Digital Commons Network^™

The Gender Investing Gap: A Global Viewpoint, Olivia Walker

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

The gender investing gap is a topic of increasing concern, referring to the disparities in investment participation and outcomes between men and women. This gap is prevalent in various financial instruments, including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Its consequences for women include reduced savings and accumulation of assets, decreased financial security, and lower savings for retirement. The economic costs of the gender investing gap are substantial, with an estimated $3.22 trillion more available for investment and $1.87 trillion more invested in socially and environmentally responsible companies if women invested at the same rate as men. This literature review examines the …

The Economic Impact And Effects Of Learning A Second Language, Luke Newman

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

The modern world has never been more connected than it is now. However, in the United States of America, and many other countries, the growth of their economy is slowed by the reliance on monolingual communication. By implementing policies to invest in the foundation and future of the countries workforce, and increase the use of a second language, not only will the economy reap the benefits, but the workers who are being invested in will also personally benefit as well. The following study aims to investigate the economic impact and effects of learning a second language.

Income Inequality And Economic Growth: An Analysis, Nicholas Martin

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Income inequality and its relationship with economic growth has been a subject of debate in academia for decades. This paper examines the relationship the Gini index of five selected countries and four macroeconomic variables (GDP growth, unemployment rate, lending interest rate, and savings rate) for each country with two developed nations being represented (United States and Italy) and three developing nations being represented (Peru, Belarus, and Indonesia). After reviewing the literature on the relationship between income inequality and economic growth, a multivariate regression analysis of each country is presented; first with GDP growth as the dependent variable, followed by a …

The Impact Of Free Tuition On Course-Level Student Outcomes, Thomas Sharpe

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The United States has experienced a substantial increase in tuition rates for higher education. At the national level free tuition at two-year public institutions has been one solution proposed by various leaders. The College of Southern Idaho (CSI) is a two-year public institution with an emphasis on serving the eight county South Central Idaho region. In the Summer of 2021, a year into the COVID pandemic, CSI leveraged federal COVID support funds to implement “First Eight on Us”. This first-dollar program provided students with up to eight credits for free, with minimal requirements. Then, in Summer 2022, a revised “First …

The Effect Of Group Interactions And Group Structure On Achievement In Elementary School Robotics Classrooms, Jonathan Kimei Yogi

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Jung and Won's (2018) review of elementary school ER found a lack of understanding of instructional practices for ER with young children. Other researchers have called for further studies into what effective classroom orchestration and interaction look like within ER classrooms (Ioannou & Makridou, 2018; Xia & Zhong, 2019). This study was conducted to understand the effect of group interactions and group structure in terms of gender on achievement in elementary school robotics classes. Knowing the effect that interactions have on students' achievement can help inform instructional practices and pedagogies in educational robotics activities (Kucuk & Sisman, 2017). The study …

Unheard Victims Of Covid-19: The Impact Of Mask Use On Communication For D/Deaf And Hard Of Hearing People, Kym Couch

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Masks are effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19, but they also impact communication for d/Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) people. This research is a mixed methods approach to analyzing the impact that the widespread use of masks in response to COVID-19 has had on DHH people. Building on the allowance for nuance and paradox presented by Deborah Stone in her book Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making (2012) and holding to the Social Model of Disability, this research involves the qualitative and quantitative analysis of a survey of one-hundred and ninety-eight (198) DHH people, interviews with …

Exploring Digital And Print Text Experiences Of Adolescent Readers, Melissa Brown

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Digital and print texts, as well as the efficiency of reader engagement with them, have long been of interest in scholarly literature. Most of the studies undertaken in this connection seek to compare reader comprehension of these two text media. But what are the lived experiences of reading digital versus print? And how do those who are still expected to be growing in their reading skills experience immersion and distraction in either medium? This study utilizes a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to investigate high school students’ experiences of digital texts in order to examine how their experiences with digital texts differ …

A Different Kind Of Shot: The Covid-19 Vaccination Behavior Of College Students, Alexandra Maria Mccann

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

COVID-19 and its mitigation through social distancing, masking, and preventative vaccination have impacted societies worldwide, leading to controversy regarding public health policy. This dissertation investigates the determinants of the vaccination behavior of 18-24-year-old college students in four-year public institutions in the United States, specifically concerning coronavirus. Of interest are reasons “why” or “why not” students would opt for or against the COVID-19 shot. Findings could aid in messaging public policy targeted toward a desired audience. Concepts related to policy, public health, beliefs, and their effects on the willingness to receive the coronavirus shot are explored. Prospect Theory – decision-making under …

Using Nmr Chemical Shift Perturbations To Map Interactions Between Acyl-Acyl Carrier Proteins And Acyl Homoserine Lactone Synthases, Madison N. Rizzo

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A pandemic of antibiotic resistance is underway and affecting multiple industries, including veterinary, agricultural, and healthcare. High bacterial population density is a major form of defense for bacterial cells against drugs, contributes to antibiotic resistance, and is one of the requirements for the formation of biofilms. Quorum sensing is a form of cell-to-cell communication that both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria use to account for density behavior. When the population density of bacteria reaches a certain level (a “quorum”), there is an observed coordinated shift in gene expression that leads to optimized growth or virulence. Acyl carrier proteins (ACP) and the …

Interruptions And The Novice Emergency Nurse: A Focused Ethnography, Lisa Ann Winchester

Dissertations

The emergency department is a unique, unstudied, chaotic environment where novice emergency nurses are frequently interrupted. Novice emergency nurses’ impressions, values, beliefs, and attitudes attributed to interruptions were unknown. No prior research has explored the phenomenon of interruptions for the novice emergency nurse. A qualitative, focused ethnographic study was undertaken to understand novice emergency nurses’ impressions, values, beliefs, and attitudes about interruptions within the emergency department. Eleven nurses participated in semi-structured interviews via Zoom. Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six phases of thematic analysis revealed three main themes (Values, Beliefs, and Attitudes) and 11 subthemes. Novice emergency nurses learn within a …

Characteristics Of Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics Mentoring Relationship Practices In Secondary Education Settings: A Case Study, Bonnie Jeanne Palmer

Dissertations

The use of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) mentors in public school systems and other organizations has grown comparably with our economy’s increasing demand for STEM industry professionals. However, inspiring students to pursue STEM careers by using STEM industry professionals as mentors requires an understanding of effective mentor practices. Limited research exists that focuses on the mentoring practices students respond to as they make academic and career plans. The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify practices that promote STEM careers among youth. The study sought to answer the question, “What STEM mentor practices, behaviors, and roles …

An Eye-Tracking Investigation Of Consumer’S Real-Time Behaviors In Professional Minor League Hockey, Alicia B. Romano

Dissertations

Minor league hockey provides a unique setting to investigate consumers’ marketingcontrolled activities in a natural environment. Consumers’ visual attention to sponsorship information has been shown to influence their explicit memory of sponsor brands and their purchase intentions. The current research builds on the sponsorship information processing framework of previous scholars by examining consumers’ real-time behaviors to sponsorship information in a natural setting. To analyze consumers’ behaviors at minor league hockey sporting events, qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 16 participants. The qualitative data related to the patterns and observations of consumers’ visual attention behaviors. The quantitative data measured consumers’ …

Effects Of Exercise Training On Objective Measures Of Sleep Quality And Markers Of Peripheral Circadian Rhythm In Cancer Patients Undergoing Treatment, Luke Michael Krynski

Dissertations

Poor sleep quality is a common side effect among cancer survivors, which could lead to a decrease in quality of life and worsen a variety of clinical outcomes for cancer patients including risk of infection and cancer recurrence. The detrimental effects of poor sleep quality are correlated with a disruption in circadian rhythm, which is a vital component of essential physiological processes. Exercise could improve sleep quality and circadian rhythm in an apparently healthy population but evidence was lacking in the cancer population. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the effects of individualized, prescribed, supervised exercise on …

Elementary Principals’ Perceptions Of The Influence Of The Coronavirus Pandemic On Their Professional Identities, Melissa Gibson-Steiner

Dissertations

In the spring of 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) triggered a pandemic, caused schools to close, and created a crisis for school leaders. They led during unprecedented times and negotiated an unfamiliar environment. School principals managed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their schools for nearly two years. As principals led through the pandemic, the question arose as to what influence this experience had on their professional identity. Scholars such as Burke and Stets (2009) identified that changes in professional identity are generally gradual over time. However, when a situation does not match how an individual identifies as a leader, …

Jardín De Anjelita: Utilizing Arts-Based Methods To Inform Interculturalization In The Third Space, Amanda Jeanne Bucher

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to clarify characteristics of the intercultural classroom across three K-12 public-school sites. The relationship between intracultural conscientização and intercultural curriculum among multiracial educators was of particular interest to this study. Auto criticism methodology that housed arts-based methods was utilized in order to address the theoretical tension between multicultural absorption and post-colonial discourse of hybridity as it manifests in curriculum and ensuing classroom interaction operating as the third space. In this arts-based auto criticism, I explored the relationship between intracultural conscientização among four multiracial educators having one white parent and one parent of color and …

Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences: Science Practices And Science Identity, Alaina Buchanan

Dissertations

Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) have become more commonly incorporated in laboratory courses in undergraduate education. Because CUREs incorporate research within the context of a course, the benefits of mentored research (self-efficacy, science identity, persistence, and more) are extended to each student enrolled. CUREs are designed with five key components: discovery, relevance, iteration, collaboration, and science practices. However, the term science practices is broad and includes a diversity of student activities which can make it difficult to compare student outcomes across different CUREs. The first part of this work reviews the components and specific science practices included in all CUREs …

Talking About Talking About Surrogacy, Michael Boucai

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Frequency, Form, And Function Of Dyadic Questions In Children With Autism: A Childes Corpus Study, Rhiannon Luyster, Isabella Leiwant, Sudha Arunachalam

Emerson Authors, Researchers, & Creators

Children’s questions to their caregivers – and caregivers’ questions to their children – play an important role in child development. For children on the autism spectrum, who often experience cognitive, linguistic and social difficulties, prior research on questions has resulted in inconsistent and incomplete findings. The present study characterized the frequency, form, and function of queries posed by children on the autism spectrum (n = 12), non-spectrum peers (n =20), and parents using the Nadig ASD English Corpus in the Child Language Data Exchange System (CHILDES). Results suggested that children on the autism spectrum and their caregivers produced fewer questions …

A Word From The Writing Team (May 2023), Pam Walter, Mfa, Liz Declan, Ma, Mfa

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

This issue includes:

• Join us for our First Friday writing retreat of the semester!
• Faculty Days 2023
• Publication Spotlight
• Reminders

One Step At A Time: Duquesne University’S Tenth Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, Brianna Marks, Maria Mlinarcik

Duquesne University Greenhouse Gas Inventories

The tenth greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory was conducted for fiscal year 2022 (FY22), which began on July 1, 2021, and ended on June 30, 2022. Assembled by graduate assistants Brianna Marks and Maria Mlinarcik at the Center for Environmental Research and Education (CERE), these findings were compared with those derived from the previous inventories to assess trends in Duquesne University’s GHG emissions. Furthermore, this inventory discusses options for reducing Duquesne’s carbon footprint in future years.

This inventory found that, compared to FY21, FY22 GHG emissions increased by 1.55%. FY21 experienced a 1.57% increase in total emissions when compared to …

Setting Tables: The Hope Of Communing Bodies In Theological Education, Ashley Vi Lynk

Yale Divinity School Theses

No abstract provided.

The Ethical Domain Of The Chalcedonian Christological Confession, Jesse Gerard Alker

Yale Divinity School Theses

No abstract provided.

Sin And Sign: Reading Disability In The Gospels, Helena L. Martin

Yale Divinity School Theses

No abstract provided.

Rhetorical Analysis Of Ephesians 5:21-33 And “Mutual Submission” The Rhetoric Of Wifely Submission In Korean Churches And Ethical Concerns About Mental Health Among Korean Women, Hangoul Choi

Yale Divinity School Theses

The thesis examines Ephesians 5:21-33 and its use by the Korean church in light of mutual submission. First, the thesis examines whether Ephesians 5:21-33 presents the notion of mutual submission between wives and husbands through four rhetorical strategies. Second, the thesis introduces the Korean church’s use of Ephesians 5:21-33 with the rhetoric of “mutual submission” by analyzing two sermons in Korean mainland churches and immigrant churches in the U.S. Last, the thesis investigates the impacts of the teaching of wifely submission led by the rhetoric of “mutual submission” in the Korean church among Korean women by delving into four case …

Powering Up: Examining Frameworks For Community Engagement And Collective Tenant Action Around Energy Efficiency In New Haven, Ct, Alixandra P. Rachman

Academic Articles

Energy is an essential household need to sustain health and wellbeing. Connecticut has one of the highest energy costs in the nation and leaves a majority of residents experiencing energy insecurity, where households are not able to meet their energy needs. Energy efficiency retrofits have been introduced as an effective solution to sustain thermal comfort indoors. Despite increased funding and resources for energy efficiency, federal and state programs continue to go widely unused by tenants for several reasons from health and safety barriers, tenant-landlord power imbalances, and administrative challenges to name a few. This thesis aims to describe Connecticut’s energy …

Linguistic Factors Modulating Gender Assignment In Spanish–English Bilingual Speech, Abel Cruz

Modern Languages & Literature

Drawing on naturally-occurring bilingual speech from a well-defined codeswitching community in Southern Arizona, this study examined the influence of semantic gender (a.k.a. biological gender), analogical gender, and other-language phonemic cues in modulating gender assignment in Spanish–English codeswitched speech. Thirty-four Spanish–English early bilinguals completed a forced-choice elicitation task involving two codeswitching environments: Spanish determiner–English noun switches (Task 1) and English–Spanish switched copula constructions (Task 2). The results revealed that for human-denoting nouns, bilinguals assigned grammatical gender based on the presupposed sex of a noun's referent in both syntactic environments tested. As for inanimate nouns, bilinguals were more likely to assign masculine …

Working Memory And Language Associations In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Megan A. Goldfarb

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social communication and interaction, with repetitive behaviors or specialized interests. A range of language abilities is seen in ASD, with some having typical abilities and others severe impairments. Working memory (WM) deficits have also been found in some children with ASD. In typically developing, as well as non-ASD children with language deficits a strong relationship has been found between WM and language abilities. Although both language and WM deficits are often seen in ASD, the relationship between these deficits has been underexplored. The objective of this study is …

A Pelican's Journey To Flight: A Louisiana National Guardsman, The Development Of The United States Army Air Service, And The Human Cost Of Military Innovation, James H. Smith

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

George E. Dicks deployed to the Mexican Punitive Expedition and World War I with the Louisiana National Guard. He recorded his experience in writing and photography, which reside in the Jackson Barracks Military Museum in Chalmette, Louisiana. His memorabilia reflect an officer’s perspective on early military aviation and parallel to the United States military’s experimentation with aviation. Through experimentation, Dicks became an aerial observer in World War I.

This thesis explores George E. Dicks’ memorabilia and how it both represents the development of the American Air Service and the human cost of military aviation with photographic evidence. By representing aviation’s …

Using Gis To Estimate The Solar Power Potential For Rooftops Within The Cleveland Park Neighborhood Of Washington, D.C., Cole Farnsworth

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

As urbanization and energy consumption increase, the need to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy has become urgent. Achieving sustainable energy consumption practices through solar energy has become an increasingly viable option in the United States (US). One of the ways to facilitate this transition at the local scale is to utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to estimate the solar power potential and assess the spatial distribution of electrical power generation hot spots. At an urban residential neighborhood scale, GIS can aid the planning and location of efficient rooftop solar systems that have the ability to harvest the maximum …

Hildegard Of Bingen – 12th Century Feminist Mystic, Robert F. Stamps

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

Hildegard of Bingen is one of history’s remarkable people. Born into German nobility in 1098, Hildegard began having mystical visions at an early age and saw God as light. Hildegard chose a spiritual life and entered a religious cloister at fifteen. There she was educated, studying many subjects, including Latin and music. In 1136 Hildegard became the prioress. The confines of the cloister did not stop Hildegard from becoming a major theological force. She wrote books on theology and medicine, authored plays, and composed music. Theologically, Hildegard contributed to the development of the theological construction of the concept of purgatory. …