Digital Commons Network^™

Parental Beliefs About Mental Health And Available Support, Michele O'Geare

Master's Theses

This study adds information to the field by investigating the relationship between parental beliefs about mental health and the services they use to support their child’s mental health issues. The study targeted 224 parents from a private K-12 school in the Midwest. The school was selected because of the many students from diverse backgrounds. This study does not intend to influence parental beliefs but investigates ways families seek support for their children. Descriptive statistics like mean and standard deviation were combined to analyze quantitative data used to interpret parents’ beliefs toward mental health and the use of specific mental health …

The Polyvalent Stone Laid Before Joshua In Zechariah 3:9: An Exegetical And Intertextual Study, Sergey Panfilov

Master's Theses

The Problem

The imagery of “the one stone” laid before Joshua and the meaning of the related symbols and dynamics surrounding this object in Zech 3 remains an issue of scholarly debate. Although there are Hebrew Bible references and archaeological backgrounds to elucidate the object, they are found to be mutually conflicting or incomplete, suggesting the need for a methodological contribution to aid the investigation.

Methodology

The current study uses three independent methodological processes: (1) mining of data, (2) attribute-based theological evaluations of potential backgrounds, and (3) exegetical synthesis. These three processes can be viewed as independent or interdependent. As …

Pardoned And Perfect: A Comparative Study Of The Soteriology Of John Wesley And Ellen White, Esther Louw

Master's Theses

Problem

Since the 1970s, there has been an ongoing discussion about the extent to which Ellen White’s soteriology reflected or was influenced by John Wesley’s soteriology. The result has been a general lack of consensus. This study attempted to clearly delineate Wesley’s and White’s soteriological systems and distinguish them from various theological phenomena within American Methodism.

Method

The research for this thesis was predominantly drawn from primary source material which was organized chronologically in order to allow for the natural development of thought and ideas over time. The theological contexts of Wesley and White were explored and connected by an …

The Nature And Role Of Health Laws In The Writings Of Ellen G. White, Lehel Somogyi

Master's Theses

The Topic

Since the founding of their denomination, Seventh-day Adventists have advocated a particular concept of health based on the visions and writings of denominational co-founder Ellen G. White (1827–1915). According to her writings, certain natural laws are crucial for maintaining health. These laws are often called “the laws of health” or “the eight laws of health” and include principles such as diet, exercise, water, temperance, and hygiene. In Seventh-day Adventist circles, Ellen G. White is usually perceived as the originator of these health principles. Some scholars suggest that she simply borrowed her health principles from other contemporary health reformers. …

Senegambia And The American South: Where Identity Belongs, Malika David

Master's Theses

When you think of identity, what is the first thing that comes to mind? While I knew the dictionary definition, the actual meaning of identity remained unclear to me. I couldn't quite grasp the concept or how it related to me. That changed when I visited my mother’s homeland of Senegambia in December 2022. There was always a hunch that identity was connected to a sense of belonging and self-discovery, and I was surprised to realize how similar Senegambian. culture. was to my own southern upbringing. Ultimately, that provided a lot of curiosity and shaped my perspective on identity and …

Optimizing Field-Linked Simulations Of Dry Season Uptake And Monsoon Infiltration Within An Aspen-Mixed Conifer Forest, Raymond J. Hess

Master's Theses

Climate models forecast that headwater catchments in the western U.S. will undergo a reduction in snowpack, early season snowmelt, and increases in evapotranspiration. The resulting extended dry season will stress vegetation in mountainous watersheds throughout the Upper Colorado River Basin. We investigate infiltration patterns and root water uptake in response to dry season disturbances within the East River watershed in Colorado. To do this, we collected soil cores, measured matric potential and sap flow, and monitored tree xylem and soil for stable isotopes of water (2H, 18O) in two soil profiles to 90 cm depth (with three Engelmann spruce and …

The Moderating Role Of Job Insecurity On The Relationship Between Psychological Contract Breach And Employee Turnover Intention, Madeline R. Clark

Master's Theses

The intentions for an employee to voluntarily leave their position at an organization has been widely researched, given it is a strong determinant of actual employee turnover. Psychological contract breach (PCB), an employee’s perception that their organization has failed to fulfill its promises or obligations, has been identified as a known predictor of employee turnover intention. While various moderators of the relationship between PCB and turnover intention have been explored in previous research, current literature had yet to examine how the job insecurity employees experience might be associated with this relationship. Therefore, the present study examined job insecurity as a …

From Margins To Museums: Tracing The Evolution Of Representation For Contemporary African Artists In The United States, Victoria Mouraux Durand-Ruel

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the impact of the Black Lives Matter movement on the art community in the United States and the evolution of representation for Contemporary African artists. By analyzing the careers and artistic contributions of Omar Ba, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, the study explores the concept of artistic agency according to which African artists have more control over the production and distribution of their works.

The research begins with a comprehensive literature review, investigating the historical contexts that have shaped the art landscape, including the impact of colonization, decolonization, and globalization. The study reveals how these …

Assessing University Dance Programs: Evaluating The Dance Education Vs Performance Majors For Teacher Preparedness, Kionna N. Burgess

Master's Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to analyze how universities are preparing all dancers for the option of becoming a dance educator outside of training in dance technique. The researcher evaluated current dance educators in K-12 public education schools on their level of preparation from their chosen undergraduate and graduate programs for dance education. There were two research instruments used in this study: online surveys and online interviews completed by the dance educators. The data suggested that there is a need for more undergraduate and graduate dance programs to provide adequate teacher preparation training for those who may enter …

How A Study Abroad Program Supports Its Students Of Color: A Case Study, Hannah E. L. Bloom

Master's Theses

Students of Color study abroad at rates lower than their white peers, thus missing out on the academic, personal, and intercultural benefits one can gain from studying abroad. The purpose of this thesis was to conduct a qualitative case study to examine how a study abroad program supports its Students of Color during the pre-departure phase of study abroad. This case study uses Critical Race Theory as its theoretical lens. Research for this case study included interviews with four study abroad practitioners from one study abroad program, and a review of the study abroad program’s online spaces. This thesis endeavored …

A Talk With Time, Samanatha Kuban

Master's Theses

I chose to write a collection of genre-mixing short stories to depict the vastness and complexity of time as my English Master’s thesis project. Thinking about the constructs of time and how they function or do not function within our society sparked my interest in this field of knowledge and discussion. I am a person that tends to feel a large amount of anxiety surrounding the passage of time or time limits so reading deeper into studies of time and how we think about it in various ways proved to be an outlet for a better understanding. I chose to …

Perturbation Based Decomposition For Motor Unit Number Estimation, Anna T. Pham

Master's Theses

Motor unit number estimation (MUNE) is of clinical significance because information associated with motor unit populations and the loss of motor units over time are crucial to the diagnosis and monitoring of neuromuscular disorders. The responses of individual motor units can be extracted through incremental stimulation of a muscle group of interest and further analyzed through various methods to compute the MUNE. In this work, the utility of the perturbation-based decomposition by Szlavik will be investigated for this application and compared to the original MUNE approach developed by McComas. Successful decomposition may suggest an alternative method for motor unit number …

Brunet: Disruption-Tolerant Tcp And Decentralized Wi-Fi For Small Systems Of Vehicles, Nicholas Brunet

Master's Theses

Reliable wireless communication is essential for small systems of vehicles. However, for small-scale robotics projects where communication is not the primary goal, programmers frequently choose to use TCP with Wi-Fi because of their familiarity with the sockets API and the widespread availability of Wi-Fi hardware. However, neither of these technologies are suitable in their default configurations for highly mobile vehicles that experience frequent, extended disruptions. BRUNET (BRUNET Really Useful NETwork) provides a two-tier software solution that enhances the communication capabilities for Linux-based systems. An ad-hoc Wi-Fi network permits decentralized peer-to-peer and multi-hop connectivity without the need for dedicated network infrastructure. …

Decentralized Machine Learning On Blockchain: Developing A Federated Learning Based System, Nikhil Sridhar

Master's Theses

Traditional Machine Learning (ML) methods usually rely on a central server to per-
form ML tasks. However, these methods have problems like security risks, data
storage issues, and high computational demands. Federated Learning (FL), on the
other hand, spreads out the ML process. It trains models on local devices and then
combines them centrally. While FL improves computing and customization, it still
faces the same challenges as centralized ML in security and data storage.

This thesis introduces a new approach combining Federated Learning and Decen-
tralized Machine Learning (DML), which operates on an Ethereum Virtual Machine
(EVM) compatible blockchain. The …

Deep Ocean Vehicle Applications And Modifications, Nichole "Nikki" T. Arm

Master's Theses

This project had two primary goals: (1) to explore opportunities to further a deep-ocean vehicle’s reach using alternative pressure spheres, and (2) to implement an existing deep-ocean vehicle (lander) in active scientific research.

I gained a greater understanding of the limitations and design choices made for existing pressure spheres using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). My simplified FEA model predicted sphere failure for the existing 30% Fiber Glass 70% Nylon injection molded spheres at an external pressure of 3,954psi or 2,690m ocean-depth (only a 7.38% error compared to the tested minimum failure depth), so I determined it a valid model. I …

Discourse Analysis In Engineering: Investigating Patterns In Brainstorming Conversations, Aimee Chiem

Master's Theses

Brainstorming is a critical part of the engineering design process and can have a significant impact on the outcomes of the overall project. While research has studied the outcomes of brainstorming and the ideas that teams generate, the role that language and conversation play in these activities is still relatively underexplored. Observing the different ways people use specific types of discourse can reveal how conversations can affect brainstorming itself. To that end, this research aims to answer the following questions:

1) What are the different kinds of discursive moves that students make during engineering brainstorming activities?

2) What patterns or …

Evaluation Of Facilitation On Translocation Outcomes For San Joaquin Antelope Squirrel In The Carrizo Plain, California, Patrick R. Anderson

Master's Theses

In arid and semi-arid environments, burrowing mammals play a key role in increasing landscape heterogeneity through facilitative species interactions. The loss of burrowing mammal populations can consequently lead to negative effects cascading through the ecosystem. It is critical to understand these facilitative interactions for conservation and management. Understanding facilitative interactions may improve wildlife management tools, like translocation, which is often not very successful. To investigate the importance of burrow facilitation on San Joaquin antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus nelsoni; SJAS) translocation success, I designed a natural experiment with a burrowing facilitator, the giant kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ingens; GKR). I …

Launch Vibration Attenuation For In-Space Assembly Cargo, Jered Bell

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the implementation of a passive isolator with a pressurized air cushion for spacecraft payloads in mission architectures implementing in-space assembly technologies. A pressurized air bed capable of briefly surviving the space environment for cargo delivery was prototyped and experimentally evaluated for launch vehicle vibration dynamics resulting in a 72%, 93%, and 88% reduction in experienced GRMS loads for the X-Axis, Y-Axis, and Z-Axis, respectively. A preliminary Total Mass Loss evaluation of the Low-Density Polyethylene Film utilized for the air bed resulted in a mass loss of 0.7%, indicating that commercial off-the-shelf films might require minimal modification for …

Brain Dance And Brain Power: Impact Of Movement On Problem-Solving Skills For Exceptional Learners, Kristin Crain

Master's Theses

The goal of this research was to answer the question: Q1 In what ways do Brain Dance type movements impact problem-solving skills for exceptional learners? The research was completed within the public education setting with a group of volunteer participants including one cooperating teacher and six student participants identified as exceptional learners. The researcher focused on problem-solving skills including identifying a problem, showing work, implementing a solution, and identifying a solution. Research instruments were created based on these skills including a pretest, posttest, and teacher rubric. Student participants completed the pretest prior to being introduced to movement exercises. The researcher …

Dance And Emotional Intelligence: Mitigating Anxiety In The Modern Teen, Bridget Morris

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis study was to find if emotional intelligence could be increased through participation in dance classes, and if that increase of emotional intelligence could mitigate anxiety in teens today. The researcher held four dance classes with a total of five 15–16- year-old volunteer participants, all with dance experience. Two research instruments were used and data were analyzed quantitatively. The research questions explored were: Q1 What immediate effects do participating in a dance class have on emotional intelligence? Q2 Which components of emotional intelligence develop the most from participating in dance? The data demonstrated that participation in …

Assessing Stereotype Content And Accuracy Of The Poor: Interpersonal Warmth And Social Competence Dimensions, Shiza Shahid

Master's Theses

The present study assessed (a) the stereotype content of poor people among the poor and the non-poor by using implicit and explicit measures and (b) how these stereotypes map onto actual traits of the poor (i.e., stereotype accuracy). Experiment 1a assessed the stereotype of interpersonal warmth associated with the poor in the non-poor individuals using the Single Category Implicit Association Task (SC-IAT) and stereotype rating questionnaire. Participants also completed the interpersonal warmth inventory. Poor participants completed the SC-IAT, stereotypes ratings, and interpersonal warmth inventory to assess the stereotypes and stereotype accuracy (Experiment 1b). In Experiment 2a, I recruited non-poor participants …

Confidence In The Classroom: A Guide For Teaching Dance To Exceptional Learners, Brianna Janae Denmark

Master's Theses

This study focuses on highlighting the need for proper training for dance educators faced with teaching classes that include students with exceptional needs. Few dance classes will openly welcome or properly accommodate exceptional learners, which means that these learners are presented with minimal opportunities to participate in this extracurricular activity that promotes self-expression and socialization with their peers. Wanting to create more opportunities for exceptional learners to participate in dance, the researcher sought to find a solution that could be applied to multiple programs or organizations. The researcher realized that teaching exceptional learners can be viewed as daunting or uncomfortable …

Factors Shaping The Choreographic Process Of Studio Dance Teachers, Anna Duvall

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine what factors inform or shape the choreographic process of studio dance teachers. The research evaluates the role that teacher factors, student factors, social media, and non-person elements have in influencing studio dance instructors’ creation of choreography. A total of 54 people participated in this study and completed an in-depth survey. These teachers currently teach at various dance studios in Salt Lake County and Utah County, which are the two highest-populated counties in the State of Utah, comprising a significant majority of Utah’s population. Of this group of teachers, a total of nine …

Facilitating Artistic Growth In Athletically Trained Contemporary Dancers: Using Brain-Compatible Dance Education And Flow State Psychology To Promote Autonomous Movement Choices In Contemporary Movement Practice, Paige Alexis St John

Master's Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of a curriculum based on Brain-Compatible Dance Education (BCDE) and Flow State Psychology to influence and inform the training of artistry within athletically and competitively trained contemporary dancers – specifically the collegiate dance athlete population. Through this study, participants worked to understand how to texturize and deepen their movement through guided improvisation exercises and contemporary movement practice. Lesson plans were developed within the framework of Gilbert’s BCDE, primarily following her inspiration from Bartenieff Fundamentals and Laban movement concepts. Based on conclusions drawn from journal reflections, survey results, and researcher …

Putting Dance In Triple Threat: Confidence And Knowledge Of Dancing In Middle School Actors, Miranda Taylor

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to alleviate feelings of inadequacy in middle school musical theater actors through gained dance knowledge and confidence. The researcher evaluated middle school actors throughout the rehearsal process of a musical. The goal was to answer these three essential questions: Q1 Does feeling confident on stage as an actor/singer correlate with being a confident dancer? Q2 How can dance and choreography be used to increase confidence? Q3 How does previous dance experience effect confidence during a musical? Pre and post questionnaires were given to students who were cast in the show. The data suggested that …

Making It Stick: Exploring Teaching Tools For Choreography Retention In High School Musicals, Katie Arjona

Master's Theses

Dancers often perform pieces that linger in their brains and bodies long after they are danced on stage. For some dancers, the use of unique pieces of music, unusual technical elements, or an emotional connection to the movement has imprinted choreography in the dancer’s body and mind. In preparation for musicals done at the high school level, dancers are often asked to learn choreography to multiple songs within a short span of time and often have little dance training. This creates a unique position for the high school choreographer who will not only have to teach the actors the steps …

Strength-Training Curriculum For Middle And High School Dancers In A Studio Setting, Monica Taplin

Master's Theses

The purpose of this research study was to explore the effects of a strength training curriculum on middle and high school competitive dancers in a studio setting. Two research questions guided the study. Q1 What effects does a strength training curriculum in a studio setting have on middle and high school competitive and performance-based dancers’ technique, balance and stability, and body awareness?

Q2 In what ways can the curriculum be specifically targeted to meet the needs of dancers with a rigorous schedule?

The instrumentation involved in this study included an entrance questionnaire, a pre- and post-curriculum evaluation rubric, and an …

A Comparison Of The Perceived Effects Of Injury On Collegiate Dancers And Athletes, Megan Chiles

Master's Theses

This research study focused on sustained injuries to collegiate dancers and athletes and the physical and mental effects that followed the sustained injuries. The researcher used an electronic survey to gather quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data included average weekly hours of practice and conditioning, if an injury was sustained during participation of their activity, where the injury was sustained, and if medical treatment was provided to them through their universities. Qualitative data included whether the injured participants ever felt pressured to continue participation after an injury was sustained. This research study demonstrated that both collegiate dancers and athletes sustain …

The Creation And Application Of A Fundamental Hip-Hop Curriculum: What Are The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Codifying Classic Hip-Hop Technique?, Julie Wolfrum

Master's Theses

In this study, the researcher proposed using knowledge collected of hip-hop dance experts and pioneers to create a curriculum applicable for the youth. Using interviews with various experts and research on hip-hop pioneers, the researcher tested the proposed curriculum on third, fourth, and fifth grade participants in a Colorado private school. The curriculum was tested over a span of five weeks with seventy-four participants. Within the study, the participants were given historical knowledge, various vocabulary, creative prompts, and were introduced to different hip-hop musical artists. The participants were required to participate in cyphers, Battles, various hip-hop dance exercises, and create …

Using Behavior Bingo To Increase Academically Engaged Behavior In A General Education Elementary School Population, Faith Elizabeth Hamilton

Master's Theses

Spending instructional and work time addressing disruptive behaviors in the classroom is a common complaint of many teachers. The literature suggests that group contingencies are beneficial for improving behavior on a classwide and individual level. The current study investigated Behavior BINGO, a group contingency intervention whose research is in its infancy, and its effectiveness on increasing academically engaged behaviors and decreasing disruptive behaviors on a classwide basis. This study utilized a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design in three 2^nd grade, general education classrooms in a public school.