How Does the 15 to Finish Initiative Affect Academic Outcomes of Low-Income, First-Generation Students? Evidence from a College Promise Program in Indiana

Chan, Roy Y ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Indiana University 2020 해외박사(DDOD)

As the cost of college tuition has increased, policymakers and practitioners have begun to examine the proliferation of college promise programs (i.e., tuition-free grant programs, debt free college programs) across the United States. The purpose of this dissertation is to determine what effect a statewide 30-credit hour annual completion policy had on the academic outcomes of college promise program recipients at two 4-year public research universities, Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) and Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI). The study examines the implementation of and subsequent policy change to the early-commitment college promise program, Indiana Twenty-First Century Scholarship (TFCS) Program.Using administrative data from the Indiana University’s University Institutional Research and Reporting (UIRR) office, representing 7,842 low-income students who enrolled shortly before the policy was implemented, this observational study employs a quasi-experimental, difference-in-differences (DiD) approach to explore the impact of the Indiana Code Title 21 (IC-21-12-6-7) (30 credit hour annual completion policy) on students’ academic outcomes. Specifically, this dissertation examines the heterogenous treatment effects of this policy change on the academic performance (e.g., cumulative credit hours accumulated, cumulative grade point average [GPA], and degree completion status) of Indiana TFCS recipients at IUB and IUPUI, compared to non-TFCS Pell recipients from the same time period (Fall 2011 through Fall 2014 cohorts).Results suggest that the 30-credit hour annual completion policy showed a modest significant effect on cumulative credits and grades, but had no effect on degree completion status (Year 4 Graduation Status, Year 6 Graduation/Enrollment Status), at IUB (a small town, primarily residential, more selective, flagship research university). The policy had no effect on the TFCS recipients enrolled at IUPUI (an urban, primarily nonresidential, moderately selective research university). These findings demonstrate that the policy, which was related to a broader, national 15 to Finish initiative did not produce its intended effect, nor did it have any adverse consequences for low-income, first-generation students.

Woman in the Making: The Impact of the Constructed Campus Environment of Xavier University of Louisiana on the Construction of Black Womanhood

Njoku, Nadrea R ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Indiana University 2017 해외박사(DDOD)

This study explores the experiences of African American women as students at Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA). This study specifically focuses on how these women's experiences at their HBCU facilitated their construction of Black womanhood. This study did not aim to compare, contrast, or situate the experiences of African American women against any other student population. Instead, it made visible, through their voices, the complex and varied experiences of African American women in HBCU campus environments. The findings address a significant gap in the catalog of research on African American women in higher education. By addressing this gap, this work also provides depth to a growing body of research on HBCUs. It aims to answer the following two research questions: (1) How do African American women construct Black womanhood? and (2) What role does the Xavier University of Louisiana campus environment play in facilitating these constructions of black womanhood among female students?. These two questions were approached by embracing a Black Feminist Epistemology and examining data through the Black Feminist Thought and Hip-Hop Feminist frameworks. Data was collected by using narrative inquiry and a photo elicitation method termed Sankofa Photo Analysis. The study includes 12 participants. Criteria for participants include individuals who are alumni of XULA, graduating between 2000 and 2010; who identified as cisgender women at the time of enrollment at XULA; and identify as African American. Two in-depth semi-structured and open-ended interviews were conducted. Questions were constructed to invite the interviewee to be that narrator of their own experiences. Two overarching themes emerged from this study: the shared standpoint of black women at XULA and performative black womanhood on campus. Ultimately, findings showed that participants constructed their ideas of Black womanhood through observation and experimentation. Their main sources of inspiration were older students on campus and the campus environmental influences on appropriate female behavior deemed appropriate by the university. This dissertation concludes with implications for Black women, practices in higher education, and future research.

Greek Life Affiliation and Perceptions of Campus Regarding Sexual Violence: Impact on Bystander Intervention Confidence

Gonzalez, Nayely ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Indiana University 2022 해외박사(DDOD)

Sexual assault is a problem that is prevalent on U.S. college campuses and is especially prevalent among Greek letter organizations. Further, not much is known on how perceptions of the college campus environment vary by social identity, such as Greek affiliation. This study was a secondary data analysis from a campus climate survey on sexual assault. Participants were 2,782 undergraduate students at Indiana University Bloomington. The present study examined differences between Greek and independent students on beliefs about campus safety, beliefs about the university’s response to reports of sexual violence, and bystander intervention confidence. Additionally, the study explored how Greek affiliation and gender influence beliefs about campus safety and beliefs about the university's response to reports of sexual violence on bystander intervention confidence. Among Greek-affiliated students, the study also investigated the impacts of gender and knowledge of campus resources on beliefs about the university’s response to reports of sexual violence and bystander intervention confidence. Results indicate that women endorsed lower scores for beliefs about campus safety and beliefs about the university’s response to reports of sexual violence than men, and that Greek students reported a higher bystander intervention confidence (BIC) than independent students. Results also suggest that gender moderates the relationship between beliefs about campus safety and bystander intervention confidence. Similarly, gender was shown to moderate the relationship between beliefs about the university’s response to reports of sexual violence and bystander intervention confidence in all students and within Greek affiliated students. A discussion of implications, limitations, and future directions for research, prevention, and intervention is included.

The Relationship between International Student Teaching Experience and Students’ Transition to Full-Time Teaching

Mickey, Evan Michael ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Indiana University 2019 해외박사(DDOD)

Over the past 60 years, universities have expanded internationalization and diversity efforts. This includes developing and extending study abroad and internship abroad programs in their teacher education programs. According to a number of outlets, investment of time and energy into such initiatives is not only important, it is critical as universities' investment in international initiatives are believed to broaden universities' reach, better prepare graduates to participate in the global economy, and develop better relations with others within and outside the United States. However, despite the benefits suggested of international student teaching programs or other internationalization initiatives, questions remain as to who participates in international student teaching and the extent to which participation in international student teaching influences students' transition into full-time teaching positions. To answer these questions, this study uses data from a large, Midwestern university to first estimate students' propensity to participate in the university's international student teaching program through comparison of students who participated in the international student teaching program between Fall 2005 and Spring 2009 against their peers who did not participate in the international student teaching program. This comparison uses logistic regression to control for a variety of factors believed to influence students’ participation including students' age, race, gender, and other pre-college characteristics; their socioeconomic status; and their GPA, major, and other in-college experiences. According to these analyses, participation in international student teaching is not random as students’ gender and academic major are significant predictors of participation or not participating in international student teaching. The study then uses the results of these logistic regressions to estimate students’ propensity to participate in international student teaching to then explore the extent to which international student teaching participation influences graduates' later employment as a teacher. Controlling for factors that influence students’ propensity to participate in international student teaching, international student teaching does not appear to significantly influence students' transition into full-time teaching positions. Limitations of this study and opportunities for additional research are also addressed.

The Influence of Shell Structure on Near-Barrier Fusion of Neutron-Rich Nuclei

Johnstone, James Edgar ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Indiana University 2022 해외박사(DDOD)

Understanding neutron-rich nuclear material is a topic at the forefront of physics research and has far-reaching implications for many areas of nuclear science including nuclear astrophysics, heavy-element nucleosynthesis, and the nuclear equation-of-state. Fusion studies are a unique tool for gaining access to an understanding of the nucleus far from stability. Systematic fusion measurements along isotopic chains have provided insight into how nuclear structure and dynamics change with increasing neutron number. Building on previous studies, the near-barrier fusion cross-sections for$. {41,45}$K,$. {36,44}$Ar+$. {16}$O,$. {28}$Si were measured using an energy vs time-of-flight approach. The measurements were conducted at Michigan State University's National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory using the ReA3 facility. The measurements explored the behavior of fusion for both closed neutron-shell nuclei as well as open neutron-shell nuclei. The measured fusion excitation functions were compared to theoretical models showing the importance of both accurate density distributions and dynamics in fusion.As part of this experimental effort, high-quality $. {28}$Si targets with reduced oxygen content were also produced. Fabrication of these isotopically enriched, self-supporting targets is detailed. These thin foils were characterized using a quartz crystal monitor, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Rutherford back-scattering. In preparation for future experiments near the neutron dripline, a new detector for measuring fusion was developed. The detector, MuSIC Indiana, was designed and constructed with several unique features which allow for accurate and efficient measurement of the fusion excitation function at low beam intensities. MuSIC Indiana was commissioned by the measurement of the $. {18}$O+$. {12}$C fusion excitation function at the University of Notre Dame's Nuclear Science Laboratory's 10 MV Tandem Accelerator. An advanced data analysis technique, which improved upon the resolution presently achievable with MuSIC-type detectors, was successfully demonstrated with this dataset. This new analytic technique substantially enhances the impact of MuSIC-type measurements of fusion.

Characterizing Emerging Cybersecurity Threats: An Ecosystem Approach

Mi, Xianghang ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Indiana University 2020 해외박사(DDOD)

The cyberspace is keeping evolving in many aspects. In the last decade by 2020, we have witnessed the pervasiveness of mobile computing, the increasing adoption of IoT platforms, and the emerging application of artificial intelligence in various scenarios. However, along with those exciting advancements are emerging and critical cyberspace threats, as demonstrated in this thesis.Particularly, this thesis reveals, for the first time, the ecosystem of residential proxy (RESIP) as a service, in which a provider utilizes the hosts within residential networks (in contrast to those running in a datacenter) to relay their customers’ traffic, in an attempt to avoid server-side blocking and detection. This ecosystem was found to have a large scale with more than 6M RESIP peers captured, a suspicious recruitment process involving IoT devices and malware, and a concerning usage in online abuse activities such as advertisement fraud. More importantly, it reveals an emerging security threat to common users by abusing the network bandwidth of their electric devices.Following this work, we further studied how mobile devices have been turned into proxy peers through proxy SDKs. Results show that mobile users are not well informed of traffic relaying through their mobile devices. Also, this mobile proxy ecosystem has become a monetization channel for mobile malware.In the third work, the spotlight is moved to another emerging area: virtual personal assistants (VPA). VPA platforms including Google Home and Amazon Alexa allow third parties to publish diverse functions (skills). In this study, two new attacks (Voice Squatting and Voice Masquerading) have been discovered where VPAs can misunderstand a user’s intention and mistakenly invoke a malicious skill. This study demonstrates how error-prone AI can incur new security threats to common users.Lastly, this thesis studied the interaction of IoT devices in the smart home scenario. Specifically, a comprehensive study was carried out on IFTTT, a popular trigger-action programming platform that can automate more than 400 services of IoT devices and web applications. Overall we observe the fast growth of the IFTTT ecosystem and its increasing usage for automating IoT-related tasks. Along are several security concerns to end-users and their IoT devices.All those cyberspace problems traverse the traditional boundaries of mobile computing, IoT, and online services, which makes classic domain-specific security study approaches likely incapable to identify and characterize the hidden threats. In this thesis, an ecosystem approach is proposed and applied, which features a cycle of phases to identify, reason, quantify, and finally address the involved security threats. This approach is found to be effective when applied to the aforementioned problems and we believe it can be extended to similar security problems especially those involving multiple participants.

Examining Disparities in Non-cognitive Educational Outcomes in the United States

Gopalan, Sandilya Maithreyi ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Indiana University 2018 해외박사(DDOD)

An extensive literature examines educational inequalities such as racial/ethnic and socioeconomic status-based achievement gaps, as measured by standardized test scores, GPA, and other metrics of cognitive skills (Fryer & Levitt, 2004; Reardon et al., 2016). However, only recently have scholars, practitioners, and governments started paying more attention to inequalities in students' non-cognitive educational outcomes, including disciplinary outcomes (Skiba et al., 2014), behavioral skills (Waldfogel & Washbrook, 2011; Duncan et al., 2011), and self-control (Reardon & Portilla, 2016). While many scholars disagree about the definition and measurement of "non-cognitive outcomes" (Duckworth & Yeager, 2015), they all acknowledge the role of such factors (known variously as socioemotional skills, character skills, social skills, 21st-century skills, others) in child and adolescent development (Durlak et al., 2011; Heckman & Kautz, 2013). Building on this theme, my dissertation consists of three empirical chapters, with each chapter examining a different aspect of inequality in students' non-cognitive educational outcomes that can inform educational policy and practice. In the first chapter, I examine the disparities in disciplinary outcomes---such as expulsions and suspensions in school between white and Black students and between special education and non-special education students---using rich, administrative data on multiple cohorts of students in Indiana. In the second chapter, I evaluate the effects of a social-psychological intervention at two large public universities on increasing freshmen students' sense of social belonging, which has previously been shown to reduce racial achievement gaps and racial disparities in rates of college persistence in smaller and more elite universities. In the last chapter, I investigate the links between the Black-white "disciplinary gap"---or differences in rates of suspension and expulsion between Black and white students---and racial academic achievement gaps. Together, these empirical chapters examine disparities (race-, socioeconomic, and special education-based) in a variety of non-cognitive educational outcomes using an interdisciplinary lens.

Sagely Presence: Appearance and Morality in Early Confucian Thought

Hsu, Nai-Yi ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Indiana University 2022 해외박사(DDOD)

This study explores the relation between people’s moral character and their appearance from various Confucian perspectives. When we think about the question, “what it means to be a good person,” we rarely take into consideration the external aspects of a person. Instead, we think about their action, their motivation, their feelings, or the moral principles they follow. Early Confucians, however, believe that having a refined appearance is a necessary condition for being a virtuous person. This dissertation, “Sagely Presence: Appearance and Morality in Early Confucian Thought,” is an attempt to understand the moral significance that early Confucians see in people’s appearance, including their clothing, facial expressions, bodily comportment, and styles of speaking. There are six chapters in this dissertation. Chapter one, “Ethics of Appearance,” sets the foundation for later chapters by demonstrating early Confucians’ unusual interest in the exemplary person’s appearance and by offering an explanatory framework. Chapter two, “Dressing as a Sage,” examines the reasons early Confucians offer to support the belief that clothing is formative of its wearer’s character. Chapter three, “The Ritualized Body,” argues that that a ritualized body helps a moral agent to perform their socio-political roles, allows them to express virtues such as respect and care in human interaction, and grants them an aesthetically appealing presence that enhance their moral attraction. Chapter four, “Bodily Experiences and Self-Cultivation,” argues that people’s experiences with their own body are considered morally formative in early Confucian thought. Chapter five, “The Taciturn Exemplar,” discusses the relation between silence, speech, and self-cultivation in early Confucian thought, arguing that taciturnity is considered beneficial for self-cultivation because it allows people to personalize the moral knowledge they received. Chapter six, “Speaking as the Exemplary Person,” discusses the characteristics of the ideal speaker envisioned by early Confucians and argues that becoming such a speaker involves efforts of self-cultivation. Finally, the conclusion addresses several potential objections to early Confucians’ emphasis on the moral significance of people’s appearance and discusses how the findings of this study may contribute to the virtue ethics approach to early Confucian thought.

An Action Research Exploring Retention and Participation of Underrepresented Students in STEM

McClain, Jessica Rae Indiana University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 2023 해외박사(DDOD)

Despite more historically underrepresented students pursuing STEM degrees, their likelihood of remaining in STEM fields has been stalled compared with their White peers. It has been argued that developing inclusive programming and environment can significantly impact the retention and persistence of underrepresented undergraduate STEM students in STEM courses. According to the literature, students' self-conceptualization and development of their disciplinary identities are connected to their interest, perseverance, and success in STEM post-secondary environments. However, there is a paucity of scholarship on using critical educational techniques that combine marginalized students' STEM cultural knowledge and applicability. Thus, this qualitative action research study examined the effects of a decolonized STEM curriculum on marginalized students' intersectional identities, perspectives, and experiences in a STEM learning environment at a Midwestern university. This study investigated culturally based instruction that promotes the knowledge of marginalized students neglected in academic settings, which may serve as a resource for STEM educators. I utilized a critical-asset lens to highlight academic and psychological factors that challenge our understanding of race and culture's influence on underrepresented students' attitudes, perceptions, and science identity development while teaching from decolonized STEM curriculum. Thirteen first-year underrepresented STEM students took part in a decolonized curriculum primarily focused on the students' understandings of STEM through activities, observations, interviews, assessments, reflections, and evaluations over seven weeks. Through reflection and analysis, the findings that impact STEM students' experiences, which include (a) connection to oneself to culture and STEM, (b) the need for role models who represent diversity in STEM fields, and (c) the development of tools that assist students in developing resiliency and acquiring leverage within STEM learning communities. These findings show the necessity for decolonized STEM curriculum as a starting point for STEM educators to engage students in STEM to activate their knowledge (e.g., science identity development) as a consequence of this study. Furthermore, these findings indicate that this study reveals a fundamental necessity to combine culture and knowledge in the curriculum to authentically enable students to participate in STEM.

Associations Among Cigarette Smoking, Weight Status and Mortality and Morbidities Among US Adults

Mestre, Luis Miguel Indiana University ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 2023 해외박사(DDOD)

Background: In the United States (US), cigarette smoking and weight status have been considered the main public health concerns in recent years due to a higher incidence of all-cause mortality and respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD among those with past 30 day smoking or have an underweight or obesity weight status than those who do not smoke cigarettes or have a weight status of normal weight or overweight. The health burden associated with cigarette smoking and weight status in the US adult population has not been consistent across sociodemographic factors such as sex/gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and race/ethnicity. The association among cigarette smoking, weight status and all-cause mortality; cigarette smoking, weight status and asthma; and cigarette smoking, weight status and COPD are not entirely understood, or how disparities may contribute to these associations. Each of this dissertation's three aims addresses a specific research question about the associations among cigarette smoking and weight status with all-cause mortality, asthma, and COPD as well as which factors may contribute to health disparities of these associations. The first aim sought to determine whether weight status was a mediator between cigarette smoking and all-cause mortality among adults with past 30 days smoking in the US. The second aim sought to determine whether weight status is a mediator between cigarette smoking and asthma, and cigarette smoking and COPD. The third aim sought to determine which factors were a source of health disparities in the associations among cigarette smoking and weight status with all-cause mortality, asthma, or COPD. Methods: The study population included adults in the US with past 30 day smoking, with nationally representative samples for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). For all three aims, cigarette smoking, asthma, and COPD were self-reported, while weight status was measured on-sites and all-cause mortality was collected through death records. The first and second studies included causal mediation analyses with weight status as the mediator of the associations between cigarette smoking and all-cause mortality, cigarette smoking and asthma and cigarette smoking and COPD using the NHANES dataset from 2003-2018 and 2013-2018, respectively. For the third study Structural Equation Models (SEM) were implemented to determine which factors related to health disparities may contribute to the associations among cigarette smoking, weight status, all-cause mortality, asthma, or COPD using the NHANES 2003-2018 dataset (for all-cause mortality) and the NHANES 2013-2018 (for asthma and COPD).Results: In the mediation analysis between cigarette smoking and all-cause mortality with weight status as a mediator, the total effect (TE) for the model with only physiological factors was -1.94 (95% CI=-2.67, -0.04; p<0.001), with an average direct effect (DE) of -1.82 (95% CI=-2.51, -0.56; p<0.001) and an average indirect effect (IE) of -0.118 (95% CI= -0.19, -0.03; p =0.004). The TE for the model adjusted for physiological and sociodemographic factors was -1.54 (95% CI = -2.20, 0.01; p = 0.048), an average DE of -1.49 (95% CI = -2.18, -0.01; p = 0.048) and an average IE of -0.049 (95% CI = -0.052, 0.02; p = 0.518). For the mediation analysis between cigarette smoking and asthma and cigarette smoking and COPD having as mediator weight status, it was obtained that for asthma, the TE was 0.0009; p=0.016, with an average DE 0.0009; p=0.016 and an average IE of 0.00003; p=0.232. For COPD, the TE was 0.00166; p<0.001. The average DE was 0.00174; p<0.001; the average IE was -0.00008; p=0.46. The Prevalence Ratio (PR) of having asthma and COPD was 1.03 (95% CI=1.00, 1.06; p<0.1032) and 1.04 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.05; p<0.001), respectively. For the third aim, sex/gender was a significant factor in the associations among cigarette smoking, weight status and all-cause mortality; cigarette smoking, weight status and asthma and cigarette smoking, weight status, and COPD. Race/ethnicity was only significant in the association of cigarette smoking, weight status, and all-cause mortality, and cigarette smoking, weight status, and COPD among Hispanic Mexican and Non-Hispanic White individuals. Conclusions: Findings from this dissertation showed that weight status was not a mediator between cigarette smoking and all-cause mortality; cigarette smoking and asthma, or cigarette smoking and COPD when considering physiological and sociodemographic factors. The findings also indicated that sex/gender contribute to health disparities of these associations. Smoking cessation and harm reduction interventions to reduce the incidence of all-cause mortality, asthma, and COPD due to cigarette smoking should be tailored by sex/gender.