Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating Experiences During Times Of Uncertainty: A Phenomenological Study Of High School Educators, Selinna Creasy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the motivation to educate during times of uncertainty for high school educators at an urban Virginian public high school. This study examined the influence of different factors on job satisfaction relating to recognition, growth, relationships, and remuneration. The theory of motivation-hygiene served as the guiding principle, emphasizing the importance of internal and external factors in enhancing job satisfaction. In terms of methodology, a phenomenological transcendental approach was employed. The sample consisted of high school educators teaching students in urban Virginian schools in Grades 9 through 12. The study included 14 participants …

A Phenomenological Study Of Implementing Social-Emotional Learning Skills Virtually And Its Influence On The Teacher-Student Relationship, Felicia S. Spratt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This transcendental phenomenological research design seeks to investigate the experience of teachers in Illinois urban school districts who have virtually implemented Social-Emotional Learning skill sets and describe any impact virtual implementation has had on the teacher-student relationship. This data was viewed through teachers who implemented the social and emotional learning skill sets in an urban middle school. Social-emotional learning is often implemented in a classroom while teaching students regular academic requirements. The theory used to guide this study was Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, with self-actualization being the ultimate achievement goal on the pyramid. The theory explained the connection between the …

The Differences In Covid-19 Infection Rates: An Examination Of Residential Care Communities (Rccs), Han Yang

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Infection control practices (ICPs) are crucial for maintaining the health and safety of residents in a residential care community (RCC). This paper examines the differences in COVID-19 infection rates and cases based on the characteristics of RCCs, such as ICPs, personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, ownership type (for-profit vs. nonprofit), census regions, and RCC size. While ICPs contribute significantly to preventing and controlling the highly contagious virus, a comprehensive program is encouraged to provide a targeted intervention based on RCC’s environmental factors. The importance of the characteristics of the RCCs must be considered in combing with the ICPs to enhance …

The Use Of Virtual Technology In Federal Criminal Detention Proceedings During Covid-19, The Honorable Karen Wells Roby

Georgia Criminal Law Review

The COVID Pandemic presented unparalleled challenges to court operations and the administration of pretrial criminal proceedings. The combination of health concerns and constitutional considerations collided in a way requiring unprecedented creativity in court operations. While scholars have given guidance on how the state courts were functioning during the pandemic, researchers have not conducted an empirical analysis on how federal courts conducted pretrial detention hearings during COVID-19.

This analysis reports the results of both qualitative and empirical findings pretrial detention hearings in federal courts during COVID-19. I examined the state of operations of the district court in several the Fourth, Fifth, …

Enhancing Team Performance In The Digital Age: Impact Of Technologically Moderated Communication In The Interplay Of E-Leadership & Trust, Sina Eslamdoust, Ji Hoon Lee, Tahmineh Bohrani

Business Analytics Faculty Publications

As the COVID-19 pandemic concluded, anticipating future health crises underscores the urgency of effective management and adaptable organizations. This paper draws from existing literature on e-leadership, virtual teams, and organizations, and conceptualizes a foundation to explore e-leadership challenges in virtual contexts. Emphasizing the pivotal role of e-leadership competencies in bridging technology-mediated interactions and effective leadership, the study addresses communication, trust, and coordination issues within virtual teams. It illuminates the impact of technology and assesses how diversity shapes the link between employee engagement and performance. The paper contributes to theoretical knowledge in the field, highlighting the importance of trust-building, relationship cultivation, …

Shots Fired, Shots Refused: Scientific, Ethical & Legal Challenges Surrounding The U.S. Military's Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate, Shawn Mckelvy, L. William Uhl, Armand Balboni

St. Mary's Law Journal

The COVID-19 pandemic provided uncertain and challenging circumstances under which to lead a nation and the military that protects it. Those in charge and in command faced unique challenges—scientific, ethical, and legal—at our various levels of government to both keep people safe while keeping government and society functioning. While there were many successes to celebrate, there are also many criticisms for how this “whole-of-government approach” may have degraded some of our most cherished liberties along the way. The authors focus on the U.S. military’s vaccine mandate and propose military leaders may have failed to fully consider the evolving science, weigh …

Exploring The Perceptions And Experiences Of Remote Work Among Administrative Healthcare Personnel At An Academic Medical Center In The Southeastern United States: A Qualitative Investigation, Jonathan E. Young

MUSC Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study investigates the attitudes and experiences of administrative healthcare employees toward remote work at an Academic Medical Center (AMC) in the Southeastern United States. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare organizations rapidly shifted toward remote work to ensure safety, prompting questions regarding the sustainability of this model. Through semi-structured interviews, participants expressed a preference for remote work, citing increased productivity and job satisfaction. Flexibility emerged as a key benefit, allowing employees to effectively integrate professional and personal responsibilities. However, maintaining boundaries between work and personal life posed challenges, necessitating clear policies and support structures. This project contributes to existing …

Beyond The Classroom Walls: Stakeholder Experiences With Remote Instruction In Post Rn Baccalaureate Nursing Program During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Inquiry, Laila Akber Cassum, Arusa Mansoor, Saima Sachwani, Zeenar Salim, Ridah Feroz, Shanaz Cassum

School of Nursing & Midwifery

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of educational campuses and the suspension of conventional classroom teaching globally and locally, and many switched overnight to an online modality. The change was experienced differently by varied audiences, given the availability of resources. The study aimed to examine stakeholders' experiences of emergency remote instructions in the Post-RN Baccalaureate Nursing Program during the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative descriptive exploratory design with a purposive sampling technique was used at a private nursing university in Karachi, Pakistan. Focus group discussions with students and faculty were conducted separately, while in-depth interviews with key informants were held …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Online Teaching And Faculty Preparedness: A Case Study Of Planning And Implementing Online Learning At An R2 Public Research University, Michele Renee Haynes

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this single-site case study was to understand four distinct online learning aspects impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in a mid-sized, urban, four-year institution in the Southern United States: (1) the faculty experience with converting courses and teaching online, (2) the university-provided instructional supports available to faculty throughout the pandemic, (3) the online learning design utilized throughout the pandemic, and (4) the university's preparedness and response to the pandemic. Through an analysis of participant interviews, document analysis, and secondary analysis of an internal COVID-19 faculty and staff survey, the study findings illustrated five distinct areas that influenced teaching …

Once Upon A Fape: Contrasting The Fabled Hope Of Idea With Present-Day Pandemic Realities, Jenny Rodriguez-Fee

Belmont Law Review

Much like Hansel and Gretel in the widely known fairytale, children around the world have experienced trauma, loss, and profound impact to their physical, social, and emotional well-being due to the pandemic. Also, like Hansel and Gretel, students with unique needs have lacked the guidance, support, and prioritization by the adults who are meant to protect them. For some students, this failure to support by those adults charged with their education has been occurring for decades. For many, they were left alone in the woods in March 2020, the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Forced to isolate from teachers and …

Children Seen But Not Heard, Stacey B. Steinberg

UF Law Faculty Publications

Children are expected to abide by the will of their parents. In the last 200 years, American jurisprudence has given parents the ability to control their children’s upbringing with few exceptions. The principle governing this norm is that parents know best and will use their better knowledge to protect their children’s welfare.

The COVID-19 pandemic, public school rules, and children’s privacy laws offer modern examples of regulations in which the interests of parents and children may not align. Minors may want access to vaccines, despite a parent’s refusal to sign a consent form. Minors may want to talk to their …

Covid-19 And Management Scholarship: Lessons For Conducting Impactful Research, Gerard George, Gokhan Ertug, Jonathan P. Doh, Johanna Mair, Ajnesh Prasad

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for management scholars to address large-scale and complex societal problems and strive for greater practical and policy impact. A brief overview of the most-cited work on COVID-19 reveals that, compared with their counterparts in other disciplines, leading management journals and professional associations lagged in providing a platform for high-impact research on COVID-19. To help management research play a more active role in responding to similar global challenges in the future, we propose an integrative framework that emphasizes a phenomenon’s impact, the conditions that the phenomenon creates at multiple levels, and the responses of actors …

Geospatial Disparities In Federal Covid-19 Test-To-Treat Program, Erin M. Oakley Mph, Emily R. Smith Scd, Mph

GW Research Showcase 2021-2026

No abstract provided.

How Bodily Autonomy Can Fail Against Vaccination Mandates; The Few Vs. The Many, Jason Yadhram

Journal of Law and Health

Humans have been a communal species since inception and continue to be so to this day. Because of this, if even a small scale of a measured population becomes severely ill, the entire remaining population and surrounding area is thrown into absolute chaos. In fact, we have seen these circumstances throughout history and in the recent COVID-19 pandemic yet, some of us have forgotten that the only way this chaos can be curbed, is by enacting a mandatory vaccination policy. Since COVID-19 however, vaccination mandates have become an uneasy topic of conversation in the United States for essentially one main …

Tools For Biomolecular Modeling And Simulation, Xin Yang

Mathematics Theses and Dissertations

Electrostatic interactions play a pivotal role in understanding biomolecular systems, influencing their structural stability and functional dynamics. The Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation, a prevalent implicit solvent model that treats the solvent as a continuum while describes the mobile ions using the Boltzmann distribution, has become a standard tool for detailed investigations into biomolecular electrostatics. There are two primary methodologies: grid-based finite difference or finite element methods and body-fitted boundary element methods. This dissertation focuses on developing fast and accurate PB solvers, leveraging both methodologies, to meet diverse scientific needs and overcome various obstacles in the field.

International Student Crisis Management To Covid-19: A Comparative Analysis Between The United States And South Korea, Jeong Youn Lee, Bawool Hong, Jenny J. Lee

Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Transitioning From An In-Person Intervention To Augmented Text Messaging During Covid-19 In Mexican Americans With Prediabetes: The Starr County Diabetes Prevention Randomized Clinical Trial, Sharon A Brown, Mary A Winter, Heather A Becker, Alexandra A García, Mary M Velasquez, Hirofumi Tanaka, William B Perkison, Eric L Brown, David Aguilar, Craig L Hanis

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to explore the feasibility of using commonly available technology, such as text messaging, for diabetes prevention in rural Mexican American communities during COVID-19.

METHODS: Participants were selected from a diabetes prevention study funded by the National Institutes of Health that, prior to COVID-19, involved in-person group intervention sessions. Participants were predominantly female adults born in Mexico and Spanish-speaking. A subsample (n = 140) was divided into 3 cohorts: (1) 50 who completed the initial in-person intervention prior to the COVID-19 research pause, (2) 60 who needed additional support sessions to complete the intervention …

Leading Change During Crisis: Nonprofit Leaders’ Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jose A. Diaz Jr.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D)

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover which experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic led to leadership and organizational changes within nonprofit organizations located in southern Florida. Data for the study were collected by interviewing leaders of five nonprofit organizations that provided human and social services to individuals and families before, during, and after the pandemic. The participants discussed some of the challenges they experienced with social distancing protocols, service delivery continuity to service users, and the concerns among staff and volunteers. Four themes were common among the participants of the study: operational restrictions, technological adaptations, staff morale and …

Rural, Poor And Working-Class Student Postsecondary Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Policy Lessons Learned For Supporting Future College Success, Ty C. Mcnamee, Sonja Ardoin, Jenay F.E. Willis

The Rural Educator

In this policy brief, we use research findings to illuminate experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic of U.S. rural college students from poor and working-class backgrounds. We offer institutional, state, and federal policy lessons gleaned from such experiences. We show how rural, poor and working-class students’ higher education success was impacted by COVID-19 and how the pandemic highlighted and exacerbated existing systemic geographic and social class barriers faced by such students pursuing college. In turn, we hope postsecondary policymakers at the institutional, state, and federal levels can learn from these experiences to better support rural, poor, and working-class students in the …

Relationships Between White Psychology Trainees’ Multicultural Competence And Racial Affect In The Pandemic, Daniella L. Colb

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In this dissertation, I used an exploratory research approach to examine White psychology trainees’ affective responses to race-related material and how they relate to trainees’ self-perceived levels of multicultural competence amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Participants completed self-report instruments about their experiences and identities, their affective responses to racial content, and their grasp of facets of multicultural competence. Significant correlations were found between affective responses—specifically White guilt and negation—and multicultural competence. The relationship found between White guilt and multicultural competence may speak to the power of guilt to motivate trainees’ pursuit of …

A Rural Return: The Triumphs And Trials Of A School District's Return To In-Person Learning, Jason Alex Wheeler

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

On March 13, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam ordered all public schools in Virginia to close for two weeks due to the on-going global health crisis; this closure was later extended to include the remainder of the academic year. This created a new political, academic, and social landscape for public schools across the commonwealth to navigate. In addition, to the external political landscape schools face, all public schools are saturated with micropolitical implications. Micropolitics, or the political interactions of values, power, organizational structures, and strategies among internal stakeholders, of which the COVID-19 Pandemic exacerbated, is concerned with the internal politics that …

The Lived Experiences Of Counselors-In-Training Completing Practicum And Internship During Covid-19, Shelby Lauren Dillingham

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

COVID-19’s classification as a pandemic in March 2020 changed numerous professions as they adjusted to social distancing expectations. Mental health providers particularly encountered transitions that included higher acuity caseloads, working different hours, and increased exposure to COVID-19. Counselors-in-training (CIT) faced the dilemma of earning their clinical hours in a safe manner, especially CITs working within integrated healthcare settings, such as hospitals or clinics. Despite some research with licensed professional counselors, limited research exists examining CITs' experiences working during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study sought to understand the lived experiences of CITs who completed their clinical hours in an integrated behavioral …

Modeling And Predicting The Dynamics Of Covid 19 In Malaysia A State Space Approach, Wan Munirah Wan Mohamad, Syazwani Mohd Salleh, Tengku Farah Busyra Tengku Nadzion, Abdul Latif Mohd Riza, Azmirul Ashaari

Malaysian Journal of Computing (MJoC)

The emergence of COVID-19 in Malaysia in January 2020 marked the beginning of a significant public health challenge. Despite the transition to the endemic phase on April 1, 2022, the global impact of the virus remains substantial. This research aims to forecast the cumulative number of detected cases and deaths by employing a state-space model derived from the Susceptible-Infectious-Recovered (SIR) model, capturing the multi-wave dynamics of COVID-19. The modeling focuses on estimating the trends within the time interval spanning from week 1 to week 12, commencing in mid-June 2022. Real-time data sourced from the Ministry of Health in Malaysia serve …

What Weight Changes Really Happened During Covid-19 Among Older Adults?, John A Batsis, Dennis T Villareal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Coping Strategies For Nurses’ Distress In Dealing With The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review, Ika Nopa, L Meily Kurniawidjaja, Dadan Erwandi

Jurnal Keperawatan Indonesia

It is a well-known fact that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the work stressors of nurses, which were already a problem previously, causing great distress. Hence, the need for effective coping strategies has been realized to prevent such distress, especially if a pandemic recurs. Determining how the types of coping strategies used by nurses impact their distress level in COVID-19 Pandemic. This review was conducted using the PRISMA Statement Recommendations Checklist and PRISMA—Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-SCR). The databases used were Willey Library, Science Direct, SCOPUS, and Springer Link for the literature search. Nurse and (“coping type” or “brief cope”) and …

Hypermetabolic Lymphadenopathy Following The Administration Of Covid-19 Vaccine And Immunotherapy In A Lung Cancer Patient: A Case Report, Shreya Tripathy, Nathaniel Alvarez, Shubham Jaiswal, Ryan Williams, Munaf Al-Khadimi, Sarah Hackman, William Phillips, Supreet Kaur, Sherri Cervantez, William Kelly, Josephine Taverna

Research Symposium

Background: Given the current climate of the pandemic, lung cancer patients are especially vulnerable to complications from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. As a high-risk population group, these patients are strongly advised to receive coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination in accordance with Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to minimize morbidity and mortality. In recent years, immunotherapy has taken a preeminent role in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer with dramatic improvement in overall survival. Reactive lymphadenopathy following the administration of a coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination can confound the radiographic interpretation of positron emission tomography-computed tomography or …

Consensus Pharmacophore Strategy For Identifying Novel Sars-Cov-2 Mpro Inhibitors From Large Chemical Libraries, Angel J Ruiz-Moreno, Raziel Cedillo-González, Luis Cordova-Bahena, Zhiqiang An, José L Medina-Franco, Marco A Velasco-Velázquez

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main Protease (Mpro) is an enzyme that cleaves viral polyproteins translated from the viral genome and is critical for viral replication. Mpro is a target for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug development, and multiple Mpro crystals complexed with competitive inhibitors have been reported. In this study, we aimed to develop an Mpro consensus pharmacophore as a tool to expand the search for inhibitors. We generated a consensus model by aligning and summarizing pharmacophoric points from 152 bioactive conformers of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors. Validation against a library of conformers from a subset of ligands showed that …

Working Remotely And Corporate Culture Wars In The Post-Pandemic Era, David M. Savino, Danielle C. Foster

Journal of the North American Management Society

Organizational culture is a sacred element of any organization. It is the lifeblood and the guiding force that makes each organization unique in its ability to navigate day-to-day and longer-term perspectives of corporate operations. Strong cultures help identify direction and philosophy and provide confidence in how to proceed to pursue innovative ideas and solve problems. Since 2020, the core value and the strength of many organizational cultures have been tested as a result of the increased reliance on working remotely and the adoption of a hybrid model of business operations not previously utilized to a great degree. While many survived …

Changes In Human Resources Function In Higher Education Institutions During A Pandemic, Naterena Anevia Parham-Cofield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pandemics have reshaped societies and paved ways for advances in sciences, political systems, technology, medicine, and the economy. However, researchers have not explored how human resources (HR) function changes due to a pandemic in higher education institutions (HEIs) and how managing it contributes to employee performance and employee well-being. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive multiple case study was to explore how HR function changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in different types of HEIs and how managing it contributed to employee performance and employee well-being. The study was grounded in Kotter’s eight-step change management model. Data were collected through …

Waiving Snap Interviews During The Covid-19 Pandemic Increased Snap Caseloads, Colleen Heflin, William Fannin, Leonard M. Lopoo, Siobhan O'Keefe

Population Health Research Brief Series

Food insecurity in the United States reached historically high rates during the COVID-19 pandemic, thus substantially increasing demand for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). To facilitate access to SNAP during the pandemic, the federal government granted state SNAP offices the option to waive the interview requirement – an administrative burden associated with the SNAP certification process. This brief summarizes findings from a recent study that used data from SNAP offices across 10 states to examine the impact of SNAP interview waivers on SNAP caseloads from January 5th to April 30th of 2021. Findings reveal that counties that implemented the …