Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Potential Effects Of Read Naturally Live To Support Reading Fluency Development In Diverse Learners, Jovonne Tabb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ability to comprehend and apply knowledge learned through reading is fundamental for individuals to become successful and productive citizens in society. The inability to read fluently and accurately with appropriate pacing and expression significantly inhibits text comprehension. Research suggests that children who do not develop reading fluency are more likely to experience learning and comprehension difficulties throughout their academic careers (Lange, 2019). Computer-assisted interventions (CAI) have demonstrated effectiveness in advancing students' reading fluency, particularly for those at risk of developing reading disabilities or those already diagnosed with reading difficulties. However, a significant gap exists in research examining CAI effectiveness …

Evaluating The Effects Of Visualization On Vertical Jump Performance In Varsity High School Athletes, David Linton

Doctorate in Kinesiology

This study examined the effects of guided visualization on vertical jump performance in high school varsity athletes. Twenty varsity athletes (ages 13–18) were randomly assigned to either a control group or a visualization group. Following baseline testing, participants completed seven sessions across three weeks. All sessions included a standardized dynamic warm-up. The control group engaged in passive rest prior to testing, while the experimental group completed a five-minute guided visualization exercise. Vertical jump height was measured using a Vertex Vertical Jump Trainer. A randomized controlled pretest–posttest design was employed. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests and two-way mixed factorial …

The Marathon: A Qualitative Exploration Of The Lived Experiences Of Black Male Educators, Lloyd M. Cheatom Sr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing a culturally relevant framework and methodology, this qualitative dissertation proposal aims to explore and investigate the unique life experiences and exposures that influence Black men to not only become educators but to sustain their careers in the educational field. The purpose of this study is to identify ways in which 1Nation Mentoring can organically implement strategic opportunities that replicate experiences capable of inspiring interest among young Black males to pursue meaningful roles within education and foster a pipeline of future Black male educators.

Additionally, this research will examine the intersection between education and trauma-based experiences, as well as the …

‘If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It:’ Bridging Creative Ideas & Beliefs In A Neurodiverse Workforce Through Autonomy & Social Support, Mesaley A. Alemseged

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

Reports from the business world highlight the competitive advantage that neurodiversity can provide for workplace creativity and innovation through the inclusion of workers who represent a broad range of perspectives and abilities. However, while neurodivergent individuals have naturally divergent ways of thinking, producing creative works might not come as easily in workplaces designed for neurotypical forms of thinking and working. Drawing from the componential theory of creativity, this study sought to explore how neurodivergence, as it relates to creativity-relevant processes, and work characteristics related to the social environment can influence creativity across the various stages of the creative process. While …

The Making Of Jewish-American Progress In Gertrude Stein’S, The Making Of Americans: Being A History Of A Family’S Progress, Rochel L. Gasson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation provides a comprehensive reading of Gertrude Stein’s The Making of Americans (TMOA), situating the novel at the intersection of literary modernism, Jewish American identity, and feminist thought. It argues that Stein reconceives American progress not as linear advancement but as a recursive, relational, and culturally grounded process. Through experimental form, repetitive syntax, and a sustained present tense, TMOA dramatizes the psychological and social complexities of immigrant families navigating assimilation while maintaining heritage. Characters such as the Old Man, his son, and the Dehning and Herland families reveal generational tensions, moral labor, and the ambivalences of upward …

Accepting Vs Understanding, Transgender Aliens And Alienation, Reyna G. Aliah

English

Trans people have been the subject of intense discrimination in recent years, suffering dehumanization from right-wing and conservative groups. This dehumanization (and the fear resulting from it) parallels common attitudes in science fiction about actual aliens. Orson Scott Card’s Hierarchy of Foreignness classifies individuals and species into five categories, depending on their sentience; whether they are from the same city, nation, or planet; and whether communication is possible. This paper examines how transgender people can be classified according to this system on a societal level, with said class depending on the lens used to view them as well as the …

Evaluating Joint Control Teaching Procedures For Teaching Yes-No Responding With Tact And Intraverbal Questions For Children With Autism, Desiree J. Dawson

Theses & Dissertations

Responding to yes and no questions is a general language skill that allows individuals to efficiently interact with their verbal community. Few behavior analytic studies have sought teaching this skill in general, with even fewer studies seeking to teach this skill when it pertains to a tact or intraverbal context. All behavior analytic studies to date seeking to teach this skill have used direct prompting and reinforcement of the yes and no responses, but there is little guidance for what can be done if this teaching strategy is not producing desired acquisition. The current experiments examined a teaching procedure informed …

Probing The Mechanisms Of Reinforcement Learning: Reinforcement Learning, Ventral Striatal Astrocytes, And The Dynamic Coordination Of Information Seeking With Learning, Fatih Sogukpinar

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

While reinforcement learning has been a vital component in artificial intelligence and machine learning, there exist many open questions about its implementations and how to improve them, in both minds and machines. Among these are i) the contribution of non-neuronal cell types to reinforcement learning, and ii) information-seeking behavior during reinforcement learning. In this thesis, we studied these main topics pertaining to reinforcement learning. In the first chapter, we examined the role of astrocytes in reinforcement learning, and in the second, we investigated human information seeking during reinforcement learning. Neurons in the human and animal brain have been known to …

Leveraging Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation To Enhance Self-Regulation In Emotion And Sleep, Suraya Dunsford, Mica Komarnyckyj, Elsa Fouragnan

School of Psychology

This Perspective article discusses the emerging potential of transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) as a non-invasive neuromodulatory technique for enhancing self-regulatory processes, particularly emotion and sleep regulation, in healthy individuals. Offering high spatial precision and the ability to target both cortical and deep brain regions, TUS uses focused ultrasound waves to induce acute and delayed effects on brain activity. We propose that combining TUS with neurofeedback methods and/or specific cognitive training exercises may capitalise on these neuroplastic effects, thereby augmenting and prolonging their impact to support lasting improvements in self-regulation. We focus on the domains of sleep and emotion regulation, where …

Abnormalities In Sensorimotor Brain Function Are Related To Chronicity Of Low Back Pain, Jo Armour Smith, Rongwen Tain, Kelli G. Sharp, Laura M. Glynn, Linda R. Van Dillen, Jesse V. Jacobs, Steven C. Cramer

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Maladaptive plasticity in the brain may contribute to chronic low back pain (LBP) and underlie the altered postural control of the lumbopelvic musculature that is evident in some individuals with LBP. We recently described an MRI-compatible leg-raise paradigm to measure brain activity associated with lumbopelvic postural control. The objective of this study was to compare brain function in young adults with and without a history of LBP and to determine relationships between brain function, pain, and postural control characteristics. We recruited 55 participants with a history of LBP, who were asymptomatic when studied, and 30 healthy controls. Postural control during …

Beyond Precision: Ambiomic Survivorship In Childhood And Aya Cancer., Juan Antonio Ortega-García, Omar Shakeel, Nicole Wood, Antonio Pérez-Martínez, Jose Luís Fuster-Soler, Mark D. Miller

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Background: Survival among children and adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer has improved substantially over recent decades; however, dominant survivorship models remain reactive-activated post-treatment and anchored to static exposure- and organ-based screening. This design underuses the anticipatory window at diagnosis and overlooks environmental and social determinants that modulate outcomes across the life course. Methods: We narratively reviewed international frameworks including the Children's Oncology Group (COG), the International Late Effects of Childhood Cancer Guideline Harmonization Group (IGHG), the Pan-European Network for Care of Survivors after Childhood and Adolescent Cancer (PanCare) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), and synthesized evidence …

Creating A Radical Social Change Campaign To Restore Rational Thinking: A Theoretical Framework, John S. Long

Student Theses and Dissertations

Rational thinking is a skill and mindset that is under siege in modern society, becoming increasingly endangered as we devolve into increasingly hyper-partisan communities rife with echo chambers and confirmation biases. The most basic processes of analyzing issues and facts to develop clearly thought-out and defendable positions have been abandoned in favor of a zealous devotion to toe the party line, no matter the evidence or implications. What we are witnessing firsthand is the fast-approaching culmination of the post-truth era.

One might assume that an issue with such far-reaching implications across our entire society would generate a significant amount of …

Data Storytelling For Reputation Management: A Multiple Case Study Of Formula 1, Patagonia & Spotify, Michael O. P. Lowsley-Williams

Student Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates data storytelling as a reputation management strategy by examining how organizations leverage data narratives to enhance brand identity, build stakeholder trust, and reshape public perception. Through analysis and comparison of three qualitative case studies of Patagonia, Formula 1, and Spotify, this research explores how these companies construct and utilize data-driven narratives to address reputational challenges across distinct industry contexts. Drawing on elements of framing, situational crisis and stakeholder theories as well as the concepts of encoding and decoding, this study analyzes narrative structures, framing devices, and audience engagement tactics within reports, campaigns, and multimedia content from 2015-2025. …

An Exploratory Phenomenological Study Of Faculty Perceptions Of Student Self-Efficacy Within Traditional Developmental Education Programs And Accelerated Learning Programs, Malinda Rannow-Kurkosky

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Many students attending community colleges are required to enroll in developmental education classes prior to enrolling into college-level classes. Students who need developmental education have a lower success rate within the college-level class than those students allowed to enroll directly into the college-level class (Pruett & Absher, 2015). Many colleges have attempted accelerated learning programs (ALP), and students utilizing the ALP route have demonstrated higher success rates than traditional developmental education students (Adams et al., 2009, Cho et al., 2012, and Ihara, 2010). Traditionally, the developmental class is taught the semester prior to enrollment into the college-level class. The ALP …

Manual Therapy In Conjunction With Other Multimodal Interventions In A Patient With Chronic Pain And Hypertension: A Case Report, Craig P. Hensley, Renzo Mendoza, Jennifer Ryan, Emmanuel Yung

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Chronic pain and hypertension (HTN) are worldwide epidemics that are difficult to manage and frequently encountered as comorbid conditions in patient care. There is a paucity of information regarding the effect that manual therapy has on blood pressure (BP), particularly in those with chronic pain and HTN. This case report describes the management of a patient with chronic pain and HTN. The patient was a 41-year-old female with chronic multisite pain and multiple comorbidities, including HTN. Her BP at the initial evaluation was 147/78 with an oscillated device and 142/82 with a sphygmomanometer in the right arm and 144/80 in …

Book Review, Nathan Mishael O. Go

Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and Culture

Book review of "Humankind: A Hopeful History" by Rutger Bregman

Socrates And Early Buddhist Medical Ethics: Foundations Of Moral Reasoning In The Care Of Body And Mind, Chandima Gangodawila

Budhi: A Journal of Ideas and Culture

While Buddhist traditions articulate a parallel moral vision in the early discourses of the Pāli Canon, Western traditions usually locate the roots of ethical reasoning in Socratic inquiry. Especially in their approaches to bodily care, spiritual well - being, and moral responsibility, this article contends that both Socratic and Early Buddhist ideas converge on fundamental principles in medical ethics. Through a comparative textual and philosophical study, the paper examines how Socratic dialectics and the Buddha's diagnostic approach to dissatisfa ction/ suffering (dukkha) both produce frameworks for ethical healthcare anchored in the development of virtue, wisdom, and care for the integrity …

Lessons Learned: Paul Tucker, Salil Gupta

Journal of Financial Crises

After joining the Bank of England (BoE) in 1980, Sir Paul Tucker held a number of positions of increasing responsibility including serving as a member of several key committees. Tucker played a crucial role in the BoE’s response to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) as director for markets, through March 2009, then as deputy governor of the bank until November 2013. Post-crisis, he has been instrumental in constructing the international regulatory framework on financial stability. From 2016 to 2021, Tucker also chaired the Systemic Risk Council.

Currently, Tucker is a research fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business …

Understanding Generation Z Polarization: Findings From A Preliminary Replication Study, Liane Weintraub

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

Amid rising polarization and declining trust in democratic institutions, Generation Z (Gen Z) faces unique challenges in navigating civic discourse. This study presents comparative findings from two survey cohorts (2023, n = 56; 2025, n = 25) examining Gen Z students’ political identity, discourse habits, interpersonal trust, and civic attitudes. Framed by Social Identity Theory (SIT), Cultural Intelligence (CQ), and discourse theory, the study explores how ideological difference and identity signaling shape students’ willingness to engage across divides. Findings indicate continuity in partisan skepticism and discourse openness, but also growing fatigue, reduced trust, and ambivalence toward equity. While affective polarization …

Black Women And Latinas In Stem: A Systematic Review Of Literature, Karin Moore

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

This systematic review of literature examines scholarly studies conducted on Black women and Latinas in STEM fields and in STEM higher education. Women are underrepresented in STEM, and on average they comprise 27% of the STEM population (National Science Foundation, 2017). Black women and Latinas are even further underrepresented in STEM by making up only 14.58 % and 3% of the employees in STEM industries (Hispanic Heritage Foundation, 2020; National Science Foundation, 2021). Barriers for all women are the focus of much of the body of literature in STEM (Beach et al., 2024; Moore, 2024). Isolating specific challenges Black women …

Marooned: A Western Frontier Dismal Swamp Narrative, Professor Meya E. Hargett

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

Marooned: A Western Frontier Dismal Swamp Narrative centers the erased figure of Samuel Mars, a lost Black station master whose movements through the Great Dismal Swamp have been excluded from dominant Underground Railroad cartographies. Here, the term “Marooned” refers not to abandonment, but to the maroon geographies of Black and Indigenous resistance encoded in land, lineage, and fugitive infrastructure.

Guided by Diasporic Maroon Memory Theory, Lineage as Method, and the Maroon Geographies Framework, this research reconstructs Mars’s trajectory through oral testimony, spatial patterning, and ancestral land memory. Rather than casting the Dismal Swamp merely as a site of refuge, this …

Extending The Emotional And Multiple Intelligence Theories: Integrating Cultural And Spiritual Intelligence Constructs To Fill Research Gaps, Kimberly J. Mcdonald

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

This proposed mixed-methods convergent research study aims to explore extending the Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Multiple Intelligences Theories by integrating Spiritual Intelligence (SI) and Cultural Intelligence (CQ) constructs. The goal is to explore the interconnectedness of these intelligences to bridge existing research gaps concerning leadership, EI, SI, and CQ. By employing both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods from organizational leaders, this study seeks to develop a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of leadership efficacy across various organizational contexts. The anticipated outcomes aim to contribute to the body of knowledge and potentially impact leadership development in business, education, and other …

Article Title: Deconstructing Power And Gender: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis Of Biopolitics, Necropolitics, And Sexual Scripts In Feminicide In Puerto Rico., Migdalia Marrero-Lafontaine

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

Feminicide and gender violence cases in the last several decades in Puerto Rico have continuously increased, suggesting that this problem becomes worse as time passes. This study, therefore, focuses on identifying actionable insights that paint a picture of the impact it has on women over the age of 18 in Puerto Rico. In order to achieve this objective, the study relies on a strong theoretical framework that is made up of Foucauldian discourse analysis, necropolitics, and sexual scripts theories. One of the core findings of this research is that Puerto Rico’s colonial history and cultural norms sustain a cycle of …

The Detrimental Impact Of Early Childhood Exposure To Pornography, Leica Marie Estomo

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

As pornography continues to become more easily and readily accessible, children are at higher risk of viewing it. This work aims to investigate the destructive impact of premature exposure to pornography, and the negative perceptions of sex and decision-making towards it as a result. The operational definition used defines “early exposure” as prepubescents (children of elementary-grade school ages) viewing explicit material through involuntary and accidental initial engagement, and “decision-making” as moral agency and choice of response and action. The populations searched focused more on American culture and its lens on sex and pornography, with the incorporation of other cultural frameworks …

Equity And Effectiveness In Advanced Mathematics Education: A Literature Review Of Ap Calculus, Cambridge Aice, And Ib Curricula, Jinhee Lee

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

This literature review investigates equity and effectiveness of three globally recognized advanced high school mathematics programs: AP Calculus, Cambridge International Advanced International Certification of Education (AICE) Advanced Level (A-Level) Mathematics, and International Baccalaureate (IB) Mathematics High Level. Access to advanced mathematics is unequally distributed, impacting underprivileged students (Bressoud, 2021). This review examines curriculum content, teaching methods, and assessment strategies in alignment with college admissions, depth of conceptual understanding, inclusion of diverse approaches, and assessment accessibility. Findings will contribute to informed curriculum choices for students and inform equitable practices for educators.

Abc Pharmaceutical Company Change Model: Implementing J.P. Kotter's 8-Step And Adkar Change Models For Ethical Alignment, Shelbi B. Chandler, Amalfi Gayosso, Alison Lawton, Ali Holness-Roland

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

In this paper, we use the pseudonym ABC Pharmaceuticals (ABC) to refer to the company under examination, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). ABC Pharmaceutical (ABC) must assess, adapt, and change to ensure regulatory compliance, maintain and attract employees, and remain competitive. ABC has a history of erroneous practices and is at risk internally with employees, and externally with regulators and the public sectors. The authors applied J.P. Kotter’s (1996) 8-step and the ADKAR (Hiatt, 2006) models for change management. J.P. Kotter’s top-down model addresses leadership’s role in creating a compelling vision aligned with its actions, and the ADKAR bottom-up model assesses employees’ readiness …

Review Of Escape, Martha Sonntag Bradley

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

Response To Lockyer's "From Developmental Communalism To Transformative Utopianism", Donald E. Pitzer

Communal Societies

No abstract provided.

"How Is That Not Stalking?”: A Call For Legislative Reform In Pennsylvania, Lauren Marvel, Jessica Poley

Widener Commonwealth Law Review

No abstract provided.

#Bailfail: How Non-Uniform Bail Schedules May Have A Deleterious Effect On Human Trafficking Prosecutions, Benjamin Thomas Greer

Widener Commonwealth Law Review

No abstract provided.