The concept of giftedness has evolved significantly from its early conceptualization as a single score on an intelligence test to modern conceptualizations that reflect multiple, distinct areas in which giftedness may be demonstrated. Although Dr. Marland's landmark 1972 report proposed additional areas in which an individual may be characterized as gifted, currently there is no consensus on a uniform definition of giftedness. Many educators and psychologists have proffered their interpreta...
Benjamin T Stumpf.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Runge, Timothy J. Committee members: Lynanne Black; Mark McGowan.
Ed.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

This research explores how family, school, and community influence post-secondary educational and career choices from the perspective of individuals raised in working class families in a rural county in southwest Pennsylvania. Twenty individuals participated in semi-structured interviews sharing their experiences in the education system, career decision making, family life, and their connection to their communities. Participants revealed how family, school, and community had a great deal ...
Brian James Farester.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Swauger, Melissa L. Committee members: Melanie Hildebrandt; Christian Vaccaro.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

This systematic review and meta-analysis study, using dynamic discipline analysis and metaphor analysis, reviews nonfiction fan compositions produced within the Harry Potter fandom to survey the disciplinary affiliations claimed by writers, the discursive strategies employed by writers, and the intertextual citations and references made by writers. A total of 2,063 nonfiction fan compositions, or HP Fancomps, were identified, of which 660 engaged in diegetic disciplinary analysis. These 66...
Shevaun Donelli O'Connell.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Pagnucci, Gian S. Committee members: Bennett Rafoth; Michael Williamson.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

My dissertation overlaps hemispheric studies and performance studies to study ethnic impersonation, such as blackface minstrelsy, redface, and yellowface, during the nineteenth century. I build on hemispheric scholarship's interest in borders, nationalism, and imperialism. Performance studies lends a methodology that analyzes contextual elements such as costumes, scenery, and embodied gestures as well as play scripts. My overarching thesis is that ethnic impersonation was a major vehicle for ...
Jessica M Showalter.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Thompson, Todd Committee members: Mike Sell; Veronica Watson.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

This dissertation examines nineteenth-century British and American fiction by women authors treating domestic abuse: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Mauleverer's Divorce, Bessy Conway, Lost and Saved, Fettered for Life, Ishmael, Self-Raised, and Jupiter Lights. These novels show the unmanliness of male abusers, warn readers about the fiction of romantic notions, speak against the "angel in the house" ideology, illustrate women's legal vulnerability, and offer examples of gender-bending advocate ...
Maria E Bodenschatz.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Thompson, Todd Committee members: Tanya Heflin; Michael Williamson.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

The present study was completed to evaluate and expand research on family dynamics and functioning in a low-income sample following Dynamic Systems theory. Previous research has demonstrated that child behaviors are affected by parenting practices and the level of attachment between a child and the caregiver. However, many studies have limited their samples to mixed or middle income, and research has not adequately addressed whether these effects are also true for low-income families. Further...
Julie Marie Learn.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Berman, Pearl Committee members: Lisa Newell; Mark Palumbo.
Psy.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

Evidence suggeets that disruptive communication patterns and disruptive behaviors exist in the OR in association with formal professional roles (Ong et al., 2010; Coe & Gould, 2007; Higgins & MacIntosh 2010, Leach et al., 2011). Highly educated professionals are not immune to disruptive and aggressive behavior (Straus, 2007). These behaviors include such actions as intimidation, bullying and hostility (Gilmore, 2003). The interaction between patient and nurse is absent in the OR because the p...
Michael Eric Reyka.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Heckert, Alex Committee members: John Anderson; Robert Heasley.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

Nearly a third of first-year, college-going students at public institutions depart before their second year of study. The rate of departure is even greater for minority students. Research on college student departure drew on Durkheim's early sociological studies of suicide, noting that students must perceive themselves to be sufficiently integrated within the institution in order to persist. Institutions front-load retention strategies into the first year, seeking to involve students mo...
W. Paul Bylaska.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Boser, Susan Committee members: John Anderson; D. Heckert.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

Districts throughout the nation are restructuring their academic placement of students to create inclusive classrooms. This means that classrooms will have students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) taking classes with their general education peers. The era of segregated classrooms, with general education and special education students being separated, is gone. As inclusion increases throughout the nation, research has not focused on how it may be impacting the general education curr...
Stephanie L Hoelper.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Lare, Douglas; Fello, Susan Committee members: Teri Burcroff.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

This research examines whether policing has adapted to assume homeland security terrorism preparedness responsibilities since the 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. and examines the factors that influenced police agencies to adopt or not adopt homeland security strategies. The objectives of this study involve identifying components of terrorism preparedness initiatives that directly relate to law enforcement, determining how local law enforcement agencies implement these initiatives, and asse...
Gregory A Thomas.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Anderson, John A. Committee members: Valerie Gunter; Alex Heckert.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

Information literacy (IL) is a vital component in evidenced-based practice (EBP) due to its role in research utilization. The literature review indicated that undergraduate college students could harbor negative perceptions regarding IL and compartmentalize IL to classroom activities and assignments. These negative perceptions can influence students' IL self-efficacy, which refers to their belief they can successfully complete IL related tasks. Weiner's attributional theory of motivation s...
Camille M Wendekier.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Gropelli, Theresa Committee members: Theresa McDevitt; Mary Williams.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

Audio based public service announcements remain a relevant media for message dissemination although much of the research literature now focuses on video based messages. This study examines the effects of producer type on information retention of PSAs regarding issues targeted toward college students. To conduct this experiment, three professionally produced PSAs were selected and college students in second semester audio recording class produced three PSAs regarding the same topics with the...
Lacey A Fulton.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Piwinsky, Mark J. Committee members: Jay Start; Zachary Stiegler.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

The restorative justice movement in Pennsylvania continues to be defined following the passing of the Juvenile Act in 1995. As implementation strategies are discussed, and policies altered, the need to examine well established restorative programs becomes important. Very few restorative programs in the Commonwealth, and across the country, can claim twenty years of existence and success. The Center for Community Peacemaking (CCP) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania has implemented and sustained a rest...
Timothy J Holler.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Martin, Jamie S. Committee members: Kathleen Hanrahan; John Lewis; Alida Merlo.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

Interactive storybook reading is a component of literacy instruction that offers children the opportunity to talk about the story before, during, and after the reading (Justice et al., 2005; McGee & Schickendanz, 2007; Sipe, 2000). The focus is on students understanding the story and vocabulary throughout the analytic talk. Research demonstrates that high quality conversations with teachers and peers can enhance vocabulary development (Gest, Holland-Coviello, Welsh, Eicher-Catt, & Gill, 2006;...
Jacqueline M Myers.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Renck-Jalongo, Mary Committee members: Beatrice Fennimore; Kelli Paquette.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

This study examines the influence of culture on website design and aesthetics. Utilization of a content analysis allowed for an analysis of the websites for recommended restaurants from five different countries including The United States of America, Belgium, Japan, Mexico, and The United Arab Emirates. Examination of the data suggests that the aesthetic and organization differences between these cultural groups are almost non-existent. Possible explanations of the observed similarity of desi...
David Paschke Keppel.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Stiegler, Zachary Committee members: Mary Beth Leidman; Nurhaya Muchtar.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

The current study investigated the individual and interpersonal functions of inside jokes. The sample consisted of 60 college students from ages 18 to 30 years. Participants engaged in a series of individual and group online chats with two humorous partners and one neutral partner. The sample was randomly assigned to an inside joke condition with 30 participants experiencing an inside joke and 30 participants experiencing no inside joke. Following the humor manipulation, participants' ratings...
Anna L Mayo.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Long, Anson.
Psy.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

Critical work has become an important or even canonical domain of TESOL and Applied Linguistics scholarship, yet there is a dearth of information on how novice scholar-practitioners engage with critical pedagogical theories in their formative early stages of cultivating disciplinary expertise. In order to address this gap, the present study investigated how graduate students interacted with critical concepts in a required first-semester Master of Arts TESOL course at an American university an...
Kyle Nuske.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Hanauer, David I. Committee members: Ryuko Kubota; Gloria Park.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

This study explores the relationship between union members' perceptions of the welcome, support, and fair treatment they experience within their local union and their level of union commitment and participation. By analyzing data from 3,855 public employee union members surveyed by the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) in the Spring of 2010, this study examines the extent to which members' perceptions of their first-year socialization experiences (i.e., new member socialization/...
John F Springer.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Anderson, John A. Committee members: Valerie Gunter; Alex Heckert.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

This phenomenological study investigated co-teachers' perceptions of their collaborative relationship with their teaching partners and is limited to relationship collaboration factors. The researcher did not ask about other practical matters, such as preparation time, administrative support, resources, class size, or other related issues. Typically, school administrators assign co-teachers in co-teaching teams and the co-teachers are not paired for effective collaboration. When co-teaching te...
David Leigh Petrick Jr.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Rotigel, Jennifer Committee members: George Bieger; Susan Fello.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

This study examined teacher and administrator perceptions of Pennsylvania's new teacher evaluation system, based upon the Danielson Framework for Teaching, and its influence on teachers' instructional strategies in an urban school district. The mixed methods study included a teacher questionnaire (n = 94) and individual interviews with teachers and administrators (n = 13). The study was conducted in four buildings within the district representing a variety of perspectives based upon level (el...
Pamela K Murray.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Smeaton, Patricia; Millward, Robert Committee members: Angelo Senese.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

Criticism on the role of the Victorian governess is not new, but much of the critical coverage has been confined to the historical and cultural context of the figure and her presence in fiction. And critical studies that have examined the role of the governess have been restricted only to well-known novels such as Jane Eyre and Agnes Grey. However, there has not been a discussion about how the fictional governess has evolved or a discussion of the deviations between governess novels. This di...
Amanda M Lagoe.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Orchard, Christopher Committee members: Todd Thompson; Michael Williamson.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

Students with disabilities are increasingly entering college classrooms. In secondary settings, students with disabilities are provided with academic, social, and emotional supports. They also receive assistance in creating a comprehensive plan for transition to post-secondary educational settings, employment, and independent living. This qualitative study examined the perceptions of students with disabilities towards the transition planning process in a cyber-charter school. Students in the ...
Sasha A Reese.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Rotigel, Jennifer V. Committee members: Valeri Helterbran; Crystal Machado.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English

This qualitative study sought to understand the phenomenon of graduate nurses (GN) who have failed the NCLEX-RN® multiple times. As the American population ages and the nursing workforce ages, the need for Registered Nurses (RN) increases. An aging nursing workforce may lead to a RN shortage in the future. Understanding the lived experience of the GNs who have failed the NCLEX-RN® multiple times could assist with supplying RNs to meet the demand. This study used Hermeneutical phenomenology as...
Christina Lynne Silva.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Poorman, Susan G. Committee members: Michele Gerwick; Theresa Gropelli; Melissa Mastorovich.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2014.
English

This empirical study investigated the nature of MBA literacy from the experiences of Taiwanese MBA students and faculty members in Taiwan and the United States. It extends our understanding of MBA literacy by focusing on the literacy phenomena students experienced during their literacy process and also sought to better understand how students utilize their languages as advantages for different purposes and functions. While there is existing literature focusing on ESP, EAP and professional bus...
Wan-Ning Yeh.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Hanauer, David I. Committee members: Sharon Deckert; Jianfeng Wang.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2015.
English