Digital Commons Network^™

The Aridification Of The Great Salt Lake, David Thompson

Ballard Brief

Throughout Nepal, brick kilns employ thousands of families annually for the seasonal work of crafting and shipping bricks. As families migrate between work in brick factories and agricultural work at home, more factors block their children from a complete and quality education. The open invitation to begin working with their parents and to help provide for the family becomes a strong temptation that causes many children to give up on school. In addition, Nepal's lack of law enforcement frequently allows children to drop out of school early without consequence. Their parents do not attempt to stop them either, making little …

Ensuring The Effectiveness Of Reading And Mathematics Interventions, Bethany Lange

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

With an increased pressure in standardized assessment performance, teachers have the difficult task of ensuring all students test at grade level. The goal of making a connection to each student’s learning style can be a daunting task, but positive results are possible. With research in mind, a school improvement plan was created to ensure the time spent during reading and mathematics interventions is effective. This plan creates a way for educators to assess students and develop the best plan of action for each student’s learning style.

Improving Students’ Sense Of Belonging At School: A School Improvement Plan, Madison Alvarado

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Robust research proves the importance of students' sense of belonging at school and its correlation to academic achievement, positive behavior choices, and a student's overall well-being. This school improvement plan was created to implement strategies that will lead to a significant increase in students' sense of belonging at school. The plan includes incorporating professional development that provides educators with a well-rounded understanding of what a sense of belonging entails, along with structures to help increase it in the students they support. The plan also introduces a student program designed to boost students' positive interactions and, thus, increase their sense of …

Implementation Of Universal Design For Learning In The K-12 School Setting, Jaecy Hauge

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

I am proposing a school improvement plan for Okoboji Elementary School. The goal is to implement a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) with best practices to support increased student achievement. Your support and active participation are crucial in this process. With your valuable input, we can successfully apply this flexible approach to teaching and learning, which has the potential to significantly improve student achievement. UDL operates through a framework that follows three core principles: representation, action/ expression, and engagement. UDL is based upon the most widely replicated finding in educational research: learners are highly variable (CAST, 2024).

Implementing A Flipped Classroom Model: An Improvement Plan For Professional Development In Flipped Classroom Implementation, Nick Demoss

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement plan focuses on the implementation of the flipped classroom model at Carlisle Middle School to enhance student engagement and academic performance. The three-phase plan begins with research-based professional development for educators on effectively implementing the flipped classroom model. By reversing traditional teaching methods, this approach enables students to access instructional content outside the classroom via short videos or articles, while in-class time is dedicated to active learning, collaborative projects, and personalized instruction. This initiative aligns with the Carlisle Community School District’s mission of "Character, Service, and Excellence in Everything We Do," aiming to address disengagement and foster …

Building A Foundation Of Phonemic Awareness In Preschool Children, Marti Meissner

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Building strong foundational literacy skills in preschool children has influences academic success positively in all curriculum areas, throughout their school years. Developing phonemic awareness skills is the biggest predictor of future reading success. Providing play-based instruction in the preschool environment is developmentally appropriate. However, researchers have shown that without direct, systematic instruction preschool children show little growth in these literacy skills. Studies have shown that the teacher professional development is necessary in their delivery of explicit and systematic instruction that focuses on phonemic awareness skills such as rhyming, segmentation, alliteration, and beginning and ending sounds in words. Following research findings, …

Enhancing Inclusion Through Universal Design For Learning And Collaboration, Arianna Lumpa

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement plan focuses on enhancing student inclusion in the general education setting. Inclusion is a crucial topic in schools and this plan aims to clarify what it means and how it can effectively be implemented. The plan explores the barriers and challenges of inclusion, the perspectives of educators and leaders, the role of collaboration, and the use of Universal Design for Instruction in a supportive environment. Research shows that inclusion of students with disabilities is a highly effective strategy that can support students’ academic achievement when implemented correctly. The implementation of this school improvement plan will be facilitated …

Upper Elementary Reading Intervention: A School Improvement Plan, Ginger Wardlow

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Upper elementary students in grades 3rd-5th who struggle with literacy skills can benefit from intensive reading intervention. Many districts have plans in place for students in the early elementary grades. This plan was created to target the 3rd-5th grade student population who is not often receiving intervention despite a deficit in literacy skills. Literacy skills play into all aspects of a student’s education career thus making them an important skill for academic success. This plan allows for educators to work collaboratively to meet student needs through a realistic plan to implement reading intervention with a focus on fluency, phonics, decoding, …

Effectively Teaching Non-Verbal Students, Lisa Vincent

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This inquiry-based research explores teaching strategies and assessments that minimize frustration in nonverbal students, thus preventing behaviors that hinder learning. Conducted through a literature review and Google questionnaires, the study also involves distributing questionnaires to special education teachers during professional development workshops. Findings indicate that student-centered approaches and preferred teaching strategies effectively engage students and reduce frustration, regardless of whether teachers are in general or special education. Positive teacher-student relationships were also found to impact student frustration levels significantly. These results highlight the importance of implementing student-centered approaches and fostering positive teacher-student relationships to enhance student learning experiences.

The Impact Of Incorporating Technology On Student Engagement And Achievement In An Elementary Classroom, Amanda Donahoo

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Schools across the country face distracted students who struggle to focus, leading to less engagement and lower academic success. Research has shown that student learning outcomes are often influenced by their level of engagement and that technology can be utilized as a powerful tool for motivation. This study aims to identify the effectiveness of incorporating educational technology, such as one-to-one computers, tablets, and interactive lessons, to increase student engagement and academic achievement so that elementary schools will benefit. Based on a literature review on technology’s impact on education, an online survey was distributed to elementary teachers at a rural, public …

The Intersection Of Culture And Character In Diverse Classrooms, Laura Balmer

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This inquiry-based project aimed to fill a gap in the research about the way a thorough understanding of students’ culture can and should influence teachers’ methods of building character in diverse classrooms. The main cultural consideration in this qualitative research involved the cultural frameworks known as individualism and collectivism. The researcher surveyed ten teachers of diverse classrooms, asking them to thoroughly and reflectively answer eight questions related to culture and character. An analysis of the responses revealed a basic understanding of the cultural frameworks, an agreement that culture does influence character, and a desire to understand more about effectively teaching …

Improving Student Outcomes With Project-Based Learning, Tyler Archer

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This capstone project analyzes the impact of Project-Based Learning (PBL) on student outcomes at Indianola High School, specifically focusing on student engagement, self-efficacy, and academic achievement in a U.S. History classroom. Recent declines in student performance, specifically in math and reading, indicate that changes are needed. This study examines the potential of PBL to increase content mastery, critical thinking, and historical inquiry skills among high school students. Through a comprehensive literature review and an action plan created for the specific needs of Indianola High School, this research identifies key benefits and challenges associated with PBL. The research suggests that PBL …

Does A Co-Teaching Model Increase Math Assessment Scores?, Kate Jackson

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Research findings demonstrate that using a co-teaching model improves assessment scores in math. Not only do scores increase in math, but the co-facilitating model also has proven to increase inclusion and self-efficacy among students. Studies have shown that having two educators in the classroom allows for the model of one teach and one assist to be highly beneficial. This plan includes a school improvement plan that outline demographics of the school, what the problem is, and actions to take to combat the issue.

Improving Literacy Instruction For Young Students With Autism, Angie Geetings

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement project aimed to identify effective methods for reading instruction for young students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It was hypothesized through exploring peer-reviewed articles that comprehensive reading instruction, tailored to the needs of students with autism, would improve their literacy skills to levels comparable to their typically developing peers. The project reviewed interventions, accommodations, and modifications to provide early reading instruction aligned with National Panel recommendations. Adaptive and interactive shared reading opportunities, such as Adaptive Dialogic Reading, were used. Effectiveness was assessed through teacher observations, student performance data, and standardized reading assessments. Findings indicated that early and …

Enhancing Child Development Using Play In The K-5 Curriculum, Carlee Jensen

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This paper explores the integration of play-based practices in K-5 education to enhance holistic child development and address gaps in student achievement. It underscores the cognitive, social-emotional, and physical benefits of play, proposing it as a strategy to improve academic outcomes at Jefferson Elementary School, which faces proficiency rates below state averages. Utilizing data from the Iowa Report Card and FAST assessments, the study emphasizes targeted literacy and mathematics interventions, reintroducing the DIBELS assessment, and adopting a new curriculum aligned with state standards. It advocates for professional development to equip educators with effective strategies for incorporating play into their teaching. …

Using Visual Supports To Assist In The Ecse Classroom To Gain Independence, Shannon Stolen

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement plan aims to increase the overall use of visuals in the Early Childhood Special Education Classroom at Spirit Lake Elementary. Targeted areas of improvement include: using a visual schedule, using cue cards, and using the core board independently. By implementing interventions with the adults in the classroom, the plan is set to increase overall independence while using these different materials. Data will be collected daily to document how the young students are responding and using the various visual cue cards. The implementation of this plan in crucial in working with young students with special needs at Spirit …

Relationship Commitment Regulation: Influencing A Partner's Commitment To Achieve One's Commitment Goals, Laura V. Machia, Kenneth Tan, Christopher R. Agnew

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

We introduce a model of relationship commitment regulation, which describes how romantic partners might use empirically-validated antecedents of commitment level strategically to influence a partner's commitment toward their relationship based on certain commitment goals they have for the relationship. People are generally aware of and relatively accurate with respect to knowing their partner's level of commitment and also have preferences regarding their desired level. We summarize key antecedents of commitment level (i.e., satisfaction level, alternative quality, investment size, future plans, and subjective norms) and then describe how each can be manipulated via relationship maintenance activities to move a partner's commitment …

Report On Findings From Household Needs Study, Paulin T. Straughan, Mathew Mathews

ROSA Research Briefs

The Household Needs Study (HNS) aimed to capture public perspectives on essential items and activities that are deemed necessary for a normal life in Singapore and to understand the extent to which Singaporeans are able to access these items and activities. To do so, the study adopted the Living Standards Approach (Saunders, Naidoo & Wong, 2022), which purports that individuals experience relative deprivation and/or social exclusion if they do not have access to items and activities that are deemed to be essential by society. In this study, a survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of around 4,000 respondents …

Bracketed Assessments In Behavioral Gerontology: Evaluating Preference With Present And Absent Stimuli, Flavia Eduarda Del Castillo Troche

Theses and Dissertations

The present study evaluated the use of bracketed assessments to assess the activity preference of three individuals with dementia. The study proposed an alternative method to traditional stimulus preference assessments, to bridge the gap in behavior analytical literature within behavioral gerontology. Thus, bracketed assessments were conducted using two presentation methods, verbal plus visual presentation and verbal-only presentation. Results suggested that while participants showed consistency within low preferred activity selection in the bracketed assessment, variability was observed among participants’ preferences for high and moderate preferred activities. Both presentation methods yield similar selection results for one participant, however, the other two participants …

Assessing Role Of Social Media Labels In Countering Misinformation Using Information Processing Perspective: Findings From University Of South Carolina, Ali Zain

Theses and Dissertations

In the context of online misinformation, this study integrates Heuristic-Systematic Model (HSM), Elaboration-Likelihood Model (ELM), and Motivation, Opportunity, and Ability (MOA) to investigate the impact of three social media labels on information processing and verification. It adopts experimental design with single manipulation involving undergraduate students. Psychophysiological measures (i.e., dwell time, peaks per minute, and frontal alpha asymmetry) are used along with self-report methods. Findings reveal significant effects of social media label 1 which explicitly flagged misinformation on perceived message credibility, intentions to adopt counter behaviors and information verification, and actual behaviors. The findings were also endorsed by regression analyses using …

Translanguaging As Pedagogy And Culturally Relevant Science Instruction: Teaching In A Bilingual Science Classroom, Angelita J. Salinas

Theses and Dissertations

The continuous underrepresentation of the Latinx population in STEM fields and careers requires urgent attention. This study addresses this issue by designing and implementing a science curriculum based on culturally relevant and translanguaging pedagogies. Focusing on chemical and physical reactions, the curriculum was implemented in two 8th-grade science classes. Using an ethnographic case study methodology, this research employed classroom observations, field notes, student work analysis, and reflective interviews to gather data. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify key patterns and themes. The analysis revealed how instructional strategies were designed to ensure the relevance of instruction to students' cultural and community …

Lilrb4 On Multiple Myeloma Cells Promotes Bone Lesion By P-Shp2/Nf-Κb/Relt Signal Pathway, Hongying Wang, Lei Wang, Huiwen Luan, Jing Xiao, Zhiling Zhao, Pengfei Yu, Mi Deng, Yifan Liu, Shuhao Ji, Junjie Ma, Yan Zhou, Jiashen Zhang, Xianhui Meng, Juan Zhang, Xinyu Zhao, Chunling Li, Fangmin Li, Dapeng Wang, Shujuan Wei, Lijun Hui, Siman Nie, Changzhu Jin, Zhiqiang An, Ningyan Zhang, Yaopeng Wang, Cheng Cheng Zhang, Zunling Li

The Brown Foundation: Institute of Molecular Medicine

Background: Leukocyte Ig-like receptor B family 4 (LILRB4) as an immune checkpoint on myeloid cells is a potential target for tumor therapy. Extensive osteolytic bone lesion is the most characteristic feature of multiple myeloma. It is unclear whether ectopic LILRB4 on multiple myeloma regulates bone lesion.

Methods: The conditioned medium (CM) from LILRB4-WT and -KO cells was used to analyze the effects of LILRB4 on osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Xenograft, syngeneic and patient derived xenograft models were constructed, and micro-CT, H&E staining were used to observe the bone lesion. RNA-seq, cytokine array, qPCR, the activity of luciferase, Co-IP and western blotting …

Disrupting Niceness In Literacy Teacher Education: Non-Linear Trajectories Toward Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Amy Tondreau, Wendy L. Gardiner, Tierney B. Hinman, Tess M. Dussling, Elizabeth Y. Stevens, Kristin L. White, Nance L. Wilson

Journal Articles

Many teacher educators seek to implement culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) in their courses. However, enactment is often mediated by our socialization into whiteness and niceness. This study investigates how our self-study community of practice (SSCoP) of eight White female literacy teacher educators at different institutions collaborated to narrow the gap between our aspirations for implementing CRP and enacted practice. Through analysis of collaborative journal entries, we interpret tensions between what niceness and whiteness demand of us and what enactment of CRP requires: (a) between centering equity in our courses and addressing equity on the margins, (b) between enactment of critical …

Speaking Up: A Narrative Inquiry Of International Students' Active Verbal Engagement In Classrooms At A Southeastern American University, Sabrina Xiaoyan Liu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

This qualitative narrative research investigated successful cases of international students who actively verbally participate and speak up during academic or coursework discussions in the classrooms. More specifically, the aim of this narrative inquiry was to capture the lived and living experiences of English language learners (ELLs) navigating American mainstream classrooms. Moreover, this qualitative study explored how they perceive the impact of their English language proficiency on their verbal engagement during class. I recruited participants through the international office at a southeastern university in the United States. After an initial phone screening session to verify that each interested participant met the …

Representations Of Violence Against Native American Women, Christine York

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

It is the aim of this study to provide detailed attention to the representation of violence against Native American women throughout American films and literature. Native American women have been persecuted against since the times of colonization; however, there has been a recent uptake in this crime. This crime has been seen throughout many forms of art, but has not often been a focal point to these artforms. In order to argue that the violence these women experience needs to be central to the texts they are seen in, a comparison between three different texts is imperative. These texts are …

Optimizing Attention Bias Training For Depression, Bridget R. Kennedy

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Depression has been associated with a negative attention bias. Attention bias modification (ABM) interventions among individuals with depression have demonstrated promising but inconsistent findings in reducing negative attention bias and decreasing depression symptoms. These inconsistent results may be partly due to impaired attention functioning that is common in depression. Mindfulness has demonstrated attention benefits, which may enhance the ability for individuals with depression to benefit from ABM interventions. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of a train-positive dot-probe task ABM intervention when compared to a placebo dot-probe task, both preceded by a series of brief mindfulness activities, among a …

Genetic Correlations Between Liver Fat Content, Metabolic Health, And Adiposity Distribution In The Fels Longitudinal Study, Ariana L Garza, Miryoung Lee, John Blangero, Cici X Bauer, Stefan A Czerwinski, Audrey C Choh

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and aims: Hepatic steatosis is known to be heritable, but its genetic basis is mostly uncharacterized. Steatosis is associated with metabolic and adiposity features; recent studies hypothesize that shared genetic effects between these traits could account for some of the unexplained heritability. This study aimed to quantify these genetic associations in a family-based sample of non-Hispanic white adults.

Methods and results: 704 participants (18-95 years, 55.8% female) from the Fels Longitudinal Study with an MRI assessment of liver fat were included. Quantitative genetic analyses estimated the age- and sex-adjusted heritability of individual traits and the genetic correlations within trait …

Association Between Participation And Satisfaction With Life Over Time In Older Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Tbi Model Systems Study, Zinat Taiwo, Angelle M Sander, Shannon B Juengst, Xiangyi Liu, Luis Leon Novelo, Flora M Hammond, Therese M O'Neil-Pirozzi, Paul B Perrin, Nicholas Gut

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: To examine the association between participation and satisfaction with life at 1, 2, 5, and 10 years after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in older adults.

Setting: Community.

Participants: Participants ( N = 2362) who sustained complicated mild to severe TBI, requiring inpatient rehabilitation, at age 60 years or older and had follow-up data on participation and satisfaction with life for at least 1 follow-up time point across 1, 2, 5, and 10 years. Age at each time period was categorized as 60 to 64 years, 65 to 75 years, and 75 years or older.

Design: Secondary data analysis of …

Dermoscopy Of A Solitary Circumscribed Neuroma Of The Lip Vermillion, Cody M Atack, Victoria A Mañón, Arthur L Taguchi, Nadarajah Vigneswaran, Jose M Marchena

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

A Cytomics-On-A-Chip Platform And Diagnostic Model Stratifies Risk For Oral Lichenoid Conditions, Michael P Mcrae, Kritika Srinivasan Rajsri, A Ross Kerr, Nadarajah Vigneswaran, Spencer W Redding, Malvin Janal, Stella K Kang, Leena Palomo, Nicolaos J Christodoulides, Meena Singh, Jeffery Johnston, John T Mcdevitt

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: A small fraction of oral lichenoid conditions (OLC) have potential for malignant transformation. Distinguishing OLCs from other oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) can help prevent unnecessary concern or testing, but accurate identification by nonexpert clinicians is challenging due to overlapping clinical features. In this study, the authors developed a 'cytomics-on-a-chip' tool and integrated predictive model for aiding the identification of OLCs.

Study design: All study subjects underwent both scalpel biopsy for histopathology and brush cytology. A predictive model and OLC Index comprising clinical, demographic, and cytologic features was generated to discriminate between subjects with lichenoid (OLC+) (N = 94) …