Digital Commons Network^™

Women Lie And Other Myths : How Rape Myths Impact Attributions Of Blame In A Rape Case, Kathryn R. Klement

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has indicated a consistent link between rape myth acceptance and sexual assault victim blaming, where individuals reporting higher levels of rape myth acceptance also report higher levels of victim blaming. To this point, however, this relationship has only been explored correlationally. The current studies were designed to test whether participants, if presented with rape myth information or with accurate information about rape, would report higher levels of victim blaming or lower levels of victim blaming, respectively. In six studies, I manipulated victim and assailant gender (Studies 1a, 1b, and 2: female victim, male assailant; Studies 3a, 3b, and …

Yesterday, Today, And Tomorrow : A Study Of Aurelio Tolentino's Articulation Of Nationalism And Identity Through Theatre In The Philippines During The American Colonial Period, Lily Ann Bolo Villaraza

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation centers the importance of cultural production to the process of creating a coherent national identity and a unified political state in the Philippines. More specifically, I will examine role of theatre in relation to the general development of the nation and the state through Aurelio Tolentino's plays Luhang Tagalog and Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas. The Philippines and Filipino people pose a unique case study in the formation of both a specific and coherent national identity and an independent political state space because of geography, varied cultural influences, linguistic diversity, and colonial past. Because of these factors, it is …

Nutritious Meals For The Homeless Population: Challenges And Opportunities, Kayla A. Albrecht

Masters Theses

Objective: Consuming a nutritionally adequate diet is extremely challenging for the homeless population. Though meals are available to the homeless population through soup kitchens and homeless shelters, these settings often do not serve meals that provide essential nutrients. The consumption of energy-dense, low-nutrient foods has led in part to high prevalence of obesity, heart disease, and chronic illnesses among the homeless. The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the challenges that homeless shelters face in providing nutritious meals to guests and (b) investigate the need and interest of nutrition education at homeless shelters.

Methods: Nine homeless shelter directors …

The Power Of The Periphery: Aid, Mutuality And Cold War U.S-Ghana Relations, 1957-1966, Moses Allor Awinsong

Masters Theses

This project interrogates how economic self interest motivated periphery states such as Ghana to use foreign policy as a vehicle to attract improved development assistance from superpowers, in this case the United States. While the United States viewed its aid program in Ghana in stringently Cold War terms, Kwame Nkrumah and his advisors were less inclined to get deeply concerned about Cold War ideology. This project shows that Ghanaian agency was manifested in the Cold War through the new state's construction of a foreign policy image that made it a prominent African voice globally. It then examines how that image …

A Multiple Case Study : Gauging The Effects Of Poverty On School Readiness Amongst Preschoolers, Melissa J. Onesto

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The home environment, which includes the level of organization and stability in the home, plays a crucial role in the development of executive function and oral language skills. For children who live in a low-SES environment, executive function and oral language acquisition are inferior compared to that of students living at other economic levels. Executive function, which assists with attentional and inhibitory control, is underdeveloped in children who live in poverty. Stressors in the home environment influence joint attention during infancy, and receptive and expressive language skills are further thwarted during early childhood. Working memory, another component of executive function, …

A Retrospective Study On Rampage School Shootings : Considerations For School-Based Threat Assessment Teams, Seth H. Chapman

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Since the mid-1990s, the incidence of rampage school shootings reached unprecedented levels and resulted in hundreds of deaths. Rampage shootings are both essentially random and defined by acts involving an attack on multiple parties. The purpose of the current study was to apply prior research to analyze previous multiple victim K-12 public school shooting incidents, specifically rampage school shootings occurring over the past two decades in the United States. This study is intended to help identify best practices for developing and conducting threat assessments in K-12 public schools by assessing the validity of Newman's (2004) five-prong model. Newman et al. …

"Invisible Knapsacks" In Education : An Autoethnography Of Privilege And Power Dynamics In Higher Education, Elyzia Powers

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Privilege and power dynamics in higher education settings are examined using an autoethnographic design. To begin with, the need for the study is outlined, followed by research questions. After a brief discussion of the methodology, operational definitions important to conceptualizing privilege are laid out. Reasoning for the study is explained, followed by coverage of a theoretical framework. For this study, critical pedagogy and intersectionality are used, in alignment with autoethnographic thinking. Literature covering privilege in higher education as well as power dynamics and interventions is reviewed. Autoethnography as a method is then explained, followed by a detailed account of data …

"Strong, And I Adapt Myself" : Saudi Women And English Language Learning, Ashley Steele Heiberger

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores the shared and individual experiences of Saudi women studying English as a Second Language (ESL) in the United States at an intensive English language program prior to entering college and graduate programs. Saudi English language learners (ELLs) face cultural communication practices that they would not encounter in their home countries, most notably the use of the English language but also the integration of multiple gender identities in a single institution. Often recognized by themselves and others as shy, Saudi women bring their own cultural and educational needs and preferences to the classroom. Understanding the needs of this …

(Re)Inventing Mathematical Logic : A Case Study Of Set-Based Meanings For Conditional Truth, Alec William Hub

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The way students interpret mathematical sentences involving logical connectives sometimes differs from the way mathematicians interpret such sentences. This research study identifies and analyzes some understandings that one student constructed while interpreting conditional statements relating to numerical relationships and geometric shape categories. Through a modified teaching experiment, a pair of students were guided to reinvent normative understandings of truth-functional logic, namely that of material conditionals (conditional statements) and their contrapositive's equivalence. Through the case study of Hugo, the researcher identifies shifts in his reasoning about conditional statements that gave rise to set-based meanings for conditional truth, as well as the …

Development Of The Self-Directed Learning For Exercise Scale (Sdles) And The Education Resource Assessment (Era), Tim Piper

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and provide validity evidence for scores from an instrument that measures self-directed learning (SDL) in exercisers, and from a second instrument that measures choice of learning resources by exercisers. The three dimensions of SDL that guided this research, based upon the Oddi Continuing Learning Inventory (OCLI), were (1) proactive drive, (2) cognitive openness, and (3) commitment to learning. The two instruments developed for this dissertation will be termed the Self-Directed Learning for Exercise Scale (SDLES) and the Education Resource Assessment (ERA). Data were collected through online instruments administered to participants who were …

Direct And Interactive Effects Of Infant Frustration And Parenting On Toddler Compliance : A Test Of Differential Susceptibility, Nicole Marie Burt

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Increased attention has been given to contextual (e.g., parenting) and individual factors (e.g., infant temperament) that may relate to compliance and defiance levels in the literature given their links to important outcomes (e.g., behavioral problems). Few studies, however, have specifically examined infant frustration and maternal control tactics used during a compliance task. Further, no studies have considered possible interaction effects between these factors. Thus, the present study aimed to examine the direct effect of infant frustration and several maternal control tactics used during a cleanup task (gentle guidance, control, and negative control) on subsequent toddler committed compliance and defiance. The …

Do Rumination And Social Support Mediate The Association Of Victimization And Depression Symptoms?, Nicole Dorio

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

One well established negative outcome of peer victimization is depression. Furthermore, research supports the fact that social support and rumination separately mediate the association between victimization and depression. Social support is negatively associated with depressive symptoms and rumination is positively associated with depressive symptoms after being victimized by peers. Of the limited research examining rumination and social support, it has been found rumination is negatively associated with perceived social support. The current study aimed to investigate rumination and perceived social support together as mediators of the association between peer victimization and depression symptoms. Data were collected with a sample of …

Does Self-Efficacy Crossover Between Mentors And Proteges Within Mentoring Dyads? :B Examining The Facilitating Role Of Perspective Taking In The Crossover Process, Lebena Varghese

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Extensive research on mentoring shows that mentoring programs within organizational settings enhance various individual outcomes. The current dissertation specifically examined how mentors enhanced protege self-efficacy. Three studies were designed to investigate whether efficacy beliefs transfer from mentors to their respective proteges. The studies also focused on the conditions and the psychological processes that facilitated the transfer of efficacious beliefs between the members of the mentoring dyad. Drawing on social comparison theory, I proposed that when shared experience exists between mentors and proteges, proteges are able to take the perspective of their mentors. I further proposed that the perspective taking a …

Education Impacts Of Zero-Tolerance Expulsions On Now-Incarcerated Individuals, John D. Suarez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This is a qualitative research study of the educational impacts that a zero-tolerance expulsion has had on now-incarcerated students. The data collected from face-to-face interviews at the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice facility in St. Charles, Illinois. The theoretical framework of the research is built upon Critical Race Theory that provides a setting in which to examine the realities, both long-and short-term that is associated with these expulsions. The researcher interviewed six participants who qualified for this research. The qualifications for participation were that the individual is at least 18 years old, and have been expelled for a zero-tolerance infraction. …

Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Chronic Pain Sufferers : An Interpretative Phenomenological Investigation, Margo Danielle Milano

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Chronic pain is an epidemic societal problem that mental health providers must respond to with skills and expertise. Chronic pain is effectively understood via a biopsychosocial model. Mental health providers are necessary to treat the psychological and social factors associated with chronic pain and work in conjunction with medical providers. This study discovered insights about chronic pain sufferers lived experiences, relationships with family and pets, and perspectives about receiving mental health services. Themes found were Turbulent Emotional Experiences, Rejection Wounds, Fear, Love Found, Healing Affection and Attention, Medicinal Marijuana, and Fuzzy Confusion . Themes suggested turbulent and traumatic parenting relationships …

Exploring Racial Bias Within Clinical Supervisory Relationships : The Experiences Of Supervisees Of Color, Tonya C. Davis

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Critical race theory has often been described as a lens in which to see and understand how racism can impact or affect people of color. This lens makes room for a deeper consideration of ones lived experiences as a direct result of racial bias. Sometime in the mid 1970's, Derrick Bell, Alan Freeman, and Richard Delgado acted in response to the lack of acceptable forward movement with regards to civil rights during the 1960's. Critical race theory was viewed as a direct call to action. This theory takes on a multidisciplinary approach, has the capacity to provide insight between relationships …

Exploring The Evolving Professional Identity Of Novice School Counselors, Olamojiba Omolara Bamgbose

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The study employed a grounded theory approach to explore the evolving professional identity of novice school counselors. Participants, who are currently employed as school counselors at the elementary, middle, or high school level with 1- 4 years' experience, were career changers from other helping professions and graduates from an intensive school counselors' certificate program (SCCP). The findings, have provided a proposed theoretical framework of career transition and professional identity development for school counselors, which is comprised of major themes and categories from the study. The theoretical model consists of two major sections, a transitional piece in the dimensions of career …

Exploring The Transition Experiences Of First Generation Adult Learners To Undergraduate Education : A Qualitative Case Study, Russell D. Wartalski

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Adult learners and first-generation learners, as separate groups, have been matriculating in increasing numbers at colleges and universities over the last few decades. Research indicates that enrollment trends for these two groups are likely to continue to increase in the near future, with a growing number of students being dually classified as first-generation and adult. Separate literature bases exist that capture the learning styles and collegiate experiences of first-generation learners and adult learners, yet limited research exists that addresses the transition experiences of first-generation adult learners. This qualitative case study focused on exploring and describing the transition experiences of 10 …

Enhancing College Students' Job Search Skills And Motivation : A Test Of A Technology-Mediated Job Search Intervention, Christopher Joseph Budnick

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

College students are often unprepared for the job market after graduation resulting in employment lapses or underemployment in terms of minimum wage jobs. Yet limited research exists on how to provide effective job search interventions for this unique population of new job entrants balancing academic and job search activities. Therefore, I examined the efficacy of a technology-mediated job search intervention for undergraduate students (N = 112). Drawing on motivation, job search processes, and past intervention theory and research, I tested if an online job search intervention improved: 1) job search self-efficacy, 2) career adapt-ability resources, and 3) job search behavior …

College Students And The Stigma Of Developmental Reading : Examining Students' Experiences, Perceptions And Academic Performance, J. Schwartz

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has suggested examining the mindsets, learning beliefs, and academic identity of students enrolled in developmental education could contribute to identifying and describing factors that have a positive impact on students' academic performance and completion of their developmental education courses. Two new, adapted measures were developed, a Stigma Consciousness Questionnaire for Developmental Reading (SCQ-DR) and a Student Mindset Survey for Developmental Reading (SMS-DR), to investigate how community college students experience stigma associated with being enrolled in a developmental reading course, and the relationships between stigma and students' theory of intelligence, learning goals, effort beliefs, and academic performance in a …

Connections Between Principal Leadership Orientations And The Implementation Of Professional Learning Communities, William J. Ady

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to survey certified teachers in large urban secondary schools in Northern Illinois to examine the relationship between different leadership frame orientations and their impact on successful PLC implementation. The study participants were chosen because all teach in secondary schools that have a high at-risk population defined as any secondary school that receives Title 1 funding. Participants completed a survey that asked about their perception of their principal's leadership frame orientation (leadership style) and also their perception of how successful their PLCs were functioning to see if there was a relationship between different leadership …

Constraints Of Human Nature In The Political Philosophy Of Rousseau, Timothy Joseph Clishem

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In his Second Discourse and elsewhere, Jean-Jacques Rousseau famously argues for the perfectibility and malleability of man. That is, for Rousseau, man is the "historical" being whose moral character, dispositions, and inclinations are variable and to a large extent under-determined by his nature. This thesis argues, however, that Rousseau also believes man's moral character to be in various ways constrained by his nature. These "constraints of human nature" flow from the basic nature of the human person as asocial and activated solely by self-love. They characterize all human conditions and human types and permanently limit man in terms of his …

Contextual Stress And Infant Emotion Regulation : The Buffering Effect Of Positive Parenting, Meghan Justina Kanya

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has shown that emotion regulation abilities play an integral role in psychological and social functioning, particularly in early childhood. Given its importance to development, researchers have investigated various factors that influence, both positively and negatively, the development of emotion regulation abilities themselves. Contextual stressors have been shown to independently negatively impact the development of many aspects of psychological functioning, including emotion regulation; however, little research thus far has investigated the cumulative contribution of multiple stressors occurring simultaneously. Positive parenting behaviors have been identified as potential moderators on the development of socioemotional and self-regulatory abilities, as low levels of …

An Examination Of Parental Perceptions Of Standards-Based Report Cards, Erik Christian Youngman

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Report cards and standards-based assessing, grading and reporting continue to be relevant topics of focus for educators. This qualitative study is based on a problem of practice in a school district in northern Illinois that recently implemented standards-based report cards (SBRCs). This study developed while I was a principal of an elementary school during initial implementation of SBRCs. This dissertation expanded from the initial focus on understanding parental perspectives of SBRCs to better understanding the communicative value of SBRCs and professional development that could help parents and teachers. The research question that informed this qualitative study is: How do parents …

The Effect Of Reading To Find A Solution On Learning From Multiple Documents In Science, Dylan Blaum

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Reading for understanding in science is a complex process that requires the integration of information across many sources. This can be a very challenging task as many readers may not be familiar with how to read scientific texts or may simply not be interested in doing so. The present study aims to determine whether or not giving readers prompts asking them to find a solution to the problem of global climate change will help them better comprehend the causal information in a document set. Additionally, if solution reading prompts do have an effect on comprehension, the present study aims to …

The Effect Of Whole-Language Icall Programs On Student Achievement Scores, Jeffrey Ware

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Intelligent Computer Assisted Language Learning (ICALL) uses advanced technology to provide customized learning and individualized feedback to foreign language students (Heift & Schulze, 2007). Some comprehensive ICALL programs claim the ability to take learners from no knowledge of a language to levels of advanced knowledge and comprehension. The websites of two such programs, Rosetta Stone and Tell Me More, state that their software is used in tens of thousands of schools worldwide. However, little if any research has been conducted to assess the effectiveness of these programs on student achievement when they supplement existing curricula. This study investigated the effect …

The Epic Of 1804 : Based Upon And Incorporating An English Translation Of Maurice A. Sixto's J'Ai Venge La Race, Myriam Souffrant

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis is a play written in English based upon the French audio recording entitled J'ai venge la race by Maurice A. Sixto, famed Haitian story teller, comedian, diplomat and language professor (1919-1984). Mr. Sixto is regarded in Haitian literature as an oratory genius for his uncanny ability to analyze every segment of Haitian society using a rich and prolific narrative. With humor, wisdom, and a deft understanding of Haitian societal norms, he used his iconic voice to create authentic characters that have become part of the Haitian cultural fabric. His stories exposed the ills plaguing 20th century Haitian society; …

The Impact Of Commitment On Risk Recognition In Sexually Violent Dating Relationships, Jennifer Milliken

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examined the influence of personal- and relationship-level variables on women's ability to recognize risk of sexual assault. Using the investment model as theoretical grounding, the study sought to advance the literature by investigating how relationship commitment might affect women's responses to the risk of sexual assault perpetrated by an intimate partner. The study began by measuring women's length of time spent in their current dating relationship and degree of commitment to their dating partner. Participants were asked to take the perspective of the female in the Marx and Gross (1995) audio task, and respond as if the situation …

The Impact Of Mindfulness Meditation On Fear Load And Fear Inhibition : Examining Parasympathetic Activation As An Underlying Mechanism, Antonia Victoria Seligowski

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

As demonstrated via fear-potentiated startle (FPS) paradigms, individuals with fear-based disorders exhibit greater startle responses and a lowered ability to distinguish between fear-related stimuli and safe stimuli (i.e., poor fear inhibition). Physiological indicators of self-regulation, such as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), appear to be related to the startle response. Therefore, increasing self-regulation may reduce fear load and improve fear inhibition. One method for doing so may be through mindfulness meditation. Using a FPS paradigm, the current study explored the use of mindfulness meditation (as compared to relaxation) as a method of decreasing fear load and enhancing fear inhibition by improving …

The Art Of Transformational Leadership : A Study Of Sun Tzu's Strategic Philosophy Applied To Managing Civil Service Employees, Jesus N. Perez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The bureaucratic red tape governing civil service employment in public higher educational institutions in Illinois can prolong the process to issue corrective action. As swift action to address conduct is stifled by the layers of procedure, a manager may become discouraged from responding to problems in the workplace. When the discouragement becomes the status quo of inaction in the workplace, the misconception that a civil service employee cannot be terminated is further underscored. The acceptance of a laissez-faire management style develops into a steep problem in public higher education, in which a manager who is unprepared for conflict becomes the …