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 …

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 …

The Relationship Between Sports Related Head Injuries, Mental Health And Academic Performance In University Student-Athletes, Odyssey Keller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student athletes face many challenges when it comes to participating in team sports, one of the most notable being sport-related head injuries. Concussions are a growing concern since they have the potential to impact mental health and academic performance long-term. While many athletes report recovery within weeks, some continue to struggle with impairments in their psychological functioning and overall mental well-being that interferes with academic performance over time. Many of the standardized protocols in place for concussion management vary across institutions. This study aimed to address gaps in the existing literature by assessing concussion history, mental health and academic challenges …

"Am I A Man Or A Muppet": A Rhetorical Analysis Of Generative Ai’S Representation Of Gender, Jessica Boaz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how generative artificial intelligence constructs and performs gender roles through a rhetorical analysis of the fully AI-generated podcast Fairytale Forensics. Drawing on theories of constitutive rhetoric, stereotyping, and McLuhan’s approach to the medium, this thesis investigates how AI-generated hosts interpret classic fairy tales while simultaneously reproducing and negotiating gender norms through the lens of prosopopoeia, metonymy and synecdoche. These performances rely on normative gender stereotypes that align with broader societal expectations, thereby potentially reinforcing existing cultural assumptions about masculinity and femininity. Ultimately, it demonstrates that AI-generated discourse does not merely reflect human biases but actively participates in …

Arthur The Knight-King: Protector Of Land, Preserver Of Culture, John Anthony Edwards Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study of Arthurian literature has evolved and changed drastically over the past few centuries. The methodologies and research on King Arthur have taken a variety of approaches and covered all manner of topics, such as the Celtic roots of Arthuriana or discussion of ideals like chivalry. However, the discussion of Arthur’s character has stagnated due to the prevalence of discussing the ideology of kingship or the historical validity of a man called Arthur. A view of Arthur’s character as examined by the canon as a whole has yet to be explored. This thesis presents a new mode of interpretation, …

Attachment And Betrayal: Post-Infidelity Attachment Issues With A Focus On Gender, Taylor Forsythe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Infidelity represents a significant relational trauma that may disturb attachment processes such as trust, emotional intimacy, and closeness. There is a gap in the literature on how different infidelity exposures may relate to these attachment responses; more so, there is a dearth of information on the gender differences for attachment issues following any kind of infidelity. The purpose of this study aimed to examine differences in avoidant and anxious attachment across infidelity groups (no infidelity, non-sexual infidelity, sexual infidelity), and a further comparison of gender differences in those groups. Participants (N = 151) completed online surveys in a larger study …

Reading The Wisdom Of Psalm 37 Through The Lens Of Metaphor And Lament, Hannah N. Johanson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis proposes that reading Ps 37 through the lens of both metaphor and lament can reshape the way the reader understands the reality of evil, fostering hope and agency. While Ps 37 is often classified as a wisdom psalm, this thesis diverges from the interpretation that this psalm is a list of proverbs. Instead, this thesis attempts to show that Ps 37 forms a metaphorical landscape where evil withers, vanishes, and is cut off while goodness thrives and is secured forever. This thesis also places this psalm in dialogue with two poems that engage Ps 37 from a post-Shoah …

The Impact Of Traditional Machismo On Mental Health Outcomes: Depression And Suicide Risk Among Latino Immigrant And Non-Immigrant Men, Yesenia A, Romero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditional masculine norms have long been recognized as influential factors in men’s psychological well-being. Within Latino cultures, the construct of machismo represents a culturally specific form of masculinity characterized by ideals of masculinity and characterized by ideals of strength, dominance, and emotional restraint. While these norms may promote resilience and family responsibilities, rigid adherence to traditional machismo has also been associated with emotional suppression, reduced help-seeking behaviors, and increased psychological distress. The present study conducted a meta-analysis to examine the relationship between traditional machismo and mental health outcomes among Latino men, with particular attention to depressive symptoms as well as …

Cultivating Diversity: Investigating Hispanic College Students’ Attitudes Toward Teaching Amid The U.S. Teacher Shortage Crisis, Daniela Andrea Hernandez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The underrepresentation of Hispanic teachers in U.S. public education remains a significant concern as Hispanic students comprise a growing proportion of the K–12 population. Despite this demographic shift, the educator’s workforce has not reflected the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students it serves. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore first- and second-year Hispanic college students’ perceptions of teaching as a profession and to examine how their educational and personal experiences influenced their career interests. The study was informed by social cognitive career theory and culturally relevant teaching theory to better understand how self-efficacy, outcome expectations, …

Post-Exercise Vitals Recovery Response In Barrel Horses: A Field Study On Cooling Methods Used By Competitors, Lauran E. Hetrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Barrel racing demands peak physical performance from equine athletes, yet limited research evaluates the field-based strategies used to optimize equine recovery at competition. This study assessed recovery management approaches used by competitors to elucidate their influence of physiological recovery by measuring heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature during a high-profile barrel race competition. Physiological data were collected at baseline, immediately post-exercise, and during a 15–30-minute cooldown period to characterize recovery under real-world conditions. Significant increases in HR, RR, and BT occurred from baseline to post-run (p < 0.001), followed by reductions during cooldown (p < 0.01), though values remained elevated (p < 0.05). Rinsing reduced HR and RR (p < 0.01), while shade and fans decreased RR and variably influenced HR. Noise, as a confounding variable, decreased HR but increased BT (p < 0.001). Ultimately, these results emphasize multimodal recovery approaches in competitive equine management in the field.

Propagation And Cultivation Of Sarracenia Species, Kathryn M. Huether

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluates the effectiveness of seed treatments on Sarracenina species to overcome seed dormancy; as well as evaluating fertilizer concentration and substrate mixture impacts on the growth of Sarracenia × wrigleyana, ‘Scarlet Belle’. The first portion of this study evaluated the effects of cold stratification and chemical treatments (smoke water and gibberellic acid) on the germination rates of Sarracenia alata and leucophylla. The primary objective was to determine whether increasing concentrations of these treatments paired with or without stratification could significantly enhance germination and serve as viable seed treatments for horticultural use. Germination did occur within all the …

The Incredible Is, Justin L. Hughes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Incredible Is is a full-length philosophical play in two acts that follows Self — a man whose body contains the visible cosmos — as he travels existence with his companion Cosmic Cat in search of his creator, the "Ultimate Personifier." Along the way he encounters personified abstractions including You, Them, We, Power, Pleasure and Pain, Creator and Destroyer, and falls in love with Magic. When his obsession with finding his maker leads him to break the Rules and plunge the universe into chaos, God resets reality and Self at last confronts the Ultimate Personifier — only to discover a …

Thinking Beyond Bias: The Confirmation Bias Index And The Cognitive–Motivational Predictors Of Accurate Headline Evaluation, Anthony Cantu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Confirmation bias — the tendency to favor belief-consistent information over contradictory evidence — represents a central challenge in contemporary misinformation research, yet its behavioral measurement has remained inconsistent across studies. This study introduced the Confirmation Bias Index (CBI), a preregistered behavioral measure defined as the difference in accuracy between ideologically congruent and incongruent headline evaluations. Using a 3 (headline slant: Conservative, Neutral, Liberal) × 2 (veracity: True, False) within-participants design, 198 participants evaluated 36 validated news headlines for accuracy. Results supported a veracity main effect and a reliable group-level confirmation bias effect indexed by the CBI. Headline slant alone did …

A Quantitative Study On The Impact Of Alternative Education Placements On Graduation Outcomes Of Public Education Students In Special Populations, Mark D. True

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This study examined the relationship between Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) placement and graduation outcomes among students in special populations within a large, urban public school district in Texas. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, this study analyzed a four-year longitudinal cohort to determine whether DAEP placement was associated with differences in graduation outcomes, including on-time graduation, late graduation, and dropout status. The study examined differences between students with single and multiple DAEP placements. The sample included over 4,000 students including students who experienced DAEP placement. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics to compare outcomes between DAEP and …

Investigating The Synergistic Effects Of Mental And Physical Exhaustion On Learning And Attention In Emergency First Responders: An Eye-Tracking Study, Kayla Page

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Exhaustion is known to impair cognitive functioning and performance, yet its effects on learning during video-based instruction among first responders and military service members remain underexplored. This study examined how mental, physical, and combined exhaustion independently influence learning outcomes and visual attention in a physically active sample drawn from military, public safety, and emergency service roles. Visual attention was measured utilizing eye tracking, focusing on fixation duration (FD) and fixation rate (FR). Participants completed instructional tasks under each exhaustion condition, allowing comparison of learning and gaze behavior across fatigue states. Results indicated that mental and physical exhaustion were associated …

Lost In Thought: An Exploration Of Musical Perception And An Original Piece For Orchestra, Matthew Moix

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an original two-movement musical composition orchestrated for full orchestra titled Lost in Thought, based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novel series Heartstopper (2018-2023). The work explores the relationship between two different characters from the series, Nick and Charlie. It emphasizes the different perspectives of these characters and explores the concept of how two different points of view can tell the same story in different ways. An accompanying analysis of the work explains how the two movements illustrate the characters' individual mindsets throughout their version of the story, as well as showing their personal character development and how their …

Retreat, Renew, Reflect: Exploring Digital Marketing Strategies For Faith-Based Retreat Centers, Rebecca A. Mickler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today’s fast-paced world, retreat centers offer a vital opportunity for rest, reflection, and spiritual renewal. Despite growing societal awareness of mental health and wellness, many religiously affiliated retreat centers face stagnant participation, aging leadership, and operational challenges that threaten their long-term sustainability. This qualitative-dominant mixed methods study uses bright spots analysis to examine how Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center (VMESC), a Catholic retreat center, can strengthen its digital marketing strategies to attract new audiences while maintaining mission alignment.

Bright spots analysis examines positive outliers, organizations that achieve notable success despite operating within similar constraints, to identify practices that …

The Perceived Barriers Of A One-To-One Technology Implementation: A Post-Covid Case Study, Adam Howard Creasy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative dominant, exploratory sequential case study aimed to identify stakeholder perceptions of technology within a one-to-one technology initiative and outline any possible barriers. The study examined the perceptions of teachers, parents, and administrators within a rural K-12 public school district in Pennsylvania. The study provided school district stakeholders with data they can use to improve existing and future initiatives by early intervention within areas of concern identified by the study. Data were collected using a two round approach which includes focus groups and targeted surveys utilizing research-backed electronic survey tools. The research questions addressed in the study were the …

Identifying The Barriers Bilingual Parents Face In The Special Education Process, Miranda Leah Hernandez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing parental involvement in the special education process means parents, teachers, and school administrators can unite to educate the children. The problem that the researcher identified was that emergent bilingual families struggle to become meaningful participants in their children’s individualized education plans. This was a qualitative case study that identified the barriers that bilingual parents face within the special education process and the recommendations from bilingual parents on how to help them become more meaningful members of their child’s individualized education plan. The population within the research included bilingual families with children in the greater Houston, Texas area who have …

Reducing Humpty Dumpty Syndrome In Pediatric Inpatients, Jeanene Burns

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Doctor of Nursing Practice project examined pediatric inpatient falls. The healthcare agency involved in the project identified concerns regarding pediatric inpatient falls. Data were collected on pediatric inpatient falls that occurred on two nursing units at this agency based on the Generalized Risk Assessment for Pediatric Inpatient Falls and the Humpty Dumpty Falls Prevention Scale. Results from the project indicated marginal statistical significance, with approximately a 60% reduction in falls after the implementation of the Humpty Dumpty Falls Prevention Scale. A recommendation for future research is a comparison of the two pediatric fall risk assessment tools after the Humpty …

Exploring The Way Up: Career Paths, Challenges, And Resilience Among Women Leaders In Higher Education, Angela M. Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Women represent the majority of students and faculty in higher education students in higher education in the United States, yet they remain underrepresented in executive leadership positions. Women pursuing these roles encounter unique challenges, and institutions have increasingly recognized the value of mentoring and sponsoring women who aspire to leadership. Guided by Kumar’s CR8 resilience theory, this qualitative descriptive study explored how women leaders in higher education in the United States describe their career pathways to leadership, the challenges they encounter, and the impact of mentoring/sponsoring in developing their resilience for career progression. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 11 women …

How Can Learning Management Systems Positively Impact Student Engagement In Online Courses?, Jerald P. Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The topic of this dissertation is learning management systems, specifically Canvas. Research has proven that student engagement is a strong factor in student achievement in both online and inperson courses. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a deficit in instructors’ ability to acquire and maintain student engagement in online courses. This study details why this problem exists and how instructors have successfully addressed it in higher-level online courses. The primary purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to examine how learning management systems, specifically Canvas, can increase student engagement in online courses in higher education. Qualitative research was the chosen paradigm for …

African American Male Dual Enrollment Graduates Perceptions Of The Transition To The 4-Year University, Kendra L. Harrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore how African American men who earned an associate degree from dual enrollment programs in Texas perceive the transition to a 4-year university to pursue a bachelor’s degree. The 4S model of Schlossberg’s transition theory was the conceptual framework that undergirded the study. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 20 participants. The researcher collected and triangulated data using a questionnaire and semistructured interviews and analyzed it using six-step thematic analysis. Results revealed competence and confidence from dual enrollment program resulted in a smooth transition to college, participants’ African American male …

Staying Power: A Case Study Of Teacher Retention In A Rural District, Amanda F. Mclellan, Amanda F. Mclellan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition continues to be a significant challenge in K-12 education, particularly in rural school districts where limited resources and geographic isolation can intensify staffing instability. While much research has focused on teacher attrition, little research examines why tenured teachers choose to remain in rural districts. The purpose of this qualitative, single-case study was to examine the experiences and insights of tenured teachers regarding their decision to continue teaching in a small, rural Texas school district. Guided by Mason and Matas’s fourcapital framework for teacher retention, this study examined how human, social, structural, and positive psychological capital influenced teachers’ decisions …

Rooted Or Restless: Retaining Teachers From Urban And Suburban Backgrounds In Rural Texas, Martha Saucedo Ms.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rural school districts across the United States continue to experience persistent challenges in retaining teachers, particularly those from urban and suburban backgrounds who transition into geographically isolated rural communities. These educators often encounter professional isolation, cultural adjustment, and limited access to resources, which influence their long-term commitment to rural schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teachers from urban and suburban backgrounds experienced geographical and professional isolation in rural schools within a Texas Education Service Center region in a rural area and how leadership practices influenced their sense of belonging, place attachment, and retention. This …

Architecture As Frozen Music: An Original Wind Ensemble Work Exploring Architectural Metaphors In Contemporary Music, Leighannah J. Turner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Architecture has long served as a source of inspiration for Western art music composers from the Early Renaissance through the Neoclassical period. While the relationship between music and architecture has been widely studied, much of the existing research focuses on traditional mediums such as the symphony orchestra. This project explores the concept of music as “frozen architecture” – introduced by Friedrich Schelling – and the metaphorical correlations as described by Vitruvius and Lupishko, applying these concepts to the contemporary medium of the wind ensemble through my original composition. My work integrates the architectural principles proposed by Vitruvius and Lupishko while …

Addressing The Problems Of Data Variations, Quality, And Scarcity In Training Deep Neural Networks, Jian Sun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The performance of deep neural networks (DNNs) is strongly influenced by the characteristics and quality of the underlying datasets. This Ph.D. dissertation addresses three pervasive data challenges-imbalance, quality degradation, and scarcity-that commonly hinder the effectiveness of DNNs in computer vision (CV) and natural language processing (NLP) applications.

Class imbalance remains one of the most frequent causes of degraded model generalization. While Focal Loss effectively mitigates inter-class imbalance by assigning higher weights to minority classes, it struggles with intra-class imbalance, particularly in video datasets where longer clips dominate feature representation. To address this, I implement and utilize …

Contribution Of G4 Structure To Alzheimer’S Disease And Tau Pathology, Lena Michaela Kallweit

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The occurrence of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is rapidly increasing as our global population ages. With the majority of therapeutic drugs in the last couple of decades failing clinical trials, new molecular targets are needed to combat the expected influx of new AD cases. AD pathogenesis is associated with abnormal protein aggregation, characterized in part by intracellular accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) in neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). RNA has been identified as a major non-proteinaceous component of NFTs and has been implicated as an active cofactor in tau aggregation and spread. Recent work has shown that aggregates from AD brains contain almost …

Critical Roles And Critical Rolls: A Frame-Analytical Perspective Of Self-Making, Safe Spaces, And Worldbuilding In Tabletop Role-Playing Games, Cal Quayle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many gamers prefer to play tabletop roleplaying games, or TTRPGs, in order to a) join a community, and b) tell a story collaboratively with friends and acquaintances. This thesis discusses selfhood-making, safe spaces, and allegory in imaginary worlds from the perspective of Erving Goff man’s frame analysis. It relies on a theoretical framework of imagined communities, the magic circle, and subcreation. This research culminated in the understanding that people play TTRPGs for a variety of reasons - collaborative storytelling and exercising critical thinking skills, but respondents overwhelmingly reported that they enjoyed the ability to socialize with friends and strangers, and …

Bridging Professional Development Gaps In Pacrao Through Gamification, Chad Everett Saunders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the extent to which a gamified professional development platform can foster skill development, knowledge application, and engagement among members of the Pacific Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (PACRAO). Grounded in the principles of humanism (Rogers, 1969) and andragogy (Knowles, 1990), and operationalized through gamification (Kapp, 2012), this study evaluated whether game-based mechanics aligned with adult learners’ professional development needs within a geographically dispersed regional association. To address these constraints, a prototype gamified platform, PACRAO University, was developed to provide a flexible, self-paced, and contextually relevant learning environment. Using a quantitative, within-subjects repeated measures design, …