Digital Commons Network^™

The Culturally Capitalised Graduate: Toward A Wider Reading Experience For Undergraduate Students, Sue Norton

Books/Book Chapters

This essay considers higher education policy in Ireland that, in limited optional ways, is diversifying the undergraduate curriculum to incorporate wider reading across disciplines. Such policies, now gaining traction, aim to foster greater graduate employability, understood as the resilience and resourcefulness to secure positions in the workplace over time, and in fluctuating periods of supply and demand; they also support graduates to live more meaningfully in society. This essay’s three sections draw upon several sources including a business consultancy website, journal articles, and academic papers and reports. It extrapolates in particular from the research of Julia Preece and Anne-Marie Houghton …

A Meta-Analysis: Gamification In Education, Y. Wang, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah, T. Shen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The lack of motivation and engagement of students has posed a prevailing challenge in education, including in higher education and K-12 education (Legault et al., 2006; Meens et al., 2018). Given that gamification has gained increased attention and interest among educators (Nah et al., 2014) and yet, the literature does not provide consistent findings, we will conduct a meta-analysis on gamification in education.

Motivators And Factors For Career Decision-Making In Speech Language Pathology Students, Ruth Crutchfield, Adriana T. Gomez, Zacarias Olivarez, Celeste N. Gonzalez, Alyssa L. Anglin

Communication Sciences & Disorders Faculty Publications

Career decision-making is a strenuous process that requires an individual to research and determine if the ends of the profession justify its means. Specifically, if the vocation of interest meets specific standards set by an individual. Literature review findings revealed eight subtopics that were salient: influencers/role models, demographics, perception of the profession, social belonging, personality type, curriculum approach, clinical experience and sense of urgency. To achieve an understanding of Communication Sciences and Disorders (COMD) student’s motivators and factors for career decision making, a survey was administered which consisted of 37 questions composed of inquiries regarding demographics, decision making and self-efficacy. …

The Integration Of Spiritual Formation Through Distance Education For Christian Higher Education Students, Derwin Earl Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Many factors contribute to the recent increase of digital education in higher learning institutions, including the expanded use of mobile devices, social media, and other online populations. CNBC reports that over two billion users ascribe to Facebook monthly (Balakrishnan, 2017). Over four hundred million Instagram users and over three hundred million active Twitter accounts are being used daily (Clement, 2019). Celebrating technology’s imprint on society presents another opportunity for social sciences to applaud human achievement at the risk of discounting God’s sovereignty. The digital era has created an opportunity for Christian education to expand its reachability through churches and Bible-based …

High School Education Professionals' Explanations Of The Impacts Of Military Stress On Military Dependent Students' Development, William John Buchleitner Iv

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this explanatory case study is to understand how the military culture and inherent stress affect the development of military dependent high school children as explained by high school professionals. For this research, military stressors were identified as combat deployments, permanent change of stations, and living within a military household. The conceptual framework that influenced this research was the social cognitive theory as developed by Albert Bandura and Ronald Akers’ social learning theory, both of which explain how children learn from observing individuals and their environments. This study sought to answer the central research question: How do high …

My Spouse Is Amazing Like Me: The Association Between Homogamy For Narcissism And Relationship Satisfaction, Kerry Anne Marsh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study’s purpose was to better understand how narcissistic admiration and rivalry relate to relationship satisfaction and to investigate the satisfaction found in homogamous versus heterogamous narcissistic relationships. The study explored relationship satisfaction of married participants (N = 764), as moderated by their partner’s perceived level and subtype of narcissism. It also examined direct correlations between participant narcissistic admiration and rivalry and relationship satisfaction, as well as correlations between participant and perceived partner narcissism scores. An exploratory study about how relationship length moderates the association between narcissism and relationship satisfaction was also conducted. This quantitative study featured a cross-sectional online …

Modern Myths: Adding To America's Cultural Heritage, Kathryne E. Wood

Masters Theses

As children, we believe in the Tooth Fairy, Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny. We cower in fear when our friends talk about the Boogeyman, or how they'll summon Bloody Mary in the mirror. We check our closets, in hopes of finding an entrance to Narnia at the back of them. The world is a mysterious place in which anything can happen, anything can exist. What makes these types of stories so special? How do they generate true belief? What propels a narrative from entertaining story to the status of myth, legend, or folktale? This thesis explores the enduring qualities …

Fundamentals Of Teaching Vocal Music Performance, Malcolm Shaquan Richardson

Masters Theses

This study outlines the significance and sole purpose of developing fundamental techniques of student vocal music performances, using professional constructive evaluation that will improve their overall performance experience. One of the most practical ways to support vocalists is to provide a constructive evaluation of their performances. The implementation of constructive evaluation is to reflect upon what is being done well, discover areas of improvement or refinement, plan and facilitate important lessons, and apply the lessons to future performances. As a music teacher who is actively overseeing the development of students as performing or creating musicians, including constructive evaluation is a …

Gamification Strategies For Music Educators: An Online Continuing Education Course, Luis Enrique Espinosa

Masters Theses

This curriculum project is designed to provide music educators in the public and private sector with introductory knowledge about the topic of gamification and game-based learning, framed within the scope of an online continuing education course. It is meant for adult learners who teach young musicians in the K-12 range. The course offers a set of strategies and step-based processes that help transform a traditional music lesson plan into an interactive and meaningful learning experience that leverages games. The games created by the students in the course can serve to motivate music students by incorporating a sense of competition and …

Be Still: A Pedagogical Analysis Of Mindfulness-Based Practices In Vocal Music Education, Hattie Hannah Elder

Masters Theses

Mindfulness and mindfulness-based practices improve productivity in general education and vocal settings and have the potential to revolutionize choral music education. The purpose of this research is to improve vocal music education, vocal pedagogy, and voice practice, through the study of mindfulness-based practices and their relevance in vocal practices. The essential question answered as part of this research is, how do mindfulness and mindfulness-based practices increase productivity in the choral classroom? Sub questions addressed in this research include: 1) What is mindfulness meditation?, 2) How is mindfulness already utilized in vocal settings?, and 3) How can mindfulness best be included …

The Role Of Employee Proactive Behaviors In Influencing Supervisors’ Trust In Employees, Ngai Meng Ho

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In organizations, proactive employees make things happen. They anticipate, initiate, and drive meaningful changes for a better future. Such proactive behaviors can be manifested in different forms. Initiating work improvements and voicing for changes are examples of the different proactive behaviors commonly demonstrated by employees.

Empirical studies have associated proactive behaviors at work with a range of positive workplace outcomes. However, only limited research has examined how proactive behaviors might be related to one particularly important outcome, trust, i.e., whether an employee’s proactive behaviors will influence the supervisor’s trust toward the employee. Accordingly, in this present research, I conducted two …

Web-Based Crossword Development To Improve Vocabulary Mastery Of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Islamiyah Sidoarjo Students/ تطوير الكلمات المتقاطعة على أساس ويب لترقية كفائة المفردات لدى طلبة المدرسة الابتدائية الإسلامية بسيدوارجو, Novi Ariyanti, Muhammad Lukman Arifianto, Mochammad Rizal Ramadhan

Al-Arabi: Journal of Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language

يهدف هذا البحث: (1) وصف تطوير الكلمات المتقاطعة على أساس ويب لترقية كفائة المفردات لدى طلبة المدرسة الابتدائية الإسلامية بسيدوارجو ، و(2) لوصف مدى صلاحيتها. يستخدم هذا البحث التطوير على نموذج Borg  و Gall بالتصرف عشرة

Designing The Arabic Crossword Puzzles For The First, Second, And Third Grade Of The “Mambaul Ulum” Islamic Elementary School Malang, Nurul Hidayati, Muhammad Lukman Arifianto, Mochammad Rizal Ramadhan

Al-Arabi: Journal of Teaching Arabic as a Foreign Language

Crossword puzzle is a game whose gameplay is to fill in the empty spaces in a box with letters to form a word that matches the instructions. This game is one of the best ways to develop student’s ability to multiply vocabulary and they would feel enthu

Analysis Of Mothers’ Parenting Consistency: Associations With Children’S Adjustment, David R L Brabham

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

While robust literature exists on the association between positive and negative parenting with child outcomes, less is known about the nature of parenting’s consistency in this relationship. This study sought to examine the relationship between valence and consistency of parenting, and to determine whether consistency is associated with child adjustment independent of valence. Data were collected from 167 mothers and their toddler-aged child. Participation involved two time points, 1 year apart. At each time point, mothers’ observational data were obtained via videotape of designed interactions between mother and toddler, as well as survey data from mothers. Bivariate correlations and multiple …

Concept Maps As Sites Of Rhetorical Invention: Teaching The Creative Act Of Synthesis As A Cognitive Process, Amy Lee Marie Locklear

English Theses & Dissertations

Synthesis is one of the most cognitively demanding practices novice writers must undertake, and research demonstrates that first-year students’ synthesis writing practices result in more knowledge telling rather than knowledge creation and transforming. Pedagogies used to teach synthesis often focus on developing text-building strategies but lack explicit instruction on the more cognitively demanding conceptualizing behavior. To explore alternative pedagogies and heuristics, this study looks beyond composition scholarship to incorporate studies in neuroeducation and rhetoric to define synthesis as an ongoing, generative act of cognitive invention, effectively shifting pedagogical focus from text-centered product to student-centered cognitive processes that inform development of …

Family Communication Patterns During Recovery Maintenance: Relapse Prevention For Alcoholics & Addicts, Adam Pyecha

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

The following thesis is research into the Family Communication Patterns (FCP) (McLeod & Chaffee, 1972) of “alcoholics and drug addicts” (ADA) with long-term recovery stages III and IV. Improving relapse rates of ADA in early recovery stage I and stage II may require knowledge about the family communication environment and family type of those ADA with extended recovery time. This is an exploratory descriptive of FCP and family typology of 81 ADA identifying as Twelve-step fellowship (TSF) members recovering from the disease of addiction (Jellinek, 1947; 1960). Data was collected via online questionnaire with adapted scales; AWARE 3.0 relapse awareness …

The Path To Victory: A Comparative Analysis Of Mena Region Countries, Negar Moayed

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

During the “Arab Spring” the Arab world witnessed a wave of uprisings. As a result of these anti-government movements, four governments of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen were overthrown, three governments of Bahrain, Jordan, and to some points Saudi Arabia were faced with critical difficulties, and one government ,Syria, experienced domestic war. All these happened while some other Middle Eastern countries remained stable. Yet, the remaining questions are: how did these protests emerge? How was the collective identity which is essential for the social movements created? Why were some of these movements successful in overthrowing the regime while the others …

Disrupting Education: High School Principals’ Efforts To Lead Disruptive Innovation And The Influence Of Isomorphic Mechanisms, Katie Cummings Catania

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Students today require skills and dispositions different from those of the past. Despite ongoing efforts to initiate change in schools through reform efforts, little has changed within educational institutions. Current reform efforts do, however, create conditions for principals to lead disruptive innovation within their schools. Research is limited on innovation implementation in education and the various ways isomorphic forces may hinder or contribute to the design and adoption of disruptive innovations. The purpose of this study was to examine how high school principals lead disruptive innovation. Additionally, this study sought to understand how the mechanisms of isomorphism influence the adoption …

The Effects Of Security Framing, Time Pressure, And Brand Familiarity On Risky Mobile Application Downloads, Cody Parker

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The current study examined the effects of security system framing, time pressure, and brand familiarity on mobile application download behaviors, with an emphasis on risk taking. According to the Prospect Theory, people tend to engage in irrational decision making, and make qualitatively different decisions when information is framed in terms of gains and losses (i.e., the framing effect). Past research has used this framing effect to guide the design of a risk display for mobile applications (apps), with the purpose of communicating the potential risks and minimizing insecure app selections. Time pressure has been shown to influence the framing effect …

An Analysis Of The Effect Of Digital Badging On Workplace Self-Directed E-Learners' Achievement, Persistence, And Self-Regulation, Emma Awuor Agola

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Despite the advantages and increase in popularity of self-directed e-learning, this mode of learning is still reported to suffer from low voluntary enrollment rates, high learner dropout rates, as well as low retention of learning. Although there is a paucity of motivation research with regard to self-directed e-learning, a considerable number of studies identify shortfalls in factors related to learner motivation as the most prevalent factor contributing to these pitfalls.

The current study investigated the effect of digital badges, an extrinsic reward, on learning effectiveness, persistence and self-regulation in a corporate self-directed e-learning environment. The study employed an experimental between-subjects …

Increasing Nutrition And Healthy Eating Among Preschoolers, Hanyssa Usi

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

There is little nutritional education in preschools. Children are not being taught about the importance of eating nutritious foods. When children are taught about nutrition, they will create positive eating habits that could make them less susceptible to health complications. To address the lack of nutrition education, I created a three-day lesson about nutrition for preschoolers at Teddy Bear Learning Center in Monterey, California.

Cultivating Growth Mindset With Adolescents, Daisy D. Yang

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Some teens may believe that intelligence and other traits are fixed and unchangeable. As a result of having these fixed perspectives, adolescents may not be motivated to achieve academically and may give up in the face of challenge. Instead, teens can increase their confidence levels and motivation and adopt a growth mindset for their well-being. In order to address this issue, I created a two-day lesson for highschoolers at Rio Linda High School in Sacramento, California.

Insufficient Post Secondary Information For Students In Alternative Schools, Iradzeni Salazar

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Access to resources and information is important as it can help individuals plan for future goals and enable them to become successful in life. Youth Alliance is a non-profit organization that serves children, youth, and families through culturally relevant services and programs. A program offered is Restorative Justice, which serves at-risk youth at a continuation school. Few students continue with their education after graduating from alternative schools. Insufficient knowledge about post-secondary education as well as discouragement from peers and academic history contribute to students not acquiring a post-secondary education. Consequently, these individuals are more likely to fall into the school …

For Advocates, Raquel Magadan-Sanchez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The mission of the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Santa Cruz (CASA) program is to provide children in the foster care system a volunteer advocate who spends time with the child to ensure they are receiving the services they need (CASA of Santa Cruz County, 2019). The problem addressed is the high volume of foster children in Santa Cruz county and the three causes of the problem are substance abuse, poverty, and abuse and neglect. The consequences are how abuse affects a foster child’s mental health, what it means to be a dual-status youth (a child involved in the welfare …

Supporting Survivors Coming Forward, Samanta Herrera

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

As an intern at Survivors Healing Center an issue that was identified was child sexual abuse cases are too common. The contributing factors that have a correlation to the community problem that was mentioned is denial, emotional maltreatment, and family characteristics. The consequence of the contributing factors led to depression, suicidal and a potential reacurrence of sexual abuse. The purpose of the project was to educate participants on how to support survivors who are coming forward. By educating them the expected outcome was to have some participants leaving with knowledge towards the issue. As a result of addressing the contributing …

Social Isolation In Aging Adults, Lisa Marie Castillo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The agency I interned at for the last year and half was Visiting Nurses Association & Hospice (VNA). The problem that I was looking into was social isolation in our aging adult population. Social isolation is a growing problem as the baby boomers are retiring and becoming senior citizens. Contributing factors to this problem are; loneliness, disabilities, and a decrease in sensory abilities. The consequences are; mental health decline, a decline in their physical ability , and mortality. My capstone project was implementing a birthday celebration with a local skilled nursing facility to gather as many occupants together to get …

¿Qué Es Eso?“ Socio-Emotional Learning In Ell Households, Vanessa Ortiz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone Project is on Social Emotional Learning (SEL) within the English Language Learner (ELL) community that immigrated from Mexico to the United States (U.S.). This project will address the importance of implementing SEL both at home and in the classroom. The goal of this capstone project is to create a better understanding of how essential social emotional learning is across environments, especially in the home and school environments. This is an important issue because a student's success may be dependent on the stability of their overall wellbeing and ability to cope with a range of feelings …

Pick Me Up: Covid-19 School Lunch Meals, Viviana Figueroa

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In 2020 many students had to continue their education through social distance learning from home, which resulted in many students having food insecurities. The focus of this Capstone Project is on students who do not have access to Covid-19 school lunch distributions. This is important because many students may be eating unhealthy or not eating at all, which can result in physical and mental health issues. An evidence based argument proves that there has been a decrease of the number of students receiving a school lunch meal due to Covid-19. Consideration of the issue should include the perspectives of a …

Music Therapy: Revitalizing Alzheimer's Disease Patients, Natalie Villalobos

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper explains the different benefits that music therapy has on patients with Alzheimer's disease. It will briefly explain what Alzheimer’s disease is: the causes, some of the symptoms, and the effects it may have. Also, the paper will explore the impact music has on the brain in regards to affecting a specific area, its connection to memory, and to emotions. Although Alzheimer’s does not have a cure, research has shown that music therapy does decrease the rate at which it grows. By looking at results from different research studies, a better understanding of what treatment or a specific session …

Feeding Families And Our Students During Covid-19, Elyse Bryan

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This Capstone project is focused on providing families and students with meals during a pandemic. The majority of students in California are enrolled in a free or reduced breakfast and lunch program. Due to virtual learning it has become increasingly more difficult for students to be provided with school meals. Schools give opportunities to students to pick up their lunches but this is not beneficial for students with a lack of transportation or two working parents. Food security is important to allow students to focus in school and continue developing correctly both physically and mentally. Evidence shows that the number …