Gentleness, Meekness, And Propriety: John Chrysostom, Empire, And Women Patrons, Brodie Selmon

Denison Journal of Religion

No abstract provided.

Marginalization Experiences Of Chinese International Counseling Students In Social And Cultural Diversity Courses, Hsin-Ya Tang, Caiwei Tang, Hexin Bi, Qingyue Zhang

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

No abstract provided.

Navigating The Borderlands: Testimonios Of First-Generation Chicanas In Counselor Education, Jessenia Garcia, Heather Trepal

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This research applies Anzaldúa’s (1987) Borderlands Theory to examine the testimonios of first-generation Chicana faculty in counselor education. A narrative methodology was employed (n=10), leading to the identification of several themes that illuminate their unique challenges and resilience. Four themes emerged: (a) balancing worlds: family and academia, (b) weaving identity into academia, (c) cultural identity in the borderlands, and (d) disrupting borders, including the subtheme: Red tape and higher ed mafia. These findings provide insight into the institutional barriers and identity navigation experienced by these faculty members. Recommendations for recruitment and retention are included.

Navigating The Intersection Of Artificial Intelligence And Counseling: Implications For Counselor Identity, Ethics, And Counselor Education, Anabel Mifsud, Barbara Herlihy

Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision

This article examines the ethical, professional identity, and counselor education implications of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into counseling practice. As AI use expands in mental health care, it offers opportunities to enhance accessibility and efficiency while raising complex ethical concerns regarding competence, accountability, transparency, confidentiality, equity, and preservation of the therapeutic relationship. The authors explore how AI may reshape counselor roles and professional identity, underscoring the need to safeguard core values and the relational foundation of counseling. Recommendations are offered for adapting counselor education to prepare future practitioners for AI-augmented practice. The authors call for sustained, critical dialogue to ensure …

Language Barrier, Julie Ferraro

Studio One

No abstract provided.

We Need To Do Better: Exploring Educators’ Perspectives Of Transformative Trauma-Informed Social-Emotional Learning, Heather Stay

Education Doctorate Dissertations

This qualitative, descriptive case study examined educators’ understandings, enactment, and professional learning related to transformative, trauma-informed social-emotional learning (SEL) practices in a center-based emotional support school setting. Data were collected through semi-structured educator interviews and classroom observations to capture a holistic view of pedagogical practices. Guided by the theoretical frameworks of Dis/Crit, Transformative Learning Theory, and Foucault’s Theory of Power, the findings illuminate how educators leverage trauma-informed SEL strategies to support students affected by trauma as they navigate structural and systemic constraints within a normative educational system. Results highlight both effective cultural-sustaining and trauma-responsive practices already in place, as well …

Educated Sons And Evolving Traditions: A Qualitative Exploration Of Male Family Roles, Inheritance Customs And Cultural Identity In Matrilineal Meghalaya., Boby John

Educational Studies Dissertations

Abstract

This study examines how increased access to higher education among Khasi boys reshapes family roles, inheritance customs, and cultural identity within the matrilineal society of Meghalaya, India. While matriliny has often been portrayed either as empowering women or disadvantaging men, limited scholarship has explored how access to higher education interacts with gendered inheritance structures and moral responsibility within such systems. This research addresses that gap by investigating how educated sons, youngest daughters (Ka Khadduh), and elders experience continuity and change in contemporary Khasi families.

Guided by Cultural Capital Theory, Social Role Theory, and Cultural Modernization Theory, the study employed …

From Skilled Labor Pipeline To College-Prep Track: A Study Of Admissions, Access, And Intent In A Massachusetts Vocational High School, Jennifer Ferland

Educational Studies Dissertations

This mixed methods study examined the effectiveness and equity of vocational high school admissions in Massachusetts, focusing on an oversubscribed regional vocational high school and its largest urban comprehensive feeder school. Although vocational schools were created to provide equitable, high‑quality career and technical education, and to prepare students for skilled employment, most vocational students now pursue postsecondary academic pathways, contributing to shortages in the trades. At the same time, traditional admissions criteria—focused on grades, attendance, and behavior—have historically limited access for English Learners, students with disabilities, low‑income students, and students of color. The purpose of this study was to investigate …

Elementary Residents And Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy In Mathematics, Quayisha F. Clarke

Educational Studies Dissertations

This qualitative interpretive embedded case study examines how seven preservice elementary mathematics residents in a Northeastern teacher residency program identify and enact culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) (Paris and Alim, 2017) in their math instruction, and how their intersectional identities shape these enactments. Drawing on CSP, intersectionality, and discretionary spaces (Ball, 2018), the study explores how residents interpret, reason through, and make moment-to-moment decisions that affirm students’ learning in mathematics.

Data were collected across two semi-structured interviews, three classroom observations, post-observation debriefs, lesson plans, coursework artifacts, and a researcher's reflexive journal. Analysis followed a hybrid inductive–deductive approach, using thematic and axial …

What Is The Skeleton Of Cognition? A Structural Account Of World Reconstruction Through Processing Axes, Griselda Poe

Publications and Research

This paper describes how the placement of a single processing axis reorganizes human cognition and generates a reconstructed world.

Most existing psychological and social theories begin from emotion, desire, morality, or social behavior. In doing so, they have discussed what forms on top of the cognitive skeleton without first fixing the skeleton itself. When the skeleton is not fixed, entirely different explanations of the same phenomenon can coexist, and it becomes difficult to identify which constitutes a foundational account.

This paper fixes the skeleton first. That skeleton is the processing axis.

The question is: when a single processing axis organizes …

Assessing The Professional Development Perspectives Of Special Education Paraprofessionals Supporting Students With Moderate To Severe Disabilities, Anna Opacian

Education Department Graduate Theses/Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Exceptionally Flawed: A Look Towards Addressing Inequalities Of Identification In Gifted Education, Madyson A. Mcray

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Gifted education has been a part of our education system for over a century, and yet there continue to be ways we can work to improve the system to benefit all students. One way education professionals can achieve this is by implementing identification systems that cater to students of all races, ethnicities, genders, and abilities. This study aims to highlight and suggest solutions school districts across the nation, as well as the Commonwealth of Virginia, can implement to make the gifted identification process more inclusive to all students. A comprehensive literature review of national and state data regarding current demographics …

Sunrise To Sunset Walk, Mariana Clara Servin

Hospitality Design Graduate Student Capstones

Sunrise Manor, known as the East Side, is often overlooked and avoided. It carries a negative reputation, with locals frequently advising tourists to stay away, a pattern common in neighborhoods where marginalized communities reside. Despite its vibrancy, the area lacks parks, public amenities, and entertainment, leaving residents underserved. Sunrise Manor is predominantly Hispanic, and its cultural presence is embedded in everyday street life, where vendors sell fruit, food, flowers, and goods on neighborhood corners. This identity has also shaped destinations like Broadacres Marketplace, the largest outdoor swap meet in Las Vegas. However, recent immigration policies and rising fears within the …

From The Classroom To Careers: A Quantitative Analysis Of High School Longitudinal Data Examining How Culturally Responsive Teaching Shapes Mathematics Achievement, Stem Aspirations, And Early Stem Workforce Entry Among Students Of Color, Francisco Velez

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Abstract

This dissertation examines how culturally responsive teaching shapes mathematics achievement and STEM outcomes for high school students of color using data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS:09). Culturally responsive teaching, grounded in theories of cognition, sociocultural learning, and asset-based pedagogy, emphasizes instruction that validates students’ cultural identities, connects academic content to lived experiences, and fosters deeper engagement and academic confidence. Despite substantial qualitative evidence supporting culturally responsive teaching, large-scale quantitative studies remain limited. To address this gap, this study developed a composite measure of culturally responsive teaching using teacher-reported HSLS:09 indicators aligned with key dimensions of …

Centering Testimonio: Understanding Chronic Absenteeism Through The Eyes Of Multilingual And Newcomer Families, Alexandra Sanchez

Educational Studies Dissertations

Chronic absenteeism remains a persistent concern in K–12 education and is often framed through deficit-based narratives that place blame solely on students or families. This qualitative study examines how a multilingual learner (MLL) and newcomer caregiver understands and experiences school attendance within her child’s public charter school community. Grounded in testimonio as both a methodological and epistemological approach, this study centers the lived experiences and knowledge of a caregiver navigating schooling within a new sociocultural and linguistic context.

Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted in Spanish and subsequently translated into English for analysis. An inductive coding process was …

Solving The 2-Sigma Problem With Chatgpt: A Case Study On The Double-Entry Accounting System, Dieudonne A. Affognon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined whether structured ChatGPT tutoring could approximate the learning gains historically associated with one-on-one human tutoring. Grounded in cognitive load theory and informed by Bloom’s two-sigma benchmark, the investigation used double-entry accounting as a procedurally dense testbed requiring coordinated schema construction and rule-based reasoning. A randomized proof-of-concept design assigned thirty first-year accounting students to either human tutoring or ChatGPT tutoring across an eight-week instructional interval. Learning outcomes were assessed at pretest, posttest, and delayed retention. Repeated-measures analyses revealed substantial within-subject learning gains across both instructional modalities. Performance improved significantly from baseline to post-instruction assessment, indicating acquisition of procedural …

Functional Domains’ Ability To Predict Outcomes In Comparison To Absenteeism In A National Sample Of School Age Children, Randolph Dupont

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

School absenteeism poses a critical challenge for educators, clinicians, and policymakers due to its strong associations with impairments across academic, social, mental health, and family domains. Traditional models conceptualize absenteeism systemically, using dimensional definitions (e.g., chronic absenteeism defined by missed days), or analytically, using categorical definitions (e.g., truancy, school refusal). Both approaches are limited in capturing the functional consequences of school attendance problems (SAPs). This study evaluated whether a functional impairment model, which emphasizes how domains of functioning are disrupted by absenteeism, provides a more accurate framework for predicting outcomes than absenteeism frequency alone. Using longitudinal data from the Adolescent …

Constructing Imperial Connectivity: State Infrastructure Projects And The Imperial Gaze In Bengal Presidency, 1849-1856, Richard William Bradley Gaspers Iii

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The construction of roads, canals, and supporting infrastructure in British India connected urban environs of power to interior peripheral spaces. The conclusion of the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849 saw the East India Company stand alone as the paramount power over the Indian subcontinent. A century of conquest gave way to a century of internal management. This shifted the state’s ‘gaze’ inward. Public infrastructure construction skyrocketed after 1849, transforming the role of the colonial state as it built roads, canals, bridges, courthouses, police stations, and jails on an unprecedented scale. This thesis will explore how these physical constructs bolstered connectivity, …

The Effect Of Dialogic Reading With An Adapted Reader On Narrative Reading Comprehension Of High School Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Ramella Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Reading comprehension is essential for accessing grade-level content; however, students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often demonstrate narrative comprehension difficulties related to language inferencing and self-regulation (Constable, 2013; Duke & Cartwright, 2021). Dialogic reading is an evidence-based shared reading practice that uses systematic prompts and contingent consequences to strengthen verbal behavior (Whitehurst et al., 1988; IES, 2007). Despite demonstrated effectiveness with young children with ASD, experimental research on dialogic reading with secondary school-aged students, particularly those requiring adapted instructional materials, remains limited (Hudson & Test, 2011; Spooner et al., 2012). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects …

True Biz: A Fusion Of Written English And Printed Asl, Elysha O'Brien

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper analyzes the book True Biz by Sara Novic with particular attention given to the socio-cultural and historical aspects of the story as well as the postmodern construction of the novel. The narrative of a young girl transferring to a Deaf school and learning American Sign Language features numerous translanguaging characteristics. This essay pays close attention to story elements and how those elements highlight significant aspects of Deaf culture and Deaf history as well as how the postmodern construction of the novel enables a book to feature two differing language systems, namely written English and printed American Sign Language.

Expanding Access To High-Quality Child Care For Infants And Toddlers With Disabilities And Their Families In Nevada, Turia M. Penkalski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Access to high-quality child care significantly impacts outcomes for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families, yet persistent inequities remain. This dissertation employed an instrumental case study design (Stake, 1995; Stake & Visse, 2023) to investigate Nevada's state-level policies and procedures that shape the accessibility and quality of child care for infants and toddlers with disabilities. Using a triangulated approach that integrates document analysis, family interviews, and a survey with state leaders, this study explored the perspectives and experiences of diverse key players. The research illuminates how policy intentions align with or diverge from system-level perceptions and the experiences …

The Impact Of Language-Concordant Diagnosis Education On Discharge Readiness For Spanish-Speaking Patients, Jorge Noel Perdomo Rodriguez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Current language service practices fail to meet the needs of Spanish-speaking patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) resulting in decreased satisfaction with care, understanding of diagnosis education, and increased risk of post-discharge health disparities. Language-concordant care has been found to improve patient satisfaction with care and increase quality of transition from hospital to home. Research on language-concordant OT care is scarce and current studies suggest that language discordance leads to decreased quality of OT care for Spanish speakers. Problem: Language discordance leads to poor understanding of OT’s role and decreases patient-centered care for Spanish-speaking patients. Purpose: This project aimed …

Exploring Non-Native English Learners’ Attitudes Towards Ai And Online Multimedia Persuasive Opinions And The Role Of Sentiment, Zvetomira N. Svetleff

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study and various other studies use quantitative models to identify which persuasive features predict persuasiveness. Most studies in the field do not explain why participants responded as they did nor do they focus on studying adult non-native English learners also referred to as second language (L2) English learners. Despite seemingly remarkable progress on research related to how to convey persuasive messages, there has been little work related to persuasive messaging targeted at second language learners or non-native speakers. In addition, despite the increasing reliance on AI technologies and tools in language learning within educational and work settings, there has …

A Cross-Cultural Analysis Of Mukbang Influencers In China And The United States: Food, Identity, And Cultural Values, Anni Zhang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mukbang, a type of online eating broadcast which originated in South Korea, has become a widely popular form of digital media practice across different platforms. Although existing studies have examined Mukbang from perspectives such as audience psychology, health concerns, and platform economies, fewer studies have focused on how Mukbang influencers communicate cultural meanings and identity through food-related media contents in different cultural contexts. To address this gap, this study conducts a cross-cultural analysis of Mukbang influencers in China and the United States, focusing on how food, identity, and cultural values are represented in digital media environments.

This research adopts an …

Multi-Dimensional Scaling Of Web-Scraping Results From The A.A Zalizniak Grammatical Dictionary And The Russian National Corpus. Creating A Corpus Fragment Of All Possible Word-Forms Of Modified Russian Sound Verbs Using Web-Scraping Methodology. Compilation Of A Summary Table For The Participle Forms, Irina V. Ivliyeva, Perry Koob

Research Data

English Abstract:

This study investigates the development of multi-dimensional morphological profiles of Russian verbs of sounds, namely their participles, by integrating web-scraping methodologies and advanced digital visualization tools that is convenient and effective for a linguistic researcher.

The study demonstrates the potential of combining computational techniques such as web-scraping and digital visualization to enrich the understanding of complex, multi-source lexicographic phenomena.  The main task at this stage of the research was to collect, compile (combine results), analyze and present a summary index of all participle forms of sound verbs, recorded in electronic versions of  A.A. Zalizniak Grammatical Dictionary of the …

Reducing Maternal Morbidity In Black Women In Massachusetts, Priya Thorat

Capstones

Racial disparities in severe maternal morbidity (SMM) represent a persistent and preventable public health crisis in Massachusetts. Black women experience SMM at two to three times the rate of White women, disparities driven primarily by structural racism, fragmented perinatal care, and unaddressed social determinants of health rather than individual clinical risk. This systematic review examines the evidence supporting Community Health Worker (CHW) home visiting programs as a targeted intervention to reduce racial disparities in SMM among Black MassHealth enrollees, and evaluates the policy mechanisms necessary to sustain this intervention at scale. For this systematic review, peer-reviewed literature published between 2020 …

Digital Literacy And Language Proficiency As Factors Of Accessible Digital Training In The Hospitality Industry: Employee Perspectives Of Training And Working In A Diverse Industry, Gillian Bowden

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study explored how digital literacy and language proficiency impact employees’ access to and engagement with digital training, as well as how these experiences influence their perceptions of training and the organization. In the quantitative phase, survey data were collected from hourly employees at a large foodservice corporation (n=67). Four constructs were assessed: digital literacy, language proficiency, accessibility, and engagement. Results indicated strong, statistically significant relationships with higher levels of digital literacy and language proficiency associated with greater accessibility and increased engagement with digital training materials. The large effect sizes suggest these competencies play a meaningful …

Púchica! Central American Students Navigating A Community College In The Southwest, Reina Ferrufino

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This qualitative study centers the lived experiences of U.S. Central American students at a large community college in the Southwestern United States. Guided by Latinx Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) and Garcia’s (2023) Servingness framework, the study examines how institutional structures—including classrooms, student support services, and co-curricular spaces—shape students’ experiences of belonging, access, and recognition. Grounded in LatCrit, particularly its attention to racist nativism, the study situates students’ experiences within broader racialized and migration-related contexts. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eight Central American students and recent alumni. Findings reveal patterns of misrecognition, generalized understandings of Latinidad, and navigational challenges …

Iterative Silver-Label Refinement For Temporal Information Extraction In Biomedical Literature, Chan Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Temporal information extraction plays a critical role in the biomedical domain, where the ability to identify events and their temporal relationships is central to interpreting research findings. However, annotated corpora for this task remain scarce and costly to produce and the existing models developed for clinical text do not transfer well. This work bridges that gap through iterative silver-label refinement. A temporal model originally trained on news-domain data is adapted to biomedical text through cycles of automatic labeling, targeted correction, and retraining without the need for comprehensive manual annotation.

Key contributions include a practical iterative refinement methodology demonstrating that the …

Navigating The Unknown: Understanding The Impact Of Mentorship For First-Generation Students In Stem, Shanika Roshanie Wickramarachchi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

First-generation students often encounter systemic barriers and inequities in academic pursuits related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Many institutions implement mentoring programs to mitigate these challenges; however, the effectiveness of STEM mentoring relationships for first-generation college students has been underexplored in the empirical literature. The current study centers the voices of first-generation college students to explore how mentors and institutions can better support their success through STEM mentoring relationships. In addition, this study examines how mentors’ generational status informs how they approach mentoring relationships with first-generation mentees. Participants included mentors and first-generation mentees in STEM research mentoring relationships …