Digital Commons Network^™

Master Of Social Work Portfolio, Kiana L. Emge

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

The Devil In The Details: The Malleus Maleficarum And Its Relationship To Regional Witchcraft Beliefs In Metz And The Corresponding Trials, Morgan Gubser

University Honors Theses

This thesis will explore witch trials in Lorraine, France, in the mid- to late-1400s, with a strong focus on trials conducted in or in reference to the city of Metz. The sixteenth century saw the period of the "great witch trials", which is often studied by those publishing in Witchcraft Studies, but a renewed scholarly focus is now being placed on the time before these great trials. By understanding these smaller outbreaks of trials that occurred in Lorraine before the sixteenth century we might hope to understand why so many trials tore through the region a century later. This thesis …

The Impact Of Transformational Leadership And Knowledge Sharing On Intention To Use Gamification In Teaching, Truong M. Vu

Dissertations, 2020-current

This paper investigates the impact of transformational leadership and knowledge sharing on university professors' intentions to use gamification in teaching, employing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a theoretical framework. Gamification, defined as the integration of game-based mechanics to promote learning and engagement, has shown significant potential in enhancing educational experiences but remains underutilized in higher education. This study suggests that knowledge sharing is a critical antecedent influencing the perceived ease of use, usefulness, and adoption of gamification by educators. Using a quantitative methodology, data are collected from 204 university professors in Vietnam, analyzing their perceptions of transformational leadership behaviors, …

Perceived Environmental Uncertainty Levels Of Ncaa Athletic Directors, Tiffany Brutus

Dissertations, 2020-current

This study explores predictors of perceived environmental uncertainty among college athletic directors (ADs) of National Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member institutions amidst the evolving dynamics of the intercollegiate athletics industry. This research specifically focuses on uncertainty associated with environmental forces outlined in the political, economic, sociocultural, technological, environmental, and legal (PESTEL)model, which captures recent industry disruptions such as Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) legislation, social justice movements, the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in transfer rules, and conference realignments. Using a contingency theory perspective, the central inquiry of this study is how AD individual, departmental, and institutional characteristics relate to ADs' perceptions …

Unveiling Resilience: An Exploration Of Relational Cultural Theory, Prevalence Factors, And Emdr’S Impact On Injury And Performance Anxiety In Collegiate Student-Athletes, Brian T. Lusk

Dissertations, 2020-current

This dissertation delved into the mental health challenges encountered by collegiate student-athletes, with a specific focus on injury and performance anxiety. The research is presented in a three-manuscript format. The first manuscript is a conceptual exploration of Relational Cultural Theory [RCT] and its application in supporting student-athletes during injury recovery. By integrating the Five Good Things framework, the study demonstrates how growth-promoting connection and a strong therapeutic alliance can enhance holistic recovery, addressing the physical and emotional impacts of injury. The second manuscript investigated performance anxiety among student-athletes, with an emphasis on gender, sport type, and Adverse Childhood Experiences [ACEs] …

Re-Imagining Technical Communication Concepts Through A Social Work Lens: A Case Study And Content Analysis Of The Department Of Aging And Rehabilitative Services, Jonas Kee

Masters Theses, 2020-current

This thesis highlights how traditional technical communication concepts such as social justice rhetoric, disability studies, and user experience (UX) are re-imagined through the lens of Department of Aging and Rehabilitation Services (DARS) professionals. In this thesis, I present information gathered from a content analysis focused on four documents used within the DARS office, a survey, and interviews administered to DARS Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselors. This thesis analyzes the documents, survey, and interview questions through the experiences of DARS professionals, clients, and external stakeholders. This thesis concludes with business and pedagogical implications regarding the field of UX and how to effectively …

Experiences With Crisis And Resilience In Education In Emergencies: Voices And Lenses Of Teachers In Nicaragua, Anita De Anda

Doctorate in Education

This interpretive phenomenological study illustrated how a group of primary school teachers in Nicaragua used ontological values to orient their experiences and negotiations of a destabilizing socio-political crisis compounded by COVID-19. Set within a framework of education in emergencies, this study employed short-term ethnographic methods and trauma-informed principles to explore the dynamic and interconnected domains and relationships during collective duress, and the organic resilience that emerged to preserve core priorities. A history of collective adversity, weak systems, and political hegemony made the nation vulnerable to cycles of emergency while leaving recovery up to individuals, families, and communities. As a result, …

Society Of American Foresters (Saf) Academic Publications As They Relate To The Curriculum Standards For Saf Forestry Program Accreditation: A Content Analysis, Lisa M. Bentley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Goals that impact decision-making components within academic programs in the university system have the potential to define and change the direction of a field of study, and, with that, should be thoughtfully approached with a certainty of evidence that supports responsible paradigms in forestry education. Periodic revision of the standards for accreditation by SAF influences institutional expectations that result in shifts in forestry education and should be consistent with professional forestry standards. The methodology utilized in this research contextualizes data from a sociological perspective intentionally as a method to holistically integrate data as evidence to support the interpretation of Society …

Characterizing Teacher Support Of Debugging With Physical Computing: Debugging Pedagogies In Practice, Colin Hennessy Elliott, Jessie Nixon, Alexandra Gendrau Chakarov, Jeffrey B. Bush, Michael J. Schneider, Mimi Recker

Publications

Objectives. Physical computing systems are increasingly being integrated into secondary school science and STEM instruction, yet little is known about how teachers, especially those with little background and experience in computing, help students during the inevitable debugging moments that arise. In this article, we describe a framework, comprising two dimensions, for characterizing how teachers support students as they debug a physical computing system called the Data Sensor Hub (DASH). The DASH enables students to program sensors to measure, analyze, and visualize data as they engage in science inquiry activities

Participants. Five secondary school teachers implemented an inquiry-oriented instructional …

Reduction Of Seclusion And Restraint Among Children And Adolescents In An Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital: A Health Policy Analysis, Huma Moez

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Background: Seclusion and restraint (SR) or restrictive intervention in inpatient/ acute psychiatric hospitals, emergency departments, crisis stabilization units, residentials, or group homes is a pressing and an immediate concern in mental health settings, particularly for children and adolescents, for whom SR rates are higher. The Joint Commission and other national organizations have made significant strides in prioritizing the reduction and elimination of SR among children and adolescents due to its negative physical and psychological consequences.

Objective: This DNP project will aim to provide the results of a policy analysis to present evidence-based techniques and a resulting re-envisioned policy recommendation to …

Advanced Practice Clinician Outcomes: Pre/Post Implementation Of An Advanced Practice Clinician Council, Jeannine M. Moss

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Improving access to quality, affordable, and timely healthcare is a national priority. Health systems across the United States are utilizing Advanced Practice Clinicians (APCs) to fill the void in healthcare delivery. As provider shortages continue and the demand for APCs increases, organizations must develop robust structures to support APC engagement, retention, job satisfaction, and professional growth. Currently, 44% of the provider workforce within a large urban health system are APCs, yet despite substantial APC provider labor pool representation, the organization had little infrastructure to support APC professional growth and no mechanism for organizational involvement. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed …

Reducing No-Shows In A Behavioral Health Setting: A Program Evaluation, Meagan Evans

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Mental healthcare in America faces many significant challenges; this is especially true in rural regions like Southwest Virginia. When patients miss their scheduled appointments, it represents a lost opportunity to deliver the critical mental health services that other individuals in need could have benefited from. A significant access issue presents itself when patients are not able to get the mental health support they need. The lack of outpatient access leads to patients utilizing emergency rooms inappropriately for what could have been routine care visits. A multitude of factors can contribute to patients failing to attend their scheduled appointments, including transportation …

Naloxone Prescribing At Hospital Discharge: A Quality Improvement Initiative, Timothy Ford

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Opioid overdose deaths remain one of the largest public health challenges in the United States. Naloxone allocation is an important tool to help combat opioid overdose deaths. The literature supports that hospitalized patients are generally receptive to receiving naloxone and opioid education and interdisciplinary teams working together can help facilitate identification of high-risk patients for naloxone allocation. This quality improvement change, guided by the IHI Triple Aims and Model for Healthcare Improvement frameworks, sought to increase the rate of patients leaving the Hospital Medicine Service with naloxone. To accomplish this, during the target units’ daily interdisciplinary rounds, providers were prompted …

Implementation Of A Standardized Screening And Referral Process For Social Determinants Of Health For Families With Children Within Two Rural Health Clinics, Laura Britton Stace

Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP) Final Projects, 2020-current

Abstract

The American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures Guidelines recommends social determinants of health (SDOH) screening at well-child checks (WCCs). Social determinants of health are environmental factors, including food accessibility, mental health, and substance use, that can affect quality of life.

Rural health clinics (RHCs) in a county in Virginia did not routinely use a standardized screener to identify pediatric SDOH risks, nor did they have a standardized referral process for identifying SDOH risks. A hospital community needs assessment found that over 20% of the county households were below the federal poverty level. It is estimated that many children in …

How Generative Ai Is Shaping The Future Of Marketing, Dhruv Grewal, Cinthia B. Satornino, Thomas Davenport, Abhijit Guha

Faculty Publications

Generative AI (Gen AI) is shaping the future of marketing. In the next decade, Gen AI will influence how marketers interact and communicate with customers, help create and deliver marketing content (text, images, and video), and inform methods for researching and developing new products and services. In both service and sales settings, Gen AI will affect customers directly and significantly. Therefore, marketers, researchers, and public policy makers require a clear understanding of Gen AI and its potential, as well as its limitations. To assist marketers in thinking through the adoption and implementation of Gen AI, the current article presents a …

Improving Obsolescence Management By Enhancing Supplier-Customer Collaboration, Mora Issa

Theses

There are currently many legacy facilities operating in the Middle East & Africa region that have plans in place to extend the plant life. Oil prices have been steadily going up, leading to increases in production, and driving economic growth. In order to extend the life of these older facilities, the sites are budgeting to replace critical parts accordingly. Obsolescence is an inevitable part of every product lifecycle and, with the new wave of technology and AI in the market, facilities face the challenge of increasing profitability in the fast-paced economy. The number of more efficient upgrades available presents an …

“Know What I’M Sayin’?”: Advocating Hip-Hop As A Primary Source For Historical Scholarship, Christopher Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rap, hip-hop’s most characteristic element, evolved from cultural practices combining in New York and spread across the United States in the latter half of the twentieth century. This thesis argues in favor of the use of rap as primary source material in future historical research. Authenticity has always surrounded hip-hop, making rap a window into artists’ perspectives. Storytelling traditions in rap’s roots allow for fiction’s use as a tool to discuss reality in lyrics. To demonstrate rap’s strengths as a primary source, the thesis examines Let’s Get Free, dead prez’s 2000 debut album. The song “They Schools” is dissected section-by-section …

2024 Fall Commencement, Harding University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Harding University Commencement on December 14.

Commencement Speaker: Dr. Jim Martin

“Without Damaging Our Own Academic Journeys”: Student Thinking About And Use Of Generative Ai In First-Year Writing, Karin Admiraal, Mary Anderson

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

While many in the university community are discussing, regulating, and experimenting with the use of ChatGPT and other generative AI for teaching and learning, fewer studies exist that explore how incorporating the technology into the classroom works in practice. This paper reports on an intervention designed to involve students in co-creation of a policy for the use of ChatGPT and other AI in a First-Year Writing class. The co-creation activity comes from a humanizing pedagogical perspective (Bartolome, 1994), which seeks to empower students in their own learning process. Following the activity, researchers used Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) (Braun & Clarke, …

Student And Teacher Outcomes: Implementing Pax Gbg In Elementary Schools, Nimisha Patel, Michelle A. Fleming, Amy Elston

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

This paper examines the implementation of the PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX GBG) in a Midwestern metropolitan area during the 2018-2019 academic year. The study focuses on baseline, midpoint, and endpoint frequencies of students’ off-task behaviors (Spleems), as well as teachers’ and administrators' self-reports of self-efficacy and resiliency. Students in PreK through Grade 5 were in classes in which teachers implemented PAX GBG. Students were enrolled in one of 195 classrooms across 13 public schools. Means were calculated for Spleems, as well as for the self-efficacy and resiliency scales. Furthermore, the Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test was used to determine the …

An Investigation Into Two Mathematics Score Reports: Problem Solving Measure (Psm) And Measurement Of Academic Progress (Map), Benjamin Lawson, Jonathan D. Bostic

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

K-12 teachers and staff need high-quality score reports that accurately report students’ results. However, research about score reports that K-12 teachers and staff use indicates that they infrequently are given opportunities to share feedback to developers. To address this, we gathered feedback from teachers and administrators, in an explanatory sequential design of a mixed-methods study. A purpose of the study was to examine score report quality from two mathematics assessments. Two researchers surveyed in-service professionals (n = 34) about two score reports. Then, we conducted follow-up interviews (n = 6) to further unpack what school personnel find valuable and useful …

Making The World A Better Place: Meaningful, Reciprocal Service Learning In Costa Rica, Nora Geer

Capstone Collection

Despite the countless benefits that international service learning can present to host communities and student service learners, current service learnings offerings for undergraduate students remain relatively limited in quantity and intentionality. Unless international service learning programs lead with reciprocity, meaning, and sustainability, their pitfalls may exceed their advantages, resulting in an industry that leaves both communities and student participants necessitating more. The following proposed program in Costa Rica plans to lead by example, remedying service learning’s greatest shortcomings by making community relationship building its utmost priority, emphasizing cross-cultural exchange between students and community members, and offering service projects that fill …

Exploring Self-Efficacy: Key Influences Shaping First Year Students’ Self Belief During Their First Semester Abroad, Isabella Lena Agostino

Capstone Collection

Guided by Albert Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, this research explores the four primary sources of self-efficacy—mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and physiological and emotional states—and their impact on first-year students’ belief in their ability to navigate the challenges of studying and living in an international context. By examining the sources of self-efficacy, the study provides an understanding of the factors that support or hinder students’ self-efficacy during their transition and experience in a new environment.

Using a mixed methods approach, self-efficacy levels were assessed through the New General Self-Efficacy Scale (NGSE), followed by semi-structured interviews that provided qualitative insights into …

College Access And Success: Transition And Mentorship Programs, Simone-Calais Staley, Lakeisha Jackson, Victoria Navarro Benavides, Jasmine Reyes

MAGIS: Student Development Journal

This paper highlights best practices of key transition and mentorship programs from around the nation. Three of the programs examined are facilitated nationally including TRIO, Upward Bound, and GEAR UP. The fourth program, the PUENTE Project, is operated at the state level in California. Each program’s history and service model have been examined as well as the best practices and areas of improvement for the program. Throughout this study, student services in addition to social and cultural capital possessed by underrepresented students are emphasized. Professionals across various industries may say that there are too many programs with similar missions and …

Behind Colored Lines: Exploring Gender Identity Development For Queer Students Of Color, Cobretti D. Williams

MAGIS: Student Development Journal

While institutions of higher learning are seeking ways to optimize diversity efforts, there is a specific absence in support for students with intersecting identities. For queer students of color, developing in multiple communities, while experiencing internalized oppression, can be a difficult task without proper commitment from colleges and universities. Considering the cultural identities of many queer students of color, socialization, and enforcement of cultural norms can restrict opportunities to enact and acknowledge inclusive gender practices and exploration. In order to learn about the experiences of queer students of color and their exploration of gender identity and expression, a qualitative study …

The Collegia Program: A Home Away From Home, Brian M. Wasserman

MAGIS: Student Development Journal

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), the cost of college tuition, room, and board increased 42% at public institutions and 31% at private, not-for-profit institutions (U.S. Department of Education, 2012). Further, data indicate more students are choosing to live off campus (U.S. Department of Education, 1991, 2013). Yet most colleges and universities lack robust systems of support for these underserved student populations. The Collegia Program at Seattle University represents an effective program that promotes commuter and transfer student success and persistence by meeting the physical, psychological, and social needs of this population of students.

Retention Theory, Academic Advising, And Orientation: A Literature Review, Katrina Anaya, Kelly Carr

MAGIS: Student Development Journal

The purpose of this paper is to review current and applicable literature on student retention. Retention is defined as the ability of a college or university to graduate the students who initially enroll (Berger, Ramirez, & Lyon, 2012). First, retention theory and current research is explored. Then, this report focuses on academic advising and first-year orientation as it relates to student retention. Academic advising is a traditionally underestimated component of retention that is further explored in this paper. Additionally, first-year orientation creates a commitment to the institution of higher education early on in students’ academic careers. Both of these topics …

The Profession, Politics, And The Pipeline: The Mentoring Experiences Of Women Of Color In Student Affairs, Lakeisha Jackson

MAGIS: Student Development Journal

This paper examines the mentoring experiences of women of color in student affairs and how that impacts their pipeline through the profession. The participants in this study are all alumnae of the same master’s program and work in various functional areas. The particular focus of this study is on women who are newer in their careers and can provide a more recent look at their experience entering the professional pipeline and how they are using mentoring to navigate a multitude of issues. The literature provides insight into professional development within the field, what this looks like for women of color …

Graduate Students And On-Campus Engagement, Lakeisha Jackson, Victoria Navarro Benavides, Jacqueline Saarenas

MAGIS: Student Development Journal

Research focusing on graduate student attrition, services, and needs is slim. Scholars investigating experiences of graduate students have attributed this gap in research to the limited number of master’s- and doctoral-level students who attend universities (Cooke, Sims, & Peyrefitte, 1995). With Seattle University enrolling approximately 2,000 graduate students as of October 2012 and steadily increasing the amount of graduate degrees awarded per academic year since 2008, the university benefits from learning about the diverse needs of this population (Seattle University, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012). The purpose of this quantitative study is to understand graduate student experience at Seattle University. More …

What's Race Really Got To Do With It? Investigating (In)Equity In Education Through A Critical Social Lens, Ester Sihite

MAGIS: Student Development Journal

In a nation that is increasingly becoming more racially and ethnically diverse, educational literature and practice still lacks critical investigation of how systems have fared in supporting the success of historically marginalized students of color. Through an examination of contemporary literature using a critical framework, this paper presents overviews of key factors contributing to educational inequities in the education pipeline: historical legislation, funding structures, and psychosocial attitudes and paradigms of educators. Discussion of these elements bears implications for policymakers and educators and renders possibilities for critical analysis-driven change that can foster greater opportunities for educational success for students of color.