Digital Commons Network^™

"Using A Sledgehammer To Crack A Nut" A Proposal To Re-Frame The Media Industry's Perspective On Generative Ai, Reace Barnett

Student Theses and Dissertations

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) continues to be a divisive topic in the media industry and there are concerns about technical challenges that may affect GenAI’s trustworthiness and reliability. As such, fears of degraded public trust in media products and services have arisen, and while we have a tendency to trust machines, it is clear that public attitudes toward automated decision-making are contentious. Previous research on machine cues found that they are associated with increased perceived objectivity and willingness to disclose information. Conversational GenAI may reduce political polarization, yet many people remain worried about risks such as bias, hallucinations, improper attribution, …

Quality Improvement Project: Impact Of Formalized Debriefing On Correctional Health Emergency Response, Angel Woody

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Structured debriefing following medical emergencies has been identified as an evidence-based strategy to improve communication, reflective learning, and staff confidence within high-acuity healthcare settings. Inconsistent debriefing practices within correctional healthcare environments contributed to a gap in emergency response support and staff preparedness. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate whether implementation of a formalized debriefing protocol following medical emergencies impacted staff confidence during emergency response situations within a correctional healthcare setting. The project was guided by Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory and Lewin’s Change Theory. A quantitative one-group pretest-posttest quality improvement design was implemented in a county correctional healthcare …

The Transitional Liver Clinic: Study Protocol For A Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Trial, Lindsay Yoder, Elliot B. Tapper, Richard S. Kalman, Mary Rinella, Nicole Bendin, Manisha Verma, Francis Pike, Naga Chalasani, Neha Nalumasu, Eric S. Orman

Einstein Health Papers

BACKGROUND: Patients with complications of advanced liver disease experience high rates of hospital readmission after discharge. Transitional care models have improved outcomes in other chronic conditions, but their efficacy in liver disease care remains uncertain. This randomized trial evaluates the effectiveness of a tailored transitional care model-the Transitional Liver Clinic (TLC)-in reducing readmissions, improving quality of life, and enhancing patient satisfaction for patients with advanced liver disease.

METHODS: This is a 45-month, stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial enrolling up to 1000 patients with advanced liver disease across 4 academic medical centers. Each site transitions from usual care to the TLC intervention …

Decent Work In The Platform Economy Convention, 2026: A Preliminary Analysis, Valerio De Stefano

ILO Decent Work in the Platform Economy Convention

This paper provides a preliminary analysis of the Decent Work in the Platform Economy Convention, 2026 (No. 193), the first international labour standard devoted specifically to platform work. It examines the Convention’s scope, substantive protections, and principal interpretive questions, arguing that its significance lies in the cumulative architecture through which platform work is brought within the reach of international labour standards.

Particular attention is given to the Convention’s broad personal scope. Self-employed platform workers are generally included throughout the instrument, while specific provisions permit protections to be adapted to different employment statuses without excluding workers outside an employment relationship. …

The Impact Of Underrepresentation Of Male African American Teachers On African American Students’ (K-12) Classroom Learning, Carenzo George

Student Theses and Dissertations

The persistent underrepresentation of African American male educators in K–12 schools remains a significant concern in the field of education, particularly given the growing diversity of the student population. Despite increasing attention to teacher diversity, African American males continue to represent a small percentage of the teaching workforce. This disparity raises important questions about how representation influences the educational experiences of African American students. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of African American male teachers and administrators regarding the impact of the underrepresentation of African American male educators on African American students’ classroom experiences. …

Perceptions Of Trauma-Informed Trained Campus Leadership, Shelly Hardin

Student Theses and Dissertations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as potentially traumatic experiences that occur in a person’s life between birth and age 17. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2024), more than two thirds of children experience at least one traumatic event by the age of 16, and this is likely an underestimate, as this percentage represents only those cases reported. The physical, emotional, and neurological impact of traumatic experiences can be detrimental to a child’s education, often contributing to learning deficits and behavioral issues. School leaders have the responsibility of creating …

Practices That Impact The Reading Performance Of Elementary Special Education Inclusion Students, Lynette Hampton

Student Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study investigated teaching practices that teachers perceived impacted the reading performance of second-grade special education inclusion students who spend 80% or more of their reading instructional time in the general education classroom. Despite the significant progress made under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), special education students continue to perform lower academically than their non-disabled peers, particularly in reading. This study aims to identify instructional and non-instructional practices that teachers perceive impact the reading performance of special education inclusion students. The study utilized semi-structured interviews with second-grade teachers in Title 1 K-8 schools in the northwest …

Examining The Influence Of Principals’ Transformational Leadership In Promoting Conducive School Culture And Secondary Esl Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Chanda Yvonne Williams

Student Theses and Dissertations

Secondary ESL teachers face diverse classrooms and complex instructional demands. As the number of multilingual learners continues to increase in secondary schools, ESL teachers must support students’ language development while also helping them access rigorous academic content across subject areas. This phenomenological study explored how principals’ transformational leadership and school culture influence secondary ESL teachers’ self-efficacy. Drawing on Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory (1997) and Bass’s Transformational Leadership Theory (1985), the study examined how leadership behaviors and school environments shape teachers’ confidence and motivation. Semi-structured interviews with 10 ESL teachers in a southeastern metropolitan district elicited focused accounts of how specific leadership …

The Implementation Of Restorative Practices Through The Don’T Suspend Me! Professional Development, Bethanie Hale

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to examine how participation in the Don’t Suspend Me! (2022) professional development influenced teachers’ beliefs about discipline and their implementation of restorative practices within one public school district. Guided by Guskey’s (2002) Model of Teacher Change, this study sought to answer the research question: How does participation in the Don’t Suspend Me! (2022) professional development influence teachers’ implementation of restorative disciplinary practices and their beliefs about discipline within one public school district? Data were collected through a teacher questionnaire, individual interviews, and researcher reflexive journaling, with trustworthiness supported through triangulation, member …

Influences Of Transformational Leadership Mixed With Contemporary Practices Among High School Coaches: A Qualitative Exploratory Study, Kylene M. Brewton

Student Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined factors influencing transformational leadership (TL) among high school coaches. Although previous research shows that TL improves athlete performance, emotional development, and team cohesion, little attention has been paid to how TL skills develop in secondary school sports, specifically to be used by coaching staff. Using Bass and Avolio’s four “I’s” framework—idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration—the study explored the impact of gender, coaching experience, sport coached, and mentorship on TL practices. Ten high school coaches from the mid-southern United States participated in three rounds of interviews using the Differentiated Transformational Leadership Inventory (DTLI). …

Integration Of Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies In High School Science Classes, Pamela Chanell Williams

Student Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study investigated the integration of culturally responsive teaching strategies in high school science classes. The problem addressed in this study is that teachers are underprepared to employ culturally responsive teaching strategies to facilitate academic success in science courses for culturally and linguistically diverse students. By investigating the integration of culturally responsive teaching strategies during instruction, improvements can be made to the effectiveness of professional development centered on culturally responsive teaching strategies found in the Ready for Rigor framework. The conceptual framework that served as the foundation for this study was Hammond’s (2015) Ready for Rigor framework. Questionnaires, …

Re-Entering Public Schools Kindergarten Through 12th Grade After The Pandemic: Perceptions Of General Educators On Teaching Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders In Inclusionary Classrooms, Angela Larrison

Student Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health of students and teachers and caused a need for social-emotional learning to be addressed upon re-entry to Kindergarten through 12th grade public schools. Students with social and emotional behavioral disorders have experienced dismal outcomes as they are one to two years behind their peers academically and more likely to receive out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, or placement in alternative learning programs. Students with disabilities showed a loss of progress both academically and behaviorally upon re-entry of school following the COVID-19 pandemic. The problem to be addressed in this study was what effects re-entering public schools …

Understanding Principal Perspectives On What Professional Learning Supports Sustained School Improvements: A Qualitative Case Study, Kristen Hope Fondren

Student Theses and Dissertations

Principals leading schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement face demands related to rapid improvement, instructional reform, and sustaining gains over time. Although districts provide professional learning, limited understanding exists regarding which supports principals perceive as most meaningful in turnaround contexts. This qualitative multiple case study explored how principals in the Florida Panhandle perceived professional learning supports that strengthened leadership capacity, supported exiting improvement status, and sustained school improvement. Guided by a constructivist framework, the study examined how principals constructed meaning from their professional learning experiences. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six principals who successfully led schools out …

An Analysis Of How Educators’ Attitudes Toward Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities Impact Assessment Scores Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Felicia Baty Goings

Student Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzed how educators’ attitudes toward individuals with intellectual disabilities impact summative assessment scores of students with learning disabilities. The research problem addressed in this study was the increase in the number of special education students receiving inclusive instruction who scored at Levels 3 or 4 on the Arkansas Teaching and Learning Assessment System (ATLAS) mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA) summative assessment. The findings are relevant to educators and education stakeholders wanting to improve inclusion practices. The purpose of this correlational quantitative study was to determine whether there was a significant difference in students’ summative assessment scores and …

Heritage As Performative Sovereignty: Situated Agency And Environmental (In)Equity In The Arkansas Delta, Faisal Mohammed

Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the materiality of heritage as a proactive and strategic resource for ensuring survival and reshaping justice in rural places. Set in Phillips County, in the Arkansas Delta, a region where environmental neglect and economic marginalization are visibly apparent in the landscape, this research interrogates how a community responds to environmental crises in a contested landscape using locally driven, art-based initiatives. By centering the Water Story Project in Phillips County, funded by One Nation One Project, a national art-based initiative, I explore a ‘thin institutional ecology’ where the scarcity of regulatory oversight and intermediary civic support has …

The Ecotoxicological Implications Of Switching From Fluorescent To Light Emitting Diode Lighting For Zooplankton Culturing And Whole Effluent Toxicity Testing, Orithea Z. Regn

Student Theses and Dissertations

In the global transition toward light emitting diode (LED) lighting, an understudied area is the impact on the culturing and testing of Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) testing organisms, more specifically, the zooplankton species. Without comparison to the current lighting used for culturing and testing, it is unknown if there will be an impact on performance, which could affect effluent, regulatory, and product safety decisions. This dissertation investigated if culturing and reference toxicity testing using sodium chloride for Ceriodaphnia dubia, Daphnia magna, and D. pulex under LED lighting was comparable to fluorescent. Comparisons were made between two laboratories and by season, …

College Success Comparison Between First-Generation College Students And Non-First-Generation College Students In The South Texas Plains, Obed Guerrero

Student Theses and Dissertations

This study examined differences in academic success between first-generation college students and non-first-generation college students enrolled in community colleges in the South Texas region. National research has consistently reported that first-generation college students tend to experience lower academic outcomes; however, limited empirical evidence exists regarding whether these disparities persist within South Texas, a region characterized by a high Hispanic student population and a substantial proportion of first-generation students. This gap limits the ability of institutions to make context-specific decisions that support student success. The purpose of this study was to compare grade point average, fall-to-fall retention, and graduation outcomes between …

If It Doesn't Hurt You Aren't Working Hard Enough: An Examination Of Coach Experience In High School Debate, Rosie Valdez Block

Student Theses and Dissertations

High school debate coaching constitutes a uniquely demanding educational role, defined by emotional labor, extended work hours, institutional precarity, and systemic inequities. Despite their significant contributions to students’ intellectual and personal growth, the professional sustainability of debate coaches remains underexamined. This dissertation investigates the conditions contributing to burnout among high school debate coaches through the theoretical lenses of Maslach’s Burnout Theory, as contemporized by Edú-Valsania et al. (2022), and teacher self-efficacy theory, to understand how emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished professional confidence emerge in this context. The study is further guided by constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2014), enabling a bottom-up, …

Educator Perceptions Of The Impact Of The Avid Program On Minority Students’ School Achievement, Genia Smith

Student Theses and Dissertations

While Hispanic and African American college enrollment rates have increased over the past 20 years, minority students continue to face structural and educational barriers that make it more challenging for them to prepare for and gain entry to college. The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program is a college preparatory initiative designed to provide additional academic and social support for historically disadvantaged students. Guided by a socio-cultural theoretical framework, this mixed-methods survey-based study explored the perceptions of 10 administrators and 10 teachers in a Southeast region school district regarding the impacts of AVID on minority students’ achievement. The findings revealed …

Impact Of Expanded Core Curriculum On College And Job Placement For The Blind And Visually Impaired, Susan Drake

Student Theses and Dissertations

Students who are blind or visually impaired face persistent barriers in postsecondary education and employment, despite access to academic instruction and legally mandated supports. Although academic accommodations are often provided, less is known about how instruction in nonacademic skill areas influences long-term outcomes. . This study addressed a critical gap by examining the perceived impact of Expanded Core Curriculum instruction on college readiness, employment attainment, and adult independence for blind or visually impaired high school graduates. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how former students described their access to, understanding of, and benefit from Expanded Core Curriculum …

Lived Experiences Of Competency-Based Grading: Implementation In The Secondary Public School Setting, Andrew Robbins Gillespie

Student Theses and Dissertations

The implementation of non-traditional grading systems is a current theme in American public school education. Competency-Based Grading (CBG) is a system that many school districts are considering. CBG is based on essential learning objectives and streamlines the grading of those objectives. CBG also removes high stakes assessment by allowing reassessment. However, studies have shown implementation efforts are often met with obstacles for either a lack of preparation or understanding. This dissertation seeks to understand the lived experiences of educational staff with the CBG implementation process through a phenomenological study. Data was gathered through interviews, observations, and document review. The themes …

Cap1 (Cyclase-Associated Protein 1) Mediates The Camp Regulation Of Adhesion And Proliferation Of Schwann Cells In The Peripheral Nervous System, Jarna Karmoker

Student Theses and Dissertations

The peripheral nervous system relays signals between the central nervous system and the rest of the body, and peripheral nerve injuries and neuropathies can cause permanent neurological deficits. Schwann cells (SCs) are glial cells that myelinate neurons, which is essential for neuronal function and nerve repair. CAP1 (Cyclase-Associated Protein 1) is best characterized as an actin-regulating protein, while it also regulates other cellular processes, including matrix adhesion, migration, and proliferation. We discovered that cAMP-induced CAP1 dephosphorylation regulates relevant cell functions. While cAMP is also important for SC function and myelination, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. We silenced CAP1 in …

Analysis Of Inclusive Practices Using A Co-Teaching Model On English Learners With Disabilities, Shawna Shields

Student Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of general and special education teachers who implemented co-teaching as a model of inclusive instruction for English Learners (ELs) with disabilities in a suburban middle school district. Grounded in Cook and Friend’s (1995) co-teaching framework and informed by sociocultural theory, the study examined how teachers collaborated, negotiated roles, and balanced language development with disability-related supports. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and a Co-teaching Collaboration Survey administered to 12 educators. Thematic analysis revealed that trust and parity support effective co-teaching partnerships, that language-forward scaffolds and interaction-based strategies promote engagement, and …

Impact Of Ncaa Football Bowl Subdivision Reclassification On Universities, Kyle Shaffer

Student Theses and Dissertations

Increasingly universities are leaving the lower Football Championship Series (FCS) for the potentially greener pastures of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), but are they really greener? Is bigger always better? Since 2008, there have been 17 universities that have reclassified to the NCAA FBS subdivision. The purpose of this study was to study NCAA FCS to FBS reclassification from 2008 to 2023 to research the athletics and non-athletics related impacts that occurred and what factors most influenced the universities in the sample to choose to pursue reclassification. The study used a quantitative approach to more holistically research the impact of …

Research Networks As Social Infrastructure For Researcher Wellbeing And Inclusion In A Post-Merger Technological University, Shane Francis Conway Phd, James Britton Phd, Alan Naughton

Irish Journal of Academic Practice

As a recently established technological university, Atlantic Technological University continues to evolve its research structures across a distributed, multi-campus environment. As is common in post-merger contexts, there are opportunities to further strengthen cross-campus engagement, collegiality and inclusion. This paper presents a practice-based, research-informed analysis of Research Network formation at ATU, developed under the RISE@ATU programme. It demonstrates how such networks can serve as social infrastructure to support researcher wellbeing, connection and collaboration within a post-merger technological university, with particular relevance to other regionally distributed higher education institutions. The analysis is informed by institutional experience, including a university-wide researcher engagement campaign …

Exploring Hpv Vaccine Acceptance And Health Beliefs Among Arab American Parents In The United States: A Qualitative Study Using The Health Belief Model, Nada Alshahrani, Jesus Sanchez, Nancy Shehadeh

Posters

Abstract Background: Arab Americans are a rapidly growing ethnic minority in the United States, but their classification as ‚ÄúWhite‚Äù in federal health data renders them statistically invisible, creating a gap in understanding their preventive health beliefs. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States and a leading cause of cervical cancer and other cancers. Parental acceptance of the HPV vaccine is crucial for increasing vaccination among children and adolescents. The Health Belief Model (HBM) is commonly used to understand vaccine decision-making; however, its application to Arab American parents remains unexplored. Aim: This study aimed …

Conformational Cycling Of The Wntless Transporter Drives Trafficking And Secretion Of Wnt Morphogens, Yunhui Ge, Taciani De Almeida Magalhaes, Hongjiang Wu, Dick J H Van Den Boomen, Thu Uyen Nguyen, Tongyi Dou, Gaya P Yadav, Sukyeong Lee, Zhao Wang, Andrew Lemoff, Xuemei Luo, Sumitha S Menon, Min Zhang, Jin Wang, Zhicheng Jin, Jiansen Jiang, Adrian Salic, Pengxiang Huang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Wnt proteins are lipid-modified morphogens fundamental in development and disease. During Wnt biogenesis, the G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-like transporter Wntless (WLS) escorts lipidated Wnts from the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane, then transfers them to extracellular carriers, forming active and soluble morphogen-carrier complexes. To dissect the mechanisms involved, we solve cryo-EM structures of Wnt-bound WLS and unliganded WLS, and perform structure-guided functional experiments. Wnts engage WLS via three conserved hairpins, which are all required for Wnt trafficking to the cell surface and carrier-mediated secretion. Wnt release from cells is driven by dramatic conformational changes in the WLS transmembrane domain, reminiscent …

American Sign Language Recognition And Analysis Using Deep Learning, Saurabh Kumar Soni

Master’s Dissertations

In this work I build a system that recognizes isolated American Sign Language (ASL) words, and I use it to ask one fairly direct question: when training data is scarce, is it better to look at the video pixels or at the geometry of the signer’s body? To find out, I train two very different models on exactly the same clips. The first is appearance-based. Every frame is run through standard preprocessing and a ResNet50 backbone pre-trained on ImageNet, which turns it into a 2048-dimensional feature vector, and a Bidirectional LSTM then reads that sequence over time. The second model …

Bridging Cultural Gaps In Enhancing Mental Health Support For The Bhutanese Community, Subash Chandra Majhi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Leadership Strategies Healthcare Leaders Use To Improve Organizational Performance, Rushell Latoya Bryce

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.