Digital Commons Network^™

“I’M Going To Have To Be Far More Prepared": A Critical Discourse Analysis Of Teacher Candidate Discussion And Projected Teaching Of Literature., Taylor Rose-Dougherty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative dissertation study contributes to conversations around the practical knowledge gap–professional behaviors or practices which are underdeveloped in available research–between critically oriented literacy teacher preparation programs and praxis in early career classrooms. Critical literacy, or engaging with major texts, discourses, and ways of communicating in a culture or context, attempts to locate and disrupt power imbalances and encourage justice-oriented activism. While teacher candidates (TCs) often practice critical literacy in their training programs, they often struggle to facilitate critical literacy instruction in their own classrooms. Using Thematic Analysis (TA) for data reduction and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) for data analysis, …

Are The Good Times Really Over For Good? American Political Nostalgia's Relationship With Rurality, Authoritarianism, And Victimhood., Chancellor R. Peterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There are many discussions about why rural and urban Americans exhibit different attitudes about politics, partisan loyalties, and ideologies. Some of these differences can be explained by psychological processes and traits. People act differently and influence (or are influenced by) political processes differently based on their perceptions of and emotions regarding the past, present, and future states of the world. The same is true with rural and urban Americans. This research will investigate the effects of one potent emotion on political attitudes: nostalgia. Prior research has indicated that political nostalgia can be harnessed as a strong political tool. This thesis …

Suspension Of The Scoundrel: Applying Mental Health Strategies To The Acting Process., Nicholas Wills

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, the benefits of having mental health resources, practices and/or coordinators on set or available to help mitigate the mental health challenges that actors may face when portraying complex characters or engaging in emotional experiences while acting, are examined. Actors are required to fully immerse themselves into characters to ensure a full embodiment of the role being played. Without appropriate measures in place to address the actors’ feelings, emotions, and psychological state before, during, and after a production, the actor stands the risk of absorbing the impact of the character with no strategy for how to address the …

The Superhero Gothic: The Montrous Hero To The Heroic Monster In The Twentieth Century., John Darowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The influence of Gothic literature and its adaptations on the superhero genre has been profound. Both genres have an ideological project of the restoration of normalcy and order after disruption and disorder, thereby reinforcing cultural norms. However, their themes and methodologies are diametrically opposed. The Gothic is an exploration of the negative aesthetics of terror and horror, which reveal human weaknesses. The superhero is a power fantasy that celebrates justice and morality. A synthesis of the two creates a paradox: the monstrous hero—a Hoppen stand hero who takes on the attributes of a monster—who evolves into the heroic monster—a monster …

That Limbless Sign The Thesis Document., Donna R. Charging

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Native American Art resists all attempts by non-Natives to define, restrain, and replicate it. THAT LIMBLESS SIGN is a concrete substantiation of this quality of resistance through the scope of language. Native Art indicates a continuity, not of tradition, but of people. In THAT LIMBLESS SIGN, Native people become signs; that is, inimitable cipher devices of the real, living members of tribes who remain in the United States of America. Language is one of the last refuges of Native existence because it represents the point of power where Native realities cannot be transcribed into a superficial, indelible system such as …

Fingerprinting Cinematic Soundtracks: Examining Identity In Film Music Through Gender And Temporality., Sarah Elizabeth Moser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the soundtracks of six Hollywood films and their treatments of two factors of cinematic identity – gender and temporality. Six case studies are used throughout the thesis using an original analytic system I designate as Fingerprinting, which examines film using a five-tier, intersecting system on both the macro and micro level. The gender chapter analyzes Weird Science (1985) and Pretty Woman (1990) in order to demonstrate the utility of the cinematic soundtrack in constructing new frameworks of gender expression within fictional media. The temporality chapter uses four case studies - Easy Rider (1969), Eddie and the Cruisers …

Adding Texture Through Historical Research: Using Dramaturgy To Aid In The Creation Of Elizabeth (Bess) Borney., Nyazia Brittany Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis follows my work with the production The Old Settler by John Henry Redwood. This document explores my process as an actor, and how I decided to capitalize on an opportunity to study Dramaturgy and apply what I learned to my actors' process. In the pages of this thesis I present the pieces of my process, including my vocal and movement work based in Laban and Alexander Technique. I give personal examples of how my dive into dramaturgical work positively affected how I crafted the role of Elizabeth (Bess) Borney. I also detail the transition out of my work …

Reimaging Safety After Sexual Violence: A Qualitative Exploration Of Survivors' Experiences With Formal And Informal Crisis Response Networks., Hallie Ruth Decker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sexual violence (SV) is a highly prevalent public health and human rights concern impacting communities across the United States. SV is associated with a myriad of adverse physical, reproductive, sexual, mental, behavioral, financial, and social health outcomes which may be acute or chronic. Health challenges associated with post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic stress disorder are particularly common among victims and survivors of SV. Engagement in early psychological/psychosocial intervention strategies may prevent or reduce PTSD-related symptomatology after experiencing an SV encounter. Despite the availability of crisis response and support options to support individuals who have experienced SV, significant barriers exist across social …

Phenomenological Study Of The Impact Of Stress And Burnout After Covid-19 On Educators: Supporting Teachers In Resiliency And Facilitating Adversarial Growth Post-Pandemic., Rebecca Hicks-Hawkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

COVID-19 has not only caused anxiety and fears among teachers for their own health and that of their families; they are also facing increased responsibility. Planning periods had been replaced with coverage periods, where teachers must teach other classes when their colleagues are out—often due to illness—because the supply of substitute teachers cannot meet the demand (Barton & Dickason, 2022). Teaching is a demanding profession, and there will always be stress associated with a job where so many external factors come into play (Hansen, 2013). However, in the face of adversity some teachers were thriving. They are showing up and …

Multimodal Stylometry: A Novel Approach For Authorship Identification., Glory O. Adebayo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation introduces multimodal stylometry, a novel approach to authorship identification that integrates text and source code features for a comprehensive understanding of an author's unique style. Traditional stylometric methods have primarily focused on either text stylometry or source code stylometry, thereby neglecting the potential insights that multimodality may provide. This research aims to bridge this gap by proposing a framework that combines textual and source code data to enhance the accuracy and reliability of authorship identification. The study begins by reviewing existing literature on authorship identification and stylometry, highlighting the limitations of unimodal approaches. Leveraging recent advancements in multimodal …

Mental Health Counseling For Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities: A Phenomenological Study Of Client Perspectives., Kathleen Nagle Barnett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mental illness is three to four times as prevalent among individuals with intellectual disabilities compared to those without intellectual disabilities (Munir, 2016). There is a body of research supporting the efficacy of mental health counseling to decrease symptoms and behaviors in individuals with intellectual disabilities, but scarce research exists which describes the experiences of these individuals. This interpretive phenomenological analysis was designed to gather information about how individuals with mild intellectual disabilities experience the four common components of psychotherapy that contribute to change (from Lambert, 1992; Thomas, 2006) – client and extra therapeutic factors, relationships factors, expectancy, and model / …

Biofeedback Using Virtual Reality, Conscious Interoception, And Breathing Exercises Modulates Blood Pressure And Heart Rate Variability In People With And Without Cervical Spinal Cord Injuries., Rachel Torres

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is an immediate need for fast-acting blood pressure (BP) modification without the side effects of pharmaceutical interventions for people with cervical spinal cord injuries (SCI), who often suffer from dangerous increases and decreases in BP.^1,2 First, we compared mental to virtual reality (VR) imagery with the addition of breathing exercises and guided interoceptive attention, investigating participants’ ability to volitionally change their BP and heart rate variability (HRV), alternating three-minute stimulating and relaxing training cycles in 17 noninjured (NI) participants and 14 participants with SCI. Second, we trained 13 people with SCI and seven NI control participants for one …

Conceptualizing An Islamic Character Education Program., Norma Nangju

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Character education, specifically faith-based character education, can provide a social, emotional, and academic benefit for students. Through this study, I wanted to take the first step: to design an Islamic character education program collaboratively with all stakeholders of the school. This study used participatory action research as a methodology. The first purpose was for administrators, teachers, parents, students, and community members at an Islamic school in Louisville, KY to collaborate to brainstorm the goals of a character education program at HIRA Institute using the Nominal Group Technique. The second purpose was, based on these goals, how can the strategies of …

Exploring The Role Of Restorative Practices Facilitators In The Secondary School Setting: Self-Efficacy, Collective Efficacy, And Systemic Implementation Recommendations, Rachel K. Bachmeier

Theses and Dissertations

While restorative practices (RP) is hailed as one of the oldest criminal justice models in the world, the official advent of RP in education did not occur until the 1990s. Mirroring the reemergence of RP into legal systems, educators began experimenting with the application of RP in the educational setting. Today, restorative work in schools has expanded beyond an alternative to exclusionary discipline measures into an effort to build, maintain, and, when necessary, restore community. More and more teacher preparation programs address restorative justice principles and the rising dedication to Social Emotional Learning and Culturally Responsive Teaching often embraces RP. …

Sexism, Religion, And Politics: An Examination Of Rape Myth Acceptance, Danielle E. Wetuski

All Dissertations

The literature is inconclusive about the relationship between religion, politics, sexism, rape myth acceptance, and the behavioral implications of the latter. Therefore, the goal of this study was to develop an understanding of the relationship between religion, political affiliation, sexism, and rape myth acceptance. The study utilized primary data collection through surveys of youth using MTurk. The survey involved the administration of the Faith Activities Scale, Moral Foundations Scale, Religious Fundamentalism Scale, Modern Sexism Scale, Ambivalent Sexism Scale, Gender Stereotypes Scale, and the Gender Inclusive Rape Myth Acceptance Scale. Data were analyzed through structural equation modeling to indicate which political …

An Examination Of Risk Factors For Suicidality Among Adolescents In The United States, Kaviya Shankar

All Dissertations

Suicide is considered a significant public health issue, identified as the second leading cause of early mortality in the United States among adolescents (CDC, 2023). The National Institute of Mental Health (2023) defined it as “death induced by self-directed destructive behavior with intent to die” (p. 4). For youth aged 10-14 suicide increased by 36% from 2000 to 2021 in the United States. In recent decades, suicide among adolescents has increased despite estimates of stable or dropping suicide rates in developed countries. Every year, 703,000 youth worldwide commit suicide, and many more attempt (WHO, 2022).

This study used a nationally …

Untold Stories: Exploring Queer And Genderqueer Students’ Perceptions Of Sense Of Belonging And Experiences At One Historically Black University, Tammy D. Lane

All Dissertations

This study used a basic interpretative qualitative design, using a case study as the theoretical approach to examine the experiences of Black queer students, particularly as they foreground a sense of belonging on a historically Black college and university (HBCU) campus. Extant literature demonstrated that queer cohorts are likely to experience isolation and a sense of not belonging at HBCUs due to tradition (Davis, et al., 2020; Lenning, 2017; Mobley & Johnson, 2019). Queer students’ sense of belonging can influence behaviors such as persistence, engagement, academic achievement, and a sense of self (Garvey, 2020; Squire et al., 2018; Strayhorn, 2019). …

Adapting Language Development Research Paradigms To Online Testing: Data From Preferential Looking, Word Learning And Vocabulary Assessment In Toddlers, Delphine K.L. Nguyen, Nadine Fitzpatrick, Caroline Floccia

School of Psychology

During the recent pandemic, it became necessary to adapt lab-based studies to online experiments. To investigate the impact of online testing on the quality of data, we focus on three paradigms widely used in infant research: a word recognition task using the Intermodal Preferential Looking Paradigm, a word learning task using the Switch task, and a language assessment tool (WinG) where children identify a target word amongst a set of picture cards. Our results for synchronous and asynchronous studies provide support for the robustness of online testing. In Experiment 1, robust word recognition was found in 24-month-old toddlers. In Experiment …

Pragmatic Strategies To Address Health Disparities Along The Continuum Of Care In Chronic Liver Disease, Mayur Brahmania, Shari Rogal, Marina Serper, Arpan Patel, David Goldberg, Amit Mathur, Julius Wilder, Jennifer Vittorio, Andrew Yeoman, Nicole E Rich, Mariana Lazo, Ani Kardashian, Sumeet Asrani, Ashley Spann, Nneka Ufere, Manisha Verma, Elizabeth Verna, Dinee Simpson, Jesse D Schold, Russell Rosenblatt, Lisa Mcelroy, Sharad I Wadhwani, Tzu-Hao Lee, Alexandra T Strauss, Raymond T Chung, Ignacio Aiza, Rotonya Carr, Jin Mo Yang, Carla Brady, Brett E Fortune

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities exist in the prevalence and natural history of chronic liver disease, access to care, and clinical outcomes. Solutions to improve health equity range widely, from digital health tools to policy changes. The current review outlines the disparities along the chronic liver disease health care continuum from screening and diagnosis to the management of cirrhosis and considerations of pre-liver and post-liver transplantation. Using a health equity research and implementation science framework, we offer pragmatic strategies to address barriers to implementing high-quality equitable care for patients with chronic liver disease.

Preventing The Violent (Re)Victimization Of Sexual Minority Populations: The Role Of Social Support Networks., Bryan Charles Moore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Every year, interpersonal violence affects an important segment of the world population, having deleterious effects on the victims, their families, and societies. Recent scholarship indicates that sexual and gender minority population groups are overrepresented among those who experience or have experienced verbal, psychological, physical, and/or sexual violence. Using an integrative approach, the current study links the past and the present to identify the contextual factors that may increase or decrease the sexual minorities’ risk of violent victimization during adulthood. This dissertation uses as a theoretical framework Bronfenbrenner’s (1977, 1979, 1994) social ecological model of human development as well as its …

Lived Experiences, Migration Journey, Religiosity, And Spirituality Depicted In Drawings By Latino Children And Youth Crossing The U.S. Mexican Border: A Qualitative Study., Doroty Magalhaes Sato

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Widespread violence forces thousands of Central American children to endure a hazardous journey toward the U.S. Border seeking refuge. In the Latino community, faith serves as a social movement of resistance against oppression, playing a vital role in migration. There is a paucity of research documenting this experience and children's overall journey. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the lived experience of crossing international borders, religiosity, and spirituality depicted in Latino children's drawings used as coping methods to endure the journey toward the U.S. southern border. This investigation employed Art-based approaches to give voices to children's experiences by analyzing 63 …

Authentic Fake: Authenticity And Authentication., Suyun Son

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My thesis exhibition questions the modern sanctification of authenticity. No longer believing in objective truths, the postmodern society seeks epistemic grounding on being true to oneself. The categories of authentic-or-fake replaced the binary of true-or-false. But authenticity is a trojan horse for authentication. As a Korean American artist, I'm encouraged to express my “authentic” Korean identity. This encouragement can also imply my works will receive recognition as authentic and meaningful only when they embody Korean cultural expression. Authenticity becomes a performance for the sake of authentication. Ironically, authenticity turns into an act of conformity/confirmation. Authenticity demands you stay true to …

Dementia Of The Alzheimer’S Type In Adults With Down Syndrome: Knowledge Among Graduate Students In Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, And Speech-Language Pathology., Abigail Regan Donaway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This non-experimental study utilized a convenience sample (N = 322) to investigate graduate students in physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and speech-language pathology’ s (SLP) knowledge of the connection between Down syndrome and dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT). Ninety-two-point-five percent of participants were female, and 79.80% were white. All participants completed a survey comprised of items relating to information about general knowledge (i.e. facts) of the association between DS and DAT, the signs/symptoms that occur in each stage of dementia of the Alzheimer’s type for people with Down syndrome, and familiarity regarding the diagnosis and care. Descriptive and …

Substance Misuse In Adults: A Primary Care Approach, Alicia Kowalchuk, Sandra J Gonzalez, Roger J Zoorob

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Substance misuse and substance use disorder continue to be major causes of morbidity and mortality, and family physicians are well positioned to provide evidence-based prevention and management for these conditions. Of people 12 years and older, 13% reported using a nonprescribed controlled substance in the past month, and 24% had at least one episode of binge drinking of alcohol, defined as five or more drinks for men and four or more drinks for women on one occasion. Benzodiazepines are used by 12% of the U.S. population. Clinicians should incorporate standardized screening and brief intervention for use of alcohol and other …

Narrative Harmony: The Implementation Of Sound Design And Its Immersive Nature, Patrick Joseph Kelly

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sound is the first tool we are given to interact with the world we inhabit. Despite this, most discussion of narrative content revolves around written and visual storytelling. This often means audio is forgotten or overlooked during the production process. A phenomenon which is especially present amongst inexperienced content creators. By combining the transportation imagery model and Narrative Paradigm theories, a formula for analyzing narratives and immersion within the modern setting becomes prevalent. This combination would then lead to the creation of a four-episode podcast series was created where each episode was mixed to highlight a different component in sound …

Career Skills Congruence: Transferring Military Talent To The Civilian Job Market: A Preregistered Study, Anna M. Amos

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The training and experience gained through U.S. military service instill a strong sense of discipline, loyalty, and duty to one's country while preparing service members for the challenges they face during their military careers. Military culture is a defining aspect of servicemembers' identities, especially for those who have spent significant time in the military. The problem is that service members often enculturate into a life where they adopt an identity incongruent with the ability to engage in a smooth transition to civilian culture. The purpose of this cross-sectional regression study is to test social identity theory and transition theory that …

The Effect Of Gentle Yoga On Average Daily Step Count, Francesca D'Agrosa

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While walking is a widely accessible form of exercise that is highly effective at increasing overall wellness (Kadir et al., 2019; Zhao et al., 2015) and is a recommended form of physical activity for overweight and obese individuals, studies still indicate low step counts and levels of physical activity in people with obesity (Shultz et al., 2011). Sedentary overweight individuals may avoid walking for several reasons, including physiological and/or biomechanical factors that make walking more difficult. This study attempted to explore and address these avoidant behaviors by employing a single-case ABAB reversal design to implement bi-weekly gentle yoga sessions over …

Comparing Children’S Engagement In Storybook Reading With And Without Access To Aac With A Literacy Supportive Feature, Brooke Zimmerman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This thesis evaluates the effects of comparing children’s engagement in storybook reading with and without access to high-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with a literacy supportive feature. Literacy skills are a fundamental cornerstone for engagement in the lives of young children. Among these skills, the ability to decode words, or phonetically sound them out, plays a pivotal role in the acquisition of literacy. Proficiency in literacy also broadens the communication capabilities of individuals with developmental disabilities who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods. However, existing AAC technologies currently fall short in adequately strengthening literacy development, particularly …

Instagram And Influencer Marketing: An Empirical Study Of The Parasocial Interaction Theory And Its Effects On Purchase Intention, Caroline Marie Chumley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Scholars have studied different factors that contribute to a parasocial interaction theory, and how this relates to purchase intention in the marketing industry. Previous research concentrates on parasocial interactions between television personalities and consumers, rather than influencers on social media. It is important to determine exactly what factors lead consumers to create a parasocial interaction with influencers in the media and determine how that parasocial interaction mediates purchase intention. Influencer marketing on Instagram is included in this study, as it contains brand-sponsored posts and allows users to interact with each other. This study utilizes the parasocial interaction model to determine …

Evaluating The Effects Of 6-Day And 7-Day Fixed-Time Artificial Insemination Protocols Using Sex-Sorted Semen On Pregnancy In Beef Cattle, Nicole Noel Noga

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, 527 beef heifers from three locations across two states were enrolled between November 2020 and May 2021 for experiment 1, divided into three sub-experiments: 1A (n = 85), 1B (n = 383), and 1C (n = 59). These heifers were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups. Treatments 1 and 2 involved a 6-day CO-Synch + CIDR protocol, including administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH; 100 μg IM; Factrel; Zoetis Animal Health, Parssipany, NJ) and a CIDR insert (EAZI-BREED CIDR; 1.38g P₄; Zoetis Animal Health) on Day 0, followed by prostaglandin F2α (PGF_2α; …