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“Songs Of The Underground” – Crafting A Unique Gaming Experience Through Music, Megan Franklin

Theses and Dissertations--Music

The academic study of video game music, known as Ludomusicology, is a younger research area in the world of musicology, with the earliest works having been published in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Despite its young age, Ludomusicology is becoming a staple in the academic world, with scholars such as Melanie Fritsch, Andra Ivănescu, Michiel Kamp, Tim Summers, and Mark Sweeney dedicating their time to the subject. This thesis uses musical analysis as the basis of exploring the relationship between music and aspects of video game creation and player interaction. The case study for this project is the 2015 …

Examining Social Media Use, Connectedness, And Depression In Graduate Students, Marisa Gretz

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between social media use, sense of connectedness, and depression among graduate students. Graduate students are at risk of depression and often disconnect from their social supports due to their program's demands. Literature on the impact of social media on depression is discrepant. The relationship between a sense of connection, the use of social media, and depression in a graduate student population is a novel area of research. Graduate students at The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) and other universities, including healthcare and non-healthcare-related disciplines, were included. Participants were recruited via social media or email. …

Critical Literacy: Meeting Twenty-First Century Literacy Demands For Adolescent Learners, Molly Blew

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Adolescents’ critical text interpretation skills are important to college, career, and citizenship demands. At present, the literature reflects concerns with adolescents’ ability to interpret academic and internet-based texts critically. The pedagogical framework of critical literacy is presented as an instructional approach that may support the development of adolescents’ critical text interpretation skills. The objective of this study was to understand the perceptions of secondary teachers concerning student proficiency in critical text interpretation, teachers’ current level of implementation of instructional practices consistent with the critical literacy framework, and perceived barriers to implementation. Three hundred thirty four (334) high school teachers were …

Participation In A Positive Education Curriculum And Symptoms Of Anxiety In Students, Aleida Silva-Garcia

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Anxiety is among the most common mental health problems in children and adolescents in the United States (Bhatia & Goyal, 2018). Children and adolescents spend most of their day in the educational setting (Slemp et al., 2017). Positive education curricula may help students increase their well-being while increasing academic performance. This research aimed to determine the effectiveness of a positive education curriculum in lowering anxiety levels in high school students. In addition, this study investigated the relationship among anxiety, happiness, optimism, perseverance, and academic outcomes. Through an independent samples t-test, archival data were utilized to determine the relationship between participation …

School Guidance Counselor Perceptions On Reintegrating Students To School After Mental Health Treatment, Maddie Roxandich

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined the perspectives of school guidance counselors to determine current and best practices in planning and supporting student returns to school after absences for mental health reasons. The literature review highlights the sharp decline in adolescent mental health over the years, the rise in hospitalizations for mental health concerns, and the need for attention to school practices that support student mental health when a student requires hospitalization. The intent of this study was to build upon previous literature that examined practices existing in schools to help reintegrate students after absences. It sought to investigate whether schools have a …

The Impact Of Trauma On Exposure And Response Prevention (Ex/Rp) Treatment Outcomes For Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Lindsey Salerno

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Despite the high prevalence of trauma in treatment-seeking individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the role of trauma in OCD treatment is under-studied. This study examined the relationship between trauma and treatment outcomes using a gold standard intervention for OCD—exposure and response prevention (Ex/RP) therapy. This study also investigated whether inherent traits (intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety sensitivity, emotion regulation, and perfectionism) act as mechanisms of change that mediate the relationship between trauma and Ex/RP treatment outcomes. Using data collected as part of a larger research study, analyses were performed for 76 adult patients with a primary diagnosis of OCD who completed …

Predictive Abilities Of Neuropsychological Measures On Functional Outcomes In The Mild Cognitive Impairment (Mci) And Dementia Populations, Morgan Bare

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

During the aging process, a decline in ability to perform everyday tasks is commonly observed. This is increasingly so for those with dementia and is a diagnostic requirement. These daily tasks require certain cognitive skills which can be measured by various neuropsychological measures. The purpose of this study is to examine which neuropsychological measures are able to detect various deficits in self-reported activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. It is hypothesized that Trail Making Test– B (TMT-B) would be the most sensitive predictor in functional …

Intuitions Across The Theistic-Atheistic Spectrum: A Convergence Of Social Psychology And Experimental Philosophy Research Paradigms, Janessa R. Brown

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The aim of the present study was to examine what intuitions individuals have regarding factors related to religious belief and non-belief. This was achieved via the convergence of experimental philosophy and social psychology research paradigms. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three vignette conditions depicting either a theistic, agnostic, or atheistic universe or a non-vignette control condition. Participants reported intuitions in the context of the universe to which they were assigned on factors of death anxiety, awe, pure evil, and fine-tuning. Responses were compared across vignette conditions and by category of belief. It was hypothesized that group differences regarding …

Perception Of The Need For And Implementation Of Mindfulness Programming In The Education Setting, Lindsay Kurtz

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of school personnel regarding implementing mindfulness within the educational setting. This study explored whether school personnel perceived a mindfulness program as having a positive impact on students’ well-being and staff well-being. This study also examined school personnel’s perception of time, resources, and training to implement a mindfulness program within the education setting. One hundred five school personnel who currently work in school settings in Delaware and Pennsylvania participated in this study by completing an online survey pertaining to this topic. Results indicated that the majority of school personnel perceived mindfulness as having a positive impact …

Examining The Relationship Between Outcome Expectancies And Anxiety Severity In Patients Using Medical Marijuana, Paulina Syracuse

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Many states have legalized marijuana for medical and recreational use despite it being classified as a Schedule I controlled substance. Although research regarding its efficacy is limited, one of the most common medical marijuana referral reasons is anxiety and patients often report experiencing reductions in anxiety. Many patients have beliefs about the effects of medical marijuana, called outcome expectancies, which may differ based on previous recreational marijuana use. These beliefs may influence anxiety outcomes, but this relationship is still unclear. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between patients’ medical marijuana outcome expectancies, previous recreational marijuana use, …

Scotus Sours On Lemon: Kennedy And Prayer In Public School, Caitlyn Sarudy

University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class

No abstract provided.

Rethinking Gun Violence Prevention: Post-Bruen Policing And The Decriminalization Of Minority Gun Ownership, William Jacobs-Perez

University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class

No abstract provided.

Media Anti-Discriminatory Practices In War Conditions, Liudmyla Cherniavska, Nataliia Tiapkina, Iryna Bondarenko, Viktor Kostiuk, Olena Usmanova, Iurii Kostiuk

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

With the beginning of the full-scale military invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, the media sphere became one of the priorities of the national struggle. In the conditions of a hybrid war, the Russian Federation actively used the media space for propaganda, inciting inter-ethnic enmity and forming electoral support among the population. However, with the beginning of a full-scale military invasion, propaganda and the creation of fake news were significantly activated, however, the official media resources of Ukraine by the formation of truthful and unbiased information, as well as the development of information policy. The fight against prejudiced attitudes …

Closing The Gap Between College Students: An Intergroup Dialogue Program To Reach Understanding And Reduction Of Disparities, Lilly Zhou

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The goals of the intergroup dialogue program are exploration and collective action. The goal of exploration is to spread awareness by presenting the situation. Several students are not aware that disparities between students exist, so this dialogue provided awareness of the issue. With increased understanding of each other, collective action can be taken. Actions by a small number of students are still steps taken to reduce the gap between the financially supported and not financially supported students. Action can look like spreading awareness of the issue, advocating for policy changes, and more.

The structure of the intergroup dialogue program required …

Reincarnation And Universal Salvation, Akshay Gupta, Alex Gallagher

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Sleep Training, Day Care, And Swim Lessons: Skeptical Theism And The Parent-Child Analogy, Dolores G. Morris

Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers

No abstract provided.

Family Communication Patterns And Educational Orientations, Nathan Miczo, Lisa A. Miczo

Iowa Journal of Communication

This research investigates the impact of family communication patterns on educational orientations. Two hundred and nine students completed an online survey assessing family communication patterns (conversation and conformity orientation) and educational orientations (learning orientation and grade orientation). Regression analyses revealed that both conversation and conformity orientation were positive predictors of learning orientation, while only conformity orientation was a positive predictor of grade orientation. The discussion highlights the need for continued research into the role of the family as an influence on college student motivations.

Moderating Effects Of Likelihood To Use In-Store Technology In Grocery Stores: Perceived Value Of Retailtainment, Adesegun Oyedele, Fuat Firat, Monica Hernandez, Emily Goenner Munson

Marketing Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is the assessment of the moderating effects of consumers’ likelihood to use instore technologies on the relationship between retailtainment value and satisfaction with retailtainment in physical grocery stores. A questionnaire designed to test our model was administered to 332 undergraduate students. The data were analyzed using AMOS-SEM. The results show that perceived benefit, enjoyment, and unique values of retailtainment were significant in explicating satisfaction with retailtainment. Regarding the interaction effects of likelihood to use instore technology, the results reveal the positive relationship between human interactivity-instore, benefits, and unique values, and the dependent variable satisfaction with …

“Just Attaching A Face”: Engaging Local Refugee Communities In Preservice Teacher Education Focused On Students With Immigrant/Refugee Backgrounds, Stephanie Wessels, Theresa Catalano, Jenelle Reeves, Alison E. Leonard, Uma Ganesan, Alessia Barbici-Wagner, Consuelo Gallardo

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

This arts-practice research study explores what happens when preservice high school teachers (aka teacher-learners) and local refugee communities engage in the co-creation of art together via an arts-and community-based project. Grounded in social justice teacher education, the researchers conducted a 2-week workshop in which participants included preservice high school teachers and local Yazidi community members who explored art in a museum together, spent time getting to know each other and their backgrounds, and re-created some of their stories in the form of dance. Findings reveal a variety of ways in which the workshops helped teacher-learners develop interculturality, increase understanding of …

Heart Smart Holidays: Coping With Stress, Staying Active, And Healthy Cooking Strategies For Seniors In Cleveland County, Lauren Ridgeway

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

This Doctor of Nursing Practice Project assessed whether attending community group meetings focusing on stress, staying active, and healthy eating during the holidays, could influence cardiovascular disease awareness, mental health awareness, and quality of life of senior citizens in Cleveland County. A convenience sample of 6 participants attended the Coping with Stress and Staying Active event while 10 participants attended the Healthy Cooking Strategies event. The objectives were measured using a pretest posttest design before and after the presentations. There was strong evidence (t(9) = -13.597, p < .05) that the group seminar on managing stress and staying active during the holiday season improved the mental health awareness of participants. Data also showed a significant increase in Cardiovascular Disease Awareness from pretest to posttest (t(5) = 3.246, p < .05) after the seminar on healthy cooking strategies. The project raised community awareness to the importance of managing stress, staying active, and making small nutritional changes to positively impact the cardiovascular health of Seniors.

The Impact Of Palliative Care Education On Acute Care Nurses, Heather Sadler

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project was to improve acute care nurses’ knowledge of evidence-based palliative care interventions utilizing the framework from the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) training modules. Increasing the knowledge, comfort, and competence of acute care nurses has the potential to improve end-of-life care delivery in the acute care setting. A lack of access to specialized inpatient palliative care service teams was identified in a rural county in the Southeastern United States. This county is served by a small, criticalaccess hospital. The frontline nursing staff of this facility regularly provides end-of-life …

Faith And Faithfulness: Vocation As Self, Others, And A Third Thing, Joel A. Nichols

Touro Law Review

Many of us are prone to thinking in binaries—in “either/or” categories, or in black-and-white thinking. Lawyers seem to be especially skilled at this, as we are trained to identify two things and then try to navigate between them or name their similarities and differences. But staying within that framework can be unhelpful, and even stifling, at times. This Essay explores the intersection of faith and the practice of law, especially the idea of vocation. It offers an approach to get out of the binary by suggesting that looking at a third thing is essential. For vocation, this includes (1) listening …

Proceed With Caution: Criminal Responsibility For Non-Participating Actors In University Hazing Incidents, Charlie Penrod

Touro Law Review

Hazing in university fraternities has become an epidemic. Most hazing involves new pledges who are coerced to endure physical, emotional, or psychological harm to prove themselves worthy of admission to the group. Sadly, many students suffer severe injuries from hazing, up to and including death. Many states have passed specific laws banning hazing and expanded the universe of persons guilty of hazing to possibly include non-participants who aided the hazing. In 2020, a Florida appellate court broadened this further, potentially holding a fraternity president responsible for hazing for making the mistake of allowing liquor at an off-campus party. The fraternity …

Experiences Of Black Women In The Workforce, Neferiatiti Lukina Holt

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black women in America face double discrimination in the workforce. The problem is that Black women experience discrimination in the workforce based on gender and race. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was to explore Black women’s experiences of discrimination in the workforce based on gender and race. The conceptual frameworks that grounded this study were general systems theory and intersectionality theory. Purposive sampling was used to identify participants; data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 Black women who work in a large city in central Texas. Thematic analysis based on descriptive phenomenology was applied to reveal …

Faculty-Student And Student-Student Connections Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic, Fatma Ouled Salem

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic expedited the shift toward distance education by forcing institutions to adapt to the limitations of social distancing mandates. This resulted in a general sense of disconnection and isolation, compounding the other adverse effects of the pandemic. Since faculty-student and student-student connections are consistently identified as best practices in distance counselor education, the aim of this descriptive phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of counselor educators during the COVID-19 pandemic relating to faculty-student and student-student connections. A phenomenological framework was used to suspend presuppositions of the phenomenon and to describe the lived experiences of participants. In-depth …

Customer Relationship Management In The Hotel Industry, Lakewa Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The inability to satisfy customers in the hospitality industry is a concern for business managers, as a decrease in customer satisfaction can lead to unhappy customers, which adversely affects business performance and profitability. Grounded in the customer relationship management theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore how managers of boutiques improve customer satisfaction and increase profitability. Participants were four boutique hotel managers in the metro Detroit area who successfully improved customer satisfaction and increased profitability. Data were collected from semistructured interviews, customer reviews, hotel website documents, customer indices, and hotel industry reports. Data were analyzed using …

Health Education Practices For Middle Eastern Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Walaa Daffaalla

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a complex women’s health condition that reduces women’s quality of life, leading to health complications, such as menstruation issues, infertility, insulin resistance, risk of type 2 diabetes, depression, anxiety, emotional stress, being overweight or obese, and more. Research on PCOS has focused on the etiology and complications in women from different ethnicities. But limited research has explored the experiences and perspectives of Middle Eastern (ME) women in the United States with PCOS related to PCOS health education. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perspectives and experiences of ME women of reproductive …

Risk Factors Of Human Papillomavirus Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer In Men, Kentress Davison

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a leading domestic and global sexually transmitted disease. The purpose of this secondary quantitative, cross-sectional study is to investigate if there is an relationship between the rate of oral HPV-oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) and race, exposure to smoking cigarettes (tobacco), risky sexual behavior, and participation in oral sex of male-to-male contact vs. male-to-female contact. The social cognitive theory grounded this study. The University of Alabama at Birmingham cancer database population supplied the study’s sample size of 337 males greater than 18 years of age with a diagnosis of OPSCC. I conducted descriptive analyses using …

Community College Management Strategies For Balancing The Budgets, Rachel Ann Sullivan Dodson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

During declining revenue, community college leaders may be unable to balance their budgets effectively. Community college managers who fail to balance budgets negatively impact a college’s financial sustainability. Grounded in Burn’s transactional leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore strategies community college managers use to balance their budgets in an environment of declining revenue. Data were collected from eight semistructured community college manager interviews and company documents: enrollment data, budget data, performance-based funding model data, and the strategic plan. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Four themes emerged: (a) budget alignment with …

Gendered Racial Microaggressions’ Cumulative Effects On Black Women’S Psychological Well-Being, Melva Dorsey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Black women living in North America experience gendered racial microaggressions injurious confrontations in every social setting due to simultaneous discrimination involving race and gender. This basic qualitative research study aimed to explore the perceptions of Black women in this society with gendered racial microaggressions to discover how they perceive the cumulative effects of this phenomenon on their psychological well-being by utilizing intersectionality as the study's conceptual framework. Data collection occurred via interviews with a sample size of five Black women ages 51 and older who were born and raised in North America that self-reported experiencing gendered racial microaggressions. Participants were …