Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Generational Intelligence And Its Relationship With Team Cohesion And Team Performance In A Jamaican Multi-Generational Workforce, Omar Z. D. Oliphant

Dissertations

Problem

The Jamaica Union Conference (JAMU) currently faces a phenomenon of having a multi-generational workforce that includes four generations working alongside each other across its five fields for the first time in its history. This intersection of generations brings challenges concerning the adequacy of leaders’ generational intelligence and its relationship to team outcomes and perceptions of performance. The potential concerns for leaders center around employee recruitment, retention and engagement, conflict resolution, workplace culture, and productivity, among others (Tapscott, 2009). Any potential misunderstanding resulting from inadequate cross-generational intelligence among members of the generations currently represented may result in these Jamaican generationally …

Maternal Involvement, Parenting Styles And Socioeconomic Status As Predictors Of Academic Achievement Of Standard 5 Students In Trinidad And Tobago, Edison Greenaway

Dissertations

The Problem

Underachievement remains a long-standing issue for the Ministry of Education in Trinidad and Tobago. This has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which deleteriously impacted the education system. School closures became mandatory, and online learning was implemented throughout the education system. The results of the 2022 sitting of the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exams emphasized the issue of underachievement, with a significant decline in performance. Only 37.06% of students scored above the 50% mark. Familial factors such as parenting styles and parental involvement have been noted in the literature to positively impact students’ academic achievement (Borup et al., …

Jointly Operating A Merged Junior Academy: A Case Study Of Interracial Cooperation In Seventh-Day Adventist Education In North America, Fabian S. Reid

Dissertations

Problem

Despite the landmark 1954 US Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education that rules segregated schools unconstitutional, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America continues to operate segregated schools in close proximity, a practice rooted in a 1944 General Conference vote that allowed the establishment of separate regional (predominantly Black) and state (predominantly White) conferences within the same geographical regions (a conference is a group of churches, schools, and other institutions within a specified geographic region with one central administrative body). This dual system persists even as declining enrollments and frequent school closures prompt consideration of school …

The Processes, Events And Characteristics Associated With The Leadership Emergence Of New Believers In The Contemporary Movement Of The Seventh-Day Adventist Church In The United States, Cleveland Hobdy Iii

Dissertations

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is confronting an unsettling reality in the 21st century. A considerable body of literature has highlighted an escalating attrition rate, with the 'Ministry journal reporting in April 2019 that almost 50% of new converts eventually abandon their commitment (Thomas, 2019). Other data collected by the World Church through its Office of Research include statistics and archive information that confirm the losses (Knott, 2016; Trimm, 2023). After all the baptisms, membership transfers, professions of faith, and accessions, the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church is netting one new member per church per year. Since 1965, roughly 4 out …

No. 13, January 2024: Bilingual Teacher Residencies In California: Findings And Recommendations For Policy And Practice, Elvira G. Armas , Ed.D., Magaly Lavadenz , Ph.D.

Education and Policy Briefs

This research brief presents a study that explores one type of teacher residency program, bilingual teacher residencies (BTRs). The Center for Equity for English Learners at Loyola Marymount University (LMU CEEL) partnered with the Californians Dedication to Education Foundation (CDEF) to investigate BTRs participating in CDEF’s California Teacher Residency Lab (The Lab). To expand the knowledge base around bilingual teacher residencies and provide policy and practice recommendations, researchers conducted interviews with a sample of BTR grantee program leaders to capture and analyze their perspectives regarding BTRs based on their implementation phase and context. Four key findings emerged: (1) Bilingual Teacher …

How Communities Of Practice Can Mitigate School Leader Burnout, Jason E. Saltmarsh

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This qualitative study expands our knowledge about school leader communities of practice (CoP) by examining the role they play in mitigating symptoms of burnout. Drawing primarily on in-depth interviews with school leaders in an urban California school district, this analysis applies Leiter and Maslach’s Structured Approach to Organizational Predictors of Job Burnout as a lens to understand school leaders’ experiences in a CoP focused on instructional leadership. Findings reveal dimensions of engagement known to reduce aspects of burnout, namely social closeness, a range of supports, and the perception of doing meaningful work that aligns with one’s values. This study extends …

International Master's Degree Students' Experiences Of Support At A Finnish University, Anduena Ballo, Sotiria Varis, Charles Mathies, Kalypso Filippou

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This phenomenographic study explores international master’s degree students’ ways of experiencing support in Finnish higher education. The study draws on Schlossberg’s Transition Model and the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments Model as a conceptual framework. The phenomenographic analysis of 17 interviews with international master’s degree students identified four ways of experiencing support as: (a) study system adjustment, (b) learning enhancement, (c) personal growth, and (d) autonomy development. The findings identified participants’ experiencing support in relationships, use of information, communication, services, the flexibility of studies, learning and study environments. The presence of two indicators, Humanizing Educational Environments and Availability of Holistic Support …

For A Lost Drachma: Contesting Hindutva Subjectivation In India’S Universities, Bhavika Sicka

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

The aim of this essay is to apply Michel Foucault’s ideas on power and the practice of freedom to the context of India’s increasingly neoliberalized higher education landscape. The essay revisits Foucault’s notion of subjectivation to analyze the cultural politics of the Hindu Right, which, through organized violence and self-disciplinary mechanisms, has attempted to masculinize, privatize, saffronize, and brahmanicize the nation-state (and the public university), erase the othered body from the nation (and campus spaces), and shape how individuals understand themselves, their identities, and their modes of being in relation to savarna-capitalist power and knowledge. This essay will also suggest …

Exploring The Potential Of Utilizing Esports In The Development Of Workforce Communication And Collaboration Skills, Anthony Gray, James Bartlett

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This study explores the potential of esports in workforce development, specifically for enhancing the communication and collaboration skills of Generation Z. As Generation Z enters the job market, a gap in necessary communication and collaboration skills has become evident. Esports, previously studied for its social skill development benefits (Nielson & Hanghoj, 2019), offers a unique platform for skill enhancement. Adopting a social constructivist framework (Shabani et al., 2010), this research investigates how esports participation can bridge this skill gap, crucial for career retention and progression. Through a mixed-method approach involving surveys and player evaluations, the study aims to assess skill …

Centering Equity Within Principal Preparation And Development: An Integrative Review Of The Literature, Meagan S. Richard, Shelby Cosner

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Throughout the globe, there is growing attention being paid to issues of equity and efforts to produce more equitable student learning outcomes in schools, and much of the scholarship internationally has begun to center school leaders as key drivers of more equitable conditions. Indeed, in the United States, persistent inequities in education have highlighted the need for K-12 principals who can effectively support diverse students. Effective leader preparation and development, particularly with a focus on equity, is crucial, as it equips school leaders with the knowledge and skills to create inclusive and equitable learning environments. U.S.-based research highlights that high-quality, …

Navigating Virtual Halls: Stories Of Online Transfer, Working Adult Learners' Journeys With Student Services, Lashica Davis Waters, Michelle Bartlett

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This qualitative narrative inquiry study explores lived experiences of seven working adult part-time online students, mostly community college transfers, in a Research 1 institution's online degree-completion program. Using in-depth interviews, four key themes are identified: access, engagement, inclusion, and university pride in students' interactions with student services. Access covers service availability, engagement the interaction quality, inclusion the feeling of being valued, and university pride the over-all perception of their educational journey. Engagement further divides into positive connections and negative disconnections. Findings suggest positive experiences with student services, recommending enhanced service provisions for similar students to foster accessibility, engagement, inclusivity, and …

[Review Of The Book Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding From Anywhere, By T. Neeley]., Taylor Rodriguez

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

A consistent takeaway from research conducted on effective learning and working environments is that communication is key. In remote work and learning environments, communication comes from many different platforms, can be asynchronous and synchronous, and requires specific techniques, trust, and technology to be effective. Every salient point from the Remote work revolution: Succeeding from anywhere (Neeley, 2021), comes down to one central concept: communication. Technology and engineering educators will find the foundational concepts of this book pivotal to help guide remote education, especially in laboratory settings; potentially increasing the reach of their programs.

Enhancing Community College Leadership Development Through Ai: Enriching The Andragogical Approach, James Bartlett, Michelle Bartlett

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This proposal is for a work-in-progress that proposes a study to explore the innovative use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically ChatGPT, in advancing the development of training for leadership skills within community college settings. It aims to investigate how AI can be leveraged to provide a personalized and effective learning experience, aligning with the principles of andragogy to cater to adult learners in leadership roles. The study, currently in the data collection phase, anticipates revealing significant insights into the effectiveness of AI in professional development. It seeks to highlight the innovative aspects of AI integration in educational leadership, focusing on …

Ngo Navigators, Information Support, And Parental Assistance With Pk-12 School Decisions, Jason E. Saltmarsh

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

This study provides empirical insights into the perceptions and agency of navigators who provide school selection assistance and this NGO’s unique insider–outsider status. As semi-private actors, navigators offer an important bridge between two kinds of social capital: the informal types of trust and legitimacy that families rely on, and the skills, knowledge, and networks necessary to access higher-quality schools in choice policy contexts. Data for this study are derived from an exploratory case study, including 13 in-depth interviews, documentary and social media analysis, and informal conversations. The findings illustrate the benefits and shortcomings of NGO information support in choice policy …

Transforming Faculty Identities Within A Community Of Practice: An Academic Literacies Model, Gabriela Gui, Richard Vandermolen, Rui Niu-Cooper, Mary Bair

Peer Reviewed Articles

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-21 caused faculty to struggle with remote teaching and scholarship productivity. This article examines the experiences of faculty members who participated in a professional development project focused on writing for publication during the pandemic. Through an academic literacy lens, results indicate that participation in a community of practice was a transformative experience that helped faculty members build capacity for scholarly writing, develop writer’s identities, provide and receive increased emotional support, and develop closer relationships with colleagues. Vital to this transformation were faculty commitment and a structured and supportive community.

Unpacking Ultra-Processed Foods: Exploring The Intersection Of Health, Environment, And Justice For Holistic And Equitable Policy, Cynthia Miles

Public Health Theses

This thesis highlights the interdependent mechanisms and impact of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in relation to health, environment, and justice. It calls attention to the need for UPF policy that establishes synergistic interventions targeting issues across domains and proposes policy mechanisms as an illustrative example of how to achieve this. The intention of this thesis is not to motivate different consumer choices or to tell individuals to avoid UPFs. Rather than targeting consumers, UPF policy needs to hold food corporations responsible for the impact of the products that they’re creating and profiting from, and governments need to have more responsibility for …

Factors That Lead To The Adoption Of Alternative Energy Options In Developing Nations, Anna Bukina

Theses

Environmental degradation and climate change are pressing issues nowadays. While developed nations have been improving their current energy trends by implementing alternative energy options, developing nations are falling behind and still significantly contributing to the degradation of the planet by emitting a significant amount of carbon emissions. The present study investigated the driving forces behind the deployment of renewable energy sources in developing nations. The methods of this study included utilizing data from multiple datasets on energy use worldwide for the year 2017 to create an original data set with randomly selected thirty developing countries. Regression analysis was conducted to …

Tsion Zewdie Honors Portfolio, Tsion Zewdie

Honors Capstone Portfolios

Tsion Zewdie's Honors Portfolio captured in August 2024.

How Marital Stress May Affect The Onset Of Dementia In Older Adults, Khunza Asma

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Marital stress has been identified as a significant factor influencing the cognitive health of older adults, with emerging evidence suggesting a potential link between marital discord and the risk of developing dementia. This study will review the existing literature on the relationship between chronic stress, depression, marital discord, and the development of cognitive impairment which can increase the risk of developing dementia in older adults. However, the purpose of studying how marital stress affects the onset of dementia is to deepen our understanding of the complex interplay between psychosocial factors and cognitive health in older adults, with the ultimate goal …

Rhetorical Demagoguery: An Exploration Of Trump’S And Hitler’S Rise To Power, Tanner Horne

Undergraduate Honors Theses

While many scholars have examined the rhetoric of President Donald Trump and Adolf Hitler individually, there is a void of scholarly work that highlights the similarities between the two leaders’ use of grandiloquent language to stoke the passions of their perspective nations. In the past one hundred years, rhetoric and propaganda have been employed to push political agendas that are divisive and dangerous. Trump’s incendiary vocabulary–“enemy of the people,” “vermin,” “retribution,” etc., employed frequently throughout his campaign and presidency, in many ways echoes Hitler's speeches and declarations. While their political strategies ultimately differed greatly, a close analysis of their speeches, …

Food Allergies, The Immune Response, And Preventative Treatments: Milk, Egg, And Shellfish Allergies, Marissa Dimatteo

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Food allergies have been an increasing concern worldwide with very little information on preventative measures and treatment. They can have long lasting and life-threatening consequences with a wide range of symptoms from hives to anaphylactic shock. Long recommended feeding guidelines, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and gastrointestinal alterations are thought to play a role in the increase in food allergies in infants. Early introduction of food, immunotherapy, and a properly supported gut microbiome have been recommended to decrease the likelihood of developing a food allergy and desensitizing the immune system.

The Power Of Portrayal: How The U.S. Media Portrayed The Doolittle Raid To The American Public, James Noah Seip

Undergraduate Honors Theses

On April 18, 1942, Americans woke up to the thrilling news that American airmen had bombed the enemy capital of Tokyo, Japan. Americans all across the country were made aware of the bombing of Japan by multiple media sources at the time including newspapers, propaganda posters, newsreels, and movies. The ways in which these media outlets portrayed the American bombing of Japan would directly impact the perception of American citizens regarding the event. The bombing, eventually termed the Doolittle Raid after the general who led the mission, James Doolittle, immediately became a source of American propaganda for the U.S. media.

Demonstration Of Nonviolence In Modern Day: Through The Lens Of Christianity, Jainism, Hinduism, And Buddhism, Lauren Mertz

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Throughout history, many groups of people have experimented with nonviolent demonstrations and concepts. Religions, countries, and a variety of movements have put the demonstration of nonviolence at the forefront of their reasoning and defenses. When people hear the word nonviolence, there is usually a person or idea that comes to mind. People in the United States often think of figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and his Civil Rights Movement demonstrations. This paper will provide a detailed literary and research analysis of the concept of nonviolence, demonstrating that it is more than just a Christian concept. I will look at …

Todos Las Naciones, Tribus, Pueblos Y Lenguas: The Growing Need Of Hispanic Protestant Churches In The United States, Paula Harvie

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis covers the growing movement of Protestantism amongst Hispanics in the United States. Although significant growth in this movement has occurred in the 21^st century, the roots of this movement come from the early 20^th century and started in Latin America. Today, more and more Hispanics are converting from Catholicism to Protestantism. Furthermore, more Hispanics are immigrating to the United States and may struggle to find a sense of belonging in their new home due to language and cultural barriers. This is where Hispanic churches rise to the occasion as they provide a place in which Hispanics …

Influencing Others: How Can We Benefit Society?, Caleb Roten

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Understanding both how we perceive others and how others perceive us through social situations is vital for improving communication and thus improving relational connections. Successful interactions with people are crucial in many circumstances, especially in interview-type situations, due to the creation of cognitive biases upon such interactions. Whether the goal is to impress a hopeful romantic partner, interview for a job, negotiate a raise, interview for a scholarship, or any number of various reasons to strive for a successful social interaction, understanding how information about the people we meet and connect with is extremely important. Many cognitive examinations have been …

Nursing Care During Natural Disasters, War Zones, And Mass Casualty Incidents: Implications For An Educational And Professional Overhaul, Erin N. White

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Emergency situations around the world are inevitable. Any nurse who practices for any period of time is sure to encounter situations like these. Their hospital may be flooded with traumatic and severely life-threatening patient cases where supplies can become scarce. In these situations, a nurse and all other healthcare personnel are expected to act effectively, efficiently and in a highly organized way. Despite this need, many hospitals fail to implement effective disaster preparedness programs and plans. This leaves healthcare workers at a loss for how to treat patients, communicate within and outside of the hospital, coordinate transport, and all the …

Community Science Informs Movement And Reproductive Ecology Of Sand Tigers Carcharias Taurus Off North Carolina, United States Of America, Carol Seals Price, Ara Lupton Mcclanahan, Erin J. Burge, Tanya Houppermans, Jason Holmberg

Marine Science

Sand tigers are frequently observed at shipwrecks and other artificial reef habitats off North Carolina (USA), but data about occupancy, movement ecology, and site fidelity are lacking. Spot A Shark USA researchers used Wildbook^© photoidentification software to spot map sand tigers in images provided by recreational SCUBA divers, or collected from remotely operated vehicles, and an offshore live-streaming camera. We uniquely identified 1837 sand tigers, 101 of which were resighted on more than one date between 2005–2021. Sand tigers of both sexes and various ages were found year-round along the northern, central and southern coast. We identified shipwrecks or …

Examining The Antecedents Of Return Policy Leniency In Ecommerce, E. Mitchell Church, Richelle Oakley Dasouza, Olajumoke A. Awe

Finance and Economics

As eCommerce has become widespread, the challenge of successfully navigating the returns process has grown perilous. The product returns issue is even more difficult for microenterprises that sell unique or custom products with fewer resources. The authors examined the impact of the antecedents of return policy leniency, specifically economic and social success factors. Using a web crawler over a 24-week period, the authors collected and analyzed data for a sample of 781 shops from Etsy, an eCommerce platform. Results indicate that the well-studied factor of sales, in addition to a new social factor – community dialogue – impacts an Etsy …

A “War” Over Lobster And Whales: The Issue-Attention Cycle, Media Discourse, And Political Ecology Of Right Whale Science And Conservation In Six Us Newspapers, Marcus Reamer, Catherine Macdonald, Julia Wester, Russell Fielding, Meryl Shriver-Rice

Honors College Faculty Publications

News organizations and journalists are important and influential actors in environmental politics. Their reporting on social and environmental issues often follows issue-attention cycles (IACs) that emphasize drama and problematization to maintain public interest. This study examined nearly 13 years of news coverage to understand the media discourse about the Critically Endangered North Atlantic right whale (NARW) and its conservation. Content analysis and critical discourse analysis were used to analyze 356 texts published in six large US newspapers between January 1, 2010 and March 15, 2023. NARW conservation and management received increased public attention and an IAC began in 2017 after …

Examining The Antecedents Of Return Policy Leniency In Ecommerce, E. Mitchell Church, Richelle Oakley Dasouza, Olajumoke A. Awe

Management and Decision Sciences

As eCommerce has become widespread, the challenge of successfully navigating the returns process has grown perilous. The product returns issue is even more difficult for microenterprises that sell unique or custom products with fewer resources. The authors examined the impact of the antecedents of return policy leniency, specifically economic and social success factors. Using a web crawler over a 24-week period, the authors collected and analyzed data for a sample of 781 shops from Etsy, an eCommerce platform. Results indicate that the well-studied factor of sales, in addition to a new social factor – community dialogue – impacts an Etsy …