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Integrated Academic And Social Support For Military Veteran Students: Imagining A New Horizon In Education, Gerardo Ureno

Doctoral Dissertations

Integrated Academic and Social Support for Military Veteran Students: Imagining a New Horizon in Education

Combat and war veterans are enrolling at institutions of higher education hoping to complete their academic degrees. Veteran students' changing identities from soldiers to students and their diverse academic experiences present unique and significant challenges for university support personnel hoping to assist these students in their transition to the academic community. As such, there is a need for college and university officials to better understand military veteran students' academic and social needs. The successful academic transition of this growing student population depends on the initiatives …

Examining The Efficacy Of Adult Learning Of Government-Mandated Content Using Andragogical Delivery Methods Versus Traditional Pedagogical Delivery Methods, Richard Keith Sealana

Doctoral Dissertations

To protect society from incompetent, unskilled, or out-of-date practitioners; to keep abreast of advances in knowledge and technology; and to respond to public demands for accountability and consumer protection; continuing education (CE) and mandatory continuing education (MCE) programs have significantly increased in the past 20 years. Individuals and organizations invest significant time and financial resources to comply with mandatory education and training requirements. Although the mandates and demand for CE and MCE continues to increase, there is minimal research on the efficacy of various delivery methods. The purpose of this study was to examine and document the efficacy of andragogical …

Perspectives On Disability And Community Engagement In Albania: Developing Mutual Understanding Through The Sharing Of Individual Narratives, Lucia Murillo

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores current perspectives on disability in Albania by bringing into discourse the voice of families and community members in order to learn how history, tradition, and family values influence individual or community response to having or being in community alongside children with special needs.

Research Theory and Protocol

I carried out this research using critical hermeneutic theory. The protocol followed an interpretive approach as outlined by Ellen Herda (1999). This orientation brought the researcher and participants together and used narratives as a medium for participatory inquiry.

Research Categories

The critical hermeneutic concepts of narrative identity, mimesis, and communicative …

Growing Up With Hiv In Kisumu, Kenya: Participatory Action Research With Young People Living With Hiv, Zoe Alexis Hobbs Marinkovich

Doctoral Dissertations

Forty-one percent of new HIV infections are in young people between the ages of 15-24 (Masquillier, et al., 2012). In addition to new infections, advances in medications are now making it possible for children born with HIV to survive into adolescence and adulthood (Bland, 2011; Gray, 2010). Due to the growing population of youth living with HIV, there is an increased need for adolescent-appropriate care and intervention. While many studies have examined the role of education in preventing HIV transmission for HIV-negative youth in the Sub-Saharan context, few have focused on the education and experiences of young people living with …

First-Year Male Students' Adherence To Traditional Male Gender Roles And Their Attitudes Toward Bystander Approach Behaviors To Stop Sexual Assault, Kamal M. Harb

Doctoral Dissertations

Sexual assault on university campuses may affect any person at any time. However, university-aged women are disproportionally affected by it, with 25% of women reporting being assaulted on campus, and 84% to 97.8% of them perpetrated by young, heterosexual men known to the victim. To curb sexual assault on the university campus, research studies have advocated for the bystander approach. It encourages bystanders (observers) to intervene and ultimately stop a potentially dangerous situation in which a friend or stranger may experience a sexual assault. Despite its popularity, research studies evaluating the bystander approach have reported, at best, modest success with …

A Systemic Analysis Of The Defection Process In The Small Parcel Logistic Industry, Darrell J. Gualco

Doctoral Dissertations

The study of customer-initiated defection from one provider of services to another has been studied extensively in the business-to-consumer market. The reason to study defection patterns and analytics is to allow businesses to identify and control antecedents to defection that in turn will generate increased customer loyalty, market share, and profitability. Keaveney's study of defection was the starting point for understanding the key criteria individuals used to switch their purchasing criteria.

This research adds to existing defection theory by addressing the narratives of eight individuals who switched their vendor relationship in the small-parcel package industry. Prior to this research, no …

The Effectiveness Of An Academic Literacy Intervention To Help University Freshmen Recognize And Resolve Inconsistencies Across Multiple Texts, Patty Baldwin

Doctoral Dissertations

Students must independently complete academic literacy tasks--including reading analytically to identify problems, resolving problems that arise, and using writing to demonstrate advanced knowledge acquisition--if they are to be successful in courses across their university careers. However, a significant portion of students arrives at the university underprepared to meet these expectations for academic literacy.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an instructional intervention to help developmental-level freshmen acquire the academic literacy skills that experienced academic readers demonstrate in order to promote independent learning. The four-week instructional intervention focused on two aspects of advanced academic literacy: 1) …

Exploring The Experiences Of Latina/Os In Graduate Health Science Programs: A Qualitative Study, Mijiza Malane Sanchez

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study conducted at a Northern California university explored how six Latino/a health science professionals navigated their academic trajectory. The six participants identify as Latino/a and shared their journeys to the health sciences. This study examined how participants utilized their community cultural wealth to navigate the complexities of campus climate during their pursuit of a graduate or professional degree in the health sciences. Research data included narratives from in-depth interviews with the six participants and a focus group.

The key findings of this study illustrate the profound significance of mentorship in the pursuit of health science careers. This study …

Ready To Write: Exploring The Student Perspective On The Transition To College, Julie Sullivan

Doctoral Dissertations

Written communication is a cornerstone of college and career success, yet many students arrive at college underprepared for the writing demands of the academic discourse community. The potential reasons for the perceived gap in writing ability point to the ongoing challenges of education in the United States. As the population pursuing college degrees becomes more diverse, expectations differ between high school and college, equity in education issues persist and standardization focuses on academic skills, overlooking the potential role that nonacademic or "soft" skills play in student success. When decisions are made to address these concerns, the student perspective is frequently …

"Preventive Leadership Program" At The Salesian University: An Exploratory Case Study, Alejandro Rodriguez

Doctoral Dissertations

Leadership is a key factor in the quality of personal life, organizational culture, and social projection of each member in any organization. Bringing out the best of each person involved in any decision is a must for a Preventive Leader. This kind of leadership opens the possibility to develop, adapt, change and modify the theoretical construct of the definition of a leader from the Preventive horizon, the practical implications of Preventive Leadership development, and the learning and practice of Preventive leadership in a contextualized environment, creating interactions and interdependencies in a net-like pattern of relationships situated in one specific context: …

An Investigation Of Special Education Teachers' Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of A Systematic 7-Step Virtual Worlds Teacher Training Workshop For Increasing Social Skills, Natalie Christina Nussli

Doctoral Dissertations

This study describes how a systematic 7-Step Virtual Worlds Teacher Training Workshop promoting inquiry, experiential learning, and sociocultural theory guided the enculturation of 18 special education teachers into three-dimensional virtual worlds. The main purpose was to enable these teachers to make informed decisions about the usability of virtual worlds for students with social skills challenges, such as students with autism. Mixed-methods data analysis and triangulation were based on the analysis of seven instruments. Six of the seven steps of the intervention received high ratings indicating its viability for teachers' professional development opportunities

Rehearsal And Enactment For Teaching In Urban School Settings: A Qualitative Study Investigating The Connections Between A Math Methods Course And Fieldwork, Rajeev Virmani

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, I studied teacher education reform efforts aimed at improving the preparation of preservice teachers through the use of rehearsals in a math methods class. As many experts in the field of teacher education call for curricula in which preservice teachers learn from and in practice, I investigated a type of pedagogy called rehearsals within a practice-based teacher education setting that may afford preservice teachers with the initial preparation needed to become effective teachers.

In this qualitative study, I examined how three preservice teachers and math methods instructors rehearse the high leverage practice of leading a whole-class discussion. …

Elucidating Perceived And Actual Cancer Risk In Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Differentially Impacted By Environmental Hazards To Inform Future Public Health Interventions, Lashanta J. Rice

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, racial and ethnic minorities, economically disadvantaged and medically underserved groups bear a disproportionate amount of the cancer burden. Myriad social and environmental factors attribute to these disparities including disparate exposures to environmental pollutants, which account for two percent of all cancer deaths nationally. There is empirical evidence demonstrating risk perceptions and cancer worry are shaped by race/ethnicity and social and environmental experiences. Cancer risk perceptions among Non-Whites, especially Blacks compared to Whites is lower for various reasons. Low perceived cancer risk may explain persistent cancer disparities, since protective health behaviors are higher among persons who perceive …

Does Growth In Childhood Adhd And Depression Symptoms Predict Binge-Eating During Adolescence, Kathryn Van Eck

Theses and Dissertations

Binge-eating disorder (BED) refers to experiencing a loss of control while eating high quantities of food in a short period of time. A serious public health concern, BED is highly comorbid with other psychological disorders and increases risk for obesity and other health concerns, such as metabolic disorder and diabetes. Little is known about what mental health symptoms contribute to the development of BED for children and adolescents. Research with adults indicates that two strong predictors of binge-eating behavior include impulsivity and depression, and these symptom areas may contribute to BED for youth, as well. In the current study, I …

An Examination Of Social Physique Anxiety Among College Students: A Mixed Methodological Approach, Sara M. Rothberger

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Hart, Leary, and Rejeski (1989) defined the anxiety and/or fear associated with one’s physique being evaluated as Social Physique Anxiety (SPA). Since then, numerous studies have examined this psychological construct (Crawford & Eklund, 1994; Focht & Hausenblas, 2004; Russell & Cox, 2003). However, little research has been found examining this phenomenon within current college students. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the association between SPA, gender, and self-efficacy levels among college-aged students experiencing physical activity courses requiring exercise. A secondary purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine specific physique qualities among those with high and low …

Project Reconnect Program: Engaging Truant Adolescents Through Pre-Court Diversion, Trevis C. Killen

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The current literature on truancy diversion court programs has failed to examine middle and high school truants’ perceptions regarding how well truancy diversion court programs improve school attendance and performance. As a result, the purpose of this study was to examine participants’ perceptions regarding how well the Project Reconnect Diversion Program empowered their improved school attendance, compliance with school rules, and completion of classroom assignments. The researcher used a case study design to investigate the participants’ perceptions of the Project Reconnect Diversion Program. Purposive sampling was employed to select the participants who completed the Project Reconnect Diversionary Program during the …

Identification Of Specific Learning Disabilities: Georgia School Psychologists' Perceptions, Marie T. Underwood

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

An on-line survey was conducted to investigate the assessment practices and perceptions of 366 practicing school psychologist in the state of Georgia concerning various operational components, and the use of RTI when determining SLD eligibility. Results were analyzed using ordinal logistic regression to determine if psychologists’ perceptions could be predicted based on various explanatory variables. Results revealed that a little over half of the respondents preferred assessment of cognitive processing deficits evidenced through patterns of strengths and weaknesses for establishing SLD classification; while well over two-thirds continue to also value analysis of cognitive ability (IQ) scores. Psychologists’ assessment practices were …

An Examination Of Coping With Career Ending Injuries- An Ncaa Division I And Ncaa Division Iii Comparison, Hayley C. Marks

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Researchers have suggested that the way an athlete copes with the end of his or her career can be one of the most influential factors in how an athlete transitions out of their respective sport (Gardner & Moore, 2006). Moreover, an athlete is more likely to have sport transitioning issues if he or she sustains a career ending injury (Heil, 1993). Although this is the case, questions arise examining the coping styles and life impact career ending injuries may have on athletes who play at different levels. Sturm et al., (2011) suggested that the athletic identities of NCAA Division I …

The Ladies’ Land League And Irish-American Identity In The American South, Audrey Ruark

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The Ladies’ Land League played an important role in the Land War in the 1880s and was a historically important instance of Irish women’s political action. Anna Parnell and others galvanized women in both Ireland and the United States over land reform issues. This paper examines the evidence of the Ladies’ Land League actions in the historic Georgia newspapers in an effort to better understand the roles of print capitalism and the development of Southern Irish-American identity.

Eye For The Gap: Frenzy, Liberty, And The Nietszchean Chorus In Conor Mcpherson's The Weir And Shining City, Frances Krieg

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study situates The Weir and Shining City by Conor McPherson as embodying elements of Dionysian aesthetics as elucidated by Friedrich Nietzsche. Working through the lenses of Samuel Beckett’s linguistic philosophy and the premium of theater as established by Nietzsche, Artaud, and Brecht, the aim of this paper is to demonstrate how McPherson pierces the boundaries of language in drama by establishing his audience as chorus. Background information on Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy and McPherson’s own comments on the plays are included with the research on the plays themselves. This work articulates the chorus itself but also the choral, …

Infrastructure, Scott S. Foxx

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The paintings in this series depict sensations and forms drawn from a collaged, painted surface, referencing examples of painting from the Early Renaissance and the pure Formalism of the mid 20^th century. Collage materials lend both conceptual and physical directions to the compositions, in that it is symbolic of the multi layered experience of modern people in a technological society. Imitating painting’s gestural, linear energy in an illusory manner, the paper and paint layers invert expected hierarchies of space. I am analyzing the condition of the painter, the ideas of painting as an activity and product, with myself at …

“For He Contained Within Him A Largenesss Of Spirit:” The Duality Of Billy’S Spirit, The Hope For Humanity In Cormac Mccarthy’S Border Trilogy, Jessica Y. Spearman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This paper focuses on the contradictory merging of the differentiating forces that drive the natural world and the people in McCarthy’s Border Trilogy, with the most prominent being Billy’s persistent naïve view of the world as he grows from a boy to a man on his journey. The Border Trilogy chronicles the coming of age journey of John Grady Cole and Billy Parham. The second installment, The Crossing, focuses on the various dichotomies that construct the natural world—all of which are mirrored in Billy’s relationships with the mystical she-wolf, his brother, Boyd, the various people that he meets on his …

The Bombs Bursting In Air: A History Of The Effects Of Atmospheric Nuclear Weapons Testing On Washington County, Utah, 1951-1963, Paul W. Bridges Ii

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the effects of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site from 1951-1962 on Washington County, Utah, specifically focusing on the effects of these detonations on the local population, the local flora and fauna, and the ensuing impact of political and economic forces. While some Americans readily concede that these tests were necessary for the survival of the United States in the face of Soviet nuclear aggression, other Americans (notably, those who were most closely affected) do not share such a patriotic view of the government’s conduct in performing such extensive and damaging experiments. Therefore, …

An Interval Training Bout On Cognitive Performance In Healthy Adults, David Young

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Cognitive performance has been shown to improve with regular aerobic exercise training. Despite this, most Americans do not adhere to current exercise prescription guidelines. High intensity interval training (HIIT) has been suggested as a lower time commitment, more enjoyable alternative to regular aerobic exercise. Twenty nine apparently healthy college-aged adults were recruited and administered a high intensity interval training session with a pre- and 24 hours-post-exercise cognitive performance test. No changes were found in performance following the bout of high intensity interval training. No significant interactions were observed when comparing performance to gender, training age, training goal, or intra-exercise rating …

The Use Of A Visual Motor Test To Identify Lingering Deficits In Concussed Collegiate Athletes, Erik W. Sanders

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Context: 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related concussions occur annually. Athletes who have suffered a concussion but are symptom free and have returned to baseline on conventional tests may not necessarily be recovered from the effects of the concussion. The premature return to play of an unrecovered athlete may increase the risk of a subsequent concussion. Measurement of upper-limb visual motor coordination has identified lingering deficits following concussion and so it may provide clinicians with a more sensitive means of tracking recovery. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if a visual motor coordination test would identify lingering deficits …

Childhood Trauma, Self-Esteem, And Helping Behaviors: Does History Of Trauma Predict Helping?, Adriana B. Joseph

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

There is insufficient evidence from the available research to fully determine the relationship between self-esteem and helping behaviors. Specifically, some findings indicate that those with lower self-esteem are less likely to help others than those with higher self-esteem (Michelini, Wilson, & Messe, 1975), while others show the opposite trend (Briggs, Landry, & Wood, 2007). Individuals with a history of childhood trauma are more likely to report low self-esteem than those with no history of childhood trauma (Valerio & Lepper, 2009); also, those with a history of trauma are more likely to help others (Frazier, Greer, Gabrielsen, Tennen, Park, & Tomlich, …

The Determinants Of Physical Activity In Rural Women, Ages 20-44 Years, Dziyana Nazaruk

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Despite multiple health benefits of exercise, it is reported that only 14.7% of American women engage in the recommended amount of physical activity. Whereas the potential negative consequences of not exercising are well documented, there is a scarcity of literature that investigates the determinants of physical activity in rural women. The purpose of this concurrent transformative mixed method study was to explore the determinants of physical activity in rural women ages 20-44 years. Specific quantitative research questions addressed the relationship between the determinants of physical activity on intra- and interpersonal levels, as well as the current physical activity status of …

Aspects Of The Self And Psychological Outcomes, Neil P. Martin

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Depression ranks among the top health concerns on college campuses and impairs students’ functioning across numerous domains including academic, social, and personal areas, and there is still an urgent need for a model that can provide comprehensive understanding of the development and treatment of depression. The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model is introduced to bridge this gap. The current study aimed to make contributions to mental health literature by advancing our understanding of IFS theory (specifically, the concept of Self) in predicting depression, providing a framework for promoting a non-pathological model of depression, and adding to the body of empirical …

The Caring Beliefs And Practices Of Effective Teachers, Barbara D. Mccollum

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Current educational reform tends to emphasize an impersonal test-driven approach to teaching while the present research maintains this reform is inequitable because it neglects the personal component of teacher caring, which is necessary to reach all students, especially disaffected underachievers. The purpose of the present multi-case study was to determine the caring beliefs and practices of six effective teachers in two Title I Elementary schools in a central Georgia school system, how these beliefs and practices manifested in the classroom, and in what ways the teachers’ beliefs and practices may have been influenced by their own cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds …

Instructional Technology Integration And Situational Interest In Math, James A. Thompson Iv

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Motivating students to be engaged in learning, especially in math, has been a perennial challenge for educators. Over the past 20 years, instructional technology has become an increasingly prevalent teaching tool that, according to many educational observers and researchers, can have a transformative effect on teaching and learning because of the way that it engages today’s students. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the relationship between students’ perceptions of technology integration and situational interest in middle school math so that educational planners will be better informed when making instructional decisions concerning the use of technology in the …