Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of Urban High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Multicultural Education, Clifford D. Alexander

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigated urban high school teachers’ perceptions of multicultural education and how those perceptions related to instructional practices. Guided by culturally responsive pedagogy, the study addressed the persistent achievement gap among minority students and the limited integration of multicultural education in U.S. public schools. The purpose of this study was to evaluate teachers’ perceptions of multicultural education and examine their connection to teaching practices and cultural background. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed with a sample of 331 urban high school teachers. Findings indicated that the majority of participants held positive views toward multicultural education, recognizing its role …

An Exploratory Descriptive Study Of Urban Professional High School Counselors' Work Culture, Burnout, And Mental Well-Being, Alexandria L. Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive, exploratory, qualitative study examined urban, public U.S. high school counselors’ perceptions of job-related stress, autonomy, and administrative support within urban school environments. Seven current high school counselors working in urban public schools were recruited through convenience sampling in educator forums on Facebook, followed by snowball sampling to expand the participant pool. Counselors participated in semistructured interviews conducted via Zoom or asynchronous online focus groups hosted on Padlet, depending on the participant’s preference. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis process, supported by Dedoose software for coding and data management. The analysis revealed four major themes: …

Performance Of The Two Sample Likelihood Ratio Test Under A Nested Dirichlet: A Simulation Study, Edwina Agyeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Compositional data analysis (CoDA) addresses multivariate data constrained to a constant sum, such as proportions or percentages. Originating from early warnings regarding misinterpretation by Pearson (1897), the field was formalized by John Aitchison in 1986, whose foundational work remains highly influential. Over time, new modeling techniques and visualization tools have advanced the field, as noted by Greenacre et al. More recently, Turner et al. proposed an approach based on the Nested Dirichlet Distribution (NDD), which accommodates more flexible dependence structures than the standard Dirichlet model. This thesis builds on the methodology of Turner et al. Chapter 1 introduces the nature …

Examining The Superintendent Search Process: A Sequential Mixed Methods Study On Superintendent Consultant Perspectives, Melissa A. Torrence

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the Texas superintendent search process through a sequential mixed-methods design, integrating quantitative data analysis with qualitative insights from superintendent search consultants. Based on human capital theory, this research examines how candidate qualifications, experience, and perceived value influence selection decisions. The first phase analyzes archival data on Texas superintendents, using descriptive and inferential statistics to identify patterns and trends in hiring practices. The second phase gathers insights from superintendent search consultants through a semi-structured digital discussion, exploring their interpretations of the data and perspectives on key factors influencing the selection process. The combination of statistical analysis and consultant …

Expenditures Of Title I Funds To Maximize Student Performance, Cornethia Danielle Pressley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods case study investigates how Title I funds are allocated and perceived in relation to student achievement in six rural elementary schools in the southeastern United States. Drawing on the Distributive Justice Theory by John Rawls, the study explored the perspectives of three principals and three instructional coaches regarding the effectiveness of Title I expenditures in improving outcomes for economically disadvantaged students. Quantitative data from school report cards (2019-2023), Title I expenditure plans, and SC-Ready English Language Arts assessment scores were analyzed alongside qualitative data from semi-structured interviews about the expenditures.

Findings revealed that expenditures most strongly associated …

Unheard Echoes: Undocumented Students’ Success Amidst Challenges At U.S. Higher Education Community Colleges, Elvia Ortiz Segura

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative descriptive study explored the lived experiences of undocumented Latinx students at a southern U.S. community college, identifying support services that assisted students with barriers that emerged in their academic journey. The problem of the study was the complex challenges undocumented students face in higher education and how they are addressed and supported. The research used a qualitative descriptive methodology to magnify student voices and influence institutional policies. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as the theoretical framework, this study examined how family, culture, policy, and institutional systems influenced undocumented students’ educational journeys. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with …

Emergent Bilingual Educators’ Viewpoint Of Biliteracy Spaces: Building Capacity For Language Preservation And Development, Maria A. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the perspectives of emergent bilingual (EB) educators regarding the value of learning two languages simultaneously for EBs at the elementary level in Texas. The problem examined was that EBs were losing their primary language while acquiring English. More EBs were entering bilingual programs with no language dominance or mixed language dominance, and researchers had explored this issue from various perspectives, including teacher language ideologies and assessment practices based on monolingual standards. This inductive qualitative case study aimed to identify what educators perceived as the benefits of bilingual education in primary classrooms where students learned two languages simultaneously. …

Leadership Emergence Among Black Urban Women Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence: A Qualitative Exploration, Dawn H. Benton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study proposed to identify leadership strategies that assisted intimate partner violence-impacted Black women in urban areas to become leaders in their homes and communities as perceived by mental health professionals. Nine mental health professionals and counselors from an Ohio urban area completed a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview to provide data about Black women in intimate partner violence-impacted relationships living in a metropolitan area in Ohio. Deprived of valuable leadership resources and gifts that the women can offer their families and communities, investigators omitted the women's plights in their studies. Four research questions framed this qualitative case study design …

Under The Legal Lens: Navigating Psychological Safety And Conflict For Black Women In Legal Support Roles, Chanel M. Bradden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The intersectional challenges of Black women in legal support roles are an overlooked phenomenon in organizational research. Despite diversity efforts in the legal profession, Black women face challenges due to gender, race, and professional status that impact their career advancement, as well as their mental and psychological well-being. As a result of experiencing the effects of racialized workplace dynamics and destructive leadership behaviors, Black women in legal support roles find resilience through self-protection strategies while working through the effects of intersecting forms of oppression in legal workspaces. This study addressed the lack of knowledge of the lived experiences of Black …

Toward The Professionalization Of Executive Coaching: A Delphi Study Of The Requisite Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities For Coaching Executives To Behave Ethically, Richard R. Fletcher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem explored through this research involved the lack of consensus on executive coaching knowledge, skills, and abilities for facilitating ethical behaviors on the part of business executives. This problem led the researcher to employ a mixed-method Delphi study to explore professional executive coach perceptions concerning the establishment of a governing body overseeing the activity of executive coach consulting and to assess the knowledge, skills, and abilities perceived as fundamental to executive coaching. The researcher focused the research approach through a systematic, iterative research design where a panel of six experts in the field of professional executive coaching located in …

Efforts Of Public 2-Year Higher Education Institution Leadership Reducing Nonexempt Student Affairs Employees’ Intention To Quit, Christopher M. Viser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This narrative qualitative study examined the influence of leadership support and workplace factors on the intentions of nonexempt student affairs employees to leave a public 2-year higher education institution (HEI) in Texas. The study addressed the issue of workplace factors contributing to these employees’ developing intentions to quit their jobs. The research focused on identifying the workplace factors that most significantly influenced nonexempt student affairs employees and explored how leadership support influenced employee experiences. The study used narrative inquiry as its methodology to gather employee narratives through semistructured interviews conducted via Zoom, a communication platform. Nine participants were selected for …

Evaluating The Predictive Value Of Basc-3 Anxiety Scale And Working Memory Index Scores For Clinically Significant Test Anxiety: A Comprehensive Analysis Of Non-Classifiable Cases, Des'tiana S. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation will explore how test anxiety (TA) affects working memory (WM) and whether certain factors can help predict higher levels of test anxiety. Anxiety has been defined as a common experience that can show up in various forms—like general worry, social fears, panic attacks, and specific phobias (APA, 2022). It was described as often triggering our natural “fight-or-flight” response, which can impact our ability to focus, think clearly, and remember things. For students, test anxiety has been especially challenging, affecting how they perform in high-stakes academic settings. Using data from a university based psychological assessment center, this study will …

Evaluating The Predictive Value Of Basc-3 Anxiety Scale And Working Memory Index Scores For Clinically Significant Test Anxiety: A Comprehensive Analysis Of Non-Classifiable Cases, Des'tiana S. Williams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation will explore how test anxiety (TA) affects working memory (WM) and whether certain factors can help predict higher levels of test anxiety. Anxiety has been defined as a common experience that can show up in various forms—like general worry, social fears, panic attacks, and specific phobias (APA, 2022). It was described as often triggering our natural “fight-or-flight” response, which can impact our ability to focus, think clearly, and remember things. For students, test anxiety has been especially challenging, affecting how they perform in high-stakes academic settings. Using data from a university based psychological assessment center, this study will …

Collaboration Across The Silos: Consultation As A Means For Integrating Services For Twice-Exceptional Learners, Kimberly Bowers Yoshino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Twice-exceptional (2e) learners are underserved in American schools. As students who demonstrate both giftedness and disabilities, 2e learners maintain profiles that warrant tailored educational services across special and gifted education programs. Yet, these programs are considered institutionally mutually exclusive as legal mandates create de facto isolation — the antithesis of what is recommended for the students’ optimal development. School psychologists have been identified as professionals critically positioned to support 2e learners because of their specialized skill set, namely in consultation. However, little is known about their consultative practices with the educators who serve 2e learners or how they traverse school …

Young Adults’ Metaperceptions Of Their Childhood Caregivers’ Appraisals And Young Adulthood Mental Health, Cassandra Svelnys

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Early experiences and relationships have enduring impacts on the development of self and later mental health and wellbeing. In social relationships and interactions, the developing individual is continuously assessing how they view themself, how they view the other person, and how they believe the other person views them. Metaperceptions represent the latter construct: how an individual thinks another person perceives them. Childhood self-esteem, parent-child attachment, and metaperceptions are foundational constructs for the developing individual, yet metaperceptions have not previously been tested as a predictor for adulthood mental health while also accounting for childhood self-esteem and parent-child attachment. This study introduced …

Enhancing Multi-Step Stock Price Forecasting With Social Media Sentiment And Engagement Metrics, Damilare Olaniyan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates whether social media sentiment can improve the accuracy of stock price prediction beyond traditional historical data. While financial markets have long relied on structured numerical indicators, the growing influence of public discourse on platforms like Twitter has introduced new opportunities for extracting market-relevant signals from unstructured text. The study focuses on four major technology firms and combines sentiment features derived from Twitter with historical stock prices in a hybrid machine learning framework. Engagement-weighted sentiment, linguistic complexity, and polarity intensity were extracted using natural language processing techniques and incorporated into classification and regression models. Results show that including …

Artists In The Alternative Genre: Communication Through Music, C. L. Noë

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Musicians throughout time and genre have strived to connect with their audience through music, whether they are trying to communicate a story or their own unique style. Musicians in alternative rock genres are no different, and therefore, this thesis looks at three different bands and analyzes the ways they convey meaning through their music for their audiences. Starting with Green Day, in the American Idiot album, they communicate the inner turmoil of the characters through a rhythmic motif and the different ways it presents in the music. Next, Fall Out Boy communicates authenticity to their fans through lyrics, vocal style, …

Collaborative Federated Learning For Robots In Heterogeneous Environments, Karlan Schneider

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the performance of Federated Averaging (FedAvg) in simulated Federated Learning (FL) scenarios with varying degrees of environmental heterogeneity among robotic agents. The study explores the impact of data heterogeneity on both the convergence of FedAvg and the fairness of learning, with regard to consistency of performance across agents. Experiments were conducted with simulated robots trained to perform a target collection task, where a subset of agents encountered an unfamiliar environment. The results demonstrate that while FedAvg exhibits resilience to the introduction of new environmental data, it struggles to ensure both convergence and fairness in heterogeneous settings. Specifically, …

Harlem’S Avenues For Agency: An Exploration Of Black Female Agency In Angelina Weld Grimké And Zora Neale Hurston’S Short Stories, Jessica Ellen Hartenbower

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores themes of Black female agency in selected short stories by Angelina Weld Grimké and Zora Neale Hurston. Pushing back against the belief that the Harlem Renaissaince was a movement solely for male artists, Grimké and Hurston write short stories that center Black women and their experiences. Through the avenues of bodily autonomy, the using or silencing of voice, the opportunity and ability to make choices, issues of justice, retribution, and vengeance, the holding of authority, and being empowered or disempowered, I examine the female characters’ exercising of their agency to varying degrees. I also discuss how religious …

Interactive Read-Alouds Of Translingual Texts As A Catalyst For Literacy Engagement Among Emergent Bilingual Elementary Students: A Case Study, Anna Handy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While the population of emergent bilingual students continues to increase in U.S. schools, the teaching force remains predominantly White and monolingual, with many educators underprepared in how to support emergent bilingual students’ literacy development or sustain their diverse linguistic practices. This is reflected in longstanding gaps in performance between monolingual and multilingual students on standardized assessments of reading. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore one possible approach to increase emergent bilingual students’ engagement during and response to literacy instruction: interactive read-alouds of children’s books that incorporate translanguaging. This study sought to describe and interpret how emergent …

Movement As Metamorphosis: An Examination Of Transformative Learning In Dance, Whitney Egstad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using the arts-based methodology of Educational Criticism and Connoisseurship (Uhrmacher, Moroye, & Flinders, 2017) to examine the curriculum and pedagogy of a Colorado-based dance studio, this qualitative dissertation explores how transformative learning (TL) unfolds within the context of adult dance education. Grounded in Mezirow’s (1991) theory of transformative learning, the study investigates how dance becomes a medium for personal transformation, identity reconstruction, and emotional healing. Data collection included six hours of interviews with instructors and students and twelve hours of class observations, focusing on how adult learners experience curriculum not just as technical instruction, but as an embodied, relational journey …

An Auto-Criticism Exploration Of An International Transracial Adoption, Jessica M. Morganfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative dissertation explores the lived experience of international transracial adoption through the combined methodologies of auto-criticism and journaling. Using a first-person, insider-led approach, this study addresses four central research questions: (1) What experiences emerge when an adult adoptee reflects on their childhood as an international transracial adoptee? (2) How do identity development, cultural socialization, and experiences of racial and adoptive microaggressions intersect and influence an individual? (3) How does auto-criticism uniquely describe the international transracial adoptee experience? and (4) How might journaling serve as a research tool for data collection and analysis?

Daily journaling over a 30-day period functioned …

Reading Interventions In The Modern Era: Reconceptualizing The Utility Of Video Games, Senaida Mehmedovic

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Youth in the United States continue to have difficulty developing reading skills, with only 31% of fourth graders reading at a “proficient level” (NAEP Reading: National Average Scores, 2024). Youth struggling to develop reading skills often have reading anxiety (Chow et al., 2021; Martinez, 2019; Ramirez et al., 2019), which impacts their reading skill development even more (Mohammadpur & Ghafournia, 2015); the interwoven and cyclical relationship between reading anxiety and reading comprehension requires interventions to address these needs concurrently (Francis et al., 2019; Francis et al., 2021; Grills et al., 2012). The increased avoidance and paired aversion of reading-related tasks …

The Self That Practices Deeper Teaching: An Exploration Of Influences On Teacher Beliefs And Values, Kerstin L. Rowe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For decades, educators have called for “a fundamental redesign of the industrial-age classroom.” However, despite ongoing discourse around educational reform, the majority of teachers still use the industrial model of education while too few teachers implement deeper teaching practices which situate students as active learners in addressing complex, real-world challenges rather than being passive recipients of knowledge. Existing literature does not explore the influences upon the beliefs and values of teachers who create deeper learning experiences.

This qualitative study employs educational criticism and connoisseurship to illuminate the inner self of those who practice deeper teaching. Drawing on in-depth observations, interviews, …

Foldit Education Mode, Brett Schulz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Foldit education mode is a puzzle campaign within the protein folding video game Foldit. Education mode, initially designed as a classroom supplement for undergraduate biochemistry courses, has been expanded to provide a more comprehensive learning tool to players without a background in biochemistry. The edited and added levels teach players about protein biochemistry through playing puzzles designed to convey information and gameplay mechanics. The new Foldit education mode campaign features 49 levels grouped into 11 categories. The campaign has 6 new levels designed specifically for education mode and 4 levels adapted from the traditional Foldit campaign for use within education …

Political Ecologies Of The Livestock Industry, Jecca Bowen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States today, livestock production is dominated by an intensified, industrialized production paradigm whose growth in recent decades has utterly transformed the logistical realities and community impacts of animal agriculture. This dissertation investigates the effects of this production paradigm on livestock producers—whose decision-making is shaped by multi-scalar and often contradictory forces—as well as residents living near these large operations. To do so, I draw upon mixed-methods fieldwork, including in-depth interviews, spatial analysis, and field odor measurements in Weld and Morgan Counties in northern Colorado. I also use political ecologies of emotion, embodiment, and health to examine the complex …

Exploring The Effects Of Africana Studies On Black Undergraduate Students: A Qualitative Case Study, Lanaya M. Butler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Particularly in the context of American K-12 schools, education has been manipulated to control—rather than liberate—students through the erasure and distortion of Black history, experiences, perspectives, and capabilities. Additionally, American schools prioritize memorization and obedience while failing to equip students with critical thinking skills. As a result, students are trained to become workers rather than innovators, worldbuilders, and change-makers. For nearly a century, Black educational critics have stated that these systems were designed to subjugate Black community members through dehumanization and enslavement of the mind. These critiques are foundational to the aims of Afrocentric education which posits the life experiences …

Margaret Cavendish And Radical Self-Love, Marina Burandt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Margaret Cavendish was an early modern Englishwoman writer who lived from 1623 to 1673. She wrote under her own name at a time when it was more common for women to write under a pen name, and published almost everything she wrote. Her writings include a multiplicity of genres, from science fiction, poetry, drama, and philosophy, to letters, biography, and autobiography. Cavendish’s style often blends multiple genres and forms, showcasing a modality that is driven by complexity and hybridity. Cavendish was a surprisingly modern figure in many ways, as her writings show. The Description of a New World, Called the …

Computational Fluid Dynamics And Fluid Structure Interaction Modeling In Healthy Vertebral Arteries: A Comparative Study, Bryce Clinkenbeard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cerebral perfusion is critical for maintaining proper brain function, with each cerebrovascular artery playing an integral role in the overall cerebrovascular system. When these arteries become damaged or develop plaque, cardiovascular disease (CVDs) such as atherosclerosis can arise, leading to conditions like arterial stenosis. While CVDs are most prevalent in older individuals, they are also observed in young adults, particularly those engaged in high-endurance occupations such as military service. Diagnosis and prediction of CVDs often rely on imaging modalities supported by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) which account for low resolution in fluid flow. CFD models assume rigid arterial walls, which …

Development Of An Embedded Iot Board For Real-Time Floor Estimation Of Autonomous Robots, Carter J. Sorensen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As service robots become more prevalent in multi-story environments such as hospitals, hotels, and laboratories, accurate floor-level detection is critical to ensuring operational reliability. Consider a robot tasked with delivering medical samples in a multi-story laboratory. Without accurate feedback, a robot exiting on the wrong floor could introduce delays, disrupt workflows, or compromise sample integrity. Internet of Things (IoT) technologies offer a way to address these risks by providing real-time error detection and corrective capability. However, current IoT-based floor estimation systems often require invasive modifications to building infrastructure—particularly elevator control panels. These approaches introduce challenges related to cost, liability, backward …