My overall objective in this dissertation was to develop more integrative perspectives of several aspects of academic motivation. Rarely have researchers and theorists examined a more comprehensive model of academic motivation that pools multiple constructs that interact in a complex and dynamic fashion (Kaplan, Katz, and Flum, 2012; Turner, Christensen, Kackar-Cam, Trucano, and Fulmer, 2014). The more common trend in motivation research and theory has been to identify and explain only a few motivation constructs and their linear relationships rather than examine complex relationships involving 'continuously emerging systems of dynamically interrelated components' (Kaplan et al., 2014, para. 4). In this dissertation, my co-author and I focused on a more integrative perspective of academic motivation by first reviewing varying characterizations of one motivation construct (Manuscript 1) and then empirically testing dynamic interactions among multiple motivation constructs using a person-centered methodological approach (Manuscript 2). Within the first manuscript (Chapter 2), a theoretical review paper, we summarized multiple perspectives of the need for autonomy and similar constructs in academic motivation, primarily autonomy in self-determination theory, autonomy supports, and choice. We provided an integrative review and extrapolated practical teaching implications. We concluded with recommendations for researchers and instructors, including a call for more integrated perspectives of academic motivation and autonomy that focus on complex and dynamic patterns in individuals' motivational beliefs. Within the second manuscript (Chapter 3), we empirically investigated students' motivation in science class as a complex, dynamic, and context-bound phenomenon that incorporates multiple motivation constructs. Following a person-centered approach, we completed cluster analyses of students' perceptions of 5 well-known motivation constructs (autonomy, utility value, expectancy, interest, and caring) in science class to determine whether or not the students grouped into meaningful 'motivation profiles.' 5 stable profiles emerged: (1) low motivation; (2) low value and high support; (3) somewhat high motivation; (4) somewhat high empowerment and values, and high support; and (5) high motivation. As this study serves as a proof of concept, we concluded by describing the 5 clusters. Together, these studies represent a focus on more integrative and person-centered approaches to studying and understanding academic motivation. / Ph. D.

The purpose of this project is to improve parents experience in the NICU through design, technology, communication and storytelling. A series of shadowing appointments were conducted to gain empathy and a greater understanding of the environment the design would be in. Next 15 user interviews were conducted. The qualitative data was then analyzed and a needs analysis for the application was determined by identifying patterns in the qualitative data. The design then went through three phases of design, testing and iterating, before the final prototype was complete. This study found that design, technology and storytelling could improve communication and the experience of parents in the NICU. / Master of Fine Arts

As restorative justice gained popularity in schools as a potential strategy for helping to reverse the deleterious effects of zero-tolerance policies, numerous misunderstandings and misapplications have emerged. This study focused on the experiences of school-based restorative justice practitioners and sought to foreground their voices and perspectives to highlight what is necessary for restorative justice work in schools to be effective. Critical narratives were used to elucidate participants’ perspectives and to allow their voices to serve as the focal point for the study. Findings were as follows: (a) the depth and ongoing nature of preparation practitioners undertake to sustain restorative justice work must be emphasized; (b) rather than a program or set of steps, restorative justice must be experienced as a set of principles or a philosophy grounded in genuine care and concern for individual people; (c) a cultural, political, and social shift is required for restorative justice to be implemented with integrity; and (d) restorative justice is a project of humanization and re-establishing democratic ideals. As such, educators in the field are encouraged to embrace the depth and complexity of the philosophical underpinnings of restorative justice and to acknowledge the personal, internal work that must be undertaken to serve a transformative function in school communities.

Gas Sensing Has Become a Very Important and Attractive Technique Because of Its Various Applications, Such as in the Increasingly Concerning Case of Environmental Issues, Automobile Emission Detection, Natural Gas Leakage Detection, Etc. It Also Has Significant Applications in Industries, Such as Safety and Health Monitoring in Underground Mines. Among Those Sensing Areas, Fiber-optic Sensors Have Drawn Considerable Attention Because of Its Small Size, Light Weight, High Sensitivity, and Remote Sensing Capability. However, Current Fiber-optic Gas Sensing Techniques Have Several Limitations on Their Potential for Multiplexed or Distributed Sensing Due to Difficulties Such as High Complexity or Large Loss. To Accomplish the Goal for Multiplexed Gas Sensing, an Off-centered Core Fiber Design Is Investigated. The Eccentric Core Can Reduce Attenuation, Keep Mechanical Strength, and Lower Fabrication Cost. To Verify the Feasibility of the Design, Fiber Field Distribution Is First Studied in Simulation, Which Will Be Discussed in Detail in Chapter 2. Then Two Fiber Samples with a Length of 10 Cm and 40 Cm Are Prepared and Placed in a Custom Methane Sensing System for Gas Absorption Testing, Which Is Detailed in Chapter 3. From Etching Analysis, Localized Surface Defects Are Found as the Main Reason for Power Loss. Performance Such as Detection Resolution and Sensitivity Are Investigated. In Chapter 4, Theoretical Evaluations Have Been Conducted for Multiplexed Sensors Performances Using the Off-centered Core Fiber to Study the Impact Fiber Parameters on Sensing System Design. The Conclusion and Summary Are Presented in Chapter 5. / Master of Science / Gas Sensing Has Become a Very Important and Attractive Technique Because of Its Various Applications, Such as in the Increasingly Concerning Case of Environmental Issues, Automobile Emission Detection, Natural Gas Leakage Detection, Etc. It Also Has Significant Applications in Industries, Such as Safety and Health Monitoring in Underground Mines. Among Those Sensing Areas, Fiber-optic Sensors Have Drawn Considerable Attention Because of Its Small Size, Light Weight, High Sensitivity, and Remote Sensing Capability. However, Current Fiber-optic Gas Sensing Techniques Have Several Limitations on Their Potential for Long Distance Distributed Sensing Due to Difficulties Such as High Fabrication Complexity. In This Work, a Fiber-optic Gas Sensor with Special Structure Was Designed. The Sensor Can Reduce Attenuation, Keep Mechanical Strength, and Lower Fabrication Cost. To Verify the Feasibility of the Design, Theory Analysis and Simulation Were Conducted, Which Will Be Discussed in Detail in Chapter 2. Then Two Samples with a Length of 10 Cm and 40 Cm Were Prepared and Placed in a Custom Methane Sensing System for Testing. And Their Performance Such as Sensitivity Is Investigated. In Chapter 4, Theoretical Evaluations Have Been Conducted for Multiplexed Sensors Performances Evaluation to Study the Impact Fiber Parameters on Sensing System Design. The Conclusion and Summary Are Presented in Chapter 5.

Experiences of interpersonal racism persist as a prevalent reality for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) in the United States. One form of racism that often goes unnoticed is racial microaggressions. These are subtle acts of racism that leave victims questioning the intent of the aggressor. The line of offense is often unclear, as these acts are disguised through humor or seemingly harmless intentions. In this study, we analyze the language used in online racial microaggressions ("Acts") and compare it to personal narratives recounting experiences of such aggressions ("Recalls") by Black social media users. We curated a corpus of acts and recalls from social media discussions on platforms like Reddit and Tumblr. Additionally, we collaborated with Black participants in a workshop to hand-annotate and verify the corpus. Using natural language processing techniques and qualitative analysis, we examine the language underlying acts and recalls of racial microaggressions. Our goal is to understand the lexical patterns that differentiate the two in the context of racism in the U.S. Our findings indicate that neural language models can accurately classify acts and recalls, revealing contextual words that associate Blacks with objects that perpetuate negative stereotypes. We also observe overlapping linguistic signatures between acts and recalls, serving different purposes, which have implications for current challenges in social media content moderation systems. / Master of Science / Racial Microaggressions are expressions of human biases that are subtly disguised. The differences in language and themes used in instances of Racial Microaggressions ("Acts") and the discussions addressing them ("Recalls") on online communities have made it difficult for researchers to automatically quantify and extract these differences. In this study, we introduce a tool that can effectively distinguish acts and recalls of microaggressions. We utilize Natural Language Processing techniques to classify and identify key distinctions in language usage and themes. Additionally, we employ qualitative methods and engage in workshop discussions with Black participants to interpret the classification results. Our findings reveal common linguistic patterns between acts and recalls that serve opposing purposes. Acts tend to stereotype and degrade Black people, while recalls seek to portray their discomfort and seek validation for their experiences. These findings highlight why recalls are often considered toxic in online communities. This also represents an initial step towards creating a socio-technical system that safeguards the experiences of racial minority groups.

This report outlines a project conducted in collaboration with the Communications Department of Region Sörmland. The aim of this study is to investigate whether internationally recruited employees would benefit from the opportunity to chat with staff who have previously undergone the same process. In this report, individuals who have already completed the process are referred to as ambassadors. For clarity, this work has focused on the perspectives of potential employees. The perspectives of the ambassadors themselves have not been the focus of this study. To investigate this, methods such as environmental analysis, interviews, and user testing were employed. These methods provided valuable information regarding deficiencies and the needs of the target audience. The participants in this study include three individuals who work with international recruitments within Region Sörmland and at Folkhögskolan. Additionally, there are nine students who are currently enrolled in or have completed the KLIV (Qualified Licensure Professions Introduction in Healthcare) program. The data collection resulted in a prototype created using Figma. The prototype was then evaluated through user testing and subsequently underwent an iteration. The results of this study show that it is very interesting and valuable for the target audience to be able to connect with someone who has undergone the same process. There is a need for ambassadors that the target audience can contact. During the project, "contact cards" have been designed for the ambassadors, which show their name, job title, and the hospital in Region Sörmland where they work. Additionally, there is a picture and brief information about the person and the languages they speak. The features identified as valuable for the chat forum are the ability to send images/videos and attach documents. However, the design and features of the chat forum need to be iterated and tested with more members of the target group to ensure its effectiveness and user-friendliness. This study is a bachelor thesis in the field of Information design with focus on interaction design.

In the U.S., the majority of construction companies are small companies with 10 or fewer employees (BLS, 2004). The fatality rate in the construction industry is high, indicating a need for implementing safety training to a greater extent. This research addresses two main goals: to make recommendations and design a safety training system for small construction companies, and to use Contextual Design to design the training system. Contextual Design was developed by Holtzblatt (Beyer and Holtzblatt, 1998) in an effort to address the challenge of designing new systems. Ethnographic in nature, the Contextual Design methodology requires field data collection, requirements analysis, model building, visioning and story boarding, and prototyping. A sample of 12 participants consisting of 7 tradespersons, 3 forepersons, and 2 owners/ managers, was selected for data collection. The data was analyzed based on the Contextual Design approach and a training system prototype was designed. The results of this study are recommendations for safety in small construction companies, a low fidelity paper prototype of the training system, and recommendations on future use of Contextual Design for developing training systems. / Master of Science

No description available.

Yes / The notion of person-centered care has been important in investigating relationships between people with dementia and paid carers, and measures are available to assess this. It has been suggested that person-centered care may be a useful construct to apply to understand family-care relationships. However, no measures of person-centered care in this context exist. The study aimed to develop an observational measure of person-centered care for this purpose. Method: First, a coding system incorporating a range of behaviors that could be considered person-centered or non-person-centered was constructed. Examples included a code relating to whether the person with dementia was involved in planning a task, and a code relating to how the spouse responded to confusion/distress. Second, 11 couples, where one partner had a dementia, were recruited and videotaped cooperating on an everyday task. The system was applied to the care-giving spouse's behaviors, labeling examples of behavior as person-centered or non-person-centered. The final step involved assessing the inter-rater reliability of the system. Results: The system captured nine categories of behavior, which were each divided into person-centered and non-person-centered types. The system had good reliability (Cohen's κ coefficients were: 0.65 for category and whether behaviors needed to be placed in a category; 0.81 for category excluding the decision about whether behaviors needed to be placed in a category; and 0.79 in relation to whether behaviors were person-centered or non-person-centered.) Conclusions: Although the small sample size limits the implications of the results, the system is a promising quantitative measure of spousal person-centered care.

No / Dementia is a global concern. Although effort is being put toward finding a cure, many advances have been made in ensuring excellence in dementia care. In the United Kingdom, the concept of person-centered dementia care has transformed what is expected for individuals with dementia. Now embraced in national policy in the United Kingdom, it was pioneered by Thomas Kitwood and Kathleen Bredin and driven by a con-cern for the quality of care for indi-viduals with dementia in care homes. The purpose of the current article is to describe key concepts of Kitwood’s pioneering work in person-centered dementia care and to use them to inform current community-based supports and services for individuals with dementia in their own homes, whether alone or with family carers.