Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Climate Change Policies And Good Governance In Egypt, Mahmoud Elshourbagy

Theses and Dissertations

Egypt recognizes the impacts of climate change and is particularly vulnerable because of its high-density population, economic burden and geographical location. In response, Egypt established National Climate Change Council in 2016. In 2022, the council issued “National Climate Change Strategy 2050” to integrate and align the efforts of government bodies to adapt and mitigate climate change risks. One of the strategic goals of “National Climate Change Strategy 2050” is to enhance climate governance in Egypt as a critical tool. This study attempts to evaluate climate change policies in the context of good governance by using a tool developed by World …

Lgbtq+ Identity Development And Individual Vs Group Psychotherapy Experience: A Consensual Qualitative Analysis, Aileen Marie Rands

Theses and Dissertations

Multicultural topics, such as LGBTQ+ experience, have accrued predominance within the field of psychology. It has become clear that better understanding minority experience is of utmost importance. Pervasive stigma, discrimination, and mistreatment culminate into minority stress; thus LGBTQ+ individuals face greater risk for poor mental health and seek out psychotherapy at higher rates. Despite this reality, limited psychotherapy research exists in this area generally and essentially no research has looking into the experience of LGBTQ+ individuals in group therapy. The current study investigated experiences of LGBTQ+ clients who have participated in both individual and group psychotherapy. Eleven participants were interviewed …

Sustainable Well-Being For Young Adults: An Online Course To Build Ecological And Psychological Flourishing In A Changing Climate, Jeremy Stanley Bekker

Theses and Dissertations

Sustainable well-being is "happiness that contributes to individual, community and/or global well-being without exploiting other people, the environment or future generations" (O'Brien, 2010, p. 2). Sustainable well-being education may encourage environmentally sustainable behavior while also teaching people how to live meaningful lives. However, there is currently a lack of research-based disseminable courses for teaching sustainable well-being. We hypothesized that taking the course would result in lower eco-anxiety and higher well-being, as well as increased pro-environmental self-efficacy and pro-environmental values. We used a randomized crossover repeated measures research design to assess pre and post effects. Quantitative results indicated that participating in …

Tracking News Narratives: Topic Modeling, Sentiment, And Media Coverage Patterns, Alexandria G. Lai

Theses and Dissertations

This study introduces a novel content-driven influence measurement framework, built around a custom influence formula that integrates Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) topic modeling, sentiment analysis, and influence metrics to analyze media narratives over time. Applied to news coverage of the 2020 U.S. presidential election and the COVID-19 pandemic, the framework identifies key topics, sentiment patterns, and influential sources. Results demonstrate its ability to distinguish between transient political controversies and sustained public health discourse while capturing shifts in media influence. While effective, refinements in topic separation, sentiment analysis, and temporal weighting could enhance adaptability. This study highlights the novel influence formula …

Island Nation Duress: Simulating Passive Peer-To-Peer Bluetooth Communication During Disaster Relief, Jason K. Medeiros

Theses and Dissertations

Pacific Islands under U.S. jurisdiction are highly vulnerable to natural disasters, yet many lack the infrastructure to effectively respond and recover. Clear communication during and after such events is critical for evacuation, hazard awareness, and first responders’ coordination. This research explores a simulation-based approach using Bluetooth communication to relay messages across Guam, assessing its efficiency through statistical analysis. By examining regional differences and geographic impacts on Bluetooth messaging, the study aims to identify key factors that enhance peer-to-peer communication for timely and effective disaster response.

Job Demands And Resources: A Look At The Vha Workforce To Support Dod Goals, Anthony J. Rivera

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the relationships between job demands, job resources, burnout, turnover intention, and workplace attitudes among employees of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) through the lens of the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model. The findings reveal both expected and novel insights. Consistent with prior research, the study confirms that excessive job demands, without enough resources to balance then, lead to burnout. This, in turn, increases turnover intention and negatively affects how employees view leadership and the work environment. A significant discovery, however, challenges conventional assumptions: favorable job demands were positively correlated with turnover intention, suggesting that employees in favorable roles …

Cognitive Warfare In The South China Sea: Analyzing Media Influence And Public Opinion In Taiwan, Wyatt F. Blatti

Theses and Dissertations

In a time where conflict extends beyond traditional battlefields, cognitive warfare emerges as a powerful tool to influence perceptions and gain strategic advantages. This study investigates China’s cognitive warfare strategies against Taiwan through trend analysis, topic modeling, and sentiment analysis of news media articles from March 2013 to August 2024 to uncover evolving techniques and mitigation efforts. The findings highlight the potential for tracking cognitive campaigns overtime but will require more than news media alone and suggests future research to better understand indicators of cognitive warfare.

An Agent-Based Modeling Framework For Evaluating The Linkage Between Disaster Facility Damage And Mental Health, Emily S. Reeves

Theses and Dissertations

This research establishes a novel agent-based modeling framework to establish the linkage between disaster-induced facility damage and mental health outcomes and the evaluation of treatment methods within the civilian and USAF mental health spheres. The study models the degradation and recovery of agent mental health using simulated data and evaluates the efficacy of three distinct treatment approaches through statistical methods. The methodology integrate agent-based modeling with resilient engineering concepts to simulate mental health resilience curves based on vulnerability, exposure, and facility damage. Agents’ mental health indices were tracked through phases of degradation, stagnation, and recovery based on the three treatments …

Mediating And Moderating Effects Of Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, Perceptions Of External Markets, And Work-Life Balance On Employee Retention, Naya J. Gillespie

Theses and Dissertations

Employee retention remains a critical challenge for organizations across industries, particularly in environments with high turnover rates and competitive external job markets. This thesis examines the correlations between organizational commitment, job satisfaction, work-life balance, and perceptions of external job markets to uncover their collective and individual impacts on employee retention. Using quantitative research design, data was collected through an online survey of 240 participants across various hierarchical levels. Key findings indicate that organizational commitment and job satisfaction significantly influence retention, with job satisfaction also serving as a mediator between organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Work-life balance plays a direct role …

Simulating The Impact Of Self-Sensing Materials On Aircraft Sortie Generation, Harmoni J. Blackstock

Theses and Dissertations

In conjunction with the Air Force Research Laboratory Materials Lab(AFRL-RX), this study evaluates the potential military value of the prototype material sensing composites on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operations in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and close air support (CAS) missions within a contested Indo-Pacific theater. Using a Simio based simulation,UAV performance was assessed under varying combat conditions, focusing on Remote Sensing, deployment strategies, initial lay-downs, and varying loss rates. Re-sults show that UAVs equipped with Remote Sensing technology significantly improved sortie generation and logistical efficiency. Scenario 17 achieved the highest sortie rate(965.5 sorties), outperforming the next-best scenario by 25 sorties. …

An Analysis Of Supervisor Job Satisfaction During Telework In The Covid-19 Pandemic, Corey L. Rucker

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reshaped workplace practices, accelerating the adoption of telework. This study examines the job satisfaction of supervisors in telework environments, focusing on qualitative analysis of survey responses from 41 supervisors in the Department of Defense (DoD). Through thematic analysis, the research identifies key factors influencing supervisor satisfaction. These themes include flexibility, communication challenges, resource gaps, and the unique stressors of managing remote teams. Findings reveal that while telework offers benefits such as improved work-life balance and productivity, it also presents challenges like reduced team cohesion, blurred work-home boundaries, and difficulties in performance management. Grounded in Herzberg’s Two-Factor …

Nature-Based Education As A Learning Tool: Unleashing The Power Of Nature-Based Education In Egyptian Primary Schools. "The Effects Of Outdoor Learning And Open-Air Classrooms On Primary School Students In Egypt.", Nermeen Bekhiet

Theses and Dissertations

When learning modalities are tailored to each student's preferences and needs, academic success follows. This effect is contingent upon both individual and surrounding factors. Many schools in Egypt and the Middle East do not concentrate on how exposure to nature and nature-based learning can affect how the learner perceives his or her learning area. Most schools in Egypt have no exposure to nature to allow students to explore the world in their way; there is no room for diverse students to excel. Therefore, this exploratory research aims to reestablish a connection between private primary school students and the natural world …

A Randomized Controlled Study Of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback In An Older Adult Sample, Whitney D. Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB) is a controlled breathing treatment designed to increase the variation in consecutive heartbeats leading to improved regulation of one's autonomic nervous system thereby improving one's ability to self-regulate and maintain homeostasis. Changes in heart rate variability (HRV) are seen in those of increased age and lower HRV is associated with poorer outcomes (e.g., increased mortality, worse emotional functioning, cardiovascular risk factors). As such, older adults are a group that stands to benefit from HRVB principles. The current randomized control trial was designed to understand the impact of HRVB in an older adult population on resting …

The Impact Of Financial Inclusion On Inflation In The Mena Region: Oil Vs Non-Oil Countries, Jailan Elsaid

Theses and Dissertations

The study examines the impact of financial inclusion on inflation as a tool for monetary policy effectiveness in the MENA region, separating the analysis into oil and non-oil countries from 2004 to 2022. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) technique is used to create a multidimensional index of financial inclusion through usage and access dimensions. Additionally, PVAR GMM estimation and Granger causality tests are implemented to analyze the dynamics and causality between financial inclusion and inflation, while controlling for other variables such as broad money, real effective exchange rate, and real GDP growth, which may influence the relationship according to the …

Navigating Trauma: A Linguistic Exploration Of Bilingual Trauma Expressions, Amira Mahmoud Othman

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between language, trauma, and emotional expression among bilingual Arabic-English speakers, focusing on code-switching patterns and euphemisms, and more broadly the emotional roles of native and non-native languages in trauma narratives. Through qualitative interviews with 20 Egyptian participants, the research reveals that code-switching serves as both a linguistic and emotional tool, allowing speakers to navigate trauma by creating distance or engaging more intimately. Such codeswitching patterns include the integration of English content words within Arabic structures, morphosyntactic innovations, and gender agreement applications, reflecting the creative adaptability of bilingual speakers in emotionally charged contexts, in line with …

Rural Entrepreneurship In Upper Egyptian Communities: Exploring The Intervention Of Agri-Tech Startups, Marwa Wael Abohamda Hulail

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change and economic disturbance have changed the state of the world and increased the dependence on digitization in running people's daily life. In Egypt, the economic instability and climate change have affected people’s standard of living, making it challenging to sustain their life, especially in the agriculture sector. Farmers have been affected by the risks of climate change, economic shocks, and trends of digitization, which have impacted their profit, employability, and livelihood.

Several Egyptian Agri-tech startups were launched to support the farmers in the digital revolution that came to agriculture, attempting to make a change in the Egyptian farming …

The Legal Framework Of Foster Care In Egypt: A Gender Analysis Of Alternative Families And Patrilineal Structures, Amira Fadel

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis explores women’s legal representation and agency over their non-biological children, and how the foster care system in Egypt either reinforces or deconstructs existing gender roles. Hence from a sociological perspective, it accounts for foster and alternative care laws in Egypt and the amendments thereof, to examine social relationships against the backdrop of more conventional, biological families, and kinship relations. In simple terms, studying foster and alternative care laws in Egypt is crucial to grasp how non-biological families are shaped in comparison to the more conventional bonds within biological families and traditional kinship relations, while accounting for the Christian …

The Shift To Visual News Consumption: Exploring Egyptian Users' Motivations, Behaviors, And Perceptions Of News Values, Credibility, And Recognition On Instagram As A News Source., Hussein Battah

Theses and Dissertations

With the evolution of visual social media such as Instagram, news consumption and dissemination became different, focusing on Visual and Graphic content. With the current political and social-economic challenges in Egypt and the Region, such as The war in Gaza and the Egyptian economic crisis, the need for simple and immediate news updates became essential. Instagram has now satisfied that need among various users, specifically youth. This paper explores how consuming news over "Instagram" has influenced Egyptian users' perception of News Values and their definition of what to consider news. The paper also studies how several sources on Instagram have …

National Efforts In Climate Change Adaptation In Agriculture: Assessing Policies And Practices In Egypt’S Nile Delta, Youssef Raafat

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change significantly threatens global security and environmental stability, impacting various sectors, especially the agricultural sector (IPCC, 2021). Climate change has already diminished Egypt’s agricultural productivity by 15 percent (Nassr et al., 2021). In response, the Egyptian government has intensified its efforts to increase agricultural practices adaptation, such as Egypt's 2050 Climate Strategy, the National Water Resources Plan (NWRP 2017-2037), and the NWFE program (NCCS, 2022; NWRP, 2017; NWFE, 2022). Nevertheless, the national policies and efforts remain underexplored in the literature, and their evaluations are not accessible to the public (Grindle, 2017). This research aims to assess the extent to …

Discretion, Deference, And Dysfunction: U.S. Refugee Resettlement From Egypt, Cassandra Mcclellan

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates refugee resettlement from Egypt to the U.S., as facilitated by UNHCR Egypt and the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Accordingly, the research questions ask what factors determine the volume and profile of refugees UNHCR Egypt submits to USRAP for resettlement, as well as the related determining factors for refugees rejected from and accepted to USRAP. A fourth research question examines the impacts of U.S. refugee policy on the resettlement system in Egypt, including on UNHCR Egypt and refugees. To answer these questions, the thesis first delves into the history of U.S. immigration and refugee policies, with a …

From Home To Abroad: The Intergenerational Impact Of Household Member Migration On Women’S Economic & Social Empowerment In Egypt, Menna Elgohary

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates to what extent the migration of a household member to an Arab country leads to increased social and economic empowerment among Egyptian women of two age categories (15-35 and +35) over two waves. Determined through Principle Component Analysis (PCA) of panel data from Egypt Labor Market Panel Surveys in 2018 and 2023, composite indices of social and economic empowerment serve as dependent variables in an IV 2SLS regression model. The model assesses whether household member migration, proxied by migration prevalence on the district (qism) level as an IV, causes a significant increase in social and economic empowerment …

Internet Penetration And Firm Innovation In The Digital Era: A Sectoral Analysis Of U.S. Firms, Mariam Elgarf

Theses and Dissertations

This paper studies the effect of macro-level internet penetration on firm-level innovation in the United States, proxied by research and development expenditure. The IV approach is used to address the problem of potential endogeneity, covering data from 2000 to 2022 across five super industries: consumer goods and retail, energy and electricity, media and entertainment, financial services, and technology and telecommunications. The results show that internet penetration has a positive effect on the innovative performance of all sectors; however, this effect is more pronounced in the financial service and media sectors. Firm-specific characteristics also influence this relationship, such as debt-to-assets ratio, …

Re-Defining The Women, Peace And Security Agenda In Libya, Aisha F. Altubuly

Theses and Dissertations

This project aims to examine the effectiveness of implementing the women, peace, and security (WPS) agenda in Libya during the armed conflict and through continuous political instability. After the 2011 uprising that took place, Libya has gone through several civil wars, which led the UN Security Council (UNSC) to dedicate a special mission to mediate the armed conflict and facilitate the democratic transition period while ensuring inclusivity. Also, the mission’s mandate is to pay attention to social inequalities and use a gender-sensitive approach to build peace again in Libya and ensure its sustainability. I am particularly interested in researching and …

The Effect Of China’S Universal Two-Child Policy On Female Employment: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Labor Market Outcomes, Sijia Zhao

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes the effects of China's Universal Two-Child Policy, enacted in 2016, on women's employment outcomes. The implementation of this policy has highlighted the challenges women face in the labor market, revealing a significant disparity between the policy's effects and expectations, as evidenced by the simultaneous occurrence of low fertility intentions and employment difficulties. This research employs a mixed methodology to systematically evaluate the policy's effects on the quality and stability of women's employment while also investigating the underlying mechanisms of this impact. The research indicates that the Universal Two-Child Policy adversely affects women's employment performance in multiple dimensions. …

“I Remember It...I Feel It” Place’S Intangible Identity: Explorations Through The Lens Of Micro-Phenomenology- Case Study Of Al-Sultan Hassan Complex, Sarah Mohamed El Zoheiry

Theses and Dissertations

In today’s contemporary architecture, the growing of anonymous and interchangeable spaces has diminished the distinctive character of the place, its individuality and experiential signification, fostering placelessness. This research argues that the framework of reconsidering place’s atmosphere offers a pathway to reconnect people with places through emotional, sensory, and embodied encounters. This research investigates the phenomenology of place, focusing on the atmosphere as an intangible identity that transcends physical attributes and engages people's senses and feelings. By exploring the Al-Sultan Hassan complex, the study deepens the understanding of the transcendental quality of the atmosphere, it’s unfolding over time, and it’s associated …

Comparing The Quality Of Ai-Generated And Instructor Feedback In A University Writing Program, Hana Mohamed Nassar

Theses and Dissertations

Feedback is an undeniably important aspect of the language learning process. It helps students recognize their strengths and weaknesses and identifies ways they can improve. Over the years, feedback has been provided by teachers, peers and Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) tools. However, in recent years, artificial intelligence applications have proliferated significantly. With abilities to analyze and generate any kind of content, these models are being used to generate scores and feedback on written assignments to help lighten teachers’ load. ChatGPT has been called “the world’s most advanced chatbot” and “a potential chance to improve second language learning and instruction” (Shabara …

Locked Gates: Japan’S Immigration Quandary In The Face Of Economic And Demographic Realities, Merna Karam Emara

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores Japan's reluctance to accept labor immigrants in the post-World War II era through the analytical lenses of identity politics and historical institutionalism. It examines how Japan’s national identity, emphasizing ethnic homogeneity and cultural preservation, has shaped restrictive immigration policies despite its economic need. Historical institutionalism provides a framework for understanding the persistence of these policies, which are rooted in the institutional legacies of Japan's post-war reconstruction. The research investigates the interplay between identity-based motivations and the institutional structures that constrain policy changes, highlighting how these dynamics have led to the exclusion of foreign labor despite the country’s …

Criminalizing Domestic Violence In Egypt: Legal Gaps, Risk Consequences, And The Need For Reform, Ahmed Hussein

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis advocates for the implementation of domestic violence legislation in Egypt as a crucial legal and judicial reform necessary to prevent such violence and challenge societal norms that normalize it. It first examines the evolution of domestic violence legislation in line with international human rights standards, highlighting its applications worldwide and the role of states to interfere in an aim to combat such violence. The arguments for and against explicit criminalization are analyzed, emphasizing how legal frameworks can alter social behaviors that normalize violence. Following this, the thesis will focus on Egypt's legal framework addressing domestic violence, showing how …

The Effect Of Age Of Acquisition On The Development Of Lexical Attainment And Oral Proficiency In English As L2 In Adult Native Arabic Speakers, Mona Ahmed Kamar El-Zaman

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the influence of the age of acquisition (AoA) on the development of lexical attainment and oral proficiency in English as a second language (L2) among adult native Arabic speakers, focusing on classroom foreign language learners within the Egyptian context. AoA, a critical variable in second language acquisition (SLA) research, is explored in relation to two key domains: lexical knowledge and oral proficiency. The study examines the role of AoA and AoA related effects, such as the order of bilingualism and the length of exposure to rich language input (LoE) as a confounding factor. Through a mixed-methods approach, …

Bridging The Gap: Analyzing Volunteerism Barriers To The International Humanitarian Ngos In Egypt, Heba Fouad

Theses and Dissertations

In Egypt, volunteerism, within international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs), functions in distinctive characteristics influenced by, among other things, cultural, educational, and economic factors. NGOs face challenges and obstacles in attracting motivated volunteers, engaging and training volunteers, as well as managing the staff-volunteers relationship, and implementing adequate human resources (HR) policies and strategies. In this context, this thesis seeks to bridge the knowledge gap of volunteerism challenges in Egypt, delving deep into understanding the barriers existing within the international humanitarian NGOs that directly and indirectly influence its volunteer engagement levels. The thesis also aims to understand the successful implementation of policies …