Digital Commons Network^™

Newcomer Educational Programming: In Response To Increasing Social-Emotional Needs Of Adolescent Newcomer Refugee Students, Rachel Louise Wixson Gilbertson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research study sought to understand how newcomer teachers address the social-emotional needs of their students in conjunction with English language and academic needs by using a qualitative approach. Literature thus far about newcomer education has focused on the language and academic needs of newcomer students, omitting the need to also address social-emotional learning. The study included interviews with four newcomer teachers from across the United States and found that for every teacher, social-emotional learning was the foundation for how they approached their students and made decisions about curriculum in their classroom. Despite the variation of program structure and level …

A Study Of Progression In Science Process Skills During A Midwestern Public Research University’S Stem Summer Camps, Anila Fiaz Gill

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the impact of STEM summer camps (held at a Midwestern university) on campers’ science process skills (SPS). Upon analysis statistically significant positive growth in SPS was observed, evidenced by the increase from presurvey to postsurvey SPS scores, over the period of these short duration camps. There were no statistically significant differences in growth (presurvey to postsurvey) by gender, grade level, or ethnicity. While there were no significant main effects for gender (male vs. female) and grade level (middle vs. high school) on science process skill scores, there was a significant main effect of ethnicity (white vs. nonwhite) …

Exploring The Use Of Podcasts On Students’ Language Learning And Change Of Students’ Self-Efficacy About The Use Of Podcasts, Silvia Rehulina Ginting

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Similar to other types of mobile technologies, podcasts are believed to provide many advantages for language instruction, including English as a second language (ESL) learners’ listening skills and pronunciation and changes in their self-efficacy from using the podcasts for learning ESL. The convergent parallel mixed methods design used Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning and Bandura’s self-efficacy as foundations. It used 11 different instruments to collect quantitative data and qualitative data from two sections of an upper-intermediate ESL class at one university in Midwest United States. Quantitative data were collected using a pre-test, a post-test, and the note taking quizzes …

Student Perceptions Of A Customer Service Model In A For-Profit Higher Education Institution, Leonard J. Grinstead

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the impact on students of customer service-oriented behaviors exhibited by faculty members and student advisors in a single geographic segment of a large institution of higher education in the for-profit sector headquartered in the midwestern United States. A single-case case study approach was used in order to explore students’ degree of satisfaction with customer service experiences and the extent to which these impacted their decisions to persist toward graduation from the university. A survey approach with a questionnaire distributed by email was used in order to gather data from students for …

The Downfall Of Colonial And Dark Romantic Masculinity In The Witch: A New England Folktale, David Miles Harrington

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis discusses the film The Witch (2015), directed by Robert Eggers, specifically, the character of William and his failures as a Puritan man. Puritan masculinity is a surprisingly understudied area of American literature and, to enter into the field, I use William and The Witch as a portal into various historical and literary interpretations of seventeenth-century Puritan maleness. The project takes a palimpsestic approach to these layers of influence on Eggers’s film. From Hawthorne’s Reverend Hooper in “The Minister’s Black Veil” and Young Goodman Brown in “Young Goodman Brown” to real-world Puritans Roger Williams and Samuel Sewall. This thesis …

Examining The Utility Of A Brief Self-Compassion Intervention For Emotion Regulation In Individuals With Exposure To Trauma, Sara Jean Himmerich

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Research suggests that abilities to moderate and process trauma-related emotions may predict symptoms of posttraumatic stress, with the overuse of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies presenting a potential vulnerability to experiencing difficulties following trauma exposure. Self-compassion has been associated with the acceptance of negative emotions, with research finding evidence for positive associations between self-compassion and adaptive emotion regulation. Additionally, research suggests an inverse relationship between self-compassion and symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Self-compassion has been conceptualized and studied as a skill that can be learned, with studies finding support for improved abilities following targeted interventions. However, more research is needed to establish …

Treated Like A Professional: A Case Study In Adjunct Faculty Socialization, Elizabeth C. Hobson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the experiences of part-time adjunct faculty members in a community college setting. It specifically looked at how adjuncts described: (1) their career journey to being adult educators, (2) their socialization experience, and (3) how teaching adult education influenced their perspective on teaching. All participants were experienced adjunct instructors in an adult basic and secondary education department (ABE/ASE) at a suburban community college. By looking at experienced adjunct instructors, the study informs practices to support both experienced and new part-time college faculty members.

A qualitative case study approach was used to explore the participants’ experiences. Ten adjunct faculty …

Effects Of Tax Increment Financing On School Finance And Local Economic Development, Chaoran He

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is a legislatively enacted economic tool that has been widely employed by local governments to promote economic growth. The motivation of this dissertation stems from a critical premise on the designation of TIF districts—the “but for” clause. State legislatures require that TIF initiators must demonstrate the subsidized development in candidate areas would not occur “but for” the subsidy. Such a requirement is inherently counterfactual in nature, which leads to a series of controversies on the fiscal status of overlapping taxing entities and the measurements of local economic development.

This dissertation separately investigates the effects of TIF …

Bivariate Cure Rate Model Using Copula Functions In Presence Of Censored Data And Covariates, Jie Huang

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Bivariate survival cure rate models extend the understanding of time-to-event data by allowing for the formulation of more accurate and informative conclusion. These conclusions are obtainable from an analysis that accounts for a cured fraction of the population and dependence between paired units. We propose a mixture cure rate model where a correlation coefficient is used for the association between bivariate cure rate fractions and a new generalized Farlie Gumbel Morgenstern (FGM) copula function is applied to model the de-

pendence structure of bivariate survival times. Covariate effects are incorporated into two components of our model, cure rate fractions and …

Evaluation Of Epilepsy Surgery Using Bayesian Multinomial Regression, Kacy Danielle Kane

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

We are exploring the effectiveness of brain surgeries that are supposed to eliminate or reduce the frequency of seizures in young Epilepsy patients. The long-term effectiveness of brain surgeries is evaluated by ordinal categories and brings longitudinal categorical responses.

Using a Bayesian multinomial regression model we examine the responses by the lobe of brain and other covariates as well as time. To overcome computational difficulties we utilize latent variables for multinomial responses and compare the results with frequentists methods.

Proper Orthogonal Decomposition Analysis Of Lid-Driven Cavity Flows Containing Particle Suspensions., Nitin Katiki

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Previous experiments done on the square lid driven cavity have shown that its stability and transitional behavior, and by extension the behavior of more complex flows, can be greatly modified by introducing systematic disturbances called perturbations to its flow field. In this study, a square lid driven cavity is calculated in two-dimensional space and perturbed by means of particles suspended in the flow. The perturbations manifest as subtle changes in the flow field velocity and overall flow structure, these are caused by the particle-fluid drag interaction and the particle-particle collision interaction. To understand the nature of these changes and their …

Temporal Dynamics Of Human Emotional Response To Aversive Stimuli, Joseph Lawence Kempel

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Emotions are an integral part of human expression and are often communicated nonverbally through behavioral actions. With advancements in electroencephalography (EEG) technology it is now possible to measure the dynamics of emotion generation in an individual on the basis of patterns in their brain activity. This thesis aims to model the temporal dynamics of human emotion generation upon exposure to aversive stimuli and measure the effect of external distractions as a viable emotion regulation strategy.

This research builds on previous work in the literature that has shown that the ability of humans to regulate their emotions intrinsically (based on their …

New Synthetic Methods Using Superelectrophiles, Sean Kennedy

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The work outlined in this dissertation describes new synthetic methods in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds mediated by superacid catalysis. Superacids are powerful reagents that enhance the reactivity of electrophiles, thereby opening the door to new reactive pathways with very weak nucleophiles. In this work, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (triflic acid, CF3SO3H) is employed as a superacid catalyst to effect new transformations. These concepts are summarized in chapter 1. Chapter 2 describes a new acid-catalyzed cascade leading to the indolizidine ring system, which is present in a number of natural products. Experiments support a proposed mechanism involving vinylogous keto-enol tautomerization. The synthesis …

The Association Of Victimization And Depression: An Investigation Of The Implicated Factors Of Social Anxiety, Body Esteem, And Social Support, Jacqueline Jo Klossing

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Victimization is an experience that affects a substantial portion of the adolescent population, and it is well established that it is associated with a host of negative outcomes, including depression. While the relations between victimization and depression have been researched extensively, there are a number of factors that may contribute to this association. Furthermore, both internal and external factors can play a role. Internally, the unique attribute of being socially anxious as well as the perceptions one carries regarding their appearance (i.e., body esteem) are implicated as potential mediators between victimization and depression. Externally, the social support an adolescent perceives …

The Role Of Administrative Observation, Evaluative Evidence And Procedural Due Process In Illinois, Before And After The Passage Of The Performance Evaluation Reform Act (Pera) And Senate Bill 7 (Sb7)., Christopher J. Adkins

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the impact of the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) and Senate Bill 7 (SB7) on evaluative practices utilized with tenured educators within Illinois. Given the sense of urgency brought to bear on teacher quality from laws such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Race To The Top (RTTT), revisions to the law that include streamlined processes, uniform evidence gathering and interpretation, and student growth measures are mainstays of legislation like PERA and SB7. Akin to many states, Illinois schools are working to institutionalize these concepts into everyday practices.

In reviewing the changes made to the Illinois …

Sky Surveys Scheduling Using Reinforcement Learning, Andres Felipe Alba Hernandez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Modern cosmic sky surveys (e.g., CMB S4, DES, LSST) collect a complex diversity of astronomical objects. Each of class of objects presents different requirements for observation time and sensitivity. For determining the best sequence of exposures for mapping the sky systematically, conventional scheduling methods do not optimize the use of survey time and resources. Dynamic sky survey scheduling is an NP-hard problem that has been therefore treated primarily with heuristic methods. We present an alternative scheduling method based on reinforcement learning (RL) that aims to optimize the use of telescope resources for scheduling sky surveys.

We present an exploration of …

Impact Of Social Support During A Social Interaction On Post-Trauma Cognitions And Outcomes During A Trauma Analogue Design, Christy Elizabeth Allen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study utilized the trauma film paradigm to explore interpersonal processes in post-trauma social interactions and their relation to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms within the framework of social-cognitive theory. Social support following a traumatic experience has been consistently linked with posttraumatic outcomes and PTSD symptoms, yet the exact mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unconfirmed. One theory is that when trauma survivors emotionally and cognitively process the traumatic experience within positive supportive conversations, these conversations can result in fewer negative posttraumatic cognitions, beliefs, and appraisals that have been linked to symptoms of PTSD. Likewise, negative support can create and reinforce …

The Development Of Scientific Reasoning: Children’S Evaluation Of Experiments And Evidence, Taneisha Vilma

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This investigation examines scientific reasoning among elementary school students by assessing experiment and evidence evaluation. Previous studies have not fully distinguished these two abilities. The present study directly compared experiment and evidence evaluation within the same task and also examined the recognition of confounded variables.

Using a modified version of a science reasoning procedure, students in first-, third-, and fifth-grade (N = 54) were presented with two sets of problems: (a) 1-Variable problems examined recognition of the difference between conclusive and inconclusive tests, and (b) 2-Variable problems further assessed recognition that confounded variables make an experiment inconclusive. For the 1-Variable …

Lewis Base Promoted Annulations Of Allenoates With 1,4-Naphthoquinones, Nicole Marie Shoup

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lewis base promoted cyclization of allenoates with electron deficient olefins open up the possibility to generate more complex organic structures. By generating more complex molecules, we are able to produce new compounds for biomedical and material applications. Both phosphine and amine Lewis bases offer interesting annulations with allenoates resulting in Lu or Morita–Baylis–Hillman type reactions. Once the Lewis base engages with the allenoate there can be several modes of nucleophilic reactivity that allows for the allenic ester to act as a two or three carbon synthon. The allenoate can then react with varying electron deficient olefins generating more complex molecules …

Utilization Of Superelectrophiles In Organic Synthesis, Hien Quoc Vuong

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation describes the use of triflic acid as a catalyst in organic synthesis. The first chapter is an introduction of reaction classes, reactive intermediate, and superacids.

Chapter 2 discusses a series of compounds have been prepared by the Fischer indole synthesis and Friedel–Crafts reactions, using a single acid catalyst in a one-pot conversion. The reactions have worked best with pyridyl-substituted hydrazones/indoles. Chlorination and bromination products are formed in good yields and high regioselectivities. Acylation products have also been prepared by the two-stage reaction. In the case of alkylation, the expected alkyl-substituted indoles are obtained however they are accompanied by …

Design, Synthesis, And Evaluation Of Potential Burkholderia Pseudomallei Ispf Inhibitors, Sydney Marie Watkins

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This body of work focuses on the inhibition of Burkholderia pseudomallei enzyme IspF. Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of Whitmore’s disease, and IspF is an essential enzyme in the synthesis of isoprenoids, a vital class of compounds. This work has involved the design and synthesis of nearly five dozen compounds, as well as the design, modification, and use of assays to demonstrate potential interactions between the compounds being investigated and the targeted organisms or enzymes. Development of assays was made challenging by the difficulty in observing the consumption of an unstable substrate or production of a product without a …

Wellness In Asexual-Identified Individuals: The Impact Of Social Support And Microaggressions, Elisa Marie Woodruff

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

One hundred sixty asexual identified individuals living in the United States were recruited from asexual online communities. The participants completed a comprehensive survey consisting of Zimet et al.’s 1988 Multidimensional Scale of Social Support, Foster’s 2017 Asexual Microaggression Scale, and the Five Factor Wellness Inventory Adult Version Revised (FFWEL-A2) developed by Myers and Sweeney in 2014, as well as 15-item demographic items. Regression models were used to assess relationships among the factors.

Social support was found to have a significant positive impact on participant wellness, supporting previous social science research. Microaggressions were not found to have a negative impact on …

Coupling Reactions Of Triaryl Carbocations Via Cationic Charge Delocalization, Hongfang Xue

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis describes a coupling reaction involving cationic charge delocalization. This work began as a study of the Piancatelli rearrangement, a reaction involving furan-based triaryl methyl cations. A new synthetic reaction has been discovered using these furan-based triaryl methyl cations as electrophilic intermediates. Zinc chloride has been found to be an effective Lewis acid catalyst for the ionization of the triaryl methanols to the carbocations. It has been found that furan-based triaryl methyl cations react with nucleophiles such as enol silyl ethers and silyl ketene acetals. Similar to the Piancatelli reaction, nucleophilic reactions are found to occur at the 5-position …

An Experimental Examination Of Religious Teaching And Thought-Action Fusion, Johanna Anita Younce

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Scrupulosity is an understudied symptom dimension of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that involves moral- and religious-based obsessions and compulsions. There are several different underlying cognitive beliefs that have been shown to be related to the development and maintenance of OCD, but one—moral thought-action fusion (TAF-moral)—has been highly associated with scrupulosity. TAF-moral is the belief that thoughts are morally equivalent to actions, including thoughts that are intrusive in nature. It has been found that individuals from different religious traditions display different levels of TAF-moral and display different strengths of association between TAF-moral and religiosity. However, these differences have not been examined experimentally …

Implementation Of The Shpb System For Material Property Test Under High Strain Rate Deformation, Jiaqi Zhu

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Since Bertram Hopkinson first raised the concept of Hopkinson pressure bar in 1914, many efforts have been taken by engineers and scholars for developing the system to measure the stress pulse propagation in metal bars for studying the properties of different materials under high strain rate deformation. The Northern Illinois University Material’s Lab has also built two generations of the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) system with the effort of several senior design teams in history.

The aim of this study is to develop the existing SHPB system of NIU to make it function properly. By redesigning the gun barrel, …

Study Of Electron Beam Emitted From Nano-Structured Cathode, Anusorn Lueangaramwong

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Over the years, particle accelerators have enabled breakthroughs in fundamental science while also becoming critical tools in medicine, homeland security, and societal applications. High-brightness electron beams are a key to the development of some of these accelerators and especially accelerator-based light sources. Electron emission is the first stage of the accelerator that dictates the ultimate beam brightness. To achieve such beam quality, electron sources--cathodes have been developed for their emission efficiencies. The cathodes with nanostructures on their surfaces have shown promising efficiencies when a laser pulse impinges, or an electric field is applied, on the cathode surface. Alternatively, these nano-patterned …

Towards Dual-Readout Calorimetry For Redtop Experiment, Tilak B. Malla

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

By virtue of peculiar properties of the eta (η) Goldstone boson, the study of it’s de-

cays is very important. The rare decays of this meson can provide unique opportunities

to probe several fundamental invariance principles of physics world. The REDTOP experi-

ment aims at searching for Physics Beyond Standard Model (BSM) by studying such decays

at a sensitivity of 10^ (−10) or below, which requires 10^ (12) or more η mesons. The REDTOP

collaboration has designed a detector to produce and reconstruct such a large number of

η mesons, which will make REDTOP a rare decay factory. The detector …

Examining Effects Of Hearing Aids In Job Interviews, Jesus Jose Martinez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study attempted to examine the underlying processes of discrimination towards people with hearing disabilities in the hiring context. Previous research has used social identity theory, social categorization theory, social dominance theory, and social motives to explain discrimination toward others. Newer research has suggested that discrimination can be caused by distraction interfering with cognitive processes. There are instances in which both discrimination theories and distraction can be used to explain discrimination. This study tests a model that combines these two lines of research. The results of the study did not find support for this model. However, the results did find …

An Experimental Examination Of Intolerance Of Uncertainty In Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Hannah Faleer Martyn

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Anxiety is considered a fear response to threat, driven by the absence of certainty and elevated perceptions of the cost of harm. It has been suggested that exaggerated responding to uncertainty underlies all anxiety disorders. Although no longer classified under the anxiety disorders section of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), anxiety still is considered a primary component of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is a chronic, debilitating condition that affects multiple domains of functioning. The current gold standard of treatment for OCD is exposure and response prevention (ERP), a form of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. However, ERP is not effective for all …

“Hersay,” An Exception To The Rule: A Narrative Inquiry Of Women Law Professors Navigating The Gendered Organization Of Law School, Lisa M. Matich

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand how women law professors navigate the gendered organizational realm of law school. Stories of women’s experience illuminate structures within the gendered organization of the law school that reproduce gendered inequities. By understanding how these inequities are reproduced, we may learn how to create more equitable structures. This research thus provided an opportunity for women law professors to tell their stories, thereby giving voice to their experiences within the gendered organizations of law schools.

This study used the qualitative approach of narrative inquiry to explore participants’ experiences. Eight women law professors, either tenured …