Digital Commons Network^™

Competencias De Los Líderes Escolares De Un Sector De Las Escuelas Públicas En Puerto Rico En La Provisión De Servicios A Estudiantes De Educación Especial, Zuleira Franco Olivo

Theses and Dissertations

La siguiente disertación aplicada indagó acerca de las competencias que exhiben los líderes escolares en un sector de las Escuelas Públicas en Puerto Rico y cómo estas influyen en los procesos de provisión de servicios a los estudiantes participantes de Educación Especial. Desde una mirada del liderazgo distribuido se buscó conocer cómo al aplicarlo en el escenario educativo en conjunto con las competencias exhibidas por los directores escolares, promueve el funcionamiento y la provisión de los servicios del programa en cada escuela de los directores participantes.

Trabajado mediante un enfoque de investigación mixta con un diseño descriptivo fenomenológico, se emplearon …

Exploring Excessive Absences In An Urban School Setting: Implications For Student Academic Success And High School Graduation, Tamieka Mclaughlin

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the perspectives of parents and teachers regarding excessive student absenteeism in an urban high school setting and the implications of persistent absences for students' academic success and high school graduation. Excessive absenteeism remains a major challenge for schools in urban communities where children experience multiple personal, family, school and community factors that may influence attendance. Understanding how parents and teachers perceive these factors can provide insight into the experiences and challenges associated with chronic absenteeism, as well as the strategies they believe may support improved student attendance, academic success, and progress towards high school graduation. …

Perceptions Of Black And African American Nurses On Leadership And Access To Professional Opportunities In Healthcare Within A Multicultural Workplace And How This May Impact Their Decision Making: A Phenomenological Study, Saeeka S. Richards

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation is designed to provide a more compelling understanding of the perceptions of leadership and access to professional opportunities in healthcare within a multicultural workplace among Black and African American nurses. It is designed to explore their feelings and actions in dealing within a multicultural workplace as these relate to how they view leadership and how they perceive professional opportunities in their field. It will highlight how they manage themselves and cope with feelings of cultural dissonance when aspects of their own culture may collide with characteristics of other cultures. This research aims to bring awareness to the …

Using Sports Performance Assessment Technologies To Help Narrow Achievement Gaps Of Black Male Adolescent With Other Racial Groups, Patavious R. Sorrell

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory qualitative collective case study explored how sports performance assessment technologies (SPATs) may support the development of self‑regulatory and motivational processes associated with self‑efficacy among Black male adolescent student‑athletes. Guided by Social Cognitive Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model, the study examined the perceptions of eight coach‑teachers in the Southeastern United States who integrated video analysis, data analytics, goal‑setting and tracking applications, wearable devices and gaming platforms, and reflective communication tools into their coaching practices.

Data were analyzed thematically, revealing three major themes: self‑regulation, self‑mastery assessment, and academic transfer. Findings indicated that SPATs were most effective when used as …

The Influence Of Haitian Immigrants’ Culture On Academic Outcomes At Elementary Level, Tonnette Samuels

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored how teachers, parents, and administrators perceived the influence of Haitian cultural values and practices on the organizational culture and academic outcomes of elementary students in a southern United States county. Guided by the resource-based view theory, which frames culture as an intangible organizational asset, the study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to examine the lived experiences of five participants, including three teachers, one parent, and one school administrator. Data were collected through semi structured interviews and analyzed to develop personal experiential themes for each participant and group experiential themes across cases.

The study’s findings generated four group …

Desarrollo De Habilidades Socioemocionales En La Educación Primaria, Rafael Reichard Morán

Theses and Dissertations

Esta disertación aplicada se orientó a explorar las percepciones del personal docente acerca del desarrollo de las habilidades socioemocionales en el nivel primario, así como su relación con el desempeño académico y el bienestar integral del estudiantado. A pesar del reconocimiento creciente que estas competencias han alcanzado en los sistemas educativos, su incorporación efectiva en las prácticas de enseñanza aún presenta obstáculos vinculados con la preparación profesional de los maestros, el acceso a recursos adecuados y el respaldo de las instituciones escolares. Ante esta realidad, el estudio buscó examinar las estrategias pedagógicas empleadas para fomentar dichas habilidades y determinar las …

Effect Of Employees’ Breakfast Choices On Energy Levels In The Hispanic Population Working In Healthcare In South Florida, Jennifer Rivas

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to examine the effect of employees’ breakfast choices on perceived energy levels among Hispanic healthcare workers in South Florida. As breakfast consumption has been widely associated with cognitive function, productivity, and metabolic stability, this research focused on understanding how specific breakfast patterns influence daily energy in a population that plays a critical role in regional healthcare delivery.

A qualitative survey was developed by the researcher and was used to collect data from Hispanic employees working in a variety of healthcare settings. Participants completed a structured survey assessing breakfast habits, nutritional quality, frequency of consumption, and …

Examining Reframing Behavior Implementation: Teacher Perspectives And Discipline Patterns In Middle School, Francisco J. Hidalgo

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation examined teacher-reported implementation of the Reframing Behavior (RB) Initiative at a middle school in North Central Florida. The districtwide training occurred in the 2024-2025 school year. The RB Initiative provides educators with opportunities to reframe how they address disruptive behaviors among students perceived as problematic, who may receive numerous disciplinary actions. Disciplinary actions can affect students’ academic and social lives. Using a convergent mixed methods design, the study addressed four research questions and examined implementation fidelity, teacher perceptions, school-wide discipline patterns, and teacher experiences with RB implementation.

The researcher surveyed 19 teachers and interviewed four teachers. The …

Estilos De Liderazgo Docente Y Perfil Académico En Educación Superior, María Del Rosario Orta De González

Theses and Dissertations

Esta disertación aplicada tuvo como propósito analizar las implicaciones formativas y profesionales atribuibles a la relación entre los estilos de liderazgo docente y el perfil académico de profesores universitarios. El estudio se desarrolló bajo un diseño cuantitativo, no experimental, transversal y correlacional predictivo. La muestra estuvo conformada por 40 docentes de educación superior, quienes respondieron un instrumento de autopercepción que evaluó nueve factores de liderazgo y cinco componentes del perfil académico.

Los resultados descriptivos mostraron una predominancia de prácticas asociadas al liderazgo transformacional, caracterizadas por la influencia idealizada, la motivación inspiradora, la estimulación intelectual y la consideración individualizada. Los estilos …

The Impact Of Ufli Phonics Instruction On Second-Grade Reading Outcomes As Measured By The Drc Beacon Reading Assessment, Leari Franklin

Theses and Dissertations

There is mixed empirical evidence that infusion of phonics instruction yields consistent gains on standardized reading assessments, particularly beyond Grade 1. This inconsistency in evidence is problematic for instructional leaders who do not have clear guidance on how much phonics is needed to improve the persistent problem of many students not achieving at grade level on standardized reading assessments. The purpose of this study was to examine potential differences in academic achievement by comparing two cohorts end-of-year Beacon Early Years assessment results at the target school. Specifically, this study compares one cohort of second-grade students who received explicit phonics instruction …

Estudio Sobre La Influencia Del Estrés Tóxico En La Salud Física Y Emocional De Estudiantes Universitarios Puertorriqueños Entre Las Edades De 18 A 25 Años, Coral M. Flores Correa

Theses and Dissertations

Esta disertación aplicada tuvo como propósito examinar la influencia del estrés tóxico en la salud física y emocional de jóvenes universitarios puertorriqueños entre 18 y 25 años. El desconocimiento sobre la influencia de estos elementos en la salud representa un área de oportunidad en el campo de la educación en salud para mejorar los procesos de atención. La realización de la presente investigación, por lo tanto, establece un punto de partida para la comprensión de la complejidad y los efectos a corto y largo plazo de este tipo de estrés.

La investigación utilizó un enfoque cuantitativo con un diseño no …

Uso De La Modalidad E-Learning En El Tema Del Aprendizaje Psicomotor En Tiempos De Covid-19, José A. Ghigliotti Acevedo

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito de este estudio fue analizar si la modalidad e-learning influyó en la satisfacción de los docentes de educación física del Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico (DEPR) que habían recibido formación a distancia. Asimismo, se examinó el impacto del e-learning en el aprendizaje de habilidades psicomotoras pasada la crisis de la pandemia de COVID-19.

El marco conceptual se fundamentó en la Teoría del Conectivismo de Siemens (2004) y la Teoría de Satisfacción e Insatisfacción de Herzberg (1959). El estudio siguió un diseño cuantitativo, descriptivo y transeccional. La muestra estuvo conformada por 54 docentes de educación física del nivel …

Human Resources Professionals’ Perceptions About Employment And Retention Of Women With A Substance Abuse History: A Qualitative Study, Mary Harris

Theses and Dissertations

This study was an exploration of human resources professionals’ (HRP) perceptions about employment and retention of women with a substance abuse disorder history. Job embeddedness was used as a critical lens to understand HRPs’ motivations for their actions and to gain insight into their choices.

A generic qualitative methodology was used to understand the complexity of HRPs’ experiences in employing and retaining women with substance use disorder history. The data-collection method consisted of semi structured interviews of 10 HRPs from midsize organizations in the Southeast Florida region.

The results of the thematic analysis revealed 10 themes that addressed the research …

Preferred Practices For A Student Support Services Program To Improve Retention Of African-Caribbean Students Enrolled In U.S. Universities, Jean F. Edouard

Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in this research was the high attrition rate of African-Caribbean students enrolled in U.S. universities. This study aimed to ascertain preferred practices in student support services programs to improve the retention of African-Caribbean students enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions. African-Caribbean students come to the United States with premigration experiences (e.g., language, cultural differences, and financial constraints). This generic qualitative study used semistructured Zoom interviews lasting 45–60 minutes with 12 African-Caribbean students who left their country of origin after age 12; interviews offered insight into their lived experiences and perceptions of U.S. higher education institutions. This study …

In Their Own Words: Why First-Generation Minority Students Take On Leadership Roles At Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Suzette Ramsundar Ed.D

Theses and Dissertations

While there is an abundance of research on student leadership and how it impacts student retention (Tinto, 1987 and Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005), it is typically from the university's perspective. This phenomenological study, however, investigated the experiences and perceptions of first-generation minority students who commuted to campus and pursued leadership roles at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Utilizing phenomenological methodology, this research examined the lived experiences of eight student leaders to understand how they made meaning of their leadership engagement.

Student leaders in this study shared the details of the significant challenges they navigated, including financial pressures, commuting demands, cultural barriers, and …

Film For Jeanette, Brice Goldberg

Theses and Dissertations

Film for Jeanette is an experimental documentary concerning grief, memory, and what remains of those who have left this physical plane. The film paints the portrait of my late sister, Jeanette Lee Goldberg, who died in a car accident when she was 19. What begins as a memorial becomes a celebration of her life and an exploration into the complexities of her character that led to her death. Jeanette’s story is told through interviews with family members, while the visuals, created with various alternative 16mm film techniques, depict my own journey through the filmmaking process. I was only 3 when …

Tms Phantoms For Investigating Multimodal Neuromodulation Procedures, Wesley H. Lohr

Theses and Dissertations

Evidence suggests that combining deep brain stimulation (DBS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is potentially unsafe for certain TMS target locations, though TMS can alleviate several DBS-resistant PD symptoms such as speech impairment, freezing of gait, and dysphagia. Addressing this issue, head phantoms designed for TMS with embedded electric field (E-field) triaxial dipole probes (TDPs) are used to investigate a tunable magnetic shield that can protect implants from periphery E-fields and focalize magnetic fields. Through segmentation of MRI files, 3D printing, and injection molding of CNT-PDMS conductive composites, anatomical head phantoms are created. Anchoring TDPs to clinically relevant regions in …

Prescriptive Behaviors: Tracking The Social Impact Of Film Portrayals Of Black Men, Garfield Ronald Benjamin

Theses and Dissertations

Cinematic and televisual media express the thoughts and emotions of people and cultures with the potential of unifying people through the social realities that are created around the visuals, narratives, and on-screen interpersonal interactions. Through media like film, television, and short-form online video, people interact with others in ways that, because of barriers like physical distance and/or social structures, they may not be able to in real life. The images, sounds, and stories depict their own realities, which are consumed, interpreted, and understood by viewers and can inform their perceptions and interpersonal interactions. Stuart Hall, Jamaican-British, cultural theorist, and political …

Climate, Energy, Economy: Interconnected Perspectives From Politics, Business, And The Public, Isabella Harper Heinzen

Theses and Dissertations

When considering the economic and social costs and benefits of a global, intergenerational, and environmental issue, rigid analysis often falls short. The topics discussed in this thesis aim to address the complex moral, economic, and political concerns regarding climate change to provide a holistic view of the issue and the role humans play. The first section on the scientific consensus addresses concerns regarding the existence and severity of climate change, finding where the responsibility lies for humans. The second section analyzes the energy context in modern society to understand the call for a transition from oil and gas to renewable …

African American Women’S Engagement In The Black Liberation Struggle At Home And Abroad 1910-1977, Ryhaan Ameena Shakoor

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation studies the major social and political events of the twentieth century as seen through the eyes of seven African American women, Mary Church Terrell, Amy Jacques Garvey, Claudia Jones, Salaria Kea, Eslanda Robeson, Maida Springer and Shirley Graham Du Bois. It brings to light the significance of their efforts in the fight against racism, fascism, colonialism, apartheid and neo-colonialism in the United States and abroad. As the history of the Black liberation struggle was mostly dominated by male historians and writers, this work demonstrates that amongst others, these seven African American women made gender an important component to …

Applying Groupthink To Digital Spaces: The Rise Of Online Conspiracy Theory Networks, Lily Karen Schow

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the transformation of political paranoia and collective decision-making in the United States from the twentieth century to the digital age. Building on Richard Hofstadter’s concept of the “paranoid style” and Irving Janis’s theory of groupthink, it argues that the dynamics of conspiratorial thinking and collective misjudgment have not disappeared but have been reconfigured by digital communication systems. While Hofstadter identified paranoia as a recurring rhetorical mode and Janis analyzed groupthink as a pathology of small, cohesive decision-making groups, this study contends that both frameworks require adaptation to account for contemporary digital environments. The analysis traces how historical …

Sm Providers’ Perspectives On Treating Selective Mutism In Children With Autism, Brooke M. Koeppel

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that selective mutism (SM) and autism frequently co-occur, yet there remains limited empirical research examining treatment practices for youth presenting with both conditions. The presence of co-occurring SM and autism has important implications for intervention planning and implementation, particularly in light of differences in communication, rigidity, and social engagement commonly observed in autistic youth. Accordingly, the present study examined how frequently SM providers treat youth with co-occurring SM and autism, the treatment strategies they endorse using, and whether providers modify or adapt interventions to better meet the needs of this population. SM providers reported on their clinical exposure …

The Cyclical Pattern Of Despair And Hope: T.S. Eliot’S Comedia, Danielle Russo

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how T.S. Eliot is inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy throughout his collection of poetry, which in turn creates his own version of the Comedia. Through this thesis, there is an exploration of three stages: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. By following the road map to paradise just as Dante did before him, Eliot creates a journey from the depths of hell provided by the end of the Great war towards the garden of paradise prior to the start of the Second World War, exploring themes of paralysis, terror, experience without meaning, and hope. Using excerpts across his span …

The Heretical Church: A Comparative Analysis Between The Gospel Of Thomas And The Gospel Of John, Isabella R. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses a comparative analysis between the allegedly “heretical” Gospel of Thomas and its canonical counterpart, the Gospel of John, to conduct a critique of the contemporary Catholic Church. This analysis and critique also utilize evaluations of medieval and modern definitions of heresy within a religious context, as well as a comparison between bishop dissent of these “secret” or “gnostic” gospels in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries and papal dissent in the 21st century. After conducting the comparative analysis between the two gospels, I posit that the Church’s charge of heresy toward the Gospel of Thomas is an …

Understanding Self And Others: Exploring The Relationship Between Maladaptive Personality Traits And Theory Of Mind, Christian Dellavella

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between theory of mind (ToM) and maladaptive personality traits is a poorly understood but critical intersection between cognitive and clinical psychology. While some research has suggested certain personality characteristics may elevate ToM ability, others may contribute to deficits that lead to negative health outcomes and poor social functioning. Understanding how variability in the population’s ideological disposition affects our capacity to comprehend others’ perspectives and emotions is key to grasping the intricacies of social interactions. As the fields of clinical psychology and psychiatry begin to reclassify their diagnostic systems, it is critical to evaluate how novel conceptualizations of personality …

The Interplay Of Narcissism And Power Dynamics In Close Friendships, Joana Calderon

Theses and Dissertations

Close friendships are fundamental to our well-being and provide a unique context for analyzing perceptions of power and control. This experimental study investigated how individuals high in narcissistic admiration and rivalry would react to power experiences within their best friendships. Participants (N = 94 undergraduate students; 66 females; Mage = 19.18, SD = 1.84 years) were randomly assigned to either a high or low power condition via a recall task. Dependent measures included positive and negative mood, and perceptions of one’s own and friend’s agentic, communal, and narcissistic traits. Results indicated that narcissistic admiration significantly predicted greater positive mood and …

Media Exposure To Collective Trauma And Resilience Among College Students: The Role Of Coping Strategies, Tourika Alam

Theses and Dissertations

Exposure to collective traumatic events through media has become increasingly common, particularly among college students who frequently engage with digital and social media platforms. Prior research has shown that repeated exposure to traumatic media content can contribute to psychological distress, but less is known about how such exposure relates to resilience and coping processes. The present study examined the relationship between media exposure to collective trauma and resilience among college students, as well as whether coping strategies mediated this relationship. Participants included 63 undergraduate and graduate students recruited through a university participant pool and social media platforms. Participants completed an …

Leading For Wholeness: Black Girlhood, Morrison And Hurston, And The Epistemology Of Flourishing In Independent Schools, Kamaya Prince Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates how Black girls in US independent schools experience Zora Neale Hurston’s, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, alongside the larger, traditional literary canon taught within high school English classrooms as texts that can shape their sense of self. In this project, wholeness is defined through a tripartite framework consisting of three interconnected parts: Self (a deepened sense of identity and ways of knowing), Community (experiences of belonging, safety, mentoring, and joy), and Purpose (the development of values, meaning, and a sense of connection both to the community and self). These aspects are …

A Hero’S Horizon Of Mirrors: Dovette, Deve, Dovrà, William James Kerrane

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines James Joyce’s Ulysses as a modern transformation of the Ulysses myth through the philosophical framework of Ernst Cassirer’s theory of symbolic forms and W.B. Stanford’s historical study of the Ulysses tradition. While Stanford demonstrates how the figure of Ulysses has been continually reinterpreted across literary history—from Homer’s cunning hero to Dante’s transgressive explorer and the restless modern figures of the nineteenth century— this study argues that Joyce’s Ulysses represents a uniquely philosophical adaptation of the myth in which heroic identity becomes a function of symbolic consciousness rather than physical action. Drawing on Cassirer’s philosophy, which defines myth, …

A Survey On School Psychologists’ Knowledge, Practices, And Attitudes For Implementing Multi-Tiered Systems Of Supports For Social-Emotional Learning, Kaitlyn Edwards

Theses and Dissertations

Social-emotional and behavioral difficulties are among the most common impairments for childhood and adolescence. These challenges negatively affect school outcomes for students, often leading to absenteeism, higher dropout rates, grade retention, and lower grades. The importance of providing school-based social-emotional interventions cannot be overstated. Using a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) framework is a way to proactively identify students in need, monitor their progress, and continuously improve their individualized interventions to support their growth. The current study used an electronic survey to understand school psychologists’ knowledge, practices, and attitudes towards implementing a MTSS framework for social-emotional learning (SEL). Further, school …