Digital Commons Network^™

Retention Of A Diverse Construction Workforce, Maura Kelly

PSU Transportation Seminars

Having a strong pipeline of workers will be critical for ongoing efforts to improve transportation infrastructure, such as roads, highways, and bridges. This talk first provides an overview of the recruitment and retention of a diverse construction workforce in Oregon. Next are findings from research studies over the last ten years demonstrating the challenges experienced by workers on construction job sites that lead to low retention levels. The talk concludes with a discussion of several initiatives within the construction trades that have been implemented to address job site culture.

The Self-Directed Goal Theory Experiment: A Mixed Methods Study Of Personal Development Goal-Setting Programs And Self-Efficacy, Tara N. Strickland

Dissertations

Andragogy is not dead; it may be simply lying dormant until its essential component, self-directed learning, revives it again. The fact is that self-directed learning can be formal or informal. This mixed methods study explored the informal side of self-directed learning, concentrating on self-help (a popularized form of personal development goalsetting). Despite a thriving self-help market, several personal development goal-setting programs focus more on goal achievement, little on goal planning, and even less on the individual. A comparative analysis of autonomous, guided, and self-directed personal goal-setting programs determined if self-directedness maximizes self-efficacy. Additionally, the researcher’s original Self-Directed Goal Theory and …

Giving Up Their Place In The Walls: The Lived Experience Of Community College Nursing Faculty Who Leave The Profession Of Teaching, Cherry A. Karl

Dissertations

Community college nursing faculty members are essential to the continuation and growth of the profession of nursing. Every loss of a nursing faculty member represents an even greater loss to the practice of nursing within the health care system. Previous research has documented the serious and inter-related shortage of both nursing professionals and nursing faculty. This phenomenological study explores the underlying themes leading to the decisions made by nursing educators to leave the practice of teaching, and presents strategies for preserving and strengthening the position of nursing faculty within the community college. The guiding question for this inquiry is: "What …

Graduate Student Employee Unionization In The Second Gilded Age, William A. Herbert, Joseph Van Der Naald

Publications and Research

In debates on the future of work, a common theme has been how work became
less secure through the denial of employee status. Though much of the attention
has focused on other industries, precarity has also affected those working in
higher education, including graduate student employees, contributing to what is
now called the “gig academy.” While universities have reassigned teaching and
research to graduate assistants, they have also refused to recognize them as
employees. Nevertheless, unionization has grown considerably since 2012, most
significantly at private institutions. Utilizing a unique dataset, this chapter
demonstrates that between 2012 and 2019, graduate student …

Fall 2021

Insights

True to Our Foundational Mission; Lourdes Torres Receives Prestigious Award; Fernando De Maio Joins Health Equity Initiative; LAS Professors Named to Faculty Fellow Program; Wilson-Garling Collection Classes and Exhibit; Welcoming the Stranger: The DePaul Migration Collaborative strives to build a better future for immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers; An Alderpersonal Touch: Maria Hadden is putting her degree in international public service to work in Chicago’s 49th Ward; All In, Chicago: Collaboration powers the work of the Center for Community Health Equity

Validating The Resident View In Long-Term Care Settings: Final Report To Oregon Department Of Human Services, Aging & People With Disabilities Division, Diana L. White, Ozcan Tunalilar, Serena Hasworth, Jaclyn Winfree, Institute On Aging, Portland State University

Institute on Aging Publications

In 2015, Portland State University Institute on Aging (PSU/IOA) received a grant from the Quality Care Fund to develop the Resident VIEW (Voicing Importance, Experience, and Well-being), a measure of person-centered care (PCC) from the perspective of residents. Structured open-ended interviews were conducted with residents living in nursing homes (NH), assisted living (AL/RC), and adult foster homes (AFH) settings to learn more about their everyday concerns, values, and preferences. Each interview focused on one of eight domains of PCC. These domains had been identified from the literature and in prior research. Personhood, or as described by residents as being “treated …

Woody Plant Species Composition And Diversity In Rusinga Island, Homa Bay County, Kenya, M. N. Nyaga, S. M. Mureithi, V. O. Wasonga, O. K. Koech

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Information on the state of woody vegetation of Rusinga Island is urgently needed in order to develop appropriate and effective conservation guidelines. Rusinga Island is an ancient historic area with numerous archeological sites and a bountiful of birdlife. However, the Island is characterized by highly degraded ecosystems from human disturbances such as cutting down of trees for fuel, construction poles, and overgrazing resulting in a remarkable degradation of flora, alteration of the ecosystems and loss of biodiversity. This study sought to determine the composition and diversity of woody plant species in Rusinga Island to understand the current status in order …

Education “Failure” Narrative Indispensable To Failed School Privatization Schemes Organized By A Failed State. A Response To "Public Schools At-Risk: Examining A Century Of U.S. Media Coverage Of 'Unsatisfactory Student Performance' And The Rise Of School Privatization", Shawgi Tell

Democracy & Education

Frenkiewich and Onosko (2020) maintain that American public education has functioned as a pillar of democracy and a force for progress for most of the twentieth century, but they worry that a major turn to school privatization in recent years will undermine the democratic mission and vision of public schooling and harm society as well. The authors contend that school privatization is the latest attempt by federal and state officials to fix the seemingly intractable problem of “unsatisfactory student performance.” They contend that there is a well-funded and organized effort by neoliberals and privatizers to create and multiply charter schools …

Do Politics In Our Democracy Prevent Schooling For Our Democracy? Civic Education In Highly Partisan Times, Joseph Kahne, John S. Rogers, Alexander Kwako

Democracy & Education

Amid hyper-partisanship, increasing critiques of civic education reform priorities from conservatives, and growing signs of democratic backsliding, can schools provide foundational support for democratic norms, commitments, and capacities? Drawing on a unique national survey of high school principals conducted in 2018, we examine how political context, district priorities, and principal beliefs and characteristics are related to support for civic education. We find that a school’s partisan context is unrelated to most supports for democratic education. Of note, however, support for the discussion of controversial issues is less common in conservative districts, raising important questions about why the discussion of controversial …

Community Insurgency: Constituency, School Choice, And The Common Good, Andrew Pendola, Bryan Mann, David T. Marshall, Jason Bryant

Democracy & Education

This study explores the ways in which the democratic notion of "the people" may be enacted in the school choice arena. Through an investigation of a charter school movement in a rural and segregated district in the Deep South, we explore themes of the constituent paradox that enabled the community to move beyond individual interests towards an expression of the common good. It is argued that for "the people" to be invoked via the democratic claim, they must identify more deeply than the institutions of their representation and recognize an expanded form of individualism defined through participation over consumption.

Does The Criminal Enforcement Of Federal Environmental Law Deter Environmental Crime? The Case Of The U.S. Resource Conservation And Recovery Act, Dr. Joshua Ozymy, Dr. Melissa L. Jarrell

Environmental and Earth Law Journal (EELJ)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice are tasked with the investigation and prosecution of hazardous waste crimes occurring under the U.S. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). For criminal sanctions to be effective, the probability of detection and severity of punishment must be significant enough to raise the cost to benefit ratio to deter environmental crimes. While research examines sanctioning under RCRA, little work examines the plausibility of the deterrent effect of criminal sanctions. Through content analysis of all environmental crime prosecutions resulting from EPA criminal investigations, 1983-2019, we explore the probability of detection and …

About The Authors

Locus: The Seton Hall Journal of Undergraduate Research

Brief bios of our authors.

Ballet And The Emotional Refocusing Of Shakespeare, Olivia Montine

Locus: The Seton Hall Journal of Undergraduate Research

William Shakespeare's works are most well-known on the stage in the form of a play. When the words at the heart of the story are removed and replaced with choreographed movement, it allows the audience to experience the stories, characters, and plots in a more emotionally focused manner. Ballet interpretations of some of Shakespeare's most famous works are often taken on by world-renowned ballet companies, such as The Royal Ballet in London and The New York City Ballet. Companies and choreographers around the world are able to bring new light and depth to the emotional sides of these stories, giving …

Oer Textbooks Versus Commercial Textbooks: Quality Of Student Learning In Psychological Statistics, Atley Fortney

Locus: The Seton Hall Journal of Undergraduate Research

In response to demands for educational materials to be more accessible and affordable, Open Educational Resources (OERs) have become increasingly popular for their ability to provide free, easily obtained, open licensed resources for both students and faculty to use---especially within higher education environments. Since the introduction of OERs is relatively new, research regarding their efficacy as measured by student learning is lacking. To address this gap, I sought to isolate subjects’ content acquisition after reading excerpts on measures of central tendency from either an OER or commercial textbook. While the power was too small to firmly conclude whether students assigned …

From Troubled Childhood To Rhodes Scholar. Caylin Moore. Honors Fall Convocation 2021, Caylin Moore, University Of Mississippi. Sally Mcdonnell Barksdale Honors College

Honors College Convocation

By taking advantage of the limited educational opportunities in his community, Caylin Moore excelled through high school and college. As a student-athlete at Texas Christian University, he became founder and president of S.P.A.R.K., a community outreach organization encouraging youth to pursue education as a means of community uplift. He went on to become a US-UK Fulbright Summer Institute fellow at the University of Bristol and a Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute fellow at Princeton University. After graduating from TCU, the Rhodes scholarship allowed him to study public policy and earn a master’s degree in Latin American studies …

Warrioress In White: A Semiotic Analysis Of America's Joan Of Arc In The Women Of The Copper Country, Akasha Khalsa

Conspectus Borealis

Mary Doria Russell’s The Women of the Copper Country is a fictionalized historical account of the 1913 mining strike in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Significantly in this strike, a great deal of leadership was focused in the Union’s Women’s Auxiliary. In particular, one woman formed the backbone of the local movement. Known by her community as Big Annie, Anna Klobuchar Clements was the heart of the 1913 strike. Memories of her bravery linger today in the form of recorded testimonies by elderly community members, immortalization in plaques and songs, and Russell’s popular novel. Today she is remembered not as herself, not …

Spartan Daily, October 14, 2021, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2021

Volume 157, Issue 25

Who’S Afraid Of Divorce? Sexual Minority Young Adults And Their Willingness To Divorce, Aaron Hoy, Jori Nkwenti, Sachita Pokhrel

Sociology Department Publications

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Tourism Empowered By Social Network Analysis To Gain A Competitive Edge At A Historic Site, Cathrine Linnes, Holly Itoga, Jerome Agrusa, Joseph Lema

Hospitality Faculty Research

Social media has had a strong presence in many people’s lives over the last decade. In addition, social media platforms have allowed people to share opinions, provide advice on numerous factors, including where to visit, as well as to stay connected and maintain friendships. The hospitality and tourism industry, however, can make effective use of these powerful tools for marketing purposes, collaboration and information sharing, and service offerings. Reviewing social media followers’ behaviors and interests offers a wealth of information and valuable data for a variety of tourism organizations. This case study focuses on an analysis of the social networks …

Creative Adaptability And Emotional Well-Being During The Covid-19 Pandemic: An International Study, Hod Orkibi, Adar Ben-Eliyahu, Roni Reiter-Palmon, Ines Testoni, Gianmarco Biancalani, Vignesh Murugavel, Fei Gu

Psychology Faculty Publications

The putative associations between creative adaptability and the experience of emotional well-being (i.e., a positivity ratio of more positive than negative emotions) was investigated during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak with a sample of 1,432 adults from four countries: Israel (n = 310), United States (n = 312), Italy (n = 378), and China (n = 569). Country differences and a mediation model for creative adaptability predicting emotional well-being through creative self-efficacy, resilient coping, and emotion regulation (reappraisal and suppression) were examined. The findings point to slight differences in countries, which are potentially due not only to the …

Virtual Photovoice: Methodological Lessons And Cautions, Meagan Call-Cummings, Melissa Hauber-Özer

The Qualitative Report

Photovoice is a type of participatory inquiry, which is a methodological and onto-epistemological stance that seeks to emancipate marginalized individuals, confront inequity, and work for social transformation. Photovoice incorporates Paulo Freire’s problem-posing education, documentary photography techniques, and feminist thought as an approach for community members to identify shared concerns and construct collective knowledge. It also seeks to challenge unequal power relations by disrupting hegemonic structures in the production of knowledge and policy, as photographs and accompanying descriptions can communicate powerfully about community needs and demands for change. University-based researchers or practitioners facilitate this communication by bringing community perspectives to the …

Sobre La Lucha De Ser Mujeres: Subjetividades Políticas Femeninas, Magda V. Díaz Alzate Mg., Nicolasa M. Duran Palacio Dra, Deysafira Gómez Durán Mg.

The Qualitative Report

Este artículo presenta la supracategoría “La Lucha de Ser Mujeres” como resultado de una investigación cualitativa realizada en Medellín, Colombia, con enfoque feminista que pretendía develar los modos en que se configuran las subjetividades políticas femeninas en un grupo de mujeres jóvenes. Se halló que las mujeres se enfrentan a luchas cotidianas en las familias por su reconocimiento como interlocutoras válidas y por configurarse como mujeres diferentes a la concepción de mujer impuesta por los discursos patriarcales. Los modos que han encontrado para rebelarse y resignificarse pasan necesariamente por los encuentros colectivos con otras mujeres y por el caminar la …

Perceived Role Of School Principal And School-Based Management Committee In School Library Administration And Management: Implications For School Library Policy, Uche-Vita C. Agundu, Ogechukwu Vivian Amanambu, Leona Eucharia Ekechukwu, Njideka Gertrude Mbelede, Nkiru Christiana Ohia, Kennedy O. Ololo, Chikwendu Ugbogu, Chinedu Obinna Ejimonye

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The functionality of school libraries depends on the availability of an effective school library policy. The role played by the school principal and school-based management committee is critical in terms of establishing, developing, and maintaining successful and functional school libraries. Their support plays a key role in the effectiveness of the school library policy. The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceived role of the school principal and school-based management committee in school library administration and management and highlight the implications for school library policy. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. A representative sample of …

Epidemic Conditions With Temporary Link Deactivation On A Network Sir Disease Model, Hannah Scanlon, John Gemmer

Spora: A Journal of Biomathematics

The spread of an infectious disease depends on intrinsic properties of the disease as well as the connectivity and actions of the population. This study investigates the dynamics of an SIR type model which accounts for human tendency to avoid infection while also maintaining preexisting, interpersonal relationships. Specifically, we use a network model in which individuals probabilistically deactivate connections to infected individuals and later reconnect to the same individuals upon recovery. To analyze this network model, a mean field approximation consisting of a system of fourteen ordinary differential equations for the number of nodes and edges is developed. This system …

Romantic Partner Interference And Psychological Reactance In The Context Of Caregiving For An Aging Family Member, Hannah Ball, Jennifer L. Bevan, Tessa Urbanovich, Erin S. Craw

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

Negotiating romantic relational dynamics is inherent to family caregiving situations, which continue to be on the rise in the United States. However, despite evidence that family caregiving duties are linked to a variety of negative relational outcomes, limited research examines communication processes that contribute to or alleviate the burden of caregiver duties on romantic relationships. Guided by psychological reactance theory (PRT), this study examined the link between romantic partner interference with family caregiving duties and the reactance process, as well as directness of communication about irritation as a type of freedom restoration behavior associated with reactance. Adults caring for aging …

Examining Interviewers’ Ratings Of Respondents’ Health: Does Location In The Survey Matter For Interviewers’ Evaluations Of Respondents?, Dana Garbarski, Nora Cate Schaeffer, Jennifer Dykema

Sociology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Interviewers’ ratings of survey respondents’ health (IRH) are a promising measure of health to include in surveys as a complementary measure to self-rated health. However, our understanding of the factors contributing to IRH remains incomplete. This is the first study to examine whether and how it matters when in the interview interviewers evaluate respondents’ health in a face-to-face survey, in an experiment embedded in the UK Innovation Panel Study. We find that interviewers are more likely to rate the respondent’s health as “excellent” when IRH is rated at the end of the interview compared to the beginning. Drawing from the …

Who To Choose? Rating Broker Best Practices In The Medicare Advantage Industry, Darwin R. Hale

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to help navigate the U.S. Healthcare system in a way that maximizes value and minimizes risk to Medicare Beneficiaries. We do this through the creation of a tool that will aid in the selection of an independent health broker. Brokers are the trusted resource who have the responsibility and expertise to optimize client value through needs analysis, education, and expectations setting. Beneficiaries need help with life impacting health and wellness decisions and ongoing support across the continuum of care. The qualitative research included interviews of industry experts with combined Medicare experience of more than …

Documents From The October 13, 2021 Meeting Of The Associated Students Of The University Of Montana (Asum), University Of Montana--Missoula. Associated Students

Senate Meeting Agendas and Minutes, 2007-Present

Agenda and meeting minutes from the October 13, 2021 meeting of the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM). The following resolutions were discussed during the meeting:

SB23-21/22: Resolution Establishing An Artistic Contest Which Promotes Safe COVID-19 Practices

SB24-21/22: Resolution Endorsing The University of Montana Main Campus External Lighting Upgrade Project

SB25-21/22: Resolution Amending Article IV, Section 7 of the ASUM Bylaws to Provide for Interview Question Procedures

SB26-21/22: Resolution Amending Article IV, Section 7 of the ASUM Bylaws to Provide Procedures for Processing Applications

SB27-21/22: Resolution Establishing the Basic Needs Oversight Committee

SB28-21/22: Resolution Demanding the Resignation or …

Assessment Of Students’ Smart Phone Use Pattern At The Faculty Of Social Sciences, Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria, Chidi P.C Onwubiko, Justice Nnamdi Okorie, Blessing C. Onu

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study is on the assessment of students’ smart phone use pattern at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Abia State University. The study is set on five objectives and research questions. The survey research design was adopted in carrying out the study with the questionnaire as the sole instrument for data collection. The questionnaire was administered on the accessible population of 634 respondents, out of which 616 copies were duly filled and returned. This is a return rate of 97 which was used for data collection. The researcher adopted the frequency-percentage counts and tables in data presentation, analysis and discussion. …

Nursing And Health Communication: A Research Alliance To Improve Patient Outcomes, Margaret F. Clayton, Courtney L. Scherr

Nursing Communication

Today’s research environment necessitates interdisciplinary research partnerships to optimize patient outcomes and facilitate behavior change. Collaboration is also necessary to meet goals and eligibility for research funding opportunities. Nursing and health communication scholars are well positioned to collaborate for many reasons including shared research interests and commonality of design, methods and theory. Skills from each discipline can enhance the richness of research questions and analyses of cooperative research studies. Working together, we have an opportunity to effectively improve patient care and enhance the translation of research findings into practice.