Digital Commons Network^™

Manejo De Oportunidades En Tiempos De Crisis: Liderazgo Y Cambios En Una Organización -Estudio De Caso, Maria Valente

Theses and Dissertations

Esta disertación aplicada fue diseñada para proporcionar informaciones relevantes sobre situaciones de crisis que amenazan la supervivencia de las organizaciones. Además, busca comprender los fenómenos que desarrollan las crisis y explorar los resultados significativos del liderazgo en tiempos de crisis.

Se empleó un diseño de investigación cualitativa. Los elementos descritos en esta investigación cualitativa evalúan el impacto de las situaciones de crisis, describiendo cada etapa y factores intrínsecos y extrínsecos que son responsables por la desestabilidad en la organización.

En este estudio se identificaron las prácticas de liderazgo y los proyectos estratégicos que permiten planificar oportunidades de cambio en el …

Implementing Effective Reading Strategies To Improve Reading Comprehension Among Minority Students, Mirlene Georges Moreau

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation examined teachers' perceptions of instructional strategies used to support reading comprehension among minority middle school students. The purpose of the quantitative, non-experimental correlational study was to examine relationships among teacher-reported instructional strategies, differentiated instruction, culturally responsive teaching practices, and perceived student reading comprehension outcomes. Because the study relied on survey perception data rather than direct achievement data or experimental intervention, findings were interpreted as associations rather than causal evidence. Data were collected through a researcher-developed survey administered to middle school English Language Arts, ESOL, and reading teachers. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) summarized demographics …

The Effectiveness Of Behavioral Skills Training In Enhancing Teachers’ Ability To Write Specific, Measurable, And Individualized Iep Goals Targeting Quality-Of-Life Skills, Emilia Endean

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation sought to assess the effectiveness of a behavior skills training (BST) protocol in improving teacher behaviors for writing high-quality individualized education plan (IEP) goals that target quality-of-life (QoL) domains. High-quality IEP goals that target both academic and functional repertoires are required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) and are essential for students with disabilities to achieve meaningful outcomes. BST is an effective intervention for teaching a variety of skills. No prior research has explicitly examined the application of BST for teacher professional development in writing IEP goals.

This single-subject study used a time-lagged multiple probe …

Factores Determinantes Clave Para La Deserción Escolar En Jóvenes Adultos De 18 A 45 Años En Puerto Rico, Jan L. Martínez Delgado

Theses and Dissertations

Esta disertación aplicada fue diseñada para evaluar los factores determinantes en la deserción escolar en jóvenes de 18 a 45 años en Puerto Rico. La deserción escolar en las escuelas puertorriqueñas es un problema continuo. Aunque el abandono escolar puede darse en escuela primaria o secundaria, mientras más temprano ocurra, mayores serán los problemas para el individuo. La pregunta de investigación que busca responderse es cuáles son las experiencias previas que influyeron en el abandono escolar en el área San Juan de Puerto Rico entre jóvenes adultos de 18 a 45 años. Con dicha pregunta planteada, el investigador desarrolló una …

Improving Middle School Students’ Scores On Math Word Problems Through Reading Comprehension, Diane M. Burgess

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to address the poor performance of middle school students on math word problems attributed to the lack of reading comprehension skills. A review of standardized math assessments for middle school students confirmed that the greater proportion of questions is made up of word problems. Despite having strong mathematical skills, middle school students are likely to fail to find the correct solutions for math word problems. In the middle school classroom, the development of reading comprehension skills and mathematical abilities are tasks required of different teachers. Math teachers at a middle school in Florida did not …

Teachers’ Experiences Implementing An Ai-Supported Reading Program In Kindergarten Through Grade 2: A Generic Qualitative Study, Janet Harrell

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was completed to explore kindergarten through grade 2 teachers’ experiences implementing an artificial intelligence (AI)-supported reading program during literacy instruction. Guided by a generic qualitative design, the study was designed to examine how teachers prepared to use the program, integrated it into daily literacy instruction, used AI-generated data to inform instructional decision-making, and experienced the instructional and contextual conditions that supported or hindered implementation. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 10 kindergarten through grade 2 teachers with experience using Amira Learning. Data were collected through semi structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis.

Four themes emerged from …

General And Special Education Teachers’ Collaboration And Co-Teaching Experience In Inclusive High School Classrooms, Pascale Atouriste

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative descriptive study explored the collaboration and co-teaching experiences of general and special education high school teachers in inclusive high school classrooms in Florida. Guided by Pratt's achieving symbiosis theory, the study addressed three re-search questions concerning teachers' perceptions of (a) the benefits of co-teaching and collaboration, (b) the challenges they encounter, and (c) the strategies they find most helpful. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 general and special education teachers at a public high school in Florida and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-step reflexive thematic analysis procedure.

Six themes emerged from the data. For RQ1, …

Estudio De Necesidades De Formación Continua Del Maestro En Las Áreas De Matemáticas Y Lectoescritura Para La Enseñanza De Estudiantes De Preescolar En Head Start, Briseida Benítez González

Theses and Dissertations

La presente disertación aplicada fue diseñada con el propósito de identificar las necesidades de formación continua del maestro preescolar en la enseñanza de matemáticas y lectoescritura en el programa Head Start en el Municipio de Humacao en Puerto Rico. La investigación respondió a tres preguntas de investigación donde se identificaron los componentes metodológicos de alfabetización temprana, así como en matemáticas, necesarios para mejorar la calidad de la enseñanza en preescolar. Para el diseño de esta investigación se utilizó el método cuantitativo con un enfoque descriptivo experimental de carácter exploratorio transversal. La muestra estuvo constituida por 33 educadores y los datos …

Beyond The Classroom: Examining The Relationship Between Student Engagement, Academic Motivation, And Retention, Jeanine Marie Dinardo

Theses and Dissertations

Student retention rates at community colleges have remained low across the United States in recent years. Student engagement is important because it increases motivation and improves academic performance and retention. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationships between student engagement, academic motivation, academic performance, and retention among students at a small community college in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The study was guided by self-determination theory. The sample consisted of 80 community college students. Data were collected through a questionnaire given to participants through their college email. The data were collected using SurveyMonkey and …

Cultural Heritage Curriculum And Student Identity Development: A Mixed-Methods Study, Alexus Corley

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to examine the influence of a cultural heritage curriculum on first-grade students’ cultural knowledge, awareness, and understandings of culture. Specifically, the study investigated the extent to which participation in a 4-week cultural heritage curriculum influenced students’ knowledge of cultural history and contemporary contributors, their understandings and perspectives about culture, and the convergence of quantitative and qualitative findings.

Using a qualitative-dominant mixed-methods research design, the study was conducted with 19 first-grade students enrolled in a Title I elementary school in Central Florida. Quantitative data were collected using the researcher-developed cultural knowledge preintervention and postintervention assessment and …

Fairness: Examining Support And Resources Available To Respondents In Title Ix Cases, Emanuel Jerome Oliver

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study explored how higher education institutions develop Title IX procedures to ensure respondents receive fair treatment from the outset of the adjudication process. It also examined how colleges and universities provide resources and support to respondents throughout the Title IX process. The study used semi structured interviews with Title IX Coordinators at various higher education institutions to understand how they have developed practices to support respondents.

Findings revealed that higher education institutions have developed various methods to support respondents in the Title IX process. The goal of the Title IX process is to ensure that respondents receive the …

Capacitación Docente Para Generación De Entorno De Aprendizaje En Alumnos De Preescolar, Thamara Pérez Barreto

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito de este estudio es establecer la correlación si es que existe, entre la capacitación sobre la organización del aula preescolar y el conocimiento del docente antes y después de ser capacitados. Para ello, se utilizó una pre prueba antes de la capacitación y una posprueba después de participar en el proceso formativo. La investigación utilizó un diseño no experimental con enfoque cuantitativo de naturaleza correlacional. La muestra estuvo compuesta de 20 docentes de un Programa Head Start ubicado en la zona noroeste de Puerto Rico. Los participantes cuentan con alguna certificación para ejercer a nivel preescolar.

La investigadora …

Integración De La Inteligencia Artificial Generativa En La Enseñanza Secundaria En Prácticas Docentes En Escuelas Públicas Chárter Del Estado De La Florida, Axel R. Casillas

Theses and Dissertations

Esta disertación cualitativa de estudio de casos múltiples analizó cómo docentes de educación secundaria en escuelas públicas chárter de Florida interpretan los desafíos, beneficios y dilemas éticos asociados al uso de la inteligencia artificial generativa (IAG) en su práctica pedagógica. El fundamento teórico integró la Alfabetización Digital Crítica de Hinrichsen y Coombs, la Teoría de Agencia Docente, el Modelo de Aceptación Tecnológica y el marco TPACK, abordando de manera coetánea la integración instrumental, ética y pedagógica de la tecnología.

 Los hallazgos revelaron que los educadores adoptaron la IAG, primordialmente, para optimizar la eficiencia operativa, mitigar la carga burocrática y facilitar …

Teaching And Reading As Meaning-Making, An Intervention To Support Underserved Students In An English Language Arts Classroom, Kelly G. Adkins

Theses and Dissertations

This teacher-research study, conducted during a nine-week choice reading unit in my high school English Language Arts (ELA) classroom, explores how adjusting my reading instruction influences all students’ engagement with reading and their identities as readers, especially those underserved by systems of schooling that prioritize teaching reading as a set, evaluated procedure. Building on others’ research that affirms the positive correlation between students’ choice in reading and increased engagement, I pursued the following research question: What does it mean to take up a teaching practice that opens, responds to, and extends students’ meaning-making of literary texts? I used qualitative methods …

“Is This Really Funny?” Humor, Rape Myths, And Social Semiotics In Nigerian Comedy Skits, Grace Oluwatofunmi Adeyemo

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how rape myth narratives are normalized through humor in Nigerian comedy skits. While existing research has identified rape-supportive beliefs in digital entertainment, it has paid less attention to the processes through which these meanings become socially acceptable. Guided by social semiotics, the study analyzes how semiotic resources use humor to normalize rape myth narratives in Nigerian comedy skits. Using a qualitative design, twelve purposively selected Nigerian comedy skits on YouTube were analyzed. The findings reveal that refusal is constructed as temporary, persistence is portrayed as effort, men's refusal is framed as abnormal, and consent is shaped by …

Graduate Student Retention: Examining Why Master’S Students Leave And What Motivates Their Return In A Large Public University System, Sonja Prophete

Theses and Dissertations

Graduate student persistence is a relatively unexplored area in the literature of higher education studies; specifically, at a multi-institutional scale at the master's level. This research study examines the factors which cause students to discontinue their master's degrees, and what conditions could possibly support them returning to their program at a large urban public university system. The current study was guided by Hoyt and Winn's (2004) distinction between non-returning students, and Bean & Metzner's (1985) theoretical model of student attrition. A sequential mixed-methods study was conducted to examine the institutional and environmental influences on students' decision-making processes.

The quantitative data …

Flowers Of Petra: The Identification Of Floral Motifs On Nabataean Painted Fine Wares, Jacob Samuel Blood

Theses and Dissertations

The Nabataeans are notable for their eggshell-thin fine ware pottery on which they often painted plant motifs. Since the discovery of these painted fine wares, several archaeologists have attempted to identify some of the plants depicted on the vessels. However, these attempts have often been incidental and not explicitly systematic. The purpose of this study is to apply the principles of plant taxonomy to identify eleven flower motifs that are depicted on Nabataean fine wares and to then determine what significance these flowers held for the Nabataeans. By using the principles of plant taxonomy, this thesis was able to confidently …

The Nonlinguistic Factors That Predict Spanish Oral Proficiency, Merrie Kay Ames

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the predictive power of self-assessment and nonlinguistic factors in determining Spanish oral proficiency among university learners. Drawing on data from 2,475 undergraduate students enrolled in a third-year Spanish course at Brigham Young University, the research examines how self-assessed speaking ability and experiential background variables--including age of acquisition, mission service, dual immersion, and study abroad--influence Oral Proficiency Interview - Computer (OPIc) scores. A one-way ANOVA revealed a statistically significant but modest relationship between students' calibration (self-assessment minus actual ability) and their OPIc ratings, suggesting that learners can generally approximate their speaking proficiency within two sublevels. A multiple regression …

A Warm Embrace Amongst Isolated Tears, Gia Dreyer

Theses and Dissertations

a warm embrace amongst isolated tears behaves as an ekphrasis of Paula Rego’s triptych The Pillowman (2004). An anecdotal interpretation of Martin McDonagh’s titular play The Pillowman (2003), Rego addresses the story of the Pillowman through her father’s depression. This piece effloresces from the trace of the Pillowman into considering the remnants of suffering exhibited in both works by Rego and McDonagh.

The trumpet has been ontologically oriented to fanfare and pomp by peripheral structures of imperial order. The trumpet and the nation-state are intertwined through militaristic imposition. What does it mean to strip away the power of juridical dominance …

(Post-)Colonial Shakespeares: Macbeth In South Africa, Mahmoud T. Kholeif

Theses and Dissertations

The history of Shakespeare in South Africa is that of an often contested cultural battleground, with meanings fought over across a colonial boundary. In Chapter One, we examine some of the many cultural intersections between Shakespeare and South African rewriters. In the process, we can see how Shakespeare came to the region as a tool for colonial domination, but would eventually be used to rebuke the colonial narrative that was conservatively ascribed to him. He was used to enforce racial and political hierarchies, particularly through missionary education and institutions like the “Kaffir Institution.” The anxieties surrounding the ‘overproduction’ of Western-educated …

Structural Framework And Tectonic Implications From Field Investigations In The Ramelau Mountains, Timor-Leste, Tanner A. Nielsen

Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in petroleum exploration off the southern coast of Timor-Leste and emerging mineral discoveries onshore have underscored the need for a more comprehensive structural understanding of the nation's geology. Although new structural models have been proposed for other parts of Timor, limited progress has been made toward developing detailed models for the Ramelau Mountains, which presents the highest structural relief of the Timor Ranges. Previous mapping in this area has been largely reconnaissance in nature and focused primarily on surface bedrock geology. This study presents a new 1:62,500-scale geologic map and a geometric structural analysis of the Ramelau region …

Three Case Studies Of Transformative Learning In A Service-Learning Anthropology Course, Elizabeth S. Schulte

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the processes of personal transformation of three students enrolled in a service-learning based course that I taught at Brigham Young University. Informed by my observations as instructor of the course, in the analysis below I draw upon these students' weekly personal reflection essays to describe the process of individual transformation of these three students across the semester. This accounting provides insight into aspects of and contributing factors to that growth. I propose that a service-learning based course design with a framework of anthropological theory is a good way to facilitate transformational educational experiences. Aspects of service-learning such …

Understanding Asynchronous Learning For Moana Communities By Moana Educators In The Digital Vā, Theresa Pamela Onesemo-Holmes

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a dramatic shift from face-to-face learning to an online learning modality for learners globally. Moana (Pacific) communities of all ages were affected by the change due to the existing digital divide that remains an issue today. Research on culturally responsive learning pedagogy for Moana communities prior to the pandemic focused on in-person experiences. Navigating the vā (the relational space between all things) to engage with Moana communities was difficult for teachers during pandemic lockdowns. Online learning in Moana communities is an emerging field of research and has typically focused on synchronous learning. Instead, in my research …

Language Attitudes And Maintenance Within Latino Families In Utah County, Megan Elise Magleby Townsend

Theses and Dissertations

While there has been research done on Latino individuals' and parents' language attitudes and maintenance practices, there is little known about children's language attitudes and their perceptions of their parents' views towards both Spanish and English. This thesis looks at what the current picture is in terms of Spanish maintenance in Utah County's immigrant families as well as those factors that affect the parents' language attitudes and maintenance efforts. This study also seeks to fill the gap in the literature concerning what children (ages 8-13) think of English, Spanish, their respective cultures, as well as their possible plans to pass …

Perron Theorem Application To A Second-Order Differential Equation With Small Advances, Jason Hendrix

Theses and Dissertations

We analyze a delayed second order differential equation with small delay parameters, proving spectral stability via the characteristic quasi-polynomial and establishing uniform bounds on derivatives of the Green’s function to ensure sign preservation under perturbation, providing a foundation for monotone iteration methods. These results aim to advance the functional-analytic framework for traveling wave solutions in delayed reaction-diffusion systems.

A Systematic Study Of Passkey User Experience Consistency, Bernhardt Ramat

Theses and Dissertations

Passkeys have emerged as a more secure authentication method than passwords, providing a passwordless alternative resistant to phishing and credential theft attacks. Despite their growing adoption, a systematic study into the user experience of passkeys across various websites has yet to be conducted. Usability heuristics suggest that users transfer their expectations from one product to another, and therefore, inconsistencies in passkey deployments can increase cognitive load, resulting in frustration and possible rejection. To address this knowledge gap, this paper presents a comparative analysis of the external functional consistency of the passkey user experience across 111 websites. Our research reveals that …

Cybernest: A Step Forward For Training Cybersecurity Professionals, Justin Mott

Theses and Dissertations

The growing complexity of cyber threats has exposed a critical gap between academic cybersecurity education and the operational demands of the workforce. This thesis presents a pilot study for a use-case of CyberNEST, a simulation-based training platform that integrates adversary emulation and threat-informed learning to create realistic, hands-on experiences for cybersecurity students.(17) The system was designed to replicate Security Operations Center (SOC) environments and incident response workflows, allowing participants to investigate, analyze, and respond to simulated attacks under authentic conditions. This pilot-study performed training simulations using the CyberNEST platform, developed by Brigham Young University, with students, collecting data from pre- …

Exploring The Individual Relationships Of Mothers' And Fathers' Parenting Styles With Emerging Adults' First-Term Gpa, Tiffany Fox Okeke

Theses and Dissertations

Parenting styles have most often been studied through the lens of adolescent academic outcomes but less is known about how mothers' and fathers' parenting styles influence academic performance separately, especially during the critical transitionary period to post-secondary education. This study examines how mothers' and fathers' parenting styles distinctly shape emerging adults' first-term academic outcomes during their postsecondary education, with a focus on the dimensions of parental warmth and control. The study uses the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 dataset and the NLSY97 Post-Secondary Transcript Data focusing on the 1997-2005 cohorts (N=3,478) along with OLS regression analyses to predict emerging …

Investigating The Regulatory Impact Of Non-Coding Rnas On Meis1, Salma Fahim

Theses and Dissertations

Myeloid ecotropic virus insertion site 1 (MEIS1) is a transcription factor involved in a myriad of functions such as hematopoiesis, cardiac regeneration, cell cycle progression, cell proliferation, and limb and organ development. Precise control of MEIS1 expression and function is essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis and preventing pathological conditions including cancer. Emerging evidence suggests that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play a significant role in fine-tuning MEIS1 activity. Unmasking these regulatory mechanisms could provide potential therapeutic strategies for conditions where MEIS1 is aberrantly expressed. The present dissertation presents a comprehensive overview of current knowledge on MEIS1, synthesizing findings from the literature to …

The Role Of Dust Inputs And Sediment Phosphorus Diffusion Into Utah Lake, Utah, United States Of America, Kristen E. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Human activities have led to excessive nutrient enrichment which is greater than lake systems can naturally assimilate. This process is known as eutrophication and it is driving significant algae growth resulting in the more common release of harmful toxins. Utah Lake, located in Utah County, UT is one such water body that even after major reductions in anthropogenic phosphorus influent, continues to experience frequent, harmful algal blooms. The extent to which natural processes, like atmospheric dust deposition and sediment recycling, contribute to the lake's phosphorus budget is still poorly understood.

To address this gap of knowledge, this study quantified phosphorus …