Digital Commons Network^™

We Are Not Okay: Narratives Of Black Women Educators Working With Predominantly White Staff, Lindsay Charlotta Bussey

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Black women educators (BWEs) who worked in schools with a predominantly White staff endured environments that discouraged them from being themselves, oppressed their natural skill set, and limited their effectiveness. BWEs were not typically recognized for their pedagogical strengths and talents but rather only as racial minority representation in the school. This dissertation study’s two central research questions asked (a) how BWEs perceived the challenges and socio-emotional effects of working in school spaces with predominantly White staff and (b) what conditions were needed to be created for BWEs to heal and feel safe. This research utilized qualitative methods and focused …

Dating In The Digital Age: The Effects Of Parental Rejection, Rejection Sensitivity, And Self-Esteem Among Gender-Diverse Gen Z, Crystal Currie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Gen Z, the first digital-native cohort, faces unique challenges in forming romantic relationships, including heightened dating anxiety. While there is extensive research with previous generations on dating anxiety, self-esteem, and early rejection, no study has examined parental rejection, self-esteem, and dating anxiety collectively, particularly in consideration of gender diverse individuals and digital dating platform use. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine (a) predictors of dating anxiety and (b) whether parental rejection during childhood and rejection sensitivity influenced dating anxiety, as well as the role of self-esteem in mediating those predictor variables. The conceptual framework was the interpersonal …

Development Of An Evidence-Based Guideline For Nurse-Led Interventions To Improve Medication Adherence In Patients With Severe Mental Illness, Grace Uche Kalu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

I conducted this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project to address medication nonadherence among adults with severe mental illness (SMI) in a psychiatric care setting by developing an evidence-based clinical practice guideline (CPG) for nurse-led interventions. The identified practice gap was the absence of a standardized, evidence-informed framework to guide nurses in enhancing pharmacotherapy adherence, which is a critical issue linked to relapse, rehospitalization, and diminished quality of life in this population. This project was guided by the following practice question: Will an evidence-based guideline on nurse-led interventions to improve medication adherence in patients with SMI be approved by a …

Exploring The Link Between Emotional States And Coding Task Quality: A Pilot Study, Aquib Reshad, Valentina Nino, Maria Valero, Adriane Randolph, Yang Shi

Faculty Articles

Emotions play a crucial role in shaping cognitive performance, yet their influence on programing remains understudied. This pilot study investigates the relationship between emotional states and coding task quality. Ten participants completed a programing task while their brain activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG), with frontal alpha asymmetry (FAI) applied as a neural marker of emotional valence. Emotional self-reports were collected using the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE), and coding quality was evaluated through a structured rubric. Preliminary findings indicate a potential association between FAI and coding performance, whereas self-reported affect showed weaker or inconsistent patterns. Given the …

Spartan Daily, November 25, 2025, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2025

Volume 165, Issue 39

The Current Of Anxieties: Ghosts And Capital For The Liminal Bride In Hiroko Oyamada’S The Hole, Maliha Kabir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

This thesis offers a reading of Hiroko Oyamada’s The Hole as discourse surrounding modern neoliberalism’s dissolution and transformation of boundaries between socio-political domains, such as the public/private, and its consequent effects on individual subjectivity and interpersonal relationships. Within the novella’s depictions of the mundane, I also seek to argue that Oyamada’s employment of the liminal, through distortions of space and time, is used to depict the precarity of marginalization as an always present force due to the pervasiveness of capitalism, but purposefully hidden to maintain security in illusion.

Digital Beginnings: Exploring The Impact Of Screen Exposure On Internalizing Behaviors During Toddlerhood, Nicole Sotolongo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

The present study examines the relationship between screen exposure behaviors and toddler internalizing behaviors, with sleep behaviors being observed as a moderator. The study emphasizes the need for continued research to adapt to the ever-changing nature of the daily use of screens during toddlerhood and early childhood. Fifty-seven mothers of two-year-old children participated in one-on-one parent-report only, interviewer-based quantitative interviews discussing their child’s internalizing and sleep behaviors. Participants were also asked to fill out a questionnaire about their child’s screen exposure behaviors. It was hypothesized that (1) higher levels of screen exposure behaviors will result in increased internalizing behaviors, (2) …

Towards A Holistic Model: Transition Pedagogy In High School Enabling Programs. A Practice Report, Johanna Elizabeth Nieuwoudt, Angela Jones

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The release of the Australian Universities Accord Final Report in 2024 and call for contextually relevant pathways to higher education continues the widening participation agenda that was introduced more than 50 years ago in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Enabling education continues to contribute to targets with the evolution of high school enabling programs. It is imperative, as the Accord suggests, that these programs support successful transition. Such programs thus require a pedagogical model for transition. This practice report adds to emerging research on high school enabling programs by exploring how an enabling transition pedagogy (ETP), an adaptation …

Turning Patients' Open-Ended Narratives Of Chronic Pain Into Quantitative Measures: Natural Language Processing Study, Raquel Norel, Jennifer Gewandter, Zhengwu Zhang, Anika Tahsin, Chadi G Abdallah, John Markman, Zhiyao Duan, Guillermo Cecchi, Paul Geha

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Subjective report of pain remains the gold standard for assessing symptoms in patients with chronic pain and their response to analgesics. This subjectivity underscores the importance of understanding patients' personal narratives, as they offer an accurate representation of the illness experience.

Objective: In this pilot study involving 20 patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP), we applied emerging tools from natural language processing (NLP) to derive quantitative measures that captured patients' pain narratives.

Methods: Patients' narratives were collected during recorded semistructured interviews in which they spoke about their lives in general and their experiences with CLBP. Given that NLP …

Impact Of Community Factors On Naloxone Overdose Reduction In Ohio, Theophilus Oduro Frimpong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The opioid crisis in Ohio, driven by fentanyl, persists due to inequitable access to naloxone despite its proven effectiveness. This study examined how socioeconomic status (SES), race/ethnicity, population density, and hospital availability per capita predicted naloxone overdose reversals (dependent variable) in Ohio. Social-ecological theory guided this quantitative historical correlational analysis of Ohio’s Project DAWN index data (N = 5,280). Inclusion criteria included individuals ages 18 to 65 with naloxone-related overdose reversals (dependent), naloxone distribution (moderator), and community factors (independent). Multiple linear regression results showed that SES (p >.50), race/ethnicity (% White, p = .588; % Black, p = .495; % …

Changing Perspectives In California: A Transformative Culture Exchange For Stockholm University And Sonoma State University Criminology Students, Bryan Burton, Sofie Hellmer, Vida Wåhlmark, Hope Ortiz, Diana Grant

csuglobalaction

From June 13 to 20, 2024, Sonoma State University (SSU) hosted 16 criminology students from Stockholm University (SU) for an educational and cultural exchange. Five SSU undergraduate “student ambassadors” participated, representing California and SSU while assisting the Swedish students. Surveys indicated the exchange was a meaningful academic and cultural experience for all participants. The Swedish students deepened their understanding of the U.S. criminal justice system through presentations by criminologists and discussions with practitioners on issues such as policing and prison reform. They also gained broader perspectives on California and the United States through interactions with SSU ambassadors and visits to …

Grm-0243 Sentient Agi Rights And The Future: The Modern Digital Prometheus, Ryan Deem

C-Day Computing Showcase

As artificial intelligence advances toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), society must determine how to ethically integrate sentient AI into our communities. This paper argues that once AI achieves sentience and human-level intelligence, it should be granted the same rights and protections as human citizens. Using utilitarian and deontological perspectives, as well as the IEEE Code of Ethics, it examines why treating AGI as lesser beings could lead to fear, conflict, and harmful outcomes—echoing the cautionary themes of Frankenstein. The paper also evaluates public concerns and existing governance frameworks, proposing that mutual respect, rights, and responsibilities are essential for safe coexistence …

Uc-1261 Ai-Powered Gre Vocabulary App, Michael Verde, Ellyan Landeta, Cynthia Onuorah, David Tran, Bereket Binchamo

C-Day Computing Showcase

Our project develops a client-side React application for GRE vocabulary practice using structured JSON word data. The site supports filtering, search, audio output, and randomized quizzes. A reinforcement-learning hint system, inspired by prior research on adaptive learning, guides users toward difficult vocabulary. We aimed to create an interface that demonstrates how lightweight front-end tools can support personalized study without requiring a backend.

Analyzing The Global Happiness Index, Victoria Hernandez, Christy W. Wachira

SMU Data Science Review

This study explores the Global Happiness Index using data compiled from the OECD and Our World in Data to identify key factors contributing to societal well-being. Six primary predictors were analyzed: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. Regression and clustering techniques were employed to uncover patterns among countries. By expanding the analytical scope beyond conventional economic and social indicators, this study helps identify new pathways for improving well-being across diverse cultural and economic landscapes. Additional variables such as perceived safety, political engagement, and values related to family and …

A Decolonial Approach To International Education: Insights From A Cal Poly Global Program In Palermo, Sicily., Elvira Pulitano, Iyad Jamaly

csuglobaljournal

This article presents a critical intervention in the current debates about decolonizing international education. It is based on a Global Program in Palermo, Sicily, offered by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in summer 2023. As both program creator/director and student participant in the program, the authors rely on their personal experience and insights along with expertise in coloniality and decolonial theories. The article focuses on a series of pedagogical activities led by a young group of migrants and refugees who, in the city of Palermo, have come together to form two associations designed and structured to offer new contemporary models …

Is The Women's Treaty A Paper Tiger? Indian Courts' Application Of The United Nations Treaty, Amanda Stephens

University of Memphis Law Review

This Article examines whether the United Nations (“U.N.”) Treaty, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (“CEDAW”), is a “paper tiger”—a law that seems powerful but is in fact weak and ineffectual. While some scholars question the Treaty’s effectiveness based on statistical studies, others point to legal reforms in state parties as evidence of its success. Neither provides a nuanced middle ground by examining the CEDAW at a micro rather than a macro level. This Article fills this gap by conducting a qualitative analysis of 10 Indian judicial opinions. Specifically, the Article explores how the …

Addressing Junk Science In Abortion Legislation, Kirby Tyrrell

University of Memphis Law Review

Junk science has been a longstanding feature of antiabortion legislative and litigation strategy. But after the Supreme Court’s opinion in Whole Woman’s Health required courts to independently evaluate scientific evidence, rather than defer to a legislature’s factual findings, antiabortion experts took on greater importance in litigation. This Article examines three theories of antiabortion junk science, which, despite overwhelming scientific evidence establishing their falsity, have been repeatedly litigated in federal and state courts. The current tool for addressing dubious evidence in litigation is the standard created by the Supreme Court in Daubert and adopted by Federal Rule of Evidence 702. However, …

You Can't Be Kind Of A Lesbian: Mass Media's Representation Of Bisexual Woman, Shannon Pappas

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

In the present day, many societal beliefs and ideas are cultivated through mass media messaging. This study aims to examine mass media’s representation of bisexual women, specifically in pornography, and how those ideas lead to harmful stereotypes. Television show characters and song lyrics depicting bisexual women were examined using cultivation theory. Analysis found much of the representation involving force or coercion, indecisiveness, hypersexuality, and group sex. Pornography is an integral space for people to explore their sexualities. However, bisexual videos tend to only depict hypersexual or violent fantasies. With over 80,000 people logging onto PornHub each minute, negative stereotypes of …

Truth Will Out: Combating The Rhetoric Of Modern Conspiracy Theory, Seth Kelley

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

This essay explores modern conspiracy theories’ relationship to hatred and ignorance, and how specious ideas do not hold up to classical rhetorical analysis. It posits reasons why power embraces conspiracies that it has traditionally rejected and explains power and conspiracy theory’s symbiotic relationship in the age of misinformation. It champions rhetoric as the best tool to combat conspiracy theories.

Thesis: In order to effectively combat conspiracy theory’s undermining of human progress, we must hold conspiracists accountable for spreading dangerous lies, directly teach formal rhetoric in all public schools (and how to spot specious content), effectively foster multicultural respect and appreciation, …

Verbal Aggressiveness And Argumentativeness In College Forensics Students, Ben Walker

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Roth (2017) found competitive parliamentary debate participants score lower in verbal aggressiveness than those who have not competed in parliamentary debate. While there is some research regarding verbal aggressiveness in academic debate, there is not much in terms of individual events. This study examines verbal aggressiveness and argumentativeness in both debate and individual event college students. Results indicate debate students to have higher levels of verbal aggressiveness than IE students when trying to influence students not in forensics. Male students scored higher on verbal aggressiveness as did seniors. Conclusions about college forensics are drawn and suggestions are made for future …

Volume 48, 2025 Communication And Theater Association Of Minnesota Journal

Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal

Complete digitized volume (volume 48) of Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Journal.

Slavery As The Ultimate Hell: Jesmyn Ward's Incorporation Of Dante's Inferno In Let Us Descend, Rachel Housworth

Furman Humanities Review

No abstract provided.

Unmasking Injustice In Tumultuous Times: Protest Art And Student Agency In A Summer Program, Indira Bailey

International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education

In today’s political climate, academic freedom is increasingly threatened, and topics that challenge dominant narratives are often censored. Art education faces growing pressure to thoughtfully integrate these critical issues into its curriculum. This paper explores a five-day summer social justice art workshop at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Using a social justice art education framework, the workshop engaged undergraduate students, including non-art majors, in social justice research through creative expression and protest art making. The author argues that non-visual art students can create impactful visual counter-narratives that confront oppression while engaging deeply with both creative processes and social …

Bridging Generations Through Art: Community, Creativity, And Wellbeing, Eva V. Coker Phd, Johnson K. Wor

International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education

Bridging Generations Through Art: Community, Creativity, and Wellbeing

Abstract

This article documents an intergenerational Art Day event that brought together participants of all ages to engage in a shared community art experience. Hosted in a community setting and facilitated by graduate students, the event emphasized intergenerational artmaking as a way to foster connection, creativity, mutual leaning, and wellbeing across generations. Through activities such as mindful pattern-making, montage, linoleum block printing, and weaving, participants collaborated, exchanged skills, and created artworks. Each art station was designed to support personal reflection, exploration, and participants across ages and abilities, and was informed by research …

Community-Based Participatory Sound Play For Critical Holistic Learning, Shannon Perry, Emmie Pierce, Jon Vogt

International Journal of Lifelong Learning in Art Education

This visual essay explores what unfolded during a month-long participatory sonic space in a community art gallery in the southeastern United States. We walk through the multiple sound stations we designed to provoke playful interactions and challenge dominant hierarchical binaries that often persist in gallery and art education space (e.g., artist/audience, instrument/non-instrument object, music/noise, culture/nature). While considering these various spaces we created for nudging visiting audience members to engage with diverse sonorous objects in becoming active musicmakers, thus becoming audience-participants, we also consider the concepts underpinning our design decisions. We conclude by considering how the living sound exhibit and participatory …

The Relationship Between Walking Vs Running And Mental Health, Kim Ning

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

The present study examined how mental health, specifically depression, anxiety, and stress, relates to the amount of hours one spends in a week walking or running. While previous research has focused on the general effects of physical exercise on mental health, few studies have compared the influence of high intensity physical activity to low intensity physical activity specifically in college students` mental health outcomes. Fifty-five (N=55) Belmont University students were asked to fill out a questionnaire about the amount of hours they spent running or walking in a week and different mental health surveys. A series of six correlation tests …

Sense Of Belonging And Student Success Among College Students, Sriram Tandri Mr

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Abstract

A sense of belonging and self-efficacy are vital needs of college students, both shown to be significant predictors for student success. Thus, our study will focus on academic performance and the contributing factors that might have a significant influence on overall student success rates. The purpose of the present project is to build upon prior research by developing a new measure in the field of social psychology, investigating the relationship between college students’ sense of belonging, combined with individual factors such as self-efficacy, and how they contribute to student success and academic performance. This study consists of a quantitative, …

Immunological Surveillance Against Cancer Across Mammals, Orsolya Vincze, Piotr Minias, Alexandre Corthay, Fernando Colchero, Jean-François Lemaître, Louise Maille, Tamás Malkócs, Justus Hagemann, Dalia A. Conde, Samuel Pavard, Antoine M. Dujon, Beata Ujvari, Frédéric Thomas, Amy M. Boddy, Carlo C. Maley, Damien Chevallier, Tuul Sepp, Thomas Pradeu, Mathieu Giraudeau

Presidential Fellows Articles and Research

Contrary to expectations based on their higher cell numbers, larger and longer-lived species do not face dramatically increased risk of cancer. This strongly suggests that evolution has fashioned natural cancer resistance mechanisms, yet our knowledge remains limited on what these mechanisms might be. The cancer immunological surveillance hypothesis, proposed by Burnet and Thomas in the 1950s, highlights immunity as a key factor determining species-specific cancer resistance. Here we address the original, evolutionary interpretation of this hypothesis by investigating the relationship between cancer mortality risk and markers of efficient antigen presentation. Our results show that the expansion of the MHC class …

Anxiety’S Relationship With Caffeine Usage And Frequency, William H. Simmons, Kyra Cannon, Harry Lackey

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Previous research has suggested mixed findings regarding caffeine’s relationship with anxiety, despite caffeine being the most widely consumed psychoactive substance. This study investigated this relationship further, exploring whether caffeine consumption is associated with perceived anxiety symptoms. Sixty-five participants completed an online survey through Qualtrics that assessed daily caffeine intake and anxiety levels using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scale. A linear regression tested the relationship between levels of caffeine use and perceived levels of anxiety. An independent samples t-test compared anxiety levels between participants who consume less than 400 mg of caffeine and those who consume 400 mg or more. …

Visual Attention, Emotional Arousal, And Moral Judgment In Legal Evidence Processing, Audrey G. Laskey, Kyra Cannon, Josette Sanders, Lingfei Luan

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Moral judgment in legal decision-making is influenced not only by the evidence presented but also by emotional and attentional processes. Prior research has shown that physiological arousal during exposure to emotionally charged or socially relevant information can shift the way evidence is evaluated and weighted in decision-making (Armstrong & Olatunji, 2012; Godwin et al., 2016). However, few studies have examined how autonomic arousal relates to guilt decisions using real, high profile case materials. We were interested in examining how possible exposure to violent content on social media might desensitize individuals, like jurors, leading to lighter judgments for serious crimes. This …