The 6th United States Volunteer Infantry: The Last Of The Galvanized Yankees, Seth Ihde

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the formation, service, post-war life, and impact of the 6th United States Volunteer Infantry Regiment. This regiment and the five preceding it consisted of Confederate POWs who enlisted in the Union Army between 1864 and 1865. The project intersects with a few different historiographies, including Confederate nationalism/dissent and the military’s role in westward expansion. The 6th was formed from soldiers in Camp Douglas, Illinois, Camp Morton, Indiana, and Camp Chase, Ohio. The soldiers were predominantly young and poor southern farmers. These men represent a form of southern dissent to Confederate nationalism and the claims of the Lost …

The “Meta-Country” Of Morgan Wallen: Authenticity Signaling In Contemporary Country Music, Ryley Fallon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Country music artist Morgan Wallen has dominated sales charts and streaming numbers on digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Wallen has also crafted his own image of what it means to be “country,” distilling it into the usual, hyper-recognizable motifs of whiskey and trucks while transitioning them onto new media platforms. In addition, Wallen maintains his small-town Tennessee boy image despite conquering massive digital landscapes. This thesis argues that Morgan Wallen exemplifies a new phase of country music, “metacountry.” “Meta-country,” as detailed in this thesis, refers to the continuation of country music’s commercialization into the digital space in …

The Unreliable Narrator: Mnemic Causation And The Reconstructive Self, Phuong Le

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate secondary-level band directors’ perception of preparedness to teach learners with exceptional needs in Mississippi. The study examined college and university music curricula to identify the number of courses that prepare future music educators to teach learners with exceptional needs. The researcher developed a survey that included questions about respondents' years and types of teaching experience, educational preparation in exceptional education, the level of instructional support available for accommodating students in band classes, and the impact disabilities have on learning and performance in instrumental music. Findings provided insight into how well pre-service and …

Open For Victims, Sorry We're Dead, Sela Ricketts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a documentary exploration of paranormal tourism in the French Quarter neighborhood of New Orleans. As of completing this project, paranormal tourism is relatively new to the city, starting in earnest in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This niche industry has woven itself into the larger New Orleans tourism industry and drastically changed the landscape and popular identity of the French Quarter. The photos give a personal perspective of how the industry manifested within the city.

The throughline of this project is a feedback loop I identified- a cycle of influences that has ultimately made the French …

Recipe For Resistance: Oral Histories Of Queer Foodways In The Us South, Astrid Janie Knox-Mcconnell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the emerging question of what constitutes “queer food.” It asks how this concept takes on a distinct regional form in the United States South. Drawing on oral histories, archival materials, and cookbooks, it argues that queer southern foodways are not only a subset of queer food studies, but also a distinct cultural and political formation shaped by southern histories of race, labor, family, and survival. The thesis makes the case that queer southern foodways function simultaneously as protest, utopian practice, and aesthetic pleasure. Through the act of cooking, eating, and sharing food, queer southerners articulate alternative social …

The Role Of Pre-K Teachers In Fostering Academic Resilience In Their Students In Preparation For Elementary School, Safa Alkaabi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated Pre-K teachers’ perceptions and pedagogical practices in fostering academic resilience, defined as the ability to persevere through challenges in early learning. Eight Pre-K teachers in Tennessee participated through interviews, focus groups, and analysis of lesson plans aligned with the Tennessee Early Learning Developmental Standards (TNELDS) and the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework. The study aimed to address three research questions related to teachers’ conceptualization of resilience, instructional strategies, and documentation practices.

Findings revealed that teachers conceptualized academic resilience as a developable capacity rather than an innate trait, encompassing perseverance through challenges, emotional regulation, and the …

Perceptions Of Educators To Recognize And Respond To Suicidal Ideation Of Secondary Students, Clary Aaron

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored how secondary teachers in East Tennessee perceive district-provided suicide prevention training and its role in supporting students experiencing suicidal ideation. Eleven middle and high school teachers who had previously made a crisis referral participated in semi-structured interviews. The study examined teachers’ experiences, perceived strengths and limitations of training, and needed resources. Findings revealed that teachers felt confident recognizing warning signs, especially behavioral changes, when strong student relationships existed. However, training was often described as repetitive, generic, and minimally engaging. Social media and limited support systems were seen as major stressors for students. Teachers emphasized relationship-centered …

The Application Of Natural Language Processing Towards Auditing Of Unstructured Data: A Design Science Approach, Dennis K. Amoatey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Financial auditors must manually review large volumes of unstructured text that may include contracts, internal policies, footnotes, and journal entry descriptions. This time-intensive process introduces risk of human error and inconsistency. Despite advances in automation, no systematic approach exists for applying Natural Language Processing (NLP) to this problem at scale. Using a design science approach, this study develops a framework that demonstrates how NLP techniques can be incorporated across key phases in the audit process, including planning, internal controls evaluation, evidence gathering, and reporting. Initial evaluation through expert feedback had a mix of responses. While some argued difficulty with data …

“The Distance And Time Difference Aren’T Helping”: Family Communication Practices Of African Graduate Students Adapting To A New Country, Hummuh Abubakar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how international graduate students maintained long-distance communication with family members while adapting to life in the United States. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with seven international students, the research explored how participants sustained emotional closeness, manage disclosure, and select communication media across geographic distance. Guided by Communication Privacy Management Theory and Media Richness Theory, the study analyzed how students regulated private information and strategically used video calls, voice calls, and messaging platforms to meet relational and emotional needs. Findings revealed four primary themes: reliance on digital communication technologies; the emotional and psychological functions of family communication; structural …

Resource Allocation Trade-Offs Between Longevity And Reproduction In Daphnia Magna, Amelia Pearson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although trade-offs between longevity and reproduction have been described for a long time, the genetic mechanisms by which organisms modulate allocation of resources between these two essential processes remain poorly understood, due to their complex nature and their modification by existing nutritional states and environmental cues. Daphnia magna represents a valuable model for investigation in this area due to their moderate lifespan and cyclic parthenogenetic mode of reproduction, allowing for the easy study of gene by environment interactions. This dissertation first investigates the change in mortality, reproduction, activity, and gene expression when fully fed Daphnia and calorically restricted Daphnia are …

Branding The Protector And Helper: How The U.S. Army National Guard Presents Itself In Humanitarian Outreach, Aaron Otoo Acromond

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how the United States Army National Guard constructs and communicates its humanitarian identity during domestic disaster response through official social media. Addressing limited scholarship on how hybrid military institutions frame their roles in domestic crises, the research applies qualitative content analysis to visual and textual posts from official Facebook and Instagram accounts during three disasters: Hurricane Ian (2022), the Hawaii Wildfires (2023), and Hurricane Helene (2024). The analysis identifies three communication themes: operational preparedness and technical capacity, humanitarian assistance to affected civilians, and collaboration with civilian agencies. These narratives portray the National Guard as a professional and …

Parent Engagement And Advocacy In Individualized Education Programs In Rural Appalachian School Districts, Mollie Rutledge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore parent engagement and parent advocacy in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) development and implementation in rural Appalachian school districts. Parent engagement and parent advocacy in Individualized Education Program (IEP) development and implementation are persistent challenges in special education. By intentionally grounding this research in rural Appalachia, the researcher responded to calls for education research that is attentive to the complexity and diversity of rural communities. Parents in rural areas face unique challenges related to poverty, isolation, and limited resources that can influence their engagement and advocacy in the IEP process. The …

The Development And Evaluation Of A Group Therapy Program For Perinatal Loss In Rural Appalachia, Hope O'Neill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Perinatal loss can have vast adverse psychological consequences and has limited psychotherapeutic options to assist with those outcomes. Currently, there is no gold standard psychotherapy for the treatment of perinatal grief. Group therapy has proven to be an effective modality for various populations and has been shown to be beneficial for perinatal loss and the subsequent psychological outcomes. This study utilized a previously conducted systematic review to develop and evaluate a group psychotherapy for perinatal loss. The ten sessions of the group were completed by two participants and several constructs were explored pre- and post-intervention: grief, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, …

“Better Late Than Never” – Exploring The Challenges And Triumphs From Late-Diagnosed Autistic Women, Angela C. Altomare

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The diagnostic process for adult autistic women is a transformative experience that reshapes identity, their histories, and self-understandings. This study examines the impact of a late-in-life autism diagnoses on women through the examination of narratives from the Reddit community r/AutismInWomen, and autoethnography.

Drawing on personal experience as a late-diagnosed autistic researcher, and the shared stories within r/AutismInWomen, the research demonstrates the challenges experienced, such as navigating stigma, negotiating identity, and seeking support.

The research reveals that online platforms serve as critical spaces for stigma negotiation, identity validation, self-advocacy, and community building among autistic women. Furthermore, these narratives underscore …

Academic Self-Efficacy Of Black, White, And Hispanic Students Pursuing Professional Education Degrees And Licensure At An Hbcu In Midwest Ohio, Nathan Boles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this comparative quantitative study was to determine, using three self-efficacy scales, General Self-Efficacy (GSE), Academic Self-Efficacy (ASE), and Educational Self-Efficacy (ESE), the differences in academic and educational self-efficacy among Black, White, and Hispanic students seeking a Professional Education degree and licensure at a Historically Black College and University in Midwest Ohio. Pre-service students’ self-efficacy and goal commitment can affect their likelihood of graduating with a license and may directly affect the number of novice teachers of color in the classroom. The literature examines factors that disrupt students’ self-efficacy, academic confidence, and persistence through the theoretical frameworks of …

Perceptions Of Effective Co-Teaching Partnerships In High School Inclusive Classrooms, Korri-Lee S. Wood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the characteristics and contextual factors that general education and special education teachers perceive as essential for effective co-teaching partnerships in high school inclusive classrooms. The study, which involved in-depth interviews with general and special education teachers in co-teaching partnerships, was conducted within a constructivist paradigm to shed light on interpersonal, communicative, and systemic variables that contribute to a positive, productive co-teaching experience. Purposeful sampling was employed to select general and special education teachers who were part of co-teaching partnerships. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data from semi-structured interviews, and an …

Attendance Matters: Incentive Programs And Chronic Absenteeism In Elementary Schools, Aubryn Street

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic absenteeism is a common challenge in elementary education. Schools often use attendance incentive programs, such as rewards or recognition, to encourage students to attend regularly. However, it is not always clear whether these programs actually improve attendance. This study examined whether attendance incentive programs are effective and how school staff view and use these programs.

This mixed-methods study used both school attendance data and interviews with school personnel. Attendance data from two school years showed that schools with incentive programs did not have lower absenteeism rates than schools without them. However, attendance improved overall from one year to the …

University Student Mental Health: Service Utilization, Equity Gaps, And Strategies To Improve Access, Richard Mutua Kilonzo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student mental health and access to care are pressing concerns in higher education. This study assesses mental health outcomes and access to campus mental health services at East Tennessee State University. Survey data from the 2023–2024 Healthy Minds Study were analyzed to report the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation across the student population. The study evaluates disparities in these outcomes and barriers to care across student groups, with particular attention to equity-impacted students, especially sexual and gender minority students.

Findings indicate widespread psychological distress alongside persistent barriers, including long wait times, limited-service availability, and stigma-related concerns. These barriers …

Bergsonian Blend: Subjective Temporality Within Modernist Aesthetics Of Mental Illness, Lydia Victoria Gervais

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Henri Bergson was a modernist French philosopher who wrote extensively on the topic of the lived experience of time, which he called durée, or duration. His contemporary, Sigmund Freud, was developing psychoanalytic theory in a growing field of psychological study, which serves as a prominent ancestor to modern psychiatry and current psychoanalytical literary studies. Fiction writers of the 1900s absorbed the zeitgeist of melded chronology and consciousness, interweaving themes of time and trauma in their works. Utilizing Henri Bergson’s durée as a philosophical framework, I examine the moralization of time-consciousness in connection with mental illness and investigate representations of …

Addressing Substance Use Disorder In Rural Appalachia: Improving Access And Treatment Outcomes For Justice-Involved Individuals, Jessica Muldowney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Opioid use disorder (OUD) represents a critical public health crisis disproportionately affecting justice-involved (JI) populations, with approximately 65% of incarcerated individuals having substance use disorders (James & Beatty, 2006). Rural Appalachian communities face compounded challenges due to limited healthcare access, provider shortages, and cultural stigma surrounding addiction treatment. Despite evidence demonstrating that medication-assisted treatment (MAT) reduces recidivism and overdose deaths, only 20% of correctional facilities offer these services (Klein & Seppala, 2019).

Objective: This mixed-methods study evaluated organizational readiness and infrastructure capacity for implementing evidence-based OUD interventions, specifically MAT programs across three rural counties in northwestern North Carolina.

Methods: …

Feasibility Of Assessing Dietary Patterns And Anxiety In College Students: A Pilot Study Using Nutrition Questionnaires, Gad-7, And Asq, Kylie Ford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety is highly prevalent among college students representing a significant public health concern. Research indicates that dietary patterns may influence mental health outcomes; however, the practicality of collecting comprehensive dietary and psychological data in college populations remains unclear. This pilot study assessed the feasibility of evaluating dietary patterns and anxiety using self-report instruments. Participants completed the Nutrition and Eating Habit questionnaire, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and the Anxiety Sensitivity Questionnaire (ASQ). Although twenty-one students were recruited, survey completion rates were low, with only seven participants completing the nutrition questionnaire necessary to calculate the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII). Descriptive analyses …

Ethical Engagement In Global Missions: A Qualitative Inquiry Into Planner Motivations And Host Experiences, Harrison J. Ihrig

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Short-term mission (STM) trips are limited duration service experiences, commonly organized by faith-based organizations (FBO), in which volunteers travel domestically or international to provide ministry, community outreach, and/or health-related services. In recent decades, the number of these trips organized by organizations in the United States has increased exponentially, but the phenomenon is difficult to accurately measure due to its decentralized nature and the lack of standardized terminology. Despite their prominence, limited research has been conducted to examine planning, implementation, and evaluation processes of international STMs organized by FBO, particularly through a public health lens. The purpose of this study was …

Extreme Precipitation Events And Population Exposure: Site Recommendations For The Future Tennessee Mesonet, Victoria G. Redlund

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines frequency of and population exposure to extreme rainfall events in Tennessee to guide the placement of future mesonet weather stations. Using 1991-2021 daily nClimGrid precipitation records, extreme events were defined as events of rainfall ≥50 mm. These events were collated on an annual scale and normalized alongside square-root-scaled population densities derived from Landscan to develop extreme rainfall vulnerability maps. Results highlight where extreme rainfall is most frequent relative to population densities in each county. The findings were compared with models of mesonet suitability and feasibility to determine how meteorological needs correlate with siting needs such as land …

Ontogeny And The Effects Of Perinatal Stress In The First Immature Skeleton Of Teleoceras Aepysoma (Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae), Joe Gajewski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recovery of an immature fossil rhinoceros (Teleoceras aepysoma) skeleton (ETMNH 32999) from the Gray Fossil Site in Tennessee offers the first insights into the ontogeny of the species. ETMNH 32999 is interpreted to be a subadult male in an age class equivalent to ~17-20% of potential lifespan. Comparative analyses support the hypothesis that subadults of related taxa are typically ~91% of average adult size in most dimensions. However, certain cranial dimensions are substantially lower than expected in ETMNH 32999, averaging only ~74% of the average conspecific adult. Such departure from typical growth rates is suggested to be attributable …

The Influence Of Intervention Strategies On Students With Disabilities Who Exhibit Challenging Behaviors In Rural Public Schools: Teacher Perceptions, Ben B. Robertson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological qualitative study addressed rural teachers' perceptions of the influence of intervention strategies on students with disabilities who exhibit challenging behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ perceptions of the effect of intervention strategies on academic achievement, student behavior outcomes, and teacher self-efficacy through the lens of Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory. This theory is a complex, dynamic interaction among people, their behaviors, and their environments. Data collection included 14 individual interviews, conducted on Zoom with educators from one school district in Southern Virginia, including seven general education teachers and seven special education teachers. Data analysis strategies …

Machine-Learning Landslide Susceptibility And Runout Modeling In The Nolichucky River Gorge After Hurricane Helene, Grace Braver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Extreme rainfall from Hurricane Helene (September 2024) triggered widespread landslides across the southern Appalachian region, highlighting the need for rapid landslide susceptibility assessments that capture both landslide initiation and downstream runout. Traditional susceptibility models often focus solely on initiation zones, limiting their ability to identify which slopes will generate destructive landslides or where material will travel. This study addresses that gap by (1) integrating Geographic Information System (GIS)-based machine learning susceptibility modeling using ArcGIS Pro: Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) and Random Forest-Based and Boosted Classification and Regression (FBBC) and (2) the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Grfin (Growth, Flow, and Inundation) runout …

Media Portrayal Of High-Profile Female Victims Of Sexual Harassment, Chinenye Nwaneri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This rhetorical study investigated how the Nigerian media portray high-profile female victims of sexual harassment. The research was undertaken in response to concerns that media narratives often reinforce gender stereotypes and influence public perceptions of victims. Focusing on the sexual harassment allegations made by senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan against Senate president Godswill Akpabio, the study analyzed newspaper coverage from Daily Trust and Vanguard between February and December 2025. Using Critical Discourse Analysis within the framework of Feminist Media Theory, the research examined how language and framing shaped the representation of the female accuser. The findings reveal that media coverage constructed the …

Perceptions Of Rural School Resource Officers On Training, Roles, And Interactions With Students In Special Populations, Mary Jane M. Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative inductive study was conducted with rural school districts located in the Middle Grand Division of Tennessee. School Resource Officers' (SROs) and K–12 school administrators’ perceptions of their roles were assessed. Perceptions of school policing from both samples were assessed regarding SRO training, roles, and expectations for working with school law enforcement officials. This also included respondents' views on how students with disabilities are treated. The research conducted in rural Middle Tennessee counties examined SROs’ and K–12 administrators’ perceptions through data collected from in-depth open-ended interviews and a pre-written analysis. The proliferation of police officers assigned to schools beginning …

Attitudes Toward Harm Reduction Among Criminal Legal Staff, Diamond Meadows

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are prevalent among individuals interacting with the criminal legal system (Moore et al., 2019). Despite the high rates of individuals with SUDs interacting with the criminal legal system, there continue to be barriers to integrating harm reduction approaches within the system. Harm reduction approaches (i.e., medication assisted treatment) are effective in reducing the negative consequences associated with substance use and the pathway to recovery for many. The purposes of this study are to: 1. examine the psychometric properties of the Harm Reduction Acceptability Scale (HRAS) among criminal legal staff, 2. explore individual differences in staff attitudes …

Academic And Demographic Predictors Of Retention And Persistence In Business Programs: Post-Covid Cohorts Of Traditional And Ncccs Transfer Students, Matthew K. Crump

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examined academic and demographic predictors of first-year retention and major persistence among traditional first-year and North Carolina community college transfer students enrolled in undergraduate business programs. Guided by Tinto’s 1993 Model of Student Retention and Astin’s 1984 Theory of Student Involvement, the research focused on students who entered two AACSB-accredited institutions within the UNC System during Fall 2021, Fall 2022, and Fall 2023 as traditional first-year students or as transfer students from North Carolina community colleges.

Institutional data from the Banner Student Information System provided the basis for logistic regression analyses that examined predictors including high school …