Digital Commons Network^™

Acceptance Of E-Mobility In India, Anja Marlen Buechler

Plymouth Business School Theses

India signed in 2015 the historic Paris climate agreement together with more than 170 nations in order to fight against global warming and to reduce CO2-emissions in order to control global warming caused by greenhouse effect. The transportation sector was in 2021 the second biggest source of CO2-emissions worldwide. Decarbonising this sector will have a major effect on the worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. That is the reason why this sector will be challenged by the pressure through politics and legal demands for CO2-neutral and emission free vehicles. India is also facing those challenges. At the Glasgow Climate Change Conference in …

Cooperation And Collective Action And Its Prospect To Collective Intelligence In Global German Companies, Kujtime Ademi

Plymouth Business School Theses

Contemporary business organisations face a fierce struggle to survive in a global economic environment which is increasingly characterised by rapid change and transitions. Against the backdrop of such burgeoning competition, corporations are confronted with diminishing innovation, rising customer expectations as well as a workforce distributed across the globe. These factors converge to create a pressing need for companies to organise effective application of employees’ knowledge, skills and experiences. As the changes within the global environment constrain the ability of organisations to adapt to these transitions, they must seek recourse to mechanisms that enable them to proactively tackle economic and social …

The Perceived Value Co-Creation And The Degree Of Value Co-Creation Of Chinese Senior Travellers: A Case Study In Guizhou Province (China), Yu Lei

Plymouth Business School Theses

Gifted with the reality that the number of aged people has been growing at a high rate of speed from year to year, China has great potential to benefit from the development of senior tourism. Besides, value co-creation has become a more and more attractive research topic in tourism context. However, although previous research (including both English and Chinese literature) has paid considerable attention to value co-creation, few studies have focused on senior travellers’ attitudes on value co-creation in tourism industry. As mentioned above, since more and more Chinese seniors show great interest in tourism-related activities, especially in the post …

The Development Of A Maturity Model To Assess Supplier Relationship Management (Srm) Performance In The Egyptian Food Processing Sector, Lobna Hafez

Plymouth Business School Theses

The food processing sector is one of the most important industrial sectors in Egypt. The sector, however, faces various challenges arising from the local supply side, leading to the inconsistent quality of inputs. This could be traced to poor cultivation practices, low quality and unavailability of inputs, lack of quality assurance and quality control and limited skills. Supplier relationship management (SRM) can provide a solution to these challenges. If buying firms worked on improving their relationship with suppliers, mutual benefits could be achieved. For this reason, this research focuses on developing a maturity model to assess the level of SRM …

An Investigation Of Organic Dining Behaviour In Restaurants At Three Selected Cities In The Uk: A Holistic Approach, Lokman Dinc

Plymouth Business School Theses

An Investigation of Organic Dining Behaviour In Restaurants At three selected cities in the UK : A Holistic Approach Lokman Dinc Abstract The organic food market has experienced significant growth in recent decades all over the world. Within the context of the UK, a remarkable rise can be seen considering the recent popularisation of organic food products. UK diners are becoming increasingly conscious about what they eat, while several reasons such as health and environmental concerns shape diners’ organic food consumption. With these trends in mind, the aim of this research is to develop a holistic understanding of organic dining …

An Empirical Study Of Crowd Dynamics And Managing Safety At Events, Kristin Finn

Plymouth Business School Theses

The UK live events market has long been considered to be a growth sector. Given the range of challenges linked to event crowd safety felt by the industry in recent years, and despite recent setbacks associated with new safety measures and public uncertainty following the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, event organisers remain optimistic about the future. Many authors have studied crowd dynamics and safety planning in recent years, but often the emphasis has been one of objective observation and expert opinion. The outcomes of this thesis are timely as it aimed to investigate attitudinal differences among event …

Human-Centered Design For Strategic Organizational Shifts In Complex Times, Kristen Laviano Snow

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Nonprofit organizations are faced with unprecedented challenges as they seek to accomplish their lofty missions in a complex environment, ripe with uncertainty. The global COVID-19 pandemic brought forth new problems for communities and workplaces. As a result, some old ways of working may no longer be useful. To make meaningful progress on their social missions while navigating an unfamiliar post-pandemic context, nonprofits need new tools to help them understand and respond to changing community needs. Evidence has shown design thinking to be an effective approach to developing innovative strategies tailored to real needs, however, it has not been widely practiced …

The Discovery And Characterization Of Novel Potent 5-Substituted 3, 3’, 4’, 7-Tetramethoxyflavonoid Dna Triplex Specific Binding Ligands, Vanessa Marie Rangel

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Chemotherapy works by killing fast dividing cells. Unfortunately, these drugs are not specific to cancer tissue and can damage normal cells. Chemotherapy is like taking poison and hoping it kills the cancer cells before it kills you. As an alternative, many researchers have investigated the use of antigene therapy to selectively target cancer causing genes to avoid off target effects. Although promising, the theory is limited by the stability of the triplex structure. Here, we report the discovery of potent triplex binding ligands derived from the natural product quercetin. Chemical derivatives of 5-substituted 3, 3’, 4’, 7-tetramethoxyquercetin derivatives were characterized …

Writing As Transformation: An Action Research Study On Trauma-Informed Curriculum, Nena L. Weinsteiger Guzman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Trauma exposure is endemic, and this study seeks to address childhood trauma in a compassionate and restorative manner. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are serious childhood traumas that manifest as toxic stress which can damage the developing brain of a child and affect overall health. The implications are expressed dualistically: academic performance of youth is subdued & diminished, and behavioral interactions can range from unreceptive to erratic and aggressive. Trauma exposure is a predictor of adverse outcomes, which range from higher rates of suspension, expulsion, and incarceration, to dire outcomes, such as lower life expectancy and quality of life. Streamlining trauma-informed …

We're Listening: A Study Of Music Preference In Modern Society, Michael B. Glover

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the formation of music preference in an effort to identify specific ages when preferred music is likely to be discovered. One hundred one individuals participated in an online survey, answering questions about their listening habits, music preferences, and the social elements that contributed most to those preferences. Participants were asked to identify their current, second, and third favorite music at the time of the study and whether their preferences had changed over time. According to findings, males were likely to discover their current favorite music at the age of 12.46 years, and …

Exploring Academic Capital Formation Of Hmong American Undergraduate College Students, Lou Vang

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to investigate whether academic capital is associated with student gender, student generation status, and parental education level of Hmong American undergraduate college students. The study also examined the educational experience of Hmong American undergraduate college students to understand the barriers they faced in obtaining academic capital and how they overcame them. The study's first phase collected and analyzed survey responses from 150 Hmong American undergraduate college students. The study's second phase interviewed six students who participated in the survey from the first phase. The first phase yielded quantitative results that suggested …

Continuation Teachers' Perceptions Of Grading Practices, Tobi W. Page

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The history of grading practices is riddled with inequities, dating to the inception of the traditional grading system, which was designed to rank and sort. Despite expanding public education to include all members of society, traditional grading practices have yet to evolve in response to the growing demand for equitable and student-centered grading practices. Many alternative education schools have a non-traditional grading structure in response to the students’ learning needs. With an understanding of the history and challenges of alternative education settings, this study sought to add the perceptions and practices of continuation high school teachers to the current body …

Identifying Success Strategies For Hmong American Students In Higher Education, Jason Xiong

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Hmong Americans' postsecondary completion rates remain low when compared to other Asian ethnic groups. As the Hmong population continues to grow, so does the need for intervention to increase the total number of postsecondary graduates. Many Hmong Americans are first-generation college students and continue to face challenges and barriers that prevent them from being successful in higher education. “Forty-seven and a half percent of Hmong adults (25 years or older) reported having attended college, but not earning a degree” (National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education, 2011). Without a college degree, Hmong Americans face limited resources …

Relationships Between K-12 In-Service Teachers’ Personal Environmental Education Teacher Efficacy, Environmental Identity, And Concern For Implementation Of California’S Environmental Principles And Concepts, Dean Matthew Reese

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Significant environmental impacts such as climate change, reduction in biodiversity, increasing food scarcity, impacts on water supply and availability, and exacerbation of human health problems are occurring and are expected to increase. Despite these environmental challenges the teaching of California’s environmental literacy standards, the California Environmental Principles and Concepts (CA EP&Cs), in the K-12 public education system is infrequent and inadequate. The purpose of this study was to use a mixed methods approach to examine relationships between environmental identity (EI), personal environmental education teacher efficacy (PEETE), and peak stage of concern (SOC) for implementing CA EP&Cs for K-12 in-service teachers …

Examining Attention To Leadership When Hiring School Administrators In A High Poverty, Ethnically Diverse School District: A Case Study, Veronica A. Tigert

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to understand the hiring practices of a school district when considering a principal and how the school district attends to leadership within those hiring practices. The central premise of the study was leadership matters and is second to teaching in student achievement. However, the historical record paints a picture of less than adequate attention to effective hiring practices and a limited scope when addressing leadership. A small school district in California was selected to participate in the study. The design incorporated mixed methods to analyze the hiring practices through a survey …

Evaluation Of Human Stem Cell-Derived Neurons In 2d And 3d Cultures For Neurodevelopmental Studies, Epilepsy Disease Modeling And Drug Discovery, Hamed Salmanzadeh-Dozdabi

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Human stem cells have revolutionized the study of early neural development, offering a powerful tool to investigate the complex processes involved in the formation of the nervous system. In this study, the human pluripotent stem cell line, TERA2.cl.SP12, was utilized to derive neuroglial cells and to determine their differentiation and functional maturation up to one year in culture; this model was then investigated as a new tool for the study of neurodevelopmental toxicity, for seizure modeling and as a screening method for the investigation of new anticonvulsants. Immunocytochemistry experiments determined that non-differentiated cells expressed the stem cell marker Oct-3/4 and, …

Exercise Behavior And Recreational Sports Participation Predicts Academic Success In University Students, Natalie Matian

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Most universities offer fitness and recreational opportunities. Few prospective studies have measured the effect of those services on academic outcomes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of exercise behavior and recreational sport participation on student success. We tracked 1,507 students at a private D1 university for 4 years. Upon completion of the 2017-2018 academic year, we exported a registry of every undergraduate student who accessed the university fitness center. We documented how often students swiped into the recreation facility and participated in group exercise classes, personal training sessions, and rock tower usage; these served as independent …

Fall Risk Among Older Adults: Major Risk Factors, Primary Assessment Tools, And The Influence Of Medications, Marie Roseann Jensen

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Fall risk among older adult is a worldwide public health problem. As the older adult population is continuing to increase, addressing this issue is critical. Several fall risk assessment tools have been designed to help predict various risk factors. Among these assessment tools is the Hendrich II Fall Risk Model (HIIFRM). This tool uses evidence-based risk factors including mental status, sex, functional status, and whether the patient is taking antileptics and/or benzodiazepines. The purpose of this paper is to validate the HFRM, explore additional variables that increase the likelihood of falling including both past falls and the number of prescription …

Role Of Cysteine Redox State In Altering The Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition In Lung Cancer, Md Anisur Rahman

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition is a process by which cancer cells increase their capability for metastasis. EMT involves conversion of epithelial cells into a mesenchymal phenotype which makes cancer cells more invasive and motile. Lung cancer has the highest mortality rate among different types of cancers globally. Lung cancer exists in various types, the most prevalent of which is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Several factors, including oxidative stress, can induce EMT in cancer cells. However, the mechanism of how reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced changes in cysteine redox state affect EMT remains elusive. Our studies aim to understand this mechanism by inducing …

An Evaluation Of Prompting To Teach Children To Ask For Help In A Virtual Classroom, Katherine Griffith Brock

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many students have been forced to learn online. However, more information is needed about effective strategies for promoting active engagement in the online classroom, particularly the impact of peer modeling. This study investigated peer modeling and behavioral skills training to increase hand raising and question asking/answering behavior in six elementary school students. The study employed a multiple baseline across participants design, with data collected live during Zoom sessions by three research assistants, one acting as the teacher and two acting as peer models. Latency to speech was also coded subsequently to the live session …

Social Media: Are You Addicted? Examining The Role Of Social Media Platforms On Life Satisfaction, Personality And Generation, Alexzander Ponce

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The rise of social media has led to an increase in social media use and social media addiction. Research has found that social media addiction is influenced by various factors, and this study looks to examine the relation between social media addiction and users' life satisfaction, personality type and age group; and whether the type of social media platform moderates this relationship. This study dispersed survey questionnaires and conducted an ANCOVA to analyze the results. Results found that life satisfaction and social media addiction are negatively related, but the negative relation is larger for Twitter users. Results also found a …

Lifting As We Climb: Effective Mentoring Methods For Black Women Who Aspire To Senior Leadership Roles In Higher Education, Janine Mixon

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 125,485 Black women earned a bachelor’s degree in 2019 in comparison to 70,909 in 1999. As the number of Black women on college campuses have increased, the number of Black women in senior leadership roles have remained stagnant. It is important for higher education institutions to find ways to increase the number of Black women in senior leadership roles because diverse staff and faculty not only increases students’ success but the institutions’ success. One of the ways in which colleges and universities can support the career advancement of Black women is to …

Utilization-Focused Evaluation On The Impact Of A Sports-Based Youth Development On Unaccompanied Youth Students, Eric Cortez

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Unaccompanied immigrant youth (UIY) face obstacles that can hinder their education in their host countries. Given that educational attainment can help interrupt intergenerational cycles of poverty, the examination of support systems for UIY is critical. This study examined the role of sports-based youth development (SBYD) programs in supporting UIY students using a utilization-focused evaluation. To do this, two groups’ high school graduation rates were compared: (a) UIY participating in an SBYD program and (b) UIY not participating in a SYBD program. In addition to this quantitative analysis, UIY were surveyed and interviewed to contextualize the results of the graduation rate …

How Instructional Strategies Impact Mathematics Self-Efficacy And Learning: Middle School Student Perceptions, Roni R. Herndon

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This research focuses on middle schools where more than 90% of the students are socioeconomically disadvantaged and where mathematics scores are below the state and national average. The study was conducted to better understand how students experience various instructional strategies and perceive these classroom practices to impact their learning and self-efficacy in mathematics. A hybrid mixed methods research design, with both embedded and explanatory sequential components, was employed. Quantitative results are based on survey responses from 94 seventh grade students. Qualitative results are based on five teacher and eight student interviews.

Informed by teacher interviews, the Instructional Strategies Impact Survey …

Inclusive Practices In Catholic Education: A Restorative Realignment, Carla Vellutini

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Catholic schools need to examine the barriers to, benefits of, and interventions needed when implementing inclusive practices into their institutions. Catholic schools are experiencing an increase in enrolled students identified with learning and behavioral needs; however, they frequently lack resources and expertise to provide the necessary support for these students and their families to succeed. Research studies identify teacher attitudes and perceptions regarding inclusive practices as vital factors to create successful culture change.

A single group pretest-posttest design, incorporated into this action research study, measured the attitudes and stress of teachers before and after a 14-week long intervention for eight …

African American Males, The Achievement Gap And The Impact Of Social Skills And Classroom Climate On Educational Aspirations, Latoya Seawood

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

There is a gap in the academic achievement of African American males when compared to their peers, this gap has been maintained for many years. The purpose of this study is to conduct a quantitative non-experimental secondary analysis utilizing a national data set focusing on African American male students from the 4th through the 6th grade. To test the hypothesis that, all things being equal, social skills positively affect academics in African American boys and that social information processing, school commitment, and work habits mediate this effect. In total, 60 African American male students in 4th through 6th grades who …

“I’M Listening, Auntie” A Study On The Experiences Of Black Women Earning A Doctorate Degree In Education At A California State University, Parker Rugeley-Valle

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Black women face barriers to higher education that include systemic racism and sexism that lead to self–doubt, discrimination, and familial and community support. They battle barriers to and within academia through the intersectionality of their sex and racial identity groups. As a response to the barriers they face in higher education, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of Black women navigating a doctoral program in education at a California State University. To explore the experiences of the participants, I used a qualitative study with a Heideggerian phenomenological approach and a Black feminist lens. A three­–question interview, …

The Facade Of Instructional Leadership – The Patterns And Priorities Of Principals In Guiding And Driving Effective Classroom Instructional Practices, Jerad Hyden

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The Façade of Instructional Leadership: The Patterns and Priorities of High School Principals in Guiding and Driving Effective Classroom Instructional Practices

Abstract

By Jerad Hyden

University of the Pacific 2023

Classroom walkthroughs are the consistent and systematic observation of instruction in the classroom, and despite research indicating classroom walkthroughs drive student achievement and promote learning, high school principals fail to implement effective classroom walkthroughs on a consistent basis, resulting in teachers not receiving enough guidance and support to improve instruction for student learners. The purpose of this study was to assist and empower high school principals as instructional leaders through …

Analyzing Media Representations Of Rape Investigations And Interrogating The Representation Of Victim Blaming And Rape Myths: A Feminist Rhetorical Critique On The Netflix Limited Series Unbelievable, Kelly N. Hutchison

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The problematic portrayals of rape investigations in televised media reify a culture ofvictim blaming and perpetuate an ideology that is harmful to victims and survivors. This thesis utilizes a feminist rhetorical critique to analyze the gender and socioeconomic representations of rape victims and rape investigators, in the Netflix limit series Unbelievable, to understand the problems in their portrayals. In a world where individuals are consuming media constantly, it is important to be critical of media representations because even seemingly progressive media representations may perpetuate harmful stereotypes.

Chemically Mediated Algal-Bacterial Interactions: Promotion & Inhibition, Kara Talbott

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Algae-bacteria interactions range from mutualistic, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (green algae) provides carbonate complexes for surface associated bacteria (SAB) and the bacteria in turn provide B-12 for the algae, to pathogenic, the presence of certain bacteria increases the incidence of bleaching in the algae. Algal natural products have been found to display the following activities: anti-fouling, anti-bacterial, anti-cancer, and anti-feedant. Separately, it has been well documented in the literature that algae mediate their SAB, also known as their microbiome, using natural products to attract and inhibit different bacterial strains. My graduate work builds on these findings; our hypothesis is that the algal-bacterial …