Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding Educators' Perspectives On Universal Design For Learning In Co-Taught Elementary And Middle School Classrooms, Biancha Dipaola

JWU Dissertations & Theses

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework that encourages educators to proactively identify and address any potential barriers to learning before a lesson or concept is taught. UDL’s inclusive framework offers strategies for enhancing student engagement, representation, and action and expression, yet research on educators’ perspectives on UDL and its implementation in co-taught classrooms is limited. The literature identifies the lack of educator knowledge on neuroscience (Lopes et al., 2022), inadequate professional development (Chu et al., 2020), and systemic challenges such as common planning time and administrative support (Zhang et al., 2024) as barriers to implementing UDL, but …

Freelist Response Dataset On Human Dimensions Understanding And Integration In Joint Ventures, Vivian Hulugh, Lauren Redmore, Jennifer Zavaleta Cheek

NRM Departmental Data Sets

DOI: 10.62812/UYFQ8559

The objective of this study was to examine how Joint Ventures (JVs) understand HD, identify existing capacity gaps, and explore opportunities for HD integration across two JVs in the Midwest. This dataset contains freelist responses collected from participants of the two JVs. The dataset is organized across three spreadsheet tabs corresponding to the three freelist prompts: (1) “Please list all aspects, themes, or concepts you consider part of HD in conservation,” (2) “Please list for me what a Joint Venture needs to better incorporate HD into their work,” and (3) “Please list for me all of the ways …

The Impact Of Targeted Marketing On The Health Of Teenagers In America: Regulatory Safeguards And Implications, Katelyn Overbay

Senior Theses

The rise of digital marketing has transformed how companies engage with consumers, particularly those that fall within the adolescent age group. Teenagers represent a uniquely vulnerable demographic due to the developmental stage they are in, making them especially susceptible to targeted advertising strategies that leverage data analytics, social media algorithms, and behavioral tracking. The aim of this study is to examine the direct and indirect impacts of targeted marketing on the physical, mental, and social health of teenagers in the United States. Drawing on existing literature, case studies, recent lawsuits, and regulatory analysis, the research gathered explores how industries such …

Reevaluating Pediatric Concussion Recovery: The Need For Comprehensive Psychological Assessments, Jolie L. Slobodin

Senior Theses

Pediatric concussions represent a significant public health concern due to their complex and often long-lasting effects on the developing brain. Although concussion is classified as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), growing evidence indicates that children and adolescents experience psychological, cognitive, and academic difficulties that extend beyond physical symptom resolution. While somatic and cognitive symptoms often predominate in the acute phase of recovery, emotional and behavioral concerns frequently emerge or persist later, yet remain inconsistently evaluated in standard concussion care. This thesis examines the psychological, cognitive, and academic outcomes of pediatric concussion and evaluates whether current assessment practices capture the …

A Topic Modeling Analysis Of Stigma Dimensions, Social, And Related Behavioral Circumstances In Clinical Notes Among Patients With Hiv, Ziyi Chen, Yiyang Liu, Mattia Prosperi, Krishna Vaddiparti, Robert L Cook, Jiang Bian, Yi Guo, Yonghui Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: To characterize stigma dimensions, social, and related behavioral circumstances in people living with HIV (PLWHs) seeking care, using natural language processing methods applied to a large collection of electronic health record (EHR) clinical notes from a large integrated health system in the southeast United States.

Methods: We identified a cohort of PLWHs from the University of Florida (UF) Health Integrated Data Repository and performed topic modeling analysis using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to uncover stigma-related dimensions and related social and behavioral contexts. Domain experts created a seed list of HIV-related stigma keywords, then applied a snowball strategy to iteratively …

Impacts Of Listening Practice On Work Performance While Wearing Hearing Protection., Patricia Mcclain, Matthew G. Wisniewski

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Individuals who work in loud environments often choose not to wear hearing protection devices (HPDs) while on the job. A prevailing justification for this decision involves potential performance impairments that come with HPD use. While previous research has been successful in characterizing the overwhelming prevalence of this issue, the question of how to go about improving HPD use still remains. In this study, we investigated the possibility that performance while wearing an HPD could improve if people are given listening training with a simulated HPD. Participants listened to podcasts in which the audio was filtered to simulate wearing an HPD …

Using Gloves Wisely: Rethinking Glove Use For Health, Safety, And Environmental Sustainability., M Lauren Lalakea, Radhika Sheth, Elizabeth Cerceo, Yvonne Huckleberry, Preeti Jaggi, Vidya Mony, Elizabeth Monsees

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Non-sterile gloves (NSG) are essential for reducing transmission of pathogens and for protecting patients and staff. Their overconsumption can lead not only to an increased risk of cross-contamination but also increased plastic waste and downstream environmental effects. Glove reduction campaigns worldwide have safely and successfully reduced their inappropriate use and associated waste. In this multidisciplinary commentary, we discuss the sweeping public health and environmental consequences of NSG overuse and strategies to implement a successful glove stewardship campaign.

Exploring The U.S. Public Service Employees’ Experiences With Gamified Cybersecurity Awareness Training, Bisola Adepoju

Human Resource Development Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the U.S. public service employees' experiences with gamified cybersecurity awareness training. The primary research question guiding this inquiry was: How do U.S. public service employees make sense of their lived experiences with gamified cybersecurity awareness training? Two secondary questions examined what aspects of the training employees perceive as meaningful or disengaging, and how they interpret their motivation, engagement, and cybersecurity awareness during training. I chose an interpretive qualitative research design grounded in a constructivist paradigm and purposefully selected 11 U.S. public service employees who had participated in gamified cybersecurity awareness training. …

Enhancing Undergraduate Learning In Physics: The Effects Of Ai-Assisted And Ai-Guided Instruction On Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, And Satisfaction, Stephen Woods

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as large language models are increasingly used for self-directed learning, yet there is limited experimental evidence on whether they improve learning outcomes and whether theory-informed guidance adds value beyond AI use alone. Prior literature suggests that effective learning depends not only on access to information, but also on how instruction supports attention, working memory, long-term memory, and cognitive load, while also fostering motivational processes such as self-efficacy. Individual differences such as Need for Cognition may also shape how learners engage with cognitively demanding instructional tools such as AI.

The present study examined how different …

Social Support And Mental Wellbeing Among Veterinary Clinic Employees, Madison Koons

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

Mental wellbeing is a significant concern for veterinary professionals and the subject of much discussion in the veterinary and academic fields. To determine whether social support is an effective protective factor for the mental wellbeing of veterinary professionals, I administered a survey to 879 veterinary clinics in Ohio, with ninety-two responses received for final analysis. The scales assessed mental wellbeing, organizational support, and nonorganizational support. I found organizational support, friends support, and family support to be positively correlated with mental wellbeing. Significant other support was not correlated with mental wellbeing. A linear regression evaluating social support as predictors of mental …

Just Unmasking Knowledge? A Critical Interpretation Of Fluctuating Jellyfish Populations For A Mass Media Audience, Wrenne R. Grone

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

While podcasts may not be the most popular form of mass media, they are growing in their accessibility and prevalence in educational discourse. My creative work, in the form of a podcast, unmasks scientific knowledge in an untraditional, mass-media form and will use podcast techniques, such as music transitions and storytelling techniques, to maintain engagement. Additionally, my podcast aims to transpose academic knowledge into a comprehensible, interesting form for a non-academic audience. Jellyfish have no brains, no heart, no blood, and no bones and yet, they have survived for millions of years. The goal of my podcast is to educate …

Advancing The Understanding Of Palliative Care In Singapore: Knowledge, Attitudes, Receptiveness, And The Moderating Role Of Media Information-Seeking Preferences, Su Lin Yeo, Angel Lee, Raymond Han Lip Ng, May O. Lwin, Yumin Lin

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Introduction: Despite the growing demand for palliative care, this specialized medical care remains severely underutilized, with almost 50% of countries worldwide lacking access. Given that misperceptions and stigma continue to hinder progress in healthcare policy, this study aims to examine the relationships between palliative care knowledge, attitudes, and receptiveness to better understand how public health communication can enhance awareness and understanding of the topic in Singapore. Applying the adapted knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) model, it further extends theory by examining the moderating role of media information-seeking between knowledge and receptiveness.Methods: Mixed-mode surveys involving 1,226 participants (926 online and 300 in-person respondents), representing …

Bridging Gaps: Enhancing Sleep And Health Disparities In Latino Families With Young Adults With Autism Using A Culturally Adapted Intervention, Antonio F Pagán, Alejandro L Pagán, Linda Hernandez, Matthew R Cribbet, Katherine A Loveland, Ron Acierno

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The present study examined the effects of a culturally adapted intervention, ¡Iniciando! la Adultez, on sleep and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Latino young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their Spanish-speaking parents. The intervention targeted the transition to adulthood, a period associated with increased challenges in sleep and HRQoL, particularly for underserved Latino populations. Participants included 26 young adults and 38 parents who completed assessments at baseline and post-treatment. The results indicated significant improvements in several HRQoL domains for both groups, with young adults reporting enhanced emotional well-being, social functioning, and general health. Parents experienced notable improvements …

The First 3 Years: Novice Teacher Perspectives On Staying In Education, Tammy M. Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teacher attrition presents a persistent challenge for educational systems, with novice teachers leaving the profession at disproportionately high rates during their first 5 years. Rural schools face compounded difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified educators due to geographic isolation, limited resources, and additional workload demands. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate novice secondary teachers’ perceptions of factors influencing their intent to remain in education. In this study, self-determination theory, which examines autonomy, competence, and relatedness as psychological needs supporting intrinsic motivation, and four capital theory, which addresses human, social, structural, and positive psychological capital as interconnected components …

Identifying The Barriers Bilingual Parents Face In The Special Education Process, Miranda Leah Hernandez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing parental involvement in the special education process means parents, teachers, and school administrators can unite to educate the children. The problem that the researcher identified was that emergent bilingual families struggle to become meaningful participants in their children’s individualized education plans. This was a qualitative case study that identified the barriers that bilingual parents face within the special education process and the recommendations from bilingual parents on how to help them become more meaningful members of their child’s individualized education plan. The population within the research included bilingual families with children in the greater Houston, Texas area who have …

Promoting Methane Reductions Through Behavioural Nudges And Informational Boosts: A Field Choice Experiment In Japanese Rice Farming, Shengyi Du, Katsuya Tanaka, Hiroki Sasaki, Tetsuya Horie, Shinya Horie

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

Agricultural methane emissions represent a significant contributor to global climate change, with irrigated rice cultivation beingone of the primary sources. Despite the availability of effective mitigation technologies, their adoption often remains limited dueto behavioural and institutional constraints. Water management practice that extends drainage periods during cultivation cancurb methane emissions from irrigated rice at low cost, yet uptake among Japanese farmers remains modest. We surveyed 2219rice producers in Shiga Prefecture using a labelled choice experiment that embedded two behavioural nudges (social norm andloss aversion) and one informational boost (knowledge enhancement), presented with or without a reminder. Farmers most fa-voured a 7-day …

What We Hear Shapes What We Fear: Public Discourse As A Determinant Of Health, Amanda L. Almond

Open Educational Resources

This resource presents a structured assignment designed for undergraduate health psychology and interdisciplinary courses. Students systematically collect and analyze public discourse as a determinant of health using a shared dataset, followed by instructor-led synthesis and application of scientific reasoning.

The assignment emphasizes mechanism-based explanation, including how communication environments shape stress, perception, and health behavior. A second phase explicitly integrates the scientific method, guiding students to evaluate claims, distinguish correlation from causation, and consider what evidence would be required to test observed patterns.

This assignment was developed and implemented in a Hispanic-Serving Institution during Spring 2026, in response to real-time conditions …

Simulation-Based School Safety Leadership: Practicing Early Warning Sign Recognition And Response, Daniel W. Eadens

Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository

This entry describes the effectiveness of a simulation involving safety.

Dipl 3800 Investigating International Relations, Prashant Hosur Suhas Ph.D.

Diplomacy Syllabi

This class is an introduction to political science international relations research methodology. My main goal is to teach you the basics of creating and consuming research in the social sciences. The course will lead you through conceptualization and theory construction, the derivation of testable hypotheses, and a variety of methodologies that may be used to evaluate these hypotheses. We will discuss causal inference, observation and measurement, and other issues encompassing both qualitative and quantitative research methods. We will discuss the way in which academic articles in the social sciences are written, and how they should be read.

This course includes …

Want To Be A Higher Education President? A Comparative Case Study Of The Traits, Attributes, And Skills Of Four Current Higher Education Presidents, Brian C. Nees

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This qualitative study is a comparative case study of higher education presidents. It examines how current higher education presidents described the essential traits, attributes, and skills of the position and whether these presidents have always possessed them or acquired them over time and through experience. This topic is essential, as it appears that presidents are leaving their positions sooner, and this research provides incoming presidents with preparation advice and current presidents with advice to help them stay in their positions longer. The data were obtained through resumes, a trait questionnaire, and interviews with current higher education presidents. These three data …

The Vital Role Of Communication In Elementary Education: Strategies For Bridging Language, Cultural, And Diversity Gaps To Strengthen Family-School Partnerships, Daniel H. Rack

Dissertations

This study examines how communication systems in elementary schools influence equitable family engagement within a linguistically and culturally diverse, Title I context. The purpose of this research is to evaluate how communication practices support or limit access, participation, and partnership between schools and families. The overarching research question guiding this study is: How do current communication systems support or constrain equitable family engagement? A convergent mixed-methods design was utilized to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data. Data sources included educator surveys, family surveys, and focus group interviews, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of communication practices from multiple stakeholder …

Narratives Of Dis-Ease: A Genre Study Of Pathography, Sylvelyn Jo A. Almanzor

Akda: The Asian Journal of Literature, Culture, Performance

This essay establishes pathography as a distinct genre of creative nonfiction, tracing the development, form, and cultural significance of this body of literature. I have broadly defined it as narratives on personal experiences of Gabriel Marcel's "dis-ease"—covering and critiquing the human understanding and experience of sickness, pain, and grief—which has evolved from autobiographical narratives and life-writing of patients and medical professionals to a recognized form of creative nonfiction. This study will analyze the genre's structure, themes, and rhetorical strategies with consideration to cultural significance and how it negotiates the human understanding of suffering, healing, and societal attitudes toward existence and …

Gregor Samsa’S Pagkagimata (Awakening) In Bikol: A Becoming-Minor In Translation, Victor John M. Loquias

Akda: The Asian Journal of Literature, Culture, Performance

Kristian Cordero’s translation of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis instantiates what the philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari call minor literature. Preferring the Bikol term Pagkagimata—the literal event of Gregor Sama’s becoming-animal in the novel as title of the translation and the utilization of the Rinconada Bikol language for the transformed Samsa—Cordero has typified a perspective of translation that challenges the popular view of fluent translation from the source text to the target language. Exemplifying the concept of becoming-minor of Deleuze and Guattari and deploying Lawrence Venuti’s notion of the “remainder,” An Pagkagimata ni Gregor Samsa exhibits a deterritorialization of Bikol …

Intimate Partner Violence And Couples Who Practice Power Exchange: Exploring Discussions Of Harm In Bdsm Writing, Delilah Tefertiller

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Senior Honors Papers

The current tools and services available for those who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) center power and control as negative influences that lead to coercive control (Stark, 2007) and harm. However, the BDSM and kink community negotiate and play with power dynamics in ways that defy current ideas about "healthy relationships." There is, therefore, little known about the perspectives of those who experience IPV in BDSM contexts. Additionally, current IPV tools are not adapted to fit a community that views power differently. A content analysis of BDSM 101 texts—a subgenre of BDSM literature that introduces and educates newcomers about …

Reimagining Civic Readiness: Middle School Teachers’ Definition And Perceptions Of The Importance Of Civic Readiness, Razak K. Dwomoh

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

This article examines how middle school social studies teachers define “civic readiness,” how teacher motivation shapes civics instruction, and why middle-level civics is integral to engaged citizenship. The paper presents teachers as “curricular instructional gatekeepers” and argues that civic readiness (preparedness/willingness) differs significantly from civic competence (mastery) in terms of meaning, scope, and outcomes, proposing a four-staged pathway from readiness to engagement, then development, and finally to competence. It further provides an overview of three interrelated concepts (academic readiness, college readiness, and career readiness) to juxtapose civic readiness within the larger literary discourse. The …

Hitler Must Be Killed: A Wwii Case Study, Jeffrey Byford, Presley Shilling, Alisha Milam

The Councilor: A National Journal of the Social Studies

Social studies education during the 1960s experienced an educational renaissance known as the new social studies movement. Over 50 projects were funded by the National Science Foundation or private corporations to interject a student-centered curriculum into K-12 classrooms during this period. Nearly 60 years later, can student-centered decision-making activities be used in an era of high-stakes testing and planned curriculum? This article attempts to rekindle students' interest in decision-making and discussion by exploring elements in Moral Reasoning: The Value of Life from the Harvard Social Studies Project (HSSP). The activity called "Hitler Must Be Killed" helped students bring the content …

Conceptualizing Cancel Culture In Marketing: Moral Policing In A Hyperconnected World, T. Andrew Poehlman, Sairah Abraham

AMTP Proceedings 2026

The dynamics of marketing in society have shifted. Brands no longer sit at a distance broadcasting messages; they now occupy the same social networks as people, speaking in a human voice and inviting quasi-personal relationships. In this environment, we argue that corporate cancel culture is best understood as moral policing of brands that have chosen to act like human nodes in social networks. Drawing on hierarchy research, we frame cancellations as “leveling” responses when high-status brands behave in ways that feel domineering, hypocritical, or extractive rather than prestige-based and service-oriented. Using Moral Foundations Theory, we show how diverse cancellations can …

Consumer Protest In A Hyperconnected World, Cara Lewis Levin, T. Andrew Poehlman, Angeline Scheinbaum

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Consumer protest in various forms—boycotts, negative word-of-mouth, brand sabotage—has largely been theorized within an “old” broadcast model of marketing, where firms spoke one-to-many and controlled most brand-related discourse. In contrast, today’s “hyperconnected” model embeds brands in dense human–technology networks, where social media, microtargeting, and always-on feeds shape how brands enter people’s lives and how protest unfolds. This paper argues that the informational substrate shift from broadcast to hyperconnectivity requires a fundamental rethinking of consumer protest. We first contrast the broadcast and hyperconnected models, then outline hyperconnectivity’s implications at the firm, consumer, and societal levels. We then revisit canonical constructs (e.g., …

Cultivating Teacher Agency: Professional Development For Culturally Sustaining Environmental Stem Education In South Texas, Uma Ganesan, Angela M. Chapman, Alexander Hernandez

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

This qualitative multiple-case study examined how culturally and linguistically sustaining environmental STEM (CLSE-STEM) professional development transformed in-service teachers' practices across three South Texas high schools serving predominantly Hispanic populations. Through a three-phase design, eight STEM teachers participated in sustained professional learning focused on implementing culturally situated, liberatory pedagogies addressing educational inequities. Data included focus group interviews, classroom observations, teacher-created curricula, and student artifacts collected from Spring 2024 to Spring 2025. Findings revealed five interconnected themes demonstrating teachers' evolution from deficit-based to asset-based approaches: place-based environmental stewardship, strategic translanguaging implementation, teacher agency development, enhanced student engagement, and elder knowledge integration. Results …

Probability Of Fentanyl Adulteration In Cocaine Selectively Decreases Cocaine Demand, Cecilia Nunez, Jin H Yoon, James Mackillop, Margaret C Wardle

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Fentanyl-related, cocaine-overdose deaths have drastically increased, yet research on how people who use cocaine perceive fentanyl adulteration is limited. This study developed the novel Adulterated Cocaine Purchasing Task (ACocPT), a modification of the original Cocaine Purchasing Task, to quantify how people respond to fentanyl adulteration in cocaine. In the ACocPT, participants indicated how much cocaine they would purchase when cocaine had no (0%) vs. some (10%) probability of fentanyl adulteration. Study aims were: 1) determine how possible fentanyl adulteration affects cocaine demand, and 2) determine which individual characteristics predict continued demand for cocaine despite fentanyl adulteration. This Amazon Mechanical Turk …