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2022

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Children And Technology: Why Technology Is Important For Our Children, Jill Mactiernan Dec 2022

Children And Technology: Why Technology Is Important For Our Children, Jill Mactiernan

Student Theses

Many people get scared when they hear about how much technology runs the world today. They tend to get frightened when they go to a store and have to use a selfcheckout instead of a cashier. Parents are scared of the dangers of the internet and how it will affect their children, so they tend to try to prevent/limit their children’s usage of the internet and other technologies. However, that may not always be the right move. Technology can not be avoided; it is a part of our everyday lives. With proper guidance and teachings, children can learn how to …


The Fight For Equality: Black Lives Matter, Success, & Social Media, Metyia K. Phillips Dec 2022

The Fight For Equality: Black Lives Matter, Success, & Social Media, Metyia K. Phillips

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis strives to assess how social media has impacted the success of the Black Lives Matter movement. By conducting a survey between September 30th, 2022 - October 12th, 2022, respondents were asked questions to gauge their attitudes about the Black Lives Matter movement, social media usage, and the success of the movement. The results of the survey (n=571) in conjunction with a 2016 Pew Research Center survey (n=2,144) were used to evaluate how social media has impacted the success of the Black Lives Matter movement. The survey was taken by a nonrandom group of respondents because I distributed the …


The Benefits Of Dual Immersion Programs On Elementary School Students, Allison E. Williams Dec 2022

The Benefits Of Dual Immersion Programs On Elementary School Students, Allison E. Williams

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone aims to share the benefits of Dual Immersion Programs at the Elementary school years. Understanding what a Dual Immersion Program is and knowing that there are different models within the program allow for parents to select which program is best suited for their students. A key point in clarification is that a Dual Immersion program does not aim to replace an English, or standard, education program, but add a target language to enhance the learning of the students. This study looks at the short- and long-term academic and social benefits students can gain from kindergarten through fifth grade …


The Benefits Of Integrating Physical Activity For Elementary School Students, Miriam Olmos Dec 2022

The Benefits Of Integrating Physical Activity For Elementary School Students, Miriam Olmos

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone examines the benefits of Physical Activity (PA) for elementary school students. Recently, many schools have dedicated most of the school day to teach core subjects where students remain desk bound with greater sedentary time. Many schools have also decided to either cut or reduce Physical Education (P.E.) activities for students. However, through literature review, a 45- anonymous student and teacher survey and an ethnographic interview with a teacher along with class observations, the findings revealed that integrating physical activities along with other core subject matters throughout the school day could help student concentration, motivation and improve their academic …


Graphic Novels In The Foreign Language Classroom: Teaching Central American History In The Target Language, Vanessa Elizabeth Guzmán Sep 2022

Graphic Novels In The Foreign Language Classroom: Teaching Central American History In The Target Language, Vanessa Elizabeth Guzmán

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Graphic novels are becoming increasingly helpful in the foreign language classroom. As a Spanish teacher in the Bronx, I have introduced numerous graphic novels into my lessons. Some graphic novels include familiar characters and are presented in a translated work, while others are graphic novels that were originally printed in Spanish. I have witnessed the advantages of using graphic novels in my classroom as the illustrations provide my readers with context clues to better understand the reading. I have also found some graphic novels that focus on historical events in Latin America but these works were either written entirely in …


"I Am Who I Am": Lgbtq+ Student Experiences At A Baptist Liberal Arts University., Edwin Pavy Aug 2022

"I Am Who I Am": Lgbtq+ Student Experiences At A Baptist Liberal Arts University., Edwin Pavy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Though studies exploring the experiences of LGBTQ+ students on Christian college and university (CCU) campuses are increasingly prevalent, research continues to demonstrate that CCU environments are often unwelcoming. Gender and sexual minority students often face additional challenges or risks in attending a faith-based institution. To drive meaningful change, recommendations need to be tailored to individual institutions. This study sought to make meaning alongside LGBTQ+ students at a single institution – Baptist Heritage University (BHU) – with a decidedly appreciative approach. Grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s ecology of human development, we conducted an arts- based action research study to gain a deeper understanding …


School Related Criminal Acts, Interpersonal Problems, And Classroom Behaviors As A Function Of The Proportion Of Black Students And Black Teachers, Leanne Zaire Jun 2022

School Related Criminal Acts, Interpersonal Problems, And Classroom Behaviors As A Function Of The Proportion Of Black Students And Black Teachers, Leanne Zaire

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

This study’s purpose was to investigate school-level behavioral outcomes in relation to the proportion of Black teachers and students in U.S. schools. Negative school outcome and academic achievement gaps are well-documented. However, many of these studies utilized small, localized populations; my research used national data and focused on the problem behaviors in school. Drawing from Critical Race Theory, I hypothesized that a greater proportion of Black teachers would reduce school student problems and negative behaviors (e.g., student verbal abuse of teachers, widespread disorder in classrooms). After receiving a restricted-use license, I utilized data from 25,818 schools from the National Teacher …


A Qualitative Study On Nurse Facilitators Of Mind-Body Skills Groups, Paula D. Blake-Beckford May 2022

A Qualitative Study On Nurse Facilitators Of Mind-Body Skills Groups, Paula D. Blake-Beckford

Mindfulness Studies Theses

The Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM), founded by Dr. James Gordon, provides communities with evidence-based Mind-Body Skills Groups (MBSGs) that foster self-care, self-awareness, and self-expression. MBSGs range from 8 to 12-week series on various mind-body practices wherein group members meet, practice, and reflect on the impact of mind-body skills in their lives. Research has demonstrated that participants in MBSGs have positive outcomes. Healthcare professionals (HCPs), especially nurses, gain resiliency from MBSGs. As facilitators of MBSGs, nurses develop essential skills transferable to clinical and educational settings. MBSGs are therapeutic for adult participants with chronic stress. Prior to this thesis, only one …


The Belt And Road Initiative In Kenya, As Represented By The Standard Gauge Railway (Sgr), Its Effects And The Response Of Kenyans To It., Kiplangat Arap Yegon May 2022

The Belt And Road Initiative In Kenya, As Represented By The Standard Gauge Railway (Sgr), Its Effects And The Response Of Kenyans To It., Kiplangat Arap Yegon

Master's Theses

China has sought to strengthen ties with many countries in the Global South, and many African countries have signed Memorandum of Agreements(MoU) with China leading to trade treaties, foreign direct investments, loans and grants flowing into the African continent from China. This aggressive push by China into Africa has come under intense scrutiny with different actors, scholars and powers having mixed takes on the move. In my thesis, I look at the ways in which China’s Belt and Road Initiative has been undertaken in Africa. I use Kenya as a main case study in looking at the ways in which …


A Cleave Within The Piney Woods: Nacogdoches, Stephen F. Austin State University And How Racial Integration Divided The Town And Gown, Caitlin Hornback May 2022

A Cleave Within The Piney Woods: Nacogdoches, Stephen F. Austin State University And How Racial Integration Divided The Town And Gown, Caitlin Hornback

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stephen F. Austin State University was once the pride and joy of the city of Nacogdoches, Texas. When the Texas State Legislature began to look for a location for their new state normal school, the people of the East Texas town fought to have it built there and the Stephen F. Austin Teacher’s College opened its doors in September 1923 to a proud community. Through the trials and tribulations of early twentieth century events, the school managed to stay afloat and grow in numbers. Dr. Ralph W. Steen became the president of the college in 1958 and he oversaw a …


Ink: A Study Of Cholx Literacies, Lauren Elizabeth Peña Uribarri May 2022

Ink: A Study Of Cholx Literacies, Lauren Elizabeth Peña Uribarri

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis provides an exploration of what Cholx literacies are and aims to prove that tattoos are a significant and restorative literacy practice within Cholx communities. Because this is a specific area in the field of literacies studies about which little is known, this study works towards establishing Cholx literacies as a viable and recognized form of literacy and opens the door to further research on the topic. Although there is so much that is yet to be learned about the specific literacy practices of Cholx community members, this study opens a conversation about normative and non-normative literacy practices and …


Increasing The Awareness Of Emotional Regulation In Young Children, Duran Andrea May 2022

Increasing The Awareness Of Emotional Regulation In Young Children, Duran Andrea

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many children have not yet developed effective strategies to cope with their emotions in a healthy manner. Lack of emotional regulation in children may result in behavioral and social issues such as mental health issues and poor temperament. When children are able to understand how to positively cope with their emotions, they will be able to properly regulate their emotions throughout their life using healthy mechanisms. In order to improve children’s ability to regulate their emotions, I formulated a two-part curriculum to demonstrate positive coping strategies and tools to regulate emotions for 1st grade students at Robert H. Down Elementary …


Benefits Of School Gardening Programs In Education: Opportunities And Challenges Towards Sustainability, Alyssa Conte May 2022

Benefits Of School Gardening Programs In Education: Opportunities And Challenges Towards Sustainability, Alyssa Conte

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The benefits of school gardening programs in education are numerous; yet, there is still no formal inclusion of these practices into the California State curriculum. Currently, school gardening programs are generated through community effort. The benefits of these programs are limited by their challenges, but when these programs are effective, they enhance the entire curriculum. This senior capstone study takes a look at what school gardening programs have done to be successful, and what benefits may be gained from further funding these programs. Through the use of qualitative research and interviews with local teachers along with CSUMB students, the results …


Nature-Based Education For Elementary Students With Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, Kayleigh Morrison May 2022

Nature-Based Education For Elementary Students With Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, Kayleigh Morrison

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

There are several advantages to including a nature-based curriculum and outdoor learning into state standards, and the consequences of students who do not have access to outside learning and activities can be severe. The term “Attention Restoration Theory” (ART) was coined by psychology professors Rachel and Stephen Kaplan in 1989 and claims that exposure to nature can improve mental fatigue and concentration. This senior capstone examines Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory and academic studies rooted in its philosophy as it applies to nature-based curriculum and outdoor learning. There are certain advantages for students who are exposed to a nature-based curriculum and …


Increasing Social Awareness Skills In Kindergarten Students, Chloe Dennis May 2022

Increasing Social Awareness Skills In Kindergarten Students, Chloe Dennis

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Social awareness is a key component of social-emotional learning and is often underrepresented in kindergarten curriculum. Students who struggle with social awareness are at a greater risk for antisocial behaviors, low academic performance, diminished self-efficacy, low motivation, and low adaptability. Jean Piagets’ cognitive-developmental theory places kindergarten-age students in the preoperational stage of development. At this stage, children are egocentric, exhibit centrated thought, and struggle to use perspective and empathic skills. Kindness, problem-solving, and maintaining positive relationships are all rooted in social awareness and require students to move away from egocentric thinking. I designed a three-part lesson on acts of kindness …


The Effects Of Covid-19 On Early Childhood Mental Health Development, Taylor Ybanez May 2022

The Effects Of Covid-19 On Early Childhood Mental Health Development, Taylor Ybanez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

A child’s development is of the highest importance to any person that has the opportunity to teach them. Due to the impact of COVID-19, many people, especially developing children have struggled with their mental health development. With the lack of resources and outreach opportunities, some of them had to be left alone for a good portion of their time during their stay-at-home orders due to not being allowed to attend school. This senior capstone is to bring awareness of the toll COVID-19 has taken on children’s development in terms of their emotional, physiological, and physical well-being. The findings offer some …


Parent Volunteers And Covid-19: Balancing Necessity, Enthusiasm, And Caution, Jarrod Myers May 2022

Parent Volunteers And Covid-19: Balancing Necessity, Enthusiasm, And Caution, Jarrod Myers

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus issue addressed in this Capstone Project is how the pandemic disrupted parent volunteering in schools. Parent volunteering is an essential issue for schools because parent involvement is essential for student success. An evidence-based argument is offered that schools struggled to staff the void left by parent volunteers. The three primary stakeholder perspectives chosen were parents, school leadership, and teachers. Parents make up the volunteer pool; teachers know what kind of assistance classrooms need, and school leadership creates policies. Three themes emerged from analyzing the data and explored ways to reintroduce parents to a school campus. Parent volunteers make …


Press Any Button To Get Started: Approaching Japanese Culture And Society Through Video Games, Amanda Weber Apr 2022

Press Any Button To Get Started: Approaching Japanese Culture And Society Through Video Games, Amanda Weber

East Asian Studies Honors Papers

This project argues for inclusion of video games into the liberal arts curriculum alongside more traditional texts. Three Japanese-developed video games are analyzed in terms of their appropriateness for the Ursinus Quest curriculum while also exploring their appropriation of characters, themes, and values from Japanese mytho-history. My approach incorporates the methodology introduced by the scholar James Paul Gee who studies video games through the lens of semiotics and gaming theory. Gee defines key elements presented in video games as ‘lifeworld domains,’ which incorporate cultures, societies, and individual and group experiences. The value of video games resides in the players’ development …


The College Experience Podcast: Connecting Student Services For College Success, Lucila Sanchez Feb 2022

The College Experience Podcast: Connecting Student Services For College Success, Lucila Sanchez

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

What do we know about orienting college students on how to successfully manage the college experience? With this podcast, I aim to answer that question. The podcast aims to serve two purposes. The first purpose is to transmit the information to the students. The secondary purpose is to support student development by increasing knowledge about a wide range of topics as well as available services and resources. The goal is for students to become more aware of how they can access and use these services most effectively and how to manage their time to access essential services that support their …


The Role Of Liberal Arts Education On Academic Choices: The American University In Cairo Case Study, Nourhane Mohamed Kamal El Maraghi Jan 2022

The Role Of Liberal Arts Education On Academic Choices: The American University In Cairo Case Study, Nourhane Mohamed Kamal El Maraghi

Theses and Dissertations

Providing a qualified higher education is a crucial component of any developmental plan in any country. This paper tackles the issue of educational decisions and will mainly focus on presenting the American University in Cairo (AUC) as a case study. The paper addresses undergraduate college students’ choices of their subjects and fields of study during the first year of university and how liberal arts education influence such decisions. The main aim is to build valuable recommendations to ease the transition of students from high school to universities, help them rationally choose their area of study, facilitate the financial burden on …


Honor Thyself, Alonzo O. Williams Jan 2022

Honor Thyself, Alonzo O. Williams

Dance (MFA) Theses

The black male experience and identity in America are filled with complexity. We struggle to know ourselves. We work to see the way of love and the peace of an unviolated free spirit. We want to engage with ourselves with the highest degree of freedom and comfort, not to continue to question our identity in a life-threatening white patriarchal masculinity ideal. Honoring oneself from the lenses of the Reconstruction era of the United States is essential. Reconceptualizing this history explores the significance of emphasizing Reconstruction in my life as a black male to go through a process of self-discovery and …


“Every Beat You Make Has A Time Of Day Or Color”: How Producers And Rappers Changed The Course Of Sampling Music, Elvin M. Castellanos Jan 2022

“Every Beat You Make Has A Time Of Day Or Color”: How Producers And Rappers Changed The Course Of Sampling Music, Elvin M. Castellanos

Theses

This thesis demonstrates the importance of the producer and artist relationship in hip hop songwriting and sampling, focusing on producers The Alchemist, Madlib, Sounwave, and Terrace Martin, and artists Freddie Gibbs, MF DOOM, Prodigy, and Kendrick Lamar. Topics covered range from sampling lawsuits and their impact on producers and artists in songwriting; what a producer and artist relationship looks like and how they benefit from their relationship; and the quality of music that comes from a close relationship between a producer and artist. I build upon research about the effects of sampling on hip hop by musicologist Amanda Sewell; sampling …


Catch My Drift? Perceptions And Experiences Of Pesticide Contamination Of Organic Crops In Montana, Sarah Rodgers Jan 2022

Catch My Drift? Perceptions And Experiences Of Pesticide Contamination Of Organic Crops In Montana, Sarah Rodgers

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Pesticide drift and inadvertent contamination pose particular risks to organic production. Some organic producers have lost their crops, certification, and/or organic markets because of contamination events. Through this thesis research, I explain the perceptions and experiences that certified organic farmers in Montana have about drift and inadvertent pesticide contamination. I conducted semi-structured interviews with eleven certified organic farmers from various regions of Montana. Along with one-on-one interviews with organic farmers, interviews with industry and regulatory officials were conducted to better understand the policies and procedures that control what happens when drift occurs at the state level. Industry and regulatory official …


I’M Not A Tragedy: Speaking Up About Ableist Microaggressions, Kasandra Marguerite Colwell Jan 2022

I’M Not A Tragedy: Speaking Up About Ableist Microaggressions, Kasandra Marguerite Colwell

Communication Senior Capstones

Have you heard of ableist microaggressions? Let me tell you about them, as someone who has experienced them. I have a bi-lateral dislocating knee condition that I was born with. I can walk, but sometimes I need additional stability or reduction of pain while getting around, in which case I tend to use a cane. I have had many othering interactions while using a mobility aid in public, whether that be a knee brace, a cane, or crutches. While it often seemed the stranger didn’t mean any harm, the question is how many invasive questions and comments from strangers can …


Literary Fiction And Sympathy: How Reading Makes You A Better Person, Emma Rose Wick Jan 2022

Literary Fiction And Sympathy: How Reading Makes You A Better Person, Emma Rose Wick

Honors Theses and Capstones

I argue in this thesis that literary fiction enhances our ability to sympathize with others as a result of observing—and thereby coming to feel for—the perspectives of the characters by engaging in mental perspective-taking. As a result, we become able to sympathize with an array of individuals whose experiences are unlike our own, and which we may never understand otherwise. I argue that the ability to sympathize with others is valuable for the sake of being a morally good person, and for having an overall good character. This has value in and of itself, particularly from an Aristotelian perspective. I …