Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Utility Of Haptic Feedback To Improve Pilot Situational Awareness & Performance: A Psychophysiological Approach, Jessica Van Bree

Theses and Dissertations

Pilot situational awareness (SA) has been deemed to be a critical component of flight efficacy, efficiency, and overall mission success. Studies have shown that several incidents and accidents have been the result of level-one SA errors, meaning that members of the flight crew have failed to accurately perceive the elements in their environments. As such, several strategies have been investigated to improve pilot SA. One potential avenue of research is the addition of haptics in to the flight deck. In some studies, the implementation of haptics have shown to improve piloting tasks, pilot safety, and aircraft control. The current study …

Life After Prison: Exploring Gendered Differences In The Impact Of Social Support On The Ease Of Reintegration For Previously Incarcerated Men And Women, Joy Ferdinand

Theses and Dissertations

Successful reintegration into society remains a significant challenge for formerly incarcerated individuals, particularly in securing stable housing and employment. This study examines the gendered impact of social support on reintegration outcomes, specifically assessing how peer instrumental support, familial instrumental support, and familial emotional support influence housing stability and employment within three months of release. Using data from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI), this study employs logistic regression models to explore whether gender moderates the relationship between social support and reentry success. Findings indicate that peer instrumental support significantly affects housing stability, but its impact varies by gender. …

The Role Of Differentiation Of Self And Self-Construal On Satisfaction With Life And Psychological Well-Being In A Brazilian Sample, Kavya Dhaipulle

Theses and Dissertations

The present study intended to confirm the self-construal dimensional model and to examine the cross-cultural applicability of Bowen’s Family Systems theory in the Brazilian context. Bowen’s concept of Differentiation of Self (DoS) has gathered substantial empirical evidence for its association with well-being; however, only a few studies have examined these constructs within Latin American cultures, including Brazil. Recent studies have indicated that independent and interdependent self-construal coexist in many Latin American cultures, such as Brazil. Therefore, the current study examined how the unique blend of independent and interdependent values in Brazilian culture relates to their DoS, overall psychological well-being, and …

Memories, Realities, And Manifestations: A Fifth Grade Collage Inquiry Of Experiences And Hopes, Idalis Jole' Williams

Theses and Dissertations

In this qualitative study, I used collage inquiry to explore fifth-grade students' educational, social, and emotional experiences in an elementary school. The participating students began kindergarten in 2020, a year marked by the sudden disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic shaped the foundation of their schooling in many ways. This study helped us understand the student experience using the arts-based research method of collage inquiry. As the principal and researcher, I invited fifth-grade students to participate in a Collage Club that meets twice weekly across five weeks. The students reflected on their experiences and expressed their hopes for the …

Task Prioritization In Concurrent Speaking And Visuomotor Tasks In Younger And Older Adults, Naomi Wynn

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the ability of younger and older adults to prioritize one task over another under divided attention conditions. The speech task involved the repetition of sentences that included specific vowel targets, and the non-speech task was a visuomotor pursuit rotor task which required tracking a moving target on a computer. The participants were twenty young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 and twenty older adults above the age of 60. They performed each task on its own and both tasks concurrently, prioritizing one or the other task. Audio recordings were analyzed with software to extract …

Creativity In Large Language Models, Robert Kenneth Morain

Theses and Dissertations

As artificial intelligence systems approach human-level performance across a wide variety of domains, creative domains remain a critical yet underexplored area of research. Unlike traditional AI tasks with well-defined objectives, creative tasks rely on inherently subjective measures, making them particularly challenging for machines that lack human experiential context. This dissertation establishes the fundamental importance of creativity in AI systems and presents methods for improving and evaluating the creative capabilities of LLMs on the pathway toward AGI. This work addresses and examines key limitations in current LLM creativity through model innovations, development frameworks, and comparative studies. The dissertation develops novel architectural …

Hearing The Difference: Just Intonation Techniques Utilizing Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions In Viola Performance, Calj Green Umezono

Theses and Dissertations

Difference tones, also known as distortion product otoacoustic emissions, are the result of active phenomena in the human cochlea during the conversion of sound waves into bioelectrical signals. Difference tones make it possible to explore alternative musical tuning systems beyond the twelve-tone, equally tempered regime. Musicians have investigated difference tones since the 18th Century in Euro-American musical contexts, but their application has so far been limited in scope. Advances in science, technology, and music theory from the late 19th Century through the early 21st Century have given present-day violists the opportunity to more fully understand the virtues of difference tones …

Writers Helping Writers: The Power Of Peer Feedback In Student Writing, Heather Palmer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study was to improve students’ engagement with the writing process by focusing more intently on peer feedback. The study occurred in my sixth-grade classroom in an affluent suburb of a large U.S. city. As an insider to the setting, I used mixed methods to address a problem of practice, having noticed that students were not engaging in revision between their first and final drafts. Through the lens of social constructivism, I examined data collected through surveys, semi-structured interviews, and writing samples. Being both reviewers and recipients of feedback had positive yet distinct impacts on …

Examining Choices Of Sarcastic Responses In Dialogue With Virtual Interlocutors, Samantha Langley

Theses and Dissertations

We report the results from three experiments examining people’s preferences for using sarcasm in conversation as a function of: 1. whether their interlocutor uses sarcasm during the conversation; 2. Their knowledge about whether the interlocutor has used sarcasm in a previous conversation; 3. The presence of prosodical and visual cues for interlocutors’ sarcasm. In each experiment, participants took part in two conversations, and we manipulated whether the interlocutors were sincere or sarcastic and whether they remained the same or changed from one conversation to the next. Experiment one used written conversations and experiment two and three used pre-recorded video clips …

Leveraging After School Programs As Resources To Support Adolescent Health And Wellbeing Within Underserved Communities: A Qualitative Study, Olivia Staples

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, youth have shown a consistent rise in stress, major depression, anxiety, and suicide, with underserved youth (low-income, minoritized communities) at greatest risk of exposure to chronic stress, related outcomes, and less access to health services (APA, 2017). Afterschool programs (ASPs), which serve as important resources in underserved communities, can be a critical support for youth health and well-being (Afterschool Alliance, 2019). However, few studies have examined ways in which ASPs address the challenges underserved youth face across their ecosystem to promote youth resilience (Jones & Deutsch, 2011). Using qualitative interview data from staff and youth across …

​​​How Do Working Conditions Effect Teacher Job Satisfaction And Intention To Stay: Retaining Special Education Teachers​, Alyssa Michelle Raygoza

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher retention remains a leading area of focus in the United States. Recent research efforts have examined the effects of specific work-related experiences on teacher retention. In comparison to teaching in a general education classroom, special education teachers often face increased levels of job demands that can influence the ways in which existing resources may or may not balance out such challenges. The study is grounded in the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model, a theoretical framework that has been used widely in both occupational and, more recently, educational research focusing on the specific demands and resources situated within teacher working conditions. …

Investigating Connections Among Cognitive Coaching, Student Agency And Achievement In Ninth Grade Algebra 1, Terri Renee Rathburn

Theses and Dissertations

This convergent parallel mixed-methods action research study explored the application of Cognitive Coaching as a student-centered intervention to promote agency and academic achievement in a ninth-grade Algebra 1 classroom. Grounded in Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and informed by self-regulated learning and agentic engagement frameworks, the study investigated how structured coaching conversations supported students’ intentionality, forethought, self-reactiveness, and self-reflectiveness.

Findings indicate that students who engaged in coaching demonstrated measurable growth in self-reported agency and thematic analysis of coaching transcripts revealed shifts from passive compliance to proactive engagement. While achievement results on the Algebra 1 end of course assessment did not reveal …

Unlocking The Power Of Connection: Engagement And Communication With Limited/ Non English Language Families, Melinda Hope Burnette

Theses and Dissertations

Family engagement can positively impact a student’s academic performance, attendance, literacy, and behavior at school (Bachman et al., 2021; Garbacz et al., 2018; Houri et al., 2019; Karge & Lansky, 2011; Robinson et al., 2022). However, there are several barriers to school-family communication, including additional responsibilities outside the school setting and socioeconomic factors. Parents and families who have limited/no English literacy skills face additional barriers to participation because of the lack of language support from schools in communicating events, providing access to language support at events, and parent perceptions of school acceptance (Arellanes et al., 2023; Perrigo et al., 2022; …

The Impact Of Incorporating Crp And Growth Mindset Into The Learning Environment For Increasing Student Enrollment In Advanced Mathematics Courses, Srinivas Akella

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods action research study explored the impact of incorporating Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP), goal setting, and growth mindset strategies into the learning environment of an advanced mathematics course. The overall goal was to increase enrollment of underrepresented student groups in advanced mathematics courses at a small rural high school in Georgia. The problem of practice addressed in this study is the underrepresentation of African American students in advanced-level mathematics courses, such as Precalculus and Calculus, due to structural, cultural, and psychological barriers. Despite the importance of advanced mathematics for college readiness and access to STEM careers, students from underserved …

The Processing Of Emotional Prosody And Semantics In Native And Non-Native Chinese Speakers, Cheng Xiao

Theses and Dissertations

Emotional information in spoken language is conveyed through both semantic and prosodic cues. While listeners interpret the meaning of utterances (what is said), they also detect the speaker’s emotional prosody (how it is said). For non-native speakers, processing these two types of information simultaneously can be challenging, particularly in a tonal language such as Mandarin Chinese, where the same acoustic feature (i.e., pitch) encodes both lexical semantics and emotional prosody. This dissertation reports a series of behavioral and fMRI experiments investigating how native and non-native Chinese speakers perceive and process emotional prosody and semantics in words and sentences. Behaviorally, results …

Cultural Diagnosis And The Monsters Of Victorian England, Victoria Elizabeth Kuykendall

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the representation of invisible disability and neurodivergence in nineteenth-century British literature, arguing that literary texts both reflect and shape cultural understandings of disability. While much scholarship has focused on visible or physical impairments in Victorian fiction, comparatively little attention has been given to characters whose behaviors, emotions, or identities align with what today might be described as neurodivergence.

Drawing on Disability Studies, Mad Studies, and cultural theory, I propose the concept of cultural Diagnosis as a framework for analyzing how fictional characters become “Diagnosable” within both their historical and contemporary cultural contexts. Through close readings of Arthur …

Anthropomorphism In Language And Thought: The Effect Of Agentive Linguistic Framing On Readers’ Perceptions Of Ai Animacy, Dawson Petersen

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, deep learning AI systems have gone from academic obscurity to near cultural centrality in the developed world. As these technologies become increasingly integrated into daily life, there is growing cause for concern about AI anthropomorphism—i.e., the perception of AIs as more human than they really are. Despite the potential risks, AI developers continue to market their technologies using agentive language that seems to be designed to encourage anthropomorphism. The current dissertation utilizes behavioral and eye-tracking methods to examine the relationship between agentive linguistic framing and AI anthropomorphism in both controlled judgments and automatic inferences. The results …

Too Much Of A Good Thing? Can Students Be Too Behaviorally Engaged, Rosemary Louise Odem

Theses and Dissertations

Student engagement in school is a key determinant of students’ academic success. Student engagement is commonly conceptualized as a meta construct comprised of three dimensions: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral engagement (Fredricks, 2015). Behavioral engagement, the focus of this study, is defined by positive conduct, involvement in learning and academic tasks, and participation in school-related activities (Fredricks et al., 2004). Some researchers have suggested that psychological strengths, like engagement, can be overused and result in maladaptive consequences (Niemiec, 2019; Oishi et al., 2007). This study addressed this notion using archival data from a sample of 422 students from one Southeastern US …

The Church As An Ecological And Cultural Anchor: Examining Its Role In Gifted Education, Advanced Academic Access, And Educational Equity, Matrissa Bennett

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study examines the role of the Black church as an ecological and cultural anchor in addressing the inequities of gifted education and expanding access to advanced academic opportunities for Black students. The study is grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, critical race theory, and racial and ethnical socialization, and it explores how the Black church can support student development, empower parental advocacy, and partner with schools to promote educational equity. Conducted at Mountain Valley Baptist Church in South Carolina, the interventions included student mentoring, goal setting sessions, academic enrichment, emotional support initiatives, a parent workshop, and a …

Strategies For Developing Mathematical Identities In Middle School Students, Margaret M. Stevens

Theses and Dissertations

This concurrent mixed-methods action research study investigated the impact of mathematical discourse intervention on seventh-grade students’ mathematical identities and understanding. Twenty students participated in a four-week intervention implementing Smith and Stein’s (2018) five practices plus one framework.

Quantitative results showed curriculum-based assessments improved significantly (p < .001, d = 1.64). State mathematics assessment revealed minimal change in mean scores. The Mathematical Identity Questionnaire revealed positive shifts across all five constructs, with largest gains in Mathematical Initiative (+0.40) and Problem-Solving Persistence (+0.30). Qualitative analysis using Bingham’s (2023) five-phase process revealed three themes: Mathematical Voice Development, Identity Transformation Through Competence Building, and Communal Validation. Social Cognitive Theory and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy integration showed how discourse interventions addressed both individual self-efficacy and systemic inequities. Findings suggest intensive discourse intervention can initiate positive changes in mathematical identity and understanding for struggling students. Implications include restructuring mathematics instruction to prioritize student discourse and voice, creating more equitable learning environments.

Parental Attitudes And Expectations Regarding Piano Study For Their Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Lin Zhong

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates parental attitudes and expectations regarding piano study for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Although music has been recognized for its therapeutic and educational benefits among individuals with ASD, research examining these outcomes from the perspective of parents has been limited. This study focuses on in-depth interviews with nine parents of children with ASD enrolled in the Carolina LifeSong Initiative, a specialized piano program serving students with diverse developmental disorders.

The interviews explored parents’ motivations for initiating piano study, expectations for both musical and non-musical outcomes, and observations of their children’s growth and challenges through music. Parents reported …

Eeg And Media Multitasking: Adhd As A Moderating Factor, Xiaoying Guo

Theses and Dissertations

Media use has become an integral part of everyday life. It has risen dramatically over the past century with the advent of television, computers, and digital platforms, and more recently, it has been characterized by individuals using multiple devices simultaneously (Bushman & Anderson, 2001; Nielsen Media Research, 1998; Rideout & Robb, 2019, 2021). Media multitasking (MMT) has been linked to cognitive control challenges and attentional difficulties. This study examined EEG workload (Fz theta/Pz alpha ratio), survey accuracy, and ADHD traits (ASRS v1.1) in 33 adult participants across baseline and single-versus dual-media conditions. Results indicated that mental workload was significantly higher …

Predictors Of Outpatient Follow-Up Attendance And Subsequent Psychiatric Readmission, Sandra J. Beltran

Theses and Dissertations

Psychiatric readmissions remain a persistent challenge in mental health care, often reflecting gaps in continuity of treatment following discharge. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2019) indicated that a key component in preventing inpatient readmission is adequate outpatient care following discharge. Moreover, early attendance in outpatient follow-up visits is associated with improved patient outcomes (Boston Medical Center, 2022). Various predictors are associated with engagement in outpatient services, such as age, medication compliance, and socioeconomic variables (Carson et al., 2014; Li et al., 2005; Marino et al., 2016; Stubbs et al., 2024).

The present study sought to determine whether psychiatric …

Parent Perspectives On Contemporary Adolescent Concerns, Allyson Worthy

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescence is a critical developmental period that marks the transition between childhood and adulthood. Psychopathology is known to emerge during this time, in which many internalizing and externalizing disorders have their onset. The assessment of adolescent psychopathology involves use of questionnaire measures to obtain perspectives from the adolescent themselves, their parents, and their teachers. Parents have been found to be especially important informants of adolescent functioning. With new challenges that arise for present-day adolescents (e.g., social media use), parents can provide insight into the different areas that need to be evaluated when assessing domains of contemporary adolescents’ development and psychopathology. …

The Moderating Effects Of Community Involvement On The Association Between Witnessed Community Violence And Mental Health Outcomes Among Black Adolescents, Curtisha Tamara Shacklewood

Theses and Dissertations

Black youth and adolescents are at a disproportionately high risk for experiencing community violence exposure (CVE) and the potential influence it may have on psychological functioning. Research posits that Black youth who experience community violence are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing elevated internalizing symptoms (e.g., depression) and externalizing symptoms (e.g., delinquency). Previous research has utilized the ecological model to investigate interpersonal protective factors that potentially buffer the effects of CVE, including parental support and family characteristics. However, there is little research that explores community-level factors, such as community activities (e.g., youth activities and parental perception of collective efficacy) …

The Impact Of Project-Based Learning On Future First Generation College Students’ Oral Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Confidence Levels, And College And Career Readiness, Mandana Marashi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research was to evaluate the impact of a project-based learning innovation course on high school students’ oral communication, presentation skills, confidence levels, and college and career readiness in a college and career readiness program housed at a university in the Mid-Atlantic region. Effective oral communication and presentation skills have been continuously emphasized by national organizations and employers to be critical skills for success in students’ academic and professional lives. However, teaching oral communication and presentation skills to high school students has been neglected, which has negatively affected students’ college and career readiness, particularly for students …

Influence Of School Climate On Comprehensive School Behavioral Health Effectiveness, Halle Rose Singer

Theses and Dissertations

Youth are experiencing a sharp rise in mental health concerns, which have reached critical levels. Schools have emerged as a key setting for delivering mental health services due to their accessibility, familiarity, and capacity to reach diverse populations. Comprehensive School Behavioral Health (CSBH) systems offer a multi-tiered, evidence-based framework for supporting the mental health of all students. However, the success of CSBH interventions varies across schools presumably indicating that systemic or school level factors, like school climate, may influence youth mental health outcomes. In this study, I investigate how school-level factors, specifically student-perceived school climate, influence the mental health outcomes …

Investigating The Influence Of Instructional Strategies On The Development Of Procedural And Conceptual Knowledge In Advanced Algebra Ii Students, Maura Frances Yinger

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods action research study investigated the influence of instructional strategies shown to improve students’ procedural and conceptual understanding in a rational expressions and equations unit in Advanced Algebra II. The instructional strategies used in the study include comparing, self-explaining, and exploring before instruction. The students (N=27) completed a pre-test and a post-test, both of which were followed by questions asking students to justify their responses on two questions. All students also responded to six digital self-explanation journal prompts. Randomly selected students were placed into three homogenous groups to participate in performance task observations. Analysis of the data …

Personal Finance Education In Florida: Teaching The Teachers, Jessica Morey

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods action research study with an explanatory sequential design investigated teacher financial capability and financial well-being in advance of a mandate that will require high school students in Florida to take a semester-long personal finance course, taught by social studies teachers. Survey results from 47 participants—teachers at a large suburban high school and high school social studies teachers across a Florida school district serving just over 29,000 students—indicated that while most teachers can answer basic financial literacy questions, many lack the financial self-efficacy to ensure their financial future. Teachers had varying experiences with financial socialization. While many had experienced …

Journey Toward Collective Efficacy: ​The Impact Of Lesson Study In A Professional Learning Community, Julia Rose Pabst

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods action research study investigated the impact of a lesson study protocol on elementary teachers’ confidence through the implementation of the Three Read Close Reading Protocol (3RCRP), a research-based reading comprehension strategy. This study, grounded in Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, explored how collaborative and practice-based professional learning could bridge the gap between pedagogical knowledge and classroom practice to enhance teacher self-efficacy. The primary research questions focused on how participation in a lesson study influenced teachers’ self-efficacy and which aspects of the protocol were perceived as most influential. Four participants and one participant-observer engaged in a series of Professional …