Digital Commons Network^™

Undergraduate Student Perceptions Of Student-Faculty Interactions In Relation To Academic Anxiety In An Online Learning Environment, Alexandria Ward

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The expansion of online learning in higher education, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, has significantly reshaped student experiences and communication practices. While existing research has explored online learning environments, student engagement, and mental health, there remains a gap in understanding how undergraduate students perceive student-faculty interactions in online learning environments and how these interactions impact academic anxiety. Guided by Transactional Distance Theory, which emphasizes dialogue, structure, and learner autonomy, this qualitative phenomenological study addressed three research questions: how students describe their experiences with faculty interactions in online learning environments in relation to academic anxiety, what aspects of communication contribute to …

From Silence To Story: Reconstructing Narratives Of Mental Illness, Family, And Self Among U.S. Adult Children Of Parents With Mental Illness, Mallory M. Mccorkle

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The existing literature on children of parents with mental illness has largely focused on developmental risks and psychological outcomes, with limited attention to how these individuals construct narratives of mental illness, family, and self within broader sociocultural contexts. Guided by social constructionism, symbolic interactionism, and the master narrative framework, this qualitative study explored how adult children of parents with mental illness make meaning of their experiences within the sociocultural context of the United States. Utilizing narrative analysis within a critical paradigm, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 adult children who grew up with at least one parent with a mental …

Cultivating Participation: Developing An Evidence-Based Farm-Based Sensory Integration Protocol For A Pediatric Occupational Therapy Clinic, Katelyn Childers

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

The purpose of this doctoral capstone project was to develop a comprehensive, evidence-informed farm-based sensory integration framework that translates current evidence into practical clinical resources to support therapist education, caregiver engagement, and consistent implementation of occupation centered intervention at Zion Therapy Services.

Sibstars: Empowering Siblings Through Support, Education, And Advocacy, Abbey Edrington

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

A primary needs assessment conducted through parent and sibling surveys supports these findings and identifies concerns related to anxiety, peer difficulties, uncertainty regarding future caregiving roles, and limited access to sibling-specific support services. Findings additionally reveal discrepancies between parent perceptions and sibling-reported experiences, highlighting the need for increased family awareness and sibling-focused interventions. Therefore, the purpose of the Doctoral Capstone Project was to develop and implement SibStars, a community based sibling support and education program designed to promote peer connection, coping skills, self-advocacy, emotional wellness, and occupational participation among siblings of individuals with IDD through family-centered, occupation based approaches.

Beyond The Birth: An Occupational Therapy Approach To Postpartum Support And Advocacy, Ashlei Aweis

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

The purpose of this capstone was to address identified gaps in maternal healthcare through the development of three occupational therapy resources: a postpartum wellness workshop, the Occupational Balance Screening Tool, and the “It’s Beyond Birth” educational podcast series. Together, these deliverables were designed to promote maternal health education, support occupational balance, and provide practical strategies that help mothers successfully navigate the transition into motherhood.

Hiking For All: An Adaptive Hiking Program For Disabled Individuals, Anna Grigg

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

Hiking is a valued activity in the lives of many people. Possessing or acquiring a disability should not prevent or limit someone from participating in hiking; however, many disabled individuals will avoid hiking due to the lack of hiking trails that are accessible to them or the lack of adaptive hiking skills that they have. The purpose of the Doctoral Capstone project was to promote occupational engagement in hiking for disabled individuals, advocate for increased access to hiking resources and information, and facilitate safety during adaptive hiking.

Addressing Pediatric Executive Function Through Nature-Based Occupational Therapy In Central Ohio, Morgan Mahan

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

Outdoor settings present unpredictable challenges that require children to simultaneously use inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility in ways that mirror real-world contexts. This continuous adaptation to changing environmental demands supports the generalization of skills across settings. Despite this potential, no nature-based pediatric occupational therapy program previously existed to effectively address executive function deficits. To address this gap, the Nature Explorers Program was developed, consisting of a theoretical foundation and practical application. The Nature-Based Executive Function Frame of Reference (NBEF) was developed to guide the assessment and treatment of executive function within a nature-based setting, and the Nature Explorers …

Advocating For Access: Empowering Children With Disabilities Through Meaningful Connections To Durable Medical Equipment (Dme), Maddyson Lamb

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

Access to appropriate DME is vital; without it, children face severe occupational deprivation – the prolonged restriction from participating in meaningful daily activities. Furthermore, when families struggle to secure equipment due to high costs, it deepens the occupational deprivation across the entire family. Ultimately, managing these ongoing needs along a continuum is crucial to long-term health. However, families frequently face severe funding delays and systemic barriers when trying to acquire these vital resources. The purpose of the doctoral capstone was to utilize the PEO model to identify environmental restrictions and advocate for the necessary DME by having developed a multifaceted …

Meeting The Needs Of Individuals With Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Through Occupational Therapy, Tianna Matthews

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a relatively new and complex disorder that results in a significant impact on one’s overall health, well-being, and quality of life. The research study was designed to address practitioner knowledge and confidence gaps as they relate to ARFID care by assessing whether an educational in-service could increase pediatric healthcare practitioners’ knowledge of ARFID, confidence with treating ARFID, and their understanding of OT’s role on an interdisciplinary ARFID team.

Building Bridges: A Culturally Inclusive, Education-Based Program For A Pediatric Outpatient Therapy Clinic, Sarah Morgan

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

The purpose of the Doctoral Capstone Project is to develop and implement a culturally inclusive, education-based program, to address current gaps in pediatric outpatient occupational therapy and to allow the population to overcome challenges inhibiting their occupational adaptation and occupational fulfillment.

Epilepsy Simulation: Educating Occupational Therapy Students On Epilepsy And Community Resources, Cambria Grissom Tolar

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder, affecting every 1 in 26 individuals during their lifetime. Individuals with epilepsy frequently experience barriers to employment, transportation, healthcare access, social participation, and more that influences occupational participation and quality of life. Despite the fact these factors fall under occupational therapy’s role and scope, many OT students do not receive adequate education about epilepsy, how to treat someone with epilepsy, and how to navigate community resources. The purpose of this doctoral capstone project was to develop and implement an epilepsy simulation that allows OT students to experience the everyday challenges faced by …

Empowering Middle School Students Through A Life Skills Enrichment Program, Kaitlyn Peavy

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

Occupational therapy practitioners are uniquely positioned to support this development through occupation-based opportunities that foster meaningful participation and functional independence. The purpose of the doctoral capstone project was to develop an evidence-informed, occupation-based life skills enrichment program that promotes independence, occupational participation, and future readiness for middle school students through structured, hands-on learning experiences.

Occupational Therapy's Role In Burn Rehabilitation, Hallie Poff

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

Current literature identifies the need for enhanced burn-specific competencies and standardized, patient-friendly discharge resources to improve long-term functional outcomes and occupational participation beyond the hospital setting. Together, these findings highlight the need to advance burn-specific clinical skills while improving the consistency and accessibility of patient resources and education.

Melodies & Memories: An Occupational Therapy-Based Music Program For Individuals With Dementia, Adrianna Mcentire

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

The purpose of the doctoral capstone experience was to develop and implement Melodies & Memories to use music interventions to improve quality of life, social participation, cognitive functioning, emotional and behavioral regulation, and physical functioning while providing personalized, client centered care through the use of music.

Sipping With A Purpose: Empowering Adults Of All Abilities Through Job Training And Work Skills While Enhancing Social Participation, Shelby Russell

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

The "Sipping with a Purpose" doctoral capstone project addresses an urgent societal need by bridging the employment gap for adults with IDD, a demographic experiencing an over 80% unemployment rate. Out of 41 local day center participants at The Learning Center (TLC) in Northeast Arkansas, only four are currently employed. This reveals a critical deficit in opportunities for local adults to build the work skills, independence, and self esteem that they desire far beyond a paycheck. To address primary employment barriers such as a lack of vocational skills and fears about disability benefit loss, this functional business provides simulated and …

Mindful Music Lessons: Exploring Emotions Through The Creation Of Music, Shelton Jones

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

Despite research categorizing mental health and occupational therapy as emerging, many intervention techniques from CBT principles remain applicable and fall within the scope of OT. The purpose of the Doctoral Capstone Project was to develop a healthy coping strategy by implementing a music-based therapeutic program that promotes symptom management, emotional regulation, social participation, and overall health and wellness among military service members

Development Of An Ergonomic Education Program At The Nestlé Usa Production Facility In Nea, Virginia Smith

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

A review of the literature, needs assessment findings, and collaboration with site stakeholders identified opportunities to strengthen ergonomics education, improve occupational health literacy, and support a more comprehensive approach to workplace ergonomics through the development of evidence-based resources. The purpose of the doctoral capstone project was to develop the Nestlé Ergonomics Program by applying the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) Model to create evidence-based ergonomic resources that increase workplace ergonomics education, promote occupational health literacy, and reduce the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among employees at the Nestlé USA Production Facility in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Fostering Development Through Participation In A Gymnastics-Based Occupational Therapy Program, Alex Theisen

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

The purpose of implementing a gymnastics-based OT program is to incorporate gymnastics-based movement into interventions that support and enhance each client’s progress toward their unique OT goals, address deficits affecting occupational performance, and increase participation through play-based interventions. The purpose of the doctoral capstone project is to expand knowledge of population needs to develop and facilitate the implementation of a gymnastics-based pediatric occupational therapy program that will promote participation and safety while meeting the individual needs of clients.

Enhancing A Trauma-Informed Reintegration Framework Through Occupation-Based Program Development For Adolescent Survivors Of Human Trafficking In Northeast Arkansas, Faith Welch

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstones

The purpose of the doctoral capstone was to enhance Hope Found's existing trauma informed reintegration framework through the development of an occupation-based framework. The enhanced framework focused on integrating developmentally responsive intervention planning, educational programming, implementation guidance, resource organization, documentation recommendations, and outcome measurement strategies to strengthen trauma-informed service delivery and support community reintegration for adolescent survivors of human trafficking and exploitation.

Host-Pathogen Dynamics Underpinning Staphylococcus Aureus Growth During Intracellular Osteoclast Infection, Luke D. O'Connor

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Bone infection is most commonly caused by the gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. It has myriad ways in which it can circumvent or subvert killing by the host or antibiotics. Intracellular infection is one such niche that is protective from immune and antibiotic attack. In 2019, Krauss and colleagues discovered that infected osteoclasts (OCs) allow S. aureus to replicate intracellularly. There they found that the ability of S. aureus to grow inside the cell was tied to OC differentiation. The magnitude of overnight bacterial expansion positively correlated with OC maturity and duration cultured with the osteoclastogenic factor RANK ligand (RANKL). Bacterial …

“Something Else To Focus On”: Perinatal Havening And Stress Coping In Pregnant Black Women, Brittany L. Ferrell Young

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Black women in the United States experience maternal mortality at more than three times the rate of white women, a disparity driven by chronic stress rooted in structural racism rather than individual behavior or biology. Accessible, culturally responsive tools for managing stress during pregnancy remain scarce. This mixed-methods pilot feasibility study examined Perinatal Havening, a self-administered psychosensory technique, as a stress management intervention for pregnant Black women. Guided by Lazarus and Folkman's Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping, the study addressed three questions: how Black women experience acute and chronic stress during pregnancy, the acceptability and preliminary influence of Perinatal …

Cortical Plasticity Following Peripheral Nerve Injury In The Upper Extremity, Samah Gassass

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) in the upper extremity results in significant sensorimotor impairment. Nearly 40-50% of patients affected by PNI fail to restore normal hand and arm function and recovery remains variable. Recovery related cortical plasticity is recognized as an important factor, though its relationship to meaningful outcomes remains unclear. This dissertation examined how cortical activity patterns relate to functional recovery after PNI through a systematic review and three subsequent cross-sectional studies.

The systematic review of multimodal neuroimaging studies on cortical plasticity after upper extremity nerve transfer found that good recovery is generally linked to restoration of contralateral or typical …

Combined Effects Of Space-Relevant Thermal & Radiation Stress On Wide-Gap Mixed-Halide Perovskite Solar Cells, Veran Stanek

Theses

Mixed-halide wide-band gap perovskites are attractive for space power due to their high open-circuit voltages and compatibility with tandem device architectures, but their response to combined orbital stressors remains under-explored. Here, we study 1.86 eV band gap all-inorganic CsPbI2Br solar cells across a space-relevant thermal window of -80°C to +100°C before and after 1.0 M eV proton irradiation. n-i-p devices exhibit notable radiation tolerance retaining approximately 60% of initial power conversion efficiency (PCE) upon irradiation with a fluence of 5 × 10^13 cm^−2. Temperature-dependent hyperspectral photoluminescence imaging and spectroscopy uncover a reversible low-temperature emissive heterogeneity in the perovskite absorber, manifested …

Zineth, Colin Wilcox

Theses

This thesis asks whether a brand can generate real engagement without surrendering to an algorithm, and whether web design can recover the color, mystery, and sense of discovery it traded away as the internet corporatized. Daily internet use has risen every year on record, yet the spaces users inhabit have flattened into grey buttons and endless feeds. This question is answered through Zineth, a hybrid brand universe told across three coordinated forms: a Risograph-printed zine, a dense and layered website, and limited clothing drops. The zine operates as a key. Codes printed in its pages unlock gated areas of the …

Ppt-1 Regulates Lipid Droplet Homeostasis And Promotes Oxidative-Stress Resilience In C. Elegans., Chukwuadinula Deborah Ashiedu

Master’s Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Building Engaged Readers: Fostering Students Engagement And Motivation, Breanna R. Gierak

Masters Projects

Student engagement and motivation are essential components of literacy development and academic achievement in elementary classrooms. However, research indicates that many elementary students are becoming disengaged due to a variety of factors, including increased technology use, decreased motivation, limited family involvement, and fewer opportunities for meaningful interactions around literacy. This masters project is grounded in research that examines the importance of fostering engagement and motivation in elementary literacy and synthesizes current research on the instructional practices that promote positive reading experiences. The literature highlights the influence of supportive classroom environments, teacher-student relationships, collaborative learning, purposeful technology integration, and storing family-school …

Electronic Structure Discretization And Compression Using Diagonal Basis Sets, Casey Lee Dowdle

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Numerically solving the electronic structure problem is a fundamentally difficult problem due to the exponential growth in the dimension of the Hilbert space as the system size increases. In order to solve problems at a chemically relevant accuracy, both the choice of basis set and numerical method are important factors that are intrinsically connected.

In this thesis, we study the discretization and resulting compression of electronic Hamiltonians using diagonal basis sets. A diagonal basis set approximately diagonalizes the matrix and tensor representations of the one- and two-body potentials. This can reduce storage, simplify matrix-vector products, and lower the complexity of …

The Educational Experiences Of College Students Who Were Formerly Involved In The Juvenile Justice System, Nicole-Jasmin T. Clark

Doctoral Dissertations

In the United States, juvenile offending, reentry, and recidivism continue to be serious concerns for public and institutional policy making. Due to historical and current policies of both the education and juvenile justice system, youth of color (YOC) and youth with disabilities and diagnosed with mental health disorders have been overly disciplined by schools and disproportionately adjudicated by the juvenile justice system. In their annual Statistical Briefing Book, The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has consistently reported YOC, particularly Black youth, are arrested, adjudicated, and detained at much higher rates when compared to their white peers. Research …

The Hidden Costs Of Accountability: Unpacking The Emotional Labor Of Student Conduct Work And Building Tools For Resilience, Tiffany Marlene Shierling

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This dissertation explored the psychological challenges student conduct administrators (SCAs) face in higher education. These professionals have encountered significant emotional labor, vicarious trauma, and ethical dilemmas as they address student misconduct while striving to achieve educational and developmental outcomes. The study highlighted a research gap concerning the impact of these challenges on the mental well-being of SCAs, which hinders the development of effective support systems. This study aimed to address the mental health needs of SCAs by developing a comprehensive toolkit. Grounded in self-compassion theory and resilience theory, the toolkit provides resources for emotional self-regulation, supervisor training, and institutional recommendations.

Advancing Maternal Health Equity In Nebraska: Examining Prenatal Care Access Disparities, Policy Context, And Doula Integration As A Complementary Solution, Marlette Grace Dulcinee Mabiala-Maye

Theses & Dissertations

Maternal health inequities persist across the United States, with Black, Native American, and immigrant-origin women facing disproportionate barriers to timely prenatal care. This dissertation examined access to prenatal care in Nebraska, a mixed rural and urban state with extensive maternity care deserts, through three interrelated aims. Aim 1 analyzed PRAMS data using survey-weighted regression with race-by-socioeconomic-status interactions to characterize disparities in the timing and barriers to care. Aim 2 evaluated the state’s October 2020 Medicaid expansion across pre-pandemic, acute pandemic, and post-expansion periods. Aim 3 applied qualitative description and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to interviews withtwenty-three maternity care …