Digital Commons Network^™

Online Shopping Non-Adoption In South Africa: A Distrust-Centric Framework Integrating Social Exchange, Trust Transfer, And Social Presence Theories, Cleopatra Moipone Matli, Jeevarathnam P. Govender

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

Online shopping non-adoption remains critically underexplored, especially in emerging markets. Addressing this gap, the authors develop and test a distrust-centric framework that applies the inhibitory logic of social exchange, trust transfer, and social presence theories to explain pre-emptive avoidance. Focusing on South Africa, where only 18.16% of the population engage in e-commerce, data was collected from 414 consumers who have never shopped online. Structural equation modelling reveals that perceived lack of reciprocity directly increases the intention of non-adoption. Moreover, distrust in online payment systems transfers to broader channel scepticism, which in turn drives avoidance. Perceived lack of social presence further …

Unveiling The Power Of Credibility: How Virtual Influencers Shape Consumer Attitudes And Purchase Intentions In Fashion, Danita Van Heerden, Jade L. Verbeek

Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of influencer marketing, particularly in the fashion industry. Consequently, brands are using virtual influencers (VIs) to engage consumers in this space. Yet little is known about VIs’ credibility and their influence on purchase intentions, especially in an emerging market where they are less prevalent. This study examines the influence of VIs’ credibility (i.e., trustworthiness, attractiveness, and expertise) on consumers’ attitudes towards VIs and the subsequent impact on purchase intention for fashion products in South Africa, grounded in the Source Credibility Theory. Data were collected from active social media users using non-probability convenience and …

Ever-Present: Exposing The Complex Emotions We Try To Hide, Madison Porter

Honors Projects

Through large brushstrokes and bold colors, my paintings are a culmination of who I am and how I see myself in the world. To explore my sense of self, I learned to process my insecurities through intentional compositional choices and experimental color palettes. This series is as authentic as I can be, depicting raw, emotional figurative work, following in the footsteps of my modern artist predecessors.

Is It Still Gendered? Political Discourse Among Adolescent Legislators, Kevin G. Lorentz Ii, Stephanie Zarb, Connor J.S. Sutton, Mary Herring

Journal of Political Science Studies

More women are serving in American legislatures than ever before. However, research demonstrates that even when included, women’s formal political participation in legislatures often is undergirded by gender norms and forestalled by considerable institutional barriers, especially partisanship. Given the challenges of traditional gender norms and increasing numbers of women legislators over the past twenty years, our study examines whether political discourse remains gendered in a formal environment. Using a mock legislature of adolescents, we find that women still face substantial barriers that result in their taking fewer speaking turns than their male counterparts, although when women do participate, they act …

Supporting Students With A Hearing Impairment, Kayleigh Kearsley, April Israelsen, Whitney Clawson

Curiosity

Imagine you have hearing aids and have been struggling for weeks to hear your band teacher because of the background noise in class. You approach your teacher and request that he wear an FM microphone device that transmits directly to your hearing aids, turning it on when he is talking and off again when the class is playing, allowing you to hear his voice better. The band teacher denies the request, stating that it would be too distracting for other students if he used the device during class. This is the real life experience of Abby Daum, a hard of …

The Relation Between Parental Bonding And Sexual Self-Concept In College Students, Kinsey Hatfield

Masters Theses

This thesis explores the relation between two dimensions of parental bonding—care and overprotection—and four aspects of sexual self-concept including sexual agency, desire, anxiety, and satisfaction in college students. We also explored the use of a relatively novel measure of sexual self-concept, the MSSCQ-SF. 292 college students completed measures regarding parental bonding, sexual self-concept, and various demographic questions. Results partially supported our hypotheses, with parental care and overprotection being correlated with sexual anxiety and satisfaction but not desire or agency. Further, parental overprotection was positively correlated with sexual anxiety above and beyond the demographic variables assessed. These findings suggest that parental …

The Impact Of Teacher Communication Practices On Student Performance In Literacy And Terminology At Geo Prep Next Generation High School, Erica Lafayette

Masters Theses

This study examined the impact of teacher communication clarity on student engagement and vocabulary confidence in a charter high school setting. Grounded in Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory and constructivist perspectives, the research highlights the importance of clear instructional communication in supporting student learning. A quantitative, correlational design was used to analyze data collected from 229 students at GEO Next Generation High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with 215 valid responses included in the final analysis. Data were gathered through a Likert-scale survey measuring teacher communication clarity, student engagement, and vocabulary confidence. The results revealed moderate, positive, and statistically significant relationships between …

Ai-Augmented Pedagogy In Higher Education: An Ethical And Equitable Framework For The Governance And Operational Integration Of Ai In Teaching And Learning, Asrat G. Amnie

Publications and Research

Abstract

Higher education faces a convergence of pressures that no single institutional response has yet resolved: widening demographic diversity, pandemic-exposed structural fragility, and the persistent inequity of whose learning gets supported and how. Artificial intelligence (AI) has entered this landscape not as an optional enhancement but as an infrastructural reality— embedded in adaptive platforms, feedback systems, and early-alert protocols at institutions worldwide. Yet adoption has consistently outpaced governance, and tools celebrated for democratizing access carry real risks of encoding and amplifying the inequities they promise to address. This article introduces the AI-Augmented Pedagogy (AAP) framework, developed through a Sequential Explanatory …

Leadership Experiences Of Gender-Diverse Managers In U.S. Libraries And Museums, Galen Jay Talis

Faculty Scholarship

This article explores how gender-diverse managers in U.S. libraries and museums experience leadership and perceive gender to influence leadership. In-depth interviews were conducted with five gender-diverse managers. Data were analyzed with inductive, semantic thematic analysis and a complementary, deductive analysis using Wharton’s multilevel gender framework. Participants described relational, pragmatic, point-person leadership—connecting and supporting people, coordinating work, and translating between units—while expressing ambivalence about formal and hierarchical roles. Most did not initially link leadership to gender; when prompted, they articulated gender’s influence at individual, interactional, and institutional levels. Gender discrimination and transphobia persist even in woman-dominated contexts, shaping decisions about visibility, …

Teachers' Experiences With Helping Students Master Mathematics Competencies Postpandemic In A Southeastern U.S. School District, Sherry Y. Jackson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Voices Within: How Ncii Survivors Reconstruct Self Concept Through Intrapersonal Communication, Keisha Aurellia Devinia, Aiza Nabilla Arifputri

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

This study examines Non-Consensual Intimate Image Sharing (NCII) as a form of digital gender-based violence that disrupts women’s self-concept beyond its psychological consequences, particularly among female victims active on social media. It aims to analyze their intrapersonal communication experiences and how they redefine self-concept following the incident. This study employs a qualitative approach, gathering data by performing in-depth interview with five female NCII victims who actively use social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, and X. The study draws on Stuart & Laraia’s (1998) self-concept theory, which includes five analytical dimensions: body image, ideal self, self-esteem, role performance, …

Coupled Ferroelectricity And Phonon Chirality, Xiang-Bin Han, Cong Yang, Rui Sun, Xiaotong Zhang, Thuc Mai, Zhengze Xu, Aryan Jouneghaninaseri, Xiaoning Jiang, Rahul Rao, Yi Xia, Multople Additional Authors

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recognizing the coupling between ferroelectricity and chirality in optically active ferroelectrics opens a route for manipulating chirality via ferroelectricity under an external electric field, enabling control over chirality-dependent quantum states. Here, we report the experimental demonstration of the coupling between ferroelectricity and phonon chirality in the molecular ferroelectric triglycine sulfate. By electrically switching the crystal chirality, we achieve reversible and device-compatible control of phonon chirality, as revealed by in situ time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements. The Kerr rotation reverses with electric-field switching, while phonon chirality vanishes in the paraelectric phase and is tunable in the racemic ferroelectric state. Furthermore, density …

Introduction To Tamil Language For Speech-Language Pathologists In The U.S.A. ~A Phonetic, Linguistic, And Cultural Guide With Clinical Applications~, Roshni Sreeram Mohan Kasthuri

Curiosity

With the increasing linguistic diversity rapidly expanding in the United States of America’s (U.S.A.) educational and health care systems, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are increasingly being asked to provide services to individuals who come from multilingual/multicultural backgrounds (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d.). Among these, there are the Tamil-speaking community, representing a classical Dravidian language that has more than 80 million native speakers worldwide (Proof, 2019) and sizeable diasporas in the U.S.A.

This interdisciplinary Tamil guide provides SLPs with the foundational knowledge and information about Tamil phonetics and morphosyntax, while also emphasizing the need for a culturally responsive tool for assessment. This guide …

Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Among Hepatitis B Patients In Jakarta, Indonesia: A Cross-Sectional Study, Hashem S. Arkok, Tri Yunis Miko Wahyono, Nurhayati Adnan Prihartono, Dipo Aldila

Kesmas

Hepatitis B remains a major public health problem in Indonesia. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of hepatitis B patients in Jakarta to identify gaps in prevention and control and to explore relationships among KAP components. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 128 patients at a government hospital in South Jakarta, using a structured questionnaire that collected demographic information and assessed knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding hepatitis B transmission and prevention. Despite moderate knowledge levels, major gaps remained. Only a small proportion (10.9%) correctly identified common symptoms, transmission routes (10.2%), and possible complications (18.8%). Misconceptions about transmission …

Development And Validation Of An Indonesian Questionnaire For Assessing Paracetamol Self-Medication Knowledge, Attitude, And Practice, Widyana Sagita Putri, Rani Sauriasari, Priharika Septyowati

Kesmas

Paracetamol is a widely used over-the-counter medicine for self-medication and is often perceived as completely safe. However, inappropriate use may result in hepatotoxicity and other adverse effects, particularly at high doses. This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess the general Indonesian population’s knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding paracetamol self-medication. The validation procedure consisted of three stages: content, face, and construct validation. Three experts assessed the relevance of the items using the Content Validity Index, and five respondents were interviewed to assess the linguistic clarity and comprehensibility of the questions. Construct validity and reliability were assessed …

Determinants Of Behavioral Intention To Change Sexual And Reproductive Health Practices Among Adolescents: A Hierarchical Multiple Linear Regression Analysis, Md Mizanur Rahman, Gerraint Gillan Ahi, Rafazila Ramli, Rasitasam Safii, Jacey Lynn Minoi, Stephanie Chua Hui Li, Ahmad Sofian Bin Shminan, Lee Jun Choi

Kesmas

Conventional and web-based sexual and reproductive health (SRH) interventions are increasingly used with adolescents, yet their comparative effectiveness and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study compared the two formats and examined the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs as predictors of changes in intention to adopt health-protective SRH practices (including contraceptive use, service utilization, and parent–child communication) among Malaysian adolescents. A randomized controlled trial allocated adolescents to conventional or web-based SRH education. Intention-to-change behavior towards sexual and reproductive health scores was assessed at baseline, 1 month, and 3 months; change scores were modeled using hierarchical linear regression, including intervention type, …

Factors Associated With Public Health Centers’ Achievement Of Health Service Target In Yahukimo District, Highland Papua Province, Indonesia, Emaus Heluka, Venty Suryanti, Indasah Indasah, Prima Dewi Kusumawati

Kesmas

The achievement of the Minimum Service Standards (MSS) in Yahukimo District, Highland Papua Province, Indonesia, warrants examination. This study aimed to analyze factors associated with the achievement of health service targets among Public Health Centers (PHCs) in Yahukimo District. An ecological study design was employed. The participants were 400 health workers from 33 PHCs and were examined using Likert-scale questionnaires. Data were processed using Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) to assess the association of each variable. The results showed that health target indicators were associated with the achievement of health service targets (T = 3.320; p-value = 0.012). Health …

Gastrointestinal Symptoms After Sport-Related Concussion: Prevalence And Patterns In A Multi-Cohort Analysis, Emma Finnegan, Ed Daly, Katherine J. Hunzinger, Lisa Ryan

Department of Exercise Science Faculty Papers

Background/Objectives: Concussions occur across all sports globally; however, inconsistent symptom recognition continues to challenge diagnosis, management, and recovery. Although concussion effects extend beyond neurological dysfunction, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms remain insufficiently captured within current assessment frameworks and may influence athletes’ fuelling choices and food tolerance during recovery. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and patterns of GI symptoms reported among athletes with a history of concussion and to explore whether symptom prevalence and burden differed by sex and country. Methods: A total of 401 adult athletes (225 males; mean age 32.4 ± 11.3 years) with a history of concussion were …

Engineering: What Are We Doing?, Matthew Kuperus Heun

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Keynote speech at 2026 Christian Engineering Society Conference and 2026 Association for Christians in Mathematical Sciences Conference

Parent Perspectives On Primary And Secondary Online Learning, Barbara Tanner Sandberg

Theses and Dissertations

Given the growth of K-12 online learning and the expanded responsibilities parents often assume in this learning context, the purpose of this dissertation is to understand parents' perspectives on K-12 online learning. The first article reviews and synthesizes literature documenting parents' perspectives on how instructional modality affects parental support. Instructional modality affects parental support roles, parental perception of online school support, parents' lives outside the online course, and students' online learning support needs. Hence, parents expect modality decisions to account for modality affordances, student engagement, and personal circumstances. The second article examines parent perspectives on the decision to leave a …

The Disconnect In Female Labour Force Participation Policy In Egypt: Design And Implementation Gaps, Miral Mohamed Omran

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the disconnect between Egypt's ambitious female labor force participation (FLFP) policy goals in the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030 and the declining indicators since its launch. Applying Van Meter and Van Horn's implementation framework, it analyzes the full policy process using qualitative interviews across government, civil society, and private sector actors involved in the national policy’s design and execution. Findings reveal structural failures, resource shortages, coordination gaps, leadership turnover, and donor-driven fragmentation, intensified by cultural norms and frontline resistance. Recommendations prioritize short-term administrative tweaks leveraging public sector downsizing for harmonization and rethinking the …

Here-, There-, And Every Where-: Exploring The Role Of Pronominal Adverbs In Legal Language, David Chandler

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Legal language is distinctive and sometimes difficult to understand. One type of word that appears to be part of so-called ‘legalese’ is the pronominal adverb (PA). The purpose of this thesis is to examine the prevalence of PAs in legal registers compared to more general registers of contemporary American English to determine the extent to which these words are distinctly legal. The study will also explore why different types of PAs may be (in)frequent in specific legal registers to better understand their use. The frequency of PAs was extracted from corpora that are designed to represent six registers of English …

Usa V. Abdulrahman Jamea

2026 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

How Much Should A Conversational Recommender System Converse?, Akshit Kumar, Vahideh Manshadi, Akhilesh Tumu

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Conversational recommender systems powered by generative AI can enhance personalization by facilitating information elicitation through follow-up questions. However, engaging in these conversations imposes a communication cost on users. As platforms with different objectives and monetization models deploy these systems, a central question is: how does the platform’s objective and sellers’ strategic response shape the design of these systems in terms of their elicitation strategy? We develop a parsimonious model of conversational elicitation in which interaction generates noisy preference information and imposes a communication cost borne by the user. A user-welfare-maximizing platform elicits more information when accurate niche matching yields large …

Content-Based English Language Development Instruction Through Evidence-Based Practices Advancing Comprehensive English Language Development (Eld) Implementation Brief Series, Neida Ahmad Ph.D., Linda R. G. Kaminski Ed.D., Aline Matias, Elvira G. Armas Ed.D., Magaly Lavadenz Ph.D.

Center on English Language Proficiency Implementation Briefs

Advancing Comprehensive English Language Development: Content-Based Instruction Through Evidence-Based Practices is the first in a four-part series assisting educational agencies in implementing high-quality, comprehensive English Language Development (ELD) systems. This brief bridges the gap between research and practice by illustrating what implementation looks like for evidence-based practices for content-based ELD curriculum, instruction, and assessment. It introduces a framework of foundational practices—understanding students' backgrounds and aligning instruction to standards—alongside four critical domains: Rigorous and Relevant Curriculum, Interactions, Comprehensibility, and Connections. Finally, the brief outlines the leadership and collaborative systems necessary to sustain these practices and improve long-term outcomes for English Learners.

Descriptive Qualitative Study Of Nursing Students' Perceptions And Behaviors During Student-Led Class Sessions In Uganda, Proscovia Nakaye, Veronica Nakkonde, Mercy Muwema, Grace Nakate

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Introduction: Student-led class sessions are a pedagogical approach where students actively engage in the learning process, influencing content, activities, and pace. This method fosters independent learning, communication skills, and teamwork. While some studies have shown the effectiveness of student-led sessions, nursing students often exhibit challenges, such as inattention and negative attitudes, affecting the quality of learning and patient care. Understanding nursing students' perceptions and behaviors in this context is essential for improving nursing education.

Methods: This descriptive qualitative study aimed to explore nursing students' perceptions and behaviors during student-led class sessions at Uganda Christian University. Sixteen direct-entry nursing students …

Prevalence Of Teenage Pregnancy And Associated Factors Among Adolescent Girls In Bobi Subcounty, Northern Uganda., Grace Auma, Margaret Alioru, Geoffrey Kaujju, Grace Nakate

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Methodology: A Cross-sectional study design. A survey was conducted among 4893 married girls aged 15-19 years using quantitative methods. Quantitative data was collected through the structured questionnaire, which was administered, data was collected and entered in EPI-INFO 2020 software, and was cleaned and analyzed using STATA version 15.0. Binary logistic regression was done to examine the factors independently associated with teenage pregnancy. A multistage sampling technique was used.

Results: Our study showed that the prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Bobi Sub-County, Omoro District, is high at 27.5%. Significant Factors contributing to the likelihood of teenage pregnancy included those …

Structures And Processes Of Critical Care Nursing Practice: Insights From Four Ugandan Intensive Care Units, Dominic Ogwal Savio, Edrisa Ssemwanga, Winter Patrick, Lameck Ssemogerere, Cliff Aliga

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

No abstract provided.

Objection Of Parishes To Committee's Disclosure Statemement

Catholic Dioceses in Bankruptcy

No abstract provided.

A Compelling Romance, Kayleigh Kearsley

Curiosity

One of William Shakespeare’s most famous romantic comedies, Much Ado About Nothing, tells the story of two individuals, Claudio and Hero, who quickly fall in love and plan to marry. However, due to another’s nefarious acts, Claudio believes that Hero is unfaithful. He cruelly and publicly shames her at their wedding, leading to her faking her death. In the end, it is revealed that Hero is both innocent and alive, and a double marriage becomes the play’s finale. Though this romance seems to be the focal point of the play, a close reading reveals that the romance between two supporting …