Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Open Letter To Leslie, Anne G. Kinne Phd

Journal of Conscious Evolution

This article celebrates the life and work of dear friend and mentor, Allan Leslie Combs, acknowledging his continued presence in my life. Interweaving stories of our relationship with his insights on integral consciousness, Bateson’s concept of aphanipoiesis, Varela et al.’s notion of autopoiesis, and using narrative, storytelling, and autoethnographic methodologies, I tell a tale of becoming that troubles and haunts my past. The sticky tendrils of Ancestral trauma and its transhistorical epigenetic inheritance, once acutely troublesome, are shifting due in large part to the contents of this letter. Woven together, these conscious, intersecting, and interactive lenses show how Leslie has …

Notes For The Stalled, V18n04, December 2025, University Of Northern Iowa. Rod Library.

Rod Library newsletter: Notes for the Stalled

Contents:

--- De Stress Days
--- When You Return
--- Did You Know?
--- Student Technology Fee
--- Upcoming Events

Proso Millet In Us High Plains Dryland Agriculture: Systems Resilience, Phenology, And Consumer Preferences For Alternative Grains, Pratiksha Baishya

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Dryland crop production in Nebraska's semi-arid High Plains faces challenges from fluctuating weather impacts of climate change, including extreme temperatures, short growing seasons, and recurring droughts. Proso millet is an alternative crop used to build a more robust three-year rotation in the region, rather than the traditional two-year wheat-fallow cycle. This dissertation provides a systems-level assessment of proso millet, a climate-resilient crop with great potential to support sustainable cropping systems in the US High Plains. Using a field-to-consumer approach, it highlights its agronomic and environmental advantages in dryland rotations, develops a phenological framework to aid future research on production, crop …

Amplifying Mother Leaders’ Voices: A Feminist Inquiry Into Gender Inequity In Higher Education Leadership, Katherine Bard

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Women now comprise more than half of mid- and upper-level administrators in higher education, yet they remain underrepresented in the most senior leadership roles. For mothers in leadership, this underrepresentation is compounded by gendered structures, expectations, and norms that shape their personal and professional lives in distinct ways. While scholarship has examined working motherhood broadly and gender inequity in higher education separately, little research has focused on how mother leaders experience and interpret gender inequity in higher education leadership. This study sought to address that gap by exploring the lived experiences of ten mother leaders working at research-intensive (R1) universities …

The Graphic Shift: Leveraging Superhero Graphica To Un-Ban Critical Conversations In The Secondary English Language Arts Classroom, Avery Clason

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis investigates the challenges that books are receiving during an era of social and political turmoil based on their content. Understanding why these books are polarizing for most readers and the general public is in direct connection with finding different books that can harbor the same conversations about dense topics and cultivating connections between students, the text, the world, and themselves. While there has been a search to find alternate books that are not considered "political flashpoints,” there has been limited research into the use of superhero graphica in the ELA classroom, especially in connection to utilizing this genre …

A Word From The Writing Team (December 2025), Pam Walter, Mfa, Laura Deloretta, Phd

A Word From the Writing Team (Newsletter)

No abstract provided.

Entre La Sombra Y El Lienzo: Clea Dessendre Como Modelo De Personaje Secundario Complejo, Lydia Huijbregts Jaen, Antonio Horno López

GDI. Revista de investigación de Género, Diseño e Innovación

Introducción: Este artículo analiza a Clea Dessendre en Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, explorando su versión real y la pintada en el lienzo, y su impacto en la narrativa del juego. Metodología: Se aplicó un análisis narrativo, psicológico y ludológico, integrando teorías de duelo (Kübler-Ross), socialización (Baumrind) y comunicación (DiSC) vinculadas con la jugabilidad. Resultados: Clea-Real encarna disciplina y perfeccionismo; Clea-Pintada, una proyección maternal. El gameplay conecta su psicología con la experiencia del jugador. Discusión: Las identidades paralelas muestran cómo traumas y expectativas moldean personajes complejos. Conclusiones: Clea evidencia cómo la narrativa y la mecánica se fusionan para crear …

From Parallel Beginnings To Divergent Destinies: A Comparative Study Of China’S State-Led Liberalization Growth And Pakistan’S Dependency Trap, Safeer Ahmad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the development trajectories of China and Pakistan, which shared a similar colonial legacy and hampered economic, political, and social conditions at the time of their establishment in the mid-20th century. However, despite these similarities, the former is a global power, and the latter is still struggling to project a sustained development approach in the 21st century. This research addresses this divergent outcome by using a comparative approach to analyze the institutional, economic, and policy decisions of both countries that eventually shaped their contemporary position and role in the international community. China’s reformation period under a centralized government …

Examining The Relations Between Parenting Stress, Harsh Parenting Practices, And Children’S Internalizing And Externalizing Symptoms, Caitlin A. Wharton

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

This study examines: relations between maternal parenting stress in infancy and preschool-aged children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms; whether verbal and physical harsh parenting practices mediate these relations; and whether these relations are moderated by child gender. Research links maternal parenting stress to harsh parenting, which is a risk factor for children’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms. But limited research has examined how maternal stress in infancy affects preschool-aged children’s outcomes, or how verbal and physical harsh parenting practices independently affect these outcomes. The study data came from the Future of Families & Child Wellbeing Study. Results indicate maternal parenting stress in …

Identifying Common Characteristics Among Female Serial Killers And The Role Of Early Childhood Abuse, Jill Marie Raichel

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Approximately 17% of known serial killers in the United States are women, and often their crimes go undetected for years accruing a higher number of victims than their male counterparts. The purpose of this study was to identify common characteristics of female serial killers (FSKs). A multidisciplinary, holistic and developmental approach was used to guide the identification of common characteristics based on theories by Erik Erikson and Carol Gilligan as well as feminist theory. Case studies of 15 FSKs were randomly selected for participation from a list of over 100 known FSKs documented in the Radford Serial Killer database. Common …

An Analysis Of Portuguese Colonial Representations Of Sinhalese Women, Chandra R. De Silva, Ramani Hettiarchchi

History Faculty Publications

The history of Sri Lanka until recently has been written mostly as the history of men in the country. This has been particularly true of the early modern period, for which existing records are mostly those of visiting colonizers who were mostly men, writing about their dealings with those in power or with those from whom they could gain profit. This article is an attempt to collect and analyze the admittedly limited data on how the Portuguese who gained political authority over parts of the coastal areas saw local women. It is limited to the women of the majority community …

Ethnic Identity, Parental Involvement, And Academic Outcomes: A Qualitative Study Of African International Students' Experiences, Kenanile Olivia Marie-France Bigba

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This qualitative study explored how parental involvement intersected with cultural backgrounds and values through ethnic identity formation among African international students, and how these interactions influenced students' self-concept clarity, self-esteem, and subsequent academic attitudes and performance. Using hermeneutic phenomenological methodology guided by van Manen’s (2023) approach, the study conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with African international students (one from East Africa, one from West Africa) enrolled at a Midwest university. Through systematic thematic analysis, five interconnected themes emerged: (1) Evolving Parental Involvement, from direct guidance to distant trust, revealing how parental engagement transforms across geographical distance with financial circumstances moderating this …

How Presidents Shift Ideological Stances In Legislative Elections: Evidence From South Korean Presidential Speeches, Doyeon Park

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Presidents have a strong desire to lead their parties to victory in elections. However, relatively little attention has been paid to their ideological stances in legislative elections. This contrasts with extensive research on the ideological strategies of parties and candidates who directly compete for office. How do presidents adjust their ideological positions in legislative elections? This study examines the institutional dynamics surrounding presidents, focusing on their dual responsibilities and the role of legislative elections as a referendum on the presidency. It also considers presidential popularity as a factor that influences these dynamics. I argue that presidents are more likely to …

The Long Arc Of Love: A Humanizing Meditation On Enduring Former Student–Teacher Relationships, Cara Morgenson

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

As the title suggests, this is a humanizing meditation on enduring relationships beyond the classroom construct of student-teacher, with a theoretical framing that braids strands of critical theories and pedagogies to consider critical love, authentic caring, and humanization as a liberatory and justice-oriented framework (see del Carmen Salazar, 2013; Freire, 1970/2020; hooks, 1994; Sealey-Ruiz, 2020, 2021; Valenzuela, 1999). In the spirit of multiple and eclectic methods (Nader, 1972), the methodological framing braids (1) critical autoethnography as feminist method (Adams et. al, 2015; Boylorn & Orbe, 2014; Ettorre, 2017), (2) portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Hoffman Davis, 1997), and (3) narrative epistemology in …

From Ghorer Golpo To Global Voices: Digital Storytelling As A Decolonial Pedagogy For English Language Learning In Bangladesh, Tamanna Sharmin Kabir

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

From Ghorer Golpo to Global Voices: Digital Storytelling as a Decolonial Pedagogy for English Language Learning in Bangladesh highlights how Digital Storytelling operates as a culturally sustaining and technologically supported approach within Bangladeshi undergraduate English education. Informed by my own navigation of Western and South Asian narrative traditions, the study responds to a longstanding challenge in English instruction: exam-focused, Eurocentric pedagogies often marginalize learners’ cultural identities and lived experiences. The research investigates how participants engaged with Digital Storytelling as a multimodal, technology-enhanced practice that supports language development, identity expression, and intercultural communication.

The study employed an arts-informed case study design …

Rainfall-Runoff Modelling In An Indonesian Humid Tropical Area Using Satellite-Based Precipitation Products, Noordiah Helda

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation explores three rainfall-runoff models in the humid tropical regions of Indonesia using satellite-based precipitation products (SBPPs) and develops integrated machine-learning modeling frameworks. Several ground-based observations from BMKG (Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika (also known as the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics)) stations across Indonesia (133−165 stations) are compared and evaluated against satellite products, indicating that GPM performs well, with R-squared values ranging from 0.54 to 0.76 and correlation coefficients ranging from 0.45 to 0.69, respectively.

In the Martapura Watershed, South Kalimantan, due to a lack of observational discharge data, streamflow was generated using the FJ Mock …

African American Women And Blogs: The Allure Of Culture-Specific Beauty Blogs, Kalari Flotree

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The purpose of this qualitative, multi-case study was to explore the identity-related dress and appearance management implications of culture-specific beauty blog readership. The study was informed by three research questions: (a) Why and how do African American women seek out culture-specific beauty blogs? (b) What roles do African American women assume while engaging with culture-specific beauty blog communities? (c). How do African American women use culture-specific beauty blog content to inform identity-related processes of appearance management and dress?

The sample of this multiple-case study included nine participants, each representing a distinct case. Data were collected through individual, semi-structured, in-depth interviews, …

Global, Continental, And Local Scale Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction Methods For Interpreting The History Of Miocene North America And The Great Plains, Willow Hue Nguy

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The Miocene of North America is characterized by dynamic changes in herbivore communities, habitat composition, and global climate. Long-term cooling and drying trends influenced large changes in floral and faunal communities. The Great Plains, North America shifted from closed-canopy biomes to open-canopy biomes with C3-grasses to biomes with C4-grasses. This shift affected the herbivore communities as browsing-adapted ungulates were replaced by grazing-adapted ungulates. Much focus has centered on the Great Plains, so it is not well understood how the changes in biomes compare to other regions of North America. The models used for vegetation density indicate open-canopy biomes since at …

Public Perceptions Of Leadership Effectiveness In Ethiopia Over The Last Decade, Fikadu Reta Alemayehu

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Ethiopia is one of the largest countries in Africa, with a fast-growing economy, rich history, diverse agroecology, more than 70 languages, and a population exceeding 130 million. However, the country continues to face serious internal conflict, high malnutrition, and economic hardship, while the study of leadership effectiveness remains limited and lacks consistent longitudinal research. To help fill this gap, this study examined how public perceptions of leadership effectiveness and development outcomes changed in Ethiopia between 2013 and 2023, using Afrobarometer survey data. The analysis explored how citizens’ views about governance, wellbeing, and access to services evolved during a decade of …

Advancing Precision Agriculture Through The Application Of Remote Sensing Technologies In Plant Health Assessment, Thomas Wilbur Davis

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Monitoring plant health, including nutritional status assessment, is an important component of crop management decisions. This doctoral document addresses the use of agricultural remote sensing through focused investigations of plant disease detection and nutrient status assessment technologies that advance precision agriculture. The first chapter provides a comprehensive overview of remote sensing technologies in agriculture and examines current capabilities, limitations, and future directions. The final two chapters address studies that evaluated the virus-nitrogen interaction in wheat and compared methods to determine the nitrogen status of midseason field corn.

The first study evaluated the wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) × nitrogen interaction …

Brands & Virtual Personas: How Virtual Influencer Types Impact Brand Awareness, Carol Calderon Ambelis

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As social media continues to shape how consumers interact with brands, virtual influencers (VIs) have emerged as a new type of digital celebrity. While previous research has explored how VIs contribute to brand image and awareness, there has been limited attention on how different types of VIs, both anime-like and human-like, affect consumer perceptions across different markets. This study examines how these two types of VIs impact relatability, aspiration, and brand awareness, with a focus on the differences between luxury and mass market. Using a within-subjects experimental design, this study recruited 574 participants with social media experience using MTurk. The …

Undergraduate Awareness Of Sexual Harassment Law In Tanzania's Higher Learning Institutions: Case Studies Of Two Universities, Salma Ramadhan Fundi Phd Candidate

Tanzania Journal of Sociology

This study examines undergraduate students' awareness of legal provisions and guidelines concerning sexual harassment in Tanzanian higher education, focusing on the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) as case studies. Sexual harassment significantly impacts students’ well-being, safety, and academic success. Despite the existence of legal frameworks, students' knowledge of these provisions is often limited. The study employed a qualitative approach with a phenomenological research design to explore students’ experiences and perceptions of harassment policies. This design allowed participants to share the meanings they attach to their experiences and how such policies are understood …

December 2025 Table Of Contents Newsletter - First Year Students & Library Instruction, Tiffany Hebb

Table of Contents Newsletter

College libraries (and their websites and resources) are larger and more complicated to navigate than most high school library media centers. Students are facing many new things when they get to DePauw; using the library shouldn’t be a barrier to their acclimation and success. So we prioritize getting the students in early - working with orientation leaders to have students explore the physical space before classes start, so that they know they’re welcome and there are people and services here to help them. Learn more about our library instruction engagement with FYS in this month's newsletter.

Social Support And Depression In Latinx Youth: A Meta-Analysis, Dulce Diaz Benitez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although previous meta-analyses have found significant relationships between social support and youth outcomes, neither has included ethnicity as a moderator or even described the ethnic breakdown in the studies analyzed (Chu et al., 2010; Rueger et al., 2016). Studies that have looked at the relationship between social support and outcomes in Latinx youth have found mixed findings. This study examined the relationship between social support and depression in Latinx youth living in the United States. This study also explored differences in the strength of the relationship between social support and depression in several previously studied moderators (function of social support, …

An Evaluation Of Noncontingent Reinforcement And Additional Treatment Components In The Treatment Of Stereotypic Behavior, Stephanie Nicole Brand

Theses and Dissertations

Individuals with autism often engage in stereotypic behavior that competes with learning and social skills. Behavior analytic treatment may be implemented to reduce stereotypy. Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) is one treatment that is often effective to reduce stereotypy. However, literature suggests that the use of NCR is contraindicated in some circumstances, as it may compete with the acquisition of new skills or may increase subsequent persistence of stereotypy. This research was designed to expand our knowledge of potential limitations of NCR when combined with other treatments. Study one examined persistence of stereotypy following treatment with NCR with and without response blocking. …

Training Aba Service Providers To Use Phonemic Transcription: A Comparison Of Two Alphabets, Kristin Marie Albert

Theses and Dissertations

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) service providers regularly develop speech and shape articulation when working with minimally vocal children with autism. However, these providers usually have not received training in related subject areas as part of their certification coursework. This results in a gap between their scopes of competence and practice. The present study aimed to lessen this gap by training ABA service providers to take phonemic transcription. The author, in consultation with a speech-language pathologist, developed and implemented a computer-based programmed instruction training package. Studies 1 and 2 employed a concurrent multiple-probe design with an embedded adapted alternating treatments design …

A Prevalence Study Of Iron Deficiency Anemia Among Children In Elbasan, Albania: Directions For Health Care Policy, Artilda Lala

All Dissertations

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is one of the most prevalent disorders worldwide, especially in children from low-income and underdeveloped countries. In Albania, anemia is a major public health concern with many unstudied regions (prefectures and rural municipalities). Childhood IDA can impair cognitive development, immunity and overall well-being, so early diagnosis and prevention of anemia is critical. This study examined the prevalence of IDA in children aged 0-10 years in the district of Elbasan, Albania. The data were additionally analyzed for relationships with demographic (age, gender, education, parental education and child academic performance) and nutrition variables.

A cross-sectional study design was …

Borderlines Of Becoming: Transfronterizx College Students Navigating Surveillance, Hybridity And Belonging Along The Us-México Border, Aylin Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This narrative literature review examines the educational experiences of transfronterizx college students along the U.S.– México border, a population largely absent from higher education scholarship. Drawing on Borderlands Theory, Anzaldúa’s frameworks, and critical perspectives on neoliberalism and militarization, this thesis highlights the border as a site of both constraint and possibility. Structural violence, surveillance, and militarization intersect with linguistic, racial, and class hierarchies to shape students’ mobility, identities, and sense of belonging. At the same time, students mobilize hybrid identities, cultural wealth, and transborder networks to assert agency, cultivate belonging, and resist deficit narratives. It also identifies persistent gaps, particularly …

Temporal Associations Between Social Media Use Frequency And Social Media Addiction And Depressive, Anxiety, And Insomnia Symptoms Among Hispanic Emerging Adults: Moderation By Identity Exploration And Instability And Negativity, Miguel Andres Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The number of social media users has drastically increased in recent years, and rates of social media use are particularly pronounced among emerging adults and Hispanic groups. Furthermore, emerging adults are at risk for poor mental health and report poor sleep health, and Hispanic groups may experience sleep disparities compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Although many studies have assessed the associations between social media use frequency and social media addiction and depressive, anxiety, and insomnia symptoms, fewer have investigated these associations prospectively. Similarly, few studies have assessed potential moderators of these associations. Thus, the current study investigated the temporal …

From Morphology To Machine Learning And Genomics: Understanding Phenotypic Variation In Wild Ducks, Sara Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the genetic underpinning and distribution of phenotypic variation within and between divergent groups is core towards shedding light into how populations diverge and adapt, as well as how hybridization breaks or builds on these scenarios; and thus, central to evolutionary biology. In wild organisms, however, quantifying and linking phenotypic traits to underlying genetic processes, like mutation, gene expression, epigenetics and allele interactions, remains challenging. This difficulty arises from the complex interplay between morphology, environment, and gene regulation, as well as the logistical barriers of collecting and standardizing large-scale data across individuals and populations. As a result, researchers are increasingly …