Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Qualities Of A School Counselor And Principal Partnership That Foster Student Learning And School Culture: A Qualitative, Eef Ji Fontanez

Online Theses and Dissertations

The close partnership between school counselors and principals suggested that their work together can influence student learning and school culture. Their roles, while different in nature, could be conducive to collaborating in an effective manner to help achieve their respective goals and the objectives of their employment responsibilities. Ideally, principals should fully understand the role of school counselors and allow them to implement a comprehensive counseling plan to increase student learning, reduce discipline issues, promote attendance, and positively impacts school culture. According to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), outlined the role of a professional school counselor to incorporate the …

The American University: Attitudes About Safety And The Impact Of Gun Regulations On Campus, April Bixler

Online Theses and Dissertations

An ultimate goal of American universities is to provide a safe and secure environment for all who attend and operate there, but what safety looks and feels like to the individual can vary to a great degree. There are many factors that campus safety departments consider when designing their campus safety policies and regulations. One way universities in the U.S. have chosen to regulate campus safety is by allowing concealed carry (CC) on their campuses. No evidence was found in the state of Kentucky that explains if a CC policy is warranted or being pursued by faculty, staff and students …

Posttraumatic Growth In Inmates: An Exploration Of Cumulative Adverse Life Experiences And Its Relationship To Growth, Rachel Taylor

Online Theses and Dissertations

Trauma is pervasive among incarcerated populations and revictimization is common. Trauma can ripple out, affecting other areas of life—for many inmates, trauma is related to mental health issues and substance abuse, both of which can contribute to increased likelihood of recidivism. This study evaluated cumulative trauma using the Adverse Childhood Experiences survey (ACEs) and the Trauma History Questionnaire (THQ) to find the effect of cumulative trauma on posttraumatic growth, the positive psychological change that may develop following a traumatic experience. Against the hypotheses and previous research, the results showed a negative relationship between cumulative trauma and posttraumatic growth, a negative …

An Examination Of The Usage Of Grants And Municipal Bonds To Fund Capital Projects For Local Governments, Collin Patrick Davis

Online Theses and Dissertations

Funding for capital projects is a vital need for local governments. This thesis compares two forms of funding, that being debt funding through municipal bonds or funding from state and federal grants. This thesis compares and contrasts these two forms of funding, looking at the economic and political risks that can come with using municipal bonds, as well as the need of resources that local governments need when it comes to securing grants. This project also looks at the case study of one such local government that needs funding for a capital project, that being the city of Richmond, Kentucky, …

From The Governor's Desk To A Bullet In Your Chest: The Fatal Implications Of Anti-Trans Legislation, Iyan Wickel

Online Theses and Dissertations

Proposed discriminatory legislation in the hundreds has resulted in a renewed look at trans communities, both of support and vitriol. Just as new legislation has been proposed in recent years at a rate that is higher than ever before, so has the reported rate of murder of transgender and gender nonconforming individuals, seemingly at a similar rate with hate fueled rhetoric and legislation. This general observation was the driving force behind this study; to determine whether or not anti-trans legislation in particular coincided with the rate of murder of trans and gender non-conforming people. The study at hand examined the …

Urban And Rural Comparisons Of Attitudes Toward Medically Assisted Treatment For Pregnant And Postpartum Women With Oud In Appalachia, Anna Reeves

Online Theses and Dissertations

The opioid crisis has plagued the United States but disproportionately affects the often-overlooked Appalachian region. This area faces unique barriers preventing better access to quality Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) treatment facilities despite opioid-related deaths continuing to rise. An especially vulnerable population in this region are pregnant and postpartum women who face even more challenges acquiring proper drug treatment. Medically Assisted Treatment (MAT), also called Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), is considered the standard of treatment for OUD and reduces the effects of NAS, yet it is heavily stigmatized and underutilized in populations who could benefit from the medication. This …

How The Drug Trade Is Facilitated Online: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis, Jose Aguilar

Online Theses and Dissertations

The drug trade is part of society and will, therefore, continue to evolve as society evolves. Technology plays a significant role in the evolution of society and the drug trade alike. Technological developments such as the internet have facilitated our lives. Several conditions have contributed to the evolution of the drug trade, including the increased and intensifying criminalization of material spaces, which has led to people engaging in crime in and across cyberspace(s). The transnational nature of the emergent digital drug trade has brought with it unique jurisdictional concerns as the globalized world intersects with the global internet to facilitate …

Emotions As Social Objects In The Justice System: How Feelings Develop In Justice Processes And What They Do., Peyton Alexander Warman

Online Theses and Dissertations

Criminological research on emotionality and emotional demonstration in justice processes remains underdeveloped. One method of approaching the issue of understanding emotions in the justice setting is to conceptualize them as a form of social communication, impacted by the structure of the legal domain yet holding significant influence on their own. This thesis seeks to establish how emotions are rooted in social dynamics, and how the justice system, in both restorative and punitive contexts, including prison environments, creates specific social conditions that guide emotional demonstration and interpretation. The comprehensive review of established literature leads to the initial conclusion that emotions are …

Menstrual Inequality In Women's Correctional Facilities, Tara Lee Sexton

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this analysis is to examine how those who menstruate while incarcerated experience menstrual inequality within correctional settings. This research focuses on vulnerable populations of menstruators most likely to experience menstrual inequality and the underlying causes of this systematic inequality within the prison industrial complex in the United States. The content of this work will focus on how menstruating bodies face stigma, discrimination, and punitive treatment within correctional institutions throughout the United States. Based on the lack of access to feminine hygiene products and adequate restroom facilities within correctional institutions, menstruators face potential issues of privacy, concealment, and …

No Safe Spaces: Institutionally Washed Out, Jordan Marie King

Online Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Prior literature has shown that black and brown bodies (BBB) are policed and victimized at higher rates than their white counterparts within the criminal justice system. The criminalization of school discipline is a microcosm of ‘big’ criminal justice. Criminal justice measures were implemented within schools as a means of maintaining ‘safety.’ Policing in schools perpetuates punishment disproportionality and maintains similar disproportionalities as the ‘big’ criminal justice system in terms of for whom and how how severely it is applied. Meaning that regardless of the school's demographics or student backgrounds, black and brown bodies are punished at a higher rate …

The Genome, Genetic Genealogy Database (3g Database), Salma Obaid Alotaibi

Online Theses and Dissertations

This is a qualitative research paper that used the content analysis method. Thirty-one sources which include journal articles, credible websites, and books were used to discuss the importance of having national and global genetic databases. DNA phenotyping is the technology used in criminal justice to identify crime suspects through observable traits in their DNA. This can play a key role in convicting the right crime perpetrators and avoiding future court appeals. It also helps during disaster recovery, where the victims are identified based on their DNA samples. Law enforcement agencies frequently use DNA to identify victims and solve high-profile cases …

Community Development Through Career And Technical Education In The U.S. Education System For A Higher American Standard Of Living, Marty Stuart Asbridge

Online Theses and Dissertations

The evolution of the public education system to include more career and life readiness skills should be a central matter of focus to education policymakers across the United States by improving the planning, implementation, and evaluation of Career and Technical Education programs. This is because improving the societal standard of living relies on proper Community Development, through the framework of developing the potential quality of America’s most vital human capital, its students entering the workforce. In its current state Career and Technical Education is an important but underdeveloped program set to accomplish building student skills in work ethics and administrative …

New Directions In State Crime: A Queer Criminology Perspective, Haley Elizabeth Bates

Online Theses and Dissertations

While recent decades have seen an expansion of state crime literature, the scholarship has been slow to integrate new criminological perspectives. The field is aware of state-perpetrated harms committed against queer and gender non-conforming individuals, yet there are limited works that explicitly frame the state as a criminal actor. This paper argues for the integration of queer criminology into the field of state crime to elevate harms against the LGBTQ+ community into academic awareness. Case studies demonstrating direct state violence in Russia’s Chechen Republic and indirect state violence against trans women in the United States are included to highlight the …

Scope Of Homelessness In Kentucky, Shannon Elyse Catron

Online Theses and Dissertations

This paper is based on a data project that pulled together publicly available data from several sources to examine the scope of homelessness in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The primary findings of the project conclude that there is a lack of data regarding counting homeless individuals, and that the available data should be examined to determine changes in the homeless population and demographics over time. Examining this data would also reveal the rate of progress in the number of counties that have began participating in the K-count since 2006. Increasing awareness about the topic and encouraging local governments to develop …

Impact Of Living Learning Communities On Underserved Minority Students At A Regional Comprehensive University, Brandon Leonard Thompson

Online Theses and Dissertations

As access to higher education for underserved minority (USM) students has consistently increased over the past 20 years, college and university campuses across the United States have observed an achievement gap between USM students and their white counterparts (Brown, 2019; Doan, 2015; Flores, Park & Baker, 2017; Pope, 2002; Ramos; 2019). This achievement gap is acute and carries significant consequences if not addressed. As campuses seek to find solutions to close this achievement gap, it is essential to identify strategies that meet the needs of USM students instead of waiting for students to adapt to higher education and campus culture …

Communities In Conflict: A Critical Look Into Police And Deaf Interactions In Central Kentucky, Savannah Sublette

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine historical and social patterns of audism, as expressed through criminal justice institutions, within local communities in central Kentucky. Previous research has pointed to patterns of discrimination by surveying either police or deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) people. By conducting research with members of both populations, the present study is able to explore the respective experiences and opinions on various topics, including knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), criminal justice policy and procedure, and the interaction techniques utilized by law enforcement. Themes and patterns emerge showing the disconnect between a …

Types Of Social Media Use And Adolescent Mental Health, Ashley Bragg

Online Theses and Dissertations

Communication in today’s world is rapidly changing, some suggest for the better, while some suggest it is for the worse. Networking for the adolescent perspective has social media platforms at an all time high. The amount of face-to-face communication between adolescents has been replaced with outlets such as Instagram and Snapchat. Although this is another form of communication, it often faces challenges to whether this outlet is detrimental to the adolescent’s mental health or a positive chance for interacting with peers. Anxiety, depression and fear of missing out (FoMO) are three major mental health concerns that correlate with social media …

Scale Validation Of American Exceptionalism Index, Evan Hunter Charles

Online Theses and Dissertations

A powerful nation that commits reprehensible actions but only holds other countries accountable must be checked, especially if the nation's populace turns a blind eye. This thesis sought to validate a new scale called the American Exceptionalism Index. The current study draws from instruction and examples from academics and professionals who have experience with scale validation – a primer was developed and available to guide future scale development. Following these steps or the inherent purpose behind these steps, the current study seeks to contribute to the American Exceptionalism literature. The current study seeks to validate the American Exceptionalism Index (AEI) …

Wattpad As An Online Medium For Contemporary Folklore, Alisha Tess Helton

Online Theses and Dissertations

This project focuses its discussion within the discipline of folklore by identifying Wattpad.com as a contemporary medium of online folkloric content. Wattpad provides its users with a text-based—and sometimes multimodal—means of communication via its interface that mimics traditional communication as we know it—a means founded in orality, literacy, and the archive. Wattpad users are creating new folktales that are nuanced with elements from Wattpad’s archive, which characterizes contemporary online folklore in a way that has not been fully explored. This project serves to identify the past and present discourses that inform such a discussion while also explaining the intricacies of …

Factors Contributing To Feelings Of Inclusion And Exclusion Among Swahili-Speaking Refugees In Lexington, Kentucky, Aaron Lankster

Online Theses and Dissertations

This study examines Swahili-speaking refugees’ feelings of inclusion and exclusion through focus group interviews. We hypothesized that language, tangible aid, and social interactions would be related to feelings of inclusion and exclusion in the host society. We also examined demographic moderators of these associations. The 9 refugees, all first generation, who participated were from 3 different countries (DRC, Kenya, and South Sudan). There were 3 males and 6 females between the ages of 18 and 28. Findings indicate that experiences related to social interactions were cited most frequently as causes of feeling included or excluded. Individual interactions were more likely …

"I Could Not Understand Anything They Said!": Non-Native English Speaking Instructors, Online Learning, And Student Anxiety, Katelyn Lee Mcclure

Online Theses and Dissertations

Non-native English speaking (NNES) instructors are often rated lower within course evaluations and are typically criticized for their accents (Rubin, 1992; Subtirelu, 2015). Reasonings behind this have not been researched much in terms of online education, though the relevance of this topic is continuing to grow through online learning. The current experiments aim to determine if the presence of an NNES accent causes more learning anxiety compared to an instructor with a standard American accent. Two experiments were conducted to gauge participants’ anxiety level and learning performance. In both experiments, participants were given a set of four videos divided into …

Fear Of The Future: A Speculative Exploration Of Cinematic Dystopias, Katarina Megan Mcguire

Online Theses and Dissertations

Dystopia is often thought of as a simple fictional device or some far off possibility of an unrecognizable Earth. But what if dystopias are actually allegorical devices warning of the long-term effects of social controls like criminalization as well as reflections on current socio-political conditions? The aim of this study was to explore cinematic dystopias and their depictions of and reflections on such themes, including how they might act as speculations on the future. Relying on qualitative content analysis, this study gathered data from three dystopic films, including V for Vendetta, Minority Report, and Equilibrium, all chosen for their criminological …

The Road To Justice: Incarcerated Students’ View On Education Behind Bars, Margaret Baker Price

Online Theses and Dissertations

The experience of students that are incarcerated is largely unknown. This qualitative phenomenological research study allowed four college students that are incarcerated to share their experiences. Research shows individuals who are incarcerated are less likely to reoffend this study upon release. This study will show how these individuals view their educational experience during incarceration. Interviews were conducted with each participant and data was coded and organized into themes. By utilizing a phenomenological stance, observations were made of events that led to the placement of participants in the prison system and how education has impacted their time spent incarcerated. Themes discovered …

Hierarchy And Responsibility In Media: Cults, Culpability, And Culture, Max Hargett

Online Theses and Dissertations

This is a descriptive research project that investigates how popular entertainment media portrays cults. My intention is to see how the selected films and television shows portray issues of hierarchy and culpability within the cult and to explore how the genre and theme of the content was utilized in order to evoke certain reactions and sentiments in the audience. The selected films were The Sacrament, Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Midsommar. The selected television shows were Waco and American Horror Story: Cult. Each film and series is given its own analysis. Findings indicate that a common theme of the rigid …

The Price Of “Normal”: Masking In The Autistic Community, Phyllis Elizabeth Holloway

Online Theses and Dissertations

The Autistic community has a rich history that often includes poor mental health outcomes due to the increased stress and anxiety surrounding the push to have “normal” social skills. On Twitter, many autistic people utilize a hashtag to connect with others in the online Autistic community. This qualitative study analyzes the Twitter hashtag, #ActuallyAutistic, to understand masking and camouflaging from the autistic point of view. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to perform this analysis. The themes found emphasize the need for professionals to increase their understanding of the Autistic community’s value and contributions. By improving the ability of non-autistic …

Community College Retention Initiative: A Qualitative Study On The Lived Experiences Of Black Males Entrenched In A Mentoring Program At One Associate-Level College In The Southeastern Region, Brandon Turnley

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the lived experiences of graduates of a Black Male Initiative (BMI) mentoring program at one associate-level College in the southeast region and the impact mentoring had on the participant's success at the college and its impact on obtaining their degree. Critical Race Theory (CRT) was the theoretical framework shaping the study, which acknowledges the centrality of race in every aspect of culture in the United States, including higher education. Three research questions guided this study (1) How do graduates of the mentoring program view their success with the program? (2) …

The Barriers Students Of Color Experience During The Online College Application, Tichaedza Stephen Chikuni

Online Theses and Dissertations

Recruitment of Students of Color (African American and Latino) is a growing obligation of colleges and universities around the United States (Bauman et al., 2019). Personally, the culmination of my passion for diversity recruitment and my experiences with information technology has led me to study why Students of Color encounter barriers during their online college application process. A vicious cycle of seeing Students of Color students not being able to access key resources during their college application process has frequently left me heartbroken. There are an abundance of excuses and I want to be a part of the solution.

Introductory Mathematics And Stem Persistence: Examining The Differences Between Online And In-Person Performance At A Hbcu, Wendy Dixie

Online Theses and Dissertations

The United States is losing its position as an innovative global leader because of a shortage of skilled workers in STEM. This decline is due in part to the US producing a lower number of graduates from STEM related fields. One reason for the shortage is that US students are selecting or graduating with STEM majors at a lower rate than those of competing countries. As a result of these shortages, the US has undertaken several initiatives to increase public awareness of and training in STEM that will ultimately produce STEM degrees.

The purpose of this research was to examine …

Not Angry But Angy: The Rhetorical Effects Of Non-Standard Language In Memes, Cailin Rhiannon Wile

Online Theses and Dissertations

The use of non-standard language on the internet has long been a topic of controversy, as some believe its prevalence indicates carelessness or a lack of intelligence in the (mostly) younger generations who use it. Non-standard language can refer to spelling or grammar that deviates from preferred language conventions, and is popular in what are called internet “memes.” Though the definition of a “meme” can vary, the term can be used to refer to pieces of culture that are remixed and disseminated by internet users. This thesis identifies patterns of non-standard language in memes to demonstrate that these changes are …

Special Considerations In Gifted Identification: Increasing Access And Equitable Practices For Underrepresented Populations In An Urban School District, Veda Stewart

Online Theses and Dissertations

Low-socio economic and/or minority students are substantially unidentified for gifted education programs. The disparities in gifted education for underrepresented students persist despite the growth in schools across the country of low income and minority students. Despite efforts to tackle equity issues in gifted education the large gaps of disproportionality persist. Explanations for this occurrence of underrepresentation is linked to the general processes for identifying gifted students, which are based largely on norm referenced standardized tests, with a single score criterion and a referral process that relies heavily on teacher and parent nominations. These identification processes tend to overlook the cultural …