Digital Commons Network^™

Social Media Appearance Pressures And Body Dissatisfaction In Collegiate Athletes: Model Refinement, Group Differences, And Exploratory Insights, Hannah Hunter Miller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In considering athletes’ body image, it is necessary to examine the psychosocial factors, and related psychological processes, that influence it. The body-related pressures athletes experience while navigating social media represent a relatively new and increasingly influential factor that warrants further investigation. The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to replicate and refine Miller and colleagues’ (in press) model; (2) to examine differences in model variables and relationships across demographic and contextual groups; and (3) to explore aspects of social media perceived as contributing to appearance pressures, as well as strategies athletes may use to mitigate these pressures and their …

Embodiment Among Collegiate Women Athletes: The Perceived Impact On Sport Performance, Commitment, And Enjoyment, Hannah Lynne Silva-Breen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Collegiate women athletes report high rates of body dissatisfaction and wanting more support for improving their body image within their athletic departments. Guided by the Developmental Theory of Embodiment (DTE; Piran, 2017), the purpose of this study was to examine collegiate women athletes’ perceptions of the relationship between their embodiment and aspects of their sport experience. Participants were 311 women currently competing in 24 different sports within NCAA and NAIA athletics. Participants completed the Experience of Embodiment Scale, Subjective Performance Questionnaire, Sport Commitment Questionnaire-2, and open-ended response questions about the perceived relationship between these variables. A convergent parallel mixed methods …

Smartbot V3: A Scalable Educational And Research Robotics Platform And Decentralized Construction Framework, Robert Tyler Cook

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Autonomous robotic systems are increasingly used in both engineering education and robotics research, creating a need for systems capable of supporting both within a common platform. This thesis presents SMARTbot V3, a scalable robotics platform developed to support undergraduate robotics education and multi-robot research.

SMARTbot V3 is a differential-drive mobile manipulator incorporating a 3-degree-of-freedom manipulator, LiDAR, RGB cameras, onboard computation, and Robot Operating System 2 (ROS2) software. The platform was designed to support scalable deployment through standardized hardware, modular construction, and common software. A fleet of twenty robots was manufactured and deployed for both educational and research activities. Educational validation …

A Review Of The Effect The Kentucky Center For School Safety Has On Kentucky School District’S Safe Schools Data, Patricia Greer

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The study examines the impact of the Kentucky Center for School Safety on safety data from Kentucky Schools. The data consisted of behavior events reported in the Safe Schools Data collected from the student information system, Infinite Campus. The analysis was conducted using interaction data from the Kentucky Center for School Safety and behavioral data from Kentucky Public Schools.

Exploring Pedagogical Content Knowledge Of Experienced Teachers In Agricultural Animal Reproduction: A Grounded Theory, Amanda Wooditch

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Teaching agricultural animal reproduction requires a specialized integration of scientific content knowledge and instructional strategies, conceptualized as Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK). While PCK has been widely studied in other disciplines, research on its development and application in agricultural education has been limited. This qualitative study utilized grounded theory methodology to explore the PCK of experienced high school agriculture teachers in Georgia as they taught animal reproduction.

Twenty educators, each with a minimum of eight years of classroom experience, participated in the study through semi-structured interviews, lesson artifacts, and memos. Analysis, guided by Gess-Newsome’s (2015) Model of Teacher Professional Knowledge and …

Out In The Arena: Examining The Lgbtq+ Experience In Ihsa, Katharine C. Didier

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated factors influencing Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) LGBTQ+ riders’ perceptions of inclusion, safety, and belonging, with the hypothesis that teams with diversity and inclusion policies would be perceived as more accepting. An online survey was developed to gather information from self-identified LGBTQ+ IHSA students. Questions covered demographics, team environment, and perceived inclusivity within their equestrian programs. Question types included multiple choice, Likert-type, short answer, and open-ended. IHSA coaches were asked to share the survey link with team members. Students were able to respond anonymously. The survey was open for 8 weeks. Reminders were sent out at 3 …

The Impact Of Rti On Ninth Grade Reading Success, James Dailey

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Graduation rates are an important component of a school’s progress report card, published by the state’s department of education.  Ensuring that students have the resources and supports that they need in order to be successful is paramount to a school’s ability to provide quality educational services for their students.  Research published by the Center for High School Success (2020) indicates that students entering their freshman year of high school are twice as likely to drop out of school for being academically behind compared to their peers. For students to receive the support that they need to help them close their …

Classifying Surfaces With Handle Decomposition, Elizabeth Sipes

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Among topological spaces, manifolds draw a lot of interest. An
n-manifold is a space that is locally like R^n. Manifolds of dimension 2
are called surfaces. Using handle decomposition, we decompose surfaces
into k-handles, where 0< =k< =2. Techniques such as handle sliding and
handle cancellation allow us to get a more favorable representation of
our surface. We use these tools and calculation of the fundamental group
to classify all compact surfaces.

"It's Dangerous To Go Alone": Examining Npcs As Influential Social Agents In An Original Single-Player Rpg, Chloe Bella Whitfield

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Parasocial Interactions (PSI) and Parasocial Relationships (PSR) may have the capacity to act as an extension of and supplement for healthy social interaction (Elvery, 2021). In some instances, PSI and PSR may even be used as a means to improve unfulfilled social needs and decrease feelings of loneliness (Jarzyna, 2021). It has been noted that digital media such as video games may produce parasocial encounters that are particularly unique, as they often simulate realistic, back-and-forth social interactions between users and a virtual agent (Elvery, 2022; Hartmann, 2008). The present study observed PSR formation between players and a non-player character (NPC) …

Attention Or Affect? Evaluating The Discriminant Validity Of Cpt-3 Performance, Gavin F. Price

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The Conner Continuous Performance Test Third Edition (CPT-3) is a behavior-based measure of attention-related problems commonly used to assess Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Research into the discriminant validity of the CPT-3 remains limited, particularly regarding the influence of internalizing symptoms such as anxiety and depression on performance. The current study examined whether CPT-3 performance was more strongly associated with cognitive indicators of inattention or internalizing symptoms, such as depressive or anxious symptoms. Archival data from 105 adult clients at Murray State University Psychological Center was analyzed. Cognitive inattention was measured using Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) – Working Memory Index (WMI) discrepancy …

Surrogate-Based Approaches For Evaluating Post-Harvest Food Safety Interventions In Fresh Produce, Md Shafiul Islam Rion

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pathogenic bacteria are still a threat to human beings worldwide as their presence is often unknown even if they are already present in fresh produces. This in turn resulted in several outbreaks and recalls across the United States. This dissertation investigated the survival of pathogenic bacteria and their potential non-pathogenic surrogates after antimicrobial interventions in different modes of applications on the surface of cantaloupes, butternut squash, and fresh cilantro. In the first study, peroxyacetic acid (PAA) was applied in three separate doses on nalidixic acid resistant Salmonella Typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, Enterococcus faecium, and Listeria innocua inoculated cantaloupe surfaces …

Comparison Of Push-Pull Air Curtain To Overhead Downdraft Systems On Aerosol Containment And Distribution In Controlled Environments, Manal Mutairi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

Comparison of Push-Pull Air Curtain to Overhead Downdraft Systems on Aerosol Containment and Distribution in Controlled Environments.

This dissertation looks at the ongoing issue of tiny airborne particles created during medical and dental procedures and evaluates ways to reduce the risk of exposure for healthcare workers and patients to these particles. The first study focuses on the size, how long particles stay in the air, and how far they travel from common medical procedures that create aerosols, showing that tiny particles (less than 5 µm) can stay in the air long enough to escape basic droplet controls. As a …

Women In Music: Experiences Of Women Oboists In Us Symphony Orchestras, Brianna Corgel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The evolution of women in American music has been a gradual and ongoing process. Historically, women were largely excluded from public musical life and did not achieve widespread acceptance as professional musicians until the 20^th century, largely due to prevailing cultural and societal expectations. In the 19^th century, women typically performed in domestic settings for small gatherings of family and friends. Female instrumentalists were generally limited to the piano and a few string instruments, while wind instruments—such as the oboe—were discouraged because they were considered unladylike or visually unappealing when played. The 20^th century saw the emergence …

Dispositional Mindfulness And Autonomic Reactivity, Thomas Dylan Boyer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

To explain how different facets of mindfulness were associated with task performance in distinctive ways, Lindsay and Creswell (2017) proposed the Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT). According to this model, the mindfulness facet of monitoring present state awareness was thought to influence task performance differently than the nonjudgmental acceptance facet of mindfulness, but no studies to date have examined this model with respect to an individual's physiological response to stressful tasks. Because dispositional mindfulness has been associated with both increased and decreased physiological and affective reactions to stress in previous studies, the present study tested whether the Monitoring facet of …

Three Essays In Health Economics, Caroline Andressa Welter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Health outcomes and access to care are shaped by the interaction between public institutions, administrative rules, and responses to health risk. This dissertation investigates how barriers to access, changes in perceived risk, and policy design influence participation in public programs, preventive health behavior, and  treatment continuation. Across three essays in health economics, I examine how individuals respond to disruptions in service delivery, epidemic exposure, and administrative burden, with a focus on vulnerable populations that depend on public systems of care.
The first essay analyzes the impact of Social Security Administration field office closures on participation in federal disability programs during …

Sustainable Nutrient Management Opportunities For Small Communities In The U.S. With Lagoon Wastewater Treatment Systems, Denis Sigei Ruto

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lagoon wastewater treatment systems are among the most widely used secondary treatment technologies serving small and rural communities in the United States due to their low capital and operating costs, minimal energy requirements, and operational simplicity. While effective for removal of organic matter and suspended solids, most lagoon systems were not designed to achieve advanced nutrient removal. As regulatory priorities increasingly emphasize control of total nitrogen and total phosphorus to protect receiving waters and public health, lagoon-dependent communities face growing compliance challenges. These challenges are exacerbated by aging infrastructure, limited technical capacity, financial constraints, and insufficient infrastructure data, highlighting the …

Three Essays On Urban Transportation, Daniel Amorim Souza Centuriao

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Urban environments are shaped by dynamic interactions between infrastructure development, policy interventions, and episodic demand shocks, all of which can generate unintended externalities in the form of motor vehicle collisions, injuries, and fatalities. This dissertation investigates the determinants of traffic safety in dense urban settings, with a particular focus on how different sources of urban activity affect collision risk and severity. Using New York City as a case study and leveraging high-resolution spatial and temporal data, I examine three distinct but interconnected mechanisms: construction activity, traffic safety policies, and large-scale events.

The first chapter analyzes the impact of urban development, …

Preliminary Analysis Of Soil Volatile Organic Compounds As Soil Health Indicators, Thorne Taul

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Over the past decade, soil health (SH) has gained popularity due to the novelty of sustainable soil use related to human wellbeing. Soil health describes the overall quality of soil and its capacity to function over time. As interest in SH grows, researchers continue to explore new soil health indicators that can improve knowledge on how soil health is assessed and managed. Some indicators directly reflect soil health status, and some indirectly relate to processes and functions occurring within the soil. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are naturally occurring compounds that play a role in multiple soil processes. They are associated …

The Effects Of Gesture And Age On Jurors’ Perceptions Of Child Witnesses, Jihan Hani Rashed

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Jurors’ perceptions of child witnesses can have significant influence in judicial outcomes, particularly in cases where children’s testimony is central (Goodman et al., 1997; Goodman et al., 1998; Castelli et al., 2005). The role of gesture in shaping jurors’ perceptions is underexplored. Studies highlight that gesture enhances memory recall and reduces cognitive load, making it an important component of effective communication (Goldin-Meadow et al., 2001; Hudson & Sheffield, 1998; Cook & Fenn, 2017). The present research consisted of two studies examining whether child witnesses’ use of gesture during recall of an alleged crime affected jurors’ perceptions of witness credibility and …

Rurality, Infant Feeding Practices, And Perinatal Cardiovascular Health Behaviors, Elly Marie Marshall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States, with higher rates in rural areas. While limited healthcare access contributes to this disparity, other factors remain unclear. Breastfeeding provides long-term protection against cardiovascular disease, but modern infant feeding practices are complex and may impact maternal cardiovascular health (CVH) in unexpected ways. Healthy CVH behaviors of sufficient sleep duration, adequate physical activity, a healthy diet, and nicotine avoidance can enhance protection against future cardiovascular disease risk. Therefore, the aims of this dissertation are to 1) assess associations between rurality and first trimester CVH behaviors; 2) synthesize …

Psychometric Assessment Of The Ambivalent Ageism Scale: Investigating Measurement Invariance And Stability Across Groups And Time, Carly Pullen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The goal of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Ambivalent Ageism Scale (Cary et al., 2017) and to provide an understanding of how ageist attitudes might change or remain the same in response to a cultural and societal event. Measurement invariance is the assessment of the psychometric equivalence of a construct (e.g., ageism) across groups or waves of measurement (Putnick & Bornstein, 2016). The first step in measurement invariance analyses is configural measurement invariance, which is the evaluation of the factor structure, with the goal of producing the same number of factors and the same …

Bringing Patriarchy To Looksmaxxing: Identification And Exploration Of Strategies To Restabilize The Patriarchy In The Looksmaxxing Community, Mackenzie Grace Freeman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research literature on looksmaxxing is subsumed under the incelosphere, which is acknowledged as a white and male supremacist space. Yet, researchers fail to attend critically to the structure of patriarchy, choosing instead to base their analyses within the mainstream hegemonic masculinity paradigm. Using a Bourdieusian framework, this project fills a gap in the literature by transcending the mainstream paradigm to explain how the looksmaxxing community uses the body as a site of crisis management in response to patriarchal backlash, with the ultimate goal of restabilizing the patriarchy. This project uses a community-led survey from a popular online looksmaxxing community. This …

Early Life Adversity And Reward Reactivity In Humans, Maria C. Potts

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Both animal and human research has identified early life adversity (ELA) as a prominent risk factor for substance use disorder (SUD). However, the underlying mechanisms linking ELA to SUD development remain unclear. Animal studies point to differences in reward responsiveness as the primary explanation; specifically, that ELA could lead to individual differences in the attribution of incentive salience to reward-predictive cues, or the “sign-tracking” behavioral phenotype. Sign-tracking has been linked to addiction-related behaviors in both animal and human studies, but no human studies have examined whether sign-tracking could partially explain the link between ELA and SUD. In fact, human studies …

Unsuccessful? Universal Human Rights And The United Nations: Russian Imperialism In Ukraine And The Post-Udhr International System, Sofiia Novytska

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Human universality has always stood as a controversial subject and remains politically contentious today. Following the humanitarian crisis of World War II, the international community was determined to protect the integrity and dignity of people worldwide by developing the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, universal human rights were not invented by the Declaration and were already conceptually established in global ancient thought, further evolved into Early Modern scholarship, and later paved the way for modern humanitarian frameworks. The UDHR was not universally well-received, and was criticized for its revolutionary legal character, postcolonial contestation, and practical ambiguity. The …

The Deposition, Prevalence, And Persistence Of Gunshot Residue In Standard And Less Lethal Ammunition, Liliana Claire Barbosa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

During the discharge of a firearm, gunshot residue (GSR) is released and settles into nearby surfaces, leaving traces that can provide valuable information for forensic investigations. This study aims to improve understanding of the deposition, prevalence, and persistence of standard and less-lethal ammunition through an analytical framework that examines collection and analysis protocols, revealing connections among multiple traces for effective use in investigations and courtroom proceedings.

Research into the chemical residues of less lethal ammunition (LLA) is a critical frontier in shooting investigations. While standard leaded ammunition has over a century of established literature, the chemical fingerprints of LLA residues …

Strategic Transition Planning And Post-Graduation Preparedness For Students In Secondary School, Kelsey Renae Armentrout

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The transition period between high school and post-graduation life can be a challenging time for many students. Young adults may follow different paths, including going into the workforce or attending post-secondary education, as well as learning how to navigate life skills such as paying bills, buying a house or a car, applying for jobs, obtaining insurance, and occupations within the adult life stage. While young adults may learn about these things throughout their high school career, it is likely that the feelings of unpreparedness are continuously relevant. The purpose of this DCE is to develop and implement learning modules for …

Difficult Tasks And Strained Ties: Irritation As A Mediator For Relationship Quality And Caregiver Distress, Payton Elisabeth Radcliffe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Caregiving, defined as providing regular unpaid assistance to individuals with chronic illness or disability, is a widespread role associated with both societal benefit and psychological strain (Berg et al., 2021; Schulz et al., 2020). Prior research indicates that perceived caregiving difficulty is a key predictor of caregiver distress, though the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear (Blom et al., 2024; Gérain & Zech, 2022). Drawing on the Stress Process Model (Pearlin et al., 1990), the present study examined irritation as a mediator linking perceived caregiving difficulty to relationship quality and caregiver distress, while also testing whether caregiver relationship type moderates …

Effectiveness Of Occupational Therapy-Inspired Educational Sessions For Mothers Accessing Women, Infants, And Children (Wic) Services, Samantha Annette Merew

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This doctoral capstone project examined the effectiveness of occupational therapy (OT)-inspired group and one-on-one educational sessions designed to support the emotional, mental, and social well-being of pregnant and postpartum mothers accessing Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) services in Onslow County, North Carolina. Grounded in the Model of Human Occupation and Cognitive Behavioral Frame of Reference, the program aimed to address gaps in holistic maternal health support, particularly among low-income and at-risk populations. Eight structured group sessions and five one-on-one sessions were developed, implemented, and evaluated, focusing on topics such as stress management, emotional regulation, self-care, role transition, and self-advocacy. A …

Lighting The Woods When There Are No Woods, Michael M. Mcginley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis will document my own journey into the woods. I will discuss my role as the lighting designer, highlighting my design processes and decisions. The show’s evolution and history from the first design meeting to opening night will be documented and reflected upon. Additionally, I will expand on collaboration with the other design team members, the challenges and struggles that I encountered, and lastly my own reflection on the entire process. I will be using lighting paperwork, research photos, and production photos to illustrate key points and highlight details.

The Resilient Educator: Examining The Role Of Resilience On A First-Year Rural Music Educator’S Job Satisfaction, Isaac Price

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The future of music education in schools is largely determined by educators' resilience in their positions. Resilience is the process of adapting to adversity by accessing and utilizing intrinsic and extrinsic resources available (Gu & Day, 2007; Squires et al., 2023). Resilience affects various aspects of an educator’s personal and professional life, including job satisfaction (Li, 2023). Job satisfaction can affect teacher health, teacher performance, and teacher retention, which in turn may affect student performance (Huysman, 2008; Lu et al., 2024; Robison & Russell, 2022). The circumstances and events that occur during a teacher’s first year in the profession can …