Digital Commons Network^™

Seeing Our Voices: Using Photovoice With Trauma-Affected Black Women College Students Within A Pwi To Explore Success And Persistence, Dariane B. Drake

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The number of students reporting or seeking assistance for trauma has steadily risen over time. Research suggests that between 67% and 84% of students in college will experience a potentially traumatic event (PTE) in their lifetime. This percentage increases for women and for Black students. As the number of PTE exposure rises so too does the need to understand how trauma impacts education, learning, and personal development. Researchers have expressed a growing concern over the needs of trauma-affected students in recent decades. There is a dearth of research on the experiences of trauma-affected students and their overall inability to persist …

Validity Evidence For The Male Depression Risk Scale-22 (Mdrs-22) In Younger And Older Adult Males, Montgomery T. Owsiany

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Men are two times less likely to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder than women. However, suicide rates are nearly four times higher in men than women, increasing to six times when comparing older men to older women. Given that affective disorders are present in most individuals who die by suicide, investigators have begun researching the possibility that depression presents differently in individuals who adhere to traditional masculine norms, leading to the conceptualization of masculine depression. Presently, one assessment for masculine depression shows strong reliability and validity evidence: the Male Depression Risk Scale-22 (MDRS-22). Despite burgeoning validity evidence for the …

A Multi-Method Examination Of The Effects Of Students’ Unconscious Biases On Student Evaluations Of Instructors, Brittany M. Kowalski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this dissertation, I complete three studies to evaluate potential reactions to target role congruity, especially gender role congruity, through an examination of Student Evaluations of Instructors (SEIs). Target role congruity refers to assessments an observer makes of whether or not the various roles a target person fills “fit” with one another. For example, a woman surgeon may be perceived as being in an incongruent role due to the masculine characteristics associated with the occupation and the continued dominance of men in the field. Researchers utilizing congruity theories has shown that both women and men in roles that are incongruent …

Implementing Trauma-Informed Care Through A Multi-Agency Learning Collaborative: A Theory-Driven Analysis Of Outcomes And Sustainability, Mira D H Snider M.S.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Learning collaboratives (LCs) are often used in large-scale implementation initiatives to promote evidence-based practice across provider networks. Although the outcomes and stakeholder perspectives of many LCs have been documented, support for the effectiveness of LCs is equivocal, and the means by which LCs achieve long-term improvements in clinical care are not understood. The current study investigated outcomes and sustainability of a multi-agency LC for implementing trauma-informed care in 23 rural Pennsylvania counties. Changes in outcomes (i.e., trauma symptom screening, trauma-informed care training attendance, clinician confidence with using trauma informed-care, utilization of trauma-related diagnostic codes, retention in service, service unit density) …

Tesol And Feminist Pedagogy: The Application Of Feminist Pedagogy In Esl Versus Efl Settings, Emil Asanov

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Feminist pedagogy, which emerged in the United States in the 1980s, is an-anti oppressive pedagogy that invites students to build community, fosters an inclusive learning environment for everyone to succeed and lead, and encourages power sharing among and between students and teachers. With feminism spreading and varying across the world, feminist pedagogy advertently or inadvertently manifests itself in the work of some English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers. Feminist pedagogy has received popularity in English classrooms all over the world, which is evidenced by increasing research on the topic (e.g., Vandrick, 1994, …

Bitter Sweet, Hanna M. Kesty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This written document is the accompanying thesis for my Master of Fine Arts Exhibition, Bitter Sweet. The exhibition featured traditional framed prints with sculptural accents that reveal brutally honest negative personal experiences, interactions, and emotions, paired with delicately cute aesthetics. My work embodies the necessity of personal artistic expression to process years of emotional repression. The prints and sculptures in the exhibition focus around a collection of insults and harsh comments coupled with feelings of loneliness and isolation. I allow personal vulnerability to show, to reinforce that these moments have molded and shaped who I am and will continue to …

Do Different Learning Environments Influence Graduate Students’ Professional Communication?, Lacey M. Beam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of two educational environments (jigsaw learning activity and standardized patient encounters) on speech-language pathology students’ professional communication when assessing and treating a voice disorder case study. Jigsaw activities are cooperative learning experiences that provide students opportunities to learn from one another. Studies have shown that students have improvements in learning new material, self-confidence, and communication skills (Wong & Driscoll, 2008; Asif et al., 2021). A standardized patient encounter provides a real-life clinical experience for students. There has been a mixed response to students improving their communication skills through …

Knowledge And Training In Language Sample Analysis Of Us Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students, Allegra Cornaglia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Purpose: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) play an integral role in identification and treatment of developmental language disorders (DLD). Best practices include the use of language sample analysis (LSA) as part of a comprehensive evaluation. However, LSA requires a specific set of foundational morphological and syntactic knowledge. Previous studies have shown a knowledge gap for both SLPs and SLP graduate students for other areas of morphosyntax and phonology. This study examined the language analysis skills of current SLP graduate students on a test of Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) analysis and Clausal Density (CD) and whether there were possible factors associated with …

Jurors' Perceptions Of Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure Patterns, Hannah Elias

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The process of child disclosure of sexual abuse can be complex. Children often disclose abuse consistently across settings (continuous disclosure), though there is research to support that children may deny abuse or recant their allegations despite the abuse having truly occurred (London et al., 2008; Bradley & Wood, 1996; Malloy, Lyon, & Quas, 2007). In this study, data was collected from voluntary MTurk users (N = 688). Mock jurors responded to a survey assessing perceptions of child credibility, defendant guilt, and child susceptibility to external influence in response to each CSA disclosure pattern (continuous disclosure, denial, recantation). Additionally, expert …

Care To Walk In My Shoes? Repairing Trust After Violations Of Benevolence, Luke Aaron Langlinais

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines how perceived perspective taking relates to trust repair, specifically in the context of a benevolence-based violation. I draw on perspective taking theory, attribution theory, and the integrative model of organizational trust to explore a model of interpersonal trust repair. The extant literature on trust repair primarily focuses on violations of ability and integrity, leaving the third dimension of trustworthiness, benevolence, largely unexplored. Yet, research suggests as many as 96% of workplace employees have been victims of benevolence-based offenses, such as disrespect, condescension, or degradation. The present research expands the theoretical bounds of the extant trust repair literature …

Self-Reported And Behavioral Perseverance Associated With The Maintenance Of Health Behaviors, Alivia Kay Frazier

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research has shown that positive psychological traits, such as perseverance, may be associated with the maintenance of health behaviors aimed to prevent commonly fatal diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease, stroke). Although there is limited research in this area, the current study examined whether there was an association between self-reported perseverance, behavioral perseverance, and distress tolerance with various health behaviors (e.g., sleep, physical activity, nutrition, vaping, alcohol use, general health status, and COVID-19 behaviors). A novel methodology was implemented for this study that employed using the online mirror tracing task as a measure of behavioral perseverance.

A sample of young adult participants …

Screen Media Use Among Children And Adolescents – Applications Of Supervised And Unsupervised Machine Learning And Sentiment Analysis, Yifan Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Screen media has become increasingly pervasive in our everyday lives and has profoundly changed the way people communicate and interact with each other. However, we are still unclear about the long-term influence of screen media use on our physical health, mental health, and social wellbeing. Children and adolescents are in an important stage of brain development and are susceptible to the environmental influence that screen media possess. This dissertation pursued three aims to address research gaps related to screen media use among children and adolescents: 1) identify topics and knowledge gaps in screen media use research among children and adolescents …

Exploring Cyberterrorism, Topic Models And Social Networks Of Jihadists Dark Web Forums: A Computational Social Science Approach, Vivian Fiona Guetler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This three-article dissertation focuses on cyber-related topics on terrorist groups, specifically Jihadists’ use of technology, the application of natural language processing, and social networks in analyzing text data derived from terrorists' Dark Web forums. The first article explores cybercrime and cyberterrorism. As technology progresses, it facilitates new forms of behavior, including tech-related crimes known as cybercrime and cyberterrorism. In this article, I provide an analysis of the problems of cybercrime and cyberterrorism within the field of criminology by reviewing existing literature focusing on (a) the issues in defining terrorism, cybercrime, and cyberterrorism, (b) ways that cybercriminals commit a crime in …

Effects Of Depression And Stress On Oral Self-Care Among Perinatal Women In Appalachia: A Longitudinal Study, Jeongwi An

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Oral health during the perinatal period has an impact on the health of women and their offspring. Oral self-care behaviors are preventive methods that can be employed to maintain or improve oral health but may be compromised during the perinatal period. Identifying factors affecting oral self-care behaviors might provide direction on how to intervene in oral health during and after pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to investigate independent and interactive effects of depression and stress on oral self-care behaviors of perinatal women in Appalachia, given the burden of oral disease in this region. A total of 1,172 women …

“The Illusion Of Collaboration”: An Integrated Examination Of The Antecedents, Processes, And Consequences Of Online Group Work, Jill Cathleen Woods

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) presents postsecondary educators with a conundrum: how to design and support small-group activities without stifling deep and meaningful learning. The literature indicates that students are not consistently practicing higher-order cognitive activities, educators are not reliably designing or facilitating them, and/or researchers are not locating or identifying them where they are occurring. The aim of this dissertation is to explore these deficits by identifying the antecedent conditions that most affect collaboration. Specifically, I answer the question, how do learner’s prior knowledge, characteristics, and experiences manifest in their collaborative processes. Addressing a gap in the literature, this study …

Examining The Spatial Relationship Between Maternal Morbidity, Access To Health Care, And Community Characteristics In West Virginia, Sarah E. Woolard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Maternal-related morbidity rates in the United States have risen almost three fold since the early 1990’s. Issues related to rurality, socioeconomic disparities, and pre-existing health conditions increase the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes and introduce barriers to accessing advanced maternal health care. West Virginia (WV) has higher maternal morbidity rates than many other states in the United States (US), and is considered to be driven by all 55 counties being classified as Appalachian, possessing the highest prenatal smoking rate in the US, and having disparities in access to health care. Despite this, no previous studies have evaluated maternal morbidity in …

Factors Associated With Service Utilization In Injured Workers In West Virginia, Brandy Brown

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: Minimal research has been conducted on healthcare utilization among injured workers residing in rural areas. These workers are often at high risk for work-related injury due to the industries in which they work and commonly experience barriers to accessing healthcare. The first study in this dissertation series explored general characteristics of injured workers receiving care at occupational medicine clinics in West Virginia (WV). The second and third studies explored the moderating effects of rurality, pain medication, and psychiatric medication on sociodemographic and health status factors and number of medical encounters.

Methods: Each study used a cross-sectional design with data …

An Examination Of Fraud From Three Perspectives: The Perpetrator, The Whistleblower, And The Examiner, Ali Abdullah Alhasan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is made up of three studies that look at fraud from three different perspectives. The first study looks at fraud from the perspective of the perpetrator. The second study examines fraud from the whistleblower’s perspective. The third study studies fraud from the perspective of the investigator (internal auditor).

Study one utilized an online experiment via Amazon Mechanical Turk (M-Turk) to look at whether technology has a psychological distancing effect on humans, and how that may affect individuals to commit fraud. In addition, the study also examines how one’s familiarity with technology, measured via iPhone screen time, can moderate …

Appalachian Broadcast News Coverage Of The Coronavirus: A Content Analysis Of Media Framing In The Midst Of A Health Crisis, Jensen M. Mills

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Media framing of broadcast news is more than identifying an issue, but rather interpreting and explaining the issue for others to better understand. Previous framing scholarship in broadcast news, as well as COVID-19 specifically, has focused mostly on national or international news, so this research explores broadcast coverage from a local perspective in a rural location. During the health crisis of COVID-19, the specific use of media frames can impact how people made sense of the pandemic. Through a content analysis of 165 newscast scripts from five different local news stations in Appalachia, this study contributes to the understanding of …

The Bigger Picture: Wrongful Conviction Documentary Thematic Vs Episodic Framing, Alecsandra N. Vac

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

True crime documentaries have gained popularity in the past decade, but those focusing on wrongful conviction cases have been on the rise (Doughty, 2018). Advocates against wrongful conviction, such as the Innocence Project, have been utilizing entertainment media to increase awareness on the issues present in the criminal justice system. However, the framing of wrongful conviction causes and cases (ex: focusing on extreme accusations of police misconduct and intentional forensic evidence tampering) could lead to a bias in how the viewers understand how miscarriages of justice occur. The primary research question being investigated here is, how are these advocacy-recommended documentaries …

Medicaid In The Orthodontic Community: Provider Trends And Perceptions, Miranda L. Fabrega

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background and Objectives: Medicaid is a federal and state insurance program aimed at helping economically disadvantaged individuals and families with gaining access to health care. Lack of provider participation in the Medicaid program leaves many Medicaid-eligible individuals with the inability to obtain certain medical services, such as orthodontic care. The objective of this study was to use an electronic survey to better understand the beliefs and behaviors of orthodontists in regard to participation in the Medicaid program, and to determine if differences exist between Medicaid providers and non-Medicaid providers. Experimental Design and Methods: Survey: Requests to participate in an electronic …

A Shock To The System: Analyzing Ethnocentric Populist Support Before And After Crises, Kyu Chul Shin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Using the question of what is driving the support for populists in the mid-late 2010s in Western Europe and the United States as the starting point, this dissertation attempts to answer a number of different questions related to populists: Were the reasons behind support for populists in countries that saw an increase in support for populisms similar to those that saw a decrease in support? Are the reasons for supporting right-wing populists different from more general ethnocentric populists? Are the reasons that Americans supported Donald Trump similar or different from the reasons behind support for Western European populists? Following migration-related …

Zonulin As A Mediator Of Psychological Stress And Periodontal Disease, Casey D. Wright

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The prevalence of chronic inflammatory diseases is on the rise. Some have posited the permeability of tight junctions in gastrointestinal epithelium tissues as a potential mechanism for precipitating inflammatory processes throughout the body. Zonulin is the only known modulator of tight junction permeability and has been implicated in numerous chronic inflammatory processes (e.g., proinflammatory cytokine production) and diseases, more generally. The role of zonulin in oral inflammation, however, has yet to be explored. Periodontal disease is the most common oral inflammatory condition and primary perpetrator of tooth loss. Periodontal disease also is associated with a number of other health problems …

Electronic Cigarette Dependence: User And Device Characteristic Predictors, Ashley E. Douglas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Understanding the dependence potential of electronic cigarettes (ECIGs) is critical to informing prevention and regulatory efforts. Extant work on ECIG dependence is limited, in part due to the vast number of products that differ on their ability to deliver nicotine. Further, existing research is based largely on former/current cigarette smokers, and thus confounds dependence on nicotine via ECIGs versus cigarettes. This study evaluated ECIG device/liquid characteristics and use behaviors as predictors of ECIG dependence in a sample of experienced ECIG users who never smoked cigarettes. Participants completed an online survey that assessed ECIG device/liquid features, use behavior, and ECIG dependence. …

Multi-Task Neuromuscular Generalization And Changes Through The Lifespan, Hannah Delaney Carey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mobility in everyday life requires executing and shifting between a broad assortment of functional tasks and resisting disturbances that could cause falls. Though the importance of successfully performing a variety of functional tasks is recognized and incorporated in clinical assessments (e.g., the Timed-Up-and-Go Test, Berg Balance Scale), little is understood about the underlying neuromuscular control required, or how it changes with age. The neuromuscular control for functional tasks such as walking is typically studied in isolation, or with variations on the same task. Characterizing the coordination required to produce and shift between a wider variety of tasks and resist external …

Noise Exposure Trends Among Violating Coal Mines, 2000 To 2021, Hanna Grace Davis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Noise-induced hearing loss has continued to be a significant issue within the mining industry, even after the passing of the MSHA’s improved noise standard in 2000. NIOSH has recognized that the noise standard enacted by both MSHA and OSHA does not properly protect workers with the 5 dBA exchange rate (i.e., the increase in noise level leading to a doubling of energy) and the lack of emphasizing the use of engineering controls over administrative controls and overreliance on hearing protection device usage. The primary objective of this study is to investigate statistical sound relationships between MSHA noise-related violations and samples …

Living On The Edge: Trans* Exclusion, Survival, And Resistance, Rayna E. Momen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

This dissertation focuses on the criminalization and victimization of transgender people, broadly defined as people whose gender identity does not align with their assigned birth sex, using a queer criminological and intersectional lens. The introduction offers background and context for this examination, and includes the purpose, theoretical approach, methodology, research questions, contributions, and overviews of the substantive chapters. Chapter two explores what we know and what we do not know about transgender people’s pathways into the criminal legal system, how they experience state surveillance, and how they navigate the system. Chapter three explores violence against transgender people in various …

Exploration Of Intercollegiate Student-Athletes’ Athletic Identity, Leah C. Oldham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Student-athletes encounter experiences that can cause their identity process and self-concept to be disturbed. Even though athletic identities are strong among intercollegiate athletes, some encounter identity-threatening events that interrupt their identity process, negatively affecting their athletic identity. The present study adds to current research on the athletic identity of student-athletes by examining the athletic identity and self-esteem of student-athletes to determine if a redshirt season is a positive (identity-enhancing) or negative (identity-threatening) event. The intersectionality of age, race, gender, and ethnicity are examined to understand if multiple identities influence the experience of a redshirt season. Results reveal that a redshirt …

Characterizing Locomotor Disturbance Perception In Young Adults, Daniel James Liss

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Falls during walking are a leading cause of injuries across aging. Many of these falls are due to slips and trips. The ability to perceive disturbances to ongoing motion may play an important role in the control of walking balance. However, disturbance perception has been investigated in standing balance, but its role in walking balance due to slip- and trip-like disturbances remains largely unknown. Characterizing locomotor disturbance perception in young adults may lead to a more comprehensive understanding of sensorimotor walking balance control.

This work defined locomotor disturbance perception in response to slip and trip-like disturbances in young adults. We …

Roles And Responsibilities Of A Coach Developer In A Youth Soccer Setting In The United States, Christina Ann Villalon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although coaching has a long history guided in the apprenticeship or mentorship model (Taylor & Garratt, 2013), research has primarily focused on the athlete, rarely on the coach, and almost never on whom the coach is serving as an apprentice to, or being mentored or supported by. Internationally, this role has been termed a ‘coach developer,’ but the formalized title and role of the coach developer is still a rather new concept (ICCE, 2014), with most research focused on the coach developer working at elite levels. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the roles and responsibilities of …