Digital Commons Network^™

Aligning Novice Special Educators Classroom Practices, Mentoring Support, And Needs With Discrit Classroom Ecology, Kaitlyn Stillwagon

Theses and Dissertations

This multiple case study investigates the alignment of novice special educators’ classroom practices, mentoring supports, and expressed needs with DisCrit Classroom Ecology. Situated in a large, urban city in the Northeast United States, this study centers the experiences of novice special educators and their mentors to examine this alignment to uncover gaps and best practices for improved mentoring support for novice special educators. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom artifacts, and teacher reflection journals. Thematic analysis using both deductive and inductive coding revealed that novice special educators demonstrated emerging entry points toward DisCrit aligned practices, particularly in the use …

Asian/Asian American College Students’ Help-Seeking Attitudes For Adhd, Nandini Jhawar

Dissertations - ALL

Background: Asian/Asian American (AA) college students are least likely to engage with ADHD treatment compared to other racially minoritized groups, which may increase their risk for negative outcomes from untreated ADHD symptoms. Public stigma of ADHD contributes to these negative help-seeking attitudes. This study used the minority stress theory to examine if the distal and proximal stress of internalization of the model minority myth, a racial stereotype, influences the relationship between public stigma and help-seeking attitudes. Methods: Participants were undergraduate students recruited from nine geographically diverse universities in the United States. Data was collected over two academic years and included …

In Defense Of Metaphysics: A Defense Of The Value And Methodological Soundness Of Metaphysics Understood As Structural Modeling, Sean Nalty

Dissertations - ALL

The aim of this dissertation is to provide a defense of the value and methodological soundness of contemporary analytic metaphysics against a variety of recent anti-metaphysical and scientistic critiques. In Chapter 1, I attempt to answer (at least provisionally) a surprisingly difficult question: what is metaphysics, anyway? I suggest seven adequacy constraints on an answer to this question, and then test five historically and contemporarily influential candidate characterizations of metaphysics against these constraints. Finding each candidate lacking, I close by proposing an ecumenical conception of metaphysics — what I call the structural modeling conception — according to which metaphysics aims …

Fertile, Social, Dangerous, Sacred, Gift, And System: Religion, Salt City Harvest Farm, And The Future Of Human Shit, Sarah Elizabeth Nahar

Dissertations - ALL

Shit, the taboo term for the human excreta that exits the anus, can be understood as sacred. Shitting, the vulgar verb to describe the act of discarding solid excreta, can likewise be understood as religious ritual activity. This counters the Dominant Social Paradigm (DSP) in the United States (US) of the placement of shit as profane, and shitting as unceremonial. An aim of this dissertation is to reclaim the word shit from the realm of what the DSP has rendered invisible and unspeakable, and spark rigorous academic discussion about it in the context of Religion and Environmental Studies. The DSP …

Impact Of Retrieval Augmented Generation And Large Language Model Complexity On Undergraduate Exams Created And Taken By Ai Agents, Erick S. Tyndall, Colleen Gayheart, Alexandre Some, Joseph Genz, Torrey J. Wagner, Brent T. Langhals

Faculty Publications

The capabilities of large language models (LLMs) have advanced to the point where entire textbooks can be queried using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), enabling AI to integrate external, up-to-date information into its responses. This study evaluates the ability of two OpenAI models, GPT-3.5 Turbo and GPT-4 Turbo, to create and answer exam questions based on an undergraduate textbook. 14 exams were created with four true-false, four multiple-choice, and two short-answer questions derived from an open-source Pacific Studies textbook. Model performance was evaluated with and without access to the source material using text-similarity metrics such as ROUGE-1, cosine similarity, and word embeddings. …

State Nationalism, Islamic Movements, And Islamist Parties: Exploring The Linkages, Raza Habib Raja

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation investigates the variation in the electoral mobilization of Islamist parties in Pakistan, Tunisia, and Turkey using comparative historical analysis. These Muslim-majority countries (MMCs) have experienced free and fair elections, yet the electoral success of Islamist parties varies considerably among them. In Turkey and Tunisia, Islamist parties have mobilized successfully and won power at the national level, whereas in Pakistan, they have largely underperformed. This study argues that the root cause of these differences lies in the historical decisions made by the political elite regarding the role of Islam in fostering nationalism and state-building at the time of independence. …

Premenopausal And Postmenopausal Malignant Cervical Cancer Diagnosis Among Disaggregated Subethnic Groups Of Asian American Women In The United States, Nilofar Haider Mirza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite being the United States' fastest-growing and diverse population, Asian Americans are often aggregated with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in prior research, resulting in masking disparities in cervical cancer screening/diagnosis among Asian American subethnic groups. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological model, the association between disaggregated subethnic groups and cervical cancer diagnosis among Asian American women aged 20+ in the United States was examined using binary logistic regression. How histology type/behavior and age at diagnosis moderate the relationship between disaggregated subethnic groups and cervical cancer diagnosis was also explored. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed using cases (N=1014) from the U.S. …

A Pilot-Study Evaluating The Fidelity Of Chatgpt In Client Simulations, Eric Tod Beeson, Yusen Zhai, Russell Fulmer, Andrew M. Burck, Rakesh Maurya

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Generative AI (genAI) is expanding in counselor education. This pilot study evaluated ChatGPT 4o's voice mode for simulating client scenarios during 53-minute mock-intake sessions with master’s-level counseling students. Analyzing eight domains (authenticity, consistency, emotional expression, empathy, cultural dynamics, self-awareness, goal setting, and role play confusion), ChatGPT’s responses showed good to excellent fidelity when compared to a typical client. Limitations such as formulaic and idealized responses raised authenticity concerns. ChatGPT offers a scalable, cost-effective tool for pre-practicum training, with potential to enhance skill development across the curriculum. Educators are encouraged to integrate genAI thoughtfully, prioritizing ethical considerations and iterative prompt refinement.

Reimagining The Counseling Profession: Preparing Counselors For Ai And Digital Health Integration, Carl J. Sheperis, Dusti L. Annan-Coultas, Caronne C. C. Rush

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

Digital health technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming mental healthcare delivery, creating new opportunities and challenges for counseling practice. This article examines digital health applications in counseling, including telehealth, mobile apps, digital therapeutics, virtual reality, and AI-powered tools. We explore key implications for practice, including enhanced accessibility, impacts on therapeutic relationships, and ethical considerations. The article presents a six-domain competency framework covering privacy and security, technical proficiency, ethical literacy, clinical integration, therapeutic adaptability, and administrative management. A case study illustrates the practical application of hybrid digital care, while a discussion of counselor education highlights the need for curriculum updates. …

Los Indigenismos Léxicos En Las Narrativas De Cabeza De Vaca Una Aproximación Filológica, Oswaldo Martínez Morones

Cuaderna Vía

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In Elementary Reading Instruction, Chelsea Renae Little

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) has been shown to help educators address the unique educational needs of African American students. While research has supported the belief that CRP promotes a sense of belonging and positively influences academic achievement, there remains a lack of research regarding elementary teachers’ perceptions of their implementation of CRP specifically when teaching reading to African American students. Framed by Ladson-Billings’s CRP framework, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore elementary teachers' perceptions of their implementation of CRP when teaching reading to African American students. Using a basic qualitative design, data were collected through semistructured …

Tense And Agreement Measures In Young African American English-Speaking Children, Kwaku Nyantakyi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Tense Marker Total (TMT) and the Tense and Agreement Productivity (TAP) score are two ways of measuring children’s tense and agreement systems, and studies have shown that both measures track developmental growth across different ages in General American English (GAE)-speaking children. This dissertation examined the feasibility and validity of using these measures for children learning African American English (AAE).

The data were cross-sectional archival language samples from 38 AAE-speaking children who ranged in age from three to five years (11 at 3 years, 12 at 4 years, 15 at 5 years). The language samples were coded and scored for …

Examining The Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence And Disability, Luke Abell, Ben Anderson, Andres Arbulu, Cailyn Bowerman, Ethan Brown, Logan Busch, Eliana Chinitz, Shaan Choksi, Charles Clark, Alexander Claure, Meaghan Crites, Amalia Daniell, Stephen Dombrowski, Clara Dotterer, Jordyn Fink, Jake Fox, Akanksha Garg, Ishaan Ghosh, Cristian Gorayeb, Lia Gosselin, Simon Hasik, Alexis Hawkins, Charles Dickerson Iv, Chistopher Johnson, Cj Kulprathipanja, Claire Lindborg, Josh Lorenz, Luke Mcdonald, Daniella Nahnsen, Arwa Neemuchwala, Sage Nichols, Henrique Ortega, Krish Patel, Daniel Paul, Andres Ravelo, Daniel Reyes, Francesca Rovetto, Santiago Sacchini, Juan Santos, Mauricio Saturno, Carter Schaffer, Joey Schlosser, Anna Scroggings, Dylan Smith, Daniel Tejeira, Kenny Teng, Diya Tibrewala, Max Young, Robert Zeltsman, Bradley S. Duerstock, Maxwell Mensah

Undergraduate Coursework

No abstract provided.

Dragon Guitars And Sexy Zombies: Tracing The Meta-Motion Of The Naga Motif In Northeast Thailand, Aaron Michael Stanley

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Abstract

This thesis traces the evolving symbolism of the Naga motif (a mythic water serpent) in Northeast Thailand through a framework I call meta-motion, which maps symbolic persistence of this cultural signifier and boundary marker across four cultural horizons—animist (Z), Hindu–Khmer (B), Buddhist (A), and modern/global (C). Like electrons in quantum super position, symbolic motifs circulate as overlapping “waves” of potential meaning and are concretized into cultural “particles” only when recruited for specific ritual, commercial, or political purposes. I add a bookend extension to Chang’s Hindu-Buddhist (B/A) typology with the addition of Horizons Z and C in order to make …

Sensemaking Opportunities For Students Experiencing Difficulty: A Mixed Methods Study, Rachel Juergensen, Delinda Van Garderen

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

All students deserve to be engaged in high-quality science instruction that moves beyond memorization and recall of facts and offers opportunities for sensemaking. Science achievement is alarmingly low signifying there is a large percentage of students experiencing difficulty in science. The low science achievement may be symptomatic of gaps in opportunities for sensemaking within the science classroom. Using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, the current study explored the relationship between middle school science teacher beliefs and opportunities students experiencing difficulty in science had to participate in sensemaking discussions. Integrated findings from the study suggest that teachers’ beliefs influenced the …

Securing Llm Applications Using Intent-Based Feedback, Assaf Namer, Anil Kumar Sirikande, Christine Sizemore, Vinesh Prasanna M, Chris Diya, Prashant Kulkarni

Defensive Publications Series

Security threats such as prompt injection and jailbreaking pose significant risks to applications powered by large language models. Existing security toolkits often themselves leverage LLMs for malicious input detection. These security toolkits can produce false positives or negatives due to the non-deterministic nature of LLMs. This disclosure describes techniques that harden the security of LLM applications by incorporating an intent-based feedback loop that analyzes both user prompts and LLM responses and classifies adversarial intent using natural language processing (NLP). LLM system instructions are dynamically hardened to preemptively address identified vulnerabilities. Recognizing the importance of a layered security strategy, the techniques …

A Complex Border: Intractability And The Physical Roots Of Discursive Legitimations In Cyprus, Hilmi Ulas

Peace Studies Faculty Articles and Research

The Cypriot conflict is one of the most intractable conflicts of the modern era, and the collapse of complexity among the actors in the conflict—mainly the Republic of Cyprus, North Cyprus, and Turkey—appears to be the main cause of the continued “no war, no peace” state. Subsequent socio-psychological self-organization among these actors then produces conflict-perpetuating feedback loops and dynamics. These dynamics include identity narratives, narratives of “the other,” and narratives of the nature of the conflict, which, at the grassroots level, can legitimize ongoing engagement in the conflict, whereas peace is painted as an undesirable and undeserved/unjust compromise. Given this, …

A Closer Look At The Relationship Between Cultural Intelligence And Organizational Citizenship Behaviors, Lesli B. Quiroz

Master's Theses

As organizations—particularly in the United States—become more multicultural due to globalization, they increasingly rely on individuals' ability to succeed in complex, cross?cultural environments. Cultural intelligence (CQ), or the ability to successfully adapt to unfamiliar cultural settings, has been previously related to expatriate cross-cultural adjustment, group effectiveness, and more recently, to organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB), which are voluntary extra-role workplace behaviors that lead to positive employee and organizational outcomes. This study mainly sought to theoretically expand the limited research on the relationship between CQ and OCB with some research questions. In a sample of 93 participants based in California, results found …

The Label Of Low Effort: Exploring Teachers’ Effort-Related Language, Meritocratic Beliefs, And Attribution-Based Responsibility Assignments, Kelly A. Larson

Doctorate in Education

Educators play an integral role in the academic success and future educational trajectory of their students. Yet, in an unjust, hyper-individualistic education system grounded in a meritocratic myth, even the most well-intentioned teachers have a tendency to explain students’ underperformance through a self-protective, deficit-based attribution process that puts the onus of academic achievement almost entirely on students and their families. This recursive cycle is especially damaging for students who do not exhibit effort in normalized, Eurocentric ways. This study examines how teachers’ attributions and responsibility assignments for students’ perceived low-effort behavior are shaped by inequitable meritocratic beliefs and reinforced through …

A Comparative Study Of Fgcs And Non-Fgcs In Mainland China : An Analysis Based On The G University, Meihan Tao

Lingnan Theses (Doctoral degree)

While Western scholarship on First-Generation College Students (FGCS) is well-established, research on FGCS in mainland China remains underdeveloped, despite the group’s substantial size and critical role in social mobility. This study examines the disparities between FGCS and Non-First-Generation College Students (Non-FGCS) in cultural capital accumulation, university major selection, academic adaptation, and career planning. Grounded in cultural capital theory and social cognitive career theory (SCCT), the study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative in-depth interviews and quantitative surveys to explore how familial cultural capital influences educational and career trajectories. The research focuses on students from G University in southwest China. Quantitative …

Generative Ai In The Classroom: Best Practices, A Cetll Guide, The Center For Excellence In Teaching, Learning, & Leadership, S E. Hackney, Brandon K. Jeffries Mr., Emily Drabinski, Joshua Rogers, Holly Weisberg, Yael Neumann, Ashlyn Cavitt, Claudia Brumbaugh, Lindsey Albracht, Robin Naughton, Annalee Roustio, Amy Wan, Soniya Munshi, Jean Kelly

Open Educational Resources

In 2024-2025, in collaboration with Amy Wan, Professor of English and Special Assistant to the Provost for Writing, CETLL hosted a Generative AI in the Classroom Faculty Fellowship, through which an interdisciplinary cohort of thirteen faculty members were supported to critically engage the different concerns and opportunities that generative AI presents for our work as educators.

From our discussions with the Faculty Fellows and other resources, we have developed Generative AI in the Classroom: Best Practices, a CETLL Guide. This guide includes step-by-step guidance about how to engage with questions of generative AI in your classrooms, sample syllabus statements, …

Effects Of Summer School Attendance On The Assessed Reading Proficiency Of Third Grade Students, Lydia Evers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Evidence shows students who are not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are more likely to eventually drop out of high school or be considered illiterate as adults, making it challenging to function adequately in society. The problem addressed through this study was that as many as 60% of U.S. third-grade students scored below proficiency on annual standardized reading assessments. Guided by faucet theory by Alexander et al., the purpose of this causal-comparative quantitative study was to compare reading standardized test scores of third-grade students who participated in a summer school program (SSP) in the summer following second …

Modeling The Importance Of Life Exposure Factors On Memory Performance In Diverse Older Adults: A Machine Learning Approach, Evan Fletcher, Marianne Chanti-Ketterl, Emily Hokett, Yi Lor, Umesh Venkatesan, Ruijia Chen, Omonigho M. Bubu, Rachel Whitmer, Paola Gilsanz, Zvinka Z. Zlatar

Moss-Magee Rehabilitation Papers

INTRODUCTION: Many health life exposure factors (LEFs) influence cognitive decline and dementia incidence, but their relative importance to episodic memory (an early indicator of cognitive decline) among diverse older adults is unclear. We used machine learning to rank LEFs for memory performance in a large and diverse US cohort.

METHODS: Kaiser Healthy Aging and Diverse Life Experiences (KHANDLE) and Study of Healthy Aging in African Americans (STAR), participants underwent neuropsychological testing and answered questionnaires about multiple LEFs. XGBoost and Shapley Additive exPlanation values ranked the importance of factors influencing cross-sectional episodic memory in the full sample and by sex and …

Strategies To Develop Professional Identity Of Teachers From Non-Education Faculty: A Case Study, Klara Tyas Sulistyawati, Paulus Kuswandono

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Nowadays, teachers do not always graduate from the education faculty. This phenomenon attracts researchers to conduct a study about the strategies to develop teacher professional identity, specifically for teachers from non-education faculty. In this study, the researchers implemented a case study method. To collect the data, the researchers distributed a closed-ended questionnaire to six teachers from the non-education faculty and did interview sessions. The researchers concluded the three major findings, namely (1) perceiving oneself, (2) gaining valuable insight through the teacher community, and (3) doing reflection on previous teaching experiences.

Pembelajaran Berbasis Proyek Dalam Pembelajaran Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam Untuk Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar Siswa, Agustinus Tanggu Daga, Matias Hota Heli, Petrus Lende

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Penerapan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam di sekolah dasar sebagai salah satu mata pelajaran mendukung pelaksanaan pendidikan abad 21. Masalah yang sering ditemui adalah pengetahuan yang kirang pada siswa tentang esensi keilmuan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam yang berdampak pada kinerja, baik dalam proses pembelajaran maupun dalam hasil belajar. Penelitian ini mengkaji secara ilmiah dampak terhadap hasil belajar dalam pembelajaran berbasis proyek (PjBL). Untuk itu diambil 18 siswa kelas V sebagai subyek penelitian. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif dan metode kuasi eksperimen. Tes hasil belajar digunakan sebagai instrument pengumpulan data yang diterapkan sebelum dan sesudah intervensi. Analisis data mencakup beberapa pendekatan yaitu analisis deskriptif, …

The Multicultural Social Fabric And Its Impact On The Assimilation Of The French And British Education Systems In Cameroon, Fatima Zohra Gueddouda Mekhanet

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

This article examines the impact of Cameroon's diverse social fabric on the successful adoption of the French and British colonial educational systems. Relying on the descriptive analytical approach, the historical and social contexts that contributed to local communities’ acceptance of colonial education were studied, with a focus on cultural values, ethnic, and religious diversity. The research aims to provide a comprehensive view on how education and educational policies are affected by cultural and social diversity in Cameroon. The research began with a historical background on ethnic and cultural diversity in pre-colonial Cameroon, pointing to the nature of the diverse social …

Students' Attitudes Towards Cooperative Learning In Offline And Online Language Cl, Muhammad Bayu Aji Putra Harianto, Suharyadi Suharyadi, Shinta Tresnadewi

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

This research investigated the perspectives of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students on their experiences with group work (GW) in both online and offline environments. The results indicated that most students who participated in GW in both settings held a positive perception. Implementing a Collaborative Learning (CL) approach can enhance students’ self-confidence, motivation, engagement in a studentcentered environment, and sense of responsibility. However, some students reported negative experiences with online GW due to issues such as unstable internet connections, limited prior experience with GW, and unfamiliarity with relevant applications and software. Consequently, the findings of this study offer valuable …

The Future Of The Arab Media Industry In Utilizing Artificial Intelligence Technologies: A Foresight Study (2024 To 2034), Mohammedwesam Amer, Abdullah Mohammed Atbiqa

Middle East Journal of Communication Studies

This study explores the future of the Arab media industry from 2024 to 2034 in light of the increasing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. It identifies key media sectors likely to be affected by AI—such as content creation, news production, editing, and audience engagement—and proposes strategies for effective implementation. The study employs a descriptive survey methodology grounded in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Data were collected via an electronic questionnaire from a purposive sample of 264 respondents across 18 Arab countries, including academic elites and media professionals working with Arab media institutions. Findings reveal …

Penerapan Model Pembelajaran Kooperatif Tipe Talking Stick Untuk Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar Siswa Pada Pelajaran Ipas, Yusdin Bin M. Gagaramusu, Wildani Wildani, Rizal Rizal, Sisriawan Lapasere

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk memberikan wawasan mengenai penerapan model pembelajaran kooperatif tipe talking stick sebagai upaya meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa pada mata pelajaran IPAS kelas IV SD Negeri 9 Mamboro. Jenis penelitian yang dilakukan adalah Penelitian Tindakan Kelas (Classroom Action Research) yang dikembangkan oleh Kemmis dan Mc Taggart yang terdiri dari empat tahapan, yaitu: (1) Perencanaan, (2) Tindakan, (3) Observasi, dan (4) Refleksi. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di SD Negeri 9 Mamboro, pada tahun ajaran 2024/2025 dengan subjek penelitian berjumlah 23 siswa kelas IV. Dalam penelitian ini, teknik pengumpulan data meliputi tes dan non-tes. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa selama proses pembelajaran …

Innocence Stolen, Echo K. Yerke

Master of Arts in Human Services

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a negative societal problem. It isn’t an easy problem to solve; there is a lot of secrecy involved. The literature review will look at early interventions and prevention. The paper tries to show how it would benefit society if there were more money dedicated to programs to prevent childhood sexual abuse. The paper shows the negative outcomes that happen to the victims and possibly their future generations. The paper will look at the relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and suicide. It also looks at the mental health struggles that victims go through. It also …