Digital Commons Network^™

The Continuity And Fluidity Between Emergent Literacy Skills And Literacy Acquisition, Shiesha D. Otokina

Theses and Dissertations

This research study was undertaken because emergent literacy skills are crucial in helping children develop their reading abilities. Research suggests that early intervention is a key strategy for closing the achievement gap, and that early literacy skills develop as early as when children begin to communicate verbally and nonverbally. Studies show that the larger a child's vocabulary is, the quicker they learn to read.This study examined the significance of reading development and a child’s ability to acquire reading skills across the stages of reading acquisition.

This study compared student scores in the experimental and control groups to determine whether the …

Higher-Level Questioning In Elementary English Language Arts, Charity Zawatski

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory case study addressed the difficulty with higher-level metacognition and questioning in a primary level elementary English Language Arts. This case study was determined as a need based on underperforming scores from the state assessment in ELA.

The research method look at the social phenomenon through inquiry around the rigor in higher-level questioning and the use of hand signals to support connections in learning. The researcher applied a semi-structured interview, an observation checklist, and a random sample of student artifacts as instruments for data collection. The researcher analyzed teachers’ lesson plans for a unit, observed a virtual classroom lesson …

Análisis De Los Factores Asociados A La Valoración Docente Sobre La Integración, Regulación Y Ética De La Inteligencia Artificial En La Educación A Nivel Postsecundario En Puerto Rico, Pablo M. Colón

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito de este estudio fue examinar los factores asociados al grado de valoración que los docentes de instituciones postsecundarias de Puerto Rico otorgan a la integración, la regulación y la aplicación ética de la inteligencia artificial (IA) en su práctica educativa. La investigación respondió a la limitada evidencia empírica disponible sobre estos factores en el contexto de la educación superior puertorriqueña, situación que dificulta el diseño de políticas institucionales y estrategias para promover el uso responsable de estas tecnologías.

Se adoptó un enfoque cuantitativo con un diseño descriptivo-correlacional. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 76 docentes de instituciones postsecundarias de …

Incidencia De La Familia Para Mejorar El Aprovechamiento Académico De Estudiantes Con Autismo De Salón A Tiempo Completo De La Región Educativa De Mayagüez, Delmaliz Castro Torres

Theses and Dissertations

El estudio analizó la incidencia de la familia en el mejoramiento del aprovechamiento académico de estos estudiantes identificando estrategias y orientaciones que fortalecen su rol como ente de apoyo educativo. Las preguntas de investigación fueron: ¿Qué conocimiento sobre herramientas educativas tienen los padres, madres o tutores para ser un ente de apoyo educativo del estudiante con autismo de salón a tiempo completo?, ¿Cuáles estrategias utilizan los padres, madres o tutores para dar apoyo educativo a sus hijos con autismo?, ¿Cuál es la relación entre la familia y el docente que pueda potenciar el apoyo de los padres para apoyar a …

General And Special Education Teachers’ Collaboration And Co-Teaching Experience In Inclusive High School Classrooms, Pascale Atouriste

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative descriptive study explored the collaboration and co-teaching experiences of general and special education high school teachers in inclusive high school classrooms in Florida. Guided by Pratt's achieving symbiosis theory, the study addressed three re-search questions concerning teachers' perceptions of (a) the benefits of co-teaching and collaboration, (b) the challenges they encounter, and (c) the strategies they find most helpful. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 general and special education teachers at a public high school in Florida and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's six-step reflexive thematic analysis procedure.

Six themes emerged from the data. For RQ1, …

Estudio De Necesidades De Formación Continua Del Maestro En Las Áreas De Matemáticas Y Lectoescritura Para La Enseñanza De Estudiantes De Preescolar En Head Start, Briseida Benítez González

Theses and Dissertations

La presente disertación aplicada fue diseñada con el propósito de identificar las necesidades de formación continua del maestro preescolar en la enseñanza de matemáticas y lectoescritura en el programa Head Start en el Municipio de Humacao en Puerto Rico. La investigación respondió a tres preguntas de investigación donde se identificaron los componentes metodológicos de alfabetización temprana, así como en matemáticas, necesarios para mejorar la calidad de la enseñanza en preescolar. Para el diseño de esta investigación se utilizó el método cuantitativo con un enfoque descriptivo experimental de carácter exploratorio transversal. La muestra estuvo constituida por 33 educadores y los datos …

Does Integrating Parental Involvement In Therapy Improve Behavior In Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?, Pamela Lassiter

Theses and Dissertations

The research problem was the lower success rate of interventions for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) because of the exclusion of parents in the counseling process. The purpose of the research was to explore if integrating parent involvement in therapy improved the behaviors in children with ADHD. The study occurred at a private mental health facility that used cognitive behavior therapy and behavior interventions with the children.

The study was guided by the phenomenological qualitative research design. Ten single parents of male children, ages 4 to 10 with ADHD, participated in this study. Parents were selected using a …

Using Sports Performance Assessment Technologies To Help Narrow Achievement Gaps Of Black Male Adolescent With Other Racial Groups, Patavious R. Sorrell

Theses and Dissertations

This exploratory qualitative collective case study explored how sports performance assessment technologies (SPATs) may support the development of self‑regulatory and motivational processes associated with self‑efficacy among Black male adolescent student‑athletes. Guided by Social Cognitive Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model, the study examined the perceptions of eight coach‑teachers in the Southeastern United States who integrated video analysis, data analytics, goal‑setting and tracking applications, wearable devices and gaming platforms, and reflective communication tools into their coaching practices.

Data were analyzed thematically, revealing three major themes: self‑regulation, self‑mastery assessment, and academic transfer. Findings indicated that SPATs were most effective when used as …

Cultural Heritage Curriculum And Student Identity Development: A Mixed-Methods Study, Alexus Corley

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation was designed to examine the influence of a cultural heritage curriculum on first-grade students’ cultural knowledge, awareness, and understandings of culture. Specifically, the study investigated the extent to which participation in a 4-week cultural heritage curriculum influenced students’ knowledge of cultural history and contemporary contributors, their understandings and perspectives about culture, and the convergence of quantitative and qualitative findings.

Using a qualitative-dominant mixed-methods research design, the study was conducted with 19 first-grade students enrolled in a Title I elementary school in Central Florida. Quantitative data were collected using the researcher-developed cultural knowledge preintervention and postintervention assessment and …

Reading Achievement And Response To Intervention Participation Among Socially Promoted Elementary Students In Grades 3 To 5: A Comparative And Predictive Analysis, Paige Griffin

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation examined reading achievement among socially promoted elementary students in Grades 3 to 5 by investigating the relationship between Response to Intervention (RTI) participation and Spring I-Ready Reading Diagnostic scaled scores. Although RTI is widely implemented as a multi-tiered framework to provide targeted instructional support for struggling readers, limited research has examined reading outcomes among socially promoted students in rural elementary schools using standardized reading assessment measures.

This quantitative, non-experimental, causal-comparative study analyzed secure, de-identified archival student data obtained following approval from the Nova Southeastern University Institutional Review Board and authorization from school district personnel. The study included …

Estudio Sobre La Influencia Del Estrés Tóxico En La Salud Física Y Emocional De Estudiantes Universitarios Puertorriqueños Entre Las Edades De 18 A 25 Años, Coral M. Flores Correa

Theses and Dissertations

Esta disertación aplicada tuvo como propósito examinar la influencia del estrés tóxico en la salud física y emocional de jóvenes universitarios puertorriqueños entre 18 y 25 años. El desconocimiento sobre la influencia de estos elementos en la salud representa un área de oportunidad en el campo de la educación en salud para mejorar los procesos de atención. La realización de la presente investigación, por lo tanto, establece un punto de partida para la comprensión de la complejidad y los efectos a corto y largo plazo de este tipo de estrés.

La investigación utilizó un enfoque cuantitativo con un diseño no …

Uso De La Modalidad E-Learning En El Tema Del Aprendizaje Psicomotor En Tiempos De Covid-19, José A. Ghigliotti Acevedo

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito de este estudio fue analizar si la modalidad e-learning influyó en la satisfacción de los docentes de educación física del Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico (DEPR) que habían recibido formación a distancia. Asimismo, se examinó el impacto del e-learning en el aprendizaje de habilidades psicomotoras pasada la crisis de la pandemia de COVID-19.

El marco conceptual se fundamentó en la Teoría del Conectivismo de Siemens (2004) y la Teoría de Satisfacción e Insatisfacción de Herzberg (1959). El estudio siguió un diseño cuantitativo, descriptivo y transeccional. La muestra estuvo conformada por 54 docentes de educación física del nivel …

Integración De La Inteligencia Artificial Generativa En La Enseñanza Secundaria En Prácticas Docentes En Escuelas Públicas Chárter Del Estado De La Florida, Axel R. Casillas

Theses and Dissertations

Esta disertación cualitativa de estudio de casos múltiples analizó cómo docentes de educación secundaria en escuelas públicas chárter de Florida interpretan los desafíos, beneficios y dilemas éticos asociados al uso de la inteligencia artificial generativa (IAG) en su práctica pedagógica. El fundamento teórico integró la Alfabetización Digital Crítica de Hinrichsen y Coombs, la Teoría de Agencia Docente, el Modelo de Aceptación Tecnológica y el marco TPACK, abordando de manera coetánea la integración instrumental, ética y pedagógica de la tecnología.

 Los hallazgos revelaron que los educadores adoptaron la IAG, primordialmente, para optimizar la eficiencia operativa, mitigar la carga burocrática y facilitar …

The Influence Of Haitian Immigrants’ Culture On Academic Outcomes At Elementary Level, Tonnette Samuels

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored how teachers, parents, and administrators perceived the influence of Haitian cultural values and practices on the organizational culture and academic outcomes of elementary students in a southern United States county. Guided by the resource-based view theory, which frames culture as an intangible organizational asset, the study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to examine the lived experiences of five participants, including three teachers, one parent, and one school administrator. Data were collected through semi structured interviews and analyzed to develop personal experiential themes for each participant and group experiential themes across cases.

The study’s findings generated four group …

Estilos De Liderazgo Docente Y Perfil Académico En Educación Superior, María Del Rosario Orta De González

Theses and Dissertations

Esta disertación aplicada tuvo como propósito analizar las implicaciones formativas y profesionales atribuibles a la relación entre los estilos de liderazgo docente y el perfil académico de profesores universitarios. El estudio se desarrolló bajo un diseño cuantitativo, no experimental, transversal y correlacional predictivo. La muestra estuvo conformada por 40 docentes de educación superior, quienes respondieron un instrumento de autopercepción que evaluó nueve factores de liderazgo y cinco componentes del perfil académico.

Los resultados descriptivos mostraron una predominancia de prácticas asociadas al liderazgo transformacional, caracterizadas por la influencia idealizada, la motivación inspiradora, la estimulación intelectual y la consideración individualizada. Los estilos …

Perceptions Of Black And African American Nurses On Leadership And Access To Professional Opportunities In Healthcare Within A Multicultural Workplace And How This May Impact Their Decision Making: A Phenomenological Study, Saeeka S. Richards

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation is designed to provide a more compelling understanding of the perceptions of leadership and access to professional opportunities in healthcare within a multicultural workplace among Black and African American nurses. It is designed to explore their feelings and actions in dealing within a multicultural workplace as these relate to how they view leadership and how they perceive professional opportunities in their field. It will highlight how they manage themselves and cope with feelings of cultural dissonance when aspects of their own culture may collide with characteristics of other cultures. This research aims to bring awareness to the …

The Impact Of Ufli Phonics Instruction On Second-Grade Reading Outcomes As Measured By The Drc Beacon Reading Assessment, Leari Franklin

Theses and Dissertations

There is mixed empirical evidence that infusion of phonics instruction yields consistent gains on standardized reading assessments, particularly beyond Grade 1. This inconsistency in evidence is problematic for instructional leaders who do not have clear guidance on how much phonics is needed to improve the persistent problem of many students not achieving at grade level on standardized reading assessments. The purpose of this study was to examine potential differences in academic achievement by comparing two cohorts end-of-year Beacon Early Years assessment results at the target school. Specifically, this study compares one cohort of second-grade students who received explicit phonics instruction …

Preferred Practices For A Student Support Services Program To Improve Retention Of African-Caribbean Students Enrolled In U.S. Universities, Jean F. Edouard

Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in this research was the high attrition rate of African-Caribbean students enrolled in U.S. universities. This study aimed to ascertain preferred practices in student support services programs to improve the retention of African-Caribbean students enrolled in U.S. higher education institutions. African-Caribbean students come to the United States with premigration experiences (e.g., language, cultural differences, and financial constraints). This generic qualitative study used semistructured Zoom interviews lasting 45–60 minutes with 12 African-Caribbean students who left their country of origin after age 12; interviews offered insight into their lived experiences and perceptions of U.S. higher education institutions. This study …

Crisis In Care: A Qualitative Study To Understand The Factors That Influence High Turnover Among Florida’S Child Welfare Case Managers, Latasha R. Harris

Theses and Dissertations

This applied dissertation explores the factors influencing child welfare case manager turnover in Florida and how child welfare case managers are addressing those factors. National data has underscored the severity of this issue highlighting high turnover and low staff retention are attributed to work demand instability, chronic stressors and undermine the effectiveness of child welfare services.

This qualitative study investigates child welfare case managers’ perspectives on key influencing factors that determine child welfare case manager retention or influence their decision to leave. Guided by Motivation and Resiliency Theories, this qualitative descriptive study investigates child welfare case manager perspectives of why …

Analyzing Challenges Women Face In Leadership Roles In Higher Education, Ashley Saingilus

Theses and Dissertations

The applied dissertation was designed to provide an analysis of the challenges women face obtaining leadership positions in higher education. History has shown an evolution of women in the workplace. Reviewing the identified challenges provided insight while giving the opportunity for recommendations to institutions to make appropriate changes. The theoretical concept for this study centered around social congruity theory, also known as role congruity theory, providing insight as to how social views have defined roles, especially those related to gender and women. The study looked at how real life experiences align with such challenges. It also looked at how higher …

Lights, Camera, Aggression!: Exploring The Relationship Between The Horror Genre And Criminality, Taylor M. Wanke

Scripps Senior Theses

This proposed correlational study will examine the effect of exposure and involvement with the horror genre in media and the crime genre in media on one’s antisocial personality traits, criminal thinking, criminal behavior/aggression, and morality in the general population and those who are currently incarcerated. Data will be collected through a Qualtrics survey accessed online for the general sample and printed out for the incarcerated sample. Each participant will complete exposure checklists, involvement scales for each genre, and multiple measures to record their level of each dependent variable. Data will be analyzed using a correlational analysis, 1-sample t-tests, and a …

Do Attorneys Matter In Civil Rights Litigation?, Nancy Leong, Mary Emmerling, Aili Miyake, Rochelle Orlando

FIU Law Review

Civil rights cases brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 are very difficult for plaintiffs to win. Commentators generally blame stringent doctrinal and pleading standards for plaintiffs’ low rates of success. This Article instead focuses on factors related to attorneys who litigate civil rights cases: the identity of the attorney (i.e., whether the attorney is a solo practitioner or affiliated with a firm or a nonprofit), the prior experience of the attorney in litigating civil rights cases, and whether these two elements are related to plaintiff success. We identified and coded the dockets for 463 civil rights cases, or 20% of …

Silenced By Fear: Undocumented Immigrant Victims Of Sexual Assault, Adriana Isabel Herrera

FIU Law Review

Imagine being sexually assaulted and then having to choose between justice or deportation. In today’s climate of heightened immigration enforcement, many undocumented immigrant victims of sexual assault understandably remain silent. After all, who would risk everything just to report a crime that might get them deported? The fear of being separated from their families, ripped from the lives they have built, and sent back to dangerous conditions in their home countries prevents these victims from coming forward and seeking justice. Additionally, the current protections available to them are flawed and insufficient—primarily due to the U visa cap and prolonged processing …

No Justice Without Transparency: The Case For A Broad Presumption Of Public Access To Court Documents, Taylor Quimby

FIU Law Review

This Comment argues that a broad presumption of public access to court  documents is essential to preserving the legitimacy and constitutional values  of the American legal system. Although the principle of public access is  rooted in common law and constitutional tradition, individual states differ in  how they approach transparency in the context of court documents. These  jurisdictional inconsistencies continue to gain significance, as the digital age  has completely transformed the way people consume information. The  increasing digitization of court records has heightened the need for consistent  and constitutionally grounded standards that preserve transparency while  adequately protecting legitimate privacy interests. Florida’s …

Carceral Schools: Black Geographies Of Confinement, Surveillance, And Policing, M. Alex Evans

FIU Law Review

This Article charts the deeply entrenched traditions of policing, containing, and surveilling blackness throughout this Nation’s history, with particular focus on Black students and schools. It provides school discipline data demonstrating the perpetual racial, gender, and ability disparities that Black students face decade after decade. It employs Black Geography as a theoretical framework to analyze school as a spatial and racial experience for all youth. This reading of carceral schools as Black geographic terrains of struggle expands the notion of school policing beyond dominant ideations which are largely limited to law enforcement officers in schools. It highlights the extent to …

Secondary Traumatic Stress In Front Line Professionals: An Exploration Of Risk Factors, Laura Lanigan, Sharon Lambert Dr, Raegan Murphy, Graham-Gill Emerson

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

Objective: This study sought to explore the prevalence of secondary traumatic stress in a range of front-line services and the potential impact of age, gender, experience, occupation and adverse childhood experiences. Literature has identified the vulnerability of front-line workers to secondary traumatic stress. However, the literature exploring risk factors for secondary trauma is limited and inconsistent. It was hypothesised that secondary traumatic stress would be prevalent in front-line services. It was hypothesised that demographic factors would not be identified as potential risk factors, while adverse childhood experiences would increase the risk for secondary traumatic stress. Method: Analysis of data collected …

The 2025 Michigan Supreme Court Ruling On Lwop Protections: Morally Justifiable?, Asa Smith

Res Publica - Journal of Undergraduate Research

This paper examines the moral permissibility of the 2025 Michigan Supreme Court ruling that found life-without-parole (LWOP) sentences for 19- and 20-year-olds to be unconstitutional under Michigan state law. The paper supports its argument on whether the ruling was morally permissible by drawing on neuroscientific data as well as moral frameworks such as a rehabilitative theory of punishment and John Rawls’s ‘veil of ignorance’ thought experiment for the application of justified principles in society. The paper considers and replies to potential objections to its argument and to alternative interpretations of the moral frameworks it deploys. It concludes by contending that …

The First Systematic Review Of Treatment Characteristics And Recidivism Outcomes For Indigenous People Who Have Sexually Offended, James L. Finney, Natalie Gately, Suzanne Rock, Braden Hill

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

It is of great importance that research investigates the impact of sexual offender treatment programmes given the damage caused by sexual offences to victims and society more broadly. However, psycho-criminological literature has focused on reporting post-treatment recidivism outcomes for people who have sexually offended homogeneously and has not investigated the unique experiences of Indigenous people. Therefore, we systematically collated and critically appraised studies reporting recidivism outcomes for Indigenous people who have received treatment for sexual offences. Fourteen studies were identified utilising a sample of 5,635 individuals (30.7% Indigenous or First Nations). Recidivism was lower for Indigenous and First Nations people …

Measuring Outcomes In Evaluations Of Interventions To Prevent Youth Crime And Violence: Challenges And Potential Solutions, Sajid Humayun, Finlay Green, Helen Downham, Nick Axford

Peninsula Medical School

There is a clear imperative to prevent youth crime and violence owing to the significant social and economic costs for individuals involved and wider society. A considerable evidence base for ‘what works’ in this space exists but gaps remain. To address these, it is necessary to evaluate intervention effectiveness. The aim of this article is to explore challenges and potential solutions regarding outcome measurement in such evaluations. To do this we draw on the literature and our experience as evaluators. We argue that outcome selection should be informed by a robust theory of change, and that normally this will mean …

Antigypsyism: Foundations Of An Ideology Of Hatred Towards Roma, Fernando Ruiz Molina, Zoë James

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Roma communities represent the largest ethnic minority in Europe (European Parliamentary Research Service, 2021), dating their presence from the fourteenth century onwards (Council of Europe [CoE], 2012a; CoE n.d.-a; End, 2012).¹Accord-ing to the Council of Europe, it is estimated that the population of Roma citizens living currently in Europe is around 10 to 12 million (CoE, 2012a). Despite their long-standing presence in European countries, Roma are hated within their own countries. From Eastern to Western Europe, animosity towards Roma centres on public acceptance of stereotypes of their criminality and lifestyles, leading to this minority group experiencing the most bias-motivated crime …