The purpose of this dissertation was to discover the themes of computer science students as they designed their own instructional systems. This was done by exploring the use of User-Design as a method of instruction for college computer science students. Data shows that there is a high attrition rate in college computer science programs. Perhaps, to solve this problem, this new form of instruction could be applied. I investigated to find patterns while the students designed and developed co...
David Tucker.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Piwinsky, Mark J. Committee members: James Lenze; Anna Ortiz.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

Organizational executives leverage significant resources to build leadership development programs as part of strategic initiatives, but many of these programs still fail. The organizational strategy and leadership fields have made significant advances and have complementary purposes, yet scholars have not synthesized this literature. The need remains to form a pragmatic conceptual framework and process intended to serve as a theoretical foundation for designing leadership development programs...
Travis A Berger.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Anderson, John A. Committee members: Valerie Gunter; J. Mabry.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

As a result of the achievement gaps that exists between high poverty and low poverty student groups, as well as accountability criteria mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act (2001), which requires significant improvements in student achievement for low-income and minority students, school districts must now implement strategies that assist them in obtaining outcomes that demonstrate significant growth in achievement for these students. One strategy considered for improving achievem...
Alyssa Ford-Heywood.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Anderson, John A. Committee members: Jon Landis; J. Mabry; Melissa Swauger.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

Forming a new identity as a writer in a higher education context is often a difficult process and one that can be particularly difficult for returning students who have been away from school for many years or even decades. This qualitative case study of the perceptions of five Graduate and Professional Studies students examines the ways that adult, nontraditional students face the task of becoming writers and forming a writing identity in a small private liberal arts university context. T...
Kimberley M Holloway.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Rafoth, Bennett A. Committee members: Resa Bizzaro; Gloria Park.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

This study investigated the correlation between instructional practices, teacher beliefs, and teacher mindset on elementary student growth in mathematics. Growth was considered as the Average Growth Index (AGI), a value-added metric derived from the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. The study exclusively focused on Pennsylvania elementary schools responsible for teaching mathematics in Grades 3, 4, and 5 only. Publicly available AGI scores for the 2014-2015 school year were identified...
James W Jones.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Helterbran, Valeri R. Committee members: Kelli Paquette; Edel Reilly.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

In this mixed methods study, the author examined how messages about families of linguistic and cultural diversity (FLCDs) in the context of parent involvement (PI) e-discourse were recontextualized across the tri-level educational authority structure. Corpus creation and analysis was used to provide quantitative data to direct the subsequent critical discourse analysis. From the analysis of fifteen data sets, the author discovered specific lexical, syntactic, and whole-text discursive element...
Janelle Lynn Newman.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Savova, Lilia P. Committee members: Usree Bhattacharya; Beatrice Fennimore.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

Exposure to media portraying objectifying images of male and female models has been shown to have a negative impact on body satisfaction for both men and women. This has been shown to be true for multiple forms of media such as print advertisements and television commercials. To combat this negative impact, Slater, Tiggemann, Firth, and Hawkins (2012) explored the effectiveness of adding a warning label to fake fashion spreads featuring objectifying images of female models. They demonstrated ...
Audra L Wagaman.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Long, Anson Committee members: Derek Hatfield; Laurie Roehrich.
Psy.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

A primary objective of nursing students and nursing programs includes first-time success on the NCLEX-RN®. As the nursing shortage continues, it is essential to have qualified nursing graduates pass the NCLEX-RN ®. One approach some nursing programs have chosen to implement regarding augmenting nursing students' probability of success on the NCLEX-RN® includes the administration of an exit examination. This exit examination is tailored to mimic the NCLEX-RN® blueprint; thereby this examinatio...
Lorraine Coalmer.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Chunta, Kristy S. Committee members: Elizabeth Palmer; Susan Poorman.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

Despite their evident usefulness and proliferation, sidekicks have been kicked to the side of literary criticism until recently. Now, thanks to the influence of artifacts like comic books and popular films, the study of sidekicks has begun a resurgence and might finally get the attention it deserves. The influx of multi-dimensional sidekicks has allowed literary history to shift its focus, and has provided a mandate for authors and other creators to promote the sidekick in new and interesting...
Stephen M Zimmerly.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Kuipers, Christopher M. Committee members: Tanya Heflin; Gian Pagnucci.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

There is often great interest in the way journalists convey information about divisive issues. This phenomenological study is any attempt to understand why and how articles on a controversial topic were constructed, specifically in terms of what sources were used. This investigation into the pre-publication activity of journalists is situated within agenda building theory and is intended to produce a better understanding of the lived experience of sourcing practices of journalists, specifical...
Brandon J Szuminsky.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Stiegler, Zachary Committee members: Mary Leidman; Michele Papakie.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

African-American women's ability to cope with painful life experiences through their spiritual connection with God has been linked to positive life satisfaction and therapeutic results. By embracing this beneficial change agent, counselors can begin to learn how to effectively integrate spirituality and religion into the counseling process. This study aimed to find out what Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) knew about the Christian religion and spirituality and whether they use this...
Callie Marie Scott.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Bieger, George R. Committee members: Claire Dandeneau; Shirley Johnson.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

This causal-comparative/quasi-experimental design study examines the impact that high-stakes testing stress related to the inclusion of student standardized testing data in teacher evaluations has on burnout and potential attrition rates among current Pennsylvania math teachers. Participants completed three surveys including: demographic questions, the Educators Test Stress Inventory (ETSI), and the Malasch Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (MBI-ES). The analysis showed no real difference i...
Becky L Piscitella.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Helterbran, Valeri R. Committee members: Edel Reilly; Mark Twiest.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

The position of the Superintendent of Schools is multifaceted and complex. The superintendent is responsible for instruction, personnel, general business operations, budget, finance, law and politics. Do existing superintendent preparation programs adequately prepare individuals for the duties and responsibilities that they will face on a day to day basis? Research on this topic is becoming more prevalent but, because of individual state licensing and certification requirements, the research ...
Robert M Dufour.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Lare, Douglas; Millward, Robert E. Committee members: Mary Beth Allen.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

Transportation is a cornerstone among public sector services and enjoys a long history of influence on the nation's culture. These influences emerge from divergent sources and affect each stratum in our social structure: drivers and pedestrians; transients and residents; wealthy and poor. Emergency services depend upon a reliable transportation network. Community activities come to a standstill when faced with weather-related road closures. Local economies suffer when the movement of goods an...
Sherri Bennett Chippo.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Anderson, John A. Committee members: Valerie Gunter; D. Heckert.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

This quantitative study used a shortened version of Constructivist Learning Environment Survey and Factors Influencing Teaching Choice Scale to investigate the extent to which teachers implemented constructivist teaching in their classes and whether teachers' career motivation had any relationship with that implementation. The researcher also explored demographic factors, such as gender, age, years of teaching, etc., to see whether they had certain effects on teachers' implementation of const...
Peizhen Wang.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Bieger, George R. Committee members: Crystal Machado; Daniel Wissinger.
D.Ed. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

Test anxiety in nursing education remains a growing concern among nurse educators. Test anxiety acts as a factor that may cause nursing students to cope poorly with strenuous academic demands, resulting in lower academic performance levels, high attrition rates, and possibly failures on the NCLEX-RN®. Test-anxious nursing students may engage in avoidance behaviors, such as academic procrastination, as a coping mechanism. Understanding the nature of the relationship between test anxiety and...
Nicole R Custer.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Chunta, Kristy Committee members: Michele Gerwick; Riah Hoffman.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

The question of how trauma affects health is highly salient, given the alarming prevalence of trauma in the United States. The negative impact of trauma on mental health has been well documented, and a growing body of literature establishes robust relations between trauma and adverse physical health outcomes. In the present study, experiential avoidance (EA) was examined as a potential mediator of trauma and physical health outcomes in college students. EA is the process that occurs when an i...
Kathryn L Sowder.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Knight, Laura Committee members: Pearl Berman; David LaPorte.
Psy.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

In studying the impact of video public service announcements (PSAs) on texting and driving, this study found that while informative/celebrity appeals support long-term information retention, fear and humor appeals were more likely to create positive attitude change as measured by the Health Belief Model (HBM). The fear and humor appeal type's also revealed positive significance in the participant's overall health belief index, both immediately and long-term. The results of the current study f...
Rona Smeak.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Piwinsky, Mark J. Committee members: James Lenze; Nurhaya Muchtar.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

The number of American educators employed at international schools has grown significantly, however little research has examined their usage of various media such as the smartphone to maintain native culture communal ties and assimilate to their host culture. This study examines the perceived effectiveness of smartphones in relation to both functions. A Qualtrics survey was distributed to American expatriate educators currently employed at International School Services (ISS) affiliated intern...
Erik M Kormos.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Wilson, B. Gail Committee members: James Lenze; Mark Piwinsky.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

This study contributed to teaching and learning based writing assessment literature (Huot, 2002) by beginning the process of crafting a validity argument for writing placement at Cardinal College, a pseudonym for a small, private college in the suburbs of a mid-sized, Mid-Atlantic city, which uses Smith's (1992/2009, 1993) expert reader model to place students into one of two reading and writing integrated courses. The study specified the program's interpretive argument (Kane, 2006) and inves...
Jessica Ann Ganni.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Williamson, Michael M. Committee members: Ben Rafoth; Lilia Savova.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English

This study examines hiring managers' perceptions of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as compared to traditional degree-conferred forms of higher education in relation to hiring and employment decisions. Evidenced by current enrollment figures and growth projections, higher education trends reflect a transformation in 21st century education by moving toward free-sourced, open educational courses. Connectivism, human capital theory, and credentialism create the triangulated theoretical len...
Joseph A Rosendale.
Publisher info.: Dissertation/Thesis.
Advisors: Leidman, Mary Beth Committee members: Steven Kleinman; Zachary Stiegler.
Ph.D. Indiana University of Pennsylvania 2016.
English