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Middle Eastern Themes In Contemporary American Fantasy: The Political And Socio-Religious Implications, Sait Ibisi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

What follows is a Master’s Thesis in which an insight is given into four Middle East-inspired contemporary American fantasy novels: The Desert of Souls (2011) by Howard Andrew Jones, Throne of the Crescent Moon (2012) by Saladin Ahmed, The City of Brass (2017) by S. A. Chakraborty, and Alif the Unseen (2012) by G. Willow Wilson. In the first part of the thesis I disclose the political implications which the mentioned novels carry. These are inspired by the past and contemporary political developments in the Middle East, and are meant to both criticize the said, but more importantly, to depict …

Presumed Innocent: The Child Figure In U.S. Southern Literature, 1945 – 2004, Yendountien Noellie Lare-Assogba

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the nineteenth century in the U.S. the concept of childhood has usually been equated with innocence. Fiction, popular culture, and theatrical productions have not only spread this idea of childhood innocence but also attributed innocence and vulnerability to white children while negating children of color those qualities. This project examines the role of childhood in constructing U.S. southern identity in texts from 1945 to 2004. Drawing on Kathryn Bond Stockton’s conceptualization of the innocent child, the child of color, and the working class child who lacks the “normative” protection of innocence, and the white middle-class child who is psychologically …

An Investigation Into The Relationship Between Spirituality And Coping Responses Among Women With A Visual Impairment, Sandra Marie Bullins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine coping responses, specifically by women, and the relationship between those coping responses and a woman’s self-reported spirituality. The sample was comprised of women (n = 175) from the United States and 10 foreign countries. The results of a correlational analysis showed a strong positive relationship (r= 0.46, p<0.0001) between scores on the Spirituality Assessment Scale (SAS) and the Brief Cope (BC). There were also statistically significant correlations among subscales of the SAS and BC subscales. A multivariate analysis of variance was performed to evaluate the impact that select demographic variables might have on spirituality and coping responses. The results of the MANOVA showed no effect and were not statistically significant at alpha 0.1.

A Flourynge Aege: Tracing The Sacred And Secular In The Book Of St. Albans, Allison Treese

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the introduction of the printing press to England around the mid-fifteenth century, English authors were not only writing under the lingering influence of Chaucer and the conventions of established medieval genres, but now had to confront the implications for reading and readership that printing brought with it along with the already turbulent political climate of the fifteenth century. Though this cultural shift was arguably a gradual one, with the earliest printers taking special care to remain faithful to the manuscripts they were copying, and conventional scribes likewise being commissioned to make copies of printed works, there were nevertheless radical …

Examining The Relationship Between State Anxiety And Vestibular And Ocular Motor Impairments And Symptoms In High School Athletes With Concussion, Mallory Kathleen Mcelroy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety has been associated with vestibular and ocular motor impairment in the general population. However, there is limited research regarding the connection between the vestibular and ocular motor systems and anxiety following sport-related concussion (SRC). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to compare state anxiety between concussed adolescent male and female athletes with and without vestibular and ocular motor impairments and symptoms. DESIGN: Prospective, repeated measures SUBJECTS: Thirty adolescent athletes between the ages of 15-18 years, diagnosed with a SRC completed the STAI-State at initial and medical clearance clinical visit. These adolescent athletes were categorized into vestibular and ocular …

The Comparison Of Using The Preferred Or Non-Preferred Wrist When Measuring Physical Activity In College Students, Bryce Daniels

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Introduction. People who participate in regular physical activity have a decreased risk of chronic diseases and premature death. A dramatic decrease of physical activity occurs from adolescence to young adulthood. With important implications to health, physical activity is an important behavior to measure. However, inconsistencies exist on how to measure physical activity. When using accelerometers, differences between the preferred or non-preferred wrist may result in different estimates of physical activity. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to compare the preferred and non-preferred wrist accelerometry measured physical activity using commonly used research accelerometers during structured daily college activities (Actigraph GT3x-bt …

A Streetcar Named Kanye West, Frisco Edwards

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This abstract is brought to you by Pogodyne Incorporated, whom you may remember from other narrative disasters such as: Finding Pynchon and that one about Marcella Hamilton with that guy. In this one, Kanye West and his partner Dog the Bounty Hunter find themselves involved in another zany mystery, filled with slapsticks and low-wits. In this powerhouse action adventure, buddy-cop-bonanza, there is no respite from hilarity and political intrigue. With cameos aplenty, a trolley chase, and one very live-wire prop comedian, this thing has got it all, friends. You didn’t ask for it is, but here it is, in all …

Disordered Eating Risk And Body Image Dissatisfaction Of Division I Male And Female Cheerleaders, Christopher Blaszka

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The sport of cheerleading is growing both in the high school and college setting, however there is little research on cheerleaders specifically, both sideline and competitive. It is clear that while this sport does not benefit from being affiliated with the NCAA, the athletes are still at large risk for disordered eating and eating disorders, and are in need of more accurate screening and prevention methods. With the lack of cheerleading studies in general, there is an even larger scarcity of studies that focus on males in cheerleading. The current study aims to fill the gap in the research regarding …

The Effect Of An Adult Esl Project-Based Literacy Training On Teacher Practice, Rachel Lynn Gerner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This case study evaluates the effectiveness of a project-based learning professional development training conducted at a literacy center for nine ESL teachers who are working in a workforce literacy environment. The researcher investigated principles of andragogy in the training and examined whether participants implemented the content of the training in their teaching environments via observation, self-reported answers on a questionnaire, individual interviews, and a focus group. There was no direct follow-up after six weeks of the training. The findings of the study indicate that none of the teachers implemented project-based learning in their teaching environment directly following the professional development …

Counselors' Self-Discrepancy And Its Impact On Their Burnout And Wellness, Donghun Lee

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the relationships between counselors’ professional, personal, and reflected selves as well as between counselors’ self-discrepancies and their burnout and wellness. Moreover, an investigation on the impacts of counselors’ self-discrepancies on their burnout and wellness as a professional was conducted. The use of self has been emphasized in order for counselors to elicit meaningful outcome with clients. To demonstrate the use of self as an instrument of the counseling process, integrating professional, personal, and reflected selves is necessary for counselors. One hundred ninety five (N = 195) professional counselors in Mid-South States, who currently practice, supervise, educate, or …

Geography Of The Middle East Through The Western Lens: A Survey Of Films Set In The Middle East And Filmed In The American Southwest, Jake Bryan Rowlett

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Representation of cinematic geography is a struggle in the world of film: a power balance between the work of the filmmakers and the place itself. Often, the filmmakers tip the scales in their favor and the true nature of the place is lost in translation. Throughout the history of cinema, the geography of the Middle East has been manipulated into a vision designed for Western audiences that is strikingly disjointed from reality.

The foundation of modern Orientalist interpretations of the Middle East in film can be seen in the early decades of the film industry, through the “Biblical Epic,” and …

I, Myself, And Me, The Human Being, David Manuel Cajias

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this project are advanced two ways of seeing the ordinary human being with the aim of understanding who he is: namely, from the perspective of his personal identity and from the point of view of his self-conception. The chapters included in the first part are meant to treat the issue of personal identity from a practical perspective, whereas the ones included in the second part intend to assess the utility of self-conception from a phenomenological standpoint. Ultimately, I bring together these two perspectives into a unitary understanding of the human being in the context of his everyday life.

Self-Perception Of Ncaa Division I Student-Athletes, Sean Strehlow

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Self-perception is the level of competency at which individuals evaluate themselves in certain areas or domains (Marsh & Shavelson, 1985). An individual’s self-perceptions contribute to their global self-worth, and even predict performance (Cuellar, 2014; Harter & Neemann, 2012). Self-perception is an increasingly popular area of study, and there is a gap in the research as it pertains to college student-athletes (Harter & Neemann, 2012). This study measures self- perception scores, as well as experiences with racial discrimination, of 306 NCAA Division I student-athletes using the Self-Perception Profile for College Students (Harter & Neemann, 2012). Scores are compared across race/ethnicity and …

How Want Vs Need Self-Talk Facilitates Goal-Directed Behavior, Danielle Elyse Baker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Exercising self-control can be a challenge, whether it involves avoiding temptations or striving toward long-term goals. When attempting to exert self-control, the way people address themselves (e.g., self-talk) is important. This study examined how self-talk strategies want and need affected behavioral self-control outcomes in a temptation situation using a 2 (self-talk strategy: want vs need) x 2 (goal emphasis: temptation vs long term goal) factorial design. Participants’ own cell phones served as the temptation and a computer task designed to portray a career-relevant emotional intelligence training served as the long-term goal. Participants were randomly assigned toward either the long-term goal …

Gothic Voids: Nineteenth-Century Reader Experience And Participation, Garrett Chapman Jeter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Characterization of nineteenth-century literary Gothic is usually confined to affective response. This project argues that literary Gothic works constitute an intellectual, empirical endeavor. Because authors of literary Gothic intentionally left voids in their narratives, they invited their readers to participate in making narrative through speculation and conjecture about missing information. The practice of Gothic reading makes the reader an active partaker in filling those voids with rational conclusions. Reading is not just textual encounter. Rather, it incorporates making meaning of one’s surroundings. In their experiences, literary works’ characters “read” their environments: people, objects, events, etc. Chapter 1 characterizes Gothic reading …

The Myth Of Southern Atonement: Constructed Forgiveness In Public Spaces, Elizabeth Ashley Clayborn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a rhetorical analysis of public space in Arkansas and examines the ways in which the myth of Southern Atonement is constructed within those spaces. Three formal elements characterize Southern Atonement: absolution from the past, distinctiveness in constructed authenticity, and hope for a post-racial future. The analysis develops over three case studies which I argue contribute to the construction, engagement, and actualization of this cultural myth. The first chapter looks at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and The Unexpected art project as a source of identity construction and place attachment. Then I examine The Billgrimage, or the monuments and museums …

Historicizing Muslim American Literature: Studies On Literature By African American And South Asian American Muslim Writers, Wawan Eko Yulianto

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In response to the challenge of understanding Muslim Americans in a way that highlights their integral role in the United States through literature, this research starts with two questions: 1) how should we read Muslim American literature in relation to the lived experiences of Islam in America? and 2) how does Muslim American literature contribute to the more mainstream American literature.

To answer those questions, this research takes as its foundations the theories by Stuart Hall and Satya Mohanty on, firstly, the evolving nature of diaspora identity and on the epistemic status of identity. Following Hall’s argument that every expression …

Perceived Maternal Invalidation And Drinking Behavior: The Role Of Action Control, Elise Ann Warner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder is one of the most prevalent disorders worldwide. As such, researchers have examined factors contributing to alcohol use. Perception of emotional experiences in childhood as invalidating by parents is one factor that has been found to predict later alcohol use, though less is known about maternal invalidation specifically. Parental invalidation has also been found to predict difficulty regulating affective states (i.e., negative and positive affect), which is also a determinant of alcohol use. Further, researchers have studied temptation to drink and restraint from drinking as related to alcohol use to better understand drinking behavior. Though there appears …

Decisions Set In Stone: Spatial Analyses Of Ozark Rock Art Sites, Elements, And Motifs With Gis, Jordan Lee Schaefer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to spatially analyze rock art distributions in the Salem Plateau section of the Arkansas Ozarks. Statistical tests, such as chi-square and t-testing, are applied to provide an objective view of rock art patterning in relation to the overall landscape. The data collected from these methods allow one to discern the locational preferences for rock art, which potentially reveal cultural details about the people involved with its creation. Multiple analytical perspectives are applied throughout, initially focusing on comparisons with expected values and random points. Later statistical tests use bluff shelter distributions as reference data …

Principal Engagement In The Professional Development Process: The Identification Of Barriers, Resources, And Supports, Michael John Koonce

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that served as barriers to principal engagement in the professional development process and identify what resources or supports were needed to increase engagement levels. For the purpose of this study, the professional development process included the identification of the professional learning needs of teachers on an ongoing and annual basis and the evaluation of the effectiveness of the professional development that has been provided. This study used a qualitative approach to examine principal engagement in the professional development process throughout a large geographic area in the Midwest. 20 principals were purposefully …

A Phenomenological Inquiry Into The Shared Lived Experience Of Married Male Doctoral Students In Counselor Education And Their Non-Student Spouses, Anthony Suarez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research involving married doctoral students has suggested that they face a unique set of circumstances that include benefits, challenges, and changes. Additional research has highlighted the culture within Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) programs. While there are some studies that explore the experiences of married graduate students in counseling-related fields, very little literature exists that explores married students in CES programs. No such studies focus on the experiences of married male students in CES.

The purpose of this study was to explore the shared lived experiences of married male doctoral students in Counselor Education and Supervision (CES) programs and their …

The Attitudes Of Saudi Teachers Toward Teaching Physical Education For Girls At Public Schools In Jeddah, Turki H. Samargandi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of Saudi teachers towards teaching PE for girls at public schools in Jeddah city and to explore the factors that may affect these attitudes. The researcher explored the reasons behind the PE ban for girls in these schools. The number of participants was Four hundred and sixty-two teachers who completed the survey (N = 462). T-Test and One-Way ANNOVA were the two methods to analyze the data collected.

The results indicated that about 95.1% of them agreed that regular practice of physical education can affect positively the appearance and the …

Tapping The Voices Of Learners For Authentic Student Engagement, Bryan Bronn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the problem of practice of the decline in student engagement from the perceptions of secondary school learners as they proceed throughout their educational experience. According to researchers, learners who are engaged—meaning those who are committed and connected in active relationships with teachers, other learners, the learning environment, learning interests and ideas, the curriculum, and learning goals, are more likely to enjoy and be in control of their own learning [student agency]. This study is significant because of its potential to provide new understandings of the problem of a decline in student engagement …

Participation Of International African Students At The University Of Arkansas In Extracurricular Activities And Their Academic Outcomes, Paulo Hadi Ernesto Manuel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines whether there is an association between participation of the international African students at the University of Arkansas in extracurricular activities (ECAs) and their grade point average (GPA). Additionally, the researcher seeks to discover how and why the international African students participate in ECAs. The researcher surveyed 59 full time African students at the University of Arkansas during the academic year 2017-2018. The participants were adult males and females pursuing bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees at the University of Arkansas. The researcher compared the reported quantity of ECA hours with the participant’s GPA as reported by the participant. …

Examining The Appropriate Recovery Interval Following Maximal Exertion For Baseline Computerized Neurocognitive Testing (Cnt), Samantha Mohler

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Computerized neurocognitive testing is part of the recommended multi-faceted approach to SRC assessment. Prior research has suggested that maximal exertion negatively effects CNT test scores. Purpose: To identify the appropriate timing of the administration of CNT following maximal exertion in healthy college-aged students. Study Design: Random cross-over, repeated measures design. Methods: Participants will be administered CNT on four different visits, with at least one week between administrations. A VO2 max treadmill test will be performed before CNT administration during three of the four trials. Following the VO2 max test, participants will rest for <2 minutes (immediate), 10-minutes, or 20-minutes before taking CNT. The fourth trial, without maximal exertion preceding CNT administration, will serve as the control. All trials will be randomly-counterbalanced to negate practice effects. RESULTS: There was a significant within-subjects effect for prescribed post-exertion recovery intervals on total symptom scores (Wilks λ = .62, F [3, 23] = 4.64, p = .01, η2= .38). Total symptom scores were significantly higher at the immediate (p < .002), 10-minutes (p = .018), and 20-minutes (p = .011) post-exertion recovery intervals compared to baseline. Additionally, a significantly positive within-subjects effect for prescribed post exertion recovery was observed for processing speed (p=.009, Wilks λ = .60, F [3, 27] = 5.9, η2 = .396). No significant effect was observed for visual memory (p = .07), verbal memory (p = .06), or reaction time (p = .40). CONCLUSION: Baseline symptom scores were negatively influenced processing speed was enhanced by maximal exertion. These changes continue to be elevated 20 minutes post-exertion. Moreover, cognitive performance was not significantly impaired following maximal exercise. To obtain more accurate baseline symptom scores, and allow processing speed composites to return to normal, sports medicine professionals should wait at least 20 minutes following maximal exertion before administering CNT.

The Effect Of Napping On Sleep Quality And Quantity In Healthy And Concussed Collegiate Athletes, Katie Stephenson-Brown

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Clinicians are increasingly prescribing a regulated sleep schedule to athletes post injury; however, baseline sleep habits of collegiate athletes are unknown. Moreover, the connection between napping and sleep quality and quantity has not been studied in collegiate athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate napping behaviors and their effects on sleep quantity and quality in concussed and non-concussed collegiate athletes. In a sample of 233 non-concussed collegiate athletes, 74% (172/233) of participants reported napping. Napping was not significantly associated with sleep quantity (χ 2 (2) = .23, p = .64) or quality (χ 2 (1) = .42, …

Best Practice: Bringing The Elements Of Effective Practice To The College Writing Classroom, Jonathan Montgomery Green

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studies of college writing students suggest that many students associate writing ability with innate talent rather than sustained, deliberate practice. As a result, these students may lack the motivation to improve their writing abilities, leading to a vicious cycle in which they come to increasingly resent writing as a curricular and extracurricular activity. This dissertation argues that the elements of effective practice as outlined by cognitive psychology are equally applicable to writing as they are to skills such as music and that convincing students of the “practice-ability” of writing may improve their motivation to improve their writing abilities.

The dissertation …

Examining Food Insecurity Among High School Students: A Risks And Resources Model, Jill Niemeier

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between food insecurity, risks, and resources among adolescents attending a large high school in Northwest Arkansas. In a sample of 1,493 students, in which the majority are Hispanic/Latino and receive free and reduced lunch, food insecurity relationships were first assessed controlling for a number of sociodemographic variables, such as ethnicity, gender, and social class. In addition, a number of risk and resource variables were identified at four ecological levels: individual, family, school/peer, and community. These risks and resources were analyzed using a three-step ordinal regression model in order to examine how sociodemographic controls, risks, and …

Teacher And Administrator Perspectives From Experiences In The Teacher Leadership Initiative, Leslie Lynne Sharp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Teacher leadership, has been defined by many researchers as the answer to school improvement through the use of teacher leaders leading the effort in schools and districts. This qualitative dissertation takes a deep look into the experiences of teachers and administrators that participated in a nation-wide teacher leadership pilot, the Teacher Leadership Initiative (TLI), and the effects that this year-long event had on leadership, school improvement and teacher and administrator professional practices. Unifying outcomes from the participants as a result of their involvement in this initiative included changes in thinking about leadership that directly improved professional efficacy, collaborative and leadership …

Picturing A Nation Divided: Art, American Identity And The Crisis Over Slavery, Louise Michelle Hancox

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 1859, Arkansas artist Edward Payson Washbourne produced a lithograph entitled the Arkansas Traveler. Based upon a popular folktale originating twenty years earlier, Washbourne used the image to convey his understanding of the crisis over slavery in the western territories. Artists in north and south responded to the slavery debate with differing visions of the western landscape; one characterized by free labor, the other slave. Westward expansion also highlighted debate about Indians, long relegated to the role of the savage other by the myth of the frontier. Yet, on the southern frontier, the conversation was different, as slaveholding Cherokees claimed …