Digital Commons Network^™

Relative Deprivation And Xenophobia: Patterns Of Anti-Vietnamese Radicalism Among Cambodia's Opposition Parties From 1993 - Present, Ratanak Khun

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Anti-Vietnamese sentiment has been the most highly displayed rhetoric by generations of Cambodian politicians. In contemporary Cambodia, the opposition parties have actively engaged in tirades aimed at the Vietnamese and the ruling CPP which came to power with Vietnamese military support in 1979. How are we to explain the hatred against the Vietnamese in Cambodia? From the examination of the activities of the BLDP, the royalist FUNCINPEC, and the CNRP, we conclude that relative deprivation of a role of power on the political stage emerges as a potential factor that explains why members of Cambodian opposition parties have taken a …

Remodeled Classrooms: Experiential Learning And Its Impact, Mindy Kinnaman

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examined how faculty learn how to host and facilitate experiential learning activities for their classes and how the faculty are impacted by the work. Findings based upon nine semi-structured interviews indicated that fewer than half of participants had been formally trained to host experiential learning activities and some received no training at all. Findings also indicated that faculty experienced several personal benefits to hosting experiential learning activities, as did their students. Recommendations that emerged from this project include training programs for faculty, mentoring programs, and funding of experiential learning programs.

Ethnic-Racial Identity And Psychological Adjustment: An Examination Of Identity Coherence And Identity Confusion As Mediators, Cara Allen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The current dissertation project investigated relationships among ethnic-racial identity, identity coherence, identity confusion, and self-esteem in an ethnic minority sample. Consistent with previous research, ethnic-racial identity was related to identity coherence. Also consistent with previous research were the findings that identity coherence and identity confusion are differentially associated with self-esteem. Mediation analysis revealed that the relationship between one form of ethnic-racial identity, ethnic-racial identity commitment, and self-esteem was mediated by identity coherence. This mediated relationship was not moderated by gender, ethnicity, or immigration status. However, the relationship between identity coherence and self-esteem was moderated by college experience.

Telling Stories, Healing Cultures: Feminist Healing Narratives By Contemporary American Women Of Color, Lindsay Marie Vreeland

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Due to their experiences of oppression as a result of intersecting identities, women of Color are the most disenfranchised by Eurocentric patriarchal accounts and typically most in need of healing. As I explore in my research, works by women writers of Color—such as Louise Erdrich’s Four Souls, Sandra Cisneros’s Have You Seen Marie?, jia qing wilson-yang’s Small Beauty, and Toni Morrison’s Home and Paradise—gathered in this dissertation intentionally question and revise white settler versions of history that devalue people of Color; however, they also revise familiar stories and cultural traditions in their own communities. Doing so both empowers and enables …

Mid-Career Elementary Teachers' Perceptions Of Elements That Contribute To Job Satisfaction And Intent To Remain In The Field, Sarah Elizabeth Westberg

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examined the experiences and perceptions of mid-career elementary teachers by exploring elements contributing to their level of job satisfaction and intent to remain in the field. Participants for the study were identified from those who responded to a questionnaire that they received via their district email addresses. All four participants were teachers with 6-17 years of teaching experience who had considered leaving the field.

Data collection strategies included a series of three interviews with each teacher, as well as responses to two writing prompts. Through analysis of the qualitative data, several common themes emerged, thus providing insight into …

Shyness Mindset And Sexual Harassment Responses Among Female College Students, Jessica Rose Winder

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Sexual harassment is a common problem that has negative consequences on society as a whole and on individual well-being. Confronting sexual harassers has been shown to be an effective response. Victims of sexual harassment are also encouraged to report harassment. Sexual harassment has been associated with internalizing responses, such as depression and decreased self-esteem. These responses could negatively influence confronting and reporting behaviors. This study draws from previous mindset research. Results from this prior research showed evidence that shyness mindset affects responses to peer victimization among adolescents and college students. This study hypothesized that shyness mindset among female college students …

Effects Of Differential Instructional Time In Algebra On Standardized Assessment And Semester Grade Outcomes, Michael S. Wojtowicz

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Building off of other studies that examined the effectiveness of double-dose algebra programs such as Nomi and Allensworth (2009), this dissertation compared the performance outcomes of students enrolled in one of two alternatives to traditional high school algebra, a double-dose and a single-dose algebra program. This work utilized multiple linear regression to assess the degree of association between student race/ethnicity and selected demographic characteristics, including gender, free and reduced lunch status, and IEP status, on standardized assessment and end of semester mathematics course grade outcomes, while controlling for initial mathematics placement test results. This project assessed these outcomes for students …

Men's Lived Experiences In A Counselor Training Program: A Phenomenological Investigation, Suzanna Marie Wise

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the lived experience of seven counselors-in-training (CITs) who are men in one accredited masters-level counselor preparation program in the Midwestern United States. Over the course of a single interview that ranged in length from approximately one to two hours each, CITs were asked to describe and define their gender identity and expression, describe their experiences of being men in their families and communities, in their respective counseling programs, and as they reflect on the process of becoming a counselor in a woman-concentrated profession. Predominate gender socialization patterns in the United States in which men worked and …

Qualitative Perspectives On The Strange Trails Of Persistence In Stem, Erika Johanna Zocher

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In 2019, a Midwestern state university was awarded a $1 million NSF S-STEM grant to support scholarships for academically gifted, Pell Grant-eligible undergraduates enrolled in one of six designated STEM majors. Educational research was also funded by this grant, with the goal of identifying and contextualizing supports and challenges that impact persistence in STEM within the setting of a near-peer-mentored social support group during the fall of 2019. The purpose of this group was to provide social support and foster a sense of belonging for the twelve scholars. Such support is important for guiding students towards personal development and degree …

An Examination Of Quantity And Quality Of Maternal Consulting Predicting Adolescents' Socio-Emotional Outcomes, Natalie Low

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This observational investigation had two aims. The first aim examined the independent associations of the quantity and quality of maternal consulting and early adolescents’ socio-emotional outcomes. The second aim assessed the moderation effect of the quality of maternal consulting on the relationship between the quantity of maternal consulting and early adolescents’ outcomes. Seventy early adolescents (Mage=12.39 years old) and their mothers participated in the study. The sample was 51.4% girls and 48.6% boys. Mothers and their early adolescents were video recorded discussing typical hypothetical peer-related situations. Conversations were coded for the amount of consulting and four aspects of quality: feasibility, …

Gender Differences In The Experience Of Power And The Underlying Mechanism Of Status, Jasmin Martinez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the differential experiences of men and women with regard to the possession of power. Power—or the unequal control, influence, and access to resources, people, and things—is a byproduct of the hierarchical order that forms in a multitude of social contexts. As well as being unequally held, power is also unequally exercised. This study aims to understand the differences between men’s and women’s experience of power through the lens of another hierarchical variable: social status. One area with large implications for the impact of unequal power is within the workplace. Past literature has found that women and men …

Transitional Math In Illinois: A Quantitative Study On Eligible And Enrolled Students, Whitney Lynn Martino

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Completing a post-secondary degree is crucial to being competitive in the current job market. By 2020, the majority of all jobs in the United States require post-secondary education and training; however, barriers to access and attainment exist among individuals working to obtain post-secondary degrees, and there is an overall slowdown in post-secondary attainment. Students entering college identified as under-prepared is one of the attainment barriers to a post-secondary degree. This is particularly problematic at open admissions institutions like community colleges. When students arrive at college academically unprepared, they are often required to take developmental or remedial education coursework. In response …

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia, Behavioral Inhibition/Activation, And Behavioral Response To A Distressed Infant Simulator In Emerging Adults, Erin R. Mckay

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Caregiver sensitivity and intrusiveness during infancy are predictive of the development of self-regulation, joint-attention, and cognitive ability. However, few studies have examined predictors of caregiver responses to infant distress. Of particular note is vagal tone, specifically respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a physiological measure of top-down self-regulation. Previous work has identified a relationship between RSA, as well as other measures of caregiver self-regulation, with caregiver sensitivity and intrusiveness. The current study also examined additional predictors of caregiver responsiveness, behavioral inhibition and activation, which was conceptualized as a bottom-up system of self-regulation due to its influence on motivation and personality. It was …

The Impact Of Attributional Style On Adolescent Stress And Mental Health: Exploring Domain-Specific Stressors, Lauren Therese Mcneela

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the relation between domain-specific stressors (i.e., interpersonal versus noninterpersonal) and adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms among 118 high school students (Mage = 16.65 years old; 64% female; 79.8% Caucasian). Additionally, this study assessed the impact of negative attributional style on each of these associations, furthering the current literature on the Cognitive Diathesis-Stress model among adolescents. Using the lavaan package of RStudio (Rosseel, 2012), path analyses were run to examine the relationship between domain-specific stressor and adolescent outcomes. The present study found that interpersonal, but not noninterpersonal stressors were associated with internalizing symptoms, while neither interpersonal nor …

Women Obtaining The Superintendency: An Examination Of Internal And External Barriers That Influence A Woman's Career Trajectory, Jodi J. Megerle

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The role of public school superintendent is one of the most gendered executive positions in the United States, with men twenty times more likely than women to advance from teacher to superintendent. Although the majority of teachers and central office administrators in schools are women, the majority of superintendents are men. Women have made gains, yet under-representation continues to exist. As women break through the barriers, it is important to understand their experiences in administrative leadership as they navigate their careers. How do women in administration think and feel about working toward a male-dominated occupation? What barriers or opportunities have …

Virtual Faces In Virtual Spaces: Generating Social Capital In An Online World, Raymond James Miran

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines how online virtual reality games can generate social capital in the

social video game VRChat. Past research explores the generation of social capital from social

media and video games. These platforms generate social capital through different processes.

These differences are due to the technological differences and divergent purposes of the

platforms. VRChat bridges the computer-mediated-communication platforms as a social video

game. This thesis examines how VRChat as an online virtual reality generates bridging and

bonding online social capital by combining elements of the two platforms.

Results from 21 in-depth interviews showed that players of VRChat generated both …

Phenomenological Exploration Of School Social Workers' Perceptions Of Grade Retention, Veda Newman

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This research study focuses on the perspectives of school social workers in understanding and addressing the complexities of grade retention. Brené Brown's Rising Strong Theory and Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model of Human Development provide the conceptual frameworks for exploring the lived experiences of school social workers in addressing grade retention. Scholarly research on grade retention illuminates the divergent views and findings on the subject. An overview of the historic and current school social work profession is provided to situate the school social workers' role in addressing the social, emotional, and academic needs of students. The research methodology for this study …

Investigating The Behavioral Effects Of Juvenile Stress In The Prairie Vole Model, Marigny C. Normann

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Early life stress during the juvenile period, such as emotional neglect, interpersonal difficulties, or other forms of non-violent maltreatment can have consequences into adulthood. Specifically, the negative effects include increased risk of psychiatric or physical illnesses, social deficits, and maladaptive behavioral responses to stress. Since these effects have far-reaching implications that can negatively alter later behavior and physiology, the present study assessed the effects of early life social stress on later social and affective behaviors in a social rodent species – the prairie vole. The prairie vole displays behavioral, cardiovascular, and neuroendocrine responses to social stress similar to those of …

The Role Of Medial Septum Cholinergic Function In Processing Self-Movement Cues To Maintain Spatial Orientation, Jenna Rae Osterlund

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Wandering is the most life-threatening and commonly reported symptom of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by an inability to maintain spatial orientation. The often deadly consequences of wandering are projected to rise in the coming decades due to the advancing aged population. These upcoming challenges necessitate a more comprehensive understanding of the neurobiology of spatial orientation in order to evaluate novel therapeutic techniques for symptoms such as wandering. The inability to maintain spatial orientation in AD may be due to the pathological degeneration of the hippocampal cholinergic system. This neurological system is conserved across species for its function …

Links Between Parenting Behaviors And Anxiety Among Early Adolescents, Jacqueline Marie Pabis

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study aimed to specify factors, particularly parenting behaviors and gender, that influence the development of anxiety symptoms during early adolescence. Past research tends to incorporate a large age range; thus, this study focused on early adolescence which involves a change in the dynamics of the parent-child relationship such that children become less dependent on their parents. The study collected data from 153 middle school students (Mage = 12.71 years; 54.2% female; 48% White) using an online data collection instrument during study hall periods in the school day. Partial correlations revealed that rejection among both parent figures is the greatest …

An Online Randomized Controlled Trial Of Mindful Parenting Among Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Emily Elizabeth Padgett

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience stress and other psychological symptoms associated with their role as a parent. Mindfulness, defined as purposefully paying attention and nonjudgmentally remaining in the present moment, and mindful parenting, the application of mindfulness to the parent-child relationship, have been found to improve psychological functioning for individuals more broadly and parents specifically. Additionally, experimental mindful parenting interventions have been found to improve multiple outcomes in parents, including mindfulness, mindful parenting, parenting stress, anxiety and depression, and self-compassion. However, experimental research to date has not yet examined an online, self-guided mindful parenting intervention, …

Speculative Satire In Twentieth-Century Utopia And Dystopia, Benjamin Craig Parker

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study integrates the literature and correspondence of such Inklings authors as C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien into the arc of Commonwealth utopian and dystopian literature of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Because utopian authors such as Samuel Butler, William Morris, and H. G. Wells employ the utopian form pioneered by Thomas More but largely abandon More’s Augustinian Catholic view of human nature, their works frequently fail to address the impediments to justice and equity that More satirically addresses in Utopia. Thus, the speculative fiction of later Augustinian Christian authors such as Lewis and Tolkien complements …

Often Overlooked, But Not Forgotten: The Influence Of Demographic Measure Constraints On Participant Affect, Attitudes, Behavior, And Response Codability, Joy S. Pawirosetiko

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Despite a growing number of recommendations varying in wording and response options, researchers have yet to agree on how to best request participant gender identity. Evidence suggests that gender binary and gender minority participants perceive gender identity measures differently, with gender binary participants potentially perceiving more gender inclusive measures as laborious and gender minority participants perceiving less gender inclusive measures as misgendering or invalidating. We sought to test whether seven versions of an online questionnaire (six experimental conditions with gender identity questions listed at the beginning of the questionnaire varying in gender inclusivity, and one control condition) significantly impacted participant …

The Second Prong Of The Tinker Test: A Constitutional Right To Not Be Offended?, Jonathan Pilkington

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In the landmark 1969 Tinker v. Des Moines case, the Supreme Court ruled school districts could censor student speech if it caused a material and substantial disruption to the educational process or if the speech infringed upon the rights of others. Since then, the Supreme Court has also allowed schools to abridge students’ speech rights if the speech was obscene, if the speech was part of a school-sponsored activity, or if the speech promoted illegal drug use. Most of the court cases since Tinker have applied the first prong of the Tinker decision, focusing on disruption to education as the …

Wellness And Self-Care Of Counselor Education And Supervision Doctoral Students, Andrew Michael Plath

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the wellness and self-care experiences of current counselor education and supervision doctoral students in CACREP accredited doctoral programs. Data were collected using the FFWEL-A2 inventory, two additional Likert agreement scales, two drop-down menus, and two open-ended questions. A total of 118 participants completed the survey. Total wellness scores on the FFWEL-A2 were higher than the norming group. Self-care data were grouped by strengths and challenges. Themes within strengths included individual activities, social activities, awareness, and overcoming guilt. Themes within challenges were time, lack of motivation or energy, expectations, perceptions of …

Principals’ Legal Literacy About Tenured-Teacher Evaluation In Illinois, Elizabeth Pohlmann

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the legal literacy of principals related to the evaluation of tenured teachers. The quality of teachers, while varied, is important. The evaluation of tenured teachers provides a significant opportunity to impact the quality of teachers and the teacher workforce. This study explores principals’ knowledge of the legal framework in Illinois to identify gaps in knowledge regarding the tenured teacher evaluation process and the associated legal constraints (what do they have to do) and opportunities (what can they do).

In this study, a survey aligned with the legal requirements for tenured teacher evaluation is used to measure principal …

Bully Participant Role Behavior And Social Support From Teachers And Classmates: A Longitudinal Conditional Process Analysis, Logan Riffle

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Youth are involved in a range of bullying-related behaviors. Unfortunately, engagement in such behavior is associated with a variety of poor outcomes and thus it is important to understand the mechanisms behind this phenomenon as well as associated variables such as perceived teacher support and classmate support, as both types of support have been associated with engagement in bullying situations. Using Bronfenbrenner’s Social Ecological Model (Bronfenbrenner, 1977) as a backdrop, the aim of the current study was to investigate the longitudinal associations between bullying participant role behavior and perceived support from teachers and classmates. Specifically, this study examined the mediating …

Maternal Parenting Behavior, Socioeconomic Risk, And Toddler Effortful Control: The Mediating Role Of Infant Attention, Leanna D. Rosinski

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Effortful control (EC), the regulatory component of temperament, has important implications for children’s emotional, behavioral, and physical health. Greater infant attention regulation, a skill which develops prior to the emergence of EC, predicts better EC later in childhood. In addition, higher socioeconomic status (e.g., greater education, higher income) predicts better infant attention regulation and child EC. Negative parenting, characterized by intrusive, insensitive interactions with expressions of negative affect, has been found to predict poorer infant attention and child EC. Given these findings, the current study examined infant attention as a mediator between socioeconomic status, negative parenting, and toddler EC. A …

First-Generation Black Males’ Challenges In Attending A Pwi: Understanding What Makes Them Persist, Shakeitra Simmons

Masters Theses

Using qualitative methodology, the researcher studied the challenges and persistence factors for undergraduate First-generation Black males to persist at a Predominantly White Institution. Through conducting six one-on-one semi-structured interviews, the researcher identified the challenges faced by this group of students as mental health, lack of support, and racism/microaggressions. The researcher also identified the factors for persistence at the PWI to be upward mobility, family and school personnel support, and campus involvement.

How Christian College Student Leaders Discover Purpose, Emmanuel Ayiku

Masters Theses

Among college students, research has revealed that 76% of them reported that they search for meaning in life (Dunn & Hammer, 2015). Spirituality is one specific way in which students begin their search for meaning. A qualitative approach was used to examine the perspectives of how six Christian college student leaders from three different campus ministries found their purpose. By examining and understanding purpose from one subset of religious students who serve in a leadership position, we may gain insight into the interplay of meaning-making, purpose, and leadership. This study concluded that faith or spirituality played an important role in …