Digital Commons Network^™

Mental Silence For Emotional Intelligence Development, Mina N. Nandwani

Theses and Dissertations

While emotional intelligence is considered key for effective leadership, and perhaps the most vital competency for current and emerging leaders to cultivate, there appears to be uncertainty on how to develop it. This study examined how the practice of Sahaja Yoga Meditation (SYM) influences the development of emotional intelligence and contributes to the advancement of global leadership capacities, addressing a gap in the current literature. The conceptual frameworks of SYM, Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence Model, and the literature on global leadership, particularly Jeffrey Sachs’ Ages of Globalization, guided the research question. By implementing a qualitative phenomenological research approach, ten long-time …

Challenging Assumptions: Ai And Teacher Assessment Identity Formation, Nadia Ollington

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article explores the ways in which teacher educators can strengthen the developing teacher assessment identity of preservice teachers who are at the precipice of Industry 4.0, where work with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and assessment will require flexible thinking. This reflective case study narrative outlines a teacher educator’s experiences in a novel assessment task using Generative AI for technology enhanced learning in an Australian postgraduate teaching program. In the task, those who held positive beliefs and emotions about AI were more likely to engage in flexible thinking skills than those who were more critical of the AI. To ensure that …

From Guesswork To Growth: Understanding How Preservice Teachers Interpret And Enact Appraisal Within A Teacher Performance Assessment, Allison Byth, Thembi Mason, Laurie Werrett

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In Australia, the Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment (GTPA) is a capstone summative assessment evaluating preservice teachers ‘classroom readiness’ across five practices: planning, teaching, assessing, reflecting and appraising. In our work with preservice teachers, appraising the impact of teaching emerged as the most conceptually and practically challenging practice. To understand how preservice teachers interpreted and enacted appraisal, this exploratory case study analysed 15 GTPA submissions that met standards in the first four practices but not in appraisal. The findings highlight common issues, including conflating appraisal with general reflection, difficulty interpreting and applying data meaningfully, and presenting narrative accounts rather than evaluative …

Fostering Learner Autonomy In Efl Setting Through Multiliteracy Pedagogy: A Case In Tertiary Education, Desi Surlitasari Dewi, Rudi Hartono, Sri Wahyuni, Sri Lestari

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The intersection of learner autonomy and multiliteracy pedagogy in EFL settings remains underexplored. To address this gap, this study investigates how multiliteracy pedagogy fosters learner autonomy in the EFL context. The study involved 24 university students majoring in English, for whom English was primarily a third language. The participants attended an intermediate speaking course, a compulsory class in their curriculum. A learner autonomy questionnaire was administered to measure autonomy in the EFL speaking context before and after the implementation. Additionally, semi-structured interviews and classroom observations enriched the data. The findings indicate a significant improvement in learner autonomy following the implementation …

Raising Information Literacy Of Biology Pre-Service Teachers: Study On Three Problem Solving Methods, Muhammad Saefi, Hadi Suwono, Rifka Fachrunnisa, Widi Cahya Adi, Herawati Susilo, Ahmad Kamal Sudrajat

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Integrating information literacy teaching methods with subject-content curricula to develop prospective biology teacher students' abilities is still problematic. This quasi-experimental research, with a nonrandomized pretest-posttest control group design, intends to compare the influences of challenge-based learning (CBL), problem-based learning (PBL), and problem-solving through classroom discussion (PCD) – as the control- in improving information literacy. This study involved 183 students from three classes of freshmen and three sophomores in the biology education program. The results showed that CBL significantly improved students' information literacy compared to PBL and PCD across five indicators: 1) identifying the required information, 2) attaining the required information …

Teacher Resilience In South Africa: The Self-Efficacy And Teacher Efficacy Of Pre-Service Teachers Preparing To Teach In A Challenged Context, Carine Jonker, Marien Alet Graham, Liesel Ebersöhn

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This publication addresses a gap in high-quality, quantitative studies on teacher resilience within the less-researched context of the Global South. Specifically, it examines the self-efficacy and teacher efficacy of three cohorts of final-year pre-service teachers in South Africa (N = 1,193). This article aimed to contribute evidence on teacher resilience from an under-researched African context and population. Despite contextual challenges, the pre-service teachers indicated high intrapersonal resilience-enabling pathways, with a statistically significant relationship between their self-efficacy and teacher efficacy. The authors propose an evidence-based framework of how high levels of self-efficacy and teacher efficacy may enable prospective teachers to teach …

A Decolonial And Liberation Lens To Social Justice Research: Upholding Promises For Diverse, Inclusive, And Equitable Psychological Science, Luz M. Garcini, Aldo Barrita, German Cadenas, Melanie M. Domenech Rodriguez, Thania Galvan, Alfonso Mercado, Oswaldo Moreno, Manuel Paris, Oscar F. Rojas Perez, Michelle Silva, Amanda Venta

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

In the face of harmful disparities and inequities, it is crucial for researchers to critically reflect on methodologies and research practices that can dismantle systems of oppression, accommodate pluralistic realities, and facilitate opportunities for all communities to thrive. Historically, knowledge production for the sciences has followed a colonial and colonizing approach that continues to silence and decontextualize the lived experiences of people of color. This article acknowledges the harm to people of color communities in the name of research and draws from decolonial and liberation frameworks to advance research practices and psychological science toward equity and social justice. In this …

“Take Eight Bits And Call Me In The Morning” Video Games, Well-Being, And The Psychology Of Nostalgia, Nicholas Bowman

Media Studies - All Scholarship

For nearly 60 years, video games have arrested the attention of players, inviting us to interact and interface with on-screen content. More than just short-term entertainment experiences, video games are part of a broader cultural milieu—they are the most profitable media entertainment sector (global revenues nearly $400 billion USD in 2023) with more than 3.5 billion players globally (Clement, 2023). Similar to other entertainment media, some video game intellectual properties have transcended generations and, in many cases, grown beyond the medium itself: common cultural touchstones include Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog, along with seemingly endless subcultures of devoted …

An Unreliable Reporter, Jon J. Lee

Faculty Articles

As part of the legal profession’s tradition of self-regulation, attorneys have an ethical obligation to ensure that those within it are fit to practice. Given the gravity associated with accusing another lawyer of misconduct, it is not surprising that many are reticent to speak up. But what would happen if attorneys were pressured to vigorously pursue sanctions against their opponents, even if those sanctions may be unwarranted? President Trump’s recently-issued memorandum arguably does just that, mandating the Attorney General to seek court and disciplinary sanctions for lawyers and law firms that appear to violate ethics rules. This Essay explains how …

An Empirical Exploration Of A Jury Veto, Stephen E. Henderson, Vanessa A. Edkins, Matthew L. Jensen

Faculty Articles

Among the many contemporary dissatisfactions with American criminal justice are longstanding concerns relating to the scarcity of jury trials and the resulting lack of democratic oversight and control in the adjudicative process. A novel solution has recently been proposed in the form of a ‘jury veto’: perhaps a jury could be empaneled, prototypically if not exclusively by defense request, that would be empowered to select between the judicially-imposed sentence and a prosecutorial and defense alternative. We conduct the first empirical exploration of such a structure and find reason to believe it could lessen the disconnect between the American framing vision …

In Defense Of Pardons, Stephen E. Henderson

Faculty Articles

Pardons by the past two U.S. presidents—one Democratic and one Republican—have caused some to question the wisdom of executive clemency. American criminal justice is imperfect, such critics of course recognize, but here the cure might be worse than the disease. If pardons have become the playthings of would-be monarchs and tyrants, perhaps it is time to let them go. As a strong proponent of role-reversible criminal justice, I am sympathetic to this view—even in mercy, why is the decision of the single elite supplanting the will of the people? Still, I write in pardons’ defense. Not only are pardons an …

Clinical Application Of Chambo Tilapia Fish Skin Xenograft For Skin Tissue Regeneration: A Case Report In A Partial-Thickness Burns Pediatric Patient, Bhahat Lawlley Zimba, Dennis Mtunduwatha, David Hara, Mukondwedi Mchazime, Aaron Stima, Mwemezi Rwiza, Elingarami Sauli

All Rsif Scholars' Publications

WHO reports that burns account for more than 180,000 deaths annually with the majority of cases coming from low and middle-income countries due to limited resources in the management of burns. Currently, burns are being treated using silver sulphadiazine and gauze dressings, but this method has demonstrated to have some shortfalls. Alternative methods are being researched to find a better treatment modality with a faster healing duration. This case report describes the novel application of Chambo tilapia (Oreochromis lidole) fish skin xenograft in the treatment of partial thickness burns in a patient. The research was conducted on a 5-year-old female …

Policy Paper On Incorporating Migrant Children In A Strengthened Public Education System, Amira Abdelaziz, Dina Ibrahim, Dunia Zaatar

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

A transit, destination, and sending country, Egypt generously hosts more than one million refugees and asylum seekers (UNHCR, 2025), in addition to several migrants estimated at nine million in 2022 (IOM, 2022). Against this backdrop, the country is currently facing growing challenges in ensuring access to quality, inclusive, and equitable primary education for migrant and refugee children, particularly following the arrival of Sudanese nationals since April 2023, when the conflict in Sudan erupted. Egypt’s new Asylum Law No. 164 of 2024 grants de jure access to basic education for all refugee children until the age of 14, yet the law …

Differential Associations Among Psychological Flexibility Components, Depressive Symptoms And Sense Of Belonging In First Semester College Students., Ti Hsu, Cristina Nardini, Gabriel M. Velez, Elizabeth Raposa

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

Objective. The transition to college is associated with rising rates of depressive symptoms and decreased well-being. It is critical to identify protective psychological factors for this period. One possible protective factor is psychological flexibility, or the ability to pursue self-identified values despite distressing thoughts and emotions. This study examined associations among psychological flexibility components and well-being outcomes in first semester college students. Participants: The sample consisted of 238 diverse first-semester college students recruited from five universities. Method: Using structural equation modeling, we examined associations among three components of psychological flexibility and two dimensions of well-being (i.e., depressive symptoms and sense …

Endocrine Responses To Two Distinct Foraging Contexts In The Bonobo (Pan Paniscus), Lauren Mitchell

Master's Theses

In gregarious animals, a social structure characterized by female dominance is relatively rare. However, bonobos (Pan paniscus), one of the two species most closely related to humans, are characterized by partial female dominance, with females forming close social bonds. In contrast, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), a close relative of the bonobo, are characterized by strong male-male bonding and social dominance with female chimpanzees lacking close social bonds. There is a lack of consensus concerning the reasons for these behavioral differences in Pan, specifically, the physiological processes responsible for female dominance in bonobos. The role of hormones …

2025 Merc Annual Report, David B. Naff, Jesse Senechal, Paula L. Ogston-Nobile

MERC Publications

This is the annual report of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) at Virginia Commonwealth University for the 2024-2025 academic year. It includes vignettes depicting MERC activities in the past year that align with each of its five principles: research, relevance, rigor, multiple perspectives, and impact. It concludes with a discussion of MERC's commitment moving forward.

Virginia Literacy Act Expansion: Implications For Middle Schools, Candace Bechtold, Joan A. Rhodes, Valerie J. Robnolt, David B. Naff, Kendall Hunt, Jan Collins

MERC Publications

This MERC research and policy review focuses on expansion of the Virginia Literacy Act (VLA) to include support for middle school students across the Commonwealth. It explores three questions:

1. What were trends in middle school literacy prior to the VLA expansion?
2. What state policies exist for middle school literacy achievement?
3. What does research say about literacy intervention at the middle school level?

It concludes with a series of key takeaways and recommendations for middle school literacy policy and practice.

Supporting Students In Transition To And From High School, David Naff, Jamelle Simmons, Meleah Ellison, Shelby Garofalo, Laura Thoene, Kim Dupre, Sooyeon Moon, Karli Johanson, Paul Harris, Martin Darby, William L. Parker, Tracy Booker, Janel Miley, Mysia Perry, Xun Liu, Maggie Szydlowski, Ahmed Abbas

MERC Publications

This report is part of a two-part series focused on supporting students in transition across PK-12 education. Specifically, it explores transitions into and out of high school school. The report includes a synthesis of recent peer-reviewed literature, analysis of publicly available data (with a specific focus on Virginia and the metropolitan Richmond region), and summary of relevant federal, state, and school division-level policies. It answers the following questions:

1. What are key considerations for supporting students in transition to and from high school in the MERC region?

2. How do federal, state, and division policies guide support for student transitions …

Scalable Mental Health Analysis Using Big Data: A Demographic And Geographic Study Of Depressive Symptoms, Saikrishna Katamneni, Anitha Bommana, Naman Pandya, Gokul Kareti, Sangwhan Cha

Harrisburg University Other Works

This project explores the application of Big Data technologies for large-scale mental health analysis, focusing on the prevalence of depressive disorder symptoms across diverse demographic and geographic subgroups. Utilizing Apache Spark on Google Cloud Dataproc, the system efficiently processed millions of survey records stored in Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). Through comprehensive data preprocessing, aggregation, and visualization, the analysis revealed critical trends and disparities in mental health outcomes related to age, race, education level, gender, and state. Seasonal variations and subgroup-specific confidence intervals were also examined to identify high-risk populations and areas of measurement uncertainty. The results offer actionable insights …

A Power Dependence Model Of The Impact Of Leader Impostorism On Supervisor Support And Undermining: The Moderating Role Of Power Distance, Xueqi Wen, Zihan Liu, Feng Qiu, Keith Leavitt, Xingyu Wang, Ziyang Tang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Leaders, often perceived as possessing exceptional confidence and competence, are not immune to feelings of self-doubt. Leader impostorism describes the experience that one’s attributes, experiences, skills, and abilities fall short of the standards expected in the leadership role, resulting in a sense of deception in fulfilling leadership responsibilities. While existing research has examined the antecedents and individual outcomes of leader impostorism, its implications for leaders’ treatment of subordinates remain largely unexplored. In this research, we investigate the downstream consequences of leader impostorism on behaviors directed toward subordinates. Integrating research on leader impostorism with power dependence theory, we propose that for …

Annotated Legal Bibliography

Cardozo Journal of Equal Rights & Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Tap, Swipe, And Connect: Exploring Perceptions Of Inclusivity Through Smartphone Design And Accessibility, Carmen Van Ommen

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

There has been an increasing importance placed on customization of products and desire for the product to allow the consumer to express themselves or fit into desired social groups with their product choices. Designing products to be inclusive can encompass these desires, as well as ensure that a wide range of user groups can use the products well. In general, there is little research in the field of perceptions of inclusivity with consumer technology products. Previous research has validated a scale to measure Perceptions of Technology Product Inclusivity (PTPI) with different user groups and technology product groups, however no research …

Mini-Maps, Crucial Or Controversial: Assessing The Influence Of Perceived Spatial Orientation And Cognitive Mapping Performance On Video Game User Experience, Angela Le

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Decades of game studies, also known as video games research, have revealed frequent video gameplay is positively correlated with enhanced cognition. An area of study that is limited, however, is the relationship between spatial cognition, specifically the domains of spatial orientation and cognitive mapping and their effects on video game user experience for games employing visual navigational aids. Video game user experience is influenced by many factors such as graphics and audio, gameplay mechanics, user interface design, etc. The present study aims to explore whether spatial abilities influence and are significantly correlated with user experience for games using heads-up displays …

The Effect Of Need For Cognition & Need For Affect On Human Reliance And Artificial Intelligence Interactions, Aliyah Mcgowan

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Abstract

With the increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) automations in fields like medical diagnoses and mental health queries, there are concerns regarding an individual’s trust and reliance on the technology. Reliance on AI output may lead an individual to accept inaccurate or incorrect information without further analysis. Trust may influence reliance and trust formation may be a product of affective processing. This study investigated the relationship between Need for Affect (NFA), Need for Cognition (NFC), and trust and reliance on AI interactions. Participants were assessed on the NFA scale for willingness to approach or avoid emotional stimuli, the NFC …

Early Entering Research And Writing (Eerw) In College-Level Statistics, Rebecca Fang

2025 Faculty Bibliography

With the high demand for data-driven knowledge, students today need to comprehend skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. However, in traditional statistics lectures, students learn descriptive algorithms, hypothesis, and linear regression at their early stage of college. Unfortunately, they often analyze numbers without considering the context, purpose, audience, and the meaning of the numbers. Therefore, providing students the early opportunity to research and write with data in college will allow them to deepen their understanding of the subjects, to think critically about the data and the results, to communicate effectively with diverse audience, and to prepare for their …

Exploring Perceptions Of Occupational And Physical Therapy Faculty Of Entry-Level Graduate Programs Post Covid-19: A Mixed Methods Study, Chelsea S. Reji, Anne M. Moscony, Dianna Lunsford

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

This study aimed to explore graduate-level occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT) faculty’s perspectives on their academic responsibilities, well-being, and the needs of students following the COVID-19 pandemic. The researchers hypothesized that a decrease in job satisfaction and overall well-being would be evident, indicating burnout syndrome in the faculty participants. A mixed-methods approach was utilized. Potential participants were recruited from websites of graduate-level OT and PT programs via email. Participants were included if they were currently teaching in a graduate-level OT or PT program, teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, and working full-time. Data were collected through Google Forms from …

Differential Associations Among Psychological Flexibility Components, Depressive Symptoms, And Sense Of Belonging In First Semester College Students, Ti Hsu, Cristina Nardini, Gabriel M. Velez, Elizabeth Raposa

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

Objective. The transition to college is associated with rising rates of depressive symptoms and decreased well-being. It is critical to identify protective psychological factors for this period. One possible protective factor is psychological flexibility, or the ability to pursue self-identified values despite distressing thoughts and emotions. This study examined associations among psychological flexibility components and well-being outcomes in first semester college students.

Participants: The sample consisted of 238 diverse first-semester college students recruited from five universities.

Method: Using structural equation modeling, we examined associations among three components of psychological flexibility and two dimensions of well-being (i.e., depressive symptoms and sense …

ปัจจัยคัดสรรที่สัมพันธ์กับพฤติกรรมการใช้สารเสพติดของผู้ใช้สารเสพติด หลายชนิดร่วมกันในภาคใต้ของประเทศไทย, เตชินี สิทธิอำนวย

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การวิจัยครั้งนี้เป็นการวิจัยเชิงบรรยาย มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษา 1) สถานการณ์และรูปแบบการใช้สารเสพติดร่วมของผู้ใช้สารเสพติดที่รับการบำบัดสารเสพติดในโรงพยาบาลรัฐบาลในเขต ภาคใต้ และ 2) เพื่อศึกษาความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างปัจจัยคัดสรร ได้แก่ อายุ เพศ อาชีพ ระดับการศึกษา สถานภาพสมรส อายุที่เริ่มใช้สารเสพติด ระยะเวลาการใช้สารเสพติด การดื่มแอลกอฮอล์ การสูบบุหรี่ ภาวะซึมเศร้า ความวิตกกังวลขณะปัจจุบัน การวิตกกังวลประจำบุคคล การเผชิญความเครียดด้านการมุ่งแก้สาเหตุปัญหา การเผชิญความเครียดด้านการจัดการกับอารมณ์ และสัมพันธภาพในครอบครัว กับพฤติกรรมการใช้สารเสพติดของผู้ใช้สารเสพติดหลายชนิดร่วมกันในภาคใต้ กลุ่มตัวอย่างเพื่อตอบวัตถุประสงค์วิจัยข้อ 1 คือ ผู้ใช้สารเสพติด จำนวน 111 คน และกลุ่มตัวอย่างเพื่อตอบวัตถุประสงค์วิจัยข้อ 2 คือ ผู้ใช้สารเสพติดหลายชนิดร่วมกัน จำนวน 211 คน ทั้งเพศชายและหญิง ที่มีอายุ 20 – 59 ปี ที่ได้รับการคัดเลือกตามเกณฑ์คุณสมบัติที่กำหนดไว้ ซึ่งเข้ารับการบำบัดรักษายาเสพติดแบบผู้ป่วยนอก โรงพยาบาลรัฐบาลในเขตภาคใต้ ได้แก่ โรงพยาบาลธัญญารักษ์สงขลา โรงพยาบาลมหาราช นครศรีธรรมราช โรงพยาบาลสิชล และโรงพยาบาลพระพรหม จังหวัดนครศรีธรรมราช เครื่องมือที่ใช้ในการวิจัยมี 5 ชุด คือ 1) แบบสอบถามข้อมูลส่วนบุคคล 2) แบบสอบถามพฤติกรรมการใช้สารเสพติด 3) แบบประเมินภาวะซึมเศร้า 9Q 4) แบบวัดความวิตกกังวล STAI 5) แบบวัดการเผชิญความเครียต และ 6) แบบสอบถามสัมพันธภาพในครอบครัว สถิติที่ใช้ในการวิเคราะห์ ข้อมูลได้แก่ การแจกแจงความถี่ ร้อยละ ส่วนเบี่ยงเบนมาตรฐาน สถิติไคสแคว์ และค่าสัมประสิทธิ์สหสัมพันธ์เพียร์สันผลการวิจัยพบว่า 1. จากผลการศึกษาสถานการณ์และรูปแบบการใช้สารเสพติดในภาคใต้ พบว่า ผู้ใช้สารเสพติดเพียงชนิดเดียวมีเพียง 23 คน (ร้อยละ 20.7) และผู้ใช้สารเสพติดส่วนใหญ่มีพฤติกรรมการใช้สารเสพติดหลายชนิดร่วมกัน 88 คน (ร้อยละ 79.3) จำแนกเป็นใช้สารเสพติดสองชนิดร่วมกัน 76 คน (ร้อยละ 68.5) และใช้สารเสพติดสามชนิดร่วมกัน …

Secrets Of The Killing State: The Medical Professional Mandate, Corinna Barrett Lain

Law Faculty Publications

When New Jersey reinstated the death penalty in 1983, the state hadn’t conducted an execution in twenty years, so no one knew how to conduct an execution by lethal injection. Doctors at the state prison refused to participate, citing medical ethics that required them to “support life, not end it,” and that left prison officials thinking that they might have to conduct the executions themselves. “That is not an easy task for an amateur,” a reporter covering the quandary wrote. Unsure of what else do to, officials called upon Fred Leuchter, an engineer who had worked with a number of …

Ai In Education: Teaching, Learning, And Thinking With Machines, Mary Strawderman, Jesse Senechal, Eric Ekholm, Jason Vest, Moe Greene, Dawn Johnson, Daniel Case, Oscar Keyes, Yaoying Xu, Robert Godwin-Jones, Kait Donahue, Kim Elmore, Haley Hendershot, Amy Corning, Paulina Guerrero, Samaher Aljudaibi, Justin Thurston

AI in Education: Teaching, Learning, and Thinking with Machines

This collection from the Humanities Research Center (HRC) Digital Technology in Education (DTE) working group arose from questions around how rapidly emerging generative AI tools are reshaping teaching and learning in K-12 and higher education. The contributions, loosely organized around ethics, policy, and practice, adopt a humanities lens to probe how generative AI and other emerging digital technologies impact human values, experiences, and social structures, surfacing their philosophical, ethical, cultural, and societal implications for schooling. From the perspectives of practitioners and interdisciplinary scholars, the pieces showcase various dimensions of AI's creative potential in education, while also questioning its limitations and …