Digital Commons Network^™

Relationships Among Institutional Betrayal, Adverse Healthcare Experiences, And College Student Health, Saba Mustafa

Honors Theses

Institutional betrayal is defined as the trauma experienced by an individual who feels that their trust in the ability of an institution to keep the individual safe is broken. Healthcare-related institutional betrayal has primarily been explored among working adults, individuals with chronic conditions, and individuals from racially diverse backgrounds. However, healthcare-related institutional betrayal has seldom been explored in college student samples, who may have different healthcare needs compared to other patient populations. The present study explored college students’ experiences with institutional betrayal due to negative healthcare experiences. Survey data were gathered from 157 college students. Measures included healthcare provider trust, …

Relations Between Ethnic-Racial Identity Statuses And Critical Consciousness Among Latine Adolescents, Kristia A. Wantchekon, Esther Burson, Olga Kornienko, Norma J. Perez-­ Brena, Maciel M. Hernández, M. Dalal Safa, Thao Ha

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Ethnic-­racial identity (ERI) development reflects the processes through which adolescents learn about their ethnic-­ racial background (i.e., exploration) and develop clarity about what it means to them (i.e., resolution). Research on ERI has been critiqued for not examining connections between ERI and broader social beliefs, such as critical consciousness (i.e., individuals' level of reflection about social oppression, motivation to take action against it, and the extent to which they take such action). When examining connections to ERI, research underscores the importance of considering individuals' patterns of exploration and resolution in tandem (i.e., ERI status) rather than analyzing them in isolation. …

Social Media Mining For Extracting The Experience Of Neurodivergent Individuals On Twitter (X) And Reddit, Kartik Thakkar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Neurodiversity refers to the natural neurological variations in the human brain such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, Tourette syndrome and other neurological disorders. it’s estimated that around 15% to 20% of the world’s population is neurodivergent. This means a significant portion of people experience neurological differences in how they think, learn, and interact with the world.

Social Media has become an important space for neurodivergent individuals to share their experiences, build communities, and seek support. This thesis explores how the online venues like X (Twitter) and Reddit offer themselves as digital spaces where …

More Than Peyote: Trauma, Healing, And The Politics Of Indigenous Cultural Survival In The Age Of Psychedelic Colonialism, Christine Diindiisi Mccleave

Indigenous Studies

This dissertation examines the intersection of peyote religion, historical trauma, and the emergent psychedelic movement through a critical Indigenous lens. Centering peyote as both a sacred medicine and a symbolic flashpoint, the study highlights how contemporary psychedelic policy, practice, and commercialization perpetuate settler-colonial paradigms and threaten Indigenous cultural survival. While mainstream narratives frame psychedelics as tools for healing, this research emphasizes how such framing often obscures deeper histories of dispossession, cultural appropriation, and epistemic violence. Using a mixed-methods approach, including 50 anonymous survey responses, 13 qualitative interviews, and a 6-person focus group, this study amplifies the voices of tribal citizens …

Identifying Common Characteristics Among Female Serial Killers And The Role Of Early Childhood Abuse, Jill Marie Raichel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 17% of known serial killers in the United States are women, and often their crimes go undetected for years accruing a higher number of victims than their male counterparts. The purpose of this study was to identify common characteristics of female serial killers (FSKs). A multidisciplinary, holistic and developmental approach was used to guide the identification of common characteristics based on theories by Erik Erikson and Carol Gilligan as well as feminist theory. Case studies of 15 FSKs were randomly selected for participation from a list of over 100 known FSKs documented in the Radford Serial Killer database. Common …

Coaching Hero: An Investigation Of Psychological Capital In Black Women Entrepreneurs, Deana Diana Kennedy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The disparity of psychological capital (PsyCap) among diverse cultures and genders in the entrepreneurial area weakens access to the economic and social resources required to develop and sustain entrepreneurial ventures. Black women entrepreneurs continue to lag behind their counterparts in other ethnicities in generating revenue from entrepreneurial efforts, hindering U.S. business maturity. The purpose of this qualitative, constructivist grounded theory study was to explore how coaching facilitates the development of PsyCap among Black women entrepreneurs and the perceived socioeconomic barriers that influence this development. The social cognitive theory and a positive psychology conceptual framework grounded this study. The participants comprised …

Review: Poetter, Thomas S. Curriculum Fragments: A Currere Journey Through Life Processes., Joseph Wiederhold

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Poetter’s book Curriculum Fragments—and the stories shared within— have changed the way I think about education. Redefined it. Recentered it on what matters most—the human experience, the life processes at the center of Poetter’s book: losing, knowing, forgiving, relating, hoping, growing, loving. Each of Poetter’s fragments—reflective narratives written following the Currere methodology (Pinar)—caused me to reevaluate my practice.

...Of Cabbages And Kings, Fall 2025, Emeriti Society, University Of The Pacific

Emeriti Newsletter: "...Of Cabbages and Kings"

"...Of Cabbages and Kings" is the newsletter of the University of the Pacific Emeriti Society. Read more about the Emeriti Society of Pacific by clicking here.

A Faith-Based Approach To Mental Health Challenges, Patrick Leblanc

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This project sheds light on mental health issues within the Black community and the need for faith communities to intentionally address mental health issues in communities of color. Black men are oppressed by an interplay of cultural, historical, societal, and economic factors that impact their well-being. Racial discrimination and oppression are non-medical drivers exacerbating mental health disorders among Black men. The influences of culture and faith fabricate barriers to help-seeking behavior, and mistaken perceptions of masculinity cause many men to suffer in silence. To begin erasing derogatory perceptions of mental health disorders, faith communities need to increase mental health …

Student Perceptions Of The Impact Of Faculty Race And Gender On Their Sense Of Connectedness, Engagement, And Persistence, Sherrie Y. Fuller

Dissertations

This quantitative study examined how faculty demographic characteristics, specifically race and gender, influence undergraduate students’ perceptions of connectedness, engagement, and persistence at a public Midwestern university. Guided by Tinto’s Model of Student Integration (1975, 1993, 2012), the research explored whether perceived alignment between student and faculty identities contributes to students’ sense of belonging and motivation to persist toward degree completion. Data were collected from 100 undergraduate participants representing diverse racial, gender, and academic backgrounds. Participants completed a researcher-developed survey instrument utilizing a four-point Likert scale to measure connectedness, engagement, and persistence.

Works Of Love From Russia, Alisa Gorshenina

International Dialogue

This reflective artist’s statement by Alisa Gorshenina (Alice Hualice) intertwines autobiographical narrative with the creative context of four works produced during and after her politically forced displacement from Russia. Gorshenina recounts a lifelong pattern of resisting external pressures—from expectations to relocate for education and career advancement to demands that she flee Russia following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. She frames her continued desire to live in her hometown of Nizhny Tagil as an act of personal agency and a “new language of resistance,” grounded not in state loyalty but in an authentic, non-nationalistic love of place. Increasing censorship, denunciations, canceled …

Fragments, Najlaa Attaallah

International Dialogue

In Fragments (شظايا), Najlaa Attaallah offers a poetic, intimate, and devastating meditation on exile, trauma, and the unrelenting violence endured by Palestinians in Gaza. Written from Reykjavík yet emotionally tethered to her homeland, Attaallah narrates the psychic rupture caused by witnessing war from afar—the guilt of safety, the suffocating pull of memory, and the sense of existing as “a body without certainty.” Across lyrical vignettes, she explores the collapse of ordinary life under the weight of collective horror: sleeplessness, paralysis, obsessive monitoring of news, and the disintegration of routine maternal roles. The text moves between present anguish and childhood …

Improving The Effectiveness Of The Teacher Professional Learning Communities In Secondary Education, Oscar A. Urieta

Education Theses and Dissertations

This Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice investigated how to enhance the relevance, effectiveness, and teacher ownership of grade-level Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) at a university-affiliated charter school in East Texas. Despite the district’s strong STEM and Project-Based Learning (PBL) emphasis, 60% of high school teachers reported that PLCs felt irrelevant, administratively driven, or misaligned with their daily instructional needs. Using Improvement Science methodologies, including Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, root-cause analysis, a driver diagram, and embedded collaborative structures, this study implemented targeted interventions aimed at shifting teacher perceptions and strengthening PLC practices. Interventions centered on aligning PLC agendas with PBL, implementing structured …

Memory Delayed Is Justice Denied: Why North Carolina Should Amend Its Statute Of Limitations For Child Sexual Abuse Cases, L. Casey Buttke

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Shield For Schools, But No Relief For Students: The Problem With Statutory Immunity In Dieckhaus V. Board Of Governors Of University Of North Carolina, Rachel Elizabeth Stuart

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Feedback Loops: Fly On The Wall, Patrick Barry

Articles

I recently turned to an interesting source to get some feedback on the way I communicate when leading meetings and speaking to large groups: artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Born into a family of fast-talking New Yorkers who don’t always wait for you to finish your thoughts before they jump in with theirs (my mom grew up in Manhattan and my dad grew up in Long Island), I recently realized that I have developed what the linguist Deborah Tannen calls a “high-involvement” conversation style, especially when I take the lead in meetings or teach my classes. I nod as other people …

Religious Framing, Moral Foundations And Identity: A Replication And Extension, Brianna M. Mucciante

Honors Projects

Two previous pre-registered studies revealed that administering general religion measures had a framing effect, reducing scores on subsequent binding moral foundations and moral self-identity. In a replication and extension, the present study will administer contrasting religious measures (i.e., fundamentalism vs. spirituality) to elucidate the framing mechanisms.

The Loss Of The Moral Principal: How The Attitude Of School Discipline Changed From The 1950s Through The 1980s, Brendan Webster

Honors Projects

This comparative historical analysis examines the profound ideological transformation of student discipline in American secondary schools between 1950 and 1989. Utilizing a comparative textual analysis of primary source documents published in The High School Journal. This study investigates how administrative philosophy, professional concern, and disciplinary practice responded to the sociological and geopolitical views in the respective decades.

The research identifies a core continuity in the school's role as an agent of social control, but documents a fundamental divergence in the mechanisms used to achieve it. The 1950s view, shaped by mental hygiene and democratic idealism, framed discipline as a developmental …

Validating A Creative Teaching Inventory: A Mixed Method Approach To Construct Validity, Todd Kettler, Beatrice Ruiz Buentello, Nilay Ayse Gunel, Madelyn Chance, Laila Y. Sanguras

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Creative pedagogies are increasingly important as the demand for a creative workforce grows. However, there are limited measures of creative pedagogy. One such measure is The Inventory of Teaching Practices in Higher Education. Only one study has been published examining its factor structure when used with undergraduate students. The present study aims to further investigate its construct validity using a convergent mixed methods design. We recruited students (n = 268) from a private university in Texas and administered a modified version of the inventory, with items from each factor presented together followed by two open ended items asking …

In The Pursuit Of Parent Caregiver Well-Being: A Phenomenological Study, Glenda E. Hux, Natalie King, Sarah A. Schoen

Communication Disorders and Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Unmet needs in parent of children with chronic and complex conditions often result in adverse outcomes to their mental health and well-being. This descriptive phenomenological study explores their lived experiences and daily participation patterns. Thirteen participants in a global cohort shared their experiences via a secure digital platform. Five themes emerged illustrating the parents' pursuit of well-being and the barriers encountered: Embodying the Caregiver Life, Navigating Intricate Realities, Emotional and Existential Landscape, Navigating Healthcare Systems, and Connected Yet Alone. This study underlies parents' occupational participation challenges and the crucial need to address them using parent-centered approaches to promote family well-being.

Sex And Danger, Airborne Ranger: A Historical Analysis Of G.I. Songs, Jody Calls, And Marching Cadences, Travis G. Salley

Dissertations

Military marching cadences have long served as a core feature of basic combat training, reinforcing cohesion, discipline, and esprit de corps. Tradition attributes their origin to a Black soldier, Private Willie Duckworth, who lifted the spirits of his unit with an improvised chant during a 1944 forced march. The chant soon gained national attention and was formally adopted into Army training through the efforts of Colonel Bernard Lentz—Duckworth’s commanding officer and the author of the Army’s close order drill manual. Their relationship, framed by military hierarchy and racial inequality, reflects broader American patterns where Black cultural forms gain institutional legitimacy …

Perceptions Of Leader Emotional Intelligence During Change: A Qualitative Study Of Middle Managers In Higher Education, Kirk Bennett

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

In a world where change is constant, organizations often struggle to adapt. Whether implementing change proactively or responding to external realities, organizational change leaders must navigate the landscape of change with awareness of the potential for follower resistance to derail their efforts. Change and emotion are not easily separated, and change leaders who ignore the emotional realities of change do so at the risk of failure. Leaders who demonstrate emotional intelligence are better equipped to understand and manage the emotions of change in themselves and others. How followers perceive the emotional intelligence of their leaders is crucial to their own …

Ending The Cycle: A New Approach To Decriminalize Mental Illness, Paige E. Kohn

Southern Illinois University Law Journal

Today, America faces a health paradox: the nation’s largest jails are the nation’s largest psychiatric institutions. In a criminal justice system designed for punishment, solutions like mental health units or mental health courts try to address this contradiction. Yet, if mental illness is a health issue, and not a criminal issue, then increased investments in the criminal justice system seem misplaced. Instead, a more promising approach is to stop the mentally ill from entering the criminal justice system at all.

This article presents just that: a new approach to decriminalize mental illness. Viewed under an overarching “health justice” lens, the …

Enhancing End-Of-Life Quality In Hospice Care, Gerson Orellana Prudencio

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The‍‌‍‍‌ increasing demand for hospice care in Monterey County is a clear indicator of the rapid growth in the need for end-of-life services driven by the aging population. The project was developed at the Department of Hospice of the Central Coast, which is under the Montage Health Foundation, a non-profit organization. The community served consists of elderly people receiving hospice and end-of-life care, as well as volunteers who provide administrative and indirect support. The Volunteer Handbook aims to create a comprehensive procedural manual for hospice volunteers to improve administrative efficiency and ensure the quality of care. Interviews were conducted with …

Barriers To Hospice Access For The Latino Community, Guadalupe Rivera

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Latino community in Monterey County faces significant obstacles to accessing hospice care, including language barriers and cultural misunderstandings. Many community members are unfamiliar with available hospice services or hold common misconceptions, such as equating hospice only with dying or abandonment. This capstone project, in partnership with the Central Coast Visiting Nurse Association (VNA), investigated these barriers through interviews conducted at a local senior event. An important outcome of the project was the creation of a bilingual (Spanish and English) resource guide for new Social workers which helps social workers efficiently connect Latino families to appropriate services in their preferred …

From Inside The Recording Studio, Mckayla J. Adkison

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This project documents the historical, technical, and creative significance of recording studios through both industry examples and the design and construction of a personal backyard studio. By examining iconic studios such as Abbey Road and Capitol Records, the paper highlights how technological innovation, acoustic engineering, and architectural design have shaped the evolution of recorded music. These concepts are then applied to the planning and construction of a custom-built recording studio, emphasizing room dimensions, sound isolation techniques, acoustic treatment, lighting, and sustainable design choices. In addition, the project addresses the importance of aesthetics and emotional comfort in creating a space that …

Supporting Self-Regulation In Middle Childhood Through Social-Emotional Building, Karen Jimenez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Children in middle childhood, ages 6–12, may struggle to self-regulate their emotions, behaviors, and thoughts. They are becoming more independent, forming deeper friendships, facing greater academic demands, and experiencing more complex situations. Struggles with self-regulation can lead to difficulties in resilience, peer relationships, and school performance, but children who can identify their feelings, understand their emotional triggers, and recognize how these emotions impact their behavior are better able to cope with challenges and stay focused. According to McCabe and Altamura (2011), children with strong social-emotional skills usually have better relationships, more friends, and greater success in school, while those children …

More Than Words: A Parent-Led Approach To Triqui Language Revitalization At Home, Monica Andrade

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Preserving indigenous languages is crucial for maintaining cultural identity, strengthening family bonds, and promoting the healthy development of children. For many immigrant Triqui families, the shift to using dominant languages like English or Spanish can lead to language attrition, a gradual loss of their native language when it is no longer spoken regularly at home (McCarty, 2003). To help Triqui parents actively preserve and promote their heritage language, I conducted a workshop specifically for a group of Triqui mothers at the Greenfield Community Center. The workshop provided practical strategies to engage children in everyday Triqui conversations, strengthen intergenerational connections, foster …

Ignite The Spark: A Multi-State Collaboration For Engaging And Retaining 4-H Volunteers, Meggan Franks, Ken Culp, Karla Knoepfli, T. Ashley Burns, Breanna Wade

Journal of Youth Development

Volunteers are critical to 4-H program delivery; however, volunteer retention remains a persistent challenge within youth development organizations. To address this concern, a coalition of 4-H volunteer specialists from the Southern region designed and delivered a five-part webinar series titled Ignite the Spark: Strategies for Engaging and Retaining 4-H Volunteers. This series provided professional development on volunteer engagement and retention for 4-H youth development professionals across the United States. Topics included personal and program readiness, recruitment, engagement, and retention strategies. More than 450 extension professionals from 12 states participated in the live sessions, with an additional 228 completing asynchronous, …

How Secondary Online Teachers Perceive And Implement Executive Function Strategies In Online Classrooms: A Qualitative Case Study, Erin M. Hall

Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored how secondary online teachers perceive and implement executive function (EF) strategies in fully asynchronous online learning environment. Grounded in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework and the Unity and Diversity Model of Executive Function, the study examined how instructional practices support cognitive flexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control. Data were collected through interviews, a focus group, and artifacts submitted by eleven secondary online teachers. Using iterative thematic analysis, four key findings emerged: (1) teachers used intentional scaffolding strategies- such as modeling, pacing tools, and checklists to support EF development; (2) they emphasized shifting cognitive responsibility …