Digital Commons Network^™

I Say See You Later, Lillian Slaughter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This MFA thesis continues the work that was completed in the master’s thesis “This Is Home: Stories of H2-A Placemaking in the U.S. and Mexico,” by creating a short film about the farm in Kentucky. Through research on ethics and positionality, I explore the ideas that shaped this filmmaking process. The film highlights the experience of working on a mid-sized organic farm that utilizes the federal H2-A visa program for seasonal farmworkers through the lens of a co-worker. This supplemental written thesis includes research, personal accounts of the process of filmmaking, and a reflection of influential films.

The Emergence Of Discursive Leadership In Online Commmunities, Chad Diaz Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this Dissertation is to provide a detailed rationale for the way in which I address the following research questions in my dissertation: “What characteristics of user discourse lead to the emergence of leadership in online communities?” To this end, I provide a literature review of studies on online communities, examine past definitions, and propose an integrated definition of online communities. Focusing on the specific domain of leadership in online communities, I conduct a literature review of early and seminal articles published in this domain with the objective of identifying the foundational theoretical frameworks and the factors that …

On Security And Privacy In Machine Learning, Thomas Cilloni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years the use of social media platforms, surveillance cameras, and vision-enabled devices and services has increased exponentially. While the mere use of a device or service is not a privacy issue, Machine Learning use has also drastically increased, and it exposes a number of privacy and security threats, especially towards online users. Privacy legislation around the world prohibits to use of data unfairly, but the conversion of laws to technical applications is often subject to interpretation. Such ambiguity opens a gap for data owners to potentially misuse data, violating end users’ privacy.

The overall objective of this doctoral …

Can Graphene-Coated Sand Enhance Water Reuse By Improving Water Quality In The Presence Of Municipal Treated Wastewater?, Madelyn Barber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The need for alternative water sources is dramatically increasing. Therefore, it is essential to develop alternative water sources to meet the current water scarcity challenges. Water reclamation, recycling, and reuse involving treated municipal and or animal wastewater address these challenges by resolving water resource issues and creating new sources of high-quality water supplies. However, the presence of bacteria, high levels of nutrients, and turbidity, as well as the occurrence of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) in the treated wastewater, combined with the willingness of the public to use treated wastewater can undermine the wide application of water reuse. Implementing affordable …

Supernatural Law? A Refutation Of Three Recent Natural-Law Arguments Against Catholic Integralism, Jackson Dellinger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, there is a longstanding debate over the proper relationship between religious and civil institutions, or “church and state.” One radical voice in the debate is that of Catholic integralism, a school within Catholic social teaching which argues that Catholic governments should submit to the religious authority of the Church, and that Catholics should aspire towards a Catholic society with this relationship between Church and State for all nations. Recently, interlocutors have attempted to show that integralism is inconsistent with a core element of the Catholic teaching to which they appeal—that is, natural law. In this paper, …

Investigating The Use Of Politeness Strategies In Expressing Disagreements Among Saudi Efl Teachers On Twitter, Rowida Ali Al Ghamdi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the politeness strategies employed by Saudi EFL teachers when expressing their disagreements on Twitter. It examines the factors affecting Saudi EFL teachers' choice of politeness and disagreement strategies. It compares Saudi EFL teachers' disagreement expressions with those of American ESL teachers on Twitter. Four instruments were utilized to collect the data: retrieving the corpus of tweets, observing the thread of tweets (for Saudi EFL and American ESL teachers), using an open-ended questionnaire, and follow-up interviews (for Saudi EFL teachers). This study finds that the on-record strategy was the most frequently used among Saudi EFL teachers, as found …

Structural Violence And Its Effect On Women's Empowerment In The Case Of Bangladesh Garment Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Fowzia Binte Faruque

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis delves into the complex relationship between women's participation in Bangladesh's garment industry, their empowerment, and structural violence against them. Although Bangladesh's patriarchal society perpetuates structural violence against women, the garment sector has also facilitated social and economic empowerment for many. By adopting a gender-focused lens and examining the interplay between structural violence and empowerment, this research aims to explore the socio-economic status of female garment workers in Bangladesh during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020-2022. The study employs a qualitative content analysis, analyzing two national newspapers—The Daily Star and The Financial Express (Bangladesh)—as primary sources.

The findings …

Neverender, David James Gambino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a work of fiction exploring the Global War on Terror from the perspective of US aircrew servicemembers.

Nursing Faculty Turnover: Recruitment And Retention At Jones College, Alan Luke Hammonds

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The nursing profession has been facing a deficit of nurses for many years (Denehy, 2000; Haddad et al., 2023, Mayo, 1944; Schorr, 1980; Theisen & Pelfrey, 1990). Nurses are an essential part of the medical care system. They are responsible for most of the functions associated with healthcare. The schools that train nurses are as much affected by the shortage as the industry itself. With fewer nurses in the medical field from which to draw, nursing schools have had a difficult time maintaining nursing faculty levels to meet the needs of the medical community. With nursing faculty shortages already straining …

Food Retailing In Mississippi, 1895-2000, James R. Gulley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a history of the evolution of the grocery industry in Mississippi in the twentieth century. I used primary source interviews, analysis of newspaper articles and advertisements, U.S. Census data, archival materials, and secondary sources to inform the thesis. The research focuses on an urban market in Jackson, Mississippi, and a rural market in Philadelphia, Mississippi. This history also concentrates on two Mississippi-based supermarket chains, Jitney-Jungle and Sunflower, and the families that founded them. The thesis argued that the innovations in grocery retailing during this era improved the lives of all Mississippians by lowering the cost of food, …

The Effect Of Mandated Disclosure On Liquidity Among Not-For-Profit Organizations, Erin Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines whether mandated disclosure under Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-14 affects not-for-profit (NFP) liquidity. ASU 2016-14 requires NFPs to disclose information that enhances financial statement users’ ability to assess an organization’s liquidity. Using panel data from fiscal years 2014 through 2019, I compare liquidity before and after the mandated disclosure for the top 100 revenue generating NFPs in 2019. I find that NFPs manage operating reserves, i.e., unrestricted liquid net assets, more closely to NFP sector guidelines after the disclosure mandate. Specifically, I find that NFPs with operating reserves above the recommended range prior to the disclosure mandate …

Three Essays On The Democratic Party, Jonah King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the United States today the two parties struggle to find common ground on anything, and strong partisan attachments lead many members of the public to follow the lead of their preferred party on nearly every political decision. However, the sorting of the public does not mean that the parties are monoliths. The Democratic Party in particular is composed of a wide range of groups which often do not easily come to consensus when there are decisions to be made. The occasional lack of consensus within the Democratic Party leads to questions about how the party as a whole is …

The Politics Of Being A Black Southern Belle, Latrice M. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“The Politics of Being a Black Southern Belle” aims to examine media representations of Black womanhood and femininity. This thesis particularly focuses on how Black women redefine the southern belle. Film and television depictions of a national (implicitly white) femininity and womanhood have historically excluded Black women. To illuminate this history, the first chapter primarily provides background on historical representations of Black women in film. American standards of womanhood and femininity have been defined according to hegemonic culture—a culture predicated on race, class, and gender. The second chapter moves into an analysis of how Black women redefine the southern belle …

Teachers' Experiences Implementing The 2018 Mississippi College And Career Readiness Standards For Science, Lydia Lytal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers have had to use standards to teach with since the 1980’s. The CCRS has made a significant shift in how standards are written and the expectations of students in learning them. With the three-dimensional design, teachers are required to change their pedagogy in order to implement the standards with fidelity. That requires training, support, and resources for the teachers. The purpose of this study was to provide insight in the experiences of high school teachers in Mississippi as they implemented the standards. Additionally, the researcher revealed emotions related to implementation and differences related to teachers in a tested subject …

Implementation Of Online Learning In Physical Therapy Graduate School: Multimethod Examination Of Physical Therapy Students' Perception, Ryan Mcglawn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The shift to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in the way education is delivered. The online environment provides a new avenue for physical therapy education. With a majority of undergraduate students taking at least one course online, their perceptions of online learning are critical in the development of online physical therapy education. This study aims to investigate the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) entry-level physical therapy students’ perceptions of online learning. The study sample will include approximately 150 students comprised of 3 cohorts of 50 students. The study is a multimethod examination …

Crafting Inclusive Dei Spaces At The University Of Mississippi, Thomas Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conversations relating to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) have taken higher education communities by storm as several right-leaning states have recently banned Critical Race Theory and other DEI related topics from the educational curriculum. Nevertheless, several universities, including the University of Mississippi, have embraced DEI programming and initiatives in recent years in hopes of creating “equitable opportunities” for all community members. And while much of this work has been praised, it has also been met with criticism from external community partners.

The University of Mississippi must ensure that its DEI practices create meaningful, non-divisive spaces where all stakeholders remain engaged. …

Subject Ellipsis In Japanese And Clues For Non-Native Learners, Akiko Murakami

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated whether learners of Japanese are less accurate in selecting appropriate reference of omitted subjects than native speakers and in which environment the learners have the most difficulties. Also, it looked into whether there is a correlation between the accuracy of the selecting and knowledge of the clue grammar. The survey had a subject selecting test and a knowledge test. The subject selecting test included two different environments: Giving/Receiving verbs and Honorific verbs. The knowledge test also covered these two environments. Giving/Receiving verbs have three types: ageru (give), kureru (give), and morau (receive); and Honorific verbs has two …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On First-Time, Freshmen At Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Tiffany Perryman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Manuscript I of this dissertation in practice (DiP) explores the impact of the disruptions of the COVID-19 school year on the academic success of first-time, freshmen enrolled at a community college in Mississippi. The conceptual framework identifies the characteristics of community college students as well as indicators of student success at community colleges. The review of literature highlights the historical role of community colleges in higher education and the impact of COVID-19 on students, particularly first-time freshmen, attending community colleges. Manuscript II of this DiP serves as a formative evaluation to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student …

Reimagining The Radical: Gender, Genre, And Anti-Fascism In Women's Writing At Mid-Century, Allison Nick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation looks at the work of four women writers—Martha Gellhorn, Elizabeth Bowen, Pearl S. Buck, and Rebecca West—who are united in their transnational commitment to critiquing the global rise of fascism and the fraught democratic imperatives of their own countries. “Reimagining the Radical” focuses on the temporal gap between modernism and postmodernism and is inspired by work from scholars like Marina MacKay, Lyndsey Stonebridge, and Beryl Pong to claim and define mid-century literature. By rethinking the bounds of modernism, “Reimagining the Radical” also seeks to fill the gaps in feminist history—between the suffragism of the early 20th century and …

The World Wide Web Of Women: A Case In Favor Of Global Feminist Coalitions In The Information Age, Hannah S. Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this thesis is to argue that online feminist coalitions can be both locally specific and globally accessible. Postcolonial feminist theorist Chandra Talpade Mohanty in her 1984 article “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses,” argues that there is no real evidence to classify all women as a “Woman” because cultural differences and imbalances of power create a myriad of experiences that cannot be homogenized. However, Mohanty is not arguing that women do not have individual experiences with gender injustice. On the contrary, all women have experiences with gender injustice; these experiences are simply all not the …

Buscando Perdón: Validation And Considerations For A Spanish Translation Of The Forgiveness Reconciliation Inventory, Mario David Sobrino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With influences from both cultural norms and commonly held spiritual beliefs, members of the Latinx population are vulnerable to enabling unhealthy interpersonal relationships that primarily benefit others while potentially harming their own wellness. A Spanish translation (called the Inventario del Perdón y Reconciliación [IPR]) for the Forgiveness and Reconciliation Inventory (FRI) was created to identify its validity and reliability as a potential clinical resource for Spanish speaking mental health counseling clients dealing with the emotional difficulties of forgiveness and unjust cultural expectations within their relationships. Factor analysis on the IPR reported comparable yet slightly reduced psychometric properties to the FRI. …

The Relationship Between Relational Dynamics And Social Justice Identity Among Collegiate Student Athletes, Keon Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student athletes are positioned to utilize relationships with teammates, coaches, and communities to advocate for social change. According to the literature, their connections to these individuals and environments contribute to their expressed social justice related behaviors and even further enhance their social justice identity development. The current study was developed in an effort to identify the extent of relationships between student athletes and their social justice identity and other demographic factors that might impact their overall expression of social justice identity and behaviors. The study consisted of 133 (42 females, 91 males) current student athletes participating in competitive sports across …

The Efficacy Of Mental Health Stigma And Discrimination Reduction Initiatives Among Bipoc: A Meta-Analysis Of Outcome Studies, Janita M. Springfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: An under-utilization of mental health care services among BIPOC exists, and one of the leading drivers of this barrier is stigma. Given a plethora of research on reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues, the present meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of SDR interventions among BIPOC. Method: The present meta-analysis was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to establish complete and accurate reporting of information. A systematic review yielded a total of seven articles meeting the predetermined inclusion criteria. Effect sizes were computed for all studies …

Medication Use And Adherence In Rheumatoid Arthritis, Jennifer Marie Toth Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background/Objectives

Adherence can impact the effectiveness of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFis) in treating rheumatoid arthritis. If rheumatoid arthritis reaches the end-stage, joint replacement may be needed. Unplanned readmissions after joint replacement is a Medicare quality measure. The first objective of this study was to determine the optimal adherence threshold for TNFis in rheumatoid arthritis. Using that threshold and the traditional 0.8 threshold, the second objective was to find the relationship between adherence to TNFis and opioid use in rheumatoid arthritis. Finally, prediction of unplanned readmissions in patients who had a knee or hip arthroplasty was the final objective.

Methods …

"Since I Laid My Burden Down": A Comparative Analysis Of An African American Spiritual, Damein Dameco Wash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This master's thesis presents a comparative analysis of the African American spiritual "Since I Laid My Burden Down." Through the use of various sources, including scholarly articles, books, and recordings, the origins, themes, and musical structures of the spiritual are explored. The study examines the historical context of African American spirituals and the importance of the call-and-response style, as well as the influence of gospel and blues music. The thesis also analyzes the performances of the song by Triumph The Church & Kingdom of God in Christ (2022), Mrs. Ulanda Crivens (2023), Shardé Thomas (2017), Othar Tuner (1982), Mississippi John …

Why And How Do Sports Consumers Engage With Non-Fungible Tokens (Nfts)?, Seomgyun Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The advent of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) heralds a new era for digital collections. Based on blockchain items and a tradable market, the National Basketball Association (NBA) Top Shot program, for example, provides several digital assets containing moments of NBA highlights. By the second quarter of 2021, NBA Top Shot had attracted one million consumers and produced more than $800 million in sales. Following its success, several other North American sports leagues entered the NFT sector, such as the National Football League’s All Day and Major League Baseball’s Candy programs. As new and complementary avenues for fan engagement, sport-related NFTs have …

Improving Act Mathematics Scores In A Rural Mississippi Independent School: An Applied Research Study, Michael Curtis Mccain Jr.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents an applied research study focused on improving ACT mathematics scores in a rural Mississippi independent school. The study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of increased mathematics instructional time and curriculum mapping on improving the percentage of students meeting the College Readiness Benchmark scores on the ACT mathematics subtest. The research focuses on two elements, instructional time and curriculum alignment. Students were assigned to a mathematics lab in addition to their standard curriculum mathematics course to increase the amount of mathematics instructional time. The curriculum of the mathematics lab was subsequently aligned to the ACT mathematics standards. …

New Pharmacist Practitioner Experiences Of Listening And Responding To Patient-Driven Misinformation, Saara Zakkiya Nasruddin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background/Objectives

The infodemic, layered with partisan politics and unsubstantiated medical claims, placed pharmacists in a position to not only have to actively stay up-to-date on developing COVID-19 information but also COVID-19 misinformation. While pharmacists are taught which sources to trust for guidance on public health concerns, it is unclear how new pharmacist practitioners (NPP) were prepared and able to handle patient-driven misinformation. The primary objective of this study is to describe NPP experiences of handling COVID-19-related misinformation presented by patients.

Methods

The study included semi-structured interviews over Zoom with a sample population of St. John’s University (SJU) and University of …

Implementing Culturally Relevant Pedagogies For Black Students Through Targeted Professional Learning Communities, Willie Reece

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This action research emphasizes the need to implement curricula to engage marginalized students as well as promote literacy and high levels of academic achievement. Marginalized students include minority students who perform far below their White peers on state assessments. In Chapter I, the action research problem of practice is explored. The major issues at Genesis Elementary School are revealed, and they are targeted through culturally relevant pedagogies. Chapter II outlines relevant literature related to the research topic, and the researchers provide frameworks to guide the study. Chapter III focuses on the preparation and implementation of the action plan for the …

The Effects Of Google Smart Compose On The Process Of Open-Ended Writing, Sijan Shrestha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently, a lot of new natural language models have been developed which help individuals with writing. One of the widely used tools is Google’s Smart Compose which is a text-predictive system that helps individuals to write by reducing the need for repetitive typing. Though this tool has been well established and used by a lot of people, there is a lack of studies on its impact on open-ended writing.

In this thesis, we investigate the effect of Google’s Smart Compose in open-ended writing. To do this, we built a custom software that collects data while the users are writing on …