Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Technology Use In The Classroom Relating To Student Achievement And Engagement, Tayler Nickell

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Technology has made vast improvements in recent years which in turn has trickled into the education system making classrooms switch from traditional learning to learning with the use of technology. Research has shown that there are both advantages and disadvantages to using technology in the classroom. This study aims to find the right balance for technology use with both students and teachers while focusing on student achievement and engagement during their school careers. The researcher read through various scholarly journal articles relating to the topic of the effects of technology on student achievement and engagement. Based on the research, a …

Polymorph V. “Stochastic Parrot”, Lin Allen

Communication Studies Faculty Publications

This mock trial script is based on Thaler v. Perlmutter, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, (2025), which upheld the ruling that artificial intelligence cannot be classified as an “inventor”, rendering AI ineligible for copyrighting. The futuristic scenario is based on the case being adjudicated before a fictional court: The Adjudicator of Artificial Intelligence. Plaintiff will be represented by “Polymorph,” aka Stephen Thaler, An Individual Appellant, and Respondent will be represented by “Stochastic Parrot,” aka Shira Perlmutter, in her official capacity as Register of copyrights and Director of the United States Copyright Office and U.S. …

Sex & Startups, Jens Frankenreiter, Talia B. Gillis, Eric L. Talley

Faculty Scholarship

Private law offers a unique solution to the problem of long-term fiscal commitment. When Congress enacts a spending program that will take many years to reach fruition, there is a risk of a subsequent Congress or President cutting off funding in the interim. There is no escape from the problem within appropriations law itself. One solution, however, is to entrust private sector allies as vessels of long-term commitment. As a matter of political economy, that solution draws on policy-feedback theory. As a matter of law, the solution rests on a mechanism that Congress already uses but has not recognized its …

Expressions 2025, Brody Nicholaisen, Tonya Quinn, Emily Hockett, Lily Christensen, Quinn Harbison, Nate Hochstetler, Thomas Corrigan, Julianna Rosendahl, Nora Ausman

Expressions

This year’s two distinctly different covers were illustrated and designed by Graphic Design students Calvin DeZwaan (cover shown here) and Zack DeFrancisco.

Understanding Populism In Spain: Root Causes, Political Impacts, And Containment Strategies, Yuliu Huang

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper investigates the rise of populism in Spain, examining its root causes, political consequences, and potential strategies for democratic resilience. Spain presents a unique case of simultaneous left-wing and right-wing populist surges, embodied by the Podemos and V ox parties, respectively. Through a mixed-methods approach that includes a literature review and semi-structured interviews, the paper identifies economic inequality, political corruption, and cultural anxieties as the primary drivers of populist sentiment. It analyzes how these movements have reshaped Spain’s political landscape, such as dismantling the PSOE and PP duopoly in parliament, altering public policy priorities, and exacerbating political polarization. The …

Traumatic Brain Injury Prevention Through Helmet Safety Education For Parents And Free Helmets For Elementary-Aged School Children, Kelli E. Camp

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Problem Description: Head injuries from bicycle accidents are a leading cause of emergency visits among elementary-aged children, particularly in rural areas (Safe Kids Worldwide, 2017). Helmets significantly reduce traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) up to 88% (Field Neurosciences Institute, n.d.). However, low-income families, especially in rural areas, often lack access to helmets and safety education, resulting in lower helmet use and higher injury rates. These challenges are amplified in communities facing high traffic injury rates, limited access to safety resources, and economic constraints (Gilna et al., 2022; World Health Organization, 2023).

Setting: This project took place in Othello, WA (pop. 8,915), …

“Left, Right, Your Left”: Marching Towards Equality In The U. S. Army, Zachary C. Creekmore

Honors Theses

The United States Army has transformed from a force shaped by exclusion to one striving for inclusion. This thesis explores the Army’s ongoing journey toward equality, focusing on how historically marginalized groups—such as racial minorities, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals—have fought for and gained the right to serve. It examines the impact of these changes on the Army’s structure, culture, and institutional identity.

Guided by four core questions, the research investigates: How have protected groups gained equality, and how has that affected the Army? Are all soldiers treated fairly under current policies? Should individuals once disqualified for mental health conditions be …

Traditions And Transitions: Intergenerational Family Relationships And Gender Roles In Appalachian Families, Abigail L. Belcher

Honors Theses

For hundreds of years the people of the Appalachian Mountains have come under scrutiny for their “backwards” and “outdated” customs. Often seen as inferior by the wider world, much nuance of Appalachian culture is overlooked and reduced to harmful stereotypes. Terms such as “hillbilly” or “redneck” serve to single out and label the people of Appalachia as “other.” Recent scholarship has taken to try and work around such stereotypes yet often fails to observe Appalachia through the eyes of its people, not generalized statistics. The practice of conducting and collecting Oral History serves to situate a select group of people’s …

Strong Democracies Need Reliable Citations, Margie Alsbrook

Articles

Legal systems must hold the trust of citizens in order for democracies to survive. Unfortunately, the American legal system is suffering from an unprecedented credibility crisis. Analyses of the roots of this problem have largely focused on political causes, with blame going to an array of issues ranging from the partisan nature of the judicial appointment process to the lack of ethical oversight for judges with lifetime appointments to the bench.

Thus far, scholarly articles analyzing the modern erosion of precedent have generally examined precedent from political or subject-matter-specific perspectives. This Article takes a more universal approach by discussing the …

Undergraduate And Graduate Course Descriptions, Spring 2025, Wright State University

Course Descriptions

Wright State University undergraduate and graduate course descriptions from Spring 2025

Exophonic Literature: Why And How Authors Write In A Second Language, Jonathan M. Bost

Senior Honors Theses

Milan Kundera, Julio Cortázar, Joseph Conrad, Rigoberta Menchú, and James Joyce are just some of the multitudinous authors who wrote in languages that are not their mother tongue. This phenomenon is called “exophony,” and it is more common than many would expect. There are various reasons why authors write exophonic literature: James Joyce wrote to a friend that he was at the end of English (1957), and Menchú’s editor Elizabeth Burgos-Debray claims Menchú wrote in Spanish to use the language of her oppressors against them. This thesis will investigate case studies of various exophonic authors, relate advice such authors have …

Love And Stereotypes: An Autoethnography Of Intercultural Marriages, Folakemi Bakare

Research Papers

This research report delves into the complexities of intercultural marriage challenges deeply rooted in traditions, cultural beliefs, and stereotypes, shaping societal and familial attitudes and perceptions towards such unions. This study employs autoethnography (dialogues and composite characters) to explore resistance and shifts in attitudes towards intercultural marriages within society, family and friends. The research incorporates personal narratives to highlight how cultural essentialism, incompatibility, generational differences, and language barriers shape conversations around intercultural marriages. Using Fishers Walter’s (1984) Narrative Paradigm emphasizes how conversations and stories influence and shape people’s perceptions. In addition, Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1986) provides a …

Preservice Teachers’ Experiences With Critical Self-Reflection As A Means For Identifying Resistances To Becoming Culturally Competent: A Phenomenological Study, Susan Elaine Huff

Dissertations

Preservice teacher programs have been charged with finding ways to make programming more multiculturally inclusive due to the student population in K-12 public schools across the United States becoming increasing racially, culturally, or ethnically more diverse each year. The majority of current educational research surrounding multicultural education, explores the limited diversity in teacher education programs, understanding the cultural competency of the current teachers, and investigating discrepancies within current classroom application. There is little research that considers how preservice teachers use critical self-reflection as a tool for working with diverse student populations during clinical work in their program. Therefore, the purpose …

Reading Between The Lines: Examining The Literacy Preparation And Classroom Realities Of Teachers Of Color, Dr. Cathy D. Kea, Fanica Young, Joy Banks, Annette Teasdell

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study examines the importance of literacy preparation in educator preparation programs (EPPs). Specifically, the authors examine the need to merge literacy practices with culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies to increase reading outcomes for diverse students with disabilities. This article reports on a survey that was distributed to 18 dually prepared teachers of color to explore their collective literacy preparation experiences. The participants were graduates of a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). The findings indicate that regardless of the institution’s location, EPPs, including those at HBCUs, should be intentional about addressing topics related to diversity. For early career educators …

Profits And Paramilitaries: The Kiobel Conundrum And Corporate Liability, Ben Duffield, Mark Norton

Brigham Young University Prelaw Review

In 2013, the Supreme Court severely limited the extent to which U.S. courts could adjudicate on international human-rights violations with their ruling in the landmark case Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co. (2013). This change has led to strong divisions among lower courts about how to determine whether a foreign-based tort may “touch and concern” the territory of the United States with sufficient force to allow the case to have standing. This is especially true for foreign-based torts brought against corporations. This division has had a substantial impact on the ability of foreign citizens to find legal redress for human …

Pathways To Progress: Policy-Driven Innovation And Community Building In Early Childhood Integrated Education, Hallie Caddy, Rachael Flynn, Annie Insana, Cathy Eschete

SPARK Symposium Presentations

The presentation outlines Belmont University's efforts to transform early childhood education through an innovative integrated teacher preparation program and the development of a new preschool. It discusses the changing landscape of Tennessee’s early childhood education policies, including new licensure endorsements that blend early childhood and special education. Belmont aims to address challenges such as teacher shortages and accessibility while aligning with the university’s mission of serving diverse communities. Key strategies include understanding community needs, anchoring initiatives to the university’s mission, fostering collaboration among stakeholders, and leveraging critical resources. The university is preparing to launch its integrated early childhood education program …

Letic Poem, Alexis L. Campos, Ixchel Mireles, Byron Haynes, David Kamal, Zachariah Gonzalez

Team - Mere Wudu - Documents

A poem written by Mere Wudu in Ietic and translated into English

Syntax And Grammar, Alexis L. Campos, Ixchel Mireles, Bryon Haynes, David Kamal, Zachariah Gonzalez

Team - Mere Wudu - Documents

Sentence examples written in Ietic and translated to English. Descriptions of how transformations, nouns, conjunctions and verbs are used in our language.

Swadesh List Dictionary, Alexis L. Campos, Ixchel Mireles, Bryon Haynes, David Kamal, Zachariah Gonzalez

Team - Mere Wudu - Documents

An Ietic dictionary.

Research Poster Ietic: The Language Of Mere Wudu, Alexis L. Campos, Ixchel Mireles, Bryon Haynes, David Kamal, Zachariah Gonzalez

Team - Mere Wudu - Documents

2025 Research Poster of The Language of Mere Wudu, Ietic.

Anti-Feminisms, Authoritarianism, And Digital Culture: A Pedagogy Project, Charlie Ambrose

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies M.A. Final Projects

This project began, broadly, with my exposure to TikTok’s tradwives—a subset of content creators and influencers who advocate traditional gender roles as women, homemakers, wives, and mothers, with a particular focus on moral and religious beliefs and aesthetic practices of “womanhood.” To me, tradwives encapsulated the internet’s capacity to weaponize subtly: slow-paced, pastel videos, gentle music, and even gentler voices delivering increasingly extreme ideas about masculine and feminine roles, Christian nationalism, and white supremacy. But other threads began to appear as I delved deeper into the world of tradwives. I noticed the men’s rights groups who praised tradwives while openly …

Alvar Aalto: Past. Present.Future, Matthew Collins

Interior Design Capstones

Alvar Aalto serves as a timeless guide for architectural and design principles. These principles are not of universal rigidness but are flexible based on the givenconditions of site, culture, and people. His traditionalmethods of sketching and drawing create a hand to mind connection to the design process. This process, much like his work, develops a mindful and thoughtful outcome of decisions. With computer technology become more increasingly apart of our lives, it is important that we not forget the human point of view rather than purely a rational mode of thinking. This capstone project address how it is possible to …

How The United States Fails Immigrant Youth, Abigail "Abby" Reinhard Greene

University of the District of Columbia Law Review

Immigrants are some of the most marginalized members of society. Immigrant youth, in particular, endure additional stresses due to their dual status as children and immigrants. Many fled their home country from persecution or entered the U.S. without a parent or legal guardian.

By May 2024, over 120 million individuals were “forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations.” In 2022, over 152,000 unaccompanied immigrant youths crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. The United States faces several challenges in supporting these immigrant youths, and it currently fails to meet those challenges. ...

This note details how …

Detecting Greenwashing In The Automotive Sector: Unpacking Greenwashing In Tesla, Volkswagen, And Toyota Through Ai-Assisted Esg Evaluation, Sophie Keyser

Portugal: Sustainability and Environmental Justice

As environmental concerns increasingly influence consumer behavior and regulatory policy, corporations face growing pressure to demonstrate sustainability. In response, some firms engage in greenwashing—the practice of exaggerating or misrepresenting environmental initiatives to appear more sustainable than they are. The automotive industry, responsible for a significant share of global carbon emissions, is particularly vulnerable to this practice amid its transition to electric vehicles. This study evaluates the credibility of environmental claims made by Tesla, Volkswagen, and Toyota using an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-assisted content analysis of proprietary and non-proprietary data sources. AI was employed to systematically assess and score company performance across …

Elizabeth Gibson Drinko Honors Convocation, Honors College

Honors Convocation

The Elizabeth Gibson Drinko Honors Convocation Awards Program for Spring 2025, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia.

Shakespeare’S Early Histories And The Construction Of Government, Paul Olson

Department of English: Faculty Publications

Shakespeare’s first tetralogy has been treated as an account of the reinvention of government, especially a Hobbesian reinvention demonstrating how authoritarian government forces order out of chaos. This article argues that, though Hobbesian elements present themselves, Shakespeare employs subtexts available to his time and place to speak of how orderly government is constituted: that is, he relies on accounts of the Fall from perfection into chaos and the return from it through divinely blessed kingship that are present in syncretic readings of Ovid and the Bible. The two subtexts give order to the progress from Fall into chaos and back …

Artificial Intelligence: Ethics, Jobs, And Governance In The Age Of Ai, Todd Bruns

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Impact Of A Transplant Nurse Navigator In The Dialysis Setting, Judith D. Pozzerle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Patients with kidney disease have better patient outcomes and quality of life with a kidney transplant. However, the transplant process is complicated with inherent inequalities and biases and patients frequently fail to initiate a referral for transplant evaluation. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have now placed financial incentives to improve the number of patients transplanted. The only way to increase the number of patients transplanted is to start with a referral for evaluation. Studies have been done highlighting the barriers, but there is a lack of studies implementing strategies to improve these numbers. Utilizing Kotter’s change theory and describing …

Reducing Information Asymmetry: Economic Value Of Airbnb Signals In A Small College Town, Hatice Sena Akkurt

Theses and Dissertations

Trust is the backbone of platform operations. Airbnb platform designers implement various methods including trust-building mechanisms, user interface (UI) artifacts, and reputation management systems. Previous research has explored trust in Airbnb, yet little is known about the economic value of trust indicators in smaller cities and rural areas. Thus, this thesis investigates the economic significance of User Interface (UI) artifacts, including the “Superhost” badge, star ratings, and listing photographs, within the peer-to-peer accommodation sector in the Columbia Metropolitan Area. Drawing on signaling theory, we conducted quantitative analysis, to examine the relationship between trust indicators and listing prices, controlling factors like …

Analyzing Austronesian Alignment Through Hiligaynon Syntax, Ty Craaybeek

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

Hiligaynon is a language in the Philippines that is a member of the Central Philippine branch of the Austronesian language family. Although it is spoken by 10% of the population, Hiligaynon is understudied, but it also uses the debated Austronesian alignment system like its relatives. One common approach to analyzing these languages is the ergative-absolutive approach, but some researchers analyze them through a topic marking system under the nominative-accusative approach. This paper analyzes Hiligaynon’s use of Austronesian alignment through reevaluating and reanalyzing previous data and comparing it to work on its related languages to understand the underlying syntax of Hiligaynon’s …