Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of A Novel Corn Fermented Protein Ingredient, Probiotics, And Postbiotics On Nursery Pig Growth Performance And Gut Health, Juan F. Castillo Zuniga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Weaning is a necessary step in pig production. After weaning, pigs are subjected to various nutritional, psychological, and environmental stresses. The weaning period is an important period for the intestinal development of the pig. During this time, digestion, immunity, metabolism, and various other aspects of the pig change rapidly. Therefore, providing high-quality feed ingredients is crucial to encourage the newly weaned pig to start consuming solid feed. Two independent studies were conducted to determine if the inclusion of: 1) corn fermented protein (CFP) or 2) probiotics or postbiotics impact nursery pigs' growth performance and gut health. The first experiment utilized …

Overwhelmed And Unsupported: The Experiences Of Long-Term Care Certified Nursing Assistants With Traumatic Events, Nicole L. Carlson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

I Can't Look Away: Parasocial Relationships With Dance Mom Characters Across Tv And Social Media, Kennedy Kay Pirlet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2019, Dance Moms ended its airing on Lifetime at the completion of the eighth season. However, the show and its cast members remained popular on social media platforms like TikTok, but we still didn’t know the relationship between watching the show and following cast members on multiple social media platforms or who audiences were closest to. To answer this question, the celebrity-persona parasocial interaction scale and experience of parasocial interaction scale were utilized. These scales were used in this study and found reliable. Snowball recruitment focusing on social media platforms and emails yielded 180 eligible sample participants. Through a …

Organizational Culture's Impact On Job Satisfaction: A Reconceptualization Of The Competing Values Framework, Isaac Thor Erickson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academic job satisfaction has been decreasing in the U.S. which has profound negative impacts such as burnout and decreased well-being of employees. One way that job satisfaction can be increased is through understanding and changing organizational cultures through better communication. The Competing Values Framework (CVF; Quinn & Rohrbaugh, 1983; Belasen & Frank, 2010; Lund, 2003) has been used to understand how organizational cultures and their communicative norms relate to job satisfaction. However, the CVF relies on categorical measures sitting on two axes that are not orthogonal. As such, the study posits breaking these two axes into four dimensions of organizational …

Advancing Karl Jaspers: The Connection Between The Theory Of Existential Communication And Mentoring Satisfaction, Nolan Patrick Bowers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Existential philosopher Karl Jaspers’s theory (1932/1970; 1935/1971b) of existential communication is understood to be his most important contribution to existentialism. Additionally, this theory has unique ties to the phenomena of communication, begging its use as a dialogic theory. However, Jaspers’s theory has been relatively untouched by academia. This thesis understands the theory of existential communication through an operationalization of its aspects and explicitly connecting them to communicative behaviors. These aspects of existential communication are (1) vulnerability, (2) open-mindedness, and (3) equality. This study set out to determine whether these aspects could be found within mentoring relationships and support the aspects …

The Effect Of Supportive Relationships And A Sense Of Community On The Success Of First-Year College Students, Stetson K. Akers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Colleges and universities across the United States actively seek to bring quality students to their institutions and retain them through their course of study while striving to support the successful completion of their degree. The problem is that students face many sources of adversity within their first year of college and leave the institution they have enrolled in before returning for their second year, including financial issues, mental health struggles, and academic success problems. The reasons students leave vary, but it remains important to help students feel connected to the community of their campus while supporting their mental health during …

The Impact Of Sitting And Crawling On The Acquisition Of Object Permanence In Infants With Motor Delays And Infants With Typical Development, Karl Jancart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Object permanence (OP) is the ability to understand that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be perceived. During play, infants with an understanding of OP will continue searching for toys when the toys have been obscured by other items. Searching requires movement. The theory of embodied cognition maintains that the form and function of an organism’s body influence how the organism learns; Therefore, if a child has difficulties with movement, as demonstrated by children with motor delays, they will likely have difficulty engaging in play, the modality by which children learn about their world. The current research is …

Using A Three-Dimensional Theoretical Orientation Matching Model To Predict Therapeutic Outcomes, Daniel Rhodes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Matching helpers and clients in a therapeutic setting is inefficient and ineffective. So far, there are no significant and enduring variables that reliably match helpers and clients that lead to positive therapeutic outcomes. This study attempts to match helper and client using theoretical orientation. It uses a quantitative methodology to predict therapeutic outcomes given match quality in the therapeutic dyad. Participants were 30 dyadic pairs—consisting of one helper and one client—who had a pre-existing therapeutic relationship. Each was given an assessment tool, used to measure their theoretical orientation to psychotherapy. Results showed no statistically significant relationships between theoretical orientation match …

Negative Psychology Of Anti-Semitism: Fear Of The Uncategorizable, Benjamin Strosberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anti-Semitism is a pervasive global issue, particularly prominent in the United States. Studying and defining anti-Semitism prove remarkably challenging for scholars, leading to inadequate understanding and exclusion from contemporary academic discourse and social justice initiatives. In this dissertation, I made the case that anti-Semitism is hard to categorize, stemming, in part, from the difficulty in categorizing what it is to be Jewish, which seems to be multi-form (a figure of thought, a race, an ethnicity, a religion, a nation, none of the above). In thinking about the difficulty in categorization, I constellated various instances of anti-Jewish practices across historical epochs …

A Demonstration Of Enactivist Personality Assessment Using The Five-Factor Model, Garri Hovhannisyan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to extend the intellectual and existential horizon of the enactive approach by bringing forth an enactivist understanding of human cognitive life as it is lived from the perspective of personality traits. The theoretical task of this dissertation is to review existing evidence in support of the Enactivist Big-5 Theory (EB5T) of personality and its potential for bridging the phenomenological gap between minimal and human cognition. As a phenomenologically grounded theory of personality, EB5T conceptualizes individual differences not merely as differences in trait measures within a person but as differences in styles of how individuals bring forth, experience, …

Functional Cynicism, Michelle Fried

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Trait cynicism, or “cynical hostility” as measured by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory’s Cook-Medley Scale, is defined and studied as characteristics associated with psychopathology, interpersonal conflict, and negative health outcomes including heart disease and cognitive decline. Likewise, “organizational cynicism” is operationalized in industrial/organizational psychology for the purpose of describing and identifying an undesirable employee type in the workplace. This research proposes an alternative assessment. It reconnects cynicism with its roots in ancient philosophy by asking if cynical attitudes, despite their negative valence ascribed in the modern literature and conventional opinion, may serve a practical purpose. This study of Functional Cynicism …

Changing The Face Of Reading Instruction: Do Culturally Relevant Passages Increase The Effects Of The Repeated Reading Intervention For Middle School Black Girls With Reading Difficulties (Bgrds)?, Olajumoke Edith Oshokoya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that fewer studies have focused on improving the reading abilities of middle school Black girls (Morris, 2007). As BGRDs progress through K – 12 grades, they increasingly rely on basic and advanced reading skills (i.e., oral reading fluency [ORF] and comprehension) to learn. Providing BGRDs with engaging reading passages that are relevant to their prior knowledge, background, interests, and experiences, is more likely to motivate them to read, and eventually improve their reading skills (Cartledge et al., 2015). While there is a growing body of literature focused on Black students’ experiences, currently no study has explored the …

The Contribution Of Principlism To Foster Ethical And Clinical Reciprocity In Resolving Healthcare Dilemmas, Dominic Glorioso

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Principlism is an ethical method that uses an analytical framework based on a set of principles that can function as guidelines for healthcare professionals. The term was made

famous by the work of two bioethicists, Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress. Their book, Principles of Biomedical Ethics and its multiple editions described a set of norms that are basic

for biomedical ethics. The first edition of their book was published in 1979, and the ninth edition in 2019. Its persistence and durability speak for themselves. In addition, their writings made

famous the four bioethical principles of respect for Autonomy, …

The Normative Requirement For Shared Decision Making (Sdm) In Healthcare Ethics, Margaret Nornor-Quadjie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Medicine and medical technology started to advance after World War II. During that period, the practice of medicine became technical. A lot began to happen in the biomedical world during the period after WWII that attracted comments, criticisms, and analyses from scholars. Perhaps, the 1947 Doctors’ Trial at the Nuremberg Tribunal and the Nuremberg Code may be said to be the defining moment for bioethics. These events eventually led to, in the United States, the passage of the National Research Act of 1974 that established the Institutional Review Board system and the National Commission for Protection of Human Subjects of …

Understanding The Psychological Significance Of Astrology In Millennial Women's Lives, Rachel June Floyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In North America, astrology has been experiencing a resurgence in popularity. This is immediately remarkable given that the United States and Canada are industrialized, modern societies where astrology is widely lamented as a pseudoscience. This dissertation presents a phenomenological exploration of the underlying reasons for this cultural trend, particularly among the demographic that uses it most: millennial women. Existing psychological literature on astrology is primarily dominated by correlational studies or historical analyses and lacks the depth and richness of direct experiences of individuals engaging with this phenomenon. This study sought to address this gap within psychological literature specifically, by conducting …

Understanding The Cultural Perceptions And Beliefs Of Law Enforcement About Officer Wellness: A Focused Ethnography, Carrie Hintz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Law enforcement is recognized as one of the most stressful and high-risk occupations in the world. This study explored the cultural perceptions, beliefs, and values of law enforcement officers (LEOs) about their wellness. Methodology: This focused ethnography included observations and individual interviews of LEOs in the state of Nevada, USA. Leininger’s four phases of qualitative data analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: Thirty-one LEOs participated, representing 7 law enforcement agencies. Three themes were identified: 1) the badge is omnipresent in officers' lives, affecting every aspect of their world; 2) a balanced approach to officer health is important; …

Connections Between Polyvictimization, Daily Stress, Emotion Regulation, And Mental Health Symptoms: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study., Zoe L. Bridges-Curry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background and Objectives: Individuals who experience polyvictimization, or victimization across multiple life contexts, evidence particularly severe outcomes across a range of mental health diagnoses. Preliminary evidence suggests that emotion regulation difficulties and stress sensitization effects may help explain observed links between trauma exposure and mental health symptoms. However, the use of between-subjects designs to address within-subjects processes – a common approach across this literature – can result in erroneous interpretation of findings. Moreover, widespread reliance on retrospective trait measures of emotion regulation, daily stressors, and mental health symptoms have limited insight into the ways that these processes unfold in daily …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Perceptions Of Inclusive Preschool Education Through The Lens Of Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Educators., Brooke Noon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Young children with special needs have been educated in early childhood settings with typically developing peers for over 40 years. Successful educational inclusion in the least restrictive environment requires appropriate aids and supports (Individuals with Disabilities Act, 2004). Although researchers have studied many aspects of special education, little investigation has been conducted on the perspectives of dual certified interdisciplinary early childhood educator’s (IECE) perceptions on full inclusion in preschool. This study was designed to examine the connection between the perceptions of IECE teacher’s experiences as a dual certified educator in preschool. In total, 10 IECE teachers were interviewed and completed …

Educator Perceptions Of The Care And Instruction Of Trauma Exposed Students In A Small, Urban, Christian School., Amanda L. Petters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students of color in low socio-economic, high crime urban areas are exposed to a higher level of trauma than their White contemporaries. The trauma that they bring into school with them create challenges for their teachers working to eliminate barrier to students’ education. Widespread efforts have been attempted to thwart the social injustices that many students of color experience in schools including disproportionality around implementation of school rules and the equitable access to curriculum. I used Critical Race Theory to frame my study around students of color in urban areas experiencing disproportionate levels of trauma, and their teachers’ level of …

Environmental Exposures And Male Reproductive Outcomes., Damilola Rukayat Owoade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Male sexual dysfunction comprises various conditions, including erectile dysfunction (ED) and ejaculatory dysfunction. Testosterone deficiency (TD), which has been linked to some of these sexual dysfunctions, is characterized by low production of testosterone by the testes. These male reproductive outcomes may develop due to exposure to various risk factors, including environmental exposures. These environmental exposures may include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and tear gas. This dissertation aims to examine the effects of tear gas exposure and VOCs on male reproductive outcomes. The association between tear gas exposure and male reproductive outcomes was assessed using data obtained from an online anonymous …

Automated Usability Evaluation Utilizing Log Files And Data Mining Techniques., Sima Shafaei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Usability evaluation is one of the essential aspects of software production. This evaluation should be done during the entire life cycle of a software application, from pre-production to production and post-production. However, the collection and evaluation of usability data can be a very challenging, time-consuming, and expensive task to be conducted manually, particularly for certain types of products and working conditions. These challenges may include the need to recruit participants fully engage and motivate them during evaluation, and factor in environmental conditions. Other challenges may include collecting data in real-world environments, especially when the users are geographically dispersed, minimizing evaluator …

“I Became Myself”: Exploring Cultural Learning Through Stories And Storytelling., Leah Halliday-Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite broad acknowledgement in education that culturally responsive teaching is essential to meeting learners’ needs, defining and operationalizing culturally responsive teaching remains a challenge. Along with being designed to meet the needs of students from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds who have traditionally been underserved, one commonly identified feature of culturally responsive teaching is building on students’ cultural assets to promote their learning. And while stories and storytelling are among the most common teaching tools, storytelling pedagogies tend to use stories to deliver content or to assess student learning. This dissertation explores collaborative story sharing as an approach to helping …

Organizational Change In Saudi Healthcare Settings: Evaluating Organizational And Individual Readiness For Change, And The Mediating Role Of Readiness For Change Between Management Support And Commitment To Change., Sultan Alsaif

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: To respond to the constantly changing environment and developments of healthcare, leaders of healthcare organizations have been trying to introduce and implement transformations that allow their organizations to be able to operate effectively and efficiently to meet the shifts in healthcare demand and to deal with new patterns of health issues, comply with the new policies, and to enhance their present in the market. Thus, it is important for managers to determine the level of readiness for implementing organizational changes from to perspectives. These perspectives include organizational readiness for change and individual readiness for change. METHOD: This first manuscript …

Exploring Burnout And Work Engagement In The United States Refugee Resettlement Policy-Practice Domain: A Qualitatively Driven Mixed-Method Study., Eva X. Nyerges

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Refugee resettlement workers are crucial actors within refugee resettlement, supporting newcomers’ acculturation into a new society. Little is known about the comprehensive range of organizational characteristics that impact workers’ experiences of burnout and work engagement. This qualitatively driven mixed-method study using Constructivist Grounded Theory analytic techniques aimed to develop a holistic understanding of the organizational elements influencing burnout and work engagement among refugee resettlement workers. Further, the study aimed to illuminate the mechanisms by which job demands and resources influence burnout and work engagement. In-depth qualitative interviews with 22 refugee resettlement workers operating in a southeastern state of the United …

Investigating Saudi Arabia University Teachers’ Level Of Self-Efficacy In The Components Of The Tpack Model, Nouf Alghamdi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to investigate the level of self-efficacy amongst instructors regarding the various components of the TPACK model in their teaching within Saudi Arabia. TPACK represents a viable nexus between technology and educational content, creating successful educational technology integration. Existing research demonstrates a need to study TPACK further in the context of instructors’ level of self-efficacy in the components of the TPACK model (Lee and Kim, 2017). However, this dissertation will investigate instructors’ level of self-efficacy towards utilizing technology in their classrooms. In doing so, the study will adopt a quantitative approach using a survey to gain insights into …

Exploration Of Privilege And Preschool Teachers’ Demographics Associated With Teachers’ Self-Efficacy In Culturally Responsive Classroom Management, Katherine Madison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Every child in America is entitled to a free public education; however, racial disparities in academics and discipline continue to grow in America’s school system (Glock et al., 2019; Muñiz, 2019). These racial disparities begin in preschool, following the students throughout their school years. African American students, specifically African American males, are three times more likely than their Caucasian peers to be suspended in preschool (CRDC, 2016; Musu-Gillette et al., 2016). Suspension at an early age correlates with students entering juvenile detentions, prisons and incompletion of schooling (Love, 2014; Meek & Gilliam,2016; Muñiz, 2019). Culturally responsive teaching and classroom management …

Special Education Teachers’ Emotional Well-Being And Work-Related Stressors In The School Environment, Mallory J. Laravie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is little to no research regarding novice elementary special education teachers (SETs) and their emotional well-being while in the school environment. The goal of this work is to illuminate special education teacher’s voices missing in previous research. Additionally, this research examines the impact of work-related stressors on novice elementary SETs' emotional well-being in the school environment. The theoretical perspective of heuristics is used to illuminate a problem or answer a question about the lived experience of the researcher. Lazarus and Folkman’s (1984) transactional theory of stress and coping framework guided the research question development, data analysis, and presentation of …

Perceptions Of Educators On Motivational Strategies Influencing Middle School Students In Mathematics Courses, Amy Rigsby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined educators' perceptions of motivational strategies influencing and motivating middle school students to comprehend and perform in mathematics courses. This study used interview data from 15 participants with 2 to 30 years of teaching experience. Educators may utilize this information in multiple settings within the classroom to influence and motivate students in mathematics courses.

Data collection strategies included one-on-one semi-structured middle school educator interviews. Analysis of data occurred in three phases: (a) categorization of data under the five organizational factors, (b) building the explanation in narrative form, and (c) re-examination of the data. The analysis of the …

Formalizing The Faustian Bargain Within The Healthcare Domain: An End-Of-Life Approach., Rachel Appel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A Faustian Bargain refers to an individual making a “deal with the devil,” exchanging something moral or sacred for an unattainable earthly good. The Faustian Bargain has been used to describe a ubiquitous social dilemma inherent to human civilization: exchanging individual liberty for public goods (e.g., security) provided by societal leaders and governments (Ostrom, 1980). Research on Faustian Bargains often examines tradeoffs between outcome utility (i.e., value derived from the outcomes of a decision) and procedural utility (i.e., value derived from being involved in the decision process (e.g., Frey et al., 2004). Much of the research on Faustian Bargains has …

The Experiences Of Leaders Who Transitioned To Leading A Virtual Team During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study., Jason W. Oliver

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic led to organizations rapidly transitioning their workforces to virtual work settings. This sudden shift brought about many challenges to organizations and their employees. In this study, a phenomenological research approach was used to describe the lived experiences of leaders who transitioned to managing a virtual team during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also explored how leaders adapted their leadership practices and leveraged people and technology when transitioning to managing a virtual team. The findings revealed seven themes that highlighted both benefits and challenges of virtual leadership and work. Leaders recognized the need for intentionality in their actions …