Digital Commons Network^™

The Perceptions And Applications Of Cluster Sets In Strength And Conditioning, Tsuyoshi Nagatani, Shayne Vial, Kristina L. Kendall, Paul Comfort, Jiahao Yang, G. Gregory Haff

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

It is well documented that cluster sets, a modified set structure with additional rest between individual repetitions or groups of repetitions, can be used to modulate exercise-induced fatigue during resistance training. While practical guidelines exist, it remains unclear to what extent strength and conditioning (S&C) professionals utilise this programming tactic. The aim of this study was to examine S&C professionals’ perceptions of cluster sets and their application in practice. A secondary aim was to assess the alignment between cluster set programming tactics used in the field and evidence-based recommendations from the scientific and coaching literature. Forty-six S&C professionals (age: 40.0 …

Integración De Dispositivos Móviles En El Proceso De Enseñanza En Educación Superior En Puerto Rico, Ayeisha Caraballo Caraballo

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito de este estudio fue examinar el tipo de relación que podría existir entre las diferentes formas y usos de dispositivos móviles como innovación educativa, el conocimiento tecnológico-pedagógico y la percepción de docentes universitarios sobre la integración de estos dispositivos en el proceso de enseñanza en educación superior en el sur de Puerto Rico.

El estudio fue de tipo cuantitativo con un diseño descriptivo-correlacional. La muestra fue no probabilística y estuvo compuesta por docentes de distintas facultades de la institución en la cual se llevó a cabo esta investigación. Se administraron instrumentos de autoforme dirigidos a medir el nivel …

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Its Role In Maximizing Students’ Performance On Standardized Tests, Keisha Ricketts-Martin

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to highlight the importance of pedagogy for cultural responsiveness, and to explore the relationship between such pedagogy and middle school students’ performance on state or standardized tests. Therefore, this study explores the educational or academic values that students will gain from being engaged in a learning environment that recognizes their culture and uses it as a tool to maximizing their educational outcomes.

This research employed convergent parallel mixed method design. Therefore, it implemented the qualitative and quantitative approach at the same time and placed equivalent worth to the information collected by each approach. Therefore, the …

Percepción Del Liderazgo Para El Uso De Tic En Educación Secundaria Durante El Ambiente Vuca De La Cuarentena Por Covid-19, Josefina Fernández

Theses and Dissertations

La presente investigación tuvo como propósito analizar e interpretar la percepción de los docentes de educación secundaria respecto al proceso de liderazgo que facilitó la adopción de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC) como único medio para dar continuidad al proceso educativo durante la cuarentena por COVID-19. El estudio partió del reconocimiento de que esta transición se desarrolló en un contexto volátil, incierto, complejo y ambiguo (VUCA), en el que los líderes escolares debieron afrontar ausentismo, resistencia al cambio, presión emocional y exigencias pedagógicas y tecnológicas sin precedentes.

Desde un enfoque cualitativo con orientación fenomenológica, la investigación …

Why Educators In South Florida Are Leaving The Profession, Keyona Burnes

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to provide better access to current information for the students and staff in a middle school. The printed materials located in the school’s media center were outdated, scarce, or inadequate. Electronic databases were available in the media center for online searching and information retrieval. However, the students did not know how to use databases as a source for completing class assignments or how to browse within these online services to find additional information. Teachers also did not know how to use electronic information to enrich their lessons.

The researcher developed lesson plans and strategies to …

Instructional Systems Design In Lesson Planning For Substance Use Treatment Groups: A Mixed Methods Exploratory Study, Michelle Robin Gould

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored lesson planning for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment groups, investigating the presence of components from the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) instructional systems design (ISD) process in routine facilitator lesson planning practices. Using an exploratory mixed-methods convergent parallel design, data were collected via an online survey featuring closed- and open-ended questions regarding self-reported planning activities and perceived effectiveness. Quantitative analysis confirmed that SUD facilitators perform tasks associated with all five ADDIE phases. Qualitative findings showed that facilitators perceive themselves as effective planners despite logistical and organizational constraints. However, facilitators do not appear to conceptually link instructional …

La Influencia De Los Videojuegos En El Rendimiento Académico En El Condado De Fairfax Virginia, Wilmary Soto Vélez

Theses and Dissertations

Este estudio cuantitativo, de enfoque descriptivo y correlacional, examinó la influencia del uso de los videojuegos en el rendimiento académico de estudiantes de nivel elemental en una escuela pública del condado de Fairfax, Virginia. La investigación surge ante la preocupación institucional por los bajos resultados obtenidos en las pruebas estandarizadas Standards of Learning (SOL) durante los últimos ocho años, lo que motivó el interés por analizar la relación entre el uso de los videojuegos y el desempeño escolar de los estudiantes.

El propósito principal fue determinar si existe una correlación entre el tiempo y la forma en que los estudiantes …

Competencias Docentes Para La Implementación De Inteligencia Artificial En La Educación, Betsy I, Berríos Zayas

Theses and Dissertations

Esta disertación aplicada examinó las competencias docentes necesarias para integrar de manera efectiva la inteligencia artificial (IA) en el contexto educativo del nivel primario. El estudio se llevó a cabo en una escuela Segunda Unidad del municipio de Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, donde se identificó la necesidad urgente de fortalecer las destrezas tecnológicas del profesorado para responder a los retos de la educación digital contemporánea. La investigación se enmarcó en un diseño cuantitativo, utilizando cuestionarios dirigidos a docentes para explorar su nivel de familiaridad, habilidades, actitudes y percepciones sobre el uso de IA en el currículo.

Los hallazgos revelaron brechas significativas …

Factores Motivacionales, De Aprendizaje Y De Enseñanza Que Median En La Elaboración De Un Rediseño Instruccional Para Un Curso Práctico A Nivel Doctoral De Evaluación Cognitiva, Carlos F. Sellas-Hernández

Theses and Dissertations

La impartición de cursos de Práctica en Evaluación Cognitiva representó un desafío pedagógico, principalmente por la amplitud y complejidad de los contenidos que deben abordarse en un marco temporal limitado. Esta investigación exploró los factores motivacionales y las estrategias de aprendizaje y enseñanza que median en el diseño instruccional del curso integrando la estrategia del Aula Invertida como enfoque metodológico.

El estudio se enmarcó en un enfoque de métodos mixtos con un diseño tipo paralelo convergente. Se condujo un análisis de necesidades con estudiantes que estuvieron o hayan tomado el curso utilizando el Cuestionario de Motivaciones y Estrategias de Aprendizaje, …

Implementación De Estrategias En La Enseñanza De Los Números Reales A Estudiantes Con Formación Deficiente En Matemática, En Un Instituto Técnico Superior Comunitario De La República Dominicana, Antonio Manuel Rojas Taveras

Theses and Dissertations

Este estudio abordó la problemática del bajo rendimiento en la enseñanza y aprendizaje del conjunto de los números reales en estudiantes de un instituto técnico superior de la República Dominicana que presentaron una formación deficiente en matemáticas. Se observó que los métodos de enseñanza tradicionales, basados en la memorización y la repetición, no son efectivos para abordar las necesidades de estos estudiantes, lo que genera desmotivación y un serio obstáculo para la finalización de sus carreras. Además, factores como el contexto sociocultural, la falta de recursos didácticos, la escasa capacitación docente y los desafíos estructurales del sistema educativo dominicano contribuyeron …

El Estrés Laboral Como Factor De Riesgo En El Rendimiento De Los Docentes De Una Institución Privada De Educación Superior En Puerto Rico, Sarahi Alvarado Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

Los seres humanos en diferentes momentos de su vida han experimentado lo que es el estrés, y las organizaciones de una forma u otra han buscado disminuir o eliminarlo dentro del entorno laboral. El estrés laboral es un factor determinante en el desempeño laboral, las enfermedades y la estabilidad emocional de los recursos humanos en las organizaciones. Este trabajo se enmarca en un enfoque cualitativo a través de un estudio fenomenológico.

El propósito de este estudio fue valorar la incidencia del estrés laboral como factor de riesgo en el rendimiento de los Docentes de una Institución Privada de Educación Superior …

From Bias To Bottleneck: A Quantitative Analysis Of Gender Preferences In Tech Hiring, Uma Chidambaram

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation examined whether gender preferences influence hiring decisions in the information technology (IT) sector, and whether such preferences contribute to the ongoing labor shortage in the field. Despite national and international initiatives to close the gender gap, women continue to represent only 28% of the United States IT workforce and remain significantly underrepresented in technical and leadership roles. Grounded in the Eagly and Karau (2002) Role Congruity Theory of Prejudice, this study investigated whether evaluator gender and candidate gender alignment affect interview selection outcomes at the résumé screening stage for both leadership and non-leadership IT positions.

A quantitative, …

Evaluación De La Efectividad De Un Curso Que Incluye Temas Sobre Diversidad Y Equidad En Una Universidad De Puerto Rico, Norangely López Llanos

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito del estudio fue evaluar la efectividad de un curso que incluyó temas sobre diversidad y equidad en una universidad de Puerto Rico. Se aplicó el Modelo de Kirkpatrick (2007), el cual contempló cuatro niveles de evaluación: reacción, aprendizaje (percepción de conocimiento), comportamiento y resultados (percepción de resultados). La investigación se desarrolló mediante un diseño transeccional descriptivo con enfoque cuantitativo y una muestra de 14 estudiantes.

Se plantearon cinco preguntas de investigación y se administraron cinco instrumentos validados y confiables. La primera evaluó la percepción de los estudiantes sobre la utilidad, relevancia y calidad del curso mediante el Cuestionario …

Implementing Effective Reading Strategies To Improve Reading Comprehension Among Minority Students, Mirlene Georges Moreau

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation examined teachers' perceptions of instructional strategies used to support reading comprehension among minority middle school students. The purpose of the quantitative, non-experimental correlational study was to examine relationships among teacher-reported instructional strategies, differentiated instruction, culturally responsive teaching practices, and perceived student reading comprehension outcomes. Because the study relied on survey perception data rather than direct achievement data or experimental intervention, findings were interpreted as associations rather than causal evidence. Data were collected through a researcher-developed survey administered to middle school English Language Arts, ESOL, and reading teachers. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) summarized demographics …

Using Sports Performance Assessment Technologies To Help Narrow Achievement Gaps Of Black Male Adolescent With Other Racial Groups, Patavious R. Sorrell

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory qualitative collective case study explored how sports performance assessment technologies (SPATs) may support the development of self‑regulatory and motivational processes associated with self‑efficacy among Black male adolescent student‑athletes. Guided by Social Cognitive Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model, the study examined the perceptions of eight coach‑teachers in the Southeastern United States who integrated video analysis, data analytics, goal‑setting and tracking applications, wearable devices and gaming platforms, and reflective communication tools into their coaching practices.

Data were analyzed thematically, revealing three major themes: self‑regulation, self‑mastery assessment, and academic transfer. Findings indicated that SPATs were most effective when used as …

Evaluating Llms For Cpe Identification In Iot Reconnaissance, Christopher Davisson

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Vulnerability identification during penetration testing relies on rigid string-matching to map network scan data to Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) identifiers and downstream Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs). The approach frequently fails on physical Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which produce non-standard, irregular service banners that resist deterministic parsing. Large Language Models can reason through these fuzzy associations, but cloud-hosted models introduce cost, latency, and operational security concerns when processing reconnaissance data from live networks. This thesis asks whether locally-hosted open-weight Large Language Models (LLMs) can perform this task well enough to be useful, and how performance varies with model scale, …

The Return Of Donald Trump: A Multidisciplinary Analysis Of The 2024 Presidential Election, Joan Hanson

Scripps Senior Theses

Donald Trump’s 2024 victory made him only the second president in American history to win a nonconsecutive reelection bid. This thesis serves as a preliminary investigation into why a decisive share of American voters chose Trump for a second time, drawing on voter behavior theory, analysis of digital political advertising and social media content, as well as recent election data. Theoretical frameworks including retrospective and prospective voting, as well as ideological innocence each offer plausible explanations for Trump’s repeat victory. Analysis of digital advertising and social media content leading up to the 2024 presidential election further suggests that these platforms …

The Politics Of Fatness And The Demand For Our Collective Joy, Sky Caldwell

Scripps Senior Theses

The Politics of Fatness and the Demand for Our Collective Joy aims to assess the political-economic reasonings behind the return of overt anti-fatness and its coincidence with the re-normalization of the far right. My research looks at the sudden mass marketing of GLP-1 drugs and the use of the body as a spatial fix during recession-era economic conditions. First, this interdisciplinary project asks why the body positivity movement has not been successful in the greater fight against anti-fatness. Then, through archival research, discourse analysis, ethnographic interviews, and photography, my project explores various case studies of successful spaces and collectives working …

(Dis)Orientations: Finding Rhythm Within Queer Nightlife In Los Angeles, Frances Bright Currie

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis examines how queer individuals in Los Angeles perceive, inhabit, and reshape their experiences in queer cultural spaces. Through this project, I trace the evolution of queer nightlife in Los Angeles (from early gay counterspaces, through the collectivist politics of the Queer Nation, to post-gay assimilation and contemporary “inclusive” queer nightlife) in order to examine how queer space has been shaped and reshaped by a recurring tension between the utopian promise of universality and inclusion and the material realities of exclusion. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, queer theory, and approaches to memory and the archive, I argue that queer nightlife …

Still Life As A Photographer: Visual And Mnemonic References To Photography In Yasuo Kuniyoshi’S 1944 Broken Objects And Room 110, Tara A. Attanasio

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis examines Yasuo Kuniyoshi (1889-1953) and his still life paintings titled Broken Objects and Room 110 as modes of implicit portraiture, self-declaration, and self-reclamation. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, government authorities deemed Kuniyoshi an “enemy alien” and confiscated his photographic equipment. Painted two years following his camera’s confiscation, Broken Objects and Room 110 contain references that recall Kuniyoshi’s prewar photographic practice and visualize his response to the loss of his camera. I foreground my analysis with Kuniyoshi’s Self-Portrait as a Photographer from 1924 and his photography from the 1930s to detail his metacritical relationship …

Redling And Soil Contamination In Los Angles County: Mapping The Influence Of Polutants And Regulatory Landscapes On Enviromental Justice Outcomes, Gillian G. Maynard

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis examines soil contamination in Los Angeles as a pervasive yet underexamined environmental justice issue, rooted in the region’s history of industrialization, racialized land-use policy, and regulatory failure. It argues that soil operates as both a long-term repository and an active pathway of toxic exposure, embedding environmental risk directly within residential landscapes. Through an analysis of key contamination sources, including legacy lead pollution, urban oil extraction, wildfire-related toxins, and industrial sites such as the Santa Susana Field Laboratory and the Exide battery recycling facility, this study demonstrates how contaminants persist across generations, often long after their original sources have …

Development Of A Bidirectional Tmv-Based Plant Expression Vector For Dual Gene Co-Expression, Matisse Schutten-Burgess

Scripps Senior Theses

Monoclonal antibodies, or mAbs, have recently joined the growing array of biopharmaceuticals used to treat a variety of chronic, autoimmune, and infectious diseases. Antibody therapy is highly customizable, as mAbs can be genetically engineered to target specific disease markers. Traditional systems of producing monoclonal antibodies use mammalian cells, most prominently Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells. While these systems are widely used, they are time-intensive and costly. Because of this, plant-based antibody production systems have risen in prominence, as they provide a more cost-efficient and faster way to generate antibodies. One drawback that has surfaced is that the co-expression of antibody heavy …

The Role Of Satirical And Self-Deprecating Humor In Destigmatizing Mental Health In Black Women, Zoe S. Cooper

Scripps Senior Theses

Black humor has long served as a mode of resilience, critique, and emotional expression for Black communities, yet its potential to reduce mental health stigma among Black women remains underexplored. This study examined whether exposure to culturally grounded satirical or self-deprecating humor reduces internalized mental health stigma among Black women and individuals who have experienced Black womanhood. It further investigated whether humor moderates the relationship between endorsement of the Black Superwoman Schema and internalized stigma, a framework closely tied to emotional suppression and stigma in Black women’s mental health. Participants were Black/African American women ages 18–30, as well as individuals …

These Roots Run Deep: The Exploitative And Progressive Legacy Of California's Citrus Industry, Pia N. Snellman

Scripps Senior Theses

While California’s modern citrus production is mainly centered in the Central Valley, Southern California was once the home of hundreds of thousands of commercial citrus groves. These groves have since been replaced with residential and industrial development, but the history and physical development associated with the citrus belt continue to affect this region. This thesis examines whether Southern California’s citrus industry has had a progressive or exploitative lasting legacy. Focusing on the impacts that this industry has had on environmental, social, and suburban contexts, this thesis suggests that exploitation and progress mark the orange empire’s legacy through opposing yet dynamic …

Madison, Wisconsin As A Climate Haven: Infrastructure, Environmental Justice, And Community Voice, Sophia N. Heffner

Scripps Senior Theses

As climate change accelerates internal migration within the United States, the concept of “climate havens” has emerged as a way to identify communities that may become receiving zones for displaced populations. Madison, Wisconsin has increasingly been positioned within academic, policy, and media discourse as a potential climate haven due to its geographic advantages, strong public infrastructure, and proactive climate policy environment. This paper evaluates Madison’s readiness for this role through an equity-centered, participatory planning lens. Drawing on planning documents, climate data, municipal policies, and interdisciplinary scholarship, it argues that Madison’s long-term success as a sustainable and inclusive climate haven depends …

Cycling For All: Designing With The "Invisible Cyclist" As A Pathway Towards Urban Sustainability And Citizenship, Eloise Heimert

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores the role of “invisible cyclists” in cycling networks and practices. Through an application of the “right to the city,” spatial production, and mobility justice frameworks, this paper investigates the experiences of women and disabled cyclists in London, England. By examining a city with an emerging cycling network, this thesis offers insight into measures for increasing the inclusivity and resilience of them. The argument establishes that these lines of analysis reveal important lessons in urban design and planning for a more sustainable future. Firstly, this thesis examines social barriers to cycling participation, and thus urban citizenship. In the …

Art Therapy’S Effect On The Social And Emotional Skills Of Children With Autism: A Naturalized Parent Mediated Design, Abigail Adell

Scripps Senior Theses

This study examines the effect of art therapy on the social and emotional skills of children with autism. Using sensitive design and language, participants will take the CARS2 and ADOS-2 and then undergo an eight-week art therapy program. Families will attend weekly training sessions at the autism center their child already attends for eight consecutive weeks, with each session lasting approximately 90 minutes. Parents will implement the assigned art activity at home five times per week between training sessions, with each home session lasting fifteen to twenty minutes. The program uses a naturalized parent-mediated design so topics and projects can …

Lights, Camera, Aggression!: Exploring The Relationship Between The Horror Genre And Criminality, Taylor M. Wanke

Scripps Senior Theses

This proposed correlational study will examine the effect of exposure and involvement with the horror genre in media and the crime genre in media on one’s antisocial personality traits, criminal thinking, criminal behavior/aggression, and morality in the general population and those who are currently incarcerated. Data will be collected through a Qualtrics survey accessed online for the general sample and printed out for the incarcerated sample. Each participant will complete exposure checklists, involvement scales for each genre, and multiple measures to record their level of each dependent variable. Data will be analyzed using a correlational analysis, 1-sample t-tests, and a …

Exploring Community Engagement Strategies In Shellfish Aquaculture: Insights From Growers In Rhode Island And Massachusetts, Megan Hensel

Open Access Master's Theses

Shellfish aquaculture is a rapidly growing industry in North America in response to the increased demand for sustainable protein. This trend holds true for Southern New England as well, where shellfish cultivation and consumption have long been embedded in the culture. However, there is a growing disconnect between shellfish growers and the communities in which they live, which has led many researchers to explore ways that growers can enhance relationships with their local communities through community engagement. The purpose of this study is to expand upon the existing literature to understand how shellfish growers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts perceive …

Covering The Coast: Local News Frames And Journalist Perspectives On Sea Level Rise In Rhode Island, Mackensie Dupont Crowley

Open Access Master's Theses

Local news outlets are well positioned to communicate and localize sea level rise for communities facing significant risk, yet coverage of the issue remains understudied. This thesis examines coverage of sea level rise in local Rhode Island news and the factors shaping it. A mixed-methods approach was used following the collection of nearly 1,000 articles published between 2014 and 2024, including a content analysis of issue-level frames and semi-structured interviews with local journalists to contextualize coverage patterns. The analysis revealed that stories focusing on infrastructure and property, politics, governance, and law, and natural hazards dominated coverage, while stories about recreation …