Digital Commons Network^™

Hammer Throwing - Countering Dynamics, Andreas Maheras

Track and Field Faculty Publications

During a hammer throw, the athlete first rotates the hammer two or three times around his body while keeping both feet on the ground. Following, the athlete attempts to increase the speed of the hammer by turning three or four times together with it, as one system, while being in double and single support alternately. During the turns, as the throw progresses and the speed of the athlete+hammer system increases, the athlete will be "countering" the hammer to maintain an optimum balance of the system. He can do this by employing two methods, a) countering with the "hips" which involves …

The Effect Of Exercise Interventions On Cognitive Functions In Individuals With Down Syndrome: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Emma Moreland

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Purpose: Previous research showed that exercise positively impacts cognition, specifically executive functioning. This systematic review aims to determine the impact of exercise on cognitive functions in people with Down Syndrome.

Method: A systematic review of the research literature related to the influence of exercise on cognition for individuals with Down syndrome was carried out. Included studies were evaluated for level of evidence and appraised for strength of study design. Post-intervention change score differences between groups were analyzed using effect sizes (Hedge’s g).

Results: Fifteen intervention studies met inclusionary criteria and were included in the systematic review. Levels of evidence for …

Faculty Perception Of The Impact Of Covid-19: A Descriptive Case Study Analysis, Traci Pooler

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to get an understanding of college faculty experiences and perceptions of student learning outcomes during forced virtual instruction in the spring 2020 semester. The study was limited to faculty who taught at one of the 18 member institutions of the Association of Kentucky Colleges and Universities (AIKCU). Factors such as the discipline being taught were considered. Other factors considered were faculty experience with virtual instruction, the availability of technology for faculty and students, and the support provided to students and faculty amid the transition to virtual instruction. The survey reviewed responses from each AIKCU …

Agreement Of Psychiatric Diagnoses Within And Between Groups Of Mental Health Clinicians From Different Disciplines, Wade Mcguire

Dissertations

The development of therapy as a treatment option for mental health problems has led to the creation of different disciplines. Each discipline has developed its own conceptualization of classification and treatment of mental health problems. These conceptualizations have led to different areas of focus for each of the disciplines, specifically counseling, psychology, and social work. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether these areas of focus influence how each discipline diagnoses. For this study, data was collected by having clinicians provide diagnoses for three fictitious clients. The vignettes for the clients were taken from a psychopathology textbook to …

The Effects Of Personalized Learning On Student Achievement, Keile Phillips

Dissertations

Although many studies have been conducted on personalized learning strategies, teacher attitudes and perceptions, and student engagement, few studies have focused on personalized learning and its impact on student achievement when compared to the traditional classroom. The purpose of this study was to determine if personalized learning increased student achievement in three school districts by analyzing student assessments for three consecutive school years. The study utilized data from three school districts located in Western Kentucky for the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 school years. The data were collected from Renaissance Learning for math and reading. In addition to examining the students’ …

An Improvement Science Approach To Understanding Adaptive Leadership As A Tool For Diabetes Educators To Teach Patient Self-Efficacy, Allie Carter

Dissertations

Background: Worldwide diabetes is estimated at 415 million, and that number is expected to increase to 642 million by 2040 (Roberts et al., 2017). Certified Diabetes Care and Educational Specialists (CDCES) and other health care providers strive to teach patients with diabetes skills that assist them in developing and maintaining self-efficacy. Current education methods are not always enough to help a patient navigate effects of their diabetes. Using the adaptive leadership principles can provide educators an interventional practice that facilitates patient self-management. This study explores the effectiveness of adaptive leadership when applied to the diabetes education delivery and confirms the …

Qualitative Development Of Items For A Young Adult Autism Spectrum Disorder Screener, David Roehm

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits across multiple domains such as deficits in social communication and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior. The prevalence of ASD has increased over time, and while there are ample screeners and assessments for children, there is a distinct lack of screeners for young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 years. The present study focused on exploring the gap in screeners for ASD in young adults and assessing the insight of experts in the field toward the development of a screener for ASD in young adults. Participants (N = …

Administrative Leaders' Viewpoints About The Significance Of Art Education In Schools, Jennifer Luckett

Dissertations

The value of art education and people’s perspective of its value have been subjects of research throughout the years. Art programs are usually the first to be eliminated when there are budget cuts in the public-school systems. This study examines policy, history, and teachers’, parents’, and students’ viewpoints of the value of art education. It also analyzes the researched value that an art education provides. As there is little to no research on administrative leaders’ viewpoints, this research study utilized Q-methodology to determine administrators’ viewpoints on their personal value of art education. The main goal of this research was to …

Investigating The Effect Of Pancreatic Cancer Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles On Schwann Cell Activation, Isabel Powers

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest diseases because it is hard to identify in its early stages, has high chemoresistance, and early metastasis. Because of these traits, it is often associated with perineural invasion (PNI), where the cancer travels to the nervous system. Schwann cells (SC) are associated with both metastasis and PNI when activated. The purpose of this study was to determine if and how pancreatic tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (TEVs) can activate SC in PNI. This experiment was performed by embedding Schwann cells in a hydrogel to model the tumor microenvironment and treating them with isolated extracellular vesicles …

The Impact Of Mentoring On Student Leadership Development At Université Chrétienne Bilingue Du Congo, Kizito Kakule Mayao

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of mentoring process at the Christian Bilingual University of the Congo (UCBC) and see how mentoring impacts current students’ life, alumni, staff, and faculty’s life experiences. Does mentoring help students become successful in their careers, as well as their professional and personal development? The key research question was, “What is the impact of mentoring on student leadership development at UCBC?” A qualitative methodology with a phenomenological case design allowed for interviewing four mixed focus groups of current students as well as two groups of alumni. Additional one-on-one interviews were held …

“Why Can’T I Get Over This?”: The Impact Of Vicarious Trauma On College Student Leader Mental Health, Sarah Hagelberger

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

Many college student leaders get the opportunity to learn the stories of those they serve. Similar to people in other helping roles, a possible impact of this work is experiencing a negative emotional response developed in response to the trauma someone in close proximity is experiencing, or vicarious trauma. This research project attempted to understand the impact of vicarious trauma on college student leader mental health. Using a phenomenological approach, the study explored the experiences of nine past student leaders at a small, private, liberal arts college in the Midwest. Results indicate that vicarious trauma, inherently, has a negative impact …

The Effects Of Motivation, Loneliness, And Academic Productivity On College Students During The Pandemic, Alyssa Bates

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

The 2020 pandemic and the stay-at-home-orders shifted the college experience for students and required students to complete their work off-campus. This research uses a convergent mixed methods design to examine how loneliness, motivation, and academic productivity interacted in the lives of students during the pandemic. This study explores the implications of the loneliness students experienced and the patterns or shifts in behavior that brought upon either success or struggle. The study shows that students were relatively lonely during this time, yet had varying measures of motivation, leading to a low positive correlation between loneliness and lack of motivation. Additionally, significant …

What Is My Role?: The Impact Of The Christian College Experience On Female Students’ Gender Role Beliefs, Emma Sachsenmaier

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

Christianity in America offers multiple perspectives on gender roles for men and women. Often, these views are formed from an early age, through family units and church models. For many women, college is the first time in which they are exposed to a broad range of perspectives and have the opportunity to think through these perspectives on their own. This research explores the impact of the Christian college experience on female students’ gender role beliefs using a qualitative phenomenological design. The study showed that faith, community, and classroom experiences are also primary influences on how female students construct their gender …

Impact Of Marketing And Recruitment On The Expectations Of Incoming Students At A Faith-Based Institution, Aiden Reichard

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

During the college recruitment process, prospective students develop expectations of what college life will be like at an institution. They use information and messages provided by an institution’s admissions team to speculate what they will experience when they enroll. However, some students enter college with expectations that are not accurate to the experiences they have. These unmet expectations from students can lead to dissatisfaction with an institution and eventually retention issues. This study examines how the marketing and recruitment process may influence incoming student expectations related to sense of belonging, academics, and faith development prior to enrolling at a faith-based …

Career Related Stress And Faculty Work–Life Balance, Sarah Jo Chipka

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

College faculty have a range of demands on their time in both their personal and professional lives. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the effects of career related stress on faculty members’ satisfaction with the balance between their personal and professional lives. This study focused on faculty at a small, faith-based, liberal arts institution in the Midwest. Data from the 2013–2014, 2016–2017, and 2019–2020 HERI Faculty Surveys were analyzed to determine if any of four independent variables—colleagues, students, research or publishing demands, or teaching load—significantly predicted the dependent variable, work–life balance. Gender was the only control variable …

Tactical Urbanism On A University Campus: A Case Study Of Crossroads On Dickson, Noah Berg

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Tactical Urbanism is a method of creating temporary, low-cost interventions in a city’s built environment, aiming to test new ideas, gather community feedback, and create momentum for larger-scale changes. The approach is characterized by its focus on quick, iterative projects that can be easily implemented and adjusted, rather than large, expensive initiatives that take years to complete. Examples of Tactical Urbanism projects include pop-up bike lanes, parklets, and community gardens. The goal is to encourage community participation, foster a sense of ownership, and create a safer, more livable, and inclusive city. In spring 2022, a class called “Walk, Bike, Link” …

Analyzing Sport And Gender Issues: Reflective Thoughts Of A Cisgender, Heterosexual, White Male Student Majoring In Sports Management, Brendan W. Carter

Kinesiology and Public Health

The student author performed a follow-up analysis of an end-of-term reflection essay, in a course that discussed sport and gender, specifically on how sport relates to gender equity and inclusivity issues on micro and macro levels (2022 Fall Quarter, KINE 323: Sport & Gender, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo). The present submission is a subsequently revised, and improved-upon, write-up of the student author’s KINE 323 term paper (reflection essay), which was revised post-course during the 2023 Winter & Spring Quarters. Through this submission, the student reflects on what he has learned about the following topics covered in the course on …

Media Responsibility For Environmental Influence, Kaley Lambert

Comm-entary

No abstract provided.

Writer-Librarian Viewpoint: Ai’S Foreseeable Impact On Literature, Zhe Benedict Yeo

Research Collection Library

In 1982, Roald Dahl wrote a short story about a supercomputer which solves the world's big factual questions in seconds. Next, they used it generate stories and changed the literature scene forever.
Is ChatGPT the cusp of this change?

Benedict, as both a fiction writer and librarian, discusses AI's foreseeable impact on authorship and literature, its applications for writing, and possible implication on classification, credits, and collection with regard to literature, especially fiction.
This presentation features insights from interviews with four writers, talks about the strike by the Writers Guild of America, and about the citing and crediting of AI-generated …

Faculty Senate Monthly Packet May 2023, Portland State University Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Monthly Packets

The May 1, 2023 Monthly packet includes the May agenda and appendices and the Faculty Senate minutes and attachments from the meeting held April 3, 2023.

Perception Of Physical Safety Among Non-White College Students, Jireh Bagyendera

Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) Theses

Non-White college students in the United States have a lower perception of physical safety than White students. Colleges around the United States have significant indicators of safety and have some attitudes of fairness. They need to grow in creating avenues for communication, fostering non-White sense of belonging, addressing bias, and installing policies that validate perspectives of diverse students.

Emotional Response To Uk Political Party Leader Facial Displays Of Affiliation, Reward, And Ambiguity During Brexit, Patrick A. Stewart, Nick Lee, Erik P. Bucy, Carl Senior

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective

On December 12, 2019, the United Kingdom's ruling Conservative Party called an election that put the country's 2016 “Brexit” referendum on leaving the European Union to the test. The divisive campaign and a polarized electorate culminated in large losses by opposition Labour and Liberal Democratic parties. Amid a polarized electorate, lingering questions arise as to whether the election results reflect more upon partisan ties or the respective party leaders' ability to emotionally connect with followers through their nonverbal behavior.

Methods

Using a unique pre-registered design, this study considers the emotional response to leaders of the three major U.K. political …

The Evolution Of The Jinn In Middle Eastern Culture And Literature From Pre-Islam To The Modern Age, Caroline Ford

World Languages, Literatures and Cultures Undergraduate Honors Theses

The legends of the jinn, romanized as djinn and anglicized as genies, have long been a part of mystical story telling tradition. The modern-day genies of Western film are lovable and comedic tricksters who grant wishes to the master that uncovers them, but this depiction is a far cry from their origin point in the Ancient Middle Eastern region known as Mesopotamia. Here they began as powerful nature spirits inspiring poets, soothsayers, and philosophers by sharing messages of the unseen world. The modern Western depiction of the jinn is devoid of cultural and historical context. The very name “jinn” is …

Artificially Alternate Bauhaus: Gremlins Of Function, Body, And Pattern, Madeline Alves, Erin Zearfoss

Architecture Senior Theses

Human and machine intelligence has the potential to re-design objects and spaces of the past and generate an artificially alternate collection of reimagined Bauhaus images. Present A.I. technologies can operate as synthetic imaginations of historic Bauhaus principles and design ambitions to create a possible future. The past becomes altered through our understanding of its contributions to an alternate present.

Negotiating Arabic: Diglossic Language And Intercultural Proficiency In American Education, Natalie C. Parsons

International Studies Honors Projects

Diglossia refers to the coexistence of High (H) and Low (L) varieties within a language (Ferguson 1959). Arabic, a diglossic language, struggles with this division. Native speakers of Arabic communicate via their dialects (L). Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language (TAFL) in the US focuses on Modern Standard Arabic (H), neglecting the dialects. US government investment in Arabic as a critical language since 9/11 has continued to prioritize the instruction and professionalization of the H variety, suppressing intercultural proficiency. Arabic Language curricula in the US must evolve to teach meta-linguistic awareness between the H and L forms of Arabic.

Investigating The Psychology Of Morbid Curiosity: The Role Of Needing To Know, Hanna Rose Harbison Ruedisili

Psychology Honors Projects

The goal of this study was to investigate the psychological factors that motivate morbidly curious behavior, specifically the cognitive motivation to learn new information. Participants were shown various morbid and non-morbid control images, sometimes with a preview and sometimes without a preview. The preview condition created a situation in which the target image contained no new information, thereby removing the opportunity to learn more information. For each image, participants were asked to complete a visual search task unrelated to the content of the image as quickly as possible. If morbid content distracted participants from the visual search task, then response …

College Of Graduate Programs And Honors Studies Newsletter - May 2023, College Of Graduate Programs And Honors Studies, Wright State University

College of Graduate Programs and Honors Studies Newsletter

A nine page newsletter created by the College of Graduate Programs and Honors Studies at Wright State University. This newsletter includes a upcoming events, message from the dean, and more.

Visual Development For Wellspring, Jane Frances Anderson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The primary focus of this thesis is the study of visual development for worldbuilding, starting with creative writing and documentation and translating the written content into visual concepts in both 2D and 3D. This project includes an original narrative, setting, and characters and explores aspects of the visual development pipeline. The content below contains work in visual research, 2D character design, 3D character sculpting, 3D printing and assembly, hard-surface modeling, matte-painting, illustration, compositing, and heavy creative writing.

Animal Agriculture Is The Missing Piece In Climate Change Media Coverage, Coni Arévalo, Jo Anderson

Agriculture

For many years now, climate researchers have been warning that the world can’t meet its Paris Agreement climate goals of limiting global warming to 1.5°C without reducing meat consumption. Multiple studies have affirmed that between 11.1 and 19.6% of global emissions come from meat and dairy production, and leading global food and climate agencies are also in agreement, recommending that people, particularly those in the Global North, reduce meat consumption in favor of a plant-rich diet.

The effects of animal agriculture on the environment and climate are vast: It is a leading cause of deforestation, it’s responsible …

Franglais, Shasta Hecht

The Oval

No abstract provided.