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Assessing the Relationship Between Religious Beliefs and Death Anxiety: An Explorative Study
No full textThis paper assesses the relationship between death anxiety and religiosity through the lens of interreligious factors, as well as the relationship between death anxiety and well-being. There has been a lack of research concerning non-Christian religions and the differences relating to death anxiety in those populations. This explorative study of 114 primarily undergraduate college students examines a correlation between death anxiety and well-being. During analysis, a positive correlation between death anxiety and well-being was observed. This finding, though inconsistent with previous literature, could propose an alternate interaction and rationale to the relationship between death anxiety and psychological well-being
The Ordinary Price of Zero
No full textClassical demand theory can accurately predict consumer behavior when a good is free. We aim to demonstrate that the economic model presented in the 2007 paper “Zero as a special price: the true value of free products” is incapable of predicting consumer behavior when presented with a price of zero because the model lacks a budget constraint. Simply, including a budget constraint accounts for the observed behavior and there is no need to invoke “affect” to explain the discrepancy. This is demonstrated using mathematical programming and the well-known Cobb-Douglas functional form which shows that heavy consumption of a free good is a rational and predictable behavior
Unveiling the Path to Science Teacher Leadership: Identity Development and Leadership Trajectory
No full textScience teacher leaders are classroom teachers who take on leadership responsibilities within their schools, districts, and broader science communities. They have a significant impact beyond the science classroom by promoting instructional leadership, implementing science-related reforms, enhancing teacher professionalism, maximizing teacher effectiveness, and advocating for science. Gaps persist in understanding the development of science teachers into teacher leaders. A specific focus is needed on understanding the development of emergent science teacher leaders, who are experienced teachers without formal training, in teacher leadership programs. Areas that need further clarity are the development of leadership identity in teacher leadership programs, the elements from teacher leadership programs that are present in the teacher leaders’ schools after the conclusion of the program, and the interplay of factors that influence changes in leadership behaviors over time.
This dissertation, comprising three studies, examines the identity development and leadership trajectory of emergent science teacher leaders through qualitative analysis. The first study analyzes how previous science teacher leadership programs supported a leadership identity that transformed science teachers into teacher leaders. The second study aims to discover specific factors or experiences from the teacher leadership program that shaped the identity of the science teacher leaders in their schools. The third study explores how personal attributes, environmental circumstances, and behavioral dynamics interact to influence changes in leadership actions over five years post-program.
Across the three studies, three main themes emerge that influence the development of science teacher leaders pre- and post-program: 1) redefining leadership (an informal perspective on leadership, characterized by a partnership dynamic void of formal structure or authority), 2) interpersonal efficacy (the ability to engage effectively with others), and 3) collaborative community (supportive interactions that foster awareness, personal connections, diverse viewpoints, mutual engagement, and leadership growth). The findings from this study have theoretical and practical implications for science teacher leaders, schools, and leadership development programs.Ph.D
Lo-Fi Recording: A Historical Exploration of the Sound and Genre
No full textThis paper explores the history of the term “lo-fi”. Originating in the 1950s, lo-fi was
considered the inverse of hi-fi, which was an acronym for high fidelity. Hi-fi represents
sound recording and monitoring that accurately captures and reproduces acoustic sound.
The two primary standards for hi-fi were bandwidth and SNR. Prior to the 1980s, lo-fi was
limited to a sonic description of recordings with limited bandwidth and unfavorable SNR.
Genres such as home recording, DIY, and outsider music had lo-fi characteristics, in large
part due to the recording process used. The association between lo-fi and the
aforementioned genres manifested into lo-fi becoming its own genre in the 1990s. The term
lo-fi became interchangeable with home recording, DIY, outsider music, and slacker rock.
However, with lo-fi’s decaying popularity in the twenty-first century, the term went
through another metamorphosis. In the 2010s. This time, lo-fi was associated with artificial
vinyl sounds, hip-hop beats, and YouTube livestreams
Non-Separating Cycles Through Prescirbed Vertices in Plane Graphs
No full textA graph G is k-connected if it has at least k + 1 vertices and remains connected
after deleting k − 1 vertices of G. A plane graph is a graph G with an embedding on
a plane R2 such that the interior of an edge contains no vertex and no point of any
other edge. When G is a plane graph, we call the regions of R2\G the faces of G.
A planar graph is a graph isomorphic to a plane graph. A plane triangulation is a
plane graph in which each face is bounded by a 3-cycle. A graph G is k-linked if, for
any given 2k vertices there are k disjoint paths joining each pair of them. For a given
graph H, a graph G is H-linked if, for every injective map from the vertices of H to
the vertices of G, G contains a subdivision of H. Let (K4 − e) be the graph obtained
from K4 by removing one edge. A graph G is (K4 − e)-linked if, for every injective
map from the vertices of K4 − e to the vertices of G, G contains a subdivision of
K4 − e. A graph is said to be k-cyclable if given any set of k vertices there is a cycle
that contains the k vertices. We say that a graph is k-ordered or Ck-linked if given
any set of k vertices there is a cycle through the k vertices in any specified order. A
graph is (K2 ∪ K3)-linked if for every set of two vertices and every set of three vertices
there exists a path joining the two vertices and a cycle on the three vertices.
Seymour and Thomassen’s 2-linkage theorem characterizes all graphs which have
two disjoint paths connecting any given two pair of vertices. Goddard proved that
every 4-connected maximal planar graph is 4-ordered. Ellingham, Plummer, and Yu
proved that any 4-connected planar triangulation is (K4 − e)-linked.
In this thesis we completely characterize the obstructions to (K2 ∪ K3)-linkage
in 4-connected plane triangulations. From these obstructions we can see that no
4-connected nor 5-connected plane triangulation is (K2 ∪ K3)-linked.
iiiM.S
Exploring the Value of Professors' Investment in Personal Connections with Students
No full textIn a classroom setting, it can be easy for instructors to fall into a rut or lull with course content and/or teaching style. However, many professors put in daily effort to connect with students and keep their classes engaging not just so their students can learn better, but also so the pupils can grow as people. This project aims to examine the professor perspective of this relationship: what professors themselves learn and gain when they invest in personal connections with students. Much research has already been done on the quantitative benefits students receive from one-on-one connections with their professors. Not as much has been done on the teaching end or the abstract, less definable end, so this investigative project centers around professors’ perspectives on the qualitative benefits of investing in personal connections with their students
Dehumanizing Murder Trauma in True Crime Podcasts: Investigating Representations of Black Women
No full textThis thesis explores the portrayal of Black women in true crime podcasts, with a specific focus on how these media narratives often perpetuate harmful stereotypes and contribute to the dehumanization of marginalized victims. Using framing theory as a foundation, the research investigates five popular true crime podcasts, analyzing the language, narrative techniques, and framing devices used to depict cases involving Black women. Through qualitative textual analysis, this study identifies recurring themes of victim-blaming, sensationalism, and the reinforcement of negative racial tropes. By focusing on the intersection of race and gender, the research highlights the ways in which true crime media underrepresents or misrepresents Black women, often framing them through lenses that diminish their humanity and complexity.
Additionally, the study examines the use of sound and narrative style in shaping audience perceptions, emphasizing how auditory cues contribute to the dramatization of violence. The findings reveal a troubling pattern of media bias, demonstrating the need for more ethical and equitable portrayals of marginalized victims. This thesis contributes to broader discussions about media representation, racial and gender biases, and the role of podcasting in shaping public perceptions of crime and justice.M.S
Snapshots of Character: Horace Brazelton and The Development of African American Community Identity in Jim Crow Chattanooga
No full textHorace Maynard Brazelton (1878-1956) was the first professional African American photographer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His work offered a service to the African American community long denied them or otherwise unobtainable due to Jim Crow policies, including de jure and de facto segregation. Photographs are treated as material culture in this dissertation, contributing to positive self-representation and identity expression for African Americans. Image and reputation were immensely important to growing middle classes regardless of race, so photography served as a tool of Black agency in the pursuit of equality before the Civil Rights Movement. What is more, Horace and his wife Hettie Brazelton (1876-1957) were public pillars of their community. They were directly involved with generating social and cultural capital in the “Big Nine” district in Chattanooga, through entrepreneurial enterprises, public and religious activities, participation in national competitions, and their resistance to the status quo. This dissertation therefore seeks to explore the lives of these two remarkable individuals and place them among the historical framework of this mid-size southern city.Ph.D
Inclusive Design: A Method and Craft of Transforming Digital Humanities with User Experience
No full textOriginally published at https://alastore.ala.org/digital-humanities-library-second-edition.Project design in user experience and project design in digital humanities (DH) share many of the same motivating questions. When setting up surveys as part of your research, do you consider the language or purpose of the question? Are there leading questions? Have you considered the background or demographics of your audience? When setting up tasks for user-testing a research project, do you strategize how to recruit users with a diverse approach or just try to get as many as possible? These are just a few of the questions user experience (UX) professionals would consider when creating a digital project. These questions should also be asked by the creators of DH projects. This chapter will provide an introduction to the field of UX, an overview of the user-centered design (UCD) phases and applications in UX, an over-view of UX research and design phases, the importance of applying UX to DH, and will culminate in an inclusive design checklist that can help root the UX process in digital projects, regardless of the role of the subject specialist or reader of this book. This chapter is neither comprehensive nor definitive but is intended to be helpful to those who are new to UX and inclusive design in digital projects
Collage: A Journal of Creative Expression - Fall 2024
No full textCollage accepts submissions year-round. Online submissions can be made through our website, collage.mtsu.edu. Creative works such as art, photography, design, short stories, creative nonfiction, short plays, song lyrics, poetry, videos/films, and audio are accepted for consideration.This twice-yearly publication, distributed for free by the MTSU Honors College, is dedicated to showcasing the creativity of students and recent graduates. All students and alumni affiliated with MTSU are eligible to contribute, and submissions are anonymously reviewed by a student-led editorial staff