Digital Commons Network^™

Bridging The Gap Between Science And Technology: A Descriptive Study Identifying Factors Influencing 6-8th Grade Science Teachers’ Implementation Of Virtual Laboratory Simulations, Coral Nicole Hoesli

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers at a South Carolina middle school in the United States were not implementing virtual laboratory simulations at the same rate as other middle schools in the district. This descriptive research examined 6th-8th grade middle school science teacher perceptions and influencing factors behind the choice to implement virtual laboratory simulations. The study examined two research questions: (1) what are the personal and social factors influencing science teachers’ decisions to implement a virtual laboratory simulation, and (2) what are the structural factors influencing science teachers’ decisions to implement a virtual laboratory simulation?

The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) and the International …

Creating Systems Of Professional Learning To Encourage Deep Thinking In Social Studies: A Qualitative Study, Elizabeth Poda King

Theses and Dissertations

This paper describes a problem that developed due to a lack of systems in place to provide professional learning for teachers in social studies. This problem was ignited when revised standards were adopted which shifted from heavy content focus to skills and content. Standards requiring both skills and content encourage student inquiry and promote deep thinking by students through the use of historical evidence. Therefore, the purpose of the improvement science plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles was to develop a system of job-embedded professional learning to assist teachers with teaching strategies that use historical evidence to promote deep thinking in social studies …

Narratives In Motion: The New Era Of Dam Building In East Africa, Andrew Nicholas Selassie Prado-Alipui

Theses and Dissertations

Narratives of energy insecurity, underdevelopment, and resource conflict influence how African hydropower projects are justified within the broader context of climate change and demands for sustainable development. The challenge of meeting energy demands provides the overarching motivation for ambitious large-scale hydropower projects in East Africa, especially in Tanzania and Ethiopia. As development projects, the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) can be understood as vehicles of political discourse, framed as the technopolitical solution to questions of national identity that both countries face in the midst of sociopolitical and economic transformation periods. This research shows …

Of Grave Importance: A Collaborative Approach To Archaeological Research On The Cooper River Cemetery, Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, Angelina Towery-Tomasura

Theses and Dissertations

Land dispossession and displacement is a challenge being faced by the Gullah community in Lowcountry South Carolina. Land dispossession due to a phenomenon known as coastal capitalism, or, the increased interest in coastal property, on Daufuskie Island served as an impetus for Miss Sallie Ann Robinson, a Gullah, Daufuskie native, to reach out to academic communities to assist in the preservation of spaces including cemeteries. This led to the ongoing collaborative archaeology project on the Cooper River Cemetery to record information about burials and investigate the presence of those without any headstone markers. The Cooper River Cemetery is one of …

Fremont Human Remains In Sevier County, Alexis Maughan

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines Fremont mortuary practices in Sevier County, Utah, through a systematic analysis of 50 individuals, recovered mainly from Late period sites. While Fremont burials are typically described as highly variable, the Sevier County sample reveals a striking pattern: approximately half of the individuals exhibit evidence of processing and were left scattered on structure floors rather than being intentionally buried. This pattern stands in contrast to the widely accepted description of Fremont burials as consisting mainly of individuals buried separately in expedient pits with minimal grave goods. The analysis draws on previously published reports, compiling the available data on …

Studying Cultural Change With Transhistorical Semantic Directions, Travis Daichi Ashby

Theses and Dissertations

This study advances the use of diachronic word embeddings in cultural sociology, contributing both methodologically and substantively. Methodologically, it synthesizes best practices for constructing semantic directions and addresses challenges arising from diachronic embeddings, including missing data and semantic drift. Substantively, it examines historical changes in schemas and conceptual metaphors related to "processing." By analyzing the changing associations between processing-related words (e.g., "raw" and "refined") and evaluative categories like authenticity, valence, and aesthetics, the study examines whether word-level changes amongst schematically-related words indicate deeper cultural shifts at the schematic level. Findings indicate a growing association between processed states and inauthenticity, a …

Longitudinal Analysis Of Evergreen Forest Cover Dynamics In The Great Salt Lake Basin: A Landsat-Based Stochastic Classification Approach And Comparative Assessment With The National Land Cover Dataset, Kaleb Markert

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents an investigation into the changes of evergreen forest cover within the Great Salt Lake Basin and its implications for regional water resources. Utilizing a Random Forest Classifier (RFC) model trained on Landsat imagery, this research developed a methodology to map and track changes in evergreen forest coverage over the period from 1984 to 2019. The initial phase of this study focused on the development of model trained within the Bear Lake sub-basin, demonstrating the feasibility of the method for analysis of coniferous coverage. The model incorporated summer and winter Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to enhance the …

Human Passion In The City And The Jungle: Translating Horacio Quiroga’S “Dieta De Amor,” “El Simún,” And “Polea Loca”, Washington C. Pearce

Theses and Dissertations

Horacio Quiroga, Uruguayan-Argentine writer who is often considered analogous to Edgar Allan Poe, is notable for his contributions to the development of South American Modernismo and his status as a precursor to the Latin American "Boom" period. My project presents a translation of three previously untranslated short stories: "Dieta de Amor," "El Simún," and "Polea Loca." As a preface to these translations I articulate my translation theory and give examples of that theory in practice. I draw upon Jorge Luis Borges, Lawrence Venuti, and Friedrich Schleiermacher as translation scholars who have influenced my work.

Dietary Patterns And Their Effects On C-Reactive Protein Regarding Female Reproductive Disorders, Mckenzie Moe

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: Chronic inflammation, as indicated by elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), plays a critical role in women’s reproductive health disorders. CRP is one of the most common biomarkers of inflammation. Dietary components, lifestyle factors, and women’s reproductive health disorders are major components that influence the levels of CRP within the body. Other influential factors include injury, infection, and illness. The purpose of this review is to explore the findings of literature available on nutrition interventions for CRP levels in consideration of women's reproductive disorders.

Methods: This narrative review examines the works of 15 articles, including 10 cross-sectional and five longitudinal designs. …

Athlete Decision-Making Process In The Liminality After Career-Ending Injuries, Grace Davie

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the decision-making process of athletes in the liminal period immediately following career-ending injuries. While existing research has examined transition challenges and coping strategies, there remains a critical gap in understanding how athletes actively make decisions that shape their post-sport trajectories during this crucial period. Using Crisis Decision Theory (CDT) as a theoretical framework, this study investigated athletes' overall experience, support systems, injury severity assessment, and response option determination and evaluation during the immediate post-injury decision-making process. Key findings demonstrated that athletes' decision-making processes closely aligned with CDT's three-stage framework: assessing injury severity, determining response options, and …

Integrating Traditional Chinese Aesthetic Culture With Contemporary Music Through Violin, Fan Kai-Yi Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the integration of traditional Chinese aesthetic principles with contemporary music through selected violin repertoires. It examines the rich tradition of Chinese aesthetics, emphasizing the distinctive musical styles that, despite their variations, share a common cultural foundation. The research combines a comprehensive review of classical Chinese literature, musicological analysis, exploration of pitch materials, harmonic language, and performance-based interpretation to blend and expand the technical and expressive possibilities of the violin with the essence of Chinese music. Rooted in an analysis of key traditional Chinese aesthetic concepts—he (harmony), tianren heyi (the unity of nature and humanity)—and the two major …

Navigating Trauma: A Linguistic Exploration Of Bilingual Trauma Expressions, Amira Mahmoud Othman

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between language, trauma, and emotional expression among bilingual Arabic-English speakers, focusing on code-switching patterns and euphemisms, and more broadly the emotional roles of native and non-native languages in trauma narratives. Through qualitative interviews with 20 Egyptian participants, the research reveals that code-switching serves as both a linguistic and emotional tool, allowing speakers to navigate trauma by creating distance or engaging more intimately. Such codeswitching patterns include the integration of English content words within Arabic structures, morphosyntactic innovations, and gender agreement applications, reflecting the creative adaptability of bilingual speakers in emotionally charged contexts, in line with …

The Legal Framework Of Foster Care In Egypt: A Gender Analysis Of Alternative Families And Patrilineal Structures, Amira Fadel

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis explores women’s legal representation and agency over their non-biological children, and how the foster care system in Egypt either reinforces or deconstructs existing gender roles. Hence from a sociological perspective, it accounts for foster and alternative care laws in Egypt and the amendments thereof, to examine social relationships against the backdrop of more conventional, biological families, and kinship relations. In simple terms, studying foster and alternative care laws in Egypt is crucial to grasp how non-biological families are shaped in comparison to the more conventional bonds within biological families and traditional kinship relations, while accounting for the Christian …

“I Remember It...I Feel It” Place’S Intangible Identity: Explorations Through The Lens Of Micro-Phenomenology- Case Study Of Al-Sultan Hassan Complex, Sarah Mohamed El Zoheiry

Theses and Dissertations

In today’s contemporary architecture, the growing of anonymous and interchangeable spaces has diminished the distinctive character of the place, its individuality and experiential signification, fostering placelessness. This research argues that the framework of reconsidering place’s atmosphere offers a pathway to reconnect people with places through emotional, sensory, and embodied encounters. This research investigates the phenomenology of place, focusing on the atmosphere as an intangible identity that transcends physical attributes and engages people's senses and feelings. By exploring the Al-Sultan Hassan complex, the study deepens the understanding of the transcendental quality of the atmosphere, it’s unfolding over time, and it’s associated …

Unrwa And Palestinian Refugee-Ness: Material Bureaucracy And Political Potential, Paul James

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the ways Palestine refugees and UNRWA engaged with the material objects of humanitarianism in the context of Palestinian displacement. In particular, the focus is on UNRWA’s basic ration program and the techniques of humanitarian governance illustrated by the use of ration cards that shaped and were shaped by the refugee population. The research asks how the ration card, as both a contested site of governmental rationality and object of political meaning-making, functioned as a technique for defining the Palestine refugee identity. To answer this question, the thesis draws on literature and conceptual work rooted in critiques of …

Plants, Protests, Pachakuti: How Trees March And How People Tree, Ashley A. Lundquist

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the multi-faceted role of plants, specifically Wituk and Manduru, in Amazonian protests and environmental advocacy. By examining the communicative and relational ontologies inherent in Runa culture, the study elucidates how plants influence social movements and contribute to environmental protection. Wituk and Manduru create paint. Paint facilitates good communication which creates good relationality. Good relationality allows for increased capacities and inhibits greedy consumption allowing for a balanced world order. Through the use and agency of Wituk and Manduru, movements become multi-species phenomena in which ecological entities combine with Runa bodies. The relationships shared between Runa, Wituk, and Manduru …

The Latter-Day Saint Indian Placement Program: An Examination Through An Experiential Lens, Quinn Elise Christiansen

Theses and Dissertations

The Indian Placement Program, operated by the LDS Church from around 1947 to 2000, was influenced by the Church's belief in a connection between Native Americans to a Book of Mormon group known as the Lamanites. This group held a special status within the LDS Church because of their believed Israelite heritage as well as a prophecy promising their conversion in the last days. Spencer W. Kimball, motivated by both personal goals and his authority within the LDS Church, expanded on a successful experience of a young Native girl, Helen John, growing it into the broader Indian Placement Program. This …

Resurrection In The Regensburg Pendant: Materials And Iconography, Devotional Object As Sacred Jewelry, Margarita Benacerraf

Theses and Dissertations

The Regensburg butterfly (1310-1320), an exquisitely crafted reliquary pendant, was found in the head of a fourteenth-century crucifix in 1991. The locket’s butterfly shape—and the ways in which the butterfly serves as a metaphor for Christ’s redemption—remains a fascinating window into late medieval Christianity and devotional practices in the medieval world.

Using Spatial Network Analysis To Explore Migration Of Extended Families In Historical Research, Rock Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This project proposes a geoinformatics approach for understanding the migration of extended families in historical contexts. It uses full-count longitudinal census data (developed by the Minnesota Population Center) and graph methods to define multi-generational extended family relationships and to model the locational structures of these families as a spatial network. Graph algorithms and mapping methods are used to interrogate these structures as reflections of the patterns of family outmigration and extension over time. The study is based on a set of extended families resident in a 15-county study area in the Bluegrass region of Kentucky in 1870, and their evolution …

Serious Music With Bea Witkin: An Upper West Side Audio Walk, Megan Hattie Stahl

Theses and Dissertations

Serious Music with Bea Witkin is a site-specific audio walk on New York City’s Upper West Side produced by Megan Hattie Stahl. This immersive, musical documentary explores and extends the life and work of composer Beatrice Witkin (1916-1990). Across four stationary chapters and three walking interludes, participants follow a one-mile route from Riverside Park to Straus Park by way of Witkin’s longtime residence on West End Avenue. Through guided narration, archival music, interviews and recordings of contemporary musicians sight-reading a 1985 string quartet piece by Witkin, Serious Music invites listeners to consider where music begins and ends.

Witkin, who graduated …

Activism Within The Music And Recorded Sound Archive, Julius Tanner

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the integration of applied ethnomusicology within the recorded sound archive of the New York Public Library. The process of repatriating recorded sound through community engagement lead to the development and eventual reparative work of outdated subject headings and other descriptive language within the archive. This thesis also explores how cultural preservation of similar non-physical fields such as naming conventions within linguistics and the development of gastronationalism combats globalization and ultimately colonization.

Art As Resistance: Challenging Colonial Legacies Through The Eyes Of South Asian Diasporic Women, Sofina Tanni

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how South Asian diasporic women artists in New York utilize art to resist colonial legacies and express their multifaceted identities. Through ethnographic research, it highlights how themes of nostalgia, preservation, community, and activism shape their work, fostering collective resistance and transformative decolonial pathways.

British And South African Perceptions Of African Participation In The African Military Campaigns Of World War One, Eric Mathew Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

Historians interested in reconstructing the events of World War One have consistently noted that the military campaigns that occurred in sub-Saharan Africa have been given scant attention. It is commonly accepted among researchers that while there has been some focus on the impressions of the individual European soldiers involved in this conflict, wide gaps still exist in the literature. Very significantly, a thorough search of the literature clearly reveals that the perceptions of whites towards their African counterparts who participated in the military campaigns has been very much neglected. This dissertation helps to close this gap by focusing on the …

Historical Literacy For Preservice Secondary Social Studies Teachers In The State Of Connecticut: A Phenomenological Study, Vincent J. Gaccione Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Despite a recent shift in focus from content area literacy to disciplinary literacy in preservice teacher (PST) preparation programs, historical literacies training for prospective secondary social studies teachers has remained limited in the State of Connecticut. Historical literacies are defined as the discipline-specific reading and writing skills of historians and other social scientists. In this phenomenological study, I describe the lived experiences of several recent PST program graduates who are currently teaching secondary social studies in the State of Connecticut and report on the essence of this phenomenon. Grounded in communities of practice (CoP) theory, I administered open-ended qualitative surveys …

Beyond The Border: Analyzing The Role Of Unjust U.S Policies In Shaping The Migrant Crisis In New York City., Elvita Bouzy

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how unjust and dysfunctional U.S. immigration laws have shaped the migrant crisis in New York City, particularly during the 2022-2024 influx of migrants, through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT). It explores how racialized immigration policies, systemic inequities, and rising nativism have intensified challenges faced by migrants from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and other marginalized regions. The study examines political opposition and media portrayals since the mid-1980s that hindered immigration reform, exposing a flawed system lacking adequate legal pathways. This inadequate framework has fueled discrimination and worsened asylum seekers' hardships. Driven by nativist sentiment and …

Gastronomy At The Heart Of Communication: A Locus Of Human Conviviality, Victoria M. O’Keefe

Theses and Dissertations

The significance of food over time is central to humanity and can aid in making people humane in a myriad of ways. This study seeks to (a) define the role of food in communication across sectors of global society and in the media realm (b) by analyzing a data set of all food related publications of the flagship magazine of UNESCO, The Courier, (c) through ethnographic study and inductive coding, I draw themes and trends that alter food communication from a multinational organization and pass the content through a theoretical lens and Large Language Model tool, to (d) illuminate implications …

Breath, Body, And The Blank Page: An Autoethnographic Approach To Embodied Writing Practices In First-Year Writing, Kristen Garramone Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores how somatic awareness and trauma-informed pedagogies can be integrated into the teaching of writing. Drawing from autoethnography and pedagogical theory, it proposes that writing is not a purely cognitive act but a deeply embodied process, one shaped by the physiological and psychological dimensions of lived experience. Using autoethnography as both method and praxis, the study centers the author’s experiences of trauma, grief, and healing to investigate how body-based practices such as breathwork, visualization, and mindfulness can support writing, particularly for students navigating stress, anxiety, or disconnection from their academic identities. Chapter One situates the research within literature …

Recognizing Speculative Literature: Conceiving Identity In The Archives Of Enslavement, Gabriella Greco

Theses and Dissertations

One of the key problems of the archive of enslavement, borne out of the violent erasure of enslaved identities, is the struggle to reconstruct and honor those lost identities. Recognizing Speculative Literature: Conceiving Identity in the Archives of Enslavement investigates postcolonial archival processes and the resulting documents to identify a spectrum of speculative literary genres that can be used to supplement traumatic archival erasures, often of female voices and identities, to further understand the power dynamics. To clarify, I use the term ‘speculative literature’ here to refer to a mode of literature that relies on the few fragments that may …

The Medea Effect: The Binary Terror Of Women Existing In The Liminal Space, M. Nance

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to analyze the Medea character as a liminal figure. Taking a metaphorical approach to Victor Turner’s ideas on liminality, this study will deconstruct different binary oppositions—villain/victim, agent/object, Dionysian/Apollonian. The Medea character does not fall neatly to one side of these binary oppositions; therefore, this thesis argues that Medea instead inhabits the space between the binary oppositions in the realm of the liminal. The thesis then analyzes the same binary oppositions within a survey of theatrical and non-theatrical texts that feature characters that embody archetypes that originated within the Medea character—the she-devil, the murderous mother, …

"The Toughest Job You'll Ever Love": Identity Creation, Compartmentalization, And Belonging Among Queer Peace Corps Volunteers, Laura N. Keeran

Theses and Dissertations

The Peace Corps advertises that it accepts anyone, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation; however, recruiters and staff ask volunteers to go back into the closet for their twenty-seven months of service due to the Peace Corps’ safety concerns about their volunteers being out in their host countries. Queer Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) answer the call to serve, accepting that it means they will need to keep their queer identities concealed for two years and three months. I conducted ethnographic interviews with ten people who have served or are currently serving in the Peace Corps and identify under …