Middle Tennessee State University
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The Influence of Motivational Factors on Reading Comprehension for Elementary School Students with Dyslexia
No full textDyslexia is a reading disability that interferes with accurate and fluent word reading. Deficits in word reading may cause secondary consequences, including reading comprehension difficulties. However, despite inherent word reading problems, there are students with dyslexia who exhibit resiliency that manifests as better than expected educational outcomes despite their struggles to read words. In particular, a subset of individuals with dyslexia comprehend written language better than would be expected based on their basic reading skills. Emerging research is focused on identifying protective factors to mitigate the setbacks in reading comprehension students with dyslexia may experience. Specifically, motivational factors, such as growth mindset and grit, are theorized to act as protective factors to foster resiliency. A growth mindset provides students with dyslexia the belief that abilities change with effort, whereas grit provides the persistence to improve abilities and meet goals. The current study examined the influence of a growth mindset and grit on reading comprehension in a sample of 196 elementary school students with dyslexia. Multiple regression models were used to evaluate the unique role of motivational factors on reading comprehension. Growth mindset and grit did not predict reading comprehension in the sample of students with dyslexia included in the current study. However, the results highlighted that language skills might serve as a protective factor to mitigate the adverse effects of word reading deficits on reading comprehension for individuals with dyslexia. Limitations and future directions are discussed.Ph.D
The Impact of Coaching Change on Team Performance in the English Premier League
No full textThis study examined the effects of coaching changes on team performance in the English Premier League. There is currently discussion on the specific effect changing a head coach has on team performance (negative impact, positive impact, no impact). This study contributes to the on-going discussion by examining the timing of coaching changes (between-season, within-season) and its impact on team performance. Performance data were collected on soccer teams in the English Premier League between 2000/2001 and 2018/2019 that experienced coaching changes. A series of ANOVAs and t-tests were conducted in order to determine how team performance differed after a coaching change occurred. Results suggest that regardless of the timing of the coaching change, performance levels increased and stayed elevated for at least one-and-a-half seasons following the coaching change. Further research should be conducted to determine how long this effect lasts, and to determine which type of coaching change results is best.M.A
TOO COUNTRY FOR ROCK & TOO ROCK FOR COUNTRY: COWPUNK AS REGIONAL IDENTITY, MUTED MEMORY, AND THE AESTHETIC ETHOS OF ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE
No full textThis dissertation investigates the recording and performance ethos of alternative subsets of regional punk rock and its unique intersection with country music. This analysis will dissect the ways in which regional music scenes embody aesthetics and iconography representative of southern, western, or country identity. In doing so, the study addresses questions directly related to the state of cowpunk as a disintegrating thread of cultural memory and its muted legacy. I also interrogate the complex relationships that exist between performers, audiences, and the music business, as well as examining cultural geography, material culture, and the formation of youth subcultures in the built environment.
This analysis brings regional subsets of popular music to the forefront of contemporary public history and music studies, arguing their importance as an integrated and highly interdisciplinary angle by which to deconstruct musical subculture. While cowpunk is just one example of this methodological thread, it is an applicable framework that both highlights and decodes the ways in which the public consume popular music and repackage subculture according to regional identity.Ph.D
Effects of Oxytocin Administration on Social Behavior in Male and Female Mice
No full textOxytocin has been well used in animal studies to determine its role in social behavior. However, the route of administration between studies often differs posing challenges in generalizing results. Additionally, oxytocin has been found to differentially affect male and female animals. The current study aims to compare routes of administration of the same dose of oxytocin and its effects on social and anxiety-like behaviors across male and female mice. Adult C57BL/6J mice were chronically pretreated with saline or oxytocin (12 μg) for 14 consecutive days, a dosage previously shown to alter prosocial and anxiety-like behavior in mice. Mice received either intranasal (i.n., 12 ml, 6 ml per nostril) or intraperitoneal (i.p., 120 ml) administration. On the fourteenth dosing day, mice completed the elevated plus maze (EPM) followed by the three-chamber sociability task (3C), and the free dyadic social interaction (FDSI) in a 24-hour completion cycle. General and social anxiety-like behaviors, social preference, and social novelty were coded utilizing Noldus EthoVision XT and human coders. Our results suggest that female and male mice have differing anxiety-like and social behavior after OT treatment, and that male mice are more susceptible to stress and behavioral changes depending on the route of peripheral administration route. These findings suggest that sex differences and route of oxytocin administration play an intricate role in anxiolytic and sociability behavior modulation.M.A
"Pledge Allegiance to the People": The History of the Forgotten Black Power Movement in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1968-1977
No full textMuch of what is currently written about the Black Power movement in America focuses on organization going on in the West and North in major cities such as Oakland, Chicago, New York, etc. Very little scholarship has examined what Black Power organization looked like in the Southern United States. The goal of this thesis is to add to the geographical diversity of the historiography on Black Power movements in the United States by analyzing the different Black Power organizations and leaders in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Public history interpretation and memorialization of Black Power organizations and leaders is also severely lacking in scholarship. This is especially true in the Southern United States as Black Power organization has been largely erased from the public landscape as commemoration of non-violent Civil Rights organizations and leaders is proliferated in the South. Many of these Black Power and Civil Rights organizations and leaders would have existed at the same time and even worked together on issues. Therefore, to try to help combat the erasure of Black Power history in the South, this thesis will also address some ways that Black Power organization can be preserved and commemorated in Chattanooga, Tennessee.M.A
The Flower and the Serpent
No full textThis thesis explores film adaptations of Shakespeare’s work, accompanied by an original screenplay of an adaptation of Macbeth, titled The Flower and the Serpent. The introduction serves to further the viewer’s understanding of how source material is used in adaptations and what characteristics make them successful while maintaining a special focus on adaptations of Shakespeare's Macbeth alongside personal reflections of my screenwriting process. The screenplay works in tandem with the introduction with elements mentioned in the paper being implemented into the screenplay. The original screenplay brings Macbeth into the modern-day United States setting. It finds its footing on the political stage with ambition and intrigue playing a major role. It also features more inclusive characters in an effort to appeal to a younger audience. This thesis aims to expand the reach and admiration of Shakespeare's Macbeth by introducing it in a more contemporary environment with characters more reflective of today’s society. KEYWORDS: Macbeth; Shakespeare; screenplay; adaptatio
The Relationship between Stress and Social Support in the Veteran Community
No full textThe study was designed to investigate the relationship between perceived stress and perceived social support (military and civilian sources). Further, this study explored whether meaning in life moderated the relationship between perceived stress and perceived social support. Participants for this online study included 19 veteran university students who were recruited from a veteran student support center. Participants completed a survey consisting of demographic information as well as the Perceived Stress Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Perceived Military-Based Social Support, and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. Contrary to what was predicted, no significant correlations emerged between perceived stress and either type of perceived social support. The low response rate (less than 3%) likely contributed to these findings. Further, exploration of this topic may require increased incentives for participation and utilizing multiple universities. Additionally, to have a more representative veteran sample, recruiting participants from outside the university setting would be ideal.M.A
The Relationship Between Assertiveness and Individual Response to Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
No full textSexual harassment in the workplace is a pressing issue for both employees and employers. There have been studies that examine individual factors that influence how targets of sexual harassment react to the harassment incident. The present study seeks to contribute to the literature by exploring the effects of assertiveness on individuals’ responses to sexual harassment in the workplace, a topic that has not received significant research attention so far. Specifically, this study examines whether two forms of assertiveness (i.e., adaptive and aggressive assertiveness) predict how individuals respond to sexual harassment in the workplace (i.e., passive, avoidance, or active response). Data were collected from 213 participants, consisting of students, faculty, and staff at a large, public, southern university via an online survey. Four demographic variables (i.e., gender, ethnicity, age, and primary affiliation with the university) were used as covariates in the analysis. Using multinomial logistic regression analysis, adaptive and aggressive assertiveness were not found to be statistically significant predictors of sexual harassment response category. The overall prediction accuracy was 48.3%, with correct prediction rates of 38.6%, 0%, and 79.8% for passive, avoidance, and active response, respectively. Implications of the study findings and suggestions for future research are also discussed.M.A
Cleanliness is Next to Godliness: Exploring the Limits of the Cleanliness-Morality Link During the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textThe current study aims to explore the bounds of the conceptual link between cleanliness and morality by investigating scrupulosity as a potential mediating factor in the relationship between negative God-concept and fear of contracting COVID-19. That is, the goal of the study is to better understand whether the cleanliness-morality link is literal or metaphorical in nature by examining whether this phenomenon extends to contamination fears. Ninety-nine participants were administered assessments measuring fear of COVID-19, negative God-concept, scrupulosity, and social desirability, which was used as a covariate. Results showed that there was a positive correlation between scrupulosity and negative-God concept, a positive relationship between COVID-19 stress and scrupulosity, and a positive relationship between scrupulosity and negative God-concept. However, these relationships were non-significant when controlling for social desirability. In addition, scrupulosity did not significantly mediate the relationship between negative God-concept and fear of COVID-19 with social desirability as a covariate. Implications of these findings and future directions for research are discussed.M.A
Effects of Heat Stress on Reproductive Parameters, Milk Quality, and Cow Activity in Lactating Holstein and Jersey Dairy Cows
No full textHeat stress can negatively affect pregnancy rate, conception rate, and milk quality in dairy cattle. Heat stress is one of the major challenges dairy farms face due to the negative effects heat stress plays on production. The objective of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between heat stress and cow reproductive parameters, cow activity, and milk quality in Holstein and Jersey cows. Two groups of cattle consisting of both Holstein and Jersey cows were evaluated over 2 seasons: summer (July and August) and winter (December and January) for heat stress. Cows were monitored through DHIA data to analyze somatic cell count, milk yield, conductivity, average rest time, average rest bouts, and average activity. Temperature Humidity Index (THI) was also calculated to show if the lactating herd was suffering from heat stress. Cows were under mild to moderate heat stress during the summer months of July and August. During the winter months of December and January, cows did not suffer from heat stress. In the summer, cows had increased restless activity due to heat stress which can have negative effects such as lower milk production and increased chances of lameness