Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of A Series Of Professional Development Sessions On Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (Crp) On The Awareness Level Of Seven Teachers At A Suburban High School, Charity Jo Brady

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aimed to examine the impact that culturally responsive pedagogy had on a suburban high school. Specifically, it focused on the effectiveness of a six-session professional development series in increasing the awareness level of seven teacher-participants at Bayside High School during the Spring 2022 semester. The study utilized pre- and post- questionnaires, weekly journal reflections (written), field notes and observations, and participant interviews for data collection. The findings suggest that the professional development sessions were successful in increasing the awareness level of the teachers, leading to a more culturally responsive classroom environment. This study highlights the importance of ongoing …

Youth And Caregivers' Perceptions Of Racial Socialization: Examining The Interactive Role Of Risk And Cultural Resilience Factors As Predictors And Mental Health As Outcomes, Arlenis Santana

Theses and Dissertations

Black families' mental health, including that of the children and caretakers, is a persistent public health concern. Existing work documents that parental racial socialization messages are a protective process for the psychological well-being of Black children, youth, and emerging adults (Bannon et al., 2009). The majority of work to date has focused on youth, and we have limited information about the effects of racial socialization on caregivers’ mental health outcomes. It is also essential to examine the relation between racial socialization and outcomes among caregivers because, aside from their identity as parents, caregivers have other identities and experiences that deserve …

Trans* Streamers On Twitch.Tv: The Intersections Of Gender And Digital Labor, R. Lawson

Theses and Dissertations

Twitch.tv is a live entertainment platform where individuals live stream events, including playing video games, playing board and tabletop games, creating art, and more. Twitch has a diverse base of streamers, but Twitch has just begun. The most common approach has focused on cisgender, heterosexual white men in the cases where it has been studied. Though these streamers should be studied in sociology, this focus leaves out the experiences of both cis women and Trans* streamers. This research proposal tries to situate the relationship of Trans* streamers with both the platform and their audience, seeing if these relationships affect their …

Through The Lens Of Glass, Paul J. Van Den Bijgaart

Theses and Dissertations

Glass is a key component of the development of the modern world and within this China has become the leading producer and consumer of the material. Through the dedication to my skilled craft as a glassblower I use my material understanding to explore eastern and western philosophical associations and artistic concepts through painting. As well as investigate the relevance of how craft contributes to the development of culture through consumables. An intuitive expressionist painting style is explored in relation to landscape painting with glass as a practice towards mindful engagement within an age of digitized globalization.

“It's Just Not Enough”: Examining The Experiences Of School-Based Sexual Health Education And Conversation Engagement With Trusted Adults Among Black Boys In Richmond, Va, Sharyn A. Dougherty

Theses and Dissertations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that youth make up a quarter of the sexually active population, yet account for half of the 20 million new sexually transmitted infections in the United States.In 2021, youth age 15-19 living in Virginia’s central region, which includes the Richmond Metropolitan area, had the second highest number of chlamydia cases and fourth highest number of gonorrhea cases among all age groups, with the highest rates among Black youth. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of Black youth in Richmond, VA with school-based sexual health education (SHE) and their …

The Cultural Diplomacy Of U.S. Peace Corps: Understanding The Role Of Peace Corps Volunteers As Strategic Geopolitical Assets, Corey B. Miles

Theses and Dissertations

Beginning in the Summer of 1961, the United States government has deployed volunteer humanitarians around the world to serve the mission of U.S. Peace Corps and has since contributed to communities in 143 partner countries while enjoying widespread popularity. Its mission of promoting world peace and friendship is pursued through three operational goals: technical training, cultural exportation, and cultural importation. Since 2016, with the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, and continuing through the Covid-19 pandemic, which produced the first global service interruption in agency history, the value of the Peace Corps service model has been fundamentally challenged. As a …

Anti-Immigration-Related Stressors And Latine Immigrant Well-Being: The Role Of Family & Community Resilience, Lisa S. Fuentes

Theses and Dissertations

Anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies have continued to adversely impact Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protection Status (TPS) beneficiaries (Arevalo et al., 2015; Cleary, 2017; Li, 2015; Sangalang et al., 2018). There have been numerous attempts to revoke DACA, TPS, and other policies that temporarily protect immigrant families. Although the number of resilience literature has grown, more strength-based approaches are still needed. Additionally, given that familismo (familism) and collectivism are key cultural values for Latine families (Campos et al., 2019; Corona et al., 2017), it is imperative to explore family and community resilience among Latine immigrants to gain …

Sense Of Belonging As Behaviorist Construct: “Doing Belonging” And Its Application For College Students With Disabilities, Chris Parthemos Phd

Theses and Dissertations

Sense of Belonging has been widely linked to academic performance, retention and persistence for college students. Students with disabilities are less likely to enroll than peers, and are more likely to drop out. Similar to other historically-marginalized groups, these students report lower sense of belonging than peers. Research with this population suggests that they may be seeking ways of building community and belonging at their universities which are self-driven. This notion of “doing belonging”, as it is described in the sociological literature, appears at first glance to be compatible with behaviorist approaches to student support. Although not without controversy, behavior …

Buckets In A Deep Well: Essays About Shakespeare’S History Play Characters And An Original Drama, Brian C. Bassett

Theses and Dissertations

Buckets in a Deep Well is a set of essays that examines various characters portrayed in Shakespeare’s history plays, as well as parallel figures in 20th and 21st century works. Each essay primarily focuses on a single character’s response to a power structure: Richard Gloucester to the Tudor England of his audience in Richard III; Richard Nixon’s campaign-produced version of himself to 20th century American democracy in “Checkers;” Falstaff to organized society in Henry IV, Part 1; Marlo Stanfield to the drug economy of early 2000’s Baltimore in The Wire; the Duke of York to the disrupted monarchy of The …

Wrestling With The One Drop Rule: Exploring Multiraciality In Social Work Education, Britney Pitts

Theses and Dissertations

This three paper dissertation aims to provide a baseline understanding of how multiraciality is understood in social work education. The first paper, a fusion autoethnography, explores how my own perception of my multiracial identity was clarified throughout my social work education. This exploration led to the development of incongruent logic in/validation (ILV), a new aspect of racial identity invalidation (RII). The second paper, a multimethod qualitative case study, explores master of social work (MSW) students’ knowledge, attitudes, and anticipated professional behaviors with multiracial individuals and families. Themes from this study include: never explicitly learned about multiraciality; non-ecological endorsements of multiracial …

Adapting Higher Education: Revamping Curricula For The Inclusion Of Theatre Students With Disabilities, Kevin Kemler

Theses and Dissertations

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives in higher education have been largely driven by administrators who have little to no contact with the students for whom they are working for. This top-down approach negatively impacts marginalized students and disproportionately affects the quality of experience for students with Disabilities, an often-overlooked demographic. For Disabled students enrolled in performance programs, barriers to access and inclusion don’t just exist at the institutional level, they also exist in the traditional classroom or studio as well. Through a dismantling of ableist structures inherent within higher education (i.e., American grading practices, the Western and Theatrical Canons), I …

An Introduction To Theatrical Scent Design As Compared To Traditional Design Areas With A Consideration For The Scientifically Notated Physical And Emotional Effects On The Human Body As It Potentially Relates To Future Creative Endeavors: A Framework, Katherine R. Holland

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional areas of theatrical design are established to the point of having a solid foundation for current and future designers to rely on as they strive to innovate. The same cannot be said for scent. I believe that art, like science, is a sector where the imagination is used to push the boundaries of what we currently know and can do. Artists are therefore entrusted with the responsibility to continue testing those boundaries, and that is what my topic lays the foundation for when it comes to scent. With my topic, I plan to look at the practical and ethical …

Understanding The Role Of A Regional Magnet School In Creative Identity Development Of Ethnically And Culturally Diverse Adolescents: A Case Study, Preeti Kamat

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation exploratory case study was to examine the creativity-supportive practices at an innovative regional magnet school shaping Ethnically & Culturally Diverse (ECD) students’ creative identity development as perceived by different stakeholders including ECD students enrolled in the first three cohorts, teachers, and school administrators of RichTech Regional Magnet High School [RRMHS] (pseudonym). This single qualitative case study employed a small component of a quantitative survey, the results of which guided in part the design of interview protocols and sampling procedures for recruiting qualitative participants. Using a pragmatic research lens, I obtained and analyzed the diverse qualitative …

Driven By Personality: Exploring The Relationship Between Custom Cars And Self-Expression, Tharwa Dalansi

Theses and Dissertations

Custom Car Culture (CCC) is a form of creativity that emerges from personal identities and passions. It involves the restoration, modification and personal adornment of commercially manufactured cars. This process creates a journey, where the enthusiast goes through multiple phases of self-reflection. But due to a lack of local resources, Qatar-based CCC enthusiasts often have to send their cars abroad to Dubai or Japan in order to customize them, relinquishing creative control in the process.

In response to these challenges, based on observations and interviews conducted among actual CCC enthusiasts, I develop a platform for engagement between these enthusiasts and …

Interiorization And Localization: An Analysis Of Immigration Enforcement In Local Contexts, Manuel N. Leiva

Theses and Dissertations

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal agency that plays a large role in surveilling, apprehending, detaining, incarcerating, and deporting undocumented immigrants in the United States. Due to constraints on the number of ICE’s available personnel and resources, the agency relies on deputizing, or devolving to local law enforcement agencies the authority to enforce federal immigration policies. Prior to the 1990s, the enforcement of policies directed at controlling flows of undocumented immigrants was generally under the purview of federal law enforcement agencies and administrators, not state or local ones. The attacks on September, 11^th 2001 represented a flashpoint, …

Behind The Gate: Syrian Women In Soap Operas - Perception Vs. Reality, Tasnim J. Rahimah

Theses and Dissertations

Syria has witnessed what is known as al-fawra al-drameya, an eruption of drama since 2000. Every year, especially during Ramadan, dozens of Syrian soap operas are aired across the Arab world and beyond, depicting Syrians’ historical struggles as they fought for liberation from the French mandate at the beginning of the 20th century. Although women of those days were a vital part of that liberation movement and had prominent societal roles, these historical fiction soap operas chose to portray only the demure and dismissive female figures and not mention the women who were independent, courageous, and active members of the …

Integrating Historically Marginalized Students’ Funds Of Knowledge For Culturally Responsive Teaching And Learning, Martinique Ann Sealy

Theses and Dissertations

The United States historically has not always recognized the unique knowledge, or Funds of Knowledge (FoK; Moll et. al, 1992) that Black (and other historically marginalized) students’ have as assets to classroom learning and much of today’s mainstream curriculum represents White cultural norms as the basis (Sjursen, 2021). Because of this reality, marginalized students must navigate mainstream cultural norms alongside their own culture to be successful in the classroom. This three-paper dissertation includes 1. a systematic literature review of Black U.S. k-8 students language and identity in relation to achievement, 2. a qualitative case study centered on middle school urban …

Underrepresentation Of Black Participants In Drug Court: Reasons Reported For Non-Admission In Six Jurisdictions, Kathryn J. Genthon

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the beneficial impacts of drug court participation, access to these programs may not be equitable across racial groups. The reasons behind racial disparities in access to these programs are not well-documented in the current literature. This study investigates disparities in access to drug court and the possible reasons they occur. Chi-square tests are used to assess for disparities in admissions between Black and White individuals referred to drug court. Additional statistical analyses addressed the association of sex and age with admission to provide a broader picture of the impact of a variety of demographic characteristics on admission to drug …

Assessing The Perceived Impact Of A Local, Community-Engaged Mural Project On Preservice Art Educators In Foundational Coursework, Caitlin M. Black

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study merged the methodological frameworks of qualitative case study and narrative inquiry (Sonday et. al, 2020) to assess the perceived impact of a local, community-engaged mural art project (Mending Walls) on undergraduate preservice art educators in foundational coursework. The study was grounded in existing research in three areas: community-engaged murals, community-engaged pedagogy, and community-engaged teacher preparation. These concepts were used to frame the study and provide further rationale for the inquiry. The purpose of this case study was to understand how undergraduate preservice art educators perceived the impact of using a local, community-engaged mural project (Mending Walls) in …

An Arbitrary Aesthetic: Cultural Reproduction And Hegemonic Canonical Formations In The Western Theatrical Academy, Sim C. Rivers

Theses and Dissertations

Theatre as an artistic practice has often been celebrated as an art of and for the people, being a modality that in theory the common person has access to learn, explore and experience. In recent years I have become preoccupied with the growing rarification and privileging of this art form, particularly in how it is cognized and taught in the academic world. As such, I set out to investigate the mechanisms at work at levels structural, artistic, and personal that determine how theatre is taught and understood within the western academy.

This thesis seeks to examine and unpack the perceived …

The Five Senses: Fundamentals In Acting Training, Landon A. Nagel

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE FIVE SENSES: FUNDAMENTALS IN ACTING TRAINING

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MFA Theatre Pedagogy at Virginia Commonwealth University

by

LANDON NAGEL

Thesis Chair: Aaron Anderson, PH.D.

Theatre Graduate Program Director, Department of Theatre

The following is presented as a tool for new acting teachers, students and potentially parents. It identifies and explores the fundamental lessons that I believe are necessary inside a beginning acting studio, inspired by that which I believe is necessary when raising a young child. Rather than focusing on one particular technique, system or method - I …

Cultural Diversity In Education: Examining The Challenges And Issues Of Lgbtq Students Enrolled In A Tertiary Education Institution In The Bahamas, Terry Laverne Rolle

Theses and Dissertations

This research study examined the challenges and issues faced by LGBTQ students attending a tertiary education institution in The Bahamas. Utilizing a phenomenological analytical process, seven individuals gave information regarding their lived experiences in a tertiary institution in The Bahamas. Data for this research study were collected through two 60-minute in-depth interview sessions. This qualitative study was guided by the theoretical frameworks of the planned approach to change and the theory of resilience, both of which were used to inform the elements of the research. Many research studies have been conducted in regard to the experiences faced by LGBTQ students …

Living A Nightmare: A Study On The Reluctance Of Native American Women To Report Violent Crimes To Police, Misty Marie Neal

Theses and Dissertations

To address this problem, this study will explore, if at all, the differences and relationships between Native American women’s reluctance to report a violent crime to the police with their perception of police, previous interactions with police, prior victimization, tribal affiliation, and specific demographic factors. The population for this research will be Native American women from federally recognized tribes between 18 and 55 years of age. In addition, the participant's marital status, sexual affiliation, religion, level of education, and geographic location will be examined.

From this population, a sample size of 500 - 600 participants will be constructed for this …

Evaluating Higher Education In Prison Effectiveness By Modality Through Student Success And Retention Rates In California Community Colleges, Peter Michael Fulks

Theses and Dissertations

There is a strident body of empirical research evidence that Higher Education in Prison (HEP) has a direct impact on reducing recidivism. Additionally for participants, it also increases the economic mobility and employability post-release. However, the ability to conduct randomly controlled trials with a distal measurement of recidivism is hindered due to the inconsistent industry definitions of recidivism. Considering the implementation of credit bearing college programs from California Community Colleges since Senate Bill 1391 in 2014, the study conducts statistical analysis through independent and paired t tests to determine which modality of delivery, face-to-face (F2F) or correspondence (COR), to provide …

The Lived Experience And Perceived Challenges Of Child Protective Investigators Who Place Children In Foster Care, Elizabeth Presume

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation examined the difficulties and coping mechanisms associated with child welfare professionals’ interactions with vulnerable children who provide vulnerable populations with emotional, physical, mental, and psychological support. This responsibility impacts their personal life and professional performance since their regular involvement with the children and the following aspects, such as case resolution, in-depth discussions about trauma, and home visits, are emotionally and mentally taxing. The researcher conducted a phenomenological study with nine child protective investigators via an asynchronous online focus group on the Google Groups platform. The participants were all employed in the United States child welfare department, held …

Preferred Practices To Retain Black Female Caseworkers Employed In Child Welfare, Anna Koehle

Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed by this study was that the turnover rate among social workers has been highest for Black female child-welfare caseworkers. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of Black female child-welfare caseworkers and effective strategies for retention. Ten experienced Black female caseworkers in child welfare were interviewed; participants represented five U.S. states. Participants were asked about mentorship programs, preservice training, financial incentives, major concerns related to retention, and recommendations for retention initiatives to specifically address the needs of Black female caseworkers. Themes emerged related to Black female caseworkers in child welfare. Mentorship programs …

Haitian Immigrants Lived Experiences With Police In South Florida, Christie Laroche

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a qualitative phenomenological exploration of the interactions between Haitian immigrants residing in South Florida and law enforcement. Despite existing research on the experiences of Blacks with the police, there is a noticeable gap concerning the unique encounters of Haitian immigrants, who bring distinct cultural, historical, and linguistic backgrounds to their interactions with law enforcement. Given the increasing population of Haitian immigrants in the United States, this study sought to comprehensively examine their encounters, treatment, and experiences with the police, including aspects such as demeanor, contact handling, and the resultant impact on their perceptions. Through in-depth interviews with …

Assessing The Relationships Between Direct And Vicarious Exposure To Healthcare Discrimination And Erasure, Mistrust In Healthcare, And The Healthcare Utilization Behaviors Among Transgender And Gender Independent Individuals, Kyle L. Mason

Theses and Dissertations

Healthcare inaccessibility through direct exposure (i.e., personal) to myriad forms of gender identity-related discrimination and erasure among the Transgender and Gender Independent (TGI) population has been documented by prior studies. The myriad barriers that individuals who embody TGI identities encounter to accessing healthcare are associated with the underutilization of healthcare, which may further exacerbate the health disparities that exist between this population and cisgender individuals in the United States (U.S.). Although the impacts of the harm that direct exposure to healthcare discrimination and erasure may have on TGI individuals are known, their exposure to such harm vicariously (i.e., through observation …

The Presentation And Impact Of Compassion Fatigue And Compassion Satisfaction In Occupational And Physical Therapists Working With People Who Have Sustained Burn Injuries, Miranda L. Yelvington

Theses and Dissertations

Therapists who work with burn survivors are frequently exposed to patients who are undergoing or have undergone severe trauma and pain. This exposure places burn therapists at risk for the development of compassion fatigue and diminished professional quality of life. Alternatively, the sense of purpose and altruism experienced by these same therapists have the potential to foster compassion satisfaction. This dissertation explores the prevalence and presentation of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction in burn therapists in the United States. This three-paper design focuses on: 1) a scoping review of current literature, 2) a cross-sectional quantitative survey utilizing the Professional Quality …

Teachers’ Experiences In Implementing Primary School Physical Education Curriculum In Ghana And The United States, Patrick Collins Frempong

Theses and Dissertations

Barriers to implementing a full physical education curriculum presented challenges to teaching students about healthy lifestyles and supporting them through effective lessons. This mixed-methods study aimed to explore and compare primary school teachers’ experiences in rural Ghana and the United States in implementing the physical education curriculum. The present study addresses gaps in the literature by connecting teacher concerns when implementing a curriculum with fidelity. The mixed-methods study helped explore and compare primary school teachers’ experiences in rural (town populations of less than 5,000) Ghana and rural towns of the southern United States in implementing the physical education curriculum.

This …