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Encapsulating Student Perspectives: Investigating Students’ Voice In Urban Secondary Education
No full textABSTRACTEncapsulating Student Perspectives: Investigating Students’ Voice in Urban Secondary Education by Treyvon L. Harlin February 2025 Advisor: Ben Pogodzinski, Ph.D. Major: Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Degree: Doctor of Philosophy The research in this dissertation focuses on the implication of student voice in historically marginalized secondary schools throughout the metropolitan area of Detroit, Michigan. Research initiatives conducted by Delpit (2006), Holmes & Crossley (2004), and Levitan (2018) have shown that students, especially those of marginalized populations, must have a sense of safety, feel valued and that their opinions matter to have buy-in with academic objectives and a school’s vision. Unfortunately, studies show that many marginalized schools and districts neglect to involve students in policy development, educational initiatives, etc. This research is grounded in critical social theory that aims at material or institutional changes, a process that begins with a language that penetrates the core of relations of domination, such as race, class, and gender (Leonardo, 2003b). This quantitative study highlighted student perspectives of voice, climate, and safety from nine historically marginalized schools throughout the metropolitan area of Detroit, Michigan. The research showed that many students perceived they had a voice but were limited in their opportunities to express their perspectives. The findings of this study suggest that student success, attendance rates, climate, and culture could experience improvement with student voice enactment
The Political Economy Of Electricity Investment In The Developing World
No full textElectricity generation remains a key ingredient in sustained economic development and policy to manage the global energy transition, even while it contributes to increased atmospheric emissions. A critical policy choice for developing countries has been over electricity production via fossil fuels or from renewable sources, and governments and firms in those countries face external constraints as they seek to sustain their electricity infrastructure and to diversify the technology used in generation. Public and private investment in electricity generation has become more uncertain. This dissertation uses a mixed-method approach and multiple datasets to explore the impact of domestic political, and international economic conditions on investment in installed electricity capacity, and on the choice of electricity generation technology. I assess variation in the annual changes in net installed capacity and the type of generation technology utilized in developing countries from Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean for the period 1990-2022. The principal finding points to the importance of global economic conditions specifically oil price changes and state fiscal capacity in shaping changes in infrastructure investment. The dissertation contributes to the literature on political economy in developing countries, institutional analyses of development policy, and the politics and policy of the global energy transition
The Association Between Mental Health, Stigma, And Academic Probation In Undergraduate Students
No full textThe purpose of this research study was two-fold: (a) to determine the association between academic probation status and internalizing symptoms and (b) to determine the association between academic probation status and stigma levels towards mental health and its services. Utilizing public data from the Healthy Minds Network (HMN) and the 2023-2024 Healthy Minds Study (HMS) for Students survey data, a quantitative approach was used using correlational analysis to determine that there was a statistically significant association between both academic probation status and internalizing symptoms as well as academic probation status and stigma levels towards mental health and its services. These findings continue to contribute to the growing body of research regarding the intersection between education and mental health. Practical implications as well as directions for future studies are examined
Effects Of A Ketogenic Diet Intervention On Affective Valence In Recreational Distance Runners
No full textThis randomized controlled trial investigated the psychological and physiological effects of a ketogenic diet (KD) in recreational distance runners over a 10-week period. Participants (N = 15) were assigned to one of three groups: a standard diet control (SD), a ketogenic diet with placebo (KDP), or a ketogenic diet with electrolyte supplementation (KDE). After a 2-week baseline on a standard diet, participants followed their assigned diet for 8 weeks. Psychological outcomes were measured weekly using the Activation-Deactivation Adjective Checklist (AD ACL) and Physical Activity Affect Scale (PAAS), with a focus on subscales for fatigue, tension, negative affect, tranquility, and tiredness. Weekly blood ketone concentrations and aerobic performance measures were also collected.Primary analyses used repeated measures general linear models (rmGLMs) with baseline covariates to account for individual differences in affect prior to the intervention. Significant time × group interactions were observed for fatigue (p \u3c .011), tension (p = .001), and negative affect (p = .047). The KDE group demonstrated marked reductions in fatigue and tension over time, in contrast to the KDP group, which showed prolonged affective disruption. These effects were not consistently detected in non-covariate models, highlighting the increased sensitivity of baseline-adjusted analyses. Tranquility also showed a significant time × group interaction (p = .023) primarily explained by decreases in the placebo group\u27s Tranquility . Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) significantly declined between Weeks 5 and 10 (p = .047), suggesting improved exercise tolerance after adaptation. A linear mixed-effects model using person-mean centered ketone values showed that weekly ketone levels were not significantly associated with changes in subscale scores. VO₂ max and training volume were preserved across groups. Together, these findings suggest that while keto-induction may initially disrupt affective valence, electrolyte-supported adaptation may promote psychological recovery without impairing performance
A Look At Black Student Success At Predominantly White Institutions Through The Lens Of Student Success At Historically Black Colleges And Universities
No full textABSTRACTA LOOK AT BLACK STUDENT SUCCESS AT PREDOMINANTLY WHITE INSTITUTIONS THROUGH THE LENS OF STUDENT SUCCESS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
byTUOANYENE NATT-SIMS May 2025 Advisor: Dr. Ben Pogodzenski Major: Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Degree: Doctor of Education The research focuses on the academic success of Black students at predominantly white institutions (PWIs). Drawing from the literature published on Black academic success at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), the research first studies the structure, climate, and experience of Black students at HBCUs and compares those factors to the overall experience and academic performance of Black students at PWIs. Much of the literature on the topic details Black student experiences at HBCUs, on campus, and in the classroom as having a greater positive impact on Black student success (Arroyo & Gasman, 2014; Johnson & Winfield, 2022; Price & Viceisza, 2023). Other literature places emphasis on the impending challenges that many Black students encounter at PWIs and how those challenges may have a direct negative impact on the development of their sense of belonging, thereby affecting their academic success and graduation. The literature suggests that most PWIs would do well to study the climate and services at HBCUs to create environments that support Black students’ academic performance and overall experience at their institutions. Studies show that some PWIs across the nation have made attempts to offer services that promote environments that support Black students’ academic progress (Arroyo & Gasman, 2014; Price & Viceisza, 2023). Such services and programs include tutoring, summer bridge programs, diversity programming, more visible Black faculty/staff, opportunities for student leadership development, and mentoring (Arroyo & Gasman, 2014; Price & Viceisza, 2023). Fewer studies have researched the efficacy of programs that specifically serve Black students at PWIs. To expand upon the existing literature, more research is needed to better understand the outcomes of Black students enrolled in support programs at PWIs. To address this paucity, my study will ask the following question: What is the association between participation in a Black student support program and student success as measured by GPA, retention, and graduation? This quantitative research focuses on Black students who participated in a support program within the business school of a PWI compared to Black students who did not participate. Analysis of the data will include descriptive information identifying characteristics of both groups (e.g., programs of study) and correlational analysis (e.g., t-test and regression) to identify the association between program participation and student outcomes. It was expected that the participant group (Excel Scholars) would outperform the nonparticipant group. The overall GPA and graduation rates of both groups were measured. Because the combined number of program participants from each cohort yielded small numbers (n=39) compared to the participant group (n=100), success was best measured by the rate of completion (retention) each semester versus the graduation rate. The research analyzed retention by semester (Fall 2018 through Winter 2021). The results indicated that the participant group (n=39) completed each semester at a rate of 91.1%, while the nonparticipant group (n=100) completed each semester at a rate of 80%. In terms of overall GPA, the participant group had a mean score of 3.1, while the nonparticipant group had an average overall GPA of 2.9, which was lower
Peer Relationships and Sense of Belonging in the Transition to College
No full textThe ID:dp001247805 transition to college presents challenges for students as they form new peer relationships while experiencing varying degrees of belonging within the college community. This study investigated with cross-sectional social network analysis how self-reports of residential program and classroom belonging associated with social and academic networks among a sample of first-year college students (N = 1,125) participating in residential college programs. Analyses revealed that, controlling for each other, residential program belonging but not classroom belonging was significantly associated with students’ social and academic networks. Additionally, after accounting for other factors, underrepresented minority students, particularly Black and multiracial students with low residential program belonging, were more likely than White students to hang out with peers across the broader residential college community. Findings highlight the importance of students’ sense of belonging for relationships with peers in the transition to college
Adjunctive Recombinant Human Thymosin Beta-4 Therapy Improves Antibacterial Outcomes Against Staphylococcus Aureus
No full textRecombinant human thymosin β4 (Tβ4) is a small endogenous protein with growing therapeutic applications, including in the treatment of infections. However, the antibacterial potential of the peptide remains unclear. Previous research on the human peptide and its shellfish homologs suggests broad-spectrum activity, including against Staphylococcus aureus. Thus, this study investigated the antibacterial potential of recombinant human Tβ4 and its ability to synergize with antibiotics in vitro against S. aureus strain 8325-4. To this end, the antibacterial potential of Tβ4 (0-16,000 µg/mL) was assessed using the broth microdilution method followed by colony-forming unit (CFU) enumeration. The synergistic effect of Tβ4 with antibiotics (moxifloxacin, ciprofloxacin, oxacillin, and vancomycin) was evaluated using checkerboard assays, considering the total bacterial population as well as the planktonic and biofilm subpopulations, with the latter quantified using the crystal violet assay. Tβ4 exhibited bacteriostatic activity against S. aureus, and adjunctive Tβ4 demonstrated synergism with the tested antibiotics, reducing growth in the total and planktonic bacterial populations. Lastly, Tβ4 showed insignificant correlation with biofilm formation, but its efficacy against biofilms as an adjunct varied by antibiotic
A Motivational Approach To Understanding Uncertainty And Information-Seeking As An Inherent Condition Of Relationships
No full textRomantic relationships are precarious contexts where individuals have a significant opportunity to constrain their close other’s outcomes (Kelley & Thibault, 1978). Such circumstances make uncertainty in a relationship challenging and inherently impose vulnerability to hurt and rejection for both partners (Murray et al., 2006). To deal with these challenges, people are known to employ information-seeking behaviors as ways to improve confidence in their perceptions of the relationship (Knobloch & Solomon, 1999; 2002). Despite existing perspectives on relational uncertainty and communication, there lacks a parsimonious framework identifying what motivates different information-seeking behaviors. The research presented here suggests that a regulatory focus perspective (Higgins, 1997) may illustrate distinct experiences of uncertainty in relationships that uniquely motivate information-seeking decisions. In test of these ideas, one preliminary study and two primary studies were conducted to evaluate how regulatory focus may inform the degree of overtness in information-seeking behaviors individuals use to reduce uncertainty. Specifically, these studies evaluated how regulatory focus may be uniquely concerned with the features of uncertainty as potentially threatening or opportunistic (Primary Study 1) and uncertainty when illustrative of loss or non-gain (Primary Study 2). Ultimately, the aims of these studies were semi supported and may offer an avenue best able to assess the nuances of information-seeking behavioral patterns between and within individuals. Such an understanding is essential, primarily as how people communicate matters for relationship outcomes