Digital Commons Network^™

Leading With All The Feels: Exploring The Perceptions Of Middle School Administrators' Implementation Of School-Wide Social-Emotional Learning Programming, Sabrina Smith Richardson

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

Middle school administrators have multiple responsibilities that range from ensuring the safety and security of staff and students to overseeing the curriculum and instructional foci of their buildings. At the same time, middle school students are experiencing the early stages of adolescence. Because it is a complex time for students to navigate, it creates anxiety, a decline in academic achievement and motivation, and peer and academic pressures (London, 2022; Schlund, 2021). Middle school students have social-emotional needs that are not typically met in secondary schools, which means programming is not typically a part of the instructional day. This study examined …

Tracing The Journey Of Dissolved Organic Matter: From Leaf Litter Photodegradation To Microbial Processing In Tropical Streams, Samantha Nicole Sullivan

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a major reservoir of organic carbon in aquatic ecosystems and plays a central role in global carbon cycling through its transformation and remineralization to carbon dioxide (CO₂). As DOM moves from terrestrial environments into streams and rivers, its chemical composition is altered by a combination of microbial and photochemical oxidation processes that regulate both its reactivity and its persistence during transport. However, the molecular mechanisms governing these oxidative transitions, particularly in tropical ecosystems characterized by strong hydrologic seasonality and substantial inputs of plant-derived material, remain insufficiently resolved. This dissertation integrates ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry, optical characterization, …

Reflections In The Mirror: An Examination Of Racially Congruent Mentoring Of Black Teacher Candidates In A Teacher Education Program, Mary Louise Gregory

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The high demand for Black educators in K-12 schools across the United States has caused several teacher training programs to rethink how they prepare Black teacher candidates for the teaching workforce (Andrews et al., 2019; Blazar, 2024; Milner & Howard, 2004). Improving teacher candidate training, especially for Black teacher candidates can boost K-12 Black teacher representation. Literature on Black teacher candidate’s experiences while being mentored identifies several challenges that include issues with implicit bias, microaggressions, stereotyping and other occurrences of racial discrimination (Daly et al., 2024; Hampton et al., 2008; Kardos & Johnson-Moore, 2010; Rodriguez et al., 2020). The process …

Proactive Onboarding Services Model As An Academic And Social Integration Strategy For First-Time In College Students At A Virginia Community College, Jhansi V. Eturu

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

A recent survey by the Education Advisory Board (EAB) found that of the 1000 community college students surveyed, 56% nearly quit before classes started due to challenges during college onboarding. Similarly, admissions data from the Virginia Community Colleges System (VCCS) indicated that more than half of the students who apply do not enroll in classes, highlighting a need to closely examine the onboarding process and support services provided to understand what is effective and what is not. The purpose of this study is to understand the predictive utility of certain student onboarding services, such as an appointment with an admissions …

Research To Practice Gap: Impact Of Principal Perceptions & Communication On Change Initiatives, Jennifer Sagendorf

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences, perceptions, and practices of school principals related to evidence-based change initiatives and the continued divide between the findings of educational researchers and the use of these findings by school practitioners. Since the prevalent dichotomy of theory and practice is detrimental to school improvement efforts, it is important to examine the underlying values and beliefs that contribute to perpetuating this divide. For this qualitative phenomenological study, semi-structured interviews with seven elementary school principals provided first-hand accounts of the principals' lived experiences. Through an iterative process of coding, clustering, and cross-case analysis, …

Who Gets To Lead? Policy, Systemic Barriers, And Leadership Norms In Education, Kathryn A. Cirilli

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

This phenomenological qualitative study investigated the underrepresentation of women and racially marginalized individuals in the superintendent position, the highest leadership position within K-12 public education. The superintendent position has been overwhelmingly represented by males, even though women were the majority of the teaching workforce. Grounded by institutional theory and viewed through a phenomenological lens, I examined how organizational norms, hiring practices, and access to mentorship contributed to and upheld systemic barriers to the superintendent position. Through exploring the interpreted lived experiences of current female superintendents across public school districts that reflected the national patterns, this research addressed the disparities in …

Marginalized Pre-Service Teachers’ Digital Competence: An Exploration Of Epistemic Beliefs And Lived Experiences, Jerolyn Rose Brown

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Amid growing calls for equity in teacher education, this dissertation investigates how digital competence and epistemological beliefs interact within the lived experiences of marginalized pre-service teachers (mPSTs), also referenced as teacher candidates, whose racial and ethnic identities often position them at the periphery of dominant educational narratives. Anchored in critical narrative inquiry (Pino Gavidia & Adu, 2022) and framed by the DigCompEdu digital competence model (Redecker & Punie, 2017), the study employs a multimethod approach, integrating quantitative data from the SELFIEforTEACHERS self-assessment tool (Economou, 2023) with qualitative insights drawn from in-depth narrative interviews. The participant cohort consists of 50 marginalized …

Understanding Executive Order 13583’S Impact To Federal Workforce Diversity & Employee Perception Of Federal Policies And Programs, Michael Robert Arenella

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DE&I) workforce produces beneficial organizational outcomes, such as decreased turnover, improved creativity and innovation, and improved organizational performance (Diaz-Garcia et al., 2013; Gomez & Bernet, 2019; McLeod et al., 1996; Singh & Selvarjan, 2013). While the private sector has placed much emphasis on improving DE&I in their hiring practices, whether the federal government has achieved comparable outcomes remains unclear. Guided by the punctuated equilibrium theory (PET), this dissertation examines the impact of Executive Order 13583 on both change in workforce composition, and employee sentiment towards diversity policies and programs.

Using a multi-level, multi-method, …

Evaluation Of Ocean Lidar Enhancement Through Miniaturization And Gated Pmt-Based Range Extension, Chandler Austin Slater

OES Theses and Dissertations

Oceanographic lidar systems remotely characterize the vertical structure of the upper ocean by recording the light backscattered from a laser pulse as it propagates through the water column. Historically these systems have been constrained by limited detection ranges, often capturing only a portion of the illuminated water column, typically fading to noise around the 10% isolume. A primary constraint has been the limited dynamic range of digitizers, which inhibits the ability to resolve both intense near-field and faint far-field backscatter signals within a single acquisition. To address this, we developed a novel optical lidar system incorporating gated photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) …

Observed Parenting, Parent-Child Aggression, And Intimate Partner Violence As Predictive Of Family Dysfunction, Paige Munshell

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Family systems theories contextualize violence as occurring across multiple levels of the family, yet much of the existing literature focuses on a single family member’s outcome (i.e., the child) and neglects to include data collected from fathers. This study examined the associations between indicators of functioning at the dyadic-level in the family system—observed parenting, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) perpetration, and Parent-Child Aggression (PCA) risk—and later overall family dysfunction. Participants were 180 mothers and 144 of their male partners evaluated when their child was 18 months old and re-evaluated at 4 years old. Measures of observed parenting, IPV perpetration, and PCA …

Taming The Wicked Problem: Transparency, Civic Apathy, And The Challenge Of Rebuilding Trust In Local Government, Austin N. Kaiser

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Since the 1960s, the United States has experienced a persistent decline in public trust in government. The Founders believed that government could only function with the consent of the governed, making this erosion of trust a significant concern for democratic legitimacy. In response, many scholars and practitioners have championed transparency as a pillar of sound governance and a potential remedy for rebuilding trust. However, the solution may not be as simple as improving openness. Public officials increasingly recognize that transparency alone may have limited or even unintended consequences, especially when public participation is low or administrative resources are strained.

This …

Identifying Alcohol Intervention-Relevant Constructs For Greek Life: Examining Across Greek Membership And Gender Among College Students, Emily Susan Renzoni

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Among college populations, students who are members of social Greek life organizations (i.e., social fraternities and sororities) drink more and experience higher rates of negative alcohol-related consequences than their non-affiliated peers. Although there has been success of alcohol interventions in general college populations, research has shown that college drinking interventions that are delivered to students in Greek life are not efficacious in reducing alcohol consumption or related consequences. It is meaningful to investigate if the content commonly addressed in these interventions, although well-documented as being linked to drinking in the general college population, has the same associations for students who …

Violence As An Ecology: Women Making Safety In Khayelitsha, Melissa J. Miller-Felton

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation asks how women in Khayelitsha make safety in a place where danger has become ordinary and where the afterlives of colonialism and apartheid still determine who waits, who walks, and who arrives home. What began as a study of risk and protection grew into an inquiry about time, dignity, and responsibility. I call the framework that emerged an ecology of violence—a way of seeing how harm gathers across generations and infrastructures, and how care, exhaustion, and survival intertwine within it.

In this ecology, violence is not a single act but a confluence of registers—slow, structural, colonial, and …

Feasibility Of Expiratory Muscle Strength Training In Individuals With Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Katya Villarreal-Cavazos, James C Borders, James A Curtis, Jordanna S Sevitz, Nora Vanegas-Arroyave, Michelle S Troche

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Introduction: Dysphagia is common among individuals with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). Expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) is a treatment used to increase expiratory muscle force production for airway protection deficits. To our knowledge, no studies have tested EMST in this population. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of EMST in individuals with PSP.

Methods: Twenty-nine participants completed baseline measures of maximum expiratory pressure and underwent a trial session of EMST. EMST was considered feasible if participants were able to complete at least 10 repetitions at 30% of their maximum expiratory pressure. Qualitative analyses were also completed …

Aluminum As A Tracer Of Dust Deposition To The Ocean: A Case Study From The Bermuda Region, Tara Elizabeth Williams

OES Theses and Dissertations

Aluminum (Al), a major component of mineral aerosol (dust), partially dissolves in seawater and is widely used as a tracer for estimating time‐averaged dust fluxes to the ocean. Such estimates rely on dissolved Al (DAl) inventories in the surface mixed layer (SML), an assumed SML residence time of DAl (_TDAl), the fractional solubility of Al in dust (Al_S), and the mass fraction of Al in dust. In this study, dust flux estimated from seasonal, water-column DAl data from the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) region are compared with direct dust flux estimated from contemporaneous measurements of …

Exploring Hiring Managers’ Strategies For Recruiting Diverse Educators In A Southeastern State, Keisa K. Davis Ma

Dissertations

This dissertation examined the strategies applied by hiring managers within one state in the southeastern United States to recruit diverse teachers. The purpose of the study was to explore hiring managers’ experiences and knowledge of minority teacher recruitment. The primary research question for this study was: What strategies do hiring managers in the school district under study find most effective in overcoming barriers to recruiting minority educators, and how do they measure their success? Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, and thematic coding was used to arrive at emerging themes, patterns, and perceptions. The findings revealed that while hiring managers …

Language Learner Literature: A Mixed Methods Study, Esmeralda Mora

Dissertations

This dissertation, Language Learner Literature: A Mixed Methods Study, by Esmeralda Mora, Ed.D., of National Louis University, specializing in Curriculum, Advocacy, and Policy, investigated the impact of shifting a Midwest high school world language department from a traditional, grammar-focused model to a proficiency-based approach centered on Language Learner Literature (LLL). Employing a Modified Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Design, the study first analyzed longitudinal AAPPL proficiency scores from 1,134 high school students (2020–2025) using T-tests and Multiple Linear Regressions to establish measurable outcomes (the "what"). This quantitative phase demonstrated significant and consistent gains in expressive skills (Writing and Speaking) post-LLL implementation, …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Fully Immersive Esol Elementary Program: A Mixed-Methods Study, Equitia D. Armour

Dissertations

With the enrollment of students who are English Language Learners (ELL) steadily rising across the United States, this research sought to understand how immersive models support both language acquisition and academic achievement. This study examined the effectiveness of a fully immersive English Speaker of Other Languages (ESOL) program in one elementary school. The purpose was to identify the qualities of successful ESOL programming, and the conditions needed for sustained growth. The primary research question for this study was: What are the qualities of a successful fully immersive ELL elementary program? Using a mixed-methods design, data were drawn from surveys, interviews, …

Precision-Weighted Federated Learning, Jonatan Reyes, Lisa Di Jorio, Cecile Low-Kam, Marta Kersten-Oertel

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Federated learning (FL) using the federated averaging (FedAvg) algorithm has shown great advantages for large-scale applications that rely on collaborative learning, especially when the training data is either unbalanced or inaccessible due to privacy constraints. We hypothesize that FedAvg underestimates the full extent of heterogeneity of data when the aggregation is performed. We propose Precision-Weighted Federated Learning (PW) a novel algorithm that takes into account the second raw moment (uncentered variance) of the stochastic gradient when computing the weighted average of the parameters of independent models trained in a FL setting. With PW, we address the communication and statistical challenges …

Balancing Earth Science Careers In An Unequal World, Nadia Testani, Lucía M. Cappelletti, Leandro B. Díaz, Camila Prudente, Valentina Rabanal, Julia Mindlin, Reyk Börner, Divya David T, Ismaila Diallo, Inés M. Leyba, Marisol Osman, Andrés Tangarife-Escobar

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Unequal research experiences among Earth scientists from around the world are an obstacle to achieving sustainability. We assess challenges and propose ways to balance the careers of early- and mid-career researchers in the Global South with those in the Global North.

The Music & The Movement: Race, Rhythm, And Social Justice, Renee Nicole Allen -- Associate Professor Of Law

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

From Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” to J. Cole’s “Be Free,” music has played a vital role in energizing social justice movements and elevating the legal and social issues facing Black people. An examination into the legal, historical, and social contexts for the music created during ten key movements in Black history reveals the role of lyrics and rhythm. Through the lens of music, ten movements—Freedom, Lynching, the Great Migration, Civil Rights, Black Power, Black Feminism, Police Brutality, Mass Incarceration, Black Love, and Black Lives Matter—demonstrate that Black music is more than entertainment. It is …

An Assessment Of The Viva Callesj September 2025 Event In San José, Richard Kos, Adam Cohen

Mineta Transportation Institute

Viva CalleSJ is an open-streets initiative where several miles of the City of San José’s streets are closed to vehicular traffic, allowing residents to walk, bike, scooter, and skate freely. This report evaluates the Viva CalleSJ event held in San José on September 7, 2025, which attracted more than 150,000 participants. Using a mixed-methods approach, this evaluation examines aspects such as attendance, activities, modal access, and economic impacts, utilizing data from participant surveys (in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese), interviews, and observational analysis. The findings indicate that the Viva CalleSJ September 2025 event was largely successful in achieving its objectives, including …

Promoting Professionalism In Medical Education: A Toolbox For Effective Feedback And Remediation, Matthew R Carroll, Gal Barak, Tracy Byrne, Huma Farid

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Group Concept Mapping To Develop A Salon-Based Hpv Self-Collection Intervention, Kelly N B Palmer, Namoonga M Mantina, Adebola Adegboyega, Itunu O Sokale, Kathleen Pryor, Azaria Suero-Davis, Trevon Brooks, Jennifer Hatcher

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Black women in the US face higher cervical cancer mortality rates due to delayed diagnoses linked to lower screening rates. Contributing factors include provider bias, costs, and limited access, particularly affecting women aged 40-64. While innovative approaches like clinical and home-based HPV self-collection exist, equitable dissemination remains challenging. Distributing HPV self-collection kits in unconventional sites like hair salons may offer a solution. Using concept mapping, we gathered community insights to design a salon-based cervical cancer screening intervention.

Methods: We employed groupwisdom™ and REDCap platforms for community-based participatory intervention development. Participants included members of the Black Community Advisory Council of …

Emerging Tick-Borne Disease Risk In An Urban Center Of Harris County, Texas, Alisa Nelson, Michelle Downey, Maya Murry, Brianna Weber, Erik Aguirre, Richard Scott Mccrea, Jerrod Mims, Max Vigilant, Courtney Standlee, Kristy O Murray, Alex Kneubehl, Eric L Brown, Heather T Essigmann, Sarah M Gunter

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Tick-borne diseases are an endemic and emerging public health concern in the United States. Ongoing tick range expansion, invasive species, and newly identified pathogens are rapidly altering disease epidemiology. Surveillance is critical to understanding vector ecology and disease risk. Harris County, Texas, with nearly five million residents and diverse ecological zones, offers a unique setting to study local tick dynamics.

Methods: From January 2021 to December 2022, we conducted weekly tick surveillance across 63 sites in Harris County (City of Houston), Texas. Ticks were morphologically identified and tested for Rickettsia, Borrelia, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma via real-time PCR. Samples positive …

Enhancing Alzheimer's Care: Impact Of Staff Education On Behavioral Outcomes, Laura Caton Rn

Nurse Residency

Would additional staff training and education in Alzheimer’s patient interactions compared to minimal/or no staff training and education in Alzheimer’s patient interactions lead to reduced behavioral events in bedside nursing?

Positioning The Surgical Patient, Jennifer Condon Rn, Bsn

Nurse Residency

For patients undergoing surgery does implementation of AORN standard for safe positioning practice compared toa non-standardized approach improve surgical outcomes?

Managing Conflict Case: The Difficult Consultant, Amrita Vempati, Suzanne Bentley, Anita Rohra, Daniela Ortiz, David Fernandez, Shagun Berry, Colleen Donovan, Nicole Novotny, Stephanie Cohen, Stephanie Stapleton, Tiffany Moadel

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Audience: This communication case is intended for emergency medicine (EM) resident physicians and junior faculty preparing for the ABEM Certifying Exam.

Introduction: Conflict management is a common and significant challenge in the emergency department (ED), with potential negative impact on both physicians and patients. At the individual level, hospital-based conflicts can lead to emotional stress, impaired concentration, decreased trust among providers, and feelings of dehumanization.1 For patients, conflicts between physicians can compromise the quality of care and contribute to delays in treatment.1 In the ED, conflict often arises between emergency physicians (EPs) and various stakeholders, including patients, family members, nursing …

Is Noise Exposure Associated With Impaired Extended High Frequency Hearing Despite A Normal Audiogram? A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Sajana Aryal, Monica Trevino, Hansapani Rodrigo, Srikanta K. Mishra

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the initial signature of noise-induced auditory damage remains a significant priority. Animal models suggest the cochlear base is particularly vulnerable to noise, raising the possibility that early-stage noise exposure could be linked to basal cochlear dysfunction, even when thresholds at 0.25-8 kHz are normal. To investigate this in humans, we conducted a meta-analysis following a systematic review, examining the association between noise exposure and hearing in frequencies from 9 to 20 kHz as a marker for basal cochlear dysfunction. Systematic review and meta-analysis followed PRISMA guidelines and the PICOS framework. Studies on noise exposure and hearing in the 9 …

An Evaluation Of Noncontingent Reinforcement And Additional Treatment Components In The Treatment Of Stereotypic Behavior, Stephanie Nicole Brand

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with autism often engage in stereotypic behavior that competes with learning and social skills. Behavior analytic treatment may be implemented to reduce stereotypy. Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) is one treatment that is often effective to reduce stereotypy. However, literature suggests that the use of NCR is contraindicated in some circumstances, as it may compete with the acquisition of new skills or may increase subsequent persistence of stereotypy. This research was designed to expand our knowledge of potential limitations of NCR when combined with other treatments. Study one examined persistence of stereotypy following treatment with NCR with and without response blocking. …