Give Me A Break: Exploring The Use Of A Reset Room On Secondary School Students And Resilient Practices In Tennessee, Alex White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The culmination of toxic stress and social-emotional instability can result in significant challenges for students. Incorporating an appropriate response to address the social-emotional needs of students must be a priority if schools seek to see improvements in attendance, discipline, and ultimately academic success. Resilient middle and high schools recognized the need to create innovative spaces for students to learn how to self-regulate challenging emotions during the school day. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to investigate the relationship between chronic absenteeism, office disciplinary referrals, and the use of Resilient Schools Reset Rooms in middle and high schools from …

Overcoming Second-Order Barriers To Teachers’ Technology Integration: A Study Of Positive Impacts, Crystal Ann Hume

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored K–12 public school teachers’ self-efficacy, value, and pedagogical beliefs about technology. The teachers worked in a medium-sized, semi-affluent public school district in North Texas. The study investigated second-order barriers to technology integration and what might positively impact teachers’ self-efficacy, value, and pedagogical beliefs. This study used a qualitative descriptive methodology to collect qualitative data about their beliefs by interviewing and observing K–12 classroom teachers who had completed a bachelor’s degree through a traditional teacher education program. Teachers with alternative certifications or noncertified classroom instructors were omitted. Findings revealed that external factors, failure, mistakes, confidence, and professional development …

Institutional Betrayal And Military Vaccine Mandates: An Inquiry Into Loss Of Health Autonomy Concerning Unlimited Liability Contractual Employment In The Covid-19 Era, Aaron G. Dehaven

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The balance between government control and personal liberty is a growing concern in the modern world. Nowhere is this more evident than in discussions surrounding government policy in public health and individual health autonomy. The Covid-19 pandemic forced many institutions to change their standard operating procedures by adapting to rapidly changing health guidance instituted to protect public health. These changes highlighted the role of health autonomy and individuals’ rights to refuse medical treatments. The Department of Defense changed many aspects of how it operated during the pandemic, including the mandate of the Covid-19 vaccine for all service members. For various …

Origin Of Purpose, Career Satisfaction, And Life Satisfaction: A Quantitative Study On Early Career Professionals, Anne K. Hocking

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the early 2000s, research has increased on purpose and how it correlates with fulfillment outcomes in life and career satisfaction. This research has been valuable in professional and academic fields and helped develop leadership practices and interventions for organizations to increase satisfaction levels among employees and students. This study focused on the general problem that research dedicated to purpose has not adequately addressed whether origin of purpose affect its outcomes on fulfillment levels, particularly those of life and career satisfaction. To address this consideration, the researcher conducted a quantitative associative correlation to measure if and to what extent origin …

Perceived Leadership Behaviors And Workplace Motivation: The Predictive Role Of Generational Cohorts In The U.S. Construction Industry, Leslie D. Klinegardner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which perceived leadership behaviors predicted workplace motivation among construction workers across generational cohorts in the Greater Houston, Texas area. Grounded in self-determination theory, the research explored how transformational, transactional, and passive-avoidant leadership behaviors predicted the satisfaction and frustration of psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The analysis also considered whether leadership behaviors and generational cohort served as significant predictors of workplace motivation outcomes. The study followed a quantitative, predictive, cross-sectional design using survey methodology. Data were collected using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and the Basic Psychological Need …

Mixture Effects On Metal Accumulation In The Asian Clam, Corbicula Fluminea, Mark A. Huff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Field collected Corbicula fluminea were exposed to trace level copper, lead, and zinc with the aim of examining the preferential accumulation between the soft tissue and shell. Metal levels were based on those in a permitted industrial effluent. At 1X effluent and 2X effluent exposure levels, copper was found to preferentially accumulate in the clam soft tissue, lead was found to preferentially accumulate in the clam shell, and zinc was found to excrete back into the diluent after preferentially accumulating in the clam soft tissue. When exposed as a mixture at 1X effluent levels, copper and lead were found to …

Administrator Perceptions Of Title I Parent And Family Engagement Practices And Policies During Covid-19, Rebekah Owens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine Title I administrator perceptions of facilitating parent and family engagement practices and policies prior to, during, and post Covid-19. The literature shows one of the leading factors in a child’s academic learning is family engagement (Henderson & Mapp, 2002). The Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships highlights ways in which administrators and school staff can be successful in engaging families and building strong partnerships by meeting four different capacity skills. Data collection strategies included semi-structured, one-on-one interviews, via Zoom video or audio interview, observation, document review, and field notes. Analysis of data …

Principal Self-Efficacy: A Qualitative Study, Vance E. Self

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored elementary principals’ perspectives on the importance of selfefficacy in relation to management responsibilities, instructional leadership, and moral leadership as they impact student achievement measured by the STAAR in a Central Texas school district. The research addressed the growing challenges principals face in high-accountability environments, focusing on how their beliefs in their leadership abilities affect school performance and student outcomes. The purpose was to examine principals’ views on selfefficacy across three domains and to consider implications for leadership preparation, district support, and policy. The study was grounded in a constructivist paradigm and employed a qualitative case study …

A Case Study Of The Perceived Support Needs Of Community College Faculty, Ramona C. Shelton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored the perceptions of community college faculty members in Tennessee regarding the supports they feel they need to be successful academicians both inside and outside of the classroom. Thirteen faculty members participated in the study, representing the 4 faculty ranking categories at the institution: adjunct/part-time, new full-time, junior/untenured, and senior/tenured. Interviews were semi-structured to allow the participants the opportunity to share their honest experiences on what support needs they have, how those needs have been met, and what support areas they expect to emerge in the future. Four academic administrators also participated in the study in …

Resistance Training Load-Volume Effects On Maximal Strength, Isometric Force-Time Characteristics, And Force-Velocity Relationships, Chieh-Hsin Yu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The investigations concerned the effects of resistance training programs with different load–volume configurations on multiple strength characteristics, including maximal strength, isometric force–time properties, and force–velocity (F–v) relationships. Following a review of training interventions across these variables, two ecologically valid resistance training prescriptions were compared: high-load, low-volume (HLLV) and moderate-load, moderate-volume (MLMV). Fourteen recreationally trained participants were grouped into either HLLV (three sets of two repetitions at ≥ 80% 1RM) or MLMV (three sets of ten repetitions at 60–80% 1RM), incorporated into the main lifts of a 4-week program. Strength was assessed using back squat one-repetition maximum …

Diagenesis And Controls On Porosity And Permeability In The Upper San Andres Formation Of West Texas, Jack Butcher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

West Texas reservoirs on the Central Basin Platform (CBP) are dominated by Permian-age carbonate deposits, significantly contributing to petroleum production. The Upper Permian-aged San Andres Formation, composed primarily of dolomite and limestone, is a prolific reservoir. This study assesses diagenetic influences on porosity and permeability within the San Andres Formation along the northern CBP. Two cores from the Monument 4-2 and Peterson 1 wells in West Texas were analyzed using core descriptions, thin section petrography, XRD, XRF, and MICP. Results indicate that dolomitization enhances porosity, with intercrystalline and moldic porosity being dominant, while late-stage cementation and compaction reduce permeability. XRD …

Evaluation Of A Forest Restoration Strategy On Small Mammals In Southern Pine Ecosystems, Gage R. Grantham, Jessica L. Glasscock, Christopher M. Schalk, Kathryn R. Kiid, Reuber Antoniazzi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Industrial forestry replanted historic native pine forests (e.g., longleaf pine [Pinus palustris] and shortleaf pine [Pinus echinata]) to homogenous, high-density plantations consisting of native off-site species (e.g., loblolly pine [Pinus taeda]) after intensive harvesting for wood products. The contemporary forest structure that remains, consisting of off-site overstory compositions, can potentially serve as an ecological bridge to facilitate a gradual transition to a more desirable canopy species, thereby conserving biodiversity and ecosystem function. Understanding disturbance-sensitive small mammal communities from restoration strategies (retention) can help achieve long-term management goals for ecosystem conservation across larger scales. I …

Using Silvopasture To Mitigate Heat Stress In Grazing Beef Cattle, Sydney L. Lofland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the impact of silvopasture on mitigating heat stress in grazing beef cattle by comparing physiological and behavioral responses between shaded and non-shaded pastures. Twenty-two multiparous cows were monitored over a 20-day summer trial in East Texas. Data were collected on respiration rate, heart rate, heat stress scores, and behaviors including eating, ruminating, walking, and resting. Average respiration rates and behavior proportions did not differ significantly between treatments. Afternoon periods showed peak physiological stress across all cattle, but silvopasture appeared to buffer extreme responses. Although limitations such as data gaps and a shortened trial impacted interpretation, findings suggest …

An Evaluation Of Key Components Of Natural Resource Camps, Undergraduate Persistence And Success In Natural Resources, Brandy Bishop

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the key components that connect natural resource camps, undergraduate persistence, and overall success through gainful employment within the natural resource industry. The aim of this study was to assess early interest and attitudes towards natural resource career pathways and how education interventions shape students’ career outcomes thus leading to overall success. A longitudinal mixed method design was used combining Conservation Careers Camp survey data (n = 39) with institutional records for Forestry majors (n =655) in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus. Quantitative data was analyzed through …

Stand Strucuture Of Planted Stands In Storm-Water Retention Basins, Jason Lanza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Trees assist in stormwater retention basin functionality as efficient sources of water removal, and determining stand structure and leaf area of forests can be a measure of their effectiveness. The structure of forest stands on these basins managed for runoff mitigation has received little attention. We investigated the structure and species composition/diversity (tree and herbaceous) of planted, managed stands and naturally regenerated stands on stormwater retention basins managed by Harris County Flood Control District in Harris County, Texas. We determined stand structure variables (trees per hectare, basal area per hectare, quadratic mean diameter, relative density, average tree height, and percent …

Exploring The Impact Of Generative Ai To Mitigate Educator Burnout, Katie E. Acevedo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined how sixth–12th grade educators at a single-gender public school in West Texas perceived the role of generative AI in reducing workload, minimizing stress, and supporting professional autonomy. The study focused on concerns related to teacher burnout and the time demands of instructional and noninstructional responsibilities, exploring how emerging technologies might offer practical relief. The study aimed to understand how educators use generative AI tools and identify both the benefits and challenges associated with their integration. Framed by job demand-resource theory, connectivism, and heutagogy, the research explored how generative AI can function as a job resource, …

Black Women In Information Technology Leadership Roles: Examining Their Experiences With Recruitment, Retention, And Advancement, Adepeju O. Adedeji

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black women account for only 3% of the information technology (IT) workforce in the United States, with a lower percentage in leadership roles. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Black women who had attained leadership roles in the IT field. The researcher examined the opportunities and challenges Black women faced in their recruitment, retention, and advancement to leadership roles. The purpose of the study was to understand the strategies that aided Black women who experienced successful recruitment, advancement, and retention in IT to extract insights that can be leveraged for other Black women. The researcher conducted interviews …

The Impact Of Mindfulness Therapy To Reduce Disruptive Behavior In High School, Wendy Nell Peters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this project was to determine the impact and effectiveness of Gina Biegel’s mindfulness techniques for stressed teens method on adolescent anxiety and the disruptive symptoms that lead to high school adolescents being assigned to detention. This project described a quantitative correlational design research project that investigated a small adolescent sample size, with a goal of decreasing the number of local high school adolescent students who are repeat detention offenders, by implementing Gina Biegel’s mindfulness techniques for stressed teens method on those high school adolescents who were assigned to detention. This was achieved by collecting demographic data from …

Examining Parent Accommodation Of Anxiety And Irritability In Preschool-Aged Children., Anna Olczyk

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety and irritability are common developmentally normative emotions in early childhood, yet are also related to risk for psychopathology in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Parenting behaviors, including parent accommodation, may influence this risk. Parent accommodation is the parent modification of child/family routines and/or avoidance of activities to reduce child distress and has been documented widely in the anxiety literature. Although some research has examined parent accommodation of anxiety in preschool-aged children, most research has investigated accommodation of anxiety in clinical samples of school-aged children. Further, despite high rates of co-occurrence between child anxiety and irritability, research on parent accommodation of …

"No One Leaves For Free": A Media Analysis Of The Lived Experiences And Cumulative Impacts Of The Flint Water Crisis., Jordan Leigh Gatewood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In April 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan changed their municipal water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. The effects of this change have been felt far and wide as news broke across the nation that this water was contaminated with lead and residents of Flint were getting sick. This research analyzes 170 news articles from three local and three national news outlets over a 10-year span, 2014 to 2024, to determine how community voice is presented in news media to portray the lived experiences and cumulative impacts of the Flint Water Crisis. Applying a Critical Environmental Justice …

Reclaiming Space: Unhoused Population And Their Use Of Public Libraries., Marcellos Desmond Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores how unhoused individuals navigate and utilize the spatial dynamics of public libraries, with a specific focus on how they assert agency into the public space. Public space is examined at the institutional level and through the influential roles of individual workers. Public libraries serve as both refuge and resources for unhoused individuals, and this study highlights the complex dynamics that arise within them. Drawing on observations and informational informal interviews, I examine how unhoused people utilize and navigate the physical space of a public library in a large metropolitan area. I find that unhoused people adapt to …

Recent Studies On The Reactions And Synthesis Of Nitrogen And Sulfur - Containing Heterocyclic Pharmacophores., Bernard Louis Adjei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen and sulfur-containing heterocycles remain significant classes of compounds in the field of medicinal and organic chemistry due to their unique structural features and diverse biological activities which make them of considerable interest for drug discovery and development. Notable examples of the nitrogen containing heterocycles include the phthalimide and glutarimide rings present in thalidomide. Thalidomide, a potent small-molecule therapeutic agent, precipitated a significant global drug crisis due to its teratogenicity, causing congenital malformations in phocomelia infants, which remains unrivaled over half a century ago. Currently, thalidomide derivatives are extensively utilized in the therapeutic management of various hematological malignancies. Recent investigations …

Evometric: An Interactive Framework For Scalable Visual Analytics Of Time Series Data With Dynamic Changes., Jiahang Huang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today's data-intensive landscape, rapid advances in digital sensing and recording technologies have enabled the acquisition of high-resolution multimodal time series data, capturing intricate real-world dynamics across various domains such as healthcare, behavioral science, and environmental monitoring. However, the complexity and scale of these datasets present significant analytical challenges, particularly in understanding dynamic changes at both individual and cohort levels. This dissertation introduces EvoMetric, a novel visual analytics framework designed to support scalable exploration and analysis of large-scale multimodal time series data with dynamic changes. EvoMetric seamlessly integrates individual-level temporal dynamics with population-level comparative insights, enabling users to visually …

Design And Testing Method For Quality Control Of Chill Haze In Bourbon Production., Molly J. Wilburn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chill haze is a quality issue in which white wisps and haze become visible in spirits when reaching sub 0℃ temperatures. Common quality control test methods rely on subjective visual tests and ambient temperature turbidity measurements. Currently there is limited access to commercial devices capable of reaching the sub 0 ℃ temperatures that are required for the formation of chill haze. This thesis focuses on the design, assembly and calibration of a custom-built turbidity meter capable of sub 0 ℃ temperatures and humidity control. The system uses an optical sensor at 90 ° to a light source to detect light …

The Influence Of Psychological, Biological, And Social Determinants On Disordered Eating Behaviors Among U.S. Young Adults: Evidence From Nhanes 2015-2018., Samantha Kaye Gerbine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) are influenced by biological, social, and psychological factors, yet research often narrowly focuses on White, college-aged women. This study assessed the predictors and prevalence of DEBs in a nationally representative sample of U.S. young adults using data from the 2015–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Survey weights were applied to generate national estimates. Descriptive statistics characterized the sample, and logistic regressions tested biological, social, and psychological predictors of DEBs. A composite risk score was developed using variables retained in the final model. The unweighted sample (n = 1,062) represented 64 million U.S. young adults. …

Material Extrusion 3d Printing Of Metal Alloy: Material, Methods And Application., Sihan Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Material extrusion (MEX) additive manufacturing presents a promising pathway for producing metal components with complex geometries while avoiding the safety hazards associated with loose powder handling in conventional metal additive manufacturing processes. This dissertation investigates the development and optimization of MEX processes for aluminum alloys, addressing critical challenges in feedstock formulation, printing parameter optimization, and post-processing strategies. Three distinct approaches were explored to advance the capabilities of aluminum MEX: filament-based processing of 6061 aluminum, paste-based extrusion of 6061 aluminum, and development of a novel aluminum-magnesium-tin alloy system for space manufacturing applications. The filament-based approach successfully demonstrated the production of 6061 …

Engaging In Movement At Work: Exploring Engagement And Physical Activity., Spencer A. Cavan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High levels of employee engagement provide organizations competitive advantages such as increased customer satisfaction, profits, and employee productivity. Despite potential benefits, the number of engaged employees is declining and organizations need to find innovative ways to enhance engagement. Emerging evidence suggests workplace physical activity may generate organizational benefits extending beyond health improvement. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of engagement among employees participating in a physical activity intervention at work. A qualitative design, guided by phenomenology, examined perceptions of workplace physical activity and perceived levels of engagement, as well as constraints related to involvement among university …

The Effects Of Off-Season Evidence-Based Training Block Periodization Program On The Performance Of Soccer Athletes In A Di School: An Exploratory Study, Ibrahim F. Almughathawi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The investigators explored the effects of a two-year evidence-based block periodization strength training program on performance outcomes in NCAA Division I male soccer athletes. The investigators aimed to examine longitudinal changes in body composition, explosive strength, and match-play physical demands, as well as the associations between field-based performance assessment and GPS-derived metrics. Using a retrospective design, data were drawn from a research data repository for athletes who participated in a long-term sport science monitoring program under the same head coach and training conditions. Performance measures included vertical jump assessments (static and counter movement jumps under bodyweight and external load), isometric …

Preschool Teachers’ Perspectives On Conceptual Movement In Academic Instruction: A Mixed- Methods Study With Implications For Early Math, Kehinde H. Orimaye

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This convergent mixed-methods study investigated Missouri preschool teachers’ familiarity, implementation, and perceptions of conceptual movement (CM), the purposeful integration of bodily actions to support young children’s understanding of abstract academic concepts, particularly in early mathematics instruction. Grounded in embodied cognition and informed by enactivism and the theory of event coding (TEC), the study explored: (a) preschool teachers’ awareness and frequency of CM use; (b) how teacher characteristics such as experience, age group taught, and math anxiety relate to CM implementation; and (c) teachers’ perceptions of CM’s instructional value, implementation challenges, and professional development needs.

Quantitative data were collected through a …

Investigating The Multiple Enzyme Complex In The Carotenoid Biosynthesis Pathway, Mercy Mormor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In nature, plant carotenoids are 40-carbon isoprenoids with polyene chains that may have double bonds. They are vital components of all photosynthetic organisms, playing several roles in the plant cell, including photosynthesis, pigmentation, phytohormone synthesis, signaling and photoprotection. In this study, we investigated protein-protein interactions among key enzymes involved in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway using the Bimolecular Fluorescent Complementation (BiFC) assay. Our results revealed several interactions that suggest a coordinated regulation of enzymatic activity within this pathway, highlighting potential regulatory complexes that influence carotenoid production. The study also highlights the pivotal role of Zeta-Carotene Isomerase (Z-ISO) as a key regulatory …