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Framing Economic Inequality on TikTok: A Qualitative Analysis of Gen Z\u27s Engagement Across Three Issues
Get PDFThis thesis investigates how economic inequality is framed and engaged with on TikTok, particularly in comparison to two other highly-salient sociopolitical issues to Gen Z: racial justice and climate change. Through a qualitative content analysis of 45 TikTok posts tied to specific public events, the study examines how issues are visually and emotionally presented on a platform heavily used by Gen Z. Drawing on existing literature in digital political expression and social movement theory, the research identifies eight coding categories including tone, emotional appeal, and identity framing, to analyze content. Findings show that economic inequality is consistently portrayed with less emotional intensity than racial justice or climate change, and lacked a cohesive visual or narrative framing that would support virality. While Gen Z is often characterized as politically engaged, this study suggests that TikTok\u27s platform favors certain types of issues over others, with implications for influencing which causes gain traction, more broadly and in the eyes of younger generations. Ultimately, the study highlights the challenges of translating complex issues like economic inequality into emotionally resonant, viral, and unified content within algorithmically defined digital spaces
Growing Together: Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Community-Reflective Early Learning Professionals
Get PDFThe recruitment and retention of a diverse early learning workforce remains a critical challenge in special education. This study explores the multifaceted issues of workforce shortages, turnover rates, and the disparity between the demographics of educators and students in the Department of Early Learning within an education service district in Oregon. Through a detailed analysis of historical and current data, this study identifies systemic challenges contributing to the difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified staff, especially those who are representative of the communities they serve. Using improvement science as a methodological framework, the study tested change ideas focused on recruitment, retention, and staff experience. Extensive feedback was gathered through staff advisory groups, surveys, and iterative data collection cycles to ensure strategies were responsive to the needs of the workforce and the goals of the department. Key findings from the implementation include a more diverse candidate pool, increased satisfaction with the hiring process, stronger perceptions of supervisory support, improved understanding of job expectations, and greater alignment between workforce demographics and the communities served. These outcomes suggest targeted, data-driven strategies--such as mentoring programs, enhanced feedback systems, and leadership development--can support a sustainable, representative workforce. This work contributes to the broader discourse on improving educational outcomes by aligning workforce composition with community demographics, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and effective early learning environment
When Does Anxiety Increase Attempts to Spend Time and Money Efficiently?
Get PDFConsumers today are anxious. How does this anxiety influence how they spend their time and money? Five experiments demonstrate that when consumers feel anxious because they are making insufficient progress toward a goal, they attempt to use their resources more efficiently while making decisions unrelated to the goal. This desire to be efficient makes them more likely to (a) choose jobs that offer higher payout rates rather than a higher total payout, (b) perform tasks simultaneously rather than sequentially (i.e., multitask), and (c) select products and activities that cost less money and time than usual (i.e., price and time discounts). However, anxiety increases efficiency‐seeking only when consumers are anxious about slow goal progress, rather than when they are anxious about threats outside their control (terrorism, disease, climate change, etc.) or when they feel that time is scarce, but they are not behind on their goal. Furthermore, the desire to be efficient occurs only when consumers feel anxious, not merely when they fall behind on a goal but do not feel anxious
The Role of Neuroscience in Mental Health Management Within the ADHD Population
Get PDFNeuroscience-based educational interventions play a role in the management of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), including the regulation of ADHD-correlated depression and anxiety. Existing research shows that elevated rates of depression correspond to anxiety within the ADHD community; approximately 8.83% of the global population. Social ostracization and isolation are established contributors to depression and anxiety which are commonly comorbid with ADHD. The need exists for further investigation of the beneficial impact that an accurate, biological understanding of how the brain works has on the mental health of the ADHD population, and by extension their families, education systems, and medical industries.
Poorer health outcomes disproportionately affect low income, racial/ethnic minority groups, and otherwise marginalized populations through misdiagnosis as well as a lack of recognition of ADHD symptoms, which are barriers to treatment and mental health management. In this thesis, I examine literature on various cognitive interventions that are effective supplemental treatments for symptoms of ADHD and management of comorbid depression and anxiety. I accompany this research with first-hand observations from active, longitudinal work with the nonprofit neuroscience outreach organization, Northwest Noggin. The methods they employ exemplify how this neuroscience-based educational intervention combines aspects of biology and psychology with art in order to engage with predominantly low-income communities, promoting current and ongoing scientific research that dispels commonly held misconceptions about the brain, thereby increasing self-awareness within the ADHD population
An Erotics Manifesto: Developing Critical Feminist Theory Through Erotic Fiction
Get PDFErotic literature provides a unique lens through which feminists can develop theory because it reveals the natures of our gendered relations in the contexts of our desires. By either writing or critically reading erotic literature, feminists can explore questions about what and why we desire, how we act upon our desires, and what our desires and actions reveal about our relationships to each other. This thesis uses feminist theory to analyze the potential of fiction focused on eroticism to aid in rethinking gender and sexuality norms
Forecasting Influenza Rates Using Machine Learning: A Study of ChatGPT\u27s Predictive Accuracy
Get PDFThis study evaluates ChatGPT\u27s ability to forecast influenza rates, such as the number of flu cases, hospitalizations, and death during peak season periods using CDC data, and comparing forecasts against actual results to calculate statistical accuracy and consistency. Influenza forecasting is essential for public health planning, but traditional methods may not always provide timely or accurate predictions. In this research study, ChatGPT was utilized to predict the influenza rates for the following week based on the previous week\u27s data obtained from the FluView surveillance system. The predicted rates were compared to the actual influenza rates to assess the model\u27s overall performance. Accuracy was measured using the statistical analysis Chi-Square Test, to assess the differences between ChatGPT\u27s predicted influenza rates and the actual observed rates. The null hypothesis stated there is no statistically significant difference between ChatGPT\u27s predictions and the actual influenza rates, while the alternative hypothesis proposed a statistically significant difference does exist. The Chi-Square results showed p-values greater than 0.05 for all three metrics tested, positivity rate, flu cases, and deaths, indicating that the null hypothesis couldn\u27t be rejected. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential of using ML models like ChatGPT for public health forecasting. While the model\u27s predictions were not statistically different from actual values, this does not confirm ChatGPT\u27s forecasting accuracy with certainty. However, the findings provide some statistical support for the model\u27s ability to generate estimates that were directionally consistent with observed trends, suggesting potential for informal or supplemental use in early stage forecasting
The Great Eighty: A Selection of Chapters
No full textThis thesis is a selection of chapters from my forthcoming satirical dystopian novel, The Great Eighty. Molly is a 14-year-old human euthanasia technician living in a post-labor-laws, massively expanded US empire renamed The Great Eighty. Environmental collapse has accelerated corporate control of the government, and HELM, a population control facility has successfully lobbied to make human euthanasia a national utility. If you can\u27t pay your monthly bill, you are enrolled in a lottery for mandatory euthanasia or, if you are able-bodied, you are eligible to pay off your debt by working for HELM and meeting monthly euthanasia quotas. Molly\u27s allegiance to HELM is unshakeable until she meets a girl her age who questions everything
Disability in Exile: The Union of Russian Invalids in Interwar Bulgaria and Yugoslavia
No full textThis article examines the post-war experience of a specific group of war veterans: the Russian refugees after the October Revolution in 1917. What happened when disabled veterans were stateless and dispersed among several foreign states? The focus is on comparing interwar Bulgaria and Yugoslavia, two countries on opposite sides of the Great War. There the refugees established various societies, mostly dominated by the military. Drawing on unpublished archival sources, this article investigates how the Russian societies for disabled persons functioned at four levels: amid the other Russian associations in Bulgaria and Yugoslavia; among the greater diaspora known as “Russia Abroad”; within the international humanitarian networks; and in relation to the national governments in both countries. Whereas most scholarship addresses disabled veterans’ national context, this article intertwines issues of disability, migration, and citizenship. It argues that the social construction of double alterity, being refugee and disabled, was mostly instrumentalized by the other émigrés’ organizations and by the state. Yet, this dual marginalization acted as a catalyst and mobilized disabled communities to actively seek allies
Unremarkable to Remarkable AI Agent: Exploring Boundaries of Agent Intervention for Adults with and Without Cognitive Impairment
No full textAs the population of older adults increases, there is a growing need for support for them to age in place. This is exacerbated by the growing number of individuals struggling with cognitive decline and shrinking number of youth who provide care for them. Artificially intelligent agents could provide cognitive support to older adults experiencing memory problems, and they could help informal caregivers with coordination tasks. To better understand this possible future, we conducted a speed dating with storyboards study to reveal invisible social boundaries that might keep older adults and their caregivers from accepting and using agents. We found that healthy older adults worry that accepting agents into their homes might increase their chances of developing dementia. At the same time, they want immediate access to agents that know them well if they should experience cognitive decline. Older adults in the early stages of cognitive decline expressed a desire for agents that can ease the burden they saw themselves becoming for their caregivers. They also speculated that an agent who really knew them well might be an effective advocate for their needs when they were less able to advocate for themselves. That is, the agent may need to transition from being unremarkable to remarkable. Based on these findings, we present design opportunities and considerations for agents and articulate directions of future research
Raising the Roof for All: Integrating Companion Planting Ecology, Policy and Community in Portland\u27s Green Roof Future
No full textGreen roofs, or ecoroofs, provide environmental and social benefits in urban areas. Ecoroofs manage stormwater by absorbing rainfall, reducing rooftop temperatures, supporting pollinators, and offering green space in densely developed cities. Portland, Oregon has adopted progressive policies that encourage green roof installation through incentives and building requirements. However, many ecoroofs in the city are underperforming due to poor maintenance, low public awareness, and limited access to rooftop spaces. This thesis explores whether companion planting can improve the ecological performance and long- term viability of extensive green roofs. A rooftop experiment at Portland State University tested the growth of radishes, with and without sedum, a drought-tolerant ground cover commonly used in green roofs. Two plots received the same soil conditions and no irrigation or weeding. Only the sedum-integrated plot produced harvestable radishes. The control plot with only edible plants produced flowers but no edible roots. These results suggest that sedum may reduce heat and water stress, supporting the growth of nearby plants. Companion planting could improve green roof performance under low maintenance conditions and enable additional functions like food production, education, and community use. Based on this study, policy recommendations include reinstating financial incentives, requiring routine maintenance, and encouraging accessible roof design. With stronger support, green roofs can better contribute to climate adaptation, ecological health, and urban equity