Digital Commons Network^™

K–12 Teachers’ Experiences “With Or Without” Breastfeeding/Pumping Policy In The School Workplace, Michelle Mae Phillips

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the experiences of classroom teachers who are lactating and expressing milk in a situation with or without school/district policies related to lactation and breastmilk expression. As there is little in the published literature that describes postpartum K–12 teachers' experiences while pumping breastmilk in the workplace. There is a need for studies that highlight these experiences and explore how policies impact breastfeeding teachers. The study was guided by three research questions: (1) How do classroom teachers who are, or have been, lactating and expressing milk during their workday experience school/district policies related to lactation and breastmilk expression? (2) …

The Culture Of Learning Disabilities, Race And Athletics: An Examination Of Student-Athlete Experiences In Predominantly White Institutions Of Higher Education’S Division One College Football Programs, Ashley L. White

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Students’ educational experiences vary. The differences in these experiences can be attributed to a variety of factors, including but not limited to geographic location, socio-economic status, age, gender, race, ability, and individual experiences before and during schooling. In this study, the researcher examined the intersectionality of race and disability in the context of postsecondary education and student-athletes through the experiences of participants who identified themselves within select categories, namely as Black/African American and student-athlete. Of equal importance, participants struggled to meet normalized standards of learning during their P-12 educational experiences and/or were identified with a categorical learning disability. As will …

Glamour In Contemporary American Cinema, Shauna A. Maragh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

American cinematic glamour shapes hegemonic notions of femininity, beauty, performativity, sensuality, and sexuality for both female actresses and viewers. In addition, glamour has an economic component in encouraging women to buy products, such as clothing and makeup, to help them emulate their idols from cinema. Glamour is more than beauty and notoriety: it is achieved through careful stylization of tangible aspects—hair, clothes, makeup—and intangible, cinematic elements—performance, dialog, lighting, and camera techniques. In Classical Hollywood, traditionally white standards of beauty were often exalted as glamorous, and many leading roles were played by racialized white actresses; however, actresses of color were frequently …

The Effects Of The Use Of Task Clarification And Self-Monitoring In The Form Of Feedback To Increase On-Time Billing In Behavior Analysts, Christopher Sugiarto

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The implications of untimely billing in an independent contractor model can be costly for both the contractor and the employer in terms of unpaid work hours and total income loss. Beyond these issues, both Medicaid and the Behavior Analysis Certification Board discuss the possible ethical dilemmas created by delayed billing. Due to the importance of the billing process, several studies have evaluated increasing job performance and on-time billing for a variety of professions using treatment packages including self-monitoring, task clarification, and feedback. However, prior to this study, none have evaluated self-management, in the form of self-generated feedback on increasing the …

Beyond The Hype: Challenges Of Neural Networks As Applied To Social Networks, Anthony Hernandez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in neural network-based machine learning algorithms promise a rev-olution in prediction tasks across a variety of domains. Of these, forecasting user activity insocial media is particularly relevant for problems such as modeling and predicting informa-tion diffusion and designing intervention techniques to mitigate disinformation campaigns.Another potential task is anonymizing social network datasets to facilitate their distributionand promote research. Given the success of deep generative models, it may be possible touse them for anonymization. Social media seems an ideal context for applying neural net-work techniques, as they provide large data sets and challenging prediction objectives. Yet,our experiments find a number …

Using Optimization Methods For Solving Problems In Sustainable Urban Mobility And Conservation Planning, Zulqarnain Haider

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation considers three separate optimization problems related to sustainable urban and environmental systems. The first problem relates to the nightly relocation and recharging operations for Free-floating electric vehicle sharing (FFEVS) systems. Such operations involve a crew of drivers to move the shared electric vehicles (EVs), and a fleet of shuttles to transport those drivers. Mixed integer programs are used to model the relocation and recharging operations. Two approaches are devised: sequential and synchronized approaches. In the sequential approach, the movement of EVs is first decided, then the routing of shuttles and drivers is determined. In the synchronized approach, all …

Changing The Culture Of Consent: Teaching Young Children Personal Boundaries, Marlesha C. Bell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Currently, eight states and Washington D.C. mention consent education in their sex education standards (Naide, 2020). Most school-based consent education curricula focus on teaching pre-teens through adults consent within the context of sexual contact (Planned Parenthood, 2016). However, consent may be relevant for behavior outside the context of sexual contact. Young children could develop a repertoire for consent skills and use it to set and respect boundaries. Furthermore, behavior analysis has teaching technologies that could be used to inform a curriculum for teaching consent, such as behavioral skills training (Johnson et al., 2006) and video modeling (Charlop & Milstein, 1989). …

Temporal Discounting And The Assessment And Treatment Of Academic Procrastination, Anthony Concepcion

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many individuals engage in procrastination at some point in their lifetime. Although procrastination is usually not detrimental, for college students, academic procrastination is correlated with adverse health effects (e.g., anxiety, depression, sleep hygiene) and poor academic performance (Akinsola, et al., 2007; Ferrari, et al., 1995). Furthermore, the prevalence of academic procrastination is high with reports of up to 95% of college students engaging in detrimental amounts of procrastination (Hussain & Sultan, 2010). Notably, students enrolled in online courses are likely to be at greater risk to experience adverse consequences associated with procrastination (Elvers, et al, 2003). Previous studies have focused …

Early Adolescents' Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction And Frustration, Motivation, And Verbal Divergent Thinking Within An Out-Of-School Context, Megan Louise Atha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Early adolescence is a vital time for the development of creative thinking and behaviors (Barbot et al., 2016) as well as for examining factors that influence the motivation of youth to engage and persist in creative processes and to develop creative abilities (Beghetto & Dilley, 2016). In order to support the motivation towards creative pursuits that may be unique to early adolescent youth, the satisfaction of basic psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness may be important. Since out-of-school contexts are an increasingly important element of adolescents’ day-to-day experiences, research that investigates how contextual factors contribute to the development of …

Exploring Refugee Students’ Second Language (L2) Motivational Selves Through Digital Visual Representations, Nhu Le

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While the ‘travel ban’ immigration executive order, ‘build a wall’ proposal, and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids under the Trump administration are still hot-button issues, the United States (US) is urged to maintain its leadership in addressing a rising global refugee crisis with over 65 million (70.8 million updated from United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR)’s website, https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance.html, as of April 2020) individuals displaced all over the world (Khurma, 2017). Millions of refugee families have fled from life-threatening conditions in their homelands, making perilous journeys to reach host countries in search of a better life. While settling into …

The Perceived Usefulness Of A Weather Radar Display By Tampa Bay Residents, Michelle E. Saunders

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A weather radar display is a tool that provides spatially oriented, timely information about an impending weather event. While radar is frequently used by meteorologists, emergency managers, and pilots, this tool is now readily available for individuals to use on a variety of platforms including television, computer/laptop, smartphones and tablets. Most importantly, there are hundreds of mobile weather applications available as well as online sources that provide a weather radar display. However, little is known about how individuals use a weather radar display. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation is to understand why radar is sought out as a tool …

Development Of An Integrated Direct Membrane Filtration (Dmf) And Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (Anmbr) System For Dilute Municipal Wastewater Treatment, Ahmet Erkan Uman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The total electricity consumption due to municipal wastewater treatment in the US accounts for 1.3% of total demand. Also, a significant portion of biodegradable constituents in wastewater is converted into biomass, which needs further processing. On the one hand, an excessive amount of energy and chemicals are being used to treat wastewater, but on the other hand, resources (such as nitrogen and phosphorus, energy, and water) in wastewater are being discharged or removed rather than recovered. From this perspective, new wastewater treatment technologies are sorely needed to facilitate resource recovery from wastewater for a better, more sustainable future.

Anaerobic membrane …

"You Want To Teach What?" An Examination Of Physical Education Teacher Candidates' Motivation To Teach Physical Education, Rebecca C. Wylie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the reasons individuals choose to become physical educators. Understanding these PE teacher candidates’ motivating factors for choosing this career is important as nearly half of all new teachers will leave the profession within the first three years of teaching (Ensign & Mays Woods, 2017). Using the theoretical framework of Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory, (1984) motivation levels of the PE teacher candidates’ were also examined. For this study, six PE teacher candidates answered both the Attractors and Facilitators for Physical Educators questionnaire and the Academic Motivation Scale. The participants also participated in two semi-structured interviews examining their …

Evaluating Public Posting, Goal Setting, And Rewards To Increase Physical Activity In Children, Bryon G. Miller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In Experiments 1 and 2 we evaluated a pedometer-based intervention consisting of public posting between two teams of students, with additional self-monitoring, goal setting, and reinforcement components, to increase physical activity during school recess. In the absence of self-monitoring, performance feedback alone did not increase physical activity levels above those observed during baseline. Additionally, higher levels of physical activity were observed when goal-setting was introduced, with the highest levels of activity observed when raffle tickets could be earned for exceeding a specified step-total goal. In Experiment 3 we removed the team component and evaluated similar intervention components across an entire …

Machine Learning For The Internet Of Things: Applications, Implementation, And Security, Vishalini Laguduva Ramnath

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Artificial intelligence and ubiquitous sensor systems have seen tremendous advances in recent times, resulting in groundbreaking impact across domains such as healthcare, entertainment, and transportation through a collective ecosystem called the Internet of Things. The advent of 5G and improved wireless networks will further accelerate the research and development of tools in deep learning, sensor systems, and computing platforms by providing improved network latency and bandwidth. While tremendous progress has been made in the Internet of Things, current work has largely focused on building robust applications that leverage the data collected through ubiquitous sensor nodes to provide actionable rules and …

Socio-Technical Transitions In The Water Sector: Emerging Boundaries For Utility Resilience In Barbados, Wainella N. Isaacs

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Resilience is gaining popularity in the water sector where it described as contributing to reduced vulnerability to water-related risks and hazards including climate change. Unfortunately, literature in this area, contributed mainly from North America and Europe, is fragmented with a concentration on engineering resilience in water supply infrastructure. The absence of any scholarship on resilience for a small island nation, coupled with the absence of sociological contributors to building resilience in this sector motivated this research.

The goal of this research was to understand and evaluate how resilience is characterized and operationalized in the Barbados water and wastewater infrastructure system, …

Effects Of Inter-Male Status Challenge And Psychopathic Traits On Sexual Aggression, Amy M. Hoffmann

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sexual aggression (SA) is a serious social problem that has been linked to a variety of negative physical and mental health outcomes for survivors and produces significant monetary costs to society. In the past five decades, a wealth of research has improved our understanding of the individual and sociocultural factors that contribute to SA perpetration; however, epistemological differences in theoretical approaches to the subject (i.e., evolutionary, feminist) have resulted in gaps in the empirical literature. Informed by both feminist and evolutionary perspectives, this study attempts to examine the ways in which same-gender interpersonal interactions and individual psychopathology interact to produce …

Domestic Life During The Late Intermediate Period At El Campanario Site, Huarmey Valley, Peru, Jose Luis Peña

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates domestic activities conducted at El Campanario, an important settlement in the Huarmey Valley which is located in the north-central coast of Peru. The archaeological excavations and material analyses conducted at El Campanario for this dissertation revealed the presence of a characteristic ceramic style containing incised and press-molded decoration. This distinctive ceramic style is commonly denominated Casma and can be found along the Peruvian coast between the Chao Valley to the north and the Huarmey Valley to the south. The excavations were conducted in domestic contexts which were identified from the surface based on food remains and large …

Teacher Leadership: The Value Of Action Research In The Development Of Science Teacher Leaders, Vanessa Vernaza-Hernández

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The past few years have seen the establishment of many professional development programs for science teachers leaders aimed at improving the process of teaching and learning of science. One of these is the Robert Noyce Master Teacher Fellows (MTF) program, which is part of a research university in the southeastern United States. This is an extended teacher development program with the purpose of developing effective science and mathematics teachers into successful teacher leaders, professional development providers, curriculum developers, and formal mentors. One of the characteristics that distinguishes this MTF program is that, as part of the leadership development experiences, the …

The Impact Of Cues On Autobiographical Memory Recall In Depression, Ena Begovic

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studies have consistently found autobiographical memory (AM) impairments in persons with depression. However, these studies have largely utilized generic word cues to elicit AM, yet word cues do not reflect how AMs are typically represented in the mind nor how AMs are usually cued in daily life. The current two-part study employed improved methodology to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of cues on AM recall and emotional functioning in depression. In part one, a set of word and image cues were developed and validated. In part two, twenty-one currently depressed and 31 never-depressed participants were instructed to …

Textbooks As A Tool For Planning And Facilitating Mathematical Discourse, Denise L. Polojac-Chenoweth

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Across the nation, mathematics teachers are struggling to help their students meet the demands of high stakes testing while adhering to state standards for content and teaching and dealing with the time constraints imposed by school activities, paperwork, and testing schedules. Classroom mathematical discourse is touted as a central element of a quality mathematics learning environment. Nevertheless, many teachers struggle to implement mathematical discourse effectively. This dissertation aims to explore the use of textbooks as tools to support teachers in the planning and facilitation of mathematical classroom discourse.

In this study, I employed a mixed-methods design to investigate (1) how …

Competition In Upstream Humanitarian Supply Chain: Investigation Of Food Banks, Iana Shaheen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Global hunger is not about a shortage of food. Currently, the world generates enough food to sustain every man, woman, and child on the planet. However, in 2018, about 815 million people, or almost 11% of the population, were hungry worldwide (World Hunger Report, 2018). To respond to the problems in ways more adapted to the requirements of people in need, humanitarian organizations (HOs) are dedicated to becoming more effective and efficient (Weiss, 2013). With the boost in the number of people that require humanitarian assistance, the number of HOs is increasing each year. As a result, there is unanimity …

The Confederate Triumvirate: Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, And The Making Of The Lost Cause, 1863-1940, Aaron Lewis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While numerous historians have studied and written about the lives and deeds of Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis, fewer have conducted analyses of these three individuals’ popular memories. This study considers how the memory of these three Confederate leaders formed the foundation of the Lost Cause. From 1863 through the 1940s, white southerners held each of these three men in high esteem, proclaiming them as heroes to the dead Confederate ideology. Orators and writers who built the Lost Cause in South consistently utilized their memories to argue in favor of the righteousness of the Confederate cause and …

Female Identity And Sexuality In Contemporary Indonesian Novels, Zita Rarastesa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project focuses on female characters’ identity and sexuality in four contemporary Indonesian novels, selected based on historical settings highly significant to the discussion. First, The Girl from the Coast (2002) by Pramoedya Ananta Toer takes place during Dutch colonialization, and the second, The Dancer (1982) by Ahmad Tohari, during the transition of power from President Soekarno to General Suharto, a period when the Indonesian Communist Party was still active. Durga/Umayi (2004) by Y. B. Mangunwijaya and Saman, a Novel (1998) by Ayu Utami both take place during the New Order era when Suharto was president of Indonesia.

The project’s …

An Exploration Of The Retention And Attrition Factors For The Campus-Based Fraternity/Sorority Student Affairs Professional, Viancca J. Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A higher education administrator who provides oversight, education, and accountability for fraternities and sororities is the fraternity/sorority advisor. Long-term retention in this role is low, with the average amount of time spent in the position being 3.33 years (Koepsell & Stillman, 2016). Limited research has been conducted to understand why. The purpose of the study was to explore the factors (including characteristics and experiences) contributing to the retention and attrition of campus-based student affairs professionals working in the fraternity/sorority life functional area. This qualitative study included 23 participants who at the time served in the role for longer than eight …

Understanding Campus Support Programs: How Universities Are Assisting Foster Care Alumni In Achieving Success, Bonnie Wilson Brown

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Young adults with foster care experience encounter a number of challenges related to obtaining a college degree. To assist this population in reaching their academic goals, many colleges and universities have created campus-based support programs. These programs are designed to assist former foster youth through an array of services, which range from financial aid to mentorship. However, little is known about how these programs are designed or implemented, or how effectively they are meeting the needs of this population. This dissertation sought to build upon previous research that examined the barriers faced by former foster children who are pursuing a …

Assisted Living Facilities In Florida: Examining The Factors Associated With Entries, Closure, And Licensure Change, Joseph W. June

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Assisted living facilities (ALFs) have become a large provider of long-term care in the United States. Their expansion has been met with interest from older adults who desire to be independent yet receive some services and from state legislators who recently have attempted to increase access. Studies in long-term care have focused extensively on nursing homes, but recent research has examined the effects of ALFs on the long-term care market. Research has been lacking in understanding the unique markets of ALFs. Describing themselves as “communities” and offering multiple options for housing, ALFs have targeted independent and wealthier older adults who …

Spatial Heterogeneity Utilization In Ct Images For Lung Nodule Classication, Dmitrii Cherezov

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lung cancer (LC) is leading in the number of deaths among the other types of cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, 135,720 deaths during 2020 in the USA will be associated with LC. The patient 5-year survival rate of 16\% was reported in 1986 and 19% in 2019. One of the reasons why survival rate remains low is that the majority of patients diagnosed with cancer had stages III and IV. In contrast, a 5-year survival rate of 70% was reported for patients of stage IA after surgical resection in the National Lung Screening Trial.

CT screening detects a …

Syrian Female Refugees: Exploring Identity And Online Language Learning, Alia Hadid

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was three-fold. First, it aimed to focus on the experiences of Syrian female refugees studying English online and examine their reactions. Second, it researched the impact learning English online had on their identity as language learners. Third, it investigated how learning English online affected their daily life interactions in their new environment.

The participants in this study were nine Syrian female refugees, but the stories highlighted the experiences of two focal participants. Through narrative inquiry, I collected stories about their perceptions of the online English course and how they used English in and out of …

There Is No I In Team: A Case Study Exploring Co-Teaching Relationships In Preschool Classrooms, Stefanie Claire Lynch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Co-teaching is a highly complex phenomenon where two teachers work together in some capacity. Co-teaching is an accepted practice in preschools across the United States to meet state licensing standards and state ratios. There is a paucity of research done on this topic in preschool classrooms in the United States. The purpose of this study is to explore co- teaching relationships in preschool classrooms. This study was guided by three research questions: What are teachers’ notions about co-teaching? What are co-teachers’ experiences working in preschool classrooms? How does care manifest in co-teaching relationships? This study delves into the ways in …