Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding And Developing Use Of Self After Graduation, Hanina L. Stettin

Theses and Dissertations

After graduation from a master's program, organization development (OD) practitioners are responsible for their own continued growth and learning. This research was conducted in order to provide the diverse, and relatively young, field of OD with some sense of (a) what methods practitioners are employing to develop and improve their Use of Self and (b) how they feel it helps them be better practitioners. The research was conducted in two stages. Firstly, alumni participated in an online survey gathering information about personal and professional practices. The data collected in the survey was enriched through second-stage research consisting of interviews with …

Feet That Don't Touch The Floor: Perceptions In Marketing Theatre For Young Audiences, Melora Slotnick

Theses and Dissertations

It was once my dream to build the theatre of the future: to develop a new organization in the theatre community that would provide new ideas and imaginative learning. Reality and research, however, have pointed me in a new direction. From my perspective, we do not currently need another organization to add competition within our theatrical community. Though it is often appealing to start from scratch, what we need most now is to enhance our status and quality. Existing theatres must work toward a balance of competition and collaboration. Disparity is not the issue. Countless theatres in our nation and …

The Path To Graduation: A Model Interactive Web Site Design Supporting Doctoral Students, Nicole Simmons-Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This 2-phase mixed method study assessed 2nd-year doctoral students' and dissertation students' perceptions of the current Graduate School of Education dissertation support Web site, with implications for designing a model dissertation support Web site. Methods. Phase 1 collected quantitative and qualitative data through an anonymous electronic survey. Phase 2 consisted of 6 semistructured qualitative Skype interviews. Four themes emerged from the qualitative portion of the study: (a) Mentoring, (b) Student Support Groups, (c) Explicit functions and roles of Dissertation Chairpersons, and (d) the Opportunity to network and interact with dissertation students face-to-face or online. Results. Of the respondents, 42.3% found …

A Mindfulness-Based Art Therapy Curriculum For Parents In Underserved Communities, Jennifer Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) an empirically effective method of promoting psychological health and wellbeing. But access to MBSR is lacking in underserved urban communities. This is due in part to the limited research focus on urban communities - MBSR studies have primarily focused on measuring symptom reduction in middle-class - and in part to cultural concerns that diverse urban communities tend to have about mindfulness. To address the needs of diverse urban communities, this dissertation develops a culturally responsive mindfulness-based art therapy curriculum (MAT-C) as a resource for clinicians to teach adapted MBSR techniques to parents. Developing MAT-C had …

The Development Of Self-Care Workshop To Prevent Vicarious Traumatization In Training Therapists Working With Sexually Exploited Children, Krystle K. Madrid

Theses and Dissertations

Trainees who treat sexually exploited children are helpless witnesses to long term psychological, social and physical effects of physical and sexual abuse trauma narratives. Trainees and those with limited training and self-care practices are at a greater risk for vicarious traumatization. Unfortunately little attention has been given to the experience of vicarious traumatization in trainees who treat sexually exploited children. In addition, there has been limited research on self-care training resources as a primary prevention tool against vicarious traumatization. The purpose of this study was to develop a self-care PowerPoint workshop to help prevent vicarious traumatization in trainees working with …

Psychology Internship Training In Evidence-Based Treatments For Youth With Disruptive Behavior Problems, Nathan J. Balfanz

Theses and Dissertations

The implementation of evidence-based treatments (EBTs) has become a topic of significant debate amongst researchers and mental health practitioners alike. While current research has indicated a shift in attitudes amongst treatment providers for what constitutes as "best practices" in treating clients, less is known regarding the dissemination and teaching of EBTs for early career, training clinicians. The focus of this study was to take a closer look at clinical training in EBT strategies, specifically those for children and adolescents with disruptive behavior problems (DBPs). Sixty-four internship training directors and program representatives from American Psychological Association (APA) accredited and Association of …

Exploring Ways In Which Trainee Therapists Address Autonomy When Working With Culturally Diverse Clients Who Have Experienced Trauma: A Qualitative Analysis Of An Aspect Of Posttraumatic Growth, Ani Khatchadourian

Theses and Dissertations

A positive psychological approach to trauma involves acknowledging the distress that often results from traumatic experiences, while also focusing on trauma as an opportunity for posttraumatic growth. Organismic valuing theory posits that the social environment may serve as a facilitator of posttraumatic growth to the extent that it supports the survivor's basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Of these needs, autonomy has been the most debated, particularly by cross-cultural researchers noting that autonomy is equivalent to independence and therefore not a universal need. Although there is increasing literature on the importance of autonomy across cultures and its use …

Professional Behaviors, Sense Of Belonging, And Professional Socialization Of Early Career Clinical Laboratory Scientists, Janna Marie Schill

Theses and Dissertations

Professional socialization is a process that individuals experience as members of a profession and consists of the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences that influence and shape their professional identity. The process of professional socialization has not been studied in the clinical laboratory science profession. Clinical laboratory science is an allied health profession that is faced by a workforce shortage that has been caused by a decrease in new graduates, decreased retention of qualified professionals, and increased retirements. Other allied health professions such as nursing, athletic training, and pharmacy have studied professional socialization as a way to identify factors that may influence …

Novice Principals’ Perceptions Of Effective Leadership Practices And Their Principal Preparation Programs, Melissa Y. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine novice principals’ perceptions of effective leadership practices and the elements of their principal preparation program that prepared them for the role of school leader. A mixed-methods study was utilized by the researcher to gather quantitative data through the use of an online survey and to gather qualitative data through subsequent focus-group interviews to address the proposal’s three research questions: (a) What are the differences (if any) between the perceptions of novice elementary, middle, and high school principals regarding the five instructional leadership practices identified by Kouzes and Posner (2003; i.e., challenging the …

Childhood Family Factors That Influenced The Enrollment Of College Students With Learning Disabilities, Abigail Kirk

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to use qualitative measures to investigate the childhood family factors that influenced the enrollment of college students with learning disabilities. Six participants were interviewed, all of whom were registered through the University Accessibility Center at a four-year university and were served at some point during their school years for a learning disability. Interviews were held in a confidential location and lasted approximately thirty minutes. The interview protocol was constructed in a way that allowed participants to reflect on their experiences and tell their story in their own manner. Planned prompts were included to solicit …

From Desegregation To Desexigration In Richmond, Virginia, 1954-1973, Leslee Key

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation explores the relationships and experiences in the urban community that connected black and white women to understand the complexities of Jim Crow, its breakdown, and the subsequent expansion of female activism in Richmond, Virginia. By examining the South’s famous department stores, Thalhimers and Miller & Rhoads, this research attempts to focus on female-created and female-oriented spaces within downtown Richmond, from 1954 until 1973, and draws a line from the Thalhimer boycott staged by African-American women in 1961 to the sit-in performed by white women in the Thalhimers male-only soup bar in 1970. Historical context is developed to show …

Caring For A Preterm Infant During The First Six Months Post Nicu Discharge: A Mother’S Perspective, Lois Phillips-Pula

Theses and Dissertations

Overview There are numerous studies in the current literature focusing on the intense emotions experienced by parents, following the birth of a preterm infant, (i.e., born prior to 37 weeks gestational age [GA]). Research findings have helped us understand the fear and anxiety they feel while attempting to navigate the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment. What happens in those early weeks and months at home after discharge, however, is surprisingly absent from the literature. It is well known that preterm infants are readmitted to the hospital during the first few months after discharge at a rate of 10% - …

The Good Life In Psychotherapy: Implicit And Influential, Emily Lonas Morris

Theses and Dissertations

The good life, or a flourishing life, is a vision of how people ought to best live their lives. Though this vision is vital to the conduct of psychotherapy, it is generally overlooked, and thus unexamined. The therapist's vision of the good life for the client guides his or her implicit and explicit interventions. Despite this, there is relatively little discussion about this vital topic, and relatively little training into the various approaches to the good life. In this thesis, I argue that this relative lack of examination and training is due to the lack of perceived options regarding conceptions …

Coming To Terms With Family Of Origin Issues And Relationship Satisfaction For Native American Individuals In Committed Intimate Relationships, Krystal Cobell Dagley

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between childhood family of origin (FOO) adversities, coming to terms with them, and adult intimate relationship satisfaction for Native American individuals. The sample consisted of 186 Native American individuals in committed relationships who responded to the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE). Among the items in the questionnaire were measures of childhood FOO adversity, whether respondents had come to terms with FOO problems, relationship quality and depression. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that coming to terms buffered the negative effects of childhood family of origin adversities on depression and relationship quality. Results suggest that coming to terms …

An Evaluation Of The Writing Abilities Of Entry-Level Public Relations Practitioners And The Industry Demand To Effectively Write For New Media, Diana Gervasi

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this exploratory investigation were to (a) evaluate the current writing abilities of entry-level public relations practitioners (b) determine the industry's demand to effectively write for new media and (c) identify educator's perceptions of entry-level public relations practitioners' writing abilities and current curriculum changes as well as future industry projections. The researcher conducted Web-based surveys of management level public relations practitioners who were all members of PRSA and telephone interviews with educators in college and university public relations programs across the country. The data collected from Web-based surveys showed a slight improvement in the perception of entry-level practitioners' …

The Loss Of Neighborhood Secondary Schools: How The Distance A Student Lives From Their School Can Affect Their Academic Achievement, Gillian Armstrong

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine whether the distance a student lives from their school influences their academic achievement. In detail, this study has correlated the distance in miles a student lives from his or her school with their grade point average at the end of their freshman and junior years. Data has been collected from 100 participants at two private high schools in southern New Jersey, Our Lady of Mercy Academy and Saint Augustine College Prepatory School. Both schools are grades ninth through twelfth. Both schools are Catholic schools but you do not have to be Catholic …

Reduction Of Anxiety In College Students With Asperger's Disorder Using Behavioral Relaxation Training, Jaclyn Bechtler

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to reduce levels of anxiety in college students with Asperger's Disorder. Two students from Rowan University were taught Behavioral Relaxation Training over a period of four weeks. Measurements of anxiety and relaxation were gathered during biweekly sessions and those results were graphed. Results showed that a) behavioral relaxation training was quickly learned by participants and b) anxiety levels decreased on some measures with the use of behavioral relaxation. Issues facing those with Asperger's Disorder were discussed as well as the wide variety of populations that have demonstrated positive change with behavioral relaxation training.

Men In Public Relations: Saving An Endangered Species, Nancy Long

Theses and Dissertations

It has been 25 years since the publication of The Velvet Ghetto, the seminal work on gender in public relations. Looking ahead, the study forecast a field that was "ghettoized" as the workforce became increasingly female. Has that been the case? Since the mid-eighties, women have solidified their hold at nearly all levels in the public relations industry. While the advancement of women is to be applauded, is this imbalance a good thing? The industry, to date, has ignored this trend. What strategies should be employed to make the field more diverse and balanced from a gender perspective? Now that …

Ngo Outreach To Priority Refugee Population Demographics In Cairo, Joelle Petrus

Theses and Dissertations

Cairo is considered to have among the highest populations of refugees in an urban setting in the world. This urban setting presents a unique set of challenges particularly when delivering services and programs to a population with heightened vulnerability who are not easy to locate within the greater population of Cairo. In this context it is of great utility to strengthen outreach programs whose aim is to strengthen the connection between service receiver (refugees) and the service provider (the organization.) Another challenge to delivering services and programs to refugees is the greater diversity or heterogeneity of the population itself. However, …

The Anthropology And Sociology Of Proponent And Opponent Worldviews In Central Arkansas Regarding Same-Sex Issues And Constitutionally Protected Rights: An Interdisciplinary Perspective, Rohn Muse

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis autoethnographically examines divergent worldviews, specifically with respect to the contentious issues of same-sex marriage and adoption/foster-parenting of children by unmarried cohabitating couples in Arkansas. Moral panics and moral politics are central to current debates about each. This thesis integrates and synthesizes interdisciplinary perspectives and insights while deconstructing and unpacking dissimilar beliefs and behaviors found in this Bible-belt state. Selected GLBTQQ/SGL narratives, interwoven with my story, compare left-leaning liberalism with ultraconservative cognitive framing utilized to oppose gay rights. Vicious targeting of gays prevails in absolute opposition to gay issues when strictly based in faith and resolute religious dogma. Humanism …

Through The Lens Of A College Success Seminar: Developing Workshops For Eof Students, Yesenia Madas

Theses and Dissertations

The body of research on first-year seminars has grown considerably and there is much evidence to support that college success seminars have increased student persistence and degree attainment (Fidler, 1991; Keenan & Gabovitch, 1995; O'Gara, Karp, & Hughes, 2009; Zeidenberg, Jenkins, & Calcagno, 2007). While most success courses come packaged with content such as study skills, test-taking, and time management, little assessment of the effectiveness of these areas has been conducted. Therefore, this study investigated the specific course components of the College Success Seminar that contribute to student success and used that information to create workshops for students in the …

Basic Writers Writing In Their Zone Of Proximal Development Through Intertextual Links, Cynda Alexander

Theses and Dissertations

Students in Basic Writing classes are separated from their peers who are mainstreamed into regular composition classes, stigmatizing them as having substandard skills. Preconditioned to question their ability to write, they arrive in class with zero confidence and varying degrees of ability to construct meaning. Students rely on their prior knowledge to fill in the gaps between texts. Their ability to accommodate and assimilate new information to their prior knowledge is dependent on their ability to link with it. Since semiotician Julia Kristeva first used the term intertextuality in 1967, there has been a great deal of interest in intertextuality, …

The Professional Staff And Librarian Learning Community At Rowan University, Katherine Boland

Theses and Dissertations

As powerful forces of change continue to exert pressure on institutions of higher education, scholars are calling for strategies to sustain our most valuable asset, the academic community. One promising response is Milton Cox's work. He created the Miami University model for faculty and professional learning communities, a nationally-recognized strategy for supporting faculty development, addressing institutional needs, and promoting meaningful change. This mixed methods action research project introduced a new version of Cox's technology, a project-based learning community. This project-based version was the basis of my work with the Professional Staff and Librarian Learning Community (PSLLC). The PSLLC engaged in …

Let's Get Physical: The Role Of Physical Activity In The Training Of Graduate Mental Health Students, Cassandra Pasquariello

Theses and Dissertations

There is growing awareness of the role of physical activity (PA) in the prevention and treatment of health disorders. Mental health practitioners are well positioned to provide PA counseling and may have ethical obligations to address PA. Researchers have cited insufficient training as a barrier to PA counseling, yet little is known about training in mental health. This exploratory study examines the need for training students in PA counseling. A national sample of 361 current graduate students in psychology, social work, rehabilitation counseling, and psychiatric nursing completed a Web-based survey on their training, knowledge, attitude towards PA, personal PA, and …

Factors Predicting Exercise Behavior Of Graduate Students, Bibha Gautam

Theses and Dissertations

Graduate school is often experienced as a time of increased demands/expectations resulting in heightened levels of stress due to academic work, family responsibilities, job demands, financial pressure, and other life related issues. Besides stress, graduate school also brings about significant physical inactivity due to the shift of the immediate priority to academic accomplishment. Reports of increasing prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among students highlight that this group may have particular risk not well-identified. Yet, relative risk can be reduced by lifestyle modifications, such as eating well, exercising, and stress reduction. The majority of the risk factors, to a …

Developing A Hybrid Model To Predict Student First Year Retention And Academic Success In Stem Disciplines Using Neural Networks, Ruba Alkhasawneh

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the reasoning behind the low enrollment and retention rates of Underrepresented Minority (URM) students (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans) in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has concerned many researchers for decades. Numerous studies have used traditional statistical methods to identify factors that affect and predict student retention. Recently, researchers have relied on using data mining techniques for modeling student retention in higher education [1]. This research has used neural networks for performance modeling in order to obtain an adequate understanding of factors related to first year academic success and retention of URM at …

Oncology Nurses' Impact Scores For Obstacles And Supportive Behaviors At The End Of Life, Joan M. Collett

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Oncology nurses provide end-of-life (EOL) care to their patients daily. Oncology nurses' perceptions regarding how to provide quality care to dying patients could be an important addition to the ongoing research on quality EOL care. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of specific obstacle and supportive behaviors in EOL care as perceived by hospital-based oncology nurses. This study extended the work of Beckstrand, Moore, Callister, and Bond (2009).

Methods: A 69-item questionnaire adapted from previous studies (Beckstrand & Kirchhoff, 2005; Beckstrand, Smith, Heaston, & Bond, 2008) was sent to 1,000 nurses who were members of …

The Experiences Of Families Raising Children With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Qualitative Investigation, Carol A. Loucks

Theses and Dissertations

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), a common, chronic disease, affects the patient as well as the family. It requires daily vigilance in blood sugar monitoring, dietary management and insulin administration. Research has examined the impact of T1DM on family adaptation and relationships. However, few current data describes parents' perceptions of challenges. The purpose of this study was to identify challenges and impact on the family perceived by parents raising children with T1DM. Using a qualitative descriptive design, 21 parents raising children with T1DM participated in audio-recorded focus groups. At the time of the interviews the children ranged in age from …

The Professional Identity Development Of Gerontologists: An Experiential Learning Approach, Tracey Gendron

Theses and Dissertations

Professional identity is a complex construct that describes how an individual develops a sense of self-concept within a chosen profession. Professional identity refers to a self definition within a professional role based on attributes, beliefs, values, motives, and experiences (Ibarra, 1999). This study explored the relationships between the professional identity of gerontology graduates and age, career stage, student typology, occupation, and value of experiential learning both quantitatively and qualitatively. Survey results indicate that experiential learning opportunities provide a framework for all gerontology students to gain and apply the skills and knowledge necessary for professional identity development in the field of …

Perceived Racism And Mental Health: A Meta-Analytic Review, Hokulea D. Conklin

Theses and Dissertations

The present study provides a synthesis of extant research examining the association between perceived racism and mental health. The aims of this study were to identify the overall magnitude of this association and to elaborate on the possible influence of participant characteristics (acculturation level, age, gender, race, education, and socioeconomic status) and study characteristics (year of data collection, geographic region of the study, and research design) in moderating this association. A total of 130 studies were included in the final analysis. The omnibus effect size for this meta-analysis was r = -.188 (p < .001), which indicates that higher instances of perceived racism were associated with lower levels of mental health. The overall magnitude of this association suggests a moderately small relationship between these two constructs. None of the participant characteristics moderated the results. However, studies conducted in more recent years appeared to be associated with effect sizes of greater negative magnitude than studies conducted in previous years. The implications of these findings for multicultural psychology are discussed and suggestions regarding future research in this area are presented.