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JYD Spring 2025 Issue Published
No full textThe Journal of Youth Development (JYD) has published its latest issue (20.1) at https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/jyd.https://open.clemson.edu/jyd_announcements/1008/thumbnail.jp
Effects of Variation in Altitude and Temperature on the Restraining Force and Internal Gauge Pressure of Constrained Dunnage Airbags
Get PDFDunnage airbags are an increasingly popular choice for securing cargo. During transit, changes in ambient temperature and pressure can cause airbags to expand generating damaging horizontal compressive forces in the trailer or container. Previous studies have developed numerical models for the behavior of Kraft paper and woven polypropylene fabric dunnage airbags under standard conditions but do not account for the behavior of airbags under varied altitudes and temperatures. This study provides empirical data on the internal gauge pressure and restraining force dynamics of 4-ply Kraft, woven polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride airbags under simulated altitude and temperature conditions. Tensile testing characterizes the mechanical properties of the airbag\u27s structural layer. New and recently reinflated dunnage airbags are subjected to a simulated altitude increase by dropping the ambient pressure for a one-hour dwell test and in-transit simulation. Additionally, new dunnage airbags are subjected to one-hour temperature dwell tests and a 72-hour warm temperature cycling test. A performance trade-off emerged between stiff, 4-ply Kraft airbags which exerted high restraining forces and excellent pressure retention and ductile polyvinyl chloride airbags which responded to internal gauge pressure changes by growing in volume; woven polypropylene airbags exhibited intermediate behavior. These findings enable an informed decision of what material airbag to employ, addressing the dual risks of over-pressurization during ascents and warming which can lead to product damage or burst airbags and loss of internal gauge pressure during descent and cooling which can leave loads unsecured
Signals of Trust: How Privacy Disclosures and Public Responses Drive User Behavior in Digital Markets
No full textThis dissertation examines how data privacy practices and complaint response strategies influence user behavior and market outcomes in digital marketplaces. The first study analyzes the impact of Google Play’s Data Safety Label, launched in April 2022 to standardize data collection, third-party sharing, and security disclosures. Grounded in signaling and prospect theories, the label is treated as a compound signal users interpret holistically. A difference-in-differences analysis of 23,877 top Android apps over two years shows that disclosures increase user app adoption. Internal data collection boosts adoption, while third-party sharing reduces it, reflecting behavioral loss aversion. Security disclosures moderate these effects by enhancing trust and offsetting shared concerns. The findings extend signaling theory by showing how multi-attribute disclosures jointly shape user behavior. The second study investigates how public responses to user complaints affect user app adoption. Drawing on service-dominant logic and the literature on service failure and recovery, the study analyzes over 7.6 million user reviews and 2.7 million developer responses across 22,998 apps. Complaints are categorized as processes (e.g., access or payment issues) or outcomes (e.g., bugs or quality). Collaborative responses—acknowledging issues and offering solutions—increase adoption for process complaints but reduce it for outcome complaints, especially when peer-endorsed. Complaint type thus emerges as a boundary condition for effective symbolic recovery, informing scalable strategies for public user engagement. These studies show how transparency and responsiveness are trust signals in digital marketplaces. By integrating theory with large-scale data, the dissertation offers practical insights for enhancing user app adoption, addressing privacy concerns, and improving developer-user dynamics
Engaging Minds: The Impact of Multimodal Instruction on Multiplication Facts
Get PDFThis dissertation examined the impact of a multimodal, station-based instructional approach on student engagement and multiplication fact fluency among third-grade students at Hopeful Elementary School (HES), a Title I, high-poverty school. Traditional methods of rote memorization have not consistently met the needs of all learners, particularly those from under-resourced backgrounds or with disabilities. This study explored how structured opportunities to practice multiplication through music-based, game-based, and technology-enhanced learning experiences influenced student engagement and fluency.
Using a multimethod design, the intervention group participated in the Multimodal Multiplication Intervention, rotating through three stations Monday through Wednesday and selecting a preferred station on Thursdays and Fridays. The other third-grade classrooms continued with traditional instruction. Data sources included a timed pre- and post-test, weekly engagement surveys, daily student surveys (intervention group), and weekly teacher reflections. Students in the intervention group consistently reported higher engagement, especially at the Music and Game stations. Although multiplication fluency gains were not statistically significant between groups, the intervention group showed slightly greater growth.
This study contributes to research on student-centered instructional practices and their potential to advance equity in math education. Part of a collaborative dissertation grounded in improvement science, this work illustrates how practitioner inquiry can identify scalable strategies for foundational math learning in rural, high-poverty settings
Using Coaching to Improve Co-Teaching Practices Through the Use of Improvement Science
Get PDFThis dissertation in practice examines the impact of professional development and instructional coaching on improving co-teaching practices in a high-poverty Title I high school in South Carolina. Many co-teaching models fail to reach their full potential due to inadequate training, limited planning time, and unequal role distribution between general and special educators. Using a mixed-methods improvement science framework, this study implemented targeted professional development and bi-monthly coaching cycles to strengthen collaboration and instructional fidelity. Quantitative data included pre- and post-intervention educator observation rubrics; qualitative data were collected through coaching debriefs and empathy interviews. Results revealed increased implementation of co-teaching strategies in 83% of observed lessons, along with improved educator confidence and student engagement. Findings support the use of structured coaching to foster role clarity, strengthen co-planning, and promote inclusive practices. This study contributes to the limited research on secondary co-teaching in high-poverty schools and offers a sustainable, scalable model for improving equitable instructional delivery
White Secondary Social Studies Pre-Service and First Year Teachers’ Emotions Surrounding Topics of Race in Light of Current Censorship Laws
No full textThis study aimed to identify the varied emotions of white, pre-service and first year secondary social studies teachers when facing the possibility of teaching topics of race, especially in the current “anti-CRT” political climate. Using Critical Race Theory and Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotion as a guiding framework, this exploratory, multiple case study employed a variety of qualitative data collection methods and analysis practices. The cross-case analysis, using Constant Comparative Analysis, identified six common themes across the individual cases. The findings revealed that white pre-service and first year secondary social studies teachers believed race was impacting every area of life, they had overwhelming nerves when teaching topics of race, they were nervous to make any statements on race because of backlash, they believed they were prepared to teach topics of race, they were not knowledgeable of CRT or the movements against it and finally, they desired to teach students from racial backgrounds different from their own and valued the opportunity. Based on these findings, it was determined that white pre-service and first year social studies teachers experienced a variety of emotions when discussing topics of race, and these emotions had tangible impacts on their teaching. Implications for the P-12 school system, Teacher Education Programs, and future research were discussed
Melts to Solutions: Structure, Dynamics, and Response of Polyelectrolytes
Get PDFThe current research elucidates the changes in the structure and motion of polyelectrolytes as they are perturbed by solvents and shear flows. Polyelectrolytes are macromolecules whose backbone consists of long, predominantly hydrocarbon chains, substituted by ionizable groups, which tend to dissociate into ions in polar solvents. Their properties result from a delicate balance of elastic energy that arises from the polymeric backbone and electrostatic forces, which stem from the ionizable groups. Though polyelectrolytes have an immense potential to propel numerous technologies, from clean energy to drug delivery systems, understanding the delicate balance between the properties of the polymer backbone and the effects of the electrostatic interactions remains an open fundamental science challenge with an immense impact.
The current study uses computational methods, particularly large-scale atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, to understand the balance between chain characteristics and electrostatic forces on a model polyelectrolyte, polystyrene sulfonate-sodium salt in the presence of solvents and under shear. As polymers are processed from molecules to viable materials under shear and in the presence of solvents, these studies resolve fundamental principles that directly contribute to the response of polyelectrolytes. The effects of two classes of solvents were studies, tetrahydrofuran (THF) that represents organic solvents and water which is an environmentally friendly, prevalent solvent. The structure and motion of these polymers were studied in their quiescent state, without any disruption, and under shear forces, because most polymeric molecules are transformed into actual materials under shear.
We find that sulfonated polystyrene polyelectrolytes form distinctive branched ionic aggregates and form ionic networks as the sulfonation fraction increases. The addition of THF breaks some of the larger clusters, enhancing the polymer dynamics while having minimal effect on the ionic network. When perturbing these systems at high shear rates, the ionic clusters break, and almost all the chains elongate, while at the low shear rates, only some of the chains are affected. By introducing shear forces in the presence of a solvent, one can further disrupt and reshape these complex systems, enabling them to reassemble in new ways.
As the water content increases, the polymer chains become more extended conformation but are not fully extended, even at very dilute polymer concentrations. When perturbing these solutions under shear, the chains undergo rapid coil-stretched-recoil cycles with a characteristic time that depends on the shear rate and polymer concentration. Understanding the behavior of polymer solutions under shear enables advancing the material processing to gain valuable properties from them