Digital Commons Network^™

Care-Teach: Proposing An Open-Source Approach To Personalized Learning, Jaime Augusto Alvarez Perez

Theses and Dissertations

Care-Teach is an algorithmic educational model that provides teachers and educators with the tools to create interactive, text-based lessons that address a student’s need for continuity and reinforcement. Care-Teach is built around two core components: a Student Behavior Profile and the Skill Tree. These models work together to give each student a personalized learning experience that reinforces their pre-existing strengths and inclinations. The Student Behavior Profile model keeps track of a learner’s inclinations and mood, utilizing metrics such as average response time and accuracy to categorize opportunities for educator involvement. The Skill Tree is an organizational …

The Impact Of Culture On Firm Performance: A Study On The Effect Of Respect, Teamwork, Innovation, Quality And Integrity On Corporate Profitability, Raphael Mwangi Wambugu

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the intricate relationship between organizational culture and firm performance, focusing on specific cultural dimensions of respect, teamwork, innovation, quality, and integrity as possible determinants of firm performance. The main objective is to find out the impact of these cultural elements on the dependent variable, return on assets (ROA).

As organizations strive for sustained success and competitive advantage, understanding the interplay between culture and financial performance becomes important. The cultural variable of respect is examined as a catalyst for fostering diverse perspectives and collaborative interactions within the organization. Teamwork is analyzed for …

In Absentia, Noreen M. Graf

Theses and Dissertations

In Absentia is a collection of short creative pieces that includes short stories, flash fiction, essay, and comics. The critical introduction aims to place my work into the ongoing dialog surrounding the accelerated portrayal of unlikable female protagonists in contemporary literary fiction.

A Phenomenological Study Of Latina Poets As Leaders At Higher Education Institutions, Rodney Gomez

Theses and Dissertations

This interpretive phenomenological study addresses the underrepresentation of Latinas in higher education leadership roles by focusing on the lived experiences of Latina poets who have served as higher education leaders. Data, collected through semi-structured participant interviews and participant writing samples, was analyzed through a standard method of thematic analysis. Latin American and U.S. theories of decoloniality and Yosso’s community cultural capital guided interpretation of participant experiences. Five themes emerged from the analysis: border negation, foundational values, othered leadership, importance of community, and writing as necessity. Discussion of participation experiences suggests that ways that poetry and creative writing can be used …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Principals’ Leadership Attributes In A Lower Rio Grande Valley (Rgv) School District And The Influence On Their Leaders’ Attributes To Their Self-Efficacy, Arely Rios Tamez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative study is to obtain middle school teachers’ perceptions of their principals’ leadership attributes and analyze how their perceptions of those leadership attributes relate to their sense of self-efficacy. Teacher participants from five middle schools in a lower Rio Grande Valley (RGV) school district in South Texas will be asked to complete two surveys: one survey based on their perceptions of their principals’ leadership attributes (TPPAQ) and another survey measuring teacher efficacy (TEBS-Self). Data analysis using multiple regression will examine if there is a relationship between teacher perceived school leadership attributes of their principals and …

An Investigation Into The Enoughness Mindset, Ai Nhan Thi Ngo

Theses and Dissertations

The concept of enoughness was an old but forgotten concept in human history. This research reintroduced the concept to our contemporary culture as a means to deal with consumers' endless desires by exploring the enoughness concept. Contemporarily suppressed under the development of modern capitalism, an extensive mythological trace of the enoughness concept showed its existence through more than 25 centuries across cultures with four key components: reining in desires, knowing contentment, knowing when to stop, and consideration of harmony. Building upon theories of desires, this research positioned enoughness as a means to help tame consumers' endless desires that can be …

Persistence And Lived Experiences Of Doctoral Students At A Hispanic Serving Institution, Jacob Michael Camacho

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence the completion of PhD degrees and identify obstacles to completion at a Hispanic Serving Institution. Low completion rates are a national and global problem predicted to generate a critical shortage of professionals needed by society. The researcher utilized a phenomenological qualitative study to research the phenomenon through the interpretation of an individual's experiences in various situations (Stake, 2010). This research is important as it aims to analyze programs with high completion rates to find the factors that contribute to or impede dissertation completion. This project will focus on …

How Mathematics Instructors Foster The Development Of Black Students' Mathematics Identity In Undergraduate Active Learning Mathematics Courses, Ashly J. Olusanya

Theses and Dissertations

Black students must overcome unique challenges to succeed in mathematics. Educators are tasked with identifying equitable teaching practices to support these students. Active learning (AL) is a teaching pedagogy that engages students in rigorous mathematical activities and encourages student participation. This research study will explore the professors’ beliefs about how students learn mathematics and why they use active learning in their collegiate mathematics courses. The study explores the connections between these beliefs and their reported use of instructional practices. The study also identifies the instructors’ beliefs about developing students’ mathematics identities, particularly their Black …

Escúchame, Mi Ciencia Cuenta: Leveraging Cultural Ways Of Knowing To Increase Chicana Stem Engagement, Patricia Ramirez-Biondolillo

Theses and Dissertations

This paper is about leveraging cultural ways of knowing such as ethnobotany in order to increase STEM engagement in Chicanx populations. The conceptual framework utilized in this study combines social justice, Chicana feminist epistemology, land-based pedagogy, critical place-based pedagogy, pedagogical praxis, pluralism and ecological sustainability to achieve this end. Four pre-service Chicana science teachers provided testimonio from their elder assignment and engaged in two focus groups in order to identify relevant themes that impact Chicana engagement in STEM. Major themes identified were challenges in bilingual education, elder knowledge as a form of pedagogy, stagnation in common science teaching practices, tensions …

Uncovering Insights On Remote Learning Through A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Tweets At The Start Of The Pandemic In The United States, Douglas Wayne Bridges

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the discourses surrounding remote learning during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic through Twitter conversations. Employing a Critical Discourse Analysis informed by Michel Foucault’s theories of discourse and power, this study explores how the pandemic has transformed educational interactions over social media platforms. It particularly focuses on the relationships between language, power, and social structures, highlighting the transformative potentials of remote learning amidst a global crisis.

The research reveals how discourse on Twitter reflects broader societal and cultural dynamics, serving as a microcosm of the shifts within the educational sector. Analysis of Twitter threads, retweets, and …

The Perspectives Of Using Desmos For Students’ Conceptual Understanding And Procedural Fluency To Solve Linear Equations, Larmel Dimatulac Madrilejos

Theses and Dissertations

The study examines the perspectives of using the Desmos calculator of Algebra I students' conceptual understanding and procedural fluency to write, graph, and solve linear equations in Algebra I STAAR. While the students have continuously used technology for mathematics assessment, emergent bilingual students in South Texas still need help passing high-stakes testing. The framework of the study is grounded in the theory of mathematical education (knowledge of mathematics educators to teach), the theory of mathematical learning (understanding how students learn mathematics), and social constructivism. The study seeks ways to teach all students, mainly the minority, to learn …

Organizational Cultural Entrenchment: Exploring Cultural Antecedents Of Actively Destructive Employee Behaviors As A Manifestation Of Voice In Mergers And Acquisitions, Keith Dellano Holloway

Theses and Dissertations

Mergers and acquisitions are frequently leveraged as a vehicle for company growth. However, many of these transactions fail to yield a positive result and often cause a net loss of shareholder value.

There are many interrelated factors at work within a merger or acquisition. Structure, leadership, finances, strategic fit, market, and price are just a few variables to consider. However, the factor of culture, and the failure of cultural integration, has surfaced in literature as a significant contributor to losses within mergers and acquisitions.

This study built on the work of Harris, Hirschman, Kotter, and Schlesinger and examined the deleterious …

The Role Of Self In Self-Control Dilemmas: Self-Concept, Conflict, And Self-Conscious Emotions, Jasmina (Mina) Milosevic

Theses and Dissertations

Self-control dilemmas, typically defined as an internal conflict between short-term allurements and long-term goals, are a common feature of everyday life. How such dilemmas are handled is often viewed as a measure of one’s self-control, thus carrying significant implications for an individual. Despite a large body of research that has been amassed on this topic, a complete picture of how self-control dilemmas are processed and resolved still eludes us. In the present research, we bring attention to a largely unexplored aspect of self-control, the role of self-concept in shaping self-control efforts. We combined surveys, hypothetical scenarios, and experience sampling data …

Examining Time Spent On Social Media And Its Effects On Mental Health In Terms Of Body Image Concerns, Self Esteem And Overall Quality Of Life Among U.S. Adults, Rigel Macarena Pinon

Theses and Dissertations

Daily exposure and dependence on computer-based technologies (smartphones) allows for 24/7 constant access to social media (i.e., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and other sites) and has empirically shown to have a positive and negative impact on the mental health of individuals across cultures in our society. Depending on user intent, exposure, and interests, social media platforms can create a sense of community; however, some of the platforms and what users post about themselves has led to cyberbullying, low self-esteem, user addiction, suicide, self-harm behaviors such as eating disorders, sexual dysfunction, and other mental health issues such as depression and …

Navigating School Restructuring In The Post-Covid Era: A Principal’S Perspective In Sustaining Organizational Health While Bridging The Academic Achievement Gap, Alma Alicia Perez-Campos

Theses and Dissertations

In 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic led to nationwide school closures, followed by a mandate for schools to reopen in 2020, posing challenges for ensuring both educational continuity and student safety. This paper presents findings from a mixed-method study involving ten campus principals in District A, South Texas, post-pandemic. Qualitatively, the study explored the principals' perspectives on restructuring their campuses to address achievement gaps while maintaining organizational health. Quantitatively, it examined the relationship between achievement and organizational health scores and any differences in organizational health pre- and post-COVID-19. The study aimed to offer insights for future …

Breaking The Glass Ceiling: Lived Experiences And Career Paths Of Women Administrators In Hispanic-Serving Institutions In The U.S. Southwest Border States, Carlos Adalberto Rios

Theses and Dissertations

This research study focuses on female executives at two-year and four-year public Hispanic-Serving Institutions in the U.S. Southwest Border States by examining their lived experiences and career paths that helped them become successful senior administrators. Although most college students are female, women in leadership positions in academia are severely underrepresented at institutions nationwide. This research will be a qualitative study using a phenomenological research methodology. It will explore the lived experiences of six female executives in higher education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions in the U.S. Southwest Border States. This study will also investigate the career paths and challenges that these women …

Developing Hispanic Pre-Service Elementary Bilingual Teachers’ Cultural Competence And Teacher Identity Through Mixed Reality Simulation, Yajaira A. Flores

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the constant migration of diverse populations, multicultural communities are developing across North America. As a result, multi-culturally diverse classrooms are multiplying (Allen et al., 2017). Our pre-service teachers must be multi-culturally prepared to enter diverse classrooms and effectively teach students without implicit bias (Ladson-Billings, 1995; Banks, 2010; Paris, 2017). Pre-service teachers' identity and cultural competence should be prioritized in teacher preparation programs. Using Latino/a Critical Race Theory (LatCrit), Practice-Based Learning, and Teacher Identity as conceptual frameworks, this study will answer how Mixed Reality Simulation (MRS) may be used as a teacher preparation tool (Aguilar & Flores, 2022) to …

Affective Life, Mobility And Unity In U.S.-Mexico Transborder Families, Aaron A. Adame Sosa

Theses and Dissertations

There has been abundant research on transnational families and their lived realities, but most of this research focuses on analyzing family relations across long distances. This thesis examines transnational life at the borderlands and develops new frameworks for understanding family unity and separation. Using concepts from the sociology of emotions, I find that economic and opportunity inequalities structure much of transborder life and that the emotional work different family members do for the sake of their family unity is largely based on mobility privilege and the idea that the U.S. is economically better off, even as the relative poverty between …

Investigating The Relationship Between Metacognition, Motivation, Self-Regulation Strategy Usage, And Physical Activity Participation, Kay Sharon Stanfield

Theses and Dissertations

There are numerous benefits associated with physical activity. Unfortunately, few people participate in enough daily activity to reap the rewards. Health professionals have explored ways to promote adherence to physical activity and healthy behavior. Evidence shows self-regulation to be a determinant of physical activity. This study investigated the relationship between self-regulation strategy usage and levels of physical activity participation. Additionally, the study examined how motivation (through the perspective of Self-Determination theory) impacts physical activity. Six behavior regulation styles correspond to the degree of motivation (from low to high) on the Self-Determination continuum. A comparison of behavior regulation styles to physical …

Improving Pitch Recognition By Fading Visual Prompts, Joshua Lawrence Ford

Theses and Dissertations

Behavioral Science and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) provides tools and technologies that can be used by players, coaches, and researchers to enhance the traditional training for student athletes. The current study was designed to examine whether stimulus prompts would facilitate collegiate baseball player’s accuracy of pitch identification for three pitches. A secondary measure was to decrease the latency from the launch of a pitch to identification of the pitch. Decreases in the latency of a hitter recognizing a pitch and increases in pitch recognition accuracy were noted using visual analysis. Stimulus fading showed mixed results across participants. Future directions and …

The Effects Of Performance Matrix Scorecards And Job Crafting On Student-Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork Experience And Burnout Levels, Mary Louise Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

Prioritizing behavior analyst well-being should start during coursework and concentrated supervised fieldwork (CSF) experience. Research shows burnout is highly likely in human service settings, and teaching individuals how to implement protective factors against burnout should be a focus in addition to required coursework and practicum experience. Experiment 1 will analyze the effects of a performance matrix scorecard on improved productivity and well-being for students starting their practicum experience. Experiment 2 will teach students how to practice job crafting to enhance the use of the performance matrix scorecard. Using these tools could teach students generalizable skills to maintain high levels of …

Has Electricity Deregulation Eliminated The Nuclear Option?: Rethinking The Coasian Ios For Project-Finance Investments, Stephen Dansky

Theses and Dissertations

Installed electric generation capacity in the United States is expected to grow significantly over the next two decades. This raises concern about climate change as several common methods of electricity generation emit greenhouse gases. Nuclear power, which doesn’t create greenhouse gases while generating electricity, has been heavily promoted by the nuclear industry and a segment of the environmental community ever since it was codified by the United Nation’s 26^th Climate Change Conference of the Parties as an acceptable energy source to fight climate change. However, this dissertation establishes that the increased revenue risk and uncertainty created by the deregulation …

The Icarus Paradox: Examining The Gender Bias In Leader Transgression, Pratibha Deepak

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the growing interest in leader transgressions due to their profound impact on organizations and their members, the boundary conditions influencing them remain unexplored. Consequently, this dissertation investigates the differential evaluation of leader transgressions based on such boundary conditions, focusing on the interaction between transgression type (integrity vs. competence), leader gender (female vs. male), and hierarchical status (supervisor vs. senior leader). Utilizing theoretical foundations from causal attribution theory, shifting standards, expectancy violation theory, and social identity theory, it is hypothesized that the impact of transgressions on organizational outcomes at multiple levels—including individual (perceived leader effectiveness), organizational (employee turnover intention), and …

The Dark Side Of Engagement: An Organizational Fairness Perspective, Katherine Naomi Rau

Theses and Dissertations

Employee engagement has long been regarded as a positive phenomenon for organizations and individuals. However, recent investigations into unintended, negative consequences of engagement have illuminated the potential “dark side” of engagement. This research applied an organizational fairness lens by investigating the relationship between engagement and psychological contract fulfillment to explain why engaged employees may experience emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions. Additionally, autotelic personality and job crafting were explored as potential mitigating factors in weakening the relationships between psychological contract breach and emotional exhaustion and turnover intention. While findings across two studies did not support the assertion that engagement was related …

The Effects Of Juror Characteristics And Case Type On Trans Panic Defense Verdicts, Isabella Noel Coppa

Theses and Dissertations

The trans panic defense is a provocation defense that uses the victim’s transgender identity as justification for the defendant’s violent actions. Previous research has identified juror characteristics that predict support for the gay panic defense (Michalski & Nunez, 2022) and trans panic defense (Michalski et al., 2022), but less is known about whether case type impacts support for the trans panic defense. This study sought to fill this gap by manipulating case type and further exploring juror characteristics that predict greater support of the trans panic defense. This study utilized 188 participants that read crime vignettes featuring transgender or cisgender …

Clinical Reasoning Development Following A Simulation-Based Learning Experience In Doctor Of Physical Therapy Education, Benjamin Wolden

Theses and Dissertations

Clinical Reasoning (CR) integrates thinking and decision-making in clinical practice (Huhn et al., 2019). CR is an established area of research in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) education (Musolino & Jensen, 2019; Jensen & Mostrom, 2012) and has been acknowledged as a core competency of physical therapist residency education (APTA Residency Competency Work Group, 2020). Despite the established research, the assessment of CR has emerged as a topic of importance due to the need for standardized assessment of CR in DPT education that can lead to high-quality research and implementation of evidence-informed teaching and learning (Reilly et al. 2021; Furze …

Exploring The Role Of Restorative Practices Facilitators In The Secondary School Setting: Self-Efficacy, Collective Efficacy, And Systemic Implementation Recommendations, Rachel K. Bachmeier

Theses and Dissertations

While restorative practices (RP) is hailed as one of the oldest criminal justice models in the world, the official advent of RP in education did not occur until the 1990s. Mirroring the reemergence of RP into legal systems, educators began experimenting with the application of RP in the educational setting. Today, restorative work in schools has expanded beyond an alternative to exclusionary discipline measures into an effort to build, maintain, and, when necessary, restore community. More and more teacher preparation programs address restorative justice principles and the rising dedication to Social Emotional Learning and Culturally Responsive Teaching often embraces RP. …

An Exploration Of Education Strategies In National Board Of Health And Wellness Coaching Programs, Brenna Joy Swanson

Theses and Dissertations

Health and wellness coaching (HWC) is a vital and growing profession effective in preventing and managing chronic diseases. The National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) established comprehensive training guidelines to advance and uphold the field. Each NBHWC-approved program develops a unique curriculum blending education strategies with NBHWC content requirements that prepare individuals to become aspiring health and wellness coaches (HWCs). Pedagogical approaches are well studied; however, education strategies utilized in NBHWC programs and across competency categories are not widely known. Thus, this three-article dissertation provides an understanding of educational strategies used within NBHWC programs. This study aims to …

Molecular Insights Of Paraoxonase 2 In Advanced Glycation End Product Induced Endothelial Dysfunction, Ramya R

Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder associated with various vascular complications and affects the function of the endothelial cells. Elevated blood glucose levels accelerate the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) by Amadori rearrangement and bind to their Receptor for the advanced glycation end product (RAGE) and evoke release of key pro-inflammatory cytokine proteins leading to endothelial dysfunction. Paraoxonase 2 (PON2) is an endogenous intracellular enzyme, localised in mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and nuclear membrane with numerous properties, like anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic and anti-oxidant.

Our present study aims to ascertain the effect of AGEs on PON2 activity and expression, …

"I'Ll Stay Where You Want Me To Stay": How Latter-Day Saints Navigate Conflicting Social Values While Remaining Committed To Their Faith, Venice Jardine

Theses and Dissertations

While recent efforts in religious studies have focused on why many Americans seem to be leaving religion entirely, much less is understood about why many others choose to remain committed to their faith--especially when they hold many of the same social values, doubts, or divergent opinions that others cite for leaving. Within a Latter-day Saint context especially, very little research has been done to explore the experiences of those navigating the complexities of competing ethical affordances while remaining committed to their faith. Through ethnographic research in both Salt Lake County and New York City, I document the patterns and processes …