Digital Commons Network^™

Compassionate Causation In The Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, Zoë Lewis Ewing

University of Chicago Law Review

This Comment evaluates the implementation of the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA), a New York law passed in 2019 to provide shortened sentencing ranges for domestic violence survivors convicted of crimes. It identifies an inconsistency in sentencing courts’ application of the law’s causation standard, which requires that a petitioner’s experience of domestic violence be a “significant contributing factor” to their criminal conduct. Some courts interpret the prong narrowly, while others apply a broad causation standard. This Comment argues that courts should opt for the latter approach and consider causation in the DVSJA satisfied if domestic violence was “sufficiently significant …

Your Consolation Brings Joy: How Private School Employees Support Students Experiencing Trauma, Virginia L. Rose

PhD in Education

Trauma caused by adverse childhood experiences is a growing and pervasive issue. Researchers have found trauma may have physical, emotional, behavioral, academic, and spiritual effects on children. School employees are in a unique position to teach students about resiliency and can mitigate the effects of traumatic stress. Although multiple studies have examined teachers’ definition, perspective, and experiences of trauma, few studies have taken place in faith-based schools. The following qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to discover the lived experiences of faith-based school employees in identifying and supporting students who have experienced trauma. Eleven faith-based school employees participated in a …

Effects Of Musical Participation On Senior Adult Musicians' Quality Of Life, M. Seth Mcgee

PhD in Education

As the global population of senior adults expands, so does the need for research-based strategies for maintaining health and well-being in this growing demographic. Current research has shown that musical involvement can provide benefits for senior adults’ physical health, cognitive function, emotional well-being, and sense of social connection. This study followed six senior adult musicians aged 60-82 who engaged in weekly musical activities in both individual and group contexts and examined their perceptions of how their daily participation in music-making affected their health and well-being. Participants were observed by the researcher interacting during rehearsals within the context of an active …

Followership Theory In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence: A Phenomenological Study Of How The Integration Of Ai Into An Ai-Human Hybrid Cancer Research Team Affects Followership Characteristics, John F. Carrera

PhD in Organizational Leadership

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming part of cancer research teams, helping with data analysis, pattern recognition, and decision support. Although AI changes how work is completed, little is known about how AI changes how followers adapt when AI becomes part of the team. This study examined how AI influences followership characteristics within AIhuman hybrid cancer research teams. A qualitative phenomenological research design was used to explore the lived experiences of nine cancer research professionals who interacted with AI as part of their routine work. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed, and analyzed through multiple rounds of qualitative coding to find …

Stress On Healthcare Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Tim Frink

Expo Student Presentations

2025 Fall Expo Online Poster Presentation

• Health Sciences & Health Professions
• Social & Behavioral Sciences

The Role Of Green Target Costing In Achieving Sustainable Competitive Advantage In Economic Units, Raad Abidmuslim Hraiga, Ahmad Najah Hadi, Ali Abdulhassan Abbas

Journal of Economics and Administrative Sciences

Research aims to determine the role of green target costing in enhancing and supporting sustainable competitive advantage in Iraqi economic units and to define the philosophical concepts of green target costing (GTC) and Sustainable Competitive Advantage (SAC). To achieve this, the research relied on an applied descriptive approach, applying it to an actual production environment, namely the "General Company for Fertilizer Industry - Southern Region in Basra," and relying on data for the year 2024. The research concluded that the application of GTC concepts in the reality of the Iraqi industry is in its early stages. One of the most …

The Determination And Impact Of Placement For Students With Developmental Delays, Christine E. Rogers

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Prior studies have demonstrated the benefits of increased time spent in the general education environments for students with disabilities. However, the literature lacks information specific to students who qualify under the Developmental Delay (DD) category. Therefore, this study examined the processes for how student placements are determined and implemented, as well as the impacts that various placements have on students with DD. This study utilized quantitative data from eight students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment scores. Qualitative data were collected from school personnel focus groups and school social worker and case manager questionnaires. The …

Determining If Trauma-Informed Practices Improve Behavioral, Academic, And Social-Emotional Outcomes For Students, Paige M.K. Newman

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This capstone project explores the impact of trauma-informed practices (TIP) on middle school students’ academic achievement, social-emotional development, and behavioral growth. Grounded in the understanding that adverse childhood experiences can significantly shape learning and behavior, the study investigates how intentional, school-wide trauma-responsive strategies support student success. Using a mixed-methods design, data were collected through classroom observations, academic performance measures, and social-emotional/behavioral screening tools, complemented by teacher and student surveys. Findings highlight positive correlations between consistent implementation of TIP and improvements in student engagement, emotional regulation, and on-task behavior, as well as modest but meaningful gains in academic outcomes. The project …

Drive-By Mediation And Other Opportunistic Distortions Of Process, Nancy A. Welsh

Faculty Scholarship

Many states in the United States, along with many nations, have implemented special benefits and privileges to encourage parties’ use of mediation to assist their communication, negotiation, and ultimate resolution of disputes. This is despite how loosely mediation is defined. This Article discusses how vague definitions, paired with special benefits and privileges, are incentivizing both the opportunistic distortion of mediation and the use of mediation for improper purposes. In Texas, for example, judges are extraordinarily limited in their ability to disapprove parents’ mediated child custody agreements—even if there is reason to worry that an agreement is contrary to the best …

Exploring Impacts Of Diversity Ideologies On Allyship (Intergroup Responsiveness), Fiona Nguyen

Dissertations and Theses

Colorblindness and multiculturalism are widely studied diversity ideologies that reflect prominent attitudes about how diversity should be understood and managed, as they can help predict individual behavior. Colorblindness proposes that distinct group identities should be ignored, and can be used to exclude minoritized groups and downplay racial minorities' experiences, whereas multiculturalism embraces and values group differences, can foster inclusive environments for minority groups, and leads to positive intergroup outcomes such as reduced prejudice. Despite much research dedicated to exploring the intergroup outcomes of diversity ideologies, few studies have examined their impacts on specific interpersonal interactions, particularly allyship. Research has defined …

Sex Worker Stigma, Morality And Ambivalent Sexism, Emily Kate Kinzel

Dissertations and Theses

Sex worker stigma has received limited attention in psychological research. Although stigma is often theorized to relate to moral concerns, the relationship between stigma and moral concerns has not been empirically established. This study aims to address these gaps by developing a measurement tool for attitudes towards sex workers--specifically an implicit association test (IAT)--and explore the relationships between sex worker stigma, moral concerns, and ambivalent sexism. Mock policy questions on the criminalization and punishment of sex workers were also included to approximate behavioral intentions of participants. A cross-sectional correlational study of 168 community members found evidence that both moral concerns …

A Dialetical Materialist Reading Of Language And Ideology In The Metamorphosis, Sidhanth Sethi

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2020 - Present

In this paper I use a dialectical materialist conception of ideology to analyze how it functions through language in Franz Kafka’s story The Metamorphosis. Beginning with Hegel’s account of consciousness as constituted through contradiction and its material reorientation in Marx and Engels, this project situates ideology within the social relations that shape human life. I then employ Evald Ilyenkov’s conception of material generation and Valentin Volosinov’s semiotic theory, arguing that signs constitute the material medium through which ideological meaning is produced and through which consciousness learns to misrecognize its own conditions. Using this framework, I interpret Gregor Samsa’s transformation as …

African American Female College Students’ Experiences At Predominately White Institutions, Sh'nita Louise Mitchell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

African American women who attend predominantly White institutions (PWIs) have historically encountered systemic challenges that include racial isolation, microaggressions, a lack of cultural understanding, and insufficient institutional support. These barriers often impact their sense of belonging, academic persistence, and overall success. I aimed to explore the lived experiences of African American women who graduated from PWIs to understand how these women navigate institutional structures and sustain their academic journeys. I aimed to examine the unique challenges and supports experienced by African American women, and to identify factors that contribute to or hinder their persistence and success at their PWI. The …

Understanding Digital Communication Gaps With Hispanic Families In A Charter School In South Texas, Ruby Cabrera Aguilar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Now that access to technology is prevalent, digital communication in school districts and between schools and parents should be of high priority. Since schools do not emphasize digital communication policies and practices, a problem seen is a lack of communication across districts involving school staff, parents, and students. Determining school leaders’ roles in closing digital communication gaps through policies and procedures deserves further study because effective communication leads to awareness, involvement, relationship building, and student success. In this study, the knowledge gap theory and qualitative action research through reports and interviews assisted in understanding the perspectives of six school staff …

Beyond Leadership Turnover: Examining The Relationship Between Principal Supervisor Coaching And Student Academic Performance, Margo L. Nottingham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Schools that maintain stable leadership report increased student achievement outcomes. The problem is that over 21% of U.S. principals leave their positions in the first year in high-poverty contexts. Principals leave their roles due to high job demands, inadequate support, and limited professional development, leading to decreased performance and poor school culture. The problem examined in this study was the lack of evidence on whether coaching principal supervisors contributed to improved student achievement outcomes. The study aimed to determine whether coaching principal supervisors through a regional service center was associated with higher student achievement in low-performing elementary and middle schools. …

"Are We Okay?": Exploring Departmental Leadership Behavior In Higher Education Organizational Crises, Melody Y. Zuniga

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored how faculty in higher education institutions experienced their department leaders during organizational crises. With academic department leaders often appointed with little training for the role’s administrative challenges, they can be underprepared when a crisis befalls their institutions. A qualitative narrative design allowed 10 social work faculty from nine Christian institutions across the United States to share their stories of navigating internal and external crises. Data collection occurred primarily through semistructured interviews, with questions allowing for narrative elements of time, place, and sociality to emerge. Through reflexive thematic analysis, findings revealed four themes in faculty’s experiences with …

Leading Employees Remotely In A Post-Covid-19 Era: A Phenomenology Study Of Remotely Working Employees, George M. Hardy Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in this study was that remote working employees felt disconnected from their organizations, leading to post-COVID-19 studies on phenomena such as quiet quitting and the great resignation. The purpose of this study was to investigate remotely working employees’ perspectives on connectedness to gain an understanding of commitment within their organization that ultimately leads to the decision to remain or leave. A qualitative phenomenology study was used with data collected from 12 remotely working participants across multiple industries and states. Data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using a thematic approach with member-checking and triangulation to ensure credibility. Two …

Professor Perspectives: Inclusion Of Students With An Intellectual Disability In Transition Programming On A College Campus, Melissa Jane Massey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) are often unemployed or underemployed compared to students who do not have ID. Transition or postsecondary programming for students with ID has increased in recent years in response to the U.S. federal requirement for special education professionals to complete transition plans before students turn 16. The requirement for transition planning in Texas is age 14, and the ARD committee including the student and parent come together to develop goals for future planning. Transition plans include information on future employment, future independent living skills, and agency connections that students with ID may need to access to …

Advancing Medical Education With Lifestyle Medicine: A Comprehensive Program Evaluation Using The Kirkpatrick Framework, Shanna L. Mello

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examined how a U.S. national lifestyle medicine residency curriculum influenced resident learning and practice using a program evaluation paradigm with a convergent mixed methods design guided by Kirkpatrick’s four-level evaluation model. The problem addressed was the persistent gap between evidence for lifestyle interventions and the limited preparation residents receive to deliver lifestyle counseling in routine care. The purpose of the study was to evaluate changes in residents’ reactions, learning, and clinical behaviors and to identify early patient-level signals and the implementation conditions that enabled or constrained behavior change. Quantitative methods analyzed archived pre- and posttraining surveys from 148 …

Closing The Graduation Gap: Factors That Impact The Graduation And Enrollment Rates Of First Generation African American Male Students At Predominantly White Christian Universities, Byron C. Johnson Jr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First-generation African American male students encounter unique challenges on their journey through higher education. These challenges include inadequate academic preparation, limited family support, financial hardships, and difficulties in finding a sense of belonging. Additionally, factors such as race and religion present significant barriers that hinder their ability to persist in and graduate from colleges and universities without institutional support. Strategic initiatives, programs, and services that address the specific needs of these students are crucial for promoting their academic and social integration, ultimately influencing their success in higher education. This study focused on the experiences of successful first-generation African American students …

The Moderating Effects Of Community Involvement On The Association Between Witnessed Community Violence And Mental Health Outcomes Among Black Adolescents, Curtisha Tamara Shacklewood

Theses and Dissertations

Black youth and adolescents are at a disproportionately high risk for experiencing community violence exposure (CVE) and the potential influence it may have on psychological functioning. Research posits that Black youth who experience community violence are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing elevated internalizing symptoms (e.g., depression) and externalizing symptoms (e.g., delinquency). Previous research has utilized the ecological model to investigate interpersonal protective factors that potentially buffer the effects of CVE, including parental support and family characteristics. However, there is little research that explores community-level factors, such as community activities (e.g., youth activities and parental perception of collective efficacy) …

Examining Choices Of Sarcastic Responses In Dialogue With Virtual Interlocutors, Samantha Langley

Theses and Dissertations

We report the results from three experiments examining people’s preferences for using sarcasm in conversation as a function of: 1. whether their interlocutor uses sarcasm during the conversation; 2. Their knowledge about whether the interlocutor has used sarcasm in a previous conversation; 3. The presence of prosodical and visual cues for interlocutors’ sarcasm. In each experiment, participants took part in two conversations, and we manipulated whether the interlocutors were sincere or sarcastic and whether they remained the same or changed from one conversation to the next. Experiment one used written conversations and experiment two and three used pre-recorded video clips …

Leveraging After School Programs As Resources To Support Adolescent Health And Wellbeing Within Underserved Communities: A Qualitative Study, Olivia Staples

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, youth have shown a consistent rise in stress, major depression, anxiety, and suicide, with underserved youth (low-income, minoritized communities) at greatest risk of exposure to chronic stress, related outcomes, and less access to health services (APA, 2017). Afterschool programs (ASPs), which serve as important resources in underserved communities, can be a critical support for youth health and well-being (Afterschool Alliance, 2019). However, few studies have examined ways in which ASPs address the challenges underserved youth face across their ecosystem to promote youth resilience (Jones & Deutsch, 2011). Using qualitative interview data from staff and youth across …

​​​How Do Working Conditions Effect Teacher Job Satisfaction And Intention To Stay: Retaining Special Education Teachers​, Alyssa Michelle Raygoza

Theses and Dissertations

Teacher retention remains a leading area of focus in the United States. Recent research efforts have examined the effects of specific work-related experiences on teacher retention. In comparison to teaching in a general education classroom, special education teachers often face increased levels of job demands that can influence the ways in which existing resources may or may not balance out such challenges. The study is grounded in the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model, a theoretical framework that has been used widely in both occupational and, more recently, educational research focusing on the specific demands and resources situated within teacher working conditions. …

The Impact Of Project-Based Learning On Future First Generation College Students’ Oral Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Confidence Levels, And College And Career Readiness, Mandana Marashi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research was to evaluate the impact of a project-based learning innovation course on high school students’ oral communication, presentation skills, confidence levels, and college and career readiness in a college and career readiness program housed at a university in the Mid-Atlantic region. Effective oral communication and presentation skills have been continuously emphasized by national organizations and employers to be critical skills for success in students’ academic and professional lives. However, teaching oral communication and presentation skills to high school students has been neglected, which has negatively affected students’ college and career readiness, particularly for students …

Influence Of School Climate On Comprehensive School Behavioral Health Effectiveness, Halle Rose Singer

Theses and Dissertations

Youth are experiencing a sharp rise in mental health concerns, which have reached critical levels. Schools have emerged as a key setting for delivering mental health services due to their accessibility, familiarity, and capacity to reach diverse populations. Comprehensive School Behavioral Health (CSBH) systems offer a multi-tiered, evidence-based framework for supporting the mental health of all students. However, the success of CSBH interventions varies across schools presumably indicating that systemic or school level factors, like school climate, may influence youth mental health outcomes. In this study, I investigate how school-level factors, specifically student-perceived school climate, influence the mental health outcomes …

Investigating The Influence Of Instructional Strategies On The Development Of Procedural And Conceptual Knowledge In Advanced Algebra Ii Students, Maura Frances Yinger

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods action research study investigated the influence of instructional strategies shown to improve students’ procedural and conceptual understanding in a rational expressions and equations unit in Advanced Algebra II. The instructional strategies used in the study include comparing, self-explaining, and exploring before instruction. The students (N=27) completed a pre-test and a post-test, both of which were followed by questions asking students to justify their responses on two questions. All students also responded to six digital self-explanation journal prompts. Randomly selected students were placed into three homogenous groups to participate in performance task observations. Analysis of the data …

Investigating Connections Among Cognitive Coaching, Student Agency And Achievement In Ninth Grade Algebra 1, Terri Renee Rathburn

Theses and Dissertations

This convergent parallel mixed-methods action research study explored the application of Cognitive Coaching as a student-centered intervention to promote agency and academic achievement in a ninth-grade Algebra 1 classroom. Grounded in Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory and informed by self-regulated learning and agentic engagement frameworks, the study investigated how structured coaching conversations supported students’ intentionality, forethought, self-reactiveness, and self-reflectiveness.

Findings indicate that students who engaged in coaching demonstrated measurable growth in self-reported agency and thematic analysis of coaching transcripts revealed shifts from passive compliance to proactive engagement. While achievement results on the Algebra 1 end of course assessment did not reveal …

Personal Finance Education In Florida: Teaching The Teachers, Jessica Morey

Theses and Dissertations

This mixed-methods action research study with an explanatory sequential design investigated teacher financial capability and financial well-being in advance of a mandate that will require high school students in Florida to take a semester-long personal finance course, taught by social studies teachers. Survey results from 47 participants—teachers at a large suburban high school and high school social studies teachers across a Florida school district serving just over 29,000 students—indicated that while most teachers can answer basic financial literacy questions, many lack the financial self-efficacy to ensure their financial future. Teachers had varying experiences with financial socialization. While many had experienced …

Unlocking The Power Of Connection: Engagement And Communication With Limited/ Non English Language Families, Melinda Hope Burnette

Theses and Dissertations

Family engagement can positively impact a student’s academic performance, attendance, literacy, and behavior at school (Bachman et al., 2021; Garbacz et al., 2018; Houri et al., 2019; Karge & Lansky, 2011; Robinson et al., 2022). However, there are several barriers to school-family communication, including additional responsibilities outside the school setting and socioeconomic factors. Parents and families who have limited/no English literacy skills face additional barriers to participation because of the lack of language support from schools in communicating events, providing access to language support at events, and parent perceptions of school acceptance (Arellanes et al., 2023; Perrigo et al., 2022; …