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African American Vernacular English: a qualitative study on its use in American foreign language classrooms
No full textThis qualitative research study examines how foreign language (FL) instructors perceive Black students\u27 use of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) in the classroom. Historically, negative connotations of AAVE have colored the perspectives of the general public and educators alike. This collective case study of FL instructors gathered in-depth data through semi-structured interview questions. These research findings have the potential to impact world language curriculums in America positively, particularly those tailored to students with home language backgrounds different from Standard American English (SAE). Despite increasing overall college enrollment and bachelor’s degree attainment, Black students continue to have some of the lowest participation in world language study (WLS) programs (Anya, 2020). Consequently, this study conducted interviews with nine FL instructors across Maryland particularly those teaching primarily Black and African American students. The aim was to explore the reasons behind the limited participation of Black students in WLS at the post-secondary level. Furthermore, the study sought to examine whether these low participation rates share a relationship with the use of AAVE among Black students in academic settings. In understanding the current perception of Black speech in FL classrooms through educators, linguists and researchers can further pinpoint critical factors that hinder WLS advancement for Black students. Raciolinguistic ideologies and critical race theory (CRT) were the leading frameworks guiding the research. Analysis of the insights from these educators revealed that race, racism, and language continue to have a complex relationship in American classrooms, particularly concerning AAVE. Additionally, the findings from this study highlighted the lack of academic awareness FL educators have surrounding AAVE, despite decades of research confirming its rule governing existence and validation
How does organization growth affect the organization’s culture
No full textThe purpose of this study was to understand how organization growth affects the organization’s culture. Culture was generally defined as the behavioral norms and ways of working at an organization. Following interviews with 28 people in an organization that had been growing and was expecting to grow further, the results of the study suggested that organization growth did not have a noticeable impact on culture. Instead, the data suggest that the longer a person is a part of a culture, the more opportunity there is to see evolution or how things like growth, the passing of time, generational differences, and changing workplace norms can impact or influence culture
Belief systems amongst Black women: a qualitative study of social supports and factors that facilitate pathways to leadership positions within professional sport
No full textDespite notable advancements made by Black women in both athletic and professional settings, their representation in leadership roles within the sports industry remains disproportionately low. The underrepresentation of Black women in leadership positions within professional sport organizations underscores the need for research to identify the social supports and factors facilitating their career progression. This study addresses the gap in the literature through qualitative interviews with twelve Black women who hold director-level positions or higher in professional sports teams or leagues. Grounded theory was employed to gather, examine, and interpret the data from the interviews. Critical race theory, standpoint theory, intersectionality, and Black feminist thought framed the study, positioning Black women as knowledge producers and validating their lived experiences. The research questions guiding the study were: What are the belief systems of Black women that facilitate pathways to leadership positions within professional sport? What are the social supports or factors that facilitate upward career mobility for Black women in professional sport? What might be, if any at all, the common social supports or factors that facilitate the attainment of leadership positions? To what extent do Black women believe these social supports impact their attainment? The findings underscore the significance of coaches, mentors, sponsors, sport-centered professional networking groups, non-sport centered social networking groups, affinity groups, and training and development in supporting Black women\u27s career advancement. Mentors and sponsors were found to have the strongest association with upward career mobility by opening doors, providing support, and providing guidance in navigating unfamiliar spaces. Career coaches were valued during transitions. Although professional networking groups and affinity groups provided opportunities for networking and relationship building, they were not explicitly associated with position attainment. Both sport focused and non-sport focused professional networking groups provided opportunities for networking, professional development, and peer support. Affinity groups, particularly those for Black employees, foster community, visibility, and a sense of belonging. This study highlights the need for organizational initiatives that prioritize inclusivity, such as career coaching, mentorship, sponsorship, and support networks, to ensure equitable opportunities for Black women in sports leadership. This research contributes to the larger body of research on sport leadership
Creation-Disruption Theory: how innovators create and disrupt markets in the era of AI and beyond
No full textUnderstanding how innovators create and disrupt markets remains a central challenge in strategic management and innovation, especially amid rapid advances in AI. In this two-paper dissertation, I develop and empirically ground the Creation-Disruption (CD) Theory as a novel and unified theory that explains how innovations and innovators transform markets through intertwined processes of creation and disruption, addressing limitations of prior frameworks. In the first paper, I develop the CD Theory conceptually, treating innovations as the unit of analysis, and reconceptualize, integrate, and extend prior frameworks — most notably, disruptive innovation theory and Blue Ocean Strategy — into a unified theory that explains how market creation and disruption occur. I formalize the CD Theory based on new conceptual foundations, 10 core propositions, and a structured process model that specifies the mechanisms and adoption pathways by which innovations transform markets, offering stronger explanatory, predictive, and prescriptive guidance. In the second paper, I use a multi-case theory-building approach to advance the CD Theory by analyzing 10 AI-native startups creating and disrupting markets, shifting the unit of analysis to innovators. Through longitudinal evidence, I inductively develop both general and AI-specific propositions for market creation and disruption and a five-stage process model — the Innovator’s Journey — that maps how innovators enact creation-disruption strategies from conception to market impact. These papers advance a unified, empirically grounded theory that increases explanatory power and provides actionable insights for entrepreneurs, established firms, investors, and policymakers seeking to navigate and lead innovation-driven market transformation in the era of AI and beyond
Being There: Perils of Disembodied Mediation
Full text linkFollowing the growth of online mediation during the COVID-19 pandemic, practitioners and ADR scholars sought to delineate the virtues and shortcomings of the online process. Many report satisfaction with online mediation. Still, critics find the process devoid of emotional experience or otherwise “dehumanizing.” As ADR practitioners contrast online and face-to-face experiences, and recommend a forum to disputing parties, they should acknowledge that online platforms can never replicate physical encounters between embodied persons. This Article draws on the work of 20th century philosophers, psychologists, and sociologists to explore mediation as corporeal encounter between embodied subjects. Online mediation, by constraining the involvement of human bodies, diminishes capacities for empathy, emotional experience, and moral agency
Black Americans’ Strategic Disengagement in Digital Protest: A Thematic Analysis of YouTube Responses to Latino Deportation Appeals (2025)
Full text linkThis qualitative study, grounded in digital discourse theory, investigates Black Americans’ responses to the Latino community’s calls for protest support against federal deportation policies under the current U.S. administration. Twelve publicly available YouTube videos from Spring 2025 were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis to identify key patterns in Black discourse, including themes of strategic withdrawal, political disillusionment, solidarity fatigue, and historical tension.
This study defines \u27stand down\u27 as a deliberate, non-antagonistic decision to refrain from participating in another group’s protest movement. Findings indicate that disengagement is not rooted in apathy but is shaped by long-standing racialized experiences, ideological misalignment, and emotional exhaustion from prior cross-racial advocacy efforts. By applying digital discourse theory to analyze these video-based expressions, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of contemporary racial dynamics, the boundaries of solidarity, and the evolving role of social media in constructing collective identities and political disengagement
Dramatism and CrossFit: The Guilt Redemption Cycle in the Wake of Ðukič’s Death
Full text linkAfter the death of elite Serbian athlete, Lazar Ðukič, at the 2024 CrossFit Games, CrossFit, LLC’s leadership was once again in the spotlight of another controversy. In the immediate aftermath, Chief Executive Officer, Don Faul, was responsible for navigating the complex crisis communication that was required. This study evaluates the language in Faul’s oratory and seeks to answer the questions: (1) what pentadic elements are incorporated in Faul’s communication, (2) what ratio prevails and (3) how do the linguistic choices offload the guilt and responsibility that the organization had to ensure athlete safety. In employing a critical linguistic analysis framework, the Burkean logic reveals strategic language elements that cultivate identification, victimage, and shared accountability. However, when the prevailing act-agent ratio is reversed, a larger motive is revealed within the narrative, which puts athletes as prominent agents in continuing the CrossFit Games – a burden that was not of their own accord. This study contributes to a larger discourse surrounding ethics, the social responsibility in elite sports, and management.
Keywords: Burke, pentadic analysis, CrossFit, leadership, communication, rhetoric, crisis communicatio
Drone thermal imaging and benthic time-series analysis show dynamic spatial and temporal delivery of submarine groundwater discharge on reef ecosystems
No full textSubmarine groundwater discharge (SGD) introduces nutrient-rich, low-salinity water into coastal ecosystems, significantly altering reef biogeochemistry. At Black Point, Oʻahu, we employed a novel, two-pronged approach that integrates a cost-effective small unmanned aerial system equipped with a thermal infrared (sUAS-TIR) sensor and high-resolution benthic salinity time series to resolve previously unobserved, fine-scale patterns of SGD delivery. sUAS-based sampling overcomes key limitations of prior SGD mapping methods, such as labor-intensive and spatially constrained in situ sampling, by enabling rapid deployment, real-time visualization of mixing dynamics, and high-resolution imagery. Unlike previous studies that relied on customized systems that required independent sensor integration, our methods used a cost-effective, fully integrated sUAS-TIR platform that required no additional modification. Our results show that localized hydrodynamics strongly modulate groundwater delivery, creating spatially heterogeneous patterns of delayed transport, recirculation and retention (i.e., pooling), and offshore dispersal. Thermal imagery revealed persistent surface plumes in regions of reduced circulation, while sequential orthomosaics and benthic salinity time series captured the temporal progression of groundwater movement across the reef. These findings highlight complex SGD delivery patterns that contribute to ecological vulnerability, particularly in areas experiencing prolonged exposure to nutrient-rich, low-salinity waters. Such dynamics underscore the need to consider both spatial and temporal variability when evaluating SGD’s ecological impacts. Our two-pronged approach offers a valuable tool to (1) identify reef zones that may be disproportionately affected by point-sources of land-based pollution, and (2) elucidate the mechanisms driving groundwater transport in coral reef environments. By offering a cost-effective, scalable, and operationally flexible framework, this methodology advances the management of groundwater-impacted ecosystems and enhances our ability to assess the ecological implications of dynamic SGD delivery