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"Why Does Coach Do That?" Exploring Influences Of Coach Behavior In Non-Elite Women's Artistic Gymnastics, Katherine Vernay Adams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This two study dissertation explores coaching in women's artistic gymnastics, as the sport has been criticized for harsh and controlling coaching methods. The first study investigated whether coaches who experienced mistreatment as young gymnasts were more likely to adopt controlling coaching practices. While there was no direct link, those with a history of mistreatment tended to struggle more with managing their emotions. The second study tested whether coaches view controlling coaching as more acceptable for younger or more advanced gymnasts. The results showed that neither age nor skill level made a difference—controlling coaching was generally viewed as unacceptable, while supportive …

Complex Factors Impacting Smoking Behavior In Cancer Survivors With Food Insecurity, Madeline C. Castele, Kareena Shah, Avianna Thompson, Jin E. Kim-Mozeleski

Faculty Scholarship

Objectives: Tobacco use remains prevalent among people with social needs, such as food insecurity. In this study, we aimed to understand the complex experiences of low-income cancer survivors with food insecurity who smoke tobacco, to identify the unique smoking cessation needs for this group. Methods: We conducted in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews with 40 adults experiencing food insecurity who continued smoking after a cancer diagnosis. Interviews focused on smoking behaviors, cessation interest, cancer experiences, and financial circumstances. We analyzed the data using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: In this sample of cancer survivors (50% female, mean age 42 years, 60% black/African American, …

Pre-Service Teacher Perceptions Of An Outdoor Learning Experience Within A Science Methods Course, Steph Dean, Summer Landreth

Publications

Given the challenges currently facing early childhood science education, this exploratory study investigates the advantages of outdoor learning as part of a teacher preparation program. A group of 49 pre-service early childhood education teachers participated in a day-long outdoor learning experience embedded within their science methods course. Guided by the theoretical lens of embodied cognition, we employed a case study approach to collect and analyze qualitative survey data, using both categorizing and connecting strategies to explore participants’ experiences. The findings reveal four key themes related to pre-service teacher perceptions, in that outdoor learning: (1) represented an engaging experience, (2) contributed …

The Lived Experiences Of Fathers With Postpartum Depression: A Qualitative Study, Rachael Elizabeth Schmitz

Nursing and Health Sciences

Background:

Although parents may joyfully anticipate the birth of a child, it's impossible for them to know ahead of time just how profoundly their lives will change. Postpartum depression (PPD) can result. While there is a substantial body of research regarding maternal PPD, paternal PPD has received far less attention and is neither adequately understood nor diagnosed. This is exacerbated by outdated but persistent sociocultural masculinity norms and the stigmas around mental health issues.

Purpose:

This study sought to explore the lived experiences of new fathers with PPD in order to provide greater insight into their experiences.

Methods:

This qualitative …

Perception And Experiences With Telemedicine Among Caregivers Of Children Requiring Outpatient Chronic Care, Maureen Wambui Kigara

Master of Medicine in Paediatrics and Child Health

Introduction Telemedicine is an expanding healthcare modality with potential to enhance access to paediatric specialist care, reduce healthcare costs, and minimize school and work disruptions. However, little is known about caregiver perceptions and experiences with telemedicine in low- and middle-income countries, especially in the context of chronic paediatric care.

Objectives This study explored how caregivers of children with chronic health conditions perceive and experience telemedicine, and what factors influence its adoption. The findings aim to inform the design of patient-centered paediatric telemedicine services.

Methodology A cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted at the Paediatric Specialist Clinics of Aga Khan University Hospital. …

Autonomous, Yet Anchored: Exploring The Interplay Of Self-Reliance And Personal Spirituality On Employee Outcomes, Alexander Schad

All Dissertations

The modern workplace increasingly requires employees to function autonomously while managing limited psychological resources, presenting a tension between the benefits of self-reliance and its potential costs to well-being. This dissertation examined how self-reliance simultaneously influences task persistence and emotional exhaustion, and explores whether personal spirituality moderates these relationships. Drawing on the Strength Model of Self-Control (SMSC), I develop and test a theoretical framework investigating the relationships between self-reliance, work overload, task persistence, emotional exhaustion, and workplace spirituality.

Through a time-lagged field study with 453 working professionals across three measurement waves, I found that self-reliance positively predicted task persistence, supporting the …

Reducing Suicide Ideation Through Healthcare Provider Training In The Use Of The Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-Ssrs) In A Rural Community Mental Health Clinic, Lashunda R. Lewis

Doctoral Projects

This doctoral project aimed to address the inconsistent and inadequate assessment of suicide risk by healthcare professionals in a Rural Community Clinic. Staff members do not comprehensively understand the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale and vary in how they screen patients before the intervention. When we looked at the baseline, we found that only 45% of charts contained suicide risk screening, and C-SSRS was used in only 5% of cases. Some of the main obstacles reported were not properly training staff and keeping patients from sharing their thoughts on this subject.

The main objective of the doctoral project was to test …

Parenting For Wellness: Positive Parenting Factors As Predictors Of College Student Physical Health, Mental Health, And Social Connectedness Through The Lens Of Self-Determination Theory, Mary E. Lamkin

Dissertations

Research suggests that the transition to college can impact college student well-being across the domains of physical health, mental health, and social connectedness (Frech, 2012; Pittman & Richmond, 2008; Xiao et al., 2017). As parents are more heavily connected to their college-aged students when compared to years before cell phones and social media, they likely continue to play a significant role in their child’s well-being, even while they are in college (Wartman & Savage, 2008). Therefore, the aim of this dissertation was to investigate positive parenting behaviors as predictors of wellness in college-aged participants using Self Determination Theory (Ryan & …

Student Handbook 2025-2026, Saint Mary's College Of California

Student Handbook

No abstract provided.

The Guardian The Month Of August 2025, Wright State Student Body

The Guardian Student Newspaper

News articles from The Guardian for the Month of August 2025. The Guardian is the official student-run newspaper for Wright State University. It has been published regularly since March of 1965.

Three Essays On Mental Health Courts, Taylor E. Le Moal

All Dissertations

Mental illness in the criminal justice system is a major issue, with 2 in 5 incarcerated people in the US having a serious mental illness (Criminalization of People with Mental Illness, n.d.). Prisons have turned into “de facto” mental health facilities when these facilities are not equipped to do so. This means once individuals are released from incarceration, they are often ill-equipped to return to regular life and may get caught up in the cycle of recidivism (Slate, 2017). One method that policymakers have used to solve this problem is mental health courts (MHCs), which are pre-trial diversion …

Understanding The Experiences Of White Female Elementary School Teachers Who Promote Racial Equity And Justice In White Schools, Meredith Valentine

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

In this qualitative study, I conducted semi-structured interviews of six white, female elementary school teachers to better understand how and why they enacted principles of racial equity to challenge the status quo of whiteness with their predominantly white middle-class students and school community. Teachers felt they lacked a formal, structured education to feel confident in their teaching of racial and social justice concepts. Teachers used other forms of social justice teaching that they were more experientially familiar with, such as gender equity, language diversity, and (dis)ability, as a catalyst to discuss topics of racial justice. Each educator navigated their classroom …

Elements Of Creative Writing, Second Edition, Grant Tracey, Rachel Morgan, Jeremy Schraffenberger

Faculty Book Gallery

This free and open access textbook introduces new writers to some basic elements of the craft of creative writing. The authors—Rachel Morgan, Jeremy Schraffenberger, and Grant Tracey—are editors of the North American Review (NAR), the oldest and one of the most well-regarded literary magazines in the United States.

We’ve selected nearly all of our readings and examples from writing that has appeared in our pages over the years. This 2nd edition includes several new topics and some new pieces from the NAR. Because we had a hand in publishing these pieces originally, our perspective as editors permeates this book. As …

Madam President: Navigating The Journey Of Black Women To Executive Leadership In Higher Education, Tressi Daymon

Education Doctoral

The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study is to examine the leadership trajectories of Black women in senior executive roles in higher education, with a focus on the barriers and supports that have shaped their careers. Semi-structured interviews gathered perspectives on their lived experiences, capturing both the challenges they faced and the strategies used in their journeys. These strategies included networking, skill-building, advocacy, and resilience, reflecting how these women navigated and overcame the unique leadership challenges they faced. Black feminist theory and intersectionality provided the theoretical framework to explore how race and gender biases uniquely affected their leadership journeys. Data …

Framing The Problem To Meet The Policy Solution: An Embedded Mixed Methods Case Study Of The 2017 Michigan Opioid Laws, Leandra Hawkins Burke

Dissertations

The opioid crisis presents a wicked problem for public administration. Hundreds of thousands of people have died from opioid overdoses in the United States, and countless others have experienced severe opioid-related physical, psychological, and socioeconomic harms. Countering the opioid crisis has been difficult due to interdependencies across different drugs and multiple pathways for abuse and dependence. Many scholars, health providers, and politicians have called for a broad public health approach to combat the opioid crisis, but the full expanse of what that would entail has not yet been realized. What has been demonstrated is that interactions targeting a single aspect …

The Impact Of Feedback Timing On Work Performance When There Is A Long Duration Between Sessions, Priyanka B. Dave

Dissertations

Performance feedback is a powerful tool central to many functions at work, as it guides, motivates, and rewards employees’ behaviors. To better understand the function of feedback, previous research has examined the impact of feedback’s timing (proximal to the previous per-formance versus proximal to the next performance) on the effectiveness of feedback. However, the findings have been mixed across studies. Studies with less than 1-day between session dura-tions tend to find no difference between after-session versus before-session feedback. However, investigations with multiple-day between session durations tend to find improved performance with before-session feedback. This study used a counterbalanced across-subject design …

Examination Of The Association Between Parent Beliefs About Injury And Supervision Behavior, Felicia Acelia Diaz

Dissertations

Unintentional Injuries are the leading cause of death for children in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2021). Several studies have indicated that caregiver beliefs (such as locus of control) are associated with children’s injury risk (Damashek et al., 2005), but few studies have examined whether caregiver beliefs about injury are related to caregiver’s injury prevention behaviors, such as caregiver supervision. Examination of caregiver beliefs regarding supervision revealed that caregiver’s degree of belief in the preventability of childhood injuries predicted self-report scores on several measures of supervision. Caregiver’s degree of …

"It Can Be Hard To Stand Up Straight In A Crooked Room:" Examining The Mediating Effects Of Black Women's Gendered Racial Identity On The Relationship Between The Strong Black Woman/Superwoman Schema And Collective Coping, Devin Willis

Dissertations

Prior research on the Strong Black Woman (SBW)/Superwoman (SW) schema has produced mixed findings. Both positive and negative outcomes of Black women’s internalization of this schema have been identified. These mixed findings may be linked to the measurement of the SBW/SW schema and the relationship with other culturally relevant variables. There have been significant positive relationships identified between Black women’s gendered racial identity (GRID) and the internalization of gendered racial stereotypes (i.e., the SBW/SW). Methods for coping with stereotypes have also been identified as influential when considering Black women’s coping behaviors.

The purpose of this study is to examine the …

Interdisciplinary Studies At Grand Valley State: Brooks College At Twenty, Eric Covey

Grand Valley Reports and Histories

This study, focused chiefly on academic programs, begins with a brief outline of the history of the Cluster Colleges at Grand Valley State University and then goes on to detail how the arrival of a new provost in 2002 revived and reshaped the idea of an independent college dedicated to interdisciplinary experiments. It was written partially to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Development And Validation Of A Baseline Clinical Tool For Primary Care Providers To Address Nicotine Delivery System Usage In Adolescents, Monica M. Janssen

Doctoral Scholarly Projects & Capstones

Family practice providers are a pillar of the health care system as demonstrated through helping patients of all ages achieve health. Adolescents are a unique patient population in an age where they are moving toward adulthood, out of childhood, and vulnerable to influence. Providers could help adolescents shape their future in health through prevention. Preventative care including evidence-based evaluations and treatments could provide adolescents with a strong foundation in healthy adulthood. Adolescent electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) use is a public health issue that increases the risk of nicotine addiction and long-term health consequences. Giving providers tools to assist in …

Negative Affect And Cannabis Use Outcomes In College Students: The Mediating Effect Of Protective Behavioral Strategies, Morgan Haga

Master's Theses

Particularly considering the ongoing changes in legalization, there has been a growing prevalence of cannabis use among college students. Similarly, students have endorsed increased mental health concerns following the COVID-19 pandemic. Resulting in a cycle of harmful use, research has supported a positive relationship between negative affect and cannabis-related negative outcomes. Protective behavioral strategies for marijuana (PBSM) have been successful in reducing cannabis-related negative outcomes; however, the frequency and utility of PBSM use for students experiencing increased negative affect is unknown. Participants included 330 college students (M_age = 19.17) from 12 U.S. universities who were predominately White non-Hispanic …

Connecting For Success: Evaluating The Frequency Of Check & Connect Meetings On Student Behavior, Kaylee S. Mckinney

Master's Theses

Dropout prevention efforts commonly address risk factors including chronic absenteeism, which continues to be a nationwide concern. Check & Connect is a student engagement intervention that aims to improve graduation rates and mitigate several risk factors of dropout. Previous research has failed to address if the frequency of Check & Connect meetings results in varied effectiveness of the intervention. The current study aims to evaluate the effects of modified frequency of Check & Connect meetings on academic engagement, term grade average, absences, and office discipline referrals through the use of a multiple baseline across participants design. Results revealed that students …

Social Sprouts: A Play-Based Packaged Intervention - Improving Peer Interactions In Early Childhood Classrooms With A Novel Group Contingency, Brittany D. Garza

Master's Theses

Teaching prosocial skills such as positive peer interactions in early childhood settings not only promotes behavioral health but reliably predicts future learning outcomes. The literature suggests that decreasing levels of challenging behavior may improve peer interactions, and a feasible class-wide strategy that can address this combination of needs effectively is a group contingency. The current study investigated the effect of a novel group contingency, Social Sprouts, on both positive peer interactions and disruptive behavior. This study utilized a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design in three Head Start classrooms to evaluate the effect of this packaged intervention delivered just before and during …

Trust Across Difference In Radical Social Movement Organizations: The Case Of The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Kerstin Miller

Master's Theses

Social movement literature does not properly address trust between activists as a foundation of social movement organizations. This thesis aims to fill that gap by examining how trust within the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a radical civil rights organization in the sixties, was built and broken over the course of the decade. I drew on first-hand accounts written by SNCC activists to find patterns in how they thought about trust building and trust breaking in their own organization. I found that trust was built primarily through sustained interaction between activists, and that trust in the organization led to activists being …

Do Finances Determine Our Fate?: Understanding The Relationships Between Socioeconomic Status, Inflammation, And Cancer Recurrence Risk, Faith Wilbourne

Master's Theses

Individuals of a low socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely to experience a cancer recurrence relative to individuals with a higher SES. This may be partially explained by the stressors of living with a low SES. These stressors can increase inflammatory markers known to elevate the risk of cancer development. Health-promoting behaviors such as exercise, adequate sleep, and a healthy diet can reduce systemic inflammation. Health behaviors may therefore moderate any potential relationship between SES and cancer recurrence risk. This study explored associations between SES (income, educational attainment) and inflammatory markers related to cancer recurrence while seeking to determine if …

Reflecting On Racial Microaggressions: The Impact On Food Consumption In Minority Women, Khadiza Akter

Master's Theses

U.S. laws, policies, and practices have been implemented to reduce forms of overt racism and discrimination. These structural barriers have been effective (e.g., Dovido & Gaertner, 2000; McConahay, 1986; Sue & Sue, 2007). Covert forms of racism, however, including racial microaggressions, are more difficult to address using structural changes and, therefore, continue to thrive (Omi & Winant 1994; Sue et al., 2007). Racist attitudes and discriminatory behaviors are sources of anxiety and stress (Kogan et al., 2014; Pascoe & Richman, 2009) with long-term anxiety and stress leading to elevated risks for mental and …

Inside The Walls Of The Asylum: Exploring The Lives Of Individuals In The Mississippi State Asylum (1855-1935), Savannah V. Logan

Master's Theses

The Mississippi State Asylum (MSA), established in 1855, was the first such institution in but has been largely forgotten about since its closure in 1935. The cemetery associated with the facility, which is located on the University of Mississippi Medical Center campus, was recently rediscovered with new construction. As part of the Asylum Hill project, the remains of seven of the 7000 burials along with their mortuary artifacts were analyzed and allowed these forgotten individuals to once again regain their voice and tell a portion of their life story through osteobiographies.

The sample, dating to 1855-1899, included five males and …

Family-Level Factors That Influence Physical Activity Among Hispanic Adolescents At Risk For Type 2 Diabetes, Sandra Mihail, Ayleen A Hernandez, Erica G Soltero

Children’s Nutrition Research Center Staff Publications

Objective: Family-based health promotion and disease prevention strategies are recommended as best practice; however, there is limited knowledge regarding the family-level factors that influence modifiable behavior risk factors like physical activity (PA) among Latinx adolescents. This study addressed this knowledge gap by using qualitative methods to identify perceptions of family-level factors that influence PA among Hispanic youth.

Methods: We conducted semistructured, open-ended interviews with 20 Latinx adolescents (14-16 years) with obesity (body mass index ≥95th percentile) to identify their perceptions of how family influences PA. Content analysis was used to identify emergent themes, which were then compared across demographic factors, …

Behind The Trend: An Examination Of Primate Content On Tiktok, Kelsie K. Strong, Lilith A. Frakes, Jessica A. Mayhew, Chelsea J. Thompson, Caroline P. Ratliff

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Social media platforms today are teeming with images of wildlife as pets, and studies have emerged investigating the role social media plays on the public's perception of primates and their desirability as pets. This study explores the presentation of nonhuman primates and video engagement, defined as user interactions through likes, comments, shares, and views, on the social media platform TikTok. We examined 1378 videos from 173 different TikTok content creators sharing primate videos. Most content depicted primates within a household (43.1%), indicating they are often shown in the context of being pets. This is cause for concern because the portrayal …

Formation Of Inclusive Competence Of Future Special Education Teachers, Gulbanu Ashimkhanova, Akbota Autaeva, Anar Rakhmetova, Gulmira Tussupbekova, Kanat Sadykov

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: This study aims to explore the phenomenon of inclusive competence as an integral trait of today’s educators.

Methods: The scientific research involved surveying students from pedagogical universities as well as using methods of analysis and synthesis, generalization, systematization, comparison, and classification.

Results: The concept of inclusive competence is understood as the degree of skills and knowledge required to fulfil pedagogical responsibilities within an inclusive educational environment. Key elements of inclusive competence, such as cognitive, motivational, reflexive, and operational components, have been identified and have the following functions:

• · Cognitive elements enable teachers to develop a comprehensive understanding of pedagogical …