Digital Commons Network^™

An Evaluation Of The Impact Of Academic Policies And Athletic Procedures For Student Athletes, Seanta Cleveland

Theses and Dissertations

The current study is an evaluation of the ways academic policies and athletic procedures can impact learning for student athletes as inconsistent practices regarding athletic travel and make-up work can have negative effects on learning for student athletes. A total of 11 participants (i.e., 8 student athletes, 3 faculty members) participated in this qualitative phenomenological study. Chickering’s student development theory and Kolb’s learning theory framed the current inquiry into (1) the needs of student athletes and the ways they process important information (e.g., policies and procedures) and (2) related faculty guidance, student affairs, and the governing body for athletics, practices, …

Racism-Related State Policies And The Psychological And Physiological Wellbeing Of Black And White Adults, Calley Elizabeth Fisk

Theses and Dissertations

Recent research on how state-policy affects population health outcomes suggests that state contexts are important sites for producing health disparities. In the United States different domains of state policy are historically linked to the livelihood of Black Americans and enacted within a racist system designed to maintain white supremacy. Despite this history and evidence of racial inequities in health outcomes linked to institutional discrimination for Black and white adults, scholars have yet to examine whether racism-related state policies affect the wellbeing of Black and white Americans. Combining a dataset of racism-related state policies with a nationally representative data of older …

“I Like A Fight”: Margaret Sanger And The First Birth Control Clinic In The United States, Rebecca Linnea Hall

Theses and Dissertations

It is nearly impossible to read the news in the United States today without hearing the name Planned Parenthood, but few Americans know about the origins of this organization. Margaret Sanger founded the Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau, the precursor to Planned Parenthood, in 1923, but this was not the first time she opened a clinic. In this paper, I assess Margaret Sanger’s 1916 opening of the Brownsville Clinic, the first birth control clinic in the United States, and the responses to this event from multiple historical perspectives. I use historical newspapers to demonstrate how popular media, legal experts, and …

Dissecting Human Capital Resources: Unpacking The Structure And Activation Of Human Capital Resources Within Firms, Caitlin Ray

Theses and Dissertations

Human capital resources (HCR) are often identified by scholars and practitioners as a firm’s most crucial resource. However, the academic use of the HCR construct, which is relatively new addition to the research vernacular, is often described with vague and imprecise terms, challenging the ability for academics and practitioners to clearly understand HCR’s precise impact on firm outcomes. One of the challenges arises because much of the HCR research literature focuses on the processes surrounding HCR without clearly specifying the components that make-up the HCR. Such lack of specificity has resulted in theoretical and empirical work which is often too …

‘Conspiring Together’: Woolf’S Investigations On ‘Party Consciousness’ And Interwar Instability In Mrs. Dalloway And To The Lighthouse, Madeline Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Woolf has been generalized popularly as enthusiastic about parties, relishing their effervescence and conversation, and she had a particular bent for imagining a party’s vivacity while often remaining distanced from it. This imagination and duality would mark Woolf’s thoughts as is recorded in her diary entries, and they became especially apparent in her fiction. In an entry on April 27^th, 1925, less than one month from Mrs. Dalloway’s May 14^th publication, she declares that “people have any number of states of consciousness” and reports that she “should like to investigate the party consciousness” (A Writer’s …

Who Has The Right To Reproduce? Forced Sterilization In South Carolina In The Early Twentieth Century, Kathryn Pownall

Theses and Dissertations

This paper aims to uncover the history of forced sterilization in South Carolina. Compulsory sterilization of the feebleminded, a form of eugenics, gained prominence in the United States throughout the early twentieth century. It was both an ableist and misogynistic movement that targeted women because they were seen to be responsible for reproduction. Sterilization was regarded as a solution to halting the reproduction of feebleminded individuals, who would otherwise continue to depend on the state financially. South Carolina was slow to implement a sterilization law, becoming the thirty-first (and second-to-last) state to pass one. Although South Carolina shares a border …

Describing The Impact Of The Sales Of Antibiotics On The Environment And In Population Health, Andrés Gaviria-Figueroa

Theses and Dissertations

The role of antibiotics in human health is of significant importance in the advancement of the medical field. It has contributed to an improvement of the quality of life and the age expectancy of the population. Antibiotic resistance is an expected consequence of the use of antibiotics. Bacteria have developed biological mechanisms that would help them become resistant to antibiotics. The uncontrolled use of antibiotics is significantly contributing to the ability of bacteria to become resistant to those antibiotics. This study, using the model of the Socio-Ecological Coupling of Antibiotic Resistance, explains how social and environmental factors interact and impact …

International Financial Assistance And Inequality In Emerging Markets: Colombia, Egypt And Turkey, Sara Farag

Theses and Dissertations

This research study investigates the effects of the three main pillars of structural adjustment policies imbedded in IFI funding facilities on income inequality in three specific cases; Colombia, Egypt and Turkey to uncover if income inequality present in those emerging markets is attributed to; the policy reforms conditionality or to pre-existent country features. The three main pillars of policy conditions discussed in this thesis are 1. Government Expenditure Reforms, 2. External Sector Reforms, and 3. Financial Sector Reforms. My hypothesis is that, although pre-existent country features may have had an impact on the levels of inequality a populace faces, the …

Be With Me: Well-Being And Singling Contact; The Moderating Role Of Autistic Traits, Michelle Lupien Lieber

Theses and Dissertations

Sibling contact (synchronous or asynchronous) in young adulthood may have implications for individual well-being (health, life satisfaction & depressive symptoms). This link may be moderated by each individuals' traits, specifically autistic characteristics. Current literature has examined sibling contact, mediums of contact, autism relationships, but has yet to consider sibling contact moderated by autistic traits. This study analyzed data from 390 young adults 61% female, mean age = 25.65) who gave self-reports over two collection waves. Structural Equation Models found that regardless of autistic traits, synchronous contact was linked with increased life satisfaction as well as lower depressive symptoms, and asynchronous …

#Mmiw: Framing The Online Presence Of The Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women Social Movement, Natalie Michelle Snow

Theses and Dissertations

Indigenous women experience violence at a disproportionate rate compared to non- Indigenous women. The disproportionate violence has created a crisis commonly referred to as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement. Over the last 15 years, activists, organizations, and families have responded to the lack of political motivation to address the violence by raising awareness on social media. While people communicate via multiple social networks, Twitter is the leading forum for information about the movement and accompanying events such as vigils, walks, and memorials. For this reason, this dissertation explored the Twitter presence of the MMIW social movement. Analysis …

The Effects Of Victimization And Trauma On Well-Being, Physical Health Nutritional Habits, And Resting Heart Rate (Rhr) Based On Gender And Sexual Orientation, Mary Hannah Hughes

Theses and Dissertations

There is a well-established and growing body of research dedicated to understanding the influence of past victimization on physical health outcomes. Consequently, knowledge on identifying how past victimization types influence each domain of physical health and if these outcomes differ by gender and sexual orientation remains largely absent within literature. Therefore, the purpose of the following study is to expound upon victimization literature by examining the physical health outcomes associated with different victimization types and to examine how these factors differ by both gender and sexual orientation with regard to victimization type (personal, property, and stalking). Guided by both life-course …

Replicas Of Social Change: Examining Reflections Of Religious Shifts In Japanese Society Through Literary Depictions Of Kitsune Characters, Sophia Pressler

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the roles of female kitsune (fox) characters in Japanese literature in different historical eras: the Heian period (794-1185), the Edo period (1603-1868), the Meiji period in addition to the period before the end of World War II (1868-1945), and the modern day (late twentieth to early twenty-first centuries). The goal of this analysis of kitsune folk tales, legends, and stories is to reunite the ‘folk’ with their folklore - providing evidence of how the content of folk tales, legends, and other stories are shaped by their contexts and thus serve as valuable historical records of the lives …

Ani-Kitu Hwagi Center Places: A Study Of Survivance, Tyler Michael Mantia

Theses and Dissertations

Ani-Kitu Hwagi (Cherokee) settlements across the Southeastern United States have been intensively studied to evaluate how social dynamics, gender roles, and economic disruption came to impact levels of stability and variability within both domestic and public structures or spaces during the seventeenth to eighteenth century. Some studies characterize this period by using the term “Shatter Zone” to describe a historical model for the US Southeast that emphasizes a landscape of disruption characterized by population displacement, widespread disease, increased levels of slavery, and economic disruption. I reorient analyses of archaeological evidence of this timeframe in terms of center places, a conceptual …

A Qualitative Inquiry Of The Body Project On College Campuses In Illinois, Maria Ross

Theses and Dissertations

Negative body image is a social and psychological concern that plagues many young women in the United States and has a strong relationship to the onset of eating disorders. One outcome of past research done on body dissatisfaction and eating concerns has been the implementation of peer-led prevention programs such as The Body Project and More Than Muscles that address negative body image and disordered eating. These programs target the sociocultural factors that contribute to eating and body image issues on college campuses. This study uses interviews supplemented by ethnographic fieldnotes and content analysis to describe and evaluate the implementation …

British Colonial Strategies To Control The Influenza Epidemic Of 1918 To 1919 In Ashanti, Dennis Baffour Awuah

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to examine the strategies and policies that were employed by the British colonial administration to control the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 in Ashanti. I argue that the varying philosophies of both the colonial administration and the Native population in Ashanti on health and medicine influenced the response trajectory to the disease. It also explores the aspects of Indigenous medical practices which are largely concerned with the religion or beliefs of the people. Before the outbreak of influenza, the colonial administration started a campaign to promote Western medicine while antagonizing Indigenous medicine. To an extent, this made the …

Bombazo Epistemology A Syllabus Of Survival: Dismantling Settler Colonialism's Philosophy In The Stolen Land, Armen Alvarez

Theses and Dissertations

Eurocentric educational philosophy has functioned as an anticipatory regime creating racial, economic, historical, sociopolitical, and intellectual separation and imposing dominant knowledge systems. In 2021, American and Hispanic empires rejected organic movements from scholars and academic activists for embracing a vision of the world outside the boundaries of Eurocentrism. A trend that has shaken the foundations of Eurocentric Academia. More than ever, the Bomba Ceremony has emerged as a tradition that substantiates Puerto Rico's identity, awakening the consciousness of TransIndigenous and Transcolonialism intersubjectivities. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), I conceptualize the logic of white supremacy through the lenses of white settler …

The Impact Of Implicit Education Debt On The Lives Of African American Mothers In Phd Programs: A Phenomenological Research Study, Tiffany S. Bumpers

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of implicit education debt on African American mothers lived reality, as these women pursue PhDs. Using Collins’ (2000) Black Feminist Thought and the Racial Opportunity Cost (ROC) as theoretical frameworks, the study presents the voices of African American mothers in doctoral programs who occupy a liminal space in the academy. Chambers and Huggins (2014) defined ROC as “the options that are foregone and the losses that result from those foregone options when students of color pursue academic success” (p. 189). Upon the researcher’s analysis of the data, the following seven …

Salvaging Value From The Measure Of "Requirements Volatility" In The Dod's Software Resources Data Report (Srdr), Robert T. Walker

Theses and Dissertations

The DoD and the software development industry as a whole has long dwelt over the idea of requirements volatility (RV). The DoD has toiled with this concept so much so that its guidance was modified four times over a 13 year span. In these changes, its policy completely transformed the what, how, and when regarding RV information. As a result, the volatility data it has received is quite varied and seemingly useless for anything more than anecdotal analysis. This study takes several approaches to salvage value from this data. It begins with a survey of the uncertain concept of volatility, …

God, Me, And Thee: Associations Between Religion, Sexuality, And Marital Connection, Rebecca Walker Clarke

Theses and Dissertations

There is a well-established and positive association between religiosity and marital satisfaction. What is less clear is the effect of religiosity on marital sexual outcomes, with research findings that have run the gamut from negative to positive. Given that most religions teach that marriage is the divinely appointed context for a sexual relationship, religious persons who are married and in sexual relationships could have a different experience with sex than those who are not in a marital sexual relationship. Although the majority of the population in the United States is religious, sex in religious marriages has received scant research attention. …

Inhabiting Suspension: Neoliberalism And The Public Servants In Ismailia's Radio Canal, Mayar Ibrahim

Theses and Dissertations

To be a public servant in 2021 is to endure many sociopolitical and financial hardships as well as many stereotypes. Between living in dire straits and lacking any motive to work, the public servants and their behavior are almost always rendered indolent. Yet, this ambiguous/all-inclusive category needs to be pinned down, shaped in a sociopolitical landscape in which change is analyzed, documented, and conveyed. In the journey of uncovering what it is like to be working in a service governmental institution, Radio Canal in Ismailia allowed me to delve into a segment of the public servant category in a moment …

Animal Abuse In Egypt: An Assessment Of Attitudes, Behaviors And Protective Factors Among University Students And Graduates., Salma El Saedy

Theses and Dissertations

Animal abuse is an understudied problem in Egypt with possible ramifications on both non-human and human animals and links to interpersonal violence and conduct problems. This study aims to explore the attitudes and behaviors of Egyptian university students and graduates towards the treatment and use of animals in society and to test if exposure to animal abuse is associated with abusive behavior. The study also aims to identify possible protective factors against animal abuse among a group of positive deviants. A mixed-methods approach was used to study these questions; an online survey was disseminated over social media platforms, and 99 …

“No Masses Without Muslims’ Approval” The Crisis Of Building And Restoring Churches In Egypt: Three Case Studies From El-Minya Governorate, Sara Shaltout

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined the crisis of building and renovating churches in Egypt in the light of the Church-state relation. I focused on three case studies in the El-Minya governorate that includes the largest Christian concentration in the Middle East to shed light on the existing difficulties that face Christians there regarding building a house of worship. The first case study, "church No 1", was demolished due to political conflict between Islamists and the state after the Rabaa massacre in 2013. In comparison, church No 2 asserts that Muslims' approval is a prerequisite for Christians' prayers. In addition to church No …

The Immutability Of Personal Status Law, Leena Soliman

Theses and Dissertations

Personal Status laws in Egypt were first coded in 1920 and were slightly amended throughout time. They were based on religious texts, and hence, are treated as words and teachings of God. Thus, the amendments that were developed throughout history were a result of different interpretations. Throughout the twentieth century, personal status laws in Egypt were enacted by the Egyptian state to build marriage as a more permanent bond as intended by traditional Islamic jurisprudence. Providing women with more marital rights, including more grounds for judicial divorce, was believed to strengthen the marital bond. This paper will trace the insight …

Final Bid Price Estimation For Negotiated Contracts: Bargaining Game Theory Approach, Amr El Mahallaoui

Theses and Dissertations

The wide use of the low bid method by employers for awarding construction contracts has created an aggressively competitive environment among contractors in the construction industry. As a result, a contractor may resort to use a low mark-up percentage for his bid to increase his chances of winning, which may lead to losses and conflicts in case he is awarded the project. Additionally, a contractor who reaches the final negotiations stage for a certain project is faced by the dilemma of the minimum discount percentage he may need to offer to the employer that maximizes his chance to win the …

The Role Of Liberal Arts Education On Academic Choices: The American University In Cairo Case Study, Nourhane Mohamed Kamal El Maraghi

Theses and Dissertations

Providing a qualified higher education is a crucial component of any developmental plan in any country. This paper tackles the issue of educational decisions and will mainly focus on presenting the American University in Cairo (AUC) as a case study. The paper addresses undergraduate college students’ choices of their subjects and fields of study during the first year of university and how liberal arts education influence such decisions. The main aim is to build valuable recommendations to ease the transition of students from high school to universities, help them rationally choose their area of study, facilitate the financial burden on …

Women During The Governorship Of Dale Bumpers, Amanda Whitley

Theses and Dissertations

Among the most important issues women have experienced is the lack of equality between the genders. In the 1970s women were close to achieving the equal opportunity they had been fighting for. The creation of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was one of the most contentious issues of the time. This was no different in Arkansas as evidenced by the local opinions expressed in the many letters received by Governor Dale Bumpers. The opinions were overwhelmingly opposed to the ratification of the ERA. In the end the voices of its citizens were heard. Arkansas would not ratify this ERA.

The Social World(S) Of The Scooter: Two-Wheeled Mobilities In Cairo And Alexandria, Ahmed El Serougui

Theses and Dissertations

My research project looks at the scooter as a particular type of two-wheeled motorcycle, which has shot into prominence as a specific mode of transportation used by middle class women and men in the past few years and has been notably visible in prominent Egyptian cities. This research is based on a multi-sited ethnography in Alexandria and Cairo, tracing the scooter through the urban landscape in time and space, addressing first questions related to navigating the city in times of pandemic and what kind of theory could be produced from these ordinary cities in such an extraordinary time.

This research …

Assessing The Legal Literacy Of Arkansas Public School Assistant Principals, Casey Carder

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study the study was to address the current level of legal knowledge with a sample of Arkansas public assistant principals. The research sought to determine whether there were relationships between the content areas of the First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments and recency of school law training, years of administrative experience, student enrollment, size of community, type of professional development, involvement in school-related litigation, and perceptions of law and policy knowledge. Legal knowledge was measured utilizing a 31-question survey which included one informed consent question, 15 demographic questions, nine First amendment questions, two Fourth Amendment questions, two …

Postsecondary Education Achievement And Employment Outcomes In Adults With Self-Reported Autism Diagnosis, So Yeon Park

Theses and Dissertations

More autistic adults are entering into the work force and enrolling in postsecondary schools. However, overall, autistic adults experience a more difficult time than neurotypical peers completing postsecondary education, obtaining employment, and maintaining employment. Less is known about outcomes for subgroups of autistic adults who have typical or elevated intellectual and verbal abilities. The present study looks at the significance of self-reported autistic traits, camouflaging, and mental health (anxiety, depression, intolerance of uncertainty) factors for predicting educational and employment outcomes in a sample of 148 adults with an autism diagnosis and no co-occurring intellectual disability. Of the total sample, 118 …

Why Do Street-Level Bureaucrats Risk Themselves For Others? The Case Of Public Health Care Workers In Egypt, Mohamed Adel Ahmed Eraky Moussa

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how street-level bureaucrats play an essential role in working under tremendous psychological and physical pressure with limited resources. Healthcare workers are at the front lines to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, and they are most vulnerable to infection and illness. Therefore, it is essential to identify the factors that enhance health care workers’ motivation at the time of pandemics and determine their willingness to risk their lives for others. The current study covers a sample of public health care workers working in two central quarantine public hospitals in Egypt. It considers a range of …