Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Exploration In Using Aesthetic Creative Modalities In Professional Supervision, Linda Young

Doctor of Ministry Theses and Dissertations

This project examines the integration of aesthetic and creative modalities into professional supervision, traditionally dominated by conversation-based methods. Drawing on over thirty years of experience in education, ministry, and supervision, it addresses the need for more creative, diverse, expressive, and reflective tools to be used in professional supervision practice. The study proposes a theoretically and theologically grounded curriculum to equip supervisors in postgraduate training with creative approaches that enrich learning, insight, and practice within the evolving landscape of professional supervision in Australia.

Baby, Did You Get Your Diploma?: The Lived Experiences Of Formerly Incarcerated African American Men In The Pursuit And Attainment Of College Degrees, Charles D. Gidney

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of formerly incarcerated African American men in the pursuit and attainment of college degrees. This qualitative study examined the post-incarceration educational journeys of eight men. Formerly incarcerated African American men were selected based on the limited amount of academic research that exists targeting this student demographic. A broad cross section of educational attainment was represented in this study with two participants possessing PhD’s; one doctoral candidate; two doctoral students; and three undergraduate students (one freshman, one sophomore, and one junior). At the time of the study their ages ranged …

Uni Scholarworks Readership Snapshot, April 2025, Bepress

Library Documents & Reports (entire collection)

No abstract provided.

Understanding University-Level Food Recovery Programs’ Approaches To Minimizing Food Waste While Combating Food Insecurity In The United States, Ella F. Flesher

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Food is wasted every day at each level of the food system from production to consumption. This surplus has significant negative impacts on the environment after food is sent to the landfill and allowed to rot. However, some surplus food can be repurposed and diverted from the landfill. This study served as an initial investigation to explore multiple food waste diversion programs and analyze their structure, best practices, and methods to divert leftover food. This study specifically aimed to compare and contrast food recovery programs by interviewing participants from three food recovery programs from different university institutions. With the key …

Enhancing The Eden Alternative Model With Well Standards: A Case Study Analysis, Mariah Stoner

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

This thesis investigates the potential for improving the Eden Alternative Model, a person-centered approach to elder care that emphasizes creating a homelike environment and meaningful relationships, using WELL Standards, a building certification system focused on enhancing human health and well-being through improvements in environmental quality. Through a mixed-methods approach involving quantitative data analysis and qualitative case studies, this research examines how WELL Standards, which cover aspects such as air quality, water quality, lighting, and thermal comfort, can improve environmental quality and resident satisfaction within the Eden Alternative Model. This research introduces a tailored approach to elder care by combining these …

Stop Design: Rethinking The Approach To Public Transit's Architecture, Elizabeth M. Nielsen

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Public spaces are the foundation of our social health and wellbeing, but are often designed without considering the needs of the public, creating spaces that people do not feel encouraged to use. Just as public space design as a whole often falls short of serving the public, the same can be said for a subset of public space design, public transit stops. While they are public spaces created for the purpose of waiting, their design rarely reflects this.

Well-designed public transit stops are capable of both maintaining existing ridership and drawing in new riders. Most commonly, this design occurs at …

Recognizing Injustice, Reclaiming Voices: Establishing A Missing Persons Database For Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women And Children In Nebraska, Bayly W. Watson

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Indigenous people have been the victims of harsh persecution since the time of colonization; this has negatively impacted Native communities and has contributed significantly to the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Children (MMIWC) across the United States and Canada. Under Legislative Bill 154, Richards et al. (2021) conducted an initial study to identify missing Native cases in Nebraska and in 2023, the Attorney General appointed a Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) Liaison to help combat the number of missing Indigenous in the state. This thesis contributes to previous research by analyzing 20,049 reports from three …

Heat Induced Diagenesis And Osteometrics: An Experimental Approach To Assessing Thermal Alterations To Forensic Anthropological Data On Dry Bone, Audrey Holbeck

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Fire appears in forensic casework in instances of arson, vehicle fire, house fire, to conceal evidence, or, in increasing contemporary frequency, wildfire, as a result of climate change. Thermal alteration is a destructive process to osseous material and can impact the accuracy of identification methods and trauma analysis by alteration of the structure, appearance, and morphology of human remains. This study seeks to validate previous research on the metric and morphological changes bone undergoes when exposed to extreme heat, and how that may impede estimation of metric features such as stature. Three long bones, a humerus, femur, and tibia, from …

Comparative Analysis Of Gunshot Trauma And Decomposition In Southeast Nebraska, Alexandra C. Tieken

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Accurately identifying gunshot trauma (GST) in forensic anthropology remains a significant challenge, particularly in distinguishing the effects it has on decomposition. This study investigates how different types of gunshot trauma influence the rate and characteristics of decomposition in a humid continental climate, specifically southeastern Nebraska. Utilizing Sus scrofa domesticus (domestic pigs) as human proxies, four pigs were euthanized by professionals and subjected to controlled conditions at the Reller Prairie Field Station. Three pigs were inflicted postmortem with close-range gunshot trauma using a 9mm handgun, a 12-gauge shotgun, and an AR-15 rifle, while a fourth served as a trauma-free control. For …

Wildfire And Decomposition: A Taphonomic Analysis Of Thermal Alterations And Decomposition, Ashley Novak

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Within the field of forensic anthropology, practitioners may be faced with remains that have been thermally altered by thermal alterations caused by wildfire. Within the field, very little research has been conducted examining how these thermal events impact rates of decomposition. While research has been conducted generally on the effects of thermal alteration on decomposition, these studies do not look through this lens and provide answers to the question of how do thermal alterations caused by wildfires affect rates of decomposition? This research examines the effects of thermal alteration caused by wildfire on the rate of decomposition. A decompositional study …

Firearm Trauma Across Time: Investigating Civil War Gunshot Trauma And Their Impact On Modern Forensic Analysis, Morgan K. Reeder

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

This thesis will examine the ballistic trauma caused by Civil War-era firearms and ammunition. These weapons, each with distinct characteristics, had a profound impact on the nature of combat and the resulting injuries. By investigating how these firearms’ ammunition interacted with human bone structure, this research will offer a detailed analysis of the trauma these weapons produced.

This research intends to answer several key research questions. First, how did the different types of Civil War firearms affect skeletal remains? Second, what are the key characteristics of gunshot trauma caused by these firearms in terms of bone fracturing and fragmentation, and …

Trends In Dna Aanalysis To Determine Postmortem Interval: A Systematic Lilterature Review, Victoria S. Kashkin

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Forensic taphonomy is a recently popular field within forensic anthropology with limited research in the Central Great Plains. Given decomposition varies by region, more studies must be done to understand aspects of decomposition in this region. However, it is one of the most important subfields of forensic anthropology since determining postmortem interval (PMI) is extremely important to successfully identifying a missing individual if other indications of who the individual is are nonexistent. In this study, a systematic literature review was conducted to answer what trends are seen in research being done for using DNA to determine PMI, and what methods …

Empowering Diversity: A Comprehensvie Approach To Minority Risk Management Education, Jahqethea Johnson

Applied Science Program: Theses

Federal programs are pivotal to the foundation of the United States agricultural sector. Program payments impact the economic well-being of agricultural producers, yet accessibility, outreach and education disparities remain prevalent among socially disadvantaged producer and agriculturists. From 2020-2024, an average of $21.7 billion dollars in federal agricultural payments have been paid to producers. Although federal funding historically supports commodity crops, livestock producers also depend on a distinct set of federal risk management programs, which are often less visible but pertinent for operational sustainability. There is a growing focus on the need for addressing disparities faced by socially disadvantaged producers and …

Examining How Internally And Externally Motivated Individuals Choose When, How, And Why To Confront Racial Prejudice, Kristin Budziak

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Experiencing racism is associated with negative outcomes, including obesity and poor mental health (Berger & Sarnyai, 2015). Therefore, exploring strategies like interpersonal confrontation, which has been shown to reduce prejudice, is essential (Czopp et al., 2006; Paluck & Green, 2009). We examined what more internally (affected by personal values) and externally motivated (affected by social reward) people consider when deciding when confronting racism. White participants (n = 270) viewed hypothetical scenarios with a racist remark or non-racist remark. They decided whether to confront these scenarios and indicated their motivations, reasonings, and methods. Results showed that more internally and externally motivated …

Voluntary Intermittent Access To Combined Alcohol And Nicotine In Mice—Consumption And Withdrawal Effects, Alyssa M. Potts

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

The prevalence of alcohol and nicotine use is widely known, though the co-abuse of the two is often understudied. Studies have shown that nicotine dependence and daily nicotine consumption increase with higher levels of alcohol consumption1. Nicotine use has been shown to decrease the subjective effects of alcohol and increase alcohol craving. Previous studies using the intermittent access (IA) paradigm in C57BL/6J (B6) mice have shown that B6 mice readily increase or escalate consumption of alcohol in this paradigm. Still, there is little information on alcohol and nicotine co-consumption and withdrawal using the IA paradigm. The goal of this study …

Behind Bars, Behind Lies: The Role Of Jailhouse Informants In Juror Decision Making, Anna Pierce

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Jailhouse informant testimony is a leading cause of wrongful conviction, especially in severe cases (e.g., rape and murder) with severe punishments (Warden, 2005). The current study investigated the impact of multiple jailhouse informants’ testimonies upon juror decisionmaking, especially when providing consistent or inconsistent testimony. Participants (n = 102) read a murder trial summary with two informants - consistent statements, two informants - inconsistent statements, one informant, or no informant. Results indicated that the multipleconsistent condition had significantly higher guilty verdicts and higher perceptions of credibility than all other informant conditions. Inconsistent statements reduced guilty verdicts and perceptions of credibility, yet …

Is There A Limit? Honor Ideology And Perceptions Of Extremely Violent Responses To Threat, Alexandria Elise Archer

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Honor ideology revolves around the idea that men must obey strict masculine norms including toughness, bravery, and a lack of showing one’s emotions. These expectations contribute to stigma against mental illness and help seeking behavior due to perceptions that these behaviors are “unmanly”. Research has failed to examine who men who act in an honor consistent way (i.e., aggressive response to threat) but also struggle with mental health issues may be perceived within the framework of honor ideology. For this reason, we explored whether masculine honor ideology predicted differing perceptions of a man with schizophrenia versus a man without mental …

Trading Diversity? Judicial Diversity And Case Outcomes In Federal Courts, Ryan W. Copus, Ryan Hübert, Paige Pellaton

Faculty Works

Are federal lawsuits resolved differently based on the race or gender of the judges assigned to hear them? Recent empirical research posits that women and judges of color decide cases more liberally, at least in some identity-salient areas of law. However, these studies analyze small numbers of cases and judges, and use research designs that limit their causal interpretations. Using an original dataset of all civil rights cases filed in 20 federal district courts over multiple decades and a strong causal identification strategy, we find that assignment of cases to judges of color or women has no statistically significant effect …

Essays On Macroeconomics, Krishna Sharma

All Dissertations

The first chapter examines the role of return migration in driving innovation within India’s tech startup ecosystem, using a novel dataset constructed from web scraping of startup profiles, LinkedIn data, and patent databases. By capturing founders’ international experience, education, and innovation outcomes, the analysis reveals that returnees significantly contribute to higher inno- vation levels, particularly through patent filings. Returnee-founded startups exhibit an 18% higher rate of patent filings compared to those led by locals. The study employs OLS, Poisson regression, Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM), and Instrumental Variables (IV) to address selection bias and endogeneity concerns. U.S. immigration policy changes provide …

Who Gets To Have Fun? The Alternative Earmarking Of A Memecoin Marketplace, Mia Tanner

Sociology Honors Projects

Past research on cryptocurrency has highlighted its sociotechnical aspects, framing crypto projects as community-grounded movements disrupting traditional state and market structures through technological advancements. What happens when these disruptive promises are absent or only playfully invoked? Cryptocurrencies known as “memecoins” have grown their own followings without pledging future legitimacy that would seriously challenge existing institutions, instead linking their value to the meme they brand themselves with and vague democratic promises. That new scheme of valuation is especially evident in coins launched on the site pump.fun, which has lowered the barriers to crypto-coin creation. The platform's accessibility provides a new dimension …

Broadening And Broadcasting The Impact Of Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Muslim Residents Of Southern New Jersey With Special Emphasis On Opportunities Of Future Interventions And Prevention Tactics, Maikel Mansour, Ocean Alam, Samiha Hossain, Kirsten M. Carlberg, Katarina Rusinak

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

According to AHA and NIH, CVD includes stroke, congenital heart disease, rhythm disorders, subclinical atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, heart failure, valvular disease, venous disease, and peripheral artery disease. Between 2017 and 2020, 127.9 million US adults (48.6%) had some form of CVD.

Among the target population, it was found that observing Ramadan fasting leads to an increase in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides levels post-fasting. Yet, Islam emphasizes the importance of physical health as a privilege from God (Allah (swt)) and is seen as a religious duty.

The objective of the HCOP service project was to investigate the …

Asia Pacific Business School Librarians Group Highlights, Sumita Govindan

Research Collection Library

Summary of new initiatives that have been undertaken, challenges faced and emerging opportunities from the APBSLG Member Institutions. This presentation is part of updates from the Chairs of the respective groups.

To Lead Or Not To Lead? How Smu Libraries’ Ellssa Program Can Help Develop Leaders For The Future, Rajendra Munoo, Sumita Govindan

Research Collection Library

Digital libraries exist symbiotically with traditional physical libraries creating an ecosystem of hybrid services built around innovation and creativity. Leading the digital library requires the ambidexterity to keep up to date with trends and developments and be a catalyst to lead change management. With the pandemic, academic libraries learnt to become champions of agility in transforming their services to meet the new demands and needs of the community they serve. Libraries are now facing new challenges; the disbanding of the Institute of Museum and Library Services in the United States, the rising threats of censorship, and the gradual erosion of …

Temperament And Screen Time Into Adulthood, Kareem Barbis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The possible correlation between language skills, temperament, and screen time in adulthood is understudied. It was hypothesized that high effortful control scores and low childhood screentime would corelate with higher cognitive reflection scores and higher language skills. Using a correlational design, 162 participants were studied (M age = 19.17 years old, 80% female, 86% White, 6% Hispanic). Participants completed an adapted version of the Adult Temperament Questionnaire (Evans & Rothbart, 2007), Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT; Fredrick, 2005), the Cognitive Reflection Test 2 (CRT-2; Thompson & Oppenheimer, 2016), Thompson & Oppenheimer, 2016), a childhood screen time questionnaire, a bilingualism questionnaire, and …

A Systematic Literature Review Of Behavior Analysis In Psychiatric Inpatient Settings, Stephanie Henry, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) may be best known for the treatment of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, such as those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, ABA also has a long history of effective outcomes with other populations, such as with individuals who are admitted to inpatient psychiatric facilities (Dougher, 2004; Harvey et al., 2009). In 2018, 187,877 individuals in the United States were reported as receiving treatment for mental health disorders (Lutterman, 2022). Given behavior analysis’ success implementing operant procedures with these populations, an updated review of the literature on the use of behavior analysis within these settings …

The Impact Of Irrigation On Agricultural Land Values In The United States Southeast And An Analysis Of Farmland Prices In South Carolina, Christopher L. Thomas

All Theses

Land is a key component of the agriculture industry in the United States. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, farm real estate (land and buildings) accounted for 82.8% of total US farm sector assets in 2022, consequently making land the largest source of wealth in a farmer’s investment portfolio and the primary source of collateral used for farm operating loans. The Southeastern region of the United States has seen rapid farmland appreciation and intense population growth in recent years. This research investigates the rising farmland prices across the Southeast from both a regional and state-level perspective. Chapter Two …

Fit To Stay: Understanding The Impact Of Person-Group Fit On Transfer Intentions In College Sports, Marlee Johnson

All Theses

NCAA policy changes in 2021 regarding student-athlete transfer and external compensation have brought attention to the issue of turnover in college sports. Organizational psychologists have been studying turnover intentions and psychological antecedents of turnover intentions for years; however, little is known about the psychological variables that lead student-athletes to develop transfer intentions. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of both perceived supplementary and complementary person-group (PG) fit on student-athletes’ transfer intentions. It also examined affective commitment as a mediator between supplementary PG fit and intention to transfer and perceived team performance as a moderator in the …

Commodification And Objectification Of The Black Male Athlete In The Nfl, Jalen A. Terrell

All Theses

The black male body has often been viewed as a commodity in Western culture since the commodification of the black male body in the historical slave auction. Albeit slave owning ended in 1863 with the Emancipation Proclamation, it was not until 1946 that the National Football League (NFL) became integrated, and the commodification of black bodies became prevalent once again. As such, this study looks to understand how the X population from the data set for this study demonstrates the commodification of the black male body, the general discourse around the black and white male athletes, and explores the language …

Living Heritage Along The Ganges: Building Resilient Communities In Varanasi And Kolkata, India, Ritu G. Deshmukh

Full-Text Theses & Dissertations

This doctoral research proposes an integrative theoretical framework for understanding and managing living heritage in riverine contexts, specifically focusing on the historic cities of Varanasi and Kolkata along the Ganges River in India. The study develops a new paradigm for living heritage conservation that embraces the fluid, dynamic nature of cultural landscapes through what the author terms the “Adaptive Fluid Living Heritage Continuum” (A.F.L.H.C).

Traditional approaches to heritage management often treat cultural landscapes and living heritage as static entities requiring preservation rather than living systems capable of adaptation. This research challenges this perspective by examining how communities along the Ganges …

Research Skills: Search Strategies, Elizabeth Irvine

AFIT Library Knowledge Base

No abstract provided.