Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Gaps In Understanding And Responding To Ageism: A Conceptual Model, Psychosocial Health, And Racialized Ageism, Andrew T. Steward

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ageism is an insidious, prevalent social justice issue which has harmful effects on the health of older adults. This dissertation includes three manuscripts which explore gaps in understanding and responding to ageism through three distinct methodological approaches. Two primary gaps are addressed in the three manuscripts: 1) conceptualizing and testing activities or interventions to reduce internalized ageism and enhance psychosocial health for older adults, and 2) exploring the intersectionality of ageism with racism.

The first manuscript draws from stereotype embodiment theory and theories of successful and productive aging to detail a conceptual model of interventions which may reduce internalized ageism …

Perceptions And Practices Of Families With Economic Disadvantages Regarding Giftedness And Family Involvement, Jennifer Lemoine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This hermeneutic phenomenological research study addressed the persistent problem of practice of underrepresentation of economically disadvantaged students in gifted education by exploring the beliefs, experiences, and practices of families with economic disadvantages pertaining to giftedness and family involvement in education. Data was gathered from six participants with economic disadvantages and a gifted child through two interviews and analyzed using the hermeneutic circle to uncover patterns and themes.

Themes emerged around each of the three research questions including themes for beliefs and experiences pertaining to giftedness: resiliency, creativity, overexcitability, divergent thinking, twice-exceptionality, intelligence, asynchronous development, and negative behaviors. Findings also point …

The Examination Of Social Support Received After Traumatic Experiences, Emily Abellon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to explore what constitutes effective and ineffective social support after an individual endures trauma. Participants were recruited mainly through social media to complete an online survey with open-ended questions. The survey provided participants with the opportunity to reflect and share the social support they received after the endured trauma, specifically disclosing what support messages were effective and ineffective, and why these messages were effective and ineffective. The messages found to be effectively supportive after the endured trauma, and the ones most frequently mentioned were emotional and appraisal support. These messages were found to be effective due to …

Us Financial Expansions And Exchange Rate Determination, Matthew Brill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how US financial activity influences the exchange rates of foreign nations. Starting off by building on Currency Hierarchy and Minskyan dynamics, I look at how financial cycles generated in the US, the key economy, transmit liquidity towards economies on the periphery. Additionally, I use the increase in shadow banking asset accumulation relative to commercial banking asset accumulation as indicative of financial expansions in the US, and the driving force of financial cycles. Using vector autoregression (VAR) analysis I test the relationships between the ratio of US shadow banking assets relative to commercial …

Examining Relationships Among Creativity Skills Training, Domain-Specific Creativity, And Creative Self-Efficacy: A Mixed Methods Study, Kayla R. Steffens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among and impact of creativity skills training, domain-specific creativity, and creative self-efficacy in adult alumni of a youth creativity skills training experience. This research further aims to remediate the deficiency of existing creativity research regarding the relationship between domain-specific creativity, creativity skills training, and creative self-efficacy. This study employs a mixed-method approach to address four research questions regarding the impact of a creativity skills training experience from adult alumni of Destination Imagination, an educational experience designed to enhance creativity. The Amusement Park Theoretical Model of Creativity acts as a theoretical …

Are You My Nurse? The Effects Of Patient-Delivered Gender Microaggressions On Women Trainees’ Clinical Work In Integrated Primary Care, Julia Ratchford Kauffmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gender microaggressions are a form of sexist discrimination that have detrimental effects on women’s psychological well-being. Unfortunately, these sexist occurrences are commonplace in the United States and can be experienced in a variety of ways. As such, there is a need to understand behavioral health providers’ experiences with patient-delivered gender microaggressions. In doing so, we may be able to better support women behavioral health trainees’ during their clinical development by potentially understanding the ways in which women trainees are affected by sexist patient encounters. Therefore, the present study sought to apply the Social Cognitive Model of Counselor Training and the …

Estimation Of Treatment Effects With Multilevel Observational Data Using Deep Neural Networks, Logistic Regression, And Multilevel Modeling: A Propensity Score Approach, Neba Nfonsang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study used a propensity score approach to estimate treatment effects in a multilevel setting. The propensity score approach involves the estimation of propensity scores for covariate balancing and the estimation of treatment effects. This study aimed at understanding how propensity scores estimated through a simple logistic regression compare with propensity scores estimated through an optimized deep neural networks model. The study also examined how treatment effects estimated with propensity score weights from logistic regression compare with treatment effects estimated with propensity score weights from deep neural networks.

Few causal studies have been conducted in a multi-level setting with observational …

Exploring The Potential For Therapeutic Art-Making In School Psychology Practice: A Single Case Study Of A Training Experience, Alexandra G. Manion

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a training experience on the use of therapeutic art-making for school psychologists, with a focus on how to incorporate these concepts into their school-based mental health practice. Therapeutic artmaking includes the use of visual art activities (drawing, painting, clay, and collage) with specific therapeutic intent. Although there are examples of art therapists providing inschool therapeutic art-making services to support the mental health needs of students, there is far less information regarding the use of therapeutic art-making by school-based mental health providers, including school psychologists. This single case study explored …

Going Backstage: Examining Justice Perceptions Of Electronic Performance Monitoring, Maurice Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Organizations are rapidly adopting emerging technologies, popularly known in the media as “bossware,” that track the behaviors of employees. The use of these technologies to monitor worker performance is known as electronic performance monitoring (EPM) in the academic literature. EPM systems increasingly utilize advanced algorithms, equipping companies with the capabilities to expose employees' actions, thoughts, and feelings. Prior research on EPM has focused mainly on the reactions of front-line workers, ignoring the perceptions of employees who work at different hierarchical levels within their organizations. An organizational justice perspective is used to examine how a company’s decision to grant employees the …

Expanding The Network Evaluation Toolkit: Combining Social Network Analysis & Qualitative Comparative Analysis, Debbie Gowensmith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collective action networks are complex systems of interrelated individuals or groups that come together for a common social change purpose (Ernstson, 2011). Researchers have used social network analysis (SNA) to examine the relationship structures and characteristics of collective action networks. However, determining whether collective action networking produces outcomes has been challenging because networks are complex, affected by context, and produce interdependent data. I addressed these challenges by pairing SNA with qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), a configurational comparative method. Using QCA, researchers can tease out which conditions are necessary or sufficient to produce an outcome. I analyzed a collective action network …

Using The Fraction Of Missing Information (Fmi) In Selecting Auxiliary Variables To Impute Missingness In Confirmatory Factor Analysis (Cfa), Dareen Taha Alzahrani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using the fraction of missing information (FMI) to select auxiliary variables in imputing missing data in confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). This was done by conducting two studies (a simulation study and an empirical study). A Monte Carlo simulation technique was used to compare the performance and the effect of the restrictive strategy based on FMI and the inclusive strategy on parameter estimate bias and parameter estimate efficiency. The missing data mechanisms, missing data proportion, correlation strength between the analysis variables and auxiliary variables, and the inclusive and restrictive strategies were assessed in …

Repetition Repeated: Reconstructing A Lacanian Subjectivity Through Kierkegaardian Repetition, Thomas R. Ryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When Descartes declared “Cogito ergo sum,” he triggered a fundamental shift in the trajectory and scope of the philosophical discourse. Hegel called this the beginning of modern philosophy, but the Cartesian cogito elevated human reason, ushered the Enlightenment, and led to scientific and political revolutions. But as Slavoj Zizek has pointed out, almost from the moment Descartes posited the mind-body problem, there was an anxiety about what it meant to be “one who thinks.”1 This anxiety presents itself as a continuous questioning of the ontology of the subject, and ultimately, whether there is a subject at all. By the time …

Paving Pathways For Success: The Role Of Transition Models And Disability Services In Postsecondary Education For Students With Disabilities, Jillian Talley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students have dreams and goals outside of school. School psychologists can play a vital role in helping students with disabilities reach their dreams, particularly when the dreams ask the question “What do I want to do after high school?” Often, the answer lies in postsecondary goals, which require transition planning while the student is still in school. Manuscript One (M1) explores how families, teachers and school psychologists can all play supportive and distinct roles in helping a student with disabilities reach their postsecondary goals. There have been several transition models proposed to help students with disabilities shift from PK-12 to …

Exploring The Lives Of Parents Of Traditionally Marginalized Gifted Students, Lora Romero

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived parenting experiences of traditionally marginalized gifted students within the educational setting and at home. For this study, the researcher gathered information from seven parents of traditionally marginalized gifted students and told their stories. Since the families are traditionally marginalized the population consisted of those who have high intelligence and are a part of a historically oppressed racial/ethnic group. The study was developed using the lens of the Critical Race Theory (CRT). Through the CRT, Capper (2015), recognized that many schools analyze the function of race but lack the knowhow of …

Could Alexa Increase Your Social Worth?, Peter Tripp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

People have historically used personal introductions to build social capital, which is the foundation of career networking and is perhaps the most effective way to advance a career (Lin, 2001). With societal changes, such as the pandemic (Venkatesh & Edirappuli, 2020), and the increasing capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI), new approaches may emerge that impact societal relationships. Social capital theory highlights the need for reciprocal agreements to establish the trust between parties (Gouldner, 1960). My theoretical prediction and focus of this research include two principles: The impact of reciprocity in evaluating trust of the source of the introduction and the …

Gifted Female Voices: Perceptions Of Differentiation In Secondary And Higher Education, Ann Makikalli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While the advocacy of differentiation as best pedagogical practices for instruction of gifted students can be found in scholarly literature, minimal research attention has been given to high-ability students’ perceptions about their lived classroom experiences. Lack of challenging and accelerated content for identified gifted students can lead to boredom, negative self-perception, and disengagement from school. Gifted adolescent females, who are less likely to address barriers to realizing their potential can especially suffer or thrive depending on curriculum. The purpose of this qualitative study is to describe identified female gifted university students’ perceptions of pre-collegiate and collegiate differentiation of curriculum and …

A Shift In Perspective: Temptress Witch To Realistic Woman, Caroline Conroy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In mid-20th century Anglo-American translations of The Odyssey, Odysseus is painted as a courageous, clever king while the briefly-featured Circe is portrayed as a temptress witch. This dichotomy changes, however, by the time these characters are featured in early 21st-century adaptations of Homer’s work; both released in 2018, Madeline Miller’s Circe and Delia Owens’s Where the Crawdads Sing reclaim Circe’s depiction by portraying a Circe-like character as a powerful protagonist, aware of her strengths and weaknesses. By analyzing the archetype of the witch and how it is reflective of patriarchal society’s efforts to reduce and isolate women’s power, I argue …

The Infinity Mirror: Learning To Lead Through Action-Oriented Inquiry, Robert D. Evans

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation-in-practice is a reflective self-study exploring the lived experience of the current researcher as a leader of Lesson Study (LS) over 2 years. Drawing on the concepts of perspective and engagement articulated by Wenger-Trayner and Wenger- Trayner (2016) in their Learning in Landscapes of Practice conceptual framework, the study is organized around the primary critical question: How has my perspective on what it means to be a teacher leader been transformed through my engagement with LS in the context of a US community of educational practice? Working within the paradigm of first person action-oriented inquiry, the method of self-study …

Perceptions Of Parental Care And Overprotection In Childhood: Influences On The Neurobiological Adaptation To Motherhood, Leah Grande

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recalled memories of caregiving in childhood are especially salient during the postpartum period and inform mothers’ conceptualization of her new parenting role. Positive perceptions of care received from one’s parents are related to improved maternal-infant bonding and positive parenting behaviors, whereas negative perceptions of care convey risk for maladaptive parenting. Few studies have investigated neural and biological mechanisms contributing to observed associations between childhood care and the adaptation to motherhood. The following studies address this gap by examining how perceptions of childhood parental care and overprotection are related to maternal behavior, oxytocin levels, and neural response. Methods: Perceived childhood maternal …

Assessing The Relationship Between White Privilege, White Fragility, And Masculine Gender Identity And Stressors In The Workplace, Anna Edelman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study examined how White privilege information avoidance and White fragility are related to aspects of traditional masculinity. Informed by Critical Race Theory and Critical Whiteness Studies, this study examined the link between traditional masculine norms, masculine gender identity stress, and White privilege reactions. A sample of White, working men were recruited both through snowball sampling and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Participants were first assessed on a variety of masculinity variables and then were randomly assigned to view one of two video vignettes. After viewing this video, their affective responses, White privilege information avoidance, and White fragility were assessed through …

Digital Searching: A Grounded Theory Study On The Modern Search Experience, Nicolas Armando Parés

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This Grounded theory study explores US adults' modern information search process as they pursue information through digital search user interfaces and tools. To study the current search process, a systematic grounded theory methodology and two data collection methods, a think-aloud protocol and semi-structured interviews, are used to develop the theory. The emerging theory addressed two tightly connected research questions that asked, “What is the process by which humans search and discover information?” and “What is the process by which search and discovery interfaces and tools support the modern search process?”

The study collects participant data from US adults who have …

Understanding And Supporting Asian American Youth’S Mental Health Within Cultural And Family Contexts, In Young Park

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mental health problems are a major health issue among East Asian American (EAA) youth. Although previous research has explored the risk and protective factors associated with mental health problems of EAA youth, many studies have employed Eurocentric perspectives, thereby excluding their unique cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and values. To better understand mental health needs and support these youth, further research that identifies different factors associated with mental health problems in their cultural context and assesses evidence-supported and culturally responsive interventions is needed.

This three-manuscript dissertation is presented in three papers. The first manuscript presents an integrative conceptual framework that uses two …

"What Works For Whom" In Family Support Programs: Leveraging Administrative Data To Improve Precision Matching, Elly M. Miles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Family support programs (FSPs) are designed to stabilize and strengthen families on a range of outcomes to promote well-being. Paradoxically, families with the greatest need are more likely to drop out or experience reduced benefit on average. This study examines patterns of differential benefit for families experiencing elevated stress through a cross-program evaluation of “what works for whom” in FSPs.

Family Resource Center Family Development Services (FDSs), Colorado Community Response (CCR), Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF), Head Start (HS), and SafeCare Case Management Pilot (Safe CMP) contributed data on 15,771 participants enrolled in services from 2014-2020. Program samples were …

Socioeconomic Factors And Mass Shootings, 1982-2016, Taylor Petkovich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper is an examination and investigation of the relationship between socioeconomic factors and mass shootings. The objective of this paper was to see if economic policy making could be an effective tool for reducing the level of mass gun violence that America has been experiencing. This paper highlights the known relationship between violent crime and economics and tries to bridge that connection to mass shootings specifically through literature review and econometric testing. The ultimate takeaway from this paper’s results and analysis is the need for a universal definition and governing body for data on mass shootings in order to …

Working Here, There, And Everyware: The Impact Of Virtual Work On Employee Belonging, Martha Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Globalization, improvements in information and communications technologies, and the COVID-19 outbreak have increased the prevalence of virtual work arrangements. This change in the workforce presents both opportunities and challenges to employees and their organizations, transforming how organizations operate and how workers interact with each other. This shift to more virtual work has a high likelihood of impacting other fundamental human motivations, such as the need to belong, which has significant implications for an employee’s well-being and the broader organization’s health. This study asks the question: How do collaborative technologies impact virtual employee belonging? The study proposes a conceptual framework of …

Exploring The Relational Impact Of Breast Cancer On Younger Women Partnered With Women, Kaitlin V. Ross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 268,600 new cases of breast cancer in women are diagnosed each year in the United States. Due to improvements in cancer detection and treatment, survivorship is higher than in the past. More than ten percent of new diagnoses are in women 45 years or younger. There are approximately one million sexual minority individuals living with cancer in the US, yet this population is understudied in cancer care. For sexual minority women with breast cancer, sociocultural factors such as lack of affirmative care influences their disease experience. Further, sexual minority women and women partnered with women may be subject to …

Examining The Impact Of Discrimination, Shame, And Acculturation On Psychological Wellbeing Of East Asian International Students, Shao-Jung Stella Ko

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of discrimination, shame, and acculturation on the psychological wellbeing of East Asian international students in the U.S. Using the Minority Stress Theory as a framework, discrimination and shame were hypothesized to have a significant negative relationship with wellbeing while acculturation was hypothesized to moderate these relationships. A sample (N = 281) of East Asian international undergraduate students completed a web-based survey with measures of perceived discrimination, interpersonal shame, acculturation, and mental health outcomes. Regression analyses containing wellbeing (outcome), acculturation (moderator), discrimination (predictor), and shame (predictor) were performed to test the hypotheses using SPSS PROCESS macro …

Music Theory Pedagogy For The Violin: Cognitive Philosophy And Three Model Curricula, Morganne J. Mcintyre

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Violin playing promotes a connection between mind and body that allows the performer to internalize, or embody, tactile features of the instrument, such as the distance between strings, the feeling of the fingertips on the fingerboard, the interval size between notes, and many other aspects. This thesis designs a pedagogy that employs the violin’s physical attributes to provide the beginning through advanced player with a deeper understanding of music theory. The thesis suggests pairing of physical learning and musical theory at each stage of a violinist’s musical education. Chapter 1 surveys embodied cognition and cognitive artifacts. Chapter 2 applies these …

Where Virtual Well-Being Becomes Reality, Colleen M. Reilly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Strategies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, specifically quarantine and social distancing protocols, have exposed a troubling paradox: mandated isolation meant to save lives has inadvertently contributed to a decline in America’s well-being. Prolonged isolation due to more remote work and decentralized workplaces has been associated with widespread loneliness and diminished physical and mental health, with effects compounded by limited face-to-face access to social support systems. While remote communication technologies (e.g., video chat) can connect individuals with colleagues and social networks, remote technologies might have limited effectiveness in business and social contexts. This study uses Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation Theory …

Emotion Dysregulation And Intimate Partner Aggression During Pregnancy: Leveraging Both Partners’ Experiences With Dyadic Data, Victoria M. Atzl

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intimate partner aggression (IPA) during pregnancy is a significant public health problem that has negative consequences for maternal and fetal health. This study examined emotion dysregulation as a potential predictor of IPA during pregnancy from a dyadic perspective. Participants were 113 couples expecting a baby and included 113 mothers (MOBs; Mage = 27.50 years, SDage = 5.53, rangeage = 19-40; 38.1% White, 24.8% Latinx, 15.9% African American, 14.2% biracial/multiracial, 3.5% Asian American/Pacific Islander, 2.7% Native American and .8% other) and 113 fathers (FOBs; Mage = 29.83 years, SDage = 7.61, rangeage = 18-55; 38.1% White, 22.1% African American, 20.4% Latinx, …