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In Sickness And In Work: How Organizational Identification, Health Climate, And Workaholism Relate To Employee Strains Over Time, Isabel R. Skovera

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Organizational identification (OID) reflects an employee’s sense of belonging to their organization (Ashforth & Mael, 1989). While previous research on OID primarily highlights its positive organizational outcomes, its effects on employee well-being remain understudied. Existing studies often take a cross-sectional approach, focusing mainly on mental health and positive outcomes while overlooking organizational context and individual differences. This study addresses these gaps by examining the longitudinal relationship between OID and well-being variables (burnout, physical symptoms, job satisfaction, life satisfaction) among newly hired employees. Using a four-wave survey design with initially 585 participants (remaining N = 127) recruited through Prolific, this research …

Don't Let Lead Lead On Environmental Justice: A Simulative Approach To Lead Remediation In The Big Data Era, Charles C. Knoble Ii

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Environmental justice, as both a movement and a theoretical construct, continues to evolve in response to shifting societal, environmental, and technological conditions. This dissertation investigates the integration of big data, such as social media, remote sensing imagery, and internet search frequencies, into the identification, analysis, and remediation of environmental injustices. Framing environmental justice through the lenses of distributive and data justice, the project explores both the promises and pitfalls of using emergent data sources to enhance the spatial and temporal precision of environmental equity investigations. Through a combination of systematic literature review, spatial analysis, system dynamics simulation, and policy evaluation, …

Career And Technical Education Classes And Time To Graduate For Special Education Students With Specific Learning Disabilities, Susan Steele

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine whether special education students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) participating in Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes during high school demonstrate significantly different amounts of time to graduation compared to their peers who do not participate in CTE classes.

Data collection involved using pre-existing information from the district's student information system. An Excel spreadsheet with relevant student demographic and academic information was utilized. The district data manager provided a spreadsheet with 3,567 student records to analyze differences between CTE and non-CTE participants. The results revealed that CTE participation significantly impacted graduation rates, …

College Readiness In Mathematics Related To Student Academic And Belonging Mindsets, Tabitha Sherrell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My quantitative study investigated the differences and correlations between students’ academic (growth vs. fixed) mindsets and belonging mindsets when enrolled in a college-level mathematics course or enrolled in both the college-level mathematics and learning support mathematics courses. The study was conducted at a Tennessee community college in the Fall 2021 semester. Sixty-two students completed the paper survey, which consisted of 17 items that measured academic (growth vs. fixed) and belonging mindsets and included demographic items (age and gender) and ACT mathematics scores. I conducted independent t-tests to find any significant differences between academic (growth vs. fixed) mindset scores and belonging …

Car Price Prediction Using Machine Learning: Analyzing The Dvm-Car Dataset, Yaman Abu Ghareebaih

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study is to predict car prices using machine learning models and the DVM-CAR dataset, which includes over 1.4 million images and car specifi- cations from 899 car models. Key factors such as mileage, engine power, and year of registration were analyzed for their correlation with car prices. Extensive data cleaning was performed, including filling missing values, identifying outliers, and normalizing numerical variables. Discrete variables like car make and body type were encoded using one-hot encoding. Linear relationships were analyzed with Multiple Logistic Regression, and Random Forest models were used for nonlinear patterns. Model performance was evaluated …

Sustainable Agricultural Practices And Societal Impacts: A Case Study In Central Belize, Lily Hunt

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between climate change, sustainable agriculture, and rural development through a case study in Central Belize. Built from observations, interviews, and academic research gathered during a summer internship with the Belize Ministry of Agriculture, the research explores the challenges small farmers face as they navigate worsening climate threats - including drought, wildfire, and resource scarcity. With climate change accelerating at a faster rate in Belize than in many other countries, agricultural resilience has become a national priority. This internship focused on collecting applications for the Sustainable and Inclusive Belize Program, a government initiative that provides financial …

Predicting Migrant Youth Integration In The United States, Scott Bayer Gove

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between participation in an identity development program for migrant youth and their subsequent integration into U.S. society is examined. The study focuses on the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants' (USCRI) READY4Life program, which aims to support migrant youth in their transition to life in the United States. This study will examine whether performance scores in the READY4Life program can predict scores on the Immigration Policy Lab's (IPL) Integration Index, a validated measure of integration. The study will employ a cross-sectional experimental research approach, using multiple linear regression analysis to examine the relationship between the READY4Life performance scores …

The Uneven Disruptions Covid-19 Caused To Scholars’ Publication: A Preregistered Study, Marco De Prosperis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This proposed, preregistered study investigates the uneven impacts of COVID-19 on scholarly productivity among University of Arkansas faculty, focusing on how demographic and professional factors—such as gender, ethnicity, academic rank, tenure status, field of study, and the presence of children—may have moderated productivity during the pandemic. Utilizing a non-experimental, cross-sectional design, this research will collect data from 160 full-time faculty members through an online survey. Grounded in Role Theory, the study will examine role conflict and enrichment as faculty navigated shifting responsibilities in research, teaching, and caregiving during remote work. This study is particularly relevant as many assistant professors who …

A Case Study Of Intercultural Competence And Perceived Career Coaching Effectiveness In Higher Education, Robert C. Ellis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the cost of a college education continues to increase dramatically, both policymakers and the general public have begun to question the return on investment in higher education. In response, post-secondary institutions have substantially invested in their career development offices in an effort to improve graduate career outcomes. Among the most widespread of the career services offered to college students is career coaching, which the literature supports as having a substantial impact on increasing starting salaries and job offers for new college graduates. Despite being more likely than their peers to utilize their institution’s career development offices, college graduates belonging …

Maria Sabina And The Wise Ones, Robin Bruce

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Maria Sabina was born Maria Sabina Magdalena Garcia in 1894, in the principality of Huautla, located in Oaxaca, Mexico. She’s known as a healer and poet, though she would most likely refer to herself as a woman doctor, whose language becomes beautiful with the help of the psylocibin mushroom, which she affectionately refers to as little saints or holy children. In 1953, American banker, R. Gordon Wasson and his wife, pediatrician Valentina Pavlovna, were the first non-Indigenous people to witness one of Sabina’s ceremonies. Novice ethnomycologists and anthropologists, the couple traveled to Southern Mexico to witness a ceremony in which …

In Search Of Real Truth And Accurate History: Protecting And Resisting Whiteness In Education Policy Discourse, Rachel Piontak

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research examines whiteness in education policymaking through a three-article dissertation, contributing to the broader understanding of how whiteness manifests across education policy and legislative discourse. The first article presents a comprehensive scoping review of critical whiteness studies (CWS) in education policy research. Using CWS tenets such as whiteness as property and colorblind racial ideologies, the analysis identifies themes of manipulated discourse, the economics of whiteness in education, and the protection of whiteness. This study anchors the second and third studies, which examine whiteness ideologies at play within the education policymaking discourse of the American Southeast. The second article addresses …

Creating A Sense Of Home: Hispanic Students At Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Eva Cordero

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) provide critical access to higher education for Hispanic students, yet their designation is based on enrollment rather than active support for student success. The purpose of the study was to describe and explore the sense of belonging for Hispanic students at a select Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) with a high percentage of Hispanic students. Using photo voice, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews, the study identifies five key themes: (1) agency in belonging, (2) club participation, (3) fostering a sense of value, (4) institution and institutional agents, and (5) scholarship and funding. Findings underscore the need for HSIs …

How Novice Arkansas Teacher Corps Teachers In The Arkansas Delta Stabilize In Their Profession: A Dissertation, Nicholas G. Patterson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Foundational research exists on the teacher life cycle, novice teacher struggles, and the role of burnout on public sector employees, including teachers (Huberman, 1989; Veenman, 1984; Maslach & Jackson, 1981). However, less research explores teachers' perceptions about what allows them to move through the profession’s life cycle and past initial struggles and avoid burnout. There is a significant gap in the literature about why some teachers persist while others leave the profession at alarming rates (U.S. Department of Education, 2007; Alliance for Excellent Education, 2005). Seven phases exist in a teacher’s life cycle: survival/discovery, stabilization, experimentation/activism, reassessment/self-doubts, serenity, conservatism, and …

Meeting The Challenge: The Relationship Between Students’ Educational Gains And Teacher Full-Time Versus Part-Time Status, Dorissa Kaufman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the effect of instructor status—full-time versus part-time—on student Educational Functioning Levels (EFLs) in adult education centers across Arkansas from 2018 to 2023. Given that funding for these centers is directly tied to student performance, determining the most effective type of instructor is essential. The research examines programs like GED, English Language Learners (ELL), Integrated Education and Training (IET), and Workforce Alliance for Growth in the Economy (WAGE), addressing challenges such as a high number of adults without high school diplomas. Employing a regression model for analyzing EFL gains, the study seeks to provide actionable insights for hiring …

Investigating The Impact Of Gear Up Arkansas On College Readiness And Post-Secondary Enrollment In The Delta, Erika Mcmahan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluates the impact of the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Arkansas initiative on improving college readiness and postsecondary enrollment among low-socioeconomic status (SES) students in the Arkansas Delta, a region marked by systemic educational inequities and persistent poverty. Framed by Opportunity Gap Theory, this quantitative, quasi-experimental research addresses two questions: (1) How does GEAR UP participation influence postsecondary enrollment compared to nonparticipants? (2) Do participants achieve higher ACT scores than nonparticipants? Using data from 491 students across high-poverty schools, the study employs logistic regression to assess enrollment rates and multiple regression to analyze …

Contrastive Learning Techniques For Fraud Detection, Vinay Madanbhavi Shashidhar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Detecting fraud in computing platforms involves identifying malicious user sessions, often using deep learning models, but several challenges hinder effective deployment. Attackers can craft diverse malicious sessions that closely resemble normal ones, complicating the learning of robust decision boundaries. While supervised contrastive learning offers a promising solution through class-specific clustering, its potential remains underexplored. Real-world datasets typically contain few labeled malicious sessions and many normal ones, creating an open-set anomaly detection challenge. Costly expert annotation further limits labeled data, especially for smaller organizations, leading to Positive Unlabeled (PU) learning and noisy label learning issues. Organizations are increasingly turning to LLMs …

An Instructional Remodel: How Adopting A Unifying Model-Of-Instruction Impacted Teacher Self-Efficacy And Teacher Development And Evaluation Efforts In A Midwestern High School, Charles D. Patterson Carpenter

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This mixed methods study sought to determine the effect of adopting a unifying model-of-instruction on teacher self-efficacy and the development and evaluation processes of administrators. By assessing the level of teacher self-efficacy (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001) in the nascent stages of the instructional model’s implementation, then reassessing it after a multiple-month sequence of professional learning, the researcher provides a judgment on statistical significance concerning the two measurements and conjectures the extent to which the instructional model impacted any differences in self-efficacy levels. Using two separate “before and after” interviews with purposefully selected administrators, the researcher explored how the unification of …

Space And Subjectivity In The Emerging American West, Scott Hendry

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The American West resists theoretical definition. As myth, ideal, region, contact zone, place, space, symbol, territory, home, assemblage, dream, and home, the West is continually changing. As a region, the West is not a closed space; it is an open, ongoing constellation of processes, an unfolding simultaneity of storied events or happenings. This dissertation, “Space and Subjectivity in the Emerging American West,” explores literature and cinema of the modern West. My project seeks to answer the question “What is the American West?” by examining the work of novelists, poets, filmmakers, cultural geographers, philosophers, and photographers who reimagine identity, locality, and …

Shaping Minds, Shaping Future: Analyzing K-12 Climate Change Education Policy Preferences In Arkansas, Nataliia Borozdina

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change education in K-12 public schools is a highly debated and divisive policy issue, particularly in politically conservative states such as Arkansas, where ideological divisions often dominate and shape public attitudes and policy preferences. This dissertation examines the attitudes, preferences, and behavioral intentions of three key stakeholder groups, namely the policy elites, general public, and educators toward climate change education policies in K-12 public schools in the state of Arkansas. While political party affiliation is an important factor, this study explores a more nuanced relationship by considering the interplay of Cultural Theory, risk perception, trust in government, climate change …

The Future Of Fashion: A Systematic Literature Review On Consumer Willingness To Pay For Green Apparel, Emma Clark

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, consumers have become highly aware of the environmental impact of their purchases, specifically of apparel products. Accordingly, apparel brands have increasingly focused on enhancing the sustainability of their product offerings to attract environmentally conscious consumers and elevate their brand image (Dangelico et al., 2022). Furthermore, most sustainably produced products are priced higher for consumers compared to standard alternatives (Elmanadily & El-Deeb, 2022). Research has shown that consumers can accept higher prices for products that do less harm to the environment (Gomes et al., 2023), but it has yet to be determined in which cases this is consistently …

Cartographic Representation And Analysis Of Sand Dune Morphometry In Wadi Rum, Jordan, Grace Clark

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Situated in southern Jordan, near the Saudi Arabia border, Wadi Rum boasts a dramatic landscape of towering sandstone inselbergs and vast dune fields. The UNESCO World Heritage site is known for its cultural, historical, and physical uniqueness. Due to the hyper-arid environment and sandstone weathering, the region provides a perfect outdoor laboratory for aeolian research.

While research on aeolian processes has grown in popularity in the past century, there is a lack of conventional cartographic and visualization techniques in the field of aeolian studies. This project corroborates findings from influential aeolian researchers such as R.A. Bagnold while also implementing traditional …

Sibling Groups And Family Adaptability And Cohesion Among Emerging Adult Women, Julianne M. Post

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how sibling group size is related to family adaptability, cohesion, and individual resiliency outcomes during emerging adulthood. Using Bowen's Family Systems Theory and Olson's Circumplex Model, the research investigates sibling subsystems as sites where systemic imbalances are first experienced within families. Data from 124 college students revealed that larger sibling groups were associated with marginally higher disengagement and chaos resulting in decreased perceived social support, suggesting resiliency implications for youth growing up within larger families. While sibling size didn't directly predict mental health, family dynamics significantly mediated the relationship between sibling composition and resiliency outcomes. Demographic factors …

Community Perceptions Of A Crisis Response Collaboration: A Community Survey Of Attitudes Towards Police And The Crisis Intervention Response Team., Meghan Anspach

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined community perceptions of the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) and its Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT), focusing on how racial minorities and individuals from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds view these professionals and their roles in crisis situations. The research also aimed to determine whether perceptions of the collaborative effort through CIRT influenced views of the FPD. Previous research has explored perceptions of police, social workers, and co-response teams individually, but a gap remains in understanding how community members feel about the collaboration between police and social workers and whether these perceptions influence their views of the police. …

The Relationship Between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder And Problematic Internet Usage In Lgbtq+ Adults, Kayli Nicole Heigelmann

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how LGBTQ+ adults who experience attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomology perceive and navigate potential problematic Internet usage (PIU). Utilizing a qualitative, phenomenological approach, twelve participants were interviewed to gain insight on how neurodivergence, queer identity, and Internet engagement intersect. Findings revealed two overarching themes: 1) the interplay between PIU, ADHD, and sexual/gender diversity, and 2) the meaning of the Internet for individuals with intersecting minority identities. Participants widely endorsed the Internet as an important space for identity negotiation, community, and affirmation for their multiple minority statuses, but acknowledged their vulnerability to the Internet’s attention-capturing mechanisms, reporting …

Perceiving School Success: A Phenomenological Study Of Asian Indian Parents, Scott Nozik

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological qualitative study aimed to explore how Asian Indian parents at East Ridge Elementary School perceived student success. The research sought to understand their experiences, their views on student success, and the factors they perceived as supports or barriers to achieving that success. Interviews with 14 Asian Indian families revealed four major themes: Positive School Experiences, Academic Programming, Holistic View of Education, and Parental Engagement. While communication emerged as a central element, it was not categorized as a theme but rather as a supporting factor. The study found that parents expressed satisfaction with the school’s cultural inclusivity and sense …

Fergus Of Galloway: A New Translation For A New Audience, Emily J. Aguayo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation focuses on one text – Li romanz de Fergus – an Arthurian romance composed in Old French in the early thirteenth century by a mysterious author named Guillaume le Clerc. I have learned as much as I can about this romance and have looked at it from every angle possible. The scope of my research is narrow and deep because it focuses on one text, its author, and its subject matter. I have created a new theory about the identity of the author, Guillaume le Clerc, based on historical documents such as the Acts of Lordship from Scotland, …

The Effects Of Wwii Service On Black South African Soldiers, 1939-1950, Zachary Wilmoth

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the experiences and motives of black South African soldiers who were a part of the Native Military Corps during the Second World War. It argues that these Black South African soldiers gained a growing sense of racial consciousness as a result of their service and corresponding experiences. In doing so, this thesis challenges previous historical interpretations of the Native Military Corps that have perpetuated the notion that Black veterans gained little political or racial understanding as a result of their service. Previous historians have predominantly relied on archival governmental records to substantiate their claims. However, such source …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Postsecondary Education And Earnings In The Architectural Woodworking Industry, Christopher J. Wernimont

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The architectural woodworking industry offers a potential option to job seekers who are looking for alternatives to a formal 4-year postsecondary education. This preregistered quantitative study explores the relationship between postsecondary education and earnings for employees within the architectural woodworking industry. Framed by Human Capital Theory, the research investigates three questions: (1) do postsecondary credentials account for additional variance in income within the industry, (2) is the relationship between postsecondary education and income moderated by whether the credential is related to woodworking, and (3) do individuals with specific types of postsecondary credentials earn higher incomes than those without postsecondary credentials? …

Guns, Policing, And Crime: How The Internet And Social Media Shape Public Opinions, Sophie Buckley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I aimed to understand whether and how use of the internet and social media shapes attitudes on gun control, policing, and general crime. I use elements of cultivation theory to explain how exposure to media content insights moral panics and influences public beliefs on issues like guns and policing. Data were drawn from the 2023 Pew Research Center National Public Opinion Reference Survey (N=4,713), an annual survey of United States adults to produce benchmark estimates for various topics. I hypothesized that data from the survey will show frequent social media and internet usage influences attitudes towards crime, policing, and guns. …

The Rhetorical Use Of The Lower Classes In Three Primary Accounts Of The First Crusade, John Hannon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes the rhetorical use of the lower classes in three primary accounts of the First Crusade: Albert of Aachen, the Gesta Francorum, and Raymond of Aguilers — specifically with an eye towards the proper maintenance of the order of society through everyone performing their assigned role. Through a close reading of these three texts this study demonstrates how the three authors engage with and uphold versions of the idealized three orders model of medieval society. Though there is nuance between each source, broadly, each of the authors presents the lower classes as a force that needs to …