Digital Commons Network^™

Reconciliation, Draper Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis exhibition, Reconciliation, examines how memory, loss, and lived experience shape personal identity over time. Through sculptural works composed of cast, blown, and hot-sculpted glass combined with mixed media, the exhibition explores the pressures that life events place upon individuals and the ways those pressures persist, transform, and become integrated into the self. The work considers identity not as a fixed state but as a continual process of negotiation between past experiences, present circumstances, and future possibilities.

Central to the project is the material analogy between glass and human experience. Glass, a material formed under extreme heat and pressure …

Staff Attitudes Toward Ai Adoption At A Private Research University, Ashley C. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the limited research on university staff attitudes toward artificial intelligence use and adoption. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) research framework, the General Attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence Scale (GAAIS), and quantitative survey methodology, the study examines the attitudes of higher education staff toward AI, specifically examining whether demographic or professional characteristics are factors. The findings indicate that staff had moderately negative attitudes toward AI while also expressing some concerns. The results suggest that more resources and support for AI are needed for staff to address concerns. It also suggests that construct-level analysis …

Emotion Regulation Difficulties And Substance Use: The Role Of Conscientiousness, Caitlyn M. Donnelly

Theses and Dissertations

Difficulties in emotion regulation have been consistently linked to substance use among college students. However, individual differences may influence this relationship. Conscientiousness, a personality trait characterized by self-control, planning, and goal-directed behavior, has been proposed as a potential protective factor. The present study examined associations among difficulties in emotion regulation, conscientiousness, and substance use behaviors, as well as whether conscientiousness moderates the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and substance use. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational design, data was collected from college students recruited through a university participant pool. Participants completed self-report measures of emotion regulation difficulties, conscientiousness, and substance use …

Examination Of The Effects Aesthetic Enrichment And Music Have On Well-Being And Task Performance In A Workplace Simulation, Emily Budik

Theses and Dissertations

Workplace environments are often designed with a focus on efficiency, yet emerging research suggests that environmental features such as aesthetic enrichment and music may influence employee well-being and performance. The present study examined whether visual aesthetic enrichment and auditory stimulation through music could improve well-being, reduce stress, and enhance task performance within a simulated workplace task. Participants completed a 30-minute in-basket task under one of four conditions: a control environment, music only, aesthetic enrichment only, or a combined aesthetic enrichment and music condition. Measures of stress, well-being, and task performance were collected following task completion. Results indicated that neither aesthetic …

The Acculturation Of International-Born Student Affairs Administrators In The United States, Amber Joy Webb

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative narrative study explored how international student affairs administrators in the United States experience acculturation. Guided by Berry’s (1997) fourfold model of acculturation, the study examined how participants experienced assimilation, integration, separation, and marginalization as they navigated their professional roles, institutional expectations, and cultural identities. Eight participants, representing diverse countries of origin, institutional types, and professional roles, were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) framework. Findings indicated participants employed multiple, context-dependent acculturation strategies rather than adhering to a single strategy. Assimilation emerged as a strategic process for establishing professional legitimacy, navigating …

First- And Second-Generation Immigrant Emerging Adults’ Career Aspirations, Laura A. Botros

Theses and Dissertations

Despite first- and second-generation immigrants making up 19.6% of the U.S. workforce (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024), research exploring their career aspirations is scarce. Studies show that individuals’ cultural backgrounds significantly shape first- and second-generation immigrants' career aspirations, values, and professional goals (Kao, 2004; Polenova et al., 2017). The purpose of the study is to examine how first- and second-generation immigrant emerging adults' cultural backgrounds inform their career aspirations. I utilized a qualitative approach by asking participants about their cultural background, career aspirations, and what influenced their career aspirations. Interviews and a cognitive map activity were conducted to investigate …

The Effects Of A Work-Strengths Affirmation Intervention On Death Anxiety: Meaning And Self-Esteem As Mediators, Begüm Orhan

Theses and Dissertations

Death anxiety is a transdiagnostic construct and a universally experienced existential fear that has been linked to a wide range of psychological difficulties, including anxiety, depression, and impaired well-being. Despite its widespread impact, empirical research on targeted interventions for death anxiety remains limited. The present study aimed to address this gap by developing and evaluating an online, single-session, theory-based (i.e., Terror Management Theory, positive psychology) intervention focused on affirming personal strengths in the context of one's work. The intervention was designed to target work-strengths (i.e., leadership, adaptability)—an intersection of positive and vocational psychology.

College students from a large Midwestern university …

Raised On Ritalin - A Work For Concert Band Based On My Personal Experiences With Adhd Alongside A Graphic Novel By Tyler Page, Ethan Prado

Theses and Dissertations

During my time as an undergrad at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, I loved to read graphic novels, and their library had quite the collection. I lost track of how many times I made my way down to the third sub-level of the Undergraduate Library to go to the graphic novel section. In my last year at UIUC (2021-2), preparations were made to close the UGL in order for it to be renovated for their Special Collections. Essentially, they would be swapping the contents of the UGL and the Main Stacks. One time, while looking for graphic novels in …

Parental Behavior, Attachment, And Sibling Outcomes In Asd Families, Bridget W. Mwaura

Theses and Dissertations

Neurotypical siblings of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience unique challenges, including increased familial stress and differences in parental treatment, which may affect the sibling bond. Grounded in the Attachment Theory and Siblings Embedded Systems Framework, this study examined relationships among attachment security, parenting behaviors and sibling relationship quality. It was hypothesized that secure parental attachment and helpful parenting behaviors would predict greater sibling closeness and lower conflict, and that attachment security would mediate the relationship between parenting behaviors and sibling relationship quality. Results from a sample of emerging adults (N=91) partially supported these hypotheses. Bivariate …

Create Your Character: Application Of Identity Play Findings From Cosplay And Video Games Onto Tabletop Roleplaying Games, Farhia A. Osman

Theses and Dissertations

Tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) are collaborative, imaginative games in which players create and enact fictional characters within shared narrative worlds. Although research on roleplaying games has expanded in recent years, much of the empirical literature has focused on digital roleplaying games, particularly massively multiplayer online roleplaying games, leaving tabletop roleplaying comparatively understudied. I conducted a study with 173 adult TTRPG players to examine the relations among openness to experience, motivations for playing TTRPGs, and avatar identification. I also explored whether the individual facets to openness to experience predicted motivations for play and avatar identification, and whether players who had portrayed …

An Evolution Of Drag In Theatre: A Historical Reflection, Krista Peters

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will serve as an overarching analysis and historical discussion on the art of drag within the traditional theatrical space. By employing queer theory, I will analyze how the use of drag has evolved throughout the history of Broadway and the United States and how it is responding to the contemporary social attitude. Drawing from the arguments of Butler, Lorde, Rich, Foucault, and others, this thesis uses historical survey to examine the direct representation of drag in theatrical spaces in conjunction with each representation’s sociopolitical and cultural environments. Sociopolitical contemporary contexts of each representation influence not only the form …

The Effect Of Sex On The Signal Transmission Of Duetting Bay Wrens, Rachel C. Schinzler

Theses and Dissertations

During communication, senders send signals for their benefit to elicit a behavioral response from a receiver. Acoustic signals are efficient for long-distance signaling; however, they are influenced by environmental features, such as foliage density, humidity, temperature, and time of day. Individuals can overcome these challenges by using signals with a trajectory of peak frequency, frequencies, volumes, and timing best suited to signal transmission in their environment. Signal transmission has been studied at the species level; however, not much is known about sex differences within the same species. Duetting species provide a useful system for examining sex-specific challenges in transmission, as …

From Stage To Screen: Hamilton: An American Musical, Emotional Communication, And Digital Audience Discourse, Christopher J. O'Quinn Jr

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how musical theatre functions as a communicative and affective medium that extends beyond live performance into digital spaces where audiences actively construct and share meaning. Focusing on the Broadway musical Hamilton: An American Musical (throughout the thesis, I will refer to it as Hamilton), this research explores how audiences interpret, express, and create emotional responses through social media platforms. Using a modified digital ethnographic approach, data were collected from Instagram comments on posts from 2024 to 2026. Subsequently, a discourse analysis was employed to identify patterns in emotional expression, lived experience, meaning-making, performer appreciation, and shared …

Examining Incidental Remembering Of Object Properties Specified By Different Invariants, Sanako Hishinuma

Theses and Dissertations

The ecological approach to perceiving and acting hypothesizes that perceiving object properties requires selective detection of invariants – patterns in ambient energy arrays that persist across transformations. Whereas perceiving some properties of wielded objects, such as length and heaviness, requires detecting the moments of inertia, perceiving other properties, such as grasp position, requires detecting the products of inertia. Previous research has shown that when participants perceived the length of wielded occluded objects, they incidentally remembered the heaviness of those objects (Thomas & Riley, 2015). The researchers proposed this occurred because perceiving either property requires detecting the moments of inertia. The …

Children’S And Adult Perspectives On Mental Health In Children’S Youth Literature And Media, Edcel J. Cintron-Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation extends existing work on mental health in children’s literature to examine the different narratives strategies that text, film, and media for young audiences use to connect childhood, caregiving, and emotional wellbeing. Three areas of scholarship—children’s literature scholarship, health humanities work, and feminist care ethics—inform my project. Overall, I am interested in how a variety of genres for young readers represent mental health not only as an individual experience, but also as something shaped by family, culture, community, and adult-child relationships. It is therefore important to delineate the different concepts and frameworks that help make sense of how mental …

Why Make Books In Art Class Or Art In Reading Class? How Storytelling Impacts Youth Literacy And Cultural Dialogue, Holly Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

Given complex factors affecting reading literacy and students’ need for empowerment through creativity, this thesis project will investigate possibilities for combining artmaking with written narrative. Creative solutions, such as integrated and project-based learning activities, are documented as having some of the best positive impacts on overall learning growth (Laur, 2021; Aydin & Mutlu, 2023). Therefore, my thesis includes a discussion on Arts Integration initiatives and an illustrated book for students ages 10-15, which can be used as an example for their own studies into personal narrative. While the research presented here touches on multiple factors affecting students’ self-esteem and willingness …

Effects Of Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Strategies On Job Attitudes And Well-Being, Kara Cannon

Theses and Dissertations

Interpersonal emotion regulation involves using social interactions to influence their own or another’s emotions (Gross, 1998). Although previous research has examined the relationships between intrapersonal emotion regulation and workplace outcomes, there is a lack of research on interpersonal emotion regulation in the workplace context. The current study extends this research by examining the relationships between interpersonal emotion regulation strategies, co-rumination, well-being, and job satisfaction, and examines which interpersonal emotion regulation strategies are better predictors of the outcome variables than others. Positive correlations between interpersonal emotion regulation strategies and well-being and between co-rumination and well-being were found. Perspective taking and enhancing …

The Right To Read: Opposing The Censorship Of Young Adult Literature On Grounds Of Sexually Explicit Content, Kate Fortner

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I use intersections between sexuality studies, feminism, queer theory, and theories of children’s and young adult literature to examine and historicize the prevalence of book bans and challenges between 2020 and 2025 that target young adult literature on the basis of sexually explicit content. To understand the opposition to portrayals of underage heterosexuality, I analyze John Green’s Looking for Alaska, considering its history of censorship as well as the author’s response to those bans. To understand the challenges to depictions of LGBTQ+ identities aimed at young people, I look at Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer and Juno …

Promoting Emotion Regulation: A Group Based Program For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Their Caregivers, Emily Jasinski

Theses and Dissertations

Emotion regulation skills lay the foundation for effective social interactions and future success. Children on the autism spectrum experience greater difficulties regulating their emotions than their neurotypical peers, leading to difficulties in social and academic settings. Therefore, it is essential to directly teach these children emotion regulation strategies. Additionally, autistic children often have difficulties generalizing what they have learned from one setting to another, and as such it has been helpful to involve caregivers in their treatment. Currently, the scant research that exists primarily describes emotion regulation interventions implemented in individual settings, which are both time intensive and expensive. One …

Exploring The Role Of Racial Microaggressions And Campus Climate In Fostering Sense Of Belonging For Black Latiné College Students, Lourdes D. Concepción Cabán

Theses and Dissertations

Racial microaggressions are subtle verbal or nonverbal behaviors that convey hostility and exclusion toward People of Color (Sue et al., 2007). These acts negatively impact the well-being, perceptions of inclusivity, and sense of belonging of marginalized groups in higher education (Solórzano & Pérez Huber, 2020). Black Latiné college students face unique challenges at the intersection of anti-Blackness and racialized Latinidad, compounding the effects of racial microaggressions in historically white institutions (Torres et al., 2012). I conducted a study with 77 Black Latiné undergraduate students from Midwestern universities to examine the relation between racial microaggressions, perceptions of campus climate, and sense …

The Victimization Of Immigrant Adolescents, Stephanie Vargas

Theses and Dissertations

Immigrant adolescents may experience social and structural challenges that increase their vulnerability to victimization and influence long-term developmental outcomes. However, there is little longitudinal research has examined whether immigration generation is associated with adolescent victimization and adult behavioral outcomes using nationally representative data. This study used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to examine the relationships among immigration generation, adolescent victimization, and adult criminal justice, mental health, and substance use outcomes. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine whether first- and second-generation immigrants differed from third-generation respondents after controlling for race/ethnicity, family structure, …

Designing For Trust, Transparency, And Public Understanding: Insights From Paul (The Polling Monitor), Stacia Tipton

Theses and Dissertations

Americans are curious about each other, despite the shouting matches, polarizing news and political ads made to outrage. When given the chance to find out what their fellow citizens think, most people take it. Traditional polling formats, including the industry's routine charts, percentages, findings and crosstabs, report what the public thinks, but they rarely facilitate a conversation or the understanding that might follow. This thesis asks whether better design can change that: can public opinion polling be more than descriptive statistics…. can it facilitate understanding across lines of difference?

Specifically, this project asks whether a better-designed presentation of polling data …

Play-Based Learning In Private International Preschools In Cairo: Teachers' Perspectives, Kesha L. Stovall

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how play-based learning is practiced and contextualized in private, international preschools in Cairo, Egypt through the perspective of teachers. It calls upon both historical and contemporary theories of play and play pedagogies ranging from the times of Plato and Al-Farabi to the 21st century with Montessori and Dewey. Using a contemporary theory of play presented by Stuart Lester and Wendy Russell as a guiding framework, it examines how play and play-based learning are implemented, shaped and even challenged in a Cairene context. These contexts include sociocultural factors such as parents’ expectations and aspirations, institutional barriers, teacher development …

On The Reasonableness Of Religious Belief According To W. James' "The Will To Believe" With Reference To Alvin Plantinga's “The Nature Of Necessity”, Maria Gadelrad Shenouda Nakhla

Theses and Dissertations

Analytically, I follow William James's approach in his paper "The Will to Believe" to demonstrate that holding a religious belief is reasonable and it is not incompatible with being a philosophy scholar. I do this through explaining the way James addressed the main obstacle that Clifford puts against belief (in general) which is ‘the lack of sufficient evidence’. Clifford claims that belief cannot be accepted without evidence on it.

James breaks apart this obstacle through many steps. First, analyzing the nature of belief itself, showing that belief cannot be attained based on intellectual grounds alone (which needs sufficient evidence), but …

Metabolic Syndrome Beyond Diagnostic Criteria: Population-Scale Integrative Metabolomics Characterization, Marwa Talal

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex cluster of interrelated metabolic abnormalities associated with elevated cardiometabolic risk. While diagnosis is based on well-established five clinical criteria, these may overlook early or atypical metabolic alterations. Large-scale metabolomic profiling offers an opportunity to identify biochemical signatures of MetS beyond diagnostic bias and to evaluate their relative importance across different presentations of the syndrome.

Methods: Data from 117,147 UK Biobank participants were analyzed in a cross-sectional design. High-throughput NMR quantified 75 circulating metabolites, for. Univariate analyses, MetS subtype stratification, and elastic net models with SHAP interpretation were applied to assess feature …

More Than A Seat At The Table: Examining How Psychological Safety, Identity Representation, And Leadership Accountability Impact African American Women In Global Workplace Environments, Shelbi Chandler

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of African American women working in corporate technology environments, with particular attention to psychological safety, representation, and systemic barriers to advancement. Despite increased organizational commitments to equity and inclusion, research continues to demonstrate that Black women encounter persistent intersectional barriers shaped by race and gender within professional settings (Erskine et al., 2021; Field et al., 2023; Roberson, 2019). Guided by Du Bois’s (2008) theory of double consciousness, Goosby Smith’s (2014a) Ubuntic inclusion framework, and appreciative inquiry (AI; Cooperrider & Whitney, 2005), this study explored how African American women interpret, navigate, and respond …

The Effects Of Anxiety On Adult Athletes And Approaches To Improving Performance And Well-Being, Taylor Glaspie-Walton

Theses and Dissertations

This systematic review examined the complex relationship between anxiety and sports performance in adult athletes, along with exploring effective approaches for enhancing both performance and psychological well-being. Through analysis of 18 studies spanning diverse sports and competitive levels, this research identifies key factors that influence anxiety responses and performance outcomes. Findings revealed that competition level, performance-goal discrepancies, and injury recovery significantly impact anxiety levels, with athletes' interpretations of anxiety symptoms proving more influential than symptom intensity alone. The research demonstrates that mental toughness and self-efficacy function as fundamental psychological resources, though their impact appears to plateau at elite competitive levels. …

Decline Of Male Enrollment In Higher Education, Oscar Valenzuela

Theses and Dissertations

The study examined the decline in male enrollment and completion in higher education, aiming to identify the reasons for the decline and to propose possible solutions. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, the study employed semi-structured interviews to collect data from males aged 18 to 40. The findings indicate that numerous factors contribute to why males are not enrolling in or completing higher education, and reveal key thematic groups, including Early Work Life, Home Life, Support Systems, Challenges, and Choices and Decisions. These results suggest that cultural background, socioeconomic status, and gender norms affect the decisions males make concerning higher education. …

A Mixed-Methods Case Study Exploring Peer Online Course Review And Equity Outcomes At A California Community College, Mark C. Malonzo

Theses and Dissertations

This single-case mixed-methods study examined how faculty participation in the Peer Online Course Review (POCR) process influenced course design practices and equity-focused learning experiences in asynchronous online courses at Jay College. Institutional data indicated persistent equity gaps, with BIPOC students, particularly Black, American Indian, and Pacific Islander students, experiencing lower success and completion rates in online courses.

The quantitative strand analyzed pre- and post-POCR student success metrics using existing institutional data. The qualitative strand drew on structured faculty interviews to examine changes in instructional practices, accessibility, and equity-minded pedagogy following participation in POCR. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed separately …

(Re) Imagining Workplace Mindfulness, Jarica D. Garner

Theses and Dissertations

School counselors are First-Responders as the role and responsibilities continue to increase and the needs of the school community changes. Diversity has notably increased within the last century in school settings. While, the impact of the COVID-19 crisis has shed light on the gaping and persistent inequities faced by marginalized school communities, the heightened racial crisis of 2020 serves as an additional impact to the students within vulnerable communities. School counselors are expected to support students in navigating the impact that these crises bring. The demand for school closure forced students to shift to online platforms. The intersection of the …