Digital Commons Network^™

Faring Better Or Worse: A Quantitative Analysis Of Student Success Outcomes Of The Ronald E. Mcnair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program At Eastern Michigan University, Kimberly J. Brown

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Intergenerational poverty is a problem of immense concern within the African American community, where approximately 32% of children under the age of 18 reside in impoverished conditions. Although acquisition of a college degree is the sole determining factor most influential for social mobility of families in the lowest income bracket, only 10.13% of total degrees conferred in 2015-2016 were to African American students. Additionally, being first-generation and low-income, stressors are intensified and perpetuate cessation of enrollment in postsecondary studies. Utilizing a non-randomized sample, a causal comparative/quasi experimental analysis was conducted to evaluate whether African Americans, or students from low-income and …

Climate Change Instruction In Higher Education: Pre-Service Teachers’ Engagement In An Interdisciplinary Pop-Up Learning Community, Mary Charlotte Bautistia

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

An interdisciplinary pop-up learning community (PLC) allowed students from various disciplines with different levels of content knowledge to discuss their perspectives and beliefs on climate change. The impact of this event on students was gauged by a survey from the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication. Furthermore, this project focuses on pre-service teachers who participated in the PLC. In order to investigate how pre-service teachers understand climate change and how they may or may not integrate these issues into their own instruction, individual interviews were conducted prior to and after the PLC to determine if the event had an impact …

Nutritional Adequacy Comparison Of Paleo And Healthy U.S. Dietary Patterns Followed By Athletic Adults, Emily L. Sherwood

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The Paleo diet has become popular for promoting good health, but there is little available research on its nutritional adequacy or its long-term effects. The present literature review explores the strengths and limitations of the research on health-related outcomes and nutritional adequacy derived from following a Paleo dietary pattern. An original pilot study is also presented which uses survey and diet journal data to qualitatively explore the nutritional adequacy of the Paleo diet and the Healthy U.S.-style Pattern (HUS) recommended within the Dietary Guidelines for Americans as followed through self-adherence in an American population. Analysis of week-long diet journals of …

Comparison Of Nutrition Education Approaches On Fruit And Vegetable Intake In Older Adults, Noelle R. Blasch

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Most Americans do not consume recommended intakes of fruits and vegetables (F/Vs). Hands-on nutrition education applies social cognitive theory as participants practice preparing F/Vs. This study compared a four-week hands-on nutrition education program (L+HO) with lecture only (L) in older adults with assessments at baseline and weeks four and eight. Twenty-three women over the age of 50 participated in either four, 90-minute weekly L+HO classes (n = 14) or four, 40-minute weekly L nutrition education classes (n = 9). Vegetable intake significantly increased at four weeks compared to baseline for both intervention groups. Vegetable intake increased at eight weeks compared …

Hermione Syndrome: Reexamining Feminist Sidekicks And Power In 2000-2010 Children’S And Young Adult Fantasy Literature, Josiah Pankiewicz

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The 2000-2010 decade saw a proliferation of English language fantasy texts for young readers. In the wake of Harry Potter’s success, many other fantasy series followed patterns laid down in Rowling’s text, including writing female characters as Hermione-shaped girls and women. While there are positive aspects to these types of characters, which have been lauded thoroughly in popular culture and the academy, there are also significant drawbacks that have received far less attention. This thesis investigates these Hermione-shaped characters, and the texts from which they come, culturally, narratologically, and epistemologically. The culmination of this research finds that, even against authorial …

Critical Black Feminist Mentorship: A Review Of A Middle School And University-Sponsored Program For Adolescent Black Girls, Dyann C. Logwood

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation study aims to illuminate the creation of safe spaces for marginalized youth through mentorship initiatives. Likewise, the study examines the roles of mentorship programs in transforming the lives of Black adolescent girls by providing them with tools to change the narratives depicted by society. A qualitative design was employed that used phenomenological interviewing techniques and ethnographic observations to explore the experiences of the Black adolescent girls in one university-sponsored mentorship program. The findings illustrate what is coined through this research—a critical Black feminist mentorship model that emphasizes an intersectional identity development, the actualization of voice, the creation and …

Precarious Womanhood: Maternal Instinct’S Role In Gender-Related Anxiety, Chelsey Kanipe

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The phenomenon of “precarious manhood” suggests that when a man perceives a threat to his masculinity, he will respond with anxiety and will subsequently increase his displays of traditional masculinity. The main purpose of this study is to address a parallel phenomenon in women (i.e., “precarious womanhood”), the existence of which previous authors have dismissed. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either high scores, low scores, or no scores following a supposed maternal instinct questionnaire. Then, their subsequent mood and gender identity endorsement were measured via self-report. It was hypothesized that, compared to participants who received either high or no …

Polymer Chemistry Education To Increase Student Awareness Of Plastic Pervasiveness And Environmental Impact, Victoria Hill

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

A polymer-pollution-focused laboratory sequence was written to teach general chemistry concepts in a course for pre-service elementary teachers. Students experienced the difficulties related to polymer pollution clean-up and made bio-based materials to see possible alternatives. In order to determine whether this laboratory sequence changed student understanding of the importance of polymers and their environmental impact, student opinions were gathered with pre/post-course sequence surveys, observations, post-laboratory surveys, and focus group interviews. These same data collection methods were also used to determine the likelihood that the pre-service elementary teachers would teach these polymer and environmental laboratories or their concepts in the future. …

What Happened To My Son: Parent Perspectives Of African American Male Students And Their Out-Of-School Suspensions During Middle School, Faith Ivey

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain and examine the parent and caretaker perspectives of African American male students and their out-of-school suspensions during middle school. African American male students are similar to an archipelago; although this group of students are a part of the school, they are slowly drifting away. The participants in this study included six African American parents from Midwestern Michigan whose sons did not primarily experience out-of-school suspensions prior to middle school. All of the participants voluntarily provided candid insight and background information on their son’s agency and school experience. The parents also provided school-related …

From College To Career: Do You Know How To Behave? Impact Of Instructional Practices On Soft-Skill Competencies, Robbya R. Green-Weir

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Background: Soft-skill competencies are essential for successful careers. However, recent graduates lack in soft skill development. The reason may be because there is no set list of soft skills. Soft skills are subjective and poorly defined in Health Administration and competency models are not defined in terms of attitudes, behaviors, or dispositions for training and development of students.

Purpose: Provides a platform for health administrators to define soft skills more clearly by drawing on research conducted by the Healthcare Leadership Alliance [HLA]. This research also examines health administration programs to gain a better understanding of why graduates lack soft skills. …

Tilted Literature Review, Molly Goldman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In my research, I will be conducting a literature review that looks into several aspects of the 'tilted' phenomenon. My research collection will include several psychological functions in conflict and how they relate to the titled definition. First, I will be looking into how individual conflict affects the team's performance. I will also be researching affect management in real-time and different strategies for managing emotions under high-stress conditions. The goals of this project are to bring forward data on how to help Esports teams effectively manage their emotions while in high-stress situations. This research will help to identify both individual …

Positive Psychology And Older Adult Well-Being, Kenzie Delposen

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Positive Psychology is a new area of scientific study within the realm of psychology that focuses on the positives in life and the promotion of well-being. Well-being can be promoted though aspects such as flourishing, hedonic and eudaimonic perspectives, positive affect and emotions, happiness, and reappraisal. Older adults make up an ever growing percentage of our population. Despite this, there are still biases and negative viewpoints against aging and older adults. The decline in health and social connectedness in aging is not inevitable and resilience can be imperative to successful aging. It is important to ensure healthy aging so that …