Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Personality Traits On Relationship Satisfaction Among Romantic Partners In Ghana, Emmanuel Owusu

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the associations of personality traits, as conceptualized by the five- factor model, on relationship satisfaction among individuals in romantic relationships in Ghana. The research explored how individuals’ self-reported traits and their perceptions of their partners’ personality traits are associated with relationship satisfaction. A cross-sectional survey design was used, and data were collected through an online questionnaire administered via Qualtrics. Participants consisted of adults residing in Ghana, most of whom were involved in romantic relationships. After data screening procedures, 149 usable responses were included in the analysis.

Self-reported personality traits were measured using the Big Five Inventory – …

Built Different: Place, Identity, And The Holistic Well-Being Of Female Student Athletes, Jaye Mack

Theses and Dissertations

This research furthers the conversation surrounding holistic female student-athlete wellness, recognizing that their experiences can be inequitable – influenced by the intersectionality of race, gender, and athletic identity (Armstrong et al., 2018; Druckman et al., 2018; Neeley et al., 2021). This research accredits the physical environments where athletes train, recover, and connect as an underexplored factor in holistic well-being.

The Indivisible Self Model of Wellness (IS-WEL) was used to (1) explore the influence of physical design features on female student athletes' holistic well-being and (2) understand how their identity shapes how they experience and attach meaning to their team environments. …

Bovine Lactoferrin Maintains Antibacterial Effect Against Neonatal Escherichia Coli Septicaemia Isolates Despite The Presence Of Iron Acquisition Genes, Matthew Mayorga, Joshua L. Wheatley, Brianna N. Maldonado, Susana Chavez-Bueno

Student Publications

Introduction. Escherichia coli is a dominant cause of neonatal sepsis for which no prevention measures currently exist. Lactoferrin (LF) is an iron-sequestering antibacterial protein that has been noticed to decrease neonatal late-onset sepsis.

Hypothesis/Gap Statement. LF’s effect on in vitro growth of neonatal E. coli clinical isolates causing septicaemia is unknown. The prevalence of iron acquisition virulence genes which contribute to pathogenicity outcomes in these strains has also not been described in detail.

Aim. To evaluate bovine lactoferrin’s (bLF) effects on the in vitro growth of neonatal septicaemia E. coli isolates, and to determine the presence of iron acquisition …

Integration Of Ders Volt-Var Dynamic Constraint Into Time-Coupled Optimal Power Flow For System Stability, Shadrack T. Asiedu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The transition toward power systems with higher levels of inverter-based generation requires operating models that account for the dynamic support available from distribution-connected resources. Although inverter-based DERs can provide fast reactive-power support through functions such as Volt–VAR control, conventional optimal power flow models generally represent these resources as static power injections. In addition, transmission-level dispatch commonly represents the downstream distribution system as an aggregated load and does not explicitly consider the voltage at the point of common coupling. Consequently, an OPF solution may satisfy the transmission-bus voltage constraints while producing an operating point at which the downstream DERs do not …

Are We Perceived The Same? A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of Instructor Communication Between American And International Graduate Teaching Assistants, Deborah Aku Shika Pappoe

Theses and Dissertations

The study examined college students’ perceptions of American Teaching Assistants and International Teaching Assistants on credibility, clarity, respect, homophily, cultural homophily, and instructor quality within the same instructional context. Guided by Face Negotiation Theory, the study employed a mixed-methods design combining survey data and open-ended responses from undergraduate students at a Midwestern university. Results indicated significant differences in perceptions of clarity, homophily, and instructor quality, with ATAs rated higher on these dimensions, while no significant differences were found in credibility and respect. Students’ narratives reflected comparable experiences with both ATAs and ITAs, as perceptions of cultural homophily and instructor quality …

Leading The Temporary Workforce: Leadership Communication And Adaptation Among Seasonal Employees, Alfred Kwabena Obiri

Theses and Dissertations

Seasonal employees constitute an essential yet understudied workforce sustaining organizational operations during peak demand periods across industries. Despite the growing organizational reliance on temporary employees, organizational communication studies have primary focused on permanent employees with extended socialization periods, leaving important questions about how leadership communication operates in compressed timeframes inadequately addressed. This qualitative study examined how leadership communication practices shape seasonal employees’ adaptation, belonging, and morale within the temporal constraints characteristic of temporary employment. Drawing on organizational socialization theory, leader-member exchange theory and cultural dimensions, this study employed semi-structured interviews with 19 seasonal employees across hospitality, camp, retail, and education …

Teaching And Reading As Meaning-Making, An Intervention To Support Underserved Students In An English Language Arts Classroom, Kelly G. Adkins

Theses and Dissertations

This teacher-research study, conducted during a nine-week choice reading unit in my high school English Language Arts (ELA) classroom, explores how adjusting my reading instruction influences all students’ engagement with reading and their identities as readers, especially those underserved by systems of schooling that prioritize teaching reading as a set, evaluated procedure. Building on others’ research that affirms the positive correlation between students’ choice in reading and increased engagement, I pursued the following research question: What does it mean to take up a teaching practice that opens, responds to, and extends students’ meaning-making of literary texts? I used qualitative methods …

What Does It Takes To Develop Game Changers? An Evaluation Of Sport-Based Youth Development Program, Jorge Adriel Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined mentor development within the Game Changers program, a sport-based youth development (SBYD) intervention designed to promote emotional flexibility, mental fitness, and personal growth among young men. Grounded in mentorship theory and positive youth development frameworks, the purpose of this study was to evaluate how participation in the program influenced mentors’ psychological development, perceptions, and leadership approaches.

A mixed methods design was employed. Quantitative data were collected through repeated surveys administered across four time points to assess changes in mentors’ knowledge, self-awareness, confidence, emotional awareness, mental health, and masculinity ideology. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured focus group …

Comorbidity And Violence: What Role Does Resilience Play In Preventing Violent Acts?, Madeline J. Petit

Theses and Dissertations

The conjunction of substance use disorders, mental illnesses, and violence has been shaped through traditional risk-centered models, yet these approaches fail to explain why most individuals do not engage in violent behavior despite being high risk. This study aims to investigate how resilience may buffer the criminogenic effects of comorbidity and help understand the majority of those at risk who remain nonviolent. The data for this study is drawn from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study, which consisted of 2.255 person-waves, as the data examined comorbidity across 5 waves, consisting of 451 participants in each wave.Each participant in each wave …

Turnover Talk: Organizational Turnover Communication And Its Effects On Turnover Intention, Organizational Identification, And Job Satisfaction, Ethan L. Carroll

Theses and Dissertations

Employee turnover intention has been a focus of organizational research within the field of communication. Communication can affect organizational culture, relational dynamics, and even information flow throughout organizations, which all have influence over employee decisions. The body of literature that pertains to turnover is vast; however, the gap that this study aimed to fill was looking at communication about turnover. The purpose of this study was to investigate and explore communication related to turnover within organizational practices and interactions. This study used a mixed methods approach that first explored the concept of turnover talk and, second, investigated the impact of …

Fostering A Growth Mindset In Mathematics: Faculty And Student Experiences, Yolanda G. Rush

Theses and Dissertations

According to the Center for Community College Student Engagement (2019), many students attending two-year institutions need productive persistence strategies, including the development of a growth mindset. Although some growth mindset interventions have been effective in improving academic achievement among students (Boaler, 2016; Canning et al., 2024) and persistence (Lewis, 2019) among students, especially those with developmental needs (Suh et al., 2019) and those in mathematics, little is known about the experiences of students and teachers (i.e., students’ perceptions of teachers’ intentions and implementation) as teachers work to foster a growth mindset culture (Murphy et al., 2021). In this dissertation, I …

"Aren't You Old Enough To Know Better?": Judgments Surrounding Infidelity As A Function Of Age And Gender, Josephine Kirby

Theses and Dissertations

Relationships are often deeply affected by infidelity on several indicators such as marital satisfaction, forgiveness, and relationship longevity. With older adults often stereotyped as being asexual and women often being judged more harshly due to a sexual double standard, how do people perceive these groups in the context of infidelity? The purpose of my study was to investigate whether perceptions and judgments surrounding infidelity are affected by the age and gender of the person who committed infidelity. Using an experimental vignette method, participants were randomly assigned one version of a hypothetical couples’ counseling intake assessment form that, in part, described …

Rhetoric Of Realignment: An Analysis Of Trump's 2024 Campaign Rhetoric, David Valadez

Theses and Dissertations

When political coalitions include groups with opposing policy goals, leaders face a challenge: satisfying all constituencies without making commitments that alienate essential supporters. The present study examines strategic ambiguity in the form of deliberately vague political messaging as a tool for managing this challenge. Combining rhetorical analysis with selectorate theory, which explains how leaders achieve and maintain power through reward distribution, the research analyzes Donald Trump’s 2024 Republican National Convention acceptance speech, focusing on immigration rhetoric.

The analysis reveals that Trump’s ambiguity was selective rather than habitual. On immigration, where tech/corporate interests wanting skilled workers clashed with nationalist groups demanding …

Effects Of Compost Incorporated Versus Surface Applied On Soybean Yield And Soil Health, Maheshwari Kuchanapally

Theses and Dissertations

Compost application is increasingly recognized as a sustainable soil management practice that enhances soil health and crop production. However, the method of application, incorporated versus surface applied, may influence its effectiveness in improving soil properties and crop productivity. This study evaluated the effects of compost application method on soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) yield and soil health at Illinois State University Research Farm in Lexington, Illinois, across two growing seasons, 2024 and 2025. The 2024 experiment used a Completely Randomized Design comparing incorporated versus surface-applied compost (n = 4; 8 plots). The 2025 experiment used a Randomized Complete Block Design …

America The Not Yet Beautiful: Unfulfilled Promises In A Racist-Capitalist Society, Kaitlyn Tibbetts

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis draws from Langston Hughes’s poem “Let America Be America Again” to analyze four American novels that demonstrate the United States’s unfulfilled promises for lower-class individuals and minorities. The four novels examined in this thesis include: The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, There There by Tommy Orange, and How the García Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez. Utilizing theoretical frameworks such as social reproduction theory, intersectionality, and Burden-Shelly’s theorizations on racist-capitalist oppression, this thesis argues that the policies and systems that the U.S. is founded on are designed to primarily benefit economically …

Classifying Mathieu-Zhao Subspaces In Products Of Cyclic Rings, Sarah A. Huber

Theses and Dissertations

Mathieu-Zhao subspaces are a generalization of ideals in an algebra and were introduced by Wenhua Zhao in connection to the Jacobian conjecture and its variants. These subspaces have interesting properties, and often the problem of classification is hard. In this thesis, we investigate the structure of Mathieu-Zhao subspaces of the cartesian product of integers modulo powers of a prime p, Zpr × Zps . We will give a complete classification of the subgroups, maximal subgroups, Mathieu-Zhao subspaces, and maximal Mathieu-Zhao subspaces in these rings.

The Role Of Non-Academic Staff In First-Year Retention At Regional, Comprehensive Universities, Marco A. Krcatovich Ii

Theses and Dissertations

Regional comprehensive universities (RCUs) serve a large share of U.S. undergraduates, yet the role of non‑academic staff in shaping first‑year retention remains understudied. This dissertation examines how staff diversity and staffing structures relate to student persistence using seven years of IPEDS panel data and Linear Mixed‑Effects Models. Analyses were conducted separately for residential and commuter RCUs to reflect their distinct engagement environments. Findings show that staff diversity is significantly associated with retention, though the direction and magnitude vary by campus type and staff role. Staffing structure also matters as higher proportions of full‑time staff are positively associated with retention at …

Pathways Through Barriers: A Qualitative Study Of Career Advancement Among International Graduates Of Illinois Public Higher Education Institutions, Tieola Lambey Requena

Theses and Dissertations

International students represented an important sector of the United States higher education and labor force ecosystem, contributing significantly to academic innovation, institutional diversity, and economic growth. Illinois, which is a major educational and industrial hub, attracted thousands of international students annually and played a critical role in the development of global talent essential to both the state and the national economy. Despite these contributions, international students faced persistent challenges when navigating career advancement in the United States. Recent immigration policy shifts intensified national security concerns and employer reluctance to sponsor visas, reframing international students from valued contributors to perceived labor …

Understanding Faculty Perceptions Of Shared Governance At A Four-Year Public University: A Case Study Of The University Of Ghana, Patrick Amponsah

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative single-case study was to explore how faculty at the University of Ghana perceive and experience shared governance, how it is practiced institutionally, and what outcomes they associate with it. Although shared governance is widely promoted as a democratic and collegial model of decision-making in higher education, its implementation remains underexamined. The study interviewed twelve (12) full-time faculty members who worked at the University of Ghana. Thematic analysis revealed ten interrelated themes, including structured participation with limited influence, shared governance as an opportunity for faculty input, and the presence of both collaborative attitudes and formal committee …

Constructing And Deconstructing Homelessness: Challenging The Stigmatization Of The Unhoused Through Lived Experience, Brenna Jones

Theses and Dissertations

As homelessness rises across the United States, public discourse plays an important role in shaping how the housing crisis is understood and addressed. This study examines how homelessness is constructed through local media narratives and how these constructions shape the experiences of unhoused individuals. Using a case study of Greater Bangor, Maine, this research combines a critical content analysis of 315 news articles from the Bangor Daily News (2020-2025) with in-depth interviews with 18 unhoused and precariously housed individuals. The findings demonstrate how media portrayals construct homelessness as a stigmatized identity associated with disorder, addiction, and danger. These narratives contribute …

The Perceived Leadership Attributes Of Chief Academic Officers, Lowa Mwilambwe

Theses and Dissertations

Using Moss’s Leadership Attributes Inventory (LAI), which contains 37 attributes categorized under 6 core leadership roles (inspire a shared vision and establish standards; foster unity, collaboration, and ownership; exercise power effectively and empower others to act; exert external influence to set the right context, establish an environment conducive to learning; and satisfy the job-related needs of individuals in the organization), and descriptive and inferential statistics, this study examined the perceptions of Chief Academic Officers (CAOs) leadership at four-year public colleges and universities from the perspectives of the CAOs who self-evaluated themselves, and their colleagues (presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other …

Refusing To Die On The Vine: Black Women's Survival, Resistance, And Dei Labor In Historically White Institutions, Senesta D. Howard

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the lived experiences of Black women in non-diversity, non-faculty roles at historically White institutions (HWIs) who engage in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) advocacy beyond their formal job responsibilities. Grounded in Black Feminist Thought and guided by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the study explores how race and gender shape invisible labor expectations, emotional and psychological burdens, and strategies for safety and meaning-making. Semi-structured interviews with 12 Black women staff members yielded seven interrelated themes, including invisible DEI labor, hypervisibility, emotional exhaustion, sisterhood as a form of resistance, respectability politics, self-constructed safety, and purpose rooted in legacy and spirituality. …

Reawakening Waⁿdat: Community Research & Reclamation, Darcy Allred

Theses and Dissertations

The Wyandot(te) have undergone language dormancy due to settler colonial impacts of warfare, refugee relocation, forced removals, and U.S. assimilation projects. One of the most pressing priorities among our people today is reawakening our ancestral language, Waⁿdat. The common follow-up question is: how? Through the conduit of Waⁿdat language reclamation, this project grapples with the above question in collaboration with the Wyandot(te) community, and in adherence to the tribal sovereignty of the Wyandotte Nation. The project engages with diasporic perspectives, community-based pedagogy design, and tribally specific research protocols and policies. The living collective knowledgebase with which I engage in this …

From Global Norms To Local Implementation: The Sendai Framework, Disaster Risk Reduction, And Human Rights In The United States, Madelyn Schutte

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the extent to which the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and a human rights-based approach (HRBA) are reflected in local level hazard mitigation plans in the United States. This study utilizes a directed qualitative content analysis of a local hazard mitigation plan, using McLean County, Illinois, as a single case study. The Sendai Framework and a HRBA are moderately reflected in McLean County’s hazard mitigation plan, with the most significant omission being a comprehensive discussion of the disproportionate risks faced by vulnerable populations. The results indicate that FEMA guidelines for hazard mitigation plans likely do not …

Exploring Culturally Responsive Faculty Practices That Support Student Success In Community College Classrooms, Mary Catherine Flynn

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the culturally responsive teaching practices used by six community college faculty and instructors in their in-person courses. Faculty and instructors taught courses included in certificate and degree programs related to early childhood education, human services, and criminal justice at one midwestern community college. Specific content areas included sociology, political science, and child development. Data collection for this study included comprehensive interviews with each instructor, an analysis of documents including syllabi, student assignments, and assessments, and multiple classroom observations. This study was anchored in a theoretical framework based on the constructs of culturally responsive teaching practices. Each …

Reconciliation, Draper Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis exhibition, Reconciliation, examines how memory, loss, and lived experience shape personal identity over time. Through sculptural works composed of cast, blown, and hot-sculpted glass combined with mixed media, the exhibition explores the pressures that life events place upon individuals and the ways those pressures persist, transform, and become integrated into the self. The work considers identity not as a fixed state but as a continual process of negotiation between past experiences, present circumstances, and future possibilities.

Central to the project is the material analogy between glass and human experience. Glass, a material formed under extreme heat and pressure …

Staff Attitudes Toward Ai Adoption At A Private Research University, Ashley C. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the limited research on university staff attitudes toward artificial intelligence use and adoption. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) research framework, the General Attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence Scale (GAAIS), and quantitative survey methodology, the study examines the attitudes of higher education staff toward AI, specifically examining whether demographic or professional characteristics are factors. The findings indicate that staff had moderately negative attitudes toward AI while also expressing some concerns. The results suggest that more resources and support for AI are needed for staff to address concerns. It also suggests that construct-level analysis …

Emotion Regulation Difficulties And Substance Use: The Role Of Conscientiousness, Caitlyn M. Donnelly

Theses and Dissertations

Difficulties in emotion regulation have been consistently linked to substance use among college students. However, individual differences may influence this relationship. Conscientiousness, a personality trait characterized by self-control, planning, and goal-directed behavior, has been proposed as a potential protective factor. The present study examined associations among difficulties in emotion regulation, conscientiousness, and substance use behaviors, as well as whether conscientiousness moderates the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and substance use. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational design, data was collected from college students recruited through a university participant pool. Participants completed self-report measures of emotion regulation difficulties, conscientiousness, and substance use …

Institutional Retention And Graduation Outcomes Before And During Covid-19: A Comparison Of Online-Experienced And Online-Inexperienced Four-Year Institutions, Nicholas J. Finnessey

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined whether student success outcomes and their trajectories over time differed across higher education institutions before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic based on prior experience with online education. Guided by Astin’s (1993) Input-Environment-Output (I-E-O) framework, pre-pandemic participation in online coursework was conceptualized as an institutional-level environmental condition. A quantitative, causal-comparative research design was employed, using secondary data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), to examine longitudinal differences in institutional retention and graduation rates across institutions classified by their pre-pandemic participation in online education. The sample included 528 Title IV-eligible, degree-granting, four-year institutions observed across five …

Examination Of The Effects Aesthetic Enrichment And Music Have On Well-Being And Task Performance In A Workplace Simulation, Emily Budik

Theses and Dissertations

Workplace environments are often designed with a focus on efficiency, yet emerging research suggests that environmental features such as aesthetic enrichment and music may influence employee well-being and performance. The present study examined whether visual aesthetic enrichment and auditory stimulation through music could improve well-being, reduce stress, and enhance task performance within a simulated workplace task. Participants completed a 30-minute in-basket task under one of four conditions: a control environment, music only, aesthetic enrichment only, or a combined aesthetic enrichment and music condition. Measures of stress, well-being, and task performance were collected following task completion. Results indicated that neither aesthetic …