Digital Commons Network^™

A Photographic Study On College Student Sense Of Belonging, Sean Sheptoski

Masters Theses

Finding one’s sense of belonging has the capability to serve as the tipping point between success in college, and failure. According to McMillian and Chavis (1996), sense of belonging can be defined as the sense of community that members feel when they are in an environment and around other members. A way to achieve premier sense of belonging is by the creation of a caring, supportive and welcoming environment within the university. This study was designed to focus on the importance campus space plays in the creation of sense of belonging. Using a qualitative approach known as photovoice, the researcher …

Silence For Orchestra: Incorporating Silence In Musical Language Through Theories Of Expectation, Kari Darby

Masters Theses

The purpose of Silence: for Orchestra is to incorporate silence as a captivating source of musical language. Silence's goal is to encourage the audience to appreciate silence as musch as music. David Huron's research in musical expectations served as a guide to create a piece that develops, contradicts, and conforms to a listener's expectations. Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis's work describes five functions of silence found in music. These functions can be applied to the silences used in my piece in order to further conform to the listener's expectations.

"Boys Learn The Teacher, And Then They Learn The Subject": The Importance Of The Teacher-Student Relationship In Engaging High School Boys In The Writing Classroom, Leslie Ellis

Masters Theses

This thesis explores methods for engaging high school boys in the writing classroom. Chapter one describes the differing beliefs scholars have about boys' educational situation, specifically in English language arts. Several researchers and scholars describe boys' situation as dire because boys have failed to improve as girls have over the last sixty years. These researchers cite various reasons for boys' academic stagnation, such as learning styles, hormones, brain structure and development, the feminization of the classroom, motivation, engagement, and teaching styles. These factors may contribute to the gender gap in writing. Other scholars deny the urgency of boys' lack of …

"If You Want Sense, You'll Have To Make It Yourself": Language, Adaptation, And The Myth Of Visual Nonsense, Dianna M. Bellian

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between language and image in Nonsense texts through analysis of illustrations, animations, and live-action portrayals of scenes from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth, and their adaptations. This study proceeds by first discussing the discrepancies between various definitions of the critical term "nonsense" as applied to a genre of literature, then moves on to critique the established term of "visual nonsense" as used within the discourse community. The analysis of word-image relationships in the sample texts …

Assessment Of The Efficacy Of The Hose-Bridge As A Road-Crossing Structure For Dekay's Brownsnake (Storeria Dekayi), Sarah Elizabeth Manka

Masters Theses

Various structures have been integrated into roadways to ensure the road does not impede wildlife movements between adjacent habitats. Where traffic volume is low, the costs of installing and maintaining such structures is typically prohibitive. I tested the efficacy of a hose-bridge deployed temporarily on a State Park road in Illinois that allowed the passage of cars over it and small wildlife species to cross through it. I predicted that, during the 4.5 -week period of peak migratory movement, road-based mortality of Dekay's Brownsnakes (Storeria dekayi) would be less at the site having the hose-bridge, when compared to a similar …

Culture For Sale: The Appropriation Of Japanese Style Tattoos Through Transculturation, Evan Lohmann

Masters Theses

Japanese style tattoos onto the bodies of celebrities in the United States articulate a lack of awareness towards this ancient art form through their appropriation of historically inaccurate images. The prominence of these celebrities in magazines circulated within the United States act as powerful mediums which may lead to the commodification of certain Japanese symbols in capitalistic societies like the United States. I use post-colonialism, Orientalism, transnationalism and hyper identification as the theoretical framework and semiotics as the methodology in order to examine fourteen magazine covers that showcase celebrities in the United States sporting noticeable Japanese style tattoos. The overall …

Relationally Managing Weight Loss, Clinton L. Brown

Masters Theses

Previous research emphasizes the link between social support and weight loss. However, scholarship has failed to explore how family members enact support during an individual's weight loss attempt and how participation in a weight loss program impacts family communication about dietary choices. This project examines how family members enact support for individuals in a weight loss program and how as a result of participating in a weight loss program family members renegotiate relational norms and rules regarding dietary behaviors. Thirteen individuals (n= 13), eleven (11) females and two (2) males enrolled in a medically supervised weight management program journaled about …

Economic Growth Paradox In Nigeria: A Perspective From Natural Resource Wealth Time Series Analysis For The Period 1980 - 2013, Jamiu Amusa

Masters Theses

This thesis empirically examines the paradox of economic growth in Nigeria with a viewpoint from natural resource wealth. The question involved in this study is that whether natural resource wealth has a positive impact on economic growth in Nigeria or not. The economy of Nigeria is observed to be growing on paper but deplorably, poverty and unemployment is on a progressive increase in reality. The study uses the endogenous growth theory (AK Model) in terms of how resource wealth can influence economic growth. It exploits time series analysis (Unit Root and Co-integration) techniques to test for the existence of a …

The Effects Of High Intensity Interval Training On Body-Esteem Among College-Aged Women, Chelsea K. Duncan

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on body-esteem among college-aged females. The study had four participants complete a pre-intervention questionnaire, which included BMI information and the Body-Esteem Scale (BES: Franzoi & Shields, 1984). The participants then completed 12 sessions of HIIT, three sessions each week for four weeks. After completing the HIIT protocol, participants filled out a post-intervention questionnaire, including BMI and the BES. The post-intervention questionnaires were then compared to the participants' pre-intervention questionnaires using a paired-samples t test with SPSS software. Small changes in BES scores occurred, however …

The Impact Of Social Media On The Grieving Process, Resa Ware

Masters Theses

In 2015 the Pew Research Center reported that 72% of adult Internet users are on Facebook and it continues to be the most used social networking site in the world (Duggan, 2015). Facebook is a source of social expression, connections, and support for others. It is becoming much easier to express feelings such as grief in an online setting. In fact, the online expression of grief has been found to empower individuals who feel that traditional grieving practices are ineffective (Carroll & Landry, 2010). The purpose of the current study was to explore the impact of social media (i.e. Facebook) …

Intersections Of Space, Movement, And Diasporic Subjectivity In Brick Lane, White Teeth, And Maps For Lost Lovers, Md. Alamgir Hossain

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the correlations between characters' encounters with specific locations and their interior development as they adjust to their new environments in the novels Brick Lane (2003), White Teeth (2000), and Maps for Lost Lovers (2004). Monica Ali's Brick Lane focuses on Nazneen's (the protagonist) encounters with different places such as particular streets, pubs, restaurants, cafés, and train stations, which impact her personality to such an extent that, in the process of traversing London's physical terrain, she is transformed from a passive Bangladeshi rural woman into an active, independent agent in London. In With Teeth, Zadie Smith depicts …

A Quantitative Examination Of Alcohol Consumption Motivation Between Fraternity And Non-Fraternity Men, Brinton B. Vincent

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to examine the differences in motivation between fraternity and non-fraternity freshmen males. The researcher hypothesized that there would be no significant motivational factor to consume alcohol among the population and no significant difference between fraternity and non-fraternity freshmen males. To better examine differences, a quantitative study was conducted by surveying the population of freshmen males at a mid-sized, Midwestern, 4-year, public institution. The Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS) was used to measure four types of motivation: intrinsic motivation, external regulation, identified regulation, and amotivation. Out of the 58 participants, 48 surveys were usable (N = …

Understanding The Management Of Sustainability On One Public Midwestern College Campus, Eric Swinehart

Masters Theses

Environmental sustainability is a substantial issue within our world today that is on the forefront of policy makers' minds. Implementation of sustainability initiatives on a college campus comes in many forms and different scales, which falls upon the question of who manages all the moving pieces to make these initiatives successful. This study was designed to gain an understanding of how administrators are defining and implementing environmental sustainability initiatives on their campus, to understand their role in managing these tasks. Using a qualitative approach, the researcher interviewed a purposeful sample of four higher education administrators from one public Midwestern university. …

Examining The Effects Of Pornography On The Individual And The Family, Benjamin Scott Wilburn

Masters Theses

The expansion of technology, namely the Internet, has contributed greatly to the increase of available pornographic material (Cooper, 2009). This increase in material has created a platform to engage in discussion regarding the available forms of media the influence it has on individuals and family members consuming pornography. The purpose of this research was to examine the influence and attitudes of pornography on an individual and family members of individuals who use pornography. A mixed methods study with the following objectives was conducted: a) investigate the differences between recreational pornography use and addiction; b) identify the key attitudes toward pornography …

Impact Of Employment On Undergraduate Academic Achievement, Canaan Daniels

Masters Theses

The purpose of the research was to examine the relationship between employment and academics among undergraduate students attending a mid-sized Midwestern institution. Though current literature was mixed on this relationship, the researcher developed research questions to further explore if such variables were related. From data presented by prior research on employment and academics, hypotheses were formed to see if employment had any relationship to students' academic achievement. A questionnaire was then distributed to over 8,000 students so that results from participants could be examined to find if any relationships existed. An SPSS analysis using 421 responses was conducted that resulted …

Transfer Students' Perceptions Of Their Academic Preparedness From Urban Community Colleges To Four-Year Institutions, Jazmine E. Thompson

Masters Theses

This study was designed to investigate the perceptions of transfer students' academic preparedness from urban community colleges to four-year institutions. Within separate one-on-one interviews, four participants were asked a set of open-ended demographic and biographic questions regarding their community college experience. Through coding and analyzing participant responses several themes emerged, including (1) importance of relationships with faculty and staff, (2) departmental support, (3) academic preparation for a four-year university, (4) preparedness for university academic expectation, (5) learned academic strategies, (6) test-taking, (7) understanding environments and (8) utilization of professor and other strategies. Several conclusions of the present study were drawn …

The Relationship Between Softball Student-Athletes' Motivation, Self-Confidence, And Perception Of Coach Leadership, Jacquelyn M. Sernek

Masters Theses

This study advanced the understanding of relationships among coach leadership and collegiate softball players' self-confidence and motivation. The purpose of this study was to examine if there was a correlation between perceived coach leadership and softball player's self-confidence and motivation. Ninety-seven U.S. collegiate female softball student-athletes completed a Basic Demographic Survey, the Trait Sport-Confident Inventory (TSCI), Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS), and Sport Motivation Scale (SMS). Multiple linear regression analyses results indicated that LSS and SMS subscales explained 45 percent of the variance in TSCI scores. Pearson correlation coefficients were computed and significant moderate positive relationships were found between the …

First-Generation, Second Year, College Students And Support Gained From Campus Services, Taylor Whittington

Masters Theses

First-generation college students face many challenges when coming into higher education. This qualitative study was designed to gain an understanding of how first-generation college students utilize resources on campus in support of trying to work through their challenges and gain their successes. Chickering and Reisser's (1993) theory of identity development was used to better understand the development of first-generation college students during their transition and first year at the institution. The researcher interviewed five first-generation college students who identified as Caucasian and were in their second year of college. The results from the study showed that first-generation students rely heavily …

What's Their Expiration Date? Age Discrimination In The Workplace, Bianca L. Tomlin

Masters Theses

Age discrimination, although illegal, continues to have a presence within organizations against older individuals. Previous research on age discrimination has determined that the social identity of those older workers discriminated against are affected. This project examines how older workers are being discriminated against, how age discrimination affects the dignity of an older worker, and how age discrimination affects the professional identity of older workers. This study focuses on eleven white-collar workers, age 45-65 who have experienced age discrimination in the workplace. Analysis revealed that older workers found themselves being fired from organizations, barred from entry into organizations, and denied training …

An Exploration Of Sense Of Belonging Among Black Males Attending A Predominately White Institution, Nicolas T. Wright

Masters Theses

This study was designed to gain insight on how Black male students attending a predominantly White institution defined and described sense of belonging. In addition, the researcher sought to see if Black male students at the research institution developed a sense of belonging. Using a qualitative approach, the researcher interviewed five Black male students. The participants were students of sophomore to senior standing. Results showed that Black males students defined sense of belonging as acceptance and comfort. Additionally, the results showed that Black male students were able to create a sense of belonging at their predominantly White institution. Participants discussed …

Aau Basketball - Participants' Perceptions Of Their Aau Experience, Hakeem R. Willis

Masters Theses

In the United States, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) has become the focal point for college recruiters in searching for top talent amongst middle and high school basketball athletes. Financially, AAU basketball can be expensive, making it difficult for families to allow their children to compete. However, players feel that AAU participation is worth the investment because of the benefits, which includes collegiate exposure. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of former AAU basketball players' experience. The research question used to guide this study was: what are former AAU basketball players' perceptions of academic requirements, time/money, …

Heroic Texts And Special Effects, Joshua D. Goss

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Sampling Efficiency, Population Characteristics, And Potential Impacts Of Harvest Regulations On Three Riverine Species Of Catfish, Zachary Adam Mitchell

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Shame On You: An Analysis Of Guilt-Based Advertising Strategies Directed At Parents, Jamie M. Alexander

Masters Theses

This thesis examines print advertisements in Parents, a popular parenting magazine, for a period of two years. This study uses critical discourse analysis to find meaning in these print advertisements. Through this analysis, three prominent themes were found in the two-year data collection period. The first of which is the #1 Recommended, a theme that highlights the cultural importance of using only products that have been recommended by medical professionals or hospitals, thereby emphasizing the social power of such persons or establishments. The second is comfort, care, and the good stuff, a theme that highlights a maternal desire to …

How The Internet Is Used By The Millennial Generation And Its Impact On Family Interaction, Kendra Myers

Masters Theses

The purpose of the current study was to examine how Internet technology is used by the Millennial Generation and how it impacts family interaction. A questionnaire developed by the author was posted online and the final sample consisted of 92 participants, 13 men and 79 women. The average age of the participants was 27.97 (SD = 4.46). Findings showed that that the Millennial Generation used the Internet multiple times a day and for many reasons which were sorted into six distinct themes: 1) research/information seeking, 2) work, 3) social media/communication (besides email), 4) academics, 5) email, and 6) personal/entertainment. …

When Nutrition Kills You: Malnutrition For Children In Saudi Arabia, Layla Alahmari

Masters Theses

In this thesis, the issues of Saudi children and their sick and malnourished are shown. Many Saudi's children suffer from anemia. Usually Saudi's children suffer from malnutrition because their parents do not instill healthy food habits. Saudi's children also, suffered due to nutritional inequality consequential from the appearance of poverty, and parent illiteracy. The purpose of this study was to determine most significant factors that result in malnutrition of children in Saudi Arabia.

The study was a quantitative, non-experimental design. It was a survey and correlational study. The hypotheses results were not significant. The researcher observed in particular results, which …

Children With Special Needs And The Effect On The Family, Taylor N. Downey

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the family unit after the addition of a child with special needs. Additional stressors, positive and negative emotions were also explored in this study. The results of this study suggested that all families have different experiences with their child but they may feel similar emotions, feelings, and face the same characteristics depending on their child's diagnosis.

Student Impressions Of Community College Presidents, Megan Julia Corder

Masters Theses

This qualitative study explores student impressions of community college presidents. Through conducting interviews with six involved leaders in parallel roles at two community colleges, the study investigated what shapes student impressions of college presidents. Nearly half of all undergraduate students in the United States attend a community college. These students all hold their own unique perspective, but each impression is shaped by different factors. The study explored what shaped and influenced student understanding of the presidency, what influenced student impressions of the president, how the president impacted individual experience at the institution, how students evaluated the presidency. It was found …

Do Smartphone Applications Aid In Weight Loss? A Study On The Efficacy Of Apps As A Supplemental Weight-Loss Aid, Elizabeth C. Fitzsimmons

Masters Theses

Over the past decade, mobile technology has been developed in the hopes of improving health outcomes, especially related to weight loss. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a smartphone application as a supplementary weight loss tool among highly motivated individuals. Twenty-five individuals over the age of 18 were included in the study based on BMI and participation in a Midwest weight-loss clinic. Intervention group participants (n = 13) were instructed to use the MyFitnessPal app to monitor food intake and receive SMS-style nutritional messages. The control group (n = 12) received no mobile-based intervention, but …

The Quotidian In Naguib Mahfouz’S The Cairo Trilogy, Kenneth Strickland

Masters Theses

Naguib Mahfouz said that his primary concern in writing was freedom. This study defines the Quotidian as Naguib Mahfouz uses the concept in his seminal work, The Cairo Trilogy to reveal changes in characters’ subjectivities as they gain access to freedom. Using a Foucauldian theory of power and Homi Bhabha’s Third Space illuminate how freedom emerged as the daily rhythms and accouterments of life changed during the early twentieth century in Cairo. In the novel, characters, whose subjectivities were delimited by imposed strictures, find new opportunities to define reality with some sense of autonomy. The thesis examines the changes in …