Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Peer Networks In Elementary Teacher Preparation Programs, Bayan Alnaim

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research provided insight into how peer networks related to the professional learning of TC as they moved through an elementary teacher preparation program. These formal and informal peer networks helped nurture collegiality among TCs to aid learning and provide emotional support, which allowed an edge toward forming an identity. This study examined the particular role of teacher networks in TCs’ learning (Al Sultan, 2021; Anderson et al., 2022). The study applied Social Constructivism and Communities of Practice frameworks to analyze the influence of peer networks on the development of teaching skills and professional identities. Data from TCs participating in …

Promoting Sophomore Progression: Academic Advocates’ Perceptions Of Holistic Interventions And Data Analytics, Sarah Angela Wray Marshall

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored academic advocates’ perceptions regarding holistic student interventions and data analytics utilization to enhance sophomore success at their institution. This study contributes to the literature on sophomore success by providing an academic advocacy perspective and to the emerging literature using data analytics to enhance retention, persistence, and graduation rates in higher education. Multiple methods of data collection were employed, including four academic advocate interviews, document analysis, and reflexive journaling. A hybrid thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the data. By exploring practitioners’ narratives, the research addressed a gap in scholarship on how academic advocates enact their …

“From Bars To Becoming”: Exploring Identity Change Across Prison Programming, Evan W. Saunders

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Self-identity plays a pivotal role in one’s day-to-day life, impacting their behaviors and ambitions, but what is conducive to a change in identity is often underdeveloped. Mechanisms that lead incarcerated individuals to both a shift in identity and desistance away from crime are both underdeveloped as well. The current study examines the impact of programming on identity and the relationship between identity and recidivism. A sample of individuals participating in a reentry prison program responded to 16 statements that evaluated their perceptions of their Overall Self-Identity, Current Self, Feared Self, and Positive Possible Self at the beginning and end of …

Building Insight One Tray At A Time: A Systematized Review Of Sandtray Expressive Arts On Counselor Trainees’ Self-Awareness, A'Lyse M. Miranda

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the impact of sandtray expressive art interventions on the self-awareness of counseling students, recognizing the vital role self-awareness plays in counselor development. It is essential for counselors to practice self-awareness so that they may connect effectively with clients, make ethical decisions, and enhance their professional competence. Self-awareness is best identified as a transformative and reflective integration process. While traditional methods like journaling and supervision are commonly studied, the use of sand tray therapy as an expressive art intervention has received limited attention. This review synthesizes existing literature on self-awareness and sandtray expressive art interventions in counselor education, …

“The Best Laid Plans”: Evaluating How Housing Expectations Impact Prison Reentry, Vittoria A. Gonzalez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study assesses the expectations of housing stability pre-release and evaluates how closely these expectations align with actual housing outcomes. Additionally, this study examines how the alignment between pre-release housing expectations influences recidivism. The aim is to understand how individuals’ perceptions of their housing plans prior to release affect their reentry experiences and to offer insights that may inform policy and program design. Using data collected pre- and post- release within a prison reentry program from 115 individuals, results indicate that higher overall housing concern is associated with slightly higher odds of recidivism, and mismatches between expected and actualized housing …

The Dark Side Of Synchrony: Investigating Affective Valence As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between Physiological Synchrony And Team Performance, Caroline N. Deal

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Team processes are severely understudied, likely given their dynamic nature. Physiological synchrony (PS) may provide a solution, as PS provides a proximal, objective measure of team processes. PS is believed to develop through affect contagion, such that team members who catch each other’s emotions are more likely to physiologically synchronize. Extant research has found relationships between PS and performance; however, many questions remain regarding the nature, scope, and directionality of this relationship. I proposed that PS in the context of a positively valenced emotion would be beneficial to team performance, while PS characterized by a negatively valenced emotion would be …

From Legislation To Lived Experience: Navigating The Expungement Process For Human Trafficking Survivors In Florida, Soriyah A. Khan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human trafficking is an inherently exploitative crime in which survivors are often coerced or forced into committing crimes. As a result, many carry criminal records that impede successful reintegration. To alleviate this issue, criminal record relief statutes have been enacted throughout the U.S. However, little research has examined the effectiveness of these statutes as well as the experiences of human trafficking survivors seeking criminal record relief and the professionals assisting them. Using semi-structured interviews with human trafficking survivors and criminal justice actors in Florida, this study sought to examine the awareness of criminal record relief, their experiences navigating the process, …

Exploring The Behaviors Of Women Who Are Mentally Thriving With Autoimmune Disease: A Mixed Methods Approach, Emilie Ann Ellenberg

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Autoimmune diseases encompass a variety of conditions that impact millions of Americans, with a higher prevalence among women than men. These diseases involve immune system dysregulation, leading to tissue damage and dysfunction. Despite progress in understanding their underlying mechanisms, important aspects remain inadequately understood, such as the relationships among immune dysregulation, medical outcomes, and psychiatric comorbidities. Preliminary qualitative research indicates that perceived diagnostic invalidation leads to the mental health needs among women with autoimmune diseases often being unmet, and behavioral health help-seeking behaviors being reduced. Although perceived diagnostic invalidation can lead to increased mental health symptomology and decreased help-seeking behaviors, …

Myfoodrx: A Personalized Food-As-Medicine Mhealth Application For Food-Insecure Adults With Chronic Conditions, Jay Hiteshkumar Jariwala

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food insecurity (FI) remains a persistent public health challenge in the United States, disproportionately affecting underserved populations and contributing to higher rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Traditional Food-as-Medicine programs have emerged as promising interventions, but often follow a generalized, non-personalized approach that limits long-term effectiveness, especially among diverse, high-risk communities. This thesis presents MyFoodRx, a personalized mobile health (mHealth) application designed to address the intersection of food insecurity and chronic disease through tailored nutritional guidance, real-time pantry integration, and adaptive educational content.

Developed through a User-Centered Design (UCD) process, MyFoodRx leverages a modular client–server architecture, …

The Orange Glow In The Sunshine State: Three Visions Of Plato In Florida (1970-1990), Ryan Mcgahan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The PLATO network, a collection of mainframe computers, terminals, and educational software, has received an increasing amount of scholarly attention in the last decade as a social precursor to the modern internet. Existing histories have neglected to investigate the ways in which PLATO and its related business enterprise worked to accelerate the shift in university governance away from classical liberal ideas centering the public good and towards a more profit-centered neoliberal rationality. By tracing the rise of PLATO in Florida universities, this paper argues that PLATO aided and was aided by the shifting priorities of American universities in the 1970s …

Connectedness And Belonging: An Autoethnography About Military Veteran Transition, Benjamin A. Smet

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Military veterans often face profound challenges transitioning to civilian life, yet prevailing narratives focus narrowly on PTSD and combat trauma. This dissertation uses autoethnography to broaden that view, blending personal narrative with theory to explore seven interrelated transition stressors: grief and bereavement, loss of military identity, autobiographical memory, service-connected nostalgia, moral injury, stereotype threat, and socialized masculinity and stoicism. These layered stories illuminate the cultural, emotional, and relational dimensions of transition, showing how isolation, disconnection, and loss of belonging shape veteran experiences as deeply as trauma. The analysis demonstrates that healing emerges not from prescriptive programs but from relational practices …

"What's A Computer?" Exploring Insurance Agents' Role In Small Business Cyber Insurance Transactions, Dalton A. Crabtree

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods study examined how insurance agents' role identity impacts cyber insurance transactions, addressing gaps in professional practice and academic literature. Small businesses increasingly rely on cyber insurance for protection as cyber risk continues to evolve. The study employed sequential explanatory methodology with 25 interviews across three groups: insurance agents (n=15), corporate cyber insurance professionals (n=5), and small business owners (n=5). Thematic analysis using Katz and Khan's Role Episode Model informed development of the Cyber Insurance Role Identity Scale (CIRIS), tested with 100 agents. Six themes emerged. Key findings reveal that successful cyber insurance transactions require agents to transition from …

A Discussion Of Community: An Ethnography Of Designing Asynchronous Video Discussions To Reveal Student Perceptions Of Digital Presence In Online Learning, Chad S. Garcia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods digital ethnography investigates how video-based discussions (VBD) influence community building in asynchronous graduate education. Using the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework, this study looks at student experiences in a History of Higher Education class where traditional text-based discussions were replaced with video presentations and peer responses. The research explores how video discussions affect students' sense of presence, how video presence impacts engagement patterns, and which multimedia elements contribute to community development.

Data collection included semi-structured interviews with students and instructors, LMS analytics, video content analysis, and ethnographic observation throughout Spring 2024. Analysis revealed a notable disconnect between traditional …

Introductory Chemistry Student Success: Investigating Study Strategies And Evaluating An Informative Utility Value Intervention, Pallavi Nayyar

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Improving retention in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs is essential to meet the growing demand for skilled professionals in the domestic workforce. To achieve this, it is critical to understand and address the factors that influence student persistence in STEM degrees. Gateway courses such as general chemistry often serve as early barriers to STEM degree completion, with high rates of attrition that impact not only individual students but also institutions and society. Therefore, the aim of this work was to examine and influence the factors that contribute to student withdrawal from introductory chemistry courses in order to promote …

Investigating Factors Influencing Organic Chemistry Learners' Explanation Sophistication And Representational Competence, Caroline J. Crowder

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The research presented in this dissertation has two themes: organic chemistry learners’ written explanations and representational competence. Chapters 3 and 4 explore how organic chemistry learners construct explanations of reaction mechanisms, specifically focusing on electrophile and nucleophile components. Chapter 5 investigates organic chemistry learners’ representational competence skills and the relationship between these skills and their performance in the course.

Understanding reaction mechanisms is critical for success in organic chemistry, yet learners often struggle to reason beyond explicit, surface-level features. Constructed-response prompts that ask learners to explain what is happening in a reaction mechanism and why it occurs can provide insight …

The Role Of Emotional Stability And Social Confidence In Leading With Vulnerability Moderated By Perceived Trust In The Leader, Perceived Trust In The Team, And Psychological Safety, Adam N. Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

AKTiVe leadership is a foundational cultural model that has been adopted at Florida Health Science Center (Tampa General Hospital). The premise of the model is that treating each other with Authenticity, Kindness, Transparency, and Vulnerability (AKTiVe Model) will lead to cultural change that enhances trust, engagement, and psychological safety, which will in turn drive performance improvement for the organization. It takes years to change the culture of an organization, which highlights the need to focus on sustainability and resilience in the culture. This research aims to understand the personality traits that predict leading with vulnerability.

I focused on vulnerability because …

Human Adipose Stem Cell-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles Modulate Glial Cell Response In Aged And Young Tbi Mouse Models, Salma S. Abdelmaboud

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of long-term neurological impairment, with aging significantly increasing vulnerability and worsening outcomes. Older individuals experience greater cognitive and motor deficits after TBI and often show diminished responses to therapeutic interventions. Both aging and TBI independently promote heightened neuroinflammation and cognitive dysfunction, increasing susceptibility to poor recovery. This study investigated the therapeutic potential of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) derived from human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) to promote neurological recovery and modulate neuroinflammation in a mouse model of TBI. Male C57BL/6 mice aged 3, 15, and 20 months underwent controlled cortical impact (CCI) and …

A Multidimensional Perspective Of Patterns Of Functioning And Well-Being, Lendi Nicole Joy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality estimates that 79.4% of U.S. adults will remain free from mental illness each year, but this does not necessarily mean they will enjoy positive psychological health and well-being. Well-being has been associated with positive outcomes such as greater health, longevity, work productivity, and increased social engagement. Thus, it is important for researchers to understand factors contributing to the development of well-being and optimal functioning. The current study used latent profile analysis to classify individuals based on their levels of well-being at ages 23 to 26 years and explored functioning indexes assessed when …

Approximating Data-Driven Combinatorial Search In The Feature Space: Pwfs, Mehmet Bugrahan Ayanoglu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents the development and application of a novel feature selection method, Probability Weighted Feature Selection (PWFS), designed to address key challenges in machine learning involving high-dimensional, noisy, or biased datasets. It is a comprehensive exploration of feature selection strategies to enhance the performance, interpretability, and practicality of machine learning models in both engineering systems and educational data mining. PWFS introduces a structured, probabilistic approach to feature selection that adaptively weights features based on their empirical contribution to model performance. This method not only accelerates convergence to near-optimal feature subsets but also enhances flexibility for ensemble learning by encouraging …

He’S The Kid That No One Wanted: An Autoethnographic Examination Of Preschool Suspensions And Expulsions From A Mother’S Lens, Lisa M. Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This autoethnographic research examines the personal and professional journey of advocating against preschool suspensions and expulsions through the lens of a Black mother. Titled He’s The Kid That No One Wanted: An Autoethnographic Examination of Preschool Suspensions and Expulsions from a Mother’s Lens, " it dives into the complicated challenges faced while confronting exclusionary disciplinary practices in early childhood education. This research aims to illuminate the societal and institutional roadblocks encountered when navigating systems of power and to explore the impact of these challenges on both personal identity and professional advocacy. Using a blend of social media artifacts and memory …

Conflicting Social Information And Its Impact On Sentence Comprehension In Young Adults With Dld: An Eye Tracking Study, Ansley Davis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals must recognize linguistic and non-linguistic social cues to resolve contextual ambiguities in their conversations. When the linguistic and social cues match, sentence processing is facilitated. However, conflicts between linguistic and social stimuli (i.e., incongruency) can lead to prediction errors which slow sentence processing. Limited research has explored the social cognition conflict resolution skills in individuals with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) despite their documented emotion processing deficits. This study considers the role of social prediction processing in adults with DLD as they engage in a social cognition conflict resolution task.

Young adults with DLD (n=29) and typically developing (TD) peers …

Gender Representation Of Composers In Recommended Wind Band Literature And Prominent Performances, Devon Alexis Gray Porter

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to evaluate gender representation in recommended literature in wind band repertoire and prominent performances. I collected data from music lists approved by the National Band Association (NBA) state chapters, programs from the Midwest Clinic and College Band Directors National Association, music vendor catalogues, the Teaching Music Through Performance in Band series, and Florida Bandmasters Association (FBA) Music Performance Assessment (MPA) past performances. I evaluated names of composers to determine the male-female ratios and quantities for recommended works from these sources. I conducted further analysis to determine if trends existed in the relationships between composer …

An Exploratory Analysis Of Automated Deception Detection For Mental Health Applications, Sayde Leya King

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Deception in mental health settings can undermine therapeutic relationships, compromise treatment efficacy, and impact patient outcomes. Yet, research shows that mental health clinicians often perform no better than chance at detecting deceptive behavior in therapy. Automated deception detection, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and multimodal behavioral cues—such as eye gaze, body gestures, and facial expressions—offers a promising alternative. However, most existing research focuses on high-stakes legal contexts, limiting its applicability to mental health settings.

This dissertation addresses this gap by pursuing three key research objectives using a mixed-methods approach. First, we investigate mental health clinicians’ perspectives on AI-assisted deception detection through …

Physical Activity And Functional Mobility In Adults With Hearing Loss: A Series Of Embedded Studies Within A 6-Month Clinical Trial With Hearing Aids, Sarah L. Bochat

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adults with hearing loss engage in low levels of physical activity and demonstrate poor performance on measures of functional mobility. The impact of hearing rehabilitation on these outcomes is not fully understood. Previous investigations were largely quantitative and focused on older adults ≥ 65 years of age who may respond differently to hearing intervention than relatively younger adults. They also tended to focus on exercise rather than global engagement in physical activities and did not report hours of hearing aid use, an important indicator of intervention success. One purpose of this dissertation was to determine the feasibility of collecting accelerometry-assessed …

Teaching Word Combinations Using Matrix Training Via Serious Gaming In Minimally Verbal Children, Nataly Innamorato

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the communication challenges faced by minimally verbal children who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), often limited to one-word expressions. The approach used involves gamifying matrix training, an empirically supported method for teaching word combinations and promoting the generalization of language skills. Across three studies, the development of an instructional game is described and evaluated with two populations, typically developing children and children who are minimally verbal. First, it introduces a gamified application of matrix training that provides training in an interactive digital environment. Second, a proof-of-concept was obtained via a multiple baseline across participants with typically …

Healthy Bodies, Moral Minds, And Rural Ideals: Contextualizing Interwar British Childhood And Citizenship Through Children's Country Holidays Fund Vacations, Paula J. Pack

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation uses the Children’s Country Holidays Fund (CCHF) as a critical lens to examine how philanthropy, childhood, class, public health, and rural nostalgia intersected within the broader context of citizen formation in interwar Britain. Founded in 1884 to provide country holidays for poor London schoolchildren, the CCHF evolved from a philanthropic response to Victorian slum life into an informal arm of welfare governance by the end of the interwar period. Through its country holidays, the Fund became an active participant in shaping ideals of health, morality, and civic responsibility in a period marked by heightened concern over national vitality …

Affirmation And Aspiration: Black Women Enrolled In Doctoral Programs At A Pwi Striving For The Tenure-Track, Anayah Alicia Walker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Black women remain vastly underrepresented in tenure-track positions at research universities in the United States, facing systemic barriers that hinder their academic progression. This study examines the experiences and strategies that contribute to Black women’s preparation for tenure-track positions while enrolled in doctoral programs at a predominantly white institution. Grounded in Black feminist thought coupled with an appreciative inquiry lens, this study utilized the sista circle methodology to capture the narratives of seven Black women from various academic disciplines. Findings revealed three experiences that contribute to Black women’s preparation for tenure track positions: intrinsic motivation, funding and institutional resources, and …

Does Practice Make Perfect? Examining The Impact Of Text-Based Reminders On Adherence In The Helping Our Toddlers, Developing Our Children’S Skills Program, Lauren Patrusky

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) are prevalent in approximately 17% of children ages birth to 5 years (CDC, 2023). DBDs can significantly impact a child’s learning, social-emotional wellbeing, and ability to develop and maintain healthy relationship (CDC, 2023). Behavioral parent training (BPT) has been proven effective in reducing disruptive behavior and improving parent-child relationships. However, many families do not fully engage in treatment, leading to poor outcomes for both the child and the family. Chacko (2016) describes BPT engagement as enrolling in treatment, attending weekly sessions, participating in group discussions or role plays in sessions, practicing skills between sessions, and completing …

Which Adolescents Benefit Most From Positive Psychology Interventions: Examining The Common Factors Of Therapeutic Change, Nicolette Bauermeister

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The literature has found positive psychology interventions to be effective at improving the subjective well-being of youth (Tejada-Gallardo et al., 2020). Further research is needed to identify variables such as common factors of change that could be contributing to whether youth report improved outcomes after participating in a positive psychology intervention. This study examined common factors of therapeutic change as predictors for outcomes such as positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction, which are components of subjective well-being. This dissertation aimed to fill the gap in the literature regarding common factors of change as predictors of outcomes in school-based positive …

Algorithms Of Eversion: Contemporary States And Digital Sovereigns, James Libengood

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and digitization have pushed digital sovereignty to the top of the governance agenda in the 21st century. This notion is expanded upon in this work through seven chapters encompassing theoretical underpinnings, methodological frameworks, and real-world case studies. It shows how multinational corporations dominate digital coloniality, and how the merge of physical and digital reality or eversion poses challenges. The study compares contrasting governance approaches, such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), geared to ethical AI and data protection, versus BRICS nations’ stance on data localization …