Digital Commons Network^™

Coaching-Based Leadership Communication In Higher Education Hybrid Work Environments, Lisa Erck

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This study examined how coaching-based leadership (CBL) communication practices were associated with participants’ perceptions of communication, collaboration, and engagement within a hybrid higher education work environment. Grounded in constructivist leadership theory (CLT), CBL, and action research (AR), the study explored how intentional shifts in leader communication behaviors influenced team interactions over time. Using a qualitative AR design, I partnered with a higher education administrative leader and their team in a hybrid setting. The participant group included the leader and their direct reports. Data were collected across iterative AR cycles through semistructured interviews, observational data, and participant reflection journals. Data analysis …

Empowering Equity: Latinas In Leadership – Navigating Work-Life Balance In The Post-Pandemic Era, Teresa Excinia

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored the lived experiences of Latina leaders as they navigated how cultural expectations influenced work–life balance in the post-pandemic era. The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped workplace dynamics, blurring boundaries between professional responsibilities and personal life. For Latinas, these challenges were compounded by cultural expectations that shaped their roles both at home and in the workplace. The purpose of this study was to understand how Latina leaders managed the dual pressures of balancing career demands with cultural and familial obligations. Using Testimonio as the methodological framework, this study captured the voices and narratives of Latina leaders across industries, offering an …

What Makes A Family: Steepparent's Experiences Supporting Children With Autism In School Systems, Veronica Barrera

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative multiple case study explored the lived experiences of stepparents of children with autism spectrum disorder, examining how they navigate their roles within school and family systems during early elementary years (kindergarten through second grade). Despite the increasing prevalence of blended families, stepparent perspectives remain largely absent from research. Stepparents often occupy ambiguous legal and social positions that limit their access to educational information and participation in IEP meetings and school decision-making. Two stepparents of children with Level 1 autism participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using inductive coding and thematic analysis, with narrative restorying to preserve participants’ …

Inspiring Voices: The Impact Of Poetry Education, Nancy Aide Gonzalez St.Clair

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Poetry education is frequently viewed as an enrichment activity rather than a critical practice that supports academic, emotional, and social development. This qualitative exploratory case study examined how participation in a nonprofit creative writing program in northern California influenced the cognitive development, emotional well-being, communication skills, empathy, and perspective taking of young adults. The study was guided by constructivism, radical constructivism, and symbolic interactionism. It centered on the lived experiences of six poetry program alumni aged 18 to 25. The researcher collected data through semi-structured Zoom interviews and poetry portfolios containing three poems selected by each participant. I used inductive …

Washington, Elizabeth Ford

Thin Blue Advantage: Police Exceptionalism and the Two-Tier System of Public Sector Collective Bargaining

Coming soon.

Rhode Island, Elizabeth Ford

Thin Blue Advantage: Police Exceptionalism and the Two-Tier System of Public Sector Collective Bargaining

No abstract provided.

Nevada, Elizabeth Ford

Thin Blue Advantage: Police Exceptionalism and the Two-Tier System of Public Sector Collective Bargaining

Coming soon.

Nebraska, Elizabeth Ford

Thin Blue Advantage: Police Exceptionalism and the Two-Tier System of Public Sector Collective Bargaining

Coming soon.

Montana, Elizabeth Ford

Thin Blue Advantage: Police Exceptionalism and the Two-Tier System of Public Sector Collective Bargaining

Coming soon.

Michigan, Elizabeth Ford

Thin Blue Advantage: Police Exceptionalism and the Two-Tier System of Public Sector Collective Bargaining

Coming soon.

Adult Healthy Habits, Belinda E. Vicuna, Mahtab Soleimani, Yvonnie Baik, Elena Martinez, Theresa H. Cruz

Reports & Documents

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy On Dry Eye, Keith E. Arnold, Michael J. Foster, Tomasz A. Tabernacki, Chase A. Turner, Peter A. Netland, Kirtishri Mishra

Department of Ophthalmology Faculty Publications

Purpose

To determine whether gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) influences tear system health in transgender individuals.

Methods

This retrospective cohort observational study analyzed data from transgender men and women ages ≥18-years between 2004 and 2024 via electronic medical record (EMR) data. Following propensity score matching, subjects on hormone therapy included 23,623 transgender men, 15,933 transgender women, and an equal number in each matched control group.

Results

Among transgender men and women, respectively, tear system disorders occurred in 0.90% and 0.94% of those using GAHT and 0.90% and 1.17% of those not using GAHT (p = 0.211, p = 0.072). There was …

Understanding Wage Theft: Beyond The Numbers Through Community Practice, Lived Experience, And Research, André Simões Da Silva, Lenita Reason, Cristina Araujo Brinkerhoff

Gastón Institute Publications

Wage theft is a widespread form of labor exploitation that disproportionately affects immigrant and other vulnerable workers. This report examines the scope and impact of wage theft in Massachusetts by analyzing case data from the Brazilian Worker Center (BWC) alongside wage and labor enforcement data from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO). The analysis demonstrates how wage theft affects immigrant workers across industries, with particularly high numbers of cases in construction, cleaning, and hospitality. The data also reveal significant gaps in the reporting and enforcement of wage violations, particularly among domestic workers, whose cases are likely substantially underrepresented in available …

Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions Of Differentiating Tier 1 Reading Instruction Within A Multi-Tiered System Of Support Framework, Ivonne Ciresi

Theses and Dissertations

This generic qualitative dissertation explored elementary teachers’ perceptions and experiences of implementing Tier 1 differentiated reading instruction within a Multi- Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework. Establishing effective systems and supports for comprehensive reading instruction in the Tier 1 classroom is a critical component of MTSS. Given the range of structures required, including instructional routines, resources, and ongoing professional development, it is important to understand how teachers navigate the challenges of differentiating reading instruction. The purpose of this study was to examine how teachers implement differentiation during core reading instruction, the challenges they encounter, and the role of professional learning …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Teachers Regarding How Their Students’ Attendance Rate Impacts Their Academic Achievement, John Logan Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic absenteeism has emerged as a critical educational concern nationwide, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic. National data indicate that chronic absence rates increased from 15% in 2019 to 28% in 2022, and in the targeted rural South Carolina district, 25% of students were chronically absent in 2022–2023, rising to 28% in 2023–2024. Persistent absenteeism is associated with lower academic performance, widened achievement gaps, and diminished long-term educational and workforce outcomes, especially among socioeconomically disadvantaged and minority students.

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to examine teachers’ perceptions and experiences regarding how students’ attendance rates influence academic achievement in …

La Correlación De La Tecnología Educativa, La Gamificación Y La Enseñanza Multisensorial En El Desarrollo Académico Y Socioemocional De Estudiantes Autistas En Puerto Rico, Ainé Andino Dávila

Theses and Dissertations

El incremento de estudiantes con autismo en Puerto Rico exige prácticas pedagógicas más inclusivas, innovadoras y basadas en evidencia. Sin embargo, persiste una brecha entre las necesidades sensoriales y socioemocionales de estos estudiantes y el uso integrado de estrategias tecnológicas, lúdicas y multisensoriales en el aula. El propósito de esta disertación es analizar la relación entre la tecnología educativa, la gamificación y la enseñanza multisensorial con el desarrollo académico y socioemocional de estudiantes autistas del nivel elemental, según la percepción de docentes de Puerto Rico.

Este estudio sigue un diseño cuantitativo correlacional de corte transversal. La muestra estuvo compuesta por …

Factores Que Inciden En Docentes Para Integrar Competencias Digitales En La Enseñanza De Educación Agrícola En Escuelas Del Norte De Puerto Rico, Adiris Román Vázquez

Theses and Dissertations

Este estudio indagó si los docentes de cursos de Educación Agrícola en escuelas públicas de la región Norte de Puerto Rico poseen competencias digitales y dominio de la tecnología para integrarlas en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Se trabajó un enfoque cuantitativo con diseño no experimental descriptivo y correlacional. Se implementó en escuelas de la región norte, de Puerto Rico. La muestra seleccionada fue no probabilística conformada por 35 docentes del programa de educación agrícola. Para medir las competencias se implementó un cuestionario dirigido a medir las competencias digitales, aceptación y factores de uso de la tecnología en el proceso de …

Problemas Del Habla Y Lenguaje En Niños Menores De Cinco Años A Causa De La Pandemia Del Covid-19, Taisha M. Serrano Vargas

Theses and Dissertations

La disertación se centró en el impacto de la pandemia del COVID-19 en el desarrollo del habla y lenguaje en niños menores de cinco años en Puerto Rico. Se investigó cómo las restricciones de socialización y las alteraciones en las rutinas cotidianas pudieron contribuir a problemas de comunicación en esta población. El aumento en el uso de tecnologías y la disminución de interacciones cara a cara, debido a las medidas de distanciamiento social y cuarentenas, estuvieron asociados con retrasos en el desarrollo lingüístico de los niños.

El propósito de esta investigación fue identificar y documentar las posibles consecuencias que la …

Conocimientos Sobre La Transición Postsecundaria De Estudiantes Del Programa De Educación Especial De Undécimo A Duodécimo Grado En Una Escuela Secundaria Pública En Puerto Rico, Nancy L. Ortiz Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito de este estudio fue determinar el nivel de conocimiento que poseían los estudiantes del Programa de Educación Especial sobre el proceso de transición postsecundaria. La investigación se desarrolló mediante un enfoque cuantitativo con un diseño descriptivo, considerando la transición como una etapa determinante en la vida académica y personal de los estudiantes con discapacidades, por su influencia en la preparación para la educación universitaria, la inserción laboral y el desarrollo de la vida independiente.

El estudio se llevó a cabo en una escuela secundaria pública de Puerto Rico e incluyó una muestra de 21 estudiantes del Programa de …

Revisión Sistemática Sobre La Actitud Del Docente De Educación Preescolar Frente A La Incorporación De Niños Especiales Dentro Del Programa Regular Y Sus Efectos En El Aprendizaje De Estudiantes Regulares De Usa, Período 2015 Al 2024, Fressia Mary Medina Greenbaum

Theses and Dissertations

El propósito de esta investigación fue evidenciar hallazgos sobre la actitud del docente de educación preescolar frente a la incorporación de niños especiales dentro del programa regular de educación preescolar y sus efectos en el aprendizaje de estudiantes regulares en preescolares de Estados Unidos de América. La posición que adopte el docente es de suma importancia para el logro de la incorporación de estudiantes especiales desde temprana edad, conocer cuáles son los obstáculos que enfrenta el docente y aclarar cuales son los beneficios tanto para estudiantes especiales como para estudiantes regulares.

La presente investigación utilizó la revisión sistemática como metodología, …

A Qualitative Study Of Teacher Perceptions Of Reading Proficiency, Latia Tyler

Theses and Dissertations

This applied qualitative dissertation was constructed to provide insight into the experiences of teachers who provide reading instruction for third grade students at the target school. Seven teachers engaged in semi structured interviews that sought to examine their perceptions on their abilities in teaching reading instruction, their perception on school supports, their perceptions on reading proficiency and factors that contribute to it. Additionally, comprehensive reading plans, published by the state of Florida, were examined to further understand the perceptions of teachers alongside district intended approach for reading instruction.

Thematic analysis of data revealed eight key themes including gaps in foundational …

Validity Of The Polar Verity Sense Optical Armband And Iphone Accelerometer For Heart Rate Variability Assessment, Chinelo C. Chukwuma

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test the validity of the Polar Verity Sense optical armband and iPhone accelerometer (Kubois seismocardiography, SCG) against the Polar H10 across different body positions (for both devices) and measurement durations (for Verity Sense only) while accounting for skin pigmentation. Healthy young adults (n = 46) participated in simultaneous recordings in the supine, seated, and standing positions using the Kubios mobile application on separate devices. Verity Sense measurements were collected for both 1‑ and 5‑min durations, whereas accelerometer measures were 1 min. Skin pigmentation was quantified with the melanin index (M-index). For resting heart …

Female Athletes’ Mental Health Help-Seeking Experiences: Understanding The Impact Of The Coach-Athlete Relationship And Coach Sex, Verena Zaisberger

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Mental health help-seeking remains stigmatized in the world of sports (Cosh et al., 2024). Evidence suggests that female athletes may prefer to disclose vulnerable topics to individuals of the same sex (Keil et al., 2023), including help-seeking (O’Keeffe et al., 2022). However, no investigations have explored how coach sex or the coach-athlete relationship may influence female athletes help-seeking experiences. This is despite the importance of coaches in promoting and facilitating mental health services utilization (Bissett et al., 2020). To further understand this topic, the aim of this study was to explore what female athletes’ mental health help-seeking experiences are under …

Exploring The Benefits Of Virtual Learning Environments For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Kenton Louis-Jean

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative phenomenological applied dissertation explored the lived experiences of K–5 teachers who worked with students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in virtual learning environments. As virtual instruction became increasingly prevalent in K–12 education, limited research had examined how teachers adapted instructional practices to meet the cognitive, sensory, and engagement needs of students with ASD in online settings. This study addressed that gap by examining educators' firsthand perspectives on implementing virtual instruction for students with ASD.

Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eight K–5 teachers who had experience teaching students with ASD in virtual or hybrid learning environments. Participants …

Accessibility Vs Exclusivity: Examining The Barriers To Entry For Early Career Professionals Entering The Commercial Art Market, Cameron Arthur

MA in Art Business Dissertations

This dissertation examines the barriers to entry for early-career professionals seeking to enter the commercial art market, focusing on how structural exclusivity limits access to art business careers. The research addresses a noticeable gap in art market scholarship by focusing on the professional ecosystem behind galleries, auction houses, and advisory firms, which remain underexplored. The study employs a qualitative methodology, supported by selective quantitative data, combining a critical review of existing literature, analysis of industry employment reports, and interviews with art market insiders. This mixed-method approach provides a multidimensional view of the sector’s systemic barriers. Key findings reveal the three …

Tax As Curator: Tax Incentives And The Mediation Of Acquisition In Uk Museums, Julia Dalton

MA in Art Business Dissertations

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The Marketability Of The Muse: Understanding The Valuation Of Muse-Artists On The Contemporary Market, Mairi Alice Dun

MA in Art Business Dissertations

The label ‘muse,’ and the attention that comes with it, has kept female artists' names in the minds and institutions of the art world for the past 25 years. The word itself carries enough intrigue to make the women behind great male artists’s works interesting. However, in the past five or ten years, while other, formerly invisible, female artists have received a massive reevaluation in the market, and collectors have trended towards adding women to their collections, the art of female muses still trails that of their male counterparts by a large margin. The gendered value gap is not just …

How Have Emil Nolde’S Political Biographies Impacted His Market, From ‘Weimar Degenerate’ And ‘Dissident’, To ‘Complicit Antisemite’?, Samuel Goodwin-Hudson

MA in Art Business Dissertations

Emil Nolde is regarded as one of the most accomplished and innovative modernists. Celebrated for his varied iconographies expressed with thick, erratic brushstrokes, displaying highly saturated, non-naturalistic tonal contrasts, and pronounced, distorted forms. He often draws comparisons to Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh. He died a national hero in Northern Germany, 1956, at 88 years of age. His oeuvre has inspired numerous artists, such as Georg Baselitz, Daniel Richter and Anselm Kiefer. Accordingly, his art has been exalted by institutions and converted by learned collectors, subsequently demanding huge sums.

The exhibition 'Emil Nolde. A German Legend. The Artist during …

Laws, Looting, And Legitimate Trade: The Effectiveness Of The Icc At Prosecuting Cultural Heritage Crimes From An Art Market Perspective, Kassidy Houlihan

MA in Art Business Dissertations

This dissertation is a legal analysis of cultural heritage crime prosecution at the International Criminal Court aimed for art market practitioners. It seeks to evaluate whether the ICC could be an effective means of prosecuting cultural heritage crime in a way that positively effects the art market. It closely reads the Rome Statute to determine how the cultural heritage crimes of looting and intentional destruction of cultural property could be charged at the ICC. It then uses the case studies of Prosecutor v. Al Mahdi and Prosecutor v. Al Hassan, the only two cultural heritage cases at the ICC to …

Artwork Or It-Bag? How Arts-Luxury Collaborations Impact Artist Cultural Visibility, Edwina Keary

MA in Art Business Dissertations

Since Marc Jacobs’ introduction to Louis Vuitton in 1997 and experimentation with artist collaboration, art and luxury collaboration has boomed. Over the years, customer demands have shifted in the wake of postmodern consumer culture, and brands must keep up with them to maintain their competitive advantage. The nature of collaborations has therefore shifted their focus to include experiences as well as products. Different collaboration types have a unique impact on both the brand and the artists involved. This research explores the impact of product versus experience-based collaboration on the cultural visibility of the artists involved through press coverage analysis. This …