Middle Tennessee State University
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Analyzing the Ability of Astragalus tennesseensis to Accumulate Selenium
No full textSelenium (Se) is a naturally occurring essential micronutrient that can be
accumulated by some plants. When accumulated above 1,000 μg Se per gram of plant dry
weight (μg/g), the plant is labeled as a Se hyperaccumulator (Alford et al., 2012).
Astragalus bisulcatus is one of the most well-studied Se hyperaccumulators. Astragalus
tennesseensis is a related species, but there is currently no literature observing its ability
to accumulate Se. This project investigated whether A. tennesseensis can accumulate Se.
Both species were grown in a greenhouse to compare the amount of Se each would
accumulate. Sodium selenate (Na2SeO4) was applied to test groups weekly at 1 μg Se per
gram of soil for eight weeks. After treatment was completed, each plant was separated
into above and below-ground parts to be dried and digested in nitric acid to analyze Se
content. Samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission
spectroscopy (ICP-OES) to determine the Se content. The average Se content in dosed A.
bisulcatus shoots (219 μg/g), was not found to differ from A. tennesseensis shoots (205
μg/g), although the Se content was expected to be much higher in A. bisulcatus (above
1,000 μg/g) due to its status as a known hyperaccumulator. However, when compared to
control groups (avg 1.72 μg/g in A. bisulcatus shoots, avg 1.46 μg/g in A. tennesseensis
shoots), both species in test groups had much higher levels of Se. Therefore, it can be
concluded that Se treatment did indeed increase levels of Se in both species, and that A.
tennesseensis has the ability to accumulate Se from soil. Nonetheless, due to the
unexpectedly low values in A. bisulcatus, it was not possible to determine if A.
tennesseensis could be classified as a Se hyperaccumulator
That's Why I'm Here: James Taylor's Lyrical Innovations
No full textThis paper and creative project serve to study the songwriting of James Taylor in
an academic light. Two lyrical innovations employed by Taylor are studied over the course
of the paper; these are character displacement and division by three. To provide context for
the musical climate surrounding Taylor, works from his predecessors and contemporaries
are studied as well as two songs written after Taylor’s rise to fame in the 1970s. To round
off the project, I have written and recorded three songs of my own employing the same
strategies and innovations that Taylor has used in his songs over the years, adhering to the
models discovered in my research as best I can. Over the course of my time working on
this paper and the three songs, I have found that Taylor’s strategies have done a world of
good for autobiographical songwriting and should remain relevant when writing songs
The Paperwork Tells All: How Proficient Stage Management Serves Theatrical Productions
No full textThis project details the role of a theatrical stage manager and through an
examination of the documents they create uncovers the many valuable qualities, skills,
and tools necessary to serve the vast needs of live theatrical productions. Specifically,
this project evaluates a selection of the documents I created for my prompt book as the
stage manager for Middle Tennessee State University’s production of Peter and the
Starcatcher in November 2022. These documents, along with extensive research,
illuminate the importance of having a stage manager who is a skilled communicator,
record keeper, facilitator, relationship manager, artistic guardian, and who is willing to
utilize these qualities and more in service to a theatrical production
Facilitators, Barriers, and Challenges to Health and Wellness Coaching for Caregivers of Older Adults Aged 65+
No full textABSTRACT
A University of Michigan National Poll on Aging (2022) found that more than half of adults aged 50–80 (54%) stated that they have helped an adult aged 65 or older with health, personal, or other care-related tasks in the past two years. The National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and AARP (2020) note in a recent report that family caregivers are often in poor health with 23% finding it hard to take care of their own health and another 23% indicating that caregiving has made their health worse.
Research is limited on caregivers of adults ages 65 and older and receptivity to health and wellness coaching.
The purpose of this study was to examine receptivity of this population to health and wellness coaching as a strategy for promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors and reducing chronic disease. The Social Cognitive Theory and the Transtheoretical Model were used as frameworks for the study. Facilitators, barriers, and challenges to receiving health coaching were examined as they relate to caregiver receptivity through a descriptive study which will add to the limited body of literature in this area.
An 88-question survey was developed that included questions from the American Medical Association (AMA) Caregiver Self-Assessment Questionnaire (2009) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019) “Healthy Days Measures.” A total of 202 participant surveys were used for data analyses. Participants were recruited through social media, electronic listservs, and other electronic communications, as well as through targeted outreach to organizations having contact with caregivers.
Study findings indicate that facilitators to caregivers participating in health and wellness coaching: motivation, virtual coaching, health insurance coverage, and caregiver support. Barriers and challenges were identified as lack of time, lack of financial resources or cost, and physical environment (including isolation), caregiver health, and lack of awareness of health and wellness coaching. Findings also indicate that having fair or poor health was a significant predictor of receptivity to health and wellness coaching. There were statistically significant differences in facilitators, barriers, and challenges based on income, region of residence (south) and health status. There was a statistically significant difference in receptivity based on barriers and challenges and a marginally significant difference based on facilitators.
Health and wellness coaching is an emerging field demonstrating positive outcomes and which may be an effective strategy to facilitate improved health outcomes for caregivers, a generally unhealthy population. By understanding and addressing facilitators, barriers, and challenges to health and wellness coaching for this population, this group may be more effectively reached and opportunities to participate in a promising strategy for improved health behaviors and outcomes.
Ph.D
Geothermal: An environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuel.
No full textGeothermal energy promises solutions to many of the challenges posed by
reliance on fossil fuels. Demand for energy is not decreasing anytime soon, making the
search for environmentally conscious resources of energy a necessary endeavor.
However, geothermal also comes with its own set of challenges that must be addressed if
the technology is to compete with other alternative energy sources such as wind and
solar. Advances such as enhanced geothermal systems and artificial intelligence
applications can reduce the obstacles to implementation. One of the biggest advantages of
geothermal is the minimal interruptions in the power supply it can provide. Subsidization
can also play a role in reducing the issues with riskiness and profitability; however, it
does not provide scalability in the same way the private sector would. The success of the
ongoing development of solutions to these challenges will determine how geothermal
fares in the shift to green energy
Student Loan Debt: The Value of Different College Majors
No full textKEYWORDS: Finance; Majors; Degree Choice; Student Loan Debt; Debt; Personal Financ
Investigating the New Phenomenon of English Language Learner Coaches
No full textABSTRACT
It is estimated by the year 2025, ELLs will make up one-quarter of the student population in the U.S. (Baecher et al., 2012). Simultaneously, literature has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of preparation for preservice and Inservice teachers to meet the needs of ELLs (e.g. Ballard, 2016; de Jong, 2013; Lucas et al., 2013; Villegas et al., 2018; & Weedle et al., 2021). As Fillmore and Snow (2003) argue, too few teachers understand the challenges inherent in learning to speak and read Standard English.
Coaching is an educational trend that has emerged to support teachers as they improve their practice. However, “we know little about the nature of EL-focused instructional coaching” (Russel, 2015, p. 28). Consequently, examining the role of the ELL coach as they help teachers develop the knowledge and skills to support the growing population of ELLs is of vital importance. As such, this research is guided by the question, how do ELL coaches define, describe, and interpret their role in supporting teachers of linguistically diverse students?
This descriptive phenomenology is grounded by the Linguistically Responsive Teaching (LRT) framework, conceptualized by Lucas and Villegas (2013), and phenomenological interviewing by Seidman (2021). Data was collected from five ELL coaches across districts in Tennessee. These coaches were interviewed twice to gain their stories and understanding of their unique coaching roles.
The findings are framed as vignettes to highlight coherent stories of ELL coaches’ experiences and interpretations. Findings were further categorized into themes of role creation, unclear roles and responsibilities, request to interview, and shifts of the role. Additional themes around common coaching activities included learning opportunities, observations with feedback, modeling or coaching cycles, planning, and collaboration. Furthermore, the ELL coaches described two major challenges of the work which were serving multiple schools and working with stakeholders that lack Linguistically Responsive Teaching practices. The stories described ELL coaches’ orientations towards coaching including their beliefs about equity for ELLs and challenges to individualize orients and pedagogical skills.Ed.D
ARE ASPIRING ADMINISTRATOR VALUES THE SAME AS THE PRINCIPALS WHO HIRE THEM? A QUANTITATIVE STUDY ANALYZING THE VALUES AND TRAINING EXPERIENCES OF SITTING PRINCIPALS AND ASPIRING ADMINISTRATORS
No full textEach year, thousands of aspiring school administrators attempt to impress the sitting principal of a school in order to be rewarded with an opportunity to lead. When these future leaders interview, do they have the same priorities and values as the sitting principal who will hire them? This study investigated the possibility that there is a disconnect between how sitting principals and aspiring administrators view their leadership training experiences, as well as how they would prioritize a list of research-based best practices in school leadership. If aspiring administrators know what sitting principals value, then they can better prepare for interviews and search out leadership training opportunities to meet this demand.
Sitting principal and aspiring administrator participants in this non-experimental quantitative research study came from six school districts in Tennessee. The districts were of varying sizes, geographic location, socio-economic status of students, and deliberateness of aspiring administrator programs. A cross-sectional survey design was used for the study and was broken into two parts: first, participants were asked to answer 15 Likert-Scale questions reflecting on their experiences with leadership development and secondly, participants were asked to rank 21 research-based best practices in order from most important to least important.
After studying the descriptive data, the rankings, and hypothesis testing for each part of the survey, it was determined that there was very little evidence to support that there was a difference in the way aspiring administrators and sitting principals responded to the survey. In fact, in several cases, the two groups answered and ranked items in the exact same way. Similarities in the responses provide insight into the specific values and priorities of the groups and gives aspiring administrators some valuable conversation points when interviewing for school leadership positions.Ed.D
EFFECTS OF LEGAL IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS ON GENDER DIVERSE INDIVIDUALS: IDENTITIES, LOCATIONS, AND NAMES
No full textLegal identification is a universal expectation, but in Tennessee transgender and
non-conforming individuals cannot obtain documents that match their gender identity.
The increased use of technology and growing legislative battles leave many transgender
people at risk of discrimination, unemployment, homelessness, or harm due to
mismatched identifications. Identification is just one symptom of the problem in the
larger framework of inequality for gender diverse people, but being able to have easily
obtainable matching identification would lessen the negative impacts of being
mislabeled. The purpose of this study was to explore among those born in Tennessee
knowledge of the processes and experiences with changing their legal documents, and if
having validated legal documents was connected to their sense of self. I found that those
who identified along the gendered binary had accomplished the most changing their legal
documents to reflect their gender identity while those who identified as non-binary were
less likely to attempt document amendments. None of the respondents were likely to
leave Tennessee to amend their documents. Instead, respondents carved out an alternative
space for themselves through the use of names. Their social location became an important
way to claim their personal right of expression and to re-define themselves in a situation
where they legally cannot.M.A
A Visual Study of the Evolution of Currency
No full textThe function, form, and utility of currency have changed drastically since its early
usage as it has been passed between different governments and cultures. This exhibition,
"A Visual Study of the Evolution of Currency," displays the related artwork used to
analyze the critical changes that occurred to transform currency—tracking the
progression from rudimentary currency and early coinage to the complex cryptocurrency
ecosystems today. Each artwork highlights one of these junctures in the history of money
and encourages discussion about the future of currency and how we assign value to it.
Open for public viewing January 28th - February 8th, 2023, in Todd Hall's Glass Gallery,
this exhibition displayed five pieces of artwork representing these tangential points in the
evolution of currency