Digital Commons Network^™

Writing The Script: Shaping Korean National Identity, Media Imperialism And The Revolution Of K-Dramas, Isai J. Martinez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This thesis explores the role of South Korean television dramas (K-dramas) as cultural artifacts that the Korean creators have created and become agents, which in turn has constructed and projected globally the modern South Korean national identity. Positioned at the crossroads of cultural imperialism, nationalism, resistance and appropriation, K-dramas have become extremely critical to reshaping South Korea’s place in the global media landscape. Through the lens of the Hallyu (The Korean Wave), this study analyzes how K-drama’s navigate an ambiguous cultural space which simultaneously resists Western media dominance while appropriating global forms including platform-based distribution, tailoring original content to …

Conference Realignment And Coaching Perspectives: Examining Social Support From Coaches To Athletes In The Acc, Big 12, And Big Ten, Brannon H. Timms

All Theses

The purpose of this study is to understand, from a coach's point of view, their perspective on conference realignment and how, if at all, it has changed their relationship with their athletes as it pertains to social support. Findings indicate that coaches expressed awareness of social support needs for their student athletes; notable gaps remain in emotional, esteem, and informational support. Based on the participants' responses, tangible support emerged as the only form of social support provided by these coaches. Coaches also expressed a desire for further legislation regarding NIL to maintain competitive fairness among NCAA athletics. The results underscore …

Exploring Augmented Reality Non-Driving-Related-Task Locations To Enhance Driver Situation Awareness In Conditionally Automated Vehicles, Tyler Riley

All Theses

With the approval of conditionally automated vehicles, or SAE Level 3 automated vehicles, drivers can now engage in non-driving related tasks (NDRTs) during automation. However, conditionally automated vehicles require drivers to resume vehicle control when the system prompts them, and the decreased situation awareness due to NDRT engagement may impact drivers’ takeover performance. This thesis investigates the prospective use of wearable augmented reality (AR) glasses by conditionally automated vehicle drivers to engage in visual NDRT. Specifically, this study examined how NDRT display location affects drivers’ situation awareness in a driving simulation experiment with 60 participants. Three NDRT display locations were …

Investigating Workplace Management Conditions Influence On Interpreter Motivation And Interpretive Program Performance, Jessica M. Henry

All Theses

Organizations, including non-profit and government agencies such as the National Park Service and nature centers, that provide informal education (also known as interpretation) seek ways to achieve their mission and enhance their organizational performance (Anderson et al., 2022; Weiler & Ham, 2010). For informal education organizations that provide interpretation to visitors, one measure of organizational performance is the achievement of an organization’s desired visitor outcomes. Theory suggests that positive organizational performance is associated with positive workplace management conditions and high employee motivation. Thus, this study explored the relationships between interpreters’ perceptions of workplace management conditions, motivation, and performance on interpretive …

Crafting Well-Being: Specialty Coffee As Leisure, Leah C. Dodge

All Theses

This thesis explores how individuals engage with specialty coffee as a leisure practice in Upstate South Carolina. Drawing on Flow Theory and Craft Consumption Theory, it examines how meaning is constructed through everyday interaction. Using semi-structured interviews with 15 self-identified enthusiasts in South Carolina, the study analyzes how participants describe their involvement with specialty coffee, reflect on its value, and situate it within local contexts. Findings suggest that specialty coffee encourages sustained engagement in which well- being is created through personal investment, community involvement, and awareness of global contexts. The research contributes to scholarly discourse by conceptualizing leisure as a …

Dwelling / Knowing / Loving: Imaging The Immanent Present, Joel Pasquarelli

All Theses

This thesis serves as an attempt to articulate, understand, and testify to my experiences within the immanent present. Defined as moments where the world impresses itself upon my awareness with such a force that it eclipses all else, the experience of immanence is necessarily undeniable and ephemeral. These moments are accompanied by a combined sense of exultation in the world’s existence and poignant longing for something beyond. I feel as though I am embedded within something great and meaningful, as the material world acts upon me, yet I remain ever unsatiated by this experience as the world inevitably returns once …

Learning To Be Trauma-Informed: An Examination Of Individual-Level Factors Predicting Perceptions Of And Response To Trauma-Informed Practice Trainings, Kelly Daniel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Trauma is a substantial threat to public health. As such, significant effort has been exerted into developing interventions which mitigate the consequences of trauma. Trauma-informed practice (TIP) aims to alleviate the effects of trauma by building policies and practices focused on safety, trust, transparency, support, collaboration, and empowerment. This study investigated how individual-level factors, including readiness for organizational change, perceived benefit of TIP training, and personal trauma history affect one’s ability to apply a TIP lens in a sample (n =100) of members of a graduate-level college. Further, it explored if one’s perceptions of and response to trauma-informed practice training …

Tennessee Reconnect And Adult Learner Retention, Brandon R. Dotson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between participation in the Tennessee Reconnect (TNReconnect) program and the retention of adult learners at two community colleges in northeast Tennessee. Grounded in Astin’s (1993) Input–Environment–Outcome (I-E-O) model, the study employed quantitative methods to investigate whether program duration, demographic characteristics, academic performance, and financial aid status predicted the likelihood of retention among adult learners.

Using institutional records of 2,355 students, binary logistic regression analyses were conducted across three models. The first model tested whether the duration of TNReconnect participation predicted retention. Results indicated that both program duration and GPA were significant predictors. Each additional semester …

Branding The Divide: Political Ideology And The Strategic Challenges Of Higher Education Marketing, Oscar J. Early Mr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how first-year students experience and interpret institutional branding within the context of their personal and social identities, with particular attention to the role of political ideology. While previous research had examined general branding strategies and declining public trust in higher education, scholars have given little attention to the ways in which prospective students make meaning from institutional messaging during one of the most significant transitions of their lives.

I conducted interviews with 12 first-year students from four-year colleges and universities across South-Central Appalachia. The phenomenological analysis revealed that students’ interpretation of …

Behavioral Manifestations Of Childhood Abandonment: African-American Men's Reflections And Strategies To Support Teenage Boys In K-12 Education, Jarmel Bell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the behavioral manifestations of childhood abandonment as reflected in the lived experiences of African-American men and to identify strategies that may support African-American boys in K–12 educational settings. Although there has been limited documentation regarding the direct connection between childhood abandonment and behavioral challenges in school environments, this study seeks to address that gap by capturing the reflections of African-American men who experienced abandonment during their formative years. These reflections provide insight into how abandonment may shape behavior in educational spaces and what types of interventions or supports might have made a …

Assessing Post-Pandemic Engagement In The Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women, Infants, And Children (Wic) In Northeast Tennessee, Christen Minnick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since 1974, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has provided healthy food resources, nutrition education, and provider referrals for families at risk for poor nutrition. Public health professionals have consistently presented evidence that WIC engagement reduces premature births and infant mortality, improves child health and development, and increases specialized care access for participants. While average monthly participation in WIC has increased since the program’s inception, trends indicate that only around half of eligible families have consistently engaged with the program since 2011. Research has linked declining WIC participation to administrative burden, citing learning, psychological, compliance, …

Educator Perceptions Of Mindfulness Education In Rural Elementary Schools In Tennessee, Mary C. Shepherd-Mcgown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine educator perceptions of mindfulness instruction and the alignment of school policies in rural elementary schools in Tennessee. Despite growing interest in mindfulness in education, few studies have investigated how these practices are experienced and implemented within under-resourced, rural contexts.

Guided by Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (SLT) and framed conceptually by the Whole-School Mindfulness (WSM) model, the study explored how social, organizational, and policy factors influence the adoption of mindfulness practices. SLT provided a theoretical lens for understanding how educator behaviors are shaped through observation, modeling, and reinforcement, while the WSM framework …

A Comparative-Correlational Study On The Mental Health And Well-Being Of First-Generation Students At A Historically Black College And University, Shedred Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mental health and well-being of first-generation college students (FGCS) in comparison to non-first-generation college students (NFGCS) at a private Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the Southeast. This study was undertaken to investigate students' mental health and well-being, as well as their use of, access to, and the availability of mental health services. A comparative-correlational research design was employed to collect and analyze the data. The study used a sample size of 388 responses from undergraduate college students enrolled at the private HBCU. Of the 388 students in the sample, …

Undergraduate Students' Perceptions Of Sense Of Belonging And Engagement Opportunities In The Campus Community, Shelby Jo Akers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This non-experimental, correlational, quantitative study examined the relationship between undergraduate students’ perceptions of sense of belonging and their participation in university programming and engagement opportunities at a medium-sized public institution in the Southeastern United States. Guided by the Integrative Framework for Belonging (Allen et al., 2021), the study explored how specific student factors including academic major, campus residency status, class standing, primary mode of instruction, and employment status intersect with engagement to shape students’ sense of belonging. Engagement opportunities that were measured included dimensions of campus facility use and participation in clubs and organizations. Questions related to perceptions of the …

"That Was Something I Had To Get Used To”: Communication Challenges Of African Graduate Teaching Assistants, Mohammed Hafiz Nabila

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the communication challenges and adaptive strategies of African Graduate Teaching Assistants (AGTAs) in U.S. higher education, focusing on East Tennessee State University. The study aimed to understand how AGTAs navigate linguistic, cultural, and institutional barriers in their teaching roles. Using semi-structured interviews with seven participants, data were analyzed through thematic analysis to identify key patterns and meanings. Findings revealed challenges related to accents, cultural adjustment, and limited institutional preparation. Faculty mentorship played a vital role in shaping AGTAs’ confidence, interpretation of challenges, and professional growth. However, lack of support often led to isolation and self-doubt. The …

Metabolic Screening In Veterans On Antipsychotics Mood Stabilizer, Joy Nneka Eke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary This Doctor of Nursing Practice project was conducted to examine a quality improvement initiative that sought to address metabolic syndrome screening consistency for veterans on antipsychotic medications at a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health system located in the Midwest region of the United States. The project centered on whether the quality improvement program assessing compliance with the current metabolic syndrome screening process reflects increased early detection of metabolic syndrome to prevent cardiovascular complications. Data collection involved comprehensive chart reviews of 50 veterans’ records. The data collected were analyzed using a specially designed quality improvement initiative assessment form developed …

Pet Ownership And Health-Related Quality Of Life Among Middle-Aged Adults, Kristi Martin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Pet ownership continues to be part of modern society in the United States. Researchers have explored pet ownership’s impact on chronic diseases and aging populations, but research on health-related quality of life is limited. Grounded in the socioecological model, this quantitative study analyzed data from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (N = 10,348) to investigate the impact of pet ownership on health-related quality of life among low-income adults aged 30-50 years. Chi-square tests were performed to analyze the associations between age, income, gender, and race with three health-related quality of life metrics. Results showed no statistically significant …

The Impact Of Top Management Team Heterogeneity On Corporate Green Innovation, Xueyan Luo

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

At present, green innovation has become a key path for enterprises to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. However, existing research pays limited attention to how internal governance factors—especially top management team (TMT) heterogeneity—affect green innovation. Based on Upper Echelons Theory, managerial cognition theory, and institutional theory, this paper constructs a framework of “TMT heterogeneity–green strategic orientation–green innovation,” and explores the impact of different types of heterogeneity and the moderating role of regional innovation environments. Heterogeneity is categorized into conflict-type (gender, age, financial background) and complementary-type (educational, professional, overseas background) to better explain its mechanisms.

Using a sample of Chinese A-share listed …

A Study On The Influence Of Entity Internet Hospital Platforms And Health Literacy Facilitation On Postoperative Patients’ Platform Usage, Hong Ye

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Entity Internet Hospital (EIH) is emerging online medical service platforms in China. Currently, while EIHs in China are developing rapidly, their usage rates remain low. However, postoperative patients have substantial follow-up consultation needs. Consequently, incentivizing postoperative patients to use EIH from the demand side is a highly challenging proposition in the current era. Grounded in Technology Acceptance Model and Health Belief Model, this study examined the impacts of platform and health literacy facilitation on platform usage (including intention and frequency) among 631 postoperative patients with cardiovascular disease from four medical institutions in Wuhan, and explored the moderating role of literacy …

A Study On The Impact Of Ceos’ Financial And Technical Backgrounds On The Innovation Strategy Of The Enterprise, Jianyu Cheng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Amid regional economic integration and market competition, innovation has become a key driver for enterprises to gain competitive advantages and ensure sustainable development. As primary decision-makers in corporate strategy and resource allocation, chief executive officers (CEOs) impact the selection and implementation of innovation strategies through their financial and technical backgrounds, which influence their strategic cognition and risk preferences, leading to heterogeneous innovation behaviors. While existing research has examined the relationship between CEOs and corporate innovation, studies have inadequately explored CEOs’ diverse background characteristics, particularly the interaction between financial and technical backgrounds. Given the rising trend of CFOs and CTOs advancing …

The Impact Of Value Co-Creation On Organizational Resilience In Small And Medium-Sized Traditional Foreign Trade Enterprises, Dan Yan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Against the backdrop of increasing uncertainty in the global business environment, international scholarly attention to individual, group, and organizational resilience has risen significantly. Chinese export trading enterprises—especially small and medium-sized export trading enterprises(SMETEs)—face disadvantages such as small scale, weak financing capacity, limited access to information, and low brand strength. After experiencing shocks from digital transformation, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia–Ukraine war, and the European energy crisis, these firms have been compelled to reconsider how to enhance their organizational resilience in order to adapt to an increasingly turbulent external environment.

First, this study selects Company H as a representative case of …

Striking A Balance Between Personal Data Protection And Transactional Efficiency In The Context Of Data-Driven Mergers, Jun Hu

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The proliferation of data-driven mergers and acquisitions (M&A) has created a critical tension between the commercial value of integrated data assets and the fundamental privacy rights of users. This dissertation addresses the underexplored micro-foundations of user consent when personal data is transferred wholesale to an acquiring firm. It develops and empirically tests a sequential mediation model, anchored in Privacy Calculus and Signaling Theory, to explain how users' perceptions and intentions are shaped by different corporate data protection strategies.

A between-subjects experimental design was employed (N=532), exposing participants to one of three distinct protection mechanisms: procedural safeguards (emphasizing fairness and control), …

Evaluating Psychosocial Stressors And Mental Well-Being Of Construction Professionals From The Management Standpoint: An Exploratory Study, Md Tauhidul Karim

Masters Theses

Construction professionals face persistent workplace stressors that undermine their mental well-being outcomes. Despite progress in general job-related stressors, social and interpersonal aspects of psychosocial stressors traditionally remain underexplored in the construction management research. The present study examines how social and interpersonal factors influence construction workers’ mental well-being and how management’s awareness, responsiveness, and strategic roles evolved in the transition of the COVID-19 pandemic at the organizational level. An integrative mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a systematic literature review, a bibliometric analysis, and an exploratory case study to capture the current landscape of mental well-being and management standpoints in the US …

"Gross Normality" And "Marked Deviation": A Qualitative Study Of Disability Theory In Three Periods Of Sociological Literature, Kelsey Sullivan

Masters Theses

In the 20th century, three theoretical perspectives concurrently dominated sociological discussions of disability. Functionalism and Talcott Parsons argued for a pathologized framework in the form of a “sick role” occupied by disabled people. Interactionism and Erving Goffman emphasized the stigmas faced by individual disabled people, and the ripple-effects of those stigmas. Finally, disabled activists, inspired by social constructionism, championed the social model of disability. This model purported that disability is a social condition, resulting from systemic barriers imposed upon people who do not fit the mental or physiological norm. This project, through a content analysis of 30 historical journal articles, …

From 4-H To Higher Education: College Enrollment Among Indiana 4-H Alumni By Demographics, Favour C. Ojike, Casey Mull

Journal of Youth Development

Evaluating the long-term impact of college readiness programs on diverse youth presents unique challenges, particularly as youth navigate the complex and often transient path of postsecondary education. Instrumentation limitations and resource constraints can further blur the positive contributions of such programs. In an inaugural study, Indiana 4-H leveraged the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) to assess the postsecondary educational journeys of its alumni across diverse demographic groups. Data from the NSC were analyzed using descriptive frequency test, chi-square tests, and correlation analysis. Key findings reveal that Indiana 4-H alumni enroll in postsecondary institutions at significantly higher rates than the state average, …

Full Issue, Volume 20, Issue 4

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

Assessing Statewide Programming In Wisconsin Environmental Education: The Role Of Culture And Community In Youth Development Programming, Jody Bauer, Robert Justin Hougham, Lily Gruenewald

Journal of Youth Development

Environmental education has the potential to serve as an accessible pathway for diverse learners to improve science achievement, but environmental education (EE) institutions must strive to create spaces that welcome and provide equitable learning outcomes for all students. Embedding cultural and community input, values, and relevancy can be an important component to supporting equity in educational spaces for diverse students. This research aims to identify the status and needs of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across environmental education institutions in the state of Wisconsin, and to identify areas of strength or improvement relating to pedagogy, process, and practice. A survey …

Sport Participation, Academic Engagement, And Well-Being Among Adolescents Impacted By Parental Incarceration, Sarah Kaja, Amy L. Gower Ph.D., Frederique Corcoran, Ingie Osman, Elizabeth Shaver, Samantha J. Adler, Rebecca Shlafer

Journal of Youth Development

Millions of American adolescents have experienced the developmental consequences associated with parental incarceration. Positive youth development activities, including sports team participation, could buffer some of the risks of parental incarceration. Research on sports involvement among adolescents impacted by parental incarceration is scant and suggests their participation may be limited, though a significant body of research among adolescents in general demonstrates sports team participation is associated with better outcomes. We addressed important gaps in research by 1) estimating the prevalence of sports team participation among adolescents impacted by parental incarceration, 2) examining whether sports team participation differed by socioeconomic status in …

High-School-Age Youth Serving As “Emotion Coaches” For Young Children In The Early Grades: A Feasibility Study Of A Cross-Age Approach To Social And Emotional Learning, Amanda Moreno, Maria Kontoudakis, Whitney Davis-Mcintosh, Anita Evans, Olivia Bobbitt

Journal of Youth Development

While the benefits of cross-age programming within youth have been understood for decades, such programs are rarely employed with curricula specific to social and emotional learning (SEL) or with a wide age range between the two groups of youth. This article describes the findings of a pilot implementation and feasibility study of the Emotion Coaches program, which sought to explore whether the conceptual and pragmatic challenges involved in bringing early childhood students (i.e., preschool to second grade) together with adolescent teachers delivering an SEL curriculum could be overcome. Findings from the pilot evaluation suggested that middle-school-age students are likely too …

Promoting Positive Youth Development Through Mentoring In Alternative Education, Tia S. Andersen

Journal of Youth Development

This Program and Practice article provides a comprehensive overview of a university-school mentoring program specifically designed to address the school-to-prison pipeline by supporting youth in a disciplinary alternative school setting. The purpose of this article is to offer a detailed description of the program’s structure, components, and implementation strategies, with the goal of providing practitioners with a replicable model that can be adapted for use in similar school environments. This program matches undergraduate students with high school youth removed from traditional schools due to behavioral or justice-related challenges. Grounded in a strengths-based framework, the intervention incorporates a structured mentor training …