Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Parental Infidelity During Childhood On Emerging Adult Relationships, Rachel Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In this master’s thesis, I collected and analayzed data from 429 participants, 78 of whom reported having experience with parental infidelity, namely having at least one parent be sexually unfaithful to the other. The purpose of this study was to better understand the long-term impacts of experiencing parental infidelity during childhood. Participants with and without experience of parental infidelity were invited to complete an online questionnaire about potential experiences with parental infidelity, emotional well-being, attachment security in adult romantic relationships, couple satisfaction with current romantic partner, and attitudes (permissive versus accepting) towards potentially unfaithful behaviors of infidelity and pornography. I …

Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind? Psychological Distance And Public Perceptions Of The Great Salt Lake, Nathan Thompson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Over the past several years, Great Salt Lake has received a lot of media attention, both locally in Utah as well as nationally and even internationally. Within Utah, public perception surveys have indicated that concern about the lake varies depending on how low the lake levels are. This suggests that a concept called psychological distance might be influencing concern about the lake as well as support for strategies to help the lake. Psychological distance is the perceived distance a person has from an object, event, or person and is manifested in four ways: across physical distance (spatially), across time (temporal), …

A Mixed Methods Analysis On The Effect Of Active Learning On Extraneous Cognitive Load Within Undergraduate Statistics Courses, Michelle Brady Rich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Students enrolled in college-level statistics courses often lack the foundational skills of statistical concepts which can potentially lead to increased mental load. Additionally, the curricula within undergraduate classes often focus on traditional theory with little student exploration or participation. This combination of increased mental load and passive lectures can be explored through the Cognitive Load Theory (CLT). CLT examines how new information enters the limited capacity of an individual’s working memory and how exceeding this capacity affects the ability to transfer the information to long-term memory. This research focused on the extraneous cognitive load, or the load imposed by the …

Examining Motivations And Perceptions In Secondary Technology And Engineering Education: A Gendered Analysis Using The Fit-Choice Scale, Abigail Villanueva

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study examined why individuals choose to become secondary technology and engineering education (TEE) teachers and whether motivations differ between men and women. TEE programs help prepare students for careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), yet schools face teacher shortages and low female representation in the field. Understanding what draws people to this profession can support better recruitment and retention efforts. Sixty-six current TEE teachers completed a survey about the factors that influenced their decision to teach. Overall, the strongest motivations were a personal interest in teaching, enjoyment of working with young people, and the desire to make …

Domestic Cow Of Plenty: Gender And Womanhood In The Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Harshika Ajay Gupta

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis examines gender and womanhood in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa (Bhāgavata), a Sanskrit text from the 10th century CE that holds an important theological and cultural position in contemporary Hindu traditions. It decodes the Bhāgavata’s unique perspectives on the following: (1) gender, sex, sexuality, and reproduction, (2) women’s social normativity, and (3) women’s personhood and agency. This thesis argues that the Bhāgavata contains a unique theorization of gender and sex as well as a positive valuation of femininity, and that it imbues its narratives with practical resources and actions to recognize and expand the agentive capacity of women.

For scholars …

Decreasing Inappropriate Student Behavior Using Interdependent Group Contingency: Students With Intellectual Disabilities, Shelby Craig

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Students with intellectual disabilities have the right to participate in the same educational activities as their peers while receiving appropriate supports. Many schools implement Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to promote appropriate behavior through structured reinforcement systems, including group contingencies. This study examined the effectiveness of a group contingency intervention, the Caterpillar Game, in reducing inappropriate behaviors among six students with intellectual disabilities. Results indicated a consistent decrease in inappropriate behaviors following implementation of the intervention.

Student Programming Behavior With And Without Phone Notification Suppression, Gavin T. Eddington

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Many students work on programming assignments while receiving notifications from their phones, such as text messages or social media alerts. These notifications can interrupt focus and make it harder to stay engaged with a task. This study examines whether silencing phone notifications helps students stay more focused while programming. 

We collected data from students in an introductory computer science course while they worked on programming assignments. Students completed some assignments with notifications silenced and others without. We measured their activity using software that records typing behavior and identifies when students take long pauses, which can indicate interruptions or loss of …

Specimen, Basil Payne

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

“Specimen” is a collection of my original poetry drawn from my thesis that explores identity and experience through the lens of nature. Specimens are dead, preserved individuals of nature who are used for scientific study. They help us humans understand the world better, help us make scientific advancements, but can they do more than that? In my poetry, I see myself and all the other individuals as specimens, singularities with lessons to teach and things to learn. Listening to the more-than-human world, acknowledging their differences can help us understand the aspects of ourselves that feel out of place, be those …

Examination Of The Association Among Family Communication Patterns, Attitudes Toward Sex, And Sexual Communication Self-Efficacy, Brooklynn Edelmayer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the role that family communication plays in the development of sexual attitudes and sexual communication self-efficacy. Essentially, each family has a unique communication environment, which consists of how open communication is, the variety of topics a family might discuss, and expectations of conformity that parents have for their children. Attitudes toward sex can be conservative–reflecting traditional views toward sex–or progressive–reflecting tolerance and flexibility toward various sexual lifestyles. Sexual communication self-efficacy is the degree to which an individual feels comfortable communicating about sex with a sexual partner. Participants in …

It's Okay, I'M Fine: A Communication Approach To Masculinity, Vulnerability, And Emotional Intimacy In Male Friendships, Nathan M. Spencer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Vulnerability is a key part of any relationship, as it allows people to feel more connected and closer to one another. However, toxic masculine norms are inhibiting men from being vulnerable in their relationships, especially in their friendships with other men. This study seeks to explore how vulnerable communication can lead to increased feelings of emotional intimacy and partner responsiveness within male friendships, even when it goes against the person’s expectations. Findings suggest that when a man is exposed to a vulnerable message, he will perceive an increase in both emotional intimacy and partner responsiveness. Another factor was that when …

A Survey On Digital Reading Materials And Personal Study Of Christian Religious Texts, Teancum Price

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Religion, including reading from religious texts such as scriptures, are a part of the daily lives of many people. Modern technology has influenced the way that this religious reading takes place, but its effects have not yet been studied. Existing research of the effects of technology on reading focus on topics such as reading comprehension, but the study of religious texts is often focused on achieving a religious experience, so the existing research does not capture the whole scope of these changes. In our study, we surveyed two universities (Utah State University and Abilene Christian University) to ask individuals how …

Effects Of Serum And Commercial Serum-Free Media On Development Of In Vitro Produced (Ivp) Embryos In Cattle, Kyla Miller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Serum-containing media has been shown to increase incidence of large offspring syndrome and to alter gene expression, protein synthesis, and cell signaling. These factors together can result in increased pregnancy loss when combined with assisted reproduction technologies. However, there are very few direct comparisons of commercial serum-free media (IVF Bioscience™) and serum-containing media on both IVF and cloned embryo development in cattle. The aim of this study was to determine the role of serum in oocyte maturation and subsequent embryo development. Three culture systems, including in vitro maturation (IVM) and in vitro culture (IVC), were used in this study. Both …

Exploring The Correlation Between Malnutrition And Food And Nutrition Insecurity In Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Heather Burr

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) may increase the risk of malnutrition because of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and restrictive eating. In addition, patients with IBD may experience food and nutrition insecurity. Therefore, we conducted an online survey to assess risk of malnutrition and food and nutrition insecurity among adult patients with IBD in outpatient and community settings. Patients were recruited between July and December 2025, aiming to reach adults in the Rocky Mountain Region diagnosed with IBD. Data collected included demographics, health-related factors, risk of nutrition insecurity, risk of food insecurity, and barriers and facilitators to dietary management of IBD.

Fifty-seven patients …

Exploring The Training Experiences Of Adult Taekwondo Practitioners: A Case Study Of A Martial Arts Program In The Southern United States, Nicholas Daniel Ryburn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Taekwondo has gained increasing prominence among adult practitioners in the United States, offering both physical and psychological benefits. However, despite its popularity, research on Taekwondo has predominantly emphasized youth populations, competitive contexts, or injury epidemiology, with limited attention to the lived experiences of adult practitioners. Adults present distinct needs and challenges in martial arts training, including variability in physical conditioning, age-related health considerations, and constraints associated with family and professional responsibilities. A deeper understanding of these factors is crucial for developing training programs that are both effective and sustainable for adult populations. This dissertation employs a qualitative case study design …

The Impact Of Life Coaching On Self-Efficacy In Personal Goal Setting Among Black Educators In Arkansas, Veronica Cousette Jackson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examines the relationship between life coaching and self-efficacy in personal goal setting among Black educators in Arkansas, with gender explored as a moderating variable. Self-efficacy, grounded in Bandura’s (1997) social cognitive theory, is a central determinant of motivation and goal-directed behavior, influencing persistence, effort, and adaptive strategies. Although life coaching has gained recognition as a professional developmental practice, empirical research remains limited regarding its psychological effects within educator populations and its differential impact across demographic groups (Grant, 2014; Theeboom et al., 2014). This gap is particularly significant for Black educators, who experience disproportionate workforce stress and retention …

Connecting Work And Family Life: The Effects Of Family-Related Moderators On Idiosyncratic Deals Of Employees And Work Outcomes., Tanushree Chatterjee

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Idiosyncratic deals (i-deals), which are customized work arrangements negotiated between employees and their organizations, have been increasingly recognized as a strategic mechanism for addressing the heterogeneous needs of today's diverse workforce. However, existing research has largely overlooked the role of employees' family backgrounds as a moderating context that shapes their effectiveness. Drawing on work-life border theory (Clark, 2000) and conservation of resources theory (Hobfoll, 1989), the study tests whether work-family conflict and work-family enrichment mediate the downstream effects of i-deals on turnover intentions and job performance through the moderation of four family-related characteristics (parent status, number of children, family support, …

How To Make Tamales: Stories, Jeanette Colby

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In all its intersectionality, I see my thesis as a female journey of identity and maturation. A common theme in my writing always leads back to my upbringing in some way; my history, memories, and beliefs inevitably plague the storytelling animal that lives within me. These different kinds of narratives represent all the parts of my identity. At the same time, the fictional scenes allow me to dramatize and interpret specific life events, while the mythic narratives provide a symbolic framework for exploring psychological and spiritual truths that might transcend conventional logic. Almost all of these pieces reflect various aspects …

Spike-Sorting Algorithm For Neuropixel Probes, Luis David Davila

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Modern extracellular neural probes like Neuropixels, allow for high-density extracellular neural probes to record terabytes of electrophysiological brain data. Spike sorting is the process of isolating individual neurons on this data through various clustering and filtering techniques. Modern spike sorting algorithms are held back by their need for human intervention to separate high-quality from low quality clusters, due to the volume of data that can be collected a completely automated approach is required. To address this requirement, we have developed a framework to preprocess, cluster, grade, and separate high/low quality clustering results using custom models trained on the grades. To …

Health Disparities In El Paso's Low-Income Hispanic Communities: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Acculturation, Obesity Metrics, And Socio-Cultural Determinants, Karen Del Rio

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Health disparities among low-income Hispanic immigrants in the United States are shaped by complex interactions between acculturation, structural inequality, and socio-cultural determinants that behavioral and epidemiological models have not fully explained. This dissertation examines the relationship between acculturation and obesity-related outcomes among uninsured and low-income Hispanic adults of Mexican descent in El Paso, Texas, using a three-article, sequential, explanatory, mixed-methods design grounded in Latina/o Critical Race Theory (LatCrit).Article 1 presents a systematic review of 20 peer-reviewed studies examining acculturation and obesity among Mexican Americans, finding consistent evidence that longer U.S. residence is associated with increased BMI and obesity prevalence, mediated …

Validity Of The Cultural Determinants Of Help-Seeking Model Among Hispanic Women With A History Of Intimate Partner Violence And Psychological Distress, Genevieve Marie Jessen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hispanic women experience disproportionately higher rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alongside low treatment engagement and greater alcohol use, even after intimate partner violence (IPV) has ended. Sociocultural factors may exacerbate the lasting impacts of IPV by contributing to a greater burden of disease. Prior research suggests that both psychological symptoms and sociocultural influences shape trauma recovery following IPV. However, little is known about how these factors interact after IPV cessation to impact Hispanic women's help-seeking and drinking. To address this gap, the present study applied the Cultural Determinants of Help-Seeking (CDHS) framework to examine whether inhibitory factors (e.g., barriers …

College Administrative Officers' Lived Experiences Navigating Financial Crises At A Research-Intensive Hsi, Brianna Ashley Licerio

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study examined how College Administrative Officers (CAOs) at a research-intensive Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) on the U.S.-Mexico border make sense of and respond to federally induced financial disruptions. Guided by adaptive leadership and informed by sensemaking, the study explored how CAOs interpret funding instability while working to sustain institutional operations, institutional trust, and commitments to servingness. The central research question was: How do CAOs describe their role in maintaining financial stability during federal funding disruptions at a research-intensive HSI on the U.S.-Mexico border? Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with five CAOs representing academic colleges at …

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resilience, And Adaptive Functioning Among Student Veterans With Disabilities. A Resilience Portfolio Model Perspective, Donyeill Mozer

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are associated with long-term psychological, physical, and behavioral outcomes; however, limited research has examined their relationship with multidimensional college adjustment among student veterans with disabilities, particularly those attending Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Guided by the Resilience Portfolio Model, this study examined associations among ACEs, perceived resilience, and multidimensional college adjustment within an understudied population of student veterans with disabilities enrolled at an HSI. Using a cross-sectional secondary analysis of survey data, the analytic sample consisted of 129 student veterans. ACEs were measured using the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire, perceived resilience was measured using the Brief Resilience Scale, …

Three Essays On Workplace Ethics And Ai: Conceptualizing, Scale Development, And Validation Of Self-Value Actualization, And Ai-Enabled High-Performance Work Systems, Mansura Nusrat

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation advances understanding of workplace ethics and responsible AI integration across three interconnected essays unified by social cognitive theory. My first essay introduces self-value actualization (SVA), a novel construct defined as the dynamic, integrated psychological process through which individuals continually strive to align and fulfill their core moral values through observable professional behavior. Drawing on social cognitive theory and emotional intelligence theory, I conceptualize SVA as a higher-order self-regulatory orientation comprising three mutually reinforcing processes: value congruence, moral reflection, and adaptive morality. I developed and validated a 9-item SVA scale across four studies using expert panels, exploratory factor analysis, …

The Creature From Space: A Science Fiction Musical, Monroe Nathaniel Oxley

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

My thesis examines how the musical The Creature from Space uses metatheatre, musical form, and science fiction to explore identity, conformity, and social control within a fictional 1950s Texas town. Centered on Lilly, a young woman struggling between loyalty to her hometown and the desire for personal freedom, the musical reimagines conventions of the Golden Age American musical while critiquing the ideological structures embedded within them. Drawing on works such as Oklahoma!, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Schmigadoon!, Little Shop of Horrors, and Ride the Cyclone, the project examines how musical theatre constructs and reinforces social roles through performance. The …

Understanding Machine Learning Model Behavior Under Fairness And Privacy Constraints, David Anthony Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Machine learning systems deployed in high-stakes domains are increasingly expected to satisfy demands beyond predictive accuracy-including fairness across demographic groups, protection of sensitive information, and explanations that human stakeholders can inspect and trust. This thesis investigates how those demands can be met through learning frameworks that explicitly govern the relationship between data and models, arguing that trustworthiness is a design problem rather than a post hoc correction. The thesis is organized around three studies, each targeting a distinct point of data-facing control. The first develops CondFairGen, a fairness-aware conditional generator for tabular data that improves subgroup equity by dynamically reweighting …

Breaking The Silence: Lifting The Voices Of Special Education Teachers In Co-Teaching Partnerships - A Study On The Impact Of Collaborative Practices And The Common Challenges Faced In An Inclusive Classroom, Marta Bronislawa Santiago

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Inclusive education increasingly positions co-teaching as a key model for supporting students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Although co-teaching is widely promoted as a way to improve access and participation, its effectiveness is shaped by how special education teachers experience collaboration, role clarity, and administrative support in practice. This qualitative study explored how special education teachers perceived their roles in co-teaching partnerships and the conditions that influenced their ability to collaborate effectively. Guided by a constructivist epistemological framework, this qualitative study explored the experiences of special education teachers working in co-teaching settings. Through semi-structured interviews, participants described how their …

The Transformation Of Mexican-American Fathers In Doctoral Studies, Harat Ridrigo Saucedo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Fatherhood and minority are words that are not discussed enough in academia. While there has been an awakening in women enrolling and graduating in higher education, the same cannot be said about males, especially fathers of Mexican-American background. As the fastest-growing minority, Mexican-American fathers in doctoral studies are the most underrepresented. The current state of research in the field is minimal, focusing on Mexican-Americans in undergraduate courses, mothers in graduate courses, and males in graduate courses; little is found on Mexican-American fathers in doctoral studies. The research in this qualitative study was designed to address the limited knowledge about Mexican-American …

Retiro, Max Scoular

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A collection of ten short stories in fulfillment of requirements for Master's Degree in Creative Writing at University of Texas El Paso.

Salience Network Circuit Dynamics In Distress Tolerance And Drug-Seeking Vulnerability, Marina Alicia Smoak

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The psychological distress experienced during drug withdrawal can lead individuals with substance use disorder to abandon their goal of abstinence. Numerous human studies demonstrate that an inability to persist in challenging, goal-directed behavior while experiencing psychological distress is associated with multiple stages of substance use, including relapse. This behavioral construct is referred to as low distress tolerance (DT). Rodent models of DT similarly show that low DT predicts elevated cocaine relapse, particularly when DT is assessed following extended abstinence. This abstinence period corresponds with the incubation of craving, a phenomenon characterized by progressively increased cocaine-seeking over time. Importantly, relapse vulnerability …

Fluoxetine Exposure During Adolescence Alters Prefrontal Cortex Signaling And Nociceptive-Related Behavior In Adulthood, Anapaula Themann

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The long-term neurobiological consequences of adolescent antidepressant exposure remain poorly understood, despite the substantial increase in selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) prescription rates in youth. Therefore, the goal of this dissertation was to determine whether adolescent exposure to the SSRI fluoxetine (FLX) produces lasting molecular and behavioral adaptations, using rodents as a model system. To do this, in Chapter 2, I assessed whether adolescent FLX exposure (postnatal day [PD] 35-49) alters signaling molecules associated with survival and synaptic plasticity (extracellular signa- regulated kinase [ERK]) within the adult prefrontal cortex (PFC) - a brain region that plays a central role in …