Digital Commons Network^™

Dialog About A New Asylum System, James C. Hathaway

Articles

The mechanisms for implementing the obligations under the Refugee Convention are fiawed in ways that too often lead States to act against their own values and interests, and which produce needless suffering amongst refugees. A five-point plan could revitalize the Refugee Convention. A managed and collectivized approach to the implementation of refugee protection obligations would include planning for refugee movements, embracing common but differentiated State responsibility and international administration of refugee protection.

Acute Exercise Effects On Error Processing In Adult Adhd, Mia K. Bates

Honors Papers

This study investigated the effect of 30 minutes of stationary biking on ADHD performance on a combined flanker/go/no-go task. We had 22 people with ADHD participate and 27 controls. We did not find any effect of exercise on correct response time, error rates, or error-related positivity (Pe) amplitude. We also did not find a decrease amplitude in baseline error-related negativity (ERN) or Pe of the ADHD group. We did find an a marginal increase in the amplitude of ERN in both groups after exercise (t(19) = 1.72, p = 0.10, Cohen’s d = 0.37). We also found an increase in …

Chopin Onscreen: Media Representations Of Frederic Chopin, Monika Cecilia Franaszczuk

Honors Papers

The purpose of this research project is to investigate the relationship between biographical films and the context in which they were produced through a focus on media representation of Frederic Chopin. Chopin’s life lends itself well to the “tortured romantic artist” trope, due to his estrangement from his home country, his romantic troubles with George Sand, and the illness that led to his untimely death. His dramatic story has yielded several fictionalized interpretations of his life. This project explores several of these adaptations, discussing the portrayal of Chopin’s character as well as his music, and how the cultural context of …

Generative Processes For Audification, Judith Jackson

Honors Papers

Using the JavaSerial library, I present a generative method for the digital signal processing technique of audification. By analyzing multiple test instances produced by this method, I demonstrate that a generative audification process can be precise and easily controlled. The parameters tested in this experiment cause explicit, one-to-one changes in the resulting audio of each test instance.

Sí, Me Afectó: The Women Of Bracero Families In Michoacán, 1942-1964, Eleanor Inez Lindberg

Honors Papers

Between 1942 and 1964, the U.S. and Mexico made a series of labor agreements collectively referred to as the Bracero Program. The Mexican men, Braceros, contracted through this program worked temporarily in agriculture and industry across the U.S. This paper examines the lives of ten women in the Mexican state of Michoacan whose male family members worked as Braceros. The mens' absences disrupted the family in an economic sense, requiring women to take on labor that was non-traditional for women at the time, as well as in a social sense, as the stability and respectability of their household came into …

Drivers Of Post-Fire Vascular Plant Regeneration In The Conifer-Dominated Boreal Forest Of Southern Northwest Territories, Alison White

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In recent years, climate warming has led to an increase in the severity and frequency of naturally occurring fires in boreal ecosystems globally. In 2014, an unprecedented 3.4 million hectares of boreal forest burned in the Northwest Territories (NWT). While much research has focused on post-fire succession of serotinous tree species such as Picea mariana (black spruce) and Pinus banksiana (jack pine), the understory community of vascular plants play an important role in ecosystem functioning but less is known about the response of this component of the system to changing fire regimes. Regeneration strategies such as the ability to resprout …

A Phenomenological, Arts-Based Study Of Art Therapists’ Self-Reflective Practice, Laurie Ponsford-Hill

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This phenomenological, arts-based study examined the experiences of 15 art therapists using five-minute, full-bodied self-portraiture with 55 minutes of self-reflective journaling once a week for four weeks at the end of each work week. The therapists determined the location for this practice. Subsequently, the four artworks, as a serial, were explored with each participant in a one-hour telephone or Skype interview to understand their lived experience through art, and its signs, and symbols. This process enabled the therapists to act as witness to their respective self/selves, deepening their insights and connections about self. The transcribed audio-taped interviews were manually coded …

Landscape Scale Spectral-Temporal Modelling Of Bamboo-Dominated Forest Succession Within The Atlantic Forest Of Southern Brazil, Clara Greig

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Tropical and subtropical ecosystems have become vulnerable to biological invasion (i.e., bamboo) due to human induced forest fragmentation. Bamboo ecological processes have been found to impede forest development, resulting in a state of arrested succession, which has been found to significantly reduce biodiversity, thus contributing to biotic homogenization. In this study we use a semi-empirical approach to develop a community-level spatially explicit ecological process model (hybrid model) using a time-series of Landsat imagery to describe single-landscape scale ecological processes of a pervasive bamboo species (Merostachys skvortzovii) found throughout the Araucaria forest, a critically threatened subtype of Atlantic forest …

A Grateful Mind: The Impact Of Felt Fluency On Subjective Well-Being, Renee Hunt

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The practice of gratitude has become increasingly prevalent in popular culture as a self-help intervention aimed at improving individuals’ happiness and overall well-being. Although a great deal of empirical work has promoted the benefits of practicing gratitude (see Davis et al., 2016 for a review), less work has been conducted examining the conditions under which the traditional gratitude interventions are less effective, or even entirely ineffective. One potential boundary condition that may be associated with the benefit individuals report after engaging in the practice of gratitude is fluency – an individual’s subjective experience of ease or difficulty. When tasks are …

Modernizing Midwifery: Managing Childbirth In Ontario And The British Isles, 1900–1950, Gwenith Cross

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation considers the differences, as well as the similarities, between midwifery and childbirth practices in Ontario and in Britain in the first half of the twentieth century. Addressing the modernization of medical practices on either side of the Atlantic, the periodization of this project reflects the increasing concerns about maternal and infant morbidity and mortality alongside medical and political attempts to ensure the involvement of trained medical professionals during pregnancy and childbirth. In Britain, the establishment of the 1902 Midwives Act regulated midwifery so that only midwives approved by the Central Midwives’ Board were allowed to practice. British midwives …

Clergy Supportive Spiritual Practices, Gregory Jenkins

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Clergy wellness is of keen interest to church leadership in recent years as mainline Canadian churches face rapid decline. The financial diminishment of the church has led to fewer clergy looking after more churches, and larger churches having fewer staff. The result is increased demands on clergy’s time and energy that pose a challenge to their wellness. Given this current reality, the importance of understanding what can support clergy wellness is crucial. The purpose of this research is to explore the question: “What is the experience of Anglican priests in the Diocese of Huron as they engage in supportive spiritual …

Exploring Patient Satisfaction Among Transgender And Non-Binary Identified Healthcare Users: The Role Of Microaggressions And Inclusive Healthcare Settings, Stevie Forbes-Roberts

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of quality of healthcare delivery. Transgender and non-binary (TGNB) people regularly report experiencing discrimination when in healthcare settings and few TGNB-inclusive services are available. Researchers have not examined how discrimination and access to TGNB-inclusive services are associated with patient satisfaction among TGNB healthcare users. Among a convenience sample of TGNB people (n = 146) from Canada and the United States, I examined the relationship between patient satisfaction, experiencing microaggressions from primary healthcare providers, and receiving care in a TGNB-inclusive healthcare setting.

The results from a multivariable linear regression suggest that experiencing microaggressions is …

Beyond Muslim Xenophobia And Contemporary Parochialism: Aga Khan Iv, The Ismā‘Īlīs, And The Making Of A Cosmopolitan Ethic, Sahir Dewji

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Aga Khan IV is the forty-ninth hereditary Imām of the Shī‘a Nizārī Ismā‘īlī Muslims (or ‘Ismā‘īlīs’ for short). As a Muslim leader, Aga Khan IV addresses salient issues concerning humankind in the contemporary world and expresses the challenges of living under such conditions through his public speeches and the institutions of the Ismā‘īlī Imāmate. His discourse is informed by the inseparability of dīn (faith) and dunyā(world), which is viewed as being a central function to the office of Imāmate. Aga Khan IV adopts a context-rich approach that addresses modernity by integrating commitments to theology with religio-cultural ethics, a formulation …

Confronting Sexism In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math (Stem): What Are The Consequences?, Eden J.V. Hennessey

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Disparaging remarks that female scientists are ‘Distractingly Sexy’ (Waxman, 2015) and ‘Too Pretty to Do Math’ t-shirts (Amazon.com) highlight the common belief that women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) violate perceived gender norms. However, by confronting these beliefs, women may incur a ‘double-dose’ of hostility; once for being present in science, and again because of the confrontation itself (Kaiser & Miller, 2001). Across three studies, this research tested how women confronting sexism in STEM contexts would elicit and anticipate social costs. Study 1 showed that male participants rated a hypothetical female confronter in STEM higher in bossiness and …

Moving Forward With Self-Compassion: An Examination Of Self-Compassion, Social Anxiety, And Post-Event Processing, Rebecca A. Blackie

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Post-event processing (PEP) refers to a negative and prolonged rumination following anxiety-inducing social situations and is posited to maintain social anxiety. Because PEP is characterized by thoughts that are judgmental, recurring, and preoccupying, those who engage in PEP appear to lack self-compassion. Self-compassion can be conceptualized as a supportive and open attitude toward negative experiences, with the recognition that these experiences are universal. The purpose of the present research was to examine self-compassion in the context of PEP. In the first manuscript, we found support across two, separate samples (N = 156 undergraduates; N = 150 individuals from the …

Narratives Of Baby Boomers: Envisioning Late Life Spiritual Resources, Jane A. Kuepfer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

ABSTRACT:

In this narrative inquiry, first-wave baby boomers (six males and six females born between 1946 and 1955) reflected on their lives and envisioned living into old age. While literature has focused on trends in baby boomer spirituality, issues of aging, and spiritual needs and tasks among elders, this study listened for “spiritual resources.” Initially defined broadly as that which has sustained a person throughout their life and will sustain them in the future, spiritual resources came to be understood as those things, both internal and external, that address deep human need for such spiritual values as love, hope, peace, …

No-Zero Policy In Middle School: A Comparison Of High School Student Achievement, Janelle Dennis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Local middle schools have begun implementing a no-zero policy, which compels teachers to assign grades no lower than 50% even if a student did not turn in assignments for grading. In the study setting, high school teachers are struggling to motivate students who have attended a middle school with a no-zero policy in place. High school students who have attended a middle school with a no-zero policy show signs of learned helplessness. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in core course grades between high school students who attended a middle school with a no-zero policy (NZPMS) …

Predictors Of Student Referrals To School Counselors By School Teachers, Kristina Donovan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A large percent of high school students in New Jersey aged 12 -17 can benefit from seeing their school counselor. The problem is that without teacher referrals, many students with unidentified mental health disorders may not receive the needed early intervention services. Limited research exists as to which factors may influence a teacher to refer a student to a school counselor. Framed with cognitive behavioral theoretical foundation, a cross sectional survey design study investigated how teachers' perception of school counselors influence teachers' willingness to refer to a school counselor, as measured by the Counselor Rating Form - Short Edition. Using …

Knowledge Mobilization For Complex Community Initiatives: Examining How Peer Learning Strategies Influence Capacity For Local Implementation Of Housing First, Sarah Kathleen Worton

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Knowledge-to-action theories (such as knowledge mobilization, translation, and dissemination) have been developed to address a persistent disconnect between research and practice. Critiques of these theories highlight areas for improvement, including better incorporating knowledge generated through experience and examining the learning process in greater detail. The research in this dissertation examines peer learning as strategy for mobilizing knowledge to advance the uptake of evidence-based practices, particularly interventions that are complex in nature. Complex interventions require engagement of many different stakeholder groups and often require adaptation to ensure sufficient fit with the implementation context. Research on peer learning as a knowledge mobilization …

Gasping For Breath: Women’S Concerns And The Politics Of Community Development In Rural Ghana, Charles Gyan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This transnational feminist study described and interpreted the experiences of women within the context of community development in rural Ghana. The purpose of this study was to empirically ascertain the barriers faced by women within the community development processes in rural Ghana. With this goal, women from three randomly selected rural communities in Ghana were sampled and interviewed. A concurrent triangulation mixed method research design was adopted. The main instruments used were a questionnaire and an in-depth interview for the collection of the quantitative and qualitative data respectively. A total of two hundred women participated in the study.

The findings …

Social Positioning In Social Work Practice: Stories Of Hopes And Struggles Among Racialized Minority Workers, Utamika Cummings

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The primary purpose of this qualitative research is to understand the experiences of racialized social workers and social services workers and how social positioning plays out in their practice. What are the experiences of racialized workers in their work places? How do they position themselves in terms of their age, gender, race and professional identity in the various contexts of their practice? Do they experience self-doubt? How are they recognized or misrecognized for how they position themselves? How do they deal with these experiences? What are their stories? These were the main questions that this narrative research sought to capture …

Employee Engagement From The Viewpoint Of Employees In Academia, Stephanie Giles-Merrick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research does not address how staff in the United States perceive employee engagement in the university system. Leadership training and communication for managers are essential processes that help staff become highly engaged in universities. The purpose of phenomenological study was to explore the views of employees in a selected university within the state of Georgia in an attempt to address positive employee engagement in the academic environment. The engagement theory and social exchange theory were used as the conceptual frameworks to explore how employees engaged in their department working with their managers. To address this question, a purposeful sample of …

Staff Education And Training For The Maternal Cardiac Arrest, Kimberly Sue Gililland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Maternal cardiac arrest is among the most frightening events that can happen on the labor and delivery unit. A maternal arrest can have catastrophic results. Staff must be vigilant, competent, and ready to handle the maternal arrest emergency at all times. A maternal cardiac arrest requires coordination among multiple disciplines and precise performance is paramount in saving not one life, but two. The purpose of the project was to establish a clinical training course for maternal arrest intended for education to improve staff knowledge during a maternal cardiac arrest. Evaluation of the knowledge and skills were through an exam, participation …

Good Works And The Great Commission: An Exploration Of Religious Influence In Evangelical Faith-Based Organisations In Canada And India, Ravi Gokani

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

By the mid-1990s, the post-war, Keynesian welfare state that had typified much the landscape of service provision in North America had already begun seriously to corrode in the presence of a resurgent classical liberalism. This meant, among other things, an increased role for civil society organisations in the provision of social welfare to citizens in need. As part of this restructuring of the welfare state, faith-based organisations found a renewed place, bolstered in part by favourable legislation, political support, and the revival of a once-recluse evangelicalism. Today, with decades of maturity and the aide of technology, evangelical faith-based organisations are …

Supports And Services Helpful To Working Adult Nursing Students, Cheryl Green

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The United States has experienced historically low graduation rates in public and private 2-year, degree-granting institutions. Many of these institutions are community colleges, which account for 60% of all student enrollment. This study was conducted to explore supports and services that may be helpful to working adult students over the age of 25 enrolled in a 2-year associate degree nursing program in a community college. Tinto's interactionalist theory of student persistence and retention and constructivist theory were the conceptual frameworks for this qualitative case study. The two guiding questions were focused on the types of support that would be helpful …

Do Early Community-Based Initiatives Predict Social Anxiety 20 Years Later?, Christina Dimakos

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Social anxiety disorder is characterized by an extreme and persistent fear of embarrassment or scrutiny in social or performance situations. This condition is among the most common mental illnesses and is characterized by an early onset, chronic course, and significant associated health and social service costs. Nevertheless, it remains among the least recognized, researched, and treated mental health conditions. Critically, broader community characteristics have yet to be considered as valuable tools for disrupting the onset and maintenance of social anxiety. The present study examined the long-term impact of a comprehensive, holistic, community-based early childhood development initiative on social anxiety in …

Parental Choice And Perceived Benefits Of Reggio Emilia Inspired Programs, Heidi Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite credible research to support a constructivist-based approach in early childhood programs, policymakers continued to push for a more academic-based philosophy in an effort to reach standardized testing goals. Reggio Emilia, a constructivist-based early childhood philosophy that originated in Northern Italy, has been shown to be an excellent model to facilitate optimum learning in young children. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate parental experiences when choosing the constructivist-based early childhood program, Reggio Emilia, for their children and to explore parents' perceived benefits after their children attended. A constructivist conceptual framework was used to provide context for the …

Gender Effects Of Robotics Programs On Stem-Related Self-Efficacy Of High School Students, Sandra Hall-Lay

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Lack of STEM-related self-efficacy has impeded the growth of women in STEM fields. Out of school (OST) robotics programs and other STEM-related OST programs provide secondary students with opportunities to work in groups, brainstorm, and formulate ideas that require communication and teamwork. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to compare STEM-related self-efficacy scores among male and female students who participated in OST robotics programs or other OST STEM-related programming. Independent variables were type of OST STEM program and gender. The dependent variable was students' STEM-related self-efficacy as measured by the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale. Responses from 149 students in …

Indigenous-Black Identity: Two Manuscripts Concerning Indigenous-Black Identity, Identity Formation, Mental Health, And Trauma, Ann Marie Beals

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis was written in the form of two different, yet similar stand-alone manuscripts. The overall premise of my thesis was the exploration of Indigenous-Black identity – Indigenous to both Turtle Island and the continent of Africa. This introduction to the thesis is to give an overview of my work and the manuscripts, and to provide information that is relevant to the understanding of the thesis that may not necessarily be required for manuscripts that are to be submitted for publication. Manuscript one, titled Indigenous-Black Identity, Mental Health, and Trauma explored, as the title suggests, concepts of Indigenous-Black identity regarding …

The Complexity Of Canadian Anti-Communism, 1945-1967, Ian Muller

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation argues that the history of anti-communism in English Canada between 1945 and 1967 is more diverse and complicated than traditionally acknowledged. Often dispersed throughout the scholarship as elements of other Cold War topics, including espionage, state surveillance, and policing, anti-communism is the central subject of this investigation. A series of case studies are used to analyze individual encounters with the state and civic engagement with the domestic threat of communism. The unique politico-cultural approach of this dissertation will bolster Canada’s Cold War historiography by investigating both public and private manifestations of anti-communism.

The intersections of public safety, the …