Digital Commons Network^™

A Framework To Assess The Rehabilitation Of Historic Cave Dwellings In Libya Using Modernization Theory And Technology Acceptance Model, Salaheddin Mohammed Ali Ebrahim

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the associations between the technology acceptance model and modernization theory with Libyans’ perceptions of cave dwellings in the Nafusa Mountains region, West of Tripoli. The researcher formally tested hypotheses linking cave dwelling's ease of use, usefulness, and the perceived intention to live in a modernized cave dwelling with the education, income, age, gender, and employment categories of Libyan participants in the study. A framework for constructing modernized cave dwellings that are attractive to local residents for temporary and permanent living is then provided.

Using 450 responses from Libyans worldwide, this study found that the technology acceptance model …

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 …

Maternal Factors In The Disordered Eating Of Adolescent Girls: Proposing And Evaluating A New Model, Miriam Goldstein

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Disordered eating behaviors occur at high rates among adolescent girls of all ethnicities and are associated with increased risk of eating disorders. Maternal influences such as maternal disordered eating, childhood feeding practices, and the mother-teen relationship quality have been implicated as risk factors for disordered eating in adolescent girls, but few studies have examined the interplay of these influences within a single model, controlling for adolescent age. To address this gap, the current study proposed a theoretical model and tested a series of moderated mediation pathways from maternal disordered eating to disordered eating behaviors in female adolescents. The model was …

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 …

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 …

Evaluating The Role Of Exo1p In Chromosome Breaks At Fs2 In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Gillian Autterson

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Exo1p is one enzyme that plays a role in the repair of breaks in DNA caused by a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. In this study, we hypothesized the following: (1) Lack of Exo1p will cause an increase in de novo telomere addition at DNA breaks, and (2) lack of the endonuclease Exo1p will lead to decreased fidelity of repair by homologous recombination at DNA breaks. A yeast model system was manipulated to induce replication stress, resulting in a break in DNA at fragile site FS2 on yeast chromosome III. The repair mechanism used was identified, and the resulting …

Review Of Drug And Biologics Recalls: 2009 Through 2019, Vimala Devi Gollamudi

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study analyzed drugs and biologics recalls for the period of 2009 and 2019. The data used in the study was generated from Food and Drug Administration records. A total of 466 drugs and 84 biologics were recalled during the 11-year period. The common causes of drug product recalls included contamination, defective products, and mislabeling. Defective product, mislabeling, and defective packaging were observed to be the common causes of recall for biologics. Injectables have the highest percentage of recalls in drug products, and blood and blood products had the highest percentage of recalls in biologics. Controlling the contamination of injectable …

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 …

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 …

Word-Final /T/-Release And Linguistic Style: An Investigation Of The Speech Of Two Jewish Women From Metro Detroit, Janet Leppala

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Variationist sociolinguistics is more complex than meets the eye. There are many possible explanations as to why a person uses some linguistic form over another. This paper will compare the use of the word-final /t/-release variant in the speech of two Jewish women from metro Detroit who were born two years apart and who have similar socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. Despite superficial similarities between the speakers, their use of the variant differs considerably—with one speaker using the variant over 15 times more than the other. Building on existing literature on Jewish American speech and on /t/-release, this study will compare …

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. …

Motor Skill Performance And Physical Activity In Children With Features Of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Morgan K. Wright

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Fifty to 100% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit motor skills deficits. In addition to motor skill deficits, children with ASD have been reported to engage in less physical activity than their neurotypical peers. Motor skill deficits and limited physical activity may impact functioning in other domains, including physical fitness and adaptive skills. The present study examined the relationship between motor skills, physical activity, physical fitness, and adaptive skills in children with a range of ASD features. A sample of 41 children ages 7-12 years participated in the study. Participants and their parents completed assessments of motor skills, …

Investigation Of Emotional Intelligence And Computer Self-Efficacy On The Cybersecurity Interest Of High School Students, William Earl Hilliker Jr.

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

There is a lack of interest in young students in pursuing a career in cybersecurity. Defining potential traits that could identify an interested student could help fill the national shortage of cybersecurity professionals. This study examines the relationship between computer self-efficacy, emotional intelligence, and an interest in a cybersecurity career of high school students in Southeast Michigan. It also attempts to determine if a student’s participation in STEM events and the location of the student’s school are significant moderating factors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a sample of 280 students in Grades 9 through 12 who attended school at …

Support For Screening And Intervening On Adolescent Depression: Provider-Reported Training Outcomes, Leah Rose Lalonde

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Given the potential consequences of untreated adolescent depression and the prevalence of untreated mental health among adolescents, the American Academy of Pediatrics has strongly recommended active support and monitoring of depressive symptoms in pediatric primary care. Primary care providers (PCPs), however, do not have sufficient training to provide this level of care, contributing to low rates of identification and management of depression. The purpose of the current pilot study was to evaluate a training aimed at supporting providers in the management of adolescent depression. Results demonstrated that providers were accepting of the training and that provider knowledge of depression management …