Digital Commons Network^™

Testing A Scale Of Teacher Beliefs About Universal Curriculum Integration In The 21st Century (Uci21-T), Nicole E. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Curriculum integration is a unique approach to teaching. Twenty-first century skill approaches to curriculum integration train teachers in the process of curriculum integration, such that they are able to integrate various subject combinations in their teaching that produce new skills and dispositions in their students. Yet no scale to measure teachers' beliefs about the value of and efficacy beliefs towards implementing curriculum integration exists that is universal in the sense that it can be used any time any subject combination is integrated. Using a sample of 196 teachers at a professional development meeting in a mid-sized suburban school district in …

Outcomes For Professionals And Companies Through Student-Professional Reverse Mentoring Sessions, Nicholas Burr Gubler

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative inquiry explores the outcomes that professionals, and their companies, experience when they participate in a student-professional reverse mentorship. Professional development is used across all trades and professions as a way to increase employee skills and improve product/service quality. Reverse mentoring, where a novice teaches the more experienced individual, is a relatively new approach in professional development. When the reverse mentoring scenario is between students and professionals, instead of professionals and their colleagues, we know that students benefit from the reverse mentoring process but little is known about what outcomes the professionals experience. This research reports that professionals experience …

Materials Prediction Using High-Throughput And Machine Learning Techniques, Chandramouli Nyshadham

Theses and Dissertations

Predicting new materials through virtually screening a large number of hypothetical materials using supercomputers has enabled materials discovery at an accelerated pace. However, the innumerable number of possible hypothetical materials necessitates the development of faster computational methods for speedier screening of materials reducing the time of discovery. In this thesis, I aim to understand and apply two computational methods for materials prediction. The first method deals with a computational high-throughput study of superalloys. Superalloys are materials which exhibit high-temperature strength. A combinatorial high-throughput search across 2224 ternary alloy systems revealed 102 potential superalloys of which 37 are brand new, all …

The Impact Of Sturgeon Ii On Alaska Subsistence Management: A Chance For Peace In The Jurisdiction Wars, Craig Jones

Alaska Law Review

In Sturgeon v. Frost, the Supreme Court addressed the status of navigable waters in Alaska’s conservation system units. In holding that these waters are not “public lands” for the purposes of ANILCA, the Court limited the ability of the federal government to regulate them. In a footnote, Sturgeon preserved the longstanding Katie John trilogy of Ninth Circuit precedent regarding subsistence rights. This new jurisdictional framework has the potential to cause problems for subsistence management in Alaska. This Note addresses these potential consequences and proposes possible steps to create a more harmonized subsistence management system through greater cooperation between the federal …

Vol 64 #6, Melanie Argo

MPLA Newsletter

No abstract provided.

College And Career Awareness In Elementary Schools, Veronica Martinez Gracida

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Greenfield Union School District provides the educational needs of students, K-6, who are economically disadvantaged, English learners, and special education. Data shows that students in the Greenfield Union School District have low academic performance in English, Mathematics, and other subjects. One reason for low academic performance is the lack of student engagement in school. The capstone project attempted to encourage student engagement, by increasing students’ knowledge and awareness about college and careers. Three 5th grade classes participated in the college activities. The capstone project consisted of four college awareness sessions. The sessions included activities which expanded students’ knowledge about career …

Benefits Of Implementing Visual Arts For Elementary School Students, Desiree Conway

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Walking into an elementary classroom you might have observed that visual arts have been consistently disappearing from elementary school classrooms. Visual arts curriculum is especially important in elementary schools because it helps students to fully understand concepts in other areas of their academics. This senior capstone will focus and discuss the many benefits of implementing visual arts into an elementary school classroom. Through the use of a literature review and interviews with teachers. The findings reveal that when visual arts are implemented into elementary schools, they do indeed serve students well and have positive effects in all academic areas of …

Teaching High Schoolers About Colorism, Charenee Lachelle Brown

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Colorism has long been a major issue in the media and in communities. Colorism is a practice of discrimination in which those with lighter skin are treated more favorably than those with darker skin. It is the product of racism in the US, in that it upholds white standards of beauty and benefits lighter skin people in various US institutions. For my capstone project, I presented a workshop on colorism in a 9th grade class at Marina High School. The students learned the definition of colorism and how it relates to racism. They also learned about the effects of colorism …

Effects Of English Proficiency On Nursing Student Empowerment And Intent To Leave The Program, Nadja James

Dissertations

Individual (learner) empowerment plays an important role in the learning environment. A more empowered student is more likely to be academically successful and complete their program of study. The findings of this study showed nursing students who felt less empowered had a greater intent to leave their nursing program. Many prelicensure nursing programs struggle with high attrition rates, especially minority students, including students from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background. Since effective communication is crucial in the learning environment, students with lower English proficiency tend to struggle in that area. Communication issues affect CALD students’ sense of empowerment and …

Phenomenological Curiosity, Ryan Russell Katz

Dissertations

This transcendental phenomenological study focused on the phenomenon of curiosity. The aim of this research was to explore the following research question with seven research participants: What does curiosity mean? Supported by semi-structured, one-on-one, in-depth phenomenological interviews as the research method, the findings revealed (a) curiosity as an energy for learning and (b) six Curiosity Archetypes defined by the way each gathers, connects, and/or utilizes data to expand consciousness and sense of meaning via creativity. Grappling with curiosity as an energy for learning presents at least three significant educational implications: (a) if curiosity is an energy for learning, then learning …

Lived Experiences Of Counselors Providing Counseling To Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Jenna Annette Mack

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of counselors providing counseling to adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Eleven professional counselors participated in the study from various regions of the United States. Four themes and 10 subthemes were found. The resulting themes discuss the counselor reactions, previous experiences with ASD, approaches used in counseling, and counselor self-care. The findings exhibit new evidence in the literature such as counselors’ emotional reactions to working with adults with ASD, challenges in balancing adult clients with ASD and their family members, and professional emotional boundaries used as a self-care tool. …

The Words Of Comparative Law, Olivier Moréteau

Journal Articles

While the word "comparative" refers to a cognitive and intellectual activity supposing that there are several elements to compare, the word "law" is used in the singular, as if law was to be compared to itself The whole phrase indicates that comparison takes place within the study of the law, but the use of the singular does not point to a pluralistic approach: what do we mean by law? Should we not talk about "comparing the laws" or "legal comparison"? With a reflection on the words of the law as a starting point, this paper visits the corpus of comparative …

A Mixed Methods Investigation Of Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports In A Midwest Middle School, Thomas Dittrich Jr.

Dissertations

The researcher investigated the difference between the implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and student achievement scores and the number of failing grades in a Midwest United States suburban public middle school through a mixed methods research study. The collected and analyzed secondary data to complete quantitative research included numbers of office discipline referrals and failing grades, average daily attendance percentages, and percentages of students scoring proficient or advanced on the Missouri Assessment Program tests. Staff members, during the specified timeframe of the study, completed a Google Form survey and provided qualitative data. The z-test for difference in …

Millennial Generation College Students: Observations And Experiences Of Counseling Faculty At Selected California Community College Districts, Antoine Thomas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Higher education, specifically the California community colleges, is being inundated with a large new generation of students called millennials. They are the majority student group enrolled in record numbers at California Community Colleges. California community colleges continue to evolve in order to accommodate millennial generation college students. A phenomenological design was utilized, using face-to-face interviews. This research explores the phenomenon of “millennial college students (millennials)” through the lived experiences of California community college counseling faculty who interact with them. Their observations and experiences could prove to be informative and help advance the purpose of this research.

The following are the …

Gulf Trade Networks And Family Ties: French Migration Via New Orleans To The Lower Rio Grande Valley, 1848-1881, Kristen D. Kline

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis considers economic and social aspects of French immigration to the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas during the mid-nineteenth century, with special emphasis on a small group of merchants who left France during the 1850s. It synthesizes the work of several scholars who have focused on French presence in the LRGV with others who have analyzed various economic facets of the LRGV during different periods between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. This study attempts to situate five families into the context of nineteenth-century European migration to the Americas, as well as into the Gulf maritime economy on …

Blaze, Meg Roussos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The photographer discusses her work in “BLAZE,” a Master of Fine Arts thesis exhibit held at the Tipton Gallery from September 16th through October 4th, 2019. The exhibition consists of 11 archival inkjet prints, two photographic artist books, a nine-channel video installation, representing the artist’s exploration of how to experience the landscape. Using non-traditional approaches to photographic imagery, experimental exhibition layout, the artist forms questions around themes of walking and landscape. The artist investigates sculptural land art installations represented through photographic documentation. A catalog of the exhibit is included at the end of this thesis.

Roussos examines formal and conceptual …

Gesture-Based Profiling Of Commonplace Lifestyle And Physical Activity Behaviors, Meeralakshmi Radhakrishnan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The widespread availability of sensors on personal devices (e.g., smartphones, smartwatches) and other cheap, commoditized IoT devices in the environment has opened up the opportunity for developing applications that capture and enhance various lifestyle-driven daily activities of individuals. Moreover, there is a growing trend of leveraging ubiquitous computing technologies to improve physical health and wellbeing. Several of the lifestyle monitoring applications rely primarily on the capability of recognizing contextually relevant human movements, actions and gestures. As such, gesture recognition techniques, and gesture-based analytics have emerged as a fundamental component for realizing personalized lifestyle applications.

This thesis explores how such wealth …

Surrealism Is Real, Dirdra Medina

Journal of Youth Development

Moving from the Philippines to the United States at a young age to live with a father, with whom you have had limited contact, and meeting a stepmom and stepbrother for the first time provides unique challenges. Socializing and “fitting in” with peers is especially difficult and overwhelming. The youth author highlights how overcoming these obstacles is facilitated through hard work and the support of personal relationships.

Turkish Delight, Zahra Abdifatah Ali

Journal of Youth Development

Immersion as an international traveler to Turkey and experiencing the religion, culture, people, foods and lifestyle of the culture can have a life changing effect on youth. The youth author shares that providing authentic experiences and diverse opportunities is important in maximizing the potential.

Examining Resiliency In Adolescent Refugees Through The Tree Of Life Activity, Marcella Stark, Brandy Quinn, Katharine Hennessey, Amanda Rutledge

Journal of Youth Development

Grounded in both resiliency science and positive youth development, the research team set out to understand the strengths and resources of adolescent refugees living in northeast Texas. In coordination with a local refugee services agency, members of the research team conducted the Tree of Life activity with 16 participants ranging in age from 13 to 20 years. Identifying 16 codes in the qualitative analyses of participants’ drawings, they organized these codes into 3 themes: self-efficacy, values, and relationships. The authors recommend the use of Tree of Life and other creative arts activities to facilitate the discovery of strengths and resources …

Guiding Principles For Reaching And Engaging Latinx Youth In Youth Development Programs, Fe Moncloa, Nancy Erbstein, Aarti Subramaniam, Claudia Diaz Carrasco

Journal of Youth Development

This qualitative study presents practices associated with sustained youth engagement at 13 Latinx-serving youth development programs located in 3 California counties: 1 rural, 1 suburban, and 1 urban. Empirical findings reflect 5 key dimensions of practice: (a) integrate extended understandings of positive youth development, (b) support positive ethnic identity development, (c) contend with physiological and social effects of discrimination, (d) respond to the ramifications of economic poverty, and (e) act upon the diversity of local and regional Latinx experience. Study findings translate into guiding principles that youth development programs are encouraged to operationalize based on local interests, needs, and resources.

Leisure Experiences And Social Support Systems Of Latino Students With Daca Status, Austin Langley, Gwynn Powell, Toni Liechty, William Haller

Journal of Youth Development

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the leisure experiences of undocumented Latino young adults with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status in order to note any potential links between leisure experience and success in reaching higher education. This population faces a unique set of challenges in their transition to adulthood and their pursuit of and access to higher education. Research suggests that 3 common factors among undocumented young adults who have been successful in reaching higher education are extra-familial mentors, positive social supports, and supplementary educational programming. This study used these 3 factors …

Cultural Immersion Camps And Development Of Ethnic Identity In Asian American Youth, Yi-Ju Wu, Corliss Outley, David Matarrita-Cascante

Journal of Youth Development

The purpose of this study was to explore camp outcomes specialized in ethnic identity among Asian American youth after they participated in a residential cultural immersion camp. In this study, the cultural immersion camp is viewed as a mediating factor that channels other influences in such a way as to guide Asian American youth to commit more expressly and more fully to their perception of ethnic identity. The results obtained from 3 cultural immersion camps located in the Western United States reveals that cultural immersion camp experiences significantly increase perceived levels of ethnic identity among Asian American youth. Implications of …

Christian Faith In The Immigration And Acculturation Experiences Of Filipino American Youth, Gayle Gabriel

Journal of Youth Development

The Filipino immigration experience began in the Philippines via American-modeled schools and Spanish-enforced Christian Catholicism, and this historical experience may have translated to smoother acculturation experiences for Filipinos immigrating to the United States. However, a smooth acculturation experience may not be the case for all Filipino youth. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of Christian faith in the immigration and acculturation of Filipino American youth. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 5 Filipino American emerging adults between the ages of 18 and 30 years old. Interview data went through 3 levels of coding and categorization; …

Community Youth Development Service-Learning: Trauma-Informed And Culturally Responsive, Philip Monte Verde, Marie Watkins, Donovan Enriquez, Shalym Nater-Vazquez

Journal of Youth Development

As the demographics of the United States change, it is important for youth workers to be able to adapt. Most established forms of youth services model the norms and values of the dominant Western culture. To best engage with a complete spectrum of youth, it is vital to take their backgrounds into account. This means being trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and mindful of serving the whole community. This article demonstrates how these salient frameworks informed a partnership between service-learning university students and Puerto Rican youth who were displaced by Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Understanding Youths’ Educational Aspirations In The Somali Diaspora, Joanna Tzenis

Journal of Youth Development

This article shares findings from a 10-month qualitative longitudinal study that offer insight into the educational aspirations of American youth (grades 6-9) who belong to the Minnesota Somali diaspora and highlight the social and cultural influences that shape these aspirations. The findings show that while the majority of youth participants (at one point in the study) expressed that they wanted to become doctors in the future, these aspirations were informed by family values around helping others in Somalia—not an interest in medicine or science. The findings also demonstrate that through time, as the high school youth began to engage more …

Barriers And Supports To College Aspiration Among Latinx High School Students, Harold Manzano-Sanchez, David Matarrita-Cascante, Corliss Outley

Journal of Youth Development

This study used a qualitative methodology to identify and describe barriers that Latinx high school students face in their college aspirations and the supports they recognize as pivotal to achieving their goal of attending college. In order to understand barriers and supports for college attendance, 23 Latinx high school students in Southern California participated in 4 focus groups. Students were asked about barriers that most affect the students’ college aspirations and varying supports needed to assist in their goal to go to college. The most common barriers reported by them were: lack of financial resources, family responsibilities, lack of teachers’ …

Leisure Experiences And Social Support Systems Of Latino Students With Daca Status, Austin Langley, Gwynn Powell, Toni Liechty, William Haller

Journal of Youth Development

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the leisure experiences of undocumented Latino young adults with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status in order to note any potential links between leisure experience and success in reaching higher education. This population faces a unique set of challenges in their transition to adulthood and their pursuit of and access to higher education. Research suggests that 3 common factors among undocumented young adults who have been successful in reaching higher education are extra-familial mentors, positive social supports, and supplementary educational programming. This study used these 3 factors …

Examining Resiliency In Adolescent Refugees Through The Tree Of Life Activity, Marcella Stark, Brandy Quinn, Katharine Hennessey, Amanda Rutledge

Journal of Youth Development

Grounded in both resiliency science and positive youth development, the research team set out to understand the strengths and resources of adolescent refugees living in northeast Texas. In coordination with a local refugee services agency, members of the research team conducted the Tree of Life activity with 16 participants ranging in age from 13 to 20 years. Identifying 16 codes in the qualitative analyses of participants’ drawings, they organized these codes into 3 themes: self-efficacy, values, and relationships. The authors recommend the use of Tree of Life and other creative arts activities to facilitate the discovery of strengths and resources …

Community Youth Development Service-Learning: Trauma-Informed And Culturally Responsive, Philip Monte Verde, Marie Watkins, Donovan Enriquez, Shalym Nater-Vazquez

Journal of Youth Development

As the demographics of the United States change, it is important for youth workers to be able to adapt. Most established forms of youth services model the norms and values of the dominant Western culture. To best engage with a complete spectrum of youth, it is vital to take their backgrounds into account. This means being trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and mindful of serving the whole community. This article demonstrates how these salient frameworks informed a partnership between service-learning university students and Puerto Rican youth who were displaced by Hurricane Maria in 2017.