28653 research outputs found
Sort by
The prison of online performance: social achievement goals as a buffer between social media and digital stress
No full textThe increasing integration of social media into daily life has raised concern about its psychological consequences, particularly for young adults navigating self-presentation and social validation online. This dissertation investigates how individual differences in social achievement goal orientations—development (DEV) and demonstration (DEM)—moderate the relationship between social media use (SMU) and approval anxiety, a key form of digital stress. Grounded in Social Achievement Goal Theory and the Digital Stress Framework, this study employed a cross-sectional design with 377 participants aged 18–25 who use Instagram daily or nearly daily for personal and social purposes. Data were analyzed using a Generalized Additive Model (GAM) to account for non-linear and interactive effects. Findings revealed that DEM significantly moderated the relationship between SMU and approval anxiety, with higher DEM associated with greater anxiety as SMU increased. Contrary to hypotheses, DEV did not function as a protective factor. Instead, DEV further amplified the DEM–SMU interaction, with the highest levels of approval anxiety reported among individuals high in both DEV and DEM. These findings suggest that high social motivation across both orientations may exacerbate digital stress, particularly in online environments that emphasize performance and public validation.The results contribute to a nuanced understanding of individual vulnerability to digital
stress and highlight the importance of addressing motivational orientations in mental health interventions and platform design. Practical implications include recommendations for clinicians, educators, and tech developers to promote healthier social media use and reduce approval-driven engagement among youth.Ph. D
Understanding GenZ's disclosure of mental health-related information and perceived social support
No full textMental health problems are a serious issue for all generations, including Gen Z. Mental health problems have a profound impact on our physical health. The primary purpose of this study is to explore the mental health problems disclosure behavior of the Bangladeshi Gen Z and perceived social support. Through in-depth interviews among the participants (N=15), this study examined the mental health problems disclosure of the Bangladeshi Gen Z, what kind of social support they received after mental health disclosure, and how actual support affects their future disclosure. The study found that Bangladeshi Gen Z likes to disclose their mental health problems face-to-face rather than virtually. They only discuss their problems with select people, such as close friends and mothers. Those who do not like to disclose their mental health problems try to overcome them by watching entertainment programs or engaging in destructive behaviors like pulling out their hair and destroying their valuables. Bangladeshi Gen Z mainly receive informational, emotional, and tangible support after disclosing their mental health problems. They also receive both positive and negative support. Positive support inspired them to disclose their mental health problems in the future, while negative support demotivated them from future disclosure. This study recommends enhancing supportive family communication and urges educational institutions and the government to take necessary steps in fostering a mentally healthy and balanced generation.M. A
Naming the harm: women's stories of gender-bsed discrimination and harassment in campus recreation
No full textThis study investigates the experiences of women working in campus recreation, revealing how gender-based discrimination and harassment shape their careers, well-being, and sense of belonging in a profession that prides itself on inclusion. While campus recreation is often positioned as a supportive and student-centered environment within higher education, the women in this research tell a more complex story marked by bias, inequity, and institutional silence. Using in-depth qualitative interviews and an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach, this study centers the voices of 17 women as they make meaning of the harm they have endured and the systems that allowed it. Their stories illuminate the emotional labor women carry, the normalization of harassment, and the toll of navigating spaces that were not built with them in mind. Eight interrelated themes emerged across the data: bias, harassment, inequity, exclusion, institutional betrayal, burnout, solidarity, and resistance. These themes offer a clear look at how systemic gender discrimination continues to shape the culture of campus recreation and how women are surviving, resisting, and imagining something better. This study contributes to the literature on gender, workplace equity, and institutional power and offers a call to action for higher education to confront the cultural norms that continue to push women out.D. E
Ocean Obstruction
No full textIn this paper, I will share with you my artistic motives and process for this exhibition’s content. The work for my senior thesis focuses on the environmental and consumerist damage done to the Earth’s oceans by human beings. Our Oceans’ health is affected by pollution, climate change, and overfishing that we all share a responsibility towards. I translate these issues into sculptural ceramics or functional ware with texture and imagery. My work is influenced by multiple human-caused disasters in our oceans (Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill of 2010) as well as other activists and documentaries that inform individuals how everyday life products damage or take from our oceans (y Seaspiracy). My goal for my exhibition is to encourage my viewers to care more about the intake of seafood as well as being conscious of the amount of trash/pollution they produce. By making my work out of ceramics I also hope to encourage individuals to use more ceramic and glass appliances to reduce the amount of plastic they consume and that goes into the environment.B.A.School of Ar
Why we dance: a community autoethnographic study of four African American community dance artists
No full textAfrican American and other nonwestern and non-White dance traditions are a part of cultural expression, historic preservation, a reflection of lived experiences, and a part of everyday life. In many dance programs at colleges and universities, culturally specific dance practices are often not considered valuable, necessary, or given recognition in the same way as other dance forms. In dance programs within higher education, engagement with these nonwestern and non-White dance practices are minimal, superficial, and on the periphery, dismissing their relevance as White, western Eurocentric dance forms take center stage, especially at predominantly White institutions (PWI). This autoethnographic study highlighted the value and benefits of African American/Black dance to strengthen cultural connections with the diverse populations who participate in dance programs. Four community dance educators were interviewed for this study. Research questions included: 1) What were the lived experiences of African American dance students in performing arts programs at PWIs? 2) How did the educational experiences of African American performing artists/educators inform their current role as community educators engaging with African American culture? 3) How do African American performing artists/educators engage communities in African American culture through the performing arts generally and dance specifically? It also demonstrated how African American/Black dance and performing artists engage a community with culture through a movement-based practice through experiential learning. While literature on adult education and dance education in higher education and community is rare, the practice of community dance education employs aspects of collaborative learning and connects to Knowles’s principles of adult education. The purpose of this study is to gain insight from the experiences of Black dance artists who studied dance in predominantly White institutions (PWI) of higher education and how they currently engage communities in African American culture through the performing arts. This study used theories of cultural competence, critical race theory, and culturally relevant pedagogy to draw a through-line from early, culturally grounded dance experiences to a Eurocentric focused collegiate dance training to a community-centered culturally relevant practice. This study discussed how participant experiences in these programs led to the formation of culturally relevant community and socially conscious dance programming. Recommendations for future research include adding to the qualitative data set of narratives from African American community dance artists who attended PWIs of higher education performing arts programs who are currently engaging communities with culture through the art of dance in the community sector. In addition, future research could also include the assessment of the implementation of best practices gleaned from the narratives of study participants regarding the implementation of culturally relevant dance programming in dance programs and institutions of higher education as they seek to diversify the dance curriculum.D.Ed
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness: reconstructing networks of freedom in an antebellum biracial community Lick Creek, Indiana, 1811-1870
No full textLong before the Great Migration of the twentieth century, free African Americans moved westward in a lesser known nineteenth century migration, founding rural communities across the Old Northwest. One such settlement was Lick Creek in Orange County, Indiana which was established in 1811 through cooperation between free people of color and Quaker settlers. Confronting sparse and uneven records, this thesis uses an interdisciplinary ethnohistoric approach paired with social network analysis (SNA) to investigate the contents of the Orange County Negro Register (1853–1861) alongside census schedules, probate files, Quaker Meeting Minutes, and genealogical data. The study converts a legal instrument of surveillance into a map of community relations, using network graphs to visualize patterns, highlight outliers, and direct, person-level inquiry. Three findings stand out. First, Quaker migration underwrote cross-racial ties of trust and obligation, though support extended beyond the Society of Friends. Second, proximity networks derived from the 1850 census reveal a township effect—registrants most often selected witnesses from their immediate localities, demonstrating how physical and social space reinforced each other. Third, while witness and registrant groups were internally cohesive, merging them exposed fragmentation into clusters structured by proximity, occupation, landholding, and faith. Case studies complicate aggregate patterns, illustrating how kinship, household affiliation, and racial identity could defy categorical expectations. Given the incompleteness of nineteenth century documentation, results emphasize relative patterns over absolutes. Even so, the study demonstrates SNA’s utility in recovering silenced histories and proposes future comparative applications of SNA, working toward a more equitable preservation of African American heritage.M.S
Professional identity, collaboration, and client-centered practice: a qualitative exploration of certified vision rehabilitation therapists' experiences
No full textThis dissertation used oral history to critically explore the lived experiences of Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapists (CVRTs) and examine their role in improving the quality of life for adults living with vision loss. The research questions were: 1) What are the specific therapeutic techniques and training methods utilized by CVRTs in their scope of practice when working with adults living with vision loss, and how do these methods influence client autonomy and functional outcomes? 2) How do CVRTs perceive the evolution of their profession, particularly in terms of professional identity, job satisfaction, and challenges related to public recognition and interprofessional collaboration? Five CVRTs shared their narratives through semi-structured interviews in order to understand specific training methods, therapeutic approaches, and perceived professional challenges in the field. Additionally, this study investigated how collaboration between CVRTs and occupational therapists impacts client outcomes and service delivery, with a focus on defining the scope of practice for CVRTs. The findings contribute to the development of targeted interventions and inform policy and training programs aimed at enhancing the role of VRTs in rehabilitation and healthcare systems. Four themes emerged from the data: professional identity, client-centered care, interprofessional collaboration, and challenges faced by professionals in the field of vision rehabilitation therapy. They also highlighted specific therapeutic tools and techniques that are used by CVRTs to provide individualized learning opportunities to adults living with vision loss. This study sought to examine the profession of vision rehabilitation therapy and what it can offer individuals in search of assistance after receiving a diagnosis of irreversible vision loss, as well as the challenges the profession is facing as occupational therapy becomes an additional option for service delivery. The future of the field was discussed at length and recommendation for practice and future research were made.D.Ed
Mitigating conflict by integrating peacebuilding tools into indigenous water management practices of the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park, Nepal
No full textAccording to the United Nations Development Program, indigenous and traditional peoples are often ignored in water management decisions, unequally treated in conventional water management systems, and disproportionately affected by water conflicts and crises. The rapidly growing field of environmental peacebuilding represents a paradigm shift in environmental research in which the management of natural resources can act as potential catalyst for reducing conflict and building peace within and among communities. Introducing peacebuilding tools into an Integrated Water Resource Management Framework (IWRM) has the potential to facilitate conflict prevention, mitigation, resolution, and recovery that will build indigenous community resilience. IWRM and environmental peacebuilding each have their own respective sets of key tools and concepts, many of which parallel one another. Through a participatory, mixed methods approach employing direct observational data, key informant interviews, and household surveys, this study seeks to (1) understand various local perceptions of water resources and climate change, (2) identify any water/climate related stress or conflict, and (3) examine interactional capacity of local water management structures within the high-altitude communities of the Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal. This study hypothesizes that introducing environmental peacebuilding (EP) tools into the IWRM mechanism, rooted in indigenous knowledge and participation will help build interactional capacity around water resources and mitigate water- and climate-related stress.Ph.D
Esoteric evolution: an obscure perception of the self
No full textEsoteric Evolution: An Obscure Perception of the Self is a group of prints that represents the individual journey of a gender non-conforming person. Influenced by American Pop Art artists like Keith Haring, these pieces were created through various printmaking processes, including lithography, intaglio, relief, and screen printing. Each print has been designed to draw the viewer in and look into what they say about society and perception, individually and as a whole. The goal with these works was to create an intimate look at the mental progress of gender identity, including the setbacks and the pushes that create a dizzying array of memories. Retrospectively looking into the person I was, some scenes are seen as distorted and others perfectly clear. Using symbolism, the different printmaking processes, and the human body, the viewer gains a thorough understanding of how I remember my past.B.A.School of Ar
Optimizing workforce strategies in the aggregates industry: a case study in strategic human resource management
No full textThis descriptive, single-case study examines the human resource management practices of a company in the aggregates industry, which involves extracting, processing, and selling natural materials such as sand, gravel, and crushed stone, essential components for construction and infrastructure projects. The purpose of the study was to examine factors leading to a shortage of mining employees, especially front-line managers, how the firm used human resource and talent management practices to address the problem, and the challenges it faced in developing workers to fill front-line leadership positions. The aggregates industry faces persistent challenges in finding workers for operations, particularly in underground mining locations. Without sufficient numbers of mining workers and managers, aggregate firms cannot fulfill critical infrastructure orders, and the safety of overworked and tired employees could be jeopardized. The theoretical frameworks used to examine these problems were person-environment fit, resource-based view, and andragogy. The study revealed three main themes: turnover, talent acquisition, and division-embedded training, which were linked to one or more of the theoretical frameworks. The firm leveraged a combination of workforce optimization tactics (using talent acquisition, employee and labor relations, and learning and development) to ensure continuity of front-line leaders in the mines. It expanded succession planning to include the front-line leader positions and initiated the creation of a competency framework to establish requirements for front-line leaders. It accelerated the use of individual development plans for high-potential employees and aggressively expanded its management trainee program. It added employee relations services to support personnel in newly acquired companies, targeting post-acquisition turnover. It established business-embedded training to meet the growing training needs created by the increase in management trainees and employees with individual development plans. Implications for human resource managers are to stay current with best practices for staffing projections and workforce optimization innovation. Future research on turnover of hourly workers in this industry could yield different results.D.Ed