Digital Commons Network^™

From Crisis To Classroom: Evaluating Academic Success In Vulnerable Populations During The Covid-19 Emergency Education Era, Jake Novak

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This study investigated school closures' impact on students from vulnerable populations in elementary classrooms. The research places an emphasis on the importance of an equitable and effective educational system in every community. It highlights the role of formal education in providing opportunities for social advancement and promoting the development of individuals and nations. The impact of the COVID-19 Emergency on access to quality education and the challenges and inequities faced by vulnerable populations are emphasized. This research also discusses the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations in 2015 to ensure inclusive and equitable education for all children …

Cultivating Green Public Spaces And Backyard Gardens Amid Covid-19: An Anthropological Study Of Metro-Orlando Gardeners, Chelsea N. Daws

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

This dissertation critically analyzes home and community gardens within Metro-Orlando by considering the ways that the COVID-19 pandemic impacts residents' garden participation and access to green public spaces. The study utilizes an ethnographic approach to produce informed understandings of participants' experiences within local gardens, alternative food networks, and community supported agriculture analyzed using Marxian theoretical frameworks. Findings are primarily grounded in qualitative information derived from interviews, participant observation, and photovoice. Data were collected both prior to the global COVID-19 outbreak and over subsequent months of lockdown and public health mitigation measures. Primarily focusing on local community garden organizers, community garden …

Black Males’ Experiences Of Resilience: A Narrative Study On College Students Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Keshia R. Graham

Theses and Dissertations

Black men’s resilience has historically been discussed, interwoven, and disguised by deficit-based models rather than strength-based ones. The current study examined Black men's resilience using a strength-based model for Black male students in higher education institutions. Specifically, the experiences and resilience of Black men before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were explored. This study targeted Black male students from an urban institution, with the aim to find out what key elements supported their resilient behavior throughout the most challenging times in their college career. The African American Male Theory and Resiliency Theory used as the theoretical framework. A narrative methodology …

Balancing Acts: Navigating The Impact Of Working From Home On Women, Families And Beyond, Gayle Marie Hardison

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the world and continues to impact us four years later. One of the most significant impacts the pandemic had is on the way we work. To stop the spread of the virus and to safeguard the public, countries around the world issued stay-athome orders which required all but essential workers to stay at home beginning in March of 2020 in the United States and throughout the world. This transformed the way and where we worked and a large portion of the workforce which was able, began working from home or teleworking. What …

Unpacking The Influencing Factors Of Telehealth Usage Among Older Consumers, Xiaojing Sheng, Yuri Martirosyan, Khondoker Sayeed Hossain, Reto Felix, Arjun Singh

Marketing Faculty Publications

This research unpacks the challenges and motivations of telehealth usage among older consumers—an understudied population in the extant telehealth literature. Through surveying a sample of older consumers who regularly migrate to winter in the southern areas of the United States, our qualitative analysis uncovers motivations (i.e., convenience, ease of use, efficiency, and a forced option) and challenges (i.e., telehealth limitations, privacy concerns, and lack of trust, access, and skills) of older consumers’ telehealth usage. Further, logistic regression identifies attitude toward telehealth, gender, and health status as significant predictors of telehealth usage behavior. Contributions to theory and practice are also discussed.

Physical Activity, Anxiety, Depression, And Coping In Turkish Men And Women During The First Wave Of Covid-19, Bijen Filiz, Funda Coşkun Özyol, Bengü Güven, Ezel Nur Korur, Yılmaz Yüksel, Cavit Işık Yavuz, Kele Ding, Jingzhen Yang, J. Larry Durstine Phd, Facsm, Faacvpr, Fnak, Ming-Kai Chin, Gıyasettin Demirhan

Faculty Publications

A need exists to better understand the relationships between COVID-19, coping behaviors, physical activity and stress, and COVID-19’s impact on way of life. A cross-sectional study design was used to examine adult physical activity, hope, depression, anxiety, and coping status by gender during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to determine the impact of these variables on the coping process. The study also examined the effect of gender on the relation between physical activity and dependent variables. A global survey instrument was used in this study, including 1,400 Turkish adults. This study identified significant gender-based differences regarding physical activity, hope, depression, anxiety, …

Compliance With World Health Organization Covid19 Preventive Behaviors In Rural Counties In Western Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study, Caleb Nyaranga, Cholo Wilberforce, Fletcher J. Njororai

Population Health Leadership and Analytics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction: the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended various measures to tackle COVID-19, and were adopted by many governments, targeting behavior change among citizens to lower the transmission. There was a paucity of data on the patterns of compliance with different measures within individuals and whether people adhere to all recommended measures or cautiously prefer few but not others. Understanding compliance behaviors and associated factors is important for developing interventions to increase compliance.

Methods: cross-sectional study was conducted among adults in the western region of Kenya. A sample of 806 participants was selected using a stratified sampling method. A structured questionnaire …

The Phenomenological Meaning Of Activities Outside The Home: A Qualitative Solicited Diary Study Of Undergraduate College Students Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Thomas Nagle

West Chester University Master’s Theses

Dramatic changes to everyday life during the COVID-19 pandemic created a “frame shift” (Goffman, 1974), as mundane activities took on new significance among evolving norms. Our qualitative study explores the phenomenological meaning of engaging in activities outside the home during the first two years of the pandemic, through solicited unstructured diaries kept by college students. We selected n=33 diarists who met our inclusion criteria. Across the selected entries from each diary, emic coding revealed four types of activities discussed: taking care of necessities, navigating from A-to-B, socializing, and spending time in nature. While etic coding …

Mental Resilience And State Anxiety In Bulgarians Living In Their Country Of Origin Or Abroad During Covid-19 Pandemic, Stanislava Stoyanova

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

Comparing state anxiety and mental resilience among people living in their country of origin and emigrants abroad may reveal if they have different experiences of negative emotional states, as well as different resources for coping with changes in everyday life brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were 142 Bulgarians living in Bulgaria during COVID-19 pandemic and 142 Bulgarians living in different countries abroad, whose age varied from 21 to 44 years old. The study was conducted online by means of Qualtrics applying Spielberger’s State Anxiety Scale and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale CD-RISC2. State anxiety was significantly lower (t(282) = 3.242, …

A Case Study Of Technology Integration At A Community College During A Disruption Of Learning Due To A Global Pandemic, Cara Suzanne Barth-Fagan

Dissertations

This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the financial stress, digital divide, and inequalities in educational opportunities that arose during this period. However, it also acknowledges the advantages of remote learning, such as flexible scheduling, individualized learning, and global collaboration. The study design used was qualitative, aiming to identify the perceived levels of student engagement and support between faculty and students, and the perceived levels of success of completing a blended learning course in an online, hybrid, or hyflex format during a global pandemic. The paper concludes by emphasizing the importance …

“I Know A Lot Of People Just Gave Up And Died, Out Of Loneliness”: Family Members Experiences Of Covid-19 Visitation Restrictions In Irish Nursing Homes, Emily Egan, Sarah Robinson, Erin Nic An Bhaird, Graham Gillespie

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on older adults, particularly those living in nursing homes (NH) globally and in Ireland, the site of our study. Whilst NH residents were at increased risk of serious illness from the virus, visitation bans and restrictions also impacted residents' quality of life. Family members' (FMs) essential caring role was recognised in contexts like the Netherlands, parts of the United States and Ontario, Canada, but were not in Ireland. The current study explored the experiences of FMs of residents who experienced visitation bans during the first four waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland. Eight …

Vaccine Hesitancy In Those Experiencing Homelessness And Housing Instability In Marin County: Is Covid-19 Any Different?, Kelsey Bas

Global Public Health | Senior Theses

Introduction:

COVID-19 booster hesitancy amongst different populations is a continuing public health issue. Within Marin County, individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability are not receiving their booster vaccination in spite of receiving the primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine. Hence, there is a lack of research that reveals the barriers and motivation as to why individuals experiencing homelessness and housing instability in Marin are facing hesitancy towards the COVID-19 booster.

Methods:

In this qualitative study, the researcher interviewed clients of the Ritter Center. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals ages 18 and older, currently experiencing homelessness or housing instability, and …

Strategies For Sustainable Access To Electronic Resources During Covid-19 Pandemic Era: Experience From The Consortium Of Uganda University Libraries, Jackline Estomihi Kiwelu, Andrew Mwesigwa, Jesca Karungi

Libraries

The paper shares the strategies the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries (CUUL) adopted to provide access to electronic resources to its member libraries in COVID-19 pandemic era. It examines the challenges, opportunities COVID-19 brought and how CUUL managed to deliver its mandate during the pandemic. The study used a qualitative research approach and a survey research design. A structured online interview data collection tool was employed to collect the required information from the CUUL executive committee members and the electronic resources functional committee. Content analysismethod, with coding and categorization, was used for data analysis and presentation of findings. This paper …

Impact Of A Covid-19 Related Lockdown On The Experience Of Informal Caregiving In Singapore, Vicky Mengqi Qin, Abhijit Visaria, Rahul Malhotra

ROSA Journal Articles and Publications

Introduction: Lockdowns, while limiting COVID-19 transmission, can affect provision of care by informal caregivers and their caregiving experience. We assessed, among informal caregivers in Singapore, (a) the perceived impact of a 2-month (April to May 2020) nationwide lockdown on their care provision, (b) correlates of different perceptions of the impact of the lockdown on care provision, and (c) association of different perceptions of the impact with negative and positive experiences of caregiving. Methods: In the August 2020 wave of the Singapore Life Panel (SLP; nationally representative, longitudinal monthly survey of Singapore citizens and permanent residents aged 50-70 years at baseline), …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Postsecondary Transition For Students With Disabilities: Provider Perspectives, Haley L. Muir Knox

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Transition planning is an essential component of special education for students transitioning from high school to the adult world. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the ways in which transition education is implemented and has been a catalyst for change and potential improvement in transition education practices. Research is just beginning to emerge regarding the ways in which education has changed as a result of the pandemic. Teachers and transition coordinators are key stakeholders in the transition process and serve as a link between the school and the students and their families. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with both special …

A Phenomenological Study Of Middle School Reading Teachers' Lived Experiences Of Learning Management Systems During The Covid-19 Pandemic And Their Impact On Reading Instruction, Rebekah L. Hadley

Doctor of Education Dissertations

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many school districts were forced to switch to remote learning, which presented a new and challenging experience for teachers. The study described the experiences of middle school reading teachers’ use of learning management systems (LMSs) during the COVID-19 pandemic and their impact on reading instruction. The study focused on a school district in southeastern North Carolina with 19 middle schools and three reading teachers per grade level. The primary method of data collection used in the study was interviews. The interviews revealed that teachers faced several challenges when using LMSs, such as limited knowledge of LMS, …

"Shut Down And Closed Off": A Routine Activity Approach To Investigating The Relationship Between Covid-19 School Closures And Child Sexual Abuse Report Characteristics In Georgia, Spencer E. Riner

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 created a public health crisis that led to an unprecedented number of school closures. A major concern raised by child advocates, law enforcement, and social service providers was the possible increase in undetected child abuse and maltreatment. Undergirding this concern was the belief that this mitigation effort might place child abuse victims and offenders within proximity for extended periods of time. While this was a significant concern, it has rarely been analyzed empirically. To address this gap in the literature, this thesis investigates how school closures impacted the characteristics of child sexual abuse (CSA) reports …

The Study Of Baby Boomers And Generation Z’S Attitudes Towards Generational Mental Health Dynamics, Regina M. Luttrell Ph.D., Hunter Harpin, Emma Grace Reville, Yunxiang Yu, Abagail Sweeney

Real Chemistry Emerging Insights Lab

The purpose of this research is to compare and contrast how different historical events have impacted Generation Z members’ and the Baby Boomers’ attitudes towards mental health and how those attitudes have guided members of these generations to feel about medical experts and the technology that they use to deliver their services in the post-COVID era. Studying these topics allows our group to make recommendations as to how medical experts should go about interacting with members of the Generation Z and Baby Boomer generations respectively, based on how historical events have influenced their attitudes towards mental health topics, their perceived …

Effective Public Health Communication In A Post-Covid-19 America: Lessons From Behavioral Science, Molly J. Walker Wilson

Lewis & Clark Law Review

As we emerge from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans are still reeling from the loss of life, the financial fallout, and the deep divide that continues to characterize our social and political institutions. Public health experts who were tasked with communicating facts and advice to the American public faced a daunting challenge, particularly because three distinct groups of Americans received messages differently. One group of Americans was receptive to scientific findings and amenable to taking recommended precautions. A second group was skeptical about the safety and efficacy of available vaccines, and genuinely confused or suspicious about the source …

The Online Education Landscape, Digital Tools, And Covid-19, Rosetta S. Burk

Undergraduate Scholarship

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has been the ultimate stress test for communication technologies, online learning methods, digital pedagogies, students and educators as the world faced school closures and emergency online learning situations during the pandemic lockdowns. There has been an influx in communication tools, digital paradigms, and teaching methodologies in addition to relying on existing digital tools and methods to continue students' education while unable to meet in person. The level of remote learning and digital movement is unprecedented and the results have been varied and illuminating. Research has been conducted on student attitudes in the immediate aftermath of the …

Navigating New Normals: Student Perceptions, Experiences, And Mental Health Service Utilization In Post-Pandemic Academia, Hadiza Galadima, Anne Dumadag, Cara Tonn

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

This study explores the profound impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education, focusing on shifts in learning experiences and students’ intentions to utilize mental health services post-pandemic. Utilizing Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Services Use, this study assesses perceptions from a stratified random sample of college students on post-pandemic learning experiences and mental health service utilization intentions. Findings reveal a positive reception to university initiatives and a preference for ongoing virtual classes. There is an evident increase in, and varying intentions for, using mental health services, shaped by demographics, employment, and prior service utilization. Younger and female students showed …

Diagnostic Certainty During In-Person And Telehealth Autism Evaluations, Natasha N. Ludwig, Calliope Holingue, Ji Su Hong, Luther G. Kalb, Danika Pfeiffer, Rachel Reetzke, Deepa Menon

Speech-Language Pathology Faculty Publications

Background

Many diagnostic evaluations abruptly shifted to telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, little is known about the impact on diagnosis patterns for children evaluated for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this clinical research study was to examine (1) the frequency of diagnoses evaluated beyond ASD; (2) the frequency of diagnoses made, including ASD; and (3) clinician diagnostic certainty for all diagnoses evaluated for children who received an evaluation due to primary concerns about ASD via telehealth during the pandemic compared to those evaluated in person before the pandemic at an ASD specialty clinic.

Methods

The sample included …

Caregivers' Perceptions Of Covid-19 Educational Disruptions On Children With Developmental Language Disorder And Typically Developing Peers, Katherine Radville, Danika Pfeiffer, Karynn Sheranian, Julie Wolter, Jessie Ricketts, Tiffany L. Hogan

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose: Understanding the experiences of families of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) during COVID-19 educational disruptions is essential for designing responsive supports during pandemic recovery efforts and beyond. This qualitative study describes the experiences of families of first-and second-grade children with DLD during the pandemic as compared to the experiences of families of typically developing (TD) peers.

Method: A conventional content analysis approach was used to analyze caregivers’ written responses to open-ended questions regarding their perceptions of COVID-19 educational disruptions. Responses were analyzed separately by group: caregivers of children with DLD (n= 23) and caregivers of TD children (n= …

Student Engagement In The Communication Classroom: An Intervention To Encourage Student Success, Jay Baglia, Elissa Foster, Kendra Knight, Stephanie Grau

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Universities implement a variety of interventions to address student engagement and retention. This is especially true post-pandemic as faculty attempt to return to a pre-pandemic structure. Emerging adulthood aligns with the personal responsibility demanded of college students as well as changes in personal growth. In the current climate, stress has been shown to negatively impact executive functioning, the cognitive processes necessary for academic success. This essay describes an intervention encouraging student self-reflexivity around processes for engagement, academic success, and retention. Communication Fundamentals for College Success—a 5-week, two-credit workshop—was developed and delivered by the authors. Curriculum focused on time management, study …

Critical Reading Pedagogical Approaches To College Literature In A Post-Pandemic, Mckenzie London

Theses

This project uses a mixed methods approach to study the impact of COVID-19 on faculty and students in the English college classroom. Research indicates that COVID-19 correlates with changes in students’ academic performance, but there is a need for research concerning how to approach these changes in the English classroom through critical reading practices. “Critical reading” is complex to define and even more challenging to exemplify or illustrate. Critical reading practices are often the center of the college English classroom, but with changing technology and a cultural shift from COVID-19, students now approach critical reading differently. The purpose of this …

Evaluating The Early Impacts Of The Snap Online Purchasing Pilot, Kyle Jones

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

This dissertation consists of three chapters that evaluate how a change in the redemption of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits impacted grocery purchasing behavior and food consumption to provide some of the first estimates of the impacts from the pilot. The SNAP Online Purchasing Pilot (OPP) allowed recipients to use their benefits online for participating retailers which was initially planned for 8 participating pilot states with a few participating retailers but massively expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first two chapters evaluate how the SNAP OPP impacts grocery purchasing behavior with the first chapter evaluating before the COVID-19 pandemic and …

God Attachment, Health Locus Of Control, Anxiety, And Health Behaviors During Covid-19 Among College Undergraduates At A Religious University, Jessica K. Wilbur

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study investigated the relationship between attachment to God, health locus of control (HLOC), perceived stress, and COVID-19-related attitudes and health behaviors among undergraduate students. Undergraduates from George Fox University were sampled, and data were collected from December 2021 to May 2022. Participants ranged from ages 18 to 36 years old (M = 19.1, SD = 2.1). The majority identified as female (68.3%) and European-American (70.2%). A K-cluster analysis revealed two groups utilizing attachment to God and HLOC scores: 81 healthy (43%) and 109 distressed (57%) individuals. The healthy group reported lower scores on anxious and avoidant attachment to God …

Pharmaceutical Messianism And The Politics Of Covid-19 In The United States, Gideon Lasco, Vincen Gregory Yu, Nishtha Bharti

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, public officials in the United States–from the President to governors, mayors, lawmakers, and even school district commissioners–touted unproven treatments for COVID-19 alongside, and sometimes as opposed to, mask and vaccine mandates. Utilising the framework of ‘pharmaceutical messianism’, our article focuses on three such cures–hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, and monoclonal antibodies–to explore how pharmaceuticals were mobilised within politicised pandemic discourses. Using the states of Utah, Texas, and Florida as illustrative examples, we make the case for paying attention to pharmaceutical messianism at the subnational and local levels, which can very well determine pandemic responses and outcomes in contexts such …

College Instructors’ Experience With Flexibility Through Pandemic Teaching, Kate Marie Quesenberry Orugboh

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study explores flexibility in teaching during and since the COVID-19 pandemic through the lived experiences of instructors at Minnesota State University, Mankato. In-depth interviews were conducted to investigate how instructors implemented flexibility and adapted to the rapid transition to online and hybrid teaching models during a global health crisis. The study explores the effects these measures (and the pandemic) had on their students, their pedagogy, the perceived expectations for them to provide it, and their well-being. The findings illuminate the strategies instructors employed to maintain educational continuity ranging from adjustments in course delivery and assessments to accommodations for student …

'Man's Forgotten Friend': Dogs Appointed As Domesticated Companions And The Coronavirus Pandemic, Rebekah Gregory

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences Theses

The metaphorical confinement of national lockdowns saw the egocentric adoption of dogs appointed as domesticated companions. While public approval of ‘animal’ welfare legislation and the growing popularity of ‘green’ theory and industry has grown, ‘animals’ are still victim to the consumer and the anthropocentric cultures which promote individual, economic, social, and specifically ‘human’ advancement at all costs. Even though the reasons why ‘animals’ are victimised has been researched, how the pandemic has impacted upon this treatment and consumer culture’s/anthropocentrism’s influence has been somewhat absent within academic discussion. In fact, how the global events of COVID-19 have impacted upon dog treatment, …