Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10877/135

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Black Girl Happy: The Visual Language of Black Women Pursuing and Creating their Happiness
(2024-05) Otuata, Chika; Lee, Alice J.; Wright, M.; Arceneaux-Sutton, Tasheka
No abstract prepared.
Investigating the Effect of Technological Literacy on Implicit Association Test Scores
(2024-05) Staton, Tyler; Osborne, Randall; Rogers, Megan; Cascio, Jessica
This exploratory study examines the relationship between technological literacy and differences in Implicit Association Test scores measures through the traditional keyboard method and an alternately developed mouse-tracked method. The objective of this exploratory study was to investigate whether technological literacy could function as a significant predictor of changes in IAT scores. Results of this study found that increased comfort with technology predicted a greater change in IAT scores between the two methods being tested, contrary to our hypotheses. This research contributes to the dynamic of technological literacy and cognitive associations, as well as the importance of increased research into implicit biases.
"Responsible Laziness?": A Grounded Theory Approach to Understanding Health Decision-Making Among Young Adult College Students
(2024-05) White, Shelly A.; Brunson, Emily K.; Hamilton, Michelle D.; Taylor, Nicole
Young adults, including college students, are a high-risk group for many infectious diseases including COVID-19. This is due, in part, to social behaviors and norms regarding personal health practices and beliefs about invulnerability to infection within this group. Young adults also have the lowest rates of vaccination among adults, including for COVID-19 vaccines. Using grounded theory, this research seeks to understand how college students make decisions about their health generally, and COVID-19 boosters specifically, by using qualitative interview data to develop a model that describes young adult college student health decision-making processes. Further, this research considers the relationships between information, decision-making, and health behaviors among college students, and uses this model to demonstrate that common theoretical paradigms of public health research fail to apply to actual decision-making processes.
Cedar Groves in the River City: Creating Syrian and Lebanese Space in San Antonio 1900-1930
(2024-05) Key, Jay Cody; Alter, Thomas; Mellard, Jasson; Mckiernan-Gonzalez, John
No abstract prepared.
Exploring the Influence of Vertical Relief on Large Mammal Home Range and Occurrences of Illegal Activity
(2024-05) Pinon, Andrea E.; Jensen, Jennifer; Li, Yanan; Meitzen, Kimberly; Butler, David R.
Home range analyses that do not incorporate topography may result in miscalculation of a species home range size. It is especially problematic where conservation of endangered species and habitat rely on robust and accurate estimations to determine areas of high priority. Mountain gorillas, African buffalo, and antelope that occupy Volcanoes National Park (VNP) within the greater Virunga Conservation Area (VCA) in Central Africa range across a geomorphically unique region shaped by intense volcanism and tectonic activity. The extent to which terrain influences the home range size of the endangered mountain gorilla and the co-occurrence of illegal activity with targeted buffalo and antelope populations remains largely unstudied. Estimates calculated using traditional planimetric methods are poor approximations because they are calculated using bivariate locational data (x,y) which assumes a flat terrain. Given the complexity of the region’s physical geography, relying on bivariate home range estimates grossly underestimates the actual spatial area occupied by an animal when landform structure is excluded from analysis. This research is exploratory in nature and focuses on incorporating topography to generate a topographic home range. Mountain gorillas move within multiple dimensions of a spatial unit. Adding a third dimension (z) to home range geospatial analyses accounts for their vertical movement along an elevational gradient. Home range models derived from multi-dimensional (x,y,z) inputs provide more robust size estimates while accurately representing the physical landscape species occupy. Furthermore, we can test how home range models perform under different digital elevation surface spatial resolutions to derive the most accurate estimates using the finest resolution possible. Improved home range estimates expose patterns of overlap between species and illegal activity (e.g., snare poaching, beehive extraction sites), informs conservation management and guides antipoaching patrols. This study intersects spatial ecology with geomorphometry and geospatial analysis techniques. Digital elevation models (DEM) of varying spatial resolutions and kernel density estimation (KDE) methodology were applied to derive home range estimates. Terrain surfaces were generated to determine which variable; elevation, slope, or aspect has the greatest impact on size estimates. These terrain parameters including terrain ruggedness index were used to determine patterns of spatial cooccurrence of illegal activity and targeted species populations. Results indicated that topographic home ranges were larger than planimetric estimations and that slope, not elevation, had the greatest impact on size increases. Fine resolution DEMs produced more accurate and larger topographic home range sizes compared to coarse resolution DEMs. Among all terrain parameters, elevation and slope had the greatest impact on the co-occurrence of unauthorized activity and targeted animals.
The Relationship Between Intergenerational Conflict with Depressive Symptoms and the Alcohol Use in Asian American Emerging Adults: The Moderating Factor of Helicopter Parenting
(2024-05) Tran, Lin; Perrotte, Jessica; Mendez, Roque; Clegg, Jennifer
Asian Americans (AA) have been reported as “low risk” for depressive symptoms and alcohol use compared to members of other racial and ethnic groups. Literature suggests that sociocultural factors such as intergenerational conflict (IGC) and helicopter parenting (HP) have both significant and non-significant associations with these outcomes. In addition, there is a not a HP measure that has been validated for AAs, warranting additional research investigating when IGC predicts these outcomes and how HP plays into the relationship with IGC and these outcomes in AA emerging adults. The current study explored the factor structure of the HP measure and assessed whether HP may be a moderating factor between IGC with both outcomes among 281 AA emerging adults recruited from Texas State University and Prolific. There were multiple hypotheses for this study, and results partially showed marginally significant support. Three factors (Parent’s Perspective, Parent’s Control, Parent’s Actions) emerged from the factor structure on the HP measure. IGC was not associated with either outcome. However, Parent’s Control was a marginally significant moderator between IGC and both outcomes. Findings from this research suggest assessing other cultural values (individualism/collectivism, gender roles) that may affect HP with these outcomes. Future research should also focus on creating a HP measure adapted for AAs to better understand parent-child relationships within this population.
Assessing Lidar-Based Forest Structure Change of Ground Beetle Habitat Association within the Rocky Mountain National Park Neon Site
(2024-05) Pugh, Garrett; Jensen, Jennifer; Meitzen, Kimberly; Veech, Joseph
My research focuses on the application of lidar derived metrics and change in forest structure as habitat variables for three species of ground beetle (Calathus advena, Pterostichus restrictus, and Pterostichus protractus) found in the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) NEON site. Temporal analysis of forest structure using lidar-derived metrics is an infrequently studied topic due to the cost of acquiring lidar data. Fortunately, the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) provides freely available lidar data collected over several years which facilitates lidar-based change detection. The changes in forest structure being identified using lidar derived metrics to quantify portions of the forest structure as habitat variables. Calathus advena and Pterostichus restrictus appear to associate with forest structures that can be represented by Gap Fraction and mean canopy height, but Pterostichus protractus did not associate with any forest structure represented by the lidar metrics calculated in this study. Further, I found that there was no significant change in beetle population attributable to the temporal change in forest structure. Based on limitations of the lidar metrics, it is possible that there was not enough change in forest structure to influence a change in ground beetle presence from year to year. Additionally, the generalizing nature of the lidar metrics calculated in this study may have reduced any meaningful representation of forest structure. It is also possible that the species included in this study are not readily influenced by minor changes in forest structure.
Schools as Caring Spaces for Teachers: Tales on Morale, Professional Identity, and Otras Yerbas in Secondary Public Schools in Uruguay
(2024-05) Ureta Viroga, Maria Magdalena; Martinez, Melissa A.; Grimaldo, Leticia; Koschoreck, James; O'Malley, Michael
Teachers’ physical and mental well-being have deteriorated in recent decades due to the pressures and strains in the workplace. This research was designed to contribute to a better understanding of the challenges and struggles teachers face in their daily practices and their relationships with the school leadership team, colleagues, and the community. The sample was six teachers who had been working for secondary public schools in Uruguay for more than 5 years. This study’s theory was the Caring School Leadership model developed by Smylie et al. in 2016. This model provides guidance that stimulates caring communities inside and outside schools. Considering participants’ Latin cultural background, I used pláticas to collect narratives about those behaviors the teacher participants perceived that shaped their morale, well-being, and professional identity at work. I collected and analyzed data to uncover themes about participants’ perceptions of the best practices to boost morale and regain the prestige teachers used to hold in the past.
Willingness to Intervene and Recognition of Intimate Partner Violence: Evaluating an Online Intervention
(2024-05) Barrett, Karrie M.; Mendez, Roque V.; Balzarini, Rhonda; Clegg, Jennifer
No abstract prepared.
Religious Mothers in Literary Modernism
(2024-05) Renteria, Jason Anthony; McCormick Weng, Julie; Reeves, James; Blair, John
No abstract prepared.
Mapping and Estimating Expansion Rates of Arundo Donax in Native Fish Conservation Areas of Central Texas
(2024-05) Carpenter DeMent, Jenna Marise; Martina, Jason; Jensen, Jennifer; Williamson, Paula
Invasive species management is often hindered by delays in detection or knowledge gaps of species-specific expansion rates. When monitoring is irregular, disturbed and even protected natural areas become more vulnerable to advancing invasions. Monitoring requires labor intensive surveys, sometimes in remote locations, costing time and resources that could otherwise be used in treatment stages. As small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) and accessible satellite imagery become available to land managers and researchers, avenues have been created for early detection of conspicuous invasive species. My aim was to map and assess the expansion rate of Arundo donax. A. donax poses a significant threat to the designated Native Fish Conservation Areas (NFCAs) of Texas where its tall stature and high biomass production threatens to alter water flow and its competitive propensity leads to decreased local native diversity. High resolution multi-spectral imagery collected around known populations of A. donax permitted the isolation of the species’ unique spectral response. This spectral response was compared to satellite imagery with greater coverage –Sentinel-2– for the development of a classification map encompassing a 200 m buffer of riparian zones within several targeted NFCAs across Texas. Our model performance encountered some difficulty, attributed to variation of soil reflectance and vegetative seasonality, but performs acceptably within two Central Texas NFCA for the 2022 classification (overall accuracy: 71%, kappa: 0.46). These NFCAs have been emphasized for investigation of A. donax’s expansion rate. Expansion rates were highest in the Southern Edwards Plateau, increasing ~ 0.284 km2/year. Project products of the first remote sensing-based map of Arundo within these NFCAs, as well as elucidated expansion rates, will benefit land management agencies. Methodology for continued detection and reevaluation of expansion rates may be replicated in the future for identification of priority treatment areas.
Arts 2 Heart: Teachers' Experiences in an Elementary Arts-Specific Mentoring Program
(2024-05) Loesch, Mary Ann; Field Waite, Susan; Everman, Daphne; Saunders, Jane
No abstract prepared.
Free-Floating and Impersonal Solidarity: Resistance Satires and the Aesthetics of Late Capitalism
(2024-05) Adams, Emily; Banta, Emily; Tally, Robert, Jr.; Wilson, Steve
No abstract prepared.
Pedaling Through Cycling Citizenship in San Marcos, Texas
(2024-05) Huntington, Anna; VandenBroek, Angela K.; Villarreal, Aimee; Singerman Ray, Rosalie
Cycling and bike infrastructure are an important part of modern city design. Cycling Citizenship explores the relationship cyclists have with the state through road infrastructure. It is a type of infrastructural citizenship where certain rights and protections are not always guaranteed. Through participant observation and 20 interviews with local cyclists, I argue that cycling citizenship is characterized by prioritizing safety in the face of neoliberal development practice’s power ecosystem. The result of this study concludes that when the state prioritizes cars over other modes of mobility using infrastructure as a medium with infrastructure funding, design, and enforcement, it creates an unsafe environment for non-cars. Roads then become a medium of segmentation for the community. The type of advocacy that cyclists employ then are the choices they make on the road to prioritize their safety while transforming the space from a transportation one to a sustainable, healthy, acts of choices multilayered and situated within a community.
Performing Tuberculosis: The Depiction of TB in 20th Century Theatre
(2024-05) Davis, Katelyn; Banta, Emily; Reeves, James; Dyck, Denae
No abstract prepared.
Sistas Vibin': A Critical Embodied Perspective of Educational Leadership Through the Lens of Black Women Music Educators
(2024-05) Glover, Kelley T.; Martinez, Melissa A.; Alston, Judy; Davis, Dionne; Guajardo, Miguel A.; Koschoreck, James W.
The purpose of this research was to highlight another dimension of education that values the body as a place where learning and self-efficacy take place. Traditionally, the arts are kept separate from the core subjects, and the mind is kept separate from the body in education. This dual way of thinking also creates culturally hegemonic systems where Black bodies are seen as “the other.” This study was grounded in a phenomenological theoretical framework employing the methods of endarkened feminism (Dillard, 2000), the daughter of Black feminism. The following questions framed the study: How do Black women music educators describe their schooling and work experiences? How do Black women music educators use critical embodied pedagogies? How do Black women music educators use decolonizing and equity work both in and outside of the music classroom? What conditions invite the full presence of Black women music educators? How does this work and the women in it sustain their spirit and work? I used kitchen table talks with seven Black women music educators to understand their experiences in and outside of the music classroom. Toliver’s (2021) endarkened storywork’s data analysis steps revealed the themes of (re)member/(dis)member, (re)vitalize, (re)late, and (re)imagine. Implications for future research include body-informed leadership using cultural somatics (Menakem, 2017) for PK–20 educational leaders and future research in cymatics in relation to music therapists and music educators.
Spatial Association Between Maternal and Early Life Exposure to Aire Pollution and Acute Respiratory Infection among Children in Nigeria
(2024-05) Anyanwu, Chijioke I.; Zhan, F. Benjamin; Lu, Yongmei; Chow, Edwin; Perkins, Harold
Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are one of the leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality in Nigeria and are often triggered by exposure to ambient air pollution. Due to their higher breathing rates, smaller airways, and developing lungs and immune systems, children are more susceptible to adverse health impacts from air pollution. While concerted efforts have been directed towards tackling the disease, it remains a major public health concern. There are currently no studies on maternal and early life exposure to air pollution and the risks of ARIs among Nigerian children. This dissertation had three main objectives: 1) to evaluate the spatial relationship between prenatal and early life exposure to air pollution, and childhood ARIs in Nigerian children under the age of 5 years, 2) To identify and analyze multi-level risk factors of childhood ARIs, and 3) To examine spatial variations and clustering of the disease. The study deploys a case-control epidemiological analysis to examine the environmental, socioeconomic, cultural, and lifestyle risk factors of childhood ARIs. We used remote sensing air pollution data from the Giovanni earth science data information systems, and health data from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS, 2018) which includes 1,692 cases and 28,915 controls selected for this study. We analyzed three exposure periods: maternal exposure, and early-life exposure, and combined both maternal and early-life exposure for a wider assessment. For the maternal exposure assessment, NO2 showed the strongest association with childhood ARI in offspring. In contrast, PM2.5 showed the strongest association with childhood ARI for both the early life and the combined exposure assessment studies. We found that educational attainment, socioeconomic status, building quality, and lifestyle factors were significant risk factors for ARI among Nigerian children. The study identified disease clusters using a new hybrid hotspot analysis and spatial clustering analysis (spatial scan statistics). We observed a spatial overlap between childhood ARI clusters and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. In conclusion, this study provided novel insights into the linkages between air pollution as well as multi-level risk factors, and incidences of childhood ARIs in Nigeria while detecting disease clusters and locations of the most vulnerable populations. This could provide invaluable information for a targeted approach to ARI prevention and reducing child mortality.
Developing an Immersive Virtual Reality Game for Increasing the Awareness of Focus-Four Construction Hazards
(2024-05) Snosi, Omar Saber Sayed; Kisi, Krishna P.; Spencer, BJ; Talley, Kimberly Grau
This study focuses on the use of VR in enhancing safety training within the construction industry, specifically targeting OSHA’s Focus-Four construction Hazards, which are Fall, Electrocution, Caught-In/Between, and Struck-By Hazards. The study has passed through two stages. The first phase was to gamify only one out of the OSHA Focus-Four Hazards, which was the Fall hazard. Based on construction industry professionals' perception of VR, a gamification for Fall Hazard training was developed and tested by CSM students at Texas State University. The students acted as construction workers, choosing the right ladder to reach the next floor and get a glass of water from one of three water stations. The water stations were located in such a way that by choosing the safest water station they score the highest. The study's first stage results showed that more than 60% of participants found the VR game to be user-friendly and engaging in learning about OSHA Fall Hazard safety standards. The second phase was to extend the scope of construction safety training to encompass the rest of the OSHA Focus-Four Hazards: Electrocution, Caught-In/Between, and Struck-By Hazards. This study assessed how immersive environments influence hazard recognition and decision-making abilities by developing a VR game for construction science students. Findings indicate a notable enhancement in participants' skills to identify and respond to Hazards, evidenced by pre-to post- game test score improvement. The results underscore the effectiveness of VR in OSHA construction safety training, suggesting its capacity to link theoretical understanding with practical skills. This study calls for expanded research to assess VR training's efficacy across various demographic and experience levels, aiming to innovate and refine safety education in the construction sector.
Social Demands and Geospatial Distributions of Urban Green Spaces and Blue Spaces
(2024-05) Jamil, Raihan; Julian, Jason; Jensen, Jennifer; Meitzen, Kimberly; Steele, Meredith
Green spaces and blue spaces in cities provide a wealth of benefits (or ecosystem services) to the urban social-ecological system. But with increasing urban populations and development, concerns about human wellbeing have also grown, especially in relation to the management of overstressed green and blue spaces. The management of blue and green spaces within urban landscapes can benefit from advanced mapping techniques to explore their spatial and functional distribution at different spatial scales. By integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and LiDAR data, I adopted a multidimensional exploration of blue and green spaces in central Texas that addresses three key issues: the carrying capacity of a riverine social-ecological system, the connectivity of urban green spaces for biodiversity enhancement, and the complex multi-scale spatial distribution of vegetation. I calculated the recreational carrying capacity of the upper San Marcos River by including primary and secondary data on biophysical properties, environmental quality, and social demand. My findings illustrate a heuristic approach to evaluating potential user density, river user experience, and resource protection. My investigation into urban greenspace networks in San Marcos underscored the importance of private semi-natural areas, with 60% of the proposed greenspace networks traversing through private parcels. Throughout the Austin metropolitan area, from Georgetown to San Marcos, I observed significant multi-scale variations in vegetation structure and distribution between ecoregions, among cities, and across neighborhoods. Clustering and hierarchical analyses confirmed the presence of vegetation clusters that were related to parcel characteristics such as parcel size, home age, market value, and distance to city center. One interesting finding was that vegetation characteristics at the parcel-scale were more similar for parcels within the same neighborhood than neighborhood-scale comparisons of adjacent neighborhoods. The overall results from this dissertation research can be used to better manage green and blue spaces, as well as to target new areas for resource protection.
An Evaluative Study of a Dropout Prevention Program on African American Male Students in Central Texas High Schools
(2024-05) Williams, Crosville D.; Mora, Sherri; Vindis, Miha; Brown, Christopher
High school dropouts are a major concern for many states. It is known that male students drop out at higher rates than female students. In Texas, Black males have been identified as having the highest four-year dropout rates among all ethnic groups at 11.8%, followed by American Indians at 9.7%, then Hispanics at 9.4%. Several factors contribute to dropping out of high school. The literature suggests that dropping out is a process with many push and pull factors influencing Black males to drop out. This study presents not only those influential factors but also identifies dropout prevention programs known to lower dropout rates among Black males. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Communities in Schools (CIS) dropout prevention program was able to lower the dropout rate among Black males or increase the four-year graduation rate. The results indicate that the CIS program was able to increase the graduation rates among Black male students using key components known to lower Black male dropout. Finally, the research highlights a key area of improvement for the program as well as the future directions that future research should prioritize in the study of at-risk Black male students.

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