Digital Commons Network^™

Engaging Young Writers In The Early Childhood Classroom Setting, Andrea Rubel

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Emergent writing is essential component of early childhood growth and development. Preschool students can struggle to engage in early writing activities. Research shows that scaffolding, explicit teaching, and meaningful connections help students' growth in emergent writing skills. This inquiry-based study aims to determine the effectiveness of these strategies in the early childhood classroom and evaluate any other effective strategies. This study included a mixed methods approach including reflective journals and scored student journals. The findings revealed that most students showed improvement towards the learning objective being observed and documented. The study also found that girls performed better than boys on …

Balancing The Digital Classroom: Examining Teachers’ Reliance On Technology In A Rural School District, Victoria Poisel

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

When the Wi-Fi goes down in a technology-dependent classroom, learning often grinds to a halt. This inquiry-based research study examined how teachers’ reliance on digital tools affects their ability to deliver effective instruction in a small, rural school district in northeast Washington. Sparked by the researcher’s firsthand experience during a three-week district-wide internet outage, the study explored how technology dependence influences instructional resilience and adaptability when access is disrupted. Conducted at Selkirk School District, the research included seven core subject teachers across grades 6-12 and combined survey data, reflective journaling, and a review of current literature on technology integration and …

Teacher Feedback And Its Impact On Student Achievement And Motivation, Aubrey Schmidt

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Effective teacher feedback is a key component of meaningful learning, yet many students do not consistently receive feedback that clearly guides improvement. This inquiry-based study examined how intentional, process-oriented feedback influenced elementary students’ perceptions of their learning over a six-week period. The research focused on feedback that emphasized effort, strategies, and next steps, aiming to support students’ resilience, motivation, and confidence as writers. Findings showed steady increases in students’ understanding of what to do next, their motivation to try harder, and their belief in their own abilities. Writing scores also rose gradually, suggesting that consistent, growth-focused feedback may contribute to …

Black Widow And Black Tigress: Understanding The Female Suicide Attackers From Russia And Sri Lanka, Jithin Raveendran

Journal of Strategic Security

The phenomenon of female suicide attackers has introduced a new dimension to the landscape of terrorism, challenging traditional perceptions of gender roles and motivations within extremist activities. This article delves into the complex biographies of female suicide attackers in two different geopolitical settings: Sri Lanka and Russia. Women have been prominently involved in suicide attacks in Russia, in which it is closely related to Chechen conflict and during the Tamil insurgency for establishing independent state, Sri Lanka has also seen instances of female suicide attackers. To understand why some women are drawn into these acts of violence, it is essential …

Rethinking Behavior - Fall 2025, Midwest Symposium For Leadership In Behavior Disorders

ReThinking Behavior Magazine

A magazine for professionals serving children and youth with behavioral needs.

Fall 2025, Volume 9, Issue 1

Friends Of The Hilton M. Briggs Library, Fall 2025, Hilton M. Briggs Library

Friends of the Hilton M. Briggs Library Newsletters

Volume 11, Issue 1.

Features:
A brand-new collection: SD Livestock brand books span 130 years
Elizabeth Fox Named South Dakota Librarian of the Year
Notes from the Dean of the Library
Student Assistant Excellence Award Recipients
Archives launches Adopt a Collection program
Briggs Library Wish List
Lisa Lindell honored for outstanding scholarship
Grants benefit Archives collection and promote affordable learning

The Paradox Of Federal Oversight In Police Misconduct Investigations, Ilana M. Friedman

Denver Law Review

This Article examines the relationship between state prosecutors, federal prosecutors, and the Civil Rights Division inside the United States Department of Justice in conducting police misconduct investigations and prosecutions. While previous literature documents prosecutors’ enormous concentration of power, they remain an understudied population in the criminal legal system, particularly in how they investigate and prosecute police officers accused of crimes. To remedy this gap, I conducted over fifty interviews with prosecutors, civilian investigators, and other legal professionals working in the domain of police misconduct investigations and prosecutions in multiple field sites around the United States. This Article is one of …

Rhythms: Music At The University Of Northern Iowa, V44, Fall 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. School Of Music.

Rhythms: Music at the University of Northern Iowa

Contents:

From the Director --- 3
Community Outreach --- 8
Amplify Alumni --- 11
Mariachi in Iowa --- 12
Jazz Notes --- 13
Scholarship Benefit Concert --- 14
Student Awards and Honors --- 16
Student Spotlight --- 18
Emeritus Faculty News --- 19
Faculty News and Activities --- 20
Faculty Spotlight --- 23
New Faculty and Retirements --- 24
Alumni News and Updates --- 26
Alumni Spotlight --- 27
From the Foundation --- 29
Opportunities to Give --- 30
Spotlight Series 2025-26 --- 34
Snapshots --- 35

Examining Choices Of Sarcastic Responses In Dialogue With Virtual Interlocutors, Samantha Langley

Theses and Dissertations

We report the results from three experiments examining people’s preferences for using sarcasm in conversation as a function of: 1. whether their interlocutor uses sarcasm during the conversation; 2. Their knowledge about whether the interlocutor has used sarcasm in a previous conversation; 3. The presence of prosodical and visual cues for interlocutors’ sarcasm. In each experiment, participants took part in two conversations, and we manipulated whether the interlocutors were sincere or sarcastic and whether they remained the same or changed from one conversation to the next. Experiment one used written conversations and experiment two and three used pre-recorded video clips …

Freshman Comp Ii Eng 24xx, Joao M. Da Silva

Open Educational Resources

This course uses a memoir to elicit themes related to addiction, family and interpersonal relationships. Additionally, it invites students to develop their own voices as they engage with academic discourse in the disciplines of psychology and addiction studies.

David Tall And Advanced Mathematical Thinking, Keith Weber

The Mathematics Enthusiast

I discuss David Tall’s influence on advanced mathematical thinking.

Part 4: Epilogue, Corey Brady, Luis Moreno-Armella

The Mathematics Enthusiast

In closing our set of of articles, we reflect back on the nature of mathematical thinking and learning with representations, especially the computational, executable representations that are enabled by modern dynamic mathematics environments. These aspects of the development of mathematical ideas have profound implications for our approaches to the teaching and learning of Calculus. Our narrative approach has dramatized the radically fruitful and generative nature of the period during which the ideas of Calculus were stabilized (especially in the stories of Guillermo/Leibniz and Leonardo/Euler). An analogy between the development of the field and the development of individual learners, should caution …

Reliance, Support, And Caregiving Among Married Lgbtq+ Americans: Spousal And Family Relationships, Abbie E. Goldberg, Julianna Z. Smith, Brad Sears

Psychology

When LGBTQ+ people get married, they enter into a union that promises mutual reliance and caregiving, such as in the event of financial need or health care crisis. This mixed-methods study explores how 484 married LGBTQ+ individuals in the United States (192 cisgender men, 186 cisgender women, 106 trans/nonbinary) (a) negotiate disability (38% of couples) and illness in the context of unpaid and paid labor divisions, (b) provide care for each other, and (c) receive support from family in the face of health or financial needs. Findings revealed diversity in the ways that disability and illness shaped household and paid …

Determinants Of Uptake Of Breast Cancer Screening Among Women Of Reproductive Age In Makueni County, Lola Ndirangu

MSc in Advanced Practice Nursing

Background: Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer in all women worldwide, with women in low and middle-income countries dying of the disease in disproportionate numbers because of late diagnosis and access to screening services. Sub-Saharan Africa is an under-researched area, and the level of screening uptake in Kenya, especially in rural and semi-arid areas, including Makueni County, is low. This research assessed the factors that determine the reproductive age women's screening uptake of breast cancer in Makueni County.

Methodology: The cross-sectional design was analytical and was conducted in Makueni County Referral Hospital, where 301 randomly chosen women …

Positive Depression Screen Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic At Aga Khan University Hospital, Michael Maina Muriithi

Master of Medicine in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Introduction: One in seven women experience peripartum depression, a common disorder that can occur during pregnancy or in the postpartum phase. Women are particularly vulnerable to depressive symptoms during pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period due to physiological changes during pregnancy as well as other sociocultural stressors. Peripartum depression is associated with significant maternal and perinatal adverse outcomes, including self-neglect, substance use, preterm birth, low birth weight and poor neurocognitive development, in offspring. There is a need to understand the prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms during pregnancy to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes. To our knowledge, this …

Analysis Of The Status And Thematic Trends Of Ai For Science Research Abroad From 2015 To 2024, Fangyuan Wang, Huiting Xu, Jinghua Xue

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] This paper analyzes the relevant literature in the field of AI for Science（AI4S）in the WoS core database from 2015 to 2024, and sorts out the research status and development trends in this field, aiming to provide forward-looking insights for the application of AI technology in scientific research.

[Method/process] This paper combines bibliometric analysis with the BERTopic model to analyze the publication trends, publishing countries, core authors, and topic identification and development trends in the field of AI4S.

[Result/conclusion] Through bibliometric analysis, this paper reveals the exponential growth trend of AI4S-related literature, and finds that China ranks first in the …

Construction Of China's Online Platform Information Value Evaluation System, Shuyue Fang, Yuan Sun, Yuwei Ye, Liling Xia

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] This paper aims to explore the construction of the information value evaluation system of online platforms in China, so as to provide theoretical support and practical guidance for the information management of online platforms.

[Method/process] This paper firstly explores the connotation and dimension of the information value of the online platforms, and uses the analytic hierarchy process to distribute the weight, then,obtains the comprehensive evaluation results of the information value of each online platform through the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method.

[Result/discussion] Through the comprehensive evaluation of the information interaction platforms, the multilateral trading platforms and the complementary innovation platform, …

A Measurement And Empirical Research On The Scientific Knowledge Demand Of Netizens On Social Media Platform, Rui Zhang, Wanyi Zuo, Wei Huang

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] Exploring the scientific knowledge demand of netizens on social media platform will prompt the dissemination and utilization of scientific knowledge, and it plays an important role in enhancement of the scientific literacy level of our general publics.

[Method/process] This paper constructed a measurement index system of netizens' scientific knowledge demand consists of demand breadth, demand strength and demand hierarchy, and adopted a comprehensive evaluation method based upon factor analysis and entropy method. 30 popular science WeChat accounts in different fields are measured and evaluated, and the comprehensive ranking of demand was calculated to explore and compare the demand differences …

Bcaas Newsletter Fall 2025, Bcass

BCAAS Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Mystical Kitchen: Feminist Magic And Alchemical Transformation In The Work Of Lenora Carrington, Theresa Burwell

Theses

This thesis analyzes the inherent feminism in alchemical and magical symbolism, particularly in representations of kitchens in the art and writing of Leonora Carrington. The kitchen has historically been viewed as a gendered space for domestic work. By subverting cultural and religious conventions, Carrington’s kitchen becomes a site for transmutation and feminine ritual. Using feminist discourse, formal art historical analysis, and the history of alchemical symbolism, this thesis asserts that Carrington’s imagery transforms the kitchen from an oppressive domestic space to a mystical laboratory of feminine power. A thorough analysis of Grandmother Moorhead’s Aromatic Kitchen (1975) and The House Opposite …

Immersive Art, Nature, And Afrofuturism: Cultivating Wellness And Cultural Awareness, Jojo Abenaavi Wright

Theses

This research demonstrates how Afrofuturistic art, combined with nature and scent, enables powerful methods to transform African Diaspora perceptions and support holistic wellness through sensory-emotional engagement. The project introduces The Next Narrative: An Immersive Journey Through Black Time as a multisensory immersive exhibition that combines Afrofuturistic aesthetics with Harlem Renaissance cultural elements. The exhibition presents salons as a sequence that allows visitors to experience time through visual, sonic, and atmospheric transitions. The three senses of touch, scent, and sound operate as fundamental tools for grounding and transformation, which disable analytical thinking while using bodily experiences to perform decolonial memory work. …

Strategies To Help Older English Learners Succeed In An Adult Classroom Setting, Juana M. Matos

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Matos, J. (2025) Strategies to help Older English Learners Succeed in an Adult Classroom Setting

There are older English language learners who experience difficulties advancing to the next level of instruction. This project is about how to help these older learners. The project has the objective of finding solutions to the research question: Which contextual factors for learning can best support teachers to help older adult ESL learners to retain content to acquire a second language? Through a review of literature, I found information about characteristics of older learners, strategies and accommodations for supporting older learners, and technology that teachers …

Culturally Sustaining Practices For Advanced Multilingual Adult Esol Students, Benjamin F. C. King

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

King, B. (2025)

Culturally Sustaining Practices for Advanced Multilingual Adult ESOL Students

Advanced multilingual ESOL learners need safe and positive learning environments that are responsive to their needs. This project seeks to answer how an adult English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) curriculum can be adapted using an emergent curriculum approach to be more culturally sustaining. As a white teacher with many privileges, I know the content and language skills I teach will never perfectly match the interests, desires and needs of all my students. Nonetheless, through the process of investigating culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP), I have identified …

State Standards For The Outdoors: A Curriculum Guide For Middle School Life Science In An Outdoor Classroom, David Soltero

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project examines the idea, Can integrating an outdoor learning experience into every aspect of a Middle School science curriculum enhance learning outcomes? The curriculum is focused on Minnesota's 7th grade life science standards and adapts course and content requirements so that all class instruction and assessment may be done outdoors or within the outdoor classroom. Additionally, it offers examples of summative assessments that are closely aligned with Minnesota's state standards and the next generation science standards. In the literature review, strong support was found for the many benefits of spending time outdoors. The literature also discussed the importance of …

Integrating Environmental Education: A Continuing Professional Development For Minnesota Educators In Weaving Local Indigenous Knowledge Systems And Western Science, Sarah Genet

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

As of 2021, Minnesota’s updated academic standards in science for all grade levels include local Indigenous cultures, histories, and perspectives. The Minnesota Department of Education provides limited content and professional development guiding the implementation of these requirements, leaving educators to design and update their curriculum with little formal guidance. This capstone explores integrating Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to help answer the research question: ‘What must be included in environmental education curriculum interwoven with Indigenous and Western perspectives in science to provide a holistic learning experience?’ This capstone presents continuing professional development designed for upper-level secondary science and environmental educators …

Outdoor Trail Use At Woodland Elementary School For Student Engagement With Mn Life Science Standards, Barbara Walswick

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This paper examines use of the unpaved trails at Woodland Elementary School for student engagement with the third grade MN life science curriculum standards. At this time, the nature resource behind the school is underused. Research on benefits of outdoor learning for elementary students and staff was conducted and noted, resulting in the Woodland Trail Guide project. It serves as a life science curriculum companion for educators to easily take their students on the trails for increased student engagement. It gives educators experience and confidence to optimize the trails in teaching their science lessons and serves as a catalyst to …

Theological Determinism And God’S Standing To Blame, Justin A. Capes

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

The Paradox Of The Person As A Natural Sign Of God, Chad Engelland

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

God And Value, Julien Beillard

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

C. Stephen Evans, Living Accountably: Accountability As A Virtue, Michael W. Austin

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.