Digital Commons Network^™

Common Core State Standards: Beware The Trojan Horse, Yee Han Chu

Theses and Dissertations

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represent a promise by general education that all students can be college and career ready through the acquisition of essential knowledge, skills, and abilities. These essential elements will be rigorous, supporting the higher-order and independent thinking skills typically associated with the achievement of excellence. CCSS, in short, promises excellence in all students. The needs of those students who demonstrate high ability do not receive any separate mention: (1) how has the concept of excellence been incorporated into the CCSS; and (2) what is the potential impact on high ability students?

These questions are examined …

Regulation Of Proline-Directed Phosphorylation Site, Threonine 53 On Dopamine Transporter, Sathyavathi Challasivakanaka

Theses and Dissertations

The dopamine transporter (DAT) is a plasma membrane protein that clears extraneuronal dopamine (DA) and thus controls the spatio-temporal dynamics of dopaminergic neurotransmission. Also, DAT is the major target for psychostimulant substrates, amphetamine (AMPH) and methamphetamine (METH), and psychostimulant uptake blocker, cocaine (COC). DAT is a phosphoprotein with both the N- and C-termini facing toward the cytosol, with multiple phosphorylation sites on the N-terminus. DAT has a closely spaced 6-serine cluster on the distal N-terminus that is phosphorylated in a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent manner and a recently identified proline-directed site, Thr (T) 53, that is phosphorylated in vitro by …

Affect Dysregulation As A Mediator Of The Relationship Between Childhood Trauma And Comorbid Substance Use Disorder And Bulimia Nervosa, Brianna Joelle Crawford

Theses and Dissertations

Eating disorders are serious, potentially life-threatening psychiatric disorders associated with a variety of negative medical, social, and psychological consequences. Comorbid mental disorders, such as substance use disorders, present an increasingly complex clinical picture. A significant body of research has been devoted to investigating the etiology of eating disorders and their comorbid conditions. One factor that has received research attention is that of childhood trauma experiences. Childhood trauma has been related to the development of both bulimia nervosa and substance use disorders, and more broadly, an impulsive, behaviorally dysregulated trajectory. Affect dysregulation is one factor proposed to play a role in …

Mental Illness Stigma, Mental Health Literacy, And Psychological Help-Seeking In A Rural Population, Astrid Shanthi D'Cunha

Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed relationships between mental illness stigma (public stigma (Vogel, Wade & Ascheman, 2009) and private stigma (Vogel, Wade & Haake, 2006)), mental health literacy (Mental Health Literacy Survey (MHLS; Epps et al. 2007) and Symptom Recognition Scale, (SRS)), and psychological help-seeking (Attitudes towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale and Intentions via LSHS) in a rural population. Two-hundred three adults living in rural and urbanized counties within a rural Midwestern state completed paper and online surveys. Stepwise hierarchical regression analyses showed that private stigma, mental health literacy, and previous help-seeking behavior predicted attitudes towards seeking professional help while symptom …

Trauma Experiences And Symptoms Reported By American Indian And Caucasian Sex Offenders, Regina Sioux Ertz

Theses and Dissertations

American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) people are known to have a history of man-made trauma that corresponds to the colonization of the Americans. Trauma experienced by AI/AN sex offenders has not been evaluated in the research as it relates to their treatment planning. The lack of data reflecting intervention needs for AI/AN sex offenders is problematic. The current study hypothesized that American Indian sex offenders would report a greater number of trauma experiences, endorse increased symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), display more traumatic cognitions, and endorse higher dissociative experiences than Caucasian sex offenders. Statistical results yielded did not support the …

Grade Level Retention: A Comparative Study Of Beliefs And Practices In North Dakota And Surrey, Kim Englund

Theses and Dissertations

Many regions of the United States retain students who are not performing at grade level, yet a large body of research shows the ineffectiveness of having students repeat an academic year. The United Kingdom practices social promotion rather than retention. This comparative study sought to better understand the practices in these two countries and the research surrounding retention. First, it compared the interventions before and alternatives to retention used by both a North Dakota school district in the United States and two schools in Surrey, England. Second, it outlined a plan for teachers, parents, school administrators, and school policy makers …

The Self-Objectification Scale: A New Measure For Assessing Self-Objectification, Sarah Dahl

Theses and Dissertations

Many of the measures for self-objectification have theoretical or psychometric issues related to their use. For this reason, the development of a new measure addressing these concerns would be beneficial to the research on self-objectification. Towards this goal of developing and validating a new measure for self-objectification, the Self-Objectification Scale (SOS) was developed. The Self-Objectification Scale is the first scale to be created with two alternative forms for measuring trait and state self-objectification that have undergone analyses for reliability and validity with both men and women. A pilot study of 40 undergraduate men and women was conducted to check the …

Effects Of Video Game Playing And Training On Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Performance, Kathryn Feltman

Theses and Dissertations

The popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has resulted in the need to determine who is suitable to learn to operate UAVs. The present study examined the likelihood that action video game players (VGPs) would make better potential candidates for learning to become UAV pilots. Additional training is also examined as a factor to determine how well training assists with maintaining situational awareness and vigilance during performance of the task, which are beneficial skills for UAV pilots to possess. Ninety-two undergraduate students participated in the study, and piloting skills were tested using the Multi-Attribute Task Battery-II, which consists of generalizations …

Does Religion Affect Attitudes Towards Same-Sex Marriage?, Marc Anthony Franczak

Theses and Dissertations

Previous scholarship suggests that religion tends to play a role in people's attitudes towards same-sex marriage. The purpose of this study is to examine whether four aspect of religion (church attendance, church affiliation, religiosity, and conflict between religious beliefs and homosexuality) play a role in shaping attitudes towards same-sex marriage. Data from the Pew Research Centers 2013 Political Survey were utilized (N = 1504), and OLS regressions were used to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that conflict between religious beliefs and homosexuality was the strongest predictor of unfavorable attitudes towards same-sex marriage. It was also found that compared to …

Understanding Somali Women Refugee Students' Lives And Program Decisions At Two-Year Colleges: A Narrative Approach, Mary Fontes

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore Somali women refugee students' lives and to identify what factors influenced their program decisions at two-year colleges in the Midwest. Refugees have been admitted to the United States (U. S.) as early as 1948 under the Displaced Persons Act. Some states have experienced a greater influx of refugees than others. Employment and economic self-sufficiency are emphasized as quickly as possible after arrival in the United States. Some foreign-born individuals, who aren't prepared for employment, pursue education. Somali women refugees who pursue education may be doing so unprepared or counter to cultural norms …

An Analysis Of Abortion Demand In Pennsylvania 2000 - 2010, Guido Giuntini

Theses and Dissertations

In this paper I expand on previous research of the determinants of abortion demand to examine the demand for abortion in the specific case of Pennsylvania, where precise statistics are available for each county. The data considered is for the years 2000 and 2010, and allows for cross sectional and panel data analysis, specifically, first-difference permitting to look at the effect of changes over time of specific explanatory variables. Careful attention is placed on variable selection techniques to avoid the use of low significance variables. The analysis allows controlling for price, as it is considered to be constant across the …

The Effect Of Self-Explanation And Strategy Training On L2 Reading Comprehension Using An Intelligent Tutoring System, Hongxia Fu

Theses and Dissertations

While research suggests that secondary language (L2) learners at postsecondary institutions face academic reading challenges, and that reading strategy training can improve primary language (L1) learners' reading comprehension, it remains a challenge to find scalable ways to deliver such training to L2 learners. Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) have been shown to be nearly as effective as human tutors while reaching potentially unlimited numbers of learners in a variety of subjects, including reading comprehension. However, few studies have explored the effectiveness of such systems for improving L2 learners' reading comprehension. Self-Explanation Reading Training (SERT) is an instructional model that combines self-explanation …

Multiple Baseline Study Of The Effects Of Left Visual Field Stimulation During Emotion Recognition Training Among Four Male Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Rachelle Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by social deficits in emotional comprehension. Research has demonstrated that for the neurotypical population, recognizing, and reacting to facial emotions improve when using the left visual field by employing the right brain hemisphere's configural processes. Behavioral, physiological, and neuroimaging findings suggest an opposite pattern within the autistic population - left hemisphere activation contributing to a right visual field preference for analyzing and assessing facial affect. The present study attempted to activate and strengthen the right hemispheric neural pathway responsible for emotion recognition using modified eyewear to contrive left visual field stimulation during an empirically …

Development Of A Prototype Movement Assistance System For Extravehicular Activity Gloves, Tyler Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Spacesuits utilized a rubberized layer of material to contain a pressurized atmosphere to facilitate respiration and maintain the physiologic functions of the astronaut residing within. However, the elasticity of the material makes it resistant to deformation increasing the amount of work required during movement. This becomes particularly fatiguing for the muscle groups controlling the motion of the hands and fingers. To mitigate this a robotic system was proposed and developed. The system built upon previous concepts and prototypes discovered through research efforts. It utilized electric motors to pull the index, ring, and middle fingers of the right hand closed, ideally …

Impact Of Reverse Ethnocentrism On Competence Regarding Food Related Behaviors As A Function Of Attachment Style, Ethnic Identity, And Locus Of Control, Sheryl Holter Vogel

Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated associations between attachment styles, locus of control (LOC), ethnic identity, and competence regarding food-related behavior (competence) among 168 White and 61 American Indian participants. An experimental manipulation was also conducted in which the concept of reverse ethnocentrism was tested. Attachment style accounted for the most significant variance of competence at 9% followed by ethnicity at 2%. Ethnic identity and LOC accounted for nonsignificant variance at 4% and less than 1% respectively. Prior to the experimental manipulation, results found competence was significantly negatively associated with low anxiety and high avoidance (dismissing attachment style), and American Indian participants …

Impact Of Cultural Identity On Mmpi-2 Profiles In Northern Plains American Indians, Colleen Kagan

Theses and Dissertations

American Indian populations experience high rates of psychological distress with 44.5% percent of Northern Plains American Indians reporting experiencing some depressive, anxiety, or substance use disorder over their lifetime. The MMPI-2 is a commonly used psychodiagnostic tool that has become widely used in the mental health treatment of different racial and ethnic groups. Research on the MMPI-2 with minority populations, and American Indian populations in particular, fails to account for the impact of level of acculturation. This study examined the impact of cultural identity on MMPI-2 profiles in Northern Plains American Indians and comparison Caucasian samples. Participants were administered a …

Differentiated Instruction For Responsive Teaching In Elementary Education Student Teachers' Classrooms, Laurie Dillon Guy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore what differentiated instruction looked like in three student teachers' classrooms. I sought to understand the challenges and successes these student teachers experienced with differentiation, the conditions they were able to control or not control, and how the relationship with the cooperating teacher impacted their capacities to practice differentiation as a method for responsive teaching. Methods included observation, interviews, and collecting student teaching artifacts. Data analyses were completed through Atlas ti, a computer program that supports qualitative research synthesis.

The theoretical framework underpinning this study was Tharp and Gallimore's neo-Vygotskian learning …

Depression, Negative Self-Disclosure, And The Response Of Others On Facebook, Daniel Barrett Landauer

Theses and Dissertations

Depression has a number of deleterious effects on the interpersonal functioning of adolescents and emerging adults. The interpersonal theory of depression posits that depression is developed and maintained by both the behaviors of the individual and the responses of others to the individual. Adolescents and emerging adults are spending a significant amount of time interacting on social networking sites, such as Facebook, yet few studies have looked at the interpersonal behavior of depressed youth in the context of the interpersonal theory of depression. This study examined the interpersonal behavior of 328 emerging adult college students on Facebook using questionnaires related …

Queer Emplotment: Lesbian Caretaking In North American Canonical Fiction From 1980 – 2011., Penelope Gay Dane

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

My dissertation argues that lesbian caretaking in late 20th century and early 21th century North American fiction disrupts normative temporalities while repairing damage protagonists sustain from intra-familial trauma. Aligned with queer studies’ growing interest in representations of time, my project explores this paradox of lesbian representation. How can lesbian characters be both reparative and disruptive? Lesbian characters in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple (1980); Dorothy Allison’s Bastard Out of Carolina (1992); and Louise Erdrich’s Shadow Tag (2010) are reparative as they clean up the psychological and physical damage caused male violence, sexual abuse, and neglectful mothers. Yet their caregiving disrupts …

An Investigation On Relationship Between Epistemological Beliefs And Instructional Practice Of Preservice And Inservice Teachers, Jacob Manu

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative research sought to investigate the relationship between epistemological beliefs and instructional practice of preservice and inservice teachers. Despite the vigorous emphasis and investment on the need for teachers to adopt teaching and learning practices that are more authentic, learner-centered, project-based, meaningful, and context-based, there is a growing trend where inservice teachers are trained in constructivist learning environment but end up adopting traditional learning pedagogies. Thus, teachers are constantly struggling to incorporate the tenets of constructivism into the teaching and learning process. With the use of the discipline-focused epistemological beliefs questionnaire and instructional practice scale, preservice and inservice teachers …

Relational Aggression Among Caucasian And Northern Plains American Indian School Children, Stephanie Parisien

Theses and Dissertations

Relational aggression is a form of aggression that has received increasing attention within the psychological literature. Among the American Indian population, however, research on relational aggression is currently non-existent. To date, research is continuing to grow with regard to the base rates of relational aggression. The current study has examined both peer-nominated and self-report relational aggression among Caucasian and Northern Plains American Indian school children in order to explore cultural, gender, grade level, and age differences. Other forms of aggression and social status were also explored in order to understand how these constructs may play a role in peer relations. …

Effect Of A Nutrition Program On Eating Habits In Female Collegiate Athletes, Jorid Dagfinrud Oiestad

Theses and Dissertations

In the present study, an intervention took place using two female collegiate NCAA Division 1 (D1) teams. One team was randomized to be the experimental group, receiving the intervention of the 6-week nutrition education class Fueling for Performance (FFP). And the other team served as the control group, receiving no treatment. The purpose was to examine the effect of the FFP intervention on energy balance, body composition and self-efficacy compared to the control group, pre- and post- intervention.

The participants provided pre- and post intervention data through 3-day food records entered in MyPlate Super Tracker, wearing of a BodyMedia Senswear …

Potential Juror Credibility Evaluations Of Gay And Lesbian Witnesses, Lisa Mae Olson

Theses and Dissertations

This study looked at whether the sexual orientation of a witness has an effect on a potential juror's determination of the witness's credibility, and examined traits such as respondent gender and college major, that may predict high levels of sexual prejudice. The sample consisted of 379 undergraduate students at a medium sized, upper Midwestern university. Results did not reveal an overall link between witness credibility ratings and sexual orientation, with the gay male witness receiving the highest credibility rankings followed by the heterosexual male witness, heterosexual female witness, and lastly, the lesbian female witness. It does not appear that the …

Differential Examination Of Disgust In Spider, Blood-Injection, And Contamination Fear: Self-Reported And Attention-Based Assessment Of Differences, Whitney Shay Jenkins

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Biased attention toward threat has been demonstrated across anxiety disorders as well as among nonclinical samples. While such studies have produced findings of attentional bias for fear-related or threatening stimuli, other types of emotionally laden stimuli have been ignored. This study sought to examine the experience and impact of disgust on individuals experiencing various types of anxiety, which may play a more significant role than fear in some disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and some specific phobias. Specifically, this study examined self-reported disgust and attentional bias in relation to disgust and threatening stimuli. A modified dot-probe task with pictorial …

Slow Fashion: Developing A Conceptual Apparel Design Process, Stefanie Ann Ramirez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore the application of a pre-existing apparel design process model and design framework to the development of a conceptual slow fashion apparel design process and framework. A content analysis of slow design and slow fashion literature identified 38 themes related to specific design criteria, which were applied to design considerations from the Lamb & Kallal Functional, Expressive, and Aesthetic (FEA) model (1992). Additional design considerations were revealed due to the nature of the research topic and relationship to the stages in the applied design framework. For the Slow Fashion Apparel Design model five …

Holocene Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction From Mexico's Pacific Coast-A Paleotempestological Investigation, Thomas Bianchette

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the paleoenvironments of four lagoons from Mexico’s Pacific coast, with the aim of retrieving sediment deposition from storm surge events to determine long-term tropical cyclone (TC) records. Lagoons Agua Dulce, Boquita, Mitla, and Nuxco are located along a 700 km stretch in states Jalisco and Guerrero. Roughly 70 meters of sediment were collected and subjected to multiple proxies, including loss-on ignition, a microfossil survey, and geochemical analysis. Nuxco’s dynamism is caused by intense and prolonged rainfall (largely from TCs), responsible for increasing water level, opening the tidal inlet, and draining the site (termed “blowouts”). High amounts of …

Painful Conversions: Reading And Writing Education Reform In Louisiana, Thomas George Sowders

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In January 2013, the superintendent of a rural Louisiana school system initiated a plan to increase school choice in his district through the implementation of a new virtual magnet school and the conversion of an existing elementary school into a magnet school. Both plans were set into action in April 2013. This study uses performative writing to document the better part of a year spent engaged in this project as a contracted educational consultant. Melding William Blake’s theories of apocalypse and social metonymy with experimental modes of scholarly production as praxis, I theorize education reform as an interactive performance. By …

Working Memory, Processing Speed, And Academic Achievement In Adults With Adhd, Alyse Barker Blanchard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In Barkley’s (1997a, 1997b) model of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), he proposes that working memory deficits resulting from ADHD may cause impairments in reading comprehension. ADHD has been associated with poorer processing speed and working memory as well as academic underachievement in some studies. However, more research is needed examining the relationship between ADHD, working memory, processing speed, and academic achievement in adults to help elucidate the neuropsychological correlates of ADHD and their potential impact on academic functioning. The aim of the current study is to examine the relationship between ADHD, verbal working memory performance, processing speed, and academic achievement in …

The Effects Of Leisure Satisfaction And Perfectionism On Academic Burnout, Lauren Elizabeth Fuller

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the impact of three variables on academic burnout: perfectionism, depression, and leisure satisfaction. Participants included male and female college students enrolled in a four year university in the Midwest. Participants completed a variety of demographic questions and surveys through an internet survey on Survey Gizmo. The Almost Perfect Scale Revised was used to assess an individual's perfectionism, The Patient Health Questionnaire 2 measured depression, The Leisure Satisfaction Scale Short Form was included to measure students' leisure satisfaction, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory Student measured academic burnout. The study found that perfectionism and depression were significant predictors …

Precarious Positions: Toward A Theory And Analysis Of Rhetorical Vulnerability, David Riche

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this project, I develop a framework for treating rhetoric as a system for managing vulnerabilities to and through discourse. I contend that, through rhetoric, we are all put into a fundamentally precarious position, an unavoidable state of exposure to material, social, institutional, and rhetorical forces that work to condition us as both agents and audiences. Rhetoric is not simply something we use; it is also something that we respond to, something to which we are continuously exposed, whether we like it or not. There is, in other words, a necessary concern for vulnerability at the heart of rhetorical theory …