. The world she depicts in these works is full of misunderstandings caused by hastily made assumptions, sometimes instinctually quick. With her animalized characters, she explores human stigmatization and the poor treatment of those who do not want …

Diversity, Equity And Inclusion In Simulation-Based Education: Experiences From Multiple Academic Health Centers, Jesika Samuelson Gavilanes

Dissertations and Theses

The integration of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) into healthcare professional training is critical in order to ensure positive patient outcomes and help combat healthcare disparities, leading towards health equity. There is not currently a standard specific to DEI awareness in healthcare education and training. One area of healthcare training is simulation-based education (SBE), which is training that is set up to be as close to a real environment as possible for healthcare professional training. There is little in the literature that addresses DEI within SBE, yet SBE is one area with the potential for making an impact in healthcare …

Pathways To Social Mobility: Examining Trades As A Career Path For Formerly Incarcerated Individuals, June Jenkins

Dissertations and Theses

Obtaining stable, paid employment is crucial for successful reentry into the community after incarceration, however, formerly incarcerated individuals face extensive barriers when entering the workforce. Trades may present a uniquely attainable career path for this population due to relatively low barriers to entry. To date, there is a lack of research investigating experience-based perspectives on the viability of trades training programs and trades careers in facilitating prisoner reentry. This study employs semi-structured qualitative interviews to investigate perspectives on trades as a career path for formerly incarcerated individuals as well as barriers to accessing and attending trades training programs. Interviewees include …

The Protective Effects Of Perceived Partner Responsiveness On Service Members' Drinking And Health Outcomes, Julia Maria Oosi Lynch

Dissertations and Theses

Stress is a known predictor of various adverse health behaviors and outcomes, such as poorer physical health, injuries, and mental well-being. Specifically, stressful events, including minor daily hassles, as well as major life changes and pressures that are perceived negatively, can lead to experiences of psychological distress. Psychological distress is commonly defined as symptoms of anxiety and depression, including worry, sadness, and hopelessness. These concerns are particularly acute for military families, who experience a unique set of stressors and loneliness due to deployments and separation, long shifts, and frequent relocations. Those experiencing psychological dFreistress are also more likely to engage …

Seguir Adelante: A Qualitative Exploration Of Latino Farmworkers' Work And Non-Work Resources, Faviola Robles Saenz

Dissertations and Theses

Precarious work sectors within the United States have relied on Black and Brown labor for many decades. More specifically, Latino immigrant workers have been an exploited community within many dangerous workforces but especially within the agricultural industry. They are a crucial population for the labor and economy of the U.S., yet Latino farmworkers report feeling expendable, being discriminated against, and being exposed to hazardous working conditions. Due to these experiences, scholars have explored the role non-work resources have in providing support for this community, their social networks being especially beneficial for them. However, research on the links between their work …

Analyzing The Legitimacy, Effectiveness, And Legacy Of The United Nations, Hunter Wade Calley

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the legitimacy and effectiveness of the United Nations since its establishment, while also exploring the shortcomings of its predecessor, the League of Nations. The legitimacy of the United Nations and the role the organization plays in the world of international politics, the flaws of the UN Security Council, and the impact of the Cold War on the legitimacy and processes of the United Nations are especially highlighted throughout this thesis.

The successes and shortcomings of the United Nations are best understood given the historical context of the League of Nations, the organization founded to bring world powers …

Crown Shy, Laura Francesca Kincaid

Dissertations and Theses

Crown Shy explores the ripple effects of inheritance--somatic, psychological, and material--and how such inheritance constellates into our adult relations and relating. In three parts, the text undermines nuclear family imaginings, first by pulling them out by the root, and later through radical practice, formal constraint, and syntactic ambiguity. By studying the natural world--the organizing principles of trees, insects, and flowers--Crown Shy attempts to glean strategy from evidence of what is already thriving. Reluctantly lyrical, the text quietly deplores the ramifications of commercial agriculture, including the speaker’s own family farm and ancestral homestead. With the weight of this origin point, …

Centering The Leader: An Investigation Of Leader-Centric Variables In The Support Provision Process, Jordyn Jan Leslie

Dissertations and Theses

Few studies to date have investigated leader-centric variables associated with the support provision process. The following dissertation includes three studies that attempt to further understand such relationships. In Study 1, the interaction between leader sleep quantity and quality on various types of leader support (e.g., general supervisor support, family supportive supervisor behaviors, and sleep leadership) is studied using both employee and leader ratings. Study 2 integrates leader-centric research with work-life supportive leadership to propose a new theoretical model that delineates leader-centric variables (e.g., health & well-being, skills, role expectations, job demands) as precursors to the provision and perception of work-life …

The Effects Of Physical Accessibility And Subjective Accessibility On Grocery Shopping Behaviors In Oakland, California, Huijun Tan

Dissertations and Theses

Existing studies underscore the complexity of urban accessibility, defined by a range of factors, including the city's physical layout and infrastructure as well as the subjective perceptions and experiences of its inhabitants. As urban areas continue to grow and diversify, gaining a comprehensive understanding of these varied interactions is imperative. This broader context highlights the necessity of investigating the interplay between physical and subjective accessibility, aiming to illuminate the specific challenges and opportunities faced by these communities in accessing necessary services. This study explored the relationship between physical and subjective accessibility and their consequential impact on grocery shopping behaviors among …

Exploring The Social Processes Influencing The Well-Being And Social Integration Of Systemically Marginalized Students In Higher Education: A Mixed-Methods Approach, Zeinab Abbas Hachem

Dissertations and Theses

Comprising two manuscripts, this dissertation employs a mixed-methods approach to comprehensively examine the intrapersonal and interpersonal processes influencing the socioemotional well-being and social integration of systemically marginalized students. The first manuscript quantitatively explored the relationship between ethnic identity commitment and indices of well-being, the mediating role of social relationships, and the moderating roles of gender and immigrant generation status among Latinx college students (N = 707). Results suggested that ethnic identity commitment was positively associated with socioemotional well-being. Although both types of relationships were significant mediators on their own, maternal (vs. peer) relationship quality was the stronger mediational influence. Furthermore, …