Digital Commons Network^™

A Phenomenological Study: Marriage And Family Therapists' And Clinician's Perceptions Of How Secondary Traumatic Stress Affects Them And Their Families, Norja Elizabeth Cunningham

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Multiple facets of clinicians' lives are influenced by compassion fatigue including physiological well-being, the perspective of clinicians in relation to the world, and psychological and emotional reactions to trauma triggers (Figley, 1998). Work stress research considers the systemic effects of stress on workers' relationships. Research also shows that romantic relationships are negatively influenced by work stress (Sanz-Vergel, Rodriguez, Bakker & Demerouti, 2012). This phenomenological study investigated the lived experience of three clinicians and how compassion fatigue was experienced in their relationships with their partners and children. Clinicians completed the Professional Quality of Life assessment and those with a score of …

Resilience In Relation To Consistency In Self-Concept In Adult Third Culture Kids (Atcks), Crystal Labass

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The number of children raised in internationally mobile families (Third Culture Kids, or TCKs) is on the rise due to a growing trend towards globalization (Hoersting & Jenkins, 2011; Pollock & Van Reken, 2009). These individuals share numerous characteristics and a distinct cultural perspective (Pollock & Van Reken, 2009). A stepwise multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between resilience (as measured by the Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale), self-concept consistency (as measured by the Self Concept Clarity Scale), and the degree to which one has lived the TCK experience (as measured by the number of relocations experienced) in a …

Understanding The "Refugee" Of Hurricane Katrina: An Exploration Of Titles, Time And Post-Traumatic Growth, Kandice L. Timmons

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative phenomenological study sought to understand the “refugee” experience of displacement from an individual perspective and the impact of trauma during a natural disaster through the lens of post-traumatic growth. It views survivors of Hurricane Katrina, who were displaced and returned home, and aims to investigate what changes, if any, have occurred since their return. The literature aids in understanding the complexities of the trauma endured in the aftermath, and seeks to better understand their refugee identity, the experience of displacement, the effects of trauma, and the changes that occurred in recovery. The data was collected through the Brief …

Undergraduate Catholic Lesbians: The Intersection Of Religious And Sexual Aspects Of Identity, Christina Marie Chestna

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The following is a qualitative study designed to shed light on the experiences of undergraduate Catholic lesbians. The study focused on the unique ways in which these women negotiate the intersection of the religious and sexual aspects of their identities. Research shows that religious and sexual aspects of identity often conflict. In-depth research aimed specifically at the negotiation of religious and sexual identity dimensions is needed. In this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with undergraduate Catholic lesbians who had the opportunity to speak about the ways in which they negotiate the potentially conflicting religious and sexual aspects of their identities. …

Resilience To Trauma Throughout The Lifespan: Overcoming Child Sexual Abuse, Kaylee L. Curilla

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative dissertation project explored how young-old adults have healed from the traumatic experience of being sexually abused in childhood. This project utilized an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to analyze themes across the young-old adults’ responses. Data collection consisted of interviewing six participants (age 51-58) who have had a history of child sexual abuse (CSA) from a loved one or other trusted individual and have felt that they have healed and demonstrated resiliency from the experience. Ten general themes emerged: (a) Getting older has helped me develop a better understanding and helped me to become less emotionally reactive; (b) After …

Character Strengths Of Students At Risk Of Dropping Out Of High School, Sarah Baker

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The goal of this study was to determine the participants' perceptions about what strengths at-risk students who follow through and graduate from high school have, using the conceptual framework of positive psychology, and its classification system of virtues and character strengths. To reveal the strengths of these students, this study used a qualitative methodology, interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). In addition, the participants were asked to fill out a Likert scale survey to rate how frequently at-risk students who graduated employed each of the 24 VIA characteristics. The purpose of this study was to add to the under-researched area of identifying …

Early To Adopt And Early To Discontinue: The Impact Of Self-Perceived And Actual It-Knowledge On Technology Use Behaviors Of End Users, Rohit Aggarwal, David Kryscynski, Vishal Midha, Harpeet Singh

Faculty Publications

For organizations to achieve the benefits of new IT systems their users must adopt and then actually use these new systems. Recent models help to articulate the potentially different explanations for why some users will adopt and then continue using new technologies, but these models have not explicitly incorporated IT-knowledge. This is particularly important in contexts where the user base may be non-IT professionals—i.e. the users may vary substantially in their basic IT-knowledge. We draw upon psychology to argue that in situations where there is wide variance in actual IT-knowledge there will often exist U relationship between actual and self-perceived …

Coordinating Gesture, Word, And Diagram: Explanations For Experts And Novices, Seokmin Kang, Barbara Tversky, John B. Black

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Successful explanations are a symphony of gesture, language, and props. Here, we show how they are orchestrated in an experiment in which students explained complex systems to imagined novices and experts. Visual-spatial communication—diagram and gesture—was key; it represents thought more directly than language. The real or virtual diagrams created from gestures served as the stage for explanations, enriched by language and enlivened by deictic gestures to convey structure and iconic gestures to enact the behavior and functionality of the systems. Explanations to novices packed in more information than explanations to experts, emphasizing the information about action that is difficult for …

Resiliency Of Multiple-Placed Foster Youth Experiencing Emotional Competence: A Mixed-Methods Study, Audrey Murph-Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to address the resilient processes of multiple placed foster youth to develop age-appropriate emotional competence. Adding texture to the study was the role played by race and culture. Inherent to the study were the voices of successful multiple-placed foster youth. The research attempted to respond to gaps in the literature regarding African American and Hispanic youth placed in foster placements that, if better understood, can positively impact the livelihoods of other multiple-placed foster youth. The minor participants, 10 to 17 years old, selected for this study were no longer wards of the state, having been …

Perceptions Of Recipients Of A Florida High School Dropout Prevention Program’S Scholarship About The Influence Of Mentoring And Student Advocacy On Success And Persistence In Higher Education, Tracy Lyn Johnston

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to help a specific Florida high school dropout prevention program better understand the factors that influence the postsecondary persistence rates of their scholarship recipients. The program administrators want to explore the scholarship recipients’ perceptions regarding the role of mentoring and student advocacy in his/her academic success or college persistence. To understand the scholarship recipients experience better, a mixed methods study was conducted with current program scholarship recipients to gain insight into the individual student’s perception of factors including mentoring and student advocacy that influenced student success and completion in college.

Information gained from the student …

The Impact Of Acculturation On Perceptions Of Elder Abuse And Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Elderly Polynesians, Myra Halaevalu Te’O Aukusitino

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was conducted to determine whether or not acculturation affects the process of help-seeking patterns and behaviors for Polynesian victims of elder abuse. The researcher utilized a quantitative correlation design to employ structured survey measures to collect statistical data to determine the impact of acculturation on perception of elder abuse and help-seeking behaviors among elderly Polynesians. Acculturation was measured using the Polynesian Self-Identify Acculturation Scale and the 13 case scenarios developed by Moon and Williams. The study looked at the extent to which elderly Polynesians perceived that the scenarios depicted abusive situations, and to what extent they indicated …

Best Practices Of Actively Engaged Volunteers Within A Megachurch, John M. Chase

Theses and Dissertations

In the realm of churches, recruiting, engaging, and retaining volunteers is essential for

churches to thrive. This applied dissertation was designed to identify best practices for

recruiting, engaging, and retaining volunteers within a megachurch. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to identify those factors that draw people to volunteer, keep them volunteering, and lead to their work satisfaction while they volunteer in a megachurch. The effect of demographics on volunteer satisfaction and engagement were also identified. The final product of this study was a set of best practices for any church to use to improve its volunteer program.

The …

Analysis Of Attitudes, Gender, And Beliefs Of Adolescent Students Concerning Interactive Technology, Courtney L. Teague

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to provide insight about the perceptions of middle school students attending a Title I school about technology use and careers. Using a mixed methods approach, the researcher explored the beliefs and circumstances that affect attitudes and behaviors in technology usage by eighth-grade boys and girls. The research questions for this study included: 1) female Title I middle school students' perceptions of interactive technology, 2) male Title I middle school students' perceptions of interactive technology, and 3) gender differences towards interactive technology. Data were collected from six focus group participants and 226 students who completed a …

Weed And Water Law: Regulating Legal Marijuana, Ryan Stoa

Faculty Publications

Marijuana is nearing the end of its prohibition in the United States. Arguably the country’s largest cash crop, marijuana is already legal for recreational use in Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington DC. Between now and election day 2016, an additional 14 states may place marijuana legalization initiatives on their ballots. In addition, 23 states and Washington DC have legalized medical marijuana, with up to seven states pending legislation. The era of marijuana prohibition is rapidly coming to a close.

At the same time, traditional doctrines of water law are struggling to cope with the modern realities of water scarcity. …

Promises Of Power: A Political Autobiography, Carl B. Stokes

Cleveland Memory

For a brief time in Cleveland, I was the man of power. I had what no black man in this country has had before: direct control of the government of a predominantly white population. That power came to me because I seized a situation that had made me seem like a savior to men who ordinarily look on blacks as an alien and vaguely dangerous force. –Excerpt from chapter 1 “Big Man, Little Man.” Other chapters include “How to Get Elected by White People,” Carl Junior,” "The Media,” “The Police,” and “The Future of Black Politics.” Carl B. Stokes …

Regulating Access To Traditional Knowledge And Genetic Resources: The Disclosure Requirement As A Strategy To Combat Biopiracy, Paul Kuruk

San Diego International Law Journal

The objective of this Article is to examine the disclosure requirement as a measure to enhance the protection of traditional knowledge and genetic resources. Section Two illustrates the negative effects of biopiracy drawing on selected cases from Africa, India and the Americas while Section Three describes the international regime governing access to genetic resources and related traditional knowledge including rules on prior informed consent, mutually agreed terms and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits. Section Four traces the evolution of the obligation to disclose from provisions in national model laws and a draft treaty on folklore prepared by WIPO, …

The Occupation Of Truth, John Dever, James Dever

MC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Three Rules For Educating Tomorrow's Lawyers, Michael D. Cicchini

MC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Maintenance, Barbara J. Stark

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Parenting Styles And Their Relationship With Anxiety In Children, Alyssa Lungarini

Open Access Master's Theses

The current study aimed to determine the relationship between two aspects of parenting styles, demandingness and responsiveness, and the presence of anxiety in children. Additionally, this research aimed to identify differences between mothers and fathers in regard to how these aspects of their parenting styles affect child anxiety. Demandingness and responsiveness were explored as independent variables in order to determine how they relate to child anxiety, as well as how the relationships between the independent variables and anxiety differ by demographics including child gender, and parental age, race, income, and educational level. Results indicate differences in child anxiety reported by …

Playground Use And Executive Function Development During Preschool Years, Alyssa Francis

Open Access Master's Theses

The current research explores executive function (EF) development among the children at the University Of Rhode Island’s child development centers (CDCs). Specifically, the research explores the role of outdoor play in executive function development. Two samples, the Providence Child Development Center and the Kingston Child Development Center, are compared twice (time 1 and time 2) across 5 months to assess the role of an outdoor play structure in executive function development. The independent variable, playground type has two levels: a playground structure (Kingston CDC) and open outdoor space (Providence CDC). Executive function is assessed using three tasks, the Day/Night task, …

"Fresh And Fashionable Goods": The Daybooks Of Elijah Boardman, Connecticut Shopkeeper, 1784-1811, Johanna Tower

Open Access Master's Theses

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, store-bought textiles and dress-related goods played an important role in the material world of many Americans. Local and domestic manufacturing generally did not fulfill the demand for such goods; imports from Europe and Asia provided many of these products. Advancements in manufacturing technologies and the growth of American overseas trade during this time contributed to the expanding supply of consumer goods, among which textiles and dress-related items featured prominently. In rural regions, dry-goods stores provided the populace with access to a diverse assortment of these wares.

This study examines purchases made at …

Training And Source Code Generation For Artificial Neural Networks, Brandon Winrich

Open Access Master's Theses

he ideas and technology behind artificial neural networks have advanced considerably since their introduction in 1943 by Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts. However, the complexity of large networks means that it may not be computationally feasible to retrain a network during the execution of another program, or to store a network in such a form that it can be traversed node by node. The purpose of this project is to design and implement a program that would train an artificial neural network and export source code for it so that the network may be used in other projects.

After discussing …

Effects Of Intensive Speech Treatment For An Individual With Spastic Dysarthria Secondary To Stroke, Charlotte Purcell

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: This study investigated the impact of an intensive speech treatment on listener-rated communication success and functional outcome measures of communication for an individual with spastic dysarthria secondary to stroke.

Method: A single-subject A-B-A-A experimental design was used to measure the effects of an intensive speech treatment that incorporated principles of motor learning to drive activity-dependent changes in neural plasticity. The primary dependent variables were listener-rated communication success (comprehensibility transcription in two conditions and listener perceptual ratings of speech and voice), and functional outcome measures as rated by the participant and his spouse. Secondary dependent variables included acoustic …

Flourescence-Based Detection Of Pesticides Via Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles, William Talbert

Open Access Master's Theses

The use of synthetic pesticides has played a large role in increasing crop yields throughout the world, but their adverse effects on humans and non-target animals is of major concern due to their toxicity and persistence in the environment. Some of the more persistent examples are organochlorine pesticides, particularly dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites. Reported herein is the development of a detection scheme using organic nanoparticles for the fluorescence detection of a range of pesticides. The nanoparticles were fabricated from a synthetic conjugated fluorescent polymer, and fluorescence experiments were performed using both nanoparticle solutions and polymer thin films.

The large …

Take A Deep Breath: How Yoga Postures And Breathing Techniques Can Impact Ptsd Symptoms, Sophia E. Armington

Scripps Senior Theses

Yoga postures (asana) and yoga breathing techniques (pranayama) could be an effective method of treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This study investigates the importance of the style of yoga treatment (pranayama, asana, or both) and the frequency with which these interventions are conducted (two or five times per week). The participants in this study will be military personnel with diagnosed PTSD who are currently receiving CBT and pharmaceutical treatment. All participants will have their PTSD symptoms assessed before the study begins, and then once a week each of the 12 weeks of the study. Structured interviews will be administered …

A Call For Bioregional Governance In Cascadia: Shaping An Ecological Identity In The Land Of Falling Waters, Molly D. Freed

Scripps Senior Theses

In recent years, as globalization has taken a toll on North Americans’ “sense of place,” there has been a swelling interest in the identification of bioregions: spaces delineated by their natural borders and shaped by the cultures that arise within them. Bioregionalism, the movement that arose from this scalar shift, emphasizes the “reinhabitation” of bioregions through a deep understanding and attachment between residents and their watershed and habitat. This thesis argues for a shift to bioregional-scale environmental governance in the Cascadian bioregion (the Pacific Northwest) via an interstate compact. Using the Great Lakes bioregion as a comparable case …

Queer Content In Science Fiction Allegory And Analogue: Is It In Disguise?, Anna C. Marburger

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis performs a textual analysis of two for-profit science fiction texts in which the authors implanted queer content: Bryan Singer's X-Men films and James Robert's Transformers comic series, "More Than Meets the Eye". The argument incorporates queer (referring to attraction and gender variance) media representation and western identity politics lenses into its critique.

By interrogating reality through the masquerade of an impossible universe, science fiction affects how subversive a text can be. When authors designate the natural and the unnatural in a strange universe, they designate what and who belongs in our society. Whatever they imagine has an effect …

A Bayesian Zero-Inflated Generalized Growth Mixture Model For Adolescent Health Risk Behaviors, Si Yang

Open Access Master's Theses

Using longitudinal data to model change patterns of behaviors is a major interest in the field of developmental psychology and behavioral science. As het- erogeneity often exists in the population, researchers are more and more interested in a topological representation of the growth trajectories. That is, to identify distinct trajectories depending on their individual characteristics. Latent class models(LCM) are flexible methods of modeling unobserved heterogeneity in a population and it has been recently extended to analyzing longitudinal data. Latent class growth models(LCGM) assume individuals come from a finite number of latent classes and individuals share the same growth trajectory within …

Adaptable Monsters: The Past, Present, And Future Of The Vampire Narrative As A Metaphor For Marginalized Groups, Alexa Wei

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis paper gives a brief history of the vampire narrative and its role in representing the collective anxieties of an age as well as serving as a metaphor for oppressed peoples. It uses Bram Stoker’s Dracula and J. Sheridan le Fanu’s Carmilla as historical examples of how the vampire adapts to suit issues of the day such as reverse colonization and female sexuality, respectively. The latter part of this paper speculates on the future role of the vampire in literature and proposes that the vampire could be used to discuss transgender issues as well as challenge the gender binary. …