Digital Commons Network^™

Discursive Consciousness And Pedagogical Reasoning Within Teacher Collaborative Inquiry In Rural Mexico, Nelly Yllen Charles Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines teacher collaborative learning within Matemáticas Equitativas (MATEQ), a school-based professional learning model designed to support equitable mathematics instruction through collaborative inquiry and peer observation. Drawing on Anthony Giddens' structure-agency theory, this research adopts an interpretive qualitative case study with discourse-oriented analysis to examine teachers' pedagogical reasoning by looking at manifestations of discursive consciousness--defined as the capacity to articulate and rationalize one's actions in discourse--during collaborative meetings. Findings show that both the interactional structures and collaborative resources embedded in MATEQ--in particular peer facilitated uses of observation rubrics--mediated teachers' discursive consciousness, strengthening the pedagogical reasoning shared within collaborative inquiry. …

Selective Factors Impacting Charter High School Enrollment, Nathan Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined factors influencing high school choice among Utah families, comparing parent priorities between charter and traditional public high schools. Using one-way ANOVA with Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD) post hoc comparisons, parental priorities were analyzed across personal, school community, and academic factors. Parents choosing traditional public high schools rated personal and school community factors significantly higher, emphasizing relationships and school climate, while charter high school parents rated academic factors significantly higher, favoring rigor and instructional quality. Charter parents' priorities were not uniform, however, but varied significantly by school model, suggesting that the charter-versus-traditional divide masks meaningful differences within …

From Anaerobic Digesters To The Human Gut: Ecological Responses Of Microbiomes To Environmental And Biological Perturbations, Maliea Annholden Nipko

Theses and Dissertations

Microbial communities regulate essential ecological and metabolic processes across both engineered and host-associated ecosystems. Although these systems differ substantially in composition and function, they are governed by common ecological principles including community succession, resilience, species interactions, and responses to environmental and biological perturbations. This dissertation investigates how perturbations influence microbiome structure, function, and stability through three complementary studies spanning anaerobic digestion and the human gut microbiome. First, the effects of an extremophilic biological pretreatment using Caldicellulosiruptor bescii were evaluated in industrial-scale anaerobic digesters treating dairy manure. High- temperature pretreatment substantially altered microbial community composition, with bacterial populations remaining metabolically active …

Examining Curriculum Alignment: Utah Core Mathematics Standards And The Mathematics Vision Project/Open Up Resources, Jennifer Suzanne Young

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the alignment between the Utah Core Mathematics Standards (UCMS) and the Mathematics Vision Project/Open Up Resources (MVPOUR) curriculum for Secondary Mathematics I, II, and III, as well as the proportion of Utah secondary students potentially exposed to that alignment through district-level curriculum approval. Using a qualitative comparative case study design, UCMS were systematically compared to MVPOUR topic foci to identify horizontal alignment (standards addressed within the intended course), vertical alignment (standards addressed across courses), combined horizontal and vertical alignment, or lack of alignment. Alignment data were recorded using a spreadsheet-based content analysis and independently coded to support …

System Design And Validation Of Radio Astronomy Phased Arrays, Rebecca Shiu Haymore

Theses and Dissertations

Modern radio astronomy instruments require a wide field of view and high sensitivity. To this effect, BYU and Cornell University have developed the Advanced L-band Phased Array Camera for Astronomy (ALPACA), a fully cryogenic 69 dual-pol dipole array that produces 80 beams on the sky with 305 MHz instantaneous bandwidth centered on 1500 MHz. Integration testing has demonstrated proper beamforming and calibration, and ALPACA has been commissioned as an all-sky monitor to search for bright transients. Commissioning testing for ALPACA measured an element system noise temperature of 24 K and a beamformed system noise temperature of 17 K, making ALPACA …

Teachers' Perspectives: Literacy Recommendations For Newcomers With Limited Language Proficiency, Rachel Edmunds

Theses and Dissertations

Although multilingual literacy instruction has expanded in recent years, less is known about how teachers can support newcomers with limited language proficiency in Grades 4-6. This gap is significant as many teachers report feeling underprepared to meet the needs of their multilingual learners, especially those with limited language proficiency. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the literacy practices and strategies that teachers found effective when working with students who are multilingual newcomers with limited language proficiency (NLLPs) in Spanish and English in Grades 4-6 along with their implementation experiences. Drawing from Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, this qualitative study …

"Where's The Writing?": A Content Analysis Of Writing Practices In Second Grade Core Knowledge Language Arts, Jessica Pierce

Theses and Dissertations

One current and increasingly common trend in elementary and early childhood English Language Arts (ELA) instruction is the use of scripted literacy programs requiring teachers to implement the curriculum with fidelity. This has consequences for writing instruction as students continue to score below proficiency levels on national writing assessments (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2011), and the tendency for a mismatch between recommended writing instruction and classroom practice. Therefore, the purpose of this content analysis was to explore the writing instruction found in the Knowledge Strand of the 2nd-grade Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) curriculum. Analyses revealed three overarching themes: …

Constructing Meaning With First Graders Using Wordless Picturebooks During Interactive Read-Alouds, Madison Weeter

Theses and Dissertations

Wordless picturebooks are an underutilized tool in elementary classrooms despite growing recognition as a valuable literacy tool. Research remains limited on how wordless picturebooks influence meaning-making during interactive read-aloud discussions. The guiding question for this study was: "How do first-graders and their teacher construct meaning during three interactive read-alouds of wordless picturebooks?" This qualitative study was conducted in a first-grade classroom. Data was collected through audio and video recordings of three interactive read-alouds facilitated by the teacher-researcher. Recordings were transcribed and analyzed using reflective thematic analysis (RTA). Six themes were created from analysis of the data: (a) cracking the code, …

Biomechanical And Talar Cartilage Responses To Running In Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability, Minsub Oh

Theses and Dissertations

Context: Chronic ankle instability (CAI) has shown altered movement patterns and joint loading, which increase the risk of posttraumatic ankle osteoarthritis. Abnormal vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) during running may contribute to talar cartilage degeneration; however, the acute biomechanical and cartilage responses to running in individuals with CAI remain unclear. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare running biomechanics and changes in talar cartilage thickness and T2 relaxation times before and after running between individuals with CAI and healthy controls. Methods: Twenty individuals with CAI and 20 healthy controls completed running biomechanics and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sessions. …

Radiation Effects On The Amd Versal Running An Automatic Modulation Classification Model, Allan D. Howe

Theses and Dissertations

With the recent increase of interest into artificial intelligence (AI), graphics processing units (GPUs) have been used as the main hardware architecture for AI computation. Because of their high power consumption and large size, it is necessary to consider other architectures to perform AI computing in outer-space where size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) are tightly constrained. One such architecture is the Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Versal Adaptive Compute Acceleration Platform (ACAP), which can achieve acceptable AI throughput at a lower power and size compared to a GPU. As the Versal ACAP gets used in space applications, it is necessary …

Talking Teaching For Change: How Productive Teacher Collaborations Contribute To Teacher Efficacy Beliefs And Student Achievement Gains, Xiaohang Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher collaboration and teacher efficacy beliefs are complex, multifaceted constructs that play critical roles in student learning and influence one another in multiple ways. School collaborative culture, including collegial trust, collective learning, and shared responsibility, has also been identified as an important factor shaping both effective teacher collaboration and teacher efficacy beliefs. This study employed a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design to (a) examine the relationships between features of collaborative discourse and teachers' instructional efficacy beliefs, as well as the extent to which school type and school collaborative culture influence these relationships, and (b) explore how these collaborative discourse features are …

Equivocation Analysis Across Continuous And Discrete Memoryless Channels, Md Munibun Billah

Theses and Dissertations

Physical-layer security uses the noise already present in the channel to keep a message secret without making any assumption about the eavesdropper's computing power. In Wyner's wiretap channel model, coset coding uses randomness to map the message to many codewords and protects against information leakage from an active eavesdropper. The secrecy provided by such codes is measured by their equivocation, which is the eavesdropper's remaining uncertainty about the message after she observes her channel. So computing equivocation is an important aspect of analyzing the wiretap channel model. Many channels of practical interest have no closed-form expression for equivocation, and exact …

Development Of Novel Plasminogen Activators From Fragments Of Streptokinase Enzyme, Vijay G Mr

Theses and Dissertations

Thrombotic disorders such as myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis remain major causes of mortality and disability worldwide, creating a continuing need for effective, safe and affordable thrombolytic therapy. Streptokinase is one of the most widely used plasminogen activators because of its activity, low cost and broad availability. However, its wider clinical utility is limited by high immunogenicity, allergic reactions, neutralizing antibody formation and poor suitability for repeat administration. This thesis aimed to develop novel streptokinase-derived plasminogen activators by identifying smaller functional fragments that retain thrombolytic activity while potentially reducing immunogenicity.

A literature-guided fragment-based strategy was …

Examining The Relationship Between Past Involvement In Sexual Violence, Gender, And Rape Myth Acceptance In College Student-Athletes, Sarah Baker

Theses and Dissertations

Sexual violence (SV) is a persistent concern on U.S. college campuses, with student-athletes at higher risk for both perpetration and victimization. Rape myth acceptance (RMA) reflects beliefs that excuse or downplay SV, but it is unclear how these beliefs relate to student-athletes’ personal experiences with SV. This study examined RMA based on past SV involvement and gender, with attention to individuals reporting both perpetration and victimization. Participants were 350 NCAA Division III student-athletes who completed measures of SV perpetration and victimization, RMA, and sexism. Analyses evaluated differences in RMA by past involvement in sexual violence and gender while controlling for …

From Compliance To Inclusion Through Collaborative Action Research (Car): Service-Animal Access In Experiential Settings In Higher Education, Allison Christina Gainer

Theses and Dissertations

Experiential learning is essential for degree completion, licensure, and professional preparation, although access to service animals in practical contexts is often ambiguous and inconsistently implemented. This study examined the disconnect between legal access protections and institutional practices in real-time access decisions driven by safety, program integrity, accrediting standards, and decentralized decision-making. The purpose of this qualitative Collaborative Action Research (CAR) study was to examine Rowan University’s understanding, interpretation, and implementation of service animal regulations and procedures and to suggest alternatives for legal and equitable access. The study was based on the social model of disability and used four CAR cycles. …

Blended Learning Development In Mongolian K-12 Education: A Systematic Review And Psychometric Study Of Teacher Readiness, Batbold Bukhchuluun

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines blended learning (BL) in Asian K-12 education through a systematic review and an empirical validation study in Mongolia. The first study reviews peer-reviewed K-12 BL research published between 2000 and 2024 using PRISMA procedures. We analyzed 42 studies to identify publication trends, geographic representation, BL model adoption, articulation of physical and pedagogical design layers, implementation challenges, and reported outcomes. Findings indicate that BL research is concentrated in a limited number of countries, frequently employs flipped learning models, and often lacks detailed pedagogical specification. Common challenges include infrastructure limitations, teacher preparedness, and institutional support. The second study adapts …

Transcriptomic And Genomic Insights Into Nutrient Stress Responses And Subgenome Evolution In Chenopodium, Ashley Kathleen Marcheschi

Theses and Dissertations

Chenopodium is a diverse genus of nutritionally and ecologically important species in the Amaranthaceae family. This thesis investigates two outstanding questions in the genus: how Chenopodium quinoa responds transcriptionally to nutrient deficiency and how Australian Chenopodium species are related through their subgenomic ancestry and evolutionary history. First, we characterized transcriptomic responses of C. quinoa to deficiencies of twelve essential macro- and micronutrients across leaf and root tissues using RNA sequencing. Leaves showed the strongest responses under nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, and zinc deficiency, while roots responded more evenly across conditions. Recurring responses included suppression of photosynthesis, remodeling of translational machinery, reactive …

Developing An Understanding Of Concavity Built On Covariation, Jade E. Gregg

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated how six students developed a quantitative understanding of concavity founded in covariational reasoning through a series of task-based teaching interviews. A key finding was the importance of multivariational reasoning--the coordination of more than two variables--in helping students reason deeply about concavity in context. Common difficulties, including confusion about negative rates and overreliance on visual representations, served as productive opportunities for learning when addressed through carefully designed tasks and discussions. The findings extend existing frameworks of covariational reasoning and highlight instructional approaches that can support students in developing a robust, quantity-based understanding of concavity.

Climate Anxiety And Nurses’ Awareness, Motivation, And Behaviors In Addressing Climate-Related Health Risks, Sarah Kaplan

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Climate anxiety, the emotional distress associated with awareness of climate change and its consequences, is an emerging mental health concern that may influence how nurses perceive and respond to climate-related health risks. Climate change is largely driven by emissions of greenhouse gases which radiate and absorb heat. Human-caused climate change is leading to higher average global temperatures and increasing risk to health through poor air quality, changes in vector borne diseases, extreme weather events, and exacerbation and development of physical and mental illnesses. This study contributes to nursing science by examining climate anxiety and climate related health practices among …

A Chorus Of Voices: Student And Teacher Shared Dialogical Experiences And Insights, Jennifer Anne Reynolds

Theses and Dissertations

Dialogue is inherently tied to learning, but as a secondary English Language Arts (ELA) classroom teacher it can be difficult to facilitate classroom dialogue that provides authentic learning opportunities for every student. I wanted to learn more about the student experience, so I implemented an action research study to increase my understanding of how students learn through dialogue. My research question was: How does collaborative languaging, to facilitate student-teacher interaction, lead to improved classroom mediation, authentic learning, dialogue, and development? I conducted transformative action research in my classroom, focusing on students enrolled in my general English 10 classes. In an …

The Effects Of Social Impact Mentoring On Women Seeking Employment, Adriano Santos Carneiro

Theses and Dissertations

Women seeking employment often face barriers such as limited professional networks, reduced access to career guidance, and lack of consistent support during the job-search process. This study examined the effects of a social impact mentoring program that connected women seeking employment with women professionals who served as mentors. Participants included 11 mentees who were seeking employment opportunities and 11 mentors who were employed or recently employed in professional roles. Using a mixed-methods pre-post design, the study collected quantitative survey data and open-ended responses before and after four virtual mentoring sessions. Mentee measures focused on confidence in securing employment and readiness …

Beyond Static Measures: The Predictive Validity And Classification Accuracy Of A Dynamic Assessment Of Decoding For Early Elementary, Bridgett Bakula

Theses and Dissertations

Early and accurate identification of children at risk for reading difficulty is essential to prevent long-term academic failure, yet traditional static assessments often struggle to distinguish between a true reading disorder and a lack of prior instruction. This is particularly evident in the early grades, where floor effects and cultural/linguistic biases limit the classification accuracy of traditional screeners. This study investigated the predictive validity and structural utility of the modifiability index of a dynamic assessment (DA) of decoding, administered in kindergarten. Unlike static measures that evaluate "already actualized" knowledge, DA measures a student's learning potential and modifiability, or the capacity …

Repetition As Ritual Structure: Sound, Movement, And Electrodermal Activity In A Hmong Shaman Ceremony, Maile Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the relationship between repetitive sound, physiological arousal, and embodied participation in a Hmong shamanic ritual. Drawing on scholarship about music, trance, absorption, repetition, and Hmong ritual journeying and communication, I consider how sonic layers such as chant, rattle and gong help structure ritual time and sustain the shaman's altered state. The project uses electrodermal activity (EDA) data from wearable sensors, video and audio recordings, and my own event coding of sonic and physical activity during a selected 30-minute section of a recorded Hmong shaman ceremony. By aligning EDA data with a timeline of chanting, rattling, gong playing, …

A Teacher’S Critical Content Analysis Of Children’S Literature In A Read Aloud Book Series, Tanya Renee Gilliam

Theses and Dissertations

Tanya Gilliam A TEACHER’S CRITICAL CONTENT ANALYSIS OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE IN A READ ALOUD BOOK SERIES2025-2026 James Coaxum, Ph.D. Doctorate of Education This study examined the cultural responsiveness of kindergarten read aloud texts in the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) Into Reading curriculum used in District Rynie. Using critical content analysis, seventy read alouds were analyzed to explore representations of culture, identity, and power. The analysis was guided by Botelho and Rudman’s multicultural framework, Bishop’s mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors model, and Short’s criteria for multicultural literature, across four domains: Authenticity and Representation; Content and Perspective; Challenging Bias and Equity; …

Policy Analysis Of The Inclusion Of Mitigation Measures In The Re-Design And Construction Of The New Frances Scott Key Bridge, Patrick John O'Connor

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the tragic event of the container ship MV Dali impacting the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, leading to the collapse of the structure and killing six people despite having collision mitigation protections in place. This research examines how late twentieth-century structures are inadequate for current shipping demands and emphasizes that updated mitigation design criteria must accommodate larger modern vessels as governments replace or upgrade these structures. This paper will examine four case studies of different collisions that have similar circumstances to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and review National Transportation Safety Board reports …

How Young Mothers’ Interpersonal And Emotional Well-Being Impacts Parental Stress And Dating Violence, Jonathan Jin

Theses and Dissertations

This two-part dissertation investigated two distinct, yet interconnected aspects of young mothers’ wellbeing which span individual and interpersonal factors. Study 1 examined how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are related to parental stress, and how symptoms of anxiety and depression might mediate this association. Within a sample 255 young mothers with an average age of 22.2 (SD = 2.3), the pooled results of a parallel mediation model across 10 imputed datasets indicated a significant average direct effect of ACEs on parental stress (0.25, p < .01), suggesting that experiencing a history of ACEs was significantly associated with more parental stress. Study 2 examined the relationship between young mothers’ romantic attachment, emotion regulation, and dating violence (DV) victimization. In a different sample of 256 young mothers with an average age of 19.8 years (SD = 1.1), more avoidant (less secure) romantic attachment styles (β = 0.26, SE = 0.1, p < 0.01) and more anxious romantic attachment styles (linear component β = 3.81, SE = 0.9, p < 0.001 and quadratic component β = -2.86, SE = 0.9, p < 0.01) were significantly associated with greater DV victimization. Future research may extend this work by using longitudinal designs to test bidirectional links between interpersonal and emotional wellbeing factors among young mothers.

Integrating Multimodal Composition Practices In A Fifth-Grade Classroom To Enhance Student Engagement And Comprehension, Erin Beal

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of integrating multimodal composition practices on fifth-grade students' writing development. Specifically, it examined how multimodal opportunities influenced student engagement, content area understanding, and overall attitudes toward the writing process. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study utilized pre- and post-surveys to assess changes in students' self-awareness and dispositions toward writing. Over the course of the research study, data was gathered through anecdotal teacher notes, direct observations, and student work samples. Working both independently and collaboratively, students synthesized content material to create and present original multimodal projects.

Vibro-Seismic Approach For Remediation Of Near-Wellbore Damage, Mounira Ahmed Abdallah

Theses and Dissertations

The research highlights the importance of vibro-seismic technology in the oil and gas industry. The primary objective of this study is to demonstrate how the vibro-seismic method enhances formation properties which are porosity, and permeability. Ultimately, this will lead to improved productivity and its application to remove the wellbore damage.

The research discusses whether or not the formation properties will be enhanced by the optimized acoustic vibration formation parameters. The thesis details laboratory experiments on core plugs, and four key findings are presented. The experimental work first showed that the use of the proper and optimum parameters enhanced the porosity …

On The True Interstellar Anisotropy Of Tev Cosmic Rays And Its Implications For The Local Interstellar Medium, Noufel D. Maalal

Theses and Dissertations

Several ground-based cosmic ray (CR) air shower experiments have produced sky maps of intensity anisotropy in the energy range from 1 TeV to a few hundred TeVs with very high statistics and angular resolution. These measurements provide opportunities to study CR sources and propagation in the interstellar medium (ISM). Such studies present two major difficulties. Firstly, CRs are deflected by the heliospheric magnetic field on the last stretch of their journey to Earth. Secondly, measurements at different latitudes are difficult to compare, leading to uncertainties in latitudinal variations on the order of the observed anisotropy. Experiments usually assume latitudinal variations …

The Role Of Complexity In Structural Transfer: A Corpus Study From Turkish And Bulgarian, Sarah Joy Russell

Theses and Dissertations

This study the explores the need to examine the increasingly varied methods of quantifying morphological complexity in regards to their ability to influence structural borrowing across languages, with particular attention to the distinction between enumerative complexity (enumeration of all of the morphemes and distinctions in a system) and integrative complexity (entropy-based calculation of the class distinctions of the system). While existing models in contact linguistics often assume that structurally simpler languages are more likely to serve as sources of grammatical transfer, such accounts typically rely on enumerative measures of complexity alone and do not fully account for the role of …