Digital Commons Network^™

Tracing Stigma: The Evolution Of The Tattoo In The Middle Ages, Isabella Fusillo

Honors Theses

In the Western world, tattooing began as a mechanism for marking slaves and prisoners in Ancient Greece and Rome. As a result of changes in religion and philosophy, the period between 1100 and 1600 CE set the stage for the tattoo to transform from something that was forcibly done to represent a communal identity into an individual expression of self. This project traces the use and meaning of tattooing from the ancient world into the 1600’s.

New Hampshire Preschool Development Grant 2022 Family Needs Assessment Supplemental Tables, Jess Carson, Sarah Boege

Preschool Development Grant

No abstract provided.

Some Properties And Applications Of Spaces Of Modular Forms With Eta-Multiplier, Cuyler Daniel Warnock

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation considers two topics. In the first part of the dissertation, we prove the existence of fourteen congruences for the $p$-core partition function of the form given by Garvan in \cite{G1}. Different from the congruences given by Garvan, each of the congruences we give yield infinitely many congruences of the form $$a_p(\ell\cdot p^{t+1} \cdot n + p^t \cdot k - \delta_p) \equiv 0 \pmod \ell.$$ For example, if $t \geq 0$ and $\sfrac{m}{n}$ is the Jacobi symbol, then we prove $$a_7(7^t \cdot n - 2) \equiv 0 \pmod 5, \text{ \ \ if $\bfrac{n}{5} = 1$ and $\bfrac{n}{7} = …

Bricks For Building Empathy: An Action Research Study Assessing The Impact Of Robotics On Elementary Students’ Empathy Towards Individuals With Disabilities, Emily A. Yow

Theses and Dissertations

Empathy helps us understand and respond appropriately to how others feel. It allows us to establish meaningful connections to those around us at home, school, work, and in society. The education system has realized the importance of social-emotional skills and have started implementing programs to help students develop these skills. Businesses have also started developing principles and practices that center around empathy and perspective-taking. The purpose of this action research was to assess the impact of robotics on fifth grade students’ empathy towards people with disabilities. This study aimed to answer the following research questions: (1) How does using robotics …

Matthew 24-25 As Prophetic-Apocalyptic : Its Structure, Function, And Eschatology, Kennedy K. Ekeocha

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Academic Pathways For Formerly Incarcerated Students: “If I Could Do 12 Years In Prison, Why Can’T I Do 12 Years In College.”, Melissa Abeyta

Organization and School Leadership Faculty Publications

This qualitative study examined the experiences of formerly incarcerated students in community colleges. In this study, participants described how they made meaning of their postsecondary education experience through their decision to start college, the college preparation, and faculty interactions that collectively influenced their academic pathways. The students of this study were formerly incarcerated Latino men enrolled in California community colleges located in northern, central, and southern regions. This study specifically sought to challenge the stigma that revolves around the experiences of the carceral system leading to a deficit perspective on this student population. The findings from this study aligns with …

Measuring The Intensity Of Mymotivators™ / Whole Brain® Communication In Print Advertising, Tanner Schulz

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Advertising’s purpose is to create a state of mind conducive to purchase (Colley, 1961).

This study seeks to identify, measure, and understand the intrinsic motivators communicated within print advertisements and quantify their intensities. The theory is that ads with more intense motivator content - distributed somewhat evenly across all four quadrants of the Whole Brain ® Model - will be more effective in influencing that state of mind.

This research is the first step in identifying, quantifying, and visualizing motivators communicated within print advertisements. The study analyzed 15 print ads found in contemporary magazines.

The framework for this work is …

The Medium/Message Is The Message: Intersemiotic Complementarity In James Hogg's The Private Memoirs And Confessions Of A (Justified) Sinner, Jaix Chaix

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This semiotic analysis identifies and characterizes how textual, compositional, and mathematical resources have been strategically articulated to project intersemiotic complementarity in the book The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner; Written by Himself: With A Detail of Curious Traditionary Facts, And Other Evidence, By The Editor attributed to Scottish author James Hogg. This qualitative study approaches the original 1824 edition as a literary work in its original compositional medium as a printed book—not as a text. A theoretical extension of philosopher and media theorist Marshall McLuhan’s maxim The Medium Is The Message serves as a basis for the …

Creating Harmony Through A Unified Definition Of Discipleship, Dereck S. Jackson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

It is difficult to function as one unified group in an association of churches where autonomy is central. The ninety-one churches that call Converge Northeast their association desire to start churches, strengthen them, and send people into the harvest field. However, this group of capable churches and leaders has been unable to sustain church health, lacking church growth. After bringing in new leadership, there has been a resurgence of relationship building and vision casting. What might this group of churches need to become vibrant disciple-making churches? Unity among autonomous churches will require that leaders are on the same page and …

Mentorship Relationships: A Phenomenological Study Investigating Experiences Of Secondary Teachers, Jodi Lee Wilson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to investigate teachers’ experiences in their mentoring relationships. This study investigated the experiences of 12 secondary teachers with varying levels of teaching experience from the Camel County School District in northeastern Wyoming. Kram’s (1983) original mentorship model guided this study, along with social network theory. The focus of this inquiry was to explore how teachers experience the initiation and cultivation phase of the mentorship relationship within their schools, and how these mentorship relationships positively affect the teachers involved. Data collection methods included interviews, participant-written essays, and focus group sessions to answer the …

Reframing Definitions Of School Quality Through The Lens Of Stakeholders In A Diverse School, Jennifer L. Watters

Theses & Dissertations

A dominant narrative of school quality currently exists based on race, Euro-centric school quality frameworks, economics, and test scores. This qualitative case study aimed to redefine school quality for diverse communities by sharing the counter-story of stakeholders in a diverse school district on Long Island, New York. This study utilized the theoretical frameworks of critical race theory, community cultural wealth, culturally responsive leadership, and Schneider’s framework for school quality, to elevate the voices of stakeholders in a diverse school district on Long Island and gain their perspectives on school quality in terms of teaching, leadership, and family engagement. Findings generated …

At-Risk Students’ Perception Of The Effectiveness Of Alternative Schools, Tara D. Cunningham Cantey

Theses and Dissertations

The need for new and innovative alternatives to traditional high schools has never been greater. Alternative schools operate today as a secret, hidden educational system, often providing much needed support for at-risk students. These schools often have little to no accountability for student achievement. Enrollment at alternative schools is increasing at an alarming rate mainly due to zero tolerance policies and students feeling disengaged with the traditional methods of education. For many years the education system has been rather traditional in teaching/content delivery format. One of the greatest advancements has been technology. However, during the Covid-19 virus pandemic, beyond the …

On The Influence Of Afp-Induced Defects On Mechanical Behavior Of Composite Laminates Under Fatigue Loading, Pierre Chevalier

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of the work presented in this thesis is to propose and validate a numerical solution to quantify the influence of Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) induced defects on the mechanical behavior of conventional composite laminates in fatigue. The work presented here will be divided in six sections. At first, a description of the Automated Fiber Placement process and its associated defects is proposed. In association, two tools developed for a rapid analysis and a progressive damage analysis respectively are discussed and used as an introduction to the work conducted in this thesis. In the second section, an extensive literature …

Before The Storm: Youth Hockey In North Carolina Ahead Of The Nhl’S Arrival, Sarai Sharei Dai

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis looks at the development of youth hockey in North Carolina before the coming of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes in 1997. Although the American South with its warm weather and lack of snow or ice seemed inhospitable to such a wintry sport, ice hockey found a niche in Charlotte, the Piedmont Triad, and the Research Triangle in the mid- to late- 20^th century through a combination of minor professional teams, local boosters, and northern transplants who all worked together to organize youth and amateur hockey associations as well as advocate for accessible ice rink facilities in …

The Influence Of Perceived Leadership On Teachers’ Job Satisfaction: A Comparative Study Between The United States And China, Jingtong Dou

Theses and Dissertations

The challenge of teacher retention in rural schools is significant for many reasons, not the least of which is that teacher retention problems have been found to be negatively associated with school performances (Ronfeldt, Loeb, & Wyckoff, 2013; Tran & Dou, 2019). Teachers’ job satisfaction is closely related to teacher retention, both of which have been linked to students’ long-term learning outcomes (Chetty, Friedman, & Rockoff, 2014). Principals’ support for teachers has been frequently identified as the most important factor influencing teachers’ job satisfaction and retention (Ladd, 2011). Particularly in rural schools, leadership support, autonomy, professional development, and participation among …

Exploring Genetic Counselors’ Experiences, Language, And Discussion Of Consanguinity In Clinical Practice: A Multinational Perspective, Romy Isabel Fawaz

Theses and Dissertations

Consanguinity, defined as the degree of relationship between closely related individuals, is a widespread historical practice that is not specific to any one religion, population, or region of the world. Genetic counselors regularly ask whether a reproductive couple is consanguineous as part of the review of family history and risk assessment. Couples who are in consanguineous relationship may be subject to negative attitudes and stigma, potentially due to cultural differences and norms at a population level and these attitudes may interplay with questions, answers, and discussions around consanguinity. We hypothesized that genetic counselors may experience some level of discomfort discussing …

Facilitating Role Understanding And Collaboration Between Aspiring School Counselors And Principals: A Pilot Convergent Mixed Methods Design, Shelby Kaitlin Gonzales

Theses and Dissertations

Using a piloted convergent mixed-methods design, I investigated role understanding and collaboration between school counselors and principals. Specifically, this intervention situated aspiring school counselors and principals in a curriculum implementation on the role of their counterpart and then brought the two professions together in a collaborative powerful learning experience (PLE). Neither the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP), American School Counseling Association (ASCA) or National Policy Board for Education Administration (NPBEA) currently require graduate students to learn about the role of their opposite counterpart or collaboration between the two professions before they graduate from their respective …

Psychophysiological Biomarkers Of Concussion Recovery, Adam Todd Harrison

Theses and Dissertations

Each ach year a growing number of individuals report lingering deficits months-years following concussion. Persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) can negatively impact day-today activities and if left untreated may manifest in severe neurological sequelae resulting in long-term cognitive impairment or advanced neurological degeneration (i.e., CTE). Current clinical diagnostic and prognostic assessments (e.g., symptom reports and neurocognitive testing) lack the sensitivity to quantify neurological function. Accordingly, there is a critical need to identify objective biomarkers specific to PPCS to improve an individual’s quality of life and prevent severe long-term neurological dysfunction.

Psychophysiological measurements (e.g., EEG derived event-related potentials, heart rate variability, and …

No One Is Ever Going To Acknowledge The Language That You Speak”: A Discourse Historical Approach To The Construction Of English Learners’ Identity In Federal Policy, Nicoleta Hodis

Theses and Dissertations

Using the discourse historical approach (DHA), this thesis examined how actors from diverse educational settings (federal, state, and districts) discursively constructed the identity of the English learners (ELs) during the appropriation of new educational policy (i.e., ESSA of 2015). This study intended to understand how both “human” and “non-human” educational actors (i.e., the texts of the educational policy and the key actors responsible for the appropriation of the ESSA of 2015) construct and position the identity of ELs in relations of power and knowledge and how the macro-policy discourse shapes how policies are interpreted at the meso- and micro-level. …

Perspectives About Food Safety In Diverse Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Sejla Isanovic

Theses and Dissertations

Concerns about unsafe food influence food choice, and consumption of unsafe foods increases morbidity and mortality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Actions to ensure safety of food are dominated by mitigation of biological and chemical hazards through supply-side risk management, disregarding individuals’ experiences and perspectives of food safety. We aimed to identify and categorize perspectives about food safety in five countries. Five Drivers of Food Choice projects provided transcripts from 17 focus groups discussions and 303 interviews in Kenya, Ghana, India, Guinea, and Vietnam. We analyzed transcripts using a priori and emergent codes. Individuals constructed meaning about food safety …

For Colored Girls Who Have Experienced Institutional Racism Because The Discipline Code Is Not Enuf: Principals And Assistant Principals, School Discipline Policies, And Discipline Disparities Faced By Black Girls, Lecinda R. Jennings

Theses and Dissertations

For many years, school discipline has been a research focus, particularly the disparities in discipline between Black and White males. Black girls are suspended at a rate that is 5.3 times that of White girls and approximately the same rate as Black boys. Black girls represent the fastest growing group of students who receive discipline disparities. The goal of this case study was to explore if and how principals and assistant principals contribute to discipline disparities faced by Black girls. I discussed the lived experiences of high school administrators to capture their encounters with race, gender, and the implementation of …

Synthesis Of Carborane Pincer Complexes And Exploration Of The Reactivity Of Metal-Boron Bonds, Hindurangalage Don Asela Chathumal Jayaweera

Theses and Dissertations

Exploration of transition metal complexes with metal-boron bonds for the cooperative bond activation of small molecules in catalysis is one of the recent developments in novel synthetic strategies. The use of boron clusters as a modular platform for the formation of metal-boron bond has been successfully utilized by our and other groups. Carboranes are icosahedral boron-carbon molecular clusters that have gained attraction as multifunctional ligands due to their unique geometry, electronic properties, and versatility of functionalization methods. Their 3-D structure exerts a steric bulk around the exohedral substituent, either metal or non-metal center. Furthermore, due to the cluster geometry, five …

Approaches To Teaching Music Counting To Piano Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sunghun Kim

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to interview five internationally and nationally recognized professionals currently teaching piano to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and to explore their approaches to teaching music counting to students with ASD. The interview questionnaire contained 5 sections. Sections 1, 2, and 3 focused on teacher experience and training, studio demographics, and educational curriculum. Sections 4 and 5 of the questionnaire focused on pedagogical practices in teaching music counting to piano students with autism spectrum disorder, including questions regarding pedagogical approaches in teaching meter, rhythm, and steady pulse. Section 6 emphasized pedagogical practices to teach …

Inheritance And Appropriation: Confronting Privilege In Magical Young Adult Fiction, Natalie Jipson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the way that magical ability and the lack thereof has been racialized through the deployment of blood-based models of inheritance in young adult fantasy literature. Because of the connection between blood and biology, texts that only allow magical transmission from parent to child place significant limits on who can access witchery, creating systems of privilege that enforce racial and classed hierarchies. I will use magical novels written by Laurie Forest, Graci Kim, Nnedi Okorafor, Amy Rose Capetta, and Daniel José Older to illustrate the hierarchies created by blood-based models, as well as to demonstrate the possibilities that …

Volume 31, Number 1, Spring 2022, Office Of Communications, Illinois Wesleyan University

Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine, 2018-present

VOLUME 31 | NUMBER 1 | Spring 2022

ON OUR COVER: Signed into law on June 23, 1972, Title IX has prevented sex-based discrimination and provided opportunities for women for the past 50 years. Illinois Wesleyan celebrates the anniversary, specifically through its impact on IWU’s women’s athletics program.

10 Cause for Celebration As Title IX turns 50, the Illinois Wesleyan women’s athletics community reflects on the progress that’s been made and the work that still needs to be done.

18 Made to Fly Propelled by an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to improve life in his home country of Nigeria, …

Observing And Modeling Water Electrolysis Performance Limitations Attributed To Gas Generation And Porous Media Properties, Joseph S. Lopata

Theses and Dissertations

Water electrolysis has been a simple method of hydrogen production for over two centuries, but the exploration of its nuances is still accelerating. This work compiles numerous mechanisms via which electrolysis efficiency is influenced by phenomena that occur within, adjacent to, and nearby functional porous media. Computational and experimental methods are applied to electrolysis systems to quantify the impact of twophase flow patterns and porous media properties on energy losses, primarily those linked directly to the presence of the gas phase.

First, an introduction to the chemistry and operating principle of water electrolysis is presented and relevant works from the …

Three Essays On Banking And Other Financial Institutions, Xiaonan Ma

Theses and Dissertations

This paper shows that access to payday lending affects societal health outcomes such as opioid-related mortality. I find that states allowing payday lending experience 1.5 lives lost per 100,000 population every year, which amounts to one-third of its mean value. I interpret this result in line with the increased consumption of opioid pills after accessing to payday lending. Accordingly, the effects are more pronounced in areas with low socioeconomic status. Confounding events, time trends, or systematic differences between states allowing and prohibiting payday lending are unlikely to explain the association between payday lending access and opioid mortality. Overall, my findings …

Mindset, Stereotype Threat, And The Fear Of Failure: Why Female Students Leave A Secondary High Honors Mathematics Pathway, Annabelle Merg

Theses and Dissertations

The disproportionate attrition of female students in STEM is well documented in higher education but less well understood at the secondary level. In a large, public high school in an affluent, highly educated city, the high honors mathematics pathway is the only math pathway that has not yet achieved gender parity, an implication for future educational and economic equity. Female students leave this pathway at significantly higher rates than male students, especially during and immediately after the first course. Through an explanatory, mixed methods approach, this study found that these female students are not less well prepared than their male …

An Analysis Of Wet Bulb Globe Temperature Estimation Methods And Microclimate Heat Variability In Columbia, South Carolina, Stafford Mullin

Theses and Dissertations

Extreme heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States and poses major health risks in the wake of rising global average temperatures. Wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is a holistic measure of human heat stress, but is not feasible to implement in most settings because the equipment is expensive and troublesome to operate. This research evaluates the performance of WBGT estimation methods using more standard meteorological variables, measured in-situ and a local National Weather Service Automated Surface Observing Station, and examines how WBGT and its components vary across two distinct microclimates in Columbia, SC. Results indicate …

Understanding The Genomic Influence And Virulence Capabilities Of Environmentally Isolated Vibrios, Shannon Elizabeth Pipes

Theses and Dissertations

The genus Vibrio consists of Gram-negative bacteria that possess a curved rod shape and are routinely isolated from estuarine and coastal salt water. Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus are the major three species that contribute to human disease worldwide, and a variety of other Vibrio species contribute to persistent problems in the aquaculture and fishing industries. The CDC estimates that vibrios cause 80,000 cases of disease each year in the United States alone, however, this number is thought to be underestimated, since some disease is only self-limiting, meaning patients may not seek medical treatment and have …