Digital Commons Network^™

Effective Interventions For Women With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Kathryn Antoinette Gonzales

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Women diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often undergo powerless treatment interventions according to research. Institutionalized inequalities among service systems challenge women to receive access, begin, engage, and complete mental health services for PTSD. This mixed-methods systematic review sought to determine interventions that are effective for treating this client population. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) tool was used to screen four different electronic databases: PsycINFO, Google Scholar, EBSCO, and OneSearch to identify peer-reviewed articles under a purposive sampling method strategy. Of the 159 studies screened, 15 met the inclusion criteria for this review (n =15). …

The Hodgepodge Creation: Amalgamated Adaptation In Video Games, Tom Chen, Tom Chen

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Amalgamated adaptation is a concept that involves blending multiple sources into a hodgepodge creation. This practice has become commonplace among game creators in recent years, yet it is neither readily covered nor explicitly mentioned in current video game scholarship. My previous research highlights the profound application of amalgamated adaptation to older texts, particularly myths and sacred texts from various cultures or communities. This method grants creators the autonomy to reinvent these texts in bold and extreme ways, achieved by melding borrowed ideas that complement and, at times, synergize with one another. I argue that single-source adaptations of myths, when reshaped …

“I Have Returned Home”: Understanding The Re-Entry Experience Of Saudi Female Scholars After Completing Their Doctoral Studies In The United States, Hajer Asiri

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The experiences of Saudi female scholars returning from abroad remain underexplored. This study investigates how Saudi women in higher education institutions readjust and reintegrate into professional and cultural environments after completing doctoral studies in the United States. Using a narrative approach informed by transformational learning theory (TLT), it examines reverse culture shock and the coping mechanisms employed by these women. Five female participants from various Saudi institutions were interviewed in semi-structured sessions lasting 30 to 60 minutes. Thematic analysis revealed five key themes: Cultural Readjustment, Professional Reintegration, Family and Social Dynamics, Personal Transformation, and Coping Strategies. The findings underscore the …

The Underutilization Of Mental Health Services Amongst The Hispanic Community: An Exploratory Study, Stephanie Renteria, Andrea Aguilar

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Despite the development of mental health services, the Hispanic population within San Bernardino, CA continue to encounter barriers and limitation seeking mental health support. Objective: This exploratory study aimed to identify contributing factors that affect the level of accessibility to mental health services. Method: We propose to collect quantitative data from 25 participants ages 18 to 65 utilizing semi-structured interviews to gather personalized experiences. Recruitment will be collected utilizing interviews conducted in community hospitals. We are going to present open ended questions and collect demographic data to measure the factors of underutilization of mental health in the Hispanic …

The Effectiveness Of Trauma Informed Care Interventions After A School Mass Shooting Incident, Maurelys M. Areas Mendoza, Alondra Odaliz Rios

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: School mass shootings have a profound psychological and educational impact on students. Survivors often experience long-term trauma, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety, which affects the overall well-being and educational development of a student. Objective: This pilot study proposes to evaluate the effectiveness of a trauma-informed care intervention implemented in elementary schools for student survivors of school shootings. Methods: This study proposes a pre-experimental research design, with the proposed implementation taking place at Oakland High School in Oakland, California. A total of 100 students will be offered the opportunity to participate in the study. The primary tool …

Effect Of Counseling On Stem Student Gpa At A Community College: A Quasi-Experimental Longitudinal Case Study, Alexander Beechko

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The persistent under-representation and academic attrition of first-generation and underrepresented minority (URM) students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines present a critical challenge for institutions of higher education—particularly community colleges, which function as a primary access point for these populations. As the United States continues to face a growing demand for a diverse and skilled STEM workforce, it is imperative to identify and implement interventions that support the academic success and retention of these students. This dissertation examines the role of academic counseling as a potentially impactful support mechanism, analyzing its relationship with academic performance among STEM students …

Case Management Is Essential In A School-Based Setting, Estrella G. Moreno

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Case management in a school-based setting is an integral part in helping students overcome barriers by providing support services. These support services include meeting their physiological needs like food, shelter, and clothing. When students lack necessities, it prevents them from focusing on their academics. Therefore, developing feasible plans to address students’ needs is vital to a student’s continued academic success. The research question is as follows: What percentage of students who are referred to case management services end up having their needs successfully met? This study examined the number of students among the K-12 student population in Colton Joint …

Exploring The Role Of Intersecting Identities In The Prevention And Disclosure Of Child Sexual Abuse, Karen M. Lemus Lares

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Child sexual abuse (CSA) threatens the safety of children all around the world. It puts at risk their immediate physical and emotional well-being but also profoundly affects their long-term physical and mental health, as well as their emotional and social stability. This epidemic creates a cycle of harm and violence that persists from generation to generation and contributes to adverse outcomes. Despite various studies demonstrating the immediate and long-term consequences CSA has on survivors and their families, there are significant gaps remaining in understanding how cultural factors influence the prevalence and disclosure of CSA. This study aims to answer the …

Voicing The Margins: Contemporary Chicana Autobiographical Writing, Veronica Morales

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Chicana literature's emphasis on personal and collective narratives provides an essential critique of societal norms and injustices, illustrating how the intersections of gender, ethnicity, and class shape the lived experiences of Mexican American women in a rapidly changing world. This study analyzes nonfiction autobiographical narratives by three Chicana writers—Ana Castillo, Cherrie Moraga, and Sandra Cisneros—and the historical contexts of their production and reception. These texts focus on different aspects of Chicanismo, and when placed in conversation with each other they illuminate the multifaceted experiences of Chicanas from diverse backgrounds. All three writers have become well established in Chicana studies and …

Ethnic Studies Pedagogy: Professional Development And Its Relevance To Student Achievement, Gabriel A. Orosco Dr.

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As Ethnic Studies becomes a graduation requirement across all public schools in California, the importance of Ethnic Studies professional development cannot be understated. This is a tumultuous time in our world today. Multiple world conflicts are happening today, and many governments are facing challenges to their very existence. Ethnic Studies programs and classes challenge dominant narratives and close the opportunity gaps for historically marginalized communities.

This study examines the impact of Ethnic Studies (ES) professional development on student achievement within California’s public high schools, where ES has been mandated as a graduation requirement through Assembly Bill 101. The research emphasizes …

Impact Of Water Quality On The Nutritional And Phytochemical Properties Of Culinary Herbs, Genesis Arroyo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Water quality significantly affected food safety, especially since contaminated water impacted crop growth and the nutrient composition of foods. Nitrates occur naturally in vegetables. However, when introduced into the food supply through water contamination, excessive levels disrupted the natural physiological processes of vegetables and other agricultural plants. These excessive levels eventually led to nutrient imbalances, decreased phytochemical concentrations, and potential health risks such as the formation of carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds in humans. This study evaluated the effects of nitrates on the nutritional outcomes of food crops, focusing on commonly used culinary herbs. While synthesizing findings from relevant peer-reviewed articles, I …

Leads Data Insights: Affinity — May 2025, University Of North Dakota

LEADS Implementation Documents

Data insights presentation file labeled for AFFINITY in May 2025. The file includes planning notes for Affinity metrics and materials related to campus environments, shared governance, first-year retention, study abroad, and other measures connected to belonging and campus engagement.

Administrator Perceptions Of Strategic Use Of Web-Based Digital Tools To Facilitate Learning, Shelley Sayers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the perceptions of principals, assistant principals, and supervisors in the strategic use of web-based instructional tools to facilitate learning in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade English Language Arts. The study focused on administrators and supervisors in one district in Tennessee because these educational leaders observe classroom teachers regularly through the Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model.

Data collection strategies included semi-structured individual interviews with 12 educators who are in administrative or supervisor roles within the school district. Analysis of data occurred by transcription of interviews, member checking, and coding. The researcher then identified …

Drinking Out Of The Fire Hydrant: Educators’ Perceptions Of Well-Being In A Teacher Preparation Program, Corey P. Wolfe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The process of becoming a teacher is complex, multi-layered, and often high-stakes. Teacher preparation programs are designed to equip prospective teachers with the foundational skills and knowledge needed for a successful teaching career. In addition to pursuing the academic degree in education, future teachers must meet credentialing and licensure expectations. Because of these expectations, novice teachers are often met with profound feelings of stress and anxiety. The purpose of this research exploration was designed to investigate elementary educators’ perceptions of well-being during their senior year in a pre-service teacher preparation program. Using a qualitative research design, six educators were interviewed …

Smu Appoints Professor Zhang Liandong As New Dean Of School Of Accountancy, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases and News

The Singapore Management University (SMU) has appointed Professor Zhang Liandong [张连栋教授] as the new Dean of its School of Accountancy (SOA), effective 1 July 2025. With over seven years of leadership experience at SOA, Professor Zhang will lead strategic initiatives to elevate the School’s academic reputation and impact.

Creative Specialists: Exploring Creativity, Improvisation, And Jazz In Music Education, Stephen Oliver Vaughan

Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored the process of musical creativity in musicians who are educators and improvisers specifically. Creativity takes on many forms; however, improvisational creativity has subjective-uniqueness that is valuable to many research areas, such as education, psychology, sports science, and leadership. The following research questions guided the study:

Q1 How do professional improvising music educators define creativity?

Q2 How does the creative process manifest itself within their performance and teaching?

Through purposeful sampling, four participants were selected and interviewed to collectively create 7-8 hours of narrative data producing 200 pages of data. Participants as creative specialists were selected …

A Randomized Clinical Trial Exploring Two Doses Of Cannabidiol Daily For Eight Weeks On Health And Stress, Ryland Emery Townsend

Dissertations

This study’s purpose was to explore whether a 60 or 30 mg dose of cannabidiol (CBD) consumed in a beverage further supplemented with L-theanine, vitamin E, and vitamin C would alter various measures on subjective measures of stress, health and fitness related outcomes, and objective measures of stress. This double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial recruited healthy, college-aged subjects for randomization into one of four treatment groups where they consumed daily a single 12 ounce beverage for eight weeks containing 1) 60 mg CBD (CBD60) plus L-theanine; 2) 30 mg CBD (CBD30) plus L-theanine; 3) no CBD (CBD0), L-theanine alone, and 4) …

Exploring The Utility Of A Behavior Assistant Position In One School District, Carolyn Christine Mitchell

Dissertations

Challenging student behavior is on the rise with increased verbal and physical aggression in schools. Some students who exhibit challenging behavior are identified with a disability and served under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 or Section 504 (U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 2022). Legal mandates required schools to implement positive and proactive behavior supports for students who exhibited challenging behavior; however, teachers were not adequately trained in such legal requirements or effective behavior management strategies. This lack of training resulted in an over-reliance on reactive disciplinary reactions such as suspension, expulsion, restraint, and seclusion. These …

New Nursing Faculty Perspectives On And Experiences With Group Mentoring, Kathryn Donna Kuskie

Dissertations

Nursing faculty are needed to teach the next generation of nurses. However, there is a current shortage of nursing faculty. The transition to nursing education from clinical practice is a difficult one, which has led many to leave education to return to nursing practice instead of successfully transitioning to the nurse educator role. Strategies are needed to support nurses in making the transition from practice to education. Mentoring has shown promise in aiding this transition. Many studies explored mentoring of new nursing faculty, but few studied group mentoring with this population. Limited research showed that group mentoring might have benefits …

The Role Of A Web-Based Collaborative Cloud Application As A Tool For Spanish Acquisition: College Students’ Attitudes And Perceptions In Language Courses, Gloria Mercedes Monzon

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine college students’ attitudes and perceptions toward using a web-based collaborative cloud application (Padlet) for aquiring the Spanish language. Conducted during the Fall 2024 semester, the study involved 53 college students from the Colorado Rocky Mountain region who engaged with Padlet in their Spanish language courses. A quantitative method was employed to address the following three research questions related to students’ perceptions of Padlet’s effectiveness in developing four essential skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing; their attitudes toward Padlet’s features; and their overall evaluation of Padlet as a language-learning tool.

Q1 What are …

Meet Them Where They Are: Itinerant Early Childhood Special Education Services In Community-Based Settings, Ashley Lindstrom

Dissertations

Preschoolers naturally learn and develop within their environments and communities. Itinerant early childhood special education (ECSE) services within community-based settings such as homes, childcare locations, and private preschool programs are used in some areas to provide inclusive services. Key collaborators to this model include families, ECSE professionals, and early childhood education (ECE) staff (Division for Early Childhood [DEC] & National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC], 2009). The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences and perspectives of adult collaborators in a single case of a Wisconsin district implementing itinerant ECSE services in community-based …

Sexual And/Or Gender Minority (Sgm) Stigma Within Nursing Schools: The Relationship Between Stigmatic School Attributes, Minority Stressors, And Sgm Nursing Student Mental Health, Michelle Gee

Dissertations

Nursing education is heteronormative and cis-normative, which has been correlated to stigma and ignorance exhibited by nurses towards sexual and/or gender minorities (SGM). Minority Stress Theory (MST) states that circumstances in the environment that promote stigma related to minority identities lead to unique minority stressors, such as discrimination. These minority stressors subsequently affect mental health. While it is known that SGM patients experience mental health issues that relate to stigma and discrimination in healthcare settings, nothing is known about SGM nursing students dealing with stigma and discrimination within nursing education. The aim of this descriptive correlational study was to inform …

Unschoolers In Higher Education: A Narrative Case Study Of Unschoolers’ Sense Of Belonging At University, Melissa Marie Carlson

Dissertations

Approximately 20% of families engaged in homeschooling have selected unschooling as their educational approach, with estimates suggesting this number may be even higher (Vesneski et al., 2022). Unschooling emphasizes the establishment of an environment where children can autonomously direct their learning by exploring their interests, unencumbered by traditional educational milestones or specific schedules (Arnall, 2018; Riley, 2020; Riley & Gray, 2015). Despite increasing public acceptance and recognition, research on the outcomes for unschoolers—particularly those pursuing higher education—is limited (Riley, 2020). The purpose of this study was to explore the importance of supporting unschoolers after they have matriculated, specifically fostering sense …

Production Pressure And Normalization Of Deviance: An Examination Of Their Prevalence Among Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists In Their Primary Clinical Practice Setting, Jeremy Stephen Carter

Dissertations

Normalization of deviance (NoD) occurs when an individual intentionally and repeatedly circumvents established standards of care, professional regulations, or institutional policies designed to maintain safety. Over time, these violations become incorporated into the individual’s routine until they are no longer viewed as safety threats but as acceptable means to achieving organizational goals. Production pressure (PP) occurs when an individual perceives pressure to maximize productivity—either from another individual or administrators within an organization. Production pressure is frequently cited as a leading cause of NoD within all industries. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of PP and NoD …

Propasafe: A Bert-Based Offline Tool For Propaganda Detection, Vivek Sharma, Mohammad Mahdi Shokri, Shweta Jain, Sarah Ita Levitan, Elena Filatova

Publications and Research

In an era marked by the rapid consumption of digital news, the proliferation of propaganda poses significant threats to democratic values and informed decision-making. We propose a novel framework that prioritizes user privacy while assisting in the automatic detection of propaganda in news articles, allowing users to sift through the rhetoric to read the relevant objective news. As a demonstration of this framework, we present Propasafe, a BERT-based browser extension designed to alert users to propagandist tones in news articles. By highlighting instances of propaganda-like language in real-time, Propasafe empowers users to critically engage with news content, promoting objective understanding …

Extended Program Notes On Works By Bach, Beethoven, Dett, And Liszt, Helena J. Rosa

Honors Theses

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Honors Thesis consists of a sixty minute piano recital of advanced repertoire from the Baroque period through the 20th century, prepared over the course of the senior year. The Senior Piano Recital is a culmination of a course of study demonstrating an advanced level of musical proficiency. The thesis also contains extended program notes of the senior recital that occurred on April 3, 2025. The purpose of program notes is to engage the audience’s understanding and listening experience of the pieces to be performed and their composers. A recording of the recital will be …

Understanding How To Cultivate Culturally Relevant Dispositions Among District Science Coordinators And Science Teachers, Meredith L. Schwendemann

All Dissertations

At the center of the discussions about equity in science education is the importance of defining and articulating what is meant by equity, diversity, and social justice. Despite recent efforts to improve equity in science education, inequities in science education persist. District science coordinators, science teachers, and science teacher educators are key players in the movement toward more equitable science learning and instruction. The purpose of this three manuscript dissertation was to explore the ways in which science teacher educators are working to promote culturally relevant dispositions within science teachers (Paper 1/Chapter 2), examine how district science coordinators are approaching …

The Effect Of Storyline Units On The Self-Efficacy And Science Identity Of High School Multilingual Learners, Kristin Ambrose

All Dissertations

Science can be a complex subject for multilingual learners (MLLs) because it requires investigating science concepts through modeling and analysis in addition to reading and writing skills. This complexity often leaves teachers unsure of how to support the MLLs, leading to MLLs missing out on grade-appropriate content and science experiences. Storyline instruction uses 3D instruction to teach science content necessary to explain a real-world anchoring phenomenon. Storyline instruction grounds learning in real-world contexts through anchoring phenomena and provides coherence for students throughout the lessons. This mixed methods study aimed to discover the impact of storyline units on the self-efficacy (SE) …

Toward The Application Of Natural Language Processing In Electronic Health Record Analysis For Taxonomy Development, Latoya Mcdonald

All Dissertations

Electronic health records (EHRs) are pivotal resources for nurse practice because they increase the timeliness and reliability of patient information at the point of care and support access by multiple healthcare providers and the individual patients themselves. However, it is widely recognized that data extraction from EHRs is challenging due to the variability in the language used in clinical care notes and the lack of standardized terminology across healthcare systems. The broad objective of this dissertation is to develop taxonomy-based classification models for nursing care by applying feature engineering approaches to EHRs that include nursing care of ostomy patients following …

Mapping Teacher And Librarian Perspectives Through A Qualitative Descriptive Study Of Book Bans In South Carolina, Jennifer Gallman

All Dissertations

This study analyzed findings from four data collection pieces with Critical Discourse Analysis, in which participants met in focus groups to discuss their experiences with book bans and curriculum censorship. The five focus groups included Upstate middle school English teachers, Upstate high school English teachers, Upstate middle school librarians, Upstate high school librarians, and participants from the Midlands and Lowcountry of South Carolina. There were two primary research questions and two sub-questions: (1) What do educators and librarians in grades 6-12 say about how power functions in engaging or challenging current curricula and book censorship trends?; (1a) How do middle …