Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating Meaningful Reflection Through Teacher Research, Brandon Hillary

Theses and Dissertations

This practitioner research study explores strategies for inviting high school students into meaningful sustained reflection during a semester-long civic inquiry project in the ELA classroom. The study examines how engaging students in a structured, inquiry-based reflection process can foster deeper, more meaningful reflection outcomes. Specifically, the study explores a process for facilitating student engagement in critical reflection, considers how students respond to process-oriented reflection prompts, and analyzes their reflective engagement across both written and verbal mediums.

Through a qualitative research design incorporating student reflections, classroom observations, and teacher-researcher analysis, the study identifies key patterns in how students navigate and articulate …

Hydronic Parking Lots: A Solution For Urban Heat Island Mitigation, Sumeet Jinnappa Paramaj

Theses and Dissertations

The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect has emerged as a critical challenge in modern cities. It contributes to elevated local temperatures, placing significant stress on urban ecosystems and public health. One of the primary drivers of this phenomenon is the widespread use of impervious surfaces, such as dark-colored parking lots, which absorb heat during the day and gradually release it at night. This ongoing cycle results in persistently warmer urban environments. As cities continue to expand and densify, the need for effective, sustainable strategies to reduce urban heat becomes increasingly urgent.

This project aims to explore innovative interventions, particularly in …

Detrital Zircon U-Pb Geochronology And Provenance Of The Eocene Claron Formation, Southern Utah, Usa, Kennedy Cull

Theses and Dissertations

Three catastrophic landslides make up the recently discovered Oligocene-Miocene Marysvale Gravity Slide Complex (MGSC), those being the Markagunt (MGS), Sevier (SGS), and Black Mountains (BGS) gravity slides, in south-western Utah. These collapses are hypothesized to have been driven by the igneous inflation of the Marysvale Volcanic Field (MVF). Here I assess the pre-volcanic strata that form the floor and environs of the MVF to constrain the regional paleogeography and sediment sourcing prior to volcanism. Detrital zircon U-Pb analyses (LA-ICPMS) were conducted on sandstones and the matrix of conglomerate beds of the Eocene Claron Formation (STATS) and the overlying Oligocene Conglomerate …

The Medea Effect: The Binary Terror Of Women Existing In The Liminal Space, M. Nance

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to analyze the Medea character as a liminal figure. Taking a metaphorical approach to Victor Turner’s ideas on liminality, this study will deconstruct different binary oppositions—villain/victim, agent/object, Dionysian/Apollonian. The Medea character does not fall neatly to one side of these binary oppositions; therefore, this thesis argues that Medea instead inhabits the space between the binary oppositions in the realm of the liminal. The thesis then analyzes the same binary oppositions within a survey of theatrical and non-theatrical texts that feature characters that embody archetypes that originated within the Medea character—the she-devil, the murderous mother, …

Game Or No Game: Navigating Office Politics And Female Leaders Success Through The ‘Labyrinth’ Metaphor Lens, Clementina Edema

Theses and Dissertations

The examination of women and leadership has always focused on power dynamics, biases, and identity inside organizations, particularly with the challenges women encounter in the workplace. This study presents the concept of office politics as it pertains to women’s career advancement and its impact on female leaders in the workplace. The objective of the study is to examine how women in organizations navigate office politics, dealing with it as a barrier to career progression. The labyrinth metaphor proposed by Eagly and Carli (2007) served as the conceptual framework to illustrate the challenges women encounter in organizations while pursuing leadership roles. …

Slovakian Migration In The Aftermath Of The Velvet Revolution: A Qualitative Study Exploring Gender Relations Through Migration To The United States, Taylor A. Kanuk

Theses and Dissertations

Two million Eastern European immigrants have come to the U.S. in the latter part of the twentieth century, yet there is little research exploring their experiences. Slovakian immigrants represent one group whose presence in the U.S. has not been studied. This thesis investigates how Slovakian immigrants navigate their immigration experience in the aftermath of what is known as the Velvet Divorce, focusing on economic-driven and family-driven migration and transnationalism. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through ten semi-structured interviews with Slovakian immigrants within the greater Chicago area. The informants in this study recalled their reasons for leaving Slovakia, which …

The Impact Of Loss Function Topology On Gradient Descent, Robert B. Skudnig Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Gradient descent is a popular optimization method that utilizes a model’s prediction error to iteratively improve its parameters for a given task. The functions that measure this error can be defined to align with the user’s goals and sometimes satisfy metric or norm properties. It is common for these functions to measure over Rn, but any differentiable space allows for gradient descent to occur. There has been some research investigating the influence of topological spaces on optimization methods, but it is a limited field of study. This thesis further explores this phenomenon by applying a transformation prediction model to multiple …

Investigation Of The Human Temporal Styloid Process As A Bony Indicator Of Speech, Sommer A. Martin

Theses and Dissertations

The temporal styloid process in humans serves as an attachment point for the styloglossus, stylohyoid, and stylopharyngeus, which are involved in tongue movement and deglutition. I hypothesized that the length of the ossified styloid process in humans is the result of selection for increased musculature that would support tongue movements involved in speech. This hypothesis assumes that the relative length of the ossified temporal styloid process is unique to humans. A comparative analysis of the presence or absence of the temporal styloid process was conducted on ten genera of Old-World primates, and it was found that the length of this …

Scaling Laws For Diffusion In Crystallized Plasma From Molecular Dynamics, Dany Yaacoub

Theses and Dissertations

Diffusion coefficients for crystallized Coulomb plasmas are essential microphysics input for modeling white dwarf cores and neutron star crusts. Solving for diffusion coefficients require running large molecular dynamics simulations with thousands of particles over millions of timesteps. The diffusion in a crystallized plasma has been largely ignored and is often taken to be zero in stellar evolution codes. We find that not only is this incorrect, but we find that the diffusion in a crystallized plasma can be modeled completely using a universal scaling law independent of screening. Our simulations also show that the dominant mode of diffusion in a …

A Phenomenological Look At Mental Blocks In Artistic Gymnastics, Lauren M. Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

Mental blocks are a poorly understood but pervasive and challenging phenomenon in artistic gymnastics that are characterized by a disconnect between the mind and body and an interference with athletes’ ability to physically perform previously automatic skills. This study used interpretive phenomenological analysis to explore the lived experiences of female D-I collegiate gymnasts in the United States who have struggled with mental blocks, examining the characteristics, causes, and management strategies through semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest that mental blocks are best understood on a spectrum and are difficult to attribute to a single cause as they often stem from a combination …

Exploring The Relationship Between Athletic Identity And Academic Resiliency Through A Life Skills Transfer Lens., Lilla Kisvari

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine and explore the relationship between athletic identity and academic resiliency. This is an exploratory study with three research questions: 1) How do Athletic Identity and Academic Resilience correlate? 2) What are the latent classes that exist between Athletic Identity and Academic Resilience? 3) How do these latent classes differ in terms of their academic and athletic characteristics?

The study utilized secondary data which were collected in 2020 and included a total of 489 participants. The participants completed the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) and the Academic Resiliency Scale (ARS-30). Findings revealed that …

Meeting Athletes Where They Are At: Mental Performance Consultants' Perspectives Of Developmentally Appropriate Consulting, Eleanor R. Cain

Theses and Dissertations

Mental performance consulting (MPC) involves using techniques and strategies designed to teach or enhance psychological skills that facilitate performance and a positive approach to sport competition (Vealey, 2024). MPC can be particularly valuable during adolescence as youth experience cognitive, social, and emotional changes. However, there is a lack of understanding regarding how to uniquely and effectively utilize MPC to help young athletes enhance their wellbeing, long-term development, and performance (Thrower et al., 2023). The purpose of this study was to gather mental performance consultants’ perspectives of the developmental considerations involved in mental performance consulting with adolescent athletes. Participants included 17 …

How I Came To Understand What Art Was, Ilse Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores my multidisciplinary art practice through three specific types of work: mobiles, books, and boxes. Each type of artwork functions as a vessel used to preserve objects and fleeting moments. Rooted in Anna Kornbluth's "aesthetic regime of immediacy," the work balances preservation with loss and intuition with craft. Inspired by Rauschenberg and Abercrombie, it challenges artistic boundaries by using immediate, everyday materials. These mobiles, books, and boxes become conduits for memory and invite viewers to connect personal and collective experiences.

The Body Is On, Kitty F. Davies

Theses and Dissertations

THE BODY IS ON is a visual art exhibition that considers queer embodiment, pervert as political identity, the arriving climate catastrophe, and difficulty in artmaking. I make use of various concepts from Deleuze and Guattari to interconnect my own with the primary goal to ask: what does futurity look like or mean in these climates (in both a literal, warming sense and an increasingly fascistic, political one), and how do we actualize that future?

The Impact Of Bilingual Teacher License, And Years Of Experience On Bilingual Student Reading Achievement Across Multiple-Grade Levels, Cuauhtemoc D. Reyes

Theses and Dissertations

The body of literature had an ongoing debate of which certification or license type had a greater impact on student achievement. Nevertheless, there were insufficient studies that focused on the impact of certification type and years of experience in the Bilingual camp. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to explore the findings of the various impact Bilingual teacher license, years of experience, and both Bilingual license and years of experience had on Bilingual student reading achievement. Hence, the dissertation used a quantitative causal-comparative design and explored the research questions. The findings varied from grade levels, school years, and languages. …

The Economic Impact And Policy Implications Of Innovative Medical Technologies On The Canadian Healthcare System, Hamid Sadri

Peninsula Dental School Theses

Abstract - Hamid Sadri - The Economic Impact and Policy Implications of Innovative Medical Technologies on the Canadian Healthcare SystemDespite considerable per capita expenditure, the Canadian healthcare system faces a complex crisis characterised by strained operational capacity, substantial shortages of Health Human Resources (HHR), and suboptimal patient outcomes. This crisis arises from a decentralised and fragmented structure, further aggravated by isolated budget allocations and persistent underfunding of critical infrastructure and medical technologies. The outcomes of these issues include excessively prolonged wait times for essential procedures and diagnostics, limited access to primary and specialised care, and persistent health disparities that disproportionately …

The Potential For Diagnosing High Blood Pressure At The Dentist: An Examination Of Periodontal Disease And The Oral Microbiome In Raised Blood Pressure., Amazon Doble

Peninsula Dental School Theses

Background: Hypertension is increasingly linked to periodontitis. However, the nature and specific mechanistic relationship of this remains unclear, however may involve reduced oral and systemic nitric oxide (NO) availability. There remains limited research on the oral microbiome during hypertension that could support such a causative mechanism involving NO.Aims: This project aimed to examine links between periodontal disease, the oral microbiome, and raised blood pressure, while establishing a cardiovascular risk case-finding clinic with a GP referral pathway.Methods: The project comprised three studies: Study I established and identified cardiovascular risk case-finding in a dental environment (n=200). Study II evaluated clinical markers and …

The Tender Flesh: Dwelling In Soft Wounds And Visceral Bodies, Madelyn Irene Turner-Havens

Theses and Dissertations

Within my painting process, I explore bodily interiority and exteriority in relation to the surface of painting, evoking a discomforting sense of corporeal (dis)embodiment, where haunted flesh becomes palpable. Indexing conversations with the body into the painting is a way to understand my body and create an experience of what happens when language fails to capture the complexity of sensation. Painting becomes a mediation with the canvas, a constant discovery of what can give shape to the intangible: how it feels when my skin folds into itself, bodily urges, and the soft texture of fatty tissue.

I let the parts …

Looking Beyond The Achievement Gap: An Inquiry Into Bridging The Divide Between Teacher Preparedness And English Learners’ Literacy Success, Sean Rhoads

Theses and Dissertations

English Learners (ELs) in early childhood and elementary settings continue to face a significant literacy achievement gap compared to their non-EL peers. A qualitative action research study was conducted in a suburban Midwest district to examine how teacher preparedness, instructional practices, and professional development influence EL literacy development. Through teacher interviews, surveys, and classroom observations, the study identified key challenges, including limited EL-specific training, minimal collaboration with EL specialists, and inadequate instructional resources. Aimsweb Plus data confirmed a widening literacy gap, reinforcing the need for culturally responsive teaching, improved collaboration, and targeted interventions. The findings emphasize the importance of sustained …

Uncertainty In Decision-Making Within The Dental Context Of Malaysia’S Multi-Ethnic Population – A Mixed-Methods Study, Prashanti Eachempati

Peninsula Dental School Theses

Background:Uncertainty is an inherent part of healthcare, particularly in decision-making. Shared decision-making in many Asian contexts faces challenges due to language barriers, religious practices, hierarchical clinical norms, and collectivist approaches to decision-making. Under uncertain conditions, these challenges become even more complex and may be influenced by individuals’ tolerance of uncertainty. Understanding how both patients and dentists of multi-ethnolinguistic groups experience and respond to uncertainty is therefore essential to support context-sensitive, culturally responsive dental decision-making.Aim:To explore how multi-ethnic patients and dentists in Malaysia, with varying levels of uncertainty tolerance, perceive and respond to uncertainty in oral health decision-making, and how they …

A Multiethnic Approach Of Stakeholder Involvement To Set Priorities For Oral Health Research, Sumanth Kumbargere Nagraj

Peninsula Dental School Theses

Setting research priorities is a key component of an effective research system. Stakeholder involvement, both formal and informal, is crucial in this process. Only few studies focus on the challenges of engaging diverse populations, particularly those from different ethnic and linguistic backgrounds, or how their values and priorities may align or differ.In Malaysia, a multiethnic and multilingual country, significant oral health disparities have been reported across ethnic groups. For example, the Malaysian National Oral Health Survey (2017) documented a higher prevalence of dental caries among Chinese children (30.7%), the highest oral cancer rates among Indians (46.2%), and the lowest prevalence …

Boys Build, Girls Glam: An Examination Of Adult Language Use In Informal Steam Education Settings, Alexandra Horton

Theses and Dissertations

Research on STEAM education has primarily focused on formal education settings such as schools, with more research needed in informal or non-traditional education settings. As children frequently engage with informal and non-traditional education settings, it is important to understand how we can transmit information in these settings to bolster and further the learning process and increase engagement. STEAM fields have been plagued by racial and gender inequities that have led to these groups being marginalized and excluded (Blair et al., 2017; Eaton et al., 2020; Martin, 2018; Martin & Phillips, 2019; Miller et al., 2018; Newall et al., 2018, Sheffield …

A Care-Focused Characterization Of Beginning Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Visions Of Mathematics Instruction, Alicia Marie Erwin

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation study, I sought to understand how elementary preservice teachers (EPTs) envisioned mathematics instruction at the beginning of their university program and what factors they identified as contributing to those visions. I conducted semi-structured interviews with 32 EPTs who had recently finished their first mathematics content course in their university program. I then connected theories of teacher care to characterize their visions of mathematical instruction.

Through my data analysis, I identified five themes that represented components of the EPTs’ beginning visions of mathematics instruction: Driver of the Math Task, Focus of the Math Task, Student Sharing, Classroom Environment, …

The Wellbeing Study: Exploring Healthcare Professionals (Hcps) Psychological Wellbeing At Work And Patients’ Experiences Of Care, Kathryn Bamforth

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

Kathryn Marie BamforthTitle: The WELLBEING Study: Exploring Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) Psychological Wellbeing at Work and Patients’ Experiences of CareBackground: HCPs’ psychological wellbeing affects patients’ experiences of care. The COVID-19 pandemic, cost of living and workforce crises have taken their toll on HCP wellbeing. There is scant evidence on HCPs’ perceptions of psychological wellbeing at work or how they could be better supported. There is less research that considers patients’ perspectives.Aim: To explore HCPs’ and patients’ perceptions of staff psychological wellbeing at work and use the first four stages of experience-based co-design (EBCD) to identify models of practice to support HCP …

Singapore’S Health Outcomes After Critical Illness In Kids: A Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Cohort Study To Explore Health Outcomes Of Children And Parents Six Months After Critical Illness, Pei Fen Poh

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

Background: Post-Intensive Care Syndrome in paediatrics (PICS-p) encompasses physical, cognitive, social, and emotional health impairments in children, as well as psychological challenges in parents, following PICU discharge. While PICS is well-studied in adults, research on its long-term effects in the paediatric population is limited, and the influence of ethnicity remains unexplored.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore and understand the long-term health outcomes and experiences of children and their parents during the first six months following discharge from the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and to examine the influence of ethnicity. Methods: The SHACK study was informed by …

Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist In Infants With Acute Viral Bronchiolitis (Navabronch Study) A Mixed Methods Feasibility Study To Establish The Evidence And To Evaluate The Effectiveness Of Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist In Infants With Acute Viral Bronchiolitis, Julia Harris

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

Julia HarrisNeurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist in infants with acute viral bronchiolitis (NAVABronch study) - A mixed methods Feasibility study To establish the evidence and to evaluate the effectiveness of neurally adjusted ventilatory assist in infants with acute viral bronchiolitis. Abstract AimThe aim of this mixed-methods thesis is to evaluate the use of Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist (NAVA) in infants with acute viral bronchiolitis. BackgroundThere are currently 6,662 infants less than one year of age with a primary respiratory diagnosis admitted to Paediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) in the UK each year. Respiratory illness is more common in winter, with the …

Language Ideologies In Coloniality Contexts: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of Efl Teachers’ Experiences And Perceptions On The Use Of Learners’ Language Repertoire As Assets For Teaching And Learning, Kountiala J. Some

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I examined how dominant language ideologies in language politics and policy shape the professional identity development and pedagogical practices of five English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Burkina Faso. The study sought to understand how these ideologies influence teachers’ beliefs and perceptions of multilingual pedagogical approaches, as well as possible pathways for deconstructing them to promote student-centered practices. The participants’ accounts revealed that their academic and professional identities were largely shaped by the belief that home languages hinder proficiency in French and English. They recalled with remorse their elementary school experiences, where speaking native languages …

Machine Learning-Based Prediction Of Endometrial Cancer Prognosis, Sherif Shazly

School of Nursing and Midwifery Theses

This thesis develops and uses machine learning tools to predict the prognosis of endometrial cancer. With endometrial cancer being the most common gynaecologic malignancy in low- and middle-income countries, accurate prognostic models are essential for improving patient outcomes. This research aims to develop and validate machine learning-based models to predict CSS (cancer-specific survival) and DFS (disease-free survival) at 3- and 5-year intervals, utilizing patient demographics, preoperative imaging, histopathological characteristics, and treatment data.The study employed multiple machine learning algorithms, including logistic regression, support vector machines, XGBoost, and random forest, to create three predictive models: a preoperative model, a management-based model, and …

Growing Through The Questions: Studying Sticking Points To Strengthen Commitments To Socially Just English Language Arts Teaching, Kaitlyn P. Blake

Theses and Dissertations

This teacher-research study explores sticking points that emerge in my high school English language arts (ELA) classroom as a way of aligning my practice with my socially just ELA teaching framework, especially in my early career years. Using qualitative methods to focus on my classroom interactions with students, two specific sticking points emerged as significant to my learning. Although I initially interpreted these sticking points as being between the students and me, my analysis revealed that the sticking points were actually a result of my socially just framework being challenged by my own enactment of it. Learning to reframe these …

Genetic Relative-Finder Services: A Qualitative Study Of Consumer Experiences, Sarah A. Sciba

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Genetic genealogy is an emergent topic in sociology. To date, over 41 million individuals worldwide have tested with the top four direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT) companies: AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, 23andMe, and MyHeritageDNA (Glynn 2022). These tests provide consumers with ethnicity estimates, a list of DNA cousin matches, or both. Despite the popularity of DTCGT, there is a lack of data on consumer experiences with genetic relative-finder services (GRF) in the sociological literature. Methodology: I conducted exploratory, qualitative research in the form of in-depth interviews with eight adult women who have used GRF. I gathered data about their motivations for participation …