Digital Commons Network^™

A Qualitative Interview On After-Hours Communication And Reactions To After-Hours Communication, Caleb Browns

Honors Projects

A qualitative study on after-hours communication and its impact on Rumination. The study studied 5 participants from a variety of different fields and organizations who worked more than 20 hours. Questions were asked in a semi-structured interview style. Four Demographic questions, four questions relating to interpretations, and two questions about types of after-work communication. Results were qualitatively coded and reported here.

Individual And Community-Level Trauma And Resiliency From Tornadoes, Taylor M. Guerin

Master of Arts in Human Services

This research paper’s goal was to examine the extent and impact of tornado-related PTSD on individual and community levels in relation to factors such as property damage, mass displacement, cumulative trauma, and seasonal retraumatization. The United States has the most tornado touchdowns globally, placing communities in supercell-prone areas, including Tornado Alley, at higher risk of repeated storm trauma that can affect emotional well-being, sense of safety, and overall financial security (Strader et al., 2024). This researcher utilized a comprehensive literature review approach to examine rates of PTSD, the long-term effects of tornado recovery, the risk of community-level trauma, and to …

Increasing Self-Efficacy To Assist Intimate Partner Violence Victims Using Staff-Directed, Rosanina Carlotta Ketchum

Dissertations

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a women’s health issue. IPV is underreported and a barrier to screening and referral service interventions is a lack of knowledge by health care workers. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental project was to determine if and to what extent the implementation of an evidence-based education session on IPV increased self-efficacy for addressing IPV and the frequency of documented IPV assessments and referrals by staff and volunteers working at a community health perinatal support ministry program in the Midwest. The theoretical frameworks for understanding the effect of IPV and how to increase self-efficacy were the …

Mitigating Nursing Student Stress Through Mindfulness Techniques, Mandy Mcguire

Group: Northern Arizona University School of Nursing, DNP Doctoral Papers

Undergraduate nursing students experience high levels of academic and psychosocial stress, which can negatively impact learning and well-being. National and international evidence indicate that a large proportion of nursing students report elevated stres throughout their education. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to evaluate the effect of faculty-facilitated mindfulness techniques on undergraduate nursing students’ perceived stress over one academic semester. A repeated-measures approach was used, with students completing the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) at baseline (week 1), mid-semester (week 7), and post-intervention (week 14). Faculty shared brief mindfulness techniques, including guided breathing, guided imagery, and reflective …

Digital Inclusion And Psychiatric Care For Adults Experiencing Homelessness: Barriers, Innovations, And Ethical Implications, Ramon A. Gambino Castanos

DNP and Student Works

Populations experiencing homelessness face disproportionately high rates of mental health illness, yet they remain among the most digitally excluded populations in current healthcare systems. As new digital health interventions like telehealth, mobile apps, and eHealth platforms become increasingly important to mental health care delivery, questions arise about their accessibility, feasibility, and ethical implications for unhoused individuals. This paper explores the intersection of digital inclusion and mental health care for adults experiencing homelessness, drawing on eight systematic reviews published between 2020 and 2025. The literature reveals significant barriers to digital access, including lack of devices, internet connectivity, digital literacy, and trust …

Improving Gut Health, Hydration, And Constipation Prevention In Elderly Long-Term Care Residents, Mendi A. Mbuan

Group: Nebraska Methodist College

Dehydration and constipation are prevalent and interrelated concerns among elderly residents in long-term care (LTC) settings, contributing to reduced quality of life and preventable complications. This quality improvement project evaluated a structured, evidence-based intervention aimed at improving hydration, supporting gut health, and reducing constipation. A pre- and post-intervention design was implemented over six weeks in a pilot unit (n = 15 residents). The intervention included staff education, daily hydration monitoring, bowel tracking using the Bristol Stool Form Scale, and non-pharmacological strategies such as hydration prompts and fiber-supportive practices. Descriptive statistics and paired-samples t tests (α = .05) were used to …

Supporting Best Practice Standards In Clinical Simulation Through Community Collaboration: An Exploration Of Impacts On Nursing Student Clinical Competency, Lindsay N. Dubois

Dissertations

Authentic patient representation is essential for preparing nursing students to provide quality care. This need is significant for populations impacted by legislative restrictions to healthcare. Additionally, inconsistent approaches in clinical simulation can hinder teaching and learning of valuable content. Nurses have extensive experience in ethics and social justice advocacy to improve health outcomes. Community collaborations help nurses better support their patients and novice learner competency. In 2022, clinicians and faculty collaborated to improve gender-inclusive representation in undergraduate nursing curricula and to educate learners about local resources. This standardized patient experience, focused on the care of a transgender and non-binary identifying …

From Protest To Form: Translating Venezuelan Resistance Into Architectural Form, Estefany S. Gomes

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Political unrest in Venezuela has continuously redefined the relationship between power and space. Protest reveals that collective action is inherently spatial. As movement consolidates into collective action, it reorganizes territory and redefines how space is used and occupied. What appears as an event can be understood as a constructed condition shaped by direction, pressure, and intensity. In this sense, protest operates as a temporary architecture formed through motion and presence.

This thesis investigates the spatial intelligence embedded in protest and explores how it can be translated into architectural form. Protests reorganize space through compression and release. They unfold through phases …

Medication Dosage Calculation: The Impact Of Simulation-Based Deliberate Practice On General Self-Efficacy In First-Quarter Nursing Students, Hasani Green

Dissertations

Medication dosage calculation (MDC) competency is essential for safe nursing practice. However, many prelicensure nursing students experience persistent numeracy deficits, anxiety, and inconsistent preparation, contributing to academic failure and potential patient harm. This Doctor of Nursing Practice project addressed the need for effective early instructional strategies by evaluating the impact of an MDC simulation-based learning through deliberate practice (SBL-DP) intervention on first-quarter Associate Degree in Nursing and Bachelor of Science in Nursing students’ General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) scores. Guided by Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory, a quantitative, quasi-experimental one-group before-and-after design was used with a convenience sample of students enrolled in a …

A Study Of Booster Seat Education In An Elementary School Setting, Rosanina Carlotta Ketchum

Theses

The leading cause of death in children five to nine years old is motor vehicle accidents (MVA). Booster seats decrease the risk of injury during MVA’s, and knowledge deficit is a frequently listed reason for the non-use of booster seats. A descriptive quantitative research method was undertaken using a survey design to evaluate the effectiveness of parental booster seat education in the elementary school setting in increasing booster seat use among 4- to 8-year-olds in one Oklahoma community. A chi-square test of independence found that parents who attended booster seat education sessions had higher rates of consistent booster seat use …

Lived Experiences Of Transformational Leaders In Rural Agribusiness During Economic Uncertainty, Gina Hayes-Walton

College of Business

This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study explored how transformational leaders in rural agribusiness understood and interpreted their leadership role and which behaviors they identified as meaningful for sustaining their organizations during the economic uncertainty spanning March 2020 through December 2023. Rural agribusinesses in Alabama's Black Belt operate with limited capital, aging infrastructure, and constrained access to institutional resources, conditions that place unusual weight on internal leadership capacity. Twelve agribusiness leaders with decision-making authority in producer, distributor, and supplier operations across the 18-county Black Belt region completed individual semi-structured interviews. Leadership responsibility extended beyond the individual enterprise to land, workforce, and community, …

Implementing A High-Risk Screening Checklist To Reduce 30-Day Readmissions In Skilled Nursing Facility Residents, Kayla G. Williamson

Group: Nebraska Methodist College

Hospital readmissions from skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) contribute to poor patient outcomes, increased healthcare costs, and financial strain on healthcare systems. Older adults in SNFs are at increased risk for rehospitalization due to chronic illness, polypharmacy, and functional decline. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to implement a standardized high-risk screening checklist to improve identification of residents at risk for hospital readmission and reduce preventable 30-day readmissions among adults aged 65 years and older in a skilled nursing facility.

This project used a quasi-experimental pre- and post-implementation design without a control group and was guided by the Chronic …

When They See Us: A Phenomenological Study Of Black Adolescent Perspectives On The Role Of Teacher Empathy In Academic Engagement And Academic Success While Attending Bronx Middle Schools, Pearl N. Moore

Student Theses

Black adolescents face stark inequalities that create barriers to academic achievement and success within the American educational system. In New York City schools—particularly in the Bronx—Black adolescents have historically been subjected to harsher and more frequent disciplinary actions, including disproportionately higher suspensions, and have dropped out at higher rates than their peers. This data reflects the lived experience of Black adolescents navigating an inequitable educational system that too often fails to honor their full humanity.

Educational research indicates that empathetic teachers help reduce drop-out rates while keeping students academically engaged and successful. When students feel seen, understood, valued, and safe, …

Decreasing Falls In Older Adults, Hannah L. Brudigam Jensen, Gina Crudden

Group: Nebraska Methodist College

Problem: Falls among adults aged 65 years and older are a leading cause of injury, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and healthcare costs. Early identification of individuals at risk is essential to preventing falls and related complications.

Intervention: Guided by the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice, a fall risk program was implemented in a rural Midwestern emergency department. Following a 30-day staff education period, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries) algorithm and the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) were implemented in adults aged 65 years and older during a 30-day pilot.

Measures: Outcomes …

Improving Radon Knowledge And Confidence Through A Clinic-Based Intervention In Rural Iowa, Anna L. Gill, Gina Crudden

Group: Nebraska Methodist College

Problem: Iowa has the highest average indoor radon levels in the United States, but awareness, testing, and mitigation rates remain low in rural communities. Many residents are unaware of radon’s health risks, and primary care settings offer an opportunity for environmental health education. This project addressed gaps in radon knowledge and testing behaviors among adults in a rural outpatient clinic.

Intervention: A brief, five-minute radon education session was offered during routine clinic visits using evidence-based educational materials. The intervention focused on radon health risks, Iowa’s radon prevalence, testing procedures, mitigation options, and available community resources. Education was delivered in person …

Before The First Feed: Advancing Breastfeeding Success Through Prenatal Education, Grace R. Bessmer, Linda Hughes

Group: Nebraska Methodist College

Breastfeeding is a critical determinant of maternal and infant health. However, initiation and continuation rates remain below national and global targets, particularly among primiparous women in rural settings. Limited access to prenatal education and lactation support contributes to early breastfeeding cessation. This project aimed to improve breastfeeding outcomes through a structured, evidence-based prenatal breastfeeding education intervention for first-time mothers at a rural Midwestern hospital, consisting of a 20-minute virtual video delivered between 33–35 weeks’ gestation focused on breastfeeding benefits, early initiation, positioning and latch, and management of common challenges. A post-intervention design was used to evaluate outcomes among 18 participants …

Reducing Inappropriate Antibiotic Use In Pediatric Patients With Upper Respiratory Infections, Kelsea Marescalco, Christina Vejnovich

Group: Nebraska Methodist College

Inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for pediatric upper respiratory infections (URIs) remains a significant public health concern, contributing to antimicrobial resistance, adverse drug events, and increased healthcare costs. Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) students represent future prescribers who play an important role in promoting evidence-based antibiotic use and antimicrobial stewardship. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention designed to improve second year FNP students’ knowledge and confidence regarding pediatric URI management and antibiotic stewardship. The project was implemented at a Midwestern college of nursing and utilized a pre- and post-intervention observational …

Prepared To Protect: Evaluating Food Allergy Training Needs For Teachers And Staff, Sonja M. Hubka

Group: Nebraska Methodist College

Food allergies are a growing public health concern among school-aged children and can lead to life-threatening reactions if not recognized and managed properly. This Doctoral Scholarly Project aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational PowerPoint intervention designed to improve elementary school personnel's knowledge of food allergies. The project focused on increasing awareness of common food allergens, recognizing signs and symptoms of allergic reactions and anaphylaxis, and providing appropriate first-line management, including timely epinephrine administration.

A pre-experimental design using a pre-test/post-test format was implemented with elementary school staff participants. Baseline knowledge and perceived confidence were assessed using a brief 10-question …

Lean Thinking Tools And Their Effect On Rural Faculty Motivation In Assessment, Bliss Adkison

College of Education

Faculty engagement in academic program assessment remains difficult in rural higher education institutions because limited resources and multiple responsibilities can make assessment feel like an isolated compliance task. Grounded in self-determination theory, this explanatory sequential mixed-methods study examined whether faculty participation in a rapid improvement event (RIE) (lean thinking-based intervention) was associated with faculty members’ perceived enjoyment, effort, and competence in program assessment. Faculty from two rural institutions participated in a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest non-equivalent-groups design. Forty-seven faculty completed the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) pretest, and 45 faculty completed the posttest. Six faculty were also interviewed. Analysis of covariance was used …

Voices Unheard: Multilingual Students Reshaping Rural Stem Education, Erin Brooke Elliott-Elrod

College of Education

The multilingual student population in the United States averages 10.6% nationally. Growth has been most pronounced in the rural Southeast, where schools face demographic shifts with limited linguistic support. At one rural Deep South school named Ridgeway High School (a pseudonym), multilingual student enrollment grew from approximately 5% in 1998 to over 50% by 2024 (A. Harrison, personal communication, January 24, 2026). Yet, not one EL-designated student achieved proficiency in English Language Arts, and school-wide math proficiency stands at 9.15% (Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE), 2024). STEM disciplines compound these barriers, as access to content and discipline-specific discourse depend …

Urgent Care: Triaging To The Appropriate Level Of Care, Emma Majerus, Lyndsi Hall, Linda Hughes

Group: Nebraska Methodist College

Problem: Patients present to urgent care clinics who may have conditions that need a higher level of care. These patients are often triaged incorrectly by their primary care providers and triage line nurses who are not always familiar with the resources available at urgent care. The purpose of this project is to utilize evidence-based practice to educate primary care providers and triage lines about the resources available at an urgent care clinic to better direct patients to the appropriate level of care.

Intervention: Educational meetings and posters were used with three primary care providers and four triage line nurses who …

Developing A Universal Screening Tool To Identify Barriers To Preventive Care In A Food Pantry Setting, Nikole R. Wagner

Group: Nebraska Methodist College

Problem: Low-income populations experience significant barriers to preventive healthcare access, contributing to delayed screenings, chronic disease burden, and health disparities. Although food pantries are trusted community resources, many lack standardized methods to identify barriers affecting clients’ preventive care access.

Purpose: This project developed and piloted a universal screening tool to identify perceived barriers to preventive healthcare among clients of a Midwestern food pantry.

Intervention: A five-item anonymous paper survey was developed based on evidence-based screening concepts and assessed five domains: personal constraints, social supports and trust, organizational logistics, community infrastructure, and policy barriers. Pantry staff were trained to distribute surveys …

Investigating The Relationship Between Locale, Transportation, And Chronic Absenteeism In Rural Schools, Dawn T. Cook

College of Education

Chronic absenteeism poses a severe threat to public education, directly eroding student achievement by compounding instructional time loss. This correlational study, grounded in bioecological systems theory, examined the relationship between student transportation access, regional isolation, and chronic absenteeism within public elementary and middle schools (grades 3–8) in Alabama. The study used primary self-reported data from a standardized parent survey administered across five public schools and secondary archival records covering every rural public school in Alabama. I analyzed the data using binary logistic regression models and a one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The results showed that primary transportation modality (bus versus …

Exploring The Viability Of A Mobile Platform For Families Of Children With Autism: A Community-Based Approach, Natasha N. Babulal

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Families raising children with autism spectrum disorder face chronic stress, social isolation, and significant barriers to accessing consistent, relevant support. Existing digital tools are largely child-focused, fragmented, and not designed with caregiver well-being or peer connection in mind. This mixed-methods exploratory study assessed the viability of a community-based mobile application designed to address those gaps by connecting caregivers, providing practical strategies, and facilitating access to professional guidance.

The study was grounded in social support theory and the technology acceptance model, and examined caregiver-identified needs, preferred app features, and willingness to engage with a proposed digital platform. Data were collected from …

Engineering, Processing, And Evaluation Of Alternative Solid-Phase Carbon Media For Passive Self-Regulatory Denitrification (Psrd), Chinedu James Chiama

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Biological denitrification is an effective and cost-efficient approach for nitrate removal; however, conventional processes often rely on liquid carbon sources such as methanol or acetate that require precise dosing and monitoring. Solid-phase denitrification (SPD) using polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) provides a self-regulating alternative, but its high cost limits widespread application. This dissertation investigated strategies to develop lower-cost solid carbon media and simplify SPD operation for recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). PHB/cellulose (PHBC) blends containing 20–40% cellulose were first evaluated against pure PHB based on nitrate conversion, carbon release, substrate consumption, and denitrification cost. PHBC60:40 and PHBC70:30 achieved the highest apparent peak nitrate conversion …

Effective Modalities Of High-Dosage Tutoring For Literacy Development In Elementary Students, Kristy S. Gilpin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Since 2021, Louisiana has enacted several pieces of legislation to improve student literacy rates. In 2024, Louisiana passed legislation that requires the implementation of high-dosage tutoring for students. This study examined the effects of high-dosage literacy tutoring delivered through two modalities: traditional, in-person tutoring and online tutoring provided by the popular vendor Air Reading. Specifically, the study investigated whether differences existed in student growth based on modality and whether tutoring modality and attendance were significant predictors of growth for second through fifth-grade students in a rural Louisiana school district. Student growth was measured using changes in DIBELS composite score …

The Relationship Between Outdoor Recreation, Menopausal Symptoms, And Overall Well-Being, Heather Flock

Doctorate in Kinesiology

Menopause is associated with physical, psychological, and vasomotor symptoms that can affect women’s health, quality of life, and participation in physical activity. Although physical activity has been widely recommended for managing health during menopause, the relationship between outdoor recreation, menopausal symptoms, and overall well-being has remained underexplored. This cross-sectional mixed-methods study examined the relationship between outdoor recreation participation, menopausal symptoms, and well-being while identifying barriers to participation and recommendations for recreation programming. Fifteen menopausal women completed the Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS) and participated in focus groups addressing outdoor recreation experiences, barriers, motivations, and perceived well-being. Quantitative data were analyzed using …

An Exploratory Study Of The Effects Of 8 Weeks Of Nonlinear Periodization Within Tactical Athlete Populations, Stephen Hudgins

Doctorate in Kinesiology

Tactical athletes, including military personnel, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and security professionals, must maintain high levels of physical readiness despite unpredictable schedules, demanding occupational requirements, and elevated injury risk. Traditional training models may not adequately address the need to simultaneously develop multiple components of fitness while remaining adaptable to irregular work demands. Nonlinear periodization has been proposed as a flexible training strategy capable of improving several fitness characteristics concurrently. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an eight-week nonlinear periodized training program on tactical athlete performance across multiple domains of physical fitness. A repeated-measures quantitative design …

Pi3kδ Inhibition Alters Cd8 T Cell Differentiation And Reprograms The Tumor Microenvironment Following Adoptive Immunotherapy, Alexandrea Joy Turnquist

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

T cell exhaustion remains a significant barrier to effective adoptive cell therapy in solid tumors. Here, we demonstrate that in vitro treatment with the PI3Kδ inhibitor CAL-101 generates T cells with enhanced stemness and metabolic fitness, though the stemness of these cells is not dependent on HIF-1α -dependent mechanisms. These cells show increased mitochondrial dependence and spare respiratory capacity while maintaining normal basal metabolism. Under chronic antigen stimulation, CAL-101-treated T cells, including human T cells, resist terminal exhaustion and maintain stem-like properties. Using single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics of B16 melanoma tumors, we found that CAL-101-treated T cells preferentially …

Exploring The Effects Of A Five-Week Structured Exercise Program On Adolescents With Physician-Diagnosed Asthma, Christopher Byles

Doctorate in Kinesiology

Asthma, a prevalent chronic disease among adolescents, poses challenges for healthcare providers and exercise professionals seeking evidence-based methods to improve health outcomes. Despite the established importance of structured exercise for managing asthma, limited research has examined its effects on adolescents with asthma in community-based settings. This exploratory study evaluated changes in lung function, asthma control, exercise capacity, and quality of life among adolescents with physician-diagnosed asthma following participation in a 5-week, supervised, community-based structured exercise program delivered in two formats: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training (MICT). Five participants, adolescents aged 12-17 with physician-diagnosed asthma, were included in …