Digital Commons Network^™

Covid-19 Pandemic-Induced Social Isolation: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Exploration Of Age And Time, Renee Reedy

Dissertations and Theses

Lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally altered social functioning, creating an urgent need to understand the lived experience of isolation across life stages. This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study explored how age and time shaped social isolation during the pandemic. Sixteen participants from three-generation households—adolescents (n=5), adults (n=6), and older adults (n=5)—were interviewed approximately five years post-isolation. Recruitment occurred through ResearchMatch, and interviews were conducted between February and March 2025. Participants represented diverse racial, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds, with isolation periods ranging from 27 to 426 consecutive days (¯x = 165 ± 124 days). Data analysis followed Gadamer’s hermeneutic circle …

Helpful Autism School-Based Services: Perspectives From The People That Received Services, Michael Angelo Grizzaffi

Dissertations and Theses

Transitioning high school students with autism, primarily with a level 1 diagnosis, from high school to independence in young adulthood has evidence-based practices. However, preferences of the students who are receiving services had not been considered before. This study reviews the thoughts of what prior high school students find helpful in the services they receive. Choosing individualized evidence-based practices is ideal for students. Prior high school students' experiences demonstrate the desire for more transition skills teaching. Leading special educators in the skills of some evidence-based practices is required for the individualization of these practices the students need to occur. Leading …

Large Language Model Communication And Data Transfer Across A Simulated Telephone Line, Jared Reyes

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis presents a proof-of-concept communication system in which two local large language model endpoints communicate across a simulated analog telephone line using legacy USB modems. The project combines modem voice mode, modem data mode, local speech processing, and structured machine messaging into a single staged session. During the voice phase, one endpoint places a call, the other answers, speech generated by a locally hosted LLaMA-family model is synthesized with Piper, transmitted through the modem voice path, captured on the remote side, and transcribed with Faster-Whisper to drive the next response. After the voice exchange, the system transitions to a …

The Rhetoric And Memory Of Kumeprɛko, Benedicta Harford

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the rhetoric of Kume Prɛko and asks what its major rhetorical appeals were both during 1994 and afterwards. First, I analyze major images and a speech from the protest and identify how it framed the VAT tax as an embodied, urgent issue for all citizens to resist. Then, I consider how Akufo-Addo silenced this "vernacular" memory in favor of his "official" narrative, drawing off the work of John Bodnar. Ultimately, this thesis shows how difficult it is for those in power to remember grassroots dissent in all their complexity but also how hard it is to completely …

What Happens When We Face The Harm? Reflections On Restorative Justice, Conflict, And Accountability (And A Flyer On Practical Steps), Renate Alant

A with Honors Projects

This project explores conflict resolution, restorative justice, and meaningful apologies through reflections on Dr. Mikhail Lyubansky’s workshops hosted by the Psi Beta club at Parkland College. The paper examines how restorative justice focuses on accountability and repair rather than punishment, while the accompanying flyer encourages students to learn practical conflict resolution skills.

Evaluating Motivation In Stem Education: A Positive Self-Talk Intervention, Tiffany L. Copeland

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study evaluated a social-emotional learning intervention that taught positive self-talk to high school students from underrepresented minority groups in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The setting of this study was a place-based program that immersed students in hands-on STEM activities while located in Philadelphia’s life science hub. Before taking a science assessment, students set effort-based goals and learned to say self-talk statements such as “I will give my best effort” and “Even when it's hard, I will give 100%.” This mixed-methods program evaluation compared pre- and post-intervention data using a paired-samples t-test, linear regression, and correlation analyses. Data …

The Ai Study Partner: Medical Students, Self-Directed Learning, And Individual Learning Plans, Paula Ann Hawks

Dissertations and Theses

Self-directed learning (SDL) was well-documented in many educational settings, including medical schools. However, how students incorporated SDL and independent learning plans (ILPs) in undergraduate medical education received little attention. Generative AI (GenAI) encompassed a rapidly expanding field, but medical student use was underexplored. This present study examines student perceptions of SDL, ILPs, and the use of GenAI in undergraduate medical education, particularly in preparation for the USMLE Step 1. Using an action research design, qualitative data were collected via semi-structured focus groups, individual interviews, and ILP document review. Fifteen participants were in focus groups, 13 of whom then completed individual …

Effective Practices In A School-Based Mentorship Program: Insights From An Elementary School Setting, Kimberly Noele Steger

Dissertations and Theses

(School-based mentoring programs) SBMPs have demonstrated beneficial outcomes for mentees, mentors, and overall school culture; however, their effectiveness was highly dependent on intentional implementation and the educators who facilitated them. Limited research exists on how SBMPs were practically introduced, structured, and sustained; thus underscoring the need for deeper examination of successful implementation practices. Therefore, this case study explored the implementation of SBMPs within a specific elementary school, focusing on mentors’ perceptions and experiences. The researcher sought to understand mentors’ roles within the program, including their successes and challenges, the training and support they received, and how implementation conditions influenced their …

Trauma-Informed Care For Child Welfare Professionals, The Rees-Jones Center For Foster Care Excellence

Infographics and One-Pagers

Learn what trauma-informed care truly means and how embedding this essential framework transforms everyday assessments and interventions into opportunities for healing, regulation, and true relational partnerships with children and families.

childrens.com/fostercare

Trauma-Informed Care For Health Care Professionals, The Rees-Jones Center For Foster Care Excellence

Infographics and One-Pagers

Learn what trauma-informed care truly means and how embedding this essential framework transforms everyday assessments and interventions into opportunities for healing, regulation, and true relational partnerships with children and families.

childrens.com/fostercare

A Mixed Methods Study On Mexican American Satisfaction And Perception Of Clinical Trials, Grace Manzo

Dissertations and Theses

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration sets expectations on the collection and reporting of race and ethnicity data. Ethnic data for Mexican Americans is often reported as “Hispanic or Latino.” Mexican Americans make up a significant percentage of “Hispanic or Latinos,” however, they remain significantly underrepresented in clinical trials. Grounded in Expectation-Disconfirmation Theory (EDT) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), this mixed-methods study investigates the relationship between satisfaction and perception of Mexican Americans who have participated in an ophthalmology clinical trial. This research aimed to understand the relationships among satisfaction with the clinical trial process, patient-reported outcomes, and …

Understanding The Role Of School Resource Officers In Addressing Students’ Mental Health Needs: A Phenomenological Study, Ryan Christopher Vinzant

Dissertations and Theses

Since the 1990s School Resource Officers (SROs) have been commonly employed in schools throughout the United States. However, their jobs may look very different depending on what setting they are in and the different administrative policies governing their work. Throughout this time, researchers have focused on the different roles that SROs have within the educational environment and how these roles are put into action when interacting with students. However, there have been limited studies exploring the role SROs play when interacting with students who are experiencing mental health problems or experiencing a mental health crisis. Mental health problems have become …

Why Teachers Stay In Rural Schools: School Culture And Leadership Practices, Michael Eldridge

Dissertations and Theses

Teacher retention continues to be one of the greatest challenges that rural schools are facing across the United States. While many strategies have been implemented, such as financial incentives as a way to counter geographic isolation, there is limited information available on the impact that leadership and school culture have on a teacher’s decision to remain in a rural school. Having a stable teacher workforce in rural schools is vital in providing high quality instruction and opportunities for rural communities across the nation. Guided by Organizational Culture Theory (OCT), this qualitative comparative case study explored how school leadership practices and …

Effects Of Hurricane Weather Events On Perceived Stress, Academic Motivation, And Resilience In College Students From Louisiana, Courtney Renee Harrington

Dissertations and Theses

In the fall semester of 2020, five hurricanes were projected to make landfall along the coast of Louisiana. The following fall semester of 2021, Hurricane Ida, a major category 4 storm landed and wreaked havoc among Louisiana’s coastal universities. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of hurricane events on students’ perceived stress, academic performance, and resilience. It was hypothesized that students affected by the landfall of a hurricane would have increased stress, decreased academic motivation, and decreased resilience compared to normative college students. A cross-sectional survey was administered at two southern Louisiana universities as well as …

Interactional Synchrony In Mother-Infant Dyads: Developmental Changes And The Impact Of Maternal Emotion Dysregulation Over Time, Jessica Taylor Kelly

Dissertations and Theses

Infancy is a period of rapid development, while motherhood is often a time of heightened emotionality (Bjelica et al., 2018; Leclère et al., 2014). Synchrony between mother and infant is one of the earliest bonding experiences, with short- and long-term implications for the infant’s development and the mother-infant relationship (Leclère et al., 2014). However, little research has characterized developmental shifts in mother-infant synchrony. Maternal emotion dysregulation is likely to influence mother-infant synchrony (Doba et al., 2022; Lotzin et al., 2015, 2016). Yet little research has evaluated the impact of maternal emotion dysregulation on mother-infant synchrony over time. This project aims …

The Road To Winning This Battle: A Corpus Informed Exploration Of Metaphor In The National Addresses Of Leo Varadkar And Micheál Martin During The Covid-19 Pandemic (2020–2022), Caoimhe Power Gallagher

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

The first case of the novel Covid-19 virus reached the island of Ireland in February 2020. The nation-focused response was one of the most striking characteristics that most countries shared throughout the pandemic. Corpus-linguistic research on Covid-19 communication is reasonably well established across various contexts. However, it is under researched in Ireland. Building trust and a successful national response is very much dependent on how heads of government confront health emergencies through public communications. Political leaders across the world often use metaphors in their speeches to strategically control their audiences’ perceptions of various topics. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Deputy Leo …

Navigating Relationships In Social Care Practice: Student Experiences On Placement In Ireland., Louise Mcanarney Mrs, Geraldine Fay Ms.

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

The professionalisation of social care in Ireland has reshaped the sector for workers, educators and students. With the advent of CORU regulation, social care education and practice has changed dramatically, necessitating a focus on the evolution of relational processes.

Quality relationships are the cornerstone of effective social care practice and form the basis for developing other essential skills (Morrison, 2015; McSweeney & Williams, 2018; Kaushik et al., 2023).  This concept is firmly embedded within the Standards of Proficiency for Social Care Workers as set out by the Social Care Workers Registration Board (SCWRB). Considering the significance of interpersonal dynamics; education …

Exploring The Psychological And Emotional Impact Of Race-Based Traumatic Stress (Rbts) Among The Black Irish Community, Diekololaoluwa Amujo, Sharon Lambert Dr

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

Research indicates that racialised minorities may experience psychological distress and trauma as a result of racism and racial discrimination. Race-Based Traumatic Stress (RBTS) describes the psychological injury that can arise from repeated racial harm and has been linked to mental health disparities among racially minoritised groups. This qualitative study explores how Black Irish individuals experience and make sense of racism, and how racial distress is sustained over time within the Irish context.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 Black Irish participants who had experienced racism and sought psychological support. Data were analysed using reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2021). …

The Neuroprotective And Synergistic Effects Of Carbamoylated Erythropoietin And Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 In Alzheimer's Disease, Morgan Jean Rothschadl

Dissertations and Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a prominent neurodegenerative disease characterized by a decline in cognitive functioning. While current FDA-approved therapeutics exist, they fall short in creating significant and long-lasting improvements to cognition. A newer approach using neurotrophic factors has shown promising effects on improving cognition in clinical trials. Neurotrophic factors are secreted proteins that have multimodal effects in the brain, including supporting cell survival and functioning. Two neurotrophic factors of interest are carbamoylated erythropoietin (CEPO) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and the goal of this study was to understand the synergistic and neuroprotective effects of CEPO and IGF-1 in AD. We …

The Efficaciousness Of Generative Ai For Integrated Stem Planning And Its Impact On Stem Teacher Self-Efficacy, Julie Ann Olson

Dissertations and Theses

With evolving workforce needs, global challenges, and national science education initiatives calling for STEM instruction with purposeful connections between the four domains, there is a need for methods to support educators facing the challenges this pedagogical approach presents. Challenges may weaken teachers' self-efficacy, potentially reducing the probability that an integrated STEM (I-STEM) pedagogy would be sustained in the classroom. There is limited research addressing how generative artificial intelligence (GAI) has been used for I-STEM lesson development, combined with its effects on I-STEM teaching self-efficacy (SE) grounded in social cognitive theory. This study investigated how GAI influences I-STEM teaching SE, when …

The Path To Information Literacy: From Finding A Topic To Writing An Annotated Bibliography, Robyn Hartman, Claire Nickerson, Heather P. Vandyne

All Open Educational Resources

This book is an adaptation of Ohio State University's Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research. It has been revised with a new introduction and learning objectives and section summaries. It also includes sections on common research assignments such as research plans, research logs, note-taking, and annotated bibliographies. The sections on evaluating resources have been expanded to include lateral reading with SIFT (Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace sources) and evaluation with CRAAP (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose), the 5Ws (Who What When Where Why), and BEAM (Background, Exhibit, Argument, Method). Sections on generative AI have …

Attitudes Toward Dementia Among Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study, Ngoc Ha Vo Thi, Thuy Nga Tran Thi, Ngoc Sen Hoang Thi

Health Professions Education

Purpose: Dementia is the loss of cognitive function, including thinking, memory, and communication, due to brain disorders. The global prevalence of dementia is increasing, affecting younger populations. Caring for individuals with dementia requires preparedness to manage behavioral and psychological symptoms. As future healthcare providers, nursing students are expected to have the necessary knowledge and attitudes to support dementia patients. To describe nursing students' attitudes toward dementia and explore related factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 520 nursing students at Da Nang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy. A structured questionnaire assessed demographic characteristics, academic information, knowledge, and attitudes …

Exploring Saudi Arabian Efl Teachers’ Experiences With The Flipped Classroom, Amal Bin Dlil

Dissertations of Practice

This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to explore the lived experiences of Saudi teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) who implemented the flipped classroom model in a middle school context in southern Saudi Arabia. To achieve this aim, the research questions examined teachers’ descriptions of their lived experiences and perceptions of implementing the flipped classroom strategy, as well as the contextual factors that influenced these experiences in middle school classrooms. To guide the investigation, the study was informed by Active Learning Theory and the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, which provided a conceptual lens for examining teachers’ experiences …

Rural Black Church Leadership And Community Development In Midwest Illinois, Derrick Smith

Dissertations of Practice

This qualitative study examines the role of a rural Black church in leadership development and community sustainability within a Midwestern Illinois town. While extensive scholarship documents the historical significance of the Black church in civil rights, political mobilization, and social advocacy, limited research explores the founding of contemporary Black churches and the intentional processes through which they develop leaders and support community sustainability in rural or small-town settings. This study addresses that gap by investigating the establishment and evolution of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church (NHMBC) in DeKalb, Illinois, and its impact on leadership development and Black community development.

Guided …

"Where The Grass Is Greener": Youth Participatory Action Research Examining The Lived Student Experience Through Cross-Campus Shadowing, Justin Matthew Antos

Dissertations of Practice

This Youth Participatory Action Research study examined how alumni perceive student experiences related to school culture and climate, classroom learning environments, and equity of opportunity and resources across three sister high schools within a single district. Six alumni, all recent graduates, participated in a three-day, cross-campus shadowing experience, observing classrooms and school environments, and reflecting on key similarities and differences across campuses through focus groups. Findings indicated that climate, engagement, and equity are shaped not only by curriculum, but by the interaction of policies, relationships, physical spaces, and consistency of expectations. Classrooms emphasizing interaction, relevance, and structure fostered higher engagement, …

Preparing Students For What Comes Next: A Qualitative Study Of District Approaches To Postsecondary And Career Readiness, Amanda C. Pelsor

Dissertations of Practice

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR WHAT COMES NEXT: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF DISTRICT APPROACHES TO POSTSECONDARY AND CAREER READINESS

This qualitative study examines how Illinois school districts support students’ readiness for postsecondary success and career planning and exploration. Despite longstanding state and federal efforts to improve college and career readiness, many students continue to face challenges after high school, including lack of workforce readiness, underpreparedness for postsecondary education, unclear career pathways, and difficulty navigating complex transitions. Using semi-structured interviews, this study explores how districts conceptualize and implement career readiness frameworks, the ways readiness work is embedded within district systems, and the barriers …

Unh: The Magazine Of The University Of New Hampshire, Winter 2026, Unh Magazine

UNH Magazine

No abstract provided.

Etsu At-A-Glance - 2024-2025, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU At-a-Glance

No abstract provided.

Long-Distance Exchanges In The Art Of The First Millenium, Lawrence Nees

Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art and Architecture

No abstract provided.

Indo-Gothic Architecture And The Reproduction Of Medieval Political Logic In Colonial Calcutta, Sreeja Chowdhury Frsa

Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art and Architecture

No abstract provided.